Tortoise Miscellany

Tortoise is one of those bands who's shit shit is at least as interesting as their good shit. Also a band who's eclecticism really flourishes when their work is reinterpreted by other musicians or vice versa.

If you haven't heard TNT or Millions Now Living... you should check those out ASAP.



Standards

Nobody ever seems to listen to Standards. To me, this is the groups Wowee Zowee: a collection of genre experiments that certainly isn't as good as the albums that preceded, that's maybe a little uneven or is perhaps even a little misguided in its intentions, but that has its own unique earnestness and charm. It reminds me of my sister's dog, tongue to big to fit inside its mouth, all runnin' into shit and pissin' on people's shoes.



A Lazarus Taxon

This rarities collection has a few left-field covers (Duke Ellington, Joy Division, Yo La Tango), some interesting remixes (including a couple Autechre remixes), and some lost gems, including the massive "Cliff Dweller Society". But the real treat here is the third disc: a reissue of the out-of-print Rhythms, Resolutions, and Clusters, a collection of remixes from the pre-Millions era. "Alcohall" is quite possibly the best thing the band ever put out.



Remixed

Another remix album, this has John McEntire's remix of "Djed" rechristened "Tjed" as well as a Luke Vibert remix that sounds exactly like what you would expect a Luke Vibert remix of a Tortoise song to sound like.

I am robot and proud: the electricity in your house wants to sing

Its electronic music. it sounds like forty angels are blowing bubbles into your ears. I dont think youll be dissapointed.
linkzorz http://www.sendspace.com/file/q7v2ig

Olivier Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time

I have never talked about the classical stylings of music ever before; thusly, I don't really know where to begin or how to say anything. This Olivier man was a Frenchie. I know he really liked birds. One might even venture to call him an ornithologist. He notated birdsongs into orchestral pieces. He went to jail. That's where he wrote this piece I believe. There is a clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, which upon further research is highly unorthodox i/r/t quartets, but has been done before. It has a badass name. That's about it really. I like it a lot. :):):)

Linky poo: http://www.sendspace.com/file/p43kkc

Two Rare DC Release

Everyone knows the famous DC hardcore/punk bands Minor Threat, Fugazi, Rites of Spring, etc., and of course the label, Dischord, that released most of the bands from the area, but few probably have heard of Peterbilt Records and even two lesser known bands from the DC area, Rain and Happy Go Licky. Peterbilt Records was run by Guy Picciotto (of Rites of Spring/Fugazi fame) as a means to document his friends' bands. Rain's brief existence beginning around 1985 resulted in a handful of live shows, a demo, a Dischord comp appearance, and a LP (La Vache Qui Rit). Though named after a cheese, it's everything but. The band's sound is pretty akin to their peers; raw, driving, and emotional. Personal highlights are Snake Out and Worlds At War. Happy Go Licky is the exact same membership of Rites of Spring playing a much different more experimental style. The band played a total of seven live shows, and released a six song LP on Peterbilt. Later came the Dischord release of Will Play compiling 21 live songs from various live tapes from the seven shows. Definitely check out the album opener Ansol and another favorite is the track Twist and Shout. I'm a big fan of often obscure documents capturing a certain scene, time, and place, and I think these two bands and releases are a great documentation of some of the stuff that was going on in our nation's capital in 1980s.

Rain - La Vache Qui Rit : http://www.sendspace.com/file/e3r0x4
Happy Go Licky - Will Play : http://www.sendspace.com/file/b0p0zn

Marnie Stern: In advance of the broken arm

This chick is one rockin' mama. Literally. Not only can she shred like hell, she's got a bun way out of the oven. In Advance of the Broken Arm is loud, erratic prog rock with adorable vocals. The deal is even sweeter because she is accompanied by drummer Zach Hill of Hella, as well as The Advantage's Robby Moncrieff on guitar. Released earlier this year, the album's a bag full of goodies, including my personal favorites: "Put All Your Eggs in One Basket and Then Watch That Basket!!!" and "Absorb Those Numbers," songs that Allmusic.com doesn't even site as "track picks." So pretty much everything is good, definitely worth checking out for yourself. This self-taught honey claims she's inspired by Sleater Kinney, yet is far more interesting and inventive; she makes them seem like a mild frumpy lady band, and I still dig 'em. Put this mindfuck of an album on and jump around when you get a chance, it'll tickle your guts.

Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm

ps. She waxes poetic in the final track hardcore.

Ok, so Matmos might be pretentious. Almost all of their releases have been concept albums and the two dudes seem to pride themselves on the weirdest sounds they can get, fat being sucked through a liposuction tube comes to mind. But its still good music.

"The Civil War" is like what you would listen to if you were traveling to 1850 in your time machine from the future and wanted to chill. Its chopped up bits of snare drums, xylophones bagpipes, dobros, double basses, anything you could want, glued over a few electronic beats and ambient sounds. The overall result is surprisingly traditional sounding, with a bit of a twist. Give it a try, its an easy thing to listen to, its not one of their weird albums.
Matmos: "The Civil war"

Soft Machine - Third

Album opener "Facelift" is a live performance which showcases undeniable saxophone riffage a la King Crimson laid on top of surreal keyboard work and synthesizer fiddling with a so-so bassline. Tape loop effects are sprinkled liberally. "Slightly All the Time" and "Out-Bloody-Rageous" are both solid jazz fusion pieces, with fine musicianship all around. "Moon In June" is my personal favorite, and the only one with vocals provided by the drummist, Robert Wyatt. His drumming is exquisite, and his singing is delightful. The lyrics are refreshingly rull. Nothing cosmic, no social messages, just poetry.


download link
http://www.sendspace.com/file/86cd2z

Guitar

Two albums, Sunkissed and Tokyo, from Michael Lückner, aka Guitar. First, the 2002 release Sunkissed touches more on the shoegaze side of Guitar's sound with swoony female vocals with a twinkling/seductive atmosphere a la My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive. Of course it's easy to make those comparisons, but 2006's album, Tokyo, was quite a departure from that sound. Still the same alluring romantic music but comprised of the use of traditional Japanese instruments and elements.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jz1b6t

The Olivia Tremor Control

First post. Two deluxely premium albums by The Olivia Tremor Control. This link contains Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle and Black Foliage: Animation Music. The OTC is/was from Athens, produced these psych masterworks in 1996 and 1999 respectively, and probably stockpiled a wazoo's worth of mushrooms and/or acid to create these records. If you like White Album era Beatles, then you should definitely holler back at these albums. Pristine psych pop isn't made like this anymore. I probably will never want to listen to the noisy 11 minutes of "The Bark and Below It" or the "Green Typewriters" suite outside of the context of the albums, but that is the intention. Many of the songs are able to stand on their own, but need to be listened with one another to "get it". It truly is a journey to make it through each 70+ minute album and also the most rewarding musical experience I've had in a while.

Personal highlights: Define a Transparent Dream; The Opera House; Dusk at Cubist Castle; I Have Been Floated; A Peculiar Noise Called "Train Director"; Grass Canons.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/raf4hc