Talibam!, the wacky, jazzy, noisy rock duo, have never quite hit a bull’s-eye with me. I love ‘em, sure, but they’ve only managed second tier adoration from the past efforts that I’ve heard. And Peeesseye, well, I’ve never listened to them before, so I can’t really say anything about how this album represents them. However, what I can say is that the two of them together are absolutely positively supercalafragalisticexpialadocious! Oh bliss. I do love my noise rock splatter, those improvisational, manic drums, the geeetar, and Peeesseye and Talibam! bring this all together in spades of wonderful noise. I think what has really pulled it all together (from the position that I previously mentioned, one that is familiar solely with Talibam!) is the toning down of the overt wackiness (though it is still pleasantly, grinningly there) and the dynamic movements from the smirking-yet-groovingly rocking “You Tried (to Eat It),” to the near-heavenly clatter of “New Vitality in the Biomass,” to the straight out diabolical noise of “Everything for Everyone” (though it should be noted that the grating, metal-esque vocals that appear in the middle of this track are perhaps the most hilarious, even if they weren’t meant to be). And that’s not to count out the blazing, aerobic, deconstructive rock glory of “A Grey Mountain of Human Shit” or the all-out epic closer, “Year of the Moral Orgy.” The album is simply epic in its own right. Absolutely consistent from beginning to end, and we’re talking consistency in epicness. 2010 continues to deliver and Peeesseye and Talibam! is just another example of its wealth and diversity. Definitely one of the best albums of the year.
High Wolf Incapulco
(2009, Winged Sun)
RIYL = Stag Hare, El Guincho, Ducktails
The looped, flowing tribalism continues to trudge forth from the High Wolf camp like a beckoning call, entrancing young villagers into the woods. And so it goes on Incapulco, the latest CD-R offering from the increasingly productive sound manipulators/collagists. I think High Wolf, along with other bands like Caboladies and Emeralds, have really kick started a little lo-fi texture-drone flood that has, for the most part (especially when considering the bands previously named), been very highly enjoyable. And so, Incapulco is recognizably High Wolf in both aesthetic and quality, but for those who like to limit themselves to one album when dealing with prolofic bands like this, I would say that this release is the most consistent and complete for the band, and therefore the most important. Grab it while you can, these guys’ (assuming they’re guys) releases seem to slip away quickly.
Some albums build their world slowly. Clenched Fist, a CD-R release from the band Niao is just that kind of record. In fact, it takes a good third to half the record before things really get mobilized. However, I don’t want to imply that the journey to that mobilization and subsequent release isn’t a necessary part of Clenched Fist’s success. The album works as a complete document and could operate pretty aptly without any track breaks at all. Clenched Fist is an animal that must be consumed as a whole. And don’t take that ‘animal’ part lightly - despite its continuous vocal presence, the non-verbal, vowel heavy coos are those of a majestic, primal and pre-human beastliness. I could go as far as to say ‘tribal’, but I think that only gets you halfway there. The backbone to Niao’s success on this record falls squarely upon the ‘tribally’ sounding, yet free-jazzish experimenting percussion. There is no great description for it (at least in my vocabulary), but those drums are the great mobilizer. Patience is a requirement on this album, but the rewards justify a willing ear. All together it is an interesting, weird little album that definitely has me excited about the prospect of more Niao goodness in the future.
Talibam! Boogie in the Breeze Blocks (2009, ESP-Disk)
RIYL = MoHa!, Snacks, Zs
There are probably two likely places where you will find Talibam!’s latest album categorized in your local record shop (if it is there at all). The first is under the Experimental Free Jazz Bombardment section (oh, if only this section existed!) and the second is under Comedy. That being said, Boogie in the Breeze Blocks is doubly ridiculous. As always, Kevin Shea and Matthew Mottel’s aural blitz is just mind altering. Spanning multiple genres and creating a few new ones along the way, the Brooklyn duo’s frantic, morphing, turn-on-a-dime aesthetic is invigorating and wonderfully awe inspiring in the most bizarre way. Shea’s drumming is as wildly octopus-like and smartly inventive as ever while Mottel’s pretty-much-everything-else accompaniment is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I shouldn’t say that Mottel has done everything else though, because the album has a hefty amount of contributors, but this hasn’t altered anything about the band that we’ve already come to know and love. So, along with the obvious instrumental ridiculousness is the consistently cheeky samples and lyrics. Yep. I don’t really know what to say about it because normally I only consume such heavy amounts of corn when eating food from the super market (admittedly unfunny, but possibly just as funny as some of the stuff on this album), but somehow Talibam! makes it all fit. Boogie in the Breeze Blocks is just more glorious goodness from the doubly fantastic duo.
Talibam! / Wasteland Jazz Unit Ecstatic Jazz Duos (10.2008, Thor’s Rubber Hammer) File Under = Jazz with a healthy dose of noise
The folks over at Thor’s Rubber Hammer (home of the recently highlighted Chartreuse debut) have just released the first split LP in their inspired 3-part Ecstatic Jazz Duos series. The series already boasts an impressive line up for the remaining two installations in the series but I can’t imagine that those LPs could do much to eclipse what we’ve been blessed with here from Talibam! and Wasteland Jazz Unit. Let’s start with who I’m familiar. Talibam! (one of very few bands who have earned their mandatory exclamation mark) is America’s very own free-jazz/noise-rock terrorists. Bursting onto the seen fairly recently, Talibam! has secured a nod of reliability through a slew of maddening releases mostly put out on CDr. In the world of free form prog and jazz, reliability is key. With the ranks of improvisation swelling, it is hard not to get suckered into some second rate jam session pitched as some new hipster salvation. Fortunately, Talibam! is the real deal. Coupling inhuman drum schizophrenia (a requirement for successful free jazz in my book) and synthesized electronic buffoonery, this drum n’ keys duo plows through 18+ minutes of manipulated prog rock lunacy. The piece constantly evolves into various contortions of noise addled madness that even breaks away momentarily at about the midway point to introduce vocals to the mix with some type of alternate reality rap. Yeah, it’s definitely out there and, yes, it’s definitely good. On the flip, I was happy to discover my new best friends, Wasteland Jazz Unit. This duo leans much farther into noise territory with two extended jams that reach just past eight minutes. Both are experiments in audio brutality. Using a saxophone and clarinet to unrecognizable ends, Wasteland Jazz Unit produces an abrasive aural commotion that sounds a little bit like a batch of Axolotl tracks layered on top of each other and then pounded together with a jackhammer. It really is a beautiful destruction (emphasis on the destruction). Yep, with two more records left to go in the series, it is going to be hard to top the level ridiculously enjoyable confusion the two duos have served up.
Peeesseye & Talibam!
