Rat Motel; Ginger Root; Jay Royale; Bumble B. Boy; Choir Boys; Verminizer; Isaac Watters; Thank; David Wallraf; Salem Trials; Reine des L​é​zards

It's been a little over a month since my last new music round-up, so here we go. And don't forget tomorrow, Saturday 6/24 at 5p EST is Clean Nice Quiet on KPISS.FM, the golden stream. Here's some stuff you might hear on the show:

Rat Motel's full length The Rat Motel is finally out, it's great stuff, I've been playing tracks from it on the show. Here's a killer new single from The Rat Motel, "Dead Man."

Ginger Root's got a new EP up on Bandcamp, plus vinyl. This came out in September 2022 apparently, but Huntingon Beach's finest purveyor of "aggressive elevator soul" didn't upload it to Bandcamp until this week:

Hip-hop fans should take note of Baltimore's Jay Royale's new full length, Criminal Discourse. 2020's The Baltimore Housing Project is a classic as far as I'm concerned, and what I've heard so far from Criminal Discourse does not disappoint:

My buddy Christo from the excellent Echobox music program The Hidden Fruits of Terra turned me on to this Australian/Dutch failed children's entertainer and art-punk musician, Bumble B. Boy. Fun stuff:

For hardcore fans, Choir Boys from Germany have release 30 Years of Choir Boys. Killer blastbeat, plus they got cassette and t-shirts:

Speaking of heavyosity, here's some righteous noise. It's the debut album from Verminizer, a band from somewhere in the USA, and they describe it as "blackened grindy noisy industrial glitch thrash," and that sounds right. It gets my seal of approval:

Recorded live at the Hi-Res Records Studio in LA, here's new video for Isaac Watters' "Coconut in the Street," it's a cool track, and from an EP called Extended Play 002, due out August 30:

Leeds' Thank can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned:

I've featured Hamburg, Germany's David Wallraf on the blog a lot, he does great noisescape stuff, and he has a new releae on the French tape label Falt. The cassette's already sold out, but you can listen and purchase the digital of course. If you're a fan of avant garde, experimental sound art like I am, you should def check out Wallraf's new release, SANTÉ ET EFFICACITÉ:

Finally, would it be a CNQ round-up without bitchin' new releases from Metal Postcard Records???

Rat Motel; Mindvac; Dafake; Kevin Daniel Cahill; Vessels to Motherland; Eretia; Boys Age; The Bordellos; Dystopiarch; The Legendary Ten Seconds

A round-up of quality new submissions. I'll be playing some of these on the CNQ hour on KPISS.FM, Saturday at 5pm Eastern, so please feel free to tune in for that! Here we go:

Rat Motel are two brothers, Seth and Clayton Peacock, from Columbus, Ohio, and I've been jazzed about them since last year's The Regal Sum. Their new album The Rat Motel is due out 6/3, and I've been enjoying the singles "Tutankhamen" and "Owe" and playing them on the KPISS show. Both are super-solid alt-rock tracks; if Seth and Clayton had been around in the 90s, they would've been on Sub Pop or Matador and had videos for these in rotation on MTV, I'm certain of it.

While they definitely draw from the 90s alt-rock well, they don't sound like they're apeing anything. The music and the lead singer's voice (I'm not sure which one is the baritone lead singer) are unique while still sounding like something I've always enjoyed. I guess eggheads call that "hauntological," but it's not like the Peacock bros are making mash-ups of Beach Boys, psych and AM radio singles with the singer going "ooo ooo ooo" in the hallway. It's well-produced, mid-fi, loud, buzzy, thoughtful rock'n'roll.

On this Saturday's show I'll be playing a third single, "Shotgun." Here's the first single, "Tutankhamen":

The debut self-titled EP from Charlotte, NC metal/post-hardcore/prog trio Mindvac is out tomorrow on streaming platforms. The single, "Pastime," is an interesting mix of, as mentioned, post-hardcore and technical prog, I like it:

Paris-based experimental composer/sound artist DAFAKE has two new releases out, Les Miniscules and Live aux Instants Chavirés. For fans of "electro-acoustic mininimalism," DAFAKE works with "a range of experimental recording techniques, DIY instruments and unseen sound sources such as feedback loops, corrupted data and electromagnetic fields processed and recomposed through a modular system." It all makes for interesting soundscapes:

False Walls is releasing a CD of London-based artist Kevin Daniel Cahill's new album Impossible Worlds. Per the press release: "Consisting of two long tracks, the album traces a steady progression as it moves through different environments — initially ambient and isolationist in tone, the work ultimately reaches a form of transcendence. Rooted in Kevin’s guitar-playing, though not immediately identifiable as such due to the deployment of tape loops and effects, the album foregrounds feeling and atmosphere, and its duration and gradual development benefits close listening."

Vessels to Motherland is an electro-acoustic duo based out of NYC. Their new electronic single "Process and Product" is great - atmospheric and dark, with a groovy beat:

Speaking of atmospheric and dark, Eretia is from Spain and their new 7 song release Quietud is both atmospheric and dark -- a fan comment on Bandcamp called it a mix of post-hardcore and post-metal. I'm into it:

Boys Age's new album "Ring World" is out on Bandcamp. "The Ninth Melody" is a great single and I'm excited to listen to the rest of the album. I gush about Boys Age, from Japan, all the time:

The Bordellos have an 11 song sampler new on Metal Postcard Records, Star Crossed Radio. I love the Bordellos, y'all know that:

"Pale New World" is the second single by Brooklyn's Dystopiarch. They say all proceeds will go to benefit the people of war-torn Ukraine, which is nice:

Torquay, England's The Legendary Ten Seconds has a new album out, Astounding Songs, an album of English folk rock songs. The Legendary Ten Seconds is solo artist Ian Churchward and friends. I'm really impressed with his output. After Astounding Sounds he's released Mer De Mort, "recorded to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mortimer History Society," and I'm not sure what that is, but congratulations to ten years of it, and another full length, History Book Part One. Great stuff, absolutely unique rock'n'roll:

Specular-D; Anna's Bones; Pissabed Prophet; Eric Angelo Bessel; Jean Mignon; Salem Trials; The Conspiracy

Naturally at the first of the year I have every intention of posting more often, I think I've said that every year for the past 11 years. But, here we are, more than two weeks since my last post. But, a day before my KPISS.FM show tomorrow (Every Saturday at 5PM Eastern, in fact).

Specular-D is a sample-based electronic musican out of London. His new release on Bandcamp You Do You has a single available, "Don't Overcome Directly." It's a trip, man:

DIY label Antigen Records out of Ipswich has a couple of new rockin' releases out. "Silver Thread" by Anna's Bones is a single from someone who may or may not be named Becky Blenko. Cool song with a cool video:

And then "Spooling," the available single from an upcoming full length by Pissabed Prophet, is the tops as well:

On April 21, Lore City Music will will release the debut solo album from visual artist and musician, Eric Angelo Bessel, called Visitation. Intrumental, atmospheric, very groovy:

Finally, a couple of websites to check out. Pop Thruster is making a running list of the Best 1000 Albums Ever. An ambitious project and I'll keep an eye on it, I love lists.

Metal Postcard Records honcho Sean Hocking has a new site for his Bottom of the Pops show, aptly titled Bottom of the Pops. Sean's the man, if you want to have any hope of staying cool, you need to follow Bottom of the Pops.

Speaking of Metal Postcard Records, a trio of excellent new releases from the best digital label on the planet:

Shit Present; Death Valley Girls; The Guilty Pleasures; Löst Folk; Anatomy of the Heads; The Legendary Ten Seconds; Leonard Donat; The Lonely Bell; Neon Kittens; $T33D$_uv_LUV

I am back to fufill my destiny. Also, don't forget to tune in to KPISS.FM the goooolden stream Saturday 3/11 at 4P Eastern, I'll be filling in for DJ CD Playa on the OOO Show, then the CNQ show is back after a two week hiatus at 5p. Will have a couple of premieres from Charity Empressa (featuring members of Starflyer 59 and Father John Misty) and Australia's Vicious Blonde, plus a hunka hunka other cool stuff.

Shit Present's new album, What Still Gets Me, their first release since the excellent 2016 EP Misery+Disaster is due out May 9, and the two singles they have available on Bandcamp are rippers. Only 50 of the 500 LPS they've made are left:

New Death Valley Girls video:

New release from the amazing Syf Records:

Sweden's Löst Folk are at it with 19 seconds of fun:

Anatomy of the Heads are out to pull a G. Gordon Liddy on your mind with a wild new 9 song release out called In the Realm of Allied Barbarians and Tributary Lords:

New CNQ fave The Legendary Ten Seconds has released a comedy song album called The Rejects of Lord Zarquon. Fun stuff:

Berlin's Blackjack Illuminist Records has two new dark ambient releases for dat ass:

A non-Metal Postcard Records Neon Kittens release:

And another new Metal Postcard release, this one from secretive oddball blues lawyers $T33D$_uv_LUV. Imagine Chicago meets the Butthole Surfers ran thru auto-tune. Bizarro World AOR:

Alright, now I only have 30 starred e-mails left before I'm caught up on Bandcamp releases I wanted to check out over the last couple weeks. What a hassle!

Isla Invisible; Adiós Cometa; The Ducks; The Bordellos; Brian Bordello; Gilla Band; A.N.J.A.; Kid Gulliver; Suckling; Neon Kittens; Smashing Red; The Postmen; and Salem Trials

Been gone for a couple of weeks, and while on vacation I realized I had starred in my inbox a butt ton of new releases I've been neglecting to share on here. I'll be playing some of these on my hour long KPISS.FM show this Saturday at 5PM Eastern, but you saw and heard it here on the blog first!

From Velvet Blue Music, a 4 song nu-gaze split from Isla Invisible (Puerto Rico/NYC) and Adiós Cometa (Costa Rica). This came out back in July of last year, I missed it. CDs and tapes still available:

Also missed, the Duck's (England) full length, Enter the Cloaca got released in December. The Ducks are nuts, and the lead off track, "Give God a Bone," proves it. Check it out:

In January, the Bordellos released as a free download The Sunday Experience, originally released as a one sided 10inch vinyl EP on Benevolent Antenna Records. Good luck finding that. Y'all know I love the Bordellos:

And in late February, Think Like a Key released Brian Bordello's Songs for Cilla To Sing, a solo acoustic full length that is already on my best of the year list:

A buddy at work turned me on to Gilla Band from Ireland. Their newest single, "Sports Day," is rad:

Belfast's A.N.J.A. has a new single called "Witchmother," it's rockin':

Here's a good new power pop single from Boston, "Kiss and Tell" by Kid Gulliver. Came out in January:

Austin's Suckling has finally released their debut album mid-February, I caught them opening for Jesus Lizard in 2018. I remember there only being two guys on stage and maybe a drummer, but it looks like they're a four piece now. Great noise rock, though they used a sample I have also used in a Legless Crabs song and I'm totally upset (j/k):

Metal Postcard Records has more new releases than you can shake a stick at, with a packed release schedule coming up this month as well, so catch up on these, from Neon Kittens, Smashing Red, The Postmen, and Salem Trials:

Alright, I still have 64 starred releases to check out, the oldest dating from mid-February, but ruminate on these, and I'll try and post again tomorrow. Friday I'm going to work on my KPISS.FM show -- will be featuring stuff from France and Marrakesh! Will be a lot of fun, tune in. And thanks for reading -- go support these artists if you hear something you like.

Bandcamp Friday

Watching the "Selling Right Now" stream on the Bandcamp homepage on Bandcamp Friday is a little headspinning. After all this time, people still like to buy music. Good for everybody. Except for people who hate the intersection of art and commerce, I guess.

I'll be on KPISS.FM tomorrow at 5PM Eastern, playing some of the stuff I'm going to pick up on Bandcamp tonight, so do tune in and just listen to KPISS.FM in general. When there's not a DJ I'll use Radio Garden to find a cool station broadcasting out there, and I humbly suggest you do the same. The streaming services have their place -- I'm a big Pandora user, myself. But live radio is where it's at.

Here's some stuff to check out and maybe purchase on Bandcamp Friday or just whenever you have some coin:

The Bordellos' The Sunday Experience was originally released as a one sided 10" vinyl EP on Benevolent Antenna Records, I'm not sure the original release date, but now it's available as a pay what thou wilt download and it's 8:47 of good old fashioned Bordellos bliss:

Memphis three-piece The Wirms have a new full length, Wirms III. Great garage punk:

New punk duo, also from Memphis, Little Baby Tendencies have a full length available that came out late last month called "Bad Things." Sounds right to me, heavy y noisy:

Italy's K. Board & The Skreens (also a duo?) are back with Metal Postcard release Microdoze, and it's a doozey:

Also from Metal Postcard, the epic New No York comp has finally landed. I've been waiting on this for a while, and it does not disappoint -- hit after hit, from tip to tail, from Neon Kittens, Salem Trials, Lucy & The Drillholes, and The Clickbaiters:

I'm a big fan of Shit Present's 2016 EP Misery + Disaster, and after 6 years, they're back with a new single, and it absolutely rips:

Dykeritz submitted this with just the Bandcamp link, no EPK, no hello would love if you listened...I respect the audacity of the simplicity of the submission. The song is a bright, electro-pop single, apparently a remaster from a 2019 release from the New Jersey artist:

UK indie artist Marek Kubala has a new 4 song release called Satellite/Ramjam on Shore Dive Records. The EP is composed of dreamy "Satellite" and the more rocking "Ramjam," plus two extended mixes of "Ramjam." I like it:

DAFAKE is a minimalist, experimental electro-acoustic composer from Paris. Their newest album, Quiet Geometry, will be released on Discreet Archive on March 4. In the meantime, check out dsrpt -- two 16 minute improvisations, based on feedback loops and manipulated electromagnetic field recordings, recorded live in June 2022:

Finally, Tuscon's Class has a new 6 song album out you can order on cassette, called But Who's Reading Me?. I enjoyed their self-titled release from last year, and this sounds equally as good so far:

Scrambled Limbs; Earth Mother Fucker; In.Bloom

Scrambled Limbs from Leeds has his first new batch of songs in two years due out soon, called The Late Hour. The single, "Something Stiff," is available on Bandcamp. Very cool bedroom rock:

Killer live noise rock album from Earth Mother Fucker, a five piece from the UK:

In.Bloom is post-hc/screamo from Lithuania. New single is called "There's Room for Hatred," cool stuff:

Philomena Lauprecht; No Base Trio; Henry Dagg and Evan Parker; Russ Spence; The Conspiracy; Desborde

It's Bandcamp Friday, and tomorrow, Saturday 11/4/22 at 4PM Central, is Clean Nice Quiet on KPISS.FM, so how's about we look at some recent cool submissions and some of the stuff that's in my Bandcamp wantlist.

From Hamburg, Germany, Against Evil Company by Philomena Lauprecht is, according to her Bandcamp page, "her re-working of the songbook Divine and Moral Songs for Children, first published in the 17th century." It's produced by noise/soundscape artist David Wallraf, who've I've featured on the blog before:

Experimental jazz combo No Base Trio have a new video out for "ST 7," a track off their new full length release, NBT II, which I've also featured before here on the blog, and played on the show:

More wild sounding experimental jazz -- Then Through Now by Henry Dagg and Evan Parker, courtesy False Walls out of the UK:

Keeping in line with tonight's experimental theme, Metal Postcard Records' latest release is the first solo effort from Russ Spence, the vocal half of CNQ faves Salem Trials, mixed by Neon Kittens and produced by the other half of Salem Trials, Andy Goz. The EP is called Attempted Soundscapes:

Another new release from Metal Postcard, this is "See Ya Mate" from the album Dance of the Predator by The Conspiracy:

Desborde is three piece punk from Argentina, their new three song s/t EP is a ripper:

Neon Kittens; Salem Trials; Occult Character; Cindytalk; Draudiga; Soup Activists; Abi Ooze; CML; The Wirms; The Legendary Ten Seconds; Fir Cone Children; Night Shop

New real deal, killer diller stuff (of course) from Metal Postcard Records -- new EPs from Neon Kittens and Salem Trials, plus a new full length from Occult Character:

Glasgow's Cindytalk has a new four song CD release you can pre-order on Bandcamp, Subterminal, coming out late this year on label False Walls. The available single, "Where Everything Sparkles and Shines," is 7 and a half minutes of that shit I do like. Atmospheric, eerie instrumental, and happens to be perfect for this time of year, but every day is Halloween for me, so:

Portland, Maine's Draudiga has a new 11 song release out on Bandcamp called Persephone. They call it "Americana Noir" and I dig it:

Great new stuff from Lumpy-related St. Louis acts:

From Memphis, The Wirms are a three piece punk act with a new live release, Live at Lamplighter Lounge, via What's For Breakfast Records. Very up my alley:

The Legendary Ten Seconds, who recently released that killer single "The Torqauy Sandyman," have a new folk rock album release with Jules Jones, here's the single, "They Kept on Marching." Love it:

Fir Cone Children is the project of Alexander Leonard Donat, and the new album, Today There's No Tomorrow, out on Berlin-based label Blackjack Illuminist Records, is a ripper, front to back. Fuzzy noisey psychy dreamy weirdo-pop that vocally, sonically, and spiritually reminds me of Andy Anderson's work in Proto Idiot/Freak Genes, which is high praise indeed because I think Anderson hangs the moon when it comes to who's doing what, rock'n'roll-wise. Here's "Quite Okay with Mondays":

And finally, my man Night Shop has a new track out called "Universal City." As far as I'm concerned, this guy Justin Sullivan can do no wrong. He continues to prove me correct with "Universal City":

Geiger von Müller; Pete Um; Into the Buzzing Room; Strange Neighbors; HOTMOM; Alien Nosejob

So Clean Nice Quiet is now going to be live every Saturday, at 4PM Central / 5PM Eastern on the mighty golden stream, KPISS.FM! I'm so stoked. So catch me on KPISS coming up on the 1st for some fun tunes. And I'm still going to do CNQ Live via caster.fm when I feel like it -- if you see me on air on the embedded player at the top of the blog, press play! Am thinking I may do a caster.fm show tonight, actually, but don't want to commit in case I decide to stare at my shoes instead.

Catching up on submissions here from August and September. Lot of great stuff!

London's experimental slide guitarist Geiger von Müller has a new full-length album out called Slide Sonatas I. Very cool stuff:

Pete Um from Cambridge has a new full length minimalist synth album out called Surface Zero. Solid:

Also new in the experimental electronic genre, harse noise enthusiast Into the Buzzing Room has a new EP, his first, called Excessive Focus. Into the Buzzing Room is from Münster, Germany. I've featured their previous demo before. Killer diller:

New York's Strange Neighbors reached out to me with three super rockin' singles, "Whoa! Is Me," "Hotline Psychic," and "Window Watching." I like all three but I think I'm leaning towards "Window Watching" being my fave:

Crass Lips Records has a new release from HOTMOM out called On TV. HOTMOM is from Austin, they've been around for a while. I featured a track from them on the old CNQ show all the way back in 2018:

Finally, Alien Nosejob has a new record out on Total Punk in the US, called Stained Glass. The first single, "Beatles VS Stones," is a ripper, as we've come to expect from New Zealand's Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants):

Jay Brown and the Legendary Ten Seconds, Santa Sprees, No Base Trio

Got some interesting submissions for you tonight. And don't forget to tune in to the Clean Nice Quiet Hour on KPISS.FM this Saturday, 8/27, at 4P Central/5P Eastern. I'm having a lot of fun doing those, there's a chat you can get in on the KPISS website and gab with me as I play tunes.

Jay Brown and the Legendary Ten Seconds are out of the UK. They contacted me about their sci-punk track, "The Time Stream," which is pretty good, but I really liked this follow up release, "The Torquay Sandyman."

Did you know there's vinyl available for Santa Sprees' Fanfare for Tonsils? Great album:

Check out this improvisational jazz/noise combo called No Base Trio, based out of NYC. Their second album, NBT II, is coming out October 14th, 2022, on Setola di Maial. Here's a track from it and a video from their first album:

Five Bucks, Eyes and Flys, Salem Trials, The Khats, K. Board and the Skreens, Rudy Now & The Negative Cutters, Legless Crabs, Legless Trials, Desiccate, Noose Sweat, Atoxxico, Shifty Poles, Tin-ear

A new demo from a band called Five Bucks on Poland's almighty Syf Records label. Italian "eggpunk," sounds great:

I did an interview with Syf Records a while back, but haven't been keeping up with their releases like I should.

Tetryron Tapes out of Buffalo has a new full length digital release called "Manic AM" from a band called Eyes and Flys. Haven't listened to all of it yet but Tetryon puts out cool stuff and the first track, "Asbestos Fiber on a Sunbeam," is quality garage psych-punk:

Both Syf and Tetryon are cool tape labels. I've been daydreaming for a while about making a little CNQ boutique label. I tried once before, put out Dr. Nod's awesome Top Tips (see sidebar for ordering info!). Maybe it's time to try to something like that again.

Speaking of cool labels, not a week goes by that Metal Postcard Records doesn't have some new stuff to share. I played both of these bands on my most recent KPISS.FM show. Salem Trials is producing radical tunes at a gazillion miles a minute, and The Khats is the same guy who does K. Board and the Skreens, I think. Great stuff:

And don't forget, also from MP, the latest from Rudy Now and the Negative Cutters:

...oh and the latest Legless Crabs and Legless Trials!:

I've been having so much fun with the KPISS.FM radio show (next one is August 13, at 5P EST, btdubs), and the caster.fm show I turn on and blab into the aetheyr when I feel like it, then post it to Mixcloud. But a blog post can be a hoot too. So let's do an old fashioned CNQ dive into Bandcamp new releases and see what pops up:

First thing of interest, Desiccate's "noisy fuck punk" demo from Hamilton, Ontario. I gotta say, there's nothing better than a noisey demo tape:

More righteous noise, this from Vancouver:

Mexican punk from 1988!:

Synth-punk from London:

Finally, some bitchin' rock'n'roll from Saint Edward Island:

The Curleys, Salem Trials, Bigflower, Espuélrico, Al Marantz

Let's see what we got. The new Curleys self-titled 12" is available for streaming and pre-order vinyl/tape on Total Punk's Bandcamp site. It's cool stuff, but give me a break with that "we're not hardcore and we don't care what obscure 80s hardcore band you think we sound like" bullshit. Whether that statement is intended to be ironic or not, it's a drag to act ignorant, and spiteful of your fans. Maybe there's a way to do that ironically that hasn't been overdone, but their blurb doesn't achieve it. And if it's not ironic, it's even more of a snooze. But I suspect it's just a joke that falls flat. At any rate, it's a cool album. Hardcore doofery that sounds like your favorite obscure 80s hardcore band:

The incredibly prolific Salem Trials have yet another new release on Bandcamp, Unified Field Theory, "a collection of unfinished songs recorded during various sessions, between 2021-2022. All overdubs, lyrics and vocals recorded June 2022."

Also prolific Bigflower has a new single, "Contrarian":

I totally missed this Espuélrico single, "Esperando La Muerte," when it came out last year:

Cudighi Records has a new Al Marantz album coming out on the 15th, The Mechanic. The single, "Open Up Your Blinds," is a groovy lo-fi pop tune. I have an old Al Marantz cassette from OSR Tapes that I never got into. Gonna pull that out and give it another play:

A little later tonight, post 10PM CST on July 5th, I might spin some tunes on CNQ Live.

Click here to listen, or click the play button on the embedded player at the top of the blog's desktop version.

A.N.J.A.; Rat Motel; Andrea Mazariello; The Legless Crabs; Legless Trials

The second CNQ KPISS.FM is coming up this Saturday, the 18th, at 5PM Eastern. I'll be playing some new stuff, including this new rocker from Belfast's A.N.J.A., called "A-Bomb":

Columbus Ohio's Rat Motel's new album, The Regal Sum is coming out tomorrow. The single, "Shock," is solid:

I'll be playing a new track off composer/performer/writer Andrea Mazariello's new album War Footing. Mazariello hasn't been active on Bandcamp in a while, but here's an interesting piece from 2016:

And finally, The Legless Crabs /and/ Legless Trials both have new singles out on Metal Postcard Records. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair:

Science Man, Geiger von Muller, The Slime

Hello, fellow kids!

First up, the Science Man Nines Mecca package finally arrived in my mailbox the otherday, after an unfortunate but unavoidable delay, and it's impressive -- white vinyl LP with a really bad ass special edition t-shirt, and the gem in the package -- a limited to 50 VHS tape of videos for each of the ten tracks on the album. And it is so frickin' cool, you oughta pick it up if you love low budget horror-themed music videos, and if there are any left. The album, as I've mentioned before, is great also. 20 minutes of noisey hardcore, a great racket. Here's the video for Poach The Mind's Eye, and you can see all the videos here.

From London, guitarist Geiger von Muller has a new single out called "Space Digger #1," and it's a neat instrumental piece of slide guitar work, check out the video and you can get it pay what thou wilt via Bandcamp. It's from an upcoming album called Slide Sonotas I.

Toronto's The Slime have a new album out called Living on Borrowed Slime, it's killer diller punk -- if Science Man could be described as David Lynch-ian, I'd say The Slime would be Ed Wood-ian. And maybe I'm just saying that because there's a sample from Plan 9 in the first song, but regardless, the one two punch of the opening song on the album, "Arms Race," followed by the single, "Real Garbage," is a sweet punch in the face, and the rest of the album doesn't let up. Living On Borrowed Slime is available on vinyl from Cursed Blessings Records, and here's the video for "Real Garbage."

Alright, I plan on doing a live show here around 8:30PM CST, give or take, so in about 40 minutes, as I celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of my favorite albums, Faith No More's Angel Dust. Nothing special lined up, just going to play some cool music.

Click here to listen, or click the play button on the embedded player at the top of the blog's desktop version when you see it says "Live."

You ever seen this interview of Mike Patton eating a sandwich and being petulant in 1992?

...and here's that show:

Vukovar; Psuedo Desnudo; Helena Celle; Tuff Sunshine

Tough to articulate how sad and angry I am. As long as people continue to vote against their own self-interest, mass shootings like what happened in Uvalde will continue. Arming teachers or turning our public schools into supermax prisons isn't the answer -- gun control is. No private citizen needs an assault rifle. And you don't need to be carrying around handguns in the street either, you nut. If you think your "freedom" to own an assault rifle and open carry a pistol is worth a classroom full of innocent lives, then, and I say this in all candor and seriousness: fuck you, you piece of shit dirtbag. Jesus H., what is wrong with you?

Alright. England's Vukovar has a new album called The Body Abdicator due out June 25th, you can pre-order the limited edition CD on their Bandcamp page, and two singles are posted already, and they're great:

Solo artist Psuedo Desnudo has a new full length out on LA's Cudighi Records, you can order a cassette from Cudighi's Bandcamp page. Captain Beefheart meets Television, I dig it:

From Glasgow, electronic artist Helena Celle has a new hour long release on False Walls called Music For Counterflows. You can order the CD from the Bandcamp page -- it's gotten good reviews from the Quietus and Bandcamp Daily, check it out:

Tuff Sunshine is a three piece from NYC, I've featured them before. "Legwork" is their latest single, killer diller:

CNQ Radio is about to go live for a few hours. Gonna play some cool tracks. Tune in here, or click the play button at the top of the embedded player at the top of the blog's desktop version, if you'd like to listen.

Nova Cheq; Nuggiez; Thank; Narcotized Brain Spasms

It's fast approaching CNQ's ten year anniversary, and I'm certain I am the only soul on Earth who gives a shit. And that's fine! The other day I spent an inordinate amount of time messing with my labels on your left side of the screen in the blog's desktop mode, and not 100% pleased with what I did. I was trying to tidy them up. Maybe I'm 90% pleased. Anyway, it's fun to keep a music blog, most of the time! Just a quick dive into new and newish on Bandcamp:

Nova Cheq is electronica from the UK. This Edits Pack Vol 1 was released in April, 2021. Bandcamp page says, "Edits are bootlegs of hip hop/rap songs I love featuring amazing black artists such as: 3 6 Mafia, SL, Childish Gambino, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert and Ramz."

It says proceeds go to the charity forgottenwomen.org

Man, so weird to think I've been doing these Bandcamp dives for 10 years. It's nice to have a hobby.

From Auckland, New Zealand, Nuggiez has a new 12 track album due out next month called Toil in the Time of Monsters. Two songs are available for listen now, "The Creeps" and "U Against U." Good post-punk.

I love Thank, and they have a 4 track live release called Live @ Little Buildings, which you oughta purchase immediately, so they can put that money towards another album, or whatever they wanna do with their gottdang money:

Barbaric noisecore!

A Quick Trip Through 58 Years of People Makin' Music: The Fall, Gene Clark, Clifton Chenier, Todd Rundgren, Julian Cope, Jean Michael Jarre, BLK JKS, Undeath, Mortuary Drape, Accept, Lil Bastards, and the Pastels

Yesterday I added a few new additions to our record collection. Here's what I picked up, as well as some other stuff I've been listening to (and one thing I haven't listened to yet).

The Fall - Slates 10" re-release from 2016. Originally an EP from 1981. I bought this without realizing -- this 2016 re-release doesn't contain the extra Peel sessions tracks that were added on a follow up re-release in 2021. The 2021 release is readily available and for the same amount I bought this one for. I'm ruined! Anyway, it's a great EP, and the linear notes are a typed letter from from former WFMU music director Brian Turner.

Gene Clark - Collector's Series Early L.A. Sessions. This is a remixed and re-released version of Clark's first album with the Godsin Brothers, remixed five years after it's release by Clark and producer Jim Dickson, and re-released on CBS in 1972. The record didn't sell upon original release, so now that country rock was finding more acceptance via bands like Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Clark's former band The Byrds, CBS brought Clark in to re-record vocals and remix these songs. Glen Campbell and Leon Russell were on this album, too, along with the Byrd's Clarence White and Van Dyne Parks on keyboard. Anyway I have With the Godsin Brothers so I thought it would be neat to have this as a companion piece. And it does sound different. Also they took out "Elevator Operator" which I thought was a groovy jam but apparently Clark was embarrassed of it.

Clifton Chenier - Bon Ton Roulet! The King of the bayou, Clifton Chenier's 2nd album from 1967, on Arhoolie Records. All of the songs but one were recorded in Houston in '66, except "Ay Ai Ai," recorded in '64. Cool stuff. Zydeco blues. Arhoolie Records started in 1960 and is still around today.

Todd Rundgren's Initiation, from '75, Rundgren's fourth solo album. Rundgren was on an occult kick, so it's got a long proggy jam on the b-side about Theosophical, New-Agey occult stuff. Which, I'm into in theory, but I'm not sure how often I'll be spinning it, which I read on Wikipedia is sorta what Julian Cope said about it:

"When asked if Rundgren had influenced his music, with perceived influences of Initiation on Queen Elizabeth and Rite², Julian Cope responded that he and Thighpaulsandra loved "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire", "but we both bemoaned the fact that it was recorded so long before ambient music had been defined that Todd treated it as an ever-evolving, almost prog-rock piece. We both loved huge elements of that piece but found that we never listened to it. So we tried to build that Todd-like transcendence into our own piece of music [with Queen Elizabeth]."

The first side of Initiation is rockin' tho. Meanwhile, from Discogs:

"(Initiation) is a one of the longest running single disc LPs ever issued (1 hour, 7 minutes and 34 seconds; side B's total time is almost 35½ minutes). However, because of its fragility and reduced dynamic range, the following note was printed on the inner sleeve: "Technical Note: Due to the amount of music on this disc (over one hour), two points must be emphasized. Firstly, if your needle is worn or damaged, it will ruin this disc immediately. Secondly, if the sound does not seem loud enough on your system, try re-recording the music onto tape. By the way, thanks for buying the album" The final suite 'A Treatise On Cosmic Fire' was sped up by half a step to fit the disc with ease, this is why 'Prana' on the 'Real Man' 45RPM 7'' single sounds slower, as that was the speed that was intended to be heard, except all discs and CD reissues play the sped up version used for the original LP. To slow it to the correct speed, using software such as Audacity, reduce the speed by -5 percent."

Here's a 2015 remaster of a track off the first side, the rockin' "The Death of Rock'n'Roll." That's Rick Derringer on bass:

I've also been on a Julian Cope kick. Here's 30 minutes of his ambient project, Queen Elizabeth, mentioned in the Cope quote above:

Continuing with the noodly electronic theme for a moment, I also picked up a copy of Jean Michael Jarre - Equinoxe. From 1978, this is the follow up to Oxygene, which I have, and Jarre's fourth album. I was reading about these two albums under "Critical Reception" on Wikipedia, and apparently critics really didn't like the electronic stuff at the time. I dig it though, and certainly I'm not the only one, so those critics were wrong. Go figure! Here's a video for "Equinoxe 5":

I found a copy of the Secretly Canadian release of BLK JKS Mystery EP with "Lakeside" on it, I dunno if y'all remember that song from 2009? Neat atmospheric, indie/post-alt type of song, very groovy. They're from South Africa. Apparently they had an album out in 2021. They fell off my radar after "Lakeside." The rest of the Mystery EP is as great as "Lakeside" -- spooky, rockin'. There's some pretty wild psych guitar on the track "Mystery."

I had originally went to the record shop to pick up the latest Undeath album, It's Time...To Rise From the Grave, which is killer old school death metal from Rochester, put out by Prosthetic Records. The band really nails it. Here's the video for "Defiled Again." Brutal fun!

But I got home and I had the wrong album -- they gave me Mortuary Drape's latest, Wisdom-Vibration-Repent instead. Mortuary Drape is Italian death metal. I've listened to about half of this now, and it's good - competent, enjoyable:

I took the Mortuary Drape EP back and it turns out someone else who wanted Mortuary Drape got my Undeath album. So instead I picked up a copy of Captain Beefhart and the Magic Band's Strictly Personal, their second album.

This is The Fall doing "Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones" for a Peel Session in 1996. "Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones" is from Strictly Personal.

When we were driving to the record shop, the wife and I heard for the first time Accept's "Pandemic," released on Nuclear Blast Records back in 2010. Why wasn't this song playing everywhere the past few years??!?

Though I didn't buy it, we did look up this single when we got home. Wish I would've bought it! Lil Bastards' "Bitch Get A Job," from the halcyon days of 1992. Youtube comments mention this is the earliest work from a producer called Dougie Diamonds -- I'd never heard of him. This 12" put out on Livin' Large Records appears to have been Lil Bastards' only release:

I've also been getting into the Pastels. Here's "Yoga," from 1995's Mobile Safari. There's a video for this, but the only available version I could find was a shitty upload from someone taping MTV2.

Finally, not as poorly recorded but also not exactly hi-fidelity, check out Julian Cope and backing band pretending to do "I Gotta Walk" on Top of the Pops in 1994:

"I know what your father is saying right now...and he's wrong."

Multiple Releases from Metal Postcard Records: The Legless Crabs, Salem Trials, Legless Trials; The Bordellos, Super Hit; plus Occult Character, Bigflower; Dave Wallfraf, UFO Över Lappland, and Japmn

June 3, 2012 was my first CNQ post. Not quite the apocalypse the Mayans didn't really predict, just a hobby I've kept up with for a decade now. Pat myself on the back. I had plans earlier in the year to keep up with the blog better, which is always a first of the year goal anyway, but this time I meant it.

But it turns out I didn't. I've been posting occasionally as the mood strikes me and that's fine, it's a hobby and what has kept me doing it for a decade.

I also thought I'd do a nice hour or so of a Mixcloud show for the CNQ ten year anniversary, and maybe that'll happen, I dunno. If I feel like it. I've been doggin' Shadowrun: Dragonfall (The Director's Cut) on Steam the past two days. Killer top-down RPG from 2014. I've never played it before, but I played Shadowrun Returns a while ago. There's Hong Kong as well, but I can't remember if I played that, so I don't think I did.

I finished Shadowrun Returns (I always wanna say I "beat" a game, but this is more a completed, fun task than something I won by being good at it). Anyway, both games have been well written, but Dragonfall especially so. The text is immersive and presented in a way it feels like you're listening to your Game Master. The mechanics are a blast, building your little character to spec is well done, and Dragonfall has just been a hoot since the opening scene. Few games scratch that table-top itch like these Shadowrun games by Harebrained Schemes do. I looked up to see if there's going to be another one, and didn't see any news of a new game, but the trilogy is porting to Switch in 2022. I also read that the IP is owned by Topps. Go figure.

To kick things off, how about a little shameless self-promotion. I'm working on a dumb little video to go with this dumb little song, which is also my best work to date, in my IMO. You can check out the whole Legless Crabs album, "Always Your Boy," over on Metal Postcard's Bandcamp page. It is overall a solid noise-slop effort, in my humble IMHO.

Also from me, a couple of new Occult Character tracks. Electro-slop, as I do. These are all Pay What Thou Wilt, so shell out some cash, wouldya? How else am I gonna afford the payola to get this crud on the radio?

And if that wasn't enough from me, how about this new Legless Trials, also from Metal Postcard. Son of El Borko from The Legless Crabs and Salem Goz from Salem Trials team up again for two new tracks, "X-Tyrant," and "Has An X Feel." I dunno why we're on about X but we are, for sure. That's ol' Salem himself on vox on "X-Tyrant," and Son of El Borko barking "Has An X Feel." Salem does all the music and pixie dust, hence why these sound, ya know, good:

Speaking of Salem Trials, the unstoppable UK duo have a lot of new stuff out -- they're one of the few bands I know more prolific than me, and their stuff is actually listenable, so I don't know how they do it. From just a couple of days ago, here's two new rockers, "Dynamite Truck Parts 2 & 3" and "FEAR is All I Can Do":

And, from Metal Postcard, a new nine song, 30+ minute digtial release, Vegaland. I haven't listened to Vegaland yet, but Andy and Russ don't do anything shitty:

I have listened to another Metal Postcard recent release, The Bordellos' I Hate Pink Floyd Without Syd Barrett, a compilation of previously released Bordellos tunes that further prove they're the band that matters most:

The Bordellos have also recently released Onion King Tapes vol. 8, another batch from back when the band was called Onion King. I'm not sure the time period that woulda been -- sometime in the last twenty years, Dan Shea of the band isn't that old, and was a teenager when he started singing in it -- and I'm not sure he was a part of Onion King. At any rate, great stuff, the Bordellos rule:

Metal Postcard has a bunch of other new releases, putting cool stuff out at a frenetic pace, go check it out. One of those recent releases is Super Hit, the solo project of Kyle Handley, who I think is up Portland way? He wrote a 6 song EP where each song is a song he sang to his departed pup, Baby Jean. I made up songs to sing to my cats when they were alive (I haven't re-upped on a pet since they passed a few years ago), so I can relate. Catchy, sweet, Baby Jean forever!

From the UK, CNQ fave bigflower has a new single released yesterday, "The Pill." Mellow psych:

And from last month, an uptempo track from Ivor, "Harder." Psych goodness as always:

Noise artist Dave Wallraf, from Hamburg, Germany, has a new piece out called Cutting Up Men, I listened to it today, it's like listening to whalesongs in space. Super cool and at times panic-inducing, but I had it up really loud in my earbuds to drown out chatter at work. Loved all 40+ minutes of it. There's a limited edition CD you can order as well. Noise enthusiasts should definitely check out Wallraf:

The new UFO Över Lappland, Spökraketer is killer-diller, real deal psychy krautrock from Sweden. Gotta get the vinyl (or CD, or cassette), put out by Philly's Burnt Toast Vinyl:

I have a ton of chrome tabs open on my phone, stuff to share on here. I'll try and whittle that down with each post. Here's japmn, friend of a friend in Portland. Cool stuff from August 2021:

And the soundtrack to a short film, from December, 2021:

I'm gonna play some Shadowrun: Dragonfall.