"You're doomed, doomed, doomed! You're doomed!" - IN SEARCH OF SPACE #188

Well sumumabitch. I done and made another mix tape for y’all. This time turning away from the thudding heavy guitar repetition mantra workouts of mix one, and towards the heavy mantric workouts of what is nominally dubbed ‘doom metal’. Invoking doom, hopelessness, some of it formless, some of it with purpose. Bands from all over the world, and bands making amazingly different music. Contrast the opening three, why don’t’cha just to see what I mean? Abstract weirdness of the Chewers, followed swiftly by A Very Old Ghost Behind the Farm throwing open the noise doors (might want to be quick on the volume dial, headphone users and cohabiters) following swiftly behind those two is the third contrast, the thudding Let the Churches Burn by Suma, which I play to most people as an example of a perfect doom record. Incidentally, anyone wants to pull a Sleep and repeat that thudding nodding riff for an hour and a bit, layer some solipsistic vocals over the top, that’d be Just Fine.
 

Mix2 by Stevendinnie on Mixcloud

Dead Magick - Dead Skeletons Live - IN SEARCH OF SPACE #187

Dead Skeletons exploded across the CabVol stage on Sunday night. I was there, as they flooded the place with smoke and ended with a thrilling distortion finale. Support by Helicon, fresh from slaving away in the Glasgow psyche salt mines. As usual, seventies-style photos because I’m a bad photographer and the lighting was pants.

 

Criticism and the Cult - IN SEARCH OF SPACE #186

I try to keep my critical reflexes as sharp as possible. It can take time to come to terms with things you’re asked to review or comment on. There is a certain amount of digestion required around especially difficult properties before an equilibrium of opinion is reached, it’s important to exercise your opinion muscles as much as possible as a critic to minimise this turnaround time and quickly identify what your lasting opinion on something will be. I find my opinion on a video game can take many months to settle, while I can often judge a song from a single attentive listen. Of course things can change, records I hated five years ago I have revised my opinion on and vice versa, and controversial opinions upon revision have tended to cement themselves; but as a critic you have to keep these turnarounds to a minimum, and keep a reliable framework of opinion, so that people can follow you and judge against their own opinions how to judge a recommendation from you.

Repetition is the death of magic - black magic doom and ritualistic rock and roll - IN SEARCH OF SPACE #185

Sleep’s shamanistic totemistic solipsistic clarion call was a game-changing religious yardstick, yet to be matched. Dopesmoker was a piece of music in the same way the Pacific is a bit of water. In the ten years since the complete version (not that Jerusalem heresy) has been fully explored and digested, least of all on this very patch of barren internet real estate. Ever since, ritualistic repetition has been in vogue. In a first here at the blog, we’re bringing you a mix, of my own creation, of the best most recent mantra spouting religion-startin’ motherfuckers out there today. Inspired in part by the absolutely cracking new Saturnalia Temple record, which, if you haven’t got, you need.

Wine, Women and a Song or Two mix one. by Stevendinnie on Mixcloud

Dark Star is the most important film of the seventies

(and if you haven’t yet seen it, I pity you).

“Think we’ll ever find intelligent life out there?”
“Who cares”.

Funnier than the Godfather, more arthouse than Jaws, scarier than Star Wars. Forget the Exorcist and the French Connection, Taxi Driver and the Deer Hunter, one film is more important, substantial, necessary, weighty and funny than anything else from that decade, and it is John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon’s wonderful Dark Star. If you haven’t seen it (and let’s face it, you haven’t) Dark Star is Waiting for Godot meets Dr. Strangelove, or 2001:A Space Odyssey meets Blackadder Goes Forth; it chronicles the tedious adventures of the four remaining crew of the ship Dark Star, who are on a seemingly endless deep-space mission to destroy entire planets using sentient bombs, as their ship steadily fails around them and they try to keep themselves entertained.

If you're not on board with peace on Venus, you never will be - IN SEARCH OF SPACE #184

Halloween special? I hear you ask. No, fuck off and die in a ditch unmourned by everyone, there’s your Halloween special.

Why not have the single Dead Comet, by Dead Skeletons, from the EP of same name released later this year. I’m sensing more of a Briany Jonestowny Massacrey sorta vibe from this one. It’s definitely chilling and a far cry from Dead is God, which I still like the best. The video is cool and I’m looking forward to the EP. Still spinning the ORD re-release, which you should be too. Head over to bandcamp and yawp gimmegimmegimme urgently at once!