Forgotten Songs of the '80s: Psychedelic Furs

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Psychedelic Furs Everybody knows Psychedelic Furs because of “Pretty in Pink” but before that song became huge due to the movie, they were an atmospheric post-punk band that sprung out of London and released their self-titled debut in 1980. One of the moodiest songs on the record has also become one of the most revered: “Sister Europe.” Beginning with a drum intro courtesy of Vince Ely, the rest of the band slowly come in, building an atmosphere of weird introspection until frontman Richard Butler starts singing and then it immediately becomes a classic. The power and depth of his voice makes it one of the most recognizable voices of the eighties. The lyrics, talking about his sister coming home continue to remain some of the most haunting lyrics of their career, just because of the way he delivers them. The band ended up becoming one of the most influential alternative bands of the eighties and rightfully so and it all starts here. While some other singles like the shitty “Heartbreak Beat” and “Pretty in Pink” became giant smashes, “Sister Europe” got left behind. Even a haunting cover by the Foo Fighters in 2002 failed to ignite much interest. But time goes on and people start to forget about those songs and start listening to others and that is the time that “Sister Europe” will get the recognition it rightfully deserves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLCNIZTzg9w

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Clutch

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Clutch

Clutch are one of those bands that have been around for an eternity and it’s only been recently that they’ve started to get any real attention at all. This new and long overdue recognition began to gather steam in 2004 with the release of Robot Hive/Exodus and the fantastic single “Burning Beard.”

Kicking off with probably the quickest intro to a song since their 1995 self-titled album; frontman Neil Fallon immediately gets things off to a rockin’ start with vocals that could have only come from the southern bayous; ironically, the band is from Maryland but you would never tell from what you hear. The combination of Jean-Paul Gaster’s dynamic but restrained drumming, Tim Sult’s powerful guitar and the organ playing make for one hell of a racket behind Neil all the way through but Clutch fans were already used to this type of power but were just waiting for more of a mass audience to tune in.

By the time the song is reaching its climax, the band gets heavier and Neil gets louder and the final minute or so of this song is what really makes this one of the best songs Clutch had made in almost a decade. Fortunately for the band, the revived “Headbanger’s Ball” picked the video up and started playing the hell out of it. What resulted was renewed interest in the band but not bigger sales. In the next few years, that would all change and they would regularly debut in the top 40 on the Billboard chart but this is where it began and it’s time for people to look back and realize why Clutch are so important.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eepsCXpLY4

Forgotten Album of the Month: Travis Tooke

Forgotten Album of the Month: Travis Tooke

This is going to be the final post for the Forgotten Album of the Month so I decided to make the final entry the newest one; in late 2007, former For Squirrels/Subrosa guitarist Travis Tooke released his first solo album after a ten year hiatus from the music business. When Artichoke was first released, one could only obtain it via his record company’s website using PayPal. As a result of it’s tiny release, it didn’t even start getting much attention until the summer of 2008 when major publications like Billboard started checking him out. What they discovered was an experimental record but one that was obviously a labor of love.

The first thing one notices when they listen is that his voice has not changed at all but the music has gotten a bit moodier. His ironic wordplay that was all over the Subrosa record is still in full effect on tracks like “Lonely and Not Alone.” For the most post, tracks sound like alternative rock that would’ve been heard on the radio in the mid nineties but towards the end of the record, that’s when he starts to branch out and that’s when it gets interesting. Probably one of the finest tracks on the record, “Two Arm Army” is a diatribe against just about everything and sounds like the ranting of someone who has been in seclusion for the better part of a decade. The vocals are the strongest on the record and ironically, this ended up becoming the single the label tried to push to radio; it didn’t get very far but it did get a ton of spins on MySpace.

Songs like “Anyway” and “Would You Burn?” make this record one of the best records of 2007 but the very last song is hands down, one of the best songs of that year; “Wrongsong” is a moody, organ driven piece that’s one of the most haunting and creepy songs on the record. The lyric ‘fuck me, fuck you like you want me to’ is one of the creepiest lyrics of the year but that’s what makes the song so powerful. Now note there is only one video but that's because there was not much to choose from online, which is a damn shame.

Since 2008, Travis Tooke has gone back into hiding but knowing that Artichoke was a minor success in the underground. Let’s just hope that he won’t disappear for another ten years as people who know about the album spread the word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt2hydIwlas (All Ears Live)

Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Corrosion of Conformity

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Corrosion of Conformity

Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C.) are a band that have gone through many phases: a thrash band, a hardcore band, a stoner metal band and a regular heavy metal band. It was the latter phase that yielded the band their biggest success in the nineties. With the release of their fifth album, 1996’s Wiseblood, the band got the heaviest they’d been since the eighties. One of the standout tracks on the album was also one of the strangest singles they ever released: “Drowning in A Daydream.”

Kicking off with one of the most monstrous riffs ever yet heard, Pepper Keenan and company immediately get things in a groove that refuses to subside. When drummer Reed Mullin isn’t beating the hell out of everything in sight, Pepper Keenan is singing in a baritone that quickly establishes himself as one of the best frontmen in all of metal. The sense of fear and dread that comes across in the lyrics is one that stays with you long after the song is over. The video certainly doesn’t help matters with weird images of a guy in a tree and the band playing in almost darkness.

But at the time, people responded to the song’s heaviness and the song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 1997, but they lost. Over the years, the band’s output has diminished severely but they still maintain a rapid fanbase that will be there for whatever they decide to do. So if you want to listen to some real good heavy metal, give C.O.C. a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqfPv93Zonw