So, first off, let me drop in here and introduce myself, or re-introduce myself, and what it is exactly I'm trying to do here.
I'm William Cody Watson. A few years back, I used to write a weirdo column for the good people at Impose called Never Waking Up… It was a relatively disheveled way for me to drone on about things I enjoyed and honestly, it was just a way for me to get into the mindset of a music writer. At that point, I'd never really done it before, and while I enjoyed writing, I was more the “get drunk and fuck around” poet-type motherfucker. So, I had to get used to creating some sort of formula.
I went on to write for some other places, and that was nice, but now I am back at Impose. Once again, I have a platform to wax poetic about music that is blowing my dome. Now, let it be known, I'm not exactly a music journalist, and in no way am I trying to break the news to you about new acts, new albums, tour dates, or any of that… This is just a place for me to open my mind, heart, body, and soul to you, and allow you to step into this brainscape to revel in what I'm reveling in… or something like that. I'm not out to turn you onto the hippest, hottest new acts, but mostly just say “here's some shit I like.” Now that that's out of the way, let's get into what's I'm working with this month…
EARN, Hell on Earth (Bathetic)
Working with Bathetic Records for the past 4 or so years has allowed me to take part in some incredible projects – Eric Paul's spoken word cassette, the explosion of the droning weirdo pop Lee Noble has handcrafted, and the High Aura'd LP, Sanguine Futures, immediately come to mind – and like those projects, Earn's Hell On Earth is a work of art I'm proud to say I had some role in. It's hands down the best piece of audio-ambient-art or whateverthefuck you want to call it I've heard in a while. It's not drawn out, there's no bullshit, it's just golden. Flecked with gold dust and warm anguish, Hell On Earth is a stunning addition to my record collection.
Rusted Shut
What can I say about Rusted Shut? They're necessary. Vital to existence. Also, they are the most intense, fucked up, and goddamned ruthless sounding bands in existence. Done. …and yeah, I know I could've found a better sounding video…but why?
Dreamdecay, NVNVNV
I'll be honest, I just recently discovered Dreamdecay and I know very little about them. I can't even remember how I came upon them; probably just some between-masturbation internet music-blog rundown bullshit, but the point is – I did discover them, and I'm happy about that. I listened to a stream of the record NVNVNV and was absolutely crushed. It's like warped, wiry groan of Clockcleaner but thickened with the sludgy mechanics of early Swans, maybe with some Brainbombs thrown in for good measure. This is a heavy-ass record, heaving and brutal and concrete and robust and dense. I went to their blogspot and hit up a couple earlier releases, and there were actually some tracks that hinted at dreamy melody and that too was very rad, but this NVNVNV shit… Alright, maaaaaan, get your dome cracked.
Wolf Eyes, “Born Liar”
At this point, I think we all know how dope the new Wolf Eyes album, No Answer: Lower Floors, is. I don't want to even beat you over the head with that… What I wanna wrap around your skull ten times is that “Born Liar” video… Have you see that shit, yet? Well, watch it. Rip a beer, rip a bong, rip a board. I was lucky and caught these dudes in Chicago back in March or something, and they cracked my little pee-brain like a shitty, weak egg. I swear it felt like the floor was bending with their frequencies, but that might've been the fernet shots I'd just taken. Regardless, Wolf Bros taxed that ass and walked away squeaky clean; fucked and fresh.
Chief Keef, “Go To Jail”
Chief Keef may literally be the most important artist of my lifetime, and I'm being completely honest when saying that… So here's this new song that dropped, like I dunno, last week or something? Now, I'll admit, I don't really know what a trap god is, but this song for sure sounds like 1 pistol fingerfucking 2 pistols in a codeine and molly-water swamp, and that's really all you need to know.
Laughing Hyenas, Live in Philadelphia
Laughing Hyenas are the gnarliest band that ever existed. I might've, once upon a time, said it was The Jesus Lizard; but I was wrong. It's Laughing Hyenas… See why right here.
Zelienople, The World Is A House On Fire (_Type)
I was late to the party on this record, unfortunately. I remember seeing a lot of very kind things being said about it, but it just passed right beyond my radar, until late last year. It's been with me ever since. I love Labradford, I love Talk Talk, I love Bark Psychosis; and to me, Zelienople kind of carry on that lineage with minimal music that maintains a mellifluous posture, yet also packs with brilliant, sinister sneer. Plus, the shit is just cinematic in so many ways – a track like “Old Dirt” being perfect for chomping mushrooms and crawling through haunted Arkansas backwoods, while “The Southern” seems suited for snorting heroin on the beach in Grant Park in the winter-time, and then letting Lake Michigan freeze on top of you. What I'm saying is it's multifunctional, y'know?
It's also been really killer to also become involved in the world of Zelienope, with Bathetic having released the Kwaidan – which features Mike Weis – debut LP and now the label is gearing up to release a Matt Christiansen solo LP in the very near future, entitled Coma Gears.
Johnny Paycheck, “She's All I Got”
Unfuckwithable classic art. Beautiful and you can't ever improve it.
So… There you go. That's enough for now. There's plenty more shit I can and will get around to, because my brain is just massive and filled with goo that I like to dump out and watch slither all over the place. So in time, we'll cover more. For now though, I think I'm done. Peep this shit and vibe hard.
All my love, y'all,
William Cody Watson
