THE ZENFORMATION PLAYLIST 11/27/06: Swiss Black Metal for a Swedish Epic, Rapper/Actors As Law Enforcement, and Random Tofurky-Lovin' Sounds...

THE TREES
Pulp, We Love Life (Polygram, 2001)
When the hell is Pulp going to come out with another studio album? Who knows? Not their best album (nope, that honor falls to 1998's This is Hardcore, a runner-up for that year's Mercury Prize), but sometimes one must be grateful for small miracles.

A DYING GOD COMING INTO HUMAN FLESH [VIDEO HERE]
Celtic Frost, Monotheist (Century Media, 2006)
You know...if there's one genre I've often overlooked in these playlists, it's the growling - while- dressed - as - a- zombie - Jesus/Pope stylings of Swiss black metal legends Celtic Frost. CF is probably one of the world's biggest metal bands and they seem to be getting better with age - these guys even scare Slayer fans. Probably the creepiest - and most surreal - music video I've seen in a while. Sorta like watching Bergman's The Seventh Seal with the Trent Reznor.

THE OUTLAW'S PRAYER
Johnny PayCheck, Armed and Crazy (Epic, 1978)
Hey...you try following up a death metal track with something... Actually, I think even the late, great country wildman would probably appreciate it...

'98 [MP3 HERE]
Thavius Beck f. Nocando, Thru (Mush, Oct. 3, 2006)
Thru marks the return of Minnesota-raised Thavius, one of the best electronic music producers out there. Nocando, one of L.A.'s most unique hip-hop voices, brought me to tears with some of the most emotionally-intense rapping I've ever heard.

BURNING BUKOWSKI IN LOS ANGELES [MP3 HERE]
The Cold Archives Experiment, via MySpace (2006)
Yep... cheap plug. I actually received an email from a listener! And it wasn't hate mail! Go me!

INDESTRUCTIBLE SAM [MP3 HERE]
HEATHER NIGHTS [ MP3 HERE]
Buck 65, Dirty Work EP (online self-release, Nov. 14, 2006)
I make no secret of the fact that I'm a huge fan of Canadian artist Buck 65. The guy's basically underground hip-hop's answer to Leonard Cohen. The dude spanks a banjo over a fucking drum machine, for chrissakes! If these tracks aren't enough, if you'd like to go back to the days when constructing a rap track was more of a primitive art form than ringtone packaging, check out Buck's digital "mixtape," Stong Arm. (Side 1 and Side 2)

HEART OF GOLD
Neil Young, Harvest (Reprise, 1972)
You know you grew up with cousins who smoked way too much pot were really laid back, especially if you remember hearing this album played over and over, via the an original vinyl pressing through Hi-Fi speakers.

ORIGINAL GANGSTER [VIDEO HERE]
Ice-T, OG: Original Gangster (Sire/Warner, 1991)
You know, I still love this song - in spite of the fact that, yeah, the OG now kicks it as the rapper/actor best known for playing an NYPD detective.

A LIFE OF CRIME
The Weirdos, Weird World, Vol. 1 (Frontier, 1993)
One of my all-time favorite punk songs by one of my all-time favorite bands. For some reason, their music still makes me want to corrupt the youth of America. Not sure why, really. They just do.

# # #