Reviews, Part 4

This covers the extent of the albums I had to review for the second half of October: a grand total of three CDs. So I'm playing two off of one of the discs.

Download here (18:02)

1) Tickley Feather - Club Rhythm 96 and Cell Phone

Much has been written, on blogs and in The Wire magazine in specific, about the so called "hypnagogic" pop sound. First explored by people like Ariel Pink then developed even more by Gary War and others, the sound is so named because it explores some half-state between sleeping and being awake. Or, in terms of music, it's pop songs that are barely present, surrounded instead by lo-fi sound production. Tickley Feather, the project of Annie Sachs, hasn't been written about very much when it comes to this sound, and it may be for good reason. Her songs don't always seem too fleshed out. However, this one is seriously the jam. It's off her second album Hors D'Oeuvres, which just came out on Paw Tracks

2) Joe Morris Quartet - Animal

Our music director, Stone, said he still wanted to phase me a bit when he gave me this CD, somehow implying that I hadn't been tested fully enough in my skillz. Joe Morris is one of the best known (maybe among the best?) jazz guitar players, but I've only listened to a couple albums he's played on. Today on Earth is the second album he has recorded with his current quartet, which consists mostly of members of the group The Fully Celebrated Orchestra. In general, the album switches between two modes. Half the songs are free-bop inspired by early Ornette Coltrane, and the other half is a group of moody tracks which seem just as inspired by "rock music" as by jazz. This track falls into the second category, and may be amongst my favorite jazz pieces.

3) Lake - Gravel
4) Lake - Loose Wind

Lake are a collective of musicians from the Washington State area who've been putting together some absolutely gorgeous pop tunes. Let's Build a Roof never really fails to please. The pieces all have a very 60's feel to them, in a way that Belle & Sebastian usually does, but then the songs also have these horn arrangements (done by Karl Blau) which belie influences from elsewhere. Basically, this disc feels like the perfect autumn album, and you should listen to it.