Why is heavy music overlooked?

I want to address an issue that I see with many large blogs, radio shows, websites, and podcasts that claim to look at all genres of music equally; heavy music (hardcore, metalcore, thrash, d-beat, etc.) is overlooked. Is heavy music looked down upon by the music world? If that is so, why? I know things have gotten better, even as little as 5 years ago hip-hop was still treated as second-class, but still not much has changed. My main concern is All Songs Considered, hosted by Bob Boilen on NPR (National Public Radio). I absolutely love and despise this show at the same time. If it wasn't for that show, I never would have found some of the music that I now hold so dear to me. The issue is, for a show to be called "All Songs Considered," wouldn't that require playing all types of music? That show is a great place to go to find the latest trendy indie band, and listen to the new tracks from Bon Iver and The Flaming Lips, but if you want to hear something besides indie or jazz fusion, you can forget about it. Once in a long while some hip-hop or obscure techno finds its way into the mix, but not very often. Seriously, how can you name a show that without considering all songs. I don't think just metal and heavy music should be added to the lineup, but everything should be, all the way from classical to minimalist to shoegaze to horrorcore. I don't care what The Phenomenal Handclap Band is doing every 5 minutes of the day, tell me about some music I never would have thought to listen to. I absolutely love it when Carrie Brownstein is a guest on the show, and I know I have talked about this before, because I never know what she will pick to play next, whether it be Bikini Kill or Lightning Bolt. Bob Boilen is too predictable; he was great as host of All Things Considered, but is so biased towards certain genres of music that it makes for a boring and uneventful show. Now I am not saying that Bob should leave the show by any means, I love how much music knowledge he has (did anyone else pick out the Zappa sample in the beginning of Meatgrinder by Madvillain? Didn't think so), but he needs to branch out.

Now to address heavy music and heavy music fans being treated as less than equal. All the excuses used to throw aside heavy music that I have ever heard are garbage. "I don't like the screaming," "its too loud," or "its so violent." Bull-shit. Those are just excuses for not understanding. Its the same reason I used to hate hip-hop, I didn't understand it. If you don't like the vocals, oh well, try to find a way around it. A lot of people don't like Bob Dylan's voice, but listen to his music because it is fucking amazing. Do you really think that metal music, with its fast guitar riffs and pounding drums, would have as much intensity and meaning if Ani DiFranco was singing along? No. If the music is too loud, turn down the volume and turn up the loudness (if you don't have a loudness knob or function on your stereo, its time to get a new one) so you can still feel the intensity. And lastly, heavy music is not always violent. At the Drive In, considered one of the forerunners for post-hardcore music, once walked off stage because they got pissed at the audience for being too violent. Heavy music is not all about flailing your fists and beating the crap out of hippies and skinheads.

Give it a chance. There has to be something about it that you like. If anything, the drums should impress you. You can't have a good metal band without a solid drummer.

Once again, you have sit through one of my rants, and now its time to discuss the music I have been listening to this week.

1. Converge - Axe to Fall
Yeah, I feel kind of guilty for downloading this album, but I already preordered it so its not like I am not going buy it when it comes out. I think my friend Sean said it best with, "it is not what I was expecting; its way better." This album really is amazing. I was sooooo excited for it, but worried that I might be disappointed. I was not at all. 19 years into their career and this may be the best album Converge has ever put out. I highly suggest that everyone goes out and buys this album on October 2oth, and if you live in Wisconsin, check out their show at The Rave on the 18th.

2. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - Worse Than Alone
This band continues to surprise me. This album is the best one they have put out by far. The first track hit me like a freight train. The gloves definitely came off for this record. It doesn't sound even remotely like anything they have ever done before. The first song sounds like it belongs on a Nordic Death Metal cd, while other songs straight up break into jazz fusion. Not a metal interpretation of jazz fusion mind you, but actual jazz fusion. The comparisons to The Blood Brothers no longer apply; The Number Twelve Looks Like You just completely annihilated everything I ever thought about mathcore.

3. Brand New - Daisy
I forgot this album was even coming out. Honestly, I haven't listened to that much Brand New since sophmore year of high school. This album is weird, really weird. I don't think I like it as much as Deja Entendu or Your Favorite Weapon, but it blows their last album out of the water. The first song sounds so much like The Blood Brothers its creepy. If I hadn't been warned about it beforehand, I would have wondered if I accidentally downloaded a long lost Blood Brothers single. Daisy is good, not amazing, just good. Don't expect them to win any awards for this album, but it is still better then a lot of music that has come out this year, and a lot has happened in the last 10 months.

Thats really all I've been listening to the last week. This year has been extremely exciting for music lovers. So much has happened. We have new cds from some of the biggest names in music. I can't wait to see what the next 2 months has in store for us, let alone the next week.

And if you want a few more perspectives on music, politics, and life, be sure to check out my friend Zach's podcast HERE, and my friend Eric's podcast HERE.

-Duke-

Whats on my Playlist

Okay, I know, it has been extremely long since I posted anything on here. The whole writing a blog every day fo 10 days clearly did not work, and now I don't feel like finishing a top 50 or 100 or whatever the fuck it was that I was working on. But hey, at I'm writing something now, right? Who am I kidding. Like you really give a fuck what I put on here.

But enough about me, how are you doing? Oh really? Thats cool?

Enough rambling. Since I am so much better than you (really, I am), I am going to share my 5 favorite albums at the moment with you to prove that I am so much better than you. FYI, I have used "I" 13 times so far. My 8th grade grammar teacher would kill me if she saw that (MOFO!!! [inside joke]).

1. Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound
I don't know wy I do it, but I always find myself listening to this album. I know this isn't necessarily considered Shellac's best album, but it is by far my favorite by them. It was the first Shellac album that I actually purchased, which by coincidence I picked up the day it came out, and I have listened to it at least once a week since then, which was like two and a half years ago, I think (runonsentencerunonsentencerunonsentence). If you haven't heard it yet, go fucking listen to it on youtube, buy it at The Exclusive Company, or straight up steal it (I'm sure Steve Albini probably won't give a fuck. The fact that his stuff is available in digital format at all probably pisses him off more).

2. Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights - Colossus
Yes, I understand this is not an album, but instead a single song from a yet-to-be released album. For once something good came out of my strange obsession will All Songs Considered podcasts. While I think Bob Boilen is a biases a-hole (who else is tired of hearing the same cookie-cutter indie bands every week?), sometimes a few gems do make it into the mix. Two shows ago, Carrie Brownstein, from Monitor Mix, played this new song from Lightning Bolt. Honestly, this band had pretty much fallen under my radar for the last couple years. I listened to them a little when I was going through my sludge phase, which is starting to resurface itself if you couldn't tell, but I never really payed too much attention to them. I just heard this song a few hours ago for the first time, so I haven't downloaded it yet and I can't direct you to a place to download it, but I can give you this youtube link to listen to the song HERE. Listen to it, tell me what you think. If you hate it, tell me that to, which I will respond to by telling you that you are a fucking moron.
UPDATE: I was able to find the rest of the album, and it is fucking amazing.

3. Converge - You Fail Me
I never really gave this album too much thought. By the time I had really gotten into Converge No Heroes had already come out, and it seemed to me You Fail Me kind of just became forgotten. Everyone remembers Jane Doe, the album that shot Converge into the spotlight, but many forget that there was an album between that and No Heroes. Whatever the reason, I have been listening to You Fail Me a shit ton lately. It seems to be a little darker than Jane Doe, but not as fast paced as No Heroes. With the new Converge album coming out soon (Oct. 20th to be exact), now is a perfect time to re-evalute the band and the changes they have gone through. If the two tracks released from Axe to Fall are any indication of the rest of the album, we are all in for a massive surprise.

4. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
If you have never heard this album and you are under the age of 30, you have probably been living under a rock for the last decade. If you have never heard this album and you like hardcore and punk, there is something severly wrong with you. If you have never heard this album and you like shitty nu-metal, turn off Razor 94.7 and get this album (trust me, you will thank me for this). This ablum needs no summary or explanation. It has become one of the most treasured hardcore albums of all time.

5. The Chemical Brothers - Come With Us
I really enjoy this album, and in my opinion it is the most solid Chemical Brothers album to date. The whole album is just absolutely brutal from start to finish. A lot of people say that the only way to enjoy techno and electronic music is on drugs; I disagree. Those fuckers need to learn to look past the psychadelic visions they think they have had while tripping and understand the pure musicianship that goes into making something as complex as this album.

Alright, I am done ranting for the time being. Enjoy the rest of your shitty-Wisconsin-weather day.

-Duke-

50 Greatest Albums Of All Time - Part 1 of 10

So yeah, I have finally broken down and decided to do this. I know I know, there are millions of these stupid lists out there, but I have problems with every single one of them. Most are comprised of bands that A, have not been around for 30 years, B, include bands that I absolutely despise, C, only judge bands based on Grammy Awards and sales, and D, don't include Radiohead. So I guess you could say this is basically my favorite 100 albums of all time, and not necessarily the greatest (spoiler alert! I am not going to start my list with Sgt. Pepper). It will include none of the following; Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Prince, and no mother-fucking Nirvana. Sure, they all might have had good albums, but I don't listen to them on a regular basis. If you don't like my taste in music, comment and tell me, but don't tell me I shouldn't include bands from the 90s and 00s because not enough time has passed. Remember, I was born in 1989 asshole! I didn't grow up listening to fucking Joni Mitchell and Boston, so keep your trap shut.

Also, these are in on particular order.

Shall we begin?

1. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
Saw that coming didn't you? Yeah, anyone who has known me for a while knows that in my eyes, no band will ever compare to Refused. This album changed the face of modern hardcore music. It can be argued that it wasn't the first of its kind, but it sure as hell is one of the best known. It blends the chaos of hardcore-punk with metal riffs perfectly, creating something that other artists can only dream of accomplishing. This album turned me on to hardcore.

2. Radiohead - Ok Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail To The Thief, In Rainbows
I figured I wouldn't waste space on this list by listing all these albums seperately. You already knew this was coming at some point, and if you didn't, well then you obviously did not read my intro. I did not include all the Radiohead albums for a reason; Pablo Honey and The Bends were decent albums, but they were not game-changers. Once Ok Computer came out, the whole world of alternative music changed for good. From then on, Radiohead continually has made breath-taking albums, each one incredibly unique and unlike the last. I am always suprised that Kid A and Amnesiac were recorded at the same time, as they are both so very different. Without these albums, we would be missing a whole genre (Chris Martin {front man for Coldplay} credits Radiohead for making it possible to play the music he plays).

3. KMD - Mr. Hood
Whether you like it or not, KMD is monumental (Before bashing me for putting this before Wu-Tang or N.W.A. remember, this list is in no particular order). KMD effectively introduced us to MF Doom (aka DOOM, Viktor Vaughn, Daniel Dumile, etc.), who would later become, and still is, one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. It really is a shame that this band's career was cut so short (I won't go into all that here, just wikipedia it).

4. Madvillain - Madvillainy
I couldn't mention KMD without immediately mentioning Madvillain. Madvillain is the genius collaboration of MF Doom and Madlib. This album in the greatest hip-hop album of all time (if you disagree you can go fuck yourself). Hailed by Thom Yorke as one of his biggest lyrical inspirations in recent time, it changed my views of hip-hop. From Meatgrinder all the way to Americas Most Blunted, Madvillainy suprises at every turn.

5. Thrice - Vehissu
Okay yes, this is not Thrice's best album ever, but it did prove once and for all that the whole "emo-core" generation could play music other than sad sappy shit. Dustin Kensrue has one of the most beautiful voices on the planet, a voice that until this album was never fully heard or used to its full potential. This album also marked a change in Thrice's career, and prepared us for what was to come. If you forget that this album was ever made and listen to The Artist in the Ambulance, and then listen to any of the four Alchemy Indexes, you can not even tell it is the same band. It is almost like this was a coming of age for the members in the band. You can tell that each memeber threw in every little bit of talent they possessed into this thing. Simply amazing.

Well, thats it for now. I hope to post one of these every day for the next 10 days. Hopefully after that I will be used to updating this thing daily again, and we won't see another 2 week break like before.

-Duke-

Why do I do It?

So it is official; I am once again addicted to the wonderful World of Warcraft. In all reality, I knew this would happen eventually, I just didn't know when. Well, I guess there is nothing I can really do about it. WoW is more addictive than crack cocaine, and once it has you in it's grasp, there is no escaping. It is sad how every day I sit at work and think, "wow, tonight would be a great day for a bike ride," but instead I go home and sit on my computer until 10:30-11 and then fall asleep. If you hadn't noticed, this blog has not even been updated in at least two weeks. That is probably directly connected to me playing WoW all the time and spending all my downtime at work reading about how I can get better at playing WoW.

But anyways, a few interesting things did come out of the few hours this weekend I was able to pry myself away from the computer. The boys from Arto threw a pretty impressive DIY show in Jamie's basement, which included Palmer and some band who's name I can not remember for the life of me. After that, Justin Baker threw a book burning party in his front yard, which attracted way more people than I thought it would. This ended with me drinking a lot of PBR and Johnny Blood Red Ale, and a wicked hangover in the morning. Julian also burnt a copy of Chickensoup for the Teenage Soul, which made me immensely happy. I remember when my parents had me read that book, and if I still had my copy I would have gladly thrown it in the fire.

But anyways, my break at work is done, so I should probably start doing something productive. I hope to start updating this more. Seeing as how I spend most of my time on the computer, this may just mean stories of my adventures in Northrend (chuckle), so be prepared for ub3r nerdiness LOLOLOL!!!!!1!!!!11!!!!!!

-Duke-

New Pushmi-Pullyu sweet(er than a fat man being milked)

This past weekend I had the great pleasure of being able to attend the last ever Mills House show ever. For those who do not know much about the Mills House, it is the residence of Madison musician John [praw] and a few other students at UW Madison. John is the driving force behind the group Pushmi-Pullyu, as well as his solo project, [praw], also runs a small record label named mineallmine! records, and djs quit frequently on the 97.1 WSUM radio station. For the last 6 months or so, John has been hosting shows in his basement, showcasing the best in local talent, as well as some national and international acts, such as Nuclear Woods, Arto, and The Enright House, to name a few. These DIY style shows are usually also accompanied by the legendary death wap, something I have had the great pleasure of helping prepare a few times. Two cups and you are down for the count. This last one was fairly special, as not only was it the last Mills House show, but it was also John's last show in the states for the next 10 months, as on August 15th he is moving to Norway to continue his studies. This was his last chance to release some new material for all his fans. He did this in the form of the new South Africa album from Pushmi-Pullyu.

Pushmi-Pullyu is the creative minds of [praw], K. Wilhelm (another Madison musician), and Myles Coyne, of Arto. I have always liked the cool, calming, ambience of Pushmi-Pullyu, and South Africa I have to say is my favorite release to date. It showcases all facates of the band, and no two songs are the same. From the first track "A Pretty A Day," to the Bon Iver-like vocals on the genius cover of MGMT's "Kids," to the haunting intro of "Welcome To The Ridge," and the finishing touch of an acoustic version of the title track, the whole album suprises at every turn. After listening to the whole album three times through from start to finish, I can honestly say that there is not a single song that I do not like. Absolutely amazing.

While only 62 copies of the album are currently available, all unique and handmade, I would guess that the album will soon be available on your finer torrent sites (lol).

My hats off to you, gentlemen, for another album well done.

And to you, John, thank you for sharing the last six months of your life with me, and a couch now and then.

-Duke-

P.S. New K. Wilhelm album was also handed out at the August 1st show, and I will be discussing that at a future time.

What a Weekend

Wow, what an amazing weekend. Friday night was a little iffy, but Saturday was absolutely ridiculous. I was able to drive to Madison in just over 2 hours. How this is possible, I have no idea. Drank a few drinks, watched a few bands, and decided not to drink for the remainder of the night. Well, that only lasted for a few hours, and then it was time to give the wap another go. Bad idea. Witnessed quit a few strange things, such as Wolfgang trying to climb a tree with a broken/sprained foot, D-Knapp refusing to wake up, a homeless man named Dwayne, who said he coined the phrase "right tighty lefty loosey," Gordy stripping down to his boxers, and random people cuddling that I didn't expect to see cuddling. Waking up on a kitchen floor realizing that I was sleeping without a blanket was interesting, as well as finding my sandals 25 feet from where i remember leaving them. And oh yeah, getting home and forgetting that I had a giant cock drawn on one hand and a hairy ass hole on the other and then having to explain that to my mother was quit weird. Oh well.

Anyways, it was fun, at some moments stressful, but for the most part fun.

Too bad now that John is moving to Norway, there will not be anymore Madison adventures to this magnitude.

Hope to steal some videos of a few of the bands playing from Josh once he has posted them.

-Duke-

Door County + Tom + Beer = passed out in the back of Alex Streu's car

Just got back from Door County. This trip was way more win then last weekend, due to no drunk bros and girls breaking glasses. Went to some random bar called Merkles or something in Little Sturgeon. Tom's friend was bar tending. I think this may be the first time ever that the girls had to pay for drinks and I didn't pay for a single one. Weird. Either way it was fun. I wish I had the money to just live up there all the time. I love Green Bay, but being up there is so relaxing. Move there for good next summer? Probably not, but it would be cool.

-Duke-

Christianity

Last night, Thursday, July 23rd, my good friend Jamie Yanda did something extraordinary. While playing a solo set at the Ignite Youth Center, a Christian youth center I might add, Jamie decided to add some impromptu lyrics to one of his songs. He added a few lines that effectively said you shouldn't base your political views on what your church or parents think, you shouldn't use religion as a means to wage war, or discriminate against gays. As soon as he mentioned something about gays, his mic and guitar were immediately shut off. The crowd didn't appreciate that too much, and we all started clapping for Jamie, asking him to continue. Jamie stopped and asked why he was turned off, the sound technician said that he was done and thanked him for playing. Most performers at that point would have packed up and left, but not Jamie. He started explaining that he was not bashing Christianity, or any monotheistic religion for that matter, but that he was expressing how religion should never be used for anything else than spreading love. The sound guy let him finish his song, which was received with applause from the majority of the room. He said what needed to be said, plain and simple.

The problems he brought up are some of the main reasons I originally left Christianity. As some of you may know, I spent the first 6 years of my school education, and 3 years in high school, in private Christian schools. When I was young, I was raised as a Christian, but not as most Christian children I have met. My parents, both of who were hippies, raised me to never just accept what was told to me. As a young child, my parents would read me the Bible, but they let me ask questions, and they would answer them with real answers, not just "because God says so." As I grew, I was not only able to ask better questions of them, but I was able to start forming my own opinions, opinions that my parents did not neccessarily agree with, but let me voice. Eventually, by the time I got to high school, my faith in Christianity had almost completely vanished, much to the dismay of my parents, who supported my views no matter what, and after the first six months in school, was gone for good.

Once in high school, I quickly realized that I had been lucky in my upbringing. The "Christians" I was stuck with for 3 years were mindless drones. They never questioned what they were taught. What bugged me most was the hypocrisy that I saw in my classmates. Here were these kids, a lot of them the sons and daughters of pastors and ministers, and they treated each other like crap. It was very hurtful to be constantly called a fag, not because I actually was gay, but because I just did not agree with them. It was heartwrenching to see some of my classmates who were homosexuals have to hide it, for fear of persecution. No one should ever have to hide who they truly are. Luckily, I did not have to graduate from that school, and some good did come out of it. Taking religion classes every day, such as New Testament and Old Testament history, helped give me a better understanding of Christianity. While it didn't make me want to be a Christian anymore, it did help me understand that my classmates, who discriminate and believe whatever they are told, are not what Christians are supposed to be.

This is what I think Jamie was trying to say. Christianity is not bad, but if Christians want to help give their religion a better name, a few things need to happen first. One, they need to stop the bullying that goes on in their schools and youth groups. No one should be treated differently as a child because of their religious or politicals views, or because of their economic status. Two, stop using the Bible or "because God says so" to justify everything. Trust me, there are scientific ways that are respected to prove some aspects of the Bible, which is exactly why I am agnostic and not an athesiest. Third, and lastly, the persecution of the homosexual community needs to stop immediately. I don't care if your beliefs don't agree with their lifestyle, but they are people too, and they have rights. Until these things happen, Christians will always be looked down upon by the scientific and intellectual community.

Once again, I would like to thank you Jamie for your courage in addressing this issue.

-Duke-

Welcome!!

So yeah, I have finally done it. Seeing as how I know all of my peers have become increasingly annoyed with having to listen to my repetitive stories about random shit, and don't care what I think of the new harry potter movie, I have decided to start a blog so they no longer have to listen to me bitch. It shall include, but is not limited to, my thoughts on film, music, politics, and that cute video of guinea pigs eating watermelon. As I do have ADD, I may forget to update from time to time, but I hope to update at least once a day.

Enjoy.