DWARR

AUGUST 26, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT

Animals
Drag City / Yoga, 2010 (reissue from 1986)

Working virtually alone and on a shoestring budget, Columbia, South

Carolinas Duane Warr multiplied himself using overdubs to become the
proto-doom metal band Dwarr. Warr had written hundreds of songs before he
began culling them down to form his first album, Starting Over in 1985. A
year later its follow-up, the menagerie of beasts aptly named Animals
appeared on the tiny Brand X label.

Dwarrs take on metal is an odd amalgam of stylesand squarely out of

fashion for its date. The gloomy plodding of Black Sabbath is an obvious
antecedent (and Warrs gargled, moaning vocals resemble Ozzy Os more
than a little). There are also weird washes of atmospherics created with
effects pedalsadded to both guitar and keyboardsthat come straight from
the heavy psychedelic rock of the late 60s. Orchestral percussion
instruments (tympani, chimes, gong) add some nice coloring in spots
charmingly, the Columbia High School Band is credited for having loaned
them out for the recording. Warrs lyrics are metaphysical pleas that take on
metaphorical forms. He recounts tales of ghosts, monsters, and evil spells,
but the subtext is his own anxiety, despair and isolation.

Warr certainly starts with good musicianship and ambitious arrangements.

Hes giving his all, but without the resources for a polished production, the
albums execution teeters like a rickety mobile home in a thunderstorm.
Dramatic tension increases as Animals songs threaten to collapse under their
own weightbut never do. Strangely enoughand probably unintentionally
the albums biggest liability ultimately morphs into a strength. Warrs
vulnerability, combined with his striving add a striking layer of pathos to an
already righteous clutch of tunes.

MUSIC REVIEWS
FERAL CHILDREN BY MOTHER OF FIRE
AUGUST 4, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT
Mother Of Fire
Feral Children
Sword Fingers, 2012
WZRD Cat# cd 16831

Minneapolis Mother Of Fire formed in 2007 as the duo of Jason Misik on bass
and Naomi Joy on amplified violin and vocals. Initially the pair used a drum
machine to provide their rhythm tracks, but before long that devices
inherent rigidity became a major frustration. Nonetheless they made their
first record, 2009s Lambs, with the robot beatmaker. Soon thereafter though,
they began an earnest search for a human drummer. Once that quest turned
up Andie Mazorol, the band and its distinct vibe fell into place.

Mother Of Fire builds a unique brand of hypnotic rock using several distinct
antecedents. Bassist Misik spools off an insistent string of notes, hewing to
the post-punk model pioneered by Joy Division bassist Peter Hook
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hook)including Hooks own debts to dub
reggae. Misik and drummer Mazorol construct a series of driving, tumbling,
and anxious rhythms, varying their accents to produce a lively propulsion.

Joy uses an impassioned sawing technique on her violin, as well a limited

selection of effects pedals. Her repeating patterns and squealing tonalities
recall the viola work of John Cale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cale) in
The Velvet Undergroundas well as that of Cales mentor, drone master Tony
Conrad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Conrad). Concurrently, Joys singing
voice is a strong, direct alto with ample capacity for extended howling and
wailing.

Feral Children is Mother Of Fires third albumand their second as an allhuman trio. Throughout its seven extended tracks, the band hews to minor
key compositions, evoking auras of mystery and risk. Joys lyrics express a

reverence for nature, but also for aspects of supernatural realms. If the
bands sound were pigeonholed, it might be labeled goth-tinged,
transcendental psychedelia. And despite relying on electricity to make their
music, Mother Of Fire would seem to gather their inspirations from anything
but mainstream technology-fixation and its attendant consumerism.

http://www.myspace.com/motheroffiremusic
http://motheroffire.com/
http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2012/04/mother_of_fire_feral_children
.php

MUSIC REVIEWS
THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT : 2011 A SPACE ODYSSEY
JULY 20, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT

WiZaRD #cd 16836

The Cambodian Space Project

2011: A Space Odyssey
Metal Postcard, 2011

2011: A Space Odyssey is the debut from The Cambodian Space Project.
Formed in 2009, theyve been whipping up a storm in southeast Asia since
their first shows, and have even been lauded as the king of Cambodias
favorite band.

CSP was born when Tasmanian musician and film producer Julien Poulson
happened upon effervescent, klaxon-voiced Srey Thy belting out Peggy Lees
Johnny Guitar in a Phnom Penh karaoke bar. Singing had become an escape
for Thy in more ways than one. Growing up in Prey Vangone of Cambodias

poorest provincesshe left home at eighteen for the bright lights of the
capitol city, only to be kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring.

Fortunately, Thys life in the sex trade didnt last, and she managed to
escape her captors. Entering the mainstream Phnom Penh economy, she
scraped together a life for herself and her family, while still finding the energy
to indulge her love of singing in the evenings in the citys bars. Since the
CSPs rise to prominence, Thy has used her profile to raise awareness about
human trafficking in Cambodia in workshops and talks. She also uses her
song lyrics to comment on her experiences.

Modern-day Cambodia is strewn with chilling reminders of the Khmer Rouge

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge), the brutal regime that ripped the
heart and soul out of the country in the latter half of the 1970s. Writers,
artists and musicians were among those dragged to the Killing Fields
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Fields). Estimates of the total number of
Cambodians killed in the Khmer Rouge genocide number between 1.4 and 3
million people. Numerous musical idols to the Cambodian Space Project,
including Sinn Sisamouth, Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron and Houy Meas all lost
their lives in the bloodbath, and these artists legacies were all but wiped out.
Srey Thys own mother was forced to abandon her own singing ambitions
under the Khmer Rouge. In the present day, decades after the atrocities
ended, the Cambodian Space Project are at the forefront of a crop of young
artists who are finally breathing life back into the countrys music scene.

2011: A Space Odyssey is a party album with a difference, welding traditional

Khmer instrumentation with gypsy-folk rhythms and rock n roll sensibilities.
A portion of the tracks are either covers of or tributes to the music of artists
from Cambodian pops golden age of the 1960s and 1970s. There are also a
clutch of wonderful psychedelic Khmer rock songs penned by Thy herself.

The albums unique sound palette weaves a bunch of disparate elements

into a hugely impressive wholeas eclectic and unorthodox as the bands
backstory and its mixed ethnicities (Australian, Cambodian, and French).
CSPs traditional elements are ultimately what set the band apart from most

pan-global rock and pop. The folk musics of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos are
often characterized by their drone instruments and their keening vocals. On
2011, a folk fiddle called the tro u (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tro_u)
combines with accordion and an imaginative use of harmonica and keyboards
to give the band a rich, complex overlay to the considerable rocking out
going on underneath.

Love Like Honey gets the proceedings off to a bouncy, hypnotic start,
before the squalling guitars of Wait 10 Months More throws in the
sometimes jarring clash of influences that make up CSPs sound. Ive Found
My Love slows the pace to a funk while Have Visa, Have No Rice could be
a very drunk Irish jig. Kangaroo Boy is a perky sing-along, while Love God,
the bands partial cover of the Shocking Blue hit Venus, winds things up
with a triple dose of sugar.

Cambodian Space Project are a remarkably adaptable band. Theyre

accustomed to playing in tiny villages and on boats on the Mekong River.
Nowadays though theyre booked at international rock festivals. With the star
power of the beautiful, confident, penetrating, and deeply expressive Srey
Thy propelling them, this sublime project is a worthy enterprise indeed.

(revised and combined from two reviews; an anonymous one: http://blurtonline.com/reviews/view/3305/, and one by Louise Allan:
http://www.thefword.org.uk/reviews/2011/09/cambodian_space)
http://www.myspace.com/thecambodianspaceproject
http://www.cambodianspaceproject.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cambodian-SpaceProject/102538263132453?

MUSIC REVIEWS
TAME IMPALA CURRENTS
JULY 20, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT
currents_cover

This album took a while for me to digest, it kinda took me by surprise that it
sounds nothing like Lonerism. I knew Kevin Parker was gonna go more
towards dance music, but I didnt realize hed go full-blown Michael Jackson,
which is okay because Im a huge MJ fan. To be honest, we all should have
seen this coming when Kevin posted that Tame Impala cover of MJs Stranger
In Moscow, which I thought was flawless. That being said, if you can keep
your opinions of this album separate from your feelings on Lonerism, youll
find this is actually a pretty great album. Its phenomenally produced,
especially considering it was entirely recorded, produced, and mixed by Kevin
Parker himself. Dude put his heart and soul into making beautiful psychedelic
pop music and it definitely shows in the results. If Tame Impalas first two
records sounded like they came out of the late 60s/early 70s, Currents
sounds like it came out the late 70s/early 80s. The two best songs on the
album are The Moment and The Less I Know, The Better; the former
sounding like a fast gallop through Tears For Fears catalog and the latter
sounding like a lost cut by MJ himself from Off the Wall. The song Past Life
is definitely pushing it into the experimental category, but its a fine enough
song even with the vocorded voice-over. Will Kevin Parker ever pick up the
guitar again? Time will tell. But this album is proof enough that Parker is a
wizard in the studio, and whatever he conjures up will surely sound magical.

MUSIC REVIEWS
ALBUM REVIEW: JACKSON SCOTT- SUNSHINE REDUX
JULY 12, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT
Jackscott

Album Review: Jackson Scott- Sunshine Redux

In the ever-evolving music landscape, psychedelic rock has been a staple

since its inception and most popular era in the late 60s. The scene back then
was so deep that many of the lesser known bands put out records that were
on par with some of the famous bands but never got the recognition they
deserve outside of circles dedicated to that type of music. Bands like 13th
Floor Elevators, Love, and King Crimson are more widely known than they
used to be, but still dont compare in popularity to artists like Jimi Hendrix,
The Doors or Pink Floyd. The same dynamic can be seen in the modern music
scene, wherevpsych rock has a fairly prominent presence with bands like
Tame Impala breaking into wider circles and bands like The Black Keys

switching course from blues rock to psych rock. And just like the 60s, there
are plenty of underground bands putting out radical psych rock that dont get
nearly as much attention as they should.

One of these artists is Jackson Scott, who not only writes and plays, but also
self produces his music. His first album, 2013s Melbourne, was met with
some critical attention but his music has yet to be widely heard. His newest
record, Sunshine Redux out today on Bloodmoss Records, is proof that he
deserves the attention of the masses. What makes the record truly special is
Scotts knack for great transitions, which makes the album feel like one piece
of art as opposed to a collection of songs. Redux starts with the short but
sweet Woodworkk, which seems to exist solely to be the crescendo leading
into Broken Record Repeats thunderous acoustic guitar, strumming a unique
but catchy chord progression. Scotts music takes influence from 90s grunge
rock as well, with Broken Record Repeat being the best example of this; if the
guitar was electric and a bit faster, it could easily sound like an old Nirvana
demo. There is a pattern throughout the album of building up to a point,
tearing it down, and building up again. The third track, Ripe for Love, is a
prime example of this, with the first 2 minutes dedicated to sounds that could
soundtrack a demented merry-go-round. This leads into an anthemic chorus
of sorts, which then transitions into a heavy guitar solo only to be brought
back to the merry-go-round for one last spin.

Steal Mes minute of dissonance serves as great transition into Pacify, the
first single of the record. A song that sounds like a lost Elephant 6 single,
Scott again uses the tactic of acoustic verses leading into electric freakout
choruses, with Pacify being one of the more uplifting examples.

As Pacify fades out, Save the World begins. Easily the most sentimental song
on the record, it starts with an arpeggiated riff followed by melancholy chords
and lyrics to match. Again, Scott transitions beautifully into the slow-burning
Merry Nightmare, which features more arpeggiated guitars drifting along into
a chorus where Scott promise[s] lifes a merry nightmare. Dissonance
follows in the wake of Merry Nightmare, and brings the listener back from
sleep into Scotts heavy reality, one that builds up into the most atonal and
raucous part of the whole album. As Dissonance relents, PRPLMTV takes over
in full force. Easily the most anthemic song on Redux, if any song catches
mainstream appeal, it will be PRPLMTV, with its stripped down verses leading
into swirling guitars that make the chorus disorienting but inescapable. Scott
turns off PRPLMTV with a synthesizer flourish, leaving only Ripe for Love II left

for the listener to digest. Starting off with acoustic guitar playing what sounds
like a classical guitar fingerpicking exercise that Scott jams on for a couple
minutes, it transitions into a reprise of the earlier riff from Ripe for Love
sauntering along ominously as Scott sings one more verse before letting
Redux fade out into the ether.

If anything, that is the only fault of the record; clocking in at just over 30
minutes, Redux leaves the listener wanting more. At the same time, however,
what is there shows that Scott has brilliant ideas in his cup of psych rock tea
that the Mad Hatter could not even dream of and the ability to make them a
reality. And considering he is only 22, we could be hearing a lot more
remarkable work from this man in the coming years. So in other words, jump
on the bandwagon now while he is still playing half empty bars; it wont be
that way for long.

MUSIC REVIEWS
A REVIEW OF DR. JOHN, THE NIGHT TRIPPERS ALBUM GRIS-GRIS (1968, ATCO
RECORDS)
JULY 12, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT
Gris-Gris

Psychedelic Gumbo: Musical Transmissions from a Voodoo Witch-Doctor in the

Age of Aquarius

A review or Dr. John, the night trippers album Gris-Gris (1968, ATCO Records)

So, the story goes down a bit like dis. Mac Rebennack cut his teeth as a
session guitarist during the late 50s in Nyawlins (New Orleans for the
totally cubistic of yall). A gun fight broke out at a show and he nearly got his
ring finger blown off trying to save his piano player. He concentrated more
on the bass guitar and piano and then he headed west to kick some drug
thang and relax in the California sun. Soon after, he got the idea to record an
album and have it fronted by this cat named Dr. John, the night-tripper, who
is based on a 19th century Louisiana medicine man. So in 1967, he brings
out all these funky second line zombie Zulus from way back home and then

lay down this thing called Gris-Gris for ATCO records. Gris-Gris, for the
uninformed, is a little bag of talismans that could be used for the purposes of
good or evil. And to procure such powers you must head directly the GrisGris man and get some potions that can cure or cause every affliction.

Now I know all of you are stupefied in cosmic awe but you still want to know
How does it sound, man? Well grab your shovel so you can dig what Im
saying. The album opens with Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, a down-tempo loose
and funky repeating riff. We know now that the Dr. is in because he
introduces himself in a scratchy whisper and like a snake he hisses all the
potions and powders he is offering us. From here we start to get a taste of
what were in for. Then tracks like Danse Kalinda da Boom or Croker
Courtbullion dance around frantically like a shamanistic voodoo gypsy
making rain. Mama-roux is a light uptempo song that foreshadows his
1970s commercial successes (i.e. In the Right Place) but it doesnt feel out
of place among the more swampy psychedelic pieces. Throughout the whole
album he tosses in French Creole words and voodoo references while the
rhythm section lays a down a funky back beat. The vocals, guitars and
mandolins fade in and out and you are drenched in music as it meanders
around like incense and the whole thing closes with one the coolest songs in
the history of cool songs, I Walk on Gilded Splinters. This album really
seems to incorporate a whole range of culture and styles and yet still sound
like its from New Orleans. There is never the impression that this is New
Orleans music for New Orleans sake. It is more of a gumbo, and you just
throw everything in the pot that is around you. Buy it, steal it, or burn it,
whatever, just do yourself a favor and listen to this album. You are welcome.

MUSIC REVIEWS
LIMINANAS BY LIMINANAS
JULY 12, 2015 LEAVE A COMMENT
Liminanas

Liminanas by Liminanas A good fallow up to spinning tracks like Bud

Heavy or Green Onions would be to slip into the throw back conjuring yet
well produced sound of the Liminanas, whose retro beat music mixed with
great French vocals make this Trouble in Mind artist a real stand out. And its
a great record! Check out songs like: Je ne suis pas tres drogue and Down
Underground.