Featured Releases

Julie Ecklar, Traveller (17)

First filk album I can recall seeing. By titles only, looks to be mostly sci-fi oriented, with an emphasis on Trek. (Ecklar was behind the seminal Wolfrider’s Reflections set.)

Paula Frazer and Tarnation, Now It’s Time (11)

Paula resurrects the Tarnation moniker after 3 solo releases, although appends her own name - perhaps to indicate that she has collaborators again? The trend here is more towards soft, relaxing folk without as country a flavor as in the past, and her distinctive waver-yodel is more subdued.

The Grinning Plowman, I Play Jupiter (10)

A more mature effort from Nashville’s industrial-art collective. Features the evocative “Esmeralda” and the rousing chorus of “Koo-Ka” plus WRVU rotation kuts “Radiator” and “Skyscraper”. Man in bathrobe pushing supermarket cart while throwing fish in the air not included.

Nicola Hitchcock, Passive Aggressive (11)

Earlier solo outing by vocalist from Mandalay, while still in the same trip-hop vein.

The Medic Droid, s/t (2)

It’s synthpop. They’re called Medic Droid. What else do you need? (Okay, vocals are a little shouty and overexcited.)

Mighty Lemon Drops, Happy Head (20)

Somehow I got hooked on their 1988 album “World Without End” - probably during my pummeling of the inter-library loan system when it first went online as a BBS (yes, via dial-in modem). The system limited you to 5 requests per session, but had no limit to total number of requests, so I requested pretty much everything I hadn’t heard before. Stylistically somewhere between Echo & the Bunnymen and Inspiral Carpets in swirling, guitar jangle pop yet would probably be filed under “post-punk” just to irritate me. Includes the “Out Of Hand EP.”

Johnette Napolitano, Scarred (12)

I haven’t seen any solo material from Johnette since her track “Suicide Note” on the Underworld soundtrack, which was followed by the Texicana-influenced Concrete Blonde album “Mojave” (a better effort than the similarly-inspired, yet tedious joint release con Los Illegals). Rocking cover of “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” although it doesn’t quite top the June Tabor/Oysterband version.

Niyaz, Remix EP (4)

Two mixes of two tracks from the ethno-dance project by Azam Ali. Now we only need them to offer her other solo “Portals of Grace”, although her work with Vas would also be appreciated.

Slowdive, Pygmalion (9)

This was a revelation when it came in a care package from WRVU while studying in Leeds. A progressive evolution from their shoegazer song structure of “Souvlaki” to lovely guitar codas with minimal vocals. The leadoff 10-minute opus “Rutti” is gauzy and mesmerizing, like a late summer day at dusk spent sitting on a screened porch. After this, check out Soul Whirling Somewhere’s “Eating the Sea” and the more contemporary Ulrich Schnauss (who covers their “Crazy For You” on the Slowdive tribute Blue Skied An’ Clear (14), whose title is also taken from this album).

Soma, My Ancient Vihmaana (4)

Short EP of Morricone Western-slash-Eastern Raga rave-ups. More underappreciated early-aught electronica featuring David Thrussell from SNOG/Black Lung and Pieter Bourke. collaborator with Dead Can Dance on its pan-ethnic “Spiritchaser” and then its Lisa Gerrard on the sublime “Duality”. Track 4 “The Winged Measure” is a compelling loping dirge. Still, not quite up to the level of earlier works like Hollow Earth (13).

various, Music from and inspirted by My Name is a Blackbird (10)

I clicked on this simply due to the striking cover art (a dancer crouched sideways in motion) and found it contains 4 Andrew Bird compositions. While Bird risks heresy with track 10’s title, “The Trees Were Mistaken” (the Lorax does not make mistakes!), his tracks are compelling as expected; Mark Booth’s main pieces with Silver Zion-style titles sound appropriately post-rock; and David Pakovic’s “Molly” series evoke minimalist melodica a la Boards of Canada.

As to the inspiring work, Google reveals “Blackbird” to be “An evening-length collaborative project exploring gender, sexuality, transformation and language” before falling into hyperbolic puffery like “Blackbird is mysterious and gothic, like an antique spy comic printed in black ink on heavy newsprint, written by Poe or Hawthorne in the abstract cadence of Joyce.” In other words, anarrative mixed-media art installation that struggles to be about something instead of everything and thus nothing.

Hector Zazou, Strong Currents (13)

A Zazou collaboration in the vein of “Songs from the Cold Blue Seas”, this again features a variety of notable female vocalists (e.g. Laurie Anderson, Jane Birkin, Lisa Germano, Nicola Hitchcock of Mandalay). Zazou normally sets a theme for each work, such as “Cold Blue Seas” which evoked the Arctic and “Sahara Blues” set to the poetry of Rimbaud, but I cannot discern one for “Currents”.

Free Stuff

various, Curve Music Sampler (8)

See Also

Eva Cassidy, The Other Side (14)

John Taylor (Duran Duran), interview (1)

Fan service for tng.

Tribute Corner

Albums added since last review: 7200

Vitamin String Quartet “albums”: 15

Sadly, neither the Garbage or Fiona Apple compilations had more recent material that might translate better to the chamber-scrape format. Typically, they still place too much reliance on violin qua lead vocal substitute, not enough cello.

Pickin’ On, Bluegrass Tribute to Air: Blue Safari (12)

Normally the bluegrass tributes stick to country artists, with the occasional classic or country-fried rock thrown in. But French retro-pop? Worth at least a listen for comparison, although from a quick sampling, only “Cherry Blossom Girl” holds up particularly well in translation. All the urgency is lost from “Run” and the Virgin Suicides “Playground Love” theme becomes vaporous, while “Alpha Beta Gogo” could pass for incidental music for “Firefly” (not such a bad thing, really).

Value Options

Sleep Machines.com offers nature recordings, e.g. Rain 2, No thunder. Better yet, a field recording of… (hint: it’s called “Sprinkler”) a lawn sprinkler. Sadly, it is not a ratchet model sprinkler, with that refreshing pitch/cadence change as it resets each cycle. Each hour recording is 1 track.

The latest Global Underground DJ mix posted - Nick Warren, Paris includes both individual tracks and the 2 CDs as single mixes.