What are you listening to now? : Non-metal Edition
Kraftwerk - "Trans Europa Express" (1977)
Classic early electronica from Germany. It's always been a little too quirky for my taste but I still enjoy whacking it on every now & then as it's got a truly unique atmosphere.
3.5/5
The Residents - "Not Available" (1978)
Some weird-ass experimental shit from this highly regarded Los Angeles outfit. TOO weird for me personally. In fact, this record pushes the definition of what constitutes "music" a fair bit further than I'm comfortable with.
Ensemble Instrumental de Musique Contemporaine de Paris / Konstantin Simonovich / Luc Ferrari - "Presque rien no. 1; Société II" (1970)
A two track & 48 minute studio album that includes a 21 minute field recording & a 27 minute experimental classical piece, both composed by French musique concrète legend Luc Ferrari. I quite enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the field recording however the classical piece is all over the place & seems to have very little substance of structure. It's not something I can see myself returning to.
Adam Green - "Musik For A Play" (2010)
This fifth album from New York indie-pop singer/songwriter Adam Green was supposedly intended as a soundtrack to a film about a dog but I'm not sure it's translated all that well to the purely audio format as I found it's quirky instrumental mix of folk, jazz & classical to be pretty poorly executed & frankly pretty boring. And WOW! That cover artwork is pretty special, isn't it?
Kanye West - "Late Registration" (2005)
Quite enjoyed Kanye's sophomore album for a bit of cheeky & fairly accessible hip hop while doing work in the back yard this morning. He was certainly a story-teller. What happened to the dude in recent years?!
Elder - "Reflections of a Floating World" (2017)
I've been really digging the fourth album from this Massachusetts four-piece over the last couple of days. I was really impressed with their 2012 "Spires Burn/Release" E.P. some time ago & have always intended on checking out some of their other releases since. "Spires Burn/Release" sat somewhere between stoner metal & stoner rock whereas this one is noticeably more progressive & less metallic. In fact, I'd actually go so far as to call it progressive stoner rock with the dial sitting closer to the prog rock side than the stoner one due to the influence of Yes being quite pronounced on Elder's sound here. Front man Nick Disalvo's delivery reminds me a lot of Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction & Porno For Pyros while the inclusion pf psychedelic guitar effects & the use of repetition as a tool for cerebral massage are most welcome. The musicianship is top notch throughout too. This is really classy stuff with lengthy & expansive passages taking the listener on rewarding journeys through otherworldy atmospheres. I'd suggest that members of The Infinite might find a lot to enjoy here. It just shades "Spires Burn/Release" in my opinion but there's not a lot in it.
4/5
I've been listening to the 2001 self-titled debut album from Japanese experimental act Dark Revolution Collective over the last few days & I have to say that it was complete crap . It sounds very much like a bunch of thirteen year old kids banging randomly on kitchen utensils which shouldn't really have surprised given that that's exactly what it is. Shit like this really shouldn't qualify as music.
Jan Johansson - "Jazz på svenska" (1964)
A pretty cool, laidback jazz record from this highly regarded Swedish pianist. It's basically just piano & double bass & makes for great dinner music (or dinner-making music after a hard day at work which is how I've listened to it).
Jan Johansson - "Jazz på svenska" (1964)
A pretty cool, laidback jazz record from this highly regarded Swedish pianist. It's basically just piano & double bass & makes for great dinner music (or dinner-making music after a hard day at work which is how I've listened to it).
It's tragic that Jan Johansson was killed in a car crash, just a couple years before the beginning of heavy metal... but look what a legacy he left behind for the metal future! His sons have performed in a few notable Swedish power metal bands; ex-Hammerfall drummer Anders and Stratovarius keyboardist Jens. Progressive masters Opeth have noted Jan Johansson as an influence on the title intro for that band's move away from metal, Heritage. RIP this highly influential pianist...
KOM-teatteri - "Porvari nukkuu huonosti" (1972)
A musical theatre soundtrack featuring a folky sound that's uniquely Finnish. I didn't find it to be particularly interesting.
Alice Coltrane - "Turiya Sings" (1982)
Wonderfully deep new age music to wind down to from this legendary jazz musician & wife of John Coltrane himself. I've found myself returning to this release again & again over the years. It was only ever intended to be a meditational support tool for her religious group & was only made in a limited number of cassettes.
Elvis Presley - "That's the Way It Is" (1970)
My wife has very traditional tastes in music & I've been pushing the threshold a little bit in relation to the music I've been playing around the house of late so I thought I'd better put on something that's more in line with her preferences this morning. This album was from Elvis' period performing at Las Vegas casinos & you can definitely hear it in the material. It's not really my bag to be honest.
John Massoni with Sonic Boom - "The Sundowner Sessions" E.P. (2000)
After doing Elvis I felt that it was time to push the threshold again with some highly cerebral experimental ambient music. Pretty good stuff too. Really repetitive & hypnotic.
Witch Fever - "Reincarnate" E.P. (2021)
I've really been digging this 19 minute, six track E.P. from Manchester all-girl outfit Witch Fever this week. If you miss the early-90's classic grunge days then this is the release you're looking for. Think "Bleach"-era Nirvana meets that aggressive Babes In Toyland & L7 style riot grrrl sound with a few nods to Black Sabbath. Why aren't these girls really big right now? Perhaps they are & I've just missed the memo?
CODE KUNST - "People" (2020)
Took the family for a relaxing country drive & stopped in at a farm for morning tea before returning to the beach for lunch. This South Korean R&B album wouldn't usually be my thing but made for a relaxing accompaniment that the whole family could chill out to.
Harmonious Thelonious - "Kabriman" E.P. (2019)
An outstanding German tribal techno E.P. that comprises of three tracks, all of which draw heavily from African tribal music as a theme. It's deep, minimal, repetitive & cerebral i.e. right up my alley.
Townes Van Zandt - "Townes Van Zandt" (1969)
Put this man-&-his-guitar style country album on over the last couple of days to accompany casual home time with the family. It's much more my wife's thing than it is mine & I found myself getting a bit bored apart from a couple of songs.
Tim Armstrong - "A Poet's Life" (2007)
The debut album from this Californian ska artist. It's not bad for what it is but didn't really connect with me stylistically.
C A S I N O ☆★☆★☆ M A S T E R - "☆★☆ ボーナススピン幸運 ！！！" (2014)
This release is a 14 minute collage of sounds which sees the English producer taking samples from casinos & making them into an arrangement that loosely resembles music. I don't mind it purely for background atmospherics as I don't really need to focus on it & the sounds are completely foreign to my everyday life. Still... it's completely disposable from an artistic point of view.
Two & a half hours of Henry Rollins telling the story of his days in Black Flag. It'll completely reset your vision of the rock star lifestyle forever.
Shum - "Levegő" (2018)
A lovely example of Hungarian ambient music that utilizes droning walls of noise in conjunction with gorgeously subtle synth pads.
Ry Cooder - "Paris, Texas" Soundtrack (1985)
This film soundtrack has been one of my all-time favourites since the early 1990's. The film has been too actually. The soundtrack is essentially just Cooder playing some stunningly emotive & relaxing unaccompanied slide guitar but you won't find a better example of acoustic blues than this. I basically have to stop whatever I'm doing & melt into the floor every time it comes on.
Sonny, you should really get on this one if you haven't already.
Umm Kulthum - "Inta Omri" (1964)
Arabic classical/pop music from Egypt. It's not really my thing to be honest but was worth having a flirt with in the name of expanding my musical knowledge nonetheless.
Wim Sonneveld - "Ssst! Wim Sonneveld zingt" (1958)
Some casual Dutch cabaret while I make dinner after a hard day's work.