Natural Yogurt Band, The – “Away With Melancholy” – [Now Again Records]

Reissue of the 2008 debut release by the UK duo of producer and mulit-insturmentalist Miles Newbold, and drummer Wayne Fullwood. It’s funky, jazzy, exotic, spacey and just nice to listen to. Three extra tracks have been added to this version of the album (tracks 8, 10 and 12) so one could say that good things come to those who wait…

The release evokes the library cues of the likes of Keith Mansfield, which means it could easily work it’s way into a film or mixed into a club track. Plenty of homes for this work across the KFJC schedule. Spin it up and enjoy the vibe…

Toure, Sidi – “Koima” – [Thrill Jockey Records]

This is the third release from Mali singer-songwriter Sidi Toure, yet it is the first to make it to KFJC. He sings and plays guitar in a songha?? blues style, with various accompaniment.

Not a spectacular release, but ten highly enjoyable tracks (even if you can’t understand the language), most of which hover around the five minute mark. Tracks #8 & #9 is a more western sounding blues songs, and #5 felt like it could easily be paired with some traditional eastern asian songs.

Well worth a listen…

Alejandro Jodorowsky – El Topo – [ABKCO Records]

Alejandro Jodorowsky reads to be quite an interesting person. Born in Chile to Jewish Ukrainian parents, worked as a clown, moved to Paris and studied mime and created a comic strip before embarking on a career in film making. El Topo is Jodorowsky’s second film – described as an Acid Western – and was written, directed, starred and (important to note here) scored by Jodorowsky himself.

This soundtrack, which was part of the 2007 Anchor Bay DVD release of the films of Jodorowsky, is a reissue of the Apple records release from 1971 (apparently recorded at the request of John Lennon, who was a big fan of the film) and not to be confused with the Shades of Joy release.

It sounds like Jodorowsky does a great job of creating music that is needed for the scene. The music goes from standard film score sounds to spaghetti western horns to south of the border oompah march music to even some jazz. Basically, a little something instrumental for most people.

If you want to do a pairing, maybe Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Peter Gabriel has claimed the movie was an inspiration for the album…

pi2r

Franco & Le TPOK Jazz – “Francophonic: a Retrospective Vol. 1 1953-1980″ – [Sterns Music]

Just picking about on the internet finds an incredible amount on Franco (born Francois Luambo Luanzo Makiadi) and TPOK Jazz (Tout Pouissant – or All Powerful – OK Jazz) and the incredible discography that this first volume of work only hints at.

In a nutshell – this is the premiere Congolese rumba combo, lead by Franco (dubbed the “Sorcerer of the Guitar”) over the course of four decades and nearly two-thousand songs – of which twenty-eight are presented here, chronologically. Despite the age of some of the recordings, the release sounds fantastic and over the course of the release continue to improve.

For those of you who delve into jazz and world music, this release my well be a regular feature on your shows – for everybody else, you may want to keep to the shorter songs on disc one. There can be no best songs, when they area all so good. I’m looking forward to the further volumes of Francophonic…

Manfila, Kante – “Ni Kanu” – [Hemisphere]

This is Kante Manfila’s fourth solo album, which apparently it translates as “Love” and is about topics like arranged marriages, materialism, lust for power, piety, truth, war and righteousness. It has a polished, mainstream African sound – the kind that Paul Simon’s “Graceland” made famous here in the ’80s. It’s not bad, but for those of you who fear a soft and warm auditory experience – you may be passing on this. For the rest of you, I’ll recommend track 8 (Koufenko [Destiny]) – but your milage may differ.

Sandhy & Mandhy – “Para Castukis” – [Lion Productions]

CD reissue of a very limited Argentinian self released LP from 1969.

The first 13 tracks are the album Para Catukis, which the duo Alberto Infusino (Sandhy) and Alberto Vanasco (Mandhy) recorded as a demo – which they decided to have pressed as an LP (only 110 were made). The producer was looking for a duo, but Sandhy & Mandhy managed sounded more like a band and were subsequently not picked up.

The other 5 tracks are recordings the duo made with their band La Maquina de Musica, where they performed mostly covers. Here there are three covers: The Doors’ Light my Fire and Crystal Ship, and the Stones’ As Tears Go By. These are low quality acetate recordings from 1967. The final two are from the single recorded by La Maquina de Musica in 1969 of a couple of Sandhy & Mandhy tracks – more polished than the originals (though I like the charm of the originals…)

I really love the cheesy sound of the keyboards throughout – but especially on La Chica Sola Y Triste. And despite the quality of the recordings, the covers are quite fun (I think they keep going back and forth between Spanish and English but I can’t really tell).

A really fun excursion into music of the late sixties, but with a South American flavor.

John Williams – “Star Wars: a New Hope” – [Rca Victor/ Bmg]

Star Wars: A New Hope Special Edition CD

If, like me, you were around when Star Wars first came out you probably picked up the 2 LP soundtrack release. You may have even played it to death (or was that just me?) so a CD release was something of interest. In 1993 the first 3 films were released in a CD set with a bonus disc covering all three films – though that was essentially a rerelease of the original LP set.

What we have here is the 1997 release that coincided with the “Special Edition” release of the film. Say what you like about Lucas’ reengineering of the original films, he never messed with the music (something he apparently felt was perfect about the first film) and all the original cues are presented here as they were heard in and in the same order as in the film. Only 75 of the full 88 minutes of the score was released in 1977, here we get 93 minutes of material here (including some alternate takes, plus an extra 12 minutes of the main titles session as a secret bonus track at the end of disc 1 – so we really get 105 minutes).

All great stuff, and just in time to remind people about what a great series the originals were – as they get ready to see the inferior prequels in gimmicky 3-D.

Ahmed, Mahmoud – “Jeguol Naw Betwa” – [Mississippi Records]

Ethiopia’s Mahmoud Ahmed’s 1978 release with the Ibex Band – apparently the last LP before a period of censorship, where only cassettes were used to circulate his music. It’s good music, but I was hoping for great (there’s been a bunch of great Afro-pop records that have come through in the past year.) It makes me wonder if the political climate of the time, and the curfew stifled night-life may be at cause here. But don’t let my disappointment based on high expectations deter you from sampling this record – it is still a good example of ’70s Ethiopian pop, and worthy of a few spins.

Dangers, Jack – “Forbidden Planet Explored” – [Important Records]

Jack Dangers’ recreation of the Louis and Bebe Barron electronic score to the classic film Forbidden Planet is an excellent adaptation – which was performed live, with the film, on his EMS Synthi 100 (something that the Barron’s would have killed for in the ’50s) in 2004. There’s also an added disc of Sci-Fi sound effects that sound like they’ve come from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

So if you like bleeps, blurps, whirs, whines, throbs, hums, and screeches then these CDs are for you. Mix them in a set, play them solo or even as a bed…

Monomono – “Give The Beggar a Chance” – [Soundway Records]

Monomono - Give the Beggar a Chance

Give the Beggar a Chance is Monomono’s 1972 debut album along and is reissued here with an extra 12″ single. The band is fronted by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Joni Haastrup, and he presents a funky ride of singing guitars, humming hammonds and soulful lyrics – complimented by his bandmate’s bass and percussion as well as talented guest artists who help propel this album into the must play category.

All the tracks are great, making it hard to pick any stand out tracks – but give the title track a try, or if it’s 6 minute length is too much for you try Kenimania (named after the groups bassist Keni Okulolo). The track lengths range from 4:22 to 7:09, so there shouldn’t be any reason not to find a track that works for your show.

King, Andrew & Brown Sierra – “Kraken, The” – [Dais]

This EP is 50% collaboration and 25% each solo work of Andrew King and analogue artists Brown Sierra (Pia Gambardella & Paddy Collins).

Side A is the Brown Sierra side, with Andrew King performing the Alfred Tennyson poem “The Kraken” over what I will call “oscilloscopic noise”, followed by Brown Sierra on their own with “Abysmal Sea” – which sounds like a hive of bees speeding around a tube.

The B side is King’s side, with Brown Sierra taking a more minimalist approach to the baking of King’s rendering of the sailing song “The Bold Princess Royal”. This is followed by King’s rendition of “The Death of Nelson” recorded on location in Greenwich with the sound of the Chapel clock tower of the Old Royal Naval College ticking away in the background.

This EP has something for most of us – from Ann Arbor to Cy Thoth (and with it’s nautical themes, Captain Jack is almost a given.) The noisier side A is 3 and 5 minutes in length, with the more traditional sounding side B from 5 to nearly 8 minutes in length – but they are worth the investment of you and your listener’s time.

Confrerie Ali Amani (Brotherhood Ali Amane) – “Ali.Amani: Chants Soufis Des Comores” – [Buda Musique]

Chants, chants, chants… ??This time it’s Islamic chants, from the island nation of Comoros – a former French colony situated between Mozambique and Madagascar. ??More specifically, it’s Sufi chants – a subset of Islam – where they do not consider it music, but more of a necessary speech in their progression towards god. ??While the tracks are great on their own, I see them being blended by many DJs into some of their favorite ambient and droney tracks. ??Oddly, a couple of the tracks are mixed in to some channel surfing.

There’s enough variety of length for anyone to give this disc a whirl (the Sufi are also called Dervishes…)

Abunai! – “Two Brothers” – [Camera Obscura]

Defunct Boston folk-meets-space-rock ensemble Abunai!‘s final recording, released in early 2003 (not long after the band’s break up in mid-2002). The titular track to this 12″ single – Two Brothers – is based on the 49th poem in the Francis James Child collection of folk ballads called “The Twa Brothers“, which many a folk artist in the past 50 odd years has made a recording of. This release has a psych-folk-rock version clocking in at 7:29, and a dub version on the B-side clocking in at 15:20. The other track on this release – Lord Hampton – was recorded live at Terrastock back in 2000, and is a rawer psych experience. Definitely a worthy addition to the KFJC library.

Le Chevalier De Rinchy – “Mes Plus Belles Chansons D’amour” – [Le Villain Chien]

It’s French, it’s weird, it’ll be played on KFJC. ‘Nuff said…

Schifrin, Lalo – “THX 1138″ – [Film Score Monthly] CD

Lalo Schifrin’s score to George Lucas’ first feature film is not easy listening – though a few tracks were designed as such – but are keeping more in tune with the bleak Orwellian future presented in the film. The music feels like they mostly plays as background to the scenes, completely opposite from the later Lucas-Williams collaborations. Many of the pieces could even be incorporated – perhaps effortlessly – into a layered soundscape of your own design. Some of the tracks on this limited release were cut from the film – including the Zoetrope Studio fanfare, and the Be Happy Again jingle. I sure almost everyone can find something to play from this disc.

Ye Olde Maids – “God Blesses Us, Mother Dresses Us” – [Heart Worm] CD

Fuzzy, noisy, simple, poppy, dirgey… Just a few of the impressions I get from listening to this disc. Ye Olde Maids is Wesley Eisold, who apparently is both halves of the duo heard on the songs – handling both the male and female voices. The first 10 tracks are what was released on the 12″ version, which were recorded between 2005 and 2008, and tend to be more synth-poppy in nature. The remaining 14 tracks seem to be more crudely recorded tracks consisting of whatever was handy to record. A little something for most everyone at KFJC.

I caught some forbidden language on track #15, and there’s a gap in the middle of track #22.

Cortez, Lula – “Rosa De Sangue” – [Time-Lag Records]

Lula (aka Luis Augusto Martins) Cortes’ third and final solo album, originally released in 1980. A mix of Brazillian, middle eastern and folk – with a touch of classic psychedelic and a little I don’t know what. I really had a hard time trying to figure out what to say, but thoroughly enjoyed the record over multiple sittings. Give it a spin – it won’t kill you… – pi2r

Fern Knight – “Castings” – [Vhf]

You may judge this book by it’s cover – or record by it’s sleeve – as you would be mistakenly led to believe that this is a reissue of some folky album form decades past. Even after dropping the needle onto this mysterious slab of vinyl you would be forgiven the notion that you might be listening to some ’60s/’70s folk-psych-prog-cult-rock band, mixing the sounds of ancient Celts and the wailings of electric guitars more commonly heard in early times of Genesis or King Crimson (whose song “Epitaph” is lovingly recreated here).

Instead this delightfully moody collection of Tarot inspired songs represents the fourth album by the contemporary DC-Philadelphia area band Fern Knight entitled “Castings”. No single track can be made the highlight of this 2010 release, the majority of which were recorded in a gothic mansion in the Brandywine valley in Pennsylvania. Instead pick a track and settle in for some beautiful sounds as conspired by Margaret Ayer (nee: Wienk) and her fellow musical time travelers.

I can’t think of many KFJC shows that this would not fit into, and tracks range in length from the more pop-like to the prog-sized that can accommodate anyone’s needs.

Berger, Robin – “Euston Sampler, The” – [Robin Berger]

48 tracks of short electronic compositions from American composer Robin Berger that are reminiscent of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and those old psycotronic educational/industrial films of the ’60s and ’70s. Anyone can find a reason to use this CD: You can throw a quick one in a set (they range in size from 0:36 to 2:23) maybe as your show’s theme, or even as a bed under your mic breaks or your next production.

Mountain Man – “Sun Dog” – [Underwater People's Records]

From Vermont, we have three talented women who sing folk harmonies with minimal to no accompaniment. This is just a taste of this delicious trio’s talents, with only five songs to whet your appetite (a full length release has also been released, which include variations of the songs from this EP). What I can come up with in terms of a comparison, and perhaps a little unfair, is an acapella Neko Case times three. The songs are sweet and – sadly – short. So if you’re even marginally inclined to play folk, or acapella, or women singers then you should definitely give this a go. If you’re not so inclined, then just play “Honeybee” as it’s the shortest…