NEW MUSIC FRIDAY with TBONES and cutting-edge new releases you must hear.
Must - being the keyword here.
Various - DEUTSCHE ELEKTRONISCHE MUSIK 4 1971-83 [LP/CD](Soul Jazz/Redeye)
Now on their fourth collection of Krautrock (a/k/a the less harsh Musik Kosmiche, ) the selection of the wealth of different music attenuates that this music is far from typical or even similar. Previous compilations have unearthed some real gems (Gila - “This Morning” and Streetmark - “Passage”, if you want to playlist.) This fourth sequence is a lot like the third except that the programming of the tracks has grown more thoughtful. Opening with the Turkish psychedelic exploration of Alex seems like a strange choice on paper until you hear that incessant rhythm. Besides the highlights from Can, Michael Rother, and Harmonia, the Amon Duul II and Agitation Free cuts are well chosen. Amon Duul II’s “Wolf City” is commonly overlooked for its leap at commercial success, while the more hippie vibe of Agitation Free (“Laila, Part II”) proves to be more organized than just a jam. What begins as juxtaposition (normally Rock followed by Electronic experimentation from Klaus Weiss or the underrated Gunter Schickert,) converges in the end with the magnum opus from Witthüser & Westrupp who are some original combination of Acid-tinged Prog/Folk/Rock played behind German literature that leaves you hoping for more on Vol.5.
SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER - 5 [LP/CD](Cuneiform)
This Swiss trio with the long name knows a thing or two about spinning webs of minimalism and tension. Their songs seem to materialize slowly from the vapor of the most non-musical sounds their instruments produce. Andi Schnellman's bass harmonics and plunky, muted notes need to correspond telepathically with the hyperactive tapping of drummer David Meier. On "Before and After," they actually find each other, find a groove, and then destroy your mind by briefly maintaining a live loop. Add the creative guitar work of Manuel Troller (who generally propels the second half of longer explorations with a mixture of scratchy strumming and chiming notes,) and Schnellertollermeier make Avant-Garde music to bob your head to. The hypnotic almost Tortoise-like beauty of the opener "209 Aphelion" plays two separate funky riffs in different time signatures. However, you are grooving too hard to even notice. Schnellertollermeier is simply astonishing on "5."
THE GREEN CHILD - Shimmering Basset [LP/CD](Upset The Rhythm)
Lo-fi psychedelia and shimmering synth-pop meet with this duo. Mikey Young from Australia's synth-punk band Total Control and Raven McMahon from Grass Widow join forces to paint an Eno-esque pastoral vision where the bleeps and blurbs are placed with pointillism in mind. Much like a Monet painting, the songs demand both digestion and a change in perspective. "Shimmering Basset" is not one that leaps out at you. As beautiful as it is (and as featherlight as it makes you feel,) these songs are a guided meditation that needs more than one or two plays to experience. (NOTE: It’s three here, and still I find missing caches of feelings.) "Smart Clothes" feels like a romantic Stereolab growing from its Fleetwood Mac bright strum into a hidden track from "Warm Jets." McMahon finds a sweet detachment that keeps songs lilting like the verses on "Resurrection." Young uses the synths so skillfully, you rarely reach for the novelty of their ancient sound. Even when they go for a more Eighties remoteness a la Yazoo on "Witness," The Green Child's mixture of staccato synths and long, legato vocals remains intoxicating.
THE LEFT OUTSIDES - Are You Sure I Was There? [LP/CD](Feeding Tube)
The British duo of Alison Cotton and Mark Nicholas has put out several bracing yet beautiful albums of magisterial British Folky/Psychedelic Rock. "Are You Sure" comes the closest to matching the thrill of 2017's stunner "There Is A Place." Time has been kind to the pair who neatly trade off and keep the mood they create on Nico-esque thrillers like "My Reflection, Once Was Me" feeling like night to the day of the Dylanesque wonder "The Stone Barn" that preceded it. "Are You Sure" is darker and a little more sinister (in that pagan way,) resulting in an album that feels autumnal. The chill in the air on the orchestral "A Face In The Crowd" and the Fairport-esque opener "The Wind No Longer Stirs The Trees" are standouts. However, given the arrangement of the tracks and how they blend together so well - "Are You Sure" is a brilliant seasonal song cycle from start to glorious finish.
THE END - Allt Ar Intet [LP/CD](Rarenoise UK)
Given the built-in nihilism of their name, "Allt Ar Intet" (which translates into "All Is Nothingness") sounds like a final statement. However, the most surprising facet of The End is their uncanny ability to control tension and continuously build their mammoth songs while slightly augmenting the sound. At a shade under nine minutes, the incantation "The Prayer, The Prey" is hairraising. When the Norwegian/Swedish band turns to skronky Jazz on "Dark Wish (To Per Henrik Wallin,) they sound like Sun Ra gone No Wave. Even when they try to soothe with a heartstopping Karen Dalton cover of "It Hurts Me Too," you always sense that this is the calm before the storm.
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