Caribou – Melodyday (Merge)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Ever had your head blown off by a pop song ??? Everything the 70s pop song tried but failed miserably to achieve is presented here in majestic form.?? Impossible to imagine how one could improve this brilliant move to the summit of popular music.?? Guitar lines magically wind thru harmonies and all the hallmarks of composer genius is fully appreciated in the marvelous melodies of this mastepiece.??Trip backward and forward in time, around memories and dreams, for this is the defining soundtrack for those cherished 3 minute escape plans.??

3W: POP GOLD STANDARD

Nightcrawlerz – Beatniks of the New Century (Third Mind)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Formed in 1981 around the principles of cut-ups and the Third Mind manifesto advanced by Burroughs and Gysin in 1978.?? Experiments on historic texts, diary entries, newsclippings and everyday occurences are compiled into audioworks intended to reveal the underlying truths of these coded documents.?? The concept is that interacting two single thoughts produces a third new event, a collaboration that creates its own path.?? Basement recordings of the highest order, Nightcrawlerz interpret literary genius thru incidental inspirations.?? Barry Roth and Cary Loren attain sounds on par with the distracted genius of the Shadow Ring or the madcap moves of Jad Fair with a genuine audio art approach.??

3W: TRIP LIGHT DISTRACTASTIC????

Odd Nosdam – Level Live Wires ( Anticon)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Vortices of viral spirals spill forth from this East Oakland soundsplice specialist David P. Madson. ??Don’t know why he didn’t just go with Madson but whatever the moniker this stuff kicks.?? Tiny loop soundscapes layered and laid out with some tarpit toetappin tempos.?? Exceptional, uh sorry, make that – illin’ vibes and minddrillin sounds that cover a vast spectrum in its path from the damaged to divine, leaving alot of poseurs in its wake (Jel drums on “Up in Flames”).?? G-dog, I got no street cred…but I’ll bet my left nut you can find something here that will take your show up a level or two.??

3W: ROBERT MONTOYA GOES CLUBBIN

Hot Troche – Yopaakuyu With Me (Illegal Art)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Take that Boredoms sound, spread it out a bit over time, take out the testicle yanking screams, add some some far east pop/soul/downbeat malformations, stir-fry with some electronics noodles and serve cold.?? This second release from Tokyo brokenbeats artist Ryohei Kobayashi is described as “the sound of fighting with cars”.?? Hyper-active helicopter haircut tunes that could tip over several listeners per play.?? Kinda like Sixes in performance technique but in the breakbeats soundsystem.??

3W: EXOTIC SPASMOTIC QUIXOTIC

Irons, Asa and Swaan Miller – Asa Irons and Swaan Miller (Important)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Beautiful boxcar ballads with some fine faded vocals over six simple strings.?? A carpenter by trade and artist in truth, Asa Irons began writing songs about the Northeastern window thru which he viewed the world. ??Asa and Swaan’s fathers were companions in carpentry and music and you can hear the familiarity that time has bred in their relationship.?? Simply one of the most honest and beautiful recordings ever and that it took place in a basement bathroom of the sound engineer (Swaan’s boyfriend) adds to the legend.??

3W: BEAUTIFUL BOXCAR BALLADS??

Golia, Vinny – Lineage (NineWinds)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

A winding path of penetrating phraseology and pillowed parsimony.?? Joined by Bobby Bradford-tr, Ken Filiano-bs and Alex Cline-dr, VG takes this quartet into complex and colored spaces with the master’s touch.?? Brilliantly composed and executed without coming off antiseptic or academic.?? This is top shelf stuff from LA and Golia’s influence will be heard throughout the future generations of jazzmen from the West Coast.?? Stylish symphonettes and smokin sounds abound.??

3W: Knowledge Is Flower??

Prinzhorn Dance School – Prinzhorn Dance School (DFA)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Portsmouth and East Sussex?? (UK) stripped down and punked up recordings from Tobin Prinz and Suzi Horn. They like things simple and you will too.?? A modern Messthetics aesthetic resonates your dome.?? Cynical lines and haunting rhythms play name that tune with your head but the next one hits before you can hit the buzzer.??

3W: PUNK POP PARSIMONY????

Mu-ziq – Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation Technique (Planet Mu)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Mike Paradinas, legendary electronics figure since the 90s, runs Planet Mu Records and sponsors your trip thru the aural galaxy.?? Ambient techno haze that gets to close to the event horizon and turns into??a??musical marshmellow meltup.?? Dreamy and drifty with tracers, making the obvious connections between modern electronics and techno.

3W: YOUR SAUCER’S READY??

Dalek – Abandoned Language (Ipecac)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library

Newark, NJ duo made up of MC Dalek and DJ Oktopus, deliver underground hip-hop and ambient turntablism.
MC Dalek’s grim, understated delivery and apocalyptic blurred words and arrhythmic beatscapes present an avant-garde menace.?? Rumbling low-ball rhymes, narco-complexity and unsettling hypno-drone make this release a treat for the tripsters.

3W: Lynch-like Avant Hip-Hop??

Baron Zen – At the Mall-Remixes (Stones Throw)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

An artifact of electroclash or just a displaced hip hop DJ working out suburban frustration with some low-rent covers ??? Baron Zen was the project of Sweet Steve and this was his only release which features Peanut Butter Wolf programming the drumbeats.?? Some Jad Fair/Culturcide moves on top of some really cheesy beats that make for the perfect cracker spread.?? Definitely DIY and unashamed of it.?? Recordings from 1988 to 1992 with anti-war angle??and notable covers like Joy Division, Gap Band, Katrina and the Waves…you get the idea.

Reavers, the – present…Shadows (Backwoodz)

outlier   10/25/2007   12-inch, A Library

An eleven MC strikeforce based in Brooklyn and headed for your cerebral cortex.?? Vordul Megallah(Cannibal Ox),Dom Pacin(WuTang),Akir,Kong&Spiga(MF Doom) Karniege, Hasan Salaam, HiCoup(5th Column), Keith Masters, Priveledge, Billy Woods and DJ Emagine are the supergroup of rappin mofos.?? Breakin thru the urban plight, pulse poundin raps about hood happenins and everyday struggles give a reason to believe that it can’t last for long.?? These guys ain’t buying the 10 o’clock news version and they’re takin ova terror firma.??

3W: Terror Firma Takeover??

Wiley – Playtime is Over (Big Dada)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Grime Grandaddy Wiley’s ‘Eskibeat’ sound mixes UK DnB, dancehall and hiphop with a proper English delivery and T’n’T (Trinidad and Tobago, maaaaaaan).?? Eskibeat comes from Wiley’s “Eskimo” one of the two first recognized grime recordings, the other is “Pulse X” by Musical Mob.?? Rapid fire polysyllabic articulation turns the Queen’s tongue into an advantage that Wiley exploits like a streethood.?? Bouncy but serious even though it does sound like Ali G at times.?? Timing and space re-entry keep the tunes from becoming predictable and the overall production is tight and slightly Tubby’d.?? Ay, London’s calling and she’s saying, “Don’t fuck about Nigel, stick it in!”.
3W: Eskiboy Lyrics aSKAnce????

Gauci Radding Capp – The First Third (577)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

“The?? movement for the liberation of humanity is not stopping !” is the caption provided by Daniel Carter for this dynamic outing.?? Hovering heliocentric heaviness that stays in bounds while finding it’s way to the outer mind.?? Centripetal and centrifugal forces are at work all the time and gyrating core is always ascertainable.?? A fine entry point for those who think they don’t like free jazz.?? The artful and musical dance together for 65 minute as time is suspended for the contemplation of humanity’s current condition.??

3W: Currents Calmly Cascading??

Pontiak – Sun on Sun (Fireproof)

outlier   10/25/2007   12-inch, A Library

A Southwestern/Syd Barrett/Nick Cave influenced effort with some easy goin echoin tunes with a Happy Trails halo and organ/drift accents on side A.?? The other side is indeed a voyage to the other side of the folk-pop-rock complex.?? Fault lines open the earth and sounds chant forth from the chasm with a folky finish on the final track.?? This is the 3rd release from this band of brothers out of Baltimore/ N. Virginia; Jennings, Van and Lain Carney.

adem – launch yourself (Domino)

outlier   10/25/2007   7-inch, A Library

Are you ready for folktronica ????? I didn’t think so and that’s just how this UK nu-folk hero likes it.?? Adem Ilhem is in on the Fridge project (with Kieran Hebden and Sam Jeffers).?? Ilhem and Hebden have been?? friends since age eleven.?? The vocals undoubtedly carry the folk gene?? but?? the?? drift, gamelan and tronics treatment provided by Four Tet (Hebden’s solo project) and Oslo experimentalist Thomas Eriksen disguise it so that you really don’t know WTF you’re listening to with this single from Adem’s 2nd release.

Toykult – Sow Loco (Self)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Euro expat and Montreal artist Tom Hamlyn(ENG), joined by fellow expats Martin Bennett(SCO) and Franck Chionna(FR/IT), take techno-pop and go several steps beyond where Of Montreal and Oneida were willing to go.?? Time-bending turtleneck techno-pop approximately sums up their sound complex.?? It is a hybrid thing and it is a thing of beauty and the beats.?? Get outside and and trippy without losing the beat.?? Getting stuck is??not an option.?? 3W: TURTLENECK TECHNO POP??????

WZT Hearts – Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones (Carpark)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library

I would say that this rocks as hard as the dicks that made Baltimore the STD capital of the world.?? But this is really two steps beyond rock, atleast.?? An outside tripatropic treatise traipsing along with a deep and dangerous drift.?? This is their second release and yes they’re from Baltimore, friends of Lexie Mountain Boys too.?? Mike Haleta plays circuit bent guitar/laptop/tapes, Jeff Donaldson??plays a Commodore 64/bi-tone guitar, Jason Ulrick on laptop and Shaun Flynn on drums and fucked up??vocals.?? Haleta toured in Voltage Spooks, a trio featuring??Keith??Rowe of AMM??

3W: AMMazing YOUNG MEN??and their fucked up machines

Splatter 3+N – Clear the Club (Rastascan)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Dave Barrett, Myles Boisen and??Gino Robair rip the space-time continuum only to reattach the strands thru their patented FREE-FUNK FILTER (patent pending).?? Joined by a stunning ensemble of outsiders including Shiurba, Growden, Slusser and more.?? Bold and??BRASSh expressions that bleed the stuff of recombinant musical material.?? Trips to the Sonicsphere departing every 2 to 7 minutes with no guarantee of return.?? Smokin’ shadowy club moves with a geared up detective jazz demeanor.?? Get with it maaaaaan, Jazz is takin’ off and it ain’t comin back for a while.?? If you’re lookin’ for a jazz funk sound that will embarrass the??low-riders, this??is your ride.??

3W: YEEEEEEUH ROLLLLL UP??

Raskin, Jon Quartet – Jon Raskin Quartet (Rastascan)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Rova founding member Jon Raskin winds up and lets fly a quartet including Liz Allbee (tr/perc), George Cremaschi(bs/elec) and Rastascan label’s owner Gino Robair (dr/elec).?? A daring exercise in compositional improv whereby the works are chosen from plant material gathered from walks around Jon’s neighborhood and elements created to capture specific musical concerns.?? Let’s call it Plant-duction. The scoring is the focus of the project and the works are intended to yield further meaning from others’ interpretations.?? Shape and consistency of form is communicated to the ensemble while allowing an open path for individual language and perspective.????

3W: INSIDE OUTSIDE FORMS??????????

HEALTH ??? HEALTH (LovePump)

outlier   10/25/2007   A Library, CD

Out of LA, with a mix of no-wave, outsound and mathy strains, this group seams together the magic of Shogun Kunitoki, Stereolab and something??like Pink and Brown with some native American rhythmic passages to the new land.??A bit like the Honey Owens drone release in this way but applied to the electro-clash/math-pop dimension, well done.??This was recorded at the Smell in LA where HEALTH often gig.??Somewhat like the Anticon sound applied to the LA indie scenic sonics, fuzzed at the edges but crisp on the beat.??Erase Errata followers would do well to check out the direction this group is taking things.??

3W: SMELLS LIKE GENIUS