Mix CD #38 - I Keep Myself To Myself

Good Heavens, I'm on time with a blog update!

I'm sure you've been sat in the dark, incessantly clicking refresh for the last couple of weeks, awaiting yet another masterpiece. Well, here it is, the 38th masterpiece. There's a mix of new releases that I've been enjoying and older stuff that I have also been enjoying. Again, there are about a half dozen songs from CDs I rediscovered rummaging through storage crates in the attic, Stony Sleep, Soul Coughing, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and a couple of others It's been a slog, copying thousands of albums to iTunes but it's been fun too.

Have a read, have a listen and I hope you find something new/good.

Tracklisting
The Boy Least Likely To - I Keep Myself To Myself
These Wicked Rivers - Testify
War On Women - Divisive Shit
Street Dogs - Lest We Forget
Soul Coughing - Soundtrack To Mary
The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black - The Teather Penumbra
Twin Atlantic - I Am Alive
Sojourner - Homeward
The Crocketts - On Something
Smack Mammoth - Loner
Ophidius - Discerning The Transmundane
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - Beautiful Zelda
Stony Sleep - I Only Love You For Your Saville Row Boxer Shorts
My Indigo - Lesson Learned
The Mark Of Cain - Call In Anger
Witch Fever - Toothless
Troldhaugen - It's Morphine Time
DNF - 3rd Degree Bernie Mac
The Winter Hill Transmission - Satellites
Sonseed - Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine

You can download the mix right HERE if you want.


The Boy Least Likely To - I Keep Myself To Myself
Taken from the 2012 album The Law Of The Playground

I used to love this twee, Indie Pop duo, but, for one reason or another, lost their music off my computer. It wasn't until I started going through the CDs I had in storage last month that I rediscovered them and fell in love all over again. On the surface, their songs are bright, cheery things but dig a little deeper and you'll find lyrics full of misery, loneliness, anxiety and sadness. The juxtaposition works beautifully. I Keep Myself To Myself is a jaunty little tale of about being torn between feeling lonely and the fear of getting hurt.

As an aside, how much does Jof look like Robb Stark?!

These Wicked Rivers - Testify
Taken from the 2017 mini-album II

 

This collection of beards sprouted forth from Derby in the UK and offer up Bluesy Hard Rock with touches of both Southern and Stoner Rock. They've only released a couple of EP's/mini-albums so far but everything I've heard I've really liked. Testify glides along on a satisfying riff with some subtle slide guitar in the verses. It's about the standard theme of a beautiful, tempestuous woman who is very good at 'the sex'. So good, in fact, that vocalist John Hartwell would be willing to state as such in a Court of Law.

War On Women - Divisive Shit
Taken from the 2018 album Capture The Flag

War On Women are a Hardcore and Riot Grrrl influenced Punk band that are forthright, political and activistic in persuasion and this is reflected in their lyrics. I hadn't heard of them until I stumbled onto this album and it's mint. Divisive Shit is one of the slower, mid-paced tracks on Capture the Flag and is based around a pounding, rhythmic riff that's almost Industrial in tone.

Street Dogs - Lest We Forget
Taken from the 2018 album Stand For Something Or Die For Nothing

Mike McColgan was the original lead vocalist for the seminal Celtic Punk band, Dropkick Murphys and sang on their debut album Do Or Die. Street Dogs are of a similar style though there's none of that bagpipe or fiddle business, they're a pretty straight forward Street Punk band with lyrics about hardship, work and common man struggles. I didn't want to mention the fact the Mike was a firefighter, because I've not read a thing about him yet that doesn't mention it, but it can't be helped with this song as it's the story of one of fellow firefighters. Stand For Something Or Die For Nothing is Street Dogs' newest and sixth album and is as excellent as their previous five. They're well worth checking out if you aren't familiar with the band.

Soul Coughing - Soundtrack To Mary
Taken from the 1999 album Irresistible Bliss

I bought this CD years ago in a bargain bin somewhere, I thought it looked interesting and, judging solely on the band name and album cover I assumed it was going to be a Poppy Punk album. Instead, I got a weird Jazz and Hip Hop influenced Art Rock band that, as it turned out, I loved. Mike Doughty has a drawling, lackadaisical vocal style that some might be put off by but I think it suits the band well. This catchy track is one of the less weird ones on there but still a bit odd, it's unclear if it's just a love song or, as I've seen suggested, about someone making a mixtape to listen to while making the naughty noises.

The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black - The Teather Penumbra
Taken from the 1995 album The Anti-Naturalists

Possibly one of my favourite ever band names, though I'm not sure quite how Karen Black feels about it. The band are a striking Art Punk band from California, frontwoman Kembra Pfahler is also a filmmaker and performance artist. A lot of her work is nudity based so Googling an appropriate image to use for this blog on company time was tricky. As for The Teather Penumbra, I haven't got a sausage what it's about but it's a catchy little thing and I particularly enjoy the line about her brain being a schmear. Schmear is a word that doesn't get used enough these days.

Twin Atlantic - I Am Alive
Taken from the 2016 album GLA

GLA is the fourth (third and a halfth?) album by this Scottish Alternative Rock quartet. I was a little disappointed with it compared to previous albums, though more because of the production than the quality of the songs. The guitars tend to blend together and sound more electronic in places and I wasn't keen. As I say though, the songs are fine and this is one of the better ones on the album. It's also one of them songs where the verses and pre-chorus are catchier and more memorable than the chorus itself. I love the stoppy-startiness of the verses, that little twiddly bit at the end of each couplet and almost disco vibe of the verses, Thanks to Sam's broad Glaswegian accent, a couple of listens to this and you'll be singing "Don't back doon" to yourself constantly.

Sojourner - Homeward
Taken from the 2016 album Empires Of Ash

It's probably not the best way to start the blurb about a Black Metal band but I've never really been that keen on Black Metal, Over the last year or so though, I've found myself listening to a few Atmospheric Black Metal bands that I do like, very much. Bands like Ashbringer, Winterfylleth, Mesarthiim and Sojourner. Eschewing the harsh monochrome of Traditional Black Metal for warmer, softer textures, Sojourner create music that's both epic, mournful and, yes, atmospheric. Emilio's rasping screams are offset by the occasional clean vocals by guitarist, Chloe and both fit seamlessly into the music. 
I did originally want to use a song from their latest album, The Shadowed Road, but it's almost certainly going to be in my top albums list blog at the end of the year and, as it's only 8 songs long, I didn't want to take two songs from it. This monster of a song will do nicely instead though.

The Crocketts - On Something
Taken from the 2000 album The Great Brain Robbery

On the last blog, I closed the mix with Someone's Crying, a track by The Crimea. That was the band formed by Davey MacManus and Owen Hopkin when The Crocketts fell apart in 2002. Both bands sound reasonably similar, mainly due to Davey's ragged howl, but whereas The Crimea are slick, mature Indie Rock, The Crocketts were more raucous Folk Punk. On Something is an upbeat joy of a song all about a friend who's 'a bit of a character'. You know the type.

Smack Mammoth- Loner
Taken from the 2018 single Loner

Paul Liddell has been knocking around the North East music scene for a decade or so now and released a few albums (my wife has a couple which is how I heard of him in the first place) along the way. Smack Mammoth is his latest venture and something much heavier than his usual fare, Loner is their debut single, it's a menacing, chuggy Alternative Metal number with some tasty crunch and an engaging chorus. Due to the understated vocals, it took me a couple of listens to appreciate it but once it sunk in I liked it a lot and I'm looking forward to hearing it more.
There's a jingly little guitar at the beginning and again, later on, it really reminds me of something, I'm thinking early 90's Indie Rock, Soup Dragons or something like that? What is it?

Ophidius - Discerning The Transmundane

Taken from the 2013 EP The Throat Of The World

Ophidius are an instrumental Death Metal band themed on The Elder Scrolls video game mythos and that pleases me very much. Discerning The Transmundane comes from the title of a lengthy quest in Skyrim, one that I think it's fair to say, is a complete ballache, 
First, you have to find some crazy old man in a pokey little cave way up among the ice floes, he's trying to open a mysterious box supposedly containing the heard of a god. He sends you to essentially press a button deep in the bowels of a huge Dwemer ruin that takes forever to work your way around. This opens up into a massive underground city, Blackreach (which is, admittedly, beautiful)  where you have to try and track down a particular tower wherein lies the button you have to push. There's also an Elder Scroll in there that you need for another quest so two birds and all that.
Once you've done that you're back to the old man who then gives you a device to harvest the blood of Elves. It might have been nice if he'd had the foresight to give you that beforehand so you could have done it at the same time but no biggie. Finally, you can both open the box which may or may not contain the heart of a god but does definitely mean a chat with Hermaeus Mora, The Deadric Prince Of The Unknown.
Oh yeah, the song. It's full of crunching riffs and enough widdle to keep it interesting without descending into fretwankery. It sounds just fine at unwise volumes in the car.

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - Beautiful Zelda
Taken from the 1968 album The Doughnut In Grannie's Greenhouse

This is a band I've seen the name about but never really bothered listening to, whilst sorting out the CDs in my attic I came across a promo version of this album that I'd apparently bought at some point. I have no memory of that happening. Anyway, it's actually a pretty good album, with Beatles-esque Psychedelic Pop and the daft humour of Monty Python. Beautiful Zelda is one of the more 'normal' tracks on it and concerns a man who has his heart broken by an exotic temptress from Outer Space, Galaxy Four to be, sort of, precise.

Stony Sleep - I Only Love You For Your Saville Row Boxer Shorts
Taken from the 1997 album Music For Chameleons

Another CD I uncovered in the attic. Stony Sleep were an Alt.Rock/Grunge trio from London who released a couple of albums in the mid-nineties, with Music For Chameleon being the first. I Only Love You For Your Saville Row Boxer Shorts tumbles along over a pacy, undulating riff while Ben Fox Smith does his very best not to sound like a young Kurt Cobain and fails. This is a decent album and I'd have liked to have heard more from them.

P.S. I've had a Google and you can get a pack of 3 Saville Row boxer shorts from SportsDirect for £12.99. Easily obtainable.

My Indigo - Lesson Learned
Taken from the 2018 album My Indigo

Sharon Del Adel is better known as the lead singer for the fantastic Dutch Band, Within Temptation. My Indigo is her solo album, under a pseudonym, and veers away from her more usual Gothic Metal and is very much a pop album. Imagine you're a long drive somewhere and you're stuck with local radio the only option to you. After an hour or so of some all-time greatest Pop hits of all time, when you're seriously contemplating ramming into the next tree you find, Lesson Learned sounds like the kind of song that makes you think "Actually, this one is pretty good" and not kill yourself in a horrific ball of flames after all. 

The Mark Of Cain - Call In Anger
Taken from the 1996 album Battlesick

This Australian trio are a weird one. The music is pummelling, bass-heavy Post Hardcore but John Scott's vocals sound for all the world like Ian Curtis from Joy Division. Deep, almost spoken-word, mumbling. It's an odd pairing but it works really well. Call In Anger is my favourite song from their debut (and the only one I own, I should probably investigate further) album, Battlesick. The bass is massive and the whole song is built around it and the stop start riff. Right at the end of the song, the riff builds in intensity and I'd have liked to see more of that through the song as it sounds ace.

Witch Fever - Toothless
Taken from the 2018 single Toothless 

A few months ago there was an article shared about on Facebook about all-female band that were getting a constant barrage of leery comments and abuse at gigs that culminated in one of the band getting groped whilst onstage in Bristol. As a large, ugly man, I receive very little attention from pervy sexist knobheads so I've not much of a base to empathise from but, it's hard to believe that it still goes on this much in 2018. And not just the sleazing either, that they still get grief about women in bands, and the doubting of their ability/knowledge, is staggering to me. The Punk and Metal communities are supposed to be places of kinship, harmony and somewhere to feel safe. Clearly, for some, this isn't the case and that's upsetting.

Out of curiosity, I gave the band, Witch Fever, a listen and loved both of the songs I found (Toothless and Carpet Asphyxiation)While all the four members are from various parts of the UK, they are based in Manchester and ply a raw amalgamation of Punk and Grunge. Toothless (presumably not named after the dragon) starts with a slow, stomping riff before kicking off amid a howling cry of "Fuck what you say!". It's a fearsome angry noise that could well be about the incidents mentioned in the article. 
Hopefully, there'll be an album on the way at some point, and not just these two songs, because I'd like to hear more

Troldhaugen - It's Morphine Time
Taken from the 2017 album Idio+Synchrasies

I'm a big fan of the Progressive Metal band, Toehider and Mike seems to keep banging on about this Avant-Garde Metal band from Australia so, at some point, I checked them out and they're exactly the sort of thing I like. Apparently, they're named after the hometown of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (Hall Of The Mountain King, Peer Gynt etc)  and it's not just a generic Folk Metal name. Their earlier stuff does have a Folk Metal feel to a lot of it, though their current album is more of an Electronic, synth tone, but their peculiar brand of humour and gleeful sense of experimentation instantly negates any claims of non-imagination.  
It's Morphine Time (I think we should all take a moment to fully appreciate the fine pun in this song title) is about heroin addiction, the verses are all cheesy 80's Hip Hop but that chorus is grand, epic and glorious Pomp Rock. It's not the heaviest of their songs by any means but it's wonderful.

DNF - 3rd Degree Bernie Mac
Taken from the 2010 split with WPI

I don't know a whole lot about this Hardcore/Powerviolence group other than they're from Los Angeles, they've been around a lot longer than their meagre collection of EP's might suggest and that DNF stands for Duke Nukem Forever. I was poking about on naughty download blogs and found some of their music on a Hardcore blog, they looking interesting so downloaded what there was. They're pretty much what you'd expect from a Powerviolence band, short, furious songs with unintelligible lyrics. Jolly good.

The Winter Hill Transmission - Satellites
Taken from the 2018 album The Winter Hill Transmission

Much like Paul Liddell of Smack Mammoth, Ben Holland of The Winter Hill Transmission is a veteran of the North East music scene and, again, someone my wife listened to. My friend Eddie of Attention Please played this song on his show and I liked it a lot but I didn't realise it was Ben Holland until later. While Satellites is undeniably modern Indie Folk but there's an almost 70's proggy feel to it, more in the imagery of a young woman watching the skies through a telescope and not because there's a seven minute Rick Wakeman Keyboard solo in the middle of it, I mean.
 It's a really pretty song and the album has a ton more just as good.

Sonseed - Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine
Taken from the 1981 album First Fruit

Jesus Christ, this song. If it turns out I can never wheedle it out of my head then Jesus is very much not a friend of mine. You'll have seen the meme on Facebook about this song being the best ever advert for god bothering there's ever been and that Rancid should cover it. It's hard to disagree to be honest, it's the most insidious, catchy piece of music I've heard in a long time. It's rivalling Mah Ná Mah Ná for the most horrid song to be permanently stuck in your head. No really.