Another fantastic reissue from Omni, focusing on one of our favorite country singer songwriters, the legendary Dolly Parton. But c'mon, this is Omni, so this isn't just some sort of greatest hits, this is some waaaay more obscure stuff, including one of the best, and strangest Parton records you've never heard, The Fairest Of Them All, recorded in the lates sixties during the height of her popularity, yet inexplicably never reissued until now. The sound is classic country, classic Parton in fact, slippery lap steel, stately piano, lush minor key melodies, weeping fiddles, soaring strings and Parton's voice, so distinctive, and the songs are incredible, the opener, "Daddy Come And Get Me" (also heard on Omni's Troubled Troubadours comp) is sung from the perspective of a young girl in a mental institution begging for her Daddy to come and rescue her. "Chas" is all about forbidden love, but a twisted take, a sister caring for her invalid brother and longing for her husband. "Down From Dover" is the tale of an unwed pregnant teen waiting for the father of her child to return as promised. Strange stuff for sure. It's not all that far out though, but it is all fantastic.
As if that weren't enough, this 2-on-1 collection includes a second album, one we were even more excited about, My Favorite Songwriter, where Parton covers a collection of tracks by the incomparable Porter Wagoner, who besides being an incredible songwriter, played a huge part in Parton's career, having produced her, written songs for her, given her a big break by hiring her for his television show, there were even rumors that they were romantically involved, regardless, theirs was a long running partnership, and the combination of Parton's voice, and Wagoner's songs and arrangements are pretty tough to beat. That said, this is definitely not Wagoner at his weirdest, no "Rubber Room" here, instead, it's simply some of his best songwriting, classic country, heartfelt and emotional, the arrangements beautiful, Parton's voice perfect. SO recommended.
And as with all Omni reissues, this includes a massive booklet, packed with extensive liner notes and tons of photos.
Wow! After 40 years-and-counting, Dolly Parton releases her very first all-bluegrass recording. For this she chose some of the best bluegrass musicians in the world, including Sam Bush (founder of New Grass Revival and, according to No Depression magazine, "generally considered one of the top three bluegrass mandolin players in the world"), dobro player Jerry Douglas ("acknowledged to be the best in the world"), fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist Bryan Sutton and banjoist Jim Mills (both ex-Ricky Skaggs band), along with the angelvoiced Alison Krauss and Patty Loveless as backup singers. Alternately growling, yowling, and crooning her own originals and covers of Hazel Dickens, Blackfoot, Lester Flatt, the Louvin Brothers, and Johnny Cash, this is Dolly at her best -- without slick, deadening prodcution values that's cost many a country album its vitality and life. If you thought Alison Krauss' last record was a little too watered-down-commercial and you already have all the Freakwater albums, then this record is for you.
We were thinkin' about Ms Dolly the other day, and how much we love her The Grass Is Green album and admire her spirit. Much like Charo, she's often described (or dismissed) as cartoonish and ahem, larger than life, but also much like Charo she's got indisputable chops. Hmmm, we will give the edge to Ms Dolly though 'cause she's got Dollywood! She just keeps kickin' butt year after year and keeps ya guessin'. Here she sings the oldies -- so many dear songs that we recall from our childhood! And she's invited the original singers to join her. A sweet, moving concept, lovingly realized.
More rare '70s folk from the folks at Sunbeam who brought us the great Roger Rodier (reviewed elsewhere on this list) and Fresh Maggots reissues. Mary-Anne Patterson's sole album is claimed to be one of the rarest records of its time, and after reading her story, it's no wonder. Patterson, daughter and granddaughter of famous Scottish painters, was a drama teacher (and hobbyist guitar player), who had a dream of opening an art centre for children. After a friend with music connections suggested that she cut a record to raise funds to build it, she quickly got a record deal and put together this album using local street musicians as her backing group. But reluctant to play the star and promote the record, the album sank without a trace, along with her dream. The songs here, mostly traditional, are very pretty, with a nice echo-y quality on the voice, guitar and flute accompaniments running through the entire production. The standout track is her version of "Black Girl", a Leadbelly standard, that devolves into a hippie tribal voice and flute freak out. This is a beautiful and overdue peek into the Scottish end of the '60s Folk Revival. For fans of Sandy Denny, Pentangle, and Josephine Foster.
We got another amazing batch of vintage blues reissues from the wonderful Monk label. Look elsewhere on the list for reviews of a two lp set by Blind Willie McTell and an lp by Blind Willie Johnson!
One of two new volumes of Charley Patton's vintage recordings from 1929 on Paramount from the undisputed King of the Delta Blues. This one featuring the two-part "High Water Everywhere", widely considered to be one of the best blues songs ever, and 14 other amazing tracks. With his loud gravelly whiskey soaked and cigarette coated voice, he could pound the fury out of a song and deeply influenced much of the later urban blues that came out of Chicago. Incredible!
We got another amazing batch of vintage blues reissues from the wonderful Monk label. Look elsewhere on the list for reviews of a two lp set by Blind Willie McTell and an lp by Blind Willie Johnson!
One of two new volumes of Charley Patton's vintage recordings from 1929 on Paramount from the undisputed King of the Delta Blues. This one featuring his more spiritual sides including the devastating "You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die". With his loud gravelly whiskey soaked and cigarette coated voice, he could pound the fury out of a song, and here sin and salvation were just two means to get around to the core of some of the most ferocious music ever made!
Anyone who has checked out the aQ lists within the last year will no doubt have noticed the flood of essential blues reissues that have come out on the Italian label Monk. We're sure everyone has their favorites, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone here who hasn't had their minds sufficiently blown by the Charley Patton releases in particular. While all four of the "Electrically Recorded" Patton lps were collected in an awesome and elaborate (and expensive!) boxset limited to 275 copies worldwide, we were waiting for a bit to get a hold of this final set of tunes, and now that wait is up. Moon Going Down collects four separate recording sessions, one from 1930 in Grafton, Wisconsin and three from New York in early 1934, making them the last songs recorded before Patton's death a few months later. It's strange listening to those final songs after familiarizing ourselves with everything that came before. It's sad to think what we are hearing on this lp is the end of the line for Charley Patton, but he sounds just as forceful and self-aware as always, and in death he would become recognized as one of the most legendary American musicians ever to walk the earth. Listening to these songs confirms why things turned out that way. This is it, the source, and if you are even casually interested in blues music, you should do yourself a favor and grab this right away.
Those who own the Charley Patton "Screamin' And Hollerin' The Blues" box set on Revenant can probably skip this, as you got all these tracks already... But maybe you should read along anyway. For this collection producer Richard Nevins searched far & wee for the best extant copies of Patton 78's and made an esthetic decision not to gouge away at the original recordings so much with the audio restoration software that's been all the rage with reissues of early recordings of late (as in for the last ten or so years.) For those of you who couldn't shovel out the dough for Revenant's definitive collection, Primeval Rags... is a great substitution writ small. Almost any 23 tracks by Patton would have been a fine anthology, as there's hardly a track ever recorded of him was anything less than stellar. This is the man after all that the legendary Robert Johnson -- along with myriad other blues and bluegrass musicians alike -- could name as the biggest influence on his playing. They just don't make singing voices like this anymore. Both soft and subtle and powerful enough to knock the doors off your barn and bottleneck guitar playing that will have you sobbing out of pure respect.
Probably best know for his boss bashing hit "Take This Job And Shove It" (written by David Allan Coe!), Paycheck began life as Donald Eugene Lytle, originally performing as Donny Young, before, changing his name to Johnny Paycheck, and falling in with the outlaw country movement, along with folks like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, etc.
In the sixties, Paycheck started his own label, Little Darlin, and released a handful of records, all pretty intense and twisted and gorgeous, and rarely heard. This killer comp collects those rare tracks, and while on first listen, this sounds like classic honky tonk country, his voice immediately recognizable, but the sounds pretty classic, listen closer, pay attention to the lyrics, and suddenly the sounds don't sound so classic, instead, they are dark, and sinister, and seriously fucked up. Or at least with a twisted sense of humor. The sticker on the cd describes Paycheck thusly: "Imagine David Lynch As A Honky Tonky Singer" which is not that far off. On the surface, everything appears normal, but just below the surface, something much more dangerous lurks. A killer. Maybe. A psycho, VERY likely. Tales of murder, suicide, death, insanity and oh yes, drinking, just have a gander at some of the song titles: "(It's A Mighty Fine Line) Between Love And Hate", "(Pardon Me) I've Got Someone To Kill", "It Won't Be Long (And I'll Be Hating You)", "There's No Easy Way To Die", "I'm A Coward", intense and spooky and menacing, but all set to killer country twang and foot stomping honky tonk.
Another winner from Omni, and like all the Omni reissues, this comes with a huge booklet, new liner notes, and tons of photos. And as always most definitely recommended.
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THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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Italian label Get Back is producing vinyl reissues of selected titles from the legendary ESP label. The Pearls Before Swine issues may be of special interest to those folks (like myself) who heard Tom Rapp for the first time back in April 1997 at the Terrastock Festival.
Gentle lilting SF roots rock weighted by a heavyheartedness is what this full length by Mr. Danny Pearson is all about. Joining him on one tune "Be Here Now" is Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon), and you might say that The Oblivion Seeker is very much in the same vein as Kozelek, as well as American Music Club. In fact, Pearson covers the Mark Eitzel penned tune "Vulture And Hyena", and Sun Kil Moon/AMC's Tim Mooney recorded the album. See, it's all connected! And yet, we may also mention how akin to the lush earthy prettiness of The Czars this is too -- particularly on the songs graced by warming strings, Hammond organ, and ghostly harmonium, but even more so on the two which feature some very soft velvety female backing vocals that offer some light in Pearson's world weary atmosphere. Indeed it's this pair of songs along with the Kozelek-accompanied number mentioned above that are the highlights of this album. Very nice!
Recorded live in 2011 (in a yoga studio and a synagogue), the latest from these Virginian dronelords, once again prove these guys are still the modern masters of the raga. Seven extended tracks of exquisite modern minimal drone music, lush, layered tones, constantly shifting textures, and ever shifting overtones, multiple instruments deftly woven into one single organic whole, all recorded live, on acoustic instruments, with no overdubs, this is pure sound, Pelt masterfully weaving this pure sound into expansive/expressive sprawls of mesmerizing, meditative minimalism, the sound varying greatly from track to track, whether it's the near atonal din of opener "Of Jack's Darbari", or the downright folky "Wings Of Dirt", they both revolve around the drone, as do all the tracks here, the thread that binds all these sounds together. And the fact that the various instruments can be busy on their own, unfurling flurries of notes, that on their own, would have a completely different vibe than as part of the whole, where all of that business, simple adds texture, and propulsion, tonal color and depth, and these songs are deep, the sort that require deep listening to truly appreciate the sort of spiritual sonic tradition these guys are a part of. LaMonte Young, Pandit Pran Nath, Henry Flynt, Charlemagne Palestine, Catherine Christer Hennix, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Pelt's incredible body of work most definitely fits among those masters, and this live document demonstrate that Pelt can still channel that cosmic energy and form it into gorgeous, transcendental sound. In almost any form. The band really do explore every facet of the raga/drone here. Deep sonorous tones crafted from scraped bells and bowed metal, become a hushed metallic shimmer, rife with subtle movement and endless tonal variation, huge clouds of blurred shimmer are formed from piano notes drifting atop abstract percussion, and lush room reverb, wheezing chords are layered and layered, wreathed in keening streaks of high end, fiddles and harmoniums woven into a lustrous prismatic soft focus skree, dark bell tones hover over muted rhythms, wrapped in woozy metallic shimmer, and a mournful fiddle emits an aching, scraping tone, while below, thick slabs of metal rumble and whir. So incredible.
Packaged in a super striking, gorgeously psychedelic, full color, heavy gatefold jacket. LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!!
A nice breath of fresh air for our woefully understocked Latin / Mexican music section, this cd features Rene Pena-Govea and her family; Rene plays button accordian and sings, while her parents supply back up vocals and pluck the guitarron, sexto, etc. Father
The psychedelic folk fans here at Aquarius are overjoyed that this brilliant obscurity is at last back in print -- and in an expanded, vastly improved cd edition no less. Originally released in 1970, Linda Perhac's "Parallelograms" is a lost gem of lovely, delicate folk-psych songs in line with Joni Mitchell or Heart's folkier moments, gone waaay underground and mystic. For a long long time, although collectors held the record in great esteem, no-one knew anything about Ms. Perhacs at all. When the Wild Places label first reissued the album on cd some years ago they had to do it from a mint vinyl copy of the record. Since then, they've miraculously managed to track down Linda and got their hands on reel to reels dubbed from the original masters, along with a passel of bonus tracks -- half a dozen of 'em. Whoo-hoo! Along with that good stuff, some mysteries were answered. It turns out that, for instance, the popularly held belief that Perhacs was from Hawaii was incorrect. But she lived in the Pacific Northwest and California, so that's not too far off, really... They also confirmed that this was indeed her only recording. But if you're only going to make one record, having it be as good as "Parallelograms" is a neat trick. Her gossamer vocals encounter tripped-out electronic effects and gentle folk-rock backing, transporting the listener to a place not usually or easily reached in this day and age. There's a track or two that gets strangely coffee-house beatnik on us, and sound a bit dated, but most of this is truely ethereal hippie folk-psych beauty unparallelled. Really nice, and recommended.
The return (after over 40 years!!!) of this mystical New Age singer, all up to date now, hanging with the kids, Nite Jewel, etc. but still has her old magic!! Scott and Allan here looove it, at least.
As artistically immersive in music as his father Anthony Perkins was in film, singer/songwriter Elvis Perkins sings beautiful folk pop songs that are blistered gently by electric guitar. Very reminiscent of The Kinks, Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley, Ron Sexsmith, and Elvis Costello. Absolutely dreamy and achingly heartfelt. Recommended.
Joe Pernice, formerly of the Scud Mountain Boys, and Big Tobacco, and now the Pernice Brothers is turning out to be one of the most important singer songwriters of our time. It sounds like hyperbole, but Joe Pernice has managed to find a sound all his own,
With bandleader credits under the monikers Scud Mountain Boys, Big Tobacco, and Chappaquiddick Skyline, perennial AQ-favorite Joe Pernice offers his third as the Pernice Brothers. Yes, this is the most polished and radio-ready of all his records, but that doesn't mean it is watered down at all. Moving away from his country rock explorations with the Scuds, the Pernice Brothers explore the world of pop, albeit very melancholy, achingly bittersweet, emotion-drenched, sincere singer-songwriter pop. His near 'n dear influence remains the same as ever -- Bread. Wonderful Bread, who share with Pernice a love for delicately, carefully, quietly sung vocal melodies and sympathetic instrumentation -- warmly strummed guitars (at times reminiscent of The Smiths even!). Pernice's music has gotten me thru more than one broken heart... Now if you haven't heard Pernice before we'd recommend you start with Scud Mtn Boys' Massachusetts or the Big Tobacco album, but if you're already a fan we certainly recommend Yours Mine and Ours.
MPEG Download: "How" [/audio/pernicehow.mp3]
MPEG Stream: "How" [/audio/pernicehow.m3u]
The singer who sounded the most like Joni Mitchell on the Numero Group's excellent Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies Of The Canyon compilation, Caroline Peyton was far from a mere imitator. Thus the label gives her a more close-up inspection by re-issuing her debut private press lp, Mock-Up complete with bonus tracks of a live recording and three vocal cuts from The Screaming Gypsy Bandits, an acid rock and jazz outfit Peyton recorded with in 1972. While her songwriting, piano playing and occasionally acrobatic vocal delivery easily place her in the realm of seventies singer-songwriters, Peyton displayed an exploratory penchant for vocal experimentation that was far from the norm. The wordless vocalization of "Bill Monroe" reminds us of a less unhinged Patty Waters, while the Screaming Gypsy Bandit tracks reveal some eastern mystical jazz vibes that makes us want to pay deeper attention. If you're fans of Linda Perhacs, Collie Ryan and other obscure folk mistresses, then check this out for sure!
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A short while back we reviewed an lp from legendary bluesman Washington Phillips, called What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?, released on the amazing vinyl reissue label Mississippi. As much as we love vinyl, we know a lot of folks out there don't have record players, so thankfully, all of the tracks on that Mississippi lp, are also contained on this here cd, and then some! The lp featured 12 tracks, this cd collects all 16 recordings from Phillips, his entire recorded output, and as a bonus, you also get 4 tracks of early religious music from Mamie And A.C Forehand (Forehand had a track on another recent Mississippi comp called Fight On, Your Time Ain't Long). Here's what we had to say about Phillips when we reviewed the lp:
Very little is know about Phillips, other than he was from Texas and only ever recorded sixteen songs. That's it. Sixteen songs, all of them totally gorgeous and mysterious. Phillips vocals are intense and world weary, but it's the accompaniment that really stands out.
The cover shows an illustration of Phillips playing what looks like a toy piano, but the sound is stranger than a toy piano, much higher and more resonant, chiming and tinkling, like little bells, like Christmas carols, a sort of joyous effulgent sparkling shimmer. The liner notes suggest that it may or may not be a Dolceola, an extinct late nineteenth / early twentieth century instrument that looks like a hybrid of a toy piano and a zither. But as there is only one confirmed recording of the Dolceola, on a Leadbelly track from the forties, it's hard to prove just what Phillips' instrument could be. According to a 1961 interview with Frank Walker, who recorded Washington Phillips, the instrument Phillips used was homemade and was something "nobody on earth could use except him". Online sources speculate that it could be a fretless zither or a phonoharp. Whatever it is, it sounds somewhere between a hammered dulcimer, a spinet (baby harpsichord) and an ice cream truck (minus the sound system), all beneath a warm fuzzy patina of dusty crackle. The notes tumble and twinkle while Phillips weaves them seamlessly into a warm glowing backdrop for his testifying, creating a gorgeous and haunting angelic gospel blues, that is truly unique.
Another awesome archival release from the folks at Mississippi records. Not only is their catalog slowly being re-pressed, but there are a whole slew of new releases, the first being this collection from the enigmatic Washington Phillips.
Very little is know about Phillips, other than he was from Texas and only ever recorded sixteen songs. That's it. Sixteen songs. Twelve of which are here, all of them totally gorgeous and mysterious. Phillips vocals are intense and world weary, but it's the accompaniment that really stands out.
The cover shows an illustration of Phillips playing what looks like a toy piano, but the sound is stranger than a toy piano, much higher and more resonant, chiming and tinkling, like little bells, like Christmas carols, a sort of joyous effulgent sparkling shimmer. The liner notes suggest that it may or may not be a Dolceola, an extinct late nineteenth / early twentieth century instrument that looks like a hybrid of a toy piano and a zither. But as there is only one confirmed recording of the Dolceola, on a Leadbelly track from the forties, it's hard to prove just what Phillips' instrument could be. According to a 1961 interview with Frank Walker, who recorded Washington Phillips, the instrument Phillips used was homemade and was something "nobody on earth could use except him". Online sources speculate that it could be a fretless zither or a phonoharp. Whatever it is, it sounds somewhere between a hammered dulcimer, a spinet (baby harpsichord) and an ice cream truck (minus the sound system), all beneath a warm fuzzy patina of dusty crackle. The notes tumble and twinkle while Phillips weaves them seamlessly into a warm glowing backdrop for his testifying, creating a gorgeous and haunting angelic gospel blues, that is truly unique.
As always, pressed on thick vinyl, housed in a gorgeously screened jacket, includes an insert on thick textured paper, with very minimal liner notes (appropriately enough) on one side, and and on the other an ad for the Dolceola out of some old time catalog. Cool!
Like A Moth, the follow-up to SF singer/songwriter Garret Pierce's debut, reveals fresh development and depth. He's made good on the promising-ness of his self-titled cd-r, honing his songcraft into something considerably more focused, as well as fleshing out his palette of instruments. Simply check out the easygoing confidence in "Northern Stare" and "The Fireworks Were Fish Exploding". It definitely makes for a lusher, more fully realized overall picture. Warm and comfortingly familiar.
After a couple of fantastic full lengths, and a handful of equally impressive singles, comes the latest long player of washed out psychfolk from this East Coast duo, whose sound, as on past records, continues to slip between moody broody Portisheady lope, and fuzz drenched hazy dreamfolk, often meshing the two, adding murky drum machine pulses to swirling ethereal steel string drift.
On Liasons, Pigeons sound even more deliriously druggy and dreamy, the downtempo trip-hop elements now relegated to the occasional electronic rhythm, instead their sound moves further into much murkier sonic waters, more soft focus and fuzzy, infusing their already gauzy sound with swaths of Galaxie 500 like slowcore shimmer and blurred Bongwater-esque Shimmy Disc fug. In fact, for those of you who remember Bongwater's gorgeous cover of Roky Erickson's "You Don't Love Me Yet", much of Pigeons' Liasons plays out like variations of that lilting lo-fi, drugfolk avant pop sound, spindly steel string guitars, whirring organs, occasional bits of programmed rhythm, loads of delay and reverb, and of course those angelic echo drenched vocals.
Liasons is definitely the group's slowest and prettiest and most introspective record yet, a dark languorous drift, almost all of the way through, although the band do throw in a Serge Gainsbourg cover, and finish off with a track that's way more abstract and druggy, psychedelic and OUT, with woozy billows of soft guitar, stretched across an expanse of hum and whir, while the vocals soar and trill and keen, evoking some dark surreal late night otherworld. So nice. Psych folk(s) will dig for sure, but anyone into that Best Coast / Dum Dum Girls sound, looking for something darker and dreamier and druggier, might get into this as well...
Pigeons are a Northwestern husband and wife psych folk duo, augmented by members of No Neck Blues Band and other NNBB offshoots, and this is Pigeons full length number two, released appropriately enough on the always kick ass Olde English Spelling Bee label, and this is indeed a gorgeous chunk of psychedelic folk, dark and heavy and hypnotic, big simple motorik drumming, distorted psychedelic guitar leads, simple acoustic guitar strum and heavenly ethereal vocals, not to mention various keyboards, and bits of percussion, total Wicker Man seventies style acid folk, but definitely modernized, imagine a young hippy folksinger in the UK in the seventies, suddenly transported to now, hooking up with the new breed of lysergic bedroom folk pop alchemists, well, this is the most likely result, at its core, pure lilting dream folk, but all wrapped up in strange swooping backwards guitars, fluttering flutes, detuned doomy riffs, skittery percussion, glitchy electronics, buzzy swaths of processed effects drenched psychswirl, wild spidery melodies, tons of reverb, and strange little bits of sonic detritus, all blurred into gorgeously lush lysergic acid folk, at once timeless and classic sounding, but also weirdly modern, almost like a Karen Dalton or Vashti Bunyan for the warped lo-fi garage pop set. Which is just as good as it sounds.
Housed in super swank tip on style jackets, comes with a download coupon as well!
You know it's a special occasion when the Pine Valley Cosmonauts make an appearance! Heck, it doesn't happen every day, folks! In the past it's been to pay fond tribute to classic old country artists such as Johnny Cash and Bob Wills, to assemble volumes of executioner/prison-themed songs or it's simply been that PVC ringleader Jon Langford (Mekons/Waco Brothers) has deemed it a fine time to hook back up with his ever-changing rowdy roundup of Chicago alt-country/Bloodshot Records cohorts (Tom Ray, Kelly Hogan and Sally Timms to name just three regular participants). A barn dance seems like an ideal (if somewhat lighter-hearted) occasion for some PVC festivities. But wait, this isn't just any ol' barn dance! It's a tribute to the National Barn Dance Radio Show which aired in Chicago from way back in 1924 through to 1960. They're kickin' up the dust and havin' an honest to goodness hoedown! Yupsiree, blending the old and the new (both in sound and personnel) into a rip-snortin' hootenanny.
Following the rather unsettling "Anthology of American Literature" collaboration between the PVCs and Neal Pollack that we reviewed in the last AQ List, Jon Langford gets things back on track. On this new album, they - as described right on the cover -
The UK's Blackest Rainbow brings us another offering of wispy acoustic guitar wanderings, this time from Dewey Mahood, guitarist for Portland's Eternal Tapestry, who recently rolled through the shop and dropped off a bundle of goodies. Mr. Mahood takes his solo endeavor to unexplored dim, gloomy territory with Visions of Otherness, a fog shrouded offering of deep drones layered under somber finger picked forestscapes. Creepy weirdo slide guitar and ritualistic percussion, flutes calling from the deep mountains, Visions of Otherness beautifully recalls the dense woodlands and foggy mornings of Portland. Super cool stuff if you're a fan of woodsy drone music and creepy acoustic downer-folk. And don't forget, this cd-r comes in a limited edition of 200 and will be gone before you know it, so don't miss it!
You might already be familiar with the PVCs from their own albums or their recordings with fellow Bloodshot-er Kelly Hogan. They are, by the way, an alt-country supergroup whose membership includes the Waco Bros' Jon Langford and Steve Goulding, Tom Ray of
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We're pretty excited about this new vintage reissue label, Monk, that's releasing these nice deluxe vinyl versions of early recorded music that are hard to come by these days: blues, folk, country, bluegrass, Western swing and early jazz. Sure there's Mississippi records, but these have nicer packaging, are well researched, and compiled, and just a bit more, well, deluxe. Plus Monk also seems to be focusing on the veritable stars of these genres like Charley Patton, Charlie Poole, Dock Boggs and Django Reinhardt, providing a fine selection of their best early recordings.
Considered one of the grandfathers of modern country music and bluegrass, Charlie Poole, singer and banjo player, with his North Carolina Ramblers recorded over 60 tunes for the Columbia label during the 1920's. Though he didn't write any of his own tunes, he was a mean interpreter, often changing lyrics and tempos of traditional songs and making them his own, becoming one of country music's first stars, influencing the next generation of country music from Bill Monroe to Hank Williams, before dying at an early age due to achohol-induced heart failure. Husband and Wife Were Angry One Night covers 16 of Poole's finest recordings detailing the hard-living and hard-loving life that we love to hear in early country music!
Monk whips up another amazing collection of songs from the great Charlie Poole, and like the last one, Husband And Wife Were Angry One Night, this showcases Poole's clear tenor voice and rhythmic fingerpicked banjo playing in all their glory. Captured between 1925-1930 for Columbia Records, many of these songs come from the traditional American songbook and also feature Poole's North Carolina Ramblers bandmates. What we have hear are the beginnings of country and bluegrass as they would come to be known, essential listening for anyone with an interest in the roots of American music.
We often wonder why members of bands strike out on their own, and then end up making solo records that sound pretty much exactly like the band said member is taking a break from, but it happens all the time, and in most cases, nobody minds, cuz the whole reason we're interested in the solo record by that artist, is cuz we love the band they're from. In some cases, we imagine it's cuz they don't get as much input as they'd like, which makes it even more ironic when their solo record sounds so much like their actual band. Anyway, what we're getting at, is that this new ep from Poor Moon, which features two members of Sub Pop folkies Fleet Foxes, sounds quite a bit like Fleet Foxes. The biggest difference to these ears is the vocals, as obviously FF is defined by the dulcet tones of mainman Robin Pecknold, and a sound that is a bit more washed out and reverby. But otherwise, we might have even believed that this was in fact a new Fleet Foxes record, as it delivers the same sort of softly psychedelic folkiness, acoustic guitars, lush vocal harmonies, lilting and dreamy, opener "Illusion" is a serious gem, with some cool background noise delivered in soft swells behind the strum and croon, and a gorgeous vocal melody, sounds like a song, that could easily have been a FF jam. The rest of the record plays out similarly, woozy, washed out, dreamy and druggy, lots of shimmer and sun dappled reverby drift, with a serious sixties hippy vibe, but the band does occasionally get their rock on, like the classic jangle pop of "People In Her Mind", which sounds like some lost classic sixties garage jam, and there's the lilting twang flecked dream pop of "Once Before", but the record returns to the classic country folk sound for the dreamy loveliness of closer "Widow", which really IS a dead ringer for Fleet Foxes. Needless to say, fans of FF will want this for sure, but anyone into that sort of washed out sixties sun dappled country folk should definitely lend an ear...
Finland's much lauded (by us and others) Fonal label has been best known for the Finnish forest folk, experimental indie likes of Kemialliset Ystavat, Islaja, Kiila, and Paavoharju, among others... but recently they've branched out beyond their country's borders to release (reviewed last list) the new agey electronic improv drift of Dolphins Into The Future, and also this, by another band not from Finland, the 1st full-length (or 2nd if you count a super limited cd-r) by a blown out blooze rock duo from Deutschland who call themselves Pretty Lightning, though it's more likely thunder you'll think of when you hear 'em, not lightning.
As you might have guessed from the phrase "blown out blooze rock" this isn't your typical Fonal release. Well, it's plenty psychedelic and druggy, though, so that fits right in with a lot of the weird rituals recorded by Fonal's roster. But Pretty Lightning's rolling and tumblin', shambolic stoner stomp sounds a lot more traditionally '60s & '70s rock-based than the usual brand of Fonal freakery. Loud n' distorted fuzz guitars, drawling vox, lots of reverb, swampy slide, lumbering rhythms, splashing cymbals... we're thinking this will go over really well with fans of Dead Meadow!! Reminded of them right away. Also in some regards Wooden Shijips, Moon Duo, Comets On Fire, even Witch... You could also maybe imagine an uber lo-fi, Teutonic Black Keys? Or a basement-dwelling, krautrock-damaged Mount Carmel? Pretty Lightning bring in some ceremonial-sounding communal kraut vibes all right, with rattling percussion and chanted vocals on tracks like "Brother Gold Miner". There's spaced out pretty parts too, sunbaked backporch bliss, but it's all raw and droney for sure, and rife with big catchy riffs and melodic hooks, hot damn we're digging this. Funny it takes a Finnish label to bring us this modern day garagey krautrock that sounds like it's somehow also coming straight outta the Mississippi Delta.
Private Press femme-folk record from Colorado recently included on Numero Group's Wayfaring strangers: Ladies From The Canyon.
NOW ON LP TOO!
The latest collection (after two previous) chronicling the work of Australian outsider artist / primitive folk songsmith Pip Proud, comes courtesy of Japanese label EM, who gather up some of his best tracks from the late sixties and early seventies, selected by Proud's biographer David Nichols, who also provides the booklet's extensive liner notes. Fans of early Flying Nun, Xpressway and Homestead Records, will be immediately smitten. Proud, whose primitive folksmithery falls somewhere between the Tall Dwarfs, the Frogs and Sebadoh, was like a proto Syd Barrett, with a voice that's a dead ringer for Jimmy Flemion of the Frogs (R.I.P.), and his music for all its amateur primitivism, was geniusly crafted, perfect little introspective folk pop gems, the sound, the lyrics, the guitar playing, even the recordings themselves... We're also reminded of Bill Direen, the sung/spoken vocals, the raw guitar style, the lo-fi recordings, almost every track here impossibly catchy, with the oddest bits getting stuck in your head like crazy. Some tracks are haunting and otherworldly, with truly unique and bizarre guitar parts (or are those synths), the guitar playing sometimes folk, but other times percussive and more rhythmic, and still other times, weirdly psychedelic. There's one track with a full band, that is killer, all Velvets-y murky, tense kraut-psych garage pop, with truly twisted vox, and some weirdly atonal melodies, but the rest of the record is made up entirely of home recorded bedroom jams, with only the most minimal and primitively achieved overdubs, sometimes it's strange gamelan like percussion, sometimes noisy fuzz distortion, sometimes weird tangles of multiple guitar lines, all deftly woven into some of the most endearing, and mysteriously mesmerizing music you might never have heard.
There are a handful of bonus tracks, as well as a huge booklet, with liner notes, rare photos and lyrics.
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
Some of you may not recognize the name Donovan Quinn, but long time readers of the AQ list and fans of all things Jewelled Antler, most certainly will. He's one half of psych folk combo the Skygreen Leopards, and this here disc, October Lanterns was recorded way back in 2003, but was thought to be lost until now. Released by Soft Abuse as an ultra limited cd-r, we only got a handful so we won't go into too much detail. You probably already know if you need this, especially if the words psych folk, Skygreen Leopards and Jewelled Antler set your psychedelic folks senses a tinglin'...
There's a definite Dylan thing going on here, Quinn's lazy drawl and insistent strumming is at times a dead ringer, but it's Dylan filtered through seventies British folk, with plenty of fluttering flutes, jaw harp, melodica, mandolin, shimmering high harmony vocals, the sounds are sometimes off kilter and lo-fi, like Avarus or other Finnish folkies, the sounds wreathed in a haze of druggy FX, but just as often, simple, naked and stripped down. Just the guitar and the vocals, and that's most definitely enough.
Dark and personal, subtly trippy, and quite lovely.
LIMITED TO ONLY 100 COPIES!!! Each one hand numbered, hand screened, with a paste on cover photo, and paste on liner notes inside. We only got 20 copies, and will NOT be able to get more...
We only just discovered this bizarrely named outfit, this being the third release in almost as many lists, but they continue to kick our asses, and ruin our hearing, and send our minds a spinnin'! This is tripped out, stumbling jazz-flecked psychedelic skree. The drums are the thing. Huge and heavy, complex but not overplayed, relentlessly hard hitting but somehow at the same time sort of jazzy as well. They form the massive framework that supports wild wah guitars, sheets of corrosive acid riffing, swooshing synths, garbled vocals, wild squiggly tangles of distorted melodies, and thick washes of squealing feedback. This is Hawkwind unhinged, er... MORE unhinged. A totally psychedelic freakout, that only occasionally blisses out into weird stumbly lo-fi shimmer, usually only to lurch back into a doped up frenzy moments later.
Cool silkscreened orange and green sleeves with a photocopied insert. LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!!
Huh, now this is a pretty cool, totally unexpected collaboration! Austria's Radian, longtime aQ faves who specialize in their own unique strain of instrumental, improvised, computer-processed post rock, have teamed up here with Tuscon-based indie singer-songwriter Howe Gelb of Giant Sand fame (both artists are Thrill Jockey alumni, that's probably the connection). So you get the desert-country-folk-Americana stylings of Gelb, set amidst the abstract, electronic, glitch-and-distortion infused, fractured soundscapery of Radian. Aesthetically & methodologically, this record is definitely Radian's; yet Gelb's acoustic guitar, piano, and especially voice are crucial components, spiced and edited into Radian's atmospheric, oddly rhythmic sonic constructs. It works really, really well, Gelb adding a very human, ghost-in-the-machine element to the proceedings, with his melodies, hushed spoken commentary and non-sequitur storytelling. Always intriguing, often moodily beautiful, with a sometimes-sinister undercurrent, this reminds us a bit of mysterious UK post rockers Reigns at times, also a bit of Bill Callahan's recent dub album, in a way. Highly recommended!!
For this list, we don't just have one, or two, but three of the Early Blues' heaviest hitters newly reissued on vinyl from the always amazing Monk label: Skip James, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and the "Mother of the Blues", Ma Rainey!!!
Yes, Mother of the Blues! Ma Rainey, one of the very first blues divas, already had a 20 year career under her belt, before she made her recording debut in 1923. Legend has it that she gave Bessie Smith singing lessons as she toured the South with her performing husband Pa Rainey as "Rainy and Rainey, Assassinators of The Blues". Hailing from Georgia, Rainy had a wide repertoire of blues, pop and minstrel songs, but her tough and heavy vocal delivery set her apart from the more cabaret-focused female performers. She was often paired with horn and piano jazz bands, but she also performed with guitar duos and southern jug bands too, often performing with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson and Coleman Hawkins. This collection covers some of her earliest material recorded in Chicago for the Paramount label from 1923-1924. Though her career lasted a mere six years, she recorded over 100 songs, many of them classics like "C.C. Rider" and "Bo-Weavil Blues" (included here). The lady knew how to have a good time!
