Album a Day (Digital/Rarities Edition): I, Parasite - Assorted Debris (1996-2001)

Originally released in 2002 as a CD-R, Christopher Jon (the brilliant mind behind the epic I, Parasite) has re-released this collection of rarities, remixes, and live tracks from before the release of the band's debut album Turin just past the remix EP Horseslayer (both excellent releases) in digital form available on the steadily more and more popular Bandcamp website. The major difference between this version and the original CD-R is the inclusion of the full version of the EPIC 23:14 track Urine/Heaven Stench/Filth/Hope To Fall which in and of itself could be a stand-alone EP. I love this release because while not all the songs are necessarily of the same caliber of the album releases these tracks really give I, Parasite fans more insight into what was going on creatively in the mind of Jon and to a lesser extent former bandmate Justin Butts (credited simply as J). Assorted Debris (such a fitting name for a collection like this) plays a lot like a road-map though it seems obvious that the album isn't chronological so in some ways its live a serious of anecdotes starting with the track Sn.6x8 and its remix by M.A.S. which I would guess takes place somewhere in the middle and really serves to give you a feel for where you are going. We then we jump back in time with the four Dis.organ.eyes demos (perhaps an earlier name for the project or release that never really got off the ground? I would love a small triptik that went along with the album) which are really quite different than later IP material. These four tracks are fairly basic industrial tracks except that there something's incredibly haunting about them. The synth work really contributes a gothic feel that reminds me of watching an older horror movie like Nosferatu (a film which absolutely still holds up in creepiness). After that we move on to two of my favorite tracks on the album: Ascension and Skinlike (Soft). I'm actually surprised that these two tracks never made it on to an album because they are both vintage I, Parasite (sometimes just need to get cut for lack of room sometimes). Ascension is a little bit noisier but I love how it begins very ambient and but eventually moves into really gut-punching powernoise. It sort of reminds me of a harder-edged Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Skinlike (Soft) is just one of those amazing I, Parasite tracks that mixes really delicate synths with extremely heavy drums that creates this beautiful yin-yang as the back-drop for Christopher Jon's pained and introspective vocals. The next two tracks are both listed as demos. Guiltmask seems like sort of throwaway Wumpscut-esque industrial track (not bad but nothing exciting) but Glass Shards is a really touching piano track that may not really fit in with most of I, Parasite's other material but is a really nice change of pace. The three live tracks all sound great and surprisingly crisply-recorded given that they are from the early 2000's. The live tracks give a really great feel for I, Parasite's live show. I first saw IP live back around this time probably about 2003. They were gearing up for a bigger show and so they were booked at this really bizarre all-day festival of terrible local Connecticut bands at this backwoods venue that I think was a campground dining hall or Elks Lodge or something. I was doing interviews for my Ithaca College/106-VIC radio show The Last Exit and so I got a lot of time to talk to Christopher Jon and his live band (including my now good buddy and I, Parasite bassist Bret Calder). The festival was an all day thing and this group of mostly teenagers kept leaving after the bands they came to see and while I, Parasite was the headlining band, all that was left by the time they went on were me, my friend Caitlin, the band, the "promoters" and maybe one or two other people. In spite of this I, Parasite played an amazing show for the few of us. What I'm saying between the weird side-story and the live tracks on this release are that if you ever get the chance to see I, Parasite live then fucking do so because they will not disappoint. The final track on the album is the aforementioned Urine/Heaven Stench/Filth/Hope To Fall which to me could be an industrial opera. This track is so epic and amazing. This is the type of thing I would love to see the band get back into as perhaps some sort of large opera similar to The Knife's Tomorrow, In a Year. I also just absolutely love the artwork by Paul Komoda. I, Parasite album artwork is always interesting and this is no exception. Assorted Debris (1996-2001) is available for download at http://music.iparasite.net/album/assorted-debris-i-1996-2001 for free but with Bandcamp you can contribute and please do as the band is great, Christopher Jon is a super nice guy (bought me a post-show meal at a diner once), and this collection of music/love is well worth it. Favorite Tracks: Sn.6x8, Chained Exit (Dis.organ.eyes demo), Gun (Dis.organ.eyes demo), Ascension, Skinlike (Soft), Piety (Live @ Club Laga, Pittsburgh), No Question (Live @ QXT, Newark), and Urine/Heaven Stench/Filth/Hope To Fall

Album a Day: The Sounds - Living In America

If you're just getting into The Sounds now then there is a good chance you're missing out on their 2002 debut album Living In America, which to me is still their best album (this shouldn't take anything away from the subsequent album but Living In America is just such a great album). I'm not really positive how I discovered The Sounds as I sort of had two connections: the first was hearing the song Dance With Me (which is my favorite track on the album) during an MTV promo. Dance With Me is a great song for dancing along to, singing along to, and just makes you feel really good. The song itself was never credited nor was any footage of the band shown, but rather just the song playing in a sort of "You should watch MTV cause we sometimes still play videos" (in fact in might have even been for MTV2 which barely plays videos anymore) and the second connection was a buddy by the name of Matt Simon who would wear kickass yellow on blue Sounds t-shirt to a sound theory class of ours in college (and how fitting that is is not lost on me). Somehow the two connections got crossed at a certain point and the next time I was on a break from school I was in Massachusetts (one of the last times while still living there before my folks moved to Florida) and I visited a used CD shop I liked but rarely went to named Mystery Train in Amherst, MA. For anyone that is a connoisseur of Used CD you know that its basically a futile attempt to try and find a specific CD (unless you go to Amoeba Hollywood, but that's more the exception to the rule and even then its not a guarantee you'll find what you're looking for used) so I was quite surprised when I decided to look for The Sounds and actually found the CD. Needless to say I'm quite glad that I did because this has easily become one of my Top 10 favorite albums of all time (ya know the kind that you'd bring on a desert island under the assumption that you have a CD player that will somehow never run out of juice?). What I love about this CD is that its so incredibly fun and danceable and yet there are a lot of somber moments about difficulties with love, and not necessarily breakups or fights but the difficult choices between devotion to art versus a committed relationship (see the track Rock 'N Roll) or love that just isn't meant to last forever but is so strong in the moment. But this certainly isn't a purely love-themed album as you have songs like the punk rock tribute Riot, the Blondie/Siouxsie & The Banshees-esque Hit Me! or one of my favorites in the form Living In America which certainly can be left open to interpretation but hits me as a comfort to the youths of Sweden (especially the bands) that perhaps desire to be apart of the American scene but there's something sort of punk rock about having your own small scene (something that people in small towns in America can certainly appreciate as well). All of the tracks on the CD could be singles unto themselves and yet the album works together so well. There's a great mix of styles including synth-pop, punk, disco, and straight up rock with individual tracks that are reminiscent of the aforementioned Siouxsie & The Banshees and Blondie in addition to ABBA (hard to be a Swedish band and not get compared to ABBA). I love the simple artwork for the album with the band's logo on the back of a leather jacket worn most likely by vocalist Maja Ivarasson. Iverasson's vocals are so great that while the rest of the music is performed so well her vocals really make everything pop. The CD also includes Enhanced CD software that allows you to look at some photos and listen to an exclusive remix of Rock 'N Roll that is pretty much a throwaway remix (not a lot of good remixes of The Sounds out there) and watch videos for Hit Me!, Seven Days a Week, and Living In America which are essentially glorified videos of the band playing the songs but The Sounds are so charismatic (especially the facial expressions of Ivarasson who so incredibly beautiful) that it makes watching the videos at least somewhat worthwhile (especially Seven Days a Week which is a really fun video of the band playing in a small club for some die-hard fans). Favorite Tracks: Seven Days a Week, Dance With Me, Living In America, Hit Me!, Mine For Life, Rock 'N Roll, Fire, and Riot

Album a Day (Limited Edition Edition): The Damage Manual - Limited Edition

The Damage Manual started off as a really cool concept in sort of a super-group with men that have very impressive resumes including Martin Atkins (Pigface, PiL, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Murder Inc., and Killing Joke), Geordie Walker (Killing Joke, Murder Inc., and Pigface), Jah Wobble (Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart and PiL), and Chris Connelly (known for both his solo work and work in Finitribe, PTP, Acid Horse, Pigface, Ministry, Killing Joke, and Revolting Cocks). Kind of like a Damn Yankees of Industrial. The problem is that Damn Yankees sucked. Well the first set of Damage Manual material was good and certainly something I'll write about someday but the second incarnation was just so great with both Jah Wobble and Geordie Walker leaving the band and the addition of one of my favorite musicians Steven Seibold of Hate Dept. (both a talented musician and producer) for this sophomore follow-up Limited Edition. Actually limited to 4000 copies for this beautiful digipak with raised plastic the presentation starts the whole album off really awesome (although sometimes difficult to store). Though often referred to as an industrial rock album it actually tends to verge on what should be called Post-Industrial Rock. The album really pushes the limits of what industrial-rock is. The reason I say verging is that I'm not sure Industrial can have a post-quality as post-genres tend to be more experimental complex versions of the originals and when you do that in Industrial Rock you actually just get earlier industrial bands like Throbbing Gristle and Einstürzende Neubauten. However, this album certainly has elements of industrial, post-punk, and punk for an album that really kicks ass and has a lot of thought put into it. I love the lyrical content on songs like No Act of Grace (a great reflective song), South Pole Fighters, and Mad Dialect. You can also just feel all the chemistry that Atkins, Connelly, and Seibold have from years of working together on Pigface and so there is really an element of brotherhood in the album. I enjoy the album from start to finish, the album flows well, the production is tight, and each song maintains a sound true to the album while exploring different ideas at the same time. If you can find a copy then I suggest adding this to your library. Favorite Tracks: Revenge Fiction, No Act of Grace, Mad Dialect, South Pole Fighters, and Limited Edition

Album a Day: The Cure - Boys Don't Cry

Sometimes referred to as a compilation, Boys Don't Cry served as the American debut release from The Cure. Boy's Don't Cry is essentially the same as the band's official debut album Three Imaginary Boys minus several songs (Meathook, It's Not You, and a cover of Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady recorded during a soundcheck with bassist Michael Dempsey on vocals) and replacing them with several other songs including the title track Boy's Don't Cry, Plastic Passion, Jumping Someone's Else Train, Killing an Arab, and World War. Three of the tracks (Object, World War, and Foxy Lady) were choices made by producer Chris Parry despite being despised by Robert Smith and in years later found their way off of the CD release and adding in So What. If you didn't tell me this was a compilation of songs I would feel pretty confident it was just a really great album as the flow is fantastic. I love this early work by The Cure as there are a ton of punk and goth rock elements infused in that sound that would later become the staple of this West Sussex band. Smith and the rest of the band have often pointed to many of these songs as being lightweight and because of their relative inexperience they had little say during production, however there's a lot of great content with songs like Killing An Arab which Smith says his attempt at adapting moments of Albert Camus' seminal and heavy-handed philosophical novel The Stranger or the poetic imagery of Fire In Cairo. Smith has said that he originally envisioned The Cure as being a punk rock Beatles, and so its only fitting that like the Beatles he should think of this early material as somehow less than. I'll say it, I love The Beatles early pop music with songs like I Wanna Hold Your Hand and I can say the same about a song like Boys Don't Cry. Sure, this isn't the deepest material or most complex but that shouldn't lessen the aesthetic value and certainly doesn't make it less enjoyable. This 1979 release is a fun album and these songs (along with the remaining ones from Three Imaginary Boys) should be appreciated for their historical value as they would be the bulk of the material made before The Cure would embark on a tour which would see Smith pulling double duty for his band and as the guitarist for the headlining band Siouxsie & The Banshees which had recently seen the departure of John McKay. According to Smith, playing as a Banshee greatly changed the direction of The Cure. Favorite Tracks: Boys Don't Cry, 10.15 Saturday Night, Jumping Someone Else's Train, Killing An Arab, Fire In Cairo, and Three Imaginary Boys

Album a Day Note

From a suggestion by the lovely Kendra (seems like she's becoming my supervisor) and a good talk with Mike Okum and Gina I decided last night to create a way to allow readers of my Album a Day blog to listen to the music I'm discussing. With some aide from grooveshark there is now a Jay Kantor's Album a Day playlist that can be accessed by all, I've included the songs that I list in my Favorite Tracks of each post (with the exception of DVDs and the Gristleism Machine) so you can sample the albums. You can find everything at this link: http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/playlist/Jay+Kantor+s+Album+a+Day/31249159 and of course as always my blog can always be read at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jay-Kantors-Album-a-Day-Blog/119606201415505?ref=ts

Album a Day: Marilyn Manson - Eat Me, Drink Me

I remember when this album came out there were a lot of mixed feelings both in reviews and friends of mine that were fans of Marilyn Manson with the feelings generally either falling on the side that this was a really great album or that this had strayed too far from the original Manson sound (often being labeled by those of that opinion as "not hard enough"). I would say I definitely fall in the former. I think this 6th album is the most mature work we've seen. Of course I might be biased here as I've always been a big fan of Tim Skold's work. For those that don't know Tim Skold beyond his work with Manson, Skold has also been a major player in the industrial scene with his own 1996 solo album (and 2nd solo album rumored to be coming out sometime this year with three tracks already released on itunes) and his collaborations with Sascha Konietzko as a member of KMFDM, MDFMK and KMFDM vs. SKOLD. Skold has collaborated for years on great projects and Eat Me, Drink Me is really the pure collaboration of Manson and Skold and its so obvious all over the album. The guitar solos on many tracks can tend to get a little masturbatory are so well done and rare in a Manson album that you certainly have to appreciate it. The songs are all very well put together with a lot of love and vivid imagery. Its also easy to see how Manson's relationship with Evan Rachel Wood affected the album with her both being the inspiration for Heart-Shaped Glasses and appearing in the music video (a really solid video you should check out). At times the album really reads to me in a similar tone to Rob Zombie making The Devil's Rejects, which is to say that you can fully see Manson in the music but at the same there are other influences at work often reminiscent of that late 60's/early 70's rock feel circa Easy Rider with elements of stripped-down indie rock style guitars and even jazzy moments. Now this isn't to say there aren't some songs that are just downright classic Marilyn Manson. Putting Holes In Happiness has a lot of that great more somber/slightly reflective sound, Evidence is about as industrial-Manson as it gets and all of the lyrical content is straight Marilyn Manson. The collaboration between Manson and Skold is now done and hopefully we will see the two work on something together in the future, but if nothing else there is this great album to appreciate. Favorite Tracks: If I Was Your Vampire, Putting Holes In Happiness, Just A Car Crash Away, Heart-Shaped Glasses (When The Heart Guides The Hand), Mutilation Is The Most Sincere Form of Flattery, and Eat Me, Drink Me

Album a Day (Live/Remix Edition): De/Vision - Devolution Tour + I Regret 2003

Technically two releases but available as a two-disc special edition with both the tour Live CD and the remix single for I Regret 2003, this release (or releases) stand as a testament to the talent of De/Vision. The first disc is the live CD recorded over two shows in Berlin and Leipzig, Germany in late April of 2003. To me this has all the elements of what a live CD should sound like. A lot of live albums recorded now just sound to close to the recordings and I think you really miss out on what a live album is. Conversely, I think we've all heard how a bad recording really just feels like a waste of time. This CD sounds live with the full audience interaction but its also very well done. The main reason I feel like a live CD really needs to sound like this is because the only real purpose of these recordings are as a tribute to the band you love. You wouldn't buy a live album from some band you're just trying to get into, otherwise you'd probably get pretty annoyed. The 2nd element that really makes this such a great live disc is that it does a great job promoting the most recent as of its release but also has some of the more popular tracks spread out over several albums (of which De/Vision has a lot, releasing an album no more than two years apart since the first album World Without End in 1993). De/Vision also isn't content with putting on a live show of a singer with some synths, no their shows feature a full band. If you ever get the chance to see De/Vision live I can't emphasize how much you should go. I saw them play at Safari Sam's a few years ago before it closed down (one of my favorite LA Venues, though I'm not sure everyone shared that sentiment) and they were intoxicating. Lead singer Thomas Adam just has a certain way about him that is energetic when he needs to be and completely soulful otherwise, which really translates well to this release. The remix disc is equally great featuring several remixes of the title track I Regret (one of De/Vision's absolute best songs) by some really talented remixers in addition to remixes of Bleed Me White and Try To Forget, and live versions of I Regret (the same version on the first disc), and Blue Moon. I think that Colony 5 has the best remixed track on this release. Colony 5 is one of the better bands to remix which I think often goes unnoticed but checkout the remix here of I Regret and also their remixes of Bruderschaft - Forever (only available on the special edition 2nd disc) and Pigface - Bitch (essentially Colony 5 remixing Dope, which is beyond strange but works really well). The other remixes of I Regret are also good with the VNV Nation one perhaps being the 2nd strongest, the HMB (Daniel Myer of Haujobb, Dennis Ostermann of In Strict Confidence, and Victoria Lloyd of Claire Voyant) is probably the most interesting (I somewhat suspect the remixing duties here were handled mainly by Daniel Myer but its hard to say), and the J.A.B. (José Alvarez-Brill) remix is nothing special but also doesn't hurt the track). The DJ Ram remix of Try To Forget is definitely the 2nd best track on the CD though the Backlash remix of Bleed Me White is equally strong. I think the real treat on this CD though is the live version of Blue Moon which is not included on the main live disc though recorded from the same set of shows. This version features just Thomas Adam and the crowd singing along in a really tender moment that takes full advantage of what a live show/CD is. This double release by one of (if not the) greatest synthpop bands ever is great for both a die-hard fan and club-goer/DJ alike. Favorite Tracks: Try To Forget (Live), Digital Dream (Live), I Regret (Live), Your Hands On My Skin (Live), Drifting Sideways (Live), I Regret (Radio Remix by Colony 5), Bleed Me White (Deadlock Remix by Backlash), Try To Forget (Reminder Remix by DJ Ram), I Regret (VNV Nation Remix), and Blue Moon (Live)