Recently acquired

Various Artists, The Back Room Vol. 1. This is on Kinkysweet Records. And the liner notes, while brief, are as overwrought as you might expect on a CD that bills itself as dance music for, well, the (ahem) mysterious (wakka-chikka wakka-chikka) back room that is supposedly a staple at high-end clubs. But no: those are my fantasies leaking through. "Whether it's a t home, in our cars, at a bar with friends, at home with closer friends, or poolside, sipping a Mojito; we love the sound of dance and electronic music..." Well, cool. Not lurid, but cool. And oh yeah the music. The music's alright. A decent compilation, I suppose, but nothing really distinguishes itself.




Joan Baez, Bowery Songs. A live set from '04.




Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61 / Romance No. 1 in G, Op. 40 / Romance No. 2 in F, Op. 50. Perf. Maxim Vengerov (violin) w/ the London Symphony Orchestra (Mstislav Rostropovich conducting).




Beirut, Gulag Orkestar. This disc is something else. The thematic and lyrical content, as well as the sound of the record, makes you think of the Reichstag on fire. Make no mistake: it's indie pop. But it waltzes. For those of you who will get the references, imagine Rufus Wainwright joining the Decemberists circa, say, "The Mariner's Revenge Song" from Picaresque. Beirut, who is a rather young boy, nails both Wainwright's popera vocal style and the Decemberists' quirky instrumentation. Mandolins and brass sections both make prominent contributions. For those on whom these references are lost, let me try another: you know that scene before the big final battle in Saving Private Ryan? The young translator's sitting around with Ed Burns and some other troops, and they're reminiscing about their lives as an old phonograph echoes in the background right before the Nazi half-tracks rattle into earshot? This record sounds as if those troops had had the chance to start a band. It's that kind of wounded and beautiful. It's highly stylized, very baroque, and completely captivating. I could also reference Antony and the Johnsons as well as the cut-up cabaret of the Dresden Dolls, both bands that seem to be looking over the same sepia war photographs that seem to haunt this Beirut character, but I'd rather just go ahead and play this disc again. Sam. I christen it the Reigning Top Disc of Recently Acquired records.




Anouar Brahem, Le Voyage De Sahar. The oud is an Arabic lute. Anouar Brahem uses it to play jazz. Makes a great twofer with Beirut's Gulag Orkestar.




John Fahey, The Yellow Princess. M. Ward fawns over this record in the liner notes. You'll see why by the time you get to track 3, "Lion." An analogy: John Fahey is to the steel string guitar as Art Tatum is to the jazz piano: you'll swear that multiple people are playing at once. You'll be wrong. Some of the fastest most overwhelming instrumental folk guitar you will ever hear. This came out in '69. Where has it been all my life?




Madlib, Beat Kondukta Vols 1 & 2. Supposedly a soundtrack to a never-made film. Instrumental hip-hop with excellent samples (Sam Cooke among them). And, as I was driving home late last night, I was pretty sure I heard some sort of 8-bit Nintendo sample skittering along.




Cass McCombs, A. Cass McCombs hails from Baltimore. (Thanks, EmC!) He's a singer-songwriter for the times, which is to say that you can't be sure if he's serious or not. Pitchfork hits on this issue quite well. It's sweet, gritty, muddled, and melodic. The production's lo-fi and charming, and tries to sound serious but not too. The adjective "slack" should also get some play in this capsule. It is slack. Let's call it slack-rock. There's more to be said about this later, I suspect. Highlight? The final track, "My Master", which goes on and on and on about how YOUR master's in there talking to CASS'S master, and maybe that means Cass is in trouble, and Cass already had enough to worry about.




Watermelon Slim & the Workers, Watermelon Slim & the Workers. Watermelon Slim drove a truck for most of his life. Watermelon Slim had a near-death experience recently and has been singing the blues ever since. Watermelon Slim holds degrees, like me, from the University of Oregon. Watermelon Slim rode shotgun in the devil's Cadillac. Watermelon Slim, rumor has it, is a member of MENSA. Watermelon Slim, as you can see here, is out to getcha.