Song of the Week #323

Last week as I wrote I was about to head in to see The Mark of Cain play at the Metro in Sydney. DJ DJ, DJ Drooper and I got there in time to see King of the North play their set as the support act. I'm glad we did. They're a two piece act (guitars and drums) but with your eyes closed you'd swear it was a 'full' band. They have a massive sound thanks to powerhouse drumming and some very clever guitar work. I can't rave enough about these guys. If I had to describe their music it would be a cross between Chuck Berry, Kyuss, The Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath. I guess it's just heavy, energetic rock and roll. The vocals are great, the drums are fierce and the guitar is just...well...awesome. I picked up a t-shirt and CD after the show. Few bands completely blow me away in a live setting if I don't know any of their stuff. Henry Rollins and his band did it back in 1994 and I think this may be the first time since. Check them out, buy their stuff, like them on Facebook, go to their shows. It's absolutely worth it.

King of the North - It's Been Too Long - http://youtu.be/HrlVhmfvsfU

There's not much I can say about The Mark of Cain I haven't said before. They were, as always, a real treat to watch live and the mix of songs was a solid balance of old and new stuff. It's so unusual to see heavy bands sporting Rickenbacker guitars (especially since they are notorious for not staying in tune) but it's just one more thing that makes TMOC a little different. I couldn't get a good look at John Scott's pedal board but I did discover that he uses an old Boss Digital Metallizer pedal. These were around in the 80s and were far from popular. They had a nice fat analog drive in them along with a range of digital chorus effects. Hmmmm....I need another pedal.....

DJ DesperadoSkinflint gave me a loan of Paul Westerberg's 2002 double LP set "Stereo". The second disc is called "Mono". It's a good listen and reminds me of Tom Petty in a good way. I've thrown it on my iDevices to listen to and ordered my own copy. $10 on eBay....bargain!

Paul Westerberg - Let's Not Belong - http://youtu.be/JBRzHkt6jc4

When in Sydney, DJ DJ and I visited a couple of iconic record stores. Red Eye and Utopia are essential destinations for any music fan. There's nothing quite like the magnetic pull of the bargain CD and LP racks. And yes, bargains were had! I picked up a copy of my favourite Motorhead album; one which I only have on cassette, for a song, as well as some other treats I may or may not reveal over the coming weeks. During the previous week I'd been to BelAir in South Australia for a meeting. I couldn't get this next song out of my head all week!

Motorhead - Angel City - http://youtu.be/yW-D7An0dSA

Recently DJ K-Gee let on that she was a bit of a Lenny Kravitz fan. Sure, he's OK...and he was amusing starring in "The Hunger Games". If you like his music can I encourage you in the strongest possible terms to run, not walk, to your supplier of CDs (vinyl if you can) and get copies of "Let Love In" from 1989 as well as 1991s "Mama Said". There is no way that rock and roll fans should be disappointed with either album. Tasty guitars, a bit funky, cool lyrics and if you want to dance then you can. "Mama Said" was the best giveaway cassette I ever got. Listen to this next one through headphones - great guitars panned hard left and right.

Lenny Kravitz - Always On The Run - http://youtu.be/em8JuUW-OOE

Ambient background music isn't something I'm at all interested in. I like music to be something I listen to, engage with and as you might have guessed, think about. Which brings me to the new Pink Floyd long player. Yes, yes, I know that it's stuff they recorded a long time ago now that they've been working on and I know that some people are decribing it as little more than lounge music...I'm not sure. Let's all have a good listen to a track and mull it over. Personally, I'd listen to almost anything David Gilmour played on at least twice before even considering making negative comments.

Pink Floyd - Louder Than Words - http://youtu.be/Ezc4HdLGxg4

A few years ago I bought an album by a group called "TV on the Radio". I didn't think a lot of it and it has been quietly sitting in the rack probably feeling unloved. I admit that at the time I made the impulse purchase because I thought the band had a cool name. This week I found out they have a new album and I think the single is pretty good. If you liked the Aussie band "Regurgitator" you might like this. I do.

TV On The Radio - Happy Idiot - http://youtu.be/OaKVy-FlaUA

OK, that'll do this week. I have bleak, British television to watch. But can I say this. The only upside I've found related to spending a little time in airports and on planes for work is that I've read a few books. It's nice to have the headspace and opportunity to do this. All I need now is a Steinberger guitar to take with me and I'll make good use of hotel time!

Rock on brothers and sisters, Lest We Forget.

Rob

"You never planned on the bombs in the sand
or sleeping in your dress blues" - Jason Isbell, "Dress Blues".