Music Library Catch-Up: Baroness, Bong, Bongzilla, Brian Posehn, EDO, Hold Steady, Kinks

Baroness - Blue Record (2009). I liked Red Album a lot, but Blue Record is an enormous leap forward for Baroness.  Their metal-cum-Southern-jamband music was flirting with pure psychedelia before, but now it's more proggy psych rock than metal.  I wish I'd heard this in 2009, but it's one of the best albums of the year.

Bong - Bethmoora (2008) and Bong (2008).  Recommended to me by a guy at the breakfast taco place when we got into a conversation about Om, Bong has the same sort of heavy-trancelike almost-spiritual Sleep-influenced drone.  AWESOME.  Wonder where they got the idea for their name?

Bongzilla - Nuggets (1996-2003).  You might be surprised to learn that Bongzilla is very much in favor of the legalization and use of the demon weed, but only if you'd never actually read one of their song titles or looked at the cover of an album or thought for more than .0008 of a second about their name.  Heavy, Sabbath-y metal.

Brian Posehn - Live In: Nerd Rage (2006).  Appropriately following the metal potheads above, Brian Posehn is a funny guy who some folks may know from his extensive walk-ons on mainstream tv shows and others may know as one of the funniest guys who appeared on cult classics like Mr. Show, NewsRadio, and, well, pretty much anything awesome.  He's a big dorky guy who loves metal.  Should you appreciate this, you will likely appreciate his stand-up routine.

EDO - MarkBillWalt (date unknown). Eliot Duhan released this EP of tracks from a prior version of EDO for free.  It's good in that EDO way.

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever (2010).  The Hold Steady continues to play Hold Steady music.  This one doesn't have the flourishes of Stay Positive, but it brings the rock and emotion that makes the band one of the best around.  It's still too new to me for lengthy explanations of why I love it.  But I do.

The Kinks - Come Dancing With The Kinks (1977-1986).  I had no late-period Kinks in my collection, and I was feeling that lacuna.  Now I am not.  Some great stuff on here, although the source albums I've heard have lots and lots of filler on them.  A collection was the way to go for me.