This page will feature record and concert reviews from our DJs. John Hammel (Mozart To Motörhead) and Jeff From Oxford (The Perfumed Garden) get the ball rolling. Other DJ contributions will be added as they become available.

March Edition

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio – Dream a Dream (Libra) - Satoko Fujii – piano/compositions – Takashi Sugawa – bass - Ittetsu Takemura – drums

Satoko Fujii begins her new trio record with a solo piano exposition that starts with an ominous basso profundo chord that quickly transform into rolling arpeggios captivating the inquisitive ear. This lasts for over two and a half minutes before she drops out to allow her young bassist Takashi Sugawa to pluck and pirouette around the foundation she has established. She comes back in with supporting block chords and then they trade ideas at a furious level until Ittetsu Takemura announces his solo arrival on percussion. Amazingly tasteful and eclectic stuff. After a minute or so, piano & bass tentatively join the conversation and we’re off to the creative races. Wow. This establishes the entirety of this marvelous record. Ideas and thoughts are pronounced, and then creativity soars as the three engage each other in improvisational puzzle cubes and modalities that play out with intelligence, wit and top-level musical virtuosity. [JH]

FKA Twigs – Eusexua (Young) –  FKA Twigs a.k.a. Tahliah Debrett Barnett, coined the word eusexua “…for girls who find their true selves under a hard metal silver stiletto on the damp rave floor.” She has gone on in interviews to describe eusexua as a “flow state…right before a surge of inspiration….or the moment before orgasm.” Pretty apt I’d say. She uses melodic pop tropes coupled with the booming thud of techno and dance as well as inspirational uses of electronics and looping to get her points across. Are you familiar with drum ‘n’ bass, trip hop, electronica, techno, dance et al? If not, then FKA Twigs is a perfect entry level as her avant-garde pop interweavings of these genres will entrance you and possibly entice you to wander down those unfamiliar corridors. One of the things I’ve found fascinating about her artistry is how she allows distortions of her facial features to adorn her album covers. I’m not sure what her modus operandi is but I admire the bravery behind these types of decisions. [JH]

Sasami – Blood on the Silver Screen (Domino) – A classically trained French Horn player who plays multi-instruments and electronics on her own albums, Sasami Ashworth deals in layered, complex emotions with a blending of stylistic and emotional influences drawing from her life and background. Raised in California in the Unification Church, which she has referred to as a cult, she uses this perspective as fertile soil for her daring lyrics, i.e., opener 'Slugger', in which she refers to getting herself together only to be informed she could be better and then calling herself a cancer. The production is powerful and fully complements the stories about the various guises of love and finding oneself on the crazy path of life we all have to forge. This is a richly textured album musically and emotionally. [JH]

Archer – Sudden Dusk (Aerophonic) – Whoa ah. A dream band of improvisers for the cognoscenti. Dave Rempis, a stalwart saxophonist of the Chicago avant-garde scene, with his ability to play both melodically or with the ferocity of the late, great Peter Brötzmann; Terri Ex, ex of the great improvising Dutch punk band The Ex; and a Norwegian duo on bass, Jon Rune Strom & drums, Tollef Østvang, combine to make one of the most exciting creatively improvising albums of the year. Three tracks, one mind bending excursion through modality and melodiousness. [JH]

Ringo – Look Up (Lost Highway) – Ringo’s back! To the country that is. What a welcome return. Ringo plays drums and sings lead on all tracks featuring a plethora of who’s who in the country and Americana camps. T-Bone Burnett wrote most of the tracks and produced this record and there are some who might suggest this is in all effect a T-Bone record but……………but, but, but if your front man can’t pull it off then it’ll land as flat as a dud on the 4^th of July at a small town rodeo barbecue. Ringo’s inherent sincerity and good-natured musicianship ensures that this record exceeds where most other star-studded efforts fail to cross the finish line. And what guests! Alison Krauss, Micky Raphael, Joe Walsh, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, et al. Most critics like this record but don’t give it the highest rating. Although I might agree, I find myself coming back to it for repeated listens. What does that mean? [JH]

Cymande – Renascence (BMG U.K.) – This has to be some sort of a record not just for longevity, of a kind, but for comebacks coupled with quality. Frustrated with the music business and lack of home town appreciation, Cymande, the great, great British funk, jazz, r&b group broke up in 1974. They did attain some notoriety as the first British group to headline Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater. They were formed out of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in London, originating from Guyana, Jamaica & Saint Vincent. Their original singer and percussionist was the great Ray King. Several members have passed on but six of the original line-up survive and incredibly re-united 50 years later to release this record in late 2024. With several additional newcomers and some guest spots by the likes of vocalist Celeste & British DJ Jazzie B, this new record soars on the nucleus of their core sound with today’s modern production techniques. I defy anyone to find a funkier album from 2024. These elders rock like there’s no past or tomorrow. Renascence indeed! [JH]

Neil Young – Oceanside Countyside (Reprise) – Neil Young is apparently on a quest to release everything he ever recorded. Thank goodness for us most of his archival releases are of a relatively high quality. This record is no exception. The album was recorded between May & December 1977 but was shelved when Neil decided on a different tack and instead released Comes a Time in the Fall of 1978. Three songs on this “new” record share space with Comes a Time: 'Going Back', 'Human Highway', and 'Field of Opportunity,' although the versions here are more stark and consequently, to my ears, more heartfelt. Neil is joined by close musical cohorts Ben Keith on steel; Rufus Thibodeaux on fiddle; Karl T. Himmel on drums & Joe Osborne on bass. On the epic 'The Old Homestead,' Tim Drummond is on bass and the inestimable Levon Helm plays drums. All of the songs on this album were on other records by Neil with the exception of 'It Might Have Been,' a short pithy tune performed to perfection in Neil’s wistfully best manner. This album’s tunes fit together well and offer poetic takes on the human condition and as far as I’m concerned, it shares space & comparison in the pantheon of great Neil records with Comes a Time. [JH]

Benmont Tench – The Melancholy Season (Dark Horse) – Humanistic, heartfelt and eloquent. Americana from a master. I kept hearing some of the great vocalists from The Band singing some of these songs. Yeah, they’re that good. Coulda come from the pen of Robbie Robertson or any of the other Band-mates. This is high quality songwriting and performances on this sophomore release by Benmont Montmorency Tench III. I think my favorite line is the profound “Jesus ain’t the only one who weeps at the sight of human unkindness……” How utterly appropriate in this unfettered selfish age we’re living in. The musicians on this release are top notch with Benmont being joined by Sebastian Steinberg on bass; Jonathan Wilson on drums, percussion, and guitars; Jenny O on vocals and guitar; Taylor Goldsmith on guitars; and Sara Watkins on vocal harmonies. [JH]

Jethro Tull – Curious Ruminant (InsideOut Music) – Delicate piano chords and single notes open this record and w/o much ado, we get the fully charged folky prog rockin’ Jethro Tull sound many of us have grown to love over the decades. The mix on this record is full & up front, most noticeably on Ian Anderson’s vocals. It should be noted that although Anderson has lost some range, he has lost none of his emotive abilities and works any limitations superbly. Although he may have lost a few of his higher tones, he amply makes up for that with some of his best flute playing in years. The title track is magnificently constructed and can stand alongside any of J.T.’s classic from their golden age. The most recent iteration of the band performs together excellently. 4 out of five stars. No filler and no resting on one’s well deserved laurels. [JH]

Lady Gaga – Mayhem (Interscope) – This is an intriguing record on multiple levels. "Mayhem" would be associated by most people with external forces pressing in upon us, individually and societally, but this offering by Gaga is more concerned with the pressure and dichotomy within. Dealing with the tensions and contradictions inside us all. Of course, an artist can only validly interpret their own tiny universe within. Art comes in the effort of making universality out of the personal emotions we all harbor. Gaga doesn’t offer a full-blown new direction musically but instead opts for a synthesis of sounds she has explored before. This production gives her a powerful outlet for the complexities she is revealing on this record. I will come back to this one again just for some of the sonic delights alone.

As a side note I saw her fairly recent hosting on SNL and her musical performances blew me away, as she seemed to be channeling both David Bowie & Kate Bush simultaneously. At age 38 Lady Gaga continues to be an artist who likes to push boundaries and explore all aspects of her personality. [JH]

Lamp Of The Universe - Echo In Light (Sound Effect) - This remastered reissue of legendary New Zealand guitarist Craig Williamson’s 2002 sophomore effort comes complete with “cleaned up” artwork to enhance Franz Landl’s mesmerizing psychedelic cover, a fitting tribute to the headswirling, spiritual listening experience within. Each song begins slowly, gently drawing you into Williamson’s hypnotic vocals and gently strummed guitar, but soon you find yourself lost in another world of tablas, sitars, trippy organs, and trance-inducing synth effects. What seems like an hour has only been five or six minutes of blissful relaxation. ‘Our Celestial Flow’ is wah-wah heaven in the style of Eddie Hazel and the 17-minute ‘Dream Sequence’ fondly recalls Nick Saloman’s early Bevis Frond jamfests, but the real prize is the 19-minute sidelong bonus track with sitar, acoustic guitar, tambourine, flute, and assorted percussives merging to form the hypnotic ‘Theories of Purified Psycho-Spiritual Unity.’ [JFO]

The Rishis - The Rishis (Cloud Recordings) - The Rishis' sophomore effort revolves around the songwriting duo of Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute. Expanding to a full band, the pair are accompanied by members of the Elephant 6 Collective (Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power). ‘Coloring’ starts things off with a rousing, countrified toe-tapper, featuring a twisty solo, barrelhouse piano, and brass pronouncements. We don’t hear enough Glockenspiel anymore, so Craig Landry’s subtle tinkling adds a spark to ‘Nite’, while ‘Criminal Activities’ kicks up the rock quotient for a stomping good time with blazing feedback and soloing from Chris Byron and Mac McCaughan ensuring the neighbours won’t be falling asleep anytime soon! Haunting Eastern inflections permeate ‘Dharamsala’ with bells, harmonium, tuba, pedal steel, Tanpura box, and Avasthi’s throat singing making this a true East-meets-West musical collaboration with a soothing, hallucinogenic vibe. The almost spiritual vibe hovering over instrumental closer ‘Rishikesh’ will fill your head with relaxing sensations, fuzzy visions, and a physical numbness to match your over-sensitised brain waves. Just don’t forget to get off the floor to turn the record over and start the experience all over again! [JFO]

Shapes Like People - Ticking Haze (Jangleshop) - The Shop Window frontman Carl Mann corralled wife Kat into adding vocals to his demos in the style of female-fronted projects like Sundays, Cocteaus, and Mazzy Star. The final results run the gamut from perky pop (‘Ambition Is Your Friend,’ ‘The Ship Is Soon To Sail’) to the glorious harmonies and tinkling vibes of ‘A New Crown.’ A dreampop delight from start to finish, there’s an occasional melancholic weeper to tug the heartstrings (‘Weathering’, ‘Server Of The Mind’, the string-drenched ‘Cry’), but you’ll be whistling along to the countryish spark of ‘Head Spun’, toe-tapping your way through ‘When The Radio Plays’, and smiling sweetly through 45 minutes of pure pop bliss. Not too stylistically different from Shop Window (see below), Kat’s vocals embellish the emotional impact of the exquisitely arranged and produced material, making this our favourite album of the new year. [JFO]

The Shop Window - Daysdream (Jangleshop) - The awkward title of this quintet’s third album represents both sides of the same musical coin: “Days” showcases their jangly pop personas whilst the “Dream” disc delivers a psychedelic shoegazing experience. Singer/songwriter/producer Carl Mann (also in Shapes Like People, above) wears his influences on his sleeve from The Smiths and Felt to Slowdive, Spiritualized, and Asteroid No. 4 and remnants of these and many others filtered into the recordings. ’I Run’ is earworm city and the fun continues throughout. Cosmic Rough Riders hover over ‘Lady Luck’, Cracker Van Beethoven [sic] frolic through ‘It’s A High’, and ‘Lost & Alone’ oozes Blue Rodeo and Asteroid No. 4’s cosmic cowboy pop. The “Dream” sequence starts with the shimmering pseudo-Cure ‘Miracles’, a marshmallow overcoat envelops ‘Blues’, and the band’s heady cornucopia of floating psychedelia, vibrating waterfalls of glistening guitars, and cotton-mouthed harmonies wrap up this stunning achievement with head-nodding illegal smiles ‘Made In Heaven’ for us mortals to enjoy. [JFO]

Matthias Müller, trombone & Andreas Willers, el. guitar, have created a uniquely personal aural soundscape on this new release by the two inventive German musicians. The titles of the compositions on this release are in a dialect (Plattdeutsch) native to a northwestern region of Germany where they both grew up. It was explained to me as being an admixture of German, Dutch and other influences. Regardless of the titles on the record, what is most important is the outstanding musicianship and imagination which have gone into these masterful compositions. This is intriguing music which employs extended technique (clicking, popping, elisions & sub-vocalizations, etc.) coupled with the rooted varied backgrounds of each artist through tradition & improvisatory creativity. These works draw one in as opposed to alienating the listener. Very often music of this nature holds the listener out at arm’s length. I found the opposite to be true in this case. Instead, I was fascinated & rapt throughout. If you wish to take a musical journey down a road less traveled, I highly recommend this release. Virtuosic music making. [JH]