Wordless Gunk

It seems that every NXNE unveils a new band or two for me to drool all over. While this was a rather light year of concert-going (relatively speaking), that didn't stop me from stumbling across a few new gems. There's the obvious answer of The Public Animal who I will impatiently await to release anything - mp3s, CDs, vinyls, 8-tracks, a tin cup with a string and someone screaming into the other end - and subsequently give them all of my money.

However, sometimes there's too much ground to cover, too much rock to be rolled and to much love to give. For situations like this, I've got people like my coworker Jayar who introduced me to one of his picks of the festival, Saskatchewan's own Shooting Guns. This instrumental 5-piece generates a massive wall of slow-moving, grimy, distorted stoner metal that feels heavy enough to stop a bull moose in it's tracks. This stuff is kind of like the rock n roll version of molasses, if molasses were as hard as fucking nails and cooler than all of your friends put together.

And yes, to answer your next question, said molasses would make the most badass gingerbread cookies ever.

Their debut 12", Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976, made the Polaris prize long list and is VERY much worth the $5 to pick it up here.

  -Surround yourself in a layer of hope to keep you warm at night

Light My Fire

When I was living in England a few years back, I went through a huge stoner metal phase.  While this part of me has laid dormant for quite some time (just like those strange rabbicidal tendencies), I recently stumbled across a band that revived my dormant, inner sludge (time will tell as to whether the rabbits are safe).

Torche has been around since 2004 with a grimey, grungy, thick and juicy psych-rock sound. They balance their thick sound with nimble, riff-heavy songwriting that produces sing-along-able anthems and head-banging good times. In short, yes Jesse, this is a "Shane band."  Sounding like a more badass, modern-day version of Fugazi, Torche has just released their 3rd LP Harmonicraft, and it fucking rocks.

Also, their videos are really, really weird.


-So I'll kill the music and bury it at sea