So what kind of a name is JonnyX And The Groadies anyway? Well, quite possibly the only appropriate monicker for the world's only "Party Black Metal" band. Huh? What? C'mon, you heard us. PARTY BLACK METAL. That's right. Might not sound good, at least to all you grimmer than grim blackmetalheads, but it is, in fact it's a heck of a lot more interesting than most black metal we hear these days. And actually the 'party' aspect isn't as obvious on record. Live they seem to be a serious blast, wild and goofy and explosively spastic, with pointy metal axes (as in guitars, although we imagine their might be actual axes as well) and goofy outfits and plenty of mayhem and destruction. But on record, it's all skull encrusted synths and upside down crosses, um... tight pants and foot long spikes, and, well, wild windmilling hair and white belts? The most unholy union of buzzing black metal and insanely aggro spastic screamo EVER. Grinding buzzing guitars, demonic shrieks, programmed blast beats and a thick wall of majestic keyboards. Think maybe Drop Dead, Arcturus, Teen Chtulu, The Locust, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Behead The Prophet No Lord Shall Live, and Cradle Of Filth all packed into a sweaty filthy Portland Basement, playing before some strange mix of metalheads, emo kids and the walking dead! Huge thick blasts of grim black metal segue into fuzzy squelchy ambient synth break downs and then slip into some moody midtempo near-doom, before exploding again in a blast of barbed buzz. Awesome! Nine tracks, the first eight, brief blasts of blackness, all clocking in at under two minutes, the final track, "Unmortal", a massive 14 minute blackened synth doom juggernaut.
Happy, peppy, catchy, sugary, colorful and cute. Those are all words that have probably NEVER been used to describe Sigur Ros. Yet the band's front man, Jonsi, has proven to be a person of many sides and personas. Last year he and his boyfriend put out a really nice and subtly drone based soundscape record called Riceboy Sleeps, and now Jonsi is ready to really go and branch out on his own in another totally different direction.
Go is a total catchy, upbeat pop record. Filled with lush instrumentation and electronics, we hear the sunnier side to Jonsi's voice and songwriting. Much more akin to folks like Sufjan Stevens and The Postal Service. And after years of singing in a made up language, he sings in both his native tongue and English on this record, as it really does feel like he's not interested in making things seem mysterious but instead he's laying his heart on the line and making the kind of sweet sounding pop record he's probably been wanting to get out of his system for years, especially after spending so much time creating such epic and shoegazing sounds with Sigur Ros.
Golly, doesn't this album absolutely scream "Iceland"? Albeit in the most hushed fashion. Not a bad thing in our books by any means! Very apropos, of course! Jonsi & Alex aka Jon Por Birgisson and Alex Somers are indeed a duo from Reykjavik, Iceland. The cover artwork for their debut album is a deadringer for any release from Mum or Sigur Ros. Go figure as Jonsi is in fact the singer of Sigur Ros! The muted dark tones shroud blurry mysterious figures like snapshots from a dream. As well, their music has both a familiar sighing wistfulness and expansive grandeur to it. The first track "Happiness" follows a three note melody drawn out on bowed strings in a slowly swelling cycle. It's deceptively powerful in its seeming simplicity, and quite capable of stirring up bittersweet aches from days long past. Riceboy Sleeps is graced with strings by Amiina and choral accompaniment by Kopavogsdottur. And really, the album is just as much theirs as it is Jonsi & Alex. Their performances are breathtaking! Other highlights: "Indian Summer", "All The Big Trees" and "Daniell In The Sea". Recommended!
Finally, all the Spike Jonze madness that we sit through hours of MTV dross hoping to see, all gatherered in one place! You got the Beastie Boys "Sureshot" cop show homage, Wax's running man on fire video for "California", Weezer's "Happy Days Buddy Holly" video, Fatboy Slim's "Weapon Of Choice" featuring a dancing/flying Christopher Walken and "Praise You" featuring an inept dance troupe performing on the sidewalk in front of a movie theater, Bjork's classic musical styled "It's Oh So Quiet", the Pharcyde's "Drop", the Breeders' "Cannonball", Daft Punk's Da Funk, Weezer's "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and a bunch more. Bonus stuff includes interviews, the making of the Pharcyde's "Drop" video, a bunch of crazy rarities, short films, documentaries, and audio commentaries from the Beastie Boys, Weezer, Daft Punk, Christopher Walken, Puffy, the Pharcyde, Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Brothers and more. Also includes a big ol book full of photos, drawings and interviews.
We had never even heard of Jooklo Duo until recently. Even though they have oodles of records and cd-r's out, many of them on their own Troglosound imprint. No use kicking ourselves, all we can do is dig in and catch up, which we're doing big time. Not only do we have this kick ass, super limited tour only cd-r, available only at shows on their current US tour OR from aQuarius, nowhere else, we're copresenting their show at Cafe Du Nord on April 21st (more on that elsewhere on this week's list), we're also hosting a Jooklo Duo instore on April 20th (also more about that elsewhere on this list). So by all means, come to the instore, go to the Du Nord show, and buy one of these cd-r's before they're gone, you won't regret it.
So for those of you, like us, who are relatively new to the magic of the Jooklo Duo, are the Italian duo of Virginia Genta on sax, flute and voice, and David Vanzan on drums and percussion, they're sort of free jazz, but also just sort of spaced out avant improv, as at home jamming with Burnt Hills or No Neck as they are on a jazz bill, maybe more so. They incorporate all sort of haunting vocals and chants, into their constantly shifting skittery improvised mystical sound explorations. Eastern melodies, Gamelan sounds, it's free, and improvised, but also mystical, occultic, spiritual, the sound of revolutionary sixties free music, channeled through the spirit of today.
On High, available only at aQ and at shows, the duo are on fire, maybe one of their most intense recordings ever, the sax is blown out, in the red, fierce and fiery, the drums, wild and octopoidal, the two instruments, dancing around each other, frenzied and frantic, and about as heavy as free music gets, they're heavily influenced by Coltrane and Ayler and Cherry and Coleman, and it's easy to hear that on High, it's like post post POST bop, the sax is a lethal weapon, the drums laying down suppressive fire, a totally transcendent, epic, mind blowing, next level, free jazz blowout. WAY recommended, as are the upcoming shows.
LIMITED TO ONLY 100 COPIES. Each one hand numbered. We got about half, you can only get them here at aQ, or at the shows on this tour, they're packaged in super swank paste on cardstock sleeves, with a super striking miniature full color version of the SF show poster inside. For more on the tour, the SF show, the other bands playing, the cd-r, and the Jooklo Duo in general, go here: http://troglobloger.blogspot.com
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A few years back Italian free jazz / experimental outfit the Jooklo Duo, played a fantastic instore at aQ, while on tour in the US, playing exclusively on toy instruments, it was lovely, and super unique, playful and really special. Around the same time they played a woefully unattended show, at which they destroyed, a furious free jazz psychedelic freakout a la Brotzmann / Fushitsusha, drummer David Vanzan destroying his kit, brutal and punishing, measured and finessed in equal measure, whole saxophonist Virginia Genta wailed like a psych-jazz banshee. The tour cd-r we had briefly around that same time, was a blast of face melting psychedelic jazz crush, and as we mentioned at the time, about as heavy as 'free' music gets.
Well, Jooklo Duo are back in the US, playing a handful of shows, which should NOT be missed, and we managed to get a little handful of their tour only cd-r, limited to just 66 copies, and unlike the aural punishment of that previous disc, Live At Occii spends much of its time skittering and shuffling, the first four or five minutes sounds like a more free jazz No Neck Blues Band, a field of constantly in flux bleats and breathy flutters, over a bed of spare percussion, and loose abstract drumming, eventually the disc explodes into some serious free jazz intensity, both Genta and Vanzan sparring relentlessly, the horns dropping out, for a long stretch of wild percussion, which is soon joined by wild vocals reminiscent of Art Ensemble at their very wildest, and over the next 20 minutes or so, the sound veers wildly from tangled free jazz bleat, to dizzying drum solos and octopoidal percussion workouts, they even manage to infuse some groove here and there, not to mention some Borbetomagus worthy skronk, the vibe and intensity super energetic, and extremely psychedelic, dynamic to the point of exhaustion, perfectly capture what made them so mind blowing at that previously mentioned show. Killer!
And again, this is SUPER LIMITED. Only 66 made, each one hand numbered, housed in a mini plastic case with printed covers and inserts, only available from the band on tour, or from aQ, while they last...
Latest blast of blown out, super fierce and fiery free jazz pummel from this Italian duo, whose last tour cd-r was a huge hit around here, and whose surprisingly hushed and minimal instore was pretty fantastic. But for those of you who lucked out and snagged one of those cd-r's or saw the duo perform live when they were in SF, you know what you're in for, two sides, two tracks brimming with nonstop, relentless, frantic, frenetic, explosive super rhythmic, wildly tangled and super psychedelic next level free jazz freakout. The drums never let up, laying down a super textured avalanche of rhythmic shuffle and skitter and pound, a non stop drum solo, that manages to be totally free, yet somehow strangely rhythmic, but it's the sax and clarinet, wielded by Virginia Genta, that drives these jams, the sounds she gets out of her horns are inhuman, alien, free jazz may skronk and squeal, but this stuff SHRIEKS and GRINDS and is just a face peeling onslaught of strangled notes, atonal melodies and wild high end squiggles. There are bits of extra percussion, some vocals, even a little blast of harmonica (?), but this is definitely hardcore free jazz that will send anyone with any sort of aversion to skronk and squeal and shriek running for the hills. The rest of us can just revel in Jooklo Duo's divine jazz chaos.
Full length recording from the man responsible for those gorgeous Portuguese Bowie covers on the Life Aquatic soundtrack!
If you were expecting something along the lines of Seu Jorge's wonderful covers of David Bowie tunes that graced the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic, we're afraid you might be sadly disappointed. We sure were. Our giddy excitement to hear some new Seu Jorge was immediately extinguished when we realized that this new live album of his 2005 concert in Montreaux falls completely within the realm of 'adult contemporary'. Sure Jorge's voice is as gorgeous as ever, but whereas his Bowie covers showcased his tastefully light, mood-setting touch, this live cd comes across melodramatic, slick and heavy handed. Yikes.
For those of you who were left craving more of Seu Jorge's dulcet tones after you exhausted your soundtrack cd to Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic (on which he covers a bunch of David Bowie songs in Portuguese)... here's the complete collection of his acoustic interpretations that he recorded for the movie (note: some of them did already appear on the soundtrack release). Geez, this would've made a great summer album, wouldn't it have?! Ah well, we might just have to bring a little of that season's warmth into the winter months... either that or resort to tucking a copy away 'til next June!
This is the best Seu Jorge record we've heard since we were first turned on to his stripped down bossa interpretations of David Bowie songs for The Life Aquatic Soundtrack. And it's not just because all the songs featured here are covers. Backing him up this time around is a trio of Brazilian rock musicians (Almaz) who originally joined the singer to record one song for a soundtrack and the chemistry was so right that they ended up doing a full record and are currently touring together. We were never too keen on Jorge's previous records of original songs, because they carried too much of a global fusion vibe that held little of the magic of his pared-down reinterpretations. But Almaz hit the musical tone just right, keeping the grooves sleek and prominent with a tight focus on rich atmosphere with psych and dub flourishes and economic arrangements. The covers are mostly of classic and obscure Brazilian songs by Tim Maia, Jorge Ben, Noriel Vilela and Nelson Cavaquinho but Jorge also throws in English-sung covers by Michael Jackson ("Rock With You"), Kraftwerk ("The Model") and Roy Ayers ("Everybody Loves The Sunshine"). The Ayers track works best, adding a layer of sultry coolness with Jorge's rich deep voice, but keeping the rare groove of the original completely in tact. All in all, a direction we're happy to see the Brazilian singer headed towards and hope future releases are just as promising.
Named after the protagonist from Kafka's The Trial, Josef K were a short lived post-punk / art-rock band hailing from Scotland beginning in 1979 and debanding less than a year and half later when vocalist Paul Haig declared that the band need not accomplish anything more. During that time, Josef K managed a handful of singles and one full length album; but alongside fellow Scottish ensembles Orange Juice and The Fire Engines, presented a unique sound that ventured beyond the post-punk offerings from London and Manchester. All of these bands held a bright jangliness to them that was clearly the template for a handful of more recent bands especially Franz Ferdinand; yet as this 22 track retrospective of Josef K's work demonstrates, they were clearly the darkest and most morose of the three bands. They often drew comparisons to Joy Division due to their occasional bouts of dark intensity and melancholy lyricism (and what self-respecting band from 1980 with a disaffected demeanor didn't warrant a Joy Division comparison?). Despite the dour attitudes in their tunes, Josef K more often than not displayed a mastery of art-pop jangliness complete with jittery funk reminiscent of Gang Of Four's agitated grooves and even a smattering of jagged guitar melody genius that must have gotten under the skin of Johnny Marr when he and Morrissey started The Smiths.
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1969-1971 era 'heavy' blooze rock from Texas. 2 super rare lps finally reissued by the swell Sundazed label. Self described as 'a bare knuckled slugfest with the devastating wallop of a Texas tornado.'
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Six maximalist guitar pieces played by Seth Josel, who performs compositions by James Tenney, Lois V. Vierk, Phill Niblock, John Cage, and himself. Vierk's composition for five guitars is sheer chiming hypnosis much like the symphonies of Glenn Branca. The one by Niblock is a lengthy white hot drone spanning 30 minutes. Josel's own pieces are incendiary jams a la Caspar Brotzmann.
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Somewhere between the stumbling free-folk of the No Neck Blues Band, the dark strummed dreaminess of the Tower Recordings, the lush guitarscapes of Scott Tuma and the sparse twang of Red Red Meat and Califone falls Joshua Burkett. Laid back and dreamy and
Some advice to prospective purchasers: while the gold tray looks great (and ties in with the records title), we suggest swapping trays when you get it home, since the tray is just spray painted gold, and seems like it could eventually do your disc harm!
Debut solo release from Mike Jourgensen, whose name you may not recognize, but who has some sort of connection to the mighty Longmont Potion Castle. But don't be expecting any goofy deadpan crank calls, or squiggly over the top instru-metal. Nope, Jourgensen is all about the indie rock. And the sound of I've Had It is uncanny. It's like it's 1990 all over again. Seriously. Somehow, Jourgensen manages to channel Dinosaur Jr., the Lemonheads, Superchunk, all the greats, taking bits and pieces and weaving them into prefect chunks of winsome melancholy indie rock. Guitars alternately jangle and crunch, the rhythms are simple and propulsive. Hooks everywhere, some songs are soft and bittersweet, others are super rocking and almost grungy, and Jourgensen has the perfect indie rock voice, sort of soft and sad boy, struggling to hit the super high notes, earnest and emotional, capable of a coy whisper as much as a rock yowl. Nothing brand new for sure, but with all the indie rock revisiting we've been doing lately (Sebadoh, Lemonheads, Chavez, etc.) this totally hits the spot!
The label describes Journey To Ixtlan as "new age doom & occult desert rock", and heck, who are we to argue? The sound here is dark and swirling and mysterious, the guitars are dusty and sun baked, the production is lysergic, the drums pound abstractly through a haze of pot smoke and sandstorms, the bass is a beast like growl, the melodies are woozy and weary and laid back. Imagine the music Kyuss must listen to when they want to chill out. Or maybe picture Earth, but if instead of being based in the Northwest, wreathed in clouds and surrounded by verdant mountains, imagine they called the desert home, endless expanses of sand, an unforgiving sun hanging in a vast slate grey sky - and then maybe they'd be churning out druggy ritualistic doom like this instead of the gospel flecked slowcore they've grown into.
Journey To Ixtlan introduce mantra like chants, the sound of rain, of crackling fire, distant crashes, strange percussion, warm whirring keyboards, channeling the slow motion blackness of Skepticism, but filtered through something much more lo-fi and much less heavy, the heaviness here rendered in a tarpit thickness, huge heaving walls of crumbling sound, that give way to soft, shimmery, slow motion folk, the guitar still psychedelic, drifting like smoke through a hazy expanse of barely there buzz, a simple spaced out drum beat, and some seriously ominous gurgling vokills over the top.
This is most definitely some glorious drug addled desert hippy folk drone doom heaviness, the songs blending cookie monster gurgles and warm sun dappled synths, wrapping fluttery flutes, and ominous glacial riffing, around hushed whispered voices and cool soulful crooning, tripped out effects swirling around gorgeous blown out high end ur-drones, peppered with the croak of some underworld priest, or mysterious beast, shimmery chiming guitars spread out over abstract drums and more of those creepy vox, shakers and hand drums, gongs and rattles give way to a seriously downtuned stoner dirge, laced with insane prog keyboards, at once genius and totally bizarre, until the record closes with some sort of low end chant drone ritual, minimal, haunting, and otherworldly.
Definitely drone-y, and doomy, and dirge-y but maybe a bit to tripped out and fucked up and psychedelic for the troo doomlords out there, as for the rest of us, Journey To Ixtlan offer a mind bending, soul searching psychotropic soundworld that we're more than happy to get lost in...
Calling all skweee-jays! Or would-be skweee-jays. We've got four new 7" singles of fresh skweee straight from the source, imported from Flogsta Danshall in Finland. They're in plain white sleeves, the only art to be found here on the labels. If you've followed our other skweee recommendations (both Museum Of Future Sound comps, the more recent Skweee Tooth collection) then you know all about this Scandinavian DIY electro b-boy instrumental 8-bit phenomenon, and you'll also already be familiar with the strange names of the artists on these four singles.
Flogsta boss Limonious' slinky "Swedish Pommak" already wormed its way into our ears via the Museum Of Future Sound Vol. 2, though the jittery yet spacey b-side "Hurri Up!" we hadn't heard before. And all the tracks by Mangrove, Mrs. Queda, and Joxaren (all three artists hailing from Sweden) are new to us as well. Suffice to say, if you like skweee, you'll like these cuts, presented here in skweee's ideal format.
Joxaren's "Ritam Bluz" is a chiming, exotic, slightly sinister groove. Mrs Queda's laidback "Post-Pubertal" bleeps and bloops nicely along aided by robotic handclaps and digital hisses (oddly, her MySpace page lists Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum as her only influence). Maybe our fave of the batch, Mangrove's "Angry Animals", is a bit of a fractured funky banger, bringing down some rigid buzzin' beats. The flip is pretty solidly crunchy / catchy too. The various other A- and B- sides on these 7"s are all pretty darn skweelicious as well! Seriously, if you're a DJ, just throw one of these on in your set for instant skweee cred. Listening at home is fun too.
Go here: http://skweee.com/ for a lot more interesting skweee info, including interviews with some of the folks we just mentioned.
Someone called this remix of Japanese band J.O.Y., by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy and James Murphy the advent of a "strange dream band, where Bjork fronts the Slits in No-Wave Heaven." I suppose that's pretty accurate. Those who know of Major Force, Skylab and UNKLE will recognize J.O.Y.'s members, K.U.D.O. and Kan Takagi (who's also a solo artist in his own right). The two have also helped to found Ape Sounds Records, an off-shoot of the immensely popular j-pop clothing label, A Bathing Ape. For the song Sunplus, the duo enlisted Yoshimi P-We of the Boredoms/OOIOO to create a side-winding and drum-heavy pop single. They sure got something going on. I hope they can elaborate on it soon and bring it!! Perhaps even without the production gloss of DFA.
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Legit live recordings from the vaults of Factory Records. Disc one is comprised of one night at Les Baines Douches in Paris, 1979. Intended for radio broadcast, this quality recording does well to capture the raw, vibrant energy of Joy Division at the peak of their powers. Disc two combines live tracks recorded the following year in Amsterdam and Eindoven. Packaged in a sturdy gatefold
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Imagine this scene, the Elephant 6 Collective are having a lil' summertime picnic in the park (yes, the Olivias, Apples, Of Montreal... heck, they're all there). The trio known as Joy Zipper peek out from behind a nearby tree and break out into song. Upon hearing the sweet popness, the E6 gang invite them over and lovely cozy melodies ensue. Dreamy guitar and keyboards. Youthful boy/girl vocals. Moments of quirky twists. Fans of the Apples in Stereo, Death Cab For Cutie or Elliott Smith, take note. If this is any indication, each and every time we've played this in the store we've received multiple inquiries asking who this pop wonder is. Cup says "Yeah!"
Since the late '60s Joyce has been a major force in Brazilian music. She has recorded over twenty solo records and has collaborated with Antonio Carlos Jobim as well as making some amazing music with Nelson Angelo. Passarinho Urbano originally came out in 1977 and finds Joyce at her most breezy and heart melting. Summery songs with sparse yet very seductive instrumentation. She reminds us of the more subtle and casual moments of early Gal Costa. Passarinho Urbano is one of those perfect early morning records... So open the windows, let the fresh air hit you and soak in the refreshing warmth of Passarinho Urbano.
In the last edition of the Wire, while listening to records for the Invisible Jukebox, Stereolab mistook Joyce for AQ-favorites Os Mutantes. Like Os Mutantes, this brazillian songstress fuses american psychadelia with traditional Brazillian folk music and ends up sounding like a folkier, more soothing Os Mutantes.
Brazilian singer Joyce's debut album from 1968. It's very lovely, her voice is bell clear but has a husky quality that will please fans of Gal Costa. The pretty, yet pretty standard, bossa nova backup instrumentation is not the reason to buy this cd, her voice is! Pricey Japanese reissue, with original liner notes in Portugese and Japanese.
Recording in Paris in 1976, legendary Brazilian songstress Joyce teamed up with percussionist Nana Vasconcelos (he has worked with everyone from Milton Nascimento to Don Cherry) and multi-instrumentalist/producer Mauricio Maestro to create this truly stunning record of textured psychedelia, laced with the colorful flourishes of samba and Tropicalia, the immediacy of acid folk and a wonderful mystical haze that seems to permeate the entire album.
For some reason, Visions Of Dawn was never actually released, at least until now, which is shocking as this really is one of the best, if not THE BEST Joyce records we have ever heard. You can hear here the sounds that would influence generations of performers, even decades later, like Juana Molina and Samara Lubelski, both of whom would largely base their sound and style on the magical music of Joyce. From start to finish this is an unbelievable album, it starts with more of a samba-pop vibe, but as the record progresses the rich mood and atmosphere of the instrumentation along with the breathtaking vocals begin to swirl in the air, floating through the clouds and refracting the sunlight. This record really belongs in the pantheon of the best discs by folks like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Milton Nascimento. Visions of Dawn is truly a lost classic!
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Solo recording by Don Joyce of Negativland. All sounds used come from WWII and sound effects.
Be warned, the $21.00 price tag and the title of this disc "The Complete Recordings" might be a little misleading. The complete recordings of James Joyce actually total all of 12 minutes. "Eolian Episode" recorded in Paris in 1924, and "Anna Livia Plurabelle" (from Finnegans Wake) recorded in Cambridge in 1929. Both scratchy and antiquated, that sound we here at AQ love so much. Also included in this set is a huge book(let) containing an unpublished book by Eugene Jolas as well as an introduction written by Marc Dachy about the friendship between Jolas and Joyce. Haven't had a chance to delve too much into the book, but it looks really interesting, and helps justify the price. We have to admit to being a bit diappointed by the brevity of the disc, but fans of Joyce will obviously need this.
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Somewhere in the company of Bob Dylan, John Darnielle and Daniel Johnston sits the quirky folk of Nebraskan Simon Joyner. This cd gathers together a heap of his long-gone tunes (offered in non-chronological order). Some are genuine lo-fi folk treasures, while others... well, let's just say, some things are best left in the vaults. Such is the case with the fourth song "Jeff Engel Rules" which is horribly disfigured by a gawdawfully out of tune violin. Yikes. That song does serve a purpose though. It makes you appreciate the next somber song "Don't Begrudge A Man His Funeral" all the more. Twenty one intimate bare-boned weepers, most of them acoustic, so very fitting for these drizzly days.
Acoustic guitar and sparse instrumentation, plus quietly dissonant vocals a la Dylan, from this British member of the Shrimper/lo-fi nation.
Beloved Omaha, Nebraska native singer-songwriter combines the best elements of Leonard Cohen poetry and pacing, Nick Cave's simply drawn drama and lush, lazy instrumentation. For fans Vic Chestnut and Bob Dylan.
Simon Joyner finds a new home at Jagjaguwar, and it's more than fitting. For instance, the label is also home to hushed heartfelt Canadian folk chanteuse Julie Doiron... oooh, perhaps a duet could be arranged?! Simply put, Lost With The Lights On is comprised of eight of his trademark downer spartan folk story-songs. Definitely a man of consistency, you may find yourself noticing that he often used the same waltzing tempo. Makes you kinda wonder if each time he records a new album he's recycling his backing tracks from previous ones! Nonetheless, his voice is in top weary, bleary-eyed form, and the earthy instrumental backdrop supports and echoes the weight of his folk melancholia. A prime example of this is the second song "Evening Song To Sally". Surely will not disappoint his longtime fans! And we should also note that for those unfamiliar with his music, if you've enjoyed the fine albums by such artists as Arab Strap's Malcolm Middleton, Crooked Fingers or the above-mentioned Ms Doiron, you very well should lend Mr. Joyner your ear.
More heartfelt folksy singer songwriter material from the beloved Simon Joyner, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and sounding like a sweet cousin to Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Vic Chestnut, with the fragile
The singer/songwriter brethren is a sizable lot, and we've definitely all got our personal faves. This fellow has pleased our ears plenty over the years -- evolving from late '90s lo-fi troubadour to today's lush, earthy and comparatively hi-fi wonder. He's drawn many a comparison to Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, Mark Eitzel and Bob Dylan, and these reference points continue to fit. On Skeleton Blues however, his voice sounds more weathered and wryly akin to Robyn Hitchcock. Which is by no means a bad thing... just a little unexpected for those familiar with his older recordings. A fine album nonetheless!
From the heir to Eitzel and Cohen. Sad sad songs. When is the rest of the world going to catch on?
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Elliott Smith does not have to be the only folk troubadour of the '90s... Not when Simon Joyner can follow in Leonard Cohen's footsteps of sad crooner songs and heart breaking melodies.
