It’s sad to think that I haven’t been on the air in almost two weeks. Instead of making a playlist for a show that didn’t happen, where you might be stuck wondering “how am I supposed to listen to this music”, I wanted to briefly describe what I’ve been listening to over the past week. I’ve included links so you can support the artists as well. Please consider buying some of their music through Bandcamp or the like.
At The Drive-In – Acrobatic Tenement, Flipside Records, 1997
At The Drive-In – Live In Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2001, Lost Horse Records, 2001
At The Drive-In – In/Casino/Out, Fearless Records, 1998
At The Drive-In – Vaya, Fearless Records, 1999
At The Drive-In – Relationship of Command, Grand Royal, 2000
At The Drive-In – Live At The Wireless 01/22/01, Stop Start, 2012
If you knew me in high school, then I probably went on and on about how awesome these records were. I went back and listened to them all again and conjured up some fond memories from back in the day. Interesting to chart the increase of production values as time went on. Track down the Tokyo bootleg and Live At The Wireless for a more raw stripped down interpretation of tracks from Relationship of Command. I didn’t listen to the reunion album, so don’t ask.
Guru Guru – Hinten, Ohr, 1971
Can – 02/03/1972 – Cologne, Germany
Ash Ra Tempel – Ash Ra Tempel, Ohr, 1971
Ash Ra Tempel – Schwingungen, Ohr, 1972
Manuel Göttsching – E2-E4, Insteam GmbH, 1984
Went through a krautrock binge a few days ago. The Can concert is available online and is a really interesting document of a free performance that combines footage of the concert, happenings backstage and behind-the-scenes, as well as the illusionists and acrobats who performed while Can played. If you’ve never listened to Hinten, I recommend that as well. Blown-out, fuzzy rock and roll that shows that krautrock wasn’t just about the motorik rhythm. The two Ash Ra Tempel records are a little more subdued, I think I prefer the one from ‘71. E2-E4 is an improvised piece for sequencers, synths, guitars, (and probably more) performed by the guitar player from Ash Ra Tempel. It’ll have you grooving.
MV & EE – I Did Not Charge You, No Floor Tour, Blackest Rainbow, 2010
MV & EE – Rusty Robot, Heroine Celestial Agriculture, 2020
Two live recordings from the duo of Matt Valentine and Erika Elder. I Did Not Charge You features John Moloney from Sunburned Hand of the Man, and Mick Flower from Vibracathedral Orchestra. This set includes a rare performance of “Other Kinds Run”, a throwback track from the duo’s Tower Recordings days. The quartet turns it on its head and into a real jammer. Rusty Robot is a live set of the duo from 2009 and showcases a stretched out version of “Twitchin’” and a version of “East Mountain Joint” with a Neil Young circa Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere vibe. Good chill out music. Rusty Robot is still available as a set with five other live recordings via the duo’s blog. Tell them Tuff Gnarl sent you.
https://mvandee.blogspot.com/2020/03/2020-solstice-heroines.html
Sonic Youth – Chicago, IL • Cabaret Metro • August 17, 2002, 2018
Sonic Youth – Brooklyn, NY • Williamsburg Waterfront • August 11, 2011, 2018
Sonic Youth have been uploading a stream of archival recordings since late 2018 to Nugs.net, and have since made the archive available on their Bandcamp. This week, I revisited a performance from their tour in support of Murray Street. They play that entire album, plus some classics. Of course, the presence of Jim O’Rourke breathes new life into songs like “100%” and “Making The Nature Scene”. The show in Brooklyn is an amazing recording of the band’s last New York show before their split. They dug way back into their ‘80s catalog for tracks like “Brave Men Run” (first performance since 1985) and “Ghost Bitch” (ditto but since 1986) interspersed with tunes from the Geffen years, tracks from The Eternal, a full band performance of Thurston’s “Psychic Hearts”, before they close out with an immense “Inhuman”. Check it out.
https://sonicyouth.bandcamp.com/
Sunroof! – Delicate Autobahn Under Construction, VHF Records, 1999
Skullflower – Tribulation, Crucial Blast, 2006
I had been sitting on these Matthew Bower CDs for a while. The Sunroof! album is a double CD set of levitating drone that bridges the divide between blissed-out and unsettling. It also features a number of special guests including Richard Youngs, and Neil Campbell and John Godbert of Vibracathedral Orchestra. The Skullflower disc is all amp feedback, harsh noise, and blown-out guitar. A good one.
https://sunroof-vhf.bandcamp.com/album/delicate-autobahn-under-construction
https://crucialblast.bandcamp.com/album/tribulation
Sunburned Hand of The Man – Earth Do Eagles Do, Manhand, 2007
Vibracathedral Orchestra – Joko Baya, VHF Records, 2010
Earth Do Eagles Do is as close as you can get to an essential record for a band with a discography as immense as Sunburned’s. It’s a document of a live performance in Finland from 2006 and features Mick Flower (here he is again) on lead guitar. If you’re not hooked by the first track, clean out your ears and try again. Joko Baya captures a modified quartet of Vibracathedral with Sunburned’s John Moloney sitting in on drums. Like if the Velvets tried their hand at tribal music, in the best way.
https://sunburnedhandoftheman.bandcamp.com/album/earth-do-eagles-do
https://vibracathedralorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/joka-baya
Noel Meek & Bruce Russell – Say No To Hate, Ikuisuus, 2020
A Handful Of Dust – Spiritual Libertines, Crank Automotive, 1996
A double dose of music from the Dead C’s Bruce Russell. Say No To Hate is his second record with Noel Meek, and here the duo drop the synthesizers from their first records and introduce the more familiar rock instruments of guitar, drums, etc. The album art simultaneously pays homage to the first Harry Pussy LP, as well as track names from The Fall. As you probably know, A Handful of Dust is Russell’s project with Alistair Galbraith and Spiritual Libertines collects a number of the duo’s rare recordings (not like any of this stuff is common anyway). The only album on this list with a kazoo performance.
https://ikuisuus.bandcamp.com/album/say-no-to-hate
https://crankautomotive.bandcamp.com/album/spiritual-libertines
Grateful Dead – June 10, 1976 – Boston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, June 1976, Rhino, 2020
Grateful Dead – June 11, 1976 – Boston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, June 1976, Rhino, 2020
Two archival Dead shows from their newly released June 1976 box. Good if you have a few hours to spare.
The Necks – Aether, Fish Of Milk, 2001
I’m not a Necks expert, so I can’t say too much about this one. Meditative, calming, peaceful, music that slowly builds and fades away. I listened to this one while I organized and shelved all of my books and it had me ~* in the zone *~.
Fugazi – 08/08/93 – Washington, DC
A great set of In On The Kill Taker-era Fugazi. There are hundreds of live performances by Fugazi available on Dischord’s website, which can be kind of intimidating. I would start with the 30 that were originally part of the Fugazi Live Series.
https://www.dischord.com/fugazi_live_series
Weeping Bong Band – II, Feeding Tube Records, 2019
Perfect late-night smoke sesh album. Their first record was one of my favorites, and this one doesn’t disappoint either. Beautiful and tranquil, featuring Anthony Pasquarosa, P.G. Six (Tower Recordings / Wet Tuna / Garcia Peoples), Wednesday Knudsen (Pigeons, duo with Willie Lane), Beverly Ketch, and Clark Griffin (also of Pigeons).
https://feedingtuberecords.bandcamp.com/album/ii-3
You Ishihara – Formula, Zelone Records, 2020
Bought this on a whim based on the fact that Michio Kurihara plays guitar on it (Ishihara and Kurihara are both former members of White Heaven and The Stars). Two side-long pieces with a heavy use of field recordings throughout with strong pop sensibilities.
Henry Birdsey – Catacomb Relay (For Amplified Double Bass), 2020
Written by Birdsey and performed by Zach Rowden (who perform together as Tongue Depressor), Catacomb Relay showcases a world of sounds made with only a double bass. Rumbling, scratching, droning and hard to believe it was made with just one instrument,
https://henrybirdsey.bandcamp.com/album/catacomb-relay
