Shining - Blackjazz

Norwegian avant prog metal. Yes your right that could make it sound like anything really so here is the skinny. Heavy use of keyboards along side the guitars give it a more approachable nature but still guitars are heavy and everywhere. Vocals are varied and move from hushed creep outs to the typical metal screams. If you want to talk structure as this is progressive metal we are talking about here take out the metal elements and add a mess of horns (sax also crops up in this release) and youve got yourself a damn fine jazz record. I guess it shouldn't be surprising to know then that these gents used to be an acoustic jazz group. Oh and one last thing there's a pretty flipping awesome cover of King Crimsons "21st Century Schizoid Man" that is absolutely crushing.

Blackjazz

The Blood Brothers - Burn Piano Island Burn

Two person vocal centric post hardcore sounds a bit treacherous but not to worry The Blood Brothers are here to put your mind at ease. As far as their releases go none really portray their high energy as well as Burn Piano Island Burn. An extremely solid record with interesting structures and fast guitars. These sons of Seattle announced their break up in 2007 but influence wise a lot of bands these days draw from their energetic vocals deliveries.

Burn Piano Island Burn

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - 1992

This is a short entry, another hip hop outfit i want to share on recommendation from my man Mike G from Chicago. As i said before, we got to talking hiphop and he told me about all kinds of great stuff to hear stemming from the conversation we had concerning my deep love of The Pharcyde and my ignorance of the more important, creative, and greatly distinguished classic hiphop; the groups that were pushing the art form to a high point in its evolution after many names flourished through its original foundation.

Dr. Dre- The Chronic- 1992

One more classic hiphop entry, something i am sure you are all familiar with but, as a weirdo, i am hearing for the first time. I loved Doggystyle like a fiend when i heard it; it was such feel good smoothness with ill production. Beyond it, i do not know a fraction of Dr. Dre's output. Ive been checking this out tonight; thanks Jimmy. Oh yeah, and this classic is up on it:



the chronic

10,000

We are fast approaching 10,000 page views during our short life span. As a way of saying thank you to everyone that frequents "Plenty of Swords" I have a small special something in the works for one maybe two lucky ducks. More info to come.

 - Acerola

Mice Parade - Bem-Vinda Vontade (2005)

The tag "indie rock" is a funny thing. At one point in time it truly meant more than it does today but is still every bit the blanket term we use it for. Adam Pierce's on going project Mice Parade is actually a very singular venture in a time when most are floundering in the deep end.  A lot of what makes this group so good has a lot to do with Pierce's own major contribution to his group, rhythm. Truthfully a lot of it is Pierce's excellently complex drum licks that fleck the landscape of these songs but listening as a whole you'll find the guitars do much the same.  The guitars have this sort of Spanish guitar light feel to them employing many of their signature rhythms. I have been a large fan of this group for a long time and from the get go you'll see why. Perfectly executed Spanish influenced indie rock with interesting drums and a dash of vocals all round this package out.   


Bem-Vinda Vontade

Clastic - Strata EP

A Berlin, Germany group that again has that awesome driving style post rock we like to call, Math. There is a lot to like here but admittedly on the surface its easy to think its a bit run of the mill. The more you listen to the EP the more they do strike there own path and I keep finding myself coming back to it. Nothing jazzy going on over here though very rock oriented which never hurt anyone.

http://clastic.bandcamp.com/

This Music Moment- The Roots 2001

So, it does stink to start a post this way, but the music i want you all to hear and appreciate is so far unavailable in my standard pre-blogpost digging; maybe you guys here at the Swords can help me out with finding a link, but i do hate starting off by saying i do not have the sufficient links to share with you.

That being said, i love hiphop. As i have said many times before in many, many blog posts about my history with the style, hip hop is a strange beast; for the most part, i look to strong production and smooth rhyme flow in the artists that end up really sticking with me. As a highschool kid graduating in 2002, a few of my close friends had a deeper love of hiphop and rap than i did, but i sucked it all up in long blunted cruises, listening to and talking about all kinds of music, and why we loved our respective favorite genres.

13 Assassins

Metaghost recently asked me to venture into boston with him to execute the awesome plan of eating a big bowl of pho noodle soup and checking the newest film by Takashi Miike, 13 Assassins. I had no idea that dude had made an epic samurai movie to rival the likes of any of Akira Kurosawas best work, but holy shit Miike was not messing around. This is straightforward samurai storytelling: an evil, murder-loving man is soon to be placed in high political standing in feudal japan, and a counselor who knows that Japan is in trouble if evil gains power secretly enlists the help of a retired samurai (warriors who had become obsolete in the current state of things) to gather a team of fellow samurai and assassinate this evil man while he is journeying home to the capitol city.

The film wastes no time; they show you deeply how evil this motherfucker is, and how strongly the samurai feel that risking their lives to wipe him off the planet serves the better good of the nation (and also how badass these dudes are.. so much awesome swordplay). The last 50 minutes are a battle taking place in a town they have boobytrapped in the most ultimate samurai death town kind of way, with so many tricks up their sleeves and sooo much awesome set design. It is epic, it is bloody, and it is classic. The end of this trailer says its available "March 25th on demand everywhere"... which i have not investigated, but I highly recommend that you do. Plenty of Swords abound.

Brainworms - II Swear to Me

Happy hardcore anyone? some nice guitar work while a bearded man screams about what ever the flip. Sign me up!

II Swear to Me

Lord Huron - Mighty EP

Some kind of tropical Fleet Foxes vibe going down on this. My prediction is a large movement on the good Lord Huron in the very near future. Its fun and has that throwback touch that those fox boys do so well. Take it to lunch. Whether you bed her down is your choice.

Mighty EP

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Your Hair When Your Gone

 

Question:

"When is a "joke band" relevant?

Answer:

"When it's not a joke"

 These Canadians walked the razor wire of ridiculous pop, indie rock and lo-fi sensibilities. Short lived as they were they tore a path in front of them wide for all to see.  It's strange to think how wildly popular this was and even still I suppose. Islands the band that two of the members founded after Unicorns basically trimmed the ragged edges of their former band and washed it up for sunday dinner. In my opinion I like my pop with a bit of a five o clock shadow.....which reminds me. 

Who Will Cut Your Hair When Your Gone?