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What Are You Listening To?


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13 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Anything located within the M25 is London as far as I'm concerned. Once you're up into Hertfordshire (aka Nowhereshire) and you have a shorter drive to Cambridge than to Buckingham Palace that's when you're out of London. I could never live in metro London. As someone who's never been an urbanite I find all those thousands of sq km of attached brick row houses on very narrow roads to be rather depressing and claustrophobic. Our suburbs tend to be a bit more spread out with standalone houses. Is all of the UK like that? Every English town big or small I drop the little yellow Google Maps guy into looks exactly the same, block after block of attached brick row houses. Well maybe not exactly the same, some of Nottingham's brick row houses were done in Tudor style, and I saw Bristol had some hills, those were both a nice change of pace.

I don't think FA travels 4 hours for a gig these days, especially since I'd imagine a lot of those bands that play a Brooklyn gig might also be playing another gig somewhere a bit closer to him up in Beantown. I think it's just knowing that he used to be within walking distance and that he could still theoretically be there in 4 hours that eats at him. Especially considering what he has to listen to on holiday mornings such as this one as he's changing poopie diapers with an endless mug full of rum at the ready.

If you must know, I live in Milton Keynes. Which is Britain's failed take on suburbia. It's famous for its shitty shopping centre and Bletchley Park where Alan Turing singlehandedly won the war. You can guess where I'd rather spend my time of the two.

Closer to Oxford than Buckingham Palace anyway.

There are plenty of standalone houses, but they are mostly pieces of shit developments built by the lowest bidder. 

I would rather live in London than MK but it is too expensive. At least, for where I'd want to live.

Living on a mountain would be my preference overall.

Britain is definitely a peculiar place. You get picturesque villages dotted over the rolling hills, most forests long since disappeared, large manor houses to visit because the owners have to make a living somehow, but also presumably hidden vast estates where the aristocracy that controls the actual wealth lives.... and every city has everyone else packed in like sardines in terraced housing - although very little high rise.

NP: Onward to Golgotha | Incantation (bandcamp.com)

It must have been you what recommended this. It was in my wishlist and BC kept pestering me to buy it. Most aceful.

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28 minutes ago, JonoBlade said:

If you must know, I live in Milton Keynes. Which is Britain's failed take on suburbia. It's famous for its shitty shopping centre and Bletchley Park where Alan Turing singlehandedly won the war. You can guess where I'd rather spend my time of the two.

 

Having worked for a period in Milton Keynes, I can only echo this sentiment.  Land of endless roundabouts!

NP:

Acephalix - Theothantology (2022)

Fuck Around Fridays sees me giving the latest from San Francisco death metallers Acephalix a spin.  All very rudimentary in terms of pretty standard fare that you would expect from them.  I like Vastum far more than Acephalix in all honesty.  Meat and potatoes death metal on a Friday morning.

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5 hours ago, JonoBlade said:

If you must know, I live in Milton Keynes. Which is Britain's failed take on suburbia. It's famous for its shitty shopping centre and Bletchley Park where Alan Turing singlehandedly won the war. You can guess where I'd rather spend my time of the two.

Closer to Oxford than Buckingham Palace anyway.

There are plenty of standalone houses, but they are mostly pieces of shit developments built by the lowest bidder. 

I would rather live in London than MK but it is too expensive. At least, for where I'd want to live.

Living on a mountain would be my preference overall.

Britain is definitely a peculiar place. You get picturesque villages dotted over the rolling hills, most forests long since disappeared, large manor houses to visit because the owners have to make a living somehow, but also presumably hidden vast estates where the aristocracy that controls the actual wealth lives.... and every city has everyone else packed in like sardines in terraced housing - although very little high rise.

NP: Onward to Golgotha | Incantation (bandcamp.com)

It must have been you what recommended this. It was in my wishlist and BC kept pestering me to buy it. Most aceful.

Don't worry Jon-Boy I'm not gonna come knocking on your door. Yes sir, you are well and truly out of town. Shit you're nearly halfway to fucking Birmingham. I really didn't think you'd be any farther north than St. Albans. But it makes sense to be farther out if you mostly work from home, right? But I know you wouldn't want to have to commute into London daily from there. No way the train gets you 52 miles (84km) to Camden Yard in 30 minutes. Google says it's 52 minutes by train, 90 hellish minutes on the M1 to drive. Shit, our American commuter trains must really suck balls. When I lived on Long Island we were only 40 miles out from NYC (60km) and that train ride was just over an hour with all the stops day or night. But to drive it, fugeddaboudit. Could take you 50 minutes at 2am or it could take you anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours at 7am.

Reminds me of when my sister lived in the Bay Area in the 90's. Her husband worked in San Jose and they were renting in neighboring Santa Clara, but when they went to buy a house of their own they ended up way the fuck out in Antioch because the Bay itself was just too cost prohibitive.

I agree that living in a cabin on a mountain would be the preferable way to go over the outer suburbs of any large congested metropolitan area. Ideally with one of Navy's $1,000 Green Egg smokers just outside the door. I know you won't eat meat, but we could grill your asparagus and tofu on it too. Would be nice if we could remian within Amazon's delivery zone though, just in case we needed anything from the store and couldn't be fucked to drive down the mountain. We could throw on Onward to Golgotha and some old Sabbath, Priest, Type O and Queen records while we wait for our delivery and bitch about how unfair it is that they're mostly known for Paranoid, Living After Midnight, Black No. 1 and Another One Bites the Dust (respectfully) when they have so much more brilliant material.

 

39 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Worm - Bluenothing  ...finally a chance to listen in full. Enjoying. Wish I hadn't formed any expectations about it beforehand.

Well what do you think? I listened once but didn't make it all the way through to the end. I plan to revisit sometime.

 

NP: Djevel - Naa Skrider Natten Sort, Norway

 

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10 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Didn't know what you were referring to so I had to Google this 70's Laurel Canyon thing.

"Laurel Canyon was home to various members of the Byrds, the Doors, Love and Buffalo Springfield; to Frank Zappa, the Mamas & the Papas, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Joni Mitchell. It gave us folk rock, country rock and a wealth of singer-songwriters."

Haha if they would have included the Dead, the Eagles, Toto and the Doobie Bros they would have just listed pretty much every California band I hated from the 70's. Except for the Mamas & the Papas, I have fond memories of liking them as a kid, and I did have that one 32 million selling Joe Walsh & the Eagles album in high school too.

 

Yes yuge downtuned riffage, check. 5 pound ceramic bong on the end table, check. Punk attitude, check. But nuanced? No can do. I guess I'm that asshole who doesn't have the patience to wait for them to get to the point.

 

I don't think Laurel Canyon is an actual genre so much but a musical scene. The musical landscape has changed so dramatically since we grew up that a mainstream indie or even pop album with pop rock or folk, singer songwriter, etc. focus gets my attention----anything well done that's not hip hop or dance music.

I only know the Laurel Canyon term other than the place, as I used to live in L.A., from that Lana Del Ray album from the online reviews. I've tried sampling her other albums, and they don't do anything for me. 

Re: Laurel Canyon: that sort of country tinged folk rock isn't my big go to and never owned albums from most of those artists except Neil Young and Zappa who are both amazing artists, but now I like a wee bit of Eagles, Carly Simon, DORS, Janis Joplin, Steely Dan (mixing genres here), CSN&Y, Buffalo Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, even stuff like Moody Blues, ELO, etc.  in my non metal mix. Don't ever really put it on other than random play though when I'm in the mood for listening to a rock mix genre shuffle. 

You may or may not be an asshole,  but not because of your musical tastes. Close minded? Hyper focused on the slimmest margins of musical experience to confounding levels? Check. That does not make you an asshole. I'd have to ask your ex to really know that 😁. I reckon we can all be assholes from time to time.

Then, again, you were into punk at a time when most metal fans, myself included despised punk. Now, more of us from the day have come around. So closed minded is relative I suppose. 

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This is turning into more of the random thoughts/what's on your mind kind of threads. I live in in what they call exerbs. I bring this up because in the developed world, affordable housing is a real problem. My wife and I both grew up in Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC, moved to LA and came back east to raise our daughter. My wife was staying home with our one year old at the time. On a teacher's salary, I found an affluent well paying school district with a high tax base and more competitive teacher salary to afford a decent home on the property we wanted for our 3 big large Newfoundland dogs-actually way more property than I'd rather have to maintain these days. 

I'd be perfectly fine living in an urban environment or suburbs just out of DC like Silver Spring/Takoma Park in MD or Arlington VA if I Had space for my  kayaks which take up a third of my two car garage out her in the semi rural area where Ilive . Plus,  it would cut down on my drive to the river which is my playground. But on two moderate salaries in education (my wife is the assistant to the dean at Mount Saint Mary's University), there is no way we could swing the $500,000 or more more mortage-might be closer to 3/4 million now-- for the kind of home we'd want closer to D.C. Shoot, I'd be happy to live in D.C., but wouldn't get the space I'd want for my gear.  

And, it would be sweet to be close to the culture in DC-music venues, diverse restaurants and the like. 

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30 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Well what do you think? I listened once but didn't make it all the way through to the end. I plan to revisit sometime.

 

I dug it. Didn't feel as immediately drawn in by riffs this time around though. The keyboard textures are cool to me. Not really sure if it'll stick, or what my thoughts will be after a few more listens, but it isn't the vast departure I was expecting based on the promo teaser and what everybody was saying about it.

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1 hour ago, markm said:

I don't think Laurel Canyon is an actual genre but a musical scene. I only know of it from that Lana Del Ray from the online reviews from that album. That sort of country tinged folk rock isn't my big go to and never owned albums from most of those guys, except Neil Young and Zappa who are both amazing artists, but now I like a wee bit of Eagles, Steely Dan (mixing genres here), CSN&Y, Buffalo Springfield, Fleetwood Mack, even stuff like Moody Blues, ELO, etc.  in my non metal mix. Don't ever really put it on other than random play though when I'm in the mood for listening to a rock mix genre shuffle. 

You may or may not be an asshole, but not because of your musical tastes. Close minded? Hyper focused on the slimmest margins of musical experience to confounding levels? Check. That does not make you an asshole. I'd have to ask your ex to really know that 😁. I reckon we can all be assholes from time to time.

Then, again, you were into punk at a time when most metal fans, myself included despised punk. Now, more of us from the day have come around. So closed minded is relative I suppose. 

I like Uncle Neil too, but I can't stand CSN or CSN&Y, I like the Crazy Horse stuff. I like Hotel California mainly because of Joe Walsh's participation, but don't really care for the earlier Take It Easy - Lyin' Eyes - Tequila Sunrise stuff. Almost all of our 2nd wave Boomer peers dig all that 50 year old 'classic rock' bullshit, it's basically expected of us. Personally I don't have any use for the vast majority of it and I never have. Fleetwood Mack, who's that? (RIP Peter Greene)

Yeah, I've been into punk right from the beginning when most people I knew either hated it or weren't really aware of it or even know what it was. But then I am from NY just a one hour train ride from ground zero of the US punk scene back in the late 70's and early 80's right at the time when I happened to be coming of age and looking to see some live music, so that's understandable. 

I was saying I was an asshole because of my lack of patience with some bands' songwriting that takes too long to get to the point. Not because of my musical tastes. Like everyone else in the world, naturally I believe my tastes are superior to all others'. Never understood how not liking something that someone else does like makes me closed minded. Because even the most supposedly open-minded among us still has plenty of shit they don't enjoy listening to for various reasons, don't they? Not sure why preferring certain sub-genres over others makes anyone closed minded. I don't feel like my musical taste is quite as limited as some people seem to think. I guess maybe it's just human nature to want others to validate us by liking all the same things we like? Is it your belief that people who dismiss most norsecore and lo-fi  bm and goat metal and meat & potatoes death can't be closed-minded? Only people like me who dismiss the overly commercial as well as prog and post and tech and free jazz and just generally the more complex and "forward thinking" forms of music can be closed-minded?

 

Worm - Bluenothing, there seems to be a lack of filth here this time out, a lack of grit and a lack of weight as compared to the 'Glade. And it's not dark enough. So I can hear that this is objectively "good" but I think they might've lost me as a fan for the time being.

 

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Swans/Filth (deluxe)-F.A. was right, this is compelling. Gira has done a tremendous job compiling massive multi disc sets of old albums with additional comp materials. It's a case of the sum is greater than the parts. This set I'm streaming is the original, abrasive so called "no wave" meets industrial album Filth that I've read about for years but never bothered with. Having listened to my share of Neurosis and weird ass droning metal, Sunn0)))) etc., my ears are primed for this . I'm sure at the time it was pretty "out there", today I can  hear all kinds of echoes in bands like Ministry, God Flesh and even the recent Killing Joke discussions. However, those comparisons come largely from the additional material beyond Filth. Filth, seems to me was a young group of artists reacting at their disgust with the human race in the U.S. in the early 80's. 

So this set is really a massive 3 disc set of Swans 82-84 with Filth at the centerpiece. A lot of the material beyond Filth sounds like an underground post punk and punk vibe. 

From Amazon:  definitive picture of Swans in the years 1982 - 1983/4. Includes: Disc one feature the Swans' original debut LP Filth from 1983, with the line up of M. Gira, Norman Westberg, Roli Mosimann, Harry Crosby, and Jonathan Kane. Also features versions of 'Strip/Burn,' 'Heatsheet,' 'Blackout,' 'Clay Man,' 'Stay Here, and 'Weakling,' all recorded live. Disc two includes Body to Body material comprised of various studio out-takes and live recordings 1982-85, with a nine-minute version of 'Raping a Slave,' recorded live in Berlin, 1984 (originally released with FILTH on YGD-11) while disc three features the Debut 12' EP #1, originally released in 1982. Plus additional live performances from NYC and London.

Unfortunately it's only available in vinyl or as a digital download. They have a 2 disc set-basically the first two discs of the above set called Filth/Body to Body/Job to Job reissue-may grab this one I prefer physical media-especially for something like this. 

For some reason, I can't get enough Swans. All of Gira's re-issues have tons of extras and most of it engrossing to those with a penchant for wide ranging experimental and in this case heavy fucked up music. 

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17 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

 

I was saying I was an asshole because of my lack of patience with some bands' songwriting that takes too long to get to the point. Not because of my musical tastes. Like everyone else in the world, naturally I believe my tastes are superior to all others'. Never understood how not liking something that someone else does like makes me closed minded. Because even the most supposedly open-minded among us still has plenty of shit they don't enjoy listening to for various reasons, don't they? Not sure why preferring certain sub-genres over others makes anyone closed minded. I don't feel like my musical taste is quite as limited as some people seem to think. I guess maybe it's just human nature to want others to validate us by liking all the same things we like? Is it your belief that people who dismiss most norsecore and lo-fi  bm and goat metal and meat & potatoes death can't be closed-minded? Only people like me who dismiss the overly commercial as well as prog and post and tech and free jazz and just generally the more complex and "forward thinking" forms of music can be closed-minded?

LOL-If you look at my post I didn't write 'closed minded, but  I'm sure I have previously. You wrote a post the other day where you stated you've opened to some music recently because people have been accusing you  for years of being closed minded.  But you made a case for forums forcing you to confront your own musical blinders, or something to that affect. We all have those issues.

I assume you're talking about stuff like YOB or Neurosis or maybe Killing Joke but not prog or avant stuff.  I'm not making the close minded claim, even though it's probably true; more so, I think you've got ADHD, spectrum-like focus on a small piece of the heavy music pie . That floats your boat which as you say, is all that matters. We process music differently. 

We all have baggage in one way or another. As a cis  male of a certain age, I have cultural bias against Depeche Mode, New Order and The Smiths based on non cis male behavior from the theater college climate I came up in. I cop to that.

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54 minutes ago, markm said:

LOL-If you look at my post I didn't write 'closed minded, but  I'm sure I have previously. You wrote a post the other day where you stated you've opened to some music recently because people have been accusing you  for years of being closed minded.  But you made a case for forums forcing you to confront your own musical blinders, or something to that affect. We all have those issues.

I assume you're talking about stuff like YOB or Neurosis or maybe Killing Joke but not prog or avant stuff.  I'm not making the close minded claim, even though it's probably true; more so, I think you've got ADHD, spectrum-like focus on a small piece of the heavy music pie. That floats your boat which as you say, is all that matters. We process music differently. 

We all have baggage in one way or another. As a cis male of a certain age, I have cultural bias against Depeche Mode, New Order and The Smiths based on non cis male behavior from the theater college climate I came up in. I cop to that.

If you look back at your post yes actually you did write "close minded" so I'm a little confused what you're trying to say. 

I have certainly been closed-minded in the past, not even willing to listen to many things or give them half a chance. But I think I've become much more tolerant in my old age and open to at least checking things out that I know going in are well outside of my comfort zone. And some of them even stick. My point was really more that some people who enjoy certain music that I might dismiss as inferior and unworthy will call me closed-minded, when they also in turn dismiss a good portion of my music as inferior and unworthy. So my question was really how does this make just me the closed-minded one in this equation and not them? Each and every one of us has some music that we hear and think "Nah, this sucks" while clearly other people dig it. So either we're all closed-minded, or no one is closed-minded.

Yes I do have ADHD, but I don't think the focus of my listening habits is on quite as small a piece of the music pie as maybe you think it is. True, I still don't like Cult of Luna, The Smiths, Elvis Costello, solo Ozzy, Tool, prog, avant-garde or Sunn O))) (yes I could go on) but I think there are a wider variety of things that I do like beyond the scope of filthy goat metal than maybe you realize.

Now I suppose my inherent Boomer cis-male 'macho' bias and natural aversion to androgyny and 'effeminate' male vocals in my music is a bit stronger and my bar for this is set a bit higher even than yours, and I'll cop to that as well. But I've been working on that. Can't report that I've made great strides on that front, but I have been consciously working on it.

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1 hour ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Google says it's 52 minutes by train, 90 hellish minutes on the M1 to drive. 

I agree that living in a cabin on a mountain would be the preferable way to go over the outer suburbs of any large congested metropolitan area. Ideally with one of Navy's $1,000 Green Egg smokers just outside the door. I know you won't eat meat, but we could grill your asparagus and tofu on it too. Would be nice if we could remian within Amazon's delivery zone though, just in case we needed anything from the store and couldn't be fucked to drive down the mountain. We could throw on Onward to Golgotha and some old Sabbath, Priest, Type O and Queen records while we wait for our delivery and bitch about how unfair it is that they're mostly known for Paranoid, Living After Midnight, Black No. 1 and Another One Bites the Dust (respectfully) when they have so much more brilliant material.

Train from MK to Euston is 35 minutes if you get the right one. Camden, where all the gigs are worth going to, is one stop on the tube from Euston. Hence I can (living 5 minutes bike ride from station) be in Camden and banging my head in an hour. You'd never drive into Camden if you can help it, but we frequently drive to and stay in Archway which is a bit further north. 

As for the mountain cabin I'd probably rather eat meat than order from Amazon. Both actively destroy the world as we knew it, whether socially or environmentally.

The playlist sounds good though.

Work is done. Computer's going off. See yous on Monday.

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3 hours ago, markm said:

Swans/Filth (deluxe)-F.A. was right, this is compelling. Gira has done a tremendous job compiling massive multi disc sets of old albums with additional comp materials. It's a case of the sum is greater than the parts. This set I'm streaming is the original, abrasive so called "no wave" meets industrial album Filth that I've read about for years but never bothered with. Having listened to my share of Neurosis and weird ass droning metal, Sunn0)))) etc., my ears are primed for this . I'm sure at the time it was pretty "out there", today I can  hear all kinds of echoes in bands like Ministry, God Flesh and even the recent Killing Joke discussions. However, those comparisons come largely from the additional material beyond Filth. Filth, seems to me was a young group of artists reacting at their disgust with the human race in the U.S. in the early 80's. 

Jonathan Kane on drums is one of the things that sets Filth apart. He had this great sort of lurching vibe that kept the songs feeling dynamic even when the music was repetitive. Glad to hear you're warming up to this. 

NP: 

Svartidaudi - Untitled 

Disma - The Manifestation 

Dream Unending - Tide Turns Eternal

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11 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

Having worked for a period in Milton Keynes, I can only echo this sentiment.  Land of endless roundabouts!

Our local Council motto throughout the 90's was "if in doubt, put in a roundabout". At one stage they silly shits even authorised a peanut shaped roundabout until the local bus and trucking companies questioned it's worth.

 

NP: Spiritworld - Deathwestern

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1 hour ago, KillaKukumba said:

Our local Council motto throughout the 90's was "if in doubt, put in a roundabout". At one stage they silly shits even authorised a peanut shaped roundabout until the local bus and trucking companies questioned it's worth.

 

NP: Spiritworld - Deathwestern

We have a kidney shaped roundabout in Lonnie.  According to the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania roundabouts are often used inappropriately as a cheap fix instead of traffic lights let alone readjustments to traffic flow sich as rebuilding roads.

6 hours ago, markm said:

Swans/Filth (deluxe)-F.A. was right, this is compelling. Gira has done a tremendous job compiling massive multi disc sets of old albums with additional comp materials. It's a case of the sum is greater than the parts. This set I'm streaming is the original, abrasive so called "no wave" meets industrial album Filth that I've read about for years but never bothered with. Having listened to my share of Neurosis and weird ass droning metal, Sunn0)))) etc., my ears are primed for this . I'm sure at the time it was pretty "out there", today I can  hear all kinds of echoes in bands like Ministry, God Flesh and even the recent Killing Joke discussions. However, those comparisons come largely from the additional material beyond Filth. Filth, seems to me was a young group of artists reacting at their disgust with the human race in the U.S. in the early 80's. 

So this set is really a massive 3 disc set of Swans 82-84 with Filth at the centerpiece. A lot of the material beyond Filth sounds like an underground post punk and punk vibe. 

From Amazon:  definitive picture of Swans in the years 1982 - 1983/4. Includes: Disc one feature the Swans' original debut LP Filth from 1983, with the line up of M. Gira, Norman Westberg, Roli Mosimann, Harry Crosby, and Jonathan Kane. Also features versions of 'Strip/Burn,' 'Heatsheet,' 'Blackout,' 'Clay Man,' 'Stay Here, and 'Weakling,' all recorded live. Disc two includes Body to Body material comprised of various studio out-takes and live recordings 1982-85, with a nine-minute version of 'Raping a Slave,' recorded live in Berlin, 1984 (originally released with FILTH on YGD-11) while disc three features the Debut 12' EP #1, originally released in 1982. Plus additional live performances from NYC and London.

Unfortunately it's only available in vinyl or as a digital download. They have a 2 disc set-basically the first two discs of the above set called Filth/Body to Body/Job to Job reissue-may grab this one I prefer physical media-especially for something like this. 

For some reason, I can't get enough Swans. All of Gira's re-issues have tons of extras and most of it engrossing to those with a penchant for wide ranging experimental and in this case heavy fucked up music. 

Superb review and thanks for writing it up.  I probably still won't listen to Swans but I enjoyed reading it.

Dead Kennedies - Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death 

Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion I

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22 minutes ago, Dead1 said:

We have a kidney shaped roundabout in Lonnie.  According to the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania roundabouts are often used inappropriately as a cheap fix instead of traffic lights let alone readjustments to traffic flow sich as rebuilding roads.

 

Mythbusters proved a number of years ago how ineffective traffic lights are and begged "America" to get on board with them. It's easy to see how much more effective they are, but having them on every corner is fucking annoying. Now days our council wants to install wombat crossings at all the intersections preceding each roundabout.

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52 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

Mythbusters proved a number of years ago how ineffective traffic lights are and begged "America" to get on board with them.

True. Canberra is roundabout heaven, Fuck traffic lights.

 

52 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

It's easy to see how much more effective they are, but having them on every corner is fucking annoying.

Suffer in yer jocks.

 

MAGAZINE - The Correct Use Of Soap

MAGAZINE - Real Life

Howard Devoto's vocals are an acquired taste I guess, but his sneering sardonic tone has always suited me. Apart from weird jazz, Magazine was one of my go to listens in the 1980's, and I enjoy coming back to them now and again.

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2 hours ago, KillaKukumba said:

It's easy to see how much more effective they are

Ring Around “Rosy” – The “Magic Circle” Debacle at Wilshire and Western |  Paradise Leased

Some dude Steve Vaught writes:

One of the great terrors facing any American attempting to drive in Europe is the dreaded “roundabout,” a bizarre and incomprehensible (at least to most of us red blooded Americans) automotive whirlpool relentlessly hurtling speeding cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles to their collective dooms. For a neophyte driver in Europe, how to get in, where to go once you’re in there and, seemingly hardest of all, how to get out of a roundabout is the stuff motoring nightmares are made of.  Invariably, in describing their near death encounters with the sinister roundabout, American survivors of this horrifying ordeal like to say, “Thank god we don’t have those here!” This is, in actuality, not entirely true. There are a number of traffic circles (as we call them) throughout the United States today. Columbus Circle and Dupont Circle are the two most famous. Why there’s even one here in California down in Long Beach. But these are rarities indeed. Americans just don’t like them and reject them out of hand as effete, immoral and perhaps somehow socialistic or even communistic.

 

So what this tells me is traffic circles can only be as effective as the idiots using them.

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    • Whichever tier of thrash metal you consigned Sacred Reich back in the 80's/90's they still had their moments.  "Ignorance" & "Surf Nicaragura" did a great job of establishing the band, whereas "The American Way" just got a little to comfortable and accessible (the title track grates nowadays) for my ears.  A couple more records better left forgotten about and then nothing for twenty three years.  2019 alone has now seen three releases from Phil Rind and co.  A live EP, a split EP with Iron Reagan and now a full length.

      Notable addition to the ranks for the current throng of releases is former Machine Head sticksman, Dave McClean.  Love or hate Machine Head, McClean is a more than capable drummer and his presence here is felt from the off with the opening and title track kicking things off with some real gusto.  'Divide & Conquer' and 'Salvation' muddle along nicely, never quite reaching any quality that would make my balls tingle but comfortable enough.  The looming build to 'Manifest Reality' delivers a real punch when the song starts proper.  Frenzied riffs and drums with shots of lead work to hold the interest.


      There's a problem already though (I know, I am such a fucking mood hoover).  I don't like Phil's vocals.  I never had if I am being honest.  The aggression to them seems a little forced even when they are at their best on tracks like 'Manifest Reality'.  When he tries to sing it just feels weak though ('Salvation') and tracks lose real punch.  Give him a riffy number such as 'Killing Machine' and he is fine with the Reich engine (probably a poor choice of phrase) up in sixth gear.  For every thrashy riff there's a fair share of rock edged, local bar act rhythm aplenty too.

      Let's not poo-poo proceedings though, because overall I actually enjoy "Awakening".  It is stacked full of catchy riffs that are sticky on the old ears.  Whilst not as raw as perhaps the - brilliant - artwork suggests with its black and white, tattoo flash sheet style design it is enjoyable enough.  Yes, 'Death Valley' & 'Something to Believe' have no place here, saved only by Arnett and Radziwill's lead work but 'Revolution' is a fucking 80's thrash heyday throwback to the extent that if you turn the TV on during it you might catch a new episode of Cheers!

      3/5
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    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/52-vltimas-something-wicked-marches-in/
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    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/48-candlemass-the-door-to-doom/
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    • Full length number 19 from overkill certainly makes a splash in the energy stakes, I mean there's some modern thrash bands that are a good two decades younger than Overkill who can only hope to achieve the levels of spunk that New Jersey's finest produce here.  That in itself is an achievement, for a band of Overkill's stature and reputation to be able to still sound relevant four decades into their career is no mean feat.  Even in the albums weaker moments it never gets redundant and the energy levels remain high.  There's a real sense of a band in a state of some renewed vigour, helped in no small part by the addition of Jason Bittner on drums.  The former Flotsam & Jetsam skinsman is nothing short of superb throughout "The Wings of War" and seems to have squeezed a little extra out of the rest of his peers.

      The album kicks of with a great build to opening track "Last Man Standing" and for the first 4 tracks of the album the Overkill crew stomp, bash and groove their way to a solid level of consistency.  The lead work is of particular note and Blitz sounds as sneery and scathing as ever.  The album is well produced and mixed too with all parts of the thrash machine audible as the five piece hammer away at your skull with the usual blend of chugging riffs and infectious anthems.  


      There are weak moments as mentioned but they are more a victim of how good the strong tracks are.  In it's own right "Distortion" is a solid enough - if not slightly varied a journey from the last offering - but it just doesn't stand up well against a "Bat Shit Crazy" or a "Head of a Pin".  As the album draws to a close you get the increasing impression that the last few tracks are rescued really by some great solos and stomping skin work which is a shame because trimming of a couple of tracks may have made this less obvious. 

      4/5
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