Terry Riley-RAINBOW IN CURVED AIR (1967)

After several graph compositions and early pattern pieces with jazz ensembles in the late '50s and early '60s (see "Concert for Two Pianists and Tape Recorders" and "Ear Piece" in La Monte Young's book An Anthology), Riley invented a whole new music which has since gone under many names (minimal music -- a category often applied to sustained pieces as well -- pattern music, phase music, etc.) which is set forth in its purest form in the famous "In C" (1964) (for saxophone and ensemble, CBS MK 7178). "Rainbow in Curved Air" demonstrates the straightforward pattern technique but also has Riley improvising with the patterns, making gorgeous timbre changes on the synthesizers and organs, and presenting contrasting sections that has become the basic structuring of his works ("Candenza on the Night Plain" and other pieces). Scored for large orchestra with extra percussion and electronics, some of this work's seven movements are: "Star Night," "Blue Lotus," "The Earth Below," and "Island of the Rhumba King."

-"Blue" Gene Tyranny, AMG

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Terry Riley-RAINBOW IN CURVED AIR (1967)
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Jerry Lee Lewis-LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB, HAMBURG (1964)

Words cannot describe -- cannot contain -- the performance captured on Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, an album that contains the very essence of rock & roll. When Jerry Lee Lewis performed the concert that became this album in the spring of 1964, his career was at its lowest point. Following his scandalous marriage to his teenage cousin, he was virtually blacklisted in the U.S., and by 1964 it had been six years since he had a real hit single, he was starting his recording career again with a new label, and, to make matters worse, America had fallen in love with the Beatles and the bands that followed in the British Invasion, leaving him exiled from the charts. Ironically, he wound up in the Beatles' old haunt of the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, in the spring of 1964, backed by the Nashville Teens, who still had yet to have a hit with "Tobacco Road" (which would scale the charts later that year). Lewis and the Nashville Teens had been touring throughout the group's native England for about a month, capped off by a stint at the Star Club, where the band played for two weeks, but was only joined by the Killer for one night, which was what was captured on this incendiary recording. Who knows why this was a night where everything exploded for Jerry Lee Lewis? It sounds like all of his rage at not being the accepted king of rock & roll surfaced that night, but that probably wasn't a conscious decision on his part -- maybe the stars were aligned right, or perhaps he just was in a particularly nasty mood. Or maybe this is the way he sounded on an average night in 1964.



In any case, Live at the Star Club is extraordinary -- the purest, hardest rock & roll ever committed to record. It starts with the Killer launching into "Mean Woman Blues" at a tempo far faster than the band is prepared for, and he never, ever lets go from that moment forward. He pounds the piano into submission, sings himself hoarse, berates the band ("What'd I Say, Pt. 2" has him yelling at a Nashville Teen to "play that thing right, boy!"), increases the tempo on each song, and joins in with the audience chanting his name. It's a crazed, unhinged performance, with the Nashville Teens running wild to follow his lead, and it's a great testament to the bandmembers that they nearly manage to keep up with him. One of the profound pleasures of this record is hearing the band try to run with Jerry Lee, which is exceeded only by the sheer dementia of the Killer's performance; he sounds possessed, hitting the keys so hard it sounds like they'll break, and rocking harder than anybody had before or since. Compared to this, thrash metal sounds tame, the Stooges sound constrained, hardcore punk seems neutered, and the Sex Pistols sound like wimps. Rock & roll is about the fire in the performance, and nothing sounds as fiery as this; nothing hits as hard or sounds as loud, either. It is no stretch to call this the greatest live album ever, nor is it a stretch to call it the greatest rock & roll album ever recorded. Even so, words can't describe the music here -- it truly has to be heard to be believed.

-Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

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Jerry Lee Lewis-LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB, HAMBURG (1964)
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Arvo Pärt-TABULA RASA (1977)

Arvo Pärt delivers a brief collection of sacred music -- bold, stoic, and sober. His compositions are full of a passionate and melancholy sort of life, a life of deep humility and faith. One of his earliest releases on the ECM label, Tabula Rasa is a richly woven tapestry of string arrangements, and a good introduction to his work. The album opens with Fratres -- a signature piece for the composer that would have many re-tellings over the years. Here, ECM veteran Keith Jarrett's piano has a rich dialogue with Gidon Kremer's violin; both musicians traverse the chilled waters of Estonia with urgent staccato and contemplative grace. The piece returns later in more ominous quietude, this time whispered out by the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This arrangement is much more meditative in nature, more reverent perhaps to Pärt's deity, and essentially the centerpiece of the album. Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten is a loving, almost melodramatic tribute to a composer that Pärt wished very much to meet (though never did). Cellos and violins drip tears that cascade ever downward to a chord which seems to close infinitely, resonating with the peal of a distant church bell. Pärt's final selection, Tabula Rasa, follows much of the same bittersweet territory as what came before it, though it does encompass greater degrees of discord at the offset. As the 25-minute-long piece settles into night, icy clusters of prepared piano fall between the exchange of two violins and chamber orchestra to invoke feelings of sacrifice, mystery, and deliverance. This is a modest but pivotal recording to own -- the essence of Arvo Pärt.

-AMG

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Arvo Pärt-TABULA RASA (1977)
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Steve Reich-MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS (1978 / 1996 NONESUCH))

If Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is simply described in terms of its materials and organization -- 11 chords followed by 11 pieces built on those chords -- then it might seem utterly dry and monotonous. The actual music, though, is far from lackluster. When this recording was released in 1978, the impact on the new music scene was immediate and overwhelming. Anyone who saw potential in minimalism and had hoped for a major breakthrough piece found it here. The beauty of its pulsing added-note harmonies and the sustained power and precision of the performance were the music's salient features; and instead of the sterile, electronic sound usually associated with minimalism, the music's warm resonance was a welcome change. Yet repeated listening brought out a subtle and important shift in Reich's conception: the patterns were no longer static repetitions moving in and out of phase with each other, but were now flexible units that grew organically and changed incrementally over the course of the work. This discovery indicated a promising new direction for Reich, one that put him ahead of his peers by giving his music greater interest and adaptability and led to the more elaborate works of the next two decades.

-AMG

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Steve Reich-MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS (1978)
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Tim Hecker-AN IMAGINARY COUNTRY (2009)

Dumb review down there. This is probably Tim Hecker's best, so if you liked HARMONY IN ULTRAVIOLET, you'll like this. If haven't heard him before, it's probably the best ambient album of the year so far. -Ian!

Canadian ambient producer Tim Hecker will dream up his usual vistas of sound later this year when he releases his first proper full-length on Kranky in more than two years.

An Imaginary Country is the name, and as anyone familiar with his past work can guess, abstract masses of sound is the game. Many of the tracks on the record reference water and its perhaps one of the best ways to think about these slow-moving tunes that seem to wash over the listener. Hecker had a relatively quiet 2008, with only a collaboration with Aidan Baker on Alien8 to show for his recorded efforts. We expect that much of the year was spent holed up recording An Imaginary Country and, upon first listen, we'd like to tell you that it was worth the wait. But, objectivity unfortunately doesn't allow us to do so. Luckily, the wait will be a short one, as it's due out in February.

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Tim Hecker-AN IMAGINARY COUNTRY (2009)
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Distance-REPERCUSSIONS (2009)

Greg Sanders, AKA Distance, is a producer who has always been vocal about his love for metal music. He and Vex'd turned in a devastating mix for Radio 1 back in February of this year, which featured tracks from Khanate and Isis going head-to-head with dark garage drum patterns. Hearing these types of variant stlyes placed next to one another made perfect sense, as both Sanders and doom metal overlords Sunn O))) craft their sound out of seismic basslines and brown note frequencies.

Sanders, clearly, isn't making music that you'll hum and latch onto instantly, he's making music that siphons its way into your organs when it's boomed at you through immense speaker stacks in darkened rooms. And, as a result, a lot of this music's weight and impact is completely lost in headphones; it's melodically sparse, sitting on bleak phrase harmonics and stabs of intricately treated guitars with some thunder chunky snares hitting on every three count to regiment things and keep the groove moving.

"Koncrete" is the first moment when Sanders really turns his second album, Repercussions, into shrivel lip/scrunch nose territory. It's here that the perforated bass riff starts seething at the edges and driving the gritty waves of atmosphere deep into your belly. Similarly, the title track is a detuned stomper that echoes in on itself gloriously, while "Mirror Tell" is a lesson in letting touches of mottled guitar distortion colour your soundscape just enough to really make it bump real eerie-like.

There may be definite structural formulas that Sanders adheres to; the way he slopes off into his breakdowns, muting the drum section definitely works to change the pace and fool any overzealous raver's movement on the dance floor, but it can feel predictable over the course of an album. It shouldn't be considered uninspired though; it simply means Sanders is carving his productions with DJs in mind, providing others the chance to smash the room on a double drop with one of his tunes.

With My Demons, Sanders garnered the prestigious title of Dubstep Forum's 2007 Album of the Year. Repercussions is a much fuller exploration of the metal-influenced, spooked-out atmosphere that emanates from Sanders' snatched moments of guitar feedback and crunchy bass riffs. With such engrossing skeletal percussion backing these heavyweight plates, he's more than likely to be in the running to win the same accolade again this year.

-planetmu

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Distance-REPERCUSSIONS (2009)
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Group Bombino-GUITARS FROM AGADEZ VOL. 2 (2009)

Single best thing I've played on my stereo so far this year. -Ian!

Group Bombino is the latest salvo from the Agadez music scene. Led by the guitar virtuoso Omara Mochtar (Bombino), the group’s debut LP-- Volume two in the Guitars from Agadez series, represents the latest chapter in the modern sound of the Tuareg revolution. As of 2008, the Tuareg rebellion is in full force again, and Bombino is in exile to parts unknown. Agadez has been cut off from the rest of Niger. The only road that connects this legendary city with the rest of the country is littered with land mines and the only escorts are the military. This music and its messages of hope, justice, and desire for validation of the Kel Tamachek way of life ring louder than ever. Group Bombino are gaining mythic status in and around the Tuareg community for their incendiary live performances. Coming from the same scene as Group Inerane and sharing some of the same musicians, Group Bombino showcase both sides of the Tuareg Guitar style. Side one features the “Dry Guitar” sound, an unplugged selection of songs sung among the dunes and stars of the Tenere desert. Side two showcases the electric fury of the full band, a melding of heavy, psychedelic guitar heroics with a raw garage sound, back beat percussion, all swirling in extended trance rock moves. Recorded live and unfiltered in Agadez and the surrounding desert in early 2007, with the band’s equipment powered by generators and an unflinching dedication to the rebellion, Group Bombino’s music transcends any influence and ignites the raw passion of its message to the outside world. This is a one-time pressing of 1,500 copies. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and comes in a gatefold full color jacket stocked with great photos of the musicians and liner notes by Hisham Mayet.

-sublimefrequencies.com

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Group Bombino-GUITARS FROM AGADEZ VOL. 2 (2009)
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The Black Hollies-CASTING SHADOWS (2008)

The best music is from New Jersey -Ian!

New Jersey band the Black Hollies, directly inspired by 60's band like the Yardbirds and Blue Cheer, have followed up their debut with an album of full on psychedelic rock, complete with groovy, mind expanding lyrics, copious sitars, occasional Farfisa organs and quavering vocals and guitars. I don't think the music on Casting Shadows will strike most listeners as being like 60's psychedelic rock, but rather that is psychedelic rock from the 60's. It's conceived, played and even produced like an album from that period, though all the tracks are original Black Hollies compositions. Once you let yourself get into the spirit of things, the songs themselves are pretty irresistible, skilfully played, unpretentious, highly danceable and just great fun to listen to, all in all. The first single, "Paisley Pattern Ground," is a definite must hear. Other standout cuts: "The Autumn Chateau," "Hamilton Park Ballerina" and "Running Through My Mind."

-amazon.com

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The Black Hollies-CASTING SHADOWS (2008)
v2

Graham Day & The Gaolers-TRIPLE DISTILLED (2008)

Holy moly! -Ian!

Graham Day (The Prisoners, Prime Movers, The Solar Flares) and The Gaolers put out great classic garage with a modern punk appeal. They hailed from the Medway Delta in England, and he Gaolers have the Eric Burdon and The Animals sound down pat on "Better Man." This is pure gold for fans of the blue-eyed soul groups of the '60s, like The Box Tops, and R&B rock of The Yardbirds. The White Stripes wishes they could sound this authentic and melodic as well. The rocking "Begging You" will get you moving from the opening piano and guitar riff. And the electric sitar/guitar combo of "Pass That Whiskey" is a great intro to a modern Raspberries-like melody. The aggressive "Wanna Smoke" is typical of the tunes here, with a driving beat and a snarl which has been perfectly captured in a simple arrangement.



Yet Graham Day's lyrics are completely legible and his vocals are tough, but not raspy (a common issue with retro beat bands). They also do a great job with the sound here, no overdone fuzztones or sonic distortions. Like in the the tune "Just A Song" Day sings "Don't judge me/begrudge me, it's just a song"- well it's a damn fine song I'll give you that. Place a copy of this with your early Who albums, or more recent bands like The Cynics and The Ugly Beats as one of the best in the genre.

-powerpopaholic.blogspot.com

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Graham Day & The Gaolers-TRIPLE DISTILLED (2008)
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2562-AERIAL (2008)

The leap from the 12" to the full-length might seem like a large one for dancefloor-oriented producers and DJs, but the results are stunning when they land on their feet. Those warming to recent albums by Benga, Burial and Pinch will also like 2562's Aerial, which incorporates two massive 12"s for Pinch's Bristol-based Tectonic imprint into the long-player format. As was the case with Benga's Diary of an Afro Warrior, there are two versions of the record on the market: the CD version and the double-LP, which vary significantly in track selection and sequence (the LP contains two exclusive tracks omitted from the digital version). Since I only had access to the CD installment (littered with pesky anti-piracy promotional reminders), that's the one that will be the subject here.

Aerial is another landmark for dubstep. Producer Dave Huismans hails from the Hague and operates just outside the genre's British breeding ground, allowing him to mold his own aesthetic from materials previously exhibited in locales from Bristol to Berlin. Though Huismans also records under the name A Made Up Sound, his current 2562 moniker is derived from his home district code - a choice that seems to proudly proclaim his distance from South London's dubstep ground zero. He makes sparse and simple tracks that allow their digital pieces plenty of room to breathe, gradually building tension in the empty space between bass drops. While the tempos vary widely, Huismans works mainly within a solidly techno-dub framework but still manages to be forward-thinking. The low-end sounds are Huismans' biggest strength; they nod to the Jamaican soundsystem influence that is so prevalent in the genre. Much of their chest-caving effect will be lost if you don't have a decent woofer handy, so don't be disappointed if your speakers can't keep up with Aerial's density.

"Redux" begins the record leisurely, gently coaxing the listener in with a lazy dub shuffle. The breezy beginning threw me off at first, but Huismans flexes his muscles on "Morven" with one of the catchiest bass lines I've heard in months. He proceeds to slay for the rest of the album, with beats that are effortless and inviting - never too aggressive, but ever-engaging. The production values on Aerial are unmatched in their clarity, descending into the dungeon of Skull Disco while also incorporating the meticulous minimalism of Basic Channel.

All the tracks have their own appeal, but the standouts are obvious. The disorienting "Techno Dread" (from an earlier Tectonic single) rides a roller coaster of bass frequencies. The track's accompanying B-side, "Enforcer," is equally massive--it's no wonder that the single was one of the hottest items in Tectonic's catalog. The momentum of the album doesn't wane until the closing track, "The Times," which slowly sinks into a sweaty pool of exasperation.

In light of its heavy reliance on minimalism and wordless compositions, Aerial doesn't quite possess the crossover potential of Burial's Untrue or Pinch's Underwater Dancehall. But that doesn't mean this isn't one of the heaviest dubstep-leaning full-lengths to date. This is another stellar transition to album format that works both at home and on the dancefloor. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go buy a copy without the robot promo voice. It may be annoying as shit, but I guess the trick worked, huh?

By Cole Goins, dustedmagazine.com

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2562-AERIAL (2008)
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