Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Group Bombino: Guitars from Agadez Vol 2


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Rhythmic desert blues/funk/psychedelic from Sublime Frequencies. Jam it!

"Group Bombino is the latest salvo from the Agadez music scene. Led by the guitar virtuoso Omara Mochtar (Bombino), the group’s debut CD-- Volume two in the Guitars from Agadez series, represents the latest chapter in the modern sound of the Tuareg revolution. As of 2008, the Tuareg rebellion is in full force again, and Bombino is in exile to parts unknown. Agadez has been cut off from the rest of Niger. The only road that connects this legendary city with the rest of the country is littered with land mines and the only escorts are the military. This music and its messages of hope, justice, and desire for validation of the Kel Tamachek way of life ring louder than ever. Group Bombino are gaining mythic status in and around the Tuareg community for their incendiary live performances. Coming from the same scene as Group Inerane and sharing some of the same musicians, Group Bombino showcase both sides of the Tuareg Guitar style. The first half features the “Dry Guitar” sound, an unplugged selection of songs sung among the dunes and stars of the Tenere desert. The second half showcases the electric fury of the full band, a melding of heavy, psychedelic guitar heroics with a raw garage sound, back beat percussion, all swirling in extended trance rock moves. Recorded live and unfiltered in Agadez and the surrounding desert in early 2007, with the band’s equipment powered by generators and an unflinching dedication to the rebellion, Group Bombino’s music transcends any influence and ignites the raw passion of its message to the outside world."-Sublime Frequencies

Monday, May 30, 2011

The Four Aims


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This is the second album by Mick Flower (Vibracathedral Orchestra, Sunroof, Michael Flower Band) and Chris Corsano (Flaherty/Corsano, Jandek, Rangda). The Flower/Corsano Duo creates crazy, complex, hyper-kinetic percussion, electric slide and Japanese banjo drones. This is experimental at its finest. Highly recommended!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Youth of America


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The second album from Wipers in 1981. Compared to its predecessor "Is the Real?", Youth of America consists of longer, bass driven songs. Enjoy!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

PAKISTAN: Instrumental Folk & Pop Sounds 1966 - 1976


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"A mind-blowing set of Pakistani instrumentals spanning the period between 1966 and 1976. It’s all here: rock and roll beat, surf, folk traditional mixed with pop, film tunes, electric guitars, sitar and organ solos, brilliant percussion and arrangements crafted by the grooviest bands of the period: The Panthers, The Mods, The Bugs, The Blue Birds, The Abstracts, The Aay Jays, The Fore Thoughts, Nisar Bazmi, and Sohail Rana. Limited Edition 2-LP vinyl set with full color gatefold jacket."-Sublime Frequencies

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

False Flag


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Drag City's super group Rangda is Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls), Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) and Chris Corsano (Flower/Corsano Due). False Flag covers rhythmic freakouts, middle Eastern guitar melodies and drones, free jazz, western themes and psychedelic folk. What you might expect from these three gentlemen, plus a little more. Where all three leave me in awe individually, together they create a musical machine. Enjoy!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Saigon Rock & Soul


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Sublime Frequencies "Saigon Rock & Soul" Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974" was easily one of my favorite releases in 2010. Influenced by music brought over by American soldiers during the war, delivers fuzzed out, riffed out, freak out, psychedelic rock songs, unlike anything I have heard before. This is a must have.

"The tracks that form this collection cut a window into a rich musical Vietnamese music scene that has long been obscured, and for the most part, forgotten. As the scope of electrified Vietnamese music from the 1960s and 1970s begins to be revealed, it becomes evident that this was among the heaviest and most eclectic musical scenes of South East Asia at the time. These songs tell of war, love and what war does to love. All of them were recorded in makeshift studios and even US army facilities while the Vietnam War raged – and were issued by a handful of Saigon record companies on vinyl 45s and reel or cassette tapes.
Westernized forms of music in Vietnam had appeared during the latter nineteenth century, and especially during the early 20th century, under the influence of the French colonizers. Tan Nhac (modern music) always incorporated both domestic and international sounds, and continued to develop alongside Western musical trends."-Sublime Frequenices

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Peripheral Star


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From Olympia, WA, Broken Water is another great band in the Perinnial Records family. For fans of Sonic Youth/My Bloody Valentine, Broken Water creates a dreamy shoegaze with a punk rock spirit of Perinnial. Enjoy!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Beyond Living


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Milk Music's 'Beyond Living' 12" is a throw back to fuzzed out, straight forward 80's garage-rock. Filled with old school Dino. Jr and Wipers vibes, Milk Music has a good thing going for themselves. I am excited to see where this band goes next. Enjoy!

"7" Stream

Puerto Rico Flowers - 7 by Fan Death Records

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Guitar El Shark


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In 2010, Sublime Frequencies released Omar Khorshid's Guitar El Chark. With "Reverb-mad middle eastern surf guitar mixed with intricate hand percussion, serpentine accordion and sci-fi synth sounds", this is easily one of the coolest styles of Eastern music I have heard. Highly recommended! I regret passing this one up in stores last year. Enjoy!

Gum Arabic


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"The Bishop brothers continue to dig into the Girls' archives from before Charles Gocher's tragic disappearance in 2007. In this new offering they revisit North African songs from Morocco to the Mid-East and beyond, interpreting them with their own distinctive style. All tracks on this CD are cover songs from Sun City Girl's repertoire, several frequently performed by the group live for more than 20 years. Several cuts were inspired by found unmarked cassettes and radio recordings made in Egypt and Morocco by Alan Bishop in the early 1980's. The original song titles and composers of the radio-inspired arrangements are unknown. SCG created their own song titles and rearranged the music, at times radically, to fit their vision. The rest of the tracks are by various artists from the Middle East and North Africa. One track, "Wild World of Animals" is an African piece written for the theme of an American television show by the same name from the 1970s."
Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Funeral Mariachi


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The final Sun City Girls release with the death of drummer Charles Gocher, ending their twenty-seven year run. In their last effort, Funeral Mariachi steps back to create a new kind of melodic beauty, probably their most accessible album in their never ending range of releases. Highly Ennio Morricone influenced (featuring a cover and two songs that might as well be) dark piano ballads, and psychedelic mood, Sun City Girls go out with a bang. Highly Recommended. Enjoy!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Chants Of Niflheim


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Chants of Niflheim is yet another beautiful release by Natural Snow Buildings, the French dreamdrone, folk duo. Headphone bliss. Don't miss out on this one. Enjoy!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Joint Happening


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"As if San Francisco-based psychedelic kraut-rock, indie-jazz experimentalists Mushroom didn’t have the ability to transport listeners to the furthest recesses of the mind with their own powers, on this latest album, Joint Happening, they’ve joined forces with none other than avant-jazz legend, cutting-edge trumpet visionary Eddie Gale, best known for his classic 1969 Blue Note album Black Rhythm Happening. Mushroom provides Gale with the foundation for some of the most ghostly and haunted improvisations of his career. With Mushroom’s tribal and hypnotic rhythms morphing and melting textures behind the trumpeter, the results can be described as freak jazz. Imagine 70's Miles Davis jamming with Can and Crazy Horse. Joint Happening is indeed 70-minutes worth of a stoned happening."-Hyena Records.

Highly recommended! Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Pet Sounds


Classic for summer. Enjoy!

Baroque Primitiva


Alvarius B is Alan Bishops solo work outside of Sun City Girls. Baroque Primitiva is filled with spaced out lo-fi covers of Morricone, Beach Boys, and even a James Bond jingle, You Only Live Twice. Very interesting album, highly recommended.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Be Careful What You Wish For


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Probably the most mellowed Ramleh release, 1995's Be Careful What You With For delivers a dose of power electronics and psychedelic jam showcasing their ever evolving sound. Enjoy!

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Glass Bead Game


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Breathless is a UK 80's indie rock band from Gary Mundy of Ramleh/Skullflower. Much different from all his other noise outfits, The Glass Bead Game debut, shows Mundy's song writing skills outside of the noise/power electronic realm. Highly recommended. Enjoy!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Ascension (Jesu)


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Ascending from Napalm Death, Godflesh and even 2007's Conqueror, Jesu has been cranking out one solid EP after the next, leading up to a new 10 song full-length. Jesu has worked its way up the mantel to what I believe is Justin Broadrick's finest project. Enjoy!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Criminal's Return


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If you have not heard Holy Sons, this is Emil from Grails/Om, long running solo project. The music is kinda all over the place, but always a solid jam. Psychedelic, jammy, singer song write blues. Enjoy!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Fetor


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Re-release of Matthew Bower's solo work, PURE's Fetor tape originally on Birthbiter. 80's UK power electronics a'la Ramleh meets guitar feedback noise/drone. Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

IIIrd Gatekeeper


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A banger for all you post industrial/noise rockers. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Fantasma Parastasie


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Aidan Baker of Nadja and Tim Hecker, enough said. Enjoy.

Monday, May 2, 2011

MBV E.P.'S


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Three My Bloody Valentine E.P.s prior to Loveless (Feed Me with Your Kiss, Glider, & Tremolo). Enjoy!

Redlight


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