Thursday, April 26, 2007

Im drunk right now...and its close to 1 am my time....and I have to work tomorrow...
but its not a terribly serious job...I am working for Ecko/ Hurley right now...doing clothes...graphics...whatevs....lame...Hurleys kinda cool...

Im pissed at the government...Americas government...Giuliani....I wish America was ready to accept a black president...America sucks in that way....we suck republicans dicks and then they bitchslap us over and over and we keep asking for that dick in our mouth...fucking pitiful. I hate politics...so I dont have much more to say then that...my concern isnt who is gonna be the next president...I care much more for preservation...preventative measures....Americans dont think like that...

Sad. Seriously sad I tell you.

But, we all have to think of ourselves too, and on that respect I find immediate happiness. I have a job right now. Freelance. I have an even better job on the way...but its still all corporate shit. We just glaze over that. Dont we?

I am happy the weather is turning out alright. NYC has been beautiful these past few days. I have reconnected with old friends. Synchronicity is at an all time high, and a few bands appeared in my life for obvious reasons....

I have a drug test on Friday morning for my job that starts on May 7th...They are paying very well. I am happy yet still conflicted. But a year is a year and I'll take it for what its worth. Maybe two years. I'll be 32 then...still young by most peoples standards....My dad died when he was 27....in a jet plane crash...he was an Air Force pilot. Crashed in Washington in 1977. A day before I was born. Most people live til their 75...some til their 80.....I plan on hittin 100...

After my drug test I am gonna roll a huge spliff and hang with my friend Bodie...No coincidence, Bodie = Bodhi...Bodhisattva. Hes a cool dude. Lives near Philly now...got me into Doom and Stoner actually...I'll give him the credit. He's also a sick artist. He's inspiring. If I am lucky I can get my friend Gabe to hang out too...When I finally smoke pot after however many weeks, I am going to listen to Bongripper - Hippie Killer. It is fucking amazing. Maybe I will post it this weekend. They need a record label to put out their music. It is seriously quality.

I am also doing artwork for Gifts From Enola. I am very psyched that they asked me to draw an octopus graphic for their upcoming tour and a t-shirt. I will post it here when they okay it....well, life is good, even when its bad....its all part of the big picture...im okay with that...

these two albums occupy a space in time. they are different from what I usually post, but they have great meaning to me....Maybe you will find the same magic I find in them.

Peace....Tim AKA Blend77 (Blend is my old grafitti name - 77 is when I was born) its 1:18am...


The Cansecos - S/T (2002)


Portishead - Dummy (1994)
PW = bedrock

Monday, April 23, 2007

Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary


Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (1994)

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Read This Book....


Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gilian McCain

While listening to Television (below) you should surf over to Amazon and buy this book right now!

This was given to me by a friend in christmas 05, and it is one of the best books on punk ever written. It covers the early stages of the punk movement, starting with The Velvet Underground and covering much of the early CBGBs scene as well as the MC5 and the Stooges out of Michigan and of course the Sex Pistols and other UK scenesters. The story is told in anecdotes by people who were there, including Dee Dee Ramone and many others. It is raunchy, hilarious and stunning. The drugs and sex these guys went through is unbelievable and all the stories about Iggy Pop will have you thinking he is a god among men.

There is so much in this book that it cant really be put in a review. So do yourself a favor and read it yourself.

Let me know what you think.

Television - Marquee Moon (1977)



I dont think I can do this band any justice in words. Actually, thats just a huge copout. The fact is, I dont know much other than they were from NYC. They released this album the year I was born. They created a form of punk rock that still exists today. Marquee Moon is one of the most classic original punk albums of all times. When I find a link for Richard Hells band the Voidoids I will post that and you will then have two of the most important records ever released. Remember, God is watching, and judging. If you get to the pearly gates and you dont know who Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell are you can pretty much kiss the fluffy white clouds goodbye. And hell isnt that cool. They dont play death metal or industrial music down there....it Celine Dion all day. So make the right choices now kiddies, while you still got the internets. ^_^

Monday, April 16, 2007

2 serious classics that have very little to do with each other...



If you dont like the Pixies, then get the hell out. Just kidding...but seriously, dont piss me off...listen to this album a hundred times.




If you dont own this album, I forgive you, but God wont. He is a HUGE Rites of Spring fan and he told me he would personally bitchslap anyone that doesnt get into them right now. Now meaning yesterday, so get on it!

Comets on Fire - Avatar (2006)



Continuing their tradition of burnt out psychedelic garage rock, the Comets tone down their sound on this release but lose none of the fire. These songs are like flames jumping and dancing in the dark. There is something very earthy about them that fits with their sound very well. Avatar is a logical progession from 2004's Blue Cathedral.
Amazing album artwork too...Im a sucker for that kind of stuff.

Espers - Espers (2004)



Where would I be without the calming transcendent waves of psychedelic folk music? Espers, from Philadelphia, are a trio on this album, but have expanded their line-up to include a few more players. Here, their brand of medieval psychedelic folk is at its breeziest. Flutes and acoustic guitars float and tumble and drones and washes hover in the backdrop, threatening to ruin the peace. In 2006 they released the much darker II and it is proof positive that their sound is the real deal, harkening back to 60's British psychedelia.

Nick Cave - Live Seeds (1993)



An amazing collection of live Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Nick Cave is one of my favorite rock and roll icons. He continues to impress and hes been doing it for well over 20 years now. Grinderman, his new album with Bad Seeds members Warren Elles, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos is almost out, and it is amazing. Nick Cave is a prolific songwriter, and Live Seeds is a good place to start for anyone who isnt familiar with him, and it is a fantastic place to land for any fan of the early to middle part of his career. Nick Cave himself has stated that he was unhappy with the mixes on Henry's Dream and despite it being a popular fan album, it is his least favorite Bad Seeds album. According to him, the live setting is a way of rectifying that. So the songs from that album are as he intended them to be heard.

Warhorse - The Priestess (1999)



Warhorse are one of the only American Doom acts to come close to eclipsing Electric Wizard in terms of sheer heaviness. Unfortunately they disbanded a few years ago, leaving us with only a devastating full length, As Heaven Turns to Ash, a 7" called Lysergic Communion, a final EP called As I Lay Dying and this slab of an EP - The Priestess. Consisting of one giant epic of Stoner / Doom, one "Jam" and a cover of Wargasms "Wasteland" this EP is sure to have you sweating LSD and licking your own skin trying to keep the buzz lasting. Do yourself a favor and grab this, and thank A over at Wine Women Song for introducing this to us all... Speaking of which, he has some great things goin on over there right now.

Warning - The Strength to Dream (1999)



Warning are a traditional Doom Metal band from the UK. I do not know much about the band, and in fact am not a huge fan of traditional Doom. For some reason, I keep coming back to this though. It is sloooowwwww. Surely heavy, and depressing as hell. The guy has a great voice, and the band is great. It seems to garner alot of praise, though it seems they are not very well known. That may just be me though. Five very long songs of depressive Gloom and Doom. Choice.

Miskatonic Foundation

some "Newness"....

Again, life is a busy son-of-a-bitch. Sorry to all who frequent here, it is not for lack of care that I make fewer posts, only the ebb and flow of one reality to the next.
Since these posts are always in descending order, by the time you read this part you will have realized about the new posts I will put up shortly...

You will notice I didnt write much on them. Again, not for lack of care. I just dont have the time and I wanted to post them up for your enjoyment.

A few more things, and then pictures...

1. I fixed the Six Organs link below. I had mistakenly put the same link twice. The new link is for the untitled CD-R which contains a bunch of shorter, simpler songs of Ben and his guitar. With the exception of Hazy SF from the Golden Apples of the Sun compilation I have not heard any of these songs before. If anyone has any info on this CD, please let me know. Otherwise they are very good songs and should please fans of his folkier stuff.

2. I will NOT be posting anymore Touch and Go records or Quarter-Stick records releases. It seems they have all been taken down and as a result I believe that either someone from Touch and GO visits my blog, or they have a full-time employee whos job it is to search out any and all links and have them terminated. I have not received any notice from the label itself, but in case you are watching, my apologies and I will not be offering the links I find for your releases. I am a good customer of theirs and will continue to be and will prompt you to purchase all albums from them as they are all in my "Top" list. This list includes Don Cab, Rodan and June of 44....Trust me, you should just buy them.

3. Well, I am not sure I intended to have a three, but I guess nows a good time to show you some pictures...

for starters, my dog is cuter than all other dogs on the planet. There may, in fact, be cuter dogs in other star systems, but this remain irrelevant for our discussion.


Here is Mo hanging out in my sweatpants...(that may be a pair of underwear on the ground in the background. I swear i ts not mine. Pinks not my color.)


Here is Mo at top-speed on our roof. The lil fucker can run. Check out that form.


Here is Mo with the eerie green glow along with my lovely Lara.


On a recent expedition to Williamsburg I spied this and thought it was pretty cool.


This is the view from my roof in Brooklyn. I was gonna put all 5 pics together to show you the expansiveness of the view. It goes from Way uptown all the way to downtown Brooklyn. But I messed up the spacing. I will do it right next time and show you the whole view. Just imagine this view with 4 more pics added for distance. For reference: The Empire State building is on 34th st, the left side of the pic is around 23rd st and the slanted top building on the far right is around 59th st.


And here is that same view at night, with a little motion added, cuz Im a geek and I love the way motion and light work in cameras. I have hundreds of these motion pics, and maybe I will start a site one day for them. Anyway, the highest point is the Empire State Building...

Thats all I got. More later...

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Don Caballero 2 (1995)



Though Don Caballero hate being called math-rock, it is their work which has become the definitive sound of the genre. I would even go so far as to say that all instrumental rock bands with off kilter time signatures and electric guitars sounds kind of like Don Cab. I'd even go a step further and say that no mathematically minded instrumental rock band has broken free of that comparison. So great was Don Cabs contribution to confusingly dense rock that it will be years yet before someone comes along and we can describe them without having to mention their forefathers in Pittsburgh.

So, I am sure some of you are saying, "Well, theres Hella". Yeah, theyre good. they sound like Don Cab. "Well, what about Pele?". Yeah theyre god too. Like Don Cab lite.
"Okay, Fine. What about the current crop of math rock bands, Piglet, Giraffes? Giraffes! and SWIMS? Huh?!". Oh, I love those bands. They have that Don Cab sound that I love! "Fuck man, well what about the Russian Circles, huh? They dont sound like Don Cab". True, but only when they are post-rocking it up. As soon as they land in a heavy riff with some choppy drumming, its back to Don Cab. Except none of those bands has Damon Che as a drummer. Ha!

Anyway. Heaps of praise on Don Cab. Damon Che is a certified octopus. He actually has eight arms and plays two drums sets at a time. Ian Williams, guitar (now in Battles), plays the guitar like its a piano, gettin all Thelonius up in this shit, throwing out block chords and the strangest progressions. Mike Banfield must also be commended, as an original member he is doubtless a big part of the Don Cab sound.

Don Cab 2 is where it all came together for them. They stretched out their compositions, adding more experimentation, specifically in the way Ian plays his guitar, which is mostly a finger tapping technique used in Metal guitar solos. None of the music is improvised and is all, in fact, completely arranged, which goes to show the tightness of the unit as a whole. That they could actually write out these hulking, angular pieces is testament to the influence of Math on Music. The bands humour is evident in song titles such as No One Gives a Hoot About Faux-Ass Nonsense, or my favorite, Rollerblade Success Story. This is a trend that they continued til the present.

Don Cab 2, What Burns Never Returns and American Don are all incredible classics. Even the most recent Don Cab, World Class Listening Problem, is a great listen. Damon Che is now the only member left, reforming Don Cab with members of Creta Bourzia, a band who was clearly influenced by the great Don Cab. Find all of their records on Touch and Go and look out for live shows. They wont be as incredile as the original line up, but you can still see Damon Che flailing like a coked-up cephalopod.

Six Organs of Admittance


Days of Blood (2006) * Live - No Tracklisting


Untitled CD-R (2004) * No Tracklisting


Manifestation (2004)


Nightly Trembling (2003)

Another wholly subjective moment on Zen and the Art. The visceral impact of the man known as Ben Chasney is immense. When he sings, his voice is life, weary, yet looking forward, unbeaten. When he plays his longer compositions, it is transcendence.

Six Organs makes music for the spheres, for the cosmos, for the afterlife. When you die, dont be suprised if the Manifestation is playing as you cross the River Styx.

You can find all of Chasneys older work on Holy Mountain Records, and you can find all of his current work on Drag City Records.

Sunny Day Real Estate


Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (1994)


Sunny Day Real Estate - LP2 (1995)

Sunny Day Real Estate, to me, is a moment in time. It is something to be cherished. I cant help but remember those years, from 94-96, when Sunny Day took me everywhere. It is impossible to separate even the idea of Sunny Day Real Estate from my own subjective time spent in the mid 90's.

So with that, I will not inundate you with subjectivity, nor will I attempt being more objective, for it just doesnt feel natural, to step back from something that remains so close to my heart.

I will let these two albums speak for themselves, as they were intended. Enjoy.

Fashionable Momo

My beautiful girlfriend Lara decided to jump on the blog wagon by starting a new blog called Fashionable Momo. (I have it linked in my Art Links on the right >>>)

Fashionable = because she is a fashion designer for the very stylish Peter Soronen.

Momo = because he is our little puppy, AKA. Dr Mo Zizz AKA Mo

So her blog is a place for her to post pictures from her work life, which is actually quite exciting. They just completed their first fashion show in NYC and are planning the next one for September. The dresses are very high end and Peter draws a high end clientele, including Hilary Swank and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Laras blog is also a place to document the cuteness of Mo...It is a never ending supply of cuteness and it makes my blackened heart sunny. Do I hear birds singing?
No, thats just a police siren. Oh well. So check it out, and spread the word of Lara and Peter to those you think might be interested. If you like what you see, tell her. She is very friendly and sweet.

For now, please enjoy Mo's first fashion shoot. He has since been on British TV as well. Little fucker aint even 1 year old and hes more successful than me. Damn. ^_~