Houses of the Molé

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Houses of the Molé
Studio album by Ministry
Released	June 21, 2004
Recorded	2004 at Sonic Ranch, El Paso, Texas
Genre	Industrial metal Thrash Metal
Length	55:00 52:00 (Minus silence)
Label	Sanctuary/BMG Records 06076-84678
Producer	Al Jourgensen
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Austin Chronicle link PlayLouder link Rolling Stone link
Ministry chronology
Animositisomina (2003) Houses of the Molé (2004) Early Trax (2004)

Houses of the Molé is the ninth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry. The album was released on June 21, 2004 internationally and a day later in the United States through Sanctuary Records.

The album is the 1st part of the band's anti-Bush trilogy, followed by 2006's Rio Grande Blood and 2007's The Last Sucker. It was released in the run up to the 2004 American presidential elections, with George W. Bush being president at the time of its release. All songs start or contain the letter "W" in their title. The first track on the album, "No W", features numerous satirical samples of Bush's speeches, particularly samples in which he spoke of his war on terror.

The musical style of the album is more speed metal-oriented than Ministry's previous releases.

Al Jourgensen has stated that the name Houses of the Molé is a tribute to the Houses of the Holy album, released by Led Zeppelin in 1973. Molé itself is a Mexican sauce made from chocolate that is nearly black in color, an image that Jourgensen believes represents crude oil.

This was the first and so far only Ministry studio album to not chart on the Billboard 200. Due to slow sales, the band left Sanctuary.

Houses of the Mole is also noteworthy for being the first Ministry LP not to feature longtime collaborator Paul Barker since Twitch in 1986.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Notes 2 Personnel 2.1 Ministry 2.2 Additional Personnel 3 References

[edit] Track listing

1. "No W" – 3:24 (Al Jourgensen)
2. "Waiting" – 5:02 (Al Jourgensen, Max Brody, Mike Scaccia)
3. "Worthless" – 4:09 (Al Jourgensen, John Monte, Mark Baker)
4. "Wrong" – 4:54 (Al Jourgensen, Max Brody, Mike Scaccia, John Monte, Mark Baker)
5. "Warp City" – 4:01 (Al Jourgensen, John Monte, Mark Baker)
6. "WTV" – 4:25 (Al Jourgensen, Mike Scaccia, Max Brody)
7. "World" – 5:13 (Al Jourgensen, Max Brody)
8. "WKYJ" – 5:14 (Al Jourgensen, Max Brody, Kol Marshall, Turn Vanblarcum)
9. "Worm" – 9:11 (Al Jourgensen, Mike Scaccia, Kol Marshall)
23. "Psalm 23" – 5:41 (Al Jourgensen)
69. "Walrus" – 2:43 (Al Jourgensen)

[edit] Notes

Tracks 10 - 22 and 24 - 68 are silent, one-second tracks.

The song "Worm" ends at 8:11 and is followed by a minute of silence, adding on to the eventual silence leading to "Psalm 23". Jourgensen wanted the length of the last song listed on the CD to be 9:11 for obvious reasons. The same idea occurred again at the end of "Psalm 23." The song itself is 4:41 and followed by a minute of silence adding to the silence leading up to track 69, "Walrus." Cutting "Walrus" in half, making it 1:23, is the actual, raw length of the song. It is simply reveresed at the exact midway point of the song, doubling the track length. "Walrus" is entirely made up of the sample used at the end of the song "Worm."

"Psalm 23" is an alternate version of "No W" (minus the Carmina Burana samples) preceded by a mysterious, poorly recorded rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. The source of the recording is unknown but is possible to be from a sporting event of some sort. It features a furious, Slayer-style guitar solo at the conclusion. Later versions of Houses of the Molé do not feature the version of "No W" with the Carmina Burana samples. Instead, a version of "Psalm 23" with a shortened intro is included as the first track (and labelled as "No W"). "Psalm 23" is replaced by the track "Bloodlines".

One of the samples contained at the start of "No W", George Bush says "Psalm 23".

"Psalm 23" does not contain a 'W' in its' title, which may have some link to it being a version of 'No W', or that "W" is the 23rd letter of the alphabet.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Ministry

• Alien Jourgensen - vox, guitars (1-4, 8, 9), bass (1, 7, 8), de-programming, slide guitar (5), harmonica (9), production
• Mike Scaccia - lead guitar (1-3, 8), guitars, bass (2, 6, 9), background vox (5, 9)
• John Monte - bass (3-5), background vox (5)
• Mark Baker - drums (3-5), percussion (3), background vox (5)

[edit] Additional Personnel

• Max Brody - programming (2, 6, 7, 9), drums (8), saxophone (9), background vox (9)
• Angie Jourgensen - background vox (5, 9)
• Odin Myers - background vox (5)
• Carl Wayne - background vox (5)
• Kol Marshall - B3 organ (8, 9)
• Turner Vanblarcum - DJ voice (8)
• Lawton Outlaw - original cover, inside tray art, art direction, design
• Paul Elledge - photography
• Rey Washam - drums (uncredited)^[1]

[edit] References

• Rolling Stone interview with Al Jourgensen

v • d • e Ministry Al Jourgensen John Bechdel • Tony Campos • Sin Quirin • Aaron Rossi • Tommy Victor Paul Barker Martin Atkins • Max Brody • Chris Connelly • Stephen George • Kevin Ogilvie • Paul Raven • Bill Rieflin • Mike Scaccia • Louis Svitek • William Tucker • Rey Washam • Zlatko Hukic Studio albums With Sympathy • Twitch • The Land of Rape and Honey • The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste • Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs • Filth Pig • Dark Side of the Spoon • Animositisomina • Houses of the Molé • Rio Grande Blood • The Last Sucker Live albums In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up • Sphinctour • Adios... Puta Madres Compilations and remixes Twelve Inch Singles • Tapes of Wrath • Greatest Fits • Early Trax • Side Trax • Rantology • Rio Grande Dub Ya • Cover Up • The Last Dubber Singles Cold Life · Work for Love · I Wanted to Tell Her · Revenge · All Day · Nature of Love · (Everyday Is) Halloween · Over the Shoulder · Stigmata · Flashback · Burning Inside · Jesus Built My Hotrod · N.W.O. · Just One Fix · The Fall · Lay Lady Lay · Reload · Brick Windows · Bad Blood · What About Us? · Piss · No W · Keys to the City Related articles Discography • Special Affect • The Blackouts • Revolting Cocks • Pailhead • Lard • 1000 Homo DJs • PTP • Lead Into Gold • Acid Horse • W.E.L.T. • Pink Anvil • U.S.S.A. • Flowering Blight • Pigface • Prong • Skrew • Society 1