Rev. Charlie Jackson
You Got to Move: Live Recordings, Vol. 1
You can pre-order your very own copy of this a-punch-in-your-soul of a record directly from 50 Miles of Elbow Room today! Read more about it at the Wall Street Journal (really).
Warning: to listen is to love:
Cicciolina Holocaust | Sermonizer
Albeit Albeit | Sibelius Spiders
Is it too soon to love record label Forced Nostalgia? After just two releases? For me and my tastes the answer is clearly no.
Side A performed by Florim Prishtina and Rezart Veseli. Recorded 1984, Firenze (Italy).
Instrumentation: guitar, Korg Poly 61, Korg KPR 77, cornet, self-built machines, Tascam Portastudio (4-Track), effect pedals, tapes.
Previously released as private cassette edition. Digitally remastered directly from analogue tapes.
Side B recorded and mixed at Agucchi Home Studios 1983-1986 on 4-track tape recorder.
Instrumentation: synthesizer, guitar, violin, drum machines, electric shaver and other found objects.
Guest vocals on Copulator by Meana Rozzi. Guest aura by Aurelium Spitty.
Compiled by Fré De Vos.
Cicciolina Holocaust takes us on a ride in the belly of the beast (are we Jonah?), a constant gurgling drone the only indication we are in fact moving through some dark, very dark, place infested with Luigi Russolo‘s machine-music nightmare sounds. And coronet…Sermonizer kicks up the sound-diversity-ometer and adds some very nice analog (read: human) treats amid their wowing and fluttering Russolo machine. Meana Rozzi’s guest vocals on “Copulator” are, um, inspired and inspiring.
Incessant (both sides), great-sounding (both sides esp. considering the sources), great band names, ambient post-industrial yada yada yada, all adding up to what is for me a nostalgic trip that is in no way forced.
More, please.
It was my birthday a few days ago (I have President Obama beat by a few days) and while thinking about what record to play, I thought of Let it Bleed probably because of the cake on the cover. As I browsed to “R” in my rock rack, I noticed something strange – I had two copies of Let It Bleed yet I only remembered having one; a barley listenable record that was generously gifted to me by one of my brother-in-laws along with a milk-crate full of others all equally sonically handicapped by what I can only imagine were many great parties that included coordination-altering substances and record playing. We are talking 1969.
His ex-copy of Let It Bleed had the telltale personalized markings of previous ownership in the form of my brother-in-law’s full name written in green ball point penned script on the back cover as well as on the record’s label. This from the days when records were an important guest brought to every party and I’d bet that in 1969 more than one copy of Let It Bleed showed up at most parties making personalization a necessity. My other Let It Bleed, a cleaner unmarked and better-sounding copy that includes the original poster was the mystery guest in my house for my birthday party. And what a welcome guest it was and remains.
A little detective work, the price sticker was the dead giveaway, revealed that I bought this record at a Monkeyhaus past from a Baltimore record dealer (who shall remain nameless or I’d have to kill you and me) who occasionally shows up with a few boxes of super-choice used records for the ‘haus crew’s perusal. I must have planned ahead and bought this record and then purposefully forgot that I did for this very special birth day play. Or so I’d like to imagine.
Luigi Nono
Como una ola de fuerza y luz/Yentonces comprendio
Slavka Taskova, Soprano | Maurizio Pollini, piano
Claudio Abbado and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
In 1970 Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile becoming the first democratically elected Marxist to lead a nation in the Western Hemisphere, something that the Nixon administration was particularly unhappy about. After suggesting a coup to keep the Allende adminstration out, the American administration began a plan to “make the [Chilean] economy scream.” In his first year in office, Allende nationalized Chile’s copper mines and began economic and industrial reforms. Allende’s rule would continue until 1973 when he was ousted by a military coup [supported by the USA] led by General Pinochet.
In September 1971, word reached Nono of the death of Luciano Cruz, a major player in Chile’s revolutionary left movement. Of Cruz, Nono wrote: “I had got to know him that June in Santiago as a man of great intelligence, which had led to a friendship based on solidarity. It was his presence and yet physical absence that determined the choice of sound structure and caused us to ask why.” For Como una ola de fuerza y luz (Like a wave of strength and light), Nono chose to incorporate a poem by Cruz’s friend, the poet Julio Huasi, lamenting and celebrating Cruz. To a setting of this poem were added an electronic part that transformed sounds made by human voices and the piano of Maurizio Pollini, a longtime collabrator of Nono’s.
Luciano!
Luciano!
Luciano!
in the hazardous winds
of this country
you will keep on
glowing
young as the revolution
in every one of your people’s struggles
forever alive
and as close by
as the grief for your death.
like, Luciano!, a wave
of strength
young as the revolution
forever alive
and you will keep on
glowing light
for living.
voices of children
accompany
gentle bells
for
your youth.
“I realized that it was no difference whether I was writing a score or helping to organize a strike. They are just two sides of the same coin.” ~ Luigi Nono
Como una ola de fuerza y luz for soprano, piano, orchestra and tape was written in 1970-71 and this performance was overseen by Nono as was the B-side Y entonces comprendio which speaks to the Cuban revolution mainly through the words of poet Carlos Franqui (who was pro-revolution anti-Castro).
Harrowing, eerie, forceful and majestic. All that for $2.99 and the recording quality is first rate to boot.
Pelican Daughters
Fishbones and Wishbones
“Pelican Daughters is fab. Two spins this weekend.” ~ Simon Says
“This album blew me away the very first time I heard it, and I’ve listened to it at least once a day since first scoring a copy for myself; they pull off a sound that quite a few groups of the era reached for yet only occasionally succeeded in grabbing hold of.” ~ Other Music
“Genuinely jawdropping archival reissue from the Forced Nostalgia label, the first time on vinyl for this unique album recorded in the mid 80′s using analogue synths, found objects & DIY tape loops, drawing lines between the the postpunk movement and into the more introspective sounds that would go on to typify so much electronic music of the early nineties.” ~ Boomkat
Recorded on Portastudio, 1985-1988, Sydney, Australia by Andy Rantzen, Justin Brandis, Bryce Cannon and Andrew Holmes.
Versions of this album have been previously released on tape by Cosmic Conspiracy Productions (1988), on CD by Silent Records (1991) and as download on 4-4-2 Music (2009).
Special thanks to Alex Karinsky, Kim Cascone, Adrian Elmer and Andy Lonsdale for keeping these tracks alive across the years.
This version compiled by Fré De Vos, © Forced Nostalgia, 2011.
I have to agree with with everything those other guys said – Pelican Daughters Fishbones and Wishbones is one supremely bad-ass record. The attention to sound as abstract form the industrials love, repetitive minimalist patterns as psycho-motivator, stranger in a strange land found sounds, funked up bass beat, and distant voices all put together, bent and stretched into a taut humming sound force you’ll be more than happy to reckon with – time and again. Mind blowing, jaw dropping fab.
Einstürzende Neubauten
Tabula Rasa
All Songs written & arranged By Blixa Bargeld, Mark Chung, F. M. Einheit, Alexander Hacke & N. U. Unruh. Yes, songs. Some nearly danceable. Hard-core fans may not want to bite but I sure do. And this feast sounds as good as it swallows leaving one desirous yet delighted.
This strikes me as a “see, we can do this too” record mixing N.U. Unruh’s “special instruments” with plenty of klang and stomp and feedback but in song-form with most sung in German which is as big a fist in the face of commerce as a song with lyrics can be. Anita Lane helped out with the lyrics and vocals on “Blume” which is positively entrancing and represents one of those “holy shit” moments at a Monkeyhaus past, holding us silent and still in our seats. Rapt in darkness.
Lyrics are provided in English on the inside:
Die Interimsliebenden (track 1, side 1) [The Interimlovers] an excerpt:
In the space of just one slipped beat of the tongue
there is a big bang and total entropy
from red giants to white dwarfs
the whole scale
of cosmic dimensions are falling
out of my mouth
in the description of a kiss
of the interimlovers
of the iterimlovers
the intermlovers
between the microphone and macrocosm
between chaos and on no course
between plankton and philosophia
between semtek and utopia
there they are
the interimlovers
Not with a bang, but a whimper.
Sickeningly sweet, overripe, hard and driving, dark and wicked Tabula Rasa is a sensual treat not quite like any other. Recorded in 1990-1992 released 1993 on Mute/Rough Trade.
Tim Hecker
Harmony in Ultraviolet
wow. Wow. I’ve listened to this double 45rpm record three times in the past 10 hours and I could keep going over and over never covering the same ground twice. Tim Hecker builds sonic worlds from static, feedback, drone, synthesizer, guitar, found sounds, rumble and grime and he somehow manages to make everything shadowy melodic and beautiful. And crushingly sad. Recorded in 2005/6 in Montreal, Ottowa and Banff, Mastered by Denis Blackham at Sky Mastering, this is the second vinyl release of Harmony in Ultraviolet on Kranky from 2006 and I’ve read, not heard, that it is better sounding than the initial 33 1/3rpm version on Conspiracy Records. And you definitely want this record in all its full-bore heavy metaled shimmering glory.
Did I mention heavy? Ive also read, not heard, that Tim Hecker likes to play his live shows loud and you want to listen to this record with some real volume as to be fully immersed and tingly from the sounds waves. Nearly drowning in sound. At times, I felt like Hecker was telling me about an ocean, other times about bombs always about something dangerous.
Tracks:
Rainbow Blood
Stags, Aircraft, Kings and Secretaries
Palimpsest I
Chimeras
Dungeoneering
Palimpsest II
Spring Heeled Jack Flies Tonight
Harmony in Blue I
Harmony in Blue II
Harmony in Blue III
Harmony in Blue IIII
Radio Spiricom
Whitecaps of White Noise I
Whitecaps of White Noise II
Blood Rainbow
This is Tim Hecker’s sixth release, his fourth as “Tim Hecker” (before that he was Jetone) and there have been a bunch since. I look forward to exploring them all over time. Music you can feast on.
Grant Green
Idle Moments
They may be idle, but they sure as hell are cool too. Recorded November 1963, released 1964 on Blue Note. Grant Green guitar, Joe Henderson tenor sax, Bobby Hutcherson vibes, Duke Pearson piano, Bob Cranshaw bass and Al Harewood drums. Four tracks – Side A. Idle Moments (14:56), Jean de Fleur (6:49) Side B. Django (8:44), Nomad (12:16)
Duke Pearson on the title track (which he wrote) from the liner notes:
…As Green was finishing his second sixteen-bar chorus, I was getting ready to make my entrance, but he kept playing. I waited for him again at the end of his third sixteen, and took up his pattern, but he repeated once again. Then it dawned on me that since the melody was played twice, thirty-two bars were being considered one full chorus. So when it came my turn to improvise, I too played thirty-two bars, and gave the “high sign” to Joe Henderson….
When it was finally over, I got ready to face Alfred, because I knew we were going to have to make it over. He walked straight to me and asked, “Duke, do you know how long that was?” I answered, “About eight or nine minutes.” He said, “No, it was fifteen minutes, and forty-five seconds, but it was good. However, you’ll have to do it again, but this time make it seven minutes tops.”
So we tried again, an the takes ran from six-and-a-half to seven minutes. But none of them had the feeling of the first one. On that take, Green’s solo was the guiding influence of of the entire recording. The enchantment of his creative ingenuity quite influenced the soloists that followed him. And it highly noticeable too, for there definitely was a feeling of complete relaxation and naturalness.
Complete relaxation and naturalness. A caress of a record.
Boris
Attention Please
On Attention Please, the kinder, gentler Boris drips with sweet longing.
This is one of three new releases and that’s not counting their collaboration with Merzbow (I really should get the others even if that means ordering New Album from Japan) and its one that stands apart mainly because Boris gives Wata lead vocal duties (of the spoken/sung/whispered variety) for the first time on top of her guitar and keyboards. Takeshi provides backing vocals, bass and guitar and Atsuo nails things down on drums and percussion.
I prefer the harder-edged songs that end Side 1 but I’ll take the whole package. And what a lovely package it is.
Comes with a lyric insert and poster (that’s it, folded).
From “Attention Please”
Woo, so heavy
Woo, woo, about to fall apart
Woo, woo, about to fall apart
Woo, so heavy
Want to board
Want to board (onto you)
Want to board (onto me)
Want to board
Ah…Gate Heaven
Ah…Gate Heaven
Ah…Gate Heaven
Attention Please
And if you order direct from the label, you can opt for the clear vinyl-version. I did.
Les Rallizes Denudes
Heavier Than A Death In The Family
An Audiophile Club Selection Of The Month !*
Les Rallizes Denudes, the band (they were a theater troupe prior), were formed at Kyoto University in late 1967. This record filled with 4-sides of live dates mostly from 1977 (“People Can Choose” was recorded in ’73) is heavier than a lead suit and just as comfortable. Blistering hot feedback sludge (read Mike Kelley’s thoughts on feedback) on top of heavily fuzzed echoed and overdriven everything, Les Rallizes Denudes is a monster sensory assault (I’m guessing Antonin Artaud was a big influence) headed by singer/guitarist Takashi Mizutani with various and sundry other members coming and going during their near-30-year run (original bassist Moriaki Wakabayashi was involved in a highjacking of Japanese plane to North Korea in 1970).
Brutal, relentless, warped and howlingly committed, Heavier Than A Death In The Family is heavier than a death in the family. People like Kawabata Makoto must have a shrine dedicated to their influence.
* this record is a must-have masterpiece for all those audiophiles looking for sound quality first and foremost
The Mal Waldron Trio
Impressions
Recorded and released in 1959 just after Mal arrived back in the US from a tour of Europe accompanying Lady Day, Impressions includes his three-part Overseas Suite. “Champs Elysses” is the opener – “It was the widest avenue I had ever seen. I tried to get the feeling that I had while walking down it. Among other things I was reminded of Gershwin’s American in Paris.” While I’m sure Mal had a spring in his step, he doesn’t ever strike me as being capable Gershwin’s flamboyant bounce.
As a colorist, Waldron seems more akin to Rembrandt than Matisse, at least to me. I guess that’s what people mean when they describe his music as “brooding”. The remaining “Suite” songs, “Ciao!” and “C’est Formidable” are spread out on the record (my only complaint/question), interspersed with a track penned by Mal’s wife Elaine “All About Us” (“The Us in ‘All ABout Us’ is Mal, Elaine and their children. The song expresses the feeling they have together” at least that’s what Ira Gitler tells us in his liner notes), and three cover tunes, “You Stepped Out of a Dream” (Nacio Herb Brown, Gus Kahn), “All the Way” (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen), and “With a Song in My Heart” (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers).
More from Ira Gilter’s liner notes:
Mal remembers “With A Song In My Heart”, played at a slow tempo, from his childhood. As a result, it sounds ‘old’ to him. Another version, recorded by Sonny Rollins for Prestige in 1951, helped sustain him when he was playing in a sad r&b group [so sad, they didn't even capitalize 'r&b'] on the road in the early Fifties. “Whenever I’d get back to the hotel I’d put Sonny’s record on and it would give me a lift and renew my hope that I wold be playing good music some day.”
Thankfully, some day came sooner than later for Mal and for us and let’s not forget to emphasize – listening to records can also give us hope. The rest of the trio consists of Addison Farmer on bass and Albert “Tootie” Heath on drums and they play as one. Another highly polished soulful gem from the Mal Waldron songbook.
Circuit des Yeux
Portrait
Haley Fohr reveals more of herself and sheds a few layers of sonic mystery in Portrait and we can all breath sigh of thanks and loss. “All songs written, tracked, and mixed by H. Fohr” read the sparse liner notes that go on to say, “Recorded in late 2010 in the bedroom underground. Words on ‘I’m On Fire’ by B. Springsteen, recorded live 9/11/10 by Russian Recording.” You read that right, Circuit des Yeux does Bruce but you might not pick that up even if you know the original as Holy howls over the microphone’s abilities and crushes sound quality with pain.
I can’t help but think about other bedroom underground music makers like Zola Jesus who appears to have graduated from hers in her upcoming release and Julianna Barwick and Weyes Blood and even snatches of Noveller but here Holy is channeling farther-back classics like Niko especially on “3311″ which is one of more than one fairly straight-forward songs to be found on Portrait and I find the whole damn thing beautifully sad and haunting and wonderful. There’s so much here and elsewhere and so much more to come I can only imagine a world full of smiling music-listeners.
Inca Ore / Grouper
split
Back in April I’d read (and posted) about Grouper’s two new LPs A I A : Alien Observer/Dream Loss. I found myself in Other Music shortly thereafter flipping feverishly through the Gs to no avail. During checkout I asked the super-friendly OM employee, “Do you know if you have any of the new Grouper LPs left?” He answered, “We had people lining up outside before the store opened the day of the release. It sold out in 10 minutes.” Dammit.
This LP, which I managed to buy before its also gone, is a self-released 2nd pressing distributed by Mississippi Records. I guess you could call it a fourth release since the first was a cassette-only deal (2007), then there was the first LP and a CD (2008). Inca Ore takes Side 1 and Grouper Side 2 although you’d be hard-pressed to figure that out from the cover (hint: count the number of tracks on the insert and compare to the grooves).
Inca Ore is Eva Saelens and her side was mainly “recorded while on a somewhat nightmarish journey taken through Mexico” and it wheezes and creaks through spooky spaces filled with creepy creatures, plucks, throbs and buzz, incantations and faraway forlorn lullabies. Nice, deep and cold, too. Cave-like.
Grouper is Liz Harris and her side of this split is comprised of 4 songs with a more analog shimmery feel where her vocals find their way by bumping up against spare minimal accompaniment to express something warm and human. Beautiful. Stunning.
Note: Please wait to buy up the other Grouper and Ina Ore LPs until I’ve got them. Thank you. (rumor has it there’s going to be an A I A : Alien Observer/Dream Loss re-issue later this summer)
Did I mention that Liz Harris is also an artist?
Liz Harris
Untitled print, #1
Silk-screened drawing
8.75″ X 10.75″
$75 (ed. of 10)
Liz Harris
Untitled #7
Ink on paper
11″ X 14″
(this is what her music looks like)
Gonjasufi
The Caliph’s Tea Party
Remix albums can be great for two reasons: they’re great in and of themselves and they can remind you how great the original un-remixed music is and The Caliph’s Tea Party is a great remix record.
A Sufi And A Killer is one of those records that ages like fine wine (not that I’d really know) – it gets better with time and repeated listening which is not necessarily always the case.
And I sort of agree with Pitchfork in that the tracks that leave Sumach Ecks (that’s his real name) voice in tact are the most endearing although I don’t agree with Pitchfork when they get all bitchy as if listening to music is somehow hard work and painful. Try reviewing equipment footers or audio cables, bitches (kidding).
01 – Ancestors ((Dreamtime) Mark Pritchard Rmx)
02 – Candylane (Bibio Remix)
03 – Ageing (Dam Mantle Remix)
04 – The Caliph’s Tea Party (Broadcast & The Focus Group
05 – Kobwebz (Jeremiah Jae Remix)
06 – Love Of Reign (Bear In Heaven Remix)
07 – She’s Gone (Oneohtrix Point Never Remix)
08 – Holidays (MRR Remix)
09 – Change (Shlohmo Remix)
10 – My Only Friend (Hezus Remix)
11 – DedNd (agdm Remix)
12 – SuzieQ (Dem Hunger Bowel Blood Remix)
Francis Davis of the Village Voice reviews the CD reissue of Intents and Purposes:
If ever a jazz LP literally qualified as “legendary,” Intents is it: Deleted practically in transit, it was briefly reissued only once (in France, in the 1970s). It’s at long last been reissued on CD in a fetish-worthy International Phonograph limited edition with original graphics, liner notes, and period Nipper logo, and I envy anyone first hearing it now, because it’s as bold and surprising as anything newly released this year.
There’s some very nice bio-info in there as well which makes this review worth the read for those so inclined.