March 3rd, 2009 9:16am
Sleep In The Dragon’s Mouth
Clues “Cave Mouth”
People have been referring to electric guitars as ‘axes’ for who knows how long now, but I don’t feel like I actually hear enough music in which guitars actually swing and slash in the manner of a big ol’ medieval battle ax. “Cave Mouth” does just that, and it’s rather specific. It’s not the sound of a knife or a sword; the particular tone and the velocity of attack imply the weight and the pendulous motion of a big fuck-off ax wielded with strength and grace. It’s pretty rad, and I’m not even the type of person to get excited about medieval weaponry. My impression of this is greatly influenced by the way Clues are (inadvertently?) combining the aesthetics of three bands I love in an unexpected way: The sharp, cutting chords of Chavez, the fantasy novel vibe of late-period Helium, and the oddball drama of the Danielson Famile. They’ve got the menace and violence, but the tone is not dark or serious — the genre of this song is adventure, not horror.
Pre-order it from Constellation Records.
3/4/09 2:07 pm
“Careful” is actually my favorite Wu-Tang video. I think what it lacks conceptually and creatively is made up for with Joseph Khan’s great cinematography, direction, and lighting. I think it’s a simple yet aesthetically effective way of conveying an idea, which is actually why I also like Capone N Noreaga’s new video for “Rotate”, although I’m sure they took that approach due to financial limitations rather than creative vision. However, the whole idea of “Careful” along with “Gravel Pit” and “Protect Ya Neck” comprising a short film is wack and poorly thought out. Yes, I am also aware that the video was never officially released due to quality concerns and then deceptively masked under the “MTV banned it” defense, even though I think they would have banned it anyway. SMH at Method Man for refusing to participate in this video due to its gratuitous violence yet promoting blatant misogyny in the “Gravel Pit” video.
I also think The Hidden Chambers compilation is great, but in my opinion no collection of Wu-Tang rarities is complete without RZA and GZA’s “Third World” from the Soul Assassins Ch.1 album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDsy2IGiviw
3/6/09 11:17 pm
was cave mouth taken down?
3/7/09 4:30 am
Yeah, I was asked to take it down.