Stars Like Grains of Sand

Jim O'Rourke Bad Timing ★ ★ ★★½ A love affair with John Fahey in a very creative and post-rock fashion; this could only be the work of an O'Rourke. O'Rourke had been all around the Chicago scene by this time and was drawing influences from all kinds of sources. He worked with drones and acoustics and electronics all before this point, but it must've been something about Fahey's primitivism that drew him into making this album. It is of course more like the Fahey style you'd associate with his later albums; with the longer tracks and more exploratory feel to them. But he doesn't sound like Fahey, and that's a good thing. It would've been a waste to listen to some imitation and I wouldn't peg O'Rourke as the type to pull something like that. Instead he pulls from the Americana that Fahey leaned upon so much, translated from folk, country, blues and jazz. The first track is a great example of that, and perhaps the closest he...

Warne Marsh Warne Marsh ★★ ★ ½ I really don't know why I'm on this bop binge recently. This is a bit cooler than the Dexter Gordon album for sure, and more importantly, a lot more sophisticated. Marsh is the definition of a "cool" player so in that regard it's not really fair to compare him to someone like Gordon. Though I can really say that each player on here does a great job especially compared to that live recording.  The two to watch out for are Paul Chambers and Warne Marsh, of course. Both are superb players and their soloing is a real indication of that too. The drummers, Philly Joe Jones and Paul Motian, were already large figures in the jazz scene at this time and they definitely help keep the rhythm section tight along with Ronnie Ball. While Paul Chambers might be one of the best on this, it's nothing THAT different from the rest of the work he's done, perhaps slightly more confident. Yet when we speak about Marsh, it...

The Necks Aquatic ★ ★ ★★ Downing another Necks album, which is always soothing and interesting. Each album has a sort of theme or general idea behind it that is utilized to its maximum potential each time. On Aquatic  that concept is more unique, there's violins and electronic obstructions all throughout the landscape. It also happens to be split into two songs, which is a bit rare.  The first song contains a strong and stable bass that is the basic skeleton for this piece, everything else swirls around it. There are many points on this twenty eight minute long song that I am reminded of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" mixed in with deep ocean field recordings. I swear there are some whales on this too, the title definitely doesn't lie. The whole album appears to be some sort of psych fusion jazz that lies in a completely different realm compared to their other works. The second track travels in an even further realm with its lushness and d...

Pheek The Friendliest Neighborhood ★★½   Another release from the Russian, now German, based label, Nervmusic. This release was somewhat interesting but nothing to really remember. It follows the formulaic tech house build up and style without much to distinguish it from any other release during this time or previous.  "Japanese Monks", the first song on the EP returns to almost what is the precedent and stereotype for the sound that this label has. All of these are obviously crafted for the club and I keep that in mind when listening to them from the safety and confines of my computer speakers and wooden desk. The only real difference in this opening track compared to anything else is the droning sound of wind chimes that pass in and out of the song. "Cute House" is bubbly and poppy like the title implies. As it progresses these very minute and chopped vocal samples seem to appear throughout while the song itself is stripped down. It's upte...

Art of Primitive Sound Musical Instruments From Prehistory: The Paleolithic ★★★ Imagine an album made up of basic natural items or simple instruments being played in an improv fashion, almost similar to EAI. This is that album completely. Slightly unnerving and patient, the musicians here pull every single texture and range out of their given items. It's much like letting two musicians into a forest or riverbed and letting them play around with what's around them, and I'm not too sure that it's all that enjoyable.  It's interesting, but not something I'd come back to at all. It takes you to musical realms you haven't visited or even imagined before, but they're not all that great or inspiring. Simply more sounds and structures that are not found in almost any style of Western music, perhaps a tad in Eastern music though.  It only seems to get darker and more sparse as the album pushes forward, perhaps going further back in time. It...

Dexter Gordon Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard ★★★ Dexter Gordon has always been, to me at least, a great player with poppy and catchy tunes. Not much more from my experience. This live club recording doesn't really change my opinion on that, rather reinforcing it for the most part. Maybe part of that is due to its over two hour length, but length can only take away so much. Gordon is Gordon, and besides Woody Shaw, the rest of the players sort of slack off during the whole performance. Being that it is a club recording (not a very well recorded performance either, but I'll talk more about that) it's natural to expect each piece going over ten minutes long, and all of them are. Gordon's playing is clear and burly, like the man himself; it stands out and is instantly recognizable like many other great saxophonists. The pianist, drummer, and bassist all seem very lost and out of place to me. I can barely make out the bass throughout this whole t...

John Fahey The Yellow Princess ★★ ★ ★½ I did perhaps just pick this up on a whim, and I can tell you I don't regret it at all. This has been one of the best *nearly* blind purchases I've made. I mean there really hasn't been any Fahey album that I haven't really liked yet. To me, there's two main Fahey periods that really define him. His earlier, low fidelity blues material; and then his more experimental and fusion based songs on his later albums.  This album leans more in that later direction, but maintains and refreshes old ideas as well. The experimental side is shown through tracks such as "March! For Martin Luther King", " The Singing Bridge of Memphis, Tennessee" and " Dance of the Inhabitants of the Invisible City of Bladensburg". All three are in a row too actually. The first and third place Fahey in the middle of a band setting and it pulls through better than I would've expected. It's pretty clear t...

Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble The Malcolm X Memorial (A Tribute in Music) ★★★½ No matter what you believe, it's fairly understood that Malcolm X was a polarizing and influential figure in his time, and even to this day. And this suite of an album works throughout his entire life in music. It doesn't seem just like any straightforward jazz album either, it twists and turns and revolves around his life; as well as incorporating different musical genres within it.  Starting this album off is the molasses-like "Malcolm Little". A hodgepodge of blues and early jazz music, it's hopeful and somewhat uplifting too. It transitions into this real soundtrackesque theme called "Detroit Red", which reminds me of a flashback that could happen in some blaxploitation film. It's grimy and dirty but with a groove that is hard to resist, all while keeping a big band jazz sensibility to it all.  This is a live recording and yo...

Anenon Tongue ★★★ When I hear underground electronic music from LA, my mind gravitates towards a particular scene. The Brainfeeder scene of course, headed by the now infamous and even broader creator, Flying Lotus. There is no doubt in my mind that he helped a lot of these other producers get their start and he definitely helped the scene gain an audience. That in turn led the creative community to expand their horizons, which has helped get us this project today.  Anenon's project to me is more about the moods and emotions he feels than anything else. And he expresses them quite simply with borrowings from those before him. Not only in the electronic and ambient scene, but perhaps the minimalist scene as well. And the album ranges from this high density, lush piano and strings to sparse examples of what sounds like a dulcimer and revolves more around the ambient genre.  Especially with the addition of woodwinds on songs like "Campana" and "Ope...

David S. Ware Quartet Godspelized ★★ ★ ★ ★ I picked up this CD a while ago, back in November actually. I think it was pretty cheap too, around six or seven dollars. I bought it not only because it was on the DIW label, which I have heard great things about, but also because David S. Ware has been one of the great post-Coltrane saxophonists that has eluded me. And yet even after I bought it, it sat on the shelf for a long while; a decision I greatly regret. But now it has been given multiple listens, and I have spent a full day with this album. And I think I can really type out what I want to say about it.  When I think of a perfect album, one of the first to pop into my mind is A Love Supreme. The magic of that album is hard to describe in many ways but it has certain qualities that are hard to find elsewhere. A combination of true human expression, technique of the highest order, and a communication and cohesiveness between all players that is well understood...

Tim Buckley Starsailor ★★★½ Example number 14387291 of a completely off album cover. Whenever someone gives you a smile like this you know it's going to be something on the other side of the spectrum. And especially back then you'd only find out what it sounded like when you went home and played it. Anyways, this album is quite surprising in a number of different ways.  It helps fuse the constant problem many artists face during the middle portion of their careers; how to keep experimenting and expanding your artistic limits while also staying loyal to fans and creating popular hits. Not all artists subscribe to this dilemma but I feel like Buckley surely does. Songs like "Song to the Siren" and "Moulin Rouge" stay true to the hits Buckley needed to register, and because of this they fall flat compared to the rest of the album.  But when listening to the straight psych rock hit "Monterey" and nervous wreck of a song "Jun...

Derek & The Ruins Saisoro ★★★½ An unlikely trio that works like a quantum computer with a mind of its own. Absolutely chaotic but in the way technology can be. It's not primal or barbaric, it's a chaos that was started with purpose. Bailey has been known to work with people from all different musical circles and working with Ruins was a great choice. And this being Ruins first time making improvised music is also quite the feat, they seem much more experienced.  Right from the start you can tell that all the members work off each other really well, complimenting each action with their own. And once the vocals hit on " Shivareyanco", Bailey begins to act like the guitar version of a vocoder for each of the random mutterings made from the drummer's mouth. It rumbles into other spaces that I haven't really heard Ruins go, Bailey has however.  It's powerfully driven but in this completely capable and awesome communication between pla...

Carl Stone Electronic Music from the Seventies and Eighties ★★★½ Carl Stone has a thing for restaurants apparently, as each song title in the majority of his releases are tributes to some of his favorite. This is a compilation of his early works and it's pretty daunting at two and a half hours long. I've listened to his '92 album Mom's  some months ago, and even one song from this is on that release. Otherwise this is all new to me.  "Sukothai" is probably what will either draw a lot of people in or spit the others out, personally it drew me in. The Baroque harpsichord being layered over and over to what seemed like hundreds of times, was really mind numbing and best experienced with headphones. The third and fourth tracks, "Dong Il Jang" and "Shibucho" both use rapid samples that recall the sounds of an early Steve Reich or digital Oneohtrix Point Never. It's a sort of midpoint between the two periods in electronic m...

The Units (Jandek)  Ready for the House ★★★ Three times four is twenty seven says Jandek on "First You Think Your Fortune's Lovely". It's been a long time since I've wanted to explore Jandek's discography. And I've had this specific album downloaded and waiting for over seven months in my library. But here I am, a tad underwhelmed by it all but eager for what's next. It definitely is music for a mood and all these albums that have been like this really haven't been clicking with me recently. I recognize the desperation in it all and the rawness is hard to ignore. Imagine giving this a listen forty years ago, I would've been fucking scared. And the acoustic guitar he plays only amplifies the dread in his voice and lyrics of his tortured mind.  I guess what holds it all back for me is that it's all a bit too similar. Not a lot of variation, perhaps except that last song. "European Jewel (Incomplete)" has a com...

Aby Ngana Diop Liital ★★★½ A dizzying spiral of sounds and rhythms that seem completely out of this world. Just from the cover and seeing Diop's calm expression and slight smile, you'd never expect this music. And I always love when my expectations are so meaningless and opposite from the reality. This album is also unlike a lot of other African music I've heard, I guess the closest would be that Music from Saharan Cellphones series but still that's not quite there.  This electronic whirlwind mixed with the drums creates an atmosphere much like that of drum and bass or jungle. Of course the vocals are really what sets this album apart and it would be incomplete without them. Not only is Aby's voice demanding of an audience, but her backups also create this army of voices; shouting and chanting in a manner that presses forward through anything in its way.  The first track, "Dieuleul-Dieuleul", is arguably the catchiest and most unique...

Joe McPhee Tenor & Fallen Angels ★ ★★★½ If I had to describe this album with one word it would be: colorful. Bursting with different shades and intensities that not only keep the album incredibly interesting but also worthwhile. Joe McPhee is not your regular saxophonist / multi-instrumentalist and this album is a great example of the feats he can achieve with a simple tenor sax.  Starting off with probably the grooviest song, the deeply blues influenced "Knox" creates an atmosphere reminiscent to the approaching dusk of a hot, humid rural Georgian day. As he starts to fade you're hit back again with an intensity that only a drunken and destroyed man could provide. "Good-Bye Tom B." starts with a lyrical fragment that is mysterious and almost mouth wateringly attractive. If that makes any sense. But these two tracks are about as safe as you'll have it on this album. "Sweet Dragon" sounds like a journey of a person disco...

This Heat This Heat ★★ ★ ★ Yeah this has been too long coming, same goes for their sophomore album that I have also not listened to yet. After giving this a few listens it's really understandable to me why this album and the group have a cult following in the underground, and have served as an inspiration to musicians from various genres.  There are obvious pulls from the New York avant scene which include the No Wave movement and classical-isms from many contemporary composers. Then there's the East Asian percussive use in songs like "Water" combined with African drums on "Twilight Furniture". The vocals aren't really that important or meaningful to me, but not much of a bother either.  This whole album is so mechanical and cold that you sometimes forget that humans created it. By the time you get to the extreme minimalism of "Diet of Worms" and "Music Like Escaping Gas", you're hit with the heavy and chaot...

Anthony Braxton Creative Orchestra Music 1976 ★★★½ Braxton during the 70s was not only a powerhouse of releasing innovative and different jazz albums, but also helped carry on the importance of jazz composers and band leaders into the new era. Not to say that he was only important in the 70s, he's always been great, and also not to say that his music wasn't despised by many jazz fans. Because many did.  Here is an example that's no different but completely unique in its own way. Inside of these 40 minutes is previously undiscovered experimentation and recently discovered (and polished) traditional technique. Not to say that I really love all of it, but only someone like Braxton could create an album like this. Forged with respect and admiration to people like Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, but also molded in a somewhat faulty manner that is completely intentional.  There is this alternating theme throughout that makes this album quite fun to lis...

工藤礼子 [Reiko Kudo]  夜の稲 (Rice Field Silently Riping in the Night) ★★★½ A short and muted album that feels like an encounter with an old friend, but you both speak really softly and say very little. Yet it still means the world to you. Each song on here is pretty short and gives off only a little show of her musicianship. Yet it feels so full and comfortable that it doesn't need much else.  It gives me a feeling of living in a much smaller world, all this is played by tiny people in an environment much like the cover of this album. The words from her mouth pour out slowly and even with as light and airy as they seem, they carry a weight with them that's hard to ignore.  While it is a compact album it offers much space in between it all, which is very attractive to me. The variety is great too, from piano ballads like "Mrs Wheeler" to the surf guitar of the opening track, "Kaihatsu-san". It's all very bare and stripped to the bone.  ...

JPEGMAFIA Veteran ★★½ Yeah I jumped on this hype just to see what it's about. Damn Peggy! But seriously this is some Oneohtrix Point Never, soundcloud, ok enough of that basically: take your forums and social media and really understand them for their hypocrisy. This hypocrisy is put into album form and this is the result.  Many many people have compared this project and Peggy with Death Grips, which is easy for any two bit listener. Wow black MC with wack beats rapping about the internet. But they are in separate realms entirely. I think there are a lot more subtleties on this project than any DG album, but that doesn't make it more meaningful.  Basically what you get here is a libertarian veteran rapper giving his hot take on everything, so I took it with a grain of salt. Even though it is some sort of fresh perspective. Take the beats, the rhymes are here or there for me. I'm sure there are many who will appreciate his lyrics though.  Th...

Cat Power Moon Pix ★★★★ I guess I'm a bit behind on this, it belongs more in my youtube playlist of three to four years ago. But I think that time will return again, just been taking a break and this will help for that. I just can't push myself to take it exactly how it should be taken, at your lowest moments, those of longing and fear.  That being said, it's not hard to tell how Chan Marshall felt when recording this, and from what I've heard, even years after it was released. Her voice isn't anything super unique that would draw you in, such as that of Joanna Newsom or  Björk. But it has a quality that is almost double sided; it's fragile and fearful but always with a tinge of hope that serves it well. Of course there are some weaker songs on here like "Peking Saint", and "American Flag" (which really is unlike the rest of the album for me), but those songs are absolutely negated by the glories of the churning, emotional pi...

Eric Dolphy Eric Dolphy in Europe Vol. 1 ★★★ ★ Eric Dolphy at some of his most peaceful and relaxed, but he still kills it as you would expect. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to dive into Dolphy's music but is a bit intimidated by some of his other releases. Rest assured, he's still on top of everyone on here. Starting with "Hi-Fly", which is a flute and bass duet, you can already tell he's on his way out of the atmosphere. While Chuck Israels does his best, he only barely keeps up with Dolphy's non-stop smoothly performed flute. Actually that seems to be the main theme throughout; everyone trying to keep up with someone who's leagues ahead. Not to say the rest are bad players, they're pretty good, but just comparatively I only think the drummer had enough in him to stay level with Dolphy. The second piece is also on flute and it stays in the mood of a wandering and mournful ballad that takes you to the wee hours...

Rafael Toral Wave Field ★★★½ Wave Field is an ambient / drone album that really provides little snippets of lovely textures and atmospheres throughout its ever shifting landscape. Both of the tracks are great and work wonderfully as sister pieces to each other.  Looking at the cover it's quite simple to see that My Bloody Valentine gave some inspiration to the design of this cover. Not only that, but one could argue that many of the layers and dense smoky, humid atmosphere is drawn from Loveless , which in my mind is a perfect album.  "Wave Field 6" seems more inspired by that album than the first song, especially with what sounds like distortion pedals. Also the long, strenuous riffs that appear to be formed. But compared to the first track it remains somewhat more fluid and airy, a lot less heavy too.  The first song, "Wave Field 5", goes all over the place. Switching from these spaceship alert drones to dark and deep ocean floors. A...