Stuff I Dig: Grotus performing Brown live in France (1994)

This little gem represents a bit of a rarity with me when it comes to music: a video I love, yet a band I don't like (or don't get). I've listened to Grotus' albums again and again, but the tunes just don't click. Maybe I expected to much from these guys after I saw the video below. Can you blame me? Everything about the footage is intoxicating. The hypnotic tribal drumming played on two sets simultaneously, a groove that I dare you to try to listen to without tapping your foot or nodding your head to, and the infectious energy of the crowd. But don't take my word for it...watch the clip yourself!

Audio Analyzation: Twilight – Monument to Time End

Talk about a band that is cursed with a terrible name. No, this is not some musical tribute to the young adult books glorifying the high school exploits of sparkly vampires. This is a black metal superband, and they just happened to release one of the best metal records of the year.
Twilight is made up of select members of the metal elite, either legendary from bands regarded as pioneers or groups that are enjoying the current spotlight. For those of you taking notes, those members are:

Sanford Parker – Enjoying a new level of fame for his production techniques and synthesizer work, and also known for his participation in the bands Buried at Sea and Minsk (guitars, synths, production)
Blake Judd – Judd’s band Nachtmystium was hailed (by more than a few) as the second coming of U.S. Black Metal in 2008 (guitar, bass, and vocals)
Aaron Turner – Created a name for himself as the singer/guitarist/lyricist for the band Isis, and quite the painter I might add (guitar and vocals)
N. Imperial – Groundbreaking U.S. black metal vocalist most famous for the his work with Krieg (vocals and bass)
Wrest – Of the one-man project Leviathan (drums, guitar, bass, synthesizer and E-bow)
Stavros Giannopolous – The guitarist for Atlas Moth, who has been getting quite a bit of press lately (guitars)
Robert Lowe – Of Lichens (provides clean vocals)

I bet you’re thinking: “Enough namedropping! How is the album??”
Well I’ll tell you. “Monument to Time End” is a great black metal album from front to back. From the second you hit the play button, you can tell that this isn’t your run of the mill, blast-n-tremolo black metal…this has rhythm…a beat to it. The album starts out with “The Cryptic Ascension” a track that starts with a slow tempo and a loosely played riff, lost amongst Parker’s space-rock synthesizer. The raspy black metal vocals are there, but just barely. They are buried in the mix…..until the gang vocals kick in…then they explode, just like the drums (which have been sparse thus far). Now the kick pedal is cracking, and the tempo picks up to the usual black metal frenzy, and the track blasts until completion, with Lowe’s haunting vocals intertwined throughout. The album as a whole is full of gems, placed when you least expect them, such as the dread-laden, death-crawling intro to “Fall Behind Eternity” (that leads into a total firestorm at 2:45), or the almost industrial menace that is “Red Fields”. The album may have (and I mean MAY have) faded towards the end, but as a whole, musically, this record is phenomenal. The musicians featured all know their place, and play magnificently, yet not to the point of audio masturbation. Simplicity is the key here. The silence is just as important as the concrete-heavy notes that are played. It creates an unnerving atmosphere, not knowing what’s coming next. But if you ask me, the band’s ace-in-the-hole would have to be N. Imperial. Sure, he may look like a chubby, aging, biker burnout, but he is armed with one of the most viscous black metal throats this author has ever heard.

All in all, “Monument to Time End” is an album recommended for fans of black metal who would like to see the genre pushed past its typical boundaries, into something much more meaningful and original, whilst not losing any of its intensity.

Legendary Movie Duos:

Two great characters, good as separate people, legendary as a duo. For this ongoing series, I tried to avoid the picks that seemed a bit on the obvious side (i.e. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid; Jules Winnfield & Vincent Vega; Raoul Duke & Dr. Gonzo, etc).

The pairing of “Brains” and “Brawn” has been done countless times in cinematic history. At first glance, Ed Exley and Bud White’s situation is no different than most other duos of that nature. But when you look deeper, and get to know the characters a little bit, you see that the labels we attach to each: White the Brawler and Calculating Exley are actually a little too hasty. Towards the end of the movie, it’s almost like they totally switch roles, as White seems a little more savvy and Exley more of a brute than you would assume at first . What also makes the two original as a duo is the fact that they were once bitter enemies, even coming to blows more than once, yet as a team they can almost do no wrong. I guess the old saying was right: opposites attract.

Stuff I Dig: Interpol performing Obstacle 1 live at the Rocket Bar

A great live video of the band performing in 2002, before they got super famous and started dating ex-supermodels. I mostly dig this video due to Carlos D rockin' it out funky-style. Will they be as great without his legendary presence? We shall see...

Great Music Moments in Film:

I’m not sure if it’s official or not, but this may be the scene that made Jack Black skyrocket into superstardom. Barry (Black’s character) originally had planned on calling his band Sonic Death Monkey, then considered Kathleen Turner Overdrive, before settling on Barry Jive and the Uptown Five. They take the stage, and all who know Barry are skeptical at best. He opens his mouth, and belts out the first few seconds of Let’s Get It On, and people perk up. Waves of shock and awe flood the audience. Barry can actually sing, and damn well! By the end, everyone is getting their groove on (including us watching at home). A classic scene to sway your hips to, and to pretend you know how to dance. Don’t be ashamed if you can’t, cuz it seems like John Cusack can’t either (at least in this clip). We’re all just here to have a good time!

Stuff I Dig: Hans Zimmer performing "Time" live at the Inception premiere (featuring Johnny Marr)

Absolutely stunning...

My 5 favorite KMFDM tracks of all time:

5) Godlike (Doglike mix): It may not be the most complex song in the world, but in my mind it is the epitome of the “KMFDM formula”. I nice, thick repetitive beat. Raspy politically driven lyrics. Saucy female vocal parts. A wild guitar solo thrown in. German lyrics. These elements make KMFDM.


4) A Drug Against War: Another prime example of what KMFDM is made of. The lead guitar riff matched with the repetitive chorus is enough to make anyone want to riot; simple and effective. Plus, the video made entirely of animated versions of the band's trademark artwork by BRUTE! only pushes the track further into your memory. This is the song (and video) that made KMFDM much more than just another industrial band. This is the track that made them legendary. “…kill everything…kill everything”.


3) Juke-Joint Jezebel: This is the first KMFDM track I ever heard on the radio, and I’m sure it’s one of the bands’ biggest singles (it supposedly appeared in an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 for fucks sake). Now that I’m thinking about it, this is the first song that really got me started on my way towards obsessing over the band for 2-3 years and buying everything they’ve ever made (it’s also the first KMFDM shirt I ever bought). Juke-Joint Jezebel may just be KMFDM’s catchiest song. If the chorus doesn’t stick in your head for at least an hour, check your pulse, cuz you might be dead.


2) Waste: This track will kick your ass up and down the street. The beat and guitar riff are the heaviest of the heavy, and the bands decision that it would be a good idea to bombard the listener with barrages of acidic static and white noise add to the intensity of the song. And you know what? I love every minute of it. I’ve always especially adored Abby Travis’ feisty vocal parts that start around the two minute mark. Her contribution is probably my favorite part, and the reason this track is #2.


1) Dogma: Hands down, my favorite KMFDM track of all time (and the first KMFDM song I ever heard, ever). F.M. Einheit’s whip-cracks…Nicole Blackman’s venomous spoken word…the angry feel of the chorus…they all make for a menacing song. Simplicity has always been KMFDM’s secret weapon. Here, you can feel the bitter, angry energy bubbling under the surface, just waiting to explode. It’s viciousness you can tap your foot to.
I dig the lyrics to this song so much, I posted them after the video.


All we want is a headrush
All we want is to get out of our skin for a while
We have nothing to lose because we don't have anything
Anything we want anyway...
We used to hate people
Now we just make fun of them
It's more effective that way
We don't live
We just scratch on day to day
With nothing but matchbooks and sarcasm in our pockets
And all we are waiting for is for something worth waiting for
Let's admit America gets the celebrities we deserve
Let's stop saying "Don't quote me" because if no one quotes you
You probably haven't said a thing worth saying
We need something to kill the pain of all that nothing inside
We all just want to die a little bit
We fear that pop-culture is the only culture we're ever going to have
We want to stop reading magazines
Stop watching T.V.
Stop caring about Hollywood
But we're addicted to the things we hate
We don't run Washington and no one really does
Ask not what you can do for your country
Ask what your country did to you
The only reason you're still alive is because someone
Has decided to let you live
We owe so much money we're not broke we're broken
We're so poor we can't even pay attention
So what do you want?
You want to be famous and rich and happy
But you're terrified you have nothing to offer this world
Nothing to say and no way to say it
But you can say it in three languages
You are more than the sum of what you consume
Desire is not an occupation
You are alternately thrilled and desperate
Skyhigh and fucked
Let's stop praying for someone to save us and start saving ourselves
Let's stop this and start over
Let's go out - let's keep going
This is your life - this is your fucking life
We need something to kill the pain of all that nothing inside
Quit whining you haven't done anything wrong because frankly
You haven't done much of anything
Someone's writing down your mistakes
Someone's documenting your downfall