scissorkick

I really don't need to write too much about today's posts. Bottom line is that the new Mighty Imperials record is titled Thunder Chicken and the promo copy instructs you to "File Under: Raw-ass funk, heavy gut-bucket soul, or generally having a good time." But just to avoid confusion, you should know that The Mighty Imperials, although their music suggests otherwise, are not from the 60s or 70s, but are actually members of the Daptone in-house band The Dap Kings, and together with crooners Sharon Jones and Joseph Henry are the undisputed champions of NYC/Brooklyn funk and soul in 2004. This is dust-covered, 45-funk that'll cut through even the most humid August heat.

Posted by Steve at 8/31/2004 01:59:25 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Because this will be a short week of posts -- I have the first of four weddings to attend -- I will hit you all with some brand new retro-funk from some producers bringing the energy of classic funk and soul into the 21st century. The first posts are from Frenchman Chris Joss, who released the tragically overlooked The Man with a Suitcase in 2002 on Italy's Irma Records and is back in 2004 with a re-release by ESL entitled You've Been Spiked. Dripping with Hammond-powered perspiration and awash in the cinematic textures of vintage Blaxploitation car chase midetempo soul, Joss adds subtle contemporary touches (well-placed scratchese, timely samples) and brings 60s boogie into the new age. A vibrant tribute to the past, but fun for the here and now. Check it.

Posted by Steve at 8/30/2004 04:18:39 PM | Permalink | Comments   

While the colorful designation of the Renaissance Man has little of the gravitas it commanded back when scientists were singers and painters part-timed as engineers, we still have a few multidisciplinary artists who excel in a handful of pursuits. Kim Hiorthoy is a celebrated Norwegian designer, musician and filmmaker notable for his extensive graphic work on behalf of the fantastic Smalltown Supersound label that counts the brilliant Jaga Jazzist, Sir Dupermann and Yuichiro Fujimoto among its roster. The two tracks posted span Hiorthoy's career as an electronic musician -- from his debut LP Hei to the recently released Hopeness EP -- and are a great introduction to the artist. However, be forwarned that his recently released For the Ladies is not a proper electronic release, but rather an album of field recordings without music. Hiorthoy, like is friends in Jaga Jazzist, leans toward the more organic side of electronica, using found sounds and field recordings to beef up a winning blend of highly melodic and upbeat compositions.

Posted by Steve at 8/26/2004 01:55:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Aside from being one hell of a gifted songwriter, J. Robbins of Gov't Issue, Jawbox and Burning Airlines has spent the last few years amassing an Albini-esque roster of quality production work. But Robbins could only remain behind the board for so long and is back at it with his new band Channels which includes his wife Janet Morgan on bass and Darren Zentek, former drummer of Kerosene 454. This is a track that will be featured on Channels forthcoming Open EP on Desoto Records the label run by Kim and Bill of Jawbox which has released some fantastic records from Juno, Shiner, Dismemberment Plan and most recently Maritime. "Storytime" has the familiar timbre and pace of vintage Jawbox with an optimism that has touched Robbins in the time since that great band's demise.

Posted by Steve at 8/25/2004 06:01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Dan Friel counts Oval among the list of performers he's played with, evidence enough of the schizoid electronic tendencies of his new LP Sunburn recently released on Velocirecords. Friel, responsible for most of the electronic and guitar madness in Brooklyn's Parts & Labor, has compiled seven experimental nuggets culled from a sonic palette including a toy keyboard, walkie talkies, remote control car joysticks, guitar pedals, and one 5-string guitar. While I'm not even remotely an expert on experiments in noise, I was surprised by the subtle melodic complexities on Sunburn and I would highly recommend this not only to fans of Parts & Labor, but to those, who like Friel himself, are "into exploring the more folkier aspects of electronics and electronic music." Friel's using recycled jewelcases for the record, so if you have been meaning to get rid of your old ones, get in touch with him at his Web site.

Posted by Steve at 8/24/2004 01:43:29 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Okay, back to the new stuff. These two MP3s are from Brooklyn-based Home Video, a new band signed to Warp who deliver brooding electronic pop that lies at the intersection of Radiohead, Boards of Canada, Information Society, etc. While they are not what you would typically expect from the Borough -- neither dance-punk nor electro -- they do a good job of manufacturing a sound that exemplifies the moodiness of Calla and the electronic punch of Metro Area within the brown bag of palatable pop. I managed to catch them live a month or so ago at NYC's Rothko, and they put on an amazing live show complete with electronic drums and a solid bass low-end, leaving a great impression for a band I had heard only a single track from. Their 5 song Citizen EP will be out on October 5th, but for now, you can check these MP3s from it (up for only a few days) and purchase their first single That You Might from the Bleep Record Store.

Posted by Steve at 8/23/2004 11:28:55 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Here are a triple threat of MP3s from varied electronic artists who are not as name-dropped as you'd think given the fact that they sort of were were among the first wave of muscians in new movements, and often get overshadowed by other artists of a similar style. For instance, Florian Schmitt, who released a couple of ridiculous records on Ninja Tune in the 90s as The Clifford Gilberto Rhythm Combination, should be considered a leading influence in the drill n' bass game with Squarepusher, Venetian Snares and others. My theory is that since he incorporated latin influences, the music is too organic for the steely sub-genre and therefore often overlooked by its fans. Either way, this is electronic prog madness at its best, like a robot built in Brazil going bezerk through the streets of Frankfurt. The next MP3 is courtesy of Palmskin Productions, aka Simon Richmond, who in my book can be considered one of the pillars of modern downtempo as it morphed from British acid jazz into the seven-headed hydra it is today. Working with saxophone player Chris Bowden, Richmond also put time in as a percussionist for the Talkin' Loud label's in-house session team K Collective, released tracks for Howie B's Pussyfoot Records, had a track on 1994's influential Rebirth of Cool and two 1996 singles for Mo' Wax Records. That's downtempo royalty in my book, yet you wonder why you haven't heard more about him. Lastly, I decided to post something from Stuart Cullen, aka, Pilote, who has never received the attention he deserves and is ominously left out of many conversations about melancholic, leftfield electronica. Journalists often err when comparing groups to Boards of Canada, when the more appropriate nod should be toward Pilote, who has produced for the Certificate 18 label and has released some great record as Series 500 for Brighton's Curor imprint. Cullen, like BoC, smooths out the more angular surfaces of electronica with an organic palette of samples and synths and really approaches melody from a perspective that you happy, indie lovers will enjoy. Has always been a favorite of mine and it's a shame more people don't know about him
This additional post is a fantastic remix of Pilote's "Turtle" by Bonobo, specially posted for this guy Rob who is giving me a hard time in the comments section. Don't say I'm not a man of the people.

Posted by Steve at 8/19/2004 02:32:45 PM | Permalink | Comments   

What did you say? Did you say that you wanted a front-porch, knee-slapping, post-hardcore bass attack? Yeah, that's what I thought you said. I have to thank Buske for handing me a stack of CDs in '93 and consequently empowering an allegiance to Toronto's forgotten sons, Phleg Camp. My very first listen to 1993's unparalleled Ya'red Fair Scratch cleaned the clock of this here New Yawker and started a love affair with Toronto indie rock that still burns strong. Gavin Brown, Sean Dean and Eric Chenuax took the unhinged energy of a backwoods hootenanny and fused it with scorching melodic hardcore that I am convinced has no equal. Like some bastard child of Naked Raygun, Mule and Soul Side, Phleg Camp was here and gone like a small brush fire or that last remaining firework, but those that enjoyed the band seem to have a special place for them. Imagine Neil Young and The Jesus Lizard wrestling in a muddy pigpen. Like Fuel, Admiral and Bastro, Phleg Camp occupied a unique spot that crossed the divide between the hardcore set and the indie kids. They were that good. Sean now plays in a fine garage unit from the Great White North known as the Sadies. Gavin has played in Crash Vegas, Haden, Big Sugar, Danko Jones, Sarah Harmer and Great Big Sea and and Eric also played in Crash Vegas and currently performs solo, with Michelle McAdorey and in various improvisational combos. I was hoping to post some really rare stuff I have on tape from split 7" with Fuel, but seems the ol' tape player is dead. I'll get to it...

Posted by Steve at 8/18/2004 11:42:48 AM | Permalink | Comments   

The more thought I put into this list (which is pretty haphazardly thrown together) the more I am coming to realize that this is less about bands generally unknown to music fans, but rather bands who also seem to hover under that all important tool of the music journalist -- the name drop. For some reason, there are some universally celebrated groups whose names have simply dissapeared from the lexicon, and like a slowly dying language, must be used or will be permanently lost. One of these bands, who for some reason are often excluded as a reference in reviews of similar bands, are Brooklyn's Rex who for a brief spell in the mid-90s released some truly memorable, epic rock. Led by singer/guitarist Curtis Harvey (who played in The Letter E) and the untouchable Doug Scharin on drums/percussion, Rex were both pastoral and grandiose, using dynamic crescendo in ways less predictable than Mogwai and more engaging than the Constellation Records family (Godspeed, Do Make Say Think). At times they were as directly emotive as Red House Painters, and like Kozelek's crew, they understood the occasional importance of patiently unraveling a groove over six or 7 minutes. Not nearly as true to the slowcore ethos as Low or Codeine, they like similarly motivated acts Idaho and Acetone, did take the time to express themselves, and if you were lucky enough to catch them live, you know the shows were never long enough. Since you can get a nice bio of the band here I will spare the details, and ask you to listen to the posted tracks in the context you often reserve for slower, more idyllic music. The MP3s are taken from their last two albums (since the recording of the first, self-titled record does not do the band justice) and I included "Oafish" which features Bundy Brown on guitar for all the Directions in Music nerds like myself.

Posted by Steve at 8/17/2004 11:58:48 AM | Permalink | Comments   

This is the first of 5 postings this week that will feature tragically underappreciated bands. The contributions of the five bands are obvious from the very first listen to any of the MP3s and I hope you all run out and pick these records up. They are not simply obscure indie acts who I've unearthed for my own benefit, but solid bands and producers whose anonymity simply perplexes me. When mediocre bands like The Fiery Furnaces are getting huge as a result of a misguided media onslaught, it boggles the mind that others remain relatively nameless. Some of these bands are older, but all of the records should be available. I know there is a huge number of bands that could be posted, from an assortment of genres and eras, but these are my personal five from the last ten years or so, reflective of the hybrid styles so frequently posted on scissorkick. The inaugural posting for Forgotten Bands Week is for the amazing Scottish quartet Long Fin Killie. You can read all about them here but it would be practically impossible to find a band as musically gifted and creatively forward thinking as these guys. Combining a heady combination of drum n' bass, atmospheric rock, dream pop and polyrhythmic percussion, Long Fin Killie can perhaps be compared to Macha, Lake Trout and possibly Red Snapper, but none of these comparisons really do the band justice. They were simply ahead of the game, and like many bands who preceed trends, were lost in the wake of the waves of less talented imitators that followed. Lead vocalist and multiinstrumentalist Luke Sutherland has since moved on to the fantastic Bows project and currently records with To Rocco Rot's Stefan Schneider in Music A.M. but Long Fin Killie will probably remain his most accomplished work for some time. All three records, Houdini, Valentino and Amelia are available here and like the figures for which they were named, the life of Long Fin Killie was cut tragically short. Listen to these tracks, all from around 1996-97 and just imagine what the two different line-ups would be up to now.

Posted by Steve at 8/16/2004 01:16:58 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Bands who look East for musical inspiration often find themselves cluttered by the faux spiritualism and melodramatic themes of enlightenment that can simply turn fans off. But for Macha, the bottom line has always been the music, moreover the embelishment and expansion of a sound using less traditional instruments like Sumatran gongs and a Javanese zither in a rock context. Their upcoming fourth record, Forget Tomorrow finds the band of multi-instrumentalists furthering the sound with an added emphasis on electronics while maintaining their unique "everything and the kitchen sink" approach. "Smash and Grab" has a nice four-to-the-floor bass drum energy that balances nicely with the nostalgic, processed vocals. "Calming Passengers" is an automatic late Summer anthem -- a beautiful vibraphone and guitar melody buried under washes of smartly layered feedback drone ala their awesome Macha Loved Bedhead split LP. If you have the opportunity and inclination, please leave some short comments. Every so often the artists themselves stop by and really appreciate the feedback.

Posted by Steve at 8/10/2004 09:54:17 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Just got the new Radio 4 in for a review for Resonance (pick it up, it is the best underground music mag out there!). Out on Astralwerks, Stealing of a Nation is a polished collection of seriously dancefloor friendly punk groove. The electronics are legit, not simply added for effect, and the additional percussion really strengthens the sound. They have been a band that has been constantly elevating their game from the get-go and really have created a wide divide between the fledgling dance punks and the established artists who can really invigorate that sound. For those that are unaware, Radio 4 bassist and vocalist Anthony Roman comes via an often overlooked post-punk band from LI called Garden Variety. They released a couple of great records in the early 90s that still sound fresh today and display the energy Radio 4 have been known for. Released on headhunter (Drive Like Jehu), Knocking the Skill Level is an essential piece of that era's urgent melodicism. I have posted one new track from Radio 4's upcoming record and 2 of the best Garden Variety tracks from the aforementioned record.

Posted by Steve at 8/06/2004 10:48:47 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Keeping with the home recording theme comes a pair of MP3s from Noah Wall aka Jukeboxer, who will be releasing a full length record on Absolutely Kosher in September. Both of these tracks are from the new record, In the Food Chain and rightly deserve their iTunes "Unclassifiable" genre tag. Wall is no stranger to the psychedelic meanderings of Brian Wilson -- or Dead Can Dance -- and his high falsetto faintly rings tones of Eliot Smith's ghost singing a few remaining earthly notes. Playing just about any instrument he can get his hands on, Wall makes genuinely heartfelt hybridized bedroom neo-folk and his new record deserves a listen by fans of Manitoba, Will Oldham and Greg Davis alike. Yet another addition to the growing list of quality folktronica records.

Posted by Steve at 8/04/2004 10:22:15 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Here are a couple pastoral gems from Adem Ilhan, the bassist for Fridge (with Four tet's Kieran Hebden), now recording with an acoustic four-piece. His new full-length LP, Homesongs is a gentle patchwork of, well, home songs, arranged for acoustic guitars, autoharp, harmonium, percussion and double-bass. His earnest delivery and straightforward melodic sensibility will remind you of Holopaw, Califone or the tragically unheralded Rex (some Rex MP3s coming later this week), but like his other band, he's aware of the emotive effect of a sustained loop. Adem's debut single 'Everything You Need/Statued' was released last year on Rough Trade's For-Us 7" label, and since then he and the band have been playing successful shows around the UK, most recently headlining at the ICA. If you enjoy stripped down, neo-folk, check these MP3s out.

Posted by Steve at 8/03/2004 06:44:45 PM | Permalink | Comments   

A new J-Zone record will be available soon from Fat Beats and if you are currently unfamiliar with the multi-talented DJ, MC and producer you are probably in good company. With fellow triple threat J-Live, producers J-Walk and J Majik (old Metalhedz crew) all in the underground lexicon (and Jay-Z, Jay Dee etc.), it's easy to get confused -- in name only. The Westchester-bred, Queens-based J-Zone differentiates himself from the other J's with a balanced mix of humor, biting social insight and the musicality that results when a hip-hop producer looks beyond the genre for inspirtation. While he relies on a similar appetite for raw beats and stripped down production like Madlib, J-Zone focuses less on the dusty grooves of Sixties and Seventies 45's and raids what can only be an extensive collection of funk vinyl (and Flip Wilson records).

Posted by Steve at 8/02/2004 11:03:33 AM | Permalink | Comments