Wednesday, March 2, 2011

"A History Lesson Part 1 - Punk Rock In Los Angeles in 1984" DVD (director: Dave Travis)

This documentary utilizes footage culled from Travis's teenage bootlegs, and succeeds in presenting a fitting and faithful tribute to the era's nearly-forgotten punk roots. Sandwiching more recent-era band interviews with his fan-shot live clips, "A History Lesson" gives the impressions of the featured acts in their own words, so there's a proper historical perspective that some live videos lack. Included are the Meat Puppets, Redd Kross, The Minutemen, and Twisted Roots, all children of punk rock who broke some of the molds and helped give rise to the alternative scene of the 90s.

Sure, some of the live clips are grainy and the sound muddy, but this stuff would've been lost on VHS forever, so kudos to Travis for resurrecting it, and for giving us a unique and interesting document. Anyone with an interest in classic LA punk needs to see this, pronto. (MVD Visual)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

"Iceland: Beyond Sigur Ros" (director: Brett Gregory)

Here's a really lovely and enlightened short film (all of 30 minutes) examining the music of Iceland, featuring such names as Ólafur Arnalds. Seabear, Mugison, and a lot of lesser-known and diverse talents, from the death metal of Severed Crotch to the dance pop of Sykur. Filmed in glorious HD, this film isn't about Sigur Ros, but about the indie music scene in Iceland. It can be seen FREE at Serious Feather's site here.

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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Der Blutharsch - "Der Blutharsch (aka "First")" CD

A reissue of the 1996 debut album from Austrian composer Albin Julius, this one opens with bold and strident military marching music, but quickly moves more towards an ambient post-industrial sound by the untitled 5th track.

A frequent collaborator with Death In June, and other occult/Germanic-leaning groups, Julius seasons his gray-tinged soundscapes with World War II imagery and martial industrial moods. Samples of military music pepper the 6th track, which appears as a ghost among the tense and thick textured drones. Track 10 is an ominous and percussive cut reminiscent of early Laibach or Test Dept, whereas Track 13 is more Neubauten-like, with crashing percussion and simplistic melody.

Overall, an impressive release, and perfect for fans of heavy-handed percussive music with proto-military motifs. (Tesco Germany)


Der Blutharschspace

Monday, February 21, 2011

As Fear once said, "More beer"...

So it's already beer o'clock around Goatsden International Headquarters. This installment, there are some fine craft brews to enjoy. Remember the ratings scale? Of course you do. Higher is better. If in doubt, check previous installments (search "beer" on this site). Keep it craft, keep it indie, and keep it delicious! Cheers and prost!

WINTERHOOK (Portsmouth, NH) - 4

This seasonal winter warmer pours a gold-amber with a mountain of small-bubbled foam. Nose is caramel-biscuity, with hints of spice (clove?).
Taste is strong, very bread-like with a little hint of fruit and a slightly bitter, alcohol finish. Definitely a solid beer, with a complex flavor profile, and an easy to drink treat for a bone-chilling evening!

BOULEVARD WHEAT BEER (Kansas City, MO) - 3

I'm not too familiar with Boulevard's brew offerings, but this faintly yellow and cloudy wheat beer begins blessed with a large, creamy head of foam. There's substantial lacing involved here, and a lively nose of citrus, and indeed there is a definite heavy orange zest finish to the taste. Boulevard Wheat is smooth-drinking, light-bodied, and a solid choice, although it doesn't present itself as too distinctive nor memorable.

GOOSE ISLAND - SOFIE (Chicago, IL) - 5

A "Belgian style ale" could encompass many tastes, so the printed description here leaves some mystery as to what lurks within this attractive and ornate bottle. Well, Sofie pours a kinda ugly cloudy yellow, with few bubbles and no lace. Not a strong opening, but the game's not over. Aroma is warm and spicy, with an unquestionable orange citrus overtone, with hints of pepper and clove. Surprisingly, the taste is quite mellow, with a huge sweet orange burst, followed by a slow-burn spiciness at the finish. This is then followed by another hint of warmed citrus. Delicious and exquisite!

GREAT DIVIDE BELGICA (Denver, CO) - 3

Great Divide has been noted for some outstanding beers (Yeti, anyone?), but this isn't necessarily one of them. Belgica pours a beautiful, hazy gold, with plentiful suds and minor lacing. Next comes a fantastic aroma of spice, citrus, and floral/grapefruit hops. But Belgica loses a point with the taste. It's malty and sweet, but the wonderful hops presence (so promised with the nose) seems toned-down and scaled-back, somehow. It's bold and citrusy, with a peppery alcohol followthrough (this one's a strong 7.2% ABV), but not one I'd pursue further.

"Cast A Long Shadow - A Tribute To Joe Strummer" DVD

As a benefit for Joe's Strummerville charity (set up in his honor to nurture young underprivileged musicians), this 2007 show, staged in Los Angeles, gathered some pretty important and world-class musicians to honor their fallen friend and inspirational leader of the Clash.
Featured artists include Mike Watts' Hellride, Zander Schloss (a frequent collaborator with Strummer), David J, Love + Rockets (who perform a rousing and rocking cover of "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" as the grand finale), La Plebe (who channel the spirit of the Clash with their ska-punk), and Melodee Fernandez. Covering tracks taken from all over Strummer's long and fruitful career, including solo work, these artists channel Joe's spirit well, combining cultures, ethnicities, and positivity, all the while remaining edgy and streetwise. Superb show, and a great cause. Proceeds from this release go to Strummerville, so fans cough it up! (MVD Visual)

Strummerville site

Depeche Mode - "30 Years At The Edge" 2xDVD

Reprising a couple of previously-released Depeche documentaries, this nicely-packaged set is unauthorized, but a wholly entertaining watch for fans of this influential electronic act.
Reflecting on a career that quickly rose from teen-dance pop to dark-edged electronica, these bios feature interviews with many Depeche collaborators, peers, and journalists, and offer critical analysis as well as review of the band's works.
I already reviewed part of this one, "Depeche Mode - The Dark Progression" here.
The other disc I wasn't familiar with, but it seems to have been released previously, as well, under different titles ("Random Access Memory" and "The Ministry Of Sound"), and is less valuable, even going so far as to interview a Depeche Mode cover band. Fans, beware of this dubious release. Anyone who's not seen any prior unauthorized documentary bios, pick this one up if it's cheap. (Pride DVD via MVD Visual)


Depeche Mode official site

Baptists - "Baptists" 7"

This new Vancouver act rages on this little 4-song slab of vinyl. It's packed with crazy, wicked, punishing hardcore/metal that burns with 90% more hate than those silly kids in Avenged Sevenfold. Hah! "Bachelor Degree Burn" is a tense sonic maelstrom of low chugga-chugga nihilism, while "Life Poser" is another slice of potent and reckless annihilation. Wow. (Southern Lord)

Baptistspace