The Answer Is In The Beat

Jeff Greinke: Before Sunrise (Spotted Peccary, 2018)

August 4, 2018 at 9:11 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Jeff Greinke is a highly regarded composer of minimalist dark ambient and deep space music who I haven’t spend enough time listening to. This album blends dark drone with modern classical, incorporating acoustic instruments into its soundscapes which flow like the waves of a tide at night. Strings, horns, reeds, and even very subtle hand drums make appearances and are given space, blending into the mix yet also occupying crucial roles in the construction of the pieces. “Night Watch” is more of a still, cloudy haze, but other pieces have more prominently melodic parts. “The River” has a really cool slow, trudgy beat mixed down way low, as well as more Philip Glass-esque patterns, and some flitered trumpet on top, giving it more of a late night vibe. “Under Falling Stars” is somewhat similar, but a lot more sparkling and precious-sounding. The last few tracks are extremely tranquil, but there’s still so much happening. Such an incredibly rich, expressive, sublimely arranged and recorded album.

JP Schlegelmilch/Jonathan Goldberger/Jim Black: Visitors (Skirl Records, 2018)

August 4, 2018 at 6:12 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Brisk yet exploratory CD of melodic instrumental jazz-rock from an organ/guitar/drums power trio including renowned drummer Jim Black. This is definitely the type of album that fans of both indie post-rock and avant-prog can get into. There’s soaring guitar melodies, yet there’s also sudden breaks into complicated drum solos, guitar freakery, and eerie organ spells, as on “Chiseler”. “Ether Sun” eases into more of a relaxed desert drift, while “Corvus” is a bit more angular, and slightly warped. “Lake Oblivion” is presented in two parts, the second beginning with acoustic guitar before ending up scorching and heavy. “Terminal Waves” begins with Mellotron before progressing through a sea of sinister, slightly dubby strings and ending up with a turbulent patch of organ drone and tumbling drums, yet mellower guitars. The concluding minute-long “Island” is even more peaceful and delicate, but still a bit mysterious rather than directly expressing a specific emotion.

Jeff Snyder/Federico Ughi: Duo (Carrier Records, 2018)

August 4, 2018 at 1:05 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Following a solo album of Buchla improvisations released earlier in the year, Jeff Snyder joins with drummer Federico Ughi on this album of robot free jazz. The rolling, tumbling, stop-start rhythms of improv jazz are present, but the horns, guitars, and other instruments are replaced by brittle analog synth tones, often heavy on fuzz and static. Much of the tracks are pretty freeform but also compact, with the two musicians having control over their outbursts and managing to be in something resembling sync with each other. “Consider Sacrifice” is a 15-minute sprawl, however, starting out largely quiet and sparse before erupting and showering sparks during the final third. “Bad Bishop” gets in some mean powerdrill riffing before melting into scrapes and buzzes. “Good Knight” is much hotter, with frenetic drums and laser-like synths which approach Sun Ra at his most electrified. “Attacks Aren’t Everything” is a short reflection with more shimmering synths which kind of warp and curdle, then “Should You Fianchetto?” is more of a direct attack (and even shorter). The album ends with the straightforward cold-gaze rumble of “Useful Interposition”.

Damo Suzuki & Jelly Planet: s/t (Purple Pyramid, 2018)

August 1, 2018 at 10:08 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

This album contains two lengthy improvisations by Can frontman Damo Suzuki and a group of younger musicians called Jelly Planet. “Wildschweinbraten” starts by building up a steady, energetic groove, over which Suzuki excitedly spouts a series of completely incoherent lyrics. As the rhythm gets heavier, the effects get trippier, but after a while the rhythm stops and Suzuki is left to rant over a lengthy, wavy drone, which carries the piece to a bright yet disorienting end. “Venushügel” is easily the weirder track, with more discordant tape manipulations and Suzuki’s voice approaching that of a Muppet at times. On this one, it eventually approaches the heaviness that the first track only hinted at… then it breaks down into a weird dreamy haze filled with backwards vocals. Obviously this album isn’t quite as magical as Can at their best, but it still does a good job at preserving some of Suzuki’s late-period powers in action.

DAS: Feinted Haunts tape (Close/Far, 2017)

July 28, 2018 at 8:47 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Derrick A. Strain composes six imaginary movie themes/scenes on this tape, using sparse synth layers/notes and a crucial touch of live percussion. Eerie cymbal rolls and spine-tingling shakers contribute more to the sound design and suspense rather than the rhythm, although there is a rhythm guiding us through the thick, oddly colored smoke. Yes, there’s a dark, sinister Carpenter-esque pulse to it at some points, but absolutely none of the gaudy fake nostalgia of much of the synthwave scene. This is music that rewards patience and immersive attention. Free download at Bandcamp, where cassettes are still available.

CCFX: The Remixes 12″ EP (DFA, 2018)

July 28, 2018 at 8:15 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

CCFX’s EP on DFA last year was a pleasant surprise, marrying jangly post-punk to bittersweet downtempo disco in the vein of St. Etienne. Even more surprising is the fact that the members also make country-rock as County Liners. This remix EP is yet another surprise, beginning with two atmospheric jungle remixes, removing the lyrics but keeping the feelings in, and accelerating the ecstasy with heavy, choppy breakbeats (and also an Elmer Fudd giggle on “The One to Wait”). The remaining two tracks are closer to the tempo of the originals, but add more effects and strange noises, like the warbly bells at the beginning of “Ode”, and the heavy, slamming dub echo on both tracks. The tracks gain more of a paranoid, claustrophobic edge, but there’s also a sense of comfort to them. It’s all pushed over the edge, and it elevates something which was already refreshing into something stranger and more exciting.

Two Rooms mega-post

July 28, 2018 at 5:28 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

The first LP on Two Rooms Records, a new label launched by Detroit venue/cafe Trinosophes, is easily the most traditional-sounding of the label’s initial batch of releases. The quartet formed after drummer Dr. Prof. Leonard King and baritone saxophonist Alex Harding played together for the first time since 1995, and then invited Rocco Popielarski to play bass, soon followed by the addition of trombonist Vincent Chandler. Apart from Chandler’s “Closing Doors”, all the selections are covers of other people’s songs, and all four musicians fully understand each composition. There’s an unmistakable energy and chemistry to their playing, with shouts of joy appearing during certain high-spirited moments. Harding’s sax has a bit of a barbed edge to it, but it’s not overwhelmingly abrasive. While generally structured and composed, the quartet do let loose at the end of “Mandela’s Muse”, after a rallying cry of “Freedom!” Apart from a rendition of “You Don’t Know What Love Is”, it’s all pretty upbeat.
Three years after Midwich Productions released the first Viands LP, which was recorded live at Trinosophes, Two Rooms is now issuing the duo’s second album, which was recorded as a rehearsal for a festival performance in 2016. Like their first album, this is two sidelong minimalist explorations, with some loose rhythmic underpinning at some points, as well as lots of moments where it just heads off and goes where the spirit leads them. The second side has some moments which start to sound like one of Raymond Scott’s synth inventions starting to lose control, and then some others that seem to be probing the sky for alien life forms, and preparing for their ascent to earth.
The third release on Two Rooms features four pieces improvised by Thollem on different pianos, each in a different tuning system, all of which were devised by Clem Fortuna. Some of these are forms of just intonation, so the pieces seem to explore the limitations imposed by the unconventional tunings. “Golden Meantone” is perhaps the most “prepared”-sounding one, with more of a visceral attack on the instrument. The most mind-bending piece is the lengthiest, “Ten Tone Equal Temperament”, in which Fortuna spontaneously alters the tuning while Thollem is playing.

Westerbur & Rowe: 2018 LP (Northern Ashram, 2018)

July 27, 2018 at 10:45 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Detroit duo Westerbur & Rowe continue their series of long-form psychic explorations with their fifth full-length album (there was also a 10″ EP following the first LP). Rowe is currently a member of His Name Is Alive, and Westerbur has played with Electric Six, the Meatmen, King Tuff, and many others. Together, they play synth-heavy, side-long compositions somewhere in between Krautrock, prog, and minimalism. Some of it’s like Zombi but not quite as horror-obsessed, although there’s no reason why this wouldn’t work as a soundtrack to some sort of disturbing movie. The second side (J), is more vibrant, and has a sort of cinematic soul-funk bent to it, as well as organ solos which are heavy enough to fool you into thinking they’re being played on a guitar. Vinyl LPs are available at Detroit-area record stores, or at Bandcamp, and are well worth picking up.