Anti-Gravity Bunny

My dog Winona died yesterday. This episode has nothing to do with that aside from the fact that I needed to do something to keep my mind off things.
 
00:00:00 Christopher Marlowe, with Frank Silvera as Dr. Faustus – Dr. Faustus (Part 1) (from The Tragical History Of Dr. Faustus)
00:00:17 Illusion Of Safety (Chris Block, Janie Bouzek & Kitty Bouzek) – Untitled [Side A] (from Finite Material Context)
00:23:07 Jed Speare – Mettle Of Metal (from Cable Car Soundscapes)
00:25:45 Jonathan Coleclough – Summand (from Period)
00:46:41 Tom Lawrence – Grand Canal Springs (from Water Beetles Of Pollardstown Fen)
00:46:55 Jamra – Armaggedon/Invocation (from The Second Coming)
00:51:10 Pelt – Untitled [Track 1] (from Untitled [2005])
01:01:43 TenHornedBeast – Christus Nox (from The Sacred Truth)
01:12:04 Natural Snow Buildings – Shall I Kill My Own Child, I Will Never Sing The Glory Of Satan (from Two Sides Of A Horse)
01:15:46 Hiroshi Yoshimura [吉村弘] – Time Forest (from Soundscape 1: Surround)
01:26:14 Harold Budd – Dark Star (from Abandoned Cities)

 
When I feel helpless in the face of insurmountable problems (like when non-elected appointed-for-life bigots force their opinions on over 300 million people), I usually turn to music. This episode is about women being powerful, women being assaulted, women being outspoken, and women being silenced. There’s Matriarkathum raging about mutilating dicks, there’s Dolly lamenting the glass ceiling, there’s Rainbow Star calling out fake feminist predators, there’s Bea Miller celebrating her bodily autonomy, there’s Ashnikko boosting about her financial independence, and there’s Perfect Pussy’s scathing sarcasm about rape culture.
 

00:00:00 Klaus Nomi – You Don’t Own Me (from Klaus Nomi)
“You don’t own me.”

00:03:40 Feminazgul – Forgiver, I Am Not Yours (from No Dawn For Men)
“I was not made to be gracious and I will carry this hatred to my grave.”

00:08:35 Dolly Parton – 9 To 5 (from 9 To 5 And Odd Jobs)
“They let you dream just to watch em shatter.”

00:11:16 Perfect Pussy – IV (from I Have Lost All Desire For Feeling)
“God knows you’d burn a witch to warm your hands.”

00:14:39 Björk – Mouth Mantra (from Vulnicura)
“My throat was stunned. My mouth was sewn up.”

00:20:45 Sarparast – The Red Council (from The Red Council)
“A woman’s place is in the revolution. Your place is by her side.”

00:29:45 Peggy Seeger – Reclaim The Night (from Different Therefore Equal)
“The choice is hers and hers alone.”

00:34:14 Princess Nokia – Crazy House (from Everything Sucks)
“Got his dick up in a coffin. I’m the young Lorena Bobbitt. If I want it, I’ma cop it. If I hate it, I’ma chop it.”

00:37:14 G.L.O.S.S. – Give Violence A Chance (from Trans Day Of Revenge)
“Afforded rights when convenient to protect the elite.”

00:39:09 Loretta Lynn – The Pill (from Back To The Country)
“Every year that’s gone by, another baby’s come. There’s gonna be some changes made right here on Nursery Hill.”

00:41:45 Big Freedia – Not Today (from BDE)
“You ain’t winning so you blame me?”

00:44:20 Matriarkathum – Mutilation Of The Fifth Limb (from Curse You All Men!)
“Dismembering the ones who held us back, since the dawn of time.”

00:48:35 Laura Duncan – I’ve Got A Right (from Songs For Political Action)
“Boss tells me I’ve got to stay down where I belong… but I say boss man will tumble one of these days.”

00:51:18 Janelle Monáe – Americans (from Dirty Computer)
“Sometimes I wonder if you were blind would it help you make a better decision?”

00:55:22 Couch Slut – Rape Kit (from My Life As A Woman)

01:01:02 Bea Miller – S.L.U.T. (from Aurora)
“If you don’t like what I’m wearing well you’re only bothered ’cause you’re staring.”

01:04:00 Madam Data – And At The End Of Space And Time, We Flayed The Body Of The Ancient Enemy And Made His Body Into Food For Stars And The Birth Of New Constellations (from The Gospel Of The Devourer)

01:07:32 Sara Ogan Gunning – I’m Going To Organize, Baby Mine (from Songs For Political Action)

01:08:51 Ashnikko – Working Bitch (from Hi, It’s Me)
“Now he look stressed ’cause he know that I don’t need him. Mouth open, baby bird, I’m not gonna feed him. Yeah, I’m big, I’m boss.”

01:11:49 Kittie – Paperdoll (from Spit)
“Watch the blood run down her face but don’t take notice.”

01:15:10 Diet Cig – Link In Bio(from Swear I’m Good At This)
“I know what I want so please fuck off.”

01:17:18 Sudan Archives – Nont For Sale (from Sink)
“This is my time, don’t waste it up. This is my land, not for sale.”

01:20:58 Chastity Belt – Cool Slut (from Time To Go Home)
“We’re just a couple of sluts. So what? We like to fuck.”

01:23:46 Champion Road – Feral Men (from Melter Demon)
“Feral men. There’s feral men here. You’re all with them.”

01:26:51 Junglepussy – Stamina (from JP4)
“I need that dick swinging off a tree.”

01:28:48 Rainbow Star – Patriarchy Song (from Music From The Rainbow Sparkle Palace: Volume II)
“You’re such a feminist, you teach it at the college. And how dare I not trust you when you make sexual advances.”

01:34:06 Remorseful – The Stomach (from Exit)
“Take out the leaders. We need them burnt to a crisp. We see their head on a stick. We’ll sleep when they’re all dead.”

 
All of these songs came out this year. Most of this is non-traditional black metal. The rest is other non-traditional metal that can barely even contain that wide genre.

00:00:00 RLYR – Head Womb (from RLYR)
In case I haven’t made it abundantly clear in the past, RLYR is the absolute fucking best. Each of their previous two records have been all time favorites for me. This new self-titled one on Gilead Media is no different. Trevor de Brauw (Pelican, Chord, Tusk, etc), Steven Hess (Locrian, Cleared, Haptic, etc), and Colin DeKuiper (Bloodiest, founding member of Russian Circles, etc) make the most indescribable metal that will undoubtedly put a smile on your face and get your fists pumping in the air. They just fucking rock.

00:08:04 Silver Knife – Ecomimesis (from Ring)
One of the two tracks from the new single/EP. Excellent black metal from Déhà and 3 others, including N from Laster and Nusquama. I don’t usually pay attention to such short releases (this is only like 13 minutes) but Silver Knife’s debut LP two years ago was incredible, so I’m definitely keeping an eye on whatever they do. As should you.

00:14:48 Ultha – Bathed In Lightning, Bathed In Heat (from All That Has Never Been True)
These dudes have been around forever (aka 7 years) but for some reason I never paid much attention to them. I think that might be because up until this record, I thought they were Ulthar, who I’m not crazy about. But holy shit this record is a year end contender for sure. Premium shrieky vocals seething in a brilliant blaze of blasting and shredding.

00:25:57 Astronoid – Decades (from Radiant Bloom)
Goddamn I love Astronoid. Not nearly getting the attention they deserve. Their bright metal is unrivaled, the peak of beauty in heavy music. Their first record is Top 10 material, their second is like Top 20, and only time will tell what tier this new one lands in but I can assure you it will be holding hands with the forever bests.

00:32:56 Häxenzijrkell – Part 1: Die Entschleierung (from Urgrund)
I knew about their debut from 2020 but never listened to it. Chalk it up to the neverending backlog. But I’m definitely going to have to check it out now because this new one is fuckin gnarly. It opens with this 18-minute burner. It’s really fucking good, a creepy long form psyched out black metal that’s kinda like Cultes Des Ghoules as a jam band.

00:51:14 Rye (Рожь) – Amen (Аминь) (from Amen (Аминь))
I found out about this Russian dude from his full length last year and was immediately hooked. Absolutely huge melodic post-doom.

01:05:29 Cavernlight – The Ashes Of Everything I’ve Failed To Be (from As I Cast Ruin Upon The Lens That Reveals My Every Flaw)
Best blackened doom this side of Mizmor. The new record is way more dynamic than the last, like this track starts out vibing with The Cure a bit before it kicks your face in, and the tremolo riff is so fucking evil.

01:09:35 Unru – Hungersteine (from Die Wiederkehr Des Verdrängten)
My music library says I listened to their first demo back in 2013, but clearly it didn’t stick with me and I haven’t followed them since. Except this new one? Holy shit it’s awesome. Black metal with keyboards and organs and includes Lars Ennsen from Sun Worship and Ultha (see above). It’s dramatic and painful.

01:25:22 Kardashev – Cellar Of Ghosts (from Liminal Rite)
Super weird shoegazey metal that’s as far from shoegaze it could get while still maintaining a thread of connection. This leans heavy on the death metal, though, unlike most metalgaze that’s black metal or post metal.

01:31:49 Sunrise Patriot Motion – Drippings Of God (from Black Fellflower Stream)
The Skarstad brothers, Will & Sam, of Yellow Eyes (and in Will’s case, Ustalost and Sanguine Eagle), created Sunrise Patriot Moon to pursue their love of goth rock. So think Yellow Eyes plus goth rock and you’re in the right ballpark. It’s insane and insanely good. Also, their nearly nonsensical three-word names thing is officially weird. The last two Yellow Eyes records were Rare Field Cieling and Immersion Trench Reverie, which I was willing to let go without mentioning, but now Sunrise Patriot Motion and Black Fellflower Stream? I don’t have any quips or insights, just confusion.

01:36:01 Homeskin – Fixated On An Image (from Fixated On An Image)
The main Cara Neir dude, Garry Brents, has a dizzying amount of side projects, one of the most current being Homeskin (and also Gonemage, seek it out), which is just as nuts as the last two Cara Neir records. Homeskin is experimental black metal in the truest sense. Also, he did a split with Frogoroth, the black metal project with frog vocals, and called it Frogskin so obviously I love him very much.

01:49:39 Olatom Amespïrïa – 2 (from Demo 1)
Debut release from someone involved with the new-to-me Cërcle Mortüaire collective. Blistering black metal with tons of reverb and sick riffs and howling shrieks and everything else I love about black metal. I definitely need to check out the other Cërcle Mortüaire bands now.

01:57:03 Zos – On The Announcer Of Great Events (from The Whole Of The Body I Call Zos)
You can always count on I, Voidhanger to put out the weird shit. I didn’t know about Zos until this new one, experimental doom that’s kinda proggy but definitely all over the place. This track is a pretty decent representation of the rest of the album. Highly recommended.

02:08:48 Gravenchalice – Via Peccatum (from Via Dolorosa)
Good black metal from a band you might not have heard of.

02:17:09 Nocturnal Depression – When My Time Has Come To Die (from When My Time Has Come)
More good black metal from a band you almost certainly have heard of.

02:26:24 Olhava – Mirror (from Reborn)
I really love Olhava. Their 2019 debut of intense atmospheric black metal instantly hooked me and even though they’ve been pretty prolific since then (5 LPs in 4 years), I’ve kept up. Reborn might be my favorite and it’s their longest yet. 4 side-long pieces, one of which is 100% drone but I assure you it’s not a throwaway track (their second full length was entirely ambient, they know what they’re doing). “Mirror” is the opener and it’s fucking glorious. More year end list material.

 
I started out making a holy music episode. But when I was gathering records, I ended up having over 150 jams that I needed to play. Somewhere about an hour into pulling, I realized that this would end up being at least a two part episode, maybe even a series, so I just kept looking, trying to uncover every bit holy music music I could find in my library (this is where my extensive genre tagging comes in handy). Also, I’m pretty happy to say I didn’t rely too heavily on Folkways for this episode (probably will in later ones, though). There are only 2 songs from Folkways records here and I’ve got about 30 in the whole holy list.

For no particular reason, I decided to start with a 160-minute episode for American-made music. From what I can tell, all of the artists here would probably call themselves “American” (whatever that means). There were a few things I wanted to include, like Cantor Abraham Brun, a Polish Holocaust survivor who immigrated to American after he’d lived about half his life overseas, but I figured that’s maybe stretching “American” a bit and regardless is probably better left for another holy episode. That being said, I didn’t dig too deep into people’s origins. I mean yeah, maybe some of the unidentified people in the Angola Quartet from Camp A aren’t “from here” but whatever.

I tried to keep a broad enough definition of “holy” to include a variety of music beyond just the obvious gospel and hymns. This is A Thick Mist so I made sure to inject some black metal, hip hop, and drone. And it’s certainly not all Christian, plenty of it is just spiritual, like Vanum who sings “In return for tribute, a duty pledged. A mortal offering to divine ends.” Or evenly abstractly religious like the piece I played from Xela’s holy trilogy (The Illuminated, The Divine, and The Sublime) which is just a wall of sound, no lyrics. But of course there is stuff like the inimitable Reverend Gary Davis, the Handless Organist, Alberta Baker, (unironically?) singing “His Hand In Mine,” and the powerful acoustic soul of Pastor Champion. This goes all the way from 1929 (one of only two Frank Palmes songs ever recorded) up to April 2022 with Dälek’s newest dark beats and bleak verses. Something for everyone.
 

00:00:00 Reverend Gary Davis – I Want To Be Saved (from At Home And Church: 1962-1967)
Davis is one of my all time favorites (along with another dude at the end of this episode). I love banjos, I love his voice. He has a ton of compilations/anthologies; this is one released by Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop is fantastic but really they all are and you can’t go wrong with anything he’s done (fyi there’s also some recordings under the name Blind Gary Davis, which is the same guy).

00:02:47 Old Harp Singers Of Eastern Tennessee – Morning Trumpet (No. 99) (from Old Harp Singing)
If there’s one genre of music outside of drone and metal that I would take with me to the grave, it would be sacred harp singing. There’s nothing else like it.

00:04:44 The Lord – Church Of Herrmann (from Forest Nocturne)
Debut LP under a new pseudonym of Sunn O)))’s Greg Anderson. It’s very Sunny but it’s got it’s own vibe. Also don’t miss the single track he released with Robin Wattie (singer/guitarist in Big Brave) last year it’s amazing.

00:09:55 L. Ron Hubbard And Friends – Why Worship Death? (from The Road To Freedom)
Bet you weren’t expecting some John Carpenter-esque New Age prog creep to show up on this list, let alone from Mr. Scientology himself, and with broadway singer Julia Migenes on vocals and Chick Corea playing keyboards & drums.

00:16:11 Jackie McDowell – Wash Me In Holy Fire (from Baptisia)
McDowell (previously Inez Lightfoot) continues to be painfully underrated. This is from her debut release under her given name which remains an all-timer for me.

00:18:22 Evangelist Lillie Heath – Wasted Years (from Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down)
Apparently Heath recorded a bunch in the 60s but this is the only one that seems to have hung around. Halfway decent country gospel.

00:20:11 Our Generation – I Can See Forever (from Dawning Of The Day)
Obscure Christian rock from the 70s. There’s like 8 or 9 people making music that sounds like it could have been made by 3 or 4.

00:24:33 Daniel (A.I.U.) Higgs – Are You Of The Body? (from Ancestral Songs)
One of the Lungfish mystic’s earliest solo releases, this is premium minimal psych buzz kinda like Mind Over Mirrors plus Alan Licht. Instrumental too, which is a bit rare from Higgs from what I’ve heard.

00:35:59 David Koresh – Three Angels Message (from Voice Of Fire – The Complete David Koresh)
The Final Prophet of the Branch Davidians and Waco Massacre catalyst/victim was a bad human but also a pretty awesome musician. I don’t know too much about the expanded version of this release beyond what’s on DIE Or DIY? so if you’ve got any info, let me know.

00:38:58 Angola Quartet From Camp A – See How They Done My Lord (from Angola Prison: Spirituals)
Incarcerated Black men singing sad, recorded in the 50s by Harry Oster.

00:41:49 The Handless Organist – His Hand In Mine (from Truly A Miracle Of God)
From what I can gather, Alberta Baker was born with meromelia but that didn’t stop her from playing music for Jesus. I just can’t get over the inclusion of this song, though. Intentional or not, Baker is a fucking comedic genius.

00:44:05 Dälek – Devotion (When I Cry The Wind Disappears) (from Precipice)
I can’t get enough Dälek, definitely my favorite hip hop. I don’t know of anyone else making industrial dark ambient rap. This new record just dropped in April on Ipecac and I highly recommend it. I mean I highly recommend any Dälek record too but starting at Precipice works just fine as an intro if you’re unfamiliar.

00:49:31 Rev. Jim Jones’ People’s Temple Choir – Black Baby (from He’s Able)
Another wildly successful megalomaniac, another choir full of victims.

00:52:46 Ernest Van “Pop” Stoneman – The Great Reaping Day (from Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies: A Treasury Of Caucasian-American Gospel)
There’s something a little weird about both the phrase Caucasian-American as well as making a record specifically for white gospel. It feels a bit like when people complain about how there’s no Straight Pride Parades. It’d be one thing if this was music by immigrants from the Caucasus region, but nah, it’s just white folks. Anyway, this country gospel jam from Pop Stoneman is great.

00:54:50 Robert Takahashi Crouch – Ritual (Christina Giannone Remix) (from Ritual Variations)
Crouch’s previous record, Jubilee, is fuckin awesome. It opened with a 20-minute track “Ritual” which itself was culled from a 2-hour long improv session. He gave that unreleased jam to friends and had them remix it. Giannone’s is one of my favorites, but there’s also Faith Coloccia, France Jobin, Lawrence English, Byron Westbrook, and more.

00:55:52 Aunt Molly Jackson – Holiness Church Monologue (from Library Of Congress Recordings)
I thought Giannone’s remix of “Ritual” would sound cool with Aunt Molly.

01:04:19 Vanum – Beneath The Pillars Of Earth And Air (from Legend)
Vanum is one of those bands that’s great at what they do but nothing ever really sticks with me. There’s something about this new song, though. It’s fuckin epic and I love it. Will definitely be playing this one on the regular.

01:18:43 The Belleville A Capella Choir – On The Battlefield For My Lord (from Honor The Lamb – Southern Journey 12)
Alan Lomax recorded some of the most important music in human history during his Southern Journey sessions. Here’s a deep cut out of Virginia.

01:22:01 The Staples Jr. Singers – I Got A New Home (from When Do We Get Paid)
Thanks to Luaka Bop for this reissue, filled with fun funky gospel.

01:24:41 Njiqahdda – Serpents In The Sky… (from Serpents In The Sky)
An incredibly prolific black metal duo that I eventually lost track of at some point. Their brand of meditative metal is hard to forget though. It was love at first sight with Nji. Njiijn. Njiiijn. which remains a highlight for me in their discography, but their second-to-last full length, Serpents In The Sky is some special shit.

01:36:40 Marjoe Gortner – To This End Was I Born (Age 4) (from Marjoe Gortner (“World’s Youngest Evangelist”))
I have a 6-year-old and therefor have a very recent memory of what a 4-year-old is like. I say with 100% confidence that it is 100% fucked up to have your 4yo be a Christian evangelist. This is incredibly fascinating, though.

01:42:08 Pastor Champion – I Know That You’ve Been Wounded (Church Hurt) (from I Just Want To Be A Good Man)
Thanks to Luaka Bop again, for putting out Champion’s first and only record. He died in December 2021, just a few months shy of this record’s release date. It hurts.

01:45:23 Om – Pilgrimage (from Pilgrimage)
Everyone loves Om, two thirds of Sleep (the other third, Matt Pike, went on to create High On Fire). I’ve always loved Om on paper, minimal meditative doom is absolutely my jam. But something about it just doesn’t work for me. Maybe it’s the whole God thing. Maybe it’s that Cisneros keeps his voice at a whisper and mumble instead of his majestic growl in Sleep (which is honestly maybe the best part about Sleep). Maybe I’ll never figure it out. One thing I do know is that Om is essential for an episode about American holy music.

01:55:51 Moses Mason – John The Baptist (from Alabama: Black Secular & Religious Music (1927-1934))
Little known about this guy. Recorded six songs in the late 1920s. Great music.

01:58:42 Frank Palmes – Troubled ‘Bout My Soul (from American Primitive Vol. I: Raw Pre-War Gospel (1926-1936))
Little known about this guy too. Recorded only two songs in the late 1920s. Great music. This recording is pretty rough sounding, which makes it pretty awesome sounding. Also, I love this compilation and it’s arguably one of the most important players in the 21st century re-fascination of old American tunes.

02:01:36 Xela – Of The Light And Of The Stars (from The Divine)
I fucking love Xela. John Twells made some of the best drone ever and their (unofficial?) trilogy I mentioned above is absolute top tier music. And while I wish they were still recording as Xela and releasing records on Type, I can just be thankful that we have what we have, which is a lot.

02:19:09 Almeda Riddle – The Old Churchyard (from Ballads And Hymns From The Ozarks)
You need more Riddle in your life, I guarantee it.

02:26:39 Liturgy – Lonely OIOION (from Origin Of The Alimonies)
Hunter Hunt Hendrix is easily one of the most important figures in 21st century metal. Her music as Liturgy is brilliant. I just wish I figure out whatever the hell she’s singing about.

02:31:20 Fred McDowell – Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dying Bed (from My Home Is In The Delta)
Mississippi Fred McDowell is a goddamn legend. His music is literally perfect.

02:33:45 Indian Bottom Association – Farewell Vain World (from Old Regular Baptists: Lined-Out Hymnody From Southeastern Kentucky)
Closed out the episode with some more monumental sacred harp-esque lining out. Farewell vain world.

 
I think Hindustani tends to be the more popular style of classical Indian music in the west (see: Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Chatur Lal, Dagar Brothers, etc) so I figured I’d shed some light on the Carnatic side. This episode features some standout Carnatic musicians like supreme violinist L. Subramaniam and veena master Sundaram Balachander as well as some lesser known but just as amazing players like Chinna Moulana and a group recorded by Brigitte Chataignier.
 

00:00:00 Chitti Babu – Ragam Thanam Pallavi (from Swara Raga Sudha)
00:11:56 Dr. L. Subramaniam – Rāga Śivapriya (from Three Ragas For Solo Violin)
00:31:55 Isaimani Sirgazhi S. Govindarajan – Sri Rama Charitha Geetham, Part 2 (from Papanasam Sivan’s Sri Rama Charitha Geetham (Tamil))
00:52:00 Sundaram Balachander – “Gnaana Mosaga Raadha” Raagam Poorvikalyani Roopakam Taalam (from Man From Madras)
01:13:02 Madurai Mani Iyer, T. N. Krishnan, & Vellore Ramabadran – Kamalambam Bajare (Ragam: Kalyani) (from Madurai Mani Iyer)
01:33:31 Sheik Chinna Moulana – Valli Nayakane (Ragam: Shanmugapriya) (from Sheik Chinna Moulana)
01:49:37 Vamanan Namboodiri, Soorya Narayanan, Ananthapadmanabhan, Madhusudanan, Tripunithura Krishnadas, P. Nandakumar, & Kalamandalam Kshemavathi – Sumasayaka (from Inde: Le Chant Du Mohini Attam – Danse Classique Du Kerala = India: Singing The Mohini Attam – Classical Dance Of Kerala)

 
Something I didn’t realize before I made this episode is that a lot of the major country blues stars like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, and Blind Lemon Jefferson weren’t from the Appalachian region. I guess if I gave it even a second thought, I’d realize that the genre-adjacent delta blues was named after the Mississippi Delta and that the tunes coming from the rural Appalachians leaned more towards the bluegrass style. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to highlight the wide variety rolling down the mountains: everything from the banjo instrumentals of Hobart Smith to the lone black lung vocals of Nimrod Workman. I’ve always been a sucker for banjos, a cappella, and grim vibes, so naturally Appalachian music is 100% my jam.

I tried to stick to the early pre-war stuff and stay away from anything coming out of the 50s/60s folk revival. A lot of these tracks come from compilations by labels like Folkways, Yazoo, Mississippi, and Dust-to-Digital because 1: it’s not like I have a collection of 78s to pull from and 2: they’re the ones helping to preserve this history so that’s where most of us discover these artists. I did my best to find some of the lower profile compilations & songs and, as always, tried to play things that haven’t appeared on A Thick Mist/AGB Radio before (except for Lloyd Chandler’s “A Conversation With Death” that’s just too good to not include). And I veered toward the gloomy tones because obviously but also it’s called the blues for a reason. Also, I tried to stay away from any gospel because I’ll probably end up doing a gospel episode at one point.

I’m not an ethnomusicologist nor am I a historian, so I’m not going to try to offer commentary on individual tracks. I highly recommend you dig into any and every artist and compilation you find here. If you’re looking for suggestions, try either of my favorite sad ladies that bookend the episode or my man Nimrod right in the middle.

There’s probably some stuff on here that might not fit under a strict definition of Appalachian music, but lets not get too bogged down in semantics. Enjoy.
 

00:00:00 Sarah Ogan Gunning – Dreadful Memories (from A Girl Of Constant Sorrow)
00:02:25 Etta Baker – Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad (from Instrumental Music Of The Southern Appalachians)
00:03:47 Peg Leg Howell – Moanin’ And Groanin’ Blues (from “Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow!” – Vintage Fiddle Music 1927-1935: Blues, Jazz, Stomps, Shuffles & Rags)
00:07:18 Jean Ritchie – The Unquiet Grave (from Ballads From Her Appalachian Family Tradition)
00:11:16 Floyd Council – I’m Grievin’ And I’m Worryin’ (from Carolina Blues (1937-1947))
00:14:01 Florence Reece / Almanac Singers – Which Side Are You On? (from Classic Labor Songs)
00:16:35 Murphy Gribble, John Lusk, & Albert York – Eighth Of January (from Deep River Of Song: Black Appalachia – String Bands, Songsters And Hoedowns)
00:20:52 Edward Clayborn – Death Is Only A Dream (from Last Kind Words (1926-1953))
00:23:47 Carter Family – Motherless Chidren (from Lead Kindly Light)
00:27:23 Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley – Dark Holler Blues (from Friends Of Old Time Music)
00:32:15 Dock Boggs – Oh Death (from Virginia Traditions: Ballads From British Tradition)
00:35:32 Ruby Glaze – Lonesome Day Blues (from I Can’t Be Satisfied: Early American Women Blues Singers – Town & Country, Vol. 1 – Country)
00:38:46 Hobart Smith – Drunken Hiccups (from Instrumental Music Of The Southern Appalachians)
00:39:55 Roscoe Holcomb – Graveyard Blues (from Mountain Music Of Kentucky)
00:42:19 Grayson & Whitter – Little Maggie With A Dram Glass In Her Hand (from The Rose Grew Round The Briar: Early American Rural Love Songs – Vol. 1)
00:45:43 Nimrod Workman – What Is That Blood On Your Shirt Sleeve? (from Mother Jones’ Will)
00:47:38 Mrs. Lena Bare Turbyfill – “Hold Up Your Hand Old Joshua!” She Cried (from Last Wisps Of The Old Ways: North Carolina Mountain Singing)
00:53:25 Kid Williams & Bill Morgan – When He Died He Got A Home In Hell (from Lead Kindly Light)
00:56:04 Bascom Lamar Lunsford – Mole In The Ground (from Smoky Mountain Ballads)
00:58:55 Lloyd Chandler – A Conversation With Death (from High Atmosphere)
01:03:05 Woodie Brothers – Chased Old Satan Through The Door (from Music From The Lost Provinces – Old-Time Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity, 1927-1931)
01:05:59 Fiddlin’ John Carson – Dixie Boll Weevil (from People Take Warning! Murder Ballads And Disaster Songs, 1913-1938)
01:08:58 Wade Ward & Charlie Higgins – Did You Ever See The Devil, Uncle Joe? (from I’ll Be So Glad When The Sun Goes Down: Field Recordings From Alan Lomax’s “Southern Journey” 1959-1960)
01:10:50 Ed Morrison – We’ll All Go To Heaven When The Devil Goes Blind (from Kentucky Mountain Music: Classic Recordings Of The 1920s & 30s)
01:15:20 Sid Hemphill – So Soon I’ll Be At Home (from The Devils Dream)
01:16:55 Ola Belle Reed – My Epitaph (from My Epitaph: A Documentary In Song And Lyric)

 
Let me just start off by saying this episode is super explicit and not safe for work (unless you’re a sex worker I guess). 99% of the spoken word is people talking about sex stuff like blowjob instructions (from the 50s? 60s?), some offbeat porno poetry, Christians talking about male puberty, hypnotherapy to make your dick bigger, etc. 99% of the music is experimental from 2022 and made by women.
 

00:00:00 Annie Sprinkle – Deep Inside Your Cosmic Body Erotic (from Cyborgasm – Erotica In 3-D Sound)
A former sex worker and current environmental artist (approaching her art from an “ecosexual” perspective) on a very odd compilation from the 90s of spoken word, ambient, and weird erotic shit.

00:02:55 Elin Piel – Heart Walls (from Satsuma Sunday)
Premium modular synth drone.

00:10:45 Meg Mulhearn – Pisces (from Archetypes)
The first in a 12-piece series of “meditations and non-linear reflections on archetypes of the twelve Western zodiacal signs.” Free* and starting off strong.

00:13:03 Unknown artist – Side A (from How To Drive Your Man Wild With Oral Sex)
Absolutely fuckin wild 7″ from decades ago that I have a hard time believing actually exists.

00:22:56 Victoria Wizell-Gallagher – Conversation With Cells (from Penis Enlargement Deluxe)
Another one I have a hard time believing exists. This is a 6-session set that aims to help you make your dick bigger by sheer willpower. Accompanied by some chill new age ambient cheese.

00:28:19 Laura Jordan Cocks – Produktionsmittel I (from Field Anatomies)
I didn’t just play this because her last name is Cocks. It’s also fantastic “blisteringly physical work for flutes.” In this case: amplified flute, aluminum foil, glass bottle, and fixed media.

00:48:14 Lori Goldston & Stefan Christoff – Wingspan In The Sunshine (from Punk Equinox)
I was so psyched to discover this one. I’ve always loved Goldston’s cello work but Christoff is new to me. Here he’s playing a Hammond organ. So yeah, cello + organ, obviously my kind shit.

00:58:15 Philip Jeck – As My Shadow Passes… (from Touch 00)
I remember the first Jeck work I heard: Sand (thanks Aquarius Records). It was revelatory. The first time I fully understood how vinyl could be used as an instrument instead of just the delivery method. He will be sorely missed but I’m thankful for all of the music he left behind.

01:07:38 The Christophers – The Problems Of Growing Boys (from Christopher Recordings On Sex Instruction)
The Christophers are an “inspirational” Christian group founded in 1945 by the Roman Catholic/Maryknoll priest James Keller. This is one of their earliest publications (from 1951), intended to educate parents on how to educate their children about sex and puberty.

01:16:42 Astrid Øster Mortensen – Styrsö Kyrkorgel (from Skærsgårdslyd)
New to me Danish artist. Amazing field recording and folk droney sounds.

01:17:37 Matchess – Almost Gone (from Sonescent)
Huge release by Whitney Johnson. Her previous work is excellent but this is next level. Highly recommended.

01:26:13 John Giorno – Pornographic Poem (from Raspberry / Pornographic Poem)
The experimental poet and Dial-A-Poem founder is joined by a dozen or so others to get weird and talk dirty.

01:34:59 Bunny Buckskin & Carrington McDuffie – Pink Sweatboxes (from Cyborgasm – Erotica In 3-D Sound)
Another one from Cyborgasm. Figured I’d just add to the Giorno chaos with more perverted chat.

01:39:30 Maria Moles – In Pan-as (from For Leolanda)
Powerful percussion inspired by Philippine gong music.

01:46:33 Vanessa Wagner – Gustave Le Gray (from Study Of The Invisible)
Wagner takes her piano to Caroline Shaw’s “Gustave Le Gray” and you pass out.

01:54:20 Stanley Z. Daniels – Side B (from Sex For Adults (Sex Is Fun Particularly When You’re In Love))
The epic conclusion to the sex trilogy by Stanley Z. Daniels (he’s an M.D. so you can totally trust him), preceded by Sex Explained For Children and Sex For Teens (Where It’s At).

01:59:51 Ann Eysermans – Fuga For Four Diesel Locomotives And Harp (from For Trainspotters Only)
Debut release from Eysermans featuring her field recordings of Belgian diesel trains accompanied by her beautiful harp, organ, chimes, music boxes, etc.

02:05:48 Maya Shenfeld – Sadder Than Water (from In Free Fall)
Another debut. Stunning.

02:12:19 Kinbrae & Clare Archibald – Haul Into Being (from Birl Of Unmap)
A debut collaboration making beautiful sounds alongside stoic spoken word, all of which is inspired by hyper-local areas in Scotland.

 
It’s only been 7 months since the last A Thick Mist episode, not that anyone’s counting… So here’s the thing. I clearly don’t have room in my life to do radio shows the way I was kinda doing them since the pandemic started (which was basically not at all) so I thought I’d try something new. A new process that might fit into my life and a new approach to curation that might appeal to more people (although that’s besides the point).

The new process involves no spoken commentary during the show. It’s kind of like my Halloween episodes where I just play my stuff for a couple hours so as to not interrupt the vibes. However I will be adding some written commentary here in the playlist when I have anything to say.

The new curation sees an end to my psychotic combinations of black metal followed by Haitian Voodoo rituals followed by zoned out minimalism followed by turn-of-the-century country blues followed by some dude reading about seashells followed by… Instead, each episode will focus on a more unified genre/theme. This is great for those of you who hated the doom but loved the Hindustani ragas. I assume those of you who liked the craziness will still enjoy each episode because the primary content isn’t changing and now you can still listen to A Thick Mist with a migraine, just pick a chill droney episode instead of the one full of Peruvian dances.

Let me know what you think of this new setup. Are you going to miss hearing my super sexy voice? Are you psyched about not spilling your coffee when the caustic black noise jumpscares you?

This first incarnation of the New Way is a metal episode because that’s pretty much all I’ve been listening to lately. Enjoy.

00:00:00 Spider God – Forever (from Black Renditions)
Free* record by new-to-me band and it’s black metal covers of pop songs. You won’t believe how fucking good this is. I chose to highlight their version of Viva Forever by the Spice Girls but I highly recommend checking out their Whitney or their Brittany or their No Doubt or everything else.

00:03:37 Пуща (Pušča) – Ça Brûle (from War Is Hell)
Amazing Ukranian black metal with some clean female vocals. They put out a 2-song single to raise money for Come Back Alive. And while you’re at it, grab their fantastic new EP for just $4.

00:10:03 Mizmor – Wit’s End (from Wit’s End)
Everyone loves Mizmor. New record is the best.

00:24:49 An Evening Redness – The Judge (from An Evening Redness)
New dusty doom drone band inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian. Into it.

00:35:24 Deathbell – Come To Trouble (from With The Beyond)
Some killer doom from 2018 that I only just learned about. They have one that just came out in February and that’s great too.

00:44:59 Blackwater Holylight – Every Corner (from Silence/Motion)
Amazing record from last year that’s got lots of stoner doom sounds but also plenty of moments of true evil bursting through. Not sure why this song sounds so muffled and quiet in the mix. I tried to mess with it but no dice.

00:52:45 Det Eviga Leendet – Yield (from Reverence)
New release on Mystískaos. It’s their second record and it’s awesome atmospheric black metal. They “take their name from Pär Lagerkvist’s 1920 writing about a group of dead people who are now stuck in the dark with nothing to do besides talk in order to pass eternity.”

01:03:53 Whourkr – Squirk (from Concrete)
Not sure what took me so long to hear this record from 2008. It’s fucking insane. “This is what happens when animals pretend to be human. An acclaimed cybergrind record… worse than death metal.”

01:07:54 The Body & OAA – Fortified Tower (from Enemy Of Love)
Not gonna lie, I absolutely love everything The Body touches. Doesn’t matter what they’re doing or who they’re doing it with. This new collaboration from OAA is absolute madness. Veering way into noise territory.

01:11:28 Negativa – XXIX (from 04)
Supremely underrated Spanish noisy black metal. This new one is on Mystískaos but their last one was released by Sentient Ruin, which is much more their style.

01:20:57 Holy Fawn – Dark Stone (from Death Spells)
Another 2018 record I only just heard about thanks to their recent tour with Deafheaven and Midwife.

01:27:18 Rinuwat – Laknat Bumi (from Dua Naga)
This record would have been on my top metal list in 2021 if I knew about it. Weird as hell experimental doom featuring Southeast Asian instruments and styles. Their name is Javanese and translates to “to liberate oneself from a curse.” The singer is bonkers and I love everything about this.

01:33:26 Rolo Tomassi – The End Of Eternity (from Where Myth Becomes Memory)
Didn’t think I’d ever love a shoegazey proggy post-hardcore record this much but here we are. Definitely a year end contender.

01:39:31 Zeal & Ardor – Hold Your Head low (from Zeal & Ardor)
I feel like when a band puts out a self-titled record when it’s nowhere near their first release, they’re trying to make a statement like “this is our definitive sound.” Zeal & Ardor further cements my theory. The one and only gospel metal is at the top of their game here.

01:44:14 Ustalost – Bright Window Closing (from Before The Glinting Spell Unvests)
The second record from Yellow Eyes singer/guitarist Will Skarstad’s solo project. Yellow Eyes is amazing. Ustalost is better?

01:53:12 Sadhaka – Surrender (from Surrender)
I swear I almost had a heart attack when I saw this song dropped. Sadhaka put out one of my all time favorite records in 2013, Terma, and then basically vanished. It’s kinda standard post black metal but something about it is absolutely perfect and I can’t really describe why. The fact that Yianna Bekris (aka Vouna, from Eigenlicht and Vradiazei) is involved probably has something to do with it. Anyway, this new single is fantastic and I really hope it means more is on the way.

02:02:50 Messa – 0=2 (from Close)
I had the best timing in finding out about Messa. I discovered their 2018 record Feast For Water a couple months ago, loved it, played the heck out of it, then found out Close was right around the corner. Didn’t have to wait long at all. This is some premium droney doom psych out of Italy and it fuckin rips.

 
New Fluisteraars, Yemeni folk, new Sarah Davachi, Godzilla sound effects, ionosphere recordings, Margaret Walker poetry, Cambodian ballads…

 
Background music: Michael Chapman – Homage To Jim Hall (from VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 11)

00:00:00 Talk break
00:02:25 Fluisteraars – Verscheuring In De Schemering (from Gegrepen Door De Geest Der Zielsontluiking)
00:22:34 Daniel Walsh – The Old Miner’s Refrain (from Songs & Ballads Of Anthracite Miners)
00:23:16 Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe – Brianna Says His Name (from Candyman Soundtrack)
00:30:09 Talk break
00:32:14 Saad Kawkabani – Ya Sabooh Al Enab (from Music From Yemen Arabia • Sanaani – Laheji – Adeni)
00:43:00 Lawrence English – Observation Of Breath (from Observation Of Breath)
00:44:58 Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard – Music For 19 Bass Clarinets (from Saturations)
00:45:21 Unknown Giay Woman – Song In Lao Chai Village (from Ethnic Minority Music Of North Vietnam)
01:03:43 Talk break
01:07:45 Sadness – In A Memory (from Agnosia)
01:21:58 High Altitude Sounds Recorded At Various Speeds: Dawn-Chorus, Swishes, Whistlers, Tweeks (from Ionosphere)
01:22:57 Situation Dramas Utilizing Sound Effects (from Sound Effect Of Godzilla: Godzilla And His Friends)
01:31:13 Margaret Walker – Delta (from Margaret Walker Reads Margaret Walker And Langston Hughes)
01:32:31 Sarah Davachi – Magdalena (from Antiphonals)
01:42:27 Talk break
01:46:21 Low – Hey (from Hey What)
01:54:02 Samantha Bumgarner – Georgia Blues (from Hard Times Come Again No More Vol. 1 – Early American Rural Songs Of Hard Times And Hardships)
01:56:58 Mao Sareth – Wounds Of Love (from Wounds Of Love: Khmer Oldies, Vol. 1)
02:01:19 Talk break

 
A live set! First time in forever. It went ok. I think I figured out a setup that works for me.

Got some good shit on this one. I start out with two of my favorite records this year, mix in some Bahamian folk, Bengali spirituals, Japanese weirdness, Greek hymns, Easter Island chants, and of course some killer black metal.
 
Background music: The Ghostwriters – Slow Blue In Horizontal (from Remote Dreaming)

00:00:00 Talk break
Vouna – What Once Was (from Atropos)
Midwife – Promise Ring (from Luminol)
Karen Black – Babe Oh Babe (from Dreaming Of You (1971-1976))

00:29:08 Talk break
Chord – G9-11sus(b2)-F (from Imperfect Authentic Cadence)
Unknown Artists – Cultivate The Human Land (excerpt) (from Religious Songs From Bengal: Songs Of The Bauls And Poems Of Chandidas)
Elie Wiesel – The Song Of The Dead (from Reading From His Works)
Arushi Jain – The Sun Swirls Within You (from Under The Lilac Sky)

01:05:22 Talk break
Joseph Spence – Run Come See Jerusalem (from Encore: Unheard Recordings Of Bahamian Guitar And Singing)
Jose Bedmar – Guitar Improvisation (from Portrait Of Andalusia)
France Jobin – The Fluidity Of Time Does Not Exist Pt. I & Pt. II (excerpt) (from The Fluidity Of Time Does Not Exist)
Asenath Blake – Elemental Materialisation (from Zoëtic Songs)
Tvær – IV (from Uvaer)

01:32:11 Talk break
Ichiko Aoba – Pilgrimage (from Adan No Kaze)
Roxane Métayer – Partie II: Grottes Graciles (from Paroles Cavernicoles)
The Chuch Of The Theotokos Blachernae – Side A (from The Akathistos Hymn And The Veneration Of The Cross)
Amélia Tepano – Kaï Kaï (from Musiques De L’Ile De Pâques)

01:59:55 Talk break