My Disco - Little Joy

Little Joy came out on CD late last year but has only just received the vinyl treatment thanks to Temporary Residence Limited. The first 200 orders came on white with grey/green haze colored vinyl and the D side is laser etched. I caught My Disco play recently and their set list was pretty much every song off this album, which just made me appreciate how good this record really is. If you ever get a chance to see them live, do it! Until then you can buy this record here.

Zola Jesus - Stridulum II

Here's one of the albums that made my best of 2010 list and was probably the most played LP on that list too. It's basically the Stridulum Ep with three extra songs added to expand it into a full length. This girl has an amazing classically trained voice and sounds a bit like a modern Siouxsie Sioux. I'd describe Zola Jesus as gothic noise pop with this release leaning more towards the pop side of things than her earlier releases. You can get this on white vinyl from Souterrain Transmissions.

Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky

I'm always a little skeptical when bands get back together after being broken up for a long period of time,  in this case it's been 14 years since the last Swans album. Usually it's a mistake and the band tarnishes a respectable history with indulgent shit or a desperate attempt at earning some retirement dollars. Luckily that's not the case here and Swans put out one of the best albums of 2010. I actually find this a rather relaxing album to listen to and it gets better with every spin. It's not often that I sit down and do nothing else but listen to an album the whole way through but this is one of those albums that sounds better with your full attention. You can get it from Michael Gira's own label, Young God Records.

Rowland S. Howard - The Golden Age Of Bloodshed

I couldn't resist picking up a copy of this 7" single that was released after Rowland passed away and with only 500 copies made you had to act fast. My main interest was in the B-side track "Lost In Space" which is an unreleased instrumental piece recorded for the Pop Crimes album but then left unfinished.

Rowland S. Howard - 'Golden Age Of Bloodshed' from Ghost Pictures Pty Ltd on Vimeo.

Rowland S. Howard - Pop Crimes

This is Rowland S. Howard's final album that was released only months before he died of liver cancer in late 2009. Such an amazing guitarist and songwriter. I've enjoyed everything he has played on, especially with The Birthday Party and his collaborations with Lydia Lunch but this album has grown on me so much since it's release I'd almost say it's his masterpiece. I'm really glad to finally have a copy on vinyl and hear it come alive on my turntable. If you'd like one you can buy it here.

Here's the trailer for the upcoming Rowland S. Howard documentary. Can't wait!

OFF! -The First Four EPs

No doubt everyone's heard about Keith Morris from Black Flag/Circle Jerks new band OFF! by now. Fans of his earlier bands will not be disappointed, this is classic short angry punk songs split across four 7"s. I pre ordered this box set when I first heard about it and it has taken ages to arrive, must have been held up in the christmas rush. Get it from Vice Records or the usual distros. There was also a cassette version on Burger Records that I was lucky enough to snag before it sold out.

The Impalers - Demo

The Impalers is Chris Ulch from Mammoth Grinder and Mike Sharp from Hatred Surge blasting out D-Beat with a bit of a Motorhead influence. Fucking great tape. If there is any left you might be able to buy one here and check out Play It Loud for a download link.

Best Of 2010

2010 was pretty much the worst year I've ever had but luckily there was a heap of great music to get me through it. Here's my highlights of the year, I've put them in alphabetical order so I didn't have to rate bands against each other. Music isn't a competition. 

LPs
Black Breath - Heavy Breathing
Burzum - Belus
Dry Rot - Philistine
Extortion - Loose Screws
Hooded Menace - Never Cross The Dead
My Disco - Little Joy
Slices - Cruising
Suffer - Lone
Surroundings - Surroundings
Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
Thou - Summit
Zola Jesus - Stridulum II

EPs & 7"s
Mammoth Grinder - Obsessed With Death
Mind Eraser / Slang - Split
Mindless - Human Conditioning
Pissed Jeans - Sam Kinison Woman
Rowland S. Howard - The Golden Age Of Bloodshed
Swallowed - Swallowed
Thou - Baton Rouge, You Have Much To Answer For
Trap Them - Filth Rations
Vaccine - Human Hatred
Walls - Stare At The Walls

Live
Dinosaur Jr - Rosemount Hotel 12/03/2010
Mayhem - Amplifier Bar 26/09/2010
My Disco - Mojo's Bar 12/12/2010
Pixies - Belvoir Amphitheatre 27/03/2010