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ASAP inşallah (LP)

Ya Tosiba
Sophomore LP by this duo from Finland, featuring Finnish producer Tatu Metsätähti (aka Mesak) and Norwegian-Azerbaijani musician & vocalist Zuzu Zakaria. It’s an incredible blend of tasteful electronic rhythms and magnificent middle eastern melodies, like a bizarre (and much cooler) version of modern Arabic pop music, but actually quite amazing! Zakaria is the primary creative entity behind Ya Tosiba, crafting the music, lyrics, & arrangements. She says that their music is a post-modern homage to a traditional form of Azerbaijani music called meykhana, a lyrical style that began in the early 1900s, and has generally only been performed by men (and for men), usually at weddings. Free from that patriarchal standard here, her sensuous & sumptuous vocals are an obvious highlight, along with the exotic sounding middle eastern sounding scales played on tar, lute, zurna, and various synths. Mesak’s production is strong but understated, perfectly supporting the songs. He dials up the perfect riddims for each selection… everything from classic and modern style electronica, techno, & house music underpinned by booming bass, to dubby, percolating snakecharmer grooves with boom bap beats, and even the R&B inspired synth leads and funky basslines of skweee, a Finnish style that Metsätähti is well known for (he co-founded Harmönia, one of the main labels that released Skweee music during the genre’s early heyday). Azerbaijan borders Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and Russia, so it’s right at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, and you can definitely hear the music of those connected regions reflected in this musical mixture. I absolutely LOVE this album! Read more

Music From Burden Of Proof (LP)

Chuck Johnson
Beautiful, moving music on a brand new soundtrack release from this talented local Oakland musician, for a new HBO TV show in the mystery / drama / documentary / true crime genres. Features an eclectic assortment of pulsating organ & keyboard workouts, twangy pedal steel laced ambience, subtle yet dynamic symphonic cinematic themes, elements of avant-classical style beauty, along with some lush, enigmatic ambient drift. Gripping stuff that feels like much more than just background music, this is gorgeous music that also works well outside of the soundtrack realm for which it was composed. Great additional instrumentation including cello by Clarice Jensen, trombone by Andy Strain, violin by Emily Packard, & percussion from Corey Fogel. Although he has also made music for a couple of other TV shows and films, this is the first one published on either LP or CD. With a musical past going back to the early 1990s in Chapel Hill’s vibrant alt-rock scene, his music has evolved from the guitar-led indie rock of Spatula & later Shark Quest (who had 3 albums on Merge) to the ethnic folk stylings of Idyll Swords (with Dave Brylawski of Polvo). After moving to Oakland and earning an MFA in Electronic Music and Intermedia Art from Mills College, he made some great modern acoustic & electric guitar based work in the 2010s, followed by the recent gorgeous ambient pedal steel albums Balsams and The Cinder Grove. He’s also collaborated with Golden Retriever on an LP on Thrill Jockey, and with Marielle Jakobsons (in their lovely duo Saariselka). Read more

Ang Pagdaloy (LP)

Pantayo
Really interesting new release by this group of five queer women of Filipina heritage, based in Toronto, Canada. It blends modern indie rock and soul / R&B styles with Filipino Kulintang music, a style of gong and drum based percussion music that originated from the Sulu and Mindanao islands in the southern Philippines and northern Borneo. It’s similar to Indonesian Gamelan music, but it’s from a slightly different location & culture in the same region of the world. The music on this album is an incredible mixture, with their melodic, tuned gongs integrated into all of the pieces here. Five of the eight tracks are instrumental, and the rest have vocals in English. I love the pulsating metallophone rhythms, and the way they use their keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, and other percussion excellently to craft these cuts is really cool too. Nice vox too, soulful singing with a modern feel. All in all, a fantastic record! Read more

CUMBIA CUMBIA CUMBIA, VOL. 1 (LP)

Various Artists
New collection of classic cumbia (and closely related styles such as gaita and porro) from Colombia, primarily from the 1950s & 1960s, with a couple of cuts from the 1970s. Lots of legendary names from that golden era are featured here, performing typical bouncy cumbia grooves in a range of tempos. Instrumentation includes the always present drums & percussion, bass or bass guitar, & some combination of accordions, horns, & clarinets. There is a sweet simplicity to the style, but similar to early ska music in both rhythm and vibe, it is super infectious and fun music, with a joyous, upbeat energy. Overall, an incredible overview of this wonderful Latin American / Afro-Caribbean musical style, which came about through a fusion of American Indigenous, African, and Spanish musical elements. Originating from a traditional folkloric dance style in the region along the northern coast of Colombia (facing the Caribbean), what began as some initially fairly simple, repetitive vocal chants set to Afro-Latin drumming has slowly evolved, adding more instruments along the way to become what you hear here. Cumbia is still very popular throughout both South & Central America, and has also continued to grow in popularity recently around the globe, notably going into more modern, often electronic realms. There are 3 instrumental tracks, and all the rest have vocals in Spanish. Read more

Endless Skyways (LP)

Bobby Lee
Impressive new album of instrumental guitar-oriented psychedelic folk-rock, with deeply groovy rhythms, trippy textures, and some motorik Krautrock rhythms too. Lee is from Sheffield in the UK, but despite his country of origin, this is Postmodern Cosmic Americana at its finest, a heady swirl of earthy & spacy influences and ideas, with lots of tasteful guitar moves, and nicely tripped out production touches. At certain points, it sounds like a twangy, jammier, acoustic version of Neu! Overall, this is heady, charming, accomplished work with a unique psych vibe. RIYL: Neu!, Tom Verlaine, Brightblack Morning Light, Richard Thompson, JJ Cale, Ryley Walker, William Tyler, and Bruce Langhorne’s incredible score to Peter Fonda's "The Hired Hand" film. Really nice stuff! Read more

Middle Eastern Grooves {Selected by DJ Kobayashi} (LP)

Various Artists
Excellent new 2023 compilation with 18 fully awesome (and mostly instrumental) killer cuts on this nicely curated set, expertly selected by a London based DJ based who also serves as head of Batov, the label that released it. Upbeat, fun, high energy contemporary music featuring Middle Eastern scales / maqams, often played on keys / synths and sometimes horns, along with the standard guitars / bass / drums combo providing fantastic funky beats. The music ranges from trippy surf-rock and global funk to exotic disco pop and punchy percussive psych pop, all with a distinctly Middle Eastern, Turkish, or Mediterranean vibe. RIYL: Altin Gun, Erkin Koray, labels like Habibi Funk, Soundway, Analog Africa, Strut, Les Disques Bongo Joe, & Wonderwheel Read more

Khedmat Be Khalq (LP)

Naujawanan Baidar
Experimental Afghan-American artist N. R. Safi initially formed this project in the desert of Tucson, Arizona, but he now lives in the Netherlands, in Eindhoven near the Belgian border. While living in AZ, he also formed a now defunct experimental psych-folk band called The Myrrors, using the name Nik Rayne. Naujawanan Baidar was named in tribute to his Afghani heritage, and the phrase means “enlightened youth” in Farsi. The music here blends classic Afghan and Pashtun music from the 1960s-1980s with psychedelic rock & acid folk vibes, tripped out effects via guitar pedals, layers of noise, elements of found sound & collage, & samples from old cassette tapes of traditional music from the region. Heavy, ominous drones are powered by hypnotic tribal drum & percussion grooves, with leads from traditional string instruments such as the rubab (Afghan lute), baglama (saz), and tanbur often playing the main melodic role. There is also a lot of murky ambiance & atmosphere in these pieces, making for some monstrous sounding epic jams… RIYL: Fans of the Sublime Frequencies label’s work should dig this, as well as anyone into Turkish psych or Arabic funk, along with middle eastern music in general. I also hear similarities to heavy Swedish drone rock legends Pärson Sound (later aka Harvester), eastern-leaning indie rockers Polvo (and the awesome side project Idyll Swords), along with the percussive industrial post-punk collective Savage Republic. Read more

Jaws 2,3 and 4 (DVD)

Jaws 4: The Revenge is my new favorite so bad it’s good flick. I saw it on a Christmas list of movies recently and I was like WTF…upon review it is 100% a Christmas movie and also 100% terrible. “High”lights ( you must watch this movie stoned to fully appreciate its attributes) include Mario Von People’s portrayal of the Rasta shark expert assigned to the doomed expedition, Michael Caine as Hoagie the bush pilot and the titular shark’s ROAR. Watch it with your friends and howl with delight- Read more

Tokyo Pop (BLU)

Fran Rubel Kuzui
In honor of it's 35th anniversary, Kino Lorber has released a 4K restoration of the charming 1988 rock & romance film staring Japanese heartthrob Diamond Yukai and Carrie Hamilton, a multi-talented actress/singer who also happened to be Carol Burnett's daughter. Long before "Lost In Translation," "Tokyo Pop" explored themes of a young American woman in Tokyo, but one who engages in her surroundings and navigates the cultural differences more constructively. Unfortunately, Carrie Hamilton died young, but this film remains as a shinning example of her talent. Read more

Messiah Of Evil (BLU)

Gloria Katz
Odd that the same writing duo that brought us "American Graffiti," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Howard the Duck" also created the 1973 moody horror film "Messiah of Evil." But that's just one of the many wonderful mysteries of life I guess. The plot is baffling yet intriguing - a woman sifts through her late father's art and diaries, but ends up dealing with cannibalistic ghouls. See it for the atmospheric bohemian beachside setting and the stylish visuals, not to mention an amazing zombie supermarket scene. Read more

Columbo: The 1970s (Seasons 1-7) (BLU)

There is no greater joy in life than having unfettered access to "Columbo," the LA-based police procedural that ran for years in the 1970s. I will never get tired of watching Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo, the disheveled police detective who is an underdog and everyman, stick it to the elite week after week by uncovering their murders. Great cameos from Leonard Nimoy, Roddy McDowall, Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, and so many more. Read more

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (BLU)

Eric Appel
But of course, Weird Al Yankovic's biopic would be a parody of a biopic. If you expected anything different, you should be put in irony jail. As a complete Weird Al lifer, I can honestly say that this movie made the pandemic survivable when it was originally released as on Roku. Now the Blu-ray/DVD can be ours for endless viewings. Daniel Radcliffe makes for an astoundingly good Al, showing the world the comedy chops we never quite knew he had. But really, no one can sub for the real deal, so lucky for us Al has a cameo in this film as label dude Tony Scotti. Read more

Barbie (BLU)

Greta Gerwig
The live-action Barbie movie goes beyond the plastic veneer of the Mattel doll, and delves into gender roles and expectations with humor and heart. Directed by Greta Gerwig and with a screenplay written by Noah Baumbach, Barbie creates a highly entertaining work of eye candy that is somehow filled with existential crises and questions of self-image. A+++ Read more

Zuma 85 (LP)

Allah Las
Another slice of cool CA pop from Matt Coreia & Co..."Jelly" shimmers like its eponymous footstuff...another mojito please bartender! Read more

Crashin' From Passion (LP)

Betty Davis
The last LP from this fantastic performer dates from 1979, and it's got a lot more variety than its more funky predecessors without ever taking its foot off the quality control pedal..."Quintessence Of Hip", "You Take Me For Granted" & the title track are killer, and she's in great voice throughout. Great cover too! Read more

High Bias: the Distorted History Of The Cassette Tape (Book)

Marc Masters
Cheap! Easy! This very entertaining book charts the journey of the cassette from its invention in the early 1960s to its Walkman-led domination in the 1980s to decline at the birth of compact discs to its current mini-resurgence..press play on this! Read more

Estrus - Shovelin' The Shit Since '87 (Book)

Chris Coyle & Scott Sugiuchi
Straight-up bee-yoo-tiful document of this “100% Apeshit Rock” Washington label…great photos & art in an oversize tome…put on some Man Or Astro-Man?, open it up & and wig out! Read more

Brave Words (Expanded & Remastered) (LP)

The Chills
Their debut LP from 1987 was full of great songs, but Mayo Thompson's production was fulla murk...this reissue sets the record straight. "Rain", "Wet Blanket", "Look For The Good In Others", "16 Heartthrobs"...a lot of the best tracks from their early days are here, and it's finally got the sonic heft it needed. Extra tracks too! Read more

Intercepted Message (LP)

Osees
Kinda poppy but still raucous & obnoxious, The Osees 300th LP is another winner from the World's best live band...although the final power ballad "Submerged Building" is a parody that doesn't fit with the scrotum-jangling groove of the other songs...their gig at The Chapel in September was heavy-ass!! Read more

Episode 17: Extraordinary Machine (LP)

Fiona Apple
This album was such a joy to cover. I was unfamiliar with Fiona Apple, and being able to discover not only the melodies and depth of this record, but also the story behind it was extremely rewarding. They just reissued most of her early work, and this one is a great pickup. Read more