Tag: heavy-metal

The Best Record of 1989: Day 35

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 1989: Day 35

#31 Ministry, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste vs. #98 Sepultura, Beneath the Remains

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at records from Ministry and Sepultura

Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I’d be occasionally writing some of these up.

I’ve started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably definitely be some typos.

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.

KA—

I’m very much in the “Make Ministry synth pop again!” camp, but also loved The land of R*pe and Honey. I also had no reason to be angry about anything, but teenage angst is funny that way, I guess.

At any rate, earlier this year, frontman Al Jourgenson decided to listen to the masses (or his accountant) and put out The Squirrelly Years Revisited, a remaking/refresh of those early records.

Writing about it I noted,

In May of 1983, Ministry recorded With Sympathy. Frontman Al Jourgenson then spent the ensuing years telling anyone who’ll listen that it’s awful. If the “Make Ministry synthpop again “memes are anything to go by, many people never go to the memo. They’re also now getting what they want…kind of.

After With Sympathy, Ministry recorded Twitch and then began releasing a series of industrial and metal records, both as Ministry and with side projects like Revolting Cocks. All well and good until you make the same record several times in a row. The first time you hear a record like The Land of Rape and Honey, it’s amazing. But it only takes a few records to see that Jourgenson was on autopilot. For me, it was like the music version of the law of diminishing marginal returns.

Sometimes I wonder if with each passing record, Jourgenson was trying to get further and further away from those early releases. But here’s the thing: people liked records like With Symptahy and Twitch—at least where I lived, anyway. And even today, the coolest people I know still work “Every Day is Halloween” into their October playlists.

The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste feels like him in a full sprint. It’s a great fusion of thrash, metal, and industrial. It’s bruising and the sort of record that is either perfect for channeling the misdirected anger you have in your life, or leaves you feeling like you’ve been in a bar fight. Better this than punching a wall or running red lights. The riffs are jagged, the beats pulverizing. It’s like taking the hardest parts of Skinny Puppy and dialing them up (they too would experiment with “louder, faster, more!” soon enough). The best parts of the record are where Jourgenson seamlessly blends industrial and metal elements. Tracks like “So What” are almost-almost!- Dance floor ready. You can run, but you can’t hide.

If nothing else, it serves as a decent enough vehicle for escape. Speaking of which, it’s worth noting that Jourgenson was absolutely off his rocker on drugs at this point.

At any rate, with each Ministry record, I grew further away from them while also (ironically) more into the Ministry adjacent bands like RevCo, and Murder Inc. Go figure. Listening to this again feels like falling into a time machine where I’m again fretting about acne, some girl, and god knows what else.

Pity my friend Mark. He is responsible for so much of my music discovery. He tried so hard to get me into Sepultura. This was literally a decades-long project. And yet, it was all for naught. It took a bracket challenge on Bluesky of all places to finally get me to listen to them.

And look, this record rips! If you’re a metal fan, you’ll love it. It’s in the same wheelhouse as LPs like Metallica’s Kill’ Em All and even Suicidal Tendencies. Perfect for ripping along back roads at 110 mph. Best played loud and not on a pair of work speakers at 8 AM, but you do what you gotta do. if I had to name a pull track, “Inner self” would do the trick.

All in all, a solid outing! A cursory glance online says that this is also a fan favorite, so there’s that.

I wouldn’t have much minded this as a teenager, but I likely would have only gone as far as getting a copy from someone. Maybe. I was just too far gone into other genres to dig this. Besides, a lot of the same people listening to this in ‘89 were the ones throwing me into lockers during passing time. Sorry, Marky, but I’m going to pass.

My vote: Chicago > Belo Horizonte. Would love to hear what you think!

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Check out the full bracket here.

Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.

As always, thanks for being here.

KA—

The Best Record of 1989: Day 12

by KevinLeave a Comment on The Best Record of 1989: Day 12

#40 Chris Isaak, Heart Shaped World vs. #89 Technotronic’s Pump Up the Jam

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at records from Chris Isaak and Technotronic.

Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I’d be occasionally writing some of these up.

I’ve started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably definitely be some typos.

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.

KA—

Chris Isaak’s third record might be called Heart Shaped World, but to me, it evokes a different shape- that of the road. The record feels like it’s a soundtrack for a road trip. Or maybe the musical score to Blue Highways. Most people know the record for the (IMO) interminable Wicked Game —and it’s not lost on me that its use in Wild at Heart was its launchpad to smash hit territory. But if that’s all you know, you’re missing out on, frankly, much better tracks. Isaak and Co. are tapping into the vein of early American rock here – think Ricky Nelson, Elvis, etc.

If you’ve ever burned up the miles on late-night drives through the middle of nowhere, you’ll know the mood “Kings of the Highway” evokes. “I’m Not Waiting” is what you’ll likely hear as you open the door and walk into the severe florescent lights of the ever elusive four calendar cafe. “Don’t Make Me Dream” drops right into a swanky groove with just the right amount of sax across the top.

We’re not even 10 minutes in, and things are already heating up.

If you’re reading this and wondering just what the heck I’m talking about, give the record a spin. There are two Chris Isaaks; both are fairly self-serious & introspective, but one is a balladeer trafficking in dirges, the other much less melancholy. To my ear, it’s the latter that carries this record and makes it worth one’s time.

If you happen to find yourself sitting at the bar in a juke joint along the way, “Wrong to Love You”—not salvation— is what you’ll find in the bottom of that glass. And in the moment, it’ll be just the thing. Ditto most of the back half of this record. Hell, there’s even a Bo Diddley cover at the end to wrap things up.

There’s only one clunker here —and it’s a doozy. “In the Heat of the Jungle” is terrible. There’s really no other way to frame it. It’s as out of place as Warren Zevon’s “Leave My Monkey Alone” is on his Sentimental Hygiene album. We’re not in the same rarified air as The Police’s “Mother,” but we can see it from here. Yikes.

Look, I know people love “Wicked Game.” Checking Spotify, it’s currently at 863m plays. The next closest is his “Blue Spanish Sky” at ~10m. Things drop off precipitously from there. All data tells a story, and the story here is that many people only know Isaak from this one track. They’re missing out.

Pump up the jam should be taken—and appreciated—for what it is. At its core, this is a party record. It does not apologize for this. It doesn’t try to rationalize it. It never dares pretend it’s anything serious. It is not political. The dancefloor is/was an escape for many of us, and Technotronic wanted to help you get there.

Technotronic emerged from the Belgian New Beat scene. By 1989, that wave had crested, and label owner Jo Bogaert was desperate for a new hit to turn things around. New Beat had always been closely connected with Chicago House, and this time would prove no different. Bogaert formed the Pro 24s and put out “Technotronic,” drawing heavily from a sample of Farley Jackmaster Funk’s “The Acid Life.”

Sidebar: Before I forget, all credit and a shoutout to Pe Dupre who writes the incredible The 12 Inch newsletter for the extensive background on this record’s title track.

So, you had a track with a thumping beat, some synths, and just the right BPM to get everyone moving. The missing piece? Vocals. Enter Ya Kid K and her mix of rapping and singing. With everything in place, a hit was born.

It’s worth noting here that Technotronic made the same move as other bands (Black Box, C & C Music Factory) at the time, putting a model in the video/cover/whatever and trying to pass them off as the actual vocalist. Martha Wash’s fight for credit was a hard-fought battle. In this case, Ya Kid K had a shorter but no less steep path, and before too long, Felly Kilingi was out, with the rapper out in front where she rightfully belonged.

So, we all know “Pump Up the Jam,” and most of us remember “Get Up (Before the Night Is Over).” Maybe “Move This” as well, boosted somewhat by its use in makeup ads. But what about the rest of the record?

“Tough” sees MC Eric join the fray and slows the pace a little. The word “little” is doing a lot of work here – this is still something you could easily see blaring through an arena’s sound system ahead of your hometown NBA team coming out onto the court. Just close your eyes and pretend there are a lot of neon lights — and maybe a t-shirt cannon.

No rap (or vocals, really) on “Come On.” Just a few clips interspersed through the track.

Reading up on this, I learned that “Rockin’ Over the Beat” was a single off the record, but I’d never heard it. I mean, I’d heard it (once you’ve heard one Technotronic track, you’ve heard ’em all), but still.

It’s more of the same, really. And depending on what you’re looking for, that’s either a good thing or a bad one.

In my case, it’s a notch in column A. Dusting this off, I fully expected something stale and poorly aged. Instead, I found something that has held up well for what it is—and what it never pretends to be.

Will I listen to this again? Yeah, probably. I work an impossibly early shift and often lean on things like this to give me a boost in those first hours. I have a coworker who’s really into EDM and House, and I’m curious how they’d take some of these lesser-known tracks.

Looking for a dancefloor filler with industrial-strength hi-hats? Synths? They got you. Beats that never quit? Yep, that too. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

Bottom Line: Today’s matchup features two records that rightly or wrongly have been shackled with one massive hit casting a shadow over everything else. Pump Up the Jam and Heart Shaped World both feature tracks that are well worth your time, depending on what you’re looking for.

My vote: I think people’s (collective) will recall Isaak in a brighter light. Filling out my bracket, I was concerned most would relegate Technotronic to novelty act status and chose accordingly.

That said my vote today could’ve gone either way, but I was in a more analog mood, so despite Wicked Game and In the Heat of the Jungle, I’ll check the box for Isaak.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Check out the full bracket here.

Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.

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Best Record of 1989: Day 10

by KevinLeave a Comment on Best Record of 1989: Day 10

Mudhoney’s self-titled record takes on Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians’ Queen Elvis

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Mudhoney’s self-titled release (#57) as it squares off again Queen Elvis by Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians (#72)

Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I’d be occasionally writing some of these up.

I’ve started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably definitely be some typos.

Check ’em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.

KA—

On day 4, we covered Screaming Trees, and here we are less than a week later in the Emerald City. As a PDX native, this is not my favorite place. As a music fan, I’m willing to overlook some things.

The reality is that Mudhoney—or rather, Mark Arm — had a hand in a lot of the bands we all know and love. In the 80s and 90s, the overlap in personnel was common. Many people were in the same bands. You sometimes needed a scorecard to keep track at home. Arm was in more than a couple, including Green River, which gave way to Mudhoney, but also Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, and more. Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard were there. I wonder what ever happened to them? I hope they’re still playing somewhere.

They went one way, and Arm went another. There was Mudhoney, and there was this record —a bar-burner of white-hot rock ‘n’ roll. There’s some psych here. Some punk. Some metal. It sounds like every opening band that ever played a sweaty club with low ceilings and a sound tech learning the ropes— and I 100% mean that in the best way possible,

“Flat Out F*cked” drops the hammer and never lets up. It’s an insistent piledriver that dares you not to sing along. “Get Into Yours” sounds like every song we’d hear from out on the street if we were late getting to a show. This is an admittedly clunky description, but one I hope both makes sense and is relatable. It’s also high praise. “Here Comes Sickness” has an infectious, scuzzy groove.

With maybe the exception of “Come To Mind,” the whole record goes on like this. It’s a one-note recording, but it never gets old.

The guitars and Arm’s vocals are out front here, but to discount the rhythm section of Matt Lukin (yes, the same Lukin PJ named a song after) and Dan Peters would be a disservice. Someone had to keep things tethered to the Earth.

Some groups aspire to a higher calling. They write records they hope will change the world. This record isn’t trying to do anything of the sort.; it’s just trying to have a good time.

It’s trying to rock — and that’s exactly what it does.

Remember when you were a kid, and your parents would try to get you to taste new food? It’s got everything you like in it! they’d plead, while you sat there with your arms crossed. Just take a bite! You’ll see.

And it’s true that you likely would’ve liked whatever it was on the plate in front of you. But for whatever reason, that wasn’t the day. Maybe you’d eventually come around. Perhaps you never would.

A few years would go by, and instead of food and your parents, it would be your friends and an artist.

And yet

This record is great! They’d say. It’s got intelligent lyrics and wry humor! They’re on top of some of the sunniest, jangly music going! There’s a video on 120 Minutes! It’s got everything you like! The record would be Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians’ Queen Elvis….and I still wasn’t biting (heh).

Look, there is nothing wrong with this record. It’s objectively good! It’s generally regarded as one of the best in his extensive discography. It’s extremely British. It was quirky before that became a thing.

Lyrics like this from Devil’s Coachman are the sort of thing I would’ve pored over:

I remember everything as if it happened years ago
Probably it did, so I remember it
You are just your feelings. It might give you vertigo
Falling off a high place and into it
And I was into you

And yet.

“Madonna of the Wasps “is an excellent peek at the sort of thing 120 Minutes might expose you to. For many people, I suspect this was their on-ramp to Hitchcock, doubly so if you lived somewhere with cable but without a decent college radio station. Listening to the record ahead of this, I wondered if that’s how whoever nominated this first found him.

“Freeze” is a track I genuinely dig. It’s about as hard as things get on the album. There are bits of horns, too, which I always dig. No less than REM’s Peter Buck makes a balance here. Another thing I like.

And yet.

Bottom Line: Rooting for my Pacific Northwest homeland can make for strange bedfellows. Sometimes it even means rooting for a band from Seattle. Mudhoney it is.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Check out the full bracket here.

Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.

As always, thanks for being here.

KA—