RIO/AVANT-PROG

In addition to avant-garde and progressive rock influences, this duo makes extensive use of orchestral music. Much of this album sounds like it could have been the score for a creepy arthouse film. Atonal strings and minor key woodwinds dominate on this record, filling up most of the space not occupied by traditional rock instrumentation.

The opening "Catholic Deceit" demonstrates this approach, with its spooky chamber-music orchestration and rolling, propulsive percussion below stretched-out distorted guitar. Later in the song, a marching rhythm takes over, augmented by low brass and a distorted, pulsing synth. The song's final minutes come to a climax with speedy marimba lines and chaotic, yet deft, drumming.

The second song, "Heron", starts off slower than the opener, but by the time it reaches its midpoint, it's brimming with dramatic guitar, synth, and choral parts. "Night Shift" has huge, metallic guitar parts and plodding, powerful drums. That song also features another march consisting of low brass and marimba that sounds like it was originally written for The Venture Bros before being retooled for this project instead.

"Papal Stain" is one of the most consistently urgent compositions on Oscillospira. There are the usual tempo and dynamic variations that mark all these sprawling pieces, but the mood of this song is especially tense. "Heresy Flank" has some distinct textural qualities. There's this hurried scratching sound which I can only guess is muted acoustic guitar strings. Contrasted against bassy, heavy piano, it makes everything feel askew. "Heresy Flank" is also the most consistently Venture Bros-ish composition here.

The album closes on "Redbug", which has some apparent Magma allusions. Mantra-like vocal chants, jazzy drumming, and insistent basslines build in intensity. Synths warble in the background, and electric guitar notes stretch and distend over the top. Once the intensity crests, the mood shifts to one of doom and despair.

Oscillospira is a long album that demands a lot of attention. The instrumental compositions morph gradually over runtimes which regularly cross the 8-minute threshold. Atonality can be a tricky tool to deploy, but Thirlwell and Steensland have used it masterfully on this record.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/05/25/album-review-jg-thirlwell-simon-steensland-oscillospira/

This fusion continues on Blasphemy, the band's ninth studio album. This release also sees Kayo Dot reviving a bit of their metal roots. I would not call this a metal album, but it's their most aggressive record in a while. Those heavier tones complement the coldness of the goth influences, and bandleader Toby Driver has managed to write another distinct album.

"Ocean Cumulonimbus" opens the album in a way that sets the tone for the entire album. After a quiet, ominous opening, the song explodes into slightly-dissonant chords under impassioned vocals. Synthesizers swell and buzz, adding a sense of urgency of it all. The sequenced synthesizers of "The Something Opal" provide strong forward momentum and allow this track to immediately engage the listener. The whispered vocals which briefly appear were probably meant to sound sinister, but in they wound up coming off as somewhat silly and campy. It's a rare stumble.

"Vanishing Act in Blinding Gray" is another strong point. It's a sprawling, slow-building piece that begins as a gentle bit of melancholia. As it progresses, the synthesizers become more dominant, and the drumming becomes more aggressive. Atonal arpeggios are artfully applied to transition the song to a more menacing movement. Cascading keys and palm-muted guitar riffs bring this song to a crushing, majestic climax.

Unfortunately, much of the album's second half isn't as enthralling as its first. The music is still good and enjoyable, but aside from the closing track, I don't feel there's much I can really say about it. Avant-garde influences mesh with goth flavors, but the tempo of the songs does not vary much. Combined with their similar timbre, this can make the second half feel tedious.

Blasphemy closes on a high note, though. The title track begins with sounds I'd almost expect from Peter Gabriel. Springy bass, warm synths, and cymbal-less percussion imbue some good kinetic energy into the music as jagged guitar cuts through the mix to generate contrast.

On this album, Toby Driver continues to put more stock into the gothic rock sounds of the 1980s while adding a touch more heaviness than the band's last couple releases. It's mostly successful, but there are moments where it sounds like they're wallowing a bit. Some of the second half could have used a bit of tightening up, but strong ideas are present throughout Blasphemy's full runtime. I'd definitely call this a good album, but I think their 2014 album, Coffins on Io, did a better job of pulling off the same general sound.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/10/07/album-review-kayo-dot-blasphemy/

Last year, PoiL fused with the band Ni to become three-sevenths of the supergroup PinioL. Ni's particular brand of experimental rock music has frequently bordered on metal, and on Sus, it sounds as if some of that may have rubbed off on the guys in PoiL. PoiL lacks a guitar player, but that doesn't stop the band from laying down their heaviest music to date. The bass on this album crunches and snarls; the electric piano pounds out weird, dissonant chords; and the drumming is downright virtuosic.

Sus is nominally split into five songs, but functionally, it is more accurately described as a pair of 20-minute suites. "Sus la peìra" opens the first of these two suites with thundering bass and squealing synthesizer while the drums and a steady electric piano arpeggio keep the intro from devolving into an unfocused morass. The lyrics, sung delicately in contrast to the instrumental bombast, draw from Occitan poetry. The gentle vocals eventually become more of a somber chant in between moments of instrumental weirdness that almost sounds like a bizarre, jazzy version of Rage Against the Machine with its sudden starts, stops, and octave-wide oscillations.

After that 12-minute salvo, the brief "Lo potz" acts as breather. It's barely a minute long and a cappella. It's a nice glimpse into just how pretty the Occitan language is, sounding closer to Italian or Spanish than to French. This opening suite ends on "Luses Fadas" and showcases PoiL's most obvious Magma influences. Ostinato bass and hypnotic piano lines undergird chanting vocals. The bass and piano lines gradually grow more complex in the instrumental moments, and the vocals alternate between Spanish-flavored chanting and rapidfire, funky, babbling syllabics.

"Grèu Martire" opens the second suite with off-kilter instrumental interplay. It's something I'd expect from a daring math rock band, with its uneven, jerky rhythm and atonality. That song acts as a setup to the real meat of this suite, "Chin fòu". The vocals are dramatic and once more tinged with Spanish/Moorish influences. Despite a continually-odd rhythm, the song flows well, with the vocals trading the spotlight with some impressive soloing.

With Sus, PoiL have released a challenging, yet engaging, work. The music here lurches and roars in fits and stops, and the harmonized vocals contrast and complement it. They've channeled France's long history of artistic experimentalism and avant-garde leanings in rock music. To that history, they've added a modern, metallic edge, and that intensity is what really makes this such an enthralling album.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/05/19/album-review-poil-sus/

PoiL has carved out a unique niche in the world of avant-prog with a zany zolo-esque hyperactivity fortified with Zappa-like quirkiness. Add some heavy brutal bombast and psychedelic excesses and PoiL has taken things to extremes. Each and every album adopts a different approach but there is no denying it is PoiL. Junko Ueda on the other hand is a classical artist who brings the medieval Japanese art forms of heikyoku and shōmyō to the modern world. Heikyoku is one of the oldest Japanese traditional music forms that features a bard who narrates a tale whereas the shōmyō is a type of Buddhist chant used primarily in the Tendai and Shingon sects.

Perhaps nothing should surprise fans regarding PoiL's next musical adventures as the band seems more open-minded than the average prog band but i'd bet no one saw this one coming! The album is on the short side only slinking over the 31-minute mark and basically features two themes with multiple parts. "Kujô shakujô" is a three part build up of musical mojo which is based on a Buddhist shōmyō that is practiced to ward off evil spirits. The two-part "Dan no ura" shifts gears completely and narrates a naval battle which led to the decline of the imperial Heike clan after facing off with the Genji clan. Lyrics are exclusively in the Japanese language.

While PoiL has traditionally been an unhinged untamable and unapologetically wild prog band, on this collaborative effort they seem utterly hypnotized by the soft spoken Japanese lyrics that remind me of European yodeling at times. Likewise Junko Ueda performs on the traditional Japanese instrument called the satsuma biwa which is a short-necked lute used in narrative storytelling in the Japanese culture. Ueda is the star of the show here with PoiL's rock instrumentation firmly adhering to the melodic developments suavely propelled by the chants and accompanying Japanese musical scales. Although confined on a leash so to speak, PoiL still has plenty of room to strut their proggy stuff much like a post-rock band improvises around a cyclical groove.

While such collaborations are not unheard of, it seems that the cross-pollination of cultures continues as do the mixing of the spiritual with the profane much like Ray Charles fusing gospel with American soul back in the 1950s although more of this is happening on a global scale with ever greater complexities. For anyone longing for a frenetic avant-prog display as heard on "Brossaklitt," this is not the album for you. This is an avant-garde take on ancient Japanese musical traditionals unlike anything done before. The music is relaxing and mesmerizing and even when PoiL is allowed to add the rock heft to build up deafening crescendoes, the musical flow is still very much strictly adhered to. An anomaly in the canon of both artists, this one is an amazingly satisfying of the ancient meeting the modern day developments in prog. Brilliant.

HAND THAT TAKES is the second release emerging in 2022 with eight tracks that only add up to 22 minutes but what a punch this little noisy musical experience is! Despite the term pronk (prog + punk) clearly applying here, this is no Cardiacs worship band but rather derives more inspiration from NYC's skronky no wave movement that existed in the grimy underground in the late 70s and early 80s. Add to that the band delves into the complex angularities of avant-prog offering jittery time signature attacks and highly unanticipated hairpin turns in musical direction. Ironically there is no bass to be heard! Just guitar, two drummers and Carey screaming her heart out!

The music is quite varied actually. The band is quite capable of holding a steady groove to lull you in before unleashing an unexpected attack of sheer music terror that results in chaotic outbursts of youthful angst run amok. The music skirts on that precipice of easily accessible punk rock albeit with extreme dissonance and atonality and the sheer free form experimentation of the most extreme cases of the prog universe. The band cites its influences as a nasty mix of the Japanese punk band Otobke Beaver along with the sludge metal of the Melvins along with the chaotic avant-weirdness of Deerhoof. Add to that a few grooves from Primus and the zaniness of Frank Zappa and you sorta get the picture.

Basically a riff based band with a catchy albeit obnoxiously jazz-fueled caustic guitar grooves leading the way, THROWAWAY truly delivers the goods from an anarcho-punk sorta way with the icing on the cake coming from the experimental and progressive accoutrements that always threaten to derail the entire shebang and plunging into sheer sonic noise terror. The star of the show is no doubt Kirsten Carey whose charismatic bravado ranges from contemplative soft semi-spoken lyrical deliveries to true irreverent outrage. While certain parts such as the short "(News Bulletin)" offer nothing but sheer noise rock, others like "DINOSAUR" are quite hilarious with well established meaty hooks that don't deviate from accessibility.

An interesting band to watch out for as all the ingredients for a classic act are in the making. HAND THAT TAKES may be short and to the point but provides a diverse palette of distinct hardcore flavors that mine the world of no wave, punk rock, indie rock, avant-prog, noise pop and the never-ending wellspring of the experimental. This is one of those really fun albums that makes you want to see the band live because as animated as Carey is on these recordings is probably only a controlled allowance of what she is like on stage fully fueled by an audience. Overall a really cool modern example of progressive punk that doesn't sacrifice the immediacy of the punk world for getting overly complex.

'The Thing That Knowledge Can't Eat' is textbook Keneally in that sense. It's eclectic almost to a fault; veering from straight-ahead pop rock (Both Sides of the Street) to Zappa-esque big band jazz (Ack) and full-blown wacked-out experimentalism (Lana), and all points in between. As always, there are times when Mike's tongue appears to be firmly in his cheek and others where his heart's just as firmly on his sleeve, but no matter whether he's feeling playful or serious, the album exudes a welcoming warmth throughout.

Longtime fans will be delighted by another excellent addition to his already impressive discography, and newcomers could do a lot worse than to start here.

Track Highlights: Celery, Lana, The Carousel of Progress

At barely over 30 minutes, you'd be forgiven for feeling a little shortchanged, but there is so much densely packed music within that runtime that I'm personally quite thankful that this album doesn't push its luck and risk tipping over from exhilarating to exhausting. Mind you, a second release from this collaboration would certainly not be unwelcome.

If 'Fine Girl' theorizes with the taste buds of the family tyrant you are, then 'Panty Rap' goes into full action. All female private parts out in the fresh air. Even for a music professor, this is not a bad thing. If you want to go into privacy, then you'll come to the conclusion that Zappa must have had a well tought out escape route in front of his own wife Gail Zappa. As I reckon, they lived happily together through prolonged decades. An ignorant women's libber had unavoidably been chasing Frank up and down the stairs; with rolling pin in one hand, and signed divorce form in the other...Gail Zappa was at the same bright level as her spouse and grasped the dividing line between fiction and what we call reality. As it happens, you won't find a more daring collection of this magnitude from an equally established artist. At the same time, all done with tongue in cheek. The collected lyrical content on T.R. easily outgoes 150 normal main stream albums at your local record store. It only adds to the confusion why it's held so low by observers. The upcoming 'Easy Meat' becomes, in the context, as innocent as a white lamb. It says it all. Strategically put as second track it is definately a highlight on the record. Maybe the highlight. You've never heard a more meaningful and purposive guitar burst from F. Zappa. Not to mention the massive keyboard cascades delivered by a highly inspired Tommy Mars. A decade old composition with parts recorded in the mid seventies. A few lucky buggers have already encounterd it along the way, but for most folks it's a brand new experience. There are three major sections in the song, somehow very independent both in time/space but all melt together as one trophy. The longest track of the album. 'For the Young Sophisticate' offers an uninhibited bare layed xylophone. We're solely talking music terms. When all is said and done, this is what's it's all about. A relaxed and pleasant mid-tempo rocker. Even if not the most challenging cut on the record, it's not without merits. If you find the cover of Patti Smith album Easter repulsive then you'll find support from the young sophisticator. An overgrown armpit is just gradations below other unmentionable body parts.

With a to say the least comprehensive catalogue under his belt it is tempting to sort up and find some breathing space. 1979 had been a phenomenally high productive year with multiple releases. For the adventitious visitor at the record shop there was one new Zappa long play out at every occasion. Almost everything at highest standard to boot. How many artists reach this incredible level? -80 empty due to contractual reasons then it kicks off again with a vengeance 1981. T.R. was released simultanously with the voluminous 'Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar' (albeit through different channels. The latter via mailorder). Only four footling months later massive double-Lp 'You Are What You Is'. A burning conglomeration 79-81, for the normal artist enough to fill out an entire career. 'Sheik Yerbouti' was the start for something new and fresh; sound, production, package, attitude, whatever...Tinseltown Rebellion follows in the same direction. 'Roxy & Elsewhere' didn't bother with any radio friendly opening cuts. For my money at least, this is a milestone in music history in itself. Even though it's a limted slice in Zappa's career it's so full of musical enrichment. It becomes clear that you can't engulf in one bite but slice it up. Zappa's production can be difficult to overview even for the initiated, then imagine the ignorant. One true story; a Swedish acquaintence of mine lived with his host family in Florida for whom he intruduced the music world of Zappa. That is his lighter, approachable side. Encouraged by this, the family went out and bought album at random. It became 'F.Z. in N.Y'. They were, to put it mildly, perplexed.

Side A of the record has already swung you in opposite directions. If you thought that Side B differed then you were wrong. A cluster of 50ies rendered tracks, all filtered through the writers cunning sense of humour. Already mentioned 'Panty Rap' plus a guitar instrumental. Three previously released songs all around two unbelievably short minutes. For the Zappa rescued they serve as satirical elements just joking around with its contemporaries, for the less knowledgable they're just as great as anything in its style. It takes an outsider, other than the average Zappa fan at least, to fully comprehend his genious here. No single individual has the ability to overview Zappa's enormous production from all angels. We're all amateurs. The inevitable question looms large; why are these three tracks included at all? All the way back to already existing debut album. Just to fill out empty spaces? To make it a more desirable sales item? The emphasis ends up on the latter alternative. Recent albums gave Zappa a flirt with a wider audience. Suddenly all your high school mates were in possesion of at least one or two Zappa albums. 'Now you see it, now you don't' (can you figure out the title's hidden implication...?) may be written off as a mere guitar improvisation for a cynic. I've never seen it that way. It's simply too interesting. Obviously, a part of something much bigger, namely 'King Kong'.

Not only does the title track belong to side C of the double vinyl, it also possesses a rare trait. There's nothing like the formula that floods all over the album. That is the ever present female/male disputes. Since we left the unicellular pond this has been the main drama here on mother earth. T.R. is no exception as we already have dealt with. Instead we find a fully believable and realistic story about what could be practically any band (with the exception of Zappa's own). Why is F.Z. satirical or parodic as always pointed out? Is it so? It could perfectly well be the contrary. It's him telling the plain unbeautifying truth where others beat about the bush. He doesn't mince words for sure but why should it be that way? The laugh is just nothing than an ad-on. 'The Blue Light' is an ineluctable piece that just flows all over you. An Ocean of syllables in talk song manner. Cinematic in its delivery it takes an audience above average pop level to give it full justice. 'Pick Me, I'm Clean' is another stunning masterpiece like 'Easy Meat' and one of the pillars of T.R. Very well structured I will say in a manner that reminds you of progressive bands in the more melodic vein. Echolyn/Yes come up as healthy frames of referenece. Somewhat vague in meaning before you'll figure out its content. A groupie in the audience came up with the titlewords; yelled them out. Zappa lend her a helping hand, used his quill to fill up the remainder of it. Enter Ike Willis. Which album can be inferior with a singer of his capacity? Paired with one of the other vocalists here they form an unbeatable singing team. He's not unknown the other; it is Frank himself. It's worth pointing out alas. When you have so many irons in the fire as Zappa people tend to ignore or forget about his supreme world class vocal capacity. Not to mention palpable orginality. In how many reviews have you encountered the subject? He is Frank Sinatra, Ivan Rebroff and Chuck Berry in one. Zappa/Willis in tandem, they met for the first time 1977 in St. Louis, the hometown of the latter. For understandable reasons, Willis was double-quick in the the backing group. All the way up to the very end. The moment you note the voice of Willis, you already know you're in Zappa land. Second to none in import. Just like his fellow Zappa, he seems to have the built-in ability to do a volte-face from the weighty to the light-hearted(and back) in no time. No wonder that Willis had a major position in the ensemble. Plus the fact that seven other fully capable vocalists are present in various formations like back-up, co-lead or harmonies.

The distance to next pillar is proximate. The cryptic title comes, 'Bamboozled by Love'. A warning text is imminent if you want your timorous at a distance. Perhaps you're prepared for any daring subject, this is still an ultra tough playback. Even for the hardened Zappa follower. 'Money' from Dark Side of the Moon feels like a good choise if you're on the hunt for similarities. Not even Zappa lives on a desert island, he listens to other peoples stuff like all of us. It becomes dark side of the lawn in this case. In any case, it's another masterstroke. It opens side D and is the one and only unheard track here. Follows 'Brown Shoes Don't Make It' it doesn't require any introduction to a fan. As it is a double-Lp close to 70 minutes I suppose it's allowed to have at least one song under par. While it starts out great in standard Zappa manner I normally skip the second half. Actually it reminds me of another Z, namely Led Zeppelin and song 'The Ocean' from '73. In both cases fabulous start but end up in mere jam sessions. Final track on Tinseltown is not even heard for the second but third time. This is the best version, but at the same time I'm biased because it's the first I listened to.

Which is well known to the ardent Zappa fan, the idea of T.R. replaced the earlier intended 'Crush All Boxes'/'Warts And All' projects. Massive releases in tradition with earlier Läther. Just like Läther it was split up and spread out in fewer units. You may still wonder to this day why the cosmetic brand 'Warts And All' was never picked up by neither Abba nor Boyzone.

I've never heard such an amazing combination of avant-garde progressive rock and jazz fusion before. This album is a BOMBARDMENT of raw, bestial energy with mysterious atmosphere. Even though I value deliberate compositions more than improvisations, this record really felt right up my alley from the very beginning.

I really like the plethora of sounds here: the distorted/fretless bass, the raw drums, synths and organs, wind instruments; it all comes together perfectly to represent a fou beast spreading auditory destruction!

If you're familiar with the music of Far Corner, this album will definitely feel right at home. There's the same feeling of "raw bestiality" here, also indicated by the wonderfull cover art. If that doesn't tease you to take a listen, I don't know what will. Do it though - you won't regret it!