Tag Archives: music

Songs for a Falling God

Before I get back into it and post a lengthy wall of text about the state of the Newt, or kick off on one about video game x or TV show y, let’s look at what I’ve been listening to recently.

WARNING: Metal in its various forms is back on the menu. I’m not sure whether it’s a seasonal change, a reaction to “current world affairs”, or simply BECAUSE IT’S IN MY BLOOD 😀

The Joy Thieves – Money is Not Our God

First off a really, really good cover of one of my all time favourite Killing Joke songs, Money is not Our God. This was originally off their 1990s album and return from obscurity, Dirt, Extremities and Other Repressed Emotions. It’s a song that has carried me through the last 30+ years of financial independence, and is a big stompy affirmation of rejecting the Capitalist Reality,

“Nine tenths of the law that is sick
Is possession
Life expressed in matter is a blasphemy
Success defined by acquisition stinks!
So busy trying to make a living I forget about living
Yes, I do
So busy trying to make a living I forget about life
Come on, let’s live! “

This lyric video by industrial supergroup The Joy Thieves, who enrich and fill out the original blast of alt-metal, allows you to sing along. Do it daily, and see the magic unfold 🙂


John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies – My Name is Death

The YooToob algorithm just threw this one up. Love the man’s films, was vaguely aware he did the music. This one puts it straight in my face. I’ve got a Bandcamp page to explore now…

Queens of the Stone Age – Easy Street

QOSTA have a new album out next month (?), this was the first single released over the summer. Love the video, which dovetails nicely with my own Fading Motorhead T-shirt experience of my 50s (55 next month EGADS!).


Firekeeper Alliance x Neurosis Short Film; We Are Torn Wide Open and Mirror Deep

Neurosis made a crushing return after about sixteen years of inactivity, with their new lp An Undying Love for a Burning World, which is an absolute cracker. They did this film with the suicide prevention organisation, Firekeeper Alliance, who helped the band return from their hiatus by pointing out how people find strength in Neurosis’ very dark music. I know I do; the album’s drop in early spring this year came at an opportune moment.

Getdown Services – Don’t Cheese Me Off

Turning things up to a bit lighter, I discovered the Mancunian version of Beastie Boys around the same time as Neurosis’ new lp, and they provided quite a good antidote to the angst I was feeling at the time (mix of “urgh coming out of Winter” and “why are the LEA being such gits about funding H’s Sixth form?”).

The band started off as a tape exchange between two old friends during COVID lock down, and has grown into a proper live effort (I’ll leave it up to you to check out YooToob for many of). But don’t dismiss them as a joke act. Amongst the silly is some serious musicality, as demonstrated by this team-up with Wales’s The Bug Club to do AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock.


Chat Pile – I Am Dog Now

Miss all those noise rock acts of the 80s/90s? Big Black, Jesus Lizard, Cop Shoot Cop etc. Loud, noisey, alternating between nonsense and sharp social commentary? I casually thought, “I wonder if anyone is carrying the torch these days”, and the algorithm threw up Chat Pile.

My Best THINGS OF 2021

I can’t believe that 2021 is nearly over. It flew past. So before they ring out the old and call in the new, here’s my list of things that were high points in the world of stuff this year.

Best Film: Dune, so good I saw it twice for my 50th birthday. Once with Evie and once with Henry. They loved this fantastic version, as did I. Although I still love the 80s David Lynch version (more like a Shakespearean take). Yes, I will be buying it the moment it comes out on blue ray/4k 🙂

Runner up: The Suicide Squad.

Best LP: Gengis Tron- Dream Weapon.

Swirling ambient, techno beats dreamy vocals all mixed with urgent metal guitars. The sci-fi soundtrack to a world after us.

Favourite Music Video: Sphinx by Gojira off their new lp “Fortitude”, which also features the epic song “New Found“.

Favourite You Tuber (new category): Joshua Weissman, a twenty-something chef from Austin, TX, that kind of reminds me of a young Mike Patton (Mr Bungle/Faith No More singer). Amongst many other things, he is responsible for introducing me to making Kimichi at home (although I substitute apple for the pear and soy sauce for the fish sauce).

Runners up: Vincenzo’s Plate (for Italian, I now can do spaghetti in tomato sauce right and omg I’m never going back), Aaron and Claire (Korean) and Will Yeung (Vegan, mainly Asian).

Best computer game, Far Cry 6. It may not be the most original game. Detracters are getting at it because it rehashes lots of stuff from previous incarnations of the franchise. Still, it is the highly polished version of the Far Cry experience, the story flows nicely, and it has got that baddie from The Mandolorian and Breaking Bad. Its been my holiday in the sun since I got it for my birthday two months ago. Oh, and it’s got Danny “Machete” Trejo in it. Winning 😀

Best RPG this year: I’ve been even more obsessed than usual with my stuff this year (mainly OpenQuest), but the Fallout RPG by Modiphius rocks my boat being a huge Fallout 4 fan. Even if it turns out to be a bit dodgy as a game, it’s a huge setting and equipment guide, lavishly illustrated with concept art from Fallout 4. Sure I could probably rip the illustrations off the net from various Fallout wiki’s, but it’s lovely to have it all in a properly printed hardcover book. Honourable mentions Dee Sanction (All Rolled Up), Mythic Babylon (by my friends at the Design Mechanism) and Beowulf (by Jon Hodgeson and his ferociously talented team at Handicraft games). I should probably do a round-up of cool RPG stuff that has come my way this year.

Best RPG related moment of this year. OK, this one of mine, but seeing 300 copies of the nicely printed OpenQuest (with colour plates and ribbons!) turn up outside my house on a big fuck off pallet and the resulting Great OpenQuest Mailout that occurred back in July/August rocked hard.

What a palate of 300, 8 by 11.25 inch hardcover books looks like.
The Great OpenQuest mail out!

Electronic Sex Pistols covers

I’m currently running a game of Cyberpunk 2020 where my darling players have decided to have characters who are emulating the exploits of the Sex Pistols, ableit in the grim and high tech uk of 2020. Think Bladerunner set in Milton Keynes and you’ve got the setting.

I was thinking of putting a background music cd together for the game, and as well as the usual Cypunky suspects , Skinny Puppy, FLA, Young Gods etc etc I was thinking of putting some Sex Pistols songs on. Then I thought hang about surely some of those electronic noise terroist types would have done some cover versions?

So

[info]attack_monkey

 ,

[info]gillywoo

 ,

[info]nikkiboy

 ,

[info]keefybabe

 and 

[info]glennkenobi

 do you know of any good electronic cover versions of sex pistols songs?

Enter the Stupids

Rediscovered my love of stupidly fast, happy, silly, nerd punk from the late 80s. Bands like Adrenlin OD from New Jersey USA and the Stupids from Ipswitch UK.

The mellowing out continues with me digging out my No Doubt and Cake cds.

However to make sure I don’t get chucked out of the gruff men of hardcore metal/punk a side order of Helmet (new lp despite reviews is cracking imho) and that college angst favourite Big Black.

In other news the new Mastodon lp “Blood Mountain” Rocks!

visit http://www.last.fm/user/Newtus/ to see what other stuff I listen to.

New Ministry album

For those folk interested in the latest Ministry LP, Rio Grande Blood, just picked up a promo copy (NOT FOR RESALE – yeah right) from Vinyl solution. About half way through listening to it, and its a goody. Then again I expected this to be the case with Tommy Victor (Prong) and Raven (Killing Joke/Prong) involved in the playing/writing.

In other news I had a lovely cheese and bean burrito for lunch and now I’m off for to take a big dump!!

EDIT: Its sounding event better now I’m at home and can listen it at full volume!! Definatly thinking of going to see them in London on Aug 2nd. Hmnn Plot plan, plot, plan.