Two MySpace favorites, plus new and recent CD releases and reissues.
Ramos used to live in NYC and was my fave local talent. Then she moved to Los Angeles and I’ve been jonesing for new Ramos music ever since. Now she’s put up four new songs on her MySpace page, and I’m happy to report that she’s as good as ever. These songs are all what I like most from her: ruminative, quirky plaints with ‘70s-ish singer-songwriter production over which her clear, girlish-but-with-a-spine vocals soar gorgeously.
I think this was only issued on vinyl by The Social Registry, but it’s on their MySpace page. Yes, doing dub versions of Joy Division songs is gimmicky, but it works, this track most of all.
Coming in the middle of a fertile period when Hill was cutting two or three albums a year for Blue Note (though some weren’t released at the time), this October 3, 1965 session is both more complex and freer than much of his work. The frontline of Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, flugelhorn) and John Gilmore (tenor sax and bass clarinet) is excellent. In particular, it’s great to hear Gilmore in this context; he rarely played outside the Sun Ra Arkestra (this is one of only thirteen sideman gigs listed for him, most in 1962-67). And Joe Chambers, the secret ingredient in so many of Blue Note’s more avant-garde sessions, is on drums along with two percussionists, while bassist Cecil McBee is joined on one of these four lengthy tracks by Richard Davis to thicken the foundation. Hill’s playing could sometimes seem more rudimentary than his composing, but here he stretches out and delivers some of his most active performances. This is a great album that all Blue Note fans need.
Tinariwen is a Tuareg group that plays droning Malian blues-rock. The obvious comparison is Ali Farka Toure, and if you like him you’ll probably like these Saharan nomads, but overall the sound is much fuller, and on the more uptempo material they’ve got their own rhythmic sense that sets them apart. Sometimes they emphasize an exultant, communal groove; other times the sound is stripped down to hushed intimacy. This is one of the most amazing releases you can hear this year.
“Freak folk” is a pretty vague term at this point (can we switch to FOD – Friends of Devendra – and just stop pretending any of these people sound alike?!?), except that I almost always like the music by people who get tagged with the term. This Texas singer-songwriter’s second album is no exception. Psychedelic touches are slight but telling – electric guitar sliding in from a distance is a favorite – and often absent. Her lyrics are enigmatic, all her titles except the one that gives the album its name are single words, and what I can decipher from her low, unisex voice seems dark and unsettling. Yet the music that results, if only rarely upbeat, is beautiful in its gentle, drawling progress.
Jewface (Reboot Stereophonic)
This strange compilation of controversial pop music from the beginning of the 20th century is definitely not for everyone. The material dates from 1905 to 1924 and is the Jewish equivalent of blackface (hence the title), the lyrics and delivery playing on Jewish stereotypes, yet this was music made largely for a Jewish audience and most of the performers (though not all) were Jewish, including an early appearance by Fanny Brice. In fact, one song is written by Irving Berlin, and another – “When Mose with His Nose Leads the Band” – Berlin cribbed from for part of the melody of “God Bless America.” If “I’m a Yiddish Cowboy” isn’t the goofiest lyric you hear all year, you’re listening to some pretty weird stuff.
Soul purists disdain this album because of two repertoire choices and the presence of guitarist Duane Allman, but those are good things. Lots of soul singers were trying to capture the rock audience with covers of rock hits, but few hit with the power of Pickett’s version of the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” because few (very few!) sang with his power AND had Allman’s wailing guitar backing. Pickett’s cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” may be less well known, but if anything it’s even better – the most macho of the Southern soul singers makes it seem like it was written for him alone. There are plenty of tracks that will make the purists happy, though, including the classic brag “A Man and a Half” and songs penned by Isaac Hayes, Don Covay, Bobby Womack, George Jackson, and more.
Florida Funk 1968-1975 (Now Again)
Reed Roberts of the Mighty Dog Catchers is quoted as saying, “I wasn’t listening to no local bands, the only band I was influenced by was James Brown’s. Straight up.” Based on this compilation, he wasn’t the only Floridian who felt that way. The focus is on obscure artists (the only “name” is Blowfly) and tiny labels, with most of the material coming out on 45s, but the sounds are familiar and the talents are big. The Universals get the 22-track set off to a great start with the anthemic 1970 joint “New Generation,” which is so great that it’s a shame their distribution was so bad – but we’ve got it now!
Eccentric Soul: Twinight’s Lunar Rotation (Numero)
Another great compilation from the Eccentric Soul series, this time drawing on such a treasure trove that two discs are needed to contain its bounty. Forty tracks of Chicago soul and funk from the Twinight label, including three previously unreleased items. As usual, it’s not only good listening but good reading, with a fascinating label history and a contextualization of the wonderful obscurities we hear. The hits of Syl Johnson (not included here – too well known!) funded a flow of 45 releases that missed the national charts in 1967-72 but sound great now. There are a few names you’ll recognize lurking here and there; for instance, Donny Hathaway’s playing on Josephine Taylor’s “I’ve Made Up My Mind.” There are a lot of styles heard here, not only soul and early funk but also a little blues, some harmony groups, and more. The many highlights include George McGregor’s “Temptation Is Too Hard to Fight” (love the guitar sound in the intro!), “Goin’ Man Huntin’” by Jo Ann Garrett, and the fuzzed-out “Soul Strokes” by Sidney Pinchback. This is a must-have for soul fans.
This two-CD set has a slight split personality between the two discs. On disc one, the influence of Brian Eno’s ambient music is especially strong; for instance, “Don’t Bother They’re Here” and “Dopamine Clouds over Craven Cottage” sound like outtakes from Music for Airports in their construction. Disc two, though certainly similar in mood, is more original, practically a sonic demonstration of the acoustic properties of attack and decay as sounds appear, swell, and diminish, with less minimalist repetition in favor of a slow parade of serenely caressed timbres. The duo of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie is augmented by a whopping eight additional instrumentalists (four string players, four horns) plus a children’s choir, along with four “contributors” presumably helping with the electronic manipulations. The result is mellow voluptuousness if you use these instrumentals as background music, but utterly engrossing if you pay attention.
