This is not to be confused with the 2002 bootleg of the same name. This is the first official attempt to assemble representative tracks from his career pre- 21 year sentence for murder. This legendary band/man/idol/cautionary tale is one of the cornerstones of black metal lore, and Norwegian black metal myth in particular. From the land which produced bands and fans that took the imagery and lyrics of drunken, lookin' for a gimmick English metal masters Venom waaaay too seriously, (to the point of burning down churches, killing each other, killing themselves), Burzum stands above all-on stage, on record, in the penal system, in psychological case studies. But we are here to talk about the music, and in ten years of recording, Vikernes provided as much to talk about as his messiah-complex actions.

"Anthology" features a sampling from all six official Burzum releases. Many of what are now standard black metal riffs and production choices stem from tracks like "Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown," with its other-worldy howl and monolithic drone.

Likewise, "Lost Wisdom" and "Jesus Tod" create a morbid, chilling vibe; the language barrier is no stumbling block to getting the menacing point of these haunted songs. Brutal riffs and berserk vocals also send "Det Som en Gang Var" and "Balferd Baldrs" over the edge. The disc also comes with a bonus video for "Dunkelheit."

Like Manson, it is hard to separate the music of Burzum from Varg's crimes. Yet even without the witchy backstory, "Anthology" is an essential set of tracks that are legendary and influential in more ways than one.

If someone needs some ambient sound to place as a soundtrack to their latest horror flick or are looking to sit and pontificate on the meaning of something truly abstract in arrangement, pick up this album, otherwise, don't bother. 

Now, with their latest album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, Atmosphere pulls that all too similar identity shift again.  But not only is When Life Gives You Lemons.. different from past Atmosphere albums, its different from any hip-hop album you’ve ever heard. 

Let’s address the elements of the album that are familiar first.  This is a definite return to intimacy and simplistic conveyance.  Slug has always been very adept at putting himself in other people’s shoes as well as letting the listener walk around in his for awhile.  This talent absolutely gleams on When Life Gives You Lemons..  We’re taken from an afternoon with his daughter in the car, to a homeless man in a restaurant and everything in between.  “Your Glass House” is an eerily desolate tale of excess and the reality that we’re all somebody’s hooker is revealed in “The Skinny”.  This album isn’t a typical compilation of barely meaningful songs, but a collection of short stories put to melody.

Past that the familiarity is blown apart, shattered as Atmosphere boosts past it at an alarming speed.  So alarming and so far away that most of the new fans acquired with You Can’t Believe.. will likely be left behind before the album even begins.  When the duo finally slam on the brakes and start marinating in that slowed state, even seasoned Atmosphere fans will have to understand that Slug and Ant have apparently decided that it’s time to elevate this thing called hip-hop.

And the learning curve is steep. 

By the time you’re four seconds into the track “Puppets” you will understand that this is not at all what you expected, regardless of your prior Atmosphere experience.  The intro track “Like the Rest of Us” will make you think that, like many intros, they’re just easing you into the monstrous hook that’s about to flip this album on its ass.  But like I said, once that second track begins and you realize that your dance mix isn’t comin’, you’ll start to question the quality of this album.  Reason being is that no one’s done it like this before.  No rap group or single artist has boiled all the superfluous garnishment off of lyricism and given it to you in such a raw form, no artist from this era anyway.  The current hip-hop age has evolved into overdubs upon overdubs and gargantuan beats.  These will not be found on When Life Gives You Lemons..  What you will find in its stead is a live band providing just enough accompaniment to set the mood.  Other than that, its Slug’s story time.

And all of hip-hop would do well to listen.

Good Morning Illumination definitely falls under the pop/rock category that usually doesn't merit any note-worthy songs theoretically.  Oh, The Story! is actually able to incorporate some great riffs that show that they have some skill with their instruments and want to be more than just the typical pop/rock band.  Within the album, you've got your typical poppy songs like "I Am!" "All Seven Seas."  However, 90% of the album merits great response as even their poppy songs do.  The album starts off with an ambient electronic sample that leaves their true genre shrouded in mystery.  The song that impressed me the most though was "Sin, Repent, Repeat."  Before this album, I thought the only bands that knew how to incorporate a brass line was Cursive and every ska band and their mother.  This song literally sent chills up my back as I listened through.

Even though Oh, The Story! is a local band in Maryland, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they started popping up all over the United States in a short amount of time.  In fact, I am expecting it after having listened to this album.  I truly believe any rocker could enjoy this album and I maintain that this album is one of the best I've ever heard within their genre. 

Anton are stuck in the past and not stuck in the past. Their tone screams classic rock; from the fuzzy riffs and funky basslines to Chloa's Joplinesque vocals, there's a feel of psychadelic jamband all over these songs. Ample amounts of funk, groove and rhythmatic soul drown these down-homers with the spirit of a possibly better time for rock and roll. There is also an underlying punk influence; it can be heard in their more agressive tracks, numbers like "Unhappy" and opener "Everything". Best songs are the endlessly catchy and moody "Daddy Long Legs" and the redneck anthem "Truck Stop". 

A band with many accomplishments, at this young age, has a future brighter than many others. They've been all over college and local radio, and this s/t album was voted one of the best of 2007 by UC Berkley KALX and the Undiscovered Radio Network. I can attest to the quality of Anton Mink's music; groove-heavy jam-oriented rock, with a considerable amount of smokey back-room sleaze and the nostalgic feel of a garage band brought back from about '67. When you think of all the bands out there attempting to recapture the sounds of yesterday while keeping it modern and relevant, you're not likely to find many who are better at it than Anton Mink. Check 'em out.

Ghost is a record inspired by blues; the tracks have bluesy melodies with melancholic undertones, though, ultimately, the album never stands still and is difficult to catergorize as a whole.  There are instant, long-lasting classics like "Me and My Friends," which is an almost apathetic outlook on Devine and his friends' tendencies to abuse alcohol and drugs, and "Just Stay," which ends in a booming, melodic crescendo.  Devine occasionally slows the pace of Ghost with starkly acoustic tracks like "A Billion Bees," where Devine's softest vocals gently play off of his slow guitar picking, as he sings, "And i locked my anger in my lungs / so every breath stung more and more / a wave of whips across my spine / a billion bees trapped in my chest / nails on a chalkboard every time."  Devine follows the same pattern on his closer, "Heaven Bound and Glory Be," where his narrative song-writing is emphasized as the music is stripped down to produce an intimate and emotive atmosphere.

Devine's foray into the more country twanged rock is his only downfall: "Less Yesterday, More Today," for instance, drags slowly and feels unsuited for Devine's vocals.  More consistently on Ghost, though, is Devine's heartwrenchingly genuine and wonderfully descriptive song-writing, which may be the album's greatest triumph.  Though it has its flaws, Ghost is an extremely impressive release, combining elements of Bright Eyes' despairful lyricism with Neutral Milk Hotel's musical variation and orchestral sound--making for an ambitious, well-written album.  Pick this one up, and check out Kevin Devine's live show too; it's intense and brings an album like Put Your Ghost to Rest to a new level.

What's wrong buddy, why so downtrodden?

Everything falls short of expectations. Travis Byrant's voice is good at times ("II") and other times just not good ("Ceilings")--we'll call it doubleplusungood. His lyrics leave something (read: everything) to be desired (my desire was "stop writing the lyrics"). Anybody who thinks "God gave me a gun/said take everyone standing in the way of what you really want/so I took his advice/yeah, I never thought twice" is decent is wrong. WRONG. These lyrics make Hayley Williams look like Billy Collins (google it). I've heard more creativity out of fifth-graders writing limericks. And while Matt Grabe's keys work is admirable, it's been admirable with his colleagues.

Well, at least that’s supposed to be the idea.

Far too often punk aspirers blend together in similar acts of rebellion, sound, or image.  Punk music, like true death metal, tends to do better amongst its core fan base when it sticks to a familiar formula.  Originality and creativity is not necessarily the most important element of a punk song.  So, in a sense, punk (as a whole) conforms fairly well, just within itself. 

There are great exceptions to this blanket accusation and one example may not be viewed as punk by some but, for me, is the most punk band I’ve heard in recent history.

At least they were.

In every way that punk should be, Mindless Self Indulgence was.  Jimmy Urine (singer and main force behind the band) took taboos and ran them proudly up his own personal flagpole.  On their first release Tight, the band reproduces an incredible cover of Method Man’s “Bring the Pain”.  Urine was able to take that song and turn it into a cleverly profound statement on race and the use of certain slang words.  In 2005 the band released You’ll Rebel to Anything under the category of “religious” through iTunes, until Apple finally caught on some time later and changed the categorization. 

Taking every opportunity to creatively make mayhem:  that’s punk.

With their latest release If, Mindless Self Indulgence have finally “jumped the shark” of their own nonconforming greatness.  The energetic, aggressive, sonic assault of previous albums is nearly entirely absent.  In its place are fifteen flaccid and uninspired tracks, ripe and ready to be played at a Hot Topic near you. 

The general tempo of albums passed has been scaled way down to ease digestion.  The inflammatory song themes have been tempered and geared almost strictly toward typical junior high school hallway drama.  This isn’t to say that MSI was considered mature in the past, far from it.  There has always been an aura of immaturity and youthful silliness to the band.  Part of their charm was the childish, undisciplined way they seemed to carry themselves.  But they never shied away from making sharp and intelligent accusations about the world around them, rather than the world they were in more than ten years ago.   

The element that separates Mindless Self Indulgence from their peers most is their cybernetic, electronic approach to punk music.  It’s very likely the type of punk music kids in the future will be listening to.  It’s almost certainly disregarded as any kind of punk music at all by the genre’s purists.  And with If, they will receive no argument from me.  This album is closer to Orgy’s Candyass than it is any kind of musical rebellion.  Yes, MSI is finally poised to make their run at mainstream appreciation.  For their benefit I hope it works out.  There may not be many original fans waiting for them should they have to return unsuccessful.

This set is the fruit of a whole lot of listening and assimilating, an early example of mash-up, if you will. You can hear both Santana and Fela Kuti in "Adieu" by Ofege, the set's lead-off track.

Reggae mixes with Traffic on the instrumental "In The Jungle" by The Hygrades; is that a Farfisa on The Ecolades' "Ku Mi Da Hanakn?"

True standouts include The Funkees' "Acid Rock" and Question Mark's "Freaking Out," though any of the fifteen tracks jam on many levels, as history lesson, new google search material and, most importantly, hot period rock and funk by bands that were open to many styles and moods, and to finding a way to stew up them up right.

Unquestionably, the first half of Lensing is the greater half, with opener "Paradise is a Boxcar" and their best choice of "Of The Commons" hold-overs to appear here, "Selling Oxygen" creating a nice pace right off the bat. Mason Taylor's vocals continue to amaze me, as emotive and punchy as any you'll hear. The lyrics have evolved from personal to more universal themes, and the album as a whole seems to have a continuing idea of American woes and world-wide crisis. The quote on the cover of the album, "I am so afraid of war - movies" (with the word "movies" crossed out) hints at this as well. The song that really gets me going the most is "Automatic Doors", which features by far the coolest and catchiest riff they've penned to date. 

The rest of the album is really hit or miss. Why I think this is, for me, is because I was taken by surprise with their EP; this time around, they weren't given such a platform. Some songs, especially the rest of the tracks culled from "Of The Commons", are either decent or sound out of place, missing something. On the whole "Lensing" feels just a bit rushed, or perhaps over-saturated. It should be noted that these complaints are minor, as the album overall is excellent, really one of the better alt-rock records you're likely to hear this year. My disappointment is real, but I love it more than I don't. These guys have "future superstars" written all over them, and I'll be enjoying this album over and over until they're ready to push the envelope a little further. 

Demons on the inside as well.

This is the band's first full-length record, after a seemingly endless series of 7 and 12 inches, tapes and CD-R tracks over the years. Still, it is only about a half hour long, though that seems fine, as this is one draining, caustic ride. Arty, decadent and determined to deafen you with a barbaric yawp from hell, singer Mark Van Fleet admonishes and screeches, ably keeping up with the overwhelming sonic assault behind him.

Drummer Aaron Hibbs keeps a relentless attack going, virtually owning "Town Hag" and "Entrance." As if the assault as expected wasn't enough, tracks like "Skinned and Glued" and "Faceless Nameless" add screeching horns to the mix, which force the remaining nerve endings to surrender, as they must have before Albert Ayler jumped off the bridge.

Yes, that Dr. Wily.

The Protomen is, in its truest sense, a rock opera.  But not only is it a rock opera, it is a rock opera based on the beloved video game character Mega Man. 

And it’s freaking incredible.

It’s so incredible, in fact, you’re going to feel almost guilty for loving it.  ‘Cause, I mean, c’mon, how can someone go around singing the praises of, not only a rock opera, but a video game based rock opera?

But you’ll do it.  Even though you don’t believe me now, even though you’re thinking, “Really, how great can this be?  It’s probably way amateurish, immature, and the production probably sucks”, you’re wrong.  The production doesn’t suck, it’s actually incredibly impressive for a group of guys with no label backing.  Immature, I guess that’s subjective, but amateurish?  Negative.  The Protomen are very capable musicians/composers and it shows, not only in their instrumentation, but in their use of music as a whole.  Choirs lift the cowardly cries of humanity amidst the electric narration and rhythmic orchestration.  The story builds from start to an amazing crescendo and, through every action sequence and dramatic dialogue interaction; you’re run through the story in just the right musical accompaniment. 

The Protomen is much more than an album, it’s a production.

And with just as much of the story being told to you lyrically, there’s a cybernetic boatload of narration that’s not and has to be read within the lyrics sheet.  These supplemental words are just as important as the spoken ones too, filling in all the gaps and proving that The Protomen have some serious writing chops as well.  There are some powerful and, at times, inspirational lyrics buried beneath the guise of a playful video game anthem:

Even here it is not safe
Even this grave has been defaced
Someone has written on this stone
In some angry hand
Hope rides alone.

Appease both the child and honorable patriot within you. 

Join the fight.

“We are the dead.”

Even if you don’t play a single instrument, there’s still one musician/singer you wish you could be.  My musical deity of choice is Mike Patton.  For me, everything he touches (well, nearly everything) is a legitimate piece of art.  He’s a true genius and probably won’t fully be appreciated until we’re all gone and dead.  His vision is totally original, peculiar, and brilliant.  The actualization of his vision is masterful, sporting one of the greatest vocal ranges in music history.   

With the opportunity to compose the soundtrack to Derrick Scocchera’s short film A Perfect Place, Patton flexes his instrumental prowess as well.  The entire score was written, produced, and performed by him and exudes a crime noir feel while still holding true to the eccentricities that make Patton the artist he is.   Without seeing the film first, one imagines a remake of The Roaring Twenties directed by David Lynch.  Sinister highlights weave in and out of this big band/MIDI hybrid and the result is a soundtrack so lively that one considers never watching the film for fear of attaching inferior imagery to the vibrant and imaginative orchestration. 

(Fans of the video game Bioshock may end up wishing Patton had gotten to work on it instead of his strictly vocal additions to The Darkness.)

Generally, soundtracks/scores sound and present themselves as such.  Without seeing a film, you can usually tell when you’re listening to its soundtrack.  There are always musical queues that give them away, be it the lack of vocals, a classic chase scene beat, or the typically short track time.  And while A Perfect Place does share some of these traits, it benefits greatly from being a Patton creation.  For anyone who is familiar with the man’s work knows that most of his many, many projects do not resemble typical albums.  This makes A Perfect Place, not only a great soundtrack, but a fantastic and appropriate addition to Patton’s catalogue.

And an escalation in my already increasing adoration of the man.

The guitar/percussion interplay keeps that line straddled between chaos and brooding that make this a satisfying record. John Orsi' tribal grooves keep equal pace on "Fold," and take over at surprising moments on "Midge."

Herd of Mers is one duo not trying to sound bigger or into drawing attention to themselves for being a cool duo. But they are. They create and disturb space with equal intensity, often leaving the listener wondering whether to lean in closer to hear what's up or to take a wise step back. Either way, Aurora Caught Napping" may make you dreamy, but you'll sleep with one eye open for sure.