No Artist – “101 Notes on Jazz” – [Suite 309]

mickeyslim   6/8/2022   A Library, Cassette

This CD is a brilliantly concocted and collection of 60, that’s right, SIXTY mic breaks from a (sadly) fictional jazz radio station from the mixed-up mind of Tim Thorton. While these improvised tracks range from about 20 seconds to 80 seconds, any of these would fit seamlessly between practically any two tracks you wish since their absurdity falls perfectly in line with KFJC’s. It was impossible to listen all the through only because I had to pause it due to my uncontrollable fits of laughter. Here are a few of my favorite lines from these tracks…

“Trust me on this one, there’s nothing softer than the tip of a dolphin’s nose, but I guess that depends on where he nudges you…”

“It’s opposite Day here at the station, it’s actually not, and we’re not going to be playing your favorite bossa nova hits…”

“Broadcasting live from Reggae Fest! They put me in the tank! And they, uh, just dunk me when they get the answers wrong, it’s filled with reggae, uh, trivia, and I actually got to touch a steel drum so…”

“We have a shoe that was left behind at the hot dog roast, it’s a men’s size 7 and a half tap shoe, the color is not important, but I would like to get this shoe out of the studio as quickly as possible…”

“I went to an art’s gallery this past weekend, and let me just say, I didn’t realize that poetry could be an art, uh, and I still don’t realize it because you can’t just describe a bunch of flowers out loud and expect people to take you seriously…”

“Welcome back to ‘Jazz Music To Meet Your Wife To,’ and I did meet my wife to this song, that’s why I play it at the top of every hour…”

and much, much, much, much, much more.

There is no reason not to play this.

Pupillo, Massimo – “The Black Iron Prison” – [Subsound Records]

mickeyslim   4/6/2022   12-inch, A Library

Moistened tendrils tickle your oft-neglected meningeal spaces with lavish whispers. An entire planet’s worth of purring and droning spaced ever so meticulously over its surfaces. Acidic cirrostratus rain clouds swept above by a single, solemn current. Is it a storm brewing? Or is it the sounds of a supra- or trans-temporal constant?

Surrounded, once again, by the iron walls of a prison, no one inside aware of anything.

Renowned collaborator/experimentalist/bass-player Massimo Pupillo (of numerous projects, most notably, Zu) in what appears to be his second solo project. Recorded in complete solitude at Thighpaulsandra’s Aerial Studio in Wales, using heavily processed electric bass, synthesizers, and a sampler, this album takes inspiration from the relationship between Gnosticism, alchemy, and Philip K. Dick.

Excellent album on smokey black and gray vinyl! Three bowls!

Dear Laika – “Pluperfect Mind” – [Memorials of Distinction]

mickeyslim   11/29/2021   A Library, Cassette

Dear Laika is the phenomenal project of Izzy Thorn of the North Wessex Downs, who has been experimenting with pop music since 2016. Utilizing both digital and analog sounds via the Roland Juno 106, prepared piano, distorted field recordings, and tape-warped vocals, Thorn, at only 23-years-old, seems to have perfected the art of leftfield pop.

Every track on this album is quite striking, hitting themes of loss, anxiety, seclusion, self-identity and self-image, documenting parts of Thorn’s transgender experience. Washes of hypnotic mesmer, swaths of opulent murmurs, tones and drones, warped other-worldly vocals that speak directly to the depths of your ethos.

Absolutely stunning, one-of-a-kind, album. I am very excited to see where she goes next in her compelling musical journey, KFJC will be keeping their ears close.

Dramachine – “Emotional Plague” – [Erste Theke Tontraeger]

mickeyslim   11/27/2021   12-inch, A Library

Greecian, synth punk trio of Babis Sugar, Eleni Mandy, and Lisa Klez. Analog synth, guitar, bass, pedals, vox, drum machine, nagging, gossip, and drama. Each provides vocals, which are really different from each other in the best way. What’s not to love? Witchy, wooshy, twitchy, thumping, bumping, egg-cellent, weird-enough experimentality. Dip in!

Hey!Tonal – “Hey!Tonal” – [Computer Students]

mickeyslim   11/5/2021   A Library, CD

Hey!Tonal is the project of Kevin Shea, Theo Katsaounis, Alan Mills, David Davison, and Mitch Cheng. Recorded instrument-by-instrument over a period of two years in places across the world, each composition is filled with meticulously arranged, lush, mathrockin’ polyrhythms and polymelodies. The tracks were composed based of the drum track expertly executed by Shea and recorded over multiple times. The playful guitar work of Mills, Davison, and Cheng is mesmerizing, almost hypnotic. Because of the multilayered melodies, it’s rather easy to find yourself lost, following one melody then the next, twirling in atonal circles, but you never get dizzy. Katsaounis provides electronic accompaniment that fits perfectly among the madness, droning, tweaking, squirking, glitching exactly when it needs to.

Absolutely fantastic piece that, despite its avante-garde approach, is really quite accessible.

Von Till, Steve – “Harvestman – 23 Untitled Poems” – [Neurot Recordings]

mickeyslim   11/4/2021   A Library, CD

Absolutely fantastic spoken word poetry of Steve Von Till of Neurosis fame.

While this is titled “23 Untitled Poems,” because of similar thematic elements, I would absolutely consider this one large piece of 23 parts. The poems are even collected into 4 tracks, each manipulated in its own unique way. The first track (parts 1-5) is Von Till’s voice only. His voice, as you can probably imagine, is smoky, gritty, aged like a fine milk. The remaining tracks (parts 6-12, 13-18, 19-23, respectively) include subtle electronics in the background, found sounds, etc. and Von Till’s voice is manipulated. While the sounds on here are very nice, it’s really the words and voice that are the feature here. Themes of fragility, sorrow, loss, being made of stardust, and a lot more. The words to these poems are printed inside.

Very cool, don’t miss!

Hauras – “Hebron Suite, The” – [Stellage]

mickeyslim   9/9/2021   A Library, CD

experimental electronic piece in four movements, each shorter than the last. The first track is thick and sludgy, with momentary tones that sound as if being played on (electric?) didgeridoo, fading out slowly. The second movement is a little rougher around the edges, with harsher electronics, fuzzed-out distortion chilling in the background. The third movement is warbling and slow with a distinct melody that makes this almost come across as a bizarre leftfield pop piece. The fourth and final track is just the warbling from the previous track. Another great release from Howard Ryan of San Francisco, composed and recorded during lockdown Winter 2020.

Haynes, Jim – “Electrical Injuries” – [Helen Scarsdale Agency]

mickeyslim   5/22/2021   12-inch, A Library

delectable aqueous churning

stuck in mud,

electronic tin choking

on an acerbic liturgy,

fuzz-covered barbed wire

lining the fence between

the pit of man’s fears

and the summit of his knowledge.

this is the dimension of post-industrial research noise of Jim Haynes alla Helen Scarsdale Agency. subtle, static musique concrete, only somewhat harsh at times. a thoroughly enjoyable listen for those interested in self-reflective, meditative found sounding hums

Love of The Farthest – “Destratification” – [Utech]

mickeyslim   4/27/2021   A Library, CD

It may also be good to know that destratification is the process by which air or water is methodically mixed in order to normalize temperature. 

This project, as if descended from the occult hand of The Human Quena Orchestra (Nathan Berlinguette and Ryan Unks), is a 44-minute long excursion that buzzes and hums its way across a barren night sky. A lush wind’s murmur and metallic sandpaper scratching, haunted nightmare drones and inner-ear itches. Everything, all at once, coalescing into a final, subtle sound that you’ll find already has you hypnotized.

Greenlief, Phillip – “Barbedwire” – [Creative Sources Recording]

mickeyslim   4/6/2021   CD, Jazz

All the way back in July 2019, Phillip Greenlief planned to perform at KFJC with the Social Stutter Quartet to promote their performance at that year’s Outsound New Music Summit. Unfortunately, one of the quartet wasn’t able to make it, so Greenlief pulled out this gigantic book of graphic scores, and the then trio performed from the pages of this book. Little did we know, we were getting a live sneak peak into what would become this first-in-a-series album of improvised works to these graphic scores.

Whether the trio consists of more traditional instruments or live electronics, these trios bring to life these graphic scores that, while they look like twisted barbed wire, don’t have that harsh, scratchy, metallic feel. Each track is quite different than the last, but all maintain a certain placidity that momentarily gets disrupted, only to lull you back into that oh-so-comfortable false sense of security.

Ingeniously designed, masterfully-executed, perfect for KFJC. Enjoy!

Weeks, Tom & Corder, Nathan – “Diamondback” – [Makeshift Encounters]

mickeyslim   3/30/2021   CD, Jazz

Skronky skronk noisejazz. Improv-jamz galore. Frantic freestlyin’ just enough to take you under and bring you back. Strings/wind/percussion, probably Weeks on sax at some point, not that you’d be able to tell through the madness. Did you already take the red pill? Only one way to find out…

weiss, ruth – “We Are Sparks In The Universe to Our Own Fire” – [Edgetone Records]

mickeyslim   3/17/2021   A Library, CD

Absolutely amazing record off Rent Romus’ Edgetone Record label released last year after the passing of word shaman and beat poet goddess ruth weiss. In the late 1940s Chicago, weiss was one of the first to recite her poetry to jazz music, a tradition she brought with her when she moved to San Francisco. This inspired the then-unknown “beat” generation writers to do the same. Although she was incredibly inspirational, she (quite sadly) never gained the notoriety she deserved (Ferlinghetti himself at one point even refused to publish her b/c she was a woman). Despite the discrimination she faced throughout her career, weiss’ dedication to her craft remained unwavering.

This release is 9 poems performed in two sets. The first with Doug Lynner on synth and Hal Davis on the wooden log, and the second with Rent Romus on saxes and flutes, Doug O’Conner on double bass, with Hal David returning on the wooden log. As natural as her voice sounds to the more traditional jazz music sounds, I am drawn to her voice contrasted with the electronic/log music, at least for this record. Because she was getting up there in age, her voice has a very jazzy/smoky quality that was very obviously her instrument, and her handle of it is pure art.

There will never be another poet quite like ruth weiss.

Afrirampo – “A'” – [Very Friendly]

mickeyslim   3/9/2021   A Library, CD

I don’t even know where to begin with this. If girls just want to have fun, these ones just want to as they watch the world burn. Afrirampo is Oni on guitar and Pikachu on drums, both of them providing screeching, yelping vocals. This is japanoisepunkpsychelectronic at its absolute finest. This will make you want to move. And whether that means dancing wildly, solo-moshing, head banging, taking shots and breaking bricks, or pillow fighting, you will inevitably find yourself at your wits end, beat and broken, asking for more. 

Happy trails!

Ulrich, Torben & Goldston, Lori – “Oakland Moments: Cello Voice Reuniting (rejoicing)” – [Obscure & Terrible]

mickeyslim   3/3/2021   A Library, Cassette

Brand spankin’ new tape label out of Seattle, Obscure & Terrible. This is poet/musician/painter/tennis player Torben Ulrich (yes, the father of Metallica drummer, Lars), reciting his poetry to the cello of Lori Goldston. They’ve been playing together since 2005 with Angelina Baldoz and Jaison Scott in a project called Instead Of. This, however, is their first project as a duo. Goldston is “Classically trained and rigorously de-trained, possessor of a restless, semi-feral spirit” and her evocative cello playing is haunting, flittering, profound, and raw, which pairs perfectly to Ulrich’s sing-songy delivery of his exceptional poetry. In what I wish was a longer release, this cassette does not disappoint, and often feels sultry and seductive.

The pairing is genuine, and clearly comes from a place of mutual sonic understanding. Dig it…

America Invertida [coll] – [Vampi Soul]

mickeyslim   3/2/2021   CD, International

This is one of those “something for everyone” records. Subtitled “Leftfield Pop & Experimental Folk from ’80s Uruguay,” which pretty much says it all. Haunting voices, guitar strumming, prog rock ballads, smokey jazz club numbers, funk and soul, all Latin-flavored from the plains of Uruguay.

“This compilation reveals a world where ethereal vocal arrangements and acoustic guitars cohabit with synthesizers and drum machines, where Candombe and Latin American music form a fellowship with new wave and dream pop”

Dig.

Iran – “Aemelia” – [Aagoo Records]

mickeyslim   3/2/2021   A Library, CD

This is the debut album from this trio from Reggio Emilia, Italy. Nazim Communal and Andrea Silvestri started as a improv duo in 2015. They’ve since evolved, getting a drummer and creating seven really distinct pieces that run the gamut from psychedelia to rock, noise to electronica. Ranging from 7-10 minute, these excursions take you from the driest desert to the darkest parts of our universe. Dusty keyboards, reverb walls, other-worldly grooves, and hidden samples. Tasty…

Moore, Ted – “Bruit” – [Carrier]

mickeyslim   2/2/2021   A Library, CD

awash in confusion

anxiety-ridden space flight

tunnel vision gasping for air

godzilla licking a sandpaper-dipper brillo pad

lascivious tinnitus

skronk ‘n’ roll

improvised harsh noise electronix and jazz improv from Ted Moore & friends…

Anderson, Brad – “Darwinian Playground” – [Self Release]

mickeyslim   2/2/2021   A Library, CD

rugged, murky,

chirpy thunder

squelches.

chaotic oases

amid vast,

ambient,

timescapes,

lost among glacial spaces,

stuck inside the ice,

in between the screaming atoms

trying to escape.

does it begin at the beginning,

or follow all life’s sweet

evolution?

who knows?

who cares?

it’s just a single buzzing

in the swarm,

one grumble in the fog,

a typewriter rotting

away in a storm

Hertz, Jack – “Mechanics of Blue” – [Aural Films]

mickeyslim   1/19/2021   A Library, CD

Off of the Aural Films online record label that makes soundtracks to movies that don’t exist, comes this release from Jack Hertz. In the liner notes, Hertz writes that Mechanics of Blue “reflects on the industry of unhappiness (…) entities that design products to make us feel afraid, unattractive, or unwanted. Cloaked in commerce. Branding, deception, fear, propaganda, gamification, subversion, trust, social engineering and other methods are exploited to get us to do what we do not want”

Myriad of different sounds meticulously put together, crunching, grinding, deep blue guitar twangs, wings flapping, voices in the background, synth waves, abstract wisps, and much more. Sometimes beat-driven, sometimes ambient-driven. 

The songs create tiny worlds within the mix. Some tracks feel like being underwater like you’re a mermaid, other times you’re floating above the rings of Saturn, other other times in the thick of an undiscovered, unexplored jungle. 

It’s majestic, like an acid trip where you’re thinking a million things at once and seeing the world for the first time.

Euphotic -“Isopleths” – [Public Eyesore]

mickeyslim   1/19/2021   A Library, CD

the bells ring for no one.

over what was once dry land,

Orion reaches farther

into the void.

as you reach the apex,

squirming,

the crickets pound 

tin cans

and penguin bones.

no way down,

no way out,

no one there

to hear your cosmic

whimpering.

softly fading,

obscured,

then

gone.

noisters cheryl leonard on driftwood, sand, rocks, feathers, marsh reeds,penguin bones, pine needles and oyster shells; tom djll on trumpet and electronics; and bryan day on his own invented instruments. excellent easy-to-listen-to-and-drift-away noise from those who know best. DO NOT MISS.