VA Beyond The Sea

 VA Beyond The Sea
Fun surf covers of modern songs. Modern surf groups doing what The Ventures and Shadows did with their contemporary music.

"This is easily one of the most consistently good compilations I've heard in ages. Great bands recorded well with solid rearranging of standards. Inventive and excellent listening." Phil Dirt Reverb Central

Pretty straightforward modern surf styles. There are 2 sequels (coming soon) that stretch the surf instro boundaries into some amazing post rock/avant  territory. Way cool. Stay Tuned.

1. My Favourite Things by The Swamp Coolers
2. Viva Las Vegas by Los Derrumbes
3. Take on Me by The Bitch Boys
4. I'm Not in Love by Don's Mobile Barbers
5. Then He Kissed Me by The Detonators
6. Mexican Whistler by Los Fantasticos
7. Auld Lang Syne by The Glasgow Tiki Shakers
8. Funeral March of a Marionette by The Pyronauts
9. Je t'aime... moi non plus by Kahuna Kawentzmann
10. Rock and Roll High School by Cobalt and the Aquabears
11. Redemption Surf (redemption song) by Estrume'n'tal
12. Barbie Girl by Fudge
13. The One I Love by Nova Surfer
14. You Sexy Thing by Our Flying Saucer
15. Surfer Freak (Super freak) by RNA
16. The SpongeBob SquarePants theme tune by Monkey Versus Robot
17. The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob by The Astroglides
18. Another Brick in the Wall part II by The Vivisectors
19. I Only Wanna be with You by The Muffinmates
20. Hooray for Hollywood by The Urban Surf Kings
21. Cinnamon Girl by The Lost Boys of Penzance
22. Travelin' Man by The Reluctant Aquanauts
23. Dance of the King of the World of Maya (Dance of Maya and King of the World) by Pegleg
24. Blue Velvet by The Cocktail Preachers
25. Bohemian Rhapsody by The Thurston Lava Tube
26. Beyond the Sea by The Aquamarines

waves1

Bonus trax - free downloads from website not included on cd

27. I Only Want To Be With You by The Glasgow Tiki Shakers
28. El Diablo De Polvo by The Swamp Coolers
29. Mar Gaya by Our Flying Saucer
30. The Disadvantages Of You by The Lost Boys of Penzance more details...
31. These Boots Were Made For Walking by The Detonators
32. Obligatory Blues by Scott Colby more details...
33.The Third Man Theme by Monkey Versus Robot

waves2

The Mutants - Boogie De La Muerte

The Mutants - Boogie De La Muerte Mixture of 60's garage rock, surf, porn funk and manic psychedelia, the instrumental madness of The Mutants is a lost soundtrack for Russ Meyer's, Tarantino's and Aki Kaurismäki's films. Impossible to categorize, they call it "afro-garage-mambo".
The Mutants were founded in 1998 by Weijjo a.k.a Abnormal, who wanted to form an instrumental band after getting tired of difficult singers. Members were picked partly from his previous punk band "Isebel's Pain" and from locations you don´t want to know about. The sound of The Mutants has been wonderfully weird from the first beginnings, only to get seriously sicker since. After the first chaotic gigs with the usual rock instrumentation + organ, they needed to sound bigger. A Saxophone and percussion were added. The originally punk/surf/garage -based stuff is now smashed through Parliament/Funkadelic filter. The beats have been funkier since. You will love it with leather and rubber.

 Tracklist:
01. P.I.P.
02. Texas Rampa Mutant
03. Lady Boy
04. Erotic Doner
05. Romanow
06. Muerte Le Mutande
07. Rotko
08. Ribuli
09. Fraude De El Fierro
10. Backnang

deathdance

The Mutants - Death Cult

The Mutants - Death Cult
Mixture of 60's garage rock, surf, porn funk and manic psychedelia, the instrumental madness of The Mutants is a lost soundtrack for Russ Meyer's, Tarantino's and Aki Kaurismäki's films. Impossible to categorize, they call it "afro-garage-mambo".
The Mutants were founded in 1998 by Weijjo a.k.a Abnormal, who wanted to form an instrumental band after getting tired of difficult singers. Members were picked partly from his previous punk band "Isebel's Pain" and from locations you don´t want to know about. The sound of The Mutants has been wonderfully weird from the first beginnings, only to get seriously sicker since. After the first chaotic gigs with the usual rock instrumentation + organ, they needed to sound bigger. A Saxophone and percussion were added. The originally punk/surf/garage -based stuff is now smashed through Parliament/Funkadelic filter. The beats have been funkier since. You will love it with leather and rubber.

Tracklist:
01. Welcome To Death Cult
02. Port-au-Prince
03. Heavy Caramba!
04. Cps In Heat
05. Iron Jamaica
06. Mutants Death Cult
07. Serious Mojo
08. Jung'ala
09. White Trash Trouble Man
10. The Ghost Of Meadow Hill

killerdiller

Red Hot Chili Pipers - Music for the Kilted Generation

Happy Bobby Burns Birthday!!! In celebration of Robert Burns birthday today went to our annual party - I provided these for music. For those who wonder HUH? Here's Wikipedia's sanitized bio ---
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known as Rabbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire, Ploughman Poet and various other names and epithets,^{[nb 1]} was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a light Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.
He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.
As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well known across the world today include "A Red, Red Rose", "A Man's a Man for A' That", "To a Louse", "To a Mouse", "The Battle of Sherramuir", "Tam o' Shanter" and "Ae Fond Kiss".

 I'm sparing you my 100 plus versions of "Auld Lang Syne" and giving you this to help celebrate. Enjoy. If you want the "Auld Lang Syne" I'll post them for your enjoyment and your friends/enemies/guests annoyance.

 Red Hot Chili Pipers - Music for the Kilted Generation Bagpipes with attitude. Drums with a Scottish accent. A blazing rock band and a show so hot it carries its own health warning. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers have rocked the world from New York to Beijing with musicianship of the highest order and a passion for pipes that will leave you breathless!
An abundance of energy--all the power of the Scottish bagpipe times three and an amazing rock band enhanced by brass, pipes, and drums. An unforgettable and unique sound. Modern classics and rock anthems fused with the adrenaline rush created by a passion for the Pipes! OK - not the best in the world but really fun . As for this album, the Pipers only get better and better. Best cut, Low Rider. Most fun, Everybody Dance, least favorite Amazing Grace (not bad, just my least favorite rendition of this song.) Been to too many funerals. 

 Track listings 1. Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Bagrock) 2. Just For Willie 3. Chasing Cars 4. Hellbound Train 5. The Hidden Gem 6. Amazing Grace 7. Black Knight On The Crazy Train 8. Low Rider 9. Radio Ga Ga 10. Little Cascade 11. Everybody Dance Now 12. Let Me Entertain You 13. Baba O’Reilly 

baggers 

 

Me and my Kilt celebrating Bobby Burns.

Red Hot Chili Pipers - Octane

Red Hot Chili Pipers - Octane 

Bagpipes with attitude. Drums with a Scottish accent. A blazing rock band and a show so hot it carries its own health warning. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers have rocked the world from New York to Beijing with musicianship of the highest order and a passion for pipes that will leave you breathless!
An abundance of energy--all the power of the Scottish bagpipe times three and an amazing rock band enhanced by brass, pipes, and drums. An unforgettable and unique sound. Modern classics and rock anthems fused with the adrenaline rush created by a passion for the Pipes! OK - not the best in the world but really fun. Cool versions of modern rock and some trad. thrown in. Good for parties to freak folks out.  

TRACKLIST

1. La Grange: La Grange / The Green Room (4:04)

2. Starlight: Starlight / Charlie Brown (5:16)

3. Time for Trad: The Kesh / Old Wullie’s Dog / Merrily Kiss the Quaker's Wife (3:12)

4. Fat Bottomed Girls: Fat Bottomed Girls / Fat Arsed Lassies (3:05)

5. Seven Nation Army: Roadhouse Song / Seven Nation Army (2:54)

6. Pressed For Time (4:21)

7. The Fallen (3:26)

8. Chasing Love (1:47)

9. The Way It Is: The Way It Is / Chasing Love (3:36)

10. Jump: Jump / Dancing Feet (3:42)

11. Neon: Neon / Wee Derek’s Song (3:22)

12. Everybody Wants to Rule the World: The Bung / Everybody Wants to Rule the World (2:58)

13. Wild Mountain Thyme (4:12)

14. Urban: Rip the Calico (4:18)

basdfkljgndsreohilu

No Age - A Compilation of SST Instrumental Muaic

This is a great disc to listen to when you a really pissed off and want to destroy something.

An unsung classic of the avant-garde music scene, No Age is, on the surface, simply a compilation of experimental instrumental music. The difference, though, is that most of the musicians who participated on the album came not from the jazz world, but from punk rock or an underground even the most adventurous listeners rarely visited. Though SST is a California label, there is little evidence of the reverbed Stratocasters and dance party music of old. Instead, the listener finds a cornucopia of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and most importantly, sonic textures that constantly challenge and surprise. The variety here is nothing short of stunning. From Greg Ginn's inside-out Deep Purple riffs with Black Flag/Gone to the scenic Cali-jams of Pell Mell, Paper Bag, Lawndale, & the Alter-natives to the NYC art-damage scene via Renaldo, Sharp, & Kaiser to the free jazz crescendos of Universal Congress Of--this album blew my mind when it first came out, & still does. For those who tire easily of completely improvised, aimless noodling, there are several pieces based on more traditional melodic and harmonic concepts. For those looking for complete freak-out music, that's here too. In some ways, this album is one of the most successful comps of all time in that it effectively presents a cohesive yet comprehensive overview of an incredibly diverse genre, all the while remaining eminently listenable. Overall, No Age is an absolute must-have for any fan of left-of-center music that has heart and soul.
Allmusic, GW

1.Southern Rise - Black Flag 2. Dark and Light - Blind Idiot God 3. Sugagaki for Conlon - Henry Kaiser 4. Shopping Maul - Elliott Sharp 5. Florida Power - Lee Ranaldo 6. March of the Melted Army Men - Lawndale 7. Vista Cruiser - Glenn Phillips 8. Cinnecitta - Pell Mell 9. Faith Opaque - Paper Bag 10. Let's Go Places and Eat Things - Scott Colby 11. Days of Pup and Taco - Lawndale 12. Priests on Drugs - Paper Bag 13. Chasing - Universal Congress Of 14. Johnny Smoke (Swamp Thing) - Steve Fisk 15. Left Holding Bag - Gone 16. Over the Counter Culture - Alter-Natives 17. Diurnal - Elliott Sharp 18. Trace - Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser 19. Insidious Detraction – Gone

nonne

Rondo Hatton Breaking the Sound Barrier

More Rondo:
 Surf music from Louisiana? Really? Yep, a quick listen to Rondo Hatton and you'll almost smell the salt air, feel the ocean's breeze on your face and the sand between your toes. Rondo Hatton is an all instrumental quartet based in Baton Rouge, LA. The group plays a variety of music styles including surf, spy , hot rod, westerns, TV themes , Latin and just about anything else, even polkas!

Track List:

01. Zero Hour [03:20]
02. Blast Off [02:46]
03. Cervesa On Dee Mesa [03:34]
04. Juliana [03:08]
05. OK Boys, Let's Get Western [03:32]
06. Riding The Coffin [03:14]
07. No Tell Motel [02:58]
08. Untitled Pop Anthem [02:39]
09. Fishtail [02:27]
10. Cortina del Fuego [03:42]
11. Socorro [03:43]
12. Storm Surge [02:14]
13. Surf Party [02:33]
14. Backfire [02:46]
15. Switchblade [01:27]
16. Roast That Pig [02:12]

zoundz

John Zorn Spillane

"Using his 'file card' technique to create the title piece 'Spillane' (whereby musical ideas written on note cards form the basis for discreet sound blocks arranged by way of a unifying theme), John Zorn forges an impressionistic narrative out of stretches of live-music jazz, blues, country, lounge, thrash, etc., and a variety of samples and spoken dialogue inspired by Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer detective novels (recited by John Lurie). Like he did on his Ennio Morricone tribute The Big Gundown, here Zorn blends a disparate array of sound sketches into a pleasing, if not especially determinate or always logical whole. (In his self-penned and expansive liner notes, Zorn says that the text and his overall conceptual take on Mickey Spillane's work form the thematic structure of this piece.) Clarity aside, 'Spillane' comes off as an exciting and atmospheric evocation of the clipped prose, seedy dives, and back alleys found in hard-boiled Spillane books like Kiss Me, Deadly. Sticking to the disc's tribute theme, Zorn uses Japanese actor Yujiro Ishihara as the inspiration for 'Forbidden Fruit.' Working with the Kronos Quartet, turntablist Christian Marclay, and Japanese vocalist Ohta Hiromi, Zorn concocts an exotically frenetic, atonal cut-up piece to evoke the actor's films from the '50s. And bringing things back home, so to speak, Zorn features Texas blues guitarist Albert Collins on the lengthy and slightly abstract blues jam 'Two Lane Highway.' Helping 'The Iceman' out are organist Big John Patton, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, among others. In addition to these veterans of past Zorn recordings, the likes of keyboard player Anthony Coleman, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Bobby Previte contribute to the Spillane disc as well. Spillane is not only one of the highlights in Zorn's catalog, but also makes for a fine introduction to the composer's vast body of work." Fans of Zorn's "Naked City" know what to expect. The first title track is like a long movie trailer for a Mike Hammer movie, except with all the visuals taken out--truly a surreal experience. The second track, Two-Lane Highway, divided into two parts is a brillant blues-odyssey-through-Texas track starring the great Albert Collins, not only does it feature his brilliant guitar playing, but humor, too. the last track is my favorite, Forbidden Fruit, which has a Japanese woman speaking over the Kronos Quartet's moving strings and Christian Marclay scratching string records. John Zorn is a true original and listening to Spillane feels like listening to a radio with the station always changing. sure, the tracks are long, but if you can't sit through one section of any of these songs, you should have yourself treated for A.D.D. Zorn is famous for saying "if you don't like my music, wait a few seconds 'cause you don't know which direction my music is heading next". Grab a couple of dirty martinis and take a wild trip. Way recommended.

1. Spillane 25:12
2. Two Lane Highway: Preacher Man/White Line Fever/Nacogdoches Gumbo/East 13:30
3. Two Lane Highway: Hico Killer/Long Mile to Houston 4:46
4. Forbidden Fruit 10:20

mickeybaby

Guano Padano ST

Features Alessandro Alessandroni, acclaimed whistler for Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks! Other guests include Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart/Jeff Buckley guitarist), Chris Speed (clarinet player with Tim Berne, Uri Caine, John Zorn), and last but not least, legendary Italian singer Bobby Solo. New band from Alessandro Stefana, who released the critically acclaimed Poste E Telegrafi a few years back and has worked with Mike Patton ever since. A dreaming mixture of rock, psychedelia, folk, country, and jazz improvisation, Guano Padano's music is a kind of road movie, unfolding between the scorching asphalt of Highway 4 and the juicy smells of the peasant festivals so common in the Pianura Padana. The twang is everywhere in this adventure through a spagetti western. Give it a try.

01. Guano Padano
02. A Country Concept
03. El Divino
04. Epiphany
05. Bull Buster
06. Ramblin' Man
07. Jack Frost
08. Del Rey
09. Danny Boy
10. Tromp Valley
11. El Divino (alternate version)

guapads

Audio Prehistory ST

Not MOAM related? - more electronic oriented scifi rock. Some interesting use of percussion and sound structures here. Worth a listen. On same private label as Man Made Brain, by someone named Treasure Tolliver. Any MOAM relation?

1. The Busy Machines 2. Amphluma 3. Trouble in the Kitchen 4. Spider Leaf 5. I Have This Bucket 6. Most Viruses 7. Bathtub Tidal wave 8. Creek Blob 9. IRARI 10. Creole 11. Under Sajnd 12. 5.4.2000 13. Devil Muzak


aprehist

La Otracina - Blood Moon Riders

Have you ever had the feeling that music just overwhelms you so much it’s like being hit by the Stendahl syndrome? Well, I’m once again overwhelmed by La Otracina. Not just because the music is astoundingly brilliant, but also because they once again change their musical direction. It’s still founded in über well played progressive spacerock, but this record is more floating and more drowned in a wall of sonic overdrive than previous efforts.

The backbone is the completely fit rhythm group of Adam Kriney and Evan Sobel. On top you have magnificent guitar work by Ninni Morgia and layers of epic electronics to melt it all together. The band describes their music as: “a swirling myth of hard-psych witchery, progressive rock insanity, fuzzed-out jazz-rock wizardry, and epic space-metal fantasy!” Ohhh yeah, that comes pretty close …

Most captivating is the 15 min monstrous work of “Inner Mind Journey” that for sure takes your senses to a long spacey inner journey. This is progressive acid space rock making Sun Ra look like a midget – well, maybe not, but get the idea of a band able to freak completely and more competently than most modern avant garde artists. Another brain blast is “Zunblazer” led by monstrous pumping bass and drums with swirling guitar on top for 3:30 min before turning into a dreamingly floating and melodic piece and in the end drifting away into almost dark psych.

La Otracina is a well built smooth music machine; it’s the big block motor of modern rockin' free jazz. It’s a trip – and you’re gonna like it!

1.Inner Mind Journey 2. Ballad of the Hot Ghost Mama p1 3. Zunblazer 4. Ballad of the Hot Ghost Mama p2 5 Drifted Memory

lobmrdz

M'Lumbo - Sacrifices to the Neon Gods

Many thanks to Mr. Fab at Music for Maniacs for turning me on to these guys.

M'lumbo are a trio of talented musical jokers aided by various guest musicians and hangers-on, who are more interested in challenging themselves than in reaching a mass audience. Here they offer wackily mutated interpretations of movie and TV themes, played with a vaguely free-jazz/world-beat orientation, including voice samples, jungle noises, and multilayered instrumentation. Each piece seems to tell a story loosly based on the tv theme. Very dense - each cut has 5 or 6 layers that swirl and collide and then start something new - great with headphones. The familiarity of the tv/movie themes tie it all together so even if you are not a fan of experimental music - this should still be listenable. One of the cool things about these guys is that they can carry off their complex wall of sound live. Go see'em if you can. For those of you who like the edge of the jungle exotica - this is beach. It will grow on you like a serious drink of jungle juice - enjoy - if you dare.

1. Hawaii Five-O (Lumba Ladda Dey - In Concert) 2. Medley: Addams Family Theme-Jingle Bells-I Dream Of Jeannie-Pefidia-Night On Bald Mountain 3. Perry Mason 4. Medley: The James Bond Theme - Star Trek 5. Theme From The Jeffersons Movin' On Up - Police State 6. Mickey Mouse 7. Birds Of Fire - Love Theme From The Fourth 8. Alfred Hithcock Theme 9. Get Smart - Mussorgsky Christmas Medley 10. I Love Lucy (M'Lumbo Christmas Medley - In Concert)

mltvmv

new smaller links:
multvmv 1

multvmv2

Tom Dissevelt and Kid Baltan - Song Of The Second Moon

First released in 1957 under the name of Electrosonics and then re-released in 1968 under the name of the 2 composers mentioned.Very early primitive electronic experimentations!
Surpisingly forward sounding stuff, considering the time period - very abstract, not dated sounding at all. Recommended space.

A1 Kid Baltan Song Of The Second Moon (2:49)
A2 Tom Dissevelt Moon Maid (3:12)
A3 Kid Baltan The Ray Makers (7:22)
A4 Tom Dissevelt The Visitor From Inner Space (3:07)
B1 Tom Dissevelt Sonik Re-Entry (2:35)
B2 Tom Dissevelt Orbit Aurora (3:00)
B3 Tom Dissevelt Twilight Ozone (5:25)
B4 Kid Baltan Pianoforte (5:05)

rtdsa

The Residents - Third Reich and Roll with Bonus

My favorite Residents disc. In a perverse way, this is genius. Take 60s pop, mangle it and string it together in the most atonal manner and this is what you get. A crafty inversion of the happy-go-lucky sounds of a bygone era. I have to admit that many of these songs they mutate I couldn't stand in their original form (I thought that the oldies were simply corporate rock for the '50s and '60s, and because of that, psychedelic and prog rock in general had to happen). Often the band would include synth effects, and experimental passages to go between the songs they mutated. Krautrock fans would undoubted enjoy this, as this stuff would remind me of how a group like Faust would go about doing covers of oldies songs, do it in such an avant garde fashion as to certainly clear away any party. The bonus tracks are the greatest splicing together/deconstructing Sgt. Pepper and a dead on hilarious cover of Satisfaction that not only predates Devo's version but is far superior to it. In the end, the album itself is a great work of pastiche. A tad challenging, yes, but it's got a wealth of laughs that totally make it worth your while.

01 Swastikas On Parade 02 Hitler Was A Vegetarian 03 Satisfaction 04 Loser = Weed05 Beyond The Valley Of A Day In The Life 06 Flying

killpop

MC Honky – I Am the Messiah

Think "United Future Organization", mixed with some "Fat Boy Slim", a pinch of "Dandy Warhols", and all layered on top of a 60's flick soundtrack.

I Am the Messiah is a bold statement for a debut artist but it might make slightly more sense when you realize that you’re actually hearing seasoned veteran, E of the Eels.

Under the moniker MC Honky, E displays a masterful ability to splice dance beats, samples, live instrumentation and weird old self-help vocal recordings into comical, absurd and sometimes heartrending tracks. "A Good Day to Be You" instructs fragile egos — "Look into the mirror, it’s a good day to be you, aww yeah"— as strings swell and cascade. "Soft Velvety Fer" captures the opposite mood. The vocals are an answering machine message left by a neurotic woman (who sounds like the woman on the Eels’ "Manchild" from Beautiful Freak) who wants to quit taking the anti-depressant Zoloft. Set to jazzy percussion and guitar, the woman’s plight is ridiculous until her fear of her own mind becomes palpable and unnerving. A wonderful album. Just makes me happy.

1. Sonnet No. 3 (Like A Duck) 2. Hung Up 3. The Object 4. A Good Day To Be You 5. Baby Elephant Rock-a-bye 6. What A Bringdown 7. Only A Rose Pt. 1 8. My Bad Seed 9. The Devil Went Down To Silverlake 10. Soft Velvety 'fer 11. The Baby That Was You 12. 3 Turntables & 2 Microphones 13. Only A Rose Pt. II

honka

Dave Thomas and Two Pale Boys - Surf's Up

Don't let the title fool ya. Not really surf - cool anyway. David Thomas' creative brainchild borders on the wonderfully weird; looping drum lines and beats over his disconnected and demonic vocals. Thomas sends effects swirling around the room, not sparing any vibrato, and makes eloquent use of the effects on Melodeon and Musette. Keith Moline's guitar lines are wonderfully interconnected with the cacophony, giving the listener an ominous feeling of impending doom. Not forgetting the horn player, Andy Diagram's trumpets provide an ambient tone reminding one of "Bitches Brew" by Miles Davis. So, if you like Pere Ubu, or have an open mind to music that is "outside the box", give this a listen; if not, then buy another Dave Matthews Band album and have fun humming along. To the fans, know that this doesn't break any new ground for this band, it refines it. It is what we have come to expect and love and I for one get hours of listening enjoyment from it. They sound closer to Tuxedo Moon than Ubu here, be prepared for some atmospherics and strangeness. The third cut is standout.

1. come home-green 2. ghosts 3. man in the dark 4. night driving 5. river 6. runaway
7. spider in my stew 8. surf's up

davie

baby

The Squares

HeyBrandonio:
Can you spell changed? The Squares last release was garagy and tentative, punky and lo brow. This is dramatic, complex, varied, well textured, and challenging. It uses surf tones, but is miles from classic structures. Tip of the hat lads, you're onto something original here. By the way, there are no titles listed anywhere on the CD. That's not a mistake. The Squares thought ands thought about titles, but everything they came up with just seemed to stupid or nerdy, so they decided to let the music speak for itself. This leaves you in the enviable position of thinking up your own names for these fine tracks. Phil Dirt Reverb Central

Untitled #1, Untitled #2, Untitled #3, Untitled #4, Untitled #5, Untitled #6, Untitled #7, Untitled #8

notround

Tom Verlaine - Warm and Cool

Tom Verlaine entered the music scene as a member of the Neon Boys, and later helped write a couple classics as part of the band Television. Warm And Cool is a much different record than what one might expect from Verlaine, though, as it's not only instrumental, but also stylistically much different than the work he did with either of his other bands. Originally released back in 1992, it's one of those albums that seems oddly timeless, with a style that dips into rock and jazz without taking on the baggage of any particular era. Verlaine is joined on the album by Television bandmates Fred Smith and Billy Ficca, as well as Jay Dee Daugherty (who played with The Church, the Patti Smith Band, and others), and interestingly enough, the album is largely improvised. In most cases, Verlaine would play a basic melody on his guitar beforehand, the players would talk about a beat or tempo, then they'd roll with it. The result is an album that's loose and inspired without being sloppy in the slightest. It's also more varied than one might guess.
The tone of the guitar is more of a deep, Dick Dale or Duane Eddy sound, and it all has a noirish, film-score sound. You'll recognize several cuts as filler on public radio.It starts with a slow-burner in "Those Harbor Lights" as Verlaine lays down some smokey coils of guitar over brushed drums while "Sleepwalkin'" shuffles with a healthy swagger while "The Deep Dark Clouds" gets downright atmospheric with sparse, reverbed guitar notes and distant rumbling percussion. A good portion of the opening section of the album actually feels like soundtrack work (a film adaptation of an Elmore Leonard book immediately comes to mind) as the musicians toy with dark alleys and smoky club themes.
Then the release goes and throws you for a loop, with tracks like the downright bubbly "Boulevard" (which features some deliciously playful guitar from Verlaine) and the hooky warmth of "Little Dance." There are three different versions of the track "Depot" and each one feels like it's gradually cracking the basic elements apart even further. Heck, they even rock out, sort of, on the more freestyle "Lore," which runs almost seven minutes and features some crashing cascades of cymbals and luscious guitar shredding. Warm And Cool is just about what the title states in terms of musical content, and it's a great document of excellent music in mostly cool (in the Miles Davis term) shades. Great for late night, very early morning.

1. Those Harbor Lights [Instrumental] 2. Sleepwalkin' [Instrumental] 3. Deep Dark Clouds [Instrumental] 4. Saucer Crash [Instrumental] 5. Depot (1951) [Instrumental]
6. Boulevard [Instrumental] 7. Harley Quinn [Instrumental] 8. Sor Juanna [Instrumental]
9. Depot (1957) [Instrumental] 10. Spiritual [Instrumental] 11. Little Dance [Instrumental]
12. Ore [Instrumental] 13. Depot (1958) [Instrumental] 14. Lore [Instrumental]

tv1

tv2

The Fantomas -- Director's Cut

These renditions of famous cult film themes belong in a dimension all their own.
In many ways, "The Director's Cut" is the most accessible Fantomas album-- certainly it has more coherent song structures and actual lyric singing as opposed to soley vocalizations (although there's a healthy dose of that too). It’s also in many ways the best of the rather intriguing Fantomas catalog. Brainchild of vocalist Mike Patton, Fantomas is a band in the style of John Zorn's Naked City (in the archives) -- effortlessly moving between genres and sounds with a hardcore metal feel to hold things together, but unlike Naked City's "Radio" style of dial turning short bursts and the long songs, this has more of a coherent feel per track basis. This allows a listener unfamiliar with this sort of style the chance to find something to latch onto-- one of the things that can make Fantomas' work difficult is that the style shifts when you're getting the hang of it, this one is a bit more coherent, style shifts have more palpable melodies to work with-- from the opening notes of 'The Godfather,' (quiet Italian melodies that quickly burn away into a precision battery of Death Metal prowess...) to the earthy and turntable-fied take on Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire walk With Me,' you get all pistons firing and all facets shining of Fantomas's demented and hair-raising theatrics.

The meat of this is Lombardo's drumming and Patton's voice. As always, the man is unbelievably protean- few lyrics on this, but his vocal dynamics swing (effortlessly) from blood-curdling (The Golem) scream to ominously childlike- little-girl childlike at that- sing-song(Rosemary's Baby). In 'Cape Fear' he uses his shrieks as the string section of that film's classic theme- it works PERFECTLY! At times Patton works lines from the film into the music to add to the all-out creepy aesthetic, like where he chants "IT's EITHER YOUR OR THEM... you or them..." On the atmospheric rendering of 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,' and the obvious terror of, "What have they done to it's eyes!?!" from Rosemary's Baby. There are a few tracks that fall short, where the theatrics come off as corny rather than threatening. 'Vendetta' sounds more like a Scooby Doo chase sequence. And 'Spider Baby' brings Rob Zombie to mind... ugh... Their take on the Ave Satani in 'The Omen,' is blistering speed metal. Der Golem is slower sluggish metal crawl- which works considering the subject matter. 'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion,' really grows on you, with it's circular progression and cries of "BLAGH!" it reminds me of Disco Volante. 'Charade,' is an excellent closer that veers from eloquent singing to jittery medicine-man gibberish and madness.

One other thing about Fantomas that bears mention-- they're traditionally an over-the-top band, with theaterical elements in the music heavily emphasized, this album is no exception, take the middle of the album, with the totally over-the-top "Cape Fear", "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Devil Rides Out" covers. And Patton skips track 13, just in case sonic theatrics was not enough. Although nothing will probably compare to the intonation Patton pulls out for "The Omen (Ave Satani)"-- so theatrical as to border on goofy, but somehow it manages to work. Overall, this is a superb (if a bit short) album, definitely worth checking out for the sheer yell of it.

1. The Godfather 2. Der Golem 3. Experiment In Terror 4. One Step Beyond
5. Night Of The Hunter (Remix) 6. Cape Fear 7. Rosemary's Baby
8. The Devil Rides Out (Remix) 9. Spider Baby 10. The Omen (Ave Satani)
11. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer 12. Vendetta 13. Untitled
14. Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion 15. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
16. Charade

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Tango Saloon

Hungry for some new musical tastes? Still want something a little bit familiar with a twist? The Tango genre is explored, violated, and blended with Country and everything else from Jazz, Cuban Classical Chamber, Improvisation to Experimental Electronics. Danny Heifitz of Mr Bungle on drums and percussion. Tango Saloon are led by guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Julian Curwin, who manages to combine two of his biggest influences together -- tango master Astor Piazzolla and Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti Western scores. The result is something that is a musical breath of fresh air in the often foul-smelling state of modern popular music. Very few vocals are heard here (the track "Libertango" is an exception), which results in Tango Saloon sounding akin to a movie score at times. But what a movie score it would be, as evidenced by such standouts as "Overture," "Upon a Time," and "March of the Big Shoe." That said, the second half of the disc may lose a few listeners, especially the perhaps too-experimental "Man with the Bongos," while the horns on "The Little Plan That Could" tend to get a bit too "nails on the blackboard." But overall, Tango Saloon is an unexpected (and much needed) break from the musical norm. Very recommended to the musically adventurous.

1. Overture 2. Tango Saloon 1 3. Upon A Time 4. Libertango 5. March Of The Big Shoe
6. Carol 7. Intermission 8. Man With The Bongos 9. The Little Plane That Could
10. Scusi 11. La Calle 12. Tango Saloon 2 13. Formaggio 14. Still I Cannot Do The Tango

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