musings on music
I wanted to let my loyal readership know that once the Innernette is finally installed at our new Seattle digs, regular updates will resume. That date is Wednesday so be prepared.
**UPDATE** Spoke too soon. Those knuckleheads at Comcast screwed up our order royally and, therefore, we’ve taken our business elsewhere. Although Innernette will not be up this week, I’m going to try and get some work done at home and post it from a cafe or using my work computer. Fingers don’t fail me now.
My sister is organizing a benefit run for DoveLewis Animal Hospital in August. Go to her blog to learn more about it and to be a part of the fun.
As many of my regular readers (read: friends and family) no doubt already know, I recently found gainful employment in the fine city of Seattle. Unfortunately, this means moving from Portland to Seattle sometime in the next two weeks.
With all that goes into the moving process, this fine blog is going to go on hiatus for the time being. I don’t think I’m going to be hurting my readership too terribly by not posting anything new for a while. I might stop in occasionally to drop a note, but I will relegate that sort of thing to my Twitter account (@bob_ham). I will also use that to let people know when I will be back and updating the blog on a regular basis.
Until then, dear readers…
I’m not much of a fan of zydeco music or its various Anglicized/denuded offshoots, but I post this because I had a dream recently in which I was very excited and honored to meet Buckwheat Zydeco. So, in honor of my subconscious mind, I include this free mp3 here.
Buckwheat Zydeco
“Ninth Place” (mp3)
from “Lay Your Burden Down”
(Alligator Records)
It is already a given that the American musical landscape would be a whole lot bleaker had Talking Heads never met each other, let alone met Brian Eno along their path to chart-topping success. But what is less understood and appreciated is the impact that David Byrne has continued to have on our lives since the band’s demise. This is true of his criminally overlooked solo albums but even more so when looking at the label he founded, Luaka Bop. An entire record label whose catalog is decided strictly on the musical interests of one man is a frightful idea, but thankfully, Byrne’s impeccable taste is something that every music geek and lover of exotic/interesting sounds can count on. Through this imprint, he has brought to wide distribution the sounds of tropicalia, the spaced funk of Shuggie Otis, and new albums by the masterful singer/songwriter Jim White. The label is now celebrating its 21st year of existence, and to do so, have put out a great compilation album highlighting some of the best tracks that have carried the Luaka Bop name. For the uninitiated, here is one small sample – I am sure that it will send you on a path to seek out more.
Moussa Doumbia “Keleya” (mp3)
from “Twenty First Century Twenty First Year”
(Luaka Bop)
Buy at Napster
More On This Album
My record collection grew by two today as I received the new Sonic Youth album in the mail (The Eternal) and the vinyl reissue of the Beastie Boys’ 1992 album Check Your Head. It was a nostalgic confluence for me as the first time I saw either band perform was when they played a show together as part of a joint tour (also featuring on the stop in Salem, L7 – House of Pain were no shows for some reason). There are hardly any adventurous shows like that in the indie world anymore, as bigger concerts tend to be streamlined affairs with likeminded acts – I’m thinking here of the upcoming Decemberists/Andrew Bird/Blind Pilot show. So, I put this question to my slim audience – when was the last time you saw a bigger theater/stadium concert (not a festival) that blurred genre lines? I’m wondering if this phenomenon died out in the mid-to-late-’90s or if I’m simply overlooking recent trends. Leave a comment and let me know.
The opening salvo of this album finds the late LSD guru issuing a bit of a warning: “If you’re over the age of 40, I’m not sure you should listen to this record.” It’s a fair piece of caution, as I don’t think anyone above the age of 40 in 1966 when this spoken word album was released nor anyone over the age of 40 who lived through that era, could sit patiently through an hour’s worth of laconic ramblings on the LSD experience and human consciousness. Listening to it, I couldn’t help but wonder if this subconsciously inspired Marlon Brando’s gonzo improvisations on the set of Apocalypse Now, as they follow Leary’s same unhinged speech patterns and stream of conciousness takes on human nature. This is obviously a record meant to accompany the psychedelic or marijuana inspired experience, as listening to it straight (as I did), left me feeling itchy and restless about 1/3 of the way through. I do think there is value in this record though – both as a cultural artifact and as a disc that might creatively inspire some people who do indulge in mind-altering substances.
Black Dice – “Chocolate Cherry” (Catsup Plate)
This tour-only release finds Black Dice in a playful mood, taking a small snippet of music and warping it out of all recognition. It fits well into the band’s milieu of accessible experimentalism, but feels emblematic of their current, warmer approach. It has a slightly Oval-like quality to it through its lush overtones. It’s a great single that I would love to hear expanded into full-length form.
The Blue Aeroplanes – “Detective Song” (Beggars Banquet)
An interesting – though not terribly memorable – single by a singularly interesting band. The a-side is a fairly typical Aeroplanes track – a gorgeous bit of chiming guitar pop over which singer Gerard Langley speak/sings his Dylanesque way about love gone wrong (I think). The b-side is a 33-RPM, three song suite that moves from more straightforward guitar pop to a stutter step bit of rock and concludes with an acoustic guitar singer/songwriter style piece of folk.
Bluetip – Dischord No. 111 (Dischord)
I often find myself gravitating towards this blue-vinyl gem, and not only for the single’s fantastic packaging and graphic design (cooked up by Bluetip leader Jason Farrell). No, there’s something visceral in these two tracks. “Join Us” is a slightly bruised mixture of late ’90s indie rock and steady walking blues. On paper, it doesn’t seem like the two would fit, but in practice, it seethes and steams with energy. “No. 2″ on the other hand, is almost shoegazer-y in driving rhythm and Farrell’s quiet, behind the music moanings. But when the guitar spritzes free with razor wire sharpness, you are quickly reminded that this is a DC band, through and through.
Blonde Redhead – “Symphony Of Treble” (Touch & Go)
Featuring a pair of tracks from the 1997 album Fake Can Be Just As Good, this disc comes from a period when the group was putting out their finest work, when they seemed more influenced by the gritty No Wave bands that inspired the band’s name. These days, they have morphed into a fairly interesting dream pop group, but these two angular art rock songs give Blonde Redhead a much more potent feel, one that brings to mind drab storefronts and ill-lit loft parties.
Blowhole – NW/SW (Zabriskie Point)
One of the best summations of this Seattle improv/noise group’s aesthetic comes from Patrick Barber’s sleevenotes to their 1994 album Guerilla Jazz: “I don’t think I will ever forget my first Blowhole practice… I showed up, plugged in, looked around, and said, ‘Well, what do I do?’. ‘Just play whatever you want,’ was the general reply, and I launched into a sorry, fake-jazz blues noodle, which we rode for five minutes or so, and then Jeph looked up from the drumset and said, ‘ That was OK, but usually we don’t play in time.’” No, they certainly do not play in time. Instead they prefer to ride out long, extended drones accented with smatterings of raw skronk and agony. This approach is in full force on this 7″, which captures a pair of live performances on either side. My preference leans towards the SW side (recorded in Arizona) where the band stretches out their attack, as if under the influence of the long, dusty plains they must have seen driving in.
time to take a healthy step back from the usual run of clamor that i feature on this site. instead, i give you a taste of 16th century choral music, written during the reign of henry viii. i’m quite sure this cd – with its big, bold THOMAS TALLIS on the front cover – is trying to cash in as much as a classical release can on the success of the tudors. but if it gets this beautiful music into the hands of some unsuspecting middle americans, i’m all for it.
Canterbury Cathedral Choir “Ave Dei patris” (mp3)
from “Tallis: Salve Intemerata”
(Metronome)
i love this new strain of jazz that i’ve been hearing more and more of over the last decade – the no nonsense style that takes cues from the world of pop music while still holding true to some jazz tradition. gone are the formulaic opening melody followed by each member of the group getting their solo and here to stay are the groups that circle around melodies, spiralling off into their own subtle solos, but still keeping the rest of the players in the mix. one player that is bringing this idea further into the light is pianist daniel kelly. he’s a sharp musician who is equally assured in avant garde settings, playing with pop stars (he’s done work with lauryn hill) and playing his own strong compositions. this track – the opening salvo of his new disc emerge – wraps melodies from the titular country in with the hard drive of western-style jazz. it’s the perfect album opener, grabbing your attention from the first hard piano chords and loose-limbed rhythms, guaranteeing that by the end of the song, you’ll want to see where this combo is going to go next.
Daniel Kelly, Daniel Kelly “Moroccan Nutchuck” (mp3)
from “Emerge”
(Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album
