- Stiff Little Fingers: “Suspect Device” – Proof that not all bands from Ireland suck (I kid…but not really…sort of). For some reason this band is always overlooked when UK punk is being discussed by the talking heads. The track here kicks off their 1978 debut “Inflammable Material” and in my mind, it is a seminal track of the period. From what I can tell they were the closest of the UK bands to foreshadow the US hardcore movement that was about to birth.
- Smog: “Natural Decline” – One of the handful of artists who does no wrong for me is Bill Callahan. Today I pulled out one of his lesser acclaimed records: “Rain on Lens”. This album has a brooding and thick swampy feel which the track “Natural Decline” is a great example of. With its punchy bullfrog bassline, muted handclaps, and swooning guitar the listener gets a brief feel for what krautrock would sound like if it had been birthed in the southern United States.
- Natural Dreamers: “The Singer” – Natural Dreamers are one of those bands that will surely be relegated to obscurity even though they have a known pedigree. Featuring the two guitarists from Deerhoof along with the drummer of Dilute, Natural Dreamers is an all instrumental record that sounds like long lost Zoot Horn Rollo outtakes from the heyday of the Magic Band. One minute abrasive and the next sugary sweet….
- Anthony Braxton Quartet: “Composition No. 40B” – This track comes from one of Braxton’s early 90’s albums and it shows him flexing his superior ability to marry avant and trad jazz. The staccato lines he blisters out of his alto would fit well on Dave Holland’s “Conference of the Birds” while the drums and bass motor together to hold the groove down. Great recording and a fantastic composition.
- Sunn0))): “Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)” – On the latest Sunn0))) album, the duo have expanded their drone sound even further by adding horns, choirs, and strings. This track showcases ex Mayhem vocalist Attila Chisar employing his terrifying vocals to tell the story of collapsing planets while an all male choir works with the horn section to rise and fall with epic tension. Just remember their motto when you listen: Maximum volume yields maximum results.
- Marc Ribot: “Kedem” – This track is one of Marc Ribot’s interpretations of a song from John Zorn’s amazing Masada songbook. “Masada Guitars” was released in 2003 and features Ribot along with Timothy Sparks and Bill Frisell. It is one I recommend without hesitation. Ribot’s ability to be percussive and violent with his guitar one minute and then tempered and gentle the next is the key to his appeal for me. Like John Coltrane, Marc is one of the few instrumentalists who has created such a unique voice on his instrument that you know it is him the second the record starts.
- Blue Sky Boys: “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone” – Perhaps of all the brother duos in country music, even more than the Stanleys, the Louvins, the Delmores, or the Monroes, no one ever sounded as sweet as Bill and Earl Bolick…better known as the Blue Sky Boys. This is the aural equivalent of cornbread dipped in buttermilk.
- Bozart: “Moves Through Locked Doors” – One of the myriad of instrumental bands that came about in the late 90’s that went completly ignored. Usually this was justified but this band should have gotten some credit. Bozart hailed from Minneapolis and was made of just two members: guitar (baritone I think) and drums. I am yet to meet one other person who has ever gotten into this band and that totally bums me out. Both of their records are unique adventures that really should have gotten more talk.
- Jucifer: “Lambs” – I generally do not care for this band at all. The 2001 “Lambs” EP is the outlier and it fucking rocks. Perhaps one of the best guitar tones ever put to tape can be found on this opening track. I could listen to that first chord crashing on repeat for hours and never get sick of it.
- Storm and Stress: “Micah Gaugh Sings It All” – This is a love it or hate it track from a love it or hate it band. I love it. That is all…
- Heldon: “Omar Diop Blondin” – Heldon was a French group in the 70’s that pretty much worshipped the ground that Fripp, Eno, and Manzanera walked on….and rightfully so. While wearing these influences prominently on their sleeve, they managed to create some amazing explorations that would make the masters proud. This particular track meanders though phased out space before settling into a dense groove halfway through. Truly great stuff.
- Black Breath: “Black Sin (Spit on the Cross)” – Black metal + punk is an equation that did not think would work well but Seattle’s Black Breath succeeds. Their blistering guitar and throat shredding vocals have pushed this album into an almost guaranteed spot in my best of 2010.
- John Fahey: “Steamboat Guine ‘Round de Bend” – I am ending this mix with the master himself. This is perhaps one of Fahey’s most intoxicating pieces. His expressiveness with six strings is simply unmatched and it never ceases to amaze me. This is the original version of the song which can be found on the 1972 album “Of Rivers and Religion”.
Download the mix here: http://www.mediafire.com/?5t86ifhg68x3gs3
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