2 with ten – the letter h
hardknox. i found this bio and it’s really accurate “Equipped with the streetwise fury of a junglist, the uncompromising angst of a metal rocker, and the discriminating taste of a Big Beat cut ‘n’ paster, Lindy Layton and Steve P — better known as the seasoned production duo Hardknox — overturn electronic music conventions into bloody, indistinguishable masses of sound. Scorched basslines press up against blistering breakbeats as screaming guitars survey the resulting ruination like shocked onlookers to a train wreck. Featuring a cameo by Schoolly D on their self-titled 1999 full-length debut, the grungy sounds of Hardknox first appeared on Skint Records (home of Big Beat king Fatboy Slim.) Hardknox’s window-cracking, wall-shuddering, speaker-busting sonic brutalism plays out like a lesson learned the hard way, spraying hooks with all the lethal fury of gunfire“.
i first heard of hardknox in 1999 when their self-titled debut landed on my desk. at the time i thought it was one of the better records i had heard primarily because of the aggressive nature to it all. the album moves into some dark dreamy patches at times but there are always aggressive almost abusive undertones throughout. to this day hardknox remains as a staple on my shuffle as i pretty much only listen to this when im doing something physical and aggressive like working out or running. this definitely isnt a band for everybody but im very specific in how i “use” (listen to) hardknox. it works really well for me in that regard and i suggest you track this cd down if u like to listen to music when u exercise. the track i chose cos i can is the first track i ever heard as well as the first track that hooked me. hope u investigate more.
the h’s on both my desk top and lap top computers are pretty f’n weak. it’s always so much nicer when u have a ton of choices – maybe that’s why i have scratched my head over this second choice for a while. im not sure what this phenomenon is called but when i look at my library i have a bunch of singles by a bunch of h’s but not too many full albums. obviously this is the sign of the times as we move away from the full album paradigm into the age of digital singles. i mean, west indian girl’s next release is going to be a digital twin single so im not really complaining…just commenting – good or bad im not sure but that’s present day reality. i honestly dont have anything i feel really strongly about as it pertains to a new band. im sure some of u will mention health or the horrors and i hope u do because i want to listen to more of them. for both of the bands i only have a few tracks in my library but nothing where i can confidently say “i love this band and this album and here’s why”. i feel i would undermine my own credibility if i broke my own rules and just mentioned a trendy h pick based on just a song or 2.
heatwave. taking a page out of one of our regular blog-poster’s (nick d) book i’m going with a band from the 70’s. why? well the reason is this…while researching all my h’s i found heatwave’s story to be the most enjoyable to read because i honestly didnt know anything about them except that they wrote disco songs. please check out the bio i have linked because it’s a great read – i had no idea that their keyboardist and leader rod temperton went on to write and produce so many hit songs…esp with michael jackson. plus the picture i found of them is pretty classic – they look like they would still be really cool today. anyway, chalk heatwave up to a lesson in 70’s disco fusion. another reason i chose this song was because of the first 33 second dreamy jazzy intro which im sure so many people forget is even there. it’s pretty awesome how they started this song and how it drops right into that classic groove. normally i dont post videos but damn this is awesome – the amps the outfits the moves. makes me feel good.
Bonus: 80’s cheeseball or synth pop genius…u make the call on this one. funny how the more digging u do the more u sometimes end up kind of liking someone in a very warped way. for example i had no idea that harold faltermeyer was an arranger on giorgio moroder’s soundtrack to the 1978 film midnight express, which if u havent seen u should because it’s a great movie. anyway…isnt it amazing how much money a person can actually make in this industry? fletch anyone. shit, his official site claims that this song is actually the biggest selling ring tone of all time. damn, good god harold.
OK PLEASE SEND ME NEW MUSIC!!! IDEALLY FROM THE LAST 2 YEARS – I DESIRE RECENT H’S
About The Author
Francis Ten
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There’s the link to the widget that got eaten up.
http://beut.shutupandprog.com/HBMS.htm
The wiki page below
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handsome_Boy_Modeling_School
Handsome Boy Modeling School. I hope the widget works? I was going to add Health but I see I have been beat to the punch on that one.
I like HBMS, they’re funky fun and just a good sound that seems to have range but keeps the funky going even when they add Alec Empire or Cat Power or Mike Patton to the mix. Here’s a wiki if you want more description
If the widget below doesn’t work I linked it to my site.
Oh – just wanted to say that that Health track is awesome…
H is pretty weak – though that hardnox isn’t half bad!
Headlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuLeIjWOwK4 – my fav song is hi-ya! or lions – but neither is on youtube.
Hot Chip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-r9jm5g3WU – my wife still plays this in my house at least once a week, it’s been going on two years straight.
I really loved that Hardknox track. I’d never heard of them before. Also, kudos for the Heatwave post! You just can’t beat the sound of 70’s funk! 🙂
Hold on. Hold on. Can I strike my Hawkwind submission out? Can I? Good. Put this sonofabitch in its place. Quite simply, music that melts your face. Helmet – “Unsung”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBfygUiS50g
I only have one recommendation for “H”. I apologize, Fran, but hope you don’t mind if I bend the rules just ever so slightly here, because this woman’s MUCH-anticipated new CD just came out today after a decade of absence, and I’m so excited! Her birth name is “Helen Folasade Adu”, but she’s more commonly known as “Sade”. I love what DJ Garth Trinidad recently said about Sade upon meeting her for the first time last Dec. in NYC. He said, “This is a woman who’s had me and countless others vexed with her stunning beauty, beguiling movement, and bewitching sound. She’s a real live siren, a mythical creature that appears once a decade to exercise her seductive prowess. I know I’m putting a lot on it, but c’mon, I’m a man speaking of Sade Adu. She stands alone.” The article and photo here:
http://newmedia.kcrw.com/musicnews/tag/sade/
Anyway, I remember hearing her music on radio and TV while growing up in the 80’s, but it wasn’t till around ’94 when I saw a televised PBS broadcast of a 1993 ‘Sade: Live’ concert from San Diego that I became an instant fan of Sade and her music. I had NO idea she could belt it out like that live and that her band was so incredible. Her band, known as “Sweetback”, still consists of the same the guys she originally started with. So after seeing this concert, I bought up all her CDs and fell in love with every single one of them. Sade didn’t put out another CD, ‘Lovers Rock’, till 2000 and then I FINALLY got to see her in concert in Chicago in Aug. of 2001. She played two nights at the Allstate Arena and I went to both shows. It was awesome! I’m so excited about the new album and I WILL be seeing her again in the upcoming tour. 🙂 I was gonna submit the video for her early 90’s hit “Cherish the Day”, but you requested something recent so this is her new single, “Soldier of Love”. Sade just turned 51 last month and she still looks amazing.
Sade – Soldier of Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR5_rTCi-Bo&feature=channel
It seems that people either love Sade, or they can’t stand her. We’ll see if you fall into one of those categories. Btw, for anyone interested, she’ll be hitting the television circuit strongly this month, starting tomorrow morning with The Today Show. Here’s a listing of more upcoming TV appearances.
http://livenation.com/email/campaign/?email=45674&c=dm-3079227&p=12513697
Recent? How about The Horrors (Count in Fives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy6Aad2zn_o which isn’t most recent, but I like it) or Here We Go Magic (Fangela: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpxZvQsQH8Y)
“Die Slow” – HEALTH. I’ve talked about this song ad nauseum on Twitter. Best song of 2009 for me. One of my favorite videos ever. If you don’t like it, I’m not sure how long our friendship will endure.
http://vimeo.com/6407654
“You Belong” – Hercules And Love Affair. This album/band got a lot of press when it debuted out in 2008. Signed to DFA Records. I couldn’t really decide if it was good or not. Or maybe if it was as transformative as some were saying. But it certainly has its moments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4x9XrMRjgQ
Hardknox? Never heard of ’em, but that shit is on my iPod now. Thanks man.
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Uh, I couldn’t even make it past that band of photo of your other H, although it is pretty awesome in its own way.
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Ok, as for my “H”s, I’m right out the gate with one of my favorite bands to have ever made music – Husker Du. Man, these guys may have been nestled in the 80s punk scene, but there is something that transcends far beyond that. I give you Exhibit A – “Turn On The News”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-7dcXTv2Dg
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From the ominous beginning to the blistering initial guitar track, this song, my god. This band probably got me through most of my youthful tribulations. Bonus trivia – this particular tune made it onto Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Rocknroll Songs.
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Right, as for my other “H”s, uh…not much in there really. Let’s see…The Hives? Nah, too obvious. Hole? Nah, too Courtney Love. Hmm…how about…ah yes, this will do.
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Hawkwind – “Silver Machine”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfniG-AdSC4
Before you roll your eyes, just listen to it (that is, if you’re slightly off your head on a Friday night, DON’T listen to it on a Sunday morning). So, that is my 70s submission. I bet this blew people’s lids back then.
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Not to mention, it’s Lemmy singing and playing bass. Lemmy for god’s sakes. Awesome.