4/7 Show...

You guessed it - visit the Wordpress site for 2 more hours of music, some videos, and a bit about bicycle awareness.

3/31 Now Ready + Fun with Ligeti's Metronomes

Hello, again. The 3/31 edition of Laughter is now available at the Wordpress site!

Perhaps you'd enjoy taking a look at this fine video before visiting that link.

György Sándor Ligeti was featured at the beginning of today's show and has many fine works, but this one is especially unusual and fun. It doesn't really get going until after the 50 second mark so you can jump to that point and not miss a thing.

Check back, soon - This site is going to change pretty dramatically soon and while it will still update with regards to the Wordpress site, it's functionality will no longer have anything to do with my radio show. I will be linking to that site from ZBC as soon as I can get back in the studio and change the website displayed on the playlist.

Thanks for listening,
Luke

3/24 Show available @ Wordpress + Stars of the Lid Tour Reminder

Hello, again! The 3/24 edition of Laughter is currently available at the Wordpress site. A new review has also been posted there (on Brainwashed, too). More updates soon to come, including some rare and out of print music that I've not had an easy time finding anywhere on the internet.

Thanks for listening and enjoy...

RIP Arthur C. Clarke

“The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.“

One of the world’s greatest writers has died. I’ll never forget the way 2001 made me feel the first time I saw it: tiny and monumentally blessed.

Rest in peace.

3/17 show at Wordpress, ft. Raymond Scott

Head over to my site @ Wordpress to download the current show. The site is now completely updated and features a massive number of videos and music related to the one and only Raymond Scott. This may be a name most of you are familiar with, but if you find yourself asking, "Who is this Raymond Scott?" then don't waste another second and click on the link. There is, as usual, 2 hours worth of music to download as well as plenty of background information about this innovator of electronic music.

This site may eventually come to serve another purpose for me, but for now check both sites every once in a while to catch the latest updates. I'm thinking of starting a mailing list to keep everyone up to date, but that'll have to wait a little while longer.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy!

3/10 Show Available at Wordpress Site

Hello again, everyone- from now on I'll be updating the Wordpress site first and this site later, if at all. Extra things may still show up here from time to time, but I'll make note of it on the other site if that happens to be the case. Until everyone gets used to the new address, I'll continue to link from this site to the other. The Autechre mix is still available and this week's show just went online. Please leave any comments or questions on that site or send me an email and I'll be glad to write back. Hopefully I can get Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus to visit us here again and perhaps lure them into an interview (if you're still out there watching, don't be shy).

Thanks for stopping in and enjoy!

Luke

Portishead News and an Autechre Treat

Head on over to the Wordpress version of Laughter to grab a nice 2+ hour Autechre mix I recently uploaded. The .zip file will only be available for a few days, so grab it while you can.

Also, the new Portishead has leaked. I've got a little write-up about it over at the other site, too, but I won't be uploading that. If you want to read what I have to say about it head on over there. If you want to download it then just start doing some Google searches; Google is virtually the best MP3 file-sharing software available if you use the advanced search function properly.

I've also posted some new links in the sidebar under Organized Noise; give them a look.

Thanks for stopping by...

Dates and Times for Northeast Regional Noise and Power Electronics Festival

Shane Broderick from Boston's twodeadsluts onegoodfuck sent me an email informing me that dates and times have been solidified for the Northeast Regional Noise and Power Electronics Festival. Here is the updated schedule:

NORTHEAST REGIONAL NOISE AND POWER ELECTRONICS FESTIVAL
At America's Longest Running Drag Club
Jacques Cabaret / Underground (website)
79 Broadway - Boston, MA (map)
21+ ONLY and $10/Day

Friday March 14th 2008
6pm - 930pm

Bloodyminded
Twodeadsluts Onegoodfuck
Karlheinz
Cathode Terror Secretion
Sharpwaist

Saturday March 15th 2008
3pm - 8pm

Ahlzagailzehguh
Halflings
Angeldust
FFH
Shallow Waters
Craniopagus
Bereft
Sewer Goddess
Nurture Abuse

Performing after the noise shows on upstairs stage:
"The Cast Of Mis-Leading Ladies"
Kris Knievil, Destiny, Mizery Lakia Mondale, & Fena Barbitall.

---

If you want to hear some of these bands before deciding whether or not to attend check out this post, which contains a number of links to various Myspace pages and free music. Many of these bands are well known for their live performances and for good reason. If you're intrigued even a little bit go out and see these bands do what they do, you won't soon forget it.

More updates, soon, including out-of-print and hard-to-find recordings from Luke's CD-R vault.

Image courtesy of Doug Savage, from Adam Kellie, who has evidently begun the "fantastic" drinking game my last show spawned.

3/3 show, Adam Kellie, E.E, Angel, Extras, and the Word "Fantastic"

Plenty to talk about this week, but I will keep most of it brief. There are two very different shows available for you to download this week (that's four hours of music). The first show is this week's edition of Laughter, featuring the talents of Boston-area resident Adam Kellie and former Somerville resident Peter Koniuto (more about them below) as well as Ohio-based noise mastermind E.E and the epic, dark, nearly transcendent trio called Angel. I posted some information about E.E and Wise Owl Records in a previous post, but I want to stress how impressed I am by The End of Deconstruction. A review of this double-CD release is still forthcoming, so please be patient. Angel is Ilpo Väisänen (Pan Sonic), Hildur Guðnadóttir (Lost In Hildurness) and Dirk Dresselhaus (Schneider TM). I'll simply state that their collaboration only barely resembles any of their independent work.

Adam Kellie was gracious enough to provide me with some of his music over the last month and after repeated listens I found myself more and more impressed with his work. The track I played, "Khatanga," was recorded in 2000 by Peter Koniuto, who also provided all the percussive work and many of the loops used for the song. If you check out Red Sun Soundroom you can listen to his work as Pseudophone for free. Multi-instrumentalis Adam Kellie, in addition to being a talented musician, is also a photographer. Over the course of a couple e-mail conversations he explained to me how he approaches both mediums:

"I don't really consider [my work] 'electronic' music.' I find it more organic than that. The process has, for me, been a mood/tone based creation-experience... [I'm] not necessarily trying to show off my guitar chops, but rather trying to create a mood or sense of place... Which leads me to my photography. I've tried to tell a story, create a mood, or relate feeling in my photos as well as in my music. Composition has always been a priority for me.... Photography is something that I've studied and loved for a long time (since high school or before) and I find that I'm able to do it in bite-size chunks..."

His music is, without a doubt, visually evocative and highly structured, but neither rigid nor cold. I picked "Khatanga" for this week's show specifically because it blended musical styles so effortlessly; Can, Coil, The Orb, Talking Heads, Brian Eno - there's a lot going on in this song. It's likely you'll be hearing more from Adam Kellie on Laughter in the future - for now check out his blog and leave him a comment.

Here are the download links and the playlist for this week's show, check below for two more hours of music.

download - Laughter 3/3/2008 - Part I
download - Laughter 3/3/2008 - Part II

01. Liars “Plaster Casts of Everything” from Liars (2007) on Mute

02. Dead Meadow “The Queen of All Returns” from Old Growth (2008) on Matador

03. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds “Red Right Hand” from Let Love In (1994) on Mute U.S.

04. Magazine “I Wanted Your Heart” from Secondhand Daylight (1979) on Virgin

05. Codeine “3 Angels” from Pickup Song/3 Angels 7" (1991) on Glitterhouse

06. Steven R. Smith “In Light” from Owl (2007) on Digitalis Industries

07. Bear in Heaven “For Beauty” from Red Bloom of the Boom (2007) on Hometapes

08. Neu! “Hallogallo” from Neu! (1972) on Astralwerks

09. White Rainbow “Mystic Prism” from Prism of Eternal Now (2007) on Kranky

10. Scraping Foetus off The Wheel “Throne of Agony” from Nail (1985) on Self Immolation/Some Bizzare

11. Zeni Geva “Autobody” from Disgraceland 7" (1993) on Alternative Tentacles

12. Autistic Daughters “A Boxful of Birds” from Jealousy and Diamond (2004) on Kranky

13. Adam Kellie and Peter Koniuto “Khatanga” (2000) on Red Sound Room — http://pixelsound.blogspot.com/

14. Nudge “Love-In Accident” from Elaborate Devices for Filtering Crisis (2003) on Tigerbeat6

15. E.E & the Owl Archimedes “Liminal State” from The End of Deconstruction (2008) on Wise Owl Records

16. Angel “Aftermath: The Mutation” from Kalmukia (2008) on Editions Mego

17./18. Eliane Radigue “Jestun Mila” from Jetsun Mila (2007) on Lovely Music

18. Irr. App. (Ext.) “A Distended Particular” from Dust Pincher Appliances (2003) on Crouton

Today also marked the beginning of spring break for everyone at Boston College and as a result WZBC is short a few DJs this week. So, there was a second Laughter-related broadcast over the air waves, except this one had no particular format and featured WZBC's own dj dani. Any further broadcasts made by us shall be known as Brown Mustard and will likely feature a similarly odd-ball playlist. This show was put together on the spot and is basically us having fun in the studio. It features way more talking by me than I would like and a severely high number of instances of the word "fantastic." I want to promise everyone I will not be using that word ever again on any show in which I play a part. In fact, I intend to wipe this word completely from my vocabulary... except for those instances where it is most appropriate and no other word will do. In fact, why not play a drinking game using these mp3s? Get your friends together and every time I say the word "fantastic," take a drink...

I will refrain from talking so much during any show unless I am asked by somebody to do so - I say some pretty stupid things, but if you ignore that you'll find that the show is a lot of fun...

I hope you enjoy this extra broadcast. dani has a show on WZBC every Monday from 7am-10am (just before me). She plays consistently fantas... excellent music and you should listen to it.

Thanks for stopping by!

download - Brown Mustard 3/3/2008 - Part I
download - Brown Mustard 3/3/2008 - Part II

01. Joy Division “Twenty Four Hours” from Closer (1980) on Qwest

02. Neptune “Blue Glass” from Gong Lake (2008) on Radium/Table of the Elements

03. Brown Jenkins “Dagonite” from Dagonite (2007) on Moribund Records

04. Om “Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead” from Pilgrimage (2006) on Southern Lord

05. The Fucking Champs “Thor Is Like Immortal” from IV (2007) on Drag City

06. Skinny Puppy “Worlock” from Rabies (1989) on Nettwerk

07. You've Got Foetus on Your Breath “I Am Surrounded By Incompetence” from Deaf (1981) on Thirsty Ear

08. The Tear Garden “The Center Bullet” from The Tear Garden (1986) on Nettwerk

09. The Legendary Pink Dots “Ego Tripper” from The Legendary Pink Box (1989) on Play It Again Sam

10. Bonnie Prince Billy “Madeleine-Mary” from I See a Darkness (1999) on Palace Records

11. Abruptum “Hostes Orco Hostium Legiones Dis Manibus Pacis Ruptores Ultioni” from Evil Genius (2007) on Southern Lord

12. Funeral “Heartache” from Tragedies/Tristesse (2006) on Freedom Findland

13. Richard Crandell “Diagonal” from Wayfaring Strangers: Guitar Soli (2008) on Numero Group

14. Jandek “Know Thy Self” from Ready for the House (1978) on Corwood

15. The Bird Names “New Mexico” from Wooden Lake/Sexual Diner (2007) on Unsound Records

16. V/VM “WINDuckyQuacker” from Help Aphex Twin 1.0 (2001) on V/VM Test

17. Agoraphobic Nosebleed “Vapor Lock” from Bestial Machinery (2005) on Relapse

18. Josh “Nasha Pyar Da ft. Smurfette” from Mausam (2006) on VIP Records

19. Tonal Oak “In the Kitchen” from Man Trouble (2007)

20. Leng Tch'e “Tightrope Propaganda” from Marasmus (2007) on Relapse

21. Feu Thérèse “Les déserts des azurs” from Ca Va Cogner (2007) on Constellation

22. Neoangin “I Miss Diego” from Scratchbook (2007) on Alive

Testing new website, Myspace, Facebook

Quick update, here -

1. Today's show will be posted when I get back home, tonight. Look for two shows; both Laughter and the show with WZBC's dj dani. The latter is chaotic to say the least and I use the word "fantastic" way too much throughout.
   
2. I'm testing Wordpress out right now and coming to enjoy all the extra functionality their website provides for publishers and users. If you check the sidebar you'll see a link to my site at Wordpress (or you can just click that link). I'll be updating that site as well as this one for a time, but if I enjoy Wordpress enough I'll likely move the site over there.
   
3. I'm also creating a Myspace and Facebook page for Laughter. The Myspace page is also linked in the sidebar. Stop on over, say hello. The Facebook page is upcoming. Once you see that link, say hello there, too.

Check back soon for the shows.

Thanks for visiting.

Phew, Phew

Here for your enjoyment is Phew's debut LP, originally released in 1981 on Pass Records. This album caught my eye primarily because it featured the talent of Can's Holger Czukay, though in what capacity I am still uncertain. There's kraut-like rock throughout the record ("Closed" and the awkwardly nightmarish "Doze") as well as some relatively abstract songs reminiscent of the better material from Stolen and Contaminated Songs (check out "Dream" and compare it to Coil's "Who'll Fall"). At times I was reminded of OOIOO's rhythmic fixations and even Cabaret Voltaire's minimal approach to dance music. Still, there's a logic to Phew's odd dynamics that holds the record together and prevents it from being a random collection of material.

Phew got her start with the Japanese punk band Aunt Sally and has also recorded with Novo Tono and Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Ensemble. I'll be trying to locate more of her work; in the meantime you can download the self-titled album below. It will be available for a limited time only.

Enjoy.










Phew, Phew
1981, Pass Records, LP

01. Closed (3:15)
02. Signal (4:28)
03. Doze (5:14)
04. Dream (3:15)
05. Mapping (3:41)
06. Aqua (3:48)
07. P-Adic (3:32)
08. Fragment (3:52)
09. Circuit (1:37)

Played and produced by Phew, Jaki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay, Conny Plank, and Yoshitaka Goto

Recorded and mixed at Conny's Studio and Czukay's Editing Laboratory
Recording engineer: Conny Plank
Mastered by Hiroshi Shiota at Tokyo Recording Co., Ltd.

download, .zip

2/25 show, Julian Kytasty, and Auktyon

Lots of interesting new things this week and I still haven't gotten around to last week's features. I promise those will come soon, but because I have time now and the music is fresh in mind, I'd like to write a little about Julian Kytasty and Auktyon.

Julian Kytasty was born in 1958 in Detroit, Michigan to a family of Ukrainian refugees. Following his father's and gradfather's lead, Kytasty picked up the bandura and in 1980 he moved to New York City and founded the New York Bandura Ensemble. According to the liner notes for Black Sea Winds, the bandura is a strange hybrid of the lute and medieval lap harp. If you want to see what one looks like, check out this video of Kytasty performing. The album itself is a document of songs traditionally played by blind musicians from the Ukraine known as kobzari. These songs, called duma, were performed on an instrument called the kobza, but many artists in the 20th century, including Kytasty, began utilizing the bandura instead. Apparently Stalinist Russia was not kind to the kobzari, primarily because their music dealt with religious themes, and in the 30's they effectively became outlaws. Kytasty writes,

"Many [kobzari] doubtless died, along with millions of the rural population, in the famine of 1933; others were individually arrested and executed. There is considerable evidence that at some point in the 1930's the remnants [kobzari survivors] were rounded up for a Congress of Traditional Singers from which no one returned. The numbers speak for themselves. The folklorists of the 1920's documented a living epic tradition of several hundred singers, with regional distinctions of repertoire and performance sytle; by 1939, when another congress of traditional performers was held, only four kobzari took part. The survivors had changed over to modernized banduras and performed 'progressive' repertoire featuring newly composed dumy about Stalin and Lenin."

Since that time the bandura has been the instrument of choice - it is not the same instrument employed by the kobzari, but the style of music played on the bandura often pays homage to those blind singers. The song featured on the show, "Cossack Lament," is of the oldest kobzar songs known, dating back to the 16th and 17th century. It is a lament sung as part of a Cossack funeral rite. I've also uploaded "The Song of Truth and Falsehood." The lyrics to this song speak for themselves:

"There is no truth in the world,
Truth is not to be found,
For dire Falsehood has started calling itself Truth.

Truth (Pravda)
For now Truth stands outside the threshold,
And Falsehood sits at table with the wealthy.

Falsehood (Nepravda)
For now Truth is cast into dungeons,
And Falsehood invited into the mansions.

And the need to know the difference.

But the Lord is Truth, shall crush Falsehood,
Chastise pride, raise high the temple."

The music is indescribably beautiful and simple; you can download "The Song of Truth and Falsehood" here.

A good friend recently introduced me to a Russian rock band called Auktyon. There's plenty of information about them on their website and all over the internet, but what follows are the basics. The band has been around in one form or another since 1978, but didn't take on their current name until 1983. They claim their influences as everything from reggae to the ethnic music of North Africa and jazz. Writers have compared them to everything from The Residents and Captain Beefheart to Robert Wyatt, Pere Ubu, Beck, Leonard Cohen, and Black Sabbath (to name just a few). The song played during the show ("Samolet") sounds like something out of a spy movie and "Boyoos" sounds like a demented folk tune filtered through the Boredoms. Beyond that I simply don't know how to describe this band. I've uploaded both "Boyoos" and another track ("Letcheek") for you to enjoy. Any other information you may want about the band can be found at their site. For those of you in Boston, Auktyon will be playing March the 25th at the Middle East Club (Downstairs).

Thanks to Tom for the heads up!

Auktyon "Boyoos" from Zhopa (1990)
Auktyon "Letcheek" from Bodoon (1991)

I hope you've all been enjoying the show and the website. If you have any comments, questions, or requests you can leave them at this site or email me at the address provided in the sidebar. Thank you for listening and enjoy.

Laughter 2/25/2008 - Part I
Laughter 2/25/2008 - Part II

01. Lamb “Gorecki” from Lamb (1997) on Fontana

02. Meat Beat Manifesto “Helter Skelter” from Helter Skelter/Radio Babylon (1990) on Play It Again Sam

03. Badawi “Voices from the Sky” from Soldier of Midian (2001) on ROIR

04. Julian Kytasty “Cossack Lament” from black sea winds (2002) on November Music

05. Dead Can Dance “Cantara” from Within the Realm of a Dying Sun (1987) on 4AD

06. Rachel's “A French Galleasse” from Selenography (1999) on Quarterstick

07. Holger Czukay “Witches' Multiplication Table” from On the Way to the Peak of Normal (1982) on Mute

08. Nurse With Wound “The Self Sufficient Sexual Shoe” from Rock 'n' Roll Station (2006) on Beta-lactam Ring — originally released 1994

09. Harmonia “Dino” from Musik von Harmonia (2006) on Lilith — originally released 1974

10. Electrelane “Between the Wolf and the Dog” from No Shouts No Calls (2008) on Too Pure

11. Swans “Miracle of Love” from White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991) on Young God

12. Sleep Chamber “Invocation” from Secrets ov 23 (1993) on Music Maxima Magnetica

13. Death in June “C'est Un Rêve” from Dead Sunwheels (1989) on NER

14. Bardo Pond “Nomad” from Cypher Documents I (2005) on 3 Lobed

15. Auktyon “Samolet” from Zhopa (1990) — see website for more info: http://www.auktyon.com

16. Popul Vuh “Kyrie” from Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte (1997) on Think Progressive — originally released 1976

17. NON “God & Beast” from God & Beast (1986) on Mute

18. Coil “Red Weather” from Unnatural History II (1995) on Threshold House

19/20. Chris Watson / BJ Nilsen “No Man's Land” from Storm (2006) on Touch

20. Schlammpeitziger “Schlafatemwagen” from Augenwischwaldmoppgeflöte (2000) on A-musik

21/22. Chris Watson / BJ Nileson "SIGWX” from Storm (2006) on Touch

22. Itsnotyouitsme “Great Day” from Walled Gardens (2007) on New Amsterdam

Review: Luasa Raelon, "Into the Void"

David Reed is obsessed with the dark. Every synapse in his brain aims to realize a stygian monstrosity from the most basic electronic utterances. Into the Void successfully gathers those expressions into a crawling black chorus of sound, like a cantata sung for the terror infinite and empty space can inspire.

A meditative bleakness is amassed over the course of Into the Void with only the most cosmic instruments. The imaginary sounds of a supernova, the electric pulse of magnetic fields, and the icy explosions of colliding asteroids all play a role in Reed's swirling orchestras. And his songs do sound as though they are played by a group of empyrean and sentient beings. Unlike other artists who claim the fertile grounds of noise as their birth place, Reed's work is sober and composed instead of desultory and manic. Explosions radiate and dance with an observable intelligence instead of crashing and decaying senselessly and Reed never allows his bellowing cries to spill over into a continuous and bland stream of white noise.

That dedication to clarity ranks as one of this album's greatest strengths. Beyond being tightly controlled, every detail of Reed's heavenly pandemonium resounds as clearly as a bell no matter how busy it gets. No song depends on microscopic activity, but each breath of solar wind washes through the mix unhindered by sloppy production or over-zealous volume. This allows Reed to use the existing small details in each song to his advantage. On "Gravitational Pull" the presence of a monotonous synthesizer melody acts as a strong contrast to an ever-changing parade of radio noise; the two constantly pull at each other and manifest a tension that would not be possible if either were given over to excess. The absence of familiar musical conventions is made all the more powerful by the inclusion of distinct rhythms and melodic announcements. Both "Mariners" and "Dark Matter" depend on these recognizable features; without them both songs would sound all too static. Yet, if those features were anything more than occasional flourishes both songs would lose their ambiguous terror. Reed constantly plays a game of balance on each track, hushing any surfeit of sound in favor of a well-planned deficit.

Perhaps excess is the attractive and distinguishing feature for many extant experimental outfits, but I'm glad to hear Reed utilizing the power of subtlety and understatement. The spaces he leaves in his music are deceptive, often hiding the most surprising and effective moments. The best portions of this album are accompanied by silence or an illusory sense of it created by spaces opened up in the music; Reed has a talent for creating such abyssal places and decorating them with a real sense of foreboding and uncertainty. His compositions are unique and entirely synthetic, but somehow organic and frighteningly unpredictable despite their well-formed structures.

---

Into the Void is available on Crucial Bliss.

2/18 show, Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity, Crawling Chaos, and more...

Lots of new stuff this week, including a new file-sharing host for my zip files. You may have noticed that all of my previous mp3 links have disappeared - that's due to the fact that Sendspace deletes any files uploaded to their servers after a fixed amount of time. The 300 MB size limit was attractive because it allowed me to upload the entire show as one file. Mediafire has no time or download limit on anything uploaded to their servers, but they only allow files of 100 MB to be uploaded. As a result, the show comes in two neatly divided zip files, now. The first zip file contains the first half of the show, the second contains the second half. I will not be re-uploading any previous shows unless I receive requests for them. As far as full albums or individual song mp3s are concerned, I will not re-upload them even by request. Any future posts containing full albums will utilize Sendspace and will be available only for a limited amount of time.

Due to being busier than normal the last week or so I do not have a write up ready for this show. As it stands, I think it is one of the best yet and features a good number of impressive new bands as well as some old favorites that I've been listening to lately. Among the highlights on this show was Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity, Bear in Heaven, and the obscure Crawling Chaos. I'm in the process of finding out as much as I can about all three bands, so keep checking back for information. I also have a review of the latest Luasa Raelon on the way and, as mentioned before, a few little extras coming up... including a fairly obscure Japanese LP featuring a member of Can.

Thanks for listening and enjoy.

Laughter 2/18/2008 - Part I
Laughter 2/18/2008 - Part II

01. Talk Talk “I Believe in You” from Spirit of Eden (1988) on EMI

02. Bonnie "Prince" Billy “The Seedling” from The Letting Go (2006) on Drag City

03. The Helio Sequence “Keep Your Eyes Ahead” from Keep Your Eyes Ahead (2008) on Sub Pop

04. The Raybeats “Soul Beat/Intoxica” from It's Only a Movie (1983) on Shanachie

05 .The Whitsundays “Bring It On Home” from The Whitsundays (2008) on Friendly Fire

06. Annabouboula “Let's Go to Jail” from In the Baths of Constantinople (1990) on Shanachie

07. Bear in Heaven “Shining and Free” from Red Bloom of the Boom (2007) on Hometapes

08. Valet “Fire” from Naked Acid (2008) on Kranky

09. Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity “Who Do You Love” from Santiago's Vest (2008) on Electrokitty

10. True West “It's About Time” from S/T EP (1983) on Bring Out Your Dead Records

11. The Trypes “Music for Neighbors” from The Explorers Hold (1984) on Coyote

12. Ida “The Killers 1964” from Love Prayers (2008) on Polyvinyl

13. Stranger to Stranger “Crowded Room” from Casting Shadows (1984) on Hopewell

14. Atlas Sound “Cold As Ice” from Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Not Feel (2008) on Kranky

15. The Camberwell Now “Spirit of Dunkirk” from Meridian (1983) on Duplicate

16. 17 Pygmies “Lazarus” from Jedda by the Sea (1985) on Resistance Records

17. Jason Molina “Pyramid Electric Co.” from Pyramid Electric Co. (2004) on Secretly Canadian

18. Crawling Chaos “Macabre Royale” from The Gas Chair (1981) on Factory Benelux

19. Univers Zero “Heatwave” from Heatwave (1987) on Cuneiform

20. Biting Tongues “Compressor” from Compressor (1986) on Factory

21. The Orb “Perpetual Dawn” from The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (1991) on Fontana Island

22. Aphex Twin “4” from Richard D. James (1996) on Warp

Noise in Boston and Upcoming MP3s

First, apologies that the February 18th edition of Laughter has not yet been posted. Due to being a little busier than usual, I may not have the show posted until later tomorrow evening. Please visit again then; I'll also have some extras posted by that time.

Some of you may be interested in the fact that a number of noise bands are coming to Boston and performing at Jacques Cabaret. Among the performers are Karlheinz, Bloodyminded, and Halflings. It's being billed as the NORTHEAST REGIONAL NOISE AND POWER ELECTRONICS FESTIVAL and will be held on the 14th and 15th of March at 8pm; the price of admission is $10 each night. Here's a rundown of the bands:

Bloodyminded (Chicago)
Fire In The Head (Wellfleet, MA)
Halflings (Bronx)
Twodeadsluts Onegoodfuck (Boston)
Cathode Terror Secretion (Port Washington, NY)
Ahlzagailzehguh (?, NY)
FFH
Karlheinz (Allston, MA)
Angeldust
Shallow Waters
Craniopagus (Boston)
Bereft
Sharpwaist
Sewer Goddess (?, MA)
Nurture Abuse
and Special Surprise Guests

Anyone who can't attend this year's No Fun Fest should consider attending. If you're at all interested, the above links are to each band's Myspace page or homepage (where mp3s are available). If you've never listened to any of these bands, might I suggest turning down the volume on your computer before clicking on anything and avoiding headphones the first time around.

Enjoy.

2/11/2008 Show, more RAIJ, Annabouboula, and Rebetika

Strange show this week: as promised Nicolas Collins' "Vaya Con Dios" received fuller attention and was accompanied by a series of pieces by collage/noise artist Ekkehard Ehlers. Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus received some more attention (deservedly so), too, but a strange technical glitch and one intense song after another made the show feel unbalanced and too weighty. Nevertheless, there are some fine songs on this show, including a hypnotic guitar-drone piece by Aidan Baker, one of the best songs Honey Owens has ever written, and a strange Greecian blues hybrid from a band called Annabouboula. Their sound really floored me, so I took some extra time to read up on them. Unlike Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, there's plenty of information about this trio available. Summarily, Annabouboula was Anna Paidoussi, George Sempepos, and Chris Lawrence. Using their heritage as a foundation, Paidoussi and Lawrence took on a Greek term that can be translated as "noisy confusion" and began situating traditional Greecian music next to modern, synth-laden dance music. As if that were not unique enough, they eschwed the popular Greek canon of music and instead infused Rebetiko (Greece's version of the blues, check this video out and perhaps take the time to watch the BBC documentary, which begins here) and other obscure forms of music from around the Mediterranean into their work.

David Sanborn hosted a show in the 80's called Night Music. This program played host to an uncommon variety of musicians and musical forms, including Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, John Zorn, The Residents, Pere Ubu, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Adrian Belew, Diamanda Galas, Julee Cruise, and even Annabouboula. That this show was ever taken off the air is stupefying (more so because no commercially available documents of this show are available). Thankfully, fans recorded several episodes and Annabouboula's performance on Night Music can be found over at Youtube. A little research also revealed a connection between Annabouboula and They Might Be Giants by way of John Linnell. According to the They Might Be Giants Wiki Database, Linnell played accordion and organ on both Hamam and In the Baths of Constantinople.

As far as I can tell, much of Annabouboula's music is out of print at the moment. Normally that means I would upload the record for your pleasure, but I currently do not have the means necessary for ripping an LP to mp3. If I find a digital copy, I'll make sure to make it available. In the meantime, download the show and enjoy.

A brief note - you'll notice that the numbering below is a little strange towards the end. Any two songs referenced by the same number refers to the fact that they were played simultaneously.

Thanks for listening...

Laughter, 2/11/2008, .zip file

01. Cerberus Shoal “Unmarked Boxes” from Mr. Boy Dog (2001) on Temporary Residence

02. Current 93 “Lucifer Over London” from SixSixSix : SickSickSick (2004) on Durtro — originally released in 1994 on Lucifer Over London

03. Popul Vuh “Wanderer Through the Night” from Tantric Songs (1981) on Celestrial Harmonies

04. Golden Death Music “Lost in Violence” from Ephemera Blues (2007) on Helmet Room

05. Shalabi Effect “Mr. Titz (The Revelator)” from The Trial of Saint Orange (2002) on Alien8

06. Muslimgauze “A Nation” from The Rape of Palestine (1989) on Parade Amoureuse

07. Revolutionary Army of The Infant Jesus “Man of Sorrows” from Mirror (1991) on Apocalyptic Vision

08. M2 (Squaremeter) “The Cry of Morgoth” from War of Sound (2003) on Ant-Zen

09. Aidan Baker & Thisquietarmy “Blood” from Orange (2006) on Thisquietarmy Records

10. Old Time Relijun “In the Crown of Lost Light” from Catharsis in Crisis (2007) on K

11. Yeasayer “No Need to Worry” from All Hour Cymbals (2007) on We Are Free

12. Bon Iver “Flume” from For Emma, Forever Ago (2008) on Jagjaguwar

13. Valet “Blood Is Clean” from Blood Is Clean (2007) on Kranky

14. Panther “Puerto Rican Jukebox” from 14 KT God (2008) on Kill Rock Stars

15. Annabouboula “Don't Worry Ma” from In the Baths of Constantinople (1990) on Shanachie

16. Hot Chip “Shake a Fist” from Made In The Dark (2008) on Astralwerks

17. Apparat “Fractales Pt. 1” from Walls (2007) on Shitkatapult

18. Ekkehard Ehlers “Albert Ayler (8)” from Plays (2002) on Staubgold

18/19/20. Nicolas Collins “Vaya Can Dios” from Let the State Make the Selection (1985) on Lovely Music, Ltd.

19. Ekkehard Ehlers “Robert Johnson (9)” from Plays (2002) on Staubgold

20. Ekkehard Ehlers “Robert Johnson (10)” from Plays (2002) on Staubgold

Laughter, 2/4/2008 and Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus

This week's edition of Laughter comes as three mp3 files in one zip file. The first hour is split into two unequal parts and the second part is one mp3 file. This week's highlight came in the form of a group called Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. Evidently not much information about this band exists anywhere on the internet and the information that does exist is scant at best. Lost in Tyme has a post with still-functioning links to their double-CD release The Gift of Tears / Mirror as well as a link to their EP, Paradis. Evidently this band only had four releases: The Gift of Tears was released in 1987, Mirror in 1991, their double-CD collection in 1994, which includes two additional and never-before-released songs, and Paradis in 1995. Pretty much all the information I've been able to find on this Liverpool-based band is at that website - I've yet to run into an interview of any sort and the information provided on the record is less than satisfying. As far as the music itself goes, it warrants comparisons to bands like Dead Can Dance or Thunder Perfect Mind era Current 93, but the similarities are superficial at best. Certain tracks brought Popul Vuh to mind and others sound vaguely like less abrasive Organum records. It's a mixture between mystical acoustic music and more abstract soundscape work constructed from chants, bells, and bowed instruments. Though the band's name invokes Christ, the track played on the show summoned thoughts of ancient mystery religions and their obscure, pseudo-erotic rituals. If anyone reading this blog has more information about this band, please contact me.

Below you will find the playlist and .zip file as usual. Thanks for listening and enjoy.

01. Martin Rev “Rocking Horse” from Clouds of Glory (1985) on New Rose

02. Liars “Rose and Licorice” from Athiests, Reconsider (2002) on Arena Rock

03. Man Or Astro Man? “Many Pieces of Large Fuzzy Mammals Gathered Together at a Rave and Schmoozing with a Brick” from A Spectrum of Infinite Scale (2000) on Touch & Go

04. Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus “Transfiguration” from The Gift of Tears (1988) on Probe Blus

05. Yeasayer “Forgiveness” from All Hour Cymbals (2007) on We Are Free

06. Idjah Hadidjah “Hiji Catetan” from Tonggeret (1987) on Icon

07. Talking Heads “I, Zimbra” from Fear of Music (1979) on Sire

08. Faust “Apokalypse” from ravvivando (1999) on Klangbad

09. Desormais “To Sing Before Going to Sleep” from Iambrokenandremadeiambroken... (2003) on Intr_Version

10. The Teardrop Explodes “Like Leila Khaled Said” from Wilder (1981) on Phonogram

11. Bill Nelson “Eros Arriving” from The Love that Whirls (Diary of a Thinking Heart) (1982) on Cocteau

12. Jean Michel Jarre “Oxygene (Part IV)” from Oxygene (2008) on EMI France — originally released 1976

13. Of Tanz Victims “Brain Remain” from Haunting the Empire (1986) on Bunker

14. Zoviet France “Side A Part 1” from Mohnomishe (1983) on Red Rhino

15. Echran “Render at 4:30” from Echran (2005) on Ebria

16. Luasa Raelon “Spectral Transmissions” from Into the Void (2007) on Crucial Bliss

17. Aluk Todolo “Obedience” from Descension (2007) on Public Guilt

18. Aranos “Yevka Sings” from Throat Clearance (2005) on Pieros

19. Doc Wör Mirran “Birth” from Labyrinth: Birth -> Death (1989) on Musical Tragedies

20. Spectre Folk “Bindi Clip” from Spectre Folk (2006) on 3Lobed

21. Nicolas Collins “Vaya Con Dios” from Let the State Make the Selection (1985) on Lovely Music, Ltd.

Laughter, 2/4/2008, .zip file

Learning how to use a CD-Recorder, Andrew Liles, and Laughter, 1/28/2008

Due to some difficulty with hardware in the studio, this week's edition of Laughter will not be available for download. Unfortunately the recorder I use to make the show available each week recorded nothing but silence for two hours; thankfully the reason for this has been explained to me and next week I'll have a show uploaded and available for you. Such is life in the shadow of electricity. There is good news, however. Several individuals called in while Andrew Liles' "Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Reconstruction) II" was playing and wanted to know where and how they might be able to obtain a copy. There were 1,000 total copies of Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Reconstruction by Andrew Liles) made. 500 were "regular" copies, 200 were "special art editions," and another 300 came packaged with the original Ghosts on Magnetic Tape by Bass Communion. As far as I can tell this album is completely out of print, which is good news for you because that means I'm willing to upload it for all of you to enjoy. This album was released by Steven Wilson's Headphone Dust label in 2004. Please visit his website and order something from him; Bass Communion is an excellent project and that label releases excellent album after excellent album. You're getting something for free from them, so go there and buy something in turn - the original Ghosts on Magnetic Tape is still available and is also quite good.

If you are interested in Andrew Liles' music, there are a number of places you can go to find his music and find out more about him. The first place to look is his website. News, music, a comprehensive discography, and a biography are available there. Brainwashed is host to a number of reviews of Andrew Liles' work, many of which were (shameless plug) written by me. Sound samples from each of those reviews are available at Brainwashed.; simply go to the site, click on reviews in the side bar, and then search for his name. I've also had the privilege to interview Mr. Liles by email. That interview is available here. There are two other interviews available here and here.

I will try and make sure that next week's show is recorded properly. Until then you can check out some of my previous shows listed below. If any of the links have expired, let me know. I will re-upload those as soon as possible. Also, the E.E track played today is available for free at Wise Owl Records. A number of listeners called in and asked about that song, as well. The disc itself is out of print, but the music is still available!

UPDATE: Wise Owl Records has informed me that some copies of The End of Deconstruction are still available! If you download the album and like it, buy the album. I know there's an economic recession going on right now, but these guys need to eat, too! And it's more than likely that your money will go towards them putting up more free mp3s and assembling more packages as awesome as The End of Deconstruction. Look for a review of this album to appear here and on Brainwashed, soon.

Thanks for listening - any comments or requests you'd like to make can be left at this website or you can e-mail me at the address listed below in the sidebar.

Enjoy.

Bass Communion - Ghosts on Magnetic Tape, Reconstruction by Andrew Liles - full album, .zip file

01. The Human League “Blind Youth” from Reproduction (1979) on Virgin

02. Thomas Leer & Robert Rental “Day Breaks, Night Heals” from The Bridge (1979) on Industrial Records

03. Fad Gadget “For Whom the Bells Toll” from Under the Flag (1991) on Mute — originally released 1982

04. The Legendary Pink Dots “Disturbance” from The Maria Dimension (1991) on Play It Again Sam

05. Daniel Johnston “Spirit World Rising” from 1990 (1990) on Shimmy Disc

06. Kawabata Makoto “Door of Your Enigma” from Hosanna Mantra (2007) on Important

07. Wire “Three Girl Rhumba / Ex Lion Tamer” from Pink Flag (1977) on EMI

08. Full Fathom Five “Smoke Screen” from Smoke Screen (1989) on Link Records

09. The Long Ryders “And She Rides” from 10-5-60 (1983) on PVC

10. Christian Kiefer “The Lovers” from Dogs & Donkeys (2007) on Undertow

11. Davenport “Trolling the Wake Song” from Rabbit Foot's Propeller (2005) on 3Lobed

12. Bohren & Der Club of Gore “Kleiner Finger” from Geisterfaust (2005) on Wonder

13. Bass Communion “Ghosts on Magnetic Tape (Reconstruction) II” from Ghosts On Magnetic Tape (2004) on Headphone Dust — remixed by Andrew Liles

14. E.E & the Owl Archimedes “Liminal State” from The End of Deconstruction (2008) on Wise Owl Records (download this for free @ http://www.wiseowlrecords.com)

15. Christ. “Skylab One” from Metamorphic Reproduction Miracle (2002) on Benbecula

16. Courage of Lassie “The Rose” from The Temptation to Exist (1986) on Amok

17. Lichens “Faeries” from Omns (2007) on Kranky

18. Phew “Dream” from S/t (1986) on Pass Records-Japan

19. Nadja “Breakpoint” from Truth Becomes Death (2005) on Ah Syd

Laughter, 1/24/2008

Below you will find the play list and zip file for my latest show on WZBC. Popul Vuh has been impressing me for the last couple of weeks and today I stumbled upon Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte, a fine cut of German pseudo-krautrock from 1976. If you don't know much about Popul Vuh, here's a little information for you: the band was founded in 1970 by Florian Fricke with percussionist Holger Trulzsch and Frank Fiedler. Affenstunde, their first album, explored various kinds of found-sound electronic music as well as ambient and so-called "new age" music. In den Gärten Pharaos continued this kind of exploration, but afterwards Fielder began moving away from electronic keyboards and synthesizers and picked up the traditional black and white keys - Fricke, in the meantime, began using music as a means of exploring various religious themes and in 1972 the band released Hosianna Mantra. Eventually Werner Herzog became familiar with the band and in turn Fricke and company contributed to the soundtracks for several of his films, including Aguirre, The Wrath of God and The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser. Popul Vuh continued releasing music until 2001, when Fricke passed away. The group disbanded shortly thereafter. Wikipedia includes a nice quote from Klaus Schulze, which appeared in the liner notes of the Hosianna Mantra reissue and pinpoints part of what makes Popul Vuh's music so appealing to me:

"Florian was and remains to be an important forerunner of contemporary ethnic and religious music. He chose electronic music and his big Moog to free himself from the restraints of traditional music, but soon discovered that he didn't get a lot out of it and opted for the acoustic path instead. Here, he went on to create a new world, which Werner Herzog loves so much, transforming the thought patterns of electronic music into the language of acoustic ethno music."

There are a couple of Popul Vuh tracks included below that do not appear on the radio show. The first is from their debut album, Affenstunde and a the second is from their excellent 1979 release, Die Nacht der Seele.

Enjoy.

01. The Residents “Infant Tango” from Meet the Residents (2004) on Euro Ralph — originally released 1973

02. Captain Beefheart “Nowadays a Woman Gotta Hit a Man” from Dust Blows Forward (1999) on Warner/Rhino

03. End “Countdown to the End” from The Sounds of Disaster (2004) on Ipecac

04. Nobukazu Takemura “Toybox with Moonshine” from Child & Magic (2002) on Warner Japan

05. Otto Von Schirach “Boombonic Plague” from Chopped Zombie Fungus (2003) on Schematic

06. Bene Gesserit “Existentialisme” from A High, Happy, Perverse and Cynical Cry of Joy (1986) on insane

07. Sonny Sharrock “Many Mansions” from Ask the Ages (1991) on Axiom

08. Paul Schütze “The Mutant Beautific” from New Maps of Hell (1992) on Extreme

09. The Soft Machine “As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still” from Volume 2 (1969) on Big Beat

10. Glenn Branca “Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar” from Lesson No.1 (2003) on Acute — originally released 1980

11. Autistic Daughters “Spend It on the Enemy (While It Was Raining)” from Jealousy and Diamond (2004) on Kranky

12. The Tower Recordings “I Didn't Know That Hajji Smoked/ID Can Hear the Magic Spring” from Folkscene (2001) on The Communion Label

13. Popul Vuh “Oh Wie Weit Ist Der Weg Hinauf” from Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte (1997) on think progressive — originally released 1976

14. A. Wiltzie Vs. Stars of The Lid “I Love You, but I Prefer Trondheim (Parts 1-4)” from Ulver 1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines (2003) on Jester

15. Coil “Another Brown World” from Unnatural History II (1995) on Threshold House — song originally released 1989 on Sub Rosa

16. KTL “Estranged” from KTL (2006) on Editions Mego

16. Aleister Crowley “Various” from The Great Beast Speaks (1993) on Disgust 1

17. Current 93 “Black Ships Ate the Sky (Alternative Mix)” from Brainwaves: Disc C (2006) on Brainwashed

18. Sunburned Hand of Man “Buried Pleasure” from Rare Wood (2004) on Spirit of Orr

19. Popul Vuh “Kyrie” from Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte (1997) on Think Progressive — originally released 1976

Laughter, 1/24/2008, .zip file

Popul Vuh - "Train Through Time" - bonus track from Affenstunde
Popul Vuh - "Wo bist Du, der Du überwunden hast?" - from Die Nacht der Seele

Radio, 01/23/2008

I subbed from 1pm to 3pm on WZBC, today and happened upon some great music from three different compilations released by three different labels. Most people are probably familiar with Touch Records; they've released music from the likes of Pan Sonic, Rafael Toral, Fennesz, Ryoji Ikeda, Biosphere and many others. For their 25th birthday, Touch released a compilation of 25 new songs that most of you are probably familiar with... but I am just stumbling upon it and wanted to upload a couple songs from it because it so captured my ears. I've included what may be one of Christian Fennesz's finest recordings to date.

In addition to a couple tunes from that comp, I've uploaded a couple songs from the Gommagang Start comp and the excellent New Deutsch comp. Gomma is a little label from Germany that specializes in slightly off-kilter dance-electronic music and moody stuff more suitable for bedroom listening late at night. Their compilation separates these two approaches onto two discs and I've included a track from both. On the whole this label misses more than it hits, but the two songs included below are heads and shoulders above the rest. Gigolo Records (careful, link not completely work safe), on the other hand, specializes in just about every kind of dance music you can possibly imagine, including the really clunky, clumsy, and primitive German synthesizer music from the late 70's and early 80's. New Deutsch features 24 tracks from 19 different bands. There's a range of styles on the disc, but principle among them is the muddy, sloppy, and over-simple pop tune. I was reminded of Fad Gadget, early Human League, and Harmonia right away, but some of these songs have a little of the post-punk sound to them. The entire disc is worth listening to, but the two songs below were post-show highlights for me. Below is the play-list and downloads.

Enjoy.

01. Grauzone - “Film 2” from New Deutsch (2003) on Gigolo
02. Bjorn Torske - “Hatten Passer” from Feil Knapp (2007) on Smalltown Supersound
03. Mofongo - “Loco” from Tumbao (2007) on Aagoo
04. Kid 606 - “Whereweleftoff - Fortune Cookie Remix by Atom (TM)” from P.S. I Dub Ya (2001) on Tigerbeat 6
05. Damiak - “Fnificun” from Micalavera (2007) on N5md
06. Can - “One More Night” from Ege Bamyasi (1972) on Spoon/Mute
07. Bene Gesserit - “Femmes aux Yeux D'Argile” from Fashion is a Dirty Word (1987) on Dead Man's Curve
08. Popul Vuh - “In der Halle des Lernens” from Die Nacht Der Seele (1979) on Spalax
09. Rosy Parlane - “Atlantis” from VA: Touch 25 (2006) on Touch
10. Black Dice - “Seabird” from Beaches & Canyons (2002) on DFA
11. Blindganger - “Spiel ohne Worte” from New Deutsch (2003) on Gigolo
12. Ike Yard - “N.C.R. (Funkstorung RMX)” from Gommagang Start (2005) on Gomma
13. Oval - “Class” from Dok (1997) on Thrill Jockey
14. Nathan Halverson - “Nurse / Shark Pt. 2” from Nurse / Shark (2007) on Peapod
15. Converter - “Error” from Blast Furnace (2000) on Ant-Zen
16. Sightings - “A Rest” from Through The Panama (2007) on Load
17. Nurse With Wound - “Yagga Blues” from Livin' Fear Of James Last (2005) on Castle
18. Fire on Fire - “Amnesia” from 5 Song EP (2007) on Young God Records
19. LCD Soundsystem - “Tribulations” from s/t (2005) on DFA
20. Feyd - “Wait” from VA: Gommagang Start (2005) on Gomma
21. Six Organs of Admittance - “Shelter from the Ash” from Shelter from the Ash (2007) on Drag City
22. James Blackshaw - “Transient Life in Twilight” from O' True Believers (2006) on Important

---

mp3s:

from New Deutsch
Moreno - "Suicide Commando"
Grau Zone - "Esibär"

from Gommagang Start
Ike Yard - "N.C.R. (Funkstörung RMX)
Feyd - "Wait"

from Touch 25
Christian Fennesz - "Tree"
Peter Rehberg - "TT 1205"

Black Mountain, "In the Future"

Arrayed in dystopian garb and armed with righteous indignation, Black Mountain pounds out one explosive song after another, each of which echoes the despair, fear, and disappointment that populates Stephen McBean's lyrics.

The world is a bleak place in McBean's eyes. It is full of violence, injustice, doubt, and little else. If hope exists it lay dormant beneath a constant threat of dehumanazing and near-invisible evils. There's plenty of melodrama on In the Future and much of its bombast serves to positively amplify Black Mountain's brute approach to rock 'n' roll. "Stormy High" begins the record with a sudden and heavy jerk. It stomps about wearing tattered guitars and half-moaned vocals with confidence, drawing its sex and grit together closely enough to warrant thoughts of "The Lemon Song" and Robert Plant convulsing on stage in a fit of orgasmic delight. McBean's idea of danger, however, revolves less around his penis and more around enslavement or the kinds of demons that haunt lazy men. Their debt to blues and '70s rock is hard to miss, but the band proceeds to carve the lazy "Angels" out of sweet pop mechanics and epic synthesizer swells. This song is the first sign that Black Mountain is out to do more than rehash the tumultuous birth of heavy rock; they clearly aim to sit psychedelic pop, rock, and metal beside one another, with the stylings of America's "southern rock" music added for good measure. Other bands have gone down this road to varying degrees, but Black Mountain's approach to genre-bending is especially bold. There is no fusion of elements on In the Future, each of these genres are simply mashed together, their individual identities kept pure and separate.

"Tyrants" represents the first all-out mashup on the record. It begins like a titanic military march across a barren desert; the guitars erupt in rhythmic fashion, followed exactly by aggressive drumming. With the introduction of a dusty bass line and resigned beat, the song quickly shifts into a lower gear. Enormous spaces open up in the music and a seething synthesizer begins to circle through the song like a vulture. The lyrics and music then work themselves back into a frenzy propelled by an infatigable disdain for the evil men do. A deep serenity pervades much of the song in the form of cascading electronic melodies and a rubbery rhythm, but its all sandwiched between heavy guitar riffs and a solo that calls Satan to mind more than Timothy Leary. It's neither a metal tune nor a psychedelic rock song nor a blend of these two things; it's a shape-shifting monster that emphasizes rhythmic guitar performance and spaced-out pseudo-improve in equal measure. In contrast, "Wucan" emphasizes psychedelic rock's influence on the band. After a fuzzy and vaguley funky rhythm section sizzles out, the music is shot through with thick, almost cheesy keyboard atmospherics. Those keyboards shimmer and wobble in acidic light while the band plugs along beneath the vast reach of their sound. As is the case with the rest of the album, there is an epic and foreboding quality to the music that reaches beyond the confines of pop and rock convention. Then again, I had to make sure Richard Wright wasn't listed anywhere in the liner notes after the song ended.

The bombast of unrestrained playfulness doesn't always work in the band's favor, however. There are moments where the music is as awkward as some of McBean's more introverted and indecipherable lyrics. "Stay Free" clunks along with a beautiful melody and an ethereal vocal performance, but it sounds flat sandwiched between "Wucan" and "Queens Will Play." After a number of inventive songs the album becomes predictably and upon inspection the lyrics are both confounding and over-simple. Perhaps someone with more time than I can make sense of these lines: "Bodies at sundown / Stiff on their knees / Beautiful ponies / So beautiful / They'll kill us all." On the one hand McBean's concerns come across loud and clear, but on the other hand his desire to compress a range of complex and diverse emotions into only a few lines leaves something to be desired. This is true not only of his poetic abilities, but of the band's musical abilities as well. "Evil Ways" could have been a great voodoo jam spiced with American brute force, but it ends up sounding awkward with its lumpy chorus and superfluous instrumentation. I admire bands that shoot for the stars, but Black Mountain don't always succeed in getting there.

"Bright Lights," the album's 16 minute dénouement, highlights the band's best and worst qualities. The lyrics are less than stellar, but the instrumentation blends the band's gentle and aggressive qualities without flaw. The entire middle portion of the song is an extended psyche-jam brimming over with all manner of interesting minutae. There's a delicate mixture of drone noises and melody on this song and it seems as though the whole thing could fall apart at any moment. The song highlights just how fragile some of the band's compositions are; in their reappropration of multiple genres the band sometimes overlooks the fact that their music depends on just how enjoyable that reappropration could possibly be in the first place. Their energy and confidence helps make some bad songs tolerable, but without that energy the record could have easily fell apart.

That energy is this quintet's greatest virtue and when it is paired with solid songwriting Black Mountain sound both unique and as massive as their name implies.

---

In the Future is available on Jagjaguwar

Laughter, 1/17/2008

As promised, my weekly radio show on WZBC is now available for download. Contained in the zip file below is two, one-hour mp3s. These mp3s contain the entirety of my show, minus a brief concert report read at the top of the hour. There are two track 19s listed because those two records were played simultaneously. Any comments or questions can be left on this site or sent to me by email.

Enjoy.

01. Black Mountain - “Wucan” from In the Future (2008) on Jagjaguwar

02. Low in The Sky - “Dialogue with a Shadow” from We Are All Counting on You, William (2007) on Abandon Building

03. Harmonia - “Gollum” from Deluxe (2006) on Lilith

04. Flying Lotus - “Spicy Sammich” from Reset (2007) on Warp Records

05. Portable - “Arrabida” from Powers of Ten (2007) on Sud

06. Klimek - “(Sun)fall” from Milk & Honey (2004) on Kompakt

07. Alog - “The Beginner” from Amateur (2007) on Rune Grammofon

08. Bon Iver - “Blindsided” from For Emma, Forever Ago (2008) on Jagjaguwar

10. Fire on Fire - “Amnesia” from 5 Song EP (2007) on young god records

11. Randall of Nazareth - “Read Your Name” from Randall of Nazareth (2007) on Drag City

12. Volcano the Bear - “Burnt Seer” from Amidst the Noise and Twigs (2007) on Beta-lactam Ring

13. Jandek - “Hilltop Serenade” from Six and Six (1982) on Corwood

14. Static North - “Ours, That Night Got Away From Us” from Static North (2007) on Self Released

15. Edward Ka-Spel - “Prisoners of War” from Tanith and the Lion Tree (1991) on Third Mind

16. Eu - “Said” from Warm Math (2002) on Pause 2

17. The Tuss - “Rushup I Bank 12” from Rushup Edge (2007) on Rephlex

18. Jan Jelinek - “Planeten in Halbtrauer” from Kosmischer Pitch (2005) on ~Scape

19. Jonathan Coleclough and Andrew Chalk - “Sumac” from Sumac (2004) on ICR

19. The Ghost Orchid - “Various Tracks” from An Introduction to EVP (2005) on Ash International

20. Hirsche Nicht Auf Sofa - “Grundgütiger! Der Drang Verstärkt Sich (K.i.F.)” from Küttel im Frost

(2002) on DOM

21. Einsturzende Neubauten - “Weil Weil Weil” from Alles Wieder Offen (2007)

---
Download: Laughter, 1/17/2008, .zip file

Reviews and Radio

Today I begin posting music reviews in order to archive my writing over the next year. My hope is to make my reviews from Brainwashed available to individuals who do not read that site and to use this blog as a tool to improve my writing. I encourage everyone to post comments and critical feedback. I will also be posting play lists from my radio show on WZBC 90.3 FM in Newton, Massachusetts. Currently I run the station on Thursdays from 10 AM until noon, but that will likely change in the forthcoming weeks. The show is called "Laughter" and, as you will see, I play a wide variety of experimental and rock music. With any luck I will also be posting mp3s from that show, soon. What follows are my first reviews of the new year and the first few radio shows, too. Brainwashed hosts one-minute sound samples of nearly every review they now publish; if you wish to hear samples of songs from these albums, please visit the site.

Rolan Vega, "Documentary"
on Community Library

Rolan Vega's ambiguous debut on Community Library suffers from its unfocused genesis. In part a tribute to movie and television soundtracks, Documentary is an intriguing compilation of Vega's synthesizer compositions but not an entirely successful album.

Released last year, Documentary wobbles between being an academic salutation and a directionless compilation of synthetic melody and rhythm. The music itself was composed at different times for different media and purposes; these songs were used variously as live scores, soundtracks for short films, and accompaniments to Vega's own video projects. The result is an uneven collection of songs. No matter how intriguing many of these compositions are, listening through from beginning to end can become a chore. While an emphasis on completion may have demanded the inclusion of many short and unique tracks, their inclusion on Documentary represents the majority of the album's disposable fare. Video may have originally given depth to these tracks, but standing alone they inspire little more than an anxious desire to move to the next song.

Fortunately Vega is an adept composer capable of producing uneasy moments, triumphant crescendos, fecund sound-scapes, danceable rhythms, and unique aural episodes. Given time and patience, Documentary blooms and showcases some undeniable gems.

Both "Viva Myria" and "Playlite" contain an enchanting depth and complexity. The former relies upon synthetic drift to weave its spell while the latter hums to the stuttering of a suffocated percussion section. Neither offers more than a minimal number of musical sources, but both call very strong images to mind with little effort. If it were not for the two intervening shorts, "4 Autiim" would have complimented them both nicely. For five minutes it pulses with electronic waves of sound and metallic snares, engendering a fleet of sci-fi memories as played by whirring robotic musicians. My three favorite pieces on this album call to mind sci-fi movies, actually, all of them dense and distorted with an undeniable element of foreboding included.

The disc closes with "Documentary," a piece sure to call some other soundtrack-obsessed musicians to mind. With the sound of chirping birds in tow, Vega ends his album with a warmth characteristic of the soundtracks composed for nature documentaries and PBS specials. It does not come as an unexpected surprise nor is it wholly un-listenable, but it's a bit of a disappointment; Vega is at his best when he's cutting his own path, not emulating someone else's. Documentary provides enough to enjoy, but lacks both continuity and consistent quality.

Marc Hannaford, "The Garden of Forking Paths"
on Extreme Records

Accessible, improvisational jazz is given new life at the hands of this exceptional quartet. Australian pianist Marc Hannaford leads his group through a variety of musical approaches, drawing a lively dialogue out of each of them that entertains with ease. This quartet reaches deep into their imaginative bag of tricks and pull out one stunning performance after another.

In some ways it seems all too easy to release an album of improvised music. With the advent of cheap recording it is possible for almost anyone to assemble a bunch of half-assed recordings produced over the course of a few extended jams and call it an album. Woe to the thoughtless noise-maker indeed, for his kind is populating the internet with increasing regularity. I expected so much from Marc Hannaford. I must admit a certain amount of cynicism when it comes to modern jazz recordings; all too often they favor technique over content and, as is the case with other genres that claim improvisation as a cornerstone of their craft, fail to provide much to appreciate beyond the technique itself. Hannaford, Scott Tinkler, Ken Edie, and Philip Rex know a thing or two about improvisation, however. They exhibit a thoughtfulness in their play that the likes of Albert Ayler and John Coltrane recognized as invaluable to the art form. With an eye on certain compositional principles and methodologies, each member of this quartet contributes their own character and reason to eight superb recordings of controlled chaos.

"Sauna Twins" begins with Hannaford's incongruous and drunken piano playing; he stumbles and careens across his ivory keys in seemingly random jumps, ranting with a persistent vigor that pretends coherence. Philip Rex soon answers his call on bass, entering open spaces in the conversation with light jabs and punchy deliveries. It's not hard to imagine that the two musicians are in conversation with each other, one calling out in a certain chord, the other responding with a quick urgency. The addition of Edie's drums and Tinkler's trumpet suddenly clouds this exchange, but soon each musician falls in with the other, filling in the gaps that one or the other leaves. In no time at all (and without introduction), the massive "G.E.B." is in full swing. The instruments have, in the span of just over four minutes, become characters of their own. Sometimes they compliment each other by falling into near silence together, other times they appear to argue, one yelling in order to claim dominance, the other three huddling together before launching a counter-attack. The beauty of many of these performances is that they feel genuinely organic, like the best written dialogues. For all the random components at play, however, there is a unifying theme at work in the background, a theme that each of the musicians manage to keep in mind as they parade through their own musical arguments.

Clocking in at over 17 minutes long, one might expect "G.E.B" to become boring or overwrought, but each of its varied movements not only seem necessary, they're downright beautiful. Tinkler's trumpet performance, especially in the last five minutes or so, is nearly epic in all its 64th-note glory. Rex's percussive force is immense, his hands creating a virtual parade of power throughout the entire piece. It might be argued that "G.E.B." lays too many cards on the table too early; both "Pure Evil" and "All Booze" seem small in its shadow, but both are appealing and set the rest of the record up quite well. The initial and deceptive calm of "I'll Go Down..." (Hannaford's solo piano performance) is all the more powerful because of the way it contrasts with "All Booze" and "Pure Evil" features some pseudo-funky bass and drum explosions that'd make Squarepusher more than just a little jealous. There's a lot going on throughout The Garden of Forking Paths. It's equally diverse, random, tight, well-conceived, and welcoming. I'm as impressed with the music as I am with the technique that spawned it.

Caldwell, Subbing (ZBC Rock) Jan 7th 2008, 10.00AM to 12.00PM

Artist	Song	Disk	Year	Label
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282	Selections from A Fistful of Dollars	Everyday / Selections From... 7"	1995	amarillo
Silkworm	Our Secret	The Chain / Our Secret 7"	1992	Aurora
Clearlake	Don't Let the Cold In	Don't Let The Cold In	2000	Dusty Company
Siddal	Angel Wars	7"	1993	Bedazzled URL
Pseudo Code	Far Away From My Own land	7"	1984	Waving Graphic
Disappointed a Few People	Dead in Love	Dead In Love	1986	Psyche
Ed Kuepper	Electrical Storm	Electrical Storm	1986	Hot Record
Peter Laughner and Friends	Me & the Devil Blues	Take the Guitar Player for a Ride	1995	Tim Kerr
Roni & the Jitters	Wild Weekend	7"	1980	Rockpool
Scout Niblett	Kiss	This Fool Can Die Now	2007	Too Pure URL
Salem 66	Across the Sea	7"	1984	Homestead
Misfits	London Dungeon	Collection I	1986	Plan 9
Ranch Hands	Stomp It	7"	1984	Egon Records
Songs:Ohia	The Big Game is Every Night	Magnolia Electric Co.	2003	Secretly Canadian URL
Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Dawn McCarthy	The Signifying Wolf	Wai Notes	2007	Drag City URL
The Raybeats	Instant Twist	It's Only a Movie	1983	Shanachie Records
Cabaret Voltaire	James Brown	Micro-phonies	1984	Virgin URL
The Residents	Kaw-Liga	Stars + Hank Forever	1996	ralph records
Orbital	Impact (The Earth Is Burning)	Orbital 2	1993	FFRR
Kinski	Argentina Turner	Down Below It's Chaos	2007	Sub Pop URL
Six Organs of Admittance	Jade Like Wine	shelter from the ash	2007	Drag City URL
Cranes	Shining Road	EP Collection 1 + 2	1997	Dedicated URL
Front Line Assembly	Big Money	Gashed Senses & Crossfire	1989	Wax Trax! URL

Caldwell, Subbing (ZBC Rock) Jan 9th 2008, 10.00AM to 12.00PM

Artist	Song	Disk	Year	Label
Mark Arm	Masters of War	7"	1990	Sub Pop URL
Archers of Loaf	Web in Front	Web in Front	1993	Alias URL
13 Ghosts	Movie Night at Brackett's	Movie Night at Bracketts 7"	1999	Babydoll
Majesty Crush	Sunny Pie	Sunny Pie / Cicciolina 7"	1992	Vulva
Love Camp 7	Huxley in Hollywood	7"	1990	Bowlmor
The Royal Macadamians	Relax in Lebanon	experiments in terror	1990	island record
Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy	Language of Violence	Language of Violence 12"	1992	4th & B-Way
Die Krupps With Nitzer Ebb	True Work - Mix	The Machineries of Joy	1989	BCM Records
Magnetophone	Monitor Rocket Science	You Should Write Music / Monitor Rocket Science 7"	2000	Earworm URL
Pinch	Widescreen	Underwater Dancehall	2007	Tectonic
Pole	Winkelstreben Ghislain Poirier Remix	Steingarten Remixes	2007	Scape URL
Burial	Raver	Untrue	2007	Hyperdub
Alasdair Roberts	As I Came In By Huntly Town	The Crook of My Arm	2001	Secretly Canadian URL
Eyeless in Gaza	Invisibility	Invisibilty	1981	Cherry Red URL
Echoboy	She	Pure New Wool	1999	For Us
Citizen's Utilities	King County Derelict	7"	1995	Shangri-La
Inspiral Carpets	Commercial rain	Joe EP	1990	Moo
Razor Penguins	The Math Professor	7"	1986	Ice Works
Sid Presley Experience	Public Enemy #1	Public Enemy #1 / Hup Two Three Four 7"	1984	I D
Man Or Astro-Man?	King of the Monsters	Welcome to the Sonic Space Age	1996	Clawfist
The Hate Bombs	Ghoul Girl	Ghoul Girl / She Bit Me	1997	Baby Doll Records
Jonathan Fire Eater	The Beautician	Tremble Under Boom Lights	1996	The Medicine Label URL
Daniel Johnston	Speeding Motorcycle	Yip/Jump Music	1983	Homestead Records
The Bloods	Button Up	Button Up 7"	1981	Exit International
Elephant	Dance on Me	7"	1998	Mock Rock
Electric Sound of Joy	Play Away	play away	1997	Earworm URL

Caldwell, "Laughter" (ZBC Rock) Jan 10th 2008, 10.00AM to 12.00PM

Artist	Song	Disk	Year	Label
Future Sound of London	We Have Explosive	Dead Cities	1996	Astralwerks URL
Test Dept.	New World Order	new world order	1991	Ministry of Power URL
Stereo Taxic Device	Soman	Stereo Taxic Device	1991	KK-Records Belgium
Strange Nursery	To Whom the Unit is Attached	Strange Nursery	1989	Strange Nursery
Penguin Cafe Orchestra	More Milk	Broadcasting from Home	1984	Editions EG
Dark	Drifting	Tamna Voda	1991	CMP
Can	I Want More	Flowmotion	1976	Virgin URL
Einstürzende Neubauten	The Garden	ende neu	1998	Nothing
Breather	Maya	Loves and Disloves	1984	Sonic Incision
Lida Husik	Billboard	Bozo	1991	Shimmy Disc
Dog Faced Hermans	Cactus	Humans Fly	1988	Calculus
The Leaving Trains	Hometown Blues	Well Down Blue Highway	1984	Bemisbrain Records
Husker Du	MTC / Don't Have a Life	Land Speed Record	1982	SST URL
Labradford	Scenic Recovery	Labradford	1996	Kranky URL
Valium Aggelein	Abheben in Stereo	Hier Kommt Der Schwartze Mond	1998	Audio Info Phenomena
Squarepusher	Do You Know Squarepusher	Do You Know Squarepusher	2001	Warp URL
DJ Food	Monocle (Silver Dub)	The Quadraplex ep	2001	Ninja Tune URL EMAIL
R.U.O.K.	The Job Interview	R.U.O.K.	1998	Quantum Loop
Faust Vs. Dälek	T-Electronique	Derbe Respect, Alder	2003	Staubgold URL
Fennesz	City of Light	Venice	2004	touch music URL
Blackgirls	Moonflower	Procedure	1990	mammoth records
John Fahey	Joe Kirby Blues	The Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick	2004	Water
Charalambides	The Good Life	Likeness	2007	Kranky URL
Dead C	Comme Toi Meme	The Whitehouse	1995	Siltbreeze