Here's a solo release from the man behind so many fine Chicago based alt-country rock combos (such as the Pine Valley Cosmonauts and the Waco Brothers... oh yes, and he's a Mekon too)! Of course, no Jon Langford project is ever truly 'solo' though, 'cause he's surrounded by so many wonderfully talented musical friends always ready and willing to chip in an instrument or a vocal. On All The Fame Of Lofty Deeds, he's joined by his Pine Valley Cosmonauts on a couple tunes, as well as frequent Neko Case bassist Tom Ray and Hillbilly Lovechild (featuring drummer-about-town Brian Doherty who has played with the likes of They Might Be Giants, Frank Black and XTC) on a couple others. An ever-engaging frontman Langford sure doesn't disappoint this time out, kicking out eleven hoarse and ragged cow-punk tunes. He ably brings together the caustic and the comic in his lamenting / lambasting lyrics on songs such as "The Country Is Young".
Fans of Beirut and Arcade Fire, imagine the uplifting spirited energies of both those bands taken out to the dusky country plains for a spell. If that sounds delightfully intriguing to you, then maybe you should lend this band your ear. Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles. Frontman Sean Scolnick's untethered, outpouring-of-emotion vocals are a close kin to the abovementioned bands', but they're also in turn quite reminiscent of Neil Young, John Fogerty and Van Morrison. If he looks and sounds a tad bit familiar to you, it may be because you've spotted him over the years touring with the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. It's by no means a stretch to suggest that if you dig them, you'll probably find much to love with Langhorne Slim, and vice versa!
This long time AQ fave is NOW ON VINYL!! When this soundtrack first came out on compact disc, we made it a Record Of The Week, that was years and years ago, the cd is long out of print, so not only will fans of this great record who would like it on vinyl be happy, but we bet there's folks who haven't encountered it before who will be blown away. So very recommended.
Here's what we wrote about it back in 2004 when we made the Blast First Petite cd reissue a Record Of The Week, for the first time:
We weren't really sure what to expect with this one. A lost soundtrack from 1971 (a magic year for music, just ask Allan - though it turns out the music was recorded in 1969, also not a bad year) to a movie none of us had ever heard of, directed by and starring Peter Fonda. Could go either way. But the second we threw it on, we knew this was IT! A dark and languorous abstract country psych folk gem. Seriously. Hearing this for the first time, you'd be forgiven for guessing it was Scott Tuma, Souled American, Califone, Golden Hotel, Thuja, Woven Hand or some totally obscure cd-r on some little tiny label from some mysterious band of psychedelic country folk minstrels. Slow and mournful, delicate and dreamy, acoustic guitars, farfisa organs, harmonicas and an echoplex. Spare and skeletal, mini epics of melancholic twang. Imagine if Sergio Leone had Ennio Morricone assemble a band cobbled together from members of the Jewelled Antler Collective, the No Neck Blues Band and Souled American to score one of his Westerns. Definitely recommended if you dig any of the folks mentioned above (including Morricone). And if like most of us, you've been digging all sorts of those obscure so-called "new weird America" outfits, maybe it's about time we all dug into some "OLD weird America."
And by the way, now we HAVE seen the movie (it was re-released on dvd in 2006 or so) and it's GREAT! Not a feel-good hit though, or a typical Western shoot 'em up, at all. The soundtrack is perfect, for this beautiful film.
180 gram vinyl pressing, limited to 1000 hand-numbered copies.
FINALLY RE-PRESSED AND BACK IN STOCK! An AQ Record Of The Week back in January, gone AWOL for some months now.
Wasn't sure what to expect with this one. A lost soundtrack from 1971 (a magic year for music, just ask Allan) to a movie none of us had ever heard of, directed by and starring Peter Fonda. Could go either way. But the second we threw it on, we knew this was IT! A dark and langorous abstract country psych folk gem. Seriously. Hearing this for the first time, you'd be forgiven for guessing it was Scott Tuma, Souled American, Califone, Golden Hotel, Thuja, Woven Hand or some totally obscure cd-r on some little tiny label from some mysterious band of psychedelic country folk minstrels. Slow and mournful, delicate and dreamy, acoustic guitars, farfisa organs, harmonicas and an echoplex. Spare and skeletal, mini epics of melancholic twang. Imagine if Sergio Leone had Ennio Morricone assemble a band cobbled together from members of the Jewelled Antler Collective, the No Neck Blues Band and Souled American to score one of his Westerns. Definitely recommended if you dig any of the folks mentioned above (including Morricone). And if like most of us, you've been digging all sorts of those obscure so-called "new weird America" outfits, maybe it's about time we all dug into some "OLD weird America."
And by the way, now we HAVE seen the film (it was re-released on DVD not too long ago) and it's GREAT!
The hospitable Bay Area country/folk stable grows and grows. There's such an awesome sense of kinship among the artists (think of sorta 'six degrees of Jolie Holland' - yes, she does make an appearance here on viola!). Garrett Pierce and Matt Bauer, the band's pals and terrific singer/songwriters in their own right, brought this in recently on the band's behalf, and we're glad they did. This self-titled, self-released album is quite an impressive debut. The Last Of The Blacksmiths' Americana sound which vacillates between woe begone twang and roots rock groove has much in common with the likes of Jason Molina, Jay Farrar and Will Oldham. Fans of those artists should definitely sit up and take notice.
Each time we hear that AQ pal Jeff Rosenberg has a new music project we secretly fantasize that it'll continue to push the 'out-there' dissonant envelope as many of his past ones have (the ever-expansive Tarentel, spazz-rock duo Pink & Brown, hypnotic art-folk trio Young People, and earthy instrumental duo Lumen to name a few), and shine the spotlight more on his considerable guitar talents. But even though each of his subsequent groups have definitely kept us on our toes, each one taking a new unpredictable Rosenberg direction, quite often the unassuming gent opts to humbly play the solid, no-frills support role. Such is the case with Lavender Diamond, a timorous folk pop combo who present themselves in Lawrence Welk-worthy attire, black suits and taffeta gowns, and in which Becky Stark's gentle'n'mild vocals take centerstage while Rosenberg, Steve Gregoropoulos and well known visual artist Ron Rege Jr back her up on guitar, piano and drums respectively. Maybe this is what all those jaded hipsters need these days... some wide-eyed, earnest songs of unabashed innocence. Sure seems so, 'cause folks have been gobbling this up like crazy already. You can even easily imagine the quartet doing a great cover of Coven's "One Tin Soldier" or perhaps something by The Carpenters! As for Jeff's guitar magic, alas, we'll just have to continue crossing our fingers that he'll unfurl it again someday. But for now we can happily soak in the sunny subdued country folk of The Cavalry Of Light.
Aaah, a Devendra Banhart sighting! While in Europe back in 2004, this neo-folk troubadour recorded with the band known as Queens Of Sheba. This lil' record features one of the resulting songs of that session -- "It's A Christmas Time Celebration". Yes, we are well aware that it is already the middle of January, but who are we to squelch a little belated holiday themed music? The flipside is the elegantly attired "Impossible Occurances" by LA's dream-folk combo Lavender Diamond. Artwork by Ron Rege. Limited pressing of 2500.
Phil Lee is a long haired, beret-wearin' geezer who plays guitar and harmonica. Folky backwoods twang. Backed up by three members of Wilco, and also assisted on the album by Alison Moorer and Gillian Welch. On roots-music label Shanachie.
EM strikes again! Another out of left field release from our favorite weirdo reissue label. This time it's a career retrospective of the one and only Legendary Stardust Cowboy. More heard of than actually heard, this super deluxe collection gathers up all the essential bits and pieces from the Ledge's tumultuous career, from his first single, "Paralyzed" recorded in 1968 by a then unknown T-Bone Burnett (who also played drums) all the way up to tracks from his 1984 album Rock-It To Stardum.
But who is the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, and why does anyone care? Well, it's been a long time since we heard this stuff, and boy does it sound even more totally wacked than we remember. It's like stripped down country rhythm and blues with a maniacal madman screaming and howling, in a totally unintelligible much mouthed howl over the top. Anyone familiar with Brak from Space Ghost Coast To Coast or with Homer, the crazy guy who plays guitar on various corners of Valencia Street might have an inkling of what's going on here. Or imagine AQ fave Jon Wayne (the band not the man) recording a record after full frontal lobotomies. Completely mental, ultra damaged, outsider country rock. Hard to believe the reaction the 'Ledge must have gotten when he appeared on Laugh In in 1968, these days we're exposed to so much insane music and so many weird records, but back then, this must have been the freakiest goddamn thing America had ever seen or heard.
For some songs, the Ledge cranks it down, and delivers his demented narrative in a sung-spoken drawl, like a more damaged twangy Lou Reed, but even those tracks are peppered with stumbling spastic drums, fake bird calls, random bits of talking, studio sounds, detuned guitars, weird bursts of way-up-in-the-mix sci-fi synths and all manner of bleating trumpets.
THE definitive slab of outsider country music. Like some impossibly demented mix of Chet Atkins, Reynols, Daniel Johnston, Brak, Jon Wayne, Joe Meek, Buddy Holly, Wild Man Fischer and Hasil Adkins.
And as with all EM releases gorgeously and extravagantly packaged, in an oversized Japanese style jewel case, a huge booklet packed with liner notes (most in Japanese), photos and lyrics and of course a Japanese style obi. The entire thing beautifully printed with gold ink on white. Leaves us saying "wow" for a bunch of different reasons!
Memphis blues legend Furry Lewis was one of the first of the original bluesmen to reach wider recognition with modern audiences, thanks in part to, well, not dying first of all, and secondly, for his decision to come out of retirement in the '60s and share his tunes with a new generation, including stints opening for the Stones and playing on the Tonight Show.
The songs collected here are from Furry's initial run, with recording dates spanning 1927-1928. The first session, recorded in Chicago, features some additional musicians providing guitar and mandolin to Furry's powerful vocals. These songs are cool, slow but steady, and kind of easy going. It basically sounds like a bunch of guys hanging out just playing for the fun of it, and it's really likable stuff. But things take a darker, and frankly, way better turn when Lewis goes at it alone. Thankfully, these songs make up the bulk of this collection. Songs like "Rock Island Blues" move with a sinister vibe, while "Jelly Roll" rides at a nice lazy pace. Lewis also offers his take on classics like "Stack O'Lee" and "John Henry", all featuring some impressive guitar work and a classic blues drawl. Then you have songs like "Furry's Blues", with such timeless themes as killing your woman and leaving home in the lyrics. Classic stuff for sure, this nice looking double lp is presented in Monk's always striking packaging and comes highly recommended.
Like we mentioned last list, we have been going Sixteen Horsepower CRAZY, with a recent archival 16HP release, two Woven Hand records (the apocalyptic, biblical side project of 16HP singer David Eugene Edwards) as well as last list's Lilium record, the side project of 16HP bassist Pascal Humbert, a dark and harrowing, instrumental, swamp folk epic, that if you haven't picked up yet, you should, 'cause it's as good as the Woven Hand records, and is mighty tough to get, so we can't be sure how long we'll have them or if we run out, how long it will take to get more. This time around, we are lucky to have tracked down record number two from Lilium, which is brand spanking new and is a slight departure from the growling, rumbling, creepy sinister-folk of their previous record. Fear not, there's still plenty of atmosphere, rickety campfire strum, and moody darkness, it's just much smoother and it's a bit more traditionally pretty. Humbert has recruited his 16HP bandmate Jean-Yves Tola for this record making this essentially 2/3 Sixteen Horsepower, so to a certain degree you have a rough idea of what this sounds like. The big change is the vocals. Or should I say the vocalists. That's right vocalists. Unlike their instrumental debut, which was sort of more 'sound' than 'song', they really flex their songwriting muscles on Short Stories and craft some gorgeously dark and melancholy pop songs, sung beautifully, and swathed in that dark hazy atmosphere we know and love so well. Maybe the nicest surprise is vocalist Kal Calhoone, a dead ringer for Cat Power's Chan Marshall, but with a little PJ Harvey swagger thrown in. And PJ Harvey is kind of an apt comparison for some of these tunes, smoldering and moody, emotional and urgent, with Calhoone's husky whisper weaving tales of sorrow and despair. 16HP's David Eugene Edwards sings on one song and since that basically makes it Sixteen Horsepower, it might just be the strongest cut on the record, as good as anything they've ever recorded as a proper band. The rest of the record follows the same brambly path, with lush, and dreamy, slightly doomy tableaus, fingerpicked guitars, shuffling percussion, wheezing accordions, rumbling cellos, organs, slippery slide guitar, raspy, drawled vocals, and heavily reverbed pianos, totally mesmerising and sweetly melodic. Very reminsicent of Black Heart Procession, Calexico, Low and American Music Club. Highly recommended as was the last Lililium. Features guests from Morphine, Deus, and the Czars.
We sure have been under the spell of all things Sixteen Horsepower lately. Especially the amazing Woven Hand records, the solo project of 16HP frontman David Eugene Edwards. But don't think for a minute that Edwards is solely responsible for the creepy, dark, backwoods ambience of 16HP and WH! To prove that point, we've finally tracked down the first release from Lilium, otherwise known as Pascal Humbert, bass player for Sixteen Horsepower. Although this has been out for a while, we were only now able to get enough copies to list, direct from Germany, hence the import price. But it's worth every penny. All you folks who went mad for the Woven Hand will be equally enamored of this delicate and gauzy, spare and mournful cinematic swampscape, equal parts deconstructed country, skeletal folk and shimmering, ominous drone. The opening track is a rickety, bluegrass crawl, sounding like the dueling banjos from Deliverance, slowed down, caked in mud and leaves, and broadcast on a warbly victrola from the bottom of a well. The rest of the record follows suit, wallowing in darkness and shadow ranging from rumbling, reverberent drones woven from slowly shifting layers of oscillating tones and warm chordal washes, to shuffling, reverb drenched, Calexico-ish desert rock twang, to fuzzed out, keyboard drenched, hypno-minimalism, to almost-indie/post rock instrumental workouts, to dangerously forboding Sixteen Horsepower-ish Southern swampfolk. The whole record is swathed in a warm, dense ambience of melancholic mystery, grim gloom and eerie unease. Anyone who bought the Woven Hand records NEEDS this for sure. And folks who love the likes of Sixteen Horsepower, Calexico, Souled American, Scott Tuma, Court And Spark, Califone, Giant Sand, Black Heart Procession, or even Morphine, will find this bleak and beautiful twang, and these deep and doleful drones, will hit the spot perfectly.
So magical! This album has swept us off our feet! We should have known as soon as we heard of the fine company these folks have been keeping. They recently backed up Roger Wootton of Comus (!) for a recorded performance in Sweden, and Mattias Gustavsson of Dungen produced this very album. Fear not, any elevated expectations will be met effortlessly. Needless to say, both of those bands are serious longtime aQ faves, and Lisa O Piu is well on its way to becoming a new one. This is wonderful.
But before we proceed any further, please allow us to advise you that this is best heard on headphones! Why? Well, for one thing, there might be no better sounds at the moment to tune out the ruckus of the world outside. Traffic congestion, construction work, random yelling in the street begone! No, we're not exaggerating. Lisa O Piu's debut album is filled with such glintingly opulent folk that both gently creeps and majestically soars. Entering into its embrace is like embarking on a magic carpet ride to some distant enchanted forest. Secondly, they've taken good advantage of the stereo field in the recording process. So headphones really enhance the listening experience. When the three female vocalists - frontwoman Lisa Isakkson, along with Jennie Stabis and Maria Lagerlof - are singing and performing all at once, it's as though your whole head is filled with glorious song. This is a particular joy on the robust opener "Cinnamon Sea". When they are singing solo as they do on the closing track "And So On", it's as though they are taking turns singing right in each of your ears. The lush instrumentation is centered around acoustic, electric and 12-string guitars as well as an ensemble of woodwinds, but subtle introductions of mellotron, theremin, cellotron and harp slip the proceedings deeper into a hazy psych-tinged dream realm.
Fans of Linda Perhacs, Vashti Bunyan, Sybille Baier and Marissa Nadler... open your arms and ears to these Stockholm beauties!
Another installment in the convoluted and lost history of the Funerary Violin. A mysterious body of work, attributed to the equally mysterious Guild Of Funerary Violinists, all of which was lost to history until quite recently. A book has been published, and a handful of recordings were discovered, illuminating this amazing, and surprisingly, entirely fictitious movement.
We've reviewed two other unearthed recordings from this historically valuable series, one a compilation called Babcotte, Sudbury And Eaton: The English School Of Funerary Origin, the other by Wilhelm Kleinbach called The Funerary Notebooks Of Herr Gratchenfleiss. Check those reviews more a more detailed description of the Guild and its contentious history. Both were recorded before the advent of modern recording, preserved with the fuzz and whir and scratchiness of old wax cylinder recordings, gorgeous, mournful, beautiful, delicate and wistful, each a heart wrenching funereal lament, but all of it a massive hoax.
Not that it takes away from the brilliance of the music, or the incredibly detailed liner notes, if anything it makes it even more amazing. That someone could create what is essentially an entire alternate history, complete with sound.
These recordings, supposedly performed Herbert Stanley Littlejohn in 1956, were taken from a book of music discovered in a dusty corner of a church in 1954, dating back to the late 1600's! In the process of recording the pieces, Littlejohn tripped on a cat, fell down a flight of stairs and smashed his skull dying instantly. This disc collects the finished pieces from that session.
As with all the Funerary Violin releases, the liner notes are extensive, names, dates, events, the notes to this disc are particularly humorous commenting on, among other things, "the poor technical performance standard amongst guild members in what remains one of our darkest periods." And like the other discs, the music is exquisite, genuine or not, utterly lovely, the melodies are mournful and sad, the playing smooth and refined, the notes drifting dreamlike into the starry night, the recording lo-fi, but warm and shimmery. Even without the amazing backstory and fabricated history, this would still be entirely recommended!
Solem, folkish "spirituals" from a band about which we know just a few things: they're from Balitmore and include members of the very-different-sounding Oxes, and they spent some time last year on tour opening for Will Oldham, who was apparently taken by Long Live Death's "incantory" aspects. Their music is melancholic and stately, not quite of our world, though clearly with an indie-rock pedigree. A short little album (just over 25 minutes) of some power and grace. And, along with voices, cello, gongs, flute, bells, and violin there's musical saw on it, which is always a plus!
This Dodo Bird is charming from the very first song! The other four gentle folk pop tunes with their effusive acoustic guitar and soft-spoken male vocals are pretty darn lovely too. The gent behind all of them is Meric Long, a singer/songwriter from right here in SF (fyi: he's recently performed under the moniker Dodo Bird). This is his impressive debut ep, and it's super confident and composed. Very much in the easygoing, engaging tradition of Simon And Garfunkel, Astrud Gilberto, and definitely recommended for fans of Iron & Wine, Kings Of Convenience and Elliott Smith. Can't wait for more!
A 1974 folk rock concept album outta County Cork... a real rare record, reissued for the ye olde hippie folk interested among you. 'Tis all about the old Irish myth of King Lir and his cursed swan-children, in a dramatic presentation of lilting Celtic folk melodies with proggish majesty, full of sweet male/female vocal harmonies and electric psych guitar leads. At many moments mellow and dainty, at others darker and fairly rockin', this is nice enough, though they're no Comus (who is?). Often pretty but also a bit precious, perhaps. Includes full liner notes, photos, and 6 bonus tracks including a 10+ minute television broadcast soundtrack complete with narration, which should help out those of us not up on our Irish mythology. Also there's disparate demos and singles tracks (one of 'em, "False Prophets" is quite the stormer, sounding almost proto-metal with Neil Youngish vocals).
Released as the second disc in a double cd set with the Light In The Attic reissue of Satan Is Real, the Handpicked Songs 1955-1962 collection is now available on its own as a separate lp.
The Louvin brothers have long been respected artists among contemporary folk and Americana artists, so Light in The Attic has curated an album of influential Louvin Brothers songs recorded between 1955 and 1962 selected (not covered!) by modern day artists like Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, M. Ward, The Black Angels, Beck, Kris Kristofferson, Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham, and others. Showcasing the fact the Louvin Brothers singing and songwriting talents far surpassed the novelty of their most famous album cover.
Now reissued on vinyl by LITA...
Really, where would aQ be without Satan? He sure has helped us promote and sell thousands of metal records. But this classic old school country gospel record with its iconic cover, has done so much more to promote the reality of Satan than any metal record we can think of. Long an example of notable novelty or "bad" record covers, it may come as a surprise to those who have never actually heard it, that it's quite a beautiful commingling of gorgeous vintage country harmonies, and sad tragic southern gothic narratives. Like our favorite Porter Wagoner songs, these are tales of life's darker turns and the unending battle between forces of good and evil. Yet, The Brothers here don't take a judgmental tone, but rather, one of caution and gentle honey-toned persuasion towards salvation.
Hails!
Really, where would aQ be without Satan? He sure has helped us promote and sell thousands of metal records. But this classic old school country gospel record with its iconic cover, has done so much more to promote the reality of Satan than any metal record we can think of. Long an example of notable novelty or "bad" record covers, it may come as a surprise to those who have never actually heard it, that it's quite a beautiful commingling of gorgeous vintage country harmonies, and sad tragic southern gothic narratives. Like our favorite Porter Wagoner songs, these are tales of life's darker turns and the unending battle between forces of good and evil. Yet, The Brothers here don't take a judgmental tone, but rather, one of caution and gentle honey-toned persuasion towards salvation.
The Louvin brothers have long been respected artists among contemporary folk and Americana artists, so Light in The Attic has added a second disc of influential Louvin Brothers songs recorded between 1955 and 1962 hand-picked by modern day artists like Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, M. Ward, The Black Angels, Beck, Kris Kristofferson, Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham, and others, to showcase the fact the Louvin Brothers singing and songwriting talents far surpassed the novelty of their most famous album cover. Includes a 40 page booklet, new notes and info for a free download to a 2010 Charlie Louvin interview. Hails!
The surviving member of the Louvin Brothers, who brought us the AQ fave, Satan is Real, returns to his gospel tinged country roots on this first recording of new material in ten years. Aided by the production of Lambchop's Mark Nevers who invited a bevy of stars including George Jones, Marty Stuart, Elvis Costello and Jeff Tweedy to lend a hand. The full throttle performances of the guests thankfully don't overshadow the main attraction, the man whose world-weary voice can still uplift the dark shadows of a wicked world.
Lyle fans, get in line.
Most of the time, the cds that come with magazines are a waste of time, you might discover a song or a band, but more often than not, it's some paid promotional thing, where the bands with the most money, or at least the ones WILLING to pay, are the ones featured. But recently, Mojo magazine did an issue about the new country, or the new folk maybe it was, and included a cover cd, that we never really bothered to listen to at first, but eventually threw on, just to check it out, and BAM. It was like the best mixtape we'd ever heard. Incredible songs, great bands, perfectly sequenced, we couldn't stop listening to it. With a million songs to choose from on our iPod, we found ourselves constantly playing the Mojo comp. WTF? Fleet Foxes, Yeasayer, Iron & Wine, Alela Diane, the Dodos, Animal Collective, Akron/Family, Papercuts, The Pink Mountaintops, Vetiver, Bill Callahan, J. Tillman and these guys, The Low Anthem. Never heard of em before, but their song in particular had us smitten, a dark brooding deep folk number called "To Ohio", which is included here, and still, even after a hundred plays, has lost none of its magic. Delicate acoustic guitar, sweetly moaning cellos, and rough but warm and sweet vocals, harmonica, lovely harmonies, it's been stuck in our heads since we first heard it.
But there's plenty more. "Charlie Darwin" is another sun dappled dream folk number, but with lush lustrous falsetto vox, hushed and intimate with some super bittersweet harmonica here too. And while most of the record is on the quiet side, a super intimate affair, there are some more stompy bluegrass numbers, some almost rocking workouts, but it's never long before they settle back into something dark and languorous and dreamy. And be sure to stick around for the "To Ohio (Reprise)", which adds extra reverb and gives the song some extra bass, a muted driving rhythm, and some violin, making the song even darker and more psychedelic. So good.
3rd Record of Majestic Pop Folk from former Tower Recordings member.
There was this awesome time around four or five years ago when we were being blown away by one obscure psych folk reissue after another. Records by the likes Mark Fry, Roger Rodier, Mark Fosson, Eduardo Mateo, and Bridget St. John all came into our lives back then and would become total treasures near and dear to our hearts and ears. Since then there have been lots of awesome reissues of full on psych, international burners and early '80s gems but it seemed the well dried up a bit on great lost folk from the early '70s, as just not that much of it had been coming our way, and the one's we were hearing weren't all that spectacular and probably remained obscure and unheard for good reason: they just weren't that good. But this 1975 album by Ted Lucas is totally hitting that special soft spot we have for hazy and drifty psych-folk and immediately transports us and lulls us into a gloriously stoned and zoned state of mind.
So yes, these are totally stoned and lovely folk songs that bring to mind a more rustic Nick Drake, that amazing first solo record from David Crosby or a totally unpolished and stripped down Eric Clapton. We also think fans of Linda Perhacs, Charles Manson (the singer/songwriter, not the cult leader!), Vashti Bunyan, The Search Party, Gary Higgins, and Bert Jansch will totally dig what was going on in the music of Ted Lucas.
This is actually the first record we've reviewed by Lucero, which is a little surprising for a couple of reasons. One being that this is their 5th or 6th record in almost as many years. The other being that they are really fucking awesome. Where as most young folks, emo kids, punk rockers, who are trying to rock some country, they end up not really rocking at all. Instead focusing on the moody dreaminess, the lilting loveliness, Sparklehorse, Court And Spark, Nick Drake, all fuzzy and twangy, sweet slippery lap steel, you know what we're talking about. Part of it is, that's it's really tough to mix hard rocking with country twang. One wrong move and you're in young country territory. But done right, it's as furiously infectious and wildly invigorating as all get out. Lucero are obviously shooting for Uncle Tupelo's No Depression, probably the most fiery rockingest country record we can remember. Huge guitars, a whiskey soaked howl, pounding drums, killer catchy hooks, and plenty of twang. And to be honest Lucero do get pretty darn close. A lot closer than most folks. The result falls somewhere between a way more aggro Springsteen and a slightly less rocking No Depression era Tupelo. But as far as places a band could land, you can't do a whole lot better than that.
And very much how Mike from the Court And Spark is that band's ace in the hole, with his impossibly warm honeyed whiskey soaked croon, Lucero has Ben Nichols, who makes Mike sound like a sweetly singing songbird. Super ragged and scratchy, like a more country Shane MacGowan, a raspy gravelly howl that can soar into a gorgeous banshee like wail. And that's half the battle right there. He has one of those voices that could sing the phone book and you'd be smashing bottles and banging your head and bouncing around like crazy. The band backs it up with some super rocking twang, some occasional barrelhouse piano and warm warbly organ, but it's all about guitar bass and drums, and these cats are tight as fuck. And can rock with the best of 'em.
A few years back, there was a documentary about Lucero, one of those year in the life on the road sort of things. And they looked like, and talked like any punk rock band, sleeping on floors, driving a shitty van, getting drunk, getting tattoos, maybe getting laid, not getting enough sleep, wondering about the future, rocking as hard as they can. But on stage, they didn't sound like any punk rock band you ever heard. A gloriously rambunctious, super rocking, sweaty and bloody and twangy and wild and wooly countrified rock and roll band. Which is exactly what they are.
Hot damn, does Meg White have reason to be jealous?! This is Loretta Lynn's first album in four years (we're not quite sure exactly what number it is in her discography... we lost count around fifty!), and it's got huge Lynn fan Jack White of The White Stripes in the producer and arranger's seat. Their vocal duet "Portland Oregon" (which will surely draw truckloads of White Stripes worshipping Loretta Lynn neophytes to this album) is hardly this excellent album's highlight. On the other hand, White's gritty guitars are a perfect foil for Lynn's feisty singing on songs such as "Have Mercy". Some may think that some of this, if you listen close, actually sounds like White Stripes songwriting, but it's more likely a case of Lynn's formidable influence on White coming full circle. Regardless, Van Lear Rose is all about the singular wonder that is Loretta Lynn and White has done a fine job of ensuring just that. Her voice is in top notch form. Her range is absolutely smokin' whether she's breakin' honky tonk hearts or baring her own or simply givin' everyone what-for. Mid-album she fires thing up for the rousing gospel stomp of "High On A Mountain Top" and then takes it down a few notches for the spoken story-song "Little Red Shoes". Wonderful! A vibrant, rich, and organic album. All hail Loretta Lynn!
How's this for a feather in yer bluegrass straw hat? This Bay Area band recently played with the legendary bluegrass combo The Dillards just down the street from us at the intimate lil' Amnesia bar. A rollicking good time! Their high spirited Live At The Delta Of Venus will surely knock the crusted mud off yer cowhide. It's a boot stompin' jamboree of homegrown true country and bluegrass music which was recorded live at the Delta Of Venus Cafe & Pub in Davis, CA. The sixteen tracks are nicely balanced between instrumentals and singalongs, fresh originals and solid renditions of old traditionals. They sure do give those stringed instruments a workout -- snappin', pluckin' and bowin' the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, standup bass ever so vigorously!
Includes a temporary tattoo so that you can show your love... at least until you next bath.
Protometalheads, psychfreaks, Japanophiles - listen up.
Imagine, what if Janis Joplin sang for Black Sabbath? And further imagine, what if both Janis and Sabbath were in fact Japanese?
Well, you almost don't have to imagine. 'Cause Carmen Maki and Blues Creation's album together has just been reissued, on both cd and vinyl!
It dates from the magic year of 1971, originally released 'round about the same time as Blues Creation's all-time proto-metal classic Demon & Eleven Children, which we've gone on and on about before, one of the heaviest albums of the era, from a band who were basically the Japanese answer to Black Sabbath. And Japan had some heavy bands back then, like Flower Travellin' Band, Flied Egg, Ranmadou, and Speed Glue & Shinki. But of all those, the most Sabbathy one was probably Blues Creation (though of course FTB comes close, having actually covered the song "Black Sabbath" on their debut).
The lovely Carmen Maki, for her part, was already a popular Japanese singer, definitely of the Janis Joplin blues belting school. Though she's also been likened to Grace Slick, and even to a female Robert Plant. Made sense for her to team up with this particular shit-hot blues rock outfit, both live and on this record.
Bands back then tended to do a lot of covers, but instead of being obvious and covering a Janis Joplin song, the opening track here is a bit more obscure, though it might sound somehow familiar anyway, it's a version of "Understand" by a lady often compared to Janis, Lydia Miller of the American band Fantasy. They do a few other standards on this album, "Motherless Child" and "St. James Infirmary", but all the other tracks were written by Blues Creation guitarist Kazuo Takeda.
And to be clear, this record isn't nearly so heavy as Demon & Eleven Children, not all the time, a lot of it's in fact fairly mellow, and all of it is, naturally, quite bluesy. But, even when they're not in the midst of a rollicking full-tilt Mean Old Boogie, the gentler "soft rock" stuff is pretty nice; and each track usually builds into a fine frenzy of wild wailing blues licks and distorted riffery. Those solo sections are really when the Blues Creation guys get to let loose, though Cream is probably the much bigger influence here that Sabbath.
Maki later fronted a band called Oz (no not the Swedish '80s metallers), who were pretty heavy too, and proggy; we'd love it if that stuff got reissued too someday...
A brand new 7" single from the infamous Charles Manson, to commemorate his 77th birthday on 11/11/11, recorded surreptitiously in his prison cell, on a smuggled in hand held recorder... a fascinating document, musical and otherwise of a man many consider a madman, but who some others consider wrongly imprisoned. Musically, Manson has a long history, most famously as a friend of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, and of course many have postulated that it was his frustration with his musical career that may have initiated the events that led to his incarceration.
This single is two sides of urgent, rambling, ramshackle folk, not that far removed from his other recordings, but it's definitely a glimpse into the soul of a man who has spent most of his life in prison. There aren't so many proper 'songs' here, it's more a flowing, sort of freeform folk ramble, with Manson, rambling sung spoken lyrics one second, crooning the next, slipping into crazed rants or maniacal laughter, using different voices, speaking in tongues, but for all the bits of weirdness, there's some seriously good stuff here, the opening of the B side features some super pretty guitar, and Manson's voice when it comes in, while rough and ragged, is still emotional and powerful. The majority of the record is stripped down, urgently strummed acoustic guitar, and Manson just wandering vocally, it's pretty compelling for sure, and anyone who has the other Manson records is gonna want this too.
It comes gorgeously packaged in a super deluxe full color gatefold sleeve, inside a printed two side page of liner notes, one side, a defense of Manson, the other a wild ramble signed Horse Fly, who we presume is Manson himself.
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES!!
Jeffrey Manson is a new indie folk troubadour from right here in SF. This lo-fi home recorded album is filled with rootsy, rough hewn tunes which seems very much inspired by the earnest heart baring voice of Jeff Mangum. Best listened to in the great outdoors, far from the roar of the city. Dozing In The Abandoned Gunnery was released on the new indie label Recolote Music whose roster already includes a number of other likeminded homespun Bay Area artists such as Chinatown Bakeries, Ryan Stively & His Poison Band, and Port O'Brien. They release mostly limited run cdrs in lovingly handmade packaging.
We previously heard from San Diego indie rural-psychsters Maquiladora on the Acid Mothers Temple n' friends 3cd compilation Do Whatever You Want a while back. Now here's a Japanese import cd featuring them jamming with the Acid Mothers Temple's number one guru, guitarist Kawabata Makoto (and also ex-AMTer Cotton Casino). Over these two discs is sprawlingly spread a lot of lovely, drifting, droning, gentle, largely instrumental cosmic bliss with a slight desert-sunset, country-psych feel (hints of Maquiladora's rootsy roots come through with some plantive home-on-the-range harmonica that appears alongside the less rustic instrumentation of analog synth, glissando guitar, Hammond organ, piano, vibraphone, etc.). Maybe it's due to Makoto's usual magic, but this is surely good enough that now we'll definitely have to check out Maquiladora's own couple of previous records! Real nice, mellow, moody.
If we had to pick a favorite rock voice Mark Lanegan would definitely be way at the top of the list. Even back in the days of his first band The Screaming Trees, Lanegan's voice was the first thing anybody noticed, deep and raspy, smokey and whisky soaked, and over the years, if anything it's only gotten better. And barring the occasional misstep, we have to say we can't think of a Lanegan record we didn't dig. What we can say, is we can't remember one we dug nearly as much as Blues Funeral, which is exactly the sort of title you'd expect from Lanegan, and sonically, you might not be surprised if once you pushed play, a dark brooding blues creep oozed out of the speaker, but what WILL surprise you is opener "The Gravedigger's Song", which explodes out of the gate with dense tribal drumming, thick fuzzed out bass, pulsing synths, bursts of white noise crunch, and those vocals, it's the heaviest and darkest we've heard Lanegan in years, psychedelic, strangely poppy, a little bit new wavey, but holy shit. The rest of the record flits all over, from sound to sound, the new group not shying way from anything, whether it's drum machines (especially drum machines!), synths, jangly pop, whatever, the deft songwriting, Lanegan's voice, and a dark sonic streak holds all the disparate parts together, just check out "Ode To Sad Disco" which somehow sounds like Depeche Mode crossed with Justice, all dark electro synth pop, but still impossibly moody and brooding, but weirdly enough, it's that seemingly out of place synth pop element and the drum machines that really make this record so cool and weird and special, and definitely makes it one of our favorite Lanegan records yet.
A suitably witty 1" button with black text that reads "Ask me about Carolyn Mark!" on beige background. (And if you have to ask, you probably won't be buying one of these.)
Ms Carolyn loves a good ol' singalong, her infectious hearty chuckle and storytelling frequently punctuate the proceedings. We've adored her strong sweet pipes alongside her pals Neko Case and Kelly Hogan (not to mention that her last album was called The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration), and now she's got a whole new album of duets! The songs run the gamut from the downright heartbreaking to the downright silly, from the totally staid standard country ("I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry") to the nuttily offbeat ("Rocket Piano Man" and "Slow Poke"). You can be sure that a kazoo will surface at some point or other. With the mightily talented, but criminally unsung Canadian troubadour Ford Pier, she tackles an unexpectedly retro-sounding swingy soul number "Done Something Wrong". It's definitely one of the album's highlights, of which there are plenty. The song's given extra punch from some groovin' bass and squealin' horns. Also joining her on the mic are a baker's dozen more cross-Canada co-horts, most notably Frog Eyes' Carey Mercer. It's always a grand ol' time when you're in the company of this Sicamous, British Columbia born lass.
