This Is Book’s Music

By the time you hear the album’s first sound of electronic guitar, you realize you have already heard two songs, with four more to go. By the time you’re not laughing at their name, you realize the Master Musicians Of Bukkake are jokesters only in name.

They are not a weird group of villagers from Sweden or a gang of crusty bikers from Nagono, but rather a band from Seattle. Totem One (Conspiracy) begins with various tribal-like songs where the rhythm less sound help stir up momentum in the form of a noisy meditation, before the natural sounds turn into something that sounds like Soundgarden, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd. At the same time, they incorporate various sounds and styles from other cultures, so one can imagine them being a group of gypsies looking for a place to stay and walking down a path and kind of sounds like some of the best European prog rock of the early to mid-1970’s (Osanna anyone?) Once you reach the last few moments of the last song, you wonder why someone had taken that long to create something so great? Or if not great, it’s pretty damn good.

While soul vocalist Sade is expected to come with a new album any day now, a band from the Chech Republic have just released their debut album of loud ass, high voltage, crunchy rock metal stoner sludge sheets, and it is brutal.

They are called SaDe, and their 7-song album (Silver Rocket) is a cassette-only release. That’s right, if you want to be satisfied with some incredible music that will deafen you, you have to have a working cassette deck in order to play this tape, and that’s good. The music on this album is a cross between Melvins‘ deliberate plodding pace and the psychedelic sheen of Monster Magnet, so if you imagine hairy musicians with bulk and sonic lewdity, you are going to love these guys. They’re not afraid of feedback or distortion, and they are English-friendly although they would sound incredible in any language. This is their first and only album so far but with luck they’ll make it out of Eastern Europe for a bit and make it to other territories, as they would be the kind of duo (SaDe is a 2-piece) who would move countries into war. If their music moves you to rip your face off, so be it, but don’t blame it on these guys.

It has been a few years since we last heard from Darlene Ahuna, to where I wondered if she decided to retire and never make music professionally again. A few weeks ago I discovered that Ahuna has returned. The liner notes seemed to hint at a few things in life that pulled her away from recording, maybe a mixture of good and bad, but she doesn’t get in detail. Nonetheless, one can listen to the songs and her vocals on Aloha Pumehana (Daniel Ho Creations) and tell… *something*. But again, no need be all maha’oe, but what we can pay attention to is the fact there’s a full length Ahuna album with 10 songs, definitely kicking it old school with that.

On this she does a number of Hawaiian classics and standards, including “Hi’ilawe”, “Pua O Ka Makahala”, “Nani Kaua’i”, and the instant homesick feeling (for me, anyway) of “Pauoa Liko Ka Lehua”, where her vocals and playing of the 12-string guitar will make fans realize that this was worth the weight. She is backed only by co-producer Daniel Ho, who through the help of multi-tracking plays the ‘ukulele, bass, and piano. Even with a full sound like this, it still sounds like a very intimate two person performance, even when the songs are full. Often times when one person is in charge of all of the music, what’s missing is the “other person” element, and that was one of the best things about Ahuna’s previous albums. It’s the fact that there was healthy interaction among three or more people, just like a good kanikapila. The musicianship is fantastic, as is most oh Ho’s productions (he also mixed and mastered this), but to my ears it still sounds like two people in the room.

Again, the end result of this is that it sounds very intimate, and Aloha Pumehana at times sounds like something she would only play among family or very close friends, as if this was a personal diary. There’s an old feel, and those of you who have read my reviews of Hawaiian music or those who know me will know how much I love the artistry of Hawaiian recordings from the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s. When Ahuna reaches the high notes in “Nani Kaua’i”, and Ho reaches in for the bass to hit the low notes after a few bars, it goes back to the days of backyard luaus, baby showers, and neverending Sunday’s, a time when no other radio station mattered but KCCN. If the weekend meant knowing your grandfather would come over to bring over huli huli chicken, enough to where it would be lunch and dinner that day, right on. Ho’s piano work gives Ahuna’s songs a slightly jazzy and cabaret feel, not unlike some of Robert Cazimero’s more elaborate work, check out “Waiehu” for the proof. If anything, Aloha Pumehana is a testament to the talent of Ahuna, and it is fantastic to hear her at home once again.

Sioux City, Iowa may not exactly be the first, second, or last place you’d think about when it comes to making a hip-hop discovery, but there’s a group that are hopeful to make an impact on you and potential fans. It’s a trio (2 MC’s, 1 DJ) who go by the name of The Gateway Drug and true to their name, they are inspired by the power of weed, from the cover art to some of the lyrical themes. However, they do not speak about pakalolo 100 percent of the time, but they do create some stoney vibes with their songs, as shown on times new roman..

MC Brew and The Top Civilian are the two microphone fiends, add to that the extra freaky DJ Poyo on production, and you got a group who continue the green leafy ways of Cypress Hill, Mad Flava, and Divine Styler. Their songs are put together in a traditional manner, but then they get into these moments where everything sounds completely foreign (not ethnically, but it just doesn’t sound like what one is used to hearing) and it’s as if you had taken some mushrooms and turned your speakers into a pulpit worthy of worship. The lyrics and performances of them are tight, although what appeals to me here is the fact that it sounds like a professional demo, where it doesn’t sound too clean or overly polished.

With it being a demo, there is a tendency for them to sound loose and laid back, which has its share of pros and cons. The pro: it simply sounds like three guys in a room just making music and beats, rhymes and life, maybe with a beer or joint in their hand, and they’re having a great time without care. The con: sometimes it feels a little too loose and I can only imagine what these guys would sound like if they were to eliminate some of their vices for a singer, EP, or album project with an established label or two. By saying this, it’s basically me saying that I like what I hear as is, it doesn’t sound weak or watered down by any means. If these guys ever opened up for Anti-Pop Consortium, their fan base would grow immensely. For now, if that means working harder to get their music heard by the world, I think they should remain determined and keep at it. Plus, it sounds like they had fun doing this too, which is what hip-hop as a whole should never forget.

There has been an incredible buzz for this MC known as Skyzoo and if you are a hip-hop head, then you’ll know the use of the term “MC” isn’t something I throw out like free bus passes. This means that his new album, The Salvation (Jamla/Duck Down) is an album that is performed by a gifted individual who knows how to turn his wicked flows into masterpieces to be.

Upon hearing tracks like “Popularity”, “The Necessary Evils”, and “Dear Whoever”, you’ll know why Duck Down decided to sign this. The voice, flow, swagger, the attitide, and just the essence of what is within these songs: this is someone of quality and substance, someone who understands what rap music actually is. It’s nice to hear someone who can present himself as an MC, go out on stage and deliver decent hip-hop, and better. He’d probably be welcome on a Dilated Peoples or Blue Scholars track. With productions from Just Blaze, Black Milk, Illmind, Nottz, Needlz, and 9th Wonder among others, Skyzoo has put faith in these guys to enhance his already powerful style, and they succeed. This represents Brooklyn to the fullest, and it sounds like home.

When I hear about Caipirinha Appreciation Society having a new podcast episode, I make sure to take time to listen. For fans of music from Brazil, this is a great listen of the old and new. They get very deep, it’s not just surface listening. If you felt cut off when you purchased every Brazilian comp on Luaka Bop, this is an essential step foward.

You can listen to the latest edition of Caipirinha Appreciation Society by clicking to the podcast homepage @ PodOMatic.com.

Me and Melvins go way back. I have been a fan of the Melvins kids for about 23 years, there was a time when I pretty much bought everything they would release. I have not been as savvy although I would like to me, but I always make sure to buy their new albums. Sadly, m Melvins vinyl collection is behind, so I don’t have their recent albums in the preferred format, but one day when I win the Lotto, SHIT YEAH, MELVINS VINYL FOR DAYS. I would like to play congas for Melvins, but that’s another topic, another time.

Chicken Switch (Ipecac) is supposed to be a Melvins remix album, but here’s the catch. The contributors were not given any element of the source material, so they had to create whatever they felt like, in whatever way they felt comfortable with. It sounds odd, but when have Melvins ever done anything normally? Some of it may remind fans of the Snivlem album, Prick, especially the “Emperor Twaddle Remix” by Christoph Heemann, which in its second half is nothing but a three second applause loop with various other live concert elements thrown in. Someone dropping a microphone? That’s added into the mix. It’s almost like Jan Jelinek on meth jelly beans. In V/Vm’s “She Chokes Her Dying Breath & Does It In My Face”, it’s nothing more than drumstick clicks and a droning guitar, which comes off like lighting a candle on both ends, and throwing it in a barn. Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth creates an “Eggnog Medley” that perhaps not surpisingly souynds nothing like anything on Eggnog or a proper medley. I’d like to see this played full blast in a school zone. The biggest surprise may be what Merzbow did in “Snow Rem Rem Ibvz”, which managed to include a hit making beverage that was splattered to create splatteria.

Is it a Melvins album? Yes. Is it not a Melvins album? Yes. Is it a Melvins remix album? Yes/no . Is it a Melvins tribute album? Yes/no. Is it filled with sound? Yes. Is it filled with silence? Yes. You know, after hearing this, I wish I could have contributed to this. Maybe I should make my own Melvins “remix”. Maybe I will/will not. Chicken Switch is an odd chicken glitch,and most of us can’t pass the bitch/and those rotten ass motherfuckers know this. Thanks Geto Boys.

Is this a Melvins album review? Yes/no. Is it a Melvins tribute review? Yes/no. Will you be molested in the air by volume? Circle your answer.

Yes/no.

The bio for this album compared The Laughing to Roxy Music and Animal Collective, but I also heard early Icicle Works and Tears For Fears. It’s good company, and The Laughing bob and weave through some of their influences to create a wonderful power pop album in the form of Fever (self-released).

A lot of bands may have a trademark sound, just as The Edge has a certain way of playing where you’ll immediately know it’s U2. For Fever they seem to love the jangly guitar of what sounds like a Rickenbacher, consider these guys to be a modern, heavier version of The Byrds, complete with mysterious lyrics and stories (yes, I said it, actual stories) that you’ll want to tell everyone about so you can hear their interpretations of those stories. If there’s another trademark sound, it’s that these guys like to fill their songs with percussion and various other sounds that makes them sound much more bigger and fuller than what the four guys in their photos could provide alone. By adding in a wide range of random sources for sounds and layering their vocals for maximum effect, it adds to an arsenal of music that reveal new things with each listen. To me it takes a progressive rock approach and adds it to their brand of rock and pop. The end result is an incredbly exciting listening adventure that will make you break the chair you’re sitting on as you listen. Play loud.

(Fever will be released on October 27th.)

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It’s great to hear back from an artist whose music moved me enough to want to hear more. I reviewed Saltman Knowles almost a year ago in my old column, The Run-Off Groove, and stated what I liked was the “strength of original compositions” by “new and innovating composers”. It was in reference to hearing countless jazz artists interpret and reinterpret the classics and standards, which is great, traditions must be kept alive, but in order to keep them alive and vibrant, you still have to add to it. I felt that bassist Mark Saltman and pianist William Knowles were doing just this. As with their previous album, it is split between instrumentals and vocalized tracks courtesy of Lori Williams-Chisholm.

With Yesterday’s Man (Pacific Coast Jazz), they show that you can still honor the traditions of the music but also make it contemporary or… maybe that’s the wrong word, since “contemporary” may make some think this album is full of hip-hop beats, turntablists, and reggaeton. It’s jazz that honors the traditions of the past but it sounds very much like a jazz album recorded in the 21st century. The liner notes state that the title is inspired the men of the past, qualities that they feel today’s men lack. It may mean a desire to go back to having class and manners, rather than be ruthless for the sake of just because some feel they can. It’s very much dignified jazz, where interpretation of what’s going on is in the mind, and perhaps meant to be shared by two and only two people (three if you wish to get freaky). In a track like “Cry” there’s even a touch of the Caribbean with some steel pan drums from Victor Provost, and perhaps it shows that a music that is uniquely American has never been afraid to show the link between eventual destinations of its ancestors, whether it’s Brazil, Cuba, or Jamaica.

What I also like about Yesterday’s Man is that, as it travels around the musical world, it doesn’t fall into the usual jazz cliche of trying to be wordly for the sake of accessibility. It’s music performed by musicians that are well groomed, as if the grandchildren of The Modern Jazz Quartet honored their grandparents and said “let’s class this up again.”

The idea of a “yesterday’s man” can sometimes mean conforming to the ways of the other man, but still maintaining the core of who you really are, and maybe that’s what Yesterday’s Man may be saying. By doing so, it shows how we are really united, at least in music and song, and by dropping our careless issues of one another, we can look positively to the men and women of tomorrow, and not always long for the good ol’ days of the past. Until then, we bring with us the goodness of the past in order to influence the future to be motivated to do one better.

(Yesterday’s Man will be released on January 26, 2010.)

Artists always go out of their way to push (if not burn) the envelope of their chosen genre, trying to make it sub- this, hyper- that. Maybe it has always been happening, but as I explore the guilty pleasures of pop, I have been noticing how some artists are pushing/burning the always-assumed limits of pop, arguably a simple form by nature (or at least in construction and design). Lee Chameleon and Markus Willbee are doing this as Lee and Willbee, and for North Carolina (Lost In The Woods) they are not only stretching their sonic lips, but also saying that certain things can sound this good with these musical ingredients, making things edgy without going over the avant-garde cubby hole.

The first group I thought of as I listened to this album was Why?, and not because I’ve been mentioning them a bit on my website, but because they both go out of their way to create melancholy music that sounds comforting. Lee and Willbee do this, but in tracks like “Snowtrain” and “Tumbleweed” it reminds me of some of the ethereal music of the 90’s like Lush and My Bloody Valentine, but without the heavy distortion. North Carolina can be interpreted as “a day in the life of” its creators, described in under an hour while on a train ride to an unknown destination. Some of these songs could easily be radio staples, and not just in indie/alternative circles, but on pop radio, so I hope more people will discover them and give them a shot.