Goblin - Suspiria

Goblin - Suspiria OST (1977)

It's the spookiest time of the year again, so listen to spooky music!

Goblin were an electronic prog rock band from Italy. Originally known as Cherry Five, the band was commissioned by director and spook-master, Dario Argento to help finish compose the music for his 1975 horror masterpiece, Profondo Rosso AKA Deep Red. With the goal of creating such a beautifully goosebumped-out soundtrack, the band needed a much cooler and darker name, apparently, so they trashed the Genesis-inspired Cherry Five name and were re-born as Goblin. After Profondo Rosso, the band were then assigned to compose all of Argento's next film, a sort of ballet of horror, Suspiria!

Suspiria is both suspenseful and beautiful - a combination of traits that also appears in the soundtrack by Goblin. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you if you haven't seen it; I'm just going to say you will be in for quite a treat this Halloween season if you do see it! It's a classic and don't let the whole ballet thing fool you. A good movie can make anything watchable (plus there's really not much ballet anyways).

Here's a taste of Goblin's "Suspiria" if you haven't already familiarized yourself with this incredible track (or the rest of the soundtrack):

Get spooked!

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Monday 104

Back to school math edition.

 Unicorn Harvest - Alan's Tutorials (2013)

Some math math from New York, New York. Check out there music video for "Alex & Tiffany" featuring the illustrious Sin Cara mask:

...and the rest of Alan's Tutorials:



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Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - Despondent (2013)

Some solid solo math stuff from Nnamdi Ogbonnaya of Illinois. When Ogbonnaya is not doing solo stuff or swag/meme-rapping he has been known to drum, do vocals or even play bass for The Para-Medics, Water Houses, Pisces at The Animal Fair, Nervous Passenger. He's even been in My Dads, Itto, and was the mastermind behind Richard Def & the Mos Pryors.

This dude's everywhere.



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Lucas Brode - prixvyou (2014)

Lucas Brode is a guitarist/composer from New York who has also played bass and many other instruments for cool New York bands such as Jerkagram and Hannibal Montana. Brode's completely solo release, prixvyou is filled with amazing guitar work ranging from math rock to jazz and worldly music. Very minimal but still quite interesting to listen to not only as a student of music.


Lucas Brode also makes meditation music which can be found on his bandcamp as well as prixvyou above.

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Monday XCVIII

It's Monday again in America.

Zefs Chasing Cara - Ultra Gown (2013)

Ultra Gown is Zefs Chasing Cara's latest release. It's a little more on the electronic side of math rock but it's noodly nevertheless. I can't say I'm a big fan of Zefs' stuff with the vocals, so this is easily my favorite release by these guys.


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Idiot Genes - Lousy (2013)

If I haven't already said that Boston is on fire right now in the music department, I'M SAYING IT RIGHT NOW; BOSTON IS ON FIRE IN ALL CAPS. I love you Maine, but man am I jonesing to see some Boston music right now. Anyways, Idiot Genes play some of that good ol' garage punk rock that kids have and will always be craving. Gotta have it.




Thought the album artwork would be pretty appropriate for Presidents' Day.

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Jerkagram - Let's Talk About Us (2014)

Jerkagram, a band I threw up here during Monday's very first weeks, have a new album of experimental instrumental and almost modern-day non-German krautrock music. There's also some singing in it, too. Check it out:



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Bonus:

Handful of Romance - a funny film by Sean Martin

My friend, Sean Martin, known by many as "John Coffee", is a freelance film guy. He's been making films of all sorts since I've known him and I've known him for pretty long. His most recent project (that I know of at least) is called Handful of Romance, a humorous sock puppet induced short that took second place at the 'Local Love Muscle Film Festival' this weekend at the Space Gallery in Portland. If you like sock puppets, bros being bros, making out, or just some good old fashion awkward humor, I think you'll get a real kick out of this video. Apparently if there's enough views it will be on the front page of Funny or Die, the website you can currently view the video at, which is pretty cool stuff!

Link: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/3848e600a0/handful-of-romance

On a music related note, Handful of Romance was scored by another buddy of mine, no stranger to this blog either, Jesse Gertz of Leveret.

Watch, listen, and enjoy!

Monday LXXXII

Back to school edition.

Monsters of the Antipodes - Houses (2013)

Math rock meets progressive rock, complex yet melodic, with meaty bass and super addictive guitar licks for days; this is Monsters of the Antipodes.



PS: If you DL Houses (which you should at least), you get a bonus track!

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Kilgore Trout - immemorial (2013)

Kilgore Trout is Kurt Vonnegut screamo. They are a lot more brutal than that Slaughterhouse-Five book.



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Mononoke - Aussicht?! (2011)

German Skramz featuring violins, field recordings of beaches, and even glockenspiel. Really good stuff like that, you dig? Listen!


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A plus to going back to school: that's when I have the most time to work on NFT stuff... so get excited for more things to come!

Monday LXXVII

Yep.

Ginger Alford - Into the Void (2013)

Ginger Alford (Good Luck/Traveling/One Reason) recently went on tour in Europe. She brought these tracks with her:



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Feuding Fathers - Trust Me I'm a Father (2012)

Dizzy math rock featuring the bassist of Boyfrndz along with members of We the Granada (guitar) and Daytes (drums).



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Cayetana - Demo (2012)

Grrrl punx from Philly. Seems like any new music I find is from the Philadelphia/Pennsylvania area these days.



I'm not complaining.

DL it for free via If You Make It, a great site for finding new things from Philly.

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Boyfrndz

Boyfrndz - All Day Pass (2012)

Boyfrndz are a shoegaze-y meets math rock act reminiscent of Caddywhompus, Pterodactyl, and modern day Tera Melos. They are not Japanese.

They are also a three piece from Austin, Texas that mixes a nice layer of noise on top of their pounding drums and distorted chords. The result isn't explosive or ridiculously noisy, but rather a nice thick sounding mixture that would go great on a cake or some sort of juicy pasta.

That's right, I said it; it would go great with cake or pasta.

This is Boyfrndz most recent album entitled, All Day Pass released last September.

Highlights: "All Day Pass", "Not That Sensitive", "Moses Jones", "Surfs Up", and "Closer".



Band members of Boyfrndz are also in these bands: East Cameron Folkcore, Tornahdo, Feuding Fathers, Bridge Farmers, and We The Granada.

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Don Caballero - American Don

Don Caballero - American Don (2000)

American Don is Don Cab's final album before Ian Williams split. Williams is now making the big bucks in experimentally prog and radio friendly "math rock" band Battles. Maybe I'm bitter in saying that since they found themselves small fame but come on, Battles did lend their music out to one of the Twilight flicks... and just recently to some video game of some sport they play in England called soccer.

Williams may have traded his hip points in but his talent should not be overlooked. This guy can play the guitar like no one's business! Twinkling and tapping and all that fun stuff. American Don and the rest of Williams efforts with drum master and possibly prick Damon Che is very enjoyable not just for math rock fans but any enthusiast of jazz or music theory.

American Don was recorded by Steve Albini (Big Black/Shellac/Rapeman) and released on Touch and Go Records.

After American Don and the departure of Ian Williams, Don Cab was signed to Relapse and picked up a heavier sound like that of  fellow label mates of the time, Dysrhythmia. Damon Che continued with Don Caballero as the only constant member.

I always thought Don Caballero were one of those instrumental bands that had too much time on there hands since they didn't have to write any lyrics (with the exception of Punkgasm) and got to focus all their free time on really obscure song titles instead. "Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex", "Details on How to Get ICEMAN on Your License Plate", "A Lot of People Tell Me I Have a Fake British Accent", and "Let's Face It Pal, You Didn't Need That Eye Surgery" are just a few examples from American Don. They're like those inside jokes that you'll never get because 'you just had to have been there I guess'.

Similar acts/sounds: Battles, Stress & Storm, Bellini, Sleeping People, toe, Hella, Dysrhythmia and more.
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Faust IV

Krautrock, kids. Straight up experimental and explorimental. If this album was a substance, I would tell you to abuse it. The psychedelic track, "Jennifer" has got to be one of my favorite songs of the 70's. It's probably the last think I bought from a big label like Virgin in a few years as well.

Faust - IV (1974)

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Jennifer, your red hair is burning