September Drudion

September 2011ce

Proud new dad Acoustika (right) celebrates the birth of twins with the Archdrude and fellow Black Sheep Michael O’Sullivan.

Hey Drudion,

TUE'SDAY NIGHT WODNESDAY MORNING 2

Although it’s tragic to observe Yatesbury’s summer sun already slipping further and further south, this autumn promises to be a full-on time hereabouts, as October’s mini-tour appears on the near horizon and my new album of songs progresses to completion. I’ve already performed ‘As the Beer Flows Over Me’, ‘Julian in the Underworld’ and ‘Raving on the Moor’ at recent live shows, but I’m currently working up a few more for this October’s performances. In the meantime, look out for our second 4-hour-long Biker FM show next Tuesday night, during which we’ll be unleashing further salvos of current underground madness, more lost genii of the recent past, more political ON THIS DEITY ramalama from Dorian, plus new sessions from Holy McGrail, Breton absurdists Lucifer NYC and that obstinate Japanese duo Nurse With Mound (altogether now: ‘Ken Kesey! Ken Kesey!’). C’mon now, doesn’t that sound like umpteen reasons to burn your way through our graveyard shift?

REPEATING PATTERNS OF LOVE by Megaton Leviathan

Okay, over in the Reviews Section meanwhile, I gots to announce the presence of a highly listenable cassette album entitled REPEATING PATTERNS OF LOVE by North American trio Megaton Leviathan, that’s scoring molto repeated listens throughout our Yatesbury home. Bearing down upon the listener with all the post-punk attitude of a metalled-up Magazine or Joy Div, Megaton Leviathan’s power relies entirely on the impenetrable mesh that its musicians create; vocals being subsumed into the general stew of sound, and the rhythm section shuddering and jolting like a narrow gauge railway engine whenever left exposed. In truth, REPEATING PATTERNS OF LOVE breaks no musical barriers, but brings together such a sparkling menu of sounds and moves that the whole record hangs together marvellously. So contact the band at [email protected], or check them out at Feretro Records (www.feretrorecords.com)… and hassle those suckers for a CD release pronto!

THE PASS & CROSSINGS by Pillars & Tongues

Next, check out the bizarre slew of haltering’n’faltering wilderness drone ballads contained within the grooves of THE PASS & CROSSINGS by Chicago trio Pillars & Tongues. Slowburning spectral violins, reedy harmoniums and endlessly decaying distant percussion collude to create a John Calean atmosphere as austere and featureless as that found within the more spectral moments of Nico’s icy THE MARBLE INDEX. Phew. Better still, these opaque sheets of slow-moving sound facilitate the pure voice of singer Mark Trecka, which soars high above, yawning out such song titles as ‘A Dance in the Billowing Absence’ and ‘The Making Graceful’, like some newly dead ghost hovering above his own funeral. Released on Empty Cellar Records, this highly emotive and austere 12” vinyl Trudgefest comes with a free download and A2-sized poster, and should be accessed via www.endlessnest.com.

REVELATIONS FROM THE NEW SILENCE by Lea Cummings

Those searching further timeless oblivion should also search out the second volume of Lea Cummings’ highly necessary meditation aid REVELATIONS FROM THE NEW SILENCE, which brims over with unsignposted grooves, post industrial wipeouts and astral smears of an almost Klaus Schultzian variety. He’s a canny one is this Cummings druid: trading in the past as Kylie Minoise, he’s barfed forth some truly munting Ur-rackets that more than achieve their intended job. However, this latest sonic montage follows hard on the heels of Mr Cummings’ essential first volume (reviewed in my January 2011CE Drudion) and once again allows listeners to dissolve into the bliss of their everyday surroundings. Released on Glasgow’s excellent Kovorox Sound (www.kovoroxsound.com), you can also contact the artiste via www.myspace.com/kylieminoise.

FUCKED ON A PILE OF CORPSES by Skullflower

Next, we take three rungs up AND down the cultural ladder simultaneously with a sonic gander at the latest catastrophic racket from Skullflower. Best song title? Deffo ‘Defiling Their Temples With Bestial Lust’. Oo-er missus, and what a fucking joyride through the arseholes of the universe this beast be! Careering cut-ups and prolapsing walls of digitally distorted Mung Worship lend the immaculately named FUCKED ON A PILE OF CORPSES that same kind of a-rhythmical Black Metal air that pervades the music of Finland’s Hääre; it’s as though the last recorded moments of the burning Hindenburg had been slowed down ten times at least. Released on Northamptonshire’s very excellent Cold Spring Records (www.coldspring.co.uk), this splendid JACKASS-styled plunge into the mucus of Mother Earth’s mainframe is an ideal soundtrack for all self-styled shamen, hell, even for thrillmen and pillmen I’ll wager! This is lovely job, gentlemen, and highly useful as well.

7" EP by San Francisco Water Cooler

Phew, after a coupla spins of Skullflower’s protection racket, wonderfuel it is to seek sanctuary in the euphoric punk spikædelia contained within the brand new 5-song 7” EP from San Francisco Water Cooler. Talk about crammed with goodies, brothers’n’sisters, this astringent fucker delivers intense harmonies, euphoric riffage and a kind of BULL OF THE WOODS-cuntedness played with SPIRAL SCRATCH fury, displaying enough 21st-century urgency’n’emergency to kick our collectives genitalia into the dust. Urghhhh! So bomb over to myspace.com/sanfranciscowatercooler, and tell these Feelies lookalikes that their albums are wonderful, but that they unfortunately just SO nailed their entire metaphor in seven inches of plastic that cheapskates worldwide will treat this baby as a Best Of... Goddammit, ain’t I the rightest … oo yeah!

THE FAREWELL DRUGS by Rubble

Those determined to shell out some Hard-earned this month, however, should check out the minging Mung Worship of THE FAREWELL DRUGS by Texan lone-star all-star wasters Rubble. Fuck me, this is a right argy-bargy, a trudgeful trawlfest that should appeal to all those melted plastic minds that get their kicks to 16RPM Chrome, all-period Monoshock or any one of their Grunyoid offspring. But then what d’ye expect when the sum total age of these Methuselas is close to 500! Stereo Shoestrings indeed! Ably propelled by a venerable gasoline crew of axe-wielding orcmen, analogue synths, sub-Bobby Gillespie drumming, boy, these druids should get together with Von LMO and manufacture Reinforced Steel Girders from the vats of psychic plaque created during the fission of this material. Don’t dare contact these Rubble guys (therubble.com), but do search out this debut LP from Latino Buggerveil Records (midheaven.com) and schnell!

Finally, I’m delighted to announce the brief return to our Merchandiser of two of my personal favourite Cope albums of these recent years, Brain Donor’s WASTED FUZZ EXCESSIVE and my own BLACK SHEEP song album from back in 2008CE. It seems there were a coupla boxes of each of the aforementioned hidden away in the Head Heritage stock vaults, so those of you who missed out the first time, well, get your mitts rolled up and score some intensely true sounds, motherfuckers … and not for big eBay bucks, neither! Even better is our re-discovery of a whole box of my PREACHING REVOLUTION 7” red vinyl EP from several years back; 14-minutes of canny political proclamations in bitesize catchy-bastard song-form of the acoustic protest variety. Oo ja, mein hairies.

And so, with that essential info imparted your way, I shall once more take my leave of y’all. But not before reminding yooz once more to try to remain awake this Tuesday night for a second overdose of TUE’SDAY NIGHT/WODNESDAY MORNING. Brothers’n’sisters, you know… sorry, U-Know it makes sense!

Mucho Love & Macho Hugs,

JULIAN (Lord Yatesbury)