Clang & Clatter

Borrowing its name from a Public Enemy track and staking its claim as the “first black supergroup,” Anti Nigger Machine (or more palatably, ANM) sports an all-star lineup of musicians that most folks have probably never heard of:

• dUg Pinnick (King’s X): vocals
• Jimi Hazel (24-7 Spyz): guitar, vocals
• Rick Skatore (24-7 Spyz): bass, vocals
• Spacey T (Sound Barrier, Fishbone): guitar, vocals
• Greg Fulton (Cyclone Temple, Rebels Without Applause): guitar, vocals
• Phil D. Fish (Fishbone, Wicked Wisdom): drums, percussion

The details are a bit sketchy, but apparently ANM convened sometime in late 2009 to begin writing for an album that was expected to hit the streets in mid-2010. I can only assume that with band name containing “the n-word,” the search for a label home was a little more difficult than the guys had expected amid the climate of a music industry collapsing in on itself. One has to wonder why they didn’t just release the album independently rather than bothering to shop it around. Regardless, the end result is a mix of funk, metal, and 70s rock that should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with this collection of musicians. Hopefully the album will see the light of day sometime soon.

To be completely honest, I wasn’t feeling the verse sections of “Clown’s Dichotomy” at first, but by the time I had reached the bridge the second time, I was bobbing my head to the groove ANM was laying down. Nice.

Enjoy!

Demos of “Have It All” and “Come Back” from early recording sessions for One by One have recently surfaced on the interwebs, showing how different these abandoned versions are from what eventually ended up on the Foo Fighters’ fourth studio release.

Writing for the album began in early 2001 but was soon halted by European festival shows, drummer Taylor Hawkins’ near-fatal drug overdose, and Dave Grohl’s drumming gig for Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf. The band reconvened later that year, but after working for four months on demos, first in Grohl’s Studio 606 in Alexandria, VA then at Conway Studios in LA, Grohl decided the songs “just didn’t sound right,” and he scrapped the recordings, which Hawkins later began calling “the million-dollar demos.”

Disappointment with the songs and lack of progress on the album, along with animosity and bickering between the members, very nearly signaled the end of the Foo Fighters. After a long break, which saw each member pursue side projects, and a very nearly disastrous regathering for a Coachella show, Grohl decided to have another go at the One by One material. Working with different members at different locations, Grohl started over from scratch, and the album was mostly completed over a two-week period before Grohl went back on tour with QOTSA.

One by One became a huge commercial and critical success, but much like with King’s X’s self-titled fourth release which was also surrounded by drama, the band members have grown to dislike the album as a whole. Personally, I really like the album and consider it one of their stronger releases, and the conflict associated with it may have helped make Foo Fighters a much stronger unit in the long run.

Enjoy!

OSI - “Big Chief II”

Decibel Magazine’s Deciblog is streaming the new OSI song “Cold Call” from the upcoming album Fire Make Thunder. I have provided all the OSI deets here before, and since it seems no one but me cares anyway, I’m not going to rehash it all now. I’m just gonna enjoy Kevin Moore’s spacey vocals and weird electronic noodling on top of Jim Matheos’ dense riffage.

Later.

The Mars Volta has posted another new track from the upcoming album Noctourniquet to their SoundCloud channel. I didn’t want to get my hopes up after the first track “The Malkin Jewel” went up, but I think I’m liking the direction they’re going on this album.

Ginger Wildheart delivered a very special Valentine’s Day treat to the pledgers of his triple album project at PledgeMusic. An exclusive download of a new track is his way of showing his appreciation for the outpouring of support for the DIY approach to his new album. As of this moment, Ginger is currently at an unprecedented 523% of his pledge target with almost 5100 donors.

It didn’t take long for the track to make it onto YouTube, and in typical Ginger fashion, he blessed the effort with the following tweet:

Someone just put the new song on YouTube. In reverse outrage I would emplore you all to RT this link youtu.be/vvmShA2c1TE Thank you x

The track is excellent, and based on this and the sneak peeks Ginger has provided throughout the making of the album, it’s shaping up to be a top-notch release.

So what are you still doing here reading this?! Head over and make your pledge! You only have until the end of the month to get in on the fun! Enjoy!

The Jelly Jam, the supergroup trio I’ve talked about here previously, has just released the new single “Halos in Hell” from its new album Shall We Descend. I still haven’t picked up this album, and at this point, I’m really not sure why. Soon.

Enjoy!