bonetopia

OK.

2010-06-06T17:39:00.001-05:00

I've decided to move the majority of my operations over here. No good reason really, just wanted to start something new. Various house mixes will be appearing soon.

Back in the game

2010-06-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

The returned a week to the day of sending it off for repairs. We're rolling again. Posts will probably become more frequent and all things can return to normal once again! Hurrah!

April Top 5, so far

2010-04-23T19:47:00.000-05:00

1. About two to three weeks away from resurrecting my laptop.

2. RVNG Intl's April playlist

3. Ariel Pink's Round and Round

4. The Capricorn Vertical Slum

5. The cassette section at Rudy's Record Haven. I had no idea it existed until today

NEW ZEN

2010-02-02T02:36:00.001-06:00

2010-02-02T02:22:00.003-06:00

continued communications

2010-01-12T01:48:00.001-06:00

Three songs have entered the Shahs live repertoire: "Double," "Pocket Gypsy," and "Too Old." Some titles may be shifted around as the lyrics continue to be revised but knowing me it's probably doubtful.

Another song, "Minder," is written but will probably not be performed live. A version of it will appear on the next EP (entitled Pocket Gypsy) which will be be recorded some time in the next month and appear as a CDR.

NEXT YEARS

2009-12-27T20:54:00.000-06:00

We've been debating song titles on new Shahs songs. Tentative codes may be "Double" and/or "Noon Bones." We're working on it. Lyrics forthcoming. Possible mp3s too, but we'll see.

Another EP is sitting in the wings, also untitled. It'll be out by February, it'll beat the full length, Dry Heat/Valley Low, which is looking to be pushed back to late March or early April.

Dinosaur L - Go Bang

2009-12-23T17:53:00.000-06:00

Dinosaur L featuring Lola Love (James Brown) and produced by Arthur Russell.

In my head all damn day.

Merry X-mas!

2009-11-14T20:55:00.002-06:00

2009-11-11T13:34:00.001-06:00

2009-11-07T13:19:00.001-06:00

2009-11-06T04:03:00.001-06:00

2009-11-05T15:37:00.001-06:00

2009-11-04T22:45:00.001-06:00

BONETOPIA Top 5

2009-11-04T22:09:00.001-06:00

1. John Cale. I suppose at this point it's fairly obvious that I have an unnatural fascination with this man. To me he is the preeminent musical genius of the last century. The Velvets and Lou Reed be damned (though I'm not against their contributions), I have been a Cale fan through and through. Listening to his album Fear this evening, I was reminded that there really is nothing this man cannot express with something as simple as the human voice. It's expressive and as a singer, I have the ultimate respect for a man that can pour so much into something so raw as a pure vocal. It's a little uncanny. Kudos to Cale.

2. Iza I started working at an Asian fusion restaurant known as Iza last week. While I've always dreamed of working the back-of-the-house and cooking quality food for quality people, I never realized A) how difficult it may be to get it right and B) how fun there is to the job. Theo, my Head Chef, is a fucking genius. Indonesian born, Seattle weaned and otherwise drenched in the kitchen world, his ideas and ability are absolutely stellar. Him and his co-owner, Tobin, are two of the greatest bosses I've ever had and the food we produce is the best pan-Asian you'll find in the mountains. Hands down.

3. Porkpie Hats Since I've moved to Missoula I've been in LOVE with my porkpie. Japan apparently loves them too:

Cool. I think a man always looks classy in dress-ware. It's becoming, slimming, and generally exudes a flair that is difficult to summon otherwise. Porkpie. Great name.

4. David Byrne Journal This has probably been one of the most endlessly rewarding and insightful blogs by any celebrity in recent memory. The last thing I read was a surprisingly well researched and entertaining entry on the history of the Internet, music digitization, and the cultural effects of both. Fantastic.

At times it's little more than a tour diary but if you've ever been a fan of the Talking Heads (they're not too far down from Cale in my pantheon) it's always a fun read. Byrne has been a prolific and interesting artist in his own right and the blog goes a good way in representing his work. Check it.

5. Oneohtrix Point Never Though a recent obsession, Oneohtrix Point Never has astounded me. The singularity of mood is a quality I regard Highly in the musicians I spend time listening to. His work has been captivating, invigorating, and slightly irritating to my housemates. I love it.

2009-11-03T15:09:00.001-06:00

2009-11-03T02:02:00.002-06:00

2009-10-26T14:35:00.001-05:00

2009-10-26T08:02:00.001-05:00

2009-10-25T13:10:00.003-05:00

2009-10-23T18:26:00.001-05:00

2009-10-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

Shahs, Forkcast

2009-10-15T13:32:00.002-05:00

Pitchfork liked "Pablo Picasso" enough to write a little blurb and throw the mp3 up on their Forkcast thing.

Link if you're interested.

2009-10-15T11:17:00.001-05:00

everything smells like 3AM perkins coffee

2009-10-14T00:27:00.000-05:00

MARY LOU

in my mind you are soft and frail
you are hidden now deep in buried shale

2009-10-13T11:08:00.001-05:00

2009-10-12T15:23:00.001-05:00

2009-10-11T22:14:00.001-05:00

2009-10-11T22:11:00.001-05:00

hexagon + hexagon

2009-10-11T19:42:00.002-05:00

Two shows. One played last evening (to one of the weakest Saturday crowds I've seen) and another in two weeks. Both at the Hexagon Bar. Shahs is "busy" before we move to Missoula.

Next one is a benefit for PLANNED PARENTHOOD.

To reiterate too I'm gonna plug the new EP:

GUTS

There. That's done.

Cee Dee Arrr

2009-09-02T02:22:00.002-05:00

My band, Shahs, released a CDR earlier this summer. It sold surprisingly quickly. While you are more than welcome to purchase the physical article here, I feel like I should make this available to large amounts of folks.

The link below is for the entire EP in mp3 form.

Shahs - Divine Interest EP

Hello Nerd Heaven

2009-09-02T01:00:00.003-05:00

Nerd Heaven. That's where I've gone. After not reading seriously for at least a year the whole enterprise has that new car smell smell. Still. I'm gonna finish reading the current book and give this blog a rest until i'm done. Sorry folks.

I may break the pact soon though, posting once usually gets me in the mood to post more often.

Diamond Black Hearted Boy

2009-07-28T15:29:00.005-05:00

I know next to nothing about Richmond, Virginia, let alone its music scene. You could call it chance then, that I happened upon Diamond Black Hearted Boy randomly on the internet. Impressed isn't a word I'd necessarily use. Listening to this guy for the first time was more akin to a paradigm shift. Chino Amobi, the brains behind DBHB, composes his music with familiar sounds but his frame of reference is so obscured and private that the underlying language at work here would be indecipherable to anyone but him. Not to say this isn't amazing. It is.

At first glance, Diamond's music is like a darker, scarier brand of hip hop. He doesn't really rap though. He barely sings. He talks sometimes. Kinda. Chopped samples, slow vintage keyboard sounds, off-tempo drum machines, drugged vocals amidst a cloud of haze... The soundscapes are immediately intoxicating. On most of the tracks they completely surround you.

Two EPs are available for free online. I've grabbed both and compiled them into a single folder to ease the downloading...

I really recommend this. Diamond Black Hearted Boy has opened my eyes to some serious next levelisms that I hope Richmond will be spewing across the country any day now.

Diamond Black Hearted Boy - Untitled EP / Skinhead Lover's Rock EP

John Cale & Terry Riley b/w Blues Control

2009-07-23T16:48:00.004-05:00

I don't think I've yet posted two albums that are more alike than John Cale & Terry Riley's Church of Anthrax and Blues Control's Local Flavor. Seriously. While I'm not trying to step on the toes of two giants like Cale and Riley, I'm saying that the obvious heirs to their one-off 1971 LP has got to be these weirdo musicians out of New York. Local Flavor came out in 2009 no less...

In an odd way it reminds me of an interview with Brian Eno featured on that newish Scott Walker documentary, 30th Century Man...he mentioned that nearly every band he hears today sounds like the Talking Heads or Roxy Music or whatever. It was all done first in the 1970s and little has moved beyond that. He was referencing the fact that Walker actually had progressed musically, but if Blues Control are beginning to draw on Church of Anthrax as a point of reference, I'm pretty pleased. The world does not need yet another band to sound like Joy Division. I could, however, stand some more droned out horn noodling goodness. Thanks guys.

John Cale & Terry Riley - Church of Anthrax
Blues Control - Local Flavor

Television Personalities b/w Velvet Davenport

2009-07-23T16:24:00.002-05:00

In a lot of ways I feel like a latecomer to Television Personalities. I am. No hiding I suppose. My knowledge of this group consists of the song "Silly Girl" (I love it) and not much else.

Guess what? I don't think I can say much more than that. I'm still a novice on this record. If you're a member of the TVP-less elite I was once a part of...you should listen too.

Velvet Davenport is a great local group out of Minneapolis here and though they're definitely lumped in with the recent trend of lo-fi pop music, they're a bit mature for that. "Skits" between songs and odd noises permeate all the air surrounding some really Kinks-tinged pop mini-masterpieces. The Kinks comparison is apt even in the inconsistent use of a British accent...these guys have an ear for near regal melodies. It's really a whole lot of fun.

Television Personalities - And Don't the Kids Just Love It
Velvet Davenport - Happy Ending

Sun Araw b/w Parasites of the Western World

2009-07-21T00:15:00.007-05:00

No more pictures.

KIDDING!!!!

Sun Araw went and surprised the hell out of me. I'm not getting some drone record put out by rock dudes who think it's hilarious to flood the fun scene with things that aren't fun. No Revolutionary War costumes. No strange Christmas lights.

They've gone and made "drone" fun again. Funky. Good for them. It's about time those super-serious fucks made a good time of themselves...

And man...

Parasites of the Western World are phenomenal. I know so very little but I love this album so much. Picked it up on the venerable MUTANT SOUNDS some time ago and it really caught on. I mean just about every song is different and they're all good together and...you see? I'm losing my ability to describe things become I have this record on right now. Anyways. The always impressive Destijl is reissuing it on vinyl pretty soon and you'll capitulate if you really agree with me. Lord knows I'm buying a copy.

From the 1970s we're greeted with noise, odd pop, proto punk...JESUS!!!

Listen. It's all there. My lack of adjectives is directly connected to the amount of drink I've had tonight. Sorries for that insurmountable hurdle. Time will heal us all and I hope these records act as yer bandaids.

Sun Araw - Heavy Deeds
Parasites of the Western World - s/t

Thanks

2009-07-19T10:49:00.004-05:00

Thanks to everyone that came out to my Divine Interest release show on Wednesday. I realized I hadn't written anything about it until today and I figured that those kudos were due. THANKS EVERYBODY. As drunk as I unfortunately was, we all made that show an entertaining explosion of good vibes. Cheers.

A friend Vanessa made this sweet animated GIF from the proceedings:

Pretty neat. Thanks Vanessa.

In SHAHS news, I've decided to release two little things before the full length (tentatively titled Dry Heat, Valley Low) comes out next year. First, a VERY short run (like 20) of a one-song CDR-single of the tune "Ben Brockway" will be out as soon as the real Ben Brockway completes the artwork and I get the cds burned. Second, I'm working on a pretty noisy experiment partly inspired by my love of John Cale's career. It's going to be another CDR EP...no idea on song number or length...and it's going to be called GUTS.

More news on the LP will come as work progresses...the rest of the summer is going to be lax on the work though...

TEETH!!!

2009-07-19T10:14:00.004-05:00

Wow.

Since my laptop has been incommunicado for the last, i don't know...two months(?)...I've been wandering the internets on my loving family's set of home computers. It's insane how many computers these people have. Needless to say, the digital versions of the music I love can't be reached. Sharing would make us all happier but for now we'll have to settle for some improvisation.

i.e., I've been scouring myspace for some interesting stuffs happening and it's not letting me down. Teeth!!! is one group I've found. I believe they're a trio out of Dalston, UK, and lucky for us they've made two four song EPs available for free download. It's a bummer that my current favorite song of theirs, "Dead Boys," isn't on either, but i'm hoping it'll appear on a 7" they're promising to release in September.

Of the two EPs, I'm just gonna say that both are a mixed morass of glitched weirdness, garage bravado, and a ton of fun. "FREE JAMZ 4 EVR" haunts the more electronic end, "Free Willy" completes the circle in a rush of drums and noises. They've been keeping me company this summer as I sit crying next to the busted DC jack on the old laptop....thanks guys...I'll never be alone again.

Free Willy EP
FREE JAMZ 4 EVR

SHAHS -- DIVINE INTEREST

2009-07-11T19:34:00.004-05:00

Shahs, my band, is releasing an EP on the 15th of July. That is this Wednesday.

Songs from it may be heard at the Myspace page linked to above. Though I may have mentioned they would be available for $3 locally, at the moment, I will have to ask for $5 per CDR. Domestic costs will be $6 post paid, International will be $8. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Inquiries may be sent to oartopia (at) gmail.com or the Myspace page linked to above.

Shahs - Divine Interest

2009-06-23T17:35:00.005-05:00

(ARTWORK FORTHCOMING)

Not only is my band Shahs finally beginning to play shows again, I've decided to crudely record some stuff quick and throw out a CDR entitled Divine Interest for the summer. The proper record I've been working on with Mark McGee of To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie is still on the burner, I don't imagine it'll be finished until the end of the year. Maybe longer.

You can hear a number of the tracks from Divine Interest, the Shahs EP, on the myspace site linked above. If you're interested in a copy I think I'm gonna sell them at $3 in town and $6 for domestic orders (shipping included). Those prices could change. I can be reached at oartopia (at) gmail.com.

2009-06-19T15:51:00.001-05:00

(())(())(())(())

2009-06-10T01:56:00.003-05:00

Hiatus

2009-06-06T01:52:00.007-05:00

So the dumbest thing happened to me.

I've been having this tendency to bring my computer all over the place lately and I bike. Getting into accidents is pretty bad for the bike and pretty bad for my body, at least sometimes. Luckily neither was damaged this time around. The computer however needs the power jack repaired. I'm really surprised that's all that happened. Still, I'm caught between pay checks and I've been one of those people living week for week for years. It'll be a few before I can start posting again in earnest. Big sorries. I'm miffed myself.

p.s. I should mention that the new Ducktails LP on Not Not Fun is kind of awesome. This newish "tropical" psych fascination is something I think I've been waiting for for a very long time. Funny how mini trends can seemingly arrive fully formed for you like they've been plucked from your mind. Way to go Ducktails. You rule.

Virgin Insanity b/w Amen Dunes

2009-06-02T18:45:00.003-05:00

Virgin Insanity's Illusions of the Maintenance Man was the unsuspecting friend I didn't think was sitting there staring out from the corner. A number of words have been spilled already comparing these Texans to Loaded era VU...it's understandable. I want to use some way of explaining them but "untrained" is the best I can come up with at the moment. Don't think that means anything derisive.

Originally released privately and in a very short run (like 100 or something were made), this has been in heavy collector territory for quite a while. Luckily, Destijl Recs reissued it a few years ago. Unfortunately, that version isn't easy to find so much anymore either.

Amen Dunes' Dia was a welcome surprise. I first discovered it reading one of the more recent posts on Blogstitude, the errant blog-arm of the wonderful Blastitude webzine. Dude sang its praises, my interest was piqued, etc. etc. etc. Now I'm throwing it your way.

Amen Dunes is the nom de plume of Damon McMahon and this album is the result of hours and hours and hours completely alone in a cabin in the Catskills. This is loner psych at some of its finest. I've been thinking recently that my jaded tastes needed a short kick and happily I've been granted one. Enjoy.

Virgin Insanity - Illusions of the Maintainance Man
Amen Dunes - Dia

Niew Hip Stilen b/w Adam & the Ants

2009-05-27T21:16:00.003-05:00

Brussel (Bruxelles) (above)
+
Berlin (below)

This is an odd pair. Kinda. It's been a little over a week since I returned to Minneapolis from a month long European tour. This and a number of my future posts will delve a little into that trip.

I was touring as a member of To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie playing drums, some keyboards, electronics, and a little voice.

These first two records are emblematic of two cities I loved. In Brussels, we played at Les Ateliers Claus run by an intimidatingly large Belgian man named Frans Claus. On our first night there he regaled us all with a fantastic beer named La Chouffe and his extensive record collection. A bunch of the material he played stands out but for this post I chose Niew Hip Stilen's Heartsounds & Murmurs. I managed to snag the album off of the venerable Mutant Sounds and I'm pretty thankful for it. It's odd Flemish post-punk. It'll always remind me of Belgium.

Second, is Adam & the Ant's first record: Dirk Wears White Socks. After a particularly dramatic first night in Berlin what remained of the band and I entered the vegan cafe we'd been playing the night previous to pick up our gear. This album was playing. The owner, Mische (sp?) was one of the most amazing people we'd met all tour and the fact that we'd similar tastes in music only endeared him to me more. Now that I think about it, I probably couldn't say enough good things about that man.

More is gonna come later. I promise. I know I haven't been posting in a forever and I promise there'll be some better stories making their way to this little blog. Keep in touch, etc. etc.

Niew Hip Stilen - Heartsounds & Murmurs
Adam & the Ants - Dirk Wears White Socks

Oh Shit

2009-03-31T22:47:00.002-05:00

I finally wired a way to allow me to start making vinyl rips. Unfortunately, I don't have the greatest tech level and everything I've managed to test has been mono only. That's fine, sure, for some of the weird world stuff and some of the older recordings I've got dinking around, but it's less-than-ideal for everything. Oh well. I've only got a laptop. This'll have to do.

Faust b/w The Holy Mountain OST

2009-03-29T18:57:00.006-05:00

I've been soured in what passes for a funk these days. These albums are either taking the edge off or prolonging the mood. I can't decide which.

Faust - IV
The Holy Mountain - Original Soundtrack

Bonetopia Mix #1

2009-03-27T22:24:00.003-05:00

That's my friend Mark up there. He likes good music sometimes.

What we have here is the first house mix we at Bonetopia have deigned ready-for-consumption. So sit back, download, don't download, whatever, and listen to the sounds that've been haunting Haus Bonetopia for the last few days.

This is the track listing if you just MUST know:

Jorge Ben - Quem Cochicha o Rabo Espicha
Liquid Liquid - Rubbermiro
Dennis Bovell - Electrocharge
I.U.D. - Daddy
Skoal Kodiak - Pinecone
Can - I Want More
Milton Nascimento - Saidas e Bandeiras
Maximum Joy - White & Green Place
Mark Stewart - Liberty City

listen to it from here.

Not really an update

2009-03-24T19:24:00.003-05:00

Today I was thinking about posting some more albums, but I got sidetracked drawing this picture:

And I've been listening to this guy:

Sorry. I ordered the new I.U.D. album from the wonderful folks at Social Registry. I seem to remember responding to their street team requests a few years ago, getting one response and then nothing. Wondering if the whole enterprise has kinda fallen off. I dunno. I'm pretty excited for the record.

Look here:

A couple people have said, I'll join 'em sure, but this cover really reminds me of this one:

Oh well. We'll see how it sounds. The LP should get here in like a week or so. YAY!

Songs in the head: Can

2009-03-21T22:04:00.002-05:00

I'm really need it to be summer right now.

Raincoats b/w I.U.D

2009-03-18T21:07:00.003-05:00

Raincoats (above)
+
I.U.D. (below)

I love "The Void." In the last six months that I've had this Raincoat's album, it's become one of my favorite songs. What I like about it is really difficult to quantify. It's a lot like a particular ex-girlfriend of mine I was supposed to meet up with twenty minutes ago. I'll be late, I know she won't mind. She was the first lady I've ever dated that interrogated me when "I love you" started coming out of our mouths. Never really thought to ask her the same questions she was asking me but at the time I was too on-the-defensive to think straight. "Why?" is probably the worst question to be asked when you tell somebody you love them. It asks for an immediate explanation of feelings that by my definition, really defy rational thought.

By all barometers I'm familiar with, I should probably maintain indifference for this record. But that, for a fact, would be impossible. I'll say one thing for sure: the Raincoats cover of The Kinks' "Lola" is better than the original. That's the song that introduced me to this band. Got that, grabbed the album, heard the rest of it, fell in love. It's the simple truth.

And then there's I.U.D. who I should immediately adore due to Lizzy's (Gang Gang Dance's singer) involvement, but man, I hated this shit when I first got my hands on it. Again, I can't really explain why. Maybe I wasn't in the mood or ready to really "understand" what they were going for. It's pretty ridiculous, but I love it now. Like I said, it's Lizzy from GGD and Sadie Laska from Growing. This 7" is to date the only thing (I think) they've released. A cursory check on the interwebs seems to say that they'll be releasing a debut album later this month. I'm pretty excited now that I got a handle on 'em.

Raincoats - The Raincoats
I.U.D. - The Social Registry Club no. 5 7"

Arthur Russell b/w Wet Hair

2009-03-16T11:24:00.007-05:00

Arthur Russell (above)
+
Wet Hair (below)

These albums have a lot more in common then whatever you may think about that video. Arthur Russell was not dancing and grumbling through AIDS in World of Echo. What he's doing instead? Good question. As I understand it, the man was a cellist obsessed with minimalism and odd textures. He also ran The Kitchen for a time in the 1970s, incurring some ire from the avant-garde establishment there for curating The Modern Lovers and Talking Heads. World of Echo doesn't sound like either of those bands; it's an exercise in restraint (I love those words together) and a pretty impressive document. Most of the songs consist of solo cello (albeit heavily affected) and voice. It's sad as hell, don't bring this to a party.

Wet Hair won't sing to you like Mr. Russell. Not at all. It's Shawn Reed from Raccoo-oo-oon mostly, bleating off electronics and other things with an insistency that reminded me first of the one time I caught Raccoo-oo-oon live, and then our late Arthur Russell. The atmospheres these albums create side by side really does seem to come from a similar place. There's something more celebratory in the Wet Hair record, sure, but it's still shuffling the same set of cards.

Arthur Russell - World of Echo
Wet Hair - Wet Hair

Songs in the head: Arthur Russell

2009-03-16T03:45:00.003-05:00

I won't say this is isn't cheesy, but it's been in my head. Jesus, I'm almost afraid to admit I really like this. It's like once the beat comes in I'm reminded of listening to Dire Straits in the car with my dad on our way to Denver and midway through he switches over to Genesis' Invisible Touch and I can't decide whether I love the moment or wanna claw at the window.

Songs in the head: Bo Diddley

2009-03-15T19:53:00.002-05:00

I stand by my assertion that this man created gangsta rap in the 1950s.

Mayo Thompson b/w Tirez Tirez

2009-03-15T14:38:00.004-05:00

Mayo Thompson (above)
+
Tirez Tirez (below)

Such gentlemen!

I had such a hard time today trying to find some record-of-note that was released in the last 10 years that I could feel halfway good about comparing to Mayo's Corky's Debt to His Father. Either I'm not looking hard enough, I've got too many scruples, or little of this modern music excites me. Tirez Tirez's Etudes is the best I could do under a self imposed diress. I'm not pretending it really sounds at all like Mayo, but I think both records show a practiced restraint and (apparently) impeccable fashion sense.

I discovered Tirez Tirez via the reputable Mutant Sounds blog and I don't think it would be disingenuous to join that him in the saying that man, this Tirez Tirez record really sounds like something the Talking Heads would've done. Funny enough, they opened for Byrne et. al. in 1978 when they toured into Kansas City and then promptly moved to New York where frontman (and only constant member) Mikel Rouse would later collaborate with members of Tuxedomoon and venture away from rock into the world of CLASSICAL COMPOSITION. Let's all assume that explains the suit.

Mayo Thompson, frontman (and only constant member) of Red Krayola, released this oddball collection of folk and folk-rock diddies in 1970. Lyrically, it's near the top of my top ten. A friend of mine posited a pretty involved theory regarding the loose story Corky's Debt to His Father seems to articulate. It's based on the premise that Corky (who you'd assume is singing in the first person through much of the album) is given time with a prostitute by his father and subsequently schooled in the mysteries of women. Further issues are explored as the songs progress but most seem to refer to this prior incident. I have no idea if this is anywhere close to what Mayo had set out to do, it's just my friend's theory. I don't even think I'm explaining it correctly. It'd be awesome if he had a blog where pressing issues like this could be hashed out ad infinitum but hell, I don't think the dude even has a computer.

That's not a bad thing, by the way.

Mayo Thompson - Corky's Debt to His Father
Tirez Tirez - Etudes (part 1)
Tirez Tirez - Etudes (part 2)

Dennis Bovell b/w Dennis Bovell

2009-03-15T00:23:00.004-05:00

Dude entered my radar by producing The Pop Group's Y and The Slits' Cut, two records I hold very close to my heart. If you're familiar at all with those you may have some idea what we're getting into. These are both dub and good ways to remember what summer used to feel like.

Dennis Bovell - I Wah Dub
Dennis Bovell - Strictly Dub Wize

Cleaning house.

2009-03-14T23:37:00.004-05:00

Kinda. I don't know or have the patience to learn all of the CSS (is that really the language?) to make this blog look exactly like I want it to look. This appeared adequetely ridiculous for my ends. I hope you love this dumb page as much as I loved eating popcorn, watching Generation Kill and not adding any music or finishing my last post.

This is about as far as I'm getting tonight.

This Heat b/w Scott Walker

2009-03-12T05:01:00.005-05:00

This Heat (above)
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Scott Walker (below)

Ok, so I've been putting off writing any kind of blurb for this upload for SO MUCH TIME. Truthfully, I'm not sure of what I could say.

This Heat's Deceit has become a kind of touchstone for god knows how many musicians nowadays, myself included. It's been touted as the missing link between the progressive rock of the 1970s and the more art house post-punk teetering between that decade and the 1980s. Not a bad thought. Let's go with that.

As This Heat skillfully deconstructed the rock music of the 1970s, Scott Walker appears to have completely dismantled the music of his own career. If you'd listened to his first album I posted previously, you'll get an idea as to what I'm talking about. He was a crooner at one time. He still croons....kinda. His voice has winnowed into its own shadow, warbling around what he's been known to call "blocks of sound." It's brilliant and terrifying. I don't know what else to say.

This Heat - Deceit
Scott Walker - The Drift

Scott Walker b/w John Maus

2009-03-11T13:04:00.005-05:00

Scott Walker (above)
+
John Maus (below)

Owing to my admission of white guilt the last time around, here's two albums that are indisputably vanilla. None of this is "heavy" in any way.

Scott Walker's first album Scott apparently kept The Beatles at bay for a time in the 1960s. It's a pretty unique work of croonin' and it's romantic in an very obvious, melodramatic way. Similar in its style (vocal and otherwise) is John Maus' Love is Real. A some time collaborator with lo-fi pop genius-apparent Ariel Pink, Maus has crafted an album that comfortably treads down the same paths as Mr. Walker's complete with some slow burning vocal rumble tumble. They really do sound a lot alike. The funny thing is, John Maus is actually the name of a guy who used to play with Scott Walker before he went solo. I don't what that's supposed to mean but I find it pretty bizarre. A cursory look on the interwebs here shows that I'm not the first person to suggest a musical connection between these guys. I'm not surprised.

Scott Walker - Scott
John Maus - Love is Real

Count Ossie b/w Jeru tha Damaja

2009-03-10T23:32:00.005-05:00

Count Ossie (above)
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Jeru tha Damaja (below)

When I was forming the idea of this blog in my mind, I had imagined these two records would speak well with one another. Now that the moment has come, I'm beginning to wonder if all that enthusiasm was misdirected. Count Ossie's Grounation album is a milestone in nyabinghi-style reggae. Jeru's Wrath of the Math is one of my favorite hip hop albums in the last ten years and some of DJ Premier's greatest work (in my opinion of course). I can't help but feel that I'm pulling both of these entirely out of their contexts by juxtaposing them like this. I'm sure I am.

No matter.

Grounation is the kind of album that makes me second guess completely my infatuation with Jamaican music. Not only is this music the closest Rastafarian thing to gospel I've ever heard, it's filled with a sourness and rage that ignites a level of white guilt no other record has ever managed to stir in me. It's a powerful mixture of African drumming, spoken word, acappella, occassional free jazz-like flourishes...I'm finding myself at a loss already in describing the thing to you. I have a feeling that if American college culture had adopted this instead of Bob Marley's Legend, they'd be reading shit by Marcus Garvey instead of justifying their marijuana use with dictums taken from a poor man's religion.

Wow. Can't say that about Jeru. Fast forward nearly forty years and you have this guy from Brooklyn rhyming about Puff Daddy killing hip-hop in 1996. Wrath of the Math isn't, couldn't, and doesn't need to be as heavy as Grounation. It's a completely different animal and one that I think would make a nice spoonful of the proverbial sugar after the long (yes, two part download) Rastafarian truth bomb I've uploaded for you.

Count Ossie and His Mystic Revelation of Rastafari - Grounation (part 1)
Count Ossie and His Mystic Revelation of Rastafari - Grounation (part 2)
Jeru tha Damaja - Wrath of the Math

Steve Miller b/w Brightblack Morning Light

2009-03-10T20:35:00.002-05:00

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE!

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle
Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light

African Head Charge b/w U.S. Girls

2009-03-09T22:24:00.006-05:00

African Head Charge (above)
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U.S. Girls (below)

I've been seriously under the weather. It's a horrible feeling. Whenever I've been sick a general lack of productivity sets in and then my anxiety grows because I know I haven't updated this blog in a while and it's all just stupid worry. Pretty ridiculous eh?

No matter. The thread I can pitch for you this time around is something akin to weirdo bliss. Both African Head Charge and U.S. Girls take two different streams (dub reggae and pop, respectively) and saturate them with noise and other exotic ingredients until both albums begin to inhabit a mystery place just south of my ability to explain them. Somehow it works. Trust me, trust them, it's all the same beach anyway.

African Head Charge - Drastic Season
U.S. Girls - Gravel Days

Newcleus b/w Telex

2009-03-03T22:17:00.005-06:00

Newcleus (above)
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Telex (below)

Sorry. I got sidetracked. I'd planned on throwing Count Ossie up some time ago and of course, the lines got crossed.

But you're reading a new entry aren't you?

These are my workout jams. For when I exercise. Newcleus holds up the (awesome!) electro hip-hop while Telex is some forward thinking euro disco from. Both albums are unbelievably and quite guiltily cheesy. Telex's cover of "Rock Around the Clock" is one glaring example. Trust 'em though. They knew what they were doing.

Newcleus - Jam On Revenge (1984)
Telex - Looking For Saint Tropez (1978)

A kernel of posts to come (Count Ossie)

2009-02-23T00:52:00.003-06:00

------^^^^^__^^^^^------

I think I'm more excited here then is absolutely necessary. I love this guy. His "Grounation" album is a pretty amazing blend of African drums, reggae, near-free jazz, and spoken word. Not for everyone, sure, but I think he's just the peaches.

Maximum Joy b/w Celebration

2009-02-22T11:29:00.004-06:00

Maximum Joy (above)
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Celebration (below)

Dubbed post punk looking east. Both of these acts have it, separated by nearly 30 years.

Though I don't know if I'd call Celebration "dub." They're not manipulating the tapes much. Maximum Joy is a little, and that's evident on the intro to "White & Green Place," but I suppose they wouldn't fit the genre perfectly either. I just think I like using that word too much. "Dub" this and "dub" that etc. etc. etc. I've spent my last ten years recuperating from an unhealthy obsession with bad ska. There's probably a part of my subconscious connecting everything I hear to some Jamaican riddim.

Oh hell. This is my awesome ladies in music post then.

Maximum Joy - Unlimited 1979-83
Celebration - The Modern Tribe

Wild in the Streets b/w David Candy

2009-02-20T11:00:00.003-06:00

Wild in the Streets (above)
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David Candy (below)

This has got to be the kitschiest post so far. Sending up the soundtrack to a sixties b-movie from 1968 that posited an America run by people in their late teens and early twenties, where the voting age had been dropped to 14, and everyone older was given mandatory retirement, put in camps and force-fed LSD....It's a dumber, darker Billy Jack.

The music isn't too bad though. It's your stereotypical 1960's "counter-culture" pop-rock. Nothing too groundbreaking here but some moments like "Listen To the Music" (subsequently covered on the David Candy album) and "Shape of Things To Come" are all right. If you're really expecting some weirdo psych gem on here, you'll be completely let down. Sorry.

But David Candy, the guy that's really Ian Svenonious recording a bizarre psych album ala the house band from Wild in the Streets...that's what I have for you. I love this record in all its narcissistic irony. From what I understand, Ian (veteran of Nation of Ulysses, The Make Up, and Weird War) worked with the British psych-revivalists Death By Chocolate and put together an album that is equal parts monologues guided by Ian's idiot-savant David Candy character and sixties soft-psych pop songs. If you're a fan of Svenonious' work, this is for you. If not, I don't blame you.

Wild in the Streets - OST
David Candy - Play Power

Yellow Magic Orchestra b/w Tender Meat

2009-02-18T12:11:00.005-06:00

Yellow Magic Orchestra (above)
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Tender Meat (below. kinda.)

I posted the latest Tender Meat EP here and seem to remember dropping a Yellow Magic Orchestra reference. It's still apt.

The YMO record I've got here is their 1978 self-titled release. I hate to say it but as much as I love these guys sometimes it sounds like I'm listening to an extended dance mix of the Entertainment Tonight theme song. They're better yeah I know and NOTHING could really top Tesh, but that's what comes to my mind. Tender Meat's first EP, Tender Travels, shows a studied appreciation of that sound. It's as if both groups have decided to fake you out by making music so goofy it could never be thought of as sincere and really, these guys MEAN IT. In a very serious way.

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Yellow Magic Orchestra
Tender Meat - Tender Travels

Harmonia b/w Raccoo-oo-oon

2009-02-17T19:02:00.004-06:00

Harmonia (above)
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Raccoo-oo-oon (below)

None of this is dub as far as I understand the term. This post is the pickle to the last few pastrami club sandwiches. A breather.

Both Harmonia's Musik Von Harmonia (1974) and Raccoo-oo-oon's Mythos Folkways Vol. IV: Future Vision (2008) are earthy records. Not in the breath-in-and-out-through-a-space-echo kind of King Tubby rhythm quest of the last few ups. These are two records I would imagine belonging in a pagan's worn leather satchel as they tromp through the forest in the middle of an October afternoon. I don't think I've ever heard electronicisms painted with this much color. Check 'em.

Harmonia - Musik Von Harmonia
Raccoo-oo-oon - Mythos Folkways Vol. IV: Future Vision

New Age Steppers b/w Shahs

2009-02-17T14:33:00.005-06:00

New Age Steppers (above)
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Shahs (below, kinda)

The New Age Steppers were a group that not only contained Mark Stewart (singing "High Ideals and Crazy Dreams") but also worked along with producer Adrian Sherwood for his On-U Sound Records. You should be able to tell by now that I'm really into this guy. New Age Steppers' album is a hell of a lot more cohesive sounding than the Mark Stewart material. It's dubby but the songs don't explode into noise as much or in many of the same ways. It's good. Much closer to "classic" reggae than a lot of the On-U stuff I've heard.

This next upload is a total vanity post. Shahs is a group I began and performed in a few years ago, recording one cassette (featured here) and then breaking up (as most bands do.) I remember listening to a lot of New Age Steppers when we were making this tape. That's about the only connection I'm willing to give it. Hope you enjoy.

New Age Steppers - New Age Steppers
Shahs - Natl Belle Cassette

Mark Stewart b/w Quad Muth

2009-02-15T20:10:00.007-06:00

Mark Stewart (above)
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Quad Muth (below)

Mark Stewart was the lead singer of The Pop Group, one of first British post-punk acts to really incorporate aspects of dub reggae and hard funk into their music. After the band split those tendencies grew even stronger as Stewart teamed up with producer Adrian Sherwood and his On-U Sound Records, known for promoting unique dub influenced recordings. The first full-length result of this collaboration was 1983's Learning to Cope With Cowardice. This album took The Pop Groups' sonic experimentation to the next logical step into swaths of echo and fuzzed chaos.

It's that kind of static bath that would bring us to Quad Muth, a now-defunct Minneapolis trio who were working in similar territory. I've upped their only full length (as far as I know) Selfsleeving Driftlimb. I don't know what much I can say besides that it's one of my favorite albums of the last ten years. Bleating, white drone, dub party.

Mark Stewart & The Maffia - Learning to Cope With Cowardice
Quad Muth - Selfsleeving Driftlimb

Dark Day b/w GGD

2009-02-13T12:21:00.003-06:00

Dark Day (above)
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Gang Gang Dance (below)

I don't know if I'm on to something yet or not, but I'm enamored by the idea of posting two albums from different time periods at once. Today it's Dark Day's Exterminating Angel (1980) and Gang Gang Dance's Revival of the Shittest (2004).

Dark Day was the project of original DNA keyboardist Robin Crutchfield. This music is significantly "easier" to listen to than his former band, but it's got a healthy streak of odd nonetheless. Most of the songs here consist entirely of one or two synth riffs looping endlessly beneath ocassional guitars and drums. When he does sing, Crutchfield does so in a near monotone. It's a beautiful piece of work..

Though they've just released what sounds like their first true "pop" album in Saint Dymphna, it's not too difficult to remember that Gang Gang Dance was once busy deconstructing the very dance music they've finally decided to make. Revival of the Shittest is an example of some of those early experiments and one of my favorites of their, catalog. Like Dark Day, they rely on repetition and rhythm and their musics are easy to get lost in.

Dark Day - Exterminating Angel
Gang Gang Dance - Revival of the Shittest

Liquid Liquid b/w Tender Meat

2009-02-12T20:35:00.002-06:00

Liquid Liquid (above)
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Tender Meat (below, kinda)

If you haven't already heard Liquid Liquid before, I implore you to check them out. Just about anything that's dared to call itself dance-punk or new rave in the last ten years owes a HUGE debt to these guys. They're similar to and on par with the likes of ESG, their contemporaries in the no wave school. I don't really know what more to say other than download this. Seriously.

Tender Meat are a two-piece hailing from my city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. They're an odd band. Think Konono No. 1 played at half speed while the other guy is summoning the ghost of Yellow Magic Orchestra. I've upped their latest EP. It's a piece they've offered for free on their myspace page but only as wma files. I've converted them all to mp3s for the mac users.

Liquid Liquid - Anthology
Tender Meat - Tender in Time

Chain and the Gang

2009-02-10T15:52:00.003-06:00

I don't know if I can attribute it to rapidly changing tastes or pure jadedness, but there are few musicians I've followed (and enjoyed) for as long as I have Mr. Ian Svenonious. The Nation of Ulysses, Make Up, and Weird War veteran has apparently assembled a new band made up of some K Records regulars and put together this album due out sometime in March 2009. I'm excited.

You can stream the entire album for free off K Records' website here.

El Guincho

2009-02-06T14:36:00.002-06:00

I'm stuck trying to describe El Guincho by comparing him to Panda Bear and doing so seems to illustrate my lack of confidence in whatever powers of description I claim to have. It's a cop out, sure. That said, it's difficult not to hear this record and think of either PB or the Beach Boys. I'm chalking it up to the Pet Sounds obsession that's been pretty difficult to avoid these last few years and all those people that would rather herald anything-but-the-beatles when it comes to a pop mini-masterpiece.

No matter. I like El Guincho all the same.

Per Wikipedia, El Guincho is the recording alias of Barcelona's Pablo Díaz-Reixa and he's apparently described his music as "space-age exotica." That's fair. Apt even. I'm upping his album Alegranza. It's a pretty bizarre mix of Tropicalia-infused sample pop, African Highlife, and effects pedal weirdness while remaining entirely listenable.

try it

Jorge Ben

2009-02-05T14:07:00.003-06:00

I've been mispronouncing his name for some time now. It's "Georgie" not "Horhay." Brazilian Portuguese is a mystifying thing.

Jorge is one of the big ones when it comes to Brazilian popular music. I don't know what I can really say that would do him justice. He helped start the Tropicalia movement but his albums during that time were far less psychedelic than any by Os Mutantes or Caetano Veloso or even Gal Costa. He always seemed to rely on his songs which were (in my opinion) far superior to many of those written by the aforementioned musicians. Caetano comes close but his material from the mid-1970s on is just horrible. I could actually say the same for Jorge but he never really fell as far.

I'm upping four of my favorites today. The first is O Bidu Silencio No Brooklin from 1964. The title is a reference to a neighborhood in Rio not the bourough in New York. The second is Historia da Musica Popular Brasileira 8 from 1970. It's an album that also includes Tropicalia heavyweights like Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso. Third is A Tabua de Esmeralda from 1974. This has been touted as both his greatest achievement and one of the best Brazilian albums of all time. I highly recommend the song "Errare Humanun Est." It might just be the most beautiful piece of music I've ever heard. Lastly is the album Africa Brasil from 1976. If you're the kind of person that has enjoyed the abundance of African funk reissues these last few years, this might be up your alley. The songs definitely have that vibe while remaining undeniably Brazilian. Hope you all enjoy these as much as I do.

O Bidu Silencio No Brooklin
Historia da Musica Popular Brasileira 8
A Tabua de Esmeralda
Africa Brasil

Denny Gerrard

2009-02-05T13:13:00.007-06:00

I'm told Denny Gerrard is one of the people in this picture. This looks a lot like Steppenwolf so who knows. For all my know-it-all positioning on so many things music related I gotta admit I'm a little stumped.

Oh well.

I'm upping Denny Gerrard's 1970 album Sinister Morning. I don't know a whole lot about this guy but I was introduced to a song ("Hole in My Shadow") by the venerable Plastic Crimewave and his zine, "Galactic Zoo Dossier." After some creative asides I managed to get my hands on the whole thing and was a little surprised to learn that Denny is a guy and not the lady singing on "Hole in My Shadow."

The album is a creeper for sure. It's taken me a few full listens to really understand it but it's really worth the effort. Some purely Fleetwood Mac moments. Some great folkie country rock moments too.

try it

Textiles of Note

2008-12-21T17:42:00.001-06:00