Colossal Spin

3 out of 5 CSpin fans say this was the most kickass version of...

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:00:06 -0400

3 out of 5 CSpin fans say this was the most kickass version of Circle ever created. Also the most punkiest, radicalest and feedbackiest. Science does not lie, bitches.

And once again making an appearance: that goddamn mixing bowl. AND that Sano amp. (We think, but we really can’t remember—we were too hopped up on Zimas at the time).

Yeah, you heard right: this song is called Cannibal Dreams....

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:06:06 -0400

Yeah, you heard right: this song is called Cannibal Dreams. It’s not what you think. Or maybe it is. Eh, whatever.

This tune comes from that lousy-quality demo tape from 1994. But the kids liked it, so here it is.

That wonderfully rich Sano accordion amp makes a solo appearance the beginning (that’s the tremolo sound you hear). Also of interest: a metal mixing bowl is used as a drum. That bowl got the crap beat out of it.

One of the best piano outro solos EVER played… is on this...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:07:06 -0400

One of the best piano outro solos EVER played… is on this song (we think).

Another “WTF” moment from our post-metal Duelling Suzis phase that totally helps to destroy our industrial street cred. But whatever. It’s a great little tune we think: full of nice lo-fi acoustic guitars, ethereal pianos and minimal construction. And let’s not forget a chorus that goes “Naaaa, na, na.” Seriously? Hells yes!

It doesn’t get any more vintage than this!...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:15:05 -0400

It doesn’t get any more vintage than this! “Believe” is one of the first songs Zurich wrote. Ever. It was way back in 92 or 3 in his parent’s basement in Lancaster County, PA.

His approach would set his style lyrically and thematically, as well as shape his vocal approach to come—that deep Peter Murphy rasp started in an earlier version of this track. The song definitely has an 80’s/Goth vibe to it, especially the two-minute “Lost Boys”-esque intro. Sure, it sounds long now, but listen and get lost in the ambience: it’s totally worth it. Colossal Spin would eventually add this song to their live set for a few shows where it became a fan favorite.

A moody, dark song about the weight of existence. Good times,...

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:00:05 -0400

A moody, dark song about the weight of existence. Good times, eh? This track was the antithesis of the boppy, upbeat song that followed on the Duelling Suzis album: “Call My Name”.

Some lovely female vocals complement Zurich’s lamenting at the end of the track. Overall, this was one our most complex and minimal tracks, weaving a lovely piano base through lightly-complex rhythms and a moody bass line. And, yes, that’s an upright bass you hear. Not the typical Colossal Spin fare by any means.

So raw and unpolished, and so delicious! This one just screams...

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:05:06 -0400

So raw and unpolished, and so delicious! This one just screams electropunk.

Sink your teeth into one of the original versions of “Stone”. More industrial than the “official” version from the v2.1.7 release, yet oddly more musical and melodic. This was recorded on a cassette 8-track back in 1994 and has held up well thanks to a mixdown onto Digital Audio Tape.

[Fresh new remix:] This intense industrial dance floor remix...

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 03:27:00 -0400

[Fresh new remix:] This intense industrial dance floor remix will cause you to scream in ecstasy, cut yourself, pump your fists and move like hell. Killing your Jezebel soul has never been harder. She will make you FEEL, boys and girls. Jezebel rises again in the 21st century.

Another haunting synth composition, this fan favorite is from...

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:08:00 -0400

Another haunting synth composition, this fan favorite is from the Duelling Suzis album. This was one of the last CSpin tunes created on the old ASR-10 (rack-mount) (still used by hip-hop artists around the planet). The overall soundscape was punched up by none other than a cheap PC sound card midi synth from 1995. It just goes to show: it’s not the tools, it how you use them.

Another sub-woofer-shredding deep-drums remix for you, straight...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:27:05 -0400

Another sub-woofer-shredding deep-drums remix for you, straight from the pits of hell! One of our fan favorites from the 90’s gets the 00’s remix treatment just in time for Y2K.

That screaming squelch from Reptile is back, this time riding on top of some pounding, in-your-face drums that threaten to tear your arms off. And then that boom-bass boom comes in to destroy the room. In the middle of all this is some pretty sinister-sounding yet strangely-laid-back vocals. “Slither in your hole…” What? Woah.

From the 2000 Duelling Suzis album.

This song screams industrial metal totally tweaked out on...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 01:09:00 -0400

This song screams industrial metal totally tweaked out on high-speed crank. We throw it all at you on this one—grinding 303 bass, crunchy Marshall stacks, echo pianos, falsetto dream vocals, sped-up breakbeats, power drums, reverbs as big as the universe.

From the 2000 Dueling Suzis album, we now find it funny that this track was first released on Mp3.com in the heady days of Napster, considering that one of its main lyric refrains is “You just want something, something free”. Ah yes, we all certainly do, don’t we?

Love your Blog:)

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:27:59 -0400

Awesome. That’s one fan and counting. Even we hate our blog, but the music is ok.

Tell your peeps they can download our music for free, we’ll be uploading “new” music every week to: http://soundcloud.com/colossalspin

› New Remix › › This is sonic richness—a 2011...

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:44:00 -0400

› New Remix › › This is sonic richness—a 2011 ambience-and-drum-charged remix of our 1996 song, Vein. Slip on the headphones and chill. Steve Roach would be proud.

Hey, now here’s a song with a message and IT FUCKING...

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:00:00 -0400

Hey, now here’s a song with a message and IT FUCKING ROCKS. This kick-ass thick groove was a favorite in the live set for the obvious head-banging reasons. And there’s a piano.

This version was pulled off of a cassette tape, so sorry for the bad quality. It’s all we had left after the studio we recorded this at went under and jettisoned our source tapes before the song could be properly mixed. But at least we had this rough mix on cassette floating around. Bummer.

“A message?” you say. Why yes, it does. Figure it out. Or not. This was another rapid write—not quite as fast as Ultraviolet, but close. Zurich crafted the basics in an afternoon.

On this particular track is the killer drum stylings of Bobby Rae Mayhem. Hey Bobby, if you’re out there give us a call. We want our groove back.

This odd little track was recorded in 2000 but never released....

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:05:05 -0400

This odd little track was recorded in 2000 but never released. So we guess it’s NEW MATERIAL! Originally slated for the Duelling Suzis album, this song was among five or six that were cut because they didn’t fit thematically with the album. Ha! Like albums matter any more. Man were we stupid…

Still, the tone of this track was quite different from anything we had released before, and we really weren’t quite sure what to do with it. A bit of David Bowie-style vocals, a bit of -gasp!- pop influence, a bit of rock, a bit of screaming guitars… what the hell is this thing? So, after a decade of sitting on a hard drive in obscurity, now we share this with you.

Lyrically, this song it pretty damn interesting. Take a listen and see if you can untangle the madness.

Let us know what you think about this one: weird, cool, stupid, all-of-the-above?

Stone, from 1996. This can only be described as a monster metal...

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 23:08:28 -0400

Stone, from 1996. This can only be described as a monster metal wall of sound. This song started out a joke for some university buddies back in ‘93 or ‘94, but by the time this version was recorded in 1996, the lyrics and music got together and made an all self-important baby that was probably one of the most “take-yourself-too-seriously” of all the Colossal Spin songs.

Ironically, it makes very little sense to those outside the twisted head of Zurich. The object (both gender and nature) of the song changes several times throughout the lyrics, but one thing is clear: some people treat others badly and it sucks, but don’t let it get you down.

We love the in-your-face Marshall stacks cranked up to 11 on this one. And Zurich’s vocals are in real fine form here. Classic Colossal Spin.

More vintage CSpin material coming this wknd. We have tons for u. For now check out the stuff on our...

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:37:26 -0400

More vintage CSpin material coming this wknd. We have tons for u. For now check out the stuff on our site: www.colossalspin.com

And now for something completely different… a symphonic,...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:00:00 -0400

And now for something completely different… a symphonic, ambient composition worthy of the 90’s.

This track was a “bonus” on the 1996 v2.1.7 EP. We use “quotation marks” mainly because we always wondered at how this song found it’s way on to an otherwise rocking collection of tunes.

Well… enjoy it, if that’s your thing.

Here’s a rare mix for radio from 1996. That searing synth...

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 01:41:00 -0400

Here’s a rare mix for radio from 1996.

That searing synth sound was created by overloading the strings sample on an old Ensoniq EPS through layers of guitar pedals and finally into stressed-out 8 track tape system. Isn’t that how all the best sounds are made?

Also: remember that Sano accordion amp? Yup, it makes an appearance here too. But the day we recorded it’s part, though, the tube gods just weren’t aligning and we couldn’t coax anything remotely pleasant-sounding out of that thing. It sounded more like a dying elephant than the smooth, silky feedback tones we were used to. Oh well, Zurich can’t be magical all the time.

The lyrics for this song were written while Zurich was exploring the Badlands of South Dakota. The thought that inspired him was the nature of evidence versus the someone’s conviction of “truth” and the fine line between belief and delusion (if such a line exists), or something lame like that. Some fans preferred to read these lyrics as some sort of declaration against a dysfunctional relationship (a fair assumption, given the frequent occurrence of that particular theme in Zurich’s writing…).

This recording of the song got a little radio play in 1996 and 1997 on some Philadelphia and Baltimore radio stations. That was cool, too.

This was track #4 from our 1996 EP v2.1.7. Recorded in early...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:00:00 -0400

This was track #4 from our 1996 EP v2.1.7. Recorded in early 1996, this tune pretty much sprouted fully formed from the womb of Zurich’s twisted mind (actually, no it didn’t—that’s a lie). Always a popular tune… thanks to the chance to show off Zurich’s vocal range (which got better with age). This was also so much fun to play live, and the crowd usually loved (judging by the excessive moshing) the extended jam out at the end. In fact, this song took on a whole new life after this recording, and the vocals actually become far more nuanced and emotionally charged during the live show. Hearing this recording again, it actually sounds quite incomplete. We’ll have to dig up a live version some day…

Some trivia about this recording:

Elements of the snare here were sampled from a Silverchair album. Embarrassing but true.
The core drum loop (the one that sounds like a set of pans and cereal boxes) was sampled three years earlier during a visit to Edmonton, Canada. That’s what drums sound like on the prairies. Honest.
The lyrics were written in 1992 and paired with some pretty terrible music as part of an earlier band project Zurich was involved with. So we totally put a stop to that train wreck and wrote some better material for it.
Some of the percussive effects were actually a mistake. Our sequencer somehow took over Sonic Studio’s synth rack during recording, and all these unplanned swishes and bleeps started coming out. Of course we MEANT to do that and so we stuck with it.
The bluesy guitar was performed on an old Sano accordion amp Zurich bought for $25. Other than the fact that it would periodically electrocute the person playing, it sounded amazing. Like nothing else on Earth, in fact. And like an idiot he eventually sold it (for $100) and has regretted it ever since. But at least he made a profit—cha-ching!

REMIX: The most quintessential CSpin song of all time, remixed...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:23:00 -0400

REMIX: The most quintessential CSpin song of all time, remixed for optimal put-your-top-down-and-your-bass-up blasting.

Ultraviolet was written in 15 minutes in 1997 while Zurich was waiting for pr0n or something to finish downloading (it was dial-up back then, remember?). It was during the height of the band’s aggressive East coast gigging and late-night studio sessions, and we like to think that he was just in the zone. Some other amazing songs were written that week, too, but those never saw the inside of a recording booth due to various touring pressures.

Anyway, this song was a blast to play live, too—if the bassist could just remember to drop the tuning on his E string. Really… was that so hard to remember, Paul?

This particular version was remixed in 1999 from the original 4 track cassette demo, and released on a Ballistic Test compilation CD by Flaming Fish Records.