Mess Folk - “Something I Remember” - [HoZac Records]

True garage madness exemplified perfectly in “If I Don’t Get Out” (of solitary), with screaming lyrics from Philip Tarr, guitar, bass, and drums all indicating what happens “after months of cabin fever”. Side A has one peppy number (“Something I Remember”) and one downer (“Give Me a Gun”). All worthy of a listen.

Explode Into Colors - “Coffins” - [M’Lady Records]

Explode Into Colors is a trio of ladies out of Portland, Oregon. On this 7″ which was recorded in 2008, they play drums, percussion, melodica and baritone guitar. Sounds like Melt Banana meets Liars. They will also be a SxSW this year.

Baths - “Baths” - [Rad Key]

The Baths are a foursome out of SF. Guitar, bass, drums, tambourine and voclas. This is dark psychedelic punk. One of the members (Jigmae Baer) has played with Thee Oh Sees, the Tea Elles and Ty Segall.
Side A: Be Afraid of Me sounds like an indie version of The Velvet Underground. Side B: Black Sheep is pretty dark. Limited pressing of 500 dist. in U.S. through revolver, and at their shows. They will be at SxSW this year.

Lackluster - “Portal Ep” - [Cornwarning]

Esa Juhani Ruoho, a Finnish ambient electronic artist. This is a release of earlier works 2003-2005. It’s slow moody ambient, a tad snooze inducing at times, uplifting at others but definitely lulling and mellow. Neither inspiring nor repelling, just mild and pleasant ambiance. I prefer the more upbeat tracks, the rest are just a tad too minimal for me. It’s enjoyable but you *will* be tempted to turn it up because it is so quiet.

Schmidt, Irmin - “Kamasutra: Vollendung Der Liebe” - [Crippled Dick Hot Wax!]

This is the never-released until 2009 soundtrack to the 1969 film “Kamasutra: Vollendung der Liebe,” which tells the tales of lovers in India and Europe in criss-crossing storylines (based on the ancient erotic tome Kamasutra). The music, by Irmin Schmidt and the Inner Space, is psychedelic, spacy and groovy. There’s a dash of female vocals, surprising bits of harmonica on a few tracks, Eastern flavors, flute, percussion, and more. Recorded in 1968 featuring Can’s initial members: Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit and Malcolm Mooney. 2 slabs of retro vinyl fun.

Crothers, Connie Bisio, Michael - “Session At 475 Kent” - [Mutablemusic]

The first 2 minutes Michael Bisio’s solo bass on track 1 is fingernails on chalkboard intense, but hang in there - Connie Crothers’ piano enters and shows us exactly what is required. 4 tracks of improvisation were beautifully recorded (I especially like the clicks and slaps from the bass strings) at Crothers’ loft so that they could have the experience of hearing their work. Hard to categorize, probably more towards contemporary classical than jazz. Difficult, but worth it; perhaps track 2 is the most accessible.

Hurley, Michael & Nichols, Betsy - “Michael Hurley & Betsy Nichols” - [Mississippi Records]

Four tracks of Hurley originals, some being older songs in new versions, with Betsy Nichols singing harmony. This was their very first time singing together; they had apparently never met prior to this session. The first track “Jocko’s Lament” is a very short a capella piece, and the rest feature Hurley on acoustic or electric guitar. “Don’t let Me Down” is NOT the Beatles’ song. No other instruments, it’s very casual. This is a much more “folkish” release than his recent “Ida Con Snock” release with a full band, but the songs, vocals, and guitar work are very much as per Hurley’s usual: distinctive and odd, funny but maybe not ha-ha funny… and sometimes strangely moving for unknown reasons.
PGM: track order on sleeve is WRONG, check vinyl label for correct info. This plays at 33-1/3. (( crimes ))

Aarktica - In Sea Remixes [coll] - [Silber Records]

It’s nice to revisit this music by Jon DeRosa through the aural lens of the likes of Planar, Keith Canisius, Mason Jones, Slicnaton, Al Qaeda, Ramses III, Thisquietarmy, Landing, Remora, Declining Winter, Yellow6, and others. Whether they add violin (12), vocals (1, 7, 12,), or beats (6, 7, 8, 11 13), these remix artists take the ambient beauty and change it up nicely.

Hurley, Michael & Ida - “Ida Con Snock” - [Gnomonsong]

Now in his fifth decade of recording, Michael Hurley (code name, Snock) has recorded for Folkways, Warners, Rounder, and any number of small labels (like Gnomonsong), in most cases without much label interference, yielding a truly idiosyncratic and sometimes shambolic catalog of distinctive original tunes and covers of folk, country, jazz and standards. Constantly working with different sets of musicians, this release finds him supported by Ida, a group with varied instrumentation but roughly hoeing the same ditch Neil Young and others dug in the early 70s, with pedal steel, some fiddle, light drumming and bits of pretty background vocals. The covers this time out include “Rag Mopp,” the silly hit by the Ames Brothers that’s a perfect fit for Hurley, and a medley of Scottish/Irish folksongs, “Loch Lomond / Molly Malone”. Meanwhile, “It Must Be Gelatine” and “Hoot Owls” are typical of the more oddball fare he’s served up all these years. “Wildegeeses” and “Valley of Tears” are slower, prettier tunes. (( crimes ))

Lipscomb, Mance - “Best of Mance Lipscomb, The” - [Arhoolie Productions]

The Arhoolie record label owes its beginnings to a trip its founder took in 1960 (while a teacher at Los Gatos High School!) where he met and recorded Mance Lipscomb, resulting in Arhoolie’s first release. Lipscomb (pronounce LIP-scum) was a Texas sharecropper who called himself a “songster”, sometimes improvising lyrics, other times playing traditional favorites. Great guitar work, rich voice, this is the real thing.

I have heard that blues songs about the Titanic date back to when black boxer Jack Johnson could not board, due to racist policies of the time. When the ship sank, some felt it was the hand of an angry God.

Carta - “Index of Birds, an” - [Silber Records]

This is a lovely collection of ambient, shoegazy, and sometimes psychedelic tracks. Many are instrumental, although strong male and female voices arise out of the ether with solemn lyrics. Guitars, cello, percussion, keyboards, and programming evoke mellow and melancholy images of nature. No actual bird sounds, except you can imagine them on 7 and in 12. Really pretty and right up the alley of many.

Robair, Gino - “I, Norton an Opera In Real-time” - [Rastascan Records]

Creativity abounds in this opera dealing with the final moments of Emperor Joshua Norton’s life. Composer/improvisor/percussionist extraordinaire Robair writes: “This CD represents only one of an infinite number of possible realizations” of this opera. Read the liner notes and sit back and take in the drone of ebow piano, sustained gong, electroacoustic improv, playback of processed sound, recombinant spoken word, saw, and other instruments as you imagine the life of Emperor Norton flashing before his eyes.

Mincemeat Or Tenspeed - “Strange Gods” - [Zum]

“No synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, computers, musical instruments.” states the liner notes on this release. MOT is David Harms from Philadelphia. Using only effect pedals and mixer he creates some crazy robot dancing loops. Throbbing and pounding, in repetitive looping fury. This is the stuff to play loudly and pound the shit out of your punching bag to. Loud, hard and banging. Bust out your hammer and destroy!

Gerritt/Wiese, John - “Panoramic Glass and Mirror” - [Misanthropic Agenda]

Another collaboration from electronic Californian noisemakers, Gerritt (north) & John Wiese (south). Side A was crafted from live recordings by John Wiese, and side B was produced from studio sessions by Daniel Voss (Leviathan, Deathroes, Yellow Swans). Rumblings, crunchings and gwarbles, all in a spooky, haunting sort of way. It’s like when you have that feeling you’re being followed. Itchy and disturbing, aliens running through the swamp grass ET style. The second side is way more creepy. Shifting drones and rattling objects. Perfect for a late night in the dark play, you’re DEFINITLY being followed this time!

Merzbow - “Microkosmos Volume 1″ - [Blossoming Noise]

The first in a series of 5 entitled Microkosmos from Japan’s noise maker, Merbow (Masami Akita). Each cover will feature artwork created by Merzbow from 1982-83. Side A on this guacamole vinyl starts off with a happenin’ drummer, and soon spills into busy electronics. You can hear the drummer throughout the track, almost as if he was trying to escape a cube of angry buzzing wires. Lots of cymbal action, giving this track some sort of rhythm. Drummer vs. noise! The mayhem continues on side B. I think the drummer wins on this side. Drumming inferno!

Dadfag - “Scenic Abuse” - [Broken Rekids]

The band is called Dadfag they are a threesome out of San Francisco. Dark punk rock/no wave with angry and desperate lydia lunch inspired female vocals, driving bass, noisy guitar and drums. Most of the tracks are around 2 minutes, the longest runs 4:36. This band is playing in Oakland tomorrow night and SF thu & fri, they have a bunch of other local gigs coming up. They rock!

Watch for language on track 1!

Miss Massive Snowflake - “Songs About Music” - [North Pole Records]

Seriously, this is like a great book that you can’t put down. Putting this on makes you HAVE to listen to the next song, and the next…until you’re out of songs, completely jazzed but still wanting more..Shane de Leon’s clear voice delivers political, smart lyrics set to fine accompaniment by bass, bells, percussion, sax, and trumpet, all mixing together to create an intoxicating rock, jazzy, psyche sound. IT’S AWESOME!!! Listen!

Finally Punk - “Casual Goths” - [Army of Bad Luck]

Compiling material from 2005 to 2009, this 2009 release “Casual Goths” by Austin girl rockers Finally Punk is a fun romp through riot grrrl-reminiscent punk rock (think Bratmobile and Sleater-Kinney). On gorgeous swirly pink vinyl, the LP culls tracks from several of their 7″s as well as some unreleased tracks (including a cover of Nirvana’s “Negative Creep”).

Short songs, screams, shrieks, call and response vocal moments, fab lyrics (”what the fuck. Missile!”) and sass (”You can pick me up…. go to shows…take me out….Do you wanna? Be my boyfriend? Fill out an application!”) take me back to the reason I loved the girl punk scene of the early 1990s and its marriage of girl group loveliness (in the melodic “Primary Colors”) with punk’s confidence and edge.

Texas Funk Black Gold From The Lone Star State [coll] - [Jazzman]

Whether it was because it was at the end of the “Chittlin’ Circuit” or not, this compilation proves that Texas produced a treasure chest of funk from 1968 to 1975. Latino, black, and white musicians were playing very energetic tunes with remarkably good instrumentals. Liner notes have great maps, notes, photos and images of the 45rpm labels that let us get a glimpse of this scene.

Orange, Adrian - “Bitches Is Lord” - [Marriage Records]

Portland, Oregon denizen Adrian Orange (who has also recorded and performed under the names Thanksgiving, AO and AOK) released the LP “Bitches is Lord” back in August 2006 on Marriage Records. It’s spare, confessional music in that folky, strained vocal style made famous by Will Oldham. With guitar, light percussion, pretty twinkling moments (”Don’t Cry”), and a happy Bill Callahan-style “Woo” on one song, it’s a lovely little album.