Black Landlord - “Addicted to Distraction” - [Ropeadope Records]

Philidelphia gave us the Roots. The Roots gave Black Landlord their whole style ten years ago. Vocal delivery is like the call and response. His actual voice sounds simiar to Gift of Gab at times and at others it’s eerily like B Real(Cypress Hill) with his very own Send Dog sounding hype man. However, the rhyme style isn’t like these at all. It’s filled with story telling yelling verses and hooky choruses. I can’t say enough good about the band and their production. If you like the live sound of the JB’s, Crown City Rockers, or the Dap Kings, you will definitely like these tracks. You get the full sound of horns, guitar, keys, etc. Producers Leonard de Leonard and Olaf Hund have done an excellent job giving each member of the band due justice to their instruments.

FCC: 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11

3WR: Hype Band, Man

Grass Widow - “Grass Widow” - [Make a Mess Records]

Recorded in 2008, this self-titled release by San Francisco-based Grass Widow came out in Spring 2009. The all-gal lineup (Lillian Maring on drums and vocals, Raven Mahon on guitar, vocals, and trumpet, and Hannah Lew on bass and vocals) crafts some pleasant, rocking sounds that bring to mind some of my favorite bands of the early 1990s riot grrrl scene.

Lovely harmonizing vocals and rock arrangements make for a fun listen. Poetic lyrics touch on everyday ruminations in tracks like “Celebrate the Mundane” and provide commentary on our digital age on “Green Screen” (with lyrics like “Computer are you listening? Thousands and millions of dollars. Lifeless animation. Longing for organic matter…”)

McPhee, Joe / Nilssen-Love, Paal - “Tomorrow Came Today” - [Smalltown Superjazzz]

Improvised duets on tenor sax (McPhee) and drums (Nilssen-Love). The dynamic level rises and falls as the two players push and prod and suggest where the music should go next. The veteran McPhee sounds like he’s willing to try just about any approach on his sax, from soft gentle tones to full-bore skronkadelic. He also whips out a pocket trumpet on Track 3. As always, drummer Nilssen-Love just can’t be stopped; he plays with power but is incredibly nimble. He is only about half McPhee’s age, yet the two find plenty of musical common ground. The pure, unpredictable creativity of these players stands up to repeated listening.

Jansch, Bert - “L.A. Turnaround” - [Drag City]

Nearly 10 years into his career by this point, and having just split from the folk/jazz Pentangle, Bert Jansch was enticed to sign with the prog-heavy UK label, Famous Charisma Label. The first of 3 releases for Charisma, this one is perhaps the most eclectic and interesting of them. At the time, Mike Nesmith of the Monkees was doing country flavored work with the First National Band, and he was brought in to produce this LP with Bert, using FNB steel guitarist Red Rhodes plus an LA-based rhythm section on some tracks. Jesse Ed Davis, sometimes sideman for Taj Mahal, brought his tough slide sound for a few tracks, giving a bit of a Little Feat or Ry Cooder edge on tracks like “Open Up the Watergate”. The result is a fuller sound than usual for Bert’s casual (and very Scottish) vocals and his always complex and driving acoustic guitar. Instrumentals “Chambertin” and “Lady Nothing” are more typical of his earlier solo work, and “Needle of Death” is a remake of one of his very first original songs, sounding a bit like Neil Young’s “Ambulance Blues” in this countryish re-arrangement. Outtakes from these sessions are collected on a companion CD along with a short Quicktime film of a British session for the album. ((( crimes )))

Asylum Street Spankers - “Gods Favorite Band” - [Yellow Dog Records]

Live recordings made in their hometown of Austin TX in 2006 are the source for this new release from the ever-changing Asylum Street Spankers, still led as ever by Christina Marrs and Wammo. Founding member Guy Forsyth is present here as well, along with longtime hipster Stanley Smith on clarinet, retired from the road but still making it to hometown gigs when he can. The group had done “Gospel Brunches” in its earliest days, and they have returned to that repertoire here. You gotta have big voices to belt out these classics, and they have that covered. Two originals by Wammo touch on other religious issues: “Volkswagen Thing” is a country pastiche about what God might drive in to avoid detection, and “Right and Wrong” is more blues-oriented and venturing outside pure Christian thought. But the core material here comes from country blues, spirituals, a neo-gospel selection by Gordon Gano, and one Gershwin classic, “It Aint Necessarily So”. Tune in to KFJC’s webcast of the Asylum Street Spankers’ LIVE MIC at KFJC on FEB. 23! ((( crimes )))

Bern Nix Trio - “Alarms and Excursions” - [New World]

Jazz guitarist Bern Nix was a member of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time Band and that influence shows. He listened to Wes Montgomery and Charlie Christian and those influences show, too. But these are just influences, Nix takes jazz guitar into a whole new realm. These tracks are rather free and modern with the one exception of “Just Friends” which is rather traditional, almost soft guitar jazz.

Very intriguing, melodic, guitar fans should check this out.

Mills, Jeff - “Good Robot, The” - [Axis Records]

I love techno pioneer Jeff Mills and I like robots ok. Actually robots are scary but this EP is not and I wish it was.
The tracks contradict themselves with a choice of: a- cinematic, dreamy beauty or b- repetitive anxiety ridden beats and nothing in between. I love the dreamy, droney, sweeping tracks but the beats make me want to punch someone, they go nowhere and inspire nothing. So I half like this and I half like robots.

Emptyset - “Emptyset” - [Caravan]

aka James Ginzburg & Paul Purgas, based in Bristol UK. After a few minimal techno 12″ releases, this is the looong awaited full-length LP.
It’s amazing!! Minimal electronics, a mix of beats and excellent techno tracks along with long sonic soundscapes and tones that will appeal to the droners too.
They give a nod to Alva Noto and Deathprod (Dark Ambient/Drone) and you can hear those influences. They say “Emptyset acts as a research project connecting the ideas of a modern dancefloor with experimental approaches to music and its design” and that sums it up quite nicely. Even if you don’t like the beats, check out the drones!!

Gale, Eddie - “Ghetto Music” - [Water]

Francis Wolff, co-founder of Blue Note, personally financed the production and release of this music in 1968, but Eddie Gale’s Ghetto Music got lost after Liberty Records took over Blue Note.

Very beautiful music that brings out both the joy and pain of ghetto life. Tight instrumentals with two basses and two drums in the rhythm section, fine sax from Russell Lyle, and Eddie Gale showing his range on everything from trumpet to bird whistle. Vocals are a standout from the Noble Gale Singers.

Notes: thumb piano in track 5, especially nice vocals on track 1.

Shelton, Aram (Fast Citizens) - “Two Cities” - [Delmark]

Aram Shelton moved to Oakland, California to study and teach at Mills College but he teams up here with some Chicago pals for this intriguing set of improv pieces. One can hear influences of Ornette Coleman and Roscoe Mitchell, but the overall sound is quite original and certainly is well played. Sometimes engaging (horns on track 6, strings on track 2) but challenging to hear for the first time with occasional whiny, aimless moments.

Kimbrough, Junior - “First Recordings” - [Fat Possum Records]

Mississippi native Junior Kimbrough (1930-1998) released his first album when he was 62 in 1992, so any earlier recordings are precious in that context alone. In 1966 he made his first recording at American Studios in Memphis for Quinton Claunch, founder of Hi Records. (Rumor has it that Fat Possum plans to reissue much of this label’s output.)

Kimbrough succeeded in moving away from “blues” commonly heard in the 1960’s and getting back to his Mississippi roots, but he somehow did in a new way. This is spectacular stuff – Kimbrough’s intensity, voice, and guitar are in fine form and are very affecting. Emotional, stark, very beautiful.

Ubangi, Bobby - “Inside The Mind Of…” - [Rob’s House]

Sadly, this debut full-length by Atlanta rocker Bobby Ubangi (born Benjamin Jay Womack) was released in the months prior to his death from lung cancer on July 1, 2009.

It’s a fuzzy, lofi (recorded on 4-track) release full of garage rock and spare songs. On first listen (before I knew the back story) it struck me as fun and upbeat. Although there are some love-themed songs, upon closer listen, this album got downright depressing, with lyrics perhaps speaking to his impending death. The album concludes with “Sinking” in which Bobby sings: “sinking…everybody’s watching me drown.”

Various Atlanta friends help out on the release by Bobby Ubangi (whose prior projects included the Lids and Gaye Blades) including folks from Black Lips and King Khan.

Nelson, Red - “1935 - 1938″ - [Document Records]

A healthy helping of golden era Chicago blues from a less well known, though not necessarily less talented artist - “Dirty Red” Nelson Wilborn. The very laconic delivery, common for the era, can make it difficult to feel the deep pain punctuated by irrepressable spirit and double entendre, but it also makes the seeking worthwhile. Many of the tracks sound a bit scratchy, but in turn the sound of the original pressings (these are recovered from 78s) appears to be preserved at the best quality achievable. My favorite was “What a time I’m havin’”, which is also notable for being a protest song - WWII soldiers were promised a per-diem bonus that was long delayed before it was finally paid, but there’s lots of good stuff here. A notable document and solid collection of blues.

Better Maker, The - “All Things Are Changing; Nothing Dies” - [Holy Sea]

Self described “living room music” from San Francisco is warm and fuzzy, like the feeling it gives. Good basic rock that still oozes personality - carefully dishevelled CD artwork well reflects the music within. Not a bad cut on the album - I suggest tracks 2 (kicks), 5 (kisses), 8 (sweet, sweet booty!), and 10 (road trip).

Tsigoti - “PrivatePropertySpeakstoThePeopleofTheParty” - [Esp-Disk]

Thollem McDonas proves his versatility and social conscience with this new release from Tsigoti (formerly Waristerror Terroris war). The lyrics printed on the liner notes are crucial to appreciating McDonas’ spoken and sung vocals backed by himself on beat-up piano, Andrea Caprara on drums, Matteo Bennici on bass, and Jacopo Andreini on electric guitar. The music itself is mostly fast-paced, off-beat, punk rock that perfectly complements the anti-war themes of the songs. This is in a league with Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine.

Nymphomania: a Collection of Sexy European GoGo Music From [coll] - [Sexy Hexy Records]

What can I say? This is like many soundtracks to cheesy, sexy movies, and yes, the sound is definitely 60s. Instrumentals (4, 6, 11, 14), female and male vocals, organs, horns, percussion summon images of girls in cages dancing to funky, whimsical music. Find out what “danger in go go boots” really means!

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - “Kollaps Tradixionales” - [Constellation]

This Montreal band features a nice mix of atmospheric, psychedelic mood pieces (1, 4, 5, 7) with great guitar/percussion/string (cello and violin) builds (2, 3, 6). The instrumentation is pretty fine, but each song also has its share of vocals, both male and female. Definitely worth a listen.

Rollerball - “Two Feathers” - [North Pole Records]

Released at the end of 2009, “Two Feathers” by Portland’s Rollerball is a glorious combination of sounds. Known for their ongoing evolution as a band since they got their start in the early 1990s in Montana; the latest incarnation includes spacy shimmer, loungy female vocals (in places), active keys and percussion, saxophone, glimpses of retro tropical sounds, a pinch of psychedelia, and moments of cacophony with processed male vocals. From track to track the sound changes considerably, with different flavors for different listeners. I equally enjoyed the loungier upbeat pieces with female voice that the album starts with, as well as the experimental/jazz-influenced work out that brings it all to a close.

A companion DVD includes an additional six tracks with accompanying video (some from the 90s). The second piece on the DVD, “Two Brunos” is a tour film from 2005 in Italy and Slovenia with both band interviews and performances by Ovo and Ronin.

Ayers, Kevin - “What More Can I Say…” - [Reel Recordings]

30+ years ago musician Kevin Ayers passed along a pile of unwanted reel-to-reel recordings to guitarist G.F. Fitz-Gerald, thinking that maybe he could re-use them. Eventually Fitz-Gerald took a listen and it turned out that the tapes housed some lovely 1970s-era demos by Ayers. A well-known figure in the English psychedelia scene, Ayers was a founding member of Soft Machine. According to his website, upon hearing these newly unearthed recordings, Kevin Ayers “…found them to be a refreshing reminder of a musical innocence, unique to the nineteen seventies.”

“What More Can I Say…” is a beautiful collection of lo-fi material, with some spoken interludes, a work-in-progress descriptive demo of his “Doctor Dream” piece, spare guitar, piano, and organ. Archie Legget, Eddie Sparrow, David Bedford, Mike Oldfield and Robert Wyatt also appear on various tracks. It’s a quite satisfying time capsule.

Voice Crack - “Earflash” - [Dexter’s Cigar]

These guys were a Swiss improvisational group that started in the early 70s and are now disbanded. By the early 80s, they would take apart normal everyday items such as radios, brass instruments, turntables, etc, and recreate and manipulate them into “new sounds using magnetic and radio waves in a complex system controlled by movements of their hands and by light.” Almost like finding the inner hidden child inside an old man, a new life in ways. What you get is crazy skidding alien transmitted signals, glitchy and itchy electronic sounding television warnings. Big timpani sounding drums give it that primal base sound as well.