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Free song download of "Connjur," from the new School of Seven Bells album (out October 28, on Ghostly International). On Alpinisms, Benjamin Curtis (ex-Secret Machines) and the Deheza sisters (Claudia and Alejandra) create a tightly woven quilt of electronics and dream pop, with swirling masses of shoegaze guitar, otherworldly vocals, and puzzling religious imagery. A gorgeous, floating, lightly psychedelic record that's guaranteed to please fans of both electronic and indie pop genres.
A rather underrated figure here in the U.S., Michael Chapman is to my mind one of the essential figures to come out of the early seventies British folk rock scene, whose best work is easily on par with that of Bert Jansch, Roy Harper, John Martyn, Bill Fay, etc. His gruff and laconic singing style is instantly recognizable, and his skill on the guitar has only gotten better with age. He made a rare trip to the states a couple years back and recorded a session with former Other Music employee Rob Hatch-Miller for his WFMU program that totally bowled me over; I just could not get over how freaking great he still was, and a burn of that show ended up being one of the things I listened to most that year. I'm happy to report that he has an excellent new album of mostly solo acoustic guitar tracks, and I'll be frank, he can play circles around most of the current crop of fingerpickers. He's really become as good as Fahey was in his prime, and that's not just hyperbole. -Michael Klausman
Piero Umiliani has been one of my favorite Italian composers for quite some time now, a prolific talent who, like Les Baxter and Peter Thomas, toiled away making soundtracks for television, low-budget exploitation films and sound library records. He's also responsible for writing the Benny Hill sex-romp and Muppet Show anthem, "Mah Na Mah Na," and over the years, the late composer's work has been well-regarded and emulated by producers such as David Holmes, Dangermouse and Portishead's Geoff Barrow. Tra Scienza e Fantascienza, however, is a bit of a departure from the cocktail funk of Umiliani's most famous work. Originally released under the name Moggi, this is a killer album of Moog-heavy, science fiction grooves. Similar to the psychedelic, outsider electronics of Bruce Haack, Tra Scienza is chock full of dark, funky soundscapes that swing. "Automa" and "Gadget" are proto hip-hop instrumental breaks that induce spontaneous head-nods, while "Happy Accompaniment" and "Saltarello Marziano" sounds like spacey Krautrock of the highest order. In short, a little something for everybody is offered here. I've just discovered this album, but it's sure to become one of my faves of the genre in no time. Any passing fan of the aforementioned should definitely check this out. -Duane Harriott
Brand new single from the London-based Tim Paris on Tiefschwarz's Souvenir imprint. The French ex-pat built his reputation in the Parisian underground club scene, DJing alongside notables like Chloé, Alexkid and Ivan Smagghe, and is also behind both the Crack & Speed and Marketing Music labels with partner Jef K. Many are probably best acquainted with Paris via his remix of DB (8)'s "Future Now," a bona fide electro-house anthem from a few summers ago. The Likely EP's a-side, "Alike," is a meaty piece of tech-house tinged electro. Anchored by the loop of a live elastic bass line, once the cowbell comes in the track takes on an almost "electronic Liquid Liquid" kind of quality, with bleeps and synth noises working in poly-rhythm against the steady groove. The flip, "Unlike," has a similar MO of organic and electronic sounds, but it's more introspective in tone with Paris tinkering on the synths like a mad scientist. -Gerald Hammill
One of the longest running, and best, UK indie labels celebrates itself in the form of a rather large singles box set. 185 tracks in all, included here are obvious classics by Dead Kennedys, Marc Bolan, and the Runaways, but more interestingly, a plethora of amazing material by an all-star team of post-punk/punk/power-pop/ artists: killer proto-punk by the glammy Hollywood Brats and the lurching Destroy All Monsters, stylish pop by the Monochrome Set and C86 icons Fantastic Something, one of the best '60s freakbeat singles ever (The Misunderstood's "Children of the Sun"), groundbreaking post punk by Eyeless in Gaza and the Passage, gorgeous pre-Everything But The Girl work by Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn, including some of her amazing recordings with the Marine Girls, and even a Can single! I'm only scraping the surface here but if I got any more in depth I'm pretty sure you'd stop reading. Spoil yourself and get the whole thing or catch up some singles you might've missed, or simply explore one of the most important British labels (right up there with Creation and 4AD), either way you're in for a treat and some really great music. -Andreas Knutsen
The exotic, cosmopolitan glam-pop of this multi-national, UK-based group was formed around their mysterious and glamorous Australian lead vocalist, Noosha Fox. Between 1972-76, the band had a significant amount of presence on the lower regions of the European charts, their best-known song being the funky, lite-glam-disco track, "S-s-single Bed," from their third full-length (also featured on the first of Ursula 1000's excellent glam rock comps). But Fox's self-titled debut is still well regarded as one their best records; even Morrissey and Siouxsie Sioux claim to have been fans of the album when they were teenagers. Yet when listening to Fox and looking up live footage of the band, I couldn't help but think of Alison Goldfrapp. Both Alison and Noosha weave a bit of mystery around their image and their voices are unusual in much of the same way. The best tunes on this record sound a bit like make-out music you might hear in a rock-n-roll Giallo film. Songs like "Imagine Me Imagine You" and "Pisces' Baby" benefit from swirling, phased-out guitar treatments and a slinky, trashy vibe that's reminiscent of the best glam rock from that period. The standout track to me, though, is their minor hit "He's Got Magic," which sounds almost like a smacked-out Abba. This is a gentle, glam foot-tapper that boasts some impressive studio trickery and a very sexy lead turn from Noosha. Overall, a wonderful, odd record that can't really be compared to much from the past or present. This might not be for everyone, but those of you who do connect with it will probably wonder why it took so long to discover Fox. -Duane Harriott
The second disc in the Spreading the Word: Early Gospel Recordings box absolutely made this set for me when this four-CD collection was released in 2004. Washington Phillips, Bessie Johnson, the Brother Williams Memphis Sanctified Singers, and the Texas Jubilee Singers all created unforgettable gospel recordings, and their tracks throw open the doors of churches filled with righteous religious fervor. The Washington Phillips recordings are legendary for a reason. First, because so little is known about him, his presence leaves much to speculation and creates a mysterious outsider aura around the songs. Second, we still do not know for sure what instrument makes that angelic sound. Was it the dulceola, celestaphone, fretless zither, or two fretless zithers played at once? Finally, these recordings are pristine for 1927. The Bessie Johnson tracks will blow you away. She sings with a group but throws her voice into an unmistakable false bass that overwhelms the choir. The way her vocal rumbles through these gospel numbers could easily be compared to a female Blind Willie Johnson. There are sixteen known recordings featuring Johnson, and this compilation includes five of the tracks recorded in her name. The Brother Williams Memphis Sanctified Singers have a swinging sound and, with horns and jugs, deliver an idiosyncratic country-blues gospel, while the Texas Jubilee Singers return to a more reverent, church piano-oriented recording. The pianist, however, is unmistakably informed by barrelhouse rolls; the lead female vocals go unbelievably high while the backing choir impeccably harmonizes. Seriously, if you have any interest in old-timey music, gospel, blues, or rural recordings this set is an absolute must. -Brian Cassidy
Yazoo covers some amazing ground here highlighting slide musicians at the peak of their skills. Featuring virtuosos like Curly Weaver, Robert Johnson and Jim & Bob, what makes this compilation so special is the way it displays all the nuances between musicians, regions, and styles. Barbeque Bob made a distinctive Atlanta sound with his slide and twelve-string work; Bukka White -- who gave his cousin, BB King, his first guitar -- plays a relentless, driving, and individualized Bentonian slide; and Kansas Joe, accompanied by Memphis Minnie, displays a popular, urban Tennessee style slide. Playing their Hawaiian tango, Jim & Bob, in theory, should be the odd ones out on the comp, but even this fits. (History has it that turn of the century songsters of the south picked up the slide after a Hawaiian act in a minstrel show passed through their respective towns.) Even with the legends like Black Ace and Robert Johnson's names looming over the competition, the lesser known guitarists steal the show. King Solomon Hill has a falsetto not unlike J.B. Lenoir with guitar playing similar to that of the Natchez hills in Mississippi. Oscar Woods and the Shreveport Home Wreckers from Leadbelly's stomping grounds in Louisiana give anyone on the disc a run for it on "Fence Breakin' Rules." All around, this comp makes you re-listen again and again, scratching your head, thinking, "How do they do that?" -Brian Cassidy
This Costa Mesa, CA-based band's debut album could be described as Beach Boys with balls. Perhaps it's just the lapping waves and carefree summer-time lyrics of the opening track, "Single Fins and Safety Pins," but this album is timely tonic to anyone's fall Seasonal Affective Disorder. The Japanese Motors keep up the garage-cum-surf pop rock energy for the first half of the album before two instrumental interludes change the tone from odes to being drunk to slower more emotional ballads that fare just as well as the faster stuff. "Oh, Brother" and "Holy Cow" are good examples of the group's willingness to diversify their repertoire and take a risk with more depressing material. The latter incorporates a female back-up singer that is a dead ringer for Chan Marshall. It takes some serious balls to end on that note. Lead singer Alex Knost's languid vocals are reminiscent of Lou Reed's, so it's not surprising to hear elements of the Velvet Underground throughout the album. A band to keep your eye on, New Yorkers can check them out at the Bowery Ballroom on Oct. 24th. -Tanya Leet
An inspired pairing of two of our longstanding punk-populist heroes, this great debut album from The Mekons' Jon Langford and The Ex's Kat Ex is everything you might imagine. Kat's powerful, hurky-jerk rhythms and Jon's buzz-saw electric guitar take up arms for the duo's raw and passionate vocals. A true super-duo!
Featured on last year's great Roots of Chicha compilation, Juaneco y su Combo were the Peruvian equivalent of the Beatles. With sweltering rhythms deep-rooted in the selvas, dressed in traditional Indian garb and munching on hallucinogenic jungle vines, the Combo brought chicha out of the Amazon and into the streets of Peru, combining urban cumbia and the huayno of the Andean highlands with surf rock & roll.
Week's after releasing a new Music Tapes record, Elephant 6-er Julian Koster returns with this set of holiday classics played with his instrument of choice, the singing saw. A far sparser endeavor than the outsider orchestrations of his Music Tapes, The Singing Saw at Christmastime showcases the tool-turned-instrument's eerie, lone quivering wail in new, chilly renditions of old favorites like "The First Noel," "Silent Night" and "Silver Bells." |
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