Issue #27 Extra!: New Releases
Rudy Adrian & Ron Boots –
"Across the Silver River"
Andreas Akwara – "Solar Eclipse"
Blackmore’s Night – “Fires at Midnight”
Terry Lyne Carrington – “Jazz is a Spirit”
Billy Currie – “Push”
Gert Emmens – "Wanderer of Time"
Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones –
"Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones"
Kaolin – “2001”
John Lakveet – "EPI(K)VS"
Dom F. Scab – "Facta"
Spring Heel Jack – “Amassed”
Tranzit – "Tranz-Rapid"
Theo Travis and Mark Hewins – “Guerilla Music”
VA – “Burning Shed Sampler Two”
Vedda Tribe – “Vedda Tribe”
Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble –
“Live from Buenos Aires”
Blackmore’s Night – “Fires at Midnight”
(Steamhammer SPV 085 72432, 2001, CD)
Guitar legend Richie Blackmore (yes, the guy from Deep Purple and Rainbow) has gone medieval. Under the name Blackmore’s Night, he and his fiancée Candice Night have released several albums of folk-rock that draw heavily upon medieval and Renaissance traditions. Fires at Midnight is their third, and in my opinion, their best release so far. Night’s piping soprano and Blackmore’s acoustic guitar are the primary voices on the disk, although there’s plenty of folk instrumentation to back them up: hurdy-gurdy, recorder, mandolin, fiddle, etc. Orchestral instruments are also used, including a delicate oboe part on “Midwinter’s Night” and baroque trumpet fanfares on “Waiting Just for You” and “Crowning of the King”.) Still, there are enough keys, drums, bass, and electric guitar that no one could mistake this for pure folk; at times, the disk really rocks. The title track, for instance, begins slowly and mystically, but gradually turns into a mighty medieval-rock anthem with thundering drums, wailing bagpipes, and smoldering electric guitar solos. For comparison, think of 70s’ Tull with female vocals, but with a bit more major-key cheer and a few touches of ethereal musical mysticism. Some of the melodies on this are so catchy that they almost sound like commercial jingles and the drum work on most tunes is extremely simplistic— but as a whole the disk works extremely well. Readers who enjoy medievalesque prog-folk, expressive acoustic guitar, and sweet-sounding female vocals will love this. – Jim Chokey
Kaolin – “2001”
(private release, 2003, CD)
This Swiss five-piece has been around in one form or another for over eight years, but this five track 28 minute CD is their first release. Why it’s titled 2001 is a mystery, perhaps dating the recordings and not the actual release. With vocals, guitars, bass, keyboard and drums, they mine a territory equidistant from the introspective shoegazer styles of bands like Lycia, the richly emotional softer alternative field (but without all the attitude), and a somewhat avant-garde symphonic sound that, all taken together sounds very current, somewhat psychedelic, and totally accessible. Their strongest asset is singer Natasha Waters, whose soulful voice gives the song-based material a focal point over the droney but energetic instrumental base; her vocals often seems compressed and treated, even when multitracked, as on “Let It Rain”, giving a distinctly distant feel that serves well to allow the instrumental work shine through them. The material is generally slow-paced but energized, and the dynamics and textures vary from soft to heavy, but for the most part exist to support Waters’ voice. While they may compare with earlier Porcupine Tree, the songwriting is not that advanced, but nonetheless this is a strong first effort. – Peter Thelen
[http://www.kaolin.ch]
Vedda Tribe – “Vedda Tribe”
(Lizard CD5490102, 1999, CD)
Vedda Tribe is an Italian three piece of g/k/d; no bass credit is given but that is a bass note I hear. They play in an aggressive manner that might recall classic King Crimson at times, but for the most part Vedda Tribe plays head trippin’ psych-rock. A guitar will quietly build over a bass theme, and with each progression the drums kick in louder. Guitarist Filippo Guerini does play it straight, but fuzzed out tones seem to be his favorite. Mauro Pamiro is the surprise here, he plays piano and synth; and his piano adds a true uniqueness to this band. “Hypercube” features a strong piano lead backed with intense fuzzed out guitar, but some of his dwiddly synth effects are a bit basic. And all the while drummer Flavio Leva impresses. The band has many a good idea that never really pays off. For example, “Nebbia Di Lilliput” just goes on too long with a repeated riff that I didn’t find that great to start with. As a three piece the band works very well together, each member seems to get his space. “Democrazy” is a highlight, a solid jam with no weak sections. “Etamenaki” features the album’s only vocal track. The vocals are tweaked and tripped, and Guerini sounds like he is underwater. I love this song; opening with really cool sustained guitar solo and the closing lyric, “Oh how my brain hurts.” A spotty release but with some real bright spots. – Dane Carlson
VA – “Burning Shed Sampler Two”
(Burning Shed (no cat#), 2002, CD)
Burning Shed is an independent U.K. label that tries its best to span many genres. The label’s second sampler puts an emphasis on chilling out as ambient is the forte with a few notable exceptions. Out of seventeen tracks, thirteen are ambient-laced mellow tone excursions that are ear candy for the modern age. The duo of Tim Bowness and Peter Chilvers is represented by two tracks including a live version of the subtle ballad “Days Turn into Years”. Their work is highly reminiscent of the best of David Sylvian’s pastel pieces but without all the gloominess. Anne Clark and Martyn Bates deliver “Autumn”, a precious acoustic piece that is embossed with a recorder and cello backing. “The Shed” by Quoit is purely a techno workout in the style of Aphex Twin that has the sudden starts and stops of a Tomb Raider game session while on any modern drug of choice. The most disturbing din on the disc is created within G.P. Hall’s “Fahrenheit 451”, a short incendiary track that showcases hammered guitars and wailing sirens. Darkroom’s “Excerpt (from Fallout 3)” is a spacious soundscape that relies on thin washes of metallic wind and blurry voices to create a dizzying tone. Closing out the disc is Centrozoon’s “Golden Lamb Finale” which is lush and irritating exercise in distortion that is pretty effective within its own assigned parameters. Overall the label has an ardent handle on displaying the best of its high art roster in this format. – Jeff Melton
Spring Heel Jack – “Amassed”
(Thirsty Ear THI57123.2, 2002, CD)
Coxon and Wales are at it again! The results of their first attempts to assimilate free jazz into techno on their last album only fueled the fire for further attempts to create valid collages underneath world-class soloists. This experiment gets a lot further out of the petri dish with some wild combinations and exaltations. Back again is noted jazz improviser Evan Parker who graces the open track and renders the landscape futile by shear force. And this is the direction of the entire disc’s eight tracks, moody, temperamental, and inspired. “Wormwood” opens with a blues mode against remote church bells in the background before transitioning into a storming fury of feedback that harkens back to the days of the early Tony Williams Lifetime. “Lit” is almost religious in terms of a small backing drone and Kenny Wheeler’s lifting fluegelhorn. “100 Years Before” is where it all comes together for the brass section of Wheeler/Parker who find their footing over Han Bennink’s spatial drumming. The best piece is the ominous closing track, “Obscured” that begins with a bass synth pulse that gets steadily more alarming. Mathew Shipp’s keyboard and J Spaceman’s electric guitars are more than adept at segueing against Paul Rutherford’s intense trombone blasts. Overall, Coxon and Wales operate well as soundscape template creators for their acclaimed soloists to navigate and eventually land on. With a live album and DVD in the works, can the world be far behind in recognizing their innovative impetus? – Jeff Melton
Terry Lyne Carrington – “Jazz is a Spirit”
(ACT 9408-2, 2002, CD)
Prodigy talent does mature after a time especially if surrounded by competent mentors in the entertainment industry. Terry Lyne Carrington came up from several very notable early appearances with jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson before attending Berklee College of Music at age eleven. Since that time she has expanded her jazz vocabulary into strong compositional work offset by her capable drumming style. “Jazz is a Spirit” is only her third solo album after a string of many sessions supporting Wayne Shorter and Diane Reeves. She is still surrounded by many famous contributors including Malcolm-Jamal Warner (from the Cosby show) on bass for two tracks and some vocal extemporizing. Carrington’s songwriting style on eight of her own pieces is deep into melodic counterpoint while covering many traditional faucets of the jazz spectrum focusing on the soloing talents of Gary Thomas on tenor sax. Herbie Hancock’s piano solo on the album’s second track, “Little Jump” is a high mark on the disc as it displays his reliable melodic prowess within the confines of a small combo. A few other interesting tidbits include Carrington’s solo drum workout “Journey Agent” and “Middle Way”, a mid-tempo jaunt for the joint leads of Terence Blanchard and Thomas. Probably the best song out of the fourteen tracks is the classy “Samsara (for Wayne)” which is a ballad propelled by Hancock’s warm piano and Kevin Eubank’s Wes Montgomery-like emotive guitar solo. Overall it is works such as this that keep the jazz tradition alive and well in the United States and abroad. – Jeff Melton
Theo Travis and Mark Hewins – “Guerilla Music”
(Burning Shed (no cat#), 2002, CD)
Well-traveled woodwinds man Theo Travis and vanguard guitarist Mark Hewins join forces on a departure outside the main scope of the efforts on Guerilla Music. The nine pieces contained herein belie a mood of fragile locales and subtle atmospheres literally ingesting the environments where they were recorded. Bob Loveday’s violin part emotes on part one of “Coldec”: “Chiral” and sets a relaxed tone found on many a Jade Warrior album where serene themes are the mode of operation. Part three is perhaps the most unsettling piece on the disc; “Perturbation” relies on a shimmering backdrop that Hewins plays his harmonic guitar over. The guitarist has really found a welcome new home in this musical world as Travis has veered down this corridor in two of his most recent releases, “Slow Life” and Cipher’s “One Who Whispers” with Dave Sturt. Hewins’ bag of tricks includes triggering digital delays which are allowed to decay in the background as acoustic guitar nudges an unfriendly environment. The element of risk may not be as obvious, but the album has many pastel shades that are painted with broad ambient strokes. On “Guerilla” and “Equivalence” Travis switched over to soprano sax to create a forlorn melody in god only knows what restricted beautiful town Gong was playing later that evening. Regardless this stands as the third piece of recent ambient work from Travis that holds up well in comparison to other new-agey less emphatic works. I hope this duo manages to continue their futures works together perhaps under the Cipher umbrella? Highly Recommended. – Jeff Melton
Billy Currie – “Push”
(Puzzle/Arena Music PZLCD108, 2002, CD)
Ex-Ultravox member Billy Currie’s fifth album is another tour de force of synthesizers and stringed instruments that capture a unique romantic niche. Currie has been refining his approach for over thirty years including two collaborative efforts with Steve Howe (that somehow didn’t materialize into a live touring unit). Left to his own devices, Currie is still an imaginative arranger and has come to grips with various synthesizer gear, sampling and echoey violins (e.g. “Stand Like a Balance”). “Step Forward” follows a similar mode as one taken on his Transportation CD from 1988, with lush synth washes and pulsing programmed drums. “Swimming in Air” is a track outside of the norm for the composer as the tempo is stilted as tension builds through the piece. At its worst, the album shows symptoms of still being stuck in the Ultravox dance craze of the early 1980s, as on “Kissing the Shame” or “The True Transmission”, whereas stylistic trends have changed substantially. I admit to loving Currie’s violin forays as they are both sinister and well conceived. A piece that borders on minimalist with a techno slant is “Cross Hands”, which also relies on a sampled choir. The album’s closer is perhaps the most memorable melody on the album that degenerates into a dated dance track. Overall Currie has created another album that will appeal to the Visage/Ultravox crowd, but will be ignored as a revisitation of a genre long gone for 20 years. – Jeff Melton
Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble – “Live from Buenos Aires”
(Classic Pictures DVD1095X, 2002, DVD/CD)
One of Rick Wakeman’s several visits to South America gets the DVD treatment with this unique packaging of DVD and separate CD. Damian Wilson is Rick’s newest singer and his lead vocal captures the spirit of Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan. In fact the band’s hard rocking style makes this one of the best performances from Rick’s classic catalogue. Ant Glynne on electric guitar gets a much freer rein on most of tracks, adding slide guitar to the Journey to the Center of the Earth medley and even replacing trademark solos on “Merlin the Magician”. Rick’s son Adam is also onboard as second soloist on “Merlin” and even faces off with dear old dad for some front stage antics. Long time drummer Tony Fernandez is back and is the rhythmic glue for the ensemble. Probably the best pieces on the DVD are “Lancelot and the Black Knight” where Wilson’s lead vocal supersedes the original by far, and the group’s take on “Starship Trooper”, where everyone gets a chance at a solo spot. The CD portion of the release is a completely separate gig and line-up with only Tony Fernandez, Adam and Rick overlapping in personnel. Best tracks include the medley of “Robot Man/Paint it Black” where vocalist Chrissie Hammond belts out a blues based lead that fits quite well with Rick’s soloing style. Overall the sets give a solid representation of Rick’s current solo endeavor. – Jeff Melton
Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones – "Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones"
(Nonesuch 79624-2, 2001, CD)
Leave it to guitarist Bill Frisell to alternate jazz takes on American roots music with a turn together among two of 70’s most venerated jazz sidemen who played with Miles Davis. Holland made in-roads within Miles’ Bitches Brew before cultivating his own group while Jones began much earlier with Miles but was recognized for backing Coltrane on A Love Supreme. Prominent tracks include "twenty Years” is a resonating piece where Frisell’s acoustic guitar parallels his leads to great effect. “Blues Dream” is given a different rendition by this trio that on Frisell’s album of the same name, where the guitarist double tracked guitars intertwine and divide before Holland takes an empathic solo. The album is co-produced by ambient entrepreneur, Michael Shrieve, who no doubt had important influence on the mix. Andy Williams’ signature piece “Moon River” gets the emotive folk-ish treatment against Jones’ shuffle snare drum. The album’s longest piece, “Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa” is an ECM-ish ballad where Frisell’s plaintive lead graces a swing tempo that sways gracefully with the farmland wind. “Again” opens with a characteristic drum cadenza from Jones before distilling into another moody and mysterious atmosphere. The disc literally cries out for live performance, but I doubt any of the musician’s individual calendar would allow. This is the kind of album that wins Grammy Awards and thus highly recommended to fans of modern blues and jazz counterpoint. – Jeff Melton
Rudy Adrian & Ron Boots – "Across the Silver River"
(Groove GR-072, 2002, CD)
Tranzit – "Tranz-Rapid"
(Groove GR-075, 2002, CD)
Dom F. Scab – "Facta"
(Groove GR-077, 2002, CD)
John Lakveet – "EPI(K)VS"
(Groove GR-078, 2003, CD)
Gert Emmens – "Wanderer of Time"
(Groove GR-079, 2002, CD)
Andreas Akwara – "Solar Eclipse"
(Andreas Akwara Music AK 0102, 2002, CD)
The Netherlands’ Groove label, perhaps the premiere label for sequencer-heavy electronic music, has been on quite the roll lately, releasing and distributing a number of albums by newcomers and veterans alike. This batch of releases presents the label’s stylistic range from ambient/drift electronic music through Berlin school and borderline techno styles.
Rudy Adrian is one of the label’s brightest stars and while the last couple releases by him have been firmly in sequencer/planetarium/space mode, Across the Silver River represents the New Zealand synthesist’s ambient side. The album is a bit odd in that it was initially recorded as a solo album of Adrian’s, but due to Ron Boots’ enthusiasm for the album, it was turned into a collaboration by overdub. Adrian’s ambient style is actually not a child of the American tribal/indigenous school (think Steve Roach) entirely, and despite the addition of percussion and sequences (more a product of Boots’ addition than Adrian’s intention), the sound retains an alluring freshness and mystique missing from so much of the European ambient musicians for whom Sonoran deserts and rainsticks still remain the dominant influences. The results are a lot like the music of another New Zealand synthesist, David Parsons, particularly with the sequencer and percussive additions. We already know Boots is no slouch, so this attests greatly to the skill of Adrian in more than one electronic school.
Tranzit jumps nearly to the other end of Groove’s electronic spectrum, a style heavy on rhythm and bordering on techno and house schools. But where one could dismiss a lot of music like this as being the product of the amateur and uninspired, this is Dirk Nusink’s third release and shows a musician becoming vastly assured in his style. If one can imagine what Tangram, Exit or Thief might have sounded like had they been recorded a decade or so later, one can make a guess as to where Tranzit is operating. Infectious, surging rhythms form the skeleton of the album, bringing the spirit of early Jean-Michel Jarre to the fore, although, unlike many a Groove artist, Tranzit always seems to have one ear to the future and the obvious influences of the past always seem subsumed by the current vision. I’m not a big fan of the more accessible, melodic styles of electronic music, but this one is so well done, that I caught myself grooving to the rhythms more than once.
Spanish synthesist Dom F. Scab is also one of Groove’s mainstays, a musician who has been refining his style over several albums. Facta is electronic sequencer music in a nutshell, once again reminding you both how indebted to 70s Tangerine Dream the style is and how much there still is left to explore using the technique, despite the looming influence. However, it doesn’t tend to get much better than Scab’s music, a synthesist that doesn’t automatically make you start wondering which period of Tangerine Dream is his favorite. It’s his sense of professionalism and the excellent production that win through, the sequencer lines are clear and snappy, the flourishes of piano and sound effects effective, and the melodies aren’t shallow enough to annoy you for days afterwards. Fans of the style, at least those who don’t need mellotron choir samples to be happy, will likely embrace this one as his best yet. It’s some of the most creative sequencer work of the current era.
John Lakveet collaborated with Dom F. Scab on Silent Mars, and one could say he is a kindred spirit of sorts in the sequencer field (his last album was entitled Sequentiagite). Like Scab, Lakveet doesn’t go for the obvious space concepts (don’t worry, we’ll get to those), EPI(K)VS seems oriented to a Roman or Greek concept circa 202 AD, although one would be hard pressed to define it from the CD itself. While Scab’s latest stuck mostly to sequencers and their interplay, Lakveet includes plenty of atmospheric drift sections to break things up, and while Lakveet hasn’t assimilated his influences as fully as Scab has, he has come up with an appropriate ebb and flow for the musical energy. One can’t help but admire musicians in this style, attempting for distinction in a field still entirely dominated by the Berlin pioneers. It brings up the question of just how originality rears its head in a genre so intensely tied to a few artists.
For example, Dutch synthesist Gert Emmens seems entirely entrenched in the music of Tangerine Dream. His last release was called Asteroids, this one Wanderer of Time and both pay musical tribute to space and the ultimate sequencer venue, the planetarium. Wanderer is rich in the ways of retro, with string and choir like synth patches (mellotron? patch?), weird analog-like sound effects and sequencers galore. Of the titles reviewed here, this one is closest in spirit to the primary influences. Which is an issue of the duality of the sequencer electronic music genre, do we actually want more original music from these parts or do we just want more music that sounds like classic Tangerine Dream? Regardless, Emmens, like most Groove artists, presents a shining, professional product that ought to appeal to most fans of the style. It occasionally verges a bit too much on the sweet side for my tastes, but undoubtedly there is a larger audience waiting for this sort of thing, fans of Wavestar ought to find this one close to their hearts.
Not a Groove label as such, but distributed by them, is an eight-part opus by Andreas Akwara entitled Solar Eclipse. More images of space abound, yet this is not classic Berlin style sequencer music at all, the sequencing being mostly low-key and closer in style to the pulses found on Steve Roach/Vir Unis albums. It might only be in comparison to the others in this group, but the album suffers a bit from thin synthesizer sounds and a production not quite up to par. They impart a homogeneity to the proceedings that adds a bit of blur to what is a growing, unique style of electronic music. The closest comparison I can make is that to German Nik Tyndall, whose floating, shimmering style of music doesn’t resemble his 70s ancestors or the usual ambient artists. I’d certainly like to hear what Akwara could do with some fuller-sounding patches as this seems to be a promising niche.
Clearly Euro-electronic is striving to surpass its influences while attempting to evoke the same sort of emotion and impact these same influences did for the new crop of artists. And really there is no label more intrepid than Groove where this is concerned. –
Mike McLatchey