Slipped Discs June 2014
Discs You May Have Missed
by John Noyd
Spanish Gold
Initial Thoughts
June moves. Whether chasing trans-dimensional pied-piper WIFE’s festering electric subtext, “What’s Between,” heading into dodgy indie-rockers SPANISH GOLD’s crackling soul-jam swagger, “South of Nowhere,” or tracking down machine-tooled groover CHALLENGER’s sultry, propulsive robo-pop hybrids, “Back to Bellevue,” a restlessness caresses summer listening. Stalk playground-pop anarchist HALF-HANDED CLOUD’s hand-crafted theosophical cocktail, “Flying Scroll Flight Control,” then explore exhaustive rockers LOWER’s bullet-proof pursuit, “Seek Warmer Climes,” and your journey is the destination
Disc Reviews
Alexander Turnquist - Flying Fantasy
Alexander Turnquist
Album title: Flying Fantasy
Record Label: Western Vinyl
Twelve-string inspirations arranged around classical instruments and modern electronics; master guitarist Turnquist composes sparkling armor whose tight-knit bliss calm and excite, curious flurries that circle and take flight. Stirring churning murmurs, “Fantasy,” gallantly dallies; Zen engines bending and blending into dappled catacombs; mystical, cyclical hives buzzing in resounding rounds, doused in quivering rhythms and plucked like weeds from still-water dreams.
(1987) Page Views
Alexander Turnquist online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Download Flying Fantasy from Amazon
• Purchase Flying Fantasy on Amazon
Kan Wakan - Moving On
Kan Wakan
Album title: Moving On
Record Label: Verve
Soft gloss, sumptuous gumption and lavish dazzle glide through shellacked chromatics as the tenderly coddled and runway-modeled, “Moving,” beautifully fumes, discretely feasts and casually fathoms panoramic fantasies. Epic pledges sprinkled in sinister grit; jazz-addled lounge lizards drizzle soul-sister kisses over super-sleuth movies leaving, Kan Wakan’s brassy, sassy orchestration snuggled beneath poised chords breathing cinematic passions into chiffon trip-hop symphonics.
(4182) Page Views
Kan Wakan online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Moving On from Amazon
• Purchase Moving On on Amazon
Miniature Tigers - Cruel Runnings
Miniature Tigers
Album title: Cruel Runnings
Record Label: YEBO Music
The light fluffy buzz inherent in Miniature Tigers’ synthesized dollops of summer-time power-pop trigger snickering predictions from romantic grifters; slippery dilettantes cultivating sly, shy conceits through cheeky star-spangled jangle garnished in varnished harmonies, pining ironies and subversive mirth. Schooled in bright-colored cool, “Cruel,” balances bashful nostalgia beside smarmy charm; hunting love’s wily smiles while juggling smug bop and irrepressible zest. Be sure to check out the band when they play Madison’s The Frequency July 22nd.
(2011) Page Views
Miniature Tigers online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Download Cruel Runnings from Amazon
• Purchase Cruel Runnings on Amazon
• Download Cruel Runnings
• Purchase Cruel Runnings
Secret Cities - Walk Me Home
Secret Cities
Album title: Walk Me Home
Record Label: Western Vinyl
A coy and cunning hodge-podge, “Home,” hones vaudeville operas erecting stage-setting testaments; heavenly indie-rock jaunts flaunting haunting music-hall gestalt. Breezy twee conceived as palatial chamber-pop doo-wop unrolls golden hand-holding emotions stitching Pollyanna stomps onto friendly melodies, flighty choirs and ambient tantrums. Living separate lives, Secret Cities’ combined stylistic finds produce swooning unity buoyed by time-traveling swan-songs bottled in spectral vessels.
(2244) Page Views
Secret Cities online:
• Website • Facebook
• Purchase Walk Me Home on Amazon
Meshell Ndegeocello - Comet, Come To Me
Meshell Ndegeocello
Album title: Comet, Come To Me
Record Label: Naive
Melted stealth poured over trickling riffs; Ndegeocello’s tasteful, playful forays into cozy soul, regal reggae and magical jazz conjure microcosmic blossoms inside pristine improvisations for celestial struts cast in smoky vocals and frisky apparitions carved from cyber-funky jams. Delicate senses tinted in textured menace, “Comet,” slinks, sinks and out-thinks buffed lust and supple mistrust; delicious mischief from exquisite art-pop pixels.
(1939) Page Views
Meshell Ndegeocello online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Purchase Comet, Come To Me on Amazon
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Only Run
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Album title: Only Run
Record Label: self-release
Dire diary-writing draped in mind-altering escapes, “Run,” funnels adamant battles from unraveling battalions into humane refrains, seething pleads and heartening pardons. Savory synth-blues bravery caked in dream-pop decay and alt-rock camaraderie; the band’s solid apologist and heroic motivator Alec Ounsworth masterminds a dynamic stamina fortifying resolve as it exposes our most vulnerable sides. CYHSY play Madison’s Majestic Theater June 12th.
(1882) Page Views
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Download Only Run from Amazon
• Purchase Only Run on Amazon
Final Thoughts
From DINOWALRUS to DAVID GRAY June features a half dozen discs from artists whose names begin with D. Decidedly delirious, the devilish DUB THOMPSON’s dangerously bangin’ “9 Songs,” kicks off the cavalcade with ragged dread-head energy.. Meanwhile, divine-pop architect DEVON WILLIAM’s dense, intense, “Gilding the Lily,” and deep soul psyche-folkies THE DONKEY’s double-dipped trip, “Ride the Black Wave,” devise, defy and revive with vigorous revisionism. Desolate midnight drifters THE DELINE’s sweet, devious heartache, “Colfax,” and dynamite indie-rock synergists DEAD STARS’ daring super-nova diplomacy, “Slumber,” round off June’s diverse delights.