What the CL Music Team is jamming this fine Monday to rocket launch the work week. To check out previous entries, click here.
Scott – Junius, Reports from the Threshold of Death (2011 — out tomorrow via Prosthetic)
Remember when the Deftones came out, and you were all like, "wow, they're heavy as shit but they cover The Smiths," and then that goth sensibility never totally filtered into most of their original stuff, so you were like, "meh"? Remember that? Boston's Junius get the balance of old wave, darkwave and crazy-heavy atmospherics right on their first album for Prosthetic Records — Reports is at once both brutal and ambient. There's melody here, too, and not just in the anguished vocals; creeping and memorable lines rise to the surface only to be sucked back, under the blast. A Halloween release offers perfect timing for this ominous and ambitious release, but it's sure to provide a year-round supply of compelling moodiness.
Ray – Melt Banana, Charlie (1999)
Sometimes there's just too much noise on a record. That may be someone's first thought when he or she initially presses play on any one of Melt Banana's LPs, but hearts, minds and eardrums get converted after spending a little more time with the sonic offerings of the Japanese punk outfit, which has opened up for Tool, The Melvins, and Jim O' Rourke over the course of their nearly 20-year existence. They’ve even covered the likes of The Stooges, The Beach Boys, Kraftwerk, and Bing Crosby.
It's 2005's Charlie, however, that has me reeling today. With 14 tracks clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the album is a pleasurably manic blend of electro, thrash, punk, and cacophony that is off-kilter, unnerving, and irresistible at the same time. If you thought that Peelander Z's WMNF Heatwave set was insane, then get ready to have your face melted when these J-punks hit Crowbar on November 9.
This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2011.