Power Glove - EP1 (2010)

Perfect for sound tracking a rain swept, smoke filled, neon blasted drive through a future city sometime in the 1980's or fighting vampires/zombies in the club from Terminator while attack helicopters strafe your ass.

The Australian duo responsible for this ( who may or may not be lawyers from the future) have this EP and the second one available for free download online. They also had the track "Hunters" remixed by another electro duo, Lazerhawke, and included in the movie Hobo With A Shotgun. The scene when the Plague rampage through the hospital, that's Power Glove ( not to be confused with 8-bit covering metal band Powerglove).

Power Glove - EP1

Bonus high five for who can recognise which film they sample at the beginning of "Night Force"!

The Time - Ice Cream Castle (1984)

A prime slice of 80's pop infused funk rock. The Time, assembled by Prince due to some legal billing in his contract and fronted by his long time friend Morris Day, had a string of minor hits in the 80's and made appearances in the movie's Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge.
Pretty sweet eh? The long hidden truth was that The Time never played any of the recorded songs whatsoever. Prince recorded all the music himself, bar the vocals, but Morris Day had to follow Prince's note by note guide. This often caused much friction between the two acts. The Time would then attempt to upstage Prince every night on tour in a similar situation to how Prince and his band used to try and upstage Rick James when they acted as his opening/backing band.
Anyway, enough chatter, what time is it?

Morris Day & The Time - Ice Cream Castle

Graham Central Station - Mirror (1976)

Larry Graham has got a fair few decent things going for him. He was a key member of Sly & The Family Stone, he is often credited with pioneering the slap technique applied to electric bass and he also worked with Betty Davis, Tower of Power's horn section and The Pointer Sisters. Amongst all this, he found time to form Graham Central Station back in 1973 with various musicians picked out of Jefferson Airplane, Santana and Hot Tuna. Mirror show cases this collectives combined playing skills on many levels. Some of the tightest and most energetic playing you are likely to hear.

Graham Central Station - Mirror

FUCK!!!! Some tight ass playing right here!

Onyx - Bacdafucup (1993) & All We Got Iz Us (1995)

The angry, foul mouthed, Biohazard collaborating, Spike Lee acting group known as Onyx made a pretty big impression back in the 90's. Here are the first two albums they did, Bacdafucup and All We Got Iz Us both classics zipped up together.

Onyx - Bacdafucup/All We Got Iz Us

 

Mr Len - Pity The Fool : Experiments in therapy behind the mask of music while handing out dummy smacks (2001)

Its no secret of my love for Company Flow ( search the archives on here), but up until a few years ago I never really dug into what DJ Mr Len did after the trail blazing Brooklyn trio called it quits back in 2001. I followed El-P pretty obsessively across all his solo works and spent some time absorbing Bigg Jus's Black Mamba Serums but Len seemed pass me by.
Mr Len, Leonard "Lenny" Smythe to his friends, followed the break up with this very album. Acting as a sort of mixtape, it showcases a sound you have come to expect from one of the guys behind the dark Funcrusher Plus album but also leans way more towards standard structures. Sort of like trying to jam a huge, dark, nasty creature into a presentable glass box for people to stare at. That makes sense right?
His choice of vocalists on here is pretty spot on. Each track obviously playing to that lyricists talents and vibe. Jean Grae stands out on her contribution "Taco Day", that's pretty intense in its narrative. Mass Influence, Lord Sear and Chubb Rock all provide pretty solid accompaniment. The only lull in the albums running is the collaboration with metalcore chumps Agents Of Man. Which is just lame. Despite that, Pity The Fool makes a pretty sweet mixtape for random journeys and in my experience household cleaning.

Mr Len - Pity The Fool........

 That's right Lenny, Agents Of Man was a bad idea.

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (1971)

No explaining necessary. You should listen to this album. Look at those guys above! They know.

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

Godstopper - Demo (2010)

Seriously, I can't stop listening to this at the moment. Its grimy hooks are buried in my brain, yanking away, screaming for me to listen. Godstopper exist in a strange realm where Swans had a love child with Ween and this demo is the outcome of that sordid night. The weird, mid range sludge of the guitars seems at odds with the very melodic "rock" of the vocals at times but in this world they work perfectly together. The suffocating, claustrophobic, lo-fi production only adds to the general air of grime and filth which in turn makes the vocal patterns leap out from the mix. I really have struggled at trying to describe this to people so I will just leave it here for your to understand yourselves..

Godstopper - Demo 2010

Here is the video for the best song on here, seriously. I love this so much.

Gene Page - Blacula OST (1972)

Some solid, hard funk for tonight. This is Gene Page's complete score for William Crain's classic Blacula. Page managed to get The Hues Corporation to help out with some of the music and they appear in the film in the night club scenes as the house band. This obviously makes it clear that this isn't just some standard, orchestrated, strings and horns horror score. Obviously with the setting being funky LA and the fact they where tapping into the Blaxploition market, the accompanying music is pretty groovy. Plenty of smooth bass, flute and staccato horn work. You can't really imagine Nosferatu grooving up that stair case to this can you? William Marshall  brings a certain dignity to the role. I really think it's a combination of his turn as Dracula's "soul brother" and this soundtrack that lift Blacula above the tepid waters of 70's explotation films. In fact, if you didn't know what the album was you would never have this pegged as the soundtrack to a black vampire movie. "That's a baaaaaaad cape".

Gene Page - Blacula

The awesome theme tune and opening animation is really good......................

Sorrows - Lethe (2010)

Far too good to let pass by. It was courtesy of the awesome Cosmic Hearse blog that I came into contact with Sorrows depressive and atmospheric take on black metal. Internet presence is kept to a bare minimum in Sorrows world. A single blog keeps it ticking over. Something which I really think has perked my interest in them. 
Of course, this might be a result of Sorrows being immensely boring individuals and having nothing to add about they're music. Who knows? One thing I do know is Lethe is well worth investigating. Showing a wide ranging appreciation of black metal past and present and managing to shape those influences into something greater than the parts. Keyboards, harsh noise, frost bitten blasting, spoken word, indulgent arrangements, its all here and all done with a genuine honesty that is pretty refreshing to hear in the black metal world.

Sorrows - Lethe

GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM, GRIM,

Jason Dill used to rule.

Awesome skater. Went a bit loopy but I still approve of that. Popped up on the Osbourne's so I stopped liking him. Still, this is one of his best, if not the best skate sections he ever did for video. It comes of the awesome Photosynthesis VHS from Alien Workshop back in 2000. The music is the best song Radiohead ever wrote.

Shit & Shine - Cunts With Roses (2007)

Monstrous noise from people that where part of Todd and Hammerhead at one point. So being two of my favourite bands means this rules. Got sent it to review when it came out originally. The cover art really makes the noise inside all the more frightening. Released as a 12" on the quality Noisestar label. Its one track from a rehearsal for a support slot with Laibach.
Nothing left to say about it really.

Shit & Shine - Cunts With Roses

Neurosis - Children Of The Grave (1999)

Today has been shit. This is what its about. Taken from the split 7" with Soilent Green. Hydra Head put out a series of them. Each band covering a Sabbath track, later to be released as a compilation. Now out of print. This tune towered above everything else on it.

Neurosis - Children Of The Grave

Get involved.

Coalesce - Live at the First Unitarian Church, PA 2005

Hands down one of my all time, favourite bands. EVER. A true inspiration and influence. Here they are back in 2005 laying it down. Awesome live set and awesome sound. There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about them.

Track Listing

1- Harvest of Maturity
2- One on the Ground
3- cowards.com
4- Blend as Well
5- Burn Everything That Bears Our Name
6- What Happens on the Road
7- A Safe Place
8- Jesus In The Year 2000 / Next On The Shit List
9- A Disgust For Details
10- 73-C
11- You Can't Kill Us All
12- My Love For Extremes

 

Coalesce - Live At The First Unitarian Church 2005

This has popped up at quite a few different places but I originally got it from the awesome Lo Res Viscera ages ago. Check that blog out.

When good things go bad.

If we only knew what would be happening after this photo was taken. We would have still done it.