OKI is an Ainu musician who combines traditional music, played upon the tonkori, with a range of influences that update the sound while retaining a ritualistic purity. The sound is generally very spare–the tonkori is a plucked five stringed open-fret instrument–but there is diversity among the tracks because of the lovely guest vocals (notably by Ainu folk singer Umeko Ando) and surprising sonic addtions–from casio beats to throat singing. I recommend experimenting with various tracks. (For a quick taste of the range, try Yaykatekar Dub and Iuta Upopo.) The album is a balm for hard times.
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May 2022 Mix
Or, if you use Qobuz (which you oughta):
Solitudo–Anais Drago (Cam Jazz, 2021)
Anais Drago is an Italian violinist who experiments on the borders between classical and jazz. She was unknown to me until I heard her interpretaion of Satie’s Gnossiene (on Mondo Jazz) and I had to hear more. I was not disappointed. Solitudo includes the Satie, but the rest of the pieces are her own, innovative compositions. While it’s solo violin, Drago employs effects, samples, and various electronic embellishments that thicken the sound considerably. In the wrong hands, that can be a little wonky, seemingly compensating for music that lacks its own thrust. Not so here. The album is continuously engaging, but I’d specifically recommend the Gnossiene, Firma Mentis and Horror Vacui.
In the Midnight Hour–Perennial (Independent) 2022
Perennial tears it up. In the Midnight Hour is the threesome’s first album, and I’m reminded of the excitement of listening to Refused’s Shape of Punk to Come. Granted, that’s a high bar, and Perennial can’t claim that level of originality, but damn it’s a strong album. Tag-team vocals from Chelsea Hahn and Chad Jewett bash over heavy-riff guitars with synth breakdowns. Perhaps it’s dance-punk? No need to pigeon hole: it’s pure energy and it’s excellent.
Pompeii–Cate le Bon (Mexican Summer), 2022
Cate le Bon is one of the most consistently interesting and fearlessly independent artists going. Pompeii is her sixth, and possibly her best, album. (Though Mug Museum is a must hear…) Each instrument–wandering bass, subdued sax, idiosyncratic guitar, 80’s synth–crosses the others at oblique angles. Add vocals reminiscent of Nico (but with a much broader palette) and it’s a bit of a strange brew. But somehow everything comes together in a blend that can almost convince you it’s pop. My favorite album of the year so far.
¡Demolición!: The Complete Recordings –Los Saicos (Munster, 2010)
Who knew protopunk started in Lima, Peru in 1964? That might be a bit of an overstatement, but Los Saicos (pronounced “psychos”) had clanging guitars, gravelly vocals and a raw sound that presaged much of what punk would come to be–though with a definite surf-rock tinge. (Pixies, anyone?) Almost any of these tracks would be standouts on the Nuggets compilation. Check out the title track Demolición and Fugitivo de Alcatraz for convincing samples. A must for garage rock aficionados.
Tapered Roller Bearings–Mix 3/22
Top 25 Albums of 2021
Starting the year I still had my head in the covid clouds and nursed myself with Louis Armstrong and Bach–pure comfort music. At some point, though, the obsession returned and I began listening to new music constantly. This year I didn’t find myself dwelling on any particular album. It’s probably more to do with the way music is delivered and the way I consume it, but it was more of a song year for me. So the top albums represent less the albums I listened to again and again and more the albums that supplied my listening with fresh music and inspiration. Though I didn’t listen to a ton of Jazz, a couple of heavily listened albums are left off here because I classify them more as Jazz: Sons of Kemet and Ben Lamar Gay.
- Low–Hey What
2. Japanese Breakfast—Jubilee
3. Hand Habits—Fun House
4. The Armed—Ultrapop
5. HTRK—Rhinestones
6. Juçara Marçal—Delta Estácio Blues
7. The Notwist—Vertigo Days
8. Flock of Dimes—Head of Roses
9. Moor Mother—Black Encyclopedia of the Air
10. Circuits des Yeux— -io
11. Maria Elena Silva—Eros
12. Snail Mail—Valentine
13. Tropical Fuck Storm—Deep States
14. Shame—Drunk Tank Pink
15. Squid—Bright Green Field
16. Cassandra Jenkins—An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
17. Low Hummer—Modern Tricks for Living
18. Illuminati Hotties—Let Me Do One More
19. Adia Victoria—A Southern Gothic
20. Idles—Crawler
21. Sylvan Esso—Free Love
22. Torres—Thirstier
23. Geese—Projector
24. Parquet Courts—Sympathy for Life
25. Hildegard–Hildegard
The Caretaker–An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
I’m a latecomer to the wonder that is The Caretaker. This album, An Empty Bliss Beyond This World, was released in 2011, but it has been running in my background for much of 2019. It’s a haunting recording stitched together from old 78s and sounds like nothing so much as wandering room to room in the Overlook hotel. (Yes, The Shining is a pretty clear influence here.) The Caretaker is British producer James Leyland Kirby, and according to him this is part of a group of pieces inspired by the disorientation of Alzheimers. His project Everywhere at the End of Time was just released and, though I haven’t fully digested it, it seems just as eerily seductive.
Julia Jacklin–Crushing
This is one of the most devastating albums I’ve heard in a while. Julia Jacklin’s songs remind us of the damage we do to each other when we’re trying to learn how and whom to love. After listening to this album straight through, I always feel like I’ve woken from a vivid dream with an emotional hangover. There are a lot of similarities in sound to Sharon von Etten’s Tramp, but this earns its own space with honest and effective songwriting.