Further Proof that the Music Video as an Artistic Medium is not Dead: "Pala Tute" by Gogol Bordello

I recommend clicking over to youtube itself and watching in widescreen "hi-def":

Today is a Day for Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976 by Various Artists (2010)

It is a truly amazing time for free-riding off the hard work of other obsessive world music collectors.* The 2010 release Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976 is an absolute joy to put on the hi-fi. Released and compiled by Joel Stones and the same folks that brought us the Psych Funk 101 compilation that came out in 2009 and had 14 prime cuts of late 60's and 70's global psychedelic music, Fuzz Bananas narrows the scope and examines the heaviest of the heavy 7" tropicalia releases from the heyday of the movement.

As to the Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas release from the promo materials:

...this album should serve as a master class for those entranced by the funky, heavy psychedelic wonders of the Tropicalia movement and all that it spawned.



Each song contained on this album has never been reissued, and has been restored from the best source possible and remastered for near-perfect sound quality. The Enhanced CD comes with a 48 page full color booklet and contains a wealth of imagery and detailed annotation and liner notes in both English and Portuguese. The documentary contained on the CD – What Are Fuzz Bananas – details the making of this anthology and sources interviews from Rio de Janeiro to Los Angeles with the likes of the compilation’s Marisa Rossi and Cut Chemist, Egon and Elijah Wood. The gatefold 2LP comes with an oversized 12x12” full color booklet with all of the liner notes and photos from the CD and contains original artwork on the inside (3D glasses included in the first pressing).

*While not freeriding per se, $17 seems like an obscenely inexpensive price to pay for the work that went into this 2LP (or 1 CD) collection and documentation.

Stream the album for free on grooveshark (also available at amazon.com on vinyl and CD):

The Blog is Back in Town

After a nice summer break, we are back with quite a backlog of music to cover...

El Rey de Vallenato has been Following us for 3 Weeks (or, Looking over my Shoulder I Always Spy a Royal Accordian)

The 2010 King of Colombian vallenato music is everywhere these days. Seems like a really good kid and is burning up the vallenato charts.

Today is a Day for "Oye" by Aterciopelados (2006)

I have moved Jams, Mofo HQ to Colombia for the month. As such, the posts will be sporadic for the next 4 to 5 weeks. I have been listening to the Colombian band Aterciopelados (in English: "The Velvety Ones") for some days on the trip. Here´s the song "Complemento" off their 2006 album "Oye":



I´ll bust out some links to other Colombian music when I get the chance in the weeks ahead, mofos.

Today was a Day for "Your Future Our Clutter" by The Fall (2010)

The 28th(!) studio album by The Fall is the record that has been getting the most listens around Jams, Mofo headquarters the last week or so. I have played the new Hold Steady album a fair bit, but I have listened to Your Future Our Clutter several times a day for the last week. Not sure if I have much of a review to give. How does one review a new Mark E. Smith record anyway? Where to begin?

I think the Onion's A.V. Club review nails my take as far as they go. [UPDATE: This Popmatters review is spot on as well.]

First single (edited) from the album:


The Fall kickin' out the jams, mofo!

If you are a newcomer to the band, here's a recently posted story that makes for a nice introduction to Mark E. Smith and his assorted cast of band-members over the years, also from the A.V. Club. The Quietus goes one better as this essay on Smith's literary framework is a joy to read.

I bought the download for $6.99 on Amazon.

Here's the album on the soon to be defunct lala.com.

Doesn't seem to be at grooveshark.com as of yet, though there are some other great records by The Fall there to whet your appetite.

Tonight is a Night for "African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo 70s"

African Scream Contest is a 2008 album release from the label Analog Africa. The collection is yet another of the fabulous W. African early-70s music compilations that have been released in recent years.

From album promo: "After releases by Zimbabwean 70s bands the Green Arrows and Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, the Analog Africa label now delves into the amazing history of music from 1970s Benin and Togo. This compilation highlights forgotten raw and psychedelic Afro sounds, and the well-researched liner notes tell fascinating stories to accompany the mind-blowing music. The essence of Analog Africa is clear; searching in dusty warehouses for forgotten music to keep the sound alive. Label owner & vinyl collector Samy Ben Redjeb arrived in Cotonou, Benin, "without any special expectations, just hoping to lay my hands on few good records--what I found in the process cannot really be described in words"."



"Like most modern music in French-speaking West African countries, the music of Benin and Togo was influenced by a few main musical currents: Cuban, Congolese and local traditional music, as well as Chanson Francaise. Additionally, the geographical location of Benin and Togo--sandwiched between Ghana and Nigeria--exposed Beninese and Togolese musicians to Highlife music."



"The cultural and spiritual riches of traditional Beninese music had an immense impact on the sound of Benin's modern music. Benin is the birth place of Vodun (or, as it is known in the West, Voodoo), and some of the rhythms used during traditional rituals - Sakpata, Sato, Agbadja, Tchenkoumé and many others - were fused to Soul and Latin music as early as the mid-1960s and later to Funk. In the late '60s and early '70s rock and soul music started creeping into the region. In particular, the music of James Brown and Johnny Halladay became immensely popular with university students. It was then that the music scene in Benin really started to take off. That fusion is the essence of this compilation. The CD includes a well researched 44-page booklet & rare photographs."

The album can be found plenty of places online and you can stream on grooveshark.com as well:

Today was a Day for "Precise Modern Lovers Order" by The Modern Lovers (Live 1971-73)

Ain't none of the polish and shine as compared to the Modern Lovers studio output. (Note: This is possible.) It is straight-up gritty and raw Precise Modern Lovers Order. This offical compilation of some live sets from Boston and Berkeley in 1971, 1972, and 1973 was first released by Rounder Records in summer of 1994 on cassette and CD.

While it might be wise to start your introduction to this seminal band from Boston with one of the studio session compilations, I am going to suggest that you turn up your speakers just a bit and click play below (or find this album yourself online).

On the soon to be defunct lala.com

Precise Modern Lovers Order: L...

On grooveshark.com:

Willie's long-time drummer Paul English suffers stroke (Get Well Soon edition)

At least that is the word on the street.

As someone commented, "He is my favorite drummer that wears a cape and carries a gun."

Today is a Day for Joanna Newsom's "Have One on Me" (2010)

Ok, well, I have succumbed. Having not been too terribly fond of Newsom's previous two releases (2004's The Milk-Eyed Mender and 2006's Ys)[they were OK, but I found them a bit tedious and hard to listen to with any regularity], I have now been listening to parts of 2010's Have One on Me on a semi-regular basis over the course of the last 8 weeks or so. Parts? Did I say parts? When can an album not be listened to all the way through in one day? The answer is when it is a triple-LP that clocks in at around 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 57 seconds. Anyway, point is, I succumbed and am now a Joanna Newsom-convert.



While the obligitory Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell references are included in most of the album's reviews in the usual places, it is best to expand beyond those comparisons. That said, the Bush and Mitchell similarities are undeniable and one can't really be blamed for bringing them up. I have seen other music comparisons for Newsom ranging from Victoria Williams to Bjork, from "Olive" Oil (yes, Popeye's wife) to Cat Power, and from Syd Barrett to the Carter Family. While only the "Olive" reference would give the uninitated some pause for thought, I think we should be judging Newsom on her own merits and not get too caught up on her musical touchstones.



The new triple album is daring and really darn good. It is still revealing itself to me as I make my way through each of the discs. While I have some triple-studio albums that have gotten regular listens over the years (Sandinista! by The Clash, 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields, and George Harrison's All Things Must Pass spring to mind), there aren't too many of them out there. And there aren't too many of them out there for good reason--they are really tough to pull off. I hazard to guess that there are hundreds (maybe more?) of cases where record labels have pulled the plug on an artist's delusional thoughts that they could successfully put out a triple-album. Nonetheless, some artists get around this by releasing a bunch of single LPs over the course of a year to try and "sneak" triple albums on the market (eg. Ryan Adams, Robert Pollard, John Zorn, etc.) through the "he's/she's just so prolific" loophole.

But back to Have One on Me -- it is good that her label Drag City supported her on this release. It is outstanding. And this is coming from a guy who has spent a lifetime disliking the harp. And I really mean disliking the harp. I have hated harps as much as I have hated recumbent bicycles and polka-dotted ties--a whole damn bunch. Maybe I just hadn't heard the right harpist and the right songs.

I won't be going off the deep end and joining my good friend Dave Eggers in the Newsom cult quite yet, but I do expect that this album will be on my playlist for years to come and secure a high position on my Best of 2010 list. Her big story and small story lyrics along with the lush arrangements (and strengthened voice) transport this listener into all of her micro and macro narratives. Some are silly and some are dense. Some are confusing and some are literal. The map is hard to read and I find myself pausing and asking for directions a number of times, but the journey itself has been rewarding. This album will be referenced by many people for a long time to come. 3 loud cheers for Newsom and her crazy worlds. They are very fun to visit.

Today was a Day for the song "The Width of a Circle" by David Bowie from "Santa Monica '72"

David Bowie and Mick Ronson kickin' out the jams, mofo.

While good copies of the "Santa Monica '72" bootleg have been around for a long time (black market and gray market), the first official release of this live set from the "Ziggy Stardust" tour came only in 2009. It still has a rough edge due to limitations of the source tape from an FM broadcast, but it sounds pretty damn good. The setlist is 16 Bowie songs and one Velvet Underground cover ("Waiting for the Man"). It is a very fun listen all the way through. Ronson is shredding and flying the whole night (as he often did in the early 70's).

If you want more info on the Bowie song "The Width of a Circle", take a look at this posting. Good stuff.

CD at amazon.com here.
Complete album on lala.com:

Live In Santa Monica '72 - Dav...

Today was a Day for "Weld" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse (1991)

The live album Weld was released not that long (6 months) after the 1991 Neil Young & Crazy Tour wrapped up on April 27 in Los Angeles. All the tracks were recorded over the 13 weeks of 1991's "Smell the Horse" tour which took place during the first Gulf War.  Also released the same day was a third disc Arc which is 35 minutes of feedback and guitar crunching compiled from some of the more distorted moments of shows on the tour. I guess the story is that Arc came about thanks to Thurston Moore's suggestion to Neil.

I was fortunate enough to catch the March 15th show at the Convention Center Arena in San Antonio, TX with opening acts Sonic Youth and Social Distortion.  It was quite the evening of music. 

One of the more fun aspects of the night was sitting next to a couple of old hippies during Sonic Youth's portion of the show. Our seat neighbors were pretty freaked out by the distortion and the feedback during the zanier moments of the Sonic Youth set (and this was coming from some dudes that had seen The Horse with Neil back in 1970 and 1978). Likewise, in the concourse bathroom right before Neil Young hit the stage, there were two other old hippies that were talking about the ear-piercing amplifier feedback that Thurston Moore was getting by rubbing his guitar all over his amp and the drum riser. The one turns to the other and says "Man, I've never seen anything like that before...not even in the 60s." The night was off to a good start.

In the show I saw, the Neil Young & Crazy Horse tour stage setup had an oversized microphone, yellow ribbon, and peace symbol backdrop. Additionally, there were several effects and props that were clearly harkening back to the stage design on the 1978 "Live Rust" tour (oversized faux amps towering above the band members and weird troll-goblin folks that came out and made exaggerated stage adjustments occassionally between songs.)

Gulf War I had just officially wrapped up a few weeks previous. It was very good to hear all the loud guitars that evening...

Weld - Neil Young

Today was a Day for the new Japandroids single "Art Czars" (2010)

Here:


And here:

Art Czars - Japandroids

Their album Post-Nothing was on my Best of 2009 list. Japandroids kick out the jams, mofo!

Continued Pavement-mania (Crooked Rain edition)

It doesn't take very much for me to go on a Pavement jag. They tend to happen about every year or so--usually in the spring or early summer. That said, I think there has been a distinct reason for this particular jag. All the Pavement news of the last month or so has swept me up in the Pavement-mania. A full-on swoon has swept the music journalism world. There have been fawning stories everywhere you look for weeks and weeks.  Last month there was widespread coverage all over the place (NPR here, The Japan Times here, etc.)  More recently, here is a report from a reunion tour Tokyo show.  Some data-driven analysis of reunion tour clips from the NYT here, etc. I am sure that in the wake of the band's appearance tonight at Coachella we are going to get back to the full-scale Pavement-frenzy in the music blogs and press.

So, I have joined the virtual Pavement party and have played the band's albums over the course of the last month. I have all of their main releases and a few EPs here and there as well. Right now as I type this, I am listening to the 2nd disc of outtakes and assorted gems from the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain 10th anniversary re-release. Very fun.

Pavement are a band that we always knew would reunion tour. Malkmus has been active throughout the post-Pavement years. There had been consistent reports over the course of the last decade suggesting that it was a matter of when, not if. But nonetheless, it will be fun to have them around for old times sake. I saw them twice--in Albuquerque and in Atlanta--back in the day (the mid-1990s). I sure hope I can manage to get to one of their shows later in the summer.

They weren't the best live act in the world as they often played shambolic and sloppy sets on a consistent basis. But on this point I buy-in to the greater narrative as well--the sloppiness and shambles adds to the charm in some weird way. Plus it will be fun to be transported back to a simpler period--the 90s lo-fi scene. Guided by Voices, Pavement, Sebadoh, New Radiant Storm King, the original Spoon, etc. Life was simpler then... [In related news, Superchunk is about to release a new album and play some shows.]

Pave out the jams, mofos!

P.S. I would steer clear of the new "bargain-priced" Pavement re-releases on vinyl. They look and feel like cheap pressings and I wouldn't be surpised if they popped and skipped right out of the sleeve the first time you drop the needle. As with most things, when it comes to vinyl, you get what you pay for. When the retail price is about $10 for a vinyl record in this day and age, you are likely getting a low-quality pressing.

Here is a link to the two-disc (49 track) Crooked Rain re-release from 2004:

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA...

Today was a Day for the Soundboard Recording of Frank Zappa, June 21st, 1980, Geneva, Switzerland

While I realize Zappa's first 1980 tour (and tour band) isn't everyone's favorite, there are plenty of high points in many of the live recordings we have from the those spring/early-summer months. A decent representative of the period is the show from June in Geneva. You can find it various places online.

Here's a little bit from the show:


Frank Zappa
June 21, 1980
Patinoire des Vernets
Geneva
Switzerland
112 min.

Disc 01
01 Chunga's Revenge 06:25
02 Keep It Greasey 03:06
03 Outside Now 08:31
04 City Of Tiny Lights 09:56
05 A Pound For A Brown 14:34
06 Cosmik Debris 04:10
07 You Didn't Try To Call Me 03:40
08 Ain't Got No Heart 02:02
09 Love Of My Life 01:56
10 You Are What You Is 03:22
11 fade-out 00:27 **

Disc 02
12 fade-in 00:26 **
13 Easy Meat 11:49
14 Mudd Club 02:57
15 The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing 03:08
16 Joe's Garage 02:23
17 Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? 02:26
18 Applause 01:40 *
19 1st Encore 00:35
20 Dancin' Fool 03:21
21 Bobby Brown 02:38
22 Miss Pinky 03:29
23 2nd Encore 00:41
24 Stick It Out 04:01
25 Applause 01:26 *
26 3rd Encore 00:44
27 I Don't Wanna Get Drafted 02:35
28 The Illinois Enema Bandit 09:44

Frank Zappa - vocals, lead guitar
Ike Willis - rhythm guitar, vocals
Ray White - rhythm guitar, vocals
Arthur Barrow - bass, vocals
David Logeman - drums
Tommy Mars - keybboards

Today was a Day for Learning of a Couple of Upcoming Tribute Albums (John Prine & Shel Silverstein edition)

Wow, I hadn't heard about either of these two upcoming albums before today!

*Various Artists, Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine (out June 23rd)
tracklist
1. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver – Bruised Orange (Chain Of Sorrow)
2. Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band – Wedding Day In Funeralville
3. My Morning Jacket – All The Best
4. Josh Ritter – Mexican Home
5. Lambchop – Six O’Clock News
6. Justin Townes Earle – Far From Me
7. The Avett Brothers – Spanish Pipedream
8. Old Crow Medicine Show – Angel From Montgomery
9. Sara Watkins – The Late John Garfield Blues
10. Drive-By Truckers – Daddy’s Little Pumpkin
11. Deer Tick featuring Liz Isenberg – Unwed Fathers
12. Those Darlins – Let’s Talk Dirty In Hawaiian

*Various Artists, Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein (out June 9th)
tracklist
1. Lullabys, Legends and Lies: My Morning Jacket
2. The Twistable, Turnable Man Returns: Andrew Bird
3. This Guitar Is For Sale: John Prine
4. The Unicorn: Dr. Dog
5. The Winner: Kris Kristofferson
6. Queen Of The Silver Dollar: Sarah Jarosz w/ Black Prairie
7. Daddy What If: Bobby Bare, Jr.
8. The Cover Of The Rolling Stone: Black Francis w/ Joey Santiago
9. Sylvia's Mother: The Boxmasters
10. Me And Jimmie Rodgers: Ray Price
11. A Boy Named Sue: Todd Snider
12. The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan: Lucinda Williams
13. The Living Legend: Bobby Bare, Sr.
14. The Giving Tree: Nanci Griffith
15. 26 Second Song: My Morning Jacket

I strongly suggest that we all spin some classic John Prine while waiting for these June releases. I myself will be starting with 1973's Sweet Revenge, mofos!

Sweet Revenge - John Prine

Today was a Day for Billy Joe Shaver (Court Case Wrap-up edition)

I hope he gets his bullet back:



Full court case wrap-up here.

Note to self: don't ever walk up to Billy Joe at a bar and stir his drink with a knife (especially if we are in Texas.)

Decent Billy Joe career compilation (of one of the best "real country" artists still alive today) at lala.com:

Greatest Hits - Billy Joe Shav...

Today is a Day for "Don't Be a Stranger" by The Moondoggies (2008)

Free album track "Changing" from the band's record label, Hardly Art.

In the last week or so around Jams, Mofo headquarters, there hasn't been an album in heavier rotation than 2008's Don't Be a Stranger by The Moondoggies. I am going to go so far as to retroactively place this record on my Best of the 2000s album list in the honorable mention category. I like it that much. [APRIL 14th EDIT: I am still listening to this album 2X per day. Wow. This reviewer's sentiment captures what I have been thinking to myself this last week or so.]

This Seattle (by way of Everett) band is rumored to be releasing their 2nd album quite soon.  In addition, they are going to spend the month of June opening up for Blitzen Trapper.  I am looking foward to catching them in July at the 5-day Winnipeg Folk Festival. 

If you dig the cosmic cowboy sounds of the early 1970s, along with some Muscle Shoals-like chops, CSN harmonies, and/or modern day Seattle roots music sensibilities, The Moondoggies are for you. They kick out the jams, mofo.

Here is a short clip of them from SXSW a few weeks back:

The Moondoggies at Kayceman's Treehouse Party from Shane Tobin on Vimeo.

Here is Don't Be a Stranger on lala.com:

Don't Be A Stranger - The Moon...