Jonathan Badger, Verse

When something hits you, it hits you. Jonathan Badger, electric guitarist and composer, hits me. At least his album Verse (Rune 394) does. He was a student of Robert Fripp and you can tell by listening to this album for its multiple guitar, "League of Crafty" influence. But then he goes beyond it into his own zone, even though the interlocking guitars are there in a different way.

The lineup is Jonathan Badger on electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, piano, computer, percussion; Ruby Fulton on flugelhorn; Patrick McMinn on trumpet; Tiffany DeFoe on tenor and baritone saxophones; Shodekeh as human beatbox; Alexandra and Victoria (the Sisters Wick), mezzo-sopranos; Michael Gates on violin; and Sasha Keen on cello.

Now all that is well and good, but it is in the music that Badger makes his originality known. This is a kind of symphonic tapestry for guitars, voices, well-produced instruments and alterations.

I wouldn't want to describe it here except to say that it is contemporary avant rock-oriented composition and multiple-guitars are central to it.

I strongly suggest you hear this one. All the words in the world won't begin to describe it and all the labels I could put on it don't quite work either. If you want to go to a new place, just get the recording!

Specimen 13, Echosystem

Oh, yes, when something is good, you can know it the moment you hear it, sometimes.

Then the affirmation deepens the more you listen.

The prog-outness of project-band Specimen 13 and their album Echosystem (Unsung Productions) is that. Denis Rodier is drumming, giving us some vocalizing and Martin Vaniar is on guitars (and some bass and soundscaping). That's the core. Then Adrian Benavides and Markus Reuter had a hand in arranging, mixing it down. And Markus produced the recording. He plays some of his patented touch guitar too and had a hand in the sound design, which is perhaps a fancy way of saying he helped shaped the final ambiance you hear, which is rather wonderful. Adrian plays some guitar and etc., too. Then there is a cast of other musical helpmates including Trey Gunn, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, and some vocalists, and some other-others, other folks. All-in-all a hot combination!

Well now if that sounds promising, believe me it is as good as you can imagine it. It's 30-something minutes of highly evolved out prog-rock, post-Crimsonian heaviness atmos-edge. It's dem fine. You can shell down a few peanuts and get it at http://specimen13.bandcamp.com/ You should.

Cristian Amigo's "Kingdom of Jones" Beyond Category

Duke Ellington once said that great music is "beyond category." But if he were alive today, writing a blog on the internet, he'd be pulling his hair out. The internet and its search engines thrive on pigeonholing absolutely everything. Is it music? OK, what kind? Well that isn't always easy to put in terms of keywords. But they need that so that when somebody searches for Ugandan Traditional Tribal Music, for example, they get a ranked list of links.

Now that's fine in its own way but in the advanced worlds of modern music-making, categories that once were hard and fast seem to be breaking down. And that doesn't mean that it's all "Fusion," either.

Today's recording is a good example. Composer-conceptualist-musician Cristian Amigo has put together a program of music in his Kingdom of Jones (Innova 671) that proceeds, so to speak, from station to station, each station evoking a sound world that doesn't always easily translate into some musical category. You find contemporary improvisation, jazz and rock elements, electronics, ambient music, funk, a sort of drums 'n' bass sound, hints of electronica, hip hop inflections, a hint of world music influence, with some sampling involved, electronic collage, blues-like segments, musique concrete, new music, avant garde classical and things that combine more than one element at a time.

Cristian Amigo plays electric and acoustic guitar in parts throughout the recording, and so that's one factor that provides a point of reference. And he plays interesting things too. But the thrust of the work is contained in all the pieces and stylistic elements considered as a whole. Art imitates life, one well favored version of a world view has it. If that's so, Cristian Amigo has created the equivalent to a walk through Grand Central Station, where every imaginable sort of person may be walking by you. Would you classify the people in Grand Central Station as one sort of group? If you did, you would have to come up with generalities that are meaningless in some ways. "Travelers by train?" Mostly. But so what? I feel that way in trying to describe Kingdom of Jones in some straightforwardly ham-headed way. So I wont.

This is music. It is music that goes from point A to point B in a non-direct route through all kinds of geometric thickets. It is music that can be heard profitably many times because it is born of a complex aural orientation. It is not written out, apparently, as much as it is performed and assembled. So it is like a visual art assemblage combined with a performance piece? Not exactly.

What makes this recording worth hearing is that every piece in the puzzle somehow fits the whole; and every piece has intrinsic interest as music. There are quiet sections of dreamy contemplation. There are toe-tapping grooves, some psychedelic rock moments, sprawling but brief soundscapes, and some really interesting guitar work.

Don't expect a certain thing when you listen to this music. Take that tact and you'll be surprised and I would hope delighted with the various outcomes in any given section. Amigo makes music here that expresses a something that might not be defined in words to good advantage. It is the multiplicity of the modern experience.

Neil Young and Some New Protest Music

January 14, 2009—With the presidency of G. W. Bush now ancient history, it’s probably high time to bring up Neil Young’s CD of several years ago, Living with War (Reprise). One thing I appreciate about the course of Young’s long and interesting career is that you can never be sure what he is going to do next.

Now I am not here to tell you what to think about politics (or anything else), but surely Neil spoke to a large segment of the public that had become increasingly certain that the Bush regime was a failure. The CD is filled with anthems expressing the despair of the time. Obviously with a new presidency upon us, these issues begin to be a part of the historical past. But of course issues raised on this album are still with us in a number of ways. Living with War is by no means Neil Young’s best record. It captures a moment, with musical high points that include a rousing version of “America the Beautiful.” May Americans continue to be worthy of those words with a renewed dedication to what is good and great about their legacy. So we go forward to a new chapter in the history of the present.

Reconsidering NRBQ

January 13, 2009—I never paid a lot of attention to NRBQ. They were to me one of those bands who were around, but I never thought to listen very closely. Then I reviewed a recording by NRBQ’s Terry Adams and Marshall Allen, the irrepressible Sun Ra alumnus and now director. It was full of adventure and whacky good humor. My thinking altered, I checked out NRBQ’s Greatest Hit compilation, and that was OK but not especially overwhelming to me. Then I grabbed today’s recording, NRBQ’s Message to the Mess Age (Aardvark). This one had the irreverence and tang that attracted me to the later duet album. On this recording NRBQ has the dada humor of some of Steely Dan, a little of the wryness of the Police, but it is only as a reminiscence, not a copycatting. It’s musical music and it has a variety of moods and grooves. “Girl Scout Cookies” has a sublimely ridiculous lyric that might tickle you. It’s something to hear if you have not.

What’s coming up? A few more Tzadiks, jazz from Cadence and other sources, more rock known and unknown and the beginning of a series on creative commons jamband downloads for those who are curious but limited in funds.

Rush Keeps Their Creative Edge

Originally posted on November 3, 2008

Quietly, year by year, the power trio Rush has logged in a track record for longevity that is matched by few rock groups. Judging by the CD Snakes and Arrows (Anthem), released last year, they show no signs of diminishing creativity.

The songs have strength, the instrumental togetherness remains intact, and vocals are what you expect. If you already like them, this will not disappoint. I’ll admit I’ve ignored them for years. Now I think that might have been a mistake. If you like wall of sound rock with some melodic content that does not muck around in banality, this CD might be for you. Don't forget to vote tomorrow. [Ed note: Well, that was the case. Obama was elected, duh.]

Crosby, Sills, Nash and Young: It's Deja Vu All Over Again

Originally posted on October 24, 2008

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have returned. Their new CD “Déjà Vu Live” (Reprise) corresponds with a movie of the same title. I can’t speak for the latter, but the CD is in essence a logical follow through from Neil Young’s recent Living with War album. The CSNY features a few of the old hits but mostly Neil Young’s politically anti-war, sick-of-Bush anthems. It took a bit of courage to come out with Living with War when Young did. Now the sentiments seem more mainstream to America, judging from opinion polls.

A version here of the old Buffalo Springfield “For What It’s Worth” sounds as contemporary and as relevant as ever. The new songs will appeal to those inclined—not exactly music for McCain supporters. The harmonies can be a little rough around the edges (it’s live and they don’t have the advantage of a studio situation to get everything perfect), the guitar work what you’d expect from them, and that’s fine.

I’m not going to say anything against this record. It’s nice to have them playing together again and nice to hear people taking a stand for what they believe. We need that badly. The Constitution guarantees it. Get yourself a guitar or strap on your old one and write your own anthems, please. We will all be enriched.

Phish "Farmhouse" Not the Last After All

Originally posted on September 25, 2008

Buying a studio album by one of the premier jambands is like ordering chicken at a top flight seafood restaurant. It may be good, but it is not what they do best. So it is with the Phish album Farmhouse (Elektra), which consists of late ‘90s material. I suppose I should dig up a live album of theirs. What I’ve heard of their jamming sounds very good. I know I’m late to this. Some years I was totally preoccupied with other things.

This Farmhousealbum is OK. A number of their tunes don’t especially overwhelm here, but I suppose this isn’t considered their best record. There is a jam at the end anyway. Kudos for them for keeping the jamband thing going after the breakup of the Dead. The phenomenon is flourishing these days, and I’ll devote more attention to the active bands out there in the coming months.

Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis

Originally posted on January 15, 2008

Almost nobody needs to be told that our environment is in trouble. Of course our dependence upon oil and those who set the prices makes the crisis that much more acute, even if consumption should theoretically be going down. We need to look to new leadership in the future, leadership that can think and act long-term on these issues.


So a two DVD, one CD set of The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis: Live Earth (Warner Brothers) might be called a “natural” for the times we are enduring. And it is. It is a current gathering of mainstream stars and a few edgier acts in support of a cause that certainly means something. I haven’t viewed the DVDs yet, but the CD is well constructed. Madonna, Foo Fighters, The Police, John Mayer, Roger Waters, Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, and James Blunt are some of the contributors, some new, some older school. It’s good if that’s what you like. And of course the message needs to go out.

Punk, Rap, Goth, and Other Goodies, Some for Free

Originally posted on December 18-20, 2007

Punk rock and rap are not musics that occupy a huge place in my everyday listening. Yet today there’s where we’ll be. Going back to the garageband.com downloads (see December 18th entry), I again randomly chose twelve free downloads, as yesterday, this time in the genre Punk Rock. I figured once again that if anything was going to be happening garage-wise, there should be something in this batch. There were some that were highly derivative, forgettable, juvenile, or just plain ordinary. But there were some gems too. This is what I liked:

Have Nots “Cornerstone” (Boston, MA)—We have very fast punk-ska on this one. It begins with a nice chord progression and riff and there’s a good balance between the riff and the vocals.

The Bloody Turncoats “To Her Damned Tool Store” (Minneapolis, MN)—It begins with an interesting banjo-like guitar line, almost punk-bluegrass, and bass joins in. More guitars enter and the beat is a fast punk two-step. It’s folksy, has nice vocals and contrast. The second part sounds surf-punkish in the guitar break, then back to “A”. Different and musical.

The Cremators “The Best is Yet to Come” (Helsingborg, Sweden)—wow, some heavy rockabilly punk with really hot guitars and a fast old-timey back beat. A little like a raw punky Brian Setzer combined with Motorhead vocals—really primal. The mix in the end is a little too hot on the guitars, but no big deal.

The Radioactives “Sin City” (Muenster, Germany)—A four-chord fast punk progression begins this one. The vocals sound good, the band doing a tight loud punkout. There’s a nice chorus, then back to the chord progression part again.

The Trauma Dolls “Good Boy” (Norfolk, VA)—A classic tale of oppressed youth with a rather pedestrian three chord progression in a pretty fast rock mode. The vocals are sardonically Punk and stand out. “Be a good boy and do what we say; if you’re a bad boy we’ll lock you away.” Well it sucks, but in a classically Punk fashion.

That’s enough of that for now. How about a rap CD that just came out? Lupe Fiasco is a rapper from Chicago and his Atlantic CD Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool has much going on. He is one serious dude, and he tries to tell it the way he sees it. In a way, he’s a budding Bob Dylan of Rap. Some people won’t like to hear so much truth. He looks down on the media centered phony horse crud of today’s glamor Rap and show biz in general. He takes apart the veneer of the romanticized gangster ghetto and shows it for what it is. The raps are strong, the music solid and nice vocal appearances by others come through to contrast with his tuned and timed blasts on convention. Check out “Dumb it Down,” “Put You On Game,” “Superstar” and “Streets On Fire” for chilling doses of reality. This could be big; really big; it should be big, you dig?

(December 18, 2007:) I promised earlier that I would take a look at some bands that are offering free MP3 downloads on http://www.garageband.com/. As I mentioned in that entry, this is part of the Creative Commons movement. In the interests of promoting their band and getting exposure, these musicians encourage you to download and listen, then maybe buy a CD or complete download of their latest. The music is grouped by genre and also by band.

I started off by somewhat randomly selecting bands in the category called “Experimental Rock.” Now if anything was going to be different, I figured this was a good place to start looking for it. My selection was based on “track of the week,” “track of the month,” and the bands whose tunes had made the top twenty or so and agreed to free downloads of that song. (Some bands let you listen free but not download). I downloaded 12 tunes in that category and listened five times to each. Here are the ones I thought interesting:

Acedia “Guilty”—From Frederick, Maryland, Acedia begins with a bass riff and backbeat. A male vocalist of a kind of quasi-Emo sort sets the tone, which is pretty gloomy, then follows a big chorus with spooky guitars, synths and echoes behind the vocals. There are some out guitar and synths after the second chorus. It’s slightly gothish. Memorable and rather nice.

Brown Whornet “Stepdad’s Cane” (Austin, TX)—It starts with Zappa meets Chicago, then things get different with a Pink Floydish middle that sports psycho guitars, odd vocals, drums doing something interesting. Then there’s an echo-heavy metal riff w/ more unusual vocals, a metallic percussion thing and another riff, then back to the chorus. It gives you an unexpected jolt with that chorus and middle section. A well thought-out track, I think.

Doron Deutch “Moving On Again” (Tel Aviv, Israel)—A back beat and interesting percussive string effect with acoustic guitar and echo make this track stand out from the first. The singer is dramatic, whispery. Another moody cut, well arranged.

Elika “You’re Not Safe at All” (Brooklyn, NY)—begins with electronic beat tracks that are not mushy (to me an important thing!). The electric guitar has an almost Surf like purity to it. The lead female singer is haunting. Then the chorus has big droning guitars and the vocals remind me of a short-lived band called Whipped Cream, a kind of retro, post-sixties sound that nevertheless speaks to today and our everyday fears. The third part has some odd electronics and the hook title line. Maybe a little late in the song? Nevertheless, this is dynamic music. Somebody sign these folks!

Johnny Does Dallas “Change Me” (West Hollywood, CA)—Indian drums, bass and wah-wah guitar set up this song. The vocal is fuzz-effect filtered. The drums come in with a heavy rock beat and work well with the Indian percussion. An oddly filtered guitar takes a melodic role in part. The vocals aren’t especially distinguished, but there is a nice energy on this one.

Kinky Chimps “Morning Sun” (Ashford, Kent, England)—These are some spacey chimps! Electronics, echo and singing that sounds like it is coming out of a bottomless pit segue to backwards guitars, a psychedelic riff, and bluesy psycho-harmony vocals. Get out your beads. The song does have a nice melodic feel to it.

Spanish Force “I am the Moon Master” (Staten Island, NY)—A synth/guitar duet in a minor key sets out the tone with heavy backbeat coming in. The lyrics are Hitchcockian weird, and the music is interesting. Guitar blasts of arpeggiated two chord minor modes punctuate, then there’s almost a vaudevillian moment, then an odd march. Quite creative.

Sphincterwolf “Of Miricles (sic)” Newcastle, England—I don’t know about that name, but there are some effectively dense, shimmering guitars on this all-instrumental blow-out.
Well, that’s a sample of the “experimental rock” category. It is not disheartening to hear this music. I’ll have more for you from other genres in the next few days.