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Graham Duff’s epic best albums of 2017 mega-post
12.28.2017
01:56 pm
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Photo credit: Bruce Wang.
 
Graham Duff is a screenwriter, actor, producer and show-runner. His TV series include The Nightmare Worlds of HG Wells, Ideal, Hebburn and Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible. He’s also published writings on left field music and contemporary art. His forthcoming book Foreground Music is a personal history of the live music scene in the United Kingdom. Here are Graham’s picks for the best albums of 2017.

20. Emmanuel - Rave Culture

 
An immediate yet artfully crafted album of energised machine music, courtesy of Italy’s Emmanuel (full name Emmanuel Beddewela). On the tensely pulsing “Chainreaction” Emmanuel seems to be mining the same seam as France’s Gesaffelstein. But when he adorns the otherwise sleek and gleaming rhythm with strange lopsided percussive fills, they transform the track into a thing of sublime strangeness. Beddewela’s attention to detail ensures, the whole album is as imaginative as it is thrilling. And if “Conductor” powers along like Jeff Mills at his most optimistic, elsewhere, tracks such as “Ultratribe” and “Killer Floor” operate as dark darts of full tilt 21st century techno. 

19. The Dials - That Was The Future

 
No one could accuse The Dials of hiding their influences. Their sound is a glorious mix of late 60s pop-psych, fuzzed up guitars and funky 70s style keyboard and synth lines. Yet this is no exercise in homage. What sets The Dials apart is both the standard of their songwriting and Joe Allenby and Rich Parrish’s perfectly judged vocal melodies. Songs such as the genuinely funky “Cuckoo Stone” or the Spencer Davis Group style strut of “The Nark,” display an effortless cool. The band’s previous releases hinted at something great, but That Was The Future comes straight out and delivers it.

18. Akatombo - Short Fuse

 
Under his Akatombo alias, Paul T. Kirk has been releasing beautifully judged albums of stark, grainy hip hop inflected electronica since 2003’s Trace Elements. In 2015, Kirk’s life threatening health problems fed directly into his album Sometime, Never. That was a set cloaked in claustrophobic dread. But with Short Fuse, Kirk seems to have reached a position of bruised grace. He still fashions skanking rhythms of a mean and distorted aspect.  But it feels like he’s able to let in a little more light than before. And the album frequently ups the pace, with tracks such as “George Kaplan” and “Solitude in Numbers” driven by a propulsive kinetic energy.

17. The Courtneys - II


Vancouver all girl trio The Courtneys are exponents of a catchy harmonic new wave pop, whilst also being home to some very gnarly guitar textures. Their sound is fat and driving, and, on “Minnesota,” Courtney Garvin’s guitar manages to sound like an overdriven keyboard. Vocalist Jen Twynn Payne is also the band’s drummer and she keeps the rhythms lean and uncluttered. The highlight is the closing “Frankie,” where Twynn Payne’s sad autumnal vocal melody is kept in motion by a precise motorik groove. There may be trace elements of Sonic Youth or Joy Zipper in their sound, but over the spread of this album, The Courtneys create their own distinct world.

16. Vukovar - Puritan


Vukovar are a band with feet in several camps. Opening track “Ubermensch” strides into view like an epic Walker Brothers ballad seen through the prism of post punk. On the other hand, S.S.S.” comes across like early Cure remixed by a space age King Tubby. Stand outs include the seesawing “Once More For The Puritan,” where Rick Clarke’s vocals are complemented by the sweet, clear tones of Elizabeth Mcnally.  Elsewhere “This Moment Severed” could almost be an out take from Joy Division’s “Closer.”  Puritan is an album of genuine poetry and exciting textures, beautifully underpinned by Buddy Preston’s richly detailed drum patterns.

15. Huoratron -  XXVI Crimes Of Love


Foregrounding the strictest of electronic rhythms and thick burred chips of 8-bit noise, Huoratron (aka Aku Raski) is a Finnish electro house artist whose high impact dynamics connect directly with the body. A number of these tracks have already seen the light of day on earlier EPs, but they sit neatly next to newer pieces such as “Autocannibalism,” where sheets of detuned synth and twitchy glitched out rhythms collide with fragments of a drum and bass session.  Much more suited to the dance floor, than domestic listening, there are nevertheless moments where headphone listening reveals astonishing feats of programming.

The rest of the list after the jump…

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Posted by Tara McGinley
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12.28.2017
01:56 pm
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Nick Cave’s life & work come alive in a stunning new 328-page graphic novel ‘Nick Cave: Mercy on Me’
10.17.2017
07:48 am
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An illustration by Reinhard Kleist from his new graphic novel, ‘Nick Cave: Mercy on Me.’
 

“Floods, fire, and frogs leapt out of my throat,” he explained. “Though I had no notion of that then, God was talking not just to me but through me, and His breath stank. I was a conduit for a God that spoke in a language written in bile and puke. And for a while, that suited me fine.”

—Nick Cave ruminates on God during a broadcast by BBC Radio 3 Religious Services in 1996. Read/listen to it here.

From his origins growing up in Australia glued to The Johnny Cash Show, to his days with The Birthday Party and later The Bad Seeds—author and illustrator Reinhard Kleist has left no stone unturned when it comes to his exploration of Nick Cave’s life in his new graphic novel, Nick Cave: Mercy on Me.

Kleist uses his dark and striking illustrations to help bring out emotions such as dread, desperation, persistence, and revelation as they witness Cave’s life and long career, from his huge-hair and heroin days with The Birthday Party to his more polished yet still antagonistic times with The Bad Seeds. The book even incorporates things from 2014’s documentary, 20,000 Days On Earth. Like life in general, the book is often a grim ride—especially when it concerns Cave’s early days in and out of addiction clinics and his time in Berlin—which, according to Cave, was a moment in his life where he felt “quite lost.” There he met Christoph Dreher, founder of the post-rock band Die Haut whom Cave credits with “basically keeping him alive” for a few years (you can see a blistering performance by Cave with Die Haut back in 1992, which is depicted in Kleist’s book, here). If you’re wondering how the legendarily cantankerous Mr. Cave feels about Kleist’s book, here’s more on that directly from the man himself:

“Reinhard Kleist, master graphic novelist, and myth-maker has - yet again - blown apart the conventions of the graphic novel by concocting a terrifying conflation of Cave songs, biographical half-truths and complete fabulations and creating a complex, chilling and completely bizarre journey into Cave World. Closer to the truth than any biography, that’s for sure! But for the record, I never killed Elisa Day.”

Stop me if I’m wrong, but I do believe that Cave just gave Kleist two goth-thumbs up for his efforts. I agree with Cave’s assessment of Kleist’s work, and if you are at all of a fan of Nick Cave, I recommend picking this book up right away. An English version of the graphic novel (which was initially published in German), can be found here. In case there is still any doubt that you need this book, I’ve posted a large collection of Kleist’s starkly beautiful illustrations from Nick Cave: Mercy on Me, below.
 

An illustration from ‘Nick Cave: Mercy on Me,’ Reinhard Kleist.
 

 

 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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10.17.2017
07:48 am
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The lurid, neon outlaw art of Benjamin Marra
10.06.2017
08:32 am
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Album artwork by Benjamin Marra for the 2017 compilation ‘Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares.’
 
Comic artist Benjamin Marra‘s pulpy, outlaw artistic style has been used by notable publications such as The New York Times and another comic book company you might have heard of, Marvel. Several of Marra’s books have been published by Seattle comics institution Fantagraphics. In an interview Marra gave to The Comics Journal he discussed one of his most common themes of his work—his raw depiction of violence. Like so many of us, Marra was profoundly influenced by films he saw as a youth, though he steered clear of violent scenarios in his artwork because they scared the shit out of him. So, he began to include images bad stuff happening into his work in the hope that he might someday be able to conquer his fear. Well, it worked, and I’m thrilled because Marra’s art is kind of like a grindhouse film full of bikers and badass chicks battling it out in a grim neon netherworld.

Based in Brooklyn, Marra went to Syracuse University where he studied illustration, and then later for a time at SU’s art program in Florence, Italy. He received a B.F.A. from Syracuse and followed that up with an M.F.A. in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Marra still spends time at the Manhattan institution where he somehow finds the time to teach the in the Visual Narrative program. Marra publishes his far-out comics through his own company, Traditional Comics. There he puts out comics that are aligned with the kind of core values a real outlaw would be ready to die for, such as imposing your will upon the world, sex (and there’s lots of it in Marra’s illustrated world), drugs, gambling, and adhering to a personal code of justice that believes in vigilantism which provides for the right to exact revenge whenever you’ve been done wrong.

I first became aware of Marra after seeing the slick album art for a compilation series put out by the Numero Group in 2017, Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares (pictured at the top of this post). However, some of you might be familiar with Marra’s balls-out 2010 comic that featured a gun-toting New York Times Op-Ed columnist, The Incredibly Fantastic Adventures of Maureen Dowd, or perhaps his contributions to the Henry & Glenn Forever series. Marra always seems to be putting out a new low-brow, day-glow piece of work and a quick look at The Comic Book Database revealed that his latest venture (with Fantagraphics) is a groovy-looking series called All The Time Comics with three different insane-looking storylines which you can see here.

I’ve posted some cool examples of Marra’s work below which are NSFW. Much like Marra himself.
 

 

Marra’s poster for the 2016 re-release of director Takeshi Kitano’s 1989 film, ‘Violent Cop.’
 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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10.06.2017
08:32 am
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Artists pay homage to the legendary artwork of Heavy Metal magazine
07.14.2017
03:07 pm
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‘Metal Head’ by artist Brian Viveros. One of over 80 pieces that you can see at the Heavy Metal 40th Anniversary show at the Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, California starting on Saturday
 
A show featuring works inspired by 40 years of artwork from Heavy Metal Magazine kicks off this Saturday, July 15th at the Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, California. The massive show features more than 80 artists and their collective takes on the mythical artwork that has graced the pages of the magical and legendary magazine which put out its very first issue in April of 1977.

In addition to art inspired by of Heavy Metal’s artistic contributors, such as Boris Vallejo, Luis Royo, H.R. Giger and Spanish illustrator Esteban Maroto, there will also be lots of other eye candy to ogle such as animated cells from the 1981 film Heavy Metal, assorted collectibles related to the magazine and live body painting. The show itself features contributions from a dazzling array of incredibly talented modern masters that include Brian Viveros, Chet Zar, Ron English, and Travis Louie, as well a few of their predecessors, most notably the great French artist and cartoonist Jean Henri Gaston Giraud, better known as Moebius. I’ll say this much—if I were anywhere near Santa Monica during this event, I would already be waiting outside with my face pressed against the door of the gallery in anticipation.

Below, an extensive selection of some pieces from the upcoming show below which are all for sale for those of us with deep enough pockets and a great appreciation for the foundational artwork that Heavy Metal helped put on the map. Like the magazine itself, much of what follows is NSFW.
 

“Bad Blood” by Matthew Bone.
 

“Heavy Metal Naga” by the great Shawn Barber.
 

“The Artist” by Ryan Brown.
 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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07.14.2017
03:07 pm
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The Smiths trash Trump with Record Store Day gag


 
The Smiths’ 2017 Record Store Day 7-inch release came with a not-so-secret message to the U.S. inscribed on the record’s A-side: “Trump Will Kill America.” While I can’t say enough great things about this awesome stunt, it is a rather depressing reminder that this becomes truer every goddamned day. The 7-inch itself is a mix of two previously unreleased demos for “The Boy With the Thorn In His Side” and the flipside features “Rubber Ring” recorded at Drone Studios in Chorlton where the band recorded a bunch of demos back in the 80s. Actor Albert Finney, seen in the “Angry Young Man” phase of his long career, is pictured on the cover.

The news was widely spread across social media by Record Store Day shoppers who discovered the etching on the run-out groove on the A-side and deservingly dragged Donnie on his favorite communication vehicle, Twitter. In case you missed all of that, I’ve included a few posts from Smiths’ fans showing off their records at the expense of our current “president.”
 

The etching on The Smiths’ 2017 Record Store Day 7-inch release.
 

 

 
HT: Slicing Up Eyeballs

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
‘Love Bites’: A charming documentary on Morrissey super-fans from 1995
Heaven Knows He Was Miserable Then: Morrissey’s first postcard to a pen-pal from 1980
Miserable in Manchester: Amusing letters and music reviews from a young Morrissey
Nothing lost in translation: The ‘acute malevolence’ of Morrissey

Posted by Cherrybomb
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04.24.2017
07:07 am
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Some of the best (trust me, they are tremendous) protest signs from the Women’s March


One of the many signs I saw and photographed during the Seattle ‘Women’s March,’ January 21st, 2017.
 
On Saturday I spent the better part of the day walking the streets of Seattle with a few of my “delicate snowflake” friends and approximately 175,000 other like-minded women, men and children during our Women’s March. The event, which was the largest protest in the history of the city, was by far one of the most powerful and empowering things I have ever personally experienced in my life. And while it’s not an alternate fact that our work is just beginning, judging from the numbers of people who collectively participated in the massive march in Washington DC, and the local support marches around the globe, there is still room for hope.

Many of the images of the signs in this post, were taken by yours truly and by friends of mine, old and new, who I walked with in Seattle. Others were culled from the Facebook page Pantsuit Nation and I’ve done the best I can to attach locations to each photo. While I have plenty to say on the subject when it comes to why millions of people took to the streets all over the country and the world, I’d much prefer to let the images of the protest signs that marchers carried with them on Saturday do the talking. So to the new administration and our new Commander-in-Grief, get ready because you haven’t seen anything yet. Viva la VULVA!
 

Seattle Women’s March, January 21st, 2017. Photo taken by a member of my marching group.
 

Seattle. Photo by Cherrybomb.
 

A 91-year-old retired doctor protesting in Los Angeles.
 
More after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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01.23.2017
10:23 am
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