ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO - THE MEETING
Hail We Now Sing Joy
[4:56]6.3 Mb
It's the Sign of the Times
[18:43]22.5 Mb
Tech Ritter and the Megabytes
[4:23]6 Mb
Wind and Drum
[11:10]12.8 Mb
The Meeting
[6:51]8.7 Mb
Amin Bidness
[8:37]10.6 Mb
The Train to Io
[4:58]6.3 Mb
Art Ensemble of Chicago "The Meeting" Album Review
A bit late in the day....
It's a pleasure to see the Art Ensemble's surviving members reunited, though one wonders if Jarman's return is merely temporary given the album's title. As far as the album goes, though, it's nothing too remarkable. Most of the album (41 minutes of it) is devoted to rather becalmed percussion pieces, dotted with flute, whistle and recorder: they're pretty enough but it's not long before the mind begins to wander..... As for the rest, the title track is a good, fierce blowout; "Tech Ritter and the Megabytes" is nicely sardonic; "Hail We Now Sing Joy" is a rather sloppily performed song, though the lyrics raise a smile (& is it just my stereo or is the mix on this track a bit off?). In short, it's hard to get too excited by the music on the disc, alas, though any sign that these guys are still going strong is to be welcomed.
CROMAGNON - ORGASM
Caledonia
[4:21]6.5 Mb
Ritual Feast of the Libido
[3:25]5.4 Mb
Organic Sundown
[7:09]11.7 Mb
Fantasy
[7:19]10.6 Mb
Crow of the Black Tree
[9:39]15.1 Mb
Genitalia
[2:45]4 Mb
Toth Scribe L
[10:38]16.7 Mb
First World of Bronze
[2:47]4.4 Mb
Cromagnon "Orgasm" Album Review
definitely for those of you who were blown away by Comus, and for everyone who is in need of a new favorite f---ed record, this
An anomaly, even on the always far out ESP label, Cromagnon was the result of two top 40 songwriters (accustomed to producing bubblegum pop) who seemed to have completely lost their minds. I mean they must have, to produce something as wacked as this record. Austin Grasmere, Brian Elliot, and their mysterious 'Connecticut Tribe' spewed forth 50 minutes of primitive dada-ist folk psych.
Chanting, tribal percussion, short wave radio, maniacal, almost black metal vocals, hysterical laughter, bagpipes all coalesce into something ridiculous and amazing.
Track one "Caledonia" sounds like a strange hybrid of Comus and In Extremo, with bagpipes, jaw harp, crickets, raspy chants and teutonic percussion ("Caledonia" was even covered later by industrialists Test Department). Later on in the record is an alternate version of "Caledonia" from the b-side of the original lp, slowed down to a third of the speed, producing an impenetratable swampy murk. "Ritual Feast of The Libido" features a groaning and moaning vocal over whirring and rumbling machinery. Then comes "Fantasy", where a faux Beach Boys intro almost convinces us that Grasmere and Elliot have returned to their bubblegum roots, that is until it devolves into a messy seven minutes of garbled laughter and clattering percussion. Today this all still seems pretty dang crazy, so back in 1968 when it was recorded it must have really freaked people out, even despite the pervasive drug culture of the time... definitely for those of you who were blown away by Comus, and for everyone who is in need of a new favorite f---ed record, this is it.
ROVA-ORKESTROVA - ELECTRIC ASCENSION
TRACK01
[6:21]9.5 Mb
TRACK02
[3:51]6.5 Mb
TRACK03
[4:06]7 Mb
TRACK04
[8:31]13.8 Mb
TRACK05
[4:11]6.3 Mb
TRACK06
[1:58]3.4 Mb
TRACK07
[4:05]6.4 Mb
TRACK08
[2:05]3.5 Mb
TRACK09
[7:21]11.3 Mb
TRACK10
[7:06]11.6 Mb
TRACK11
[5:48]9.7 Mb
TRACK12
[8:15]13.4 Mb
TRACK13
[0:18]0.4 Mb
Rova-Orkestrova "Electric Ascension" Album Review
Worth a listen...
especially if you are interested in possible compositional developments based on Coltrane. This performance begins wonderfully, at an energy level comparable to the original "Ascension." The drop off in energy when the improvisations are given over to the strings and electronics is astonishing. It may have worked in concert where you could see the players. On CD, it's a disappointment. The piece is like a deflating souffle. Thoughtfully constructed and well played, though.
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