You know, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from a new Laibach album, having not heard anything by them since their 1988 masterpiece Let it Be (now 26 years old). I’d been a casual fan, to put it mildly (also the owner of their 1987 Wax Trax! Records release, Opus Dei), so when Spectre found its way into my eye while on a weekend getaway up in Ventura Country, I couldn’t help but snatch it up thinking, why the hell not? I’ll be honest and say I’d (wrongfully) thought of Laibach as a long, running joke, what with their over-the-top fascist military uniforms and “totalitarian-style aesthetics.” What I found, thus far, from the six or so tracks I’ve consumed, is a collective sticking to their guns, or marching to their own beat, or waving their own flag (I’m tapped out of military references), while still maintaining their classic, oppressive, industrial sound. Like with any Laibach track, the beauty is found within repeated listens, and Spectre is no exception. Certain hilarious lyrics stand out that cue certain track repeats, but not one time, thus far, have I regretted my purchase, if only for feeding my overflowing curiosity.
Tag Archives: record collecting
Happy Birthday, JP!
Today, my favorite person in all the world celebrates the day of her birth. I’m going to marry her later this year, and with help from The Zombies, for us, This Will Be Our Year. Happy birthday, Jillian!
Bone
This pressing of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s diabolical debut is limited to 300 copies and is sold directly from the label, Relapse Records. Bone white with orange and black splatter is the description of this pressing, and is the 4th since September of 1999 when it originally debuted. A quick check at time of posting reveals that this record is still avail for a cool $17.99 from Relapse, so nab one before they’re history!
Muswell, It Had Better Be Damn Good!
One can never have enough of a perfect thing. Happy Friday, kids.
The Husbands
In place of exercise this morning we spun this energetic debut by The Husbands. From what I could hear over the dying fan of my laptop, I LOVED! She now rests in the “have listened to / need to digitize” pile, which is getting rather large thanks to my manic Discogs.com ventures. I can’t wait to relisten to this garage rock trio, and I encourage all within eyeshot to seek it out. It may be a bit premature to crown them the queens of garage rock, then again it may not.
The Argyle
I’m still a bit confused about the details surrounding tomorrow night’s show, but APPARENTLY, both Pennywise AND The Bouncing Souls will be playing the Palladium. Knocking off work early to attend, so let’s hope Friday isn’t a mongrel bitch. BTW, The Good, the Bad, and the Argyle is arguably the best Bouncing Souls album ever released… here’s hoping the band thinks so too.
JS&tM
The words “Joe” and “Strummer” have always been synonymous with “inspirational” and “brilliance,” yes, even dating back to his 101’ers days. This Turkish rock God, originally christened John Graham Mellor, headed the phoenix rise and fiery fall of The Clash, dabbled in a bit of soundtrack work, sang a duet of Redemption Song with Johnny Cash, and during his untimely death, helmed the magnificent Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros. Global A Go-Go, the band’s 2nd offering, can be best described as emotional, acoustic punk for the retired generation too set in their ways to set down the bottle or empty the overflowing ashtray. It’s greasy-haired adult contemporary with a twist of stubborn jam-rock, but with decades of recording history under its belt. It’s heavily layered, often rambling (in a good way), and demands constant and consistent spins. 50 is a frighteningly young age to die. Joe Strummer, and his creative brilliance are greatly missed.
2 Kings 9:20
“And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.”
RIP
Free Service
Sometimes you get a record you order off Discogs and well, that’s great! And OTHER times, you get the record you order off Discogs with six bonus CDs! Such is the case with Discogs seller “Discontinued” and my order of the Custom Floor Clear Day LP. Let’s give props to those to go the extra mile (or six), and dammit, “Discontinued” is that extra fool going that extra mile! Thank you, good sir!!
From Truth to Lies in 7 Days
It surprises me, to say the least, that this amazing Jade Tree comp titled, Jade Tree 25 Years, is still available! This adorable companion to late 90’s emotional rock collections is limited to only 250 copies, and yes, it’s still available! $14 and she’s yours!
(Cut to a week later)
Only thing is, I’m a liar. I wasn’t when I originally started this post last week, but today, yeah, sold out. Sorry for any failed excitement this may have caused.
Compulsiv for Two
Another rung notched off the RFTC belt… Call it a Clue from the Compulsiv for Two 4-track comp from 1994 (yes, 22 years ago!) is the latest check off the (never-ending) list.
Busy re-re-watching The Wire tonight, so let’s spin this bitch tomorrow.
Evening Ranger
I’ve given up trying to figure out the concept art for Night Ranger’s 1983 opus, Midnight Madness. For those of you with an adventurous mind, and time to share, send your Night Ranger conceptual cover art theories to theprudentgroove@gmail.com. Please be sure to include “Night Ranger, Love Lingers in the Evening” in the title.
Comedy Burns
For those of you looking for a PG-rated laugh riot, consider this 5 LP marathon from the Longines Symphonette Society, The Golden Age of Comedy: 50 Years of Great Humor, From Vaudville to Video. Narrated by George Burns, this monument of comedy gold is a bear to get through, or at least exceptionally time consuming, but if you’re into the type of quality comedy that your grandparents ripped and riled to, The Golden Age of Comedy is your bag.
(With Black Curtains)
It’s been a while since I ran across a worthy bootleg. Up for grabs is this “unofficial” 7″ from roughly 1996 (the band’s hay day), oddly titled In the White Room (With Black Curtains), because it has absolutely nothing to do with the Cream song, as far as I can tell. What this fool does offer, however, is three, concrete-solid live renditions of Scream Dracula Scream tracks from some British outfit proclaiming Rocket as Hell’s house band. As fitting as it is hilarious, In the White Room is a decent glimpse into overseas admiration, and deserves a home under the roof of any proper garage rock enthusiast.
Jehu
Vader from the Crypt aka Rocket from the Sith
Siths travel in numbers, not unlike San Diego sandmen, Rocket from the Crypt (there’s a connection there, just needs some digging). Coin operated left speaker has some stylish headgear… the more you know.
Sun-Soaked, and Eighty-Four
Happy 84th birthday, Mr. Cash.
New
Coming home to mailorder packages is certainly a (slightly) unexpected surprise at the end of a long, hard-worked day, especially when they’re as visually aesthetic as this one. Mailorder is fun (thanks Asian Man Records), so if you aren’t in the constant habit of online shopping, consider shipping insurance, and gift yourself a little unexpected surprise. Again, it’s the little things, kids.
Pickled Wax
Re-ups are great! Especially when they’re in the form of pickle green, transparent vinyl like this 2015 reissue of Skankin’ Pickle’s 1994 masterpiece, Sing Along With Skankin’ Pickle. I missed these guys by about 15 minutes back in the day, but she still holds up some 22 years later, that’s for damn sure!
The Prudent Groove 