Side Hustle: Greg Puciato and Chino Moreno

Deftones' brilliant 2020 album, Ohms, was easily one of my favorite albums of the year--and likely my favorite from the band in the 20 years since 2000's White Pony (which also received an anniversary re-release and remix album, Black Stallion, this year)

The past year, despite a global pandemic, has proved to be a productive one for singer Chino Moreno.  

Moreno's synthy side project with Far's Shaun Lopez, ††† (Crosses), just released their latest single, "The Beginning of the End" last week.

The track marks the first single since †††'s self-titled 2014 LP.  The group's sound has always leaned more towards dreamy downbeats and melody than either of the two artists' respective Alt-Metal bands.  This should come as no surprise to anyone who's followed Moreno's long career, as he's always worn his '80s influences on his sleeve:  The Cure, Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, Duran Duran, etc...

As such, it also shouldn't be too shocking that the new single isn't an original tune, but a true-to-form cover of a 1992 electropop tune by Cause and Effect.

You can stream "Beginning of the End" below:

While Chino's side projects have always caught my attention, I'll admit that I was not expecting the latest solo album from former Dillinger Escape Plan frontman, Greg Puciato.

Dillinger earned a reputation through their relentless barrage of technically precise hardcore metal and wildly intense stage performances.  Frontman Puciato has been known to breathe fire, bleed from his head and destroy equipment onstage during the band's crazy live shows that have developed a legendary status.

Puciato has also proved to have had an incredibly prolific year.  

His "other band", metal supergroup Killer Be Killed includes Soulfly/Sepultura's Max Cavalera, Mastadon's Troy Sanders, and Converge's Ben Koller.  Killer Be Killed released their aggressive new album, Reluctant Hero, in 2020--which is also recommended listening if you're looking for something heavy.

When my metalhead friend, Brad, recently recommended I check out Puciato's new 2020 solo album, Child Soldier: Creator of God,  I was quite surprised to find an album packed with melodic electronic rock.

Child Soldier finds Puciato stretching his wings and blending genres throughout its 15 tracks.  On standout songs like, "Temporary Object" and "A Pair of Questions", Puciato's Dillinger roots are nowhere to be found, swapped out for catchy synthpop and darkwave influences.  

On "Evacuation", Puciato mixes melodic singing with snarls and screams for a heavy industrial rock mix that feels like it could have been written by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor.

In a lesser artist's hands, this drastic shift in musical styles could be a huge flop, and alienate longtime fans, but Puciato's earnest approach feels sincere in his influences and successfully comes off as an engaging and collected experience--in the same vein of the aforementioned †††.  

I've since gone backwards and become more familiar with Puciato's other project, The Black Queen, which is also much more in the synth-rock vein, and worth visiting if you enjoy his solo album.

As a fan of both New Wave and Metal, I'm all for more experimental crossover albums from the metal community.  If you are, too, I'd highly recommend taking both Chino Moreno and Greg Puciato's side projects for a spin.

Watch the live video for Greg Puciato's "Evacuation" below:

Missed Connection: Kerbdog

The mid-90s (AKA: my formative years) was a time period ripe with angst and unapologetically flooded with alt-rock bands.  It was a strange time--sandwiched between Grunge and Nu-Metal--where a diverse range of sounds were all competing to be the next big thing.

My local alternative station, 107.5 ("The Dot"), was always the place I'd turn my radio dial for the latest music.  Not all of it was up my alley, or even destined for greatness, but the station wasn't afraid to play some weird stuff, which really opened my ears to a whole new world of music.  

Seemingly overnight, the station switched formats, and those of us tuning in to hear the latest from Veruca Salt or Harvey Danger, were instead met unexpectedly with new bubblegum Pop artists like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.  It was truly the end of an era, though it didn't stop my affinity for Rock.

Here's a 107dot5 Spotify playlist I've pieced together from memory in remembrance of the station.

Of course, as I've often pointed out in my blog posts, a lot of great bands still flew under the radar, and I love rediscovering bands I missed the first time around.

Another such band was Kilkenny, Ireland's Kerbdog.

Formed in 1991, Kerbdog merged elements of alternative/college rock and metal for a sound that was both edgy and melodic.  

While stateside radio stations were obsessing over The Cranberries, fellow Irish bands like Kerbdog and Therapy? were busy cranking out the riffs.

Kerbdog was pursued by at least 22 labels, and was signed to Mercury records in 1993.

Kerbdog's sophomore album, On The Turn, was released in 1997 and featured the singles "Sally", "JJ's Song", and "Mexican Wave".   Unfortunately, the singles failed to catch a mainstream audience, and the band was shifted around during record company buyouts before being dropped entirely.  About a year later, without a label, the band split up.  

Two of the members would go on to form a new group, Wilt, for several years.  Kerbdog has since reformed for various one-off performances over the past two decades, although they have not released any new albums.

On The Turn's enduring cult status has been heralded as influential by such bands as Scotland's Biffy Clyro, but is still largely under-appreciated and worth a listen.

Watch the videos for Kerbdog's singles, "Sally" below:

Weyes Blood - 'Wild Time'

For those who appreciate Joni Mitchell, 'Wild Time' by Weyes Blood (a.k.a. Natalie Mering) may be right up their alley.  Equal parts chamber pop and folk, the track's sirenesque vocals surreptitiously lull the listener into spurious bliss.  Yet its choral hook all too quickly reminds the listener of the tragedy and chaos 2020 wrought.  

Although 'Wild Time' was released on Sub Pop Records by way of Mering's Titantic Rising in 2019 (a full year before COVID-19 had infected its first human host, and America's original sin of racism was confirmed to have never truly been exorcised from the nation ala the death of George Floyd), the song's lyrics and foreboding spirit could not have been more prophetic or representative of the current milieu:

"Living in the rising tide

Our light, a feeling that's moving

Runnin' on a million people burnin'

Don't cry, it's a wild time to be alive

It already happened

Nothing you want to change more

Heaven found and the lights went down

Everyone's broken now and no one knows just how

We could have all gotten so far from truth"

You can play the enchanting 'Wild Time' in the video player below.  (Note:  The video may be NSFW due to some scenes depicting artistic nudity). 

Forgotten Gems: Truly - 'Fast Stories... from Kid Coma'

Recently, I received a delightfully-unexpected early Christmas present from my Lonely Note comrade, Steve -- the 25th anniversary double-vinyl edition of the Singles Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

For anyone uninitiated, the Cameron Crowe-directed Singles and its accompanying soundtrack are legendary in the unfolding success story of the Seattle Grunge scene of the early '90s.  It's one of the era's greatest movie soundtracks and still stands as an important document of American music history.  It was the right soundtrack at the right time.

This review from Pitchfork covers a lot of ground in explaining the interconnectivity and rise of the local music scene in Seattle during that time period.

Bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains all were prominently featured on the soundtrack right at the time when Nirvana's star was skyrocketing and Grunge was catching national attention.

Of course, for every major commercial success story, there are plenty of other great bands that unfortunately slip through the cracks and don't get the attention they desrve.

Truly was such a band.  

Truly was formed in 1990 by singer-guitarist Robert Roth, who had recently auditioned to be the 2nd guitarist in Nirvana (who decided to remain a trio) after the dissolution of his previous band, Storybook Krooks.

Roth was joined by Mark Pickerel, a founding member of Screaming Trees, and by Hiro Yamamoto, the original bassist for Soundgarden.  

In 1991, the "supergroup" released their debut EP, Heart and Lungs, under the renowned Sub Pop label.  The title track was featured in the movie Singles, but unfortunately didn't make the cut on the official soundtrack release.  However, the 25th anniversary vinyl release does include a bonus CD chock-full of previously unreleased recordings from the movie, including "Heart and Lungs".

In 1993, as major labels were attempting to swoop up as many Seattle bands as possible, Truly was signed to Capitol Records.  Their full-length album, Fast Stories...From Kid Coma, was released to positive reviews in 1995, but failed to catch on like some of the band's contemporaries of the time.  

AllMusic gave the album 4.5/5 stars, calling it a loosely-based concept album, with songs that "...further the swirling, psychedelic sound present on the group's early Sub Pop EPs, but show an even more refined sense of songwriting and arranging."

Right out of the gate, the album's opener--"Blue Flame Ford"--comes out swinging, with a deep chugging riff and wall of psychedelia, met with Roth's menacing-but-melodic vocals.  The song sets a tone for the rest of the album, which twists and turns in dense swirling layers of edgy rock that demand repeat listens.

Discouraged by the lack of support from Capitol, Truly departed back to an independent label, Thick Records, who released their follow-up album, Feeling You Up in 1997.

Although Truly stayed true to themselves and have continued to work together off and on for over two decades, they never quite found the mainstream or reached as wide of an audience as some of their Seattle brethren--which is truly a shame based on the quality of the band's songwriting.

Below, stream Fast Stories...From Kid Coma, the band's critically acclaimed debut, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2020.  

If you're a fan of early 90s Alternative and Grunge, I highly recommend you download the full album from Truly's Bandcamp page, which also says to look for a remastered double-gatefold vinyl edition in the near future!

 

Behind the Sample: Dua Lipa's "Love Again"

If 2020 was a person, it would've been named "Year Least Likely for a Dance Club Banger" in your high school yearbook.

This year, COVID-19 actively halted large gatherings, concerts, and--understandably--sweaty nightclub dalliances. 

However, that didn't stop Dua Lipa from putting out one of the year's most (dare I use the term) infectious pop albums with Future Nostalgia.

Even the album's title nails the mood of 2020--remember back when we could just pack a bunch of random people into to a tiny room and dance it out, breathing in one another's oxygen without a care in the world?  Who knew how much we'd take that for granted.

Lipa's major singles, like "Physical," have been blowing up the charts, even if her chants of "C'mon, let's get physical" seem weirdly out of place when you're manically bouncing around your bedroom by yourself.  But, it's that innate human desire for personal connection that's still striving to break out from the confines of your socially-distanced lifestyle.  So, in many ways, it's just the kind of album we needed.

Admittedly, I'm a fan.  Sure, I'd say I most typically gravitate towards the Rock genre, but I've always had a soft spot for a catchy Pop song. That's why if you saw my Year Wrapped list on Spotify, you'd see Dua Lipa holding her own right up there with the new Deftones album.

Upon my first full listen to Future Nostalgia a while back, I instantly picked up on a familiar sample from my youth in her song, "Love Again".

I paused the song and thought to myself, "Wait. Is that White Town?"

That's right, White Town.  Talk about some nostalgia...  Dua Lipa had me going all Marty McFly back to the year 1997 when my little sister owned the album Women in Technology based solely on the success of the one-hit-wonder, "Your Woman".  It's safe to say I've heard that song a few times, so  I'd recognize that little trumpety sample anywhere. But, what I didn't recognize was the rich history of its use, until I went down the proverbial rabbit hole.

According to WhoSampled.com, the Dua Lipa song does in fact owe a nod back to White Town, but that signature loop actually dates all the way back to a 1932 big band rendition of Bing Crosby's "My Woman," as performed by Lew Stone & the Monseigneur Band feat. Al Bowlly.  

Right off the bat, you can notice the familiar sample, which was originally performed by trumpeter Nat Gonella on the 1932 recording.  Do you think Gonella would've imagined a bunch of millennials going nuts over his trumpeting in 2020?

After being picked up and repopularized by White Town nearly 65 years later, that memorable trumpet sample has continued to find an audience.

Just 3 years ago, it found its way into another dance anthem, "Fight Back with Love Tonight" by German electronica duo, Kush Kush.  

Perhaps the Kush Kush sample more directly influenced Dua Lipa than White Town? After all, Lipa was only 2 years-old when White Town hit the charts (which subsequently makes me feel really old).  Or, who knows, maybe Lipa is a closet Big Band aficionado...? 

No matter the case, I always enjoy hearing a familiar sample and tracing it back to its roots.  After all, passing along a song's rich history to a new generation is one of the true beauties of music.  In fact, when taking something old and making it new, one could even argue the result brings about a certain... Future Nostalgia.

Juxtaposition: Mariah Carey vs. Mandy Moore ('Can't Let Go' vs. 'Walk Me Home')

A few years ago, our colleague Tae wrote a post in which he pondered the sonic similarities between Glenn Frey's 'The One You Love,' and Taylor Dayne's 'Tell It To My Heart.'  Although Tae may have thought he was taking crazy pills when he developed his self-described "crackpot theory," he was ultimately vindicated when some commenters on his post concurred with his musings.  

In a similar vein, I am here to present another, quite possibly, eccentric hypothesis.

Has anybody else noticed how the choruses of Mariah Carey's 'Can't Let Go,' and Mandy Moore's 'Walk Me Home' sound nearly identical?  Take a listen to the chorus of Mariah's song at the 1:04 mark in her video;  then, listen to the chorus of Mandy's song at the 1:12 mark in her video.   Although the tempos and tones of the two songs are distinct, the remaining similarities to my ear are uncanny.

Now, I have done some amateur sleuthing on the internet to see if anyone else shares this view, including other blogs and forums, and apparently I am on my own island with this theory.  Is there anybody else out there who agrees with me?

Check out the potential similarities for yourself by streaming the respective music videos in the players below:

Mariah Carey - 'Can't Let Go'

Mandy Moore - 'Walk Me Home'

Ratboys - 'Alien with a Sleep Mask On'

Funneling the feel-good sounds of Sixpence None the Richer with the much more secular alt-rock affections of Letters to Cleo, Ratboys have created a heck of a bop with their single, 'Alien with a Sleep Mask On.'  I can easily imagine early-nineties Liz Phair taking a crack at this one back in her indie heyday.  

Ratboys claim Chicago as their homebase.  They have been on the scene since 2012, when Swerp Records released their debut EP.  The band has evolved throughout the years, originally starting out as an acoustic outfit, while incrementally adding electric distortion and fuzz to subsequent productions.  

You can listen to 'Alien with a Sleep Mask On,' the opening track from 2020's Printer's Devil, in the YouTube player below:

Hotels - 'Sides'

Hotels has been described as New Wave Noir.  'Sides' by the Seattle band is consistent with that description:  It is dark and mystical and strangely gorgeous.  

Heart throbbing bass leads off the track, whereby it ushers in haunting synthesizer.  The song's structure is a slow burn, plodding toward a worthy climax at the end of the composition.  The real payoff, however, is the sublime vocals of lead singer Adra Boo.  Her voice is just perfect:  candid, plaintive, soulful, and fervent.  

Adra Boo has been a fixture of Seattle's music scene for some time now.  She was previously in Fly Moon Royalty, an electro-funk outfit.  She has also performed solo works and as a featured singer for several notable artists.  More information about this incredible vocalist can be found here.  

A YouTube stream of 'Sides' can be found in the player below.  Additionally, a video of her recent KEXP performance is featured below as well.  

Additionally, a Spotify link to some of Hotels' latest work can be found here.  

Beabadoobee - 'Sorry'

 

Beabadoobee is the stage name of Filipino-born Beatrice Laus.  I first came across her work when I was listening to the KEXP Song of the Day Podcast.   Her latest single, 'Sorry,' was featured on November 13. 

The song's lagging yet forceful guitar sound, which materializes at the 2:06 mark, sells the song for me.  In a time where contemporary music seems to all but completely ignore the six-string, 'Sorry' definitely brings back the 90s nostalgia of dark, moody lyrics intersecting with lo-fi fuzz. 

Check out 'Sorry' by Beabadoobee below:

Concert Review: Tim Cappello - July 26, 2019 at The Fremont - Des Moines, Iowa

It was a room smaller than my Grandma’s basement; dark, concrete floored, and perhaps 800 total square feet.  The shoehorned stage was just hefty enough to fit some keyboards, a few pieces of audio visual equipment, and two, maybe three people comfortably.  Just above the stage hung a landscape reproduction of the famous Johnny Cash photo—the one where he cavalierly flips the bird.  No other photos or decorations adorned the chamber.  

There were two total entrances to this space.    One door led to and from the adjoining bar.  The other door was located in the rear of the room and had a stickered sign stating, “THIS DOOR TO REMAIN LOCKED DURING BUSINESS HOURS.” (Which kinda meant it wasn’t much of a real door at all).  It was easy to grow a little claustrophobic standing in there.  And possibly even a little disenchanted. 

This was the state of things while the crowd anxiously waited for Sexy Sax Man Tim Cappello to appear for his one-manned concert at The Fremont in Des Moines, Iowa on July 26, 2019.

 

Spirits began to lift, however, when Cappello discretely and briefly came out to survey the stage, clad in a non-descript flannel.  He gave his instrumental set-up a quick once-over, smiled at the waiting crowd, and disappeared just as quickly as he arrived.  It was at this point, the evening was about to get a lot more interesting.

Fifteen or so minutes later, Cappello burst through that very back door that was supposed to remain locked during business hours, and immersed himself directly into the crowd of one hundred or so.  With his brawny arms oiled up, and his still-lavish hair slicked back into a ponytail, Cappello blew his brass and belted out the lyrics to “Only You,” the opening track of his latest release, Blood on the Reed.  

Playfully approaching multiple members of the crowd with his saxophone during this opening number, Cappello immediately personalized the show for each member of the audience.  You could feel that everybody understood from this moment onward, this show would not be a boring recital of some has-been playing his famous song from The Lost Boys.  Instead, we all knew this was going to be an unforgettable bash because the person putting it on demanded it be so.

And about that inextricable relationship between Cappello and his cameo in The Lost Boys:  The Internet has made much comical hay of that movie appearance in recent years, propelling Cappello from reliable backing band member to Millenial Folk Hero status, in the same vein as Sad Keanu or Chuck Norris.  Yet, what was most impressive about Cappello’s performance was that, from the get-go, he straightaway owned his identity, by admitting to the crowd he knew that Lost Boys was the sole reason most of them were there.  He didn’t beat around the bush, trying to pretend to be something he wasn’t.  When he decided to play a new, original song he forewarned his spectators, humbly asking all of them to bear with him for just a few short minutes while he floated his new creation out into the modern ether.  He would then assure everybody that the song they came to hear was surely on its way.    

Indeed, it was Cappello’s authenticity and candor which made him all the more impressive.  This wasn’t a man bitter that no one realizes he played with Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel, Ringo Starr, or that he was prominently featured on an episode of Miami Vice.  No, this was a pure entertainer who seemed genuinely grateful that he was lucky enough to gain just enough fame from a vampire movie in the 1980s, with a song called “I Still Believe,” written by The Call, to allow him the luxury to play music for the fun of it, on his own terms, thirty years later.   

When it finally came time for Cappello to play his magna opus, he explained how “I Still Believe” almost didn’t happen.  He first recounted how his own original composition for The Lost Boys was rejected.  Then, he advised that, since The Call were made up of practicing Christians, they wanted nothing to do with a movie about vampires.  So, in a strange twist of destiny, Cappello offered to cover the song for the film, gyrate his hips, and the rest is history.  

Toward the end of the concert, Cappello certainly milked “I Still Believe” for all it was worth, stretching the song to nearly fifteen or twenty minutes.  He even developed an interactive dance based around female lead of The Lost Boys, Star, which assisted in ensuring the audience remained engaged and motivated. 

Finally, as “I Still Believe” wore down, Cappello playfully called for all of us to request an encore.  It was a tongue-in-cheek allusion to his unlikely ability to spare an extra song.   But despite the apparent lack of musical stock, Cappello did in fact produce a magnificent encore by covering the rock standard, “Tequila,” with an electric clarinet.  “Tequila” is the song that Pee Wee Herman famously danced to in the motorcycle bar during his Big Adventure.  And just as Pee Wee won over the stoic and antagonistic gangsters, Tim Cappello won over the hearts of his crowd, prompting them to raise their hands and yell “TEQUILA” during the iconic chorus of the song.  Who knew that an electric clarinet could wail so hard?  

Following the encore and the conclusion of the show, Cappello set up at a meet-and-greet and stuck around to talk to his fans.  In the short time I conversed with him, I found him to be one of the nicest and down to earth showmen out there.  He was such a positive guy, that his confident energy was contagious.  For those who get a chance to see this 64 year old sax player perform, I strongly encourage you take the opportunity to do so.  You are sure to have one of the greatest musical experiences of your life.

***A special thanks to fellow contributor Tae who suggested we attend this concert—a concert I wouldn’t have in a million years thought of going to otherwise. ***

Below, here is the official music video to "I Still Believe" from The Lost Boys soundtrack:

John Grant - "Love is Magic" & "Diet Gum"

The former front man for The Czars, John Grant released Love is Magic, his third solo record since leaving the aforementioned band, on October 12 of this year.

To say the album is quirky would be understating it.

Imagine the lead singer of Crash Test Dummies deciding to jam with James Murphy and the guys from Kraftwerk, and you will better understand the spirit of Love is Magic.  Below are but just two stand out cuts from this wonderful LP.


Track 7 - "Diet Gum"

"Diet Gum" could be mistaken as a novelty track, but that would be oversimplifying it.  The synths are mesmerizing, and the lyrics are clever and funny, so long as you allow all seven and a half minutes to develop in the way Grant intended.

You know, being with you was like a cross between Cannibal Apocalypse and Lassie 9
Except nowhere near as good as both of those movies were
It's still a personal conundrum of mine
How anyone can have such few of self awareness

Track 2 - "Love is Magic"

The title track, "Love is Magic," emotes a much darker tone than "Diet Gum."  Out the gate, it addresses depression and medication and loneliness.  But the chorus turns on a dime, whimsically offering the listener an escape from the darkness by instructing them to simply give love a chance because you otherwise have nothing else to lose.  "Love is Magic" pleasantly surprised me with its ability to suck me in.

And this thing called intimacy
Is it what you always thought it would be?
Do you feel like you've experienced
What the word is supposed to mean?
Do you feel like you are in control?
Did you find out that there's really no such thing?

Deerhunter - 'Snakeskin'

Bradford Cox's eccentric vocals have always been a welcome addition to Deerhunter's music, and 'Snakeskin' is no exception.  The song exudes swagger and braggadocio throughout its arrangement, specifically in its jutting guitar riffs.  And Cox takes a play from the Scott Weiland speak-into-a-mega-phone-a-la-Dead-and-Bloated playbook, which adds a delightful touch.




Watch the video to 'Snakeskin' from the band's 2015 album, Fading Frontier, below:

The 1975 - 'Love Me'

Put 'Cult of Personality,' INXS, Peter Gabriel's 'Big Time' and the sensuality of Prince all in a blender, and 'Love Me' by British band The 1975 would be the inevitable result.

This band doesn't require any pomp from me; they have been racing up the charts recently and performed very well on SNL only a few weeks ago.  But I will say that the music video does a great job of capturing the zeitgeist of the current state of the Internet Age.



Watch 'Love Me' in the player below:  [Video removed due to request from copyright holder].

Chastity Belt - 'Time to Go Home'

Oh how so happy I have been to finally see the pendulum begin swaying back toward the raw, guitar-heavy sounds that were once so prominent two decades ago.  Yes, indie rock is starting to see a resurgence of Grunge-inspired bands and anthems, and I am a major cheerleader for such a development.  (Refer to the relative success of Courtney Barnett if you remain unconvinced that there is a hunger for gritty, punk-inspired rock).

Previously, we had posted on Speedy Ortiz, whose sounds certainly embody the sounds of that time.  Today, we present to you 'Time to Go Home' by Walla Walla-based (of course) Chastity Belt.  And while Speedy's sound tends to gravitate more toward the Veruca Salt side of the grunge-revival spectrum, Chastity Belt bolts directly for Sonic Youth territory.

'Time to Go Home' starts off slow and moody, but quickly adds some rapidity to the mix, ending on a steady, accelerating gait.



Watch the video to 'Time to Go Home' below:

Album Review: V.A.S.T. - Visual Audio Sensory Theater

I remember when I first heard V.A.S.T.---aka Jon Crosby's solo project---on the radio.  It was 1998, I was still in high school, and as I was laying in bed late on a Sunday night, I was listening to a radio show called hardDrive with Lou Brutus on my clock radio.  When the lead single, 'Touched,' was broadcast on the program, I quickly took note, as I hadn't ever heard of anything quite like that at the time.  The song contained acoustic guitar, plus Benedictine Monks, plus hard industrial sounds reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails, plus orchestral accompaniment.  Indeed, it was quite different from the hard hitting sounds of Korn, Rob Zombie, and Monster Magnet receiving heavy airplay at that time.

Afterward, I recall going to a faraway mall two hours away and buying the album.  On the way home, as my mother drove, I remember popping the self-titled disc into my CD-Walkman and finding myself engrossed by just how distinctive and diverse all the tracks were.  For example, 'Dirty Hole' is comprised of several layers systematically building atop one another, not the least of which includes those same Monk chants and Cathedral pipe organ.   And 'Three Doors' beautifully meshes Industrial Pop with the Classical canon.  And 'Here' is probably one of the coolest, cinematic-sounding openings to an album in recent times.

I have posted a few YouTube videos featuring a few of the great tracks from this album.  In descending order, they are 'Touched,' 'Three Doors,' and 'Here.'  Feel free to stream them and enjoy the greatness that is Visual Audio Sensory Theater, one of my favorite under-the-radar albums of the 90s.  

Forgotten Gems: Jay Ferguson + Spirit

Last weekend, while picking through crates of vinyl at an Antique Jamboree, I was beckoned by the thunderous call of Jay Ferguson's Thunder Island.

It was on sale for a buck.  And although a bit dusty and well-played -- particularly the title track -- it was well worth the investment.  Thunder Island is, of course, a classic album of the Yacht Rock era.  

Heck, even if the record had been missing, the cover photo is easily worth the dollar alone...

For those uninitiated, the single "Thunder Island" is a tasty - albeit cheesy - relic of '70s soft rock.  The instantly recognizable guitar hook and "doo doo doo doo!" backing vocals suck you right in from the get-go.

The song has a Jimmy Buffet-meets-Eagles vibe to it; a song for rockin' out while sipping margaritas in some tropical paradise.  And it's fitting, because The Eagles' Joe Walsh contributed his guitar chops to much of the album.

Thunder Island was Ferguson's second, and most successful, solo outing after performing with bands such as Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne.



Now, let's dig a little deeper and discuss Spirit -- an immensely talented, yet largely forgotten band of the late '60s-'70s.

Spirit formed in 1967 with Ferguson and 15-year-old Randy California (who had been in an earlier band with Jimi Hendrix) at the songwriting helm.  Spirit's 1968 debut album was as an eclectic a mix of musical styles as any of their contemporaries, mixing hard rock with jazz, blues, country and folk.

While Ferguson wrote most of the debut's tracks, California contributed the acoustic ballad, "Taurus" -- an instrumental piece that inspired the intro to Led Zeppelin's epic "Stairway to Heaven".

While the band (in some formation) would go on to record 11 albums between 1968 and 1977, their only single to reach the Top 40 would be the 1968 follow-up, "I Got a Line On You".

"I Got a Line On You" is a hard-driving rocker with a great chorus.  It has all the workings to be a classic, but for some reason has gotten a bit lost amongst the other great singles of its time.

The band split in different directions over the next decade.  California and Ferguson each went the solo route, while other members branched out to bands including Nazareth, Heart and Firefall.

Spirit did reform in various incarnations into the early '90s.  In 1997, California was swimming in Hawaii with his family when he was tragically swept into a riptide and never seen again.

A critically heralded and ambitiously innovative band during their heyday, Spirit lives on today through their recordings, which I'd recommend looking up.  

Below is a video for "I Got a Line On You" from the band's brief reunion in 1984.  **Bonus: check out guitarist Skunk Baxter (the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan) jamming out in the back!

Torres - 'Strange Hellos'

'Strange Hellos' by Torres could possibly be summed up as "angsty noir."

The beginning of the tune seems to materialize straight out of the bar prominently featured in the second season of True Detective, before building up to a full-frontal sonic assault.  There is a hint of Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit' as well.

Checkout the video to 'Strange Hellos' below:

Behind the Sample: The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy"

"Super Nintendo. Sega Genesis.  When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this."

It was all a dream for Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G.

The hip/hop artist took the rap world by storm in 1994 with the release of his monumental single, "Juicy" - a personalized rags-to-riches tale that went on to sell more than a half million copies and secured his status as one of the biggest rap stars in history.  It's been called one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time by critics from Rolling Stone to The Source.

Biggie was, as his name implied, a large man. And he was a man with big dreams, who details his struggle and aspirations in "Juicy".  The song discusses his childhood ambition to become a famous rapper, and to escape from his impoverished Brooklyn upbringing.  In "Juicy", Biggie name-drops many of the artists who inspired him as a youth, including Heavy D - one of the first overweight rappers to find mainstream success.

In his early teens, Biggie started dealing drugs and found himself in and out of a jail cell, but his sights were always set on music stardom.

The opening of the song openly declares it's dedication, "...to all the teachers who said I'd never amount to nothin'".  Sure, many of the lyrics read like a laundry list of his lavish possessions, but for every boast he makes, he juxtaposes it with a hardship it took to get there.

The deepest message of the song lies within the chorus -- "You know very well who you are, don't let 'em hold you down, reach for the stars..."

It's one of the most uplifting choruses in hip/hop, speaking to all of those other kids who grow up with nothing more than a dream.

The Notorious B.I.G.'s life was cut tragically short when he was killed in a 1997 drive-by shooting, but his music - and his dream - proudly lives on.

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But let it be known that the musical sample for "Juicy" dates back more than a decade earlier...

In 1983, the funk/soul group Mtume - named after founder James Mtume - released a track called "Juicy Fruit".

Mtume, an accomplished percussionist who'd previously toured with Miles Davis, formed his namesake group in the late '70s.  The band reached their height of popularity with "Juicy Fruit" - a midtempo track that proved immensely successful on R&B stations and dance clubs.  While the single never quite reached the Top 40, it still sold more than a million copies.

The popularity of "Juicy Fruit" established it as a staple in the hip/hop sampling community and has lived on successfully in various incarnations in the 30+ years since its release.  For a full list of artists who've sampled it, visit the song's Wikipedia entry.

"Cuz if ya don't know, now ya know..."

You can watch the videos to The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" and Mtume's "Juicy Fruit" below:

Toadies - 'Away'

Toadies came in like a lion and went out like a lamb during the mid-nineties.  Dominating alt-fm radio play in 1995, the Texas band's marquee single, 'Possum Kingdom,' proved to be its Tour de Force.  The band never replicated the commercial success it enjoyed as a result of that track, even though the song's iconic call-to-action--"SO HELP ME JESUS"--remains embedded in the minds of even the most casual listener of rock radio today.

Despite the epic reach of 'Possum Kingdom,' Rubberneck nevertheless featured several other really solid punk and grunge laced anthems.  Of course 'Tyler' comes to mind, an absolutely great song which slowly builds as it relays a story set in Tyler, Texas.  And 'Backslider' was one of  Rubberneck's more punk-based of tunes.

But there is a track which is one of the band's more overlooked deep cuts:  'Away.'  Similar to 'Possum Kingdom,' 'Away' liberally borrows from the Pixies, implementing a loud-quiet-loud-quiet song structure that drives toward the ultimate pleading choral hook:  WHEN I'M AWAY , I KNOW IN MY HEART THERE IS A HEAVEEENNNN!!

Relive the greatness of this track by watching 'Away' by Toadies in the video player below:

Zac Brown Band Feat. Chris Cornell - 'Heavy is the Head'

I never expected Grunge kingpin Chris Cornell to join forces with a country band.  But the pairing of Cornell with the Zac Brown Band is surprisingly decent.  Indeed, the match-up results in a solid Southern Rock jam.  And Cornell's unique vibrato enhances Brown's otherwise chicken-fried vocals (yes, that pun WAS intended).

Watch Zac Brown Band perform 'Heavy is the Head' with Chris Cornell live on SNL in the video player below: