Wednesday, July 11, 2012

R.I.P Lol Coxhill (1932-2012)



Where to begin... I can't really say. I do remember the first time I read his name. It was WIRE magazine in 1999. and what I didn't realize then was that I would read his name in almost every issue for the next thirteen years. His name is associated with what a friend and I dubbed "WIRE Babies". Examples would be David S. Ware, Anthony Braxton, Derek Bailey, etc. The beautiful thing about these names is that I actually engaged myself enough as to grasp their importance on an intimate level, recognizing their relevance not because I was supposed to but because they spoke to me, because I felt their souls, and everything they did eventually made sense. The genius I'd read about was no longer esoteric but familiar.

The brilliant Lol Coxhill has passed away. His legacy will be appreciated forever by a small group of people that still hold improvisational music and forward thinking jazz dear to their hearts.


I've always been partial to sax players, particularly those that toyed with soprano. I am familiar with soprano sax due to Coltrane's occasional outing with it. A large chunk of my childhood was based on obsession with anything pertaining to Trane (Stravinsky, Astrology, sweet potato pie. etc.), so when I hear of any musician working in any sort of similar vein, I have to investigate. After reading an article on Coxhill, I gathered as much of his music as I could and plunged in. I discovered that he had played with a vast list of incredible artists which included Derek Bailey, Robert Wyatt, Mike Oldfield and even The Damned. He was a wild experimenter that never ceased to impress all who witnessed any given performance. I only wish I'd had the opportunity.


    

Friday, July 6, 2012

Peter Walker - Long Lost Tapes 1970 (Tompkins Square, 2009)

Reasons to like Peter Walker:

#1. Virtuoso guitarist in the John Fahey / Robbie Basho raga style.
#2. Timothy Leary's musical director for a time.
#3. Recorded albums released by Vanguard.
#4. The tapes were recorded at Levon Helm's house by Eddie Offord (producer of early YES)
#5. Sick, sick, sick drummer on this record making his sound even more psychedelic.
#6. I can't get enough of it.





Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Landing - S/T (Geographic North, 2012)


I discovered this album about 48 hours ago and I've listened to it a couple dozen times. This is no exaggeration. The record is perfect. "A fascinating, complex, intricate and engaging take on Shoegaze and Post-rock" is not something I thought I'd ever say again, but Landing has created just that.

The band covers a lot of ground here. There's the classic space rock production complete with lots of reverb a la Slowdive, and guitars reminiscent of The Cure and early sounds from U2's The Edge (Boy - October era). Lots of '80-'82 4AD going on here. The Joy Division-like basslines are danceable yet dark and hooky (no pun intended), and the drummer has an incredibly distinct motorik style. He stutters quite a bit, playing just a bit behind the rhythms, which is something I'm a sucker for. An immensely talented percussionist, he really steals the show, and this is a really impressive show.

This band just has so many elements. I keep hearing things underneath the pop structure. Just caught a bit of White Rainbow vocal layering and a Yo La Tengo progression. There's even a track that sounds a bit like the good parts of  Broken Social Scene back when they were really good.

 I cannot get enough of this. Try it out on Spotify (no live links to download) and buy their record HERE!







Sunday, July 1, 2012

Adam Forkner - Infinity Beat Tape (Self-released, 2012))


Ever feel down and out? Lose your job? Lose your girlfriend? Overdose on smack? Get elected to political office? Didn't get financial aid? Break a condom? Burn your pizza?

Well, do i have a solution for you. Take a psychedelic audio pizza party vacation with my man Adam Forkner, aka White Rainbow. This shit is a band-aid for yer soul. Ambient synths and beats to warm your heart and belly laugh to. Oh, and a hell of a lot of Zapp and Prince worship toward the end. And there for damn sure ain't no parking on the dancefloor. This is...well, its Adam Forkner. Dig it, Honeydip. Especially from "New Toyz" on.




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