Chinese Restaurant

Chrisma were and Italian duo made up of Christina and her husband Maurizio (hence the name "Chrisma.") Their demo work caught the attention of a guy named Vangelis and his brother Nico who signed on to produce Chinese Restaurant, the group's stunning debut from 1977. You may have heard "Black Silk Stocking" or "Lola" from this album, they were the closest Chrisma ever came to any kind of hits. While that particular cut may be a memorably spicy dish, the whole deal is a delicious poo poo platter of darkaic proto synth pop. Essential if you go for that sort of thing.

Eat

Seven Doors

Melting people, a mysterious book, a gateway to hell, a blind ghost girl, spiders, zombies, and a happy ending. I don't know, sometimes I feel The Beyond is overrated (now you're mad,) but Fabio Frizzi's seedy soundtrack never seems so.

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Target

More obscure NWOBHM from a group of rockers calling themselves Target UK. As usual the band only released one single that failed to rocket them to superstardom. This little record that could was released in 1985, which seems a bit late for this type of party. "Alive and Kicking" the A side, gets the pub rocking, while the B side, "F.B.I." is a bit more serious. Nothing that will change your life but still worth the time.

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First Blood

Oh FUCK YEAH!!! DSJ and DJA are a couple of blood bros who are so devout in their absolute broliness they painstakingly assembled not one, but two, badass mixes of every get-you-pumped, 80s action montage, and keytar-coated mullet madrigal they could muster up. Put Blood Bros First Blood on and by the end you will be able to overcome any obstacle; the mafia, ninjas, Russians, terrorists, or even that no neck biker gang that sold your sister into white slavery. Go bust some heads, America.

WIN!!!

Electrip

Here, I want you to put this on your tongue. Good.

You'll be fine.

Delightful

Art Taylor was a highly respected and well liked drummer on the scene who had lead a couple of groups, mainly Taylor's Wailers and Taylor's Tenors in the fifties. In 1960 Blue Note put Art in the studio with Stanley Turrentine, Dave Burns, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Carlos Valdes. The band churned out top notch renditions of classics by Monk and Coltrane, a couple of Kenny Dorham pieces, a tune by Denzil Best, and one original from Taylor himself. The session was released shortly after bearing the title A.T.'s Delight. Throughout his career Art carried a tape recorder and conducted interviews with some of the most brilliant and legendary figures in Jazz. His subjects were often more candid (sometimes disturbingly so) and relaxed with Taylor than they would be with a white journalist or music critic. The best of these interviews were compiled into a fascinating book titled Notes and Tones. If you should stumble upon it and are remotely interested Jazz and it's pantheon of greats I recommend picking it up. In the mean time, enjoy A.T.'s Delight.

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Mantronix The Blog Post

I think it's time we all snort a fat rail of outmoded electro-funk hippity hop from DJ Kurtis and MC Tee working together under the moniker Mantronix. Mantronix didn't fuck with sampling or turntables, their dope was pure uncut synth, archaic drum machines and vocoders. Yes, it's dated and corny but ultimately a good fucking time. Loosen up.

Man Up

Blindspot

From 1988 until 1997 Assuck were one of the greatest Grindcore bands on earth. Every fucking bit as important as Napalm Death or Terrorizer. Not an opinion but a fact. Deal with it, buddy.

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Stormbringer

First off, this extremely rare demo has no cover so I arbitrarily chose a picture of Michael Moorcock's dour albino and the sword that ruled him, Stormbringer. Stormbringer, the band, hailed from the bullshit town of Karlshamn, a town best known for, well, nothing really. The band only released three demos in their short run, this one being the last. The material is doom influenced Swedish Heavy Metal but the ringer here is singer guy, Christian Nelson, who sounds like he has polished off a bit of Explorer in the studio. After the demise of Stormbringer the more tenacious members launched a new band called Faith, who were featured on this blog before. If you've come to love these Svenne Henne's teeth jewels of bygone Scandi-metal then I suggest you snatch this one up .

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Four Burials

Some of the most crippling doom acts of recent joined forces in 2008 for a four-way pout off called Four Burials. The funeral procession begins with Otesanek from Philadelphia. Their contribution, "Seven Are They," plods like a hulking, lumbering pachydoom, but unfortunately it gets a bit tiring. Loss follow up with a gorgeous track called "Death March Toward My Ruin." Loss is a band who have never let me down, this one is no exception, just devastating. Spain's Orthodox is another band whose body of work has captivated me. Their druggy hypnotic "Heritage" stretches over eighteen minutes of delicate Krautrock doom. The whole service comes to a despondent close with the Australian band Mournful Congregation and their song "Left Unspoken" a cavernous lament that towers and then sinks into drunken despair. Four Burials is a massive testimonial from some of the finest and most heartfelt doom bands of the last five years. So highly recommended it isn't even funny.

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The Decomposition of Violets

Christian Death recorded live in 1985 in Hollywood

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Black Force Domain

Savage, unrelenting terror is what Krisiun serves up on Black Force Domain, their debut album from 1995. Krisiun were formed by three brutal brothers named Alex, Moyses, and Max in 1990. Krisiun's brand of Death Metal is particularly violent. It almost never breathes, just keeps on pummeling with both muscle and precision, almost too much at times. Not for the wimps, gawkers, or casual hobbyists, this is pure sonic violence. Even Satan would be freaked out by this one.

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King of the Country Blues

The third Cosmic Hearse installment of blind Blues legends showcases one of the originators of sightless sound, Blind Lemon Jefferson. The Father of Texas Blues was born in 1893 to two Texas sharecroppers. Around 1917 Lemon moved to Dallas to perform and hang with his buddy Leadbelly. While in Dallas Jefferson met a young lad named Aaron Walker. He gave young Walker guitar lessons in exchange for the boy's services as a guide around the hectic streets of Dallas. Later Aaron would go on to legendary status as T-Bone Walker. Details around Jefferson's life are hazy at best. Some say he was a sweet soft-spoken gent, others would have you believe he was a drunken, whore-beating nightmare. What we do know is that he left an amazing body of work that displays some highly inventive playing, song writing, and vocalizing. You'd be blind crazy not to get this.

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R.I.P. Würzel

Thanks for the Rock

Vesicus

Hearse friend Z. Allen was gracious enough to send over a sonic oddity from his own band, Vesicus. With this astonishing release Vesicus have created some distant and evocative Black Metal that reminds me a lot of the work of The Black Twilight Circle. The band hails from the darkest recesses of occult Tennessee. This cassette is their only work so far. Hopefully there will be more.

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Aira Csum Atin Ama

Some stirring, throbbing sounds from mysterious Finnish ambient project Kaniba and their tape Aira Csum Atin Ama. This is kind of like the audial equivalent of travelling through a large dark cave and entering into a chamber of irridescent light. Kind of comforting at times, unnerving at others. Play in the dark.

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The Fool Is Silence

This crustified classic was Misery's second full length. Who Is The Fool... marries the primal chug of Amebix with the nuclear fury of Discharge. Misery were pioneers of the crust scene in Minneapolis, a city now internationally known for this kind of filthy political metallipunk. They had songs about war, cops, nuclear arms, war, and cops, and war. Who is the fool? The fool is silence.

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Torture Chain

Quality Black Metal from America. Torture Chain have released two unrelentingly cold tapes, the second being titled Across Great Landscapes to a Legacy of Blood. No idea where these guys are from, but I do know that this kills. Nothing here is very risky, but the riffs and atmosphere bring to mind some of the better Norse bands. Just well executed Black Metal, nothing more, nothing less.

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Back From Samoa

This album is like a perfect snapshot of my psyche at 14 years of age.

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Demian

This one was nicked from my bro Mike over at Blog The Jerk, it is too great of a 70's dirthead party record to not be passed around like a big smoldering jay of ratweed. Todd and Rod, a couple of bong buddies from San Antonio, might be remembered for their weird work in Bubble Puppy, but after the band's demise they became Demian. Some seeds and stems may fill out an otherwise solid bag, but there's enough buds in this record to get you through. Even the songs that don't necessarily "rock" are still excellently crafted and well played. A great summertime in the park album, take off your shoes.

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Sugar Time

Never mind that Brian Eno claims it is one of his favorite albums, that it had a huge influence on modern electronic music, that it is wideley regarded as one of the most important albums to come out of the fertile Krautrock scene. Cluster's 1974 album Zuckerzeit is just a great record to put on when you are loafing at home, playing chess, or pretending you are the protagonist of a future dystopian action film made in the '70s.

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Tractor

Tractor were one of the more polished power pop-leaning NWOBHM bands. No real info on these lads on the ol' interhole. The A side, "Average Man's Hero" is decent (if not a bit AOR) track, while the B side "Big Big Boys" is a weird early '70s throwback boogie rocker that almost sounds like an entirely different band. This record wasn't enough to catapult Tractor into the big leagues, but it is enough to entertain you for ten minutes. I like it.

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The All Seeing Eye

By the time Wayne Shorter recorded The All Seeing Eye, his 6th session for Blue Note, he had softened his tone and relaxed into a sort of Coltrane style mysticism in his playing and his demeanor. Always considered an innovative arranger and an all around strange guy, Shorter's The All Seeing Eye is a massive and challenging work that threatened to push Jazz beyond the usual forms and figures. Of course and undertaking of his magnitude required a top notch band, Shorter looked to Freddie Hubbard, Grachan Moncur III, James Spaulding, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Joe Chambers, as well as Wayne's weird brother, Al. In interviews Wayne would explain the linear narrative of the album starting with the god ("The All Seeing Eye"), creation ("Genesis"), ensuing war and discord ("Chaos"), god's reflection on his creation ("Face of the Deep"), and the triumph of evil ("Mephistopheles"). The better Jazz albums from his period had real trajectory in the sequencing of the tracks, The All Seeing Eye perfectly displays the care and thought put into recording a band playing an album rather than a cobbled together collection of pieces. Shorter is still considered one the greatest composers and arrangers that the Jazz world ever knew, and while all of his work reflects this rare genius, this record is extraordinary even for Shorter.

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