Deer Creek split with Ice Troll

When I think about music in Colorado, I picture John Denver getting off stage and receiving a lit joint from Dave Matthews, the headlining act, ready to tear it up in front of a sunset on a mildly frosted mountainside. Further in town, the walls of a house are shaking because in the basement Deer Creek is drilling to hell with their epic american doom metal.

Do they have delay pedals? You bet. Does their drummer know exactly when to finally hit us with some mountain-solid double bass? Finally, yes. Some of their riffing can get repetitive, but I give them a pass because it's so catchy and sludges so well. Melodic vocals in metal can be a real deal breaker for me. Often they're too clean and christian, or they're too hyper and power metally. You know, almost happy. Paul from Deer Creek hits that sweet spot; lifeless at times, but never weak, and never ignoring the value of creative phrasing.

On the other side of this tape we have Ice Troll, who I don't know as much about. They play instrumental ambient metal, which can be really cool, but I think ambient music lends itself too easily to songs without structure; songs the band didn't think were worth memorizing. It's cool if you can play well and make cool sounds, but Ice Troll just keeps rocking out at the same pace, with no surprises and no hooks. Heavy muzak. Low effort songs played by good musicians.

This tape can be bought here.

I'm in this music video

My friend Matt Jenkins made this, using one of my old jams (from 2007).  I think the track was actually recorded here in Bloomington, IN.  The video illustrates a lot of things from Saint Augustine and that era of time.  So it's pretty special.

Check out Matt's other stuff at his website: https://www.mdjenkinsart.com

Exactly How We Planned by Dakota Floyd

Even though he thinks I have a British accent, Dakota Floyd is one of the best things I know about Georgia. Maybe tied with his dog, Soda. Both are better than Waffle House. Dakota’s 2016 album Localities spent a few months in my Caravan’s cd player, so I pretty much knew what to expect. Exactly How We Planned has only 3 songs and two of them are really short. Maybe there’s also a 7” version somewhere. I didn’t do any research. Exactly How We Planned makes you feel at home even when being at home makes you sad. It is a sadness you are comfortable with.

You might call it acoustic pop punk or emotional folk punk, never without that special bit of sass that colored everything in the mid 2000s. The overdriven guitar and back-up vocals add an air of rowdiness and whimsy that never feels stilted. Rosa Song features a super talented tambourine player that doesn’t get any credit on the cd sleeve. I could definitely imagine this song being played in the background on Dawson’s Creek, especially if they move the show to a different streaming service and have to change all the music.

Dakota sings “This house smells like a Rosa Song” and I try imagine what a Rosa song does smell like: hand-rolled cigarettes wafting in from the front porch, a box of half-rotten dumpstered food, a bagless trash bin filled with the drippings of a thousand crushed beer cans, a mixture of patchouli and body odor, a toilet that hasn’t been scrubbed since the lease began, a family of cats that all live behind an occasionally cracked door in the back of the house. Am I getting warm? I wonder if the day of the punk “punk house” has passed.

The title track has one of those lo-fi/phone singing intros before the song kicks in, like it’s 2003 all over again. I’m so glad Dakota remembered to do one of those intros. I always forget. Maybe right after I schedule this post, I’ll go ahead and fix one of my mixes. We’ll call it a shout back. Lyrically, it hits you just right. I love the anti-solo, delayed guitar in the second half. Maybe it’s for the best that life never goes as planned. Sometimes people surprise you in the best ways, like with the lo-fi/phone singing intro. Thanks Dakota. You're better than Waffle House.

"Quaternary Panorama" by Lucius Fox

Lucius Fox is a two piece instrumental band from Michigan. Often they are severely energetic. In short bursts, they are soothing and ambient. Usually they are a frantic mix of both worlds. When I saw them live, their guitarist Jeremy was playing out of two amps. I’m pleased to hear the guitars doubled, panned, and sometimes tripled on Quaternary Panorama. I bet you’re wondering. Does he use an octave pedal? You tell me.

Quaternary Panorama sounds home-recorded in all of the best ways. The drums are natural and heavy. The playing is tireless and clean. The guitars sound like they were recorded with real amps instead of vst plugins. Actually, maybe I can’t tell. There are a lot of tones going on but I think I can still pick up that signature Fender twang frequency. Aside from the fuzzy fenderiness of the guitars, I get some Satriani vibes. I could see myself surfing in the sewers of the future with a Lucius Fox cassette in my vintage walkman. I could even skate to this music if I felt especially suicidal.

There was a riff in Carved by Glaciers. They played it twice and then it was gone. It made me feel such emotion for a moment and proceeded to punish me with blistering noodleage. I don’t know if there is a name for mathy riffs that are just too fast to call riffs because you can’t bang your head to them. I felt like I was on molly and it wasn’t going so good but then… the riff came back! Better than ever.

The build up in Laurentide II: Birth is nearly unforgettable. I wouldn’t mind if most of their set was more digestible, like Growth except for one song just to show how much they kick ass. Maybe when they get really old they’ll mellow out a bit. A hundred riffs later, my heart softens for the proggy synth tones in Sunset/The Straits Ablaze.

Please don’t snooze on this album. Even if math rock isn’t your thing, you will still find moments of inspiration. You will hear sounds that aren’t recorded anywhere else. Do you ever lay in bed at night, fatigued from the work day but your mind still will not shut up? I think you should listen to a few tracks of Lucius Fox and try again. I’m pooped.

"The Clownward Spiral" by Terry the Horror Clown

Terry the Horror Clown is a character created by Boo Dudes of Nashville, TN. Most of Boo Dudes’ releases are intelligently crafted, halloween-themed parodies of popular styles. If you dig into their other material I think you will be pleased at their mastery of dracula style vocals and gothy, chorused guitars.

This release is quite different from all of that. I was expecting horrorcore of some kind but I don’t think that’s what Terry’s doing. His beats are often more industrial than hip hop and his vocals are always auto-tuned. Actually, I think KLOWNSH1T feat Beppo! would make a great radio song for all seasons. I really liked Beppo. It would be cool to hear some of his solo material.

Dracula’s DUI is super catchy. I really dig how the auto tune fuels a constant stream of melody. I feel inspired to listen to a lot more industrial music but I know it won’t be as entertaining as this. Have you ever wondered how a clown sounds when they’re being stabbed to death? Me neither but I really enjoyed hearing it in Oops! Another Stabbing feat. Beppo and Dem Funnel Cake Boiz.

I like songs about stabbings and candy and stuff but I’d really like to hear more lyrics about Terry’s personal life. Where is his hood? What made him decide to become a clown? I like how most rappers are often rapping about their cred. It makes them seem human, as if they need validation. Terry isn’t like that. He doesn’t need to impress you. He’s a true psychopath.

"Stay the Same" by TRAGWAG

Nice:

1. Pleasing; agreeable; delightful

3. characterized by showing, or requiring great accuracy, precision, skill, tact, care, or delicacy

5. minute, fine, or subtle

6. having or showing delicate, accurate perception

8. virtuous; respectable; decorous

Sometimes I say nice punk, referencing a type of exceptionally good punk rocker.  They're good in the sense that they’ve done their homework and they dress just how they are supposed to.  They are vegan and drive hybrid cars, careful to never offend or entice disapproval of any kind.  In fact, they are probably too talented and well-to-do for a scene of alleged rejects who want to be heard but don’t intend to become good at their instruments.  They are try-hards and have chosen punk rock because they need to recognized as the best in their field.  

Other times a nice punk can be artfully sincere with a talent for kindness. They don't blame their problems on society.  They practice love for everyone and genuinely care about the things they do and the things they create.  In a better sense of nice punk, the name TRAGWAG (that really awesome guy with a guitar) seems to indicate a call for self love.  However Tragwag isn’t just a group of slackers on the fence about quitting their band and moving to Austin or Philly.  Instead, all of Tragwag's instrumentation is written and played by Tyler Bisson.  

Every track demonstrates a clear respect for the work put into its conception.  In fact, Tyler’s attention to detail is baffling.  In riffs, beats, and feedback loops I know he is speaking my language in ways I cannot articulate.  Stay the Same affirms my belief that sometimes if you are the one to start writing a song, then you should be the one to finish it.  

I love the breakdown in Outlook and savored the clear rack tom and slick acoustic guitar while pondering nostalgia-injected verses.  The quiet, anthemic vocals remind me of the first time I heard Rainer maria.  Stay the Same is emo, but it’s not just emo.  It’s a lot of things.  It is the pacing and deep, dragging snare drum on Far.  It is the singing that is pretty without trying to be sexy.  It is that part in That Was Me that makes you remember the first scene you were part of and then that other part that makes you want to bob your head like you did at your first show and then the fade out to that gasp of fresh air as everyone piles out of the basement.  

Everything sounds nice, natural, and practiced.   For our enjoyment.  

Please note that I would like to claim permanent credit for coining the term Nice Punk.  

"ᏬᏙᏩᏌ" by Vuduwasa

Vuduwasa is a four piece from my town, Bloomington.   They play heavy music and call it Swamp Metal.  It is slow, moody, and heavy.  Unique in the sense that it is sometimes simultaneously so grungy and so sterile.  I get the impression that everything is EQ’d to correct presets so that no instrument (or drum) oversteps their determined frequency range.  I was troubled at the lack of buzz in their amps until I heard the intro to Return to Detritus and felt comfort in knowing I hadn’t transcended to a new dimension of magical demon guitar amps. Really though. It sounds super pro.  Not in a bad sense.  Just a sense.  Don’t be fooled by the kvlt album title.  

Not every riff will hit you hard and stick but every song has at least one moment that will make you remember to play it again. Even as I type this, I can’t help but clench my fist. Skunk Ape is not one to take sitting down. The grim poeticism in Rite of Reclamation will make you feel the world’s weight in a paper bag, trudging home from the Big Red, slower than you notice.  Crushed.  Interlude conjured feelings of younger days, with so much time to jam the old acoustic while my friends skated.  Having a place to smoke usually made it worthwhile.  Smoking set the riffs free.

As the album progressed, I kept thinking, “Wow. That sounds so metal. Why don’t I ever do that?”

Each track on ᏬᏙᏩᏌ is expertly arranged.  As lengthy as some are, I haven’t once wanted the band to move onto something else.  Each tune turns out more epic than expected. 

Note for note, the vocals never sag but the loose doubling doesn't always do it for me.  Still, they serve as a reminder that heavy music isn't really so serious.  You might wear the face of a tragedy, but inside you are filled with the joy at the rumble of speakers.  

Taylor Wood can hold a scream for a long time.  Something we should all aspire to!  At moments I think he sounds like Phil Anselmo but at other times I hear something so expressive, unique, and KVLT. Or is it cvlt?   I’ve been saying it since 2009 and I don’t even know.

For a band’s first release, I was half-hoping for something more raw.   Where will Vuduwasa even go from here?  I would like to see them succeed in every intended sense but selfishly, I’d like to hear them make an album so wrong but so right, like Celtic Frost’s Cold Lake.  I guess nobody makes an album like that on purpose.  

I told the social media I’d like to review their new and unpopular albums.  It seems like I should blog about things other than books and pizza.  However I don't want anyone to care extra about me or think I'm an authority because I do this.  I just want to practice writing.  

I might not review more stuff from local Bloomington bands.  We'll see.  The zone likely won't be as fun if it enhances my decidedly minimal social life.  I don’t want to be distracted by thoughts of other people more than I already am.  So maybe I’ll just do this one Bloomington release.  It’s hard to see things properly when they are so close up.  I know this but wonder.  Is there even such thing as an unbiased album review?

We do live in a weird town with a lot of bands.  There are often famous bands here that I don't even know about.  Why should I spend my time trying to plug them?  On the other hand, I do know Vuduwasa.   They’re probably the local band I’m most likely to just hang with.  I’m stoked Evan sent me their tracks in advance so that I could do this review!  Great work.  I wouldn't change a thing.  

"Songs of the Steer’n Wheel Gripper" by Serial Mouse

On their bandcamp page, Serial Mouse claims to transcend genre. Still, I’m going to try to categorize them.   From northern Indiana, Serial Mouse plays occasionally extreme progressive rock, likely recorded in a garage (onto a digital 8 track), to be blasted over the deafening engine of your antique hesher van.  You and the gang might pull over and cash a steel reserve.  By the time you remember to turn the stereo down, you're already blasting off toward the deepest dimensions of bumfuck.  

The scenery is bleak but still you must race forward. To where? Who gives a RAT’s ASS?

I met Serial Mouse’s drummer/lead vocalist/auto harpist/sampler/visual artist back in December 2017 when Atkinson played drums in a metal fusion band (think rototoms and fretless bass) called Angel Grave.  Their show made me want to buy my own conversion van and pair of paisley slacks.

Serial Mouse seems to have formed at Angel Grave’s funeral.  Actually, it’s a little more up my alley than the old band.  At times I'm reminded of King Crimson, if they'd only been raised in the early 90s.  My favorite track is Nest Decaying, mostly because of its pronounced bass line.  My 2^nd favorite is probably Emerald Visions of an Unborn Czar.  The last two tracks give us more of a definite black metal vibe, which I especially appreciate when mixed with the rest of their sound.   I was surprised, since the northern darkness hadn't showed its face much in the earlier tracks.  Perhaps if that had been so, I'd have obeyed the temptation to pause and work on my drum chops for a bit.  These guys get fast.  

I love homemade albums.  They are the only pieces of music I want to review here in the zone.  I love how every amateur recording engineer has their own host of interesting quirks, giving a rare shine to every release.  Love it.  Still, we are forced to take the good quirks with those less desirable.  On this release I love the close-up, uncompressed sound of the drums.  I can articulate most of the guitar work but, I get that reverb is often used, the amps themselves sound too far away for me.  It does, however, add to the played in a garage vibe.  The amp sound doesn’t bother me as much as the lack of bass guitar.   The few times I can hear a bass, it is too far off for me to discern.

Even if you don’t buy the digital album, I recommend DEFINITELY checking it out. To me, Songs of the Steer’n Wheel Gripper is nothing short of sick. I give it an A+.

"Ruins" by Ricky Tesla

A guy I met one time sent me a link to his new album.  In 2014, Ricky Tesla played bass and sang in a South Carolina band called Revolt Plan 8.  They played grungy punk, lead by bass riffs accompanied by super tight drums and modest guitar flavors.  It's rare to receive personal messages plugging new work so I took it as an invitation to ask some questions and do a review.  

Ruins is compiled mostly of loops and guitar noodling with the sentimental feeling you might get showing up stoned to a flea market.  Track one gives you the impression that something large is being built.  Maybe it's the fuzzy drum loop, shambling along like an ancient concrete mixer plugged into a practice amp.  Brick by brick, like the pyramids, we witness the laying of Ricky's foundation.  Of course the meat and potatoes of the opener could be digested within three minutes but things are different when you take the time to space out.  Your ears start playing tricks on you.  Often with a homemade album, each track is like a different dish cooked up with the same ingredients.  Some are basic sides while others hit you with everything at once.  Regardless, it all digests the same.  

The most memorable track is Blue Meadow, with the cool riff.  Again, the beat conjures a vision of ancient egypt if they had had smelly garages piled with old music gear.  Stuff like your first drum set.  

You could upgrade the stock cymbals and buy some new sticks but the old ones, a decade beyond repair, still have some love to give.  While some of the riffs could vamp some classic sludging doomer jam, their purpose was decided the same as an undercooked noodle.  Surely some ideas were thrown out in the creation of Ruins but Ricky made a point to make the most of everything he had.  

How the Chicks Blew it with the Name Change.

They're a great band.  I respect them taking Dixie out of their name.  That part of the name change is cool.  

Would it have defeated the purpose to additionally alter their name to the Chix or the Chyx?  What if they were simply called CHyX?  That would be so much cooler.  

As a kid, I wasn't super into the Dixie Chicks.  Their name didn't have anything to do with it.  I just wasn't inclined to pop country, even though their songs are catchy, they shred, and their lyrics are great.  They're just you know... country.  Not alternative.  Not freaks.  They'll never make a nu metal song.  

I made a music video

I didn't film it.  If you can't tell, my phone camera sucks.  It was filmed on Gabby and Patricks' phones.  We were in a cabin air bnb in mississippi.  It was the most mississppi cabin I'd ever been in.  My friend chris helped us out with his killer video editing skills. 

A meme I made about Pantera

I made this meme a while ago.  I think it's funny.  People talk about Pantera being problematic.  Likely story.  If Pantera were still a band, they would probably have good PR.  Like better PR than Five Finger Death Punch.  Pantera would be so rich, they'd be donating randall amps and dean guitars to every underpriv in texas.  However, we know PR don't change the color of one's soul.  Also, D3 was a dank movie.  Better than Quiet Place Part II?  Probably.