Jon at Astronaut's Notepad sent me a handful of 4 CDs (all the way from OZ!) in the Mesozoic era when Dinosaurs roamed the earth. I’ve dragged my heels and dragged my heels and grown a beard and cut it off. Australia drifted away from the land mass Pangea. The Mrs has been away (with her Mum) on an extended Easter break so I’ve had the time to BLOG IT UP BABY!!!!!! I’ve been out on the piss with me real mates too (a lot…groan holds head…TOO much) in case you worry I sit here chained to this machine…..I work fast kids, be like me, work fast too. And I wanted to dignify Jon with a proper reply to his stuff (publicly natch). Jon’s a very smart dude (buy Careless Talk Costs Lives, cut out his stuff and then toss the mag in the bin), he’s also tough as old boots, and he actually asked me to be honest here. So I have been.
The music in question is what Jon (or was it me?) called Avant-Folk. It’s a revival of sorts, and a refusal of sorts. Whatever you think about it. Its an interesting phenomenon. Here goes (rubs hands)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thuja: Silly Pompous Bells and drones, neither mystic nor menacing, wheres the off switch for that amp, bedtime chaps!
Blithe Sons; The Hurdy Gurdy Men in da infinite celtic revival (yay)
Hala Strana: Sound like a bunch of Morris Dancers on Mogadon
Thee Floating Birthday Children: er……… ditto
The Muons: Elegant Byrdsy floating, let down by the stoner on vocals
The Franciscan Hobbies: You’re kidding right?
Markus: Popol Vuh without Herzogs fat monthly paycheck. Still playing stone circles.
Kemalliset Ystavat: Nippons at least going head-first into the fray. Hilarious cosmically intoned deep vocals over caterwauling fray, (DRAGS NEEDLE ACROSS RECORD.) then (That bit at the end of It Aint Alf Hot Mum them where the Sergeant Major goes SSSHHHAAAAAAAAT UP to the guy on the sitar)
Avarus: Well this is surely a scene……all these groups sound the same. This stuff was recorded in the crypt of the local church with the other bands microphone (in the corner). Distant-sounding badly-played guitar (quite amazing, ineptitude you don’t get to hear all that often) and distant-sounding badly played borrowed church organ (quite amazing, ineptitude you don’t get to hear all that often).
Maher Shalal Hash Baz: What! A studio! Straight away listenable. Hey they’ve got girls this lot. Maidens in long dresses with plaided hair. Hello! Bubbling water fx Damo Suzuki style vocals. Silly words (I never give a toss anyway). Yeah this is OK. (Listens to next track)……..er that’s the same. (Next track, I'm sooooo generous to this gang) There's some Elizabethan square-dance style thing going on here, with Cacophonix the bard from from Asterix on flugelhorn. (next track) MOR Ballad……er right that’s enough.
Alasdair Roberts: I’ve actually met this guy. He was singing these 13th century ballads on London Bridge Will Oldham style. I gave him 20p, then on second thoughts I went back, took all his earnings, and kicked him in the balls. Not that I condone violence of any sort.
Fursaxa: More Amon Duul (that’s Amon Duul 1 not Amon Duul 2) styled waxings.
The Idatrod: Acoustic finger-picking (I used to like this stuff aged 16…..what was I thinking?) with that screech/creak as the guy reaches for the next chord. Pale Peter Paul and Mary Style wafting group vocals. TERRIBLE violin playing, the guys trying to snake around to keep this out of focus. If you cant play mate, fuckit, we don’t care…let it all hang out.
Hall of Fame: Jim Hall style picking. Nicely recorded female voice. “Oh the boredom slipping slowly” er right. Quite Isaacs/Badalmenti actually. Pretty……but I couldn’t sustain interest too far. That’s interesting their next track is a radically different drone mash-up. Oh no that’s just the Intro. This lot are OK too.
Six Organs of Admittance: 12-string plangency.
Jackie O MotherFucker: In the context quite impressive. Sounds like a rusty rattling 16th century space-craft (full MEV reference intended). I like the gratuitous sonic fx. Very free-form but in a (sub)harmonic way. Must be good live (wink).
Lady E Quartet; More free-form brownrice rambling. Its SOOOO tempting to say this stuff was done better by the old hairshirt crew, but it probably prompted precisely the same reaction at the time, (DEEP PROFUNDO BASSO) “Get a job!”
Daniel Carter & Jomf: Ditto, but with an actually very cool desperate psycho vocalist. I like him a lot.
Joshua: More ponderous Fahey style fingerpicking (Fahey’s playing was actually quite sparkling and pretty). Whispered Vocals. You get the drift (pun not intended but welcome)
Vibracathedral Orchestra: The name sez it all. Droney Conrad-style viola, fluttering flute? Clearly up to its chin in influence from the La Monte Young 1965 outfit.
Sunroof: Like Jackie O but pitched higher. Same dilapidated low-fi sonic fetish. Bells etc
Richard Youngs: I’ve actually met this guy. He was singing these 12th century ballads on Waterloo Bridge Alastair Roberts style. I gave him 10p, then on second thoughts I went back, took all his earnings his guitar and floppy hat, kicked him in the balls and then pushed him over the edge onto a passing silage barge. Not that I condone violence of any sort, but occasionally it can be a crude but effective means to an end.
Tower Recordings: Folk Scene LP. Now I can see why Jon rates this and gave me the whole LP. And I'm assuming this is NOT a compilation but the work of one outfit, though the name sows confusion here. This really is extremely good. Indeed I would suggest anyone reading this get a copy of this record. It’s that brilliant. Seriously. Amazing how a range of tactics, instruments and approaches can in some peoples hands suddenly come alive, gell, make true sense. Its both genuinely cosmic and very affecting. Like a wistful hippy Position Normal. I particularly like the singing they do as in “I guess I’ll get the Vapours”. These people are true individuals, not in the least derivative. BRILL. LAVVIT!
IG Six: Parlour Tricks and Porch favourites LP. This is good too. A bit silly. Nah its bollocks.
-------------------------------------------------
Which in conclusion brings me to Simon’s (oh mentor!) recent championing of The Animal Collective. I have Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s 2001 “Spirit theyre gone spirit they’ve vanished” which is exquisite. Tinkerbell synthesisers aftertrailing flight-of-foot chromatic drums and fly-in-a-bottle vocals tinged with hard-disk editing. I’m gonna name that influence in one (puts down pint, adopts Jockey Wilson poise, squints right eye, a firm but fair hand-action) Van Dyke Parks “Song Cycle” (Bullseye!) But you know what, the line between that and something like this Tower Recordings LP (BUY!) especially on this Campfire Recordings (ahem acoustic on the back porch) LP is, well, slight. Looks like you’re gonna have to eat that 10” cardboard hand-drawn Japanese import there big man! TWANBOC striking a blow for Beatniks around the world against the Uber-Yob himself (probably having totally alienated them earlier in the process....oh well) The Animal Collective are doing an in-store at the Rough Trade shop on 9th May and according to Dave of the Animal Collective: “In case you are interested we are also playing in Brighton at a festival on the 10th” I’ll be out the front of the shop at dawn in my camper van and open-toes.
Posted by Woebot at April 27, 2003 09:19 AM