segunda-feira, 26 de janeiro de 2009

Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996)




Tortoise's production expertise hit an early peak with Millions Now Living Will Never Die, a work that not only references studio-centric forms like dub and electronica, but actively welds them to the group's aesthetic of sturdily constructed indie rock. The centerpiece is the 21-minute opener "Djed," a multi-part track which brought Tortoise's already impressive compositional abilities to a grand scale. It's almost a history of influences in miniature, first referencing tape music and dub for several minutes, then moving on to Krautrock with a chugging section incorporating wheezing organ and understated guitar chords. Halfway through, the band takes on minimalism with repeating figures of organ and vibes, then return to the green fields of their debut with a final few minutes of moody indie rock (though even this is spiced with a scratchy rhythm and various noise effects). With "Djed," Tortoise made experimental rock do double duty as evocative, beautiful music. The other songs on Millions Now Living are hardly afterthoughts, though; highlights "Glass Museum" and "The Taut and Tame" display the band quickly growing out of the angular indie rock ghetto with exquisite music, constructed with more thought and played with more emotion, than any of their peers. - Allmusic

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Peace. Out.

segunda-feira, 12 de janeiro de 2009

Bass Extremes - Cookbook (1998)

Featuring Victor Wooten ( bass ) and Steve Bailey ( fretless bass ) and Derico Watson ( drums )

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Hail the low frequency!

domingo, 11 de janeiro de 2009

SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (1968)

Shape of Things to Come is the true signal of Benson's arrival, not only as a major soloist, but as an artist who refuses to be pinned down four decades later. He's a pop star, a genius guitarist, a singer, a songwriter, and even now his own man. This is an album that deserves its classic status and wears it well these many years later. - Allmusic

GET IT HERE.

Peace. Out.

sexta-feira, 9 de janeiro de 2009

Taryka Blue


Led by New York session player Phil Clendeninn, Tarika Blue was a lyrical, highly melodic fusion/jazz-funk outfit that had a small following (mostly on the East Coast) in the ‘70s. Clendeninn's combo wasn't as well known as Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes, but there are definite parallels between those two East Coast bands. Like the Cosmic Echoes, Tarika Blue favored a very spiritual, mystical approach that owed something to acoustic post-bop as well as soul, funk, pop and rock. Tarika Blue shared the Cosmic Echoes' appreciation of modal post-bop heavyweights like John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner.

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