BUT I THOUGHT EVERYONE IN ADVERTISING SMOKED...

I'm surprised some ultra-hip/cynical manufacturer hasn't already made these...



That image, and 62 more, are collected here. Many common tropes (the smoke skull in particular) emerge, and there are some (the "War" posters) that are just bizarre, but overall the individual and collective effects are pretty strong.

SATURDAY MAILBAG

Because I'm sure everyone is just fascinated by this.

Darkthrone, Circle the Wagons (Peaceville)
First Meeting, Cut the Rope (Libra)
Satoko Fujii Ma-Do, Desert Ship (Libra)
Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo, Zakopane (Libra)
Gato Libre, Shiro (Libra)
Dave Holland Octet, Pathways (Dare2)
The Infesticons, Bedford Park (Big Dada)
Jahcoozi, Barefoot Wanderer (Bpitch Control)
Poirier, Running High (Ninja Tune)
Six Gallery, Breakthroughs in Modern Art (Superball/Century Media)
Soulfly, Omen (Roadrunner)
Various Artists, Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976 (Tropicalia in Furs)

Also, two books (both of which I paid for):

Joe Hill, Horns
Elijah Wald, Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas

A WITCH, A WIZZARD AND 10 MORE

Not quite as epic as last Tuesday's 20-disc downpour, but here's what I got in today's mail:

Africa, Amanaz (Shadoks)
Thomas Fehlmann, Gute Luft (Kompakt)
Gama Bomb, Tales from the Grave in Space (Earache)
Gamma Ray, To the Metal! (E.A.R. Music)
High on Fire, Snakes for the Divine (E1) (this is the Best Buy version, with the exclusive studio track "Mystery of Helm" and bonus live versions of "Eyes and Teeth" and "Cometh Down Hessian")
Jóhann Jóhannsson, and in the endless pause there came the sound of bees (Type)
Thomas Savy, French Suite (Plus Loin Music)
Secondhand Sureshots, Secondhand Sureshots (Stones Throw)
Stigma, Concerto for the Undead (Pivotal Rockordings)
Jacky Terrasson, Push (Concord)
White Wizzard, Over the Top (Earache)
Witch, Lazy Bones!! (Shadoks)

THIS WEEK ON ALTPRESS.COM

CHELSEA GRIN
Desolation of Eden (Artery/Razor & Tie)
Salt Lake City-based six-piece Chelsea Grin have all the deathcore basics down. The galloping, triggered double-bass drums; the pinched squeals of guitar at the end of downtuned riffs; the ultra-low breakdowns; the vocals that alternate gut-churning growls with witchy screeches. That's all superficial, though. What's important is what's uniquely theirs, and that's the feeling of ominous suspense that underpins songs like "False Sense Of Sanity" and the album's title track. The rhythms aren't so much blast beats as tribal throbs, and the riffs come in slow like bombers above an unsuspecting city pre-dawn. The guitar solos aren't spurts of fretboard overstimulation; they're almost the opposite, slow-burning interludes of relative peace not unlike those played by Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendal (minus the brain-crushing technicality, of course). This is an assured debut by six youngsters with bright futures.

OF MICE & MEN
Of Mice & Men (Rise)
Yes, Of Mice & Men were formed by the former Attack Attack! frontman Austin Carlile. You should keep reading, though; they're nowhere near as awful as that implies. OM&M don't break any new ground--fans of overwrought screaming that leads into piercingly shrill clean vocals, ultra-percussive guitar riffing, and breakdowns every 30 seconds or so will find a slot for this right alongside many similar discs by similar acts. But a few of their attempts to stretch out slightly come off well; the piano at the end of "Second & Sebring," not to mention Carlile's softly crooned vocals that nudge into Coheed And Cambria territory, make it more than a typical screamo riff-display. These guys don't have a damn thing new to say lyrically, and they haven't reinvented (or even re-treaded) the wheel musically, but they're not bad.

The new print edition is out, too, and I've got some stuff in there. In the 100 Bands You Need To Know In 2010 omnibus cover story, I write up Circle of Contempt, Parkway Drive and Stray from the Path; and in the review section, I cover the new discs by Dark Tranquillity and Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi.

MIDWEEK AMG UPDATE

Here are links to my 10 most recent All Music Guide reviews:

Abscess, Dawn of Inhumanity
Barren Earth, The Curse of the Red River
GridLink, Amber Gray
Hayaino Daisuki, Headbanger's Karaoke Club Dangerous Fire
Hayaino Daisuki, The Invincible Gate Mind of the Infernal Fire Hell, Or Did You Mean Hawaii Daisuki?
Infanticide, From Our Cold Dead Hands
La 33, La 33
La 33, Gózalo
Mortemia, Misere Mortem
White Wizzard, Over the Top