Ray Manzarek best known as a musician in The Doors passed away on May 20th, 2013 due to complications with cancer at the age of 74. Ray played keyboards in The Doors and was also a founding member of the group. The Doors never had a bass player with the exception of some tracks on their studio albums, when playing live Ray would cover the bass and keyboard parts at the same time playing bass parts on a Fender Rhoades Piano as well as providing occasional back up vocals. Ray met Jim Morrison at UCLA Film school and then met up with him later on after graduating in a chance encounter at Venice Beach in California. The two decided to form a band after Manzarek heard Morrison’s lyrics to what was to become “Moonlight Drive”. They later recruited guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore to form The Doors. Some of the bands early influences were very Garage Rock influenced most notably citing Van Morrison’s Them as an influence. The bands sound featured many characteristics of the Garage Rock genre from the 60s along with many elements of Psychedelic music. The Doors went on to release six full length albums before Jim Morrison’s death which was in 1971. The band continued as a trio before splitting up in 1973.
In addition to being a musician in The Doors, Ray played in another group called Nite City releasing two albums one in 1977, another in 1978. Ray was also a music producer, he produced the LA Punk band X’s first album entitled Los Angeles, he was also an author, film maker and solo artist. The Doors influence would become massive even inspiring The Stooges in their early days, they were initially known as The Psychedelic Stooges. Along with Jim Morrison and the other members of this band, The Doors would go on to become a highly influential and iconic band in Rock and Roll music history.
The following video is from a performance on The Smothers Brothers Show from 1968.
This Week's Play List:
1. The Orbits – My Rosa Lee
2. The Rumblers – Surf Rat
3. The New Dimensions – Bongo Shutdown
4. This Machine Kills Robots – The Seaward
5. The Driving Beats – Beach Girls
6. The Gories – On The Run
7. The Band – Helpless
8. Kurt Vile – Snowflakes Are Dancing
9. Big Surf – Stoker
10. Link Wray – Green Hornet
11. The Doors – Wild Child
12. Iggy & The Stooges – Job
13. The Obits – The City Is Dead
14. Decades – Tonight Again
15. Pluto – Thirsty
16. Active Dog – Rat Race
17. Bureaucrats – Feel The Pain
18. The Exploding Hearts – Modern Kicks
19. Thee Oh Sees – Devil Again
20. Mystics – Get Away (Demo)
21 Young Rival - T-Shirt And Shorts
22. Sex Pistols – Holidays In The Sun
23. The Clash – Overpowered By Funk
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 21. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
Wavves started as a recording project by Nathan Williams in 2008. The band put out some early recordings and two full length albums (Wavves in 2008 and Wavvves in 2009) on Fat Possum Records, the band then gained recognition. In 2010, they released their third full length album, a well received album by critics in which the band brought in more of a 90s Rock influence, serving as a different sound album sonically than their first two full length albums which leaned to the Lo-Fi scuzzy realm of production. With 2013’s Afraid of Heights, Wavves now Nathan Williams with bassist Stephen Pope (formerly bassist with Jay Reatard) expand their sound once again sonically working with producer John Hill who has worked with artists such as Nas, Santogold, M.I.A, but don’t let that scare you away from this album it still sounds like a Wavves album.
Afraid of Heights still has reflections of the bands previous sounds and influences, while at the same time new elements have been added to the bands already established sound. The bands brand of slacker Stoner Rock themed songs are still evident here, but they also branch out into other lyrical subject matter such as cops, paranoia and insomnia. “Sail To The Sun” opens the album in a fashion similar to songs found on 2010’s King Of The Beach addressing the same slacker subject matter that they have been known for with lyrics such as “I’m gonna pick you up in my arms/Give you all of my love/Soon enough it flies by/First we gotta get high and sail to the sun”, while at the same time having characteristically darker lyrics “We’ll all die along/Just as we lived”. “Demons To Lean On” comes in next another song that along with “Sail To The Sun” was released prior to the album for fans to hear. This song has echoes of Nirvana circa 1991, while at the same time retaining something else, like all Wavves songs do that makes them sound influenced by the 90s and different at the same time. Some of the different directions Wavves takes on this album are best exemplified in songs such as the fuzzy Psychedelics of “Mystics”, the acoustic and bass heavy “Dog” “Everything’s My Fault” and “I Can’t Dream” which ends the album in a full circle fashion. On “I Can’t Dream” the song features Lo-Fi elements which the band first displayed on their first two full length albums, at the same time it shows their new sense of direction as the song picks up.
“That’s On Me” is an example of John Hill’s production expanding Wavves usual Lo-Fi sound with his production abilities. The album has several songs that lean more to the bands Punk influences this can be heard on songs such as “Paranoid”, “Cop” and “Beat Me Up”, while it also mixes in their Pop and Surf influences. There is a line in the song “Lunge Forward” that goes “None of you will ever understand me/None of you will ever understand/Lunge forward”, which exemplifies the bands intentions on this album, if you didn’t pick that up from the title. Williams doesn’t need to explain himself, he just needs to do his own thing. This album still has Williams self deprecating, caustic, dark and at times satirical lyrical depth, it ventures into new valleys in terms of production and musical experimentation. Afraid of Heights exemplifies Wavves attempt to take their Lo-Fi scuzzy, Surf, Grunge sounds to new heights beyond their humble Lo-Fi beginnings, even if that frightens some people.
This Week's Play List:
1. Guided By Voices – Crybaby 4 Star Hotel
2. The Flaming Lips – Butterfly, How Long It Takes To Die
3. The Thermals – Where I Stand
4. Mudhoney - I Don`t Remember You
5. Jay Sad – Home
6. The Highest Order – Sacred Team
7. Timbre Timbre – Demon Host
8. Mikal Cronin – Better Man
9. King Khan – Strange Way
10. Hank Davis – One Way
11. The Cramps – Domino
12. Actual Water – Dandelion Sun
13. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs – What Have I Become
14. Light Bulb Alley – Long Time Coming
15. The Vores – Forget That Guy
16. The Misfits – Return Of The Fly
17. Wavves – Sail To The Sun
18. Wavves – Paranoid
19. The Oblivians – I’ll Be Gone
20. Paul Jacobs – Kitchen Floor
21. The Black Lips – Cruising
22. The Vibrators – Judy Says (Knock You In The Head)
23. Devo - Come Back Jonee (Live Minneapolis, 1978)
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 14. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
It is hard to believe that it has been ten years since Detroit’s The White Stripes released their fourth full length album Elephant. The year 2003 was a very different time, in the midst of the Garage Rock revival bands, The White Stripes had been making their brand of Garage Rock, blended with elements of Blues, Folk and Country since 1997, releasing several singles and three full length albums prior to this. The album played into the bands gimmick, two piece band donned in red, white and black colours, and the obssession with the number three. All of these things can be seen in the artwork for this album from the number three's on the back of the album to the front cover in which Jack and Meg site atop a trunk, making out an actual elephant shape. For Elephant, The White Stripes headed to London in the UK and recorded all but one track (“I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”) at Toe-Rag Studios with Liam Watson in the engineering seat and Jack White in the producing seat.
Elephant was recorded in a two week period in April of 2002 to eight track tape, using vintage recording gear that pre-dated The Beatles, no computers were involved for this albums recording process. During the two week time The White Stripes would record what would be their major label debut on V2 and also an album that would change their status as a band forever. The album opens with the chart topping hit “Seven Nation Army”, a song that was reportedly written at a sound check and attacked with its bass-like, drum/guitar dynamic. What most people at the time didn’t know is while it sounds like bass in the verses it was actually a guitar run through an octave pedal, an effect that fooled many. The song is most notable for its simple structure has a title that dates back to White’s childhood. “Seven Nation Army” is what Jack thought the Salvation Army sign said as a kid. With lyrics such as “I’m gonna fight ‘em off/A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back” White starts off the album with a new sense of anger that was previously not as evident on 2001’s White Blood Cells, while at the same time referencing the difficulty the band had in the past and determination to persevere in the present.
Elephant also had songs referencing Whites early Punk influences “Black Math”, “Hypnotize”, “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine”, his Pop influences “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart”, “You’ve Got Her In Her Pocket” which along with “Well It’s True That We Love One Another” reflect Country/Folk influences, and there are also elements of Jack White’s Delta Blues influence that runs deep through out the album. Other stand out tracks include the other successful hit “The Hardest Button To Button” a driving Garage Drum/Guitar combination, utilizing the same guitar octave pedal effect as “Seven Nation Army” and is a song as Jack White has stated about “a child trying to find his place in a dysfunctional family when a new baby comes”. "Ball and Biscuit” is the closest that the band ever got to a “Bar Room Blues” track, clocking in at over seven minutes the song features heavy hitting drums by Meg White several distorted guitar solos and breakdowns. Lyrically the song tells a Folk-like tale of the seventh son, a common theme in American Folklore, and also referencing Jack White’s own history as he was the seventh son in his family. The title references the characters drug problem the “ball” being Cocaine and the “biscuit” being MDMA.
Of the Punk/Garage themed tracks “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine” could be best described by one of the songs lyrics “Give me a sugar pill and watch me just rattle down the street”, as the song rattles in a frantic Garage stupor. “Little Acorns” is a peculiar song that starts off with an introduction from Mort Crim a news anchor from Detroit news television. The song builds from the intro with piano to loads of feedback not unlike sounds heard on Nirvana’s In Utero. Lyrically the song tells how a girl figured out how to solve her own life problems by watching a squirrel storing acorns for the winter. By breaking her problems into small pieces she figures out that she can carry her problems in small pieces one at a time, just like little acorns.
Overall, Elephant built on many of the sounds The White Stripes had been creating, picking up from where 2001’s White Blood Cells left off. Lyrically the album is loosely based on as stated in the linear notes the “death of the American sweetheart”, musically the album proves Jack White’s song writing abilities are nothing to scoff at. Whether a delicate Pop song like “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart” or the 70s Garage Punk of “Black Math”, “Hypnotize” or the dynamic feedback frenzy of “Little Acorns” to the Country/Folk of “Well It’s True That We Love One Another”, Elephant carried its own weight. Prior to its release The White Stripes were talked about, but were always the elephant in the room so to speak that nobody addressed in any large scale means. Following Elephant’s release in April 2003, they were no longer the elephant in the room that no one was addressing, they overtook the room and became the only topic of conversation.
This Week's Play List:
1. The Nils – Tuesday High
2. The Smugglers – I Need A Vacation
3. DMZ – Baby Boom
4. Zona 84 – Estan Buscandrome
5. The Count Five – They’re Gonna Get You
6. The Stomach Mouths – Don’t Mess With My Mind
7. The Sonics – Wake Me, Shake Me
8. The Vibrants – Wildfire
9. The Golden Hands Before God – Oh No
10. The Scenics – Oh Boy
11. Brother Dan’s All Stars – Eastern Organ
12. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Midnight Ravers
13. Public Imaged Limited – Albatross
14. Gang of Four – Armalite Rifle
15. Sloan – Bully
16. Sloan – Gimme Sopor
17. The Damned – Melody Lee (BBC Session)
18. Young Rival – Time
19. Thee Oh Sees – Minotaur
20. White Stripes – Hypnotize
21. White Stripes – Little Acorns
22. White Stripes - Well It's True That We Love One Another
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for May 7. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
Indian Wars first released their If You Want Me EP in 2010 on Bachelor Records. The EP reflected a gritty Garage Rock influence drawing influences from bands such as Jacuzzi boys and Demon Claws, however there were underlying Roots Rock influences on tracks such as “Just Can’t Get Along With You” and “Carol Anne”. This Vancouver, BC band consists of brothers Dave and John McMartin, Dave on guitar and John drums, Brad Felotick on vocals/bass and Fraser With on guitar. Craig Pettman was added on keys/slide guitar during the recording process of the bands debut full length album Walk Around The Park.
Released in April 2011 Walk Around The Park brought in an interesting array of influences such as The Band, George Jones and Dead Ghosts (another Vancouver Garage Punk band). The combination proved for a an interesting blend of Garage Rock and Country with tracks such as “Old Hotel”, “20,000 Cans”, “Bullfrog”, “Won’t Do A Thing”, their influences are diverse and at times hybridic. Lyrically and musically the album conjures up images and stories that are reminiscent of songs once heard by artists such as Johnny Cash and Neil Young, with a dash of Garage Rock and Punk mentality for good measure. This album further developed Indian Wars Folk-like story telling abilities in their songs which are told vividly amongst their brand of Roots Rock and Garage musical arrangements.
Following a tour in which the band supported their 2011 release Walk Around The Park, Indian Wars convened in the late night hours in The Hive studio in Burnaby, BC to record a ten track follow up. The album was recorded in a live setting with very few overdubs to capture the band in their element, the result is the album entitled Song From The North. On this release the band once again flexes their Country, Folk, Garage/Punk sounds, you can hear the bands deep American Roots influence in the grooves of each track on Songs From The North. You can hear the influence of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR among the other sounds they bring to the table, as a whole Songs From The North has several interesting moments for even the casual listener. The album starts off with “There And Back Again” a quick countrified Garage track complete with harmonica and Brad Felotick’s rich vocal style. The song also features reflective Folk-like lyrics such as “Watch the leaves fall from the trees/Dance around to the wind/Rolling round and around/There and back again” which brings up images reminiscent of ones that made us love Indian Wars so much on Walk Around The Park, “Mississippi” is a haunting song, “Denny” attacks listeners with its Garage/Punk rhythms as we learn the cautionary tale of a burnout. Other stand out tracks include “Windshield Wiper Blues”, “Wastin’ Time” and “Who Needs A Girl Like You” which reflects a Bob Dylan circa 1965 sound.
There is a line in the song second song on Songs From The North “Sweetheart of the North”, “Sweetheart these songs about the South are sung for you/They are sung from a Northerner's point of view/It's so hard to see beyond this old garage”. On this album Indian Wars show that they are more than capable of seeing beyond the old garage that dons the albums back cover. The wooden duck decoy on the albums front cover proves to be rather fitting to Indian Wars. While duck decoys are still being made, they are now made from plastic and no longer crafted and carved from wood as they were for centuries. Indian Wars music still harnesses the vintage and unique sounds of the musical influences that the band draws from, they do not align themselves with the mainstream mould of the plastic duck decoy bands of today found in the mainstream. As we move further into the digital age, Indian Wars prove that music crafted from real musicians playing together is still the best form of Rock and Roll music.
Listen to the interview I did on today's program with Dave McMartin of the band Indian Wars here"
1. The Migs – Fuzzy Sun
2. Allah Las – Catamaran
3. Dead Ghosts – Roky Said
4. High Drops – Street Girl
5. Generation X – Valley of the Dolls
6. The Modernettes – Confidential
7. Indian Wars - There And Back Again
DAVE McMARTIN (OF INDIAN WARS) INTERVIEW
8. Indian Wars – Mississippi
9. Indian Wars – Denny
10. Painted Ship – Little White Lies
11. The Bell Peppers – Hokey Cokey
12. The Teardrops - Meet The Teardrops
13. The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower - Saviours & Suckers
14. The Pointed Sticks - New Ways
15. Pink Mountaintops - Can You Do That Dance?
16. The Velvet Underground – Guess I’m Falling In Love (Instrumental)
17. The Velvet Underground – I’m Set Free
18. Tiki Tones – Sneaky Tiki
19. Link Wray – Hang On
20. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – Drop Dead Baby
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 30. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees released what is considered their seven full length album, Floating Coffin on April 16th, 2013. Thee Oh Sees have a very prolific past stemming from front man John Dwyer, some reviews stating Floating Coffin is the bands twelfth studio output when including the rare and early releases in the bands history. Since about 2008 to the present Thee Oh Sees have been bringing their prolific brand of Punk, Psychedelic and Garage sounds to us releasing at least one album a year since then. Prior to that the band had roots in Folk and other related sub genres. For this release the band adopts a heavier sound, while lyrically the band seems to venture into the darker land of fantasy, with song titles such as “I Come From The Mountain”, Minotaur”, and “Maze Fancier” it’s not hard to see that development.
Floating Coffin starts off with the song “I Come From The Mountain”, a song that attacks with the jangly Garage rhythms, stop and start riffs and falsetto vocal duality from John Dwyer and Brigid Dawson. With lyrics like “I come from the mountain/I return again” Dwyer starts off the album with a duality lyrically and musically, one relating to the picture that he paints with this album and two with the return of another album by Thee Oh Sees that’s just as strong, if not stronger than their previous releases. “Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster” follows as the second track, with its sludgy, fuzzy goodness, it hits with a new kind of heaviness, something this album explores. The title track “Floating Coffin” is a raving, super fast episode sounding like a new kind of madness, before the echo and reverb filled guitar/keys come in.
“No Spell” exemplifies more space and dynamics, giving the album a good variety and change of pace after the first three tracks, “Maze Fancier” has dual guitar parts not unlike some elements of early Thin Lizzy while the bass and drums throb with scratchy Garage rhythms. “Tunnel Time” has catchy choruses, fuzzed out Garage guitars and elements of sounds found on 2011’s Carrion Crawler/The Dream release, while the last track on the album “Minotaur” ends the album on a different note. “Minotaur” is a sombre Psychedelic song with rich cello parts and Pop elements, however the song comes off in a delicate gritty fashion. With lyrics like “Men get sick at their work/Each and everyday/There ain’t no cure but to stay/ Stay home today/Go to the beach instead”, the song hits home with something many people can relate to, but also reminds us of some of the bands earlier work in some respects.
With Floating Coffin the band may have gotten heavier musically, but they also show off a dynamism which lyrically can bring us back to elements of the bands earlier Folk based work. Musically the album mixes in elements of Carrion Crawler/The Dream even drawing some comparisons to sounds on 2008's The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In. It also adds more of a jam element extending the songs and bringing more Psychedelic and Pop elements. With so many releases coming out, it would be easy for someone to say that this album sounds just like the others that Thee Oh Sees have been releasing, it is similar in some respects, but it also shows a new development in the bands dynamic. The band builds on their already established sounds while still sounding fresh. The title of the album may be Floating Coffin, but with this release Thee Oh Sees show that the end for this prolific band is not near, it’s not even close.
This Week's Play List:
1. Pow Wows – First World Rag
2. The Auras – Top Notch Surfer Girl
3. Deep Space Cowboys – Dreaming In Space
4. The Vaselines – Roaster
5. Hooded Fang - Ode To Subterrania
6. Ramones - Judy Is A Punk
7. Ramones - Chainsaw
8. The Strokes – Welcome To Japan
9. Fire Engines – Discord
10. The Smiths – Rusholine Ruffians (John Peel Session August 1984)
11. Jay Sad – Good Health
12. Fruit Tones – Coconut Shy
13. Pink Teens – Flying Colors All The Way
14. The Cinch – Get Up & Get Out
15. Teenage Head with Marky Ramone – Full Time Fool
16. Forgotten Rebels – It Won’t Be Long
17. Subway Sect – Don’t Split It (John Peel Session 1977)
18. The Prefects – Escort Girls
19. The Troggs – Your Love
20. Black Angels – War On Holiday
21. Young Rival – Black Popcorn
22. Thee Oh Sees – I Come The Mountain
23. Thee Oh Sees – Tunnel Time
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 23. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
Mudhoney released Vanishing Point their ninth full length album on April 4th, 2013 via Sub Pop Records. The band has come a long way from 1988’s Superfuzz Bigmuff, however this new album builds on some of the bands earlier sounds and influences, while at the same time bringing in elements of 2008’s The Lucky Ones and their 2000 era sound, featuring more Stooges based freak out instrumentation. Lyrically, vocalist Mark Arm sharply hones his lyrics in a humorous, wit filled style, the kind that Mudhoney fans have come to love. Vanishing Point attacks the mainstream stereotypical rock star image, over rated popular champagne and douchebags. On the musical side the band reveals sounds that remind us of 60s Garage, Psychedelic Garage and just loud distorted Rock and Roll.
“Slipping Away” starts off with a drum solo and bass riff, before Mudhoney’s distorted Garage guitars come in. Mark Arm expels lyrics such as “I try to hold you, but you’re like sand / Slipping through these broken hands” playing into the albums artwork which also seems to reference a cult classic B-Movie, but more on that later. The song ends in a Psych Rock rave up, bringing up echoes of Ron Asheton and 60’s Psychedelia. “I Like It Small”, the lead off single for this album is also one of the strongest and fitting songs to Mudhoney’s discography. This track is reminiscent of older songs in the bands catalog minus the overloading distortion, making it sound musically like a Garage/Nugget track influenced by The Stooges and 80s Punk. With lyrics like “And when I orgy I cap it at twelve/Anymore than that I get overwhelmed” and “I’m not on some grandiose trip/I’m fine with little sips” this song lyrically attacks as mentioned, the stereotypical rock star image, by proclaiming they like it small, Mudhoney is addressing their minimalist motto, doing music their own way, not doing anything that is considered the norm. “What We Do Is Neutral” is a slow driving song, sounding like a song from 2002's Since We’ve Become Translucent, while “Chardonnay” burns through in less than two minutes following with razor sharp 70s Punk riffs, as lyrically Arm attacks the drink of the same name, considered a mainstream popular drink of choice to the famous with his witty and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “The Final Course” is a slow riff filled song with disturbing lyrics that tell a tale involving issues of murder, cannibalism and out of body experiences, in classic lyrical Mudhoney offensive style.
“I Don’t Remember You” pokes fun at memory loss and grocery stores as it musically pulls influences from The Sonics, “The Song of Joy” musically seems to conjure up sounds not unlike “Need” and “If I Think” from 88’s Superfuzz Bigmuff, while adding their 2002-2008 Psych Garage element, finally the album ends with the track “Douchebag Parade”. This final track on the album eats at good looking, richer people that fall into that category we all know as “Douchbag” with its caustic, sharp witted lyrics and driving bass, drums and spacious lead guitar lines from Steve Turner. Mudhoney celbrates 25 years of being a band with this album, their label Sub Pop does as well. While both Sub Pop and Mudhoney have gone through their own troubles and turmoil’s over the last 25 years, they have persevered in their own way. Both the label and band have evolved to something that people can still indentify with and still love.
Now back to the title and album cover. The album cover is a photo that was taken by Emily Rieman of the ruins in Apamea, Syria, Arm revealed in an interview with Exclaim! He also said that the title was influenced by this photo referencing a movie where everything goes off into the distance, what many believe is the 70s’ B-Movie Vanishing Point. But this is an interesting point to leave you with when considering this album and Mudhoney as a whole. Like the end of the film Vanishing Point, many believe that Mudhoney had hit a wall in the 90s when signing to a major label, yet Mudhoney has risen from the so called ashes of their past evolving into something different and familiar at the same time. With Vanishing Point Mudhoney shows us that they still have the ability to sound like the Mudhoney that we used to love, but at the same time sound fresh and unspoiled.
Another thing I would like to mention, last weekend at CJAM FM’s annual Jammy Awards I received a Lifetime Achievement award for my work with Revolution Rock and within the station and its community becoming the youngest programmer to do so. I initially started Revolution Rock in June of 2004, where it aired in the late night hours broadcasting from CJAM FM’s airwaves. The show started off dealing specifically with 70s Punk/New Wave, but over the years grew to incorporate other genres such as 60s Garage, Surf, Alternative, Indie and a variety of other associated genres, still remaining despite the genre in the attitude, realm and spirit of 70s Punk. In 2006, I started this blog. Its purpose was to have weekly posts which would profile a different band every week and also to host the play list and download links to the corresponding program for people to discover. This was before the term social media and facebook really started to affect the internet in a large way, this site too has grown to include exclusive interviews and content at times. I would like to thank CJAM FM, its staff and volunteers and anyone who has ever paid any interest in my show or website. While at first I didn’t think I had been at CJAM that long, nine years is a long time, a lifetime to some. Thanks CJAM!
This week's play list:
1. Paul Revere & The Raiders – Steppin’ Out
2. Chit Chat – Jelly
3. Tom Waits - Chicago
4. Captain Beefheart - Ella Guru
5. Syd Barrett - Octopus
6. Colleen Green – Only You
7. Japandroids - Fire's Highway
8. Mudhoney - I Like It Small
9. Mudhoney - Chardonnay
10. Johnny Cash – Remember The Alamo
11. Cellos – Feeding Through The Breathing Tube
12. Iceage - You're Nothing
13. Mission of Burma - New Nail
14. Big Black - Jordan Minesota
16. Sloan - Emergency 911
17. Deja Voodoo – Gotta Have Money
18. The Revolvers – Apocalypse Surfin’
19. Suuns - 20/20
20. Unicorns - I Was Born A Unicorn
21. Shotgun Jimmie - 3012
22. Simply Saucer - Instant Pleasure
23. Wreckless Eric - A Pop Song
24. The Gruesomes – The Deal
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 16. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
Austin, Texas Psych Garage Rock band The Black Angels released their fourth full length album Indigo Meadow on April 2nd, 2013. On this album the band shows us their heavier Psychedelic side, adding more organ and Pop hooks, all mixed up in a sun baked Texas style haze. Many critics have claimed that this album isn’t really different from their previous releases, but this album slowly builds on the Psychedelic sounds of Phosphene Dream adding a new type of heaviness that some may classify as Grunge influenced, while at the same time reverting to catchy Garage Nuggets styled hooks.
“Indigo Meadow” opens the album, with its fuzzy bass, dissonant guitar parts and heavy pounding drum beats, as vocalist Alex Maas executes the lyrics “Always Indigo” in a Syd Barrett fashion, “Evil Things” comes in next which emphasizes the Grunge styled influenced that was mentioned earlier, but with enough of a Psychedelic edge to keep the listener hooked. This is one of the tracks in which critics have claimed is lacking in the lyrical department, however it is a song like songs the band has been writing for years as they strike an apocalyptic chord with their catchy choruses, Doors styled organ and lumbering fuzzy riffs. “Don’t Play With Guns” has been attracting ever since it was released as a pre-cursor preview to Indigo Meadow. The song moves along with its Horror movie organ stabs, swirling Psychedelic guitar supplied by Christian Bland, heavy distortion and a catchy chorus. Contrary to some beliefs this song, while it seems to be written based on the recent tragic mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado, it was written a year before this occurrence. However this song reveals a poignancy that any listener can identify with as it tells the story of Josephine. This was best described by vocalist Alex Maas on http://www.theblackangels.com/info:
“In ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ the antagonist is a female who has the power of persuasion over a man,” he continues. “Substitute the female antagonist with a Nation, substitute the manipulated man with yourself. Heed the warning: Don’t Play With Guns.”
Other highlights on this album include the slow, organ fuelled Psychedelic trip of “Holland”, The Nuggets-era Doors influenced “The Day”, “You’re Mine” is a catchy fuzzy Zombies/60s Garage Nugget-era induced track and one of the Poppiest tracks found on this album, as “I Hear Colors (Chromaesthesia)” drips with acid induced images and backwards sounding effects, building on sounds found on 2008’s Directions To See A Ghost. The album also addresses several political themed messages, not counting “Don’t Play With Guns”, on songs such as “War On Holiday” and “Broken Soldiers”. “War On Holiday” looms musically as lyrics such as “We’re wounding and dying/making no change” and “I found one of us/wounded yet fine/It’s sad how I found/We sleepwalking around” filter into the listeners mind, while “Broken Soldier” attacks with hypnotizing guitar/organ riffs. “Broken Soldier” features lyrics such as “It’s hard to kill when you don’t know whose side you’re on” and “Will you be the same when this is over/You’ll never be the same when this is over”, these lyrics coupled with the lyrics found on “War On Holiday” tap into the social subconsciousness that we are all thinking about regarding war, yet projecting the dark, yet realistic realities that these situations result in.
Indigo Meadow ends with the track “Black Isn’t Black” a song which hints that perhaps despite all this apocalypse-themed imagery that there is a glimmer of hope, ending the album in slow creepy intense, yet somewhat positive note. This is backed up when we hear the lyrics “Before I met you/Blackness everywhere” and “Girl when I see you/I think the world’s OK”. Overall, Indigo Meadow may have similarities to previous releases from the bands past, but it also gleams with its super production supplied by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, David Byrne & St. Vincent) emphasizing the growing development and journey that the band is to and has taken. While it may not be that obvious to some, Indigo Meadow blooms and burns slowly with profound insights, incadescent thoughts and Psychedelic goodness.
This Week's Play List:
1. Thee Oh Sees – Toe Cutter Thumb Buster
2. Brazilian Money – Slowly Soaking Up Some Rays On A Sofa
3. The Fabulous St. Knicholas Cage – Bloody Beach Blanket
4. Future of The Left - Stand By Your Manatee
5. Anagram - Favourite Place
6. PIssed Jeans - Cafeteria Food
7. Woodsman Orphan – One Year
8. Velvet Underground - I Found A Reason
9. Deerhunter - Memory Boy
10. Husker Du – Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
11. Orphan Choir – New Rituals
12. The Action – Downtown Boy
13. The Demics – The Grey And The Black
14. Ramones – She's The One
15. X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents
16. Gang of Four – Ether (Live The Second Chance, Ann Arbor, MI 1981)
17. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs – Do Ya Feel It Too?
18. Doldrums - Sunrise
19. Patti Smith Group - Distant Fingers
20. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
21. Black Angels – Indigo Meadow
22. Black Angels - Evil Things
23. Black Angels – The Day
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 9. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.
