Sharing is Caring (and apparently so is arguing)

Mr. Lonesome:

With the weekend upon us, I thought it might be fun to do something a little different, and say what we’ve been really digging of late. What have you gents been listening to?

Mr. On’ry:

I've been revisiting the first five Jefferson Airplane albums. One of the best American rock bands ever. 

Also been listening to a lot of great recent metal offerings - Ghost, In Solitude, etc.

Mr. Lonesome:

Wow, the first five? And here I thought they went straight from “Surrealistic Pillow” to the Mannequin soundtrack.

You need to recommend a Metal band to me in the vein of Opeth. I’m very interested in getting into some more of Sweden’s finest. I just need it to have some clean vocals.

As for me, been on a HUGE Greg Dulli kick. Most specifically, I’m obsessed with “Saturnalia” from the Gutter Twins. I listen to it pretty much every day. But I’ve been getting back into Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers, too. Oh, and his solo album. And solo Mark Lanegan.

Also, “Show Me” by the Cover Girls. Pure nostalgia 80s pop for me. Don’t judge.

Mr. On’ry:

Dude Volunteers (their fifth and final with the classic late 60's line-up) may be my favorite.  Each album got better and better if you ask me. 

I highly recommend Ghost if you are looking for a good clean-vocal metal band.  They are actually touring with Opeth here in the U.S. in April. 

Mr. Lonesome:

I totally love the song “Miracles” – which is that on? Great melody to it.

Opeth was in Baltimore on my birthday, and I somehow wasn’t able to go. Can you believe that? I’ll look into Ghost. I appreciate the recommendation. Mr Mean would probably tell me to just go listen to The Smiths without any treble.

Mr. On’ry:

Dude I'm pretty sure that was a Jefferson Starship song...we don't speak of the Airplane after they stopped being the Airplane. You dig?

Well then you are a dumb@$$ for missing them.  He'll tell you to go listen to some obscure 80's thrash band (which I approve of mind you) because I'm pretty sure for him metal stopped in like the mid-90's.

Oh and while I'm thinking about it - you should totally check out Baroness if you haven't already.  Their first two albums are brilliant.  I mention them though because they opened for Metallica on part of their last world tour and I just read yesterday that they have the same management now...which means the next record is probably going to be a total turd, but right up your alley!  Ha! 

Mr. Mean:

You missed Opeth on your birthday in the town where you live? No excuses for that one. Besides the fact that you are an idiot.

Yeah, it was the Starship. I liked them though, even after the Airplane. “We Built This City”, not so much. Horrible. Nuclear Furniture is the last album I remember somewhat digging, but I was like 10 so what do I know?

The new Mark Lanegan is supposed to be awesome. Hey dorks! There’s a band from Seattle I like! Screaming Trees. I dig Dulli, too, but mostly Whigs stuff, especially Black Love.

I’ve been nostalgic the last few days thanks to a friend named Rachel, who I used to crush on really hard. She’ll see this and probably laugh at that because she is on my Facebook. I may have been drunk once and told her though. Who’s to know?

Bauhaus – namely the b-side to “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” called “Boys”.

The Cure – “Jumping Someone Else’s Train/Another Journey By Train” and “Birdmad Girl” off the very underrated drug-induced LP The Top.

Echo & The Bunnymen – “Villiers Terrace” – great lyrics – “people rolling around on the carpet, mixing up the medicine”. Also digging the self-titled LP from ’87.

The Smiths – Lonesome’s jam “Oscillate Wildly” made it onto a comp, also “I Want The One I Can’t Have” off the oft-discussed Meat Is Murder LP.

New Order – “Paradise” off their worst Factory album Brotherhood. Also the closer off my favorite album of all time, Technique, called “Dream Attack”.

The Smithereens – great NJ power pop. So undeniably underrated. Why they are not mentioned enough is beyond me.

Mr. Lonesome:

“White Rabbit” – not to sound cliché – but man, that is one of the best tracks of the 60s. It is so crazy-intense, and Grace wails. Though Jim Carrey totally ruined “Somebody to Love” for me in Cable Guy. All I can hear is that creepy vibrato.

I’ve heard something from Baroness, can’t tell you what it is. Yeah, I’m sure it will be genius groove-metal. Like Sabbath  ;o)

Mr. Mean:

“White Rabbit” is a damn fine song. Completely drug-addled goodness.

Sabbath is groove metal? What? The only double-o’s in their description should be doom.

Oh, and to get in on the obscure 80s metal, what about Powermad? Weren’t they in a Lynch movie? Great band, went nowhere. I think Lonesome may actually dig their sound.

Mr. On’ry:

I'm sorry but after Bark (1971) I can't really get behind anything that Jefferson Airplane did and I'm certainly not going to back anything after the name change.  Even they knew they were sullying the good name!

Sabbath is not "goove metal" you ding-dong.  "Groove metal" is a term bad music journalists use for bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Dolt. 

Speaking of obscure 80's bands do you remember Viking?  I'm having a flashback to their cover of Hell Is For Children!

Mr. Mean:

Totally remember Viking. I need to search that out.

No love for Powermad? Nothing?

Dude, how about Tankard, Running Wild, Dark Angel? And, I must admit, I loved Grim Reaper back then, though they are kinda cheesy the older I got.

Mr. On’ry:

My bad.  I was so into smacking Mr. Lonesome around a bit I skipped over the line about Powermad.  Yes, thumbs up.  The first record was on Combat, right? 

Good calls on all of the bands you listed but my favorite of the lot would be Tankard.  What about Raven? Riot?  Coroner?  Dude we could do this all day. 

Mr. Lonesome needs to defend his "groove metal" comment because I'm still affronted by it.  Ha!

Mr. Mean:

First record was on Combat, yes. The Absolute Power LP was on Warners.

I mentioned Riot last week on Facebook. I love them dude. Raven, hell yes, though they had some missteps. I loved Wacko’s hockey mask or whatever the hell it was he wore. Coroner, nice one. What about Sodom? Ludichrist? Forbidden?

I don’t understand the groove metal/Sabbath bit at all. I think he’s clearly listening to Infectious Grooves or Mindfunk.

Mr. On’ry:

Love, love, love Sodom.  Absolutely. 

He probably saw that recent Fishbone documentary and got confused.

Mr. Lonesome:

Hahaha OK. So we all know people throw out “labels” that attempt to define a genre. Maybe in the eyes of others, “groove metal” means something differently than what it does to me. So this is what I meant by it: slow, thunderous riffs that fit into the groove of the rhythm section. A lot of prog drummers will play along to the riffs. Other drummers, like Bill Ward, lays down a beat that is offset from the guitar riff. He finds a groove in the measure. It’s how I hear Sabbath. They aren’t speed/thrash metal. They have slower tempos and create darkness with mood. This is how I see Metallica post-Justice. They just became a rock band. Like AC/DC. They also have that groove to them.

I apologize if I offended anyone with my terminology. But since we agree journalists and insiders make up genres anyway….

Mr. Mean:

He just replied with his “they play slower” bit. Slow does not mean groovy. I don’t understand him sometimes.

Mr. Lonesome:

And groovy does not mean groove, jacknut.

Mr. On’ry:

Great explanation!  Thanks for taking the time to spell it out.   But did you honestly just compare Black Sabbath to post-Justice Metallica?!?  I may seriously hurt you when I see you.

Mr. Mean:

Lonesome, what you wrote makes no sense anyway. I was derailed because of it. My bad. Do you just sit back and read Rolling Stone and Pitchfork for your terminology?

It makes no sense to me. Especially the Sabbath/Metallica bit. I get seconds on kicking him.

Realization #1 today that will surely get me killed by either of you: I listened to “Enter Sandman” very loudly the other day in the car. It’s good. I have no problem with that song. Thunderous. And you can actually hear Newkid’s bass, so that is a plus from the album before it. I may go back and revisit the s/t album. A straight listen from start to finish on a drive in the car. No headphones crap. Loud stuff. Anyone have a copy on Vertigo they will give me? The Euro cd was supposedly much better sounding.

Mr. On’ry:

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.  That has to be one of the dumbest effing songs ever written.  You are kidding me right?  Right?

Mr. Mean:

I knew it would make you yak and Lonesome jump for joy. No dude, I really think it’s good. I put away my “they slowed down” and “I’ve heard it a thousand times” bit and actually listened to it very loudly. It’s a great, hard-hitting song. The lyrics are pretty bunk but the song rules. It’s really, really heavy, just not fast. I am cool with that on this song.

Mr. Lonesome:

Wow. It must be my birthday.

Mr. On’ry:

I feel like this is an episode of the Twilight Zone where I'm the only sane motherf*cker left on Earth.  I have no words for this conversation except that it was one of the worst songs on the album and contains some of the dumbest lyrics I've ever heard.  Ever.  It's brutally simplistic to the point where I once played the entire songs on drums - me!  And I don't play drums!  It's a crapfest if there ever was one.

Mr. Lonesome:

Sorry. But it is catchy as hell. And when I watched them perform it at the MTV Video Awards, it confirmed in me the desire to play music. Though it’s not my favorite from that record, it has had an indelible impact on me and my love for music since then.

Mr. On’ry:

Eureka!  This would explain your sometimes horribly crappy taste in music! 

Mr. Mean:

Again, back to my “I don’t care about virtuosity” bit. On’ry said “It's brutally simplistic”. So effing what? A lot of music is simple. I don’t care if Ludwig Van Halentoven plays guitar like a god or composes the music of angels. If I went about not liking music because it was simple, I wouldn’t like punk or hardcore. But I do.

Mr. On’ry:

It's a horrible song and you two are idiots.

Mr. Mean:

Good comeback, Captain Sparkles.

Lonesome and I are gonna go get plastered one night and listen to this song, badmouthing your bird nest beard all night long.