Sunday: Psykup - Color Me Blood Red

     If only I could derive nutrition and energy from alliteration, I'd never need to sleep or eat again. Maybe some day science will catch up with my dreams, but for the time being I can glean only dorky satisfaction from chaining together words starting with the same letter or, as is the case with your Sunday song, the same letter sound. Yes, it's a wee bit of a cheat, but when you see it I think you'll let me off the hook.

     After all, the "p" is silent, so technically giving you a Psykup Sunday is a perfectly cromulent thing to do (bonus points for anyone who gets that particular bit of wordplay). But who or what is Psykup? Well, they're French...and insane. The scattershot trio of influences listed on the band's page at the Season of Mist Bandcamp -- Strapping Young Lad, Primus, and Alice in Chains -- is as minimally descriptive as it is representative of the weirdness that is Psykup.

     So let their madness do the talking and check out "Color Me Blood Red", the opening track from Psykup's 2008 album We Love You All. This one's as hard to nail down as Jello, so you should enjoy every minute of its fat, nearly ten minute running time. Go on, get messy.

Friday: Primus - Candy Man

     It's somewhat apt that I was writing about weird, dark music the other day, since today (for yesterday) I've got a new track from one of the finest purveyors of dark weirdness from the last twenty years or so.

     As you may or may not know, the classic lineup of Primus is back together, and they've just released a new album this past week. The weird catch? It's a tribute to, and re-imagining of, the soundtrack from the classic movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. You know, the Gene Wilder one that haunted your dreams when you were a kid, not the Johnny Depp-Tim Burton trainwreck that haunts your dreams as an adult.

     This strange new slice of Primus is entitled Primus & The Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble, and the band's particular take on the music from this children's classic is exemplified by their version of "Candy Man". Sure, he can do all those things to a sunrise, but should he?

Escape the Cult - I'm Absolute

     You might have read in the last little bit that Primus drummer Tim Alexander recently underwent successful heart surgery and is on the road to recovery. Other than the success of Tim's operation being good news in and of itself, the whole story has the added bonus of shedding some light on one of Tim's less well known musical projects.

     If you read anything about this and saw the name Escape the Cult, and didn't go find out what Escape the Cult is, boy did you miss out. It's just a little international supergroup featuring Alexander,  Mike Wead from King Diamond, Matthieu Romarin from Uneven Structure, and Peter Shallmin from Kamlath. That's a lot of talent arrayed in one band, and I for one think you can hear every ounce of it.

     Have a listen to first single "I'm Absolute" from forthcoming debut All You Want To for a taste of what I'm talking about. It's a mellow, funky little jam that showcases Shallmin's bass work with a killer low end tone. It's not especially "heavy" as such, but with a groove like this song's got it doesn't need to be.

Song of the Day: Primus - Wynona's Big Brown Beaver

     Today might be just about over, but there's still time for a little fun. That's where today's song comes in. Not exactly metal, and certainly not exactly new, but awesome all the same.