Gladiators Ready?

The return of American Gladiators premeired with a dual night showing on Sunday and Monday nights on NBC. Always loved this show, and I am very glad its back for another run. The void of this show was slightly filled with the zaney MXC and The Ninja Warrior challenge show, both of japanease origin, but featured no gladiators. Thus, the return of theatrical macho is a much appreciated and its on Monday nights when nothing else is on since football is over. Muchos Gracias NBC. Now, just find a way to end the writers strike and bring back The Office and I'll never even glance at CBS ever again, I promise. No matter how sexy Gil Grissom is.


NUMBER 19: A Place to Bury Strangers: A band out of Brooklyn, NY that is most definitly the loudest indie performers on the market today. A warning goes out that this album is not for the common music fan, it's a jet engine of noise in your face. This album deserves heavy metal discription because it can probably damage your brain, but it is certainly not metal. Terms like "face melting" "decimating" "soul-shattering" "thunderous" and "brutal" apply to the guitar work in this album and upon the first listien I was stunned in probably a poor way. I like to listien to my music loud and when it first punched me in the head through the headphones, I was a little angry. Like I had been sold some un-talented garage band seeing how much distortion they could lay down. I turned the volume down and plowed through the noise to find something truly interesting. Noise that was organized into a peice of weird beauty. It takes a few listiens, but if you can appreciate a master of the craft, you will like this album. This album reminds me of a mix of My Bloody Valentine and The Cure played with 100lbs of force. If you need a hint as to what kind of expert is behind the band, it's leader Oliver Ackermann 2nd business is making his own pedals that are hand wired and used exclusively by U2, Wilco, Spoon, and TV on the Radio. He also reads Aliester Crowley, one of the inspirations for Jimi Page.


The album artwork portrays exactly what you are about to hear, an ear grabbing guitar thrash by a 140lb guy in some Vans, Levis 501's, and a license to jump up and slam his strings. But there is a definitive control here. A master on the pedals that he named "Interstellar Overdriver" "supersonic fuzz gun" and "total sonic annihilation". He will take you to the edge and hold you over by your hair. He'll let you look down and remember how scary it is, and if you are nice and don't squirm too much, you'll survive and see some things that mere mortals will never see.


This is probably the farthest reach on the list. I am certain that no one who reads this blog will like "A Place to Bury Strangers". I am already thinking about how Animal Collective and this album should maybe switch. But I sense something here, a profit that this album went by unnoticed and unfairly so, something that I can't describe. If you like My Bloody Valentine, you have a good chance of liking this album. Their lyrics are easier to decipher than MBV, so thats working for them, but the essence of controlled noise is what makes them similar. As for the rest of you pansies out there, move back to your plinky plunky indie world. This is a high voltage area!


Song Samples: Fix the Gash in your Head, I know I'll see You
Bands Web Page
Amazon buy page with song samples