Chewing Pine

Tarantula A.D. – Book of Sand (Kemado Records, 2005)

The first full-length recording from Tarantula A.D. is constructed in a manner that most reading this will find pretentious at the very least. Those people are probably right. Even if one was to simply judge this release by the art work displayed on the front insert, the same conclusion would be reached. In the construction of this album, Tarantula A.D. has recounted the rise and fall of an empire through song titles relating to mostly instrumental work. There are guests that contribute vocals, but there aren’t words coming from Inouk front man or from Devendra Banhart, who for some reason is generally regarded highly, but just moans to accompany the music. The sounds on the first track, song titles and cover art fooled me into thinking there would be a good amount of metal on this release, but I was wrong. Only does the band sporadically lurch into metal gear, choosing mostly to create airy, piano focused ambient sounds. The vast majority of this could and mostly likely should be contributed to film scores. Either way, the band is focused and well rehearsed. Stalwart standout, “Palo Borracho” includes classical sounding guitar along with a melodica and percussion to create a rather Latin tinged track. Unfortunately, the album ends with Banhart warbling his Marc Bolan impression and concluding an otherwise impressive album.

The Intelligence – Deuteronomy (In the Red, 2007)

Yes, I concur, the singles by the A-Frames on S-S are pretty decent and with the creation of AFCGT, there’s no lack of newly recorded, skewed rock on the market. But the third full length, the second on ITR, from the Intelligence includes some dingy fuzz with a thick layer of pop melodicism that isn’t always proportioned well on recordings being birthed from this genre.

The skronk of AFCGT recalls everything from Can to Zappa, but leaves out the ample pop needs of the listening community. That being said, Lars Finberg recording the Intelligence in a studio for the first time, brings about Deuteronomy, whose title itself is a bit mysterious. The name comes from the fifth book of the Torah and seeing as if you combine the number of full length albums between the A-Frames and the Intelligence the resultant integer being five, it all make sense. Kinda.

What doesn’t seem to be sensible is the pervasive point of view that this group is a pre-programmed exploration of sound. While Finberg does work alone, the albums that have resulted seem to be full fledged rock ensembles. Granted, few tracks sport a full line-up, but if you’re listening at home you probably just won’t know.

Hot Rod Tod. Where’s he been? Not on this disc, but HRT and Finberg share similar vocal styles and deliveries as evidenced initially on the lead off “Moon Beeps”. That alone doesn’t make the album, perhaps it yields a bit of endearing sentiment. But unfortunately the female whoa’s on “Dating Cops” stomp that feeling from one’s ears. With that being the low point, Finberg’s ability to work within a genre, no matter how loosely defined, while shifting tempos as well as mood is exceptional. The elastic bass, so often associated with funk, gets some play here as on “Bad Sirens”, where the Intelligence sounds alternately like an ‘80s punk band and the Strokes.

The media, in general, has hailed this as an insightful melding of sound, noise and style. No one will be so bold as to disagree, but this won’t make too many top ten’s. Either way, once it goes into the ole cd player, if you didn’t just rip it, it’s not coming out for a while. Or at-least, not until you find your copy of We Are Electrocution.

Mystic Chords of Memory – Self Titled (Rough Trade, 2004)

After my first sampling of this slab I sat down and listened to the Beach Boys’ Smile and Wild Honey.  As a result, I feel that I understand the duo that is the Mystic Chords of Memory a bit better.  Soft and succinct surely came across well for the Beach Boys, so former Beachwood Spark Chris Gunst gives it a stab.  Gunst must be credited for crafting solid songs and being able to evoke warmth through speakers, which at times becomes a difficulty due to the proceedings being detached from the listener. The lyrical content that flies digitally off this slab, when it makes sense unlike the line “I became a lobster and he became me”, is slight and at times a bit lacking.  “Soul Through the Bullet Hole”, with a hint of lo-fi, hip hop style drumming and the final relaxing instrumental offering of “Pi and a Bee” don’t sound similar to the vocal numbers, but languidly reign when compared to other tracks that constitute the rest of the slab.

Bathtub Shitter – Dancehall Grind (Super Hit Jam Records, 2005)

This Japanese band wants their metal to be so intense that it hurts your insides. Partially, Bathtub Shitter attempts this by utilizing two vocalists; one with a deep voice, one with a ridiculously high pitched voice. So, really, the band comes off as somewhat of a gimmick or a joke half the time. But the rest of the time, the band is tight and horrifically brutal enough to be ahead of the newer crop of grind acts. They’ve been around for about a decade, so they’ve had time to hone their craft and become a rather good metal outfit. Most of these tracks will end up sounding similar to one another, unless you are a metal connoisseur. But, there are a few stabs at experimentation though. “Shit Drop” has some really beautiful acoustic finger picked guitar, while “Stihs Latem” is backwards and oddly enough comes across as more metal than the last decade or so of Metallica. All of this just makes me more curious about the cultural exchange between the USA and Japan. Regardless, the lyrics are convoluted expressions of angst that would probably come across more intelligently, in their native tongue, which really isn’t the point. Buy it for the titles, listen to it for the high pitched screamer, enjoy it for no other reason than it’s metal.

Chris Schlarb – Twilight and Ghost Stories (Asthmatic Kitty, 2007)

Between running a label, turning knobs and playing guitar in Create (!) as well as I Heart Lung, Chris Schlarb may not have too much time for sleep. That’s probably why this disc, the soon to be released Twilight and Ghost Stories, sounds like a score to the calmest dream you’ve had months.

The ten, un-named tracks that work as one, curiously have little overt direction, something that, similarly can be found on I Heart Lung’s latest release. The one obvious concept that holds this work together though is the recording and incorporation of a rainstorm that Schlarb had the foresight to nab one day. The concept works in a similar way to drones that fill space in Eastern music and allow different players to have a go at soloing. There is rarely a moment of silence on this disc, but the music itself is hushed and whispered, being paired with the sound of rain.

All of this being said there are some stunning musical moments.

About a minute and half into track four, a further distillation of the discs’ mood is proffered in the form of an IDM setting. As with other figures found throughout this album, after hearing a brief statement one may want it further explained musically, but alas, this section only lasts about fifty seconds before the track is again taken over by the somnambulant sounds of the rain.

A bit further along, on the sixth track, we hear Schlarb picking a pre-war blues style guitar line, one even reminiscent of Richards creating something for Jagger. The idea, while unyieldingly sentimental and obtusely attractive remains a foot stomper, only to move on to one other related section. That other section though…well, it’s still fucking swell.

This disc can not and should not be used at raucous parties. It just wouldn’t work. But if you need some music to listen to before drifting off, making love real slow or riding the bus on a rainy day, go get it.

múm – Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy (Fat Cat, 2007)

Despite the seemingly ever shifting line-up and specific musical avenue that múm trods upon, it’s able to sustain an ever expanding international following. But that’s the power of intelligent music (not intelligent dance music). Like every other band this millennium, múm defies categorization, incorporating seemingly unmusical elements and instruments into the complex arrangements of its songs. What this album does that past efforts have not, is to smooth out the electronic elements and create a more generally palatable disc. The recent and populist reverence lent to Piazzolla is found on “A Little Bit, Sometimes”, but also recalls pleasant enough childhood moments. The one throw back presents itself in the form of “Dancing Behind My Eyelids”, which possesses enough heavy handed drum programming to please any devout electro-fan. Most of this offering though sounds less paranoid than “Eyelids” and in fact often sounds almost organic, save for the fact that the instrumentation is of course anything but. The lead off track blossoms with a light melody and the pleasing tones of Eastern percussion. Die-hards rejoice, skeptics may nitpick, but there’s enough creative forethought on Go Go to make the album an appropriate, more gentle and mature re-working of a style that is definitively múm.

John Zorn’s Moonchild – Earshot Jazz Festival (Seattle, 11.04.07)

John Zorn at a Jazz festival doesn’t seem out of place. But even though his name adorned the bill, he was simply seated in the theater, as any other spectator might. While he wrote each composition that was performed, it was the trio of Dunn, Baron and Patton who mounted the stage. Much like with the name Zorn, the name Patton is accompanied by a certain set expectations. Of course those expectations don’t generally fit the sense of decorum that goes along with most Jazz fests. Alongside, and more impressive than Patton, Dunn (Mr. Bungle) and Baron (Naked City, Masada) were allowed to showcase their talents and to work out their metallic, yet musically rich rhythms. Obviously, the draw to this show were the names Zorn and Patton, but the Dunn/Barron teaming created such a complete and burdensome sound, that it was difficult to believe that only two men were responsible for the racket. At times, Patton’s hollering, taking his shirt off and animalistic crouching near to the ground with maniacal sneer fronting his facade seemed to over shadow the musical performances. The physicality of Patton leads to the question, is he a performance artist? What he coaxes from his throat seems to be the aural equivalent of free jazz, which to a certain extent is a spectator sport. And perhaps in this situation, Patton is the actor to Zorn’s playwright. Regardless of the answer, the sheer comedic fact that the festival coordinator, emblazoned with a sport coat and slick, adult hipster hair introduced this group from the stage of an aging Seattle landmark was almost worth the $32 dollar ticket price.

Free Form Funky Frēqs – Urban Mythology, Volume One (Thirsty Ear, 2007)

By this point in time, I think that the focus of the Blue Series has lost the little focus that it once had. Earlier inclusions of DJ Wally, El-P and Spring Heeled Jack all included overt submission to jazz styles and FFFF does not. In fact, Vernon Reid’s presence is so oppressive that even at two minutes into the lead off eleven minute track, the listener has already pre-figured the remainder of the track. Admittedly, Reid, who hopefully was wearing spandex bicycle shorts when he recorded this, still shreds at the guitar and is able to move the trio towards a George Clinton/Psych-funk free for all.

The rhythm section comprised of Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Ornette Coleman, James “Blood” Ulmer) on bass and G. Calvin Weston (Lounge Lizards, Zorn, Coleman, Ulmer) on drums is necessitated by the guitar work to not get as free as possible. And really, these two gentlemen are the reason that this endeavor is able to function. The recording is purportedly only the third time that this trio performed, and without the funk lock down from this tandem, Reid would be utterly lost. Amidst a tour, this trio would surely appease college aged hippies and forty year old, former long hairs turned accountants, but for the vast majority of listeners who are privy to the Thirsty Ear legacy, this might be an exercise in educating oneself in the ways of the past.

Nirvana – Unplugged in New York (Geffen, 2007)

No one wants to hear this, but to a certain extent, this performance being released on DVD really doesn’t matter. The cultural impact, while probably continuing to be inspiring in one way or another to disaffected youth, has been felt. Whether or not this performance is comparable to any actual studio album of the trio is subject to debate. But, perhaps the Incestiside albums function in the same manner that this disc/release works.

Of course, the band runs through now classics, but not necessarily their hit singles, save for “Come as You Are”. A variety of people, not a part of the Nevermind crew, affect this performance in untold ways. Arguably the most important, Pat Smear joined Nirvana after being contacted by Cobain while working at a record store in L.A. Who cares you ask? Well, no one will ever fault Smear for being a virtuoso, but his efforts with Lorna Doom and Darby Crash worked the minds of kids maybe almost as much as any other L.A. band. And that’s why he was brought into the fold. But simply his presence and the initial shock of being a viewer of this televised event, wondering and eventually finding out who he was, changed the listening habits of innumerable teens following this performance.

Two Brothers enter the frame for a few songs from an album simply titled II. Now, arguments may follow regarding the most forward thinking independent record of the ‘80s, but amongst the pontificating of that discussion would no doubt be a mention of II, which the brothers Kirkwood came to perform with Nirvana on that night. Again, the introduction of a still vital band, although seemingly commercially un-viable, on national television had incalculable impact on viewers, kids in general and the Meat Puppets themselves.

The collaboration on “Plateau”, “Oh, Me” and “Lake of Fire” instantly shows that not only was Cobain a voracious fan of the Puppets, but music in general. In addition to the exposure that the brothers were given, Cobain plays a selection by a Scottish band called the Vaselines. Oddly enough, the label that helped Nirvana on their way, Sub Pop, two years previous to this performance, released a compilation of their work.

Aside from the music on here, which is obviously sought after enough for bootleg versions of the performance to circulate on eBay, audiences were given a glimpse into the mood of Cobain. He’s occasionally funny, telling the crowd that they can wait as he begins a song in a key he hasn’t necessarily rehearsed. But he also seems rather confident and comfortable with his musical buddies. There are moments, during close ups, when perhaps he looks a bit shaky and no one will really know exactly what to attribute that to: drugs or nerves.

That answer doesn’t relay matter, nor does the debate that this release will no doubt re-kindle regarding Cobain’s and Nirvana’s direction in the event that he past up suicide and continued on. This is simply a document of a musician, who for a time was able to capture the world with his simple songs. And unfortunately there won’t be anymore.

Joshua Jug Band 5 – Joshua Jug Band 5/Damascus Doldrum (Gulcher Records, 2007)

If you own The Quinne Tapes of the Velvets and you’re familiar with any of their extended form improvisations, this entire disc from the mysterious and foreign JJB5 ostensibly use this touchstone as a point from which to create the seven tracks collected here. All of this has been previously released on CDr, either on Slippy Town or Ramadan. But, in furthering the comparison between these recordings and those ever so priceless Velvet’s tapes from the ‘60s, much the same can be said for both in terms of audio quality. JJB5 sound distant and fuzzy, and to be certain, that adds to their mystique. Being a vocal free offering (apart from the moaning on Track 6 and mumbling on Track 7) instills a modicum of haze regarding identity, which allows the listener to become completely lost in each excursion.

To decide upon a standout track seems to be reckless exertion, but obviously the longer the track, the better the opportunity to explore musical themes. Track 2 takes the final minute or so to jangle in a garagey repetitive way that other tracks do not. The warbling from Track 3 on what’s either a flute, keyboard or controlled distortion recalls ragas whilea lithe and trebly guitar pick a path through a melody. But again, in a way familiar to fans of John Cale’s sonic experiments with the Velvets, these noises are a welcomed tone lavished upon a listeners ears. The next underground sensation? Surely not. But JJB5 worked to push what listeners can palate. And push far they did. Oddly enough, Jakob Olausson, whose musical adventure this is, recently released a Sub Pop album entitled Moonlight Farm, which works more within a folk and blues idiom. Shifting themes or focus seems sensible considering the fact that one man can explore an idea only so much after that idea being initially culled forty years earlier.