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

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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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Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/5/07 - 5/8/07

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ZALATNAY, SAROLTA: S/T CD (B-Music) - The record stack rummagers at Finders Keepers return with this compilation of recordings from Hungarian multimedia celebrity, Sarolta Zalatnay. Although the vast majority of the work in her lengthy and varied (music, films, etc.) career in the entertainment industry was aimed at popular mass consumption, she did produce (with the backing of some of Hungary’s best known musical groups of the era such as Locomotiv GT and Skorpio) some fairly unique sounding and high quality, if still mainstream leaning, recordings during the earlier years (the 1970’s) of her career.

This release contains 19 tracks which range from pop to heavy, exploito-psych sounds and funky, hard rock. Throughout this CD, Zalatnay demonstrates that she, unlike so many “celebrity” pop vocalists, is actually a very accomplished singer, delivering full-throated rock wailing; smooth, sultry vocals; and almost childlike pop chanteuse stylings with equal skill. Highlights include the lysergic-tinged folkish pop of “Munanyag Almok” and “Adj Egy Percet”, the hard rockin’ "Itt A Nyar" and “Fekete Arnyek”, the rockin’ funk of “Hadd Mondjam El” and "Egyser", and a couple of jazz informed tracks “Egy Szot Se Szolj” and "Zold Borostyan". As was the case with the Phil Trainer reissue I recently reviewed, some of the material on this CD is just too mainstream pandering to be of merit, but the tasty fuzz wah and heavy percussion, present throughout the majority of this release, combined with the use of Eastern European phrasing and the exotic sound of Zalatnay’s Hungarian vocals and make this compilation yet another “guilty pleasure” with too many charms to be denied.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 5/1/07 - 5/4/07

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ANDERSON, FRED, AND HAMID DRAKE: From The River To The Ocean CD (Thrill Jockey) - “From The River To The Ocean” marks the latest reunion of Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake, one of the Jazz world’s longest-running and most productive partnerships. On this disc they are joined by Jeff Parker (guitar), Harrison Bankhead (bass/cello/piano) and Josh Abrams (bass/guimbri), who provide excellent support throughout. In fact, referring to Abrams, Bankhead, and Parker as mere “support” is probably both unfair and inaccurate, as the performances on this CD have a cohesion that sounds as if it could only have resulted from the collaborative efforts of an engaged and fully functioning group and each member (except for Parker) contributes to the composing duties.

“Planet E” is a suitably swinging opening shakedown for the ensemble that features Anderson and Parker. The lengthy and, perhaps definitive, version of Anderson’s venerable Blues “Strut Time” is highlighted by Parker, both comping tastefully in support and delivering excellent pointillistic solos, and Bankhead, who is masterful on cello. “For Brother Thompson” is a slow burning and spiritual piece that features Anderson’s soulful tenor wailing, Bankhead on piano, and Drake’s chanting and celestial percussion textures. The title track is also the album’s centerpiece, with Drake and Abrams providing a foundation of incredible tribal rhythms for the solos, of which Bankhead’s masterful eastern-influenced bow work on bass (or perhaps, though uncredited, it’s an arco bass?!?) was the most transcendent. The closing track “Sakti/Shiva”, is another soulful showcase for Anderson, accompanied only by Abrams on guimbri. While Anderson, Drake and company certainly aren’t blazing any new trails to the frontiers of Jazz on this date, “From The River To The Ocean” is, nevertheless, a very engaging collection of skillfully crafted contemporary Jazz as informed by pan-global ethnic musical traditions.


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Regarding The Ridiculous Proposal To Boycott Gas Stations On 5/15/07

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve issued a few posts that discussed fuel prices, how they’re manipulated by “Big Oil”, and, most importantly, that decried the ongoing negative environmental and geopolitical effects on all the peoples of our world which result from our inability to kick our collective addiction to oil. I, furthermore, can sympathize with the frustrations of those who wish to do something about these matters and can admire, at least to some small extent, emotionally, if not intellectually, the spirit behind those who wish to promote this “Gas Out” on May 15th. That all being stated, however, I have to state plainly that such an action is based on false urban myths and equally faulty logic and, as a result, will have no effect whatsoever on gas prices nor oil company profits.

Here are some of the obvious fallacies with the proposed "Gas Out” on May 15th effort:

The myth that this will lower gas prices - Unless the boycotters do not drive their cars on May 15th, their overall gas consumption will remain exactly the same. Boycotters will simply pump more gas either immediately before or after May 15th. and the companies will, ultimately, sell the exact same amount of gas that they would have, with or without this boycott. Furthermore...

No "Gas Out" occurred in April 1997 - Even after an exhausting search of the internet, I could find no record of any "Gas Out" having ever occurred in April 1997. Even if one did occur, it, as I similarly project above, obviously did no good, as the claims that this non-event caused gas prices to drop,” 30 cents a gallon overnight” are not borne out by the statistics provided by the US DOE at:

http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/retail_gasoline_prices.html#1997

1997 - Unleaded Gasoline Statewide Averages:
The weekly California statewide average prices are compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) from a telephone survey that includes a sample of 38 California gasoline stations. These stations were sampled with a likelihood equal to the company's proportional size to the total annual volume of gasoline, by grade, sold in California.

Price Per Gallon Of Regular Unleaded By Date:

4/28/97 - $1.374
4/21/97 - $1.381
4/14/97 - $1.384
4/7/97 - $1.372


As you can see, during the course of the month of April ‘97, there was actually a slight increase in fuel prices, not a 30 cent decrease, as claimed in this ridiculous email that’s circulating.

So, hey, be frustrated about skyrocketing gas prices, if you want. I don’t blame you.

And don’t buy gas on 5/15, too, if it will make you feel better psychologically. More power to you.

Just don’t delude yourself into thinking that your actions will really have any effect, because they won’t. Fuel prices will continue to spiral upward without end, until we find a replacement for oil - period.

Music I Liked And Didn't - 4/30/06

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EFTERKLANG: Under Giant Trees CD (Leaf) - The marriage of electronics with real orchestral instrumentation (strings, brass, and so on) applied by Efterklang to create these pieces of precise, minimal, almost cinematic sounding electronica was conceptually solid, but a somewhat less than scintillating listening experience. Better luck next time.

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Music I Liked And Didn't - 4/28/06 - 4/29/06

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PLANTS: Photosynthesis CD (Strange Attractors Audio House) - Plants are a new and appropriately named project from Portland Oregon. Centered around the husband-wife team of Joshua and Molly Blanchard and supported by a variety of guest musicians, Plants use a wide array of instruments (cello, saw, banjo, organ, bells, recordings of “found sounds” and, of course, both acoustic and electric guitars) to create these eight tracks of rich drones and fragile acid folk. Although there’s certainly nothing groundbreaking about material on “Photosynthesis”, there’s no denying its charms as a soundtrack for mindlessly gazing at the smoke as it floats away through the filtered light of the trees on a breezy, but hot, summer day.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 4/26/06 - 4/27/06 ...and a brief book recommendation, too!

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TRAINER, PHIL: S/T CD (Underground Masters) - This CD reissues the debut album by singer-songwriter, Phil Trainer. Although this was recorded and released in the UK in 1972, Trainer was an American and the material on this release certainly reflects the well-produced, mainstream leaning pop emanating from the studios of SoCal during that era. In a fashion somewhat similar to that of the Travel Agency (whose 1969 LP on Viva I recently reviewed), the 10 tracks on this CD almost constitute a sampler of the various styles of contemporary pop and rock from the period. So, among the disc’s highlights you have “No No No “ a pop rocker with tasty fuzz-wah leads, the easy West Coast pop psych of “She’s Gone West”, the more uptempo, yet primarily acoustic-based “In The City” (which sounded reminiscent of Stephen Stills’ early solo work), the folkish showcase for dulcimer “Leave Me Alone”, and the rocking braggadocio of “Stud”. Honestly, several of the tracks on this album pander disgustingly to the goal of mainstream pop success, but the remaining tracks, which, admittedly, still rate as “guilty pleasures”, are pleasurable, nonetheless, and, in no small part, that is due to the stellar instrumental support Trainer receives from members of the legendary UK underground group, Trees. All that being stated, this was still barely a “keeper” for me and probably not worth the fare for anyone who is not a pretty dedicated student of obscure 60’s sounds.


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Might I also take a moment to make a positive recommendation for the new book by Christopher Hitchens, “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything". Although Hitchens’ verbose and academic writing style prevents this from being an “easy read”, it is, nevertheless, an excellent book. The arguments it contains provide unbelievers with more ammunition regarding the nonexistence of god with which to confront believers. More importantly, it details well the dangers and damages which result from allowing the organized bodies (i.e., the many churches of the various religions, especially those dangerous, control freak “fundamentalists” of all stripes, not just Muslim!) of these disparate believers in what are, at best, “fairy tales” and, at worst, outright lies purposefully created in order to control and subjugate the masses, to completely dominate all aspects of our personal lives and collective culture(s).

It is this issue, not its major subsidiary industry of distraction and coercion, the “Global War On Terror” (as the organized religions of the warring world, by and large, have historically supported, even if indirectly at times, many similar actions on all sides!), that is really the great issue that needs to be confronted, the battle that needs to be won in our time!