Jack Casady - Dream Factor

Jack Casady was a founding member of the Jefferson Airplane whose innovative style liberated the bass from its traditional role as part of the rhythm section. Aside from Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna Jack worked with a variety of side projects and recordings with artists including Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills and Nash, Warren Zevon, Country Joe and The Fish, Rusted Root and Gov’t Mule. This is his debut solo CD after four decades of music and features guest contributions from Hot Tuna/ex-Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, sometime Allman Brothers Band axe-man Warren Haynes, former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, Little Feat six-stringer Paul Barrere as well as Doyle Bramhall II, Ivan Neville, Jim Brunberg, Jeff Pehrson , Matt Abts and Fee Waybill.

Amonsgt the many highlights, the six minute instrumental "Outside" has a vicious groove and waves of feedback. "Weight of Sin" features a rarity, the bass Balaika(!) which sets off the acoustic guitars and mandolin. There's some tasty slide work from Little Feat's Paul Barrere on "Paradise" and Ivan Neville joins with Doyle Bramhall's driving guitar on "Daddy's Little Girl."

Much like Phil Lesh last years, this is a fine example of a master musician at the top of his game. Along with some stellar guest contributions, you owe it to yourself to indulge.

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS - “The Vegetable Man project”

Dubbed by an EMI executive as a ‘lunatic raving’ ‘Vegetable Man’ was one of two songs written by Syd Barrett for Pink Floyd’s first (1967) album ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ but, sadly, rejected. Why then did O.V.N.I. Records decide to commission and release 20 versions of the song spanning 71 minutes of plastic? At the end of it all you are left in no doubt that ‘Vegetable Man’ was a pretty good song and EMI were wrong to reject it. However, 20 different versions do stretch the listener’s patience somewhat! And I find out that this song does not suit the splendid Effetto Doppler! Having said that, there are an amazing variety of styles and interpretations of the song from the vocalist in the shower (Gastel Etzwane) to the punkish Mandragora (Amon Duul type vocals by Katia Rindone) to a wordless ‘wailing’ version (USA’s Drona Parva) to a more jazzy interpretation (Delavega) to a heavy, even more punkish version that goes all psychedelic half way through (The Linus Pauling Quartet, one of four American contributors, the rest being Italian) The most psychedelic version though must be Nick Bensen’s and prize for best name must go to Sixty Nine and the Continuous People. The version I probably enjoyed the most though is the hilarious, whimsical folky rendition by Castemore complete with spoons, mandolin, violin and accordian- seriously! (Mind you we’re over half way though our less than 3 minutes before any singing appears and most of the words are forgotten as a kind of ‘hillbilly’ freak out takes over- weird!) Despite my reservations the whole project sounds like good fun- count me in for the next one! Contact:

(reviewed by Phil Jackson)

 

KARDA ESTRA - Constellations

Yay! A concept album. And let's not nonce about with piddly concepts, let's go for space and time. Now, I don't actually believe in space, and time has always seemed a rather nebulous concept to me, but let's go with the flow. Richard WIleman, Karda Estra as is, has used six constellations, tied in to their mythological antecedents, as a core round which to work. And it is good.

Heading firmly down ambient road, this is a move away from the more classically oriented sounds of earlier ceedees, and on "Hydra (The Sea Serpent)" goes straight on in to orchestral goth. Nice. As always, the use of real instruments adds a whole new level to the overall sound, which some of our more computerised composers could well take heed of.

As I wander back towards my grindcore youth, taking in all points metal, it's interesting to note just how many of the noisy bands of yore, are heading in the direction ploughed by their more progressively inclined musical cousins. Personally, I feel it ties in with a hidden sensation of impending destruction. So on one hand, we have the blastbeats of Arkhon Infaustus and their ilk becoming more extreme, and on the other the sideways movement of Anathema and their ilk heading for the ultimate in silent music.

One of those release that gets under your skin, and you can't shake of, the mix of ambient, gothic and filmic atmospheres is topped off with a fabulous cover of Steve Hacketts "Twice Around The Sun". A keeper and a must have from one of the finest new classical / progressive composers around.

 

COLLIDE - Chasing The Ghost

Chasing the Ghost is the third full-length CD from California’s Collide, and apparently finds them heading in a somewhat new direction musically from the 1997 remix album Distort and 1996's Beneath the Skin and the single Son of a Preacher Man.

It's been a long time coming, but this release seems to coincide with the sudden resurgence of electro-goth, and the duo of Statik and Karin deserve to be at the forefront, if this release is anything to go by. Dark, despairing, minimalist but with an underlying eroticism and sensuality that leaves you begging for more.

 

Standout tracks are "Razor Sharp", where the treated vocals have an otherworldliness that is extremely unnerving, yet sultry, sibilant, threatening and beckoning. "Halo" has an early Massive Attack trip hop feel to it, and the cover of The Great Society / Jefferson Airplane choon "White Rabbit" is audacious.

A fabulous release and one you should definitely own. Hailed elsewhere as 'music to f*** to', I can only agree.

Noiseplus Music, PO Box 565, North Hollywood, CA 91603.