Most days, I really like "stoner rock", distorted, slow-to-mid-tempo groovy rock like Queens Of The Stone Age, Bloody Diamonds and Priestess. The Hazytones definitely thread in those waters, with hints of Corrosion Of Conformity, Kyuss and heavy 1990s rock as major influences.
In the lo-fi video for the song "Living On The Edge", directed by Seb Black, the Montréal outfit shares the screen with wolf packs, "crazy" trains, fires devastating dead forests, mountaintops and psychedelic colours and effects:
I've already listened to it a few dozen times already this weekend. Good times!
Showing posts with label stoner rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stoner rock. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Video Of The Week: Tonnes
Sure, these are disturbing times, and as we sacrifice Liberty for Security and Bureaucracy, we are losing our Humanity. Franz Kafka wrote about this in Der Process (The Trial) in 1915, and published it in 1925, between the (first) two World Wars.
History has, of course, proven him correct time and time again. As bureaucracies get bigger and bigger, the "Big Picture" and "Greater Good" start constantly getting cited as the reason for doing and acting in certain conventional ways, except most people are at best only 90-95% conventional, meaning we're all exceptions in certain cases, and as soon as a government, State or otherwise leadership group looks into one of our behaviours, we are all likely to fall in some of the system's cracks at some point and be judged unfairly. Because at the end of the day, The System is unfair, rigidity is unrealistic, and we are all outsiders to some exent.
And so, Montréal indie rock "supergroup" Tonnes have enlisted director Giuliano Bossa (also the band's bassist) to set this reality into our own timeline, in this military-police-led present day - and the results don't even shock anymore, as we've seen these kinds of scenes happen on TV - and not just in fiction - and in film so often in the past two decades. The song is called In Trouble and, yes, we are.
TONNES - In Trouble from Giuliano Bossa on Vimeo.
History has, of course, proven him correct time and time again. As bureaucracies get bigger and bigger, the "Big Picture" and "Greater Good" start constantly getting cited as the reason for doing and acting in certain conventional ways, except most people are at best only 90-95% conventional, meaning we're all exceptions in certain cases, and as soon as a government, State or otherwise leadership group looks into one of our behaviours, we are all likely to fall in some of the system's cracks at some point and be judged unfairly. Because at the end of the day, The System is unfair, rigidity is unrealistic, and we are all outsiders to some exent.
And so, Montréal indie rock "supergroup" Tonnes have enlisted director Giuliano Bossa (also the band's bassist) to set this reality into our own timeline, in this military-police-led present day - and the results don't even shock anymore, as we've seen these kinds of scenes happen on TV - and not just in fiction - and in film so often in the past two decades. The song is called In Trouble and, yes, we are.
TONNES - In Trouble from Giuliano Bossa on Vimeo.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Video Of The Week: Queens Of The Stone Age
Because of last week's featuring of Eagles Of Death Metal, I've also been listening to a lot of Queens Of The Stone Age this week, as well as some Desert Sessions and Kyuss - all Josh Homme projects.
Here's a track that encompasses many of these projects, as it was first released on Desert Sessions, Vol. 9 featuring PJ Harvey on backing vocals and a ton of other musicians, and was eventually re-recorded by QOTSA for their 2007 release Era Vulgaris - the stoner-rock love song Make It Wit Chu. The video was directed by Rio Hackford and shows the band getting to and performing at the Desert Sessions bunker (a.k.a. Rancho De La Luna, situated in Joshua Tree, California), essentially for a bunch of couples making out:
Here's a track that encompasses many of these projects, as it was first released on Desert Sessions, Vol. 9 featuring PJ Harvey on backing vocals and a ton of other musicians, and was eventually re-recorded by QOTSA for their 2007 release Era Vulgaris - the stoner-rock love song Make It Wit Chu. The video was directed by Rio Hackford and shows the band getting to and performing at the Desert Sessions bunker (a.k.a. Rancho De La Luna, situated in Joshua Tree, California), essentially for a bunch of couples making out:
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Video Of The Week: Queens Of The Stone Age
It's funny, I had a pretty great week, full of sunshine, promise, good times, outings with friends... and yet the only video I thought to feature was an apocalyptic heavy rock animated video by Queens Of The Stone Age.
This time, the hard rocking unit led by former Kyuss frontman Josh Homme (with Dave Grohl on drums, Josh Van Leeuwen on guitar, synths, percussion and backing vocals, Michael Shuman on bass, percussion and backing vocals and Dean Ferttita on guitar) enlisted animator Liam Brazier to use characters created by Boneface (who designed the ... Like Clockwork album art) to create this angry, Todd MacFarlane-like world for the video for My God is The Sun:
This time, the hard rocking unit led by former Kyuss frontman Josh Homme (with Dave Grohl on drums, Josh Van Leeuwen on guitar, synths, percussion and backing vocals, Michael Shuman on bass, percussion and backing vocals and Dean Ferttita on guitar) enlisted animator Liam Brazier to use characters created by Boneface (who designed the ... Like Clockwork album art) to create this angry, Todd MacFarlane-like world for the video for My God is The Sun:
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Video Of The Week: Priestess
Priestess was formed in 2003 when Mikey Heppner's bandmates in The Dropouts left for New York to form The Stills, a move that was probably best for all, as The Stills may have been a little too quiet for Heppner's tastes - as proven by his current side-project, the amazing Uncle Bad Touch.
The riffage provided by guitarist Dan Watchorn and bassist Mike Dyball, as well as the pounding from drummer Vince Nudo provide a unique sound-space even in the stoner-rock genre where Heppner can flex his songwriting skills to levels of experimentation where his former band couldn't - and we're all the happier for it.
It's funny that it took an international release and a Guitar Hero game for them to get the hometown respect they deserve, but at least they're there now. Apparently, work has started on their third record; if it came out in 2012, it would follow the band's pattern of releasing a new album every three years, after Hello Master (2006) and Prior To The Fire (2009).
The riffage provided by guitarist Dan Watchorn and bassist Mike Dyball, as well as the pounding from drummer Vince Nudo provide a unique sound-space even in the stoner-rock genre where Heppner can flex his songwriting skills to levels of experimentation where his former band couldn't - and we're all the happier for it.
It's funny that it took an international release and a Guitar Hero game for them to get the hometown respect they deserve, but at least they're there now. Apparently, work has started on their third record; if it came out in 2012, it would follow the band's pattern of releasing a new album every three years, after Hello Master (2006) and Prior To The Fire (2009).
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Video Of The Week: Queens Of The Stone Age
Undoubtably, Queens Of The Stone Age are one of my favourite bands of the last decade.
While they started off as from the remains of Kyuss, which were a lot more metal-oriented, QOTSA were more into making a poppy, very heavy sound - one that has gone less and less pop with every recording since Songs For The Deaf, which included the hit single ''No One Knows''.
Most songs are built around a catchy guitar riff and a sing-along chorus - provided you're willing to sing along to some off-the-cuff lyrics.
I chose this song for this week because it's been in my head since Sunday, probably because I'm one of the few idiots who can manage to catch a cold in near-summer weather.
Bon appétit.
While they started off as from the remains of Kyuss, which were a lot more metal-oriented, QOTSA were more into making a poppy, very heavy sound - one that has gone less and less pop with every recording since Songs For The Deaf, which included the hit single ''No One Knows''.
Most songs are built around a catchy guitar riff and a sing-along chorus - provided you're willing to sing along to some off-the-cuff lyrics.
I chose this song for this week because it's been in my head since Sunday, probably because I'm one of the few idiots who can manage to catch a cold in near-summer weather.
Bon appétit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)