Outsight
Outsight: Refined Sound
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Outsight brings to light non-mainstream music, film, books, art, ideas and opinions.
Published, somewhere, monthly since July 1991. Feel free to re-print this article.
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Ratings are (1) = :(, (5) = :)
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NEWS AND VIEWS **************************
REFINED SOUND
The company's epigram says it all, "Refined Records is dedicated to furthering the art of acoustic instrumentation. By minimizing 'plug-ins' - synthetic sound production and computer programming techniques - the music is freed from impurities, cultivating a subtle, polished, and cultured gem." Find out more about this exquisite label on the Web. Two titles out now from the label exemplify its ideals. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams mates American-styled pop jazz vocals ala Nat King Cole with the swinging gypsy jazz of the acoustic Robin Nolan Trio. Fun and sophisticated, this album delivers fresh renditions of 15 standards such as "Route 66", "Take the 'A' Train" and "Caravan". These songs suggest travel and the meeting of the worlds creates a wondrous passage to a singular collaboration of European jazz instrumentation and American vocal styles. Randy Greer is not a member of the ensemble, but is featured on this recording as the group explores the possibilities of this fusion. It is Robin Nolan's turn to be featured on Turkish Blend. This is the album of guitarist Johnny Hepbir. Hepbir learned his Gypsy-jazz guitar style by immersing himself in Gypsy culture. Beside Nolan for additional guitar, Hepbir has his own Stephane Grappelli in Baz Stanescu adding free-spirited violin.
Listen to or Buy Boulevard at Amazon.com
Listen to or Buy Turkish Blend at Amazon.com
FRIENDLY RICH EPK
Vulgar Friendly Rich is the Tom Waits of Brampton, Ontario, and you owe to yourself to find out more about this crazy creative's music. Rich has helped out by compiling an electronic press kit that condenses all the insanity into a short video. Visit his site and follow the links to the low-bandwidth or high-bandwidth version.
SLOW GUN RECORDS
Slow Gun Records has been quietly flying under the radar of the independent music scene for the past five years. Many labels stick to their favorite genre, but Slow Gun covers all aspects of a punk/indie/rock music connoisseur's collection. After releasing more than a few 7" records from bands such as the Icarus Line, the infamous Gayrilla Biscuits, and Over My Dead Body, Slow Gun is concentrating on developing bands and releasing full lengths, such as the new records by Swindle (out now!) and Crashcart (out soon!). For more information, check out http://www.slowgunrecords.com!
- David Gillanders, http://www.corsairmedia.com
FLIGHT OF THE SHEEP'S HEAD
300 miles west of Oslo, Norway a sheep's head hit a concertgoer, fracturing his skull at a concert by metal band Mayhem. The sheep's head was launched into the audience after it came off the knife of lead singer Maniac. The band separated the ovine pate in the act of carving the animal up, this being part of the stage show. Though the victim, Per Kristian Hagen, is a Mayhem fan, he filed involuntary assault and battery charges against the band. The charges carry prison time. Mayhem's Rune Eriksen, a.k.a. Blasphemer, said the incident was unfortunate and promised Hagen a free ticket to the next Mayhem mayhem. Norwegian police began an investigation into the extreme Norwegian concert ritual.
FREE SCANNER
Surf to http://www.pogogallery.com/ to read an interview with scanner and download any of the half-dozen Scanner MP3s available there. Says Scanner, the files are "textures and sounds that you [are] welcome to download and use in your own creations if you so desire. You can also view some beautiful photographs of the Garches hospital project in France where I created the soundtrack for a working morgue."
VINYL REVIEWS ******************
Art Kills
TKO Records
US Bombs is upset with what it sees as government crimes of a conspiratorial nature. Here the group delivers its case in melodic but potent and punchy punk rock. The B-Side is "Framed", a laundry list of reasons why the band feels Timothy McVeigh was framed. The title track on the A-side features nice guitar work and anthemic group vocals.
Last Target
What Caused the Problem?
TKO Records
This is the debut release from Last Target, put out as the band headed out to Japan to tour with The Boils. The band has a distinctly '77 punk style. They make themselves stand out by trading male-female vocals in the songs. One of those vocalists is Ryoko Naitoh, former guitarist/vocalist for Thug Murder. The band constantly tours the U.S. and Japan, winning fans with their unique Tokyo take on the vintage punk spectrum offering street and melodic styles. (4)
Head Hits Concrete
Hope, Fear and the Terror of Dreams
Intolerant Messiah
Unfettered malevolence, unrestrained violence launches off this densely packed 33 RPM 7". The Winnipeg grindcore band is a rare example of the extreme scene in the Great White North. Typical of the grindcore formula, these are short but brutal blasts of music allowing the group to pack five songs onto each side of the release. (3)
DVD REVIEWS ****************************
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
In Concert
In-Akustik/MVD
A blues showman in the tradition of Aaron "T-Bone" Walker, multi-instrumentalist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown regales a German club crowd with guitar and fiddle in this 10-song set. The 1995 concert is an entertaining example of Brown's Texas blues fusions style, a mix of blues, country, R&B, Cajun and some jazz. Brown rose to prominence in the post-War blues scene and has 50 years of experience to draw on in this excellent, varied performance that includes "Take the A-Train", "Long Way Home" and "Mojo Workin'". (4.5)
More on the DVD from Amazon.com
Yellowman
Live in San Francisco
2B1 Records/MVD
Yellowman became famous with American college crowds in the '80s for his sexually explicit dancehall style. Much of this was seen as homophobic and sexist and the '90's saw Yellowman entirely reinvent himself. This 1998 concert from the Maritime Hall in San Francisco is a socially aware Yellowman encouraging condom use and directly warning against mistreatment of women. Full of energy and racing across the stage, Yellowman packages most of these tunes into medleys of songs. Along with his dancehall pieces, Yellowman works in many covers. Some work much better than others. For example, "Girl Watcher" comes off very well, but the rendition of "Blueberry Hill" does not fit. The encore gives a touch of old school Yellowman slackness for the fans. Special features on the DVD are a photo gallery, discography and poster catalog. (3.5)
More on the DVD from Amazon.com
Irv Cass
Almost Elvis
Blue Suede Films/MVD
This fascinating documentary centers on Elvis impersonator Irv Cass. The Niles, Michigan performer prepares for a final attempt at the national crown at Memphis' "Images of Elvis" contest, a title he has been the runner-up for multiple times. While exploring Cass' struggles to succeed and battling with the diet decision, we are introduced to other hopefuls. These include Quentin Flagg and Robert Washington. His extreme youth may hold Flagg back and Washington may have an obstacle to the crown in the color of his skin. Regardless they are among the talented contestants that are Irv's colleagues from his South Bend, Indiana regional to his chance on the Memphis stage. Beyond the colorful characters that are the impersonators, this documentary also explores the Elvis impersonator community made of up talent judges, fans, costume designers, agents and more. Almost Elvis is an entertaining and illuminating view of this sub-culture that is the ultimate in retro. (4)
More on the DVD from Amazon.com
Various Artists
Modulations: Cinema for the Ear
Caipirinha/MVD
This DVD is am ambitious overview of both the history of electronica and its myriad contemporary forms. The producers, also the makers of Synthetic Pleasures, feature interviews with or clips of Scanner and John Cage, Derrick May and Robert Moog, Genesis P. Orridge and Atari Teenage Riot and more. Largely in the form of candid chats, these clips form an enlightening mosaic of the growth of electronic music, its own genesis and its power of self-creation derived from internal inspiration. That is, innovators server to inspire the next seminal innovator. Interestingly, in all this chatter and reflection, the implicit fact that electronic music came in two waves is never explicitly acknowledged. The birth of electronic music from Stockhausen to John Cage arose from purely aesthetic or purely inventive motivation. Later came a utilitarian wave of beat music purveyors characterized by Orbital, The Future Sound of London, Roni Size, etc. Very little is done to explain how the dance music forms first grafted onto the art and academic movement, though producer Teo Macero's comments on '50s production techniques suggests much. Also, the current state of that art and academic movement is not touched on except through the appearance of Pierre Henry. (3.5)
More on the DVD from Amazon.com
Various Artists
That Old Black Magic
Morningstar Entertainment/MVD
In the 1950s, CBC's Toronto studios were a safe haven for black performers seeking to promote their art away from the segregated United States. Black jazz, R&B and pop stars appeared in variety shows produced there. This DVD culls from high-quality kinescopes compiled as part of the studio's 50th anniversary. Thanks to the CBC Archives Department, we now get taken back to that golden era for a short narrated biography and performances from a playfully nimble Cab Calloway ("Minnie the Moocher"), Dinah Washington singing Bessie Smith murder ballad "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair", smooth Billy Eckstine ("September Song") and opera star Marion Anderson. Also featured are Ella Fitzgerald and Della Reese. Sampled from variety shows are appearances by Sammy Davis, Jr. and Nat King Cole. The main star is Duke Ellington. We get five songs from Ellington as he opens and closes this excellent DVD. (4)
More on the DVD from Amazon.com
CD REVIEWS ****************************
The Cutters
In the Valley of Enchantment
Blackjack Humboldt
Bright and uplifting, smile-inducing indie pop continues to come in quality from the camp of The Cutters. The album is ten tracks long, with an eleventh unlisted track called "Sluggish". That leaves the listed experience bookended with the clarion call to joy, a power pop anthem called "(Back In The) 20th Century" and ending with a cocktail of alcohol and attraction blended with fiddle called "Partly Cloudy". Be that as it may, it is always sunny with The Cutters and this disc is sunshine on a spinning platter. (4)
ANTiSEEN
Noise for the Sake of Noise
TKO Records
The Vault of ANTiSEEN continues with the resurrection of this Southern brand of white trash punk from ANTiSEEN. The album, originally, was an Australian release. Like many early Australian punk bands, this album is a primitive, noisy affair - as the title suggests! At this point, the group was so punk they could play a Dylan song ("Positively 4th Street") … with keyboards, and get away with it. (At least offering enough high-octane fuel to hurdle this speed bump.) The five bonus tracks include four live cuts featuring a James Brown-inspired "Death Train (In a Cold Sweat)". (4)
Listen to or Buy at Amazon.com
Murder 1
On High
The Music Cartel
The power blues punk of Murder 1 reincarnates the spirit of Blue Cheer. This heavy slab marks the band's third release, and is more stylistically consistent and focused for maximum stoner rock energy. The group now sports a new vocalist (Will Naga) and piano/keyboard player going by the name Bram Phetamine. On songs like "White Horse Trail", Phetamine offers a funky keys break that gives the song the shadow of R&B soul. (3.5)
Listen to or Buy at Amazon.com
Squirtgun/Teen Idols
The Dysfunctional Shadowman
Asian Man Records
Pop punk bands Squirtgun and Teen Idols get together for this four-song split CD. The four tracks are alternately ordered so that each band follows the other. Teen Idols packs more of a punch with a melodic leaning toward street punk. Squirtgun has more charm with backing female vocals adding confection to their speedier brand of indie rock. This is a good introduction to the two bands now both signed to Fat Wreck Chords' imprint Honest Don's. (3.5)
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Maria de Alvear
Fuerzas
Christina Fong
This is the first recording of the extended viola piece composed by modern European composer Maria de Alvear. Performing the piece is Christina Fong; know for premier recordings of newer music. The piece is sixty-six minutes and rarely does she compose anything lasting less than an hour. De Alvear uses the single, brown-toned instrument to impressionistically deliver a potent monologue on strength, intensity, vigor and force that can all be used and is best used with art, skill, style and passion. (4.5)
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Hellborg/Lane/Sevaganesh/Umashankar/Umamahesh
Icon
Bardo
On Icon Jonas Hellborg, bass icon with Mahavishnu Orchestra, Public Image Ltd. and more on his résumé, continues to explore the possibilities of Indian music in a progressive jazz setting. This album uses the Indian tradition as a basis and Hellborg does little to obscure what is there. Guitarist Shawn Lane is on hand to add electric guitar, but he also does not get in the way. The core of this album is vocalist V. Umamahesh (a verbal acrobat) backed by the two percussionists (Umashankar and Selvaganesh) on konokol and other instruments. Hellborg sees improvisation as the heart of both jazz and Indian music, making the two sympathetic on that level. (4.5)
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Mindflayer
Take Your Skin Off
Bulb Records
Mind Flayer is a two-main collaboration: B. Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) and Mr. Brinkmann of Meerk Puffy, Force Field and more. Noisy and clamorous, grating and cacophonous, this is a harsh, mind-flaying assembling of kit drums and angry electronics. Take Your Skin Off is an adrenalized cross between Foetus and the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. (3)
Harry Manx / Kevin Breit
Jubilee
Northernblues Music
Jubilee brings together two of Canada's best modern blues guitarists: Harry Manx on the mohan-veena Indian guitar and lap-slide guitar along with journeyman session guitarist Kevin Breit. After an impromptu jam with Breit's Folk Alarm in 2001, Manx discovered he and Breit made an exquisite sonic alloy. Luckily for us, they got into the studio mere months later, resulting in this exquisite album. Their styles are a union of opposites. Manx has an atmospheric, detached quality touched by Indian music. His music has the gift of flight. From Breit we are taken down, inside and into a world of whiskey in a Mason jar and down home blues. Breit also delivers exquisite mandolin on this album. In the blended result it is Manx's style, unexpectedly, that comes through the most. Jubilee is a laid-back album that gently rolls forward from track to track like drifting downriver on a warm, sunny day. (4.5)
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Bob Holroyd
Without Within
Six Degrees
Subtle, relaxing ethereal electronica is the fare here on this album from Bob Holroyd. Holroyd offers a formula of relaxed beat music making a canvas for impressionistic inclusions of ethnic sounds. In this, Holroyd has a large, and admitted, debt to Peter Gabriel. Holroyd pays homage to the master with the album's strongest track, an excellent rendition of "Games Without Frontiers". The criminally underrated Happy Rhodes does an excellent job here singing the verses made famous by Kate Bush. (3)
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Värttinä
Iki
Northside
Led by a female trio of vocalists, this Finnish ensemble celebrates their 20th anniversary with Iki. "Iki" is the "primal, eternal breath" and this album celebrates that sacred respiration by focusing on songs full of intertwined melody lines and minimally supported by acoustic folk instrumentation. Some songs, like "The Blacksmith's Son", offer a deep, indulgent beat and jazz feel. The group continues to evolve over time and still features vocalist Mari Kaasinen. The album also features producer Janne Haavisto, known for previously successful collaboration with the large, Nordic folk ensemble in '90s albums such as Aitara and Kokko. (4)
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Silent Kids
Tomorrow Waits
Two Sheds Music
Vintage equipment and an affectation for '60s pop give Silent Kids a penchant for catchy, uplifting psychedelic pop. They use their formula for not only creating the music but in recording it also. This hip and rugged sound came from analog eight-track recordings made at band members' homes. The group dresses up their lo-fi indie rock with Moog, tape loops and samples. This building up of instrumentation makes for a vintage-sounding recording rich in texture. (3.5)
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David Darling
The Tao of Cello
Valley Entertainment
Originally released in 1993 to only the most limited distribution, this is the re-issue of Darling's early masterpiece. The solo, instrumental cello pieces are improvisations upon themes taken from the Tao Te Ching, an important work forming the basis of Taoism. The warm, ambient sound was recorded in a Connecticut barn. Just reading the titles is relaxing and reflective; "Just Do What Needs To Be Done", "Yield and Overcome" and "Knowing Others is Wisdom" being some of the titles. Darling's short improvisational pieces further enhance the contemplative nature. (4.5)
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Linda Draper
Patchwork
Linda Draper
Producer Kramer (Urge Overkill, Galaxie 500) opted for an understated, unadorned sound for the simple, basic songs of anti-folk singer-songwriter Linda Draper. This works very well for Linda, who has clear and uncluttered delivery that needs no extra help. Her quickly strummed but hardly stated chords snap along with a regular, locomotion rhythm. This percolating guitar work removes anything haunting from these sparse songs, making them instead brightly delivered, witty observations from a former church choir soloist. (4)
Tangiers
Hot New Spirits
Sonic Unyon Recording Company
Toronto's Tangiers has a quivering, quavering delivery for Richard Hell-inspired punk rock. A harmonica-like blast that could be keyboards on "Keep the Living Bodies Warm" is one of the tricks Tangiers does to keep the music fresh. "Here Come the Pieces" is like The Buzzcocks through a Goth-rock lens. More on the variety front occurs in "Return to the Ship" which varies from cooing ooh-ooh vocals to a frantic explosion of verses from the lead singer. This is somewhat of an unexpected direction of the quartet. Drummer Marco Moniz is ex-Killer Elite, a garage rock band, and the other three members come from The Deadly Snakes, another T-town garage band, but with a Southern feel. The keyboard cleans up the sound and makes the album a post-punk power pop throwback, and a very good one at that. (3.5)
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The Cinch
The Cinch
Dirtnap Records
This five-song CD EP is full of energy and punch. The female voices sharing vocals add diversity to the songs as the arrangements change. The bright, full-sounding indie rock of "Once a Week" precedes a song of spurned attraction that varies from indie pop to, once again, the full-throttle guitar approach. The two-guitar band provides four originals and a cover of Modern Lovers' "She Cracked". Packing their sound full of distorted guitars to juxtapose against the bright, perky ladies singing, this group hails from Vancouver. (3.5)
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The Briefs
Off the Charts
Dirtnap Records
The Briefs is a pogoing time machine, using their original music to take us back to an early punk sound that was about fun, the energy of wild youth, skinny ties and outrageous sunglasses. The music bounces with the feel of "Banned from the Pub" and rings anthemic like 999's "Homicide". Just as those songs are packaged on endless punk-era retrospectives, so do songs on this album like "Outer Space Doesn't Care About You" and "(Looking Through) Gary Glitters Eyes" also define that vibe and would fit just as nicely on those compilations. (4)
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Blackmore's Night
Past Times with Good Company
SPV
This double-CD live album includes Ritchie Blackmore's renaissance-flavored band doing not only the mighty minstrel thing, but also Deep Purple ("Soldier of Fortune") and Rainbow ("16th Century Greensleeves") tracks. Vocalist Candice Night does an excellent job sweetly and distinctly leading the group through this varied material. The turbo-charged folk melodies are in no way devoid of their rustic charm or simple elegance, though each is briskly and boldly delivered as any Deep Purple arena rock anthem. The material was recorded May 2002 in Groningen, The Netherlands. The instrumentation features much traditional tools, like recorder and shawm. Besides electric and acoustic guitars, Blackmore also plays mandolin, mandola and more. (4)
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Nineteen Forty-Five
I Saw a Bright Light
Daemon Records
Hunter Manasco sings his lines like a husky folk-country singer-songwriter and sometimes he screams like an angry punk. Katharine McElroy weaves in her vocals that mollify the blend, the triple sec in this indie rock cocktail. The trio arrangement lends a rugged simplicity to the simplicity. This was also echoed in the recording on vintage equipment in the band's basement studio. Beside the noisy indie pop recalling The Pixies, some tracks like the melancholy "Someday I'll End It All" have a fragile, folk-like beauty that suggests the K Records sound and bands like The Microphones. (3.5)
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S PRCSS
MNML
French Kiss Records
S PRCSS (S Process) offers noisy but melodic art rock that sometimes waxes spacey. "Hi-Yah is a Karate Chop" recalls Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd in the intro. Vocalist/guitarist Bob Doto sites Sonic Youth as a major influence. When drummer Daneil Mazone leads a song ("Spring Garden Drive-By") there are clockwork rhythms and near-rap vocals. All this variety and texture makes for something that it is hardly minimal. (3.5)
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David Clement
Your Free Gift
Show Dog Tunes
Brightly and precisely produced, this shining gem of an album showcases well the upbeat songwriting of David Clement. It was a New York visit from his high school classmate Liz Phair that prompted Clement to get serious about music and set about recording. After building a solo career, Clement now works with a band and attracted some serious talent for this album. Chris Cochrane (Suck Pretty, No Safety), Marc Ribot and even Rob Bailey (Anastacia, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Lisa) all are on hand to handle guitars. Drumming is split between Richard Dworkin (Alex Chilton) and Marty Beller (They Might Be Giants, The Negro Problem). In all that, Clement was tangled in legal difficulty with this Hard Candy release on Mercury. Impressive to Liz Phair and subsumed into a sought-after bootleg, the content sees new light. Unable to use the original recordings, Clement re-recorded 12 of the 14 songs on the album here available as the peerless and inimitable classic of excellent songs: Your Free Gift. (4.5)
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Rotary Downs
Long After the Thrill
Static on Vinyl
Easley/McCain Studio on Deadrick Street is just south of midtown Memphis. The room at Easley/McCain has a warm sound and the studio uses analog tape and vintage microphones. Rotary Downs showed up to capture an intimate sound for their small, closely worked songs featuring appearances by pedal steel, viola and piano as well as Moog, Mellotron and Wurlitzer. Rotary Downs calls this focused approach being vintage without being blurry "mid-fi." The group hails from New Orleans, but seems unaffected by the Crescent City's musical traditions. This indie rock band ready for your favorite college stations must be an anomaly in their hometown. Wherever they got their inspiration, they chose wisely and crafted exquisite songs with such lyrics of vivid metaphor as "In a cold squall at the sea wall/Every sea gull was a sym-bol" ("Hole in the Heart of Bama"). (4.5)
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.
