Being thankful for an earful.
Brand new music by Marie Davidson, Niecy Blues (feat. Joy Guidry), CEL, Marisa Anderson and Luke Schneider, Stina Stjern, Carmen Villain, Murcof, A Lily, and Far Golden Pavilions, with music from the vaults by Tomaga, Ozzobia, Jan Jelinek.
Sushi photo by Lindsay.
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Frequently name-checked as one of the most influential works of postmodern composition, Glenn Branca's Lesson No. 1is nothing less than a completely successful amalgam of avant-gardecomposition techniques with dissonant post-punk rock n' roll. GlennBranca had previously been part of the brief No Wave scene with hisband Theoretical Girls, and several other solo and group projects, butthis short album was his first commercially released recording. When 99Records originally released the album in 1980, it was clear that it wasnot without precedent; following as it did in a clear line of evolutionfrom LaMonte Young and Terry Riley. But Branca's use of rock n' rollinstrumentation, heavy duty percussion, unorthodox guitar tunings andover-amplifications and minimalist repetition makes "Lesson No. 1 ForElectric Guitar" an essential influence on all of the avant-garde rockmusic that has come since. The eight-plus minutes of the title trackare absolute perfection: a glossy, propulsive patchwork of chimingelectric guitars, hypnotically riffing on three chords, ascending anddescending, falling in and out of sync beautifully. Its simplicity andpower recalls Terry Riley's majestic synthesizer classic "A Rainbow inCurved Air," even as its trance-inducing, minor-chord refrainunmistakably evokes vintage Joy Division, apparently a notableinfluence on Branca in the early 80's, if I am to believe the eruditeliner notes by Alan Licht. "Lesson No. 1" is ground zero for all of theavant-leaning rock music that came after, clearly influencing SonicYouth ("Expressway To Yr Skull"), Boredoms (Vision Creation Newsun)and even Acid Mothers Temple, who attempted their own merging of TerryRiley and [acid] rock with their cover of "In C." Following from"Lesson No. 1" is "Dissonance," certainly less accessible, but no lessmasterful, a chaotic mass of overdubbed guitar shredding, complexdrumming (periodically punctuated by the metallic clink of asledgehammer) and an insistent sense of drama, continuously buildingbut never finding its full catharsis. "Bad Smells" is the third andfinal track, a 16-minute rock epic originally released on the flip sideof John Giorno LP released on the Giorno Poetry Systems label duringthe same time period as Branca's Ascension. Originally composedfor a Twyla Tharp dance performance, the musicians include, amongothers, Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore (soon of the aforementionedSonic Youth). The track unfolds in several different "movements,"opening with galloping beats and heroic guitar melodies, then quicklytransforming into an angular punk-funk jam, before taking a sharp leftturn into high dissonance and stop-start, No Wave-style spastics. Alsoincluded on the disc is a fascinating Quicktime video of Glenn Brancaconducting his "Symphony No. 5," shot in 1984. It's quite a possessedperformance, Branca casting himself as the physical conduit of themusic, jumping and thrashing around with wild abandon, expressing themusic's intensity. Acute Records has done a good job re-issuing Lesson No. 1, solidifying its place among the most influential rock albums of all time. samples:
It is sometimes interesting to know the motivations behind things, andthat is certainly the case with this EP from the multi-instrumentalistand member of at least half a dozen stunning bands over the years. WhenI read the spine of the CD, I thought "Wasn't this a song off his lastrecord?" Indeed, it was, but Brokaw was inspired to re-record it andupdate it to an electric, full-band status. Accompanying it is histribute to female songwriters, as he records songs by former bandmateThalia Zedek, Liz Phair, and Holly Anderson and Lisa Burns. All ofthis, apparently, is due to the inspiration of Greg Weeks, whodiscussed a compilation of men performing songs written by women withBrokaw a year ago. Now, perhaps this comes off as Brokaw rhyming on theidea a bit, but it's no matter, as it is easily the most electrifyingwork Brokaw has ever produced. His interpretation of these songs isfull of strong choices and a clear vision, with his own twists andturns thrown in just for fun. The update of the title track is the waythe song was meant to be heard: multi-tracked guitars, powerhousedrums, and a confident yet slightly flawed vocal. It blows the previousversion away easily. Brokaw has chosen artists he greatly respects aswell as songs that he loves, and his partnership with Zedek in Comeproduced some great songs and records, so it's a fitting choice as wellas a straightforward interpretation. On Zedek's "1000 MPH," a punked-upenergy level suffers only slightly without the vocal presence of itsauthor. "In Love With Yourself" predates Phair's seminal Exile in Guyvilleand it shows, as it's a cheeky and almost corny song that's just cleverenough to be amusing, which she'd never dare approach today. Itbenefits from this re-envisioning of just guitar and voice, and it evenshows a little sense of humor on Brokaw's side. It is the last songthat is the cornerstone, though, as "Across the Blue" is grandiose andlabored, with a relaxed performance with great guitar lines andatmospherics. Brokaw has a new solo album due in 2005 and a soundtracklater this year, but it just may be that he does his best work withother people's songs. If that's the case, it's hardly a negative if theresults are this good.
It is sometimes interesting to know the motivations behind things, andthat is certainly the case with this EP from the multi-instrumentalistand member of at least half a dozen stunning bands over the years. WhenI read the spine of the CD, I thought "Wasn't this a song off his lastrecord?" Indeed, it was, but Brokaw was inspired to re-record it andupdate it to an electric, full-band status. Accompanying it is histribute to female songwriters, as he records songs by former bandmateThalia Zedek, Liz Phair, and Holly Anderson and Lisa Burns. All ofthis, apparently, is due to the inspiration of Greg Weeks, whodiscussed a compilation of men performing songs written by women withBrokaw a year ago. Now, perhaps this comes off as Brokaw rhyming on theidea a bit, but it's no matter, as it is easily the most electrifyingwork Brokaw has ever produced. His interpretation of these songs isfull of strong choices and a clear vision, with his own twists andturns thrown in just for fun. The update of the title track is the waythe song was meant to be heard: multi-tracked guitars, powerhousedrums, and a confident yet slightly flawed vocal. It blows the previousversion away easily. Brokaw has chosen artists he greatly respects aswell as songs that he loves, and his partnership with Zedek in Comeproduced some great songs and records, so it's a fitting choice as wellas a straightforward interpretation. On Zedek's "1000 MPH," a punked-upenergy level suffers only slightly without the vocal presence of itsauthor. "In Love With Yourself" predates Phair's seminal Exile in Guyvilleand it shows, as it's a cheeky and almost corny song that's just cleverenough to be amusing, which she'd never dare approach today. Itbenefits from this re-envisioning of just guitar and voice, and it evenshows a little sense of humor on Brokaw's side. It is the last songthat is the cornerstone, though, as "Across the Blue" is grandiose andlabored, with a relaxed performance with great guitar lines andatmospherics. Brokaw has a new solo album due in 2005 and a soundtracklater this year, but it just may be that he does his best work withother people's songs. If that's the case, it's hardly a negative if theresults are this good. 
As a violinist, Eyvind Kang has played with the likes of Sun CityGirls, Bill Frisell, Secret Chiefs 3, Laurie Anderson and many others.As a composer, Kang has carved out a unique position for himself,releasing a series of studio albums drawing on his concept of the NADE(a concept which I won't attempt to explain here, mostly because Idon't understand it). The albums combined elements of disparate ethnicmusic forms with esoteric spiritual ideas, and sudden, unexpectedtransitions into fully-formed pop songs or long passages of pastoralambience. I've liked most of his work that I've heard so far(especially 2000's The Story of Iceland), but it appears that Kang has outdone himself with Virginal Co-ordinates,a beautiful recording of an ambitious live performance staged in Italylast year. Kang composes and conducts a 16 piece ensemble—called thePlayground—augmented by himself on violin and several guest musicians,including Mike Patton on voice and electronics, Michael White (formerSun Ra Arkestra violinist) and Tim Young on electric guitar. I supposethe inclusion of Mike Patton is the only reason this album has surfacedon Ipecac Recordings, seeing as it's otherwise entirely different fromthe label's usual output. It's quite an impressive work, split up intoten movements of varying lengths, each gently joined to the next withgossamer instrumental threads. The title of the work evokes images ofuntouched glacial expanses, secluded valleys and mountains untouchedand unadulterated by the progress of man—Virginal Co-ordinatesin which the mind and spirit are free to find connections with naturebeyond those limited ideas inculcated in us by the artificialstrictures of society. The album artwork is pure white, the color ofvirginity, with a white cobra in the center, appearing poised tostrike. The cobra is a perfect symbol for the current of hidden menacethat runs through much of the music. There is a spiritual yearningthroughout, but it is often joined by vibrating undercurrents of dread."I am the Dead" transforms into a full-blow orchestral pop song withechoes of Brian Wilson, but its lyrics presage the death and rebirthrituals of the Bardo Todol. Mike Patton's voice lends anethereal beauty to certain passages, and Walter Zianetti steals theshow with his acoustic guitar solo on "Taksim." Elements of Spanishguitar, Indian raga, tonal Oriental scales, film soundtracks andAmerican pastoral symphonies all weave their way into Kang's work,culminating in the majesty of the title track, a magnificent,shape-shifting wall of orchestral noise in which musical phrases fromearlier movements are recycled and juxtaposed to hypnotic effect. At 73minutes, Virginal Co-ordinates is never boring, which issomething that cannot often be said for works of modern composition. Infact, its appeal goes well beyond the usual modern classical crowd, andI imagine it would be enjoyed by anyone interested in thetransformative and magical possibilities of music. 
While both Bardo Pond and Tom Carter should be names that everyone familiar to The Brainshould recognize, perhaps it's a bit of a shock to see the two of themlisted together. Although Bardo Pond and Charalambides contributedtracks to the seminal Harmony of the Spheres compilationreleased in the late 1990s on Drunken Fish, this is the first time thatthe two groups have collaborated together, and the result is an hour ofpsychedelic improvisations whose whole is greater than the sum of itsparts. Throughout the disc, Carter's guitar weaves in and out of BardoPond's music, adding his patent e-bowed and reverberated sound to thetextures created by the band. Carter's guitar doesn't stand outabruptly against the other sonic elements as much as it adds anadditional dimension to the multi-layered sounds and textures thatBardo Pond creates. Of the disc's five tracks—which are simply labeledby their length—only one is shorter than ten minutes, with two tracksclocking in near the 20-minute marker. This gives the improvisationsample room for development, with ideas being fully fleshed out and allpossibilities explored. Fans of the two groups shouldn't bedisappointed by this release, as both Bardo Pond and Carter retaintheir unique sounds while creating a release that has a singularcharacter.
While both Bardo Pond and Tom Carter should be names that everyone familiar to The Brainshould recognize, perhaps it's a bit of a shock to see the two of themlisted together. Although Bardo Pond and Charalambides contributedtracks to the seminal Harmony of the Spheres compilationreleased in the late 1990s on Drunken Fish, this is the first time thatthe two groups have collaborated together, and the result is an hour ofpsychedelic improvisations whose whole is greater than the sum of itsparts. Throughout the disc, Carter's guitar weaves in and out of BardoPond's music, adding his patent e-bowed and reverberated sound to thetextures created by the band. Carter's guitar doesn't stand outabruptly against the other sonic elements as much as it adds anadditional dimension to the multi-layered sounds and textures thatBardo Pond creates. Of the disc's five tracks—which are simply labeledby their length—only one is shorter than ten minutes, with two tracksclocking in near the 20-minute marker. This gives the improvisationsample room for development, with ideas being fully fleshed out and allpossibilities explored. Fans of the two groups shouldn't bedisappointed by this release, as both Bardo Pond and Carter retaintheir unique sounds while creating a release that has a singularcharacter.
Monumentstarts off with a barely noticable track entitled "Monument 1(Memorial)." It only last for a couple minutes and sort of eases theears into the following series whistles, whale calls, Japanese flutes,and chants . "Monument 2" is approximately 47 minutes of intenselywarm, meandering, and amorphous guitar. Carter slips on ten or twelvedifferent masks over the course of this song, each rendering his guitara new kind of instrument. The song opens with a strange tremble thatprovides the illusion of multiple guitars phasing in and out of eachother until reality finally syncs up and the sound rolls out into thatair smoothly and harmoniously. As the guitars wobble to and fro,struggling and distorted roars reach out from behind the noise to speakof pseudo-melodies and breathless spaces stretched out wide andindefinitely. The lap steel is a wonderful instrument in Carter'shands; his manipulation of its signature sound renders the instrument afar more diverse one than I thought possible. At times it sounds like abell being struck slowly and in the distant, in other places it soundslike lasers beaming through a science-fiction film, and at other timesit could easily be mistaken for a heavily edited piece of keyboardtrickery shaking in and out of earshot. Only at certain points does thelap steel make itself known as such and this allows Carter to refocushis composition and lead it off in new directions. The song is verybusy at times and, at others, it is quiet and marked by pockets ofsilence. The first time through I listened to the music with the volumeturned down quite low, but turned way up all sorts of intricategestures became obvious and the record took on a more physical andcarnal attitude. The quiet rings from the first time around suddenlybecame consuming bellows and hypnotic waves full of whales and deepbreaths. Carter switches back and forth between formless stretches ofsound and rhythmic stroking that vibrates and bends wildly out ofcontrol at times. I could go on at length about all that sounds Cartermanages to pull out of his lap steel, but I'd be ignoring a specialsomething that makes this record so beautiful. For all of itswanderings and lack of structure, Monument is full of melodicmoments and genuine heart. The exploratory nature of this record doesnot eclipse the emotional pull of the music. When the sound tightens upand nearly bubbles over with energy, I feel a tightening in my chestand anxiety takes me over for a minute. When the sound opens up andbreathes deep and sensuous breaths, I get butterflies in my stomach andsway forward with the music before the release eases itself away.Forty-seven minutes might seem like an exercise in patience, but whenthe record is over with it doesn't seem nearly long enough. -
Following Biotop as the third in Die Stadt's ongoing Tietchens reissue campaign, Spät-Europashows Asmus Tietchens again preoccupied with a bizarre space-age popsound, exceedingly retro even by 1981's standards. Tietchens' imaginarytroop of antique synthesizer idiots return in the album's thoughtfullyduplicated sleeve notes, ushering in the same twisted humor and bouncymelodies of its predecessor, with a similar, if not more dominantdegree of mechanical (German?) remove. The distance that separatesTietchens' two-minute robotic jingles from virtually all electropopapproximations past and present (save maybe the work of Felix Kubin) isthe result of that rare, hard-to-locate, and thoroughly inhuman charmfound in the grainy science fictions and forgotten prog records ofdecades past. Asmus seems intent on pushing the aloof cinematic edgethat confused Biotop's buoyant flow to an even greater extreme on Spät,incorporating more alienating atmospherics to divide the album's fewermoments of jubilant Moog abuse and out-pop reverie. Songs become stiff,programmatic waltzes for robot retirees, conjuring images of obsoletestainless-steel models left to their own tired dinner parties, dustyveteran lounges, and silent card games. Tietchens' melodic styleresponds accordingly, toned down since Biotop and more in tunewith the minimal, near-industrial percussive backing of many tracks.Repeated listens reveal a new harshness that was perhaps hidden withinthe previous album's spacious glide and will become more pronounced asthe artist gradually lets go of the pop format. At least for now,though, the light-hearted Tietchens rules, and it's a great pleasure tovisit this side of such a prolific, diverse musician.
Not long after releasing their largely forgettable 'Big Hit' album in1995, electronic body music pioneers Nitzer Ebb called it quits. Savefor some work with Recoil, Alan Wilder's non-Depeche Mode project,founding member and vocalist Douglas McCarthy disappeared altogetherfrom the music scene. A couple of years ago, Mute decided to capitalizeon Nitzer Ebb's back catalog of label releases by issuing a series of12" records featuring new and unreleased remixes of classic cuts like"Join In The Chant," "Let Your Body Learn," and "Shame." Thatsuccessful endeavor brought about a partnership between McCarthy andremixer Terence Fixmer, a techno producer with releases onInternational Deejay Gigolos and his own Planete Rouge imprint, theresult of which comprises the hour-long Between the Devil...Nearly every track here contains a throbbing, if not downrightpounding, 4/4 beat, as should be expected by those familiar withFixmer's prior work, much of which comprises his phenomenal Muscle Machinealbum. Previously released as the A-Side off a limited 12" single,"Destroy" builds up from a guttural whisper into a roar of focusedrage, lashing out at a deliberately unnamed enemy in such a furiousmanner that it could accompany an actual beating. Similarly, thelive-sounding vocal performance on "You Want It," appropriatelyaccompanied by a menacing EBM-bassline, shows off McCarthy'stried-and-true repetitious lyrical minimalism. On tracks like "ThroughA Screen," and the incredibly catchy "I Run," the anthemic goldenshouts that defined much of Nitzer Ebb's are balanced by a great dealof actual singing, showcasing a diversity that some listeners mightfind surprising. Inadvertently taking after Laibach's successfulcomeback pairing with underground techno figure Umek, Fixmer/McCarthyperfects the formula and offers a new vision for modern industrialdance music that many of the current scene stars and cookie-cutter gothclub darlings should take their cues from. Surely Between the Devil will rank highly on my Best of 2004 list. - 
Some of the most rewarding music is worth being patient for, andCharles Atlas is one of the most patient and disciplined contemporarybands. After five releases, the ensemble returns with perhaps the mostdense and developed album to date. To the Dusteases in on the opener "Neither Nor" with a hypnotic guitar, piano, andorgan interplay before cello, drum machine, glockenspiel, and layeredguitars build and build to some unexpectedly grand levels. Although theinstrumentation hasn't changed, it seems like there's simply more depththan before. The cello and strings on songs like "Signal Flags" makesfor a more cinematic, more climactic sound. Even when there's lessinstruments, a seemingly louder mix makes for a much more upfront anddirect feeling despite some of the tracks being completely absent ofdriving drums or percussion. It's rare, but when electronic rhythms areintroduced to songs, like the soothing "Corona Norco" or fast-paced"Chapultepec," they're kept simple, minimal, and thankfully primitiveenough to avoid mimicking real drums. Although it's mainly instrumentaland introspective, To the Dust is a very summery record. It's afleeting summer, however, painted mainly by an artist who knows thatsummers don't last long. The music is uplifting and moves along ratherquickly in places. Songs like "Photosphere" and "Chapultepec" are veryscenic and could easily score images of children playing in the sun orthe rushing rapids high in the mountains while songs like "Demus"conjures the comforting, relaxing and blindingly bright feelings ofhaving a rewarding beer at sunset. The majestic piano on the nearlyeight-minute simple piano/organ duo of "Primo Levi" is breathtakingwhile the album closes with the windy and wistful +10 minute closer"Dipole Moment," where sounds of acoustic guitar, organ, cymbalstrokes, and sound effects mimic a temperate evening breeze withcrickets in the distance. By the eighth minute, everything builds to aroar and then trails off just as calmly as it came in. Now on the sixthrelease, it confuses me how Charles Atlas hasn't become more popular,but I guess since they never toured with super popular Icelandic bandsor played drifting festivals, it makes sense as they haven't beenexposed enough to the people who don't actively seek out new sounds.While I hate comparing bands to other bands, I must make the point thatfans of Pygmalion-era Slowdive, The Album Leaf, Labradford andPan American, or the classic 4AD sound, Morr, Kranky, and Constellationlabels who haven't heard Charles Atlas yet are severely missing out.
Charles Wyatt is no stranger to collaboration. Before forming Charles Atlas, he played guitar for groups both in the USA and the UK. The fifth Charles Atlas release ironically slightly mirrors the debut Two More Hours as it contains remixes/reinterpretations of Charles Atlas music, however, this time there is nothing exclusively by Charles Atlas and the sources all come from the fourth release, last year's Worsted Weight on Ochre.Audraglint
For those familiar with Charles Atlas and the bulk of the contributors, there are no surprises: Fabricate is a fantastic collection of excellent music, each with a different new twist added. Sybarite's take on "Sun With Teeth" opens the collection with the high pitched shimmering sounds of a crisp morning dew before going right into the original trumpet melody, backed by artificially modified broken beats and a shuffling drum. It's direct, to-the-point, and sets the stage for the rest of the album. Many of these versions often feel like 7" remixes of the original songs as some of them are approximately half the length of the original tunes. Eric Kowalski's reinvention of "The Deadest Hour" as Casino vs. Japan doesn't even bother to try and attack the multi-movement 12 minute original, but this longtime friend and former Charles Atlas member opens with the sounds and vocal samples of the original before moving into a languid new movement with a new tune, steady beats, echoed guitar, and bubbling bass that could easily make any Ulrich Schnauss fan flip. Other contributions include a minimally changed "Strategies for Success Boxes" from Pram, one remix each from future Kranky superstars and Portland-based Audraglint family members Nudge and Strategy (retouching "Stone[d] in Brackish Pool" and "One Foot Under," respectively), and two from old friends Isan, who appeared on the first release, Two More Hours. One of my favorite bits would have to be from Signaldrift, as "Strategies for Success Boxes" is adapted into a more beefy techno-ish track, while it doesn't lose its ground For the most part, the remixes don't stretch or reinvent the music in any way, and this is a good thing. Charles Atlas music is calm and delicate but intricate and never dull, and at most this collection re-emphasizes how great the music is to begin with. It's too bad, however, that most people missed the boat and the earlier albums are deleted now. 
