Though there are no tracks to share with you from this release, I can say that there are 136 tracks of indie, alternative, folk and other genres coming together for Cardinals At The Window, a compilation whose purpose is to give funds to those who suffered from the horrible flooding which occurred in North Carolina. Pray for those in need, and give materially where possible.
Legendary Scottish Northern Soul DJ Keb Darge teams up with Jurassic 5 DJ and producer Cut Chemist to release 28 magnificent tracks of classic garage punk and psychedelic rock. From the release’s Bandcamp site:
“Picking up where they left off on the 2007 compilation ‘Lost & Found – Rockabilly & Jump Blues’, Keb Darge & Cut Chemist join forces once again, this time to explore the wonderful world of 1960s Garage music. While Rockabilly could be defined as a DIY emulation of the music of Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and others by young American artists, Garage was heavily influenced by British bands of the day like the Beatles, Kinks & Rolling Stones. Simple drum kits, guitars and the occasional organ keep the sound honest and raw, retaining a palpable sense of excitement even to this day. With a multitude of bands springing up all over the USA, many of these wonderful records were released in tiny numbers, making certain titles almost impossible to find. Keb Darge’s love affair with this intriguing genre happened almost by accident, while on the hunt for obscure Northern Soul records. “DJ Shadow told me I would like Garage years ago, but I didn’t listen.” Hearing a few records he liked and being assured by collectors that they were classified as ‘Garage’ got him hooked, so for the last years he’s been digging obsessively for the stuff. Knowing Cut Chemist was a collector, he suggested they collaborate on a compilation, and ‘The Dark Side’ was born. 30 obscure records, some of which change hands for frightening amounts of money, all with wonderful stories attached as told in Keb’s encyclopedic and entertaining liner notes.”
Our heroes age. After the passing of Yukihiro Takahashi last month, it got me thinking about how long we have Sakamoto-san and Hosono-san with us. Both are due a tribute album of some sort.
Thankfully, Milan Records has done a sterling job bringing together Sakamoto collaborators, friends, and those who are indebted to the master. Artists like Christian Fennesz and Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai), who have collaborated on some incredible glitch albums, are joined by his countrymen Cornelius and Otomo Yoshihide, along with old friend David Sylvian, all of whom do wonders reworking Sakamoto’s music into sparkling new creations. If you have a compilation of this caliber, with guests such as the Cinematic Orchestra, Hildur Guðnadóttir and Lim Giong, it’s fair to expect this compilation to be a stunner. I’m not at all disappointed.
One of the tracks featured, Thundercat’s reworking of Thousand Knives, can be heard on the video below:
Paroxysm: A Benefit Compilation For Leslie Keffer
Leslie Keffer began making noise music with radios and vocals in 2003. Since then she has toured a good amount, and collaborated with key figures. Activity had to slow down when Keffer’s symptoms of epilepsy accelerated to the point of her being unable to work. She has been trying to get on disability for over five years. This is a benefit compilation to help ease some of that financial tension. If you would like to donate outside of Bandcamp, feel free to use the contact function on this site and get in touch.
Doomed & Stoned is a series of compilations covering the best of doom metal and stoner rock all over the world. This comp covers the scene in Chile, which is surprising rich. There are 99 tracks of surprising variety, including one that left me mystified:
It’s a track by Heraldica de Mandrake and perhaps the only way to describe it is Gregorian doom. It’s actually quite pleasant.
Dave Summer penned an article on the state of Russian jazz today, and one of the featured releases was a compilation of artists featured on the Rainy Days record label. This is a great way to explore these innovators, including saxophonists Azat Bayazitov and Andrew Krasilnikov, bassist Makar Novikov, drummer and percussionist Sasha Mashin and pianists Evgeny Ponomarev and Evgeny Sivtsov. The jazz is hot, never boring, and will be a welcome addition to those of you who are wondering what’s worth exploring in the genre.
I almost feel bad for only promoting the download of this release. Our dear friends over at Meticulous Midgets, one of Russia’s finest experimental/avant-music record labels also releases a magazine to go with the album, and it’s a stunning affair. This is the second one I have had the pleasure of reviewing, and it makes me pleased to know that promotion of new music in the country is in good hands with my Moscow-based colleagues. What’s more, they don’t rest with promoting local acts. The artists on this comp hail from the United States, the United Kingdom, German, Spain, France, Belgium, Croatia, Ukraine, Italy, Canada, Finland and Argentina.
This compilation covers indie music, experimental (as mentioned previously), avant-folk, weird pop-psych, and a lot of other rather dark music. Do consider supporting this magazine, and purchase their hard product. It’s a beautiful package.
Tramp Records out of German is gaining quite a following because of their high-quality compilations. This one is a scorcher if you’re into funk-inflected disco. At least as I understand it, and I’m sure the label can correct any errors I make, the artists were from around the Akron, Ohio area, and it does blow my mind a bit that these artists weren’t bigger names in the 1970s. The music is a bit more lo-fi than the slicker top-40 fare of the day, but the bass grooves so hard in most of these tracks that it makes you forget that these guys were basically indie musicians of their day. Meaty, beaty and incredible.
From Sahel Sounds:
We are excited to share with you our latest Name Your Price sampler, Sahel Sounds Label Sampler 3. This year’s features a mix of tracks from recent releases by the likes of Wau Wau Collectif and Tidiane Thiam, some deep cuts from our Agrim Agadez and Balani Show Super Hits compilations, fan favorites from our back catalog, and a sneak peek at new material by Luka Productions. Our hope is that this sampler can serve as an introduction to those new to the Sahel Sounds discography, as well as a deeper dive for long-time fans. Enjoy!
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This is a magnificent compilation of archival material. Dust-To-Digital has made a business out of release gorgeous archival recordings. Take for example the incredible collection called Music of Morocco, compiled by Paul Bowles. This collection will equal it. Music from South Africa, Japan, Algeria, Serbia, Colombia and all points in-between are covered, and with 100 tracks, you’ll be busy for a while.
From Dust-To-Digital’s Bandcamp site:
This collection highlights music that is often invisible in today’s world — the incredible world of global recordings that aren’t jazz, blues, country, rock ‘n roll, R&B, or “classical.”
“Excavated Shellac: An Alternate History of the World’s Music” includes 100 recordings and 100 stories in an extensive, illustrated PDF with detailed, contextual mini-histories about both musical origins and the beginnings of the recording industry, touching on the complexities of colonialism, economic agendas, and cultural tourism.
Featuring music and musical styles from six continents and 89 different countries and regions, recorded between 1907-1967.
Includes a 186-page PDF with essays and annotations by record collector and compilation producer Jonathan Ward.