ZZYRUS

V/A – Tumbélé! Biguine, afro & latin sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-74

2009-12-16T12:37:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to point out the existence of this amazing new compilation of 1960s-70s tunes from Martinique and Guadeloupe. I’ve been listening to it non-stop for days now and it’s been doing a pretty good job of warding away the winter gloom. I don’t want to upload the whole thing since it’s fairly new, but here are a few songs to check out. Mediafire/megaupload are fairly easy to find. Or you can choose to be a good person and buy it here.

Manzè Mona – Raphaël Zachille
D’Leau Coco – Les Leopards
Dima Bolane – Le Ry-co Jazz

Matingueiros – Pluri (2008)

2009-12-16T12:01:00.005-05:00

A music and dance troupe from northeastern Brazil. My Portuguese is a little rusty and I had a hard time finding info online, but I really like their tunes. Check out their website for pictures.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NV82JU66

Sadhu Sadhu – Live at the Hideout (2009)

2009-12-16T11:27:00.004-05:00

Sadhu Sadhu are a noisy psych-rock three-piece from Chicago. This is a live recording that they released as a cassette/CD-R a while ago.
I guess monolithic is the key word when describing their sound. They’ll find a big groove and stick to it with few permutations throughout an entire song. The dramatic guitar riffs, hypnotic basslines and lurching rhythms remind me of a lot of 70s and 80s music that I like. Like a lot of sweet bands from that era, their music is bleak and somewhat devoid of colour, while at the same time hypnotic and exhilarating.
Their Myspace page says that they’re in the studio working on an album. This excites me. While I did enjoy listening to this, it’s a fairly messy recording, hard to hear a lot of what’s going on. I’d really like to hear what these guys can pull off with some actual production.

http://www.mediafire.com/?qtgzkqn5n2r

http://www.myspace.com/sadhusadhu

Boban Markovic Orkestar – Live in Belgrade (2002)

2009-10-19T14:30:00.006-04:00

Gypsy brass band music is characterized by rapturous arrangements stuffed with beautiful, yet rocking, melodies against an often-pounding low-end harmonic backdrop, which, in spite of all the dizzying intensity, remains as Frank London describes it, “the unmistakable essence of funk.” (http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/)

http://www.mediafire.com/?ywynjwy4fmz

Joe Meek

2009-10-16T13:18:00.016-04:00

Joe Meek may well be the most important pop music producer there ever was. That’s not to say that he’s particularly popular or influential. Or that he ever recorded any kind of classic album. Admitedy, most of his recordings heard today sound somewhat cheesy and dated. But his legacy lies not so much in the quality of the music he produced, but in the way he revolutionized production itself.

In the late 50s and early 60s, when producers were almost always employees of the big labels, Meek was probably the first one to truly go independent. Back then recording was more about science than art, and these record company studios were inhabited by men wearing white coats who followed strict guidelines in attempting to replicate real life sounds as accurately as they could. Meek, however, was determined to explore new ideas and experiment with audio recording equipment. He chose to bypass working for the companies, and set up his own little independent studio above a hand-bag store in London. There, he set to work building all sorts of crazy contraptions, pioneering effects such as reverb, echo and compression. These tools, together with his unorthodox recording techniques (sampling found sounds, tape splicing, multitracking…) became his trademarks, and he was thus probably the first record producer to develop a signature sound.

All of this is on display in I Hear A New World, a 1960 album that he billed as an “Outer Space Music Fantasy”. Inspired by the then-nascent space programme, it’s a mostly instrumental record that tries to imagine what music would be like on the Moon (I guess folks back then still thought there might be Moon-people). Half a decade before George Martin began experimenting with tape loops on Beatles records, Meek’s vision was already fully realized, and the sounds and studio effects heard on I Hear A New World heralded the psychedelic era.

By the early 60s he had become an in-demand producer, and several of his tunes went to the top of the UK sales charts. The spacy Tornados instumental “Telstar” is particularly noted for being the first British record to hit #1 in the States. But by the mid 60s, despite big name producers like Phil Spector and George Martin praising him and admitting to his influence on their own work, he was clearly falling behind on what was hip. His records (which were still basically light pop music and often instrumental) lacked the depth of Dylan or Beatles albums, and the hits stopped rolling in. He sank into severe dept, which together with his personal problems (drug use, depression, extreme paranoia, being flamboyantly gay in a time when homosexuality was still illegal in Britain) led him to end his life in a distrubing murder-suicide.

I’ve included I Hear A New World and a couple of my favourite compilations. The first one has most of his big hits, and I suppose is a good place to start. The other one compiles a bunch of tunes he recorded with female artists and girl groups. Not as far-out with the production, but some really nice catchy songs.

Also, if you’re interested, you can watch the recent biopic Telstar for free over here. It’s pretty neat. Kind of intense; mostly deals with his being a crazy jackass and brutalizing everyone around him. Good acting though.

I Hear a New World (1960)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ztymhvtzymo

It's Hard to Believe: The Amazing World of Joe Meek (1995)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zgztmj2yggd

Let's Go! Joe Meek's Girls (1996)

http://www.mediafire.com/?idk3tznzqzo

Holden – The Idiots Are Winning (2006)

2009-09-24T11:47:00.005-04:00

"Here, aesthetically at least, Loveless and “Windowlicker” collide at exquisite velocity... His buccaneering, semi-slapdash approach gives these tracks stacks of personality, and he excels at interpreting current ideas in new and fascinating ways. On masterful opener “Lump” and its sisters “10101” and “Idiot”, he seduces with vogueish minimal sounds before unfolding wave upon curdled wave of woozy euphoric grunge." (Piers Martin, Uncut)

http://www.mediafire.com/?wtdkumz44go

Mix #3

2009-09-22T02:02:00.009-04:00

Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm a DJ.

Eurythmics – Love is a Stranger
Gold Panda – Quitters Ragga
Virgin Prunes – Yeo
Jackson 5 – Pride and Joy
Daniel Rossen – Waterfall
Boris – Tokyo Wonderland
Fripp & Eno – Evening Star
Atlas Sound (with Noah Lennox) – Walkabout
Church Triumphant of Jah Rastafari And Haile Selassie I Theocracy – Fire Burn
Davy Graham – She Moved Through the Fair
Jean Yves Tourbin – Tiens, voila la Lune
Chihei Hatakeyama – Starlight Reflecting on the Surface of the River
OOIOO – KONJO
Sly Dunbar – Herb
The Louvin Brothers – My Brother’s Will
Tim Hecker – Harmony in Blue I & II
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Mysteries

http://www.mediafire.com/?ninztqldtty

African Head Charge – Songs of Praise (1991)

2009-08-17T13:09:00.006-04:00

I’m a pretty big fan of just about everything I've heard off of Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound record label, and this is probably my favourite so far. African Head Charge usually gets classified as a dub or reggae band, but there's a lot more to them than that. Bandleader Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah was supposedly inspired by the cultural cut-and-paste of Brian Eno’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts album, and by his vision of a psychedelic Africa. On this record he tried to reconcile the traditional with the modern; setting African, Jamaican and occasionally Western Asian religious chanting to multilayered and heavily effected rhythms that are informed by dub music.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wwihizojmzd

Jorge Ben – África Brasil (1976)

2009-08-17T12:44:00.005-04:00

Summer’s winding down, but it looks like we’ve still got plenty of hot smoggy days ahead of us (at least in my neck of the woods). So here’s an appropriate soundtrack, a steaming heap of Brazilian funk courtesy of Jorge Ben.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2zwj5tyjhda

Sibylle Baier – Colour Green (2006)

2009-08-14T13:47:00.002-04:00

German songstress records a stunning collection of intimate acoustic ruminations in the early 70s and keeps them locked away in her closet for some 35 odd years, until they are compiled by her son and handed over to J. Mascis, who in turn passes them on to the people at Orange Twin Records.

http://www.mediafire.com/?jjzj1tjgymt

V/A-Take the Subway to Your Suburb (1993)

2009-08-02T17:41:00.008-04:00

I have really been digging this compilation the past few days. To be honest I hadn't heard of the Subway Organization until a few weeks ago although I have been listening to a lot of their artists contemporaries for years like Primal Scream, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Felt. I guess the first time I heard anything from the Subway Organization was the Shop Assistants compilation "Will Anything Happen", even though they don't appear on this I would recommend checking them out. If you are into any of the bands earlier output I mentioned above than you will probably be kicking yourself as hard as I was for not finding out about the Subway Organization sooner. Apparently the label was active between the years of 1986 to 1989 releasing a bunch of great and underrated singles and full lengths by bands like the Shop Assistants, the Flatmates, the Rosehips and the Chesterfields. There is not a ton of information available about these bands or the label in general but anyone who takes the time to check them out will recognize a commitment to timeless pop songwriting as well as the incorporation of some of the best parts of modern Rock and Roll. From what I have read the Subway Organization kind of reminds me of Flying Nuns formative years, not just in sound but in the way it was run. If a certain track on this compilation stands out I would recommend keeping your eyes peeled because a lot of them are still in print on CD. Like a lot of my favorite musical phenomenon, it sounds like the Subway Organization was doomed from the get go to only exist a short time but from the looks of the amount of quality records they released they used their time wisely.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?5ntnjkqnnw2

Broadcast - Tender Buttons (2005)

2009-07-09T13:09:00.007-04:00

This record recently found its way back to my turntable after a few year long absence. I remember being really excited when "Tender Buttons" was released, luckily I was living around the block from an amazing record store so I could grab a copy on my way home from class. Although this is probably not their most popular record it is my favorite by far. Supposedly they are working on their fourth record right now but I haven't really heard anything about it. The music on this record is mostly electronic but it has a really heavy sixties pop influence. In this case the cold electronics and warm pop influences create a surprisingly organic sound. If you like this record I recommend looking into whatever else you can get your hands on by them. All of their records are great from start to finish and they have tons of EPs and singles out there which are all good.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?5gymzy33mzz

People Take Warning: Muder Ballads & Disaster Songs, 1913-1938

2009-07-07T18:21:00.004-04:00

I'm going to be in Europe for the next few weeks, so there won't be much posting going on here. But here's a parting gift, a wonderful collection of early 20th century songs of misery and paranoia.

Hope everyone has a good month of July.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T9F6DI0C

Just a quick little post here. More stuff to come soon.

2009-07-02T18:36:00.005-04:00

I’ve been listening to a lot of old blues/roots music lately and figured I’d share some. So here are Barbecue Bob and Clifton Chenier.

Barbecue Bob – Chocolate To The Bone (1992)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=J1VSDQML

Clifton Chenier – Louisiana Blues And Zydeco (1965)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4RU3JNED

Richard Manuel – Whispering Pines: Live at the Getaway 1985

2009-06-26T14:35:00.015-04:00

"Richard Manuel was a whole show unto himself. He was hot. He was about the best singer I'd ever heard; most people said he reminded them of Ray Charles. He'd do those ballads, and the ladies would swoon. To me that became the highlight of our show."--Levon Helm

"He brought a lot of powers and strengths to the group. He brought in gospel music from his church upbringing. Plus, he loved to play and just come up with new things. It was like having a force of nature in the band."--Rick Danko

"Richard not only had the voice, he had this great rhythmic feel..."--Garth Hudson

While Robbie Robertson was their public face and Levon Helm sang all their big hits, there is no doubt that Richard Manuel was the Band’s heart and soul. His tale, though not atypical the annals of rock music, is a sad one: An enormously talented singer and musician, worshiped by fans and peers alike while somehow managing to remain genuinely modest and unassuming, he was nevertheless driven to despair by decades of drink and drug abuse, finally hanging himself in a cheap motel room following a gig early in 1986.

This album, the only one to be released under his name so far, captures an intimate live performance in the town of Saugerties, New York, five months before his death. His voice by now is hoarse and crackly, and the electric piano he plays has an annoyingly sharp sound, but he still manages to put in some absolutely stirring performances. The set includes songs he played with the Band and a bunch of R&B standards (including a few of his idol Ray Charles’ songs). Rick Danko guests on a couple of tracks, providing charmingly sloppy harmonies on “I Shall Be Released” and "Tears of Rage".

Then there’s a touching moment when someone in the audience calls for “Whispering Pines”, his haunting falsetto showcase off of the Band’s self-titled record, to which he chuckles and replies “I don’t know if I can hit that one”. He accepts the request after a bit of goading, but only after asking the audience to hum along if he screws up. The song is probably the highlight of this disk: a bit hoarse, a little off at times, but overflowing with emotion (that last line pretty much sums up the entire set).

While maybe not a great album in itself, this is an essential document, not only of the man’s substantial raw talent but also of his genuine kindness and modesty. If you didn’t know any better, the goofy, self-effacing banter between songs would make you think he were just playing a batch of tunes for a bunch of friends.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NSCSW4DK

V/A - I Learned It All the Hard Way (2007)

2009-06-25T17:24:00.009-04:00

I just wanted to give you a quick introduction before I start posting here. My name is Matt and as I have read ZZYRUS in the past I have came across many records here that I never heard of but quickly became favorites as well as a good amount of records that I already own and love. Hopefully you will find that my posts compliment the quality sounds already discussed here.

This is probably my favorite tape that I have come across in the whole Mississippi Records tape series. I have heard there are around twenty eight volumes out there. This particular tape is titled "I Learned It All the Hard Way" and its a collection of early soul music. If you are familiar with Mississippi records you know that everything they put out is amazing due to their dedication to rescuing of out of print and hard to find obscurities and hand assembled artwork. I think the first time I heard of Mississippi Records was in an article where Jason Pierce of Spiritualized/Spacemen 3 was profiling several of their records that he considered his favorites out of their catalogue. I even remember that the author of the article included a little scene from hanging out with Mr. Spaceman during their interview in which Pierce was playing the records and holding their sleeves in the air proclaiming his love for them. Another thing that I especially like about the tape series is that all of the tracks are hand picked which to me seems like kind of a stark contrast to what Mississippi records has done in the past. Usually I find their releases so interesting because they stay devoted to giving a true representation of the original record. It almost feels like they give you a second chance to buy records in their original form that you might have missed. I know that in the past they have released compilations containing songs that might not have appeared on the same record like The Clean anthology and The True Story of Abner Jay but I feel like the tapes in this series give us a more intimate glimpse of the record collections and collectors behind Mississippi Records. Some of the songs on this record might be familiar and some you have never heard before making it really fun to listen to anytime.

V/A - I Learned It All the Hard Way

New Contributor

2009-06-25T17:19:00.002-04:00

Welcome Matt.

Be sure to check out his site, Pacific Radio Fire. Lots of cool stuff to be found there.

Can – Future Days (1973)

2009-06-22T15:26:00.011-04:00

Probably Can’s mellowest album; a surprising direction after the Stockhausen-inspired garage rock of Tago Mago and chaotic future-funk of Ege Bamyasi. The album is made up of four long, hypnotic tracks that are founded on repetition, slowly expanding and contracting in a way similar to ambient music. The ambient music comparison is deceiving though, because while the songs here are easy to zone out to, they're really dense and packed with ideas.

It’s also the last Can record to feature vocalist Damo Suzuki. He doesn't figure as prominently here as on previous albums, but does put in some really strong performances. And while his vocals on earlier albums consist mostly of rambling and bellowing like a rabid homeless person, here he matches the laid-back music with some really pretty and understated singing.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2humzzz24zf

In Heaven and You – Vena Cava Parts I & II (2008)

2009-06-21T23:42:00.006-04:00

Here’s a reader submission that I’ve been enjoying quite a bit. In Heaven and You are a group from Washington D.C. that play brooding, nocturnal folkish tunes. Emotive vocals and nimble, accomplished fingerpicked guitar that occasionally erupts into cascading flamenco-like passages. Check it out.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?z4tqzqngyte

Hideo Shiraki Quintet + 3 Koto Girls – Sakura Sakura (1965)

2009-06-21T21:26:00.007-04:00

Here’s a really cool little Japanese jazz record that I found on Soulseek a while ago. The band is led by drummer Hideo Shiraki and features three girls playing the koto, which makes for an interesting combination of sounds. The kotos tend weave in and out of the mix, figuring prominently on only a couple of tracks (notably “Sakura Sakura”).
Most of these tracks are done in a sort of airy hard bop style, though there are also some definite modal Miles Davis-ish influences (parts of the last track “Suwa” sounds eerily similar to “So What” off of Kind of Blue).
Anyway, it’s a pretty good album. Great drums, really spirited trumpet playing, and an interesting melding of musical traditions. Recommended.

http://www.mediafire.com/?n0ku4ohm2qt

BT – This Binary Universe (2006)

2009-06-20T17:04:00.004-04:00

Here’s an electronic album that just about anyone can enjoy. It covers a lot of ground, effortlessly shifting from ambient soundscapes and ephemeral melodies to jazzy breakbeat passages, to full blown orchestral workouts, often all within the same track. It’s more about ambience than anything else and works really well as background music, but also rewards attentive headphones sessions.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NXU6KJUD

Sandy Denny – Sandy (1972)

2009-06-20T16:55:00.017-04:00

Since I posted those Fairport Convention albums I figured I might as well post some Sandy Denny. For those unfamiliar, it’s pretty much accepted fact that she was the best female singer of her era. She spent little more than a year with Fairport, over which time they recorded three (!) classic albums. She's also credited as the driving force behind the band’s shift to playing electrified versions of British folk songs (which they are still doing to this day). Ironically, she left the band mere months after the recording of their classic Liege & Lief in 1969, having quickly grown tired of that style of music, and wanting to write more songs of her own. Between 1970 and her accidental death in early 1978, she recorded a series of stunning albums, none of them commercially successful despite tons of critical praise.

This one here is her second album, generally considered to be the best of the bunch. I don’t know if I agree with that, but it’s definitely the easiest one to get in to. The songs are all solid and there’s plenty of variety (acoustic folk, melancholy pop, country, blue-eyed soul), the production is glossy but uncluttered, and the singing is spectacular as usual.
Guest musicians include “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow of the Flying Burrito Bros, who peppers a couple of tracks with his trademark fuzzy pedal steel; and former Fairport bandmates Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick, who plays a haunting fiddle solo in the otherwise a capella take on Richard Farina’s “Quiet Joys of Brotherhood”.
Anyway, a really nice little album, and a good entry point if you’ve been wanting to get in to her music.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9J8YRSTR (11-15 are bonus tracks)

El-P – Fantastic Damage (2002)

2009-06-20T16:42:00.007-04:00

One of my favourite producers of late. His newest album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is pretty sweet too, but I think I prefer this one.
While hip hop producers generally tend to mine the past (sampling records from the 60s and 70s) and often aim for a lo-fi aesthetic, this album has a definite futurist feel to it. The beats are dense, cold and relentless, with lots of harsh robotic sounds and bleepity-blooping synth lines. The vocals are typically delivered at a rapid-fire pace. I have a hard time telling what he’s talking about, but he sounds pretty pissed most of the time. Anyway, it's really nice stuff. Check it out.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0YBPRJBP

Volcano – S/T (2004)

2009-06-19T01:24:00.005-04:00

I was going through my old CDs looking for “summery” albums, and stumbled upon this, an old one-off band headed by Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets and former Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh.
This was a really low-key release, with a limited pressing distributed online through Little Dog Records. If memory serves me well, I was having trouble with my Paypal account, so they offered to send it over free of charge. Really nice people over at Little Dog.
Anyway, except for the thick guitar riffage of the first track, it’s a fairly straightforward little pop album, with some country and light reggae overtones. Nothing too cerebral, but pretty fun and groovy, with kind of a nostalgic 90s-ish vibe to it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mrom55tnoz0

Fairport Convention – Full House (1970) & House Full (1976)

2009-06-16T20:50:00.026-04:00

By calling Fairport an English equivalent to the Band, I meant that they have soaked up enough of the tradition of their countryfolk that it begins to show all over, while they still maintain their roots in rock. If you’ve ever been thrilled by British folk music (and if you haven’t, perhaps it’d be worth looking into), you’ll love Full House immediately. If not, it’ll probably take a little time, but it’ll be well worth the wait.
(Ed Ward, Rolling Stone, 1970)

Fairport Convention’s early years can best be described as a sequence of transitional periods. The years 1968 to 1970 saw a dizzying amount of line-up changes, stylistic shifts, and personal tragedy (a deadly post-gig van crash after which they nearly called it quits). In that span of two years they also managed to record several classic albums, each with it’s own distinct vibe due to the revolving door of key band members. While their early sound was inspired by West Coast psychedelia and singer-songwriters like Dylan, Richard Farina and Joni Mitchell, they gradually abandoned those influences in favour of a repertoire of electrified British folk songs. This culminated in the 1969 recording of Liege & Lief, by far their most celebrated album. That record (which I’ll admit I find it a little bit underwhelming) was touted as the birth of British folk-rock, and was highlighted by the celestial tones of singer Sandy Denny, and by spirited arrangements of traditional songs like “Tam Lin” and “Matty Groves”, till then unknown in the rock world.

The general consensus seems to be that the three records they released in 1969 (What We Did On Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking and Liege & Lief) are the band’s best, and that what followed was a slow and steady decline. Certainly, the departure of Sandy Denny (their key attraction at that point) was a major blow, and the band’s infatuation with esoteric traditional material ensured that it wouldn’t have much more than a cult following. Still, they released plenty of solid albums in the 70s, most of which made little impact at the time, and are today only beginning to be rediscovered. Case in point: Pitchfork reviewed the reissues of What We Did On Our Holidays and Unhalfbricking, giving them high ratings of 8.8 and 9.3 respectively, without so much as mentioning the 10 or so other albums of theirs that had also been reissued.

One particularly overlooked period of their history (though cherished by diehard fans) is what is referred to as the “Full House era”. This alludes to both the album, Full House, which followed Liege & Lief; and to the line-up that recorded it, which was revered for its instrumental prowess and spectacular shows.

While this album lacks both the diversity of their earlier ones and Denny' breathtaking voice, I would argue that it’s probably their best. It is simply in a world of its own. It's timeless in the truest sense, sounding at once ancient and modern. A seemingly simple album that’s charming in its humility, but surprisingly powerful when it wants to be.
Compared to Liege & Lief it sounds less affected - earthier maybe. It might have to do with the singing, which, following Denny's departure, was taken up by the previously non-singing instrumentalists. The voices are rough and plain, but work well with this kind of material. The performances are jaunty and hard-edged, but you can tell that the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. While maybe not as important as its predecessor, the album is definitely a lot more fun. It’s also among the most hard rocking and viscerally satisfying records of the band’s career, in no small part due to the chemistry between demon-fiddler David Swarbrick and impossibly-talented-beyond-his-years guitarist Richard Thompson.
Their duets on the jigs and reels are always impressive, even when those tracks last a minute or two longer than they should. The album’s centerpiece is definitely “Sloth”, a cryptic little anti-war dirge punctuated by ferocious group improvisations. An epic slow-burning track, it combines power and finesse in a way that manages to keep you riveted throughout its nine-minute length.

House Full, a live album recorded in 1970 at the Troubadour in LA, captures the band in peak form. This 12 minute long take on “Sloth” is even more beastly than the album version, with plenty of tense build-ups, jagged, downright frightening guitar improvisations, and apocalyptic drum rolls. Good stuff. Other highlights include a spirited version of “Matty Groves” (to this day their most popular song), a poignant take on the stately pipe song “Battle of the Somme”, and a goofy little exotica track, “Yellow Bird”.
These records probably aren’t for everyone, but I recommend doing what the Rolling Stone guy said at the top of this post. Give a couple of listens and see if they grow on you. They're definitely worth it.

Full House (1970)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VLLJSHBM (9-12 are bonus tracks)

House Full (1976)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DCM6RI40

Charles Mingus

2009-06-15T01:30:00.009-04:00

The Mingus megapost. It’s been a long time coming. Here are my five favourite albums of his. It’s late in the evening and I’m too tired to bother writing a rambling paragraph about why these albums are important, so here’s a bunch of haikus instead:

Tijuana Moods (1957, Released in 1962)

Feeling uninspired?
Rowdy trip to Tijuana
Write songs about it

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=76948D7M

Mingus Ah Um (1959)

Gospel shouts and stomps
Holy shit, the melodies…
Overflowing soul

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DRZUH182

Oh Yeah (1962)

Now it’s time to sing
Nuclear war on my mind
Roland Kirk, you’re nuts

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0H12WNA8

The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady (1963)

A free-jazz ballet?
Voices from the depths of Hell
Peaceful interludes

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=34P2O9K5

Let My Children Hear Music (1972)

Latter day big band
Classical music can swing
Probably his best

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=07F0MF4V

Gaudi & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Dub Qawwali (2007)

2009-06-12T14:03:00.006-04:00

The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the most celebrated Qawwali singer in the history of recorded music, getting a remix treatment of sorts at the hands of London-based producer and dub music enthusiast Gaudi.
On paper this sounds like it would be a disaster. The appeal of Nusrat’s early recordings is in the looseness of the arrangements: bare-bones harmonium, tabla and handclapped rhythms, over which his and his group’s voices are able to soar clear and unobstructed. Gaudi’s recent work, however, favours dense, new-agey arrangements. But, surprisingly, the combination here works pretty well. The album is organic and lush, without in any way sounding contrived or gimmicky. Gaudi’s skanky electronic dub rhythms are a great fit for the mellow but passionate vocal performances, which were culled from unused recording sessions from the 60s and 70s. If you want a more authentic Nusrat experience, you can find his Shahen-Shah album in the archives here. But don’t pass this one by, it’s surprisingly good.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GJ4HNQ50

Hector Berlioz – Requiem (Grande Messe des Morts) (Ainsley-Dutoit-Montreal Symphony Orchestra, 1999)

2009-06-12T13:57:00.012-04:00

When I was around 19 or 20 I went through a phase of being totally obsessed with sacred choral music, namely classical composers’ renditions of the Latin Mass. I’m not particularly religious, but there’s something about this kind of stuff that really gets to me: the emotional intensity, the humility, hope and longing simultaneously expressed by so many voices. It somehow makes me feel better about humanity. Among my favourites were Verdi’s Requiem and Mozart’s amazing unfinished Mass in C minor (which you might remember from that famous scene in Amadeus). But for my money, it’s Hector Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts that stands out as the most intense, over-the-top, transcendental work in the genre.

Commissioned by the French government to write a piece in memory of the soldiers killed in the July Revolution of 1830, the flamboyant young composer decided to pull out all the stops and set up as “big” a performance as was humanly possible. Berlioz was among the first composers to put a lot of thought in acoustics, the matching of space and sonority, and wanted the arrangement and orchestration to contribute as much to the overall experiences as the notes that were being sung and played. Knowing that it would be premiered at Les Invalides, the giant-domed cathedral of the military hospital in Paris, his aim here was to create a huge block of three-dimensional sound that would wash over and completely overwhelm the audience. The orchestra and choir were accordingly large. The arrangement calls for roughly 400 performers, including 210 singers, 4 brass enssembles, more than a hundred strings (including 18 double basses), 18 timpanis and two bass drums.
Despite the logistical difficulties of such a large-scale performance (and a bitter, resentful conductor who went out of his way to sabotage the premiere), the Requiem was a resounding success and established itself as the highlight of the composer's patchy (but often brilliant) career.

This is a recording of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutoit. It’s probably not the best one out there, and for some reason has a reputation for being a slightly “colder” performance than others. I think it’s pretty good though. But then again, I don’t really know anything about classical music recordings, so what would I know.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7P3TEGZO

Jay Bennett – Whatever Happened I Apologize (2008)

2009-06-12T01:30:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to point out that his final album Whatever Happened I Apologize is available for free download here. It's quite good.

Rest in peace.

Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (1975)

2009-06-10T17:51:00.004-04:00

"Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares" is an ensemble of a rare artistic gift and enormous popular appeal. Its story is a story of a success. Created fifty years ago, its goal was to enrich the heritage of the Bulgarian solo folk song with harmonies and arrangement that highlighted its beautiful timbres and irregular rhythms.
They transform sounds into strange vocal colors as if something other than the human voice, perhaps some strange instrument is playing. They jubilate, shout, ornament, form fast and perfect glissandos, let one crazy rhythm follow another and make their voices build the most darling chords. And suddenly the folk cliché does not apply any more. A listener believes he has heard” an archaic world of sounds from times long ago”, another –“the marriage of avant-grade and the middle ages”. With their bell-like voices that seem to float lightly trough space, these women have become international stars, whose hypnotic chant circles the globe." (*)

"The distinctive sounds of Bulgarian folk singing come from many cultural influences, as a country that was under the rule of the Tartar from central Asia and the Ottoman Turks. Many Asian elements can be heard in the use of modal scales, dissonant harmonies and rhythmical and metrical variety. The diaphonic singing tradition of two voices moving in parallel seconds, sevenths or ninths along with the metallic vocal timbres is preserved in the many arrangements. To western ears, this style of singing seems very strange. The a cappella singing is occasionally accompanied by traditional instruments. On this recording can be heard the flute-like kaval (Pritouritze Planinata), and the fiddle-like gadulka (Brei Yvane). The Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir is led by Philip Koutev and Krasimir Kyurkchiyski who were the forefathers of the Bulgarian folk movement. From the dissonance of "Pilentze Pee" to the beautiful melody of "Polegnala e Todora" this music is simple and enormously diverse." (*)

http://www.mediafire.com/?zybywtzlior

Deradoorian – Mind Raft (2009)

2009-06-10T16:26:00.002-04:00

An amazing little release by the Dirty Projectors bassist/vocalist. Alternates between sparse, dirge-like acoustic tracks and denser, brooding R&B-ish numbers. I really like her voice.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ennzgjxjzya

Françoise Hardy – Soleil (1970)

2009-06-10T15:22:00.002-04:00

Really nice little album by the French singer. “Fleur de Lune” is an amazing song.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yqqn3ymmjto

Strange Wikipedia Findings: Installment 3

2009-06-10T15:07:00.005-04:00

Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico

One of my favourite historical figures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_A._Norton

Strange Wikipedia Findings: Installment 2

2009-06-10T12:21:00.006-04:00

Sir Nils Olav, Colonel-in-Chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard

Yup, he's a penguin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nils_Olav

ZZYRUS Mix #2

2009-06-08T20:41:00.003-04:00

1. Kandia Kouyate – San Barana
2. Funkadelic – Can You Get to That
3. Paul Parrish – Walking in the Forest (of My Mind)
4. Thom Yorke – And It Rained All Night (Burial Remix)
5. Mikey Dread – Rockers Delight
6. Iron and Wine – Freedom Hangs Like Heaven (Live)
7. Karen Dalton – Katie Cruel
8. Bert Jansch & John Renbourn – The Time Has Come
9. Animal Collective – Daily Routine (Phaseone Remix)
10. J Dilla – In The Night (Owl N Out)/While You Slept (I Crept)
11. The Crystals – He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)
12. The Supremes – When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes
13. Akron/Family – Running, Returning
14. Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – Over the Rainbow
15. Konono N°1 – Kule Kule Reprise
16. Sibylle Baier – Remember the Day
17. Das Bierbeben – Abschied
18. Lindsey Buckingham – Bel Air Rain
19. Alèmayèhu Eshèté – Tchero Adari Negn
20. NOMO – Banners On High
21. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Shams-Ud-Doha, Badar-Ud-Doja
22. David Bowie – All the Madmen

23. Horace Andy – Spying Glass

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RIX9W478

The Upsetters – Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle (1973)

2009-06-07T13:21:00.002-04:00

One of the very first dub records. A tremendous album, full of deep, hypnotic grooves. And what a cast of characters…Lee Perry is the ringmaster here, but King Tubby acts as co-engineer. Then you’ve got, among others, the Barrett brothers’ rhythm section, and even Augustus Pablo drops in to contribute some haunting melodica lines.
There are a bunch of different versions of this record floating around, and this one probably has the best track selection. The only problem is the way that it’s mixed. It sounds great coming out of speakers, but the way they’ve panned the bass and drums to one side and everything else to the other makes it hard to listen to with headphones. But whatever, that’s a small gripe.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UWDS9CEM

Richard Thompson – Small Town Romance (1984)

2009-06-07T12:51:00.005-04:00

1982 was a year of both tremendous highs and lows for Richard and Linda Thompson. After a decade of critical praise but abysmal record sales, they managed to break into the American market with Shoot Out the Lights, their best selling album to date, and completed a triumphant tour of the U.S. Their brush with success was to be fleeting however, as it coincided with the breakup of their marriage and the end of their artistic partnership. So in an effort to cool down and gather his bearings, Richard Thompson embarked on a low-key solo-acoustic tour of the States. This album contains recordings from two of those shows, both in New York. The song selection is varied, but for the most part he chooses to perform slower numbers, many of them songs that his ex-wife had sung on record. Other than that there are a couple of older tunes dating from his time in Fairport Convention, a Hank Williams cover, and bizarre but funny little song about a person who may or may not a drag queen.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XKEZ7JIR

Soul Coughing – Ruby Vroom (1994)

2009-06-07T12:47:00.003-04:00

An amazing album by one of the most interesting bands of the 90s.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VUQBS7WW

Department of Eagles – The Cold Nose (2003)

2009-06-06T13:45:00.004-04:00

Saw Grizzly Bear last night. Holy crap what a great live band. They played just about everything I wanted to hear, and Leslie Feist made a surprise appearance for a couple of songs. So yeah, I am content. Definitely catch their show if you get a chance to.
In my ignorance I had always thought of them as Ed Droste’s band, and was surprised by just how vital Dan Rossen’s contribution is to their sound. He sang lead more often than not, and his guitar playing is pretty much the crux of the band. And what a big voice for such a little guy. So I went back and listened to this old Department of Eagles album that’s been lurking in my hard-drive for a while, and no surprise it rips pretty hard.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2hzm2w0mjyo

Brian Eno – Curiosities Volume 1 (2003)

2009-06-06T03:26:00.003-04:00

Info

http://www.mediafire.com/?n1y0y2k0jjw

Linval Thompson – Ghetto Living (2008)

2009-06-03T23:45:00.004-04:00

A phenomenal reggae album by an underappreciated master of the genre. Linval Thompson cut his teeth working in Lee Perry’s Black Ark studio before moving on to a successful career both as a singer and producer. This album, his first in over 10 years, sounds sleek and modern without being overproduced or overly digitized (a common criticism when it comes to contemporary reggae). Thompson’s voice, though sounding a little weatherworn, is still an evocative instrument, and the songs are all top-notch. Check it out.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3SM3ERNM

Tetris

2009-06-03T13:48:00.008-04:00

I have an unnatural, potentially unhealthy obsession with Tetris. It’s becoming my go-to thing for whenever I have time to waste, which is pretty often these days. Only problem is that I’m not very good at it. I have terrible hand eye (or finger?) coordination and my brain overloads easily when stressed out. But I mostly blame it on the Tetris song. While it’s a great little tune and integral to the overall experience, it’s just a bit too fast paced and intense for me. So rather than play the game on mute, I recorded my own version of the Tetris theme a while back. It’s a bit slower, more chill, definitely helps me concentrate, and makes for a much more relaxing gaming experience.
Not really sure why I’m posting it. Figured I might as well share it, in case there are any other Tetris-heads out there who want to give it a try. It’s really simple; just a 15 second loop that goes on and on for about 10 minutes. Done with acoustic guitar, synthesizer, and banging on various objects with drumsticks and fists.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2nww0wmjwdj

Terry Riley – A Rainbow In Curved Air (1967)

2009-06-03T12:47:00.005-04:00

A classic album of minimal electronic composition. If you like squiggly synthesizers as much as I do you’ll definitely like this one.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ntz4z5nnyjd

Various Artists – Dubstep Allstars, Vol 1 (2003)

2009-06-03T12:46:00.002-04:00

This one’s been around for a while, but I still listen to it a lot. A great batch of tunes, flawlessly mixed by DJ Hatcha.

http://www.mediafire.com/?obdondyojct

Bert Jansch

2009-06-02T15:04:00.012-04:00

Definitely one of the more interesting figures to emerge from the 60s folk revival. Bert Jansch is as authentic a rambling bluesman as the British Isles ever produced. Hailing from Scotland, he spent several years traveling and busking for a living, developing his folk-blues songwriting style and perfecting his unique approach to the guitar, before a bout of dysentery in Tangiers forced him back home. He took part in the budding London folk scene of the mid-60s, recording his first album at friend’s home and selling it to Transatlantic Records for £100 (it went on to sell 150,000 copies). Several albums followed, including Jack Orion, his first serious foray into traditional folk material. That record featured fellow acoustic guitar luminary John Renbourn, with whom he would found the short-lived but groundbreaking jazz-folk band Pentangle. He’s been steadily releasing solo records ever since, highlights including the upbeat Birthday Blues, the uncharacteristically gentle and largely instrumental Rosemary Lane, which was recorded at his country home, and the 2006 guest-star-laden comeback record The Black Swan.
Jansch’s voice, though pleasant, is of kind of an acquired taste. It’s the guitar playing that really stands out on his records. His love of jazz and non-Western music is apparent in the complex chords and unusual time signatures he regularly employs. He’s also got a unique way of playing simultaneous, contrapunctal melodies in the upper and lower register, making it sound as though there are several instruments playing at once. If you enjoy stuff like Nick Drake, or any kind of folky music really, be sure to check him out.

Bert Jansch (1965)

http://www.mediafire.com/?mudvym0tmze

Jack Orion (1966)

http://www.mediafire.com/?wtzvjzzmto3

Birthday Blues (1969)

http://www.mediafire.com/?zm0znvdeizd

Rosemary Lane (1971)

http://www.mediafire.com/?cnlommzjyg1

The Black Swan (2006)

http://www.mediafire.com/?5ywmgb4zl1n

Captan, obvio – Wachu Min (2008)

2009-06-02T12:25:00.004-04:00

"Conceived halfway between a basement and an empty swimming pool in Caracas, Venezuela during the summer of 2008. Captan, obvio is a free-form rock'n roll band deeply grained in improvisation and psychedelic. Having met some six months prior, the three members passion for discovering new music and experimenting with their instruments fused into what was to be the base for the bands sound.The band consists of Pericles (Bass, programming), Mario Anzola (Guitar, programming) and Alejandro Delgado (Guitar, whisky). The debut album Wachu Min was recorded in a single day as one session, unrehearsed and completely improvised (true to the bands form and spirit)."

http://www.mediafire.com/file/nvbtnmmimvz/COWM.rar

www.myspace.com/captanobvio

Ellen Allien & Apparat – Orchestra of Bubbles (2006)

2009-06-01T12:15:00.003-04:00

Another electronic record I’ve been listening to a lot lately. This one rips. Big chunky beats and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Really nice.

http://www.mediafire.com/?tjzzgnntyak

Mokira – Persona (2009)

2009-06-01T10:54:00.004-04:00

Swedish producer Andreas Tilliander’s latest release. Really nice ambient stuff, kind of reminiscent of Gas and Vladislav Delay, just a little less intense.

http://www.mediafire.com/?zjam4omnjzg

Boredoms – Super Roots 5-6-7-8-9-10

2009-05-31T13:18:00.016-04:00

Some of the Boredoms' best stuff here. I don't have the ones before 5, but I'm sure they're good too. If you’re not familiar with these, I'd say start with 10 and work your way down.

Super Roots 5 (1995)

http://www.mediafire.com/?qioegtmzwzd

Super Roots 6 (1996)

http://www.mediafire.com/?y3htyjznzy2

Super Roots 7 (1998)

http://www.mediafire.com/?tmhohdq4k05

Super Roots 8 (1999)

http://www.mediafire.com/?xotfmqmmy4i

Super Roots 9 (2007)

http://www.mediafire.com/?gijnmznddzn

Super Roots 10 (2009)

http://www.mediafire.com/?nzncn3nujjj

Paavoharju – Laulu Laakson Kukista (2008)

2009-05-28T17:31:00.008-04:00

These crazy Finns have tapped into something really special here. This album has it all: Strange, wonderfully over-the-top melodies, lots of lo-fi ambient noise, and an otherworldly female voice floating above it all.
The constant hiss and feedback can be annoying at first, but you eventually realize that it’s integral to the music, especially on the more rhythmic tracks. It’s hard to tell whether the little jabs of static that wrap around the drums are intentional or incidental. Either way they sound pretty awesome.
Here’s what their record label has to say about them:

"Paavoharju comes from Savonlinna, Finland. The group is a collective project of ascetic born-again Christians. The sound is something between Bollywood music, church hymns, beautiful pop tunes and ambient esoteric noises. The lyrics are very spiritual in sound and text. Paavoharju sing of branches touching the surface of the water and walking down a black street to an old inn."

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xzkfyyonunn

The Angels of Light – New Mother (1999)

2009-05-24T21:20:00.006-04:00

"I tried to deal with what I guess you could call the inherent evil I've discovered in myself; excise that, use it as material."

Michael Gira is probably best known today for founding Young God Records and unleashing freak folk on an unsuspecting world. Before that he spent about 15 years fronting post-punk band Swans, releasing some of the most jarring, visceral music you’ll likely ever hear. When they broke up he formed the Angels of Light, a quieter, predominantly acoustic project with which he could explore his musical vision from a different perspective. While this album – their first – lacks the big lurching beats and screeching feedback soundscapes of Swans records, it maintains much of that band’s intensity, due in part to the rich, funereal arrangements, and Gira’s strong vocal performances, which are at times comforting and fatherly while at others distant and creepy. It’s a solid, well-written record, but long and emotionally draining; a remarkably cathartic listening experience that is just as likely to leave you feeling worn out and queasy if you’re not in the right mood.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D5IT86DA

ZZYRUS Mix #1

2009-05-22T19:42:00.008-04:00

Here’s a little mix that I put together. Just a bunch of things that I’ve been listening to lately. A couple of newer songs and a lot of older ones. I’m not really good at sequencing this kind of thing, so sorry if the pacing is a little schizophrenic. Oh, and it’s all 320kbps, so it’s a pretty big file.

1. The Revolutionaries – Kunta Kinte Version One
2. Dirty Projectors – Temecula Sunrise
3. Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
4. Tim Buckley – The Healing Festival
5. Richard & Mimi Farina – The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood
6. Point 7 – DNA Conflict
7. The Grateful Dead – Frankin’s Tower
8. Jacob Miller – Baby I Love You So
9. Lee Moses – Dark End of the Street
10. The Field – The More That I Do (edited)
11. Jana Hunter – Farm, CA.
12. The Three Degrees – Giving Up, Giving In
13. Skip Spence – Cripple Creek
14. Kouyate Sory Kandia – Chant de rejouissance
15. Annie Lennox – Big Sky
16. Lee Perry & The Upsetters – Bird in Hand
17. The Byrds – Pretty Polly
18. Bush Chemists – East of Jaro
19. Gilberto Gil – Miserere Nobis
20. Milieu – Silver Fountain Cascade
21. The Notwist – Boneless (Panda Bear remix)
22. Brian Eno – Golden Hours
23. Asakawa Maki – Doko e Iku No
24. Beach Boys – ‘Till I Die
25. Benga – Crunked Up
26. Super Eagles – Love’s a Real Thing

27. Gary Higgins – Telegraph Towers

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W4SZFR6O

Bibio – Vignetting the Compost (2009)

2009-05-19T23:36:00.009-04:00

One of the prettiest things I've heard in a while.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?vimteotatnl

Here's the title track from his upcoming album Ambivalence Avenue. I really like the sound of this.

The Chemical Brothers

2009-05-19T15:30:00.009-04:00

Exit Planet Dust (1995)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OG8LPFFN

Dig Your Own Hole (1997)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B9S53RFX

Animal Collective – Campfire Songs (2003)

2009-05-19T11:44:00.002-04:00

Acoustic guitars, ghostly voices and nature sounds. Good stuff.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?qtonzwvfknw

Gram Parsons

2009-05-18T22:08:00.020-04:00

My obsession with Gram Parson comes and goes in phases. I can go without listening to him for months, but then there are times, like this morning, where I’ll sit and play every one of his albums back to back. I don’t know much about country music, but my favourites are guys like George Jones and the Louvin Brothers, singers that I can only describe as having a hint of tragic in their voices. Parsons’ voice definitely has that kind of quality. While he didn’t have the greatest of voices by any means, his singing was all about naked emotion; all the more evocative in its ordinariness, cracking and warbling in all the right places. And he was a solid songwriter to boot. Every album he contributed to has at least a couple drop-dead gorgeous Parsons-penned sad songs, which is kind of why I had a hard time picking just one or two for this post. So without further ado, here’s just about every record Gram Parsons had anything to do with.

The International Submarine Band – Safe at Home (1967)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?qimtg0cgcmj

The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?kycyyyofzni

The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2j05yyi14ji

The Flying Burrito Brothers – Burrito Deluxe (1970)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tikmunn0w2l

Gram Parsons – GP (1973)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yojwininzkv

Gram Parsons – Grievous Angel (1974)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?3zyyhii5y5i

Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (1994)

2009-05-18T21:29:00.006-04:00

An album of infinite depth and abstraction, alternately soothing and nightmarish. Ideally listened to at night, with good headphones.

Disc 1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VE8QUWDS
Disc 2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QR1B1Q0D

Akron/Family – S/T (2005)

2009-05-17T22:57:00.003-04:00

The first Akron/Family album is probably still my favourite. Not that I have anything against them having turned into a hippie jam-band. Guess I just have a thing for this sort of acoustic guitar + found sounds set-up.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0H5JI382

Jana Hunter – Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom (2005)

2009-05-17T20:06:00.007-04:00

I don't like everything on this one, but there are a couple of amazing songs here.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zmzozmquyhy

Perry Leopold – Experiment in Metaphysics (1970)

2009-05-17T20:00:00.005-04:00

Experiment in Metaphysics is one of the rarest and most sought-after artifacts of the hippie era. Recorded live during a five-hour session in the basement of a shoe-repair shop in June of 1970, most of the 300 original copies of Experiment in Metaphysics were simply given away in one afternoon, yet, inexplicably, bootleg copies of the album later sprang up half-way around the world. The reason for the album's staying power is apparent: the music is gorgeous, first-rate progressive folk.
Like much of the youth countercultural scene of the times, Leopold can occasionally give into mystical pretentiousness. Experiment in Metaphysics has moments -- namely the spoken-word monologue in the middle of the mostly stellar opening cut, "The Absurd Paranoid" -- of philosophical meandering. Still, even those moments maintain a period charm.
Each song, even the instrumental cuts, feels like a story, with beginnings and endings and all kinds of interesting ideas and storylines sandwiched in between. The album is a relic that has not lost one iota of its power. (Allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ox24dn2z2nt

The Field – Yesterday and Today (2009)

2009-05-16T12:04:00.006-04:00

Here’s The Field’s new album, to be released in a week or two I think. His last one got ridiculously good reviews from all over the place; this one probably will too. I quite like it. It’s a little different; the sound is fuller, more strident, kind of house-y with the pumping beats. Dig the Elizabeth Frasier samples on the fifth track.

Part 1
Part 2

Strange Wikipedia Findings: Installment 1

2009-05-15T16:36:00.005-04:00

Le Canard Digérateur

An 18th century robot duck that could eat and poo. Designed by French engineer Jacques de Vaucanson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digesting_Duck

Tyrannosaurus Rex

2009-05-13T23:38:00.015-04:00

Before Marc Bolan nearly took over the world at the helm of glam-rock behemoth T. Rex, he was a fixture in London’s underground hippie music scene, playing quirky little psych-folk tunes together with an acid-fried percussionist named after one of the Hobbits from the Lord of the Rings. The duo called themselves Tyrannosaurus Rex, an oddly menacing choice for a name considering that their music pretty much embodied the optimism and drugged-out harmlessness of 60s hippie culture. Bolan’s strange warbly voice and knack for writing simple, earthy melodies set them apart from most of the other cosmic folkies of the era, and inspired many of today's acts that fall under the freak folk banner.
Here are three of their albums. Unicorn is probably my favourite of the bunch. Bolan’s whimsical meanderings are kept in check by some really strong production and a couple of jaw-droppingly good pop songs (namely “Cat Black”) that should have made them stars right there and then. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows (1968)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mdylmtmitzz

Unicorn (1969)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2cdmyzojcwz

A Beard of Stars (1970)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?txtjmz1wjwx

Nikos Xylouris

2009-05-04T16:12:00.004-04:00

I put together a little compilation of legendary Cretan singer Nikos Xylouris’ songs. I posted his Rizitika album a while ago, but this one has a bit more variety. Here’s wikipedia with some basic info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_xylouris

Part 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?rwn1twullnj
Part 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?m0gvmttfrqe

Brian Eno

2009-05-01T00:33:00.008-04:00

Another Green World (1975)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?34nnvmgmnjg

Ambient 1: Music For Airports (1978)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?z2zx3danu5t

Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks (1983)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nmma2mrxlim

Jorge Ben – A Tábua de Esmeralda

2009-05-01T00:30:00.002-04:00

Some of Ben’s strongest songwriting here. A fantastic collection of joyful rhythms and melodies, and a great soundtrack to the beginning of the summer.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?qz2tewttznc

Thelonious Monk

2009-04-29T12:43:00.018-04:00

With the arrival Thelonious Sphere Monk, modern music--let alone modern culture--simply hasn’t been the same. Recognized as one of the most inventive pianists of any musical genre, Monk achieved a startlingly original sound that even his most devoted followers have been unable to successfully imitate. His musical vision was both ahead of its time and deeply rooted in tradition, spanning the entire history of the music from the “stride” masters of James P. Johnson and Willie “the Lion” Smith to the tonal freedom and kinetics of the “avant garde.” And he shares with Edward “Duke” Ellington the distinction of being one of the century’s greatest American composers.

As much as Monk helped usher in the bebop revolution, he also charted a new course for modern music few were willing to follow. Whereas most pianists of the bebop era played sparse chords in the left hand and emphasized fast, even eighth and sixteenth notes in the right hand, Monk combined an active right hand with an equally active left hand, fusing stride and angular rhythms that utilized the entire keyboard. And in an era when fast, dense, virtuosic solos were the order of the day, Monk was famous for his use of space and silence. In addition to his unique phrasing and economy of notes, Monk would “lay out” pretty regularly, enabling his sidemen to experiment free of the piano’s fixed pitches. As a composer, Monk was less interested in writing new melodic lines over popular chord progressions than in creating a whole new architecture for his music, one in which harmony and rhythm melded seamlessly with the melody. “Everything I play is different,” Monk once explained, “different melody, different harmony, different structure. Each piece is different from the other. . . . [W]hen the song tells a story, when it gets a certain sound, then it’s through . . . completed.”
(allaboutjazz.com)

Monk's Dream (1963)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6VGT5EDK

Underground (1967) http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0UC0OPG0

With John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall (2005)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C1XCEUVV

How to Survive and Encounter with and Ostrich

2009-04-29T03:18:00.005-04:00

If you ever end up face to face with one of these vicious little bastards you'll be glad that you've read this.

http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-an-Encounter-with-an-Ostrich

Nikos Xylouris & Giannis Markopoulos – Rizitika (1971)

2009-04-27T15:52:00.016-04:00

Rizitika are a form of traditional vocal music native to the mountain ranges of western Crete, and among the oldest unbroken Greek musical traditions. The word comes from the Greek “rizes” (roots), but they are commonly referred to as “rebel songs” due to their often-revolutionary lyrical themes. While they were mostly written during the periods of Venetian and Ottoman occupation, the unusual poetic meter and lack of rhyme in many of these songs’ lyrics is evidence of even older roots – at least predating the Venetian conquest (circa 1200 AD) and some would argue reaching as far back as antiquity.
The subject matter can range anywhere from longing and lust to friendship and everyday experiences, but again these are for the most part heavily allegorical songs of revolution. Not surprising, considering that Crete, a fiercely independent little island, was occupied by foreign powers for roughly 700 years. The third song (Agrimia kai agrimakia mou), for example, is a coded reference to the resistance fighters who often took to the mountains and became outlaws:
You wild goats and kids, you tamed deer,
Tell me, where do you live, where are you staying in the winter.
In the precipices we live, the steep peaks are our winter quarters,
The caves in the mountains are our ancestral home.

Nikos Xylouris (1936-80), generally acknowledged as one of the best and most idiosyncratic singers to come out of Crete, recorded this album (with songwriter and arranger Giannis Markopoulos) in celebration of his roots and in protest of the military dictatorship of the time. These songs resounded with the disenfranchised people, and became the rallying cries of the Athens Polytechnic students during their massive 1973 anti-government demonstration. Legend has it that during a particularly tense standoff between students and government tanks, Xylouris himself climbed to the top of the university’s outer gate, sat there with his lyra (three-stringed Cretan fiddle) and sang the first tune on this album, “Pote tha kani xasteria?” (When will there be a starlit sky?).
Anyway, enough with the history lesson. I realize this kind of music isn’t for everyone. But it’s one of my favourite records, and I find that Cretan music is sorely underrepresented on the Internet, so I guess this is my little contribution.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?znz0wminnwy

Fela Ransome-Kuti and the Africa 70 with Ginger Baker – Live! (1971)

2009-04-27T15:50:00.005-04:00

Fela and the Africa 70 just rippin’ it live. The band is incredibly tight and Fela himself is in top form, playing some badass organ and perfecting his James Brown inspired yelps.The album also features drummer Ginger Baker. It’s kind of hard to tell what he’s doing here, apart from looking totally awesome in the cover photo. He apparently subbed in for Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen on one or two of these tracks. I guess it’s to his credit that you don’t really notice. The last track is a drum duet between Allen and Baker taken from the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival. It doesn’t really add anything to the album, but is fun to listen to.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?i4qeym42t3y

Ruth Tafebe and The Afro Rockerz – Holy Warriors (2007)

2009-04-22T02:04:00.005-04:00

Another great little record that’s been kicking around in my hard drive for a while. A wonderfully shambolic take on afrobeat, heavily informed by dub and modern R&B. The singer has a really nice voice, at times sounding like Erykah Badu with a French accent.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mj5ziiz4iy3

S. E. Rogie – The Palm Wine Sounds of S. E. Rogie (1989)

2009-04-21T01:00:00.010-04:00

I ripped this from a beat-up old vinyl. A long and arduous task, considering I don’t have any of the proper equipment. Some hissing and popping here and there, but it sounds OK overall. Dedicated to my buddy Daboolal and to his lady, and to the lovely afternoon spent sitting around in their apartment listening to this record.

From the liner notes:
Sooliman E. Rogie was born in Fomikoh his maternal hometowm (Nyandehun Kpaka is his paternal hometown) in the Pujehun District in Sierra Leone, on the West Coast of Africa. S. E. Rogie is a songwriter, storyteller and self-taught guitarist extraordinaire. Rogie nurtured and developed the Palm Wine style music and pushed it onto the international scene during the 1960s. Rogie says, “the Palm Wine guitar music is like folk music. It is an expression of the day to day experiences of a people. Many a time, people would gather around a big fireplace outdoors on a beautiful moonlit night and share their life stories. They sing a song or two and swap jokes and gossip, they drink a little Palm Wine to feel happy.” Palm Wine, which is tapped from palm trees, is a milky juice liquid which produces a mellow natural high in those who imbide.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yznnydgeiza

Ali Farka Touré – Niafunké (1999)

2009-04-21T00:57:00.005-04:00

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nzhqjztizwv

Olivier Messiaen – Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus

2009-04-21T00:54:00.004-04:00

Solo piano stuff. I found this online and don’t have any info about the performance, but it’s a lot better than the shitty Naxos Records version that I own.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ymlwniomjih
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?0hmzykknzo4
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?4qqqwm2nmm5

Lee Perry & Friends – The Singles Collection: Anthology 1968 to 1979

2009-04-21T00:51:00.003-04:00

Pt 1: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yjdmy2z2n2w

Pt 2: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ny3xgoyfmed

Caetano Veloso – Transa (1972)

2009-04-14T02:00:00.008-04:00

Recorded in London during a period of political exile, the socially conscious Brazilian pop star’s seventh album is a deeply personal statement, the dominant themes being alienation and anonymity. Here he fuses his already eclectic style with psychedelic rock, and sings in English on most of the tracks.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zg3zwzmztmo

Karlheinz Stockhausen – Kontakte

2009-04-14T01:58:00.006-04:00

Thanks to the eloquent writers over at Allmusic.com:
In the late 1950s, Stockhausen became increasingly influenced by the aleatoric music of American composers like Morton Feldman and John Cage, as well as by American jazz. These influences are evident in Kontakte, though it is a work that clearly belongs to the European avant-garde tradition. It also presages developments in Stockhausen's own style, including elements -- such the addition of instrumentalists to an existing tape composition -- central to his later works.
The title refers to the moments of "contact" between the electronic sounds on the tape and the live performers. The tape consists of percussion sounds altered by different electronic means, including a ring modulator, a reverberator, and an impulse generator. The instrumental parts intertwine with the taped sounds, creating a wildly diverse array of textures and timbres over the course of six sections, or "moments." The moments are determined by events on tape, but the instrumentalists also participate in the transition from one moment to the next by changing character. Each moment contains six subdivisions of intensity, from "just noticable" to "violent," that refer to variations in acoustical phenomena including volume, speed, and register. The pianist and percussionists must respond and interact carefully with the tape, ensuring a proper balance of dynamics and intensity.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ojynjgtvwnz

Davy Graham

2009-04-12T00:35:00.021-04:00

I was sad to hear about Davy Graham's passing a couple of months ago. A truly adventurous and eccentric musician, his open-tuning acoustic guitar stylings were massively influential, inspiring such luminaries as Bert Jansch, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Nick Drake and Johnny Marr. While primarily associated with the 1960s British folk scene due to the seminal duo record he put out with singer Shirley Collins, his playing included elements of jazz, blues, North African and Indian music, and he constantly traveled the world in search of new sounds. His albums can be pretty hard to find on the internets, so I figured I’d upload the ones that I own. The first one, Folk Roots, New Routes, is the aforementioned Shirley Collins collaboration. Mostly folk tunes and a couple of neat instrumentals, including a Thelonious Monk cover. The second one, Hat, is a bit more eclectic. A bunch of covers (Beatles, Paul Simon, Dylan), some wild, nearly atonal guitar instrumentals, and some standard “trad arr” material, all done in his inimitable style. Hope you dig.

Folk Roots, New Routes (1964)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yjjyndz0zjl

Hat (1969)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mjjiydykw5z

Compay Segundo – Son del Monte (1996)

2009-04-10T20:16:00.004-04:00

This guy is my favourite of those Buena Vista Social Club geezers. Here’s a compilation of his recordings, dating from the 50s to the 80s. Really groovy stuff. I like his voice, which is somewhat plain but evocative.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tf0i5leyzmw

Lee Morgan – Those Dizzy Days (2004)

2009-04-10T20:15:00.003-04:00

Live recordings from around 1957-58 of Dizzy Gillespie’s state-sponsored big band, featuring a then-teenaged Lee Morgan as a main soloist.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QHDWKZ0L

Mingus at Antibes (1960)

2009-04-10T20:11:00.004-04:00

Phenomenal live recording from the 1960 Antibes Jazz Festival. Eric Dolphy is definitely the star of the show here; he alternates between going absolutely ape-shit and playing cool, intensely lyrical lines.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mr5ioqmqzhy
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ndz50n2kgux

Pete Rock & C. L. Smooth – The Main Ingredient (1994)

2009-04-10T16:45:00.003-04:00

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wyzxlmtgmzj

The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra – Communications (1968)

2009-04-10T16:40:00.005-04:00

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=11ET07QT

Read about it here.

The Abyssinians – Satta Massagana (1976)

2009-04-10T13:33:00.004-04:00

Another great little roots reggae album. The Abyssinians were an intensely spiritual group that sang moody minor key odes to Jah in lovely three-part harmony.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wj1vtu2mou4
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yd5nldzdfij

Richard & Linda Thompson – Pour Down Like Silver (1975)

2009-04-10T13:31:00.003-04:00

The last record Richard and Linda put together before taking an extended break from music to join a Sufi commune. These are intense songs of spiritual longing disguised as fairly straightforward love tunes. “Dimming of the Day” is one of the prettiest things I’ve ever heard.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2zydmzmt4dz
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dzig4mqkd1m (Bonus Tracks)

Townes Van Zandt – Our Mother the Mountain (1969)

2009-04-05T18:05:00.003-04:00

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?lzwj1ohzuhz

Slum Village – Fantastic, Vol. 2 (2000)

2009-04-05T17:28:00.003-04:00

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?v2yycwlxm42

Cybotron – Clear (1990)

2009-04-05T16:01:00.006-04:00

Cybotron was a band put together by Detroit techno pioneer Juan Atkins. This is a CD reissue of their 1983 LP entitled Enter. Some of these songs aren't really my cup of tea (cheesy electro-pop like “Enter” and “Industrial Lies”), but for the most part these are top-notch robo beats.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zuznenghonx

V/A – Techno: The New Dance Sound of Detroit (1988)

2009-04-05T15:57:00.009-04:00

Now that I got all of that folky stuff out of my system who’s in the mood for some old-school Detroit techno? I’m guessing not too many people. Anyway, here’s a sweet compilation that was put out in the UK back in 88. It’s been long out of print, and is kind of a historical artifact, since it gave a name to the nascent genre and introduced it in Europe, where it was embraced to a much greater extent than it was in the States.

Part 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?emgnythndzt
Part 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ynirhnnuoyh

Linda Perhacs – Parallelograms (1970)

2009-04-04T15:18:00.005-04:00

Yet another lost and rediscovered late-60s/early-70s psych-folk gem. This one’s been a favourite for a while. It’s the only album she ever made, and it’s astounding just how fully realized and unique her style is. The way she sings and layers her voice, in particular, is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. The songs are great too. Everyone needs to download this.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?atzz0utjmym

The Holy Modal Rounders – The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders (1969)

2009-04-04T15:13:00.006-04:00

Here was the Rounders' chance to mix all of the roots folk that had informed their work since their formation into a blender, topped off with some seriously wacko drugged-out strangeness and hard rock. Jug band, country, blues, ragtime, folk-rock--everything segued in and out of each other, figuratively and literally… As strokes of mad genius go, it was a winner, managing to just about walk the tightrope between art and chaos. Given just how chaotic the production of the record was, though, it's something of a miracle that the album was made in the first place, let alone eventually enshrined as a cult classic. (from the liner notes written by Richie Unterberger)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?0y3ltnnq3yz

Meg Baird – Dear Companion (2007)

2009-04-04T15:11:00.007-04:00

Espers is a band that I had really high hopes for, especially after reading a bunch of reviews that favourably compared them to trailblazing folkies like Pentangle and Fairport Convention. I found them to be kind of bland and overly affected, sounding more like a revivalist act than the real deal. The one thing that did captivate me though was Meg Baird’s singing. She has a great voice, with a sort of timeless quality that lends itself particularly well to this kind of material. This is her first solo record, and it’s really good. She accompanies herself on guitar and dulcimer and plays a couple of her own songs, some covers, and a bunch of traditional British tunes.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?rzn14ymxijz

Max Romeo – War Ina Babylon (1976)

2009-04-03T00:51:00.005-04:00

War Ina Babylon is simply one of reggae's finest moments. Along with The Heptones' Party Time and Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves, this album can be seen as part of a Black Ark "holy trinity". This album is perhaps the strongest of the three, with passionate vocals, powerful songwriting, and Scratch's expert hand at the mixing board. Max and Scratch shared a common vision when it came to music, and you can certainly hear that in every groove of this album. Highlights include the moving "Uptown Babies Don't Cry", the militant "Chase The Devil", and the film noir reggae of "Norman". Essential listening. http://www.upsetter.net/scratch/disco/albums/war_ina_babylon.htm

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nwld0fm1zmf

Eek-a-Mouse – Wa-Do-Dem (1982)

2009-04-03T00:48:00.004-04:00

This one’s for a friend who had a bit of a rough day. Hope it cheers you up a little bro.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mugzjqmdgm4

Sitaar Tah! – Tah!!! (2007)

2009-03-31T10:56:00.004-04:00

Found this one on another blog a while ago. Wish I remembered which one. Anyway, it’s a bunch of Japanese people making droney psychedelic sounds using sitars, tablas and electronics. Really neat stuff.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dtmdnrzrdnj

Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

2009-03-31T10:54:00.003-04:00

This one's for the children.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?0nz2mqumzj3

V/A – The First Days of Funk, Volume One (2005)

2009-03-29T17:35:00.004-04:00

Here's something to lighten the mood a little after the last couple of posts.

Disc 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ewmmdnwihzi
Disc 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ttt5zdztmjt

Basic Channel – BCD-2 (2008)

2009-03-29T17:32:00.005-04:00

Part 1:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xzxrmnnzqbe
Part 2:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2whg2wxyhmm

Kevin Drumm – Sheer Hellish Miasma (2002)

2009-03-29T17:31:00.003-04:00

Exactly what the title says. Wave upon wave of beautiful, nightmarish noise.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?uwhgzyd32nj

Harry Partch – Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po (1995)

2009-03-29T17:27:00.005-04:00

Partch based this, one of his earliest extant works, on the texts of the 8th-century Chinese poet Li Po. Written between 1931 and 1933, The Seventeen Lyrics were composed for Intoning Voice and Partch's creation the Adapted Viola, a hybrid consisting of a cello neck grafted onto a viola's body, its open strings tuned one octave below a violin. Performing the work on this 1995 recording are tenor violinist Ted Mook and intoning voice Stephen Kalm. (allmusic)

“The Lyrics by Li Po are set to music in the manner of the most ancient of cultured musical forms. In this art, the vitality of spoken inflection is retained in the music, every syllable and inflection of the spoken expression being harmonized by the accompanying instrument. The music accompaniment, or, more properly, complement, in addition to being a harmonization, is an enhancement of the text-mood and frequently a musical elaboration of ideas expressed” (http://www.sequenza21.com/index.php/952)

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ondmjrnzzjj