SATURDAY SONGS TO GET SPOOKED TO
I have a friend who swears that the basement of her workplace is haunted by a g-g-g-g-ghost… She also mentioned an affinity for reality shows about paranormal activity. So naturally I asked her if the ghost at her workplace came before she started watching said reality shows or vice versa. What do you think her answer was?
My humble apologies to the apparition-believers among us — I don’t mean to sound so skeptical. As a matter of fact, I suspect there are plenty of cosmic/extrasensory phenomena I have faith in that many of you might scoff at.
Destiny?
Fate?
G-d?
Unicornzzz?
MS Mansion Monkeys????
(That last one is undeniably real)
In any case, it’s hard not to appreciate m-m-m-m-music about g-g-g-g-ghosts, right? Let’s get our spook on after ze jump…
I’m patting myself on the back today. I opened a link from a trusted publicist about a band called Native, and after pressing play the first thing I thought was “Gee, this drummer sounds a lot like These Arms Are Snakes’ Chris Common.” And while Chris Common is unfortunately not the drummer for Native, when I scrolled down I discovered that Chris Common produced the fucking record. Go me! I rule. But Chris Common rules even more than I do… dude’s one of the buttery-est, smoothest finesse drummers on the planet. Watching him play live is like watching two lovers make sweet, sweet romantic love.
“Russian Circles” is like an onomatopoeia of band names; I have no idea what a Russian Circle is, but I do know that if the band name is spoken — not written — it’s accurate as fuck. Listen to any Russian Circles song and tell me their music doesn’t sound just like circles that are rushing, spiraling and spinning (hint: it helps if you’re stoned). Their excellent 2008 release Station was one of my favorite instru-metal releases of that year, and judging from the new track “Malko,” their new record Geneva (October 20th, Suicide Squeeze) will bring more of the same rushing, circling goodness.
The name Dave Verellen should mean something to anyone who laments the 2002 breakup of Botch, the esteemed hardcore act whose legacy has made it more popular now than when it was an active unit. As the voice of that group, Verellen deserves partial credit – and perhaps a little blame – for the glut of roaring metalcore vocalists that came in his wake. From a publicity perspective, this influence strengthens the already impressive pedigree of Narrows, his latest band featuring members of noteworthy heavy ensembles such as Unbroken and These Arms Are Snakes. As evidenced by its full-length debut New Distances, the group refuses to rest on its proverbial laurels and instead goes above and beyond its participants’ discographies, yielding something truly exceptional.
Where to begin? So many debaucherous moments — too many beers, not enough whiskeys, a shit-ton of BBQ, and a helluva lotta MUSIC….yes yes, it was another sleep-deprived week in Austin, Texas, and at the end of it all, it was the best one yet.
