"Thought it was an alien. Turned out to be, just, God"

Positive vibes!

Okay, so I realize that the last couple of posts may have got ya'll down. I know you didn't come here to listen to me whine and proselytize. You've got problems of your own. But, you should know that I am not always such a curmudgeon. In fact, I'm generally quite amicable.  I'm a funny guy and people fucking love me, yo. And so, in the spirit of being not a Negative Nancy, but choosing instead to spread the so-called P.M.A., we'll listen to an album that is on the gentler, happier side of the coin.
Built to Spill has put out enough material and done enough hard work for them to warrant little introduction. But, maybe, like me, you spend most of your listening hours enjoying the audio equivalent of a freight train full of hogs crashing through the backlot of the world's biggest gangbang/orgy whilst the babbling ghost of cracked-out Whiney Houston juggles chainsaws. In that case, study up: Doug Martsch, Tree People, Idaho. Can I still call this Indie Rock, even though it was released on a very Major Label? Well, it's very easy on the ears, and sometimes I just don't need to be fucking screamed at. I guess it's not, technically speaking, a "happy" album. After all, it is dedicated to Pat Brown after his suicide. But it is about as happy as my collection gets. There is definitely a lot of Classic Rock present here, whilst still maintaining that outsider - indie- quirkiness. Pavement meets Neil Young? It's, uhh... great for "mellow" days. Pipe, and slippers, and a cozy spot to relax, mayhaps? It's cool, our problems will wait for us.

"Seeing? It seems minor, to me..."(DL)

Mary Had A Little One

I had meant to do a Jucifer post way back in October, after I finally got the chance to see them live. I have some photos from their set, and I was waiting to transfer them to my PC. Unfortunately, I don't have a card reader, or cable to transfer them over, thus the delay in posting. But, this isn't about my photos, or my experience - it is about cluing you in to an extremely good band that you may have slept on. Jucifer is a two-piece sludge/heavy metal band from Athens, Georgia. For 18 yrs., they have relentlessly pummeled crowds around the country with their music. Just look at the wall of amps and the size of that Vistalite kit:

Going through their discography, one finds a band that is not content to be static, yet never lacking in direction or intent. While most of the music is pounding and threatening, Amber and Edgar aren't afraid to slow things down and lull you into a false sense of comfort with passages of clean vocals and minimal drum beats, whose placid vistas are soon firebombed with more HEAVY FUCKING METAL. They've got a lil' something for almost any niche-minded headbanger. The newest album, Throned in Blood, even incorporates elements of Black Metal without hopping on any bandwagons or pretending any claims. Blast beats and wailing, tortured screams abound, and I highly recommend you go buy it, dude. It's "It." However, I would feel bad cheating such a hard-working band by posting their latest release, henceforth I have reached back into their catalogue and pulled what I think might be their least known release, 2001'2 Lamb's EP. Here you'll get a glimpse of the bands range and dynamic songwriting abilities, along with a sore neck and some broken furniture if you've got the volume up. Hide the cat.

"Off to the edge"(DL)