Albuquerque
Sky
Greetings from that island of
enlightenment in a sea of intolerance. The land of enchantment, New
Mexico. A man can only ignore the "boost" your post button
for so long. Tempted by the promise of beau-coup views and a cascade
of page likes, I caved in and ran a handful of ads on FB's sidebar.
Though highly skeptical of the process at first, I gotta say that
initially the results beat all expectations. A second go-round
brought me back to my senses. Diminishing results while pouring good
money down the FB drain just isn't smart. I did however pick up a
dozen new likes, and I would like to welcome those new followers to
the one and only podcast and blog dedicated primarily to promoting
music produced in New Mexico by artists based in the land of
enchantment or with ties to local music scenes. I write about music
(local and national) at http://dirtcitychronicles.blogspot.com/
I produce an ongoing podcast (available on You Tube, Vimeo and
Dailymotion) showcasing local music (past and present) gleamed from
various internet sources or my own private collection. We got ya'
covered.
On the whole, social commentary and
political content are sadly lacking in local music. There are a few
exceptions. “We're the Vassar Bastards and we're here to pick your
bones” The Bastards (not included on this episode) make no bones
about it, they will rub your collective noses in it. Speak up, take a
stand, say what you want, mean what you say. Their commitment is
readily evident in all their releases, especially so with “Another
Person Dead” a defiant middle finger in the face of those thuggish
ruggish boneheads at APD. The album is credited to Bostons Terrible
Horrible No Good Very Bad Band..... Boston being the band's
guitarist. “Another Person Dead” chronicles the cold blooded
murder of James Boyd by Albuquerque SWAT. “We expect them to do as
we say, because we are the ones who they answer to. We don't answer
to APD. APD answers to the people” Cops are servants not masters.
APD demands respect without giving respect.... what the fuck is wrong
with this picture?
Before the Vassar Bastards, Racist Cop
earned my respect with their unflagging grassroots take on punk rock.
“What's the reason for acting so funny?” Outspoken, openly
political, capable of kicking up dust at every available opportunity.
For the majority of us, living in 'Burque ain't easy. Plebeian hopes
for a just society have been dashed on the rocks of the Sandia
foothills and in North Charleston, S.C. “Living in my hood, in my
neighborhood. People get what they want when the getting is good”
Champagne dreams and Trumpian wishes will prove to be empty promises
and a recipe for disaster once hoodwinked Republicans come to realize
that you can't roll back time and they're nothing but pawns in a
rigged chess match. Racist Cop is gone, there's next to nothing about
the band online other than their My Space page. They did leave
behind one glorious extended player: “These Colors Kill” A live
wire five song manifesto that spells it out for ya'.... on your knees
or on your feet, your choice.
Behold Boar Worship's oozing sludge
emanating from anguished speakers already tortured beyond repair by
repeated plays of Inappropriate Necessity. For those who love sludgy
stoner rock, Boar Worship is the musical equivalent of comfort food.
A relentless static charged sound so dense and heavy that you could
cut through it with a knife. This experimental doom outfit was formed
in Albuquerque (2009) relocated to Oakland, Ca. and is currently
based in Denver, Co. The release of their debut album “The Decline
and Fall of the Christian Empire” in 2009 introduced us to their
droning rock of ages and a Brahman inspired dogma designed to lift
the curtain to those seeking enlightenment. I'm reading between the
lines, but hear me out anyway. “Pro Death” an ep released in
2012 touches on the rejection of lower worship by the militant faiths
as a way of explaining why they have conquered and kept a permanent
dominion over the world's god fearing masses.
This search for profound spiritualism
culminated with the release of “Boar Worship” in 2015. “The
interior truths, the divine secrets, the real way of salvation are
known only to a few. The great majority of men, being timid and
ignorant are concerned mainly in propitiating the powerful and
malignant influences by which they fancy themselves to be surrounded”
The supremely dominant principle of modern times is that the world
is on a course of continual evolution... though the current political
climate in our nation leads one to think that Devo got it right,
devolution not evolution is our destiny. As we gear up for the
coming apocalypse, my soundtrack of choice for end of the world
warfare shall be this beastly sound. Beats Wagner’s “Ritt der
Walküren” every single time. “Boar Worship” is not for the
weak-kneed or faint of heart. If you suffer from delicate
sensibilities or are easily offended just stick with Slipknot or some
other equally cartoonish band.
Laying claim to Albuquerque and The
Bronx as their place of origin, Inappropriate Necessity eschewed all
pretense and went straight for the jugular, flinging a handful of
brief shit stomping tunes at the wall of convention. They described
their musical style as “Verbally abusive, drug, and alcohol
induced, relentless, un-compromised, straight to the point, hardcore
assault” and they weren't lying. Listing “the Local Dope Dealer”
and Pabst Blue Ribbon as their managers showed that these fellas had
tongue firmly planted in cheek. In a scene saturated with trendy
lame bands that play mallcore / deathcore / metalcore / lamecore /
techical metal /ect.. humor is a rare commodity indeed. This is
exemplified by lead vocalist Dave As One, the skid row version of
Cyko Miko (Mike Muir) from Suicidal Tendencies. I'll just describe
Inappropriate Necessity as grindcore for those with attention deficit
disorder and be done with it. This mindrot is NSFW, though yo' mama
may like it.
Marma consists of Charlie Morales
(drums) and Tug Keith (guitar & vocals)... a drum and guitar duo
usually brings The Black Keys or The White Stripes to mind, but Marma
goes down a much more melodic and inventive path than the
aforementioned twosomes. Marma released two versions of its debut
album “PPHRTD” a live version of the album came out in Feb. of
2016 followed by the studio version in April. An unusual move to be
certain. There's a slight variation in tracks and tracking order.
Live versions of “You Know” and “I'm Sorry” are in reverse
order while “Bukowski” is absent from the live album. “PPHRTD”
is an excellent hyperkinetic punk rock album loaded with solid tunes
and substantial lyrics that drift about on the edge of being high
concept without ever taking the plunge. It's intelligent music that
steadfastly retains its raunchy roots, delivered in an energetic and
invigorating fashion. Punk rock for the thinking man or woman,
that's something I can get behind.
Gee Baby ~ Marma
Don't Wait Up ~ Scatter Gather
F.Y.Y.F.F. ~ Inappropriate Necessity
Burn Your Family ~ Word Salad
Hired Hand ~ Prison of Sound
Heat on VHS ~ Shitty & The
Terribles
Blood on the Porch ~ Racist Cop
Icky & The Yuks ~ Icky & The
Yuks
Punk Rock Song ~ Sputniq
Loan Groan ~ Litter Brain
Capitalism ~ Then Eats Them
Clear Blue ~ Train Conductor
Johnny Remains ~ Uranium Worker
In the Well ~ Young Lungs
Keelhaul ~ Distances
No Place to be Junky Juice ~ Free Pop
Arkestra
One ~ Boar Worship