Pharoah Sanders - Jewels Of Thought

Pharoah Sanders was (yet another) pupil of Coltrane. I guess him and Eric Dolphy are the most known pupils but they both developed their own style and philosophy. Sanders decided to further the ideas of fusing jazz with its African roots and he does this marvelously well.

His music is somewhere between the border of post bop and free jazz but never crossing on either side too much. During his Impulse! period he released a series of albums highly inspired by Africa and spiritualism. Most of the tracks on those albums are20+ minute long sessions filled with all kinds of different African drums and instruments with Sander soloing like a motherfucker on top of it. His ferocity is unmatched on these albums and the Coltrane approach is highly felt and enjoyed.

Jewels Of Thought is the second album from these series and I consider this to be equally good as his most famous album, Karma, is. Just like on Karma we can enjoy the pleasant (but somewhat disturbing) yodeling of Leon Thomas. It's some kind of African chanting, I didn't dig deep to find out what it really is but it sounds like yodeling and it's awesome. This sort of singing gives this album a very pleasant feeling and serves as a bridge between the soloist parts.

All in all this is really great and highly enjoyable even for non jazz fans.

Download.

P.S. I missed the year while tagging. It's 1969 and not 1970.

McCoy Tyner - Inception

I've been listening to this guy for so much these past few months that I'm starting to have piano keys instead of my teeth. Okay, that made no sense but that's because I'm in a senseless mindset.

Largely different from the previous album that I shared Inception shows Tyner in a trio setting with just his piano, drums (Elvin Jones) and a bass (Art Davis). It was released in 1962 during which he also played with John Coltrane quartet but this actually sounds nothing like Coltranes quartet. Most of the tracks are his own compositions which I find surprising since at the time it was very popular to rework previous classics into this new thing. Inception is probably my favorite track from this album because it starts so fast and precise immediately letting you know that this guy knows his trade.

Perhaps not as good as some of his later trio albums but this one is certainly a great jazz record that Impulse put out.

Download.

Kashiwa Daisuke - 5 Dec

To cool off from all the jazz here's a polar opposite; IDM.

From the title we already know this is from Japan so naturally it's bound to be fucked up. Fucked up in a way that's listenable but all over the place. Perhaps Igorrr would be a good comparison to this album albeit Kashiwa takes on a more elegant approach to his music. By elegant I mean that it's not attacking you all the time like Igorrr does with 10 different sounds. It has a continuity and structure of carefully knitted classical music with rapid IDM beats and twitchy sounds.

The opening 7 minute song is perhaps a bit out of place? It sets a really calm mood which this album certainly does not have. The moment Requiem begins shit starts hitting the fan. Drum melodies with apocalyptic choruses and the usual twee, drrr, skree, electronic sounds. Yes, admire my reviewing vocabulary because I am the next messiah (of false promises). Although based on sampling instrumental classical instruments there are few tracks that go into some other directions and even genres. Some are hip hop instrumentals and some are mash ups of all kinds of things but they all form this pleasing sound that is present throughout the whole thing. Very enjoyable electronic music.

Download.

Neo Tokyo (迷宮物語/Meikyû Monogatari)

Length: 00:50:02
Format/Subtitles: .avi / soft English .srt subtitles
Directors:
Rintaro
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Katsuhiro Ôtomo
Year of release: 1989
Wikipedia

Neo Tokyo is a triple feature from three distinct directors. For anyone that's into anime this will probably be an enjoyable 50 minute ride. For those who are into a little more experimental or different anime they will certainly enjoy it. And who would not enjoy anything that Katsuhiro Otomo ever did? Yes, I'm a fan. :P

You can read the story synopsis on Wikipedia so I won't really bother with the details of the plot and I'll just describe my enjoyments/nonenjoyments of this triple feature. The running  theme of all three movies is that our protagonist (different in each story) by accident or on purpose discovers something fantastic and supernatural and he decides to explore this. The first part is perhaps the most surreal one and it ties (more like stitches) the plot of the whole thing into one place giving it some kind of opening and closure.

A girl plays hide and seek with cat only to discover this strange world which is basically your old school metaphor of: jobs consume people and turn them into puppets in Japan. Very punk and I especially liked the train station scene where a bunch of skeletons are desperately trying to hold onto their hooks while the train mercilessly drags them forward. The art of it is also very distinct here compared to the other two. It has a very European look (to me) and the characters seem very childish in comparison to the background environments.


The second feature is about a journalist who is doing a story about an undefeated racer who races in this death sport that is some mixture of nascar and formula 1. This segment is probably the most dark of the three and the most atmospheric in general. Most of the plot is narrated through telling and not through showing so it took me two views to understand most of it so don't get annoyed if you don't get it. Just watch it once more and you'll probably get most of it. The whole setting of it reeks of film noir cinema interplay between light and dark. The general art of this short is so reminiscent of Katsuhiro's style that I thought he directed this but it turns out Katsuhiro only did the third (and the longest I think) part.

The last kept reminding me that I need to play System Shock 2 or Bioshock. The story is placed in a industrial city deep in the amazon forest. The inhabitants are only robots who are supposed to mine some material there. Of course something went wrong and they sent someone to shut the city down. As expected the whole thing is drawn and visualized beautifully reminding me much of Akira's landscapes and towering buildings. Lot's of pipes, cables and robots swarming around which is just what I enjoy and Katshiro apparently as well. The main problem that I had with this story is perhaps its childish approach (or maybe I just expected another Akira out of this one). A minor nuisance anyway.

Just like Robot Carnival this is something really nice and overlooked (I never see any discussions about this anime) by everyone. It does not deliver a complex and deep story but it has its unique and interesting appeal which is not to be missed if you like anime. I don't really know what to say; just get this already. :P


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Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings

We all know who Louis Armstrong is, even if you aren't exploring music all that much (shame on you sir). His music and voice brings an unique atmosphere whenever it's present. I don't think the Fallout 2 intro would be so popular if his song was not present in it. Although he is/was popular there is another side of him that is often kinda overlooked by the listener. Apart from being a great showman and a singer he was also one of the best trumpet players of his time. It had a very warm and powerful sound and a really loud one. This is especially noticeable (or felt) when he plays the blues.

The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings is basically all the known recordings of Armstrong when he was still at the beginning of his career. He was fresh out of King Oliver's troupe and filled with ideas. It's still ragtime but his distinct and powerful trumpet mastery can be heard on every song and that's the joy of these recordings (at least for me). The main difference from these recordings and his later works is that he sings a lot less and obviously the compositions themselves are much more improvisational and wilder. In any case this a great collection of ragtime and hot jazz classics that any jazz fan should have (or at least listen).

Part 1
Part 2

Bunch of videos

I've been going through my youtube favorites so here's some shit to watch if you're bored:

(Cool) music videos/live performances:

Magma Discorama, French TV, June 29th 1970

Etienne de Crecy - No Brain

Himeno Nilssen-Love Marhaug @ SuperDeluxe "Oslo-Tokyo Connection"

Thunderheist - Jerk it (Contest Cut) 

Venetian Snares - Find Candace

Chopin - Heroic Polonaise Op. 53 - Arthur Rubinstein 

Inalienable_Dreamless_Demo

Let 3 - Omađijaj me

Ninjamoped / Rymdreglage - 8-bit trip

Cecilia Bartoli - Amarilli

Stars of the Lid - Tippy's Demise 

Bruno Return as an Animal

Rosa Crux Live 04

James Blackshaw

Priscilla Ahn - Dream (Official Video)

kafanska metallica

Trencher - "Mouth to Anus"

Stravinsky Firebird-Suite, Maria Mazo, piano

Kid606 - The Illness

つしまみれ／タイムラグ【PV】

Autechre - plyPhon

Flairs - Truckers Delight

Duracell - One man 8-bit band

Wait, what?:

Chainsaw Maid

Pistol Shrimp

Hokuto no Ken Parodies

Kenshiro vs. Tank

Malice in Wonderland

Retro Zelda Commercial

Cannibal Corpse-Hammer Smashed Face(Radio Disney Version)

じゃがたら (JAGATARA)

MARUOSA　ACA - 文化 directed by セキン

You've got to SEA this - Walking frog fish

Best action scene of all time

David Lynch's A Goofy Movie

Miracle Beer Diet

Hitler Trick Bike

Live jazz performances: 

McCoy Tyner - 1974 - Walk Spirit,Talk Spirit part 1 and 2

Rahsaan Roland Kirk plays 3 saxes flute at once

Bill Evans Trio - Some Day My Prince Will Come - 19 Mar 65

Dave Brubeck Quartet Blue Rondo à la Turk

Moanin' - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: Bobby Timmons, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan 

A Night in Tunisia - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - 1959 with Lee Morgan & Wayne Shorter

Billie Holiday and Lester Young: Fine and Mellow

Richie Cole Quintet - Yard Bird Suite

Harry James Buddy Rich Two O'clock Jump

John Zorn - Gevurah 

Cinematography:

1947 - Are You Popular?

How to Imagine the Tenth Dimension 

Duke Ellington dreaming

Benny Goodman--What's My Line 

Duke Ellington on "What's My Line?"

Le Paysagiste NFBC Jacques Drouin, 1976

WheelChair Back Flip

Monty Python Talks About... Music

Anti-Sweden vs SUNN O)))

The Cat Piano

R2 Chorus Line

TNG episode 15 - "That Jean-Luc Picard"

Comedian Movie Trailer 

Danse Serpentine - Loie Fuller

The Corpus Clock & Chronophage

Necros are the best race in WH 40k

 

This brings so much nostalgia from high school. Countless sleepless nights searching for weird/funny music videos. Ah, the good old days.

Shit's hilarious.

Lääz Rockit - Know Your Enemy

When summer comes along we often search for something merry and catchy to listen. I guess, the weather affects us that way or a gigantic turtle or something else. We all strive for this nice feeling of listening to catchy music and enjoying that light breeze. Feels good. For my preference I always enjoy putting on some old school thrash or punk. No particular reason; they just give me that summery feeling.

When it comes to the catchy riffs and hooks Laaz is probably somewhere at the top of the heap. Highly underrated and overlooked USA thrash band that was active during the 80s but continued on dying through the 90s. Know Your Enemy is definitely my favorite album they released along with No Stranger To Danger. It's packed with great riffs, decent vocals, interestingly catchy arrangements and a heavy dose of Judas Priest worship.

Download.

Youtube?

McCoy Tyner - Sahara

McCoy Tyner was perhaps most known for his collaboration with John Coltrane. He played on many of his records (I guess most famous "session" would be My Favorite Things) but he also had a really vast and diverse career of his own.

Sahara was recorded in 1972 during his second period (after he left his bebop roots and started to explore what Coltrane popularized). It was also the first album he did for Milestones after he left Blue Note and it never hurts to mention this is his best selling album plus it was nominated for a Grammy. So yeah, aside from the hype this really is some great jazz which is pretty much essential stuff in my book.

Aside from playing the piano, Tyner also plays koto and percussion on this album which gives it an oriental/middle east feel that Coltrane would always strive for during his late period. Although being a multi-instrumentalist he shines the most on his main instrument which is the piano. I especially enjoy the solo second track, A Prayer For My Family, that features only him doing what he does best. As the album goes it sort of goes more free and free but it does not divulge into free jazz wankery all that much, it stays in the boundaries of post-bob melodies and solos. The album ends with an exceptional +20 minute track called Sahara that starts practically formless but as it develops it gradually gets its epic form and structure featuring solos from practically every instrument that's present on the track (dat bass solo in the middle rips my face off every time I hear it).

All in all, this is really great stuff. If you like jazz I warmly recommend it.

Download.

Suehiro Maruo - Yume No Q-saku

Hey, that ninja looks familiar from somewhere hmm.

Anyways, more Maruo! Yume No Q-saku was his second manga that he published, back in 1982 and it deals mostly with relationships; in a Maruo way of relationships. And by that I mean having someones ripped eyeball in a vagina being licked. Absurd as he usually is this manga is filled with batshit insane characters and unusual fetishes. Most of the stories here are new (new, as in not found in other of his works that I uploaded here) aside from Sewer Boy and Shit Soup but they debuted on this volume. As I have mentioned before all of the stories are based on some kind of relationship, gay or otherwise. I still find Sewer Boy to be one of his best hilariously best stories that he ever made but others are great/funny/grotesque as well while a few of them (the first story for me) fall flat and turn out completely unimaginative.

Also, there's a "break" at around the middle of the book with some tasty two page art which showcases Maruo's talent.

All in all I enjoyed this a lot but not in the measure of, say, New National Kid or Rose Colored Monster. Still good and still disgusting. Enjoy.

Download.

Art Tatum - Trio

There were many pianists in jazz throughout the times and periods but only a few attained the nickname of "God". Perhaps a little bit overrated among pianists but certainly one of the best was Art Tatum. What made him so famous and respected was the fact that he had a very distinct style of playing. This was because of his blindness and also that he used to practice on an organ that was meant for two players. I guess the most distinct factor in his playing technique would be playing this interval patched between the melodies that sounds like a whole scale is played in between each riff. I'm not really in a position to discuss music theory since I'm not very apt at it but he certainly makes my mind explode with his playing.

The album I'm sharing is probably just some random compilation, I don't know the name of nor when it was released but it does not really matter. The songs are mostly performed in trios but some quartet recordings are also present here. Guitar, piano, double bass and drums is what I hear the most. I don't know the players either. Most of the songs are standards (if not all) but are mangled and reinvented by Tatum's wonderful improvisation and imagination. I assume this was recorded during the swing heyday due to the repertoire of the songs. Moonglow, Honeysuckle Rose, I Got Rhythm,  Flying Home etc. etc. all indicate it was recorded in the 40s. Not sure though. I'm sharing this particular release because this one piqued my interest in Art Tatum's art so it might work the same on you. If not, well, it's your loss. :P

Link no longer available.

Dernière Volonté - Devant Le Miroir

Here's something that is a first of its kind on this blog. Dernière Volonté is supposedly something called "military pop" but I'm not really sure if that's a credible genre; at least it's not for now. Maybe it's just a transitional name for more poppy and catchy type of martial industrial music. Who knows? In any case I'm not all that knowledgeable about this so I'll just shut my mouth right here. At least for a moment.

As I have hinted already this is catchy pop in a more militaristic/neofolk~ish fashion. Along with the visual militarist fashion this also counts in music. Military drums, rhythms and such all play an important role here but they do not deviate into pure martial industrial in vein of Arditi and the similar. Except in a track or two which are probably tracks that didn't make it into the previous album. Or something like that, I'm just guessing because the previous one is much more "industrialized". This is dark and it's cold, it does not retain the usual warmth of music that pop provides. And I think this is really good and is holds an interestingly unique look on this sort of music.

Check it out if you want to experience something a bit different.

Download.

Oh and also check out his side project called Position Parallèle which is apparently a lot similar to this album. I haven't heard it yet so I'm no position to propose an opinion of it.

Alarm Will Sound - Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin

As much as electronic music in general (especially more experimental) to me sounds inhuman and machine-like Alarm Will Sound pretty much convinced me that it can also be just as much as warm as is, say, folk or something similarly mellow like that.

Alarm Will Sound is a project in which a full blown professional 20 member orchestra plays Aphex Twin tunes and they play them extremely well and precise. They also have other albums where they play music from other contemporary artists but I think this is their most interesting work of art. The only non-orchestral instrument they use is drums for obvious reasons (as much as I like timpani I don't really think they would be able to work here) but other than that it's violins, tubas, trumpets, harps and everything else Aphex Twin sampled they transformed it to an acoustic sound. They play a wide arrangement of Richards tunes but they are mainly from Drukqs. Some mellow tracks and some really dissonant ones, you get a bit of everything.

If you like Aphex Twin you should really get this if you don't have it already. If you like dissonant contemporary classical music then you should get this as well.

Tracklist:

#	Song	Arrangements by	Original album	Length
1	"Cock/ver 10"	Stefan Freund	Drukqs (2001)	5:14
2	"Logon Rock Witch"	Jonathan Newman	Richard D. James Album (1996)	3:28
3	"Meltphace 6"	Payton MacDonald	Drukqs (2001)	6:20
4	"Blue Calx"	Caleb Burhans	Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994)	7:14
5	"Fingerbib"	Jonathan Newman	Richard D. James Album (1996)	3:49
6	"Gwely Mernans"	Ken Thomson	Drukqs (2001)	4:57
7	"4"	Jessica Johnson & Payton MacDonald	Richard D. James Album (1996)	3:31
8	"Prep Gwarlek 3b"	Courtney Orlando	Drukqs (2001)	1:08
9	"Omgyjya-Switch7"	Evan Hause	Drukqs (2001)	5:08
10	"Track 01" (aka "[cliffs]")	Caleb Burhans	Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994)	7:20
11	"Jynweythek Ylow"	John Orfe	Drukqs (2001)	2:29
12	"Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount"	John Orfe & Payton MacDonald	Drukqs (2001)	3:41
13	"Avril 14th"	John Pickford Richards	Drukqs (2001)	1:58

Download.

Summer!

Holidays! Fucking finally. Well, almost finally since I still have one more final exam next week and 15 days of internship work. But in any case I've been a busy little aggressive tumor while I was partially absent from the netsphere by continually uploading things. Mainly music because I had really little to time to read any comics but I'm reading a certain great European comic which I'll post/pseudo review as soon as I finish it. Starting from tomorrow this place will get a lot more lively.
 
So what mangas have you guys been reading? I've been out of the loop for a while so I'd appreciate some tasty manga recommendations. Cyberpunk or otherwise.