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
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Francis Ten
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I’m going with two from Portland (when are you going to play up here, Fran??). Kudos to djpj for pointing me toward Grooveshark last week – anyone not on there already should get an account now. Enjoy it before they shut down. I put both my tracks on a playlist there (not sure if you have to have an account to listen).
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/playlist/Letter+H/24550838
The High Violets: shoe gaze, “dream pop”. Some of their stuff makes me feel like I’m at a tween-girl slumber party, but their track “Sun Baby” is killer. It reminds me of Ride at their best. I haven’t seen them playing around lately so I’m not sure if they’re split or just on hiatus.
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The Helio Sequence: these are two fairly nerdy guys who play indie rock with some electronic influences. They put on a surprising good live show considering it’s just the two of them playing with loops. I chose “Don’t Look Away” off an earlier album, but also check out some tracks from their last album Keep Your Eyes Ahead. They’re supposedly at work on a new one now.
Oh man that guy above me already posted Hauschka! I’m going to come back with a re-do for my second spot.
Hiromi: Skills etc. Ahmad Jamal’s protege. I think it’s a good thing to hear.
http://www.myspace.com/hiromimusic
Cowabungaaaa everybody.
San Diego.
http://www.myspace.com/heavyhawaii
A nice alternative. Might sound like it belongs in a movie. Oh well.
http://www.myspace.com/hauschka
I am really tempted to post some Huey Lewis, but I try to follow the rules.
The most interesting “H” I’ve encountered recently is Hauschka, according to Wikipedia “the alias of Düsseldorf-based pianist and composer Volker Bertelmann.” Whatever, I heard one of the songs from his newest CD, “Snowflakes & Carwrecks” on a KEXP podcast and I was immediately entranced. Minimalist piano, no vocals, very different from what I usually listen to, but I like it a lot. Here’s “Wonder” by Hauschka: http://blip.fm/~kofik
Hey ILFF! A fellow Husker! Excellent. Good call on “Divide and Conquer”, which happens to be my personal fave Husker tune. “Turn On The News” is their testament to all that is good in punk though, so I went with that one.
i posted the other day but i guess i forgot to hit submit comment
hot club de paris- shipwrecked- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NucxlF_eGSM – i’ve blipped this
hockey- too fake – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vtXr04lQpE
holy fuck – http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck – they’re similar to battles
hot club de paris – ship wreck- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NucxlF_eGSM – i blipped this
By the way Fran, great recommendation with Hardknox!! They remind me of some of the old Lords Of Acid stuff. And what a nice little surprise with Heatwave. That one brings back some memories!
Well, Scott H. beat me to my first recommendation… the legendary and influential punk band Husker Du. They formed in 1979 with guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart, and broke up in 1987 partly due to arguments over Hart’s drug use. I’ve listened to this band for SO long now, they’ve become a part of me, and I continue to be a strong supporter and fan of Bob Mould’s solo work, along with his old 90s band Sugar. Husker Du was predominantly considered a hardcore punk band, but remained melodic and were greatly responsible for what later became alternative and college rock. MANY bands thru the years have given props to Husker Du for being a MAJOR influence on them, such as R.E.M., Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Green Day, Foo Fighters, and The Pixies. Since Scott H already sent you a link (nice call, Scott!) and I can’t think of another band awesome enough to put in their place for this posting, I’m recommending 2 different songs by Husker Du, the first being “Makes No Sense At All†http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y91pCbt7np8 and the second being “Divide And Conquer†http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnw379WIBMA.â€
Ok, part of me is posting this next band on a dare from my friend Rick T, and another part of me is posting just cuz I really liked them. This is a crazy, bizarre, and VERY original band from the early 80s, who in my opinion, never did get the recognition they deserved. That band is Haysi Fantayzee, who were primarily known for their infectious minor hit “Shiny Shiny†(Good luck getting this one out of your head!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjsnkIP4ddo&fmt=18, along with the dark but humorous “John Wayne Is Big Leggy†http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxktxvMNOGs&fmt=18. The band was formed in 1981 and fronted by Jeremy Healy and the beautiful Kate Garner, and unfortunately only released one album called “Battle Hymns For Children Singing.†Their look was often compared to Boy George or Dexy’s Midnight Runners, and their sound occasionally drew comparisons to Bow Wow Wow. Since they disbanded, Kate has gone on to be a successful photographer, and Jeremy a DJ, working with artists like Justin Timberlake, Seal, Gwen Stefani and Sting.
Ok, Someone already mentioned Health, but I had that in mind since the g’s so I’ll put them in anyway. My ipod mostly contains tracks of theirs that were remixed by Crystal Castles so since I wasn’t here for the C’s its a two for one special. So I offer up Crimewave CC Remix http://www.myspace.com/healthmusic
My Second choice is Halou. A kind of nugazey trip hop kind of group you probably won’t be that in to, but you never know. I just saw them play at the Cafe du Nord last month, where they did a brilliant tribute to This Mortal Coil (kinda meta I know). They are signed to 4AD and have changed their name to Stripmall Architecture.
Here is a link to their webpages, and tracks from a Halou album:
http://www.stripmallarchitecture.com/album.php?albumid=6
I like Wholeness, quite a bit… I think Rebecca gets a little Siouxsie Sioux with the vocals. Anyway… I suspect this falls in the category of “chick music” but hey… =)
It was great seeing your show in SF by the way, and the West Indian Girl T-Shirts were so effing soft! Actually the one you were wearing was too. 😉 You folks definitely don’t scrimp on the merchandise.