Dyess - Keepsakes EP

Label: self-released

Year: 2012

 

Dyess is a 3 piece, post hardcore/noise rock band from Atlanta. Clocking in at just under 15 minutes, this EP brings to mind everything  from Quicksand, Big Black, Drive Like Jehu and older Deftones to Torche...awesome bass and guitar work with some tasteful Danny Carey drum moments and vocals that sound like a pissed off Page Hamilton covering Cherubs songs. 

DL

Honor Role - Album

Label: Merge

Year: 1997

By request, but this one should have been here a long time ago.

This record is a compilation of Honor Role's entire discography sans the first 7" (which I will post at a later date). It includes the two albums, "The Pretty Song" and "Rictus" and some other recordings. Those albums were originally released in 1986 and 1989 respectively.

The band came out of Richmond, Virginia, and evolved from a simple hardcore band into a math rock monolith, eventually disbanding when part of the group wanted to explore heavier, more aggressive music (Butterglove...which I will also post here eventually). More famously though, they went on to be Breadwinner, another math rock masterpiece of a band. Other bands that benefited from Honor Role alumni included; Kepone, Labradford, Ladyfinger, Coral, Pillow Talk, and Dynamic Truths.

Musically, the band blended the straight ahead, vaguely metallic punk of Husker Du, with the wiry art punk of say, Gang Of Four, and the moody introspection of their Dischord neighbors to the north. All in all, this yields particularly impressive results, churning up some alien and moving sounds. I remember not knowing what to make of the "Rictus" album when I first heard it years ago since it didn't have the jarring attacks found on "The Pretty Song" (which was released by Reed Mullin of C.O.C. so you know it's good), or the atonal guitar scratches. I put that record (cassette actually) away for many moons, and didn't hear it again until I was literally throwing away a bunch of tapes out of my car (since tape decks were being phased out), and turns out, surprise, it's a really great record. Slower, and more nuanced, but great.

I'd be curious to hear some one's opinions on how this one who has not heard the band before. Part of me feels that it might not stack up these days, and I'm just remembering it's impact on my impressionable brain 20 years ago. Let me know.

*Originally posted 12.19.09, re-up'd 07.28.12

DL

Honor Role - It Bled Like A Stuck Pig

Label: Eskimo
Year: 1984

I was about to re-up the Honor Role compilation, which I will do, when I put this record on to listen to. This ep isn't included on the reissue that came out, I guess because sonically it completely does not fit, and sounds like a complete other band. This version of Honor Role was total hardcore, like, early 80's D.C. influenced hardcore (not surprising, since they were from Richmond, two hours down I-95 from D.C., and had started putting out records in 1982). I hear Scream, Faith, and Government Issue.
The band did a lot of evolving between their initial blistering speed version (the "Your Skull Is My Bowl split with Graven Image) to the Rictus lp, and it's mathy pop. Not a lot of bands can say that.

DL 

V/A - Shiny Grey Monotone Radio - Show 2

Label: n/a
Year: 2012

As promised, here is the next installment of the ill-fated Shiny Grey Monotone Radio Show for your enjoyment next time you're really powering out the last 4 minutes of your elliptical machine workout. As with all of these shows, there is an attempt to take you through the (admittedly nuanced) different shades of Shiny Grey Monotone (wait a minute...Shades Of Gray?!), and presents a nice cross section of music suitable for soundtracking low impact exercise or a medium impact car chase.

Bands are:
Arcwelder
Ikara Colt
Oneida
Vineland
The Liverhearts
Brainiac
Colossomite
C Average
Daisy Cutter
Luca Brasi
Zeni Geva
Pearls and Brass
Smoke and Smoke
Theory Of Ruin
Calvin Crime
Drunk Tank
Head Of David
Whores
Cutthroats 9
Cop Shoot Cop

DL

Hot Snakes - Live - Athens, GA - 08-12-02

Label: Bootleg
Year: 2002

Who here doesn't like Hot Snakes? Anyone?
How about Hot Snakes recorded live at the 40 Watt club in Athens, Georgia? Huh?
Alright, then what if I tell you they end the set on a Drive Like Jehu cover? Yeah?

Please ignore the fact that the first track is listed as 20 minutes, it doesn't play for 20 minutes, or at least it shouldn't play that long. If you can fix that, fix it. Also, the audio is a B-, not the best, but certainly a fun listen.

DL

V/A - Shiny Grey Monotone Radio - Show 1

Label: n/a
Year: 2012

A few posts back, I mentioned that I wanted to get around to finally posting the compilations I made for the short-lived Shiny Grey Monotone Radio show. The premise was that Ipecac and I would each program 1 hour worth of music each week to showcase the bands (and types of bands) that the blog focused on. Basically, it was the blog as a radio show (on the internet). Make sense?
I don't recall exactly how many episodes were ever "aired", but I know that I put together a bunch of roughly one hour long compilations, and enjoyed them so much that I continually do so. Therefore, I've got 17 or so of these episodes just sitting on my computer, not doing much of anything, save for entertaining me.
The goal for me was to try and run the gamut of styles (as such a gamut there is between noise rock and hardcore and indie rock and...) demonstrated on Shiny Grey Monotone, sequence the songs in a way that they flowed together well, mix more well known bands with smaller ones, choose songs from the recent past and recent...future, and to not repeat bands from one episode to another. I think I've been pretty successful at it, but who am I to judge, maybe you should tell me? And that being said, the first show was pretty overloaded with heavy hitters, since I wasn't sure if we were going to get a second chance, but I do think it's a good representation of the blog as a whole. The Cliff Notes, as it were. Mind you, this is just "my" hour of the show, so you're getting "my" version of the blog for better or for worse. Hope you enjoy this first 'lil mixtape, and if it gets downloaded enough, I'll post more volumes.

Show One bands:
La Gritona
Black Elk
Milkmine
Hammerhead
Drunks With Guns
Young Ginns
Sicbay
The Sunglasses
Part Chimp
Last Of The Juanitas
Copass Grinderz
Black Mountain
Tright Bro's From Way Back When
Johnboy
JJ Paradise Players Club
Archers Of Loaf
Fugazi
Polvo
Unwound
Chavez
Engine Kid
Big'n
Barkmarket

DL

Helios Creed - X-Rated Fairy Tales

Label: Subterranean
Year: 1985

Here's the first "solo" Helios Creed record after Chrome split, although "solo" is a weird way to describe a record that employs a full backing band, but...semantics.
If you aren't a fan, but you fancy yourself an adventurous listener, then dive in. You will be rewarded with a warped take on acid rock, proto-industrial, and proto-noise rock. Sort of like first wave Butthole Surfers meets Can, but not really like either. Sort of. The title track is a real doozy, it has the power to clear a room, or seduce the ladies...either/or.

DL

Reproacher - self titled

Label: self released
Year: 2011

Reproacher is a hardcore band from WY, to quote their bandcamp page "if this doesnt make you hate your life, I don't know what will". There's some hints of early Converge, some Botch, and a whole lot of Superjoint Ritual and Venomous Concept in these tracks. This album seriously impressed the shit out of me ...btw you can also pick up their entire discography at the link below.

DL

Fashion Week "Demo EP"

Label: self released
Year: 2011


Fashion Week is a 3 piece noise rock band from NY. This is their 4 song demo from late 2011, and with it you get some soul crushingly abrasive noise rock along the lines of early Helmet, Unsane, Barkmarket, and Cherubs. Not much melody, just jagged guitars, clanky basslines, and brutal in-your-face...umm... fashion anthems?
Since they're totally awesome bro dudes, you can pick this up on their bandcamp page and  "name your price".

DL

Fight Amputation - Ugly Kids Doing Ugly Things

Label: Knife Hits
Year: 2005

The third release (and first EP) by New Jersey's Fight Amp. This one is way less AMREP noise and way more hardcore basement show fingerbangs. Since they're nice guys, you can "name your price" on their bandcamp page.


DL

Shellac - Peel Session - Maida Vale - 12-02-04

Label: Bootleg
Year: 2004

"We are Shellac of North America..." and so begins it. A tour through their discography of wiry guitar twitches and precision rhythms spanning the first 7" up to "Excellent Italian Greyhound" and everything in between. As to be expected, the sound quality is superb, and the performance does not fail to exhilarate.
That's sorta it I guess. What more should I need to say?

*Originally posted 04.24.10 , reposted 07.08.12

DL

McLusky - Demo

Label: was it ever released?

Year: good question

I present this artifact to you, the general public (or representative sub-section thereof who frequent the sketchier neighborhoods of the internet) for two distinct reasons:

a) I really love the band McLusky, and think that if you have stuck around this blog long enough, there's a good chance you love them too.

b) I have no information about this particular piece of McLusky lore. I came across it, all alone, scared, and without any form of identification. Just a rough and tumble little ole demo that needed a bath and a saucer of warm milk. Now she's all cleaned up, fed, and laying across my lap purring. What a sweetpea.

Problem is, I don't know anything about her, where she came from, who she belongs to...nothing. Is anyone out there missing a cute little demo? Can you help me find out any information about her?

I can't offer any reward, but I would certainly appreciate some background. Thanks in advance.

*Originally posted 04.19.10, reposted 07.08.12

DL

A Word From The Management

Good day/evening/morn -

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the goings-on (or lack thereof) in and around Shiny Grey Monotone Land.

It has been dully noted that postings have slowed to a trickle as of late, and for that I apologize. Rest assured, I still feel strongly about the format of this website, and the concept of spreading un(der)heard music around the globe, and I will continue to keep the proverbial home fires burning, hopefully with greater consistency in the near term.

You may, or may not, have noticed that I'm sort of running the ship on my own these days, and that's certainly not by choice. Ipecac, our fearless leader, started this blog so many moons ago and was nice enough to invite me on board to contribute. Well, for reasons not entirely clear, and not entirely my business, Ipecac is taking an internet timeout and may return one day soon, or may never be seen or heard from again. Don't know, but I hope he's back in the fold before too long. As for the other contributors, over the years they appear to surface in cycles, every few weeks or so, and since it's a volunteer network of autonomous individuals who have never so much as seen each other, well, it's difficult to forecast when their posts will begin anew. Again, I hope it's sooner rather than later.

If I had the power to deputize new contributors into the team, I would. But I don't. So I won't.

Excuses aside, I thought it my duty to grant the reading audience some sort of reasoning as to the state of the blog (as it were), and let you know of my intentions at least, to keep it running. I hope you all continue to stick with it, and let me (us) know how you like or don't like it.

I have a whole slew of compilations that I want to post from the brief "internet radio" show that we were running a couple years back that are really good (they stay in rotation on my iPod for exercise, driving, etc), I just need to get them back onto my computer. Maybe this weekend I'll finally get to it.
I'm also trying to get to as many of the re-uploads as I have the energy to do, just bear with it, chances are if you requested something, it's on it's way...it's long and mysterious way.

And there you have it. Shiny Grey Monotone circa 2012 is still a "thing", and will move into the future as a "thing" so long as there's "things" to post about...and that "thing" really shouldn't be a "thing" know should it.

Onward and upward,
Gray