Ask A Former Banking IT Guy Who Wants To Become An O-Chemist (Or Something Like That)

T. is part of my e-minarchisto posse (much love for the gry massive) but sometimes he’d say things about music that would make me cry blood. This is my attempt to eff the ineffable.

You and I are ebony and ivory (I probably tan better than you do) musically-speaking. If you’re into it I’m out of it, and vice versa. However, we both seem to like James Blackshaw. How is this possible?

Both of us liking James Blackshaw is possible because the universe is a vast and confusing place.  I mean, it’s like electrons right?  No two in the same atom can have the same quantum state, but they can have a few quantum numbers in common.  Our tastes, well, they’re both in an outer shell around n = 4, but you’re l = 3 and I’m l = 2.

Burning Witch – Crippled Lucifer

This reissue was one of my favorites of 2008. The name of the band is kinda dumb. References to Lucifer are generally to be avoided. It’s got that dude from Sunn O))) in it, and it’s a decade old.

But damn, I love it. I love it so much. There’s this part in “Sacred Predictions” where it starts up and the dude is just plain yelling about having all of his “pills and things” and this allows him to take a jaundiced eye of everyone’s view of his business. Then it rips into a phasey 70s chorus that sounds like the end of some weird British sci-fi show. Then he’s all yelling and shrieking again. And it works.

My other hard favorite is “History of Hell (Crippled Lucifer)” because it makes the 70s Brit-sci-fi vocals go sit in a toilet stall while the shouty guy voice is having his way with…stuff.

So yeah, Crippled Lucifer – so good it doesn’t matter it sounds like everything related to the project was named by a 7th grade math class.