Issue #17 Extra!: New Releases

L'Ange Vert - "Le Sang des Hommes"
Baba Jam Band - "Kayada"
Bassius-O-Phelius - "Them No Good Phelius Boys is Nothin' But Trouble... Trouble I Tells Ya!"
Death Organ - "Universal Stripsearch"
Djabe - "Djabe"
The Ever-Expanding Suckholes - "Asking Directions to Her Hair"
Hughscore - "High Spot Paradox"
Jose Luis Fernandez Ledesma - "Extractos"
Mercury Rising - "Building Rome"
Phil Mercy - "Fear of Fantastic Flight"
Mystery - "Destiny?"
Happy Rhodes - "Many Worlds Are Born Tonight"
Rova - "Bingo"
Dave Russell - "Paradox"
Tombstone Valentine - "Hidden World"
XfactorX - "XfactorX"

Tombstone Valentine - "Hidden World"

 (Aether 003, 1997, LP)

Could this be a flashback to 1972 Berlin? Nope, it's actually 1990's Indiana. But this two-woman, three-man combo certainly have that classic, droney Krautrock sound down pat. It could be the analog synths, the Farfisa organs, the sustain-laden guitar leads, the tamboura-like E-bow bass drones, or it could be that they know how to manipulate the instruments in just the right way, but whatever it is, it's the kind of music that drives space- fanatics wild. Richelle Toombs' very American vocals belie the very Teutonic sound, but provide a good complement to the atmospheric music. This is actually a compilation of several home recordings heretofore only available on cassette. While I do look forward to an actual CD by them, if this vinyl release is all we are to see of them, it's sure to become a sought after collectors' item in the future. Lesser albums have achieved such glory, it would be nice to see it go to one that truly deserves it. - Mike Ohman

Rova - "Bingo"

 (Victo CD 056, 1997, CD)

For 20 years now, California's Rova Sax Quartet has been unrelentingly pursuing the ambitious task of inventing new music from the most traditional instrumental family in jazz history - the woodwinds. Their case and craft have neither gone unnoticed nor achieved a widespread profile, but this new DC release presents a wealth of extraordinary music that deserves much greater recognition. Bingo is comprised largely of commissioned works from three of England's foremost composers: Lindsay Cooper, Barry Guy, and Fred Frith. You know who they are and the riches they're responsible for, so by now biographical background and artistic acclaim must rest as self-evident.The 68 minute journey (as guided by the four horns of the apocalypse) begins with Lindsay's "Face In A Crowd", which begins with a lone, impassioned soprano cry that slowly evolves to a series of brilliant cyclical phrases, unfolding a musical experience wholly and uniquely Lindsay Cooper. This climaxes with an extended multi-horn chord that must be heard to be believed. Her "Can Of Worms" is no less magnificent, and both are worth the price of admission. This view is not to diminish the quality of the other compositions, for they, too, offer much for your attention and appreciation. Frith's "Water Under The Bridge" (dedicated to Jimmy Giuffre) features a Balkanesque melody line with shadowed sub-sections, twisting in character to his writing style. The Rova's excel at playfully conveying his sensibility. There are two readings of Barry Guy's "Witch Gong Game" with the longer and most demanding stretched to 26 minutes. Now there's an enigmatic epic worthy of the most experienced new music listener!Throughout it all, Rova invests the music full of visceral passion and technical brilliance, often breathtakingly so. Never do they bog down into collective chaos or fly into grandstanding solos for its own sake. They're a faultlessly cohesive unit offering a genuinely new contribution to the ongoing, if now rarefied, lexicon of the saxophone quartet. Highly recommended. - Mike King

Bassius-O-Phelius - "Them No Good Phelius Boys is Nothin' But Trouble... Trouble I Tells Ya!"

 (Room 34 Records BPOBCD06, 1998, CD)

Bassius-O-Phelius is a duo not unlike Birdsongs of the Mesozoic in instrumental quirkiness, with a direct lean toward early seventies free jazz and jazz rock. This is not a player's album, but a record of unsettling themes and sometimes goofy live improvs. The group is at it's best when focusing on low end grooves such as on Squoebs and Bueoergs. The group has multiple influences and curve balls especially when a short rendition of Amazing Grace is included for an off-centering effect. Cirque du Moze (which clocks in at a little over ten minutes) benefits from an old Wurlitzer electric piano amidst a sad clarinet refrain very much like Ummagumma era Pink Floyd meets Eno at a French street corner cafe and they actually hit it off! Suddenly Totally Incompetent reminds me of a Miles Davis bass driven riff with wah wah organ (like a controlled Mike Ratledge (Soft Machine)) skittering the piece into the land of Canterbury tinged funk fusion. You might be getting the picture that the two members have a sense of humor relating to song titles (and maybe also real world experiences). The real taker in this category is My Idea of a Romantic Evening Does Not Involve a Trip to the Dermatologist. This piece is more guitar rhythm based with a simple synth lead and a good dialogue between keyboard and drums. The group is very much into the fun part of simple improvisation and discovery which actually creates an endearing quality to the disc. For Eno fans who are also into free jazz and classic keyboards. - Jeff Melton

[Web Page: http://www.room34.com/bassius]

Baba Jam Band - "Kayada"

 (Acoustic Music BEST.NR.319, 1993, CD)

This is only roughly new, I suppose, being a CD from five years back. Probably wouldn't have bothered with the review except that this is a remarkably good album, one that should have gotten much more attention in 1993 than it did. Baba Jam Band are a true original, blending styles and sounds from a variety of sources. A German group, it's no surprise that the female vocalist sounds like Renate Knaup nor that their approach to a middle-eastern- influenced music resembles Embryo or Chris Karrer in some ways. Mix in the elements of many an Oriental Wind album, a slight Zeuhl influence, jazz, dissonant compositional elements vaguely similar to Univers Zero; give it a glossy contemporary production; and you're really only left with half the picture. The songs are contemporary arrangements of traditionals, although saz, darbuka, and other instruments from the middle east are prevalent. The first track, the fifteen minute "Colours of Yemen," illustrates this well, having all the elements described above and delivered with a progressive rock edge. The album does not let up in quality through its near-double album length, with solos for violin (check out the long one in "Tamzara" that turns into a Ponty/Grapelli trade-off by the end of the song), sax, guitar; vocals both male and female, and arrangements captivating and energetic. The songs are long too, there are several over nine minutes long, all with a nice stretched-out feel and portraying a variety of moods. The more I listen to this, the more I like it; it amazes me how little fuss was made over such an amazing CD. - Mike McLatchey

Djabe - "Djabe"

 (Gramy Records GR 004, 1996, CD)

One thing I enjoy about the current swell of musical activity in Hungary is the way it proves just how deep the well of quality really is. No single person could ever know all that there is to know about a certain genre. Djabe is just one such example of what I mean. And who knows how many others are floundering in obscurity waiting for someone to pick up on them? This eclectic improvising septet resembles Szamaba (see last issue) in how they come at the jazz target from a skewed angle; hearing how they dance around the bulls-eye without ever fully getting into a typical jazzy swing or groove is most curious indeed. Of the seventeen short pieces on offer here, just one fits the standard be-bop song structure. But as the CD advances along, the terrain becomes more and more diverse, taking in references to African music ("Ocean") ; Brazilian ("Sorcerer"); pre-Columbian Mexico ("Hagar Aim"), and beyond. "Passage", for example, features little more than acoustic guitar and Javanese angklung percussion. As with AT Ensemble, no performer on drum set appears. The material however is much looser and free-flowing than AT, but never completely free-form. A strict structure is always prevalent to anchor the experimental pizazz they emblazon their work with. If in the future Djabe can just hit on a signature style, watch out! Recommended then, especially for the playing dexterity, but be prepared for some style jumping. - Mike Ezzo

[Contact: Stereo KFT, Bartok Bela ut 59, 1114 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/Fax: (361) 166 9674]

Hughscore - "High Spot Paradox"

 (Tim/Kerr Records, 1997, CD)

Ex-Soft Machine bassist and composer Hugh Hopper steps out again in another of his many group collaborations this time with Portland based, Caveman Shoestore (Elaine de Falco, Fred Chanelor). This is the second collaboration between these players and for my ears, the best to assimilate. How you might ask? The compositions appear more comfortable and natural flowing due to a more familiar interaction between players. Maybe it's also due to some sympathy between players and to the material. Producer Wayne Horvitz (former keyboardist with New York based band, The President) has improved highlighting the subtleties between players rather than with odd instrumentation. The set opens up with a sensitive cover of Hopper's Miniluv track from his album 1984, but this time with a more sympathetic contribution in particular from french hornist, Jen Harrison. Hopper's bass has been cleverly modified to sound at times like lead guitar, and at other times as a dissonant counter melody carrier. Memorable tracks include Against the Wheel which is kind of like if Jane Siberry or the Roches sang on a few tracks from Soft Machine 6. Vocalist Falco's use of un-modern keys is a real strength for the album. Her replacement of accordion for keyboard accompaniment makes the disc almost have a French sidewalk cafe quality, but without some of the silliness which sometimes appears. The Soft Machine moody motif is ever present throughout the disc making it extremely satisfying if you like variations on the more quirky jazz explorations by the band. At it's worst the disc becomes a bit tedious part way through if only some of the intended mundane tone of the songs. - Jeff Melton

Phil Mercy - "Fear of Fantastic Flight"

 (Mellow Records MMP 337, 1998, CD)

I don't know who Phil Mercy is, but, if I had to guess from what's in the CD booklet, I'd say he's a gifted English guitarist who has always wished for a chance to record the kind of music HE likes, rather than the stuff he does for a living (no doubt watered down pablum for the masses). Fortunately for us, Phil likes progressive fusion and that's what you'll find from the beginning of "Fear of Fantastic Flight" to the end. Solid fusion rock appears on the tracks "Aliens Wear Boots" and "Pump II" while "Dance of the Aliens" and "Khan Bh–t" could have come off of a Gamalon or Bon Lozaga release. Phil also gets to display his dexterity on keyboards, whether he's playing solo lines or deft unisons with the guitar. This is also truly a solo effort; all the drum parts are programmed on an Alesis drum machine and Phil displays his mastery of that instrument as well. Not to sound like a broken record, but, as with most of my colleagues at Expos‚, I always prefer a live musician to a drum machine, no matter how well programmed it is. Economic necessities aside, the use of digital drumming and keys leaves the overall sound of "Fear of Fantastic Flight" a bit flat and lifeless. Fortunately for the listener, the compositions and arrangements have the upper hand and more than tip the scales in favor of this release. I sure hope Phil can employ some of his session mates to help him out on the next one which I am eager to hear. - Paul Hightower

Jose Luis Fernandez Ledesma - "Extractos"

 (Luna Negra LN-03, 1997, CD)

Expose #12 features a review with background information of the worthwhile, if a bit patchy, previous outing by Ledesma, "Motivos Para Perdere". This time around the former (?) Nirgal Vallis member seems more cohesive and unified in his composing. Delicate and classicized keyboard-dominated 70's progressive fare is his stock-in-trade. Largely arranged without drumset (though not excluding hand percussion), the timeless low key sound of "Extractos" makes references to music along the lines of Mike Oldfield, Steve Hackett, or Anthony Phillips. Instead of trying to mimic pre-Columbian music (a la recent Jorge Reyes), Ledesma merely grazes ever so lightly the edges of that tradition. The result leaves more to the listener's imagination. Singer and fellow collaborator, Alquimia, guests here on one track, as well as a slew of others who add bass, guitars, violin, and voices. Not a barn-burner classic, but highly commendable for how it eludes temptation to get caught up with anything remotely current or trendy. Ledesma's only snafu is a tendency to be a tad uneventful in structuring his work: the melodies are almost always symmetrical in form. However if neo-prog has you ailing for the good ol' days of no-nonsense prog music, you could do a lot worse than check into Ledesma's work. - Mike Ezzo

Death Organ - "Universal Stripsearch"

 (APM 9718/ad inferos 2, 1998, CD)

The mighty Hammond B3/C3 organ was the major keyboard staple of many seventies acts who have come and gone : Argent, Arthur Brown, Egg, Rare Bird... the list is actually larger in Europe while nearly non-existent here. Basing a new band around a prominent antique, which roared like a freight train greasing the rails could be as impressive as a kick-ass rock'n roll band. In fact, there is a hard rock sympathy to most of the songs and a direct comparison to Deep Purple too. I wonder if music like this can make a comeback even though it has such a retro early seventies sound with better recording, but the same organ, bass and drums attitude. Wibarj is the featured keyboard player, who shows restraint and typically plays songs in unison with his rhythm section for all tracks. Vocalist, Patrik is a screamer; he adds presence, rage and anger attributes to a great front man. This import disc also has two covers: one from the lesser known Fear Factory, (Scapegoat) and the other Rush signature tune, Tom Sawyer which could have found a suitable home on Purple's Burn with no synths. These guys might make a great invite for Progfest 99, but after repeated plays, you may be wondering what organ you'll lose. My vote is the spleen! - Jeff Melton

Mystery - "Destiny?"

 (Unicorn Records UNCR-2030, 1998, CD)

Yikes, my second guilty pleasure disc this time around! Mystery are a four piece from Quebec and on "Destiny?" they serve up some fine slices of progressive pop, often sounding like an updated version of Styx. Guitarist Michel St-P‚re seems to be the driving force behind the group as well as the disc and consequently most of the pieces are guitar and vocal oriented. Even though singer Gary Savoie is a dead ringer for Steve Perry, he manages to not fall into too many pop clich‚s. Bassist Patrick Bourque and drummer Steve Gagn‚ round out the lineup with Gagn‚ in particular turning in some killer performances. Standout cuts for me are "Legend" (the CD's sole instrumental), the title track, "Queen of Vajra Space", and "Shadow of the Lake" with its creepy and compelling tale of murder. All employ artful arrangements and tight playing as well as Savoie's solid vocals along with fine instrumental breaks which never distract or overstay their welcome. I even have to acknowledge that the more pedestrian tracks like "The Mourning Man" and "Submerged" are well performed and produced. In fact, the overall production value of the disc is very high and here St-P‚re deserves serious kudos. Whether or not Mystery goes anywhere or not is questionable unless 70's style progressive pop comes back into vogue though for those who pine for the sort of music bands like Styx and Saga used to crank out, this disc is a must. - Paul Hightower

[Unicorn Records, CP 95016, Lorraine Quebec, J6Z 4P1 Canada]

Dave Russell - "Paradox"

 (DNA Records DNACD08, 1997, CD)

"Paradox" is entirely composed and performed by Dave Russell with the exception of a guest drummer on a few of the tracks. Most of the sonic landscape is painted with a variety of keyboard textures. Guitar is sporadically present, and primarily as a solo instrument when it is. As a strange contrast to the rest of the instruments, the guitar solos are very hard-rock sounding. There's quite a variety of keyboard tones, ranging from Hawkwind-esque spacey drone washes to Pet Shop Boys high resonance siren-like stabs. Several of the tracks have a definite dance feel to them with drum machines and sequenced bass synth, but some of the other keyboard tones and certainly the solo guitar gives the tunes more of a spacerock feel. There aren't vocals in the traditional rock sense, but the album isn't strictly instrumental either. There are occasional vocal samples and a few non-worded vocal parts too. Those who enjoy fast-paced dance beat music would enjoy some of the sonic variety Russell displays on the album. Those who can't listen to fast drum machine and synth-based tracks in 4/4 for an hour should probably look elsewhere. - Mike Grimes

XfactorX - "XfactorX"

 (Klytus Records, 1997, CD)

Wasn't XfactorX the name of some Marvel comic way back when? Anyway, this album would be progressive metal if it were progressive. As it is, XfactorX has the typical hard rock/ heavy metal characteristics and standard g/b/d/vocals instrumentation. Not that those things are necessarily bad, mind you. The players here are solid enough, but the songs here are just not that memorable. There's the trademark double bass drum kicks, screaming vocals, shred guitar, etc. The music would fit in with late 80s Ozzy, Winger, and the like and is surely the stuff that gets the hair-farmers swinging their locks away. The songs are standard verse/chorus/guitar-hero solo type arrangements. There are some cool individual riffs here and there, but unfortunately these parts often end too quickly and are replaced by some stereotypical metal backing instrumental parts behind the vocal sections. The CD cover is pretty cool though. - Mike Grimes

Mercury Rising - "Building Rome"

 (Dominion Records DR 2909, 1998, CD)

Of late I have had to re-evalute my definition of what I thought progressive metal was. Take Mercury Rising, for example: The vocals are understandable, the guitar licks are not Metallica based, and there's no double bass drum assaults. The CD liner notes do not credit who does what, but the singer isn't a clone of anyone, his voice is slightly different than most in this style. On further listens I began to discover some inventive writing; songs like "Building Rome" and "The Occurrence of Tomorrow" have interesting chord progressions. While they follow the same path many other bands have taken, they seem to be learning how to add something different to make the music more interesting and mature. I believe this is the second album by this band, and shows much promise. I also credit Mercury Rising for releasing a 45 minute CD, way too many bands feel the need to fill this silver circle up. - Dane Carlson

L'Ange Vert - "Le Sang des Hommes"

 (Ethnea ET8801.AR, 1998, CD)

Remember a while back, when I reviewed Tempest's Turn Of The Wheel, and I lamented the fact that there weren't more bands like that out there? Well, now there's this. After hearing the opening tune, "Marins de Coeur et de Fortune", I thought they might be the sort of band that would appear at your local Irish brewpub, apart from the singing in French. Then the electric guitars kick in. French they may be, but their heart is in Ireland. Their rockified Celtic folk is a sort of bridge from bands more on the rock side of the equation (e.g.: Horslips) to more traditionalist acoustic groups. Unlike Malicorne, they draw on Celtic traditions than on medieval Gallic music, more like Ys or Alain Stivell (though unlike Stivell, but like Ys, French is the dominant sung language). As with Tempest, keyboards are secondary to the other instrumentation (lots of violin, mandolin, various guitars, flute, bombarde, etc.). It's quite a varied album; one song can be more or less traditionalist, while the next more rock than folk. Sometimes they try a bit too hard, and it can get annoying at times (as on "Tavarn" or the keyboard bit of "Les Yeux du Naufrage" with the hip-hop-like beat). But their heart's in the right place, and overall this is a more than satisfying folk-rock blend. Fans of Horslips, Tempest, Steeleye Span et al are encouraged to try it. - Mike Ohman

The Ever-Expanding Suckholes - "Asking Directions to Her Hair"

 (Independent Production, 1998, CD)
Been looking for a band that defies classification? Here ya go. This Newark, New Jersey band is all over the place on this pre-CD cassette release. Their web page lured me in on a ‘King Crimson’ search. The promo states their music is somewhere in between King Crimson, Primus, Frank Zappa and Phish, but the numerous tempo/style changes prevent the band from any identity at all. These guys seem like they could use some time to refine this cacophony of styles as it comes off a bit rough. I can definitely hear the aforementioned bands’ influence in this music; the chord structure of Crimson, the arrangement style of Zappa and the way they use their influences can only but bring Phish to mind. The core of the band is Randy Draper (keys, bass, and percussion), Dave Levin (guitar and bass) and Matt Urban ("Cowbell, and other drums") This album crosses a few too many borders, for me it lacked focus, but it’s a great start. Side 2 closes with "Hateful, Trumpeting, New Age Jazz from Hell" a great title and a good description of the music in general. Most of the songs tend to be pretty loose jams, and you just never know where the music will go next. The only song I found bad was the 1 vocal track, a Primus-like number with the keyboard player ranting in nearly unintelligible voice. As of now the CD version is still in the works. Given a little time this band could become pretty cool. - Dane Carlson
[http://yepatata.com/suckholes/]

Happy Rhodes - "Many Worlds Are Born Tonight"

 (Samson GC0141, 1998, CD)

Happy Rhodes is now at her eighth studio album, and it is her first to be released on a label other than her own Aural Gratification. Not that signing with Samson is exactly a move to the majors. This new album is full of all the things Happy Rhodes fans love (and many others probably hate): tight arrangements combining programming and live playing; elliptical, if not downright impenetrable, lyrics; a disregard for songwriting structures and cliches; and her unmistakable voice. Her voice (her voices) are undoubtedly the defining factor. There’s the upper register, eerily like Kate Bush at times, the creepy low voice which is almost a bass but not masculine, the breathy exhalation, the tinny little voice, and many others, both natural and electronically altered. Musically, the trend of "Building the Colossus" and "Warpaint" is continued, with keyboards rather than acoustic guitar dominating. And while downright catchy at times, the music is too erratic to really be called "pop", the arrangements wander too much, and the subject matter avoids the typical topics of loving, losing, and leaving (including instead science fictional items and a whimsical tribute to the god Ra). Extra bonuses include lots of David Torn guitar samples and Jerry Marotta on drums. - Jon Davis
[Samson Music, 13906 Gold Circle #201, Omaha NE USA 68144, www.samsonmusic.com]