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ELTON DEAN & MARK HEWINS - Bar Torque (Moonjune)Improvised, freeform, jazz. Three words which will have scared off a good proportion of my readership. Which is a shame. As recent, lengthy arguments about true musical creativity and exploration have shown, the 'kids' just don't understand. That argument was about Sun Ra, but I can sense a repeat performance once this CD is unleashed upon some unsuspecting listeners. Recorded live at the Jazz Cafe, London in 1992, but only now emerging on the nascent, yet promising Moonjune record label, this is quite remarkable. Three movements underpinned by Elton Deans sax work, layered with the remarkable synth guitar of Mark Hewins (whose "The Electric Guitar" solo album remains the benchmarks for guitarists everywhere), which serve as a jumping off point for the musicians and listeners to begin an immensely satisfying musical journey. Moonjune Records,
32 Union Square East, Suite 200, New York, NY 10003, USA |
THE WOOLDRIDGE BROTHERS - The Unreel HitsAh, the return of words on a ceedee with no hits but a lot of wit. "Didn't See It Coming" quite possibly contains every cliche known to man, certainly enough to sustain Robert Plant for another few albums. Making a mark in the increasingly competitive and over hyped AMericana genre isn't going to be easy, but the WBs certainly have the chops. In fact if you've watched enough American TV over the last few years you've probably unwittingly tapped your foot along to some of their songs, having been featured on Party of Five, Young and the Restless, Contact, Brooklyn South, Some MOther's Son, Changing Habits and Gideon. Prior to this, the WBs have released 5 CDs and this one acts as a rounding up of material that somehow escaped the other releases. Not that implies sub standard, beacause there's a toughness and edge to a lot of the material here lacking from some of their competitors, and the songwriting is of a uniformly high standard. Chuck in spot on vocal harmonies, and you've got a cracking CD. |
RROSELICOEUR - Drachenhohle (Partycul System)Blimey! This plague of experimentalism is reaching almost biblical proportions. This time, however, the 'band with the superfluous r' or TBWTSR as we shall call them, have used the justly maligned lo-fi movement as their starting point. Things start off fairly mundanely, but once the second track "CYY 973" eases its way slowly, and I mean slooooowwly, into your consciousness, you know you're in the prescence of something special. Three minutes of leep on downers, then an electric drill to the neural node, this is mighty fine. Doing more with one note than some do with an orchestral barrage, TBWTSR are quite capable of scoring your most unsettling dreams. For me "Crucifix-Electrique" will be invading my sleep patterns for a long time to come. If you're looking for a lazy label (which makes life a whole lot easier for me), then it's the meaningless phrase post-rock which comes closest. If you think Mogwai are good, you'll love this. Entering the dragons cavern comes highly recommended. Partycul System,
5 rue Abbe de l'epee, 51100 Reims, France |
