The Woodentops ‎– Giant (1986)

Style: Indie Rock
Format: CD, Vinyl, Cass.
Label: Rough Trade

Tracklist:
01.   Get It On
02.   Good Thing
03.   Give It Time
04.   Love Train
05.   Hear Me James
06.   Love Affair With Everyday Livin'
07.   So Good Today
08.   Shout
09.   History
10.   Travelling Man
11.   Last Time
12.   I Want Your Love
13.   Everything Breaks

Credits:
Accordion – Jack Emblow
Bass – Frank De Freitas
Double Bass – Chucho Merchan
Drums – Benny Staples
Guitar – Simon Mawby
Keyboards – Alice Thompson
Marimba – Bob Sargeant
Strings – Danny Shogger
Trumpet – Steve Sidwell
Voice – Alice Thompson, Benny Staples, Frank De Freitas, Rolo McGinty, Simon Mawby
Producer – Bob Sargeant
Engineer – John Gallen

During the two weeks I spent working on my “1987: 20th Year Reunion” piece, I ended up digging up some music from the previous year that I used to listen to. By far my most revelatory rediscovery was The Woodentops’ Giant. I remember having the tape and playing it to death. Eventually the tape was lost, and I never found the CD, until last week, when I ordered it from Deepdiscount. Cherry Red reissued it in 2001 with four bonus tracks. Why they didn’t include all the singles is beyond me, as there isn’t a single Woodentops song from that era not worth hearing. 

Lead by Rolo McGinty, The Woodentops took bits of Suicide, The Talking Heads, XTC , Echo & the Bunnymen and especially the frenetic rhythms of The Feelies, all treated with acoustic folk, twisted with other instrumentation like marimbas, accordian and trumpet. While The Feelies also tackled acoustic guitars on their second album, The Good Earth, The Woodentops still sounded quite different. Their songs had a perfect balance of diverse experimentalism and pop hooks. Morrissey constantly talked them up at the time, which was a brave gesture, considering the strong possibility that Giant more consistently great than The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead. If it weren’t for Morrissey’s clever lyrics and two untouchable singles from that album, I’d even say Giant crushed it. So why didn’t they become huge? Probably because their magic only lasted through their debut album. They were on Rough Trade, an indie label unable to push a band without help from a string of hit singles like The Smiths had. Columbia did release the album in the U.S., but it didn’t catch on. The 1988 followup, Wooden Foot Cops On The Highway, while actually very good, wasn’t able to measure up to Giant. Thus, Giant slipped through the cracks of canonization and became a lost classic. 

I uploaded the MP3 of the first track, “Get It On,” which gives a sense of the propulsive energy of much of the album, along with “Love Train,” Hear Me James,” “Shout,” and “Travelling Man.” “Good Thing” is wonderfully original love ballad that made it onto several high school era mix tapes. The album gets better and better, peaking with “Last Time” and “Everything Breaks,” two of their most distinct songs. I desperately don’t want it to end, and the four bonus cuts collected from the Well Well Well EP provides some relief. I also downloaded the out of print singles collection (“Steady Steady” is a heavy dirge about terminal cancer, and one of their most atypical, but powerful songs) and their 1987 live album, Hypno Beat Live (where they play three times as fast! Who needs Slayer?) to extend my buzz. Amazingly, they popped up last year announcing a reunion and a tour. We should be so lucky that they come to the U.S.

A.S. Van Dorston / fastndbulbous 

Sudden Sway ‎– 76 Kids Forever (1988)

Style: Indie Rock, Avantgarde, Experimental
Format: CD, Vinyl
Label: Rough Trade

Tracklist:
A1.   The Phoenix Family Protection Plan
A2.   Solo - Store Detective Man
A3.   Barmy Army
A4.   So, You're Alright Then?
A5.   I've Got A Tinnitron Amusement Centre
A6.   Only A Grebo
A7.   Reverend Peter, Bio-Teacher
B1.   Once In Every Weekend
B2.   Trisha Listen
B3.   Ballad Of Brancaster
B4.   Never In Netherton
B5.   76 Kids Forever
B6.   Hush Puppy Yummy

The band was formed in 1980 by Mike McGuire (vocals) and Steve Rolls (Guitar) after disbanding 1st generation punk band The Now. They recruited Pete Jostins (Bass), Shaun Foreman (Guitar & Keyboards) and Colin Meech (Drums), with various others contributing in their early days.[1] They were initially influenced by bands such as A Certain Ratio and Shriekback.[1] Their first releases were two self-financed singles, "Jane's Third Party" and the To You, With Regard EP, in 1980 and 1981 respectively. The latter was sufficiently successful to attract major-label interest from CBS and Virgin Records, but after a further single (Traffic Tax Scheme) on their own 'Chant' label, and with guitarist Simon Childs added as a permanent member, they signed a deal with Warners subsidiary Blanco y Negro, debuting on the label in 1986 with eight versions of the single "Sing Song".[1] After releasing the Spacemate package - a double LP, book, poster, set of cards and instruction manual, packaged together in a soap box container and designed by Jon Wozencroft, the band moved on to indie label Rough Trade Records, where they would stay for the rest of their career. Their fondness for short songs was evident on their first Rough Trade release, a 7-inch EP featuring eight, 1 minute songs and titled "Autumn Cut Back Job Lot Offer", released in early 1987. The following year, they released their second album, '76 Kids Forever, which they described as a "soap opera musical". The band continued for one final effort, 1990's Ko-Opera album, before splitting up with an unreleased album (minus Simon Childs) in the can. 

The band recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 programme, in 1983 (Let's Evolve, Relationships) and 1984 (A Walk in the Park, Problem-Solving Broadcasts 1-3, T Minus Tranquility), the first released as an EP in 1986.[2] They also made an appearance on Whistle Test, performing "Packet of Vacuum" , "Father I Do" and one other track , plus an appearance on C4 "Night Network" playing "Solo Store Detective Man".

Wikipedia

Dinah Shore ‎– The Dinah Shore Collection: Columbia and RCA Recordings 1942-1948 (1999)

Style: Vocal
Format: CD
Label: Vocalion

Tracklist:
1-01.   On A Bicycle Built For Two
1-02.   Manhattan Serenade
1-03.   You And I
1-04.   Mad About Him
1-05.   You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
1-06.   Shoo-Fly Pie And Apple Pan Dowdy
1-07.   Coax Me A Little Bit
1-08.   Two Silhouettes
1-09.   The Gypsy
1-10.   Laughing On The Outside
1-11.   I Got Lost In His Arms
1-12.   That Little Dream Got Nowhere
1-13.   All That Glitters Is Not Gold
1-14.   Come Rain Or Come Shine
1-15.   Doin' What Comes Naturally
1-16.   You Keep Coming Back Like A Song
1-17.   I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)
1-18.   You, So It's You!
1-19.   Who'll Buy My Violets?
1-20.   A Rainy Night In Rio
1-21.   You'll Always Be The One I Love
1-22.   Through A Thousand Dreams
1-23.   (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
1-24.   The Kerry Dance
1-25.   Dixie
2-01.   The Thrill Is Gone
2-02.   There'll Be Some Changes Made
2-03.   Georgia On My Mind
2-04.   What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry
2-05.   Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
2-06.   They Didn't Believe Me
2-07.   Mama, Do I Gotta?
2-08.   When Am I Gonna Kiss You Good Morning?
2-09.   Ask Anyone Who Knows
2-10.   Poppa Don't Preach To Me
2-11.   Tallahassee
2-12.   Natch!
2-13.   Tea For Two
2-14.   My Romance
2-15.   It's Delovely
2-16.   I'm Yours
2-17.   When A Woman Loves A Man
2-18.   Bill
2-19.   Crying For Joy
2-20.   In A Little Bookshop
2-21.   Love That Boy
2-22.   This Is The Moment
2-23.   Buttons And Bows
2-24.   Little White Lies
2-25.   Always True To You In My Fashion

There were many great female singers around in the 1940's but Dinah Shore was certainly one of the best as well as one of the most successful. This particular compilation begins with five early recordings from 1941 and 1942. The two 1941 tracks mean that the 1942 in the title is incorrect. The remainder of the songs were all recorded in 1946 or 1947 except the final track, which is from 1948.
The music here is of an extremely high quality and the re-mastering does justice to it. One other thing to note is that this is not a greatest hits package. Some hits are included, but if you want to collect Dinah's hits, you can find more of the Columbia hits on 16 most requested songs and its companion 16 most requested songs Encore. As I write this, the best RCA hits collection is the Taragon compilation Essential RCA recordings. I've already reviewed all three of those collections.
Among the Columbia hits included here are Buttons and bows, Shoo fly pie and apple pan dowdy, The gypsy, Doin' what comes naturally, Laughing on the outside, You keep coming back like a song and I love you for sentimental reasons. The Columbia hits omitted from this collection include Dear hearts and gentle people, Baby it's cold outside, Anniversary song, You do and I wish I didn't love you so. All these were huge American hits and it seems odd that they were omitted, but the quality of the other songs here is such that their omission doesn't really matter.
Outstanding performances of classic songs were a trademark of Dinah Shore - just listen to her singing Come rain or come shine, Georgia on my mind, Tea for two, My romance and the closing Always true to you in my fashion. Many of the recordings here are not available anywhere else. In the case of those that are, the standard of re-mastering on this collection makes it particularly desirable. Despite the absence of so many big hits, this collection provides a great introduction to the music of Dinah Shore.

Peter Durward / Amazon 

Hadley Caliman ‎– Hadley Caliman (1971)

Style: Contemporary Jazz, Post Bop, Hard Bop, Modal
Format: CD, Vinyl
Label: Mainstream Records

Tracklist:
A1.   Cigar Eddie
A2.   Comencio
A3.   Little One
B1.   Blues For L.L.
B2.   Kicking On The Inside
B3.   Longing

Credits:
Bass – Bill Douglas
Drums – Clarence Becton
Guitar – John White Jr.
Piano – Larry Vuckovich
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Hadley Caliman
Producer – Bobby Shad
Liner Notes – Leonard Feather

Santana sideman, saxophonist/flautist Hadley Caliman is one of the great players of West Coast jazz, despite being a relative unknown. A contemporary of Harold Land and Art Farmer, a denizen of the 1950s Central Avenue scene, he didn't make his debut as a leader until this beautiful album from 1971 was issued. 

At this point Caliman had lost a decade to drugs but rediscovered his muse while he was a member of Gerald Wilson's big band in the latter 60s. He then became an in-demand session player, appearing on recordings by Bobby Hutcherson, Julian Priester and most famously on Santana's hit album Caravanserai.  

His debut LP includes the regular group with whom he played live dates in San Francisco. It features six distinctive and reflective numbers which are the very height of early 70s acoustic jazz. Caliman did not record often but when he did he made it count. This is one of the lost gems!

VA ‎– Between Or Beyond The Iron Curtain (2001)

Style: Jazz-Rock, Jazz-Funk, Fusion
Format: CD, Vinyl
Lavel: Crippled Dick Hot Wax!

Tracklist:
01.   Wojciech Karolak - A Day In The City
02.   Gustav Brom And His Orchestra - Bounty
03.   Adam Makowicz - Drinking Song
04.   Mahagon - Divka's Jablky [Dívka S Jablky]
05.   Novi Singers - Tanczace Orzechy / Dancing Nuts
06.   Jazz Celula - Probuzeni [Probuzení]
07.   Big Band Katowice - Sorcery
08.   Martin Kratochvil's Jazz Q - A Dance [Tanec]
09.   Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet - Mango Boogie
10.   Grupa Organowa Krzysztofa Sadowskiego - Alfa Centaura
11.   Karel Velebný And His SHQ - The Newcomer [Nový Muž]
12.   Impuls - Sextant
13.   Mahagon - Pisecne Presypy [Písečné Přesypy]
14.   Prague Big Band - Helemese / Gee Whiz [Heleme Se]
15.   Laboratorium - Funki Dla Franki
16.   Hubert Katzenbeier Quintett - Quartet

Credits:
Compiled By [Final Track Selection] – Crippled Dick Hot Wax!, Tøni Schifer
Liner Notes [& Introduction] – Daniel Sprenger
Liner Notes [Translated By] – John C. Constable
Mastered By – Bo Kondren, H. P.
Producer – Crippled Dick Hot Wax!, Daniel Sprenger, Tøni Schifer
Producer [Assistant] – Stephan Steigleder

Pere Ubu ‎– 20 Years In A Montana Missile Silo (2017)

Style: Alternative Rock, Avantgarde, Art Rock
Format: CD, Vinyl
Label: Cherry Red

Tracklist:
01.   Monkey Bizness
02.   Funk 49
03.   Prison Of The Senses
04.   Toe To Toe
05.   The Healer
06.   Swampland
07.   Plan From Frag 9
08.   Howl
09.   Red Eye Blues
10.   Walking Again
11.   I Can Still See
12.   Cold Sweat

Credits:
Bass – Michele Temple
Clarinet – Darryl Boon
Drums – Steve Mehlman
Guitar – Gary Siperko, Keith Moliné
Mastered By – Nick Watson
Steel Guitar – Kristof Hahn
Synth, Theremin – Robert Wheeler
Synth – Gagarin
Vocals – Roshi (tracks: 11)
Vocals, Producer – David Thomas
Written-By – Pere Ubu

The fact that Pere Ubu has been flying under the radar for the majority, if not the entirety, of the band's career is at the same time surprising and somewhat expected. Retaining an excellent balance between the sound that defined the late '70s to mid-'80s, in new wave and post-punk, and at the same time layering that foundation with avant-garde augmentations, Pere Ubu is not a very easy band to follow. Aspects of musique concrete and krautrock notions living beside blues and garage rock is a strange mix, no matter how successful Pere Ubu was in nailing the bizarre cocktail. 

Revolving around main man, vocalist David Thomas, the line-up of the band has constantly been changing, but that is not something that has slowed the band's prolific output. Since its inception back in the mid-'70s, Pere Ubu has remained active and is about to release its 16th full-length in 20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo, following the highly bizarre, even by the band's standards, Carnival of Souls. The band's 2014 album was a tour de force of experimental rock, diving headfirst into the avant-garde depths and unearthing a terrifying gem of a record. Tracks like the mysterious “Doctor Faustus” and the colossal “Brother Ray” are some of the most compelling material the band has ever released. 

In that respect 20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo does not share the same dark, exploratory sense of its predecessor. Still elements of that quality exist, as in “Plan From Flag 9”, which is based on samples and minimal instrumentation accommodating a spoken word-like performance by Thomas. Always retaining this off-kilter essence, alongside an almost sadistic view towards structure, as the track reaches the promise of a crescendo that never arrives, Pere Ubu still display this intricacy when it comes to compositions. The mysterious and mesmerizing tonality of “I Can Still See” is another moment of this hypnotic experimentalism, as it slowly puts you under Pere Ubu's spell and drags you in the band's realm. 

The majority of the record, however, focuses on establishing Pere Ubu's vision of its original influences. The manner in which the record kicks things off with “Monkey Bizness” is an astounding example of the act's surf rock mutation. The tone is vibrant, and there is something electrifying about Pere Ubu when the band explores the standard rock form and interprets it through hooking choruses and bombastic verses, as they appear in “Red Eyes Blues” and the '70s rock-influenced “Swampland”. Similar is the scope of the blues influence, in the garage driven “Funk 49” and the typical blues progression of “Howl” and “Walking Again”. All these moments are reinterpreted by Pere Ubu, crafting a psychedelic driven, experimental take on each genre, where the background is altered by projecting avant-garde notions, through the strange synth sounds. That is particularly effective in the album's “power ballad”, the fantastic “The Healer” which through its surreal context brilliantly exposes both the adventurous spirit and the sentimental underbelly of Pere Ubu. 

20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo displays a side of Pere Ubu that is more familiar than Carnival of Souls. Taking a step back, the band manages to tangle all the aspects that make its music so enticing and driven, may it be surf rock riffs and blues rhythms, or experimental sonic manipulation and avant-garde thinking. The short duration of the tracks, about three minutes on average, and the fantastic guitar performances enhance the experience, enriching the various twists and turns Pere Ubu travels.

Spyros Stasis / popMATTERS

Laika ‎– Good Looking Blues (2000)

Style: Trip Hop, Downtempo
Format: CD, Vinyl
Label: Too Pure

Tracklist:
01.   Black Cat Bone
02.   Moccasin
03.   T. Street
04.   Uneasy
05.   Good Looking Blues
06.   Widow's Weed
07.   Glory Cloud
08.   Go Fish
09.   Badtimes
10.   Knowing Too Little

Credits:
Synthesizer, Electric Piano – Guy Fixsen
Trumpet – Matt Barge
Bass – John Frenett
Clarinet – Pete Whyman
Djembe – Lou Ciccotelli
Flute – Louise Elliott
Guitar – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Murphy Fiedler
Vocals – Margaret Murphy Fiedler
Mastered By – Tony Cousins
Mixed By – Guy Fixsen
Producer – Fixsen, Fiedler
Sampler – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Murphy Fiedler
Turntables – Danny Doyle
Written-By, Engineer, Programmed By – Guy Fixsen

To some-- the hip, the jaded-- Laika's third release is likely to seem a bit of a disappointment. And in a way, I guess it is: after the sonic barrage of their first album, its two successors may seem a bit dry. In fact, by some standards, Laika have gone downhill not just since their first album, but since the first 20 seconds of their first album, which were arguably 20 of the most exciting seconds electronic music produced in the 1990s. Consider, for example, the generally shoddy treatment Stereolab has recieved from hipsters regarding their post-Emperor Tomato Ketchup LPs. 

The thing of it is, see, that the phenomenon known as electronic music-- half music and three halves public relations-- has always set itself up as The Future. The Future, of course, is always one step ahead, and this has led to the development of a freakishly malproportioned set of criteria by which electronic music is to be judged: one which values innovation above all other things. Constantly striving to push the envelope (in order to push the product, naturally), electronic music plunges blindly ahead into what so many fawning reviews refer to as "uncharted territory." This is all fine and good, except for one thing: left behind in the neverending move forward lie vast expanses of half, sorta and barely charted territory. 

Few blues singers are criticized for lack of innovation-- they're instead evaluated on their musicianship, songwriting and knowledge of their craft. Meanwhile, electronic music's mainstream has been largely unable to value itself as a tradition to the extent that artists are allowed to explore the nooks and crannies of their own genre. When an album like Good Looking Blues is released-- one that moves towards accessibility-- the general reaction tends towards dismissals of the "I've heard this before" or "Nothing new here" variety. 

Admittedly, Good Looking Blues doesn't seem like much at first-- pretty run-of-the-mill trip-hoppy shit: some loops here, some scratching there, a dash of hip-hop for flavor, shrinkwrap it and call it a day. Certainly, it's nothing like the grinding and irresistible Silver Apples of the Moon. But as bands like Stereolab have proven, a sheen of accessibility can conceal a wealth of texture, and Good Looking Blues more than makes up for its lack of originality with plenty of detail and craft. 

While generally more song-oriented than previous outings, Good Looking Blues is built on a foundation of acid-jazzy, polyrythmic beats-- the kind that just seem to shuffle along until you pay attention to them, at which point they prove to be more layered than Barthes' S/Z. Organic texture is provided throughout by such unhip instruments as the bass clarinet, the trumpet and the flute. Margaret Fiedler's vocals are much further up in the mix than on past releases. This is a welcome thing for the most part, though at points you may wish you could gloss over the lyrics: the opening "Black Cat Bone" in particular, whose stilted rap is basically Blondie's "Rapture" updated for the new millenium. 

Still, Good Looking Blues shows a Laika that has learned from its past mistakes-- they don't get lost in their own loops like they used to-- and willing to stretch out and explore their surroundings. I'd gladly see electronic music lose its innovation if it meant more music like this album's creepily sublime title track or the quiet Reichian beauty of "A Single Word." Of course, the hipsters would never stand for it.

Zach Hooker / Pitchfork 

Laika ‎– Sounds Of The Satellites (1997)

Style: Downtempo, Experimental
Format: CD, Vinyl
Label: Too Pure

Tracklist:
01.   Prairie Dog
02.   Breather
03.   Out Of Sight And Snowblind
04.   Almost Sleeping
05.   Starry Night
06. Bedbugs
07.   Martinis On The Moon
08.   Poor Gal
09.   Blood+Bones (Moody Mix)
10.   Shut Off/Curl Up
11.   Spooky Rhodes
12.   Dirty Feet+Giggles

Credits: Drums, Piano, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Rob Ellis Vibraphone – Alonso Mendoza Flute – Louise Elliott Percussion – Lou Ciccotelli Sampler, Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Synthesizer, Drums, Trumpet – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler

The World Trade Center in New York is one of the tallest buildings on earth. Heaving its twin towers over one hundred stories into the sky, its most stunning engineering feature hits you when you step inside: each of the nearly acre-wide floors is wide open from edge to edge with no central means of support.  

Laika construct a similar feat on Sounds of the Satellites, the group's sophomore effort. Repeated listens reveal layer upon layer of sound, but the end result isn't dense; the album floats along, spacious and atmospheric while reaching toward the ionosphere.  

Every teenaged, amber-sunglassed, Tom Rowlands wannabe with a sampler is looping electronic bleeps and hip-hop beats, but only a choice few bands are using new technology intelligently to enhance their music instead of using it as a crutch. Stereolab and Spiritualized are shining examples; Laika is another. 

The core of the group is Margaret Fiedler and Guy Fixsen, musical polymaths who split command of vocals, guitar, bass, minimoog, trumpet and sampling. Former drummer for PJ Harvey Rob Ellis is also on board, along with guest flutists, vibraphonists and percussionists to flesh out the pair's gently orbiting compositions. 

Expertly blending dub and hip-hop technology with live instrumentation that nods to jazz, trip-hop and dreamy pop, the cyborg fusion of smooth organic grooves in a warm electronic bath is subtly addictive. And I do mean warm; most computerized music is sorely lacking in soul, leaving listeners in a cold synthetic wash, but Laika's sound is as endearing as the dog they named themselves after, the first animal to be shot into orbit. It helps that the group writes actual songs, not just repetitive dance tracks.  

"Almost Sleeping" is a gorgeously smooth track, the languid beat, gentle vibes and light modulations in tone emphasizing the lassitude of the lyrics: "lose track of days, whiling away/I don't have strength to get away." The lilting flute that closes out the track is a lovely touch. The odd, Lee Perry-ist machine clunking that opens "Starry Night" is softened by wah-wah guitar and soft moog flourishes, setting the twilight scene: "the air is still / the earth sleeps / we move with the grace of the moon / sweeping through the clouds / one by one the stars break through." This is a cosmonaut's perfect lullaby. 

The album may be mellow in places, but it's not all zero-gravity floating; "Bedbugs" is a funky, Curtis Mayfield-style story of a player with edgy guitar licks, "Poor Gal" a jungle-influenced rave up, and "Shut Off/Curl Up" a dark look into the bruised psyche of an abused woman. A richly textured, deceptively complex album with intriguing sounds and solid songwriting, Sounds of the Satellites is tailor made for those who want to leave the earth for a while - throw on the headphones, stare up into the starry blackness and bliss out. 

Jared O'Connor / Angel Fire (1998) 

Laika ‎– Silver Apples Of The Moon (1994)

Style: Downtempo, Trip Hop, Experimental
Format: CD, Vinyl
Label: Too Pure

Tracklist:
01.   Sugar Daddy
02.   Marimba Song
03.   Let Me Sleep
04.   Itchy
05.   Coming Down Glass
06.   If You Miss
07.   44 Robbers
08.   Red River
09.   Honey In Heat
10.   Thomas
11.   Spider Happy Hour

Credits:
Bass – John Frenett
Drums, Percussion – Lou Ciccotelli
Flute – Louise Elliott
Guitar – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler
Marimba – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler
Melodica – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler
Sampler – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler
Saxophone – Louise Elliott
Synthesizer [Moog] – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler
Voice – Guy Fixsen, Margaret Fiedler

Coming from the same label that brought us P.J. Harvey and Stereolab, the omens were good for Laika; my expectations were increased by the excellent cover resplendent with a couple of 1962 Albanian postage stamps (an excellent year for them it has to be said) and it’s not every band that can boast a Hot Press Single of the Week among its accolades. I hurled the CD into the machine, my breath well and truly baited. 

And then? What a bummer! Silver Apples Of The Moon ambles along, apparently intent in the knowledge that if the remorseless rhythmic shuffle and airy fairy flute frolics don’t get you, the marimbas surely will. Admittedly listening to this album in the midst of a Dublin winter with the flu breeding down my throat isn’t the most appropriate environment to appreciate the finer points of a record which might just have the potential to be huge along the beaches and in the nightclubs of Rio de Janeiro but you’d need to be on some exotic drug and/or under severe hypnosis to enjoy Silver Apples Of The Moon around these parts.

Nick Kelly / Hot Press

Loma ‎– Loma (2018)

Style: Folk Rock, Indie Rock
Format: CD, Vinyl
Label: Sub Pop

Tracklist:
01.   Who Is Speaking?
02.   Dark Oscillations
03.   Joy
04.   I Don't Want Children
05.   Relay Runner
06.   White Glass
07.   Sundogs
08.   Jornada
09.   Shadow Relief
10.   Black Willow

Credits:
Bass – Matt Schuessler (tracks: 2, 5, 6)
Drums – Josh Halpern (tracks: 10)
Violin – Emily Lee (tracks: 7)
Mastered By – Greg Calbi
Mastered By [With] – Steve Fallone
Performer – Emily Cross, Jonathan Meiburg
Recorded By, Mixed By, Performer – Dan Duszynski

On paper, the creative marriage of Shearwater and Cross Record doesn’t necessarily sound like the most productive union. Shearwater, the indie-rock band led by Jonathan Meiburg over the last two decades, favor big moments and dramatic sweeps where Meiburg’s expressive voice can leap and pirouette from chord to chord. Cross Record prefer subtler execution, letting singer Emily Cross’ voice glide along minimal melodies while multi-instrumentalist Dan Duszynski cooks up an eerie instrumental miasma. But when the two bands toured together in 2016, something clicked. Impressed by the duo’s performances, Meiburg pitched a collaboration, and the three musicians convened as Loma, a joint project that heightens each member’s individual strengths and shows off their surprising musical chemistry. 

Together, Loma play with space and momentum in a way that recalls the glacial patience of slowcore trio Low, only shrouded in Grouper’s earthy grain. Their self-titled debut marks the first time Meiburg has ever written lyrics for a voice other than his own, a practice he’s called a “relief” after spending years in a more traditional singer-songwriter role. And while Cross has usually applied her voice to simple, staggered melodies with Cross Record, here she gets to dance along Meiburg’s dynamic compositions. The lengths they go to meet in the middle, aided by Duszynski’s skillful engineering, lead them up some disarmingly emotional alleys. What could have been just an experiment in form becomes an exercise in getting under another person’s skin: Meiburg pens lyrics he wouldn’t sing himself and Cross adopts a persona slightly divergent from her own. 

Much of the album lingers in a dreamlike, reflective space. Even its most excitable numbers, “Dark Oscillations” and “Relay Runner,” seem to be sung from a liminal place, on the border between one state of being and the next. Over driving percussion, Cross strives to crawl out of stagnation by looking deep into herself, her voice swelling behind her like a chorus of past selves. The album’s chilling centerpiece “I Don’t Want Children,” powered by the kind of melody you’d hear lilting from a music box, looks to future potentials that are just as lost. Cross ruminates on absent figures as powerfully as if they were standing in front of her. She’s “wondering what could be—who could be,” her voice heavy with the kind of melancholy that only surfaces when you’re staring down a path not taken. That song’s slow tension builds throughout the album, rippling through the rich, acoustic tones of “Sundogs” and “Shadow Relief,” only to break with the pummeling closer “Black Willow,” a lurching, gorgeous, and terrifying song that finds Loma at the peak of their powers. Cross’ voice is multi-tracked to the point where it sounds like every possible incarnation of herself is singing at once. It’s overwhelming, that simultaneity, like coming unstuck in time, like understanding the totality of your choices as you’re making them. 

Duszynski and Cross were married when they began making Loma. At some point during the recording process, they decided to divorce. The album isn’t about their breakup (Meiburg wrote all but one song, “Shadow Relief,” before he even knew the couple intended to split), but it can be read in part as a cross-section of the states of mind that might lead to such a schism. Despite the collaboration behind its making, it’s rife with loneliness; Cross tends to sing as though she’s in an infinitely empty room, and Duszynski’s production amplifies the effect. But from that alienation arises a way forward. If she’s alone, she’s not stuck there. She finds a way to move.

 Sasha Geffen / Pitchfork