Theater of Eternal Music-Bootleg LP

Time for celestial drone dream castles that float through your mind and steal a little piece of your thoughts as they do. See I can write for pitchfork too. The key is stringing together a bunch of ridiculous images and pair that with some vapid sentence structure and then you're all set. I’m not claiming to be that great of a writer but why is it that the most terrible shit seems to be the most respected these days? Gripes aside, this is one that I assume most people will grab just for the names involved. LaMonte Young, John Cale, Tony Conrad, Angus Maclise, Jon Hassell…all the heavy hitters join in. In a weird way, I think you can claim this to be one of the most influential bands that ever existed but is never discussed. To think of what modern music would be without these guys is like imagining cooking without the discovery of salt.

Here

The Overcoat

And here’s one more good thing that has happened in this relatively short year. I’ve been waiting for its release since I first heard the demos. And now it’s finally here. So miserablists get ready because these guys provide a rather harrowing soundscape for the wistful and disenchanted. The ability to take a song like Wooly Bully (hate it) and transmorph it into something so bleak and desolate and frightening is a testament to their abilities. Bonus points for the deployment of the baritone guitar too. Since this is just released I’m not going to use the traditional mediafire method of uploading and instead I’ve provided a link to their bandcamp page. Those willing to donate to these charming young men will receive a warm thanks from me and will be placed in a raffle to win signed nude photos of the sexy Wilmoth twins.

Here

Melvin Jackson-Funky Skull

Oddly enough, I have finally received the first piece of good news in about two to three years. I have a new job and get to move away over the summer. And remember when I mentioned a career change? I actually will be doing that. So no longer will I teach English at a university, but I’ll be teaching French at an inner city high school in Kansas City. So that’s a bit of a change, but one that I think I need to do. Universities can really become a drag and especially when you’re living in a place that you don’t want to be. So I’m excited. Any suggestions about anything related to Kansas City would be more than welcome (music venues, restaurants, book/record shops, etc). I really don’t know the town. And if you happen to live their and want to get a beer, watch Peep Show, sleep with me, etc. then send me an e-mail. On this rare positive note, I should probably post something a bit more uplifting. And Funky Skull is just that. Friends have been asking me for more soul albums and now I can say that I try not to let my friends down. Hope you people like it.

Here

Rudimentary Peni-Cacophony

At this point I’ve already posted tons of R.P. (just type it into the search engine at the top if you slept on those). And after two fairly long write ups, the fingers can use some resting, because I obviously don’t spend much time on these things and it’s more of a stream of consciousness type of exercise (hence the million typos (you think I’d actually spend time editing this?)). So yeah, here’s one more for you. I’m always surprised to see how many people actually download these albums. Not because I think they’re lousy (I obviously don’t) but I figured that if you’re already into this band you probably have all of their disks already. Well, one more.

Here (Reuped 6/7/12)

Traffic-John Barleycorn Must Die

Since I’m talking about embarrassing moments, did I ever tell you about the time I twisted my ankle because I thought I was just about to step on a dead bird (filthy) and tried to maneuver out of the way? Turns out it was just a leaf, but my phobia of deceased avian got the better of me. But with all of this airing of things I should probably keep private, I hope at least a few of you can have a laugh at my expense. Here’s an album that I think some people might be a little ashamed to cop to enjoying, but not me. I think it’s an absolute classic. Sure Winwood went on to commit some serious musical crimes, but this is him in top form. Folk, psych, soul all blend together in creative and unexpected ways. If you thought this band sucks then believe me they can never suck as bad as you.

Here

Paul Horn-Inside

Things have been pretty weird around here. By weird I mean lousy. But did you really expect anything different from me. Rather than write out all the stupid events I’ll just post what I sent my ex (we weren’t actually married but being together for almost 9 years is pretty much like a marriage anyways). So this is what I told her: “for a laff, here's how my day went. I awoke to the hicks above me screaming. I went to bed at four, woke up at seven. No one did their work in either of my classes. They had to write a sentence. They couldn't even do that. Then I walked into a staircase full of pepper spray. I couldn't figure out the recognizable smell at first, then my throat closed up. Then, went on a date with a Vietnamese girl I met. Six hours into the date she tells me about her 4 year long relationship with some guy living in Germany that she has only seen 4 times. So I walked down to the bar to get drunk. I got soaked from the rain. I'll probably catch a cold soon. I feel like an epic failure. My friends laugh at how ridiculous my life has become.” This is really isn’t that unusual than any day in the past two years. So in my crummy mood I turn to this album. I know the creepy close up is enough to scare off the most violent perpetrator but it really is a super soothing album. Bliss for the ears if you will. Recorded inside (hence the title) the Taj Mahal, Horn predicts the dreaded new age genre but far before it became overrun by dads and later reclaimed by ironic hipsters. And the story of the Taj Mahal is heartbreaking but always makes me feel a little human.

Here