SleepResearch_Facility-Nostromo

Final exams are over. School is out. It's time to enjoy some fun in the sun! Right? Not so fast my friends. Friday afternoon I encountered an injury that will shelf me for a time. I fractured my ankle in a water skiing accident in New Jersey. Hopefully I will not be away from my internship any longer than a week. Fear not my downloading friends; for not all is lost! My pain is your gain.

Most artists, regardless of genre, construct their music in such a way that forces the listener down a direct path. As listeners we are usually at the mercy of the composer. One would argue that SleepResearch_Facility does the exact opposite; leaving SleepResearch_Facility to be as vivid or bland as the listener's imagination. Their unique brand of dark ambiance is perhaps best explained from their own official website:

"Sleep Research Facility explores notions of awareness and perception in the sub/unconcious listener. Focusing primarily on sound bereft of rhythm based energies, SRF(acility)'s goal is to provide listening environments wherein the music simply adds texture to the silence. SRF entertains the idea that music can forgoe notions of compositional architecture, resulting in noise which draws attention away from itself, leaving room for the listener to focus on other things (or, focus on nothing at all). SRF puts emphasis on these aesthetics in the search for a kind of "play me quiet" sound suitable for listening to actively or passively depending on circumstances, creating an aural experience which guides the mind through gentle misdirection rather than forcing its attention, allowing listeners to drift in their own diversified thoughts."

Nostromo is the debut album of SleepResearch_Facility that heavily draws its inspiration from the 1979 film, "Alien." Fans of the film will recognize the name of the album bears the same name of the ship; and much like the ship in the film, the album is separated into decks aside from the 2007 bonus track, "Narcissus." Enjoy the tranquility of deep space my friends; but just remember: "In space no one can hear you scream." :)

Year of Release: 2001/2007 (bonus track)
Label: Cold Spring
Genre: Dark Ambient


Track List:
1. a-deck
2. b-deck
3. c-deck
4. d-deck
5. e-deck
6. Narcissus* (bonus)

Download: SleepResearch_Facility-Nostromo
Download Size: 36.57 MB

Ultra - Ultra

I have reuploaded this very rare gem of classic rock as requested. I originally posted this back in 2006, and the download link has been broken for quite some time, along with all the other gigasize links that I posted. I wish I could remember where I found this so I could give the original uploader due credit. In all likelihood this came from the now defunct ChrisGoesRock blog, but since it no longer exists I can't be certain.

Before Ultra, there was Homer. By 1974, the line-up of the Texas band “Homer” was: Don Evans (vocals & drums), Chet Himes (bass), Van Wilks (guitar), and Galen Niles (guitar). This version of the band lasted for only a short while, as Van Wilks left to pursue a solo career (“Bombay Tears” - Mercury Records) and Chet Himes left to pursue a career as a recording engineer (“Christipher Cross”, “Ted Nugent Live”, etc.). After a brief time-out, remaining “Homer” members Galen Niles and Don Evans teamed up with Larry McGuffin (guitar), Scott Stephens (bass), and Tom Schleuning (drums) to form the group “Ultra”. They agreed that the music of Ultra would be a departure from the 3-part vocal harmonies and “mellotron” background characteristic of Homer’s music; Gibson Guitars plugged directly into Marshall 100 watt stacks blasting out twin lead guitars playing harmony and trading solos would form the basis of Ultra’s music.

After several months of rehersal, they set about securing management. Not wanting to be labeled a “club band”, the group found management services in the form of a Texas rock-concert promotion company: “Stone City Productions”. Consequently, Ultra’s public performances were almost exclusively as the opening act for several touring bands popular at the time. Performing at this level gave Ultra a fair amount of audience exposure, but it also meant that their road expenses were very high; in fact, their “roadies” usually took home most what little money that there was.

Three years of starvation and the creeping popularity of “disco” and “punk” music convinced the band mambers that the prospect of getting a hard-edged rock band off the ground at that point in time was not very good, and the group disbanded in 1978. These songs were recorded from 1976 - 1978 at United Audio Recording Studios in San Antonio, and were engineered by Bob Bruce. All songs were written by Niles, McGuffin & Evans

Ultra is old school metal/70's southern rock grooves with outstanding vocals. These songs all have a southern groove thing happening and I could easily see Ultra on a bill with Dixie Witch or Weedeater alike. The songs are super tight rock and roll veteran style. The rhythm section is unstoppable and just trucks along like a well oiled machine the whole time. The guitar work is outstanding and fitting for the music, but seems to push the envelope one step further and adding styling/leads that would be equally fitting on a Iron Maiden or Judas Priest record...I guess this is where the main metal aspect comes from. There are tons of 2 part harmony guitar leads and super precise chops. Top notch musicianship in all fields.

Track List:
1. Mutants
2. Android
3. Battery
4. Ten Years Since
5. Lamp Black White Fight
6. Windjammer
7. Diggin' Deep
8. Circe
9. Sasons Pass
10. City On Ice
11. The Desert
12. Souled There With Care
13. Man On The Street
14. Get Away
15. Compass
16. Hot'N' Cold

Download: Ultra - Ultra
Download Size: 66MB

Digital Meltd0wn last.fm Group - April & May 2009 Recommendations

As some of you may already know, Digital Meltd0wn has it's own group on last.fm, which can be found here - http://last.fm/group/digital+meltd0wn I couldn't be more pleased with the eclectic yet amazing taste of the members there. Recently all of the members have been participating in a monthly music recommendation discussion on the group forum. It has turned out to be a great way for us all to discover new artists, genres, and albums. I have decided to start sharing these monthly recommendations on all of the sites within the Digital Meltd0wn network. I have also set up a temporary page on geocities http://geocities.com/zer0ii/recommendations.html which I will transfer to a better location eventually. Here is the list of artists that were recommended during the months of April and May:

May 2009 Recommendations

Antic Clay • Alt. Country

Doo Rag • Blues Punk

Don Tiki • Exotica

François Rabbath

Lycaon Pictus

Nighthawks

Peter Alamoo

Polk Miller

Ritualistic School of Errors

Scale the Summit

School of Seven Bells

Scott H. Biram Alt. Country

Slim Cessna's Auto Club • Alt. Country

Turner of Wheels

Woven Hand • Alt. Country

April 2009 Recommendations

Alan Sondheim

Andrew Liles

Annette Krebs

Anton Bruhin

Aphorism

belladonnakillz

Collection d'Arnell~Andréa

Beati Mortui

Beatriz Ferreyra

Brainticket • PsychedelicKrautrock

Calyx After This

Camille Sauvage • Library Music

Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes

CH District

DuOuD • World Fusion

Duuster

Dym

Egisto Macchi

Frank the Baptist

Fritz Weiland

Germaine Tailleferre

Gewaltakustik

Horacio Vaggione

Ike Yard

J.A. Caesar

Jeff Wayne

John Fahey

Lodge Doom

Mad Marge and the StoneCutters • Psychobilly

Matamachete

Miasma & The Carousel of Headless Horses

moniek darge

Nebulo

Pine Tree State Mind Control

Present

PURPLE FOG SIDE

Rabbit Junk • Digital Hardcore

Raymond Scott • Library Music

Remko Scha

Rune Lindblad

Semool

Speculativism

Steaming Coils

Syllyk

The Autumns

Univers Zero

U.S. Maple

Virgins O.R. Pigeons

Voice Crack

Von Südenfed

Winter Soul

Xyn

Yma Sumac

Yusef Lateef

I hope that some of you will take the time to explore these recommendations, and are able to find some enjoyment in the process. If you have an account on last.fm please join the Digital Meltd0wn group. We have a great group of people with superb taste, and the best part is that they don't mind sharing their latest musical discoveries for all to enjoy. I hope to see you there.

Doo Rag - Trudge/Breakin' Straw 7"

As several people commented requesting that I post more material from Doo Rag, I present to you yet another 7" from the blues trash duo. There isn't much that I can say about Doo Rag that I haven't already covered in my previous posts. The Trudge/Breakin Straw 7" was released one year after the previously posted Hussy Bowler 7". Unfortunately Doo Rag would split up two years after releasing this due to a falling out between Bob Log and Thermos Malling. Bob Log would go on to put out several solo albums, while Thermos faded into obscurity. This vinyl release is extremely rare. You won't even find it on ebay. Fortunately for you fine folks Digital Meltd0wn is here to fullfill your Doo Rag needs. Once I finish taking care of a few reup requests I will be posting the equally rare Swampwater Mop Down/Engine Bread 7" from Doo Rag, followed by the full length What We Do LP.

Track List:
1. Trudge
2. Breakin' Straw

Download: Doo Rag - Trudge/Breakin Straw 7"
Download Size: 4MB

Doo Rag - Hussy Bowler/Grease & All 7"

From the moment I discovered Doo Rag I knew that I would be exploring the entirety of their discography, and what a pleasure it has been. Doo Rag was essentially formed at a house party in Tucson, Arizona in 1990. One-Man-Band Bob Log happened to be covering Fred McDowell songs on his custom made guitar/snare drum combo at this part. Eventually Thermos Malling joined in banging on a cheese grater with a spoon. The music gods smiled knowingly from above as Doo Rag was born on this fateful night.

Doo Rag - Bob Log & Thermos Malling

I would consider Doo Rag to be essential listening for any fan of lo-fi, blues, punk, or experimental music, as it is an amalgom of these styles, and yet this still just isn't quite enough to explain their truly unique style. Up until this point Bob Log has become accustomed to performing as a one-man-band, and with Thermos Malling taking up percussion duties, it allowed him to unleash his primitive blues punk style on the guitar. Thermos Malling's unique style perfectly complimented that of Bog Log's. He shunned traditional percussion instruments, instead opting to use cardboard boxes, cheese graters, and various other common household items.

Bob Log III

It would be three years before Doo Rag released their debut in the form of the Hussy Bowler/Grease & All 7" on WestWorld(?) records. Their subsequent releases would be increasingly hard to find, beginning with Barber Shop, an impossible to find album released only on cassette, followed by a series of rare 7" singles released on vinyl. I don't think that it would be accurate to describe any of Doo Rag's albums as polished, but their early material was much more crude than the more accessible What We Do LP the duo released several years later. Let me know if you enjoy this, as I have more Doo Rag material that I would be willing to share if anyone is interested.

Download: Doo Rag - Hussy Bowler/Grease & All 7"
Download Size: 6MB

Join me on Blip.fm

I just recently discovered a promising and relatively new site by the name of Blip.fm. Blip allows it's members to DJ music using a Twitter-like interface, with a massive selection of songs available from Imeem to choose from, in addition to the content uploaded by members on third party sites.

I first decided to use the service to share music that I wouldn't normally post here, such as recently released material or music that is commercially available. However, since I have started using the service I have come to realize that it also happens to be a great resource for discovering music that I am unfamiliar with, and has also allowed me to rediscover a few old favorites.

As with Twitter, members have 140 characters to play with when writing their messages. Despite the simple interface, there are a number of options available to blippers that allow them to share music and interact with one another. If you are familiar with Twitter commands, such as replying to another person using the @User command, then you will have no problems using the service. Despite the similarities to Twitter, there are a number of music related features that set it apart from it also. DJs are able to create playlists, "reblip" their own blips and those of others, find other members who have blipped the same artist, search blip.fm receive artist's tour info based on your their area code and more. Members are also able to upload their own songs to third party hosting sites, import the url, and blip the song. This is the best method for sharing music that isn't available on Imeem. I recommend using http://boxstr.com if you don't already know of a host that allows hotlinking to mp3 files. Blip.fm has also added integration with other services. At the moment you can scrobble songs you have listened to on blip.fm to your last.fm account, and post updates to Twitter, Ping.fm, FriendFeed, Tumblr, and LiveJournal.

Blip has also set up a system for showing your respect to other DJs for the songs they select. Each DJ receives 15 prop credits to award other DJs when they first sign up. At the moment the props have no practical purpose, other than to show appreciation; however, the developers have hinted around on the blip.fm blog that this will change in the near future.

If you're looking for a truly eclectic listening experience I would recommend going to the public page where you can view every blip being posted in real time. Every style you can imagine eventually makes its way on here. The majority of it is mainstream music, although there are several DJs who make it a point to offer up lesser known yet interesting music. After only a few days of using Blip.fm I have already discovered a few people worth following, and have gained a few followers myself. I would like to invite you all to join me on blip.fm. Please use the invite link that I have posted here, as blip rewards you 10 prop credits to dish out to other members for each person you invite. I hope to see some of you on Blip.fm soon. Please don't be comment shy if you join up. I love interacting with others, especially when dealing with music. I've been sharing music with visitors to this blog for nearly three years now. Now some of you can finally introduce me to the music that you love in return.

Blip.fm: http://blip.fm/invite/Zer0_II
My Blip.fm Page: http://blip.fm/Zer0_II

I would also like to thank OneLuvGurl for inadvertently introducing me to Blip.fm. Check out her blog @ http://dorkmuffin.com

Featured Video: Bob Log III - String on a Stick

I am in the process of uploading and preparing to post a couple of Doo Rag 7" releases. I thought it would be fitting to share this odd Bob Log III video for "String on a Stick" from the BlankTV website. My job has me so bogged down that I am only able to update the blog with less time consuming posts for now. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this video.

Bob Log III @ last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Bob+Log+III

BlankTV: http://blanktv.com

These Arms Are Snakes/Russian Circles Split 12" EP

This is the first of a series of promo albums released for Record Store Day that I will be posting over the next few days. These Arms are Snakes is a post-hardcore band hailing from Seattle, while the members of post-rock group Russian Circles are natives of Chicago. Both bands are signed to Suicide Squeeze records, and are touring together at the present moment. This split EP was originally released to celebrate their European tour in November 2008, with only 1,000 copies being pressed on 12" black vinyl. 500 copies were sold on tour and 500 were available on Sargent House's webstore. It was reissued once again for Record Store Day, again limited to 1,000 pressings, only this time on 12" clear vinyl.

Year of Release: 2008/Reissued in 2009
Label: Sargent House
Genres: Post-Hardcore, Post-Rock, Math Rock
Bitrate: 260VBR

Download: These Arms Are Snakes/Russian Circles 12" Split
Download Size: 20MB

Free Comic Book Day - May 2nd

I recently missed out on the chance to write about Record Store Day, which ocurred on April 18th, so I'm making up for it by informing you of another great event. Free Comic Book Day will be celebrated by thousands of comic book stores around the world on Saturday, May 2nd. One of the goals of Free Comic Book Day is to reach out to those individuals unfamiliar with the comic book specialty market, not to mention a comic book shop. So, every year those behind Free Comic Book Day launch a massive promotional campaign that heralds the event and spreads the good word of comics to potential readers everywhere. Participating stores will allow you to choose one free comic, of which there are 30 available titles to select from. I don't have any exact details as to which titles the 30 will consist of, but I would imagine there will be several Free Comic Book Day exclusives. As with any event of this nature, participating stores will be offering great deals in addition to the freebies.

While I have Record Store Day on my mind, I should mention that I was able to score a number of albums and split EPs that were released exclusively for Record Store Day. I will be sharing some of the better releases here on Digital Meltd0wn within the next few days. You can find a full list of the promos that were released for Record Store Day here - http://www.recordstoreday.com/NewsItem/1408. Please let me know if there is an album on the list that you would like to see posted here on DM.

Free Comic Book Day Official Website:
http://freecomicbookday.com

Hugh Jackman, star of X-Men Origins: Wolverine talks about Free Comic Book Day, and the importance of comics in fighting illiteracy. This is followed by a theatrical trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.