BLIND MAN

Wow. Today was one of those mornings that I get into work and, about 18 minutes of checking up on the news, I’m outright disgusted with the way my country conducts its shit. So far today, I’ve learned about my tax dollars paying for:

1. spying on my friends and neighbors
2. an effort to prevent me finding out about us getting spied on
3. supporting warlords in Somalia
4. 200,000 AK-47s for people that want me dead
5. torture, torture, torture

Seriously, what the fuck? Considering how badly I got assreamed by taxes this year, I’m really thinking I shoulda just not paid them out of conscientious opposition to policy.
Does anyone think that’s gonna work? Me neither. Still, it’s better than trying to sleep at night and thinking of where my money goes. Speaking of which, tax cuts! We’ve got a national debt of $8,362,624,566,417.26. And we’re making tax cuts? That will ostensibly help billionaires? I know that’s an essentially glib interpretation of this bill, but seriously, are you fucking kidding me? If I had to pay off my 28 grand right now, I’d probably be reduced to flinging poo with my bare hands at bill collectors. You don’t want me to turn into an ape, do you? DO YOU !!????

Anyways, I’m feeling especially morbid today for these reasons and more, and sinc I’m going to see Mogwai tonight (and will probably have my hearing destroyed by them, rendering it impossible for me to post songs tomorrow), I thought I’d throw some apocalyptic sounding doom up here. And some dessert.

The Fall is the type of band that is criminally overrated and overlooked at the same time. They’ve got about 700 albums, but a LOT of them pretty much suck. They’re a great story, and the are more John Peel approved than anyone, but this doesn’t erase the fact that Mark E. Smith is a dick.
Anyways, if you’ve ridden in the car with me or walked down the street listening to headphones with me (GET OUT OF MY HEAD) in the last 7 months or so, you’re probably sick to death of this song, beacause I’ve been playing it pretty much ad nauseam since finding this version of it on Spoilt Victorian Child. I actually went out and bought the whopping Complete Peel Sessions box set because of it. I love the version on Fall Heads Roll, but this one just contains so much more of that sense of…utter destruction I feel when listening to this song. This song makes me think of the end of pretty much everything. Buildings fall into themselves, raining concrete on the street; the streets that I love crumble into gaping holes, swallowing cars and spitting fire from the ruptured gas mains; you know, end of the world shit.
Oddly enough, this song brings me nothing but complete joy. The backbeat that kicks off the track, the churning bass, the feedback that sounds like it could strip paint…and yes, a cranky old man just yelling shit seemingly out of nowhere. It’s all here. I'm pretty sure I put this up somewhere else but I can't remember. If so, apologies, but it's that good of a song.

“Blindness” (Peel Session) – The Fall (YSI link)

Buy The Complete Fall Peel Sessions here

I’m going to see Mogwai tonight. This is my favorite song off the new album. This isn’t rocket science, people. Their sound gets described as "apocalyptic" a lot as well. I can see it, but "really fucking loud instrumentals" works just as well.

“Glasgow Mega-Snake” – Mogwai (YSI link)

Buy Mr. Beast here

And to calm me down for the drive home from the show, Mr. Richard Hawley. Richard Hawley is a touring member of Pulp and also plays in Relaxed Muscle with Jarvis Cocker. Neither of these gigs though have anything to do with his solo career, which seems steeped entirely in early American Rock and Roll (think Roy Orbison and early Elvis, not Bill Haley or Chuck Berry). His album from last year, Coles Corner, was a shot out of nowhere for me and it’s probably the most soothing and heartfelt music I’ve come across in awhile. Anyways, here’s a track from that album, which is named after a spot in his hometown. Also, his website has at least a half-dozen free tracks on it so if you like this one head over there and check it out.

“Wading Through the Water” – Richard Hawley (YSI link)

Buy Cole’s Corner here