Wow. Wow! I’m very sensitive to this. It feels to me that it both tries to transcend itself and aspires to construct an aesthetic that is both its own, but that also draws from themes that are more esoteric and spiritual, all while staying groovy and a goddamn blast to listen to. Thank you for the introduction. I’m gonna get more into it. Literally here thinking that’s one of the best albums I have ever listened to.
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I’ve tried a little bit of John Zorn based on your recommendations on the forum previously, none grabbed me like this though.
So when I update this thread with the details of the new album pick, I usually look it up before I listen to it so I can tag the release year and genre correctly. I was a little surprised at this being labelled Jazz and Surf-Rock (among other things), but turns out its a really apt description, very novel and its a wonder how well it works.
Beyond knowing its a form of traditional Jewish music, I’m not familiar with Klezmer at all. If this album is representative at all, then I’m also kind of picking up on the spiritual aspect, very interesting listen so far, not really like much I’ve heard before apart from maybe some Sun Ra.
Great to see some Zorn pop up in this thread! I used to follow him closely, but the discography soon overwhelmed me. I’m excited to hear this particular album again–it’s been a few years. The Masada projects will always have a place in my heart. I find it really cool that the original quartet was based on the instrumentation of Ornette’s classic group that recorded for Atlantic.
For the sake of contrast, this is what an earlier ensemble, Naked City, sounds like. Same drummer as the Book of Angels 14, the inimitable Joey Baron.
In high school I had a buddy who introduced me to the first Mr. Bungle record, first taste of Zorn for both of us. We had to work to find a Zorn album, but we did, and it was Naked City self-titled. Imagine our little 17 year old brains exploding when we pressed play on that f-er for the first time.
This week we have one from me (running very low on submissions btw): D.D Dumbo - Utopia Defeated
This is one of the more unique and enigmatic albums to come out of Australia in the 2010s.
Sonically it has an alternative/Folktronica vibe that’s a bit like Gotye or Bon Iver, but the lack of backstory is just as interesting. D.D Dumbo had some solid trajectory with an EP a few years prior to this album, which blew up in Australia about as quick as this type of music can. He performed a couple of intimate live shows in support of the album, but then vanished just as fast. Nothing has been publicly heard or said about him since 2017, except strangely in March 2020 when he posted on Facebook to promote infection control for the looming pandemic.
So a frustrating end (maybe?) to one of the most promising releases for a long time, but at least we have this highly refreshing album that is really not known outside of Australia.
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Haha I had forgotten about the lyrics, there’s definitely some pseudo-surreal kind of tryhard sounding stuff in there, but at least he makes up for it with the strong emotive vocal performance.
This week we have Bran Van 3000 - Glee from @Listening_Wind.
“I loved this album intensely when it came out in 1998. Haven’t revisited it in decades so I’m curious how it holds up.”
D.D Dumbo was a fascinating listen. The horns surprised me every time they popped up. I listened while walking my dog on a warm night. Nice tunes that were a little outside my normal terrain. Happy to have been exposed to them.
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I also enjoyed Bran Van 3000. I was thinking its a nice solid Plunderphonics/trip hop record, especially for its time, but then I found out it was actually made by a collective/band of around 20 people. It seems it may still be fairly sample based, but very unique even within that realm.