Michael Shrieve, “The Fierce Power of Love” (7d Media)
Seattle’s been residence to a musical legend for many years: former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve. Out of the limelight that bathed his peak years slapping skins on eight albums with Latin-rock superstars Santana (1969-1974) and after periods with German synth guru Klaus Schulze, Japanese percussionist Stomu Yamsh’ta’s Go, ambient luminary Steve Roach, and a stint with American space-rock band Computerized Man, Shrieve has been creating adventurous music on his personal and with the teams Spellbinder and Trilon, amongst others. He additionally labored on soundtracks for Paul Mazursky’s Tempest and David Lynch’s American Chronicles TV present, to call solely two.
Just like former Grateful Lifeless drummer Mickey Hart, Shrieve has spent the time exterior of his most well-known band exploring numerous kinds, revealing voracious curiosity and skillful versatility. Over the past decade, Shrieve’s produced compelling releases that ingeniously incorporate non secular jazz, funk, jungle, prog rock, and Fourth World atmosphere. In contrast to most of his classic-rock friends, the 75-year-old Shrieve at all times has been eager to go away his consolation zone.
Shrieve’s latest launch, Drums of Compassion, has been at the very least a decade within the works. Shrieve was speaking about it once I interviewed him for this weblog in regards to the film Whiplash in 2014. Even earlier than that, although, Shrieve was impressed to report this album after listening to the Dalai Lama name for a time of compassion whereas additionally drawing upon Nigerian percussionist Babatunde Olatunji’s influential 1960 LP, Drums of Ardour. In actual fact, Drums of Compassion begins with “The Name of Michael Olatunji,” weaving the late drummer’s chants into an impressive, ritualistic beat mosaic with a poignant guitar motif by Trey Gunn. It testifies to Shrieve’s respect for African music.
“On the Path to the Therapeutic Waters” bears the nocturnal, cool-jazz aura of Jon Hassell’s late-era works. Laced with Skerik’s mellifluous sax, beautiful piano punctuation, a sly, shuffling beat, and area recordings of mentioned soothing agua, the monitor is simply what the soul physician ordered. On “As Above, So Under,” forlorn sax slowly wafts over quickly skittering beats and gruff African chants. “The Europhic Pandiero of Airto Moreira” options the titular Brazilian percussionist madly and comically scatting over thunderous hand drums for 55 seconds.
“Oracle” boasts rhythmically potent mysticism that might make ’90s-era Invoice Laswell twirl his beret in appreciation. “Hejira” (not a Joni Mitchell cowl) is a compelling mesh of serenely stunning ambient drift, courtesy of former Seattle experimental stalwart Jeff Greinke, and the deft, sturdy drumming of Shrieve and the fusion legend Jack DeJohnette.
My favourite lower on Drums of Compassion is “The Fierce Power of Love,” an undulating percussion beast that sidewinds with unusual syncopations by means of dense forests and turbid streams to realize a wild epiphany. The monitor deserves to be at the very least 4 instances longer than its 85 seconds.
About 20 years within the making, Drums of Compassion is completely definitely worth the wait.
Pondering Fellers Union Native 282 “Give Me Again My Golden Arm” (Bulbous Monocle)
Portland indie label Bulbous Monocle’s righteous marketing campaign to convey the lengthy out-of-print catalog of Pondering Fellers Union Native 282 continues with the 1993 EP, The Funeral Pudding. Bulbous Monocle is run by Hisham Mayet, one of many founders of global-music colossus Chic Frequencies. With that label since 2003, he is proved his impeccable aesthetics. This essential band’s discography is in superb arms.
Pondering Fellers stalked the American rock underground within the ’80s and ’90s, releasing a number of information that mixed peculiarly stunning songcraft with unpredictable dynamics and tonalities that skirt across the peripheries of tasteful and absurd. As for his or her lyrics, I’ll by no means be on sufficient medication to decipher them. Whereas contemporaries akin to Ween appeared to be straining for weirdness and wacky eclecticism, these traits appeared to come back completely pure to Pondering Fellers.
Produced by Greg Freeman (Pell Mell), The Funeral Pudding stays considered one of TFUL282’s strongest releases. Members Anne Eickelberg, Brian Hageman, Hugh Swarts, Jay Paget, and Mark Davies lower these 10 songs across the identical time because the Admonishing the Bishops EP. Nonetheless, Funeral Pudding skews weirder, even when it does include “Heavy Head,” a reasonably standard indie-rock tune sung by Eickelberg, although it is streaked with strident violin slashes and what seems like a barely out-of-tune ukulele.
One standout is “Flames UP,” the best, strangest surf-rock instrumental since Solar Metropolis Ladies’ “Radar 1941.” With its unpredictable violin runs and weirdly tuned guitar, this tune recollects early Camper Van Beethoven at their most adventurous whereas the primary melody faintly echoes Sonic Youth’s “Loss of life Valley ’69.” Talking of which, the oddly chiming 80-second instro “Firing Squad” may’ve been an interlude on Sonic Youth’s Dangerous Moon Rising. “23 Kings Crossing” is TFUL282’s try at florid, bookish prog rock, and it really works. They’ve at all times excelled at sudden tempo and key adjustments, in addition to non-obvious, catchy melodies.
Funeral Pudding climaxes on “Give Me Again My Golden Arm,” the longest tune right here at 8:34. Although it was recorded over 30 years in the past, it sounds bolder than most indie rock taking place now; the monitor even makes ’80s Butthole Surfers appear a bit trad. That is extra just like the frayed convolutions and tunnel-visioned aural hallucinations of Royal Trux’s Twin Infinitives. However a coda of woozy magnificence floats in and upends the earlier six minutes of gnarliness. Perverse!
As nice as Pondering Fellers have been, they weren’t very influential. That is as a result of their music was an excessive amount of the product of distinctive geniuses obeying impulses solely they may manifest for anybody else to emulate it with authority. Pondering Fellers have been genuine originals, a uncommon species within the USA.
