ten

73-80


Ativin - Interiors (Secretly Canadian) 2001

A three piece math-rock outfit out of the Midwest... a place that seems to breed this type of complex confused aggression. This third album of theirs turned things down a fair bit... playing up the vocals and quieter tensions, creating a strained listening and waiting for all hell to break loose.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Auteurs - After Murder Park (Hut) 1996

Some of my favourite comics (or graphic serials if you prefer) have tended to be by British writers. Neil Gaiman, Jamie Delano, and especially Alan Moore hit notes that resonate both in the idylls and darknesses that England's history have enjoyed. Luke Haines of The Auteurs writes excellent musical accompaniment to their tales. On After Murder Park the band shook off the mantle of "new glam" that had been thrust upon them previously... getting Steve Albini to sharpen focus and find a place where Beatlesque melodies could be used to underscore stories of plane crashes and unsolved child murders.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Autour de Lucie - Immobile (Nettwerk) 1998

France is a peculiarly insular place for pop music. From limited exposure to their television variety shows they seem to be enthralled with 70s-style Elvis rock swagger, jazzy pop divas and balladeers and have been for three decades now. Occasionally artists and bands need to break free of that star system to assert themselves. Autour de Lucie have more in common musically with twee British pop, but infused with a little guitar muscle too. It tends towards the light... but with teeth enough to leave interesting bites here and there.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Awkward Stage - Heaven is for Easy Girls (Mint) 2006

Shane Nelken is an associate of various New Pornographers, having played with both head Pornographer A.C. Newman on his recent solo record and as a member of Sparrow with Jason Zumpno. NP drummer Kurt Dahle produces and plays on Nelken's first solo effort. While a lot of West Coast Canadian music has lately tended to swing between a Beatles/Stones polarity, Awkward Stage aims a couple of decades later in the British spectrum, preferring The Smiths as a kind of model. Nelken is a good lyricist and singer and easily pulls off the literate pop thing without irritating.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Azita - Enantiodromia (Drag City) 2003

Azita Youssefi is a Chicago punk that also plays in bands Scissor Girls and Bride of No No. After a 1997 solo record that was as similarly confrontational as her group work, Enantioidromia comes as a surprise. Taking a stab at destabilizing the 70s jazz piano ballad style, Azita succeeds and ends up with a confusing and compelling record. Given a strong helping hand by Tortoise friends John McEntire and Rob Mazurek on drums and cornet, she uses her peculiar vocal style to it's Nth possibilities... given it is more accustomed to louder exclamations that don't require much attention to harmony and pitch. The effect of tonally unglued diva takes a little getting used to...but it works.
++++++++++++++


Babe the Blue Ox - Box (Homestead) 1993


Babe the Blue Ox - People (RCA) 1996

A weird anomaly in the burgeoning indie rock scene... a trio with a female rhythm section and male guitarist, all three sharing vocal duties. Stranger still was their blend of sweet-voiced pop and faux-Beefheart slap bass funk grumbling. Most of the college rock field at the time was made up of intellectuals with naively little instrumental skill or smart rockers drenched in feedback and skull crushing volume. BTBO didn't really fit in any of these guises, having interestingly vague lyrics and way above average skills. The major labels grabbing them later on did them little favour, predictably such a left-of-everything band would be hard to find an audience or radio play or anything for.


Jessica Bailiff - S/T (Kranky) 2002

I'm a big big fan of the Kranky label (as you'll see throughout this journey we're on together), but Jessica Bailiff is one of their artists I have the most trouble getting into. She plays a kind of wispy folk music that survives on the extraneous details that sometimes creep into the mix, but without these she seems a little run of the mill as far as sirens go. The one exception would be the Clear Horizon collaboration between she and David Pearce of Flying Saucer Attack... but more on that later.