More raw americana from Green on Red this week including a solo effort from their guitarist Mr Chuck Prophet, local loveliness from acoustic duo Scott and Maria, an early album from the ever consistent Beck, a psychedelic classic from space rockers Hawkwind, and a frankly bonkers album of clicks and beats from electronic veterans Autechre!
1. Green on Red - Here Come The Snakes
2. Chuck Prophet - Homemade Blood
3. Scott and Maria - Bright Star
4. Hawkwind - In the Hall of the Mountain Grill
5. Beck - Mutations
6. Autechre - Untilted
Chuck on Red
Unfortunately following the roaring success of Here Come The Snakes last week my filing system has failed to uncover any further Green on Red albums (so far) but consolation arrives in the form of one of their guitarist's solo albums - Chuck Prophet's Homemade Blood released in 1997. A cool title, a cool cover, and by the way a cool name Mr Prophet too.
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| Green on Red guitarist Chuck Prophet on vocals |
A good solid rock guitar album which could be Green on Red, except, of course, the vocals aren't the same. If a Green on Red hadn't come before, Prophet's smoother voice would not suffer from comparison with Dan Stuart's compelling bark.
Those Psychedelic Warlords
Here we have a mid 70s Lemmy infused Hawkwind demonstrable through the heavy distorted bass and most obviously where Lemmy takes lead vocals - Lost Johnny a case in point and a clear sign post to Motorhead who actually went on to cover this very track.Classic track is the opener The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke) - this title pretty much sums up what Hawkwind were all about and could have been their calling card if it hadn't have been for the single success of Silver Machine. Dave Brock's driving rhythm guitar riffs on two chords over Lemmy's three note bass (this period Hawkwind seemed to be almost entirely devoid of electric lead guitar with melodic breaks provided by synthesizers, sax or flute).
The longer guitar driven tracks are interspersed with some beautiful instrumental passages courtesy new member Simon House excelling on violin and keyboards.
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| Early Hawkwind with Lemmy on location with Game of Thrones |
The title is an obvious riff on Greig's famous classical piece of similar name - the Mountain Grill was apparently a West London cafe frequented by the band. The image couldn't be further from the brilliant album art work by Barney Bubbles depicting a crashed spaceship grounded in the sands of time.
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| 275 Portobello Road |
Beck Mutates
Beck's albums are consistently good. They draw on various styles, usually between albums rather than within the albums themselves. Was n't he another one of those hailed as a new Hendrix or Dylan when he burst upon the scene with Odelay (the one with the shaggy dog doing the high jump) in 1996? Mutations came just two years after that breakthrough and reminds me of the Beatles - mostly the more psychedelic John Lennon stuff like Tomorrow Never Knows. Great melodies and even some harpsichord! Take the very 60s feel of Lazy Flies as an example. |
| Golden Boy Beck |
The Yes of Techno
After listening to Autechre I feel a bit like I did with Yes last week where I wrote:
Remarkably the apparent randomness has a deliberate provenance. In 1994 Autechre released the track Flutter as part of their Anti EP in protest against the new Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of that year. The Act prohibited "raves" which were defined as gatherings of 9 or more people where music characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats was played. Autechre responded with the notice that Flutter had been programmed in such a way that no bars contain identical beats and can therefore be played under the new law. However they also advised DJs to have a lawyer and musicologist present at all times to confirm the non repetitive nature of the music in the event of police harassment!
What to make of them? Are they musical geniuses or just random noodlers? Does their music have structure and form or is it all over the place without any context or continuity?That statement can pretty much apply to their Untilted album. It is pretty full on. Very industrial techno recorded at a breakneck bpm.
It's rather like being locked in a cold dark shipping container whilst being repeatedly hit over the head with a metal baseball bat.So like Yes the music is seemingly random on first hearing but all the more interesting for that. And like all interesting music it does something odd to your mind. I would start with small doses though - the whole album in one sitting is quite a challenge.
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| Autechre's Anti Criminal Justice and Public Order Act EP |
Remarkably the apparent randomness has a deliberate provenance. In 1994 Autechre released the track Flutter as part of their Anti EP in protest against the new Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of that year. The Act prohibited "raves" which were defined as gatherings of 9 or more people where music characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats was played. Autechre responded with the notice that Flutter had been programmed in such a way that no bars contain identical beats and can therefore be played under the new law. However they also advised DJs to have a lawyer and musicologist present at all times to confirm the non repetitive nature of the music in the event of police harassment!
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| Rochdale duo Booth and Brown of Autechre |
There are quite a lot of duo electronic artists out there - Boards of Canada, Kruder and Dorfmeister, Chemical Brothers etc. I don't suppose they necessarily need two to record the music, but maybe an extra pair of hands is necessary to "play" it "live"?
Acoustic Lovelies
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| Scott and Maria |
Now for something completely different. Thank the lord for that. I've been released from the shipping container and am now lying on a hillside on the Downs soaking up the sunshine of Scott and Maria who offer a gentle and soothing antidote to my Autechre headache. Their website says their music is a medicine for our times and I would add it is certainly medicine for Autechre (isn't random play a marvellous invention!).
For a real flavour of their lush celtic tinged harmonies check out their anti fracking and deforestation anthem This Land beautifully filmed in the Sussex countryside.
New album Bright Star sees Maria's soaring voice fronting Scott's acoustic guitar strummings with occasional extra flavours of violin and percussion thrown in to provide a heady mix of catchy Kings of Convenience / Simon and Garfunkel gorgeousness.
Timeless Goldie
Finally a quick word on a bonus gig I attended last week. Drum 'n' bass artist Goldie is touring with the Heritage Orchestra. Not knowing much about Goldie and taking the name of his backing band literally, I could barely imagine what to expect. In the event I was impressed - not so much by some of the jazzy soulful song numbers which don't always seem to suit the rhythms of drum 'n' bass, but certainly by the banging instrumentals played live with two frenetic drummers! I had assumed all drum 'n' bass was electronically recorded so was taken aback by the use of real drummers. I found this short film about the reworking of Goldie's classic Timeless album for live band. |
| Goldie directs live band |