the cherry blossoms with josephine foster

the cherry blossoms with josephine foster - s/t (no label no cat, 2007)

Hard to think of any other contemporary artists that share the same kind of vision of maverick American folk forms so completely as Josephine Foster and The Cherry Blossoms, so this collaboration with Nashville's premier psychedelic jug band should come as an absolute dream hook-up for fans of primitively rendered joy shapes. Parts of this sound like rehearsal tapes from the EPI Velvet Underground blats, with Lou Reed running the group through folk-punkers like "It's Alright, The Way That You Live" and "Temptation Inside Your Heart" while Kenneth Anger attempts to inaugurate the first meeting of the Fugs chorus girls in a massed choir version of Shaker hymnals. Others - particularly the ones led by Josephine's timelessly beautiful vocals - sound like the kind of fantasy acid/folk cult sides that might've come out of a particularly culturally removed commune circa 1968 USA. The Cherry Blossoms choir inevitably takes everything off into whole new zones of liberated vocalese and free-form freakout while that same black streak that deformed their debut LP on Black Velvet Fuckere makes other, darker corners of the session sound more like the Jandek big-band plays early American hypnotics in the style of The Godz. I can't think of anyone with a deeper connection to the most mysterious and intuitive springs of modern avant-brut sound than these guys and this is a near perfect rendering of the sound you've long felt echoing around the loneliest zones of your brain. This limited edition CD-R is privately released by the group themselves and comes with full-colour card sleeves.

Con The Cherry Blossoms la sirena Josie se reinventa una vez más. Parece como si estuviesen trasteando con el caos, a la big band sólo le quedan instrumentos de mentirijilla y juegan a ver que pasa, como en el snow-folk pero con más luces por el camino. A los lejos se ve a The Golden Dawn, Bonzo Dog Band o The Fugs que se cruzan como destellos de un acid-folk curiosamente introspectivo. Josephine recita ya desde fuera de la cueva y su eco llega al pantano, donde los chicos corren con sus juguetes.

andrew king

andrew king - the amfortas wound (athanor, 2003)

There are few artists that sit between purely traditional music and experimentation. Alasdair Roberts on his recent 'No Earthly Man' album is such an artist (see review here) as is Andrew King. Andrew is a current vocalist in the traditional singer style and on his first album appeared without accompaniment. On this, his second album, he uses instrumentation but in a stark and individual way often reminding of the reed organ minimalist backing to Shirley Collins.

His voice and phrasing are powerful and would appeal to fans of Peter Bellamy, The Copper Family, Harry Cox and other source singers that came from the pre-folk music revival in origin. However the backing is a series of drone and looping pieces that carry forward the simple reed organs and accordions of previous eras. However often here they are often bringing new qualities to the music through subtle and occasional use of electronic layers. As a symbol of enduring suffering it is therefore likely that Andrew King has more profound intentions with this album than retelling the song traditions. It may reflect his own state or his belief that the common people have suffered at the hands of those in authority. But also perhaps he sees it as a way such as Parsifal did of bringing compassion ‘The Amfortas Wound represents the conflict inherent in our personality, the nature bound collective conscious and the desire to rise above it. The music then acts both as an exploration of this nature bound drive, of suffering and through it’s making also rises above them. The album itself is therefore a form of Amfortas Wound.
This tension sits at the heart of the music, unresolved but apparent. It is an uncompromising and fearless album but one that demands your full attention. Many people may find it barren or too minimalistic however it does exert a strong power and is a singular experience.

Andrew King suena como si Shirley Collins hubiese salido del infierno, a un David Thomas Broughton (pronto de visita en la aldea) desauciado, a un Ignatz deselectrificado y a haber pasado un temporada con Tara Burke en los bosques. Venido de la alta Edad Media, en su ceremonia de las festividades paganas sufre, hiere y maldice bajo la clave del experimental obscure british folk.

worcester city
he week before easter

ben kunin

ben kunin - acoustic adventures (the communion label, 2002)

It's clear with guitarists like Ben Kunin, that the first generation of interesting guitarists is not the last. Where groundbreaking guitarists needed to delve and dig a bit harder, starting from more rough material and sounds to break their way through, the new generation has the advantage of their historical predecessor's views, with guitar heroes that work now like fathers, for their new guitar sons. These sons start from a much more comfortable situation. It gives them time for a refinement in style. No steel-string melodic exploration, but a tasteful nylon string, for pastoral, meditative and naturally sounding creations, like the clearest blend of all, water. Ben Kunin learned sarod at the famous Ali Akbar Khan school. His guitar technique has this perfectly integrated style derived from Indian raga and western improvisations scales, presenting nature's landscapes, with more clear and structured forms than in just an impressionistic way. We hear a western kind of raga guitar expressed as like an impression from a train, watching wide colourful farmland and natural landscapes passing by. Endless, but never really abstract. Only "Julie" has something of a song, in fingerpicking style.

bucólico, ca.

- adj. Dicho de un género de poesía o de una composición poética, por lo común dialogada: Que trata de cosas concernientes a los pastores o a la vida campestre.

- adj. Que evoca de modo idealizado el campo o la vida en el campo.

Poco más se puede añadir, adornar si eso, la pastoral belleza de sus ragas improvisados, los contados esbozos de fingerpicking, la mirada hacia un lejano oeste, hacia un paisaje infinito. Ben capta la conversaciones y sonidos del aire y de los árboles, de los animallilos e incluso historias de fantasmas que ya no asustan.

La tres suites pastoriles son poesía en libertad:
pastoral suite i
pastoral suite ii
pastoral suite iii
julie

el rock peruano

...............Parte 1

Para todo aquel, y para Ana, que disfrute de los maravillosos discos del Perú y quiera ver imágenes y comentarios de aquellos músicos o quizá tener la fortuna de descubrirlos.

Parte 2

El reportaje completo está dividido en cuatro partes (6o, 70, 80 y finales de los 80 en adelante), dejo las dos primeras, correspondientes a los sesenta y setenta, con: Los Saicos, Los Shain's, Traffic Sound, El Polen!!... es una pena que a algunas bandas sólo las nombren o aparezcan fugazmente sus lp's como es el caso de Laghonia o We All Together y otras importantes, por ej.: Gerardo Manuel y el Humo, ni siquiera aparezcan. Teniendo en cuenta lo difícil que es rescatar del olvido general en Sudamérica aquellos años, se perdona todo, hasta lo mediocre del reportaje. Ya lo dicen los Shain's: duela a quien le duela fue la época del rock peruano.

atahualpa yupanqui

atahualpa yupanqui - camino del indio (1942-44)

En la tradición y el folclore reside la esencia verdadera, indagando en sus raíces y en sus voces lo encontraremos. Pienso así, porque se siente nacer desde la propia alma. Cuando uno escucha por primera vez a alguien como Atahualpa ya no lo olvida, es pura magia, aquello a lo que tarde o temprano uno acaba por volver.

Él que desde joven surcó toda la Argentina en búsqueda de las culturas aborígenes y de las palabras que esconden sus tierras, viajó por Sudamérica: Uruguay, Brasil o Bolivia, donde vivió en los montes Calchaquíes... recogió y relató sus costumbres y convicciones con su voz y guitarra, las vivencias e historias que ocultaban sus montañas y pobladores. 'Camino del Indio' reune algunas de las primeras grabaciones del poeta peregrino.

Del cerro vengo bajando.
Camino y piedra.
Traigo enredada en el alma, vida y,
una tristeza.
Traigo enredada en el alma, vida y,
una tristeza.

Me acusas de no quererte.
No digas eso.Tal vez no comprendas nunca, vida y,
porqué me alejo.
Tal vez no comprendas nunca, vida y,
porqué me alejo.

Es mi destino: piedra y camino.
De un sueño lejano y bello, vida y,
soy peregrino.
De un sueño lejano y bello, vida y,
soy peregrino.

Por más que la dicha busco,
vivo penando,
y cuando debo quedarme, vida y,
me voy andando.
Y cuando debo quedarme, vida y,
me voy andando.

A veces soy como el río:
llego cantando,
y sin que nadie lo sepa, vida y,
me voy llorando.
Y sin que nadie lo sepa, vida y,
me voy llorando.

Es mi destino:
piedra y camino.
De un sueño lejano y bello, vida y,
soy peregrino.
De un sueño lejano y bello, vida y,
soy peregrino.

robin crutchfield

robin crutchfield - songs for faerie folk (self release, 2006)

Spherical walking pickings of delicate sounds from instruments like harp, lyre and tampura, in semi-eastern and middle eastern and medieval chords tell a story like a 1001 night fairytale for the fairy folk, or how to become a witness to their world and nature and thus solve the spell that only works for those who don’t respect them. This interpretation I make of the music, an idea which is based upon the background story for the 1001 night fairytale collection: There's a story that there was a sultan who wanted to spend every night with a new virgin//bride only to kill her the next morning. When a clever princess was chosen, she told the sultan a half story and said she would finish it the next night, he was so curious she made it to the next morning. She repeated this during 1001 nights. By that time the sultan was cured from his rudeness and had fallen in love with her. In a Jungian interpretation one can say that fairytales were as a cure because they are full with healthy logical evolutions and describe conditions well how to grow up with logic and good human standards. In some way the mind follows the rules logically and is also no longer spoiled by disturbing circumstances. Most elves stories are about a subtle world closer to nature's perspectives, where elves are a bit suspicious of humans and sometimes threaten them. It is as if the ability of them to curse men, protects them for humans entering their world without having enough respect. I imagined it is music like that on Robin Crutchfield "Songs for Farie Folk" which are like the kind of subtle, gentle simple excursions with some variety that can prepare a human who's world has much faster, stronger, sharper, harder contrasts to get used to the calmer, sweeter world of the Faerie World.

Miembro durante la época de la fugaz DNA, abanderado de la no-wave y el noise. Cansado ya de NY, se refugió en el campo. Un buen día a la mañana disfrazarse de duendecillo quiso, al llegar la noche trepó a una rama del árbol más viejo del bosque, rodeado de luciérnagas, mariposas y libélulas una melodía encantada y misteriosa brotó de su diminuta harpa. Aquella noche cuando se acostó, soñó con Mike Heron y Robin Williamsom. Otros duendecillos que habitaban en los árboles de alrededor y trabajaban hasta la medianoche, guardaron destellos de aquellas melodías, que desde entonces les acompañan en sus arduas noches en el bosque.

Faerie Bread and Jam
Spell Casting
Witching and Walking
Thorny Path

floating flower

floating flower - 1st (acid mothers, 1998)

'Shamanic trip folk stars on a quest for the ultimate looseness and acidness!" Lathe cut by Peter King. First release in a new series of acid folk from Acid Mothers Temple. New shamanic trip folk stars on a quest for the ultimate looseness and acidness'.

Yuki: vocal, violin, electric sitar
Kaneko Tetsuya: tabla, electric guitar
Kawabata Makoto: acoustic guitar, electric guitar.

Acogidos y editados en el seno de acid mothers, recuperados por eclipse en 2000 y edición de 500 copias en 2002 por black plastic sound junto a su segundo y último disco hasta el momento,'2nd'. Yuki y Kaneko son dos chamanes de viaje por la India, mientras el inabarcable Makoto les observa encapuchado a sus espaldas. Cuatro canciones en una estela similar. Puro acid-cosmic-folk envuelto en bucles espectrales a través de la angelical voz de Yuki a lo Renata Knaup en 'Phallus Dei' (sólo que ella parece bajada de los cielos), mántricas ofrendas 'shizuku no youni' y ' johsho kiryu', rayos de sol entre la niebla 'yasei no uma no tategami ga suki' y la tabla que se expande con su sugerente sonido en el delicado horizonte de sitar y guitarra ' fuwa fuwa', con la India siempre presente.

ghost

ghost - in stormy nights (drag city, 2007)

Recorded both live and in the studio, this six-track, hour-long ride into hell all but jettisons Ghost’s acoustic-guitar/flute-driven, bard-like tendencies, replacing them with extremes only hinted at in the past. “Water Door Yellow Gate” is fueled by crashing tympani and piano, under which Batoh’s screams fall away like glass shards. By the song’s end, everything is enveloped in curlicues of feedback snarl. A cover of “Caledonia” by ‘60s psych band Cromagnon comes off like an Irish pub band on crack, but it’s the 28-minute “Hemicyclic Anthelion” that makes In Stormy Nights a force to be reckoned with. More a controlled suite of sonics than an Acid Mothers Temple-like crawl through psych’s extreme nether regions, “Hemicyclic Anthelion” layers punctuated noise over hisses and rattles before giving way to calm, oceanic pulses, Stravinsky-like piano-driven composition, industrial racket and guitar-drenched caterwaul. In Stormy Nights is Ghost’s most ambitious achievement yet.

Por fin nuevo disco de estos preferidos en f. El seductor e inabarcable universo místico que parte desde Masaki Batoh siempre se ha basado en la tradición, la vanguardia y la improvisación, pero sólo unos pocos, además de ellos, han conseguido unirlo invisiblemente con una propuesta tan evacodora y sugerente. La espera es larga con cada nuevo disco, en los que crean desde las montañas tibetanas aventuras conducidas por el folk, la psicodelia, el jazz... parece más contemplativo y accesible pero no por ello dejan de explorar: hay melodías medievales 'Caledonia' (increible versión de los fantasmales Cromagnon), noise que se agrieta, mántricas percusiones y la eternas y sensuales voces de estos fantasamas, fe de esto es 'Motherly Bluster'. La tormenta se transforma en tu imaginación en seis luminosas almas que danzan a tu alrededor, empezemos por la más oscura y que contiene más huellas del pasado, 'Hemicyclic Anthelion'.