Altered Zones

With 2,175 posts in 16 months, you're bound to miss something. We've gone ahead and gathered some of our favorite tracks from now and yesteryear that didn't get much play, but deserved it.

20 Tracks You Might've Missed

The Rebel (aka Country Teaser's Ben Wallers) is no stranger to camp and drama. After a cursory listen, his track "The Rocket Takes a Break," from his recent EP The Five Year Plan, sounds like the theme to a Sci-Fi B-movie from another era. However, the real inspiration for the track is Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan, a highly acclaimed Snooker player from the UK. Known for his rapid style and natural talent, he might indeed be Snooker's answer to Michael Jordan. The track opens with the clacking of pool balls and features sampled audio from an interview with O'Sullivan. Like the rest of the EP, the song has a sinister feel, punctuated by a snaking oboe line. Perhaps the track is asking us to explore the supernatural nature of those amongst us who are inexplicably and abnormally talented. --Samantha Cornwell, Visitation Rites

MP3: The Rebel: "The Rocket Takes a Break"

The Rebel’s Five Year Plan EP is out now on Monofonus Press

It is clear that The Rebel, aka Country Teasers frontman Ben Wallers, has spent a decent amount of time listening to No New York. His new single, "Prove It," perfectly captures the atonal, jagged nature of the sound documented on that legendary compilation. However, The Rebel has abandoned the brevity of his No Wave predecessors and have created a lengthy track with some honest-to-God atmosphere. The track kicks off with about two minutes of instrumental build-up before the muted vocal simmers into the mix. The Rebel pulls it off swimmingly by fusing the discordance of Teenage Jesus and The Jerks with the technology fetishism of Kraftwerk. --Samantha Cornwell, Visitation Rites