Album Review: Rodan- Fifteen Quiet Years

Mods and rockers.  East coast or west coast hip hop.  Acoustic Miles and Dylan versus the plugged-in versions of the icons.  The seemingly mandatory obligation to pick a side confounds me.  I never understood why punk/indie-rock and metal had to be mutually exclusive genres.  I love Husker Dü and Judas Priest, Fugazi and Van Halen. 

That's why bands like Rodan appeal to me.  Rodan's three-year existence ended in 1994, before subgenres like metalcore and mathrock became codified.  It's easy to suggest that the members of Rodan were simply in thrall of Sonic Youth and fellow Louisville band Slint, but I hear Rodan's music as a bracing hybrid of metal and punk that contains traces of both the Minutemen and Megadeth.

A press release for Fifteen Quiet Years notes that "the "collection includes the 1994 BBC Peel session, together with all of Rodan's long-out-of-print 7"s and compilation tracks."  It will be released on June 11.  A new interview with the surviving members of Rodan in The Village Voice provides additional context on the project.

Fifteen Quiet Years is highly recommended to listeners nostalgic for the era in which left-of-the-dial college radio served as a vital lifeline and for a slightly younger audience eager to explore the sounds that inspired bands like the Appleseed Cast and Cursive.


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Marva Whitney's God, the Devil & James Brown: Memoirs of a Funky Diva was published last month.

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"No Touching" is putting OoberGeek on the map. (Via the Mills Record Company Blog.)

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The video for Hospital Ships' "Servants" is messed up (in a good way).

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The Grisly Hand is giving away a live version of "Chucky".

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I misjudged Rittz.  The Strange Music signee sounds pretty good with Mike Posner on "Switch Lanes".

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Myron & E's "If I Gave You My Love" is RIYL Northern Soul, 1968, Jerry Butler.

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Howard Reich wrote a profile of Bob Koester.

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"… but the little girls understand."  I Heart Local Music documents Thursday's sold-out show headlined by Marina and the Diamonds.

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Scout Niblett's "Gun" is remarkable.  RIYL: Heartless Bastards, Liz Phair, Lenny Kaye.

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Wut.

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Chuck D is angry.  (And I like it.)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review- Dalla In Jazz

Allow me to share an anecdote from my last trip to Rome.

The simple continental breakfast provided by a budget hostel was offered in a windowless room near the laundry facility.  The lights were automatically extinguished every time someone exited the room, requiring a guest to get up and manually flip a switch.  The Japanese and African travelers pretended to ignore the inconvenience.  The German and English tourists muttered amongst themselves.  A Californian couldn't restrain herself after the tenth blackout in about twenty minutes.

"F**king Italians," she screamed. 

The Italian experience can prove maddening to outsiders.  It's enchanting and annoying, beautiful and grating, lovely and obnoxious, sublime and confrontational.  That's how I feel when I listen to Dalla In Jazz.

The collection contains smooth jazz, smarmy lounge jazz, adventurous improvisational sounds worthy of Soul Note and ECM, Serge Gainsbourg-style sleaze (that's a good thing) and a couple selections with a Tunisian twist.  It's fair to say that I have no idea what's going on.  I had no prior awareness of Lucio Dalla when I began listening to the tribute album.  I'm only vaguely familiar with a couple of the musicians, but among the interesting aritsts now on my radar are Vinicio Capossela, Gegé Telesforo and the adventurous trumpet/accordion duo of Fabrizio Bosso and Luciano Biondini.

I love Italy.


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I reviewed Rockfest.

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Antennas Up made an amusing video for "Coming On".

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Footage of Reach and an excellent band opening for Talib Kweli features drummer Ryan Lee on keyboards.

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Helker may represent the future of rock and roll.  RIYL: Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest.

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I'm pleased to introduce you to LeCroix Winget.  RIYL: Michelle Shocked, Lightinin' Hopkins, Kimya Dawson.  (Via Beau Bledsoe.)

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Last week I wrote that I was looking forward to hearing Joshua Redman's new album Walking Shadows.  Well, I loathe it.  The strings don't bother me.  The extreme conservatism, however, grates on me.

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The lineup for the 27th annual JazzReggae Fest doesn't include a single jazz artist.  Even so, I approve of any festival that presents both Barrington Levy and Common.

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After I listen to the new album by Red Line Chemistry, I'm going to check out this week's new releases by Anamanaguchi, Jason Boland, Will Calhoun, the Del-Lords, Dillinger Escape Plan, Eve, Juan Luis Guerra, Immolation, Jaga Jazzist, Glenn Jones, Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood, Christian McBride, Laura Mvula and George Strait.

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Kansas City Click: Hansel und Gretyl appear at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

Scribbling Idiots are part of Wednesday's bill at the RecordBar.

Alan Ferber and Matt Otto perform Thursday at the Westport Coffee House.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Listen, Do You Want To Know a Secret?

Do you want to know a secret?  Do you promise not to tell?  Let me whisper in your ear. 

I've been holding out on readers of There Stands the Glass for years.  I'll finally divulge one of the choicest music-related secrets in Kansas City.

The event calendar of UMKC's Conservatory of Music and Dance is a hidden treasure trove for music lovers.  Dozens of recitals take place all over town near the end of each semester.

On Wednesday the calendar led me to Immanuel Lutheran Church to witness Michael Shults' doctoral recital.  The performance indicated that Branford Marsalis isn't the only jazz saxophonist capable of applying jaw-dropping technique to classical selections.  I'm still recovering from Shults' authoritative rendition of Luciano Berio's pernicious "Sequenza".  Shao Zhang's appearance at White Recital Hall this evening is also tempting.

Several factors contribute to the rewarding nature of these concerts.  They're usually free and almost always take place in pristine listening environments.  The modest audiences consisting largely of classmates, family, friends and faculty allow plenty of room for curious interlopers like me.  The Conservatory's faculty includes geniuses like Zhou Long and Bobby Watson.  The students' recitals, not surprisingly, are invariably excellent.  

Mum's the word.


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Zoo of B. Hood has died.

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I'm the subject of an interview with Chris DeLine of Mills Record Company.  Meanwhile, David Hudnall spoke to DeLine.

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Tech N9ne is featured on Harry Fraud's "Rising".

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Erik Voeks' new four-song EP is titled Finulu.  RIYL: the dB's, Eric Matthews, Shoes.

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77 Jefferson created a handy preview video for its new Rarities, Vol. 2 album.  RIYL: the Blue Riddim Band, Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru.

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The Association for Recorded Sound Collections is holding its annual conference in Kansas City on May 15-18.
(Tip via TSTG reader Gary.)

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Presented without commentary: "Meek Mill concert presented by the Jamaal Charles Foundation".

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José James shows how it's done on an absurdly sexy rendition of Al Green's "Simply Beautiful".

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The video for the Burnt Ones' "Web"  was "shot on glorious VHS."  RIYL: Ty Segall, Nuggets, tape hiss.

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Pat Martino is still tearing it up.

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I wish that I didn't have an intimate understanding of Drive-By Truckers' "Heathens".

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Kanye West's production on Pusha T's "Numbers On the Boards" is amazing.

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"Had a dream last night about you, my friend."

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Bassekou Kouyate- Jama Ko

Jama Ko, the new album by Bassekou Kouyate, is currently ranked #2,809 on Amazon's music sales chart.  That's a respectable achievement for a Malian musician, but I'm rooting for it to become a true crossover hit along the lines of King Sunny Adé's Juju Music and Ali Farke Touré's Talking Timbuktu.  Most of the plentiful rave reviews of Jama Ko- an album as stunning as it is enjoyable- emphasize the project's awful backstory.  Here's a typical analysis.  Knowledge of the terribly disturbing Malian siege adds context to Jama Ko, but the music transcends all political and social considerations.   The official 85-second EPK doesn't really get the job done.  A gorgeous music video for the title track is much more effective at conveying the sensuous quality of the album.


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Cedric Brooks of the Skatalites has died.

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I'm enjoying Around the Way, the new release by Blaxel Rose and Ace Fadal.  RIYL: ASAP Rocky, 7th Heaven, Wu-Tang. (Tip via the Mills Record Company blog.)

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"Give me back my pyramid- I'm trying to free Kansas City!"  It would seem that the world is catching up with Janelle Monae.  Here's "Q.U.E.E.N.".

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Who's willing to join me at the Missouri Big Ass Rock Festival?

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In hindsight, I should have been even harsher in my review of T.I.'s April concert at the Sprint Center.  He phoned it in.  The show would have so much better if T.I. and B.o.B could have been bothered to perform the strong new "Memories Back Then".

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"Down In the Dirt" is the first new Black Flag song in over two decades.

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"My name is Trevante- I'm a singer."  Ha ha!  "Bad Girl" is absurd.

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I'll be darned if Volbeat's Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies isn't one of the most listenable rock albums of 2013.  RIYL: Social Distortion, melody, Metallica's radio hits.

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Operation Northwoods' The Bureau of Fiction is RIYL: ECM, forests, Bill Frisell.

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I'm six weeks late to the 50 Cent/Kendrick Lamar party.  "We Up" is almost good.

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Howl is "Demonic".

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I'll audition this week's new albums by James Cotton Mikal Cronin, Patty Griffin, Havoc, Talib Kweli, Lady Antebellum, Ivan Lins, Natalie Maines, the Pistol Annies, Cassie Taylor and Uncluded after I fully absorb Joshua Redman's Walking Shadows.

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Kansas City Click: iamdynamite is Tuesday's headliner at the RecordBar.

The Riot Room hosts Andre Nickatina on Wednesday.

Chris Thomas King returns to Knuckleheads on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Reach- Live at RecordBar

When Reach insistently repeats the refrain "Hip Hop Is Alive" on his new album Live at RecordBar, he isn't celebrating the latest success of Wale or 2 Chainz.  Reach is a true believer in the original purist ideals of hip hop.  The new release- his fourth full-length album- serves as affirmation of Reach's principles.  Supported by the funk/jam band Mouth, DJ Ataxic and vocalists Schelli Tolliver, Sausha Brooks and Vance Ashworth, the well-recorded collaboration brings out the best in each participant.  Live at RecordBar represents most everything I respect but too rarely encounter in live hip hop performances.


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Gov't Mule was good on Tuesday.  Here's my review.  Diana Krall was great on Wednesday.  Here's my review.

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Jeff Hanneman of Slayer has died.

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Chris Kelly, better known as Mack Daddy of Kriss Kross, has died.

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Sid Selvidge has died.  Listen to "The River" from his 2003 album A Little Bit of Rain if you're in need a good cry.

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The single best live performance I witnessed last week was a rendition of Teri Quinn's "Shanafelt" at the senior recital of Sarrah Cantrell at UMKC's White Recital Hall.

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Betse Ellis performed "Straight to Hell" on KDHX.

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As I watched the attractive, well-heeled and diverse audience of about 10,000 take in Quixotic's sublime Surfaces performance last Sunday at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, it occurred to me that the event was the antithesis of Rockfest.  And in truth, I'm more of a Rockfest kind of guy.

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Les Izmore was a guest on KCUR's Central Standard.  (Not to be a stickler, but the "new" solo album in question was released in 2011.)

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I reviewed Matt Kane's Suit Up! at Plastic Sax earlier this week.

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De La Soul's new "Get Away" is impressive.

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I'm not prepared to endorse The Uncluded, the new partnership between Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson, but it's entirely possible that I'll come around.  RIYL: parallel universes, primitivism, schizophrenia. 

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Dag- the lineup of Soundset 2013 goes from Atmosphere to Tech N9ne. 

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Two or three of you crusty old bastards highly-valued readers will be glad to hear that Spider John Koerner's new What's Left of Spider John is a lot of fun.  RIYL: Minnesota, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Mississippi John Hurt. 

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Questlove is quite possibly the best person alive.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The 20 Best Kansas City-Related Albums of 2013 (so far)

Much of the Kansas City music community is rightfully engaged in self-congratulatory praise inspired by the notably strong showing of new releases in 2013.  A comment made by Matt of Jeopardy of Contentment at this site last week compelled me to join the chorus.  Here's a list of my twenty favorite Kansas City-related new releases of the past four months.  I created a Spotify playlist that includes all but five of my selections.


1. Mark Lowrey- Tangos For 18th Street (review at Plastic Sax)
2. The Grisly Hand- Country Singles
3. Pat Metheny- The Orchestrion Project
4. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- The Freedom of Expression (review at Plastic Sax)
5. Cherokee Rock Rifle- Ta-Li (review at There Stands the Glass)
6. Alaturka- Yalniz (review at Plastic Sax)
7. Dutch Newman- Schorre's Son
8. Cowboy Indian Bear- Live Old, Die Young
9. Reach- Live at the RecordBar (review at There Stands the Glass)
10. Ces Cru- Constant Energy Struggles (review at There Stands the Glass)
11. The Eldar Djangirov Trio- Breakthrough
12. Kutt Calhoun- Black Gold
13. The BD Trio- Live (review at Plastic Sax)
14. Appleseed Cast- Illumination Ritual
15. Heartfelt Anarchy- Heartfelt Anarchy
16. The Matt Kane Trio- Suit Up! (review at Plastic Sax)
17. Beau Bledsoe/Victoria Botero- Un Ramo de Voz
18. The Great Vehicle- The People's Cathedral of Wavelengths
19. Tate Stevens- Tate Stevens
20. Soft Reeds- Blank City


My list is not comprehensive.  I haven't heard a lot of stuff.  And there's plenty of music that simply doesn't appeal to me.  I encourage readers to investigate the sites linked to the right for additional commentary about the music being created in Kansas City.  The Mailbox features several new releases in today's podcast.  And The Mills Record Company Blog has been on fire lately. 

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

George Jones, 1931-2013

The King is Gone (And So Are You).

George Jones has died.  I detest seeing the man's career reduced to a single song and quick references to boozing, no-shows and heartbreak.  Sure, I love the tractor story as much as anyone, but overlooking the man's music would be tragic.  With that in mind, here are five selections from Jones' vast catalog that had a profound impact on me.

• Hearing "White Lightning" and "The Race Is On" on repeat is one of my earliest childhood memories.  My dad loved the Possum.
• Jones' adult-themed duets introduced me to the wild side of life when I was an impressionable kid.  He gets kinky with Melba Montgomery on "Let's Invite Them Over".
• I've always resented the countrypolitan production that came to characterize his work, but no amount of schmaltz can negate Jones' emoting on weepers like "These Days (I Barely Get By)".
• Okay, I'll give you one stereotypical drinking song. "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)".
• Jones' faith shouldn't be whitewashed from his legacy.   His sly personality is ideally suited to the scathing "Would They Love Him Down In Shreveport?"

"You know this old world is full of singers but only a few are chosen to tear your heart out when they sing.- "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes"


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Bob Brozman has died.  It's my understanding that Bob was the brother of Jack Brozman, the co-founder of Streetside Records.  Can a There Stands the Glass reader confirm this connection?

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The video for Dead Voices' "Dream Notes" is quite good.

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The Soft Reeds performed on KSHB's morning show.

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Gurf Morlix's Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense is RIYL Lucinda Williams, sadness and the truth.

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"He's my rebel guy that wouldn't hurt a fly."  Rachelle Spector, the wife of Phil Spector, created a video for "PS I Love You", a tribute to her incarcerated husband. Trust me- it's worthy of your attention.  (Via Jazz Wax.)

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I listened to the entirely of Love Has Come For You, the new collaboration between Steve Martin and Edie Brickeill, without becoming annoyed or exasperated.  A song titled "Shawnee" won me over.

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"I'll never sell out."  Ha ha!  The Dream tells jokes on his preposterous new hit "Slow It Down".

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Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu's Tiny Desk Concert set is gorgeous.

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The best moments of Owiny Sigoma Band's Power Punch are as good as anything that's been released in 2013.  The worst moments, however, are pure dreck.  RIYL: "Kumbaya," Damon Albarn and Tony Allen. 

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Here's the "ECM Player" for the Craig Taborn Trio's Chants.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)