Eclectic Grooves

First things first. During the month of January, The I Hear a New World podcast has exceeded the monthly quota of 15 Gigs alotted by Podomatic for the basic subscription. While this a fantastic thing, it also means that readers won't be able to partake in listening to the podcast until the quota is reset on January 31st. I wish I could upgrade to the "Pro" subscription, but I just don't have the financial resources to do this right now. One thing that puzzles me is that, while my show has exceeded the monthly bandwidth quota for the first time, it has not exactly been one of the highest rated podcasts on Podomatic this month.  I have noticed that you can still listen to the most recent podcasts uploaded on Eclectic Grooves, but the entire archive of I Hear a New World  will be inaccessible until January 31st. I am told that those who try to listen to the podcast until this date receive the following message basically asking listeners to do...

Recently, I managed to give the blog a spiritual cleanse, as I deleted over fifty spam messages that had accumulated on here over the past several months. Hopefully, the rate at which I have been receiving spam will go down considerably since I now require all users to enter a code whenever they leave a comment. Well, let's get on to the matter at hand. This is the 9th episode of Plain Brown Wrappers , and I am proud to say that this is one of the most mind-bending platters of wax to ever be featured on Eclectic Grooves. As I listen closely to each sound that the guitarist on this record manages to squeeze out of his instrument, it is clear to me that this is either the product of a brain-fried visionary from the psychedelic era, or the whacked-out experiments of a lonely, pimply-faced music geek set loose into a musical playground filled with echo chambers, effects pedals and stompboxes. While you are taking this musical excursion for the first time, I want you to think about what...

Well... it has become apparent to me that the popularity of this site has been decreasing considerably over the last several months. My hits have been dwindling since February, and they keep going down at about the rate of 1000 hits a month. I figure that there are many reasons for this shift in popularity: 1) Sporadic posting (Once or twice a month isn't cutting it) 2) Fewer full-album posts 3) Many of the blogs who once linked to me are either gone or have removed my blog from their links, which tells me that they have decided that my blog isn't worthy of space on their site 4) The design of my blog is archaic compared to the Flash and You-tube filled sites that are flooding the internet, which is evident by the amount of visitors who spend two seconds on the site and then move on 5) The blog is cluttered with too many gadgets, players and links to other sites. 6) I haven't featured very much experimental or free jazz music on the site lately, which is the style of music ...

Even though I tweaked my back out while exercising this morning, I decided that I didn't want to postpone the listening party any longer. Since I am icing my back as we speak, I plan on keeping this short today. This episode of Plain Brown Wrappers is brought to you from that corner of my brain that revels in bringing you the most twisted, innovative and head-spinning music that I can possibly muster. It is being transmitted from the overactive brainwaves of a creative genius who just might have you humming these tunes while you sip your morning latte in the back of a crowded Starbucks. Of course you will have to be locked away in your own soundworld, with a pair of headphones that allow you to explore the full spectrum of sound that this album demands. You can't put it on while you carry out the mundane activities of the day such as washing the car or cleaning the house. Give this one some time to sink in as each song slowly unfolds into an intricate web of styles that combine...

Well, this one wasn't too popular with the readers, and even the faithful commenters weren't sure what they thought of this tasty platter. What can I say? I can't please everyone all of the time, but I would have hoped for a little more feedback on this one. It seems like the Plain Brown Wrappers series has run its course, at least as far as most of my visitors are concerned. Your silence speaks volumes. Maybe there is nothing that I can post on here that hasn't been said or done before. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I have decided to call it a day here at Eclectic Grooves. I just need to rethink the direction of this blog, as hits, comments and reader appreciation has been at an all time low. For the two commenters who were actually curious about the identitiy of last week's featured Plain Brown Wrappers, this post is for you. While some interesting band names were dropped, neither of the commenters were able to guess last week's artist an...

As I was wrapping up my last podcast, I honestly thought that a new Plain Brown Wrappers was within earshot. But the unpredictable nature of life stepped in to reveal that there are some things that need to take precedent over Eclectic Grooves. I'll be the first to admit that I wish I had more time to dedicate to the blog, but free time has been available in short doses during the past month. For those of you who are still stopping by, I wanted to extend my deepest gratitude to you for sticking by me through thick and thin (believe me I know it's been thin lately). Anyway, It took a little coaxing from one of the regulars to light a firecracker under my ass, but I am happy to say that I have something special for the latest episode of Plain Brown Wrappers. What begins with a subtle hum slowly builds into a cascading wave of noise fragments that finally explodes into a full-on frenzied freakout by the closing of the track. You would think that by the sound of this opening track,...

Some of the regulars didn't offer their two cents on this one, but I had a couple interesting guesses from No-Head and Sam. I'm beginning to wonder if the day and age of having creative blogging communities has gone the way of the dinosaur. At one point and time, Eclectic Grooves pulling in a decent amount of comments and visitors. My numbers are dwindling for the most part, and the overall interest is waning. With that being said, I will continue to keep plugging along until blogging becomes a chore. I realize that I haven't been posting very often lately, soI can understand why certain people would lost interest. If any of you are still out there, I would love to hear what's up, how you are doing, what music you are listening to, etc. Now, on to the mystery disc from last week... That's right, it's Bablicon's stunning debut record featuring Jeremy Barnes from Neutral Milk Hotel and members from another Elephant 6 band named The Gerbils. W...

I have received a few comments recently from folks wondering when the next Plain Brown Wrappers is going to be posted. Well... good things usually come to those who wait, and I'm sure that most of you will agree that today's post is of the highest caliber. Let me first get you up to speed on a couple of the projects that I have been working on while battling the daily distractions of life. Over the past couple weeks, I have been painstakingly compiling two lists: one for the Best Albums of 2009 and the other for the Best Albums of the Decade . Decade you say? Has this decade already come to a screeching halt. I am afraid so dear listeners, and since I happen to be a fanatic for lists and especially music lists, I couldn't resist the urge to work on an exhaustive overview of the best music from the last decade. Speaking of Fanatic, have any of you heard of the Henry Rollins radio show called Harmony in my Head? I randomly found out that this show existed when I stumbled upo...

I know that you all have been eagerly awaiting the next episode of Plain Brown Wrappers, and I think that you will be more than satisfied with the sounds I have prepared for your ears today. This record literally landed in my sonic universe a little over two months ago, but it was as if it had always been there, simply waiting for me to acknowledge its existence. Upon first hearing this record, I will say that is nearly impossible to discern what era it was recorded, thus making it a perfect candidate for the Plain Brown Wrappers series. Considering the breadth of music that I consume in a given day, it would be understandable if an astoundingly complex record like this didn't grab my attention on the first listen. It would also be understandable that after repeated listens, I would discover that this record is an ultra mind-blower. It is the type of record that makes you grateful you have two ears to experience the goodness within. The music itself is difficult to describe when a...

I hope you guys enjoyed the latest I Hear a New World podcast that I posted last week. I would love to hear more of your thoughts about the music played throughout the show, as well as what you think of the format of the show. Today's episode of Plain Brown Wrappers features the primal screams of a sexy siren who has the funkiest backing band since the Jb's. I came across this album when my Zen Touch was on shuffle the other day, and I immediately checked to see who the artist was. Since you don't have the luxury of immediate gratification with these posts, you will have to trust my judgement. This is the sound of pop music if one of your ears was clogged, and the other one wasn't able to discern between melody and dissonance. It is chock-full of groovy basslines, stinging fuzz guitars and soulful vocals that recall the divas from the heyday of Motown soul. Just when you think that one of these songs is intent on sticking to a formulaic sound , it switches gears quickly...

It's time again for another mind-bending trip into the archives of my warped consciousness. This week I am featuring an artist who laughs in the face of genres or labeling, and simply kicks out the jams. While listening to the opening track on the record, I can honestly say that I have no idea how the band manages to squeeze so many wildly imaginative ideas within the course of one song. Prog, funk, jazz and psychedelic rock are only a smattering of the styles that the band innovatively incorporates into their music. The sound of this record is so crisp that the percussive elements practically jump out of the speaker, leading the listener to believe that this record must have been created within the last decade. On the other hand, this recording could have easily come from the 70's with it's progressive time signatures, blistering fuzz guitars and complex song structures that betray the idea of conventionality. I'm not going to even bother mentioning the bands that come...

Well, its time again for another episode of Plain Brown Wrappers. This week I am featuring an artist so ahead of their time that they have both feet planted firmly into the future. If I listened to this album blindfolded, it would be virtually impossible to guess where the mysterious sounds originated. It features an intriguing mixture of voice manipulations, electronic oscillations and warped reverberations that sound like the kind of music you would hear if you were venturing through the depths of outer space while tripping on acid. Considering that I recently spent over twelve hours compiling a comprehensive space mix, it is fitting that this release would fall into my hands out of nowhere. If you can guess who this artist is, I will grant you the highly esteemed title of "Most Esoteric Music Fanatic of All Time". I will be revealing the artist next Monday, so make sure to get your guesses in before that fateful day. Here is the link to this week's mystery album. Unti...

Well... I know it's been awhile. I had to regroup and get back to why I started this blog in the first place: to share amazing tunes with as many people as possible. I kind of got lost in a popularity contest, and wasn't doing it for the right reasons. E-mile helped turn my attitude around for the better, by prompting me to quit doing the blog if my heart wasn't in it anymore. I have to admit that I was a little pissed off about not receiving many comments, and I was contemplating the demise of Eclectic Grooves, but sometimes inspiration strikes when we least expect it. Last Friday I was chatting with an old friend at a concert. She was telling me about an experience she had where she was listening to a record, but she had no idea what it was. It reminded her of an old spiritual free-jazz album from the 60's such as Archie Shepp or John Coltrane. She said that she listened to the record impulsively that night, until the artist's identity was finally revealed to her ...