FEATURED NEW RELEASES
Hisato Higuchi
Ruthann Friedman
Razor X Productions (The Bug Vs. Rootsman)
Wayfaring Strangers (Numero Comp.)
Centro-matic
Alan Sorrenti
John Fahey (Yellow Princess)

I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey
Citay
Avon Calling (Various Artists)
Hush Arbors

COMPLETE LIST OF THIS WEEK'S NEW ARRIVALS

HISATO HIGUCHI
2004 11 2005
(Ghost Disc)

"Manazashi"

"Hikari No Rakka"

2004 11 2005 4 is the beguiling first full-length recording from young Japanese guitarist Hisato Higuchi. Released late last year on his own Ghost Disc imprint, it has been slowly gaining momentum through well-deserved word of mouth recommendations and we are now bringing it to you in the hope that this state of affairs continues unabated.

There is something about Higuchi's playing that seems wholly original. Much of the critical commentary about Higuchi has thus far pointed to certain affinities with the work of Loren Mazzacane Connors; this is somewhat off base as there is a constant undercurrent of the blues in Connors' work that is nowhere to be found here. The main point of comparison would probably be in both artists' remarkable use of stillness. I originally played this album late one evening and felt that was probably the most appropriate time for it; yet the feelings and atmospheres evinced on the first listen proved addictive and before long it was being heard in my household morn, noon, and early-evening as well. While he does occasionally sing in a rather spectral and lovely manner, the main attraction is his restrained guitar work. Impossibly expressive with the barest of means and possessed of a tone completely bereft of superficiality, the few notes Higuchi plays are each subtly modulated with feedback or graceful bends. It's as if he's drawing a straight line with a stick of charcoal, periodically exerting pressure on the page or using the flat edges to continually define the contours and possibilities of that line. These songs have the greatest endings of any I've heard in recent memory; they're just so exquisitely subtle and breathtaking in the way they gently open up through slightly-flared feedback and momentary drone. Making an album that works as both a rewarding close listen and lovely room ambience is tough, but I think Higuchi is a major new talent and one I very much look forward to hearing more of in the future. [MK]

"Piper's Call"

"Fairy Prince Rainbow"

Water continues their seamless reissue streak with this '69 find, the lone album by LA-based folksinger Friedman who a few years earlier had found success by penning "Windy" for the Association. Fans of the recent psych-folk implosion (and hallucinogens) could ostensibly crawl inside this gorgeous, unadorned album of lyrical fantasy, gentle yet sturdy acoustic accompaniment, and unmistakable of-the-times demeanor, and quite possibly live contentedly within it forever. Friedman's story is one of a musician who had her fun and celebrated only the positives of the peace & love generation, gingerly avoiding its dark side and remaining unscathed, seemingly with nothing but fond, collectively-experienced memories of being in such an invigorating and pivotal social moment, which included everything from joining Joni Mitchell onstage at the Big Sur Folk Festival to dating Van Dyke Parks, palling around with Dr. John the Night Tripper and living with David Crosby. Another feather in the cap of hindsight being 20/20, this time tipping in its favor. Says on the label that it's recommended for fans of Cat Power and Vashti Bunyan, but Friedman often provides a grounded counterpoint to those artists' flights of fancy. Quite a find. [DM]

$16.99 CD

"Boom Boom Claat"

"Slew Dem"

Razor X Productions is actually the team of the Bug and Rootsman, and their latest album compiles a few twelve-inch and seven-inch singles released over the past year. The title, Killing Sound, couldn't be more appropriate, for over 10 vocal tracks (plus an extra CD of dub versions) they bring the noise into the dancehall. Sharp, piercing, metallic digital rhythms become distorted, time-stretched and all-out destroyed. Titles such as "Killer," "War Start," Child Molester" and "WWW" are obvious clues that this is not for the weak-hearted. Fighting to be heard atop the heavy-metal/grimed-out reggae beats, the likes of Cutty Ranks, Wayne Lonesome, Daddy Freddy, Warrior Queen, He-Man, Mexican, Bongo Chilli, El Freo and Tony Tuff often scream in true toaster style, bringing a full range of emotional intensity to the microphone. Yes, it's hard to handle at times, and this set gives new meaning to the term "banging beats" as the Bug and Rootsman go waaaay beyond the tag of ragga jungle. Hard, frantic, and head-pounding, "Imitator" could blow your eardrums if listened to on the headphones. Killer Sound is truly rhythmic and filled with tensioned-filled noise that could only come from Rephlex and the Bug. Pick hit: Tony Tuff's "I Don't Know," with its staggered hand claps, skittering cymbals and an oddly refreshing use of space and silence providing a much-needed break by the time the song appears. The Bug and Rootsman embrace the same aesthetic as Rhythm and Sound, but their rhythms and sounds (no pun) are the polar opposite--fast and heavy. Hold your lighters high, and your earplugs close. [DG]

"Sister Morphine" Ellen Warshaw

"Cricket" Collie Ryan

Following acclaimed compilations of obscure soul and power pop, the record collectors at Chicago's Numero Group label have turned their attention to female folk singers from the 1970s. One singer on Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies from the Canyon sounds almost exactly like Joni Mitchell. Her name is Caroline Peyton, and her "Engram" is one of the best tracks on the CD. In recent years Peyton's voice has apparently been heard in some Disney cartoons, but you'd never guess that from hearing the song. Barbara Sipple's "Song For Life" reminds me a lot of Kath Bloom, and other artists on the collection sound similar to Judee Sill and Shelagh McDonald. Aside from Ellen Warshaw, whose cover of "Sister Morphine" closes the CD, all of the singers collected here had albums on extremely small private press labels; Warshaw's album came out on Vanguard. There are a lot of pleasant and pretty songs on here, and you're not likely to find them anywhere else. [RH]

"Patience for the Ride"

"I See Through You"

I've lost track of how many albums Denton, TX's Centro-matic have released, but I'm guessing their latest, Fort Recovery, is probably pushing them into the double digits. And that's not counting starker sister group South San Gabriel's two albums. Formed during the mid-'90s as a musical vehicle for prolific songwriter Will Johnson, along the way the band has developed a very devoted following. Even if their name isn't as widely known as other Americana-influenced "indie" bands like the Drive-By Truckers, My Morning Jacket and Wilco, that's not to imply that Centro-Matic is any less accessible. After a decade of music making, Johnson and Co. continue to get better with each record, and their latest, Fort Recovery, is no exception. While there seems to be a little more studio polish, including tiny bits of electronic accents, it's by no means to the scope of Wilco's Jim O'Rourke-produced Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Centro-matic's guitars have never been as scorching, and there seems to be a heavier bottom to the whole mix, but at the heart are Johnson's melancholic songs. Here, his unmistakably gruff-voiced melodies are still shambolic and cerebral, but they're also more direct than before. Even when the band is rocking out like Crazy Horse, there's an equally keen focus on songcraft, often by way of a soaring vocal dueling with the guitar solo. Quite honestly, a majority of the current crop of alt-country-meets-indie rock bands bore me to tears, but Centro-matic are one of the rare few that make we want to stop and listen, again and again. [GH]

ALAN SORRENTI
Alan Sorrenti
(EMI Italy)

"Dicitencello Vuje"

"Ma Tu Mi Ascolti"

A hugely successful star in Italy, Sorrenti actually began his career as a very willful avant-gardist, and this third release of his from 1974 documents the transition he began to make from experimentation into pop aspiration. Despite being laden with a number of engaging eccentricities, at the time of its release the album was generally reviled by Sorrenti's hardcore fans as an example of crass commercialism. In hindsight this view is absurd, but no doubt some may be wondering why we aren't reviewing his first two records, in particular his debut from 1972, Aria, a justly recognized classic of atmospheric psych-folk. Well, perhaps we will one day as they certainly deserve to be heard, but it's Sorrenti's eponymous third I'm finding the most thrilling at the moment.

Born in Naples to a Welsh mother, Sorrenti was part of a scene that also included fellow Neapolitan Luciano Cilio. His first album was released by Harvest, and Sorrenti garnered positive accolades in comparison to Starsailor-era Tim Buckley, which is apt as both men were pushing the expressive boundaries of the human voice. In Sorrenti's case this could lead to being almost too unhinged, by his third release these tendencies were somewhat tempered, and though he still retained the expressiveness and beauty of previous albums, he replaced the endless atmosphere with a buoyancy that allowed for vocal freedom in service of the song. The instrumentation is still supple and gorgeous, eschewing the proggy flamboyancy of a lot of Italian pop music of the day. At times Sorrenti's acoustic ruminations even remind one of the second half of Neil Young's On the Beach, as each song is given time to expand and reach its proper conclusion. It was a near perfect combination of pop pretension and experimentation but it didn't last long, a year later he was making dance music and climbing the charts, never to venture into this territory again. [MK]

JOHN FAHEY
The Yellow Princes
(Vanguard)

"Charles A. Lee: In Memoriam"

"Steel Guitar Medley"

A chance to reappraise the genius of steel-string master John Fahey is always a welcome one. Coming a few years after his passing, Vanguard has reissued one of his many watermarks from the late-'60s, The Yellow Princess. Prolific on his own label, Fahey's signing to Vanguard expanded his audience. Given Fahey's contrarian tendencies, it also gave him space to go against expectations, something Fahey relished throughout his life. Take for example Requia, which featured sparkling finger-picking on one half, only to play against a bizarro collage of tape-noise and Nazi marches on the second side. Yellow Princess continues that tradition of pissing off puritan folkies with Fahey playing against recordings of bridge traffic and the rhythm section of Spirit. It's one thing to be contrarian just for the sake of it, but the results Fahey gets here are just stunning. If you've been intimidated by the man's enormous catalog, this is as good an entry point as any. [AB]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey
(Vanguard)

"Variation on 'Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion at Magruder Park'" Sufjan Stevens

"Sligo River Blues" Devendra Banhart

To accompany the re-release of The Yellow Princess comes this tribute album curated by M. Ward. We're not so hot on tribute records for the most part, but this is about as pleasing a listen as there's been of late. Big names abound: Sufjan Stevens, Devendra Banhart, Lee Ranaldo, but for the most part ego is suppressed to focus on the matter at hand, making John Fahey's music resound in the 21st century. The biggest surprises are the full-group renditions of original solo guitar outings. The Fruitbats and Calexico elicit dreamy big band interpretations of the man, while Cul de Sac get all Joe Meek on their tune, loading it up with fine surf noise. The sequencing is impeccable and this is the most listenable multi-artist disc we've come across in some time. [AB]

CITAY
Citay
(Important)

"Seasons Don't Fear the Year"

"Shalom of Safed"

A new collaboration between a Piano Magic and a Fucking Champ--which does little to help describe this project which seeks to explore the space between acoustic Zeppelin, early Heart and Queen II!? As ripe for irony as that sounds, these guys do a good job of mining the whole Eastern-influenced 12-string jangle with ultra-condensed, gently winding guitar solos woven through. Equal parts Smashing Pumpkins (without the crescendos) and Erkin Koray. A good road trip record that satisfies the need for something new that isn't new. (What?) [SM]

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Avon Calling
(Cherry Red)

"What You've Got" Directors

"Christine Keeler" Glaxo Babies

Massive 45-track compilation chronicling the history of Bristol's Heartbeat Records, which remained unjustly overshadowed by Rough Trade, Factory, and Cherry Red. Centered around Avon Calling, an album that gathered the top tier of Bristol's class of '79, this two-CD set delivers on all accounts. The packaging is top notch, including a 40-page booklet with liners by Gerard Langley (Blue Aeroplanes!) and scans of all the original 45s, and the music is consistently fantastic and varied. The first disc contains the original 15 songs on the Avon Calling LP and six bonus tracks, most prominently a track by Glaxo Babies, which featured ex-members of Pop Group and were partly responsible for spawning Maximum Joy, and other gems such as the New Age Steppers/Slits-styled Double Vision, the blazing yet melodic punk rock of Stereo Models, and Apartment, Bristol's own Television.

The second disc, "The Heartbeat Singles Collection," is self-explanatory, and worth the price of admission for the three brilliant art punk singles by Glaxo Babies ("This is your Life," "Christine Keeler" and "Shake") alone. Twenty-four tracks in total, the rest is a great blend of new wave, post-punk, power pop, with the female fronted Skodas (Kleenex fans take note) and the Art Objects, whose spoken word cynicism predate and outshine Art Brut, as standouts. Not just another footnote in pop history, Avon Calling is essential listening and a great value for the money. [AK]

HUSH ARBORS
Hush Arbors
(Digitalis)

"Wait for a While"

"Magic Wood"

Hush Arbor's eponymous CD is an album of raw, ethereal singer/songwriter stuff, full of ambience, delay and the occasional drone-out. The atmosphere is similar to later Flying Saucer Attack but it's more intimate and less "cosmic." A few of the tracks sport wavering off-key notes that are vaguely reminiscent of Will Oldham. Simple, intimate psychedelic atmosphere and low-key vocals done in an organic, underground style. [SM]

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[AB] Adrian Burkholder
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[RH] Rob Hatch-Miller
[MK] Michael Klausman
[AK] Andreas Knutsen
[DM] Doug Mosurock
[SM] Scott Mou


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