Wolf's Week #7
Nostril Caverns, Jeffrey Martin, other stuff
I never said this newsletter would be good. I never said you'd get it on time. I only promised you'd receive it once a week. I am making good on that limited, non-binding promise today.
Music
Nostril Caverns - Implanted Perceptions (self-released)
From: Milton, Canada
Genre: grind / death metal
I was hipped to Nostril Caverns by Jon Rosenthal, who has some great music coming out in the very near future because Jon always has music coming out. One in particular you might be interested in is Unsure, Jon's new slowcore project. If you're down with Codeine and Idaho, and I know that you are because I can see your email address on my mailing list, you should give it a listen.
Anyway, Nostril Caverns is Chris Balch. You can learn more about the musician and the project at the Nostril Caverns website, which includes a detailed rundown of each release. Or don't and dive right into this one like I did. Live your life, friend. Live más, even.
Implanted Perceptions consists of 48 40-second songs. A lot of what you need to know about this sandblaster of an album is contained in that sentence. Like, the following observation will not surprise you now: Each track is bursting with sick riffs and blasts, sounding like an album-full of Afterbirth songs getting crunched down by a black hole into deliriously grinding miniatures. And, not unlike Gridlink, which is probably the closer comparison, Balch's playing has a playful nimbleness that is exact but not too precise, amplifying the overall ferocity of the gritty death/grind without sounding like it was composed in a clean room. Even the hidden melodic moments within the maelstrom are caked in a pleasing coat of grime. Naturally, this won't be for everyone; the final two song titles, "Jumbled and Blurred" and "Oppressive Pointlessness," probably sum up the reactions of many. But if you miss old Willowtip-style mayhem, Nostril Caverns makes for a hell of a pick.
Fabiano do Nascimento with Arthur Verocai and Vittor Santos' Orquestra - Lendas (Now-Again Records)
From: Los Angeles, CA
Genre: folk / bossa nova
Shout out to Michael Wuensch for sticking this banger on his year-end list. More about that list below.
Fabiano do Nascimento is a Brazilian guitarist now residing in LA. For this release, do Nascimento and composer Vittor Santos sought to create, per the Bandcamp liner notes, an album featuring "an orchestral dialogue between stacks of strings and Do Nascimento's plaintive plucking." The effect is terrific, like an aerial dance between two acrobatic birds. And it really does feel like a nuanced conversation between old friends, with the guitarist and orchestra taking turns leading the discussion. If that's not enough, the god Arthur Verocai drops by and chips in an arrangement on the album's standout, "Noite Suite."
Lendas, which translates to "legends," embodies a concept that "recalls memories from places that no longer exist; from fever dreams in the Amazon; from parts of the world we might never see or engage, but can imagine through music." You see where I'm going with this, right? Yeah, what do Nascimento, Santos, and Verocai have created transcends imagination, establishing its own vivid reality.
Krallice - Mass Cathexis 2 - The Kinetic Infinite (P2)
From: Queens, NY
Genre: Krallice
Mass Cathexis 2 - The Kinetic Infinite is the triumphant return for fans who wished Mick Barr would play guitar again. Still, while this album plops the band back into the death/sludge of 2020's Mass Cathexis, complete with Dave Edwardson's guest roar on the first four tracks, it doesn't entirely sever its ties to the ethereal expeditions the Queens quartet has been undertaking over its past four full-lengths. If anything, The Kinetic Infinite side of the album is the great synthesis of Krallice's 2020s earthy/cosmic interests. Mass Cathexis 2 reenters the atmosphere ablaze, burning red hot. The Kinetic Infinite takes what Krallice has learned from past sojourns and blasts off once more on a new mission. I hate to say this with the regularity of Krallice releasing music, but we'll miss this band when it's gone.
Other music stuff:
Mint Condition - "U Send Me Swingin'"
If "U Send Me Swingin'" isn't one of the best R&B ballads of the '90s, it's at least one of my favorites. Penned by Mint Condition keyboardist Keri Lewis, this #2 R&B chart hit goes hard with the harmonies, wrapping you within velvety romance. And Stokley Williams' approach is genius. Yes, he's a generational singer. If you somehow haven't heard it, let "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" make you breathless if you need a hint of his hall-of-fame credentials. But I love how Williams lays back in this one, just letting the swing (ahem) of the groove turn the hook into this highly concentrated nugget of undying devotion. It's like getting caught in love's undertow all over again.
Speaking of love, if you've been hanging with me for a while, you know I am particularly fond of the first two Mint Condition albums. 1991's Meant to Be Mint is my new jack swing-adjacent holy grail. (The only album that challenges it as a soup-to-nuts experience is probably Portrait. I dig Guy, etc., but those albums have some duds. Singles are another story and a tale best told in a future newsletter.) It's like an evolved The Time that was updated for the '90s and poured all of its skill tree points into gaining even more chops. "Are You Free" is an all-timer, a song so effervescent and energizing it's like aural espresso. The follow-up, 1993's From the Mint Factory, featuring "U Send Me Swingin'" as its second single, is my favorite, opening with four bangers right off the bat. It's a hell of a run, particularly the one-two of "Nobody Does It Betta" into "If the Feeling's Right." What I like about Mint Condition is that it stands out in an era dominated by producers; they're a band first, and damn, can that band get down.
Find me on Bandcamp until Ampwall goes live.
Wishlist Roulette
In this section, I'll randomly choose an album from my voluminous Bandcamp wishlist. After listening to it, I'll either buy or remove it.
ore. - Images (self-released)
From: Portland, OR
Genre: rock / psych
Welp. This is the kind of album I feared I'd end up writing about when I launched this section: I like it, but not enough to buy it. Don't worry, ore. Everyone I try to date tells me the same thing. Alas.
First, the positives. ore. is a trio from Portland that hits a recent sonic sweet spot of mine, reminding me of REZN taking a detour into indie territory. Like the aforementioned gaze-y, spectral doomer, the vocal harmonies between guitarist Nathan Mutchler and bassist Bailey Norman are often executed gorgeously, draped in a mystically melancholic aura. (Chrome Ghost isn't out of the question as a comparison, either.) I mean, there's a song titled "Ache." You know where we're at. Noah Conroy's drumming is consistently intriguing, too, constructing a pleasing pocket while outlining everything with neat fills. ore. has "it" even if Images isn't quite "it" yet.
So, yeah, let's talk about the bad, albeit "bad" in a highly subjective sense. The bone I have to pick with Images is that these songs often wrap up right when I think they're about to hit their stride. Sure, they say leave them wanting more, but I don't feel like I got anything yet. Case in point, my favorite stretch of this record is "Stumped," a one-minute snippet of what I'm guessing was a much longer jam session. My friends, I'd listen to 10 minutes of that. Give me the solos! Give me the journey! And whenever ore. stretches out, good things happen, such as on the slightly longer "Melting" and "In Between." Those songs feel like songs, while everything else feels like a sketch.1
Guh. A dilemma. I want to love this band. Here's the deal, then: Despite my reservations, I'm buying Images. Deep down, I know this band is going to become something. And I think it needs a champion. Why not me? And, hell, why not you?
Gift Guide
Substack HQ tells me that a holiday gift guide is the best way to trick — no, sorry — entice subscribers. This extremely lazy, one-time section is that. Enjoy, sickos.
The best deal in metal is New Standard Elite's Bandcamp discography for $11.70. That's 117 releases, including this one:
Transylvanian Recordings is offering a special on physical releases. You can also snag its 191 releases for $47.20.
The 34 Lavadome releases will only set you back €40.69.
Pathologically Explicit has 115 releases priced to move at €59.75.
Heard you like goo. How about 53 Ungodly Ruins Productions releases for $13.98.
Alright. Toss more deals into the comments.
Reading
I picked Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun back up, meaning that I am back on my pre-pandemic/-heartbreak bullshit of reading four books at the same time. (Technically five if you count me reading a page from Finnegans Wake once a quarter.) Other than that, not much to report. I've been too busy.
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"Best Of 2023 – Zach Duvall: A Wholly Nonsensical Display Of Glory," by Zach Duvall, Last Rites
As you can tell from the kind of kitchen-sink lists I typically construct, I like a big ol' mention-them-all blowout with plenty of sections that take on the form of side quests. The Last Rites lists are always like that, and Zach Duvall has a doozy this year. I'll probably mention a few more of these next week.
"Best Of 2023 – Captain: Have You Heard The Good Word About Clunky Clock Radios And Power Metal, Brothers And Sisters??," by Michael Wuensch, Last Rites
I've been ripping off Captain's writing style for two decades now. If I have a style that is definably my own, it's Stephen Thomas Erlewine's observations and Captain's talking-to-you-at-a-bar-about-sci-fi-paperbacks tone. And this list is quintessential Captain material, something I'll refer back to more than a few times whenever I'm in a writing rut.
"The Good Guy," by David Roth, Defector
Easily the best Andre Braugher obit I've read.
Movies
Freejack (1992)
Loosely based on Robert Sheckley's 1959 novel Immortality, Inc., kind of like how a bolt can be loose on a space shuttle before it explodes. Freejack, a Total Recall coattail rider, follows the travails of Emilio Estevez's racecar driver when he's zapped into the future (a dismal 2009 that still has distinctly less The Black Eyed Peas) to be the unwitting host of Anthony Hopkins' brain. The draw is seeing some eye-scouring early '90s CGI probably now serving its true purpose as b-roll for a lofi house or IDM track on YouTube. Cool in an 'old suckitude is kitschy' way. But if you're here for the story, a needlessly knotty tale of bonejackers, SparkNotes Soylent Green, and what David Johansen has been doing with his free time after the New York Dolls, you're wasting your life. Still, if you're so inclined, Freejack asks brain-busting questions like, What is Mick Jagger even trying to do, and why is Estevez always wet? 1.5/5
Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Heinous. Even the spectacle of Jeremy Irons nearly suffocating on the humidity of his Southern accent isn't worth enduring this hormonal garbage for. A teenage love story in the sense that being a teenager is also awkward and embarrassing. 1/5
Step Up All In (2014)
Look, is this a good movie? It is not. Is this even a patch on the older Step Up installments? No. Did I emit a squee during the "Every Little Step" sequence? I did. That's something I have to live with. 1.5/5
Rock of Ages (2012)
The only reason jukebox musicals exist is so theater kids can pretend they have a personality. Taken on those merits, this movie isn't as bad as critics made it out to be. I mean, it is bad. Even if your kid wrote this story for you, you'd throw it into the fireplace instead of putting it on the fridge. But it's not on the level of, like, Cats. Mary J. Blige is the only person in this movie who can sing, and, mostly because of that, she avoids a career lowlight. Julianne Hough plays her character with the naive cuteness of someone setting foot on the BYU campus who is blissfully ignorant of soaking, which kind of works compared to whatever Hallmark-safe sleeze her compatriots are attempting. Also, lol at the "rockers" using Jefferson Starship as a rallying cry. 1.5/5
Jumanji (1995)
Forget fears of the Simulation: Are we all living in an unfinished game of Jumanji? 2.5/5
Dim Sum Funeral (2008)
A comedy-drama sans comedy. Sets up big emotional moments with the subtlety of a drill sergeant yelling "FEEL SOMETHING, MAGGOT." I thought Julia Nickson did what she could, though. 1.5/5
Teen Witch (1989)
A titan in the early meme canon. I think I've seen most of this movie via low-res eBaum's World clips. Turns out there's not much plot surrounding the more infamous setpieces. I will say that Richie Miller is one of the more annoying movie characters of all time. That's the '80s no one is nostalgic for. 1.5/5
Check out my Letterboxd if you're bored.
Show Report
JEFFREY MARTIN / ANNA TIVEL - 12/14/2023 at The Wayfarer
OK. I've been told I need to talk more about the venues and general ambiance. The Wayfarer sits in a strip mall in Costa Mesa. These days, anytime I go to a venue with its own (free!) parking lot, I marvel at how far I don't have to walk. Oh, rad, I didn't get hiking cramps on my way here. What a miracle.
The Wayfarer's interior is fairly nondescript. The general vibe is "bar." You know, stools, TV, pool table, that whole deal. I wouldn't class it as a dive. You don't need a tetanus shot after visiting it. But it's more like the epitome of a neighborhood watering hole. It suits me just fine, but maybe don't take a high-maintenance date here.
What sets The Wayfarer apart is its floor plan, which positions the music venue portion out of the way of regular bar traffic. The stage is reasonably tall, making for unobstructed viewing. There's bench seating along the left side. And, with its lower capacity and decent acoustics, that makes it the ideal replacement-level venue. What the Wayfarer lacks in frills, it makes up for by not being annoying. That's a big plus for a SoCal venue.
Over the past two editions, I've been putting forth my theory that, while her records haven't hooked me, I'd probably like Anna Tivel live. I was sort of right: I love Anna Tivel live. The Portland singer/songwriter performed a mostly solo set, just her and her acoustic guitar, until the final two cuts when Jeffrey Martin sang harmony. Tivel's knack for storytelling is really something, especially on her new album, Outsiders, showcasing her ability to zoom in on beautifully rendered snapshots of the watershed moment in people's lives. She's the kind of writer who can make you feel empathy for NPCs.
Still, Tivel's studio albums don't always land for me because I find some of the instrumentation to be too precious. So, I tend to gravitate toward her sparer works, such as the recently released Outsiders (Live in a Living Room) and Anna Tivel on Audiotree Live, which strip everything down to the most essential elements. And that's what we got live. While I wish her vocals were a little higher in the mix on the night, hearing these songs dried out from reverb and with guitar-only accompaniment made them shine. It was Tivel's voice, words, and chords. What more do you need?
Jeffrey Martin is going to be a star if he isn't already. The singer/songwriter's newest album, Thank God We Left the Garden, was recorded in a shack that Martin built himself. His resonant voice fills up that shack like I imagine he fills up any room he's in. He's just that kind of personality, exuding an easy-going gregariousness while also possessing an immense philosophical depth, even when he's singing songs about being a "checkers playing gutter bitch."
Right, met by an enthusiastic crowd familiar with his catalog, Martin treated us to a bunch of unreleased fan favorites and deep cuts. He nailed all of them, pouring himself into each like they were his hit singles. And I can't remember another show where I felt such a range of emotions. "I might cry," a fan beside me said to their friend before Martin launched into a hilarious, self-deprecating set-up to the next song. And that's the biggest takeaway from Martin's material, really: We contain multitudes.
THE KIDS / TOMMY AND THE COMMIES / TUBE ALLOYS - 12/15/2023 at Zebulon
Thanks to traffic, I was only able to catch half of Tube Alloys' set. What I witnessed was solid, reminding me of later Wire filtered through a modern post-punk band like Total Control. The quartet's new album, Magnetic Point, sounds a little more aggressive and adventurous than I remember its set being, so I wouldn't mind catching the band again to see if it can capture that spark. That said, I was fresh off the total pandemonium of the 210 freeway, so maybe I just needed to come down.
Musically, Tommy and the Commies was my highlight of the night. The Sudbury, Ontario, trio played a pepped-up and punky power pop that naturally reminded me of The Buzzcocks and Undertones. Singer/guitarist Tommy Commy even has that Feargal Sharkey shivering vibrato. And the band came to rock, barely pausing between songs before launching into another banger with fast, glittering riffs and insanely sticky hooks. Once I inevitably hit the lotto, my goal is to set up a bill with Tommy and the Commies, The Busy Signals, and Radioactivity. In other words, we need more of these bands in the world. Catch 'em live if you can.
Still buzzing, I really thought that Tommy and the Commies was going to be the high point of the night, and this would be an awkward section of the blurb to write. Oh, no. Wrong. Out came The Kids, and they crushed. The Belgian punk band, or at least the lone original member, Ludo Mariman, has been doing this for 47 years, and it shows. However, compared to many elder statesmen punk bands I've seen, The Kids, who, yes, are no longer kids, had an irrepressible energy. Clearly, the four-piece wasn't faking it to pay their mortgages. They obviously still catch a buzz off this stuff. And the crowd sent everything The Kids put into its performance back the band's way.
Indeed, this was easily the most raucous show I've caught at Zebulon this year, with a pumped-up crowd swaying and singing along to classics like "Fascist Cops," "I Wanna Get a Job in the City," "No Monarchy," and a rocking extended cover of Wire's "12XU." During the closer, "Do You Love the Nazis," stage divers accidentally knocked over Mariman's mic, which caused the frontman to look at his compatriots in bemusement: We're still able to cook up this kind of chaos, eh? Sure are. One of my favorite sets this year.
Other Stuff
Mama, I made it. Someone is trying to impersonate me.
Look, this obviously isn't me. As anyone who has ever tried to offer me something knows, I am frustratingly inflexible regarding my puritanical morality. I'll always disclose when I know a band in something other than a professional capacity. I won't take gifts. And I sure as hell won't take money for a review. In fact, I will probably never contact you unless you were in a fake heavy metal band in the '80s. (Call me Lords of the Crimson Alliance.)
And yeah, the mere thought that anyone would want me to write about their music is hilarious, proving this person did zero research on their subject. It's like, "Why yes, I am former professional basketball player Len Bias. You might remember me for my time with *checks Google* the Celtics?" Still, one thousand followers? If all those pornbots want to shift over to my real account, I won't be mad at the clout.
Upcoming Stuff
Whew, the new Replicant album absolutely smokes. Farewell, my face. No one liked it anyway. Infinite Mortality is the band's best work and doubles down on its goal of making intelligent death metal that also whips your ass with a chuggy Disembodied-type mosh degeneracy. I can't wait to write about this thing. You can currently preorder it for $1. Do that.
Shows:
Not much happening on the show front this week. Christmas is always the show deadzone. I have a few events, such as Princemas, which is a Prince Christmas, naturally, and the Nu Metal Agenda Xmas Party. I guess I can report out on those next week.
Follow me on IG for upcoming release natterings and show dispatches.
Hocking My Wares
It lives. Here's The Black Market's top 10 albums of 2023. If you're thinking, Wow, Wolf, these blurbs read like you wrote them in an exhausted daze during a Christmas party...yes...you're right. How...how do you know that? Are you a cop? Are you wearing a wire?
Also, if you haven't, please drop your top 20 in the comments. Yes, this is my plea to make it seem like the column has a high level of engagement.
Check out Wolf's other garbage: https://linktr.ee/wrambatz
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I wish Elder would envelop this band because it would solve both outfits' issues, allowing ore. to meander, and Elder would finally get great vocals.