@@@ Royal Blood: Hook, Line & Sinker (Warner, 2017) Some classic FM radio rock swirled up with a dash of cock rock. I like the guitarist but he plays too much and the singer is most def stashing cucumbers in his leather pants. The production is meticulous but the lyrics are so cliche and un-clever I can’t really roll with it. Go for the early ZZ Top records if you want some memorable guitar playing.
@@@ Full of Hell: Trumpeting of Ecstasy (Profound Lore, 2017) This is no soft, shiny metal for wannabes. Yikes, this is the burning, blasting full monty that I got to via the CFUV weekly email. Fast tempos, grinding guitars and both an orc and a caveman on the microphone. Might be two different singers, who the hell knows, it’s really the punishment the band delivers that matters here. 10 songs in 24 minutes, short volcanic blasts. Good shit, check it out. This fourth tune, The Cosmic Vein, is fucking ridiculous.
@@@ El Michels Affair: Return to the 37th Chamber (Big Crown Records, 2017) Obviously influenced by the legendary Wu Tang Clan record this is funky instrumental music. The music is more tongue in cheek than the ghetto blasting from the Wu and more focused on the NPR party crowd. A little more dirt and some more muscular funk would work better for me but I’m just one man.
YTD recordings listened to: 314
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 184
Not good music: 122
Buys: 5
Honorable Mentions: 2
Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Drone, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Aethenor, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Power Trip, Reverend Payton, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM
Deep In the Music 