Bad News - No End (Chondritic Sound, 2012)

No matter how old I become, its doubtful I'll ever recover from the impact Skinny Puppy made on my fourteen year old mind. Hearing "VIVIsectVI" was a lifechanging experience. Therefore, whenever I hear any current industrial tributes to that era, I freak out over it. Lots of acts are doing it these days but Bad News is the first to really grip me with it.

Pounding drum machines, brutal guitars and harsh synthesizers meet aggressive and teen-like female snarls that cast the apocalypse down upon the doomed listener. This is intense music that is well performed and so authentic you'd think it was a record from Nettwerk circa '89.

There are also elements of punk and a psychedelic tinge a la Chris & Cosey, which gives it a creative edge. Keep your ears on this San Francisco duo, as well as many other acts on Chondritic Sound.

Beautifully painted cassette limited to 100, and they're almost gone.

R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman (1964-2013)

Well, it really saddens me that Jeff Hanneman is dead at 49 years old. The Slayer founding member and guitarist was one of the most important musical figures in my life. He shaped much of my teenage years and wrote one of the greatest metal songs (Angel of Death) off arguably the greatest metal record (Reign in Blood).

Hanneman passed away of liver failure after recovering from a spider bite which left him with  necrotising fasciitis, a flesh eating disease that attacks subcutaneous tissue. And, I must say, that's a pretty fucking metal way to go. Cheers, Jeff.

R.I.P. Martin Lloyd (1950-2013)

Sad news today that Martin Lloyd of the early '80's electronic duo Oppenheimer Analysis has passed due to liver failure. In their early career they opened for such acts as Hawkwind and Spizz Energi. Primarily known only for a cassette release, they had a resurgence of popularity when Minimal Wave issued a vinyl EP.

Read a great interview with him HERE.

R.I.P. George Jones (1931-2013)

Odd that just as I've been on quite the country music kick lately, my favorite legend of the genre passes away. Seeing his face regularly on Austin City Limits, Hee Haw, and The Grand Ole Opry  is an enormous and fond memory from my 1970's-early '80's childhood.

George "Possum" / "No Show" Jones stopped lovin' her today. They placed a wreath upon his door. Thank you, George, for popularizing two of my favorite songs.

Chris Head - Songs (Unreleased Material, 2011)

Its not often I connect with country music these days. Of all the genres that seem tired and unbelievable, its country. In fact, every time I hear a current act I like, I'm shocked. It happened again when I heard Chris Head's songs. A longtime and prolific member of the Asheville, North Carolina punk scene, Head writes heart-wrenching, melancholy and unassuming lyrics about love and loss. Not only that but every song has a classic hook, at least one of which will stick in your head after you walk away.

Sit down and give it a listen. I dare you to shrug it off.