The headline is unfortunate (the problem is hardly unaddressed; it’s a perennial topic of discussion among metalheads) though the article is a good one. Ah, the moral quandary of separating the art from the artist! But seriously, aside from metal's propensity for permitting transgressive ideas without the attendant responsibility, the article points out the blatant hypocrisy that arises when artists use their art as a platform for their political agenda, even if the art doesn’t relate to it directly. How do you feel about your Burzum records now? #link
‘New’ is a stretch as the record’s been in the works for a few years — Watt mentions it in the interview we did four (four!) years ago — but it’s finally seeing the light of day this summer. #link
Good to see the festival finally respond to this, even if that response still constitutes some waffle over the meaning and intention of the boilerplate legal text. Basically, there’s no fucking around when it comes to the horror clown’s America. And for many artists, it’ll surely see the value of showcasing at SXSW plummet compared to online avenues like Bandcamp. #link
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Justin Pearson (The Locust, Retox, Three One G, etc) talks about his musical journey, as well as the gear that comprises his signature sound. He’s refreshingly candid about his lack of traditional technique, which gives me hope for cracking the secret of the bass. #video
“I recognize that we're recognized as a metal label. By percentage, we have probably put out more metal than anything else, but there's probably a lot of stuff that people don't realize we've done. Even though I was a teenager at the time, part of the reason I chose the name Relapse was that there are some names that could have sounded more metal. I wanted something that was vague and wouldn't necessarily pigeonhole us.” A noble philosophy, to be sure. But Relapse is undoubtedly a big-time label in the metal ‘underground’, with little patience these days for the more experimental stuff (they dropped Pyrrhon after one record, for shame). #link
That she’s a Minutemen fan makes me like her all the more. Here's a short review I wrote of her support slot for Shellac in Dublin a few years ago. #link
Some of this is snark, naturally. But most of it is dead on, as they say up here in Dundalk. #link
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Weasel Walter did this quick remastering of Essential Logic’s Beat Rhythm News LP, and I’m kicking myself for not hearing the album sooner as this kind of off-kilter, bass-heavy post-punk is exactly my thing. #video
Short but sweet interview with Watt talking his first solo album and tour, in which he got by with a little help from his friends, all of whom are ridiculously more well-known than he is. See also: this half-hour audio interview with Minutemen drummer George Hurley that I haven’t listened to yet but I’m sure it’s great. #link
My friend John is way more connected with the Irish scene than I am at the minute, alas. #link
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The record that gave that band their name, but little else: this is the eclectic sound of late ‘80s SST which isn’t to everyone’s taste, especially if you’re only familiar with the Black Flag hardcore side, but it’s right up my alley. #video
Good tips here. My collecting days are behind me, but I’ve got a few LPs, and there are a few more I’d like to have, but I need a better player to get the most out of them. #link
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Posting this not only because it’s a fantastic record from an amazing band, but also because this has the experimental closing track ‘Things Fall Apart’ that’s missing from the rip I found online a while back. Come on Numero Group or somebody, get this stuff reissued! #video
Never mind the order; this is worth sharing just for the selection as a whole, only a fraction of which I’ve heard. On a related note, P4k more recently listed their choice of the 50 best IDM albums, a few of which I actually bought and listened to more than once. Imagine that. #link
A full album of early tone-fucking sounds from Toshimaru Nakamura, the guy who collaborated with US power-jazz trio Many Arms on their intense 2015 LP. #video
Good profile on an interesting individual, from his highs in the downtown scene to his lows sleeping rough on the same streets were he was once lauded. #link
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'Ghoul Whispers', from the upcoming collaborative LP by Sly & the Family Drone and Dead Neanderthals. They're playing the Raw Power festival in London this May if you're around; I wish I could be. #video
The beating heart of that band, literally and figuratively. I interviewed her and Dylan for Thumped a couple of years back. (And if I could do it again, I’d talk with her for more than 20 minutes.) #link
He seems jaded by the music business, or rather the business of doing music. It’s understandable, to an extent. At least he’s still enjoying the making of music. Here’s a better one with Hank Shteamer where he’s talking just that. #link
Or, that time a great noise rock band opened for Marilyn Manson. #link
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I had a ticket to this gig but I skipped it, to study for an exam the next day. I’ve always regretted it, but now I can see (some of) what I missed, of them and The Dillinger Escape Plan who also played that night (though I’ve since seen them a couple of times). #video
Hard to believe they’ve never been a full-time touring band till now, seeing as they pretty much invented the genre of pop punk (Buzzcocks notwithstanding). The new album is decent, too. #link
"With all the clubs, gigs and activity happening in Dublin, you’d be under the illusion that there’s actually a real, thriving scene here. There’s not. There’s a disparate number of different groups all struggling to do something for their respective audiences. The only thing that really sells is nostalgia." #link
For whatever reason it's easier for me to develop the kind of split mindset Justin Farrar describes when it comes to film, rather than music. Great food for thought here, anyway. #link
I'll never get enough of these behind-the-music things. Also: so that's who Louise Mench married. So why does she act such a blathering idiot on social media? #link