MEDICATION: A BUDDYHEAD BLOG

Various Artists - "100% Dynamite"

Due to the grossly hot 100 degree weather we're experiencing right now in Los Angeles and it feeling like Jamaica inside my apartment (I've had my AC cranked on high all day and I'm still sweating my balls off), I don't think there could possibly ever be a better time to post about this compilation called "100% Dynamite" that I dig on.  Normally I don't listen to reggae... Sure, I've got the first few Bob Marley records but that's kinda where my reggae knowledge ends.  This record on the other hand, is undeniable.  "100% Dynamite" reminds me of a happy reggae version of Funkadelic's "Maggotbrain".  It's got a wide range of artists and styles and is the perfect place to start for any reggae virgin.  Don't be scared of the reggae, it won't hurt.  If you end up digging this one, also check out "200% Dynamite" & "300% Dynamite", but don't bother with 400% and higher because it gets kinda weird after that.  This Willie William's song, "Armageddon Time", sounds more relevant to me than anything that's coming out now.  Can you believe that I wrote all that and I didn't even mention The Jesus & Mary Chain once?

(Download - Willie Williams "Armageddon Time")

(Download - Johnny Osborne "We Need Love")

(Download - Phyllis Dillon "Woman Of The Ghetto")

Primal Scream - "Vanishing Point"

This is the first Primal Scream record I got really into.  I heard "Screamadelica" and thought it was pretty cool, but it wasn't until I heard this one that I realized Primal Scream was one of my favorite bands.  In my opinion this is where they started getting good and then they just got better and better with their next two records "XTRMNTR" & "Evil Heat". Too bad no one in America, including their label, has taken notice. "Vanishing Point" was the band's 5th record, Mani from The Stone Roses had just taken over the bass duties and it was the follow up to their dumpy southern rock record "Give Out But Don't Give Up" which had pretty much bummed out all the fans they'd gained from the ecstasy fueled and chart topping "Screamadelica".   In a sense, this record was Primal Scream's return from sucking.  The band took the name "Vanishing Point" from a great cult movie made back in 1971 that you should check out if you like to smoke marijuana.  It stars Barry Newman as the mysterious Kowalski, who tries to deliver a supercharged 1970 Dodge Challenger from Colorado to San Francisco, California. He makes a bet with his drug dealer that he can get the car there in less than 15 hours and from then on it's a big car chase with the pigs.  Don't forget about the gay hitchhikers Kowalski has to kick out of his ride, hot naked chicks on motorbikes he hangs with & a soul brother DJ who has a police radio scanner.  The DJ let's our hero know where the cops are and keeps him amped with some pretty rad boogie rock while he's running from the pigs, eating speed pills and just being one cool motherfucker.  If you do rent this movie (Netflix has it), make sure to try this little experiment: press play on the Primal Scream album as the first scene fades in, it makes an even better soundtrack than the original and syncs up surprisingly well.  Really fucking well if you're baked.  As for the songs I posted... "Kowalski" opens with a sample of the blind DJ (which is a nod to the band's favorite, but definitely not sole, drug of choice) and then kicks into a dark dub flavored rock n' roll rave that's fuckin' hard.  Front man for "The Scream", Bobby Gillespie (who played Moe Tucker style drums on The Jesus & Mary Chain's "Psychocandy"), might not be the best technical singer as far as range and pitch go, but homeboy has got the art of timing down to a science.  Plus he's always got rad lyrics.  Speaking of, "Star" has some of the best lyrics on the album and it makes me wanna hold my lighter in the air.  "Medication" is the hidden pop hit of the album and it's been my theme song today since I ate shit skateboarding at the Glendale skate park yesterday morning.  I either broke my wrist or sprained it really bad.  All I know is it hurts like a motherfucker and I can't really use it. "Gimme medication to cure this hole!"  In other words... someone reading this better hook up the fucking pain killers!

(Download - "Kowalski")

(Download - "Star")

(Download - "Medication")

Bob Dylan - "Bob Dylan"

This is sort of a random post because this isn't even close to being one of my favorite Dylan records.  Too bad Aaron's too lazy to post on here, cuz that dude knows way more about Dylan than I do.  He almost knows too much about Dylan. But I've been rocking this album lately so I'm sharing it with you guys now.  "In My Time Of Dyin" is my favorite song on this record cuz it's got fucking cool attitude!  All he wants you to do is "take his body home" man!  Plus you might notice that Spacemen 3 borrowed some lyrics from this jam for their song "Come Down Easy" which I posted a while ago.  That band was so good at stealing shit and making it their own.  I love that.  Here's "Fixin' To Die" as well cuz this one is bad ass too.  Dyan didn't write either one of these, they're traditional songs. In fact most of this record is, I think it boasts only two originals.  On a side and somewhat related note, the skatepark in Glendale is fucking awesome!  I've been skating there the last few days with Sam Velde.  My body is freaking out cuz I haven't exercised in years, I'm a total fat ass old man, it sucks. Yeeeeeeeebrah!

(Download - "In My Time Of Dyin")

(Download - "Fixin' To Die")

Mazzy Star - "She Hangs Brightly"

The beautifully quiet and lushly bluesy Mazzy Star was comprised of David Roback (from Opal) on guitar and Hope Sandoval on vocals.  Man, her voice is fucking great!  Isn't it?  If you don't find yourself getting a slight crush at the sound of Hope's voice, then you probably don't like women my friend.  "She Hangs Brightly" is their first, most raw and in my opinion... best album.  From here on out Mazzy Star got progressively slicker.  All of their records are good, but if I have to pick one then I'm going with this one.  After Mazzy Star broke up, Hope Sandoval put out a solo record that's "ok" called "Bavarian Fruit Bread" which opens with a cover of The Jesus & Mary Chain song "Drop".  Hope dated William Reid and you can find her singing on the last two JAMC records ("Stoned And Dethroned" and "Munki").  Yeah, I start randomly ranting about JAMC whenever I can... As for this record... It's dark, poppy, lush, quiet, bluesy, with great vocals and cool guitar sounds. "Blue Flower" and "Ride It On" are two of my favorite songs on this record, give em a listen. If you dig em, pick this album up.  Hope Sandoval is the best ex girlfriend you never had!

(Download - "Blue Flower")

(Download - "Ride It On")

Autolux - "Future Perfect"

Autolux is one of Los Angeles's finest rock outfits in my opinion.  Lately they've been getting a lot of attention, not to mention killer shows (that's what happens when your manager is The White Stripes manager as well), so I'd be surprised if you haven't already heard about this band in some form or another. Their sound falls somewhere between My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth (and I’m talking about the Sonic Youth records where they play SONGS not the ones where they’re banging spoons together), Can, and The Jesus and Mary Chain (from whom I think they’ve borrowed the amazing ability of marrying their lovely shrieking noise, insanely loud and glorious feedback, with their lush and beautiful male/female harmonies). The more I listen to this, the more I’m diggin’ it.  It's good live too. Not to sound like a total misogynist, but their drummer Carla, is by far the best female drummer I have ever seen. Hell, she’s better than most guy drummers out there.
As for the other members, Greg (guitar/vox) was in that band Failure whom you might have heard before.  Homeboy has his tone DIALED! And Eugene (bass/vox) was in the Guns N’ Roses video “November Rain” playing violin and wrote the instrumental Beastie Boy’s song “Eugene´s Lament” (among other things like playing in that punk band DFL). These dudes are going out on US tour with Nine Inch Nails and Queens Of The Stone Age pretty soon which means they're gonna see Aaron eat a lot of cake.

(Download - "Blanket")

(Download - "Sugarless")

Upcoming Autolux shows:
 w/NINE INCH NAILS & QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Sept 15 - Oct 15
   
w/SHELLAC
August 20 The Echo Los Angeles

w/THE WHITE STRIPES
August 17 The Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA

w/THE WHITE STRIPES
August 13 The Greek Theatre Berkley, CA

SAN DIEGO STREET SCENE (main stage)
July 29 San Diego
   
w/BECK & LE TIGRE
July 19 Santa Barbara, CA The Santa Barbara Bowl
   
July 7
Sonic Cathedral @ The Legion London, England
   
w/DUKE SPIRIT
July 6 Barfly (Xfm Xposure Live) London, England

Frantic Mantis - "Data Is Not Information"

Frantic Mantis is Shelby Cinca (from Frodus) and two Swedish chums of his, Per Stålberg and Håkan Johansson (both from Division Of Laura Lee).  Shelby loves Sweden.  I'm pretty sure these guys named their band after a video game or a computer program of some kind.  These guys love video games and computers.  Frantic Mantis make some DC sounding punk rock with a few electronic blips and blops thrown in as well.  I've always dug Shelby's bands, Frodus made some cool records.  And although I don't know too much about Division Of Laura Lee I'm digging the sound of these three guys together.  Cept I like it better when Shelby sings.  "Creation Sickness" and "Data Is Not Information" are my two favorite jams on this record.  Check Shelby's "Just For Men" beard in the photo below.  He's like the punk rock Tom Selleck and shit. Buy this album now from Lujo Records by clicking here.

(Download - "Creation Sickness")

(Download - "Data Is Not Information")

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Cavity - "Stepdad"

NOT to be confused with the Miami, Florida sludgerock band of the same name, this Cavity was a short-lived, but great weird-punk quartet from Boulder, Colorado that wrote one of the greatest and funniest teenage angst anthems of all time, "Stepdad." The chorus says it all: "Motherfucker!/ You fuck my mother." But, the clincher is the very last line of the song, and I won't ruin it for you here... just listen.
 
Cavity put out two 7" singles in the mid-90s before calling it quits. The band featured the incredibly talented guitarist Jon Martinez -- a record store clerk whose great suggestions in my formative years helped build my esoteric tastes in music -- whose playing is like a more melodic Greg Ginn. The vocalist was a real loony girl named Laurie whose on- and off-stage antics were truly bizarre, but her humorous lyrics and dramatic delivery ranks among the best punk singers. Bassist Julee Peasley, who also maintains the GSL website and has been involved in numerous cool mail-art projects, once wore a dress made out of bacon (!) and helped shape the band's visual aesthetic. Drummer Eric had also played in the pre-riot grrl punk band A.S.F. Apparently, there is absolutely no information or photos available on Cavity, and I don't have a scanner... So, you're just gonna have to love it for the music. Their first single (which featured this song) was self-released, and the second (including a great cover of Leslie Gore's "You Don't Own Me") came out on the equally short-lived Titanic Records.

(Download - "Stepdad")

Starlite Desperation - Notes From the Drag

I'll have to fess up to being a total fanboy about Starlite Desperation for the past ten or so years of its on-and-off existence. From the first time that my old band played at Epicenter in SF in 1996 with the then Monterey-based glam punk trio adorned in silk shirts and makeup and on to the major label quartet that someone (oh wait, that was me) foolishly called "smog-psych" opening for the Donnas, Starlite Desperation has always remained a shining example of clever, catchy songwriting with one of the greatest vocalists heard in ages. So, how appropriate it is that so few people have actually heard this classic band despite its longevity and quality.

Since its release, the band's Cold Sweat records debut Violate a Sundae (its third album, a culmination of several lineup changes and relocations from Salinas, CA to Detroit to Portland to Los Angeles) has caught people off guard with its pugnacious assault of psychedelic garage punk that's something akin to the decrepit 50's rock'n'roll of Static Age-era Misfits run through the distortion-ravaged sound of Primal Scream's XTRMNTR. Earlier tracks like "Notes From the Drag" evoke the ecstatic fury of the Gun Club's "Fire Spirit" while "Born To Be Dizzy" hints at the creeping calamity of the Cramps and brazen anthems of the Saints. “Born to scream, sha-la-la-la-la-la-la,” yelps Dante Adrian on the song, his chirping, piercing voice jutting proudly from the speakers. He sings the mock nursery rhyme chorus in jest, but it’s true -- he’s got one of the best rock’n’roll voices of all time. He squeaks, he coos, he quivers with all the earnest ecstasy of a young Elvis Presley and warbling prophylactic frenzy of Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh.
   Plenty of bands write good songs, but precious few possess a powerful and immediately recognizable personality like the Starlite Desperation. And, though the world is littered with johnny-come-lately purported garage rock saviors, the Los Angeles trio has spent the past nine years chewing up and spitting out its influences in an act of affectionate cannibalism. Starlite Desperation’s ritual gnawing at the corpus of rock'n'roll has kept alive the vitality and subtle flavors of the Gun Club, the Scientists, Devo, Misfits and the Stooges. However, while the Starlite Desperation remain staunch defenders of -- and proudly digest -- rock tradition, its recent six-song EP, Violate a Sundae (on L.A.’s Cold Sweat label) shows the band growing to be equally worthy of legend.
While the group sounded charmingly ragged on its first two albums, 1998’s Show You What a Baby Won’t (GSL) and Y2K’s Go Kill Mice(Flapping Jet) the recent EP bristles with distortion and, well, desperation. At the moment the band is preparing to hit the studio to record its major label debut for Capitol.

(Download - "Notes From The Drag")

(Download - "Born To Be Dizzy")

The Holy Childhood

Although his two elder brothers, Ted and Chris Leo have made bigger names for themselves amongst the indie-rock elite, singer/guitarist Danny Leo put his siblings to shame on his expansive and daring Y2K debut album under the moniker The Holy Childhood.
   Not only is it expansive and daring (I'll explain in a moment), but the album, Up With What I'm Down With was one of the coolest albums to be released that year. Why? Because, Danny Leo can't really sing, but judging by his songwriting talents, he's obviously familiar with the notes he's trying to reach. But, instead of talking or screaming or hiring someone else to do it for him, he daringly strains, often just a half-step shy, or a whole step sharp of the note he's aiming to hit. And, most of the time, when he's not eager to belt out that soaring wail (only to gloriously miss) he's got a passionate, signature delivery which hearkens to other great balladeers: Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, et al. What's even more compelling about The Holy Childhood, is its use of a chorus of angelic female vocalists who actually do hit all the notes for which Leo yearns. Therefore, atop the beautifully swaggering compositions of piano, guitars, drums and occasional brass are lush layers of voices that harmonize with Leo's yelp to form minor chords atop the major chord backing tracks. Just like X had a unique finesse to the way John Doe would hold the root note to whatever banshee wail note Exene would stumble upon. It's an old trick, but the singers must have perfect intonation for it to work properly. And, The Holy Childhood finds that perfect trinity of musical transubstantiation. Not only is it vocally intriguing and unique, the album is rife with powerful songwriting and beautifully simple melodies. "Shame" sets the record's tone by starting with Leo's lone, warbling voice smeared over strummed guitar chords. Male voices begin to harmonize with Leo as his voice leaps to a flat yelp, bleating, "I seem to think this whole union is a shame." Laid-back saloon piano and drums stagger into the mix as the song climaxes and segues into the Elliot Smith-esque opening riff of the second track, which soon spills into a brassy barroom sway. Danny Leo is quite apparently a fantastic and versatile songwriter, and he'll eventually earn the ear of the multitudes who may chuckle at his strained voice. I won't compare him to Bob Dylan, but, hey, the kid's only in his early 20s and immediately one of the most compelling voices in independent music. Too bad he hasn't remained very prolific since this debut, but I'm sure there's more to come eventually. Up with whatever he's down with? You're goddamn right.

Buy the whole album direct from the Gern Blandsten label site: Here

(Download - "Shame")

(Download - "Fat Tuesday Everyday")

Spacemen 3 - "Forged Prescriptions"

Fuckin-A it's hot!  I went out and bought a fan today cuz it was about 150 degrees in my apartment.  I also bought a new showerhead that claims that it "turns any shower into a luxurious retreat!"  It goes on to say "Soothing and relaxing, Waterpik's Aquafall showerhead makes every shower a natural rainfall experience!" So yeah, I'm pretty excited about the prospect of having a luxurious retreat in my bathroom, but I haven't tried it out yet. I'll keep you posted on whether or not their claim is true or not.  As for the fan, it seems to be working pretty well and has cooled my room down a few degrees.  To cool things down even more, I’m dropping a little Spacemen 3 in your lap because I can’t think of too many things that are cooler than this band!  "Forged Prescriptions" is a double disc-er of demos and alternate mixes of songs from their album "The Perfect Prescription" (which is a must own as well), hence the clever title.  If you don't have any records by this band yet, I'd say start by picking up "Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To" or "Sound Of Confusion".  But for the record you can't really go wrong with these dudes. Buy whatever you can get your hands on because it's all pretty great shit.  In case you've been living in a cave, after Spacemen 3 Jason Pierce went on to form a little band called Spiritualized. And the other dude, Sonic Boom got all weird and went on to make a bunch of experimental music under the name Spectrum & Experimental Audio Research. I'm not really into much of Sonic's post Spacemen work, but Spiritualized really light my world on fire. Anyways, I'm rambling... enjoy.

Two thousand five, all I wanna do is get stoned!

(Download - "Come Down Easy" demo)

(Download - "Feel So Good")

(Download - "Walking With Jesus" demo)