What's New? : 25 January 2022

Andy + Junior in discussion regarding the mighty SAULT.

SAULT — IIII (2019)
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Andy: It should be absolutely clear from the opening track ("Up All Night") that this collective is the next movement.  We didn't know it at the time, but they have appropriately not stood still ever since this came out.

Junior: Absolutely dude.  Prophetic as hell with "Foot On Necks" too — really the only commentary track on this album and nearly a full year before George Floyd (respect).  This isn't as political as they would become, though.
Andy: Do you like "Why Why Why Why Why"?

Junior: Of course, that shit slams so hard!  Reminds me of like a Prince song he gave away to Sheila E or something.

Andy: Would you consider Prince one of their biggest influences?  Andy would.

Junior: Yeah, I would . . . but like, more in spirit than actual sound.  This is way more sparse than P ever was.
Andy: That's very true.  Think I prefer the ballads, but that's probably not a surprise to hear.

Junior: No, I get why man.  "Masterpiece" and "We Are the Sun" are really pretty.  That's your bag.  I have to say: this album as a whole had zero indication of their full potential.  Almost feels like they cover too much ground in too little time.
Andy: Agree that it does come off a little chaotic and kind of directionless.  But not in the negative way that those labels might suggest.  More of like, "Huh, wonder what this is all about."

Junior: I get what you mean: it's a perfect table setter for what was to come.  At the time, it was just confusing because it was so dope and just came completely out of nowhere.
Andy: Key tracks?

Junior: "Up All Night" is my pick from this one.
Andy: Would add "Why Why Why Why Why" and "Masterpiece"

SAULT — 7 (2019)
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Junior: They have pretty much mastered the art of the killer opening track.  "Over" has shades of Liquid Liquid and that's the first instance of me wondering how much new wave has influenced Inflo's sound.

Andy: It is a fine point, indeed.  They have all of the classic righteous r+b touchstone influences.  But then you get irresistibly skeletal jams like "Smile and Go."  That one in particular reminds Andy very much of one of those classic ESG bass vamps that somehow become these totally catchy pop songs.  99 Records feels like a main influence going forward.
Junior: Dude, these rhythms are just undeniable!  Some of this shit sounds like vintage Dilla drums!
Andy: Think it hits a little harder on this album because it's actually their shortest record so far.

Junior: Is it?  Dang.  Quality over quantity.  I prefer this one over IIII by just a tiny bit.  I think "No Bullshit" pushes it over the top for me.  "Don't want your mind disease" is some cold ass shit to put into a chorus.  
Andy: Love the Heart of the Congos reference on "Threats."  One of their best tunes, Andy would think.  This was a noticeable step up in quality at the time and a truly surprising release.

Junior: Co-sign.  Key tracks?
Andy: "Smile and Go" and "Threats" are the ones that stick with me the most.  Would like to give a mention to "Friends" as well.  Maybe some shades of Sade there.
Junior: "No Bullshit" for me.  

SAULT — Untitled (Black Is) (2020)

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Andy: This is where it became clear that something extraordinary was happening.  "Dense and loaded" feels like a good general description for this and the next album.
Junior: Serious business, for sure.
Andy: There is so much language all over this record about loving yourself and understanding that the world will sometimes try to convince you otherwise.  Andy appreciates that so very much.  It fills the heart with hope.  There simply isn't enough contemporary music that digs beyond superficial self-positivity.  In that respect, this album is aimed directly at people of color, and understandably so, but also feels very life-affirming for anyone who has ever felt beaten down by "the establishment."
Junior: Honestly fuck "the establishment", Andy.  ACAB.  Nobody in a three piece suit ever did a fucking thing to earn our respect or trust, bro.
Andy: Well yes, but they find a way to put those sentiments into productive and poignant language.  And it has a good beat and you can dance to it☺.  Is this your favorite of their albums (so far)?

Junior: Even now, they've been so consistent that it's a hard call.  "Monsters" slams so fucking hard — that's maybe my favorite track they've yet done.  So, uhm, maybe???

Andy: The middle trilogy of "Us" / "Eternal Life" / "Only Synth In Church" felt like an instant classic moment for Andy.  That said, some of the interludes do seem a bit aimless and unnecessary.  I think it's interesting that the one non-commentary track ("Hold Me") is kind of one of the lesser moments on the record.

Junior: Yeah man, I dunno.  Tough call.  The highlights are just so damn good.  

Andy: And it does feel like nearly all of the proper songs are highlights in some way.  Really just terrific music.  Key tracks?
Junior: I got "Monsters", "Bow" with Michael Kiwanuka, and "Don't Shoot, Guns Down."  You?
Andy: "Eternal Life" (and its surrounding pieces) and "Wildfires" are the ones I go back to most frequently.
Junior: Sheeeit, add "Wildfires" to my list too!  Damn good album.

SAULT — Untitled (Rise) (2020)
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Junior: This is the one that finally sold me, so maybe this is my favorite.  So fucking epic.

Andy: Is "Strong" their best opening tune?

Junior: Another seriously tough call.  If it's not, it's definitely #2 on that list.
Andy: What even is that song?!!??!  Afrobeat-influenced Breakwater style modern soul, featuring a marching band drumline??

Junior: It's absolute fucking perfection is what it is, Andy.  You talked about the last album being very self-empowering, but that's the vibe I get from this one.
Andy: Yes, absolutely.  It feels like Black Is was the realization of that concept (or worldview) and this one is the mastery of it.

Junior: Yep, that's it!  You nailed it.  "Fearless" is playing in my head a lot recently whenever we're in unfamiliar situations.  That opening one-two punch kicks so much fucking ass — MAN!  Still blows me away.  
Andy: Would you agree if Andy said that, as far as production goes, this is their most fleshed-out and best sounding album?
Junior: Yeah, of the SAULT albums, definitely.  It slows down a bit in the second half, but it's not even like those songs dip in quality, just a more sustained vibe.  Mostly though, the grooves and heavier reliance on synths give it more of a super dope retro-80s feel in places.  Makes it feel like the songs can just go any direction they need to.  Really a lot more organic, and maybe a little less jammy than past material.  

Andy: It's Andy's favorite of the SAULT albums for that reason.

Junior: Understandable, dude.  Really thinking that's where I'm at too.  Like I can't even say anything else: it's a goddamn highlight reel.  For real.  
Andy: Key tracks?
Junior: I mean, a bunch.  Like half the damn album, bro.

Andy: Andy's picks would be "Strong", "Fearless", "Son Shine", "Free", and the beautiful closer "Little Boy."

Junior: All of those would be on my list.  I would add "The Beginning & the End" because it's a legitimate fucking Afrobeat jam.  Unreal.

SAULT — NINE (2021)

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Andy: The dip was inevitable, unfortunately.  

Junior: Yeah, but it's not even like this is bad either.  "London Gangs" the other contender for their best opener.  I almost expect Chuck D to start spitting a verse.

Andy: That would make Andy extremely happy.  This does feature their first (and, so far, only) proper hiphop song on "You From London?" (featuring a show-stealing performance by Little Simz).

Junior: Yes man, and that shit is dope as hell!  Basically saying, "Fuck off, we do what we wanna do."  It's appropriate that's on this record, too.  This is definitely a return to the angrier, more sparse and aggressive mood of Black Is.  Remind me later: we gotta check for Little Simz.  

Andy: And, also much like Black Is, it is very political.  At the same time, it is probably their most melancholy album, Andy should think.  It addresses street gang culture throughout London, perhaps explaining the mood.

Junior: Yeah, weird kinda dour overtone to this one.  I think that's why it just doesn't hit as hard: Rise was so confident and enthusiastic in its message, but here you get stuff like "Alcohol", "London Gangs", and "Fear" — all of which feel like the band kind of collectively throwing their hands up and going, "I dunno, but here's some more ideas."  But they're still able to make songs that are totally engaging.  Like, it feels like the craft is as good as ever.

Andy: Yes, would definitely say that there's an odd dynamic at work here.  But not to the album's detriment.  What did you think of the limited release?

Junior: Like . . . I think there's probably an uncleared sample on "You From London?" so they didn't want to risk getting sued (that's just a guess).  Glad we got it, for sure though.  It's still on YouTube for now.  

Andy: Wonder how it will be remembered.

Junior: I just think of it as "the next album that was also really good, but not quite as good."  Kind of like Fullfilingness was to Stevie. Key tracks?

Andy: "Bitter Streets" (one of their most gorgeous tunes, I'd say), "You From London?", and the title track.  How about you?
Junior: "London Gangs" and "You From London?"

Cleo Sol — Mother (2021)
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Andy: Think this is our first unanimous "album of the year" pick in quite some time.

Junior: Listen man, this is like the music that the Soulquarians begat.  
Andy: Agreed.  It is quite lovely and deeply resonating music.  Felt very much like a first listen instant classic.

Junior: And it just gets better with time.  Like the songs go off into these directions that you notice more details in with each listen.  

Andy: Also agreed.  It's a long album, too.  Over an hour.  Feels very much like a spiritual sequel to Mama's Gun in Andy's mind.

Junior: But also its own thing.  Like, I dunno, it has kind of a folky influence???
Andy: Would say, along with the expected influences by this point, this one definitely has a more pronounced 70s pop influence.  Did you like Rose in the Dark?

Junior: I mean, yeah . . . but it totally felt like "the side project", y'know?
Andy: Was just going to remark that the scope of this album easily eclipses any of her previous work, including with SAULT.  The title is a nod to the birth of her first child and it's accordingly her most personal work.

Junior: You know what's crazy?  Nobody official has ever confirmed that she's actually in SAULT.

Andy: Andy likes that a lot.  As if SAULT is the name of the creator of that music, period.  No individual members receive credit.  But it's easy to see why she would want to distinguish clearly between her role in SAULT and records like this one.  This is definitely not SAULT.

Junior: Definitely not.  At the same time, I feel like it's the complete potential of that collective fully realized for the first time.

Andy: Andy's favorite of the catalogue thus far.

Junior: I feel like I could just keep talking generalities about how fucking good it is.  Because man!  Front to back listen, every time.

Andy: Agreed.  So very full of so many beautiful harmonies and reminiscent of so many classic sounds.  But also very fresh because of how restlessly gorgeous it is. Rewarding listen every time, Andy would like to add.  Key tracks?

Junior: Man, like ninety percent of the damn album!!  That said, I really dig "Don't Let it Go to Your Head" and of course "Music" is probably my highlight (whole thing is dope, but that second half is just . . . shivering good).  Yours?

Andy: "Music" also Andy's overall highlight, but also agreed that it is another "highlight reel" of an album.  "Build Me Up" has got to be one of the most spiritual songs Andy has heard in quite a long time (and the outro sounds like a lost Dilla beat).  "We Need You" is a favorite if for nothing else than the phased out guitar (but the coda is one of the record's most resonating moments).

Junior: And I mean . . . the first two tracks ("Don't Let Me Fall" and "Promises").  When I first heard this and it opened like that . . . just, goddamn.

Andy: Yes, agreed.  We've now named about two-thirds of the record and it still feels like we haven't covered all of the highlights.

Junior: Told you, man.  Andy was right: instant classic.

Listen to these records a lot.  They fucking jam.— j.

Carla Morrison — Amor Supremo

Welcome back to the world of heartbreak. . .

Few things can prepare a listener for the kind of emotional ride that Carla Morrison takes on Amor Supremo.  Upon deep listening of her latest album, I have no doubts that she has plenty of experience on both sides of the coin ————

But I should stop there and interrupt with my own dialogue.  It would be no use for me to sit here and type away at how wonderfully gutting this album is without proper context.  I cannot claim the music of Carla Morrison as something I would just know about without someone very intimate initiating it to me in the past.  Now this person has moved on, and yet I'm still here as a big fan of the music.  It moves me like few other contemporary things.  That it just so happens to be of a very confessional, intimate nature is a deeply resonating, partially uncomfortable byproduct of the passing of time and relationships.

Look, it's a tough ride.

We all go through it.

Sometimes we break hearts, sometimes we have our hearts broken.

That this album —this grand, swooping artistic restatement of purpose and overall adjustment of a voice in a more produced, somehow even more emotional context— comes at the time that it does in my life is both perfection and punishment.  This is Carla Morrison recast: not the acoustic guitar strumming, sweet voiced songbird that sang cute little ditties about the ins and outs of relationships; not hardly.

This is the new.  The deeper.  The more complex.  The prettier.  The even more heavily resonating.  The bigger heartbreak.

The commanding, layered production of Alejandro and Demian Jiménez is miles away from the mostly acoustic backdrops which dominated Carla's discography up until this point.  Lush, Disintegration-era Cure synth patches and slow, wave crashing tempos are the main touchstones here.  Where in the past, Morrison's music was direct and easily digestible, the music conjured here has a nearly bottomless, flowing feeling that's traded in the concise for the ethereal and which makes her songs ever more poignant and resonating.  Her lyrics are as direct as ever, but the presentation now makes them reverberate with much more sureness and courage.  If you've experienced love and heartbreak, this album won't simply make sense to you, it will speak to you, for you, with you.

Removing myself from the equation, this has to be viewed as a masterful artistic move and all around creative upgrade in Carla Morrison's career.  It can be a jarring listen at first.  I mean, even the songs that aren't necessarily sad are dark, minor key affairs.  The twelve string buzz of the lead off tune 'Un Beso' seems to set the bar for an evenly paced album, but things soon settle into a sauntering mood soon thereafter.  The lighter, happier tones of 'Tú Atacas' and 'Cercanía' (which begs for a house remix) will stick out immediately, but deeper listens will reveal lumbering, towering highlights like 'No Vuelvo Jamas' and the closer 'Todo Pasa' (with an especially Cure-esque guitar tone in the coda).  It isn't until the third or fourth listen that the album fully reveals itself.  To be what, exactly?  I could say something stupid like "a masterpiece", "an emotional triumph" or some other thing along those lines —which would absolutely be applicable.

But, no.  I'll just resign myself to being in a place too closely aligned with the subject matter to properly assess and assign such accolades.  I can only share my experience.  And that is one of happiness, heartbreak, isolation and pure exhilaration —whether from sadness or joy— that this music brings about.  It makes me want to experience everything —the good and the bad— all over again, without question.

Incredibly tough to get through, Amor Supremo is not only the most resonating album I've heard in years, it is ultimately simply beautiful.

Album of the year(s).

~Austin

What's New?: 1.24.2015

Terry Callier!

Terry Callier — The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier (1964)

Terry Callier's first album is in such stark contrast to the rest of his catalogue, it's almost hard to judge as part of his cannon. Where the majority of Callier's following output was masterminded in Chicago by Charles Stepney and Richard Evans, this is mostly just acoustic guitar and vocals and the numbers are almost all traditionals.  It's a million miles away from the orchestrated jazz soul that was to come, but still showcases a unique talent that takes some new and fresh takes on these tunes.  There's a haunting, melancholy quality to the whole affair that really merits the title.  That said, to most ears, this is just a standard acoustic folk album, with some dark overtones.  Key tracks: the opening epic '900 Miles' the proper album closer 'I'm A Drifter' and the redemptive closing outtake 'The Golden Apples of the Sun.'

Terry Callier — What Color is Love (1973)

Almost a decade later, Terry's second album for the Chess/Cadet label find him at the height of his powers.  His first album for the label was the previous year's Occasional Rain (which featured fan favorite 'Ordinary Joe') and was done in a similar vein as this one: a sort of folk/pop/soul/jazz hybrid that sounds too good to be true.  But one listen to the multi-movement epic opener 'Dancing Girl' makes good on that promise quite easily.  Terry's acoustic strumming comes in handy to accompany his scat vocals in the penultimate section of the tune and, whoo, is it a winner.  The folky undercurrent that perhaps got a bit glossed over on Occasional Rain is on full display here, but the bigger arrangements and tasteful production make for an entirely unique sound.  It's an album that has a sound and vibe all its own; one of those rare albums that is able to create its own wonderful atmosphere while it's playing.  I'd say its closest musical cousins were the equally as visionary albums Gil Scott-Heron was cutting around the same time.  Exceptional.  Key tracks: the aforementioned opener 'Dancing Girl', the mildly Stevie Wonder-ish 'I'd Rather Be With You' and the viscous funk of 'You Goin' Miss Your Candy Man.'

Terry Callier — I Just Can't Help Myself (1974)

A little more produced and lightweight than his previous album, this one doesn't get real heavy until side two, but even sometimes there the string arrangements become a little obtrusive.  Still, a tune like the nine minute political rant 'Alley Wind Song' is about as righteous as it gets and the album's only better for its inclusion.   The last two tracks —'Can't Catch the Trane' and the especially wrenching 'Bowlin' Green'— go back to Callier's folk roots heavily and definitely make this one just a step better than anything that would follow.  Key tracks: 'Alley Wind Song' and 'Bowlin' Green.'

Terry Callier — Fire on Ice (1978)

Still working with a lot of same Chicago cast that made his previous three albums so wonderful, the material on this one is decidedly more lightweight and nowhere near as compelling. Stuff like 'Street Fever' and 'Disco In the Sky' just seem like borderline jokes when compared to past victories.  There are some good tunes here, but they are mostly overproduced, with too many string and horn charts cluttering up things.  'Butterfly' is just fine, but still feels a little saccharine.  Dah well, the good ones here are good enough to overcome.  Key tracks: the obvious centerpiece 'African Violet' and the Gregorian chant turned gigantic soul tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. 'Martin St. Martin.'

Terry Callier — Turn You to Love (1979)

Kind of an odd album, as it tries to cast Terry as a soul pop crooner.  There's a bit more of a focus here on synthesizers, but it doesn't really hinder or enhance the affair, which is nice.  There's some re-recordings of old favorites here and even a horn-charted cover of Steely Dan's 'Do It Again' (not bad, actually), along with a decidedly Vegas-y rendition of 'Ordinary Joe' and one more look at a masterpiece with a gorgeous 'Occasional Rain.'  Sometimes haunting, sometimes carefree, it would be his last album for nearly two decades and a somewhat mixed bag to go out on, but definitely one that's at least quality all the way through.  Key tracks: the haunting title track, 'Ordinary Joe' and the brilliant revisit of 'Occasional Rain.'

~Austin

What's New?: 4.11.2014

On today's episode: London electronic-y producer guys!

Burial — Burial (2006)

Burial is an interesting story because, for a long time, nobody knew who was behind the music.  And for someone to remain actually anonymous in the internet age is quite a feat.  It's good fun for someone to make such clearly passionate music as Burial's and then refuse to be identified.  It gives the music an even greater mystery — as if this music didn't sound completely from outer space already.  Eventually, he couldn't play the role of the British electronic Jandek forever and his identity was revealed.  Google for more info, because it's been reported on ad nauseam ever since this first album gained some critical recognition.  What is the music like?  Well, being recorded in the first half of the 2000's, a lot of people would identify it as dubstep.  Because "dubstep" has a lot of connotations these days, I suggest looking at the wiki page for a general idea of how the term differs from what this music is and what most Americans (myself included) understand the term to mean.  Manipulated vocal samples, dark, moody, repetitive keyboard riffs and scattering drum breaks give way to purely ambient sounds, basically.  This is indeed a strange world that Burial conjures up; one where there is room for Eno-inspired, strictly ambient tracks like 'Night Bus' to coexist right next door to skittering and buzzing atmospheric two-step like 'Southern Comfort.'  This is probably Burial's most consistently dark piece of work — and that's saying something for a guy who uses the sounds of pouring rain and deep thunder on nearly 85% of his songs.  Key tracks: the short ambient pieces 'Night Bus' and 'Forgive' and the wonderfully tense 'Distant Lights.'

Burial — Untrue (2007)

Recorded throughout the course of two years, Untrue is the big, grand artistic statement that Burial's first album proposed.  But where that album was still a little too fringe-sounding, perhaps still feeling an allegiance to a "scene", some of Untrue could pass for honest-to-goodness pop music.  Warped, alien pop music, but catchy as hell nonetheless.  Relying more on manipulated vocal samples than ever before, Untrue creates its own little world where dubstep is the soundtrack for a perpetual, but inexplicably gorgeous grey-tinged horizon that never fully disappears; just simply becomes more brilliant or less defined as the score dictates.  It's fifty wonderful minutes of an artist coming into their own and painting his first sonic masterpiece in one of the most rewarding ways I've ever heard.  Key tracks: the opening trilogy of 'Archangel', 'Near Dark' and the the absolutely stunning highlight 'Ghost Hardware.'  Beautiful music.

Burial — Truant EP (2012)

By this point, Burial had moved so far past his initial sound that it's almost hard to call his music dubstep anymore.  Only two tracks, but in excess of twenty five minutes in length, it sort of implies a DJ Shadow-influenced dance sound, except without samples.  The songs go through movements, break down and build themselves back up again and it's all very tuneful — perhaps surprisingly so.  In fact, the second movement of the second track, 'Rough Sleeper', is perhaps the catchiest and/or prettiest thing Burial had done up until that point.  As the prologue to last year's masterpiece EP, Rival Dealer, this sets the table perfectly.  Key tracks: both are great, but 'Rough Sleeper' is just so damned catchy.

Burial — Street Halo / Kindred (2011/2012)

Two EPs released about a year apart, compiled onto one disc for my convenience.  As the proper follow-up to Untrue, Street Halo is perhaps a bit underwhelming because it follows the formula established so closely.  But the tunes are still there, so if there's anything noticeable about it, it's that the guy could basically do no wrong in that mode.  Kindred is the big step forward and basically where Burial becomes seemingly infallible.  Moving through a difficult first movement and hitting a glorious chord change about five minutes in, the title track is the sort of transcendent, otherwordly masterwork that's so good, it doesn't seem initially real.  Closing out with a deep house groove on 'Ashtray Wasp', his most ambitious work up until that point, Kindred sets the standard for all subsequent Burial releases.  Always dark, always rewarding.  Wonderful.  Key tracks: the melancholy 'Stolen Dog', 'Kindred' and 'Ashtray Wasp.'

Four Tet — Rounds (2003)

Usually considered to be Four Tet's masterpiece, Rounds is a work of sometimes glitchy, sometimes pretty instrumental sample-based music.  In fact, some of it borders so closely to hip hop production, I'm surprised that it slipped through my radar at the time.  Have a listen to the dreamy washes of keyboards and chunky manipulated drum breaks on the opener 'Hands' for an idea of what's going on here.  Some of its sad loops and big drums remind of Anticon production of the time — the big centerpiece 'Unspoken' for example reminds me immediately of a Them song.  Overall, nothing life changing occurs, but I don't think that's the point.  It's simply meant to be pleasant listening or to get your groove on to while doing something else.  In that respect, mission accomplished.  Key tracks: 'Unspoken' and closer 'Slow Jam.'

Cloud Boat — Book of Hours (2013)

A quick description of Cloud Boat, I would say, would be Burial meets Fleet Foxes.  Odd combo, you might say, but one listen to the glorious 'Youthern', with its post-dubstep groove and reverbed out passionate harmonies, was enough to convince me.  Book of Hours, with its washed out white on grey cover art perfectly reflecting what the music sounds like, has to be one of the most unexpected surprises for me recently.  Checked out on a whim, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  There is a quietness to this album, an irresistible calmness that I can't fully articulate, but that I absolutely love.  There is also an instability to it, as exemplified on the centerpiece 'Pink Grin' (part one, part two).  There is just a wonderful uniqueness to this music.  For guitar music, it's very electronic.  But for electronic music, it's very folky.  Absolutely engaging music.  Terrific.  Key tracks: the seven minute epic 'Pink Grin', 'Lions on the Beach' and the wonderful acoustic closer 'Kowloon Bridge.'

James Blake — self-titled (2011)

Perhaps the most singer/songwriter-y of the London dubsteppers, James Blake is a really interesting fella.  His early singles and EPs, some released while he was still a teenager, were strictly dubstep, but when it came time to release a full length, he started focusing more on original tracks where he would sample and manipulate his own voice.  He's got a very unique voice already, so when it goes untreated, like on 'Willhelm Scream' or the unlikely Feist cover 'Limit To Your Love', he's pretty charismatic.  But when he's playing producer and fiddling around with his own voice, results are similarly engaging and surprisingly soulful.  The whole album rides a fine line between catchiness and being too weird for its own good.  But, thankfully, it's challenge never outweighs its potential and it makes for one of the most singular albums of the past few years.  Key tracks: 'Willhelm Scream' and the two part centerpiece 'Lindisfarne.'

James Blake — Overgrown (2013)

When this second album was released last year, James Blake was officially a rock star, even though he sings on the album's gorgeous opening title track that he wants nothing to do with such conditions.  If anything has changed since his first album, it's that his music has become more nocturnal-sounding.  It's fine listening whenever you can get to it, but for me it seems more rewarding to play after the sun has set.  There is one song here that I just flat out don't like — and yes, it's because of the stupid RZA feature.  How mismatched are these two?  Otherwise, it's a fine album that is surprisingly darker than its predecessor.  Key tracks: the endlessly catchy 'Retrograde' and the epic buildup of 'Digital Lion.'

Mount Kimbie — Cold Spring Fault Less Youth (2013)

And one last late entry into my favorites of 2013 list.  With King Krule receiving two stellar feature performances on this album, I really have no excuses for not having this around sooner.  Those two tracks — 'You Took Your Time' and the incredible 'Meter Pale Tone' — are good enough on their own to merit purchasing this album, but thankfully, the rest of it is just as strong.  There's a burgeoning "post-dubstep" scene where live instruments and original vocals are played and manipulated by the band themselves over scattered breakbeats — and Mount Kimbie is one of the names most closely related to that scene.  After properly digesting their two albums (Cold Spring is their second overall) and earlier EPs, I can definitely testify that not many other people making music these days have evolved to sound like the music they are making sounds.  Having Mr. Marshall in your corner certainly doesn't hurt in my ears.  Key tracks: 'Made to Stray', 'You Took Your Time' and 'Meter Pale Tone.'

~Austin

What's New?: 1.21.2014

On today's episode: PROG?

Daniel Lanois — Belladonna (2005)

I remember this came out when I was working at Tower, so I got to hear it a time or two in the store and always dug it. It's not quite ambient, but completely instrumental save for a few wordless vocals. It has a great kind of southwestern spaghetti vibe to it on songs like 'Agave' and 'Carla.' Elsewhere, it takes on a kind of airy, ever descending ambient like on the first and last tracks 'Two Worlds' and 'Todos Santos.' In the middle, you get kind of ambient pop dub things like 'Frozen' that just defy categorization. Through it all is Daniel's slide guitar and pedal steel, like a tour guide through all these worlds of sound. Definitely a nice revisit.

Midsummer — Catch and Blur (1999)

Midsummer, I'd reckon, is probably in the top ten or so best American bands of the last fifteen years. Too bad nobody cared. I first heard of them on the split album they did with Coastal.  And, at first, I had no idea what to make of their dreamy prog sound.  But the more I listened to it, the more I got it (like many things discussed here).  Seemingly wordless vocals and layers of dreamy, meticulous arpeggios often give way to exuberant, cymbal heavy explosions of pure sound.  A lot of their songs are six minute, multi-movement epics —especially on this, their first release. Have a listen to 'Where the Waves' for an example of just how good they were.  For a first release, absolutely stunning.

Midsummer — Moon Shadow (2001)

At this point, I should point out that everything Midsummer did was really artsy and "pure" sounding, so even though I've basically described them as a shoegaze band, they were most certainly not.  This EP, for instance, is just one long song, broken up into four movements.  There's tons of loud parts, odd time signature switching and even accompaniment from a string section.  It's a very complete piece of work and ventures close to prog ideals in more cases than a few.  Ambitious as hell and pretty to boot, I'd say it would be hard to improve on such quality, but we're talking Midsummer here, so spoiler: I'd be wrong.

Midsummer — Inside the Trees (2007)

When the band finally released a full length, it was just an over the top release of pure creativity, filtered through a net of dreamy melodies and seemingly endless good ideas.  Songs drop through holes, change direction entirely and break themselves down only to be built magically and triumphantly back up.  The big revelation here is that now the band was now able to do all that in under four minutes.  There's still those longform epics and they're still just as potent, but hearing it all blasted so perfectly in such a short burst is truly impressive.  It's only now that I had to seek out these albums from drummer Steve Elkins that I realized how neglected this band was (even by me; better late than never).  Inside the Trees should have been a landmark album in American rock music, but alas, it was not meant to be.  However, this album is on Spotify along with the rest of their catalogue, thankfully.  Just unbelievably good.

David Sylvian + Robert Fripp — Damage (1993)

Recorded live on the tour for the First Day, these performances have a sense of space and crunchiness that the studio album either cluttered up or muted — not that it's a bad record; these performances are just that good.  Indeed, the way 'Brightness Falls' morphs into the Rain Tree Crow tune 'Every Colour You Are' is just chill-inducing and probably the highlight here.  But, truly, there is no way anyone that even remotely liked the studio album won't absolutely love these live recordings.  And you'll find a lot more to assess and you'll see new things in these arrangements of the tunes, as well.  Definitely worth it, if for nothing else than the Gone to Earth songs.

David Sylvian — Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities (mid 1980's)

This compilation has the essential Jon Hassell collaboration Words With the Shaman EP right up front, but I already had that on the Brilliant Trees CD reissue so it was not new to me.  Still very awesome, though.  The rest of the CD is filled out by ambient works featuring a cast of Sylvian's usual collaborators and it's uniformly excellent.  The solo Sylvian pieces 'Preparations for a Journey' and 'The Stigma of Childhood' are the highlights of the new-to-me material, but really, the whole thing is just brilliant.  Stands up very well as its own album of Sylvian's ambient side.

David Sylvian — Approaching Silence (early 1990's)

More ambient Sylvian stuff.  There's a sense of moody calm to Sylvian's ambient music that's unlike anything else I've encountered, so when 'The Beekeeper's Apprentice' begins with three minutes of wind chimes and pedal steel, you know it's gonna be good.  There's just three tracks here, two of those over thirty minutes in length and the short 'Epiphany' to separate them.  The title track is a nearly fourty minute trip that seems to take you on a journey into another solar system.  Easily the highlight of this disc, and possibly of Sylvian's ambient work.

Jon Hassell + Bluescreen — Dressing for Pleasure (1994)

Basically Hassell doing hip hop beats, if you can believe that. I guess, at the time, the kids would have called it acid jazz. But that sounds so un-hip at this point. I'm not sure what to call it. Just like everything Hassell has done. This is a helluva lot more catchy than most Hassell, I will concede that much. Have a listen to the leadoff track 'G Spot' for an idea of what's up here.  It's very beat heavy and, honestly, seems like Hassell's idea of a pop record.  Only the closing tune 'Blue Night' turns in a longer running length and sounds remotely like any previous Jon Hassell tunes.  This is an interesting album in Hassell's catalogue and I find it kind of funny that his poppiest record is probably my least favorite.

Jon Hassell — Maarifa Street (2005)

This album is now almost a decade old and it's still Hassell's second most recent release. It's cobbled together from live recordings and studio attempts to recreate those live performances. It's a much more uptempo, bass-heavy affair than I'm used to for newer Hassell albums. Have a listen to 'Divine S.O.S.' and dig it.  There's a lot of polyrhythms going on here and, because of the prominence of the bass, it's probably one of Hassell's funkiest albums when it's all said and done.  He has a hard time running out of ideas with his solos here and this, more than any of his other records of the past twenty years, sounds the most like he was the true successor to Miles Davis' 70's space funk.  Outstanding.

~Austin

What's New?: 1.20.2014

On today's episode: GERMANS!

Tangerine Dream — Alpha Centauri (1970)

Seriously wacky early stuff from the Edgar Froese-led version of the Dream.  This was actually the band's first album to be released, though not their first recording.  It's very early synths and drum machines (and some sort of seemingly stringed instrument?  Christ, is that a guitar?).  It's just three songs, one short and two long.  The first track ('Sunrise in the Third System') is easily the most accessible thing here, but things go very dark psychedelic, very quickly after that.  Very atonal.  In fact, somebody probably heard this at some point and thought it was just total nonsense music.  At times, I'm reminded of Sun Ra's more far-reaching stuff, just without horns obviously.  Good stuff, though not for everyone. This is the later 80's reissue on Relativity.

Tangerine Dream — Tangram (1980)

Fast forward to the early 80's and I believe this was the last time the band would just do two sidelong pieces on an album for some years. They were just starting to transition to their film soundtrack career and that's beginning to show on this album. Even though it's supposed to be one long song, there are very clear individual pieces within the larger piece and I can't help but think it could have been split into their own tracks. And it does get a bit cheesy sometimes with the now totally dated sounding (in a bad way) synths. Still, there's a bit of the old spirit left in them on this album and there's points of sheer interstellar weirdness that I love them for. So yeah, mixed bag, but leaning towards worth it.

Harmonia — Musik von Harmonia (1974)

Basically the start of what would become known as new wave.  Harmonia is the boys Roedelius and Moebius from Cluster and Michael Rother from NEU!  Drum machines and synthesizers bubbling up into a stew of innovation on the very first track ('Watussi') and things just float onwards from there.  And, that's something: this music is very doodle-y and fun.  For all its groundbreaking sounds, it's actually very tuneful and accessible.  Check out 'Dino' and then remind yourself that this was released four years before Jimmy Carter was president.   That's just fun, any way you slice it.

Harmonia — Deluxe (1975)

Michael Rother gets a little more guitar time on this one and it's even more accessible, so I prefer it.  There's some vocal numbers on this one, as well, all of which are fun.  Check out 'Monza' for some serious guitar music and a preview of where Rother was headed on his own albums.  Overall, very enjoyable stuff and probably the better of the band's two albums.  And, besides that, just striking when you consider how ahead of their time they were.

Michael Rother — Flammende Herzen (1976)

Harmonic invention at its finest.  And again, totally groundbreaking music.  I generally don't like the term "post-rock", but this album, and the two that followed it, predict instrumental guitar rock that stresses mood and harmony over technical virtuosity by at least two and a half decades.  The melodies are so intricate, so layered and so well-thought out, it's nearly orchestral in its scope.  Just check out the leadoff title track and get blown away at how unique this music is.  The rest of the album follows suit and, while that first track is probably the highlight, the whole thing maintains that introspective but uplifting vibe to near perfection. 

Michael Rother — Sterntaler (1977)

Basically part two of Flammende Herzen, but maybe a tad more inward-looking.  Again, the first track ('Sonnenrad') comes out shining brightest.  But this does feel a bit more consistent and, for some reason I can't place, I'm reminded of the Cure's Seventeen Seconds album on songs like 'Fontana di Luna' and 'Blauer Regen.'  Maybe a bit down overall, but every song inevitably hits an absolutely uplifting chord or moment that redeems and solves everything all at once.

Michael Rother — Katzenmuzik (1979)

A grand masterpiece.  This actually was meant to be a guitar symphony, of sorts.  It's just one theme repeated across twelve different iterations and interpretations.  Different tempos and keys are attempted, but it just hits this transcendent mood and stays there for about fourty wonderful minutes.  Here's a representative piece.  Hard to reconcile with such high concentration of quality, but it's one of those rare albums that you can enjoy and learn from in equal measures.  This is absolutely essential music and one of the better albums I've encountered in the past year.  Completely wonderful and timeless.

~Austin

What's New?: 1.18.2014

Ladies and gentlemen: Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions!

Grateful Dead — Aoxomoxoa (1969)

You know, I've had the Dead's first self-titled album for many years after a chance bargain bin find and I don't think anyone with even a cursory interest in the Dead would agree that judging the band by that first album is a good idea. So, I finally picked up American Beauty a while back and that spawned a splurge that is still ongoing, but this is the so-far batch. This album was the band's third proper studio album and, I'd say, the first one that really represents the band's unique hybrid of rock, folk and jazz textures. It's the first album that Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter were working together and it fires off right away with a band classic in the rollicking 'St. Stephen.' It's mostly Jerry's album and his acid-drenched folk really shines on album highlights 'Rosemary' and 'Mountains of the Moon.' I don't care too much for the "freakout" track 'What's Become of the Baby', but otherwise, I think most fans would agree that this is the album where the band's sound came through on its full potential for the first time. This is the cool recent vinyl reissue on Rhino that restores the album's original analog mix. Super warm, lots of depth. Definitely hip.

Grateful Dead — Grateful Dead (Skull & Bones) (1971)

There's two sides to the Grateful Dead, especially on live albums. There's a kind of blues-rock jam band that's definitely fun and that I associate more with Bob Weir's half of the repertoire. Then, there's the transcendental, jammy, jazzy, floaty, pretty side of the band that I associate more with Jerry Garcia. This is the side of the band that I prefer. This was the band's second proper live album and, a two disc set on vinyl, it focuses almost entirely on the blues-rock side of the band, so I'm left a little lukewarm. It's not until side four when Garcia sings a rather engaging 'Wharf Rat' that I start to get a little excited for this one. It morphs into 'Not Fade Away' which then morphs into 'Goin Down the Road Feeling Bad' and they essentially end it the way they started it. But, for a while there in the middle of side four, they reach that magical point that a lot of fans revere them for. Just wish there was more of it on this one.

Jerry Garcia — Garcia (1971)

This album, released under Garcia's name, is a pretty important piece of the Grateful Dead puzzle, as it contains the debut studio recordings of many songs that would become Dead live favorites for the remainder of their career. 'Bird Song', 'Sugaree', 'Loser' and 'To Lay Me Down' are all here and any album with that lineup has got to be good. While live performances of the tunes, like a lot of Dead stuff, would outdo these initial studio recordings, they certainly have their place as important pieces in the band's history. The album has a sort of soft country-rock sound that's a bit more polished than you may expect if you only know the live renditions, but it's certainly nice to hear fully fleshed out versions of these tunes. Side two has some psychedelic collage sounds surrounding the centerpiece 'To Lay Me Down' and it's hard to think of anyone else that could've pulled off such a strange combination.

Grateful Dead — Europe '72 (1972)

This one is totally worth it for nothing else than its historical importance. Luckily, the last twenty or so minutes of this thing just get about as magnificent as the Dead could get when they were all there on that other plane. From the end of 'Truckin' through a stunningly discordant 'Morning Dew', it makes sitting through three records completely worth it. Literally, saved the best for last. Boy, when they were on, they really played music unlike anything else.

Grateful Dead — Wake of the Flood (1973)

Another studio record and one that's kind of overlooked. It's got a sort of country bar band sound to it, but with the additions of horns and synthesizers, kind of filtered through the LA session scene of the time. Not too bad, actually. Certainly mellower than the band had been in the past in the studio. Bob Weir actually steals the show on this one with the longform 'Weather Report Suite' that closes out the album, but Jerry's ballad 'Stella Blue' is a close second. Overall, kind of a subdued album, but they had really reached a good balance here of trying to get those transcendent moments relayed into the studio without coming off as trying too hard.

Grateful Dead — From the Mars Hotel (1974)

This one came hot on the heels of Wake and, as you can see, I found a British two-fer package that combines the two albums into one gatefold sleeve. And that makes sense because of the similar sound of the two records. Garcia sings the spooky ballad 'China Doll' and that's definitely a highlight, but Bob Weir steals the show again with the ultra pretty, jazz-influenced 'Unbroken Chain.' I do think you could combine the best bits from these two albums and make a super masterpiece, but going on what's here, I'd say Mars Hotel is the better of the two. Cool stuff.

Grateful Dead — Blues for Allah (1975)

This album is super technical. Just, wow. If they maybe got caught up a little too much in the mellowness of the last two albums, Blues for Allah asserts the band's technical prowess within the first few minutes. It's undoubtedly Jerry's album, so there's noodlin' a-plenty. But, good god, he sounds like Robert Fripp at some points. Just see the opening tunes 'Help on the Way' and 'Slipknot!' for some truly inspired guitar playing. The band has more studio sheen and slickness than ever here, but the playing is so good, it doesn't matter. The whole of side two just seems to be the band flaunting, from the funk rock of 'The Music Never Stopped' through the faux reggae of 'Crazy Fingers' and right up to the album ending freakout epic title track. It may seem blasphemous to say such a later album is the band's studio best, but Blues for Allah puts up a damn strong argument. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that they were never this inspired, at least not in the studio, ever again.

Grateful Dead — Anthem of the Sun (1968)

As the band's second proper studio album, this is the Dead at their most San Francisco-y psychedelic. Even the very first song is obviously cobbled together from studio overdubs and live tapes and includes more than a few noisy, feedback-drenched freakouts — pretty avant garde stuff for 1968. An eight minute long suite that eventually just became known as 'The Other One', and subsequently a pillar around which the band would build improvisations live for many years, it's one hell of a way to start an album. The album follows that blueprint, stitching together studio and live tapes and making for some very up and down psychedelic moments — but garage-y psych; you know, the borderline dark kind that's spooky. This expanded edition doubles the original album's running time with proper live performances of 'Alligator' and 'Caution' and a scorching performance of 'Feedback.' It was around this time that the band released a non-album single, a less-than-three minute studio version of 'Dark Star.'  That, of course, would become their signature tune, but judging from the contents of this album and that brief performance, there was no indication of where exactly they would go from this point.

Grateful Dead — Live/Dead (1969)

The band's first proper live album did as much as any of the following albums to do justice to their concert performances. This one begins with arguably the definitive 'Dark Star' — twenty-three minutes of pure bliss.  Garcia plays like he's channeling some divine power.  Total classic.  The rest of the album does just fine of presenting the Dead in concert, with the other highlight being the surprisingly Bitches Brew-esque run-through of 'Feedback.'  There's a reason this has been the go-to live Dead album for many new fans: it's just wonderful work.

Grateful Dead — Workingman's Dead (1970)

The band's famous country-rock left turn. It was actually a return to their folk roots and represents the band finally calming down off their initial acid trips on record. 'Uncle John's Band' is the well-known single on this one, but the record sounds better as a whole and, if nothing else, it must have made the band seem capable of anything at the time. They only got better in the studio from here.

Grateful Dead — American Beauty (1970)

This is their best album — and one of those absolutely essential "classic rock" LPs that everybody needs to hear at least once. It begins with the enduring classic 'Box of Rain' and ends with the hit single 'Truckin.'  In between, you get song after song of seemingly effortless and absolutely perfect folk rock. I just can't say enough good about this one.  It's probably a rare case of the studio versions of Dead songs being the best — it's that good.

Grateful Dead — Ladies and Gentlemen. . . The Grateful Dead Live at Fillmore East April 1971 (1971)

This is a really nice four disc set that documents the band's stand, closing the Fillmore East in the spring of 1971. Is it essential? Nah, not really. But there's great versions of 'Loser' (extra twangy), 'Ripple' (on electric guitars!), 'Uncle John's Band' (ace harmonies!) and of course 'Dark Star' is just luscious and wonderful here. Maybe a bit too much Pigpen and the cliched blues rock stomp for newcomers here, but this set is now over ten years old and you can usually find it for under $30, which is a steal for what is basically a box set.

Grateful Dead — Europe '72 Vol. 2 (1972)

Recently issued highlights disc to accompany the initial classic live album from the 70's. This one is worth it if only for the hourlong jam that kicks off disc two that combines 'Dark Star' and 'The Other One.' That was a truly inspired day. Otherwise, it's really only for hardcore folks. Great sound quality throughout; must have been fun to go through those tapes.

Grateful Dead — Dead Set (1980)

For the band's fifteenth anniversary, they played a series of shows at the Warfield theater in San Francisco where they played two sets nightly: an acoustic and an electric one. Dead Set is a highlights disc of the electric sets and it presents unique versions of 'Friend of the Devil', 'Loser', 'Franklin's Tower' and this two disc deluxe edition ends up with a really interesting take on 'Shakedown Street.' A pretty good live document of the slicker version of the Dead. It certainly has its charms.

Grateful Dead — Reckoning (1980)

The companion album to Dead Set is a highlights disc of the acoustic sets. And. . . it's just damn good. There's arguably definitive versions of 'China Doll', 'To Lay Me Down', 'Bird Song' and 'Ripple.' This deluxe edition contains an entire disc of alternate versions, studio rehearsals and extra tracks, playing up the folky tunes the band would tackle occasionally. As a document of the Dead as a folk rock act, it's pretty much essential.

~Austin