Review: Gone - Pong (2014)

Wow. First post of the new year, and I believe my first review ever! I thought I'd have to really dig down & describe a bunch of tunes, but looks like SoundCloud's gonna bail me out.

Just recently got to catch one of my main favorites, Pong (#3 of 2010, #1 of 2005) here in Houston again, for the first time since those #1 Live Shows of 2010. The occasion was releasing an all-new studio album, Gone, on Saustex Media. Buy the LP or CD from them here, get the CD or MP3 from Amazon, or AAC format on iTunes.



"Still Here" [live 2012], from Gone (2014)

That opening track started cropping up on live YouTubes awhile back, at least 2012 as shown there. "Still Here" kicks up a ruckus & kicks off some kind of general overall theme: being here or there, wanting to be elsewhere, going or being gone, a longing nostalgia / time travel... perhaps even survival. "They may be gone, but we are all still here." Experience the studio version via Pong SoundCloud.




My personal pick to click, "Livin in the Future" does best that relatively laid-back Pong mid-tempo stroke. Fits in a lot without goin' totally nuts (see next), catchy as hell from the beats on up. Various nice guitar parts that build to a funky blowout. That's a really well-constructed pop song there!




Uncork the nuttiness now. This one goes back at least to that 2010 Cactus in-store, when they were releasing the previous album. "Fish Sauce" is brewed from like The B-52's, Devo... I dunno, Mr. Bungle or maybe Fishbone (dat skankin' bass). Also, Gilligan's Island, Tootsie Pops, maybe Nilsson even? So much guitar texture: crinkly rippling, ersatz island slack-key, Morse Code. And the theme reappears.



"Electronic Friend" from Gone (2014)

I'm gonna back up a bit to the 2nd track. As explained over at Blurt Online, it's about a free iPad. And there's an official video.

Okay, cool.




I don't think Pong has ever done anything like "Sleepwalker" before - so normal-ish, like in a sincere Ween mode. A sleepy longing vibe, until... the wake-up? So Shane basically likes to get hit everywhere but the face? Ow! "Being dumb could be a virtue. OH NO!"




Whoa, new girl Kerri Atwood (only 5 years!) gets a full-fledged lead vocal - very nice. Like the song, like the driving momentum, love the breakdown. Frame it! Bury it! Walk twenty paces away!

"Lyman" is the drummer of Pong.




And "The Spot" finishes up the album. Kind of smoldering for awhile, it builds & builds, moving forward, but with lots of subtly ranging accompaniment (the music part). Solid wrap-up, good record!

Given that we're talking Pong, my range of reactions was limited and predictable. But I'm really happy with this one already.

Enjoy!!

Metallic Alloys

Heeyyy, you got your Black Metal in my Space Rock! Nooo, you got your Drone Psych in my Doom Metal...




Maybe my favorite new band, from Finland: Oranssi Pazuzu. Their third album is out somewhat recently now. Somehow, it's actually cheaper to buy the physical CD.

Here's a band SoundCloud mix including earlier material.




Hey, you got your Disco Funk Metal in my Zeuhl! I would swear I've at least heard of Chrome Hoof, but there are so many similarly named bands. I definitely would not have guessed their musical style(s) correctly.




Dude, you got your complete lack of guitars in my Brutal Death Metal. Geryon is made up of Nick and Lev, the rhythm section of Krallice (#13 Metal of 2009, #21 of 2011), with assistance from Indricothere (#9, 2007).

Desert Sessions 09 & 10 (06, '03)

Since Queens of the Stone Age have just announced some 2014 tour dates, I guess I could re-start the 2003 countdown. These are the last two EP's of Josh Homme & associates' Desert Sessions project. PJ Harvey features prominently, and a buncha Dean Ween, plus all the regulars.

Here's both EP's in full.



"Crawl Home" from I See You Hearin' Me (2003)

As with so much that happened before the last few weeks, I don't remember this. Official Desert Sessions videos in 2003? Where did they even play?



"I Wanna Make It Wit Chu" [live] from I See You Hearin' Me (2003)

Live promotional appearances?! A few years later, this track would appear officially on a proper Queens of the Stone Age release, Era Vulgaris (2007).



This one's got some convoluted credits, but other than the original studio "Make It Wit Chu," Deaner appears mostly on Vol. 10: I Heart Disco, the final chapter


"In My Head... or Something" from I Heart Disco (2003)

And much like that tune, QOTSA later recycled "In My Head" for Lullabies to Paralyze (2005). There's a lot of different stuff going on all over the place... I'm just hittin' the highlights here.



"Subcutaneous Phat" from I Heart Disco (2003)

Like, see how different that one is that the previous "Creosote?" Diversity!

And yet another thing that I'd never heard of was the "Crawl Home" single, with exclusive B-sides. PJ Harvey cover: "The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore" (7")... and a Prince cover: "It" (CD). Glad I have the blog to make me learn things!

If you're into Queens of the Stone Age & the like, the rest of those people involved here are basically 'the rest of those people': Dave Catching, Twiggy Ramirez, Alain Johannes, Troy van Leeuwen, Chris Goss, Josh Freese, and Joey Castillo.

Genre - Hangin' out & Messin' around...
Official - desertsessions.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/desertsessions
Location - Joshua Tree, Calif.

Review - Ultimate Guitar
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Amazon

Live Goat

This was originally going to be just an overall Psych Fest update - but some people aren't posting up all their live videos yet. I know you were filming!!

Anyway, given all the stuff happening around Goat (#1, 2012), I think it warrants yet another post about them.



"Run to Your Mama" from World Music (2012)

New-ish official video (and there's even something unofficial). Maybe you missed the RSD Remixes of that song? No sweat - MP3's are available at Amazon & at Boomkat. Hell, looks like they've still got some of the 12"s over at Forced Exposure.

Obviously, Goat's been touring America recently (getting to Psych Fest...), so check some of this out:



"Goathead" - live at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 4/23/2013

Yeah, Goat in concert! How'd you like to be able to download that whole show as an authorized recording? The whole show. Thanks again, NYCtaper!

O, there's also video of the full Philadelphia, PA show at Johnny Brenda's - same basic set: Diarabi, Golden Dawn, Disco Fever, Stone Goat, Let It Bleed, Dream Building, Run To Your Mama, Goathead, Goatman, Goatlord, Det som aldrig förändras, and the encore - The Sun, The Moon.



"The Sun, The Moon" - live at Austin Psych Fest, 4/28/2013

Or check out the encore from Psych Fest, either way. Lotsa fun was had by all. Someone else shot during "Let It Bleed." The only thing I'd suggest was maybe some brighter lights for more stage action visibility, but that's a minor thing. They (both Goat and the crowd) tore it up!



Also, you might not know a couple of tunes on the setlist - I sure didn't. But "Dreambuilding" and "Stone Goat" are the double-A sides of their new/upcoming single. Stream the first (???) A-side from Pitchfork. Out already in Sweden on 12", another 2 versions are out in early June. American pre-order via Sub-Pop, and Euro pre-order via Rough Trade (on Rocket Recordings, both are 7").

World Music - Goat (#1, 2012)

Like any rockin' party, World Music by Goat feels like it just flies past. Here's the full 37:39, which seems shorter than that by about half the length. Good times!

"Diarabi" (live) kicks off the proceedings with a sidewinding North African/Middle Eastern intro that wouldn't be out of place on this year's #3 Six Organs of Admittance record.

Title interpretation: "Diarabe mean infatuated or extreme love. Like if you can't go without someone." Maybe also a reference to "Diaraby" by Ali Farka Touré & Ry Cooder?

Although I've mostly focused on the hit singles and official videos in previous posts, the album frontloads the "Goat" ones - so here we are, again.



"Goatman" (live) from World Music (2012)

Title interpretation: a man of the goats? a superhero?
Recipe for instant classic: Soaring & detonating guitars, full-frontal low-end, frenzied hand-drum assault, dat chant. Mix well.

By now, Western musicians have been copping Near Eastern moves since at least The Beatles (#6, 1969). But if there's been a big resurgence of raw Afro-Funk a la Nigeria 70 (2001), I guess I've missed it. And far from shying away from any concerns about imperialistic misappropriation, Goat doubles down - weaving a ludicrous and awesome backstory about some ancient traveling witch-doctor importing Voodoo culture to their remote Swedish village.



"Goathead" (live) from World Music (2012)

Title interpretation: the godhead? a tribute to Swedish-Afro-Funk pioneers The Rolling Stones (#19, 1969), who also released an album called Goats Head Soup (1973)?

Brewed up from similar ingredients as the previous one, with maybe a more spindly lead guitar, a more chooglin' rhythm, and a stop-start breakdown. The solo drips molten slow molasses napalm into a blender set to frappé. And with a twist ending - acoustic mellow-down coda!

"Disco Fever" (live)
Title interpretation: a reference to some South Bronx shithole? an actual malady in the jungles of Sweden?

That's some classic relentless driving Afro-Funk riffs, interrupted here & there by wah-wah drops and an extended organ freak-out. As always, the vocals contend with everything else thrown out under them. [Click-thru image to GOAT-fan blogger-artist.]


"Golden Dawn" (live)
Title interpretation: reference to the 20th Century occult society? or Greek fascist party?

I don't know what that trick or effect towards the beginning is called, where the different parts' rhythms seems to race each other to get ahead and then tumble behind & back in line, but I like it. Also what's that dissonant tone in the bridge - like a chromatic diminished 13th or something?



"Let It Bleed" (live) from World Music (2012)

Title interpretation: back to ye olde Rolling Stones again? Or literally 'let it bleed?'

This was a single released before the full-length came out, or more importantly, before I'd heard of them. I'd put that on my jukebox! Scale Power-ed all the way to the drop-out... No-one expects the saxophone.

"Run to Your Mama" (live)
Title interpretation: If you're not Swedish, you probably wouldn't get the cheeky reference to Hardcore Superstar... I'm not judging - just here to help.

I think that break has a little "War Pigs" DNA, am I right?
Lay it down + Belt it out = PROFIT!

Guess what I literally just learned while searching for the image above. There's a whole non-album B-side tune floating out there: "The Sun, The Moon!!" (The only place I've found it for download is on the iTune single for "Goatman.")


"Goatlord" (live)
Title interpretation: Lord of the goats? a goat who is also a lord?

Drone out with tha pump organ. Niceness all the way around - with a super-overdriven lead guitar from outta nowhere. But no-one expects the pump organ!



"Det som aldrig förändras / Diarabi" live) from World Music (2012)

Title interpretation: Swedish for "what never changes." Duh.

Sweet video, sweet song(s). Nice step-up to full accompaniment with the now-riffing pump, and the transition back into the intro as the outro. Like a veritable Ouroboros of awesome!

Might I take a moment to point out that Rocket Recordings have been killing it for a few years now? Nice job (again) on this one! I mean, check out (or listen to, or escucha) this playlist...


PNKSLM.com - GOAT- The World Music Mixtape by PNKSLM

Also this exclusive Goatmix, via the label blog (w/ tracklist)... There's also a recent, similar BBC6 mix as well.

BTW, I was just kidding about "Run to Your Mama." Not joking about the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Nigeria 70 or Black Sabbath though.

Genre - Voodoo-delic Afro-Funk
Official/blog - goatsweden.blogspot.com/
Location - Korpilombolo, Sweden

Review - The Quietus
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Purchase - Forced Exposure

Space is the first word in...

Space Disco! I always want it to be better than it ends up being. Just sounds so awesome. Mostly it turns out to be just normal disco with a sci-fi gloss, but I've found some relevant stuff that has been encouraging: the Soviet electro of Zodiac, the bandwagon cheese of Meco, the sleek Italo of Moroder...

Here's the genre Wiki entry - and a genre YouTube playlist.

I'm going to limit this to just 3 that I've recently found - with actual period videos! (and some other links at the end too.)



"Magic Fly" by Space, from Magic Fly (1977)

So much insanity!! I'd heard of France's Space before as a band The Time & Space Machine had remixed. Crazily enough, Jannick Top from Magma was a founding member. On the other side, they put out From Earth to Mars in 2010 - sounds not all that bad really.



"Supernature" by Cerrone, from Supernature (Cerrone III) (1977)

Did I mention crazy? Cerrone was also from France, one of a few global Space Disco hubs. Click the link for an interesting Wiki read on this "French disco drummer, singer-songwriter and record producer" who "was 'the first' to put the kick drum (or bass drum) into the foreground of modern dance music." He's still going too, recently Vs'ing Louie Vega.



"Nightflight to Venus/Rasputin" by Boney M from Nightflight to Venus (1978)

The 1st part kinda reminds me of a neon-strobe Sun Ra, and then the 2nd tune actually happens. Things get freakier before the rules set in...

One pattern I noticed is how much material was based directly on non-musical properties from film and television - like Droids' "The Force," Moroder's "Battlestar Galactica," and "Theme from Star Trek" by The Galactic Force Band (???).

And the Wikipedia entry talks about Space Disco leading to '80s stuff like the awesomely-named Laserdance (from Holland) and even Falco's "Der Kommissar" (Austria).

Goats on the Horizon

Hey, now! It's back to music. And it's Goat!!



"Goatman" from World Music (2012)

Not saying Goat is the only Swedish voodoo-themed psychedelic Afro-Funk band going these days, but that's probably accurate.



"Goathead" from World Music (2012)

Of course, it's new-ish from Rocket Recordings! They who brought us recent Astral favorites Gnod (#3, 2011 and #5, 2010) and Teeth of the Sea (#10, 2010 and #9, 2009).



"Let It Bleed" from World Music (2012)

So you're thinking about buying this now, right? Right?!

Are you in the United States? Answer: Yes.

Answer: No.



"The Sun The Moon" from Goatman 7" (2012)

Oooooooookay...

Goat are a collective who hail from a small and very remote village called Korpolombolo in deepest darkest Sweden. Legend has it that for centuries, the inhabitants of the village of Korpolombolo were dedicated to the worship and practices of Voodoo. This strange and seemingly unlikely activity was apparently introduced into the area after a travelling witch doctor and a handful of her disciples were led to Korpolombolo by following a cipher hidden within their most sacred of ancient scriptures. The reason it led them there is unknown, but their Voodoo influence quickly took hold over the whole village and so they made it their home - there, they were able to practice their craft unnoticed and unbothered for several centuries. This was until their non-Christian ways were discovered by the Church and they were burned out by the crusaders, the survivors cursing the village over their shoulders as they fled. To this day, the now picturesque village of Korpolombolo is still haunted by this Voodoo curse; the power of the curse can be felt throughout the grooves of the Goat records.

"Goatlord" (live in the Temple during the september rituals, 2012)

If you're in England, check this out!

Goat UK tour October! Fisrt EVER shows on these shores! Be quick if you want to see them, its looking increasingly difficult to get a ticket anywhere!

19th Oct - Lexington, London (Sold Out)

20th Oct - Star & Shadow, Newcastle

21st Oct - Supersonic Festival, Birmingham

Here's an interview I haven't read yet.

O, Meco

A long time ago in a cinema far, far away...

On 25 May 1977, Meco watched the feature film Star Wars on its opening day. By the second day, 26 May 1977, he had watched it four times, and he watched it several more times that weekend. He then got the idea to make a disco version of the score by John Williams.

Meco was an American named Domenico Monardo, who originally formed a band... musical group... production team. Along with a "guitar genius," the current musical director for Dancing with the Stars (ABC-TV) and Jon Bon Jovi's 2nd cousin, they made an album.



"Star Wars" from Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk (1977)

Apparently, Tony Bongiovi would regularly advise: "It's not dumb enough – It's too good." Ever heard of Suzanne Ciani? "In 1977, Ciani provided the sound effects for Meco's disco version of the Star Wars soundtrack, which was certified platinum." She recently had a collection released by Finders Keepers. US CD from Forced Exposure. Check out a tune or another of hers.

I embedded the long (album) version up there, but there are a whole bunch of different ones. Such as the Cantina Band 7" edit, or some longer remix, some of which are probably not MECO originals... Who knows any more?!



Encounters of Every Kind, Side 1 (1977)

Because of the known hilarity of the Meco-Star Wars axis, I recently bought the unknown Meco Close Encounters of the Third Kind record, released the same year (1977). Same trip as the infamous Caroliner haul. Coincientally, it was "the last Meco album to gain significant prominence on the Billboard charts, though he continued to record film tie-ins with disco-inspired albums..." Surprising!!

Here's the tracklist for Side 1: "Time Machine" (0:43), "In the Beginning" (3:27), "Roman Nights" (1:26), "Lady Marion" (2:52), "Icebound" (1:20), "Hot in the Saddle" (4:27). Close Encounters, amirite?



"Theme from Close Encounters" from Encounters of Every Kind (1977)

O wait, there it is - last track on the record! There was also a "very rare" Close 7" version, but what you really care about is...



EWOK CELEBRATION 12" (1983)

amirite?!

American Cheese

I wanted to play something really American for the USA's birthday.



No, not Neil Diamond's "America" - nor the Boss's's "Born in the U.S.A." - nor The Eagles...



"Living in America" from Rocky IV OST (1985)

It's our President of Funk, James "JB" Brown, from the 1980's, the most American of all decades!!



"U.S.S.A." from Locust Abortion Technician (1987)

What a difference a couple of years makes... (Should I have played the Guess Who cover instead?)

Or maybe The Jackofficers? Regardless!!



Happy Independence Day.

Why Can't We Live Together??

No, seriously. How have I never heard of this before?



"Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas (1972)

From a list of 500 worst Rolling Stone reviews, #44:

Rating: Unfavorable

"To get to the point: This record is a piece of junk. It drives me out of the room when it's on the record player; it gives me a headache if I stay. Yet it is one of the top 40 best-selling albums in the country...Thirty minutes of listening to a hack organist and a metronome playing basically the same song in eight variations is one of the most abrasive experiences I've undergone in months."
(Russell Gersten, 4/12/73 Review)

I realize I'm probably in the minority on this, but I think it is kind of awesome that a song that consists entirely of a guy singing and playing an organ, accompanied only by a primitive drum machine, could reach the top ten - the simplicity of the presentation is precisely what makes this record so affecting. And I actually prefer Timmy's "Coldest Days of My Life" to the saccharine Chi-lites version.

#3 on Billboard!!



I also love this one, on the Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin (1999), #313:

Rating: 3 Stars

"Their music isn't, how you say, universally accessible, and the weirdness gets same-y, but no one else has posited a parallel universe in which the Sixties and the Nineties exist simultaneously, allowing for a peculiarly convincing brand of monolithic robotic swirl." (Arion Burger, 5/27/99 Review)

"The weirdness gets same-y" in a "monolothic robotic swirl"?? What the fuck are you yammering about??

Yeah. The robotic swirl would come on their next album!!

You can start at the beginning of the list - he's currently up to #376 (Snooki-Riding-A-Metal-Phallus cover).

Sun Araw Explosion

Cameron Stallones, the guitarist for Magic Lantern (#41, 2010), does his own thing as Sun Araw. It involves expansive guitar and misc workouts over beds of dense, looped dub tectonics.



Can't totally get a bead on him - my opinion on some material can vary from mildly interesting to totally awesome. And on some others, I can go from not my thing all the way to mild irritation.



"Deep Cover" from On Patrol (2010)

That's the official one, but I also love this other video made for it! I think I'd probably start with On Patrol, containing that one and "Beat Cop" and "High Slide." The Quietus did this interview around that time.

AT DELPHI - SUN ARAW from Daniel Brantley on Vimeo.

That's from the most recent full release Ancient Romans (2011), barring a few minor self-cassettes - or anything that I've missed. There's also an official, Stallones-directed video from "Impluvium." But it's kinda weird.



Just a couple more, I think...



"Horse Steppin'" from Beach Head (2008)

That and "Last Chants" (from Off Duty, 2010) are on the mellow end of the spectrum.



Lots and lots of labels have put out Sun Araw, but I'll just pick Drag City for being most recent. You can also sometimes find cassettes and other stuff on his official website.



Oh, one more thing - gotta represent Houston. Fairly recent 7" with some Teenage Fanclub cover, among probably something else...

Peaking Lights and Sounds

Peaking Lights are a married couple from Madison (by way of SF), and they trade in loping dub-inflected hypnagogic songcraft.



"Amazing & Wonderful" from 936 (2011)

Video co-directed by Pocahaunted's Amanda Brown. Another album with lots of Bestest buzz about, but I never got into it myself. I've already put up the main song I heard most of: "Tiger Eyes (Laid Back)."



"Hey Sparrow" from 936 (2011)

I like the Not Not Fun website. I don't know what this is, but I support it! Some kind of streaming band-curated internet radio loop? Nice.



Another remix album?

Vegas

This seems appropriate.



"Trip Like I Do" by The Crystal Method, from Vegas (1997)

I'd never heard that both dudes in The Crystal Method were originally from Las Vegas...



Vegas, baby!

Merry Christmas!

Like I say...



"Christmas Time is Here" by Woods, from internet release (2011)

Super-recently, downloadable from Pitchfork. Of course it's a cover of the Vince Guaraldi tune from A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).



"This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway, from 7" vinyl 45rpm single (1970)

The oft-covered R&B holiday standard. I think my favorite one is a late-'80s Japanese new-age/jazz version by Yutaka. O, that Vollenweider harp!




"Black Xmas" by Venom, from Calm Before the Storm (1987)

Never forget ye olde Dark Lyrics site - METAL.

... and Happy New Year!!

Jam for Jerry

Looking at Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2011, I do believe I might be out of touch... with something. I haven't even heard of a bunch of these artists, much less their music.



"Jam for Jerry" by Holy Ghost!, from (2011)

But there at #70 is something about Jerry Fuchs, Maserati's late great drummer. From DFA band Holy Ghost! Fuchs was kind of a house drummer for the label, and was probably bros with these guys. I don't know nuthin'.

I was going to post some other stuff that I don't know - but I didn't find anything worth it fast enough. Sheesh... cranky old man!




Here's an XLR8R interview I found. Now get off my lawn!!

So, when you record live drums, are you good enough drummers to record it in or do you have to quantize the tracks?

Alex Frankel: [Nick's] a really good drummer. He has a great touch. But we also had the pleasure of working with Jerry Fuchs—who played with Juan Maclean and !!!—and is basically the best drummer on earth.

Nick Millhiser: Flawless timing.

AF: Yeah, like when you look at him on a grid, there's barely any quantization needed. It's scary.

Shawn Lee Funk-in the World

Next alphabetically - after World of Echo - would be World of Funk (2011), from former year-end winner Shawn Lee (#1, 2009) and his Ping Pong Orchestra. Given his productivity, Lee might have put out 2 or 3 records since I started this post.



World of Funk YouTube promo video

Wow, this album commercial on YouTube thing is blowin' up!

Shawn Lee always seems to work with an army of collaborators, so I'm just going to drop some biographical science for these tunes...



"Ethio" [feat. Michael Leonhart]

Michael Leonhart info from Wikipedia:

a noted trumpet player, producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and singer-songwriter. He has performed with such diverse artists as Steely Dan, Yoko Ono, Bobby McFerrin, and Mos Def.

"Cairo Cairo" [feat. Natacha Atlas]

Natacha Atlas info from Wikipedia:

a Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "cha'abi moderne" (modern popular music). Her music has been influenced by many styles including Arabic, hip hop, drum 'n' bass and reggae.

"Iceberg" [feat. Elliot Bergman]

According to Wikipedia, Elliot Bergman:

[plays] saxophone, percussion, electric mbira, and electric sawblade gamelan [for] NOMO, a big melting pot of ideas and influences.

"Accelerate" by Shawn Lee, from World of Funk (2011)

The occasional non-collaborative track that dots every Shawn Lee album. Kinda reminds me of the Fascinating Fingers (2009) style - with Clutchy.



"Ghost in the Rain" [feat. Clutchy Hopkins & Chhom Nimol]

Clutchy Hopkins info from Wikipedia:

purportedly a multi-instrumentalist musician based out of California. His existence has not yet been fully verified, though he is widely believed to be a pseudonym for one of several popular DJs. The true identity of the person (or people) behind the music is not publicly known.

According to Wikipedia, Chhom Nimol is:

lead singer [for] Dengue Fever, a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock.

Texas-Based Lawyer-cum-Beatmaker

From Disquiet, we learn of Diego Bernal. A civil rights attorney in San Antonio, he gives away his records pro bono. Described as "like some secret side-project team-up between Ennio Morricone and DJ Premiere," you can download or preview new release "Besides..." (2010). Not sure whether they fit the whole album on, but a 7" vinyl pressing goes for a cool sawbuck ($5)!



The previous album, For Corners (also free) was ranked as Disquiet's #1 Net Release of 2009, for fans of "reconstituted disco and cop-show braggadocio." There's even a (free) January EP/single preview, Bring It On Home (2009), featuring a Mexicans With Guns remix B-side. I like the covers too. Here's Diego's Myspace.

Great Cover Song #620: Rev Family Stone

Meant to post this last night, but got busy... Mercury Rev has been an often-great band. But there at the very beginning, they made a joyful noise - fusing pop hooks, jazzy flutes, general weirdness, groovy experimentation, and lots and lots of distorted guitars. Originally considered a Flaming Lips offshoot, because Jonathan Donahue had played on In a Priest-Driven Ambulance, really it was his main band when he joined the Lips to help out. David Baker was their lead singer for two albums before leaving or getting the boot.


"If You Want Me To Stay" from Chasing a Bee EP (1992)

This is a "b-side" to the first single from their debut album, Yerself is Steam (1991): "Chasing A Bee" [see below]. I have the semi-rare Rough Trade cd of the full album, which unfortunately doesn't tack on "Car Wash Hair," another mind-blower. The Family Stone original has been covered a few other times, but this one's way out there! The third track on the cd-single is a set of 4 Yerself songs from their first Peel Sessions (8/27/1991). The totality of which was released a few months ago as The Complete Peel Sessions (2009). Also, if you like this stuff and don't own it - you might wanna look out for the Yerself is Steam/Lego My Ego 2xCD (2007), with bonus dvd of "Car Wash Hair" and this video:


"Chasing a Bee" from Yerself is Steam (1991)

I really need to get back to the historical Top 10's. I originally learned about Mercury Rev not through the Flaming Lips, but from a mixtape a friend sent me probably in early 1992. It included a bunch of new stuff, but Mercury Rev, Slint, Shockabilly and Chris Knox/Tall Dwarfs are the main ones I remember first being exposed to. And I need to get that tape back...

Mojo for Music

I'd promised to do this back in November's Bert Jansch-Led Zeppelin post. I regularly buy some of the import British music magazines - mainly Mojo, but sometimes Uncut. And at least as much as an issue's articles, I consider what's on the 'free' cd that's loosely tied with the content.

So, here are 10 of the best Mojo comps that I've bought or heard, with most all the tracks via YouTube. I've embedded a YouTube playlist re-enactment, and each song title links to the individual video. I tried to balance quicker load-times with worthwhile videos. And *** indicates that the exact song and/or artist wasn't available, so I've picked something related. Oh, and I've tacked on the four volumes of Mojo's essential Music Guide series!



A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding In Your Mind (Jan 2010)
Compiled and Mixed by The Amorphous Androgynous

The Amorphous Androgynous is a BTWS-ish (#1, 2008) side-project of The Future Sound of London. They do psychedelic treatments and mixes of old-school psychedlia and freakbeat. This one includes prevous Top 10'ers The Yellow Moon Band (#8, 2009), Dungen (#5, 2008) and Can (#4, 1972).



1 Pop Levi - "Blue Honey"
2 The Yellow Moon Band - "Entangled"
3 July - "Dandelion Seeds" (Single Version)
4 The Amorphous Androgynous - "Falling Down"
5 Dungen - "Sätt Att Se" (Instrumental)
6 Donovan - "Three Kingfishers"
7 Can - "Flow Motion"
8 White Noise - "Love Without Sound"
9 Betty Davis - "Game Is My Middle Name"
10 Ed Askew - "Love Is Everyone" ***
11 Jean Claude Vannier - "Les Mouches" ***
12 Comus - "Diana"
13 Shogun Kunitoki - "Mulberg" ***
14 The Amorphous Androgynous - "Opus Of The Black Sun"



The Score: 20 Ultra-Cool Soundtracks (June 2002)

This thing is packed to the gills with absolute classics! This one and the next, both 2002, made me notice these magazine/cd combos might be worth checking out. If your internet can handle the playlist-buffering, check this one out. Then go ahead and buy it on cd.



1 Johnny Pate & Adam Wade - "Brother On The Run (Opening)"
2 The Kinks - "God's Children"
3 Quincy Jones - "Something's Cookin'" ***
4 DJ Shadow - "Dark Days"
5 Roy Budd - "Get Carter"
6 Elmer Bernstein - "Frankie Machine" ***
7 Jo Armstead - "You Cut Up The Clothes"
8 Booker T. And The MG's - "Time Is Tight"
9 John Barry - "Midnight Cowboy"
10 Peter Cook And Dudley Moore - "Bedazzled"
11 Henry Mancini - "Arabesque"
12 Mongo Santamaria - "Watermelon Man"
13 Vince Guaraldi - "Linus And Lucy"
14 David Shire - "The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three"
15 Isaac Hayes - "Truck Turner"
16 Wil Malone - "Death Line"
17 Ennio Morricone - "A Fistful Of Dollars"
18 The Slickers - "Johnny Too Bad"
19 Moby - "God Moving Over The Face Of The Water"
20 Nick Cave - "Let It Be"



Feed Your Head: 16 Mind-blowing Classics (Dec 2002)

Drugs, it's all about drugs. Good balance of classics and obscurities, lots of anti- testifying against less pro- celebration. The Sonics may be the apex of '60s fuzz-garage-punk, just recently had a post on Sebadoh, and Chris Bell was with Big Star for their debut (#2, 1972).



1 The Dramatics - "The Devil Is Dope"
2 The Sonics - "Strychnine"
3 Nat Adderley - "Quit It"
4 The Small Faces - "Here Comes The Nice"
5 Dillinger - "Cocaine In My Brain"
6 Donovan - "Sunny Goodge Street"
7 Country Joe & The Fish - "Bass Strings"
8 The Pretty Things - "Defecting Grey"
9 The Flamin' Groovies - "Slow Death"
10 Chris Bell - "I Am The Cosmos"
11 Grandmaster Flash - "White Lines"
12 Sebadoh - "Too Pure"
13 The Mighty Hannibal - "The Truth Shall Make You Free"
14 James Booker*** - "Junco Partner"
15 Funkadelic - "Maggot Brain"
16 Harry "The Hipster" Gibson - "Who Put The Benzedrine"



ok_computer (Feb 2008)

I actually can't remember what the theme of this one was. Given the title, probably something to do with Radiohead. British magazines occasionally write stories about them, cover stories even! But this is old and new pop and avant electronic stuff, and a little in-between. Where I first heard Fujiya & Miyagi (#10, 2006), and Xela runs Type Records - which released The Alps III (#9, 2008), and more recently Alphabet 1968, I'm Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill, and Perdition Hill Radio.



1 The Human League - "Circus Of Death"
2 Gary Numan / Tubeway Army - "Down In The Park"
3 The Knife - "Silent Shout"
4 Fujiya & Miyagi - "Ankle Injuries"
5 Matthew Dear - "Fleece On Brain"
6 John Foxx - "Burning Car"
7 Arthur Russell - "Place I Know / Kid Like You" ***
8 Xela - "Afraid Of Monsters"
9 Tangerine Dream - "Rubycon" (Part One)
10 cLOUDDEAD - "Dead Dogs Two" (Boards Of Canada Remix)
11 Severed Heads - "Dead Eyes Opened"
12 Farley Jackmaster Funk - "The Acid Life"
13 The Peppers - "Pepper Box"
14 The Gentle Rain - "Plastic Man" ***
15 The Sounds Of Tomorrow*** - "Space Child" ***



The Man Machine: Celebrates The Electronic Revolution (Nov 2009)

Maybe just goes to show how much Mojo equates Radiohead with Kraftwerk. O no! More F&M, more Tangerine Dream, O.M.D. instead of Human League. Also a section of Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygène, otherwise known as the Battlefield Theme to Star Laser Force.



1 Kraftwerk - "The Robots" (2009 Digital Remaster)
2 LCD Soundsystem - "45:33" (Pilooski Remix)
3 Ultravox - "Slow Motion"
4 M83 - "We Own The Sky"
5 Clark - "Growls Garden"
6 Flying Lotus - "Roberta Flack"
7 O.M.D. - "Dazzle Ships" (Parts II, III And VII)
8 Tangerine Dream - "Sequent C"
9 Hot Chip with Robert Wyatt - "We're Looking For A Lot Of Love"
10 Fujiya & Miyagi - "Goosebumps"
11 Jean-Michel Jarre - "Oxygène Part IV"
12 The Orb - "Outlands"
13 Four Tet - "My Angel Rocks Back And Forth"
14 Audion - "Mouth To Mouth"
15 Komputer - "Like A Bird"



I Can See For Miles: Mojo Presents Lost Tracks from America's Psychedelic Underground (Apr 2009)

Sweet comp of Nugget-y pysch-garage, pleasantly focused on Texas and International Artists, themed around an article about the big 13th Floor Elevators box-set. I filled in video gaps for the first track (not Texas, great song) and Endle St. Cloud (Texas/IA, good song). 13th Floor, The Red Crayola, Golden Dawn, Bubble Puppy, Lost & Found, these are good Texas psych!!



1 First Crew To The Moon - "The Sun Lights Up The Shadows Of Your Mind"
2 The Mystery Trend - "Johnny Was A Good Boy"
3 Terry Manning*** - "Guess Things Happen That Way"
4 13th Floor Elevators - "(I’ve Got) Levitation"
5 The Red Crayola - "Hurricane Fighter Plane"
6 Bubble Puppy - "Days Of Our Time"
7 The Balloon Farm - "A Question Of Temperature"
8 The Music Machine - "The People In Me"
9 Chocolate Watchband - "Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love-In)"
10 Ashes*** - "Let’s Take Our Love" ***
11 Lost & Found - "Don’t Fall Down" ***
12 The Free Spirits - "I’m Gonna Be Free"
13 Golden Dawn - "Starvation"
14 Endle St. Cloud - "Come Through"
15 13th Floor Elevators - "You Don’t Know (How Young You Are)" (Live At The Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco)



Heavy Mod: A weighty 15-track wig-out! (Dec 2008)

Very, very broad overview of the Mod phenomenon. 13th Floor?! Aphrodite's Child?! Could have used some Jam, but quality stuff nonetheless.



1 The Move - "Walk Upon The Water"
2 The Yardbirds - "Shapes Of Things"
3 Caravan - "Place Of My Own"
4 Deep Feeling - "Pretty Colours"
5 Deep Purple - "Emmaretta"
6 The Creation - "How Does It Feel To Feel"
7 13th Floor Elevators - "Slip Inside This House"
8 Aphrodite's Child - "The Four Horsemen"
9 Blossom Toes - "I’ll Be Late For Tea" ***
10 The Small Faces - "Song Of A Baker"
11 The Pretty Things - "Baron Saturday"
12 David Axelrod - "Holy Thursday"
13 Humble Pie - "Growing Closer" ***
14 The Attack - "Mr Pinnodmy’s Dilemma"
15 The Bubble Puppy - "Hot Smoke & Sassafras"



Red Hot Chili Peppers Jukebox (July 2004)
Compiled by the band, these are the tracks that influenced, shaped and delighted the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Better compilationeers than they are a band, maybe ever. I think the first three songs explain well the band the RHCP could have been.



1 Gang Of Four - "Natural's Not In It"
2 Circle Jerks - "Group Sex"
3 Ohio Players - "Fopp"
4 Sly & The Family Stone - "Life"
5 Adolescents - "LA Girl"
6 The Weirdos - "Life Of Crime"
7 James Chance - "Contort Yourself" (Original Version)
8 James Brown - "There Was A Time"
9 Blonde Redhead - "Elephant Woman"
10 The Slits - "Typical Girls"
11 Descendents - "Myage"
12 The Wipers - "D-7"
13 Harmonia - "Dino" ***
14 Frank Zappa - "Son Of Mr. Green Genes"
15 Funkadelic - "Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow"



The Roots Of Led Zeppelin (Aug 2004)

Discussed a bit in the Bert Jansch post... Great material, necessary blues for the non-blues white-boy, and I'll take any John Fahey I can get!



1 Little Richard - "Long Tall Sally"
2 Garnet Mimms - "As Long As I Have You"
3 Robert Johnson - "Travelling Riverside Blues"
4 Bukka White - "Shake 'em On Down"
5 Santo & Johnny - "Summertime"
6 Bert Jansch - "Blackwater Side"
7 John Renbourn*** - "Nobody's Fault But Mine"
8 Spirit - "Fresh Garbage"
9 Muddy Waters - "You Need Love"
10 Howlin' Wolf - "Killing Floor"
11 Blind Willie Johnson - "In My Time Of Dying (Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed)"
12 Davey Graham - "She Moved Thru The Bizarre / Blue Raga"
13 Joan Baez - "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You"
14 John Fahey - "Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace Of King Phillip XIV Of Spain"
15 Owen Hand - "She Likes It" ***



Music Is Love! 15 Tracks That Changed The World (June 2007)

Actually, just a hodgepodge of covers. Some are good, some are interesting, some are clearly filler.



1 The Edgar Broughton Band - "Apache Drop Out"
2 The Dream Syndicate*** - "Cinnamon Girl"
3 Willie Nelson & Family - "Move It On Over" (Live)
4 The Gun Club - "John Hardy"
5 Robyn Hitchcock - "Like A Rolling Stone" ***
6 Radiodread - "Airbag"
7 The Balanescu Quartet - "Autobahn"
8 Siouxsie & The Banshees - "Strange Fruit"
9 Minnie Riperton Featuring Jose Feliciano - "Light My Fire"
10 Al Green - "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
11 Madeleine Peyroux - "River"
12 Donny Hathaway - "To Be Young, Gifted And Black"
13 Big Star - "Femme Fatale"
14 Penetration - "Free Money"
15 Laibach - "Sympathy For The Devil"



Music Guide Vol. 1: Instant Garage (June 2003)

Ok, no more from me. The next four make up a series of genre overviews which are well worth checking out. Great stuff if you already dig it. Great introduction if you need one. Kick out the jams!!!



1 MC5 - "Kick Out The Jams"
2 The Electric Prunes - "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)"
3 The Sonics - "Psycho"
4 New York Dolls - "Personality Crisis"
5 The Ready Men - "Shortnin' Bread"
6 The Bush*** - "To Die Alone" ***
7 Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - "She Cracked"
8 The Express - "Wastin' My Time"
9 Gil Bateman - "Daddy Walked In Darkness"
10 Love - "Seven & Seven Is"
11 Rocky & The Riddlers - "Flash And Crash"
12 She - "Outta Reach"
13 The Ramones - "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (Demo)
14 The Kinks - "Milk Cow Blues"
15 Little John & The Monks - "Black Winds"
16 The Alarm Clocks - "No Reason To Complain"
17 Count Five, The - "Psychotic Reaction"
18 Artesians - "Trick Bag"
19 Dean Carter - "Jailhouse Rock"
20 The Iguanas - "Again & Again"
21 The Nazz - "Open My Eyes"
22 The Wailers - "Dirty Robber"
23 Paul Revere & The Raiders - "Just Like Me"
24 Bunker Hill - "The Girl Can't Dance"
25 Brave New World - "Train Kept A Rollin'" ***
26 The Amboy Dukes - "Baby Please Don't Go"
27 The Rats - "Rats Revenge" (Part 2)
28 Mouse & The Traps - "Sometimes You Just Can't Win"



Music Guide Vol. 2: Roots Of Hip-Hop (Sep 2003)



1 Grandmaster Flash - "The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel"
2 Lee Dorsey - "Get Out Of My Life Woman"
3 Lowell Fulson - "Tramp"
4 Rufus Thomas - "Itch & Scratch (Part 1)"
5 The Bar-Kays - "In The Whole"
6 The Mad Lads - "No Strings Attached"
7 James Brown - "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose"
8 Blood, Sweat And Tears - "Lucretia Mac Evil"
9 The J.B.'s - "The Grunt (Parts 1 & 2)"
10 The Dramatics - "Get Up & Get Down"
11 Al Green - "Here I Am (Come & Take Me)"
12 Flaming Ember - "Gotta Get Away"
13 The Jimmy Castor Bunch - "It's Just Begun"
14 Kool & The Gang - "NT"
15 Cymande - "Bra"
16 Parliament - "Flash Light" [part 2]
17 The Fatback Band - "King Tim III (Personality Jock)"
18 Funky 4 + 1 - "That's The Joint"



Music Guide Vol. 3: Raw Soul (March 2004)

Too many missing songs, embedding-disableds, and general problems to Playlist this one. Sorry to you Northern Soul fans out there - one at a time...

1 Bobby Angelle - "Too Much For You"
2 Little Esther - "Mojo Hannah" ***
3 Solomon Burke - "Home In Your Heart" ***
4 Felice Taylor - "I Can Feel Love"
5 Ray Charles - "Mess Around"
6 Little Anne - "Lean Lanky Daddy"
7 Bettye Swann - "The Heartache Is Gone"
8 Wilson Pickett*** - "If You Need Me"
9 Maxine Brown - "Baby Cakes"
10 Ike & Tina - "He's The One"
11 The Isley Brothers - "It's Your Thing"
12 Betty Bibbs - "Pounds Of Soul"
13 Albert Washington - "Hold Me Baby"
14 Mary Love - "Baby I'll Come"
15 Otis Redding - "These Arms Of Mine"



Music Guide Vol. 4: Blues Power (April 2004)



1 John Lee Hooker - "Boom Boom"
2 Jimmy Reed - "I Ain't Got You" ***
3 Bo Diddley - "Who Do You Love?"
4 Little Willie John - "Fever"
5 T-Bone Walker - "Stormy Monday"
6 Odetta - "Midnight Special"
7 Howlin' Wolf - "Spoonful"
8 Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones - "Things That I Used To Do" ***
9 Freddy King - "Hide Away"
10 Sonny Boy Williamson - "Fattening Frogs For Snakes"
11 Otis Rush - "I Can't Quit You Baby"
12 Muddy Waters - "Mannish Boy"
13 Hound Dog Taylor & The House Rockers - "Let's Get Funky"
14 Son House - "John The Revelator"
15 Lead Belly - "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"

[Lesson learned: Next time you want to list 'n' link 166 songs, figure out your formatting beforehand!]