Oh, Dischord, why do you want my monies so? 12” LPs and EPs include a free MP3 Album Download.

An old one, but a good one. I listened the hell out of Spiderland Back In The Day, and as much as I love “Breadcrumb Trail”, or indeed, the rest of the record, this is It. I don’t know what got me onto it this morning, but I’m glad I did. This is sort of the apotheosis of “post-rock”, a genre of which I dispute the very existence, and no number of shitass emo bands aping the last ninety seconds (when the “awesome pedal” kicks in) can undo the greatness of the achievement.

I’m also really glad they didn’t find a female vocalist.

The exemplar of what I described before as Skynyrd-meets-Helmet. Christy visibly shuddered at that description, but I think that it’s a) apt and b) actually pretty flattering, both because Helmet (at least Meantime era Helmet) were a really great, unconventional metal band; and Skynyrd … well, “Working For MCA” is a really, really, really great guitar song. And there’s nothing wrong with a little deep-fried boogie.

I realize that for some this may lead to hideous memories of a childhood in broiling hot Floridian parking lots, getting stoned, eating boiled peanuts and listening to Black Oak Arkansas or something, but for those of us raised in the anomic generic suburbs that surround (insert city here), with nothing to call a culture of our own, well, excuse us for our search for meaning, even as we find our way to the works of the Van Zants, rather than say Thomas Merton or the Gotama Buddha.

This is going to be sort of post-and-run, but holy jeezum crow, “Don’t Change” is a great, great, great song. It sort of re-entered my consciousness after we watched Adventureland, where the music is deployed in a fashion such as to pierce right through my heart and leave me unmanned. Kristen Stewart in a Hüsker Dü t-shirt, riding in a car listening to “Don’t Want To Know If You’re Lonely“? Opening to “Bastards Of Young“? “Just Like Heaven“? I mean, come on. It was nice to have a movie that was aimed dead-center at my demographic, for a change.

Full soundtrack list here.

Think Helmet + Skynyrd. This Blue Record is pretty damn good, but I think the Red Record is better. chugga chugga chugga.

Boyko, Welles and Ms. Welles, and I went to see The Jesus Lizard last night. It was at the Fillmore, which is a nice room, albeit a stupidly expensive one ($6 for the privilege of printing my tickets at home? Fuck me blue!)

Right off the bat, I was wronged by the non-presence of openers Killdozer, who’s absence was noted by a small sign on the side of the venue. FAIL. However, the Jesus Lizard delivered in spades. They were tight, they were brutal, they played “Mouth Breather“. I was happy. It was largely the same cohort what showed up for Shellac and Arcwelder, unsurprisingly, and, although the years haven’t been particularly kind to either David Yow, or, to be perfectly honest, most of us in the audience, Duane Denison was looking quite dapper, and I deeply, deeply, covet his guitar (a semi-hollow body Travis Bean with a Bigsby, if you must know.)

And they rocked out, although Yow cock was not out. He was interactive, but again, the years have definitely taken their toll. Still, it compares favorably with seeing them in 1993, especially as this time I didn’t have to freeze my ass off waiting for the Garfield bus at 2.30am.

Boyko turned me on to these fine Canadian fellows, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. There’s sort of a flirtation with Gravity Records at their least irritating. Happily there are also odd little excursions from what you expect; unexpected little spandrels of melody pop up in the course of 18 minutes of brutality. But make no mistake, this is hardcore punk rock in the 90’s American vein, owing more to Victory records than maybe say Matador.

Worth every penny, especially The Chemistry of Common Life, which I am quite enjoying. Rock on, Canada.