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The M/F Thread 2009: The Quickening

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FidelityCastro:

Alien City - Alien City [1979]




--- Quote ---"Alien City was composed over a period of five years. It is a song cycle of epic proportions centering around the incarnation of Celestial Visitors to this planet. They take youthful bodies with the soul mission of increasing the intelligence of the human race. Alas, in their compassionate endeavors they become trapped in the pernicious web of the world and their aim becomes warped and sarcastic. In taking mortal bodies they lose their reference point, their center of gravity, and they eventually become as depraved and stupefied as the very people they initially intended to illuminate. There is no story line; no characters are introduced. The work is arranged in four movements." - Liner notes

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I don't know what in the holy hell that review is talking about, but it's absolutely the only information I could find claiming to be about this. I don't know enough about this kind of music to speculate on genre, but I can tell you it is really really good. Maybe if you mixed David Bowie and The Clash and made it slightly hippy sounding, with some cool sound effects thrown around?

Oh, also...Freelance Whales are indeed "so good hurghl burghl"

dignan:
Thanks for the Alien City. Love all of that private press 70s phreakadelia. The blurb above is from the original album insert. I found a bit more about that album elsewhere:

RDTEN1 (@ rateyourmusic.com) wrote
--- Quote ---Hum, not sure what else to add to this baby ... Living in Seattle, Washington, Alien City was the brainchild of singer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Turnbow. Written and recorded over a five year span, 1979's "Alien City" is definitely different. Having listened to the album a dozen times, I'll readily admit to be totally confused by the storyline.  While the eclectic concept was certainly unique, Turnbow didn't have much of a voice. On the other hand, exemplified by tracks such as "Information Overload", "Older Men" and the instrumental "Suffer", he had a knack for crafting surprisingly catchy material.  I've read a couple of brief reviews that compare the effort to mid-career Bowie. That's not a bad comparison - think "Ziggy Stardust" era glam and you'll have a feel for much of the project.  Apparently a vanity project, the album's rather rare (500 copies were reportedly pressed), making it a growing collectable.  Just be forewarned that this collection isn't the easiest thing to sit through.

Not sure what this has to do with anything, but following the album's release Turnbow reportedly was briefly incarcerated in a mental institution.  He subsequently reappeared as a member of Strongbow (see separate entry).
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DrNil:
Here's a full (sort of) review on Alien City:


--- Quote ---Originally released in a limited pressing of 500 copies, this album took five years to complete. That’s an absurd amount of time for a microscopically small, self-financed recording at any time — perhaps more so in the ’70s, when not everybody had the means of producing, pressing and distributing an album electronically like so many bedroom artists today. The man responsible for Alien City was a Seattle, WA native named Jon Turnbow, and his labor of love is actually a concept album. The concept is a little vague, it is described as “the Incarnation of Celestial Visitors,” but the message gets a bit lost over the course of the album.

The best description one could give of Alien City would be “Ziggy Stardust” or “Aladdin Sane” era Bowie, a little more glam/prog, a little less punk, and a bit more out of left field. Reports indicate that Jon might have spent time in an asylum after recording this album. Unlike Stephen David Heitkotter — whose stunning album Heitkotter was posted here on Monday — hopefully he has since been rehabilitated.

Original copies included a lyric sheet. There are currently no plans for a reissue, but just like the Harbinger album yesterday and the Heitkotter LP on Monday, both of these lost gems deserve to be heard. Thanks again to Swan Fungus reader Viagra Falls for this recording — I can’t wait to see what else he uncovers for us to enjoy in the future.

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FidelityCastro:
Thanks for the extra info, you guys.

gospel:
Bombadil – Tarpits and Canyonlands

MySpace

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--- Quote from: IndyWeek ---Tarpits and Canyonlands is a far leap from and, ultimately, above its predecessors for several reasons: First, it simply sounds great. Under the veteran oversight of Monroe, N.C., producer Scott Solter (The Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice, St. Vincent), Bombadil’s nuances shine brightly on the biggest screen they’ve ever seen. At times, the piano seems like it might spill out of the speakers, and James Phillips’ brilliantly busy drumming influences everything, like a caboose with something to say… Their kitchen-sink approach has begotten both poise and precision by demand, and the themes that geyser from the album’s every inch are presented and captured perfectly.

But what’s most inspiring might just be the words, or tales of resilience and resignation to survival: A marriage becomes a chance to test mettle. Suicide gets cast as a cheap alternative that hurts others more than it helps the dead. Life becomes an opportunity to lift someone up. That fits somehow, since four years ago, Bombadil, an ex-cover band trying to stake claim to a sound of its own, sounded like the kid-spit of the headliner, The Avett Brothers, who’ve since become one of the biggest things on American stages… But make no mistake: It sounds a lot like a breakthrough and a breakaway, a mature but charged statement from a band whose ideas, enthusiasms, abilities and emotions have finally found their nexus. These tunes are the sort of stuff adventurous chamber ensembles could tackle and indie kids can shout. Let’s hope, then, that the band’s temporary setback remains just that
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Kenneth Pattengale – Speak!

MySpace
Wish Your Heart Farewell (YouTube)

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--- Quote from: speaktherecord ---Kenneth Pattengale works outside—or at least on the fringes—of what the music industry might traditionally call its own. Over the last eight years, Pattengale has taken inspiration from the career paths of artists like Randy Newman, Elvis Costello and personal hero Joe Henry by exploring what it means to wear the differing hats of film composer, record producer and performing songwriter.

The music called into question is hard to classify. It runs the gamut from swamp music to rhythm & blues, lullaby to country & western, folk song to piano ballad and beyond. The songs take direction from the stories they tell, not necessarily held together by a clear musical style but by the authenticity with which the stories are told. Along with the artists that Pattengale looks towards for career inspiration, he hopes to follow Tom Waits, Gillian Welch, Chris Smither and Loudon Wainwright in their ability to conjure a unique American voice by transforming emotional experience into narrative.

Beginning with Downtown LA in 2001, Pattengale has independently released six full-length albums of original material. He has just finished recording a new collection of material entitled Speak! The record is to be released on December 1, 2009 independently through Pattengale’s own indie imprint Four Six Productions.

Pattengale spent 12 weeks at the beginning of 2007 writing and recording what would become the score for the German animated film Die Drei Rauber, which was produced by Tom Tykwer’s production company X-Filme. Shortly after, he started to perform his own material for live audiences in Los Angeles. “I hadn’t played live for almost four years. I was always scared of not having enough control over the performance environment, or lacking the textures only available in the studio. In many ways, working on the film—being collaborative in nature—forced a re-evaluation. It made me yearn to make a connection with people beyond what the recordings alone have to offer.” He continues to perform live sets of original material often in his native Los Angeles.

In addition to countless short films, two features and six albums, Pattengale has produced records for a varied group of artists, from hardcore sensation From First to Last for major label Interscope to rootsy Americana newcomers Matt Taylor and his Laurels for Pattengale’s own indie imprint. In 2009, Pattengale has continued producing work for macabre noir-baladeer Erich Von Kneip and pop-wiz Evan Vidar. It’s the balance between the three arenas Pattengale works within that drives his career. He explains, “Upon seeking advice from a hero of mine, I was urged to simply do the work that lay in front of me. I’ve found a tremendous personal and emotional success in following that advice—putting myself in situations that reward a hard work ethic and a healthy imagination but, above all, a commitment to honesty in your work.”

Pattengale holds a degree in history from the University of Southern California and “fights [himself] for elbow room among stacks of books, scraps, instruments & computers” in Los Angeles, California.
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The Slew - 100%

Kid Koala MySpace
The Slew [Kid Koala & Dynomite D] - It's All Over (YouTube)

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--- Quote from: hangout.altsounds ---The Slew: Forging the new chapter of rock. 100%: The iconic rock turntable experience.

What started as a soundtrack to a film never made has spun into an amps-at-11 turntable rock experience.

Four and a half years ago, Eric San (aka Kid Koala) and Dylan J. Frombach (aka Dynomite D) started working on a rock record. The pair, who met on the Beasties Boys tour in 1998, had been approached to soundtrack a documentary feature film. The film was eventually abandoned, but with Mario C on board for mixing, San and Frombach were already deep into the psych rock-influenced score and there was no turning back.

Teaming up with Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, the former rhythm section of Grammy Award-winning band Wolfmother, The Slew set out to put together a full-blown rock band experience to do justice to the material in a live setting. And justice was served: The truly excessive six turntables, drum, bass, keyboard and wall of amps that made their way across North America this October made for a full-on raw, pummeling rock experience. The Slew bring punk rock attitude back to the turntable unlike anything you’ve ever heard.

The Slew’s album, 100%, was given away online ahead of the tour, and limited quantities were made to sell at the gigs. Due to overwhelming post-tour demand,100% is now hitting record stores, distributed by Koala’s longtime record label, Ninja Tune. Backstage rumors suggest more shows and new material from The Slew may emerge at some point, but for now, enjoy 100% in all its rock excess.
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Megafaun - Gather, Form & Fly

MySpace
Impressions of the Past (YouTube)

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--- Quote from: pitchfork ---“Plant that flag on solid ground,” advise the members of Megafaun on their second album, Gather, Form & Fly. The trio– comprised of brothers Brad and Phil Cook and Joe Westerlund– sing that admonition repeatedly, in boisterous unison, yet they have no intention of taking such advice, at least not musically. In fact, since the disbanding of their previous band DeYarmond Edison (with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon), they have celebrated the joys of shaky foundations, creating ingeniously ramshackle folk rock that combines acoustic instruments and mountain harmonies with obtuse sound collages, meandering song structures, and abstract passages featuring the most psychedelic banjo imaginable. As if to illustrate this point, they’ve even designed the album cover so that it works either as a square or as a diamond, the subtle shift of landscape revealing new ambiguities.

“Solid Ground” kicks off with a dirty guitar riff and a walking bass line, unfolding as a formally repetitive blues. This type of structure– the same line three times, followed by a new fourth line– is perhaps the most solid ground in rock, yet Megafaun make it slippery by adding a squealing solo whose feedback emanates not from a guitar, but from a closely mic’ed blues harmonica. Near the end, the casual midtempo groove threatens to fall apart as the instruments break stride, but Megafaun manage to keep it together. Averse to predictability and sentimentality, the band is restless with established forms, yet instead of subverting blues and folk traditions, they upend them. Their ends are deconstructive, not destructive.

This tendency, however, made their 2008 debut, Bury the Square, sound frustratingly divided, as if the band’s divergent musical urges had been compartmentalized and overthought. It was as though they had all the pieces, but were unsure how to fit them together. Gather, Form & Fly improves dramatically on that release, integrating musical styles more organically and confidently to play up the contrasts between them. “Solid Ground” segues seamlessly into the múm-like “Darkest Hour”, which turns water droplets into a rudimentary melody before morphing into waves crashing on a beach and finally settling into a thunderstorm backdrop for splices of a hymnal roundelay. Similarly, “Impressions of the Past” begins with a shuffling intro that never coalesces into a vocal-based song. Instead, it’s 10 or 12 different songs before the vocals enter in the final minutes, and even then, they sound like just another instrument in the mix. The song doesn’t present a fully formed memory but, as its title suggests, a series of memory traces– brief, bittersweet, and impossible to hang on to.

Megafaun’s songs change shape constantly– a thrillingly mercurial quality that makes Gather, Form & Fly a headily absorbing, occasionally unsettling listen. Despite their musical wanderlust, the trio remain firmly rooted in the Appalachian foothills, enamored with folk traditions and pastoral airs. The album opens with “Bella Marie”, a gossamer overture featuring guitar, piano, and a violin so closely mic’ed you can hear the friction of the bow on strings. Joe Westerlund’s clattery percussion on “The Process” can’t disguise its chicken-coop soul, and Christy Smith, of Nola, North Carolina’s the Tender Fruit, duets on “The Longest Day”, a delicate country number that floats along on tender banjo and guitar strums. The buoyant melody of “The Fade”, perhaps the most instantly accessible song here, recalls locals the Kingsbury Manx as the Cook brothers sing about the death of their grandfather and the tragic shortcomings of memory: “It’s been a year,” they sing together, “and now I fear the fade is on.” (Trivia: That’s him on the CD and etched into side four of the vinyl.)

Moments like that lend Gather, Form & Fly its warmth and accessibility, despite the intentionally shaky foundations of songs like “Guns”, which begins with one of their best moments: “All we’ll ever be, all we’ll ever need,” the trio sing together, with a mix of triumph and forlornness, before ominous rumblings dislodge their vocals from the emphatic guitar strums and drown them all in gentle noise. Rather than blanch the song of its momentousness, that spectral coda makes it all the more meaningful, as if they’ve just stepped from a sunlit clearing into dark woods. While some listeners may grow weary of such insistent drones, and while it’s tempting to read these tendencies as opposite extremes, ultimately there are no simple dichotomies in these songs, no easy distinctions between written and improvised, concrete and fluid, organic and synthetic. All the sounds and ideas emanate from the same sources and desires, and the prismatic contrasts between them illuminate this intriguing and heartfelt album.
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