Italian jazz fusion meets Arabic music — I find the Weird Albums Series hilarious. No, it’s not because of the context. It’s because the albums are alike. Every album on WAS has these characteristics: The album was released between the 1970s to 1990s. Mainly rock Most albums are from outside the United States (except for Frank Zappa…

Don’t miss on Frank Zappa, The Mothers, and Captain Beefheart in this once-in-a-lifetime event. — The time to discuss the trifecta has arrived. Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and The Mothers of Invention are experimental rock legends. And for one night, they recorded their concert for all to hear. This month is the one-year anniversary of the Weird Albums Series, and mentioning their live LP is…

You’ll love it — Times were rough for Iran in 1979, as a revolt against the government transformed Iran into an authoritarian landscape. Once Iran belonged to the rebels, they banned everything from women’s rights to music. In the United States, Iran’s music censorship floored Frank Zappa. How could anyone illegalize something which brought…

The Boredoms unleash industrial soundscapes with their instruments on Pop Tatari — Japan’s hardcore punk scene in the ’80s was cataclysmic; concertgoers had to sign waivers to attend a show. Said show was from Tetsurō Yamatsuka (Yamataka Eye or eYe) and Japanoise outfit, Hanatarash had attendees sign forms. Attendees must prepare for any steel, glass, or metal meeting their face or body…

You asked for the Beatles, and you received something else entirely — Sheer confidence Polydor Germany had towards Faust. They thought they had found the next Beatles. So, they invested countless Deutsche marks so Faust could write Abbey Road. And, of course, Faust let Polydor Germany down, as Faust’s albums had disappointing sales. Polydor Germany wasted their efforts, but it was all…

An album too dense. I’m sick — The therapist and doctor are right. It would be best if you lowered your stress. High stress can cause unwanted diseases and decrease your lifespan. I can explain what happens, but it will cause more fatigue if you suffer from severe stress levels. I’m learning this the hard way. If…

Ambient techno evolve — Techno is an abstract genre. But it has the right amount of timbre and dissonance not to puzzle the listener. None other than Aphex Twin can pull off such heights. He has enough edge and mystique for casual and techno fans. Aphex Twin isn’t the strangest compared to the other…

Please refresh the page — How can a band be so ambiguous that they don’t reveal who they are? Throughout their fifty-year career, no one has discovered the identity of these characters. For all we know, the members have interchanged in the decades since. To further their mystique, the band produced an album they didn’t…

And for dessert, krautrock — The German youth of 1968 were tired of jazz and rock n roll; they wanted something exciting and fresh. They then mixed techno, jazz, psychedelic, and avant-garde rock to create krautrock, a sub-genre that combines experimental music with techno and psychedelic rock. One krautrock pioneer was Can, and Germany couldn’t…

Any questions? — The ’90s was a magical year for music. If I can summarize the decade, I would structure it this way: Nirvana and boy bands, with much grey in between. Does anyone remember nu-metal? Between the grey existed a band that many music fans say began nu-metal. Their use of experimental…

It’s a merry-go-round your head awake, asleep, alive, or dead — A vocalist did the worst thing they could do in the early ’90s: they joined another band. Many viewed it as a betrayal, but for Mike Patton, it was another job, a project he could work on before he made another LP with Faith No More. The project was with…

A drink made with the finest guavas. A 100% boognish guarantee! — The ’90s grunge scene resurrected an attitude from ’70s punk: it’s wrong to sell out. Musicians giving their music to a major label is career suicide; the major’s influence would wreck their sound once they took hold. The antagonism towards the label was apparent, but Ween didn’t care. They wanted…

This is what depression sounds like — While taking a break from my night shift factory job, I opened Rateyourmusic.com to see which albums they say are best in the avant-garde metal genre. Right away, a black and white grain image of a woman sitting in the corner captures my attention. I entered Spotify as fast as…

Bulbous also tapered. That’s right! — Many moons ago, I talked about weird bands. In my list, I mentioned how any music that sounds unusual is subjective. You can say the latest song on streaming sounds odd, as the artist experiments with different effects. A casual listener will find the music bizarre and off-balanced. …