The Unblinking Ear Podcast: What To Do

I suspect most of you listen to this podcast giving your full undivided attention, likely staring at a blank wall in your unclean, under furnished apartment.

However, if you'd like to do something to occupy yourself while hearing the podcast, listener (NAME REDACTED) has some suggestions for you. All of these will be fine until your boyfriend comes home and he'll want to watch wrestling. You might be able to persuade to keep it on mute though, as whatever I happen to be playing on any given edition of this podcast is surely more tolerable than having to hear Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.

Incidentally, there's no truth to the rumor that the Unblinking Ear Podcast syncs up perfectly to Golden Girls ala Darkside of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz.

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: The Looming Apocalypse

Here's the first Unblinking Ear Podcast of 2012. Enjoy it while you can and as much you can since, according to the Mayans (who play such an important role in our culture), the clock is ticking.

What do we have for you before impending doom takes us all? A couple of songs from recent releases, a few cuts from 2011 records which were brought to my attention via the "best of" lists of others but are still relatively "new" and a handful of older tunes that I thought would be a good idea to play for whatever reason.

So it's pretty much the usual. But when the streets are running red with blood, you're going to miss the mundanity of normal life. Cherish it now, friends, Cherish it now.

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Plausibly the Best of 2011 (in list form)

I've already done a Best of 2011 podcast, but I know some of you have severe OCD and need to have things in list form. Plus, there's pictures of the albums and accompanying text, which is excellent for providing momentary distraction at the office.

Entries are listed (more or less) alphabetically as that's how I felt most comfortable "ranking" them. All are worth your time.

The Top Ten(ish)

Bass Drum of Death GB City (Inflated/Fat Possum)

I was fairly appalled at the critical drubbing that greeted the debut album from this Oxford, MS duo. It's probably due to music critics declaring a referendum that "lo-fi" is over. An unknown band with a silly name on the same label as Wavves? Bass Drum of Death was the perfect target for the inevitable backlash. In any case, the reason certainly couldn't be the music, which is as mighty a blast of primal RnR as released by anyone this year.

Carolee EP1 (12XU)

The music of Carolee has been a secret among a few privileged New Jersey college and freeform radio DJs (and me) for a few years now. Thanks to the folks at 12XU, the public at large now has access to her ethereal noise pop. Don't be a fool and waste your opportunity to hear it.

High Tension Wires Welcome New Machine (Dirtnap)

Bad Sports Kings of the Weekend (Dirtnap)

I don't know if it's the influence of the defunct Marked Men or something else, but in 2011 Denton, Texas (population 113K) was the punk rock capital of the world. These two albums (the bands feature overlapping members) would be evidence enough but Denton brought us enough great punk in the past year to reach any town's quota for a decade. See also: OBN IIIs The One and Only (Tic Tac Totally), Video Leather Leather (Play Pinball!), Wiccans Skullduggery (Katorga Works), Mind Spiders Mind Spiders (Dirtnap)

Kitchen's Floor Look Forward to Nothing (Siltbreeze)

Yes, we're all thrilled that Siltbreeze is back but if you mourned Xpressway as well, the second album from Brisbane's Kitchen's Floor has a beauty/ugliness ratio that should fill that particular hole in your soul.

Mannequin Men Mannequin Men (Addenda)

Though they had some outstanding moments on their previous albums ("Pigpen" from 2007's Fresh Rot was among the best songs of the past decade), Chicago's Mannequin Men really bring it on their self-titled third album, easily their best and most consistent to date. One minor quibble: the version of "Hobby Girl" released on a HoZac Hookup Klub 7" earlier in the year is superior to the one here. However, buying HoZac's inevitable compilation of those singles is probably essential purchase regardless, so no foul.

Milk Music Beyond Living EP (Perennial)

Technically a late 2010 release, though it wasn't widely distributed until early 2011 when it was rereleased by Perennial, Milk Music's vinyl debut is a half dozen songs of extremely impressive melancholic pre-mersh grunge. These guys have little to no web presence, so I'm going to have to rely on the kindness of friends to alert me when their full length drops this year.

Rational Animals Bock Rock Parade (Katorga Works)

HC-derived sludge that's akin to post-Damaged Black Flag but much more consistent that any BF's albums from that period. Shades of Halo of Flies and Flipper in there as well. These are all good reference points, in case you were wondering. Like all Katorga Works releases, it's available as a free and legal download, so you've got no excuse.

Slug Guts Howlin' Gang (Sacred Bones)

Have you ever thought "I'd like to listen to some Goth but I hate makeup, fey poetry, contrived transgression, English people and the mall?" Fella, have I got a record for you.

Thee Oh Sees Carrion Crawler/The Dream (In The Red)

Originally intended as a pair of EPs (hence the bifurcated title), this is the second of two full-lengths released by Thee Oh Sees in 2011. With a band this prolific, new listeners may be a bit standoffish, not knowing where to begin in a vast discography that may have some quality control issues. Rest assured, Carrion Crawler/The Dream is as fine a record as Thee Oh Sees have made. Here is as good a place to start as any.

Wild Flag Wild Flag (Merge)

A nice bookend to the Bass Drum of Death entry that began this list, Wild Flag's debut is probably the only record in my top ten that was also a critical consensus pick for the best of the year. Many music critics are amateur sociologists and Wild Flag's mere existence gave them a lot of fodder. Feminist perspective or 90s indie rock nostalgia would each alone be enough for the basis of a feature. But even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then and Wild Flag more than earned the music press hosannahs showered upon them.


Honorable mentions:
Barreracudas Nocturnal Missions (Douchemaster)
Causal Victim Pile II compilation (12XU)
Cruddy Negative World (12XU)
Fucked Up David Comes to Life (Matador)
Kim Phuc Copsucker (Iron Lung)
Kurt Vile Smoke Ring for My Halo (Matador)
Nothing People Smells Like Metal (Captcha)
Obits Moody, Standard and Poor (Sub Pop)
The People's Temple Sons of Stone (HoZac)
Psandwich Nothren Psych (Columbus Discount)
Reigning Sound Abdication... For Your Love (Scion A/V)
Royal Headache Royal Headache (R.I.P. Society)
Times New Viking Dancer Equired (Merge)
Ty Segall Goodbye Bread (Drag City)
Wax Idols No Future (HoZac)


Singles, EPs, etc.:
Apache Dropout "Shot Down" 7" (Trouble in Mind)
Beach Fossils What a Pleasure EP (Captured Tracks)
Boomgates "Laymen's Terms" 7" (Smart Guy)
Fresh and Onlys Secret Walls EP (Sacred Bones)
Gun Outfit High Places EP (Make a Mess)
Mantles "Raspberry Thighs" 7" (SDZ)
Ma'am songs streaming on maamtheband.com
Naked on the Vague "Abstract Figures" 7" (R.I.P. Society)
Purling Hiss Lounge Lizards EP (Mexican Summer)
Whines "Shootinhead" 7" (Mt St Mtn)

The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Plausibly the Best of 2011

The year is nearly over. But before we put 2011 in our rearview, let's take a moment (or roughly 47 and a half minutes) to reflect on the year that was.

Below are selections from what I consider the best records of 2011. For those of you with obsessive compulsive disorder, don't fret. I'll be putting them in list form in the near future, along with many "honorable mentions."

I welcome all agreements/disagreements, Either post them in comments section or tweet them at me. But before you work yourself into a frothy rage over my selections, do try and remember that these things are subjective.

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Not Necessarily the Best of 2011

It seems like every year, many major companies publish their best of the year list weeks before the year ends. (See example above.)

We here at the Unblinking Ear prefer to be patient with such things. Also we like to procrastinate.

The next edition of the podcast will likely feature what we've deemed to be the best music of 2011. The podcast below, however, might contain some of it as well. Which ones in particular? You're just going to have to wait to find out.

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Business As Usual

Greetings loyal podcast listeners and accidental search engine stumblers!

We hope you enjoyed our previous podcast featuring nothing but new music. It generated so much buzz around the Twitterverse, you'd think we were Brodus Clay or something.

Alas, playing only music from new releases was a bit of anomaly. Instead, we've got our usual mix of new music, old music and new releases of old music. But I swear, it's good stuff, not a bunch of leftovers like so much congealed post-Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.

And even if you don't think this current podcast is especially superior to the one prior, you can't deny that it's a minute longer. Enjoy!

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Zeitgeist, Baby

Here at Unblinking Ear HQ, we've noticed over the last couple of months a large amount of music press/internet babble devoted to deluxe reissues of albums that came out 20 years ago*. There's nothing wrong with that as we here at Unblinking Ear celebrate rock history as well and have also been known to have something of a 90s fetish.

However, what use is nostalgia when it overshadows the vital work happening in the here and now? There has been such a deluge of terrific new releases over the past few weeks and months that we've been struggling to keep up. In fact, the amount of fine new records has been so great that we've decided to eschew the past temporarily and devote this edition of the podcast entirely to brand new music. With so much, so good coming out recently, it was actually rather easy to acompliish.

The next podcast will surely feature some fine music recorded many years prior mixed with equally fine music of the present. But for now... dig the now.

*Incidentally, the actual best album of 1991 was Eleventh Dream Day's Lived To Tell.

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Going Live

It seems as though live podcasting all the rage of late. Marc Maron, Julie Klausner and Paul F Tompkins among others have recently hosted live versions of the podcasts to great acclaim and have netted millions of internet dollars in the process.

In my ongoing effort to prove that I can imitate successful people, I'll be doing the same. This Saturday, I'll be hosting the first ever Unblinking Ear Podcast LIVE at the Diamond in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

It will be much like my usual podcast, only instead of it being 45 minutes or so, it will run, I don't know, four to six hours. Other bonuses include:

• The songs I select will be played through a full sound system rather than your tiny computer speakers.
• Listening to said songs while drinking alcohol in the company of other living humans rather than alone in your dirty apartment, staring into the middle distance.
• The possibility of having a conversation with ME! (If you can get past my entourage.)

Another difference is that I won't be talking in between set over looped RZA beats to back announce the songs. The good folks at the Diamond are fans of my podcast but when they play it in the bar, they find the talking distracting.

What's that you say? That this is just a DJ gig and I'm trying to pass it off as something more grandiose and exciting?

You've got a lot of nerve, hypothetical person.

DJ Paul Bruno presents
The Unblinking Ear Podcast LIVE!
Saturday, November 5th
@ The Diamond
43 Franklin St
(between Quay St & Calyer St)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
10 pm
FREE!

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Last Year in the Demo

(My near future.)

I celebrated my 34th birthday last week. Thus, it's my last year in the coveted 18 to 34 target demographic. This means that at this time next year this podcast will become totally irrelevant. It will more closely resemble on CBS procedural crime drama than a place to hear exciting new music. Better listen while you can!

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: More Songs About Bowling and Prozac

Back to our regularly scheduled programing. After our biannual "punkquinox" edition of the podcast, it's been a whole month since we've rolled out a "normal" podcast. Thus, we've had a lot of new music to catch up on, and there's a whole bunch of it on this podcast. Hear it and know what the kids* are listening to.

*The kids are apparently much more likely to (still) be listening to Alien Ant Farm.

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Autumnal Punkquinox 2011

The equinox arrives in just a few days, which means it’s time for one of our special all vintage punk rock editions of the Unblinking Ear Podcast.

I know that even at this late date, some of you still have trouble wrapping your head around the whole punk thing. Hopefully, this report from 20/20 news magazine below help you get a handle on it. No word on if Hugh Downs sold the Lewd and Rude Kids records featured to supplement his social security income. (Via WFMU and Dangerous Minds.)

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The Unblinking Ear Podcast: Avenue Obstructed

Earlier today, WFMU's Evan "Funk" Davies (pictured left) commented on the post for my previous podcast that the download link was broken.

I don't know exactly how this went unnoticed for two weeks (a fortnight!) by myself or my loyal listeners. It couldn't be that this podcast doesn't inspire the unmitigated devotion I assume it does, right?

Nah.

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