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There are times, when listening to a particular release by a particularband, you feel very sorry for the musicians. Not because they aren'tplaying their music well, mind you. The music is luscious, hypnoticeven, and they play it with fervor, energy. But it seems no matter howhard they try, they are a vessel for the voice that sings over them.Luckily, 27 doesn't really have that problem. The music is compellingenough to keep you there before the voice comes in, and then itimproves. Sparsely arranged, and melodically playful despite a slowertempo on the majority of the songs, "Songs From The Edge Of The Wing"is an excellent first release from 27, defining in its beauty. Thesesongs are captivating, even without Maria Christopher's sensual vocallines, but her presence is what takes 27 to the next level. She weavesin and out of the songs with the skill of a siren, singing about thetroubles and trappings of human relationships. And the variation ofstyles not only speaks well for future releases by 27, but also gives ahint of their influences and pasts. With ex-members of Dirt Merchantsand Spore present, one might not be expecting music of this subtlety.Loud moments of guitars are present, but they are few and far between.Mostly, these songs are lush, languid, the soundtrack to a dream youwait every night to have. The only seemingly awkward moment (no, theNeil Young cover of "Danger Bird" is brilliantly executed, thank you)is the latin-flavored "Lone Mariachi," where Christopher's vocals areintermingled with spoken word by someone else, who sounds frighteninglylike Mark Sandman of Morphine in areas. What do you expect from a bandfrom Boston, though? A fine release, and I wait for more...
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While CD singles can be interpreted as collectable, tradable fun littlethings, they arguably killed the art of the b-side in the late 1980s.After much pressure, Virgin finally honors OMD with a collection oftracks from the other side of the hits. With two-sided singles, groupsoften went wild since their albums were scrutinized by the press undera microscope and their singles had to grab enough public attention tosell. Some of OMD's finer moments can be heard within the earliergrooves, now collected for the first time on compact digital audio. I'mthrilled mainly because I had all of these songs on crummy-qualityvinyl, and now can listen to a beautifully restored mastering job.Thankfully for people who were never impressed by the watery pop phasesof OMD, this comp is heavy on the early classics. Vocal songs like"Sacred Heart" and "I Betray My Friends" showcase an undeniable masteryof songcraft, while instrumentals like "66 & Fading" and theuber-anthemic "Wheels of the Universe" are emotionally chargedmasterpieces, years ahead of their time. The group pays tribute toinfluencors Velvet Underground with their cover of "Waiting for theMan" and Neu! (in title alone as far as I can hear) with "4-Neu" whilethe inclusion of early alternate versions of "Almost" from the firstalbum and "The Romance of the Telescope" from Dazzle Ships are certainto please the completist fans. If you avoid the expensive chainretailers by buying direct from omd.uk.com,you'll get an autographed booklet and additional booklet of moreextensive liner notes. My only beef with this and the web site is theincomprehensive 'Brit-centric' qualities of each, which ignore the factmost people only know OMD by "If You Leave" outside of their tinylittle island, omitting it from the booklet discography.
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Will Oldham is an odd fellow, and a bit of an overrated one, if you ask me. He's the musical equivalent of Miramax: releases a bunch of product, hopes that one connects with an audience, but if it doesn't, so be it. At least Oldham has some artistic integrity, though, as he's displayed in the past. And you'd know it from "More Revery."
This EP of covers shows some interesting choices by Oldham, and an honest attempt to keep things like the original. These songs make Oldham sound like someone else entirely. The first song, "Someone's Sleeping," sounds like Roy Orbison singing a Van Morrison tune, where the second, "Sweeter Then Anything," still sounding too much like "All Along The Watchtower" to suit my taste, adds nice textures to accompany Oldham's already rich voice. And there are a few triumphant moments, as well, such as the guitar solo on "A Dream of the Sea." That's about all on this one, though. A few great moments, but it still didn' hit me all that hard. I've seen Bonnie Billy live, opening for Godspeed You Black Emperor!, and was interested in some of his influences, and where he comes up with some of the bizarre things that fuel his music. This release gives us an indication of some of that, and shows us that Oldham is great with other artists' music, as well. But it is rather unfulfilling. It holds your interest for a few bars, but then you feel like you want to trade back the magic beans for your cow. "I See A Darkness" from Bonnie Prince Billy was a musical tapestry and the kind of release every artist should strive for. If you're a fan, you'll probably want this "More Revery." If not, it won't change your opinion.
 
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This self titled release is the first official Chicago Underground as a quartet, although Tortoise/Isotope 217 guitarist Jeff Parker has appeared on previous trio discs including last year's 'Flamethrower' as the fourth member within what was described as shifting trios within the quartet.
With Parker's guitar contributions being much more prominent this time around, the overall vibe is very cohesive. The disc's nine compositions contributed from Parker, cornet player/leader Rob Mazurek, bassist Noel Kupersmith and drummer Chad Taylor vary from polyrhythmic orchestrations, beautiful ballads, free jazz and a touch of electronica. The opening track, Mazurek's "Tunnel Chrome", grabs the ear with it's 6/8 arpeggiation, cycling structure and subtle polyrhythmic drumming and burns right through to the end. Parker's "Three In The Morning" is one of the most graceful pieces of writing I've heard, with melodic lines and pleasing changes. The group's orchestration really enhances the composition. Taylor's "A Re-Occurring Dream" and the synth and 808 augmented "Total Recovery" are notable not only for the interesting writing, but that there are no drums present. Kupersmith's "wo ist der kuchen, mein frau" alternates from lilting guitar to heavy diggin' lines with unison bass and cornet with Taylor taking over on the vibes. Recorded tastefully by studio ace John McEntire at his SOMA Studios and mixed with the band, the overall sound is, as mentioned, very cohesive. I can only hope to see the quartet in a live situation, having seen the duo of Mazurek and Taylor produce a big sound on their own. Oh yeah, beware the disc's surprise ending on "Nostalgia".
 
 
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At the heart of much of Michael Gira's songs with SWANS and The Angelsof Light is the bare essence of Gira, simply the voice and guitar. Onthis Young God Records web site exclusive, that's about all you get.Recorded alone at home, often as they were written, the 13 songs arenew save for 2 SWANS reworkings ("Love Will Save You", "Remember WhoYou Are"), a fully orchestrated studio leftover from the first Angel'salbum sessions ("God's Servant", previously released on the "PraiseYour Name" 7") and a live performance at Tonic NYC ("Irish Queen").Gira unabashedly intones to the basic, often quiet, accompaniment ofhis acoustic guitar plucks and strums. The sound is, somewhatsurprisingly, full, rich and complete. But then again, it's not asurprise if you've ever heard or seen Gira perform solo as I have, hisemotional involvement with each song transcending the need forinstrumental adornment. Simple and simply perfect. Lyrically Gira drawsupon many of his trademark subjects: love, longing, loss, sex, betrayaland bitterness, as well as the influence of artists and authors(Madison Smartt Bell, Paul Theraux). The disc is signed and comes in aheavy vinyl folder with lyric sheet and self portrait cover assembledby Gira for $17. Gira will headline the opening night of the NeurotSound Series: Beyond The Pale August 16th in San Francisco and anAngels of Light tour will likely take place in September.
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Following in a long, long line of angry young men who like to bang onthings, Lightning Bolt take noise-rock into new territory. Where theBoredoms look back to Sonic Youth and Television, Lightning Bolt havetaken on Kraut Rock and No Wave in their sound. The band, a duo, ismade up of drummer/vocalist Brian Chippendale and bassist Brian Gibson.On "Ride the Skies," their sophomore effort, they have attempted forthe first time to capture the powerful essence of their live sound,adding much improvisation and ending several songs with wild walls ofsound. "Forcefield" opens the album with a four-minute frenzy ofdistortion and drum fills. The only somewhat intelligible vocals on thealbum appear on "13 Monsters," which opens with a wild tribal rhythmthat leads into bass arpeggio by Gibson that sounds like it would be athome on the first Suicide album. With "The Faire Folk," the band showstheir softer side by combining a Michael Rother-influenced disco groovewith a light bass harmony and hummed vocals. The highlight of thealbum, though, is "Wee Ones Parade" (which should be titled "DuelingDolphins") which opens with a short introduction featuring Gibsonplaying against.. himself, but shortly breaks into the most aggressivepiece of music on the record. As a whole, the album is very cohesiveand manages to maintain a live feel without losing sound quality. Fansof Ruins and Crash Worship alike should check this one out.
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To anyone who wants to give Radiohead's "Amnesiac" the prize for mostdisparate, disconnected release of the century: "The Limits of Paintingand Poetry" has it by a longshot. This, the second release by The PilotShips, follows their brilliant 1997 debut album. It's familiarterritory for the Ships, as nothing here is really very shocking from asonic palette perspective. What's interesting is the variation of songstructure and instrumentation. It's as though, at times, the Shipscannot decide what kind of music they want to make. Piano starts thesong, but then it's interrupted by processed and delayed guitar. Andwhat is that buzzing, exactly? "The Limits..." is an amazing release,however, as each song, as disconnected as it is from every other on theCD, is a full and complete listening experience. For the most part it'scinematic in tone -- this release could easily be the soundtrack to afine movie about the dissolution of human relationships or the decay ofthe land around us -- and the combination of unrelated sounds is a joyto minnow through and pick apart. Listening to this release onheadphones is a special treat. A song like "Knotted," for instance, hasso many sounds present that when one appears, randomly, and is thennever heard again, you have to rewind the track and make sure it wasn'ta noise outside your window or in your room. Then the static fadesdirectly in to "Sides," the next track, but it's changed, somehow. Afascinating listen, and no one who hears it can honestly justify whyit's taken this long to release.
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I'm awake already! Kate Mosh is a new alias for the twenty somethingGerman producer best known as Panacea. "Dynamo" is the debut releasefrom Killer Pimp, one of two new labels (the other being Turbo Pimp)under the Brainwashed umbrella. K-Pimp's motto states "There is no suchthing as love, only varying levels of obsession". Kate Mosh is obsessedwith overdrive. Most everything is intentionally in the red: synths,samples and beats for over 73 minutes of dance floor hardcore. Apounding thud is the rapid heartbeat of most tracks as layers ofelectronics blister and peel on the surface. Part 1 of "Crawford'sTheme" drops the beat for ambient noise while part 2 dabbles in drum 'nbass. "The Fire This Time" injects some explosive hip hop attitude. Theaptly titled "Manic" dances with synth notes and an onslaught ofrhythm. And for "Across the Universe" (no, not a Beatles cover as faras I can tell), "Kate Mosh", "Genesis", "Solar Death" and the titletrack, think dramatic rave techno dipped in white noise. Alec Empirewishes he was having this much fun. Next from Killer Pimp is a fulllength CD version of Noise Girl's "Discopathology"
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Bright Yellow Moon is the latest in a series of eschatological meditations from Current 93, with the inimitably hallucinogenic assistance of fellow traveler Nurse With Wound. Tibet's musical trajectory has taken him in a sort of closing spiral from the universal apocalypse of "Nature Unveiled" & "The Seven Seals" towards ever more personal losses, and artistry which is correspondingly more powerful and emotionally complex.Having put his father to rest only a year earlier with the stunning album "Sleep Has His House," an unexpected personal brush with death provided the fodder for this latest, most claustrophobic installment. Where "Sleep" was all hush and harmonium, beautifully mournful and exquisitely aware of the unknowability of the next world, "Bright Yellow Moon" is a far more harrowing journey to the terrifyingly knowable last moments of this world. At turns dreamlike and painfully lucid, Tibet's astonishingly generous work here takes the form of an unblinking stare at the catastrophic dilemma of original sin. The religious concerns remain predictably prominent, but they are seen here through the microcosm of a single life's end, suggesting, as did "The Great in the Small", that any meaningful sense we might find of larger purposes or "the grand scheme of things" will come to us not through vast divine revelations, but from the stitching together of the modest minutiae of our lives, in the small, temporary space of our daily experience.
"Bright Yellow Moon" (and the accompanying disc "Purtle" for those fortunate enough to have received the limited edition) is a terribly beautiful work, brutal in its willingness to face the emptiness of our last moments, brutal in its uncompromising assertion that we are all thoroughly surrounded and invaded by evil, and brutal in its capacity to maintain the painful awareness of the possible meaninglessness of our lives. "Nichts I and II", compositions at least as chilling as those of Stapleton's recently reissued "Thunder Perfect Mind", strike me as perfect and perfectly forceful illustrations of this brutality. But throughout, as in all his work, a fervent hope is expressed, and small memories of love and beauty are enshrined as edifices against a sea of incomprehensible loss. In the fifth track, a vision of sailing with a beloved companion on a light-streamed ocean describes a love which transcends lifetimes, and "a life inextinguishable in you and your love." Lest you think our Tibet has gone the way of all schlock, the beautiful vocals gradually disintegrate in this song, as in "I have a special plan for this world,' into unintelligibly garbled paralysis. As always, words fail: Tibet laments that "we all speak unknown languages to each other", and I lament that I am unable to sufficiently convey the majestic scope and beauty of this fantastic album.
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