My favorite thing about being a music junkie, especially in this day and age, is that pretty much all the music that managed to survive into the 21st century, is now, and will likely always be, available in cyberspace. So, unlike in the past, if you missed out on a particular artist or record during their/it's heyday, you can always backtrack whenever you feel like it and rediscover something you may have ignored, written off, or just not been aware of in the past. Of course, there is also the argument that having constant acesss to free music is damaging in it's own way, and I'll be the first to admit it can be a bit overwhelming at times, but generally speaking, I'd say that having an entire galaxy of music options at my fingertips is much more of a blessing than a curse; my love for and obsession with this DJ Screw mixtape from 1996 is a perfect example of why.
I remember hearing about DJ Screw way back in 1999 while I was still in high school, shortly before he died. The descriptions of his style interested me immedaitely, though at the time there was no real way for me access his stuff. A few years later when I finally did have the chance to check his music out, I was largely unimpressed. I have no idea now what record I listened to or anything like that, but I remember thinking that the music sounded much more normal than I was expecting given the bizarre descriptions I had read regarding his style of mixing (slowed way down and chopped up). So for many years I just didn't bother with DJ Screw. I assumed that he probably had some great shit out there somewhere, but attemtping to wade through 200+ mixtapes to find it required far more time and energy than I was willing to spend. It actually wasn't until last year (2010) that I was finally able to begin to appreciate the genius of the "Screwed Up Click".
It was, funnily enough, an off-the-cuff post by a friend on facebook that instigated my new found interest and discovery. After a mention of DJ Screw in the aformentioned post, I commented that I'd never really been able to get into his stuff, and another friend quickly came to the rescue recommending the record currently being discussed. Ironically, I intially downloaded the wrong album (there are several '3 'N the Mornin' mixes apparently), though the one I got was also quite good. It featured a remix of Dr. Dre's classic "Nigga Wit a Gun" which had me smacking my forehead and cursing myself for having taken ten years to get around to DJ Screw within a matter of seconds.
After realizing I had gotten the wrong mixtape, I quickly went back for the recommended one; it didn't take long (maybe 2 weeks) for it to become my favorite hip-hop/rap album of all time. The record features mostly fairly obscure rappers from Houston, DJ Screw's home city, getting the ultimate chopped and screwed treatment. The mix opens with a warning to 'watch yo mutafuckin' screw' (screw in this sense referring to prescription strength codiene/promethazine cough syrup, a concoction which is highly coveted in the Houston scene for it's psychotropic effects), before seguing into an "Salin' da South" by rapper ESG. The song is alright, nothing really amazing, but it sets the tone for the album, and I really dig the combination of the dark, violent lyrics and the smooth, funky background which Screw layers over it.
The album really gets kickin' with the next song, "Smokin' and Leanin" a disorienting and seemingly unreal tribute to the combined effects of pot and codiene by the fantastically named Botany Boyz. The boyz mumble awkwardly over a repetitive and painfully slow backbeat peppered with psychedelic synth stabs, and a chrous which commands listeners to 'smoke! until you can't smoke no more' and 'lean! everybody in your dreams'. The song is definitely a stand out on the record, surpassed in quality only by the even stranger "Elbows Swangin'" which I'll get to in a moment. After some very unnatural and bizarre sounding scratching, "Smokin' and Leanin'" turns into Al-D's "No Way Out", a mellow jam that laments the cycle of violence and poverty in ghetto life, before flipping the script and assuring anyone thinking about fucking with Al-D that they can plan on seeing 'ten of their best men with bullets in their chins'. Following this is a brief acapella track by Mack 10 mixed to the beat of "No Way Out".
After the Mack 10 track, is a song called "Serving a Deuce" and I can't remember who does it, but I don't really care since it's the only song on the mix that I regularly skip. "Sippin' Codiene" by Big Moe (who ironically died of health problems believed to be related to his long term abuse of codiene) follows, and segues perfectly into the album's true masterpiece: "Elbow's Swangin'". Performed by Houston's .380, Screw slows the song nearly to a stop making the already extremely deep vocals on the chrous sound positively inhuman. Like on "Smokin' and Leanin" the vocals here wind up an odd mumble, barely if, ever, discernable, gruff and babbling. I haven't heard the original version of the song, but I would imagine that even without the chopped and screwed treatment it's quite the feat of weirdness.
So now, I'm at the start of the seventh paragraph on this record, and only halfway through the tracklist, and I'm wondering at this point if I should continue my song by song analysis. Though it's somewhat tempting, I think I'm gonna call it a day on this one. I will say that even though I like the first half slightly more, the second half of this album is certaily not slouchin'. My second side faves are the weirdly hilarious "High with the Blanksta" by Point Blank and the tough as shit "Pimp the Pen" by Lil Keke. But to get the scoop on those, you'll just have to track them down yourself.
Here is a good place to start.
1. Buffalo Bangers- CD-R and cassette demos
So then, I did mention they were a band, but perhaps the significance of this statement was somewhat lost on some of you, so I'll spell it out: bands, in the traditional sense of the word, have become boring if not obsolete. There I said it. There are of course always exceptions, but speaking strictly in terms of who's been responsible for making the majority of music that has sounded vital and fresh in the last decade, it has not been bands; especially not rock bands. Instead, the most interesting sounds of recent times have come mostly from the laptop/drum machine wizards, the weirdo loners, and occasionally from the post-everything, deconstructionist type bands a'la Lightning Bolt, Wolf Eyes, Black Dice, etc. 
I guess maybe their sound isn't for everyone; if you're looking strictly for the mondo bizzaro, this may not be your bag. But for anyone interested in the progression of punk and goth rock into new and interesting, yet comfortably familiar territory, this band will certainly hit a nerve. With any luck, they'll soon have a record out courtesy of yours truly, so keep your eyes peeled. Until then, check them out on the web here.
Luckily, Kuxan Suum, hailing from the blizzardly hell of Los Angeles, and part of the mysterious Black Twilight collective, exist to provide any would be LSD obsessed black metallars with a direction far superior to those worshiping at the disgraced altar of Waters and Gilmore. Consisting of one seventeen minute long track, Kinich Ahau, begins with a loan, ultra-delayed and reverbed guitar plucking single notes which carry out for what seems like forever, decaying over each other in swirling, almost nauseating, patterns, creating an ominous wall of free floating tones and dismal feedback. The effect is nothing short of entrancing, so much so in fact, that when the black metal portion of the song, which doesn't begin for nearly eight minutes, finally does kick in, it's almost unexpected, and honestly the least interesting part of the track as whole. That's not to say that the black metal part of the song isn't good...it's quite good actually, it's just that it pales in comparison to the song's more transcendentally inspired moments. 
After the black metal interlude, the song returns to the esoteric psych style, this time pushing the hallucinatory guitar elements to such an extreme end, that it would make Eric Clapton, or whatever other bullshit guitar wanker you may favor, run screaming in terror. I first heard this track on the Worship Black Twilight comp. and then ordered this tape assuming there would be different material on it, but had none such luck. The song is so great I wasn't too upset or anything, though I do have one qualm with this release, and that is that it's a one sided tape. Someone please tell me, what the hell is the point of that? I mean, really, I can understand a one sided record, as it costs less to make, and requires only a moment to play over again. But a one sided tape? Why not at least repeat the program on both sides? This would save me the six minutes it takes for the ailing walkman which I run through my stereo receiver to rewind the cassette so I can play the song over again. While this may not sound like much of an issue, more than once I've had the experience of trying to play this tape for a friend, and had them distractedly lose interest while I cued it up. The fact that the tape has no markings on it makes it even more of a pain in the ass, as I can never tell which side is the one with music on it. I suppose I could mark the music side myself...but that's not the point!
Regarding the re-established credibility of basically every kind of popular music, I want it to be clear that I haven’t said (yet) that this is necessarily a good thing; I certainly don’t condone retro movements of any kind. However, I must admit, that it’s not all bad. If nothing else, the level of access makes the task of establishing and understanding the historical context of a specific genre, style, or artist significantly easier. For many, I imagine this is nothing short of a godsend. I know it certainly would have been for me growing up, as I’ve always been deeply interested in where musical styles evolved from, and how they came about, and I remember how tough it was digging to try and find out about the largely obscured past. So, while the modern obsession with musical trends of the past may not be doing much in the way of creating or promoting new or distinct music, when it comes to learning your history, it’s just fantastic.
As previously mentioned, the band’s style has a heavy dose of early SoCal hardcore melody (Rikk Agnew of the Adolescents was the guitarist on this record), complimented with very breathy, overly dramatic vocals, spooky, reverbed out guitars, and the occasional synth. The band also displays debts to less expected influences from time to time including funk, gamelan music, and tape collage. The lyrics address all manners of things sexual, deadly, and religious, with equal parts overwrought emotionality and twisted humor. The lyrics are actually one of my favorite things about this record, and it’s safe to say that is a major rarity.
I don't know much about Funereal Moon. I know that they're a metal band of sorts, I know that they're from Mexico, I know that they've been around since at least the nineties, and I know that on their facebook page there are pictures of a loving couple in corpse paint posing with what appears to be their infant son. Beyond that, all there is is the music, and I can tell you with the utmost enthusiasm that the music is incredibly fucked up. Well, to clarify they've released five or six albums, most of which I haven't heard; but if the music on those albums is anything like the music on Lucifer's Dagger, rest assured it's as out there as music gets.
Perhaps the most obvious reference point for this kind of black metal inspired atmospheric "non-metal" is Abruptum, although FM really sounds nothing like them. Instead, FM take Abruptum's idea of creating a pure audio representation of evil into more interesting territory than their Swedish precursors did, choosing to forgo the 'angry monster trapped in the basement with the grand piano' vibe for a much more fascinating and aesthetically pleasing 'ancient Satanic sacrifice ceremony' type thing. I know that this kind of music isn't for everyone, but personally, I can't get enough of this weird-ass record and it's bizarre take on evil. 
Mincemeat or Tenspeed, the project of one guy from Philly (now living in Providence) named Davey Harms, is hands down my favorite live act of the last decade. Nevermind that he's literally performing musical alchemy, spinning gold from absolutely nothing before your very eyes, dude can seriously move the dance floor. Of course moving the dance floor is not something I usually care much about in an artist, but I consider Mincemeat or Tenspeed the exception. His records aren't too shabby either.
I suppose I could go into detail about his sound, and how he actually manages to genre hop (punk, bluegrass, ballads) despite the lack of instruments necessary to imitate any existing genre, or how the very existence of his music is more concinvcing proof than any Apple i-gadget, that we are in fact finally living in the future, or maybe about the irony of the fact that perhaps the most original, exciting, and boundry breaking entity to emerge from the 'indie' underground in the last ten years was thought up and executed by someone who has no musical training whatsoever, and who started his project after giving up on the guitar out of frustration. I could do those things; but instead I'm just going to leave you with one of his videos and a link where you can buy Strange Gods (here). With music like this out there, flying cars have gotta be right around the corner. 