I’m lagging a day behind, and that ain’t cool in the blogosphere, so I’ll cut the oddservational chase:
–Great, great, great month for free and improvised music if you can dig it. I know that you can, I know that I do. Yeah, that’s physical media down there (I picked up the ancient copy of Mofungo’s “End of the World” sealed for $4), with a tip of the hat to Burning Ambulance.
–Album everyone whose sick of this sh*t would enjoy hearing? Guide your eyes and ears to Ms. Blanton’s offering below.
–I’ve been reading quite a bit of Irish lit over the last, what, six years and Kneecap’s album helped me maybe understand why.
–Rock (and maybe roll) Is Not Dead Department: Mod Lang, The Sleveens, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Golems of the Red Planet (yay, we’re hearing surf music again, Jimi).
–Helplessly devoted fan continues waving arms in your direction re: legendary Japanese supposedly psych-rock band (see if you can guess it—if you’ve been here before, you can) that anticipated The Pixies’ and Nirvana’s quiet-loud trick.
—[ahmed] is incredible.
SPOTLIGHT ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Mod Lang: Borrowed Time (Jaw) ****
New in May
(click this for the Jan-Feb list; this for March’s list; this for the April list—I’m gonna hone it into one list eventually)
No asterisk = good / *** = very good / **** = great / ***** = really great / Italics = an excavation
[ahmed]: Play Monk (Otoroku) *****
Ran Blake & Dominique Eade: Roots & Byways (Sunnyside) ****
Carsie Blanton & The Burning Hell: Everything is Great (self-released at $1!) ****
Boards of Canada: Inferno (Warp)
Alan Braufman: Anthem for Peace (The Control Group / Valley of Search) ****
CHEER ACCIDENT: Live—CheerAx Basement, Chicago 4/2/22 // Reggie’s Chicago 9/26/23(Cuneiform) ***
Columbia Icefield: A Silence Opens (Out of Our Heads) *****
Charles Downs Quartet: inner (ESP-Disk) ***
Eddy Current Suppression Ring: In Light of Recent Events (Cool Death) ***
Joel Futterman & William Parker: Transcendent Universe (Burning Ambulance) ****
Golems of the Red Planet: Surf “Masada”—The Compositions of John Zorn (self-released) ***
Wendell Harrison: Tribute to Pharoah Sanders (Org Music) ***
Itak Tek: Mind Abandon (Planet Mu) ****
Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart: BODY SOUND (International Anthem) ***
JPEG Mafia: EXPERIMENTAL RAP (self-released) ***
KJADE: THE SOUND THAT TREES MAKE (self-released) ***
Kneecap: FENIAN (Heavenly) ****
LICE: Miami Lice—Season Four (Rhymesayers)
Ava Mendoza: Alive Alone, Alive Together (Burning Ambulance)
Namasenda: Limbo (YEAR 001) ***
Jeff Parker ETA IVtet: Happy Today (International Anthem) ****
The Phoenix Trio (featuring Mark Turner): Tomorrow is Today (Giant Step Arts) ***
Les Rallizes Dénudés: Disque 4—’76 Studio et Live (Temporal Drift) ****
The Sleeveens: National Anthem (Goner)
Tyshawn Sorey: Members…Don’t (Pi Recordings) *****
Stare Into the Night: the new abyss (self-released)
Various Artists: Kaiso Power—Sound Revolution in Trinidad 1970-1980 (Soundway) ***
Victor Vieira-Branco’s Bark Culture: The Giant is Awkward (temperphantom) ****
Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live, Volume 1 (Blue Note)
Vintage Albums I Deeply Enjoyed This Month
Carsie Blanton: The Red Album, Volumes 1 & 2
Clarence Carter: Snatchin’ It Back—The Atlantic Recordings
Johnny Coles: Little Johnny C
Dag Nasty: Field Day
The Gift of Gab: 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up
Lightnin’ Hopkins: The Herald Recordings
Freddie Hubbard: Hub Cap
Sonny Rollins: This is What I Do
Jimmy Scott: Falling in Love is Wonderful
Woody Shaw Quartet: Live in Bremen 1983
John Tchicai and Cadentia Nova Dance: Afrodisiaca
Various Artists: Nigeria Special, Volumes 1 & 2
Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy: Live at Dreher
David S. Ware: Freedom Suite
Hey! I Read, Too—and So Should You!
Cynthia Connolly, Leslie Clague, Sharon Cheslow: Banned in D.C–Photos and Anecdotes from the D.C. Punk Underground
Lucy Ellmann: Ducks, Newburyport
Melvin Gibbs: How Black Music Took Over the World
Claire Hoffman: Sister, Sinner—The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson
Nancy Lemann: Lives of the Saints
Lisa Sandlin: In the River Province–Stories
Living To Listen 