Vikings & Beekeepers

Mclusky were doomed to break up early. Bands like this are impossible to sustain. After five years and three albums (My Pain And Sadness Is More Sad And Painful Than Yours, Do Dallas and The Difference Between Me And You Is That I’m Not On Fire), the Welsh trio imploded in early 2005. They just couldn’t sustain the pressure of being the world’s fiercest, meanest, nastiest band. Led by lead singer Andy Falkous, Mclusky spearheaded the resurgence of a musical genre I like to call Asshole Rock. That is, rock music - typically steeped in a strong punk tradition - that aims to be unpleasant and uninviting. Asshole Rock’s biggest icon would be Steve Albini, the man behind such mean-spirited and horrific bands as Big Black, Rapemen and Shellac. Albini manned the boards as engineer of Mclusky’s last two albums as well as classic albums by the Jesus Lizard and the Pixies, two of Mclusky’s biggest influences. (more…)

1. Ghostface Killah Fishscale

I know, oh, maybe three people who actually like hip hop. It’s a damn shame that the rest of you have to miss out just because of an irrational fear of “black people music.”

I love Supreme Clientele, but sometimes RZA’s hazy production gets tiresome. I much prefer the variety found here. Ghostface is in full flight as he spits with precision and emotion over some absolutely huge beats courtesy of Just Blaze, MF Doom and the late J Dilla, among others. The results are nothing short of astonishing. Potentially huge singles abound with monster bangers like “Shakey Dog,” “Kilo,” “The Champ,” Back Like That” and “Be Easy” (awesomely streaming after the jump!). All that without mentioning an essential Wu Tang reunion, a duet with a beyond the grave Biggie Smalls and an MF Doom produced track that recalls the best of Ghostface’s Supreme era Dadaist rap. This is the best rap album since The Blueprint, and honestly, if it weren’t for the unnecessary skits, it would be even better than The Blueprint. (more…)

I love the Replacements. Not the Keanu Reeves movie, but the band. The band from the 80’s that played drunkenly beautiful songs about getting drunk, drinking too much, resenting your friends, bad weed, needing a job, college radio, their favorite songwriters and why they feel the need to drink. Their’s a well-documented mystique about the band that I don’t necessarily feel like I need to get into (did I mention that they liked to drink?), but needless to say it is one worth finding out about for yourself. If this site could have one purpose, it would be to introduce music to people who normally wouldn’t care to discover new music. The Replacements aren’t a new discovery and tons of people are already mega superfans, but there are still some people left who have not been privy to such a great band. But where to start? What are the individual songs you need to get acquainted with? Don’t worry little man (or perhaps lady), Carson’s here to point out the 10 best songs written by the Replacements: (more…)

You know, I think I have really great musical taste. But it hasn’t always been so great. I used to swear allegiance to a lot of embarrassing things. Or were they embarrassing? Everyone dreads parts of their past, but is it all bad? Here is where I find out…

This week: Tooth & Nail Records

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