The quality of contemporary music has risen.

I bought two brand new releases today and I am completely and utterly impressed.

Death Cab For Cutie — Narrow Stairs (Atlantic)

"I Will Possess Your Heart" set my expectations for this album somewhere in the lower stratosphere, so after one full listen, the fact that I'm absolutely satisfied with this album is quite an achievement. I got all excited last album when "Soul Meets Body" was the warm-up single and it was awesome. Then Plans came out and it was kind of boring. Competant, but boring. This album, besides a couple warmer, fuller, comfy productions that mirror the nearly over-produced backings of Plans, in a very stark contrast is kind of cold. More guitar-oriented than last record and just flat out bleak and depressing at some points (the one-two combo of "Grapevine Fires" and "Your New Twin Sized Bed" — what the hell, Ben?). It feels like the obsession with death and passing on that occupied much of Plans is hopeful in comparison to the creepy defeat that is detailed on this material. Arguably the band's darkest work yet and a fantastic return to form. Wow.

Sidebar: makes that Chris Walla record even more disappointing in retrospect.

The Roots — Rising Down (Def Jam)

I only just bought this because I was waiting to buy it on vinyl. If this had come after The Tipping Point, then it may be a little more of a jolt than it is. But coming hot on the heels of the super aggro and dark Game Theory, the blow has been softened a little. Just a little, though. The loss of Leonard Hubbard forces the group to look to an analogue synth to create prominent basslines, only upping the dissonance of those particular pieces. Where Game Theory offered a few moments to catch your breath with less aggressive moments, Rising Down is a solid fourty minutes of jugular gripping intensity. Besides the mood-lightening title track at the end, Game Theory feels mellow in comparison to this album. Very intense, very angry... musically, it's their best album since Things Fall Apart, but sounds nothing like that album. I guess if I were to compare it to another album besides Game Theory, I'd say it's closest companion would be illadelph halflife. But even that's not very accurate. Pretty good, in any case.

And, with all that being said, I have to say, in this day and with the record industry in the condition it is, it's amazing to see a couple of the most daring records in the past few years get released on major record labels. They both are very reflective of the increasingly intense and hopeless times we're currently living in; yet both easily ease the pain of every day living and help focus on the bright side. Ironically enough, both do that by confronting the darkest aspects of the deepest issues at hand: The Roots socially and economically speaking and Death Cab personally speaking. Kind of makes me really want to buy a lot more music.

Now, if only our current presidential administration hadn't fucked the economy, that might be possible. I had to pass on the new Cure single because of budget issues. It hurt.

Have a good day and check out these two wonderfully bleak records.

~Austin

Leo Tolstoy on music.

From The Kreutzer Sonata, chapter 23:

"Music, they say, acts on one by elevating the soul. That is absurd. It acts upon us, it is true, acts with terrible effect —at least I am speaking for myself— but is far from elevating the soul. It neither elevates nor depresses the soul, but irritates it. Music forces me to forget myself and my true state; it transports me to some other state which is not mine. Under its influence I fancy I experience what I really do not feel, that I understand what I do not comprehend, that I am able to do what is completely beyond my power. Music instantaneously throw me into that state of feeling in which the composer of it found himself when he wrote it. My soul blends with his, and together with him I am transported from one frame of mind to another."

Even though the narrator (Pozdnischeff) is saying that this is a negative effect of listening to music (and, I guess, in some ways, that music is a willful distraction or opiate), it is indeed a very accurate account. And it illustrates perfectly why I want to spend my last dollars on it. I'm a roundabout opium addict, perhaps?

Thanks to Brad Summerhill —one of the best teachers I ever had— for introducing me to this confounding work of Tolstoy's.

John Klemmer and Franz Schubert are my opiate of choice these days.

That's all for now.

~Austin

A plethora of records.

There probably won't be any new posts about my recent purchases for a while because I've been thrift store record shopping and have amassed a ton of stuff, mostly classical. Been wanting to beef up the classical collection anyway, so it's even better that all of these records were acquired for under $10...

(no cover photos either because that would take forever)

Chic — C'est Chic (1978)
Had this album a long time ago, but traded it in in a mass purge that claimed a lot of stuff that I shouldn't have parted with. "I Want Your Love" was always the killer for me.

Hall & Oates — Private Eyes (1981)
Really no excuse for ever giving this one up either because even within the first three tracks, they could've packed it up and called it a day and still had a brilliant record. But then there's side two as well. Really the only Hall and Oates album that's ever done anything for me, but man, what a great album it is.

John Klemmer — Touch (1975) and Barefoot Ballet (1976)
John Klemmer is that weird scenario where someone's middle period is their best. The early years are ok, but spotty while the later years are just downright bad; but man those middle albums are just consistent quality packed affairs (see also: Stevie Wonder). These two are smooth jazz done right, with plenty of stellar rhodes action from Dave Grusin and John messing around with an echoplex. Stoney and light; perfect for Sunday afternoon. Harmless, but still good.

McCoy Tyner — Supertrios (1977)
Two record set, one half featuring McCoy with Tony Williams and Ron Carter, the other with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. I was rather excited to hear the half with Eddie Gomez because he's one of my favorites that I think is somewhat overlooked. It was definitely a lot more spiritual and subdued than I was expecting, but overall both halves of the album exceeded my expectations pretty easily. Great to hear Tyner's complex originals mixed up with stuff like "Lush Life" and "Moment's Notice."

McCoy Tyner — Enlightenment (1973)
McCoy's quartet of the time at the 73 Montreux jazz fest. Haven't listened to this one yet but I'm excited because Supertrios was so good.

And now, for the classical stuff, most of which I haven't listened to yet... but here's label/conductor/soloist info and brief thoughts on the things I have taken in...

Bartok — Concerto for Orchestra: Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra
RCA Red Seal, 1979

Chopin — Complete Waltzes: Arthur Rubenstein, piano
RCA, 1955

Debussy — La Boite a Joujoux/Printemps: Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande
London/ffrr (19??)
Gave this one a quick listen and was into it mostly because it's really pretty, even for Debussy. Did a little research on it and it seems it's sort of written off because it's a later work and is seen as being kind of dumbed down. Whatever. I thought it was good, not great, but far from sucking.

Franck's Psyche (A Symphonic Poem)/Prokofiev's Sinfonietta in A, Op. 48: Jemal Dalgat, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
ABC Westminster Gold, 1974
I normally don't go for these sorts of 'two composers on one album' deals, but I only have one other Cesar Frank record (Leonard bernstein conduting Symphony in D Minor; fantastic) and have had a hard time finding anything else, so I picked this up just to hear more. Haven't listened yet, though.

The Fantasy Film World of Bernard Herrmann: Bernard Herrmann, National Philharmonic Orchestra
London/Phase 4 Stereo, 1974
A sweet find that features Bernard's music from Journey to the Center of the Earth, Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Day the Earth Stood Still and Fahrenheit 451.

Ives — Symphony No. 4: Leopold Stockowski, American Symphony Orchestra
Columbia Masterworks, 196?

Mahler — Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan": Walter, Columbia Symphony Orchestra
CBS Great Performances, 1981

Rachmaninoff — Piano Concerto No. 2/Rhoapsody on a Theme of Paganini: Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic
CBS Great Performances, 1981

Rachmaninoff — Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor Op. 30: Claudio Abbado, London Symphony Orchestra
CBS Masterworks, 1977

Rachmaninoff — Trio No. 2 Op. 9 Trio "Elegia"
ABC/Westminster Gold, 1973

Scriabin — Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 3: Lazar Berman, piano
Columbia Masterworks, 1978

Schubert — Octet for Strings and Winds Op. 166
RCA Red Seal, 1975

Schubert — Impromptus: Maria Joao Pires, piano
Deutsche Grammaphon, 1997
My one CD find. A two disc set, the first CD was just gorgeous. For solo piano, this is very engaging stuff.

Schubert — Symphony No. 2/Symphony No. 6: Marcel Couraud, Bamberg Symphony
Vox, 1957

Schubert — Symphony No. 7: George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
Epic Stereorama, 196?

Schubert — Symphony No. 9: Arturo Toscanini, NBC Symphony Orchestra
RCA Victor Red Seal, 196?

Schubert — Symphony No. 9: George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
CBS Great Performances, 1981
Accidentally doubled up on this one. Might be interesting to hear two different readings of it though.

Shostakovich — Orchestral Works (including Violin Concerto No. 2, Ballet Suites Nos. 1-3 and Symphony No. 6 in B Minor): Maxim Shostakovich, Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra
Musical Heritage Society, 1981
Listened to the first record and it was way heavier than I expected. These were some of Dmitri's last works, so I guess that's to be expected. Son Maxim conducts. Awesome.

Tchaikovsky —Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in B flat minor Op. 23: Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Symphoniker
Deutsche Grammaphon, 1962

So, I have my work cut out for me. But I am so excited to sit down take all this stuff in, I'm frightened at my own nerdiness.

And, again, all that for under $10.

~Austin

My latest purchases and some thoughts... (Part three)

This is becoming a regular thing...

Andrew Hill — ANDREW!!! (1964)

After I liked Time Lines so much, I did some research and decided I should make this my next Andrew Hill purchase, mainly based on the fact that its got Bobby Hutcherson and John Gilmore (two of my favorites) as sidemen. It's not quite as wacky as I thought it may have been, but it's a lot like some of, say, Wayne Shorter or Hutcherson's own albums of the time: rooted in the strongest bop traditions, but very searching and has very subtle odditites about it that make the music not really at home in either the mainstream post-bop nor avant garde arenas. Very thought provoking music. Definitely something that I will have to sit down with for a few listens before I move on to more of his stuff.

The Virgin Prunes — The Moon Looked Down and Laughed (1986)

I'm a big Gavin Friday fan, but have never been much into the Prunes. This album is basically the blueprint for Friday's solo career, as it's the band's last studio album. It finds them pulling in different directions, but the most interesting things for me are the Gavin songs. In a way, it's almost like Friday's first solo album, but not quite. Definitely the tamest of the Prunes' albums, it's not really at home in either their catalogue, nor with Friday's solo albums. I still digs it though.

The Ohio Players — Pain (1972)

The Players' first album on Westbound and definitely their stoniest. There's just a nice, solid quality to these early Players albums. The funk isn't too jammy and they're just being soulful weirdos in the studio, which makes for some really interesting moments, like, say "Never Had A Dream."

David Sylvian — Dead Bees On A Cake (1999)

I am going slow with David Sylvian's solo catalogue because, much like Andrew Hill, this music is very enthralling and thought provoking. It took me three full listens to really assign the songs their own identities. It's a very long and beatifully sparse album, much in the same vein as Secrets of the Beehive and Gone To Earth. Very content, yet simultaenously searching music. Good stuff.

Cannonball Adderley — The Japanese Concerts (recorded 1963, released 1975)

This is actually the album Nippon Soul with an entire extra record of a previously unissued Japanese live set by the same sextet. Revelatory for me, simply based on the sextet version of "Work Song." A gem of a find.

Erykah Badu — New AmERYKAH Part one (4th World War) (2008)

I was initially put off by the chaotic sequencing and 'hip hop-ness' of the vibe the music had, but after a few listens, I'm pretty much sold on it. I've never really gotten the big deal about SA-RA, but the musical backings they provide here are next best thing to J Dilla, I suppose (read into that however you see fit). Although about a third of it seems very unfocused and the tracks aren't really actual 'songs' at all, the good parts are really good. She's very inspired by the revolutionary-minded Black Panther ideologies of the early 70's and when something that's totally funky and righteous like "The Cell" pops up, you might actually mistake this for 1973. Very politically charged, but not very specific; so things are more ambiguous than perhaps she was shooting for in the content. However, it's just refreshing to hear something this righteous and flat out funky —both genuine and not just imitations, too— in these days. It's like this album makes good on all the things Worldwide Underground failed so miserably with. Well done, I must say.

Jill Scott — The Real Thing Words and Sounds Vol. 3 (2007)

Although maybe not quite as good as her last album, this is just another strong installment in Jill's catalogue. She doesn't sound quite as inspired, generally speaking, on this album as she has in the past and, thus, it is perhaps her most 'sexed-up' album yet. Musically, it's the same type of classy lite-hip hop/adult contempo soul that she's mastered so well over the past few years. Probably her 'worst' album yet, but that's a relative term and there's actually nothing bad about it at all.

I also picked up a CD of Bela Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, which also has his pieces Divertimento and Zwei Potrats on Deutsche Grammaphon, but could not find a cover photo for it. It's pretty busy stuff, but has a really resonating vibe to it, especially with the celesta in there.

That's it for now.

More on the way, no doubt.

~Austin

My latest purchases and some thoughts...

Out of pure boredom...

On the Spot: A Peek at the 1960's Nordic Jazz Scene (late 60's/early 70's)

On the mighty Ricky Tick label, out of Finland. Also home to folks like the Five Corners Quintet and Dalindeo. This compilation though, highlights the folks that planted the seeds for the current scene of Nordic jazzy dancey folks. Eleven songs of pure swingin' dancefloor jazz from an interesting time in the music's history and an even more interesting place. Sure, there's the americans who were using Europe as money making venue (Dexter Gordon and my favorite, Sahib Shihab) who appear here, but there's also quite a few local folks, who really swing and get deep into that soul jazz groove. Really exceptional stuff, actually. But comps like these are always a double edged sword for me, because I'm such an obsessive mofo. Now I want to hear full albums from people like Kjell Karlsen and Otto Donner. Maybe one day. But for now, there's plenty of groove and unique ideas offered up here to keep me interested for quite a while.

The Durutti Column — Fidelity (1996)

Recently picked up the reissue on the unbelievably cool British label LTM and I like the album after a few initial listens. Seems quite mid-90's techno, actually. I loved Obey the Time personally, but that was more of a UK Acid Housey/proto-trip hop sort of thing, whereas this album is much more synthy. 'Future Perfect' kicked me in the brain, which was cool. Otherwise, it seems like yet another one of those later period Durutti albums that requires at least ten front to back listens before it really hits you. Great vocals throughout from Elli Rudge though. She's got a purrty voice.

The Durutti Column — Idiot Savants (2007)


This album has officially kicked my ass. Immediately, it shot to the top of my iTunes 'most played' list. If I had heard it last year, it would've been my album of the year, without question. It's unfortunately cliched to say things like this, because of its overuse in offensive 'publications' like Pitchfork Media and Rolling Stone, but the Durutti Column, with this album, officially gets better with each album. I declared Keep Breathing my album of the year in 2006 and, upon hearing Sporadic Three in mid-year, I was trying not to jump the gun, so I kept my mouth aprehensively shut. However, being that this album was released last year and last year is already over, I have no problem with declaring it the year's best album. Eight songs, fifty-two minutes. He doesn't even care what anyone thinks anymore. This is not inaccessible music. It's just music that exists outside of any preconceived notion of what popular music currently is. And it just so happens to be utterly fantastic. Easily on par with the Column's peak work from the early 80's, but sounds entirely different. Simply wonderful, thought provoking and incredibly heartfelt music.

Wes Montgomery — Smokin' at the Half Note (1965)


Ahhh man... Wes Montgomery plays his ass off with Mr. PC and those weeners that played with Miles. How can this not suck?










Andrew Hill — Time Lines (2006)


This is my first Andrew Hill album. I don't know, I was just all uber-suspect of his hipster revival in recent years. That, and his lumping-in with the free jazzers. But it's not all skronk, by any means. It actually made me think of Clifford Thornton's later work, which was very friendly. The whole thing has an underlying sadness, which is actually kind of a downer, because he died not too long after. It's rather good, though.

Chris Walla — Field Manual (2008)


Well, I don't hate it as much upon second and third listens as much as I did my first. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's kind of poopy, but there's a few songs that are alright. Overall though, I'd give it maybe two and one-half or three out of five stars. Definitely a footnote for Death Cab fans. Otherwise, ignore.

Ron Carter — Spanish Blue (1974)


A good mid-70's CTI session for Mr. Bow-Tie. He re-envisions 'So What' as a latin-tinged post-bopper that is ten times as fast as the original. Cool stuff. Another strong album in the long line of Mr. Carter's unimpeachably consistent discography.

Duke Ellington — Live at the Whitney (1972)


A later live appearance by Duke and an even stranger album because it's just a drums-bass-piano trio. Seriously great stuff. The version of 'Lotus Blossom' is absolutely hypnotic. The tunes are short and Duke does little more than state the themes, but it's just mesmerizing. Beautiful and joyous stuff, which is great to hear because Duke was so close to death.

Bill Evans — Trio 65 (1965)


Believe it or not, my Bill Evans collection of studio albums is incomplete. The guy is practically my Jesus and I've yet to hear everything that was up to his standards. I don't know what it is, but I'm biased against his Verve period. He certainly did some wonderful stuff there, but nearly all of his records directly before or immediately after hit me a lot harder. Decent versions of 'Round Midnight', 'How My Heart Sings' and 'Come Rain or Come Shine', but the band just seems to be throwing out material for the label to have something to release. Not bad by any means, just not as heartfelt as Evans is usually known for.



Well, that's all I feel like saying for now.

Happy listening.

~Austin