What are you listening to right now?

[Skinypupy]

I remember the first time I heard Jar of Flies. I was in a music store and heard Layne Staley's unmistakable voice playing and immediately asked the guy at the counter what the album was. I was a HUGE Alice in Chains fan, but I didn't have a clue that Jar of Flies had been released. He picked up a copy and handed it to me and I bought it on the spot. Definitely a "shut up and take my money" moment.

I wore it out. It's still my favorite thing the band ever released. And they won't reissue the damn thing on vinyl. I'm DYING for a vinyl copy. They have been reissuing a lot of their stuff (Facelift, Dirt, and the post-Staley stuff is getting released), so I'm really hoping they're going to do a 30th anniversary pressing this year. And with their self-titled (aka Tripod) hitting 30 next year, maybe they've just been waiting.

My copy of the CD had two little plastic flies inside the spine of the jewel case. I thought that was about the coolest damn thing I've ever seen.

There are a very few songs that will elicit an immediate and overwhelming emotional reaction with me. "Don't Follow" is very near the top of that list.

Probably the only song higher is Peter, Paul, and Mary singing "Puff the Magic Dragon", which melts me into a puddle because it's what my dad sang to me when I was sick as a kid.

[Sudy]

Mutoid Man - Call of the Void (Mutants, 2023)

The chorus is catchy as hell and the guitar is fantastic. The video's a lot of fun! The makeup is awesome.

Mutants is Mutoid Man’s third LP and channels their super fun and explosive genre-bending blast of metal, punk, hardcore, rock, prog, math and trademark wackiness into typically exuberant and inventive tunes.

[Jeff V]

A Squeeze concert from 1992 being broadcast on WXRT. Tomorrow morning also get 3 hours of 1992 music on Saturday Morning Flashback.

[Daehawk]

First time hearing this band. Tool me straight back to the 80s and ACDC.

[YellowKing]

I went down the rabbit hole of this duo after someone posted this video in one of my music FB groups. Super catchy, heavily influenced by Japanese city pop. And all their videos have this weird early-2000s MySpace aesthetic.

[hepcat]

Try as a I might, I can't get Burger and Chips out of my damn head...

[Sudy]

I discovered Klaus Nomi the other day. Man, what a fascinating, criminally unremembered talent. He died at 39.

In the 1970s Nomi immersed himself in the East Village art scene. He was known for his bizarre and visionary theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo that flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Strikes". Nomi was one of David Bowie's backup singers for a 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live.

...

Nomi died at the Sloan Kettering Hospital Center in New York City on August 6, 1983, as a result of complications from AIDS. He was one of the earliest known figures from the arts community to die from the illness.

[hepcat]

A friend of mine has been obsessed with the weirdly awesome Nomi for decades. We've been subjected to numerous youtube videos and stories about him over the years. To me, he's always been the alien looking guy who Bowie worked with on occasion. Anyway, if you like wonderfully odd music, my friend has a show on Luxuria you might like. Here's a link.

[YellowKing]

Just a quick note that the Alice in Chains Jar of Flies reissue went wide today. My local record store had it for pre-order so I was able to snag a copy!

[RM2]

just awesome guitar work

[Daehawk]

[Fardaza]

"What are you listening to right now?"

The ringing in my ears.

[coopasonic]

"What are you listening to right now?"

The ringing in my ears.

That's been my answer to this thread for well over a decade.

[hepcat]

NOW YOU KIDS GET OFF COOP'S LAWN!

[Smoove_B]

The longer you watch, the creepier it gets

[hepcat]

It’s impossible to hear that distinctly unique voice and not reminisce about the greatness of Dinosaur Jr.

[Smoove_B]

I'm a fan for life, absolutely. His solo stuff hits a bit different, but still all good. This is the show I wanted to go to last week but just can't get there yet. Lou Barlow is one of my favorite bassists, so having the video shot from this side is great.

[hepcat]

There’s a small group of singers with really unique voices that make every song they sing just…work. Mascis, John Samson of The Weakerthans, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. You always know who it is the moment that voice kicks in.

You know what, I’m gonna go listen to some Weakerthans now…

[Isgrimnur]

Mike Doughty is still heavily in my rotation. There was a lapse at one point when he went solo, but he's been on the list for a while now.

[Daehawk]

[Sudy]

I'm not connecting with the new KMFDM album, Let Go, at all. Like, it's not "bad"... but it's just kind of a bland regurgitation of their career mid/low points. There are no bona fide electronic anthems or metal bangers here. There are literal lifts and samples of their earlier work, including a whole reworked/re-recorded song. Which is a KMFDM staple, it's not a bad thing. But the whole thing is just kind of meh. And I'm generally pretty critical of/bored by their post-90s stuff, but there were some real high points on 2022's Hyena, 2020's In Dub, and 2017's Hell Yeah.

The single is catchy, but it almost sounds like if someone asked AI to generate a KMFDM single lol. The live footage used in the video... it's just like a bunch of bored old people. Which, I guess is probably the majority of their fanbase these days. They keep cutting to this really sad half-assed mosh. Like the video itself could be an AI remix... it doesn't appear to be concert footage of the actual song. The banner at the back of the stage is of their previous album. I still hope to get to see them once though, for old time's sake, since they were the band of my later-high-school years.

[Skinypupy]

I'm not connecting with the new KMFDM album, Let Go, at all. Like, it's not "bad"... but it's just kind of a bland regurgitation of their career mid/low points. There are no bona fide electronic anthems or metal bangers here. There are literal lifts and samples of their earlier work, including a whole reworked/re-recorded song. Which is a KMFDM staple, it's not a bad thing. But the whole thing is just kind of meh. And I'm generally pretty critical of/bored by their post-90s stuff, but there were some real high points on 2022's Hyena, 2020's In Dub, and 2017's Hell Yeah.

The single is catchy, but it almost sounds like if someone asked AI to generate a KMFDM single lol. The live footage used in the video... it's just like a bunch of bored old people. Which, I guess is probably the majority of their fanbase these days. They keep cutting to this really sad half-assed mosh. Like the video itself could be an AI remix... it doesn't appear to be concert footage of the actual song. The banner at the back of the stage is of their previous album. I still hope to get to see them once though, for old time's sake, since they were the band of my later-high-school years.

If you want an industrial fix, check out the new Cyberaktif instead. It's from cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy), Bill Leeb and Ryhs Fulber (Frontline Assembly) and dropped last Friday.

It's awesome.

[LawBeefaroni]

[Daehawk]

Good interview one of his best

[Z-Corn]

I've become fascinated with watching J.D. Pinkus manipulate pedals while barefoot when he plays his psychedelic banjo.

Pinkus is opening for the King Buzzo and Trevor Dunn acoustic tour they about to kick off.

I'll probably buy 2x tix for the show and just not be able to do it.

[Jaymann]

The Surfrajetts, what a great band name!

[LawBeefaroni]

[Daehawk]

The Surfrajetts, what a great band name!

Jaymann

I like them. They seem to be filling the hole left by The Ventures.

[Sudy]

If you want an industrial fix, check out the new Cyberaktif instead. It's from cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy), Bill Leeb and Ryhs Fulber (Frontline Assembly) and dropped last Friday.

It's awesome.

Thanks for this recommendation, it wasn't on my radar at all. This is some real classic sounding stuff. (I don't know if it's more 1987 or 2001, but it's very welcome in 2024.) I'm familiar with Tenebrae Vision (I have a copy on CD somewhere), but don't remember anything from it. I'm really enjoying Bitter End, The Fright, and Splot.

As an aside, where do you (or anyone else here) get your new release info? Like I'm not surprised you're plugged into SP/FLA side projects, but Spotify for example is so useless at informing me when an artist I listen to/follow has a new release. They have a "new release radar" playlist but it's garbage. I do Bands In Town and Songkick, but they're mostly good for pushing marketing emails and notifying me Megadeth is playing in South America for some inexplicable reason.

[Skinypupy]

As an aside, where do you (or anyone else here) get your new release info?

For industrial, I'm in a couple Skinny Puppy and FLA fan pages on Facebook. Folks in those groups are always posting links to new music, especially when it involves SP/FLA members directly.

For metal, Angry Metal Guy and No Clean Singing are my go-to review sites. I also follow lots of bands directly on social media and get pings when they have upcoming releases. Fun side benefit: After I posted my personal top 10 for 2023 on FB, I even had one of the bands reach out to me directly to say thanks! That was pretty cool...the dudes in Bloodgutter are rad.

[Daehawk]

[Skinypupy]

This is some really good female-fronted, old-school goth.

[Sudy]

Holy shit, these vocals are insane. It's like if Busta Rhymes sang technical death metal. I should have been paying attention when you guys discussed them a couple years ago.

Archspire (Vancouver, Canada) - Golden Mouth of Ruin (Bleed the Future, 2021)

[Jaymann]

[Skinypupy]

Holy shit, these vocals are insane. It's like if Busta Rhymes sang technical death metal. I should have been paying attention when you guys discussed them a couple years ago.

Archspire (Vancouver, Canada) - Golden Mouth of Ruin (Bleed the Future, 2021)

That's not even the best song off that album...this one is (and what that drummer is doing with the double-bass is just ungodly).

[Skinypupy]

"March of the Pigs" was released 30 years ago today. I am not fond of these constant reminders of how goddamn old I'm getting.

Say what you will about Trent, but it's undeniable that NIN was a fucking MONSTER live band back in the day. A small part of me misses that...even if just watching that makes my back hurt.

[disarm]

I saw NIN live for the first time during the Fragile tour in 2000, and their performance was undeniably powerful during big songs like MotP or Wish...but they could also pull it back and be incredibly mellow when appropriate. I've seen Trent and his band two more times since then (one of them the tour in the above video), and while a lot of the raw energy has been tamed, they still put on an incredible show and are easily one of my top live bands.

[Skinypupy]

I've been listening to a bunch of older 90's albums while I play Last Epoch over the past week. NIN, Mission UK, Clan of Xymox, Alice in Chains, Mr. Bungle, etc.

Tonight's selection was Living Color and I realized something that I'm not sure I had considered before. While "Vivid" was their big breakthrough album that got all the attention and airplay, it's really not that great of an album outside of a couple banger tracks. However, "Time's Up" (their second album) absolutely destroys from start to finish. It's SO much better, more creative, and more interesting.

Not having listened to either album all the way through in probably good 20+ years, my brain had remembered "Vivid" as the far superior album. It's not even close, tbh. I mean...







Just truly outstanding stuff.

[disarm]

I saw Living Colour live last month and they were insane. Vernon Reid's guitar playing is sick, but Corey Glover's singing is what really blew me away. He's not young anymore, but the power and range in his voice are still off the charts. They're an amazing live band and it's a shame they never really got the attention they deserve.

[Skinypupy]

Tonight’s throwback was Slayer.

It’s always been somewhat amazing to me that Slayer recorded about an hour and a half of good thrash metal between 1986 and 1990 (Reign in Blood/South of Heaven/Seasons in the Abyss), and then simply coasted on that for the next 30+ years. Everything they’ve put out since has been mostly garbage with the occasional decent headbanger. They’re not a terrible band, but are definitely one of the most overrated bands ever. I’ve never really understood why they would sell out stadiums while far better thrash bands like Exodus and Death Angel struggled to catch on.

Anyways, “Raining Blood” does slap and Dave Lombardo’s sheer awesomeness behind the kit somehow manages to offset Kerry King’s complete douchness.