This Week in Strange Music - Episode 6

1.) Song: "Blood Sweat and Murder"
Artist:  Scott H. Biram

We're coming out of the gate with some heat in this, the sixth episode 6 of This Week in Strange Music. I don't know where these artists come from -- I stumbled across this fella while swashbuckling my way through the bushes and the undergrowth of the Internet Archive one lazy afternoon -- but once again, I struck gold. This mix of punk, delta blues, and hillbilly rock from one Scott H. Biram will burn your belly and singe your soul. I don't know this guy's story, but this jam is best paired with robbing banks and racing the sheriff to nearest state line. Dig it ... just don't blame me if you feel like breaking the law when you're done. 

"Blood, Sweat, and Murder" -  Scott H. Biram

2.) Song: "Rat Trap"
Artist: Ralph Grasso 

A few installments ago, I played a song called "Dead Man's Stroll" by the early rock-n-roll group, The Revels. This song, which is mostly an instrumental, has a similar, early rock vibe, but it's also got a hint of jazz bebop and a taste of underworld sleaze that I find appealing. Like the song before it, I came across this tune while schlepping around the Internet Archive, but it was part of a compilation, so the link I'm providing here is to YouTube. That means there will be ads. Sorry about that.

According to Wikipedia, Grasso hailed from Newark, New Jersey, and worked as a session musician and on television and film scores. He performed for several U.S. Presidents and Queen Elizabeth. "Rat Trap" doesn't seem like the kind of song you'd play for such an audience (which is why I like it), but what do I know. 

"Rat Trap" - Ralph Grasso

3.) Song: "Flowers"
Artist: Godflesh 

I confess, I've known about this song since the early 1990s, so I didn't stumble across it on some weird website while I should have been doing other things. That said, I sort of forgot about it until it popped into my head while I was navigating the aisles of my local Food Lion the other day. (The mind works in mysterious ways!) Once I remembered it, my next thought was, this song would be perfect for This Week in Strange Music ... and it is! Not only is it weird, it's somewhat different from the rest of Godflesh's catalog. 

While the band is known for creating aggressive, angry, and even violent-sounding industrial-tinged metal (or metal-tinged industrial), this song has rather experimental vibe. The throbbing bass in it is pure* Godflesh (pun intended), so if you aren't familiar with this band and like that element of this song, you may want to investigate more of their music. 

I have been lucky enough to see Godflesh a few times (they seem to have frequent visa problems, so I mean it when I say "lucky") and I can tell you they are one of the loudest, most punishing bands ever, which makes their fondness for feedback a tough row to hoe sometimes. That said, strap yourself in for this delightfully weird and kinda creepy song.  

"Flowers" - Godflesh

* Pure is the name of the band's 1993 release, which came out right before the Merciless EP that "Flowers" is on.  

 

Until next time, babies ... stay strange!