God's Weird/Obscure Music Reviews

[God]

God’s Review Thread Of Weird/Obscure/Experimental Bands That No-One Will Listen To Anyway

This is where I'll post stuff about all my weird music from now on.

White Noise ~ An Electric Storm (1969)
Psychedelic/Electronic

This is my favourite psych album ever. While it has a definite 60’s sound, the techniques used to create it were completely unheard of at the time. Released before decent synthesisers became widely available, most of it was created with tape manipulation techniques, with an original sound being sped up or slowed down for every note, and then all of it painstakingly put together. To create echo effects two identical tapes were played out of phase. The song ‘The Visitations’ took 3 months to finish.

With these techniques you’d think that this album would sound atrocious and nothing would fit together, but it actually contains some of the finest psych rock songs ever composed. The success is partly due to the composer of the infamous (in Britain at least) Doctor Who theme, Delia Derbyshire, being in the band.

The first side of the album is made of very quirky pop-psych songs, which would be best described as a very experimental version of early Pink Floyd (think ‘Julia Dream’). The second and third songs are the quirkiest. ‘Love Without Sound’ contains a section with the sound of an orgy(!) and mad drumming, while ‘Here Come the Fleas’ is an insane mix of edits, containing more in it’s 2:31 minute running time than all of Sgt. Pepper’s does in total. ‘Fleas’ is the groups attempt at humour and is the craziest/weirdest song. It’s hard to explain just how weird it is, it needs to be heard. The next song is very catchy but is really just more standard Floydesque psych of the day.

At this point of the album you might think you know where it’s going, but on side 2 the sound and atmosphere completely changes. Gone are the pleasant poppy tunes of Side 1, replaced by a much heavier, creepier and darker sound. ‘The Visitations’ is one of the highlights of the album, a haunting song about a biker dying in a crash and his spirit trying to speak to his lover who is with him at the time. It really is quite eerie and slightly scary. The last song on the album was written in a rush to complete the album on time. Instead of writing a conventional song, they used a barrage of percussion and weird sound effects, but managed to create a similar scary atmosphere to ‘The Visitations’.

I strongly recommend this album to anyone interested in psychedelia (or just Pink Floyd) or early electronic music.

/5

Some songs:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Your Hidden Dreams

Firebird

The Visitations

[Dr. Croccer]

Deus volt!

[God]

Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler (1994)
Black Metal/Folk

Many people are put off black metal for these reasons:
Satanic lyrics
Constant blast beat drumming (rapidly hitting the snare and bass drum simultaneously)
‘No melody’
Screeching vocals
No guitar solos

However, on Bergtatt, Ulver spit in the face of black metal conventions and create something completely unique. Yes, there are heavier parts and some blast beats, but they’re interlaced with beautiful acoustic folk melodies and mid-tempo sections where the vocalist sings in a semi-chanting style, which doesn‘t sound odd but fits the atmosphere brilliantly. It even throws in some really great solos.

Even the heavy sections with the typical black metal screech aren’t as ferocious as other black metal bands - in the words of all music guide who’ve hit the nail right on the head here: ‘even the faster, more intense sections feel atmospheric due to the somewhat distant-sounding, not very closely miced production’. Well I’m sure they’re noisy enough to put off a lot of people, they’re quite easy to get used to, and they fit the music well when you get used to them, though these sections aren‘t quite as impressive as the slower sections of the album.

You won’t find any mention of Satan in this album either. Instead the lyrics retell a Norwegian folk tale, split in to chapters (Capitel I -V); not that you’d be able to tell anyway because it’s all sung in archaic Danish. Despite not knowing exactly what is going on in the story it is still easy to get lost in it’s atmosphere. Parts of it are incredibly tense, such as a Piano-led part of Capitel III which suddenly erupts into a harsh black metal riff, parts of it are scary - the thunderclap on Capitel II makes me jump every time and parts of it are mellow and calming.

Again from all music guide:
‘What makes the album stand out, along with the varied vocal styles and the excellent songwriting, is its unique atmosphere -- mysterious, melancholic, eerie, and oddly tranquil.’

Bergtatt is an excellent and accessible introduction to black metal, even if you don’t think you’d like the genre. A definite 5 star album.
/5

Some videos:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Capitel I

Capitel II

Capitel V

[God]

Wire ~ Pink Flag (1977)
Post-Punk

Wire are, if you ask me, the most underrated punk band ever. Their first album, Pink Flag skewered the structure of the average simple punk song so much that it became barely recognisable anymore, taking away traditional verse/chorus arrangements and incorporating odd time signatures, breaks in the middle of songs and all sorts of weird stuff making the songs totally unpredictable though still remaining very catchy and quite accessible (though you may not 'get' it first listen).

Some of the songs build up getting more and more frantic until breaking point and end abruptly. If a song only needs to last 28 seconds, they’ll end it. None of the songs here drag on longer than they need to (probably why there’re 21 of them…)

The large amount of songs work in Wire’s favour here though, allowing a lot of variety. As well as vicious fast-paced punk, there are really great slower pop songs like 'Mannequin'. The lyrics are also superior to most punk lyrics, not relying on easy 'we hate the government!' songs but instead are more cryptic. Except 'Mr. Suit', which is as classic punk as it can get ('I'm tired of being told what to think/I'm tired of being told what to do/I'm tired of :wub:*** phonies/that's right I'm tired of you'), though it's really probably just having a light-hearted jab at other punk bands.

Although Wire weren’t exactly the most technical proficient musicians ever, it really doesn’t stand in the way of the music. The riffs are still great and no spectacular guitar solos are needed here, they’d probably just get in the way; the minimalism is the key to success, creating the tense atmosphere. Colin Newman isn’t really a technically gifted singer either, but his Johnny Rottenesque sneer complete with strong London accent just fits the music perfectly.

Constantly ahead of their time Wire would completely reinvent themselves over their next 2 (also brilliant) albums, becoming even more experimental and staying ahead of the punk scene as it collapsed, though they eventually and sadly let the rest of the music scene catch up to them becoming yet another cheesy 80s band, and I don't really know what their 90s and 00s music is like.

Though I doubt any of it's as good as Pink Flag or their second, Chairs Missing.

/ 5

Some songs

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Pretty good stuff... been listening to it a few times. I'll have to have a few more listens but I can see the draw. I like his accent, at least.

[God]

Pretty good stuff... been listening to it a few times. I'll have to have a few more listens but I can see the draw. I like his accent, at least.

Thanks for listening!

Some information for fans of Trigger Happy TV or it's theme music, Elastica's 'Connection'


guess where they blatently stole the riff from


They ripped off the chorus of another Wire song too. 2 of Elastica's biggest hits were Wire rip-offs.

[God]

Agalloch ~ Pale Floklore (1998)
Folk Metal/Black Metal

1. She Painted Fire Across the Skyline - Part 1 (8:35)
2. She Painted Fire Across the Skyline - Part 2 (3:09)
3. She Painted Fire Across the Skyline - Part 3 (7:09)
4. The Misshapen Steed (4:54)
5. Hallways of Enchanted Ebony (9:59)
6. Dead Winter Days (7:51)
7. As Embers Dress the Sky (8:04)
8. The Melancholy Spirit (12:25)

Total Time: 64:07

Some of you may have read my previous review for Ulver’s ‘Bergatt’ (though I doubt it) and been put off by the heavier more black metal parts. Agalloch took a huge amount of influence from ‘Bergtatt’, but while just as atmospheric (if not more so) and with similar folk sections to ‘Bergtatt’, ‘Pale Folklore’ has much less pure black metal in it, instead just taking influence from it and adding it into their own mellower and more accessible mix of metal subgenres.

There is no blast-beat drumming here and the majority of John Haughm’s vocals are a mixture of black metal shrieking and a harsh whisper. It’s much easier to listen to than pure black metal and it is easy to tell what he is singing. At places clean singing is used and a female singer occasionally appears, singing in an operatic style. When combined with Haughm’s whispering vocals it sounds fantastic.

The lyrics are typical black metal - nature, depression and folklore. They can get a bit cheesy at times but there’s nothing too offensive about them. Also there’s no mention of Satan which is always a plus for a black metal(ish) band.

As well as the black metal, Agalloch are also influenced by doom metal (slowed down Black Sabbathesque metal) and heavy metal influences, making a very epic and unique sound that’s both very atmospheric and full of great catchy riffs and solos. The metal sections are supplemented with acoustic folk sections, drums echoing in the background and admittedly clichéd ‘howl of wind’ sound effects to add to the atmosphere. Sometimes it even sounds more like Pink Floyd to other metal bands.

It does however drag on slightly towards the end. After the fantastic 3 part song at the beginning, and amazingly beautiful piano led song ‘The Misshapen Steed’, the second half of the album leans more towards Agalloch’s more metal side with less nice acoustic breaks or atmospheric sections - though there are still some great parts, especially in ‘As Embers Dress the Sky‘, one of the album’s best songs. The final song probably could have been made slightly shorter though. Apart from this, none of the tracks, despite their length, seem to go on longer than they need to at all.

1/2 / 5

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Misshapen Steed


As Embers Dress the Sky


This one takes ages to build, but it's amazing when it does.
She Painted Fire Across The Skyline Pt-1

[Romanos]

Nice review God Ulver is probably the only Black Metal band I can actually listen to and Bergtatt is one of there best album. Agalloch is not too bad I like the eerie medieval sound of The Misshapen Steed but I think I have to give them more then one listen.

[God]

DJ Shadow ~ Endtroducing... (1996)
Trip-Hop/Electronic/Instrumental Hip-Hop

I don’t like the way sample-based music is made. Even though I think NWA’s ‘Express Yourself’ is better, it’s still just an old Charles Wright Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band song with different lyrics rapped over it and passed off as something new. I hate the way all the Black Eyed Peas did was speak over Dick Dale’s instrumental classic ‘Misirlou’ and got a hit song out of it.

DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing… is sample based. In fact the whole album is made completely of samples. As well as this he introduces himself arrogantly as ‘your favourite DJ saviour’. It should be a crap album made by an egotistical second-rate DJ/rapper. But it’s not, because instead of ripping off other bands, he uses the samples to create something new. And he does this so well he’s even been described as ‘the Jimi Hendrix of sampling’.

The samples are warped and covered with layers of other samples until they’re barely recognisable. I never would have guessed that Metallic’s ‘Orion’ was sampled, despite having heard it a billion times, until I read that it was. Many of the samples are taken from old and very obscure jazz and funk records and horror movie soundtracks. Despite the huge amount of samples from different genres Endtroducing… never sounds at all disjointed - the different sounds blend together perfectly.

The album isn’t simplistic like many other hip-hop albums either. Complex time signatures and tempo changes litter the album, and it never relies on simple beats.

It is mostly quite mellow and moody, using haunting strings, dreamy pianos, jazzy horns, occasional (mostly spoken word) vocals and a turntable scratch every now and then to create a very atmospheric ethereal sound that is easy to get lost in. Even the louder and heavier tracks like ‘The Number Song’ while perhaps standing out as different to the rest of the album seem to somehow retain the same atmosphere.

The drums also sound great, playing a huge amount of different styles to go with the mood of the music. Even when the drums are completely manic, they don’t break the dreamy atmosphere.

You may not approve of how this album was made but when it sounds this good, who cares?

1/2 /5

Some songs:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Midnight in a Perfect World


Building Steam with a Grain of Salt


What Does Your Soul Look Like pt.1


The Number Song

[.Socrates]

I think you mean 1996, not 1969.

[God]

Ach. Edited.

[God]

Anyone who's been near me for more than 10 minutes will know that I have a slight obsession with this certain metal band.

Psychotic Waltz ~ Into the Everflow (1992)
Progressive Metal/Psychedelic

Psychotic Waltz is probably the most underrated (metal) band ever, and ‘Into the Everflow’ their best album.

The music is mainly complex prog metal, but psychedelic influences which they build on in their next album ‘Mosquito’ are also present (especially evident in their lyrics: ‘I’m a tripper in a space out jam/Flying in a circus of a freakshow band’). Comparisons to other bands are quite difficult to make though as they sound little like their prog metal peers. They do have a (slight) similarity to older Black Sabbath however, but mainly because of the gloomy sound throughout the album, not really the music itself. Jethro Tull have also been named as a major influence by the band, but this is more noticeable in the flute-led songs from their other albums that are absent here.

For metal, while incredibly rich in atmosphere, it is quite mellow. The guitar tone often has a certain dream-like quality to it and memorable melodies are focused on instead of thrashy riffs or mindless shredding. That’s not to say that the riffs here aren’t any good; they’re all marvellously creative and complex and there are plenty of head banging moments, but sometimes it’s great just to listen to it with your eyes closed and lose yourself in it’s atmosphere. The heavier songs like ‘Out of Mind’ are actually the weaker parts of the album.

The key to success in the album is the mix between the metal sections and genuinely beautiful lighter parts. While this style may have become a bit of a cliché now with bands like Opeth switching between light and heavy every five seconds, I’ve never heard it being done as well as it is in ‘Into the Everflow’ before, and this was way back in ‘92. It can switch straight between a heavy riff to a piano melody in seconds but sound completely smooth and natural while doing it, so it doesn’t sound odd at all.

Psychotic Waltz found a singer easily capable of singing the range needed to cope with the changing dynamics in Buddy Lackey, who switches from a high pitched shriek to mellow singing as effortlessly as the music seems to change, not unlike Ian Gillian in Deep Purple’s classic ‘Child In Time’. Lackey is also a brilliant lyricist. His cryptic and surreal lyrics fit the music perfectly and are far more impressive than average metal lyrics. He would later say, "Everything I write has a message, an approach to poetry, It’s the major function of poetry not to provide answers, but to raise questions - to be thought provoking and to create space for individual interpretations"

Another reason the album is great is Norm Leggio’s fantastic drumming. The drumming is mixed quite loud and is slow and heavy, comparable to Bill Ward’s work for Black Sabbath, which contributes to the similarities between the bands. In ‘Butterfly’ he even creates some great tribal-style drumming. The other musicians are all hugely talented too, it‘s amazing that none of them are more well known.

‘Ashes’, a mellow synth-led track with some great melodies opens up the album perfectly, but the highlight of the album is the epic and eerie title track, which starts of very slowly but builds and builds until it comes to an incredible climax. The song really shows the amazing talent of all of the individual band members and sounds incredible whatever instrument you focus on, especially the amazing duel-guitar work in it.

Other highlights are ‘Little People’ for showing Waltz at their most metal, with a great riff running through the song, and the more complex ‘Freakshow’ for the switching between heavy/mellow.

The album ends with a cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Disturbing the Priest’, which is actually better than the original. Though it is one of their worst songs, so that’s perhaps not as impressive as it sounds…

Unfortunately the complexity of the album and band make it quite inaccessible to most people, but the huge obscurity of Psychotic Waltz (mostly due to problems with record labels) is completely ridiculous.

/ 5

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Butterfly


Into the Everflow


Hanging On A String

[God]

Dead Can Dance ~ Spiritchaser (1996)
World Music

Spiritchaser is often considered to be one of Dead Can Dance’s weakest albums but apart from the reason that it’s very different to their earlier work and not as ethereal, I’ve never understood why. To me at least, this sounds absolutely fantastic. I’ve heard people say that Spiritchaser lacks the ‘beauty’ and ’atmosphere’ of previous DCD albums, but I strongly disagree - the beauty and atmosphere is still here, it’s just different. In fact there’s probably even more of it than in their earlier albums.

On Spiritchaser, instead of their traditional medieval/Eastern sound, DCD show a very strong tribal African and Caribbean influence. Despite the change of ‘scene’ it still has a very recognisable Dead Can Dance sound throughout.

The album is much more percussion heavy than previous DCD albums. While on their earlier releases they would sometimes use nothing more than a drum machine, five people worked on the percussion here. The percussionists do an incredible job of creating complex and very lively tribal rhythms. Combined with the synths, it always sounds very busy, deep and dense; there is no silence and always something happening to lead the album forward.

There are some really beautiful and memorable melodies played by a variety of instruments. To be honest I don’t know what exactly is being played half the time, as DCD have a habit of using ancient, forgotten or just very obscure instruments. Saying that, there are some very un-traditional instruments being played, such as the aforementioned synth and occasional electric guitar. However, these do not break the ethnic atmosphere at all, but actually succeed in adding DCD’s own uniqueness to it and modernising the sound.

DCD had two permanent members, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. Except for the percussion and a Turkish clarinet on one track, every instrument is played by them, and they composed all of the music. As well as being hugely talented multi-instrumentalists, they are both incredible singers. Lisa Gerrard in particular is easily one of the best singers I’ve ever heard. She usually sings in a deep and ethereal voice, but has the ability to sing in a huge range of different styles. While it may sound a bit of a cliché, her voice really does seem to soar above the music. Brendan Perry is also great. His singing is not quite as spectacular, but it contrasts well with Lisa’s as it is more grounded and ‘ordinary’, sometimes sounding a bit like Jim Morrison.

On the other DCD albums, the songs are usually sorted neatly between Lisa’s atmospheric ethereal songs and Brendan’s (still atmospheric) rock/pop songs. On Spiritchaser however, they mix both styles together with them both singing on the same songs, usually with Brendan singing back-up vocals. The two different styles combine perfectly to create very atmospheric yet still melodic songs. There are two exceptions: ‘Song of the Dispossessed’ which is a classic Brendan Perry rock song with a strong Caribbean beat, and ‘Devorzhum’ which ends the album. While it is only a few notes being repeated for over 6 minutes, Lisa Gerrard gives a stunningly haunting vocal performance, making it one of the album’s best tracks.

Spiritchaser is not without its problems though. Usually one of the best things about Brendan’s songs is his fantastic metaphorical lyrics. On Spiritchaser he only sings in English on one track (apart from a brief spoken word section on ‘Song of the Stars’), and while his lyrics here are good they are far from his best and it is disappointing to only have them for one song. Lisa Gerrard’s singing is also held back slightly by the heavy drumming (except on ‘Devorzhum’) so isn’t quite as impressive as usual.

Overall though, these are only minor gripes, and overall the album is incredibly rich in atmosphere with some great melodies and easily worthy of many repeat listens.

1/2 / 5

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[God]

Roger Rodier ~ Upon Velveatur (1972)
folk/psychedelic

‘Upon Velveatur’ is an almost completely forgotten acid folk album from 1972. Fortunately it has recently been reissued on CD by Sunbeam Records with 5 bonus tracks, so it isn’t quite as obscure as it used to be.

At the time of it’s release ‘Upon Velveatur’ was totally ignored. One reason for this is that the album is obviously influenced by Nick Drake’s work, and while Drake is considered to be one of the greatest folk legends today, his popularity really only came after a song was used in a Volkswagen advert in 2000. Copying the style of an unpopular artist is obviously not a very good way to become commercially successful.

Rodier also shows influences from psychedelic rock, especially bands like The Beatles (Also not a good way to get commercial success, the 60s years were over and psychedelic rock had gone down with them). Rodier mixes these two styles creating what sounds like a mixture of The Beatles and Nick Drake, usually with more emphasis on the folk side. Sometimes it even becomes slightly jazzy. It’s quite an accessible sound; quite poppy folk with a backing band playing strings and piano and female backup singing.

While Rodier’s guitar playing is quite simple, he did manage to think of some beautiful acoustic melodies. Rodier shows strong compositional skills, the songs are all consistently good and have a certain catchiness to them. None are really weaker than the others.

However, the real stars of the show here are his backing band. Strings, piano, choirs, electric guitars, backup singers and in the bonus tracks a flute add immeasurably to the overall atmosphere of the album, preventing it from sounding stale. The band never threaten to overpower the sound, but do a fantastic job at keeping it sounding constantly lively. It is because of this backing band that ‘Upon Velveatur’ still sounds good today, unlike a lot of the acid folk genre that is now horrifically dated.

Rodier’s singing is mostly very mellow and calm. While not bad exactly, it is hardly impressive singing. It rarely goes past a weak whispery tone, except on a few songs, which are often the stronger parts of the album. The lyrics are also quite weak and simple, sometimes becoming silly. At one point the gives a cringe worthy call of ‘I love you Jesus Christ’ (but if you can stand Neutral Milk Hotel’s ‘The King of Carrot People’ I’m sure this is survivable too).

Usually the atmosphere is quite happy but sometimes also quite tense. This is most noticeable on ‘While My Castle's Burning’, which is one of the album’s best tracks. Rodier starts with his hushed vocals but suddenly starts angrily shouting ‘you‘re so damn cold!’ Just as suddenly he starts singing normally again. The song ends with him giggling ‘goodbye…’ while giving a nervous, paranoid sounding laugh. The song really is insane, reminiscent of Syd Barrett at his weirdest. A fantastic electric guitar runs throughout and the strings are as effective as ever.

Another problem with the album is that finishing after only 33 minutes it is far too short. The bonus tracks solve this problem. These are all just as good as the album tracks and show more of Rodier’s psychedelia influences.

This album is far from perfect, but is still a strong debut. It’s a pity Rodier didn’t continue making music as he really could have built on the foundations he started here and improved his sound. Overall though, it’s a good and underrated album, highly recommended to any fans of folk or psychedelia.

1/2 / 5

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Pra]

This thread is awesome. I love the weird music here!
Psychotic Waltz FTW!

[God]

Yay, someone appreciates my thread (and Psychotic Waltz )

If you haven't listened to 'Spiritchaser' I highly recommend it!

[God]

Calexico ~ Feast of Wire (2003)
Indie Rock/Alt-Country/Jazz

Calexico have always shown a fascination with Mexican culture, even going as far as naming the band after a town on the border. This influence definitely shows in their music too. Calexico mix traditional Mexican music and American folk, jazz, indie rock and country.

Don’t stop reading there! Although Calexico do have roots in country music, it’s mixed in with their other influences so much it‘s nothing like the much hated stereotypical ultra-patriotic country pop crap that gives the genre a bad name. This is alternative country; mixed with other genres so much that it’s barely recognisable.

At a time where there are a million indie bands that all sound identical, it’s refreshing to hear Calexico’s completely unique and style. ‘Feast of Wire’ plays like the soundtrack to a spaghetti western condensed into an folky indie rock format.

Sparse drumming and pedal steel guitar are covered in Mexican mariachi style horns, synths, accordion and strings to create a very densely layered but always atmospheric sound that conjures up images of the desert. At times you can almost feel the heat. While staying atmospheric, it is always accessible with some very strongly written melodies.

There is a huge amount of variation in ‘Feast of Wire’. The first half of the album contains Calexico’s more folky songs. A highlight is ‘Woven Birds’, which while quite simple for Calexico, is a really beautiful song. In ‘Black Heart’ Calexico return to the down-tempo ‘noir’ style of their previous work. The desert is replaced by equally atmospheric images of dark alleyways in a city at night.

The jazz influence becomes more pronounced in the second, more experimental, half of the album, with songs like the bizarre ‘Attack El Robot! Attack!’, a completely indescribable Mexican jazz/electronica hybrid and the equally weird yet catchy Mexican pop of ‘Güero Canelo’ (named after a Mexican restaurant). The most jazzy song is ‘Crumble’, a fantastic Miles Davisesque cool jazz song with a great bass-line.

Despite the variety of genres, the album does not sound at all disjointed because of the good songwriting, and also as it keeps it’s unique Calexico sound throughout. Instead it keeps the album interesting and unpredictable throughout.

Calexico are all excellent musicians. John Convertino’s drumming is deceptively simple, yet helps keep the music exciting while retaining the desert-like atmosphere. Joey Burns is a very good lyricist and while he is not the best singer ever, his voice has a warm tone and is much improved from the semi-whisper he used in previous Calexico albums. Many of his lyrics fit in with the American/Mexican mix of the music, with tales of people trying to cross the border and descriptions of the culture.

There’s not a lot to criticise on ‘Feast of Wire’. Even the shorter instrumentals like ‘Pepita’ and the haunting piano and violin led ‘The Book and the Canal’ which could easily be dismissed as filler are well written and fit the atmosphere well.

Overall, it’s a very good album, and easily among Calexico’s best. Strongly recommended to anyone who wants to listen to something slightly weird and experimental but normal enough for your average indie fan.

/ 5

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Quattro (World Drifts In)


Crumble

[.Socrates]

This thread is bad and you should FEEL bad.

[God]

Thanks Socrates.

Bastard

[God]

John Zorn ~ Naked City (1989)
Jazz

By looking at the grim album art, you would probably expect ‘Naked City’ to be a violent grindcore album. You would only be party right. There is grindcore here, but there aren’t many genres Zorn doesn’t explore in ’Naked City’. Mostly the album is full of short, quirky and catchy jazz songs which twist and turn in unpredictable ways. Mike Patton himself once said ‘Naked City makes all other bands look fat and lazy’, which sums them up pretty well.

It’s hardly a dark album either as the cover implies. Even when it’s at it’s noisiest it still keeps it’s humour. In fact, it’s hard to tell exactly how seriously Zorn is taking this, as even though the songs are obviously very well written and memorable they’re also completely bizarre. Sometimes they change direction in unexpected frenzies of noise, switching genre completely. There are punk sections, metal sections, classical, even country and reggae sections; though don’t expect much of them, these genres enter and leave again before you even notice they’re there.

The sudden changes in tempo and sound was largely inspired by Carl Stalling, who wrote much of the music for Warner Brothers. The odd cartoony influence is clear throughout the album. Despite the weird song structures the songs remain accessible and catchy enough to listen to, even if it may take a few listens to ‘get’ some of them.

There’s even a huge amount of variety in the ‘normal’ jazz tracks. Mostly of the jazz is chaotic, fast paced free jazz but sometimes it slows down, becoming much more orderly cool jazz.

As well as the insane original compositions, ‘Naked City’ contains seven covers of film soundtrack songs and jazz standards, such as Ennio Morricone’s ‘The Sicilian Clan’ and Jerry Goldsmith‘s ‘Chinatown’. The covers vary from livelier versions of the originals to completely new takes on the songs, often straying away and ending up completely differently.

A highlight is the cover of Ornette Coleman’s ‘Lonely Woman’ which makes the original seem boring and ordinary in comparison. When the original came out it was criticised for being too weird, God knows what those criticising it would think of John Zorn! Another is his fantastic version of the James Bond theme which explodes into random noises in the middle.

The album gets to its noisiest half way through, with a series of short grindcore songs which rarely go over half a minute. Yamantaka Eye makes a guest contribution on vocals during this part, his demented screams fitting the frantic music perfectly. This part of the album is the most difficult to listen to as the catchy melodies are gone and it instead focuses on little more than noise. However, this part of the album rushes past in only a few minutes to separate the more ‘ordinary’ songs, so it doesn‘t really get in the way if you don‘t like it.

The musicians playing on Naked City are all superb, even in the ‘noisier’ part. John Zorn himself is an excellent saxophonist, with a unique tone and signature high-pitched sax squeals that litter the album. Joey Baron’ drumming is brilliant, easily handling the sudden changes in tempo.

Overall, a very highly recommended album that I recommend not only to jazz fans, but also to people who don’t listen to jazz because if one album’s going to change your view on the genre, it’s this one. It’s got enough variety of different genres and is different enough to appeal to those outside the genre‘s fanbase.

/ 5

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Batman


A Shot In The Dark


N.Y. Flat Top Box