Weekly Abysmal Video 2/8/10

Do you remember this band? If you were watching MTV when it was brand new, you’ll probably crack a smile. This was a band from Atlanta, GA who were among the very first bands to benefit in popularity from having videos on MTV.

Yeah, there’s a bit of a campiness watching it now, but the fact is The Producers were a good, solid pop band. I’ve always been a sucker for a good pop song performed well and that’s the case here. Plus, I gotta love any band that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. They look like they’re having fun and, although their fame was short-lived, they left some enduring pop that still sounds fresh nearly 30 years after the fact.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do…Abysmally, of course.

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Weekly Abysmal Video – Last Cigarette

OK…so we’re into the second month of the year and this is the first WAV.   I’ve been slacking…I’ll make it up to you, I promise!  This week’s WAV (Weekly Abysmal Video) comes to you courtesy of Dramarama from New Jersey (where they know what picante sauce is supposed to taste like).   A few years back, VH1’s irritating Bands Reunited show succeeded in bringing the band back together…a reunion that has resulted in a well-deserved second life for them with a new album in the works for 2010.

I remember hearing this song back in ‘89 and loving it.  Cool band, too.  What’s really cool is that it sounds as fresh today as it did back then.   I hope you like it as much as I do.

This is an unsung classic…click the image below to watch the video and enjoy Abysmally:)

CLICK HERE TO BUY The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones AND OTHER DRAMARAMA MUSIC THROUGH AMAZON.COM

10 Most Truly Abysmal Songs of 2009

Most of my “Abysmal 10″ lists are in no particular order, but sometimes there are exceptions.   For the very first 10 Most Truly Abysmal Songs of the Year list, I have Cage the Elephant’s “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” at the top of the list.   For a reason.   Without a doubt it’s my favorite song of the year…and now one of my top 10 of all time.  The rest of the disc smokes as well (“Judas” is a close second for me), but this is a song I’ve listened to almost every day for the past 9 months and it still gives me an adrenaline rush.

Click on any of the song titles below to check out the songs (and in some cases the videos, too!) for yourself. And with that, please enjoy the 10 Most Truly Abysmal Songs of 2009.  Abysmally, of course…

Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked – Cage the Elephant A bonafide stone cold classic forever and ever amen.   Period.  End of story.   Immediately infectious,  this song was my introduction to this band and my favorite CD of 2009.   Absolutely slammed it’s way into the 10 Most Truly Abysmal Songs of all time.

Moongazer – Invasion Dr. Chado turned me on to this little gem from way out in left field. The guitarist is wearing a Sleep t-shirt, which tells you stylistically where they’re coming from.  Really cool song from out of nowhere.

Struck Down – Clutch My favorite tune from the wonderful Strange Cousins from the West CD. This one will get you movin’ for sure, and Neil Fallon’s vocals breathe more and more soul with each release.

Elephants/Mind Eraser (No Chaser) – Them Crooked Vultures I can’t decide between the two, so they’re both here!  Mind Eraser-No Chaser is one of the coolest rock songs you’ll ever hear.   Elephants is a great rocker and a great ride with shifting tempos, cool hooks and melodies…and Josh Homme making his guitar trumpet like an elephant (you’ll hear the big one at 1:23 into the song).  This is rock, this is art, this is craft.

Black Widow – Jealousy Curve I don’t even know if this song was released in 2009, but it’s the first I heard of it and I absolutely love the tune.  So there.   lol  I hope to hear more from this Philly area bunch.

Sampo – Amorphis Huge. Magnificent. Epic. When I’m in that mood, no band satisfies like Amorphis.  This track, which kicks off the incredible Skyforger CD, literally causes my heart to race…and in my opinion it’s the best song the band has ever written. Huge accomplishment for a band with a catalogue 10+ CD’s deep.  And no one mixes piano and keyboards into heavy music like Amorphis.  Nobody.

Cutthroat – 4 Mag Nitrous Yes, I was partial to 4 Mag from the beginning because I’ve known bassist Kib since the mid 90’s.  Truth is, though, when this song first ripped a hole in my Marantz woofers I was suddenly 17 again…tennis racket (or whatever else was handy) getting a thorough air guitar workout.

I Missed Your Mischief – Be My Weapon (sorry I couldn’t find a link for this one) Another great song from one of my favorite songwriters (David Freel), and I’m not sure what else to say other than it’s one of many great songs on the “March/2009″ CD.   Intimate  and textured…I just don’t think music gets any more honest than David Freel, and it shows on his first Be My Weapon release.

Nothing To Cry About – Toadies I had a hard time deciding between this one and “Song I Hate.”   Hell, the whole disc is awesome…but this song’s my favorite because of the relentless lumbering groove and the unique hook melody of the chorus.   One more reason to love Toadies.  My apologies for the sound quality of the link…it was the best one I could find:)

Renegade – Hed(pe) Something about this mixture of aggression and melody on this just gives me an adrenaline rush.   Nobody does this style quite like Hed(pe).  “I might be bleeding, but I’m still breathing” is one of those lines of survival that has gotten me through many difficult moments over the past year.   The video doesn’t do it for me, but maybe I just don’t geddit.

Final Abysmal Video of 2009 – Them Crooked Vultures

Hey friends!  Thank you for making 2009 the most Abysmal year yet for The Sonic Abyss.   Megathanks to Jared Champion (Cage the Elephant), Bill Champion (Jared’s dad), Mike Tobias (Stick), Sean Kirkpatrick and David Freel (both from Swell) for stopping by, sharing some kind words, and spreading the word of the Abyss.

To finish out the year, here’s something for you that I hope you dig as much as I do.   It’s “Elephants” from Them Crooked Vultures’ fun and brilliant debut disc.   This is just a brilliant song and as an added bonus guitarist Josh Homme does some too-cool elephant trumpets on his guitar as a hook throughout the song. Check it out…they start at 1:04.

And yes…I realize this isn’t actually a video. lol

Cheers to you and your families and have an Abysmal New Year!

Toadies – No Deliverance

  2008 Kirtland Records

And here we have it.  The much-anticipated reunion of one of the most fiercely original and incessantly cool bands to ever walk the planet.  I can’t  believe I didn’t post this review months ago.

As you have ascertained from my other Toadies review, I just love this band.  They have their own sound and style…their thang.  And if you like their “thang” then you know you don’t have to hear their new CD before you buy it.  You know you can count on them to deliver the goods.   And deliver they do on (ironically) No Deliverance.

This is no mere reunion album.  This is merely a follow-up album that rightfully belongs right next to their other two stellar studio releases and reaffirms their greatness.   If you love Toadies already, you won’t be disappointed.  If you’re new to them, give the CD time to sink in.  Toadies are a band that are not always immediate in getting their hooks in you.  Much of their song structures take twists and turns and are unorthodox…which I just love.

“So Long Lovey Eyes” kicks things off in rave-up energetic fashion as they always do with passion and precision, positioning itself as the perfect hybrid of “Mister Love” from Rubberneck and “Plane Crash” from Hell Below/Stars Above.   Hooks just ooze their way into your conscience.   I swear one of the best memories I have of Toadies (besides seeing them open for Bush) is Boomer, the music director at WTGE-FM at the time, looking at me upon hearing “Possum Kingdom” off the Rubberneck album and saying “Moose, I kinda like it but where’s the HOOK?”  He wound up giving it a shot on our playlist and, well, it wound up becoming Toadies’ calling card.

That sums up Toadies to me.  There’s something not quite orthodox about their songwriting where hooks don’t quite sound like what we’re used to.  There’s more of a building process and, indeed, usually numerous hooks within the same song.   This is conducive to creating albums that you can just put on and let play.

“Nothing to Cry About” is another of my faves and if you’ve never heard Toadies before, this is more of an orthodox song structure with great groove and hooks.   “Song I Hate” continues their knack for taking a potentially sweet sounding song and injecting it with a little venom, while “I Am a Man of Stone” does a slow slam with the most towering of riffs while Todd Lewis sings every word with absolute conviction that’s off the charts.

“One More” is probably my second fave on this slab, with its slightly dissonant  riff weaving magic over the simple groove of the song, but really every song on here is strong.  The ones that don’t grab you right off the bat are the ones you will wake up humming to yourself tomorrow.   You just can’t go wrong here.

Oh yeah…and “I Want Your Love” leaves no doubt that Todd Lewis wants your love.  It’s a riot…and it was used in an episode of Sons of Anarchy.

Toadies win the day.

Again.

Rating:  5 out of 5