Killin' With a Jackknife

Semi-Random Friday Music

This feature really seems to be catching on with our zeroes of readers!

IT’S WHEN Your Montag goes to myspace. I listen to some music, surf from artist to artist and report back with selections for you, Dear Reader, to go listen to yourself. Clicking the red text (links!) takes you to the artist’s myspace music page. (This and previous editions of SRFM can be found by clicking here.)

1. Dischord is not any… — Syqem (Hamburg, Germany) — “Melodic” slow bits interspersed with crunching one-chord “riffs.” The twenty-times-better-than-Korn riffs aren’t quite enough to offset the wailing, less-convincing-than-Incubus yowling in between. “Dischord” is an appropriate pun to have been included in the song title.
2. Fat Life — N.D.LOX (Kassel, Hessen, Germany) — This band has a lot of little things going for it in my book: the term “experimental” in their self-description, a song title of “Troglodyte,” an E.P. album title of “Shit White,” and they get a cool ‘wall-of-sound’ type guitar sound only achievable with a full compliment of effects pedals switched on and off in the correct combinations like the stops on a pipe organ, and heavy on the distortion, but in a good way. Sadly I am left merely lukewarm to the sum of the parts.
3. Suspended Animation — Fantomas (San Franscisco) — Mike Patton, formerly of Faith No More, makes some weird-ass noise with his mouth. I saw these guys open for Tool, and Patton had a hissy fit because they were getting booed off the stage. (Not by me.) I kind of like it. However: not really for the common household music listener. So the remainder of this list will serve as a sort of “camera obscura” so that the faint of heart may avoid listening directly to Fantomas. The following artist come exclusively from Fantomas’ “friend space.”
4. Operate — Peaches (Berlin?! Really? I thought Canada. Fucking internet.) — Another opening act I’ve seen. But that didn’t get booed. Good stuff. I read something about “minimal pumping beats.” Electro, sure, but above all: Punk. [Pictured.]
5. Let’s Go Boogaloo — The 5.6.7.8’s (Tokyo) — Three women from Japan laying down some supercool garage/psychedelic/surf-type jams and nearly, but not quite, ruining them trying to be cute with the vocals. That’s their shtick, I suppose. Still, excellent, in the final analysis.
6. Blue Light — U.S.S.A. (United States) — Unassuming heavy(ish) rock that I believe could grow on me with repeated listenings. The founding members were involved in other projects you may have heard of, (Ministry, Revolting Cocks, The Jesus Lizard, Tomahawk,) if that helps you sort it out. The track Cab Ride II is also worth listening to, despite its slightly unsettling, incongruous beat.
7. Scary Circus — PLASTRON (Philadelphia) — Really cool modern surf.
8. Sunshine On the Tax… — XD WEI (Detroit via Beijing) — OK, my internets isn’t cooperating. I’m posting this ‘sound unheard’ the chosen track is simply the one with the highest number of “plays.” Self described as, “Chinese traditional / Progressive / Fusion”
9. Panasonic Youth — The Dillinger Escape Plan (New Jersey) — The fucking same as above. Self described as, “Metal / Hardcore / Progressive”

Your Montag’s top four: 4, 5, 7 and #whothefuckknows.

Suggestions? If you know of, (or are,) a myspace music artist that might value the exposure that a glancing mention on a D-list blog can bring, leave a comment here or correspond with me via electronic mail.

Bonus Awesome Video: Shiny Toy Guns — Le Disko:

Yes!