About Moosejuice

+Mark Boyd is an avid indie and underground music historian trying to bring attention to unknown and forgotten bands through The Sonic Abyss and Abysmal Radio. He also sings and plays music, is an independentSEO and Internet marketing consultant and enjoys time with his children :D

Melvins – Houdini

Melvins Houdini album art

   

   

   

 

 

 

 

1993 Atlantic Records

Every once in a while a band will hit a creative mother lode and put out two or three albums in a row that are basically interchangeable in all the good ways. Clutch’s one-two punch of “Blast Tyrant” and “Robot Hive/Exodus” is a great example…just put ’em in media player or on your iPod and just hit shuffle play.

Melvins have done it with this disc and it’s ludicrously cool follow-up “Stoner Witch.” For the uninitiated, be forewarned that Melvins are indeed a concept and universe all their own. They’re just as likely to hit you with 4 minutes of controlled feedback and a sloth-slow drumbeat as they are to blow your sorry woofers with a hard-hitting workout like “Honey Bucket.” An open mind and sense of humour are most definitely required in the weird wild world of Melvins.

Opener “Hooch” pretty much sets the table for this eclectic and heavy aural feast, bridging the gap between Black Sabbath and Kyuss without sounding derivative, and their cover of KISS’s classic “Goin’ Blind” is really quite excellent.

I dunno…they’re definitely a HEAVY band and deserve their notoriety as the godfathers of grunge. Still raw and crusty after all these years, Houdini was the first of a trifecta of albums that were the only Melvins releases on a major label. What’s really cool is that there was no compromise…the attitude and sound were quite intact on all three discs.

It’s hard to pick out specific individual songs as favorites on an album like this, as it’s best ingested as a whole. If I have to pic faves there would be the aforementioned “Honey Bucket,” “Night Goat,” “Sky Pup,” “Lizzy” and “Pearl Bomb.” Hell, I could name them all really because when I’m in that weird, late night, Adult Swim kinda mood, a good Melvins disc like this satisfies every time.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works

Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works album art

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007 Relapse Records

One of those bands I just didn’t get upon first hearing the seminal “Miss Machine” some years back.  However, the videos for “Milk Lizard” and “Black Bubblegum” drew me back for another whirl and once their sound sank in, it was positively addictive.

My favorite bands are those who carve their own distinct and unique sound.  Even if most extreme music sounds basically the same to you, Dillinger Escape Plan manages to sound like no one else and there’s probably no other band this side of Meshuggah with the ridiculously sick chops to pull this stuff off.

Seriously, even the sheer noise is totally deliberate and calculated…and superb vocalist Greg Puciato knows just when to intersperse melody with the noise.  Incredibly, the melodies he comes up with are more memorable and hummable than much of what passes for music on today’s radio.  His harsh vocals are abrasive and hair-raising while his melodic vocals are unbelievably strong from hard melody to croon.  The fact that a band stuck with the “math metal” tag could pull off a song like “Black Bubblegum” is just amazing to me.

It’s hard to label any one band as the MOST talented band out there, but it’s easy to say there’s probably none more talented than DEP.  Leadoff track “Fix Your Face” does exactly that…especially if you really don’t know what you’re getting into, while “Lurch” continues the brilliant cacophony leading strangely yet perfectly into the very melodic “Black Bubblegum” and it’s memorable chorus (I).

Elsewhere “Nong Eye Gong,” the brilliant “Milk Lizard,” “Dead as History” and “Horse Hunter” hit with such conviction and deliberate precision that one can only just shake one’s head in amazement.  I imagine it would be like witnessing an asteroid colliding with the earth and managing to survive and be able to stare into the crater.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Urge Overkill – Rock and Roll Submarine

Urge Overkill Rock and Roll Submarine

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011 OU Records

It’s been 15 years.

15 years since Exit the Dragon, a CD that I admittedly didn’t truly appreciate until a couple of years later, and by then the band was already sadly imploding from myriad issues (not the least of which was drummer Blackie Onassis’ drug problems).

The songwriting core of Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser somehow weathered the storm(s) and now here we are with a new  Urge Overkill CD called Rock and Roll Submarine.

Maybe I just don’t get the title, but it just seems more than a tad lame to me. Oh well, I’ll gladly live with it ‘cos this is one mutha of a return for our favorite Abysmal band from Chicago. The glorious opening chords of leadoff track “Mason Dixon” are the perfect introduction, as the band sounds revitalized and gloriously stoked on this lonnnnnng awaited follow up.

Though the video for “Sister Havana” was probably their high point (other than their cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon”), the corresponding album “Saturation” didn’t catapult them into the big league the way they and many others expected. One listen to the follow up album “Exit the Dragon” and it’s clear why. “…Dragon” was a more honest representation of who this band really is.

They’re equal parts rock, pop, alternative and garage, and “Saturation” just didn’t showcase their strengths overall. “Rock and Roll Submarine” is really the perfect disc to follow “Exit the Dragon,” no matter how long it has been. Eclectic in all the best ways, and garage enough to allow imperfections (like King Roeser’s fragile, sometimes slightly out of tune voice and some slightly off-tune harmonies) to shine proudly.

Really…Roeser and Nash Kato have two totally distinct voices and it’s with this album that I’ve grown to respect them as much as ANY other songwriting team out there. They have a style all their own, distinct and unique voices and they proudly pay homage to all their influences from rockers like “Mason Dixon” and the title track to cruisin’ guitar pop like the intelligent and infectious “Thought Balloon”

An album that reveals new hooks, harmonies and hidden treasures with almost every listen, “Rock and Roll Submarine” is a total triumph and a disc that effortlessly seduces repeated listens. There’s so much variety it’s almost amazing the disc sounds so cohesive. That’s what total commitment will do for ya:)

And damn if “Touch to a Cut” isn’t the closest we’ll probably EVER come to hearing a new Sisters of Mercy song. And I mean that with a ton of respect.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Abysmal Radio (6-22-11)

web development web design lancaster pennsylvaniaWelcome to this week’s Abysmal Radio, brought to you by friends at MIND Development and Design.   And that big, cool voice you hear dropping liners would be my good friend David “@wood” Atwood.
Enjoy the music and when you hear something you like, just click on the link next to the song to buy through Amazon.com.  Click on the band name to visit the band website.

I hope you discover your new favorite song:)

Cheers,
Moose

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S ABYSMAL RADIO

This week’s jam (in order of appearance):

The Four Horsemen – Nobody Said It Was Easy Click Here To Buy

The Glands – Straight Down Click Here To Buy

Swell – (I Know) The Trip Click Here To Buy

Urge Overkill – Effigy Click Here To Buy

Orbit – Medicine Click Here To Buy

Mystery Artist – Mystery Song,  brought to you by Dr. ChadRock. (If you want to discover the “mystery” along with us, don’t click on the Mystery Artist/Song links until you listen to the show) Click Here To Buy

Badlees – Drive Back Home Click Here To Buy

Morphine – Buena Click Here To Buy

Jeff Buckley – Eternal Life Grace

PJ Harvey – Good Fortune Stories From the City Stories From the Sea

Motorhead – Overnight Sensation Click Here To Buy

My 16-and-a -half year Crush on PJ Harvey

So…about a year-and-a-half ago I confessed to a 15-year crush on PJ Harvey.  It seemed like a good time for an update.  A check-up, if you will.

Yep.  16-and-a-half-years and still going.

I first became a fan with her first two discs, Dry and Rid of Me, totally diggin’ an eccentric beauty cranking the amps up to 11 with an art-punk attitude.  I gotta admit, though, that I wasn’t anywhere near ready for To Bring You My Love when it came out and it wasn’t until years later that I really appreciated it for the excellent disc it is.

It was 2000’s Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (an album I just LOVE), with its dreamy guitar sound that hooked me again and caused me to check out what I had missed over the past few years with PJ Harvey.   It was then that I really understood what a true artist she is.

Nothing sexier than a strong, independent woman…who just happens to be beautiful.  Enjoy Abysmally…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDBZZ3uvimE]

CLICK HERE TO BUY Stories From the City Stories From the Sea AND OTHER PJ HARVEY MUSIC THROUGH AMAZON.COM

OR CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea THROUGH AMAZON.COM

pj harvey stories from the city stories from the sea

Weekly Abysmal Video – 6/1/11

When my bro Zim told me about this, I absolutely had to check it out for myself. Now, I had heard about Austrian Death Machine before, but I never really paid attention.

Then Zim told me their songs were only about Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, including some hilarious Ah-nold impersonations. The band is the brainchild of As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis as a parody and tribute of Schwarzenegger’s movies.

Alrighty then…get to the choppa! And enjoy Abysmally…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPIO86jTrQQ&w=425&h=349]

CLICK HERE TO BUY AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE’S Total Brutal THROUGH AMAZON.COM

austrian death machine total brutal

The Sonic Abyss On the Road – Kirk Holder @ Serrano’s in Baton Rouge, LA (5/25/11)

A dear friend and a wonderful musician with a wonderful voice, I’ve been a fan of Kirk’s music for over 15 years now.  If you’re ever in the Baton Rouge or New Orleans area, look him up.  His originals are quite cool, catchy and thoughtful and his covers are full of welcome surprises.   Meet Kirk and check out his schedule at www.kirkholder.com.

In the meantime, enjoy this as-yet-unrecorded original (his CD “The Last Blond on Earth” is available on his website)…Abysmally, of course.

Thank you, Kirk for the years of wonderful music.  May there be many more…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOa53hJbzT4]

Abysmal Radio (5/18/11)

web development web design lancaster pennsylvaniaWelcome to this week’s Abysmal Radio, brought to you by friends at MIND Development and Design and featuring the voice of your conscienc, my good friend David “@wood” Atwood.
Enjoy the music and when you hear something you like, just click on the link next to the song to buy through Amazon.com.  Click on the band name to visit the band website.

I hope you discover your new favorite song or band!

Cheers,
Moose

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S ABYSMAL RADIO

Faith No More – We Care A Lot       Click here to buy

Spacehog – In the Meantime       Click here to buy

Gomez – How We Operate       Click here to buy

Alice Donut – War Pigs       Click here to buy

The Godfathers – Birth School Work Death       Click here to buy

Robert Plant – Kallalou Kallalou       Click here to buy

Urge Overkill – Somebody Else’s Body        Click here to buy

Dramarama – Last Cigarette       Click here to buy

Material Issue – Kim the Waitress       Click here to buy

Zaemon – Slammy     Click here to buy

Sloth – All We Know        Click here to buy

LIVE Review: Cage the Elephant 5/8/11 Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, MD

Cage the Elephant ticket stubHaving been a fan of this band ever since I first heard the stone cold classic “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” in 2009, it’s been quite cool to see them grow as a band.  I saw them last year at the Recher Theater in February and then again in October opening for Stone Temple Pilots in Pittsburgh.   Both shows were quite fun and I was very much looking forward to this show at Rams Head Live…especially since my heroes Clutch have some awesome live videos recorded there.

First of all, Rams Head Live is my new favorite live venue. Just a really cool, open, multilevel atmosphere that must be a blast for bands to perform in.  Especially a band like Cage the Elephant with such an in-your-face front man.  I really didn’t know what I was in for, though.   As much as I expected a good show, what I saw and heard was a band becoming true seasoned pros right before our eyes. The most obvious difference was guitarist Lincoln Parish’s stage presence. Not that he wasn’t just fine before, but man he’s lost whatever shred of shyness he may have had and was working the crowd along with the rest of the band.

Cage the Elephant Matt Schultz Brad Schultz Lincoln Parish Daniel Tichenor Jared ChampionAs a band, they’re just plain tight and full of life.   From opener “In One Ear” through the entire set, the performance was right on the nuggets and a lot of fun.   Matt Schultz was his usual ball of unbridled energy…moving, dancing, flailing, diving and singing his way through the night in constant motion.   The band, quite frankly, is becoming a finely tuned machine.   Drummer Jared Champion and bassist Daniel Tichenor are fast becoming one of my favorite rhythm sections with just the right combination of power and touch.   Then there’s guitarists Lincoln Parish and Brad Schultz…who are fast becoming one of my favorite guitar tandems.   The chemistry between them and their attention to detail with guitar tones is just incredible.

Cage the Elephant Rams Head Live May 8 2011They covered all the bases with their hits so far, playing “In One Ear,” “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” “Back Against the Wall,” and “Shake Me Down,” but what I love the most about seeing these guys live is that the fans aren’t just about the hits.   It felt like everyone knew every word to every song, creating a real sense of togetherness, and it just feels so good to scream “Cuz you’re a robot!” at the top of your lungs during the chorus of “Tiny Little Robots.”

To hear the crowd singing along to every word of “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and “Shake Me Down” in particular (and to feel that energy) was just incredible.

Cage the Elephant Rams Head Live May 8 2011The band may hate me for drawing this comparison, but the visual that comes to mind is the band practice on “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with everyone just dancing and playing and having a great time doing it…albeit with more attitude.   Dance like no one’s watching.  It just happens that those who are watching and listening are loving every minute of it.  I just don’t think there’s any band having more fun with music than Cage the Elephant.   And it shows.   If they come to your town or anywhere near, don’t miss them!

Ultimately the best thing about the show was that there were songs like “Judas” and “Back Stabbin’ Betty” that I would have just loved to hear but weren’t on the night’s set list.   Why is that good?   Because just two albums in, they have so many good songs that at the end of the night it just didn’t matter.

Abysmal Radio (5-11-11)

web development web design lancaster pennsylvaniaWelcome to this week’s Abysmal Radio, brought to you by friends at MIND Development and Design.   And that big, cool voice you hear dropping liners would be my good friend David “@wood” Atwood.
Enjoy the music and when you hear something you like, just click on the link next to the song to buy through Amazon.com.  Click on the band name to visit the band website.

I hope you discover your new favorite song…and a nice Mexican meal with Gene and Dean Ween:)

Cheers,
Moose

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S ABYSMAL RADIO

This week’s jam (in order of appearance):

Tribe After Tribe – Hold On     Click here to buy

Curve – Fait Accompli     Click here to buy

Zebra – Take Your Fingers From My Hair     Click here to buy

The Tea Party – Fire In The Head     Click here to buy

Bauhaus – Slice of Life     Click here to buy

Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy     Click here to buy 

Lindsay Rae Spurlock – You Have My Heart     Click here to buy

Barkmarket – Pencil     Click here to buy

Ween – Pollo Asado     Click here to buy

Mystery Artist – Mystery Song,  brought to you by Dr. ChadRock. (If you want to discover the “mystery” along with us, don’t click on the Mystery Artist/Song links until you listen to the show)     Click here to buy

Swell – At Long Last     Click here to buy, and while you’re at it check out drummer Sean Kirkpatrick’s cool paintings and art.