.NEWMUSICFRIDAY comin' in hard with swinging singles, cool Musik Kosmiche, sinuous Jazz, blinding Punk and Metal
plus a deep dive into Hawkwind. Buckle up!
TENNIS SYSTEM - The Future of Our History [LP](Diggers Factory)
This DC band has been making some very cool shoegaze music since 2008. Their most recent album “Autophobia” for some great guitar Pop bathed in that wash of effects that make songs like the excellent “Truth Hurts” leave vapor trails. Diggers Factory announced a very limited pressing of their 2010 album recently. The deep, dark, spellbinding album is bursting with hooks as songs like the driving “Beautiful Mistake,” the Sonic Youth-esque “Silver” and the near Punk of “Lemon Drops” rock so hard - they might send the needle out of the groove. Finally, if that was not enough, it appears they released a new single on Graveface this week - which might be their best song ever.
LES TALISMANS/LES JAGUARS [7”](Radio Martiko BEL)
MORTON & THE UPTIGHTS -” Taurus” [7”](Radio Martiko BEL)
THE KING CREOLES with JOSKE HARRY’S and BURT BLANCO [7”](Radio Martiko BEL)
The Belgian label Radio Martiko scored this week’s hat trick of 7” singles. The Surf Quebecois of Les Talismans and Les Jaguars is a beauty. Les Talisman’s “L’Interplanetaire” is that perfect slice of Dick Dale-ish guitar pyrotechnics and surf gallop. While it scores on total familiarity, the Middle Eastern lean of it draws you back in again and again. Les Jaguars “Guitare Jet” is also a fine demonstration of playing with that classic reverb tank.
Morton & The Uptights hit a Reggae-tinged Jazz-y lope on “Taurus” and brilliantly use mariachi-style trumpet to keep you bobbing along. The piano-led B-side “Montego” pits the up-and-down slash of Ska ahead a Middle Eastern-meets-Jazz low melody line. Apparently, this double-sided gem was their only release.
Finally, this 2015 single from the magnificent King Creoles runs the voodoo down with on “Taboo ‘69” with Burt Blanco. Then, Belgian schlager maestro Joske Harry’s turns “Louie Louie” into a tightly-wound, staccato twist-inspiring machine. While Joske wails as a man possessed, the organ part and guitar solo make this the perfect surprise cover for that party mix.
BUFFET LUNCH - Cheeks/Mild Weather [7”](Upset The Rhythm UK)
These Scottish Post-Punks actually sound more Downtown NY 1981 with their weird Beefheart-ish A-side and then cool things off with the wispy and wistful B-side. “Cheeks” is a mondo bizarro jam where vocals seem to bark out from the speakers and the band sorts out a wild loping Eighties Beefheart groove. Jayne Dent of Me Lost Me vocalizes above the circus-like tilt-a-whirl on “Mild Weather.” Much like their debut, Buffet Lunch continues to gain ground by subverting your expectations with their ricochet grooves.
THE CHISEL - Retaliation [LP](La Vida Es Un Mus UK)
One of the best singles of the year (reviewed here 5.20.21) originated with this Glam-tinged slamming Punk rawk band. England’s The Chisel have actually done themselves one better by making a record that is relentless. The Spirit of ‘77 is definitely alive and well here (the blinding fury of the title cut) but their introduction of anthemic choruses and well-spun side hooks (“Tooth and Nail”) that actually add dimension to their forceful drive. Cal Graham emerges as a great frontman and lyricist as songs like the punky “Come See Me” and the more Glammy “Sit and Do Nothing” feel like a matched pair. “Retaliation” is The Chisel letting the world at large know they are here to bring everyone into the pit.
GURU GURU - UFO [LP](Cleopatra)
CLUSTER - Cluster ‘71 [LP] (Bureau B/The Orchard)
The dawn of Musik Kosmiche. From the coffee bars and castles in Germany, the syrupy Pop music on radio and TV left a lot to be desired for this post-WWII generation of artists. Like other beginning bands, Guru Guru takes the quintessential band setup and flips it on its head. “UFO” opens with the extended guitar jam of “Stone In” but you quickly realize there is something more visceral about this budding branch of Hippie Rock. “Girl Call” takes Ax Genrich’s guitar storm a bit farther out, before “The Next Time You See The Dalai Lama” morphs into one long trance guitar jam. Finally, “UFO” is the long-awaited freakout with guitars pitted against their effects leading to the entire band rolling against the flow. By 1973, Guru Guru will have mastered this mixture of drone and noise - but for an opening chapter, “UFO” remains a fascinating run against the grain.
Years away from their landmark works like 1974’s “Zuckerzeit” and 1977’s groundbreaking “Cluster and Eno,” “Cluster” is your chance to listen to Moebius, Roedelius, and producer Conny Plank tame their improv-based ideas. Like early Tangerine Dream, Cluster circa 1971 is all about turning non-musical sounds into the composition. Titled with their running times, these three tracks exist essentially as fields of music with largely industrial (read: machine-like not its post-Throbbing Gristle rawness) sounds that bring together synths of all types through gates, sequencers, chorus-ed, pitch-shifted and altered. The fact that 50 years later, most of “Cluster” still sounds unidentifiable is a testament to Moebius and Roedelius’ devotion to turning technological madness into music.
ERIC DOLPHY AND THE LATIN JAZZ QUARTET - Caribe [LP](Honeypie)
Eric Dolphy is best known for his fiery runs, honks, and squalls of notes on clarinet and flute. Four years before his landmark “Out To Lunch,” Dolphy laid down some serious soloing over the sinuous rhythms of the Latin Jazz Quartet. On paper, “Caribe” looks like either a mismatch or random collaboration that could result in a serious headache. However, the surging runs of Dolphy find the perfect places to emphasize the understated work of the LJQ. On the lengthy title cut, the band really gets to stretch out over the hypnotic blues including a tasty solo from pianist Gene Casey. Halfway through, they let Dolphy in and he discovers just the right places to play between the notes and even accent the central melody. “Blues in 6/8” does so much with Charlie Simons’ vibe work and swings hard AND hits the Blues parts. When the Latin polyrhythms dominate on the lovely “Spring Is Here,” Dolphy intersects their tight beats with a long, languid flute line that makes “Caribe” one of those Jazz experiments you just have to enjoy.
AL DOUM & THE FARYDS - Freaky People [LP](Black Sweat ITA)
With their driving guitar, hypnotic-but-fast beat, choral vocalizing, Al Doum & The Faryds would likely be classified as a Seventies-esque Spiritual Jazz group. As ritual-esque as their wailing exclamations may sound - they owe a lot to both Free Jazz (the amazing “Universe Pts. 1 and 2”) and Funk (the Latin-tinged party of the opener “One with Nature.”) As you listen, it is not hard to think Al Doum and the band would play well with both Kahil El-Zabar and Osees. “Here We Gong” simmers beautifully with horns and the chorus of voices, and the closer “Woodstock” is a Rock-paced grandiose goodbye.
A little metal..move forward with no fear.
ASTROPHOBOS - Corpus [LP](Triumvirate SWE)
THE TEMPLE [LP](Profound Lore/The Orchard)
Swedish Black Metal with a very interesting mixture of a Captain Howdy-esque voice growling at you in full scope with the combination of heavily picked chainmail guitar and crushing slow drums behind it. “Corpus” works its Doom-y repetition very well, before “Utroting” takes on the conventional double-kick madness you have grown to expect. Astrophobos still find some neat ways to change up their rhythms (the 3/4 swing-to-driving beat on “Till Djupet”) and always use their guitars as a slightly hooky recall (the epic “Svarta”) to those First Wave metallers of the Eighties.
For Black Metal at its bleakest, New Zealand’s The Temple writes songs that play out like cement-footed incantations summoning beasts from below. For just two people, P.K. and J.W. make enough noise to possibly cause hallucinations. Voices and guitars swoop down from the rafters of their giant chamber of sound to shriek in your face or surround you with arpeggiated cacophony. Over six epic monolithic songs, The Temple rarely let you up for air. As a whole, the album feels primal and like trudging through a long dark cave toward the smallest flickering light. Tracks like “Hell Incarnate” and the Doom-y crusher “Pale Horse of Pestilence” are indicative of just what subterranean adventures this pair are going to lead us on next.
A Young Starfighter's Guide to HAWKWIND
The history of Hawkwind tends to cover the collision and overlap of multiple musical galaxies. Generally speaking, Hawkwind's music is built upon heavy repetition (like Musik Kosmiche) but with the maximum instrumentation of Progressive Rock. Their closest antecedent would probably be Pink Floyd, although Hawkwind continues to be recognized as the progenitor of Space Music.
In the beginning, there was Dave Brock just busking and working out these trance-inducing chords on his acoustic guitar. The immortal "Hurry On Sundown" remains the best example of how the band took its root from the hippie scene raised on Folk music, but dramatically expanded through its ongoing fascination with Psychedelia.
From their home in Ladbroke Grove (or an underground newspaper office,) Hawkwind began with lengthy lysergic jam sessions where songs evolved from their endless playing. The 1970 debut (produced by Dick Taylor of The Pretty Things) is both a showcase for their ability to transport within the song ("Be Yourself") and in their own prankster ways, merrily slice their most prescient statement ("Paranoia") in two - to get you to flip over the record. Dik Mik's wandering electronics and the human force of Nik Turner's saxophone wail flip in and out of the dense mix of guitars. "Mirror of Illusion" is the first thrilling Hawkwind statement.
Their second album is where the Space Rock facet of Hawkwind truly takes off. Adding bassist Dave Anderson (of Amon Duul II) and the masterful poet Robert Calvert gives "In Search of Space" all the needed depth to bring Barney Bubbles' spaceship cover to life. "You Shouldn't Do That" is the first Hawkwind cut to demonstrate their ability to be both loose and tight. While it is as menacing as the debut, it bounces around more playfully while taunting you. "Master of the Universe" is the first appearance of the trademarked Hawkwind chug. "In Search of Space" is the engine of early Hawkwind and just barrels along with a literal wash of keyboards and guitars all drifting by you like stars and their contrails.
"Doremi Fasol Latido" is early Hawkwind at their most Prog. With Lemmy joining the group, he provides the band with both a harder edge and an intensity to their drive. If "In Search of Space" was simulating actual space travel, "Doremi" is packed with songs that feel like engines firing upon takeoff. The seventeen minutes of "Brainstorm" and "Space Is Deep" have Calvert's hidden vocals sounding a little more Syd Barrett than they will. However, the mix of their music is becoming clearer and the separation really benefits the starry-eyed processing of Dik Mik and even the optimistic chime of Dave Brock's 12-string. "Lord of Light" is the beginning of Hawkwind's mastery of strict hypnosis with some awesome bass from Lemmy. "Time We Left (This World Today)" is the initial multi-part suite peaking with some serious noise, and Lemmy's "The Watcher" makes for a wonderful descent and landing.
For the accompanying tour, Hawkwind envisioned a giant show with a working spaceship and enough amplification to make people blocks away think that a rocket was truly taking off. The tour captured on both the "Greasy Truckers Party" compilation and the "Space Ritual" live album is Hawkwind's first peak. Their single "Silver Machine" went to the Top 3 in the UK and made them true stars. Success proved to be quite the catalyst for the band. "Space Ritual" wove spoken word from sci-fi author Michael Moorcock and Robert Calvert together between Hawkwind songs that were so euphoric you did not want them to end. "Earth Calling" is a seismic blast. "Orgone Accumulator" pushes the boundaries harder toward a more visceral Stooges-like sound. "Space Ritual" was billed as "88 minutes of brain damage." Mission accomplished.
Capitalizing on their success did not prove to be in the works for Hawkwind. 1973 brought their first taste of controversy on the single "Urban Guerilla." With its lyrics echoing The Troubles that were leaving the entire United Kingdom in fear and disarray. The satire of Calvert's satirical declaration "I'm an urban guerilla/I make bombs in my cellar" led to it being banned by the BBC and even pulled from stores. Behind the scenes, the band was divided on this change in direction. Now many years later, it lives on as a great single that could be seen as a precursor to Punk and one of the reasons they survived the Punk uprising.
Still, the band made changes, most notably the first departure of Robert Calvert. With more high-fidelity recording equipment and lots of studio time in Edmonton and London, 1974 saw Hawkwind release "Hall of The Mountain Grill" their most sonically varied album yet. With Lemmy in the driver's seat, the foreboding "Lost Johnny" is the first taste of a truly dark side of Hawkwind (and a leading indicator of where he will be traveling next.) New synthesist/violinist Simon House contributes the gentlest piece like the title track. But with Brock and Turner fronting the band again, their twin powers made "The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear In Smoke") THE Hawkwind cut that finally earned them some US AOR Radio play.
It proved to be fitting that Album Rock stations might try the mighty Space Rockers from the UK. So in 1975, Hawkwind brought Michael Moorcock back to write a full-length album lyrical narrative. Some of the Etric poems were introduced live (the 1974 live album has a taste) but the band was at odds with each other. "Warrior At The Edge of Time" is an underrated album in the Hawkwind canon. Some say it is stretched too thin with Simon House-era electronics and quiet passages. Others point to its conscious inclusion of songs that blended together (the opening pair "Assault and Battery/The Golden Void" from Dave Brock) and yet did not fit together. It remains Hawkwind at both their most disjointed and ambitious.
Those same sessions saw Hawkwind finishing their contract with United Artists who they owed one last single. It would turn out to be a decimator. Brock's "Kings of Speed" is thunderous and a return to the star sailing jams of "In Search of Space." Lemmy's "Motorhead" while relegated to the B-side would have fit excellently on "Warrior" but obviously works better in his next project.
For their move to Charisma Records in 1976, Robert Calvert returns and Lemmy's gritty bass is replaced by the smooth sound of Paul Rudolph. While "Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music" may have too many instrumentals and try too much to make the whole of Hawkwind happy through individual compositions and features. The Calvert/Brock songs mainly return to Hawkwind's old-style chug illuminated by a new hint of Glammy Rock. The album's single "Kerb Crawler" rumbles along like an updated lost cut from "Doremi" with soulful background vocalists. "Reefer Madness" finds a new kind of tension in more changes and a spirited Calvert. In hindsight, "Astounding" feels rushed but has a lot of fantastic sound pastiches and effects for a transitional album.
Seven proved to be the lucky number for Hawkwind on their most modern and strangely uncharacteristic album "Quark, Strangeness, and Charm." With Calvert firmly entrenched as the messenger of the band. In February 1977, the English music scene was already starting to feel the change in the air from Punk. The Pistols crashed the Silver Jubilee and The Damned released "Damned Damned Damned." Hawkwind saw their music might need to live up to the challenge. So, "Quark" allows Calvert to be at his wittiest. The jaunty title cut should have been a hit (Marc Bolan loved it and had them on his tea-time programme.) However, as silly as singing about Einstein ever having a girl was, other portions of the album were bleak and ominous. Simon House's instrumental "The Forge of Vulcan" would become a key early Ambient piece. "Damnation Alley" was the soundtrack to the apocalypse. The Middle Eastern menace of "Hassan I Sahba" capitalized on the spirit of "Urban Guerilla" but turned out both thrilling and frightening in its prescience. "Spirit of the Age" and the autobiographical "The Days of the Underground" were lighter in contrast, but still carried the implication of a band growing older and less optimistic. "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" is one of the best Hawkwind albums despite it being completely uncharacteristic of Hawkwind's general thrust. To see the band in yet another incarnation discovering a new facet of themselves proved to the world that Hawkwind would survive anything.
What follows is a tangled web of projects. After a falling out and dispute, they will record as Hawklords in 1978 ("25 Years On") before returning to a Sci-Fi narrative with a futuristic focus on 1979's underrated "PXR5." The Eighties will open with Calvert and Nik Turner out of the band, Ginger Baker, and Huw Lloyd-Langston in the band. A series of high-profile albums will follow with great singles to cull ("Who's Gonna Win The War," "Utopia," "Needle Gun," and "The Sword of The East") all calling back to the glory days while pushing ahead into new textures like Metal and Electronic music. The revolving door of members coming back into the fold also allows Hawkwind to update their older songs regularly and spin out studio albums and live albums at a good pace. Today, 52 years after the first true Hawkwind jam, they are more Space Rock than ever. "Somnia" sees the newest formation making Space Rock that is both behemoth-like in scope and also as placid as outer space. Their influence and impact can be felt everywhere from Monster Magnet to Osees. Any Rock band who wants to put you in a trance at a loud volume owes a debt of gratitude to these longtime space travelers. Your consumption of either Cherry Red version of “Dust of Time” is only the beginning.
Well, another week, another list of several different styles and pursuits in music for you. Enjoy. Listen again. Share as you wish.
NEW RELEASES lovingly compiled for you from this very week!
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