Up to this point, the chief appeal of Chilean duo has been the tone. Their first two albums — 2012’s Chapter II: Vulgo Gratissimus Auctor (review here) and their 2011 self-titled debut (review here) — practically shocked the listener once it was understood that there was no bass, and that guitarist/vocalist Néstor Ayala and drummer/backing vocalist Francisco Alvarado were creating that richness of sound with just the two of them. That and a burgeoning lean toward catchy hooks made particularly the second album and the band’s ensuing digital EPs and singles indicative of potential for something more intricate and skillfully crafted, and their third album, Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución, arrives self-released on CD/digital with vinyl due March 2014 on Bilocation Records as the realization of that potential. In the layers of Ayala‘s vocals and in the songs overall the band’s melodic sensibility has bloomed, and the 10-track/55-minute offering is all the more engaging for it. One is tempted to compare it on paper to Torche, who also blended thick tones, pop melodies and irresistible hooks to satisfying effect, but the reality of Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución is different, less upbeat musically and more socially themed in its lyrics, as heard on the extended “40 Years Ago,” which deals directly with the 1973 coup in Chile that saw the rise of Augusto Pinochet, even breaking in the middle to a long sample (in Spanish) of the news about the government being overthrown by the military before the lyrics (in English) return to decry the theft of natural resources for capitalist ends and land on repeating the lines, “Never again in our country.” That the words to that song and all the others save for the mostly-acoustic “Time to Flee” would be in English is even more interesting in the context of an anti-colonialist stance, but ultimately the album is about more than just that, with opener “Don’t See You Around” offering a laid back, rolling groove that catches the ear immediately and allows At Devil Dirt a platform from which to launch the varied explorations of “I Lost My Guide,” “Mommy,” “40 Years Ago” and so on.

Unmistakably, the mood of closer “There is Not a God or a Devil” is darker than a lot of the rest of Plan B: Sin Revolución no hay Evolución, and while “40 Years Ago” is mournful, then the finale is more horror-themed, but even in those last moments, At Devil Dirt hold to a psychedelia that sounds full and heavy and balanced. The inclusion of a cover of The Beatles‘ “Across the Universe” is telling, and that famous single is treated to a suitable rumble and vocal layering, but really, the songs showcase a diversity of spirit each almost unto itself, and where “Don’t See You Around” is practically dream-pop with tonal gravitational pull, “Conscience” takes more of a heads-down rush to get to its own strong chorus, more definitively stoner rock in its vibe, with rougher vocals over top of the continually-impressive low end. Those vocals still arrive in layers, whether it’s Ayala adding tracks to his own voice or Alvarado backing, and provide the uniting factor that ties much of the record together throughout the various shifts in mood and approach. The semi-title-track, “Sin Revolución no hay Evolución,” begins one of the album’s most significant of these moves, though admittedly it’s more thematic than sonic, acting as a kind of introductory chapter in a four-piece set of political material. There are those automatically turned off by social consciousness in music. I’m not one of them. South America has beautiful traditions both of heavy rock and political philosophy in art, and At Devil Dirt in no way sacrifice songwriting for message, so all the better. “Sin Revolución no hay Evolución” keeps firm to the opening duo’s memorable ethic, pulling back on some of the crunch of “Conscience,” and even with the long break from about 3:20 to 9:37, “40 Years Ago” carries with it one of the most resonant hooks At Devil Dirt have composed to date, which leaves a lasting impression even though the slower third movement of the song doesn’t return to it (I had been hoping for just one final runthrough). The second-longest cut, “People Raise Again” (6:30) ups the pace initially and moves fluidly through a languid verse chug that devolves into droning and noise that foreshadows the psychedelia to come on “I Lost My Guide” and “Mommy.”

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There was a point during the making of this podcast when I stepped back for a second realized, “This is getting really heavy.” It kind of happened out of the blue, but it definitely happened, and though the thought occurred to me to maybe pull it back and get into some more rocking stuff in the second hour again, I decided instead to just run with it and have fun and go as all-out ridiculously heavy as I could think of. That’s when we get to Beast in the Field‘s 22-minute “Oncoming Avalanche.” I know I’ve had them in before, but if you’re going all out in 2013 releases, that’s where you’re gonna end up.

Plus, I figured there’s plenty of rocking stuff up front, starting with At Devil Dirt and the subsequent riff pushers in the first hour, and the whole thing rounds out with the psych-hypnosis of The Cosmic Dead, so though it’s far out by the conclusion, it does manage to come back from the ultra-weighted tones somewhat. Screw it. I was having a good time stringing together heavy songs. The bottom line of this whole thing is for it to be fun, and I was having fun, so there you go.

I hope you have fun with it too. Once again, we come in just under two hours with a slew of newer cuts and some stuff from earlier this year that maybe got missed along the way. Considering there’s so much pummel, it flows pretty well.

First Hour:
At Devil Dirt, “Don’t See You Around” from Plan B: Sin Revolucion No Hay Evolucion (2013)
Pigs, “Elo Kiddies” from Gaffe (2013)
Mutoid Man, “Scavengers” from Helium Head (2013)
Viper Fever, “Summer Time” from Super Heavy Garage EP (2013)
Sons of Huns, “I’m Your Dad” from Banishment Ritual (2013)
Blackout, “Seven” from We Are Here (2013)
Horisont, “Backstreet” from Time Warriors (2013)
Old Man Wizard, “If Only” from Unfavorable (2013)
Mother Susurrus, “Anagnorisis” from Maahaavaa (2013)
Coma Wall, “You are My Death” from Wood and Wire Split (2013)
Mollusk, “Hollowed” from Colony of Machines (2013)
Sea of Bones, “Failure of Light” from The Earth Wants us Dead (2013)

Second Hour:
Corrections House, “Dirt Poor and Mentally Ill” from Last City Zero (2013)
Rosetta, “Myo/The Miraculous” from The Anasthete (2013)
Beast in the Field, “Oncoming Avalanche” from The Sacred Above, the Sacred Below (2013)
The Cosmic Dead, “Djamba” from The Cosmic Dead/Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Split (2013)

Total running time: 1:59:29

Thank you for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 031

Originally announced at the beginning of September, the first volume of the Myelin Constellation MS benefit comp has been released. You can see below all the artists who took place in the thing with previously unreleased material, but seriously, it’s the $6 price tag that should be catching your eye. To shell out so little cash, have it go to a good cause — because, really, fuck MS — and get 20 tracks from killer bands, including Sleestak, whose own Matt Schmitz put the whole thing together can’t be seen as anything but a bigtime win if you’ve got ears and six dollars to your name.

Schmitz sent the following down the PR wire:

Myelin Constellation Vol. 1 is released!

I’m just gonna make this quick because I’ve been fairly busy with a handful of different things.

Myelin Constellation Volume 1 is out now (actually released October 1st but only got around to doing an email for it now). Please go to http://mconstellation.bandcamp.com/ to download your copy. 20 bands, $6 or more if you can. Every bit helps us out over here and I appreciate everyone who has downloaded it so far! Thank you! Bands that appear in this first edition include:

Northless
Sons Of Otis
Gates Of Slumber
Backwoods Payback
Coltsblood
Wo Fat
Stone Magnum
Apostle Of Solitude
Sons Of Alpha Centauri
Sleestak
Black Capricorn
At Devil Dirt
Confused Little Girl
Abrahma
Narcotic Luxuria
Asatta
Headless Kross
Myopic Empire
Switchblade Jesus
Albatwitch

Make sure to read the liner notes on the Bandcamp page please! Visit our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/mconstellation and stay tuned for news regarding Volume 2. As always we are constantly accepting submissions from bands who have live, unreleased, alternate version, remixed, demo, rare, or just plain brand spankin’ new songs in their archives and want to be a part of this benefit comp for Multiple Sclerosis.

Thanks to all the bands who have helped, all the blogs, radio stations, and individuals that have helped with promoting this project!

-Matt

http://mconstellation.bandcamp.com/

Various Artists, Myelin Constellation (2013)

I was about to post somebody else’s video, an official-type thing that came down the PR wire earlier today, and then I saw this clip from Chilean bashers At Devil Dirt. The song is “That’s the Way I Like It” from their self-titled debut (review here), and as you can see once you press play, it’s a stand-and-deliver performance of balls-out unfuckwithable eye-level tone. What I like about this clip especially is that it’s so head-on, it’s almost like the band is staring you down while they kick your ass.

The video was recorded in Argentina in 2011, and the only thing about it that’s a bummer is that there’s no way in hell this band is going to tour the US anytime soon.

At Devil Dirt, “That’s the Way I Like It”

The Latin subtitle for the second album from Chilean guitar/drum duo At Devil Dirt, Vulgo Gratissimus Auctor, translates according to the interwebs to “most popular author.” What this phrase might have to do with the Corvus Discos release of Chapter II itself, I’m not sure, but the thick-toned Santiago twosome make a strong case for the bestseller list all the same. Listening to the new 11-track collection doesn’t pack the same kind of surprise as did the first run through their 2011 self-titled debut (review here), if only because that album did so well to establish At Devil Dirt’s tidal-fuzz methodology, but Chapter II: Vulgo Gratissimus Auctor satisfies thoroughly nonetheless, growing the melodic vocal style of guitarist Néstor “Gato” Ayala and presenting a number of developmental changes both superficial and aesthetic. Primary on the surface is the fact that at 47:38, Chapter II is 12 minutes longer than was its predecessor, and with one less track, the obvious conclusion to draw is that Ayala and drummer Francisco “Hongo” Alvarado are riding their parts out longer, increasing the average length of the songs. That’s true. Where eight of the tracks on At Devil Dirt were under three minutes long last time, only “Peel” qualifies this time around – though a couple others are close. The long songs are also longer – mid-album highlight “Let it Flow” tops seven minutes, and opener “I am an Ugly Skin” six and a half – both longer than anything At Devil Dirt has attempted to date. As those two tracks are some of the best on Chapter II, I feel comfortable calling the experiment a success, though there are places on the album where the wash of low end in Ayala’s guitar tone – the self-producing outfit does not use a bass and makes a point to say so – seems to be straining at the weight of its monolithic largesse. Offsetting that is largely the responsibility of the vocals, which are gorgeous layers of psychedelic melody, such that even the titular proclamation of “I am an Ugly Skin” seems somewhat less believable by the sheer prettiness of its delivery.

Also of note for anyone who may have heard the first record – or even if you didn’t, I suppose – is that none of the tracks on Chapter II is sung in Spanish. The catchy hooks that make standouts of “I Walk Aimlessly,” “Better the Devil You Know than the Devil You Don’t Know,” “Let it Flow” and “I Said Goddamn” are all in English, and while most of the self-titled was as well, the shift is nonetheless noteworthy. That doesn’t stop it from being or at least sounding personal lyrically – three of the song titles also start with “I” – and though “I am an Ugly Skin” is given a surprisingly abrasive intro of feedback and screams, once the song itself actually starts, it’s a mid-paced lolling groove that sets the tone well for much of what At Devil Dirt have on offer with the album. Moods vary somewhat throughout, but Ayala’s tone remains consistent across the board, and that’s a good thing. While I wonder at various points what a bass might add to the dynamic between the guitar and Alvarado’s similarly-hefted crash and periodic show of bluesy swagger, At Devil Dirt want nothing for thickness. Shorter tracks like second cut “Don’t be Afraid” (3:06) or the later “Lie to Me” (3:26), “Peel” (2:03), and “I Said Goddamn” (3:09) run a faster tempo, and while one might think the overwhelming heaviness of the guitar would be best suited to sluggish stoner groove, on “Peel” the effect is like elephants running. Additionally, as much focus is by the nature of the material and the recording going to be on the guitar sound – the tone is just that good; it can’t be ignored as a defining element of the listening experience – periodic landmark choruses and the depths of arrangement and layering in the vocals show At Devil Dirt aren’t solely relying on riffs and fuzz to carry across their ideas. “Better the Devil You Know than the Devil You Don’t Know” beefs up an early High on Fire thrust, but the sweetness of the melody makes the track even more memorable, and with the upbeat, brighter mood of “Let it Flow,” At Devil Dirt touch on heavy psychedelic pop in a way that few desert rock bands dare, and do it brilliantly, marrying harmonies and fullness of sound with a grace that makes one wonder how they ever became viewed as separate ideas to start with. On a single-song level, it is their best work to date.

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For the last couple months, we’ve followed the unfolding tale of Doommantia.com’s founder, Ed Barnard, who suffered a heart attack at the end of July and has since been left homeless. Donations have been taken over at their site, and hopefully wherever you are or whatever your situation, you’ve had a chance to give and support Ed in these tough times. On Oct. 13, the Doommantia Bash benefit show was held in his honor and by all accounts I’ve seen, that was a success, but there’s more to be done.

Word went out yesterday of the Doommantia Vol. 1 digital compilation being available. Put together and organized by the band Compel, it’s $7 on Bandcamp and there are an astounding 39 bands included. Ed‘s special lady, Sally Doomvixen, posted the news last night that Ed was back in the hospital overnight with chest pains again, and though the situation doesn’t seem as serious as last time, the bills are no less devastating.

So you haven’t taken time yet to help out Ed Barnard, I once more urge you to do so, and this time, you get over four hours’ worth of music in return from great bands. More info follows, courtesy of Doommantia:

The DOOMMANTIA Benefit Compilation Has Arrived, 39 Tracks, Over 4 Hours For Only $7…

The first ever Doommantia.Com Compilation is now available for download for only $7 from BANDCAMP. Immediate download of no less than 39 tracks of doomy goodness, over 4 hours long. Bands featured are Blackwolfgoat, At Devil Dirt, Low Gravity, Ichabod, Fister, Undersmile, Compel, Iron Man, Wizard’s Beard, Oceans Rainbow, Beelzefuzz, Conan, Lazarus Complex, Spyderbone, Order Of The Owl, Dope Flood, War Injun, Heathen Bastard, Halmos, Kriz, Bongripper, Demonaut, In The Company Of Serpents, Switchblade Jesus, Pale Divine, When The Deadbolt Breaks, Bastards Of The Skies, Gorgantherron, Screaming Mad Dee and Alex Vanderzeeuw, Chowder, War Iron, Hollow Leg, Crawl, Desolation, Ketea, Sludgethrone, Vulture, Wolfpussy and The Departure. That is some bang for your buck!!!

All proceeds go to the Ed Barnard homeless fund so it is a very worthy cause. Thanks to all the bands involved and to Tim Davis who worked so hard putting all of this together. Head to BANDCAMP now to get your download.

Before I took a minute to look at the digipak liner of Chilean groovers At Devil Dirt’s self-titled Corvus Discos debut, I listened to the record just to get a feel for the songs and said to myself at more than one point, “Ah, okay, another bass and drum duo.” Already in my head I was making comparisons to the likes of Om and Olde Growth, trying to place the Santiago twosome in between them somehow, maybe taking the ritual from one and the rock from the other. But then I went ahead and translated the line “En este álbum no fueron grabadas pistas de bajo,” and discovered that, contrary to (nearly) every impression the 12 cuts on At Devil Dirt give, there’s no bass anywhere on the record. Guitarist Néstor Ayala (also vocals) runs his guitar through a bass rig, sure enough, and the tone of it, the rich low end, was enough to fool me. On a track like “Mar Gris,” he and drummer Francisco Alvarado are the consummate rhythm section, and as there are so few parts where higher register guitar notes are used, I just assumed it wasn’t there my first couple times through. Immediate kudos there.

Another surprise came in the form of Ayala’s vocals, which proffer an unexpected melodicism and add a psychedelic feel to many of the tracks with a wide range and varied clean approach. Four of the 12 songs are sung in English and the rest in Spanish, and in either language, Ayala manages to bring forth catchy hooks and memorable lines, whether it’s the uptempo earlier cut “Rockanrolla” or the Soundgarden-esque chorus of “No Pude Ver el Sol.” It’s a contrast between the vocals and the guitar playing out across the material, but it works really well right from opener “No Puedo Mas,” and At Devil Dirt manage to make their sonic heft an effective backdrop for Ayala’s vocal layering, as on “You Know It,” where I was actually missing a guitar for thinking these were bass tracks, wondering what playful Josh Homme-style lead flourishes might sound like over Alvarado’s hi-hat work in the verses, which reminded of Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf. Likewise, on the more drum-driven “She’s Not Mine,” Ayala plays up the “Tomorrow Never Knows” frenetic rhythm with a one-man call and response that leads into one of At Devil Dirt’s most infectious choruses.

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