the Danks

Are You Afraid of the Danks?

(Collagen Rock; US: 7 Jul 2009; UK: Import)

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How so many sub-par, paint-by-numbers power-pop bands find fame and fortune, while true masterminds of the rock ‘n’ roll hook like the Danks go largely unnoticed is a crime akin to high treason in modern rock. To call the 12 tracks on Are You Afraid of the Danks?, the band’s debut full-length, as catchy would serve as a gross understatement. These sharp and precisely crafted tracks are cut as lean as a middle-distance runner; yet each two-minute gem maintains the intensity and muscle of a sprint to the finish line. The charming, fuzzed-out stomp of “Treaty Connector” is so ripe with gleaming hooks it’s almost blinding, but close your eyes, and you’ll miss the Danks; the quartet’s true sonic resonance is most certainly in the blistering, immediate impact of Are You Afraid of the Danks?. Do your best to keep your eyes on these guys.

—Joshua Kloke

Evening Hymns

Spirit Guides

(Out of This Spark; US: 24 Nov 2009; UK: 3 Nov 2009)

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There’s an unmistakable warmth on Spirit Guides, the debut full-length from Evening Hymns, a.k.a. southern Ontario folk hero Jonas Bonnetta. It’s a warmth that transforms the nine patient, building tracks from simple finger-picking heartbeats into lush, sweeping strokes of near-perfect orchestral pop. Bonnetta hasn’t released heaps of music recently, but it’s hard to fault him for taking his time. After all, the emotional buildup that permeates Spirit Guides creates a currency all its own. One that measures wealth in tears, stirring tales of regret and memories that seem to shake very core of Bonnetta’s grave and humbling voice. “Dead Deer” is the emotional breadwinner of the album, using healthy doses of temperate accordion and sweeping strings as a means to throw sticks on the fire. This isn’t campfire music, though, these are songs you’re meant to lock into on the coldest of nights and not let go.

—Joshua Kloke

Variant

The Setting Sun

(Echospace; US: 18 Aug 2009; UK: 18 Aug 2009)

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Ambient dub techno is not exactly the most varied field to work in or try and listen to. As with certain rarified subspecies of heavy metal, it’s the kind of music that tends to sound identical to outsiders until and unless they spend some serious time listening to it, and even if they find the deep pulse of the music pleasant, it’s not shocking that a lot of people don’t want to bother. Steve Hitchell’s newest LP as Variant is a clear example of the good stuff.

Hitchell’s a busy man, especially since Rod Modell’s Echospace label has had a resurgence (at least partially based around Hitchell and Modell’s work, especially Deepchord presents Echospace’s The Coldest Season from 2007), and keeping track of his pseudonyms alone takes some doing. That’s him as Intrusion contributing a whole disc of remixes to the excellent new Brock Van Wey album, and while those remixes were a bit underwhelming (mostly just because Van Wey’s work on White Clouds Drift On and On ranks among the finest ambient music), with The Setting Sun Hitchell proves again just how good he is at this stuff. The music Echospace releases comes with a shockingly high average of quality (intrigued newcomers to ambient techno wouldn’t be ill served by checking out Pole, Gas and then anything on this label), it can sometimes get a little monochromatic even for the genre. Seeing as how Echospace is extremely choosey about who they release music by, that’s to be expected, but Variant here offers up something that’s just as richly dubbed out as anything else on label even as it’s just slightly more colourful and varied. In a genre that’s all about minute shifts and subtleties that makes all the difference, and The Setting Sun is an enveloping, aurally rewarding album.

—Ian Mathers

Heavy Maple

(Melodic; US: 21 Jul 2009; UK: 20 Jul 2009)

After looking at a photo of Brighton-based Frenchman Adrien Rodes, a.k.a. rec.tangle, with his shaved head, full sleeve of tattoos, and white wife-beater, one would not expect this man to be one of the U.K.’s most promising figures in postmodern instrumental music. While he might look like an extra in a Dizzee Rascal video, Rodes, in fact, is a talented and imaginative sound composer whose impressive debut, Heavy Maple, is an electro-acoustic kaleidoscope of analog synthesizers, nylon guitar strums, haunting vocals, and electric piano rolls, used to create a style Rodes himself describes as the “soundtrack to a late-night documentary on sea turtles.” By providing a living bridge linking the disparate styles of Moon Safari-era Air and vintage Cinematic Orchestra, rec.tangle achieves this nature-film serenity, delivering an album that floats along calmly in an ocean of mellow vibes.

—Ron Hart

Tiny Tim

I’ve Never Seen A Straight Banana

(Collectors’ Choice; US: 20 Oct 2009; UK: 23 Nov 2009)

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In Tampa, Florida in 1976, Richard Barone, future leader of Hoboken art-pop artisans the Bongos, had the privilege to meet and befriend Tiny Tim. At the time Mr. Tim was barely subsisting on the scraps of his Laugh-In/Tonight Show notoriety. This didn’t deter the teenaged Barone and some friends, however, from going to see him perform at a local motel. Underage and thus unable to get into the show, Barone and pals were invited by Tiny back to his room for a private concert. Barone had the presence of mind to tape the motel recital, as well as subsequently booking Tiny into a local studio to record more songs. I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana is the belated result. 

Give or take a few recent overdubs to flesh things out, it’s Tiny and his trusty uke front and center; the circumstances make for an informal yet infectious showcase. Tiny animatedly rummages through his voluminous mental catalog of early 20th century crooners and vaudevillians for Barone, reaching as far back as 1878 for “Mister Phonograph”, a tribute to Edison’s latest invention. Even rarer pieces are also aired, such as Tiny’s original compositions for ‘angels who touched my heart’, from Tuesday Weld to the patrons of an early ’60s Greenwich Village lesbian bar where he frequently performed, pre-fame.  Finally, Barone’s efforts deserve praise for making it possible for future generations to hear for themselves Tiny’s legendary, hilariously absurd account of meeting and serenading Bob Dylan. Thirty-three years later, this odd but cheerfully inclusive entertainer is as much a part of history as those voices on the 78’s he studied and adored. One hopes this CD—apparently the first in a series—will assist in keeping Tiny Tim’s own singular flame lingering that much longer.

—Michael Layne Heath

You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago

(Rune Grammofon; US: 15 Sep 2009)

Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson is one of the most prolific musicians on the European free jazz circuit, having played on over 150 recordings as a sideman. Gustaffson also has jammed with some of the greatest names in the experimental underground, including Sonic Youth, Merzbow, Jim O’Rourke, Ken Vandermark, and Derek Bailey among others. As part of the bold new trio Fire!, Gustafsson is joined by bassist Johan Berthling of Tape and drummer Andreas Werliin of Wildbirds & Peacedrums and switches off between sax and Fender Rhodes on its caustic debut, You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago. Together, this trio creates one of the most cacophonous fusions of acoustic jazz and electronic sound in recent memory, bringing free jazz well into the 21st century through such scorchers as “Can I Hold You For A Minute?” and the 17-minute “But Sometimes I Am”. This will certainly appeal to Albert Ayler and Boredoms fans alike.

—Ron Hart

Never Rest in Peace

(Alternative Tentacles; US: 20 Oct 2009; UK: 26 Oct 2009)

Only in New York City can there be a band named Star Fucking Hipsters. The band was spawned initially in 2005 as a side project of Stza and Brandon Chevalier-Kolling of Alphabet City crust-punk greats Leftover Crack; however, Brandon died before the band could be fully formed. Following a series of personnel changes in the wake of this tragedy, the band’s lineup was finally solidified in 2008 and consummated via an explosive debut album, Until We’re Dead, on Fat Wreck Chords. SFH’s quickly conspired follow-up, Never Rest In Peace, finds the band on Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label and more incendiary than ever. Employing the melodic brutality of Crass plus the loud-soft-loud dynamics of the Pixies as its most teeth-gnashing, the band delivers songs like “3,000 Miles Away”, “Church & Rape”, and “Severance Pay” that will certainly keep the very hipsters they mock in their nomenclature cowering in some safe corner on Ludlow Street, clutching their the Pains of Being Pure at Heart album close to their chests for protection from the uncompromising punk sounds that once dominated that neighborhood.

—Ron Hart

Spirit

(Jazz Legacy; US: 11 Aug 2009; UK: 11 Aug 2009)

Any kid who chooses Thelonious Monk’s Greatest Hits as his or her all-important first album purchase will certainly be destined to a life behind the 88 keys. Such is the case of Cyrus Chestnut, a man once hailed as “the best jazz pianist of his generation” by Time. Chestnut has played with a dizzying array of musicians from Isaac Hayes to Bette Midler to Chick Corea to former Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith (a regular member of his jazz trio) and is revered for his brilliant reinterpretations of the Elvis Presley catalog and the beloved Vince Guaraldi Trio holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. On Spirit, however, Chestnut goes it solo with a gorgeous performance inspired by his childhood growing up in the church where his parents served as the music directors, delivering soulful, eloquent interpretations of such popular inspirational songs as “Oh How I Love Jesus”, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “All Creatures of Our God and King”. Offsetting the religiosity of Spirit are equally blessed renditions of such secular tunes as Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, and Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday”. Whether you are a churchgoer or not, any fan of jazz piano will find his or her album collection enriched by owning this gorgeous collection.

—Ron Hart