Arto Lindsay - Invoke

"Arto Lindsay has made a lifelong habit of crossing both geographical and musical borders. Born in the United States and raised in Brazil during the heyday of that country's pointedly eclectic Tropicália movement of the 1960s, the multi-faceted songwriter/producer/vocalist/guitarist has forged an international reputation as an artist whose work is as seductive as it is challenging. From his late ‘70s recordings of abrasive “no wave” through his acclaimed series of solo albums beginning in the late ‘90s, Lindsay has bonded rhythms and melodies from diverse cultures and genres in provocative new ways, crafting inimitable soundscapes whose impact can range from fragile pop pleasure to sheer sonic assault."



"Seemingly far from the chaotic no wave of DNA, Arto Lindsay continues his explorations into the subtleties of Brazilian pop music. Throughout Invoke, avant-gardisms bubble just below the surface in strange loops and weird drumbeats, occasionally finding their way to the top (such as on "In the City That Reads"). Lindsay fuses the ideas of the art pop of David Byrne with the haunting samples of Soul Coughing's Mark de Gli Antoni. The result is a magical, atmospheric disc that is ambient in its effect with enough surface-level tension to keep the listener engaged. It is undoubtedly mood music. The only problem might be in finding the proper situation in which to listen to the disc. It's a bit too mellow for party listening and perhaps a bit too bright for late-night contemplation. It might be best suited for dusk on a summer evening, letting it provide the transition into darkness."

I feel like the embodiment of a Lindsay song.

Glenn Branca - The Ascension

Long live Branca.

"If one chooses to categorize the music on this recording as "rock," this is surely one of the greatest rock albums ever made. But there's the rub. While sporting many of the trappings of the genre -- the instrumentation (electric guitars), the rhythms, the volume, and, most certainly, the attitude -- there is much about The Ascension that doesn't fit comfortably into the standard definition of the term. Not only does the structure of the compositions appear to owe more to certain classical traditions, including Romanticism, than the rock song form, but Branca's overarching concern is with the pure sound produced, particularly of the overtones created by massed, "out of tune," excited strings and the ecstatic quality that sound can engender in the listener. Though his prior performing experience was with post-punk, no-wave groups like the Static and Theoretical Girls, it could be argued that the true source of much of the music here lies in the sonic experimentation of deep-drone pioneers like La Monte Young and Phil Niblock. Happily, the music is accessible enough that one can jump right in, regardless of one's direction of approach. Branca's band, unlike some of his later enormous ensembles, is relatively modest (four guitars, bass guitar, and drums), so the sound is comparatively clear and each member's contributions may be easily discerned. The chiming notes that begin "The Spectacular Commodity" are allowed to hover in the air, awash in overtones, before being subsumed into a rolling groove that picks up more and more intensity as guitar chords cascade one atop another, threatening to, but never succeeding in, toppling the whole affair. "Structure" plays with sonic torque, whipsawing between two differently stressed voicings of the same theme, pulling them back and forth like taffy. But the title track is both the consummation of the record and the surest indication of Branca's direction in later years. It begins with a marvelously dense haze of ringing guitars, feedback, and percussion, with a foreboding bassline contributing to the strong sense of disorientation. Midway through, it abruptly shifts to harsh blocks of sound over a rapid rhythm, the blocks differing in texture but played in alternating sections, smacking into each other and further heightening the tension. These disparate sounds eventually coalesce into a pure, ringing tone that, over the last minute of the piece, explodes into a spectacular cacophony, a seism of bell tones, microtonal eruptions, and near orgasmic guitar bliss. An absolutely stunning, jaw-dropping performance. Branca's music has served as a major inspiration to many alternative rock bands that surfaced in the '80s and '90s, notably Sonic Youth; both Lee Ranaldo (who plays on this recording) and Thurston Moore were regularly members of his early ensembles. The Ascension, in addition to being an utterly superb album on its own merits, uniquely invites listening from both adventurous rock fans and aficionados of experimental electronic music. For years, the vinyl release on 99 Records, with its stunning cover illustration by Robert Longo, was a highly sought-after collector's item. It was finally issued to compact disc in 1999 by New Tone." - Brian Olewnick

Lightfield

James White & The Blacks - Off White

I downloaded and i danced. fuck yes. James Chance was given a contract to record the Buy Contortions album, but first he was told that he must record a disco album. So he composed all this music and told the same Contortions musicians to record it. The label gave him a lot of money to record this James White & The Blacks album, so the Contortions got pissed off and they broke up. But then they kind of came back again, but with a different line up. Then they broke up again.

Contort Yo`self.

The Flying Luttenbachers - Constructive Destruction

And thus, the Luttenbachers and their improv terror tactics were born. The Weasel Walter-led collective rumages through godforsaken landscapes of pure retina burning noise prog jazz abandonment that'll leave mouths agape and more than a few saying "stop that shit it's fucking obscene!". Xenakis meets Magma in Ayler's rehearsal space. For more about the great Weasel, go here.

I know some coffeehouses I would love to see become ashes

Mars - 78+

Gabo requested some DNA on my birthday post (thanks for the kind wishes people), and while I look for "DNA on DNA" on my disorganized shitpile of cds, i'll give you a compilation of rare material from another of No Wave's big 4, Mars. Includes the savage rush of "Puerto Rican Ghost". Happy holidays!

"Their music catches you off guard. It's frightening, bordering on creepy. The kind of fear you get when you're home alone and hear soft footsteps on the cellar stair. It's deliberate fear, the kind that hits you in the left side of your brain and makes you see shadows out of the corner of your eyes." - Lydia Lunch

78

The Lounge Lizards - No Pain For Cakes.

"Initially conceived as entertainment for a downtown New York art community (which, at the time, was knee-deep in no wave), the Lounge Lizards spent more than a decade with various lineups playing so-called fake jazz with pop and avant-garde rock tendencies. The band's initial incarnation was led by saxophonist John Lurie, with brother Evan on piano, Arto Lindsay on guitar, Steve Piccolo on bass, and ex-Feelie Anton Fier on drums; this lineup appeared only on the band's acclaimed, all-instrumental, self-titled 1981 debut. Lindsay and Fier left shortly thereafter, each embarking on a lengthy series of projects, and the Luries recorded Live From the Drunken Boat in 1983 with a different and less compelling lineup. In 1985, during a hiatus in which Evan Lurie recorded his first solo piano album, the collection Live 79/81 was released; the group also recorded with producer Teo Macero and the London Philharmonic. The Lounge Lizards regrouped in 1986 with both Lurie brothers, saxophonist Roy Nathanson, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, guitarist Marc Ribot(a local chasm filler favorite), bassist Erik Sanko, and drummer Dougie Bowne. This lineup recorded Big Heart Live in Tokyo (1986) and the studio LP No Pain for Cakes (1987), the latter of which featured the group's first vocal number. 1989's Voice of Chunk was initially sold only through the mail, but has since been reissued on CD. John Lurie has also done scoring work for several Jim Jarmusch films, including Stranger Than Paradise (1986), Down By Law (1988), and Mystery Train (1989)." -from: allmusic.com

this is one hell of a record even for the most trepidous jazz fan.

jazz schmazz

Live Skull - Dusted

Live Skull were from NYC and specialized in art-damaged, feedback-drenched noise rock, Contemporaries of Sonic Youth, Swans and Band of Susans, they fell in line stylistically. In this album they bring to the fore an unknown vocalist from Boston called Thalia Zedek, and sparks flew. Her delivery meshed perfectly with group's menacing sound, and helped push "Dusted" into the upper echelon of Live Skull releases and NYC groups.

Machete

James Chance & The Contortions - Buy (1979)

A great album by one of the best New York City groups of the late '70s No Wave scene. The Contortions were led by saxophonist James Chance a.k.a. James White. His music is described as a combination of the freeform playing of Ornette Coleman with the solid funk rhythm of James Brown, though filtered through a punk rock lens. This is a true classic you little freaks.

Buy!

Arthur Russell - The World of Arthur Russell

It's not easy to describe Arthur Russell. He was a pioneer that helped redefine 70's dance music but he wasn't just limited to that. His music ranged from cello compositions, to weird left field disco, to psychedelic blues, to percussion heavy jazz-funk, to no wave implosions. This great compilation from Soul Jazz records gives us a taste of everything and includes some mined blowing remixes by 70's disco masters Larry Levan, Francois Kevorkian, and Walter Gibbons.

Part 1

Part 2

Kill the Child.

Ah Swans. Perhaps my favourite group. Info on them is easy to find nowadays. Download this live album (one 60-minute track) and let it pummel your body and soul. Hi-fi sound system a big plus. Long live M. Gira.

Download