On The Side

 

Spotlighting some recent side projects today. First up: Bardo Pond offshoot Vapour Theories takes an instrumental trip and lives to tell the tale. Noisy, but kinda ambient all the same. If that floats your boat, go here to get it. Pleasant jangle pop with falsetto-ish vocals and obvious Flying Nun overtones more your thing? Check out Painted Shrines, featuring Jeremy Earl of Woods fame, there.

Vapour Theories - High Treason
Painted Shrines - Heaven And Holy

Jive Five

Haven't heard that much exciting new tunage recently to be honest, but these babies struck me as pretty cool. Let's start off with Woods, who sound a lot more poppy all of a sudden on what is already album #8, With Light And With Love. A track like Shepherd proves they haven't lost that magic touch though. Tasty pedal steel, lads! Meanwhile up in Scotland, King Creosote composed a way interesting soundtrack to a documentary about his home country. It's titled From Scotland With Love, and I love it right back. After the demise of the mighty Black Swans, Jerry David DeCicca now goes it alone. If you like your folk real dark and moody, the resulting Understanding Land will be right up your alley. Amy and Dan from Village Of Spaces have been at it again, too. Welcome In is out on their own Turned World imprint, and if Wheels doesn't charm your socks off I don't know what will. And last but not least, let me present Alice Gerrard, a lady who's been playing folk and bluegrass for over fourty years. Her new offering Follow The Music was produced by none other than Hiss Golden Messenger's MC Taylor, which is a recommendation in itself methinks.

Woods - Shepherd
King Creosote - Cargill
Jerry David DeCicca - Before The Storm
Village Of Spaces - Wheels
Alice Gerrard - Boll Weevil

Wild Weekend Vol. 51

Just another Wild Weekend, and the beat goes on. Here's edition #51, bringing you rock from the motor city, lofi psychedelica from Brooklyn and roots reggae from the island. And we dig up the unjustly forgotten Jerry Riopelle. Get wild or get even.

Saint Julian Cope's been busy again, this time compiling an inspiring 38 song list - with fitting over the top commentary of course - of Electrifying Edisonian Rock ’n’ Roll from sixties and seventies Detroit. Which doesn't omit certified greats like the Stooges and the MC5, but also features lesser known revelations as The Up, Terry Knight & The Pack, and the Rationals. I guess you'll all agree the latter's Guitar Army is a stone cold classic. And pssst... you can dl the complete package over at IPunkSound. Meanwhile, we're moving to warmer climes with the angelic voices of reggae vocal duo the Congos, in a cool Lee Perry sculpted soundscape. Their Heart Of The Congos just may be my all-time fave roots album, but the sharp selection below hails from Arkology, one out of many great Perry collections.

The Rationals - Guitar Army MP3

The Congos - Don't Blame On I MP3

Acid folker Chris Hickey has just reissued his first two solo albums from the late eighties. Get busy here if you dig Dark Cold Day, which sets to music part of a poem by W.H. Auden called In Memory of W.B. Yeats. "The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying day, the day of his death was a dark cold day..." Chew on that, pop kids. On a brighter note, the together again Feelies will be releasing a new album soon and judging by taster Should Be Gone, not much has changed. Which is a good thing for once. I'm not a big fan of reunions in general, but I gladly make an exception for New Joysey's finest beatmakers. Btw: the guitar work near the end instantly reminded me of an early Television song, but I can't put my finger on it yet. Anyone?

Chris Hickey - Dark Cold Day MP3

The Feelies - Should Be Gone MP3

Remember Jerry Riopelle? Probably not. Dude was always busy as a producer and songwriter for others, which may have overshadowed his career as a solo artist. Riopelle was one of those typical critic's darlings, who heaped tons of praise on rootsy rock albums like Saving Grace (´74) and Dangerous Stranger (´79). If you dig the faintly Feat-like Blues On My Table, try picking these up for next to nothing on eBay or in the bargain bin of your local record store. And we've reached yet another Wild Weekend finish line with one more album of last year I managed to miss when it came out. Hey, nobody's perfect. Would have been a shame to do without the psychedelic lofi of Brooklyn-based Woods and their cd At Echo Lake though. To illustrate my point, here's the Powderfinger-inspired opener Blood Dries Darker. Have a wild one, see ya next week.

Jerry Riopelle - Blues On My Table MP3

Woods - Blood Dries Darker MP3