Testicular Tuesday Is Above You

If you are a fan of all things Cave In, then Adam McGrath's Clouds needs no introduction. They are a fucking brilliant Boston group that combines elements of Black Flag, The Melvins and gritty rock n' roll and makes many an ass shake. Two records in (plus a killer little EP with a Guided By Voices cover) and a pending 12" (in the form of a bonus LP with the vinyl release of Clouds album #2, "We Are Above You")of b-sides coming, Clouds is now more than a mere side-project.

I had the luck and priviledge to see Clouds in front of 12 people a few weeks ago in Berkeley and they blew my fucking mind. It's always the most impressive thing to see a band play their hearts out for a limited few, as if they were playing a sold out Wembley Stadium. Super-nice dudes too.

So do the band, me and yourself a favor and support these guys...We need more balls-out rock bands out there. Also check out Zozobra, Young Widows, Coliseum, The Bronx, Fight Amp. It would be a wise decision.

"Empires In Basements/Guardian's Eyes" (Live at Newbury Comics):

Steve Brodsky Needs a Manager

Jesus H Christ, Steve Brodsky needs a manager...and fast. The guy is signed to Hydra Head, the label that helped break Cave In and continues to develop Cave In-related projects, such as Clouds and Zozobra. They even put some love into Steve's Octave Museum and his amazing Pet Genius record last year. However, this time he's gone too far. For his fourth LP (even though it says his third, just as the Octave Museum did), Steve decided to name himself "Stove Bredsky". Look dude, selling your records are hard enough under your own name, let alone a bonehead one like Stove.

All that aside, The Black Ribbon Award is a terrific album. Of course they decided to give iTunes and Amazon's digital store three bonus tracks (one which is one of the best on the disc), so I had to buy it digitally. I will get it on CD as soon as I can find it somewhere, as the artwork is amazing, as most Hydra Head releases are. If you liked Steve's previous solo works, this will be a beautiful dream for you. It has lush pop melodies and hooks and his trademark falsetto tone all over this thing. If you're hoping for Cave In, wait for the new Zozobra (July 22nd). That will crush skulls.

The bottom line is that I fully support all Cave In alumni and if Steve wants to call himself Stove, I'm down. Just saying he needs a manager to rope that shit in. Just saying...

Pet Genius "Doomsday"