Burnt Friedman presents a smidgeon of material from Uwe Schmidt'smassive Rather Interesting back catalog for his own Nonplace label. Forthe 42 minute continuous mix, Friedman selects 14 of his favoritetracks from eight of Schmidt's many monikers (he's probably best knownas Atom? or Atom Heart). First off, I must confess that I don't own asingle Rather Interesting release. I figure this will be a good placefor me to start considering I'm an adamant collector of Freidman's workand the duo's collaborations as Flanger. Friedman's bright and spaciousaural imprint is all over the disc, either through his mixing, his ownoverdubbing or simply a like-minded approach. The main vibe is theirusual one of jazz and electronica de latina, a blurred lines blend ofsampled/programmed/played musica, sometimes at the mercy of glitchifiedhyper-editing. The rhythms vary from techno to tango and they neverstop as pianos and keys noodle, bass lines bounce and slide,electronics blip and bloop, horns and vibes dabble and faux audiencesclap in appreciation. At first it is indeed a rather interesting mix,always on the move and seamlessly sewn together, but after awhile it'sa tad too cutesy and/or bland for my taste and I start to loseinterest. What's missing is the dark beauty and black humor of some ofFriedman's solo output that I love so much. I just simply preferFriedman and Flanger's stuff over Schmidt's, simple as that. And thatgives me a sigh of relief considering the financial commitmentnecessary to keep up with Rather Interesting, not to mention all ofSchmidt's other endeavors. samples:
- Follow Me to San Jose
- Midisport - All Notes Off
- Ondas - Stereo Kiss
While I can truly say I have enjoyed Town and Country albums for years,I hadn't had such an incredible appreciation and awe for them until Ifinally had a chance to see them live. Friday night at the ZeitgeistGallery in Cambridge, the quartet performed a number of songs fromthis, their fourth release. While it's musically apparent that thisChicago-based drum-less multi-insturmentalist acoustic instrumentquartet have a serious history of improvisation, every song, every noteis cold-calculated and executed with the skillfullness of professionalperfection. I'm still marvelling at the amount of instruments whichcould actually fit in the tiny room. Through the night, the fourmusicians shifted around between acoustic guitars, double basses (yes,there was one song where two were played), bass clarinet, celeste,harmonium, cornet, and most impressively, a stunning set of handchimes. I couldn't keep my eyes off these things, as they had to berearranged between each song depending on which notes were used. Thesound was phenomenal, dreamlike, intoxicating and swirling and makes mevisualize the albums so much more than ever. To magically accent theevening, there was brief snowstorm outside which fit the second song onthe album, "I'm Appealing" almost perfectly, as the song is filled witha harp-like effect by rhythmically strumming what could possibly be32nd notes on two acoustic guitars. You can buy the album and get thesame effect but I highly recommend both doing that and going to see theshow if they're anywhere near you. Tour dates are posted at 
Whiskeytown is dead. Long live Whiskeytown! After the demise of North Carolina's infamous entry into the alt-country sound before their final album was released in 2001, the members went their separate ways, though at that point they really numbered only three: Mike Daly, Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary.
It's difficult to tell if Che-Shizu's leader, vocalist and kokyu (aChinese violin-like string instrument) player Chie Mukai, had everpicked up her instrument before the tape for this album startedrolling. Her solo kokyo improvisations (with which I am most familiar)do not rely on such conventions as tune or melody, so her atonal sawingnever sounded out of place to me before. On this, a CD reissue of herband's debut album from 1984, it appears that she either never tunedher kokyu, or else has no idea where the correct notes are, or else hadnever even seen or even considered the existance of stringedinstruments before deciding to play these songs. The tunes themselvesare downbeat Velvet Underground-like droning things with ocasional odd,sour attempts at klezmer and waltz. But Mukai's bowed monstrositysteals the show, always a bit flat or else way too sharp, and damned ifI didn't wince a dozen times within the first several minutes oflistening0. Sure, it's awful, but it's also really interesting. It's soconsistently bad that it's great. Know what I mean? I find myselflistening first in horror, then a second time to make sure I'm reallyhearing what I think I'm hearing (christ, she really IS off for theentire damn album!), then again because I like the songs and thebizarreness has worn off. Speaking of the Velvets, Mukai's voice has adeadpan quality that brings Nico (especially "The Marble Index") tomind. Her band's accompaniment is appropriately spare and mournful,serving mostly as a frame for the kokyu and voice; a determinedly na?vequality reigns, shocking in its spare directness. For more information,check 
For those who missed the limited release of Death Cab For Cutie's lastrelease "The Photo Album," DCFC have released the EP that came withthat release separately, calling it "The Stability EP." It's ultimatelyheavier material than that on the last LP, as these songs could almostcrush the listener with their subject matter and slow, driven music.The center piece is "Stability," a near 13-minute DCFC epic that couldalmost be described as "Death Cab For Post-Rock." Languid, lush,slowcore galore, the track is easily the closest the band will everapproach that genre. The track finishes with over 6 minutes of greatguitar melodies, a steady drumbeat, and keyboard swells and pulses withno clear vocals to speak of. Of course, there are vocals by BenjaminGibbard at the top of the track, as well as piano, and a fewMogwai-like edits. The second track is a Bjork cover, and a greateffort by DCFC, especially the hyper drumwork. DCFC are known for theirodd cover choices live, as an MP3 search even turns up a cover of theEurythmics classic "Here Comes the Rain Again." They pull off thisBjork classic with gusto and all sincerity, making it the highpoint ofthe release. "20th Century Towers" is classic DCFC, just a lot slower:meek vocals by Gibbard, intertwined guitar and bass, and just went youthink it will give up the ghost and rock out, Gibbard holds it all in.The only complaint is the crowd vocal towards the track's final third.I would have preferred to hear Gibbard solo or double-tracked, not whatyou expect in a drunken English pub crowd. All in all, not a bad threetracks if you got it with the record, but I don't know if I'd spend $10on it in the stores. 
I'm rarely disappointed by Novamute releases. Usually, they have enough intelligent and interesting tracks to keep me interested and sometimes produce modern classics (Speedy J's 'A Shocking Hobby' being the perfect example of the latter). 'The Mission Statement', S.I. Futures' debut album for the label, is no exception to the rule, but also no significant landmark in the Novamute catalog.
The band with the least pronoucable name since a:GRUMH... is actuallyone Douglas Benford (the ".db" is his initials), who has left drum n'bass behind to explore sunny dub rhythms on his latest CD for the fineDIY-techno Bip-Hop label. The tunes do not attempt perfect replicationof the Jamaican style, as does Twight Circus Dub Sound System or TinoCorp. Instead, Benford merely references the missing pieces andecho-laden beats of dub to turn in a pleasant, if light and airy, setof predominantly instrumental (save a sample here and there) tunes. Thefirst few songs are as enjoyable as this sort of thing can be, but theend of the set turns a bit sweet for my tastes. The best work of KingTubby and Lee Perry had an underlying heaviness and darkness thatBenford does not appear particularly interested in. The beginning of"Enthusiaist" contains some wonderful sections (particularly in theopening cut "Contaminile 2") which really stretch out and dig into thewarm expansiveness that dub techniques can produce. The album getspoppier as it goes on, though, and becomes progressively lessinteresting.
Add another awkward band name to your collection. After receiving newsof the forthcoming release of "Inception and Silence Undivided" onSteven Stapleton's United Dairies label, I was curious to find outabout the project. Matt Waldron has been recording and releasing musicas irr.app(ext.) since 1998. The first release, "an uncertin animal,ruptured; tissue expanding in conversation" has a matchinglysurrealistic sound and equally disturbing accompanying artwork (lots ofasparagus-esque vegetation and mutated muscle tissue). It was aco-release between Waldron's own Errata In Excelsus label and theIcelandic label, Fire Inc. I contacted Matt and subsequently receivedfive of his CDs, discs of which I was looking forward to digesting,dissecting and reporting about, but in the time I've had them, themusic just becomes more unraveling with every listen. It's no surprisethat Stapleton was interested in his work, which is essentially areinterpretation of the never before released on CD, long out of printand masters destroyed LP, "Insect and Individual Silenced" by Nursewith Wound. I haven't heard it yet, but after hearing hours of workwhich never wears thin, I'm highly anticipating it. Waldron's work isvery atypical of the volumes of CD-Rs that float around. It's advanced,sonically challenging, created from a collage of musically imitatingsounds both found and created, seamlessly constructed. Matt seems tohave an unchallengable ear for when to introduce pianos, clanging,backwards bits, cut-up sounds, digital demons, resurrective rumblings,and only an occasional pulse. Yeah, it's pretty dark. I find myselfgoing through evenings where I feel I want to just throw the discs allon, one after another, kill the lights and get a complete sensoryoverload. Maybe it's time to try some new drugs. Either way, theofficial irr.app(ext.) web site is still being constructed, but there'san email address on the bottom. 
The electropop revival has seen it's first casualty. With 'Alright OnTop' Luke Slater, revered for his techno-electro work under numerousmonikers, makes a significant step away from the dancefloor and towardsthe bargain bin. Not nearly as kitschy as Miss Kittin or Felix ThaHousecat, the tracks on here have none of the trashy hip glamour thathas been slapped to the backside of this new new wave. Rather thancopying what seems to be working for everyone else (or sticking to whathe does best and progressing a bit), Slater presents some bizarrehybrid of a mediocre New Order cover band and a 90's "electronica"one-hit wonder. In fairness, you do have to give the man some creditfor doing what he wants to do (and hopefully bracing for criticism fromhis fanbase) and paying tribute to music he truly loves. However, weaksongwriting (dubbed in true press release style as 'songtronica')accompanies uninventive and boring lyrics, making for an overallembarassment when compared to his strong backcatalog. To be honest, I'mhoping this electropop fad (or whatever you want to call it) pisses offand dies quickly like Detroit ghetto-booty music did. I'm not feelin'it... and it's already produced at least one awful album from aonce-solid producer. 
