MP3: A Faulty Chromosome - Groaning Like A Grown-Up

"doodle" by Melanie Cardenas

A Faulty Chromosome - Groaning Like A Grown-Up


You: You just reviewed the album this was on, like, yesterday.

Me: Oh, thank you kind sir for pointing that out to me. You see I have a hard time remembering what I blogged about on my own goddamn blog. So let me explain to you in list form why I am currently writing about this song.

1. Shut your fucking mouth this is my blog. That's just mean.

2. A Faulty Chromosome is possibly one of the greatest bands of all time.

3. You need to listen to more A Faulty Chromosome, regardless of how much you currently listen to them.

4. This song is brilliant. It starts with sprinklers and ends with fireworks and is catchy as fuck. The sprinklers stay through the whole song, making a sweet beat but the best part is, they pan channels. 'Cause that's exactly what a sprinkler does. Pans channels.

5. I wanted 5 things in my list.

P.S. They successfully raised enough money through Kickstarter to get a physical release for Craving To Be Coddled So We Feel Fake-Safe. WOOOO!!

I'm Thankful For...

...comedy horror internet videos.

Aidan Baker, Animal Hospital, Brandon Terzakis at Outpost

Brandon Terzakis played an e-bowed guitar and a regular bowed cymbal, making gorgeously delicate and intricate drones.

Animal Hospital is nuts live, building dozens and dozens of loops up all by himself until he has a warm, lush song that washes right over you.

Aidan Baker was brilliant, even despite one of his cables cutting out midway through a song. Totally soporific and absolutely stunning. And Kevin (Animal Hospital) played drums for him which was awesome.

Aidan Baker

Aidan Baker & Kevin Micka (Animal Hospital)

Animal Hospital

Brandon Terzakis

P.S. Then I went to see Melt-Banana at The Middle East and, as always, they were fucking insane. They played their new "no guitar/all synth" stuff which was 100% chaos, then played some old favorites, some brand new stuff, and finished with a cover of Toots & The Maytals' "Monkey Man." So, yeah, best night ever.

The Sad Cobras / Hot Lava Split (self released, 2009)

Hot Lava - The Auctioneer


The Sad Cobras - Medusa Reducer


DUDES. NEW HOT LAVA. GET PSYCHED.

Who are The Sad Cobras? I dunno. Friends with Hot Lava I guess. And they make good music. Appropriate for a split with Hot Lava. So that's cool.

BUT 3 NEW HOT LAVA TRACKS. That's why you're here, right? Because you love Hot Lava. Because I love Hot Lava. THE WORLD NEEDS MORE HOT LAVA.

"The Auctioneer" is where it's at. That song alone will hold me over until the next HL LP. 'Cause she sounds like an auctioneer. Which is funny. Also, "Lady Postman?" Great title. Oh man. I love these guys so much.

Show Worthy 11/23 - 11/29

Photo by hern42 via
There are a few pretty cool shows coming up this week (Fuck Buttons & Growing, Melt-Banana Lite) but there's one that's worthy of an entire post dedicated to it.

Aidan Baker's coming to town again. Last time he was here was when Nadja played at The Middle East Upstairs, and I freaked out a bit. This time, however, he's going solo, creating much softer music than he does with Nadja.

And the coolest part about this show (other than Aidan Baker, HOLY FUCK) is who's opening. Animal Hospital and Brandon Terzakis. Fuck. Me. This show is so epic. Going down at Outpost 186 on Tuesday the 24th at 8:00, all ages, donate the shit out of this show. Thank you Sound Pool.

Bring lots of $$$$ 'cause Baker is ridiculously prolific and you don't want to miss out on any super limited shit he might have with him (I hope he's got that new split with Noveller). Not to mention AH & Terzakis's stuff. Oh man. I AM SO PUMPED.

P.S. Weirdo Records (right down the street from Outpost) is having a sale this month. Might as well stop by beforehand while you're in the area and support the coolest record store in Cambridge, while simultaneously getting awesome shit on the cheap.

Haiku Review: Forest World - Fvtvre (self released, 2009)

Forest World - Fvtvre: Air Bus


Forest World
Fvtvre (download)
/simple 8bit pop/
/it's power lies in it's ease/
/leaps above the rest/

Easyboy - Friends (Spooky Town Artifacts, 2009)

Easyboy - Sunny Day Garbage Pile


Easyboy is the solo stuff from Eric Farber, member of the insane electro-tribal awesome dudes Truman Peyote. Friends is his first (?) release of hypno pop jams and it's 100% worth your ear time.

I'm not sure that Farber was straight when he made this tape because it reminds me a bit of Farmacia's Nosocomio Manicomio and they were almost certainly fucked up on Robotussin when they made that tape. Now you could be a lame-ass and call Friends "bedroom pop" but it is so much more than that. It's amazingly weird with songs that aren't songs and plenty of found sounds that Farber most likely dug out of someone's attic.

There's all sorts of fun tunes on Friends that could end up on your next "happy times" mix tape or perhaps your "I'm gonna weird my friends out" mix tape. "Chest Swimmers" for example is some peppy garagey Jacob Berendes type song and then "Wrenchin'" could be a lost Dan Deacon/AnCo/Passion Pit collaboration. But the 54 second "Markers" sounds like grade school children got high and watched old Japanese cartoons. Friends is not the easiest thing to pin down but it's consistently fantastic.

Oh, and as always, Spooky Town shit is as cheap as it is fuckin awesome. Friends will only set you back $5.

Acre - Isolationist (Isounderscore, 2009)

Acre - Untitled 1


I've had this for wayyyyy too long, and while I can make excuses for not having written about it yet (like I moved and couldn't find my copy to scan for the artwork, or I've been too busy, or I couldn't think of anything to say because it's so fucking brilliant) they're all pretty much irrelevant. Reason being: Acre's Isolationist is unbelievably amazing drone.

Let's face it. Winter's coming (southern hemisphere excluded). And like a bear fattening up on salmon and squirrels for the long hibernation, you too should be gathering as much cold weather appropriate tunes for the forthcoming blizzards. Isolationist is a necessity for your stockpile.

Acre's drone is the fucking best. Super long form, like Wada or Niblock except with the lushness of somebody like White Rainbow or Eluvium. It's so thick and dense and warm (key word here). It's like a golden blanket from the gods sewn with threads of magic from the fabric of clouds to keep you blissfully cozy no matter what hardships you must endure.

This is the kind of drone that's maximized at full volume. You need this shit to envelope every atom of your being. Let it hug your bones. It'll keep you warmer than that quilt Grandma made for you last Christmas.

And the image up there looks nothing like the actual CD. The artwork is neon orange and there's a geometric pattern that isn't so much a color difference than it is a textural one. Totally awesome. You need to see it irl.

Haiku Review: Morgan Shaker - L.A. Knightz (Whitehaus Family Record, 2009)

Morgan Shaker - Refective Low Lying Trinity Cloud Forms Above The Boneyard


Morgan Shaker
L.A. Knightz (download)
/muddy beats, thick drone/
/hypnotism by muffling/
/shake, rattle, and roll/

All The Sleigh Bells I Could Find

Sleigh Bells - A/B Machines


Sleigh Bells - Crown On The Ground


Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars


Sleigh Bells - Beach Girls


Sleigh Bells - Ring Ring


But I still need more.

Indian Jewelry, Tobacco, Salem, and all that super cool popular stuff. Sleigh Bells are already the last next thing.

Manners - Look Into Look Unto (SUNOFBEES, 2009)

Manners - Fire


Manners is a dude that I preemptively dissed one night when I was cranky because I didn't get to see a band (Psychic Ills) that I went out of my way specifically to see and in my mind I kinda blamed him a little bit. Since then, I've matured into a great benevolent man and have grown to love Mr. Greg Beson and the fantastic music he makes.

Look Into Look Unto is Manners' newest outing in the folky experimental scene. He takes a different approach than everyone else, though, because he doesn't rely on fuzz and blur to entertain. A solid voice and supreme songwriting skills are all Manners needs to make a totally enthralling record.

The songs are all super low-key. Chill, easy going, and borderline depressing. Actually, not so much depressing as just moody. The hooks are scarce but there's plenty of harmonies and sweet melodies to make up for it. And as if Greg's voice wasn't enough to keep things going, occasionally some female backup vocals pop up that are absolutely wonderful.

This type of acoustic singer/songwriter folky stuff isn't something that gets too much play around here but I've been making an exception for Manners. Look Into Look Unto is just a really pleasing listen, especially now that the nights are coming quicker and the sun isn't rising as high. Perfect fall music.

Deastro, Max Tundra, Mystery Roar at Great Scott

Mystery Roar were a bit too sexy for me.

Max Tundra had more enthusiasm during that one performance than I've ever had in my entire life.

Deastro played 4 or 5 new songs. Then shit broke. Then they played 4 or 5 old songs. Then 1 more new song about falling in love with a vampire. And it was all awesome.

Deastro


Deastro


Max Tundra


Max Tundra


Mystery Roar


More on Flickr

Pyramids With Nadja - Pyramids With Nadja (Hydra Head, 2009)

Pyramids With Nadja - An Angel Was Heard To Cry Over The City Of Rome


You know Pyramids. You know Nadja. You know I'm a freak for both of them. I had stupidly high expectations for this collaboration. And this is the first time ever, EVER, that my expectations for a supposed-to-be-awesome collab have been met. IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME.

This is an album of epic beauty, a majestic world crumbling, a dark forest with floods rushing through, an avalanche charging down the mountainside. Crushingly magnificent ambient metal gaze noise.

Truthfully, this review was just an excuse to post the last song on Pyramids With Nadja, "An Angel Was Heard..." That song is fucking stunning. I can't believe how gorgeous it is. Listen to it and be convinced that the people who made this record are gods.

Haiku Review: The Great Valley - Under Snow (Spooky Town Artifacts, 2009)

The Great Valley - White Hair


The Great Valley
Under Snow (download)
/trapped in a snowglobe/
/frozen boots stomping with zeal/
/tragic magic tales/

Yoshi Wada - Earth Horns With Electronic Drone (Em / Edition Omega Point, 2009)

Yoshi Wada - Earth Horns With Electronic Drone


I'm not sure too much can be said about Yoshi Wada's Earth Horns With Electronic Drone. Or you can write volumes about it. Take your pick.

Recorded live in 1974 in New York, this release is "only" a 77 minute excerpt of the 2 hour and 25 minute performance. There is a triple LP set containing the full concert but it was extremely limited and I'm sure they're either ridiculously sold out or ridiculously $$$. Take your pick.

Constant electronic drone with Wada's DIY "pipehorns" that are tuned to the frequencies of the room (the one he played in, not yours). EPIC long form drone, heavy, dense, massive, mind expanding, body enveloping, earth shaking, absolute DRONE. You can't argue with it. You can only accept it.

Listen to Earth Horns and forget your existence. When this plays, it is all encompassing. There is nothing else.

Exquisite packaging. Old photos, detailed liner notes, totally worth your cash. If you're new to Wada, check out The Elephantine Crocodile because I think his "Singing" is the most amazing thing I've ever heard ever.

A Faulty Chromosome - Craving To Be Coddled So We Feel Fake-Safe (self released, 2009)

A Faulty Chromosome - Tippy-Toes


WTF. How is A Faulty Chromosome not being worshiped by every indie music nerd on the planet? These guys are creating the best weirdo bedroom pop and they're making it all their own. Craving To Be Coddled So We Feel Fake-Safe is the follow up to my second favorite record of last year, their debut As An Ex-Anorexic's..., and it's every bit as awesome as their first.

The music is the most charming and nostalgic stuff ever, filled with busted keyboards, electronic sprinkler beats, hand claps, excerpts from old educational family records, damaged percussion, dreamy guitars, and mumbled vocals with a fondness for alliteration and puns. Everything about these songs screams a nonchalant fuck you, we're gonna make our music however we want and it's gonna be fucking great.

A Faulty Chromosome is, like, dead broke from making their first record so they're jumping on the Kickstart thing trying to raise money to get Craving To Be Coddled a physical release. So head over and donate whatever you want, then go to their Virb page and download this absolutely necessary album for free.

P.S. THIS RECORD IS THE FUCKING BEST.

Northeast Noise & Power Electronics Festival

three days of total audio depravity
night 1 11/6 7:00 $10 21+
night 2 11/7 3:00 $25 21+
night 3 11/8 3:00 $25 21+
jacques underground
o'brien's
lascivious aesthetics
existence establishment
worth every goddamn penny