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26 jan 18

DeRank™: 0,84

One of the best comebacks for the year 2017.

#zot2017

Dead Sea Apes - Sixth Side Of The Pentagon (Cardinal Fuzz/Sky Lantern Records, April 03, 2017)

One of the most unique bands in the English psych scene, and more specifically from Manchester, Dead Sea Apes stand out in their singularity starting from their name, which is practically a reference to the Islamic tradition that claims those who lived in the areas around the Dead Sea were turned into apes for not heeding God's message conveyed through Moses. In English, it's a typical expression used to describe someone who thinks everything around them is a scam, practically the result of a conspiracy. The band is also distinguished by a certain inclination towards political and geopolitical themes and for a dystopian inspiration that is reflected in their largely experimental compositions, characterized by a sort of spectral atmospheres. Dominated by the sound of the bass, which gives the music the obsessive conformation of PIL's compositions ("Pale Anxieties") or This Heat ("Rectifier"), the album takes on dub sonorities with ghostly suggestions from Suicide ("The Map Is Not The Territory"), blues acidity ("Low Resolution"), and cosmic sounds ("Lo Res"), all influenced by an experimental orientation reminiscent of some compositions by Sir Richard Bishop or Gastr del Sol. Ultimately, we find ourselves in front of what I would define as a great band that should be followed even in their more experimental and conceptual works. Ahl-sahlahm-alaykum.

#experimental #psychedelia #dub

Dead Sea Apes - Sixth Side of the Pentagon(Full Album)
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26 jan 18

DeRank™: 0,84

Let’s return to our favorite nightclub on Saturn with @ALFAMA.

#buzz

Philippe Doray / Asociaux Associes - Nouveaux Modes Industriels (Invisible Records, 1980)

Another record that appears to us as an unknown object from who knows where in the universe. "Nouveaux Modes Industriels" (Invisible Records, 1980). A true UFO. A recording made in France at the Malax-Mobile in Monterolier between May 1978 and January 1980 by the French musician Philippe Doray and his ensemble Asociaux Associes, characterized by distinctly dystopian elements. The album seems to emerge not directly from another era, at least from that other side of the ocean and that New York scene later defined as the birthplace of the no-wave music movement. Indeed, it's an avant-garde music album ahead of its time for dear old Europe, this "Nouveaux Modes Industriels." The sound of the guitars recalls certain minimalist compositions from the late seventies and the eighties, particularly sharp and mostly essential; the songs are largely marked by a visionary schizophrenia typical of artists like the Residents, mixed with the style of experiences such as Tuxedomoon and hallucinations of This Heat. Charlie Parker ("Latex") and Ennio Morricone ("Dans Le Dèdale") and Kraftwerk ("Musique Pour Residences Secondaires") are shaken together in a blender of jazz fusion experimentalism, derivative vocal exercises from cabaret experiences, and various uses of synth, anticipations of dub reverberations, and even some hints close to hip-hop appear seemingly without any pattern throughout the entire work. One of the most interesting and underground moments of art-rock in Europe during those years.

#philippedoray #avantgarde #artrock

“Nouveaux Modes Industriels” (Francia, 1980) de Philippe Doray
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25 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,00

More psychedelic acidity from the land of the rising sun.

#zot2017

Dhidalah - No Water (Guruguru Brain, January 27, 2017)

Another great release from Guruguru Brain. This time the offering is a 10" by Dhidalah, a psychedelic-rock trio from Tokyo made up of Ikuma Wakabe, Wahei Gotoh, and Konstantin Miyazaki. The group has a long history behind them: it was formed in 2007 when Ikuma left his previous band, Church of Misery, and the three put together this project inspired by the tradition of 1970s Jap acid rock, blending the sound with doom and space-rock elements. The 10" consists of two lengthy tracks, the first ("GRB") renewing the tradition of more acid rock sound experiences, while the second is more distinctive and unique in its use of percussion and keyboards, balancing between space rock and powerful destructive doom moments reminiscent of the mythical giant Daidarabotchi, after whom the group is named and who is said to have the strength to split mountains in two. In this regard, the intentions of this trio are perfectly evident.

#japrock #dhidalah #acidrock

Dhidalah - NO WATER
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25 jan 18

DeRank™: 0,00

Incredible record that I don't know how @ALFAMA managed to uncover. A gem.

#buzz

Tony Conrad - Joan of Arc (Table of Elements, October 2006)

Tony Conrad passed away in April 2016 at the age of 76. I think he was one of the most interesting artists in terms of avant-garde music experimentation (deliberately inspired by masters like John Cage and Karl-Heinz Stockhausen), which led him to intersect his path (alongside composers of the caliber of La Monte Young) with artists from the rock and alternative music scene, starting with a strange crossroad with the Velvet Underground in the early sixties, to the more famous collaboration with Faust in "Outside the Dream Syndicate" (1972). Many of his works, however, were and are closely linked to artistic works of more or less experimental visual nature, but also true soundtracks. This recording here is from 1968. It is a work conceived to be the soundtrack of a film by the Italian-American experimental director Piero Heliczer, who as a child acted in "Ladri di biciclette" by Vittorio De Sica and then moved to Paris, London, New York City, where he became part of Andy Warhol's circle. The record was recorded as an improvised session and played with only a pump organ at the home of John Vaccaro, the director of the Playhouse of the Ridiculous, in 1968, but the recording was only released in 2006 on Table Of The Elements. The recording session lasted over an hour: in fact, Heliczer only used eleven minutes of it, but Conrad didn’t know the exact length of Heliczer's recording and continued to play until the reel tape ran out. And this is a great fortune, because in the end, this recording is a true great musical work filled with primitive drone sounds and vibrant sound waves. The mind goes, besides minimalist composers like La Monte Young or Terry Riley, in some way to "Metal Machine Music," even though this work is perfectly listenable and here the intent is to build and narrate something, not to destroy.

Tony Conrad - Joan of Arc

#tonyconrad #avantgarde #joanofarc
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23 jan 18

DeRank™: 0,00

Back directly from Germany comes the #zot2017 showcase after a forced absence due to unavoidable commitments.

Rodinia - Ex Anima (Now-Again Records, September 08, 2017)

This album from the German experimental jazz ensemble led by Jan Weissenfeldt is truly beautiful, taking an original approach to the kraut-rock sounds of the seventies while aligning itself with the great lessons of pioneers like Cluster, Harmonia, Popol Vuh, and Tangerine Dream, and simultaneously giving a refreshing twist to these typically "vintage" sounds by situating them in a more modern sonic context. Bursting with overdubs and synthetic suggestions, the album opens with ambient jazz fusion sessions that evoke ecstatic and meditative atmospheres, before further expanding into true compositions and minimal avant-garde experiments, such as the seven-minute "Dark Echoes" or "Makinfaba," dominated by the sound of brass and hypnotic repetitions, and the closing track "Dhrone Zuruck!", filled with drone suggestions and dub reverberations, alongside the echo of pulsating bass. There are also more typically kraut-rock compositions with tracks like "Neusi" or the spacey sound of "Dork Times," which perhaps somewhat diverge from the rest of the context, not so much due to cultural references and geographical boundaries, but rather because of the groove and timing of the compositions that are, let's say, somewhat out of sync with the others. Nevertheless, an interesting project worth keeping an eye on.

Rodinia - Neusi - Ex Anima by Now-Again Records
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21 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,84

@ALFAMA suggested one of the strangest albums I've ever listened to, and I'm presenting it to all of you in the #buzz review. Here it is.

Emil Richards - New Sound Element: Stones (UNI Records, 1966)

Good luck trying to understand how Emil Richards (born in 1932) conceived this space opera titled "New Sounds Element: Stones," released back in 1966 (UNI Records). A percussionist and a pioneer in experimentation and the use of cutting-edge instruments, Emil Richards recorded this album with a sextet assembled for the occasion. The album could be classified as free jazz: each composition is ideally dedicated to a month of the year, from January to December. However, it doesn't take long to realize that we are confronted with an absolutely flamboyant record, with sounds that are entirely unpredictable. Alongside the basic jazz component, Richards experiments with synthesizers, giving the sound that typical space-age character, but then adds sounds of timpani, bells, xylophones, and the sound of a music box, not to mention some calypso elements. Each song, as mentioned, ideally represents a season, but also tells a completely unique story regarding its compositional structure. If there’s an album that should be reviewed in that generally unpopular format—the track-by-track approach—here it is. Otherwise, just listen to it with your eyes closed as a single piece and immerse yourself fully in these magical crystal-like atmospheres.

“New Sound Element Stones” (Usa, 1966) de Emil Richards

#jazz #avantgarde #experimental
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21 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,95

A record that could become a kind of "classic" but for now is definitely a #zot2017 album.

Pere Ubu - 20 Years In A Montana Missile Silo (Cherry Red Records, September 29, 2017)

Frankly, this album by Pere Ubu is so good that I think it’s best not to reference any clichés like the old greats still doing their dirty work, etc. etc. Because these are all things we already know and because if you listen to it, this record has almost nothing old about it: it’s not a work of craftsmanship, it doesn’t feel at all like a record made by a band with thirty to thirty-five years of history behind it. Generally, I found reviews to be just barely sufficient, but this one can easily be considered one of the "classic" albums by David Thomas's Pere Ubu, one of the most powerful performers and frontmen around, who stated he wanted to title the album "Bruce Springsteen Is An Asshole". The album is mainly made up of distinctly garage tracks like "Monkey Bizness," "Swampland," "Red Eye Blues," "Toe to Toe"; more wave-influenced songs revisit the band's more characteristic sound ("Prison of the Senses," "Funk 49," the experimentalism and the powerful bass groove of "I Can Still See" or "Pan from Frag 9," and in some way also the ballad "The Healer"), but the most interesting moments are probably the acid blues "Howl" and "Walking Again," where Thomas's voice reigns supreme, and the closing track "Cold Sweat." What else is there to add? Frankly, it had been a while since this legendary group had struck me so positively, and this time they hit the mark with an album where, for better or worse, all the songs are at a good level, and where acidity and obsessions continue to be the main ingredients. Very good.

'Monkey Bizness' by Pere Ubu

#wave #davidthomas #pereubu
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20 jan 18

DeRank™: 6,98

Fundamental Works #buzz

This one was missing for me @ALFAMA. The perfect complement to "The United States of America."

Joe Byrd and The Field Hippies - The American Metaphysical Circus (Columbia Masterworks, 1969)

Joseph Hunter Byrd Jr. only needed two albums to write a significant part of the history of psychedelic rock music in the United States of America. A true precursor and an enlightened mind, Joseph was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He studied at Sanford where he met La Monte Young, then at Berkeley with Terry Riley and Steve Reich. In 1960 he was in New York studying with Morton Feldman and John Cage, mingling with Charlotte Moorman, Yoko Ono, Jackson Mac Low, Virgil Thomson, and especially Dorothy Moskowitz, who would become his partner. When Joseph returned to the West Coast, she was the vocalist of the United States of America (1967-1968), Byrd's first band and one of the fundamental groups in the history of psychedelic music, where he expressed his radical ideas and visions both musically and conceptually and politically (he was a member of the communist party). In 1969, he released his second album with the Field Hippies: "The American Metaphysical Circus." Ideally divided into four parts, the album is, in fact, a true work of art in which Byrd experiments with the use of voice and is openly inspired by certain effects from the legendary George Martin (see for example "Kalyani" or "Patriot's Lullabye", "Moonsong: Pelog", but also "Gospel Music"). The rest is a decidedly acid album with peculiarities like the visionary ragtime of "Mister 4th of July" or "Moonsong: Pelog," which rivals some of Nico's songs from the other side of the USA. Here too, there are politically themed contents, the most obvious being "Invisible Man," a tribute - let's say - to President Lyndon Johnson. A masterpiece.

#psychedelia #joebyrd #theunitedstatesofamerica

Joe Byrd And the Field Hippies (Usa, 1969) - The American Metaph
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20 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,00

Guiltily listened to late (like all those under the #zot2017 label, after all).

Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me (P. W. Elverum & Sun, March 24, 2017)

The most difficult album of all for Phil Elverum aka Mount Eerie (formerly of The Microphones). "A Crow Looked At Me" is the album he wrote and recorded alone in the same room where his wife Geneviève passed away on July 9, 2016, after losing her battle against late-stage pancreatic cancer. All of this happened shortly after the couple had a daughter, literally upheaving his existence. Clearly, working on this album was somehow a way to react to the situation: Phil began writing and recording new material practically a month after his wife's death. But primarily, he considers these songs and the entire album a way to "shout" his love for Geneviève to the whole world. It surely must not have been an easy album to write, and the eleven songs contained in it show an inner suffering that might remind one of great artists from the sixties and seventies like Bill Fay or Roy Harper. Nonetheless, the arrangements are much more minimal, practically essential, but perhaps for this reason—beyond its emotional content—the album may be the best work Phil has ever created, finally moving away from that "indie" dimension and definition and fully entering the realm of recognized songwriter. Good luck.

#mounteerie #philelverum #folk

"Ravens" by Mount Eerie (official video)
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19 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,00

New proposal made in Chile by BYM Records, cataloged as #zot2017 in the name of Marcelo Salas "El Matador".

Nueva Costa - Dilema (BYM Records, July 23, 2017)

The vibrant South American neo-psychedelic scene, driven by the legendary label BYM Records, presents this new Chilean duo that deserves attention after the Holydrug Couple. Nueva Costa is the project of the duo composed of Angelo Santa Cruz and Daniel Bande; their latest album is titled "Dilema" and was released last July. Unlike the Holydrug Couple, who have now leaned towards an easy dream-pop formula, Nueva Costa seeks a blend of minimal pop electronics and specific atmospheres that, on one hand, look towards psychedelic music, while on the other, propose characteristics typical of South American pop culture. All the songs on the album are marked by the dominant role of synth sounds and particularly by the pulsations of bass, resulting in mostly synth-driven compositions that are tinged with South American atmospheres and inspired by the synth-pop of Pet Shop Boys and New Order. Other tracks stand out with more typically pop and downtempo sounds like "Podria decir lo mismo" or "Entre tu y yo", while the hypnotism of the introductory track "Telenovelas" and the ecstatic psychedelic dimension of "Trampa" are particularly interesting. Overall, I consider this a very beautiful and interesting album in the South American pop landscape, and I appreciate it for how it self-defines without necessarily being labeled as a neo-psychedelic music album. Notably, the performances of vocalists Carolina Sandoval ("La Noche") and Geraldine Neary ("Entre tu y yo", "Podria decir lo mismo de ti") are worth mentioning.

Nueva Costa - Dilema (Full Album)

#chile #synthpop #bym
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19 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,00

Since @ALFAMA has brought it up again these days, I went back to listen to it. Organisation was certainly too experimental a project to "break through" and achieve success, and this was probably the reason why Ralf and Florian abandoned it after this first and only album. I definitely have it somewhere on CD, but who knows where it ended up. It was a pleasure to listen to it again after years.

Organisation - Tone Float (RCA Victor, August 1969)

The first and only album by Organisation, basically the first project of Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider-Esleben before the founding of Kraftwerk. The lineup also includes Basil Hammoudi, Butch Hauf, and Aldred "Fred" Monicks. The album was recorded in London with the collaboration of the legendary Konrad "Conny" Plank and released on RCA Victor in August 1969. "Tone Float" certainly has a sound quite different from what we usually associate with the historic duo of electronic music. It is an episode of experimental and psychedelic music or at the edge of progressive. The basic inspiration looks at the use of cutting-edge instrumentation and a certain interest in mechanical components. The album was, after all, recorded in the middle of a refinery (as stated by Ralf Hutter himself), and their goal was to try to reproduce those "industrial" sounds. Essentially based on the title track "Tone Float," which occupies the entire Side A of the LP, it constitutes a long session of minimalist music with progressive psychedelic influences repeated throughout the duration of the track in a consistent, almost hypnotic manner, along with the distinctive sound of the percussions and the central role of Florian's alto flute. On Side B, different compositions alternate: "Noitasinagro" is already kraut-rock, "Milk Rock" and "Rhythm Salad" are two experimental episodes of avant-garde and abstract noise; "Silver Forest" can be defined as a brief glimpse of minimalist ambient music, and it is probably the most interesting track besides the title track. As mentioned, we are very far from the sound that would later become typical of Kraftwerk, but this is an album that is always worth discovering or rediscovering.

Organisation - Tone Float (Full Album) 1969

#krafwerk #organisation #krautrock
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18 jan 18

DeRank™: 6,28

Tovarish, here’s today’s #zot2017 record. Dasvidania.

Gnoomes – Tschak! (Rocket Recordings, March 10, 2017)

From 1940 until 1957, the city of Perm' in Eastern European Russia was named "Molotov" in honor of Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov. Perhaps this is one of the reasons behind the explosive sound of this trio (Sasha Piankov, Pavel Fedoseev, Dmitriy Konyushevich) signed to Rocket Recordings, the label that also released their latest album, titled "Tschak!", on March 10. The trio has described their music as "stargaze psychedelia": indeed, we can consider it synthetic music where the influences once typical of the Morr Music catalog are pushed much further in terms of sound experimentation and the proposal of psychedelic and space music sounds. The album, apart from a couple of more typically synth-pop tracks like "Maria" or "City Monk" (which might remind you of certain New Order), and the drone of "Super Libido Awake" or "One Step / ADSR Eugraph", is largely composed of hypnotic-psychedelic trance and repeated oscillations of sound waves laden with space music vibrations. In front of such a well-crafted album, I honestly tip my hat and continue to wonder how people can still pack Kraftwerk concerts when they could have the chance to listen to such powerful music. Well done as always to the folks at Rocket Recordings, a label I consider essential.

#russia #rocket #gnoomes

Gnoomes - City Monk (Video)
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18 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,38

Incredible and underground recordings from 1975 miraculously brought to scientific light to be suggested by the #buzz review of DJ @ALFAMA.

Terry Riley, Don Cherry - Live Koln (n-a, 1975)

The recovery of a legendary live session featuring minimalist composer Terry Riley and cosmic trumpeter USA Don Cherry in Cologne, West Germany on February 23, 1975, which was hardly ever officially released until recent years. It’s worth noting that last year (editor’s note: 2017) another version was released with a single track from this session combined with a live performance by Terry Riley recorded in Godorf on February 22, 1975. Here, the duo is joined by Karl Berger, playing the vibraphone. The tracks that make up the recording are three: "Descending Moonshine Dervishes," "Sunrise Of The Planetary Dream Collector," and "Improvisation." The sound of the compositions is mostly shaped by Riley's minimalism, although he adjusts his compositional model to Don Cherry's presence, producing what can be described as a swirling sound tapestry on which Berger's vibraphone weaves and Don Cherry's trumpet dominates, suggesting nocturnal spiritual jazz: the tempo of the compositions is constant, akin to immersing oneself in a meditative dimension until reaching a higher level of awareness. There’s greater room for sudden accelerations in the swirling sound constructions in the third fully improvised track, where moments of quiet are interrupted by cosmic sublimations and ecstatic vibrations. A historic moment for the collaboration between two giants in music history and for the outstanding quality of the sounds (even though the recordings were not considered high quality at the time, due to Don Cherry's trumpet sounding overly distorted… a comment that frankly means nothing to me, as everything sounds so splendid, or maybe I just don’t understand much; evidently, he must have played everything much more brilliantly live).

#doncherry #terryriley #minimalism

Terry Riley / Don Cherry ‎– Köln – February 23, 1975 [Full Album]
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17 jan 18

DeRank™: 2,76

A Sublime Album #zot2017

James Holden & The Animal Spirits - The Animal Spirits (Border Community, November 03, 2017)

Clearly inspired by giants like Don Cherry and Pharoah Sanders, James Holden takes another leap in quality compared to the excellent previous album ("The Inheritors," 2013) and creates a masterpiece of experimental jazz mixed with electronic music, accompanied by a collective of musicians, the Animal Spirits, consisting of Tom Page, Etienne Jaumet, Marcus Hamblett, Liza Bec, and Lascelle Gordon. Recorded in a single live session without overdubs and editing at Sacret Walls Studios in London during the summer of 2016, "The Animal Spirit" (Border Community) is an experimental work that James Holden himself has described as "folk trance" genre. Transitioning from the status of a DJ to a solitary programmer of synthetic tracks, James Holden here takes a step forward, becoming a true composer, definitively leaving behind the dance floors and any definitions such as "indie" or "techno." This album is indeed a kind of minimalist opera that looks to Middle Eastern sounds or Afro-beat that unleash in jazz fusion sessions over a kraut-rock rhythmic base or expand into infinite sequences and reverberations of sound waves. I already appreciated his compositional skills and was very impressed by the sounds of "The Inheritors," but in this album, there is so much more: James Holden's "trance-folk" electronic music, conceptually distant from that of the pioneers and great minimalist composers of the past, open to spiritual jazz influences and also a result of a cultural vision of the world around us at 360°, literally opens our doors to a new form of world music. In my opinion, this is an album that, if embraced by a number of sensitive and attentive listeners, can truly make an impact and gain followers in the years to come.

James Holden & The Animal Spirits - The Animal Spirits

#jamesholden #worldmusic #jazz
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17 jan 18

DeRank™: 2,14

A revival of the Canterbury scene is today's proposal for the #buzz showcase and clearly already endorsed by @ALFAMA.

Magic Bus - Phillip The Egg (Back To The Garden Record, June 26, 2017)

This little disc by the British band directly connects to the Canterbury tradition and groups like Caravan and Soft Machine with its blend of fusion and experimental sounds. Released last June 2017 on Back To The Garden Records, the album is titled "Phillip The Egg" and opens with "Mystical Mountain - Twelve Kings," which in its first part closely resembles "Golf Girl" by Caravan, before expanding in the second part into psychedelic progressive rock accelerations. "Trail to Canaa" follows the same tones and formula as the first track; "Zeta" builds on very particular quasi-gypsy rhythms, just like "Kepler 22b": these are definitely the two most fusion-oriented tracks of the entire album. But the standout moments are probably the psychedelic ballad "Distant Future" and the ambient sound experiments of "Kalamazoo," along with the schizophrenia of "Yantra Tunnels." Very, very vintage and shall we say "quotation-heavy." For lovers of a certain kind of music, I would call this an unmissable album. It may be less approachable if you are not already a fan of the genre.

MAGIC BUS - MYSTICAL MOUNTAIN VIDEO - FROM THE NEW ALBUM - PHILLIP THE EGG - OUT ON MAY 1ST 2017

#progressive #canterbury #magicbus
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16 jan 18

DeRank™: 0,36

Another acoustic disc for the #zot2017 review

Mark Olson - Spokeswoman of the Bright Sun (Glitterhouse, January 09, 2017)

"Spokeswoman of the Bright Sun" is the second album by Mark Olson (Jayhawks) created in collaboration with his partner and multi-instrumentalist Ingunn Ringvold, who specializes in playing the Armenian qanun and also plays keyboards, djembe, guitars, and dulcimer on the album. The recording sessions took place right at Mark's home in the Joshua Tree desert: Danny Frenkel played drums and Lewis Keller played bass. The album (mixed by John Schreine) was released on Glitterhouse last January: it is a collection of ten loosely psychedelic folk songs that are very simple and essentially based on the combination of the two voices and the sound of the acoustic guitar. It is a work that is not particularly ambitious and, as such, does not deserve special attention.

MARK OLSON - DEAR ELISABETH (OFFICIAL VIDEO) | GLITTERHOUSE RECORDS

#folk #acoustic #jayhawks
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16 jan 18

DeRank™: 0,00

Speechless @ALFAMA, an incredible record that forcefully takes its place at the top of the #buzz sound exhibition as a unique episode in the history of the most experimental acid rock music of the sixties. Blessed are those who lived on the West Coast during those years. Blessed are those who live there even now.

Friendsound - Joyride (RCA, 1969)

This album is yet another "unicum" in the history of California's psychedelic music from the West Coast. Friendsound was a group founded by Drake Levin, born in Chicago but effectively settled in Los Angeles by the mid-sixties (he played with, among others, the Brotherhood, Cosmic Travelers, and the better-known Paul Revere & The Raiders). "Joyride" is the only LP by Friendsound released on RCA in 1969. Assignable to the psychedelic or progressive rock genre, the record is actually a masterpiece of avant-garde and musique concrète. The album is particularly experimental, and the recording sessions involved an incredible number of musicians. None of the tracks on the album are in any way conventional. "Joyride" is as if two songs are layered on top of each other: in the background, there is an acid blues rock, but over it are superimposed flute sounds and experimental progressive suggestions; "Childhood's End" is a piece of acid instrumental psychedelia playing over a pre-recorded track that is made to sound at an accelerated pace; "Love Sketch" is perhaps the most conventional track, a guitar arpeggio accompanied by evocative arrangements creating sound expansions and reverberations that fill the space, creating continuous sound waves in succession; "Childsong" overlays the sounds of two groups of children playing, recorded at two different moments, upon which derivative sound sensations from Tibetan music and New Age experiences are superimposed; "Lost Angel Proper St." once again revisits the concept of two overlapping tracks: the acid blues rock is literally submerged in underwater atmospheres, nighttime jazz, and urban sounds; "The Empire Of Light" is an example of minimalist music and concrete music, and a kind of exercise in reproducing the echo of sound reverberations. An album that is the result of combinations that are not random and could only have been conceived by a visionary mind. The final sensation after listening is what I would define as "gratitude."

Friendsound - Joyride

#musiqueconcrète #avanguardia #psichedelia
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15 jan 18

DeRank™: 3,62

The inimitable (thankfully) #zot2017 review suggests:

Linda Perhacs - I'm A Harmony (Omnivore Recordings, September 22, 2017)

The story of Linda Perhacs is curious. She released an album in 1970 that became a cult object ("Parallelograms") and was reissued and rediscovered in 2010 by Mexican Summer and Sundazed Records. The music world discovers its own guilt, and in 2014 Sufjan Stevens, let's say, catches wind of the deal and produces her second studio album "The Soul Of All Natural Things" after more than thirty years, produced by Chris Price and Fernando Perdomo. Two or three years later, she releases another album "I'm A Harmony" (Omnivore Recordings), and nobody cares. To be intellectually honest, neither this nor the previous one reach the heights of "Parallelograms," not to mention that Linda Perhacs's sound is not exactly commercial nor does it lend itself to easy listening. But this album (which still features the valuable collaboration of Julia Holter) is at least interesting. Linda is an artist who continues to challenge herself; the album is a series of vocal experiments that create very particular suggestions ("I'm A Harmony," "Visions," "Eclipse Of Love," "We Will Live"...) and with unique arrangements influenced by tropicalism in "The Dancer," "Take Your Love To A Higher Level," and French touches in ("One Full Circle Around The Sun"). The rest is classic repertoire from an artist who may or may not appeal to you, but who still has something to say.

Linda Perhacs - I'm A Harmony (I'm A Harmony 2017)

#folk #psychedelia #newage
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15 jan 18

DeRank™: 2,99

Once in a while, I propose for the #buzz review an album that I already knew, but which was recently reintroduced by @ALFAMA, and I've been happily listening to it again these days.

Dave Bixby - Ode To Quetzalcoatl (n-a, 1969)

"Ode To Quetzalcoatl" is clearly one of the cult albums of 1960s folk psychedelia. One of those mysterious objects that, for some reason, have been fortunate enough to be rediscovered over the years. Dave Bixby hails from Michigan, specifically Rockford in the Great Lakes area. Influenced from a young age by the Beatles and the Beach Boys, he clearly found himself drawn to the psychedelic culture of that time. He was just a kid when he got into drugs, starting to use LSD, and he even ended up in jail. Then, in the winter of 1968, he turned toward religion, which in some way marked a sort of rebirth for him after a period where drugs had really brought him down. It was during this time that he wrote "Ode To Quetzalcoatl," envisioning Quetzalcoatl as a kind of Christ figure walking across America. He performed his songs in his prayer group before recording the album. Contrary to what one might think, this album is tied to religious themes and speaks of rebirth. Its genesis is as incredible as its story: clearly, Dave never imagined that this work would tell how it was recorded and conceived during a time when his friends were dying in Vietnam or returning from Vietnam completely changed, and how he tried to help them avoid suicide after growing up with a father deeply scarred by his participation in World War II. While man was stepping on the Moon. Meanwhile, he was also writing an important piece of music history. He didn’t know it. No one knew it. All the songs are practically masterpieces, but if I have to mention the one I like the most: "Free Indeed."

DAVE　BIXBY ~ Free indeed

#folk #psychedelia #quetzalcoatl
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14 jan 18

DeRank™: 0,07

Given the revival of "Medicine Fuck Dream," which I wasn't familiar with, I present you with a Greg Ashley album for the #zot2017 showcase, sure that this particular record will only garner your utmost appreciation.

Greg Ashley - Pictures Of Saint Paul (Trouble In Mind Records, June 30, 2017)

The truth is that Greg Ashley has become increasingly angry over the years. Over time, he has fine-tuned his writing, but he has also made it more concrete and has begun to pay more attention to the society around him. His tones have consequently become even more irreverent compared to his early days as a singer-songwriter. At first glance, you wouldn't say he’s a huge fan of Leonard Cohen (he completely covered the album "Death of a Ladies' Man"), yet if you listen to "Jailbirds and Vagabonds," the echo of the giant of Canadian music is all there. But Greg Ashley today is primarily what we might call a punk singer-songwriter focused on social issues, inspired as much by Billy Bragg ("Goodbye Saint Paul Street," "Six A.M. At The Black And White"...) as by the sounds of the always-present 1960s psychedelia and bands like the Kinks ("A Sea Of Suckers") or Syd Barrett ("Two Person One Man Band"), alongside the honky tonk sound of the early Stones ("Self Destruction Derby," "Medication #9," "Pursue The Night Life"). Recorded at his studios in Oakland and published by a fine label like Trouble In Mind Records, "Pictures Of Saint Paul" is one of the best singer-songwriter albums of 2017, and Greg Ashley is clearly a great son of a bitch who sings about those people whose existence is on the margins, walking the razor's edge without being acrobats; for these reasons, I can only recommend that you absolutely listen to this record. If you don’t like it, just go back home to your mom. Five out of five.

#oakland #punk #gregashley

Greg Ashley "Medication #9" (Official Video)
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