New Music Friday: Scraggly Lullabies, Wooly Drone
May 22 releases include Bill Orcutt & Mabe Fratti, Marisa Anderson, Birth (Defects), One Leg One Eye.
Three albums by three of my favorite guitarists, all released on the same day. I'll take my blessings where I can get them! Plus, the final (?) will and testament of a noise-rock band, mystic drone and a headphone trip unlike any other.
Bill Orcutt & Mabe Fratti, Almost Waking
Bill in guitar lullaby mode is so cozy to me. And with Mabe's sonorous cello, there's an elegiac quality to this collaboration that nuzzles gently amidst the fuzz and scraggle.
Marisa Anderson, The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music
The guitarist translates far-off melodies (from Syria, Afghanistan, Cambodia, et al.) with a tender curiosity toward the immigrant experience. Here, Marisa is more than a folklorist, but a creative partner and bridge builder.
Ava Mendoza, Alive Alone, Alive Together
Avant shred from one of the most inquisitive guitarists working right now. These live recordings lean into the gnarl of tone, the frenzy of cluster. Duos with drummer Hamid Drake feel like Sonny Sharrock jamming Unwound.
Birth (Defects), Fictional Days
Odds, sods and bloody detritus from the Baltimore noise-rock miscreants. Twisted takes on Sonic Youth, Comsat Angels and SSD. The band's final (?) act is f'd-up feedback.
Car vs. Driver, Deja Grateful
Reissue of the mid-'90s Atlanta emo band's debut. A messy Braid meets a less heavy Policy of 3, with some requisite D.C. post-hardcore moves. Youthful, hungry, raw, happy.
One Leg One Eye, CRONE
True Irish Drone Metal. The Lankum solo project finds its footing in the wooliest of strangled strings, rolled fuzz and shrieked keenings. Something ancient emerges from the wood.
V/A, XKatedral Anthology Series III
Synthetic, organic, mystical, minimal. Music for organ, tapes, violin, oscillators, et al., by the likes of Kali Malone, Jesicca Ekomane, Stephen O'Malley. Drop out of life with drone in hand.
Aho Ssan, The Sun Turned Black
Less like glitch, more like tones and drones ripped apart and put back together again. Exquisite sound design that sparkles and snarls all at once. A headphone trip across dimensions.
Adrian Rew, Slot Machine Music, Vol. 1 & 2: Field Recordings from Middle American Casinos
To me, electronic music's current obsession with overstimulation stems from these recordings. There is a zen-like center to this chaos. A glazed-over euphoria. Cassette reissue.
Stream the Viking's Choice Guide to New Music Friday mixtape. Follow me on Bandcamp and check out previous mixes via Buy Music Club.
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