Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — Live Seeds: It never ceases to amaze me how a band that, on the surface, has a stripped down sound can sound so massive. If you peel back all the layers, focusing on the individual parts of the songs, they’re very simple. But those layers, executed with superb musicianship by the Bad Seeds, work together like a well crafted soundtrack with great tension and swells of emotion. And of course there is no denying the band’s live energy. While I don’t think the production on this album is stellar, it’s a live album and a great document of how astounding Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are as a live band. The opening rendition of “The Mercy Seat” is 700 times more sinister than the original album version. The same can be said for “Tupelo,” “Jack the Ripper,” and “John Finn’s Wife.” I sometimes forget how much I like this album, focusing more on Nick Cave’s studio releases. Every once in a while I go back to it and get re-addicted.
Kreator — Live Kreation: Speaking of live albums, this one quickly became one of my favorite live albums of all time, especially after seeing Kreator destroy a tough New York City crowd (one of the better live gigs I have seen recently). The new line-up is stellar (especially guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö who makes a nice counterpart for leader Mille Petrozza) as is their over the top delivery. Plus you have a nice mix of classic songs and the strongest of their new material. I’ve found myself constantly replaying the three song flow of “People of the Lie,” “All of the Same Blood,” and “Phobia.”
High on Fire — Blessed Black Wings: Admittedly, I wasn’t too into this album when it first came out. I even gave away my copy, despite the fact that I really dug The Art of Self Defense. Maybe it was Steve Albini’s production, which at the time I didn’t like as much as Billy Anderson’s mix for High on Fire’s first album. For some reason, I came back at it again recently and now view it as a nice stepping stone up to Death is the Communion. The band was on its way and had to make this album in order to craft something as monumental as DITC. While I don’t think its perfect, songs like “Devilution,” “Cometh Down Hessian,” and the title track are pretty damn tough.
Sonic Youth — The Eternal: Much like the album above, I didn’t like Sonic Youth’s new album, The Eternal, when I first heard it over the summer. The songs just didn’t seem to grab me like they normally do with this band. However, after seeing Sonic Youth play a good chunk of the album live, with that classic drive and energy, I finally came around. “Sacred Trickster,” “Anti-Orgasm,” “Antenna,” and “Poison Arrow” have quickly become favorite tracks.