Volume 15 - Spring 2016

RIP Walter D. Shafer

Due to the death of the planet this blog will not be closed for the next four years (at minimum). 
Welcome to the next installment of music for your mayhem. Vol. 15 is ripe to send us over the edge with both hard and soothing foreign-y sounds to soften our hearts and ears as we land in Ragnarok.

There are no Nordic instros to be found here. Nor are there tall blondes. Nonetheless, seven sick tunes start us off by locking eyes with our minds. The vision is Middle Eastern, sad vocals, and surf darkness. A duo of exotic doozies begin the set by blasting us into the blank void. Algiers, by the Bambinos, takes us through a clouded looking glass, opaque from years of burned incense, tobacco, and petroleum. Arabian Camel Walk finds us parched of thirst and dying in the desert. Follow the horns, children!
(Side note: Algiers can be found on the lovely Lavender Jungle comp, but this one seems to be at a different, perhaps more accurate, 45 rpm speed.)

The Bash is a nice rip off of Peter Gunn, paying homage with a throbbing bass line while throwing in a slick guitar solo. You see, after the 10 o'clock news we can all get bashed tonight. Beat Girl will increase the bludgeoning to where you’ll wish you were disembodied from your aching head come next morning. This was originally composed for film by John Barry, the swank ‘60s tunester who gave us wonderful instros and melodies. My personal favorite is another dark and melancholic (what else) dirge called Saturday’s Child. Personally folks, if you ask King Bloodstone, we’re all Wednesday’s children these days. Full of woe. 

The fifth track, Bedlam speaks for itself---were f*#king living in it!

Then, Rodney Scott reminds us that we've nothing left, but to shed Bitter Tears. And batting clean-up in the septet of lifesaving instros are The Mali Bus--it's our fatal Uber ride to the end, in a Caravan from Malibu beach to the rising waters in Miami. 

Door Banger is another big favorite of King Bloodstone. A dark, dreamy surf bit. Ride the night swells lit by the raging, riotous fires on the Golden Gate. Not sure which came first, but The King Pins have a vocal version of this, first heard and smitten by yours truly on Romulus Records' sublime comp. The liner notes for 94 Second Surf on Surfer's Mood: "Jimi Hendrix wasn't the first guitarist to sing and 'follow the leads.' This is luxury, this is plush, THIS IS WEIRD!!! Who are those girls in the chorus (and verses), and what are they doing after the session..."
 
The DC5 gets our blood flowing, adrenaline pumping, and our nervous system primed for PTSD. “I’m a Chaquita banana and I’m here to say if you wanna kill the planet, here’s a brand new way…” Also, the Marc-Antonians will help out as well. Get ready for a dose of venom, straight from Cleopatra’s asp. It may alleviate that hangover. “Oh I say.”
 
We’ve got a clear winner for this month’s side-men band name contest - The Irrationals. Like King Bloodstone said earlier, things are *&^%$#@! The ratio is about 1 sane fella for every 12 nut jobs. Gene Sikora & his Irrational males had the crazy plan to start their own sovereign nation. [Oh jeeze.] Melancholy Boy is how we’ll all be feeling in the end, without love and without an Earth. Jack Hammer drives the point home figuratively and, you might say, literally.

Dig here until next time, people of Earth...