Blogging, Books, Cats, Music, Mayhem
Ikebe Shakedown is another Bandcamp discovery. The band specializes in cinematic soul, an instrumental brand of soul/funk that feels like it should be straight out of a 70s cop or heist movie or a Tarantino soundtrack.
The band does burning jams and introspective cuts that feel like instant classics. If you aren’t moved by their tunes, you might want to consult your doctor.
Continue reading “Ikebe Shakedown delivers cinematic instrumental funk”
Buckethead’s Underground Chamber is the fourth release in his “Pikes” series, and something like his 33rd studio release overall. Underground Chamber is too good to be dismissed, but nowhere near the top of the pile in the expansive Buckethead discography.
Sliced into 10 tracks for digital download, or a single continuous track for CD, the album is tour of some of Buckethead’s favorite tropes. There are metal-ish bits, some funk, and enough tempo changes to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Being Buckethead, though, he can’t resist a few wonky bits that keep the album from mainstream accessibility. Well, that and the fact he wears a creepy mask and a bucket on his head.
Sometimes Buckethead’s plonky bits resolve into beautiful riffs and melodies. There’s no question that Buckethead is a rare talent who can coax just about anything out of a guitar that he wants. The jagged edges serve to add texture to what could otherwise be a bland exhibition of proficiency.
But the Pikes are unrefined and sometimes feel unfinished. It’s like looking through a great artist’s sketchbooks at thumbnails that never quite made the canvas. The ideas are there, the talent is there, but after toying with the subject for a bit the page is turned and we don’t see the masterpiece it might have become if it was fully worked.
Like a sketchbook, I like taking out the Pikes from time to time and get a lot of enjoyment out of them. But they’re not the first thing I reach for when I’m looking for music, much of the time.
It’d be interesting to see what a producer could work out of Underground Chamber with the current album as a starting point. I’d really love to see what Buckethead’s discography would sound like if he had a producer and/or collaborator who could get him to focus on the best bits and discard some of the noodling.
The trade-off is that Buckethead fans have an almost unfiltered access to his work, fully developed and otherwise. Almost every Buckethead album I’ve listened to has high points that make it worth the time to listen from start to finish.
[bandcamp width=400 height=472 album=1506033273 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=63b2cc artwork=small]
Needed a bit of adrenaline on top of my caffeine today, pulled this one out of the vaults for a quick boost. “World Destruction” is a single from Time Zone, a collaboration with Afrika Bambaataa, John Lydon, and Bill Laswell.
The track also features frequent Laswell collaborators Aiyb Deng (percussion), Bernie Worrell (synths), and Nicky Skopelitis on guitar. Lydon and Bambaataa share vocals, with Lydon contributing his unique frenetic delivery.
Nothing not to love about this one, it’s got a driving beat and catchy chorus. Lyrics seem just as appropriate today as they did when it was released in 1984. If you’re a Sopranos fan, you might recognize it from the first episode of season four.
The reconstruction is not bad, but IMO doesn’t add enough as a remix to recommend it. The “Mr. Reagan” sample dates the track tremendously.
But the A-side is all goodness. Stick it in and crank it all the way up.
[bandcamp width=400 height=208 album=4061577253 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=small]
If you’d enjoy some hard rock without screamy vocals (or, any, for that matter) then I have a great recommendation for you. Check out té’s Therefore, the fantasy of density fails, and the world that you see is “forgetting” tomorrow. Or ゆえに、密度の幻想は綻び、蹌踉めく世界は明日を『忘却』す。in the original Japanese.
Google claims that the original translates to Therefore, the illusion of density collapses, and the snarling world “forgets” tomorrow. and honestly I like that one a lot better. For brevity’s sake, I’m going to just call it fantasy of density fails.
Not sure if I picture the band snarling but they’re definitely intense.
I think I stumbled on té via Bandcamp but possibly through some of the post-rock and instrumental sets I’ve been digging on YouTube. The last Bandcamp Friday, I stocked up on several of their albums, including this one.
Weighing in at 11 tracks that range from less than two minutes to nearly eight, té brings some tight guitar-heavy rock that feels disciplined but not rigid. Some of the tracks, like “Honeymoon of the “particle” in the desert is the moment of the moment when the existence of me is sparkling.” transition from heavy to almost airy, and back.
For my money, the band manages to be intense without being ponderous. They could hold their own next to Helmet or End of Silence-era Rollins Band, but also deliver some transitions to slower sections that give a bit of a breather to the listener to brace for the next onslaught.
You can give the album a shot on Bandcamp to see if you like it. If you’re into instrumental rock / post-rock (or aren’t sure if you are), I strongly recommend giving this album a spin. I’ve been going down the té rabbit hole and have no regrets.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3698151970 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
Don’t let the cover fool you, this album is full of chill. No Protection (1995) by Massive Attack v. Mad Professor is nearly 50 minutes of slow, throbbing remix of (most of) Massive Attack’s Protection from 1994.
Want an album to put on in the background while you work? This is a great disc when you need all the language centers of your brain on full but need the lizard brain to chill out.
Want an album to chill out to and just appreciate the sonic textures and waves of music? No Protection also fits the bill. If I’m being honest, I’m more likely to reach for this than the album that was parted out to make it. Kudos to the band for recognizing how good the first track Mad Professor remixed was and asking the prof to go after the full album.
If you haven’t listened to it before, give it a try. If you have, I probably don’t have to tell you to give it another go.
Late to the party is better than never to the party. Shpongle has been around for ages, but first crossed my radar a few months ago.
[youtube https://youtu.be/ZYowY7tvBbY]
Decided to see if anything good was on YouTube while I was having some Caturday recliner time with the kitties. Turns out there’s a great video of a set the band did in London in 2013 at the Troxy, on Halloween. Not sure if all their shows are quite this elaborate with costumes and such, or if it was a Halloween thing, but damn. This is one high production quality event.
Um. The music is also pretty damn good. If you did mostly instrumental prog/psychedelic rock, this is definitely something you should check out. Makes great background music but also rewards paying attention and letting the music just wash over you.
One of Bill Laswell’s many, many, many projects, Praxis is an experimental rock band that has featured a rotating cast of players. This iteration features Laswell on bass, Bryan Mantia (“Brain”) on drums, Buckethead on guitar, and Mix Master Mike and DJ Disk on samples & turntables. Continue reading “Praxis: Warszawa”
Went to see Robyn Hitchcock Thursday night at The Arts Center in Carrboro. This was a solo acoustic show, joined for a few songs by Emma Swift. Before the show Emma was working the merch table and we bought a few t-shirts, she asked if we had any requests.
My brain sort of short-circuited because it’s super hard for me to single out one or two songs by Robyn as favorites. I finally asked for “A Skull, a Suitcase, and a Long Red Bottle of Wine,” since it is one of my favorites and I know he doesn’t do it live very often. (Though I’ve gotten to see him do it live three times now, so.) Was super-pleased he did play it towards the end of the set.
Here it is from his show at Rough Trade in NYC, back in 2017 when he did the entirety of Black Snake Diamond Role with Yo La Tengo.
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If you prefer electric, here’s Robyn & the Sadies doing a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine” and “Lucifer Sam.”
[youtube https://youtu.be/aHweEQNtZfc]
Have a great Saturday!
Bill Laswell has been a busy fellow lately, pushing out a lot of stuff on his label (I guess?) to Bandcamp that’s been out for years or even decades but no longer in print. I’m really enjoying Revelator, a collaboration with Nicky Skopelitis and Raoul Björkenheim. I’d never heard of Raoul before, but I’ve picked up a couple of things by Skopelitis over the years and really enjoy his work.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3161926210 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
This one is from 1998, but sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. Some really lovely guitar work on this one, it flows really nicely. If you enjoy instrumental multi-genre jams, I would recommend checking this one out. It works as background music, but also rewards close listening.
Once upon a time I thought I knew a lot about “oldies” music, but the more I delve into things the more I find that I’ve just barely scraped the surface. The good news about that is that there’s just so much good stuff out there to be discovered, like this cut by The Checkmates, Ltd.
[youtube https://youtu.be/TlL9pcn9caM]
Clocks in at just a bit more than two minutes, give it a listen or two and you’ll find yourself humming it later in the day. Released in 1966 on Capitol Records, B-side “Glad for You” which has a great chorus but sounds a bit underdeveloped.