Lack of Commands: Albums that didn't suck in 2009

Here at Lack of Command, we really do love top tens. Many days and nights of our lives have been spent making "top" lists with friends. Comparing and contrasting and all of that. Being that it's already 2010, but we figured it's still January so our list still counts!

Now, there are thousands of "Top Ten Albums of 2009" lists out there. Most of them are marketing strategies, some are the similar to "Readers Choice," and some are created by the critics who think that they know more than you.

Guess which one this is? This list is catered to our tastes. So with that in mind, if you've read this blog at all you know it's all about the sludgey-doomy-droney-stoner metal. I will say, if anything; it's a list that doesn't include Animal Collective as #1 (or anywhere at all). We decided to be honest with you guys and rather than to try to impress you with our broad tastes of music genres and bands and actually show you our favorites of the year.

Oh. Don't worry. We'll have not-quite-as-awesome-as-this-list-honorable mentions.

So, disclaimers aside: The 1st Annual Lack of Command Top Ten Albums That Don’t Suck.

2009 was a good year for metal. Through out the whole genre, we had old dogs re-inventing their own sound and young pups really making their mark. This year is a tribute to the perseverance of passion for making music. Because I wish I could put Wino, Clutch, and Fu Manchu on this list, but I think the fact that they didn't make shows how good of a year it has been. And those are just the veterns. Big Business, Giant Squid, and fresh from the muck Black Pyramid all had it going on. This actually wasn't easy. And when top ten lists aren't easy to make, you know the gettin' is good.

Included are pictures that I took from my phone from the bands that were seen by one or both of us. Aren't you impressed? I know I am.


10. Flood - Native



Definitive Track: “Water”
Richard
“My pick for the 2009 Rookie of the Year. Named after the Boris masterpiece album, Flood lives up to its namesake with their debut album, "Native." What’s that? That’s right I said debut. These guys just get it. They understand their metal. Drone-y at times, never a shortage on riffs, and the heavy meter cranked to 11. The tracks take the listener from the magma centers of the world on a slow crushing journey ending on the planet’s lifeblood. Water. Watch out for these guys.”


9. Ancestors – Of Sound Mind



Definitive Track: “Bounty of Age”
Russell
“And yet another shout out to the young guns in the scene. A heavy whirlwind of patient psychedelic sorrow. I literally just finished this album two hours before I wrote this and I knew it was one of the best things I've heard in a while. It’s THAT good. It’s their sophomore album but it sounds like these guys have been doing this for ages. They use careful inspirations of legends (Pink Floyd, Neurosis, Sleep, Hawkwind…and I think there’s some Eno in there) but keep their emulation to something absolutely unique. If I said Ancestors were epic, that would only scratch a very superficial surface. Now, this album does require a time commitment but I never scoff at track lengths. If I were still driving, this CD would probably never leave my stereo. Apparently this is their first studio recording and it serves them well. It’s textured but not over-produced. Simply brilliant. On my list of bands to see live.”

8. Sunn 0))) – Monoliths and Dimensions



Definitive Track: “Big Church” (There’s a name after this track...and I ain't typing it. Once you see it, you'll know why.)
Richard
“Let’s face it, with Drone metal, you either get it or you don’t, those who don’t get it, really wish they did. Those that do get it listened to this album for a solid month after it was released. Like Neurosis did with “Given to the Rising,” Sunn 0))) shows us something new by not changing at all. From the very first track, the brown note is hit, but the heavy crawl that is trademarked with the genre is not without subtle beauty in its riffs and occasional church choirs. In any case, I’m positive this album is what HP Lovecraft heard in his head everyday.”

7. OM – God is Good.



Definitive Track: “Cremation Ghat II”
Russell
“I took a friend of mine to see them; I was nervous she wouldn’t dig on it. I was wrong. It’s hard not to lose yourself in the hypnotic bass hymns and moving rhythm. She described OM as gently engulfing. After the show, she turned around and said: Thank you. She’s now an OM convert. Om is a hard band to like on face value, but being a fan, this album is exciting because of the growth that is shown. Now, if you haven’t heard Om, then buckle up. Now, with a new drummer, this album was the first true test run for Emil Amos. Talk about hitting the ground running. The biggest change to your typical OM is now their best asset to this album is Robert Lowe (Lichens and TV on the Radio fame) and should seriously be considered as a permanent member. Of course, not enough could be said about a master like Al Cisneros. He makes the bass light as a feather or as thick as metal. I really do hate to bring it down to this but it’s true: It’s Om…but different. The thing about Om and the previously mentioned Sunn O))), the subtle changes have to be noticed. If you get the chance: see em’ live.”


Om@Bowery Ballroom


6. Church of Misery – Houses of the Unholy



Definitive Track: “El Padrino (Adolfo De Jesus Constanzo)”
Richard
“Where was I with this band? Why wasn’t this shown to me the minute I started getting into this genre? Church of Misery is fairly straightforward band: A Japanese stoner doom metal band that sings songs about serial killers. If that does not sound like something that appeals to you, then you probably wandered unto this blog by accident. Sabbath-esque riffs with a heaviness that would make Electric Wizard proud, mixed with Pantera like vocals. If that’s not enough for you to listen to this album, your browser probably froze, restart your computer.”

5. Snail – Blood



Definitive Track: “Sleep”
Russell
“I haven’t heard of them before this album and I feel like a phony because of it. Of course they haven’t made an album in 16 years, so can you really blame me?!? But after hearing this album, my first thought was: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? I’ve never heard a band sound so close to Alice in Chains since Alice in Chains. Stoner rock with the 90’s sensibility of young angst. Ultra-fuzzy guitar that soothes the soul. As far as Stoner Metal this year is concerned; this is the album to get. Stays within the genres constraints, but far from uninspired. It takes a lot of guts to be an obscure band from the Seattle days, call it quits and then make an album a decade and a half later. They pull it off better than they could’ve hoped. Instant classic.”


4. YOB – The Great Cessation



Definitive Track: “Burning the Altar”
Russell
“The doom metal genre has had a void in its heart when YOB decided to hang it up. Like an erupting volcano, the myth of YOB clawed its way back and they are not fucking around. A grand return. After a horrible hiatus filled with side bands and greedy lawsuits, YOB arrives with hunger and a passion that few bands reached this year. You can hear it in Mike Scheidt’s vocals (one of the things that has always turned me off to YOB, to be honest); it’s a release of rage and loss. This album is perfect. Doom at it’s core: angry, foreboding, painful, and scary.”



3. Shrinebuilder – Shrinebuilder



Definitive Track: “Science of Anger”
Richard
“Let’s face it, we here at Lack of Command knew the album was going to be somewhere toward the top. 2009 had its fair share of super groups. Dead Weather, Them Crooked Vultures, Monsters of Music Critic Rock Folk, etc. However, none was more anticipated than the convergence of Scott Kelly, Al Cisneros, Wino and Dale Crover. Now unlike many super groups throughout history, this not only doesn’t suck, but it really REALLY fucking rocks. While the new kids on the block are reinvigorating the genre, the DDSS super friends remind us why we like this style. Each master of his own realm is well represented, and gels so perfectly. If this is what these gods of their own genre can do in three days, imagine what’s going to happen next.”



Shrinebuilder @Le Poisson Rogue



2. Mastodon – “Crack the Skye”



Definitive Track: “Crack the Skye”
Richard
“Every one seems to have their own “I first saw Mastodon at…” stories, and the venue gets smaller and smaller with each story. If you didn’t think they weren’t going to make it as far as they have, you weren’t paying attention. In short “Crack the Skye “ is nothing short of a masterpiece. What some might call a departure, and others might call an expansion, Mastodon demonstrates the bravery that all musicians wish they had. They sing more; have longer older school guitar solos, an ORGAN for Christ sake! Where are the crushing riffs from Leviathan? Simply put, every album that Mastodon puts out is different from the last, progressively better than the last. Mastodon grew up on Neurosis and High on Fire; I’m excited to see who grows up on Mastodon. This was our shoe in, no questions asked, ring the bell winner for Album of 2009 until…”


Mastodon....IT WAS CROWDED!!


1. Baroness – Blue Record



Definitive Track: “A Horse Called Golgatha”
Russell
“A good album is a journey, and the Blue Record is certainly that…like by a lot. It manages to boil down all the positive shifts happening with the metal genre into one album. It’s melodic, it’s delicately paced, it’s even random. But every song forces you to lean in to a punch and it shifts on you. It’s brilliant. It’s produced well, but just off-key that makes it believable. At times, it tricks you with poppy hooks, but never a moment that isn’t honest. It's tragic, it's angry, and it's even fun! They are one of the most promising bands for a new decade. If this is vision of metal for the next ten years, than Godspeed. They carry the flame in every respect. “


Baroness @Bowery Ballroom. (Thank you Angelica.)

Doom and Drone, Sludge and Stone Part 5: The Sludge.

Well it’s 2010, and we hope you’re prepared for an onslaught of awesomeness from we here at Lack of Command. More on our developments as they…well as they develop. In the meantime, let’s start of off 2010 by getting our hands dirty with another DDSS lesson. REAL dirty.

Sludge.



Sounds nasty right? Metal’s sub-genres often have a degree of rebellious dominance in their nomenclature. Thrash Metal. Power Metal. Death Metal. Hardcore. Even Stoner and Doom metal has some semblance of a “fuck you” power to the names. But Sludge Metal? Isn't that the crap (literally) that forms at sewage treatment plants? What in the name of all that is good and holy could sound like that?

Well…something like this:




That’s right, we return to the Melvins. That’s off of their very first album, “Gluey Porch Treatments. Bringing the tones of west coast punk and hardcore to the lowest of low tones. The Melvins really do deserve a whole post on their own. Not just there historical and musical influence, but because trying explain The Melvins to anyone who hasn’t heard them can be quite the chore.

During the death of punk’s wave across the country starting in the west, The Melvins managed to roll it’s way to the south. I’ll paraphrase what Phil Anselmo (Pantera, if you don’t know, you really should) said “While kids everywhere else were listening to Slayer, we were listening to Gluey Porch Treatments.” Like gasoline to the fire, when you combine the low and slow metal to drunk and stoned southerners, what happens is immediate combustion. Actually in this case, it’s more like coagulation. A pissed off bunch of hillbillies with names like Acid Bath, Crowbar, EYEHATEGOD, and Harvey Milk made sounds like this.



You think it’s the low quality of the Tube, but don’t be fooled. Eyehategod is really that dirty. This was the first song I heard when somebody wanted to show me sludge metal, and to this day I think it’s definitive of the genre. It has all the characteristics, guitar feedback, a bass so down tuned the strings are falling off, and as slow as the current in a Louisiana swamp. As you can see, they speed it up for a little bit, but then they get tired and have to slow it down even more.

Fat. Drunk. Lazy. That’s the Southern sound my friends. CT, frontman from Rwake and KMBT Dj has a documentary coming out about the southern sound. Here’s the trailer. Watch for Hank Williams III, Phil Anselmo, and Jimmy Bower (southern sludge superhero of bands like Eyehategod, Crowbar, and Down) offering CT a hit of weed.



The south is and always will be the land of the oppressed. It’s oppression that is either attached or self-induced. From the bankruptcy of the Civil War defeat to the victims of Jim Crow and to it’s tragic devotion to an unforgiving church. That oppression is what fascinates the rest of the country. We can see the agony and the ecstasy of the struggle for freedom. Sludge metal is a good device for demonstrating this. It shares the same spirit of struggle that comes with American music.

Sludge isn’t the only example, but it’s another chapter in the discourse of music from a region that birthed us rock and roll. It’s lyrical content ranges between cosmic wars, to hard drugs, to raising a family. But it’s the music that makes it unique to their region. Soul. Sludge is the icky sticky soul of metal.



You read it right folks. The band’s name is Alabama Thunderpussy. It’s like Lynyrd Skynyrd covered Black Sabbath.


That sludgy shit has laid the ground work and loosened the soil for some of the best bands in the game today. Punk gave us the means to do it ourselves, but sludge gave us an overdrive!


First Command Image for 2010: COMMAND-O'S!!!!