Outsight
Outsight for September: Bloody Beautiful
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Outsight brings to light non-mainstream music, film, books, art, ideas and opinions.
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BLOODY BEAUTIFUL
Bloody Beautiful is an extravagantly produced magazine of the bizarre and bawdy, the vintage and vital. By way of a manifesto and philosophical assertion, the debut issue includes a Bloody Beautiful hall-of-fame. Among the deceased luminaries listed are Anton LaVey, Mae West, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Tallulah Bankhead and Fellini. The focus of the issue is Tin Pan Alley personage Ian Whitcomb. Detailed articles on the genre include a Whitcomb interview and discography. A vinyl seven-inch included is Whitcomb performing "They're Wearing 'em Higher in Hawaii" and "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula." (For music reviews, the magazine will only do vinyl releases.) Other features include an article on royal madman King Ludwig II of Bavaria, a photo essay on Gunga Din scriptwriter, Chicago Tribune journalist and Fantazius Mallare novelist Ben Hecht and homage to torch singer Ruth Etting.
ROCKING WOMEN
Betty Blowtorch (http://www.bettyblowtorch.com/) is the new project led by former Butt Trumpet vocalist Bianca Butthole. In the spirit of The Runaways with the unabashed crudity afforded by these days, the group rocks hard and sings proud about fast sex in a fast life on Are You Man Enough? (Foodchain; http://www.foodchainrecords.com/). A monster rock sound comes from the production and engineering talents of Matt Hyde (Monster Magnet, Porno for Pyros). Violet Skin (www.violetksin.com) is an all-female Detroit indie rock quartet that offers a more restrained post-punk power pop on Kabuki (Violet Skin, POB 833, R.O. MI, 48068). Jill Jones (www.jilljones.net) teams up with multi-instrumentalist Chris Bruce on Two (DAV Music, www.davmusic.com). Formerly part of the Paisley Park revue, this party girl sheds her trend-pop image to emerge as a sophisticated rock lyricist and vocalist on Two. The Franc Graham Band features journeyman drummer Billy Conway (Morphine) and other experienced and able players backing singer-songwriter Franc Graham on Sugar Tree (cdfreedom.com). Her blues-inflected rock is electric poetry, rock with emotion. Her understated, mature music has a snaky, tough groove. Leslie Nuss launches from the cover of Action Hero Superstar (Littleleaf Records; www.leslienuss.com) with a cape and a bold look. The tough exterior of this packaging belies the artful sensitivity of the heartfelt pop inside.
DVD REVIEWS *******************************************
The Bedroom, a.k.a Shisenjiyou no aria (An Aria on Gazes)
Hisayasu Sato, director
Music Video Distributors/Screen Edge
http://www.musicvideodistributors.com/
http://www.screenedge.com/
In the '90's rampant reports of date rape drugs like roofies infiltrated the cultural consciousness to affect the modern rape fantasy in this hour-long art roughie. An exclusive club called The Bedroom boasts girls that willingly dose themselves with Halcion, a knock-out soporific named after the mythical bird given the power to calm the stormy waves. No storms of protest arise from these doped dames as men have their way with them in any manner of chemically-enabled forbidden pleasure. There is plenty of Asian skin in this erotic feature filmed in the unique Japanese style: showing everything in close-up detail but skipping over armpit and pubic hair, taboo in Japanese society. The Japanese language film includes English subtitles and film-within-a-film motif as The Bedroom clan videos their endeavors for a daily video diary. Fetishistic and stylized, this is an excellent example of Pink Cinema- a Japanese pornography subculture product that mates the gratification of the burlesque with a durable art house plot. Also of note, actor-ghoul Issei Sagawa (Mr. Takano) murdered and ate a female Dutch college student in Paris and eventually came upon his freedom in Japan after time spent in French and Japanese asylums. (4)
GWAR: Phallus in Wonderland
Music Video Distributors/Metal Blade Video
http://www.musicvideodistributors.com/
The GWAR band formed as a side-effort to the founding members' college training for future careers making B-movies. It is this film aspect that brings about the dramatic choreography to their live shows. The band became more successful and such movie hopes were set aside, until GWAR itself became a vehicle for making movies. There was a natural translation to video for the Live In Antarctica (1995) tour. However, the quintessential fusion of these heavy metal monsters and monster movies in the GWAR filmography so far is GWAR: Phallus in Wonderland. The soundtrack is selected tracks from the GWAR album America Must Be Destroyed (Metal Blade, 1992): "Crack in the Egg," "The Road Behind," "The Morality Squad," "Gor-Gor," "Ham on the Bone" and "Have You Seen Me?" The plot is The Morality Squad, the shotgun-wielding Grambo, Captain America-styled Corporal Punishment, et al versus the guitar-wielding, crack-smoking aliens from Antarctica. The Morality Squad is putting on trial The Cuttlefish of Cthulu, the animated penis of GWAR vocalist Oderus Urungus. This theme hints at the ACLU-aided battles GWAR fights to defend itself. With the gratuitous gore of Herschell Gordon Lewis and the anti-Family Values choreography of a Giuliani-censured art exhibit, this rock-and-splatter flick is a head banging holocaust of hard rock and bad taste that bars no holds as the rubber-suited actors hack and slash and expose their artificial members. (4)
VINYL REVIEWS *******************************************
Captain Sensible/ The Real People split seven-inch
Captain Sensible "Cigarette Sandy" b/w The Real People "Waiting for the World"
Musical Tragedies
http://www.empty.de/Tragedies.htm
The 21st edition in the Musical Tragedies series of saw-tooth, colored seven-inch records suggests "Where are they now" questions on British underground pop. Raymond Burns, a.k.a. Captain Sensible, co-founder of the The Damned, emerged as one of the mostly accomplished musicians and with the greatest pop 'sensibility' of the British punk era. Captain Sensible did not actively seek a solo career from The Damned until the unexpected success of singles gave him this track that led to LPs and side projects. Through Neat Damned Noise (POB 42850-123, Houston, TX 77242-2480; neatdn@aol.com), he emerges on Musical Tragedies with another power pop gem, taken from <tt>Mad Cows & Englishmen (1996)</tt> at the same time that album was reissued as The Masters (1998) in the format that launched his name as a separate entity. The Real People never equalled the future superstar hype of their 1991 debut. Here the original group's Griffiths brothers offer their non-LP track “Waiting For The World” from the What's On The Outside (Musical Tragedies, 1998) sessions. The Real People's Merseybeat interpretation mixed with the sound of The Monkees is a Brit-pop classic. Zany cartoon art from Klaus Cornfield and an original British postage stamp integrated into the label design make this yellow vinyl edition limited to 500 copies a Brit-pop collectable. (3.5)
The X-Rays
Grown Up Drunk
Ken Rock, Fabriksgatan 39 B, 412 51 Göteborg, Sweden
Both songs on this fast, aggressive English speed-punk band's release, "Grown Up Drunk" and "Ghost of Tim Price" repeat on both sides of the seven-inch. The music is fast, hard and heavy. After the initial yellow vinyl pressings of this trashpunk offering sold out, later editions came out on black vinyl. (2.5)
Idyls
The Sonic Boing!
Ken Rock, Fabriksgatan 39 B, 412 51 Göteborg, Sweden
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-15321/idyls.htm
These Swedish kings of trash garage rock mark their manic rock-n-roll in outlandish stage names. Astro Gilberto plays guitar while Dimmy Jean sings and the rhythm section consists of Ringo Fire on drums with Chris Mono on bass. This seven-inch EP consists of four songs of their frantic, out-of-control rock. (2.5)
Idyls
I can't Stand the Idyls
Ken Rock/Hard-On Records
This 45 RPM 12" is a full dose of Idyls insanity. The Trash garage music from these spastic Swedes is noisy and loose; a Scandinavian lo-fi, high-volume catharsis. There is a Hispanic motif to the packaging and promotional poster included, but the production is pure white-boy noise-rock, fast and loud. (2.5)
Ramones
We're Outta Here: All the Hits Live - For The Very Last Time
eMpTy
http://www.officialramones.com/
This is the live document of the final Ramones show. Their 2263rd show was recorded at the Billboard in Los Angeles August 6th, 1996. The release features a full-color foldout cover. Inside is photos and personal letters from each of the final Ramones: Johnny, Joey, Marky and C. Jay. There are 32 tracks over the four sides of the double-LP, the first record being pressed on thick blue vinyl, the second on red, although a few hundred mispressings exist on black vinyl. Among the guest stars that showed up for this final blast are Lemmy (Motorhead), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Lars Frederiksen and Tim Armstrong (Rancid), Chris Cornell and Ben Shepard (Soundgarden) as well as former Ramone Dee Dee Ramone himself. Their short and simple rock songs are the very essence of pop and their boisterous, enthusiastic delivery of these anthems proved the genesis of American punk and the catalyst for the birth of British punk. This final celebration was the opportunity to review and play one final time all of those classic songs we know so well. (4)
CD REVIEWS *******************************************
Thrall
Hung Like God
Reptilian Records, 403 S. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231
http://www.reptilianrecords.com/
Mike Hard, voice of the God Bullies, continues to lead his dark, demented rock-n-roll project Thrall. Hard approaches his songs with the domineering vocal style of a fire and brimstone preacher. His evangelism is a message of fierce individualism and withering iconoclasm. Thrall is a sonic descendant of God Bullies with an aural affinity for the harder bands on Amphetamine Reptile Records and Touch and Go Records. (4)
The Invisible Men
Come Get Some
Dionysus Records, POB 1975, Burbank, CA 91507
http://www.dionysusrecords.com/
http://www.theinvisiblemen.com/
Much of the revival garage rock has a pretty tame, fun spirit. However, The Invisible Men cross boundaries by infusing their throwback '60's sounds with punk rock lyricism, like the in-your-face use of obscenities. Combined with a harder-edged sound, Come Get Some comes across like stoner rock with an organ. Now unmasked and no longer The Legendary Invisible Men, the group spews and stomps barefaced and bold. (3)
Lost Sounds
Memphis is Dead
Big Neck Records, POB 8144
This band features two members of The Reatards and a smashing cover of "You Must be a Witch" (LolliPop Shoppe). The trio attacks each song with rapaciousness in this raw, eight-track recording. The analog keyboards and primitive guitar rhythms suggest '60's garage rock, but the monstrous distortion and anti-pop attitude suggests early Wire. (3)
Limecell
Destroy the Underground
Confederacy of Scum/Headache Records, POB 204, Midland Pk, NJ 07432
Limecell set their sights low and make their mark easily in a world of fast, simple songs about drinking and the like. They include a cover of Motorhead's "Love Me Like A Reptile" and their own revved up hard rock should go over equally well with fans of that group as well more basic hardcore acts. (3)
Sham 69
Information Libre
Anagram Records
Brit punk rockers Sham 69 always had a basic approach to anthemic punk rock typical of American punk acts. However, their use of saxophone and keyboards gives much of their material a very sophisticated feel. This CD reissues their 1996 opus presenting the group exhibiting a mature, developed rock sound built upon their past efforts. There still is the mix of socio-political awareness with attempts to recapture past glory with something as formulaic and empty as "Hurry Up Harry." Sham 69 was underrated early on and this lack of attention may have stunted their growth. (3)
G.B.H.
Live in Japan
Anagram Records
Buzzsaw punk rockers G.B.H. are here captured live in the Land of the Rising Sun in 1991. It's a clamorous, loose affair and certainly not to be taken as definitive of the group. However, they are able to look back and perform all their classic '80's material like "Give Me Fire," "Drugs Party in 526" and the "City Baby" songs. There are 17 tracks in all on this album for the serious G.B.H. collector. (3)
Sonny Flaharty & The Mark V
Hey Conductor
Bacchus Archives/Dionysus Records, POB 1975, Burbank, CA 91507
Bacchus summons up names from the past and saves regional garage acts from total obscurity. This group is an Ohio sensation dealing out hard garage pop with some pretty gnarly fuzz and a touch of The Animals in them. This album is a mix of vintage recordings '60's presenting live and studio episodes from the band. (3.5)
The Mullens
Tough to Tell
Get Hip Recordings, POB 666, Canonsburg, PA 15317
This garage rock revival group has a thick but loose sound like a well-produced, sober New York Dolls. Their potent, punchy tunes walk the border between rowdy and jubilant. The Dallas quartet is rather melodic than mean but their rock-n-roll has serious backbone. It is perhaps their Texas heritage that gives a slight country edge to their music, recalling the Rolling Stones on such tracks as "Waitin' on the Jury." (3.5)
Mock Orange
The Record Play
Lobster Records
http://www.lobsterrecords.com/
Mock Orange is very serious about the production of their album. Their result, here with producer Mark Trombino, is a crisp sound giving life to every dynamic nuance of their emo core. Their group vocals and burning emotion of their songs is an unforgettable sound for the very fact that they are so convincing. They also try harder than the typical indie rock group to work sophistication into their arrangements like unexpected stops and changes. (3)
The Easy Livin'
Good Time Head-On Collision!
Dionysus Records, POB 1975, Burbank, CA, 91507
This group combined in April 1998 from the refugees of The Morning Shakes (New York) and The M-80s (Virginia). Their wild, exuberant garage punk threatens to tear itself at the seams at several points on the album, like the explosive "Funhouse Mirror." This power trio hearkens back to a time when wild rock and roll was outlandish in and of itself and they recapture the contagious enthusiasm of sonic vandalism of rock-n-roll. (3)
Man is the Bastard
Mancruel
Deep Six Records
http://www.deepsixrecords.com/
Man is the Bastard went out of business in late 1997, but Eric Wood of the band returned to the studio in 1999 to remix six of these tracks and release Mancruel. As a continuation of the "power violence" noise-rock group's assault on animal cruelty, this album is an impressionistic opus of the nightmare experienced by rhesus monkeys in bizarre experimentation with artificial surrogate mothers. Musically their percussive noisecore used here marks this as one of the better albums going purposefully for cacophony. Drummer and bassist keep a tight groove behind the electronic noise and vocal howling. (4)
Rocket 455
Go To Hell
Get Hip Recordings, POB 666, Canonsburg, PA 15317
This is a 15-track collection looking back on the Detroit garage rock group. Like any rock group, personnel changes were a fact of life for Rocket 455. The CD booklet here includes a family tree of all members and where some went. The Detroit rock-n-roll outfit distilled the underground of Detroit rock from the Stooges right on up to their own day, remaining a viable symbol of the city itself as long as they were extant. Various vinyl sources are collected here covering the band's career. (3.5)
The Priests
The Priests
Garage Pop Records, POB 88003, Rochester, NY 14618
Bright, twanging guitar and a thunderous, amphetamine-tribal rhythm section mark the boundaries of this frantic group. The singer's tortured vocals introduce the psychotic into the mix while the vintage organ brings things into the '60's. (3.5)
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Drum Hat Buddha
Signature Sounds Records
http://www.signature-sounds.com/
Drum Hat Buddha is an exquisite album, an acoustic masterpiece of timeless beauty. Dave Carter is an understated guitarist and non-flashy banjo player that seems a figure out of dustbowl folk. Perfectly complementing is Tracy Grammer a warm, melodic mandolin and fiddle player breathing spring into each song (even when she is not singing). Songs like "Disappearing Man" exhibit a haunting, sublime poetry of the type not expected in Americana of any stripe. Drum Hat Buddha is a peerless and classic album. (5)
Adam Chaki
No One Knows Where The Hell We Are
Les Disques Audiogramme, Inc.
Canadian singer-songwriter Adam Chaki (SHACK-ee) began his career at 17 mostly with dancehall bands. A keen awareness of rhythm is a prerequisite for such a career. Now that he creates music with greater maturity and sophistication one can hear that past expertise giving rise to what may seem an oxymoron: a danceable singer-songwriter. Interspersed with these upbeat numbers is poignant storytelling with a slightly world. This pan-ethnic influence is probably due to the fact that this musician played with other musicians from a long list of countries. (4)
Figures at Dawn
In From the Cold
Bullseye Records of Canada
http://www.bullseyecanada.com/
This 1986 record comes from the height of the Figures at Dawn arc. The voice of singer Suzanne Palmer makes the strength of the songs shine through the dated productions and arrangements. But the very fact that such '80's sounds were so song-oriented allows for some longevity and their "In From Cold" figured in a 1997 Beverly Hills 90210 episode. This CD reissue places the Canadian keyboard pop rock in their rightful place as mid-'80's creators of enduring music. (3)
David Quinton
Bombs and Lullabies 1981-1988
Bullseye Records of Canada
This Canadian rock musician spent part of 1980 on tour with Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys. Needing to back off a bit from that lifestyle and having his own music vision he experimented with various forms of period pop for the rest of the decade. Here the ex-punker gets modern with keyboards and synths (instruments he admittedly loathes) putting together tough little songs. This compendium collects the bulk of his recording career for the years listed. (3)
Various Artists
Messages: Modern Synthpop Artists Cover OMD
Oglio Entertainment Group
16 contemporary synthpop artists cover Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark tracks on this tribute record. After starting with crude tape experimentations, OMD eventually honed their craft into becoming the most sophisticated craftsmen in the genre. Their precise but elegant electro-pop with the distinctive rhythms of an acoustic drummer are not lost on these modern practitioners. All offer purist translations, respectful of the masters that cannot be improved on. Especially good contributions come from Color Theory ("Hold You"), Cosmicity with the obscure "Bloc Bloc Bloc" and Dark Distant Spaces' take on "We Love You." (4.5)
Attention Deficit
The Idiot King
Magna Carta
The Idiot King is a new tier in sophistication for these steadily advancing post-fusion prog rockers. Only their second album since 1998’s Attention Deficit, they have already made significant advances. The cohesion and fluidity of the tracks here is full of peerless, excellent musicianship. There is a more jazz-like feel to the album, which probably reflects guitarist Alex Skolnick’s new found interest in jazz and fusion. The Idiot King is a royal wedding between jazz and rock brought to this inimitable level from the fun Manring solo project Thonk (1994) that first brought together Michael Manring (Michael Hedges), Tim "Herb" Alexander (Primus) and Alex Skolnick (Testament). Since then, the trio has 'progressively' moved from rock roots into intelligent, daring instrumental jazz-fusion. (5)
Various Artists
Bluegrass 2001
Pinecastle
Pinecastle's seventh installment continues a very important and worthwhile series of compilations. The Bluegrass series brings together top talent from that year in new arrangements. These compilations are not merely label samplers but important albums that map out the master musicians of the year and serve as a guide for what to look for in personnel listings of releases on all bluegrass labels. The focus, as with others in the series, is on instrumental bluegrass studio recordings. (However, this CD includes a bonus vocal track: "It's Mighty Dark to Travel" sung by Scott Vestal with Kati Penn backing.) Series veterans included here are Jeff Autry (guitar), Wayne Benson (mandolin), Randy Kohrs (resophonic guitar) and Scott Vestal (banjo). Making their debuts are Jim VanCleve (fiddle) and John Cowan (bass). The musicians stretch out with everything from classic bluegrass like the aforementioned Bill Monroe vocal track to contemporary bluegrass like Sam Bush's "Foster's Reel" and even include a cover of "Also Sprach Zarathustra," better known as the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey. (4.5)
Victor Wooten
Yin-Yang
Compass Records, 117 30th Ave. S, Nashville, TN 37212
http://www.compassrecords.com/
Electric bassist Victor Wooten continues to press boundaries, merging jazz and pop. The result of this eclectic experimentalism is an uneven if ambitious product. Fortunately, the two approaches are separated onto separate discs. Yang is the vocal disc and contains a cute, but not much more, use of 16-month-old Kaila Wooten's vocals, unnerving word-by-word track separation on "Singing My Song" and overtly funky tracks and rap-like vocals that become merely trend-pop. However, worth the price of admission alone is the Yin, an instrumental disc of funky jazz verve. This shows us the smart, fun bass playing that got him attention in the Grammy-award winning Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Béla Fleck even joins in along with Bootsy Collins and other guests. (3.5)
Letum
The Entrance to Salvation
Cold Meat Industries
The Entrance to Salvation is dark ambient electronica in the tradition of Raison d'Etre, Sephiroth and Coph Nia. These creations are slow-rolling thunderheads of sound echoing across antique landscapes. Like coming across an inviting, lit oasis of marble-built ruins; gentle voices of medieval chant, a gothic chorus periodically arise on this dark and brooding work. (4.5)
Novadriver
Void
Small Stone
Unabashedly following in the footsteps of Black Sabbath, this stoner rock band takes us on a power drive to cosmic limits. Volume and distortion combined aptly with Blue Cheer pace and that throwback attitude of the first days of the stoner rock revival make Void a classic for the last three decades. Novadriver epitomizes the best possibilities from today's hard psychedelia. (4.5)
The Satori Group featuring Michael Alig
A Terrible Beauty
Blueprint Productions, POB 650, Lincoln, LN1 1ZA, England, United Kingdom
http://www.michaelaligclubkids.com/
Noted Club Kid and techno-party promoter Michael Alig is doing hard time for murder for killing his then-new roommate, drug dealer Angel Melendez. The details are gory and callous. Alig appears to accept his guilt, but this CD serves as the soundtrack to a modern day opera about The Club Kids and the death and dismemberment that cut Alig off from the life he had created. Featuring sound bites from Alig and an interview from Clinton Correctional Facility, this disc is a fascinating look into the details and motivations that never appears crude and crass, but instead revealing and honest. All of this to ready-for-dancing club beats including "Body In The Box (Angel)" based on David Bowie's "Angel." (4)
Butterfly Jones
Napalm Springs
Vanguard Records
http://www.vanguardrecords.com/
Butterfly Jones bases its smart, swinging power pop on psychedelic rock and soul. The soul of this project is Dada guitarist Michael Gurley and drummer Phil Leavitt. At an era where melody is subsumed by teen-nasal vocals and distorted guitars, butterfly Jones opt for a hooks and harmonies - well-crafted songs. Their catchy pop tracks are also populated with guest appearances by keyboardist Mark De Gli Antoni (Soul Coughing), vocalist Julie Ritter (Mary's Danish) and bassist Mark Harris (Venice). (3)
Rival Schools
United by Fate
Island
http://www.rivalschoolsunite.com/
Singer and guitarist Walter Schreifels was the creative force behind Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand as well as occasionally playing in Youth of Today. Consistently helping to define '80's and '90's hardcore as a player and producer, Schreifels now presents a new project drawing on those sounds along with other journeyman indie rockers. This is a more mature, vocal-oriented project but lacks the punch of Schreifels' early efforts. (2.5)
Lloyd Cole
The Negatives
March Records/At-Source, 2401 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304
British songster Lloyd Cole relocated his career to New York in the 1990's and continued to create his aching-heart songs of love and yearning. As he continues to create with heartfelt lyrics and strings in an era when CD reissues are making time-tested torch singers a household name, his less-able efforts are sublimated by the past. (2)
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Arkestra
It Is Forbidden: Live at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival in Exile 1974
Alive/Total Energy, POB 7112, Burbank CA, 91510
Even for Sun Ra, this live recording is especially raw, organic, angry and clamorous. Rather than try to map any sort of pattern onto the fluid stream of pieces, Total Energy presents this experience as one continuous, 64-minute track rather than index it. "In Exile" refers to the fact that this episode of the festival, before it completely fell apart and disappeared for two decades, was a hastily put together proxy in Windsor, Ontario. The cacophonous cosmic jazz of the Sun Ra ensemble echoes the thrashing death throes of the festival itself and this fittingly concludes Total Energy's trilogy of Sun Ra recordings from the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival. The title It Is Forbidden comes from one recorded selection captured at this time and thought to have never been recorded before. (3)
Swell
Everybody Wants to Know
Beggars Banquet
After five excellent, criminally under-acknowledged indie pop albums with a streak of psychedelia, David Freel goes it alone for this, the sixth Swell album. Carrying the mantle alone is a transparent transition here, as the sophisticated pop wizardry continues uninterrupted. Freel's experimental pop is about approaching the hook and chorus obliquely through melodies that are more implied than stated and a subtle disparateness between vocal and instrumental lines. The effect is as if a candid recording were made of Freel a cappella with rhythm instrumentation added later. The effect is captivating and this Freel solo approach works as well as the band efforts that preceded. (4)
Spring Heel Jack
The Blue Series Continuum: "Masses"
Thirsty Ear
Spring Heel Jack includes Matthew Shipp, architect of Thirsty Ear's Blue Series on a few of the tracks here. Other New York free jazz scene guests include avant-bassist William Parker. The album proceeds along, opening with the gentle "Chorale," featuring Shipp and Parker in delicate interplay before John Coxon's and Ashley Wales' experimental electronica. This fusion of approaches, the edgy jazz with the edgy electro, increases in volatility into the album. Only the hardiest of listeners should not expect to find, at some point, that the idea wears thin though all that preceded that point was spectacular listening. (3)
Les Claypool's Frog Brigade
Live Frogs - Set 2
Prawn Song/Red Ink/Columbia
The second release from Les Claypool's Frog Brigade was recorded live at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. This is the group's full-length rendition of Pink Floyd's 1977 classic Animals. One may expect with the superficial humor of such Claypool recordings as Pork Soda, combined with the comic possibilities of art-rock about farm animals, done by a band named for amphibians that this would be a setup for a farce. However, such is not the case, as Les and company executes a faithful version of the work in all seriousness in a way that should be appreciated by any Pink Floyd fan. (5)
Alex Sniderman
Alex Sniderman
Psych-O-Sonic, 355 Clinton Ave. #3F, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Promising rocker Alex Sniderman seems torn by two possibilities. The opening track "She's Emotion," the same song given a video treatment on this enhanced CD, shows Sniderman trying hard, too hard to recreate a formulaic '60's rock sound. On the rest of the CD his true colors and talents emerge as a power pop songwriter with a fun sound akin to such an '80's possibility as Randy Newman crossed with Joe Jackson and produced by Wayne Kramer. Sniderman actually did secure Kramer to produce the album recorded in a whirlwind five days. (3)
Astor Piazzolla
Maestro del Tango
Qualiton/Golden Stars
This three-CD presents over two hours of Piazzolla's nuevo tango, but unfortunately with no liner notes to put these recordings into the context of his long career. Bandoneon virtuoso Piazzolla's compositional extravagance and superb playing created a new genre out of the rich sounds of Tango. This collection is an excellent overview of pieces with vocals as well as instrumentals and serves as a thorough introduction to the rich world of Piazzolla's music. (3.5)
Kim Wilson
Smokin' Joint
M.C. Records, POB 1788 Huntington Station, NY, NY 11746
Kim Wilson, as vocalist and harmonica player for The Fabulous Thunderbirds, has done much to popularize electric blues for the masses. On Smokin' Joint, out four years since his previous solo album, he unleashes unadorned blues energy for the smoky club blues fan. Backed by young, energetic and talented musicians like guitarists Rusty Zinn and Billy Flynn, Smokin' Joint exhibits the choices selections recorded live at four different club dates. (3.5)
Gammera
Smoke and Mirrors
Audio Demolition, POB 2417, San Anselmo, CA, 94979
http://www.audiodemolition.com/
Gammera presents a heavy, thunderous stoner rock with deep nods to the founding fathers, Black Sabbath. While comparisons to Kyuss are expected, long instrumental passages and weird, loping rhythms suggest Sleep and Melvins. Grooving with the blunt simplicity of a pile driver and displaying the hard psychedelia of Blue Cheer, Smoke and Mirrors is a promising debut LP. (3.5)
Shannon Wright
Dyed in the Wool
Quarterstick Records, POB 25342, Chicago, IL 60625
PJ Harvey's earliest material evidenced a fierce, dark post-pop sound. Shannon Wright picks up where she left off with her mysterious melodies. Supported by piano melody and occasional strings, her honest, revealing lyrics are delicate as they are piercing. Wright is a talented multi-instrumentalist, but what will stay most with the listener are her complex lyrics. In the context of her songs, lines like "these tanks bore their wintry weight" open several layers of meaning. Each song can be approached from a new angle. On Dyed in the Wool, Shannon Wright is as a sophisticated and unflinching songwriter of exquisite musicianship and authenticity. (4.5)
Fred Koller
No Song Left to Sell
Gadfly Records, POB 5231, Burlington, VT 05402
On No Song Left to Sell, Fred Koller sings 14 songs co-written with Shel Silverstein. In singing, Koller mixes the cool folk style of Dave Van Ronk with the Silverstein's sputtering excitement. Koller began a quarter-century of collaboration with Silverstein after the two met in Nashville in 1974. These songs are warm, humorous, mysterious and by and large real and unforgettable. No Song Left to Sell is the paramount experience a music fan wants from a singer-songwriter album. (4.5)
Various Artists
Fluorescent Tunnelvision
Mother West/Submergence, 136 W 26th St., NY, NY 10001
http://www.motherwest.com/submergence
Space Rock is all too often merely airy vocals floating disembodied over swirling guitars. Fluorescent Tunnelvision explores the advancing edges of that genre with groups achieving much more with that basic formula. These innovative, creative musicians include Faust from the original Krautrock movement, SubArachnoid Space, Djam Karet and more. But, even the groups with unknown names evidence the same adventurous, experimental head music of impressionistic psych rock on a white noise canvas. (4)
Outsight is non-mainstream music news and views. The content is wholly based on new releases and a focus on the the eclectic and overlooked.
