Grinderman 2

(Anti 9/2010) 

Reviewed by Anita Papsmear.

Let me begin by saying that, first and foremost, I am a big Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds fan.  If you were hoping for an unbiased review – you’ll have to Tickle Your Taint away from this site!  My love for Nick & the Seeds started the first time I saw their live performance documented in a lovely Wim Wender’s film Wings of Desire.   I was smitten.  The performance was raw and gritty with a trance-like quality.  Then, they grabbed me by the heart and spun my head around in 1992 when I heard, “The Mercy Seat”.    Stunning.  I was hooked.  After that I salivated with each new release – right up through, Dig, Lazarus, Dig (which is fucking brilliant!).  I had the good fortune of seeing them live in 1994 when they toured with Lollapalooza.   It was yet another enthralling performance that culminated with Mr. Cave bound in his microphone cord, writhing on the stage floor.  Amazing.  

I was VJing for an alternative video program (Teletunes) and had the opportunity to interview him at that show.  I was pretty green at the time so when he suggested we do the interview in the bathroom, I jumped at the chance – what a great atmosphere!  He had to have known that the acoustics would render the audio portion of the interview footage unusable – which it did!  He sat on the toilet (lid closed) and I leaned against the sink, while our cameraman stood in front of the bathroom door between us.  Nick had a dirty laundry list of grievances he needed to vent:  Oprah, U.S. politics, consumerism and the vast numbers of lemmings numbed by corporate news and inane television shows.  He’s a passionate, intelligent man with a mission and he can spew a mixture of loathing and love like no other.  

That brings me to the latest Grinderman project, their second release, aptly entitled, 2.  It’s Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds pretty much intact: Nick, Warren, Martyn & Jim (minus a couple regulars – Mick Harvey, most notably).   Now, buck up that little puckernutter and let’s do this… 

Track 1: “Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man” 

I had to recheck the volume on my player as, it takes a good 29 seconds for this baby to kick in (much like a good buzz).  And, much like a good buzz, it’s worth the wait!  The snarling is unmistakably Cave.  There is something a little more relaxed and loose in the song structures of Grinderman 2 (if you are comparing them to the music of NC & TBS).  When the band went into the studio, they didn’t have a set song or lyric structure.  They recorded a bunch of stuff, and then put the songs together piece by piece.  This first track is catchy.   It sets a driving pace with the drums just a partial second too fast.  It heads towards mania, getting your adrenaline going but, it’s an intoxicating trip. 

“And we sucked her, and we sucked her, and we sucked her dry.” 

Track 2:  “Worm Tamer” 

It’s only track 2 and I’m in love.  It rides a darkened “Ring of Fire” undertone, surrounded by hard, sinister guitars.  This song reminds me of speeding on a very dark road too late at night.  It’s uber-catchy and has a smooth slither. 

“I’m only happy when I’m inside her…” 

It’s a hit if I’ve ever heard one. 

Track 3: “Heathen Child” 

This is the track they released as a single – and it’s good – but I find it a little repetitive.  I often find that album tracks are better than the “single” that is release off the album.  No matter how menacing it gets – and there are plenty of dark themes and aching moments on this cd, there is always a sweet spot of sunshine somewhere on the horizon. 

Track 4:   “When My Baby Comes” 

This is a gentler ditty, instantly catchy (although there is some lyrical disturbance in the honey). 

  

“She got hands as white as milk and she weaves a loop of silk that glistens…

When my baby comes…

There’s an ancient question behind her eyes that I can’t even begin to describe.

Hey Listen, don’t do that on the carpet. When my baby comes…

Well they had pistols and they had guns

My skirt above my head. Well I was much older when I crawled out from

Under that mushroom cloud.” 

Track 5 & 6: 

From track 5’s ambient and stripped down style to the howling “evil” in track 6, this CD doesn’t disappoint!  Part of what I love about this musical clan is that there is always something that feels a bit naughty and pleasantly tingly about listening to their music.  At times, I feel like I may have sinned. 

Track 7:  “Kitchenette” 

By now, I’ve decided that this is one of my favorite CDs of the year.  This tune has a bit of a 70’s rock feel with a very loose – boarding on enthralling – vocal performance by Nick Cave. 

“I keep hanging around your kitchenette and I’m gonna find a pot to cook you in. 

I put my fingers in your biscuit jar and crush all your gingerbread men.”

Track 8:  “Palaces of Montezuma” 

This track comes as a sweet surprise after a night of terror. Warm and gentle – reminiscent of a summer day – it’s lovely. 

Track 9:  “Bellringer Blues” 

A great track to end with – leaving you with a smooth finish.  It weaves a catchy melody with compellingly, dark lyrics. 

Final conclusion…. This cd is fucking fantastic….  5 out of 5 smears.  I highly recommend it!    

Signed, Anita Papsmear 

Vanishing Kids - Sky in Your Eyes

 Myspace:www.myspace.com/vanishingkids

Reviewed by Dave.

This evening, I'm writing a review of my favorite album of the last couple years. No it's not current, but I would consider these guys one of Portland, Oregon’s hidden gems, hell I'd consider them a hidden gem of the American music underground in general. At first I wanted to shy away from reviewing their material because I know these people personally. But, to be frank and straight forward, as far as the realm of modern rock music is concerned Vanishing Kids in my opinion make music that is a couple steps above and beyond the average, mediocre, cliché, kitche, milktoast college faux art bullshit that most people accept as “cutting edge” indie rock these days.

I'm reviewing Skies in Your Eyes which was released back in 2007, no I don't care if it's out-dated. I think it's a great album that didn't receive a quarter of the notice it deserved. It's hard to know where to begin to describe the sound of this record, ethereal would be a good word to begin with. The musicianship flows with a smooth, confident, stark, yet at times incredibly delicate beauty. The band seamlessly combines challenging progressive guitar/bass riffs, powerful percussion and dark atmospheric keys in very creative yet accessible compositions. The musical complexity of the instrumentation alone would be enough to carry Sky in Your Eyes. Vanishing Kids however, take things to another level topping things off with several layers of delicately melodic, yet assertive vocals that really pull the tapestry of contrasting sounds into focus in a very haunting heartfelt aesthetic.

While the overall aesthetics of this record do have more of a goth influence which bring to mind the likes of the Cure and My Bloody Valentine, the overall creativity and technical merits of this EP would make it an excellent addition to any progressive rock dork's collection. To put things simply this would be a great EP to be able to listen to with a girlfriend around without on wanting to stab out your owns eyes with an ice pick. It's really a rare treat to hear really creative high caliber musicianship combined with a great melodic sensibility in any modern music. Usually I have more to say positive and negative but this is really just great music that I connect with on multiple levels. If you haven't heard it already at least go check out their myspace page fuckwads!

Using Jimmy's time honored scale of 1 to 10 minutes in reference to the auto erotic pleasure produced by this album I'll give 9.5 minutes.

Anvil, Speed of Sound (Massacre Records, 1988)

Reviewed By Jimmy "Explosive Diarrhea" B


This is another one of those reviews that was originally posted on Dave's, now defunct, music review website. I think I wrote this two years ago.

Question: What happens when you mix iron and Viagra? Answer: your erection points north. Get it? It points north like a compass, because it contains iron. All right so I’m not a comedian, but I do know metal music. And for my latest installment I am going to review Anvil’s Speed of Sound album, which always makes my erections point north, toward Toronto, Canada, home of Anvil.

Dave and I went to see the film, The Story of Anvil, a couple of weeks ago. It got me excited about the early years of metal. I have been listening to bands like Exciter, Omen, Attacker, and of course Anvil all week. Sometimes I forget how pleasurable straight ahead, in your face, fuck you heavy metal can be when it is done right. And few bands did it better than Anvil. The early years of Anvil were common in the underground music scene; they blazed a trail, but got trampled by a herd of revisionists.

Would you believe that these guys put out their first album in 1981? I discovered them around ’88; I was enthralled by the song Blood on the Ice on the Pound for Pound album. The most striking thing about Speed of Sound is that it demonstrates Anvil’s musical progression, but retains that simplistic riff mania that is classic Anvil. If you have been in the metal scene for a while you will remember all of those terrible sell out albums in the mid and late eighties – remember Celtic Frost’s Cold Lake album or Stay Hard by Raven. Bad stuff! How bad was it? So fucking bad I could shit! The bands made a few bucks, and suffered the shame of selling out for the rest of their careers. Anvil was different; they NEVER sold out, and judging by Speed of Sound the years have been good to the boys from Toronto.

There are three things that separate Speed of Sound from earlier Anvil albums. The most obvious, which won’t surprise any fan of ‘80s metal, is production. Eighties metal had the worst production of any genre of music ever! Second, there is more emphasis on melody. Yikes! Did I actually say melody? Indeed I did, but we’re not talking about any sissy power metal melody. No, my friends, this is testosterone driven, horns in the air melody. What I am really driving at is that there was a disconnect between the vocals and the music in Anvil’s early years which is entirely absent on Speed of Sound. Finally, Anvil’s lyrics are more socially aware than in the past. The band is no longer simply playing anthem metal. They are talking about social alienation in a world controlled by heartless corporations; they are expressing outrage at terrorism, and they are taking some swipes at asshole fathers who won’t support their offspring.

By now you have probably noticed that I like Speed of Sound. I think it contains some of Anvil’s best work. The songs "Bullshit," and "Park that Truck" are not only my favorite songs on the album, but my favorite Anvil songs period. No Evil is a damn good song as well. But, I do have a complaint; the song "Mattress Mambo" is fucking atrocious. I suspect this song was used as filler. I have no other explanation for why such a shitty song would appear on an otherwise great album. Doesn’t the world already have enough cheesy songs about fucking? YAARRGGHH!!

So, here are my final thoughts on Speed of Sound: it is an updated, slightly polished up version of the Anvil of old. It is raw, angry and fun metal. If you are the kind of person who loves listening to competent furious riff rock with an eighties edge then Speed of Sound is for you, but if you are looking for something progressive or fast as fuck then your dollars will be better spent elsewhere. This gem gets an 8.5 rating; the only thing that keeps it from getting a 9.0 is the awful “Mattress Mambo.”

Dio, Sacred Heart (Warner Bros., 1985)

By SoDak

I must admit that when Ronnie James Dio sang in Black Sabbath (the first time) from 1979 to 1982, I really did not pay attention or care. It was only much later, thanks to Jimmy “Explosive Diarrhea,” that I went back to listen to Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. Having said that, I was familiar with Dio, as a vocalist. My neighbor listened to the early Rainbow records, which I enjoyed. But, like many people my age, I became a fan of Dio when I heard “Rainbow in the Dark” in 1983. I am still fascinated by this song with the heavy, slow guitar riff and the strange keyboard sound. I fondly remember hearing this song blasting from speakers at the state fair in South Dakota in the early to mid 1980s. Somehow it seemed appropriate given the vibe of the carnival. One thing is certain, Dio can sing. He has a big fuckin’ voice that is quite distinctive. He stands among the best, as far as metal vocalists.

Dio’s third solo album, Sacred Heart, is commonly seen as one of—or being among—his weakest records. I do not dispute this point. It is dismissed as being cliché and filled with weak anthem songs. OK, fine, but this is true of much of rock music. Nonetheless, this record serves as a marker for me. I saw Dio for the first time on this tour. He played July 7, 1986, in Rapid City, South Dakota. As a special bonus, Accept was the opening act, in support of their record Metal Heart. As a teenager in a city where generally only country and metal bands played in the local arena, it was special concert. Both bands were energetic and put on a great show. (While I did not know him then, I believe that Jimmy “Explosive Diarrhea” was also at this concert.)

Sacred Heart is a more mainstream record than the previous releases and most of the albums that he put out after this one. The record starts with the sound of an audience cheering, as the song “King of Rock and Roll” takes off. There are so many songs about rock and roll, and few of them are interesting. This is the case here. It is a forgettable song. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Children,” on the same record, is marginally better, as it speaks of the loneliness that numerous youth experience. Some of the songs on this record are formulaic and plodding, such as “Another Lie.” The only thing that saves many of the songs is Dio’s vocals. He sings as if he believes every word he says. He desperately wanted to reach out and let the scorned and scarred of this world know that he cared. He seemed so earnest, and I value this aspect of his character.

Dio sings about a lot of make-believe shit, such as dragons, wizards, angels, demons, heaven, and hell. I was never really into mystical-fantasy tales. Perhaps it is a lack of imagination on my part. But I can appreciate that he is generally describing a great struggle to survive in an inhumane world and that he wants to offer hope to people. This is all fine. But I have to admit that I never really paid too much attention to the lyrics. I remember the chorus and little parts of the songs. There are a lot of references to dreamers, dancers, and being free. From time to time, he told an interesting story within a song. Often he left me scratching my head, wondering what the fuck he was going on about. In the song “Sacred Heart,” he sings, “You fight to kill the dragon, you bargain with the beast, and sail into a sigh, you run along a rainbow, and never leave the ground, and still you don’t know why.” Ah, OK. I am not sure what to say. I suppose that this is because I have never sailed into a sigh…or sailed at all. I get it, as far as this song is concerned, when you dream you imagine possibilities for the future—or as he puts it: “Whenever you dream, you’re holding the key, it opens the door, to let you be free.”

When this record was released, I bought the cassette tape. I listened to side two (or side B, if you prefer) more often than the flipside. The latter half of the record seemed more cohesive and solid. “Hungry for Heaven,” a song that was used in the film Vision Quest, is the opening track on side two. It is a slower, more melodic song, with a ringing guitar and a decent keyboard part. Of course there is the dancer, who dances on air and is about to fall. The dancer is also a dreamer who is told to “reach for the stars, and you will find, you’re hungry for heaven…but you need a little help.” At times, these lyrics start to sound a like a self-help book. But I must admit that I do like the simplicity of the song. It is a catchy tune.

“Like the Beat of a Heart” has a more driving guitar riff that, along with the vocals, sounds a little foreboding. The song even has a couple stop and start parts and builds in tension as the song progresses. In many ways, these dynamics, which continue on the rest of the songs, are what make side two much better than side one. “Just Another Day” is also a more rockin’ tune, where the guitar and vocals propel the song forward at a nice clip. Dio’s vocals are powerful here. He pleads us to break from the chains that restrict us and make us live our lives as if it is just another day. Is Sacred Heart a great record? The answer is: No. But it does have some good songs that embody many of the things that are classic about Dio.

In 2001, I saw Dio play in a tiny, shitty bar in Springfield, Oregon. Kloghole and I jumped at the opportunity to see him play. I just thought it would be great to see Dio play again. I am not sure what I expected. But I must say that the show was awesome—much better than the concert in 1986. It was very intimate, as the band members and crowd shared sweat. The band sounded incredible and fed off of the energy of the crowd. It was one of the best concerts I had seen in a long time. It reminded me of how great it is to see rock shows in small clubs. In many ways, this event rekindled my interest in Dio. Null, who also posts reviews on this site, only fed this pursuit, when he called a couple years later, asking me what I thought about Dio. He remarked that he had seen some interviews with Dio, who seemed like a good human being. As a result, Null and I have spent countless hours over the last few years talking about Dio. I did not expect this, as I generally associated Dio with my youth. But it has been a real joy to continue to enjoy this music, to discover additional insights about who Dio was, and to appreciate how impressive he was as a singer. He could howl and he could whisper. He made his mark and he did it with dignity.

D.O.A., Murder (Restless Records 1990)

By Null


What’s wrong Murder? Nothing.

People often criticize D.O.A.’s 1990 release as being prodding and slower than their other records. I will not deny that this is the case, however I rather enjoy it when bands break from their usual style and expand out a little bit (all rock music is so similar in structure that from an outsider’s view this may seem like a ridiculous statement). Still, I am tired of hearing people slag this great D.O.A. album. Sure, it may not be the greatest D.O.A. release; it may not have the quick tempo tracks that many have come to expect from the legendary Canadian punk rock band but it is a classic punk rock record.

It is true that many of the riffs are slower and more prodding -- think 70’s Aerosmith meets punk rock minus the cocaine and add a brain. The production is a little tinny as well. I picked this record up years ago after falling in love with the great collaboration between Jello Biafra & D.O.A.: the EP - Last Scream Of The Missing Neighbors (Alternative Tentacles 1989). Last Scream… showed a shift in D.O.A.’s sound. The guitars were much more “metal” sounding than on previous releases and the production was very thick…very full. Taking this into consideration it is easy to understand the shift in sound and style upon the release of Murder a year later.

Furthermore, the record is a classic punk rock record because of its heartfelt critique of economic and political systems. The album has several recurring themes including consumerism, imperialism and apartheid. “We Know What You Want” and “Guns, Booze, & Sex,” condemn the consumerism of an irrational economic system. “Boomtown” and “No Productivity” illustrate the results of an economic system in which human beings and entire communities descend into despair as a result of the “market:”

     well the jobs were there, but they ain't no more.
      now your starin' at a closed factory door.
      and the banker, he don't give a damn.
      he'd walk right over a dyin' man

“Banana Land” is a tragic and comedic portrait of deforestation and exploitation:

     welcome to our banana land,
     our representatives exploit the land.
     in the tradition of the father land.
     now there's a land up in the north
     where they work on both sides of the street
     paying workers just enough to live
     and nothin' when they're out of trees

In “African Security” Joey Shithead, in classic punk style, even complains about the stink of the military police and murder squads that regularly break into peoples homes, he “can’t get the smell out of the house!” I could go on and on. D.O.A. have always had great lyrics, although I am not familiar with all of D.O.A.’s work, the songs on this album show a great degree of sophistication. The lyrics I sighted do not do the album justice. It was upon listening to this album that I realized just how informed Joey Shithead is about the trends and results of an economic system that puts human welfare and development at the bottom of the “to do” list. When I was young, it helped me understand and investigate some of the processes inherent in capitalism. It taught me things and pushed me forward and it rocked me the fuck out. Can we ask more of a great punk rock record?

These are only some of the reasons that Murder is a bona fide punk rock classic!Unfortunately, Murder is currently out of print, however, a used copy can be obtained if one seeks it out. Murder also contains the best version of “The Midnight Special” I have ever heard, complete with rattling machine gun fire and a sound bite from Nelson Mandela.

Christ on a Crutch, Crime Pays When Pigs Die (New Red Archives, 2001)

By SoDak

Utah Phillips, the radical folk singer, pointed out that part of the power of Wobbly songs was the directness of the lyrics. For example, “Dump the Bosses Off Your Backs” contained a clear statement in regard to power and exploitation. He contrasted this to poetic protest songs, such as Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” suggesting that much of this music was for middle-class consumption. He was not dismissing Dylan and his music, but he was making the point that blunt lyrics can be important, especially when it comes to assigning responsibility for the state of the world. In the mid-1980s, I was captivated by the energy of punk rock. More than this, I was excited to discover bands such as Crass and the Subhumans that protested the system of class exploitation and imperialism. In many ways, punk rock seemed to address the issues that I was increasingly concerned with at the time. Now there are a slew of bands that I loved, some more musically talented than others, but this issue was never my main concern, as I can appreciate bands for other reasons. I always had a special place for punk rock bands that were very direct, in the same spirit as the Wobblies.

In 1991, Christ on a Crutch floored me with their record Crime Pays When Pigs Die. I thought that their previous record, Spread the Filth, was interesting, but I was not terribly impressed. Nonetheless, I bought Crime Pays When Pigs Die when it was released. The title of the record and the picture of the policeman picking up the little girl on the cover peeked my curiosity. This record is much more powerful and intense than the previous record. Plus the recording is much better. The guitar is very much upfront, and the bass and drums drive every song forward, as if each song is racing against time. Christ on a Crutch was not the most original punk rock band. But they were solid. They played hard-driving, fast-paced songs. The vocals are primary yelling, but the words for the most part are quite clear.

When listening to Crime Pays When Pigs Die, it is immediately apparent that this is a pissed off band. At this point in time, George H.W. Bush was in office, and the United States was waging war against Iraq. Religious fundamentalism, police brutality, poverty, and mass consumerism were just as common as they are today. The songs are filled with images of pigs with guns and badges brutalizing people, of businesses sending jobs overseas to decrease labor costs and to exploit distant lands, of politicians making deals with the rich and fucking over the public, and of the poisoning of the air, land, and water by a system predicated on the constant accumulation of capital.

Rage erupts from almost all of the songs. “Sleep of Reason” addresses the selling of war to the public and the sanitized depiction of war in which the consequences of dropping bombs on cities is not depicted. “You saw destruction from the sky, but never once viewed those who died, the haunting sight of blood soaked sand that never burdened ‘T.V.’ land, watched our nation swallow shit and made the war a prime time hit.” Dutifully people tie yellow ribbons around trees, “no need to watch the senseless slaughter of loving mother’s sons and daughters.”

“North Richland” depicts the toxic legacy of the Hanford plant in Washington state, as radioactive waste pollutes the northwest. “Nation of Sheep” opens “Alienation has become a way of life” in a world filled with minimum-wage jobs. Frustration boils to the surface declaring: “I can’t believe you people don’t fuck it up, start turning up the heat, let’s go trash the homes of those who’ve put two million people on the street.” But folks are too scared to organize and act, and the system rolls on, crushing people underneath the wheels.

July 1991, Christ on a Crutch played with 411 and Spitboy in Rapid City, South Dakota. The show was awesome. I rocked the fuck out all night, enjoying every band. The singer of Christ on a Crutch had a hernia. During their entire set, he had to sing hunched over, with a hand at his groin, preventing his intestines from collecting in this nutsack. When you listen to this record, you will understand that his vocal style, his yell, is one that creates a lot of internal pressure that would result in downward pressure within his body. Nonetheless, he performed beautifully. After almost twenty years, my shirt from this show is threadbare. I wish I had a replacement.

Two of my favorite songs are “Fish People” and “In on Your Joke.” The former is a pissed off number focused on how inhumane Christian fundamentalists are. The latter is a catchy song, as far as this band is concerned. The vocals stand out, clearly articulating anger: “It’s your salvation that leaves me in eternal hell, it’s your complacent life of shit that leaves me choking on the smell of; ruined lives and wasted minds and doomed ideas, that leave people shot down in the street, children cold with nothing to eat, the homeless with their shoeless feet, while fatcats and their wealthy hags pass people living out of bags.” With frustration, the singer asks where can we find hope. While not necessarily identifying a means for change, the song ends on an interesting rant: “When generals are struck dead from the sky, and politicians are victims of their lies, when all cops are locked in jail, and all the priests have gone to hell, when lawyers rot in growing heaps, and all the world leaders are buried deep, that’s the day, that’s the day I’ll find my hope.”

Crime Pays When Pigs Die clocks in at less than twenty-six minutes. Each song is an explosion of energy, releasing pent up frustration. The anger is frank and rather refreshing, given the persistence of social ills and war. I would love to hear a record by a new band erupting with similar sentiments. While not the most innovative band musically, Christ on a Crutch made a classic punk rock record that kicks ass.