True Norwegian Death Metal

There are a few countries have become well known, if not fetishized, for specific types of extreme metal. England has doom metal and grindcore, the U.S. and Sweden have distinct kinds of death metal and, of course, Norway has black metal. But as the world focuses on the black and white—or in this case just the black—it’s easy to overlook some of Norway’s pretty cool death-metal accomplishments. Although the country blazed into prominence (literally) in the early ’90s, when bands like Mayhem, Darkthrone, and Burzum reignited music fans’ interest in black metal—and although their neighbor to the east, Sweden, has gotten far more credit for death metal—the country of corpse paint and fjords already had a sturdy foundation in great death metal. With that, I hope to draw some attention to some grievously overlooked, and unfortunately many out-of-print, “True Norwegian Death Metal” albums (ranked in order of quality). Enjoy these however you can.

1) Molested, Blod Draum (Effigy, 1995)
Between the violin, didgeridoo-type sounds, and mouth harp(!), Blod Drom is as intriguing as it is terrifying. Even when they stayed traditional, Bergen’s Molested created some of the best, most forward-thinking death metal of any country during the ’90s, bolstered by the relentless riffs and bilious growls of Borknagar frontman Øystein G. Brun and some breakneck, off-time blast beats by sometime Gorgoroth drummer Erlend “Sersjant” Erichsen. Utterly essential. (Ars Magna Recordings is planning a re-release of all of Molested’s albums this year, click here for more info.)

To read the rest at Revolvermag.com, click here.

The Top Metal Albums of 2008

As I've said previously, 2008 was a weird year for music, and that goes double for metal. The underground kind of disappointed me this year. The big death-metal, black-metal and grindcore releases sounded like genre archetypes, not really doing anything different or even well. The bigger, more established metal bands had more of a stake than usual in metal in 2008 (uh… Metallica, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses [if it sold better], Slipknot, Disturbed [pbbbt], and so on). Tons of older bands reunited (Carcass, At the Gates, Brutal Truth… well, not totally but they played their first NYC show in 2008), saturating the market. There just wasn't much to latch onto.

My favorite extreme release was a compilation for a change. This Comp Kills Fascists contains everything I want in a grindcore CD: Tons of bands and tons of songs, but it still seems short. Producer Scott Hull should be proud; I'm looking forward to hearing Vol. 2 sometime soon. For what it's worth, the below represents sort of what I cared about, metallically, in 2008. This year is looking much better than the last (the new Cannibal Corpse is especially good), so let me just acknowledge these before I get totally distracted by something else.

1. Various Artists, This Comp Kills Fascists
   
2. Gojira, The Way of All Flesh
   
3. Aura Noir, Hades Rise
   
4. Nachtmystium, Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1
   
5. Trash Talk, Trash Talk
   
6. Melvins, Nude With Boots
   
7. Black Mountain, In the Future
   
8. Jesu, Why Are We Not Perfect?
   
9. Dismember, Dismember
   
10. Opeth, Watershed
    
11. Toxic Holocaust, An Overdose of Death…
    
12. Phobia, 22 Random Acts of Violence
    
13. Harvey Milk, Life… The Best Game in Town
    
14. Metallica, Death Magnetic
    
15. The Haunted, Versus

The Top Releases of 2008

Since it's still January, I figure it's not too late for an obligatory "Best of 2008" lists blog. You know, since you've already read (and scoffed at) everyone else's, why not add another notch to your belt? This is Pazz + Jop week, so it's the perfect time. Specifically to me, this is the week when I learn that I was the only person to include Scott Hull's totally excellent tribute to power-violence comps, This Comp Kills Fascists, on my list. (Between Brutal Truth and Wasteoid, it was a shoe-in for me.) That's OK, I'll continue to biliously scream its praises. And don't get me started on how good the Hank III is (even if he has said he hates it.)

All in all, 2008 was a pretty weird year for music. M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" was voted song of the year on Pazz & Jop, even though it came out in 2007 and was part of the promo machine for a movie that the general public thought largely sucked. That's OK, because it made my list last year. (My pick this year, as I've said before is Be Your Own Pet's paean to teenage homicide, "Becky.") The pop and rock releases that were supposed to be big weren't (looking at you, Axl.) Big-box metal was more ubiquitous than ever and the much-touted indie-metal releases (ahem, Torche) weren't really that groundbreaking. As you can imagine, I had a really tough time making these lists—for the worst! Anyway, after months of work compiling these lists, the below represents what I liked most in 2008, critically speaking. And yes, TV on the Radio is as good as everyone says it is.

Top 10 Albums of 2008, Regardless of Genre

1. Be Your Own Pet, Get Awkward
   
2. Hank III, Damn Right, Rebel Proud
   
3. Various Artists, This Comp Kills Fascists
   



4. TV on the Radio, Dear Science
   
5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
   
6. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
   
7. Portishead, Third
   
8. The Breeders, Mountain Battles
   



9. Magnetic Fields, Distortion
   
10. Gojira, The Way of All Flesh
    

Top Singles/Tracks of 2008

1. Be Your Own Pet, "Becky"
   
2. Music Go Music, "Light of Love"
   
3. Lykke Li, "Little Bit"
   
4. Katy Perry, "I Kissed a Girl"
   
5. Lil Wayne, "A Milli"
   
6. My Morning Jacket, "Highly Suspicious"
   
7. Magnetic Fields, "California Girls"
   
8. Metallica, "My Apocalypse" (Guitar Hero version)
   


9. Estelle, "American Girl"
   
10. Guns N' Roses, "Shackler's Revenge"

Top Five Metal Christmas Tunes

Christmas and heavy metal have always shared a bittersweet relationship. After all, should musicians whose sheer existence depends on the denigration of religion cop to being family folks off hours? So many have said over the years that they don't really believe their lyrics' words—that they're merely actors portraying characters (looking at you, Alice Cooper)—yet they won't lighten up their tunes. Anyway, a few artists have written Christmas songs (and anti-Christmas songs, but really what are we to believe?), and shockingly they're pretty good. So, without further ado…

1. King Diamond – "No Presents for Christmas"
   

   The mother of all antichristian flagellation. But at the end he says he'd dreaming of a "white Sabbath." Isn't that self-contradictory?
   

2. Fight – "Christmas Ride"
   

   Naturally, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford can write a great song about anything. Plus, I believe he really wishes he could go on a Christmas ride.
   

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3. Spinal Tap – "Christmas With the Devil"
   

   Who cares about sincerity? This song rocks. Plus, if they were serious about it, it would be better than King Diamond's Christmas song.
   

4. Bob Rivers – "I Am Santa Claus"
   

   "Leave him cookies and beer/He'll be back to your house first next year." Neither Ozzy nor Kris Kringle himself couldn't have said better.
   

5. Twisted Sister – "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"
   

   Who cares about sincerity? Dee Snider! Now this is a present I can get behind.
   

The Top Releases of 2007

Yes, the top single of the year is a YouTube video. MP3s aren't really singles, now are they? And although I listen to the radio, they would never play this song. And don't get me started on MTV. Anyway, Ever since I discovered The Charlotte Church Show, and the former opera ingénue's duets with British rock's middle to upper class such as her infamous "Beat It" duet with Amy Winehouse, "Seven Nation Army" with the Brand New Heavies and a rousing "9 to 5" with Fergie. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wince with empathy. "When Doves Cry" stands out mostly because of the awkward moment where Church reaches out and claws Patrick Wolf's stomach during the line, "Touch if you will my stomach/Feel how it trembles inside." His reaction, moving from surprise to tension to "fight or flight" (when he delicately makes a windmill motion to move her away, makes their stiff reinterpretation of the Purple One's almost-purple prose (uh… "This is what it sounds like when doves cry"—maybe that's more emo than purple) that much better. You all already know how I feel about Grinderman, so I wanna jump to Unklejam. This is also a video. I watch it on my iPod way more than I would listen to it. How can you not watch this and just smile? For those who know me Soulja Boy might seem like an eyebrow raiser, but I gotta say, after my cell phone accidentally downloaded the ringtone because I forgot to put keyguard on it, I've grown to love this song, too. I do the Superman now and again, when people aren't looking. Shh, don't tell.

As for my albums, the Long Blondes released a perfect album this year. So what if other critics put it on their lists last year— prompting the American fans that would buy it at a regular price to pay twice as much, and thus skewing its success here? This is one of the smartest bands around from their narrative about aging women (written by a man!) to their interwoven cheerleader-ska-indie-rock anthems. Black Francis released an album that could easily double as a Pixies slab, if it weren't about a Dutch junkie painter and M.I.A. has more than replaced Bono as the social crusader for the 21^st Century. I defy anyone to find a better death-metal record than Obliteration's Perpetual Decay—written when the Oslo-based band was just 18 or 19 (better than any of the reunited deathsters' albums this year.) O'Death officially issued their goth-country masterpiece and Rufus Wainwright dabbled with Broadway crooning. When I first thought about making this list this year, my first thoughts were that it was a pretty uninteresting year for pop music. There weren't any major artistic statements (save Battles and the more-than-excellent Mayhem album), but looking at these lists, it was really a year of diversity. There was no one over-arching theme across music, and when you think about it, that's a very good thing. I'm looking forward to seeing what next year will bring.

Top 10 Albums of 2007

1. The Long Blondes, Someone To Drive You Home
   
2. Black Francis, Bluefinger
   
3. M.I.A., Kala
   
4. Obliteration, Perpetual Decay
   
5. O'Death, Head Home
   
6. Rufus Wainwright, Release the Stars
   
7. Baroness, Red Album
   
8. Mayhem, Ordo Ad Chao
   
9. Battles, Mirrored
   
10. Panda Bear, Person Pitch
    

Top Singles/Tracks of 2007

1. Patrick Wolf with Charlotte Church, "When Doves Cry"
   

2. Grinderman, "No Pussy Blues"
   
3. Unklejam, "Love Ya"
   

4. Jesu, "Conqueror"
   
5. Soulja Boy, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"
   
6. Battles "Atlas"
   
7. M.I.A., featuring Bun B and Rich Boy, "Paper Planes" (Street Mix)
   
8. New Pornographers, "Myriad Harbour"
   
9. Animal Collective, "Peacebone"
   
10. Dude N Nem, "McDonald's"
    

Top 5 Reissues of 2007

1. Various Artists, Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration
   
2. Young Marble Giants, Colossal Youth
   
3. Pylon, Gyrate Plus
   
4. Botch, American Nervoso
   
5. Pink Floyd, Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Song of the Year

Grinderman's "No Pussy Blues" is the song of the year, because, well, it's truth. And pain. Which really just makes it all the more truthful when you think about it. We've all been there. We do anything and everything we can to please someone just to be denied. Doesn't have to be sex, either—that's why Nick Cave's frustrated everyman lyrics resonate so well. And that's why I chose to write an essay on the song for Paper Thin Walls' 2007 Year-End Mixtape, which you can read hyuh. If you haven't heard the song, here's the video.

And since you so kindly sat through this post, here's...

the "No, Pussy!!" Blues:

An Ode to Interludes

I was recently listening to the debut from reformed sludgies Baroness, the brilliant Red Album, and was floored by the instrumental acoustic piece "Cockroach en Fleur." Having interviewed John Baizley extensively about the album, I know that there was a reason why they put this interlude where they did in the album. They wanted to break up the heaviness on either side as so many bands have done before. Guitar solos, whether acoustic or electric, used to play such an important part in metal and hard rock that contemporary bands like Tool and Isis that don't play guitar solos have unwittingly begun lengthening their songs or including weird ambient tracks, acting as phantom limbs. The Grammy Awards have actually added a Best Rock Instrumental Performance award in the '80s, but it's mostly been awarded to primarily instrumental artists and, well, Paul McCartney. Frank Zappa got it once, though, which is kind of surprising. Anyway, in an effort for some historic fairness, I've made a Top 10 of my favorite metal interludes, airs and solos. They're not all guitar solos, but they contribute to the album's overall heavy sound. My criteria is that it has to serve its own independent purpose within the album and must mostly be performed on one or two instruments (hence, Judas Priest's "The Hellion" and Metallica's "Orion" don't count). Feel free to correct me on any omissions.

Top 10 Metal Interludes and Solos

1. "Dee," performed by Randy Rhoads.
   

   Named after deceased guitarist Randy Rhoads's mother, Delores, "Dee" is a crisp, neoclassical acoustic tangent that comes in as track four on Ozzy Osbourne's solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz. It's beautiful and provides some insight into what a Rhoads solo album might have sounded like. In 1987, Ozzy included over four minutes of outtakes from the "Dee" sessions on his Tribute album. Not Surprising, one of Rhoads's replacements, Zakk Wylde, has attempted many acoustic guitar solos on his disappointing Black Label Society albums—save one, which is below. This is the ultimate in odes.
   

2. "Black Mountain Side," performed by Jimmy Page and tabla player Viram Jasani
   

   Sandwiched between the poppy "You're Time Is Gonna Come" (the most Yardsbirds-y song on Led Zeppelin) and the blistering "Communication Breakdown," this hippy-dippy piece reflects the album's 1969 release year more than anything else on the album. This set the standard for metal interludes to come.
   

3. "Eruption," performed by Eddie and Alex Van Halen
   

   Right after they hooked you in with "Runnin' With the Devil," the Van Halen brothers fired the finger-tapping shot heard round the world. In under two minutes, Eddie changed guitar playing forever.
   

4. "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth," performed by Cliff Burton and Lars Ulrich
   

   The best interludes are often the most off-the-cuff—the ones that people are doing just for a laugh. Burton never sounded serious on this ultra-distorted solo, and Ulrich's rushed drums only make it the more fun.
   

5. "Spanish Fly," performed by Eddie Van Halen
   

   A year after he rewrote the rules for electric guitar on Van Halen with "Eruption," Eddie returned on II with this plucky acoustic number on side two between "Light Up the Sky" and "D.O.A." Although he uses his tapping techniques, it seems more derivative of influential jazz and flamenco like Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia. According to Wikipedia, this is Steve Vai's favorite Van Halen song, and therefore it's probably crap and should have been omitted.
   

6. "Laguna Sunrise," performed by Tony Iommi
   

   Programmatic music never suited metal well, but this ode to a beach in Orange County, California fit perfectly in the madness of Black Sabbath's 1972 album, Vol. 4. On their most straightforward "metal" album, "Laguna Sunrise" serves as a musical yin to side one's druggy "FX" yang. Plus, the major-key intro riff on "St. Vitus Dance" wouldn't make any sense without "Sunrise." Other notable Sabbath interludes include the harpsichord-driven "Fluff," their long-running concert opener "Supertzar" and "Children of the Grave"'s lead-in, "Orchid."
   

7. "T.A.Z.," performed by Zakk Wylde
   

   I've included this as a reminder that moderation is best in small doses. Standing for "The Alcoholic Zakk," methinks Mr. Jeffrey Phillip Wiedlandt of Bayonne, New Jersey has bought too much into his southern biker rocker mystique. When He recorded this, it was pretty awe inspiring and the rest of this debut Black Label Society release seemed a refreshing change from the nu-metal that was still popular in 1999. Unfortunately, every album this group has released since has sounded exactly the same, and not in a cool AC/DC kind of way.
   

8. "Bourée," performed by Ian Anderson
   

   Jethro Tull once won a heavy metal Grammy Award to the chagrin of Metallica fans everywhere, myself included, but since I've always rather liked Tull and this is my list, and hardly any metal bands have written a riff as thunderous as "Aqualung" in recent years, this flute arrangement of a J.S. Bach ditty in E minor makes the cut.
   

9. "And the Address," performed by Richie Blackmore and Jon Lord
   

   From Deep Purple's debut, Shades of Deep Purple, guitarist Blackmore and organist Lord create a swirling psychedelic cauldron of heavy proto-prog and blues that predates Zep's "Black Mountain Side" by a year as an instrumental, but lacks the surrounding heaviness. Deep Purple was a different band then, still singing "Hush" and the Beatles' "Help," but not long after they would become one of heavy rock's greatest riff bands.
   

10. "Odens Ride Over Nordland," performed by Quorthon
    

    This Bathory intro is one of the turning points of when solos and interludes started becoming soundscapes. Sure, there's a pretty creepy organ instrumental on this song that fits perfectly with the rest of Blood Fire Death's thrashy '80s black metal, but it's ruined by "mist" sounds and horses bleating. This album also contains an "Outro," but as a standalone piece "Odens Ride" sets more of a mood. After this, extreme metal started to become more modern and less bombastic. In my opinion, the bands could stand to take a break and pace themselves.

THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2006, REGARDLESS OF GENRE

1. Arab Strap, The Last Romance (Transdreamer)
2. Nachtmystium, Instinct: Decay (Battle Kommand)
3. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love)
4. TV On The Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope)
5. Mogwai, Mr. Beast (Matador)
6. Black Heart Procession, The Spell (Touch And Go)
7. Television Personalities, My Dark Places (Domino)
8. Isis And Aereogramme, In The Fishtank 14 (Konkurrent)
9. Ornette Coleman, Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar)
10. Burst, Origo (Relapse)
11. Oneida, New Year’s Eve (Brah-Jagjaguwar)
12. Jesu, Silver (Hydra Head)
13. Brightblack Morning Light, Brightblack Morning Light (Matador)
14. Mouse On Mars, Varcharz (Ipecac)
15. Boris, Pink (Southern Lord)
16. Converge, No Heroes (Epitaph)
17. Nadja, Bodycage (Profound Lore)
18. Craft, Fuck The Universe (Southern Lord)
19. Camera Obscura, Let’s Get Out Of This Country (Merge)
20. Mastodon, Blood Mountain (Reprise-Warner Bros.)
21. OOIOO, Taiga (Thrill Jockey)
22. Thom Yorke, The Eraser (XL)
23. The Coup, Pick A Bigger Weapon (Epitaph)
24. Ali Farka Toure, Savane (World Circuit-Nonesuch)
25. Love Is All, Nine Times That Same Song (What’s Your Rupture?)

TOP SINGLES

1. Jesu, “Star” (Hydra Head)
2. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins, “The Charging Sky” (Team Love)
3. The Coup, “Laugh/Love/F**k” (Epitaph)
4. Turbulence, “Notorious” (VP)
5. Kevin Blechdom, “Me Saw Me Momma” (Chicks On Speed)
6. Gossip, “Are U That Somebody” (Kill Rock Stars)
7. Boris, “Farewell” (Southern Lord)
8. Asunder, “A Famine” (Profound Lore)
9. Johnny Cash, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” (American)
10. Christina Aguilera, “Candyman” (RCA)

TOP UNSIGNED BANDS

1. O'Death
2. The Cummies
3. Team Tomato
   

CHICAGO'S ALRIGHT IF YOU LIKE SIDEBURNS
My Review of My Vacation to Chicago for Touch And Go's 25th Anniversary

Last week, my girlfriend, Lisa, and I visited Chicago to attend Touch And Go’s 25th Anniversary Party. You can read an article I wrote about the label here. Steve Albini and David Yow had some pretty interesting things to say in it, and it was partially from David Yow’s insistence that I come that decided to make the trek. He told me I’d regret it if I missed it and he was totally right. (Incidentally he also told me how excited he was that Kory Grow was interviewing him, not because he’d read anything I’ve written, but because he wanted to know if I would name my son Scotty, because of that old ’60s song “Watching Scotty Grow.” He even sent me the lyrics. That’s my boy…) I can happily say that Lisa and I saw all 25 of the bands in 2.5 days. Below are some pictures and highlights from my trip.

First off, it seems like every guy in Chicago has sideburns. I don’t know what’s up with that, but that was the impetus behind the title for this blog. Also, most of the Chicago girls don’t seem to have hair past their shoulders. Interesting… Maybe I’m just a dumb New Yorker.

Obviously seeing Big Black’s mini-set was pretty impressive, they played: “Cables,” “Dead Billy,” “Kill Pigeon” and “Racer X.” Albini joked about how everyone wondering about it should know that it was a lot cooler in the ’80s. I disagree. Albini, Santiago Durango, Jeff Pezzati and, ahem, Roland, which Albini had to reprogram, all sounded awesome. Also, Shellac were incredible. The set was identical to the one we saw in New York the week before, but still fun. They still did their Q&A session and they pulled people out of the audience to bang on the drums with them when the show was done. Albini, Weston and Trainer really owned the event.

Scratch Acid were amazing. David Yow was as animated as ever and all in all their set was a lot of fun. They remain one of music’s most overlooked trailblazers, even in the wake of the Jesus Lizard.

Killdozer played “King of Sex” and all their other “hits.” Someone even through around an huge inflatable penis during their set. Brilliant!

Tim and Andy from Silkworm did an acoustic with very haunting lyrics in dedication to their drummer, Michael Dahlquist. I don’t really remember what song it was other than it was quite moving. If anyone knows what it is, please do tell.

Ted Leo played mostly new songs. They’re really catchy and kind of more immediate than his previous albums (even more of a mix between Elvis Costello and the Jam than previously). His new album will be stellar.

Featuring the inimitable Johnny Temple, who runs Akashic books, Girls Against Boys played their entire Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby album in its entirety. They said it was the first time they’d ever done that. It took them a little bit to warm up, but they were easily the highlight of Friday night, save !!! campily egging the audience on.

When Sally Timms performed she kept on cleverly saying “Men and woman of punk rock,” which I thought was absolutely brilliant since she just followed Negative Approach’s memorable, fist-pumping hardcore set. Jon Langford came out and did a Mekons song with her, which almost made up for the fact that the Mekons reunite for the show in some form or another. Ms. Timms also kept saying something like, “Oh you’re just waiting to see David Yow’s penis. He has it in a jar backstage, he’ll put it on before he comes out.” Scratch Acid played after her. Earlier in the day, Langford played with Kat from the Ex, whose own set was worth the price of travel alone.

Lisa seemed to really enjoy The New Year as they reminded her of Death Cab For Cutie or the Postal Service in a distant way, which I can hear, too. Makes sense, since Gibbard is probably a huge Bedhead fan.

We got there early enough to see Quasi in the rain on Sunday, and their songs are still going through my head. It’s a shame that Sleater-Kinney broke up, but I’m glad there’s still Quasi.

The Black Heart Procession played a special version of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky” as part of their set, but changed the chorus to, “A good label’s hard to find.” It was totally cheesy and endearing at the same time. Not sure which element was stronger though.

And the last musical highlight of the event was Calexico’s closing set. They played their cover of Love’s “Alone Again, Or,” but surprisingly didn’t dedicate it to the just-passed Arthur Lee. It was a pleasant way to end the festival, and it left us wanting more music on Monday.

I do have two complaints, though. One, there weren’t any surprises in the lineup. No, “Oh my god, it’s Slint/Necros/Die Kreuzen!” moments. The other was that label owner Corey Rusk never got onstage to speak. As notoriously shy as he is, you’d think he’d have something to say, but who can fault someone for just wanting to sit back and enjoy what he started. And it was most certainly an event to be proud of.

In addition to seeing the people I know at Touch And Go, we saw Paul from Merge and hung out with Laurent and from Pelican and his wife during Girls Against Boys set. It was nice seeing them, and kind of a surprise. Later in the week, we stopped by Touch And Go’s office, and it is a huge, three-floor converted loft. Everyone was friendly. Jamie Proctor from Thrill Jockey was kindly enough to put us up during the event, so I want to thank him here, next to the picture of us posing outside “Shit Fountain” which is a block away from his house.

Onto the second part of this blog. After staying in Jamie’s fair abode for three days, we made our way to possibly the worst hotel in all of Chicago. Without becoming slanderous and calling it out by name (ask and I'll tell you which one it is), it’s right across the street from the Rock And Roll McDonald’s (of Wesley Willis fame) and they promised us a no-smoking room, which was basically a smoking room with a small little sign inside that they placed there that said “no smoking.” The place absolutely reeked. Also, we saw a guy with a gun trolling around the R&R McDonald’s and someone followed us back to our motel. We didn’t feel safe. Luckily, we only needed to be there to sleep, but it was the only game in town that wasn’t $500/night.

On Monday, we got brunch at Milk And Honey, and I had an amazing huevos rancheros casserole. After that, we did a little shopping on Milwaukee and I stopped by Reckless Records, picking up original versions of both Sonic Youth’s and Spoon’s respective debuts, and also found a record of Nachtmystium’s early demos. We also ate at Lou Malnati’s pizza, which was absolutely delicious. That night we went to the Midwestern premiere of Neil Labute’s Fat Pig play. The actors did a wonderful job, and the play is—in typical Labute fashion—both heartwarming and stomach churning. I recommend seeing it, if you can. That night we found an absolutely amazing bar in Bucktown called Danny’s, which is kind of like somebody’s house that they converted into a bar. There was a lot of smoke, but it had a vibe few New York bars still have: they had live DJs spinning rocky R&B, blues and soul and everyone was dancing. Did I mention the walls were plaid?! It was so much fun. This was one of the major highlights of the trip.

The next day, we went to the Art Institute and were upset to see that their modern and contemporary art wings were closed. Nonetheless we saw some great paintings, before going up to Touch And Go’s office. When we got back downtown, we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which had a lot of cool stuff, including some original Henry Darger illustrations. Plus Tuesday is free night there, so it was that much more fun. We found a great Italian restaurant on the magnificent mile got a little drunk and went back to our scary hotel room.

Wednesday, we did a little shopping and Lisa got some nice new boot-shoe hybrids. We bounced around on their subway—and if you’re planning on going to Chicago without a car, I recommend you pick your unlimited card up at the airport before you get into town as they’re very hard to find in the city—before we eventually headed to the airport.

Some other general thoughts about Chicago include the fact that it’s so incredibly expansive you either need to drive or ride a bike. Even with their “El” subway, the distance between blocks are much larger than those in New York, and it takes a lot longer to get where you’re planning on going. I also found it strange that almost anyone goes to any bar. One night when we were hanging out with Jamie we went to a club that would be more suited for guidos in New York, but it was dudes in band T-shirts sipping cocktails. It was very bizarre, but fun.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but if I didn’t live in New York, I’d want to live in Chicago. Everyone is very friendly, and in many cases hipper than the people who live in New York, at this point. It feels very conducive to creative types and it’s also cheaper to live there. I can’t wait to go back.

Blogger bonus:

For my Touch And Go story in CMJ I made a list of the 25 Most Important Records Touch And Go ever released. We unfotunately only printed images of each release, but here's the motive: Unlike other "Best Of" lists I've seen, this one contains only artists that Touch And Go either discovered or really "made" their career. That rules out Silkworm who made their name on Matador, Bedhead and Pinback, so no bitchin'! I hope you enjoy.

1. T&G04 - V/A - Process Of Elimination E.P.
2. TGLP01 - The Meatmen - We’re The Meatmen And You Suck
3. TG06 - Killdozer - Snakeboy
4. TG07 - Die Kreuzen - October File
5. TG24 - Big Black - Songs About Fucking
6. TG29 – Butthole Surfers – Hairway To Steven
7. TG36 - Rapeman - Two Nuns And A Pack Mule
8. TG51 - Didjits - Hornet Pinata
9. TG64 - Slint – Spiderland
10. TG76 - Scratch Acid - The Greatest Gift
11. TG78 - Negative Approach - Total Recall
12. TG86 - Urge Overkill – Stull EP
13. TG100 - The Jesus Lizard – Liar
14. TG117 - Girls Against Boys - Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby
15. TG141 - Shellac – At Action Park
16. TG143 - Don Caballero - Don Caballero 2
17. TG189 - Man Or Astro-Man? – Eeviac
18. TG216 - Blonde Redhead – Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
19. TG223 - Dirty Three - Whatever You Love, You Are
20. TG232 – Black Heart Procession – Amore Del Tropico
21. TG234 - !!! - Louden Up Now
22. TG238 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
23. TG252 - TV On The Radio - Young Liars
24. QS52 - Calexico - The Black Light
25. QS54 - June Of 44 - Four Great Points
    

THE TOP 20 METAL ALBUMS OF 2006

1. Nachtmystium, Instinct: Decay
2. Burst, Origo
3. Wolves In The Throne Room, Diadem of 12 Stars
4. Jesu, Silver
5. Enslaved, Ruun
6. Nadja, Bodycage
7. Phobia, Cruel
8. Isis, In the Absence of Truth
9. Converge, No Heroes
10. Xasthur, Subliminal Genocide
11. Daughters, Hell Songs
12. Celtic Frost, Monotheist
13. Mastodon, Blood Mountain
14. Battle Of Mice, A Day Of Nights
15. Mogwai, Mr. Beast
16. Goatwhore, A Haunting Curse
17. OM, Conference Of Birds
18. Mouse On Mars, Varcharz
19. Wolf Eyes, Human Animal
20. Celestiial, Celestiial

Runners up:

Jucifer, Asunder, Suffocation, Mouth of the Architect, DragonForce, Gorgoroth, Slayer and the Melvins.

THE NEWCOMER’S GUIDE TO BLACK METAL

Black metal is a difficult genre to break into, if you don’t know much about it. It’s well documented that a few bands inspired what would become black metal: Bathory’s misanthropic lyrics and lonely ambience, Venom’s kitschy Satanic thrash, Mercyful Fate’s over-the-top kabuki makeup and melodicism and Celtic Frost’s pummeling tough-guy bravado. But what people consider modern black metal—with its impossibly fast, blasting drum beats, symphonic guitar parts and lo-fi Luciferian snarls—didn’t really form until Oslo, Norway’s Mayhem issued their almost-unlistenable Deathcrush EP in 1987. From that point, black metal would begin to take on many new shapes, especially in Norway and the rest of Scandinavia. In the mid-‘90s, US bands would start to embrace its sound, pushing its ambient limits to greater heights. Like hardcore, punk’s most extreme genre, some Nazis and other hate groups would embrace black metal, but once you become accustomed to the genre’s core bands, it’s easy to avoid these artists and not let a few shitty bands spoil the bunch. With that in mind, here are a few non-fascist black metal records, any of which can serve as a starting point for one of music’s most exclusive genres. FYI: some bands list “True Norwegian Black Metal” on the back of their albums; as Gorgoroth’s King Ov Hell once told me, this represents bands that are fully into the Satanic ideology of the music and not just the aspect of recording and writing it. (And yes, tr00 black metal kvlt friends, I realize “hepping” people to the genre might just lose me all credibility, but Jesus, how did you discover these albums?)

Celtic Frost, To Mega Therion (1985) – Tom G. Warrior’s growl and down-tuned riffage would affect almost every current black metal band from Darkthrone to Goatwhore.

Bathory, Blood Fire Death (1988) – On this album, frontman Quorthon rasped over intricate, symphonic odes to Viking conquests. This is the starting point for true Scandinavian antichristian metal.

Burzum, Burzum (1992) – The first (alleged) church burner’s debut release took Bathory’s archetype and made it even more lo-fi and depressing. Note to genre newcomers: any Burzum release after 1996’s Filosofem has expressed his newfound Nazi viewpoints. If you support that, feel free to buy the records and stop reading my blog.

Beherit, The Oath Of Black Blood (1992) – These Finnish black meddlers formed in ’89 and would eventually devolve into an atmospheric darkwave band. This album, however, exemplifies the genre’s fast tempos and raw aggression.

Immortal, Pure Holocaust (1993) – Immortal’s “war painted” frontman, Abbath, were clearly influenced by Mayhem’s Satanic look and orchestral-styled guitar work. The first Hole In The Sky festival in Bergen would pay tribute to Immortal drummer Grim, who committed suicide in 1999.

Mayhem, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994) – Mayhem’s first full-length had better sound than their influential Deathcrush EP, and even features Burzum’s Varg Vikernes on bass! Vikernes would later murder Mayem mainman Euronymous.

Emperor, In The Nightside Eclipse (1994) – When Emperor released their debut album, none of the members were 20 years old. Haling from central Norway, between the country’s two metropolitan centers, they revitalized the symphonic aspect of the genre, later pushing the boundaries to its proggiest extremes by their 2001 breakup.

Darkthrone, Transilvanian Hunger (1994) – Essentially only two members, Darkthrone epitomizes Norway’s old school to this day, with their hyper-distorted guitars and raspy-throated lo-fi vocals. They’ve lately started sounding more death ‘n’ roll à la Celtic Frost, but this album shows their truest black metal roots best.

Gorgoroth, Antichrist (1996) – A black metal ‘zine publisher I met on my recent trip to Bergen pegged Gorgoroth by calling them the last true “evil” Norwegian black metal band. While every other band has mostly abandoned the Satanic shtik, Gorgoroth has stuck with it, by using severed goat heads on stage and live crucifictions.

Judas Iscariot, Thy Dying Light (1996) – Based out of Dekalb, Illinois, Judas Iscariot were the first important American black metal “band,” really just the work of one man, Akhenaten. Their second album, Thy Dying Light, found them following in Burzum’s footsteps with ambient, echoes of dark chords.

Xasthur, Telepathic With The Deceased (2004) – Located in Alhambra, California, Xasthur could be considered the first US “suicidal black metal” band, also just one person known as Malefic. His inhuman drum machine patterns make Telepathic all the more claustrophobic. Mood is everything to Xasthur, and Malefic contrasts light and dark with ease.

Leviathan, Tentacles Of Whorror (2004) – One-man-band Wrest, who masterminds San Francisco’s Leviathan, would later team with Xasthur in a USBM supergroup called Twilight. But on his own, Wrest plays aggressive black metal similar to Xasthur, but with less contrast and more full-on screaming. Wrest has also recorded as Lurker Of Chalice.

Enslaved, Isa (2004) – Norway’s Enslaved made their debut in 1993 on a split CD with Emperor, but would forge their own sound in years to come, focusing not on Satanism, but their true Viking heritage. Progressing more and more with each album, Isa, which would win Norway’s prestigious Alarm award (which Darkthrone’s Fenriz opted his band out of), due to its brilliant songcraft and listenable (née hummable?) melodies.

Craft, Fuck The Universe (2006) – Formed in 1994, Swedish black meddlers Craft hit their creative stride with their third album, Fuck The Universe. While pushing black metal’s ideological boundaries with their previous albums—2000’s Total Soul Rape and 2005’s Terror Propaganda (its title a “fuck you” to post-9/11 America)—Craft found the perfect blend of musical belligerence and misanthropic lyrical nihilism on Fuck The Universe.

Not a novice anymore and wondering "What next?" Check out albums by bands like 1349, Satyricon, early Samael, Goatwhore, Deathspell Omega, Revenge, Venom, Borknagar, Dissection, Thorns, Ulver and Watain. From that point on, it's wide open. Enjoy.