I’m not sure if one can rightly call this a free-improv classic, but it’s hard to find two musicians who gel together as well as Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley do. The piano playing is fierce and powerful, matched stroke-for-stroke by Oxley’s percussion and drumming. A fine live disc.
Sex Gang Children are among the greatest of the founding father of gothic rock, but they seem to get short shrift compared to bands like Bauhaus, Joy Division or Killing Joke, yet Andi Sexgang’s songwriting could, at times, be the equal of these luminaries.
Because of work-related issues, there won’t be any reviews today, but instead, I offer, thanks to my friend Jeffrey Kinart, a nice discussion between Iggy Pop and Brian Eno about Eno’s new album, having his daughter sing on it, and doo-wop, among other subjects.
What a joy it is when a friend releases a new album! Argentine composer (now residing in England) Santiago Fradejas offers an experimental music album composed on an 8-string electric guitar and loops, making a soundscape album that is, at times, Fripperesque. It’s dark, but not foreboding, and gently flows in and out of consciousness. A headphone album for sure.
Brian Auger is the father of Acid Jazz and really needs no introduction, but his Bandcamp site provides a fine one anyway for those of you readers who haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to the man: “Soul Bank Music announces a back catalogue deal with legendary musician and jazz keyboard master Brian Auger – with the release of a career spanning compilation ‘Auger Incorporated’. Lauded and loved by artists as diverse as Mose Allison to The Brand New Heavies, his tracks have been sampled by Mos Def, Common, Air and Kid Loco, his original compositions covered by Sarah…
Once an Industrial music icon during his time performing in Cabaret Voltaire (pre-disco), Chris Watson now records natural sounds with such skill that he makes something that goes well beyond ‘ambient’ music. As a tribute to his work, Touch Records commissioned several artists, including recently reposed ones like Philip Jeck and Mika Vainio, and supplemented by Fennesz, Biosphere and Watson himself.
While browsing through about 40 TB of music files I’m uploading into my iBroadcast.com account, I came across an absolute plum of an album. African Head Charge were one of the greatest bands on the legendary On-U Sound Records roster, and this heavy reggae/dub masterpiece, released in 1990, is consider by most of their fans as being their masterpiece.
Our beloved friend A.M Ferrari Fradejas has a new album out consisting of six tracks filled with lush, yet quite heavy, progressive rock tinged with black metal if you listen closely. The release features some guitar work by her husband, the inestimable Santiago Fradejas, and the whole album smolders wonderfully.
We have an unsolicited gem today, folks! This live EP by Heelhooks clocks in at around 15 minutes, and the music is aggressive laptop sound deconstruction put together by the London-based duo of Hans Lo (Unk) and Rob Shields (Sunplus). The lads describe their sound way better than I can: “Initially starting as a pure noise project, Shields and Lo instead decided to change their approach in 2021 with a cleaner, sharper production using modular synthesis and realtime laptop processing. With a blend of scattered drums, deconstructed dance genres like deep house and techno, and samples ranging from body horror…
Progressive rock was the genre that launched my journey into weird music, and it’s nice to delve into the genre now and again. If you’re going to listen to good prog, K-Space seem to be the label producing the best of the genre. A case in point is this stunning example from The Pineapple Thief. Because most of the readers of this blog seem to be well-educated musically, I won’t talk too much about the history of the band save to say that it’s incredible to hear King Crimson’s Gavin Harrison give life to the sound structures on this disc. …