Blog: Muzak For Cybernetics

23 years, 6 albums, never changed their line-up once, and I never heard of them until today. New Zealand's The Bats, who look like your local bar band, play interesting jangly indie pop with an acoustic base. It's hard to dislike these Kiwis, they give me the same pleasant feeling I get from listening to the Shins. "Bells" is taken from their new release, "At the National Grid", which is available on Portland, Oregon's Magic Marker Records

Originally I thought this new single-disc Nirvana compilation "Sliver: The Best Of The Box" would simply trim all the fat from last year's "With The Lights Out" box set, making for one solid disc of outtakes and rarities. It turns out it's just as muddled as the box set was. The track listing is still filled with demo recordings and rough versions of a lot of songs we've all heard before. What I want is a definitive collection of all the great b-sides from their singles and various compilations... is that so much to ask?? The 1990 Studio Demo of [...]

No longer on Jade Tree, Milemarker have jumped over to Eyeball Records for their latest release "Ominosity". They don't seem to fit in nicely with any particular sound or genre, which may be why they keep switching labels. I'm surprised they aren't more well-known though, especially since their live shows are supposed to be fantastic. On this new album they continue their goal of being a high concept band while exhibiting a healthy obsession with both 80's new wave synths and raw hardcore punk. "Food Chain" almost reminds me of a marriage between Gary Numan, Thunderbirds Are Now and Sick [...]

Scottish mod-pop-psych-weirdos Super Furry Animals are at The Phoenix tonight in Toronto. I won't be there unfortunately, but it's probably just as well... I found their last couple of albums mostly forgettable. (The remix album for Phantom Power was so much better than the original!) Their latest "Love Kraft" does have a few moments of inspiration though. "Frequency" is one of the highlights in my opinion, along with the single "Lazer Beam" and the bizarre instrumental "Oi Frango". Give it a listen, see what you think. » [...]

Some of you may have heard the various tracks out there of Bush's state of the union addresses cut up to make him look foolish. Rx takes it to another level entirely and makes full rock and dance songs out of Bush quotes. Some seem to spread a political message, but most are just fun and stupid. Another one of Rx's tracks,"Who's the Nigga?" is perhaps the best known of all of them thanks to various humor websites, but my favorite is "Birthday" because it features a guest appearance from the Guvernator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Each one of Rx's compositions [...]

This new EP from Texas instrumental group Explosions In The Sky has already sold out of its limited edition pressing, and the band has made it clear that they don't mind people sharing the album online. Volume 21 of the Travels In Constants series (dubbed "The Rescue") is another step in the band's evolution, finding them turning down the volume a bit while also inventing more intricate melodies. Each song was written and recorded in the span of a day, spread over an 8 day period, and the results are interesting. "Day Two" in particular is almost reminiscent of Sigur [...]

I suppose it only makes sense for a prog-influenced band to release a live album at some point, but it does seem a little premature for The Mars Volta considering they've only produced 2 full-length albums thus far in their career. "Scabdates" is an attempt to one up all the poor quality bootlegs that have been floating around out there, and also perhaps silence those who would accuse them of being a poor live band. Are The Mars Volta the next Phish? I hope not. Anyways, the MP3 I've linked below is live rendition of one of my faves from [...]

Hello and welcome to what I hope will slowly develop into a great place to find out about new music. You can think of Muzak For Cybernetics as an experimental subdivision of the website and group blog Spacejunk.org . We will start offering MP3s for a limited time from bands that we find fascinating so that you may enjoy them as well. If you like what you hear, go out and buy the album! You may have just discovered a new favourite band.