Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/29/07

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WOODEN SHJIPS: SOL '07 (Pts 1 and 2) 7" Single (Sick Thirst) - In advance of their highly anticipated debut full length on Holy Mountain (street date 9/11/07), San Francisco’s Wooden Shjips tease us with this tasty 7” single. Released in conjunction with Holy Mountain on the band’s own Sick Thirst imprint, this 7” is limited to 500 copies and the proceeds from it will go to benefit the fine grassroots organization Food Not Bombs. This extended track “SOL ‘07” stretches over both sides of the 7” and is intended as a sonic commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the infamous “Summer of Love”. It’s a respectable psych jam with droning organs, echoplexed vocals, and lysergic electric guitar leads being propelled by driving Krautrock rhythms. Now I’m fully primed for the debut full length - bring it on!

By the way, S. F. Bay Area locals will have the opportunity to catch the Wooden Shjips live a couple of times in the next few weeks:

On Saturday, September 15 they’ll be appearing with Seiichi Yamamoto (ex-Boredoms) and Suishou no Fune at the Bottom Of The Hill in San Francisco.


and


On Sunday, September 16 they’ll be appearing with Suishou no Fune at Delta of Venus in Davis, California.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/22/07 - 8/28/07

TREE PEOPLE: S/T CD (Tiliqua) - This expensive, limited edition, Japanese-only import CD reissues a rare 1979 private press LP from Oregon’s Tree People. Over hyped, in my humble opinion, as being an acid folk classic, the nine tracks on this disc certainly do feature many of the requisite instruments (acoustic guitar, flute, recorder, bells and other miscellaneous percussion) and moves typical of the (sub)genre, with tracks like “Pot Of Gold”, “Opus”, and, most notably, the excellent acid folk raga “Space Heater” clearly delivering the goods. Unfortunately, an almost equal percentage of the material on this album is of the more mainstream pandering folk variety, which tries too hard to be arty and musicianly and, in addition, often contains suspect lyrics and vocals. While this disc is enjoyable enough in parts, in the final analysis, it was still barely a “keeper” for me and probably not worth the fare for anyone who is not a pretty dedicated collector of vintage folk sounds.

On a related note, it seems as if this reissue, rightly or not, has rekindled some interest in the Tree People. Their second album “Human Voices”, from 1984, is being reissued later in the year and the group has begun rehearsing together again, with the goal of recording and performing live again.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/21/07

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KINSKI: Down Below It’s Chaos DLP (Sub Pop) - Dependable Seattle spacerockers, Kinski, return with their latest full length on Sub Pop. Dependable being the operative word here, as the nine tracks on “Down Below It’s Chaos” reflect no more than a few minor innovations in the group’s familiar sonic attack. The scorching “Crybaby Blowout” kicks off the proceedings in fine fashion and is the best of the set’s several rockers. The excellent “Passwords & Alcohol” follows and may be the most accessible piece on album, opening with a few minutes of angular, indie rock before culminating in an eruption of satisfying, dissonant, distorto-riffage. Two of the final three tracks are both the album’s longest and best cuts. “Plan, Steal, Drive” begins with a segment that combines droning keyboards and cool guitar figures that eventually gives way to a blast of rock heaviness that displays a vague hint of prog/metal influences, as well. My personal favorite “Silent Biker Type” is a mellow, yet engaging, groover in which layers of drones and tremoloed/delayed guitar tones slowly evolve until the rhythm section kicks in to provide a solid foundation for a beautiful psychedelic wash of guitar feedback, wah wah freakouts and classic Hammond B-3 sounds, courtesy of stellar guest keyboardist, Joe Doria. The remaining tracks are merely less compelling variations on the themes/styles developed on the tracks previously described. Like I indicated above, overall, there’s nothing particularly new nor groundbreaking about the material on this release, still, Kinski’s “Down Below It’s Chaos” is an enjoyable, if not noteworthy, listening experience.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/17/07 - 8/20/07

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SUN SUPREME: S/T LP (MEDS) - Hot on the heels of the “Beginnings Dark” one-sided 12”, comes this new and limited LP from a mysterious ad hoc collective that features members of the Sun City Girls (Alan Bishop and Charlie Gocher), Sun Supreme. This LP contains four tracks of minimal, disjointed improvisational basement racket created on guitar, bass, drum, banjo, piano, and all manner of percussion (including gamelan and marimba!) that completely failed to impress this listener. I’ve really been a big supporter of the Sun City Girls over the years, so it gives me no pleasure to state this, but it is hard for me to not view this release as merely being another cynical attempt to exploit passionate fans and collectors with substandard material from the vaults. It’s a disgrace, in my humble opinion, to tarnish the legacy of the Sun City Girls and disrespect the memory of the late Charles Gocher in such a fashion, especially for a few bucks!

Don't be a fool, like me - save your money!


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/15/07 - 8/16/07

V/A: Molam - Thai Country Groove From Isan, Vol. 2 CD (Sublime Frequencies) - Whenever the great Sublime Frequencies label releases another batch of CDs, it’s a cause for celebration at the lair of the Sonictroubadour. “Molam - Thai Country Groove From Isan, Vol. 2” is one of two new CDs from Sublime Frequencies featuring authentic archival sounds from Thailand. It focuses on recordings from the 1970’s and 80’s which feature a unique hybrid of traditional Northeastern Thai (the geographic area known as Isan) folk song structures and instrumentation (like the khaen, a bamboo mouth-organ, and the phin, a Thai lute) and modern Western pop and rock influences and instruments. The resultant sound was (and still is!) something entirely new - a mesmerizing blend of organic Asian folk rhythms, hypnotic, bleeding keyboards, repetitive guitar figures, and amazing, jaunty, freestyle vocals*. Although the material on this disc is almost uniformly great, several tracks still deserve special note for their transcendent qualities: “The Generosity Of Our Fans” by White Leg Group, Chai Mungpon’s “Lady With the Big Eyes”, “Two Brothers Leave Town For Bangkok” from Doi Intanon And Group Suthep, “Give Responsibility To the Son-in-Law” from Soonton Chairoogruen (now there’s one in your face rock and roll statement of counter cultural defiance for you, huh?!?), and “Finishing My Business In Burma” by Aungkana Kunchai. Perhaps even better than the first volume, these unique and genre-defying tracks represent another great musical discovery from the fine folks at Sublime Frequencies and are a prime example of the kind of music that fuels the fire of the Sonictroubadour!

I can’t wait to dive into the other new CD from Sublime Frequencies that features authentic archival sounds from Thailand, “Thai Pop Spectacular”, next! Look for a review of it on Sonictroubadour soon.

* One final, related note - The vocals on many of these tracks and the rhythms on a few less sounded to me almost as if they were proto-rap, hip-hop, or, even, in a few cases, DJ “toasting”. That makes me wonder if there is, perhaps, some (as of yet undocumented, at least to my knowledge) connection between this music and those, seemingly, unrelated genres. Could some of these tapes have come back with veterans of Vietnam and to then be picked-up on by their younger brothers? Brothers who later may have become the OG’s of the genre? Obviously, I don’t know, as that is not among my areas of expertise, and it very well may simply be the case that both Molam and Rap/Hip-Hop were influenced, in part, by the same American R & B, Soul, and psychedelic Funk. All I’m certain of is that I detected some strong similarities in these two, otherwise, rather divergent musical styles that may merit further investigation.

If there are any old school Rap/Hip-Hop experts out there who may have something of significance to relate on this matter, I’d surely appreciate your commentary.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/14/07

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ZELIENOPLE: His/Hers LP (TYPE) - As fate would have it, mere days after I first, belatedly, discovered the pleasures of Zelienople (via their 2006 LP “Stone Academy”), comes “His/Hers”, the latest full-length release from this Chicago-based trio. It’s their fifth, overall, and, coincidentally, contains five relatively lengthy tracks. While the material on this album contains similar sonic elements, the band has definitely shifted its focus to the more electric and improvisational aspects of their sound. Two tracks, “Family Beast” and “Parts Are Lost”, feature Zelienople‘s trademark blend of slow motion, hazy, acid folk, with reverb drenched tones, softly spoken vocals/moans and, in general, lots of ambient atmosphere. The beginning segment of the LP’s best track, “Moss Man”, continues in that vein before erupting at around the midway point with a blast of dense, noisy, free improv glory. “Forced March” reverses that approach, opening with an excellent segment of drone rock, before drifting off into a combination of minimal drones and echoing tones. Only the album’s closing track “Sweet Ali”, a very minimal, experimental piece, failed to satisfy. Overall, however, “His/Hers” is another intriguing and engaging collage of sound from Zelienople.


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Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/9/07 - 8/13/07

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MARISSA NADLER: Songs III: Bird on the Water CD (Kemado Records) - On “Songs III: Bird on the Water” Marissa Nadler continues her exploration of both traditional (with the accompanying lyrical themes of death, love lost, and so on) and more modern outre-folk forms. Unlike her approach in making previous albums, where the majority of the tracks were solo performances, on this outing Nadler (who is a talented multi-instrumentalist, in addition to being blessed with an incredibly beautiful singing voice!) receives excellent support from members of the great Espers. On nine of these eleven tracks her vocals and acoustic guitar work are augmented only by minimal embellishments like Otto Hauser’s lysergic bells/percussion on “Dying Breed”, Helena Espvall's excellent string work on "Thinking of You" and “Feathers”, Orion Rigel Dommisse’s haunting keyboards on “My Love And I” and the cover of Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat", and Greg Weeks’ trademark acid leads on “Rachel”. Two tracks, “Mexican Summer” and “Bird On Your Grave”, however, are given a more full band treatment and the combination of droning keyboards and psychedelic guitar takes Nadler’s music to new heights of acid psych beauty. “Songs III: Bird on the Water” is certainly Marissa Nadler’s most fully realized and best effort to date. I look forward with great anticipation to hearing her continuing development on future releases.

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Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/6/07 - 8/8/07

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SUN CITY GIRLS: Beginnings Dark One-Sided 12” (Enterruption) - For hard core collectors like me, a new Sun City Girls one-sided 12”, in a limited edition of 320, with elaborate packaging and lots of cool inserts is an irresistible fetish item. As nice as all those little trinkets and the feeling of smug superiority of being among the limited few, “the cool”, may be, it is still, ultimately, the music that really matters. Unfortunately, the music on "Beginnings Dark" is merely a backwards mastered version of the classic Sun City Girls’ track “The Venerable Song (the meaning of which is still unknown)”. Now look, I realize full well that art, beauty, and merit are in the ear, eye, and mind of the beholder. In addition, I’m no neophyte nor mere dilettante. No, I’ve been exposed to and, in many cases, down with the most extreme forms of sonic art from Anal Cunt and Bertoia to Fluxus and Zeni Geva. So, it’s not that I’m some “square” who just doesn’t “get it" and I'm, therefore, compelled to state it plainly: "Beginnings Dark" is an utter waste of vinyl, time and money on the part of all parties involved, from producers to consumers. I’m still not sure how being a avid collector who supports the scene (and in many ways, not just through the purchase of albums!) means that I deserve to be played for a sucker, but I hope that at least the Bishop Brothers and the “geniuses” at Enterruption are getting a good laugh at me and the other 319 unfortunate saps who bought this turkey.

Since I was truly sincere when I stated that I realize that art, beauty, and merit are in the ear, eye, and mind of the beholder, if any of you readers by some unlikely chance disagree with my assessment and would like to purchase this lovely art project, I’d be glad to part with it for the same fucking $36 I paid for it! Just drop me an email. I won’t be holding my breath, though...


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And All You Conservatives Wonder Why I Don’t Trust “The Private Sector” As Being The Best Way To Handle Everything?!?

Lets examine this recent mine disaster in Utah.

According to a report by Paul Foy of the Associated Press on August 07, 2007, the mine uses a method called "retreat mining," in which pillars of coal are used to hold up an area of the mine's roof. When that area is completely mined, the company pulls the pillar and grabs the useful coal, causing an intentional collapse. Experts say it is one of the most dangerous mining methods.

Robert E. Murray, chairman of Murray Energy Corp. of Cleveland, a part owner of the Crandall Canyon mine said no expense would be spared to save the men. The company had enlisted the help of 200 employees and four rescue crews, and brought in all available equipment from around the state.

*****Yeah, no expense is being spared now, after the fact, when there are probably six dead men who can not benefit from any/all the money and efforts being expended. They probably could have benefitted greatly if the company had made expenditures on safer mining practices. Or, in other words, if the company really cared about their employees’ welfare more than they did about only the “bottom line”, which, I might further note is the only thing they still really care about at this point - saving face and minimizing the financial damage!

The Associated Press report continues:

Government mine inspectors have issued 325 citations against the mine since January 2004, according to a quick analysis of federal Mine Safety and Health Administration online records. Of those, 116 were what the government considered "significant and substantial," meaning they are likely to cause injury.

The 325 safety violations is not unusual, said J. Davitt McAteer, former head of the MHSA and now vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.

"It's not perfect but it's certainly not bad," McAteer said. "It would be in the medium range."

In 2007, inspectors have issued 32 citations against the mine, 14 of them considered significant.

Last month, inspectors cited the mine for violating a rule requiring that at least two separate passageways be designated for escape in an emergency.

It was the third time in less than two years that the mine had been cited for the same problem, according to MSHA records. In 2005, MSHA ordered the mine owners to pay $963 for not having escapeways and the 2006 fine for the same problem was just $60.

Overall, the federal government has ordered the mine owner to pay nearly $152,000 in penalties for its 325 violations with many citations having no fines calculated yet. Since January, the mine owner has paid $130,678 in fines, according to MSHA records.

*****Several interesting and shocking things to note here. 325 citations against the mine since January 2004, of which 116 were what the government considered "significant and substantial" and that’s “not perfect but it's certainly not bad" according to J. Davitt McAteer, former head of the MHSA and now vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University (ah, not only pro-business, right-wing political fundamentalist, but an actual christian fundamentalist, to boot! What a surprise!) in West Virginia?!? Hmm, with attitudes like that, it’s a wonder there aren’t more mining (and other types of industrial) disasters! Am I the only one who thinks that the concept of a mine operator getting 325 citations and it seemingly being no big deal is an indication that there are some serious problems that need to be dealt with, not only at that site, but in the industry, in general?!?

Furthermore, look at the fines imposed for these violations of safety standards, both the fines for individual incidents and the aggregate total. $963 for not having escapeways? The mine owner has paid $130,678 in fines? Uh, please tell me, how much profit did that mine generate during that same period? While I don’t know the answer to that question, I’m willing to wager that those fines are a drop in the bucket compared to their profits. So, what deterrent are those fines? What incentive does the mine operator have to do the right thing, as opposed to rollin’ the dice, taking a chance, and, if all works out well, banking the money? Answer? None, and so they continue to choose profits over the safety of their employees. Nice.

This is why people like me bristle when right-wing fundamentalists insist that the private sector can handle everything better, if it were only left to its own devices. Yeah, in this ever more connected and interdependent world that’s exactly what we need to survive and thrive - the dog eat dog mentality of the Capital Darwinists! Yeah, right.

Upcoming In The Bay Area Clubs...

...lots of good acid folk and free noise:

Monday August 13th - Tom Carter, Fursaxa, Axolotl and Family Underground at 21 Grand, 416 25th Street Oakland, CA

Wednesday August 29th - Marissa Nadler (pictured above!) at the Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA

Wednesday September 19th - Samara Lubelski at 21 Grand, 416 25th Street Oakland, CA

Thursday September 20th - Samara Lubelski at the Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA

Also, Marissa Nadler has a new CD coming out this week "Songs III: Bird on the Water" on Kemado Records, which promises to be very good, as it features major contributions from various members of the great Espers! Look for a review of this new release soon on Sonictroubadour.

Music I Liked And Didn't - 8/1/07 - 8/5/07

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JESU / ELUVIUM: S/T Split LP (Temporary Residence) - This pairing of Justin Broadrick’s Jesu and Eluvium is the second release in a series of split LPs being issued conjointly by Temporary Residence Ltd. and Hydra Head Records. The material on Jesu’s side continues in the vein of their recent “Conqueror ” double LP. The opening track “Farewell” is the longest and best of the side’s three tracks, combining mechanical loops and beats with layers of droning keyboards to create a retro-shoegaze gem. “Blind & Faithless” uses a similar formula, but increases the BPM, to produce a respectable track of almost danceable ethereal dream pop that wouldn’t sound out of place on any number of albums on the 4AD label, circa 1991. The final and least satisfying track “Why Are We Not Perfect?” is a plodding, somewhat electronica-leaning pop dirge. Eluvium’s contribution is the appropriately titled “Time-Travel Of The Sloth Parts I, II, & III”, a fairly standard, side-long, post-rock instrumental dronescape that failed to impress this listener. Enjoyable enough in parts, but hardly essential to anybody other than pathetic Jesu vinyl completists, like me.


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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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Running Count For The Year

Adds 71/82%

Did Not Add 16/18%

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.


Running Count For The Year

Adds 70/81%

Did Not Add 16/19%