Album of the Day - Libra

Though the film itself is a grindingly tedious, post-Exorcist possession motif, not worthy of Mario Bava's magnificent filmography which preceded it, redeemed only slightly by the presence of the wonderful Daria Nicolodi—the soundtrack to Schock (a film which apparently would potentially so scandalize the viewer that the title required an extra "c" for emphasis) is some hot-shit instrumental prog rock, worthy of the best works of Goblin. The score is quite varied, adding pieces for subtle electronics and piano to the expected, spooky, driven rock melodies that married so well to the European thrillers of the era.

Libra did have several personnel connections to Goblin, in the form(s) of keyboardist Maurizio Guarini, guitarist Carlo Pennisi and percussionist Walter Martino. The review of this CD reissue at Sea of Tranquility explains the history of the recording and the band in greater detail.

>>> Libra - Schock (1977)

Daria Nicolodi official MySpace

Re-Ups of Popular Downloads

I've had multiple re-up requests for both of these:

Juan Carlos Calderón - Vengeance of the Zombies (cinelogue rip from video)

Demetrio Stratos - Metrodora

The download links in the original posts have also been replaced with new mediafire links, which should be more long-lasting. TH AN KYO UF ORYO URP ATR ONAG E

Please also see my post on Vengeance of the Zombies at WFMU's Beware of The Blog.

Links Now Fixed

The download links for Jed Hershon, Mark Graves and The Queen of Black Magic are now fixed, moved from coolfilehost (which seems to have disappeared) to mediafire. Thanks to the readers who made me aware of the broken links. Many of my older links were short-term by design, but I'm always open to re-ups, so feel free to make a request.

Album of the Day - Bloodhammer

Some six years onward, this is still one of my favorite black metal albums ever. Bloodhammer are a still-active project from Finland (please don't call them a "kvlt horde"—in 2003, we didn't yet have such instantly overworked terms), and Abbedissan Saatanalliset Houreet is their finest moment—dirty, garagey, catchy as hell and a little sloppy, in all the right ways—as much a descendant of "Louie, Louie" as of Darkthrone's Under a Funeral Moon. The guitars are mixed way up front, so much so that the drums sound like distant gunfire jockeying for position.

This a rip of the CD, though the rarer LP version (pictured) features one additional track.

download>>> Bloodhammer - Abbedissan Saatanalliset Houreet

Sexlab Tonight! Live on the Web @ wfmu.org

I haven't been floating around in zero gravity all these many days for nothing. And if you're wondering, the answer is yes, one can get aroused in space, but the cleanup is...well...you don't want to know.

Tune in for three hours of frank sex discussion, your calls and questions, and some "dirty" songs, too—with the Sexlab team: Pseu Braun, Mark Allen and myself.

The fun begins at 8PM ET. Live Web stream will be available at wfmu.org. Call us at (201) 209-9368, or email asksexlab@wfmu.org

More information here, here and here.

Album of the Day - Jed Hershon

Born, as I was, in the damning heat of August 1964, Jed Hershon is a formidable sound-smasher and occult-text enthusiast.

The Nine Rings of Hell comprises haunting, haunted and sometimes jarring audio collage in the spirit of the more out-there Coil and Nurse With Wound tracks—more like nine rings of a good time if you ask me.

The 9th ring is no doubt Jed's personal hell, a vision of damnation where the Lake of Fire is littered with cell phones, lost electronic transmissions and misunderstood Facebook posts. There are a whole lot of people in that lake who haven't yet figured out that their souls are shredded, and they just won't shut up.

If Eliphas Levi were still around, and fancied long, nicotine-fueled nights at the laptop, hammering away in Audacity, this is what it would sound like.

download>>> Jed Hershon - The Nine Rings of Hell

More Cassette Stuff - Mark Graves

First of all, this guy has a great name, whether it's his born name or not.

The other day I posted The Ergots' "Happy Mother's Day" from this same split cassette—here now are a few tracks from the Mark Graves side of the tape. I rediscovered these songs while scanning the tape for the Ergots track, and found them to be perfectly in line with my listening of recent weeks. I've been almost completely immersed in semi-improvisational, creepy musical atmospheres, crusty noise and submerged melodies. "Horrorscapes," as I imagine them, and these Mark Graves tracks hit the mark with that delightful vibe of home-multitracked gloom. Hope you enjoy.

>>>Mark Graves - "Terminal Breathing" & "Thunder Duck"

Short Film of the Day - Flight (1997)

This 7-minute experimental film by Les LeVeque will be an endurance test for some, absolute bliss for others. It's currently featured as a bonus on the Wendy and Lucy DVD, as W & L director Kelly Reichardt is also a Bard film professor, and produces and promotes many films by her students and colleagues.

What appears to be a few frames from the first moon landing is here exploited and "remixed" to dazzling effect, and accompanied by synched, pulsating noise audio. The images stutter and leap in time to the sonic assault, or vice versa. Click the link above for more information about the director, and more films (viewable as tiny pop-ups.)

Screen & Audio Capture(s) of the Day

I've always been amused by the notion that religious faith (also known as good magic) and the forces of evil (black magic) were actual, physical powers that could rain blows upon one another. That's what it's really all about, right? Knocking each other around? This is a theme that comes up again and again in Asian horror films from the '70s and '80s, especially productions from China and Indonesia. Monks, priests and holy men fight zombies, vampires and black magicians, shooting beams of energy back and forth, like boxers imbued with the otherworldly talents of Marvel characters.

In The Queen of Black Magic (Indonesia 1979), a scorned woman becomes the Karate Kid of evil, so she can wreak revenge on the man who wronged her, as well as his fellow villagers. Several scenes of eye-popping gore spice up the well-executed (!) drama, and an interview/studio tour with the effects designer for the film makes a nice extra on the DVD. This is exactly the kind of obscure, cultural skulduggery that we count on the great Mondo Macabro label to dust off and bring to our DVD screens.

download choice audio>>The Queen of Black Magic - Initiation Scene

The Best Mother's Day Song Ever / Ergots

"Happy Mother's Day" by The Ergots, from a split cassette with Mark Graves, ca. 198?. This song rattles through my head every Mother's Day, and speaks to my feelings about the holiday quite precisely (as if mentioning Passaic in song wasn't already enough to win me over.)

This tape came to me as a submission for my now-defunct Lo-Fi radio program on WFMU. For more on that, see Lo-Fi star Ray Brazen's recently posted fine memoir here.

>download "Happy Mother's Day" by The Ergots

Screen Capture(s) of the Day

Despite these potent images (and the fact that the ghoul on the title card looks like a prototype for Facebones on Metalocalypse) Satan's Slave ultimately makes for a lukewarm happening. If, like me, you're jazzed by 60s-70s low-budget satanic/black cult/possession/chosen-one film motifs, and a few good kill scenes make for icing on the cake, well then you've already seen this one, you sad completist. Satan's Slave is made somewhat special by the presence of Michael Gough (the man behind the Baphomet above), a strong and perhaps under-appreciated luminary of horror/fantasy films and thrillers. Gough, primarily known as a character actor in television, and from small roles in blockbusters like The Boys From Brazil and the Batman movies, is notable also for his starring roles in the much-beloved schlock classics Horror Hospital (directed by Antony Balch of Towers Open Fire fame) and Trog. More great screen caps and a review of Satan's Slaves here.

Trailer here.

Screen Capture, Trailer and Audio Capture of the Day

Twisted Brain aka Horror High (1974.) Click above and left for more info.

Download some choice audio here >>> Vernon kills Miss Grindstaff

Last Night's Show Is Up

Click image to enter. Starring Moving Gelatine Plates (whose name I am unable to utter by some lip-flapping curse), Bone Awl, Birchville Cat Motel, Dark Tribe and Robedoor.

Post-Walpurgisnacht Come-Down Party

Hey, I'm on the radio AGAIN. Tonight, from 8-11 p.m. ET (filling in for Pseu.)

WFMU-FM 91.1, or WXHD 90.1 (lower Hudson Valley) and online @ wfmu.org.

After a night of Witches' Sabbaths, blood sacrifices, and ritual debauchery, a dance around the Maypole is almost guaranteed to be a let-down.

Come and share the post-hallucinatory, post-sex frenzy malaise with me. Real-time playlist happens here.