Them Crooked Vultures - S/T (2009)

Late 2009: time for those silly moments when you think about the best album of the year (or of the decade which is about to end)… I know, it’s just a game and you always end up forgetting about some good record you listened to in February and have to change the chart over and over again... Well no doubt this year the record that thrilled me the most is Them Crooked Vultures’ self-titled debut. For those who still don’t know who they are I’d just mention those three names: John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl, Joshua Homme. I’ve been hating the idea of super-groups probably since the eighties, when all the classic bands split up and started forming new bands, switching names and band members like we now change jobs. And what about Zwan in more recent times? Ugh. This record has been on my mp3 player for weeks; in the meantime I’ve changed playlists and added more albums but I keep going back to this one and listen to it non-stop. And I publicly want to thank Mr. Robert Plant for dumping his old mates after that single reunion gig because otherwise JPJ would have been too busy with that Led Zeppelin reunion and we wouldn’t be listening to this phenomenal record. I guess the perspective of touring with Alison Krauss is more attracting than joining two old mates and Bonzo’s kid for months playing the same old stuff. Anyway, some might say this is the record Led Zep’s could have made had they entered the 80’s wanting to kick some ass (and had John Bonham not died of course). Their final album was running in all directions, on occasions foolishly, but featured a few epics like In the Evening and Carouselambra that showed what they were still able to build after the sonic assault of Presence. Them Crooked Vultures is obviously indebted to mid-to-late seventies Zeppelin but instead of the sometimes boring tones of Plant’s voice we get the more subtle Homme’s endeavors which take you to a whole different planet. You may say I’m obsessed with King Crimson comparisons but his vocals sound a lot like Adrian Belew’s and some titles like Elephants (an homage to Elephant Talk?) and New Fang would be perfect for 1981’s Discipline. I won’t even start on the musicianship of these three guys, it would be trite… But they sound like they’ve been playing together for years now this could also be Queens of the Stone Age’s best album and the best project Dave has been in since the end of Nirvana. Another long one, the sumptuous Bandoliers, has a Spanish theme and a short insert of synths in the instrumental part which rend it very grandiose. Scumbag Blues is Psychokiller meets Trampled Underfoot: the clavinet is used sparingly in this case but when it enters it’s proved to give you goose-bumps. Warsaw or the First Breath You Take after You Give Up is definitely closer to QOTSA’s style with its long psychedelic rambling. If Stoner derives from Black Sabbath, than this is really the perfect meeting between the darker side of the Birmingham band and the more eclectic side of hard rock by the Zep, replacing certain sexist overtones of the past with some pure 90’s nihilism…

Like Rats

A few months back I downloaded a demo from a band called Like Rats. the band came to my knowledge from an entry on the excellent blog Invisible Oranges. I don't think I could describe the band much better than Mr. Lee does so here's an excerpt:

"Have you ever wondered what Celtic Frost would sound like as a hardcore punk band? Me neither. The idea of replacing Tom G. Warrior's beanie with a cadet cap is ludicrous. But Chicago's Like Rats have gone ahead and done it — and the results are tasty. ... The integration of Celtic Frost into a hardcore punk context is so seamless that the genre's clichés fall away. The raspy vocals are a perfect midpoint between hardcore and black metal. This isn't the hardcore punk of breakdowns and karate dances; it has more of an anything-goes '80s vibe."



This demo has seriously grown on me and I cannot stop listening to it. The best news is you can download the demo for free from the bands website.

On a side note, Invisible Oranges is on of the best music blogs I've come across. I check it daily and I really enjoy the writing, most of it's done by Cosmo Lee who writes for my favorite rag (Decible) as well as some other fine publications. Check it out.

Masters of Reality - Pine/Cross Dover

I’ve been a Masters of Reality fan since I was 15, right after I got their “warhorse” Domino (from the first, self-titled album) on one of my many cassette tape compilations; that was late 1988 and I used to record random rock songs from any Italian radio station. Back then, with no internet, there was no way of knowing who these mysterious Americans were. All I knew about them I learnt from short columns on rock magazines and that was it. By the time I managed to buy their debut masterpiece a few months later the original line up had split! I was hooked on 70’s rock at the time and to hear that one of the few “new” bands I liked was already gone was a huge disappointment to me. Of course their name comes from the title of Black Sabbath’s third album, which I loved (and still love). I could hear the influence of Toni Iommi’s band on MOR but there was much more, the ghosts of Led Zeppelin and Cream, some early stoner, psychedelia, The Beatles’ White album weirdness, the epic of Blue Garden and the grandiose finale of Kill the King… There was no other band like them around that time. Then I kind of lost their tracks. In the meantime they became Chris Goss’s project, his vehicle for music more than a actual band; with a revolving door policy, they released a bunch of good albums, especially the follow up “Sunrise on the sufferbus” which saw Ginger Baker join them although temporarily. They’ve always managed to sound noir even on apparently easy pieces. Chris Goss’ voice can be intense and measured at the same time: his good pal Josh Homme must have learnt a thing or two from their friendship. Cross/Pine Dover is the latest chapter in this saga. The starting riff of King Richard TLH sounds like it was culled directly from The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks just to become another one of their epic tracks sustained by a motorik rhythm. Closing Alfalfa is a trippy instrumental with a West-coast feel, a Can-meet-Quicksilver Messenger Service style experiment in a way. In-between is Chris Goss spectrum of moods, from the other instrumental, Johnny’s dream, which he admits being a nod to John McLaughlin (but to me it sounds like early King Crimson’s experimental side), the creepy Absinthe Jim And Me, the dark and hypnotic Worm in the silk with its excerpt from Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade, the catchy Dreamtime Stomp. But taken as a whole this is an excellent record from an often undervalued cult band. Yes, there are references to other bands like I said but oftentimes you need genius to put it all together and achieve an optimal result like this.

Sooooo....

..... I stumbled across a band called Vagina Panther a few weeks back. After reading the name I had to check out what the band sounded like and I'm happy (and a bit surprised) to report that they're actually really good. Check 'em out below:



Visit the Panther here.

Pig Destroyer

Greetings all. Good to meet you. Now that introductions are out of the way I would like to express my deep affection for a band called Pig Destroyer.



A brief history: Pig Destroyer formed in the late 90's. The band is made up by Scott Hull (guitar), J.R. Hayes (vocals), and Brian Harvey (drums). Notice anything missing? That's right, for the entirety of Pig Destroyer's existence they have never had a bass player and this band is fucking heavy. And fast. They added Blake Harrison to the band before they recorded "Phantom Limb" for sampler duties.

So, what's the big deal? Well, first off, the music is just flat out awesome. Loud, angry, and perhaps most importantly it's treated as an art form. I think a lot of bands that play aggressive music (especially the ones that fill out the more "extreme" sub-genre's) have a tendency to concern themselves with conforming to whatever the confines of their particular genre are. Now, don't get me wrong, Pig Destroyer blast along with the best of the genre (Brutal Truth & Napalm Death come to mind) but they appear to look for ways to push their genre along and create full albums meant to be listened to from beginning to end. The disturbing Stephen Hawking like narration that bookends the "Prowler in the Yard" album and the wonderfully erie soundscapes that lead the listener into and out from the outstanding "Phantom Limb" album help give the listener a unique experience when they hit play. Scott Hull's buzzing guitar playing and Brian Harvey's insane drumming really hold this band together and when they did eventually add Blake Harrison to add some atmosphere to the band they were comfortable enough to know what they were doing and exactly how the samples would fit into the music they play. Also, the whole no bass thing. I mean, from everything I've read that was the intention from the beginning. They wanted to be a stripped down band and make as much noise as they possibly could.



On the verbal side of things, J.R. Hayes has got to be one of my personal favorites. His screams haunt my ears long after I've removed the headphones. He screams so hard I can easily imagine his eyes popping out of his skull during one of the band's rare performances (for an exapmle check out the video below. The mic breaks and you can still hear him over the music). Lyrically, he paints a disturbing picture that perfectly accompanies the music he's screaming with. I personally stopped trying to listen to lyrics in the music I listened to years ago. I just got tired of hearing bad recycled poetry that a 13 yr. old could've written being spewed out of an adult's mouth. J.R. is one of those voices that got me listing to lyrics again and reminded me that not all lyrics are soaked with sophomoric innuendo and lame metaphors for being sad.



Unfortunately you may find it rather difficult to catch Pig Destroyer live. They all have day jobs that pay their bills and play live only a handful of times a year (for a further glimpse into the band check this article out). But, that's also one of the things I find so great about this band. The band doesn't make music because they have to, they play because they want to. They play because they have a legitimate reason to: they love playing loud music.

I suppose introductions are in order.

Welcome to the Distant Ghosts blog. I'm going to be overly confident and instruct you to go ahead and bookmark our page for future (and frequent) reference. Here you will find the gab, talents, and opinions of 3 (possibly 4) remarkable young men, motivated by music, art, and general malcontent. Our agenda is simple: to entertain each other. If others, perhaps, find pleasure or disgust in these entries, then we will have exceeded our goal and find it reason to celebrate.


Our "plan" here is to use the blog to exchange personal reviews of music, film, art, beer, etc; and as a forum for sharing our own creative endeavors. However, nothing is off limits here at Distant Ghosts, and if I want to rant for 5000 characters about my seething hatred for reality television shows that showcase the lifestyles of rich, superficial, shallow American women, and the effects these shows may or may not have on youth audiences and their feelings of life satisfaction, then dammit I'll rant!

[uuuuuuuuum, what do you mean shallow]

From time to time we may share videos, pictures (e.g. above photo), and links to materials to which we do not own the rights. However, we will always attempt to give credit where credit is due. As a general disclaimer, this blog will contain the word 'fuck' and other jargon not thought suitable for more sensitive readers. If you are offended by the word 'fuck', now would be a good time to unbookmark this page in your web browser.

Distant Ghosts is taking form at a very special time of year. With Thanksgiving upon us tomorrow, and Christmas and the New Year just around the bend, I am excited that our early entries will reflect the contemplative milieu in which we find ourselves during the holidays. Self-reflection and looking back at another year gone by has always been good motivation for me to make much needed changes. I personally hope that contributing to Distant Ghosts will spark the self-discipline I need to make 2010 a landmark year for me and mine.

Expect some "Best of 2009" lists coming soon from each of us. Also, Ghoulager and I will be visiting Foothills Brewing Company in Winston Salem Thanksgiving evening, so perhaps some beer critiques as well.

By the way, My name is Mash1 and I'm a Sagittarius who likes to dance.

Happy Thanksgiving
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