en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal The Last.fm journal for leptonlunatic. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2010/07/07/3rc4dc_some_albums_i_like_recently Wed, 7 Jul 2010 12:21:10 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2010/07/07/3rc4dc_some_albums_i_like_recently The Stooges - Raw Power

The mania this album induces in me is unlike any other. Beginning with a sudden blast of napalm death with Search and Destroy, the mood is set - relentless and chaotic but always to that "beat of the living dead". Never on this album is there boredom or retreat into solitude. It exudes violent masculine sexuality, but in a way that isn't obnoxious in the slightest bit. Just listen to the way Iggy yells "your pretty face is going to hell" while hellfire guitar leads explode in your face. Need emotion and sensitivity? Just listen to existential angst of 'Gimme Danger' or the desperation of "I Need Somebody". Raw Power is all about the embrace of mankind's animalistic core. It's about "love in the middle of a firefight", it's about forgetting everything that you ever suspected was bullshit in your life and actually living for once. Listen and never forget. The fuzz will ring in your ears for the rest of your life.

Flying Lotus - L.A.

This is the music of decadent dance parties on Jupiter, where all species of the universe gather and the DJs represent the collective musical heritage of the whole cosmos. The bleeps and bloops are the communication of robots gone mad and those straight to the floor beats are the way they move when the music won't stop. And the bass, ahhh yes that bass, that floating bass that caresses you like the Vesunian mistress you picked up in the asteroid belt on the way to the gathering. Flying Lotus is a cosmic conductor, who weaves symphonies with instruments he invents himself. Every sound he touches becomes a sound that is gracing humanity for it's first time, creating a world within itself. Someday humans will evolve to the point where music will be something we can create using mere thought. But even if this happened, Flying Lotus's music will still sound futuristic and beyond mere earthling noise. Just follow the beats and the layers of glissening sound that travels with them and witness their subtle complexity and fluidity. So many things are happening at any given moment on this album that to comprehend it would be a superhuman feat. So why not just sit back in awe and observe the majesty of it all?


Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Safe As Milk

At first glance we have a typical 60's blues record with a little quirkiness thrown in. The singer is kinda like Howlin' Wolf and there's some mean slide guitar, but what's the big deal? Well lemme tell you this - Safe as Milk is a work of postmodern satire that is so effective you don't realize it for a while. This is an album that merits repeated listening, and not just because doing so reveals a slew of new production details you failed to notice before, but because the more you listen the closer you come to understand every song is a parody of a certain genre. However to call them parodies is an act of injustice, insensitive to the songwriting genius at work. Every song on here stands out and is devoid of any kind of excess or signs of being dated. Unlike a lot of 60's freak-out albums, exotic subtleties in the production add to the songs rather than distract. On 'Electricity' the theremin squeels still sound futuristic and eerie, even if it's in a weird 1950's sci-fi kinda way. Lyrically there's a strange mix of dadaist randomness and bluesy swagger, most evident in the shuffling Born So Ugly (best blues song of 1967?), which alongside Plastic Factory has the bite and tuff gnarl of the era's best garage rock. For an album that doesn't take itself very seriously, Captain Beefheart's debut LP is one of the most well thought out albums to come out of the tripped out 60's.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/10/02/327a_more_top_10_albums_as_of_now Tue, 2 Oct 2007 01:14:27 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/10/02/327a_more_top_10_albums_as_of_now The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow

One of the best 60's albums, better than anything the Stones or The Who did in that decade, and they did some pretty great stuff. It's sad that this record is often put as a footnote in rock history as being the first real Rock Opera too, since it's far more interesting musically than Tommy. Blissed out sitars and mellotrons, beautiful vocal harmonies, fuzzed out guitars, and some of the best production that classic psychedelia has to offer, S.F. Sorrow is where it's at.


Patti Smith- Horses

"Jesus died for somebodies sins, but not mine." The greatest opening lyrics in any rock album, and the critics are right on that one. This is where the energy and frenzy of the beat writers met the energy and frenzy of rock'n'roll best. The rush of energy that goes over my body in Gloria and Land are powerful, and the rush is just as much from Smith's fiery yet surreal poetry as it is from Lenny Kaye's guitar heroics.

Van der Graaf Generator - H to He, Who Am the Only One

This is classic progressive rock at it's finest. Dissonance, atmosphere, and poetry are what make this a masterpiece. It's amazing that such a fierce and electrifying piece of music as this has barely any electric guitars to be found. Peter Hammill proves himself one of rock's more dynamic vocalist as well as a profound lyricist. This album will scare most but delight open minded music fans.

Television - Marquee Moon

Television are not a punk band. They defy categorization. Jazzy and precise but never wanky and self-indulgent, always packing a punch but always staying tight and losing track, Tom Verlaine and Richard Loyd are the Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix of the CBGB's scene. The songwriting is ace too.

The Flaming Lips - Transmissions from the Satellite Heart

This is where the Flaming Lips are now a band you listen to with friends and not scare someone but still soaked in psychedelic glory. Every song has something quirky and freaked-out about it yet something catchy about it. And those lyrics, so bizarre and dada yet they still somehow speak to yr. mind in some perverse way. So slap some toast with some Vaseline and serve it a long side some psychedelic mushrooms and get ready to fly high.

Gong - Cambert Electrique

Speaking of flying high, Gong enjoy such activities and their music reflects this. Absolutely soaked an acid, and album with lyrics like "i gotta smoke grass to help me see" and "you can kill my family, but you cant kill me" accompanied with a female singer who makes noises associated with sexual arousal, Gong are one crazy band. And the electronic trip outs and jazzy flights into the inner mind only add to the craziness.

Boris - Pink

Boris are pure rock energy channeled through layers of sludge and guitar noise that would do both the Jesus and Mary Chain and Blue Cheer proud. There's something about the groove and urgency of Pink that excites me in a way few records can. And the wall of feedback and distortion that closes the album and seemingly never ends stays in my head long after it's over.

Ash Ra Tempel - First Album

Amboss blows yer brainz out then Traummaschine moves in reconstruct them. The drum sound here is absolutely epic, pounding away into cosmic oblivion. And those who think Hendrix was the only guitarist who used the blues to do something truly mind expanding are proven wrong by this record. It makes the Grateful Dead look like boring bluegrass burn outs.

Sebadoh - III

This, my friends, is as indie as it gets. Consisting of noisy experimental pigfuckers, introspective acoustic songs recorded on 4 tracks with homemade percussion, and classic indie rawk. Introspective but always maintaining a vibrant sense of humor, Sebadoh are a worth successor to rock gods Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow and Eric Gaffeny proving themselves one of indie rock's greatest songwriting teams. They smoke too much pot too, resulting in some freakin' weird stuff like 'Smoke a Bowl' and 'As the World the Dies, the Eyes of God Grow Bigger'.

The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat

I love the Velvet Underground's debut, but I gotta go with this one as my personal favorite. It's just so over the top abrasive and noisy. Sister Ray is one of the greatest songs ever, 17 minutes of decadence and noise that tops everything the band has ever done. Sure, everything here is sloppy and not even an actual song, but that's the point. "Progress is not possible without deviation from the norm." - Frank Zappa. This ideal applies here pefectly.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/09/23/3279_kick_out_the_jams Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:36:10 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/09/23/3279_kick_out_the_jams The MC5 want revolution. They want to tear down the establishment and liberate America with a floods of fiery electric guitar angst. Their energy and radicalism was so explosive that no studio could contain it. The only option was to record live where nothing could hold them down and their explosive energy could roam free like a riot in the streets of Detroit.

Kick Out the Jams makes no attempt to make the men in Washington feel from the beginning, opening with a speech to a crowd of energetic youth. 'Ramblin' Rose' then comes in like a blitzkrieg. It's a burst of burst of energy that never stops fueled with a rhythm section that never slows down the pace.

By the time Wayne Kramer screams "Kick Out the Jam's motherfuckers!" it's obvious that rock'n'roll has reached a new level of energy and intensity. But it's obvious that the band is just as driven by sex as social rebellion. Kramer screaming "wham bam thank' thank you mam'" in 'Rocket Reducer No. 62' is one of the greatest moments of sexual abandon in rock history. The lyrics to 'Kick Out the Jams' are really about crazy backstage and have little to do with revolution as commonly believed and 'I Want You Right Now' is seething with lust.

There's so much energy in this record that not even the band themselves seem to be able to control it. The playing often becomes gloriously sloppy, with feedback and over-distorted guitars soaking the audience. There is only one way to properly listen to this album, and that is blasted on full volume until your house starts to tremor. It's no surprise that the feds were scared by these guys. You can almost feel a sense of audience-band connection when listening to Kick Out the Jams, the spirit of punk rock fully alive in the 60's.

While the lyrics of 'Kick Out the Jams' rarely contain the political message that the band famously carried, their music is full of the spirit of revolution, soaked in the freedom of liberation and the energy of revolt. And the MC5 are more than just preachers of flower power. When the hippies were sitting in the park with flowers in their hair the MC5 screamed words of full on social rebellion.

'Kick Out the Jams' is a full on adrenaline rush of primal rock energy. While the Stooges and Blue Cheer may have achieved the same level of intensity and heaviness, the MC5 combined it with their rebellious political creed and managed to capture a performance that shows this in a way that no studio could contain.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/06/19/3278_top_10_albums_as_of_now Tue, 19 Jun 2007 02:32:59 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/06/19/3278_top_10_albums_as_of_now I'm missing so many of my favorites. Can. VDGG. Led Zeppelin. Dinosaur Jr. The Flaming Lips, Ween. It's criminal. But as of now these are my favorites.




1. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd

Anyone who wants to know what psychedelia is all about needs to look no further than this album. The opening psychedelic blitz of Astronomy Domine to the absolute mindblower of Interstellar Overdrive to the madness inducing pop genius sound collage of Bike will bring to the heavens and back with your mind in shambles.


2. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull

A forty minute rock epic can not only work fine but come out as one of the greatest pieces of rock music ever. The arrangement and lyrics are pure genius and it flows like any pop song. Prog is great when it works. It's the best ever when it works (and the worst ever when it doesnt). This is proof.


3. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine

I only actually know a couple songs of this album by name. The whole album is like one blissed out experience. Layers of beautiful tremolo driven guitar noise soothe your soul and bring you to heaven as you float on waves of electronically altered sounds. Melodies stay in your head and are wired into your mind. This album is pure narcotic delight.


4. Strung Out in Heaven - The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Anton isn't sane because no man with a normal mind could make an album this beautiful, not because he says he's the son of god interviews and beats people up on stage. Jangle away all you want and you'll never meet the sheer beauty and emotional range of this album.


5. Mellow Gold - Beck

The slacker bible. Loser. Beercan. Fuckin' With My Head. Nightmare Hippy Girl. Pay no Mind. Every song is a gem, a whole new world of absurdity and slacker culture vibes all around. Probably the funnest album to listen to, ever.


6. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - Pavement

Listen to this masterpiece that didn't even take itself seriously but started a musical revolution and spoke to youth who really didn't give a fuck about popular culture and wanted something pure and exciting. Laid back, smelling of hashish, and never failing to excite, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is pure love.

7. Volume 1 and 2 - Soft Machine

Coolest guys ever make the coolest music ever. Acid, genius keyboards, brilliant drumming, poetry and love all combine to blow the minds of all who dare experience the lysergic brilliance of the Soft Machine.


8. Cyborgs Revisited - Simply Saucer

The Stooges, Can, Pink Floyd, and The Velvet Undergrond all mix in the greatest proto-punk album that influenced no one. This album burnnnns and groooves and trips out all at the same time.

9. Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth

Revolution = destroying pop culture

It's just as good as everyone says it. It gets exponentially better with each listen. All that noise, feedback, dissonance, beat poetry, punk rawk, krautrawk, revolution, and sheer genius mixes and makes an album that so good even the government admitted it by putting it in the Library of Congress. Sweet.

10. The Perfect Prescription - Spacemen 3

Sweet lord...I have a passion. To get high. To make an album about getting high. To play two chords over and over again and make a hypnotic symphony that will blow Mickey Crown's mind and get him high without drugs and put him in space. Consume. Drone. Fly.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/03/30/3277_dig! Fri, 30 Mar 2007 04:12:29 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/leptonlunatic/journal/2007/03/30/3277_dig! Awesome movie....i've been listening to The Brian Jonestown Massacre for a while and I finally get to see this movie. It's so rock'n'roll, and it really made The Dandy Warhols look like a bunch of prissy fags. Anton...you may burn in hell, but at least you'll burn with all that great music to remember you by. And Courtney will die with nothing but the chorus of "Heroin is so passe" and a cell phone commercial embedded in our memories.]]>