Radical Research Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 56 – Genesis & The Lamb’s Hindquarters Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

“If you think it’s pretentious, you’ve been taken for a ride”

With this episode, we look at the second half of Genesis’s 1974 double-album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Garnering a mixed reaction upon release, it eventually grew into a mammoth cult classic. But it still has its detractors -- or, at least, fans saying that it’s “front-loaded,” “top heavy,” “falters in the last half” or other such nonsense. Clearly we disagree! We believe it is utterly fantastic – exactly as it all should be -- in its entirety. We celebrate the Lamb’s hindquarters with this 90-minute episode.

Note I: You’d think by episode 56, we’d have the technical issues ironed out. But…clearly Jeff’s mic is farting out, making him sound like he’s encased in wool the entire episode. "Turn down that gain, boy!" (We'll get it next time.) It was less shitty before editing and the adding of song snippets, but something happened in that process and it got worse. Perhaps it’s a “black cloud descending on Manhattan” sorta thing, which would at least be appropriate. At least it’s listenable. Hunter sounds like a damn choir of angels.

Note II: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast We also have a webstore where you can find shirts, CDs, and books:

https://www.radicalresearch.org/shop/

Music cited, in order of appearance: all songs from Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, 1974, unless otherwise noted: “Lilywhite Lilith” “The Light,” live somewhere in France, March, 1972 “The Waiting Room” “The Waiting Room,” demo of isolated sound effects, 1974 “Anyway” “Frustration,” 1970 non-album track “Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist” “The Lamia” “The Colony of Slippermen” (two moments) “The Light Dies Down on Broadway” “Riding the Scree” “In the Rapids” “It”

Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it. This is Radical Research Podcast episode 56

Episode 55 – Wicked Webs Weaved: The Works of Hammers of Misfortune Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

Herewith we present an overview of one of the most beguiling bands to emerge from American soil. Part doomed epic metal, part gothic grandeur, peppered with prog, and very much in the spirit of our other chameleonic favorites, we run through Hammers of Misfortune’s works beginning in 1998 -- when they were called Unholy Cadaver -- and ending with their most recent work, 2016’s Dead Revolution. We hail leader John Cobbett and his revolving cast of mischievous misfits. As ever, this should be considered an overview only. We leave the serious deep diving up to you.

Note I: You can buy all Hammers of Misfortune albums at the band’s own Bandcamp page, where the money goes directly into their pockets. There is no better way! https://hammersofmisfortune.bandcamp.com/music

Note II: Check the Radical Research Blog on www.radicalresearch.org in a week or two: we’ll have an interview with Hammers of Misfortune ship captain John Cobbett up there as a supplement to this episode. Note III: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast We also have a webstore where you can find shirts, CDs, and books:

Music cited, in order of appearance: “The Waif With Sunken Eyes” (as Unholy Cadaver) (Demo Number One, 1998) “You Should Have Slain Me” (The Bastard, 2001) “Sacrifice / The End” (The Bastard, 2001) “Rainfall” (The August Engine, 2003) “A Room and a Riddle” (The August Engine, 2003) “The August Engine Part 2” (The August Engine, 2003) “Trot Out the Dead” (The Locust Years, 2006) “Chastity Rides” (The Locust Years, 2006) “Motorcade” (Fields / Church of Broken Glass, 2008) “The Gulls” (Fields / Church of Broken Glass, 2008) “The Grain” (17th Street, 2011) “The Day the City Died” (17th Street, 2011) “The Precipice (Waiting for the Crash)” (Dead Revolution, 2016) “Here Comes the Sky” (Dead Revolution, 2016) ep. 56 preview: Genesis, “Ravine” (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, 1974) Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it. This is Radical Research Podcast episode 55

Episode 54 – Radical Miscellany: 7 Degrees of Norwegian Metal Separation & Uli Kusch Glorified Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

part 1: In which Hunter is assigned a 7 Degrees of Separation task, with these parameters: begin in Norwegian metal, end in Norwegian metal. Betwixt, he was free to roam. We start at Ivar Bjornson (Enslaved) and end with Morty Black (TNT). Hunter’s route is circuitous, but he did it. Good show, Radish! [We won’t reveal the entire chain here…you’ll just have to listen.]

part 2: In which we celebrate Uli Kusch. We don’t know when his birthday is. We aren’t celebrating an anniversary. And, thankfully, Uli Kusch didn’t just die. We are simply taking a brief look at a German drummer we have always appreciated and consider underrated in the grander scheme. We glance at a few snippets of his work in Mekong Delta, Helloween and Holy Moses, because it’s the right thing to do and the right way to do it.

Note I: Turns out, Hunter could’ve skipped a whole step! Ivar Bjornson and Einar Selvik have recorded together: under both their names, they released Skuggsjá - A Piece for Mind & Mirror in 2016 and Hugsjá in 2018. But his assignment was seven degrees, not six, and he pulled through righteously. Note II: An unintentional link between this episode’s two parts: Uli Kusch now lives in Norway. We would love if he joined TNT and put more wheels within our other wheels within wheels. Note III: In the beginning of this episode we talk about the new Ulver book, Wolves Evolve. We urge all Norwegophiles to buy it here: https://www.indiemerchstore.com/item/90855

Note IV: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast We also have a webstore where you can find shirts, CDs, and books (more gear, music and literature to be added soon!): https://www.radicalresearch.org/shop/

Music cited, in order of appearance: part 1: Enslaved, “Mardraum” (Mardraum: Beyond the Within, 2000) Gorgoroth, “Incipit Satan” (Incipit Satan, 2000) Wardruna, “Hagal” (Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga, 2009) Exodus, “Pleasures of the Flesh” (Pleasures of the Flesh, 1988) Metallica, “Through the Never” (Metallica, 1991) TNT, “Desperate Night” (Tell No Tales, 1987) part 2: Mekong Delta, “The Gnome” (The Gnome [EP], 1987) Helloween, “Revelation” (Better Than Raw, 1998) Holy Moses, “Current of Death” (entire song) (Finished With the Dogs, 1987) Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it. This is Radical Research Podcast episode 54

Episode 53 – It’s All Gone Weird: The Ved Buens Ende/Virus A/B Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

We love to draw lines and conclusions. We hear links and threads where there may be none, or, on a good day, where we might just be onto something. And we love Norway, especially its music. Especially the weird metal stuff. And we have always found that the short life of Ved Buens Ende and the spirit of their sole album, Written in Waters (1995), lived on within the nutty realm of Virus’s Carheart debut (2003). We compare/contrast these two landmark Norweird albums and find that Carl-Michael Eide has a lot of really great things to answer for. Don’t take this one too seriously…even if we do. Note I: It truly all went weird on the back end. Hunter had to call in on his phone, a first...there was an issue with his laptop and microphone. As a result, Hunter sounds like he has either a lisp, a few missing teeth, or been shot full of novocaine. He makes his usual salient points with the expected degree of articulation you’ve come to expect. Thanks for suffering through it. Note II: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast We also have a webstore where you can find shirts, CDs, and books (more gear, music and literature to be added soon!): https://www.radicalresearch.org/shop/

Music cited, in order of appearance: Ved Buens Ende, “You, That May Wither” (Written in Waters, 1995) Virus, “Gum, Meet, Mother“ (Carheart, 2003) Ved Buens Ende, “Carrier of Wounds” (Written in Waters, 1995) Virus, “Be Elevator” (Carheart, 2003) Ved Buens Ende, “Coiled in Wings” (Written in Waters, 1995) Virus, “It’s All Gone Weird” (Carheart, 2003) Ved Buens Ende, “I Sang for the Swans” (Written in Waters, 1995) Virus, “Queen of the Hi-Ace” (Carheart, 2003) Ved Buens Ende, “Autumn Leaves” (Written in Waters, 1995) Virus, “Hustler” (Carheart, 2003) Jane’s Enslaved, “Fenris Size” (1988/1994) (our apologies to Enslaved and Jane’s Addition, and thank you Chris Maycock)

Episode 52 – Eight-Sided Views of Two-Headed Turtles: The Mars Volta’s Octahedron Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

A journey through a wilderness of Nembutals and Luciforms, The Mars Volta’s fifth album offers up a radical departure from the itinerant mania of The Bedlam in Goliath, to explore the inscrutable, dream-like vistas of the interior mind. Though songs like “Teflon” and “Cotopaxi” puncture the reverie with their rhythmic brawn, Octahedron is governed by an acquiescence to the spacious, liminal dimensions of the dream-state. Festooned with the surrealist art of Jeff Jordan, Octahedron travels the paths of psychic borders and the distorted geographies of the human mind put under the pressures of the absurd. We invite you to descend with us into this quiet miasma. Note I: Hunter mentions in this episode De Facto, the dub/Latin band featuring Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Ikey Owens, and Jeremy Ward, who operated from 1998 to 2003. Incidentally, Ward provided the muse for the first Mars Volta full-length, De-Loused in the Comatorium, following his untimely death. Note II: John Frusciante, lynchpin in Red Hot Chili Peppers (a band uniformly disliked by the hosts of this podcast), has made numerous, godlike contributions to the music of The Mars Volta, and appears in fine form on Octahedron. Your sins are forgiven, Mr. Frusciante. We offer you absolution in return for your noble deeds.

Note III: Yeah, yeah…Jeff said “Cedric” at 59:32, but meant “Omar.” A bizarre sound glitch happens early on, too, and Jeff wants to confirm he said "crafty," not "crappy," re: Steve Zimmerman.

Note IV: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast We also have a webstore where you can find shirts and books (more gear, music and literature to be added soon!): https://www.radicalresearch.org/shop/

Music cited, in order of appearance: [all from The Mars Volta, Octahedron, 2009] “Since We’ve Been Wrong” "Teflon” “Halo of Nembutals” “With Twilight As My Guide” “Cotopaxi” “Desperate Graves” “Copernicus” “Luciforms” episode 53 preview: Virus, “Dogs With Wheels” (Carheart, 2003)

Episode 51 – Suffocated by Stars: Ripping Into Nocturnus’s ‘Thresholds’ Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

Continuing our appreciation for the unloved misfits of Metalopolis, we always considered 1992’s Thresholds, by Florida’s Nocturnus, an honorary 1993 album. Until we found out it was recorded in December 1991. Whatever the case, these eight chunky, blocky, cosmic, technical songs find Nocturnus at its densest and strangest. While every ingredient adds to the peculiar flavor, it’s all about the wild tandem ripping of guitarists Mike Davis and Sean McNenney when you get right down to it. And we get right down to it! Thanks for joining us, and sorry for Jeff’s weak presence…technical issues, of course. Note I: If you don’t want to hear us talking about dreams about Prong, Def Leppard album covers, our break in the once-mutual “favorite Queensryche album” topic, or Christmas at Jim Durkin’s house, skip to 18:08 to enter our discussion of Nocturnus’s Thresholds.

Note II: But if you skipped ahead, you might have missed us discovering the quite fascinating fact that both Thomas Dolby and Yes’s Tony Kaye are un-credited contributors to Def Leppard’s Pyromania album. Note III: And if you skipped ahead, you won’t care about this correction: Jeff said the Durkin Christmas gathering was in the mid/late ‘90s. He was so wrong. It was actually around 2003/04 or so. Note IV: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast We also have a webstore where you can find shirts and books (more gear, music and literature to be added soon!): https://www.radicalresearch.org/shop/

Music cited, in order of appearance: [all from Nocturnus, Thresholds, 1992] “Climate Controller” “Tribal Vodoun” “Nocturne in Bm” “Arctic Crypt” “Aquatica” “Subterranean Infiltrator” “Alter Reality” “Gridzone” episode 52 preview: The Mars Volta, “Luciforms” (Octahedron, 2009)

Episode 50 – Exalt of the Weird: Celebrating Celtic Frost’s Into the Pandemonium Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

Storming the gates with a new wave cover tune, borrowing from Baudelaire and sampling from NASA Apollo transmissions over primitive machine pulses, Swiss pioneers Celtic Frost exploited terrain no metal band had before with their third full-length album. Created under constant stress and duress in the early months of 1987, the self-produced album was a bold, controversial piece of art that continues to divide the Frost fan base decades later. Irrational yet focused, phantasmagoric yet genuine, and depicting a Heavenly sort of Hell, Into the Pandemonium knots together opposing forces and plunges us into the abode of all demons. Playful, mischievous, path-finding demons… Note I: “Babylon Fell,” “Caress Into Oblivion” and “I Won’t Dance” are subtitled on some version of Into the Pandemonium thusly, parenthetically, and respectively: “Jade Serpent,” “Jade Serpent II” and “The Elders’ Orient.” Note II: Jeff misspoke slightly. The correct title of the Hieronymous Bosch painting that the band used for the album cover is The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Note III: As noted at the end of this episode, Radical Research will be on hiatus for a couple months. We love RR and are not letting it die. We are just letting it take a little nap. Please check out our older episodes until we resume with episode 51 sometime late spring 2020. And please check the Blog section on RadicalResearch.org as we will be posting an interview with Manes leader Tor-Helge Skei as well as Hunter’s thorough, thought-provoking essay on Solefald’s Neonism album. Thanks for your support and, especially right now, your patience. We will return!

Note IV: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast Music cited, in order of appearance: [all songs Celtic Frost, except where noted] Side A: Wall of Voodoo, “Mexican Radio” (Call of the West, 1982) “Mexican Radio” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) “Mesmerized” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) Christian Death, “Figurative Theatre” (Only Theatre of Pain, 1982) “Inner Sanctum” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) “Eternal Summer” (To Mega Therion, 1985) “Sorrows of the Moon” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) “Tristesses de la Lune” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) Dead Can Dance, “Windfall” (Within the Realm of a Dying Sun, 1987) “Babylon Fell” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) “Suicidal Winds” (Emperor’s Return, 1985)

Side B: “Caress Into Oblivion” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) Anathema, “Shroud of Frost” (The Silent Enigma, 1995) “One in Their Pride” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) Skinny Puppy, “One Time One Place” (Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse, 1986) “I Won’t Dance” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) “Downtown Hanoi” (Cold Lake, 1988) (remixed version, with restored drum track and new guitars) “Rex Irae (Requiem)” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) Believer, “Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)” (Sanity Obscure, 1990) “Oriental Masquerade” (Into the Pandemonium, 1987) “The Inevitable Factor” (Into the Pandemonium non-album track, 1987) Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it. This is Radical Research Podcast e

Episode 49 – CAVEAT!!!!!! Nuclear Death 1986-2000 Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

Many bands have professed to play death metal, but few have summoned the power of death itself, have forced the very bowels of earth to erupt. Nuclear Death, the lords of their own putrid hell-scape, emerged from the sun-scorched wastes of Phoenix, Arizona to ply some of the most personal, most unsettling metal ever to heave itself out of its own rotting grave. On our 49th episode, we survey the pastures of torture, incest, and psychedelic terror that define the band's art. From the septic, Expressionist death of Bride of Insect, to the phantasmagoric slumbers of The Planet Cachexial and the disquieting, mutant sounds of Harmony Drinks of Me, we urge all who are strong of stomach and loin to join us as we descend into the aching hell that is the world of Nuclear Death. Note I: Thanks to Ted Tringo at Dark Symphonies/The Crypt for the demo era mp3s. Ted offers a ton of amazing items for the serious collector. Click here for a great deal on two mandatory recordings by Nuclear Death: http://darksymphonies.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=63

Note II: 12 Adjectives for Nuclear Death: Heinous. Vile. Fucked. Humiliating. Feral. Illegal. Diseased. Septic. Phantasmagoric. Dismissive. Harmful. Solar. Note III: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast Music cited, in order of appearance: “Necrobestiality” (Bride of Insect, 1990) “Shrieking Terror” (Wake Me When I’m Dead, 1986 demo) “The Third Antichrist” (Welcome to the Minds of the Morbid, 1987 demo) “Vultures Feeding” (Vultures Feeding, 1988 demo) “Fetal Lament: Homesick” (Bride of Insect, 1990) “The Misshapen Horror” (Bride of Insect, 1990) “Greenflies” (Carrion for Worm, 1992) “Vampirism” (Carrion for Worm, 1992) “Days of the Weak” (For Our Dead, 1992) “The Church of Evil Minds of Splatter Day Saints” (For Our Dead, 1992) “Bones of the Lip” (All Creatures Great and Eaten, 1992) “Aunt Farm” (All Creatures Great and Eaten, 1992) “Birthing of Slumberblood” (The Planet Cachexial, 1996) “Into Zyrèlyà,” (The Planet Cachexial, 1996) “Electric Spaceboy,” (Harmony Drinks of Me, 2000) “Sunless,” (Harmony Drinks of Me, 2000) “The Baths” (Harmony Drinks of Me, 2000) episode 50 preview: Celtic Frost, “Sorrows of the Moon“ (Into the Pandemonium, 1987)

Episode 48 – Vaffel House of Kicks: The Works of Albino Slug Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

For the second time in a matter of months, your intrepid hosts find themselves in the frosty arms of Trondheim, Norway, this time to investigate the world of the frustratingly private Albino Slug. Known to few but adored by those who do, Albino Slug’s legacy hinges on two, confounding slices of avant-rock and metal. From Melvins-doom to musique concrete, Albino Slug operates, as you will hear, in a universe of its own making. Denied its 15 minutes, even in the prime of its career, Radical Research is looking to set things straight, shining a spotlight on this band’s intensely personal relationship with heavy music. Defy the bigotry of those who’ve come before you and embrace the fascinating weirdness of Norway’s most unsung sons.

Note 1: Shout out to Lasse Marhaug, a celebrated experimental artist in his own right, for his invaluable insight and intel. Were it not for him, this episode would have been far more speculative. Thank you also to Veiko Rebane and Tom Clark!

Note II: We didn’t even reveal most of the names of those behind Albino Slug during the episode. Those are: Ove Hjelvik; Audun Eriksen; Mats Ivar Takle; Asgeir Rekkavik; Morten Fagervik. Thank you for your service!

Note III: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast CORRECTION: Jeff noted the title "Hnrr 8"...it's actually "Knrr 8." Old habits die hard. We still don't know its meaning. Music cited, in order of appearance: “Knrr 8” (Albino Slug, 1993) “Thorbud” (Albino Slug, 1993) “Du Må Ikke Sove” (Albino Slug, 1993) “Bring Water / Skinner Boxed (The Wavering Solipsist)” (Albino Slug, 1993) “Vaffel” (Albino Slug, 1993) “Bleeding” (Albino Slug, 1993) “Paradise Regained” (two passages) (Albino Slug, 1993) “Barabbas” (three passages) (Barabbas, 1994) episode 49 preview: Nuclear Death, “Spawn Song” (Carrion for Worm, 1992)

Episode 47 – This is Self-Destructing Turnip, Come in Radish: Porcupine Tree’s Curious Debut Dec 31, 2019

Show notes

After firing up a band called No Man Is An Island (later shortened to No-Man), a young Steven Wilson corralled a couple friends and some wild ideas to sculpt homespun cassette recordings under the strange name Porcupine Tree. These then-obscure tapes, Tarquin’s Seaweed Farm (1989) and The Nostalgia Factory (1991), were edited and re-sequenced as an oddball album, On the Sunday of Life, in 1992. Debuting on the newly-formed Delerium label, it was all an entirely English enterprise, right down to its freewheeling Gong-ish whimsy and hallucinogenic Lewis Carroll-esque playfulness. Begun as a not-very-serious project, the darkness of direction taken later by Porcupine Tree shows up here only in fits and starts, but what a start…we find this album a fascinating view into the mind of a young genius and a curious portent of the colorful vistas Wilson would later visit with the band once he started actually taking it seriously. Note I: We apologize for the poor quality of the audio on this episode. Just when we think we’ve got it sorted out, some technical glitch conspires to make us look ridiculous. We’re diligently working on finding a better, more reliable way to record our Greensboro><Savannah transmissions. Note II: We absolutely love this fan site dedicated to all things Porcupine Tree: https://neuralrustsite.wordpress.com/ Note II: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast Music cited, in order of appearance: [all from On the Sunday of Life, 1992] “This Long Silence” “Space Transmission” “Message from a Self-Destructing Turnip” “Radioactive Toy” “Third Eye Surfer” “On the Sunday of Life” “Jupiter Island” “Linton Samuel Dawson” “Nine Cats” “The Nostalgia Factory” “Footprints” “And the Swallows Dance Above the Sun” “Queen Quotes Crowley” “It Will Rain for a Million Years” “Begonia Seduction Scene” episode 48 preview: Albino Slug, “Thorbud” (Albino Slug, 1993) Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it. This is Radical Research Podcast episode 47.

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