Songs to the sirens

A deep sound and far reaching experimental bent would probably describe Carla Bozulich. Her larger work started with ethyl meatplow, a sexual outrage punk experimental with mix of spoken words, vocal and rock. She describes this group achievement as “sequenced insanity inspired folks all over the US to dance, disrobe, beat off or beat them up.” After that she founded Geraldine Fibbers in 1993, the greatest undiscovered band of the 90’s. A short lived but critically well received bands. It exhausted itself after 5 years, but during that period Carla met avant guitarist Nels Cline. They decided to fully realized their art rock potential with the formation of Scarnella. The diverse sound experiments continued till today.

With all those experiments, she took a dive into ‘country’, from all genre, with a delightfull art rock touch. 2003 saw the release of Willie Nelson cover album played by a group of industrial strength avant jazz players. Bozulich sings with guitarist Nels Cline, bassist Devin Hoff and percussionist Scott Amendola. Last we know, she is scheduled to do a show with Mike Watt in LA with unknown future project. Frankly, I am curious if see will ever do some strange accoustic project. That would be delightfull considering she has the conceptual skill and voice more than average top chart bands.

Carla Bozulich : Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain , Red Headed Stranger (Dicristina Stair, 2003)
Carla Bozulich : Lonesome Roads , single
Scarnella : Death By Northwest , Scarnella (Smells Like Records, 1998)
Geraldine Fibbers : Fancy , What Part of ‘Get Thee Gone’ Don’t You Understand? (Sympathy 4 the R.I., 1997)

see also: NPR small audio review

Convergence-divergence. The little drama we’ve all been in, close whisper only to fade away later inside our own thoughts. This is the music to fill that mood. A whispy blues bass fades out with come on beats, turns slowcore and finally blues again but in Jazz form. The rythm is a heartfull confessional whisper. The second one is translucent dark psychedelia. Cock full of polyrithmic post-rock, unusual harmonic progression, and pentatonic with strange keys slowly twirl. All those conspires to create a soft anxious mood only modern music can create, warm angst. Songs that capture free flight of mind, at the same time disorienting. Also: check out ‘half-asleep’ she has some very good slowcore tracks. sq.

“Whispers between”

01. Clothesline Revival : wade in the water , Of My Native Land (Paleo Music, 2002)
02. Me’shell N’degeocello : Forgiveness & Love , Comfort Woman (Maverick, 2003)
03. The Dudley Corporation : Stupid , The Lonely World of The Dudley Corporation (Flameshovel Records, 2002)
04. half asleep : bare feet , Songs from a concert at the Pop In (Paris) (hinah record, 2003)
05. The Verna Cannon : Ocean in my Ears , Movie Star Faces (Released on Cargo Records, 2000)
06. Nina Nastasia : Superstar , Run To Ruin (Touch & Go Records, 2003)
07. Darek Oles and Brad Mehldau : You Don’t Know What Love Is , Like a Dream (Cryptogramophone, 2004)

“I lost You”

01. Scott Amendola Band : Buffalo Bird Woman , Believe (2005)
02. Alamaailman Vasarat : Lakeus , Vasaraasia (Silence , 2000)
03. Aloha : The Sound Between , The Great Communicators… (Polyvinyl Records, 1999)
04. Tara Jane O’neil : Sunday Song , Peregrine (Quarter Stick, 2000)
05. Malignon Music Box : Belo si celebri , Machines Vs Music (wfmu, 2003)
06. The Verna Cannon : In a while , Movie Star Faces (Released on Cargo Records, 2000)

image credit : mcclanahan, papillon, blacqbook, autowitch, willemvelthoven

Tuesday Lunch is late, due to little server glitch. Maybe it’s a midnite supper then? At anyrate, I miss NYC. So today it’s a groove day. Remember when Lucious Jackson and Beastie boys’ Grand Royale Label were the coolest sound in town? Edgy tune, singable lyric over soft funk, delicious mix and exciting beat. That was the height of hip-hop groove for me. Lucious Jackson was a player. Enjoy the late Lunch. Today serving is Lucious Jackson groove mixed with west coast jazz. And stay cool.

“Lunch No.3″

01. nlf3 trio : Orfeu , part1 - part2 (Prohibited Records, 2000)
02. Luscious Jackson : Alien lover , Electric Honey (Grand Royale/Capitol, 1999)
03. Alan Pasqua : All The Things You Are , My New Old Friend (Cryptogramophone, 2005)
04. Mark Dresser - Denman Maroney : Harkemony , TimeChanges (Cryptogramophone, 2005)
05. John Scofield Band : Watch Out For Po-Po , Up All Night (Verve, 2003)

Image credit: tampics, ogargaritza, koku, bonnykang, tampics

Beginning of year makes an irresistable musing time. The truth. They say there is truth in beauty. That within normative element of aesthetic judgement, there is an interplay between imagination and understanding which shines the light on truth. Such dynamic is shared and universal. If so, beauty and truth are within our grasp.

If only there is an algorithm for such effort. But somewhere between antiseptic description and improbable imagination, propagation of atmospheric gases and sweet memory of lovers voice, lies the balance of good music. A mysterious center only artists can describe through their works. Delicate rythm, sweet melody, intricate texture, warm instumentation, and virtuosity are some variables that can be put in words, the rest has to be heard. What will 2006 reveal about music? I can only imagine the possibilities. Memory of lover’s whisper over exotic beat, perfect lyrics and melody that stops war, complex harmony and rythm that redefines music, or maybe a completely engineered soundwave so warm unlike anything out of accoustic instrument. All in all, good music that reveals possibility, beauty and truth. I can’t wait.

“New Year 2006″

01. Martin Luther King : Truth (Peter Gabriel remix)
02. Joanna Newsom : The Book Of Right-On , The Milk-Eyed Mender (Drag City, 2004)
03. Fridge : Kinoshita , Eph Reissue (Temporary Residence Limited, 2002)
04. Screech : Rain , Below Code (10th Anniversary Compilation) (Comatonese, 2005)
05. Clothesline Revival : ramblin’man , Oh My Native Land (Paleomusic, 2002)
06. Good for Cows : Le Tigre , Bebop Fantasy (Asian Man Records, 2004)
07. The Art Ensemble Of Chicago : Every Day is a Perfect Day , Sirius Calling (Pi Recordings, 2003)

image credit: aijuswanaseing, bb_doll, pekela-neo, mrfranz, gustavog

Everything has an end and a beginning. In between there is the ever changing. Like the movement of heavenly bodies, everything is cyclical with an end an a beginning, yet everlasting. So is folks music. Like any idea it is being deconstructed, reconstructed, and reinterpretated, achieving new forms out of the ashes of the old one. “death as it shook you // you gave it a fool’s look // you said I am an empty page to you. .. we began to burn away”. The old one burns to start a new cycle. New year is about to begin. New hope.

“Deconstructing Folk”

01. Kemialliset Ystävät : planetta kaukainen , Kellari Juniversumi (Fonal, 2002)
02. Kemialliset Ystävät : taivas ja meri , Kellari Juniversumi (Fonal, 2002)
03. Sun Ra : Of Heavenly Things , The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1 (ESP, 1965)
04. Songs Ohia : The Body Burned Away , ghost tropic (secretly canadian, 2000)
05. David dunn : Insects and Birds , Why do Whales and Children Sing?: A Guide to Listening in Nature (EarthEar)
06. Clem Snide : Moment In The Sun , The Ghost Of Fashion (SpinArt/Cooking Vinyl, 2001)

See also: jun. 8 entry
image credit: muller, andipantz, hurleygurley, jurvetson

Second in a series of end of year list. This is a two parts list, an afternoon and an evening list containing various files gathered in the past weeks, creating a snapshoot of folks/accoustic music at the end of 2005. At another level it is a stack of audio polariod, trying to preserve the little stories people tell through their music. Hopefully it will be an interesting time capsule to hear later on. The first list has a softer, warmer tone, while the second one is twirly angst.

“Two Dollar Shoes”

01. Jeff_in_Paris : 01 open instru , (2002)
02. Rosie Thomas : Two Dollar Shoes , When We Were Small (Sub Pop, 2002)
03. Bart Davenport : Clara , Maroon Cocoon (Antenna Farm, 2005)
04. Jenny Elizabeth Jones : Blue , (2005)
05. Deerpark : Anabelle’s Mother , It made her look Spidery (Deerpark, 2003)

“Four Letters and a Purpose”

01. Adam Gnade : Dance to the War , Run, Hide, Retreat, Surrender (Loud and Clear Records, 2005)
02. The Dead Science : Gamma Knife , Bird Bones in the Bughouse (Absolutely Kosher, 2004)
03. Matt Callahan : Deep Down , A Wild Bouquet (brokenarrowrecords, 2005)
04. mrbungle : Tim Buckley - Song to the Siren (1) , (2002)
05. The Dead Science : Threnody , Submariner (Absolutely Kosher, 2003)
06. Cheval De Frise : Bora Lustral , fresques sur les parois secrètes du crâne (RuminanCe, 2003)
07. berg sans nipple : dilate in rythm , Form of… (Prohibited records, 2003)

image credit : aqui-ali, benzadrine, markstranquist, kyoto-photo, WallaceJames

A sucessfull experiment bounds to go unrecognized. That’s what I call The Dead Science. This group will break hearts while the public are too enamored with familiar styles fed by the mainstream music publication, such as pop punk, cheesy rock and prepackaged hip-hop. TDS accoustic free jazz bass and precission rythm section are too unsentimentally beautiful and won’t go mainstream anytime soon.

The industry aside, the dead science is the other side of currently in rage ‘psych folks’. A movement characterised by deep knowledge of previous masterpieces, application of dream like lyrics and vocalisations and oversize instrumentation skill. The dead science can be seen as the electric version of Devendra bernhard/Joanna Newsom experiment approached from different musical angle, post rock and free Jazz. They are Xiu-xiu evolutionary progression, with far more competent rythm section, accoustic bass sans synth. The result could very well be what Tim Buckley would have been after Starsailor, had he known how to incorporate free jazz into rock and the skill to execute complex rythm. A dream of conceptual satisfaction many have tried and failed, but then again almost 30 years has passed.

Formed in Seattle around 2000, the dead science is Jherek Bischoff (bass), Nick Tamburro (drums) and Sam Mickens (guitar, vocals). Their live shows are mainly confined in pacific northwest. Their latest album is ‘Frost Giant’.

The Dead Science : Threnody , Submariner (Absolutely Kosher, 2003)
The Dead Science : Ossuary , Bird Bones in the Bughouse (Absolutely Kosher, 2004)
The Dead Science : drrrty magneto , Frost Giant (Absolutely Kosher, 2005)

image credit: The dead science

Tuesday Lunch music. And blame another-record Paris bureau for this disaster. Their sense of humor is a bit too big for the planet to handle. They’ll get in trouble soon enough. I mean check out the music selection. What is that? is it electronic? Samba? Is it IDM? And what’s with accordeon fetish? Hey wait, Ravi Coltrane is in there. More bread please I am hungry.

Happy Lunch everybody!

“Lunch No.2″

01. Br. Cleve & His Lush Orchestra : Shaken Not Stirred , Two Zombies Later (comfortstand.com, 2003)
02. Nara Leão : Suíte dos pescadores , O Canto Livre De Nara (Philips, 1965)
03. os tron : emotional needs sound sources , only visiting this planet (kracfive records, 2002)
04. Ravi Coltrane : Search for Peace , Moving Pictures CD (RCA Victor Records (USA), 1998)
05. Eric & Ryan Kilkenny : Bongo Avenger , Two Zombies Later (comfortstand.com, 2003)

Image credit : rentahamster, sonia10, rizzi, presley_m, jam_session

Ages ago, in 2001 actually, Lawrence Lewis created a new class of copyright that artist can use as an alternative to industry’s copyright scheme. Analogous to GnuLicense spirit to build upon and share, Creative Common was written and let loose on the net. Four years down the road, it blooms and thrives. As of now there are several creative common databases that people can use and contribute. Musique-libre.org is one of them. It is based in french and primarily serves french upcoming artists.

This small list below represent popular picks in ‘Chanson Francophon’ category. I hope you enjoy these cool works. It’s time to seriously consider an alternative of ‘media industry’ music distribution. So there you have it. Contribute and share. Support artists.

“musique-libre.org”

01. delgarma : mon arbre , Mon arbre (self published, 2005)
02. delgarma : boradumhet , Mon arbre (self published, 2005)
03. sam : la grande roue , la grande roue (self published, 2005)
04. XeMa : Irremplaçable , 1ères Prises (self published, 2005)
05. ALéATOIRE : La vieille Europe , La Vieille Europe (self published, 2005)
06. Ehma : Antigone et Créon , Les Temps modernes (self published, 2005)

see also: musique-libre.org, Creative Commons

This one is a new year present for everybody who hasn’t discovered her yet. Her music is truely special. A sweet sorrow tune composed of thousands shades of memories, one can pick just about any style of music in her album. Jazz, blues, klezmer, modern, you name it. It’s as if Django Reinhardt has woken up, swallowed the entire encyclopedia of music and then decide to play. In this album Jenny Scheinman is leading a group consisting of Bill Frisell, Ron Miles, and more. The result is a music that fits anywhere and anytime. Beautiful and magnificently touching. A classic. She is going places with her talent. If not, it’s the world’s failing.

Jenny Scheinman : The Frog threw His Head Back and Laughed
Jenny Scheinman : Song of the Open Road

see also : cryptogramophone
image credit : jennyscheinman.com

This is s1 list, first in a series of three end of year lists containing ambient, experimental and modern pieces. In by gone time, a shaman functioned as a guide and healer. The shaman described future path, explaining dream and past and stitching together a seeker’s loose memories, faded thought nudged forward. A Shaman facilitated this process. This list tries to create that in a series of ambient pieces through delicate patterns. The songs nudge images out of our own thought, slowly guiding them into awareness like a shaman. But whether that goal is reachable or not, the ambient works in this list are nice in itself. Enjoy.

“Shaman Dance”

01. Terre Thaemlitz : Ai No Bakudan (Screech Remix) , Lovebomb/Ai No Bakudan (Comatonse Recordings, 2005)
02. Delphine Dora : chamanic saraband , (for christmas, 2005)
03: BrothomStates : Whind , Kobn-Tich-Ey ( Brothomstates, 1998)
04. Thomas Oboe Lee : Morango … almost a tango , Morango… Almost a Tango (Koch Int’l Classics, 2002)
05. Delphine Dora : cellar fire , (for christmas, 2005, with Valérie aka Half Asleep)
06. Soma Sonic : Crazy Moon , Future (Sonic Images, 2000)

image credit : Lenny & Meriel’s, mrfranz, GustavoG, antimethod, eyecatcher

Every so often I found a free jazz group that I want to listen for hours. Tri-cornered Ten Show is one of them. Granted I am no jazz expert, hence my delight when tri-cornered tent shows no harsh brass section that can meld mind faster than acid overdoze. But what’s wrong with mellower experimental Jazz? One John Zorn or Anthony Braxton is enough. At any rate, check out tcts, if you enjoy different soundscape beyond the usual psych rock/folks. They are quite trippy and enjoyable. (if that is the right word)

Tri-Cornered Tent Show : A frozen fish fiend facial
Tri-Cornered Tent Show : The Halls of Ancient Kadath
Tri-Cornered Tent Show : Incantation of Computation

image credit: tcts

Tuesday lunch update. I couldn’t find anything good on radio the other day when I wanted music instead of chatting or ambient sound. So, directly from another-record global headquarter luncheonette hall, here is lunch music. (It’s probably the only thing consumable from the menu too. Don’t try the muffin. You’ve been warned.) Today’s choice: a delicious opening of sound collage and film music, followed by standard blog fare. Closed with mouth watering west coast indies rarities. They are tasty, as it should. Another-records knows indies accoustic. Hopefully, we will go to better lunch place next time. I’ve heard ‘another-record’ L.A and Brussel bureaus have better food. To be honest, the global headquarter needs a new chef.

Stay tune, enjoy and happy lunch. Drop your lunch message.

“Lunch No.1″

01. Tipsy : Kitty’s Daydream , Two Zombies Later (comfortstand.com, 2003)
02. Gabriel “Naim” Amor : Le Wepler , Soundtracks (FILMguerrero, 2001)
03. The Tami Show : Hell is other people , Blue in Green (The Tami Show, 2005)
04. The Geraldine Fibbers : Fancy , What Part of ‘Get Thee Gone’ Don’t You Understand? (Sympathy 4 the R.I., 1997)
05. Tanya Donelly : Last Rain (demo) , unreleased (web only).

image credit: Stephanie, Stephanie

Music landscape changes all time as new sound enters. In the mid 90’s math rock and post rock make themselves known. Steve Albini introduces his angular guitar playing and Slint publishes ‘Spiderland’, their second album. To then Led zeppelin - nirvana dominated rock scene, Shellac and Slint display larger dynamic, angular and epic soundscape. It was fresh. But slowly math rock and post-rock reach ornate and oversize sound. At cannonical peak works, they are either hyper active manic guitar playing or sedate textureless hallucination. This condition start to alienieate average listener. Shellac fan base for instance is not mainstream despite Albini’s influence. Math rock development in Shellac - Jesus Lizard - Don Cab/Bellini and Postrock Slint - Tortoise - Goodspeed - Explosion in the Sky are ripe for new phase.

If new soundscape is made of previous works lessons, combining wider styles, higher virtuosity, and novel instrumentation, the post-rock story is not over. In subtle ways, accoustic instruments have infused new work done by artists associated with math rock and post rock. Cheval De Frise, for instance, a math rock group from Bordeaux, France creates an odd line up of accoustic/electric guitars into their Don Caballero like work. ‘II’, from their last album, is a mysterious flamenco like math rock piece, projecting a melancholic acid dream sound with angry jagged guitar, pulsing accoustic fury interspersed with drips of percussians. Slower, Chiyoko Yoshida - drummer and singer for Chicago mysterious band ‘Sweeder’, also associated with June of 44 and Modest Mouse - brushes a songwriter voice over a sea of fuzzy electric, typical of post-rock. It’s gloomy and disorienting, as all her works are. Also from Chicago, Owen - Mike Kinsella who also plays in math rock group such as Cap’n Jazz and American Football - dives deep into songwriting and accoustic. The only trace typical post-rock sound left is a bass string and one stroke of electric guitar distortion. His song transforms into a lyrical accoustic ballad. And finally, Grace Cathedral parks completely fills the canvas with accoustic instruments reducing electric guitar to a mere equal in a lush garden of melancholic but majestic accoustic dreamscape.

The promise of what to come seems very exciting to me.

And thank you Delpine, the coolest gal in town, for helping me find Cheval De Frise. Enjoy the list.

“Accoustic Math Rock”

01. Cheval De Frise : II , la lame du mât (RuminanCe, 2005)
02. Tim Rayborn : Cuando El Rey Nimrod , The Path Beyond (Magnatune, 2003)
03. Chiyoko : Monsters , Cinematic (Boo-The-Cat Records, 2001)
04. Owen : She’s a Thief , I do perceive ( Polyvinyl Records, 2004)
05. Nina Nastasia : This Is What It Is , The Blackened Air (Touch & Go Records, 2002)
06. Grace Cathedral Park : play delicate, desire quiet , In the Evenings of Regret (La Verdad, 2004)

See also : Math Rock, Post-Rock
Image credit: strange_me, Hobo pd, foreversouls

Folks song strength has always been expressing daily life in personal way. Nowhere it is more powerfull then expressing personal grief, anxiety and betrayal during a political turmoil and war. Dylan’s Master of War exemplifies this the best at the height of vietnam war. It calls out the national anxiety and anger for a war with no end and the nation gasps. These artistic sensibilities can still be heard in todays singer songwriter works.

Master of War.

01. Timesbold : Master of War , Masters of War 7 (Zeal Records, 2003)
02. Momus : Hotel Marquis de Sade , Monsters of Love ( Creation, 1990)
03. The Innocence Mission : what a wonderful world , now the day is over (Badman Records, 2004)
04. Boxharp : Church In Calhoun , Tailored Soldier (Absolutely Kosher, 2001)
05. Magnolia Electric Co. : Doing Something Wrong , Hard To Love A Man (Secretly Canadian, 2005)

image credit: danahilliot, Hobo pd, sarrah, Hensdill

The bane of modern choice. In today’s music consumption, we rarely listen to a song without neurotically expecting to hear next one on list. All that, of course, because we can and we have enough music to form a long list. The raise of mp3 makes it worst. Does it mean we should stop being neurotic and listen carefully to one song? Aha, you smarty pants idealist. I for one decide to take the low road and listen to as many songs as I can carry. But with a twist.

What if we organize songs in compelling way, revealing larger theme and musical connection beyond simple random list? So, here I am. Songs to the Sirens has kindly invited me to post my musing. I hope you enjoy my first entry.

Ode à la nuit

Ô Nuit plaisante et sereine,
Viens découvrir à nos yeux
Ton beau char qui se pourmène
Par les campagnes des cieux.
Sors de ta caverne obscure
Dans le saphir éclatant,
Pendant qu’en cette verdure
Je vais ton los racontant.
…
-Siméon-Guillaume de LA ROQUE

“Gentle Night” List

01. Sir Richard Bishop : Hadley , Sir Richard Bishop, Salvador Kali (Revenant, 1998)
02. Bright Eyes : Lua, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek, 2005)
03. Devendra Banhart : Quetate Luna , Cripple Crow (Xl / Beggars Us Ada, 2005)
04. Puerto Muerto : Grinding Bones, …Your Bloated Corpse Has Washed Ashore (Fire UK, 2005)
05. John Fahey : The Evening Mysteries of Ferry, I Remember Blind Joe Death (Varrick, 1990)
06. Ida : Late Blues , Heart Like a River (Polyvinyl Records , 2005)

Note: some links require you to go through simple registration to obtain mp3 files.
Image credit : Joe Bly