Very High Frequencies

Episode 254: Skinny Puppy

VHF-254 (Skinny Puppy) is a chronicle of the Canadian electro industrial outfit’s evolution in sound. Starting off with 1984 EP Remission, Not Dead Yet Mike selects two tracks from all of their official studio albums, concluding with 2013’s Weapon album. 
Initially analog recording was the only option. Sampling from film and television hadn’t gotten prohibitively expensive. In fact, it was apparently often “free”. So some early SP songs had a bunch of quotes from all of your favorite movies and TV shows. By 1990’s Too Dark Park digital recording had become the norm. Sampling movie and television snippets became a pariah to the record labels that didn’t need the legal hassles and costs that had also become prevalent.
As the sound of SP evolved so did Ogre’s vocal style. The early processed vocals slowly morphed into clean vocals. 1992’s Last Rights features all clean vocals that are actually sung. 
From an evolutionary standpoint it’s not surprising that the biggest change in the bands sound occurred after keyboardist Dwayne Goettel passed away in 1996. In 2004 cEvin Key & Ogre reformed the band and put out The Greater Wrong Of The Right. It was a mellower affair. The lyrics were less bleak as well. Glitchy and highly processed music with an underlying groove. Still cool, but different too.
The Skinny Puppy comeback lasted for four additional studio albums and a lot of touring. Not Dead Yet Mike will demonstrate the evolution of Skinny Puppy this week on Very High Frequencies. Can you Dig It?!!!

Episode 253: Peter Murphy

VHF-253 (Peter Murphy) manages to feature a track off of very nearly every studio album that the prolific singer and songwriter has released. Very High Frequencies highlights Peter’s new album, Silver Shade, produced by Killing Joke’s Youth. Beyond the new album tracks expect some favorites from solo albums as well as Bauhaus and Dali’s Car. 
Not Dead Yet Mike also packed in a set of covers that show some of the UK artist’s inspirations. From Eno to Iggy, we have Magazine and Ziggy. A Fun Time indeed!
As for deep cuts the song The Ghost of Shokan Lake (Youth mix) from the Lion Remixes EP is not to be missed and belongs on your next Halloween mix. BBC cut Poison Pen is a non studio album track by Bauhaus that’s a drug induced nightmare that should be a cautionary tale for anyone who’s dabbling with Dr. D.  Expect the big hits too. It’s not all obscurities and b-sides. This episode is jam packed with alternative music icon Peter Murphy. 

Episode252: Black Mountain

VHF-252 (Black Mountain) celebrates the Canadian psychedelic rock band. Not Dead Yet Mike handpicked  highlights culled from their twenty plus years long catalog. 
Black Mountain just released an EP called Oscillated Pasts: Volume One. We’re checking out a couple tracks from that as well as some movie soundtrack tunes and even a cover song by Black Sabbath that is not called Paranoid. Somehow we also managed to get a song or two from all of their excellent studio albums. Perhaps Bright Lights, an epic live track from  Roadburn festival will demonstrate that the band can most definitely duplicate their music in the live setting. If you have the chance check them out live.
This episode of Very High Frequencies is for all the space cadets and individuals seeking a truly psychedelic band performing audio based magical incantations. The world is a better place thanks to  Black Mountain, it’s as simple as that. 

Episode 251: Ladytron

VHF-251 (Ladytron) explores tracks from nearly all of the twenty plus years of the UK group. Self described as a Pop band the group has a lot of club hits but so far hasn’t really cracked the US market. Big at home and in Europe, the ABBA meets Kraftwerk mash up is both accepted and appreciated. Critical darlings on occasion, like most rock bands they can’t sound too different but they also can’t repeat themselves. It’s a Catch 22 scenario. 
Not Dead Yet Mike plays some deep cuts as well as the club hits that shows a range the group might not be widely recognized for. Creepy lyrics occasionally cover topics such as ghosts, disembodied spirits, car crash fatalities and of course black cats. It’s not all boy meets girl tunes with Ladytron! 

Episode 250: Alice Cooper

VHF-250 (Alice Cooper) features songs throughout Alice’s fifty year solo career. Beginning with his 1975 debut solo album, Welcome To My Nightmare right up to 2023’s Road album. We don’t have time for every album but we squeeze in a frightening amount of them. From radio hits to obscure deep cuts, collaborations and a fair amount of covers, there’s something for every Alice fan. 
But wait, there’s more!
To Not Dead Yet Mike’s surprise Alice has revealed that the surviving members of his original band have recorded a new album after more than 50 years, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper. The first single, Black Mamba, has been released and it’s very catchy and well produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin. Naturally we will check it out on Very High Frequencies this week, Alice Cooper - fifty years of solo tunes show. 

Episode 249: Trains

VHF-249 (Trains) examines a broad range of artists singing songs about trains. There’s a lot of train songs out there and we’re going down the tracks. As a metaphor or perhaps literally songs about trains Very High Frequencies has all your favorite bands and musicians. 
This week we feature The Cure, Jimi Hendrix, Love and Rockets, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Ian McCulloch, Suicide, The Cramps, Porcupine Tree, Pretty & Twisted, Adrian Belew, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The The, PIG, The Kinks, Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians, The Tear Garden, Alice Cooper, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne, Grateful Dead, Kraftwerk, and David Bowie.
There’s a train song for just about every occasion and this week on Very High Frequencies we play a whole bunch of them. 

Episode 248: Front Line Assembly

Long running Canadian industrial outfit Front Line Assembly has embarked on an ambitious tour across Europe and North America. In honor of that Very High Frequencies is doing an all Front Line Assembly show. 
Since 1987 FLA has been releasing a lot of music. Not Dead Yet Mike has been sifting through the archives. Perhaps too often relegated to the one trick pony style of musical conception there’s actually quite a variety of styles and sounds over the decades. VHF -247 (FLA) will be sampling tracks over the band’s existence to highlight the range of material. 
It really shouldn’t surprise anyone that Front Line Assembly has been at the forefront of video game soundtracks such as the Air Mech and Warmech instrumental albums. We check out some of those and some rare Motion Picture Soundtrack songs and recently released demos from 1986 that really show Bill Leeb’s exposure to cEvin Key and Skinny Puppy.  There’s also some melodic vocals by Bill Leeb and impressive production work often created by Rhys Fulber. 
VHF-248 (FLA) isn’t a greatest hits show, it’s a demonstration of the wide range that Bill and his many musical collaborators have worked around in their impressive long career. From keyboard freakouts to near metal guitar blasts, techno dance beats and even catchy vocals, expect the unexpected this week on Very High Frequencies. 

Episode 247: Uncle Al Party

VHF-247 (Uncle Al 2025 Party!) features a selection of tracks from the brand new Ministry release, The Squirrely Years Revisited. It’s an album of new recordings of some of their oldest songs. Much of the album hasn’t been played live since their initial release in the early eighties. Naturally the hits get a second chance like Every Day Is Halloween but some cool deep cuts get revived too. 
Very High Frequencies marries some of their new album with classic and more recent Ministry and side project tunes as well. 1000 Homo DJ’s assault the listener but it’s Uncle Al’s side project Surgical Meth Machine that rattles the rafters, even more than the mighty Ministry at their most intense. 
It’s an Uncle Al Party so expect fun cover songs. From obscure acts and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers alike. Fad Gadget and ZZ Top? Yes. How about two Black Sabbath covers? Paranoid and Supernaut! Ozzy gets his Uncle Al props. 
What’s old is new this week on VHF-247 (Uncle Al 2025 Party!). Nobody throws a party like Al Jourgensen and this Very High Frequencies proves it! Crank up the volume!

Episode 246: The Legendary Pink Dots

Very High Frequencies goes psychedelic once again, this week highlights long running outfit The Legendary Pink Dots. They recently released a new album entitled So Lonely In Heaven. We’re checking out a few tracks off of that as well as a wide variety of songs from the band going all the way back to the early eighties. Rather than focusing on one album Not Dead Yet Mike is showcasing the immense repertoire that Edward Ka-Spel and his band have put out. 
The Dots have always existed in their own universe and VHF-246 (The Legendary Pink Dots) demonstrates what an unusual group they are. They don’t sound like any other group. Perhaps a lesser known band but their tenacity is to be commemorated. Take a mind blowing audio trip this week on VHF, they’re called Legendary for a reason!

Episode 254: Pink Floyd LIVE

VHF-245 (Pink Floyd Live) features the band performing their unique music in the ‘60’s, 70’s, and early Eighties. The acrimony that would tear the band apart was not evident in their live shows. Sadly Syd Barrett seemed unable or unwilling to actually sing his songs in the existing live concert catalog. However, his idiosyncratic guitar propelled the band’s early music. Very High Frequencies features a few tracks from 1967, the Summer Of Love. 
By 1968’s half live album Umma Gumma Syd was permanently awol and David Gilmour was on guitar and vocals. Roger Waters was sharing portions of his songs with the group still. 
In 1975 Pink Floyd jammed some new unreleased material. We will check out a little of that as well as some amazing tracks from ‘80 - ‘81’s tour for double album The Wall. Is it sacrilege to not play a concept album in its entirety? Find out this week on VHF-245 (Pink Floyd Live).