the of mirror eye

* Dekoboko Hajime & Yamantaka Eye: Eep Man (1.5 mb) | Test Tube (5.0 mb) | Propulation (2.5 mb)
From Nani Nani : Tzadik : TZ 7206

Sometimes I feel fairly schizophrenic with my listening habits, transitioning from the soul music, to the psychedelic music, to the karaoke vomit, like this group composed of Dekoboko Hajime aka John Zorn (look here and here) and Yamantaka Eye of perennial favorites, the Boredoms (look here). As you can imagine, with a lineage like that, this music is wild and crazy. Going from sweet saxophone to noise and back, often all in the same song.

The finest in ambient screams, hardcore surf, erotic Indian psychedelic, moronic samples, industrial monster movies and karaoke vomit. (Tzadik description)

As is the case with most music like this, there’s definitely very little in the way of “easy listening”, but for those who don’t mind, these are some very sweet sounds indeed.

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* Jandek: The Cell: Part One (12.5 mb) | The Cell: Part Two (9.0 mb)
From Glasgow Monday : Corwood Industries : Corwood 0785

After the horrible cancellation of last years Jandek performance in Chicago (look here), I never thought that I’d finally get a chance to see him. I almost convinced myself that all the documentation on the web and on recordings was all one big hoax. But soon, very soon, I shall hear him in all his glory. Almost a year to the date of the first cancellation, Jandek is coming back, or rather finally coming, to Chicago. And according to the website, he’s playing a special two hour opening set! Wahoo!!

If his other live documents are any indication, I seriously cannot wait for this. This will be a special event indeed. I mean, in his handful of performances to date, he’s played everything from noisefests to meditative piano compositions, from solo to group, from guitar to synthesizers. Jandek switches it up more than Weird Al.

Before I get totally ahead of myself, for those who don’t know, Jandek is an enigma who, for 26 years released albums of beautifully dissonant blues at a furious pace. He granted interviews maybe once or twice and never appeared in public. Until now. Well, he’s not giving interviews, but he is appearing in public, having played a handful of shows since 2004. No one knows why he’s playing the shows, but I think everyone’s glad that he’s doing them.

These tracks come from the third ever Jandek performance and have him playing an extended meditation entitled The Cell. Playing along with him are Richard Youngs (bowed upright bass) and Alexander Nielson (percussion). If you want, you can follow along with the lyrics right here.

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* Johnny Cash: Like The 309 (7.0 mb) | If You Could Read My Mind (6.5 mb) | On The Evening Train (6.0 mb)
From American V: A Hundred Highways : American Recordings : 0602498626962

There’s not too much more to say about this fine fellow, Mr. Johnny Cash (look here or here) that hasn’t already been said. This is the first posthumous “American” series release and it just slays me everytime I listen to it. This is really fantastic.
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* Little Lois Barber: Specify (6.0 mb)
* Chuck Strong: I Got Married Too Soon (3.5 mb)
* Roscoe Robinson: Let Me be Myself (4.5 mb)
* Sam Dees: Train To Tampa (3.5 mb)
From The Birmingham Sound: The Soul Of Neal Hemphill Vol. 1 : The Rabbit Factory

Everytime I stumble across a new collection of old tyme soul, I always think to myself: “Why isn’t this being done today.” It seems like back in those days, everyone and their mother were releasing local soul singles/records of amazing quality. But nowadays, there’s only a couple of people that I’ve heard that even remotely approach come close to the old stuff. Why is that?

For those of you who, like me, are unfamiliar with the Birmingham soul scene of the ’60’s & ’70’s, The Rabbit Factory has done us all an incredible service and collected the cream of the crop in this, Vol. 1 of the soul of Neal Hemphill. Mr. Hemphill, was a plumber who had been an aspiring gospel singer. This love of music never left his heart and so he decided to open a recording studio in the basement of his plumbing supply building. He quickly became the patron saint of the soul scene there, allowing the musicians to have most of the control and rarely charging them for use of the studio (his plumbing business funded the studio).

He was also an innovator in the studio, creating a “Neal Hemphill” sound that relied on weird microphone placements, echo machines and overdubs. And the results are absolutely stunning, as this is a seriously amazing collection of songs.

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For more info, The Chicago Reader (look here) wrote a great article about the compiler and this compilation.

P.S. Aside from the Daptone Records artists, I haven’t heard too much modern day soul that I’ve liked. Any suggestions for modern day soul artists that might have a touch of the old school?

* Tom Waits: Emotional Weather Report (19.0 mb) | Better Off Without A Wife (9.5 mb)
From Live At The Main Point : January 4th, 1976 : Bryn Mawr, PA

As promised, here’s the last part of this concert. Man, Tom Waits sure is one hellova storyteller/performer.

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* Tom Waits: Intro (1.5 mb) | Warm Beer & Cold Women (8.5 mb) | Eggs & Sausage (11.0 mb)
From Live At The Main Point : January 4th, 1976 : Bryn Mawr, PA

I hate each and every person that saw Tom Waits on tour this year. Each and every one.

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So, we’ve got the first part of this incredibly intimate solo show, next post will be the last part of it. Short, but filled with great songs and typical Tom Waits banter.