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March: Isolation

How's everyone doing? I hope you're reading this from the comfort of your own home. Needless to say, it's been a rough, wild, stressful, and terrifying month. I work an essential job and I have been out there in the public. Lots of people sure like to ignore all the issues going on and either welcome some kind of new-normal or pretend like we're not all terrified of each other. I hope this month's playlist can help everyone to pass the time. Let's get into this month's Search/Play/Repeat.

Last month, the music world lost Gang of Four's, Andy Gill. Gang of Four is a band I don't think I'd ever dug into, so it seemed like a good start. I checked out their debut, Entertainment, and I've pretty much been kicking myself nonstop for the past 30 days for not listening sooner. It's among some of my favorites that I've listened to so far this year, and I'll be getting deeper into their catalog over the coming months. That opening bassline of "Ether" was an easy decision for kicking off this playlist. Another new favorite that I stumbled across this month, was Au Pairs. I can't recall a time of ever hearing of Au Pairs, and I'm ashamed. Sense and Sensuality is an excellent record that will be getting many more plays in the future.

March was feeling like it was going to lean heavily in Post-Punk. It's such a broad genre of which there is so much I haven't explored before, and there was no way I was going to hit all corners of it in one month. I stuck with what I knew and decided to listen to some Siouxsie and the Banshees that I hadn't yet. I love Scream and Kaleidoscope, but I've somehow missed the interim, Join Hands. The next step was to find one of those "classics" I've been missing out on, and Wire's, Pink Flag kept popping up. I was surprised to find this album pretty much covers the entire transition of Punk into Post-Punk in 35 minutes. Do you want fast raucous music? It's there. Do you want slow, gritty, bass-driven tunes? It's there. It's easy to understand why it's such an influential album.

I never followed Post-Punk revivalists, Hot Hot Heat, after their first two albums. Make Up the Breakdown is one of the best albums from the early 2000s, but Elevator was a bit of a disappointment. My wife is a big Hot Hot Heat fan, and put on Happiness Ltd. for me. I couldn't tell you what the album's lead single was, but it's overall a way more consistent record than Elevator. While Hot Hot Heat revived the dancier side of post-punk, Savages came along in 2013 with the darker, goth-y side of it. "Adore" is still one of my favorite songs of the past 5 years, but I never listened to the band's debut, Silence Yourself. The two albums they put out were both solid and it's a bummer they've been inactive for a couple of years now.

There were a few things I listened to that weren't Post-Punk, including stuff that didn't make the playlist. My listening was pretty light on new releases. Trent Reznor graced us with 2 new Ghosts collections. I listened to V: Together, but I haven't listened to the other, VI: Locusts, yet. Together is perfect mood-music to fall asleep too. Worriers put out a new record that is loaded with pop-punk greatness, and Frances Quinian of Hop Along, put out her solo debut. I'm gonna have to play catch up in April. I'm spending all my time at home when I'm not working, so I should have more opportunities. Then again, Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out and has been sucking up all my free time.

That'll do for this month. Check out the playlist for more of the stuff I listened to this month. Stay Home. Stay Safe. Wash Your Hands. Be kind to all the essential employees you come across if you do have to go out. Support bands and record shops online if you can, and with all your free quarantine time, I encourage you to search, play, and repeat! Thanks for checking in!

Hot Stuff – Crowley’s Hot Sauce

The good ole, reliable “Great Beast” Aleister Crowley once quipped that the pious pretense that evil does not exist only makes it vague, enormous and menacing.

Harbouring a weak spot for anything hot and spicy, I doubt that the chief had in mind how Jason from Crowley’s Hot Sauce channels his alchemy.

Incepted after a school assigned science experiment with Birdseye chili conducted by his son, a use for the harvest of owner chillies needed to be found and after a bit of calibrated, the first hot sauces were produced.

If I had to define the DNA of what makes Crowley’s Hot Sauces stand out, I’d define it as attention to detail when it comes to meticulous balance of flavours.

Take for example their entry level mild yet rich garlicky emission, which is all about nuanced flavours that make it an ideal condiment for any dishes related to Italian cuisine – be it on the heartier or salad side of things, with not much heat yet just the right amount of spiciness.

Another mild one is Crowley’s minty variant. While mint is usual the antidote to spiciness because of its cooling properties, this sauce creates a nice melange by merging chillies and mint, which results in what could best be describe as zesty and sweet.

Needless to say that this one is made to go with lamb dishes and has served in my house as an ideal base for marinades and for glazing of the Sunday roast.

Crowley’s Seeded Lava might sound like a scorcher, but again it is an expertly balanced Asian style hot sauce, rounding out acids, spices, sugars and salts creating a deliciously warm mouthfeel without any annoying highlights.

Same goes for Cajed Heat, which takes things South of the border to Mexico. Here things get really interesting for me as it is accentuated by a delicate tanginess derived from a mix of Coriander and Cumin, which traverses the chasm between spice and acidity.

Ok – ready to dial things up a notch or two?

Flamin’ Bacon!

Wow – this is by far my favourite. There is a bite because of the Reaper chillies and as I harbour a deep appreciation for anything smoky, the savoury character of this baby won me over instantaneously. I first had it accompanied with a dram of Lagavulin, which had the roof of my mouth celebrate.

Unfortunately, because of recent developments and implications as a result of the Covid-19 malaise, I was able to sample what is touted as Crowley's hottest Hot Sauce, i.e. the Hallucinator with Capsaicin extract that is mixed with Carolina Reapers and Scorpion Chillies with Scoville Heat Units off the scale.

Word around the campfire has that it is hellfire that needs to be administered and handled with a toothpick rather than a spoon, the effects of which will grow with a delay because they light you on fire and leave you scorched. Cannot wait to try, get on that ride and enjoy the endorphin rush.

In a world full of novelty hot sauces, ones that offer a tasty, well calibrated and consistent range are hard to be found but Crowley’s Hot Sauce is certainly one of them, expertly delivering on all fronts of the chilli spectrum.

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Images from company website

Girlvert: A Porno Memoir

Oriana Small

Rare Bird Books

The title of this tome is a telling one as it details a span of ten years that evolve from modelling to full-on adult films on the, let’s call it more “extreme” end of the scale.

Girlvert is a melange of anecdotes that in pornographic detail – pun intended – shed light on all the dirty facets of an industry, the less glamourous side of which is dominated by degradations and drenched in bodily excretions. Apart from drawing the curtains and offering a look behind the scenes of the porn industry, the book chronicles the gradual deterioration of the protagonist’s relationship with her partner resulting in outbursts of domestic violence, which are fuelled by drugs and alcohol.

In many aspects Oriana Small’s, also known as “Ashley Blue’s” story is the quintessential cliché that one would suspect behind a career in the dirty red light of gonzo porn, i.e. the backdrop of a dysfunctional family and the resulting need for attentions and approval, however, what makes it an intriguing read is the fact that ultimately the narrator does not harbour many regrets – the story does neither culminate in redemption or a plea for absolution but is pervaded by a sense of pride and a view that portrays some of what the public would perceive to be degrading perversions as performance art.

An interesting and at times unintentionally sad perspective that is given authenticity by the angle of fiercely explicit honesty with at times shocking insinuations yet the refreshing lack of need for provocation and devoid of glorification of high-risk behaviour. Small’s voice is one of a self-confident and self-aware woman that albeit emotionally damaged, does not indulge in victimization.

An engaging read, though not for the squeamish or prudish.

Static Shock Weekend

London, UK

March 2020

It feels weird to be writing this review now. Just days after returning from London and Static Shock Records annual DIY hardcore punk festival Static Shock Weekend, Europe and other parts of the world started shutting down due to the Corona virus. Whilst there you always felt in the back of your head that something serious was about to go down but at least for a few days you could let that go and just mosh to some amazing bands from all over the world. Without having any stats to back this up I’d wager that this was one of the last gigs to even take place in a European capital before all events started getting cancelled en masse. But took place it did, and what an amazing happening it was. It’s underground to it score and all the better for it. It’s for those that love small club and pub gigs because that’s where you will normally see these bands. Ever heard of ASID? What about S.H.I.T? Or Muro? Yeah, Dropkick Murphys this ain’t.

The fest is usually spread out over four days. As I only attended Friday to Sunday I will only mention bands that played those days but judging by social media commentary people very much enjoyed Thursdays shenanigans too.

It all takes place at New River Studios in North London, an arts centre, studio, bar and gig venue in a converted furniture warehouse. The set up is this: five to six bands at a pop that each play a twenty minute set, with a ten minute break between each act. Friday kicked off with fairly new London hardcore punks The Annihilated, who plow through a set of ferocious 80s-inspired US hardcore that doffs its cap to Negative Approach. The singer could be seen in the mosh pit for almost every band for the rest of the festival. Following them were Italian anarcho punks Lucta and London’s feminist hardcore crew Lekra.

Next up were ASID, whose fuzzier hardcore with big meaty riffs were an altogether darker proposition than the previous three bands. It’s amazing stuff but it doesn’t really put you in a good mood. Chubby and The Gang’s does though. You might have heard of these guys by now. The debut album Speed Kills camke out in January and has already received quite a bit of hype. It’s hardcore punk with melodies and great chorises and it’s when these guys came on that can’s and plastic mugs full of beer started flying through the air.

Closing out Friday night were New York’s Murderer and Toronto’s S.H.I.T. While the former are definitely the most different sounding band of the night, with atonal, repetitive and almost gothic sounding punk, the ”headliner” ripped through some breakneck hardcore and got to enjoy a sick mosh pit.

Saturday’s evening show gav eus eight bands to enjoy: Muro (Colombia), Disguise (Ireland – Last ever show!), Dark Thoughts (USA), Idiota Civilizzato (Germany), Subdued, Minima (Spain), Irreal (Spain) and Sniffany and the Nits. Instead of going through each band I’ll pick out the two that stood out for me on this night. Dark Thoughts with their melodic punk rock reminiscent of the Descendents and Colombia’s Muro. Muro were the band of the weekend for me, hands down. The rabid, relentless hardcore attack of the music was fantastic in itself but live they were simply unstoppable. In such a short space of time they delivered possibly the best live experience I’ve had from any band, let alone a hardcore one, in at least five years. Not since seeing Negative Approach in Stockholm in 2015 have I been left so physically drained from a concert. Sickest mosh pit of the week, hands down. It left me with a cut on my forehead, a torn jacket and the knee that had surgery was pretty sore the day after. Check these guys out, post haste.

And so we come to the last day. For the Sunday all the five bands played in a smaller room in the main New River Studios space. It was an early show with an early finish and was wrapped up by 7 pm after six bands blitzed through some prime hardcore energy. Game was probably the pick of the bunch here with something that brings to mind British cult band Sacrilege, due to both the tempo and the female vocals. But props have to go out to Loose Nukes for even finishing the event. Their gig wasn’t even supposed to happen as three quartters of the band didn’t make to the UK as their van broke down on the way to the airport. The only reason frontman Jim Shomo made it was because he played the night before with the already mentioned Dark Thoughts. So instead of cancelling he assembled an impromptu line-up consisting of the guys from Game, S.H.I.T. and Dark Thoughts. They only played four songs but seing as they learnt them the day before and still had to play with their other bands at SSW it was no mean feat. Short but sweet and a great finish to a great weekend. The other bands on Sunday – Saliva, Koma and Imposter are also well worth checking out.

And shortly after this the cultural world, along with most of society was pretty much put on a standstill for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to think that it migt be some time before we can see some bands live again, so massive props to the Static Shock gang for giving us something great to hold on to until all this very strange situation blows over and things are at least approaching something normal.

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Photos by Mirza

Pictured Game (top) and Loose Nukes (rest)

Caspar David Friedrich: Nature and the Self

Yale University Press

Classifying Caspar David Friedrich’s oeuvre and paintings as “atmospheric” would be an understatement par excellence. The way CDF channelled his alchemy and the intricacy with which he  outlined figures lost on musings on the need to be and contemplation is unrivalled and it is not further wondrous that he became a luminary and the spearhead of the Romantic philosophical era, specifically in Germany, which epitomized its approach to nature and our interconnectedness in a holistic way.

There is a myriad of books on Caspar David Friedrich and how his paintings helped beholders to come to conclusions about nature and their part in it. What Nature and the Self accomplishes, however, is revealing how especially his less known later works depicting stones and trees relate to philosophical ideas in the most subtle of manners, while not leaving out his iconographic widely popular artworks incorporating human figures.

Nina Amstutz’ approach to Caspar David Friedrich is informed by a multifaceted analysis that starts with what is apparent face-value and then deep drives to touch on influences that are not necessarily part of the mainstream recipient’s outlook. What this results in is a unique intersection of nature, ego, the school of life with all its respective sciences and how it all adds to a melange that in equal parts simmers down discussions around biological, anatomical, morphological findings to their very essence.

By doing that, Nina Amstutz and her Nature and the Self triggers a new discussion around Caspar David Friedrich’s work and how it played an important role in the canon of nature, art and its interconnectedness in the nineteenth century.

An essential addition for anyone remotely intrigued by CDF.