We here at Nine Circles have been inspired by a number of writers. In the near future, we will start doing writer profiles for some of them, for it was those writers that inspired us to join, and water down, their craft. With that in mind, we asked a preliminary question to a bunch of writers we intend to profile. Today we bring you everybody’s favorite puncher of horses, the incomparable, the inconceivable, the undefeated, Baxter Holland!
“You’re a metal writer. And if you’re receiving this question in your inbox, then you are a good metal writer. As such, people probably assume that you spend your whole day (and night because metalheads never sleep) blasting your ear drums with the sweet sounds of blast beats. But we know that’s not true. So what are you listening to that isn’t metal these days?”
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Currently, these are my top ten most reliable go-tos whenever I’m not in the mood for tremolo picking, downtuned bluesy sludge, or lyrics about putrefying corpses.Lungfish – Artificial HorizonThis album is the purest distillation of everything I love about Lungfish; it’s trance-inducing, ecstatic, heavy, and so, so rewarding. Love WILL ruin your mind.
Matthew Sweet – GirlfriendIf you don’t find this to be a perfect pop album, I don’t know what to tell you. You might not be alive.
Buckingham Nicks – s/tThe earworms on this album are so intensely catchy, that when I put this on as I’m making coffee, my wife starts groggily singing along from the bed.
Daryl Hall – Sacred SongsRobert Fripp. Daryl Hall. The combination you never knew you craved. Heart-wrenching soul with recursive, snarling riffs that either want to kiss you or kill you.
Unwound – New Plastic IdeasWhen my head is filled with spiders and piss, Unwound makes it all better.
Small Black – Limits of DesireSometimes, I just want to lie down on a bed of gauzy synths and pretend the sun is gently kissing my face.
King Crimson – RedI was probably 14 or 15 when I first heard ‘Red,’ and I cannot overstate its importance to my perception of Heavy. It took all my misfit angst, wrapped it up in 7/4 time, and made me feel like somewhere, someone got me.
Fela Kuti – GentlemanWhen Fela sings “I no be gentleman like that,” I want to punch the sky and make art and hug all my friends.
Sharon Van Etten – Are We ThereSharon makes the most painful, awkward moments of her life sound transcendent.
Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds in Country MusicHe had me at “reptile aliens made of light.” Earnest, playful, and completely absorbing.
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Thanks to Baxter Holland for his time!
– Manny-O-War & Corey
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