On Repeat: Moon Hooch

Over the past week I've had the pleasure of coming across the Brooklyn trio, Moon Hooch. The band is formed of saxophonists Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen, and drummer James Muschler who, as the story goes, met as students at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City.

The trio began their band by busking, most popularly on subway platforms in Brooklyn, where they began to initiate impromptu raves that were regularly shut down by the NYPD. They call the Moon Hooch sound 'cave music', developing around the approach of playing dance music, with trance-like drumbeats and looping, frenetic saxophone grooves. 

The band recorded their self-titled debut last year in 2013 over a 24 hour period, and because of their consistent busking and rehearsal regime, most of the songs were recorded in one take. The result was a record which captured the essence of Moon Hooch's early subway performances: frantic, horn-y, dance-able grooves, accompanied by fast and furious drumbeats.

Perhaps the last song on the album 'Mega Tubes', which featured vocals by Alena Spanger, was an premonition of Moon Hooch's future. Whilst maintaining Muschler's infectious live beats and the saxophone grooves of Wilbur and McGowen, it underlines a change from their earlier songs, with an added electronic, synthy element. 

And this is the direction that their new album 'This is Cave Music' has taken. Whilst the new tracks maintain the infectious horn grooves and frenetic drumbeats, they also incorporate more vocals, synths and 'dubby' basslines alongside a greater production value. Whereas their debut was about capturing the feelings of live performances, their followup is more concerned with attention to detail, and developing an electronic dance element into the music.

Once you listen to one of Moon Hooch's songs, its very hard not to smile and refrain from getting caught in their fun and playful grooves. You can listen to their first album on Spotify, or on their bandcamp, and you purchase both albums via the official Moon Hooch website.

Thursday Night Live: Nils Frahm - Toilet Brushes/More (Live in London)

Nils Frahm is a German musician/composer/brilliant pianist. His most recent release, 'Spaces' in 2013, is a compilation made up of live recordings from his performances and shows. Whereas some of the live songs have featured on previous albums, the majority of the recordings on 'Spaces' were previously unreleased.

One of these unreleased songs is entitled 'Toilet Brushes-More', and it is definitely on of the best, emotive songs on the album. Although the live video above is different to the recording on the album, it is longer, and, in my own personal opinion, a better version. 

The track starts off with Nils creating a dub-inspired sound with a couple of toilet brushes and an open piano. He moves on to play the piano the more conventional way, incorporating a keyboard to create a beautiful ambient, spacey intertwining piece of music. 

This then builds to the beginning of the end of the song, moving onto the piano, with some delayed echo/reverb effects, Nils plays a frenetic melody, which becomes more and more frenetic, busy and out of tune, building and sprawling out into every corner of the venue.

The live video of the performance gives you a sense of the emotion and skillfulness of Nil's playing that the album's version just misses. Its just an awe-inspiring piece of live music.

Bulletin: Gareth Dickson - Invisible String

I have only recently come across Glasweigan folk-ambient artist Gareth Dickson, whose recent LP entitled 'Invisible String' was released last week. The whole album was recorded live in different locations, with applause ending each song, and a couple of tracks beginning with a bit of Dickson conversing with his audience.

Dickson's voice is reminiscent of Nick Drake, and he sings in a beautifully soft and quiet tone. His vocals are accompanied with his acoustic guitar, usually lush repetitive melodies which sometimes unravel and develop into simple, yet sparse arrangements. 

In addition to Gareth's singing and guitar playing, I also love the whole atmosphere of the record. Whilst it is just Dickson and his instrument (possibly with some additional acoustic backup), the places in which the songs were recorded give the guitars a wonderful reverb. And so as he strums and plucks away on his guitar, the notes and chords just linger and echo, as if you're stuck listening in some personal void.

Whilst only different live performances are all over Youtube, Gareth Dickson's album 'Invisible Strings' is available to stream here on Spotify, and can also be purchased here at Norman Records.

Friday Night Live: St Paul & The Broken Bones - A Take Away Show

St Paul and The Broken Bones are a seven piece soul band from Alabama, formed of a drummer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, trombone player, trumpet player and vocalist called Paul Janeway who has one of the best, most refreshing voices in music (in my opinion).

Whilst I'm not a particularly huge fan of the soul genre, it is very hard not to enjoy the performance that Paul and his band give to the streets of Paris in this edition of La Blogotheque's Take Away Show series. 

Their recent album 'Half The City', released earlier this year, is a record full of big brass, soulful tunes, as you would expect.  But these two live performances with no amplifiers or electronics really show off the rawness of Paul's voice - the way he fills the whole of a courtyard with the sound of his singing in the video of the album title track 'Half the City' is stunning, you get goosebumps.

Add on the fact that his dancing is smooth.

On Repeat: The Caretaker

James Leyland Kirby has been making music since 1996, first starting out under the project name of V/Vm. Since his early years he has put out an array of records under his own name, as well under the moniker of The Caretaker (inspired by a scene from the Stanley Kubrick film 'The Shining').

Kirby first released the first album as The Caretaker in 1999, entitled 'Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom', a nod to the project's inspiration. The album featured dark ambient passages, and fuzzy recordings of orchestral ballroom and waltz music, and also included Kirby's 'take' on The Shining's Al Bowlly song 'Midnight and the Stars and You'.

The Caretaker moniker gained recent attention from the musical community with the release of 2011's 'An empty bliss beyond this world'. The songs are crafted from snippets of a 'mysterious collection of 78s', and the album features the clearest sounding music from the The Caretaker project, apart from a few crackles from the record player.

As someone who had never previously listened to any of Kirby's Caretaker records, the album's faded sounds of piano and orchestral instrumentation, clear enough to distinguish yet still feeling distant, and the atmosphere that these loops of 1920's/30's music conjured up was an immense, moving experience (even more so because I listened to it at night). 

I especially loved the feeling of depth and distance in some of the songs, as if someone was playing it in the next room or down the hallway. As Kirby's defines the album's music as a reflection of 'the ability of Alzheimer's patients to recall songs of their past', you do feel as though you're trying to remember a song from distant years, but only remembering a certain part of the melody.

The whole album is available to listen to on Youtube (see link above), or can be listened to and downloaded with all of The Caretaker's other albums on The Caretaker official bandcamp page.

Sunday Morning Live: Darkside - Paper Trails Live on KCRW

Darkside are a duo of experimental dance music producer Nicholas Jaar and guitarist Dave Harrington. Jaar began making music back in 2008, although only recently in 2011 released his acclaimed debut album 'Space Is Only Noise'. Harrington was recruited by Jaar as a touring guitarist in support of the album, and it was also during the tour that the two musicians formed the partnership known as Darkside.

The duo released 'Psychic' in 2013, which was an interesting experimental blend of genres. The track 'Paper Trails' was one of my personal favourites, and it is the grooviest, most accessible moments on the album. 

The bassline and beat from Jaar with Harrington's bluesy guitar make a great combination, and this live performance on American radio station KCRW takes the 4:50 track, and drags it out into an epic 12 minute long version.

On Repeat: The Beta Band - The Three E.P.'s

As British band that formed in the mid-nineties amid the era of Brit-pop and musical dominance of bands such as Oasis and Blur, The Beta Band developed an original, experimental sound of folk music blended with electronica.

The band's first releases were three individual E.P.s, 'Champion Versions' in '97, 'The Patty Patty Sound', and 'Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos' both in '98. All three E.P.s were then brought together onto one album compilation entitled 'The Three E.P.'s'.

Its a brilliant album, each song a product of the band's original experimentation that has brought them a cult status since their breakup in 2004. The first song 'Dry the Rain', one of their best ever songs, begins the record with an understated, lo-fi drum beat and acoustic guitars and evolves into an uplifting, anthemic sound of horns, big full beats and a harmonic chorus proclaiming 'I will be your light'.

There are few experimental jams on the compilation too, songs such as 'I Know', 'B+A', 'Inner Meet' and 'The House Song', which are mostly instrumental, with either no lyrics, or a couple of repeated lines (or a French sounding rap on the latter track). But my favourite is 'She's the One', which begins with a mouth-harp and some percussion and then warm, continuous acoustic strums. Over this Steve Mason just spouting out almost nonsensical lyrics, but constantly repeating the simple harmonious chant of 'She's the one for me'.

There is too much to write about each song, from the expansive folk-jam at the end of 'Dog's Got a Bone', to the hushed, acoustic harmonies that finish 'It's Over', even today, each song sounds different, original, and still as enjoyable as the first time you hear them.

See also: This article from Stereogum which lists the 10 Best Beta Band Songs

Food for the Ears: Keyboard - Hungry Man

'Hungry Man' album cover, courtesy of soundwayrecords.com

Who?

Keyboard were two regular EMI Nigeria session musicians, Brodricks Majuwa and Isaac Digha. The partnership was described as a 'one-off studio project', and was overseen by producer Odion Irujoe, who worked with other Nigerian musicians such as Fela and Sonny Okusons.

What?

The result of the Keyboard project was 'Hungry Man', a six track album recorded in EMI Nigeria's studios circa 1978. The sound of the album is a laid-back, soulful groove, with horn arrangements and uses of 70's synthesizers in abundance. The record has recently been reissued by Soundway Records, an English label that reissues 'rare, beautiful and unusual music from faraway corners of the world'.

Why?

Because there is no new music that sounds like this anymore. 

Similar to the William Onyeabor compilation, 'Who is William Onyeabor', that was released last year by Luaka Bop Records, this album has a smooth soulful, groove, which was very eminent in Nigeria during the 70's and 80's. The funky horns, the deep basslines and 70's synthesizers all sound brilliant as well, and, although it is only six songs, this record is a joy from start to finish.

Where?

You can purchase a vinyl record from any good independent record store, or directly from Soundway Records website here.

Unfortunately the vinyl reissue of the album has been limited to only 1000 copies, which means that there are few chances of being able to grab a physical pressing of this record. However, you download can download the album at boomkat.com here, and it is also available to listen to on Spotify - Keyboard – Hungry Man.

Recent Purchases: Double Trouble ft. Rebel MC - Street Tuff

I like to buy and try to build up a collection of vinyl, so this is just an informative update of any recent additions that I have made to said collection.

This weekend I purchased a 12" single of Double Trouble and Rebel MC's 1989 'Street Tuff'. The song reached number 3 in the UK charts, and was the biggest hit for both the electronic dance group Double Trouble and hip-hop rapper Rebel MC.

The song's standout hook is its bassline, which features the exact sped-up bass from Toots and the Maytal's '54-46 That's My Number' from 1968. A highlight of mine from the single is also Rebel MC's lyrics, my favourite being 'I'm the Rebel MC, rough like a ninja, stinging like a bee/Back by popular demand, you're now rocking with the one man band'.

As the video shows from its editing, dress sense and dance moves, it is a very late 80s piece of chart hip-hop, although it is a fun song, and got me into Toots and The Maytals, for which I am very grateful.

Bulletin: A Couple of Remixes

Caribou - Melody Day (Four Tet Remix)

From electronic artist Dan Snaith's 2007 album 'Andorra' under the moniker of Caribou, this is a Four Tet remix of the opening track 'Melody Day'. 

Whereas the original is an energetic psychedelic infused piece of electronic pop, this rework is completely strips the track down its elements: an acoustic guitar, a soft steady beat and the original's harmonic vocals. 

This track isn't like previous Four Tet remixes, which usually tend to use samples and then mash and mix them together into a seven or eight minute song (see remixes of The xx's 'VCR' and Born Ruffians' 'I Need A Life'). However its the subdued difference in instrumentation and tone between the two versions which makes the Four Tet remix equally, if not more, enjoyable.

Moby - Almost Home (Maps Remix)

From the seasoned veteran of electronica/ambient/electronic pop Moby, 'Almost Home' is from last year's album 'Innocents', and features guest vocals from psychedelic folk artist Damien Jurado.

The song's E.P. was released recently this year, and features about eleven or so versions of the track (most of which are re-works from Moby himself). However this particular edit is by British electronic artist Maps, also known as James Chapman. 

While he stays more or less true to the original's structure and sound, Chapman adds his own hazy, atmospheric, ethereal aura, which, coupled with Moby's instrumentation and Jurado's falsetto, makes a gorgeous listening experience.

Mouth Smash: Neil Cicierega - Mouth Sounds/Mouth Silence

Neil Cicierega, courtesy of evfxonline.com

Who?
American comedian, internet entrepreneur, creator of the Youtube phenomenon 'Potter Puppet Pals' and musician under the guise 'Lemon Demon'.

What?

Cicierega has recently released two online mash-up mix-tapes, 'Mouth Sounds' and 'Mouth Silence'. The running musical theme of 'Sounds' is the song 'All Star' by Smash Mouth, which features on a number of tracks entwined with other songs, such as 'Float On' by Modest Mouse, and 'Imagine' by John Lennon, to name but a couple.

'Silence' is referred to as a prequel to 'Sounds, and fortunately (?) doesn't feature any Smash Mouth. However it does also mix songs together that shouldn't work, but they really do.

Why?
Because these two albums are absolutely insane. 

'Mouth Sounds', just for its continual use of 'All Star' throughout, and 'Mouth Silence' for its horrifically genius mixes of Elton John and System of a Down on 'Crocodile Chop', The B52s and the theme from 'Psycho' on 'Love Psycho', and Cicierega's reinvention of Oasis' 'Wonderwall'.

Where?

You can listen to and download both albums on www.neilcic.com/mouthsilence/ and www.neilcic.com/mouthsounds/.

Both albums are free to download, with the option of making a donation for these wonderful records.