old friends...

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (Deluxe Edition)
I have absolutely no need to buy this album, I already have the normal version and two versions of the companion remix album (Further down the Spiral). All this has going for it really are 3 demo versions of songs that I don't own, and it's on Super Audio CD - not that does any good to me as I don't have a Super Audio CD player, so the 5.1 channel mix is wasted on me. But anyway, ignoring those facts what we have is an absolute classic album that still sounds fresh even though it's 10 years old. Written and produced during one of Nine Inch Nails more 'violent' phases hinted at by song titles such as Mr Self Destruct and Big Man with a gun it gained some notoriety by being recorded at the house where the Manson Family murders happened. Despite the violence and bleak subject matter there are some moments of beauty. You should all know about Hurt from the Johnny Cash video, A Warm Place sounds like a less harsh version of what M83 have started to do, and then there is Piggy - my sometimes favourite song on the album, which you can listen to here.

MP3: Piggy

The Evens
Self titled debut from duo comprising of Iam Mackaye from Fugazi and Amy Farina who was in The Warmers one of those short lived Dischord bands who release one or two brilliant albums and then disband. Anyway, we're into gentle Fugazi territory here, quite minimalistic at times which isn't suprising considering the line up. A very good album for grown up punk rock fans, my only issue with it is the non-inclusion of the brilliant Vowel Movement from Pancake Mountain (if by some minor miracle/misfortune I end up with kids, they are so growing up watching that program).

MP3: Shelter Two