Aoxomoxoa -The Grateful Dead (Album of the Month)

1 St. Stephen (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 4:25 Lyrics
2 Dupree's Diamond Blues (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 3:40 Lyrics
3 Rosemary (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 2:02 Lyrics
4 Doin' That Rag (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 5:15 Lyrics
5 Mountains of the Moon (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 4:15 Lyrics
6 China Cat Sunflower (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 4:15 Lyrics
7 What's Become of the Baby (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 8:30 Lyrics
8 Cosmic Charlie (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh) - 5:45

If you haven'y heard this album then shame on you. The content is by no means immediately assessable, but it will grow on you slowly; and still sound fresh after a hundred listens. Has been getting serious action on my CDplayer in the last five months.

The Grateful Dead's masterpiece 'Aoxomoxoa' remains one of their best records. In fact, I think it's their best studio record. Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia all just jam on this one.

'St. Stephen' became a concert staple for the Dead, and it appears on many of their bootlegs (look at most of the 'Dick's Picks' series and you'll probably find 'St. Stephen' on the bootlegs, say, 10 or 11 times maybe). The vocals are strong, and the guitar riffs are powerful, as only Jerry could deliver.

Other highlights here are 'Doin' That Rag,' 'Cosmic Charlie' and another concert classic, 'Rosemary.'

Overall, this is highly recommended for any Deadhead. Released in 1971, it sounds just as good today as it did back then.

Highly recommended. ENJOY!!!

Kylesa - Static Tensions (Album of the Month)

With all the raving going on over this latest outburst from Kylesa, it’s important to point out that this wasn’t the dead cert it may have looked for an album of the month slot. It isn’t an unqualified piece of waxen genius. It’s scarily close though.

Where Melvins singularly failed to keep themselves lively on the two drumkit path, Kylsea have succeeded. If ever the old ‘you gotta listen to it on headphones’ trope was appropriate, it’s now. So when you pick this album up, make sure to double your fun.

The opening charges of ‘Scapegoat’, ‘Insomnia For Months’ and ‘Said And Done’ demonstrate what’s cool about this idea which is gradually gaining more and more currency. With tubs thumped left, right and centre (and indeed probably in 5.1 surround next time), it’s like an attack from all sides. They’re clever though, in that the depth of rhythmic detail is disguised by the absolute simplicity of what could loosely and highly accurately be called their pure rock fury.

‘Unknown Awareness’ is the sound of a band at one with themselves. It is the creative peak of this album: drums beat ritually and announce the arrival of a riff so beautiful and gargantuan that it needs be the only one in the whole song. It says so much with so little, and so hair raisingly well, that no others are necessary. The liquid guitar lick that trickles over the top of it is as beautiful a Fender twin tributary as you will ever hear. It’s the most mature thing on here, and if their next album is full of gear like this we will be worshipping at the feet of Gods.

They very nearly equal it when ‘Only One’ slams into it’s almost Today Is The Day wail-drenched truncheon fest, before ‘Perception’ darkens things down again. So essentially what we have here is an album with two very distinct feels. One, the hoary rock that will appeal to fans of the usual suspects, being Baroness, Torche, Today Is The Day, Boris and Melvins in no particualr order of evil. Two, a dark and more tingling mixture of Russian Circles, You Judas and dare I mention even Swans, hinting toward a future that looks almost more intriguing than even this excellent slab.

Ciaran Tracey (Metal Ireland)

Albums of the Month (April 09)

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead- Worlds Apart (2005)

- (Rock/Progressive Rock/ Post Hardcore/ Early Emo sound)

This is an album that will stretch your musical limits, as well as tickling the taste buds of the ear. It is a colossus of an album; a massive, sweeping piece of musical maturity from Austin, Texas. At the time of its release some critics lamented the bands demise and denounced the album as a discombobulated mish-mash of pretentious, art-school noodlings - another album that tried a too hard to be 'epic.' I stand in deviant ambivalence to criticism of this album, with two fingers raised firmly in the air; and smirk so belligerent that would make Christopher Hitchens look positively anemic. This is a marvelous album that is highly recommended to all who want a record to play with, not just to listen to. It's vast oceans of musical depth can be quickly navigated, leaving one with a head full of killer hooks and tunes so addictive, that one will be singing in the shower like a true rock star.

Mike