Saturday, May 25, 2013

Simply Saucer - Cyborgs Revisited (2003)


Simply Saucer was a Canadian rock band formed during the late 70s. Though the proto-punk scene wasn't the talk of the time at the moment, Simply Saucer still managed to create a record that would defy all punk records that came before it, by showing a clear and worthy apprehension of the history of rock music. They leaped from style to style, from noise to noise, exemplifying what rock music is all about. Noise, sweat, dirtiness, and rawness, all into one package of free-form rock jams that fall under hard-to-classify.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Art Ensemble of Chicago- BAP-TIZUM (1972)






The Art Ensemble of Chicago is a jazz collective from, well, Chicago that rose to prominence at the latter half of the free jazz movement during the late 60s and early 70s.  Gaining prominence with their soundtrack for the French film Les Stances a Sophie, the ensemble went on to release BAP-TIZUM, a live recording from the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival in 1972.   While the group would go on to release many more albums over the next few decades, and though they are still active to this day, BAP-TIZUM still stands as one of their crowning achievements:  a vibrant recording that still sounds fresh and inventive today. 

Albert Ayler - In Greenwich Village (1967)


The Village Vanguard, New York City, 1966. We was sittin’ there watchin’ the stage. Waitin’ for the man they called Ayler to come out and do his thing. It was me and my four droogs. Them bein’ Sanic, Finn, and Dim; Dim being really Dim.
‘Round an hour’d passed and the place was packed straight through to the back. I’d just dropped some dollars for Ayler's Spirit's Rejoice six months back. Now was the time, this was the place. The Village Vanguard. New York City. 1966.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Th' Faith Healers - Lido (1992)



Th' Faith Healers were along with Stereolab and PJ Harvey one of the most prominent Too Pure landmark bands. Like Stereolab they also received notable influence from Germany's stellar 70s Krautrock scene, though unlike Stereolab, Th' Faith Healers were more along the raw veins of Can (especially Can) and Brainticket than from the minimalistic complexions of La Düsseldorf and Neu!. Even so the Healers' sound is still hard to classify since it ranges from noise rock to dream pop and from shoegaze to alternative rock, yet they are always exploring different territories in the wide spectrum that is rock songwriting. They never seem to conform to one specific style, one moment they can be totally tame and then another moment they're jamming off to some of the most viscerally overdriven riffs Too Pure has ever produced.