Absolutely classy, undiluted 80s punk rock. These guys from Los Angeles delivering music – unbelievable! – since 1989 – for more than two decades.
Rob Chaos -Vox, Shawn Smash -Guitar, – D Shocker and Miguel Conflict – Bass, and Danny ‘Boy” Virus and Gearbox – Drums, juggling between The Ramones and The Exploited, delivering the perfect blending of both approaches. The band was formed as a response to the rising, commercial, “new style” of punk widely promoted by media and record labels and it was not only music, but a forum to convey important political and social views.
Total Chaos along with many others started organizations such as – UVP (United Valley Punks) OCP (Orange County Peace Punks) and AGC (Alternative Gathering Collective ) holding social events like:Food Not Bombs, giving support to the Big Mountain Indian Reservation and helping to open the Los Angeles Anarchist Center. The idea of social responsibility was a significant thing from organizing peace punk picnics to protesting against the Gulf War, their music had meaning and stood for something.
Read more Total Chaos – Battered and Smashed (2011)
Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
20 years ago “Ten” exploded out of the blue. The album initially sold slowly upon its release, but by the second half of 1992 it became a breakthrough success, attaining gold certification and by February 1993, American sales of “Ten” surpassed those of “Nevermind”, the breakthrough album by Nirvana. “Ten” bring Pearl Jam to the elite of the Seattle grunge movement, along with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain angrily attacked Pearl Jam, claiming the band were commercial sellouts, but later Cobain reconciled with Vedder. While Pearl Jam was accused of jumping on the grunge bandwagon at the time, “Ten” had overwhelming contribution in popularizing alternative rock in the mainstream. The album has been certified diamond by the RIAA in the United States and by June 2011, it had sold 9,869,000 copies, and remains Pearl Jam’s most commercially successful album.
The album produced three hit singles: “Alive”, “Even Flow” and “Jeremy”. Pearl Jam received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its video for “Jeremy”, including Video of the Year and Best Group Video, the band refused to make a video for “Black” and this attitude began a trend of the band refusing to make videos for its songs, despite it being common knowledge that music videos were one of the most vital sales tools in any band’s arsenal.
Released on 27th August, 1991, “Ten” is one of the rock classics, one of the (few) records that actually matters. Maybe meanwhile Vedder and his band mates lost their guts – and direction -, but back than Pearl Jam rocked. Read more Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
Voteaza-ma! pe Indaba Music
Voteaza-ma pe Indaba Music:
Check out this submission in Jane’s Addiction – Irresistible Force Remix Opportunity on Indaba Music.
Nu e asa greu……
Project Pitchfork – Quantum Mechanics (2011)
With 12 albums, 7 eps, and several compilation appearances, toured extensively and played hundreds of shows all over the world, Project Pitchfork is one of the leading German industrial/dark-electro bands.
Delivering danceable beats, warm melodies and industrial textures with powerful chords, Project Pitchfork find their own blending of sounds and create their unique style juggling between EBM, IDM, industrial, synthpop and electronic dance music.
Formed in 1989 by Peter Spilles and Dirk Scheuber, they released their debut album “Dhyani” in 1991 through Hypnobeat Records.
In 1995, Project Pitchfork established their own label, Candyland Entertainment, through which they release the majority of their own material as well as the material of other bands. Read more Project Pitchfork – Quantum Mechanics (2011)
The Pogues – Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985)
Celtic Punk? The term was coined because and for The Pogues at the beginning of the 80s and have its origin in the 1960s and 1970s folk rock musicians who played electric folk and Celtic rock in Ireland and Scotland, as well as in more traditional Celtic folk bands such as The Dubliners.
The story says that The Pogues were formed when MacGowan (vocals), Peter “Spider” Stacy (tin whistle), and Jem Finer (banjo) were together in an occasional band called The Millwall Chainsaws in the late 1970s after MacGowan and Stacy met in the toilets at a Ramones gig at The Roundhouse in 1977. MacGowan was already with The Nips, though when they broke up in 1980 he concentrated a bit more on Stacy’s Millwall Chainsaws who changed their name to The New Republicans. In 1982 they rename the band into Pogue Mahone. They came to the attention of the media and Stiff Records when they opened for The Clash on their 1984 tour. Shortening their name to “The Pogues” due to BBC censorship following complaints from Gaelic speakers in Scotland, they released their first album “Red Roses for Me” on Stiff that October.
“Rum Sodomy & the Lash” is the second studio album by The Pogues and it has often made its way on to lists of greatest albums. In 2000 Q magazine placed it at number 93 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2003, the album was ranked number 445 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Pitchfork Media named it the 67th best album of the 1980s.
Released sometimes in mid/late August – eventually on 26 😀 – 1985, “Rum Sodomy & the Lash” is a worthwhile listen. Read more The Pogues – Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985)
Fear Factory – Soul of a New Machine (1992)
Formed in 1989 and released their “official” debut, this “Soul of a New Machine”, in 1992, Fear Factory merged the brutality of grindcore and death metal with industrial and electronic sounds setting a brand new standard of intensity in music.
Released 19 years ago, on 25 August 1992, “Soul of a New Machine” was one of the milestones of a new era, one of the few groundbreaking products of the industrial metal era. Burton C. Bell, Dino Cazares and Raymond Herrera with producer Colin Richardson bring to the surface an extremely intense and powerful album with a particular structure and sound, a concept which remains the trademark of the band and inspired many others since.
I bought this one on cassette tape in the beginning of the 90s and listen it till it get demagnetized. Read more Fear Factory – Soul of a New Machine (1992)
Kittie – I’ve Failed You (2011)
Scheduled to be officially released on August 30th 2011, the sixth studio album by the Canadian quartet of women Kittie will blow right in your face. As always.
This line-up – Morgan Lander – lead vocals, Rhythm guitar, Mercedes Lander – drums, backing vocals, Ivy Vujic – bass and Tara McLeod – lead guitar – stand since 2008 and this is their second album and the girls delivered another set of 11 noisy, powerful and biting Metal tracks. These girls rocks hard as any boys and “I’ve Failed You” comes like whispering: kittie, kittie, kittie…. and bang!! – you don’t know what actually hits you. Read more Kittie – I’ve Failed You (2011)
Snurfu – Bag of Bones – EP (2011)
There’s not too many things to say about a band formed only three years ago and delivering their first EP. Watching their video for “372nd Military Police” on YouTube I was thinking they are a punk band juggling between New Model Army and The Exploited, later listening their four songs from the EP I realized this is (only) Rock (And Roll), there’s something raw, garage and punk taste-like about it, but still, this is unpolished, good-old Rock and it feels alright.
The opening “Your Sister Too” have a kind of Velvet Revolver after-taste, it’s right in the middle between Guns N’ Roses and Stone Temple Pilots, between Rock and Post-Grunge. “My Empty Song” bring to the surface some Southern/Stoner roots and sounds, it’s quite classy and the guitar riff is actually pretty wicked. Read more Snurfu – Bag of Bones – EP (2011)
The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (1981)
Perhaps this was their last classic record, one nice, less polished, Rock And Roll album. Released on 24 August, 1981, 30 years ago, “Tattoo You” was put together of outtakes from previous recording sessions to promote the band’s follow-up worldwide tour 1981/1982. The band didn’t want to kick off the road without having a new record and the time was too short to write enough new songs, one the other hand, that period was marked by tensions between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, so working on new songs probably would be a pretty difficult task at the moment. Still, “Tattoo You” was ranked #34 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s and number 211 on the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Read more The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (1981)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You (2011)
I’m wondering for how many more albums they have contract with the Warner Bros. because I actually see no other reason to deliver new materials. RHCP kind of pissing on their own grave and the only evolution from their previous album is that “I’m With You” fortunately is considerably shorter, instead two discs we’ve got only one. “Stadium Arcadium” was a chaotic/eclectic, extremely scattered release, variety actually meaning only fluctuate quality songs. Well, critics praised as the best RHCP album and it sold over 7 million copies, so, probably something it’s wrong with me and not with the Uplift Mofo Party guys.
Kiedis said the recording almost was called “Dr. Johnny Skinz’s Disproportionately Rambunctious Polar Express Machine-Head,†based on a drug experience and the cover image by the controversial British artist, Damien Hirst is already considered by many as a repulsive one. Well, I’m sick – and once again – I find the cover might be the only interesting thing about the new RHCP. Read more Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You (2011)
