The new EP by Boston’s 5ive sees the reissue of two pieces originally released on a split 12” with Kid 606, bundled with two new Justin Broadrick remixes. Granted the cover art is pretty gross but most of the music contained within is of the topmost quality.
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The first album from Bergen’s Espen Sommer Eide under the name Phonophani is remarkable. There’s no two ways about it, this is an essential album. It may be eight years old but sounds fresher than the vast majority of new albums that have come my way.
The last time we covered a Jandek DVD on The Brain, it was Chad Friedrichs' 2003 documentary film Jandek on Corwood, a series of talking heads speculating about the music and the mythos, Jandek himself a no-show apart from a disembodied telephone voice recorded in 1985. A lot can change in three years, and this month brings the first official Jandek DVD released on Corwood Industries, a DV recording of Jandek's first-ever live performance at the Instal festival in Scotland in October 2004. Even if you've heard the widely distributed bootlegs, or Corwood's official CD release of the show, the Glasgow Sunday DVD still provides a shock to the system.
In Iran, heavy metal is banned. Of course, this means there is a strong metal underground. One band from this scene, Ahoora, are trying to do what they can to get their music heard both inside and outside their home country. Luckily, although the music is not a step forwards (nor even a step sideways) for metal, it is very good.
This Austrian band's prior release, the spectacular Heavy Heavy Monster Dub, revitalized my interest in dub reggae and made its way into my "best of" chart in 2004. So why does their new one leave me less than enthused?
The debut EP from the Atlanta doom metallers Zoroaster is a solid disc of riffery. It may not be the best Sabbath worship I’ve heard but it’s definitely above average. They do not reach the heady heights of Sleep or Electric Wizard but this release shows that they have the potential to rise up to meet those sonic titans.
Headlights play music which is not dissimilar to their predecessors on the Polyvinyl label like Rainer Maria: a mixture of male and female vocals with high melodies and catchy phrases. Songs alternate from jumpy to languid, sometimes even within themselves. Headlights use a healthy amount of keyboards at times for atmospheric sounds, strings, or chirpy measures. It's unpretentious music: all hooks and fun without dreary concepts regarding composition.
Those like I who have fallen under Delia & Gavin's spell will not be disappointed in the latest single. Relevee features an edited version of the album version along with remixes by Carl Craig, Baby Ford, and, of course, the DFA. I'm most gleeful, however, for the bonus video of the song.
