Kalle Kalima & K-18, Out to Lynch

Dark star film maker David Lynch always gets very appropriate music into his films/tv work. Think of the theme from "Twin Peaks". He also has an unmistakable auteur brilliance that portrays innocence and evil at the same time, with unforgettable, oftimes disturbing imagery and ambiance.

Berlin-based outside electric guitarist Kalle Kalima and his band K-18 have done a tribute to the director in Out to Lynch (TUM 030). These aren't redo-ings of soundtrack highlights so much as brand new compositions that take characters and scenes as inspiration.

The results are highly interesting. There's freedom, sometimes much electricity from the guitar, and accordion, bass, and reeds interacting with Kalle in unpredictable ways as an avant quartet. Sometimes it sounds like Meddle meets music from the nightmare cafe. Kalle's guitar work bears close listening.

It's not easily classified and must be heard a number of times to get into. Once you do that, something clearly good is going on here, you realize.

If you want different, outside and parallel Lynchian, here you have that. It is perhaps one of the most unexpected albums to come out recently!

Joy Mega, Forever is Something Inside of You

There are good things to be found these days with music that dwells within the interstices of categories. Take Joy Mega and their Forever is Inside of You (New Atlantis). It's the brainchild of bassist-vocalist-composer Jason Ajemian, who straddles the rock and new music/jazz camps in various very good ways and decided to combine rock/alt song and avant freedom with this group.

It's a pretty heavy hitting lineup: Jason on bass, Chad Taylor, drums, Matt Bauder, tenor/reeds, Mary Halvorson, electric guitar, Jessica Pavone, violin. Those who know the scene will recognize that this is a group of some of the most innovative improvisers around today, all bandleaders in their own right and major proponents on their instruments.

Well, that's the specs, so to speak. What you get music-wise is the successful results of the categoric experimentation. Jason's voice is in the raw, direct court and his songs bounce against the avant improv in unexpected, always interesting, and very creative ways.

If you don't give a hoot about categories and thrive on the new however it conjoins, listen to this one a bunch of times. It's seriously different.