Shining Examples

Tee Pee Records has done a fantastic job on compiling a roster full of exemplifying acts. What do these bands exemplify you ask? Well in the case of the following two bands I will tell you about today, they exemplify the true essence of classic/psych rock.

For awhile I thought Clutch was the only true rock band out there that could hold their own against the legends of the past. Such naive thoughts usually result in excellent finds.

Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound and Graveyard are not reviving anything, they, like the mighty Clutch, are forerunners ushering in a new age of good rock.

Graveyard - Graveyard (2008)



Sweden's Graveyard released what could be considered one of the best throwbacks to early day rock in the ways of Blue Cheer, Armageddon, Gun, Atomic Rooster and so on. Progressive in it's precision and soulful in its delivery, Graveyard is the nostalgia that every bitter and jaded hipster from the days of yore longs for.

This is another one of those "They do it better" deals. It's rare I can pop in a disc of what could be considered 'Rock' these days and actually get something from it. Graveyard, unlike a lot of self proclaimed eclectic psych rock out there, actually give direction to their sound while encompassing the spirit of those who came before them. By spirit I'm referring to the actual sound. They were able to get that vintage raw atmospheric feeling that carries both depth and clarity. Admittedly this album has plenty of hooks that due well to keep one entertained but in the midst of their catchy song writing there are intricacies and swellings that expand the music to a level more than just ear grabbing pop rock.

I like rock bands that give emphasis on being direct in the traditional song sense while also being able to give your ears multiple directions of focus that collectively end in a wonderment. Songs don't have to be these goofy jam sessions everyone cums over. Music can be just as involved in a 4 minute period as that of a 20 minute.

Ever go into an LP store full of men wrapped up in the past? Hearing them mutter and sputter on about great guitarists and bands that no one can hold a flame to and so forth? This is an act that could easily persuade an obnoxious geezer that the 'kids' of today can rock. Not that such bands would have to prove themselves to such stubbornness.

I hope I can be that old guy some day.


Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound - Ekranoplan (2007)



This band was a good find. A particular user on a particular program I use usually has a bunch of bands I have yet to discover. I raid his stuff every once in awhile, and while some sucks, and some is okay, some are remembered. Assemble Head certainly remained.

This is some great floaty psych rock that once again, has direction. I'm in no way putting down experimentation within studio albums, that can be fun, but it's this kind of song writing that only needs to do one thing, start at point A and end at point B. At the end of the journey is greatness. Conceivably Assemble Head write songs that could potentially never end. Every passage has new potential to develop into something even more extravagant, and usually does.

Mellowness aplenty, the band takes a gradual approach to the whole classic rock thing. Very 'chill' material if you will. There is no forcing of wild solos, no big riffing or clashing drum madness, they simply go with the flow and their songs indeed flow. There is much enjoyment that comes from their delicately weaved rhythms and I would go as far as to compare their flow to that of a river. In what I consider a 'delightful' listening experience, Assemble Head groove and fly amongst the trees, carrying you gently through the wilderness and then they drop you off in a great place.

__________________________________________________

Let this be a lesson to those goofy bands lacking tact like Phish whose on again off again tours only occur when they run out of drug money in which case they need to hope to Christ their audience is under the influence long enough to enjoy one of the empty and drawn out messes they call a 'jam'.

I'm probably spinning my wheels with this rant but Phish are a perfect example of the contradiction that exists in music, and their fans live out that same contradiction every time they follow these overrated jackasses around on one of their 'tours'. How free spirited of them.

Here In Metal Metal Land

I'm listening to Amon Amarth right now and I'm thinking: what bands nowadays can be considered just straight up kick ass metal? Not many. People have become accustomed to lumping bands into sub genres and bands have gone through lengths to make sure people don't consider them to be just one kind of heavy music. So lets get down to it, what bands can be considered Metal? No extra words attached, just METAL.

I present a double dose below.

As Eden Burns - The Great Celestial Delusion (2008)



The Lone Star state's very own As Eden Burns was the best thing to happen to Willowtip in a long time. With a roster filled to the brim with grind and death metal, the gore obsessed label heard something exciting and decided to share it post haste.

As Eden Burns released an EP before their signing to Willowtip. The songs featured on that EP are also on the debut full length mentioned here. The older material held up with the new which made for an album that isn't just an EP with some new material. Which is good considering that obtaining their first release is probably difficult at this point.

As Eden Burns will rekindle that old metal flame deep inside your innards. The flame that most of us keep away from all the new mediocrity that spills out every month which attempts to douse the flame causing one to give up on the once powerful force known as metal (as many have and reasonably so).

For those who have not abandoned hope, As Eden Burns offer a slaughtering take on how to properly use melody and aggression. This is something very few bands grasp because they are too busy wondering how to put that breakdown in between the bridge and the next chorus and then after the chorus again (only this time played slowwwwer). If bands were not allowed to play breakdowns by some cosmic law they would probably end up with the best material they ever wrote, or they would break up. Bands like As Eden Burns went with the former as they are what one could consider a "No nonsense" band, they go straight for the throat and leave the formulated bullshit to the talentless hacks.

The vocals sound like tearing flesh and they never let up. While the singer is constant in his delivery, the vocals actually tend to get even harsher as the band shreds through intense climaxes before going into one of their devastating passages of mid paced destruction. Meanwhile you have the dual guitar action used wisely as underlying melodies accent the non stop riffing.

It's no secret that US bands completely ripped off the Swedish DM sound, and most just don't get it. And then there's As Eden Burns who clearly come from a seasoned background of meshing their talents and influences to create a better listening experience. There are plenty of bands who have the talent, yet they choose to squander it for pit action. Their compromise is apparent and it's why As Eden Burns will be amongst the new champions of metal. Instead of simply taking what has been done, they have worked on perfecting their own approach while using such legendary styles that came before them as tools to tweak their own representation of the genre.

I'm not saying the band breaks new ground by any means, I'm just telling you they do it better.

The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate (2009)



Let's get something straight, The Black Dahlia Murder's "Unhallowed" EP was completely overrated and it's a piece of boring shit. Then came Miasma, granted I thought it was decent but it turned out to be the band's tribute to Iron Maiden. Hey, it happens. Then we get to "Nocturnal", now they are onto something. Finally the band defined its sound, they chose a side and they chose wisely. I enjoyed Nocturnal enough but it would be the band's latest offering that really shows how they have progressed (and I'm sure the line-up changes didn't hurt).

The cover of this album screams metal, fortunately the music does too. While I still think the band is this boring object to view live, their new tunes put me on my ass. I am impressed with their progress and while I could easily be a dick and consider their older releases shitty enough to dismiss them altogether, it's the simple fact that if more bands like The Black Dahlia Murder existed, I would have just a little bit less to bitch about.

End of the Line

Today's post will take a break from the "The Problem With Music Today" series.

Today I will present you with the final albums released by two bands who truly defined their respective genres.


Burnt By The Sun - Heart of Darkness (2009)



With the release of "Heart of Darkness", metalcore pioneers Burnt By The Sun are officially done. The band declared break up after 2003's "The Perfect is The Enemy of the Good" but a few years later we would hear rumblings from the BBTS camp saying they had one more release up their sleeve for all of us. They would go on to release a split 7" with Relapse label mates Carbomb that featured one new track. We would have to wait another 2 years until the band released Heart of Darkness.

I'll take the time now to mention how important this band was to the rising metalcore scene that has since been totally raped, disfigured, and exploited. Band's like Burnt By The Sun set the marker for what it truly meant to be 'metalcore'. The long defunct, and equally important Human Remains would be the pre-cursor to Burnt By The Sun. BBTS would take what Human Remains did and make things a bit more seamless while being equally aggressive.

Very few bands of the heavy persuasion can claim their own sound. I would say the ability to do so is even less now. In this way is Burnt By The Sun important and even more important is Heart of Darkness as a lesson to all these fake assholes walking about. We are in the middle of a crisis with heavy music. Few exciting acts still remain which leaves little to look forward to. Soon everyone will be going back instead of looking ahead to what could be. There's nothing wrong with going back to those releases we hold near and dear but if there's nothing unique or at least inspiring to look forward to, then heavy music in trouble (more so than it already is).

The song writing on Heart of Darkness is much more direct than previous releases. I wouldn't consider it stripped down because the elements of dissonance that make BBTS's riffing so memorable are still intact and the intricate thudding rhythms do their job in making sure no song is ever that simple. Mike Olender's vocals are a bit more defined but don't worry the words are still inaudible for the most part. It just wouldn't be Burnt By The Sun otherwise. Olender has admitted that the lyrics penned for this album are his own personal closure regarding the conflict inside that he has allowed us to experience.

Very few bands can say they went out with a bang and this album is proof that Burnt By The Sun will always have a place in the annals of heavy music.



Insect Warfare - Insect Warfare (2009)



Insect Warfare's self titled one sided LP would be their final offering. 53 tracks of noise, drums, vocals and noise, no guitars, no bass. The band wasn't about to do anything special for their final release, they just did what they do best and then they left us very thirsty.

This Texas grind quartet has put just about every grind band to come around in the past 10 years to absolute shame. They pulled their influences straight from the glory days of grind. Then, they took those influences and integrated them into their own version of noisy thrashy death. They are hands down one of the greatest grind acts to ever exist. Every release seemed to fluctuate in terms of production, more static, less static, buried, brightened, in any case, it was all disgusting. Often times I can't believe how devastating it all sounds. This band gives you that flesh stripped from bones feeling.

Of course like all great things, they too had to come to an end. Luckily they left us with a bunch of material which if you played it from start to finish would probably span about 20 minutes. Amazing.

This is the type of band where if a friend were to ask "Dave, you know a lot about music, a godly amount even, what bands would I listen to if I wanted to get into grind?" I could name plenty but Insect Warfare would be the first to come out of my mouth.

The Problem With Music Today Part IV: Periodicals

Magazines have long been a source of information for just about anything. Now, with the internet consuming all things informative, the magazine industry, much like the music industry, is suffering quite a bit. Magazines and newspapers are closing their doors at a quick pace and yet for some reason Rolling Stone magazine continues to be published.

I'll start with those useless assholes first. Rolling Stone magazine, like many other things, probably held a high standard for music journalism as it would eventually become iconic for the sheep. I'm sure there was some integrity to speak of back in the late 60's early 70's but as far as I'm concerned, they used up their usefulness long ago.

Rolling Stone is your in print equivalent to MTV. You will not find much music within the pages of Rolling Stone aside from the band or act featured on the cover and sometimes it's not even a musical act! Aside from the featured article, you'll be exposed to Rolling Stone's poor attempt at social commentary, political commentary, and a shitload of ads! We all know Magazines thrive on ad space and some do far more than others. Tell me how many pages of actual music commentary and interviews you get out of that stapled mess. I read an article in between all of the cigarette ads that focused on a man's 12 inch long penis and the trials and tribulations of his life with a penis of that magnitude. Glad I didn't miss that issue!

Rolling Stone does nothing but promote the rock star image that kids are drawn too, and even more so, they are drawn to the half naked shots of Christina Agulara on the cover. As the noble publication Ad Busters pointed out, people are most likely to buy a magazine because of the cover. It makes sense, a number of times I would fall for this when I saw a publication featuring my favorite band. I have stopped that awhile ago as disappointment was constant.

How many times have you read an article caption that read "Beatle Bailey talks about his rise from depression and how he overcame his struggle with addiction to make one the best albums of the year."? Then you read, and there's nothing indicating how this contributed to the musical process. The details are vague, unimportant and leave you with less respect for the artist, if you had any. Then the album that's praised just blows anyway as predicted because the hope is that controversy alone will conquer the Billboard.

Very few magazines really provoke the interviewee to actually open up in a way that's relevant to the music. There are variables of course, some people have more to say than others, I have experienced this. Most people don't like doing interviews and say what they need to in order to get it over with. Some are so preoccupied that the interview is considered an interruption. While others, like Barney Greenway of Napalm Death, are always very excited to discuss just about anything. (Best interview I ever did)

Other waste bin fillers like Spin, Metal Hammer, Revolver, AP, Blender, are merely a waste of resources and do nothing to really bring about a new perspective, instead they focus on the already known and played out, praising them to god like status. Blender is OOP now and not in the sought after fun way so I'll leave them be. Spin is basically Pitchforkmedia.com in print, although that particular publication does a tad more to be versatile, but their writing usually comes off eccentric and trite. Spin does well to hype the same crap time and time again, but never forgetting to stop and eat their young.

Metal Hammer and Revolver are doing a great job making sure that metal stays gimmicky and mundane. I used to buy Revolver from time to time, it didn't take long for me to stop. It should be called "The official guide to Ozzfest". They focus on all of the most popular acts currently in circulation and do very little, and I mean very little, to mention solid underground acts. The most you would get is an inserted text box amidst an article that says "Check out these!" they would list 3 bands and that is all, just band name and album title. Sex appeal is most important to Revolver, so much so that they made sure they had their Sexiest Women In Metal issue and from time to time you will get a porn star posing half naked and a quick profile where they proclaim their love for hair metal bands. Fantastic, that's what we need, less credibility in the world of metal, no wonder people say things like Metal is dead, Punk is dead, Hardcore is dead, with this type of shit, one can see where the dooming began and who perpetuated the end. But that's for another post not too far off from this one. Decibel rivaled Revolver's sexiest women issue by doing a feature of their own called "The cutest kitties in metal" and that's exactly what it was, pet owners displaying their cats.

Getting back to the send. Metal Hammer is the National Inquirer of 'metal' periodicals. This shit rag is all about the drama. They make sure they have plenty of space for every bullshit mud slinging idiot that opens his or her mouth. I have read more nonsense in the pages of Metal Hammer than a Sally Jessee episode can handle. In fact, it was Metal Hammer that made sure to skew and print the bad mouthing between Phil Anselmo and the rest of the members of Pantera. Phil Anselmo has gone on record stating that Metal Hammer was the reason he didn't do any press for about two years. Well, we all know Phil Anselmo is quite the asshole. Metal Hammer has done well to show that it appreciates that type of behavior because it's not like these people make music or anything, that's an afterthought. I'm not even going to go into to the Tool interview I read when 10,000 days came out. I wanted to get the direct contact for the jackal who wrote the piece.

When a publication loses its focus it's time to boycott people, when the format becomes this unrecognizable shit storm of sensationalism being shoved down your throat, it's time to boycott.

A perfect example of format shift is AP. What irony. Alternative Press has become the go to rag for the latest pop trends involving such genres as suck, lame, and total ass. It's the caliber of acts they follow now that leads anyone with a respectable head on their shoulders to exclaim "WTF?!". AP has always been hit or miss in that department and one year they finally chose a side. There was a time when they used to introduce me to a lot of decent acts and give readers a heads up on upcoming bands that were keeping things interesting. And then it started, they just jumped head first into the pop emo trend and exploited the shit out of it, and still do. Gone is the ability to inform absolutely, gone is the integrity.

These are just a few publications that do their best to enforce the idea that writing about music, doesn't necessarily have to be about the music, at all. We already have music channels that decided to ditch their format entirely, and periodicals are doing the same. The money, oh the money. What's even more uncanny is the fact that people find nothing strange about this, and they tune in/read anyway.

Most bands covered in these publications offer nothing of real importance because as you are aware magazines are part of the larger bullshit hype machine of overrated nonsense. One of the best over hype blunders was Rolling Stones honoring Led Zeppelin as "the Heaviest Band of All Time." in 2006.

These publications will also try to sit there and tell me a band who has not changed in 20 years is going to have something new to say about the creative process of their new album. "We did less heroine this time man. We have changed, this next album is next level shit for sure." Or even better, interviewing people who don't even write their own fucking music! "So tell me Justin, what was it like sitting around until somebody told you that you were putting out another album?"

One periodical I have come to know and love is Decibel. I have boycotted all other music mags. In fact I am so biased that I gushed to one of their staff about how much of a solid read they are. They put it in the magazine under a humorous headline that escapes my memory at the moment. The reasons are simple. Decibel has good writers that do an admirable job of putting together accurate critiques some of which are so well written that you can't help but check the band out. In almost every issue, I get acquainted with at least one or two acts I was once unfamiliar with that deliver the goods.

They remember that first and foremost, that they are a music periodical. Sure they have baseball and football season articles that get a hold of band members to have them express their sports fanship, but other than those once a year issues of off topic hobby pieces, they make the most of their publication. The reviews are abstract to the point where you are not even sure what kind of music the band actually plays. This resorts in the reader checking the band out for themselves. The reviewers only have so much room to work with and they make the best of their tiny word count guidelines.

The most obvious indication that Decibel's writing staff knows what's up is the fact that their reviews are usually on par with mine. I generally agree with everything they praise and everything they dump on. The elite recognize each other but I'm not about to put words in anyone's mouth, I'm just saying that I know where they stand. Their ability to recognize talent is expressed in an identifiable way that keeps people aware and excited. I should know, I do the same thing for you.

They also feature a Hall of Fame section which is great because I found myself convinced by the writer of a particular induction that there's an Accept album that kicks ass and sure enough it does! The Hall of Fame inductees are usually spot on. They often feature albums I overlooked by bands you wouldn't think were of such musical force. Unfortunately there's such a long line that it is unlikely that I will see many of my hall of fame picks in any issues any time soon (Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops).

Here's Decibel's treatment of high profile acts. They had Metallica as the cover story for an issue. This is rare because Decibel usually doesn't go for such obvious and predictable cover stories, they leave that to the shitty publications discussed earlier. So they took this sad sack of rich children and turned it into the best coverage of Metallica I have read. They inducted "...And Justice For All" into the Hall of Fame and that was their Metallica article. Decibel didn't ask about "Death Magnetic" or how hard it was for James to overcome his 'demons'. His egotistical narcissistic demons who have ripped his sack off causing him to forget how to play music, and love the act of. Or maybe he forgot because of the dildo made out of 100's that he had Lars insert into his rectum went too far and struck his brain. In either case, knowing they couldn't willfully interview a band that hasn't done anything of note since that 89' release, they focused on the good times. Decibel asked the band to discuss the making of their finest work instead of discussing the musical failures the rotted out husk of former musicians had just released. Take note!

Also, the ability to inform is definitely their strong point. These guys know their history and make sure you know it to. They inform you of the 'what was' that resulted in the 'what is' of today. I thought I was pretty familiar with the Swedish death metal movement. Wrong! Decibel brought up a lot of acts that formed before the ones I came to know and so I had to do some audible research to get up to par.

Decibel does well to delve into the details of a interviewees life without straying from the music. They keep all questions relevant to the music. The interviewer chooses questions that usually result in elaborate answers which give the reader further insight into the thought process that goes into creating the art we know and love. Often times after reading a cover story about a band I highly enjoy, I feel incredibly inspired knowing more about the band's evolution and how they sacrifice in order to do what they enjoy most in life.

This is the way journalism is supposed to be; to inform, educate, and inspire. I know it seems silly that I mention the obvious but in this world of compromise it never hurts to to recognize the sole purpose of things.

The Problem With Music Today Part III: Being The Label

I was going to name this entry "Image" but I think being the label gets more specific. We all know image has been constantly used to promote just about everything we buy as anyone who has taken 2 minutes of an advertising class can tell you, or anyone who has watched a half hour of television knows.

This entry focuses on how music 'lovers' do their best to ensure that no one confuses them with another person. They buy into the idea of the image that goes along with whatever the hell they are listening to.

God forbid you call a punker a hipster or vice versa although some people get off on such things. We all know a person who dresses the label. I'm sure someone will give you some bullshit line about 'lifestyle'. Is it really a lifestyle? Sounds like just a style to me, in the most superficial sense of the word.

The movie SLC Punk repeated a common logic that some have come to realize as shown in the film when Matthew Lillard's character 'Stevo' is talking to Summer Phoenix and she says to him "That's not rebellion. That's fashion." regarding his rebellious attitude that also requires him to dye his hair, and dress the way he does. We have also seen this jab sprawled on shirts and other paraphernalia that reads "Passion not fashion". It's quite true, you don't need to wear that lame ass studded belt, or put on that shirt you just bought at the show of the band you just heard for the first that same day. You don't need to have a swooping haircut fit for Hitler youth, in fact when I see such group photos fitting that profile I immediately know the band is going to suck balls and sure enough, they do!

I met a kid who dressed the label, he was one of the nicest people I have ever met and I couldn't understand why he chose to look like a carbon copy. It was his 'lifestyle' choice I guess. So I began talking to him about music because he made it abundantly clear what type of music he listened to by his appearance. Turns out he liked some god awful shit! He liked some notable acts as well but for the most part he embraced everything shitty about heavy music today. He fell for the same crap that has been reproduced over and over, and like the monotonous and unoriginal tunes he enjoyed, he himself was a living breathing example of it. It was unfortunate, and while I'm not about to go asking the guy to change his appearance, it still makes me wonder how people can easily allow themselves to become something they will get over in a matter of months.

"It's just a phase" comes to mind.

High school had to be the finest example as it usually is of this type of stereotypical grouping. One year, this group of students was into Korn, Rage Against The Machine, Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit, more or less they were into a lot of garbage they considered "heavy". They made sure to get the chain wallet, army surplus clothing, wear the big ass jeans, ball chain necklaces, you name it (basically what every Ozzfest attendee still wears proudly). The following year they come in and their tastes have changed. No more are they the angst ridden jackasses you once knew, now they like Phish, Widespread Panic, Government Mule, Grateful Dead, Disco Biscuits and so on. With these new tastes they decided to develop all of a sudden, they also had to make sure they had all the right attire to promote their change of interest with their hemp necklaces, tie dye shirts, patchwork pants and stoner lazy talk duuuuuude, I'm just so high all the time I don't even know brooo.

One last example and then I'll move on. A kid a few years younger than me introduced me to some decent punk and hardcore bands, he was politically aware and of course he made sure to dress the part of a punker. 5 years later I run into him, his hair is long and dreaded, and his attire is that of your typical Phishead hippy jackass. Gone are the days of Leftover Crack and the Cro-Mags. He is over that, now he is in love with good vibes.

Here is where it goes beyond just dressing the part, these are people who are always ready to transform into whatever they think others think they need to do in order to fit the profile. Sure High School might be a poor example but I have seen this behavior outside of that immature unfocused element. Music may be a factor for this change but it is merely an afterthought because these kids are too focused on making sure everyone knows who they are while they can't even decide what they want to be. I believe the term most commonly used to describe people who put up false fronts such as these are called posers.

While that term is played out and had its insulting uses drained, it still applies and speaks volumes when used correctly about those who do not give a shit about something so valuable and wonderful as music, all they care about is being the label and anything less highly questions their projected status. This narcissistic behavior is appalling and these people fail to realize how easy it is to see that they are full of shit and terrible tastes.

It's important to know that I'm not bashing people who wear what they wear and I'm not talking about getting made fun of because you dress a certain way, I'm talking about giving into the image for the sole purpose of superficiality. This idea that people carry out time and time again gives way to the obvious fact that they are just trying to hard to prove their love for the type of music when all you need is to know that what you love is what matters, not how people will perceive you as. Again, I'm not going after folks who wear what they wear, I'm simply pointing out that a trend is a trend. Instead, they will attempt to justify their actions as a 'lifestyle' choice and when this runs it's course, what will they cling to next?

If you're comfortable with a label, then so be it. Just don't get pissed off when people "Don't get you" there's nothing to get, you decided to fall into the factory line. However we all know these ingrates know what they are doing and their bullshit is simply an immature ploy to hide how insecure and empty they really are as human beings.

Getting back to the direct relation this all has to the music. If you like a style of music then by all means, explore it to the furthest extent. However, if you are choosing to like a style of music to associate yourself with the aesthetics affiliated with it, then please, shoot yourself in the brain. The music world is already full of blatant uninspired scum, choosing shallowness over the genuine love for something so incredibly life fulfilling as music is disgusting. Remember this when you are spending too much time in front of the mirror trying to get your hair placed perfectly adjacent to the tilt of your flat brimmed hat.

You may be thinking "Yes I know all of this" or "C'mon man we know these kids are all silly assholes" and my response is: "of course!" and "indeed!" But the fact that it keeps happening is what makes the commentary timeless. When I go to shows, which is rarely these days and for good reason, I see the music I love plagued with moronic sheep. These sheep are no better than you're clueless propaganda digesting common folk. As long as they are rearing their ugly heads around the music we enjoy, then I will bitch about their presence while hoping that one day, they stop being such tools. Or the day when they all decide to carpool to the last Bleeding Through show (which I pray is soon), mascara aplenty, and get into the most brilliant fiery wreck this world has ever seen. Here's hoping.

The Problem With Music Today Part II: The Music Video

Welcome to the second installment of "The Problem With Music Today".

Today's post will focus on music videos and how generally, they are pretty fucking lame for the most part. This applies to the music videos of both the mainstream and underground.

It is all too often a band I enjoy releases a music video and over time I have learned to associate this event with a dismissive skepticism. Most of the time I purposely avoid watching a video for a band I like, how sad. The reason behind this is simple. I firmly believe that a band should not, should NOT, appear in the video unless the circumstance calls for it, we'll get to that exception in a minute. As soon as the band rears it's head I'm done.

I love music videos, I really do, in fact sometimes a video comes a long and I can't even listen to the song without thinking of the video, and if I can help it, I'll just watch the music video for the song instead. People like Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham, Adam Jones, Spike Jonze, and Ben Deka, amongst others, understand the relationship between song and video by taking the art form to another level visually while staying true to the vision of the artist.

The idea of a music video works both ways. Listening to music creates images and scenery one affiliates with the emotion and feeling of the song as it translates into a visual display created by your brain. Unfortunately, not everyone has the money and resources to make music videos for our favorite bands. Due to that impairing fact, we are at the mercy of many idiots who we hope will do our bands justice but often fall flat.

Below are some contributing factors to shitty videos:

The warehouse video:

In terms of location, this has been done a million times over and yet I still see videos of bands in a goddamn warehouse! The new video for a Suffocation track off their latest release "Blood Oath" is the latest victim of this scouting location cop out.

For some reason the warehouse has become a staple for heavy music videos. Even Dillinger Escape Plan filmed their first video for the album Miss Machine in a warehouse. I guess gutted out warehouse = very heavy and extreme. How this mentality ever came about must have been from too many viewings of Metallica's "One" video. "Hey! How do I film this metal band?"

"Metallica shot a video in a warehouse, those dudes play heavy metal right?"

What point is being made by putting a band in an abandoned structure? I understand the concept of the environment playing a role in the tone the video is attempting to project but that environment rarely has anything to do with the concept of the video.

As a band, you need to stand up and say "NO! I will not go into that warehouse!"

Focusing on one member:

This trait, like the next, is leading up to my main point so keep your damn mouth shut for a minute before you start shouting shit at the screen about how I'm being redundant.

Now for a solo artist, the focus on the artist for the music video is obviously going to happen. When a whole band is involved and the focus is merely on the singer, well, what is that saying? I believe we all remember No Doubt's video for "Don't Speak" Hm? Remember what happened in that video? Now look where they are, doing reunion tours, fuck.

One of the most egotistical things I have ever witnessed in a music video is the following of the lead singer throughout the video while the rest of the band is just completely irrelevant. (See: Thursday "Circuits of Fever") The fact the member is not uncomfortable with this and actually goes through with it, brings up some serious questions...

Then there's the short film scenario where the singer is the protagonist and the rest of the band members are the supporting role. And while some good videos have been created from such an idea, in the end it's still an image push sponsored by the label.(See Foo Fighters "Everlong")

The "live" video

Even worse than a band playing in a warehouse is a band playing a live show and that is the video!

Hey everyone, want a music video? Just provide me recordings of your band playing live and I'll work my movie magic using my operating system's pre-installed software to do a mash up of all those shots where you guys look so cool! And maybe it will actually sync up with the song! That will cost extra.

A clear sign a video will blow is when a band posts "Hey all you nutty fucks out there! We need you for our music video! This will be a crazy video, it will be so much fun and you're going to love the results!"

Cue lame video...

The fact that a label pays for this kind of work is truly funny.


And finally: The band SHOULD NOT APPEAR IN THE VIDEO

I am a firm believer in this. And I'm directly attacking underground acts on this one because we all know the mainstream output of music videos are made with the strict formula of the artist doing their 'thang' and then much coordinated dancing ensues. Or, the rap video where it's bouncing vehicles and men swimming in their shirts telling me how much money they have. These are easy examples to ridicule.

Is if the band being in the video is bad enough, some star the band in the events of the storyline while the band is also shown playing elsewhere. (See Mastodon "Divinations").

It should be one or the other and that's where my exception comes into play. Some videos do well to take the concepts of the video and enact them correctly giving the song the visual life it deserves. While being successful in this service to the band and to the music, the director manages to integrate the band into the video in a way that convinces you that this group of amateur actors can at least perform for their own music video, and they do! (see Sick of it All "Potential For A Fall" and Weezer "Buddy Holly") These are clever approaches to the music video involving the band, and it's a rarity.

Let the video do the talking.

We all know what the band looks like, and even if you don't that's not exactly a bad thing. I didn't know what the members of Tool looked like for years, turns out they are human, who knew.

The music is the art created by the artist, the music video is the bringing to life of that piece of art. We all know the band or artist created the damn song and so their appearance is pointless. Get the hell out of the way and let your art speak for itself.

The Problem With Music Today Part I: Lists

Hello everyone,

For the rest of this week and perhaps into the next, I will be discussing the terrible things wrong with the world of music. Most of these issues are widely known already but few understand them and even worse are those who don't even consider the issues at hand. Those unfamiliar with the sorry state of music are the same folks who probably have the most god awful taste in music and are presently wearing a flat brimmed Oakland A's cap with their Bring Me The Horizon t-shirt.

Today's post will be the first in a series I have aptly titled "The Problem With Music Today". Today's first installment of the series will focus on lists, to be specific, lists that pertain to the top, best, worst, 'most' etc. albums of any given year, century, decade, hour, minute, etc.

My friend Max made me aware of AVClub.com's god awful list called 'The Decade's Best Metal' and holy shit, it has to be one of the worst lists of anything I have ever seen.

Check it out HERE

Not only does this list omit some of the most important releases of the past 10 years, it's clearly presented by a person who hasn't gone any further than the very surface that heavy music offers. The albums in the list are obvious choices. Avclub's list is indicative to the fact that most folks can't even get beyond what is popular in order to make some very educational selections. The result is a very accessible list, one that is non threatening to the ways of familiarity. Where's the thrill in that?

Decibel made their top 40 albums of 2009 list which is found in their January issue, the list is below:

1. Baroness - The Blue Record
2. Converge - Axe To Fall
3. Coalesce - Ox
4. Napalm Death - Time Waits No Slave
5. Cobalt - Gin
6. Kylesa - Static Tensions
7. Slayer - World Painted Blood
8. Tombs - Winter Hours
9. Marduk - Wormwood
10. Isis - Wavering Radiant
11. Immortal - All Shall Fall
12. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse
13. Obscura - Cosmogenesis
14. Magrudergrind - S/T
15. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
16. YOB - The Great Cessation
17. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
18. Paradise Lost - Fath Divides Us,Death Unites Us
19. The Atlas Moth - A Glorified Piece Of Blue Sky
20. Asphyx - Death...The Brutal Way
21. Altar Of Plauges - White Tomb
22. Mournful Congregation - The June Frost
23. Funeral Mist - Maranatha
24. The Gates Of Slumber - Hymns Of Blood And Thunder
25. Burnt By The Sun - Heart Of Darkness
26. City Of Ships - Look What God Did To Us
27. Goatwhore - Carving Out The Eyes Of God
28. Gaza - He Is Never Coming Back
29. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
30. Keelhaul - Keelhaul's Triumphannt Return To Obscurity
31. The Red Chord - Fed Through The Teeth Machine
32. Brutal Truth - Evolution Through Revolution
33. Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough
34. Culted - Below The Thunders Of The Upper Deep
35. Goes Cube - Another Day Has Passed
36. Suffocation - Blood Oath
37. Javelina - Beasts Among Sheep
38. Municipal Waste - Massive Aggressor
39. Millions - Gather Scatter
40. Funebrarum - The Sleep Of Morbid Dreams

Now, I could go on and on exclaiming "Are you kidding me?! Baroness #1? How the hell did band X make the list? Why isn't band Y on here?" but that would be a waste of energy. One must remember the basis on which these lists are decided on which is that of opinion and in this case, the collective opinion of the entire editorial staff. Who knows how many people at the Decibel HQ didn't agree on more than half the ones listed above.

Don't get me wrong, Decibel is by far the best music periodical out there and I defy you to find a better one. Everything from the writing style and album critiques, to their in depth interviews and Hall of Fame articles, this magazine does its very best to inform you of music you should damn well know. The simple mistake the magazine commits is the one all periodicals make sooner or later.

Every time a magazine or website breaks out a "Top --" list, I get scared about how angry I will get. I have learned to control my anger over the years because how does one go about gathering such a number of albums that sums up to 40, why not 38? or 72? On top of that, after deciding that there's an amount of releases so notable that they constitute making a list 40 long, you then need to see how those albums rank in number order.

This is a task I myself set out to do, in the end I still had about half a dozen releases that I considered to be noteworthy of list status but I had run out of room because my list already reached 40. Before I could ponder their place amongst the list, if they had one, I needed to rank the 40 I picked in the order of "how much did I like this release? Did I like it as number 32? Or did I like it enough to be 25?" This is where things become messy and the result is an intangible dilemma.

After about 20 releases I began to just throw shit in any old order. Since I couldn't have ties throughout the damn thing, it was then a matter of placement. Where would each album fit in the list? Was I comfortable with the position designated? Who would be first was actually easy for me, who would be last? Well? Who would be last? Being in last place usually sucks, but hey! It's better to make the list than not be on it at all, right?

If an album was good enough to just make the list at #40, which equates to "able to make on it on there, for the sake of being on there" then what's to say about the number of releases that I liked equally as much as number 40 but simply couldn't be on the list because of a number constraint. Certainly those releases were very much enjoyable, in a passing way though and they didn't have as much of an impact as the others. So I guess, in that sense, they were unworthy of list status. I could have gone back and rethought the whole damn thing.

The final solution would be easier, just make the list bigger to compensate for the fact that nothing deserves to be left out, and if that's true, then why did I bother numbering them? Even if I chose to do away with numbers, then there's still the matter of the list still being just that and anyone could say "Hey how come this album isn't on your list?", this is a gripe that will persist if you have a list of albums and a title saying "Top" or "Best" or "Worst".

I believe most of you remember VH1's "The 100 Greatest Heavy Rock Bands" segment. That list was also a giant bag of vomit that attempted to rank each band in regards to how important their place in music is. Usually this is in direct relation to one thing: How many albums the act sold. Furthermore, the list began to read as a hype machine for the overrated and I believe it would be Led Zeppelin that took #1, meanwhile AC/DC, a band that hasn't been good since Bon Scott died was number 4 and Metallica, who hasn't done anything worthy since 1989 made it as number 5.

The same thing applies for the underground as it does for the mainstream; popularity of an act, no matter how overrated, will result in the band trumping the list.

So remember, lists are bullshit.