The Mess Hall

The Mess Hall

Notes From a Ceiling

Shock Music Oz, 2006

http://www.themesshall.com.au/

www.mypace.com/themesshall

Back in 2004, I spent a little time in Australia and New Zealand. I learned a lot about the people of both countries, both good and bad. For example, I discovered that absolutely no one in Australia drinks Foster's beer. It's nowhere to be found. Australians are also quick to tell you that New Zealand really isn't that great. That's bulls**t. New Zealand is beautiful and the people are wonderful. Oh, and yes, Koala bears are as adorable in person as they are in Asian cartoons. They also smell like mulch and are notorious for maiming human adults. Yes. Maiming human adults. Google it.

Another thing I learned, and this is actually relevant, is that Aussies seem to have an obsession with American Blues music. Sort of like the Japanese and cowboys, it's a strange thing. They absolutely eat up any "bluesy" music or music that's "blues-inspired". It's obviously very romanticized there, and can I judge them for picking certain things from our culture to latch onto? Absolutely not. How many millions of dollars did Crocodile Dundee make here in The States? And I myself have had the displeasure of dining at Outback Steakhouse.
The Mess Hall are a "blues-inspired" rock band from Sydney. When I say "blues-inspired", I mean they're about as bluesy (is that even a word?) as The Black Keys or The Dead Weather. It's in description only. And I would rather listen to this band than either of those two any day. They really defy any simple categorization. The best I can do is Rock. Sorry.

They consist of guitarist Jed Kurzel and drummer Cec Condon, and they make a lot of noise for just two blokes. It's just good time music, bro! This is a band that plays hard, tours hard, and.. plays hard. They released an album in 2009 that's supposedly available on iTunes, but I can't vouch for it because I refuse to buy music from iTunes. This album, however, gets my personal American stamp of approval.

This is a great album from a group that deserves more attention here in the good ole U.S. of A. Seriously, if Jet was able to make it..

Molemen

Molemen
Ritual Of The...
Molemen, 2001
http://www.molemen.com/

Hip Hop in 2001. Back then, I remember thinking that hip hop had really fallen off. Many of the luminaries like Big L, Pac and Biggie were gone and it seemed like maybe true hip hop really was dead. Wow. You really don't know what you got till it's gone. You would think, by observing the obvious cycle here, that ten years from now I'll be waxing poetic about how great things were in 2010. But I can assure you that if I ever look back with fondness on Drake or the autotune, I will happily find someone to knee me in the groin repeatedly.
Because of this CD, when I think of Chicago hip hop, I don't think of Kanye or Lupe or even Common. I think of dark streets and shadowy clubs where midwest hip hop thrived back in the 90's and early 2000's. If Kanye is the glittering lights of the Chicago skyline, then Molemen are the grimy gutters of the South Side where the air is thick with anticipation because s**t can go down at any minute. It's truly sinister and some of the tracks here are more anxiety-inducing than a cocaine-fueled Tyra Banks.
Molemen are producers Panik, Memo and PNS and when Ritual was released, they dominated the Chicago hip hop scene. They are still influential, but to me, this was their apex.
This is a classic "underground" hip hop album because it features many MC's who were either about to blow up or who had just found modest success. Among them were Slug, Aesop Rock, Percee P, MF Doom, Rhymefest and Vakill. The production is dark and atmospheric and it perfectly matches the battle-inspired lyrics on every track.
When it comes to the MC's, it's nothing but ego. The punch lines here hit like Mayweather and everyone is in top form. Just a few of the highlights are the tracks from Matlock, Juice, Vakill, Prime and Qwel. Some of Chi-Town's finest are here and, in my humble opinion, it's the hometown MC's that really shine.
This is the sound of producers and MC's at the top of their game, and it's a textbook example of what hip hop should sound like.

The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans
Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre
Epitaph, 2010
www.theweakerthans.org

http://www.epitaph.com

This album reaffirms two things that I already knew about The Weakerthans. But it also surprised me too:

1. They are one of the best bands around right now.

2. John K. Samson is the best lyricist alive.

3. They're an inhumanly good live band.

This is probably the best live recording I've ever heard, which is good. There are few things that I hate more than bad live recordings (like drinking straws, for instance). These guys have their set down. This show was recorded in April of 2009 in their hometown of Winnipeg, which is always extra incentive not to f**k up. But besides that, they are just incredibly tight. There are a few songs that I wish had been included, but overall they play everything a fan would want to hear. If you're not familiar with the band, this would actually be a great introduction. If you buy the CD, it also comes with a DVD of the show which is a pleasant bonus (except that it costs more. So, maybe not so much of a bonus then).

The one thing that has always bothered me a little is that Samson's singing voice is identical to the voice that every single black comedian makes when impersonating white people. You know what I'm talking about. But hey, he's Canadian and I'm never satisfied. We both have our faults.

This is an amazing band. I mean, any band that name-drops Michel Foucault in a song title is ace as far as I'm concerned. Live at the Barton Cummings Theatre is an incredible live album and I'll be listening to it for a long time to come. Highly recommended.

Statik Selektah

Statik Selektah

100 Proof: The Hangover

Showoff, 2010

www.showoffhiphop.com

Patrick Baril, aka Statik Selektah, is a talented DJ and Producer. He's well respected in the hip hop game and pretty much all of the tracks here are quality. Making things even better are the names all over this thing including Havoc, Kool G Rap, Saigon, Royce Da 5'9, Skyzoo, Termanology, Styles P and many more.

Having said that, it's probably not a record I'll listen to a lot. The tracks are definitely well produced, but the beats are pretty standard. What makes this album good are the MC's and if that's the case, I'm just going to go buy a Skyzoo record instead. But on the other hand, that's the great thing about albums from producers. You get a variety.

Don't get me wrong, this is a solid record. It's just nothing new.

Heartsounds

Heartsounds
Until We Surrender
Epitaph, 2010
www.myspace.com/heartsoundsband
http://www.epitaph.com/

Yes, I still listen to pop punk every once in a while. It's one of my few vices these days. After a long day at work, I may partake in a little Screeching Weasel. Who are you to judge me?

But this is not a good album even by pop punk standards, and those standards are about as low as BP's stock prices right now. The guy and girl that share guitar and vocal duties in this band were apparently in a "melodic death metal band" before they realized their true calling of playing in Heartsounds. Hmmm.

The first three songs on this record might make it as filler on my "Music to Clean the Garage To" mix CD just because they have a decent melody. And if this kind of music doesn't have melody, then its got nothing. You certainly can't turn to the lyrical content. It's the standard fare for this genre. Half of the songs on here are about these guys/girls getting dumped. The other half are about trying to patch things up with the person that dumped him/her, and failing. Maybe if you weren't in a band called Heartsounds, failed relationships wouldn't be such a prominent part of your life. But I can only speculate. Maybe they smell.