KMFDM schedules First Ave. show, Mono schedules Triple Rock show; both on October 5th

Posted in Concert Dates with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on Monday, June 15, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Why, oh why, am I being asked to choose between the Japanese post-rockers in Mono and industrial music’s pioneers in KMFDM? Sure, the bands obviously share more differences than similarities, but I can’t be the only one who jumped for joy a little bit the moment that I saw the announcement of each of these shows, can I?

.. that is, until I realized that they are both scheduled on the same night across town from each other, that is.

Sometimes this city does that to you though (just like I was forced to decide between the Acid Mother’s Temple show at the Entry and the FMTM/Torche/Dredg show at Varsity earlier in the year), and I guess I should just be glad that area booking agents are at least giving me 4 solid months to debate the positives and negatives of attending either gig.

Right now, I’m leaning towards attending the KMFDM gig purely because I’ve never had the chance to see these legends at work. While industrial music’s definitely not my forte, I’ve got a special place in my heart for the noise rock and underground electronic scenes in New York, Germany, and other niches throughout the world which birthed KMFDM and their contemporaries during the early 1980s.  The abrasive electronic sounds that were spearheaded by KFMDM and a few others have seemed to eventually seep into the DNA of pretty much every band I enjoy, and though I don’t know much of their output, I’m pretty sure I’d still be fascinated to see a band that has indirectly had so much influence on my musical taste. Really though, I just want to see THE band who former La Crosse, WI vagabond Pete Missing continuously mentioned when we’d stop by his art gallery some years ago..

KMFDM, ANGEL SPIT
First Avenue
Oct. 5, 2009 | 7 PM
$20 ADV | $20 DOS | 18+

However, post-rock shows are my favorite kind of concerts to attend, and (with very few exceptions) nobody executes better than Mono. Seeing these dedicated musicians playing their soul-stirring psychedelic epics live at top volume is typically a can’t miss event for me, and this time they’ll be playing with Maserati. Considering that they also only visit the U.S. every few years, that I’ll have many more friends in the crowd with me here, and that Mono’s new album Hymn to the Immortal Wind is one of my favorites from the year, I feel like I’d be especially stupid for for missing this one, as well.

MONO, MASERATI
Triple Rock Social Club
Oct. 5, 2009 | 8 PM
$12 ADV | $15 DOS | 21+

Keep reading on the next page for all of KMFDM’s and Mono’s scheduled 2009 tour dates… Continue reading →

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Battle of the Century!?

Posted in Music News, Video with tags , , , , , , , on Monday, June 15, 2009 by Tim Althaus

This video could lead to one of the most epic battles in the history of Hip-Hop. Mighty Mos was interviewed by Angie Martinez on Hot 97 recently and he had a few very well selected choice words to say. Mos responds to how he feels about some emcees making the comment that they are “the best rapper alive”, and how he feels about himself. Mos then goes on to say that he wants to have an all out battle in New Orleans. You would have your beat battles, break battles, DJ battles and last but not least a 5 Vs. 5 emcee battle with a captain on each team. On Mos’s team you ask? Of course you would have Mos Def but in addition you would have Black Thought, DOOM, Jay Electronica & Nas. On the other team it would be Jay-Z or Kanye + whoever they choose. All I can say is holy shit.

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Sunday Metal Song: Starkweather, “Shroud”

Posted in Sunday Metalhead Minute with tags , , , , , on Sunday, June 14, 2009 by Ryan Buege

The Sunday Metal Minute is back for another week, and yet again the underground metal mainstream has failed to provide me with any new media that I’m anxious to post (..I’m holding out on a Municipal Waste post until we either get some more tracks to leak or see a music video..), so I’ve decided to dig back into the Mind Inversion vaults. Without the albums released by this week’s pick, Starkweather, metal as we know it likely would not exist.

Though they are still relatively unknown to this day, early releases by Starkeweather such as Crossbearer and Into the Wire united the ferocious styles of death and doom metal with the no-bullshit straightforward hardcore of Youth of Today and Minor Threat and eventually contributed a directl influence current darlings including Converge, Mastodon, and the Dillinger Escape Plan among others. In fact, for those who need a comparison, I’d liken the plight of Starkweather to the same one that afflicted Anvil back in the 80s, where the most enjoyable aspects of the band’s abrasive, hard-rocking metal sound were co-opted by others to propel their success while Anvil continued to dwell in obscurity (at least until this year, that is..). However, unlike Anvil, Starkweather’s output from the early 90s still sounds ahead of its time today and could easily garner comparisons to recent output from the like-minded boundary pushers in Kylesa – and they still haven’t received their big break.

“Shroud” is a great example of the emotional depth and vicious ferocity that Starkweather was capable of. If you have never heard this band but enjoy any others that I’ve mentioned in this post, do yourself a favor and download this and then begin to search for more to add to your collection; recent reissues and a new album via Candlelight Records in 2006 have made it easier than in past years.

DOWNLOAD: Starkweather, “Shroud” (from Into the Wire, 1995)

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Saturday Single: The Prodigy – “Warrior’s Dance”

Posted in Audio, Downloads, Saturday Single with tags , , , , , on Saturday, June 13, 2009 by Erik Burg

Oh boy does it feel good to be featuring The Prodigy on Mind Inversion. The creators of fine techno music since the ’80s and the founders of hardcore prog-techno or whatever you want to call their genre, The Prodigy continue to put out great music. And one of the better tracks off their 2009 Invaders Must Die album is “Warrior’s Dance”, which recently got the remix and single go around. Let’s discuss.

The Prodigy – “Warrior’s Dance”  Buy it: iTunes / Vinyl

warriors dance

“Warrior’s Dance” does a lot of what made The Prodigy famous, it’s in line with the amazing “Smack My Bitch Up” or some of their earlier material in that it just blasts pure techno music. That’s the only way to put it, it’s a hard hitting track that builds, stops, builds and then projects a sound that’s as amazing and engulfing as any in the electro world. The track begins with siren-like interludes that draw the listener in, while thousand pound synths creep up and build to include the vocals. The female voice ignites the track. And as her second verse comes in the song completely takes flight. I think the titles of the song completely fits the vibe of the track. The song is dirty, gritty, and Prodigy-esque. Mindful of a warrior, yet has that danceable chaotic hook that many of The Prodigy’s tracks are best known for. It’s quite simply a fun experience for anybody who hasn’t heard The Prodigy before, the fast paced and in your face tempo make for a fun and sporadic single. The remixes included are just as stellar. Two standouts on the B side are the “Kick Like A Mule Remix” and the “Benga Remix”. The later is a more rhythmic and dubbed up version of the track, while the former is a stellar club remix that does exactly what it says, as the bass line in the remix is amplified, and with a nice stereo or headset the kick absolutely whales. “Warrior’s Dance” was already one of the better electro tracks of the year, and now with the single it’s proving once again why The Prodigy still have what it takes to make some of the best techno music in the entire world.

MP3: The Prodigy – “Warrior’s Dance”

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Album Review: Dirty Projectors – “Bitte Orca”

Posted in Audio, Downloads, Music News, Music Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , on Friday, June 12, 2009 by Erik Burg

bittee orca

Move over Veckatimist, there’s a new sheriff in town for second best album of the year (yes, of course Merriweather is first). It’s an album that’s slightly underrated, never hyped like the beasts that Veckatimist or Merriweather are, and often times dismissed because of The Dirty Projectors former albums. 

But Bitte Orca is so far from the solo David Longstreth era Dirty Projectors is nearly unrecognizable. Though Longstreth’s amazing guitar work remains, Bitte Orca is a more original, more polished, more enjoyable Rise Above. The album’s cover features two of the most talented women in the music business, Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian, vaunting the importance of the two on this album compared to former works. The pair make the album what it is, their vocals, used exclusively on certain tracks like the first single “Stillness is the Move” or used perfectly in conjunction with Longstreth on “Cannibal Resource” to create a sound that’s uniquely Dirty Projectors. And that’s why it rivals some of the best material out there, just like Animal Collective or Grizzly Bear define their genres or in essence create their own genres, The Dirty Projectors define what art-pop, or whatever you choose to call, is. 

Tracks like “Useful Chamber” exemplify exactly why The Dirty Projectors are in a class of their own. It starts with a slightly electro-infused bass line, something uncharacteristic yet still well placed. Longstreth’s undulating voice comes in, calm and whisper like. Deradoorian and Coffman follow, adding a melody that echos and swirls. The Dirty Projector’s constuct a song like it’s a painting. One thing builds onto another, parts overlap, it becomes a mess, but yet the goal remains clear, the meaning is clear. The song slows, it gathers itself for the album’s title, “Bitte Orca, Orca Bitte.” Longstreth absolutely whales on the guitar, plucking string after string in his own unique sound. It’s classic Dirty Projectors, and as Deradoorian and Coffman sing as loud as ever, the song comes to its crescendo. “Useful Chamber” continues on. There’s a small guitar solo, there’s more drums at the end of the track than on any other song. It’s masterful… and probably only the fifth best song on the album. 

MP3: The Dirty Projectors – “Useful Chamber”

Many of the songs on the album follow that same formula, the following track, “No Intention” is nearly the same way. Using Coffman and Deradoorian as compliments to Longstreth’s powerful vocals. “No Intention” shines thanks to the guitar once again, the way Longstreth plays the guitar, it sounds nothing like anything else out there. It’s perfection, it’s precision, it’s just plain fun to listen to. Each string has it’s own individual sound, and as he plays up and down the guitar, Longstreth is crafting the album of the year. whoo whoo whooo, if you read this far, and if you know how much I lOVED Merriweather you’re wondering what’s going on. Well readers (all 5 of you), after seeing The Dirty Projectors live earlier this year at the Walker Arts Center, playing nearly the entire album live before it’s release, and after listening to the album countless times already, I think it’s safe to say that Bitte Orca is THE album of the year so far. 

It just does everything so well, and so uniquely. Maybe it’s the timing, teaming the summer-ish feeling album with the summer, and maybe I’m just in a really good mood today, who knows, but as Bitte Orca plays in my ears yet again, it’s as enjoyable and as jaw-dropping as the first second I heard “Stillness is the Move” live months ago. The Dirty Projector’s have put themselves on the map as a band, not Longstreth making weird half-instrumental albums or re-creating Black Flag songs, but as a full-fledged force. Bitte Orca is a beautiful work of art. Exemplifying some of the best vocalization and guitar work on album in a long time, it’s time for Merriweather and Vecaktimist to move over, because Bitte Orca is only beginning to gain momentum. 

MP3: The Dirty Projectors – “Stillness is the Move” (A Cappella Version)

9.5/10  This album simply has to be heard, get it at one one of two places: Amie Street mp3s or Domino Records

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Alchemist Flashes a “Smile” With Twista & Maxwell

Posted in Audio, Downloads, Video with tags , , , , , on Friday, June 12, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Here’s a single off of yet another album I can’t wait to get. Alchemist leaked the second track off of his new album Chemical Warfare entitled “Smile”. It features the R&B singer Maxwell and features the cunningly quick Twista on the mic as well. Is it just me or has Alchemist really been stepping up his rhyme game as of late? Make sure you check this one, Alchemist knows how to make some sick beats. You can also follow me after the jump to download the first leak off of Chemical Warfare featuring Eminem. Continue reading →

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Mid-week late night viewing party: Sonic Youth, Rancid, and Blink 182

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on Thursday, June 11, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Last night, I only had the time to watch Sonic Youth jam on a more abrasive version of “Sacred Trickster” for their glorious new album The Eternal (review probably pending) on the Late Show with David Letterman before I hit the hay. However, for those who have been paying attention, this week has certainly been a good one for fans of the mid-90s alternative rock scene, as Conan O’Brien hosted an appearance from Rancid last night and Jimmy Kimmel featured a reunion performance from Blink 182 consisting of only classic songs from their back catalog on Tuesday. Since I was too sleepy to watch it all, I’ve rounded up all the videos for you to watch here this afternoon. We begin with the best:

VIDEO: Sonic Youth “Sacred Trickster” (live on the Late Show with David Letterman)

Rancid and Blink after the jump… Continue reading →

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Concert Recap: Mayhem, Anal Blast, Grand Demise of Civilization, and Deterioration @ Station 4

Posted in Concert Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Thursday, June 11, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Mayhem live @ Station 4

As Mayhem brought Blackened Fest to St. Paul, MN on June 9, 20009, the vibe was unexpectedly and unfortunately even more somber than one would have hoped for the return of some of Norwegian black metal’s reigning elite. After already suffering the crippling blow of a late visa-related cancellation from Marduk before the tour began, the rest of the lineup except for Mayhem (Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation, and Withered) were forced to cut the trek short the night before St. Paul due to a variety of complications described by Justina V. over at Metal Injecction. Whether or not Justina’s indictment of Mayhem’s responsibility for the festival’s implosion is accurate or not, I certainly can understand her resentment as a fellow Metal Injection reporter (based in MPLS) and someone who was on the opening band’s guestlists that never arrived. To put it shortly, it was a huge bummer to be greeted with the cancellation announcement sign as I walked in, and it made me skeptical I’d even enjoy what was now becoming an expensive evening for me (although, I must say, the ticket price was actually slashed to 1/2 the original cost for those who bought advanced tickets, and refunds and free Absu tickets for next week were being offered to attendees – the venue was graciously being overly apologetic for the unfortunate circumstances).

While performances from Cattle Decap, Cephalic Carnage, Withered, and Marduk would never occur, Mayhem pushed on against the odds and advice of financial experts, carrying the torch of blackness alone on the last dates of a now-solo headlining tour. Playing to a crowd of devoted Twin Cities extreme metal faithful, Mayhem’s blistering, theatrical black metal and a collection of local bands that adequately replaced the openers who were dismissed eventually won over the dejected.

Chris Deline, my pal from CultureBully, has already posted an excellent review that breaks down the action for the show set-by-set, so I invite you to check out his recap and live videos to see exactly how the entire night panned out.

For my part, every opening act that played brought something unique to the table, just as I had originally expected heading into the night. Deterioration‘s two-instrument aural assault was the most eye-opening physical display of death-grind talent I’ve seen all year, while Grand Demise of Civilization‘s straight-forward black metal offered one of the most spectacularly ceremonious performances you’re likely to see from a band of any kind in this region. To top it all off, the classic campy metal humor of deathgore lifers in Anal Blast helped to lighten the mood considerably before Mayhem finally took control of the room.

By the time Mayhem hit the stage, the crowd was primed and ready to unleash under their dizzying spell of disgusting black metal. As Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, and the guitar duo of Morfeus and Silmaeth blasted out the storm, Attila Csihar hung his rope mockingly above the thrashing mass of a darkness in front of him, taunting the pulsing mosh pit with an oppressive arm and repeatedly ridiculing the disgraces of humanity. The stage set up was grizzly and overbearing, as well; however, one such as myself couldn’t help being sucked sucked in by this chaotic display from such a legendary and influential band beneath the dazzling lights at Station 4 in the much the same way that many people are by shocking horror films. Until the end, Mayhem never ceased to shock and impress my blackened heart after so many years throughout the lenght of their performance; when it’s said and done, they put together a show well-worth the ticket price and surely were appreciated by everyone who they stuck it out and played for (despite their inevitable financial loss).

Concluding our coverage at Station 4, I’ve got my own video from Mayhem’s set as well as some pretty vivid photographic evidence from the night. The media continues below:

VIDEO: Mayhem, Live at Station 4 in St. Paul, MN, 6/9/09

Mayhem live @ Station 4(Mayhem)

Mayhem live @ Station 4(Mayhem)

Photos of Mayhem, Anal Blast, Grand Demise of Civilization, and Deterioration continue after the jump… Continue reading →

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P.O.S. & Toki Wright “Exposed” @ Soundset ’09

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , , on Thursday, June 11, 2009 by Tim Althaus

As you can see by the video above, Mr. Peter Parker caught up with Stef at this year’s Soundset Festival in Shakopee, MN. It’s a good sized interview clocking in at just around eight minutes long, and the interview runs the gamut as far as topics are concerned. P.O.S. talks about the cup trick that his friend Allegra taught him on the track “Optimist” and how long he had been waiting to base a track around that sound. Another issue he addresses is how he likes to make albums that no one else has ever heard before. Great interview from Mr. Peter Parker, follow me after the jump for the Toki Wright video. Continue reading →

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Royce Da 5’9″, The Revival EP (Artwork & Tracklisting)

Posted in Music News with tags , , , on Thursday, June 11, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Revival EP

Sadly enough, Royce’s new album Street Hop has been pushed back until September to make way for the new Slaughterhouse album. According to the article I read at 2DopeBoyz, all of the cats from Slaughterhouse will be dropping digital EP’s, you can get Royce’s on July 7th. Follow me after the jump for the tracklisting. Continue reading →

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