March | 2009 | MIND INVERSION

Archive for March, 2009

Mind Inversion interviews Vernal Pool

Posted in Interviews with tags across tundras, colorado, denver, eric torkelson, examination of the..., heath rave, lungs, sioux falls, south dakota, vernal pool on Thursday, March 5, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Vernal Pool is a Minneapolis-by-way-of-South Dakota doom metal band that really doesn’t give a shit if you like them or not – but they do think that right people might if they just had the time. It’s a sound that takes patience, but their free-minded, introspective, brand of classic doom metal is one that reveals many astonishing sonic rewards amidst its many varied layers, from devastation to meditative bliss. In truth, Vernal Pool may play the bleakest, slowest metal music you’re bound to hear in your life, and the wisping traces of shoegaze, Americana, western, and folk music that accent their doom, especially in the live setting, create a result is something very dark and haunting indeed. After nearly two years of work and quiet shows around the area, they’ve just finished putting their first record together and look to be releasing it soon. However, before it’s out they’ll be playing the album live at their shows around the area, the first of which comes next week when they open the much anticipated Battlefields, Irepress, Frontier show at Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis next Wednesday, March 11th. Ryan from Mind Inversion was able to meet up with Eric (vocals, bass) and Heath (drums) from Vernal Pool at their place in NE to talk about their band, their sound, their take on doom and experimental metal in the Midwest and Minneapolis, and what we can expect from their future.

Mind Inversion: For anyone not familiar with Vernal Pool, could you tell me a bit about yourselves, your history, where you come from, and how you all came together as Vernal Pool.

Eric Torkelson: Well Heath and I are both from South Dakota, near Sioux Falls, and we both left there.

Heath Rave: Yeah, exactly; we left…. Continue reading →

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Far signs a deal with Vagrant for ‘return’ fifth album

Posted in Music News with tags california, chris robyn, far, john gutenburger, jonah matranga, sacramento, shaun lopez, vagrant records on Thursday, March 5, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Just a quick update for all of you who have been waiting for news since I posted that Far had reunited. Jonah, Shaun, Chris, and John have now announced that they’ve signed a deal with the reputtable Vagrant recording label. Also, accompanying this announcement was the great news that the band’s fifth long-player will be ready for public ears by the spring, the Southern Cali band’s first album in 12 years! From what I understand, Far had been looking to return to the edgier post-hardcore sound that they enjoyed on Tins Cans.. and their earlier albums. After watching Jonah dabble in the softer side of folk and emo for the last decade, it should be riveting to see him really rocking again. Here’s the word from Jonah:

“We had no idea all this would happen. We were just planning on getting to know each other again and playing a few shows, in between everything else we’ve got going on. But now, all of a sudden, the songs are coming, and it feels really good. All we’ve ever promised as people and as a band is that whatever we put out, whenever we come around, we’re gonna mean it.”

www.thebandfar.com | myspace.com/far

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NIN gets through “Wish” with some help from their friends

Posted in Video with tags dillinger escape plan, nine inch nails on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Hopefully Trent’s not really on his last leg’s. I don’t know if he’s just energized by being next to Ben and Greg of Dillinger Escape Plan for this performance of “Wish” in Australia on February 28th, but this doesn’t look like a performance from a band that’s about to call it quits. This is a fantastic display of talent from everyone involved! We’re still waiting to see with Nine Inch Nails schedules a Minnesota date for their “finale” tour with Jane’s Addiction…

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Propagandhi’s Supporting Caste now streaming

Posted in Audio with tags g7 welcoming committee records, potemkin city limits, propagandhi, punk, Rock, skate, smallman records on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by Ryan Buege

My favorite forward-thinking Canadian skatepunks in Propagahndi are soon to release their follow-up to 2005’s Potemkin City Limits, and now the entire new album, Supporting Caste, available on March 10th, is now available for preview streaming on their brand new MySpace site. One thing’s clear on first listen – after five albums, these anarchists still haven’t lost any of their edge. Supporting Caste sounds as unrelenting, vicious, and unapologetic as we’ve hear Propagandhi yet. Take a listen for yourself!

Listen: Supporting Caste (available for sale on March 10th)

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Mastodon steals Kylesa and Intronaut for a North American tour

Posted in Music News with tags fine line music cafe, intronaut, kylesa, mastodon, minneapolis, minnesota, nachtmystium, st. paul, station 4, the haunted on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Several months ago, Mind Inversion made the announcement that The Haunted would be coming to St. Paul for what promised to be an amazing show with Nachtmystium, Kylesa, and Intronaut in mid-April – which is why I was pretty caught off guard when I read the announcement yesterday for a April 12th Mastodon headlined gig at the Fine Line with Intronaut and Kylesa in tow. I’m really not complaining; if these bands were going to unexpectedly drop off an awesome tour, it might as well have been to go on an equally awesome tour.

Mastodon recently crafted the most psychedelic and unrestrained album of their career, Crack the Skye, and they decided to present it live to Minneapolis at one of the most intimate and unrestrained venues in the city. This is a very lucky occurence! Despite their growing success, it’s great that I’m still able to see Mastodon headlining club venues (like they did last time at First Avenue with Converge) rather than opening for some lesser bands. And while it’s only been 4 years, it seems like it’s been an extremely LONG time since their blistering, under-attended performance at the Triple Rock with Burning Brings. To me, it’s commendable that they’re still keeping it as small as they can. Additionally, they’ll be playing Crack the Skye in its entirety, and you don’t even have to go to Maplewood or sit through any shitty bands! Clearly, these guys still know how to book tours that their fans will love; this is a show no one should feel okay missing.

However, I really hope that this doesn’t mean that the Haunted/Nachtmystium performance is going to be canceled. Nachtmystium put out my favorite album of last year, and I was pretty bummed when they dropped off the Opeth tour that came through Maplewood in the middle of last year. I could really care less which show I see Intronaut and Kylesa play at – as long as I get to see them play – but if dropping off the Haunted tour causes this show’s cancellation, I’ll very fucking disappointed.

Continue on to see all the relevant dates these bands have scheduled… Continue reading →

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P.O.S. is an “Optimist”

Posted in Video with tags Hip-Hop, Never Better, P.O.S., Rhymesayers on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Vodpod videos no longer available.

This is the video for the new single off of P.O.S.‘s new record Never Better. The track is called “Optimist” and I love the concept for the video. The artwork and editing in this video are nothing short of exceptional. All of this compounds on the fact that this track is absolutely killer. If you haven’t yet, make sure you do, go out and get P.O.S.’s new album Never Better, which is an exceptional masterpiece.

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Black Milk Talks Hip-Hop, The D & J Dilla

Posted in Video with tags Black Milk, Carter Cartel, Detroit Hip-Hop, Guilty Simpson, J Dilla, Random Axe, Sean Price, Tronic on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Vodpod videos no longer available.

I love being able to hear about any news that pertains to Black Milk. As I’ve said numerous times in the past, this guy is a phenom and he’s “Putting the “D” on his back like a shirt that he bought”. He’s been coming out with some of the most consistent Hip-Hop for the last few years with two critically acclaimed albums. I also gave his album Tronic which came out last year the nod for album of the year.

This is a really good interview that was put on by Carter Cartel and it’s very in depth. The interview rings in at almost 12 minutes long, but I think it’s totally worth it. There are a lot of issues that get discussed here. Black talks about performing to a crowd full of white kids in Boulder, Colorado, who he would work with now (dead and alive) and that Random Axe collabo that’s going to be absolutely ridiculous. Random Axe is a super group composed of Guilty Simpson, Sean Price & Black Milk. Not to mention that Black Milk will be doing production for the entire album. Black Milk also brings up, of course, the late great J Dilla and what it was like working with him as well as how much of an influence he is on Black Milk.

All in all a great interview. Make sure you watch the video and watch out for Random Axe dropping sometime this year.

Spotted at Crate Kings

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The Hood Internet with another stellar mash-up

Posted in Audio, Downloads with tags animal collective, beirut, download, Ghostface Killah, hood internet, mash up, mp3, paper trail gangstaz, remix on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by Erik Burg

They just keep coming, whether it’s individual tracks or entire mixtapes, the Hood Internet impress me every time they come out with new material. This time it’s all-time great Ghostface Killah and Beirut getting all jammed up together. Half the track comes from new Beirut material as well, otherwise known as Real People Holland, which is kind of cool. Ghostface sound slightly ridiculous over the top at first, but I’ve really come to like this song on my second listen. Check it out for yourself and see what you think, and if you enjoy there is TONS of other material out there from the Hood Internet as well.

MP3: The Hood Internet – Ghostface Killah vs. Beirut “Save Me Concubine”

MP3: The Hood Internet – Animal Collective vs. Paper Route Gangstaz “Animals Collecting Money”

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The Second Supper Issue 152, The Sight Issue

Posted in Culture with tags La Crosse, Second Supper 152 on Monday, March 2, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Well I must say that I’m glad that I can see this cover because it’s badass. All of the articles in this week’s Second Supper issue are dedicated to the topic of sight, and boy are there some interesting articles at that. This issue really makes me realize that the sense of sight may in fact, be the most important sense that our body has. Briana Rupel tries to go an entire day without any sight at all by tying a bandanna over her eyes. This proves to be a much more task that Bri had even imagined. Ben Clark writes up a nice article in “Smock Talk” about the insanely complex process that our eyes go through in the sense of sight.

The most interesting and touching article in this paper though, is a write-up by Adam Bissen on a La Crosse native named Steve Johnson. Steve is 45 years old and he has lived half of his life with sight, and half of it without sight. The crazy thing is that he lives a more active lifestyle now (without sight), than he did when he had 100% of his vision. He does many of the things that he used to do when he had vision and to be honest he lives a completely normal life. It is truly one of the most interesting articles I’ve ever read, it had me in utter bewilderment.

Thrown in of course are your assortment of favorites (Top Seven, Social Networking & of course reviews) that pertain to the sense of sight, and the usual material that you are used to. So put your head on straight and “look at” your weekly dose of Second Supper.

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Sunday Metalhead Minute: Tombs, “The Divide”

Posted in Sunday Metalhead Minute with tags Audio, relapse records, tombs, winter hours on Sunday, March 1, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Tombs is a snarling Brooklyn-based doom and hardcore act that has had my attention tighter than anyone in underground metal this year. Ever since I got my hands around their previous vinyl releases (S/T and the split with Planks), Winter Hours has been on my shortlist for anticipated releases. Given the relatively limited scope of emotions governing the doom metal spectrum, there’s a very authentic, undeniably inventive perspective and overwhelming presence that Tombs brings to the game. While I was skeptical at first of whether they had simply hit a streak of early luck on the first two releases, Winter Hours (which finally hit stores last Tuesday) is a brilliant album that should ensure they’ll continue to turn a lot of heads this year. All the gears are extremely well-oiled on this one, and this song from the middle of the tracklist is a great example of the beefed up, free-minded blackened doom’n’psychedelics they’re practicing on Winter Hours. I hope to have a full review on this one pending some free time from my school/real work life…