Music I Liked And Didn't - 7/31/07

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ZELIENOPLE: Stone Academy LP (Root Strata) - I recently scored this very limited (only 300 copies) vinyl version of this 2006 release from Chicago’s Zelienople on the Tarentel curated Root Strata imprint while I was in San Diego. The majority of the 9 tracks on this LP feature Zelienople‘s unique and pleasing blend of slow, drifting, acid folk and thick, hazy, ambient drones, of which “Fuck Everything”, “More Mess”, and (the somewhat more focused and polished sounding) “When You Were 9” were my personal favorites. The band takes their music to a higher plane, however, on “Bird’s Face”, delivering a dense drone rock epic which is clearly the highlight of the album. There are also a couple of dronescapes and less successful, dark, experimental improvisations to round out this set. While the Zelienople crew certainly isn’t breaking any new ground, I’ll readily admit that I found the lush, psychedelic beauty of “Stone Academy” to be quite seductive and, therefore, worthy of repeated spins.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 7/10/07 - 7/30/07

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V/A: Tokyo Flashback, Volume 6 CD (PSF) - Back in 1991, the initial volume of PSF’s “Tokyo Flashback” blew the minds and opened the ears of many uninitiated afficianados of various forms of underground culture (including yours truly - thank you PSF!) to the glories of the modern Japanese underground music scene. This now legendary series of “psychedelic samplers” continues to be among the scene-defining documents of the Japanese underground and, 16 years later, has now reached its sixth volume.

Although those halycon days of the early 90’s when all the insane sounds of these mysterious and now, in some cases, almost mythical groups can never be completely recaptured, “Tokyo Flashback, Volume 6” is, perhaps, the closest throwback to the original “Tokyo Flashback” in the sense that almost all the groups presented on this set are completely new. In fact, only three of these groups even contain members whose names I recognize from previous bands - Ogikubo Connection (which features Fukuoka Rinji of the Overhang Party), S. A. R. O. D. (Mondo Bohachi from Aural Fit), and Kawaguchi Masami’s New Rock Syndicate (Kawaguchi has long been a major player in the scene as leader of the Broomdusters, LSD March, and Miminokoto).

As always, a wide variety of musical styles are represented, from acid folk and arty no-wave to acid punk and beyond! Highlights include: the awesome blast of heavy psych from Kawaguchi Masami’s New Rock Syndicate “Oblivion”; the sweeping, lysergic pop grandeur of “The World Of Mirror” by Hananoyouni; the noisy, experimental rock of S. A. R. O. D.’s “Bobby-Dick”; a couple of rough hewn, acoustic guitar based folk pieces, Onna’s “Prophet” and the Ogikubo Connection’s cover of the late Kaneko Jutok’s “Staring At Blood”; the 60’s acid-flash influenced psych rocker “Mugen” by Yakouchu; and the fragile acid folk of "A Moonlight Night" by Genshi.

“Tokyo Flashback, Volume 6” is certainly the best release in this series in many years and has renewed my interest in a scene that had, in my humble opinion, grown somewhat stale (with a few limited exceptions, most notably, Boris) and had suffered a bit, as well, from over exposure (helloooo - Acid Mother’s Temple?!? and, yes, I’ll reluctantly admit, the aforementioned, Boris, too!). I look forward with great anticipation to hearing more from these exciting new artists. Until then, however, I strongly encourage anybody who is even remotely interested in the Japanese underground music scene to pick up “Tokyo Flashback, Volume 6” for a satisfying aural fix!


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 7/9/07

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SUNRAY (Featuring Sonic Boom): Ocean 12” EP (Earworm) - Sunray is the long-running project of Jon Chambers. Since 1993 Chambers has collaborated with an ever changing cast of supporting players and the material they’ve created has sporadically been released on a variety of compilations, 7”s, 12”s, and even a couple of full-length LPs/CDs. This 12” EP was released on the UK imprint Earworm in 2006 and contains three tracks.

An amazing 13-minute cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Ocean” which features the talents of Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom takes up the entirety of the A-Side. The track starts out in a manner that’s fairly faithful to the original, with Sonic’s trademark vocals being accompanied by some pleasant, distorted guitar riffage, before heading to the heart of 3AM with a segment of beautifully layered guitar feedback, droning organs, and psychedelic synth treatments. Although Sonic Boom is no longer involved in the proceedings, the homage to Spacemen 3 continues on the first track of the B-Side with the languid, acoustic guitar based, lysergic pop strum of "I Wish You Were Mine", which sounds very much like it could have been composed by Jason “Spaceman” Pierce. "One Note Jam (Reprise)" is a rather dodgy recording (for example, there’s lots of crowd noise interrupting the music; recreating, unfortunately, the all too often real experience of seeing bands in clubs!) of some fairly standard live psych jamming that closes out the set. Frankly, it is hard for me to view it as being anything more than something to fill out the remaining space on this EP. This final flawed track, however, is of little consequence to the overall merits of this brief set, as the return of Sonic Boom, coming as close to recapturing the glories of the classic, late-80’s Spacemen 3 sound as he (or anybody else, for that matter!) has in years, makes Sunray’s “Ocean” EP an essential addition to any collection of contemporary psych sounds.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 7/3/07 - 7/8/07

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SILVESTER ANFANG: Kosmies Slachtafval CD (Aurora Borealis) - Only a couple of months after “Echte Vlaamse Geiten” was released by Eclipse, prolific Belgian free psych collective Silvester Anfang returns with another dose of their trademark “funeral folk”. “Kosmies Slachtafval” contains two lengthy improvised jams. The disc is kicked off with the appropriately confrontational "Mijn vader was een wolf en mijn moeder was een hoer"; a title I don’t believe you necessarily need to be from Belgium to read and understand! The track opens with an outstanding segment of heavy distorto-psych jamming which gives way after a few minutes to a more “free music” oriented style which is highlighted by droning keyboards and driving, improvised, percussive racket. The second and final track “Konfituur voor de Satanjeugd” begins with a lengthy segment that features an almost trance-inducing combination of late night organ drones, percussion, and somewhat minimal, meandering guitar work. Around the fifteen minute mark, a biting electric lead guitar enters the mix and soon conjures up a prominent, steady drum beat, which transforms the track into an awesome, droning, basement psych raga that continues until the close of the album. Dark and druggy, “Kosmies Slachtafval” is good 'til the last glow of the coal in the bowl!


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 7/2/07

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MICHAEL GARRICK TRIO: Moonscape CD (Trunk) - This CD reissues an early (1964) and rare (only an edition of 99 copies!) 10” release from British Jazz pianist Michael Garrick. On these recordings Garrick works in a traditional piano trio setting, ably backed by Dave Green on bass and Colin Barnes on drums. This album has long been hyped by hard core Jazz enthusiasts as being an early example of British Free Jazz, but, personally, I’d say that’s a bit of an overstatement, as the material is split evenly between compositions of fairly straightforward, yet pleasing, piano-based Jazz and somewhat more abstract improvisations, which never really go too far “out”. Garrick is solid, though never overwhelming, throughout, with a very clean playing style and sound that is marked by an excellent sense of space and that classic, rich, grand piano timbre. Highlights include two bright, fairly uptempo tracks “Music For Shattering Supermarkets” and “Man Have You Ever Heard”, the slightly subdued, but beautiful theme “Sketches Of Israel”, and the best of the album’s more free-leaning tracks “ A Face In The Crowd”, which features some particularly transcendent interplay between Garrick and Barnes. While there are certainly no mind blowing revelations to be found on these recordings, the short length (22+ minutes) of this disc allows the somewhat limited charms of this set to be fully displayed without wearing out its welcome.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 7/1/07

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MARC RIBOT: Asmodeus: Book of Angels, Volume 7 CD (Tzadik) - “Asmodeus” is the seventh release of material from John Zorn’s expansive second “book” (AKA The Book Of Angels) of compositions written for his various Masada projects. For this recording, Zorn assembled a trio of outstanding musicians to perform “rock” interpretations of ten pieces.

Led by guitarist extraordinaire and long-time Masada veteran Marc Ribot, who is given, no pun intended, rock solid support from the outstanding rhythm section of Trevor Dunn (Electric Masada, Fantômas, etc.) on bass and G. Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman, James Blood Ulmer, etc.) on drums, this trio rips through an absolutely smokin’ set of material ranging from slammin’, but still tuneful rock (best exemplified by "Yezriel", "Mufgar", "Zakun", and "Dagiel") to metallic outre-jazz (personal favorites include the pummeling opening track “Kalmiya” and the scorching “Sensenya”, which closes out the album) of a high order. Throughout this disc, Ribot displays an impressive combination of technique, passion, and power, making this truly one of highlight’s of his extensive career and also one the most mind blowing releases in the Masada discography to date. A sonic tour de force, “Asmodeus” is not to be missed!


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 6/30/07

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LARRY YOUNG Lawrence Of Newark LP (Perception) - Larry Young was a jazz organist who was known for his modal playing style and performed with some of the biggest names in the jazz world of the 60’s and 70’s, including Grant Green, Elvin Jones, Sam Rivers and, most notably, Miles Davis, on his legendary album “Bitches Brew”. He also had several releases as a leader in his own right on the esteemed Prestige and Blue Note labels. This is a reissue of his rare 1973 release on the tiny Perception label. It features five tracks of engaging, organ-led, celestial afro-jazz, highlighted by the mind-blowing “Khalid Of Space, Part Two (Welcome)” which crosses over into the drone rock zone with a battery of percussionists laying down a foundation for Diedre Johnson’s droning cello, Young’s bleeding organ, James “Blood” Ulmer’s wah wah workouts and blasts of freaked out electric sax and trumpet. A sweet treat for the ears, mind, and soul, that’s a welcome addition to the Sonictroubadour’s archives!


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 6/28/07 - 6/29/07

Adds - Finally, I get around to reviewing this fine LP, as it was long overdue!

HALA STRANA: Heave The Gambrel Roof LP (Music Fellowship) - Steven R. Smith is, in my humble opinion, a nearly criminally overlooked and underappreciated musician who has been creating great music as both a solo artist and as a member of such projects as Thuja and Mirza for many years. He began his Hala Strana project in 2002 and “Heave The Gambrel Roof” is the fourth full length release under the Hala Strana name. Although numerous musicians have contributed to the project over the years, most Hala Strana recordings are solo productions and only the opening track of this LP features any outside contributors. As always, Smith uses an array of instruments (many which he built himself!) such as the bouzouki, cello, harmonium, hurdy gurdy, spike fiddle, and, of course, the more common tools of the modern music trade, the electric guitar and organ, to create this collection of dronescape miniatures and dazzling, pan-global acid folk.

Four of the eleven tracks are interpretations of Albanian folk tunes and two of these are among the highlights of the album. The spectacular “Wedding Of The Blind” opens the B-Side with a rich dronescape that builds until Smith cuts in on guitar with a righteous, almost rockin’ groove. The title track displays, at least, a reflection of its Balkan roots, combining layers of plucked, strummed, and frenetically bowed acoustic instruments to mesmerizing effect. Several of Smith’s original pieces are also quite impressive. “Grain” is the best among several more contemporary sounding acid folk tracks on the LP. “Molars Of Smoke” exhibits a Far Eastern influence, with lots of hand percussion, bells, and, in general, a spacious ambience that makes it the album’s most psychedelic track. “Marl” is a jubilant piece that borders on “pop” territory. “Heave The Gambrel Roof” is a carefully constructed, beautiful, and hypnotic release that’s truly one of Smith’s best!

Oh - And hell yes I bought one of the collector scum, limited to 250 copies, first pressings of the LP, with the 12"x12" hand cut and hand sanded, screen printed wood cover!


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 6/17/07 - 6/27/07

Sorry for the lack of reviews I've been posting lately. I've been out of town a lot this month, which makes it difficult to do a lot of serious listening/writing of reviews; especially since 50% of what I purchase is vinyl. Unfortunately, I don't have the technology to listen to records while hurtling across the desert at 90 miles per hour!!!!!


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TIED + TICKLED TRIO: Aelita CD (Morr Music) - The Tied + Tickled Trio’s 2003 album “Observing Systems” was one of my favorite releases of that year. Its unique and well-executed combination of upbeat electronic pop and funky jazz elements really appealed to me. Unfortunately, the group’s fifth album “Aelita” has a decidedly different sonic focus. The majority of the material on this disc is somewhat dark, minimal, mechanically precise electronica. Nary a hint of the jazz influences that were so prominent and successful on “Observing Systems” is to be heard. And only a few tracks (the pop-oriented “Other Voices Other Rooms”, the dub-wise “Tamaghis”, and “You Said Tomorrow Yesterday” which is, more or less, a sonic synthesis of the two aforementioned tracks) are vaguely upbeat. While 2007, like all years, has already yielded a substantial quantity of great new music, it has also been a somewhat bittersweet year for me, having relegated releases by long-time favorites such as Ghost, Low, and, now, this disc by the The Tied + Tickled Trio, to the rejection pile.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 6/13/07 - 6/16/07

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RACCOO-OO-OON: S/T 7” EP (Gilgongo) - Hot on the heels of their amazing LP “Behold Secret Kingdom", comes this excellent three song 7” EP from Raccoo-oo-oon. The A-Side features two outstanding tracks. “Mud Mound” opens the side with a dark, organic, acid folk vibe created with miscellaneous percussion, cello, and a murky, low-level mix of tripped-out electronics and patented Raccoo-oo-oon outro-vocalisms. “Behold Secret Kingdom” (which is not on the album of the same name) is probably the group's most "pop" sounding track ever, with waves of synths and joyous, soaring (and almost "normal"!?!) vocals propelled by a driving beat and guitar. The B-Side's "Slobbery Masses" is a less focused and, as a result, in my humble opinion, a slightly less successful affair. It begins with a segment of percussive racket and vocal moans which eventually evolves into a jammin’ basement psych groove. Stylistically diverse, while maintaining a fairly high quality level throughout, this is truly one of the best 7" slabs I've heard in quite a while. All hail another triumphant blast from Raccoo-oo-oon!!!!!

I can hardly wait for their Northern California shows coming up in a couple of weeks:

7/02 - 21 Grand, Oakland,CA

7/03 - Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA

7/04 - Terrestrial, Sacramento, CA

7/05 - Boy's Club Santa Rosa, CA


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 6/7/07 - 6/12/07

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SIR RICHARD BISHOP: While My Guitar Violently Bleeds LP (Locust) - Sun City Girls’ co-founder Richard Bishop returns with his fourth solo release “While My Guitar Violently Bleeds”, which contains three distinctly different explorations on guitar. The opening track “Zurvan” is a flamenco influenced improvisation that sounds very similar to the material from his 2006 album “Fingering The Devil”. The second piece “Smashana” is an out-guitar extravaganza which combines layers of droning feedback and other miscellaneous guitar destruction. Sir Richard returns to the acoustic guitar (accompanied by excellent droning tambura!) to close out the LP with an intricate and lengthy raga. “Mahavidya” begins with a relaxed pace and graceful guitar work that builds in intensity until it develops into an impressive and fiery display of both speed and precision. “While My Guitar Violently Bleeds” is a unique and well-crafted album that is Bishop’s most varied and best solo release to date.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 6/6/07

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BOY IN STATIC: Violet CD (Mush) - I swear that my experience with releases on the Mush label are much like those of a gambler - while the majority of my “plays” (i.e., purchases) are losers, there are enough occasional winners to cause me to keep exploring their catalog, rather than just give up on the label. Unfortunately, this over-hyped new release from Boston resident Alexander Chen’s project, Boy In Static, is another release that can be added to Mush’s list of losers. Yes, “Violet” certainly contains 10 tracks of delicate and precise dream-pop electronica which reflects the strong influence of a variety of British pop movements since the late 80’s, but they’re just too calculated, too precious to really strike an emotional chord - at least with me.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 6/1/07 - 6/5/07

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Iowa City’s prolific Racoo-oo-oon returns with their most cohesive, raucous, and best release to date, “Behold Secret Kingdom”. The
Racoo-oo-oon sound is built on a foundation of percussion - ranging from simple, heavy tribal pounding to minimal, organic basement percussion improvisations, and even the percussive effects of elements not traditionally associated with the “rhythm section” of a "rock" band, such as tripped-out electronics. They then pile on (in varying combinations and intensities on each track) noisy blasts of guitar, droning, gurgling synths and electronic washes, wailing saxophone, and seemingly wordless, reverbed and delayed vocals (more like moans and wails) that function more as an additional instrument in this awesome aural assault, than as a means to convey any actual lyrical content. The final result of this sonic synthesis are these eight incredible tracks of joyous free-psych
noise-rock.

The excellent opening track “Black Branches” sets the tone for the entire album. Like most of the tracks on this release, it begins with a vaguely “normal” heavy rock progression that builds as it develops, with additional dissonant guitar, wailing vocals, electronic noises, and percussion increasing the tempo, intensity, and volume of the piece until it reaches the breaking point - collapses - and then coalesces, only to begin the cycle all over again on the next track. So proceeds the rest of the disc: from the epic “Antler Mask” to the absolutely scorching “Invisible Sun” and on to the ultra-heavy stoner crush of the album’s closing track “Tail At Prospect Peak”. There are a couple of more ambient pieces that provide a brief respite from this outstanding sonic onslaught, but even these, especially “Fangs And Arrows”, eventually evolve until they reach a fairly feverish peak. With “Behold Secret Kingdom”, Racoo-oo-oon has delivered a potent dose of artistic psychedelic out-rock that’s not to be missed!


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/28/07 - 5/31/07

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ROBEDOOR/YELLOW SWANS: “Tremor Deliverance”/Untitled Split 7” Single (Arbor) - L. A.’s Robedoor and Portland’s Yellow Swans each contribute a track to this split 7” single on the up and coming and inspirational (as it is owned and operated by 17 year-old Chicagoland resident, Mike Pollard!) Arbor label. Robedoor's “Tremor Deliverance” combines droning keyboards, cello, guitar, and reverbed and delayed vocal wails (ala Raccoo-oo-oon) to create a gorgeous, but somewhat dark, dronescape. The Yellow Swans’ untitled track provides a brief and accurate sonic snapshot of their sound - a dark, powerful, slowly evolving mass of droning psychedelic noise.


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In Other News...

I've been remiss in noting that reviews by the Sonictroubadour of new releases are now also appearing on the fantastic Foxy Digitalis website (http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/index.php). For reasons too numerous and tedious to detail here, some future reviews will be exclusive to Foxy Digitalis, some will remain exclusive to the Sonictroubadour blog you're currently reading, and others will be published in both. So, readers may wish to check out both sites, if they're interested in keeping up on all the latest musical ramblings of the Sonictroubadour.

Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/27/07

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NORTH SEA: Exquisite Idols CD (Type) - After many limited edition CDRs and compilation appearances comes “Exquisite Idols”, the debut full-length release from the North Sea, the solo project of Digitalis Industries mogul Brad Rose. Over the course of this album’s 8 tracks, Rose executes all the required moves to earn his “acid folk” merit badge. So, you’ve got a couple of takes on contemporary acid folk sounds such as “Guiwenneth Of The Green Grass” (which combines field recordings, hand percussion, and beautiful acoustic guitar work), the country-tinged “Children Of The Ashes”, an acid folk raga featuring sitar “And Then The Solstice Disappeared”, and the jubliant stomp of the disc’s closing track “Feather-Cloaked Silver Priestess”. There’s also a couple of more experimental pieces, the opening dronescape “Eternal Birds” and the orgy of echoplexed percussion and electronics “Cover Me With Knives”. Like the majority of the many releases currently flooding the scene under the general rubric of “acid folk”, there’s nothing particularly ground breaking on this disc, but with “Exquisite Idols”, Rose has delivered a well-crafted, nicely varied, and engaging set of contemporary acid folk that deserves repeated play.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/15/07 - 5/26/07

Been a long time...

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POEM ROCKET: Invasion! DCD (Atavistic) - Poem Rocket is a long-running NYC-based project led by the duo of Michael Peters and Sandra Gardner. “Invasion!” is their first release since 2000 and contains two discs, each of which focuses on a particular aspect of the group’s sound.

Disc 1, which is subtitled “A Parade Of Vigilance”, features 10 tracks of gorgeously recorded, acoustic guitar-based pop, often augmented with little lysergic touches such as droning synths, miscellaneous percussion, and various loops and samples. Personal favorites included “Underwater”, “The Keeper”, and the disc’s one sonic outlier, the densely layered dronescape ”The Ocean As Itself (Reprise)”. Disc 2, which is subtitled “The Abdomen Of Memory”, contains 9 tracks of pop-rock that I found to be very reminiscent of the kind of material that was quite popular within certain softer circles of the international underground in the early 1990’s as represented by such diverse labels as Creation, Sub Pop, Too Pure, and so on - a pleasant blend of simple drums patterns, rumbling bass lines, distorted guitar chords and jagged, multi-effected electric leads, and tasteful keyboard treatments. Highlights from the second disc included “Sound Byte Hit” and “Pulse (I Hope You Dream Something)”.

When listening straight through, I found that both discs tend to be a bit sonically monolithic. Perhaps, some editing (like taking the strongest tracks from each disc and combining them into a single disc) would have yielded a more dynamic and higher quality final product. Still, there's enough solid material on these two discs to merit adding this enjoyable, but far from innovative, album to my ever expanding music library.


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Good Riddance To Jerry Falwell!!!!!

It's a great day. One of the darkest forces for regressive thought and social action, Jerry Falwell, has become worm food. On days like this my only regret is that there really isn't a god, a heaven, and a hell, because if there was, a regressive scumbag like Falwell would surely (and deservedly!) be quite surprised to find himself roasting in hell right now!!!!!

Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/13/07 - 5/14/07

HOWARD, NOAH: The Black Ark CD (Bo’Weavil) - It’s no secret to regular readers of this blog that I’m a big fan of the almost criminally under recorded and under appreciated alto saxophonist, Noah Howard. Ever since first hearing the Eremite reissue of “Patterns/Message to South Africa”, I’ve scoured the ‘net and the racks to purchase any of Howard’s all too few titles I could find (even scoring rare original vinyl issues of some releases such as “Space Dimension”!), but “The Black Ark” remained elusive. And it was one of his most intriguing titles, too, with that colorful psychedelic cover and an excellent cast of supporting musicians that included Sirone (who was then still going under the name Norris Jones and is excellent throughout this disc) and (in his recording debut) Arthur Doyle. Recorded in 1969 in NYC and later released on the UK’s Freedom label, this was also one of Howard’s earlier releases as a leader. Now, the fine folks at Bo’Weavil have ended my quest with this welcome reissue of “The Black Ark”.

This album features four solid compositions by Howard, who is also excellent on alto throughout, whether crafting soulful themes or pursuing more aggressive solos. While it has its moments, most notably the solos by Howard and pianist Leslie Waldron (Howard often leaves a lot of space for/relies on the contributions of the excellent pianists who have graced his recordings), the opening track “Domiabra” is, overall, a somewhat rough and less than fully satisfying initial shakedown for the group. The disc’s best track “Ole Negro” is next. It features the expanded rhythm section (Rashid’s brother, Muhammad Ali, on drums and Juma on conga, along with the piano and bass) laying down an incredible, almost hallucination producing foundation for the soloists. The other real winner on this CD is the longest piece “Mount Fuji”, which contains trumpeter Earl Cross and Doyle’s most significant contributions and some fine free ensemble playing (vaguely reminiscent of Coltrane’s “Ascension”) in the segments which connect the solos. The album’s closing track, the pleasant, but all too brief “Queen Anne”, is highlighted by the solos of Waldron and Howard.

Like many similar releases from the period on labels such as ESP, BYG/Actuel, and so on, both the performances and the recording quality on this disc are, at times, somewhat uneven. Nevertheless, the music contained on this CD represents another interesting and appreciated document from a seminal era in the development of free jazz that richly deserves further exposure to a wider audience.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/12/07

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V/A: Bougouni Yaalali CD (Yaala Yaala) - Yaala Yaala is a new imprint from Drag City that focuses on world music. They recently launched the label with a trio of releases of music from West Africa, from which I selected the one which appeared to be most interesting, “Bougouni Yaalali”.

All that is revealed by the minimal liner notes is that the material on this CD was recorded at various social events in the rural town of Bougouni, Mali (hence the disc’s title, which apparently translates to “wandering around Bougouni”), obviously on some form of hand-held device. After that, you’re left to rely on your senses to derive any additional information regarding these recordings, as there are no artists, instruments, nor track titles listed! These unknown musicians use percussion (created on all manner of instruments such as djembe, nkerinye, home made metal shakers, and so on), hypnotic figures plucked on, I suspect, the ngoni (usually, again, a home made multi-stringed spike lute made out of wood or gourds), and vocals (sometimes in a more Arab-influenced style, other times displaying attributes associated with traditional West African vocal styles) to create these excellent authentic African folk grooves! Even with a lifetime of exposure to “lo-fi” recordings (having seen it develop into an aesthetic, instead of merely being a pleasing sonic byproduct of financially challenged musicians!), I can’t deny that the music on this release would benefit from a variety of improvements in the documentation process. Nevertheless, the music contained on this CD provides another intriguing and unique (and very much appreciated!) sonic snapshot of a remote and relatively unknown region’s musical culture for the continuing enlightenment of audio-ethnographers (like me!) everywhere.

With “Bougouni Yaalali”, Yaala Yaala is off to an excellent start and I’m going to check out additional titles from the label’s catalog soon.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/9/07 - 5/11/07

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OLAUSSON, JAKOB: Moonlight Farm LP (Destijl) - “Moonlight Farm” is the debut (and almost entirely solo) release from Sweden’s Jakob Olausson. Using an assortment of instruments such as banjo, bells, flute, violin, and, of course acoustic and electric guitars, Olausson created these 10 little gems of lo-fi acid folk and basement psych. Personal favorites included two tracks which feature dark, but beautiful and well-developed melodies “What Will Tomorrow Bring” and “Silhouette V”, “Welcome Traveler” an acid folk track featuring flute, and “Live To Tell” which is highlighted by soaring, reverb-drenched electric guitar and vocals. While there’ll certainly be no big surprises for aficionados of similar late night fare contained inside these grooves, Olausson’s “Moonlight Farm” is, nevertheless, another solid entry into the canon of contemporary loner/outsider recordings.


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