Its not often I rep local talent or really pay attention to what's going on in my "scene" but every now and then a band comes along that perks my interest. Wode, from my barely frost bitten locale of Manchester, have perked my interest quite a bit lately. Having been fortunate enough to witness them on quite a few occasions over the past year they have blown me away every time. A full on blizzard of harsh but melodic guitars swirling around a rampaging drum assualt and topped with hoarse desperate vocals. Along similar lines to Wolves In The Throne Room combined with touches of Dark Funeral and early Nachtmystium.
If that sounds good then you owe yourself a listen to this beast below.
Rising from the dollar bin like a
coked-out phoenix clad in midriff-baring shirt and three days worth
of stubble comes fucking Diamond Reo. Not to be confused with the
country band whose name only varies by one letter (apparently this
particular band took their name from the same automotive company that
supplied the appellation for Reo Speedwagon), the group
of lowlives in question came out of Pittsburgh in the early 70s, offered up a few
albums, much of which was thoroughly forgettable Mott The Hoople
knockoff bullshit, but in the middle managed the brilliant scum-rock
sleaze of Dirty Diamonds.
Most of it's
mid-tempo Rust Belt butt-rock of the sort that saw its apex between
1971 and 1974. Copious cowbell abuse propping up the basest of Mark
Farner aspirations. The album's opener, “All Over You,” is about
ejaculating (all over, as the title specifies) somebody. And while
none of the other songs really get to that level of base dumbness, it
definitely establishes the general tone of the album. Take “It's A
Jungle Out There” - a tribute to the toughness necessary to survive
the rough-and-tumble urban life, that sounds like a half-speed
prophecy of “Welcome To The Jungle” both in riff and lyrical
conceit and is especially funny considering none of these dudes look
exactly like the kick-ass-and-take-names type. Or “Boys Will Be
Boys,” a paean to dudes who do dude stuff with other dudes
(possibly as homoerotic as I just made it sound, I dunno). A few
tracks pick up the pace to something not a million miles removed from
the NWOBHM that was congealing across the pond around the same time,
but this had nothing to do with leather and spikes crowd singing
about swords and dragons.
It's pure id music,
all libido, adrenaline, and testosterone - subtlety (and shirts that
cover the full torso) be damned. It ain't special but there's not
much better for drinking a few six packs of Mickey's alone on the
porch in the middle of the afternoon with all the doors open or
changing your own oil or something. It's ridiculous as shit and
twice as dumb but it's a fun listen, a regional anachronism, a time
capsule from the era of quadrophonic sound and quaaludes. Turn the
shit up and get dumb as fuck.
OHHHHH YEAH IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON, Y'ALL. GRAB SOME COLD CANS AND CRUSH EM' DOWN YOUR FUCKIN' THROAT. ARE YOU READY TO WATCH THE BOYS THROW SOME PIGSKIN?
Here at IllCon we aren't really into the "sports" world even though senior editor Shelby Cobras is commonly seen around the office wearing various metal branded basketball shorts.
The metal world has long been connected to the gridiron. The Oakland Raiders famously use AC/DC's "Hells Bells" when entering the field. The Kansas City Chiefs like to come out to Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart." As obscure as those songs are, my very favorite football themed song comes from the late Layne Staley's pre-Alice In Chains project aptly titled "Alice N' Chains" (formerly Sleeze). Their love letter to the game is one of the best slap-bass GnR ripoff songs of all time. Check out these lyrics:
(Yup. This is a real thing.)
Something that we ARE actively interested in are hard-to-find soundtracks. That's why I was stoked to come across this amazing gem of a collection - Autumn Thunder: 40 years of NFL Films Music. A 10 disc compilation highlighting the kick ass compositions that accompanied the overly dramatic and amazingly photographed NFL Films productions of the 1970s. This shit fucking rules. I couldn't find the whole thing and I doubt that any IllCon reader would download everything anyway. Here now are discs 5-9. It's PLENTY to hold you over until someone gets you the whole set for Hanukkah. Most of the set highlights the work of Sam Spence. Spence was a former music professor at USC, who while in Munich in 1966, was asked to score some highlight reels for the NFL. His work has since become iconic and his music just as much as part of American culture as the game itself. According to his wiki: "...he can arguably be credited with a significant role in making American football the top professional sport in the U.S." No lie. This dude rules. Also featured here are the songs of David Robidoux, Tom Hedden and William Soden.
I've recently become obsessed with the now extinct genre of instructional rap videos from the 80s. I've been playing most of my findings on our podcast (which is live TONIGHT @ 10pm Pacific on FCCFREERADIO btw). The perfect combination of coked out CEOs making bad decisions and Reagan era crypto-racism (HEY OUR EMPLOYEES ARE POOR "URBAN" KIDS! LET'S SPEAK TO THEM ON THEIR LEVEL!). Here now I present to you my very favorites.
5. RTD Maintenance Department
Great example of "the man" trying to get on "our level" and speak "our language" through the power of "the music of the streets." I know if I was an employee of the Los Angeles' Rapid Transit Department in the 80s I would be nothing less than inspired to wake each morning and proudly crank on those buses after watching this inspiring video. Score: 6.8
4. Selling is Service
Nope. Nothing weird or awkward about these white people rapping here. Great work guys, let's put it out. 5.4
3. Pier One Imports LET'S COACHING
The most modern out of all our videos presented today. Detailing the process known as "Let's Coaching" from the geniuses ar Pier One Imports. "Let's Coaching" (Let's engage the customers! Let's make a sale!) is kind of perfect in the way it illustrates everything wrong with corporate upper management bullshit language. The awkward terminology, the emotional exploitation of their customers, the straight up lying they teach to their poor clerks. It's all there. 9.7
2. Wendy's COLD DRINKS
Wendy's are the KINGS (queens?) of instructional rap videos as you will soon see.
I'm not even going to lie. This song is fucking tight. Based around an 8 measure New Jack Swing loop Teddy Riley himself would be proud of. Reminiscent of TLC's earlier work or later DeeDee Ramone, this heartfelt lesson on how to serve cold drinks is sure to give any Wendy's employee the gusto needed to make the customer happy! Score: 8.5
1. Wendy's Burger Rap
The classic track that made a generation learn how to love again. Not patronizing at all, this lesson on how to make a fuckin' burger has gone down in history as the premiere instructional rap video. These hamburger ladies are literal throbbing gristle. Singing gristle even! Also: doesn't feature any embarrassing white people rapping. Score: 10.0
Very Very Very Honorable Mention goes to this very incredible track released by KFC in 1987 credited to "Colonel and the Gang" on flexidisc (yes!) teaches the importance of making Chicken Littles and Shoestring fries properly, complete with references to "golden showers." If there was a video it would be number 1.
You guys listen to too much techy slam death grind metal. And then to chill out you dorks put on like Sunno or Neurosers or some shit like that!? IDGI YOU GUYS NEED TO CHILL HARDER
Typical IC reader NOT BEING CHILL
ME IRL BEING CHILL
Canadian Moog lord Mort Garson, famous for his EEEVIL OCCULT SYNTH albums BLACK MASS LUCIFER and ATARAXIA: THE UNEXPLAINED, was covered on IllCon before by long lost contributor Seanford here.
But there was another side to the Moog monster, a tender side. After all he was an accomplished composer working with such old dork approved acts as Doris Day, Glen Campbell and Mel Torme. So it is no surprise that he released this super chillllll album... with a bit of a twist. It's not for human consumption... it's music for plants.
That's right! Garson's 1976 release Mother Earth's Plantasia was made just for to our plant-based pals. Every track dedicated to a different green buddy. This is one of my favorite records of all time. Maybe I'm a plant.
Another lol thing: This album was only available through a promotion at Simmons Mattress stores in Southern California. Buy a mattress, get a Moog album for plants! How can you go wrong?!
WE HAVE BEEN LOST. OVER A MONTH HAS PASSED AND WE NEED TO GET BACK TO EARTH. BUT NOT TO WORRY. OUR SACRED TRANSMISSIONS ARE STILL BEING BROADCAST LIVE TO THE PLANET. TONIGHT YOU MAY INDULGE.
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CALL IN 415-994-4247
ILLOGICAL CONTRAPTION RADIO IS ALIVE AND STRONG TRANSMITTING THE ELDER'S TEXTS TO THE MASSES.
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