ALBUM REVIEW: John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies, "Halloween: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"

By: John Reppion

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 19/10/2018

Label: EVP Recordings

The Review:

Forty years after his atmospheric, autumnal slasher “Halloween” first arrived on cinema screens, John Carpenter is back, not with a new film (the 2018 “Halloween” having been written and directed by David Gordon Green), but with another of his iconic soundtracks. I say "back" but clearly, just like that ever-babysitter-murdering serial garden-lurker Michael Myers, Carpenter never really went away. His film work has been rightly praised for some time now, but it’s only fairly recently that his music has been widely given the credit it deserves.

Prior to 2018’s “Halloween” soundtrack, the last new (i.e. not remastered or anthologised) film scores Carpenter released were for “Vampires” (1998), and “Ghosts Of Mars” (2001), neither of which had the synth-heavy sound he’s mostly known for. 2015’s “Lost Themes”, and the following year’s “Lost Themes II” – written and recorded with Carpenter’s son Cody, and his godson, ex-Karma To Burn vocalist and guitarist, Daniel Davies – were the first original, non-film albums from Carpenter, and both had that authentic electronic sound most of us associate with the man and his work. The trio started touring together in 2016, performing Carpenter’s film themes alongside their own compositions, and last year released “Anthology: Movie Themes 1974–1998”, featuring their re-recorded versions of pretty much all the Carpenter classics.

It’s this trio of Carpenter, Carpenter, and Davies (son of Kinks guitarist Dave Davies by the way, just in case you find that interesting) who are responsible for the twenty-one tracks on the “Halloween Motion Picture Soundtrack”. So, right from the outset, you can be sure we’re in safe hands. That’s so long as you’re a fan of John Carpenter’s previous musical offerings of course; admittedly there’s not much on offer here if you’re not. If, however, you’re someone like me whose idea of fun is to sit and listen through “Prince of Darkness”, or indeed “Lost Themes”, then I think it’s fairly certain you’re going to enjoy “Halloween”.

Rather than being a reboot or offshoot of the original franchise, the 2018 “Halloween” is a played as a direct sequel to the 1978 film with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode, the girl Mike Mayers couldn’t kill. Most of the titles on the soundtrack give away a bit more of the plot than we probably should at this point (given that it’s only been on general release for a couple of weeks) so, in the interest of trying not spoil the film for anyone who’s looking forward to it, I won’t go through every single track here.

“Halloween Theme” is a pumped up heart-beat kick-drum driven version of the original, very much in the spirit which Carpenter’s touring trio now perform it. “Laurie’s Theme” has that lovely mix of melancholic, tense, and eerie that Carpenter does so well. This is even more evident in “Prison Montage” which gets near to the Duffer Brothers type synth-wave stuff people now often tend to lump him in with, but it’s much grittier, and heavier than that. As is often the case, elements of the main theme are used as a motif which recurs throughout the soundtrack as a whole. “The Bogyman” is a short, doleful, down-tempo example of this, just like “Ghost Story” is on “The Fog” soundtrack.

There are big distorted stabs, pulse pounding arpeggios, sinister synth strings, terrifying saw-toothed swells, and moody pianos. It is a master-class in electronic horror sound-tracking, and is, in my humble opinion, as good an album as Carpenter has ever put out. “Michael Kills” and “Michael Kills Again” (whose titles I don’t think are giving anything away that we couldn’t have already worked out) are perfect examples of, not just how good a composer and performer Carpenter is, but how he’s managed to move forward and stay fresh and modern sounding, while maintaining his signature style. Often copied but never bettered, if you want the real thing then the new “Halloween” soundtrack is as good as it gets. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some pumpkins to carve. Weirdly though, the knife I had ready seems to have gone missing…

“Halloween: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” is available here

Info: bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Melvins - "A Walk With Love & Death"

By: Ben Fitts

Album Type: Full Length (Double)

Date Released: 07/07/2017

Label: Ipecac Recordings

 

On “A Walk with Love and Death”, the Melvins do both things that their cultish fans love about them, and do them both damn well.

“A Walk With Love & Death” CD//DD//LP track listing:

“Love”

1. Aim High
2. Queen Powder Party
3. Street Level St. Paul
4. The Hidden Joice
5. Give It to Me
6. Chicken Butt
7. Eat Yourself Out
8. Scooba
9. Halfway to the Bakersfield Mall
10. Pacoima Normal
11. Park Head
12. T-Burg
13. Track Star
14. The Asshole Bastard

“Death”

1. Black Hearth
2. Sober-delic (acid only)
3. Euthanasia
4. What’s Wrong with You
5. Edgar the Elephant
6. Christ Hammer
7. Flaming Creature
8. Cactus Party
9. Cardboro Negro

The Review:

Thirty-four years into their career, the Washington trio Melvins have established themselves as one of the most important groups of weirdos in the history of recorded music. They pioneered the very foundations of both sludge and grunge, were the first to fully utilize the uses of drop tunings and were a major influence on seemingly every metal band at least bordering doom on this side of 1990. It is impossible to view a new work of theirs without the context of their back catalogue. And that back catalogue is vast, but amazingly contains scarcely a forgettable record. Each new Melvins release finds a new personality and/or territory and their newest full-length, “A Walk With Love & Death” does both. Twice.

At twenty-three songs (with a total runtime of eighty-nine minutes), “A Walk With Love & Death” is the Melvins’ first double-album, and they embrace the concept. While many albums spread themselves between two disc because there was simply too much material to be contained on just one, on “A Walk With Love &  Death”, the Melvins create two distinct, separate albums (the first titled “Death”, the second titled “Love”) and package them together as one cohesive unit.

“Death”, the first disc, is by far the more accessible of the two discs and is rank with breezy, blues based grooves. “Death” opens the swampy “Black Health”, which, while still clearly the Melvins, is oddly reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival or Tony Joe White. Intensity builds over the darker, grungier track “Sober-Deli (Acid Only)” before the arrival of “Euthanasia”, a rumbling, groove based sludge metal song (the kind of sound that many think of first when they think of the Melvins).

These moods represented by these first three tracks, bluesy and breezy, grungy and sulky and classic Melvins sludge, more or less define the remaining six songs on the “Death” side of “A Walk with Love and Death”. They are mixed differently and to different proportions, from the stomping bluesy rock and roll of “What’s Wrong With You” and “Cactus Party” to the menacing, propulsive sludge of “Flaming Creature”, the latter of which possibly takes the cake for the best track to be found anywhere on the “Death” side of the album and incorporates some of the funnest, most rifftastic and straightforward music that the Melvins have ever recorded. However, this is balanced out by the following disc, “Love”. That is where things get weird.    

After the buzzing, white instrument noise that ends “Cardboa Negro”, the track that closes “Death”, “Love” introduces itself with ambient street noise on the track “Aim High”. Snippets of casual conversation, the clacks of high-heeled feet and the drone of wind striking a mic set up to introduce the second disc of “A Walk With Love & Death”. “Love” is not all tape collage, and at nearly thirty seconds into “Aim High”, a synthesizer, playing actual tonal notes, can be heard struggling over the din of human background noise, a battle that it eventually loses. “Aim High” sets the precedent for the rest of the second disc.

 “Love” is a constant back and forth between tonal music, made by instruments, and ambient, collected sounds. Both ingredients get chances to shine, in varying amounts, throughout “Love”. The tracks on “Love” to feature the most music (as it is traditionally understood) are punk-infused, avant-garde jazz piece “Scooba”, which even features singing vocals (albeit sampled, and somewhat comical ones) and “Give It To Me”, which sounds like a Chicago blues band caught in the midst of interdimensional travel, and sounds less and less like Chicago and more like that other dimension as the song progresses. Conversely, tracks such as “The Hidden Joice” and “Chicken Butt” are built around studio altered spoken samples, with only a backdrop of dissonant synthesizers (with some sparse guitar playing on “The Hidden Joice”). The other ten tracks on “Love” explore seemingly every midpoint one can imagine, from the white noise feedback and out of focus guitar shredding of “Street Level St. Paul” to the casual street noise set to an electronic background of “T-Burg”.

It wasn’t enough for the Melvins to just make a double album. If they were going to do it, they were going to do it in a way that displayed the duality of their nature, taking both ends to their extreme. “Death” is upbeat, groove-based, energetic, punk derived rock and roll that teeters into metal, grunge and blues as they see fit. It is quite possibly the most conventional, accessible collection of music that the band was ever released, even more so than classic major label efforts such as “Houdini” or “Stoner Witch”. And it’s wonderfully enjoyable. The second disc, “Love”, is some of the band’s most obtusely difficult music, on par with 1994’s infamous display of weirdness, “Prick”. And it’s wonderfully challenging. On “A Walk With Love & Death”, the Melvins do both things that their cultish fans love about them, and do them both damn well.   

 “A Walk with Love and Death” is available here

Band info:  bandcamp || facebook

Goblin Rebirth - 'Goblin Rebirth' (Album Review)

By: Hunter Young

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/06/2015

Label: Relapse Records

If you want something that is out there, entertaining, and from a legendary band, look no further than Goblin Rebirth's self titled debut. Bend your mind, but only to the best of beats with these Italian masters of the reptilian beat!

‘Goblin Rebirth’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Requiem For X
2. Back in 74
3. Book of Skulls
4. Mysterium
5. Evil In The Machine
6. Forest
7. Bolero
8. Rebirth

Goblin Rebirth is

Bass | Fabio Pignatelli
Drums | Agostino Marangolo
Keyboards | Aidan Zammit
Keyboards | Danilo Cherni
Guitars | Giacomo Anselmi

The Review:

Hailing from the golden age of horror cinema soundtracks, Goblin Rebirth rises like a gore soaked phoenix from the on/off again ashes of (Giallo soundtrack legends) Goblin! Soaked in scintillating synth, rocking with raw riffage, and completely jamming with retro vibes, the self titled Goblin Rebirth has it all for those looking for pure musical ecstasy.

Honestly sounding like a homage to themselves, ‘Goblin Rebirth’ is an ode to a time for movies when a sick, memorable soundtrack was almost a physical character in a movie. Like Wes Craven (RIP) and a slew of current projects (Gatekeeper, Oscillotron, Espectrostatic, et al.), they sound as if they made the album for a funk movie ranging from gore, to Giallo, to exploitation, to just damn fun(ky). They are all over the place, befitting a progressive rock band from the 70s, and they are the European instrumental version of Chicago, Yes, or King Crimson, who in themselves are huge band for fans of synth and atmosphere, just saying.

The album plays like a selection of experimental rock from guys who know what the hell they are doing. No part of this is sloppy, or going to leave you wondering why they did this or that; it's a solid offering from a more weird rock place. To really enjoy this, darken the lights, get your favourite repast on a table next to you, some snacks, a good selection of drink, and just jam out! Some of it is a bit slow, like ‘Book of Skulls’, but it resolves itself well, and the playing is top notch. They riff, ramble, jam, and scorch their fret boards in time with your soul, and have no singer to take you out of the experience. ‘Book of Skulls’ is also one of the more movie-esque selections, of which they kind of all are, but you can make up a movie in your mind to certain ones more than others. For a solid pick, musically, ‘Evil in the Machine’ is raucous and jubilant, with sinister tones and a rare spot of digitized vocals to hammer home that circuit that may carry more than just electricity.

If you want something that is out there, entertaining, and from a legendary band, look no further than Goblin Rebirth's self titled debut. Bend your mind, but only to the best of beats with these Italian masters of the reptilian beat!

‘Goblin Rebirth’ is available here

FFO: Zombi, King Crimson, Fabio Frizzi, John Carpenter, Ennio Morricone

Band info: Facebook | Twitter

Live Review: Primus & The Chocalate Factory @ Tivoli, Utrecht (NL) 16 June 2015

I’m not a fan of Primus. I don’t mean I don’t like the band, I mean I don’t know the band. Primus has been an enigma for me. On the one hand, they have been associated with a lot of bands I listened to while growing up, I’ve always wanted to check them out, but nothing ever came of it. So when my buddies asked if I’d be interested in joining them on a Tuesday night for a Primus show, I jumped in head first knowing that this would be my opportunity to check one more thing off of my bucket list.  Primus took the stage in Utrecht’s brand spankin’ new Tivoli on Tuesday June 16th. The venue spilled over with people, all of whom wanted to be up front. So it was hot, crowded, cramped, and most of all, fun. Shortly after the clock struck 8.30pm, Les Claypool and his two friends came out on stage. Not a word was said, the crowd went apeshit.

A trilogy of songs that flowed nicely into one another was what got things underway. Les’ bass was high up in the mix, where it should be, overshadowing his secret weapons; Larry Lalonde on guitar and Tim Alexander on drums. This wasn’t to do with an ego trip or anything, as it turned out the guys were having a blast, but Primus is a bass-driven rock band as opposed to many of their contemporaries who fill the mix with blasting guitars. Primus doesn’t make ‘guitar rock,’ though, its bass driven. I suppose that makes it ‘bass rock?’ Whatever their sonic delivery is called, it was something that I got used to quickly and it certainly wasn’t the strangest thing to witness during the three hour set.

Les Claypool’s voice was in form but not in any sort of traditional sense. His stoner mumble oozed out of the side of his mouth, as he went on about some girl’s beaver, his name being Mud, and Jerry, a friend of his who is a race car driver. (Well look at that, I guess in passing I did pick up a few Primus songs in my time). Claypool flapped, tapped, swigged, strummed, and picked his bass, moving his fingers along both meticulously and effortlessly, which somehow transformed into a precise melody. My mouth hit the floor, as did those of the bassist friends I was with. This wasn’t particularly heavy music but it’s not necessarily music for the light of heart. This wasn’t stoner rock, either, but the guy behind us gobbling up truffles didn’t come across as too out of place. This was mellow, well executed, music for the music lover.

And then the band left the stage, prematurely. The curtain was closed, house lights went up, and life returned to normal. This wasn’t the end of the show; however, this was merely the intermission. A short thirty minutes later, the curtain was opened, revealing a stage that was decorated with props that were one part twisted, one part industrial, and two parts sexual. The occasion, of course, was the Primus and the Chocolate Factory Show! And what a show it was! Electric stand up basses were played by bows, xylophones were being hit with frantic passion by a man whose grey hair did not match his vivaciousness or talent. “The Candyman” started things off hauntingly, the rest of the set followed suit, and Primus spiralled out of control one song at a time. All of a sudden, this innocent movie that I loved as a child was put through a filter for adults, which added a whole new layer to each character. And then real life Oompa-Loompa’s with over sized heads came out for what at first served as comic relief but later came across as a judgmental parent. Oh boy, did Primus know how to twist this well-known story around and do a fantastic job of it.

Once the Oompa-Loompa’s left the stage for the last time, the band followed. The ridiculous roller coaster that the audience had been through was docked, it was time to put our feet back on the ground. Or so we thought. Primus returned to the stage again for a double whammy of “Here Come the Bastards” and “Too Many Puppies,” which since I recognized these songs not only was proof that somehow Primus had seeped their way into my life, but that they have a following who eat this bass-crazed-post-polka-rock up. A quick look at their tour dates shows me that they’re playing Las Vegas in September with Clutch, so I’m going to sign off now and figure out how to get my ass out there.

Words by: Victor van Ommen



Edit this setlist | More Primus setlists

Label Intensive: An Examination of Poisoned Mind Records

Poisoned Mind is a specialist DIY label based out of New Jersey and Connecticut, born and bred by self confessed analog addicts and VHS aficionados; Tom and Mike set forth with a mission to turn their obsession for music and trashy 80’s horror VHS, into a limited pressing vinyl only entrepreneurial venture. In many ways the combination of horror and the stoner rock scene go hand in hand, with imagery of psychedelia, tales of black magic, and the occult featuring prominently in numerous low budget movies, but also in the imagery and lyrics of well known stoner bands too, with sound bites of movie featuring heavily in music by Electric Wizard, and inspiring lyrics to numerous others. 

Having two vinyl releases behind them, a debut 7inch pressing for the soundtrack to Chester N. Turner’s BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL, a revered 1980’s horror movie in which a kindly woman is raped by a ventriloquist’s dummy. Poisoned Mind, followed that up with a debut 12inch limited vinyl pressing from Crypt Trip, a band hailing from Dallas Texas, who play an addictive blend of psychedelic fuzz rock.  With the label on the brink of issuing their latest releases, I took the opportunity to fire some questions at them, in order to get low down on this unique and high class vinyl only label

(SL) Guys, thanks for doing this, for those people who are not familiar with your label, could you tell us a little about yourself, your label and why you decided to start Poisoned Mind Records?

Tom:  Thanks Aaron! For a while I’ve wanted to start a label. Records have always been my first love and it’s the format I grew up with and still buy and collect to this day. Mike and I met each other through the vhs and record groups on facebook and finally got to hang out a couple years ago. We realized we shared a lot of the same interests and threw around the idea of starting a label.  We started Poisoned Mind together and had the idea not to limit ourselves as far as the music we put out.  We wanted to create a label that was different, not just strictly a soundtrack or doom label.

(SL) Looking on your store page, you seem to have a number of releases in the pipeline, What can fans look forward to from your label in 2015? How is your schedule shaping up? Any exclusives you can tell us about?

Tom: Going from 2 releases last year we have about 5 albums on tap for release this year so far. A little something for everyone and that’s the vision we had when we started. We have the Fistula 7” coming out in the next couple of days and the Crypt Trip repress, Merlin’s Christ Killer LP which is like a cinematic doom psychedelic trip, The new Wolfmen of Mars LP titled Gamisu, if you dig horror films and soundtracks then Wolfmen is right up your alley, We also have a couple soundtracks that we can’t announce just yet, but sit tight!

(SL) Admittedly, I had an ulterior motive for featuring you guys, having purchased the Crypt Trip die hard, I am also a massive fan of Fistula.  You’re set to release ‘Never Trust a Cop’ on 7inch by those guys, what can you tell us about that, when can we expect that to hit your store and how did you get involved with those guy?  

Tom: Its looks like the Fistula 7’ will hit our site on May 30^th.  Mike was talking with Dan at Patac records and the singer of Fistula and he asked us if we would be interested in releasing it for them. Of course we said yes!

(SL) Given that music and movies can be streamed now on our computers, on TVs, there seems to be less of need to go to a store, to a cinema or to invest time buying the physical product, do you place more importance on offering a great package to your customers, given the emergence of digital age.  What is the ethos behind what you’re trying to do with the label? 

Tom: Of course it’s a different day and age but I love seeing new generations get into

records, cassettes and VHS. I think more and more people are discovering and enjoying these formats.  It was only a matter of time before this happened.  A lot of times I won’t even listen to digital tracks, ill order an album and wait to get it in the mail before I listen to it.  We are just trying to create a nice package for the music and give the fans something special and the bands something that represents them the best we can.

(SL) What, if any bands or labels may have inspired you to start the label or was there a specific reason you felt you wanted to support the art you have?  For example what motivated you to put out Black Devil Doll From Hell as your first release?

Tom: At the time when I was thinking about starting a label there weren’t any soundtrack labels yet. I have been collecting soundtracks since the 90s and I knew it was just a matter of time until they started to tap into that market again. Then Mondo re-released the Maniac soundtrack and then Death Waltz came out and everyone went nuts ha-ha,

A few years later I was talking with Steve at STB Records, him and I go way back as friends and we are from the same area in NJ. We were throwing around the idea of doing a label together but in the end he went out on his own and created such an amazing label, from the bands to the layouts and packages he offers. He was definitely a huge inspiration for us and we continue to help and inspire one another.  Early on I always looked up to labels like hydrahead, hyperrealist and robotic empire. Then it shifted towards, southern lord, tank crimes, rise above, A389, Teepee. Nowadays Hevisike, bilocation, Ripple, Patac. So many great labels out there.

Mainly I think for mike and myself a lot of our friends inspired us to do something, like Louis at Massacre Video, Matt at horrorboobs  Josh at lunchmeat magazine, Uneasy Archive, King Of The Witches. These are all DIY movie labels and it’s great to see all of them growing into something special.

As for why we started with Black Devil Doll From Hell, mike and I both knew Louis at Massacre Video and are fans of this underground classic. It was right around the time Louis actually found the director Chester Turner after trying to track him down for years. Mike and I were outside at a horror convention and mike said to me “hey wouldn’t it be cool if we were able to do a Black Devil Doll From Hell 7” or  something”? I knew right then and there we had to do it and we had to get started on the label together. Up until that point there really wasn’t a soundtrack out there on record for a film Like BDDFH and that was the appeal for us as well. 

(SL) I used to be big a movie fan when I was younger and used to get a kick out of watching trashy horror movies, latterly in my early 20s stuff from Japan such Takeshi Mike movies etc, because I was kinda obsessed with how extreme the boundaries of cinema could be pushed.  Where did your fascination with movies start and why the fascination with VHS? 

Tom: I guess the fascination came from having an older brother who would take me to the movies.  Him and his friends used to rent movies all time and when he went out id sneak into his room and watch the ones I wasn’t supposed to. I remember sneaking into his room one day and watching Make Them Die Slowly/ Cannibal Ferox. Up until that point I never saw anything so brutal, it all looked so real to me and it scared the shit out of me. Kind of like the same feeling I got listening to the song Black Sabbath when I was kid.

Growing up, my Mother worked right next to a video store, so I would spend countless hours in there looking at the covers of all these movies. I was always drawn to the scary and gory covers and even back then I knew that they weren’t just films but these covers were works of art. When DVD hit I switched off like a lot of people did. About 6 years ago I was watching videos on YouTube and discovered that a whole new generation had found love for this format and appreciated these wild covers and movies just like I did growing up and it amazed me. I got bit by the collector bug and started buying them again. It’s a combination of nostalgia and seeing films in their original state or maybe that rare film that doesn’t have a DVD release. Maybe I can download it or watch it on YouTube but for me I want to own it, it’s just a different feeling for me.

(SL) In your experience, how easy/difficult was it to sell the idea of your label and what you hoped to achieve, in the sense of releasing something like Black Devil Doll on vinyl, which many would deem as obscure? Was the first release any more of a gamble than say, releasing Crypt Trip, given there is such a thriving stoner rock scene. 

Tom: We had an idea BDDFH would do well given the cult following it has and the whole mystique of the film. Did we expect it to sell out in a day? No we really didn’t, I think that release surprised a lot of people and just showed what is possible when it comes to releasing soundtracks.

With the Crypt Trip album it was somewhat of the same feeling. I guess expect the worst and hope for the best right?  These days everything is a risk when it comes to releasing music. You just never know. You just try to build a following with your label and hope people dig it. What we hoped to achieve with these releases, we just wanted to do something we both were into and have fun. Sure we had the idea of more releases after BDDFH but I don’t think either of us actually knew if it was gonna go beyond that but we were gonna try to!

(SL) What do you look for in order for you to get involved in releasing something on vinyl?

Tom: If we like something and feel good about it and there isn’t an LP release then we will look into releasing one. We aren’t really concerned with repressing stuff other labels have done before. When it comes to soundtracks and bands our goal has always been to release things that aren’t on record and the same goes for bands we enjoy.

(SL) There is much talk about the ongoing backlog at the pressing plants, which has caused a bottle neck in production and big delays in releases, what are your thoughts about the emerging scene and what are some of the difficulties/frustrations of running a label, because there are many other commitments such as family, work etc that perhaps restrict the amount of time you can dedicate to your label?  Not to mention the financial pressure? 

Tom: The frustration all comes from the wait time for pressing 100% ha-ha. It’s like man I wish we had these records in our hands right now to get em out there! It’s just not how it works though and you just have to be patient and remain positive. 

With the wait times and everything mike and I decided screw it lets just put even more of our money up and send everything we have lined up right now to press instead of spreading it out and this will be the way we operate from here on out.  We both have day jobs, mike busts his ass all day long at his job but I have a job where I can actually work on label stuff in my downtime.  It’s a tough balance and we are both learning what works best for us as time goes on.

(SL) How valuable are blogs and social media? What are your thoughts on changes in the music/movie industry over recent years?

Tom:  Blogs and social media are a huge part today; no way would we have been able to do what we did with our first 2 releases if it wasn’t for it.  It used to be just magazines and music videos but now there are so many more outlets and people who are passionate about things they are into be it music, movies or whatever. Both of our releases were just through word of mouth, social media and Crypt Trip of course playing shows and touring. Bands and social media help us get our name out there just like we help them out. It all comes together in the end.

I do see a huge shift in people wanting to own physical copies now. I think it’s safe to say that all formats are back and here to stay. I mean there are bands that I own the record, cd and cassette. Not only once but 3 times over ha-ha. The same goes for films as well.

(SL) Given that you have a number of releases (2 at present) under your belt, how do you measure the success of each release, are you reliant on selling units in order to release the next one? 

Tom: Whatever money we do make goes right back into releasing more albums and we just put more of our own money up again to try and get ahead of the game and get more releases out there this year. The way we measure success is we are happy just breaking even. We were fortunate enough to have our first 2 releases sell out and hopefully with each release we can keep it going. 

(SL) Some labels place a significant importance on the releases having a sense of being a collectable, with Standard and Die Hard Editions.   What do you feel is the significance of releasing such a package (s)?

Tom: From a record collector and fan standpoint, I feel the significance of doing these

releases is offering something for everyone. You have someone who just wants the die hard version and if they don’t get it they may not even buy anything else and would rather pay more on the secondary market because that’s what they want. Then you have the people who just want it on color vinyl and don’t care about a box set with extras. Oh its only left on black vinyl I want color im not buying it!  Then of course the one who just wants to own the album and doesn’t care what color its on etc. Then the collector who must own every version under the sun and wants them all. 

(SL) If you could have released any movie soundtrack or record past or present, what would it be and why?

Tom: It would definitely be Phantasm and I think I can speak for Mike on this question also since it’s both our favourite series of all time. Mondo actually just released it for the first time in 35 years. That soundtrack sets the tone to the film as well as any out there.  We both just love it.  As for a present soundtrack release we just got the rights to one but you’ll have to wait and see!

(SL) Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon us?

Tom: Thanks so much for taking the time for this interview Aaron and all the work you do there at Sludgelord. A lot of time and effort goes into what you and your contributors do and it shows and is much appreciated. As far as our releases coming up you can expect a different mix of bands, soundtracks and surprises. Thanks to everyone who made our first year a success and bought something from us and everyone who helped us out along the way. We are just getting started!

The Fistula ‘Never Trust A Cop’ 7inch and repress of Crypt Trip Debut full will be available here from Saturday 30^th May 2015

Words and Interview courtesy of: Aaron Pickord and Tom @ Poisoned Mind Records

 

For more information:

Shop: http://poisonedmindrecords.bigcartel.com/

Like: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poisoned-Mind-Records/535472189861174



DRCARLSONALBION - Gold (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/6/2014

Label: Daymare Records

‘Gold’ CD/LP/DD track listing

Gold I - XXIV

Bio:

Gold is the first major soundtrack work from DYLAN CARLSON, composed for a foreign language western of the same name; a story of German pioneers traversing the Canadian West. CARLSON’s score, which revolves around key guitar motifs and their dialog with drone, repetition and loose improvisation, echoes the vast landscapes and almost existential “otherness” captured in the films juxtaposition of traditional western tropes to places and peoples not normally associated with the genre. This slight remove from genre has been a trademark of CARLSON’s approach to guitar and songwriting throughout his career. Whether that is applying the writings of La Monte Young to Black Sabbath sized riffing in Earth’s earliest incarnations or his re-appropriations of country, jazz and folk during its second act.

Across the arc of the album’s twenty-four tracks — designed to be listened to as one suite — CARLSON’s lyrical playing dissolves structures into abstraction, stretching out each repetition until you’re left with only the sound of buzzing or scraped strings. It is an inversion of the work of Earth; stripping away where they would layer. It’s an immersive experience. For the first time CARLSON’s guitar is presented, bare, alone, with only minimal percussion, fore-fronting his evocative, lyrical control of the instrument in a language that transcends tired “cinematic” adjectives and places you directly into the landscape

DRCARLSONALBION is:

Dylan Carlson | Everything

Review:

"Gold" is a twenty four track release by the main man of drone legends Earth, Dylan Carlson, and his third release under a solo guise in as many years. 

Upon learning that "Gold" is film soundtrack, I couldn’t help but think of Neil Young’s "Dead Man" - imagine this, with maybe a bit less twangy guitar and the lack of samples, and you’re not far off. "Gold" takes the meaning of `stripped back´ to an nth degree; it sounds like it could’ve been recorded on the first four-track you owned, but by no means to the detriment of the music. The sparse, grainy atmosphere is exactly what the music needed here. Along with the lone guitar, the music is occasionally accompanied by a cymbal or a bass drum. 

Carlson’s playing is idiosyncratic and a delight to study/listen to. He plays the guitar in such a beautifully measured way, using the space between the notes, as well as the throbbing reverb, as much as the notes themselves to carry the melody. The tone, at times, lacks the warmth of, say, Earth’s landmark release, "Bees Made Honey in the Lion´s Skull", and exudes a more ghostly, morose vibe. This is very much in fitting with the story of the film that "Gold" accompanies; the ill-fated journey of seven German immigrants across the USA during the Klondike Gold Rush, and far from being overtly sorrowful or menacing, Carlson´s melodic projections are of a more subtle vibe, that takes more than a few listens to uncover.

I have spent much of this year extolling the virtues of Horseback, and at times this release comes close to matching the glory of the formers May release, "Piedmont Apocrypha". Yet unlike the North Carolinians’ release, perhaps the lack of much more than a solitary guitar will deter listeners looking for something more full-bodied.

However it is nonetheless a compelling record, from Gold I all the way to Gold XXIV. 

Words by: Jack Taylor

You can pick up a copy here

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Interview with Shooting Guns on WolfCop Soundtrack

Today's guests impressed the hell out of us here at Sludgelord HQ in 2013 when they released their 2^nd album – Brotherhood Of The Ram.

It's an album that was critically acclaimed by fans and critics alike for it's heavy psychedelic style of Doom/Stoner Metal riffs with intelligence to match. It's an album that I still regularly listen to this day.

I had to catch up with Shooting Guns 12 months on after I interviewed Chris from the band as a lot has happened since then. The guys have been working on their very first film soundtrack for Canadian Horror Action Comedy – Wolf Cop – which is getting a some damn fine praise itself.

Though I haven't seen the film yet (I will do, when it's released in the UK) but the guys have kindly let me listened to their incredible soundtrack for WolfCop. And what an album this is. A stunning mix of ambient based Doom/Stoner Metal score with tons of creepy overtones to match the horror aspect of the film.

The album will be released in Sept 2014 with details to be provided by the band at a later date. Or hopefully in this interview.

Shooting Guns have kindly agreed to talk to us once again at Sludgelord HQ and it's an opportunity I didn't want to pass up. So lets get started with all things spooky with Shooting Guns. You can read my previous interview with Chris here.

Q1 – Hi all. Thanks for doing this. How are things with you today.

Things are going great, Steve. Hopefully the same for you!

Q2 – Before we start talking business with WolfCop. Lets re-cap on your 2^nd album – Brotherhood Of The Ram. 12 months on. What a great album that was you guys. It's been acclaimed all over the place. Did the response for the album impress the hell out of you. Did you expect that kind of response.

Thanks! Yeah, saying we were surprised is definitely an understatement. Before BotR, we had handled almost every aspect of album releasing/promotion ourselves so when we partnered with Daniel Hall at RidingEasy Records, I think that played a big role in getting the word out, especially outside Canada. We’re still floored by the response since we never go into making a record thinking that anyone will like it… if we did, we probably wouldn’t even record!

Q3 – What else has changed for you for the last 12 months or so. I see you have performed a lot of gigs recently as well.

We spent the winter and spring working at a pretty breakneck pace with recording and touring. We’ve also had a chance to collaborate with some amazing musicians like Zach Low (guitar) and Toby Bond (synth/viola) during these recording sessions so the sound is definitely evolving. As for gigs, we’ve played some show in Canada throughout the year and are very excited to be opening for Red Fang in October for a few dates in Western Canada.

Q4 – What has been your personal highlight over the last 12 months or so since we featured you last.

I’d say our little Western Canadian tour this past June was definitely a highlight and one of the most fun tours we’ve been on yet. All the bands that we played with were so great to watch (Earthless, The Shrine, We Hunt Buffalo, Solids, Bonspiel, Public Animal) and we all feel pretty lucky to have been able to share a stage with them.

Q5 – Right. Down to business. You have a new album/soundtrack coming out to the Canadian Horror/Action/Comedy that is Wolf Cop. How the hell did you get involved with that. As not many Doom/Stoner Metal bands do a movie soundtrack.

CineCoup, the company responsible for producing WolfCop, approached out of the blue asking whether we’d be interested in scoring a film. We naturally gave them an emphatic yes as it’s something that we’ve always talked about doing and since these opportunities don’t just come along where we’re from, we figured this was our chance to see what we can do. I remember after the initial phone call where J Joly, CineCoup CEO, was asking whether we had a studio ready to go and I said “of course we do”, running to the nearest music store and renting mics, preamps, monitors, etc., and putting a studio together that day. We were definitely flying by the seat of our pants.

Q6 – The soundtrack is amazing by the way. Was it an easy or hard album to write and record for.

It was very challenging, especially at the start, since we’ve never done anything like this before. It was particularly difficult since we were commissioned to lock music to the action for all 86 minutes of material we were presented with. It took us over 4 weeks to get the first 20 minute reel done but by the end when we were in the swing of things, we were able to get the last 20 minute reel done in 3 days. Normally we spend months sculpting extended jams into something for an album and with this we had to come with an idea that was already fleshed out and make it fit within the context of the movie so we had to approach composition in a whole new way.

Q7 – What was the creative process for that album like. How many times did you have to watch the film to write the music for it.

We’ve probably seen the movie over 300 times before it was ever officially screened. We started this project during a -50 blizzard so we locked ourselves in the studio every day, putting in at least 8 hours for the first month, teaching ourselves how to pull this off and writing material at the same time. It was pretty touch and go, especially at the start, but we used the pressure to force us to deliver the reels under a very tight timeline. We presented CineCoup with over 80 minutes of original material, all locked to video, in under 2 months before we were initially approached to do the soundtrack.

Q8 – You have written 35 minutes for the soundtrack. What influenced you when recording the album as it's very ambient based with a major 80s Synth-Rock type feel. Though still including the Shooting Guns sound that we all know and love.

One of the things that attracted us to this project is that CineCoup really wanted the soundtrack to stand by itself as a Shooting Guns record. For Side A, we took everything that we had written from the first ¾’s of the movie and condensed it down to the most energetic tracks, with the last few songs showing casing Toby Bond’s composition and synth skills. Side B is the last 15 minutes of the movie, as-is and uncut, so it has a real ebb and flow kind of vibe. There’s a lot of action at the end of the movie with a lot of quick changes so hopefully it stands on its as an extended piece.

Q9 – How much involvement did the film producers and director have with the making of the soundtrack. Did they leave you upto your own devices. Or did they tell you how they wanted the album to sound like.

They gave us some examples of what they liked in other soundtracks at the very start but in terms of creative direction, we were given free reign to do whatever we wanted. If anything, they just kept saying make it loud with lots of guitar so we were happy to work within those parameters.

Q10 – Were there any differences from recording your earlier albums compared to the Wolf Cop Soundtrack.

Night and day. We set up a new studio that is solely dedicated to the band so we’re pretty happy that we were able to walk away from this in a position where it will be way easier to push out more material. We hooked up our recording computer to a digital projector so we were watching scenes from the movie while we were recording, getting the transitions and fills matched to the action on screen. While we’ve typically mixed our previous albums ourselves, we’ve got to give SJ Kardash (Full Color Studios) credit for mixing this album and making it sound louder than anything we’ve put out before.

Q11 – Now the film is finally completed, how excited were you seeing the final result onto the big screen with the music that you created for the film.

It was equal parts excitement and relief! We put so much time and energy into getting the project completed on time that it was difficult to appreciate what we actually produced from a creative perspective. Once it was on screen, it was refreshing to appreciate the soundtrack for what it was. We ended up selling out the theatre and throwing an afterparty show on opening night so it was definitely a big highlight for the band.

Q12 – How has the reaction been to the soundtrack and film in general.

I’m still surprised by how much attention that it’s been getting. One of the things that attracted us to WolfCop was that it’s written, directed, filmed in our home province of Saskatchewan, where very little film and television takes place. We’ve always wanted to promote the weird and interesting stuff that comes from out here so that was the big thing that won us over. That said, WolfCop certainly isn’t a think piece and doesn’t take itself seriously so we were unsure what people would actually think of the finished product. It’s been very surprising seeing how the film did at Cannes, film festivals, and how it continues to screen at new theatres across the world (seemingly) every week.

Q13 – Are you excited or scared that people around the world will be hearing your music for the very first time onto the big screen or in the comfort of their own homes in the future.

I find it very exciting. We were fortunate to partner with One Way Static Records (out of Belgium) that will be releasing the vinyl soundtrack (on a gatefold jacket, no less) at MondoCon in Austin, TX this Sept 20-21. From there, it will be made available at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles, CA, then through OWS in Europe and Light in the Attic in North America. Each of these channels exposes us to an audience that would likely have never heard of us otherwise so it will be interesting to see what comes of it.

Q14 – Do you want to make more movie soundtracks or was this a one-time deal only.

I think we would but now that we know how much work it is, we’ll definitely need more than 2 months to do the next one!

Q15 – I hear the album will be released on Vinyl and CD. Can you please provide more details when this will be.

Vinyl will be out though One Way Static on Sept 20. OWS is also producing a limited edition on cassette (with a VHS clamshell cover) exclusively for Record Store Day. Dub Ditch Picnic (a great Winnipeg-based label that we’ve partnered with on several previous releases) will be handling the CD release and RidingEasy Records is distributing the digital release. The iTunes link is geni.us/tlM and you can also but digital versions directly from the band at wolfcopsoundtrack.com.

Q16 – Which format is your preferred choice for people to listen your music on. CD, DD, Vinyl and Tape. And the reasons why.

We’re all vinyl fiends and after hearing the test pressings, I think this album sounds better (or at least louder) on vinyl but we’re grateful to anyone that wants to check out what we do, regardless of the format.

Q17 – So I have to ask this question – When will the next “proper” Shooting Guns album be released. Or is it too early to tell at the moment.

We’ve got a couple of split releases in the works for later this year/early 2015 and with our new studio set up, we’re in a position to start putting out a lot more material at a much faster rate than we’ve had in the past.

Q18 – Do you have any other exciting plans over the next 12 months or so. Tours to promote the new album.

We don’t have any tour plans in the works as we want to spend this winter producing as much material as we can. The colder the winter, the more we record, so it’ll be interesting to see how many albums worth of material we’ll have to promote next year.

Q19 – The last thing before you go, Do you have anything else to say to your fans.

Just a huge thank you for your incredible support! We’re still blown away by the reactions that we had to BotR and are grateful for everyone who has spread the word. We haven’t toured outside of Canada yet but it’s not for a lack of wanting to. We hope that someday we can tour the US, EU, and beyond but in the meantime, we’re going to keep cranking out loud jams as much as we can.

Shooting Guns, thanks for doing this. The new album/soundtrack is awesome. Can't wait to see the film and see the final result of your music against B-Movie – Action/Comedy/Horror movie heaven.

Thanks to Shooting Guns for talking to us at Sludgelord HQ WolfCop Soundtrack will be available to buy from 18^th September 2014 on DD from BandCamp and other digital platforms. Vinyl details will be released shortly by the band.

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Written by Steve Howe

Check out the trailer for WolfCop.