Howdy,
I’m back and this is issue #40 of Crow’s Nest. Thank you for your patience during the gap between this issue and last. I’ve had a lot going on in the past month which meant I didn’t feel up for getting an issue out during that time. Haven’t been feeling too into what I’ve been listening to and reading as well recently. Had an opportunity 2 weeks ago to put one out after deciding against going to Riot Fest but … and I had hoped to include a full essay on Making Time in Philadelphia in this one but … So not my strongest issue here but …
Anyway, the usual music notes below. No tweets or readings since I haven’t felt up for including those. We’ll see how I’m feeling the next time I decide to write one of these up.
It’s been a weird month for me. A number of phenomenal shows but also a lot of stress in my personal and professional life. 13 days with concerts, 3 more cancelled/bailed on + like at least 10 others never fully considered, 3 separate work projects launching and my annual review, illness, a change in seasons, and a bunch more I can’t fully recall right now have me feeling like ‘Where the fuck did September go?’ Despite the stresses of it all and the hazy numbness of much of it accounting for less than my usual amount of attention on new music, Tubaka by Ramses3000 feat. Swordman Kitala quietly became an anthem for me in the optimistic ‘hell yeah’ moments of accomplishment and positive anticipation in the past month. Both the upbeat, Pampa/Four Tet/Studio Barnhus-y electro pulse and Kitala’s more textural than lyrical delivery have a solid, positive bounce to them that never ceases to put me in a better mood even by just thinking about it. It’s semi-surreal to consider—and surrealism is a theme on which Ramses3000 built the solid album which Tubaka backends—but it’s also a jolt of joy needed when things seem overwhelming. Life’s always a bit surreal but taking some time for appreciation and the journey—not to mention the destination, whatever it is—and you realize how worthwhile it all is.
Univers Zero are a Belgian instrumental progressive rock band whose back catalog is being reissued on Crow’s Nest favorite Sub Rosa. Their second album sees them in a “chamber prog” mode which, despite any hesitations you may have from the implied pretentiousness of the descriptor, is worth a spin. It’s as dark and brooding as the more black than sepia cover art implies, perfect for helping to gather and dissipate darker feelings and angst you might be absorbing from the world around you.
It’s been a moment, I think, since I last covered a release out of Portugal. This record, from André Gonçalves and Efterklang’s Casper Clausen, is worth one of those moments to listen through. Popol Vuh seems the obvious reference point, as noted in the release blurb. I hear notes of Eno’s recent ambient output like The Ship as well, and especially Bon Iver if Justin Vernon committed to a full-on ambient release. Beautiful but not the most pleasant thing in the genre.
I do not really take notes on the concerts/live events I attend—believe it or not I usually write those out freehanded based on my memories and feelings—but when I went to the noise-centric Dreary North Fest at Subterranean on Friday Sept 9th—which was much more hardcore than noise like I thought it would be—I decided to keep tabs on the happenings for my own sake. Those are below for your interest:
Kryptox, the Berlin label for anything goes experimental works from conventionally trained musicians, released another good contemporary jazz record. It lives up to both the band and record name here, capturing some of the dance energy revitalizing jazz in recent days, but with a spin of its own making this distinct from the sounds coming out of London that have been driving the recent renaissance. Differing LP and digital track lists suggest an even more open-ended discovery around the record for those that dig it.
Japanese underground legends Les Rallizes Dénudés have begun finally widely releasing material from the group’s substantial archive. You might recall The OZ Tapes from earlier this year, capturing live performances in the groundbreaking early 70s countercultural venue, and this 12” came out for the release party. If you’re not a completionist for lo-fi, long-winding acid-soaking blues experimentation, this may not be for you … if you can’t get enough, Temporal Drift has announced the first official release of the group’s 3 official albums since 1991 for later this year.
Portland (ME) band Cereberus Shoal are embarking on a reissue campaign for their discography. I find it hit-or-miss, but a hit like their 2nd album … And Farewell to Hightide makes working through the misses worthwhile. This one is full of nebulously menacing 1st/2nd wave post-rock, closer to Bark Psychosis and Talk Talk and longform freak folk weirdness than Explosions In The Sky and other ‘cinematic’, ‘majestic’ genre descriptors.
Bandcamp Daily recently profiled the Cincinnati (post-)punk scene I’ve been enamored with this year, helping tell its story and introduce me to other acts I’ve not noticed. Coming up in the scene is the somewhat mysterious outfit Willie & The Cigs. I’m not a fan of the name but their well-executed, country-leaning and organ heavy classic rock sound is a good racket worth keeping an ear on.
Philadelphia-based rock musician Chris Forsyth is one of those underground cult following types with too many records for me to ever fully digest, constantly touring and putting out new material. His new album will fall into that category, a few spins of sprawling, art-y experimental rock. The guest contributor list is ridiculously stacked. I may or may not be at the Hideout to see him live next month.
While many bands are back to their (new) normal operations and I am shrugging at some show announcements like ‘didn’t I just see them?’ at their third show locally within the past year-and-a-half, you only have to flip the calendar to last year to find only the Antipodes hosting large scale events while “plague rave” discourse was rampant. It’s from this context that Hodge prepared the A-side for Ben UFO’s DJ sets in New Zealand last year (following a 2-week quarantine), now released widely on his own ‘when I feel like it’ Two Moons label. It’s easy to imagine Sub 100’s syncopated, futuristic sound-leaning bass-techno going off well in any situation for sure.
Like with jazz, it can be hard for many listeners—experienced or not—to determine whether techno and other dance music is ‘good’ by itself, especially when shorn from the context of its ideal listening situation. I don’t have a whole lot more to say on this EP from Rene Wise, out on James Ruskin’s Blueprint Records, other than to say I feel like it falls into the ‘good’ category.
And that’s the end of issue #40. We made it! As always, thank you for reading Crow’s Nest; even though I didn’t feel significantly that this is one of my strongest issues, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and hopefully there’s something within you enjoyed. Until next time, take care, as always.
Good stuff. Will check out Willie & The Cigs (not a fan of the name, either). Hope things are going a bit more smoothly for you now!