The Cyst by Harry Cloud is out on 7th February. You can find the details on our pages here but in the meantime, Harry joins us with a list of 10 albums that have played an influential part on the road to The Cyst.

Melvins – Stag

The Melvins were one of my favorite bands, and I still follow closely everything that they do. For me, Stag was their peak as far as what I enjoyed. I enjoyed the major label production which is different from everything that came before or after the Atlantic years. I thought the drums especially sounded really awesome. The songs are so different from each other. All three members were writing stuff and Mark D especially brought something special to the table. Usually Melvins records seem more to be just Buzz writing everything, so this one had a different feel. 

Harvey Milk – My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be 

This is probably my favorite album of all time. Creston Spiers is a god. He writes the most crushing, emotionally devastating music I have heard. Beauty and agony mixed up. His voice is broken and full of torment. This album changed my life. 

Christeene – Waste Up, Kneez Down

Christeene is drag rapper from Texas. Her lyrics are dirty, obscene and funny. A lot of songs about butt-slamming. She raps about her dick and pussy, a lot of times in the same song, which I find amusing. I think her rapping skills are amazing and the beats are fun and catchy. She’s a true hero. 

Weedeater – God Luck And Good Speed

The first time I saw Weedeater I didn’t know who they were and I remember saying to myself this is what I want to sound like. Pure southern redneck degenerate sludge. The guitar and bass tones on this record are incredible, deep warmth. And his style of singing is totally original for this style of music, he actually has a real growl that sounds like his vocal cords are ripping.

Butthole Surfers – Rembrandt Pussyhorse 

Butthole Surfers damaged me. Their blatant disregard for reality had a profoundly negative effect on my life. My first introduction to Butthole Surfers was the album Independent Worm Saloon, then I discovered their older material. I don’t know what to say, Rembrandt Pussyhorse is a real f**ked up record that unsettled me and I enjoyed it. 

Earth – Phase 3: Thrones And Dominions 

This album is one man and his guitar against the world. Nothing fancy here, just simple and triumphant riffs.  This album taught me that a beautiful guitar riff can just exist on its own, it doesn’t need to be recorded well and it doesn’t need to be accompanied by a band. 

Liturgy – Renihilation 

I saw this band at the Big Ears Festive in Tennessee. I had never heard them before, I was blown away. They called it Transcendental Black Metal which I can get down with. It does have a transcendental quality. While most black metal bands tend to focus on evil, Liturgy cared nothing about that. Their songs are pretty, triumphant and very cathartic. It’s about being at 99% the whole time and then taking them to 100. I started writing songs where I would strum very fast until where the chords blurred. Bardo Pond influenced me in this way too. This album is their first and most brutal and is achingly cathartic and beautiful. Liturgy is a totally different thing now but their first two albums are what I enjoy. 

Bardo Pond – Lapsed

I love all of Bardo Pond but this is one of my favorites. The song Tommy Gun Angel in particular was very influential. The guitars sound like they are being strummed very fast but not like in a metal kind of way. The rhythm is very slow but the guitars sound like they are being strummed very fast into a blur. The blur accompanied by the amount of distortion influences the sound where the chords sound like they are melting into each other. On top of this vast wall of guitar sits beautiful angelic female vocals. The mix of the heavy noisy guitar with her pretty vocals is an awesome combination. 

Grouper – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill

Grouper plays these lo-fi ambient acoustic guitar songs. Great for passing out. This record is beautiful. Listening to Grouper is like an angel singing you to sleep. 

Fuck Buttons – Street Horrrsing 

This album is a beautiful noisy ambient record with incoherent screaming. It at once can put you to sleep and also make you explode, I guess whatever mood you’re in. 

Here’s a flavour of what Harry does, the cool video for Send Me Pictures:

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