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Listed: thebrotheregg and COHthebrotheregg
Adam from thebrotheregg writes: "Update on the band: thebrotheregg has a new split cd out with Montana's "the 1090 club" and has three new songs on it including a bevis frond cover. We are in the advanced stages of completing a full length too but that will probably not see the light of day for another year or so.. I'm playing some dates as "songs of thebrotheregg" a solo-acoustic rendition but sometimes I also play with Kaitlyn (viola). She produces records as well under the name Kaitlyn ni Donovan. thebrotheregg proper are playing this week to kick off the tour." For more information about thebrotheregg check out www.thebrotheregg.com
Ten things that I have been listening to (or whatever) these days. The records are listed in no particular order...
1. The Bugs - Goin' Places (Tombstone) - Yes, well, the Bugs are a Portland group and I get a great deal of exposure to them being that I live with them. I hear them practice now-and-again and they played a gig the other night down the street at Beuhlahland with Truman¹s Water and it was simply great. The record I think is on Dead Moon¹s label and is in Mono, which describes their aesthetic perfectly. The bugs are great because they have a militant fun attitude and as a result, are great to live with. They have a song called "I¹m a Monster" which is an example of infectious garage pop. It¹s a Bacchanalian hoot. Oh, they¹re a two piece (drums and guitar) and they switch off now and again giving two slightly different rock perspectives. I respond well to the carefreeness of it all because it helps me to relax. I¹m sure it helps them too. The Bugs are remarkable because they go about things quite differently than most groups that I know. For one thing, the mainly play parties. Sure, they have played a venue or two, but the appropriate place to see them at is a party.
2. The Lucksmiths - Where Were We? (Matinee) - Actually, I¹m listening to this album right now for the first time. If you're familiar with this Australian group, then you probably know what this album is all about. The lead singer plays snare drum and sings. He has a wonderful lyrical wit, which I totally appreciate and I am a sucker for their blend of pop. I mean, they¹re kind of like Belle and Sebastian in certain clever respects, but the Lucksmiths are a bit more minimalist. This blends well with my physiology.
3. The Soft Boys - Nextdoorland (Matador) - Well, I love Robyn Hitchcock. This is the new Soft Boys album after twenty ought years and it¹s pretty great. Reviews boast about the guitar interplay and that¹s certainly a highlight. It¹s a consistent recording throughout and it¹s heavy on the Hitchcock. I tried listening to it on a jaunt to Bellingham but it kept skipping and the boombox was slightly out of reach so I was fearful that I would be traumatized by this record but that never happened, thankfully. Robyn is another great writer of words, an appreciator of the main tool we use every day, language. He takes it everywhere normally, he is totally brainy with it, totally passionate, confusing and surreal, and often quite hilarious. I¹ve actually been going through another "phase" where his records are on heavy rotation. Thank you Robyn!
4. Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch (Blue Note) - I was on a jazz flute trip there for awhile. Some of my friends militantly disagree, saying that it's an atrocity against sound, but not so! I love what a good flute can do for jazz. I got this Dizzy album awhile ago that featured a flautist and that was mesmerizing but Eric Dolphy is the man. This cd is constructed beautifully. Dolphy switches off between alto sax and bass clarinet too so you get an eclectic mix of arrangements here. My favorite song is "Gazzelloni" which has this crazy flute hook and really expressive vibes. It appeals to the very abstract. Dolphy has a very artful style of arrangement and a very diverse sensibility. And you can dance to it.
5. The Lucky Bishops, Rubric/Woronzow - self-titled (Rubric) - Yes, times are hard over here. Money is tight. Fortunately, the fine folks at Rubric have sent me a care package of some of the releases on the label and among them, the Lucky Bishops! They have a newer release since this one but it has not crossed into this household. The Bishops record is flawless English psychedelic pop and it makes my jaw drop. "Stratosphere" is a great track, "Ashtralia" too. One of those albums that sounds like it was made in the mid-to-late-sixties but well, wasn¹t. I like this pop, it mingles with my moodiness. I¹m sitting here wondering about his pop music that I listen to. I think it pertains to my overall philosophy concerning the "sad clown" archetype. I mean, the funniness and happiness that comes from some dark place. The troubled John Belushi. The delight that is the event horizon of a troubled soul. That is sort of my interest in Pop music. There¹s an underlying uneasiness to a lot of it. Take the Smiths for example, happy-go-lucky music a lot of the time, with tormented lyrics, a sad delivery. I guess I find solace in stuff like that. Not that the Lucky Bishops are necessarily preoccupied with anything sad or morbid, but listening to them sure makes me feel better. There is a track called "Evil Thoughts" on this one, so I¹m sure I'm on the right track in some manner.
6. Bad Brains - I against I (SST) - Well, this is certainly an old one but we keep it down here in the studio because it¹s always uplifting. A strange time in rock when a group will make a totally glossy reverbed out album of awe-inspiring punk. Some real power here. A lot of chorus on the various guitars. It's very 80's in that way for sure. But I am definitely a child of Reagan-era punk so there¹s always some sitting around. When I was younger I sensed a purpose in these things. I hope to retain some amount of purpose with it. I don¹t know what sort of purpose there is in the Bad Brains, but whatever! Re ig ni tion.
7. Herman Hesse - Damien - Yes, this is a book, not a record or a cd. That¹s ok, I figure. I¹m always trying to catch up on all that stuff I should have read ages ago. I only have a few pages left, so don¹t tell me the ending! I¹m sure this book would have hit me pretty hard like ten years ago because there¹s a lot of awakening going on. Now I just sleep. The book has a lot of philosophical notions. The world could probably use a few of those at this point. Just some sort of inquisitiveness about something. There is a dangerous negligence these days that might lead us to World War, for example.
8. Death in June - Brown Book (NER) - I am reluctant to mention DIJ for a couple of reasons, but feel compelled to. For one thing, Halloween is tomorrow by my standards. Halloween is the BEST holiday and should be treated as such. It is a celebration of many amazing things, like the imagination, and costumes represent things about our personalities, identities, and our otherness. Identity misunderstanding I would imagine is a big problem these days. With a record number of people ignoring the subject on a daily basis, it seems crucial to give it a mention. In any case, Death in June is some weird European goth group related to Current 93 and early Psychic TV. There¹s a lot of occult stuff going on with their music. The problem with DIJ is that they have some sort of politics that is ambiguous so I shall say straight away that I¹m not into that. It has been suggested that the group has nazi sympathies which I DO NOT SUPPORT but I also think that the singer is gay so if he¹s a gay nazi, well then that¹s a bit more palatable, especially if he¹s marketing both. In any case, DIJ is the darkest group that I have EVER heard. Darker than any of that black metal stuff, darker than all that. The twist is that DIJ is often acoustic 12-string guitar driven. In any case, they embody the spirit of Halloween for me. The weird chordal sensibility that they appeal to time-and-time-again, the weird minimilistic bell parts and creepy antiquated drum machines that creep up now-and-again. David Tibet plays on the album and he is this strange elf character that chants improvised occult lyrics often and is totally unique! He is no sinister fascist though. More of a spiritualist whatever. In any case though, DIJ write beautiful music and have a sensibility toward the totally abstract as well. Brown Book contains a full spectrum. What¹s strange is that DIJ are playing in Portland in a few weeks but I will be on this tour and will miss them. I bet the most pretentious of the goth circle will be there so that would be interesting enough as it is to see. Oh well.
9. Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (Asylum): Gawd! What more can be said about this one! I appeal to Joni on a fairly regular basis. She¹s totally dreamy! Lyrically and musically brilliant. This one contains the ever famous "Help Me" but every song is great. I've also gotten into the "Blue" and "Song for a Seagull". I recently read that she wants to quit making records because the climate of the music industry is so sinister and shitty these days, that she wants nothing to do with it. Well, whatever!
10. Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine - This is a new film out in the theaters. I saw it and started to cry. You might too, but it's also very funny. It¹s quite a task to take on the problems that America faces on a daily basis because some of them are so abstract! Like, road rage for example. Will someone please let me know if other countries experience this to the degree that we do over here? Kevin and I (from thebrotheregg) were just victims of some asshole punching out our car window and then treatening to kill us. People will get out of their cars to kick your ass (he thought we were honking our horn at him)! People will shoot you! This is no longer just a mere paranoid sentiment for me, this is reality. There is an incubating anger and fear in America. Sure puts an interesting irony on the whole "United we Stand" business. How are we united, again?
COH
During the past four years, electronic artist COH (the Russian word for "sleep") has released albums on such prestigious labels as Mego, Wavetrap and Staalplaat, to name a few. He was born in Russia and currently lives in Sweden where he works as an acoustic engineer. His newest album, Netmörk, is currently out on Source Research.
1. Giorgio Moroder - From Here To Eternity (Casablanca) - Giorgio's gem from 77, possibly his best - one of the most creative, inspiring disco records I know.
2. Takehisa Kosugi - Catch-Wave (Sony) - The A-side is a recent favourite: violin, two RF oscillators, an electric fan, a lamp and a few other things electric played back in 1974 by Mr. Kosugi (also of the Taj-Mahal Travelers fame).
3. Giacinto Scelsi - Trilogia, by Frances-Marie Uitti(Etcetera) - Three incredibly intense and alive cello reflections channeled by Scelsi through meditation in late 50ies, beautifully performed by a generously gifted Uitti who spent years working closely with the composer.
4. Elph - Worship The Glitch (Eskaton) -The only record that makes me feel strangely "home", comfortable - in the sonic sense.
5. Felix Lajko - Es Bandaja Jatzik (Vox Naturalis) - An album by a young and incredibly talented Hungarian composer and virtuoso violinist from Subbotica recorded a couple of years ago with a gypsy band. I believe Felix grew up in a small town and never studied violin or composition.. very sincere, emotionally charged and full of humour contemporary-traditional gypsy music with heavy-metal-like violin riffs and amusing amateur singing throughout. Recorded live and likely barefoot!
6. Panasonic - Vakio (Blast First) - When this came out i remember reading somewhere that Panasonic are the Throbbing Gristle of the 90ies, which i find true to certain extent.. Magically kaleidoscopic and charged with elemental power. Explicit. Uncompromised.
7. Arvi Part - Alina (ECM) - Much of Pärt's work could have been listed here.. this album fascinates by its unpolished, non-sterile recording quality of the pieces that are incredibly subtle and lyrical, thus preserving the warmth, the "breath" of grand piano and violin. A very transparent, balanced, symmetrical record.
8. Slayer - Decade Of Aggression (American Recordings) -Recorded live in the beginning of 90ies (1991?) this is a double CD of Slayer's earlier hits - particularly appreciated for its "uncensored" low powerful base and generally raw sound, unlike most of their studio recordings.
9. Kraftwerk - Computer World (EMI) - A rather obvious pick, I guess, for someone interested in computer music. I remember accidentally getting hold of an Indian pressing of the LP back in 1982, still in Soviet Union. I was around 14 then and could not believe such music can exist.. I would spend hours after school playing it again and again, completely entranced by its repetitive inhuman lyricsm.
By Dusted Magazine
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