What else can we say about a recording that guitar great Glenn Branca describes as "A gigantic piece, a killer, a work which exists outside of style or genre. It is unbelievable. It creates blacks of sound that move in and out of each other to create the effects. It is a pure, perfect piece of music that resonates and resounds and creates a universe that it is impossible by other means. In our primitive and unenlightened culture, it becomes a work of transcendent power." Very little. Or more accurately, more of the same. A legendary yet relatively obscure document of modern minimalism, recorded in 1976, Hennix, who studied with Pandit Pran Nath and LaMonte Young, and recorded with Henry Flynt, crafted The Electric Harpsichord using just-intonated keyboards and time lag accumulators, a la Terry Riley, creating a lush layered expanse of raga like dronemusic, buzzing strangely melodic, rife with overtones and rhythmic fluctuations, dark and psychedelic, mesmerizing and hypnotic, a sound active and alive, organic, yet electronic, this is the sort of sound that a million floorcore wannabes strive for, but will never achieve, absolute blissed out, mind expanding, ur-drone, sonic transcendence for sure. Brief, at only 25 minutes, but the power and energy and depth of sound, makes it feel way longer. And of course, if you're like us, you'll just set your stereo to repeat, and drift off...
Second pressing, packaged in a nice mini white cardstock box, with a foil stamped cover, and an extensive booklet inside, featuring two poems by La Monte Young, a piece on the Electric Harpsichord written by Henry Flynt, and some very confusing liner notes from Hennix herself, an excerpt from "notes on the composite sine-wave drone over which The Electric Harpsichord is performed."
No one has done more in recent years to renew faith in the power of dance music than Andy Butler. With his amazing debut album as Hercules & Love Affair he took his passion for decades of dance floor culture, from disco to house, to create one of the most vibrant and memorable debuts of the decade. Sidetracked finds Andy putting together a mix of music that truly moves him. So in case you are confused this is NOT A NEW HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR ALBUM, but instead an awesome document of many of the sonic ingredients that helped inform Andy's taste, and were a huge part of the amazing sounds he creates with Hercules.
HOWEVER, there is one brand new Hercules track in his mix and oh my god does it kill! "I Can't Wait" has this manic house vibe of ecstatic empowerment that's made us play that track more times then we can count! The first disc is the actual DJ mix so you can also get a feel of what it's like to be on the dance floor for one of his DJ sets. He culls his tracks from tons of classic house records (many of total obscurities) as well as some left-field disco gold. Dubwise, Studio X, Dr. Buzzards Original Savanah Band, Gino Soccio, Rainbow Team, In Flagranti, Daniel Wang and lots others. The second disc pulls out eleven of those tracks and keeps them unmixed in their original form but remastered so even those of you lucky enough to have a worn out 12" of some of these burners now can hear them all clean and shiny for a change. Of course we're anxiously anticipating the actual new Hercules & Love Affair album, but until then we're loving being Sidetracked!
We've been so excited for this one for a while! While disco has received a much deserved renaissance in the last couple years there has been a big void of anyone new really making true great disco that captures the best moments of the golden vintage days of the genre. Luckily the guy behind Hercules And Love Affair, Andy Butler, has had quite an education in the history of the last three decades of charged and soulful dance music , due to his experiences dj'ing at a leather bar in Denver, and his last several years immersed in New York's club culture. With a super talented cast around him, Butler has made one of the year's best records, for sure one of the greatest and smartest vocal driven dance records in years!
While Antony (Antony & The Johnsons) has been lending his voice to many records over the last few years, Butler uses him in such exciting ways knowing that under the usually mournful and melancholic side to his voice there was an inner dancefloor diva just ready to let loose. Antony's vocal delivery evokes a sound and spirit that is reminiscent of Sylvester and you can tell that Sylvester, Arthur Russell, Patrick Cowley, Frankie Knuckles and the heyday of the Chicago house scene all served as major inspiration to the making of this record. Along with Antony there are also great vocal contributions from Nomi (who has toured a lot with CocoRosie) and Kim Ann Foxman as well as Butler himself on a few tracks. The album is a full band affair with great horns, strings, keys and Tim Goldsworthy (DFA) production and drum programming all merging together for such a full and rich sound. Above and beyond anything, these are such well crafted songs that aren't just winks to the past but instead carry the torch for impassioned and joyful sounds well into the future, keeping your body moving and your spirit raised high. Highly recommended!
We've been so excited for this one, because when it comes to smart, infectious records that you listen to over and over and memorize every lyric and melody, it doesn't get much better or more rewarding then the Hidden Cameras. Origin: Orphans finds the band with a new level of confidence and definitely displays shows the range they've developed from their trademark peppy and catchy anthem like zingers to more subdued and brooding mopers that unfold with a richness that gives the record a weight and gravitas that we've really been appreciating, borne of song writing and arrangements that are the most fully realized of their career. We're always reminded of John Cale's brilliant album Paris 1919 when we listen to the Hidden Cameras as they tap into the same kind of swirling and infectious melody, which manage to be both sophisticated and so damn pleasing. We also hear nice hints of Arthur Russell, Paul Simon (in a good way!), Magnetic Fields, and Robert Wyatt when he was a young buck back in the day. With all the success Grizzly Bear has received this year, we hope Hidden Cameras get some of that same recognition because they've crafted another of the best pop albums of the year!
And if course, this IS on cd too, but unfortunately our supplier was out of 'em this week, argh. Hopefully we'll have more back on Tuesday, and will list the cd next time around...
We have been craving some Holy Shit so bad for so long! The last time we got a record from these guys it was the mind blowing 2006 album Standing At Two Harbours, a brilliant washed out pop record that predated the onslaught of lo-fi pop that's exploded in the last few years. The band is Matt Fishbeck and Ariel Pink, and together they are able to create music that rings with a stronger emotional quality then many of Ariel's other great projects. Fishbeck really has such a great understanding of songcraft, and Ariel brings his innovative and recognizable sun baked aura to these two warm and woozy songs. The B-side "Priest Fucks Nin In The No-No" might even steal the show, a long and hypnotizing instrumental that we could hear go on for infinity. But the A-side "Rough And Tumble" ain't no slouch either, total understated gem of a warbly pop nugget. A pretty damn perfect 7", now maybe just maybe, could there be a new full length on the horizon!?
HOLY SHIT! we can't get enough of this record...or overcome the urge to say HOLY SHIT every few seconds while talking about this new great collaboration between our favorite art-damaged pop songwriter Ariel Pink and his unlikely partner in musical crime, Matt Fishbeck formerly of the shiny happy LA power-pop band The Push Kings. But don't worry Ariel Pink hasn't gotten all normal and boring on us...in fact in lots of ways this is his most captivating and compelling release yet! With a fuzzy folk lo-fi sound that reminds us of the glory days of the great New Zealand label Flying Nun or like some amazing amalgamation of Daniel Johnston and Roky Erikson playing Orange Juice covers. This is what we wish AM radio really sounded like, fuzzy and warped, demented and all twisted up like some poprock funhouse mirror, while underneath it all lurk perfect and precious. Totally catchy pop hooks and great timeless sounding songs. Fishbeck actually tackles most of the vocal duties here, although you'd be forgiven for thinking it was indeed Mr. Pink, and his voice sounds so perfect amidst the dabs of tape hiss, staticky cracklings and WAY off-kilter production. But deep down inside we know, it's Ariel Pink's cracked pop sensibilities that really mold and create the overall sound, warm and lucid, dreamy and trippy, an album that unfolds revealing a deliriously damaged dreamland and takes you on a pop trip that's weird enough to get lost in but cool and catchy enough that you want to stay lost FOREVER. HOLY SHIT we're in love with this record!
Packaged in a cool shiny metallic gold and silver digipak. With a cute photo inside of the bandmates smooching out in a grassy field. Awww...
Fifth in the series of archival releases from Lee Hazelwood Industries, this is the first reissue of the complete recordings of this storied pop-psych girl group, Honey Ltd, whose sole album goes for big bank these days on eBay, though it failed to chart upon its initial release. We first heard them on the Hazlewood 45 collection released for the Black Friday "Record Store Day" last year (there's still a copy of that in stock, btw). Four friends, two of them sisters from Detroit, fed on the Motown sound, never thought they would form a band, but after a college talent show where they silenced the room, they formed a a group called The Mama Cats and even performed with a young Bob Seger. Pretty soon with riots in Detroit, the girls hitchhiked to LA and landed an audition with Lee Hazlewood. Taken by their angelic four-part harmonies and fresh faces, he changes their name to Honey Ltd. and immediately got them in a studio with the Wrecking Crew. For a whirlwind year, they performed on all kind of TV shows and showcases, meanwhile never realizing the studio had released their record (they thought they were recording singles) and then the record failed to take off. Relatively unphased by the news, the band soldiered on and joined a USO sponsored tour with Bob Hope in Vietnam before moving on. One of the girls got married and the rest formed the country pop trio, Eve. Though Honey Ltd. were amazing singers and they had a great repertoire, the late sixties was not the best time for girl groups, and even if they touched on some current social themes (for example, the anti-war song "The Warrior"), the group were hardly countercultural. But they did have some really great songs, and incredible harmonies, plus the production is top notch!
This remastered reissue includes comprehensive liner notes and interviews with all four members and never before seen photos. The vinyl version is 180 gram & includes a fold-out poster.
Last year one of our favorite records was one of those limited edition Latitudes eps from Paradise Island. Sadly that great ep is now out of print but luckily Jenny Hoyston, who is Paradise Island, and a member of the great Erase Errata has unleashed her first full length solo recording, sonically similar, just now under her own name.
Isle Of is everything we've come to love about Jenny's music. It's eccentric, impassioned and so fully engaging. From anthemic blood rushers like "Spell D-O-G" and "Bring Back Art" to twangy numbers like "Even In This Day And Age" and "Send The Angels" to the Mary Timony/Helium like "Novelist" to late-night burners like "Ruff Ruff/Rainbow City," Isle Of is a record filled with unpredictability but with a common thread of honest delivery and colorful expression. While most people treading such wide ground would most likely trip up at some point, Jenny is able to get all those sounds and songs to make perfect sense. Her range and great taste comes shining through brightly, bringing the same kind of intensity that she's perfected in Erase Errata, yet without any of the usual band boundaries.... We love the free and loose sounding Jenny, singing any kind of song she wants, and doing so with a conviction and flare that's impossible not to fall for. Liberating, exciting and totally infectious. Isle Of is highly recommended!
It's a bleak world for HTRK, as tragedy and death has surrounded this outfit which has only been around for a couple of years. In 2010, the band's bassist Sean Stewart committed suicide and the producer of their haunted album Marry Me Tonight, Rowland S. Howard died of cancer a year earlier. All of these elements make a connection to The Birthday Party almost inevitable, especially given their historical mirroring in relocation from Melbourne to Berlin and the manifestation of the id through a very raw sound. But where The Birthday Party was an expression of violence, HTRK are in constant search of desire, occasionally finding it only to have it frustratingly fizzle out before anything ecstatic can be achieved. As a result, HTRK's sensual bleariness is in an emotional feedback loop that never can spiral beyond the longing for sex, love, a relationship, etc, without anything ever attained. HTRK's existential portraits of being trapped by one's own desires are in direct opposition to the hedonism found in most electronica. Here on Work (Work, Work), the band parallels some of the horror-affected reverberation of the flash-in-the-pan Witch House crowd; but instead of drawing on unremembered memories of the forgotten '80s, HTRK has profound pain to draw upon... and they want their audience to feel that too.
The band had been shifting their sound even before Stewart's death, with a greater reliance on electronics and subharmonic tones girding the spindly guitar work from Nigel Yang and the self-composed breathiness of Jonnine Standish. They were moving away from the rock trio and towards a miasma of voice, guitar, bass, and electronics with boundaries between these sounds far more permeable. The closest references to HTRK's sound would be Ike Yard and Dome, although HTRK are much more interested in building tension with their teasing melodicism through their droning electronics. The first track on the album features a weird collage that Stewart had made of late nite TV sex ads in Berlin amidst slow-motion sighs caught in a half-melodic drone and crawling drum machine pulse. "Eat Yr Heart" ramps a quarter-speed Giorgio Moroder sequence above heroin paced rhythm with Jonnine crooning a sultry melody counterpointed by breathy exhalations. Sexually charged yes, but more of a downward spiral into dejection rather than release. "Poison" is more in keeping with the bass and guitar structures found on Marry Me Tonight, with Sean Stewart's bass clearly present next to the twilight flickering drone-riffs from Yang. "Body Double" overhauls Suicide's classic sound of metallic synth / drum interplay with undulating melodies that stretch into a magnificent coda of cascading melancholy for what amounts to a masterful album. Highly recommended.
Tomorrow is the first ever solo record from Carl Hultgren, aka Carl of psychedelic bliss pop drifters Windy & Carl, and we're happy to report, that even on his own, the sound doesn't fall to far from the dreamy psychedelia of W&C.
Lush, layered guitars capes, that shimmer and glimmer, soft strums are blurred into heaving billows of chordal thrum, notes chime, and harmonics ring out, distortion if muted and smeary, and gives everything a druggy, dreamy vibe, all sun dappled and blissed out. There are some subtle bits of processing, electronics here and there, even some buried rhythms, but for the most part, Tomorrow is all glistening guitars, softly soaring, sonic streaks across the heavens, that blur into hazy, prismatic driftscapes, with some tracks reminding us of the Durutti Column for sure, the same sort of soft focus melancholia, but others getting downright noisy, a bit darker, even then though, the sound has a heavenly glow, a warm, enveloping sonic center that bathes everything in a blissful soft afternoon light. Others are strummy and melodic, with spidery guitars wrapped around a skeletal Appalachia, again all softly smeared into something a bit more otherworldly, and ethereal, a wonderfully wistful collection of soft-psych, dream-drift blissout.
The cd version is limited to 350 copies and comes in a nice, hand letterpressed sleeve, with full color pasted on front cover artwork, the 2lp version is limited to 500 copies, comes in a heavy gatefold sleeve and is pressed on one black lp, and one orange. Both come with a download code, with 6 bonus tracks available only via the download!
A few lists back you might remember that we highlighted the elegant and moody solo 4-track recordings of J.P. Shilo. As we mentioned before, he had last been heard from in the late '90s with this group The Hungry Ghosts. Known as John Brooks during that time, he along with his two bandmates were responsible for one of the better and most overlooked records of the '90s. Sharing a similar sound and scope as their neighbors The Dirty Three, these are instrumentals that speak volumes about isolation, yearning, vastness and beauty. It makes you feel like you are out in an endless open field with Ennio Morricone carefully creating musical tension out on the horizon. The perfect late night driving record. Sweeping fender guitars, splashes of organ, fiddle, accordion and varied tuned percussion. A record that sounds just as Australian as it does like the old west or even Middle Eastern or Southeast Asian. Ten years later and Alone Alone still makes us freeze in our footsteps every time we hear it. Something so pure about its sadness, about its hope and about its beauty. Time has come for this record to get its well deserved moment in the spotlight!
As hard as we tried, we were never able to get in all the 7" singles that Hunx & His Punx released on labels like Bachelor, Shattered House, True Panther and Bubbledum, since Hunx began recording with his Punx while his other band Gravy Train! was on an indefinite hiatus. So we were so psyched to find that True Panther was compiling all those 7"s on a single lp, and since they're are all pretty much already out of print, so this might be your only chance to get all those tracks. Appropriately titled Gay Singles, the cover features an eye popping close up of a zebra stripe jockey clad crotch.
Hot on the heels of a long tour he's just embarked on supporting Jay Reatard, we're so excited that Hunx & His Punx gets to spread his amazingly flamboyant and sexy spirit and pure garage pop and punk perfection to a wider audience. A total student/lover of all things popular culture, Seth Bogart (aka Hunx) has become such a master of infusing his songs with playful and seductive themes, crafting killer pop jams, displaying plenty of tongue in cheek lyrics and a whole lot of skin, yet this is not just some kind of joke rock, as there is a really great understanding of true pop music, girl group sound and power pop and Ramones style punk rock. So damn catchy and loaded with innuendo and sex appeal that's sure to create a party anywhere and anytime these punx perform (or even just get blasted on your boombox!). So damn fun!
Yay! Now on cd, this previously vinyl-only collection from last year, here's what we wrote about that, then:
As hard as we tried, we were never able to get in all the 7" singles that Hunx & His Punx released on labels like Bachelor, Shattered House, True Panther and Bubbledum, since Hunx began recording with his Punx while his other band Gravy Train! was on an indefinite hiatus. So we were so psyched to find that True Panther was compiling all those 7"s on a single lp, and since they're are all pretty much already out of print, so this might be your only chance to get all those tracks. Appropriately titled Gay Singles, the cover features an eye popping close up of a zebra stripe jockey clad crotch.
Hot on the heels of a long tour he's just embarked on supporting Jay Reatard, we're so excited that Hunx & His Punx gets to spread his amazingly flamboyant and sexy spirit and pure garage pop and punk perfection to a wider audience. A total student/lover of all things popular culture, Seth Bogart (aka Hunx) has become such a master of infusing his songs with playful and seductive themes, crafting killer pop jams, displaying plenty of tongue in cheek lyrics and a whole lot of skin, yet this is not just some kind of joke rock, as there is a really great understanding of true pop music, girl group sound and power pop and Ramones style punk rock. So damn catchy and loaded with innuendo and sex appeal that's sure to create a party anywhere and anytime these punx perform (or even just get blasted on your boombox!). So damn fun!
Oohh la la! Hunx made his first colorful and sassy splash as a member of ultra fun Kill Rock Stars outfit Gravy Train, but in fact he's been contributing to D.I.Y culture ever since he was a young teenager making some of the most amusing and amazing zines we've ever read (if you are ever lucky enough to find his zine about Applebees by all means grab it!).
While it seems that Gravy Train have gone on hiatus, that break has spawned two awesome offshoots as Chunx (Brontez) started his own scrappy garage pop project The Younger Lovers and Hunx has been blasting out saucy, catchy and irresistible bedroom garage pop gems of his own with his new project Hunx And His Punx. Taking inspiration from girl groups, John Waters films and a hot vintage queer aesthetic complete with unzipped black leather jackets and lots of skin, Hunx is truly one of the few out and proud folks making waves in what was until recently a really stale garage pop scene. But wow has that changed in the last year or two as folks like Brilliant Colors, Wavves, Ty Segall, Dum Dum Girls, and more have injected much needed heaps of fresh energy and wild vibes into the scene. Hunx And His Punx lean much more towards the bubble gum side of garage pop in the best way. Kind of like if a young Fred Schneider jammed out Ronettes covers. "Teardrops On My Telephone" could have been the perfect soundtrack to one of those early Kenneth Anger short films. While others who try to inject humor and sass into their pop usually fall so flat, Hunx has the ability to make songs that are as charmingly goofy as they are catchy.
We slept on the now way out of print and wonderfully scandalous scratch and sniff 7" so grab one of these before they too are gone for good.
Now these are the sounds we've been waiting for! From reading our lists it may appear that we aren't big -modern- jazz enthusiasts as there usually aren't tons of newer jazz titles on our lists, but the truth is just not much of the newer sounds coming from the jazz underground really excite us, or maybe we're not hearing 'em. Of course there are some exceptions here and there and this album by Dave Hurley is a refreshing reminder of how alive, soulful and transcendent modern freeform jazz can be.
Channeling the sounds and spirit (and you'll note, the album cover look) of '70s cosmic and out jazz luminaries like Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Elvin Jones, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Steve Reid, Khan Jamal, etc., and with an understanding of how to craft a lush musical journey armed with a full palette of sounds that brilliantly touch on different areas with such a dynamic sonic scope. From majestic moments to full on freak outs and so much in between this is by far one of the most exciting and well crafted out-jazz records we've heard in such a long time. Hurley is a major player in the San Diego music scene and has appeared on records by folks like The Shining Path and Habitat Sound System (who also tapped into a warm and vintage '70s reggae sound on their debut). He's also one of the drummers in free-jazz legend Byard Lancaster's new ensemble. What makes this record so cool is that as well as the psychedelic jazz influences, there are some really intense and freakish moments that could be at home on some improv jam by Japanese psych bands like the Ruins, Boredoms, or Acid Mothers Temple. Hurley knows that it's not just about how loud you can skronk, but instead how much impact each sound has and what you draw from those sounds, and what those sounds can eventually evoke and illuminate. Too many in the modern free jazz scene rely on a one-trick pony philosophy of brute force that just doesn't have the soul and spirit to make it anything but noise. Thankfully, Hurley and his crack band understand how to to bring such fullness of sound and richness of delivery in creating music that is truly transcendent. Highly recommended!
We've been huge fans of the Greek born new-ager Iasos since discovering his 1975 masterpiece, Inter-Dimensional Music through EM Records' 2006 reissue. That record had us totally rethinking our understanding of new age music and helped give us a whole new love for the genre. While that record has been reissued a few times since, the rest of Iasos' material been harder to find, so it's nice to get this overview of hisseventies output, nicely released by the fine folks at the Numero Group. For those concerned, there are 5 tracks here from Inter-Dimensional Music, but 8 others that are totally new to us, and for anyone familiar or new to the gossamer vibes of Iasos, this is a great collection, and a perfect introduction.
Most all of this music was created on a houseboat in Marin, where Iasos conducted musical experiments with tape reversal, electronic processing of acoustic instruments (phase-shifted flutes and harp strings) and the first commercially available synthesizers. He believes he was transcribing music from Vista, a benevolent music-maker from a distant dimension, and in doing so essentially created a new genre of music. There is even evidence of a psychology paper from 1989 that states that Iasos' music bears a striking resemblance to the sounds people hear in near-death experiences. It is indeed heavenly music! This release features never before seen photos and extensive liner notes, detailing Iasos musical process and history. So great!
Beautiful understated solo piano from this multitalented South African artist. Gorgeous!
We were pretty into the Ikonika tracks we'd heard, especially on that kick ass Hyperdub comp. And we were pretty thrilled to discover that Ikonika was in fact a woman, a rarity in the dubstep boy's club for sure, and while many of us lean toward the harder and heavier, darker and deeper, in dance music, there are definitely some exceptions, the party music of Zomby being one, and Ikonika being another, her music is definitely dubstep, but it's weirdly retro, definitely reminding us of 8-bit video game music, and at the same time sort of futuristic, but that cheesy sci-fi future imagined by any thousands of late night straight to video movies. Apparently she used to be a drummer in a post hardcore band too, not sure that's relevant, but it's definitely cool!
A dizzying hybrid of spaced out dubbed out minimal electronica and old school synth pop, a little hip hop too, synths all over the place, sometimes glimmery and shimmery, other times ominous and foreboding and a bit Carpenter-ish, creating a weirdly lush backdrop for Ikonika's retro futurist beats, from skeletal skitter, to groovy stutter, to total eighties new wave MTV, to fuzzy funky groove, to pulsing house-y thump, the beats and synths constantly tangling, often locking into cool synchronous rhythm, but just as often colliding wildly in total chaotic video game dance floor mayhem. All the tracks here rule, our favorites are the ones that sound either like Commodore 64 jams, music from some bootleg Japanese Dance Dance Revolution knockoff, or the credits from some ridiculous eighties teen horror film, which thankfully is most of 'em.
Yay, more delightful music from Ilaiyaraaja, illustrious composer for South India's Kollywood (not Bollywood, but close) film industry. Finders Keepers / B-Music has previously brought us a couple other comps full of Ilaiyaraaja's tremendously enjoyable and unusually arranged tunes, so hopefully you know all about him already and are eager for more, 'cause look out, here's another seventeen tracks of the man's colorful and creative East-West mashup music, circa the synth-pop Eighties (his prime), full of electro funk drum machine grooves, '80s future shock synthesizer (Yamaha DX7 keyboard in the house!), orchestral flourishes, and the often amorously impassioned vocalisations of a variety of famous playback singers including K.S. Chitra, aka the "Tamil Nightingale".
Ilaiyaraaja himself can lay claim to the honorific "The Maestro". He's also been called "The Crown Prince Of Tamil Pop", and it's easy to hear why from this disc of so very lively and infectious and not overly-serious music, joyful songs designed to get characters in Tamil films - and maybe you too - singing and dancing.
Apparently Ilaiyaraaja, currently 69 years of age, has written/recorded over 4,500 songs in his career (and counting), so we can probably look forward to more collections from Finders Keepers and other equally hip labels, but don't let this one slip by, it's got a lot of gems on it. Imagine if Axel F went to India...
Extensive, interesting, informative (as usual) liner notes from DJ Andy Votel are included, the disc having been compiled by Votel and Doug Shipton.
Import double vinyl version also forthcoming, by the way, we should have that in time for our next list.
While we missed their recent show here in San Francisco we kept hearing rave reviews and many of our most trusted customers felt similarly, so much so that we knew we had to hear the new record. We're very happy we listened because Free Gold grabbed a hold of us on the very first listen and we've been hooked hard ever since.
Falling somewhere between Spacemen 3 and Jesus & Mary Chain, Indian Jewelry totally hit the spot in creating sounds that are both shoegazy and dangerous sounding at the same time. If we do get to see them live in support of this record we would want it to be in a really sparse room with nothing but a shitty PA and a really intense strobe light. Free Gold is one of those records that no matter what your history with the band is, you can tell that this is a record that finds the band really hitting their stride. They tap into so many things we love but with their own slight tweak on things that makes it totally their own. Like Loop or Wooden Shjips with a dash of mascara or a more fucked up and DIY version of the latest Raveonettes record that we've been so into. And much like the two Psychic Ills records we love so much, this hits the spot big time, especially when you are looking for that up to no good, slightly drugged out and sexy late night soundtrack.
It's hard to believe it's been ten years since this record originally came out. But when it did it was a revelation. It got played to death here, and the songs were lodged in our head pretty much permanently, and as often happens, we played this so much, that eventually we did sort of overdose. But it's been just long enough, that these songs sound super fresh, and again prove themselves to be SO much better than the legions of Interpol wannabes that surfaced in the wake of this record. And while in 2002, Turn On The Bright Lights was already sort of retro, looking back to the classic post punk era, especially Joy Division, somehow, listening to this now, it seems less retro, or at least a different kind of retro, looking back to the early 2000's as opposed to the early 1980s. The thing with Interpol, was they took that dour jangle, and low slung broodiness, and infused it with the sort of hooks most bands would kill for, we're talking near perfect pop, wedded to angular crunch and gloom punk buzz, and the result was a record that was pretty much perfect all the way through. And again, ten plus years on, and it sounds as great as ever. This new deluxe anniversary version tacks on a whole mess of extras, including 17 bonus tracks, many of them never on vinyl, one never before released at all, four unreleased demos, eight B sides, four Peel Session tracks, two of those unreleased, all the videos, as well as rare live footage, the cd comes in a cool hardcover book style package, the lp in a swank gatefold, definitely worth revisiting, and if you loved this record as much as we did, probably worth buying again for the extras. Here's our review of the record from WAY back in 2002, when we were in the throes of our newfound obsession with these guys:
The Strokes, Andrew W.K., The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Liars, and now Interpol are part of a recent (as in 2002) rash of New York punkish bands birthed from the music hype machine as the great salvation of rock 'n' roll. Strange that these bands would garner such praise, since none of them operate outside of the arena of the homage -- either as ironic hyperbole in Andrew W.K. or as The Strokes' downward mobility to blue collar rockisms. Of all the aforementioned bands, Interpol seem the most interesting as they've managed to successfully resurrect Ian Curtis, a task that hasn't really met with much success in other bands. We mention just Curtis, as his persona seems to resonate much more strongly with Interpol than Joy Division as a whole. Sure there are ghosts of Factory's post-punk jaggedness and mororsely bleak temperament; but Interpol's forceful minor keys offer other roadstops past The Strokes' take on brightly-colored, guitar jangle and the sublime washes of fuzzy feedback heard in the early '90s shoegazer bands (MBV, Ride, Slowdive, etc.). Musically, Interpol's debut "Turn On The Bright Lights" is an excellent marriage of those aforementioned styles; but like Joy Division, Interpol is driven by a charismatic singer with a flair for dramatic bombast and a predilection for angst. Paul Banks, said singer, is a rare breed in the contemporary world of depressed vocalists who have typically followed the emo-centric whimper and scream approach of Sunny Day Real Estate to infuse any lyrical content with immediacy and passion. Instead, Banks can actually really sing, his nervous vibrato echoing the musical accompaniment played between depressed weariness and urgent conviction.
Much of Interpol's aesthetic choices and lyrical content (love / hate relationships, urban isolationism, and sexual dependency) have already been done to death, but few have been able to do them as well. "Turn On The Bright Lights" is a fantastic record and actually lives up to all of the hype that has surrounded it.
Interpol aren't groundbreaking or anything, but boy does this NYC quartet sound good. (They probably look good too, got the 'scrod' style DOWN.) The singer's voice has the arch desperation of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. The music is dominated by intertwining guitars that're sometimes angular and choppy, sometimes pensively creating a lush blanket of minor key intensity. Very Factory Records, very Echo & the Bunnymen... but not annoyingly so, for a modern group. I like it! This is a three song, inexpensive teaser single in preparation for the full length to be released August 2002.
- RealAudio clip: PDA
- RealAudio clip: NYC
While not straying too far from the rest of the Italians Do It Better catalog (which we'll admit we're big suckers for!) Invisible Conga People definitely, defiantly have their own identity. A bit more dark and brooding then most of their labelmates, there is most definitely a really rich sense of atmosphere in their slow burning electronic sizzlers. You can tell there is some love for the minimal leanings of krautrock and post punk channeled into their dark corner of a seedy dance club. This isn't as much for the dancefloor (though it would be on dancefloors we would frequent) as it is for late wasted nights alone in your bedroom when you just want to close your eyes and get lost in some sizzling sensations. Full on sensual seduction!
We love our dub hard and heavy and full of deep deep vibrations. Every few months it seems we're rediscovering an amazing dub record that had somehow slipped under the radar and are only now becoming total obsessions. That's precisely the case with this mind blowing full on dub joint by Gregory Isaacs recorded in Jamaica at King Tubby's studio in 1978. While Isaacs is usually most associated with and respected for his amazing singing skills, and for pioneering the whole lovers rock movement, Slum In Dub shows a completely different side of Isaacs' sound. This is a full on instrumental minded, way seductive dub record for sure. Very minimal singing, instead only small hints of Isaacs' voice which bleed into the mix occasionally, and one or two songs where the vocals appear a bit more pronounced, creating a truly singular dub exploration that stands as further evidence of just how on fire he was during this era, no matter what direction and style he experimented with. Smart as he was, he enlisted the legendary Prince Jammy to mix the album, giving it the timeless and intoxicating feel that we're totally addicted to now, thirty two years after its initial release.
We could see modern day left-field dub lovers like Tussle, Excepter, Sun Araw, and the whole Dubstep scene freaking out about this record, or probably already listing it as an all-time favorite and major source of inspiration. Better late than never on this one, cuz as much as we can't believe we are just hearing this now, it almost doesn't matter considering how thrilled we are to have found a new favorite dub jam!
On her first two records, Finland's Islaja completely swept us off our feet and delivered us to an enchanted world of mystery, warmly wrapped in delicate layers of a unique beauty that just doesn't come around that often. Definitely reminiscent of Brigitte Fontaine's experimental leanings or maybe what we imagine Bjork might sound like stuck deep in a Finnish forest.
With her latest outing Islaja has done it again! She's conjured up a handful of songs that immediately begin to melt into your consciousness the roots going deeper and deeper with every listen. With the subtle addition of horns and electronics to her already dense and seductive sound, Islaja shows once again what a unique vision she possesses. Imagine Patty Waters joining White Magic at a late-night seance... Ulual YYY is like sinking into some warm dreamy state, eyes clouded with wisps of smoke until everything becomes a hazy blur. You're not sure where you are or what to do, but you are absolutely sure there is no where else you would rather be than deep inside Ulual Yyy's alluring and mystifying world. Highly recommended!
It has taken us awhile to list this, because we've had some difficulty getting it in (for those that don't know Jay Dee recently passed away, and you know when that happens, everyone suddenly wants to hear what the fuss was all about, so the records have been sold out everywhere). Finally we have enough to list, and here is what we say about it:
Man, we're suckers for a good sample inventively used, and this one keeps 'em coming! Chock full of soulful vocal snippets, sloppy edits and stony melodic breaks. This is like a worn mix-tape of short buttery sonic collages culled from the cream of bad thrift store records: trashy R&B, mid-70s jazz, and easy listening, and peppered with more pedigreed takes from the likes of the Three Degrees, Esther Philips and Raymond Scott. The beauty of Jay Dee's production is the unconventional way he pulls the sounds together, exposing instead of polishing the rough edits and scratchy recordings. Delicious and catchy, these "donuts" will keep you humming all day long. This sublime record of hip hop instrumentals is made sadder by Jay Dee's recent untimely death at the age of 32. For DJ's, fans of Jay Dee and Stones Throw records, purchasing this is a no-brainer: It's essential! For those of you who may not know the mad production skills of J Dilla, there is no better introduction than this. Totally Recommended!
Ruff Draft is a deluxe 2-disc reissue of a 2002 self-released EP that captured a sea change in the late MC/producer's career. Having had two major works shelved by his embattled label MCA, and with his regular group, Slum Village, on extended hiatus, JayDee formed his own record label, changed his moniker to J Dilla and 10 years into a career as an MC and top producer for major labels went completely DIY. Attempting to get back to a direct, from-the-street feel, he made all the tracks "straight from the mother-fucking cassette" and brought back into play his favorite childhood pastime of making laborious looping tape edits from samples culled from his enviable record collection and multi-tracking the loops together and rapping over them. But it's in his choices of loops and edits that make him unique. Serpentine piano flourishes, backwards psych guitar, sci-fi keyboard crescendos, snippets of phrases, all glossed with reverb and stoner beats guaranteed to hook even the most casual of listeners. It's this alchemically charged attention to sound building that would lead to Donuts, his finest work to date. Since the original Ruff Draft was a limited vinyl only release that was little heard outside Detroit, it's nice to see it get the full deluxe treatment, even if the extent of the material is a bit slight (each disc is under 30 minutes). The first disc is the original 8-song EP with 2 bonus tracks, one of which is "Wild" featuring a kid hilariously singing Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize". The second disc is the instrumental versions, which is a smart move to affordably package these together instead of releasing them separately. Those unfamiliar with Dilla's MC style, it's true he's a stronger producer, but to his credit, his style does not detract from any of the cuts (although we could've used less "Ruff Draft y'all's") and there are tracks here that work better on the vocal versions such as "Nothing Like This" featured recently on the Stones Throw's Chrome Children compilation, and "The $", whose loop is almost too brash and sketchy to enjoy on its own. As for the instrumental versions, it's nice to hear the closing loop of "Shouts" which makes us think of a hip-hop Steve Reich or Terry Riley's early tape loop repetitions. We could seriously listen to this track for hours uninterrupted and be totally happy. While posthumously credited as Dilla's lost masterpiece, it's more of an exciting document of a defining moment that might appeal more to folks already in love with his later production style than to new converts unfamiliar with his history. But definitely a worthwhile and satisfying listen!
Now this is how J Dilla's final project was meant to be heard! Ok, maybe that's not true, but around here some of us are just not big fans of guest rappers clogging some kick ass production with a bunch of rhymes. That may seem strange, but as they (we?) say, the proof is in the beat. Every time we play these instrumentals, customers are always coming up to us to see what's playing, which wasn't necessarily true of the rap version. Maybe we just got so hooked on Donuts that we never wanted to hear ANYTHING other than over Dilla's perfect productions ever again. Is that so wrong?
Over the last several years Jazzman has become one of our favorite labels, reissuing some of the richest deep grooves and finest obscure soul and spiritual jazz, stuff that never got the due it deserved in its day (Nathan Davis, Lloyd Miller, regional funk burners from Florida, the Carolinas, and more!), as well as putting out new sounds from modern day spiritual funk makers like The Natural Yogurt Band.
So there's no doubt that the music in the Jazzman vaults would be a crate digger and DJ's Shangri-la. That's exactly what J-Rocc got to do on this totally smoking, flowing and immaculate mix. Digging deep into those Jazzman archives, J-Rocc has created a nonstop soulfunk jazzjam that exquisitely brings the worlds of deep soul, spiritual jazz, funk and beyond into a seamless mix that keeps the tempo up but always holds on to the underlying core and soul of the songs. You can tell how much love and respect J-Rocc has for the artists he's bringing new life to, this is not one of those cheesy and offensive Verve remix like projects. J-Rocc proves that if you do have the skill, true love and respect for sounds of the past, you can inject a new energy into them without making them some flavor of the day, all 'hip' and 'modern' and ready for a slick Volvo commercial. J-Rocc has been around the block, with roots reaching back to the '80s Hip-Hop/Boogie scene and then his seminal work in The Beat Junkies as one of the pioneers of turntableism along side folks like Cut Chemist, DJ Shadow, Z-Trip and Q-Bert.
This is one of those mixes that anyone who has DJed just has to drop their jaw in appreciation and envy as this is a master showing how it's done. And whether you're a DJ or just want a stream of amazing sounds blasting through your speakers when you want the energy to be high, and soak up sounds full of soul then it just doesn't get any better than this!
Norwegian label Miasmah has long been home to a stable of artists creating the sorts of sounds we can't ever seem to get enough of: dark, brooding, electronic flecked hauntological cinematic soundscapes, and late night mysterious classical infused dronemusic, artists like Elegi, Macus Fjellstrom, Gultskra Artikler, FNS, Kreng, Jasper TX, and of course Jacaszek, aka Polish electro-acoustic composer and soundscaper Michal Jacaszek, and while Jacaszek only made one record for Miasmah, it was such a perfect fit, that it was easy to imagine Jacaszek as emblematic of the label's sound. But here we are a few years later, and Jacaszek has already moved on to a new label, but thankfully taken that 'Miasmah' sound with him. And if anything, this new one is even more fully realized than Treny, which was already a unanimous aQ fave. And really how could it not be? Like Treny before it, Glimmer unfurls a ghostly world of blur and shadow, of hum and thrum and glitch and crackle. Operating in a darkened world not that far removed from the Caretaker or Philip Jeck or Demdike Stare, albeit with a bit more of a classical bent, Jacaszek conjures up haunting brooding soundworlds of lush shimmering strings, of echo drenched harpsichord, of woozy loops and hazy staticky record crackle, soft slow swells, that grow so distorted and intense, they slip easily into the red, transforming into something much more harrowing than the music of many of his sonic brethren. The sound threatening to collapse or explode, an urgent pulsing, nearly grinding buzz, that as quickly as it blossomed, seems to slip right back into languid expanses of soft focus drift. Horns and strings, acoustic guitars, all layered delicately into creaking faded stretched of hushed mesmer, an old timey chamber music, transmitted from the other side, much of the sound damaged and decayed as it crossed over, resulting in some darkly alien dronescaping, that slips easily from warped, looped murky moody ooze, to lush, almost pop flecked cinematic post classical drift, the sound at either end of that sonic spectrum flecked with bits of glitch, and audio detritus, the sound seeming to gradually fade and flake as the record spins, almost as if on the next play, it would sound even more washed out and hazy.
There are moments where the sound coalesce into something much more polished, and more traditionally musical, but even then, the music is underpinned by an ominous foreboding, wreathed in strange muted loops, and mysterious sonic fragments, as if being listened to through some sort of dusty old sonic veil, loveliness gradually darkening, shadows lengthening, melodies unwinding and growing subtly more menacing, the recording revealing more and more crackle, swirls of hiss like little dustdevils, all woven into some sort of otherworldly funereal threnody, dreamlike and lovely, but always on the verge of drawing the listener into the mysterious dark place from which these haunting sounds emanate...
Besides having some of the most memorable album covers ever, Millie Jackson also made some damn fine music! While it's her saucy mouth and sassy attitude that she is usually most known for, It Hurts So Good is all about an undeniably deep hitting and fiercely delivered Southern soul that sizzles so damn good! This was her second album, recorded in 1973 and while many later albums would provide some great moments, It Hurts So Good really stands as her strongest album from start to finish. Her voice is so strong and bold and the rich instrumentation kicks oh so right. Millie shows her range from in your face and funky to smooth and sultry without losing a bit of rawness or conviction in the process. With bonus tracks worth hearing and extensive liner notes this is a must have for soul & funk lovers, and a record that really deserves more attention and praise. Highly recommended!
The '80s aren't the first decade most people think of when it comes to rich, deep and spiritual jazz. But Khan Jamal is one of those special artists who has kept his integrity fully intact from his beginnings in the early '60s, playing vibes for Byard Lancaster, as well as creating a free-jazz masterpiece called Drumdance To The Motherland in 1973, with his Creative Arts Ensemble, which was finally given a proper release a couple years back after being a private press only LP. Through the years, he's also played with folks like Sunny Murray and Frank Wright, his mighty vibes often defining the sound as much as that of the band leaders themselves.
This newly reissued 1989 album finds Jamal in top form, again, behind the vibes, performing with dizzying perfection in a quartet that also features cello, bass and drums. There is a sonic breadth displayed on Cool, from blistering fast flurries to the more slow and spiritual and even moments that almost sound like proto-Stereolab, as well as some amazing brooding almost Klezmer that would be right at home on Tzadik! One of those albums that jazz freeks for sure will enjoy, but even those who aren't usually down for jazz, there's much to latch onto in these sounds. So many sounds and samples that we think J Dilla would have loved to plunder and that Flying Lotus just might incorporate into future outings. These grooves have the most amazing vibes (pun most definitely intended!).
When a record can suck you into its spell and keep you in its grasp from start to finish you know you have something special on your hands. We hope you got to hear the drugged out and seductive full length Berserker that Scott Mou & Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear of Animal Collective fame) released in 2005 under the monicker Jane. Now we get the recording of the two's first recording session packaged in a fake out 7" sleeve... And wow! as much as we liked Berserker there is something even more seductive and spell inducing happening on these two 20+ minute space jams. Armed with lo-fi electronics, turntables and keyboards cultivating a sound that takes you in its grasp and lets you float atop the beautiful stoned wave that you find yourself never wanting to get off of. There is something so nice about hearing spacey sounds that aren't so glossed over and studio perfected. The perfect record for twilight filled with pink skies or the late late night when it's time to resign your body and mind and begin to melt away to a better blissed out place. We hear some similarities in strategy and sound to the repetitious drones of William Basinski, early Oval or even imagine a d.i.y Steve Reich coming home from a drugged out rave and wanting to wash the night away, making music in a garage with some beat up equipment with the controls set for the heart of the sky. So very nice!
It seems like ages since we've featured a new Fonal release, one of our favorite Finnish labels, and this one is quite beautiful. Jarse is the solo project of Jari Suominen, who is a member of those aQ faves, Shogun Kunitoki, as well as Kiila, both bands we have extensively reviewed in the past. The psychedelic sound of Jarse falls somewhere between Zomes and the mellower psych side of Dungen. Suominen builds his own instruments and uses a brand new, self-built synthesizer based on the schematics of the 'Sahkokvartetti', a machine which was used by the first electronic band in Finland, led by M.A. Numminen, back in 1968. It was this original synth that was used on Shogun Kunitoki's last album, Vinonaamakasio.
Det Gar Runt Igen consists of four long tracks, but within each track Suominen packs a myriad of ideas - and space as well. Repeating and building synth loops coalesce into spacious structures of texture and rhythm, introducing soaring guitar maelstroms that funnel in on themselves before relaxing tension and bringing in soft-sung vocals and classical string and bell textures, all within a psychedelic shimmering skin. Lovely, hypnotic and majestic!
Ah, Kompakt! The current kingdom of electronic music has produced another exceptional album from one of its citizens. There's not much to be said about Jatoma, as this Danish trio seems to be flaunting an air of mystery through a half-hearted attempt at anonymity. Regardless of their backstory, Jatoma are impressive magicians when it comes to their eccentric techno productions that recall the best of Four Tet, Matthew Herbert, and even Matmos from time to time.
With an opening sequence of sparkling digitalia on "Little Houseboat" that teases at a precious melodic phrase in the same way that Oval captured our imaginations with his impeccable Diskont 94 album, Jatoma is clearly onto something quite special. This becomes obvious when they push through a jumble of electronic squiggles and clockwork clicks into the soft whump of a techno pulse and accompanying bass groove that fleshes out just the first number on the very impressive debut. References to Animal Collective have been offered in comparison to Jatoma, but their sound relies less on lithium-addled bubblegum electronica and more on a chimerical synthesis of Pop Ambient dreaminess and the tech-house dramatics of build-and-release. It's no wonder that Kompakt signed them! "Durian" and "Bou" are both curious anthems with their auto-tuned, chill-wave melodies and warbled acid motifs fused onto thumped deep-house rhythms and hi-hat swing. While there are distinct tracks which stand on their own as the singles amongst the album, Jatoma take the time to subvert the iPod listening experience with very short interludes, codas, and intros of transitional squelches and tuned melodies that bridge the moods and atmospheres of Jatoma's varied tracks. Yup, it's an album that works best when listening from beginning to end!
Like many of the recent Kompakt releases, the vinyl comes the cd of the same material found within.
We love it when something unexpected, unknown, and essentially totally off our radar shows up and then completely blows us away! Which is exactly what happened with this chunk of epic cosmic psychedelic space-out by French artist Etienne Jaumet. By the looks of his photo on the cover we first thought this was going to be some sort of smarty pants singer songwriter, Jarvis Cocker sort of thing, but talk about about how you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! Instead, Night Music is one of the most satisfying and fully realized analog synth driven discs we've heard in ages. Imagine Goblin and Kraftwerk gliding through cosmic space, as the record's opening 20+ minute track really does evoke some sort of interstellar autobahn, the listener whirling through the stars and sky, Night Music a deep rich and nuanced soundtrack for that late night cosmic excursion. We also think about some of our fave modern psych-space rockers, like try to imagine Expo 70 remixed by Jonas Reinhardt, or Arp channeling Franco Battiato or Subway stretched way out into a sonic stratosphere pioneered by Conrad Schnitzler and Klaus Schulze. Folks who dug the Altres record we listed last time should definitely dig this too. We'd also bet the Black Devil Disco folks and both Zombi and Zomby lovers will find loads to love on Night Music. Oddly enough when we starting doing some digging to find out more about Jaumet we discovered he was in a group called Zombie Zombie (not however, related to the above Zomby/i's).
You can tell that Jaumet also has a deep love of cosmic free-jazz as he introduces subtle saxophone on parts of the record with perfectly understated results, bringing to mind Herbie Hancock's Sextant album for sure, and also Sun Ra as reimagined by Four Tet, particularly on that epic opener "For Falling Asleep" - the very next track sure says "wake up", though, bringing in more of a techno thump to the proceedings, but still staying wonderfully spaced out. Pretty much every time we play this in the store either a customer or one of us who works here asks if this is a reissue of some long lost kosmiche gem, maybe from Germany in the 1970s. In fact we found out that Jaumet based the sequencing of the record on many of those same amazing cosmic psych records from the '70s, where first side of the vinyl is one long track and the other side is filled with shorter tracks. Jaumet also has such an obvious understanding of composition, especially how to stretch tracks out without letting them overstay their welcome, and thus Night Music is just long enough to totally transport us to another dimension, yet focused enough to stay listenable and sonically complex the entire time.
Something which only makes us love this record even more was the discovery that long time AQ favorite, '70s French folk-psychstress Emmanuelle Parrenin adds her voice as texture on a couple tracks (sounding very Yoko Ono, at times) as well as playing harp and hurdy gurdy. Furthermore, the mix was "directed and imagined" by none other than Carl Craig and you can totally tell, as the whole record flows with such a lush layered sound and driving pulse that is both immediately satisfying and utterly hypnotic!
There are those bands from your youth that you liked, some that you loved, and then those special few that managed strike a nerve, to get inside your psyche and speak right to you in a way that almost nothing else could. For many of us, Jawbreaker were that band! They were a group you would become obsessed with, get tattoos of their logo, memorize their lyrics, drive hundreds of miles just to see them if they didn't play in your hometown. Makes us feel old, but this is the 20th anniversary of their amazing debut, Unfun, which came out in 1990 and was the soundtrack to ours and so many others coming of age. Punchy, catchy, and fast yet filled with so much raw emotion and personal conviction. While they played a lot at places like Gilman Street and were associated with the now made-famous-by-Green-Day East Bay punk scene, there was something much more vital and real in Jawbreaker's music than in so many of their contemporaries. Their music was for people who loved the sweat, energy and passion of punk but also hated the rigid/forced and contrived politics and fashion that the music was so often aligned with. This was a new voice. While other bands were singing copycat tired played out songs about smashing the state, Jawbreaker were writing songs about real moments in life that we could all relate to. It was the soundtrack to the house party you felt awkward at, the first encounter with that person you had a crush on, the solitary moments when you found yourself walking aimlessly with a zine in your back pocket and duct tape holding your shoes together as you tried to figure out what was coming next in your life.
Unfun was smart pop-punk, not the Warped Tour/Epitaph brand that would soon sweep over the nation. It was born from the influences of '80s bands like Husker Du, The Replacements and Rites Of Spring. They truly were going against the punk rock grain at the time which was ruled by very narrow minded scene politics and silly posturing. With lyrics like 'Sorry we're not hard enough to piss your parents off', they were actively distancing themselves while critiquing the clique/silly nature of the scene they were thrown into, yet they embodied so many of the real reasons why people fall in love with punk rock in the first place. While the sound was definitely quite different, their music had the same kind of integrity and passion as Fugazi. They meant every single note, every single word. And for sure the words are such a big part of Jawbreaker's legacy. Front man Blake Schwarzenback was like the J.D. Salinger of the '90s punk/indie rock generation. He had an insight and ability to really nail so many truths about interpersonal relationships, daily life, and constant struggles with the mundane, as well as crises of spirit, of love and loss. Yet the music never let the lyrics overpower, as the band was such a triumphant and kick ass and tightly connected unit.
Putting this on all these years later, not only do a flood of emotions and memories hit us, but it still sounds so fucking good and relevant! Since Jawbreaker were so true to their own vision (even if it meant that the punk police of the time thought they were too soft or didn't have the right haircuts) they were able to create a music with so much true soul and such an undying spirit that it still holds up so strongly to this day. An absolute all time classic and favorite!
This remastered reissue also includes some bonus tracks from the Whack & Bite ep, which are great too, but it hardly matters, as the record is pretty much perfect as it is.
Wow! We've got ourselves a big time winter crush! A youngster living in LA, Jeremy Jay has made an ep that we've been playing on repeat pretty much nonstop since we first got our ears on it. By far the best thing K has put out in ages. While it's a brand new record it has a charm and feel that made many of us think it was some amazing lost gem from the early eighties. Tapping into the poppier side of the early Factory vaults, Jeremy Jay's Airwalker reminds us of great early '80s records by The Wake and The Go-Betweens. He's like some amazing twee incarnation of Ian Curtis. Imagine Kings Of Convenience doing Joy Division covers. This is one of those rare records that just about everyone on the AQ staff has been smitten by. It's pretty impossible not to get swept away by his young fey pop chops filled with a richness and spark that demands you to pay attention. Somehow managing to cover both Blondie and Siouxsie & The Banshees while making those songs his own, this is a kid we're pretty certain the world will be taking notice of very soon. We haven't been this enamored with a new, young indie-pop voice in ages. This could very well sneak on to some of our best of 2007 lists. Highly recommended!
No one has mastered the art of the infectious ep or 7" in recent times quite like Jeremy Jay, laying down the kind of tracks that you want to listen to over and over and over, and his latest single continues the smoking hot streak. "Alpharhythm" catches its sultry groove right from the get go and unfolds into a dancey hot number. It's the kind of song that would be perfect if the art kids, outcasts and dreamers actually got to make the soundtrack to their perfect prom. The B side, "Moonbeam Window", though very brief is so great, with a hot/cold vibe and a sound that feels like it's some lost post-punk gem recorded in a garage filled with smoke machines and an old glimmering disco ball hanging from the ceiling. There is something about Jeremy Jay's music that is just so effortless and is undeniably the essence of cool. Highly recommended!
Awesome instrumental score that Jeremy Jay created for a short film called Dreamland. Lots of moody and sensual piano playing. So rad!
Oh Jeremy, we can never get enough of your airwalking dreamy and dancey delights!
The 12" is such a perfect format for his songs, as he really is a singles artist in so many ways. Creating such memorable songs that can stand on their own and lend themselves to obsessive repeated listens. Love Everlasting is the late night, slow burning dance floor with a disco light shining bright side to Jeremy's arsenal of charming and seductive songwriting. You can almost see the steam rising off these tracks as you lay the needle into the grooves. This is exactly what you would want to hear the DJ throw on as it gets close to closing time and you're sipping your last drink and all you want to do is slow dance the final moments of the blurry, fun-filled night away. So great!
Whether sizzling with sensual dancefloor jams or slowburnin' with melodies and late-nite disco sounding keyboards, the newest Jeremy Jay record has reaffirmed that this young man from Los Angeles has a very special ability to create songs that make you swoon as they seep into your consciousness. The sort of swoonsome songs that will get your body moving like Molly Ringwald circa Sixteen Candles / The Breakfast Club!
With a sound that's equal parts '50s innocence, early '80s new romantic, and late night disco clouds of heaven, Slow Dance finds Jeremy Jay proving that he truly has a unique vision and voice. His debut ep, Airwalker, was like some lost Factory gem while the debut full length A Place Where We Could Go had more of a singer songwriter vibe, Slow Dance finds Jeremy Jay riding such sweet grooves with a record that while less rocking than Airwalker and more dancey then A Place Where We Could Go, soars delightfully, jam packed with such sparkling romantic pop chops. This is exactly the sort of record that could unite fans of melty disco delights those who thrive on a steady diet of The Smiths. There is no denying the infectious charisma that simply oozes from Jeremy and his music. His songs and stage presence reminds us of another eighties movie trope: that beautiful rebel you desperately want to go to prom with, and you do, but then you guys ditch out early and he drives you to inspiration point and plays you his new song. Slow Dance sounds almost how we imagine David Bowie, if he were in his early 20's today and releasing records on Italians Do It Better. It's kind of ridiculous how many times we've played this already, just within the first week of its arrival, and we don't think we're going to grow tired of it anytime soon. Highly recommended!
Yay! The return of the all too underrated Italian outfit known as Jennifer Gentle. Their 2005 release Valende was in constant rotation when it came out and we've been looking forward to the follow up ever since. Now down to a solo project of Marco Fasalo, yet just as dynamic and pleasing as the prior outings as a full band. Think Syd Barrett era-Pink Floyd filled with off-kilter melodies, eerie and demented instrumentation and some downright catchy harmonies! Making the most out of some strange and lovely sounds, piano, guitar and even kazoos, some of us fell instantly in love with this and it just keeps sounding better and better every time we hear it. While they come at pop songs from a distinctly different direction, thsy seem to be kindred spirits of Deerhoof, as they both use a sonic pallete of crazy colors and wild flights of musical fancy. So good!
Something about Sweden that just breeds suave irresistible pop. JJ are a duo we've been hearing a lot about, but their records had been hard to come by stateside. Luckily Secretly Canadian has released their latest, No.3, domestically, so we can all catch the soft sonic breeze their subtle and exquisite songs offer. Imagine Saint Etienne or Everything But The Girl doing Red House Painters covers, or Beach House or Taken By Trees interpreting Sade, and you start to get an idea of the dreamy world of JJ. It's not an immediately catchy record, but one that with repeated listens totally wreathes you in a soft haze and lilting seduction that just feels so damn good. Another one of those records just made for Sunday mornings, as there is something so comforting about its ease and dreaminess. Very nice!
Visionary cult cinephiles get ready to drool! If you were as excited as we were about the recent reissue of Kenneth Anger's early films, then this incredibly packaged and affordable 4dvd+2cd box set of the early films of Chilean theatrical genius Alejandro Jodorowsky will surely make your head explode!!! Fando Y Lis! El Topo!!, HOLY MOUNTAIN!!!! Marvelously restored and beautifully remastered, there is so much amazing material here that has either never been available before, or only available previously as extremely hard to find poor quality transfers from mediocre prints.
AND there's more! This set also includes the absolutely killer SOUNDTRACKS to both El Topo and yes, Holy Mountain!!! The Holy Mountain Soundtrack has never been released before and it so totally kills, and why wouldn't it, Don Cherry is all over it! But more about that in a minute, there's also bonus features, interviews, deleted scenes, audio commentary, a documentary and a short film from 1957 that was presumed lost until it was found early last year.
So for those who may be unfamiliar with Jodorowsky's films, a bit of back story:
Born in Chile and struggling to become an actor, Jodorowsky became fed up with the idea of scripted theatre and moved to Paris to study mime. Working with the great mime, Marcel Marceau while at the same time influenced by the Surrealists, Antonin Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty, Jean Cocteau's mythical fantasias, and the European Art House cinema of Fellini and Bunuel, Jodorowsky relocated to Mexico to form the theatre troupe, The Panic Movement, which would stage early happenings (involving lots of nudity and rotting food) and existentialist plays by Ionesco, Beckett and Fernando Arrabel. It was Arrabel's play, "Fando Y Lis" that would inspire him to move away from the theatre into cinema, but far from any structured or direct form of filmmaking. Jodorowsky wanted to re-interpret Arrabel's play by filming it completely from memory and in a remote and ruggedly extreme locale. Here he would bring together all the soul-baring psyche of experimental theatre, the role-playing excess of costumes, props and pageantry, the ritualistic entanglements of violence and beauty as catalysts of transformation, and most importantly the notion of existence as a journey through all kinds of personal and mystical revelations both sacred and profane. All of these qualities permeate each of the three films here.
Ok, you get the idea. So let's just break it down for you, what you get from this awesome box set:
--Fando Y Lis (1968): Jodorowsky's first full length black and white feature started riots at its premiere at the Acapulco Film Festival and was banned in Mexico due to its violent sexual imagery and ritualistic mocking of church beliefs. Based on Arrabel's play about a pair of dysfunctional lovers (one impotent, the other paralyzed) in a Fellini-esque quest for the spiritual city of Tar.
Extras on this disc include the 1994 French documentary, La Constellation which features interviews with Marcel Marceau, Peter Gabriel (who was inspired by El Topo, when he wrote The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway), and the French sci-fi illustrator, Moebius, who began working with Jodorowsky on the failed attempt to film Frank Herbert's Dune, which sparked Jodorowsky's interest in graphic novels.
--El Topo (1970): The bloody surreal western that spawned the Midnight Movie. Funded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, this film is like a Sergio Leone film on a serious dose of brown acid.
Extras include an interview with Jodorowsky about the Midnight Movie phenomenon.
--Holy Mountain (1973): The ultimate spiritual quest film. Jodorowsky takes us through every imaginable belief system only to completely shatter our preconceptions about spiritual enlightenment.
Extras include deleted scenes and commentary about Jodorowsky's continuing interest in the Tarot.
--La Cravate (1957): A 35 minute silent film in color based on Thomas Mann's The Transposed Heads about a girl who sells heads and the men who are her customers. This film was presumed lost until its discovery last year in someone's attic in Germany!
--El Topo Soundtrack: 18 tracks composed by Jodorowsky and John Barham inspired by both the soundtrack work of Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota. Full of flutes and droning horns, accordions and organs and twisted Mariachi styles.
--Holy Mountain Soundtrack: 24 tracks composed by Jodorowsky, Don Cherry and Ronald Frangipane. Ranging from spiritual free drones to acid rock to Moroccan desert jams to pensive marches to soft jazz and everywhere in between. There are even themes for each of the nine planetary characters. Such a wild, weird, and wonderful soundtrack and it alone is worth the price of admission.
Phew! So can you guess, that this is totally and absolutely recommended!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of our favorite reissues and new/old discoveries of last year was the passionate and powerful work of Gerard Manset. We immediately fell hard for his rich and textured songs which showed the more intense side of '60s and early '70s French Pop. So we were immediately intrigued by this collection of songs by Rene Joly when we saw that the orchestration was credited in part to Gerard Manset. But once we listened, it turned out to be Joly's voice that grabbed our attention right away. Full of drama, fire and beauty we couldn't believe that this was the first time his amazing voice had made it into our ears. It made us think of what Antony & The Johnsons might have sounded like if they were from France in 1970, or maybe Bryan Ferry doing Edith Piaf covers.
Even some of our friends who grew up in France had not heard of Joly so we don't feel quite as bad for not hearing him until now. How glad we are that this gem of French orchestral psychedelic pop has finally risen to the surface, brought to us by the same label that brought us the great Pop Made In France compilation highlighted last time. Prog fans will even want to check this out for the great King Crimson cover "La Cour Du Roi Musicien" (The Court Of The Crimson King). Majestic sounds filled with cinematic flair, and bubbling with grandeur and rich color. Joly's commanding voice sweeps us off our feet every time we listen. Highly recommended!
Oh Grace, we've missed you so! The world is a much more fun, wild and thrilling place to be when you step into the spotlight. It's been almost twenty years since her last album, and this new incarnation of Grace Jones is sounding pretty great! With folks like Tricky and Brian Eno on board for production on a few tracks we were happily surprised at how this doesn't sound like too much of a forced comeback. In fact its a much better record than anything she released since the early to mid '80s. While she's never been one for total consistency, when she's on she is on fire! There are some totally slow burning and powerful tracks on Hurricane that rank right up there with some of her most classic songs. With disco revival in full swing and folks like Glass Candy/Chromatics practically aping her persona and sensual delivery it's so nice to hear from one of the most iconic, influential and enigmatic voices in the musical world of the last quarter century. While she is more often appreciated for her amazing fashion, outlandish antics and incredible body, which is like a piece of art onto itself, she has made some truly amazing music over the years as well. If you haven't explored her back catalog we think everything from '77-'82 is totally worth checking out (Nightclubbing will always be an all time favorite) and those records from the late '70s with Tom Moulton display a much more airy and full on disco sound than the dark and smoky diva we've come to know over the years. Besides having a handful of super good songs, this has to be some of our favorite album art in ages. Grace Jones in a chocolate factory mass producing chocolate faces of herself! Hurricane is not without a few misses but overall it's a really welcome return from one of the strongest forces of musical nature to ever grace this planet!
Lately we've fallen deeply under the spell of one of Grace Jones' best outings. While she might be best known for her amazing fashion, body, charisma, overall presence, and her appearances in the Conan and James Bond films, it's her early music that we've been totally obsessed with lately. So while this isn't a new reissue or anything we thought we'd share our love of this classic with you all.
Recorded in 1981 in the Bahamas, Night clubbing is the ultimate snapshot of the greatness of Grace Jones. Musically it's for sure her strongest moment, with Sly & Robbie as her rhythm section the mood is so totally seductive and irresistible. There are so many hits or should-have-been hits on this album. While there have been a few different collections and best ofs, we really think that this proper album blows all of them away. From start to finish Night clubbing just sizzles so hot! It's the perfect late-night, up-to-no-good soundtrack! The title track is of course the Iggy Pop song written by Bowie that somehow Grace takes to new drugged out heights. In fact the whole album feels like the kind of drugged out, raw space disco that you can't help but give into. Sassy, sultry and so damn sexy!
It's hearing records like this that kind of make listening to any new rock n' roll, as lo-fi and garage-y as it may seem, just sound like total fluff. Today's rockers can't compare to the blasts of impassioned fire and raw righteous shouts of belief that come pouring with soul out of the body of Atlanta's Rev. Johnny L. Jones. For years he has been broadcasting his songs and sermons on WYZE in Atlanta, and Dust-To-Digital, who definitely have a knack for this sort of thing, knew that these were sounds that deserved a much wider audience. Because no matter what religious stripe you're are, or even those of us who don't believe in that higher being at all, you can't deny that this is music with 100 percent absolute conviction and raw power. This is total gospel rock n' roll, with the kind of early blues grit and hip shaking fuel that the best kind of soul music contains. Over this two disc collection there are over two dozen smoking songs as well as clips of sermons, guest soloists and some awesome short commercial clips that the Reverend delivers with the same kind of zealous urgency and single minded purpose.
We can think of so many of our favorite frontmen, like John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt), John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees), and Ian Svenious (The Make Up) who for sure would be sitting front and center, taking notes during any of Jones' services. We can't emphasize enough just how damn good this music is! And as always Dust-To-Digital does it right with handsome packaging and liner notes from the Reverend himself. We believe!
There is no stronger authentic soul voice in the present day then Sharon Jones. She is the real deal, a woman who's voice and presence is completely timeless, as it would have been right at home in the golden era of soul. Making her records even that much better is that her band, The Dap-Kings are by far one of the tightest, most skilled, and tasteful makers of soulful sounds around. Anyone who has seen them live knows that it almost seems like they could play the songs with their eyes closed and play every note spot on, they are just that damn talented. But you almost forget about that aspect because it's kind of impossible not to get swept up by the voice and power of Sharon Jones. Her voice takes you to another place, another era, yet it's no put on, no gimmick, no mere retro act. She is living proof that true soul can and will live on forever. I Learned The Hard Way is another wonderful achievement in an already great string of records. These songs are so damn sensual, intoxicating, smoky and groovy. Anyone of these songs could be mistaken for the best track on one of the Eccentric Soul compilations from the '60s and '70s that we all freak out about. Filled with more slow burners that full on stompers, yet all filled with a fire that smolders just under the surface. So damn good and totally recommended!
