SAY YES LEATHER WILLIAM

Something wells up in me every week, after so many years of doing this, like a nicotine fit of music I need to share. Such was the case last night as I hovered expectantly, BonChon Chicken (Korean style fried) of Jersey City providing some delicious, momentary diversion from my "keen to roll" state. After missing the pgm last week, and what with our show two weeks ago being built around the earthy bliss of Circuit des Yeux, what we got this week was a blast of "TRUE KVLT," much of it on cassette. ...

We confirmed that Veles were indeed from Poland (I was sure, but I feigned doubt) and I strongly suggested that you all see The Redeemer.  That was about it; always personally cathartic for me, and I hope engaging/energizing for the listeners.

One thing I particularly liked was the old Holocaustus track; Holocaustus and Flammentod being the same person (and both inactive since 2011), both projects' discographies worth owning, if you're a fan of stuttering, lurching, power-riff laden, home-studio European NSBM, which I am.

New tracks from Oppression, Kavra and Urðun stood out as enthralling listens, as did slightly older songs from Swallowed, Arizmenda, Glass Coffin and Harassor. GREAT new punk singles from Black Panties and Slugga ...In our last set, digital albums by Spiteful Womb and Throudos are currently in heavy rotation here at home. 

The REALLY BIG NEWS?!? 

NEXT WEEK: SUE P. / SOLID GOLD HELL FILLS IN
IN TWO WEEKS: LIVE MUSIC FROM VOLAHN
IN THREE WEEKS: LIVE MUSIC FROM HUSERE GRAV / FRKSE (more info tc)

GREAT SHOW this Sunday night @ Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn, with Ramlord, Dumal, Ozama

Volahn / Hand of Glory / T.O.M.B. Thursday night @ The Acheron

That is all. Click on this week's still, from Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, to stream the archive, and see the playlsit of last night's horrorcast™.

glazed-over

Last night's My Castle of Quiet was, with a few exceptions, an expression in larger chunks—big, fat slices of sound, that reap the horizon and challenge pop attention-spans.

And though Circuit des Yeux's gorgeous set was technically speaking a collection of songs (those themselves assembled of even smaller song sections), I know for sure that this nuanced, human music will live on in my memory as a complete vision, as the melodies and lyrical phrasings waft in & out of my head over the years, probably forever. I really cannot praise the artistry and subtlety of this session enough, while the sounds remain firmly stood in an arena of attainability and "earthiness," very gettable to anyone who would listen. It's the rare artist that can truly present themselves bare (in song as in music videos), and last night we got a 25-min. window into a rare and humble gift. Thanks to Lily @ Thrill Jockey for making the live set happen; more details, and promotional videos for the new Circuit des Yeux album, In Plain Speech, here.

Haley Fohr quite simply writes great songs, the kind of songs that glide over taste and genre barriers into some universal shared experience. Circuit des Yeux's fans will notice how this live performance has its own unique character and arrangements, set apart from recorded/released versions of these songs, making this session a stand-alone musical event, which is, most often, what we DJs *wink-wink* want from our musical visitations (as opposed to a "straight read.") Ultimately, this performance doesn't even sound like a "radio set," and gives more like an "album."

A few lumps of praise heaped upon our special guests in the moment; many more to come, I imagine, as listeners investigate the program archive (linked to the picture above), and the Circuit des Yeux session's eventual posting to our Free Music Archive. Huge thanks to Haley and Ryan, and to live-sound engineer Jean Paul Gautreaux—it all came off swimmingly.

Listeners also praised: the mammoth album side from the doubly mammoth No Closure, by Scott Miller / Lee Camfield / Merzbow, released on LP by Dead Section Records in Denmark | the staggeringly good "Lost Causes," from the flawless new LP, Perfect World, by Uniform ...other, personal highs, apart from last night's powerfully resonant live set, included: a crushingly "on" tape side from Pregnant Spore (JML) | Tony Tears vinyl issue on Universal Consciousness | more Volkmort | Clocked Out LP on At War With False Noise | Night cs on Vanguard Productions | an unreleased, Kraut-monolith from Death Factory.

Taking a break next week; Bill Mac will be filling in.

My Castle of Quiet returns in two weeks, invigorated, most likely with a belly full of metal.

quality gravesite porn

 

That punk rock not only endures, but remains vital to this day, with great bands making great records, and finding continual new ways to embrace and convey the style, is perhaps more surprising to me than it should be; I grew up with this music, felt the rush of energy, mystery and excitement when Blank Generation, Damned Damned Damned, Flipper's Generic, the Minor Threat EP and the Bad Brains' ROIR cassette hit the stores and I brought em home, I felt like this music was "mine," or at least "of my generation," but NO, AND WHY? ...thing is, every "punk" feels that way, and successive generations of bands and fans forged boldly, intensely ahead, because once it was out there, that feeling of ka-boom never went away.

Our special guests last night, Unholy Two, are one of the great, contemporary examples of why DIY-rock of great fortitude remains and will remain as a persistent deer tick on the neck of rock 'n' roll. When you put the needle down on a record like Talk About Hardcore, you just know—your ears tell you, this band's purpose is righteous, their music made in earnest, and of a need to do so—the best punk rock being borne of necessity and the need to make a large statement that wasn't there before.

Thanks again guys (and gal), it was great to meet you & you're welcome back any time at WFMU and My Castle of Quiet. Link to the audio archive and playlist for last night's always-unholy horrorcast™ by clicking on the tender moment depicted above, from Michele Soavi's Cemetery Man (aka Dellamorte Dellamore; thoughtfully detailed Wikipedia page at that link), a beautiful and comedic horror-parable of uh, yeah, love and loss...cliché but in this case, very true.

...Also making headlines on last night's playlist were Volahn, from their landmark double LP Aq'ab'al, a real album, like bands used to make, that will reveal new layers of greatness every time you listen. Looks like Volahn will be paying their THIRD visit* to The Castle at the end of July, date tba | Serpentine Path | Bethlehem |  EEK with Islam Chipsy (on the great Nashazphone label)

*Black Twilight Circle tour on McoQ 2011

*Anahuac Tour w/ Verglas 2013

Next week...MORE great live music with Circuit Des Yeux (currently on tour)!