After our blog feast the other week – thanks to When You Awake for getting in touch and for all your other recommendations, by the way – I figured I should mention a couple more.
So thanks also to Chris P on this week’s playlist thread, who reminded me about Ethan Miller’s own awesome new blog, Silver Currant. Wild Mercury Sound regulars are probably heartily sick of me going on about Miller who, through his work fronting Howlin Rain and Comets On Fire, is something of a totemic figure round these parts.
Ethan’s just started his blog, and has already posted two amazing Rapidshare links. One is a jam session when Comets guitarist Ben Chasny tried out his bandmates for a meatier take on his Six Organs Of Admittance material.
The second is an extraordinary mixtape of psychedelic heavy rock from around the globe, compiled by Howlin Rain’s European promoter, John Fitzgerald. “Fitz Killer Riff” is pretty short on familiar names – I recognised Erkin Koray, Coloured Balls, Ike Turner and Tommy James, and discovered through a bit of Googling that the mildly obscene garage Led Zep of Zipper was an early vehicle for Fred Cole of Dead Moon. But I can’t think I’ve heard a better comp this year, certainly not since Chasny sent over his “Golden Years” thing.
Anyway, check it out. And also, if you’re interested in trees, have a look at Mario Vaden’s blog, who got in touch after I mentioned Richard Preston’s book, “The Wild Trees”, on a blog about Alela Diane. Lots of beautiful pictures of the biggest redwoods in the world, which work for me.