March 2009

Tortoise has a range of influence more than readily familiar to any listener that’s even a fan in passing. Its music finds its root in as vast an array of influence as any pseudo intellectual touting the cultural import of post-modernism. It’s all been figured before. Tortoise is a group that makes music that, at times, barley seems as if it’s there. And now, the band returns after its three years away from recording to release a new disc, Beacons of Ancestorship, via Thrill Jockey on June 23^rd. The following hyperbolic nonsense is from the press release:

Tortoise is a group that resists easy metaphors and analogies, who can be described as sounding like only themselves and no one else. Read more

As a harbinger of new noise, VHF Records has released work from Jack Rose as well as the likes the Flowers-Corsano Duo. And while those two projects seemingly share little in an aural sense, the concepts propping them both up are pretty similar.

Rose, who founded Pelt during the ‘90s, has gone on to ply the depths of pre-ware blues to great affect, even earning the opportunity to tour with Peter Walker a few years back. But whereas his newer works have been focused on acoustic playing, his label mates, both Chris Corsano and Mick Flowers, have worked in a more noisy dispensation. The former having cut his teeth along side Paul Flaherty, maintains much the same fervor that the sax player worked within. Read more

New York in the early ‘70s was awash with rock dudes who fancied themselves poets, soothsayers and more over, trend setters. That’s not to say that some were not, but there’s such a glut of rock music from this era that it, at times, becomes a bit difficult to do anything other than take a passing listen to much of what’s being dug up again.

Recently, the smart asses at Chunklet found it necessary to taut a band that went by the name Hackamore Brick. A few songs were posted over there that made clear that the quartet - Chick Newman, Robbie Biegel, Bob Roman, and Tommy Moonlight - were more than simply a ramshackle group of pseudo musicians. But that certainly doesn’t portend any sort of greatness. Read more

It’s understandable that Australia and New Zealand have a contentious relationship. I used to live in Cleveland, don’t anymore, but still cringe whenever I see a Stealers logo anywhere. The fact, though, that the Aussies recently claimed that New Zealanders are hermits, or some such, seems a bit beyond me. Anyway, New Zealand, as much Australia, has a pretty rich and important musical history. The Tall Dwarfs (sic) and Chris Knox have impacted current indie musical trends in a pretty noticeable way. You’d be able to hear it even if Jay Reatard didn’t tell us straight out. Read more