Thursday, August 02, 2007
Huckle - Wild Blue Yonder (1976)
Canadian Hippie Folk from 1976. Excellent music for the road, this rare and hard to find album is a perfect example of folk and rock made by a bunch of hippies in the seventies. The words are of love and tolerance, and free life and travelling, while the music suites the words well and transcends all of their messages flawlessly. Acoustic guitar and haunting fiddle, tablas and vocal harmonies of great and natural honesty of happiness from both the male and the female parts, it is one of the best albums I have heard in quite a while and it holds a strong place in my music collection. A must have classic! by bilbo1742Rate Your Music
Link
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
La Bottine Souriante - Chic n' swell (1982)
As André Marchand put it, "this album takes the group out of the cabin and ushers them into the parlor." This album is under Celtic influences. High-quality production, a bit more polish on the arrangements, some reach to the vocals (a cappella for Ziguezon) and the addition of the flute, all put a professional edge on the group's second release.Taken from hereRate Your Music
Link
La Bottine Souriante - Y'a ben du changement (1978)
This album gathers together a vast repertoire of traditional songs collected primarily from the Cantin family, with the instrumentals originating from the cultural heritage of Québec's Lanaudière region. Y'a ben du changement beautifully preserves the simplicity, vitality and spirit of the group's live performances and was an instant success. Today, its timeless repertoire (En l'an 2033, Sur la gran'côte and Trinque l'amourette) can still be heard in La Bottine's concerts. When this album came out, the band was comprised only of Gilles Cantin (guitar, feet, vocals), Mario Forest (harmonica, vocals), Yves Lambert (accordion, harmonica, vocals), Pierre Laporte (fiddle) and André Marchand (guitar, vocals). Taken from hereRate Your Music
Link
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Skryvania - Skryvania (1978)
Back in the mid 70s, the almost fully instrumental quartet SKRYVANIA came from the union of a bunch of French teenage prog-heads - still in high school - who wanted to emulate their musical idols: YES, GENESIS, PINK FLOYD. While doing their first gigs as a prog cover band, they started to create their own ideas, and by the end of 1977 they had enough original material to fill a long-play: by that time, original keyboardist Henry-Jean Aubin had been replaced by Harold Bazobka. Their low budget didn’t allow them to have the benefit of a solidly professional recording studio, although a famous local radio presenter and sound engineer was in charge of the production of the band’s sole recording. Maybe this was the factor that helped the resulting record to sound the best it could under these c...Back in the mid 70s, the almost fully instrumental quartet SKRYVANIA came from the union of a bunch of French teenage prog-heads - still in high school - who wanted to emulate their musical idols: YES, GENESIS, PINK FLOYD. While doing their first gigs as a prog cover band, they started to create their own ideas, and by the end of 1977 they had enough original material to fill a long-play: by that time, original keyboardist Henry-Jean Aubin had been replaced by Harold Bazobka. Their low budget didn’t allow them to have the benefit of a solidly professional recording studio, although a famous local radio presenter and sound engineer was in charge of the production of the band’s sole recording. Maybe this was the factor that helped the resulting record to sound the best it could under these circumstances. The band’s obscure status was very much due to the fact that the album’s promotion was almost inexistent: the foursome’s inexperience led them to focus exclusively on playing gigs without leaving some room for promotion in radio programs or magazines. All in all, the sound quality is not terrible (compared with the demo selection of early CORTE DEI MIRACOLI material in “Dimensione Onirica” or ARACHNOID’s album), and it doesn’t prevent the listener from appreciating the level of compositional inventiveness and solid interaction developed by all four musicians throughout the album’s track list.SKRYVANIA’s prog style portrays a feel very much related to that of their compatriots PULSAR, as well as Floyd-influenced German bands such as ELOY and NOVALIS: the abundant use of hypnotic keyboard layers (on organ and string synth, mostly) creates that impression. On the other hand, Olivier Marina’s guitar leads sounds very influenced by Andy Latimer and Steve Hackett, albeit with a rougher edge: the importance of the guitar presence makes the band’s overall sound lean closer to MONA LISA and the rockier facet of classic GENESIS. The band is decidedly centered on the symphonic trend of prog, with an added touch of spacey psychedelia.
“Skryvania” is a true collector’s item: highly recommended to resolute symphonic prog lovers who feel capable of appreciating good prog under mediocre sound quality circumstances.
Cesar Inca, PERU ProgArchives
Rate Your Music
Link
The Winkies - The Winkies (1975)
Recorded well before the release date of '75, The Winkies debut is a credible release of pub rock songs in the same mould as Graham Parker's backing band The Rumour with the R&B roots of Dr Feelgood.Brian Eno (who The Winkies toured with as his backing band), makes a guest appearance on one track and with production credited to Ten Years After bass player Leo Lyons.
Only available on CD on Japanese import at present and at a silly cost. Anyone remotely interested in this sort of music with that bar room kick, should have a search for head man Philip Rambow's two excellent solo efforts....Shooting Gallery and Jungle Law, of which both better this album by a long stretch.
Rambow of course, went on to be a hit songwriter and gained a number one spot with "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop, Swears He's Elvis" for Kirsty MacColl in 1981. By mojojeff
By request!
Rate Your Music
Link
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Kitchen Cynics - Parallel Dog Days (2003)
Now, who is Kitchen Cynics ? Many will agree he's a poetic genius. Musically every song becomes like a coloured miniature. All the guitar fingerpicking steps gently into the story's' tremblings. Surreal musical toy-like accompaniment finishes off the mood. Alan personally found some relative similar empathy with Pearls Before Swine's and Tom Rapp's kind of approach to music. But Alan's music is not from the 70's, but still, the acid folk gentleness of the gems, has survived. He is not afraid to use a rhythm box a few times, subtle and carefully enough mixed, a bit more to the back. The poetic approach is that much more inspiring to me, that each time when I hear a new couple of songs by him, no matter after how much time has elapsed, any writer's block dissolves, and I start to feel inspired to writing again. I consider the Kitchen Cynics as having created a psych folk genre on its own. It's all home-made, but well recorded. For new listeners this can work as the 'Alice in Wonderland' for the private life.Before this release came out I had a dream about a new KC release in the form of a small labyrinth cardboard-game with a tiny ball, with the plate full of pictures. There actually is another -card board- game with funny pictures in the inner side of the sleeve. I feel this similarity as another proof and aspect of how I feel the K.C. stimulate various connections with a parallel (dream-)world of experiences, which you can expect as a poetic picture, a funny shadow, all from another, perhaps cynic side of reality. Taken from brilliant Psychevanhetfolk
Rate Your Music
Link
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Los Microwaves
Los Microwaves play quirky synth-pop with a punk attitude, rhythmic ("Time To Get Up") and melodic ("What's That Got To Do"). The band prove a formidable groove machine ("TV In My Eye", "Coast To Coast"), worthy successors of the B-52's and Polyrock.
Despite the seemingly pop settings, electronics can border on dissonance ("Is There Life After Breakfast"), while the group can easily adapt it's style to incorporate the surf stylings of "Forever", the jazzy bassline & keyboards of "Postponed Is Not Forgotten", the synth-brass of "La Voix Humaine", the no-wave of "If You Want It" etc.
Los Microwaves are synth-punks with an uncanny ability for grooves, as well as an intellectual background. By ILY
Rate Your Music
Los Microwaves - Life After Breakfast (1981)
Despite the seemingly pop settings, electronics can border on dissonance ("Is There Life After Breakfast"), while the group can easily adapt it's style to incorporate the surf stylings of "Forever", the jazzy bassline & keyboards of "Postponed Is Not Forgotten", the synth-brass of "La Voix Humaine", the no-wave of "If You Want It" etc.
Los Microwaves are synth-punks with an uncanny ability for grooves, as well as an intellectual background. By ILY
Rate Your Music
Los Microwaves - Life After Breakfast (1981)
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
