What is spinning?

[jrhymeammo]

Another masterpiece by CAN. This album is so good that it deserves a skillful Copy and Paste action...




After Ege Bamyasi, Can delivered one of their best albums, and my own personal favorite. You will invariably find descriptors like "spacy" and "airy" in reviews of this one, and the levels of undisturbed calm and bliss to be found here make it an inevitability.In staunch contrast to the wired "Pinch" which opened up their last album, the title track that begins this effort is like walking along a beach with waves of liquid trazodone lapping under your feet. Sedated Damo Suzuki croons muffled vocals and Jaki Liebezeit provides a gentle, calypso shuffle sliding against a mincing generator rhythm and Schmidt's barely audible polyphonic synths. The music softly builds in volume to a melodic climax, then cedes into the distance.
"Spray" picks up the pace and edge, with much of the track given to the inimitable chunk-chunk interlocking of Czukay's bass and Liebezeit's daunting polyrhythmic activity, combined with the psychedelic squiggles of Schmidt's organ. Yet the overall nature remains open and expansive.
Despite its title, "Moonshake" actually provides a brief, earthier break, with beat and vocals largely harkening back to the band's previous two albums. But before they allow you to get too used to it, the band soon catapults you back into the clouds with "Bel Air."
This relaxed epic, one of the band's truly finest moments, always reminded me somewhat of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" in the way it takes it time and simply explores. The piece always struck me as classically structured, having a basic sonata form resemblance. We might call the exposition section the main theme in C Major that opens the album, countered about 4:30 minutes in by a second C Minor theme. Perhaps a foreshadowing, as this theme goes on, the reigns loosen considerably. We might broadly cast Suzuki's re-entrance around 10:15 as the opening of a development section, with the original vocal theme getting messed around with (e.g., played against static chords rather than its original descending pattern). Then, the music blasts off, getting progressively more intense and abstract, before simply going supernova around the late 17-minute mark. From here, we have an instrumental recapitulation of the original music of the exposition. I'm sure I'm probably inaccurate in my understanding of how this piece doesn't adhere to the form, but in any case, it's a neat thing to argue and discuss.
But in any case, both the band's musicianship and their sense of construction is certainly in peak shape with this album. The sound is mature and focused, the production well-balanced so that you can hear the contributions of each participant pretty clearly, even when they are low in the mix. People talk about the rush of skydiving...as for me, I'll just put on Future Days. An atypical entry in the band's catalog, yes, but one of their master strokes.

[bobsticks]

NP:

Jeff Buckley~So Real, Songs From:

A remastering of some of Buckley's more ethereal work, culminating, of course, with "Hallelujah" and "Je N'en Conais Pas La Fin". A little heat in the upper-mids make it almost feel like JB is leaning into that mic stagelights aglow.

Before that the new Raveonettes' Lust Lust Lust, a thoroughly punchy affair...sometimes plodding, occasionally more lively though never breakneck, loopy, dissonant, stream-of-thought kinda stuff if that's your bag.

[bobsticks]

I'm spinning Nobody's YEC 2007 and I'm diggin' it the most. What a great collection and Sir D does us proud with the pacing of the dealio...Just when after Sheena Is A Parasite has rended your face from your skull on comes the The Good, The Bad, and the Queen. Gracias, mi amigo.

Before that was yet another spin of the new British Sea Power. I've heard comparisons to Arcade Fire and the word "churchlike" bandied about...and I'd agree except to say Church-like, as in The Church of Starfish fame...and mebbe The Libertines and some Interpol and, I swear to God, some Matt Johnson thrown in for good measure. Good stuff.

[nobody]

I'm spinning Nobody's YEC 2007 and I'm diggin' it the most. What a great collection and Sir D does us proud with the pacing of the dealio...Just when after Sheena Is A Parasite has rended your face from your skull on comes the The Good, The Bad, and the Queen. Gracias, mi amigo.

De nada. Glad you like it.

That Blockhead thing looks interesting. I'm gonna hafta look that up.

[basite]

Jose James - The Dreamer,



was playing last night...

I can now happily recommend this album to everyone. He uses his voice like few others can. You could classify this under jazz, but he also does slight crossovers with soul/R&B...
Exellent for late evenings...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[oatalay]

Fellow Audiophile Jon Iverson's Alternasia
May be one of the best CD records made ever. By MA Recordings.
You may see another 70 true audiophile selected albums at the following link

link removed

[nobody]

Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges: Blues Summit

Vinyl reissue of both the Back to Back and the Side to Side albums Ellington recorded with his long time alto sax soloist. For these two records, Ellington turned over the reins and Hodges gets to lead the way with some small ensemble stuff, focused primarily on blues standards. Great mellow jazz hits the spot this morning.

[Brett A]

Lamb Chop -Is a Woman perhaps the bast sounding CD in my collection. I almost always wind up listening to it beginning to end.


I think now I am going to go listen to some Ken Nordine, probably Devout Catalyst.

[nobody]

Erykah Badu: New Amerykah, Pt. 1 (World War 4)

New Badu and she comes pretty strong from the start. You get very little of her neo-soul stylings of the past here. This thing's all hip hop, mostly in the underground/experimental end of the spectrum. Lots of darkness and unusual beats all around. A little spotty in points and a bit convoluted, but some great tracks, like The Healer and others. The more you listen, the more its disjointed nature seems to fall together. I've played this a ton over the weekend, and it sounds better with passing plays. And, even if you're not into the whole heavy vibe of the record, she even tacked on a little r&b good time number in Honey at the end. The whole thing closes out with the promise of Amerykah Pt. 2 Return of the Ankh coming soon. I'm looking forward to it.

[Mr Peabody]

Nobody, did you get out to the record show Sunday? I was there briefly and managed to pick up 6 LP's and 3 discs. Last time I had about 30 LP's. There was a pretty big turn out.

[nobody]

Yeah, made it....grabbed this stuff...

The Best of The Hep Tones (original studio 1 pressing)
Yusef Lateef: The Gentle Giant
Bashin' The Unprectible Jimmy Smith
Al Green: Still in Love With You
Teenage Head: Some Kinda Fun
Al Green: Green Is Blues (German pressing I've never seen before)
Fishbone (first ep)
Malcolm McLaren: Swamp Thing
Jimmy Rodgers: The Number One Ballads
Louis Prima: The Wildest
Fleetwood Mac: Rumors
The Four Tops: Main Street People
This Is Augustus Pablo
The Return of the Marvelettes (with a great cover shot of them in western wear on horseback)

Not a bad day, spent about 40 bucks and my turntable's been really busy ever since. What'd you end up with?

And, yeah, big turnout. There was a line out the door when I got there a bit before 10. One of these times I gotta pay the early bird fee and get in there early just to see if it makes a big difference. Was gonna give that a shot this time, but overslept.

[Mr Peabody]

I got on disc:
White Zombie - Superswingin Songs
Nelly Fatado - Remember The Day (I think)
Dwight Yoakum - There Was A Day

LP:
Bob James - Foxy
Gladys Night & the Pips, not sure the title but not the one with Midnight Train
Charlie - Lines
Conway Twitty - Greatest, Vol. 1
Buck Owens - Best of, this must just be for a certain label because it wasn't all inclusive by no means, I'll have to look at it closer.
Freddie Fender - Before The Next Tear Drop Falls

I have laying around a duplicate Jimmy Reed box set if you'd be interested. I have an idea but don't really know what he sounds like. I need to dig into one of them some day. I also have 60+ albums I've been procrastinating shipping off for consignment I'd sell reasonable to keep from shipping if any titles you can use. Most of them are Rock/Classic Rock. If this interests you at all, email me and we can try to get together one day.

[nobody]

Thanks. But, to be honest, classic rock really ain't much my thing. I'm not totally anti, and will occasionally grab a title, but generally never was a big KSHE guy or anything. That Gladys Night & the Pips should be fun. I don't get to the shows every time, but I'm always glad when I do. I rarely leave without some stuff I really like.

[Mr Peabody]

Same here, when going I don't really have much in mind to look for but usually find things that catch my interest.

[bobsticks]

I don't know how it is in anybody else's little corner of the world but 'round these parts we're getting the kind of snow usually reserved for Norman Rockwellesque Christmas panoramas...big, fluffy flakes lazily plodding to the ground. This Saturday night ain't for fighting,it's for hunkerin' down with some of the good stuff, which among other things includes 4 Generations of Miles.

I'm not usually one for tribute compilations but Coleman, Stern, Carter, and Cobb? It's a nobrainer...especially considering it's from the Chesky label, able arbiters of both style and quality. A great live recording of Miles' 50's era material...

[nobody]

Autechre: Quaristice

Don't need no words on Sunday morning. Good, varied electronic weirdness from these fellas.

[audio amateur]

... Amy Winehouse 'back in black'


Massive Attack 'Mezzanine'


& Portishead 'Portishead'

I can't wait for the third Portishead album, which comes out late April

[basite]

Massive Attack 'Mezzanine'


& Portishead 'Portishead'

I can't wait for the third Portishead album, which comes out late April

Great albums! I didn't know portishead is working on a new album, great news

mezzanine is a good way to test your system and your room for resonances btw

NP:

Paul Chambers - Bass on top
Duke Ellington - Piano in the foreground
Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto, featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim
Grant Green - Sunday Morning


I heard lots of music today, my dealer is holding his 'Cost No object' show, where he sets up systems where (indeed) price is no object...

this show includes:
Verity Audio Lohengrin
Accuphase DP 800 + DC 801 CD/SACD
Accuphase C 2410
Accuphase A 45
MIT Oracle MA cabling
Vpi Aries 3 + SDS + Koetsu Urushi
Herron phono preamp.

I must say that this was the best sounding system I heard to date, bar none.

really, the designer at verity audio (who was also at the show) really knows what he's doing...

I brought some albums of my own, (grant green - green street, and Jose James - the dreamer), and both sounded magical...

If you get the chance of hearing the lohengrin's (or any other verity audio), definately do so...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[audio amateur]

Great albums! I didn't know portishead is working on a new album, great news

Thanks! Yeah i'm pretty happy they are comming out with another one. I just got Portishead the other day. Dummy is excellent.

mezzanine is a good way to test your system and your room for resonances btw

Damn right! hehe

NP:

NP?

I heard lots of music today, my dealer is holding his 'Cost No object' show, where he sets up systems where (indeed) price is no object...

this show includes:
Verity Audio Lohengrin
Accuphase DP 800 + DC 801 CD/SACD
Accuphase C 2410
Accuphase A 45
MIT Oracle MA cabling
Vpi Aries 3 + SDS + Koetsu Urushi
Herron phono preamp.

There's reason to be jealous... I'm sure you enjoyed it
AA.

[basite]

NP?

Now Playing

I'm sure you enjoyed it
AA.

absolutely

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[jrhymeammo]

It jus doesnt feel like Sunday night unless I post at WS thread.

I got something interesting PN,

Sounding the Ritual Echo - Bill Nelson.

Sounds like yet another bad prediction of future from 1980s. I wouldnt say I'm disatisfed, but I feel vastly unfulfilled...

I think I'll play Broken Arrow by Neil Young

See you guys in a week.

JRA

[Spancticles]

Vampire Weekend
Hot Chip

[audio amateur]

is another I listen to quite a lot these days, performed by Peter Hurford.

It's mostly in these moments that I miss the couple bottom octaves.
I think everyone should hear Toccata and Fugue in D minor at least once in their life

[nobody]

Richard Hell: Destiny Street

The follow-up to the classic Blank Generation album is every bit as strong, even if it gets less press 'cause it came out several years later when it wasn't as revolutionary of a sound anymore. A trio of great covers, including a fantastic version of Dylan's Going Going Gone, spread in with originals that range from straight ahead rockers to more laid back tunes like Downtown at Dawn.

[musicman1999]

Van Morrison

His Band and the Street Choir

Not his best album but still better than most.

bill