Catherine Wheel >> Maybe you could come away

{_ Catherine Wheel - "Wish (Demo)" _}

{__ (unreleased, 1990 or '91; Fontana Records, 1992) __}

This song didn't even make it onto the Wheel's 1996 b-sides n' rarities compilation Like Cats And Dogs, which shows just how strong their body of work was.  As someone who has obsessed over the genre called "shoegaze" for the last 15 years, I would unhesitatingly say it's right in the top echelon of the best shoegaze songs ever.  Too bad it's so short.  The info about the release of this song is really confusing, so read on at your own risk: This was a b-side on their earth-shatteringly great "I Want To Touch You" 12", released in 1992.  Well, it's actually on the bonus 12" that you could buy separately from the main 12"!  (This bonus 12" consisted solely of demos of three of their best songs.)  The back cover says "Track B2: Recorded at home, can't remember when. Working title: 'I Can't Give.'"  Yes, this technically came out on a major label, but I'm posting it due both to its incredible scarcity, and due to what I believe is its significance in the history of shoegaze / Britpop music.  And it was originally home-recorded with no intention of ever being released, before the band was even signed to Fontana.  So it's a true "indie" song in my book, and it has never been released digitally; this mp3 is of course a vinyl rip.

Why am I uploading this version rather than the "real" (studio-recorded) version of it that came out in the band's own indie label, Wilde Club, in 1991 (on the "She's My Friend" 12")?  Because this demo has a slightly slower tempo, more tribal-ish / visceral drumming, and clearer, more assertive guitar, so I just like it a bit more overall.  If anyone involved with Fontana objects to me having this song on here, let me know and I'll ecstatically put up the Wilde Club version instead.

Probably the greatest photo ever taken: A dual-exposure called "Nude And Skyscraper" by André De Dienes (1960)

This one goes out to Broken Water.  After seeing them play at a coffee house a few weeks ago, I gave them an impromptu gift of a spare copy of C.W.'s Ferment CD (actually a CD-R, but in the actual CD case w/ booklet & back cover) which I scrounged up in my car's glovebox.  So hopefully they dig it on their neverending tour.  I told them it was my #2 favorite album ever, but I forgot to mention that my #1 is Daydream Nation.  I also asked their guitarist Jon if I could post one of their songs ("Eyeball") on here and he said yeah, so look for that soon.  If you haven't heard of Bro-H2O, they're from Olympia and sound like a lower-fi version of Sonic Youth with some Codeine and Live Skull mixed in, including the rare species of rocker known as the singing female drummer.  Jon also sings sometimes.

The other night I went to see this band White Hills, and wow, they are great live.  Their bassist Ego Sensation has to be seen to be believed; she wore a full red go-go(?) outfit.  Their singer/guitarist was born to be a rock god, and their drummer hit so hard that he broke off part of his main cymbal.  Most of their songs featured a smoke machine.  In general, they give you a full-on arena rock spectacle, even when playing in a club containing about 40 people, as was the case on this night.  Most of their music unfortunately runs to the "stoner rock" side of things, but they have a lot of spacey psychedelic stuff too.

It has still only rained once here in the last 5 or so weeks, which is absolutely mind-boggling for this part of the world.  I've been out watering stuff with the hose for around an hour each day.

Planets with similar climates: My Bloody Valentine: "When You Wake You're Still In A Dream" (1988), Ride - "Drive Blind" (1989), Juned - "Kyuss" (1995), Lush - "Nothing Natural" (1991), The Byrds - "8 Miles High" (1966).


Currently reading: A new collector's issue of SLAM magazine, which lists their picks for the top 500 players in NBA history.  Kobe Bryant is only #10, a mere 4 slots above Bob Cousy; Bill Russell is way too high; Chris Paul is at #107.  Way too many controversial rankings & omissions for me to even begin to describe here, so go pick up a copy for yourself.  I bought the first issue on the newsstand in 1994 since it had Grandmama on the cover.

Karlheinz Stockhausen >> Struktur from silence

∆    Karlheinz Stockhausen - "Struktur X"    ∆

^ (Stockhausen-Verlag Records, 1959/60) ^

I didn't mention in my last post that I had gotten a speeding ticket the previous day, mainly because I've noticed that a lot of people's blogs can come off as a constant litany of complaints, and this one has unintentionally slid into that area before.  I was listening to the tail end of this track when I got the ticket (on a mix CD-R I had burned myself of future Blowtorch Baby songs to transfer from my old computer to my current one), so here you go.  Ignore the very beginning, which is apparently just K.S. turning a pitch-shifting or delay knob.  It's kind of funny to hear Brian Eno called the inventor of ambient music, when K-Stock and Pauline Oliveros were pioneering it years/decades before Eno first laced up his glittery platform boots in the supremely irritating Roxy Music.  I love lots of Eno's stuff, don't get me wrong... but he really didn't invent anything, he just popularized it, which in itself is an admirable feat, I guess.  I rarely care about who did something first; I just care about who did it best.  The name of this post is a nod to the stunning 1984 album Structures From Silence by ambient bigwig Steve Roach.  (The "X" in this track's title is a Roman numeral ten, since it's part of his numbered "Struktur" series, which he recorded from 1959 to 1960.)  This track apparently did not see the light of day until being included on a 1991 compilation CD of rare K.S. recordings called Kontakte.  I have a cool little book called Stockhausen: Life And Work (1976) that I would recommend both to a Stockhausen newbie and to a diehard fan:

I also recommend listening to this track on two different players simultaneously, at different points in the song, of course.

I've only paid for one speeding ticket in my 19 years of driving, since let's just say my dad knows some people who know some people.  For the one last week, I was going 43 in a 30 zone that I thought was a 40.  The cop was the nicest person ever, and he was ridiculously polite and practically apologetic the whole time, probably because this is a pretty blatant speed trap.  My previous interaction with a police officer, in Baton Rouge a year earlier (both officers were black, and I'm white, if that matters) was also as excellent as this one.  I believe I may have gotten out of a ticket in the B.R. incident in part because I was wearing a John Coltrane t-shirt, but this is just conjecture; it was mainly because I was lost late at night in an unfamiliar city.  It's easy for me to remember that date because it was right after I saw Red Sparowes on the night that Duke narrowly beat Butler for the NCAA hoops championship.  Anyway, people who don't think cops are cool and helpful dudes are just people who haven't met these two.

On Monday morning I talked to this girl and was pretty much on cloud nine thinking about her for the rest of the day.  On Tuesday I saw an impressive set by School Of Seven Bells (abrv. SVIIB) opening for Interpol.  I wasn't too thrilled by their two albums, but live they come across much better, with tribal Jaki Liebezeit (CAN)-style drumming and great shoegazey guitarscapes, plus they were very loud.  The singer does this adorably hilarious thing where she shakes her hair from side to side between almost every single song line.  She probably doesn't even realize she's doing it.  Unfortunately, they didn't play the song I most wanted to hear, "Dust Devil".  It was my third time seeing Interpol, and each time they've had a different bassist.  Say what you want about them (Paul's voice / lyrics, the snazzy suits, the coifs), but they have truly great / funky basslines and a top-notch drummer, and every once in a blue moon they can still crank out a great tune, though not like they once did.

Planets with similar climates: Probably some Lustmord (album Heresy), William Basinski, Fetisch Park, Brian Eno


Currently eating or drinking: Chobani Greek yogurt (blueberry); Powerade Play (grape) - new lower-sugar, higher-vitamin Powerade; Stefano Foods four cheese Mini Rip-n'-Dip; G.S. Gelato (coconut) - the best ice cream / gelato I've ever had

Scala >> Holding and hoarding

In an effort to ramp up the excitement level, I've decided to maybe start adding text flourishes around each song name.  So you will find that even more lasers of pure adrenaline are gushing out of your arteries while reading this blog than before.  Note: Use these new, larger lasers wisely.

––///// Scala - "Hold Me Down"

(Touch, 1995) \\\\\––

Scala evolved out of the British electro-dreampoppers Seefeel.  Not to brag, but I created the Wikipedia page for Seefeel's influential debut album Quique years ago, so go check that album out before listening to anything by Scala.  In the course of only 4 minutes, this song mutates and devolves into some surreal and unsettling soundscapes, with every possible studio/production trick used, though in very subtle ways, with only a muffled, slowed-down drumbeat leading the way through the darkness.  Students majoring in record producing/engineering should literally be assigned this song so they can try to dissect all the little things that are going on.  15 years later, the album still sounds way more futuristic and innovative than almost anything else that has ever been released in this genre.  The song "Naked" on this album (Beauty Nowhere) could've been a real hit single; "Ride Me" is more in the spooky vein of "Hold Me Down".  This album's song titles are not bashful, and Sarah Peacock's voice is one of the deadliest baby-makin' devices in music history, in my opinion.  Bizarrely, after the band Scala came to an end, she worked at a super-hip London music club called... Scala.  I see what she did there.  The CD booklet's graphic design, done by Touch founder Jon Wozencroft (w/ "film output by Orange Communications, Ltd.," plus photos by people named Alexei Tylevich, Phillip Thoeni, and Juergen Teller), is a stunning smörgåsbord that goes perfectly with the music, yet stands alone just fine too.

You really have to listen to this while driving around at night in an unfamiliar part of town, which is how I first heard it, in late '08, while trying to find a music club called Chelsea's Cafe in Baton Rouge to see A Place To Bury Strangers & Sian Alice Group.  It was one of the freakiest listening experiences of my life, and the concert was boocoo (a little NOLA Yat slang there) great too.

This one goes out to Alicia Acacia (Merry Deth).

Sarah Peacock, jus' chillin' with her life-sized action figure alter-ego before going to hold down some thieves until the cops arrive

She looks very similar to Richard D. James, a.k.a. Aphex Twin; and they're both redheaded '90s electronic music innovators from England.  Coincidence?

Speaking of relations, I don't know if Sarah Peacock is related to Alice Peacock, who was the singer on UNKLE's amazing downtempo classic "Bloodstain".  Maybe everyone is related in England.

Planets with similar climates - Björk - "Bath" (2005), Magic Dirt - "Fear" (1996), Ciccone Youth - "G-Force" (1988), Replikants - "Patty's Trip" (1996), Curve - "Rising (Headspace Mix [by Future Sound Of London])" (1993), Zoviet*France - "Look Into Me" (1990), 5ive Style - "I Told Ya" (1995), Autechre - "Basscadet (Seefeelmx [by Seefeel])" (1994), Low - "I Remember" (7" version) (1998).

Here is a clip from this barbecue at my parents' house a few weekends ago of a youth holding down a balloon.  My legs can be seen near the beginning with the blue shorts on.  I don't even know if this kid knows who Justin Bieber is, or what his music sounds like, or what music is, but it was pretty entertaining.  By about the 2-hour mark, it became somewhat less entertaining.

Brujeria >> I have to have... You don't understand

Brujeria - "Don Quixote Marijuana"

(Koolarrow Records, 1999)

Tijuana-based Brujeria had a shadowy membership, and I don't want to sit here and ruin it by listing which members of famous U.S. bands were (said to be) in this band, since it's more fun to believe the supposed backstory... And what if the backstory is actually true?  Koolarrow Records was run by Faith No More bassist Billy Gould, hint hint.  Brujería (with the little accent over the "i") apparently means witchcraft in Spanish, but this band's name lacks the accent for some reason.  This is a bafflingly out-there reinterpretation of their 1997 song "Marijuana," which was a spoof of Los del Rio's "Macarena."  Yup.  But normally they were a death metal band.  This song is from a compilation of Mexican rock/metal bands called Spanglish 101.  The movie Spanglish is one of the worst in cinematic history.  I haven't smoked weed since April '98, for what it's worth... I think it was the night I saw the band Low, but it might've been the following weekend.  I'm not against smoking up, or those who do it, but it just doesn't do much for me.

Note: The next song in my iTunes after this one is "Run To You" by Bryan Adams.  Hate if you want.  After that is "Summer" by Buffalo Tom, two by Burnversion, two by The Byrds, three by Cabaret Voltaire, "Worlds Apart" by Cactus World News, "Quattro (World Drifts In)" by Calexico, "Acceptable In The '80s" by Calvin Harris," "Luchini (This Is It)" by Camp Lo, about 20 by CAN, "Subplot" by Capital Eye, 6 by The Cardigans...  Before this song, working backwards, is two by Bruce McCulloch (of Kids In The Hall), "Nr. 7" by Brötzmann / Van Hove / Bennink, the album When In Vanitas... (incl. "Neither Yield Nor Reap") by Brise-Glace, 10 by Bright Channel, "Monster In A Wheelchair" by Brian Huskey, "By This River" by Brian Eno & Cluster, then a bunch of solo Eno.  I'm referring to my previous computer, a 2002 iMac, which has 4331 songs; my current computer, an '09 MacBook, has only 1355 so far.  I use the old one pretty much just as a storage depot for music and other stuff.  I use the same beach-themed screensaver on both of them.  It's so hypnotic that I sometimes just sit there for a while and let my eyes glaze over, and it's especially trippy to have it running on two adjacent computers.  I should take a video of that.


On a more serious note, please read the article about Dick and Rick Hoyt called The Wheels Of Life in the current (4/18/11) issue of Sports Illustrated.  I don't think I've ever been this blown away and humbled by a fellow human's devotion to his child.  Just read the first page and I dare you to not read the rest.  It's better if you read it in the actual magazine, so you can see all the photos of the father and son in races over the years.  Here is a video piece about them, and here is a shorter one set to a great song by Sigur Ros.


If you don't know how long an Ironman triathlon is, go look it up.

I know all these links make this post look cluttered and unprofessional, but I couldn't imagine culling any of them, sorry.  Can someone tell me how to make them open in a new window?

Planets with similar climates: Soundgarden - "Fopp" (Ohio Players cover) (1988), Mr. Bungle - "My Ass Is On Fire" (1991), Milk Cult feat. Mike Patton - "Psychoanalytwist" (1994), Whale - "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" (1993), Negativland - "Car Bomb" (1987), Sonic Youth - "Master-Dik" (1987), Chrome - "Electric Chair" (1980).


Currently eating: Häagen-Dasz* Bananas Foster (limited edition) ice cream; Best Choice sweet peas (twice as big as any other peas I've been able to find); Campbell's Cream Of Celery soup; Winn-Dixie (Southern style, a.k.a. sweet, and with wheat flour as its first ingredient) cornbread; International Collection blood orange-flavored olive oil; Bolthouse Farms Amazing Mango smoothie.  Yeah, I have a fast metabolism.  *"Häagen-Dasz" is a completely made-up phrase which has no basis in any actual language; it was just invented by marketers to sound highbrow/pretentious.  For example, having an s followed by a z is not allowable in any known language.

Honeyburn >> So I looked and found myself instead

Honeyburn - "Sister"

(spinART Records, 1995)

Taking the burn theme to its logical end, here's a band about which I know very little.  Their name must be a pun on "honey bun."  I know of only four total songs they released: this one (on an otherwise unremarkable spinART indie pop compilation called LemonLime Volume 1), a split 7" with some band called Cigarland in 1995 (Honeyburn's song is called "Mag"), and a two-song 7" in 1996 ("5th Of July" b/w "A Little Less").  They apparently also released a demo EP or album.  If anyone can lay bare anything further about the group that is not posted here, the podium is yours, because I always love finding out about those elusive creatures called American shoegaze bands.  Singer Erin Durbin has a voice as silky as the band's namesake ingredient, and she can hold notes for a really long time, though what she is singing is not always clear.  Drummer Matt Schulz later went on to the post-Brainiac band Enon, and is now in Holy Fuck.  I don't even remember where I got this mp3, which is weird because I got it only a few months ago, and I usually can remember every detail about when I got something, such as that I bought Public Enemy's Nation Of Millions on cassette in mid-February of '91, and my dad showed me how to dub one cassette onto a blank one that same day, using that P.E. cassette.  (I had already figured out how to record songs from the radio a few years earlier.)  And now here I am, essentially dubbing music onto this blog so it can be shared over the nets, so thanks for getting me started on all that, dad.  And thanks for buying Cocteau Twins' Heaven Or Las Vegas on a whim when it came out; stumbling onto it 6 years later changed my life in a way.

Honey is one of nature's best antibacterial agents, since it contains hydrogen peroxide, which of course is used as a wound disinfectant.  In other words, you can use it like you would use Neosporin on a cut, and unlike Neosporin, honey has no expiration date.  In fact, it's the only food on earth that never spoils, and I read one time that thousands-of-years-old honey found in a pharaoh's tomb in Egypt was still perfectly edible.  The reason it never goes bad is the hydrogen peroxide, of course, which allows no fungi or bacteria to grow in it.  The amount of H₂O₂ is dependent on what kind of flowers were used by the bees; the kind with the highest H₂O_{2 content} in the world is said to be Manuka honey, made only in New Zealand from flowers of the New Zealand Tea Tree, Leptospermum scoparium.  I actually used this type of honey to cure an ulcer 5 years ago; it costs about $30 for a jar.  There is literally no other treatment for ulcers, since taking antacids actually raises the pH of the stomach and allows the bacterium that causes them (Heliobacter pylori) to flourish.  In fact, I believe the reason I got mine was due to taking a calcium/magnesium supplement, which of course raised the stomach pH.  Last year I planted one of these trees in my yard.  They're quite hard to find, and I have only found them at two plant nurseries in the NOLA area, but they're super-great, and are hardy to below freezing.  They have tiny, spiky leaves and a gnarled trunk, giving them the look of a natural bonsai, kind of like a cross between a juniper and a rosemary or Yaupon holly, with peeling bark.  Jealous much?  Speaking of U.S. shoegaze bands, last night I saw a pretty impressive one from my childhood home of San Francisco called Tamaryn, opening for the Raveonettes, so try to catch them on this tour or on a future headlining one.

Planets with similar climates: Pale Saints - "Featherframe" (1992), Poem Rocket - "Contrail de l'avion" (1994), Catherine Wheel - "Indigo Is Blue" (1992), Film School - "Florida" (2007).


Update, May 2011: I found out the band's name is a method used by cowardly hunters to attract bears in order to kill them.

The Sound >> All the cages that we built

The Sound - "Burning Part Of Me"

(Statik Records, 1984; Renascent Records, 1996)

Continuing with the burn theme, here's one of my all-time favorite songs.  This album, Heads And Hearts, was originally issued on the pseudo-indie post-punk label Statik Records, which was also home to The Chameleons.  It was reissued/remastered by Renascent Records in '96, paired up on one CD with their Shock Of Daylight EP, making for one of the most excellent compact discs ever released.  (Renascent was founded just to reissue The Sound's music, and that CD I just mentioned was its inaugural release.  It later branched out into equally awesome stuff like The Comsat Angels.)  To say that singer/guitarist Adrian Borland was a mercurial and brilliant guy is an understatement.  I'd say he and Steve Kilbey (of The Church) are my two favorite lyricists, and Suzanne Vega is up there too.  His suicide was foreshadowed in many of his lyrics, and I would prefer if people did not look up the manner in which he did it; as he sang in the explosive first song on Heads And Hearts: "Whirlpool / It takes the best of us."  The double meaning of the phrase "burning part of me" (when you read it by itself with an implied "a" in front, vs. when you add "she's" to the front) is just one subtle example of his skill.  Much like this song, his life was way too short, but sometimes you have to just show up, do something awesome, and then get out.

Photo I took facing NW just after sunset at Lake Pontchartrain ca. early '07, just west of the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.  The sun was already below the horizon, hence the lack of color saturation.

Planets with similar climates: The Chameleons - "Second Skin" (1982), The Comsat Angels - "More" (1982), Necropolis Of Love - "Talk" (1984), Peter Gabriel - "Red Rain" (1986), Sunny Day Real Estate - "In Circles" (1993), Concrete Blonde - "Dance Along The Edge" (1986).

Bleach >> Stupid fuck, gonna make you burn

Bleach - "Burn"

(Way Cool Records, 1991)

Well, I wasn't planning on posting any more Bleach for a while, but about an hour ago I destroyed my microwave while taking a shower, so I have the perfect excuse to post this song.  (I actually dig it so much that I considered it for the honorary first-ever post on this blog.)  Also, an RYM buddy commented that she recently discovered and liked Bleach; hopefully this song won't freak her out too much...  The smoke when I entered the kitchen was so acrid and overpowering that I could hardly talk and I developed a weird cough.  The last supper inside was Swedish meatballs, charred the color and texture of coal.  The rotating glass tray underneath had cracked into pieces and the sides have brownish orange stuff on them, vaporized food particles.  Amazingly, the digital display still worked, so way to go, Whirlpool company.  I must've pressed 22 minutes rather than 2 minutes before I traipsed off to shower.  Well, seeing as for the last 5 or 6 years I've always entered palindromic numbers when microwaving, I entered either 22:02 or 20:22 instead of 2:02.  It was down to about 5 mins. left, so it was on for 15-17 mins. straight.  So here's this intense, mind-melting song, which combines rap-style vocal phrasing (with lyrics like "You use my head to pop your trunk"), psychedelic soundscapes (made via reverb, delay, volume swells, panning, and other studio tricks), a few primal shrieks, tribal drumming, and other forms of mayhem to create something that is totally sui generis.  I don't know what got Salli so mad at the dude or dudette at whom her vitriol is directed, but I'll have what she's having.  She perfected her badass rap singing on their '91 single "Shotgun," which was re-recorded for their '92 album Killing Time.

Saw a great concert last night (Warpaint, PVT, Family Band) and actually bought both of Warpaint's CDs at the merch table, which is something I rarely do.  I met a dude who showed me his skateboard which he had gotten signed by Warpaint's bassist, Jenny Lindberg (sister of Warpaint's original drummer, actress Shannyn Sossaman) before the show.  I told him about how I had quit skating in 1988 after moving from hilly, smooth-paved Olney, MD to flat, pothole-filled New Orleans, and he told me about how skating is his life and Sonic Youth, Deftones and Tame Impala are his favorite bands.  He looked just like Dangermouse, but even skinnier.  After driving an hour and a half to see the show, he lost his iPhone at the club; we helped him look for it, but to no avail, so I hope you ended up finding it, man.  I'll stick to my little 2006 RAZR phone for this very reason.

Adding this pic on 6/3/11:

Yes, it's Disaster Girl

Planets with similar climates: Dinosaur Jr. - "Don't" (1988), Sleater-Kinney - "The Last Song" (1995), Sonic Youth - "Drunken Butterfly" (1992), Helmet - "Murder" (1990), Unwound - "Rising Blood" (1992).


Currently forced to: Use something other than a microwave in which to cook dinner; may resort to using the stovetop or even the oven.  I've told people for years that Russia has banned microwave ovens since 1976 due to radiation fears, and that microwaving destroys vitamins in foods, yet I still hypocritically use mine at least 2 or 3 times daily, so maybe this was the wake-up call I needed.  You may remember I almost posted this song a week ago after burning my finger on the oven while removing biscuits, so I should probably not be using it without supervision.

Update, Sept. 2011: Here's the photo I took of the situation:

FCS North >> Ride the darker wave

FCS North - "1222"
(Pacifico Recordings, 2000)

This track is probably the most epic achievement since Homer write The Iliad in one weekend on the backs of some napkins at his local Olive Garden restaurant, which was literally just some tables in the middle of an olive grove at the time.  FCS North (pron. "Focus North," often abrv. FCSN) was a jazzy / post-rock-y / electronic-y group from Seattle, featuring some former members of the impressive post-punk band Satisfact.  I say "was" because I think nowadays they stick to doing DJ sets, remixing, and general electronic(a) stuff, rather than the complex organic recipe on their debut album.  Andy Sells of FCSN is my favorite or second-favorite drummer ever (probably only second to Jack DeJohnette), and he has literally been a drum teacher for many years as his day job.  The way the bass (played by Josh Warren) stealthily enters the song reminds me of the way the T. Rex walks up to the campsite(?) in Jurassic Park, with the viewer only able to see a glass of water trembling with each of its footsteps.  Who says great cinematography can't be found in the most unlikely places?  I didn't even know what cinematography was when I saw that in a tiny theater on Hilton Head Island when it came out, but I'll always remember that scene.
"1222" is preceded on the album by an untitled recording of 3 whole minutes of waves crashing... Top that, "chillwave" bands.  This tidal action fits in perfectly with the CD cover, which is just a photo of the ocean, devoid of any writing, though the cover of the LP version apparently does have some writing.  I've always thought of the album as having a "sky blue" feel to it; to top it off, the band's record label was called Pacifico.  I remember listening to this CD on a sweltering September night in 2003 while driving over to see The Sea And Cake, who also have one of the most insanely great drummers ever.  Before heading out that night, I watched the premiere episode of a show called One Tree Hill, haha.  Man, talk about a cutting edge evening of entertainment... I also used a car phone for possibly the only time in my life, one with a cord attaching it to a '95 Chevy Suburban which I inherited a few years later after my car was lost in Katrina.  Anyway, the way the keyboards swell up and envelop the listener in the beginning of this track will never cease to fascinate me.  There is also a great contrast of speeds -- the fast, crisp drumming vs. the slow, eerie keyboards & bass -- that gives a disorienting overall feel.  (I keep saying "track" rather than "song" because a song must, by definition, have vocals, you know.)  "1222" was also released as a 12" single/EP, backed with "Police Laughter" and "High Rize"; I will be posting the latter on here someday.

Pic: Can't think of one now, though I did plant an olive tree last week, so I should probably show it here. (See first sentence of this post.)
Update, 7/21/11 - Here's a pic of the top of that olive tree, which is about 5 feet tall and is named Gregg, taken right after I planted it on April 1st:

Planets with similar climates: Tristeza - "I Am A Cheetah" (2000) & "Halo Heads" (2005), Miles Davis - "Rated X" (1972), The Mercury Program - "Tequesta" (2002), Fela Kuti - "Confusion" (1975), The Orb - "Star 6 & 7 8 9" (1991), Macha - "Light The Chinese Flower" (1998).

Venus Beads >> What I wouldn't give to make time stand still

Venus Beads - "Heaven And Back"
(Emergo Records / Roadrunner Records, 1990)

This song kicks off one of my favorite EPs ever, fittingly titled Transfixed.  The bassline (surely in the top .01 percentile of all time) is just ridiculously sexy and sinister, in a very dub-wise post-punk way, like The Pop Group, Moonshake, P/i/L, Gang Of Four.  The guitars lull you into a sense of calm before launching an ambush... Yes, you can tell by now that I like that tactic.  There's even some excellent and mystical wind chime action about halfway through.  The lyrics are not about God or religion.  The mastering level (volume level) is very low, so you have to turn the volume and bass up on this one in order to put the boom in your box.  (If someone out there can "remaster" this song by increasing the loudness and bass levels, and then send it back to me, I'd be forever grateful and I'd post it on here.)  This band allegedly had a minor college radio hit with the song "Moon Is Red", but "H&B" is the song that could've really captured the public's imagination, in my opinion.  I still don't know what the band's name means; same goes for Bailter Space, Bark Psychosis, Kallabris, Nice Strong Arm, You Am I, A.C. Temple, Songs:Ohia, Grand Funk Railroad, Kayo Dot, Bananarama, Oöphoi, Gastr Del Sol, Orthrelm, Kajagoogoo, Hoobastank, Ui, The Plimsouls, Waka Flocka Flame, The Bevis Frond, Olivelawn, and many more.
Note: Transfixed was only released on 12" and cassette, but their record company was nice enough to include it as bonus tracks on the CD version of the band's album Black Aspirin, which is where I obtained this mp3.  Dischord and Touch & Go have also always been good about doing that.

Planets with similar climates: The Stone Roses - "I Wanna Be Adored" (1989), Bailter Space - "Robot World" (1992), Volplane - "Lost In Blue" (~1997), Verve - "The Sun, The Sea" (1993), The Cure - "Open" (1992), Swervedriver - "Deep Seat" (1991).

Currently basking in: The glow of the discovery that the cool unlabeled little aloe seedling that I bought for $4 at Harold's yesterday is apparently a devastatingly sexy "tree aloe" species called Aloe africana, which can get over six feet tall:

Photo of adult plant courtesy of toptropicals.com

Currently out of: spinach tortillas, feta, banana rum, coconut rum, lime juice, sand, topsoil, stapler