Major Organ & the Adding Machine (2001), 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad (1999), For Clouds and Tornadoes (2008)

3 albums in one day?! What?!

Well, I figured since I keep forgetting to update, I'll put up a few at once. Today I have for you kids a few albums from the Elephant 6 Collective. Yeah, yeah, I know... when you hear "Elephant 6" you probably think of stuff like the Apples in Stereo and of Montreal. Though these albums share some of the same musicians, they're way weirder, and in my opinion, much more interesting than a lot of what is put out by the collective. (Though I guess that would be debatable... I know a lot of people who hate these releases, but personally, I'm a fan.)

The first record is by the group Major Organ and the Adding Machine. No one is completely sure who exactly was involved in the recording of this album, except for the obvious contributors, Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster. The record is one of the strangest albums I have heard in recent years. Though, it does feature a few things which could probably be considered straight forward pop songs, most of it is just bizarre experiments and freak outs. During the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour (which I had the pleasure of witnessing) a film entitled Major Organ and the Adding Machine was screened. It was basically a short piece featuring no dialogue, but songs from the album.



The next two albums I'll have up are both by the Music Tapes. The Music Tapes were a group fronted by Julian Koster of Neutral Milk Hotel and Chocolate USA. The first album released was entitled 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad. It was a strange album featuring instruments that Julian Koster is most often associated with, such as the singing saw and banjo. The record was recorded on vintage equipment, and took over 4 years to create. The result is a bizarre recording featuring songs about the power of television.



Nine years later, The Music Tapes released their second album, For Clouds and Tornadoes. This album has a much different feel than 1st Imaginary Symphony. It features more straight forward songs that don't utilize musique-concrete recordings. To me, the album seems to have a much more polished sound than the first record.





Major Organ and the Adding Machine
1. When Father Was Away On Business 2:06
2. His Mister's Pet Whistles 2:18
3. Kissing Behind the Rubbery Grinder 0:46
4. Un, Deux, Trois 3:57
5. Your Moonpie Eye 1:17
6. Madam Truffle 2:50
7. The Fireman's Guitar 0:49
8. Moonpie Eye Sensation 3:35
9. Swimming, Laughing, Playing :049
10. Barry's Lung 1:51
11. Water Dripping on Bread Makes Bread Not So Tasty 2:09
12. Walking in the Sun 1:19
13. Transmission 2:21
14. Abe Lincoln's Moustache 0:48
15. The Snack Bar 1:00
16. Fransisco's Victory 0:58
17. Powdered Abe Lincoln 0:34
18. Do the Moonpie Eye 1:27
19. Life Form (Transmission Recieved) 4:25

listen

1st Imaginary Symphony For Nomad
1. Song for Soon to be Sailor 2:16
2. 1st Imaginary Symphony for Vaccume Cleaner 1:00
3. Song of the Nomad Lost 2:34
4. "Pulled Out to Sea..." 1:34
5. March of the Father Fists 2:35
6. Nomad Tell Us
7. Aliens 2:32
8. Song of 100 Castles 0:55
9. What the Single Made the Needle Sing 4:02
10. The Clapping Hands 4:12
11. Sea's Song for Sailor 0:33
12. The Television Tells Us 4:34
13. An Orchestration's Overture 1:53
14. Song for the Death of Parents 4:02
15. A Warning! 1:30
16. Fanfare for the Speeding Bullet 2:13
17. Wishing Well at Casper's End 2:04

listen

For Clouds and Tornadoes
1. Saw Ping Pong and Orchestra 1:21
2. Schedrevka 0:54
3. Freeing Song for Reindeer 2:59
4. Majesty 2:44
5. Nimbus Stratus Cirrus 2:45
6. Freeing Song by Reindeer 3:13
7. Tornado Longing for Freedom 3:57
8. Song for Oceans Falling 6:04
9. Kolyada No. 1 0:53
10. The Minister of Longitude 4:46
11. Manifest Destiny 3:37
12. Kolyada No. 2 1:00
13. Cumulonibus 4:47
14. Julian and Grandpa 0:31
15. In an Ice Palace 3:39

listen

Starsailor (1970)

I keep forgetting to update.. oops! Sorry! Today I'm going to post a Tim Buckley album, which over the past month has become one of my favorite records. Tim Buckley, of course, was a folk singer famous for his powerful voice, and being the father of artist Jeff Buckley. Starsailor is one of Buckley's later albums which were more experimental than those in his earlier career. Instead of playing just folk music, Buckley incorporated elements of free jazz and experimental styles. The result is a really beautiful and haunting album. Though the record features some of his more "inaccessible" work, it also features his best known track, "Song to the Siren."


Though quite different than his earlier work, it's a really great album. It was the first that I ever heard by him, and is still my favorite.

After the record didn't gain as much commercial success, his drug and alcohol problem worsened. In 1975, Buckley died of an overdose of alcohol and heroin.


Track List
1. Come Here Woman 4:12
2. I Woke Up 4:07
3. Monterey 4:33
4. Moulin Rouge 2:00
5. Song to the Siren 3:28
6. Jungle Fire 4:43
7. Starsailor 4:37
8. The Healing Festival 3:17
9. Down by the Borderline 5:24


get it

For Sale!

I have a few things up for sale on ebay right now that may be of interest.

The first thing is the box set, Irresistible Impulse. It is by the no wave pioneer James Chance. It has 4 cds and a booklet. It's out of print and is pretty hard to find.



link

The second thing is the cd A Long Way Around to a Shortcut by Sic Alps. This album is also out of print. It was a limited issue, and only 1000 copies were released.



link

Finally, for fans of 90s pop-punk, I have a rare Green Day bootleg called Radio Daze. This cd is a recording of Green Day playing on WFMU radio in 1991. It has some pretty good live versions of their early stuff.


link


That's all I have up for right now, but I'll probably put up some of my records by the end of this week. Keep checking back for more!

Satori (1971)

Flower Travellin' Band was a japanese hard rock band formed in the 1960's by Yuya Uchida. The band was originally called the Flowers, and they performed covers. Flower Travellin' Band was pretty influencial in the Japanese rock scene of the time.



The album Satori is their masterpiece. The record sprawls out over 5 amazing proto-metal tracks simply entitled Satori Part 1-5. It features amazing guitar solos and the fantastic vocals of Joe Yamanaka. I honestly don't know what to write about this album that hasn't already been said. Basically, it's a classic, and most definitely one of the most important albums to be released from Japan.




Tracks
1. Satori Part 1 5:25
2. Satori Part 2 7:06
3. Satori Part 3 10:44
4. Satori Part 4 11:01
5. Satori Part 5 7:54

enjoyyyyy

Ode to Quetzacoatl

I almost feel bad putting this up since I just found out about this last week, and I didn't discover it on my own like most of the stuff on here. This album is just so good though that I had to. Ode to Quetzacoatl is a loner folk album by the artist Dave Bixby. I honestly don't know very much about him. There isn't a whole lot of information to be found on the man online. The album is very rare, and copies of it usually go for over a thousand dollars.

The album starts with Bixby talking about his past problems with drugs, and the rest of the record is him singing about finding God and salvation through his religion. Even though Dave Bixby apparently found God and kicked his drug habit, the dark tones of the album make it seem like he doesn't neccesarily sound happy about it.


Track Listing
1. Drug Song 3:18
2. Free Indeed 3:16
3. I Have Seen Him 3:12
4. Mother 2:57
5. Morning Sun 3:30
6. Prayer 3:11
7. Lonely Faces 3:54
8. Open Doors 3:05
9. 666 3:10
10. Waiting for the Rains 2:14
11. Secret Forest 4:53
12. Peace 2:20

listen

Jamboree (1988), Dreamy (1991)

I guess it was pretty inevitable that I would eventually post some music by Beat Happening. Anyone who is friends with me on last.fm knows that I'm pretty obsessed with them, and that they're one of my favorite bands. It was hard to decided which of their albums to post. I thought about putting up all of them, but I decided that would be kind of excessive. I don't want to say that these two are my favorite albums by them, because they aren't. Beat Happening is one of the few bands whose discography (I think) is just consistently good. I can't really pick one favorite release by them, so I just decided to pick a couple that are good places to start with them.

A little info on the band first... Beat Happening was a lo-fi indie pop band from Olympia, Washington. The band formed around 1982 by members Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Brett Lunsford. Beat Happening was known for their amateurish sound. Calvin Johnson formed the indie label K Records, which became an important symbol for the DIY movement. K was an influential label who released albums by artists such as Bikini Kill, Shonen Knife, The Microphones, and Modest Mouse.

The first album featured (Jamboree) was the bands second album. The record has a dark, yet rather innocent sound to it. It features the bands most famous song, Indian Summer. The album has a lot of very understated twee songs which I think, become better with each listen.

The other album featured is their fourth album, Dreamy. This one features some of my all time favorite songs by the band like Hot Chocolate Boy and Cry For a Shadow.

If you like these two albums, go out and get everything else by them. If you're into these two, then you won't be disappointed by the rest of their discography.




Jamboree
1. Bewitched 3:06
2. In Between 2:21
3. Indian Summer 3:05
4. Hangman 2:31
5. Jamboree 1:03
6. Ask Me 0:58
7. Crashing Through 1:16
8. Cat Walk 1:58
9. Drive Car Girl 2:00
10. Midnight a Go-Go 2:18
11. The This Many Boyfriends Club 3:18

listen

Dreamy
1. Me Untamed 3:46
2. Left Behind 2:53
3. Hot Chocolate Boy 2:21
4. I've Lost You 2:48
5. Cry For a Shadow 2:27
6. Collide 3:29
7. Nancy Sin 2:40
8. Fortune Cookie Prize 3:46
9. Revolution Come and Gone 4:16
10. Red Head Walking 2:07

listen

HEY!

Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be leaving to go to Louisville, and won't be back until late on Sunday. Expect more posts on Monday. Have a good weekend everyone!

Deceit (1981)

This Heat was a British group formed in the late 70's by Charles Bullen, Charles Hayward, and Gareth Williams. The band's sound has a tendency to cross different genres, but it is often said to be the "missing link" between progressive rock and post-punk. The band recieved some of it's acclaim after the famous DJ John Peel became a fan.

Deceit was This Heat's second full album. The album was recorded in a former meat pie factory in England. The record was influenced by the band's fear of nuclear war, and it features many politically charged songs.

Track Listing
1. Sleep 2:14
2. Paper Hats 6:02
3. Triumph 2:55
4. S.P.Q.R. 3:28
5. Cenotaph 4:41
6. Shrink Wrap 1:40
7. Radio Prague 2:21
8. Makeshift Swahili 4:04
9. Independence 3:42
10. A New Kind of Water 4:57
11. Hi Baku Shyo 4:03

listennnnnn

Heavier Than a Death in the Family (1973-1977)

Les Rallizes Dénudés will be the second band from Japrocksampler that I will feature on here. Les Rallizes Dénudés were a Japanese psychedelic group. The band started in 1967 and they were always extremely anti-commercial. Interviews with them were usually refused, and they never actually recorded an album in a studio. Because of this, all of Les Rallizes Dénudés' releases were technically bootlegs. The group was also known for their radical politics, and in 1970, original bassist Moriaki Wakabayashi, a member of the Japanese Red Army, helped to hijack a plane to North Korea.

Listening to this band as loudly as you can is like an assault. They sound like the Velvet Underground at their loudest, most strange points, except even more harsh and intense. The band is known for the fantastic guitar sound of Takashi Mizutani. The sound was extremely loud, with a lot of feedback.



I recommend this album, and whatever other releases you can find by them. I hate to sound cliche, but if you're into loud, noisy groups, this band will "change your life."

Track List
1. Strong Out Deeper Than the Night 15:32
2. The Night Collectors 8:32
3. Night of the Assassins 12:07
4. Enter the Mirror 11:45
5. People Can Choose 10:33
6. Ice Fire 16:13

get it

1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts (1980)

"Tuning the guitar is kind of a ridiculous notion. If you have to wind the tuning pegs to just a certain place, that implies that every other place would be wrong. But that's absurd. How could it be wrong? It's your guitar and you're the one playing it. It's completely up to you to decide how it should sound." - David Fair, Half Japanese

Half Japanese apparently wanted to start a band so bad, that they never bothered to learn how to properly play their instruments. (Not that this is a bad thing.) At least, that's the impression that I always got from them. Their sound is pretty much the definition of DIY. Their loud, noisiness almost sounds like a punked-up version of the Shaggs. Like the Shaggs, Half Japanese makes up in enthusiasm what they lack in ability.

The group formed in 1975 by brothers Jad and David Fair. Jad Fair is also well known for his solo albums and work with fellow outsider artist Daniel Johnston.



Half Japanese's album 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts features covers of some of their influences such as The Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and others. The result is an almost no-wave noise that sounds completely different than the originals. Throughout the record, the band definitely seems like they're having a lot of fun re-making the songs. I recommend the album to fans of noise punk, no wave and noisy lo-fi sounds.

Disc One
1. No Direct Line from my Brain to my Heart 2:00
2. 10th Avenue Freeze Out 1:49
3. Ta Sheri Ta Ta 4:55
4. My Girlfriend Lives Like a Beatnik 1:04
5. Her Parents Came Home 0:58
6. Shhh - Shhh - Shhh 2:12
7. Girls Like That 2:12
8. Rrrrrrrrrrrrr 1:26
9. No More Beatlemania 1:52
10. Tangled Up in Blue 3:44
11. Patti Smith 2:22
12. School of Love 1:07
13. Jodie Foster 2:15
14. Shy Around Girls 1:36
15. Grrrrrrrrrr 2:24
16. Bogue Millionares - Cool Millionares 2:10
17. Tn Tn Tn Tn Ki 3:10
18. I Can't Stand it Anymore 2:23
19. I Love Oriental Girls 1:44
20. Dream Date 1:32
21. Du Du Du - Du Du Du 7:22
22. Ain't Too Proud to Beg 1:10
23. Ann Arbor, MI 0:32
24. I'm Going to the Zoo 1:13
25. Shi Yi Yi 0:58
26. Rave On 1:42
27. I Ta Na Si Na Me Eee 1:02
28. Til Victory 2:16
29. Rip My Shirt to Shreds 0:19
30. I Don't Want to Have Mono No More 1:40
31. She Cracked 1:57
32. Bbbbbbb / Bbbbbbbb 1:36

wooooooooooooooo

Disc Two
1. Funky Broadway Melody 4:12
2. I'm Sorry 1:36
3. T-T-T-T-T-T 6:43
4. The Word I'd Ever Do 0:43
5. Live in Baltimore, MD 20:16
6. Live in Washington, DC 18:16
7. Battle of the Bands 1:59
8. Worst I'd Ever Do 0:42
9. Ann Arbor, Mi 0:53
10. School of Love 1:31
11. Her Parents Came Home 0:56
12. Shy Around Girls 1:10
13. Dream Date 1:42
14. Bogue Millionares - Cool Millionares 3:29
15. Knock on Wood 1:43
16. Top Secret 0:47
17. Guitar Solo 0:41
18. Calling All Girls 1:04

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay


Half Japanese fansite

Paul Baribeau (2004)

Paul Baribeau is not just my favorite artist of the folk-punk genre, but one of my favorite songwriters in general. After first hearing his self titled release, it quickly became one of my all time favorite albums. The 14 track cd was originally sent to Plan-it-X records as a demo. It was liked so much, that it got released as is. Paul has recorded 3 albums of original material, along with a cover album with Ginger Alford of Bruce Springsteen covers. Paul has also collaborated with artists like Kimya Dawson, Ghost Mice and Matty Pop Chart.



Usually I get pretty bored with folk-punk albums after listening to them for awhile, but I have never gotten sick of Paul's music. His lyrics are really what makes the album what it is, since the music is quite simple. I think after you listen to songs like "Never Get to Know" and "Strawberry" you'll get what I mean.






But I digress... please buy this man's records. All of them are very good, and whether you like folk-punk or not. He writes really wonderful, honest songs that I would recommend to basically anyone.

Track Listing
1. Tablecloth 1:17
2. I Thought I Could Find You 1:32
3. Only Babies Cry 2:41
4. Strawberry 2:22
5. Boys Like Me 2:23
6. I Miss That Band 1:24
7. Brown Brown Brown 1:39
8. Never Get To Know 2:43
9. Jordan 0:30
10. When You Go Back to College 1:56
11. Blue Eyes 2:42
12. The Pier 0:56
13. Help a Kid Out 1:39
14. Things I Don't Do 1:04

try it?
buy it!
myspace

PS: for more good music, check out my friend Max's blog. Good stuff! Shock Mountain

You Think You Really Know Me (1977), Mary Had Brown Hair (2002)

Gary Wilson is an outsider musician famous for his classic album You Think You Really Know Me. Wilson recorded his first album in his parents basement in Endicott, NY. Originally, only 300 copies of the record were pressed. The album is a strange experiment of funk, electronic music and pop. The lyrics on the album deal with obsession and paranoia. Wilson's live performances in the 70's were just as bizarre as the album. Sometimes, the owners of the club would turn out the power to attempt to get him to leave the stage.



Soon after the albums release, Wilson went into exile. Throughout the 80's and 90's, many famous acts such as Beck began to cite Gary Wilson as an important influence on their music, which led to the re-release of his groundbreaking first album. In 2002, Wilson played his first live show in years in New York City. In 2004, Wilson released his second album Mary Had Brown Hair after 27 years without recording any new music.




You Think You Really Know Me
1. Another Time I Could Have Loved You 1:14
2. You Keep on Looking 2:05
3. 6.4 = Make Out 5:01
4. When You Walk Into My Dreams 2:39
5. Loneliness 3:04
6. Cindy 2:50
7. You Were Too Good to Be True 1:59
8. Groovy Girls Make Love at the Beach 4:09
9. I Wanna Lose Control 2:22
10. You Think You Really Know Me 2:06
11. Chromium Bitch 3:26
12. And Then I Kissed Your Lips 2:51

listen

Mary Had Brown Hair
1. A Very Small Town 0:52
2. Linda Wants to Be Alone 2:36
3. Electric Depression 2:29
4. Sodus Point 1:45
5. Debbie, Debbie 3:25
6. The Susquahanna River 2:53
7. Mary Had Brown Hair 3:12
8. Secret Girl 3:12
9. I Know What it's Like to be Alone in a Small Town 2:31
10. Newark Valley 1:49
11. I Want to Meet Your Mother 2:49
12. Gary's in the Park 2:18
13. Mary, Make Me a Wish 0:43
14. Hold Back the Daylight 2:21
15. Our Last Date 1:33
16. Gary Saw Linda Last Night 5:11
17. Shauna Made Me Cry 1:26
18. Sometimes When I'm Sad and Lonely 2:33

listen

Gary's Website