Sitting here in Limbo...

Yeah...

Ain't Wastin' Time No More...

Classic Allman Brothers tune. I've been wasting a lot of time wallowing in self-pity recently. It's time to stop...

The HeartRippers: "Elizabeth Says"

Sometimes we play an original tune...

The HeartRippers: "Gloria"

For the morbidly curious, some video of what me and my buddies do when we have some time to kill. The video/sound is rough and unedited, but then so are we...
Probably not for the musically inclined...



Some fucking loser:

Hello Goodbye

Merkabah

Cosmik Debris

Look here, brother, who you jivin' with that cosmik debris?

Frank Zappa probably sounds like so much noise to a lot of people. To me, that "noise" is the sound of the universe itself. Here's Frank, sounding more bluesy than "noisy":



Yeah.

Still Alive and Well

Yeah...

Clouds Parting

[The video/audio are a bit out of sync, but I think this is an actual "live" performance.]


Yeah.

Make Believe

It's all about performance. And this is a good one...



Yeah

Remedy

I need a remedy
For what is ailin' me...


Yeah.

Let Them Knock

If you don't already dig Sharon Jones, what the hell is wrong with you?



Yeah.

Breathe

Flaming Lips do Pink Floyd more sincerely than Radiohead ever did...



Yeah.

So Strong...

I feel like music tonight...

This tune by Toots and the Maytals would be on my "desert island" list. I'm not a huge reggae fan (I certainly don't dislike it), but the delivery on this one is so fucking soulful that I can't resist it.

Highest possible Kyklops recommendation...



Yeah.

I Try to Separate My Body from My Mind...

Social Distortion are one of my favorite bands. This is an updated version of one of my favorite songs, "Cold Feelings." I was neither particularly young nor impressionable when I first heard heard the line in the post title. I kinda got it, though. And later in the song, "I wanna feel cold winds blow through me like an empty touch."

I've said many times on this blog that I don't usually pay attention to lyrics unless they're really good or bad. We all decide for ourselves, I guess, but this tune both rocks *and* has something to say.



Here's the original version:



Yeah.

Howlin'

I've actually heard people describe the blues as "depressing." I guess they don't get it. Aristotle would...



Yeah.

Man Overboard

Ian Hunter is about 70 years old. He's played with/written for/etc. Mott the Hoople and had a long career as a solo artist. He's been putting out good... no, *fucking good*, albums for a long time. He's a rocker.

I already know that Ian Hunter is a rocker. How can you tell (assuming you don't know how) that Ian Hunter is a rocker? You can watch this video.



He's a fucking rocker.



Yeah.

Motorpsycho

Last week I mentioned in passing that I really like the band Motorpsycho. "Really like" is probably a bit of an understatement.

You've probably never heard of these guys, and you probably never will. I've never, ever, heard them mentioned by anyone from anywhere in North America. [An aside: Spending more than a couple of weeks away from North America is a lot like going out into the hills to get a good look at the stars without all the "noise" from the city blocking them out. Make of that what you will...]

Anyway, what we have are a few guys who've been steadily putting out albums for about 20 years. During that time they've gone through several sounds--from EMO-ish alt rock to psychedelic to prog and metal. One of the very interesting things about Motorpsycho's music (at least to me) is how they've never really abandoned this or that "sound." One of the really exciting things about this band (at least to me) is how they're seemingly searching for some kind of Grand Unified Theory of Rock. To me, Motorpsycho is all about synthesis.

I imagine, but I really don't know, that these guys are huge in their native Norway. I also imagine that they're pretty well-known in Northern Europe. But again, I really don't know. What I do know is that I've heard very few rock bands that have lasted as long as they have that are always trying to push the music forward.

I found a couple of tunes from their most recent album on YouTube. I don't imagine any of my regular readers will like this stuff very much. That's OK, really. We like what we like. And there's also the chance that we'll surprise each other...

This first one is actually a pretty accessible tune with it's catchy guitar and Beach-Boys-meet-Yes-inspired vocals. Until it gets totally psychedelic...




This next one is... is a mind-fuck. It's very heavy/proggy. Verses chugging along in 9/4 time often tend to blow my mind (heh). The drummer in this band is an absolute monster. I dream of playing this well. This tune makes me wish I did drugs...



Yeah.

Why Don't You Lie?

Not everyone "gets" King Khan. I do. He rules.



Yeah.

Let the Games Begin!

For your pleasure...



Yeah.