Yoko Ono. Divisive to many, divine to few. And a patron saint of confident weirdness to certain odd souls, myself included.
primal
Zach Hill – Astrological Straits
Zach Hill, one of the most prolific and varied modern drummers, has been involved with bands ranging from Hella, Nervous Cop and more, to collaborations with Rob Crow and even left-field electronic artist Prefuse 73 on their combined Diamond Watch Wrists project. In 2008 he finally unleashed his own solo debut – and to the surprise of many, it’s much more than the masturbatory percussion fetish expected when drummers go solo. Instead we’ve got a progressive psychedelic mind-warp of a journey from fractured hard trance grooves to massive Black Sabbath-style epics to splintery noise jams, all wrapped up in a free-jazz melange that keeps shifting underfoot, subverting expectations as the ride moves along.
Starting with what sounds like an air raid siren filtered through a vocoder, Astrological Straits is forthcoming about the pressurized sonic onslaught being unleashed. Despite avoiding the obvious perceived pitfalls about a percussionist’s album, the skins are beat mercilessly right out of the gate: pummeling, shredding, and outright assaulting his set is what the man’s become known for, and he doesn’t disappoint. The surprising element is the very arrangements themselves – sometimes moving in expectedly grandiose directions, sometimes twisting into a weird techno-jazz-crunch where the drums submit to the gathering maelstrom and become one with the mix.
Speaking of that mix: for this album Hill enlisted the help of Tyler Pope (!!! and LCD Soundsystem), Marnie Stern, No Age, his own Hella bandmates, Les Claypool and many more interesting players. This may give a hint as to the breadth and scope of the album, but certainly not its direction. Growing from a jumbled, crushing stop-start tentative seed to Boredoms-inspired tribal hypno-grooves, through noise-pop freak-outs, then straight off the planet into a prog-funk-metal-fusion jam that ends the album over 9 breathless minutes. It’s this restless enthusiasm for change and the ebb and flow of energy which clearly displays Mr. Hill’s jazz underpinnings. He may be oft compared with high energy percussionists like Brian Chippendale of Lightning Bolt but his head (and prodigious ability) lies in another realm entirely. This is so much more than impressive musicianship; it’s a new world being ripped open by an intellectually primal beat explorer. I’ll leave you with a quote from the man himself:
Q: What’s in the future for you? Where are you headed?
A: I want to change the world of my instrument in a large way. I want to get to the highest place with my instrument that I can possibly get and change the instrument for the better. I want to innovate. That ‘s what I set out to do and that’s what I’m going to do, whether anybody’s paying attention or not.”
– Modern Drummer, August 2006
[get your hands on this overlooked gem at boomkat, insound, and of course amazon]
Z-Rock Hawaii
Holy Shit.
Mindflaying collaboration between Ween and Boredoms. If you’re even passingly familiar with either band, you’ve probably jumped out of your seat already. It’s no gargantuan achievement; just an exciting smash up of the two groups’ extreme sensibilities, satisfying anyone remotely interested in such a project. Scatalogical, free-associative lyricism pollinates a gritty crushing tribal punk garden, runaway train hyperactivity collides with relaxed stoner funk, and bone crunching guitar and drums fight it out under warped extraterrestrial sunny skies.
Picture a Venn diagram with Dean and Gene Ween in one circle, and Yamantaka Eye and company in the other. The overlap, and then some, is what this album sounds like. Turn this up loud and pay no heed to your exploding brain.
[get your paws on this via amazon or search in vain for a copy at your local record store!]
Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti is a supernatural being. An extraterrestrial. A god. A politically charged, female-fueled rhythm machine. He basically invented what we know as afrobeat. He challenged the deadly authority of Nigeria’s oppressive government through song and action, and paid a price for it. He popularized and reinvented jazz in Africa, then brought the explosive results to the West. He was a visionary, a revolutionary, a womanizer, a pioneer, a king… a bad ass mother fucker.
Most of his music was released in single and 12″ form, and the majority of his tracks were 10+ minute floor pounding epics. Thus when being reissued, most of the originals were combined on CD, with it’s longer running time; which brings me to Expensive Shit + He Miss Road. The impossible nature of selecting a favorite Kuti track or album led me to sharing, as an introduction, the release which I simply have listened to most often. The tracks here are simply some of the most addictive numbers in his catalogue. Aside from the two title tracks, we have Water No Get Enemy, Monday Morning in Lagos, and It’s No Possible – all long form, mercilessly energetic pieces designed to kickstart brains and shake asses at the same time. Most Kuti songs follow a formula of intense rhythm buildup, chanted or sung culturally incisive lyrics, a beat explosion, and an extended hypnotic ending. The sound itself begs no description; it just is. Those who have listened know; those who have not are missing out on some fiercely energetic hip-shaking deep groove jams. The stories behind the songs’ genesis are often intriguing enough for a small book, Expensive Shit in particular, so be sure to read up on them. It not only aids in the enjoyment of the tracks (as if these masterpieces needed help to be enjoyed) but provides some insight into the man and his tumultuous life.
Just give this a try, especially if you’re completely new to it – in such a case, I promise no less than the most interesting thing you’ve heard all week/month/year. Open your ears and prepare for spastic motion, mental and physical. This is only the beginning.
[purchase the groundbeaking combo at cduniverse, wrasserecords, or the always-reliable amazon]
Can – Future Days
Can rock the world. Really fucking hard. If you don’t know this in your body and soul, then take the time to either A) reassess your lifestyle, or B) start listening to their albums and make life a little better for your self and loved ones alike.
Boris – Flood
Boris. Often mistakenly considered simply a doom/stoner/sludge outfit, the Japanese band has managed to subtly weave in varying textures throughout their discography. On this particular record, they keep things on a minimal page and emerge with their most powerful, transformative work in the process.
Omar Khorshid melted my face.
Omar Khorshid And His Guitar conjure pure six string wizardry. This sound is perversely incredible. It’s unconscionable. The deep well of feeling I’m overcome with while hearing this – how much I must have been missing out on all these years! The change starts now. Prepare cochlea for imminent eargasm.
Rhythms From The Orient took me by complete surprise. A certain nice young fellow at Everything’s Exploding shared a raft of information about Khorshid which led my ears to this utterly sublime alchemy. It’s Dick Dale-ian surf guitar rumble meets mooged-out spacey atmosphere over a floor pounding belly dance groove. In fact, it’s everything that statement conjures and then some – hammering accordion and hand drums electrify several moments, and a sense of joyous abandon colors the entire project. It honestly sounds as if it were as fun to make as it is to listen to. Which of course, is a blast.
I’ve looked around for legit copies of this album in any form and this place seems to be the only source. If you can help it would be greatly appreciated!
Optimistic Underground 