Music Reviews

Nouri & Le Groupe Traditionnel Gnaoua – “Dalali” – [Culture Press]

aarbor   9/7/2022   CD, International

An excellent album from Nouri and the Gnawa (traditional) group. They are from North Africa. The Gnawa are an ethnic group who were brought to Morocco as slaves, their ancestry is traced to sub-Saharan West Africa. Gnawa music mixes classical Islamic Sufism with pre-Islamic African traditions, whether local or sub-Saharan. Gnawa musicians also practice healing rituals, with apparent ties to pre-Islamic African animism rites. In Moroccan popular culture, Gnawas, through their ceremonies, are considered to be experts in the magical treatment of scorpion stings and psychic disorders. They heal diseases by the use of colors, condensed cultural imagery, perfumes and fright. The 7 tracks here which were released in 2000 are traditional but sit well in modern ears. Don’t Miss! AArbor

Knurl – “Final Decisive Moment. The” – [Oxen]

Thurston Hunger   9/6/2022   A Library, CD

Noise concrete. Mic technique on display in the junkyard garden of cement and steel. Gear grinding of crashed cars, listened to this in part while reading “The Atrocity Exhibition” seemed like a good fit. I preferred “Prime” “Adjustment” and especially “Inferior Elements” – all tracks where some silences serve as shock absorbers or audio igniters. “Inferior Elements” had parts that felt like a better take on Godzilla groans. If you want a more persistent electric feel to the non-organic crash, “Abstraction” might give you that buzz. Knurl is Alan Bloor hailing from Toronto and whaling on disembodied equipment since 1994. Not sure if here he used a bow (seems likely) or effects (maybe not?) here are some videos of earlier performances by him
https://www.youtube.com/user/pantarheirecordings
This was a live 2022 recording, file it under Metal, Actual Metal.
-Thurston Hunger

Doctors of Space – “The Astral Sessions Vol. 1: The Journey Starts”

carsonstreet   9/5/2022   A Library, CD

Doctors of Space is a new project that features Dr Space from Øresund Space Collective/Black Moon Circle and Dr Martin Weaver of Wicked Lady/Dark fame. Dr Space does the synths, Martin creates the drums, bass and guitars. Futuristic space rock.

Dr Weaver- Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Drum Programming
Dr Space- Synthesizers, Hammond, Mellotron

Mixing and Mastering at Estúdio Paraíso nas nuvens, Central Portugal.

Storring, Nick – “Music from Wei”

carsonstreet   9/5/2022   A Library, CD

Nick Storring’s eighth album takes the one-person-orchestra approach for which he is acclaimed and translates it to a single instrument: the piano. Recorded on everything from the innards of an old upright piano to a Disklavier (a computer-controlled acoustic piano) housed at Yamaha’s Toronto offices, and using playing techniques that span conventional to idiosyncratic, Storring conjures a vast and vivid color palette. Music from Wéi was composed for the choreography of his frequent collaborator Yvonne Ng. This layered, multi-tracked score moves fluidly between tender lyrical phrases and driving interlocking figures, and from thick textural swarms to supple transparency. Nick is not afraid of near silence during these relaxed passages. You can almost see the dancers moving gently to the music.

Hot Pursuit of Happiness – “This Day’s Called Tuesday” – [Personal Archives]

Brian Damage   9/2/2022   A Library, CD

Thollem is a Bay Area artist “who has released approximately 100 albums on 23 different vanguard labels, both solo and collaborative,” since 2005.

This is perhaps the ultimate expression of a pandemic lockdown album, solo composed and recorded while doomscrolling the news over the past two years. Stream-of-consciousness lyrics, sung and spoken in what can be almost a whisper of a voice, sometimes so faint you think he might be singing in another language, accompanied by a keyboard with some seriously analog-sounding patches and a TR-808 plug-in, all done in one take, with no overdubs.

Think of it as a mashup of late-70s minimalist synth acts on both sides of the pond (Suicide, Human Sexual Response, The Normal, Soft Cell), Pere Ubu, NON, Loaded-era Velvets, 60s protest folk music, and narrative poetry, all passed through a filter of ennui and exasperation. It’s a whisper, not a scream.

Petric, Joseph – “SEEN” – [Redshift Records]

kittywompus   8/31/2022   A Library, CD

Performed by Canadian accordionist Joseph Petric, this 2022 release is a collection of commissioned songs from various artists over Petric’s long and fairly prolific career. The album’s title work SEEN, a three-part work by Norbert Palej, is intended as a demonstration in spiritual contemplative movement through the accordion’s “intimate” respirations and it is easy to hear as such throughout all three “visions”. A standout track, Pneuma (track 7) was written and produced in 1986 by composer and music curator Peter Hatch; it contains computerized “improvisation” originally created through the use of software of the Yamaha CX5M that has since been imported to Max/MSP due to the obsoletion of said hardware. Nevertheless this track evokes a very surreal and unsettling feel with the use of these computer generated chirps that break through the tracks acoustic sound. Tracks run from 7 minutes and 34 seconds to 14 minutes and 52 seconds, so settle in and enjoy. I would also like to note that SEEN is dedicated to the memory of Leo Niemi (1931-2021), who built and maintained the instrument heard on SEEN.

Os Paralamas Do Sucesso – “Severino” – [EMI Records Ltd.]

aarbor   8/31/2022   CD, International

This is Os Paralamas Do Sucesso’s 7th album from 1994 produced by Phil Manzanera – it is considered to be their most experimental album. Os Paralamas is a 3-piece Brazilian rock band. As you listen to the songs you’ll notice that the introduction to each track is different than then rest of the track.

Queen guitarist Brian May makes a special appearance on this album, providing guitars for track 6. Other musicians of interest include Linton Kwesi Johnson (dub poet of Windrush generation – London is the Place for Me) and Tom Ze [track 7]. The album’s cover was drawn by a famous schizophrenic artist from Northeast Brazil: Arthur Bispo do Rosário. AArbor

Kasirossafar, Mohsen / Mitev, Veselin – “Ditirambi” – [Hermes Records]

aarbor   8/31/2022   CD, International

Mohsen Karossafar is Iranian and is the percussionist here. He lives in Rome and works with many known musicians and composers including Ennio Morricone. Veselin Mitev is from Bulgaria. Here he sings the vocals, plays the gaida (Bulgarian bagpipes), and the kaval (Bulgarian flute). This is modern music which melds ancient Indo-European musical cultures creating atmospheres informed by legend. AArbor

United Vibrations – “The Myth of the Golden Ratio” – [Ubiquity Recordings]

aarbor   8/24/2022   A Library, CD

United Vibrations are from London, UK. They are 3 brothers: Ahmad, Kareem, and Yussef Dayes – and close friend Wayne Francis II. They channel their ideas into soundscapes. While their early material was developed by busking and each song created separately, on The Myth Of The Golden Ratio they fused the process for writing and recording. Since they have access to more instruments in the studio, the band has felt even more creative freedom to enhance their sound. The bulk of the album was written over six months, while two older tracks (“Far Far Away” and “Grow”) were treated with new arrangements for this project.

“The Myth Of The Golden Ratio is a story that tells the tale of us and our journey in this world. It has been written for children and anyone with children or a childlike mind. We are inviting people to join us in the search for the Golden Ratio.” Music with a message that defies genre classification. AArbor

Sly 5th Ave – “The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute to Dr Dre” – [Tru Thoughts]

aarbor   8/24/2022   CD, Soul

Sylvester Onyejiaka is Sly 5th Ave. He’s from Austin, TX, a multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, session musician and this release is what put him on the map. He toured a a session musician for Prince in his 20’s, and “had the privilege of directing Bernie Worrell before he passed. The last thing Worrell said to Sly after the show was “Beautiful, you’ve got it man. Now… it’s on you.” Essentially he made orchestral arrangements of Dr. Dre’s work. I hear a bit of Herbie Hancock, a bit of Funkadelic, some beats, some jazz. It’s orchestral hip hop. I have to mention that it’s on the Tru Thoughts label which is always a plus for me. The album is dedicated to all the marginalized people in America. AArbor

Litter – “Newfound Grids” – [Syrphe]

Max Level   8/23/2022   A Library, CD

Litter is a project of audio/video artist Elyse Tabet of Beirut, Lebanon. This CD offers ten pieces of instrumental music that reside somewhere in the vicinity of electro/ambient/glitch with a few forays into trip-hop territory. Each track has a different flavor and each is very well put together to suggest a certain mood. I like the awkward, messed-up beats on #6 and the tense, droning industrial ambience of #10. Tracks are all in the roughly 3 to 4 minute range.

CAC – “The New Morse” – [No Sides Records]

kittywompus   8/23/2022   A Library, CD

This is an 2022 instrumental beat and loop album released by Dan Hintz under Chicago DIY label No Sides Records. The best way I can descibe this album’s sound is by imaging that if you had a little robot buddy who made tunes at your request, this would be his edgy phase (Adventure Time-esque a la BMO). Very rythmic and beat heavy through out with the exception of track 5 “Jerky Silent Film”, which is a somewhat despondent and ominous sounding in its unsettling crashing and skipping (I like to imagine your robot buddy having an existential crisis). I recommend Track 6 “Ring of Cobras” which is a fun dancey little beat.

Slift – “Ummon” – [Vicious Circle]

karma   8/14/2022   A Library, CD

Slift is a three-person psych/stoner rock band out of Toulouse, France. The sound can be described as a mix of early Green Day, Moon Duo, Somali Yacht Club, and Jimi Hendrix. Most tracks feature short lyrical sections and long, repeating, Krautlike instrumentals. The tracks are brimming with energy and fresh takes on psychedelia. This album is arguably a concept album – Slift says the story is about the Titans’ exile and Hyperion’s triumphant yet arduous return to Earth. A very prescient story. In February 2020, when the album was released, few could see that we all would be isolated and face an arduous return to whatever normal life is.

Boyle – “Psych-Jazz Collage I”

carsonstreet   8/10/2022   CD, Jazz

On bandcamp they say: “A most succinct and descriptive album title Boyle’s Psych-Jazz Collage I is exactly what it advertises. Brilliant cut-and-paste in the spirit of Faust Tapes, layers of reeds drone while percussion skitters across the stereo field. Pure endlessness.” All instruments and voices by Boyle. No effects or backwards masking used in this recording. Wild stuff psych, jazz and noisy stuff. One long track (43:29) fade in and out and have some fun.

Guitarist Gary Boyle was born in India, 1941. In the early sixties he attended the Leeds College of Music in the north of England. Before releasing his solo debut album in 1977, Boyle had played and recorded with many kinds of artists, e.g. Dusty Springfield, Bert Jansch, Keith Tippett and Stomu Yamash’ta, and had founded his own fusion group Isotope in 1973.

El Universo – “El Universo”

carsonstreet   8/10/2022   A Library, CD

El Universo (Eder Ademar) says: “One day I was watching a documentary about the first manned trips to outer space, I remember they were talking about the tests they carried out with Monkeys & Apes and it occurred to me that that could be a great name for a band, at that time I listened to a lot of kraut and space rock and I really wanted to start a new project, I took the guitar I started to make some bases and on that some riffs while I ran the documentary in silence, I started to create the soundtrack of the documentary and then I did the same about a series of the universe, finally the project was not called Monkeys & Apes but I made a song with that name to remember Ham, the first hominid to fly into outer space. All instruments played and recorded by El Universo (Eder Ademar). Space, psych and rock all mixed together.

Sheverb – “Once upon a time in Bombay Beach” – [Self Released]

Cousin Mary   8/7/2022   A Library, CD

Is it surf? Psych? Spaghetti Western? Country (especially track 5)? In the liner notes, they call it “surf-infused, desert-fueled rock & roll”. Whatever it is, this mostly female 5-piece band from Austin, Texas delivers a powerful, rich sound and irresistible momentum in these instrumental tracks. This album was made during a month spent at Bombay Beach near the Salton Sea in California. Really unique, absolutely wonderful!

Surf Monster – “Surf Monster” – [Sharawaji]

Cousin Mary   8/7/2022   A Library, CD

Debut album from a very fine San Francisco surf music trio. Lots of good energy and arrangements, fun additions of saxophone and more. Powerful fast tunes as well as slow melodies.

Veik – “Surrounding Structures” – [Fuzz Club]

Mister S   8/7/2022   A Library, CD

Veik are another band I discovered traversing various rabbit holes of musical genres during my work from home status due to circumstances created by the pandemic. This particular rabbit hole was again located in France. I don’t recall if I came across them via their label or an algorithm as I had also come to discover the band Vanishing Twin who they collaborated with on a remix of the track Honest (I Don’t Wanna Know). Again, I reached out to the band and Boris the band’s drummer/percussionist responded. Luckily again the rest of the world speaks much better English and French than myself and sent me a 24 bit .wav file for the station to add! Merci!

The band creates an evocative universe of their own. It is an atmosphere that is both hypnotic and disturbing. Synthetic and acoustic rhythms flown over by a voice that harks to the lifeless vocals of Suicide’s Alan Vega. Chateau Guitar is the most straightforward guitar track that will likely see lots of airplay. Don’t miss out on any of the other tracks. Great rhythms and haunting subject matter to cogitate upon during the current socio-cultural political times of today, and perhaps even more pressing, the future.

“We hesitated a lot and took a few days before writing the following post, as we feel neither legitimate nor qualified to deal with the topic and as we did not want to give the impression to take advantage of the tragic situation of the war in Ukraine. However, we felt the need to express our support for the Ukrainian people for several reasons. 

In 2017 we released ‘Maidan’ on an EP whose theme was the 2010s protest movements. ‘Maidan’ was written as an attempt to grasp the contrasting faces of Ukraine and what was happening there at the time. Moreover, the name of the band is also imbued with this imaginary. Among its multiple origins, the name Veik is a reference to Kiev (Kyiv) in reverse.”

CD

Original Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition, Pink vinyl

Released 2021

Fuzz Club

Adrien Legrand, Boris Collet, Vincent Condaminas

Caen, France

Experimental, Krautrack, Post-Punk

Slift – “2016: Spacetrip for Everyone” – [Six Tonnes De Chair Records]

Mister S   8/7/2022   A Library, CD

Slift are a band I discovered via the Levitation Live series on ewetoob stuck working from home during the pandemic.  The Slift session is a must watch! From the location to the acoustics, I found myself itching to see these guys live.

2016: Spacetrip For Everyone is the first entry into my personal collection before I reached out to the band to see if I could obtain the most recent album on behalf of the station, providing the band link from the kfjc web page, Ummon and/or the Levitation Live album. Both were sold out but they offered to send me 24 bit .wav files to my joy!

Slift are influenced and are of the Prog, Psych-rock denomination with the energy of punk and metal. I am sure there are many dj’s at the station who will enjoy this title with title with another to come soon. I won’t name bands that have had an influence so that you can form your own thoughts.

If you enjoy Carson Street’s show and reviews, this title will be one to add to your playlist. Many thanks to Slift, the Music Department for the add and Carson Street for a link to an interview with the band after I sent him my discovery!

Psychdelic Rock, Krautrock, Prog, Post-Punk

CD 

May 2019 Release

Six Tonnes De Chair Records

Original a single-sided 12”,

Limited Edition heavy weight paper hand screen printed jacket

Canek Flores, Jean Fossat, Remi Fossat

Touluse, France

THIS A SONIC ARTIFACT FROM THE PAST

WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE GALAXY :

WE SALUTE YOU FROM THE DEEP SPACE AND THE NIGHT ! -Slift

Los Peyotes – “Introducing…los peyotes”- [Dirty Water Records]

kittywompus   8/3/2022   A Library, CD

Los Peyotes is a psychedelic 60s garage band out of Buenos Aires, with a self described sound of cien percento fuzz y farfisa their fourth album Introducing…Los Peyotes is a whirrly, screamin, surfy good time background for driving fast and other risky behavior. Raspy vocals scream in english and spanish throughout. Periodic screaming, energetic guitar solos, and chanty yeh yehs create the perfect balance of hype and hysteria.