Posted in audiObelisk on August 8th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
I was fortunate enough to catch a few of these bands at Roadburn 2016, among them Hills, Blind Idiot God and Peter Pan Speedrock (seen above). As an American traveling abroad — though I’ll say that eight Roadburns deep, there’s a big part of me that feels like going to Tilburg in April is a homecoming as much as foreign travel — it was particularly thrilling to watch Dutch natives Peter Pan Speedrock round out my second night of the fest (review here), their boot-to-the-ass thrust seeming to be in direct contradiction to their stated intent to retire. From Sweden, Hills‘ jammy psychedelics were also thoroughly welcome and somewhat less performative than Goat, which is made up in some measure or other of the same players.
And what to say about Blind Idiot God? Performance art. I might liken it to the first time I saw Cynic after they got back together in that the New York trio were so utterly assured of what they were doing that they managed to carry the audience in the revamped Green Room along their bizarre, oddly-timed path. It was jazz with metallic arrangement, essentially, but the people in front of the stage to see it were rapt the entire time and the level of appreciation was palpable and well justified. They were nothing short of incredible.
Of course, the same could be said for Roadburn 2016 as a whole. “Incredible” is just kind of how it goes. This latest round of streams also featured Behold! the Monolith, Blood Ceremony, a solo set from CHVE of Amenra and Of the Wand and the Moon.
Please enjoy:
Behold! the Monolith – Live at Roadburn 2016
Blind Idiot God – Live at Roadburn 2016
Blood Ceremony – Live at Roadburn 2016
CHVE – VERMAPYRE – Live at Roadburn 2016
Hills – Live at Roadburn 2016
Of The Wand and The Moon – Live at Roadburn 2016
Peter Pan Speedrock – Live at Roadburn 2016
Thanks as ever to Walter for letting me host the streams. To hear the first batch of Roadburn 2016 audio streams, click here, to hear the second one, click here, to hear the third one, click here, and for all of this site’s coverage of Roadburn 2016, click here.
Posted in Features, Reviews on April 17th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
04.17.16 — 01:18 — Hotel room, Tilburg
More than any other Roadburn in recent memory, this one has gone quickly. It never quite drags, but Roadburn 2016 has been a sleepless blur of tonal impact, furious creativity and walks down 013 corridors that on Thursday were strange and new and by today were as though nothing about the venue had changed at all. Like the marathon and the sprint decided to join forces. Today was the last day, the Afterburner, which drops from five stages to three — the Main Stage and the Green Room at the 013 and the space over at Cul de Sac — and generally features a more chilled-out vibe, though particularly over the last couple years, its stylistic reach has become no less broad than Roadburn proper.
To wit, today’s lineup. In keeping with this year’s Icelandic theme — most of that is black metal, but still — The Vintage Caravan played a special 2PM set at Cul de Sac, last minute. They were here hanging out and so got a slot on the bill. I didn’t get to see it because we were finishing up the final issue of the Weirdo Canyon Dispatch (you can read it here), but to see that kind of spontaneity in action — hey, you’re here, so play — exemplifies part of what makes Roadburn so genuinely exceptional. My understanding is the band’s new drummer wasn’t with them yet when they played here last year, so wanted to be able to say he’d played Roadburn as well. Sure, why not?
My day began a short time later with Mirrors for Psychic Warfare starting in the Green Room. The two-piece is comprised of Scott Kelly of Neurosis and Sanford Parker, who also played today with Buried at Sea, and I guess it’s fair to call it a Corrections House spinoff, since they both operate in the same roles as in that band, with Parker on electronics and synth and Kelly providing guitar and vocals, but without Eyehategod‘s Mike Williams as frontman or Bruce Lamont‘s sax, the effect is vastly different. Progressions were slow and lurching as they emanated from Kelly‘s guitar, and waves of loud-as-hell drones oozed forth massive from the stage. At one point, Parker played a line of bass through his laptop or sampler, whichever it was, and the low end was such a physical presence I could feel it vibrating my nose hair. It’s not like I have a lot of it, either. It was a sensation I’d never felt before. Earplugs vibrating, sure. Nose hairs? Kind of tickled, actually.
Vocals were sporadic but well suited to the grueling mood, and the set as a whole seemed to be working on a gradual build in intensity until, as they were finishing, Kelly was throwing his shoulders as he might headbanging during one of Neurosis more riotous parts. Needless to say, they closed loud. Green Carnation were on the Main Stage playing Light of Day, Day of Darkness, which is a cool record to be sure, but I didn’t want to miss the start of Blind Idiot God, the New York trio playing the fourth show of their maiden voyage to Europe. Their latest album, Before Ever After (review here), has just had its worldwide release, and in addition to the notable reggae nod in “Night Driver,” the instrumental three piece played “Antiquity” and a host of others from what was their first LP in 23 years, their focus on blurring lines between NY aggro noise crunch, proggy brilliance and heavy atmospheres.
Add to that drummer Tim Wyskida‘s winning for most elaborate drum kit of the weekend — at least of the ones I saw — and Blind Idiot God offered intrigue and dissonance in kind. Their stage presence was progressive, led in that regard by guitarist Andy Hawkins, but still had a bit of pre-Giuliani Manhattan noise rock grit about them beneath that came out here and there in their sound, which was wide open stylistically, but delivered by Hawkins, Wyskida and bassist Will Dahl with precision and due emphasis on the complexity in the material. There were people in the crowd who’d waited 25 years to see the band. You could say the response was solid. Respected scribe and all-around hyper-passionate supporter of music Stefan Raduta gave me the hard sell on catching Jakob, though really all he had to say was “they’re from New Zealand.” Anyone who’s traveled that far to play Roadburn must have a good reason.
Complemented with visuals by Jérôme Siegelaer, the three-piece’s set found its reason in a lush post-rock, full in tone and l-o-u-d loud, but still evocative enough to keep the crowd in its grasp to the point where, after applauding, the room quickly fell into silence as those in attendance waited to hear the first notes of whatever it was Jakob were going to play next. Their fourth album, Sines, came out in 2014, but this was my first exposure to them, and it was a recommendation I was glad I took when they were finished, the vibe setting itself up for a departure into the darker post-metallurgy of Belgium’s Amenra. But first, Ecstatic Vision in the Green Room. I’ve seen them before and they’re from Philadelphia, which is much, much closer to where I live than New Zealand, so I stayed through the end of Jakob, but managed to poke my head in the door of the packed out smaller stage and find the trio’s blend of heavy psych and space rock intact from when I last left it. Their debut, Sonic Praise (review here), was right on for Roadburn from the outset, so there was little surprise when they were added, but they’ve put in some considerable road time already, so good to see them doing well, even if I’m seeing it through the doorway instead of in the room itself.
The sense of presentation back in the Main Stage began even before Amenra actually started playing. A large white curtain was brought out and raised in front of the stage so that the band’s video background could cover even more territory, and after everything was ready to go, vocalist Colin H. van Eeckhout — who also has a solo record out called Rasa (review here) — came out first, knelt down in front of the drum riser, facing away from the crowd as he did for yesterday’s acoustic Amenra set and as is apparently his wont, and started beating two sticks together, slowly and ritualistically. He was joined soon by drummer Bjorn Lebon, who had his own sticks, and followed soon by the rest of the band, guitarists Mathieu van de Kerckhove (also Syndrome, which played Cul de Sac earlier in the day) and Lennart Bossu and bassist Levy Seynaeve, and there began a set of some of the most intense post-metal I’ve ever seen outside of Neurosis themselves.
On par with Isis at their angriest, but crisper in their songwriting and use of ambience, Amenra were further distinguished by their direct affinity for “Times of Grace” but more so by the flashing strobes, high-energy delivery and their obvious mastery of the form. What I learned at the Roadburn 2016 Afterburner was that people go apeshit for that stuff. I can’t argue it wasn’t cohesive, but the power of Amenra‘s aesthetic and the force with which they drove it at the assembled masses earned them the night’s second biggest response, and the Main Stage was crowded enough that I had to go all the way up top just to find a place to stand, and even that didn’t come easy. It was an impressive showing, and while I’m not sure I’d count myself in the getting-it camp — or in a parish of the Church of Ra, as it were — much of their set was undeniable. One would not win a debate arguing against it.
There was a considerable break before Neurosis came out for the second set of their two-night 30th anniversary celebratory stint headlining on the Main Stage. My first Roadburn was 2009, the year they curated, and I can still remember standing in the balcony of what’s now the old-013 big room and being awed. It wasn’t my first time seeing them, but it was something special, and the same goes for last night and tonight together as well. Yes, partially because they broke out older, not-really-played-anymore songs like “Blisters,” “Grey” and “Double-Edged Sword” from The Word as Law, “The Web” and “To Crawl Under One’s Skin” from Souls at Zero and Pain of Mind‘s “Life on Your Knees” and “Pollution” from 1989’s Aberration EP. They went as far forward as 2012’s Honor Found in Decay (review here) and touched on all the ground in between, guitarist/vocalist Scott Kelly having some technical issues — the first time I’ve ever seen Neurosis have tech problems — with his guitar after opening with “To Crawl Under One’s Skin,” but sorting it out with guitarist/vocalist Steve Von Till and the crew as Noah Landis covered for them with a huge, kind of abrasive drone, and drummer Jason Roeder and god-damn-it’s-a-joy-to-watch bassist/backing vocalist Dave Edwardson sat tight.
When they got going again, it was “Locust Star,” and, you know, the universe collapsed on itself and folded into the deeper reaches of subspace, so whether or not the guitar was working didn’t really matter anymore because all existence was wiped out. At least that’s how I remember it. Pretty standard for Neurosis. In all seriousness, I don’t know if there’s a heavy band of their generation that’s inspired so much wax poetry — I’m guilty in this regard as well, in case you didn’t click that review link above — but it seems to me that speaks to the level on which Neurosis resonate with their audience. It’s often credited as this cerebral, arthouse phenomenon, but it’s not that. It’s rawer, from the gut, and it captures an experience that isn’t necessarily universal, but which this crowd — the Roadburn crowd, here and worldwide — relates to like it doesn’t relate to anything else. As they wrapped with “The Tide” and drew the tension out to cruel extremes before Kelly started the opening riff of set-finale “The Doorway,” it occurred to me again how special this band is, how much it derives from the players that comprise it, and that however much others try to capture the same sonic spirit, they only wind up with a fraction of it at best. It was a two-hour set. If they’d decided to do a third, I’d have stuck around for it.
A lot of people stuck around anyway, as it happens, to see PH — formerly MPH, formerly Mr. Peter Hayden — in the Green Room. The Finnish band is a cosmic wrecking ball and I managed to catch some of their set last time they played Roadburn, but Buried at Sea were also coming on the Main Stage, and if you know Migration, you know why it was the back and forth between the two that it was. The Chicago four-piece released that LP, their only one, in 2003 and though guitarist/vocalist Sanford Parker (also Corrections House and Mirrors for Psychic Warfare, as well as War Crime Recordings) has gone on to become a household name in the underground for his production work for the likes of Blood Ceremony, YOB, Pelican, etc., it was the band as a whole that really made an impact. They were among the first to consciously proffer tone worship in US doom, and that’s not something that’s easily forgotten for those who were there to hear it the first time around or who’ve caught on since.
Even following two hours of Neurosis, which has to be one of the least enviable festival slots in the history of recorded sound, Buried at Sea kept the crowd there and delivered the vicious heft with which they’ve become synonymous, largely in their absence — their last EP, Ghost, came out on Neurot in 2007 — and while I don’t know if they have any plans to do more or maybe put a sophomore album together, but with the lineup of Parker, bassist/vocalist Chris Sowell, guitarist Jason Depew and drummer Brandon Pierce, they sounded vital. Gave me hope where previously I’d sort of figured they’d do a couple shows and then go back their separate ways.
It was getting late. My feet were telling me. With pain. Always bittersweet to say goodbye to Roadburn, and 2016 having gone so quickly, all the more so. Death Alley were rounding out the fest at Cul de Sac, so after hanging for a while at PH, I made my way over there. It was too packed to get up front for pictures or anything like that, plus everyone around me was smashed and I didn’t want to feel like a dickhead American invader, so I hung in the back and listened as a bass-heavy take on “Over Under” started off their set. The place was immediate into it, even where I was, and rightly so. How far that band has come in just a couple years, they’re legitimately one of the Netherlands’ most exciting acts going, and they just have one record, 2015’s Black Magick Boogieland (review here). It’ll need a follow-up sooner or later, but still, that’s a considerable accomplishment starting out.
They played the title-track “Black Magick Boogieland,” and standing back by the door of the Cul de Sac with my earplugs in, drunken revelry on all sides of me — I got told tonight my face radiates love; mostly I think I just look tired — my camera bag on the floor to give my shoulder a rest, I thought back to the interview I did with the band for the album last year prior to the release and their talking about the concept of what the title meant and about the power of music to draw people in, to change minds, to shape lives, excite and inspire. How lucky I am to have been here this week and the seven years prior. For me, Roadburn has become that sacred space that I keep trying to live up to, to be worthy of, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to cap it than with “Black Magick Boogieland,” because that’s what it’s all about. That was how I wanted my night and my Roadburn 2016 to finish, on that feeling of warmth and belonging.
And so that’s how it ended.
—
I’ll have another post to wrap up the coverage series, but I need to be up in three hours to go to the airport and fly home and there are still pictures to sort, so I’ll just say thanks for reading for now.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 3rd, 2016 by JJ Koczan
New York experimentalists Blind Idiot God first offered up their return after 23 years, Before Ever After (review here), just over a hear ago. A spacious, could-go-anywhere-and-actually-might exploration too busy being creative to be pretentious, the album will see release on double-vinyl through Indivisible Music on April 8. Its arrival coincides smoothly with the trio heading to Europe to play Roadburn 2016 and more — a trip on which they’ll also be bringing some exclusive-type merch. Presumably in tiny, adorable European sizes.
The PR wire has details on all of the above and more:
BLIND IDIOT GOD WORLDWIDE ALBUM RELEASE APRIL 8, 2016
RAISE THE TITANIC TOUR KICKS OFF APRIL 13TH – SPECIAL TOUR-ONLY MERCH
BLIND IDIOT GOD WORLDWIDE ALBUM RELEASE APRIL 8, 2016
Blind Idiot God have a new worldwide release date of April 8th for their gatefold double-vinyl LP with album artwork by Seldon Hunt (Neurosis, Earth, Melvins, Sunn). Also available on CD and as digital download. Album title is Before Ever After and was previously only available directly from Indivisible Music (and select importers). Album is now on sale worldwide on iTunes (pre-sales). The band’s new webstore is live now at indivisiblemusic.aisamerch.com.
Raise The Titanic Tour launches on April 13th with stops in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Norway. New merchandise featuring the Seldon Hunt “Raise the Titanic Tour” design will include t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, hoodies and stickers. Select designs available for purchase on tour only for now. The band explains “We decided to sell this particular t-shirt design, which dovetails with the European tour poster, exclusively on these tour dates so you won’t find it in the webstore.”
Other tour news includes the addition of Buried at Sea on the bill at Gleis 22 in Muenster, Germany and the super-saver ticket price (only five Euros) for the show April 23rd at Beatpol in Dresden, Germany. Tim Wyskida shares more tour news explaining that the “Roadburn performance will include a video created by Heath Bradley. He took Seldon’s European vinyl cover design and made sections of it move which will be a delight for Dutch stoners.”
Blind Idiot God Raise The Titanic Tour 2016 Wednesday, April 13th at Vera in Groningen, The Netherlands Thursday, April 14th at Magasin 4 in Brussels, Belgium Saturday, April 16th at Gleiss 22 in Muenster, Germany Sunday, April 17th Roadburn Festival at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands Monday, April 18th at Sonic Ballroom in Cologne, Germany Tuesday, April 19th at Bad Bonn in Duedingen, Switzerland Wednesday, April 20th at Serraglio in Milan, Italy Thursday, April 21st at Freakout Club in Bologna, Italy Saturday, April 23rd at Beatpol in Dresden, Germany Sunday, April 24th at Cassiopeia in Berlin, Germany Wednesday, April 27th at Blæst in Trondheim, Norway Thursday, April 28th at Pokalen in Oslo, Norway Friday, April 29th at Hulen in Bergen, Norway Saturday, April 30th at Folken in Stavanger, Norway
Blind Idiot God is Andy Hawkins on guitar; Tim Wyskida on drums; Will Dahl on bass (though founding member Gabe Katz plays bass on the album). The band has shared the stage with artists like John Zorn (a collaborator who released their third album on Avant Records), Black Flag, The Minutemen, Sonic Youth, Die Kreuzen, Don Caballero, Jesus Lizard, Napalm Death, HR, Eekamouse among many others.
LP TRACKLIST Side 1 — 1)Twenty Four Hour Dawn 2) Night Driver 3) Antiquity Side 2 — 3) Earthmover 4) FUB 5) Barrage Side 3 — 6) High and Mighty 7) Voice Of The Structure 8) Under The Weight 10) Ramshackle Side 4 — 11) Wheels Of Progress 12) Strung 13) Shutdown
CD Tracklist 1) Twenty Four Hour Dawn 2) High And Mighty 3) Antiquity 4) Earthmover 5) Night Driver 6) Wheels Of Progress 7) Ramshackle 8) Voice Of The Structure 9) Under The Weight 10) FUB 11) Barrage 12) Strung 13) Shutdown
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 18th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
I’m extremely pleased to announce that I’ll be returning to Tilburg next April for Roadburn 2016. News came earlier this week that we’ll be doing another run of the Weirdo Canyon Dispatch daily fanzine at the fest, and I’ll once more be partnered with Lee Edwards of The Sleeping Shaman and publicist extraordinaire Becky Laverty in bringing the thing to life. This will be my eighth time at Roadburn, but my first time at Roadburn 2016, and from where I sit, that makes all the difference.
I know damn well I’ll have more about the fest between now and next April, but I can’t even hope to begin to express how grateful I am to Roadburn, to the 013 venue in Tilburg, to Walter and Jurgen and all involved with making it happen. I’m continually humbled by how welcomed and included I’ve come to feel over the last few years, and I can’t wait to get back to the 013 office and see everybody again. It’s been a hell of a year. I have no doubt there will be much to discuss.
Today, Roadburn 2016 announces Mondo Drag, Blind Idiot God, Peter Pan Speedrock (who’ll play as part of their retirement tour) and Bliksem for its lineup. The batch of news below also contains ticket info for the individual days, though really, if you’re going, go for the whole thing. Pack as much in as you can, because it’s going to have to sustain you a whole year until Roadburn time comes around again.
Oh, and make sure you click through and read the full Blind Idiot God announcement! I wrote that one.
Here’s the latest:
NEW ADDITIONS
We will have the legendary PETER PAN SPEEDROCK bringing their high energy rock to Friday proceedings as part of their farewell tour. Read more about them HERE.
The news has already gotten out but we’re incredibly excited to welcome BLIND IDIOT GOD to the Roadburn family for the first time. They perfectly embody the Roadburn manifesto. Read more about themHERE.
MONDO DRAG will be bringing some Californian sunshine and psychedelic, Krautrock inspired prog all the way to Tilburg in April. Read more about them HERE.
BLIKSEM have been celebrating the release of their latest album, Gruesome Masterpiece, and we’ll be helping them continue those celebrations into 2016 with their performance at Roadburn Festival. Read more about themHERE.
SKEPTICISM: FAN PICKED SET LIST POLL IS NOW OPEN
When SKEPTICISM take to the stage on Saturday April 16, they will be playing a set that has been entirely picked by their fans. The poll is now open for fans to select their favourite tracks from their back catalogue – which the band will bring to life on stage at Roadburn. The poll runs until the end of the year; votes can be castHERE.
AMENDMENT TO SCHEDULE
Due to some logistic issues, we have to switch JOHN HAUGHM’s solo performance from Friday, April 15th to Saturday, April 16th. Inspired by the bleak desert landscape, he will bring one of the most sinister Western soundscapes – a collage of material from his latest release The Last Place I Remember – to Roadburn 2016. Read moreHERE.
DAY TICKETS
Roadburn Festival is very pleased to announce the details of our 2016 day tickets for Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the festival. These will go onsale at 7pm CET on Thursday January 7, 2016 and will be priced at €59 each (plus fees). Day tickets will be limited so don’t delay!
Due to the upgrades to the 013 venue throughout 2015, Stage01 (still affectionately known by many as the Bat Cave) no longer exists, but in its place there is a larger Green Room which will host bands at the 013 venue. In addition to this Roadburn will be making use of the nearby Extase venue which is located behind Het Patronaat – the smallest stage has always been such an important part of Roadburn and that will continue in 2016. Cul de Sac will also be used as an official venue for Roadburn once again.
More information on the day tickets can be foundHERE.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 5th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
This makes sense. If I was Blind Idiot God, back together and having released my first new album in 23 years — that being Before Ever After (review here) on Indivisible Music — I’d probably go to Europe too. Plans are in the works, apparently, for the trio to do precisely that. They’ve signed with Netherlands-based Paperclip Agency for booking, and while I wouldn’t be surprised to have them show up on the Continent sometime in Spring 2016 — say around April, and say about an hour outside of Amsterdam by rail in a sleepy corner of a town taken over by weirdos for about a week annually — nothing’s yet been announced in such concrete terms and there’s some mention of them getting over before the end of the year as well.
Fair enough. The PR brings us the known knowns:
BLIND IDIOT GOD SIGN WITH PAPERCLIP AGENCY IN THE NETHERLANDS; EUROPEAN TOUR DATES PLANNED FOR 2015-2016
New Album, Before Ever After, Co-Produced by Bill Laswell With Original Artwork By Seldon Hunt Out Now
Indivisible Music announces that Blind Idiot God has signed on with Dutch booking agency, Paperclip. Agency heads, Rob Berends and Hilde Spille, are working on festival and tour dates all over Europe for late 2015 through 2016.
The band has always received huge accolades from European press, most recently The Wire UK called the band’s new record “sound as physical force.” NME wrote “They’re post-everything in the best sense of the term.” Melody Maker stated “Blind Idiot God are worthy of cult status.”
Band co-founder Andy Hawkins explains, “Paperclip booked Blind Idiot God’s first tours in Europe starting in the ’80s while we were on SST. We still get positive feedback from people who came to those shows. The band’s focus on a powerful, particular sound has increased over the years so if feels good knowing we’ll be able to connect with those fans again. We anticipate high quality bookings with Paperclip handling us – which is great, since we’re itchin’ to get back to Europe and unleash!”
Paperclip Agency’s Rob Berends adds, “My aim is to bring the band back to Europe for a series of tours covering the entire continent, putting them in front of the largest possible audiences. European capitals, cult venues and a wide variety of festivals are the places the band should perform. We will help get them there.”
Blind Idiot God is Andy Hawkins on guitar; Tim Wyskida (Khanate, Jodis, Plotkin & Wyskida) on drums; Will Dahl on bass (though founding member Gabe Katz plays bass on the album). The band has shared the stage with artists like John Zorn (a collaborator who released their third album on Avant Records), Helmet, Black Flag, The Minutemen, Sonic Youth, Die Kreuzen, Don Caballero, Jesus Lizard, Napalm Death, HR, Eekamouse among many others.
Although Before Ever After is the band’s first release in over twenty years — live and on the recording, they continue their deep exploration of heavy, funk and dub sounds. Respected music publications including Noisey/Vice, Pitchfork, Talk House, New Noise, and many others have all featured the band, exploring their story and sound. Three songs from the new album are featured on the soundtrack of the VHI documentary film about Napster titled, Downloaded, starring Mike D, Henry Rollins, Noel Gallagher and directed by Alex Winter (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Lost Boys, Freaked). The band plays regularly in New York where they are based.
Posted in audiObelisk on February 19th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
New York instrumentalists Blind Idiot God will release their first album in 23 years, Before Ever After, next Tuesday, Feb. 24, on Indivisible Music. The label is a new project helmed by guitarist Andy Hawkins, who also co-produced Before Ever After with Bill Laswell, recording over several years with drummer Tim Wyskida (Khanate) and bassist Gabe Katz, since replaced by Will Dahl what is a kind of second debut — a generational debut, maybe — for the Brooklyn-based trio, who issued their first outing as a self-titled on SST Records in 1987. Like that album, Before Ever After is a dangerous kind of offering, a 74-minute CD/2LP able to turn on a dime between precision mathematics, reggae, crunching heavy riffage, surf rock and jazz in a wordless sprawl that makes a joke of most bands’ ideas of sonic diversity. My god, it’s almost like they’re actually trying different things!
There isn’t a track to sum up everything the album does — the frenetic drumming and dissonant guitar of the aptly-titled “Barrage,” the laid-back bounce of “Night Driver,” etc. — so one might as well just find something unbelievably heavy and roll with that. To that end, I’m pleased today to be able to host “Antiquity” for streaming. The third of Before Ever After‘s 13 tracks, it follows ritualistic opener “Twenty-Four Hour Dawn” (also the longest cut at 8:50; immediate points) and the more spacious but still tense post-reggae rocker “High and Mighty,” and with only a couple guitar chugs as warning soon unleashes a battery of dense riffs and furious drums that alternate between plodding and blasting. Tonally it switches between grinding bite and grueling doom, but it’s the tempo changes that really distinguish “Antiquity” from its stylistically varied surroundings, and how Hawkins, Wyskida and Katz are able to make these jagged transitions sound mechanically precise, so that by the end of it, there’s an almost industrial feel, despite the lack of any discernible element of electronica.
It’s also, one should note, the shortest song on Before Ever After at 3:39, and that subsequent pieces like the distortojazz “Earthmover” and dreamy surf meditation “Ramshackle” reach even further outside of stylistic bounds. The takeaway is that “Antiquity,” while unrepentantly heavy as fuck, isn’t telling the whole story of Blind Idiot God‘s return, and if you want to hear more, there’s plenty of fodder worthy for investigation. Even as the closing duo of “Strung” and “Shutdown” alternate between impact-conscious progressive metal and sweet-toned psychedelic sentiment underscored by the album’s warmest basslines, the resonant message seems to be that Blind Idiot God have even more to say than they do in the hour-plus here, and that their return from the ether has brought with it new purpose for their avant stylizations. They’re here to remind us what it means to be adventurous in sound.
Submit to “Antiquity” via the player below, followed by info for the March 7 release show in Brooklyn and more album background, and enjoy:
Indivisible Music announces new Blind Idiot God (BIG) studio album co-produced by Bill Laswell. “Andy Hawkins is a nut, a perfectionist for his amplification and the guitar, and we recorded it right,” Laswell explains about the new record. “Every detail is there. It’s probably the best thing they’ve done.” The 74-minute opus titled, Before Ever After, is slated for an early 2015 street date. The gatefold double-vinyl LP artwork was created by noted artist Seldon Hunt (Neurosis, Earth, Melvins, Sunn). Formats will include vinyl, CD and digital. The release will be celebrated with live performances in and around New York and will be co-promoted by MerchTable, local vinyl retailers and others TBA.
Blind Idiot God is Andy Hawkins on guitar and Tim Wyskida (Khanate) on drums. Gabe Katz, the band’s original bass player is featured on the album but moving forward Will Dahl is the band’s new bass player live and in the studio. Touring in support of the new album is planned for 2015. “Moving from the studio to the stage is always great,” Hawkins explains, “the music opens up dynamically, both performance wise and sonically. The human ear has a much greater dynamic range than any recorded medium and we excel at taking full advantage of that fact.” The band has shared the stage with artists like John Zorn (a collaborator who released their third album on Avant Records), Helmet, Black Flag, The Minutemen, Sonic Youth, Die Kreuzen, Don Caballero, Jesus Lizard, Napalm Death, HR, Eekamouse among many others.
BLIND IDIOT GOD Record Release Party Saturday, March 7th The Paper Box in Brooklyn, NY doors 8:00 pm // tickets $10 advance, $13 at the door // 21+ also playing: Oneirogen, Rhyton, Gnaw
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 1st, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Veterans of SST Records and the band that spawned drummer Tim Wyskida, who would go on to be the coal burning to propel the mega-lurch that was minimalist doomers Khanate, Brooklyn instrumentalists Blind Idiot God are set to release a new album early in 2015. Titled Before Ever After and recorded by Bill Laswell, it’s the first Blind Idiot God album since 1992 and it will be out on guitarist Andy Hawkins‘ recently formed label, Indivisible Music. The cover art is by Seldon Hunt, and reportedly the band will be playing live, or at very least, they went ahead and added bassist Will Dahl to make that a possibility. Seems likely they’ll show up somewhere or other.
The PR wire tells the tale and far be it from me to delay:
BLIND IDIOT GOD SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM CO-PRODUCED BY BILL LASWELL
All Instrumental Full Length With Original Artwork By Seldon Hunt Three tracks featured in Alex Winters’ HBO documentary, Downloaded Before Ever After slated for early 2015 street date
Indivisible Music announces new Blind Idiot God (BIG) studio album co-produced by Bill Laswell. “Andy Hawkins is a nut, a perfectionist for his amplification and the guitar, and we recorded it right,” Laswell explains about the new record. “Every detail is there. It’s probably the best thing they’ve done.” The 74-minute opus titled, Before Ever After, is slated for an early 2015 street date. The gatefold double-vinyl LP artwork was created by noted artist Seldon Hunt (Neurosis, Earth, Melvins, Sunn). Formats will include vinyl, CD and digital. The release will be celebrated with live performances in and around New York and will be co-promoted by MerchTable, local vinyl retailers and others TBA.
Blind Idiot God is Andy Hawkins on guitar and Tim Wyskida (Khanate) on drums. Gabe Katz, the band’s original bass player is featured on the album but moving forward Will Dahl is the band’s new bass player live and in the studio. Touring in support of the new album is planned for 2015. “Moving from the studio to the stage is always great,” Hawkins explains, “the music opens up dynamically, both performance wise and sonically. The human ear has a much greater dynamic range than any recorded medium and we excel at taking full advantage of that fact.” The band has shared the stage with artists like John Zorn (a collaborator who released their third album on Avant Records), Helmet, Black Flag, The Minutemen, Sonic Youth, Die Kreuzen, Don Caballero, Jesus Lizard, Napalm Death, HR, Eekamouse among many others.
The band has three previous studio full-lengths, two EPs and has been featured on several film soundtracks, including the opening credits for the Alex Winter cult film Freaked (with Henry Rollins on the track as guest vocalist). “I was able to record with them once,” says Rollins, “I know it is rare for them to have vocals in their music, so I felt lucky to have been an exception. I remain a fan.” Three tracks from album (“Barrage,” “High And Mighty,” and “Shutdown”) are featured in Alex Winters’ new HBO documentary about the rise and fall of Napster titled, Downloaded. “One of the most revered and influential bands to come out of the SST era,” Alex Winter enthuses, “they are as great and bold today, as ever. This is a spectacular album.”
The thirteen tracks on Before Ever After are 1. “Twenty Four Hour Dawn,” 2. “Night Driver,” 3. “Antiquity,” 4. “Earthmover,” 5. “FUB,” 6. “Barrage,” 7. “High and Mighty,” 8. “Voice of the Structure,” 9. “Under the Weight,” 10. “Ramshackle,” 11. “Wheels of Progress,” 12. “Strung,” and 13. “Shutdown.”
Indivisible Music is helmed by Andy Hawkins and is based in Brooklyn, NY. The label was established in 2014 “to promote that which cannot be divided, the elemental idea of music for its own sake. Guiding the elemental idea of music through all obstacles, physical or otherwise. The end of genre or classification, recondite musical knowledge declassified for direct effect.” Visit the label online atindivisiblemusic.com.
“Twenty-Four Hour Dawn” (also the longest cut at 8:50; immediate points) and the more spacious but still tense post-reggae rocker “High and Mighty,” and with only a couple guitar chugs as warning soon unleashes a battery of dense riffs and furious drums that alternate between plodding and blasting. Tonally it switches between grinding bite and grueling doom, but it’s the tempo changes that really distinguish “Antiquity” from its stylistically varied surroundings, and how Hawkins, Wyskida and Katz are able to make these jagged transitions sound mechanically precise, so that by the end of it, there’s an almost industrial feel, despite the lack of any discernible element of electronica.
