Funky and creepy at the same time, the score to Dario Argento‘s 1975 classic giallo movie Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) is a great one. Claudio Simonetti’s Goblinreleased this version a few years back with new performances of the classic material Simonetti made with the original members of Goblin and also with live versions and alternate cuts.
The main theme, “Profondo Rosso,” combines Simonetti’s clockwork synths with church organs, funk bass, and prog-rock drumming. “Death Dies” could fit into any 1970’s action film with its urgent piano chords, TittaTani‘s car chase drums, and BrunoPrevitali‘s groovy guitar squalls. Federico Amorosi‘s bass on “Mad Puppet” is like lava bubbling under a dormant volcano until about the three-minute mark when the tune becomes a chilling walk through what normally is a groovy neighborhood but now feels slightly…wrong.
“Deep Shadows” is bizarre with its quirky synths, Previtali’s shredding, and the rhythm section breaking the tune open into a prog-rock jam. A live version (from 2000) of “School at Night” follows, with its creepy child sing-song vocals and music box chimes, and it flows into live versions (from the same show) of “Mad Puppet” and “Profondo Rosso.”
Rounding out the album are alternate versions of “Death Dies” (from 1992) and “Profondo Rosso” (from 1990). Both are harder, faster versions. Simonetti’s piano work on “Death Dies” is especially frantic and jazzy. The version of the main theme (which is also another live cut) is even called the “rock version” and has bigger drums and guitars with a bit more distortion than usual. Plus, Simonetti goes nuts on his keyboards by the end of it.
It’s a great score, especially if you love giallo movies, Goblin’s work, or progressive rock.
Chicago power-punks Axis: Sova tighten up but still keep plenty of live-to-tape fuzz and fury on their newest record – Shampoo You.
The opening riffs of “Terminal Holiday” are a great example of that. The guitar fuzz is almost funky and then almost psychedelic while the Peter Hook-inspired bass keeps you from free-floating beyond gravity.
The guitars are pure new wave on “New Disguise.” The skronks and squeaks are great, and the drum beat is like something from an early Knack record. “Crystal Predictor” is one of the sharpest post-punk tracks of 2018 with a catchy chorus and guitar chords that shred one moment and then ooze the next.
The dual vocals on “Dodger” are a great touch to an already keen track that is louder than you realize at first. “Stale Green” slows down the tempo but ups the power and grooves. The bass groove on “Shock Recognition” could be from a Cure B-side, while the guitar solos border on noise rock cacophony and the electric drums are so precise that they might cut you.
The album ends with the Black Angels-like “Same Person Twice,” which might be about reincarnation or being stuck in repetitive relationships. I like that they decided to end the record on a slightly mellow note. It’s like a cool-down after a high-intensity spin bike workout.
This is one of those records that gets better with each listen.
You know you’re in for a psychedelic music treat when an album opens with a track entitled “The Intergalactic Drifters Inn Welcoming Center Theme Song Pt-1.” Recorded between the Dunes‘ home land of Australia and their part-time homeland of Texas, the psych-giants’ newest (and self-titled) record is a welcome addition to 2018 releases. I’m a longtime fan of the band, and learning this record was coming out this year was like getting an early birthday present.
The opening track mixes shoegaze guitar droning with desert wind synths and didgeridoo tones to put you in the right frame of mind without the need for any kind of of, ahem, enhancements. It will do the work for you. “When You Wake Up” then bursts into your brain like the sun coming through the window after a long night of partying. The reverbed vocals speak of either sleeping off a bad trip, putting the past behind you, or reincarnation (“When you wake up, it’ll be all right.”). It could be all three for all I know. Just let the wall of distortion wash over you.
Psychedelic surf guitars step up front and center on “Making Friends with Codeine.” It’s appropriately trippy and catchy as all get-out. The cleverly titled “(Just Because You’re Not Being Followed Doesn’t Mean You’re Not) Paranoid” reminds me of Black Angels‘ tracks in that it’s creepy, rocking, and mind-melting all at the same time.
“Mountain” is something the Yeah Yeah Yeahs would’ve created if they’d become a psychedelic rock band instead of an art-punk band. The tribal of drums of “New Old” drive the track for over seven minutes of powerful psychedelic rock complete with vintage keys and guitars that stomp their fuzz pedals into submission.
“It feels like the bottom of the sea,” Stacie Reeves sings on “WKNDS” – a track heavy and weird enough to be on your playlist while doing deep sea research on bioluminescent fish or color-shifting cephalopods. “Pariah” is nearly nine minutes and it’s a fine journey toward a desert sunset while walking alongside an Aboriginal shaman.
“The Intergalactic Drifters Inn Welcoming Center Theme Song Pt-II” closes the record, letting us know that our tour of the cosmos has come to a conclusion. The Dunes have taken you on a journey that is difficult to describe, but you know it was mind-altering while you were on it. Thankfully, you can take the journey anytime you want and will probably notice something different every time.
Keep your mind open.
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Italy’s Thrown Down Bones(Dave Gali and Francesco Vanni) fully embrace their love of breakbeat, house, rave, and dance music on their newest album – Two. Mixing synths with effects pedals, electronic drums, and touches of industrial guitars, TDB gets you moving from the outset and don’t let up until the LP ends.
The thumping beats and chugging bass that open the album and “First Follower” bring to mind some of Depeche Mode‘s darker tracks, and the pulsing, laser gun-like synths take us into sci-fi anime realms. The stunning “We Are Drugs” is your favorite industrial dance track of the year. The heavy but sharp bass line alone is worth the album’s purchase price.
The guitars on “Slow Violence” sound like an orchestrated saw mill (in a good way) while the synths bring a well-balanced light to the track. “NO-FI” is dark wave meets future noir dance music. It’s so slick that it might cause you to slip if you’re walking while listening to it.
You will love “Golovkin” if you were ever part of the 1990’s rave culture. It’s like stepping out of a strobe light-emblazoned time machine shaped like a pacifier. TBD clearly isn’t screwing around by this point and are staking their claim as one of the premiere electro dance track artists of Europe (if not worldwide). “Is This Us” keeps the amps at eleven by upping the distortion and the impact of the beats.
The backward-sounding bass on “Known Unknown” immediately intrigues you, and then the John Carpenter-like keyboard rhythms get you moving (or running from a Blade Runner, vampire, alien, or ninjas). By the time we get to the closer, “Zero Day Exploit,” you are deep in the Matrix with images of computer code, flying cars, robot soldiers, and android pole dancers flashing through your head.
Two is one of the most exciting records I’ve heard all year. It grabs you in the first few moments and holds on like a tandem skydiver until the end.
Keep your mind open.
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The moment I heard Italian composer and keyboardist Claudio Simonetti was touring with her latest version of Goblin and performing the live score to Dario Argento’s Suspiria while the film was shown, I knew I had to score a ticket to see the show. The closest venue for which I could secure one was the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This would be the third incarnation of Goblin I’ve seen in the last few years and the first time I’ve seen Suspiria on the big screen.
The Wealthy Theatre is a small venue that hosts retro film screenings and live music performances. I almost literally bumped into two men outside the venue who obtained free tickets after one of them had sold a computer to the drummer, Titta Tani, through Craigslist. Neither of them had seen Goblin or Suspiria. I told them they were in for a treat.
The film was a big hit with the crowd. It had been a while since I’d seen it and I’d forgotten how much of a master’s course it is on lighting. I noticed a couple people having to turn away from the screen during a couple murder scenes, so it’s still an effective horror piece. Goblin did a great job with the live score, building tension and rocking out without overpowering the dialogue during critical scenes.
They played a full set afterwards of music from other film scores. A big hit was their music from Dawn of the Dead.
They were really cooking by this point, and their pieces from Demons, Phenomena, and Tenebrae (which made the guy next to me stop in his tracks as he started to leave for the restroom) were also big highlights. They ended with the main theme from Deep Red – a personal favorite.
The crowd was buzzing afterwards, and Mr. Simonetti and crew were kind enough to hang around in the lobby afterwards and sign autographs. I saw many horror fans with DVDs, special collector’s edition vinyl, posters, and more, and everyone was patient and happy to be there.
It was a nice post-Halloween / pre-Thanksgiving treat. Don’t miss this tour if you’re a fan of horror films, progressive rock, or film scores. It’s selling out at a lot of dates and it’s well worth it.
This 2004 collection from Cherry Red Records covers music made by living legend composer Ennio Morriconefor films in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. It’s a wild, trippy mix of music for thrillers, erotic comedies, and crime films.
It starts with three tracks from one of the best giallo films ever made, Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. The theme, “Plume di Cristallo,” begins the journey into a dark, shadowy world with creepy, child-like vocals, tinkling crystal bells, and acoustic guitar that’s both warm and chilling at the same time. The lovely, almost waltz-like “Non Rimane Piu Nessano” and the jazz freak-out “Corsa Sui Tetti” (which sounds like a fight inside a dark club) follow.
After that we get two from another Argento film that Morricone scored – Four Flies on Grey Velvet – “Come Un Madrigale” (which reminds one of a winter stroll through a bleak yet beautiful city park) and the film’s main theme – which incorporates both gospel and circus music elements…because Morricone is a bad ass.
Up next are tracks from the film One Night at Dinner – “Sauna” (which is luxurious as you’d hope with sparkling xylophones), “Alla Luce Del Giorno” (with plenty of psychedelic keyboard work, meaningless vocal sounds, and psych-pop guitar), and “Uno Che Grida Amore” (in which you can hear touches of his spaghetti western soundtracks – the piano – and lush strings mixing with jazz drums).
We’re off to the film Forza G with the smooth and lush (Those strings!) “Sospeci Fra Le Nuvole” and the film’s main theme with its sweet jazz drumming. “L’assoluto Naturale” (from She and He) follows with haunting French horn backed with simple acoustic guitar chords to produce a haunting effect. The short, action sequence-ready “Studio Di Colore” (also from She and He) could fit into nearly any bank heist scene.
The main theme to “Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto” (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) is track on this record most like one from Morricone’s spaghetti westerns with its mouth harp, quirky piano chords, and clockwork percussion. “Terazza” (from the 1977 comedy Il Gatto / The Cat) has poppy lounge organ mixed with sexy, slithering beats and slightly Latin horns. The closer is another track from Il Gatto – “Mariangela e la Seduzione” – which belongs on your next make-out mix tape because it’s practically the sounds of a woman having a long orgasm while lounge jazz plays behind her.
This is a must for film score buffs, fans of Morricone’s work, or psychedelic jazz. Morricone is a true maestro and his influence on music and pop culture is phenomenal.
Dehumanization, over-reliance on technology, (un)intentional loneliness, love, freedom, sex, and the inward journey toward finding the true self are just some of the concepts covered on Janelle Monae‘s newest, and best yet, record – Dirty Computer.
The title refers to a futuristic world in which people who don’t fit into social norms are classified as “dirty” and relegated to either second or third-class citizenship or brainwashed into civility. What’s worse is that many of us do this to ourselves daily. The title track (featuring Brian Wilson, no less) sets the tone. “I’m not that special. I’m broke inside, crashing slowly. The bugs are in me,” she sings as she shuffles through a bleak, futuristic landscape looking for love.
“Crazy, Classic, Life” begins with a sermon preaching that freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is for everyone no matter their social status, sexual preference, or skin color. “I just want to party hard, sex in a swimming pool. I don’t need a lot of cash. I just want to break the rules,” Monae sings behind big, bold beats. “I am not the American nightmare. I am the American dream,” she proclaims. It’s a rallying cry for everyone.
The beats on “Take a Byte” remind me of Tears for Fears at first, and then they switch to sultry house beats as Monae claims she’s not the kind of girl you take home to meet your mother. She’d rather you nibble on her mocha skin. Meow. “Screwed” keeps up the sexy theme (“Wanna get screwed at a festival, wanna get screwed like an animal.”) and takes potshots at those in power who are screwing over those below them (“You fucked the world up now, we’ll fuck it all back down.”).
If you don’t think she’s serious, then consider “Django Jane,” in which Monae puts down a fierce rap about misogyny with lyrics like, “And we gonna start a mother-fuckin’ pussy riot, or we gonna have to put ’em on a pussy diet.” and “Let the vagina have a monologue.”
It’s fitting (and tongue-in-cheek…and more) that “Pynk” follows, as it’s a tribute not only to lady parts, but also to female sexuality and empowerment. As if that weren’t sexy enough, “Make Me Feel” is perhaps the sexiest song of the year as Monae boldly comes out of the closest as pansexual. Monae worked with Prince on some of the sounds of this record before his death, and his influence is immediately apparent on this track with its funky guitar, swelling synths, and dance beats.
“I Got the Juice” is Monae again claiming her freedom from expectations, illusions, and haters – including one in the White House when she states, “If you try to grab this pussy, then this pussy’ll grab you back.” “I Like That” has Monae telling us that she’s happy with who she is at this point in her life, which is really what all of us want. Her vocals on “Don’t Judge Me” are lovely, showing her versatility. She can float between serious rap chops and torch songs with ease.
She admits that she’s not perfect on “So Afraid.” She’s tentative about settling down and commitment, and her bold, to-the-back-of-the-church vocals emphasize how she’s on the verge of taking the plunge but still can’t quite make the leap of faith.
“Just love me, baby. Love me for who I am…Don’t try to take my country. I will defend my land. I am not crazy, I’m American,” she sings on “Americans” before dropping in sound bytes of a sermon on what America represents and what it has become in 2018 and it could be in the future. The last lyric on the record, as the music fades, is, “Please sign your name on the dotted line.” Is it a call to action, or a warning?
I’m not sure. That’s for Monae to know and for the rest of us to learn by self-introspection and, among other things, listening to this record.
I last tried to see Public Image Ltd.thirty years ago when a friend of mine in high school won tickets to see them play in Indianapolis. She couldn’t make the show, or just didn’t want to go, and told me she’d give me the tickets once she picked them up from the radio station that held the conotest. She kept avoiding me as the day of the show drew closer. I tracked her down the day of the show and asked about the tickets. She blushed and admitted that she didn’t make it to the station to get them. I was out of luck.
PiL went through many lineup changes and hiatuses and went on many tours that never came close to my neck of the woods since then. I finally got tickets to see them at Chicago’s Thalia Hall…and learned a couple weeks before the show that I was going to have to cancel the trip because a co-worker would still be recovering from surgery. I was, as you can guess, bummed about that.
As fate would have it, however, my co-worker recovered faster than anyone imagined he would and I ended up with the night off…although I still had to work at 6am the next day. I wouldn’t let that stop me, however.
PiL started their set with the low-key “Deeper Water,” and then slowly ramped up the energy from there forward. John Lydon stood like a professor at a podium in front of his microphone and sheet music stand, delivering a lesson on how to own a stage and spit venom (all the while alternating sips of water and straight bourbon from the bottle between songs). He even shimmed and shook a bit on “Bodies.” The crowd was firmly in his hand when they followed it with “Disappointed.”
They were in a great groove when they reached “Death Disco,” “Cruel,” and “I’m Not Satisfied.” The crowd went nuts for “This Is Not a Love Song,” and “Rise” gave me chills after finally getting to hear it live after three decades. Album is one of my favorite records of all time, and getting to hear John Lydon sing even one cut from it was worth the wait.
“Does this look like a fucking cruise ship?” Lydon asked a drunk man in front of the stage as they came back out for the encore. “We don’t do requests.” That guy and his drunk girlfriend were soon removed by security while Lydon waved goodbye to them and he and PiL tore through “Public Image” and “Open Up.”
This was the first show in a long time at which I bought a tour shirt that cost more than twenty dollars. I have a hard time paying more than that for any T-shirt. The official tour shirt was $30.00. I hesitated. My wife said, “Thirty years, man.” She was right. A dollar for every year I waited was a fair price, and completely worth it.
Made not long after he attended a week-long silent meditation retreat, Ron Gallo‘s excellent new album of Zen punk, Stardust Birthday Party, arrives at a crucial time in history when the rich are getting richer, the middle class is disappearing, the poor are being left behind, and people are still clinging to material and mental things that ultimately mean nothing.
“Who Are You? Point to It!” is the short, existential question that opens the record. Can any of us answer this question without words? It jumps into the Alan Watts and Eckhart Tolle-inspired “Always Elsewhere.” It’s one of the best singles of the year and has been my mantra since hearing it. Everyone nowadays seems to be somewhere other than where they really are in space and time. The song is a wild, blaring diatribe against this practice that will make you want to throw away your cell phone, take a breath, and experience the miracle happening right in front of you at this moment.
“Prison Decor” reveals Gallo’s love of Devo with the snappy sound and his playful and slightly weird vocals. “Party Tumor” brings forth Joe Bisirri‘s fat bass as Gallo sings about someone (himself, perhaps?) who constantly needs to be heard and craves attention (“I just need to be heard anytime, anywhere.”) even though this attention will bring no true satisfaction.
“Do You Love Your Company?” starts with a Tibetan meditation bowl clang and then asks if you truly enjoy being in the moment alone or if you seek verification from the illusionary world around you. Gallo’s guitars squawk and chug as much as his intense vocals. “‘You’ Are the Problem” is a wake-up call to everyone who thinks the world is against them but doesn’t realize the issue is within them.
“OM” has the universal chant layered over police sirens, wine bar chatter, and a warning from Gallo’s mind that the mind can’t be stopped, but his relationship with it can be changed. After all, “It’s All Gonna Be OK.” That track is full of fuzzed guitar riffs and some of Dylan Sevey‘s biggest rock drumming on the record.
“I Wanna Die (Before I Die)” is a Zen riddle. “It’s the point of my life,” Gallo sings. It’s the point of all our lives, really. Dying to illusion and freeing the true self is the only goal of all of our lives. Caroline Roseguest stars on “Love Supreme (Work Together),” which has her and Gallo singing about the nature of love, what it means to each of us, and how “God loves it when we work together.”
“Everybody’s trying to be some kind of something,” Gallo sings on “The Password” – a quirky track that reminds me of one of Frank Zappa‘s work. “I don’t even know the password to my own heart,” Gallo says. We all know the passwords to multiple social media accounts, bank accounts, and shopping clubs, but we don’t know how to unlock our inner treasure house.
“Bridge Crossers” discusses how the fear of death is irrational and seems to be a salute to one of Gallo’s teachers of spirituality. The album ends with “Happy Deathday,” a celebration of the end of illusions. “How hard we have to work for a false sense of worth…” Gallo sings. We all tend to lose sight of the joy inside us and right in front of us because it’s easy to succumb to fear. It’s relentless and will overwhelm your life if you let it.
If, like the alien mentioned in “Happy Deathday,” you’re wondering “what the fuck happened” to you, your family, your friends, and the world in general, then this album will be a welcome pleasure. It will remind you that you have what you need within you. You always have.
Keep your mind open.
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Recorded over a couple weeks in a clandestine hotel room in London, Underworldand Iggy Pop(who has been living in London for a while now while spinning records for BBC 6 Music) joined forces to put out a four-song EP – Teatime Dub Encounters. The EP mixes Underworld’s electro wizardry with Pop’s gravelly vocals (man of which seem to be improvised) and memories of the past while embracing an unknown future.
Beginning with the instantly danceable “Bells & Circles,” Underworld puts down some of the sharpest beats of the year and Pop sings / raves about the “golden days of air travel” when you could smoke on airplanes, flirt with stewardesses, and do cocaine in the airplane’s bathroom. By the end, he warns, “There will be no revolution, and that’s why it won’t be televised.”
“Trapped” starts off sounding like music from a 16-bit video game but quickly builds into a track that has you moving before you realize it. Pop unleashes some vicious lyrics about being stuck in a rut. “I’m trapped and I never get out no more. I really wanted to be special, I really wanted to live in heaven. I really thought that I could be free, but all of this is coming back on me,” he laments. “Let’s hear it for Johnny. He’s got a mortgage. He’s got a house. Oh no!” He sings / rants later, pleading for Joe Average to break out of his self-built prison.
“I’ll See Big” is a mellow affair with Pop telling part of the story of how the Stooges got together. He talks about how great it was to have friends that weren’t demanding, but he later had to meet people who were demanding in order to move forward in life.
Pop gets demanding on “Get Your Shirt,” in which he expresses anger over things he’s lost now and then by signing on the dotted line. The Underworld lads, meanwhile, blast you with bright synths and early rave culture beats.
It’s a sharp EP, and it’s great to see and hear legendary performers like this teaming up to make dream projects and spin new material.
