Pleasure Forever - S/T + Alter

(Request)

From the Sub Pop website:

"Pleasure Forever the musical embodiment of that orgone enigma of human will and desire. Compromised of the deceptively simple instrumentation of piano, guitar and drums, Pleasure Forever fuses the utopian ecstasy of `60s psychedelic pop with the sinister undercurrents of `70s hedonist claustrophobia. The resulting album is a surreal vision of humanity, both ancient and contemporary, that embraces collapse as much as it yearns toward infinity."

I'd say that sums them up quite well. Pleasure Forever formed after the demise of the legendary art-punk band, The VSS. Initially they called themselves Slaves, but people got the wrong idea so the band decided a name change was in order. They combine the best aspects of psychedelic rock with cabaret inspired piano, resulting in dark, sleazy, and flat out cool songs that wouldn't sound out of place at a brothel in hell. I highly recommend this band. I'm still kicking myself for not getting a chance to check them out live before they broke up.

- Steve

Download S/T

Download Alter

World's End Girlfriend - Sky Short Story

EP released back in 2000. A very good variety of sounds here. Doesn't necessarily carry the raw emotion of all his other releases, but is no doubt as beautificent and entertaining. More drumwork, less strings, and an overall infantile theme. This is electronic music even a baby would enjoy.

- Dan

Download Sky Short Story

World's End Girlfriend - Farewell Kingdom

Released in 2001, Farewell Kingdom carries some of World's End Girlfriend's most beautiful moments. Being more minimalist than his recent releases, this isn't for listeners wanting instant gratification. This is for the patient listener who heeds on every note, and let it be said that each individual note deserves recognition on this album. My apologies for having to use sendspace for this album. Just make sure you dedicate a good 30 mins for download time.

- Dan

Download Farewell Kingdom

V.A. - Love, Peace, & Poetry: Brazilian Psychedelic Music

A few months back I posted a really cool Japanese psyche comp from this same series. With the complete lack of anything new worth posting as of late, I figured I would upload this. I'm glad that I came across this record, because other than Os Mutantes I didn't think that Brazil had any sort of psychedelic rock scene in the 60's. I suppose it's understandable, considering that most of these artists recorded under General Humberto Castelo's dictatorship. Music doesn't get any more underground than this. You'd be hard pressed to find music that is more original or groundbreaking as well. Most of the artists seamlessly fuse tropicalia with fuzzed out guitars to create music that is unlike anything you've ever heard.

- Steve

Download Love, Peace, & Poetry: Brazilian Psychedelic Music

Clockcleaner - Babylon Rules

(LINK FIXED 11/7/07)

Babylon Rules is ugly. Really ugly. In fact, if I were to attempt to equate Clockcleaner's latest album (and first for the Load label) with something, it would probably be a violent naked homeless man with cataracts breaking glass bottles over his head. This ugly and often confrontational style of music that Clockcleaner plays is really what makes them such a great band. At first they may come off as unpolished punk rockers with a love of Big Black and Flipper. With repeated listens, this record begins to reveal itself as extremely intelligent, focused music with a relentless rhythm section and a singer with a vocal style that can only be described as unsettling.

- Steve

Download Babylon Rules

Elders of Zion - Dawn Refuses to Rise

"The Elders of Zion are a hard-drive based cut and paste quartet split between Seattle and San Francisco. Mixing equal parts hip-hop, dub, drone rock, and noise, the Elders' debut recording, Dawn Refuses to Rise, seamlessly fuses progressive politics with a beautifully consistent exploration of genres. Moving from the French dance floor cut-up of 'Disco Communiste' (featuring dialogue sampled from Jean-Luc Godard's legendary 1967 New Wave classic, La Chinoise) to the punk reggae of 'Hymn For a New October War,' (built around a recording of a Russian cantor begging for forgiveness,) the Elders typify the new artistic sensibilities of post-Cold War hipsters piecing together the political detritus of globalization."

I bought this album about 4 years ago after hearing an mp3 of the first track. Some great samples on this album taken from field recordings, protests, and various political demonstrations. The intensity of "#1 in Gaza This Week", and the badass samples in "What's Your Badge Number?" makes this a highly recommended download.

- Dan

"We know that the best noisemakers are not necessarily the best peacemakers."

Download Dawn Refuses to Rise

Boris - Heavy Rocks

It's official. Steve and I have tickets to go see Boris @ Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio two weeks from today, and to celebrate, I've uploaded they're 2002 release. It's equally as impressive as their 2006 release Pink, and is a must listen. Heavy as fuck, with riffs that single-handedly give me blue balls.

- Dan

Download Heavy Rocks

Ruins - Stonehenge

As far as I know, this 1990 release from Ruins is the oldest that can be found on the internet, and this is actually the 1999 rerelease of the album which includes 7 additional tracks recorded in 1988, which all rule. Quite a few tracks found on their singles compilation are taken from this very album. This is my favorite release of theirs that I've heard, although I would kill to hear more of their tracks from their earliest EPs. Progressive, aggressive, and unusually catchy.

- Dan

Download Stonehenge

Ruins - Tzomborgha

I was able to purchase this 2002 release, as well as the singles compilation, from Tatsuya Yoshida himself before his show in Detroit a few years back. It's quite different from older Ruins' material, at least from a distortional standpoint, but maintains the usual stop-and-go complexity heard on every release. This may not be the best Ruins album to begin with for first time listeners, but this is indeed some of the bands best work. "Wanzhenvergg", "Gurthemvhail", and "Chittam Irangaayo" continuously blow my tits off every listen. Crank it up as loud as possible.

- Dan

Download Tzomborgha

Dan Deacon - Spiderman Of The Rings

Baltimore based musician Dan Deacon has really established himself as a figurehead for the latest wave of electronic music. Each song is meticulously slaved over and tweaked to perfection, with the tiniest of details becoming prevalent to the listener only after repeated listens. The thing that I really like about this album is upbeat, and genuinely fun tone from start to finish. It's nice to see someone with a ridiculous amount of talent who doesn't take himself too seriously. I would recommend this to just about anyone. Start by listening to the song "Wham City", and you'll be instantly hooked.

- Steve

Download Spiderman Of The Rings

Boredoms - Boretronix 2 (1989)

Old and rare cassette tape released in '89. If you like Pop Tatari, you're likely to enjoy this as well if you can get past the poor quality. Lots of splicing as well. Side A has some incredibly catchy moments (specifically around 14 minutes in).

- Dan

Download Boretronix 2

Boredoms - Super Ae (1998)

This album is pretty much super everything. "Super Are You" is a great track.

- Dan

Download Super Ae

Boredoms - Ichi the Killer OST (2001)

Ichi the Killer soundtrack by "Karera Musication", which is pretty much Boredoms minus Yamantaka Eye, but you would never know by just listening to it. I'm actually quite attached to this record for some reason. If you've never seen the movie; see it, love it, and the album will grow on you immediately. Track eight is pretty fucking cool. The zip file and tracks are technically tagged incorrectly so my apologies to the completeists and fellow last.fmers. Here's the correct tracklist.

Karera Musication - Koroshiya 1

01 1 (01:00)
02 Babe¨Baab (03:28)
03 Alphabetical #1 (02:45)
04 Whity White (01:58)
05 Drops (02:14)
06 Yoku (01:22)
07 Totem Cheer (00:37)
08 Mind Chaser (02:23)
09 Planet of the Birds (02:20)
10 Space on Space (07:30)
11 Liquid & Steam (00:37)
12 Morning (02:42)
13 Aplhabetical #2 (02:44)
14 Opera (01:23)
15 0 (05:01)

- Dan

Download Ichi the Killer OST

Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun (2001)

Make sure to take a good long look at the cover of this album while downloading because every time you listen to this album the cover becomes more and more fitting. This is more than an album, this is a religious experience.

- Dan

Download Vision Creation Newsun

Boredoms - Pop Tatari (1992)

Arguably the most original record that will ever touch your ears, this is the album that completely changed my perception of the capabilities of both sound and music. It's impossible to describe this record accurately without sounding like a complete idiot, so just download it. "Which Dooyoo Like?" is one of my favorite singalong/stoned songs ever made. Gemenegemenegibblegegemeneeeeeeeeee Gemeneeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaayyyy.

- Dan

Download Pop Tatari

Boris and Doomriders - Long Hair And Tights

Long Hair And Tights is a split live double LP limited to a measly 1000 copies. If you haven't already heard Boris, do yourself a favor and pick up Pink so that you can have your mind completely blown. Whether they're kicking out intense rock songs in the vein of Motorhead, or just blowing out your eardrums with droning doom metal, this band can do no wrong. Doomriders is a side project of Nate Newton, who also plays in Converge and Old Man Gloom. They play a blend of loose, throwback metal and sound like they drink a ton of cheap beer and punch people in the face while listening to Thin Lizzy records. Unless you feel like dropping a ridiculous amount of money on ebay to get this record, I suggest you download it from here.

- Steve

Download Long Hair And Tights

His Name Is Alive - XMMER

(LINK REMOVED 9/15/07)

Believe it or not, music comes out of Detroit that can't be lumped into the garage rock or electronic music genres. His Name Is Alive is the long running musical outlet of Livonia native Warren Defever. To call HNIA eclectic would be a vast understatement. Warren really has a wide variety of musical interests, and often does his best to fit every single one of them into his recordings. His Name Is Alive does not give a fuck about genres and trends, which is a big breath of fresh air. This album seems to be a bit more on the poppy side, mostly mixing fuzzed out guitars with ethereal female vocals. I'd say that XMMER is the band's best work in well over a decade, and an essential download.

- Steve

Daniel Nemoski - Hammer, Anvil, & Stirrup EP

After getting this blog up and running, I promised myself that I would never upload my own work, but I've discovered it's pretty hard to resist. Over the last six months or so I've been taking a break from my usual musical endeavor, and have been taking a more meditative approach, attempting to create various aural and atmospherical experiences for myself. When creating music, there is always the chance that there isn't another soul on the earth who hears it from the same listening perspective, but it's thoughts like that that keep the music truly personal. If you're a fan of any ambient or minimalist artist, you may enjoy this, or at least appreciate it, either way, it's good to know that some of you will give this a listen. And, of course, positive or negative feedback is appreciated. I also created a myspace for those interested.

- Dan

Download Hammer, Anvil, & Stirrup EP

Silver Apples - The Garden

(Link Fixed 11/05/2007)

I was lucky enough to catch the Silver Apples show last night in Detroit, and although Simeon is the only remaining member of the former duo, he is equally creative today as he was in the late 1960s. At one point during his set, he tuned into random local radio stations and incorporated beats into the broadcasts. The only disappointing aspect of the new live show is the lack of drums. In order to tour solo, Simeon has reworked all the old recordings, replacing the live drums with a techno beat, making it feel more like a rave. There was also some top-notch merch. I was able to pick up their out-of-print 1996 Fractal Flow/Lovefingers 7'', and the album I'm posting. The Garden is a collection of 7 tracks recorded in 1969 for their third album that would ultimately be botched by Whirlybird Records, and 7 tracks recorded by drummer Danny Taylor in 1968 with additional electronic "noodles" added by Simeon in 1998. The final product, officially released in 1998, is some of the bands greatest work, and is virtually impossible to come across on the internet. The 7 tracks recorded in 1969, including a pretty sweet cover of "Mustang Sally", makes this an essential download.

- Dan

Tracklisting:
1. I Don't Care What The People Say (3:08)
2. Tabouli Noodle (4:18)
3. Walkin' (4:07)
4. Cannonball Noodle (5:29)
5. John Hardy (2:22)
6. Cockroach Noodle (2:24)
7. The Owl (3:23)
8. Swamp Noodle (2:58)
9. Mustang Sally (3:15)
10. Anasazi Noodle (3:20)
11. Again (2:58)
12. Starlight Noodle (4:39)
13. Mad Man Blues (3:13)
14. Fire Ant Noodle (3:43)

Download The Garden

Scott Walker - And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball? + The Drift

LINK FIXED 9/28/07

I'll start things off by letting you all know one thing; these records are not for everyone. Scott Walker is a former 60's crooner with a handful of teen idol pop hits under his belt. After recording one album in the 80's Walker seemed to drop off the face of the earth until a decade later when he released Tilt. This album ushered in a new era in Walker's career. Walker's music has now lost all of its beauty and pop sensibilities, replaced by the coldest and bleakest sounds you will ever hear. This new sound came to a head with The Drift released just a few years ago. It is single handedly the most frightening album ever recorded, bar none. I still squirm every time I hear "Jolson and Jones" when halfway through Walker belts out the lyrics "sunny boy/such a sunny boy" over what sounds like a donkey being fucked by a chainsaw. And Who Shall Go To The Ball... takes a different, much more subtle approach to creeping out the listener, slowly building tension like the soundtrack to a horror movie. So, if you're up for a challenging but more often than not rewarding listen, check these albums out.

- Steve

Download And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?

Download The Drift

PJ Harvey - White Chalk

On October 2nd, PJ Harvey will release her first record that I've cared about since I first heard Rid of Me several years ago. PJ Harvey can flat out SING, and while none of the songs found on White Chalk are toe tapping pop singles, her abilities as a songwriter are second to none.

- Steve

Download White Chalk

T-Model Ford - Pee Wee Get Your Gun

T-Model Ford didn't learn how to play the guitar until he was 58, and didn't make his first recording (this album) until 1997, when he was 76. Born, raised, and currently living in the Mississippi Delta, this is energetic blues with some credibility. It's pretty much lo-fi The Black Keys, except Ford actually IS a black man in his 70s.

- Dan

1. Cut You Loose
2. T-Model Theme Song
3. Been A Long Time
4. Turkey And The Rabbit
5. Can't Be Touched
6. Nobody Gets Me Down
7. I'm Insane
8. Where You Been
9. Feels So Bad
10. Sugar Farm
11. Let Me in

Download Pee Wee Get Your Gun

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - My Bloody Underground (Rough Mix)

Good to see that there are a few musicians who understand that bloggers and others who share albums aren't out to destroy the world of independent music. Anton Newcomb was kind enough to share this rough mix of the latest BJM offering, as well as the rest of the BJM discography including rare releases and live sets on the band's website. This is a great record, but don't expect the boisterous rock n' roll found on earlier BJM albums. Instead, these are some wonderful subdued psychedelic rock tunes with a strong political message. Not to mention, some of the best song titles ever, including but not limited to "Kicking Jesus" and "Automatic Faggot For The People"

- Steve

Download My Bloody Underground

A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers

Shoegaze of the late 80s and early 90s is back with a vengeance. A Place to Bury Strangers are the self-proclaimed loudest band in New York, and I doubt there is anyone out there who would dispute their claim. The band's frontman custom builds his own "Supersonic Fuzz Gun", "Interstellar Overdriver", and "Total Sonic Annihilation" pedals which are used by bands such as Lightning Bolt, Wilco, and TV on the Radio. What makes the band so great is that they aren't loud for the sake of being loud. Underneath the layers of reverberated sound is some incredibly catchy tunes. Their self-titled debut is one of the best, if not THE best release of 2007, and an essential addition to my record collection.

- Dan

Download A Place to Bury Strangers

Black Dice - Load Blown

Load Blown is Black Dice's fourth full length album, their debut on the Animal Collective owned label Paw Tracks, and easily the band's best material since releasing Beaches & Canyons back in 2002. This record seems to straddle the line between an attempt at a noise rock/dance music hybrid and strange, hypnotic, electronic meditation. Highly recommended for fans of drugs and/or avant-garde music.

- Steve

Download Load Blown