Ethiopian musician (piano, organ, vibraphone, and percussion), composer, and arranger Mulatu Astatke (the name is spelled Astatqé on his French releases) is a household name in his native country, where he is known as the father of Ethio-jazz, a unique blend of pop, modern jazz, traditional Ethiopian music, Latin rhythms, Caribbean reggae, and Afro-funk. Born in 1943 in the west Ethiopia city of Jimma, Mulatu studied music in London, New York City, and Boston, where he was the first African graduate of the Berklee College of Music, and went on to work with several acclaimed jazz artists, including a guest spot with Duke Ellington in 1971. Further schooled in New York’s dance clubs in the 1960s, Mulatu recorded three of his LPs in the city, Afro-Latin Soul, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 in 1966 and Mulatu of Ethiopia in 1972. Most of his records were released by Amha Records, including several singles and the 1974 LP Ethio Jazz. Mulatu’s work brought a renewed focus on instrumentation and rhythm to Ethiopian pop music, shepherding in a golden age in that country’s pop and jazz circles from 1968 to 1974. He went on to found a music school and open his own club, and he stayed active as an arranger, advisor, and DJ. In 2004 he met the Massachusetts-based Either/Orchestra and formed a long-running collaboration with the band. Never one to paint himself into a creative corner and always expanding his musical vision, Mulatu also collaborated with the London-based psyche-jazz configuration the Heliocentrics in 2008 on the albumInspiration Information, Vol. 3, which included updated versions of many of his classic compositions. He also contributed to the soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch’s 2005 film Broken Flowers, which brought him a whole lot of new fans outside of his homeland. AMG.
listen here
Hailing from the small town of Apollo Bay on the southern coast of Australia, the Vasco Era have crafted a first album about being small-town boys in a small-town band -- it's even named after their local football club's oddly wimpy theme song. Oh We Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside was produced by Jeff Saltzman, who has worked with the Black Keys and the Killers; this album is definitely closer to the former than the latter in its blues-rock sound. Every song on the almost-concept album contains the word "when," linking them together like chapters in a rambling story told by an affectionate drunk at a party, a simple and heartfelt story about a breakup and its aftermath. Vocalist Sid O'Neil soars between anguished screams worthy of the Vines' Craig Nicholls and a bluesy growl reminiscent ofJack White from the White Stripes. The rest of the band plays hard rock that takes its swagger from the Rolling Stones and its volume and dirge riffs from Black Sabbath. The opening tracks are garagey stomps that don't slow down, the first pause for breath appropriately coming with "When We Tried to Get You to Settle Down." O'Neil laments about the times and "Some kind of blues that I'm way too young to try and understand," but then he delivers lines that show his excellent grasp of a quirky kind of blues for the young, wistfully singing "The girl from The O.C. was backstage at the Wolfmother show/And we almost talked to her." "Honey Bee (When It Was Making Wierd [sic] Love Songs)" exploits the quiet loud/dynamic so apocalyptically it's as if the last 20 years of post-Pixies rock hadn't happened and you're hearing it done for the first time. The rhythms are so solid they demand a kind of whole-body headbanging in response, but the star is clearly the vocals. There's not a second on the whole album where O'Neil doesn't sound so passionate that you think he's about to do permanent damage to his vocal cords. This is an album worthy of taking them from their humble roots and catapulting them to a much larger stage. AMG.
listen here
Jayne County was the John Waters of rock music, crafting blatantly offensive and goofy music that delivered mean-spirited entertainment and a hilarious freak show. Bragging up her own importance on virtually every other song, some of County's best music can be found on this compilation. "Storm the Gates of Heaven" is one of the most silly, offensive, angry, and campy songs to grace the punk movement, delivering a disdain for Christianity with tongue firmly in cheek and middle finger proudly raised. Elsewhere she chastises those who won't take her home ("Fuck Off"), celebrates the twisted men who go through her life ("Mean Muthafuckin' Man"), and sings a tribute to filthy bathroom affairs ("Toilet Love"). Vile, nasty, and hilarious, County is obviously not for everyone. In fact, as the years go by, the audience who would enjoy her routine seems to get narrower and narrower. But this is a document of an important performance artist; in the '70s her live shows couldn't be touched for sheer energy and entertainment. And these songs were the backbone of those shows; even if they weren't always good, they at least had the charismatic snarl of County delivering their hideous message. For anyone curious about the New York punk scene, this is high-priority stuff even if it contains some of the least-important music of the period. County, like many punk musicians, has overcome her talents to become a personality, and that personality is strong enough to make this a recommended collection. AMG.
listen here
Billy Childish and Dan Melchior team for a stripped-down blues outing on Devil in the Flesh; recorded live on Childish's "1/2 track" machine, the poor fidelity lends the set a kind of authentic field recording texture perfectly suited to the material at hand. AMG.
listen here
As long as rock & roll still draws breath, there's no getting away from the blues, but who knew that blues-rock would suddenly make such a comeback? No one's shouting "boogie" anymore, but in many respects, the Black Keys and the like-minded bands who've followed in their wake have more in common with Savoy Brown or Foghat as anything that's seemed stylistically innovative in the past couple decades (beyond clearing out the chaff by shrinking the lineup), and the new kids on this scene, Philadelphia's John the Conqueror, aren't bringing much you haven't already heard to the picture. The group's self-titled debut album is dominated by a king-size portion of lean but muscular blues changes courtesy of frontman Pierre Moore, married to the fierce but steady hard rock attack of bassist Ryan Lynn and drummer Michael Gardner. As you might expect, Moore's songs find him having trouble with his woman (or women), enjoying alcoholic beverages, and celebrating his roots in the Deep South (which Moore comes by honestly, as he and Gardner were born and raised in Mississippi), all accompanied by lots of thick, fuzzy guitars and hard-stomping rhythms. If John the Conqueror are regrettably short on originality, they are genuinely good at what they do -- Moore's guitar work is admirably short on self-indulgent soloing, and twists familiar riffs with pithy style, his vocals are effective, and the rhythm section grooves solidly without a lot of wasted effort or aural clutter. They probably would have sounded like a breath of fresh air if you saw them opening for, say, Head East in 1974. But here in 2012, John the Conqueror aren't doing anything other folks haven't done before (and better), and while they've clearly got potential, they're a long way from making the most of it. AMG.
listen here
A fine drummer who performs in advanced jazz settings, Chip White is also a talented composer. He began studying percussion when he was nine. White attended Ithaca College, studied at the Berklee School of Music and later took orchestration and arranging lessons from Frank Foster. In the '70s,'80s and '90s, he played with many top jazz musicians including Carmen McRae, Jaki Byard, John Abercrombie, Johnny Coles, Enrico Rava, Mulgrew Miller,Gary Bartz and John Hicks, recording with many of them. He formed the Chip White Ensemble in 1984, produced a jazz musical (Manhattan Moments) in 1990 and toured with the Houston Person-Etta Jones Quintet. In 1994, Chip White recorded Harlem Sunset (for Postcards), his debut set as a leader. AMG.
listen here
Following their superb, decidedly weird 1989 release, The Half-Life of Desire, and with one's appetite whetted by the intriguing Caravaggio details used in the packaging, The Calculus of Pleasure came as something of a letdown. It's as though the mainstream qualities which were always present but offset by an avant-garde sensibility and some inspired wackiness suddenly rose to the fore and drowned out everything else. This might be all well and good, and to be sure, the ensemble goes through their paces quite ably, but the listener who thrilled to their rollicking covers of everyone from Bobbie Gentryto Robert Fripp may have been expecting a more progressive step rather than the regression to music that seemed so safe and even-tempered. The exception is perhaps their version of Julius Hemphill's classic "The Hard Blues," where the instrumentalists do indeed get a bit down and dirty. Even here though, little enough new is done with the material that one half-wonders why, aside from admiring the original, they bothered. Gershon's "Miles Away" is a funky tribute to post-Bitches Brew Davis, and the album closes with a charming lullaby by bassist Nieske, but the sense of drive and purpose achieved in earlier efforts seems to have largely evaporated. An enjoyable enough recording but not an essential one and, given the band's prior promise, a slightly disappointing one. AMG.
listen here
Experimental instrumental ensemble Kneebody makes jazz-, funk-, rock-, and electronic-influenced music. Featured in the band are keyboardist Adam Benjamin, trumpeter Shane Endsley, bassist/guitarist Kaveh Rastegar, saxophonist Ben Wendel, and drummer Nate Wood. Although Benjamin,Endsley, Rastegar, and Wendel attended Eastman School of Music together in the '90s, it wasn't until after they graduated and all relocated to Los Angeles that Kneebody was formed. They released their debut self-titled album on trumpeter Dave Douglas' Greenleaf label in 2005. Two years later, they returned with Low Electrical Worker. Kneebody then collaborated with vocalist Theo Bleckmann for the 2009 album Twelve Songs by Charles Ives. They delivered their fourth studio album, The Line, on Concord in 2013. Two years later they teamed with left-field hip-hop and electronica producer Daedelus for the collaborative LP Kneedelus, a Brainfeeder release. AMG.
listen here
High-quality reissue of holy grail 70s Ghana Funk LP available for the first time in 30 years. Totally unique sound, a rare Funk attempt by African female singer backed bu the legendary Uppers International, 3 massive Afro Funk tunes + some deep Highlife of the highest caliber. One of the nicest and rarest African records ever made.
listen here
Playing bluesy hard rock with plenty of attitude, a classic rocker's appreciation of history, and a punk's sense of concision, Henry's Funeral Shoe is a power duo from South Wales consisting of Aled Clifford on guitar and vocals, and his younger brother Brennig Clifford on drums. Aled's early musical inspiration came from his father's collection of LPs, as the youngster began checking out the work of iconic rock bands such as the Beatles, the Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as a variety of blues acts ranging from Robert Johnson to Peter Green. Aled took up the guitar, mentored by musician Ned Edwards (best known for his work with Van Morrison), and he began playing solo acoustic shows, focusing on blues-oriented material. After several unsatisfying experiences playing with bands, Aled chose to return to solo work when he was asked by his brother Brennig to get together and jam. Brennig, ten years younger thanAled, was inspired to take up drumming by the fiery stickwork of Keith Moon, and the brothers soon found that Aled's forceful, blues-rock style and Brennig's frantic percussion made for an effective combination. In 2008, the two began performing as Henry's Funeral Shoe (the name coming from an unpublished short story written by Aled), and while several bassists were auditioned to round out the group, the Clifford brothers felt that they worked well enough as a two-piece to do without. The group came to the attention of Alive Natural Sound Records, an American label that's home to several contemporary punk-blues acts, and in 2009, the label released Henry's Funeral Shoe's first album,Everything's for Sale. After extensive touring in Europe and the U.K., the duo returned in 2011 with their second LP, Donkey Jacket, featuring guest appearances by Justin Beynon of Broken Vinyl Clubon keyboards, Pete Hurley (a former member of Welsh hard rockers Lone Star) on bass, and Aled's one-time teacher Ned Edwards on harmonica. AMG.
listen here
The aptly titled A Dream in Sound is Elf Power's creative breakthrough -- inventively produced by the great Dave Fridmann, the record is a great leap forward from the previous When the Red King Comes, boasting a bright, majestic sheen (the richest to grace an Elephant 6 release to date) that illuminates the striking pop melodies once buried below the group's fuzz-drenched surface. Although song titles like "High Atop the Silver Branches" and "Simon (The Bird with the Candy Bar Head)" serve notice thatthe Elves' psychedelic tendencies are still in full bloom, there's a new emotional complexity behind the songs as well -- Andrew Rieger's high, plaintive vocals lend a strange poignancy to his surreal narratives, and tracks like the lovely "Jane" possess genuine sweetness and warmth. A major addition to the E6 canon, A Dream in Sound pushes Elf Power to the label's front lines alongside Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel -- lofty company indeed. AMG.
listen here
Everyone reviewing this record seems to get hung up on the fact that Bobby BeauSoleil is an inmate, serving a life sentence for murder, who had ties with the Charles Manson cult, and who recorded and produced this psychedelic prog rock soundtrack, in prison, for a film extolling the virtues of Lucifer. If these are the only things that lend credence to this album, someone forgot to actually listen to it. Lucifer Rising is a beautifully realized work, no matter what the circumstances were surrounding its coming to be. BeauSoleil is a talented arranger and a fine guitarist, with a knack for guerilla recording that most D.I.Y. engineers, on the outside, would be envious of. Layers of guitar, processed through handmade effects units, and hot-rodded junks hop synthesizers issuing indescribable tones arc and dive throughout BeauSoleil's spacious soundscapes. The sound stage is wide and horizon-less, with dark-toned movements rising up from stygian depths and then ascending heavenward with gorgeous chordal fusillades. For a compact introduction to BeauSoleil's epode-like songsmithing, "Part III" offers a strata-revealing overview. Moving from Piper at the Gates of Dawn-era Floyd motifs, the song evolves into an intricate and vacillating progression reminiscent of Air's "Don't Be Light" with all of the dazzling chordal movement, but none of the pomp. Floyd and Air comparisons aside, the most accurate description of BeauSoleil's trajectory would be psych-prog by way of Claude Debussy, and hard rock as it may have been envisioned by Ennio Morricone. Lucifer Rising is far too beautiful to be labeled as hard rock, far too focused to be written off as meandering prog, and too full of merit to be judged solely on the heteroclite life of its composer. AMG.
listen here
Holly Golightly exists in that rarefied class of performers who are regarded as legends of prolific measure, but whose adoration is restricted to a small, devoted following. The fact that her followers (and collaborators) include the likes of Jack White and Dan Melchior doesn't hurt matters. Her recent song "There Is an End," a collaboration with Cincinnati, OH's the Greenhornes, was even included in the film Broken Flowers. However, being delightfully oblivious to the mainstream, Golightly has never altered her style or sound to appeal to a larger audience. In fact, she's stripped her sound down from her comparatively lush approximations of '60s girl group revelry and come up with a perfectly primitive bunch of songs for this 2007 release, You Can't Buy a Gun When You're Crying. Billed as the debut effort of Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs, it's worth noting that, despite the pluralistic moniker, "the Brokeoffs" is actually a somewhat mysterious guy simply called Lawyer Dave, a one-man-band from Texas. The album is a barebones collections of duets culled from an eerie Americana backwater tradition that suits Golightly like a glove. Though they come from seemingly different worlds, the two singers mesh well, with Golightly's soft warble playing against Lawyer Dave's slurring drawl. There are elements of the haunted harmonies of the Carter Family in the mix, as well as traces of lonesome Delta twang, and Golightly's own otherworldly sensibility. At its best, the album sounds like leftovers from the cutting room floor of Alan Lomax. Built around a simple mantra of, "Ain't nobody gonna love me like the devil do," repeated infinitely by Golightly in her quavering, slightly nasal, Victoria Williams-esque little girl voice, "Devil Do" is an understated highlight. "Got me drunk on whisky/Drunk on wind/The lord don't like it/But the devil don't mind," sings Lawyer Dave during the cheeky verse of the backporch stomper. Later in the album comes the turn of the screw with the altered reprise "Jesus Don't Love Me," and among the highlights is the aching balladry of "Just Around the Bend": "When you were planning and dreaming/Of how you would leave in the end/But you didn't see this coming/From just around the bend," sings Golightly coyly. The song is a steady waltz that builds an eerie, almost murder ballad-esque tension as it twirls along. Golightly's knack for turns of phrase and unique story angles harkens back to her early colleague, Billy Childish. Though now, perhaps more than on previous efforts, she seems to be coming into a bit more of her own personality. Just as it's difficult to listen Thee Headcoatees without feeling a little like you're listening to a play of some sort, it's difficult to listen to this album without getting the impression that Golightly's still sort of acting, playing the role of this archaic Appalachian songstress. Fortunately, the role becomes her. AMG.
listen here
