Black God - s/t 7"

I tend to do a lot of reviews I don't end up publishing. I over think them and sometimes a record comes out that doesn't need a story or a long winded explanation. This is that record.

This is Black God's first release. 6 songs, 7"s. No song over 2 minutes (BG rule #1), simple packaging, download code. Short, fast songs with vocals that are sometimes sung and sometimes yelled. Awesome riffs that get stuck in your head. This band is full of vets and if you like any of their previous bands you will love this. By The Grace of God, Coliseum, Young Widows, Black Cross etc.

Record sleeve has lyrics printed on back and comes with a download code. My copy is on a purplish marble. Total pressing of 1000 but no break down of colors. Get this asap at No Idea Records

Back from hiatus.

Things got a little crazy early this summer and I decided to give the blog a break to tend to other things for a while. I now feel I have a bit more time to devote to this and am happy to be back at it! I have a pile of records waiting to go up on the site so please keep checking back. I will have reviews going up in the next few days for Black God, Jesuit, Melvins, Rosetta and more.

Also like I have mentioned in the past I have extended an offer to some friends to review some records as well so hopefully I will have something new to post from those people in the weeks to come.

Thanks for sticking with me!

Wino / Scott Kelly split 7"

I have found myself getting more and more selective when it comes to buying smaller format vinyl records. 7"s don't get played as much as Lp's and they take up a ton of space because they amass so quickly. It used to be that I would pick up a 7" to check out a band. If I like them great, if not then I'm only out a few bucks and I can get rid of the record. However the price of small records has gone up a few bucks and I have boxes and boxes full of them taking up space. Now, sadly, it's easier for me to check out bands online and buy their records (or not buy their records) from there.

Last year I joined the Volcom singles club  and was really happy with it. I've never been a member of any vinyl club before but I got a lot of great records and was especially stoked on the free Mastodon record they threw in as a bonus (among other items). I joined up again this year and just got my first two records. I still have to listen to the other one but this split I am writing about it worth picking up, even if you don't join the club.

This is a split 7" between the notoriously heavy Wino and Scott Kelly(Neurosis). Actually, let me be honest, the selling point of this years subscription for me was a Scott Kelly record. I think 2 years back now I ordered the Blood and Time record from Southern records in the UK. I have dealt with the Southern Label/Distro a few times and suggest checking them out and ordering from them. The friendliest customer service you will ever find and really great product, prices and shipping time.

Anyway, I absolutely love the Blood & Time record and the Scott Kelly track on this split totally lived up to my own hype. The man's voice is filled with scars, pain and honesty. For as miserable as some of his material can be, it more often then not brings me a comfort to hear him sing his songs. Scott Kelly writes some of the most powerful songs around and knowing he is out there doing this still after all these years makes me happy. This song alone is worth the price of the record.

However there is still another song! This one comes from the legend that is Wino. Wino and Scott Kelly put out some great songs in the band Shrinebuilder. Wino has been making music for at least 35 years now and has worked with just about everyone at some point. The Obsessed, Saint Vitus and Shrinebuilder are three of the most well known bands he has been in and I like all those bands. I wasn't really sure what to expect from a solo song though. I never got around to getting the solo record he put out a few years back. This song is great. Musically a little more upbeat then Scott's song but still the lyrics stay true to topics our little community is familiar with. I was really surprised and pleased after hearing this song. It's been on repeat for a little while now and I like it more and more with each listen.

I'm not going too into detail about either song because both are available to listen to for free on the Volcom site. Go and give them a listen and decide for yourself. Also available at the link are the two new songs from Wino's new band Premonition 13. There are also pictures of both the limited color records.



Volcom club records are all out of 1000 and are hand numbered. I am pretty sure vinyl club members get an exclusive color and I heard there are only 200 subscriptions available. So act fast before you miss out. If you don't want to drop the cash on the club (which is only like $40 plus a one time shipping charge) you will be able to buy the records individually on the site. Don't sleep on this record!

Baroness - A Horse Called Golgotha 7"

So Baroness didn't put out a new record last year but it was one of their biggest years yet. Seemed like they were always on tour getting their name out there and doing very well for themselves. The Blue Record still gets regular play in my house and while listening to it today(at the same time I was getting my ass kicked at Scrabble by my girlfriend) I decided this would be a fun record to share.

Baroness aren't really known for releasing singles or 7"s. In fact this is only the second 7" I am aware of. If I am wrong in that please don't crucify me! This record came out on Relapse around mid 2010 I believe. There are two songs on here, one album track and a cover song. The album track is the song A Horse Called Golgotha which after my first listen of the Blue Record was a stand out song and still one of my favorites on the album. Everything about this song just works. Give it a listen and see what I mean.





I like the song a lot more then I like the video but I think this track is as good as any for those who still haven't heard this band.

The cover song, to me, is a wonderful one. It's a cover of the Descendents song Bikeage. The Descendents are hands down one of my favorite punk bands ever and I have been listening to them since I was a freshman in high school. It saddens me that while it seems so recent, that was over 15 years ago. Good grief. A kid in one of my art classes let me listen to Milo Goes to College and I was hooked. That is another story all together though! Baroness covering a Descendents song was an easy sell for me. It's a good cover too. Could be a little faster and the vocals don't get me as excited as Milos version but I am just nitpicking. Fans of either band will be pleased and fans of both bands win all around.

The artwork is the final selling point for me. The cover features an image I always thought was one of guitarist/vocalist John Baizleys best. It's called Morphine Hawk and it's just an amazing drawing. I have a hoodie with this design and I love the hell out of it. It's a simple cover but I think it looks incredible. Packaging is just the sleeve and record inside. No lyric sheet or anything like that. It was released on a few colors and above are the three I got when I ordered. A sort of clear red, black and pink. I know there are other colors out there. I think this was out of 1000 copies and is since sold out but you can hopefully still get them for cheap on ebay and maybe even in your local record store.

2010 good riddance!

Well 2010 has come and gone. Unfortunately I didn't get to write as much as I had wanted to towards the end of the year. After Christmas I ended up doing something to my back and have been in a good amount of pain ever since. I spent a few days in bed and now I am up and about but still hurting every day. I am about to run out of muscle relaxers and am dreading the entire process of seeing a doctor. I haven't had a doctor in like 15 or so years, the hunt begins this weekend. Hoping to get things looked at and taken care of sooner then later and as much as I am dreading this it will be good to be able to get things fixed instead of just dealing with them. I can't imagine what it would feel like not to be in some sort of pain every single day!

Hoping that 2011 treats everyone well and we get to see some monster releases and tours. I can't wait until the weather warms up and I get to hit the road and catch some cool shows around Cleveland and Toronto. For a Christmas gift I got a pair of tickets to go see Motorhead in Toronto. Very stoked on that! Can't wait to see what the year brings us in records! I, for one, am extremely excited that there will be a new All Pigs Must Die record out. Those dudes killed it with their EP and I am thinking they will be a force to be reckoned with this year!

So on that note I hope to be a little more consistent with the reviews and updates. I also think I am going to start putting up a post a month documenting records I have scored at thrift stores/flea markets. I find a bunch of rad stuff out there and hope you find it interesting enough to read about!

Take care of yourselves!

More reviews shortly

Well I guess I didn't expect the holidays to be as busy as they ended up being. Wanted to get a review done for each day in December but I have fallen well short of that. Work basically every day and then need to do run errands after work, holiday parties etc. So looks like 31 won't be happening but I do have a few more going up this week. Most likely Wednesday and Thursday. So I hope you enjoy and thanks for sticking around and checking out my scribblings.

-Nick

Disappearer - The Clearing

As 2010 draws to a close, many folks are compiling their "Best of the Year" lists. Since I still have a few records I feel could place in my top ten, still unlistened too, I am not ready to make that post yet. Instead I thought I would go back and talk about my favorite release from last year. One that, a year later, I still feel hasn't gotten the recognition it should have.

I don't remember how exactly I first heard Disappearer but I am eternally grateful I did not miss the boat on this incredibly powerful release. Since this record arrived in the mail it has been in constant rotation. More than a full year later this record still gets listened to a few times a week, and in my opinion is one of the greatest records to come out in the last ten years. I might seem like I am overselling it, but believe me when I say this, this record makes me wish I could afford to buy every copy and give it away to every person that I thought should hear it. I don't have to be a thousandaire to make that happen because the full album is already available for free download online and you don't have to feel like a dirt ball when you take it for yourself. You can head over to Gimme Sound and pick it up there and every download nets the band, label and a charity some cash.

Magic Bullet put out The Clearing on 2xlp format. I have long supported Brent and MBR although there is still a large chunk of his releases I still have not heard. I've never met the man but I'd like to think that he and I could share some good music conversation over a drink or two. This label has put out a number of releases I hold near and dear and this one tops the list.

The Clearing is the first full length record from this band but not their first release. I have found 2 different compact discs floating around. The first I picked up contained 2 songs and it looks like it was their demo. The second cd I actually found in an online distro and I thought it was going to be another copy of the demo cd, that I planned on giving away to a friend. When I got it though I was pleased to find out that it contained the 2 songs from the demo and one additional song. That cd was released by Trash Art records and looks like it is still available for sale, although the website hasn't been updated in about a year so you might want to drop an email before placing an order. I highly recommend picking the cdep up for the $7. All 3 songs are wonderful instrumental powerhouses. Here is to hoping that someday these songs get a vinyl release.

Back to the record at hand! The Clearing is 10 songs spread over 2 lp's and clocks in around 50 minutes or so. After all the hundreds of listens this record has gotten, it is still hard for me to simplify it to a few words. It's loud and powerful, it's hypnotic, it's crushing, it's cold. It's that first gust of fall air that cuts you to the bone and the harsh reality of the brutal winter ahead. Even with heaviness through out there is enough melody in these songs to keep the entire ride interesting. Equal parts Sludge and Post Rock, it ties together seamlessly in an amazingly produced record (Kurt Ballou) While all these songs are good enough to stand on their own, this album is really meant to be listened to, without interruption, in it's entirety. Please also make sure to play it as loudly as possible. I've listened to it many times on my laptop but it seems to be an entirely different experience when pounding through my stereo speakers.

Pressing wise there were two different colors. First was a color press of pink/clear(pictured above) that was limited to 150 and sold out pretty quickly. The rest of the press was 350 copies on black/black vinyl which is still available for ordering here. It amazes me that this is still available and I will be ordering myself a black/black copy soon enough. I am not much of a collector of variants but this album warrants another copy in my collection.

Although available for free online I really can't recommend this one enough for your turntable. If for some odd reason you buy this and don't care for it, give it to a friend. It won't be long until that copy lands with someone who will love it for the incredible album it truly is.



As a side note I am looking for a test press of this record, any xxl t shirts/hoodies that might be out there or any other cool merch. I only have the 2 cds and the lp and am striking out as far as everything else goes. If you can help shoot me an email at surfacenoiseblog at gmail dot com