This week: Ken cocks up his microphone, Kim learns about Native Americans, We’re all going to Mars, The FBI confirm what we’ve suspected for a while now, Arthur  Magazine props, Massive Roman heads in rivers, and SNAILS!!

Personnel –   Joe Nolan, Kim Monaghan, and Ken Eakins

Linkypoos:

• The Shadow Biosphere Link Link

• Navajo – Link

• Wanna go to Mars? Link

• The FBI archives all digital information – Link

• Dick Gregory, Spike Lee and Django Link

• Genius – Link

• The Return of Arthur Magazine Link

• Lunatics – Link

• Massive head found floating in a river – Link

• The Dreadlocked Pygmies of Indonesia Link Link

• Snails – Link

Interludes

Ennio Morricone, John Barry, and P. Bonneau

The post Coincidence Control Network: File #046 – Snails on a Plane appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

A Tad Dank 3

Seizure Crypt – One Way

Herma Puma- Beneath The Sea feat. Elemental (Bugseed Remix)

Pelt- From The Lakebed

Benjamin Shaw- I Got The Samba, The Samba Is What I Got

My Dry Wet Mess- Mombasa Tutu

The Herbaliser – A Sad State of Affairs

Swin Deorin- I’m Over Here

Busdriver- Public Grope (It’s So Squishy)

Devilman- Seiki Dub

Godspeed You ! Black Emperor – Mladic

The post BCD – A Tad Dank – Episode 3 appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

I went through a bit of a grindcore renaissance recently when I heard Pig Destroyer’s “Prowler In The Yard” so I was quite enthusiastic about reviewing this album. With the  band being called NAILS (note the capitals), a suitably grim cover and some decidedly nihilistic song titling they seem to have all the relevant credentials. Deciding to deliver the first half of the album in under 6 minutes is also a pretty metal thing to do, but it’s a bit of a blur up to the last section of “GODS COLD HANDS” and “WIDE OPEN WOUND” where they decide to switch from full on thrashing to actually grinding, and it’s when they slow down a bit that they get to their most effective. The production is both a blessing and a curse, coming over like a scummy 90’s thrash metal band (think Entombed or Slayer) which means that production flair is sacrificed for visceral smashing power. Over repeated listens this album is slowly revealing its character and instead of being scared and / or terrified by the almost indecipherable blitzkrieg barrage of sub one minute songs, you should dive in to the slow burning pits of evil that are “WIDE OPEN WOUND” and “SUUM CUIQUE”. From there you can see the phantoms of Pig Destroyer, Carcass, Napalm Death and Slayer that have informed this challenging but formidable album.

82,000 dodecahedrons

Kim Monaghan

The post NAILS – ABANDON ALL LIFE (Southern Records) appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

By turns satisfyingly complex, irritatingly whimsical and intellectually demanding “These Factory Days” is a complicated album that defies easy judgement. It resonates with echoes of everything from Stereolab and Genesis to Belle and Sebastian via Arcade Fire within the space of a single song. Sometimes I find myself enjoying the singers simple but pleasing voice but at other times they take a kind of euphoric tone that I found disingenuous and irritating. Most of the songs have different movements so you can find yourself really enjoying a song but then suddenly be put out by a transition to something that doesn’t work as well, a process which repeats itself throughout. One thing they can’t be accused of is complacency, because this album is bursting with ideas and excellent musicianship and I think that after repeated listens it will establish itself as an album that somedays you reach for and think “Yes, definitely” and other times you’ll skip because you’re not in the mood. Whichever of these defines your thinking on this album, I would recommend at least one voyage through its shining waters because while you might not like everything it has to say, I’m pretty sure that everyone would find something pleasing in it somewhere.

70,000 dodecahedrons

Kim Monaghan

The post Tartufi – These Factory Days (Southern Records) appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

It shouldn’t take any more than two and a half minutes to realise how good this is. Opening track “Mental Pollution” starts out fairly discretely (coming on like a sort of Editors-y type thing) but by the time they hit the verse, with its dramatic tom section and a lovely assured dissonant guitar note, only the coldest of hearts will not be moved. “Running Beasts” carries on the confidence of the opener but ends with a Spartan ambient loop which allows the band to move into the territory of electro-baroque torch song with “Go Out”. The production is confident and forward looking with a little sliced up drum action, drum machines and synths to reinforce the modern aspect of this record, but the songwriting is pretty classic so the record feels both relevant and timeless.

            If you’re not convinced by the opening trio then I’m offering you a money back guarantee that you will love “Wild Sleep” which is like Chris Isaak meets Joy Division. Now I hate both of these bands (yes I hate Joy Division) but when you get a song as strong as this (that just happens to remind me of those acts) it isn’t sane to try and deny its qualities. I love this band’s songs, I love the singers voice and the only question I have is a perennial one. What kind of planet are we living on where someone can create music as beautiful as “completely Absent” and not expect to make a living from it ? Because this is another excellent release that is as free as a bird from the excellent 2419 Record Label and while I applaud them for having such a super set of ears, you don’t make records like this for nothing. Go and show your support for the label and band and download it.

89,000 dodecahedrons

Kim Monaghan

The post Bodypolitics – The Space Of A Jump (2419 Record Label) appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

So now that idiots like Skrillex and Chase and Status have killed dubstep and drum’n’bass, does that mean that we have to bury them in the secret electronica burial grounds or are we still allowed to like them ? Flint Kids would say yes and I would be inclined to agree with them on the sound of this release. It finds Flint Kids taking some of the less easily identifiable features of dubstep and creating an inverted world of musical right angles that is more akin to Autechre and Aphex Twin than Skrollocks.

Utilising inorganic sounds and non instruments, Flint Kids have glued their debut EP together in a musical way, despite a hosile sounding set up. Artificial digital sounds slide around your headspace and time stretching beats and bass create a weird sensation that is music but refracted back through portals. The original tracks and the remixes blend together in a satisfying way and while those of you who crave verse / chorus / verse action will go begging, if you’re looking for a soundtrack to some introspective star gazing you may well get a lot out of this, particularly the surreptitious but lovely “Triangular”. Oh and this one is free too. Don’t thank me. Thank Flint Kids.

78,000 dodecahedrons

Kim Monaghan

The post Flint Kids – Day Nil (Abstrakt Reflections) appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

Disappears have been on my radar as a name but I’ve never got round to investigating further, so it was quite nice to get an opportunity to review this. The very long A side “Kone” opens with some GS!YBE style atmospheric strumming which slowly fuses with some Sonic Youth style guitar fx and a Can-esque stop/start drum beat and all of sudden you’re ten minutes in. That’s when the rather non-committal vocals appear and you realise that this is the entirety of the track. It’s not a bad record but it’s very slight and I can’t imagine being excited enough about it to shell out for it on vinyl. It’s even more surprising that such a slight record should come from such pedigree. I found out that Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) used to be the drummer and the vocalist was once in 90 Day Men (who were excellent. The highlight of the song is pretty much the “Cosmic Drop” noise (as found on my Casio keyboard) which drops in (ha ha) briefly at 12 minutes. Not bad but there are thousands of better songs and albums knocking around for free on the very same internet that you are browsing and they’re available for free. The second side is much more robust, with a muscular tom drum refrain and a short but urgent bassline being pinned together with clattering guitar noises. It comes on like Flaming Lips meets Pink Floyd and is much more agreeable for being under 5 minutes long. I do find the addition of a ten minute edit of “Kone” totally baffling so I’m going to ignore it. Not bad but as an introduction to the band it’s a bit underwhelming.

60,000 dodecahedrons

Kim Monaghan

The post Disappears – Kone EP (s/r) appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

A scruffy but well meaning jazz fusion record that is ok in small bursts but exhausting as a whole album. Why ? Well, there are a number of issues I have with it. Firstly, I thought I was making up the lack of synchronicity between the drummer and the bassist but after repeated listens I still feel like they weren’t in the same room recording this. It’s like there’s some sort of lag, admittedly measurable in milliseconds, but definitely there which means that listening to this album becomes more and more strenuous. My second issue is that the bassist is way too interested in slap bass for my liking, which when combined with the frantic sax playing and extremely busy drumming means that this record comes across like an extremely hyperactive but sloppy Acoustic Ladyland. A final criticism would be that there is rarely a melody you can hang on to, or even a groove one can settle into, with each song starting somewhere and rarely returning to the same place. There are a lot of notes (as someone once said).

            The best thing about this album is the excellent sax work. Whoever is playing it is clearly very talented and it is their contribution, with its range of styles from shriek and squeak to clean melodic lines that provides the saving grace; that and the fact that you can get it for free on Bandcamp.

50,000 dodecahedrons

Kim Monaghan

The post Atomic Clocks – Magdan In Charleroi (s/r) appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

This week: We get all political and stuff, we celebrate the justice of a man released for a crime he didn’t commit, we keep up to date on Bradley Manning, we send off Thatcher with a twist of feminism, we celebrate the art of Joan Cornellà, and finally, we say Google Glass…who gives a fuck?

Personnel –   Joe Nolan, Kim Monaghan, and Ken Eakins

Links:

• Patton Oswalt on the Boston Bombings  Link

• Man in jail 38 years for rape that he didn’t commit gets released -Link

• An Update on Bradley Manning and the Press Link Link

• Thatcher hated your lungs – Link

• Thatcher hated black people – Link

• Thatcher hated gays – Link

• I hate Thatcher – Link

• Nothing to do with Thatcher – Link

• Google Glass…who gives a flying fuck Link

Interludes: 

Leonard Nimoy, accompanied by Ennio Morricone, and Secret Chiefs 3

The post Coincidence Control Network: File #045 – Death and Justice appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

Yes folks, it’s ‘Ken gushes about Mike Patton’ time again. I can’t be bothered to explain why Mike Patton is a genius, and why not having a significant segment of your music collection occupied by his work makes you culturally incomplete. Instead, just click here, and read the multitude of reviews, praise, and tracks in BCD episodes on this very site instead,…go on…it’s ok, I’ll wait…

Ok, you’re back, did you have fun? Of course you did, then I shall proceed:

Patton has made a few forays into the world of movie soundtracks in the past. His first proper effort, A Perfect Place, showed signs of exotica, and jazz found in his works with John Zorn, but essentially, felt more like a solo album, than a film score proper. He then re-engaged with the medium to score the excellent Jason Statham exploitation sequel, Crank: High Voltage (which we were promised a copy of for review, but never received). This felt far more ‘soundtracky’ in parts than A Perfect Place, with elements of Fantomas, John Barry, and early Ennio Morricone thrown into a hyper-caffeinated melting pot, perfectly suiting the trashy vibe of the film. We last saw Patton’s soundtrack work with The Solitude of Prime Numbers, a sparse affair, which – again – perfectly complimented Saverio Costanzo‘s excellent film La solitudine dei numeri primi, based on the best-selling novel by Paolo Giordano.

We now find him again scoring a soundtrack, this time for this months new release The Place Beyond The Pines (which I reviewed on our sister site here). I actually had no idea Patton was involved with this film, until I was sat in the theatre, and saw his name appear on-screen.  So it was a nice surprise, as it was both an excellent film, and a brilliant soundtrack to boot.

Patton seems to be approaching this work in a far more traditional way. It actually feels like a soundtrack to a film that you would go and see in a multiplex theatre…don’t worry, it’s not actually as bad as it sounds, the brilliant Ennio Morricone, Angelo Badalamenti, and John Barry are/were often found there as well, it’s just the way it is I’m afraid. I bring up those names for a reason, however, as their fingerprints  can be found all over Patton’s score, literally in the case of Morricone, who’s brilliant Ninna nanna per adulteri is recycled from the excellent Italian comedy drama Cuore Di Mamma. All allusions to traditional film soundtracks aside, this is, at large, still a Mike Patton record. Dark plodding bass meets down-tuned distorted guitars, adding menace when menace is needed, and beautiful shimmering arcs, and operatic choirs meet stabs of Lalo Schifrin, it really is great. At times, this album could be mistaken for the work of Angelo Badalamenti, especially in the brilliantly atmospheric Eclipse of the  Sun, that melds dark synths with a tremolo ridden guitar, epitomised by Badalamenti in his work with director David Lynch (Twin Peaks/Lost Highway).

It amazes me that more directors aren’t employing Patton for their projects. It is clear that he thrives in this musical environment, and is clearly well versed in the medium. This core is both dark, brooding, and beautifully alive, and well worth more than a few listens. Get it now.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Mike Patton – The Place Beyond The Pines Original Sound Track (Milan Records) appeared first on Right Where You Are Sitting Now.