I should know by now to keep my expectations in check, but I was so looking forward to the new Bastard Priest album and have been for so long, it's such a letdown to report that it's merely okay. And the fact that it's only decent is almost enough to make me hate it. Almost. The problem isn't even that the b-side of the LP consists of an updated version of their stellar "Merciless insane death" demo, an obvious sticking point for many discriminating listeners, it's that the new songs on side A aren't that hot. They all stick to the same basic formula more or less with a chorus that repeats the title of the song and it's extremely tiresome the 3rd or 4th time around. I'm fine with cro-magnon lunk-headed metal, but this is too much, especially when the riffs aren't so hot to begin with. Thankfully, the title track "Under the hammer of destruction" sounds just as raging as when I first heard it on the demo over a year ago. The detonating bomb intro: not subtle at all, but a perfect summation of what Bastard Priest sounds like at their best. And yes, the chorus does just repeat the title.
I have to say, I like this song a heckuva lot more than I thought I would. I expected overwrought emo-pop silliness and while The Shiloh are definitely rooted in such terrain, their new single is really just a great pop song. Still leaning towards overwrought perhaps, but in a good way. Though maybe not quite as stellar as We are the Storm's "I woke up to the bells", it's got a similar appeal, it pulls the same heartstrings. Oh, and bonus points for a star turn by the daughter of IAT.MP3 artist Racingpaperplanes/Richard Wilson! Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX0aB0RfNsc
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Bastard Priest - Power of death
02. TALK 1
03. Mindy Misty - Dead pan frenzy
04. Mother of the Forest - Kingdom
05. Säkert! - Fredrik
06. TALK 2
07. Pistol Disco - Pool
08. Obstacles - Rorschach
09. Radar - Paradigm shift
10. TALK 3
11. The Bear Quartet - Fist or hand
12. Niels Nielsen - Dpend
13. Adam Tensta - Young black boy
14. TALK 4
15. I'm Kingfisher - Willing night plants
16. Joel Alme - No class
17. Dear Euphoria - Coming down
18. The Genuine Fakes - When reality hits you
19. TALK 5
20. Brick - Call Batman
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
01. Hellbillies - Leite etter lykka
02. Contrazt - Ser på verden
03. Vestlandsfanden - Livets Glade Plommer
04. A-ha - 25
05. Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel
06. Kvelertak - Kvelertak
07. Guren Hagen - Alle de beste
08. Roy Lønhøiden - Tilbake i tid - de beste sangene
09. Aasmund Nordstoga - Friaren
10. Alexander Rybak - No Boundaries
11. Jan Toft - Alle e aleina
12. Knutsen & Ludvigsen - Dum og Deilig - Knutsen og Ludvigsen
13. Karpe Diem - Aldri Solgt En Løgn
14. Trond Granlund - Sanger jeg lærte av faren min
15. Celine - Jentekveld
16. Ingeborg Selnes - Heartcore
17. Lars Vaular - Helt om natten, Helt om dagen
18. Donkeyboy - Caught in a Life
19. Elg - Storm
20. Diverse artister - Go'natt
The one track missing from the vinyl release of "89" gets a platter all its own, paired with a cover of the same by Göteborg noiseniks The Skull Defekts and released on the imprint of Malmö-based . Though The Bear Quartet has toned down the antagonistic experimentalism that peaked with 2006's "Eternity now", the lyrical sentiment remains pure contempt, as is most often the case with latter-day BQ tracks featuring words penned by Mr. Mattias Alkberg. Needless to say, I love it, especially when they pair their anger with a refined, stripped-down postpunk approach as is on display here. As for the flip, The Skull Defekts don't remake the track as much as you might expect, though they do amplify the noise and aggression quotient, taking the sublime and turning it darkly sinister. Less subtle, to be sure, but no less effective. Not sure about the pressing numbers, but the glued jacket and heavy black dustsleeve make it a package worth possessing. - Avi Roig
The new The Bear Quartet single "Fist or hand" isn't officially released until September 1, but the label is already offering it for download along with a b-side reggae cover version by Desmond Foster featuring Gordon Cyrys on vocals: http://www.adrianfiles.com/BQ-Fist_Or_Hand-MP3.rar
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Särkyneet - Huono nainen
02. TALK 1
03. Masshysteri - Masshysteri del två
04. Interment - Eternal darkness
05. Cut City - The sound and the sore
06. Fireside - Lovecar
07. TALK 2
08. Moto Boy - Early grave
09. V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble - Start at the finish
10. The Goner - Lost summer
11. TALK 3
12. The World - Roybgiv
13. Familjen - Det var jag
14. STYGG - Sleep
15. TALK 4
16. EL-SD - Hille
17. Menfolk - Column 79
18. Camouflage - La la la
19. Grande Roses - The astronaut
20. TALK 5
21. Donkeyboy - Ambitions
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
01. Hellbillies - Leite etter lykka
02. Contrazt - Ser på verden
03. Motorpsycho - Timothy's Monster
04. Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel
05. Alexander Rybak - No Boundaries
06. Jan Toft - Alle e aleina
07. Vestlandsfanden - Livets Glade Plommer
08. Kvelertak - Kvelertak
09. Aasmund Nordstoga - Friaren
10. Guren Hagen - Alle de beste
11. Roy Lønhøiden - Tilbake i tid - de beste sangene
12. Karpe Diem - Aldri Solgt En Løgn
13. Knutsen & Ludvigsen - Dum og Deilig - Knutsen og Ludvigsen
14. Trond Granlund - Sanger jeg lærte av faren min
15. Lars Vaular - Helt om natten, Helt om dagen
16. Donkeyboy - Caught in a Life
17. Elg - Storm
18. Diverse artister - Go'natt
19. Madrugada - Industrial Silence
20. Celine - Jentekveld
I haven't been posting too many mp3s lately because there hasn't been too many releases that I'm really excited about. Of course I could keep on posting negative reviews of stuff I dislike, but that's extremely depressing, not to mention needlessly tedious. I still have to listen to the stuff, y'know? So what I'm going to do is what I've been doing (more or less) which is post more tracks from bands I've already talked up. I pretty much have only been listening to the same dozen-plus bands anyway, so it logically follows that my playlist here reflects that. Anyhow, EL-SD impressed me a lot with their side of their Axe split from a few months back and the group is now working on a full-length album. I've been lucky enough to receive a few preproduction samples and lucky for you, I've been given permission to share one. "Hille" doesn't differ much from the template on display in "Walking sideways"; they're still building walls of discordant noiserock anchored by a heavy rhythm section, but oh man, do they have hooks too! I wouldn't think it possible with such weird vocals, but they pull it off exceptionally well. I guess you could say that weird = memorable in this case. I'm told the band is currently seeking label support and though I'm not optimistic for them, I'm eager to be proven wrong. Personally, I'd go DIY in the face of so few indie labels putting out actual indierock, but hey, like I said, I'm happy to be refuted on the subject. Don't let my negativity rub off on you. Spread the word/music.
has posted the artwork and preorder details for the new The Bear Quartet album "Monty Python", due out September 15: http://www.adrianrecordings.com/default.asp?newsid=279
It will be released in tandem with the single "Fist or hand".
The Bear Quartet/The Skull Defekts - Millions 7" 
mattg | Wed, Aug 25th, 2010 17:00:26