Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette
 

Keepin' it simple. I'll pick a random song / album in my collection every day and briefly talk about it. Today-

Trevor Jones - "I Got This Thing About Chickens" (1987) [Noir Jazz]


Angel Heart is one of those cult classics that stays with you a long time. The movie is drenched in an eldritch sort of dread that seeps into everything in the production, including Courtney Pine's fantastic sax work throughout the various pieces that make up the OST.

Trevor Jones, the composer, had this to say about the writing behind the music:

Great stuff. Also, Pine's solo material is rock solid and worth checking out for the modally curious.

Enjoy.

Cool, looking forward to this one.

That's a great track to start off with, Anteater! Angel Heart is such a great movie, it's time I checked out the OST.

Good luck with the thread; I'll be curious to see what you come up with.

^ Thanks guys. I find it more enjoyable to write about music in bite-sized chunks anyway.

High Tide - Ancient Gates/Starless Skylines (1990) [Raga-Rock / Psych / Prog]



It's funny that this would pop up, but welcome. Of the two High Tide albums I have, I prefer this groovier, almost Krautrock-esque reunion material to their 1968 cult classic debut Sea Shanties. Nothing wrong with their early stuff, but I just prefer the approach here as far as a longer listening experience goes.

There isn't a whole lot of information available about the sessions that make up Ancient Gates unfortunately. The inclusion of Indian singer Sushi Krishnamurthi on lead vocals and former Crazy World Of Arthur Brown drummer Drachen Theaker is noteworthy, and throwing them in the mix certainly added a lot of spice and spaciness to the High Tide sound.

That aside, some juicy Sunday jamming going on.

Damien Youth - Strange (1994) [Neo-Psych Folk]



This disturbing but compelling lo-fi ditty popped up today, and it's definitely good. If memory serves, Damien Youth became something of a troubadour in the late 80's, distributing his cassettes across various channels and building a cult following in the process.

I have some of his more recent albums too, but Festival Of Death is one of the better collections to track down due to it's grainy, esoteric atmosphere. He's been compared to Donovan and Eliott Smith, but you couldn't get them to go record in a cave or graveyard in the dead of night. Mr. Youth strikes me as someone who actually would.

Stina Nordenstam - Memories Of A Color (1991) [Art Pop / Trip-Hop]



Spun the wheel and this hit. Not a bad way to start the day. A jazzy, sprightly debut from one of Sweden's underrated singer-songwriters. She gets compared to Bjork and Kate Bush a lot, but I think Stina has the tendency to lean in towards jazzier, more Baroque territory at times (which is what interested me in picking up her first two albums about eight years ago).

This opening cut is something that sounds like it could have been recorded anytime between '91 and now. An aural portrait about losing something and the elusive search that follows. Nothing that will shake your foundations, but it has some nice dynamics. There's also a lot of little touches that bring in those Nordic jazz influences too, adding to the overall flavor. :clap:

haircuts for men - weakling heart (2018) [Vaporwave]



A soothing but somehow haunting instrumental from the great vapoverse that's been cultivated out of Bandcamp over the last decade. I don't even remember when I picked it up, but I found myself impressed by the massive catalog that haircuts for men had. I think it was the cover of this particular collection (simply known as 1982) that drew me in - something about the violence being depicted indicated that perhaps the relaxed, intentional nature of a piece like this is meant to be deceptive. Who would have thought muzak could go so well with occult murder?

Kill Bill x Rav - lovedrug (off that) (2019) [Hip-Hop]



Riding a smokin' bossa groove and spicy rhymes, Kill Bill and Rav are some of hip-hop's most underrated storytellers. Kill Bill in particular has dabbled with a lot of people and apparently gets on well with Freddie Gibbs, but he's not much of a mainstream mainstay just yet. After this project came back up today randomly, I'm thinking that status quo could definitely be changing. Cut me an epic, boiz.

How eldritch a movie are we talking about?

It's comparable at times to Lynch's Blue Velvet or that movie The Serpent And The Rainbow. but it's not body horror-oriented like The Thing or the first Hellraiser..

Terje Rypdal - Bleak House (1968) [Jazz]



My favorite Rypdal album happens to be his '68 debut, which displayed a tremendous amount of diversity and songwriting savvy unusual even for the late 60's. The title track swings like a sledgehammer, with Terje's guitar guiding that force like a sherpa through the mountainside. The other big star on display is Jan Garbarek on sax and flute respectively, but Rypdal is front and center: the last minute or so he turns up the distortion and heaviness a few notches and it takes the whole cut into unassailable territory...though that status applies to the rest of the record too. Sublime.

OLD - Break [You] (1995) [Atmospheric Industrial Stuff]



One of those synthesized slabs of alternative-minded doom pop that makes you wanna boot up your old copy of Quake or Doom and mow down some hellspawn at 2 AM in the morning. This track in particular has a nice (albeit processed) vocal melody and a killer bassline. OLD have other albums and material, but upon revisiting the Formula album I'm surprised at how well it has aged. A more ethereal Godflesh skipping along to a Post-Punk groove? Not a bad spin in 2020 and beyond.

Yes - Fly From Here Pt. II - Sad Night At The Airfield (2018) [Progressive Rock]



Trevor Horn remixed all the music and then re-recorded his vocals in this 2018 "remake" of the 2011 album Fly From Here at the request of a lot of people, resulting in 2018's Fly From Here - Return Trip. The singer on the 2011 outing was a guy named Benoit David - he isn't bad, but he's not quite up there with Jon Anderson or Trevor Horn.

Thus, for all intents and purposes, this is the last "real" Yes album, and it is a joy hearing Squire's phenomenal bass brought to the forefront (RIP), as it is one of his best performances since the 70's.

It helps that Trevor Horn is a good singer in general (he was also the lead singer on 1980's underrated Drama), but this particular track also showcases his songwriting chops in the best way possible. I love Howe's acoustic work in particular on this cut, and the mood is mournful but crackling with understated tension as it moves along.

The Great Tyrant - There Is A Man In The House (2008/2011) [Avant-Post-Punk]



Having seen this lovable trio live before they became the smoother (and perhaps more overtly sinister and well known) Pinkish Black, I can confirm that this self-titled song and album is a phenomenal blend of Zeuhl and some late period Scott Walker-esque morbidity, coupled with a virulent dose of synth-punk to complete the picture. It's just what the doctor ordered.

A tune a day is quite a fast pace, but you seem to be doing well with a lot of great music which is all pretty obscure by my standards. Recent favourites:-

Terje Rypdal - at least I'd heard of this guy, thanks to stephen
Old - my favourite of the recent posts
The Great Tyrant - thanks to your intriguing description I gave it listen. Nice - especially the synth sliding along on top of the noise.

Keep up the good work, Anteater :thumb:

^ Thank you Lisna, glad you are tuning it and enjoying some of the material. The other Rypdal album I think you might particularly enjoy is 1976's After The Rain, which has a more orchestral approach. He also plays all the instruments instead of just guitar. It's a great "solo" project in the literal sense.

Anyway...

Max Corbacho - One True Light (2011) [Ambient]



This guy is as prolific in the electronic ambient world at this point as Robert Rich and Steve Roach, but his compositional voice is harder to define in some ways to me. This particular piece, put on his odds-n-ends album Lost Links back in 2011 because it didn't quite "fit" his other albums, is in my opinion his unassailable masterpiece. There's something about the undulating, gradually unfolding nature of One True Light that makes it special and uncannily peaceful to me. The aural equivalent of a plunge into cold, completely clear water on a sunny afternoon.

Puzzle - N.Y.C. (1974) [Jazz-Rock]



Along with Chicago and BS&T, Puzzle were an early purveyor of jazz-rock's commercial and progressive possibilities, though unlike the former they actually spent most of their time around Chicago and were signed by Motown in 1972.

Their second album was remastered awhile back and I bought it without knowing much about them or the tunes. Luckily, it's pretty damn good, even swinging with a bit of a free jazz sensibility amidst all the yacht rockery. N.Y.C. bookends the album as the point where their more progressive and pop-oriented tendencies gel most harmoniously, especially with that Pharoah Sanders-esque opening stanza that builds into the main melody. Noice!

Strangeways - Fallen Angel (1997) [Moody, Jazzy Alt Rock]



Former late 80's AOR cult band turned 90's Scottish alternative rock soothsayers did a damn fine job on this slice of storminess, complete with some streetcorner sax straight out of a classic Morphine long player and some desert rock vibes on the guitar.

Lethal - Fire In Your Skin (1990) [USPM]



A stellar power metal debut with plenty of NWOBHM swagger and some prog touches here and there for flavor. It chronicles the utter breakdown of a man, and the atmosphere is palpable. It helps that Tom Mallicoat is a particularly good singer, falling somewhere between Rob Halford (Judas Priest) and Ray Alder (Fates Warning) in overall style.

The Pop Group - We Are Time (1979) [Post-Punk]



Felt a little nostalgic today, so went back to where it all started. We are a few decades in now and Mark Stewart's band of lovable loons will always be ahead of the creative curve in every possible way. Owning anything of monetary value may be theft, but I'm glad my uncle got me Y on vinyl as a preteen who despaired at the state of the world. The incessant, unassailable grooviness of We Are Time was glorious when I first heard it and it cannot be diminished even now.

Trevor Something - Procreation (2016) [Hip-Hop/Ambient/Synthwave]



Just as The Residents managed to keep their identities secret for decades as they produced fantastic music, the Florida-based genre hopping phenom known as Trevor Something is also somebody we know practically nothing about despite his growing prolificality over the last decade. All we know is he's talented at dipping his icy, digitized fingers into everything from vaporwave to post-punk and you can never expect the same thing twice from project to project.

'Procreation' is the opening cut from 2016's Soulless Computer Boy And The Eternal Render, and as a love song it is simultaneously catchy and somewhat disturbing...as all good synth-pop tends to be. The fluttering keys add an extra dimension of forlorn isolation that sweetens the deal.

Boom Boom Satellites - What Goes Round Comes Around (2007) [Electropop/Rock]



One of the better electronic acts to come out of Japan over the last few decades, Boom Boom Satellites were made up of guitarist / vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima and bassist / programmer Masayuki Nakano, effectively jumping from industrial, EDM and ambient into more pop oriented work as they shifted from the 90's to the 00's. This particular track is a good example of their more commercial bent, featuring Kawashima's distinctive processed vocal style and Nakano's knack for good hooks.

Unfortunately (and I didn't know this until recently) Kawashima died from cancer in 2016. R.I.P.

Dan Fogelberg - Empty Cages (1981) [Westcoast / Country Rock]



Fogelberg is an interesting contradiction within soft rock canon. On one hand, he's done some massive squishy hits your mom probably loves. On the other hand, he comes up with baddass songs like this one that explore themes of death with a biting blend of cynicism and heartfelt sentiment in equal measure. The man is a goddamn champion.

Hawkwind - Images (1990) [Space Rock]



I'm likely not alone in thinking Hawkwind are fairly underrated, but I'm particularly fond of their album Space Bandits, which came out at the dawn of the 90's and marked the debut of frontwoman Bridget Wishart. She brings a different, altogether more experimental and acidic character to the band's blend of prog, post-punk and metal, as shown in the propulsive opening suite Images here. It features spazzed out, free-jazz styled violin soloing courtesy of Simon House...and somehow it works in the context of the song. Marvelous.

Cowboy Junkies - Crossroads (1986) [Blues / Country / Jazz]



One of my favorite indie bands to come out of Canada, these guys managed to create a pretty neat sound combining early alternative rock, country, blues and at times jazz into a neat concoction that swaggers like classic Danzig but ultimately does its own thing. Their debut, released in '86 to a quiet sort of acclaim among a small audience, has a series of great covers on it. The grand finale, a fantastic Lynchian rejiggering of Robert Johnson's song 'Crossroads', is a real jam and worth the price of admission for Margo Timmins's smoky delivery and some juicy bass / guitar interplay.

Sevendust - Black (1997) [Grunge / Alternative Metal]



Basically an anthem for all the protests going on right now...except I dunno how many of them even remember this slice o' slamming salami. Lajon Witherspoon made his debut here, and he sure knows how to belt it. There weren't that many black guys in the whole post-grunge / alt-metal scene to begin with, but Lajon carried that flag with finesse and still kicks ass today.

Ice Choir - A Vision Of Hell, 1996 (2012) [Synth-Pop]



A bouncy slice of New Romantic virulence courtesy of consummate Brooklyn soundsmith Kurt Feldman. It's got a little Wire, a touch of Gangway, some Pet Shop Boys and a lot of Scritti Politti embedded in it's DNA...but tells a more thoroughly modern tale of faceless anger in the digital age. Great synth-pop from a guy who knows his way around a good song. Enjoy.

Blue Öyster Cult - Deadline (1980) [Classic Rock / Post-Punk]



A groovy bassline heavy cut to get going the next time you want to hold someone hostage and extort lots of money. Like a lot of classic BOC singles, there's something timeless and hard-to-pigeonhole about this song anyway, but the straightforward criminality described in the narrative is the icing on the cake for me.

Colin Blunstone - Misty Roses (1971) [Folk / Baroque Pop]



Former Zombies frontman giving the Tim Hardin classic an avant-folk makeover. The results are devastatingly beautiful, akin in spirit to Scott Walker's best work during the same era.

Weekend Players - I'll Be There (2002) [EDM / Trip-Hop]



English trip-hop project comprised of vocalist Rachel Foster and producer Andy Cato. This opening cut is a wonderfully executed example of what early 00's people were chilling to during those twilight hours between acid drops at Ibiza music festivals. It sways like a warm breeze from the Mediterranean, welcoming you into it's billowy hook with TLC. It could very well be the greatest car commercial jingle of all time.

Jan Hammer Group - Don't You Know (1977) [R&B / Prog]



Before making millions off the Miami Vice OST and becoming one of the big names in film music, Jan Hammer was better known as the keyboardist of jazz-fusion gods Mahavishnu Orchestra and a pioneer in synth technology throughout the 70's. Near the end of the decade, he began to shift from intergalactic suites to honing in on popcraft that straddled the line of soft rock, prog and krautrock.

'Don't You Know' is one of those gems from this period of his career that you've probably heard sampled in hip-hop a billion times, but as a standalone tune it radiates so much cool that it should have been in GTA: Vice City. It's an oscillating low-key slice of perfection that could have only come from that brief moment in time before the mullets took over.

Chroma Key - Another Permanent Address (2000) [Trip-Hop / Alt. Rock]



Never a guy to get stuck in one style too long, Kevin Moore is a musician who got his start as the founding keyboardist and lyricist for Dream Theater in the late 80's. After three albums however, he cut loose and went headfirst into the realms of experimental electronic music, ambient and trip-hop, all influences that came to a major head on 2000's You Go Now.

'Another Permanent Address' rolls off the ear quite nicely - like Gorillaz or maybe The Verve diving headfirst into a Massive Attack side alley. Moore has a knack for the chill and meticulously spacey. Call it another lost classic for the "Good" pile.

John Surman - The Wizard's Song (1988) [Avant-garde Jazz]

Spotify - The Wizard's Song

One of my favorite players of all time and a helluva great composer and sideman alike, John Surman has been exploring the edge of avant-garde and free jazz for decades in his own peculiar way. But unlike a lot of his contemporaries, he was never afraid to also draw from contemporary sounds and technology throughout the past four decades.

In the late 80's, that means creepy John Carpenter-styled synth arpeggios to counterpoint his uncanny approach to the saxophone and free jazz expression. 1988's outing Private City remains my favorite record from this particular era, and 'The Wizard's Song' is a noir-inflected closer that showcases just how great he is even when completely restrained in a more modal mood.

Mitch Murder - Inner City Chronicles (2011) [Synthwave / Instrumental]



Effervescent synths in motion with some timely dialogue. Has a classic mid 80's Electro feel with a bit of melancholic magic to carry the concept home. The melody is pretty fantastic too, like the theme to a VG that never left the confines of imagination.

That's a cool album.
I was aware of Surman's existence but haven't consciously listened to anything by him in many years. Some of the stuff I checked out is gorgeous. Thanks for the reminder.

^ Yeah, he's got a long trail - you'll find plenty to like. My favorite album of his is 1969's How Many Clouds Can You See?

Anyway-

Ruins - Brixon Varromiks (1995) [Zeuhl]



Blistering and lovably frenzied bass / percussion oriented zeuhlish punk with a touch of doom & gloom. I love pretty much everything Tatsuya Yoshida has ever done, but Ruins was especially awesome from the late 80's through this particular record. A raw and gloriously combative 9+ minutes.

Miles Davis - He Loved Him Madly (1974) [Jazz / Ambient]



A 30+ minute ambient jazz sendup to the late and great Duke Ellington, and supposedly the song that inspired Brian Eno's whole career. Davis was never one for minimalism as a calling card, engaging in aspects of it only sporadically throughout his career (like on 1969's In A Silent Way). But even that rather easygoing record sounds like coked up speed metal compared to the gradually evolving moodiness present here. Ridiculously good.

Seba & Lotek - Sonic Winds (1996) [Atmospheric Drum & Bass]



Mainstays over at U.K. jungle label Good Looking Records, Seba and Lotek's debut cut Sonic Winds is emblematic of the "Atmospheric" style of Drum & Bass - huge synth washes, deep beats and a general sense of being lost and in constant motion somewhere within the space/time continuum. The melody lopes in a state of rabid flux against the skittering groove that underscores every passing moment, yet it soothes.

Caravan - Nine Feet Underground (1971) [Canterbury Scene]



Probably the best Fuzztone organ-heavy cut ever committed to record. 20+ minutes of whimsical, at times emotionally resonant progressive rock with a breezy, psychedelic tinge that shifts emotionally into something resigned yet moving over the course of it's run. I would put this on repeat as I wondered aimlessly during the summers I had at university to myself, walking through silent, unspoiled wilderness as the wind rippled through the nearby trees. Good times.

Nightwing - Don't Want To Lose You (1982) [Proggy Hard Rock]



A fun blend between boogie-flecked hard rock and synth-oriented progressive rock. The way the wooshing keys and bassline bounce around one another could make even the most cynical among the rabble crack a smile. Nightwing weren't long lived, but they were pretty good.