Top 13 (of the Week)

Sure,you know what's cool. But do you know what's really fuckin' FAR OUT? That's where Advanced Demonology takes over. Every week, (K)en and (S)wilson trudge through the murky waters of the pop culture hellscape, dredging up sparkly morsels of wonder. These are the result of our latest foray into the world of the weird, our wildest, wiggest-out picks of the week. Call it our 13 Point Program.



13. Burden of Dreams 
So Werner Herzog made a movie, Fitzcarraldo, about a bunch of maniacs dragging a ship through the over a mountain. For authenticity, he got a real ship, and dragged it over a fuckin' mountain. Burden of Dreams is a documentary that depicts Werner's descent into filmic madness. When Klaus Kinski seems like the sane one, you know you're in for a bumpy ride. (K)

12. Electric Holy Land
I'm starting realize that Jesus is actually cooler than Satan. Not from an organized religious standpoint ( I don't know anything about that jive),  but from a rock 'n roll stance, he's way cool. All the hipsters are absolutely afraid of him, he's a bearded longhair, digs wine, most likely digs weed ( just look at him), is full of spaced-out love for  hookers and thieves and other anti-establishment low life's, and can do psychedelic card tricks. Jesus is totally underground right now. Electric Holyland is exhibit A in my case. 12 blistering tracks of spaced out Jesus rock !  All from the original master tapes and all with the consent of the original groups involved. Only 500 pressed up from Lysergic Sound Distributors. I got number 432.  My only complaint is this could of been a great opportunity for a for a book insert  about this phenomenon. Praise to the church of the cooler Jesus. (S)

11. Christine Delaroche – Le 4eme titre
Delaroche is a French actress. I've never seen any of her movies. I don't know if that's even possible. But I tell you one thing: this video of one her pop tunes, from 1967, is AMAZING. (K)

10. Freak Out Total Vol. 33 
I was drawn to this because of the the front cover, a kid being dragged away from the cops during some kind of presumably drug induced freek-out. The back cover is even more poetic. A man with a sombrero face down into a box of Molson ( I've been there, brother).  Mucho Gusto is a cool label.  They reissued The Hermans Rocket record that we played on Advanced Demonology Lesson 5.  This is a great comp of french and french speaking Canadian flower power swagger that only the Gauls could swing. Only available on vinyl , no digital, no CD. So snatch it up!   (S)




9. Dandy Warhols' new album
There was a time in the 90's when I suppose it was cool to hate the Dandies, since they were the go-to psyche band for frat boys or whatever. But now they're old and we're old, so let's just get on with the jams.They've got a new album. This Machine, out this week. Lead single, Well They're Gone, sounds like the Dead Brothers Funeral Orchestra, which is suitably kooky, but my fave so far is snotty sike-punker Enjoy Yourself. I did! (K)

8. The Stranglers: Nice & Sleazy at Bittersea 1978
I've been watching this over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.  (S)

7. Simon Sisters – Red, Red Rose
If you've listened to the Advanced Demonology podcast, then you know I am a big fan of records made by the siblings of famous singers. Leah Kunkel (Mama Cass's sister), Kate Taylor (James' sis),  LaCosta Tucker (Tanya's), Priscilla Coolidge, etc. Love 'em all. And while I can't quite get behind Lucy (Carly's hotter sister) Simon's solo albums (they're seriously syrupy) I definitely dig the record she made with her sister, The Simon Sisters Sing For Children, back when they were a coupla folkies. Originally recorded in '69 but then embellished with a session band for more of a 70's stoner-vibe and re-released in '73, it's essentially acid-folk for kids. Cool and kinda awesomely creepy. (K)

6. Fastest: Theme
California is full of  devil worshipping creeps and weirdos?  Tobin Konrad the Yamaha wielding axe murderer that created this joyous horror show might be one of them. He pressed up a bunch of these CD-R's and left them on the doorstep of Aquarius Records. As far as I know the only place you can get it.   I've been trying to wrap my mind around this all week and it's really starting to get weird around the Mind Warp Pavilion. I think I might have let a poltergeist in by playing it too much.  Next level masterpiece? The keyboard noodelings of a madman? A C.I.A. plot to destroy the do-it-yourself musical revolution? YOU decide.  (S)

5. The Hammer Vault
Great coffee table-esque book that collects various Hammer Studios ephemera: script pages, props, film stills, unused posters, a blood n' boobs-drenched cornicopia of goodness from the sexiest horror film studio of all time, ever. (K)

4. Robert Frank: The Americans
The dope shooting photographer who gave us the Exile on Main Street cover and Cocksucker Blues was actually a fine arts beatnik photographer (I  didn't know that) and  this is the book that made him. With an intro by Jack Kerouac, it chronicles his  travels around the country clicking shots of everyday people like you and me and your grandma. Catching 'em in that right moment where you feel like you know that person without knowing them. That's what any great portrait artist has to do, don't they? This is a window into an America that the last traces of is literally about to disappear of the next five years or so.  (S)

3. Marsha Hunt
Meant to post this as a Hippie Death Goddess (of the Week) this week, but ran outta time. Marsha married the dude from Soft Machine, recorded with Marc Bolan, starred in the London production of Hair, played the Isle of Wight festival in '69 with her band White Trash, dated Mick Jagger and was the inspiration for “Brown Sugar”, recorded a disco album at Gorgio Moroder's Musicland studio in '77, etc. etc. What a career! And she rocked the afro/leather hotpants combo hotter than anybody. (K)

2. Sudden Death Compilation 1982
Long out of print. Dig around on the inter web you'll find it, too. Los Angeles creep punk mistakenly branded as "Hardcore",  Red Kross and JFA ( banging War cover) are maybe the biggest names on here.  The real reason to click "download" on this epic collection is  "Massacre Killer"  by Crankshaft……wow!!  (S)

1. Future Disco 5: Downtown Express 
Latest installment of this pretty amazing series of “Nu-disco” comps. Nu Disco bands, it turns out, pretty much sound like old disco bands, only with more squiggles and squelches. Two discs, one mixed for maximum buggin' out, the other they leave up to you. You should know that I am thinking about installing a a mirrorball in Advanced Demonology East. This shit is getting serious. (K)

Witches

They're burning for you, my friend.
(slacker-psyche dudes menaced by black metal crazies over a hypno-beat. Dig it)

Top 13 Of The Week

Sure,you know what's cool. But do you know what's really fuckin' FAR OUT? That's where Advanced Demonology takes over. Every week, (K)en and (S)wilson trudge through the murky waters of the pop culture hellscape, dredging up sparkly morsels of wonder. These are the result of our latest foray into the world of the weird, our wildest, wiggest-out picks of the week. Call it our 13 Point Program.

13. Spiritualized - Hey Jane video 

So, Spiritualized - the 90's psyche-drone-pop band that spun-off from the 80's psyche-drone-Stooges rip-off band Spacemen 3 is back with a spankin' new album called Sweet Heart, Sweet Light, and to celebrate, they've released a fucked-up, 10 minute-long mini-movie about a transsexual hooker who gets in a seriously brutal fight. I mean, that's not what it's about - I'm sure there's a deeper meaning to it all - but that's definitely what happens. (K)

12. Terror On The Beach

There were a few movies that used to come on television when I was a little kid that scared the living shit out of me. They would be burned in my memory like a bad dream. The rest of my life I would be wondering "what the hell was that movie I saw when a was a kid, with that…..". Bang! the internet is invented and my problem is solved. (S)

11. Kim Jung Mi: Now

A Korean Psychedelic masterpiece produced by the great fuzz guitar player  Shin Jung Hyun. If you like moody female 60's euro-pop like Jane Birkin you'll love this. (S)

10. Kadavar

A trio of German weird-beards who lay down a seriously smokin' set of proto-metal slabbage on their self-titled debut (Tee Pee Records). These dudes have the whole package: songs about mountains, riffs copped from Sir Lord Baltimore, mental-patient mutton chops, etc etc. Also the dudes in the band are named the following: Wolf,  Mammoth, and Tiger. A stone groove. (K)

09. Robert Hazard and the Heroes

Ken and I were talking on a recent show about how at one point in time you could be big in one city and completely unknown in another. Robert Hazard is the best example of this. He sold 300,000 records in his home town of Philadelphia. That's huge! There is only 5 million people in Philly. I think he wrote a big hit for Cindi Lauper called : Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,  and than faded. (S)

08. Snow Cola 

there's been a lot of studies popping up lately suggesting that the chemicals in the food coloring they use in traditional colas will, eventually, cause you to stroke out. Now, I'm the kind of fella that enjoys the occasional soda, but does not care for strokes or cardiac events. So, good news: Snow is all natural, and the coloring is made from fruits and vegetables. How's it taste? Well, I've only had the diet version, and it tastes like...well, like diet cola. Disgusting, but oddly satisfying. I bet the non-diet cola is super-tasty, though. And no strokes. Hooray for bubbly brown liquids!  (S)

07. Mean Jeans

I was worried that the kids didn't want to party no more. I was worried that they was staying home on the inter web too much. I was worried that things were getting a little too "smart". I was worried that they only wanted to listen to emotional mermaids singing underwater in an electrified swimming pool(!?).  I was worried worried worried. Mean Jeans put's my mind at ease. Just some good ole American instant gratification. (S)

06. Roger Corman Cult Classics: The Nurses Collection 

Finally the Roger Corman Cult Classic series get to the nurse movies! Romance! Action! Violence! Friendship! TOPLESS NURSES! (K)

05. Kenneth Patchen

Poetry is dead so it's high time we enjoy some dead poets. You like popular music right? Well poetry doesn't have much to do with popular music, despite what they say, Rock 'n Roll is Not poetry set to music, sorry (I don't have time to get into why right now). The only thing that music has in common with poetry  is that popular music replaced poetry.  Because this short form of written communicate was in high demand for at least 1,000 years. Now it's not. Kenneth Patchen was a pacifist and a radical and was pretty upset by the way human begins mistreated each other and he wrote beautifully about it.  You should spend at least twenty minutes with him if not more. (S)

04. Bebel Gilberto

she's not Astrud's daughter, but she sounds like her. Sweet, breezy samba for lazy spring days. Lovely in every way. (K) 

03. SRC: Self titled

I've owned this record since 1993. I never really got into till yesterday. I read an article in the SHINDIG! Annual No.1 about them and it really brought me into the whole trip. They are from Detroit and while the rest of there compatriots were proto-punking and Mitch Rydering there way through  flower power, these guys were piper at the gates of dawning. I get it now! Like ALL of the great Detroit 60's bands they made all the wrong career moves and ended up in the dust bin. Bummer. But good news! it's 2012 and it's as relevant as anything else out there. (S)

02. Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 60's and 70's 

This seminal tome from Scott Aaron Stine has been out of print since the mid 90's and now goes for astronomical prices, but I just discovered that it's available on the Kindle for a low (well, in comparison) $14.99. If you have a taste for proto-splatter from the sick sick 70's (and the far-our 60's), then you'll love this book. Nice overview of the genre and dozens of reviews of twisted visions like Carnival of Blood, Criminally Insane, the Flesh and Blood Show, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, etc. Well-written and with enough suggestions to keep your Netflix queue stuffed for months. (K)

01.  Catching Playmate / attempted murderess Victoria Vetri on Star Trek……(S)

Weekend Disco Alert: Sugar & Gold

Groovy disco jams from two uncool white dudes. LET'S PARTY.

- (K)

Top 13 (of the Week)

Sure,you know what's cool. But do you know what's really fuckin' FAR OUT? That's where Advanced Demonology takes over. Every week, (K)en and (S)wilson trudge through the murky waters of the pop culture hellscape, dredging up sparkly morsels of wonder. These are the result of our latest foray into the world of the weird, our wildest, wiggest-out picks of the week. Call it our 13 Point Program.

 13. Wytch Hazel
Clearly, heavy metal's apex was the fertile time in the late 1970's when the famed and fabled "NWOBHM" sprang up in working towns all over England. A rock-slob reaction to the first wave of punk, NWOBHM bands like Angelwitch, Venom, Tank, and Motorhead took the spit n' piss of the Pistols and wrapped it up in all the goofy excesses of 70's arena-sludge. These bands had terrible haircuts and a lot of them had stupid names (Sacred Alien!) and many of them couldn't even play and only lasted for a 7" before imploding, but the freewheeling, ramshackle spirit of the stuff is pretty infectious, and it's hard not to like clunky mullet epics like Savage's Loose n' Lethal album or Girlschool's amazing/awful Gary Glitter tribute. Which brings me to Wytch Hazel, a new band from Britain who do a fairly amazing job of recreating the sound (and, I'm assuming the smell) of used leather and walls-o-Marshalls in Birmingham circa 1979. They've just released their first single (digitally), and it's a corker. Be sure to save some room on your denim vest for a Wytch Hazel patch! (K)

 12. Dire Con - Pills
Driven by a chorus lifted from  Marvin Gaye, this tune has the swagger. Fantastic first thought best thought rhyming lyrics that jumble into each other about the sensation that is sweeping the nation!  I think these guys are out of Knoxville? I think this tune is all they have up? I know It's very crucial to America that anyone in Tennessee with musical interests, outside of country music, pursue them in these Dire times….and the Con…well, all rock musicians are con-artists, really, and I got no complaints with that. (S)

11. The Midnight Archive
Demonologists (budding or advanced) will definitely want to check out The Midnight Archive, a great web-doc series that explores various facets of the occult and High Weirdness with a sober but inquisitive eye. There's episodes on ouija boards, a woman that mummifies pets, the weirdest spots in New York, and lots more. Great production values and really interesting subjects. Check it out. (K)

10. Those Were Different Times: Cleveland 1972-1976
Somebody makes the good point that had all of Cleveland's great punk bands not left the city for grittier pastures in the late 70's (Devo, Dead Boys etc.) that it would be regard as one of genre's founding bloody fountains. This comp of blistering and absolutely undeniable proto-punk certainly helps the case. This now completely out of print collection from 1997 focuses mainly on three bands: The Mirrors, The Electric Eels and The Styrenes.  Mostly Stooges rip-offs and Velvet clones, and the secret to their greatness is the fact that they were doing it in a time when The Stooges and Velvets were mostly despised. But that last statements sells this stuff short. These bands are all monsters in their own right. It's like you can hear the American dream dying. (S)

9. Jill Barber
Is there a less ridiculous word I could use here than chanteuse? Probably, but I don't know any, so Jill Barber is a Canadian chanteuse and her new album, Mischievous Moon, is amazing. It's got flutes and clarinets and pretty much every song sounds like something John Waters and David Lynch would slow dance to at their respective proms. Or with each other, if they went to the prom together. It could've happened. Also, this is great "mood music", if you know what I mean. And I think you do. (K)

8. The Mirrors - She Smiled Wild
When I grabbed Those Were Different Times I was really looking for this song. the Swilson band is going to cover it. The Mirrors really are unabashedly Velvet Clones fronted by an ex-Vietnam Vet (if I remember correctly). This youtube clip has been on constant rotation. I think I'm going to make up my own lyrics for the "verse" and keep the chorus. By the way, The Mirrors had a revolving cast of members except for Jamie Kilmek, and one of those members was drummer Michael J. Weldon , bashing away on the tune above, who went on to found the Psychotronic Video empire!(S)

7. Keeping the British End Up
If you're a fan of saucy 70's Brit comedies - the Carry On films, Confessions of a Window Washer, anything with Mary Millington - then you're going to want to snatch up this fun and informative book, which gives not only an overview of the Brit sex-comedy genre and it's principle players and plenty of (ahem) "inspiring" photos (some in color!), but also offers dozens of reviews of individual films. If you're a big fan of popped-tops, flipped-wigs, and the phrase "How's your father", then you'll love this book. (K)

 6. Dave Wyndorf Interview
Tom Scharpling from WFMU talks to my hero Dave Wyndorf in his kitchen in Red Bank  about being a kid in the 60's, a teenager in the 70's, GBGB's punk mayhem, early 90's drug rock , turn of the century rock stardom, overdoses, Norman Mailer, Gene Simmons, and Jersey!  It's Epic!! (S)

5. Charlene Tilton on roller skates, circa 1979 
I was only 8 when roller disco mania hit the US around the summer of '78. All the girls I skated with were also around 8 years old and I fell down a lot. So I quit, and considered the whole stupid "roller fever" a waste of time. But, I mean, just look at this picture. Clearly, if you were old enough to reap its rich rewards, roller skating to disco jams definitely had some serious sex appeal. (K)

4. Phil Yost: Bent City
Grabbed this off the mighty Ghost Capital blog. Released in 1967 on John Fahey's Takoma Records. There is no info about him out there. The record is a cavalcade of beautiful acid woodwind, that will make your house melt into your head if you play it while cleaning. I should know.(S)

3. Winchester Mystery House
I used to read about this joint a lot when I was a kid, and it really freaked me out. Basically, what happened was the widow of the Winchester rifle fortune began building useless additions to their mansion as a way of dealing with her grief. This went on for 40 years and the end product was a crazy quilt house filled with stairs that go nowhere and doors that open to brick walls. I dunno, something about that seriously creeped me out as a kid. Anyway, it's supposedly haunted (spoiler alert: it's not) and it's definitely unnerving, and I just found out that you can actually tour the place now! Holy smokes! If I'm ever in Northern California, that's where I'm going. I'll probably get lost in there and end up crying.  (K)

 2. Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour 1974
I bought this on blu-ray. It's freaking amazing! Rory Gallagher is the most exciting Irish blues guitar player ever. His records are good, but live…holy smokes!!!!  This is a great document because you can see how much the early 70's Irish kids love Rory, when he hits Belfast the kids go berserk.  Immediate and intense. Do yourself the favor.(S)

1. Satan's Satyrs - Wild Beyond Belief LP
A headache-making racket of greasy biker scuzz-rock wrapped up in a Satan's Sadists rip-off sleeve and pressed on red vinyl. I think your next move is pretty obvious. (K)

Advanced Demonology Podcast Episode 5

Greetings Demonologists, Earthlings,  and Groovy People everywhere and welcome to the Advanced Demonology podcast! This month's lesson: In Space, Everyone Can Hear You Scream!

Join cosmic retronauts Ken and Swilson as they journey to the furthest reaches of rock n' roll to bring you the greatest, weirdest, and most far-out space jams of all time! Four plus hours of space glam, space rock, space disco, space-billy, space-funk, and lots more!

Now strap on your space helmets and let's get real, real gone for a change!

Listen/Download HERE!

Top 13 (of the Week)

Sure,you know what's cool. But do you know what's really fuckin' FAR OUT? That's where Advanced Demonology takes over. Every week, (K)en and (S)wilson trudge through the murky waters of the pop culture hellscape, dredging up sparkly morsels of wonder. These are the result of our latest foray into the world of the weird, our wildest, wiggest-out picks of the week. Call it our 13 Point Program.

13. Gentlemanly Repose: Confessions Of A Debauched Rock 'N Roller by Michael Ruffino

Occupying that coveted thirteenth position this week. On Ken's advice I picked up this book, and although I haven't finished it yet (i've got about ten pages to go and I bought it yesterday!), yes Ken it is the best Rock 'n Roll bio ever written. The best ever! Who knew that Ruffino was such multi talented guy? Besides being a walking chemistry set and a monger of three chord drunk rock, He also is a seriously great writer. I declare that the Unband revival of the early twenty teens starts now! Buy the book! See the movie! Listen to the records. It's more entertaining than Spinal Tap! It's all true and it couldn't of happened to 3 more all american boys. Make sure you go out and get a case of beer on your way home from the book store. (S)

12. The Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist

Back in the 80's/early 90's, Petter Bagge's Hate and Dan Clowes' Eightball were the go-to comics for the with-it kids. Full of pop culture references and mean-spirited characters doing mean-spirited stuff, both books basically presaged the entire attitude of the internet: mock everybody, especially yourself. Clowes was the quirkier of the two, and as the decades ensued, his work got darker and funkier. Also he wrote Ghostworld. And now there's a book that collects odds and sods and rare stuff and offers some insight into the man behind the 'toons. Awesome! (K)

11. Milk Music: Beyond Living

I first heard these guys live on WFMU. I ordered a record and never got it in the mail. Than I emailed the guy and told him i'd pick one up at an L.A. show… I got drunk and never made it. So finally this week I stole it off the interweb. Warm fuzzy Blue Cheer guitar playing up against some faster punk type tempos. They get compared to Dinosaur Jr. allot but I'm not so sure about that, It's like sitting in a parked car in the rain kind of music…smoking grass. Beyond Living is on lot's 2011 best of lists (on a few of the same blogs that voted Demonology worst of 2011!). The Lyrics are a little buried on the version I downloaded but they are belted out with lots of white boy soul. I went to a wedding a few years back with a future member of this band. His name is Charles and he was/is in a killer punk crust-core or something like that band called Son Skull. They are great too. Olympia Washington has a great scene right now check out Weird TV as well. (S)

10. Kristofer Astrom - From Eagle to Sparrow

Swedish counrtry-folk brooder. Sparse and excellent record. I think this dude was in a death metal band once. But weren't we all? (K)

09. Jiro Dream's Of Sushi

If your fanatical about sushi andJapan go see this in the theater (Lady Swilson and I did). if not wait for it to come on television. But it's worth the watch. It's less of a documentary and more of a meditation on the man and his sons who make the best sushi in the world. That's no easy task! It's a very simple thing sushi. If you can take it to the highest level your a true artist and maybe a genius. (S)

08. Popatopolis

Jim Wynorski is a B (and C and sometimes Z) movie auteur who delivered big, crazy thrill-rides in the 80's and early 90's (Chopping Mall, Screwballs, Lost Empire, Not of this Earth) filled with blood, beasts, and boobs. 25 years on, he's still at it, although he's basically been reduced to peddling shot-on-video softcore garbage for late-nite cable. Quick n' dirty documentary Popatopolis (named after one of his many aliases) finds him balls-deep into a steep decline, making 2005's Witches of Breastwick in three days for no money, utilizing a guerilla crew and a quartet of pissed-off, put-upon actresses, one of which happens to be porn performer Stormy Daniels. It's a great glimpse into the abyss of no-merit movies, and even though he knows the doc is putting him in a decidedly harsh light, it's very clear that Jim could not care less. After all, "There's a lot of hot chicks in this movie." He does have a point. (K)

07. Flower Travellin' Band

Is this video some kind of early nineteen hundreds scientific exhibition footage of a barbarian planet?!!!? I usually break out the Flower Travellin' Band in the spring time. They possess an exuberant, coming of the equinox like fire, sabbath raga mayhem, sunshine nightmare, that really captures the vibe here in Lost Hell's Angeles……we are right across the pond from Japan and Japan is always in the air at the Swilson ranch (a.k.a The Mind-warp Pavilion, a.k.a Orgonon West) because Lady Swilson is of (part) Japanese decent and we turned it up a notch this week with a movie about sushi. (S)

06. Stanley Black - Satan Superstar

If your problem with vintage lounge music is that it isn't satanic enough, I have the answer. Brit piano tinkler Stanley Black released this kooky orchestral grinder in the early 70's. It's full of horror-themed orchestral jams, heavy on the dark brass and demon-screeching strings. Plus the devil's on the cover in a leisure suit! (K)

05. Bad Sports: Kings Of the Weekend

In my blog stumblings this week, looking for info on Milk Music I discovered these kids on lot's of best of 2011 lists. Bad Spots hail from Denton (the hip part of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area). They play 1,000 year old punk party rock and they play it well and well........ It's the weekend! (S)

04.Fingerbobs - British kid's TV show from the early 70's, featuring some dude's fingers dressed up as mice and chickens and whatnots. Backed by gently-plucked folk guitar, this might be the most gentle (and hypnotic) example of children's TV programming I've ever seen. Check it out next time you're trapped on the Couch of Woe. Bonus: there's a soundtrack CD from Trunk Records! (K)

Flyin' Cut Sleeves Trailer from Henry Chalfant on Vimeo.

03. Flying Cut Sleeves

This documentary about south bronx street gangs, shot in the 70's and 80's but not completed until the 90's, focuses mostly on the Ghetto Brothers and some Savage Nomads and Savage Skulls, following up where the outstanding 80 Blocks From Tiffany's left off. I'm on a South Bronx in the seventies kick right now. Something about the post-apocalyptic, post-counterculture, post-Panther, post-Young Lords, outlaw biker, pre-crack, pre-hip-hop, urban youth gone wild in a war zone elements of the story and the time capture the Swilson imagination. Warriors come out and play! Than grow up and try to help there community. I admire and respect the character of the people featured in this story. I'm sure you will too. (S)

02. Ladyhawke's homage to Eyes of Laura Mars

Ladyhawke's music is pure 70s/80's throwback synthrock, hook-heavy and awesomely cheeseball. It' s like an ABBA/New Order cocktail. Black White and Blue is the first single from Ladyhawke's upcoming album, Anxiety, which is clearly going to the be summer jam of the year. The video is an homage/tribute/remake of 1978's sort of amazing Eyes of Laura Mars, a "thriller" that finds edgy fashion photographer Faye Dunaway envisioning a series of murders with her fashion shoots before they happen. First see the movie, then watch the video. And fuck it, then watch Ladyhawke, the movie with Rutger Hauer. And then buy this record and listen to it. There's your weekend. (K)

1.Ghetto Brothers: Power Fuerza

It's rare I listen to anything now and feel like I'm hearing one of my favorite records of all time for the first time. It happened this week! Some of the coolest characters ever, making some of the most beautiful music. I love it! The vocals have no identity it's like the whole band is is singing in unison, like a whole culture, the whole gang. You like a good back story ? How about this one. The Ghetto Brothers were first and for most a street gang. Not just any gang, the most powerful gang in the South Bronx. Lead by a Puerto Rican jew (Epstein from welcome back carter? that was Brooklyn) named yellow Benji. When a good friend and fellow gang member Black Benji was killed trying to stop a gang fight. Yellow Benji decide enough is enough and organized the Hoe avenue truce. It was a gang treaty in the south bronx that lead to a relative peace among the 1,000 plus Bronx gangs and hip-hop music itself. The Ghetto Brothers made this one and only masterpiece. It's a mix of Latin funk, Beatle harmonies (they where in a group prior to this called the Junior Beatles!) and even a little Grand Funk thrown in. It's just perfect! (S)