Holy Rattlesnakes

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Yair Yona

That’s a nice surprise.

I stumbled upon this groovy ep by a band called Holy Rattlesnakes from Baltimore.
I don’t know much about them, but I really liked their sound. They are doing a nice strange mix between Akron/Family‘s weird folkiness, Animal Collective‘s electronic experiments (Like in “Call Numbers”, which can also be a lost Efterklang album. Just, you know, electric) and offer an overall Yeasayer-like psychedelic vibe. Put in short, they should move to Brooklyn.

They offer their EP for free, and I really recommend you to listen to it. I’d put a closewatch on them, they are influenced by the good guys, and every 30 year old single lady would agree – good guys are hard to find.

 

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Gap Dream

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Yair Yona

About eight years ago, when I was living in London, I went to the famous Minus Zero record store. One of the two Bill’s that owned the place, recommended me of an album by a guy called himself Orgone Box. It was his first album. That album, a brilliant piece of pop-psych became an instant favorite of mine.

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I love the simple production. Sound like an album recorded at home, or at least not in a professional studio. The guy just had songs, so he did his best to record them and that’s how it should be.

When I listen to the this new and really outstanding self titled album by Gap Dream, I think about Orgone Box again and again.
Gabriel, the man behind Gap Dream, used a drum machine and a home studio, to create really one of the best pop-psych albums I’ve heard in a long time. I can Definitely hear some of the songs appear in a new Fuzzy Warbles album by Andy Partridge or a lost, post Egyptians’ Robyn Hitchcock album.

Gabriel (Gap Dream)

Burger Records released this limited edition cassette (vinyl release due in summer 20120) and I really hope they’ll add the album to their Bandcamp page soon for all you fools out there who threw away the cassette players (me included). And if you’re going to their Bandcamp, don’t miss the label’s excellent sampler.

Meanwhile, here’s something to listen to

[Audio] Gap Dream – 58th St. Fingers

 
P.s. Indirect relation to the post, there’s a new Sonar show in the archives. Check it out and follow the archive for weekly shows about nothing.

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Glenn Jones Live in Tiny Desk Concert

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Yair Yona

 

Maestro Glenn Jones has played in NPR offices’ Tiny Desk Concert series. The result is of course amazing as one can think.

[More Stuff]

 

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Pete La Roca – Basra

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Yair Yona

Pete Sims was playing drums with some important figures in the jazz world. When he was playing, however, he used a stage name from his latin bands days – Pete La Roca.

Under this name he was playing with Sonny Rollins (in the late 50′s, including Rollins’ A Night In Village Vanguard, his brilliant live album) and John Coltrane in 1960, before he was replaced by Elvin Jones.
But aside from being a band member,  he was also a leader in two superb albums – Basra and Bliss.

Basra is a true Blue Note classic, featuring Joe Henderson as leader, Steve Swallaw on bass and Steve Kuhn on piano. A superb hard bop 1965 album, with touches of Spanish influences, mainly in the title track, some late-night vibes, and a great drive. For non jazz fans, this is a real gem. For jazz fans it’s a must.
Oh yea, and in 1968 he quit the music biz to become a lawyer.

[Audio] Pete La Roca – Malaguena

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Cleared – Breaking Day

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Yair Yona

I’ve been listening a lot to Kluster‘s work, since Conard Schnitzler died couple of months ago, I’m totally into his music. There’s a wonderful box set with six Lp’s you should check out, that I’m listening to a lot, Kluster and Friends. It’s full of those sound experiments, heavy machinery and overall weired sounds that crawls under the darkest emotions of the heart, threatning to turn it upside down.

I’ve been thinking a lot of starting project where I won’t play guitar and just dive into sound experiments on my own, and like a sign that I’m right,  Erik from Immune Recordings, the label I love so much, sent me the new Cleared album, and it arrived just in time.

Cleared, a duo from Chicago (Steven Hess and Michael Vallera) are creating sonic experiments shredding sounds of percussions and guitars into one thick layer of OMG-what-was-that. The first album, released exactley a year ago, was one of my 2011 favs. But the new one, Breaking Day  is one step further into their nightmare world of sound.


I would give a lot to hear a collaboration between Schnitzler and Cleared. We are talking about men here. true men. Brave, strong, that walks through the dark corridors in their heart while singing poetry. Their poetry is dense layers, white noises and fear. Yes, I definitely gotta make that record. Will update about that.

Cleared – Breaking Day

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Happy 2012!

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Yair Yona

On the first day of 2012 I wanna wish you all happiness, compassion, health and warmth. First to/with yourself, then with the world, humans and animals. May love will surround you everywhere you go and bells of freedom will jingle. Here’s for your freedom and love.

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