Song of the Day: For the Imperiled - Roy Montgomery

For the Imperiled - Roy Montgomery

It's a full moon out today, just as it was when I first heard this song four years ago this November. I wouldn't have remembered that if I hadn't listened to the whole thing in the middle of a field, half freezing in the middle of the night, watching a bank of clouds run parallel to a moon that had a full halo around it in addition to being full and in the middle of the sky. It's a completely absorbing little offering. There's no lyrics, and I doubt there's anything I can add to it through description. All the same, when we have lot's of songs about things, it's kind of nice to have a song that isn't really about anything, but is just mysterious kind of hypnotizing brick of something somebody made.

Song: Here

Song of the Week: Girl Boy Tom

Girl Boy Tom - Desert Sessions - Instrumental Driving Music for Felons

Desert sessions are officially (and by officially I mean according to wikipedia) an off shoot amalgam of musicians from along the west coast and south west desert area. In this album and song we have Alfredo Hernandez (Who I like and have listened to in Kyuss, Yawning Man, Che, Queens of the Stone Age and Others) on drums, Dave Catching on bass, and some others who really matter less, except for maybe the guitarist (McBain) who has a semi solo going on somewhere. Anyhow, this is definitely a song that's much more out there, there are basically no lyrics, only wails, and an ever present drive of bass which I really really enjoy. Although it's fairly plain in that it's extremely repetitive it does seem to fit the title "Instrumental Driving Music for Felons" fairly well, as it is for people looking to go nowhere in particular in a fairly fast and driving pace. As Josh Homme was quoted as saying "At Desert Sessions, you play for the sake of music" and that much certainly comes through. This song seems much more like a drug induced jam session with a neat bass line and some nice drum patterns than a really hashed out verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-end made for listener song, and in many ways I find that refreshing and in it's own right pretty neat. Add that to a really low big bass sound, and a screaming guitar added on top and that's a pretty nice little song by me. Having a song without a classic pattern (because this song does have a pattern, and a pretty simple crescendo), that in the end isn't really going anywhere, but was recorded just because the musicians thought it sounded kinda cool is in its own way a really valuable thing. No doubt one of the worst song's of the week I've posted but here it is anyway.

Girl Boy Tom

Song of the Week: Tyrant

Tyrant - Black Math Horseman - Wylt

Way back in the early months of 2010 when I was first buying records I was trying to choose an album to buy off of the TeePee record label. The decision was split between the cool looking The Legend Of Gods Gun by Spindrift and the not as cool looking or sounding (in name) Wylt by Black Math Horseman. I ultimately left it up to album covers and chose Spindrifts because of that and the fact that it was yellow translucent vinyl. I made a poor decision, although there are some good songs on The Legend Of Gods Gun, that will probably get mentioned in another post sometime. Anyhow what I liked about Black Math Horseman and Tyrant in particular still holds true to today, over a year and a half later. It has long songs which would put it more in the post rock category, but a dynamic quality, and solid enough drumming (and rhythms in general) that keep the songs from getting too lost while still having a darker, almost trance like quality. This quality is really shaped by the amount of delay and distortion on guitar, but also the ethereal quality of the vocals, which I love. I think nothing would suit this band better than a female vocalist, she doesn't wail or scream, but instead delivers haunting whisping vocals, perfect for this album. I really find it refreshing when vocalists, especially metal ones, don't really on brutal screams. There's really nothing creative about a scream, and that's the wonderful thing about music is that you can make it scream for you, in a much more beautiful and powerful way, than you just making loud unintelligible noises for 4 and a half minutes, with no dynamic change. Her voice is perfect for this, it's subtle at times but not wavering, it's powerful, without being oafish. Tyrant winds this mix of heaviness, subtly and hypnotism very well, and is extremely enjoyable to listen to. Enjoy.