Part three of the TVD Record Store Club’s look at the new and reissued releases presently in stores for April, 2020. Part one is here and part two is here.
NEW RELEASE PICKS: Buck Curran, No Love is Sorrow (Obsolete Recordings) Curran, a deft guitarist and also a talented singer-songwriter, finished this set, his third solo full-length (he’s also half of Arborea) in late February in Bergamo, Italy, where he, his pregnant wife (the other half of Arborea) and young son have been on lockdown since March 9 due to Covid-19. The album is being rushed released digitally in order to procure much needed income for Curran and family, and it’s safe to say that for anybody who’s pleasurably soaked up the sounds of the ’00s psych/ folk/ New Weird underground (a scene which in fact spawned Arborea), No Love is Sorrow will be a solid buy. Curran alternates between sturdy instrumentals and appealing vocal tunes, though for “Django (New Years Day)” he switches to piano a la his inspiration Robbie Basho; it’s worth noting that Curran’s is much nearer to trad folk and indie folk. I figure this will get a physical release soon, but buying digital now helps the man and his fam, so please consider it. A-
V/A, Women of Doom (Desert Records / Blues Funeral) Featuring Nighthawk and Heavy Temple, Amy Tung Barrysmith (of Year of the Cobra), Besvärjelsen, Mlny Parsons (of Royal Thunder), Frayle, The Otolith (comprised of four former members of SubRosa), Doomstress Alexis, Deathbell, and The Keening (with Rebecca Vernon, the one member of SubRosa not in The Otolith), everyone gets a track each except Mlny Parsons, who brings two to this righteous party. The comp’s raison d’être is right there in the title (Doom being a strain of contempo metal, if you didn’t know), and it’s both an admirable exercise and a damn solid listen, one consistent to the point where it’s difficult to pick a favorite, so I won’t. I will mention that the concept of inclusivity reflects a breath of approach (within genre, pushing genre, beyond genre) that makes this set such a start-to-finish winner, and will add in closing that folks bummed about SubRosa’s breakup should be flat-out stoked over The Otolith’s track. It’s a killer. A-
REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICKS: Ellen Fullman, In the Sea (Superior Viaduct) Ellen Fullman is one of the leading lights in the history of the Drone. This 2LP, like the Jon Gibson double set below, came out in late February, but I’ve been able to give it the necessary attention only recently; it’s an exquisite follow-up to Superior Viaduct’s 2015 reissue of her 1985 debut The Long Stringed Instrument, and more than simply a vinyl pressing of her ’87 cassette In the Sea. LP one truncates the title piece and “Staggered Stasis” (they ran 40 and 34 minutes) from the tape, adds a portion of “Work for 4 Players and 90 Strings” from the tape of the same name (also from ’87) on side three, and then drops an unreleased excerpt of “Work for Two” (from ’88 at De Fabriek in Den Bosch, Holland) on side four. Now, some might get the idea that Fullman’s music will be impenetrable or difficult, but I disagree, as when these sides start up it’s like walking into a giant head shop emporium with infinite rooms. It’s mystically robust, dig? A
Jon Gibson, Songs & Melodies 1973-1977 (Superior Viaduct) Superior Viaduct has already reissued two of Gibson’s key early albums, debut Visitations and follow-up Two Solo Pieces, both originally on the Chatham Square Productions imprint of Philip Glass, from ’73 and ’77, respectively, making this collection the perfect companion. It’s also noteworthy that nearly everything here is previously unreleased as “Song I” and “Song II” feature Arthur Russell and Barbara Benary (“Song II” also has David Van Tieghem) and “Equal Distribution” is a side-long piece with Julius Eastman on piano. “Solo for Saxophone” is a tasty number with Gibson on soprano (he plays organ, piano and flute on other selections), but the standouts are the sublime drift of “Melody IV” and tidier patterns of “Melody III” on side three. Altogether not as vital as Visitations or Two Solo Pieces, but still very necessary. A-
Jeff Beam, S/T (Self-released) Self-described as a purveyor of symphonic indie-folk, Beam hails from the other Portland, the one in Maine. He opens his new album with a hat tip to fellow Mainer, “Stephen King” (perhaps you’ve heard of him) and it doesn’t take long to absorb how Beam’s sound is closer to the bedroom then to the auditorium (y’know, where symphonies are played). However, if applied to a full-bodied atmosphere that, with a few exceptions (pedal steel, vibes, a sample), is the byproduct of one guy, the choice of adjective makes sense. Beam’s sensibility is certainly indie, though the instrumental layering in “Peripheral” is nearer to pop-rock than folk, to say nothing of the minimal R&B of “Disarray.” The standout track is “Think Twice, It’s Not Alright,” but Beam follows it up rather nicely with the prescient “It’s All Gonna Come Crashing Down.” A short record, but a grower. B+
Gabriel Birnbaum, Nightwater (Self-released) You may know Birnbaum from Not Alone, which came out last November and which received some positive words in this column, or maybe from Wilder Maker, his band of a few LPs which have garnered kind words here, as well. Hell, you may just know him because he lives up the street, in which case you reside in Brooklyn. Nightwater is his new album of 4-track instrumentals offered as a name your price digital download on Bandcamp, but with the physical option of an LP-sized linocut print in a limited edition of 25, midnight blue on cream, and very attractive based on the photos provided. Those prints ship in May but the music is available now, the 14 tracks initially conceived as a way for Birnbaum to release some election stress but offered as a potential anxiety-reliever during this very trying time. Kudos for that. The music is calming and lo-fi; in the ’90s it might’ve been released on a home-dubbed tape, or during the ’00s as a CDR. Totally worthwhile. B+
Die Wilde Jagd, Haut (Bureau B) This is the third LP from the project of Berlin-based producer and songwriter Sebastian Lee Philipp, but it’s the first I’ve heard; its four long tracks cohere into a whole that’s difficult to tidily categorize. Although the tag has been applied, Haut doesn’t easily fit into the dancy zone. There are portions of the nearly 14-minute opener “Empfang” that can be classified as ambient, and the track also ends with an unexpected (and too brief) burst of song featuring guest vocalist Nina Siegler. But to be accurate, much of the track is indeed appropriate for body shaking, with the same true for the somewhat Eastern-tinged exotic pop portion of “Himmelfahrten.” But “Gondel” is a long slow electroacoustic build that’s too dark to be tagged as ambient, and closer “Sankt Damin” dives into trancey repetition, but with songlike qualities. Let’s just call it satisfyingly experimental. A-
Kyle Forester, Hearts in Gardens (‘Tis So Referent) Forester’s second solo LP has been out since late February, but I dove into it only recently and it’s a solid enough sender that it deserves a little belated praise. Forester is no newcomer to the scene, as he’s been a longtime member of Crystal Stilts, has played on records by Ladybug Transistor, has been a touring member of Woods and was in Purple Mountains, the band of the late David Berman for the project’s sole LP from last year. Of these credits, none of them comfortably apply to what Forester is up to here, which at times reminds me a little of what Kurt Vile might sound like if he was really into the Shins. And then an up-tempo rocker like “Another Day” hits the sweet spot between Yo La Tengo and Spoon, but with touches of Flying Nun and even a smidge of early Stereolab. All this and Mary Lattimore’s harp in closer “On the Way Down.” A-
The Gordon Grdina Septet, Resist (Irabagast) ‘twas only a few months back that Grdina’s trio with pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Jim Black released Nomad, so this CD from his string-based septet arrives with the guitarist-oudist-composer’s work pretty fresh in my mind, though I can’t deny the 23-minute title suite that opens this set exceeded my expectations more than a little. Indeed, as it offers Eyvind Kang on viola, Peggy Lee on cello, and Jon Irabagon on tenor and sopranino saxophones, it was the best kind of surprise. Sometimes it combines classical and jazz sensibilities, sometimes it alternates between the two, but it’s never not a treat. Now, the suite’s titular notion of protest (the composition dates from 2016) might seem a tad backburner right now, when simple survival is at the forefront of daily life, but resistance and resolve are going to be conjoined in the upcoming months, and the Grdina Septet (violinist Jesse Zubot, bassist Tommy Babin and drummer Kenton Loewen complete the group) are providing us with some fighting music of unusual depth. Get ready. A
The Great Harry Hillman, Live at Donaul115 (Self-released) Made up of Nils Fischer on bass clarinet, David Koch on guitar, Samuel Huwyler on bass and Dominik Mahnig on drums, TGHH describe their sound as post-jazz, a drawn conclusion that’s quite understandable, though on this live set, taken from the second and third nights of a three-night stand at the Berlin-based venue of the title, should fully satisfy those who’ve followed some of the myriad courses avant jazz has taken over the last few decades. This is the Swiss combo’s follow-up to TILT, their 2017 CD for Cuneiform, with the seven selections here, available on LP, CD and digital, branching out nicely from the flights taken on that set and their two prior efforts.
Those earlier releases are 2013’s Livingston, which also appears to be self-released, and 2015’s Veer Off Course for the Klaeng label, both available on CD; adding to Live at Donaul115’s already considerable appeal is that none of the pieces are taken from their studio albums. With this said, TGHH’s strength is in launching from a sturdy compositional base and shooting off sparks of inspired improvisation rather than in striving for perfection in songwriting elevation. There are certainly passages with recognizable jazz tunefulness, but the band briefly visits these motifs instead of lingering upon them as they progress toward the ensemble fireworks of “Eidechsen Sie.” Some rock textures are also present, particularly in the kickoff to what sounds like their “encore,” but this is largely due to the amped-up muscle of the guitar, which also brings a few similarities to non-crap fusion. Live at Donaul115 is a delightful record that explores a stylistic hybrid that’s far from exhausted. A
Mick Harvey, Waves of Anzac / The Journey (Mute) Harvey, a founding member of the Birthday Party and a former conspirator in Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, has plenty of credits under his own name including a slew of soundtrack work for which this set is the latest example. The left side of the title’s forward slash is 13 tracks (on the LP, expanded to 21 on CD) taken from the score for Why ANZAC? with Sam Neill, a documentary focusing on war stories and lives lost as part of the WWI-WWII-era Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. While instrumentally varied, these selections feature a whole bunch of chamber strings, so that they cozy up nicely with the excellent four-part composition The Journey, recorded with the Letter String Quartet in support of asylum seekers who’ve landed in Australia’s offshore detention program. Strings can often be the boilerplate mode for docs and smaller-scale films in general, but the work here never once connects as Harvey on autopilot, and as said, the instrumental palette is wide. A-
iji, S/T (Feeding Tube) The eleventh full-length from iji (pronounced ee-hee) looks to be the first for Feeding Tube and it’s definitely the first I’ve heard by the group of songwriter Zach Burba, having squirted into the store racks in a 500-copy edition in early March; giving it my attention revealed a cover painting recalling the mid-’80s work of the Meat Puppets, but taking the music out for a spin delivered an approach considerably pop and not at all psych, though I don’t want to infer that drugs weren’t an influence. They very well might’ve been. But I’d say a cheap radio playing hit tunes from the ’60s to the early ’80s potentially played a bigger role in shaping Burba’s thing. This covers the promo copy’s mentions of Laura Nyro and Squeeze, but it’s “The Ultimate in Relaxation” that supports the nods in Arthur Russell’s direction, as the general twisted (but never abrasive) atmosphere reinforces the nod toward Peter Ivers. Furthermore, some of this sounds like music made by a band with a weekend gig in a Holiday Inn lounge circa 1979, and right now, I’m just fine with that. B+
Islet, Eyelet (Fire) I’ll confess that I don’t listen to much music in the car, with the exception of long drives, a fact I relate here because back in January I did soak up this Welsh trio’s third full-length (they have four 12-inch EPs, as well) on a trip into Washington DC, and was quite taken with their stuff (which is debuting on Fire after roughly a decade in the self-released zone), though I confess to getting sidetracked in writing up my positive impression to coincide with its release in early March. And so, the time is now. Maybe it’s just down to their UK home base, but Islet’s brand of experimental pop is a good bit more appealing to me than some of the other recent examples of the style, in part because they come from a more psychedelic and dreamy-ethereal tradition (a nice fit with Emma Daman Thomas vocals), rather than say, R&B or synth pop, for two examples. There are certainly some electro pop qualities on display across this set, but a fair amount of it is sorta retro-futurist (and again, psychedelic), which fits their relationship with Fire quite well. A fine set that has me curious over their earlier stuff. A-
Las Kellies, Suck This Tangerine (Fire) This duo from Buenos Aires has long been on my radar, and I’m on the record as digging their prior effort, 2016’s Friends and Lovers. Spanning back to 2007, they initially sprang from a post-Riot Grrl platform of sorts. For a while, they operated as a trio, with Julia Worley from their self-titled 2011 album (and Fire debut) guesting on this set’s finale “Close Talker.” On this new one, Cecelia Kelly and Silvinia Costa hone their highly danceable post-punk to a sharpness that can cut glass. Obviously, their current style isn’t especially far removed from whence they started, but the Les Kellies of 2020 is about precise grooving that recalls ESG, big fat bass that makes me think alternately of Pylon and Rough Trade circa 1980, and guitar rawness that screams Gang of fucking Four. I confess I’m a pushover for this sound, but only when it’s done right. Las Kellies have it down pat as Suck This Tangerine just rolls from start to finish. A-
Local H, Lifers (AntiFragile) Back in the 1990s, which is when this heavy Alt-rock duo broke pretty big, it seemed like they were playing Washington DC every other week, a slight exaggeration for effect based upon perused show listings and semi-frequent calls to concert lines. I never caught a gig and didn’t listen to them beyond the Alt hits that friends were pumping, but checking out this new set, which was produced by Steve Albini and mixed by J. Robbins, I hear a sound that’s sharpened through regular visits to the practice space and designed to be most effective on stage, which fits with my recollection and their legit rep as a live unit (augmented with touring members). Listening to this brings an undeniable flashback to the Clinton-era, but their heaviness resists the hackneyed and they avoid other annoying traits such as post-Grunge soul-boy vocal wailing. At the root is punk. “Farrah” is a late highlight, with the set rolling to a strong conclusion. Powerfully pleasant, across the board. B+
Lucid Child, My Universe (Self-released) This record, which came out back in February but slid through my personal cracks until I fell into the clutches of quarantine, is the work of Jonah Moon Gallon, a cat currently of Portland, OR, originally from Bakersfield, CA and apparently a vet of numerous 1990s bands. He’s responsible for all the sounds on this set of fuzzed-out but song-based bent-assed psych-rock, and after a few spins it definitely leaves a ’90s impression, like something a young Beck might’ve come up with if he’d been influenced by Butthole Surfers, Bevis Frond and Hawkwind. There are a few prog rock turns and a couple spots that remind me of a non-prankster Ween, as well. Again, the kind of record that could’ve landed on a major label (to surely disappointing sales) around ’94 or so, but these days more often than not gets put out by the artist themselves. Not a mindblower, but likeable, so if you’re at home staring at shelves holding records by all of the above, you might just dig this one, too. B+
Hayoung Lyou, Metamorosis (Endectomorph) This is a stunning CD that’s value is considerably sharpened when contemplating that it’s the debut of pianist Lyou. She studied at Berklee College and completed graduate studies at the New England Conservatory, so the imaginative assurance of her playing and compositions shouldn’t be surprising, but still; it’s unusual to hear a first record that’s so fully formed. Lyou has studied with Ethan Iverson, with the opening title cut directly inspired by her witnessing the former Bad Plus pianist at the Village Vanguard. These factors are reflected in the overall tone of the disc, which examines Lyou’s compositions in an accessible manner but with richness and unpredictability as further inspirations include Hermann Hesse and Carl Jung.
Her band features the alto sax and clarinet of Jasper Dütz, the tenor sax of Jacob Shulman, the bass of Simón Willson and the drums of Dayeon Seok, plus on one terrific track, “Heaven,” the vocals of Wonmi Jung, with her singing overdubbed to superb effect. Another interesting tactic is how “Animus” (the composition influenced by Hesse and Jung) is divided into three parts and inserted throughout the record, effectively grouping the other eight tracks into pairs. My favorite of the three is “Animus II” as it engages with the avant-garde sound that I favor, but the other two sections and in fact the entire disc goes down wonderfully. The notes for Metamorosis draw a comparison with Jarrett’s American Quartet, and if you dig that group’s Impulse albums, I bet you’ll find much to enjoy across this sterling set. A
Seke Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo, S/T (Antarctica Starts Here) Having recently spent a productive time at the turntable with a slew of reissues from African Head Charge, I was primed and ready for this reissue of sessions produced by Lee Scratch Perry at his Black Ark studio featuring the credited duo of Congolese visitors that’s at once highly slept-on and wildly expensive in original form (like in the $400 range, as it was issued only in France in ’79 by the Sonafric label). As reported in Uchenna Ikonne’s notes, Molenga and Kawongolo were brought to Jamaica by Nadette Duget, a Frenchwoman who was and executive at CBS France, with the intention for them to record at the studio of Byron Lee. Instead, they ended up at Black Ark at a seemingly opportune time, as Perry, who’d just completed work on The Congos’ masterpiece Heart of the Congos, was excited by the project. The rootsy quality, decidedly more Jamaican than any kind of deliberate fusion, does shine through across six ample tracks. A-
Jonas Munk, Minimum Resistance (Azure Vista) Danish guitarist Munk is a member of the psych-stoner rock act Causa Sui, but he’s also a solo musician of note, crafting ambient electronica, occasionally under the moniker Manuel. Something the band (of which I’m most familiar) and his solo stuff have in common is the absence of vocals, a lack that’s present on this new collection of ambient pieces. While the music here is derived from guitar, it’s processed to the point where it registers more as a drifting, gliding, ebbing and flowing, immersive dish of electronics cohering into a succession of ten tracks. As the PR for this set acknowledges, there’s nothing innovative about this sort of thing in 2020 (Minimum Resistance hit stores back in February); the appeal is in level of depth and inspired delivery, both of which are here in spades. A-
Once & Future Band, Deleted Scenes (Castle Face) Hmm. I’ve not heard the prior work (a self-titled LP from 2017 and the “Brain” EP from three years prior) by this Oakland-based outfit, but it’s pretty clear they fancy themselves as a collective Dr. Frankenstein of sorts, stitching together disparate elements of 1970s pop and rock into a big ol’ sound monster that’s deeply infused with the aura of the decade but highly unlikely to ever be mistaken as an actual 1970-’79 specimen. On one hand, the avoidance of the straight retro route is admirable, but on the other, a whole lot of Deleted Scene’s runtime recalls stuff that I’ve made a conscious choice to avoid in life. I’m not talking about the cited influences of Nilsson and ELO in regard to single “Freaks,” it’s more the stuff that reminds me of Alan Parsons or Asia going yacht rock.
But to go back to the Frankenstein analogy, records like this one, e.g. L.A. Takedown’s Our Feeling of Natural High (reviewed last week, also on Castle Face) and some of the blatant (if just as off-kilter) ’80s retro stuff that Burger Records has had a hand in releasing (Burger was involved in putting out the “Brain” EP on cassette) kinda remind me of the Panos Cosmatos film Mandy, in how they are intrinsically connected to certain lowbrow/ critically disdained stuff but also undeniably distinct and stranger than those influences. I must admit to liking Mandy a helluva lot more than Deleted Scenes, but again, it’s hard not to admire Once & Future Band’s handiwork. Hell, the finale “The End and the Beginning” left me contemplating what a collab between just post-Hot Rats Zappa and the Swingle Singers might’ve sounded like, and for that, I’m giving it a B.
P.E., Person (Wharf Cat) P.E. is a new NYC band featuring Veronica Torres, Jonathan Campolo, and Benjamin Jaffe from the sadly broken -up Pill together with Jonathan Schenke and Bob Jones of Eaters. This, their debut, can perhaps be synopsized as blending the former band’s sax-skronky post-punk and the latter duo’s arty electronic rock, but in the interest of folks who haven’t heard the work of one or both acts, I’ll add that early on, “Top Ticket” brought The Normal’s stone classic of punk-era electronica “Warm Leatherette” to mind, which is just marvy, and that later in the set, “Soft Dance” and “Pink Shaver” dished horn-infused and hearty electro-bop that’s frankly something other (meaning more) than a simple Pill/ Eaters hybrid. A very nifty debut, and here’s hoping they keep this setup going. A-
Le String Noise, L.E.S. Douze Volume 2, Soul Creole, “Trois Rangs” b/w “Trois Rangs (remix) & Weeks Island, “Droste” (Nouveau Electric) We shall group these three releases together- the first available on compact disc, the second on 7-inch vinyl, the third digital only- as they represent the fresh offerings from this excellent Arnaudville, Louisiana label. The imprint’s focus is on promoting the experimental and traditional music from the southern region of the state, and with L.E.S. Douze Volume 2, Le String Noise manage to encompass both sides of Nouveau Electric’s stylistic equation, as the outfit features Pauline Kim and Conrad Harris, aka Downtown NYC duo String Noise, with cello player-vocalist Leyla McCalla and fiddler-vocalist Louis Michot, the music recorded live during one evening from Michot’s 12-night residency at The Stone, a performance space in the Lower East Side of NYC.
McCalla brings Haitian Creole songs, Michot adds trad Cajun tunes, and Kim and Harris offer some Gotham-style avant bow pulling, though the ten-track set, if often wild and rough, strikes me as hardly ever truly formidable. Well okay, their version of “No More Beatlemania” by Half Japanese does reach some extremes of harried precision, but they wrap things up by tackling “Gone Daddy Gone” by Violent Femmes, so severity never becomes the overwhelming flavor. What transpires elsewhere, like during the sweet string drone of “Unipolar Dance,” illuminates a collaboration that easily avoided stalling into an oil-and-water situation while exuding rawness and valuing chance-taking in a manner that’s far preferable to the antiseptic politeness of so much contemporary Americana. I am eagerly awaiting the next ten volumes in the L.E.S. Douze series.
Michot’s main group, the Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers, do a solid job of steering clear of the too well-mannered, and based on their 45, the same is true of Soul Creole, which is fronted by Michot on fiddle and guitar, with Ashlee Wilson Michot on vocals and Corey Ledet on accordion and drums: Korey Richey guests on bass (he also produced). For those with a love for Louisiana sounds who expect that Le String Noise might be a little too out there, the catchy squeezebox and fiddle swamp pop of “Trois Rangs” should hopefully fit the bill. It’s the stuff regional hits were once made of, and it comes with a likeable if ultimately no big deal dub version on the flip. Lastly, Weeks Island is the ambient steel project of Lost Bayou Ramblers guitarist Jonny Campos. While “Droste” does indeed engage with an ambient aesthetic, it reminds me as much of the textured works for guitar that came out of the ’90s drone-experimental rock underground. Which means I dig it a whole fucking lot. A-/ B+/ A-
John Tejada, “Moving 909s” (Palette Recordings) That my introduction to the work of techno producer Tejada came through his run of full-length releases from last decade on Kompakt might clue you in that I’m not an electronic music obsessive; I just like the stuff when it’s done well, which is the case with this 3-song 12-inch. Now, I make the above distinction because Tejada has been active since the mid-’90s, which is when he set Palette Recordings in motion. The title-track here, which is a hat-tip (not really a stylistic homage) to Optical’s “Moving 808s,” is offered in a rhythmically fervent remix of clinical precision by Plaid that’s followed by an original mix of even deeper club preparedness (it’s those spring-action dance beats). Side two’s “Infinity Room” is a colorful swatch from the same electro-groove fabric. A-
The Uniques, Absolutely the Uniques (Antarctica Starts Here) Vocalists Slim Smith, Lloyd Charmers and Jimmy Riley comprise the classic lineup of The Uniques, which is what’s represented on this reissue of their 1968 album; its dozen tracks deliver a substantial dose of harmony-laden rocksteady. Compiled by Trojan from singles produced by Bunny Lee or by member Chalmers and released in the UK, originals can go for two bills, which is partly due to the lack of reissues this edition remedies. Another big reason for the record’s desirability comes down to its vocal group flair on both cover material, e.g. The Impressions’ “Gypsy Woman” and a highly creative interpretation of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” renamed “Watch This Sound,” and more importantly, original songs, with the superb “My Conversation” their signature tune. On a fair amount LPs made up predominantly of singles the spark can begin drying up as the end of side two nears, but this is notably not the case here. A-
