Were Any of You At This Show Too?

Last Night I saw a band called Ballast, the experienced Valley of the Sun, and the one and only Church of the Cosmic Skull in Cambridge MA, in a little place called Sonia, in back of the Middle East.

The Church's positivity permeated the whole event.  Even before anybody took the stage, there was just a good vibe in the air.  The club staff were in good moods, and so were the fans.  

Church of the Cosmic Skull members mingled with the crowd to watch the opening acts, and there was not a single douche in attendance.  Valley of the Sun members went on about how Church of the Cosmic Skull was their new favorite band as well as their favorite new friends.  Brother Michael joined them onstage at one point and engaged in an epic bout of trade-off solos with guitarist Josh Pilot. 

And then came the Church.  Consummate professionals, channeling the spirit of 1,000 rockers who have gone before.

No violin or cello, but a second guitar in their place, and the result was an extra heavy sound.

Here are a couple of tunes they played that I can't get out of my head.  Some may have a hard time understanding this, but the live version of these tunes is far heavier than many would expect.
 

And this is Valley of the Sun.  I had previously described them as a mix of "Queens of the Stone Age, Brant Bjork, Stone Temple Pilots, Sonora Ritual and Colossa, among others" . 

Picture from the show:

Proof of the positivity:

(I found this pic online. Definitely from the same tour, but not sure from what city.  

Church of the Cosmic Skull and Valley of the Sun enjoying each others' company)

So, were there any of you at this memorable show too?

 

..to speakers near me

Greg Anderson 

(of Engine Kid, sunn O))),  and one of my favorite bands: Goatsnake)

 is releasing a solo album on April 23.  This tune features vocals by Attila Csihar from the infamous Norwegian black metal band Mayhem.  

Like everything Greg writes, this was intended to be listened to at great volume:

Greg's album is described like this on Bandcamp:

"Forest Nocturne is described by Anderson as “the music of the night”, but inspired by imagery conjured on daytime hikes, and majestic and beautiful trees, which he sees as survivors - "and perhaps the last known connection that we have to an ancient world, and acting as a connector between past, present and future of the human race and of our time on this planet." 

and now, get ready for an extreme lane change....

 

Church of the Cosmic Skull

will release their new album on May 13.  Cellist Sister Amy seems to have been replaced with Brother Joseph and his viola (which you can hear on this track:)

In my opinion, Church of the Cosmic Skull has broken as much new ground in rock as any band ever has, and deserve a large audience.  

last, but not least....

The Black Keys

is a band I'm claiming for stoner rock.  

They're never included under that heading, but pick any tune they've ever released, and tell me why they shouldn't be.  

And for the "newbies", over a decade ago........

I will be paying lots of attention to the new Steak album this weekend, and you will get either my take on it or something entirely different next weekend.

I appreciate you!

-ULTRA

A Generational Talent

BILL FISHER: 

Mass Hypnosis And The Dark Triad

A Generational Talent

Anyone who reads my posts knows I love Church Of The Cosmic Skull, and think they are doing some things no one has done before.  Guitar player Bill Fisher isn't often the main focus of their songs, but his new solo album has made me realize how powerful his influence on the band has been.  Bill called this release his "exploration into heavier realms but still very much melody driven; prog with elements of proto-metal and stoner rock".

This album seems to be about states of mind, and in the members area of Bill Fisher's website, I found the definition of the "Dark Triad":

"The ‘Dark Triad’ describes a set of three personality traits which are considered by psychologists as malevolent, hostile and antisocial. These traits are:

Narcissism (characterised by grandiosity, entitlement, and superiority, often fluctuating with jealousy, playing the victim);

Machiavellianism (characterised by strategic thinking, deceit, opportunism, exploitation of others for personal gain, lack of moral judgement);

Psychopathy (characterised by displays of superficial charm, callousness, impulsivity, remorselessness and aggression)."

One of my favorites (can't pick just one) on this album is Psychopathy:

And how's this for an opening track?

I'm going to stand by the statement that Bill is a generational talent, both as a songwriter and guitar player.  

I posted two songs but there are six others, and you need to hear and own them all; none should be skipped.

My guess:

Narcissism: Left

Machiavellianism: Top Right

Psychopathy: Bottom right

-ULTRA

  

A CONFLUENCE OF RINGERS

It happens every year; a ton of great music comes out at the very end of the year that upsets my top 10 lists, without fail.  What's happened in the last 16 days however, is unprecedented.  Check out the rock and roll genius of these albums by four stoner rock major-leaguers:

SPACESLUG: REIGN OF THE ORION

Spaceslug has produced five albums in four years now.  This volume of production might signal a product that is either of lesser quality, or is simply more of the same each time.  Neither of these is true with Spaceslug.  Not only is each album truly great, but they keep evolving, with each new release offering something the previous album did not.  

Here is one of five great tunes.  This is "Spacerunner":

Spaceslug is (l-r):

Jan Rutka - Bass/Vocals

Kamil Ziółkowski - Drums/Vocals

Bartosz Janik - Guitars/Vocals

RAINBOWS ARE FREE: HEAD PAINS

I've been waiting for this one for what feels like forever.  Brandon Kistler's voice would gain attention even with sub-par musicians, but the rest of the band is elite as well, making Rainbows Are Free a truly special band.  "Shapeshifter" might be my favorite track, but I already posted it so here's another great one called "Covered In Dawn":

Rainbows Are Free are from Oklahoma.  They are:

Brandon Kistler - Vocals
Richie Tarver - Lead Guitar/Synth/Backup Vocals
Joey Powell - Guitars
Jason Smith - Bass/Piano
Bobby Onspaugh - Drums/Auxiliary Percussion

CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL:

EVERYBODY'S GOING TO DIE

Much like Spaceslug, Chuch Of The Cosmic Skull just keeps evolving, and have produced groundbreaking albums two years in a row.  This band is stacked with talent, and have truly done things that no one has done before.  Five great musicians and six great singers with inspired songwriting have produced an album that's important musically on a scale with the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

Church Of The Cosmic Skull are:

Bill Fisher - Guitar & Vocals;

Michael Wetherburn - Hammond Organ & Vocals
Amy Nicholson - Electric Cello & Vocals
Loz Stone - Drums
Sam Lloyd - Bass & Vocals
Jo Joyce - Vocals;

Caroline Cawley - Vocals

SCISSORFIGHT: DOOMUS ABRUPTUS Vol.1

Didn't think I'd ever get to hear a new album from Scissorfight, so what a great surprise this was.  There are a new singer and drum player, but you won't feel like there's been a change at all because "Doomus Apruptus Vol.1" picks up right where "Victory Over Horseshit" left off.  This is blue-collar, heavy, bad-ass rock and roll, and would make the perfect soundtrack to any barfight.  Doomus Abruptus is everything you'd expect from a new Scissorfight album.  Here is one of my favorites, "Where Eagles Drink":

Scissorfight are from New Hampshire, and are:

Jay Fortin – guitar

Paul Jarvis – bass

Doug Aubin – vocals

Rick Orcut – drums

You can buy this album directly from Salt Of The Earth Records here,

or download from amazon

Now throw in Solace's new album, and I'm making the claim that the period from November 29th  through December 13th has produced more epic rock than any other 15 day period, period.

It's like Christmas came early.  Hope you enjoyed checking these tunes out

-ULTRA

CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL:

Science Fiction

Brainwashing, or Pure Genius??

Yes, and yes.  This music will suck you in, and has a mesmerizing quality to it because of its simultaneous simplicity, deliberateness and originality.  If you viewed my previous music video playlist you can skip the video here and check out the other songs.  Otherwise, this video and song simply must be viewed and heard.  Starting around 2:00 in, the guitar and keyboard become slowly and subtly more and more prominent until the point where you realize that the Church has distracted you with its weird image, and has snuck up on you and started rocking your world.

Here is "Cold Sweat":

Now try to clear your mind of the Bizarro World ABBA image, and just listen to these tunes.  Church Of The Cosmic Skull has really brought something new to heavy music.  Hear for yourself with the lead and title track,  "Science Fiction:"

And now "Revolution Comes With An Act Of Love":

Church of the Cosmic Skull are from Nottingham, England and are:

Brother Bill Fisher - Guitar & Vocals 
Brother Michael Wetherburn - Organ & Vocals Brother Laurence Stone  - Drums 
Brother Sam Lloyd - Bass & Vocals 
Sister Joanne Joyce - Vocals 
Sister Amy Nicholson - Electric Cello & Vocals 
Sister Caroline Cawley - Vocals

Not sure if this means I'm part of a cult, but I really like this album.  

That's all for now

-ULTRA