The album opens with the title track, a long piece brooding with psychological horror. Panning back and forth with ominous repetition it digs into me, beneath the surface, and I want to shed my skin. Oppressive and claustrophobic I clamor for air. This song feels like the moment of anxiety just before a peak experience. Once the summit of the mountain is reached however, the exultation and triumph incumbent upon a job well done kicks in and the rest of the album is crisp, vast, stretching without pause from horizon to horizon, clear as the hoarfrost on the arctic tundra.
Archive for the ‘Musick’ Category
Scott Ferguson has a unique voice. Of course, like fingerprints, every voice is unique to a degree. But Scott has found his voice, and conformed it to his introspectral lyrics. Whether it is hiding submerged beneath the shadows of etheric guitar work, or rising triumphant into the light above the steady tambourine pulse and murmur of electronics, the experience is haunting. Listening to this succinct EP is like brushing up with a ghost in the haunted Midwest landscape. While the machines of industry may be dead or dying, something invisible still moves among their rusted skeletons, in the empty homes. And now I can hear them.
…Read the rest on Brainwashed…
Also up this week from the other writers are musings on Andrew Liles, “As if Punk Rock Never Happened”, and reviews of Low’s “C’mon” and a sing-songy seven inch from C. Spencer Yeh.
There has never been an album by Nina Nastasia I didn’t like. Sure, I have my favorites, and on those my favorite songs, but I’ve never been disappointed. I also know what to expect in terms of her songwriting, which is always exceptional. The formula and style haven’t varied much from record to record, though different elements are often accentuated. What I do notice is a steady refinement and ever increasing mastery of subtle details. Her introspective lyrics continue to explore the territories of friendship, love, longing, and loss, and her strong and powerfully feminine voice continues to elucidate deep emotional responses from within me. …read the rest on Brainwashed…
Also up on Brainwashed this week reviews of : the new disc from Wire, Eleh/Ellen Fullman, Pauline Oliveros/Eliane Radigue/Yoshi Wada/Sun Circle, Sohrab, & Celer.
This record was one of the more impressive artifacts to emerge in 2010. Combining music and moving images in a novel way, its uniqueness ensures it will be a talked about collectors item for years to come. Discerning listeners will favor the discombobulated collage aesthetic while visual arts aficionados will be keen to witness the zoetropic animations encoded on the vinyl first hand.
Read the rest on Brainwashed …here…
On my shelf of vinyl records, the playful ditties of Charles Manson sit comfortably alongside the exotica of Martin Denny and the schmaltzy waltzes of Lawrence Welk. The esoteric jazz of Alice Coltrane commingles with the Gnostic revelations of Current 93. The Moog sounds of Debussy and maudlin reflections of Tom Clay peacefully exist with the full on feedback provided by Flying Saucer Attack and the warped surrealism of Nurse With Wound. While I bought some of these LPs and 45s new, I acquired the bulk of my collection in second hand thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, or saved them from the trash. But even if I had enough records to make a mountain, and had not one by Bob Braun I would be as nothing; Bob Braun brings the love. Thanks to thrifts stores I have many of his albums.
To a certain generation of Cincinnatians he is an icon of that bygone era when local media still had some chutzpa. I know it may be hard to believe, but local flavor on the airwaves and television screens was once as palatable as goetta and chili seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, and chocolate. Now the congloms are in charge and all they serve is government cheese. …Read the rest on Brainwashed….
This essay originally appeared in “1st Hand Stories from 2nd Hand Stores” from Aurore Press.
There is something to be said about listening to a good instrumental record on a cold wintry day. The right one should be picked of course, whose notes and timbres are delicate as powdery snow. The music should be austere, but with warm harmonics cutting through the cold like glimmers of sunshine. The eight pieces on this album are just the thing, and have a nice narrative arc that has me thinking of the similarities between novels and albums, how moving both forms can be, and how a good album, even without words, always tells a story. Like curling up with a good book, it’s nice to be inside on a Sunday afternoon comforted by the joys of a turntable and a warm cup of coffee. Read more on Brainwashed.com…
The fifth installment in John Zorn’s ongoing series anthologizing the writings, reflections, and critical insights of contemporary musicians and composers tackles subjects that are usually brushed aside in academic music journals, namely the occult. It is no secret that musicians, from time immemorial, have approached their art as if they were approaching the sacred. Magic and mysticism are twin strands woven into the fabric of musical history and they continue to excite new developments within the music of the present day. The numinous gets lip service in popular culture when the likes of Madonna parade their studies of Kabbalah, making the pursuit of arcane knowledge more of a fashion statement then an actual path and discipline. The best of independent music however has never shied away from being overtly esoteric, and is not watered down to suit the masses or make it more palatable to undiscerning ears. This book brings together essential writings from those who are comfortably at home in the intersection of magic and music, that liminal zone accessed by shamans and session players alike. As such it is a welcome addition to the library of not only the musical aspirant, but the magical as well. Read the rest on brainwashed…
This in from Aurore Press: We’ve Got the Airwaves, Baby!
Thanks to AP friends Justin Patrick Moore and Brian “Thriftstore” Leather of the “On the Way to the Peak of Normal” program, Aurore Press will be doing a special edition of “Radio Jockey Club” on November 18 on WAIF 88.3 FM.
Join us Thursday night when SS-20′s Jughead and Pedro Dux, Uncle Dave Lewis and Sluggo’s Karl Meyer help us take over local radio for a night of musical mayhem on November 18 from 10:00PM to 12:00AM.
The guys will be performing a few songs, spinning a few records, talking about the old JC days and of course, spilling the beans about the upcoming Reunion show at The Southgate House on November 20.
You can listen to the show locally in the Cincinnati area at 88.3 on your FM dial, or streamed live here.
Jockey Club Reunion 2010: The Return of SLUGGO!
Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 9:00 pm, The Southgate House | 24 East Third Street, Newport, KY 41071 | $10 21+/$13 18-20 at the door
As you know, we’re now working on their 3rd year in a row as promoters of Jockey Club Reunion shows at the historic Southgate House of Newport, KY.
This year’s Reunion includes another classic Jockey Club lineup featuring veterans Uncle Dave Lewis (joined on stage by members of the Wolverton Brothers), The Speed Hickeys (reuniting after a 20 year hiatus), local punk legends SS-20 and the return of Sluggo after 25 years!
Jockey Club Reunion 2010
The show on Saturday, November 20, with performances by SS-20, Sluggo, The Speed Hickeys, and Uncle Dave Lewis, will of course be hosted by the one and only “Handsome” Clem Carpenter.
Everyone is invited! If you’d like to RSVP us for this exciting Reunion show, we’d love to hear from you!
That’s not all! SS-20 will debut a special 9-song Christmas themed CD that includes “Daddy’s Drunk on Christmas” called Christmas Made in China. The band is also offering for one night only, a FREE CD of their latest song, “Thrift Store,” with every purchase.
Thanks to Joe Stocks at Public Service Television of Northern KY, some of you might make it on to the small screen, so look for them as they capture the entire night for TV! Plus Aurore Press has commissioned a Jockey Club screen printing legend, Greg C., to design a special commemorative t-shirt just for the show!
My review of the new album from Brock van Way a.k.a. Bvdub, is up now on Brainwashed. It is called “The Art of Dying Alone” and is a masterpiece of introspective ambience. Also check out reviews of Cyclobe and their new album “Wounded Galaxies Tap at the Window”, the new album from Foetus, and albums from Brian McBride, Honey Ride Me A Goat and a feature on the strange apples of Little Annie and Baby Dee, from the other writers this week at Brainwashed.
My review of the delightful album, “Secluded Malls and Scenic Byways / Requiem for an Encyclopedia” by George and Caplin is up now on Brainwashed.
