Dusted Features Every Friday, Dusted Magazine publishes a series of music-related lists determined by our favorite artists. This week: Brooklyn pigfuckers The Men and Milwaukee soulslingers Kings Go Forth. Tweet

Listed: The Men + Kings Go Forth

The Men

The Men are punks that live in Brooklyn. The two guitarists, Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi, are in another band called Dream Police that’s like dreamy Kraut digital-delay type stuff, Mark records other bands sometimes, they seem nice, they tour all the time/play a million shows. The band’s latest record, Leave Home was recorded by Ben Greenberg from Zs/Pygmy Shrews. It’s hard to pigeonhole the music on Leave Home, aside from noting how loud it is. The Brooklynites run the range from intricately layered guitars and harmony to rhythm-averse sludge. That diversity is what you get when there’s three songwriters. Guitarists Perro and Chiericozzi lay out the artists that guide them all over the map.

1. Richard Hell
Richard Hell has always been an influence. Even before I heard the Neon Boys/Television/Voidoids, read one of his books or could spot him on the street, I helped to dream him into existence. He seems lazy, as I am and has fun, as I try to do (Shit, I don’t really know him at all).

2. Woody Guthrie
I haven’t listened to him in a while, but his spirit moves me when he pops in, plus he did it with an acoustic guitar.

3. Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons put out some of my favorite country records w/ the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Sweetheart of the Rodeo opened my ears to country music and helped me understand it in a completely different way.

4. Stooges
Fun House is one of the greatest records of all time. So simple – there’s maybe seven parts on the entire record. All groove and energy

- Exile on Main St. / Sticky Fingers / Let it Bleed
Raw, pure energy on these records. The perfection of capturing a moment and a vibe.

6. Leonard Cohen
He’s a poet. Made me rethink lyrics and how they shape a song.

7. Spacemen 3
One of my all time favorite bands. They blended the simplicity and rock groove of MC5 with beautiful droning psychedelic textures. One of the best tone bands

8. John Fahey
I love the fact he plays instrumental music (99% of his tunes), employs repetition and plays simple parts that sound so full and complex. There is so much emotion in there.

9. The Index
One my ‘newer’ favorites my friend Chris introduced me to , a 1960’s psyche band from southern Michigan.

10. Lee Ranaldo / George Harrison / Ron Asheton / Sterling Morrison / James Thorsen
I like the underdogs in bands; the people who really add color to the sound without the hype.

Kings Go Forth

The 10-piece collective Kings Go Forth is the latest in a long line of great Midwestern funk and soul bands. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisc., the group was founded in 2007 by bassist and record collection Andy Noble, who also ran the fantastic Lotus Land Records store until earlier this year. Their single “High On Your Love” from last year’s The Outsiders are Back was one of the very best songs released in 2010 (listen to it here). Noble was kind enough to take part in this week’s Listed.

1. Bruteheart - Lonely Hunter
One of the only groups I’ve played with in the last few years that I really considered to be doing something absolutely unique and heartfelt. The sound is witch-y, simple, and full of atmosphere. Not an easy thing to attain with just three musicians.

2. COB - Moyshe McStiff and the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart
A truly amazing folk record from an ex-Incredible String Band member. This is really just a heart-melter of a record - at times very complex and then giving way to utter emotional simplicity and directness out of nowhere.

3. V/A - Cartagena! - Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Cumbia and Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962-72 (Soundways)
Spectacular Cumbia compilation from the always solid Soundway boys. I’m not sure if folks realize how incredible this music sounds really loud! The linear, repetitive beat of these (mostly) minor key tracks is so in tune with contemporary dance music - the ultra-legit vocals and big band horn sections are just frosting on the cake.

4. V/A - Traditional Music of Peru (Ethnic Folkways)
With the rise in popularity of psychedelic music in the last few years, it was inevitable that listeners would start to look backwards to find source inspiration for the 60s/70s worldwide explosion. This gets really interesting really quickly - Peyote rituals of Mexico, Gamelan orchestras in Bali, Jungle chants of Peru, etc. Basically a lot of places too remote for UK rock dudes to score drugs in, so we have to thank the Gods for Folkways, Moses Asch, etc here.

5. Psalms gospel label 45s/LPs (div of Cuca records, Wisconsin)
Really strong gospel recordings from regional WI and IL groups (mostly). My favorites are the male harmony groups, but there is just loads of quality music here. The Cuca studios were opened up every Sunday for gospel groups to come and cheaply record singles. This was late 60s-early 80s. Most of this music has yet to reach anyone outside the members of the small churches where these groups would give away the records or take small donations for them.

6. The Entertainers IV - My Garden of Eden (Dore) 45
This beautifully composed, arranged, and SUNG 45 must be digested by anyone who considers R&B music of the past a lesser or lower form of art.

7. Sam Gopal - Escalator
Lemmy’s pre-Motorhead, pre-Hawkwind group - totally glossed over or ignored strangely in the recent documentary. I love a band that finds a good sound (in this case fuzz bass, Tolkien and WW2-inspired lyrics, and a LOT of tabla) and sticks with it. Mesmerizing album. Can’t recommend this enough.

8. V/A - Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics (Angular Recording Corporation)
Mostly continental European early 80s synth music. Really happy to see this stuff start to be compiled, I think these comps will be very influential on indie-dance acts in the coming years - you already hear it a bit. "Polaroid" by Ruth is amazing, I can’t believe they make the jazz horn section work so well with all the synths. That is a great combination if you can pull it off, reminds me of Sean O’Hagen’s arrangements for Stereolab. Super interesting textures.

9. Hootch - S/T (Progress)
It’s a little spotty (I’m not really much of an LP/full length record guy truth be told, I prefer singles), but when it’s on it’s really going to some interesting places. I will always have an ear for the low-budget fantasy world artists and these high school kids mixing Arabic influence with funk and garage-fuzz are a sterling example.

10. Incredible String Band
I’ve been listening to them and the Rosetta Stone Castilian Spanish set while driving through the inner city looking for records. I can talk a lot of smack, but this is what I actually spend most of my time listening to. So far I have neither learned to play folk music or speak Spanish, but the record digging has been swell.

By Dusted Magazine

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