tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32736302012-01-26T22:13:11.515-08:00Chaos is the future and beyond it is freedom.The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.comBlogger6141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-63425818156619836652012-01-26T21:33:00.000-08:002012-01-26T22:13:11.665-08:00

I've already posted full reviews of each of these albums, so the blurbs are relatively short for this installment.20. Abriosis—Tattered and BoundAbriosis are the only other Canadian band to make this list. I had to give them a placing based on their ripping live set and this world-class album. Tattered and Bound is a masterclass in discordant, technical death metal. Old-school, raw metal of death

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-88279701360020224192012-01-23T21:48:00.000-08:002012-01-23T23:24:26.431-08:00

2011 was an annoying year. Ignorance and pettiness thrived. Stephen Harper and his creepy, Crispin Gloverish grin wouldn't go away—came back stronger and more insipid than ever, in fact. Good people died, friends moved away, living got more expensive. Belligerence abounded: attack the CBC, attack the poor, attack anyone who dares fight to maintain a living wage. As long as we have the oil sands

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-73472194355436579652012-01-12T22:37:00.000-08:002012-01-12T22:57:38.387-08:00

I caught local duo Hierarchies at the Biltmore recently, performing a set (to far too few people) coaxed from various guitars, synths, and pedals. If it hadn’t been my first time seeing them, and if I hadn’t needed to get up close to see how they were creating this sound, I’d have laid back on one of the club’s plush benches and shut my eyes to soak it in. To label their music drone/ambient is

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-60373527655810945402012-01-01T13:37:00.000-08:002012-01-01T16:50:54.116-08:00

As a facebook friend said, "In a hundred years it will be 2112!" I'll have popped my clogs long before everyone's holding the red star proudly high in hand, but I'll be there in spirit.For 2012 I'm pledging to post more. I was really disappointed with my output here, especially when it came to show reviews. 2011 was a great year for gigs, but you wouldn't know it from the piss-poor 27 posts I

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-89266966925009342282011-12-28T19:39:00.000-08:002011-12-28T20:00:44.280-08:00

Last Thursday I checked my Twitter feed, same as I do every morning, to see the shocking, unbelievable news that David Gold of Woods of Ypres had been killed in a highway accident in Ontario the previous afternoon. He was 31.It’s a cruel world. Achieving good things requires struggle and sacrifice. The bad stuff seemingly happens at random, arriving out of nowhere, immune to human intention. It’s

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-577221296403674522011-11-29T23:05:00.000-08:002011-11-29T23:22:10.163-08:00

Until now, this was the only Waters-era Pink Floyd album I’ve never owned. I’d been looking for it for a few years, after realizing that my favourite Pink Floyd era was that fiendishly productive and exploratory period between Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Dark Side of the Moon. I managed to pick up their other soundtrack album, Obscured by Clouds, on LP, but finding a decent copy of More was

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-49516970158258612432011-11-03T21:25:00.001-07:002011-11-03T21:58:28.075-07:00

2009’s The Great Cessation was a stern, angry album that signalled YOB’s tumultuous rebirth after a period of label-imposed strife for mainman Mike S. Although Atma is another forbidding record, the band sounds at relative peace. The songs don’t dip quite so deeply into the abyss and the riffs sing out a little more. While the “doom” tag fits, I think their music encompasses much more. To me,

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-70357741869661091642011-10-12T22:39:00.000-07:002011-10-12T23:45:07.111-07:00

I’ve seen The Unsupervised more than any other band over the last few years. It’s always a treat heading downtown on a Saturday night, dodging all the wannabe Snookis and quasi-Situations on Granville Street, and ducking down an alleyway to find a quiet room in which to see The Unsupervised rip it up in the company of five or six other fans. Of all Jeff Younger’s projects—I’ve reviewed The Nudger

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-84993662359899632072011-09-17T21:48:00.000-07:002011-09-17T22:30:54.256-07:00

This show felt a little “off” from the start. The advertised door time was 7:00, so I showed up at 7:20. I could hear Scythia soundchecking inside, and the doors were closed. I joined the half dozen fans behind the velvet rope gating the entrance to wait out the delay. It’s never dull outside the Rickshaw—there was a steady parade of lost souls on the Downtown Eastside that night, and one

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-61149481488729508792011-09-07T21:56:00.000-07:002011-09-07T22:44:28.331-07:00

I try to keep my ear to the ground and my finger on the pulse, but things still slip through. Case in point, local tech-death band Abriosis, whom I first read about in Cosmo Lee’s Decibel demo column. I made a mental note to check them out, then didn’t follow up. I am a fool. I finally had a chance to catch Abriosis earlier this summer at the Riffs Not Riots show, where they knocked me on my ass.

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-5212932830030900852011-09-01T21:17:00.000-07:002011-09-01T22:51:11.808-07:00

After listening to the new White Willow track yesterday and seeing bandleader Jacob Holm-Lupo mentioning this "solo album of sorts" from 2009 in the accompanying interview, I decided that Night Blooms needed a proper review here. The timing is ideal in a seasonal sense, because it’s a perfect end-of-summer listen. Every clear, shining tone is tinged with melancholy. The Opium Cartel takes the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-7549654697023454182011-07-27T23:03:00.000-07:002011-07-27T23:19:14.784-07:00

Reviewing a soundtrack is tricky because the music is meant to be part of a greater whole; not necessarily an experience unto itself. Without having seen the movie for which this music was made, I can’t comment on how it serves the visuals and storyline, which is the true criterion for a soundtrack’s success. However, as a prog head and fan of Anekdoten, Nicklas Barker’s primary band, I declare

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-4643274432963014302011-07-26T19:16:00.000-07:002011-07-27T07:49:07.580-07:00

This is another masterpiece from Irish black/pagan stalwarts Primordial. You could argue that Opeth or Enslaved can stand alongside them in terms of consistency, although recent albums by both bands have plenty of detractors. I’ve never read anyone accusing Primordial of dropping a discographical turd. For me, Primordial’s main “problem” is their consistency—I don’t know if they have that one “

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-49116650776381983052011-07-14T21:52:00.000-07:002011-07-14T22:12:32.545-07:00

2011 marks my 25th year of going to the Commodore. My first show at this grande dame of local venues was Marillion on the Misplaced Childhood tour. It’s still a great hall, but with most metal shows happening at the less ritzy Rickshaw Theatre these days, my trips to the Commodore have become increasingly rare.Going to a show solely to see the opening acts can be risky. I’ve been burned in the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-82128171468379002152011-07-01T12:43:00.000-07:002011-07-01T13:18:24.166-07:00

It's been a cool, cloudy summer here, so it's been hard to get into the seasonal swing of things. Jazz Fest is on—I actually got a sunburn watching The Unsupervised in Gastown last Sunday—and it's now Canada Day. It's summer all right, but we're not really feeling it. I've just been hanging out at home all morning spinning records and killing time before I head downtown this afternoon. I started

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-75026793306341606882011-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:002011-06-15T22:47:47.221-07:00

With The Wretch, The Gates of Slumber have reached a new peak by trolling the depths of despondence. The Gates of Slumber are a doom metal institution by now, going from strength to strength with their no-nonsense lifer rock. The Wretch is especially free of frills. You won’t hear backup vocals, rhythm guitars or keyboards; only the sound of a trio trudging along a sorrowful path with their

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-75883757012528861332011-05-31T22:18:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:00:05.396-07:00

To adapt a line from LA punk legends Fear, Led Bib’s alright if you like saxophones. Fortunately I do—I haven’t always, but I came around to them. As a staunch rockist, I regarded them as poisonous garnish (the sax on IQ’s Nomzamo in ’87 filled me with rage). All I needed to hear was saxophone being properly deployed. After Van der Graaf Generator opened the gateway, the sax and I were good to go

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-20107913368275060172011-05-20T20:40:00.000-07:002011-05-20T21:05:27.939-07:00

This Saturday we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of Powerchord on CiTR with a gig at the Rickshaw Theatre. The bill includes Woods of Ypres, Titans Eve, Scissortooth and others. It should be quite a night.Powerchord’s been on the air since 1985, always in the same Saturday afternoon 2-hour time slot (with one or two deviations). It speaks to the dedication of the local scene and CiTR staffers

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-47426596357753068032011-05-11T21:40:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:00:53.463-07:00

Listening to this album is a hellish experience. That’s not a critique; that’s just how it is. Parasignosis is grim, oppressive, and gruelling, a torture chamber in which twisting tendrils of death metal slither, entwine and ultimately suffocate whatever sensibility you had when you entered. You’re compelled to explore this black pit of sonic horror just in case a sliver of light finds its way in

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-35728694314006448532011-05-09T22:44:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:01:25.530-07:00

It’s a credit to Ben Chasny’s abilities as a guitarist and songwriter that his work sounds so effortless. It has the flow and spontaneity of conversation, making the listener feel like a privileged eavesdropper. Listen to the exchange of phrases on the opening track “Above a Desert I've Never Seen”: tentative at first, then faster, as the discussion heats up, trills jabbing back and forth, then

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-43577683366292708082011-05-05T21:08:00.000-07:002011-06-19T22:40:05.300-07:00

Super Robertson is his own man, and he does what he does with no concern about what’s cool and what might "rock." We should all be so unencumbered by cultural baggage. If this makes him an outsider, never mind; he’s got larger concerns. He’s got kids to raise, a Supper Show to organize every week, a garden to tend, bee survival to worry about, and songs to write.Dreams have become a theme in his

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-91986789468670412252011-05-04T20:24:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:03:47.897-07:00

What’s the angle on Red Fang? Well, there’s the beer-fueled, Pythonesque hilarity of the “Prehistoric Dog” video. I got on board after catching that, I’ll admit. There’s the Portland angle. Who doesn’t like Portland? Place is awesome. There’s the “produced by a Decemberist” angle, but that’s hardly an angle. It’s not like Red Fang are suddenly writing fantastical folk songs to be savoured by NPR

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-67981846980565224782011-04-20T23:17:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:04:14.588-07:00

The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull (2008) was a shimmering, hypnotic set based around precision and repetition. Angels of Darkness… showcases a more relaxed approach, as though the band visited Neil Young’s Ragged Glory barn and took some pointers from Crazy Horse. (I often wonder if Neil Young has ever heard Earth, given his history of work in bleak guitar landscapes, from the Dead Man

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-15671137512543650622011-04-11T23:35:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:04:44.282-07:00

I looked up “Prog/Power” in the OED (it’s been added to the latest edition, I swear) and it said “See Creation’s End.” Which means (a) the OED knows its metal, and (b) if you want some fine prog/power metal, Creation’s End delivers it, straight-up, with no discordant King Crimson moves, no jazz fusion tangents, and no zany circus-music fluff (thank Christ for that). They take a stab at exoticism

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-65213609145422246092011-03-27T17:15:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:05:05.293-07:00

Electric Wizard doesn’t want to be your friend, so don’t try to get all chummy. Keep your distance, give them their space, and everything’ll be cool. Still, you remember the good times; those hazy, lazy days that became nights that became days hanging out with Come My Fanatics, or maybe Dopethrone. Then things seemed to go bad for them and you lost touch. You thought it’d be best to leave

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-16331629068833023112011-01-24T23:01:00.001-08:002011-01-29T15:20:29.189-08:00

5. Ludicra—The Tenant (Profound Lore)When I listen to The Tenant, I don't think "Hmm, I have determined that Ludicra has created the ideal blend of black, classic, and progressive metal." No, I'm too busy going, "METALLLL!" I've long considered Ludrica the awkward cousin to Bay-Area bands like Slough Feg and Hammers of Misfortune, but with The Tenant they've broken through and finally got my full

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-161771241556549752011-01-21T21:12:00.000-08:002011-01-24T07:24:59.321-08:00

10. Black Breath—Heavy Breathing (Southern Lord)After their scorching debut EP, I wasn't sure that Black Breath could sustain the energy and interest over a full length. I shouldn't have doubted their abilities, as these Bellingham burnouts take to the album format with ease, with a raft of great punk/metal tunes and a surprise or two (most notably the blackened blues of "Unholy Virgin"). Kurt

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-75256990643826414272011-01-13T21:42:00.000-08:002011-01-20T21:56:33.631-08:00

15. Wormrot—Abuse (Earache)There's good to be found in all genres, and I like to find the best in everything during the course of a year. Wormrot's Abuse is my grind album of 2011. Sometimes I just want to experience pure rage through music, but it must also rock. Wormrot manage this again and again and again.14. Neil Young—Le Noise (Reprise)Quite a dark and haunting trip with Neil Young; these

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-25874035736758334222011-01-10T22:14:00.000-08:002011-01-11T23:46:44.432-08:00

Here we go with my top 20...20. Nachtmystium—Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II (Century Media)Based on Nachtmystium's ability to get purists all riled up, I sprung for the new album, only to be disappointed by the lack of anything truly radical. Remember 1997 and the Weirding of Norway? La Masquerade Infernale and Neonism represent the kind of stretch I'd like to hear Blake Judd make in the realm of

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-31438115025973810332011-01-04T22:30:00.000-08:002011-01-05T22:51:39.241-08:00

As I said, I was operating at reduced capacity last year, so I've decided to do a top 20 of albums that I really honestly listened to a lot. I think I did 25 last year. The countdown will begin soon, but meanwhile, here are my honourable mentions for 2010—great albums that I didn't give enough attention to, or albums that simply landed outside of my top 20, but were otherwise so honourable that I

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-13862151956995348772011-01-03T12:53:00.000-08:002011-01-03T19:52:25.698-08:00

Happy new year to anyone who chanced upon this blog over the last 12 months. I wouldn’t induct 2010 into Life's Hall of Fame. It was a little too hair-raising for that, what with employment uncertainty and sudden family-related life adjustments. My music acquiring and listening habits were affected, but I learned something in the process. I’m not one of those people for whom music is a release

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-51267370411810373432010-12-21T21:36:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:05:28.040-07:00

At this point in their existence, a new release from Portland’s Agalloch generates near-Neurosis levels of anticipation. They take their time between albums—it’s been four years since Ashes Against the Grain came out. We know the new album will be good, but we don’t know what kind of good: which of the band’s many strengths will be emphasized, what new elements will come into play, what will the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-56493238976264791402010-12-12T11:51:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:05:56.845-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a show that was less than well attended. Maybe it’s the gigs I pick, or maybe the overall live scene’s really healthy right now. From reading bands’ tour blogs, those bad nights of playing to a few old alcoholics and the bartender’s dog still happen, but bands hitting Vancouver must do fairly well out of it. The word definitely got out about Kylesa prior to

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-25723661266660236922010-11-28T15:28:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:06:47.926-07:00

Here’s half a concert review, or, to be precise, a review of half a concert. I was most interested in the meat in the Dimmu/Dawn sandwich, so I timed my arrival accordingly. My strategy almost backfired, because there was a long lineup outside the Rickshaw—it was an all-ager, so they were checking IDs, giving out wristbands, etc. While I wait I overheard some amusing banter between some dudes

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-14668455873722547732010-10-18T11:34:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:07:49.387-07:00

The Deciblog recently published Laura Pleasants of Kylesa’s list of five albums that remind her of high school, and asked, via their Twitter feed, people to submit lists of their own. I heeded the call, then thought that a fleshed-out version might make a decent post. So, here we are.I wish I could say that I had a better time in high school—cutting class, sticking it to the man, barfing O’Keefe’

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-9804892072717455962010-10-07T18:04:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:08:13.529-07:00

Zevious are “way out” and “too much.” The trio slips me a mickey on “Where’s the Captain?,” opening the album with a skittering bit of electric jazz. Just as I’m settling back for a John McLaughlin Extrapolation-style outing, they shut her down and burst into some powerful, angular King Crimson/Voivod damage. Then the madness escalates as the song breaks into detailed micro-skronk sections that

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-87162218390188888522010-09-20T20:29:00.000-07:002010-09-21T10:37:55.113-07:00

Television seems so neat and tidy these days. With so many damn channels available, you’d think there'd be anarchy. But no. Every channel has a niche audience and a mandate, with carefully targeted programming to match. I sort of miss the 13-channel cable TV service that we had until the mid-‘80s. Every channel had to be all things to all people. They all had news, they all (even PBS) covered

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-32528221026938433572010-09-09T21:48:00.001-07:002011-06-19T10:08:32.123-07:00

There’s metal, and then there’s extreme metal. Blood Revolt make extremist metal. Indoctrine puts you in their blast zone, where they will cut you down. This Irish-Canadian collaboration—vocalist AA Nemtheanga (Primordial) joining Albertan war-metal stalwarts C Ross and J Read (Axis of Advance) on guitars and drums respectively—attack this album like a suicide squad, knowing this is their one

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-9270604293263838172010-08-30T23:03:00.001-07:002011-06-19T10:09:00.633-07:00

Egg’s second album, The Polite Force (1971), saw them maturing on all fronts. They’re far more focused and heavy. The album has only four tracks, with none of the quirky filler interludes from the first album. Once again, everything is good humoured and down to earth even as the band churn away with great complexity. Save the philosophy and mythology for Genesis and Yes—Egg were more concerned

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-77348977399978553162010-07-28T21:35:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:11:41.144-07:00

“Where's all the huge ’dozers?” asked Mrs. Mule soon after we’d gotten our bearings inside The Venue on this balmy Monday night. She was right—by the standards of most metal crowds, our fellow concert-goers were clean cut and slight of build (and not a little farty, unfortunately). None of this surprised me, seeing as we were attending the progressive metal bill of the summer. During Cynic's set,

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-81434034975433353782010-07-14T18:02:00.000-07:002010-07-14T22:31:39.379-07:00

Here's some of my recent work for hellbound.ca, where Sean Palmerston's been very generous in letting me blather on at irregular junctures. The site's developed a cool little community of writers and readers, and I'm pleased to be part of it.Our biggest recent undertaking was the Canada Day feature on Rush, which also coincided with the release of Beyond the Lighted Stage on DVD. A mass nerd-out

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-21761016092027769752010-07-13T21:27:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:09:32.902-07:00

The music on this L.P. is not dancing music, but basically music for listening to. It is harmonically and rhythmically complex, designed to be as original as possible within the confines of the instrumental line-up; so its [sic] pretty demanding on the listener’s attention. –notes from the original LPThey come across as polite and eager to please in the liner notes, but in truth, Egg were like

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-18106200049287570162010-07-01T18:16:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:12:37.312-07:00

With these bills stocked with mainly local acts, there’s often one band that isn’t quite up to snuff. Whether they lack experience, chemistry (“What’s up with the guy in the Shadows Fall shirt?”), or are just the wrong band for the gig, you’re left feeling “Oh. Oh, man. I wish I wasn't seeing this.” I'm happy and proud to say that the local metal scene is so strong now that such onstage mishaps

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-11996309088979643192010-06-23T22:48:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:13:04.668-07:00

The artwork for this double album is dominated by marvellous photos of the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The images echo the shape of the the CDs within. Collider would have been a good name for the album, actually. The trio of Cline (guitars), Devin Hoff (bass), and Scott Amendola (drums) smashes together a number of styles and influences on this grab bag of rocking jazz noise, with

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-14695911572535669382010-06-15T18:48:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:13:29.733-07:00

Entombed’s debut album, Left Hand Path, was released 20 years ago, and it’s still looking and sounding pretty spry. I clearly remember first seeing the cover, with its menacing Dan Seagrave artwork and “Crushing guitars—Mass death!” sticker. My friend Ken had bought the album based on that boast, and I picked it up soon afterwards. It was one of the first metal albums I bought on CD, purchased on

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-23387787211706314962010-06-02T14:49:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:14:02.295-07:00

I wasn’t actually sure this gig would happen. I saw no posters, and found no listing in last week’s Georgia Straight. I had a ticket and some faith, but even the latter deserted me just before I left the house. A call to the club confirmed that The Gates of Slumber (who were to be second on the bill) were crossing the border and the gig was still on.Mrs. Mule and I met up with Scum at the club,

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-63943015590020383422010-05-25T21:33:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:14:27.998-07:00

Now that I’ve reviewed Tom Warrior’s latest project, let’s go way, way back to his first recordings with Hellhammer. He documented this era in Only Death is Real, THE metal book of 2010 so far. The only thing that remarkable compendium didn’t include was a soundtrack. Fortunately, Century Media released just such a thing in 2008.At the time of their first release, most bands are like

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-20109551757928273602010-05-14T17:22:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:14:52.665-07:00

Born from pain and steeped in death, Triptykon has roared to life. Triptykon is Tom G “Warrior” Fischer’s new project following the ugly demise of Celtic Frost only one album into their comeback. Monotheist, the comeback album in question, brought them much acclaim (it was Terrorizer's album of the year), but to me it offered little of the raw, elemental riff satisfaction of classic Celtic Frost;

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-45978001315186071072010-05-03T14:03:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:15:37.487-07:00

I hadn’t done much research beforehand, so when I visited the merch table and saw Caspian t-shirts bearing a mutated CBC logo, I assumed they were a Canadian band. Not so, as they announced their Massachusetts origins early in their set. They really threw themselves into it, and sounded great in the process — a five-piece instrumental blend of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine and whichever

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-61844609107294972782010-04-22T15:40:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:16:04.010-07:00

Spooky music by spooky guys with spooky facial hair. You all know Nick Cave. Warren Ellis is one of the Bad Seeds and 1/3 of the Dirty Three. They recorded some of this music for movies; the rest came from their own vaults. Disc one presents selections from the soundtracks for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Proposition, and The Road. The liner notes claim that the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-4918411434524559652010-04-16T15:48:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:16:51.795-07:00

Tribute albums seemed to be everywhere in the early ‘90s. Everyone was covering everybody. They were essentially novelty records, listened to once or twice, then filed away or offloaded at the used CD store (which is where I picked up many of the tribute albums in my collection).I'm kind of a sucker for them, though. For me, tribute albums were a chance to get a rare track by a favourite artist

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-57884746630300273812010-03-19T11:47:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:17:25.696-07:00

YØGA deal in pure sound, delivered in bursts of confusion and terror. The duo of Vatten Häst and Eld Anka don't give us much to go on, aside from the sound. The credits in the CD are minimal: no producer, no studio, no equipment lists, no thank yous to everyone they met on the road. Obscurity adds to the intrigue. Megafauna comprises 12 roiling vortexes of synths, guitars, drums and noise,

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-9234604325777621502010-03-11T19:27:00.000-08:002010-05-18T11:44:36.244-07:00

This week, I have been mostly writing for hellbound.ca.

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-78760639626788328852010-03-03T20:38:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:17:46.727-07:00

Me: Hey, honey, I have the latest album from Cheer-Accident here. They got their name from a category of greeting cards. Mind if I put it on?Wife: Be my guest, Mule.(I fire up the CD player and “Sun Dies” begins playing)Wife: (laughing) What the hell, Mule?Me: Jesus, it sounds like Gentle Giant throwing up. Sorry.Chicago’s Cheer-Accident thrive on absurdity and perversity. Nothing travels in a

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-87991335801936556872010-03-02T22:03:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:18:25.648-07:00

Rotting Christ’s basic sound is extremely masculine, even by metal standards. It’s precise and regimented. The band is in lock step and fit to fight. Even when they bring in contrasting elements, like reed pipes or female vocals, their warrior stance doesn’t flinch at all. The vibe on Aealo is inclusive— “Come, do battle with us. Together we are stronger.”The opening title track is a mad rush of

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-50041140272428485062010-02-22T21:12:00.001-08:002011-06-19T10:21:56.330-07:00

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-55552905139621787552010-01-31T21:25:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:18:51.291-07:00

When the final conflagration is extinguished, the only things to survive will be cockroaches and Voivod.The Tatsumaki DVD demonstrates that Voivod can withstand any calamity and charge into new territory like the Korgull of old. My review is here at hellbound.ca.

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-91622812921045746152010-01-21T18:28:00.000-08:002010-05-18T11:50:25.172-07:00

5. Cobalt—Gin (Profound Lore) “This record is a springboard to fuck the universe.” With a statement like that, plus a dedication to Ernest Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson, Cobalt’s deadly intent is obvious. They pull it off, too, with an approach that mixes black metal with churning, tribal rhythms derived from Neurosis and Tool. Gin is cunning, electrifying, and unnerving. In the building

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-22179631009568918512010-01-12T17:59:00.000-08:002010-05-18T11:50:51.996-07:00

10. Zombi—Spirit Animal (Relapse) If Steve Moore and A. E. Paterra were a lot older and sexed up their sound with a little more disco, they could have been “big in Germany” just like Saga in the early ’80s. Their music is stern and exacting. I admire the purity of their vision and the quality of their execution. They also offer the simple pleasure of hearing two guys play their asses off. Like

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-86074003551907266582010-01-09T15:25:00.000-08:002010-05-18T11:51:24.810-07:00

15. Voivod—Infini (Sonic Unyon) While it's sad that this is the end of the road for Voivod, Infini was a strong record on which to bow out. Katorz was kind of a "proof of concept" release; it must have been an ordeal for the surviving Voivod members to bring Piggy's last riffs to fruition. On Infini the band sounds much more at ease working with their late guitarist's final recordings, and

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-41120021629895648182010-01-07T14:28:00.000-08:002010-05-18T11:51:42.917-07:00

20. Litmus—Aurora (Rise Above) Space rituals for the information age. Review here.19. Baroness—The Blue Record (Relapse) I’m not a production Nazi, but the snare sound on The Blue Record drives me nuts. Smack-smack-smack. Baroness are still a brilliant band, and The Blue Record shows them developing their songwriting and guitar harmonies to manic new heights. If Chuck (Stairway to Hell) Eddy is

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-79201403611278244822010-01-06T15:30:00.000-08:002010-05-18T11:52:02.338-07:00

25. Shrinebuilder—s/t (Neurot) The advance word on the Shrinebuilder sessions (almost a year ago this week!) was that something really special had gone down between Crover, Wino, Cisneros and Kelly. The hype turns out to be reality, as Shrinebuilder delivers a perfect blend of all the participants’ bands. Sounds like everybody brought riffs to the table and put some serious thought into piecing

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-1371892765488849332010-01-05T18:15:00.000-08:002010-05-18T11:52:23.453-07:00

2009 was full of personal trauma and anxiety, yet in the aftermath of every loss or near-loss, there was a quiet zone where I found more time than ever—or maybe I made more time—to pursue music. As always, music is the best.One effect of the demise of Unrestrained! magazine was that I dropped off the promo gravy train. My mailbox sighed in relief. A lot of guilt lifted as well. I concentrated on

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-78997649486568201822009-12-18T17:35:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:19:25.921-07:00

Woods of Ypres do things that metal bands are not supposed to do. Head songwriter David Gold writes in the first person, but doesn't indulge in any role playing. He battles inner demons, not supernatural entities. The lyrics encompass vulnerability and longing as well as anger—the latter arises out of the former. Musically, Woods tackles several genres within a single album, which is refreshing

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-84683078916717269902009-12-10T14:42:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:19:57.971-07:00

A lot of the music I listen to comes from a dark place. I’ll lap up the guttural, gut-bursting fury of Suffocation, the blood-caked emotion of Neurosis, or Deathspell Omega’s dissonant, Dantean hymns and gladly return for more. But when it comes to true Musica in Diabolus, none of them are fit to touch the grim robes of legendary Belgian chamber rock/Rock In Opposition bands Univers Zero and

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-10641062417633598152009-12-04T15:33:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:20:29.585-07:00

I’d always imagined that unravelling the story of Guided by Voices would be a difficult task. Back when I was a SPIN-reading youth, before I’d heard their music, GBV’s initial appeal lay in their obscurity and the romance of their unlikely rise from the basements of Dayton. How would you get access to that? It’d be a task akin to archaeology, digging through the mountains of 4-track tapes and Bud

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-44789730208095997352009-11-27T13:16:00.001-08:002011-06-19T10:21:08.060-07:00

Nearly everything about this release is impressive. The Travis Smith-designed packaging is beautiful, featuring images of sooty, ravaged foliage that gird us for the progressive metal contained on the disc within. Gwynbleidd’s music is impeccably performed and recorded, and full of powerful, natural tones. It appears to be almost entirely self-produced too, so respect to the band for dialling in

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-83590909126961328652009-11-17T21:33:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:22:27.022-07:00

This band’s name makes me think of my neighbourhood and its healthy populations of both pugs and crows. The pugs are roly-poly and happy to be out for a walk; the crows are often ornery and will dive at your head during nesting season. In terms of temperament, The Pugs and Crows Band fall somewhere between the two creatures—neither eager to please nor randomly hostile. Their music swings

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-80059003197308275222009-10-28T20:19:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:23:04.336-07:00

Litmus—AuroraHawkwind are one of the great unsung influences in rock, especially from the North American perspective. Monster Magnet is the only stateside band I can think of that’s copped to their influence. Back in England, the entire “space rock” genre can be traced back to them, and Litmus are definitely carrying on Hawkwind’s tradition of blissed-out, cosmic hard rock. Aurora features the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-90551086564038382442009-10-27T21:21:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:24:04.359-07:00

England’s Rise Above Records has long been one of my favourite labels. Proprietor Lee Dorrian has great taste in working with bands that, while not exactly being “retro”, usually embody old-school values in recording and presentation. Spanning styles from the whimsical minstrelsy of Circulus, to the musty proto-metal of Witchcraft, to the agonizing doom of Moss, Rise Above bands make records that

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-79598574915808637592009-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:24:55.882-07:00

It took a while to write, but you can read my roundup of the live action at Noctis III at Hellbound.ca.I didn't expect to find any good record stores in Calgary, but what do I know? When we went for lunch with Jenn's friend Elise on Saturday afternoon, I spotted Recordland. Aside from the name, I wasn't actually sure that this bunker-like edifice contained any records. All the windows appeared

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-61148906524151464762009-10-19T21:09:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:34:47.928-07:00

Not that you could tell by reading this blog, but October's been an action-packed month for me. Jenn and I spent the first weekend in Calgary, taking in the Noctis III Metal Fest and Conference. It was spectacular, and, provided the organizers (Scarab Metal Productions) didn't take a bath on the thing, I'd like to go back next year. You can read my conference report here.We went to Portland the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-16112716935919046202009-09-28T20:14:00.000-07:002010-05-18T12:03:42.033-07:00

Precious Metal—Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces, Edited by Albert MudrianDecibel magazine has always blended snark with reverence. Columnists J. Bennett and John Darnielle poke fun at the self-seriousness of it all (they kid because they love), while the reviews often spend more time riffing on a band's name than analysing the actual music. The Decibel Hall of

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-41096208848821382662009-09-23T23:27:00.001-07:002011-06-19T10:25:54.428-07:00

Mike Scheidt and his latest YOB mob (old drummer Travis Foster and new bassist Aaron Rieseberg) have come roaring back to life after Scheidt’s disastrous turn with Middian, the project he started after folding YOB. Middian released the fine Age Eternal album, then were quickly sued out of existence by a band who owned nearly the same name. To add insult to injury, Middian were designated as “

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-52230702878107502602009-09-21T21:02:00.000-07:002010-05-18T12:06:46.037-07:00

I'm sure this is a pitiful effort compared to the work of true obsessives, but here is a gallery of some of the more interesting labels from my record collection.

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-23729682465007711382009-09-03T23:07:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:26:33.359-07:00

Ben Chasny’s folk/psych project rounds up some rare split and limited edition releases on this sprawling double CD/triple LP release. Recorded at home on a Tascam 424 four-track—the title refers to the unit's RTZ (“Return to Zero”) button—the five epic “segments” showcase the more mystical, murky side of SOoA. None of them are in a hurry to get anywhere; each explores a becalmed and forlorn

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-92083372766403067152009-08-31T22:58:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:28:19.639-07:00

Wherein I round up reviews of recent shows. It’s been a busy summer for gigs, almost as relentless as the heat that pounded our pale Pacific Northwest hides for a couple weeks in July and August.Six Organs of Admittance, with The Intelligence and Master Musicians of Bukkake, August 20 at The BiltmoreThis was quite a different Six Organs of Admittance show to the one a few years ago at the Media

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-38442440374516422832009-08-20T07:31:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:26:53.229-07:00

Superfan Phil Anselmo made sure he brought along some interesting bands on the Canadian leg of the Down tour. The four band bill started efficiently at 8:00. I arrived in time to catch a few numbers from Weedeater, who played dire, overdistorted sludge with some valiant attempts at power trio jamming that were lost in the low frequency morass. Bands like this are always best when riffing in

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-43481250168343145472009-08-05T23:36:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:27:47.576-07:00

The fabled Michel “Away” Langevin art book has arrived. The iconic illustrator and Voivod drummer/conceptualist has long promised a collection of his visual work, but the delays in completing the project are completely understandable—Voivod’s career has been stranger than fiction these last five years. I'm happy to report that Spider Publishing and Martin Popoff have done an excellent job with

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-47387174709581046582009-07-15T22:41:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:28:56.435-07:00

I didn’t expect them to play “Childlike Faith in Childhood’s End”. I also didn’t expect the line “Believing that what waits for us is the cosmos compared to the dust of the past” to nearly bring me to tears. Life has been full of surprises lately.The VdGG logo from '75 to '78 was a sort of Escher triangle representing the "V" in "Van"—very prescient considering the band is now a trio (Hammill/

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-91628503475304322572009-07-01T11:03:00.000-07:002009-07-01T11:25:10.735-07:00

In observance of our nation's 142nd birthday, those metal maniacs at hellbound.ca have picked their favourite Canadian metal albums, which turns out to be a pretty tasty list. Voivod and Devin Townsend are clearly the most revered Canadians in the hellbound realm, and I won't argue with that.Here are twenty Canadian albums (from various genres) guaranteed to get me all patriotic any time of the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-52942614446026385782009-06-29T22:00:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:29:33.840-07:00

IQ are a rare example of artistic redemption in the music industry. In 1985, IQ ruled the world—my world, at any rate. They’d just released The Wake, a glorious, cinematic album filled with sinister energy. Songs like “The Magic Roundabout” and “Widows Peak” bristled with drama. They should have been at least as big as Marillion, but a couple of factors held them back. One, they didn’t have a

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-42781504927632105452009-06-24T21:01:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:30:05.592-07:00

Dabs of paint, like cells vibrating into place, coalesce into a portrait of the artist. The cover painting captures a lot of what Marnie Stern is about. Sometimes the brushstrokes overlap, and the paint runs together. Stern doesn’t like to colour between the lines with her music either, rendering it in frantic note bursts—tapping, slashing, rapid fire picking—avoiding any large fields of colour

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-91110516826352118222009-06-13T14:32:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:30:41.825-07:00

Is life bumming you out these days? Yeah, me too. There's so much unwarranted hysteria, and it grinds me down. Families are “fighting to survive” in these tough economic times (known as TET in our house). Swine flu is back—I remember it from the ‘70s, and barely anyone died back then either. Poverty and disease now lurk in the middle-class chamber of horrors, joining the child molesters, junkies,

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-13849362946174149742009-06-02T13:08:00.001-07:002011-06-19T10:31:01.821-07:00

No one’s straying outside their comfort zone on Insurgentes—neither Steven Wilson or his audience. If you like Porcupine Tree’s recent output, then you’ll be more than happy with what is billed as Wilson’s first solo album (ignoring the fact that he oversees everything to do with Porcupine Tree, which started as Wilson’s one-man project). While the sounds and atmosphere on Insurgentes haven’t

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-65059457584924871442009-05-28T09:53:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:31:29.905-07:00

Madking Ludwig augment their thick-as-a-brick guitar tones with a touch of flute playing, but let’s not make a case for “obvious Tull influences.” The band sounds nothing like Anderson, Barre, and co. The hard-driving Quebec band’s sound revolves around a desert rock throb, adding male/female vocal tradeoffs and that flute to sweeten the sand-blasted raunch of Stéphane Vigeant's guitar. This is a

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-46515821394207907942009-05-22T21:58:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:32:30.960-07:00

Paganfest II, May 13 at the Commodore BallroomWith a few days left before Paganfest II hit town, I realized that I’d be a fool to miss a chance to see Primordial. So I plunked down $35 at Scrape Records and got my ticket. I went solo, Billy No-Mates style. I should have dragged a friend or two along, because attendance turned out to be dismal. The Commodore was only about a quarter full. The troo

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-67946789205991785572009-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:002009-05-19T21:56:20.946-07:00

My Dad died two weeks ago today, which is why I've been away most of this month. Losing someone so close takes a lot out of you, I've learned. Grief leaves you fatigued, and in the midst of everything there is a lot of work to be done. I've spent the time working with my sisters and mother on Dad's memorial—arranging the venue, planning the service, writing a eulogy, laying out and printing the

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-19485019805940361772009-05-03T09:29:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:32:54.454-07:00

In 2007 Darkthrone released a tribute to “Canadian Metal” that referenced Piledriver, Razor, Sacrifice, Obliveon and Slaughter—all of them Eastern Canadian bands. While the East nurtured a number of pioneering, internationally renowned bands, pickings were slim here on the West Coast. Vancouver had a scene of sorts, but, ill-served by a disdainful local media and scarce venues, it could only grow

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-22791028826135432882009-05-01T21:16:00.001-07:002011-06-19T10:33:36.997-07:00

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-84874546222881915122009-04-25T13:34:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:34:11.401-07:00

The prog revival’s been going since 1983, and it’s all coming good now, trust me.Wobbler—Afterglow (Termo)Norway’s Wobbler were signed to the Laser’s Edge a few years ago, releasing Hinterland to some good reviews, and making their U.S. debut at Nearfest. Afterglow is the follow-up...of sorts. It features rerecorded versions of the two tracks from their demo (long available via the band’s website

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-72418423453635728982009-04-22T22:09:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:35:18.063-07:00

Because I’ve been listening to it quite a bit.1. "Oblivion"—the highlight here has to be the solo section from 3:33 to 4:30. It’s very Rush-like in that it forms a distinct section of the song. I love how it drops into an entirely different timing and changes the song’s mood. It’s clear that Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher put a lot of work into these shifting, building passages, capping the whole

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-65649476767552807312009-04-20T07:52:00.001-07:002011-06-19T10:35:18.066-07:00

I was initially a little disappointed with Crack the Skye. I’ll admit my listening strategy—following along with lyrics in hand—was part of the problem. I should have just cleared my mind and let the music wash over me without the lyrics to impose structure on what I hearing. My first impression was that the album was very slick and commercial. Even the epic tracks seemed to be smoothed over, and

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-78142949216382070442009-04-04T08:39:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:42:58.394-07:00

The ever-cunning Julian Cope sidesteps his monthly task of cherry-picking some long-neglected classic for his Album of the Month by making his own compilation and deeming it to be the AotM. It's not the first time he's done this, but to me, this month is a cannonading classic because he's done and compiled his ideal KISS album, KISS Krossword, complete with an actual KISS Krossword!Cope's essay

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-31109012221104638892009-04-02T20:01:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:40:32.481-07:00

I wouldn’t say sludge is a valid metal sub-genre—it’s more of a sensibility, or an ingredient to spice up better defined styles like stoner rock or doom—but I know it when I hear it. Sludge is a good sound for bad times, bearing in mind its direct lineage from Black Sabbath and the blues. It’s music to wallow in, and there’s lots of it around these days. But sludge can be elusive and complex. It

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-74551095248083180012009-03-30T22:21:00.000-07:002010-05-18T12:17:23.361-07:00

When I interviewed Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor prior to the release of Blood Mountain a couple years ago, I asked him, "Now that you're on a major label, do you think people will finally figure out how to spell your band's name?" (I can't remember his response; it was probably as lacklustre as the rest of the interview. Neither of us was on his game that day.)After picking up Crack the Skye,

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-42108372126122909522009-03-19T18:10:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:41:05.518-07:00

It's high time we caught up with the one-man jazz/noise juggernaut that is our Jeff. In addition to his steady string of live dates in the feast/famine dichotomy that is the Vancouver scene, his sick mind and fleet fingers have produced two recent releases I'd like to highlight here. Both of them serve as snapshots of a couple of his more difficult, freewheeling, ever-morphing projects.First up,

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-72139061420748357502009-03-11T22:22:00.000-07:002011-06-19T10:41:31.876-07:00

Musk Ox is one Nathanael Larochette, a young man from Ottawa who’s devoted himself to classical guitar in pursuit of bleakly pastoral sounds and atmospheres. Neofolk, I guess is the neogenre, but really, the sparse nature of Musk Ox’s music makes it a blank canvas onto which you can project your own sensibilities. Even before I saw the influence list on the MySpace page, I heard post-rock (Sigur

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-82084876389630108912009-03-02T22:56:00.000-08:002011-06-19T10:46:35.040-07:00

This is a great fusion album from 1975, recently reissued as part of ECM’s Touchstones series. I found it at HMV under "A" for Abercrombie, but never mind the billing—all the players seem to be equal partners on this album. Although Holland is credited with four out of six tracks, he doesn’t dominate the album. Everyone gets a fair shake. In fact, I detect a conscious effort to establish parity

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3273630.post-56211019768874086622009-02-20T21:27:00.000-08:002009-02-25T23:05:22.338-08:00

Samurai (Esoteric) were an odd duck of a band who did one album in 1971 before packing it in. Their sound blended some jazz, soul, and progressive, ending up somewhere in the vicinity of Gentle Giant's departure point. With sax and vibes to colour the guitar/organ foundation, it's a fun listen, and the songs are mighty catchy. Songwriter, vocalist, and keyboardist Dave Lawson went on to

The Mulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05173496638219487968noreply@blogger.com1