Angels in America/Weyes Blood split (Northen Spy)

Two of my favorite new bands of last year, and each new thing they do is better than the last, so no wonder this one sold out fast. AiA clean up their production a tad, but it’s really just to let you hear all those odd loops and drugged vocals a little crisper. “The Corpse” is the standout, a cold-as-ice gothic opus that’s definitely too weird for people who listen to cold gothic music. As for Weyes Blood, what can I say besides that Natalie’s voice and songwriting is astounding. Stark, haunting, gorgeous music as always, If you’ve heard anything by her you know what I mean. “Seven of Wands” is mostly instrumental and not as great as the other two songs on her side, but I’m not complaining.

Druid Perfume- Don’t Eat Them They’re Poison 7” (X!)
Title jam comes on strong like early & heavy Gong riffage with sax, then the screamin’ dude shows up to remind you not to put those berries in your mouth and then everything falls apart into a big goofy mess.”Honk Your Horn” is the B-side and it’s a hard & hairy prog stomper, jest the way I like ‘em. A real fun one fer sure.

Fontana – s/t (X!)
Tough, snarling & snotty outta-control punk rock & roll from this Detroit trio. Scorching guitars and misanthropic vocals abound, and they seem to draw influence from post-hardcore, wiry post-punk and slop rock equally. Not a dud song on it.

Frustrations- Negative Reflections (X!)
Wiry and whip-smart rock band that’s hard to pin down. I’m more partial to their more moody, abstract tunes (“Shimmer”, “Meaningless”) but they’ve got plenty of melody, killer bass lines and fury to spare. Lots of great lyrics too,  mostly seemingly about boy-girl trouble but the apocalypitc anti-civ anthem “These Woods” stands out.

Johnny Ill Band- In the Wintertime 7” (X!)
Perfect song for right now, an ode to how much of a bummer Midwestern winters are (“you have to wear boots all the time/and sometimes scarves”). B side songs are about their friends who don’t like or care about you. A goofy one fer sure, but much-needed during a freezing rainstorm.

Running- Saves the World (Rotten Tooth)
Totally unrelenting psych punk freakout fury from Chicago. Heavy and raw and totally unhinged. Saw them open for Cave and totally steal the show with their energy and sassy drummer antics.

Shin Joong-Hyun- Beautiful Rivers & Mountains (Light In the Attic)
Finally someone put out a giant double album of Korea’s psychedelic guitar master, shedding light on his work both as an axeman of the highest caliber and a pop svengali creating some of the dreamiest pop of the 60s (the Korean Les Paul would maybe more fitting than his usual comparison to Mr. Hendrix). A big interview with the man himself, background on all the songs and a lot of songs even a die-hard SJH fiend like myself hadn’t heard before. If you like your 60s sunshine pop, soul and psych all mixed into one pot of kimchi, this is a must-have.

Alpha Strategy/Projekt STINKA- Muck (Owness)
Alpha Strategy is Rory Hinchey’s new solo project, with synth gorp oozing all over drum samples and crazed David Thomas-esque no wave vox on top. Projekt STINKA is Czech accordian player Hana Lundiakova’s dark cabaret project, and her two songs are as haunting and cold and Alpha Strategy’s are disjointed and frantic. Killer cover by Graham Larkin too.

Zach Kouns- The Concealed History of Coming Races
I was totally not expecting this to be a fractured country record, but it is, and a great one to boot. Drawing from the lineage of fucked-up country weirdos (Jandek, Modal Rounders). A nice pairing would be this and Warmer Milks’ classic “Soft Walks”.

Tangerine Dream- Birth of Liquid Plejades

Klaus Schulze- Shadows of Ignorance

Harmonia- Veteranissimo

Cluster- 15:43

Klaus Schulze- Lasse Braun

Henry Wolff- Crossing the Line

Robert Ashley- Yellow Man With Heart With Wings

Eliane Radigue- Mila’s Song In the Rain

Ariel Kalma- Le Temps des Moissons

Terry Riley- Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band: All Night Flight, SUNY Buffalo, New York, 22 March 1968

Jon Hassel/Brian Eno- Charm (Over “Burundi Cloud”)

Pauline Oliveros- Rattlesnake Mountain

Kevin Coyne- Learn to Swim (Learn to Drown)
Scott Walker- Track 6
Berlin West- Snakepit
Chrome- New Age
DAF- Der Rauber und der Prinz
Marianne Faithful- Broken English
Lio- You Go To My Head
Flying Lizards- The Flood
Cluster- Caramel
Cluster- Avanti
Moebius & Plank- Rastakraut Pasta
Lindsey Buckingham- Play In the Rain pt. 1
Cabaret Voltaire- On Every Street
John Bender- 57-1 Dance
John Bender- 36 A3 Long Distance Runner
Conrad & Gregor Schnitzler- Pro III
Conrad Schnitzler- Coca
Bene Gesserit- Tonight
Les Rita Mitsouko- Tonite
Alesia Cosmos- Sex Is Like a Cigarette
Death In June- The Calling (Mk II)
Monty Cantsin- I Am Monty Cantsin
Liasons Dangeruses- Los Ninos Del Parque
Kevin Coyne- Wonderful Wilderness
Tuxedomoon- Desire
Phil Manzanera- Big Dome
Chris & Cosey- Love Cuts (Remix)
Throbbing Gristle- Almost a Kiss
Logic Animal- Garden’s Gate
Wire- Over There
Kraftwerk- The Hall of Mirrors
Kate Bush- Waking the Witch
Craig Leon- Donkeys Bearing Cups
Thomas Dinger- Fur Dich

plastic people of the universe- 100 bodu

monty cantsin- mass media

legendary pink dots- the pleasure garden

takehisa kogusi- mano-dharma ’74

alesia cosmos- the last line

andre jaumee & joe mcphee- tales & prophesies

max roach & anthony braxton- side b

sun ra- provocative celestials

jacque diennet- mantis v

mfg- pt. 3

last exit- black heart

last exit- catch as catch can

material- o.a.o.

sonny sharrock- many mansions

last exit- headfirst into the flames

daniel mensche- fist full of hell

skullflower- saturn

joe mcphee- voices

pauline oliveros, stuart dempster & panaiotis- suiren

I’m on a new 3″ cd-r of the Second Family Band called “Crippled Fingers” released by Shifting Sands Congregation. It’s a down-home weirdo hootenanny sent through the tape splicer featuring myself, Troy Schafer and Endless. You can pick it up from Earjerk or Brave Mysteries. Speaking on Brave Mysteries, I think I’m also on the SFB tape “Twelfth Night Reunion”, as I was sitting in on a lot of Family sessions last winter, but they’re always hazy times so really who knows. Regardless, both are excellent and you should check ‘em out.

Bo Diddley- Bo Meets the Monster

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins- Swamp Gas

Roky Erickson- Two Headed Dog

The Cramps- I Was a Teenage Werewolf

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins- Whistling Past the Graveyard

The Lollipop Shoppe- You Must Be A Witch

Bo Diddley- I’m A Man

The Spades- We Sell Soul

13th Floor Elevators- You Really Got Me

13th Floor Elevators- Earthquake

The Seeds- Out of the Question

Chocolate Watch Band- Let’s Talk About Girls

The Balloon Farm- A Question of Temperature

Acid Eater- A Question of Temperature

The Monks- Shut Up

Electric Eels- You’re Full of Shit

Bonniwell Music Machine- Eagle Never Hunts the Fly

Simply Saucer- Bullet Proof Nothing

Mirrors- Frustration

Mirrors- Another Nail In the Coffin

Mirrors- Jaguar Ride

Electric Eels- Accident

x_x- Approaching the Minimal with Spray Guns

The Lyres- Don’t Give It Up Now

MC5- Looking At You

Music Machine- The People In Me

Music Machine- Absolutely Positively

Pretty Things- LSD

The Troggs- Feels Like A Woman

The Electric Prunes- Try Me On For Size

Kim Fowley- Animal Man

Los Saicos- Demolicion

Les Papyvores- Papyvore

Kim Fowley- The Trip

The Seeds- Tripmaker

The Velvet Illusions- Acid Head

Pretty Things- Tripping

Amboy Dukes- Journey to the Center of Your Mind

Captain Beefheart- Zig Zag Wanderer

The Deep- Color Dreams

Spike Drivers- Strange Mysterious Sounds

Velvet Underground- I Can’t Stand It

Debris’- Leisurely Waiting

MC5- I Want You Right Now

Index- Shock Wave

Sproton Layer- Tidal Wave

Group 1850- You Did it too Hard

Selda- Gine Haber Gelmis

Shin Jung Hyun & Yup Juns- ???

San Ul Lim- ???

Captain Beefheart- Diddy Wah Diddy

Bo Diddley- I’m High Again

The 13th Floor Elevators- You’re Gonna Miss Me

The Seeds- Gypsy Plays His Drums

Craig Leon- Nommo

Les Rita Mitsouko- Tonite

Legendary Pink Dots- The Blessing

Angels In America- Your Wings (Spreadem)

Hard Gospel With Child- Making Mr Right

F/i- Breakdown at 307

XHOA- I Don’t Want To Go To Class

Faust- Picnic on a Frozen River

Magma- Mekanik Machine

Don Cherry- Eternal Rhythm pt. 1

Chico Freeman- Kings of Mali

Brotzmann/Drake Duo- It’s An Angel on the Door

Charlie Haden- For A Free Portugal

Burton Greene & Alan Silva- 1. set pt. 2

John Hassell &  Brian Eno- Delta Rain Dream

Lavas Magmas- Lost At Sea

Locrian- Rain of Ashes

Wire- Public Place

Neu!- Lieber Honig

Heldon- Toward the Red Line

eliane radigue- jetsun mila

robert ashley- yellow man with heart with wings (spanish)

pauline oliveros- horse sings from cloud

robert ashley & paul de marinis- in sara, muncken, christ and beethoven there were men and women

jon hassell- hex

stephen montague- slow dance on a burial ground

alvin lucier- music on a long thin wire pt. 3

alvin lucier- music for pure waves, bass drums and acoustic pendulums

eliane radigue- koume

gordon mumma- music from the venezia space theatre

merideth monk- do you be?

playlist for 8/01/2011

les rallizes denudes- flames of ice- live 1972

shizuka- heavenly persona- live shizuka

kaneko jutok- longing for the ray

tenjo sajiki- ??- throw away your books, let’s riot in the streets

tenjo sajiki- ??- baramon

tokyo kid brothers- ??- throw away your books, let’s riot in the streets

JA seazer- untitled- jashumon

JA seazer- ??- kokkyou junreika

les rallizes denudes- le nuit d’assassins / improvisation sans la confusion- down & out in tokyo

kousokuya- broken suffering song- ray night live 1991-1992

high rise- outside gentiles- live

mainliner- mainliner sonic- sonic

les rallizes denudes- heat wave- tachikawa 12/17/1976

aural fit- incompatible p_sy- II

renzoku shasatsuma- ??- 1978.3.26

lsd march- moeru pyramid- constellation of tragedy

suishou no fune- the rain falls- prayer for chibi

keiji haino- i don’t want to know