A roundup of some good recent music from some liked and known quantities around Trapezoid World Headquarters, LLC. And when I say some music, I actually mean four musics…but you probably figured that out already.
“Jungle Cult Terror” by Anatomy of the Heads
AoftheH strikes again. As usual, the band provides a lengthy description to explain this music. Also, as usual, it’s unclear what may be true (if anything) and what may be fabricated but, when the music transports you like “Jungle Cult Terror” does, does it really matter? In any case, there’s loads of gamelan here, so lots to latch on to for you percussion fans. There’s also other “stuff,” by which I mean things like manipulated field recordings (a city here, a forest there), general harsh noise, some exotica run through a mop squeegee, and the voices of many displeased gods (one of whom sounds like Tricky). It all may seem a little scary but be not afraid: the many layers in these songs rewards repeated listens, with a promise of guaranteed entertainment and, possibly, transport to another dimension.
“Reason” by Calling All Astronauts
The most recent single from CAA kicks hard. Punishing industrial guitar over a driving rhythm, plus a punk rock message through the lyrics. And it’s all nicely gussied up by some, dare I say?, Numan-esque synth. Turn it up.
“The New Fire Ceremony” by Jon Shuemaker
Actually, this is two new songs from Jon S. Similar to “Intergalactic Matriarchy,” the journey of these two tracks takes many side roads, but here they tend to return to a brighter, almost pop sound. I hear some nice Middle Eastern and Far Eastern musical elements on both songs, and the title track has lots of danceable percussion and the sound of (electronic?) throat singing. The whole thing starts and ends with some nice clean piano, so you’ll feel like you’ve returned home by the end. And is that a modern representation of Tezcatlipoca on the cover? I’m not sure, but I don’t recommend staring at it too long lest you unleash its power.
“First Quarterly Report of Argali Records Netlabel: The Jester’s Lament” by Various Artists
You might consider my fourth entry here a bit of a cheat, because it’s not about one artist. Instead, it’s about a wonderful compilation on a wonderful label. The “First Quarterly Report…” includes a score of tracks (actually a score + 1) of interesting music with many stylistic variations. Experimental electronics, ambient drones, poppy melodies, and even, in one case, some clean piano and singing (“Fly Over” by New Nobility). Fun for the whole family.
Four (keeping with our theme) that jumped out at me: The weird thumping beat and experimental electronics of DJ Iterate’s “The Will of the People.” “The King of Bus Stop 14” by Lost Cat Magnet w/ {AN} EeL features a catchy kalimba with electronic beats, mixed with some Sun Ra atmospherics. Grove Of Whispers unleashes ghost chorus drones on “Horsemint Ranch.” And album closer “The Fool’s Last Step” is a sort of guitar based ambient post rock from Insectarium. But, no joke, there’s certainly something (probably many things) here for you too.