Class of 2012: Krallice - Years Past Matter

I was surprised when I saw that Krallice had a new album out.  Last year's Diotima was nearly 70 minutes long, and I didn't expect them to release their next installment of American black metal just yet.

The six songs on Years Past Matter are basically untitled.  The first track is "IIIIIII," and each track increases by "I" so that the final track is "IIIIIIIIIIII."

Despite the two vocal styles employed, vocals are not a top priority.  Consequently, at times, this album has more of an instrumental feel to it. 

If you're familiar with Krallice, then you won't be surprised that four of the songs clock in at over ten minutes.  At under two minutes, however, fifth track "IIIIIIIIIII" is not even a song - it's more of an avant-garde black metal interlude.

Class of 2012: Dinosaur Jr. - I Bet On Sky

When bands split up and then reunite years later, you have to question their motives.  It seems like a lot of bands get back together just to tour and make money.  Are the Pixies ever going to record a new album?  Who knows?

Dinosaur Jr., however, are clearly concerned with putting out new music - both songs and albums that are on par with their classics.  Since the reunion, the band has released Beyond, Farm, and now I Bet On Sky.

The new album doesn't stray from the standard Dinosaur Jr. formula, but it has a rather mellow vibe compared to the last two records.  Could this be a result or even a continuation of last year's brilliant J Mascis solo album Several Shades Of Why?

Extra Credit: Revocation

Today, Scion A/V released the five-song EP Teratogenesis by Revocation.  And best of all, as long as you're willing to give up your email address, it's free to download.  Just go here and get it, or give the stream a listen first and then download it.

Last year's full-length Chaos of Forms was very good.  If you like that one, then you should dig the new EP.  The guitar playing can get a little technical at times, but it's never in an over-the-top kind of way.  If you like Teratogenesis, then definitely check out Chaos of Forms if you haven't done so already.

Class of 2012: Bob Dylan - Tempest

At this point, we all know how we feel about Mr. Zimmerman.  Personally, I prefer the early stuff, tend to avoid the middle years, and consider anything since Oh Mercy worth my time.

As I was listening to Tempest over the weekend, my mother-in-law, who was visiting and who is a Dylan fan herself (she saw him in concert at some point in the seventies), remarked, "He still can't sing."  If you've heard recent Dylan, then you'll recognize that voice, which at times gives Tom Waits a run for his money.

Tempest gets off to a good start with "Duquesne Whistle," not immediately catchy but the kind of song that stays with you even as the next song begins.  "Narrow Way" is sped-up blues but goes on a bit too long (this happens more than once).  "Long And Wasted Years" finds Dylan at his most charming (and at his best).  Standout track "Pay In Blood" sounds like it could be decades old, and at one point, Dylan can't help but chuckle as he sings, "I pay in blood / but not my own."

Movie Day: It Might Get Loud

2008's It Might Get Loud not only tells the story of how three guitarists (Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge) became who they are, but it also brings them together to discuss the electric guitar and also even jam a little.

In the opening scene, White builds a guitar using a two-by-four, a coke bottle, and little else, and then asks, "Who says you need to buy a guitar?"  For White, technology is a destructive force, whereas the Edge is big on effects and hardware.

Highlights include the following: footage of Jack and Meg winning over some veterans at the Chelsea Pension Home, Page playing air guitar to Link Wray's "Rumble," White and the Edge sitting in awe as Page plays "Whole Lotta Love," White's bloody guitar after playing "Blue Veins" with the Raconteurs, and all three guitarists jamming together on "In My Time of Dying."

It Might Get Loud is rated PG for mild thematic elements, brief language, and smoking.

Class of 2012: Mares of Thrace - The Pilgrimage

On this record, Mares of Thrace is a duo consisting of guitarist/vocalist Thérèse Lanz and drummer Stefani MacKichan.  Over the summer, however, Stefani left the band for "the educational program of her dreams" and was replaced by Rae Amitay.

Mares of Thrace is not your typical duo.  The vocals are mostly of the yelling sort with a little growling thrown in for good measure ("Act I: David Glimpses Bathsheba" and "The Perpetrator").  Lanz plays her custom baritone guitar with considerable skill, and MacKichan handles the sticks with equal aptitude.

Standout track "The Gallwasp" finds both Mares complementing each other perfectly.  The song is catchy in an unexpected way - not vocally but musically.  This album needs more moments like this one.

Extra Credit: Mare Cognitum

Mare Cognitum is Latin for "Sea that has become known."  If you're into NASA and outer space stuff, then you may be familiar with this term.
Mare Cognitum, however, is also Jacob Buczarski's one-man black metal project from Santa Ana, California.  Atmospheric at times, An Extraconscious Lucidity pummels its way through 6 songs in 49 minutes.  I stumbled upon this recently and am surprised that more people aren't talking about this.  It's available at bandcamp for the "name your price" option, so you can either get it for free or donate what you can to show your support.