Saturday singles: Ministry “Good Trouble,” Theon Cross “We Go Again”

Cover for Theon Cross single "We Go Again"

Catching up on new music today and two singles grabbed my attention above the rest, a single from Theon Cross and a cut from Ministry for their upcoming album Moral Hygiene.

Theon Cross: “We Go Again”

Theon Cross is a jazz tuba player, and his 2019 LP Fyah is a must-hear for anybody who wants to push the boundaries with some amazing modern jazz.

“We Go Again,” was just dropped on Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube and the other usual streaming / digital store suspects. No physical media in sight just yet, but I’m keeping an eye out.

It’s a smooth, not very tuba-forward, piece. Strong recommend, give it a listen or three.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=1276798112 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Ministry: “Good Trouble”

Ministry has always been a political band, but I was not expecting a homage to the late, great Congressman John Lewis from Al Jourgensen. Of all the weirdness the 2020s have thrown at us so far, this is one of the better curve balls.

Ministry isn’t breaking any new sonic ground here, but this is a solid track that I suspect will make longtime Ministry fans happy. The entire tracklist is on Bandcamp for Moral Hygiene with a few enticing-sounding tracks like “We Shall Resist” and “Death Toll.” Looking forward to hearing the whole disc when October comes around.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1809344520 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Do yourself a favor and check them both out.

 

This just in: Ministry is officially Oldies music

"Psalm 69" by Ministry - album cover

Not sure how I missed this. Psalm 69 turned 20 last year. It was definitely one of the high points of mainstream industrial rock, along with Nine Inch Nails’ Broken, Pretty Hate Machine, and The Downward Spiral. (For me, anyway. I’m just catching up with Front Line Assembly…)

"Psalm 69" by Ministry - album coverI’m not a huge Ministry fan, but I really loved this album and caught them live at Lollapalooza in 1992 on tour for Psalm 69 – they killed it onstage and had a massive mosh pit going in the field. (The only performance of the day that matched Ministry was Pearl Jam, with Eddie Vedder climbing the rafters, literally.)

I have checked in with Ministry periodically since then, and nothing they’ve done since quite lived up to this album, IMHO. Pity, because I’d love another 20 albums like this.

20 years, man. Actually, closer to 21. That’s just crazypants. When I was a kid in the mid-70s, we listened to an oldies station a lot – and they played stuff from the 50s and 60s as “golden oldies.” So I guess this means that “Jesus Built My Hotrod” and “N.W.O.” are officially oldies now.

If you’re my age, you may now commence telling kids to get off your lawn.