The Stuff

Kickass Woman Drummer of the Day: Nao from Maximum the Hormone.

Yes, the music is extreme and Japanese.

Hey! Time for a new song, I think. The new Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars and is taking photos.

NASA’s Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars Sunday, May 25th, to begin three months of examining an arctic site chosen for its likelihood of having frozen water within reach of the lander’s robotic arm. Check today’s story for details of the landing and first pictures beamed back from the landing site.

“So called chosen, frozen.” What do you know, the songs already been written, and by Public Enemy! Maybe Chuck wasn’t taking about water. Hmmm…. oopsie!

Of course my album is still free and available for you to download. It’s about probes, satellites and rovers.

Bikini Kill almost made the fanny pack cool with this video:

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Fat Wreck Chords is a punk rock music label owned by Fat Mike of NoFX. They’re well known for their inexpensively priced compilation CDs (around $4, about the price of a pint of Guinness) with amusing obesity-themed artwork. These comps were a cheap way to check out music from a dozen or more bands, and even if you didn’t find a song you like, you had a funny album cover to show your friends.

Fat Wreck Chords also have free Mp3s for downloading on their site, so you can cook up your own mix CD, and discover some new bands (and then buy their full lengths, t-shirts, go to their concerts, etc.) I recommend you start downloading with Fat Mike’s NoFX, in particular “The Idiots Have Taken Over” and “The Longest Line”. Spend an hour or so exploring the different songs on the page.

Let’s start with the free music:

Nine Inch Nails is/are now releasing their own albums, and most importantly, their latest album is free. The album is called The Slip and you can start the download process here. I suppose you could say they’ve given the old music industry “the slip” by circumventing old music distribution channels and releasing their own music. I haven’t listened to the album yet, but their music has been pretty consistent over the years, so I assume fans will adore it.

James and Lisa from 3 to 6 Inches fame have some new tracks on their website for download.

CSS have a new track you can download from their site. The song is called Rat Is Dead and it precedes their new album which will be released in the summer (I believe). The new album is called Donkey. Rat Is Dead has a thicker, more alt-rock sound that their previous album — it think I hear a Pixies influence on this one.

Music I had to pay for (you can tell I’m over 30 years of age because I pay for music):

The B-52s have a new album out called Funplex and as the name suggests the album is totally plex… I mean Fun. The B-52s deliver on what we expect from them: fun music to liven up a party. If you’re throwing a summer party with a mixed crowd, give this album a play — your guests will love it. Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson still have the best voices in the music, and Fred is Fred with lyrics like “faster pussycat thrill thrill, I’m at the mall on a diet pill”. The sound of the album is classic B52s with modern production by Steve Osbourne, who produced many classic dance tracks as well as the Happy Monday’s Pills Thrills and Bellyaches, which is a classic party album. Don’t think about it — just play it.

Ministry has/have released their final album. The album, Cover Up, is an album of classic rock cover songs, which is ironic coming from a band who released a song called 70s Rock Must Die (as Lard with Jello Biafra). None of the covers are remarkable or instantly classic as their cover of Black Sabbath’s Supernaut (from 17 years ago — yikes), but tracks like Space Truckin’, Black Betty and Radar Love work well with Ministry’s over the top rock sound. Honestly, I’m glad this is Ministry’s last album, as Al has obviously run out of new ideas. So long, and thanks for all the great music over the years!

Mindless Self Indulgence, a descendant of bands like Ministry and NIN, has a new album called If. If is more of the same sex, drugs and rock-rap-punk-industrial that they delivered with You’ll Rebel to Anything; no new ground, but I don’t think their over-sexed and stimulated fan base will be disappointed. Surprisingly clever melodies, decadent lyrics, hard-driving drums/bass/guitars make for some mindless, self-indulgent fun. Songs to listen for are Never Wanted to Dance, Prescription, Due, Issues (”It’s 3AM, she won’t put out, let’s go make out with her friends, let’s go make out with her friend’s friends”) and Pay for It. If is best enjoyed after not taking your meds for 3 days, drinking 12 Red Bulls, eating a cup of sugar and driving 120 miles per. It’s crazy music for wasted youth (or gr’ups).

It took me about 20 years to get into NOFX but I’m into them now thanks to a documentary on American hardcore music which I found on Showtime OnDemand (which is worth watching). I’ve started with These Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us) and the album has dominated my stereo and fueled many steering-with-my-knees-air-drums-in-my-car attacks. Tracks like The Idiots Are Taking Over, Don’t Call Me White, Dinosaurs Will Die, Bob, The Separation of Church and Skate are great, both musically and lyrically. If you like 175 beats per minute power punk with smart or silly lyrics, you cannot go wrong with NOFX. The one bad thing about this band is that there are a million NOFX copy-cats and they all really, really, really suck — NOFX spawned what punk rock became in the late 1990s and 2000s, and their children are primarily really lame, safe, boring douche bags.

The RPM Challenge Jukebox is online. Listen to my songs (search for Milk Shake Daddy) and 16535 other songs by other RPM Challengers.

16546 new songs to listen to and love.

I made a video for the song Hubble from the Secret Lives of Probes, Satellites and Rovers. Enjoy.

I’m overjoyed that Oddio Overplay blogged about my album. I’ve been a huge fan of the Bloggio Oddio for some time, and I’m so happy words can’t describe it.

Wakka Chikka Wakka Chikka - Porn Music For The Masses, Volume 2 is out, and if you like porn or porno music, or just fun music, give it a play. Many of you will remember The Love God by Martinibomb from Volume 1 — the one featuring Don Knotts samples. Don Knotts!!!

I found another LP Cover blog: LP Cover Lover (a perfect name). Lots of great LP covers from years gone by. Nudes (be aware)!

Monone mixes are always excellent and No. 9 is no exception. If you enjoy library, jazz, funk or otherwise groovy music, listen to Monone.

Have you heard of the RPM Challenge: record an album in a month!

In February, record an album. Send it to them. That’s it. And I’ve accepted the challenge!!!

See ya’ll in March when I’m done recording more of the worst music ever.

Thanks state vector collapse!

Did you know that people still make music videos? In spite of MTV’s evolution into reality TV, music videos have lived on and found their home on the web in places like YouTube and MySpace, where adults can watch them without seeing commercials for soda and pimple cream. Here’s a list of the best videos I found in 2007, and by best I mean the most unique, unusual, sublime and creative.

Trentemøller: “Moan” (YouTube). The video tells the sad yet sublime story of Laika, the first Earthling in space.

Justice: “D.A.N.C.E” (YouTube). An excellent song, and an excellent video. The animation is simply incredible and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

DJ Scotch Egg - Scotch Bach (YouTube) Bach played on GameBoys. Not kidding. The most unique video of the year.

MC Frontalot “It Is Pitch Dark” (YouTube). The undeniable apex of the nerdcore genre. Bonus points for not being about Star Wars. “You are likely to be eaten by a Grue”.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip: “Thou Shalt Always Kill” (YouTube). Sort of like being run over by a train for 3.5 minutes — in a good way. The most unique lyrics of the year. The beard will scare Americans.

All Through The Night - “Escort Video” (YouTube). Post modern Muppet mashup. The video is made from edited clips of the Muppet show and synchronized with the music. Retro clever.

José González - “Down The Line” (YouTube). Mellow, somber music and a weird video featuring a pig man. The video is effective because you find yourself empathizing with the mysterious plight of the pig man. I’m not kidding.

Spoon: “Don’t You Evah” (YouTube). A catchy song for sure, but this video stands out because it’s chock full of robots, and real robots. Real robots programmed by the dude in the video. The whole thing was produced by Wired magazine.

New Young Pony Club: “Icecream” (YouTube). This is a quintessential new wave video: bold visuals, primary and secondary colors, cute women and nerds with guitars. Watch it and you’ll think: this could be 1985, and I wish the 90’s never happened (well 1994-1999 at least).

Prurient interests after the jump…

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