Music Discoveries Oct 2021 #10

See also: September 2021  and November 2021 (View all)

I was a podcast guest once again for the Out of Obscurity podcast with Omnifoo. This episode we featured Monk Turner‘s God Complex and Leslie Hall‘s Song in the Key of Gold. I had already written a review of this album calling it a “Suburban Rock Opera with Mythical Overtones”.

Articles and Interviews

Ted Goia (Website) has 12 predictions for the future of music. I just purchased his Love Songs: Hidden History today!

Emusic Purchases

1. Sampler by Strawbs. 17 tracks, 49 minutes. 7.99 Early album with many tracks by legendary singer Sandy Denny
2. If it’s not Real by Artur Maćkowiak. 8 tracks, 6.50, 44 minutes.
3. Cursed! by Lucid Sins, 8 tracks, 38 minutes, 3.49 . Also see their NYP BC album Occultation.
4. Two albums by Sexy Bicycle: Ellipsis and Saint. 30-45 minutes each. 4.99 each. Experimental jazz-pop pieces by Georgian singer Nika Elia who is currently living in Spain (not the USA one even though the songs are in English). BC Page. It has the eclectic pop feel of David Byrne
5. Hold yourself together by Asha Jefferies. 99 cent, 6 tracks, 25 minutes. Australian country.
6. XO by Medio Hermano, 9 tracks, 3.99
7. Several by Los Ex: Cocodrila and Caida Libre. Later solo works by its lead singer Colombina Parra (bio in English) Otono Negro, Obertura A Un Río De Sangre Corre (99 cents for a fun 46 minute soundscape) and Cuidado Que Grita (Edición Especial) 4.00 for 35 minutes.

Bandcamp Purchases

From now on I’m primarily scooping up Name Your Price (NYP) albums on Bandcamp. A lot of NYP albums are compilations and samplers, but I’m looking towards the NYP or low-cost albums.

1. That Seventies Compilation. NYP. 26 tracks, energetic heavy metal.
2. More Doomed and Stones compilations: Doomed & Stoned in Chile, D&S in Texas, D&S in New Zealand, D&S in Latin America Duos, D&S in Australia, D&S in Asia,
3. NYP Records (various). The African compilations also look tempting.
4. Latencia by Pau Chile.
5. Business Casual (Full Digital Discography of Vaporwave stuff for only $2)
6. Just Popping in to Say Hi by Crywank. (Great album, but you can get all the albums for NYP 2$)
7. Full Digital Discography by Hasenfang (an Idaho-based songwriter)
8. Mukambo presents Global Afrobeat Movement (Vol 1 and 2).
9. Cat-shaped hole in my heart (compilation)
10. Great Barrier by Soul Whirling Somewhere.
11. Highlights by Black Tape for a Blue Girl.
12. Kitsune by Jarguna & Ryuzen
13. Various things by Polly Fae, Dreamwalkers, Earthlight, Metamorphosis and Secret Language of Trees
14. s/t by Tearwave. Also, see Different Shade of Beauty by Tearwave.
15. Sounds like Rain by the Adelaidean.
16. Kinecism by Kinematic
17. Compilations: Radio Mawimbi Vol 1 and Volume 2 )
18. 187 Steps to Cross the Universe by Jardin de Croix
19. OK Smartypants and Mr. Gikokovich 2000-5 by Max Levine Ensemble
20. Hors-Jue by Hinn. France’s answer to the Clash, U2 and the Cure, etc which channels a lot of the same energy and excitement.
21. Wild Goats and Useless Heroes by Freak Fandango Orchestra. Zany and joyful multi-ethnic Spanish jazz band which probably are incredible live in concert.
22. Black Lantern Clan 100: Black Latern is Dead and BLC 50 Raise the Black Lantern . Gigantic Hip-hop /electronic compilation from various Scottish artists. Hit & miss but always interesting and fun.
23. Through the Sharegate by Kid in Arcadia (Ecuador). Great chiptune videogame music with dazzling melodies and rhythm.
24. Two albums by Helenguard (Ukrainian folk-electronica group, Ozuka wannabees). s/t and Firebird
25. s/t by Ill Considered. UK Jazz improvisation.
26. Night in Berlin by Acid Carrots. I love the title song (which was also included in That Seventies compilation. Other tracks are so, so, but there’s a lot of promise in this Swedish rock band.
27. Various compilations from Sahel Sounds (an Oregon based collector of African music): Music from Saharan Cellphones (outstanding), SS Label Sampler, SS Label Sampler 2, SS Label Sampler 3, This is Kologo Power! , Ishilan n-Tenere (guitar from Senegal + Mali), Gao Rap — Hip Hop from Northern Mali, Agrim Agadez (field recordings from Niger), Laila Je T’Aime (guitar from Mauritania, Senegal, Mali),
28. Crescendo by Novanta. Italian synthetic pop. Some of the synth sound is almost glitchy, but still these are interesting, minimalist, meditative songs with some vocals.
29. Exotic Instrumentals by Junk Shop Guru. Surreal 60s elevator muzak from Hawaii. Junk Shop Guru digitizes/collects a lot of incredibly strange 60s lounge music with themes (Bachelor, Empty Bed Music, etc).
30. 訪問した (Visited) by Rasterphonics. Really strange/cool/soothing vaporwave music by a Denver artist. I also immediately snatched up the equally lovely MegaUpload. Wow, I really need to snatch the other two NYP album as well.
31. Various compilations and original pieces by UK’s Death is Not the End: I’m always crying by Nina de la Puebla (classic flamenco), George Katsaros: Greek Blues in America Vol 1, Bury Me in a Corner of the Yard, (Classic Cajun compilation), My Torment by Ercilia Costa (classic Brasilian fado), Death is not the End (sound experiments), Kirkfield Non by East of the Valley Blues (experimental rock instrumentals), Selected Improvisations from Golha, Pt. 1 (Iranian improvisational piano pieces from the 1950s) by Morteza Mahjubi. s/t by Washington Phillips (classic blues/spiritual music), Sun is setting on the world by VA. Greek rebetika recordings from 1930s to 1950s, s/t by Kouta Katsutaro (1930s Japanese geisha music)
32. Mainframe by Waveshaper from Sweden. Cool instrumentals/videogame music which sound like 80s dance music in the Stranger Things style.
33. If I had a pair of wings: Jamaican Doo Wop Volumes 1-3 (also from Death is Not the End label)
34. Binge Purge by Grand Mal. Fave of superfan Oddio Overplay who describes it as “energetic sound of Washington DC early 1980s”. Excitable punk-pop
35. Lifetime Psychedelic Dance Lessons EP by Dalt Wisney — remixes which sample lots of random kid’s TV.
36. Not Old, Not New by Carsie Blanton. Mostly jazz standards with piano accompaniment. Still lovely. (She has some great original albums on BC — check out Buck Up).
37. Bloody Winter by Les Becasses. Recent French punk girl pop with great energy and fun.
38. Sweeter Sounds by the Rurals. (UK 2001) Triphop, EDM with dance grooves and occasional “soul-drenched vocals” (that’s how the band describes it).
39. Grow by Dendrites. Bombastic Greek heavy metal which is closer to Sammy Hagar or Van Halen than what passes as heavy metal these days.
40. Kuuhaku by Morimoto Naoki. Slow meditative Zen pieces by Japanese electronic composer.
41. Coercion of Deities (compilation by Neotantra) . Basically a big compilation of ambient, minimal music.
42. Broke by Baychimo. Danish drum and bass explorations
43. Seeing Inside by Serena Gabriel and Steve Roach. New age musician Steve Roach teams up with Gabriel who has a heavely, ethereal voice. Home run.

Youtubey Things

Larry Groce sings his novelty song 40 years later. This was one of the first records I ever bought! I loved it!.

FUNNY JAPANESE SONG-LESSON!? This great song by Malaysian hiphopper Namewee pokes fun at “tourist English” and “tourist Japanese.” I didn’t realize until rewatching that the Japanese lady was speaking “Japenglish” at the start of the song. (Namewee does somewhat less successful and more earnest songs about Cantonese, China Reggaeton,

This funny & slightly irritating multilingual song by this Malaysian and Taiwanese singer pokes gentle fun at “little pinkies” (slang for Chinese nationalists), Chinese firewall censorship, Pooh (i.e. Chinese president) and NMSL (slang for “Your Mom is Dead”) . Don’t miss the awesome panda dance during the end credits. More Chinese Internet slang here.

Holy cow! Turns out Namewee did a rapping duet with Hong Kong superstar G.E.M. Folks, It doesn’t get better than this!

Here’s an offbeat audio only appearance of the Beatles in 1968 on the Tonight Show, being interviewed by baseball player Joe Garagiola!

Freegal & Library CDs

I’m way behind on documenting my discoveries here. I’ll be brief

1. Interstellar OST Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. This is serene, uplifting music in the spirit of Philip Glass‘s Koyaanisqatsi. Now one of my alltime favorite OST!
2. Listen by David Guetta. The world always needs more David Guetta.
3. Shinedown. Various albums
4. Various albums by Anna Vissi. Vissi is a Greek singer (and Eurovision competitor) who sings traditional Greek songs with a electronic dance twist.
5. American Legend by Link Wray. Compilation of one of USA’s best rockabilly guitarists.
6. Lake of Shadows by Phil Coulter. I’m exploring several classic works by this famous Irish folk singer. (Live performance of his most famous song is below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OJSTMC0VjQ