Life really impacted Letters From A Tapehead this year.  Without going into too much detail, work and home responsibilities took a heavy percentage of my time, the highest concentration of which was spent in the Summer months, so my windows of opportunity to write and post were consequently small.  And then, when I did have some time to myself, I was so exhausted I'd stare at my laptop screen and contemplate a blank page until I'd just psych myself out and completely give up.  As I'm quality-focused, (or, at least as quality-focused as I try to be), if I couldn't pull something good together, I figured I'd just not pull something together at all.   All that being said, I still listened to a lot of music this year even if I didn't write about most of it.  A few regrettable misses:  Courtney Barnett (who no one could stop talking about all year), Viet Cong , Gang of Four , Mount Eerie (who released one of my favorite singles in early 2105), Battles , Le Butc

Chazz : Who'd win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God?  Chris Moore: Lemmy.  Rex : EEEEEEHHHHHH! Chris Moore : ... God?  Rex : Wrong, dickhead, trick question. Lemmy *IS* God. - Airheads, 1994 Image acquired from Motörhead's official site. Lemmy Kilmister has passed away .  Let that sink in for a second and realize that, if you're one of millions whose life had somehow become better thanks to this man, you never thought this could ever actually happen.  The man was unstoppable.  In life and in music, Lemmy was the guy who seemed to welcome age and illness with a shit-eating grin, alcohol on his breath, a Rickenbacker in his hands and that booming voice of his that raged with an air that spoke, "If you're not rock n' roll, you're part of the problem.  Get out of the way."  Many artists boast their distinction from the pack and put on airs like their genius and charisma are unmatched.  We'll see if those artists amass the respect and swor

Seemed appropriate. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Frank Zappa would be 75 years old today.  My stereo will be set to "Frank" all day.  Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Faith No More : "Separation Anxiety" (via Speakeasy PR/ Vice /YouTube) Matmos : "Ultimate Care II Excerpt Five" (via Thrill Jockey Records/YouTube) Richard J. Birkin : "Vigil I" (via Rarely Unable/Soundcloud) Heron Oblivion : "Oriar" (via Sub Pop/ Stereogum /YouTube) Tsyphur Zalan : "Dobryy Vechir" (via Us/Them/ Vice's The Creator's Project /YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

There's a band called Classhole out there in this world of ours and that means things can't be all that bad.  While hardcore can’t be credited with offering much more than amplified and simple doses of speed and rage, (and this is a very general assessment, mind you), there’s something to be said for music that’s simply meant to "wakey wakey" us from the drudgery and offer a much needed jolt that caffeinated beverages can no longer provide.  If some reaction to a track like “Bloodshot” doesn’t occur within the first second of that thickened slab of low end and guitar strangulation, I don’t know what to do for you. Opening up 2016 with what sounds like it'll be a metal-infused hardcore blast, the band is releasing its self-titled debut LP on January 1st through Terror Cult Records (which is the band's own label) and The Compound Recs .  There's a pre-order link below (or here ).  You can sample some of the tracks from the debut below, which were made ava

You can listen to "Kannon 1" here: Kannon by SUNN O))) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Kanga: "Tension" (via Kinsmen and Meng/Soundcloud) Run The Jewels : "Rubble Kings Theme (Dynamite)" (via RTJ/YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

In the interest of rock n' roll, I'm sharing this mixtape curated by the good people at RidingEasy Records.  Details and tracklist have been provided by Us/Them Group. Enjoy. Southern California label RidingEasy Records celebrates the end of a massive year and gives a peek at more ass-kickery to come in 2016 with the RidingEasy Winter 2016 Mixtape. Presented by KR3W , the mix features new, unreleased tracks from forthcoming albums by Electric Citizen and Mondo Drag . Hear & share HERE . FREE download HERE .   The 14-song set also includes tracks from many RidingEasy bands with releases in 2015, like Monolord , Sons of Huns , Slow Season , Spelljammer , Holy Serpent and more. Please see complete track listing below.   Limited edition CDs will be available FREE with orders at the top of 2016 while supplies last via ridingeasyrecords.com and distributed at skate shops throughout the USA, Japan, Europe and Australia. Available for free download now! TRACKLIST: 01