Stars Like Grains of Sand

Henry Threadgill Sextet When Was That? ★★★½ Henry Threadgill goes straight from Air to a fresh and exciting jazz sextet that is quite unique. Kind of interesting how I've been inadvertently been attracted to this unique type of instrumentation in jazz. And here Threadgill challenges a mix of a Mediterranean funeral band and a circus ensemble that is a little bit tipsy.  There is of course a sense of humor and playfulness to it that is an almost uniquely Threadgill feature. I think the only downside to such attributes are that it seems a bit hard to follow when listening to the whole album. Everything seems to be shifting around at such a rate that it almost distracts from the great playing and technical ability within.  That being said, the A-side alone could be an amazing testament to the era of jazz after the "New Thing" era. There are lots of hints towards Mingus and Ornette but it remains original and captivating. Going into the self titled trac...

Codeine The White Birch ★★★ Codeine is an essential part of what would come to be the midwest post-rock / emo scene of the 90s. Here they seem to borrow a lot and not really innovate from those borrowings. Almost like a Slint copy cat done well.  That's why it's still good in my eyes, but I'm still not really a slowcore fan. Yet the hushed lyrics and instrumentation behind it seem to work cohesively enough that it creates an environment of its own.  The set up for each of these songs remains quite the same, without much variation, which really is a shame. The instruments seem to be barely latching on, and every now and then they seem to release themselves. That's unlike Stephen's vocals, which also seem to be on the verge of giving up but are never given that opportunity to break free. I think it does grow on you more as the album progresses but not really enough for me to want to relisten to the whole thing. It works for a specific mood a...

Adrian Rew Slot Machine Music Vol. 2 ★★★½ Sometimes field recordings are truly painful. They're sparse and uneventful, but this remains the complete opposite. Not only does it transport you to somewhere that you can see, feel, and smell. And this is round two of that.  It's so confusing and lush at first that it's almost a roller-coaster that doesn't seem to have an end. Just adrenaline until you get into the longer two tracks. In those, the repetitiveness is transformed into an almost electronic carousal of sounds that are only briefly cut in by the occasion human voice or jackpot siren. I don't believe that this project had political or moral intentions behind it, but those can certainly be drawn if you think about it. When we're in a casino setting all you can see are the brightly colored lights and attractive sounds that make time literally disappear and it's no wonder that so many lose themselves in it.  While this isn't s...

Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins & Jim Black One Great Day... ★★★ ★ A trio of the most unusual composition. A breaching whale of a saxophone, an almost math rock sounding drummer, and a "everything but the kitchen sink" accordionist. These three work in such a cohesive manner that it seems like they almost have a neural network.  There are certain times where Eskelin goes off onto his own tangent, and it works well but when they're all swinging with each other it close to perfect. Even for a live performance the quality is exceptionally good and the flexibility of each player is shown to work outside of the studio.  The first two tracks, especially "Vertical Hold", seem to contain a luscious and tasteful hook that is soulful and sweet like molasses. On "T64k37b", the trio experiments with some Braxton like phrases and Black's rumbling drums. This all leads to the climax, "Too Much Orange", which combines everythi...

Paul Bley Improvisie ★★★ I've come to know Paul Bley more for his incredible piano playing skills more than anything else, so it's a bit refreshing to hear him try his hand on some synths. Especially what sounds like some Moog synthesizers. He's also accompanied with Annette Peacock and Han Bennink. There are two songs, one per side. And starting off with the self titled track, you're lead down this path of meandering and confusion in many ways. Peacock and Bley kind of twirl around without getting anywhere while you can almost hear Bennink try his hardest to get something going. It's easily the weaker of the two pieces and brings it down as a whole.  The second piece, "Touching", not only improves upon the concepts of the first track, but expands them into new terrain. It seems to be almost a fight between the past and future; the organic colorful drumming of Bennink confronts the experimental and daring synths of Bley. However when...