Monthly Archives: January 2023

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Composer/musician Wendy Rae Fowler and Ghost Rhythm Records announced today the digital release of the score for the critically acclaimed 2017 BBC documentary Flicker+Pulse on all major platforms on Friday, March 31. Preorder/presave here.

The evocative ambient score is due to be released in time for Spring, as the film’s full title A Year in an English Garden: Flicker+Pulse perfectly reflects the new beginnings and transformations in Spring, including the cycle of life and death. Dark, hypnotizing and sometimes playful, the score was not composed to picture. Musical suggestions were approved, then developed into ideas and the picture was edited to the final compositions. A soundtrack as unique as Wendy Rae Fowler, herself.

Primarily known for her work in We Fell to Earth, as a solo artist, and with bands like Earthlings?, Queens of the Stone Age, and Mark Lanegan, this is Fowler’s first score to be released. It is part of a trilogy with Director Brian McClave that includes another documentary Clay+Bone (narrated by best-selling author Will Self) set for release later this year.

In 2021, Wendy Rae Fowler released her debut solo album Warped: Resurrection on her Ghost Rhythm Records on 2xLP and digital. Dave Grohl summarized the record as, “Hypnotic and atmospheric, Wendy Rae Fowler’s Warped:Resurrection paints a David Lynch-ian soundscape that swells from a whisper to a roar, each track rolling dark and light together into a dangerously seductive album, leaving you bewitched and wanting more.”

The late Mark Lanegan said of Fowler, “Like a contemporary soundtrack to a Bela Tarr cityscape where southern goth, Ennio Morricone and Siouxsie Sioux melt together, the shadow atmospherics of Wendy Rae Fowler is brooding and visceral, dark and dreamlike. Highly recommended for insomniacs et al.”

VIA PRESS RELEASE | In 2022, Superchunk released Wild Loneliness, their first album in four years. The collaborative energy of that record carried itself over into two songs that did not make the album, “Everything Hurts” and “Making a Break,” which now comprise a new 7-inch, out February 24 on limited-edition pink vinyl. Pre-order it now in the Merge store!

Of the two holdovers from Wild Loneliness, Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan had this to say: “We recorded 2022’s Wild Loneliness at home over the course of a few months during lockdown. In keeping with the theory that ten songs is the perfect length for a record, we had to take off a couple songs that fit thematically—who doesn’t have days when everything hurts or you feel like making a break for it?—but musically couldn’t find a spot on Wild Loneliness.

Perhaps because they are more traditionally ‘Superchunk’-sounding than the rest of the LP (‘Everything Hurts’ could be from Come Pick Me Up, and ‘Making a Break’ has What a Time to Be Alive energy)? Who knows! So here are these misfits from the Wild Loneliness sessions, recorded at home in Chapel Hill and mixed by Wally Gagel in LA.”

The single’s distinctive pink jacket features a photograph of the New River near Galax, VA, where Superchunk bassist Laura Ballance goes to be with friends and reflect on life: “A good friend has an old homestead up there near the river, where we go hiking and tubing. In the summer, we carry our tubes on one of our hikes and then float all the way back to the house. Sometimes we hold hands and stay together and chat, and sometimes we drift apart and have quiet reflective time as we travel. One time we saw otters.”

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Hachette Books has announced the March 14 publication of Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History, a comprehensive new biography of the legendary musician, composer, and performer by acclaimed author and founding member of Buffalo Tom, Bill Janovitz.

Told with the support of Russell’s estate, Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History stands tall as the definitive, never-before-told chronicle of one of the most important music makers of the 20th century, a genre-defying, multi-talented artist whose wildly diverse body of work has affirmed him as a one-of-a-kind Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and truly mythical figure in American music.

Leon Russell is an icon, but in many ways, he is also an underappreciated artist. A Zelig figure for a number of decades, he is spoken of in tones reserved not just for the most talented musicians, but also the most complex and fascinating. His career is like a roadmap of American music, though his mark can also be found in the work of British rock royalty like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Elton John, the latter of whom later inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

The phenomenal litany of collaborators and beneficiaries of the creative worlds Russell created over the years spans such giants as Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Phil Spector, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Delaney and Bonnie, Willie Nelson, Rita Coolidge, Dave Mason, Freddie King, J.J. Cale, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others.

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Led by vocalist-percussionist Miriam Diakite and built upon a decade-long collaboration with guitarist Erich Huffaker, the Oakland-based ensemble Orchestra Gold pull off an impressive feat, combining Malian roots gusto with ripples of African psych-rock. In the process their latest record connects as both traditional and the modern. A self-released affair co-produced by Huffaker and Orchestra Gold bassist Luke Bace with mixing by the estimable Chico Mann, Medicine is out on CD and digital January 20, with the vinyl scheduled to ship February 1.

Along with Diakite, Huffaker, and Bace, Orchestra Gold are rounded out by Leila Elizabeth on percussion, Chris Hoog on baritone sax, Luis Andrade on tenor sax, and Aaron Kierbel on drums. Yes, that makes them a septet rather than an orchestra, though obviously the name is meant to reflect the full-bodied nature of Orchestra Gold’s sound.

Rife with sinewy, serrated horns lines and an incessant rhythmic thrust, opener “Keleya Keleko” sets the template as Diakite’s vocals glide atop and Huffaker supplies the acid-tinged guitar. The string burn is even more prominent as “Koniya” unwinds, the track working up an even deeper groove as Diakite’s singing, while forceful, adds to the psychedelic aura with a multi-tracked swirl.

“Baara Nyuma” broadens the program a bit, the track built upon a sturdy but not overstated reggae-infused foundation (particularly the dubby bass lines), as the sax soloing is robust and the vocals, which are a bit reminiscent of Turkish or Indian gal-belters, add further dimension. And then “Bobofoli” redirects into the heart of Africa, the guitar redolent of the Sahel as the song taps into an atmosphere of the cosmic.

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The Dave Clark Five may be one of the most underrated groups of the British Invasion. While it was one of the many groups from the era who faded away after its hit success in the early and mid-’60s, they scored many hits and their music holds up extremely well.

The group had eight top ten hits in the UK and the US, and one number one in the UK and the US. Unlike most of the artists who hailed from the original British Invasion, the group was not from Liverpool, but was instead from Tottenham, in North London. The group’s powerful sound was led by Clark on drums and keyboardist Mike Smith, and also sometimes included honking brass from Denis Payton. The other two original members were Rick Huxley and Lenny Davidson. The group was most well-known for its hits “Glad All Over,” “Bits and Pieces,” “Anyway You Want It,” “Because,” and its powerhouse cover of “Do You Love Me,” but also for such singles as “Catch Us If You Can,” “Having A Wild Weekend,” and “Over and Over.”

Dave Clark has been an attentive curator of the group’s legacy and the last few years have seen a number of excellent reissues. The latest reissue is All The Hits: The 7″ Collection. The box set includes 10 seven-inch, 45 RPM releases. Rather than duplicating UK or US singles from the 1960s, these 10 records are reconfigured “double-A” sides, with newly conceived picture sleeve cover art and labels that are new BMG labels of various colors. The music was remastered at Abbey Road by Miles Showell under the supervision of Dave Clark in 2019. As can be expected, the sound quality is superb and listening to these dazzling British Invasion hits on 45-RPM, seven-inch vinyl is the way to go.

In some cases, this box set goes against the way more and more reissues are formatted. Typically, new mixes of original albums or individual tracks are presented, along with B-sides, outtakes, demos, and various studio takes. Also, album jackets, gatefolds, inner sleeves, labels, and original extras usually are preserved with great attention to detail, or in some cases are augmented with additional new materials and lavish books.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | A Detroit resident, William Odell Hughes is a much-loved street educated singer-songwriter and music composer. As a regular passenger riding to work on the Detroit East Side bus route in the early eighties, he met jazz pianist Pamela Wise who also rode the bus to work every day and who he noticed was always reading music. Pamela told him about saxophonist, clarinetist, and producer Wendell Harrison (founder of the legendary Tribe collective and a regular collaborator of Pamela Wise). She introduced Odell to Wendell, who was impressed with William’s compositions and felt that it would be a great project for release on his WenHa record label.

Hughes and Harrison began producing and recording the album to be called Cruisin’ featuring musical arrangements by both Wendell Harrison and Pamela Wise. This album (released in 1981) was the first recording for Hughes and the beginning of a long musical journey that continues to this day. Cruisin’ features an all-star line-up that includes Andrew Gibson (The Counts), Pamela Wise (Tribe) and award-winning Detroit Jazz icon Wendell Harrison…all doing their bit and making this a monster of an album!

William Odell Hughes’ debut album has all the best characteristics of an ’80s album: it’s filled with funky playful beats and has excellent soulful honey-dipped vocals. On Cruisin’ the listener is treated to both mellow soul sounds and electrifying disco boogie (that’ll make even the shyest of club goers want to get up and dance) and Wendell Harrison’s instantly recognizable flute-playing and synth pads give the record a warm, relaxed groove. Prepare yourself for funky vibes, cool soothing feet-tapping rhythms, fantastic interplays on vocal tempos…all backed by a beautiful array of soulful synthesized and cosmic music.

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The Art Ensemble of Chicago stand as one of the very greatest of all leaderless groups in the long history of jazz, in large part due to a consistently evolving sound that’s now based upon a blossoming membership. Rouge Art’s new release The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris is a wonderfully unpredictable and often thrilling excursion into the unflagging primacy of the Art Ensemble as the outfit has indeed morphed into a chamber orchestra. The limited edition 2LP appears to be rapidly dwindling in number even before the release date of January 20, so do act fast or settle for the 2CD that’s also available.

Over a half century after formation, the Art Ensemble of Chicago is making new music that not only matters but is amongst the finest exploratory jazz on the current scene. The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris continues this thoroughly unexpected turn of events, though it won’t be surprising to those who got their wigs blown back by the goodness of We Are On the Edge (A 50th Anniversary Celebration), a 2LP/2CD released in 2019 by Pi Recordings (vinyl on Erased Tapes) that captured two performances from October 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The recordings on The Sixth Decade date from February 7, 2020 (roughly a month before COVID knocked the world into a tailspin), capturing a performance at Festival Sons d’hiver, held in Maison des Arts de Créteil in Créteil, a suburb of Paris. The group, similar in line-up to the one heard on We Are on the Edge but with some key differences, features founders Roscoe Mitchell on sopranino and alto saxophones and Famoudou Don Moye on drums and percussion; the other original members, trumpeter Lester Bowie, tenor saxophonist Joseph Jarman, and bassist Malachi Favors Maghostut, have passed.

From Paris to Paris reflects a return to the place where the group began, or more appropriately, the place where they began using the name Art Ensemble of Chicago, and it was also where Moye joined in 1970. It was a productive period for the group even before Moye joined, as the Ensemble were part of a brief explosion of avant-garde jazz activity in France (by expatriates and brief visitors). The documentation of the Ensemble’s initial Paris stay (1968-’72) is in the neighborhood of 15 albums.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The set features the Dead hitting full stride with new keyboardist Brent Mydland on their fall ’79 tour, including fresh takes on some of the oldest songs in the band’s repertoire and on new tunes like the fourth ever performance of “Alabama Getaway.”

You live life long enough, you learn that the only thing that doesn’t change is that things change, and of all the bands in the rock and roll pantheon, the one that embraced change the most—even welcomed it—is indisputably the Grateful Dead. No other group experienced the same personnel turnover or carved out such a wide stylistic swath of repertoire in the course of its 30-year career. And on Road Trips Vol. 1 No. 1—Fall ’79, the Dead once again employs its unique brand of musical jiu-jitsu to emerge stronger than ever.

The five shows excerpted here display the band fully hitting its stride with new member Brent Mydland, offering fresh takes on some of the oldest songs in its library, including a boogie-fied “Dancing in the Street” (leading into “Franklin’s Tower” for one of just three times ever), a briefly reggae-fied “Morning Dew” (the only performance in a two-year span), and “Good Lovin’” winding up a medley that features a most satisfying “Wharf Rat.”

And if it’s new stuff you’re after, this Trip features the fourth performance ever of “Alabama Getaway” (the Dead was busy recording Go to Heaven during this tour). Notes by Blair Jackson accompany; mastered by Jeffrey Norman in HDCD sound. Available for the first time ever at music retail!

Remembering Robbie Bachman. —Ed.

I always wanted to be a speed-eating, eighteen-wheeling, gearjamming truck-driving man. A long haul, chicken-lights-blazing, hammer-down cowboy with a fat load and nothing to lose on the look-see for plain wrappers, Tijuana taxis, local yokels, and everything in between. Alas, my vision’s on a par with that of Jose Feliciano, and I can’t see Jack Shit without a pair of corrective lenses approximately the thickness of that of the Hubble Space Telescope. Give me weed, whites, and wine, and show me a sign, and I will run over that sign, and flatten a couple of Volkswagens for good measure. I’m pretty much deaf to boot, which is why I make such an excellent music critic.

But hey, if you can’t be a real trucker, you can always listen to trucker music, and when it comes to trucker music ain’t nobody on the road can beat Bachman Turner Overdrive. True, nobody took BTO seriously; I certainly didn’t take BTO seriously, and I actually kind of liked ‘em. But the cold hard fact is that their bland looks, complete lack of charisma, and zero hipness factor conspired against them, as did their weak good-to-bad song ratio. Over the course of a long and busy career they were able to fill but a single-LP greatest hits, and just barely at that. Indeed, it’s hardly a credit to their post-1976 output that 1976’s Best of BTO (So Far) is a stronger LP by far than 1986’s BTO’s Greatest.

A brief history: Randy Bachman was a member of Winnipeg, Manitoba’s Guess Who, left to form Brave Belt, and took on C.F. Fred Turner as a vocalist at the suggestion of fellow Canadian Neil Young. The big-voiced Turner led the struggling band in a harder rocking direction, but they remained at a loss to find a record label, being rejected 26 times. This was actually more times than I was rejected by girls I asked to the senior prom.

Then fate intervened in the form of a Mercury exec whose idea of clearing the pile of demos on his desk upon returning from a trip consisted of sweeping said demos en masse into his trashcan. One demo missed, and when the exec picked it up, he saw Bachman’s name and remembered telling him he’d be happy to listen to a demo should Bachman ever put one together. This is what is called takin’ care of business in the record business.

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