New Monday #93
Happy Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday,
Yo! Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, or Pigsx7, is some heavy heavy stuff.
The Wrym - So it has a long instrumental intro but then asses are kicked at two minutes.
These guys formed up in 2012. They cut their first album, Feed the Rats, in 2017: 40 minutes of heavy-duty thud spread out over three tracks. Metal psychedelia. Black Sabbath meets the more wandery aspects of The Cure or Jane's Addiction, but somehow much heavier than all of that and really, really catchy. Tertiary herpes catchy. And somehow, the whole thing swings?
They assembled the record by writing riffs on paper and sticking them on the wall, and then someone pointed to a paper and the band would lurch over there. Brian Eno did similar things with Bowie and U2. With different results.
Pigs evolve. Second album, Kings of Cowards, is 40 minutes spread out across six songs. And the riffs keep getting better.
Their producer is a guy named Sam Grant — he's also their rhythm guitarist. He built his own studio, Blank, in the band's hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne. The first album was basically a sonic wall from 20Hz to wherever one's hearing craps out. Guitars are low and sludgy but somehow Mr. Grant gets a wonderful buzzy upper midrange in there, as well as ambience and space around the vocals, and lovely punchy drums that cut through the density like a bazooka shot at a house.
The second album keeps that wall, but adds doors and windows of dynamics and effects. And again, somehow it's all catchy and it swings.
Third Album: Viscerals: 38 minutes, eight songs. Halloween Bolson clocks in at 9 minutes. Blood and Butter is a wonderful little wtf? that lasts 1:39. Never a dull moment.
Fourth Album: Land of Sleeper. Ok, this is basically a horror movie soundtrack or maybe a concept album. It's heavy as hell. And it's fun! Just like a horror movie.
Here they are playing live at Blank Studios, where they record. Definitely a good live band. Singer Matt Baty... someone's uncle rescued from an awful job in IT by rock 'n' roll? Or a lyrical genius in silk boxers?
I sat down on my couch
Watched them die on the news
It was real, no fake news
I feel fine in my house
I'm okay
Latest, Death Hilarious. That just about sums things up. Grooving like vintage Deep Purple. Unpredictable guitar solos by Adam Ian Sykes. Grooves by John-Michael Hedley on bass and Ewan Mackenzie on drums.
Really interesting production thinking going on. Sam Grant picks out a unifying production element per record, such as a particular microphone which is then used everywhere — this is a Tchad Blake sort of move. Blank Studios has a nice collection of outboard and finally a console — an API. The studio features a big live room, obviously, and is set up for ATMOS. And Sam built his own plate reverb.
This is smart, aware music. These guys see the state of the world and point it out.
Ever heard the story of the ghost
Who manifested on a TV show?
The apparition that found its fame
Born again to entertain
And this:
Recently, I've been thinking
I might not be so well
Informed, but indecisive
Psychosomatic man
Hold on tight
Watch me ride
I could work hard at being kinder to myself
But it's way more thrilling
With existential dread
I think they come to the same conclusion the Rolling Stones did on Street Fighting Man: What can a poor boy do except sing for a rock 'n' roll band?
Well, you can learn your electronics.
We are digging deeper into the nitty-gritty this week. Electric fields and capacitors. Electricity is weird.
Don't feel you have to memorize this stuff to benefit from it. It will all come together very soon.
Warm regards regards regards regards regards regards regards,
Luke