New Melvins album! It's a double album, a first for them. Word is that the first album is good, the second is ambient nonsense. I guess I'll find out. Meanwhile, here are your tunes for today.
Also, I totally had this entry ready to go, and forgot to post over the weekend. Broke my streak!
Preston School of Industry, "Monkey Heart and the Horses' Leg"
There are times when you can really hear the Pavement in Preston School of Industry. This is one of those times.
Melvins, "Punch the Lion"
Yay, it's the Melvins! Boo, it's from their second worst album! This comes from Prick, an album that I guess was technically released by "snivleM". This was a record that was crapped out hastily on Amphetamine Reptile Records, purportedly to raise some quick cash for the Stoner Witch sessions. And what it is, is not good. It does have "Pick It N' Flick It", which is more or less the Melvins' "Eruption". But, overall, it's just a big throwaway release. I was furious with it when I got it.
And yes, they made an album worse than this.
The Clash, "Train in Vain"
It's always felt wrong to refer to The Clash as a punk band. I mean, yes, obviously it's correct. That's the scene they were part of, that they played a huge part in originating and leading. But it seems so limiting. The Clash were so restless, so influenced by so many different musical styles, that to refer to them as punk seems dismissive. London Calling, of course, is the album that really saw them transcend labels, and for my money, is the best rock record ever made (while acknowledging that even calling it a "rock" record is still limiting).
Fudge, "Nothing Good"
Fudge is MC Michael Christmas collaborating with Scott Herren (Prefuse 73). As I've loved a lot of Prefuse 73, but felt like the constant guests on his records were distracting, it was nice to hear him working with a single MC for an entire record. Overall, it's quite good, I recommend it.
Rage Against the Machine, "People of the Sun"
Back in college, there was endless fun to be had in poking at Rage fans for their heroes being signed to Sony. At the time, I didn't listen to them at all, figuring them for being major label sellouts who didn't have much to say. They were a band that the frat bros listened to, you know? It wasn't until later that I came to enjoy them, for Morello's guitar as much as anything.