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This week's Free Download is "Blood on the Boardwalk" from Starving Weirdos' Offerings at Midnight EP, a special five-track bonus addendum to their latest full-length, Into an Energy. Containing some of the band's droniest excursions, the track at hand features a doom-laden swarm of violins that buzz like flies over the evil, low-end rumble of found sounds and electronics. Musique concrète from the depths of hell. This Week's Featured Downloads
I've no doubt that there's something in the water (or the soil?) up in Humboldt County, California. Starving Weirdos are on their umpteenth release now, but with each psychotropic document they seem to go deeper into the dampened tunnels of the mind, exploring the kind of grimy mentalism left for dead long ago by Sunburned Hand of the Man and their less-blessed peers. Into an Energy is a surprising work; it bears all the hallmarks of a Weirdos album but at the same time is gifted with a focus and pallid gloom maybe only hinted at in their previous releases. It could be a sign of the times, but to me it shows the band's willingness to not only better themselves but move, develop and overcome any trappings one particular 'genre' might have. Opener "Seeing Is Believing (You Decide)" almost owes a penance to the dark ambient pioneers of the past (Lustmord, Illusion of Safety) but blends in an acoustic flavor more reminiscent of Svarte Greiner. This is, however, all executed in such a manner that it's hard to give apt comparisons -- the band's group dynamic gives them a dimension the solo doom set simply don't possess. Through over an hour of murky fuzz, deadpan vocals and scrapes and crackles straight out of the tombs of East Bromwich, the band have set a new standard for themselves and one which should allow them access to a braying throng of virgin listeners. I must say I wasn't quite expecting this, but as I said before, there's something in the water over at Humboldt County and whatever it is, it's transforming Starving Weirdos' Dr. Jekyll into their Mr. Hyde with a great deal of flair and inventiveness. Captivatingly dark and enveloping -- don't miss it. -John Twells
This has got to be one of the most extraordinary blues records I've ever heard, the sole album ever released by Scott Dunbar, a fisherman and guide who was recorded in 1970 at his cabin on Lake Mary near Woodville, Mississippi. It was the debut release from an obscure label called Ahura Mazda Recording Co., which only went on to put out three or four more albums, including a stellar one from Robert Pete Williams, an artist who shares some eccentric stylistic traits with Dunbar. Dunbar doesn't figure too prominently in any blues histories, but this record has definitely become a cult item over the years, with its stark, enigmatic cover and Dunbar's very peculiar approach to music making. With an eerie, and at times totally wordless, falsetto, Dunbar's tunes proceed in the most idiosyncratic fashion, with weird little digressions bracketed by repetitive patterns. Even familiar tracks like "Liza Jane" and "Goodnight Irene" are totally subverted to fit Dunbar's program, changing registers as the mood suits him, or just abandoning lyrics as he either can't remember them, or prefers not to. He constantly accompanies himself with a solid boot resounding off the wood planks of his cabin, and there's always a bit of the good humor you hear in Mississippi John Hurt. Part of the genius of this album, though, is that you get the sense that he's making it up as he goes along, the pure joy of an outsider artist who just doesn't give a s**t and is all about entertaining himself. Highest recommendation for this one folks. -Michael Klausman
The fine folks at Luaka Bop throw their paisley parka in the psychedelic ring with this awesome collection of Technicolor funk from mother Africa. But don't buy this comp expecting to hear Os Mutantes/Sgt. Peppers' style mindbenders. The selections here are a bit more fuzzy, driving and loose like Chambers Brothers, Equals or early Sly. Some of the standout tracks are Manu Dibango's instrumental vibe chiller "Keleya," William Onyeabor's socio-political workout "You Better Change Your Mind," and the heavy Hendrix-esque funk of Ofo and the Black Co.'s "Allah Wakburr." Great stuff!! -Duane Harriott
Standing next to Trojan, Greensleeves is one of the longest-lived reggae imprints. Recently celebrating their 30th anniversary, the label re-released many classic albums from their back catalog along with this solid, two-disc greatest hits collection. Differing from Trojan, Wackies and most of the other current reggae reissue imprints (Pressure Sounds, Blood & Fire, Soul Jazz), the label is still putting out new albums from young talent who are leading the next era of Jamaican music. Working through the years with producers and engineers like Scientist, Henry "Junjo" Lawes, Augustus "Gussie" Clark, King Jammy and Bobby Digital, the overall vibe of a Greensleeves release has been and still is the yard -- the voices and riddims rocking the dance halls and international airwaves. Here we get one disc of classic tracks from Dr. Alimantado, Yellowman, Eek-a-Mouse and Barrington Levy, to name but a few, while disc two moves into the contemporary hits of Shaggy, Sizzla, Elephant Man, Wayne Wonder, among many others. Thirty tracks spanning thirty years, this is a great celebration of vibrant and fresh music, both new and not so old. -Daniel Givens
Perhaps one of the most underrated soul vocalists of our time, Millie Jackson is this brassy queen of "tellin' it like it is." Singing with the same raspy, gospel intensity of Gladys Knight, Jackson was one of the top selling female soul artists of the seventies in spite of the fact that none of her singles ever cracked the top 10 charts during that decade. She's considered to be one of hip-hop's precursors, both in her singing approach and attitude. Over the years, Jackson has gotten a reputation for being a bawdy female Blowfly who makes dirty R&B albums, and she's made a small fortune marketing herself as such. But the truth of the matter is that Jackson just records and writes about frank subject matter and presents it in an explicitly honest way that most artists would be afraid to touch. In other words, my girl keeps it real! These three albums helped establish Millie Jackson as a major star in the early seventies and are some of the era's finest elegant, conceptual soul LPs. Hurt So Good was Jackson's second full-length and is an excellent example of that blaxploitation funk that that so many of us love. By this time, she was starting to develop a half spoken word/half singing narrative approach in her music, similar to that of Barry White and Isaac Hayes. Jackson, however, was way more personal and a bit "realer" than her colleagues. Tunes such as "Hypocrisy" and "Two Faced World" are gritty, frank depictions of fake friends and cheatin' husbands and wives, all presented with stunning soul/funk arrangements provided by the famed Muscle Shoals rhythm section. But the true gem of the bunch is the title track, a beautiful ballad in the vein of Gladys Knight that became Jackson's first and only top 40 pop hit. The song is now considered a classic and has been covered by everyone from Bette Midler to reggae artist Susan Cadogan.
While It Hurt So good was a stellar recording from start to finish, Millie Jackson was just getting warmed up, and less than two years later released her self-produced, cinematic soul masterpiece, Caught Up. Based around her cover of "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Wanna Be Right)," the album starts off with Jackson singing tunes from the view of the mistress, and then for the second half she changes to the perspective of the wronged wife. With stellar, gritty performances, she turned the concept of cheatin' soul on its ear, each song examining the ins and outs of infidelity.
1974's Caught Up was an immediate hit and went on to sell close to a million copies, with no airplay! Jackson quickly released I Got to Try It One Time that same year, but 1975 would find her making a sequel to Caught Up's soap opera drama, with the same three characters. Featuring the funk classic "Leftovers," Still Caught Up would be another near-million seller. In short, these records are some of the most superb and successful soul albums of the era and any fan of Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul, Gloria Jones, or any sort of early-seventies concept soul should definitely investigate. -Duane Harriott
The Long Lost are the duo of Alfred "Daedelus" Darlington and his wife Laura, and their second single from their self-titled debut album features producer and remixer on the rise, Flying Lotus. Laura was featured on both of FlyLo's full-lengths, Los Angeles and 1983, so it's only natural that he would return the favor with two re-workings of "Woebegone." There's a nice spacey, breezy tropical undercurrent running throughout the stop-start rhythm of his first version of the song, but Flying Lotus leaves his distinct signature on the second remix of the track, with thumb pianos, small cymbals and smeared synths all being carried by a choppy -- but still driving -- percussion shuffle. The EP also includes the original version of "Woebegone" and another album track, "The Art of Kissing." -Daniel Givens
More new school dancehall coming your way. Ghislain Poirier's No More Blood EP picks right up where his No Ground Under full-length left us, merging world culture with deeeeep sub-bass and dirty riddims. The title track features vocalist Face-T and is a nice and bouncy steppa in its original form. Deadbeat's remix, however, pushes the tempo and spices things up for the dancefloor while new Warp signing Hudson Mohawke throws the track into the blender, adding some clanky percussion and chopped-n-screwed vocals, the resulting production landing somewhere between Aphex Twin and ragga Jungle.
Ghislain Poirier and Face-T continue to mash t'ings up here with this fierce and stunning blend of soca and electronics. No doubt inspired by his Canadian homeland's embrace of Caribbean culture, Poirier's take on the genre is authentic feeling and is filled with much of the same energy that is expressed during the yearly Carnival that takes place throughout the Southern (and Northern) Hemisphere. Fans of the Bug and Buraka Som Sistema should take note. This EP also features regular Poirier sidemen Mr. Slaughter and MC Zulu. -Daniel Givens |
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