Get Your Lie Straight Fantasy Records!

Get Your Lie Straight: A Galaxy of Funky Soul [Import] (2004)

I hope no one is taking for granted these soul/funk compilations that are coming out from labels concerned with music that's been lost, just because they're released almost weekly. Labels do the work for us, presenting deep cut gems from forgotten seven inches and under-produced-in-quantity LPs.

This particular compilation of Galaxy Records' soul men and women was re-released under the name "Get Your Lie Straight" in 2004. It was directly named after Bill Coday's track of the same name, but also probably named after Fantasy Records, the major label of which Galaxy Records is a subsidiary throughout the 60s, 70s, and early 80s, and their tragic mistake of keeping the primarily black musicians from Galaxy on the back burner. This "much-maligned black music subsidiary" of Fantasy records pumped out hot R&B tracks one after another in the late 1960s and got no advertising or credit while the parent label made big bucks on CCR and other cash grabs (certainly no offense to CCR here).

Re-released under this collection by a label called Beat Goes Public, as the last chronological release of a triumvirate, it stands as a testament to artists forgotten, after being given little chance by their label for lasting success. Artists like Loleatta Holloway, JJ Malone, and Lenny Williams are dusted off from the washy back catalogue of American soul for your listening pleasure. Get it in the comments while it's hot!

Bardo Pond--Bardo Pond (2010)

Eat it up. Bardo Pond's most recent album, a massive self titled double LP, is as expansive, hazy and pharmaceutically-fuzzed as you could possibly want. A lot more flute from Isobel then Ive heard before, and its beautiful. Listening to it almost makes me want to go back to that zone in time of early winter exam-crunch when "Amanita" drawled on in my speakers for days and days.

Thurston Moore said of this record, something like: "one of the coolest records". ...I'll take it.

God I love this band, they kick my ass every time. And I think I hear a harmonica on "Just Once"?

"Jesus Is Coming/ I'm willing to Wait"

Grab it yourself; link in the comments.

GnarWhal!!!!

PTA Music Video

Brothers, have you seen such splendor?

At once, this seems just another mood-drifting cover of the Lennon tune. But the video is a marvelous heaven, a spectacle of grace. It sucks you in, and then of course you remember just great the song really is and of course, Fiona Apple is a peach. It was all assembled by Paul Thomas Anderson, the Master maker of fine images. It translates beautifully to music videos. Just beautifully

Brian Eno - Another Green World (1975)

Most have heard this soundtrack-esque art pop masterpiece, so this post is a recommendation for those who haven't or those who wish to revisit it.
"Desert guitars" and a combination of organ and piano create a stunning, solemn landscape here, only interrupted by the focused pop songs of "Sky Saw" and "I'll Come Running".  Not feeling out of place, these tracks contribute to the arresting nature of the album with slick Eno/Bowie production.  The album invites deep, personal reflection in the way most successful soundtracks do, as each movement seemingly connects with feelings forgotten.  Brian Eno is an ideas man and this album is a truly magnificent example of his ideas realized.

Broadcast - The Noise Made By People (2000)

      I've never been able to nail down exactly why, but I tend to have a very polarized opinion in regards to vocalists, especially female vocalists. Broadcast, in my opinion, had one of the best female vocalists around, Trish Keenan. She had a mesmerizing, almost seductive, voice that seems to belong with the jazz vocalists. She doesn't get caught up in the frustrating overuse of vibrato and delivers crisp and piercing, yet simple, melodies over the ominous music of the band.

     The album begins with an eerie synth wavering in the foreground and the siren's voice becons to the listener,  "will you stay, now you're here," you want to stay, you want to keep listening. Much of the album bears the burden of the minor key with screeches from strings and synths which at many times are very uncomfortable. Such a juxtaposition with the comforting voice leaves the listener questioning whether or not to trust her. "Come on let's go," she pleads. It's in the comments if you need a taste.

Here's the fourth track on the album,

Obsession

Built around Atomic Forest's title track, "Obsession '77", from the 1981 lost treasure of Indian psychedelic rock whose vinyl rarity sells for thousands of dollars today (not that it should have anything to do with the album's actual quality), Mike Davis's psychedelic compilation brings to light an impressive collection of super-rare tracks.  The album displays music from all across the world spanning from the early-60s to mid-70s, bringing together a nice collage of different native instrumentation of psych rock. If you are like me and rarely fall off the well-worn path of Western psych rock, or if you can't decide if you like face-melting guitar solos more with native Argentenian drums or Turkish folk music, this one will most likely rattle those sneakers pretty hard.  Every track on here is a monster; I'd wager that never has so much fuzz been unleashed in one package. Come catch it in the comments, and leave one while you are at it.

Katrina Relief from The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

As everyone's aware of, 2005 brought the highest costing natural disaster in America's history with the Atlantic's Hurricane Katrina.  It claimed nearly 2,000 lives and turned a historic coastline to rumble.  With the government's untimely response and an unfathomable need for reconstruction, the nation, and city of New Orleans in particle, were left to criticize heavily, dwelling in a torn state of sadness and unifying hope.

As the victims looked into the ruins, the question of "What's Going On!?" must have come to the front of New Orleans' collective consciousness more than a few times.  It was this state of mind that brought Nawleans own Dirty Dozen Brass Band to aid.  The fiery brass funk group made a decision in 2006 to rework Marvin Gaye's classic, What's Going On? to both remind citizens' of their unified feelings of outrage, sadness, and hope, and to raise money for Katrina relief in the album's sales.  I've only played through it once thus far but it's right on!

The cover album stays relatively true to the original, maintaining the original track list and general soulful vibes, held down lyrically by a diverse cast from Guru and Chuck D to Bettye Lavette and G. Love.  However,  the heavy brass makes it pop like I couldn't have prepared myself for.  Chuck D opens the album dropping crisp lines to the album's title track.  He's in top form for this song.  Lavette has had quite a bit of notoriety doing covers these past few years, and she strikes gold on "What's Happening Brother", one of my favorite reworks on the album.  G. Love sort of struggled to find his voice in the context of "Mercy Mercy Me" but I suppose he still held up better than I expected him to.  A bold choice though for sure.  My favorite track on this disc has to be the cover of "Right On".  Dirty Dozen Brass Band truly has a knack for keeping true to the soul of a song while still tearing it apart and making it their own musically.  Guru closes out the album with "Inner City Blues".  I'm not incredibly familiar with Marvin's version of this song, and didn't pay much attention to Guru's rhymes, but his voice sounds great over the brass and he's always providing prophetic closing words to his many projects (RIP).  

Check it out here to support the cause.

Also I tossed the link in the comments if you want a run-thru before purchase or just don't have much cash.

No Trend - Tritonian Nash Vegas Polyester Complex (1987)

No Trend pissed people off. They pissed everybody off, even the sharp dressed punks who acted like all-time bad-asses, but in reality spent time in their rooms letting the mirror decide just how punk and black and sharp they really looked. No Trend played their name. They saw through how punk was in itself a trend, despite the very trend being "we're against trend". No Trend was as nihilistic as it gets, a harsh truth, they were really Against The Grain. When punk was amidst its Straight Edge fling, No Trend says "Mass Sterilization Caused By Venereal Disease".

The music is gold, too--loud lounge jazz, horns blazing perhaps, rock 'n roll, noir punk, and poetically cringing lyrics in which no matter who you are, you will find yourself in the cross-fire of their finger-points. And that was their deal I guess, their intention was a freak show, to say screw 'em to everybody.

Here's a video of their Big Hit "Teen Love", in which two plastic-eyed, algebra class lovers meet their end in a fatal car wreck. What a song. and grab Tritonian Nash Vegas Polyester Complex in the comments.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez -Telesterion (2011)

Supreme dictator of the unknown and steam-powered musical engine Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is "at it again" with what feels like his 30 or 40th studio release, Telesterion.  If you couldn't keep up with last year's 10 new albums like me, don't panic, as Telesterion is a much-needed compilation of 38 tracks spanning all across Omar's solo projects.  Over the course of his life, Omar has dabbled in all kinds of genres, nomadically discarding the musical approach taken in each previous album and playing with many different musicians, all the while retaining his signature melodic dissonance and unpredictability on guitar.  The dynamic of the album can seem a little weird at times, with jumps from heavy rock with spanish vocals to laid-back instrumental funk with real sexy saxophone work. Keep an ear open for the drums too, reigning great work from avant-garde powerhouses Deantoni Parks and Thomas Pridgen. Grab it down in the comments.

...as a baby's bottom: Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic

Just recently made the switch to vinyl! And the blog's back in session. Ya! So I'll be throwing up a few oldies records I've recently been throwing around.
Steely Dan are one of the pen-ultimate bands to collect on vinyl.  Rarely is something this smooth, with slick production and tight instrumentation, also capable of maintaining a cool factor.  Rock fusion groups like Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra, maybe, but....they're jazz fusion.  
The album is Dan's prime example of the marriage between studio professionalism and Fagen's vicious lyrics. The low to-the-ground funk of "Monkey In Your Soul" and tight jam on the self-titled track show the band sounding off like an actual rock "band" for the last time, as beyond this album Steely Dan became two dudes and a bunch of session musicians. This album deserves a more thorough review but I'm heading out to get a costume.  Enjoy your junk food.

"When the demon is at your door, in the morning he won't be there no more.  Any major dude will tell you..."
Wilco try to pay homage here, fairly successfully..

Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum/ Outisdeinside

Thought I might open up this old shop again with a goody bag from Blue Cheer: their debut from '68 Vencebus Eruptum and the follow-up Outsideinside released later that year. A Hard Rock Trio.

Watch the video below of them playing what-might-be-the-best-song-of-all-time "Summertime Blues". They have the first heavy metal drummer in rock 'n roll, just look at his hair and the way he slackly bangs at the drums. No one is cooler than Blue Cheer.

Hope You're Having a Good Summer

Hey everyone looks like we've slowed down to practically a total halt during these summer days. So whether you're outside enjoying the humidity or inside blasting the AC and listening to tunes, hopefully you haven't noticed and/or can forgive our apparent lethargy. Anyway, here are some swell tunes from guitarist John Fahey to help you through these tryin' heartland afternoons. Sorry I couldn't find a live version of "St. Louis Blues," for you, but nonetheless, enjoy.

Muddy Waters : Electric Mud (1968)

Muddy Waters purists love to hate this album. Released in '78, Electric Mud was recorded as his record company's attempt to capitalize on the hippies idolatry for Muddy Waters near the end of the seventies. You'll hear a wah wah pedal and fuzzbox combo all over this album, laying down a psychedelic production style on classic 50's Waters tunes. It's an incredibly goofy idea and I'm sure Muddy was ticked with his management for putting him in the session and for putting it out under his name, but it totally works. It rips. The b side re-working of "Mannish Boy" is wild and his cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together" is vicious. His backing band (Rotary connection) is tight throughout the release and complicates Waters' style in a unique way. You could argue it's a gimmick, and I'm sure most music fans with a strong sense of history and authenticity will bag on it, but this meeting point between psychedelia and traditional blues jams is a gem in my eyes.

Pyschobilly

Sometimes you got to thank a video camera for coming out.

Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts (2011)

The repeated phrases of "without shame, without shame" on "Mina Loy" (track 7) perfectly articulate the feelings of critical defiance and courageous self-redefinition that are present in Thurston's new solo album. Because maybe it's just the addition of the lazy, sweeping strings in the background, or perhaps the subdued and subtle guitar work, but with Demolished Thoughts, it finally appears as though Moore has made a name for himself as a singer/songwriter outside the often inescapably realms of Sonic Youth and his dozens of other projects. There's still the characteristic Thurston to be found in the album, but the go-to techniques that he's been imploring for years seem to have reached full maturation, and have blended together on this 100% acoustic album in a unique way to create a wholly original and uniquely charming release.

There's certainly stereotypical Thurston in the album. "Circulation" begins a bit of all too recognizable quick-wristed, loose, punky guitar work that's come to define the Lee/Moore guitar dichotomy over the years. There's also prime examples of the all-too-cryptic lyrics that he's been known for over the years with stand-alone lines like "Wet and drunken desire, dripping tears" in the track "Orchard Street." And as with almost every true Sonic Youth composition, there's some (although here, subdued) squeaky, shrill guitar buildups that happen after a couple of verses.

But there's a lot of new techniques that Moore implores on this album that make it fresh exciting for any Sonic Youth fan to listen to. As mentioned before, the presence of really soft and pure string in every track is a welcomed addition to the instrumental core that takes some pressure off the guitar while providing some rhythmic value. Also, without mucking up the melody, some slick production from Beck adds an elusive stand-up bass to the background of the album. It's pretty subtle, but it allows the album to maintain depth without obscuring or burdening the melodies. Oh, and did I mention that there's a prevalent lack of percussion? That's right, the man's made a living of banging, crashing, and exploding sounds and there's only a few drum tracks on this album. And for some reason, it makes sense. If there were a little snare and cymbal in the background on every track, it wouldn't sound bad, but it would add a weird sense of urgency to an album that really has nothing to prove. The usually loud Thurston Moore impatient and in-your-face sonic suggestions of "what if?" and "why not?" are replaced by languid expressions of perfect musical content. Instead of the usual punk call to arms, the album's expressions are far more introverted and less enigmatic. And maybe that's what separates it from even his previous acoustic release, Trees Outside the Academy. Certainly the two albums are technically similar, but on Demolished Thoughts there is even less of a sense of responsibility and continuity. Thurston has finally, quite totally, removed himself from the lifelong cliches that critics have been firing at him. This album seeks not to be "innovative," "cutting-edge," "chaotic," or "noisy" or any of the pigeon-holed tags that writers insist on pushing on Moore, but stands as a deep sigh of rebellious accomplishment.

Demolished Thoughts is a gorgeous album that any musician could be proud of making, but I'm especially happy to see probably one of my favorite guitarist of all time, who has been so predictably unpredictable, finally make a solo album that is totally unpredictably predictable.

Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, and Dan Bennink - The Topography of the Lungs (1970)

The words "free improvisation" inspire an elusive curiosity in some, while encouraging distrusting and annoyed grimaces from many others in the music community. Having roots in both free jazz and modern classical composition structure, the "genre" (or maybe, "set of techniques") seemingly continues where the modal jazz left off, that is trading even more harmony in for atonal structure. The movement values not so much the relationship between pitches and rhythms, but individual textures themselves.

Parker, Bailey, and Bennink's 1970 release on Incus records (the label's first) stands today as the most relevant and quintessential artifact of true, free improvisation. It's seemingly endless labyrinth of cymbal taps, guitar tappings, and saxophone buzzes provide an enigmatic map for listeners to follow, while struggling to find their way through the chaos. Evan Parker's solo work (which both mirrored American avant-garde pioneers such as Coltrane, while making them more abrasive), Derek Bailey's radical departure from traditional guitar technique, and Bennink's absurdist take on jazz percussion all culminate to create a monolithically landmark album. It can be challenging to listen to at first because it's object is to contain as little recognizable material/techniques as possible, but that doesn't mean it's unlistenable or unrewarding. Listen to it like your would a jazz album, and your mind will fill in the dots where the musicians suggest connections. It's extremely fidgety, disjointed, and unsettling at times, but once you get into the mode of listening to it, it'll challenge previous truths you held about rhythm, harmony, and song structure.

RIP Tim Taylor

On this day in 1997, Tim Taylor, frontman of the Dayton, Ohio punk band Brainiac died suddenly and tragically in a car crash. Brainiac (or 3RA1N1AC) were known primarily for their incredibly raucous live shows and their masterwork sophomore LP Bonsai Superstar. Here's my personal favorite track off the album "Radio Apeshot." Link to full album in comments. Never forget the fallen punks.

The Original Texas Groover: Doug Sahm :: Groover's Paradise (1974)

This post is dedicated to my Texan pal Zach Jones, who, like Doug Sahm, has always been playfully aware of the stigmas that people hold against Texas, but through playful admonishment and sincere pride always tends to turn these stereotypes around and instead represent Texas as a place of strong convictions, values, and fun.

It is this sort of self-awareness that Doug Sahm uses to his advantage in all of his running work, especially in this 1974 release, Groover's Paradise. Sahm plays on your typical western topics, especially in tunes like "Houston Chicks" and "Beautiful Texas Sunshine", but never drags them out to the cheesy extent that most modern country stars do, essentially providing the stigma to most music fans that country music is a genre of gimmicks lacking any substance. No, Doug Sahm does quite the opposite. He plays with the cards of his aforementioned state, but in a way that makes them real, even at sometimes tender.

A part of the success of Sahm's work certainly revolves around his ability to blow the doors down in any genre arena he attempts. People call his style "Tex-mex", but I'd understand that as being a term used because they have no idea how in the hell to briefly classify his style otherwise. So props to the original Texas groover for that. The album opens appropriately with the self-titled track, "Groover's Paradise", which exemplifies the jangly influence the members Doug Clifford and Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival left on Sahm with their studio involvement on this record. These guys allowed for a coherent sounding band, having a great time, unlike the feel of his first solo record, Doug Sahm and Band, which sounds like Doug Sahm just messing around with a bunch of hired guns. This opening track is the anthem and single that sets the theme for the whole album: being a groovin' stoner in Texas is an incredible time, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

The second track, "Devil Heart" continues to throw listeners for a loop, with a chugging riff, almost Allman Brothers-esque, that never really builds up beyond a feel-good chorus, which is fine and dandy with me. It's hypnotic and shows that with CCR's rhythm section, Sahm can lay down a really bluesy cut. Following this blues is "Houston Chicks", a sweet autobiographical love song paying homage to the lovely ladies he's made memories with in Houston.

"For The Sake of Rock n Roll" is the kind of song that got me initially interested in Doug Sahm. Lyrics that would at first come off as tongue-in-cheek become genuine once you realize how seriously Sahm valued Rock n roll in his life, almost to the point where he'd sacrifice anything to uphold the joys of the lifestyle. "Just Groove Me" plays out in a similar manner, as Sahm offers that he'll "love you to the sky" if you'll just groove him. He doesn't ask for much here people!

Good lord, "Girls Today (Don't Like To Sleep Alone)" might be one of the most style-defining songs Sahm's ever released. I cannot help but smile as Sahm sings this most socially incorrect song, it's sung too sincerely to get angry with, and so naturally I just take his side on it. He croons, "So if you got someone who loves you, go ahead and try to be yourself," a lyric that is so harshly honest to the situation a sheepish male may find himself in.

As I said before, part of Sahm's success lies in that he can look toward his roots with pride, and with a cover of the Mexican standard "La Cacahuata", meaning "the peanut", he shows that he can in so goofy a manner that it actually works perfectly for the album. I've always had a personal nostalgic relationship with this song as well because it sounds identically like this crummy instrumental tune that came on daily when Will and I spent a month down in Central America.

The album ends with what I believe is the greatest country song ever written, "Catch Me In the Morning". Beginning in a hard place, Sahm tells us "the keg was hard on his head last night" and that he naturally said some things that he now regrets. He's speaking of the problems that every cowboy's gotta deal with, but with the driving chorus chant of "Catch Me In the Morning", it is all about the hope that rests in the light of the morning after. The very un-country driving chord changes that take the slow-groovin' verse for such a wild spin make this the perfect album closer. He's made mistakes, but he looks at the future as a place for forgiveness and redemption. He doesn't seem to ever learn from the hardships that befall a groovin' Texas cowboy, but the purity he links with the morning after make the good balance out the bad, for such is life.

Willie Wright--Telling The Truth ('77)

It's officially summer for this old crippled man. Picked up this great album last week.

Willie Wright is a mostly forgotten soul singer, who croons like a true ladies man, smooth as can be with the softest of instrumentation accompanying him. He belongs on the beach, far from trouble--except the kind in his heart, which comes out beautifully in his voice on every track. He's a little like of that guy in Life Aqautic, who's scattered throughout the movie playing Bowie songs in Portuguese, but you know, interesting. and a lot better.

So as the dog day afternoons of the sultry summer turn to pleasant evenings this June, be sure to turn to Willie Wright for company as you barbecue, smoke cigars and sip on jack and cokes.

I'm especially fond of "Africa", "Right On for the Darkness" and "Nantucket Island". grab it in the comments.