MUSIC | Records – Jazz & World ALSO RELEASED
Deerhoof
FLYING LOTUS You’re Dead! (Warp) ●●●●● DEERHOOF La Isla Bonita (Polyvinyl) ●●●●●
Flying Lotus’ fifth album, You’re Dead!, is that rare monster, a record which is entirely sonically unique and uncategorisable, yet one which stays in control of its reference points to the extent that it doesn’t sound like it’s trying too hard. There’s free jazz, drum & bass, rap and future soul in there, creating a dazzling sonic dream- state of a record. (David Pollock) ADRIAN CROWLEY Some Blue Morning (Chemikal Underground) ●●●●●
Chemikal Underground’s Irish troubadour returns with his seventh album, and it’s a moody affair throughout. Through the extravagant symphonies of the title track, the more reserved balladeering of ‘The Hatchet Song’ and the spoken word storytelling of ‘The Wild Boar’, Crowley’s dramatic baritone calls to mind Hazlewood, Cohen and the more contemporary strains of Richard Hawley. (DP) WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS Unravelling (FatCat) ●●●●●
We Were Promised Jetpacks third record succeeds so well because it dials back the youthful vigour and relies more upon a greater sense of reserve. These songs get loud, but they don’t overpower. Instead there is a sense on tracks like ‘I Keep It Composed’ and ‘Disconnecting’ that they’re exploring new sounds and emotional tones with a sense of focused urgency. (DP) ■ WWPJ play QMU, Glasgow, Sat 13 Dec. GRAVEYARD TAPES White Rooms (Lost Tribe Sound) ●●●●●
The side project of Euan McMeeken of Edinburgh’s the Kays Lavelle and his cohort Matthew Collings (Splintered Instruments). Clearly in awe of the squalling fog of processed guitars and distorted rhythms Radiohead made their own with Kid A and Amnesiac, it manages to be rich in sonic depth despite the obvious influences. (DP)
Last night I dreamt of San Pedro. It was more of a nightmare, truth be told, or indeed a hallucinogenic trip, soundtracked as it was by day- glo San Fran prog-pop deviants Deerhoof. Their 13th album is a thrilling kaleidoscope of dreamy electronica (‘Mirror Monster’), off-kilter grrrl-pop (‘Paradise Girls’), hi-octane, choral rock ‘n’ roll (‘Exit Only’) and guitar-mangling lullabies (‘Black Pitch’). (Nicola Meighan) HOWIE REEVE We Are In Repair (Product) ●●●●●
Unplugged-punk genius Howie Reeve is a linchpin in Glasgow’s DIY community, a former member of Balkan-folk wanderers Tattie Toes, and a breathtaking bass player. Reeve’s intimate, intricate second solo album is as welcoming, homespun and restorative as its title – and poetic tracks like ‘Yesterday’s Bread’ and ‘Musty Flannel’ follow suit. (NM) ■ See live review, page 79. JONNIE COMMON Trapped in Amber (Song, By Toad) ●●●●●
This follow-up to Common’s lovely 2011 debut Master of None sees the Scottish skewed electro bard simultaneously hone his experimental and pop skills, on an album that is joyous, wry and heartbreaking. And if it’s a little less breezy than its predecessor, then that’s no bad thing – particularly on ‘Fractal’s warped balladry, which sees JC summon something akin to a lo-fi, Avalon-era Roxy Music. (NM)
JO MANGO Transformuration (Olive Grove Records) ●●●●●
A terrific counterpoint to Jo Mango’s 2012 debut, Murmuration. It sheds new light, and life, on that LP’s naturalistic hymns, from the ambient electro-pulse of Ben TD’s ‘Blue Dawn Light’ remix to the truly gorgeous ‘Crossties’ – a gentle, Numan-esque lullaby, courtesy of an ace remix from Fraction Man (aka Gordon Skene, ex-Frightened Rabbit). (NM)
78 THE LIST 16 Oct–13 Nov 2014
JAZZ & WORLD JAZZ WADADA LEO SMITH Red Hill (RareNoise) ●●●●●
Red Hill finds the great trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith leading an expedition of younger improvisers across volcanic landscapes and lunar surfaces. This is a highly charged group, animated by Balasz Pandi’s restless flurries across the kit. Busy without over-dominating, Pandi’s drum parts create feverish rhythmic textures underneath Jamie Saft’s vigorous Cecil Taylor-like piano and Joe Morris’s roiling bass. The sage-like Smith cuts through it all with gleaming jewels of thought: long muted notes and tight, concentrated runs which are rich in texture and harmonic detail. On the opening ‘Gneiss’, Smith’s trumpet slices through igneous rock, unleashing the fury of a dormant volcano. The muted trumpet and electric piano of ‘Agpaitic’ resituates the ambient dirge of Miles Davis’s classic ‘He Loved Him Madly’ to the arctic tundra, while ‘Debts of Honour’ reveals a world of microscopic activity beneath the uneasy stillness of its surface. (Stewart Smith)
JAZZ SENSAROUND Isotropes (Cube) ●●●●●
Isotropes sees Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra saxophonist Raymond McDonald splashing around in a digital bubblebath with Australian musicians Alister Spence and Shoeb Ahmad. Come on in, the water’s lovely. Sensaround’s electro-acoustic improvisation relies on relatively lo-tech kit; there are no laptops running complex algorithms here, just a few effects pedals and samplers alongside McDonald’s reeds and Spence’s Fender Rhodes piano. Filtered and flipped, the fuzzy keys become a gurgling mass of liquid and gas,
not unlike the subaquatic realms conjured on Drexciya’s 1999 techno classic Neptune’s Lair. On first listen, there’s not a great deal of development to these textures, with Spence’s playing seemingly lost in the whirlpool. But over time subtle details emerge. McDonald soars over it all with beautiful siren calls and swooping seagull tones. An intriguing experiment which bodes well for any future encounters. (Stewart Smith)
WORLD JULIAN BAHULA Spirit of Malombo (Strut) ●●●●●
Spanning 1966 to 1984, Spirit of Malombo is a fine introduction to the music of drummer and anti-apartheid activist Julian Bahula. Disc one documents the evolution of the original Malombo sound, as Bahula incorporates traditional African drums and rhythms into a progressive-jazz format. The results are a delight. Take ‘Abbey’s Mood’, where Abbey Cindi’s flute swoops around Philip Tabane’s Soweto surf guitar, while Bahula hammers out rolling polyrhythms on hand drums. ‘Matshenyogo’ introduces electric bass and a lovely tremolo guitar, while ‘Away From Malombo’s’ adds saxophone and a trap kit to the percussive stew. The second disc follows Bahula into European exile in the 1970s and 80s. The core elements of Malombo remain, but they’ve been souped up with extra horns and increasingly sophisticated arrangements which encompass soul, funk and fusion. Most startling of all is ‘Sorrows’, a pro- Mandela chant over a cauldron of analogue synthesiser. (Stewart Smith)
WORLD MDOU MOCTAR Anar (Sahel Sounds) ●●●●●
Currently filming a Saharan remake of Prince’s Purple Rain, Mdou Moctar is perhaps the most exciting of the new generation of Tuareg guitarists. Hailing from Niger, Moctar shows a willingness to push at the boundaries of the music; not by going down the classic rock route of Tamikrest and Bombino, but by embracing technology. Last year’s Afelan consisted of acoustic campfire songs and blazing electric jams. Anar, recorded in 2008, but released for the first time here, is something else altogether, an inspired 21st-century fusion of stubbly acoustic guitar, autotuned vocals, synths and loping drum machines. There’s nothing like autotune to bring out the hives in ‘real music’ snobs, but like any tool, it’s only as good as those who use it. On Anar, Moctar’s vocals become fluid and glistening, adding intensity to the fine melodies as notes slide and slur in a sidereal motion. (Stewart Smith)