the of mirror eye

* Ariesta Birawa Group: Masa Depanmu (5.5 mb) | Minggu Pagi (4.0 mb) | Terimalah Cintaku (4.5 mb)
From Ariesta Birawa : Shadoks Music : SHAD 051CD

Somehow the Ariesta Birawa Group, an Indonesian trio from the early 1970’s, manages to channel the psychedelic west coast druggy vibe, perfectly. Just listening to the drugged out vocals and the nicely played guitar leads gives me such a big contact high that I think I’m soaking in a vat of patchouli oil. There’s also lots of flute and organ to add that perfect accompaniment to the preceedings.

It seems that Shadoks Music exists solely to make sure we don’t forget about these lost gems (look here). I’m not sure how they keep finding these amazing world psychedelic relics, but I sure hope that they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

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* Old Baptist Church: When We Shall Meet (7.5 mb) | Amazing Grace (7.5 mb)
From Mountain Music Of Kentucky : Smithsonian Folkways : SF CD 40077

Back in September, I posted a couple of songs by old tyme superstar, Roscoe Holcomb (look here). And since that time, I picked up this incredible compilation, Mountain Music Of Kentucky. I mostly bought it because I noticed that there were a bunch of Roscoe Holcomb tracks on the compilation and I suspected that anything that included the peers of Roscoe Holcomb would result in some damn fine listening. And, as I suspected, the whole compilation is really stunning.

These 1959 recordings present the vigorous music of Kentucky mountain people. They sang and played banjo with a terrific energy that is almost unheard of now. They learned their music in a setting totally different from our contemporary life, in an era before people got their experiences from TV or their music from Nashville, when people plowed with mules, canned beans and tomatoes from their gardens, and reclined on front porches with slatted wooden swings attached to rafters by metal chains. Their musical memories provide us with a glimpse of a pattern which had endured for centuries. (from the liner notes)

But what really knocked my socks off on this compilation were these two songs recorded at an Old Baptist Church. These songs are absolutely amazing, with the call and response and the way the voices interweave with each other. Whenever I listen to them, I get this sense that time has shifted and lengthened.

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* Tujiko Noriko: White Film (4.5 mb) | Machi No Kakera (6.5 mb) | Pop Skirt (5.5 mb)
From Shojo Toshi+ : Editions Mego : 047

It almost seems criminal to try and disect the music that Tujiko Noriko produces. She creates a magical electronic soundworld that almost requires a microscope to figure out all that’s going on.

This is the level that this album works on- a combination of beauty mixed with something alien, making sure that the listeners comfort is a very quick and fleeting moment at all times. At points, the artist settles into a groove and allows the listener a sort of respite. This never lasts long, however, and even at these times there is a palpable sense of things going on underneath, something unheard. The compositions are packed tight with small ephemeral sounds that force their way to the forefront of the mix at times, only to be pushed beneath the surface soon after. (Stylus Magazine)

So, with that in mind, I’m not going to try and explain her soundworld anymore. I encourage everyone to just give a listen, preferably with a nice set of headphones.

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* Mickey and the Soul Generation: Help (I Need Your Love) (Live) (7.0 mb) | Why You Wanna Leave Me (Live) (6.5 mb) | Life’s A Mystery (Live) (12.5 mb)
From Iron Leg: The Complete… : Cali-Tex : CT-102

You better believe that when Mr. Josh Davis (aka DJ Shadow) says that “Mickey and the Soul Generation are my favorite funk band” (from the liner notes), than my interest is more than piqued. And I definitely was not dissapointed when I popped the disc in my player for the first time. This is some lo-down, dirty funk that gets my soul groovin’ and my feet moovin’.

Formed in the late ’60’s in Texas, Mickey and the Soul Generation played on for almost six years, attaining local star status, garnering some national acclaim, but somehow missing out on total success. Unfortunately they, along with their incredible singles and an album, dropped off into obscurity after they disbanded. Lucky for us though, Mr. Josh Davis located the members of the band as well as all of their recorded material. These tracks come from some super rare live material that, while slightly distorted and overdriven, still demonstrates their considerable funkiness. What a group.

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* The Notwist: One Step Inside Doesn’t Mean You Understand (6.5 mb) | This Room (8.5 mb) | One With The Freaks (6.5 mb)
From Neon Golden : City Slang

Back in the beginning of 2006 (almost 10 months ago, yikes!) I posted some live tracks by this band, The Notwist (look here). Since I really associate their sound with the desolate fall/winter landscapes, I decided to track down this album, Neon Golden. And boy am I ever glad that I did. This album has been living in my cd player ever since I got it.

Their subtle use of electronics mixed with the more traditional indie pop elements makes for a mesmerizing listen. There’re so many layers to this album, that it definitely requires multiple listens to ferret out what’s going on. And even now, after countless listens I still hear new things everytime I put the headphones on.

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* Susan Christie: Rainy Day (5.5 mb) | Paint A Lady (3.5 mb) | No One Can Hear You (3.5 mb)
From Paint A Lady : Finders Keepers Records : FKR007CD

Wow. To think that all the way back in 1970, Susan Christie, John Hill and company created this funk folk masterpiece, only to have it be rejected by the record companies due to their short-sightedness.

Susan Christie was a Philly based sophomore folk singer who had one novelty hit for a major label and never quite recovered - Afterwards, her psychedelic take on country standards and hand crafted tales of inner-city solitude backed by a break heavy folk-funk rhythm section was never accepted as a commercial viabilty by record company big-wigs - They obviously couldnt quite muster their nostradamus sensibilities to forsee what future hiphop producers and DJ’s would be feeding into digital music-machines 30 years down the line! (from the liner notes)

Not having an idea of what this album would sound like, I was instantly captivated from the first guitar licks to the introduction of her heavenly vocals. This is totally groovy album that would still sound out of this world if it had been recorded this year. Absolutely amazing.

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