THE TALKING BOOK

New music from James Blake

2010-10-06T08:25:00.001-07:00

Read full review of Klavierwerke EP - JAMES BLAKE on Boomkat.com ©

2010-10-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

2010-10-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just checking in..

2010-10-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a while.
Will be previewing some new paintings on here over the next few days.

For now, check out some very fine coffee here

and listen to some fine music:

Balam Acab - See Birds
Flying Lotus - Pattern + Grid World
Salem - King Night
PVT - Church With No Magic
Mount Kimbie - Crooks and Lovers
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Gonjasufi - The Caliph's Tea Party (remix record)

New Squarepusher Track!

2010-08-19T13:43:00.001-07:00

shangaan electro

2010-06-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

Read full review of New Wave Dance Music From South Africa - SHANGAAN ELECTRO on Boomkat.com ©

James Blake - CMYK

2010-06-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Read full review of CMYK EP - JAMES BLAKE on Boomkat.com ©

Like I found her, Red Coat, Damn

MALEVICH

2010-06-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

Recently purchased a great book about the Russian (actually born in Ukraine) artist Kazimir Malevich at my local used book store. I was actually surprised to find something so obscure in London, Ontario.
This shit is basically off-the-hook. If you follow his career chronologically you can trace his course through figurative representation through to total abstraction and minimalism, and then back again towards a psychotic mix of both. Supplement the visuals with a glance at some of his writing. His Nietzsche-esque writing style has a syphilitic insanity to it that is refreshingly unhinged.
Check out early 20th century Russian Avant-Garde art!

BOMBER

2010-06-08T17:57:00.001-07:00

Thwaites Lancaster Bomber Ale is a damn fine English ale. Dark red, and low in alcohol, this is some full-bodied and distinct beer.
It is not always available in Ontario. In fact, its availability seems downright random. But I'll buy it whenever I can.

Find it in the import section of your local beer distributor.

CORN

2010-06-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

So the other day my wife asked me how long it would take to cook corn-on-the-cob on the barbecue. As is typical for me, I responded jokingly "I don't know, just go check www.howtocookcorn.com"

Well, it turns out that is a REAL WEBSITE. With one page featuring the instructions on how to barbecue corn. Who is paying for this domain?!

Anyway, spread the gospel! People will need this information this summer!

HOW TO COOK CORN

DUBLINERS

2010-06-01T04:35:00.001-07:00

James Joyce's first novel is actually a collection of 15 short stories or vignettes about life in Dublin in the early 20th century. It was first published in 1914, but as with all his work, this thing brewed for years before completion. What will strike you most is the style of his writing. Each story focuses on a single character coming to some simple or profound conclusion about something small or significant. The stories also progress from young characters with youthful concerns to old characters with, well, old concerns.
In explanation, it might sound very dry. This one is for those of you who appreciate subtlety, style, and nuance.
Collect the Penguin editions of this (shown above) and Joyce's three other novels and put them on display. The split-complimentary colour motif is jarring, weird, and stylish.

Indigestion

2010-05-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

After eating almost a whole thing of Pringles, I was surprised to find myself suffering from what the medical community refer to as "indigestion."

Now, the advertisements on television will tell you the solution is Pepto Bismol.

However, my research has proven another cure: CHINESE FOOD!

Introduction of handmade vegetable musical instruments

2010-05-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

Casio Calculator Watch

2010-05-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

I've been wearing this model for several years. Every time it breaks, I buy another one. I still believe this to be the greatest time-piece ever. I don't go for the fancier silver versions with more bells and whistles. This is the classic.

Usually retails for $15.

GaGa, Art, and Society

2010-05-31T08:46:00.001-07:00

The conscience and vitality of a society is measured by its artistic output. The vision of a single artist (or the art of a single visionary) is never enough for a complete understanding of the time, but it is a fair indicator.
Compare any movement in the history of fine art or music with the socio-political events of its time, and you'll discover the ways in which art truly holds a mirror to our lives.
This brings me to my central focus: Lady Gaga.
Oil spills, meaningless wars, party politics, and economic crisis fill the newspapers. Weight loss, celebrity scandals, health, celebrity scandals, and weight loss fill the magazine racks. Electronic gadgets fill our pockets, and we filter the meaning of our lives through them at our discretion.
Society at large no longer feeds on the subtlety of classic arts. Our appetite for art is whet by fantasy movies, advertisement, pop culture, and kitsch. This is where Lady Gaga comes into the picture.
Like the Warhol of our time, she shows us the emptiness of our lives. She shows us our reflection and calls it "art."

Is it good? I'll argue that is it not. But it is art. Much the same way that Lichtenstein`s comic strip paintings, or Warhol`s soup can paintings were. Its pop art. Its also product. Its also advertisement.
Its important to recognize the nature of Gaga`s appeal.

It certainly comes close to providing a complete, if existentialist, illustration of what it means to be alive in 2010. (ie. nothing)

Ramune

2010-05-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

My newest discovery is Ramune, a Japanese soda that comes in a variety of flavors including Cream Soda (shown here), Lemonade, Beef etc.
Its moderately delicious, but it comes in a perplexing and distinct bottle with a marble inside. Its hard to explain. Find one in a local Asian grocery and enjoy with some Edamame.

NOTE: Correct pronunciation of "Ramune" should sound a bit like "Lemonade"

AUTECHRE - Fact Mix 122

2010-05-30T13:40:00.001-07:00

Rochdale lads Autechre put together this exclusive mix for FACT magazine, and while its all over the map stylistically, it remains consistently awesome. Big names in hip-hop like J-Dilla and Raekwon, mixed with German electronic pioneers like Tangerine Dream and Roedelius, and lots of unknowns, make this a thrilling and compelling mix.

Find it here

RED STRIPE

2010-05-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

To my mind there are few beers as truly refreshing and delicious, and as aptly suited to a hot summer day, as Red Stripe. Fittingly, this lager comes from one of the hottest places on this side of the globe; Jamaica. The stubby bottles get extra style points, and you'll feel hilariously exotic holding one of these little guys in your hand. Just don't be lame and throw on your LEGEND album when you drink this. Listen to The Specials, or Lee "Scratch" Perry.

(Groan warning)
These beers are Jamaican me crazy!

Inari

2010-05-30T09:57:00.001-07:00

Next time you go for Sushi, be sure to order Inari. These are sweet, cool, pockets full of sticky rice and sesame seeds (and sometimes other stuff), and they are perfect with some Yaki Soba, Sashimi, Gari, Miso Soup, Green Tea, and Sake. The pockets themselves are made from bean curd. Imagine the outer skin on deep-fried tofu, and you might get an idea of the texture.

Japan; never ceasing to amaze.

DADA Paris Berlin Zurich New York Hannover Cologne

2010-05-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Bought this book for the inexpensive price of $30 at the local book-mecca slash coffee-and-trinket emporium; Chapters. Its a heavy book, has lots of pages, its full of words and contains several chapters and sections. My primary suggestion would be to read it from front to back, however, one might be inclined to flip back-and-forth at their own discretion. The information is informed and informative.

The book has infected my brain.

CHINOTTO

2010-05-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

San Pellegrino and Brio both make top-of-the-line refreshments. These particular sodas are "Chinotto" flavored; Chinotto is a small orange-like fruit which is native to Italy. The Italians have found a way to make this fruit into a delicious soda not unlike the North American Cola beverage.

David Bowie - "Big Brother" (1974)

2010-05-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning with this song in my head. Not really the kind of song to start your day with, is it? Foreboding.

The "Diamond Dogs" album is one of Bowie's darkest, with an underlying Orwellian context and an ominous approach to melody. Its like a rock-and-roll disco horrorshow.

The Beach Boys - "Feel Flows" (1971)

2010-03-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hallucinogenic.

T. Rex - "Rip Off" (1971)

2010-03-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

This is the last song from the truly awesome 1971 album Electric Warrior by Marc Bolan's band T. Rex.

This song just slays. Enjoy!

Mulatu Astatke

2010-03-09T20:57:00.001-08:00

Get into Mulatu!

Brian Eno - "Some Of Them Are Old" (1973)

2010-03-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

Despite a confusingly clumsy collage of guitar noodling which seems to take up most of the song, this is an understated and charming tune. Its nearly impossible to describe what kind of music this is in any stylistic sense. Its just simple, weird, and beautiful.

Modest Mouse - "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" (2000)

2010-03-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

This Spoon-ish track fell near the beginning of Modest Mouse's most noteworthy (and arguably best) album The Moon and Antarctica (2000).
In the context of that record it was weird, and probably no-one's favorite. On its own, its still a total mind-fuck. It feels disembodied from any genre, style, era, or purpose. It seems to just live on its own in a scary, groovy, confusing world. Made of ashes, maybe.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "I Don't Live Today" (1967)

2010-03-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

This is one of the lesser works in the Hendrix catalogue, and merely a blip in the greater accomplishment that is Are You Experienced?.
While this song has slipped through the cracks over time, its worthy of attention. It evokes the same desperate, dark and confused spirit that flows through many of the albums tracks, like "Manic Depression" and "Hey Joe", and captures some of the free-spirited studio experimentation the band, and Jimi especially, was keen on.

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue (2009)

2009-07-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a surprise. This new record by Bibio shows an incredible progression from his earlier work. Here he mixes the sounds of Boards of Canada, Prefuse 73, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, 60's folk/pop/psychedlic, and a pure funk to create what will undoubtedly be one of the best albums of the summer, if not the year.
I specify summer because, while the album art suggests an autumn day, the music has warm and undeniably "summery" esthetic. Its also moody and melancholic when necessary.

Think of love, flowers, picnics, and poetry.

Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship (coming June 23 2009)

2009-06-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Tortoise come across as very normal people. Don't be fooled though; they're musically perverted, incestuous, and masochistic. Their complex yet fairly mellow brand of instrumental post-rock (how I loathe the term) has a unique flavour, which comes from unbound playfulness and exploration, a subtle sense of humour, and an unending desire to pay tribute to their ancestors and tear them apart at the same time. They're also quite keen to destroy, remix, and obliterate their own work. In the Tortoise universe nothing is sacred, all styles can be combined, no one instrument has dominance, and there is no leader.

I was admittedly perplexed when I first happened upon the cover artwork for this record. It features a mosaic of white squares containing unique, chaotic nets of fine black lines. Might have to see it in real life to really get it.
But now, hearing the record, it makes perfect sense.
The record starts out with the appropriately perplexing track "High Class Slim Came Floatin' In" (a ZZ Top lyric, no?) which is itself more of a mosaic than a song. It's 8 minutes of weird fuzzy synths, fuzzy bass, distorted drums, which come together in a myriad of ways evoking dance music, hip hop, funk, krautrock, and about 100 other styles. Any adventure that starts out this weird is bound to take you to some interesting places.
"Prepare Your Coffin" delivers a more traditional structure, packed full of excitement and melodic turbulence. Though an "improv-and-remix" band at heart, Tortoise can compose very powerful material when they choose. A clear standout for those interested in singles, this is instrumental "math-rock" at its finest. Let no one forget this band can "rock" when they want to.
"Northern Something" is a short song full of fat, ridiculous synth, and features the welcome return of the two-drummer approach. Actually, everyone in the band seems to be playing a percussion instrument. Likely the product of a late night improvisation, its one of the most fun songs on the record, but its over too soon.
"Gigantes" is a song rightly deserving of its name, but almost impossible to describe. I'm not even going to try (hey, i do this for free, i can be lazy if i choose!) A definite highlight, which builds to a very creamy climax.
"Penumbra" follows one of the more cathartic moments on the record with some light, hilarious synth, sample and drum machine aerobics. Short, sweet, kind of hilarious, and actually quite pretty.
"Yinxianghechengqi" finishes off side one of the record with the same intense live energy and speed of the first tracks, with it's lo-fi garage-jazz math-punk. This is some seriously fuzzy music, with some seriously twisted melody.
"The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One" is a hilarious name for a song. It is strangely fitting though, as it conjures the essence of the great spagetti westerns, much like the song itself. Here, the band pays obvious homage to the iconic and bizarre style of Ennio Morricone. Its a dramatic, haunting piece that recalls the mood of their classic album "TNT."
"Minors" reminds me slightly of the methodology behind the title track from their last record "Its All Around You", in that each instrument plays only a small chunk of the overall melody. The interlocking guitar, bass, synth and clavier parts create a strange, beautiful melody that has the effect of encircling and wrapping around the listener like a cocoon. A harmonically complex piece, that might turn some listeners away, but should probably be studied in advanced classes at Rock University.
"Monument Six One Thousand" is probably the least memorable thing on here, but it is still engaging. It sounds like an improve piece, obliterated and pieced back together in the studio, and likely enhanced with overdubs. It represents a necessary and fairly low-key moment in the record.
"de Chelly" is an ambient segue piece, enjoyable in its own right, but equally great in the context of the overall record. An appropriate moment of calm before last song.
"Charteroak Foundation" closes the record as brilliantly as it opened. It is a tightly woven guitar, bass, synth, and drum piece which is as groovy, metronomic and danceable as it is confounding, both rhythmically and melodically.

This record may take several listens to sink in, but for me, after many many listens, it is still engaging, interesting and rewarding.
Definitely picking this up on deluxe vinyl.

Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir (2008)

2009-06-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Try to imagine what a virtuoso jazz-fusion band might sound like if they could shape-shift, induce synaesthesia, defy gravity, defy all laws of physics, move freely through time and space, and possessed a wide range of other random super-powers.
Now imagine watching them perform in a small club, where their stadium-sized pyrotechnics get out-of-control, the volume reaches ear-popping decibels, and also, you're on acid.

According to the press release, that seems to be what Tom Jenkinson was trying to conjure with his latest Squarepusher album "Just A Souvenir." This is his interpretation of the ultimate garage-jazz drum-n-bass group, bending time and space whilst defying all known universal laws. Genres change and blend into one another during the course of a single track, and the musicianship is impeccable. There is a weird "rock" influence on what is otherwise standard Squarepusher (jazzy, scatterbrained drum-and-bass), which in many ways recalls Zappa. Maybe this is what Zappa would sound like today? Or King Crimson, if they grew up going to raves and listening to techno and dub.

This is the sound of a futuristic prog-jazz-fusion band. Just don't forget, this really isn't a band at all. It is one man. A mad genius, maybe. The moments where the music touches on rock/garage/punk have an awkward rigidity, likely caused by the nature of their creation (one man, one instrument at a time).

So yes, the album has its share of lows. It is full of so many peaks, however, that you'll likely still feel overwhelmed and confused after the first seven or eight listens. I almost recommend focusing on one piece at a time, in order to suck all the marrow out of this thing. Its melodically beautiful, technically complex, and completely other-wordly and unique. You won't hear anything like this anywhere else.

Matmos - Supreme Balloon (2008)

2009-06-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

Matmos rose to notoriety as two hilarious and highly scientific masters of sampling and engineering, which they used to create their unique brand of conceptual-techno meets "musique concrète".
They sampled the sounds of medical procedures (liposuction, laser surgery etc.) and turned them into music for their gross-yet-intriguing epic A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure (2001). They sampled the sounds of the American civil war era, juxtaposed them with medieval sounds and styles, and created the weird and often beautiful album The Civil War (2003). They helped Bjork create some of the gorgeous, natural textures on her Vespertine album.
So, what did they do next? They made an album with NO samples. Instead, all of the songs are made from sounds derived from vintage synthesizers. Dare I say, its also their most enjoyable record yet. The songs range from quirky, bouncy and fun to ambient, delicate and beautiful.

I wont go into detail about the songs, since the band has layed it all out on their website for me. For more information than any sane person would ever need about this record, check out their song-by-song explanation for gearheads:
click here

Boards of Canada - In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country (2000)

2009-06-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

So these guys aren't really hip anymore. Am I really the only one who still goes back and enjoys the classics? This under appreciated EP was one of the first great records of the decade, which it helped to usher in with the promise of great new things to come. It starts with the template established on their undeniable classic "Music Has The Right To Children" (1997) and takes it to a place that is somehow both darker and lighter at the same time. It's ominous, dark, haunting, and peculiar.
The title track showcased the possible pop sensibilities of the duo, hinting at a future where electronic music and heavily processed vocal samples might come together to make chilling pop songs. "Zoetrope" is a simple track, which somehow stands alone in the BOC catalogue due to its simplicity of approach. No samples, no voices, just a warped and warbling synthesizer droning on a simple, chilling phrase into infinity.

Its a kind of music that you want to keep to yourself, and is best enjoyed alone, with headphones on, while walking or biking around the city, the countryside, or the beach. It will make you move a little slower, and possibly savor that sunset, or that rainbow, a little longer.

Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years (2009)

2009-05-30T17:24:00.001-07:00

Ok, guys, your album covers have officially gotten "out of control."
This is a great album, though.
Plus, it has two of the best song titles of the year (and of all time); "White Socks/Flip Flops" and "The Very Best of Neil Diamond"
I don't really understand what an "Inaugural Tram" is, or what "Moped Eyes" or "Helium Hearts" are, but they're great songs.
Overall, its a groovy, funny, spectacular collection of psychedelic schizophrenia that mixes Beach Boys, Neu!, Kraftwerk, stoner rock, folk rock, and like, 20 other genres.

Recommended to anyone who already loves this band (who presumably already got this anyway) and to anyone who really wants to love this band but doesn't yet.
This will be on my top 10 list this year.

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul (2009)

2009-05-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Its obvious now; Danger Mouse's goal is to work with every single vocalist on the planet. Over time he's been paired with Cee-lo Green (Gnarls Barkley), MF Doom (Dangerdoom), Beck, Jay-Z, Jemini, Damon Albarn, and probably many more. He knows how to pick 'em, and how to make music that suits their individual voices, while remaining true to his own sound. Whatever that is.

For this album he paired up with Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous) to create a bunch of songs which Mark Linkous himself could have sung, but for some reason did not. Maybe he had laryngitis.
Instead, these guys tracked down some of the world's best and weirdest to sing on the songs.
They even commissioned some guy named David Lynch to put together the artwork, which consists of 100+ photos of weird distorted stuff and lots of shadows (that's my guess, I actually haven't seen it yet).

The album features vocal contributions from Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips), Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Nina Persson (The Cardigans), Iggy Pop, James Mercer (The Shins), Frank Black (The Pixies) and a few more. Look on Amazon.com or something if you care for the full list.

Oh yeah...David Lynch also sings two of the songs.

The weirdest surprise about this album is that despite many great performances by some very fantastic vocalists, its the Lynch songs that stand out as the best. They are by far the most memorable and enjoyable. Feels weird saying that, since I am a fan of all of these singers and their bands. Lynch's performances are just so incredibly "Lynchian."

Check this out if you want to hear a bunch of fairly slow songs that sound like Flaming Lips out-takes.

This was supposed to be a positive review! In all seriousness, I liked the album.

The Horrors - Primary Colours (2009)

2009-05-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Where did this come from?

Throughout the year, records are released which one anticipates and expects to be great (for me it was Veckatimest, Fever Ray, Beacons of Ancestorship, and um...Relapse?). Then there are some records which sneak out and surprise you. Maybe you never cared for the group before, but their new release changes your impression of them forever.
Already had one of those earlier this year with "Merriweather Post Pavillion". And now this, from a group of young British outcasts in Edward Gorey-esque costumes, who I'd only shrugged off as an entertaining novelty (their Chris Cunningham directed video for "Sheena Is A Parasite" has always remained oddly memorable to me). Their Edward Scissorhands haircuts were hard to look past, but its becoming easier and easier with this new record.

"Primary Colours" shows that group maturing and coming into their own, despite wearing their influences on their sleeves. But, as they put it themselves "they're better influences than most people's influences." Fair enough, when we're talking about My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, Wire, Suicide, Neu!, and general shoegaze.

The songs are unsettling and dark, without being heavy-handed. They stay in a foggy, dream-like state, with forms dissipating and colliding in exciting ways. Imagine what music might sound like while riding a broken carousel backwards and out of your mind on mushrooms.

The rhythms are carried and propelled by tightly connected bass and drum figures, with guitars used mostly as texture and applied to the music more like synths than anything else. The keys and organs are hauntingly disemboweled and fermented. There is an overall warmth to the record, perhaps due to the wealth of vintage electronics and effects present.

Singer Faris Badwan applies his strange baritone vocal style so effectively that you might forget how weird it really is. At times it sounds like Human League. At times it might be Ian Curtis. You'll be sucked in quickly, and before long you'll swear these songs could be hit singles. Maybe in another world. (And what a frightening world that would be!)

The band themselves being such young guys, its tempting to give some of the credit for grace and restraint of this album to its two producers, both legends in their own right. Chris Cunningham, visionary video director and probable weirdo, lent his newly-found production skills to two tracks. Geoff Barrow, 1/3 of the genius that is Portishead, produced the rest. Familiarize yourself with the work of those folks, and you'll understand the sound of this record. In fact, last year's masterful "Third" by Portishead is a sonic cousin to this album in my mind.

I very highly, strongly recommend this album. Yes, the influences are mostly obvious. But the songs are great, very memorable, and highly addictive. The band brings something fresh and new to these sounds. Hope to hear more great things from these lads.

Jeremy Enigk - OK Bear (2009)

2009-05-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Enigk, the former front-man for 90's "emo-rock" pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate and 2003's short-lived prog-rock project The Fire Theft, released his third solo album this month. Recorded in Spain, the album seems like an intentional side-step from the overwhelming, over-thought, over-produced (yet very beautiful) previous album "World Waits." Perhaps a change of scenery was necessary.
Although the songs are still orchestrated with strings, and some surprising brass arrangements, these are largely scaled back, giving the music some much needed room to breathe. The recording feels bare by comparison to "World Waits", and focuses on a raw 90s sound, more akin to the work of Sunny Day, or even Jeremy's epic "Return of the Frog Queen". Jeremy's vocals are in top form too, and while his voice rarely reaches the insane peaks it once did, there is comfort to be found in the valley.
Jeremy's music relies heavily on the sound of his voice and his phrasing, which is at times unreal, magical, and emotive. The man has a unique voice which one can't help but be drawn to. He also has a very unique way of phrasing words, and creating mind-bending melodic phrases. He does this effortlessly and in much the same way Jon Anderson of Yes had perfected. Sometimes I wonder: "Would this music be nearly as impressive or engaging performed by any other vocalist?"
I think I know the answer, but I don't care.
Because the music's power comes from the sound of Jeremy's voice and not necessarily his lyrics, Jeremy paints with his words. He uses broad brush strokes, weird combinations of colours, and seriously ambiguous forms. Like a musical Kandinsky, meaning is suggested, but not necessarily present or even important. His choice of lyrics almost seems secondary to the choice of particular sounds. I imagine he could sing out of a recipe book or encyclopaedia and make it sounds beautiful, even heart-wrenching.

For the majority of this record Enigk stays in his comfort zone (beautiful acoustic guitar based songs, mid-tempo, 3/4 time, orchestration). The album is most successful, however when Jeremy steps out of that comfort zone. "Restart" is a jangly R.E.M.-inspired romp, one of the few songs to break the waltz-time trend. "Life's Too Short" picks up where Sunny Day's "How It Feels To Be Something On" album left off, with winding vocals and twisty energetic guitar-rock. "Late of Camera," "Mind Idea," "Same Side Imaginary" and "Sandwhich Time" feel like they could have been great songs for The Fire Theft, if they were still around.

The last two songs seem to show the influence of the whole Spanish experience on Jeremy. "Vale Oso" (Ok Bear in Spanish) is a perplexingly simple tune, which hardly seems like an Enigk song, and is sung in such a weird voice you might not even recognize him. Something about the production even sounds like it was recorded in the 30s. "Sant Feliu De Guixols" (a place in Catalonia, Spain) features a melancholic tip-toe piano and very sparse arrangement, and ends the album like a strange lullaby.

Overall, this is highly recommended to anyone who follows this man's work. The album is good on first listen, great on second and third, and addictive by the fourth. This should keep you occupied for another few years while you wait (in vain) for another Sunny Day reunion.

Prefuse 73 - Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (2009)

2009-05-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

If you asked me to name the most influential, original and important producers/musicians of the past decade, there is no doubt that I might include Mr Scott Herren (Prefuse 73).
In fact, BetterPropaganda.com voted him Artist of the Decade. So I'm not alone in thinking this guy deserves praise.
I'm also nominating Herren for "Most Prolific Guy Ever."

But, like a candle that has burned surprisingly well for 10 years, there doesn't seem to be much wick left for the Prefuse 73 moniker. This confusing, ramshackle cornucopia of interludes and half-baked ideas feels like final embers of the Prefuse fire. Its over.

I think Scott knows it, too. We've seen him dip his toes into so many other projects (Savath & Savalas, Diamond Watch Wrists, Piano Overlord) that we can feel fairly comfortable in assuming this guy will never stop. And I hope he never does.

As for this record? Not recommended. Go back and pick up "Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives (2001)" and "One Word Extinguisher (2003)", "Extinguished:Outtakes (2003)" if you don't already own those. Also check out the double set of "Preparations" and "Interregnums" from 2007. Actually, just pick up everything this guy has ever done before this record, and then just download this one for comparisons sake.

Burial/Four Tet - Wolf Cub/Moth (2009)

2009-05-24T10:05:00.001-07:00

This mysterious record seemed come out of nowhere. No publicity, no marketing, no artwork, no label...nothing. Two of the biggest names in electronic music collaborate on two tracks, and it almost flies under the radar.
Four Tet is known for his experimental collaborations, but Burial is the opposite. Few people even know who he is, and he's only recently become known as a re-mixer.

Collaborations between two artists with distinct styles can be risky. But here, it works. Actually, the great thing about this record is that it sounds exactly like you'd think this collaboration would sound. The distinctive Burial elements are all here; scattershot drums, mournful melodies, and disembodied voices. Four Tet's mark is all over it, with rhythmic mallet percussion, chiming bells, and a slightly happier sense of tone and melody.
They mesh surprisingly well.

I'm calling this "crucial" for fans of either producer. Also, I recommend it as a gateway into either artist.

Wilco - Wilco (The Album) (June 30 2009)

2009-05-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Its not out yet, but it streamed for a while on the band's website, and there is a leak floating around in the torrent universe. Looking at an official release date of June 30.

There are many types of Wilco fans, and I should admit here that I am more into the "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" scrapbook-aesthetic and the knotty arrangements of "A Ghost Is Born" than the sweet-yet-sour pop of "Summerteeth." Then there will be those who found the band through their earlier alt-country albums, or even through the Volkswagen ads that featured songs from "Sky Blue Sky" (an album I liked, even if it lacked inventiveness).

This album seems aimed at bringing these fans together. Few could argue that the opener "Wilco (The Song)" is a mission statement. This album is an umbrella for all of Wilco's fans to share. The album cover features one camel and six empty chairs, as if to suggest there is room for everyone to sit down and enjoy that camel together. One chair for each of Wilco's previous studio albums. Or not, I dont know.

The second track "Deeper Down" sports a strange stop-start structure, and bubbling layers of sound. This ones for the "Foxtrot" crowd. Nels Cline makes a few of his finest appearances on this one.

"One Wing" is a great song with memorable lyrics and hummable melody. If any song on here has the potential to be a successful single, its this one. It would have been a welcome addition to "Sky Blue Sky" and epitomizes the "dad-rock" sound some have criticized them for. Its an album standout, despite roaming safe and familiar territory.

Things get surprising on the ominous "Bull Black Nova", a story of murder from the perspective of a confused and paranoid killer. Musically it might have been at home on "A Ghost Is Born", with its ragged guitars and propulsive rhythm. Its also the album's best song. Nothing else on the album matches the energy of this song.

Then there is the much anticipated "You and I", which features a very nice vocal from Canada's one-and-only Feist. The song might be forgettable if it weren't for their crucial decision to add a female counterpoint in the vocal. Its a standout for that reason, and unfortunately, as a mid-album highlight, represents a turning point in the album. After that track, the album goes downhill very slowly.

"You Never Know" and "Sonny Feeling" remind me of the jangly pop-alt-country rock of "Summerteeth." While nice and even enjoyable, though, they somehow become forgettable after they finish. Earlier, I mentioned "roaming safe and familiar territory" in reference to the song "One Wing." Well, where that one found success, these two fall flat.

"Country Disappeared" is a great song, and sounds like how The Band might sound in 2009. Unfortunately, its not immediately striking, and might in fact be forgettable. Similarly, "Solitaire" took a few listens to make an impression, but over time seemed to matter more and more. It pulls the essence of Nick Drake and Elliot Smith into a lonely country ballad. It is lyrically sincere, and sonically delicious. Glenn Kotche, an awesome and inventive drummer, seems to have held back on much of this record in order to let the songs breath. His restraint reaches almost insane levels of minimalism on this song, and his choice is very rewarding.

"I'll Fight" takes the melodic premise from "Sky Blue Sky" closer "On and On and On" and gives it treatment more akin to Wilco circa 1998. After many listens, this song remains one of the most memorable on the album. Tweedy's vocal is alive, and I believe him when he says "I'll kill for you!"

The album's final track "Everlasting Everything" reaches for epic status, but keeps the reigns a little too tight and doesn't seem to explode the way it should. It fades away just when it feels like it could erupt into bombast.

Tweedy's lyrics throughout the record range from the imaginative and insightful to the mundane and sappy. What matters though, is that when Tweedy gets a little lame, its always sincere. It makes me think of Lennon and McCartney. Lennon's solo career was spackled with bad lyrics, but one could always tell that he was being sincere, which redeemed the music. Paul arguably has a "better" singing voice, but his voice doesn't emote in a way that seems sincere, which makes his lamer lyrics sound even more lame. Tweedy is a Lennon. Heart-on-sleeve authenticity mixed up with occasional poeticism and abstraction.

Altogether, this record probably won't win over any new fans, but existing fans, whatever their bias, will find something to enjoy here.

Sigur Ros - "Við spilum endalaust"

2009-03-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

This performance by Sigur Ros unfolds in a French cafe, and is better than any official music video I could imagine for the song. Stripped down, without the costumes and bombast of a typical SR show, the song comes across plainly in its naked beauty. The patrons of the cafe go about their activities with mild interest mixed with ambivalence. Surreal, strange, and slightly awkward.

Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Tangerine Dream - Rubycon (1975)

2009-03-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

Probably the ultimate Tangerine Dream album, Rubycon epitomizes all facets of the TD sound during the course of its mystic journey.
Featuring two long tracks averaging 17 minutes in length (Rubycon Pt One and Pt Two), the album focuses as much attention on space, ambiance and minute detail as it does on eventual bombast and catharsis. This is patient music. At times, its hardly even "music."

What is a "Rubycon" though?
The Rubicon was (and still is) a river in Italy, thought by the Romans to be uncrossable. To this day the term "crossing the Rubicon" is still used, and means "passing the point of no return."
And there you have it. This album is about committing to the journey, knowing once you get to the other side, it may be impossible to ever return. How perfect is that?
Perhaps the altered spelling of the river's name was intended to suggest that, for the course of this trip, the water is red. Maybe Edgar Froese was on drugs.

If you commit to digesting this entire record in one sitting, it may not be easy, but I do highly recommend you try. By the end you'll have been pulled through so many twists and turns, sucked into infinite black holes, and spit out soaking wet and confused on the other side.

Veckatimest...

2009-03-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

...basically a masterpiece.
As contemporary rock/pop/folk records go, I know of few as thoroughly considered and detailed as this.
Though not an example of the "future-of-music", and not genre-creating or genre-bending, it is a beautiful, original and unique work of art. The music of Grizzly Bear draws inspiration from a variety of sources in the history of modern music to create the musical equivalent of the Veckatimest album cover: a complex tapestry of tone, shape, and colour.

First sips are full of complex notes, and hit the palette in strange ways.
The aftertaste is peaty, woody and even smokey.
This is the Glenlivit or Balvenie to your Jim Beam or Jack Daniels.

Buy the vinyl, and listen on headphones with no distractions.

Michael Rother - Flammende Herzen (1977)

2009-02-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am writing about another obscure German record from the 70s. It seems to be a trend around here. So what?

Michael Rother, co-founder of NEU!, didn't stop making music when that influential group broke up in 1975. While partner Klaus Dinger went on to his much more successful project La Dusseldorf, Rother put together this record with Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit.
It is a patient, calm, reflective record, very much akin to the softer aspects of your favorite NEU! records. Jaki's drumming is so restrained compared to his incredible jazzy performances on Can recordings, you might think it was Dinger on drums.
In fact, one might be inclined to think that the drums on these songs are looped. Actually, Jaki played the songs straight through, relying on his internal metronome to keep the pace the same, and the beats hardly change within the course of a song.
The songs are instrumental, repetitive, and rely on this "motorik" vibe heavily. Some might call the effect "hypnotic". I would too. Except I'd spell it like this: "hypnotik."
Highly melodic blankets of synthesizer and guitar seem to just float above the drums, like a haze. The overall effect of the record is very meditative and calming, and I recommend listening to it straight through while you are reading, driving, or folding laundry. Or while lying on the couch smoking opium, or whatever it is that you smoke.

Heldon - Stand By (1979)

2009-02-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

Heldon were an experimental French electronic/rock band that existed during the 1970s. They released this insane record in 1979 to very little acclaim or acknowledgment, and have been largely forgotten over time. Do yourself a favour right now and get this very rare album if you enjoy jazz-fueled prog-rock (a la King Crimson) or German electronic music (think Tangerine Dream). The album references much of what was happening in the musical underground in the 70s.
The palette is cold, dark, and edgy. The music bridges the gaps between shimmering synthesizer landscapes, hypnotics drones and pulses, aggressive rock, and jazzy prog.
Recommended, and extremely rare.

The Band - Cahoots (1971)

2009-02-09T15:48:00.000-08:00

There is a general consensus among music fans and critics regarding The Band: Music From Big Pink (1968) and The Band (1969) are timeless classics, crucial to every collection, and above all simply perfect, influential and important works.
The Last Waltz (1977), the band's farewell concert album, has likely found a place in many happy homes.
Dylan fans might also possess the awkward Before the Flood, adore The Basement Tapes, and enjoy the band's backing efforts on the perfect Dylan album Planet Waves (1974).
Few besides the most devout, however, ever venture into, or spend very much time inside the territory of the Band's third, fourth, or fifth studio albums, which all boast certain charms.
Cahoots, their fourth, perhaps has the most to boast about.
"Life is a Carnival" is a delightful entry to the album, with a funky slink, drunken horns, and percussion to spare. Songwriting and vocals are handled by everyone on this collaborative and happy track.
"When I Paint My Masterpiece", the only song contributed to the album by Dylan this time around, is a fine European tale led by Levon Helm. You can almost hear him mimicking Dylan's enunciation on each word. As a Dylan song, its the kind you might expect him to give away rather than to keep for himself. Stylistically seems like something you might hear on his New Morning album from 1970.

"Last of the Blacksmiths" basically destroys the first two with its forward-pressing drive, amazing bass, and Manuel's intense voice singing "have mercy!" Garth Hudson provides some bizarre horns to the mix, which might be one of the most memorable moments on the record in terms of unexpected surprises.
"Where Do We Go From Here", led by Rick Danko, is an equally epic and memorable song with some pretty delicious harmonies from the group. "Did you hear about the Eagle of distinction?" has always struck me as both an amazing and hilarious way to open a song.
Unfortunately after the strong first four songs, the album falls a little flat. "4% Pantomime" sports the promising premise of a guest spot from Van Morrison, but unfortunately the song basically sucks leprechaun balls. "Shoot Out In Chinatown" is forgettable and kind of bland. I just listened to it and I already forget it.
"The Moon Struck One" is as haunting as any Manuel ballad, but the overall effect of the song seems a little weak. Are there any better versions of this?
The album picks up again with "Thinkin' Out Loud." Danko delivers an oddly memorable line when he belts "Room service gone off duty!"
"Smoke Signals" struts with a strong hook, and a kind of scary lyric. There is a dark undertone throughout the whole record, and it comes to a head when Helm says "Your neighborhood aint even there no more!"
"Volcano" and "The River Hymn" end the album in a weak collapse. By the end of the last song, my attention is rarely focused anymore.

Its not a perfect album. But appreciation for the less celebrated works of The Band is something that comes with time and age.
If you're going to be all modern and just go on iTunes for selected songs, stick with "Last of the Blacksmiths" and "Where Do We Go From Here" and you'll be happy.

Kraftwerk - "Minimum-Maximum"

2009-01-23T05:19:00.000-08:00

My wife and I were lucky enough to see Kraftwerk on their 2004 tour, and the show was just epic; a truly unique and memorable concert experience. Fortunately, the tour was documented by a cd and dvd release called Minimum-Maximum. Th move is is currently playing at pitchfork.tv for a week only!

Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance (2001)

2009-01-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

Jim O'Rourke's solo "pop" records are a strange and uncommon fruit, as he is probably most well known as an experimental musician, a sometime member of Sonic Youth, one half of Gastr Del Sol, a multi-talented producer, and much more. In this way he has much in common with Brian Eno. Sonically, though, the two have little in common. O''Rourke favours acoustic environments which are grounded in earthly experimentation, while Eno tends to reach for ambient, spacey landscapes and odd effects.

As I understand it, this album features the musical accompaniment of Glen Kotche and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. The geekiest musicologists out there will know that that essentially makes this a Loose Fur record. The casually experimental rock-meets-country arrangements wouldn't be out of place on Wilco's A Ghost Is Born. In fact, the blueprint for the Wilco sound since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is laid out here, and Jim's influence on the songwriting of that band is undeniable.

In my review of Bad Timing, I mentioned that that record was about guitar and silence. This record, however, has vocals and lyrics, and therefore the spoken word takes on a level of extreme importance. The central themes of this album seem to paint a picture of a lonely, reclusive man who stubbornly deals with sadness and tragedy using sarcasm and a facade of apathy. Is this record autobiographical? I doubt it. I sense an undeniable connection to the movie Love Liza, which Jim provided music for.

The title track is a twisty and delicious dirge on some strange piano chords only Jim could have chosen. Lyrically, it seems thick, and in keeping with the theme of the record, intentionally depressing, and depressingly adult. It is also probably influenced by the writing of his Gastr Del Sol mate David Grubbs. Lines like "...a plant that needs reminding that it's nothing without soil, although then it's stuck there like a crumb in bread" seem to describe the moment that one realizes the hopelessness and absurdity of existence. This existential sadness is captured again by the final words "It's never too late to start to regret every step you've taken and every word you've said."

"Therefore I Am" propels itself on a few repeated guitar chords and some amazing Ooohs and Aaahs. Its simple in approach, but gains its power from this simplicity. Lyrically, its once again hilariously bitter. Jim's shows off his knack for laying out a simple lyric and then adding a sad twist to the end. Choice lines include "I'm a happy guy, Don't need nothin' to get me down, 'Cause I'll always have you"

"Memory Lame" is one of the best songs I have ever heard about despising someone. The hatred is focused in a humorously bitter, sarcastic, and very adult way. Most songs about these feelings tend to drift into angsty, tortured, teenaged territory. But Jim knows how to pull it off. "Listening to you reminds me of a motor's endless drone, and how the deaf are so damn lucky." He lays it all out without an ounce of aggression, in a detached, ambivalent tone. Probably because "what occupies (him) pays a low rent". Even Jim's hate is insignificant.

"Good Times" epitomizes what seems to have become Jim's trademark, in several ways. A very restrained song featuring gorgeous slide guitar, subtle organ, and quiet guitar, one might expect a singer to pine for a lost lover. You might expect to hear Neil Young's quivering voice. Instead, Jim takes the opportunity to wish for someone to go away, perhaps even to die. "It'd be so nice if you weren't here, Empty air where you used to stand, Like an empty plate that gets bussed away." Be careful with this one, the slide guitar has been known to cause uncontrollable sadness in some listeners.

I won't say anything about "Get A Room," but its probably one of the best songs on this whole album.

"Life Goes Off" seems to be about the death of a wife, and closes the record in powerful way. Drum rolls, hand claps, and Jim's incredible slide guitar build to a ferocious climax that you really need to hear to believe.
And then life goes off.

Jim's not often one to go for metaphors, but he does it here in a perfect way.

Memory Lame

2009-01-18T11:42:00.000-08:00

Last night while lying on the couch in the dark sipping Sambuca and listening to the second side of an old vinyl copy of Abbey Road on an old record player that spins records slightly faster than it should, I was brought to tears.
It was somewhere between the end of "Because" and the beginning of "You Never Give Me Your Money."
For the first time in my life, I was experiencing the sound of that music exactly the same way that I first experienced it 22 years ago. This was the same copy of the record that I spun as a kid, and the same record player. The music itself, matched with the familiar crackle of the record and the isolating effect of the headphones perfectly recreated my youthful music experiences. I was instantly 5 years old again, sitting on my parent's floor beside the stereo, my father's gigantic headphones dwarfing my head, wondering who these "beatles" were, why my dad had so many of their records, and imagining all of the colorful characters and settings in the music. Somewhere there was an octopus' garden, a mean old man, a sun king, and someone was coming in the bathroom window, but its alright because the sun is shining, the world is round, all good children go to heaven.

This music obviously had a very large impact on me as a child, encouraging my imagination and curiosity. I can't imagine a world without it, and like very few things in life, I never grow tired of it.

There is no doubt that music has the power to stir up memories, and to transport the listener to another time and place. For some reason, this record proved to have a very strong effect on me. Does music effect you like this? If so, why?

Jim O'Rourke - Bad Timing (1997)

2009-01-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

Sparse tapestries of Fahey-esque acoustic guitar spin, fold, intertwine, build and fall apart over the course of four long instrumental tracks. Jim O'Rourke's wonderful, experimental and competent playing remains primitive and avoids sinking into showiness and virtuoso masturbation. While rarely lyrical or heavily melodic, the album as a whole leaves a lingering feeling on the aural palette that feels calming despite the schizophrenia of it all.
The songs are barely orchestrated, spare a few buzzing tones, some brief strings, and other occasional surprises. The orchestration is kept minimal because the album is really about two things: Guitar and silence. Its about guitar tone and technique as much as it is about the moments in between notes and phrases.
The final song "Happy Trails" is a sublime ender. Opening with ominous waves of dark distortion and some oddly buzzing chords, it drifts into a middle section of unaccompanied delicate playing, and then erupts out-of-the-blue into a bustling full band piece (including horns, strings, organ, guitar, drums) which dissipates awkwardly into more sparse finger-picking. Its the most extreme example of this album's ADHD-inducing, "anything could happen at any time" approach. Right when you start to feel sleepy, you'll be jolted awake by some odd chord or weird tone.

This album is at times stunning and beautiful, and is a crucial piece of the Jim O'Rourke puzzle. It is layered, sonically amazing, and as fully considered as any of his rock records.

Fever Ray

2009-01-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, one of the records you are anticipating this year is the debut of Fever Ray, the solo project from Karin Dreijer of Sweden's The Knife.
Here is the awesomely disturbing, almost Lynchian video for the haunting first single "If I Had A Heart."
The song is textural bliss, drawn forever forward by a dark, hardly danceable pulse. I look forward to hearing how this song will fit into the context of an album, and I'm curious as to what the tempos and moods throughout the record will be.

Creepy stuff.

Fela Kuti and Afrika 70 - Zombie (1977)

2009-01-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

This album, Kuti's 27th, was received very well by fans. Kuti had become a rockstar all over Africa, and he and his band had perfected their brand of funky, political, dance music. The record and its criticism of the Nigerian military was such a hit with his increasing fanbase that Kuti was actually considered a political threat. The government worried that he would cause political upheaval with the song "Zombie." They didn't care that it kicked ass.

Because of this album Kuti's mother was thrown from a window and killed. His studio, instruments, recordings, and his entire ridiculous commune were burned. He was almost assassinated. Serious shit. That's how great this record is, though.

The next year Fela tried to run for president, and married 27 women.

This album is essential. Most versions feature "Zombie", followed by "Mister Follow Follow", "Observation is No Crime", and "Mistake". However, the original track-listing is completely different. If you can find that on vinyl, I will pay you hundreds for it. My wife will kill me for spending so much on a record.

Fela Kuti - Zombie

Hail to the Tracklisting

2008-12-30T19:05:00.000-08:00

This post is strictly for Radiohead geeks, and curious folks with too much time on their hands.
Thom Yorke recently (and naturally quite cryptically) revealed an alternate track listing for the flawed mess-of-an-album known as Hail To The Thief. Perhaps this would have been his choice, and he was outvoted? At any rate, it flows much more smoothly, and is much more concise. The unnecessary and bland "I Will", the just-alright "A Punchup at a Wedding", the fairly forgettable "Backdrifts" and the bizarre speedbump-of-a-song "We Suck Young Blood" are cut to give the remaining songs some breathing room, and to make the whole thing feel less claustrophobic and chaotic.
Anyway, try re-arranging and editing the album this way, and give it a listen. Just for kicks, call it The Gloaming, which is at least a slightly less terrible name than Hail To The Thief.

1. There There
2. The Gloaming
3. Sail to the Moon
4. Sit Down. Stand Up.
5. Go to Sleep
6. Where I End and You Begin
7. Scatterbrain
8. 2+2=5
9. Myxomatosis
10. Wolf at the Door

Cluster - Zuckerzeit (1974)

2008-12-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

This album by German electronic-music pioneers Cluster features a gorgeous sense of melody and a propulsive rhythmic approach not unlike their peers in Neu! However, where the music of Neu! maintained a noticeable level of organic humanism, this music is certifiably out-of-this-world. This is ambient electronic pop in its earliest days. Warbly, off-kilter, and hauntingly deranged, yet undeniably pretty at the same time. While the genre has evolved, mutated, and modernized, I wonder how much it has actually improved on these early blueprints?

With my limited understanding of deutsch, I can only guess that "Zuckerzeit" translates to "Candy Time" or "Sugar Time". With song titles like "Caramel" and "Marzipan" I want to believe that there is some concept behind the album. Perhaps they considered this music sweet? In moments, it is sweet, but often undercut by a creepy aftertaste. Its like a dream about Hansel and Gretel.

I have previously read that if one dreams about eating sweets, it is a sign of good things coming.

Philip K. Dick asked: "Do androids dream of electric sheep?"
I ask: What if androids dreamed of eating sweets? If they did, I think this would be the soundtrack. Is it a sign of better times coming for androids?

Something original...

2008-12-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

Tim Exile's album "Listening Tree" comes out in March of next year. You can hear two tracks on his myspace right now. Check out the first single "Family Galaxy."
http://www.myspace.com/timexile

I don't know who he is, or anything about him for that matter. All I know is that he recently signed to Warp Records, and his music is some startlingly original electro-pop. Very weird. Very interesting. I'd love to know what you think.

Peter Gabriel - s/t 1977

2008-12-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

After leaving one of the greatest prog-rock bands of all time, Peter Gabriel took some time to reflect before releasing this, his first solo album (fans give this one the title of "Car" to differentiate it from his other self-titled albums, of which there are many). Perhaps he was maturing, or just looking for new avenues to pursue, but gone were the flower costumes, face-paint, fables, fairy tales, and Shakespearean allusions. He released a pop-album, full of self-reflection, emotion, and modern themes.

Production wise, this album occupies a space between the majestic romanticism of Genesis, and the future-looking sonic experimentation of his later albums. While it does not feature the virtuoso classical-isms of the Genesis folks, it has performances by avantgarde musicians like stick-bass guru Tony Levin and guitar icon Robert Fripp. Oh, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

The whole thing starts off with Gabriel at his weirdest, recalling The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, with "Moribund The Burgermeister". Scary, magical, and out of this world. It's placement at the beginning of the album seems intended to remind the listener of Gabriel V.1, before opening them up to the new, improved V.2.

That song is followed by the perfect "Solsbury Hill" which everyone knows. You know it. A beautiful, moving piece of pop-music, it was probably the first song in Gabriel's career to openly focus on his own life, and his own feelings. Something in his voice seems to change when things get personal. At this point in the record, audiences could tell things were going to be very different for Gabriel. Maybe he was on the road towards success in the world of pop music? They had no idea.

The middle of the album is fleshed out with other memorable songs like "Humdrum" and "Modern Love", diverse in style and execution, and definitely enjoyable, but perhaps not as timeless.
The album closes with two grand statements.
"Down The Dolce Vita" is bombastic and over the top, as any pop song featuring an orchestra tends to be. Its also funky and ridiculous. Is it about some kind of boating disaster? Who knows. All I know is that when he sing-shouts "You guys are crazy!" its pretty awesome.

The epic closer "Here Comes The Flood" may suffer, as Gabriel openly admits, from over-production. I'd argue that pretty much all of these songs do, but that it doesn't really matter. Perhaps this beautiful, haunting song might have better suited a stripped-back arrangement. But it was 1976, and that just wasn't in fashion.
I've attached a live video from 2003 for an idea of what that might have sounded like. Personally, I miss a little of that sonic syrup.
Classic.

Wire - 154 (1979)

2008-12-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

While I was listening to this record, my fiancee asked why I was listening to 80's goth music. There are moments where that observation isn't far off. The curious thing is that an English punk band, known for brash yet intelligent punk rock songs, could change over the course of just 3 albums into a moody, dark, strange, artistic band sharing more in common with Joy Division and Bauhaus than the 70s punk scene. For each ounce of goth-ism there is a dash of Krautrock, and a hint of Eno.
This is sonically and lyrically adventurous music.
Guitars still lead most of the songs, but are subject to endless manipulation and effects. Atmospheric expanses of dense, echoed feedback give a spooky intensity to songs like "A Touching Display," the album's epic centerpiece. The drums, when present, are predominantly acoustic and clean, yet often find themselves stripped right out of the mix ("Indirect Inquiries"). Some of the songs are propelled by nothing but crunchy bass and guitar pulses ("40 Versions"). Otherwise, the songs are expanded texturally by an endless array of synthesizers and keyboards.
Lead vocals seem to be provided by three different band members, which gives the album multiple personalities, as if having several narrators with different observations. One of these voices is dark and low, recalling Peter Murphy. This could be where the "goth" aspect comes from.
Lyrically, there is nothing "goth" about it. Its artsy, slightly abstract, compelling, and often unemotional. For example, the first lines of "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W", a song that was likely held back from radio only for its ridiculous title;
"An unseen ruler defines with geometry
An unrulable expanse of geography
An aerial photographer over-exposed
To the cartologist's 2D images knows
The areas where the water flowed
So petrified, the landscape grows
Straining eyes try to understand
The works, incessantly in hand
The carving and paring of the land
The quarter square, the graph divides
Beneath the rule a country hides"

See what I mean?

Easily one of the best, most adventurous records of 1979. Here's a taste!

Wire - 154

Radiohead in Japan, 2008

2008-12-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Radiohead fans:
Check out the WOWOW Television Broadcast from the show at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, 2008.
This is the best live footage and audio of the band you're likely to experience. Multiple angles, great quality. Perfectly mixed soundboard audio. Also quite nicely sequenced, despite not being a full set (though there are about 15 songs.)
The torrents are out there, and I highly recommend you find one!
Heres a taste, though:

BEST OF 2008

2008-11-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

Its December, and assuming no great records are released in the next 31 days (there are none on the forecast) its time for my BEST ALBUMS OF 2008 list. Pared down from a longer list which included Brian Wilson, The Sea and Cake, Lil Wayne, Beck, Ghosts I-IV, Fuck Buttons, Deerhoof...

Portishead - Third
Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
Fleet Foxes - S/T
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Autechre - Quaristice
Pivot - O Soundtrack My Heart
Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir
Clark - Turning Dragon
Constantines - Kensington Heights
Flying Lotus - L.A.
Jamie Lidell - Jim
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood OST
Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
NIN - The Slip
Neon Neon - Stainless Style
Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Special Mention
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Technically released online in MP3 form in October 2007, and then in physical form as part of the special record box edition, it was finally released and in stores on January 1 2008. So, is this a 2007 record or a 2008 record? I left it off my list because I consider it a 2007 album, however, I just wanted to make special mention of it, since its just that great!

Also, special thanks to the record label affiliated with 7 of those albums! You know my tastes so well!

Jeremy Enigk - Return of the Frog Queen (1996)

2008-11-27T11:41:00.000-08:00

For me, an album can be certified as a "classic" once it has passed the Ten Year Test. This test asks only a few basic question; Does the record maintain its resonance on an emotional and/or technical level after 10 years have passed? Do I still find myself re-visiting the material for reasons other than nostalgia? Has the record had any significant impact on the general progression of music/trends/genres?

Twelve years after its initial release, I put this album to the test, and it has passed. These songs do have a certain nostalgia for me (I was in grade 10 when this was released..), but I think they also resonate in the same way they once did.

Jeremy Enigk is most well known as the singer of the influential band Sunny Day Real Estate. He released this, his first solo album, after disbanding the group (for the first time) due to religious differences. Specifically, he claimed to have "found God", and believed the music of Sunny Day to be inappropriate. Given those circumstances, fan's definitely had their guards up when they heard about Enigk's solo record. Would it be some sort of new-age/easy listening record? Would he alienate his fans by singing plainly about God?

Thankfully, Enigk has never sung anything plainly or clearly. If this record has any religious meaning, its muddied by Jeremy's obtuse lyrics and sometimes unintelligible singing (thank God, haha!) The imagery in the album is more magical than spiritual, and owes more to fairy tales and The Wind In The Willows then it does to The Bible.

There is a lizard, a carnival, a black hat, a "hollow", and of course, a frog queen. This is Enigk at the peak of his creative power, conjuring imagery and feeling without most of the drama and sentimentality he is often prone to.

Melodically, the songs utilize simple, circling acoustic guitar structures as the backbone to Enigk's winding, wailing, sometimes soaring, almost screaming vocal delivery. "Explain" is a soft acoustic piece of music, but is somehow heavier in emotion and delivery than most aggressive music. Listening to this song now, I understand his place in the progression of "emo" music from Fugazi to My Chemical Romance (does anyone even remember that terrible band?) For me, the cry-scream-sing style starts and ends with Enigk.

Sure, Enigk's unique vocal style is an acquired taste. Wasn't Dylan's? Not trying to draw a comparison there, just arguing that sometimes the greatest things in life take time to appreciate.

The production is tasteful and minimal, which is rare for a record that showcases a 21 piece orchestra. When it does get bombastic, it feels natural and necessary. Enigk's imperfect voice, and the sounds of creaking chairs and squeaking strings, lend this album so much honesty and beauty. Compare that to Enigk's beautiful 2006 album World Waits, and you'll hear what I mean. World Waits primary fault is the over-production, which buffs down the edges and strips a little of the humanity away.

This is an often overlooked gem of an album by the leader of a band that was much more influential than most people realize.

Cosmic Jokers - Cosmic Jokers (1974)

2008-11-25T16:53:00.000-08:00

Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser arranged some "acid-parties" in Germany in 1973. Some of his guests included Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze, who were offered drugs in exchange for recording some music. They casually improvised, and probably had the time of their lives, with the belief that the music would never see the light of day.

However, then Kaiser mixed and edited together the best bits, and released them without the consent of any of the parties involved, as Cosmic Jokers. This self-titled record is the first of a few culled from these sessions. These records obviously didn't make any money though, so, maybe the joke is on him. Really, who is the listening audience for this material?

According to Progarchives.com, "the interest of this side project was to create a cosmic music with a virtual musical tribe to develop the world consciousness thanks to LSD." Yeah, that's basically what this sounds like. It sounds like a bunch of really stoned dudes jamming into the wee hours of the morning, under the misguided belief that their improvised spacey jam sessions could bring peace to the world.

Not the most interesting music in the world, but a rare record, and a definite collectible for anyone interested in the sprawling careers of Schulze and Göttsching. Good enough for quality background music.

The Kinks - Lola Vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One (1970)

2008-11-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, this album features the song "Lola."
Despite having been disconnected from its album by the global pop-music consciousness, it was actually just one of a collection of songs about the music industry.
How is that song about the music industry, you ask?

Well the story arch of the album seems to suggest a working-class band trying to make it in the industry, their rise to fame, followed by their disillusionment from that industry, and their subsequent desire for freedom from the constraints of the business.

In my mind, "Lola" is this band's first hit song, the song that sends them to the "Top of the Pops" (the following track).

I once read a story about how Ray Davies carefully constructed that song to be a hit, presumably so that it would make sense in the context I described above. However, fate has a sense of humour and a taste for the ironic. "Lola" became one of the The Kinks' biggest hits in their almost decade long career.

So what about the rest of the music? Well, it continues in a similar vein to Arthur, with some of the "rocking-est" rock songs in the Kinks career (lets not forget this was the first band to use power chords and distorted guitar!). In true Davies' style, its also hilarious and lots of fun.
Plus, "Strangers" and "This Time Tomorrow" are sure to blow you away.

Yes, I said rocking-est.

Strangers - The Kinks

The Kinks - Arthur; or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire (1969)

2008-11-21T03:56:00.000-08:00

The soundtrack to a television play that got all the way to production before being canned, this is the first Kinks album that we can all agree is a concept album. Understanding the concept, however, is not necessary to the enjoyment of the record.
Here we have the Kinks rocking like they hadn't rocked in years, and that should be enough to satisfy those listeners interested only in the music. Those interested in more than that will be satisfied by the story of a poor working-class English man who emigrates to Australia to fulfill a comfortable, if somewhat meaningless, life of leisure.
Ray Davies creates a realistic world here, where soldiers die, politicians lie, and the rest of us go about our lives pretending that everything's alright. It's scary ("Drivin'"), sad ("Some Mother's Son"), and beautifully detached ("Shangri-La").
It's devoid of most of the quaint and silly themes present on the last few records, and sets its focus on much larger issues than the mundane lives presented on those records. Strangely enough, it was also the most successful record they released in years, and would set the stage for their return to the spotlight with the release of "Lola" in 1970.

I wish I could write more, because I really do love this record, but I also have a life! I have to go.
Check out the IMeem playlist below for a few selections from the record.

ARTHUR

The Kinks - The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968)

2008-11-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

In 1968 the Kinks disappeared from fame and popularity almost completely, sinking further into Ray Davies' eclectic world of eccentric characters and quaint melodies. They also, quite un-noticed, released one of the best albums of all time.

Lost friends, photo albums, animal farms, childhood fantasies, steam trains, and the pastoral English countryside, make up the bulk of the lyrical content here. That, and a mythical Preservation Society dedicated to preserving England's heritage. Its sad, playful, satirical, ironic, sincere, and then sad again. I don't consider this truly a concept album, although some do. Its more like a collection of songs that share the common thread of nostalgia for youth, and growing up in England.

Musically, the core sound of the last few Kinks records is repeated here, with liberal use of Mellotron orchestration and a slurry of blues, music-hall, folk and rock rhythms. "Picture Book" and "People Take Pictures of Each Other" are instantly memorable, hilarious, and beautiful examples of Davies' fine wit and extraordinary songwriting (is it actually possible that no one had used that riff in "Picture Book" before?). "Wicked Annabella" has a drum break I refuse to believe hasn't been sampled for a hip-hop song yet. "Village Green" and "Animal Farm" are Davies at his most epic. "Monica" and "Starstruck" should have been Top Ten Hits. The rest of the songs might not be as memorable, but they complete the thematic picture and are equally crucial to fleshing out the emotional landscape of the record. "Do You Remember Walter?" and "All of My Friends Were There" show a rare glimpse into Davies' own feelings of fear, embarrassment and regret.

If you own one Kinks album, make it this one. There are two versions, consisting of either 12 or 15 tracks. Get the 15 track album to hear it as Ray intended.

Here's a taste!
The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks - Something Else by The Kinks (1967)

2008-11-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

By title alone one might expect Something Else by the Kinks to be a phoned-in collection of sub-par material. At least, that's what I was expecting. Can't judge a book by its cover. Or, as I have learned, you can't judge an album by its title! (see; Pet Sounds, Low, Hail to the Thief, Nursery Cryme...)
Something Else... is actually a continuation of the thematic material of Face To Face (1966), and while some critics complain that it lacks the continuity and cohesiveness of that album, I beg to differ. Well, OK, I won't beg.
Here we have jealous sisters, dead clowns, alcohol, job hunting, nagging in-laws, prostitutes, afternoon tea, and general appreciate of the sun. So, no grandiose subject matter, nothing extraordinary, but nothing too ordinary either. Thematically and musically, any of these songs might have felt right at home on Face To Face, but alas, they do not live there. They live on this album, one equally deserving of praise.
Sonically, its not like this stuff is remarkable. Its a typical mid-sixties pop-rock production, with diverse accompaniment and handful of different stylistic approaches. It isn't innovative, experimental, or psychedelic. Its just an album of great songs you'll probably never forget.

1967 was a ridiculous year for music. Albums from that year include: Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Disraeli Gears, Pandemonium Shadow Show, Forever Changes, Are You Experienced, Axis:Bold as Love, The Who Sell Out, Their Satanic Majesties Request and some record called Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. If you haven't heard them, take a few moments and go get all of those albums. I'll wait.

OK, so have you noticed how "psychedelic" those albums are? How wild and experimental they are? Were those guys on drugs? Those album titles are weird, aren't they?
That makes this Kinks record all the more special. Simply calling it "Something Else by the Kinks" was a mission statement in itself. While hip musicians were aiming for galactic heights and mysticism, Davies was soberly and deliberately driving his band down a different road, an un-hip road, straight into the plain, the un-extraordinary, the human. He was even trying NOT to make hits, but that's where he screwed up.

Have you heard the song Waterloo Sunset? You know its one of the greatest songs of all time, right?
Because I love you, here it is.

Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

The Kinks - Face To Face (1966)

2008-11-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Kinks Week!
For no reason at all, other than my love for these 5 Kinks records, I am going to write about one crucial Kinks album every day this week.

Today's album is Face To Face, the 1966 classic that found Ray Davies committing to the art of the character study, writing playful and cynical epics about everyday people, and the mundane existence of modern England. Perhaps this was always the content of Davies' writing, but here it is shaped and constructed to feel like a cohesive set. In fact, this could be the first concept album. Loosely shaped around the daily lives of regular folks, it escapes the usual drama and pomp most concept albums suffer from. Each song is a character study, but as a whole, it is a study of the character of England herself.

Musically, this stuff was contemporary, English pop-rock. The only problem the Kinks faced in reaching a large international audience was that they were too British sounding. Otherwise, there are many similarities to the concurrent work of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Who. Gone were the distorted power-chords of You Got Me and "All Day And All Of The Night". Mellotron, flutes, strings, harmonium, sitar, and a strong music-hall influence flesh these songs out in full mid-60's flare.
It's Davies odd, eccentric choice of subject matter, and untamed accent, that sets them apart. Their embrace of all things English would continue as a theme throughout the 60s, which one might argue inspired the Beatles' Penny Lane, if not informing much of Sgt Peppers.

"Rosie, Won't You Please Come Home" is one of the sweetest songs a man has ever written for his sister. "Too Much On My Mind" is deeply affecting, with Beatles-esque harmonies that will light some kind of fire inside you. Its also one of my favorite songs from '66.

The true masterpiece of the album, however, is "Sunny Afternoon". I always imagine it to be a biting criticism of George Harrison's Taxman, and thinking that has always been great. However, I just looked it up, and "Sunny Afternoon" actually came out first. Maybe "Taxman" was inspired by this song? You decide.

Kraftwerk - Electric Cafe (1986)

2008-11-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

After releasing their computer-pop masterpiece Computer World in 1981, Kraftwerk began working on their follow-up, the lost album Technopop. Sessions had been underway for a while, and progress was definitely being made, when founder Ralf Hutter was in a bicycling accident which left him in a coma for 6 months, putting the Technopop project on hold indefinitely.
After years of their own self-perpetuated robot mythology (having robots perform in concert or show up at press conferences on their behalf), that unfortunate accident added a slice of humanity to the Kraftwerk story. It shows that the "man machine" is imperfect, flawed, and capable of error.

No one expected the band to make a comeback, but, in 1986 the remnants of the Technopop project were pieced together and released as Electric Cafe. The result is a strong, yet uneven, collection of propulsive techno pop, which seems almost unfinished.

The band had always fetishized machines and technology, using them as concepts for their albums. Trans Europe Express focused on trains, Man-Machine on robots, Computer World on computers, Radio-activity on radios, Autobahn on cars. Here, while the album lacks an obvious or even discernible concept, I think the machine is humanity itself. Flawed and imperfect, perhaps, but not without its beauty.

The album reflects that, being flawed, imperfect and not without its own moments of beauty. A great example is "Sex Object", which features beautiful strings, and some haunting harmonization, but juxtaposes that with hilarious over-use of midi slap bass and guitar. Perhaps another flaw is that their music had always been ahead of its time, but in their 6 years of reclusive detachment from the music world they fell behind the trends in music, ending with a product that was not so startling new or futuristic.

Regardless, here are 6 shimmering, pristine examples of electronic music at its most sonically sophisticated, laden with gorgeous synth-pads, and danceable rhythms. I mean, the crisp, ridiculously good production of Computer World is all over this thing. The dry Kraftwerk sense of humour is back and more obvious than ever, likely another side-effect of Hutter's new lease on life.

Is this the worst Kraftwerk album? Yes.
Do I still listen to it anyway? Yes.

Here is the original video for the song "Boing Boom Tschak"

Musique non stop - kraftwerk

(side note: Rumour has it that the Technopop album will be released in its original format this year as a part of The Catalogue, a box set of the major Kraftwerk albums with updated artwork, and extensive packaging and notes.)

Kinks Week

2008-11-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

Next week is Kinks Week here at MNS: Each day I'll be discussing a crucial album from the Kinks' catalogue. Check back for some insight into one of the greatest and most under-rated British groups of all time, as well as some videos and audio clips.

Mitch Mitchell

2008-11-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest rock drummers in history died yesterday. Mitch Mitchell played the drums on one of my favorite songs of all time. I consider his playing on par with the other giants of his era, and yet for some reason his name is never thrown around like Bonham or Moon, or spoken of in the same conversations. Fuck those guys! They didn't play on this song!

Fire - Jimi Hendrix

King Crimson, 1973-1974

2008-11-11T15:23:00.000-08:00

There are three crucial King Crimson records from the 1970s that make a sort of unofficial trilogy based on common threads (personnel, style, intent). These records are Lark's Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974) and they feature Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Bill Bruford and David Cross as the foundation of the group.

If you are at all interested in the seldom traveled crossroads between heavy metal and jazz improvisation, then you'll enjoy those albums. That's my guarantee to you!

This is a performance of them playing a version of Lark's Tongues In Aspic from the record of the same name. Enjoy!

Brainticket - Cottonwoodhill (1971)

2008-11-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Often considered one of the most psychedelic albums of all time, Brainticket's Cottonwoodhill will warm you up with generic 70's organ rock, and loosen you up with a funky wah-wah vs. flute session, before submerging you in a terrifying world of looped organ riffs, sound effects, surreal poetry, and Beethoven's 9th symphony, leaving you confused and shivering naked in the corner of the room, holding your own brain in your hands. You'll be asking "What just happened?"

In fact, what just happened is you sat through the musical equivalent of a "bad trip," and you lived to talk about it. You're safe now. Hide this record somewhere where you'll never be tempted to listen to it again.

The aptly named Brainticket were a band of Swiss and Belgian acid freaks, loosely aligned with the early 70s German underground scene. My guess is that they spent most of their recording budget on hallucinogens, and could only afford to record two songs. So, to finish off the album, they went home and looped a short organ riff over and over for half an hour, while searching through archives of sound effects, and reading creepy poems, and recorded the whole thing on a tape deck with a serious amount of high-end. Ta-da! Masterpiece! Right.

To quote the track Places of Light; "And you, without thinking, will lose your soooouuuuul..."

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock (1991)

2008-11-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is the band that did "It's My Life" and a few other popular songs from the 80s. Unfortunately, there seems to be some stigma surrounding bands that had hits in the 80s. They are often discredited, not taken seriously, and get lost in the blur of trash that spewed endlessly from cheap Casio speakers at Radioshack.
In the case of Talk Talk, it led to their artistic creativity being limited, and incredible pressure from their record label to continue making AOR hits.
Talk Talk said "Fuck You" to EMI and signed to a jazz label (verve), and released an album that to this day sounds like no other. Signing to an small jazz label meant not having to worry about singles, hits, radio play etc. This allowed them the freedom to explore jazz elements, classical instrumentation, and bubbling sonic textures. In fact, they largely avoid pop structures and hooks all together, favoring expansive tone experiments, unbelievably restrained playing, and even silence (this record makes amazing use of the space in between sounds).
Sound familiar? Its also the basic story of Radiohead. In fact, the record shares a strange kinship with Kid A. There are also echoes of Miles Davis' In A Silent Way throughout, and what sounds to me like Delta blues being drowned in the Mississippi river.
Mark Hollis' singing is almost unsettling in its nakedness. Atop of some very languid, humid landscapes, he sings in a hushed yet emotionally charged tone, not unlike Beth from Portishead. He creates those rare moments in music where you feel that a singer is actually opening up their soul to their listeners, exposing everything they have without an ounce of pretension or affectation. At the same time, its often hard to follow the lyrics; the vocals seem to say more sonically than they do lyrically (again, not unlike Kid A). The fragments I've been able to gather seem to be filled with water and religious imagery (floods, ascension, myrrh).

Its hard to express the specific haunting quality that this album has. It conveys the same feelings one might have while treading water in the ocean, or possibly wading in a secluded pond while contemplating redemption.

Laughing Stock

The Beatles - Hey Bulldog

2008-11-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Someone with a lot of time on their hands tediously edited together this old footage of the band recording Hey Bulldog. The footage was originally edited and chopped up by Apple Records to promote the song Lady Madonna, so the original audio of this recording is long gone.
It was only recently discovered that they were actually playing Hey Bulldog, and this video puts it all back together for a very enjoyable clip.
Watch out for the mutton chops and the Gibson SG.

Walter Wegmüller - Tarot (1973)

2008-11-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes great albums are released and remain obscure for many years despite the quality of their content, and sometimes records are obscure for good reason.
Case in point:

So one night in 1972 a bunch of freaks and hippies with a shared passion for 60s psychedelic rock music got together, dropped a lethal amount of acid, and jammed their German asses off for hours, blissfully unaware of how they sounded. Some crazy weirdo named Walter Wegmüller arranged the whole session, and sat himself down with a microphone all night reciting from a text about Tarot cards.
Someone (maybe Conny Plank?) must have stayed awake (and sober)enough to record the event, or else we wouldn't have this ridiculous document. I feel sorry, though, for the stoned hippie with a record label that was convinced to release this album, as I am sure he was in debt for years.
I don't know if that's at all true; It's more of a fictional story that played out in my head when I listened to this.
I also thought repeatedly of that episode of Family Guy where Lois and Peter get really stoned and perform at a talent show, unaware of how terrible they sound. I think a little of that might have happened here.

Don't get me wrong, its not all bad. Just freakishly weird. It features cosmic performances by Klaus Schulze and Manuel Göttsching, and jumps between a variety of styles also utilized by Amon Duul II, Ash Ra Temple, and basically every other band in the early years of "krautrock".

Not recommended for the casual listener, but possibly essential for collectors of weird stuff.

Muddy Waters - Electric Mud (1968)

2008-11-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

Muddy Waters was one of the most important musicians in the history of rock music. The most important of his music was recorded in the 50s, and it had a strong, lasting effect on all rock-based music that came after it.
In the 60s, his music reached unforeseen heights of popularity, having been unearthed and revamped by the likes of The Rolling Stones and Cream.
So, Waters came out of the woodwork in 1968 with an album of his classic songs, re-recorded in a modern style. Electric Mud is an album of hard, dirty, blues, with strange psychedelic leanings influenced by popular music of the time. Its not traditional classic Muddy Waters sound, its something bigger and even more visceral.
Blues purists wrote this record off as an attempt to cash-in, and considered Waters a sell-out. Those guys were assholes.

This album is a classic to me. I dug it out of my father's collection as a youth and have cherished it for years. The guitars are devilishly fuzzy, and the recording seems coated in smoke and grease. There is also a surprising weight to the bass. Muddy sings like he's passing a kidney stone, and it sounds perfect.

Electric Mud

Miles Davis - Live Evil (1971)

2008-11-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

Sonically and chronologically, this remarkable album falls somewhere between the frightening aural landscape of Bitches Brew, and the liquid funk of On The Corner. It contains a mixture of studio and live performances, which at times feature the following musicians:

* Trumpet: Miles Davis
* Saxophone: Wayne Shorter, Gary Bartz
* Guitar: John McLaughlin
* Keyboards/Piano/Organ: Josef Zawinul, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea
* Bass: Dave Holland, Ron Carter, Michael Henderson
* Drums: Jack DeJohnette
* Percussion: Airto Moreira

I wanted to write a very long blog about this amazing record, as well as the recently compiled Live at the Cellar Door boxset, but I find that the words escape me. All you really need to do is look at that album cover, then scroll down and look at that list of musicians. Once you see Davis, McLaughlin, Jarret, Holland, Shorter, Zawinul, Corea, Hancock and DeJohnette all listed together on an album recorded in 1970, you shouldn't need to know anything more.

Here is a taste of the band playing one of the album's highlights, What I Say.

What I Say - Miles Davis

Even better, though, is this incredible video:

Squarepusher- Budakhan Mindphone (1999)

2008-11-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

Like a lot of folks, my introduction to Squarepusher came in the form of the frenetic song/video Come On My Selector from 1997's Big Loada EP. I was drawn to the complex, hyper-active cuts/edits of its brutal drum and bass attack. Since then, I have followed his career with varying degrees of attention and apathy. It soon became apparent that Tom Jenkinson wasn't only interested in the electronic music genres he became a legend making (drum and bass, acid). Conveniently, I suppose, I was becoming much less interested in them as well. In 1998-1999, he released a handful of remarkable EPs and LPs (including the lo-fi jazz fusion experiment Music Is Rotted One Note and the funky Selection Sixteen)that explored analog and organic sounds, jazz colours, funky bass virtuosity, musique concrete, modern classical theories, and a variety of other styles.
From this period, one of my personal favorite records is Budakhan Mindphone, often categorized as an EP, but described as a "mini-album" by Jenkinson.
It opens with the beautiful Iambic 5 Poetry, one of Tom's melodic, haunting autumn songs, and one of my all time favorites. From there it ventures into some funky territory, and some jazz, and what is presumably acid, as performed on gongs (Gong Acid).
One key song, which just slipped by me unnoticed for the first few years, has taken on a new significance. The Tide is an ominous collection of crescendos and drones, to put it very simply. The piece became more interesting to me when I learned that the London Sinfonietta had performed a rendition of this piece at a recent celebration of avant garde music.

Here they are performing his Port Rhombus (from Big Loada)

Because of the amount of stylistic terrain covered in such short time, and the range of emotions, textures and tones, Budakhan Mindphone has become a classic for me. Music Is Rotted... never stuck with me very well on account of its length, and it always left a slightly negative impression because of the amount of dead space and unfocused sonic impressionism. Selection Sixteen is great, adventurous and a lot of fun, but also returns to a lot of Tom's signature modes of manic speed and ridiculous cutting while sparing the necessary emotional elements.

Fripp & Eno - (No Pussyfooting) (1973)

2008-10-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

In 1973, while working on his first solo album following his departure from Roxy Music, Brian Eno invited King Crimson mastermind/guitar guru Robert Fripp over to play guitar and experiment with Eno's recently devised tape delay system. This complex set of machinery allowed the input music to be looped, echoed, and modulated, while being continually generated at the input state. This system would come to be called "Frippertronics" and would be used for decades on Fripp and Eno recordings. It was around this time that Fripp also laid down the amazing guitar solo for Eno's Baby's On Fire. (note: In my previous post on the masterful Discreet Music from 1975, I neglected to mention the use of this tape-delay system on that recording.) Fripp and Eno created these two twenty minute tracks that year by endlessly looping, and then playing over top, and then editing and mixing in post-production.
As you might expect, the songs are long meditations on sound and timbre, flowing like a warm aural liquid, harmonic and dissonant as needed, and calm and stormy in good taste. They have little in the way of melody, and rely on the looping of guitar and synthesizer based sounds to create rhythm.
What were they thinking? Who did they think would listen to this material?
This album received very little attention upon release, since Eno's album Here Come The Warm Jets was released at the same time, and took some of the limelight. Also, in 1973, there was no market for highly experimental music, and "ambient" music had not previously existed. It was deemed too weird, and mostly un-listenable, by listeners at the time. It would take decades for this music to be aptly appreciated. In hindsight, we can see that this music was ahead of its time.

Also, this music is awesome.

Brian Eno - Discreet Music (1975)

2008-10-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

I rarely have the opportunity to discuss works of art that are as important to me as this one here. If this blog has a purpose, it is to share things that ought to be shared, things that might have fallen through the cracks over time, but which deserve attention. This is a perfect example.
This album (which I have on original 12" in very nice condition, I might add) is more than just a possession, more than just a product, more than a collection of songs, and certainly not an item to be forgotten in the archives. It is a packaged atmosphere.
This record is scientifically proven to tear apart the fabric of time, stretching out an hour into an eternity. After the first few minutes, you will notice that you are moving slower, perhaps feeling calm and meditative. You will observe the space around you in a different way, and you will participate in your environment in a different way. This music proves the power of tones and chords, and the effect that particular notes and tempos can have on our perception of time and space.
Side one, the 30 minute track Discreet Music, is perhaps only a handful of notes, a repeated sequence, stretched and pulled apart endlessly in different ways. It is the choice of those notes, and the delicate, patient mixing-board knob-twiddling, that I find masterful.
On side two, Brian avoided having to make those choices, and instead dissected Pachelbel's Canon in D Major with the help of a local ensemble. The group is first instructed to play a section, while decreasing their speed gradually according to the pitch of their instrument. (Bass would be slow, Violin fast, etc.) Next, on the piece French Catalogues, the group plays notes and melodies from a section of the score to the timings rhythms of completely separate sections. Finally, the ensemble plays an excerpt repeatedly, but each player's section is of different lengths, so where at times they are in unison, at other times, they are contrasting.
Is anyone still reading?
These directorial choices are not the most important aspect of the record, they are simply an interesting theoretical experiment. The real magic of the record happens when you stop thinking about the record, and just let it play while you live your life. I, for one, enjoy putting this on while I wash dishes.

No sound clips for this one, sorry. It would be in bad taste.

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats (1969)

2008-10-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Frank Zappa was a true genius. He was the type of man whose brain you'd like to crawl inside and take apart like a Swiss watch to understand what makes it tick.
His vision was singular, and unparalleled.
Hot Rats was his first "solo" album, and came out in 1969. It's neither a jazz record, nor a rock record, but lies somewhere in between. If appreciated as a jazz record, its a little harsh, insane, and a bit vulgar. As a rock record, it starts out strong and descends into a self-indulgent mess of virtuoso jamming, which is quite boring, as you might imagine.
I mentioned that it starts out strong, as it starts with the fabulous Peaches en Regalia. It also ends on a high note with the ridiculous It Must Be A Camel. The first 3 minutes of Willie The Pimp (feat. Cpt. Beefheart) are also a thrill.
This is not a great record, its a record with a lot of good ideas lost within a pile of un-listenable turd.

Peaches En Regalia - Frank Zappa

Edgar Froese - Macula Transfer (1976)

2008-10-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

If you have this album on vinyl, you are lucky. If you own it on CD, you either have a 1998 issue that was released without Froese's knowledge and met with his extreme disapproval, or a 2005 version on which Froese pulled a George Lucas (altering the original with "improvements").
If you don't own it at all, or have never heard of it, you are likely very well adjusted socially, and have no problem getting dates.

The problem with the 98 release is this: who wants to own a piece of art that the artists themselves were not aware of?
The problem with the 2005 issue is more complex. I don't want to completely argue against continual remixing and updating of work, because I think there is some room for that in music. (Why must a song, or album, or other piece of art, remain in its original state for eternity? Why can they not evolve?)
The real problem is that the original album has not been made available (to my knowledge) on CD.
That is a shame, because this is a pretty cool record! These five songs were composed thousands of miles above the earth, during transcontinental flights, and named after their respective flight numbers. Its interesting to me that this was done in the mid-seventies. These days, anyone could compose, record, program and mix their music on their macbook during a flight (I believe much of Bjork's Vespertine was done this way), but I imagine Froese actually wrote this out on paper before bringing it back to earth to record.
The music is typical Tangerine Dream material, only lacking the fullness of that groups recordings. It isn't nearly as memorable or as epic as most of their work either, but it's cool.
If it doesn't put you to sleep, you might enjoy it. Try listening to it on an airplane, maybe it will make perfect sense.

Check out Edgar's over-the-top (yet maybe kind of cool?) website

Gyorgy Ligeti - Artikulation (1958)

2008-10-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

with visual accompaniment created by someone named Rainer Wehinger some time in the 70s.

Sorry for being so post-happy, but I just have so much I want to share!

Simon and Garfunkle - The Sound of Silence (live in '66)

2008-10-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

This is perfect.

Faith No More - Be Aggressive

2008-10-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

For no reason at all, this song was stuck in my head today. I don't even remember ever hearing it before. Collective unconscious much?

Be Aggressive - Faith No More

Chris Squire - Fish Out Of Water (1975)

2008-10-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Since I inaugurated this blog with a post about the fabulous Rick Wakeman (genius-in-residence with the prog outfit Yes during the early seventies), I thought I would follow it up with a post about another solo album from a member of Yes.
This time it is the solo album by bass god (and the only member of the band to have been consistently involved): Chris Squire.
The album is Fish Out of Water, and it came out in 1975, to what I can only imagine was very little fanfare. I assume he'd been working on this music for several years, but it didn't quite fit with Anderson's ridiculous Songs from Topographic Oceans project.
The music is bass driven prog-rock, with an orchestral edge. That means the structures are winding, the songs are long, the music itself is complex, and the songs are flourished with orchestral instrumentation. Lucky Seven and Hold out Your Hand come the closest to sounding like Yes, and even have a similar pop sensibility to songs like Long-Distance Runaround. Safe (Canon Song) will blow your mind and then go on for what seems like forever (18 minutes actually), but you won't care, because of your blown mind.

The album cover kind of blows, and I will be the first to admit that Squire's vocals might be an acquired taste, but try it out if you're feeling adventurous.
Bass players need this in their collection. How many bass players have ever stepped out from a famous band and released a solo album? How many of those were actually good?

Chris Squire Fish Out of Water

Rick Wakeman - the Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973)

2008-10-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is Wakeman’s second solo album, and it features fantastic performances by Bill Bruford, Alan White, Chris Squire, as well as the silver-caped crusader himself. Each song is inspired by one of the wives of King Henry VIII, although you’d never know without reading the sleeve. The concept is a bit gimmicky, as it seems to have little bearing on the music itself (which is awesome). However, I feel like I learned something after reading the encyclopedia information on the sleeve.
The music basically sounds like the classic YES lineup, jamming without the little elf. In fact, I believe one of these songs was originally destined for “Fragile” but didn’t make the cut due to legal restrictions (which restricted Wakeman from composing material on Yes records). Its spot on that album was replaced by the song Cans and Brahms (an adaptation, rather than an original composition).

I got this at Grooves in London on 12″ in really great condition for 3 dollars.
Essential for any YES fan. Prog fans will love it. The rest of you probably ought ta skip it!

Anne Of Cleves - Rick Wakeman

p.s. I somehow emailed Rick and told him I loved this record, and he actually wrote me back. I was pretty thrilled.