DEATH- self titled LP

This one has been hidin out, waiting to rock you out for 33 years. Recorded in 1976, the Hackney brothers, Danny, Dannis and Bobby lay down some seriously heavy music as DEATH.


After seeing local Detroit faves the Stooges play a concert, these guys got turned on and almost immediately started playing their own unique brand of melodic, funky and punky music. They managed to catch the eye of Clive Davis, who agreed to record them for the Columbia imprint. About seven songs into the recording process, Clive Davis began to insist they change their name from Death. The Hackney brothers were not havin it, and Davis dropped them from the label. So they started their own label, Tryangle Records (cool name , huh?) pressed five hundred 7 inch records and gave them away gratis at their concerts.


Then they kind of faded into the ether for awhile, their memory kept alive by crazy record collectors, groovin on their own private DEATH trip.

Many years later, Bobby Hackney's kids went to a party in LA and heard the single being played ("that's my dad!"). Bobby then dusted of the master tape and played it for 'em.

I guess that got the ball rolling 'cause Drag City records just put out a seven song EP taken from the Columbia sessions, and man is it cool. DEATH does their own thing, they bounce from genre to genre, funk, psych, punk...just music. check it out, you'll be glad that you did.

Thanks to Rob and Andy for turning me on to this one.

The Horrors- Primary Colors

Well I never thought I would be writing this, but I have to say the new LP by the English group the Horrors is pretty amazing. Their sound has evolved considerably from their earlier releases. I was curious when their Strange House album came out in 2007, as they name checked interesting influences like The Sonics, Joe Meek and the Birthday Party, yet their own music didn't really sound that special to my ears. I kind of wrote them off as bland Birthday Party copyists; that was then...

This newest release is a vast improvement over their previous efforts. If I were to speak of it in comparative terms, groups like the Chameleons, Neu!, My Bloody Valentine, Interpol and Joy Division come to mind. The album is impeccably produced by Craig Silvey and Geoff Barrows of Portishead fame. The Farfisa has been traded up for vintage synths, the reverberated guitar reminiscent of the Seeds has been swapped for Kevin Shields-esque guitar alchemy. Standout tracks include Three Decades, Scarlet Fields Who can Say and Sea Within A Sea. Check out the clip below:




Impressive. Not the most original sound ever, but I am sure this album will be very popular over the next few months, and deservedly so.

Lieutenant E

THE VASELINES- Live 5/10/09

The perfect pop of Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee was on display last night when the Vaselines played the L.A. date of their U.S. tour, promoting the release of the Enter the Vaselines compilation on Sub Pop. Frances joked with and thoroughly charmed the crowd with playfully perverse asides, like a child hearing a dirty word for the first time. Eugene's grumpiness only made their performance all the more endearing. Two new songs were played, both were incredible. The live band, including Stevie Jackson and Bobby Kildea of Belle and Sebastian were incredibly tight and innovatively translated the songs for live performance. All your favorites were played, including Dum Dum, Dying For It, Son of A Gun and You Think You're a Man.

Here's a sample from a recent performance:




Best show I've seen in ages. Do not miss the Vaselines if they come to your town. They are apparently releasing a new album later this year, so they will hopefully return to a town near you!