Blue Cadet-3: A Music Blog by Josh R.

  Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night (1989) My copy: 2023 limited reissue on pink vinyl by Sacred Bones Records. With a floating, ethereal voice like the lingering fragrance of a long departed lover, Julee Cruise is the pinnacle of atmosphere wherever her voice hangs. Having been “found” by Angelo Badalamenti and thusly providing her talent to a handful of iconic moments in David Lynch’s filmography, Cruise’s reputation likely precedes her through the Twin Peaks theme “Falling.” While she hits a few snares typical to early dream-pop, Floating Into The Night is largely an inventive and surreal extrapolation on the British 4AD style.  The show begins with the honking, then sighing woodwind of “Floating,” where brushed drums create a lounge-jazz vibe, as if to make room for Cruise’s quiet gliding vocals. The arrangements are tender and sweet, similar to her dream-pop contemporaries albeit with the added flare of the saxophone. “Falling” is just as lush and mysterious now ...

  Death Grips - The Money Store (2012) My copy: 2018 reissue by Epic. Regardless of how one feels about Death Grips, the sensation they generated through the internet was easily a defining moment for alternative music in the 2010s. Where Ex Military kicked it all off, The Money Store drove their fever pitch into cult fame straight home. Not every experiment pans out, but when this enigmatic trio manages to coalesce their respective visions into one dynamic frenzy, the resulting synthesis is frighteningly effective.  Where Ex Military was raving and ferocious, “Get Got” shifts focus with an echoing gauntlet of cellphone samples-turned-psychedelic and one of Stephen “MC Ride” Burnett’s more subdued vocal performances. While the mood does start out more hypnotic, the percussion and tempo are continuously blood pumping across the record (apart from a few off-kilter tracks that untether the pacing). Rising from a mechanical slumber, “The Fever (Aye Aye)” bursts like steam from ...

  Avey Tare - 7s (2023) My copy: limited 2023 press on violet vinyl by Domino. Cows On Hourglass Pond saw Avey Tare embrace the synthesizer more intimately again, creating a tighter relationship between the acoustic melancholy of Eucalyptus and the electronic variety of his earlier solo works. 7s then extrapolates again on his love of electronics, now patching walls of unique sounds to simplistic rhythmic loops - the mood now more open and accepting. Sometimes the structures do not evolve enough, but Tare has proven himself consistent in his mastery of layering. “Invisible Darlings” uses percussive cradle melodies to continue Tare’s frequent fixation on innocence, with chirping piano and warm guitar joining as if to score a cherished memory of running along a boardwalk carnival. As his use of layering evolves, so does Tare’s ability to compensate for an abundance of instrumentation, as “Lips At Night” manages to feel light and snappy even in denser passages of whirring electron...

  Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People (2002) My copy: 2017 reissue by Arts & Crafts. What began originally as a bedroom two-piece was now rapidly evolving into one of Toronto’s most ambitious pop collectives: as the formidable You Forgot It In People rocketed Broken Social Scene into indie fame. Focused on expansive and borderline-baroque arrangements, they blur the lines between pop and ensemble music with a wide variety of instruments and performers. Beginning quiet and curious, “Capture The Flag” shimmers and slowly rises - with horns yawning loudly as if to interrupt the gentle ambiance. “KC Accidental” then thrusts forward, centered on a grand melodic guitar riff that serves to break apart the cacophonous jam sequences. The music turns euphoric with swells for strings and voice, before rising to a mountainous crescendo, then running out of steam. Cool organ dances lightly through “Stars And Sons” with romantic, drunken vocal rambling, tying this relaxed indie...

  Duster - Duster (2019) My copy: 2019 press by Muddguts Records. 19 years had passed since Duster’s last transmission, though their cult influence on independent music spheres had only grown in this gap. Perhaps a renewed interest in slowcore and shoegaze drew Duster back down to the Earth; either way, something was lost on re-entry (or rather it was never replaced from their excursion on Contemporary Movement ) . The trio disembarks again with a handful of moving atmospheres, but nothing alien enough to really turn heads and with too much of an emphasis on slow-moving repetition. The vague psychedelic finish on “Copernicus Crater” does fit nicely with the nudging, dissonant guitar bend that sits front and center in the progression although the actual movement could use diversifying. Repetition is a key element in alternative music, but when delivered in such lethargic, dry gasps it can easily become a detriment as is the case with “I’m Lost.” “Chocolate And Mint” is more...

  Various - No New York (1978) My copy: 2020 repress by Lilith. Upon visiting New York to record with the Talking Heads, Brian Eno was so taken by the local no wave scene that he assembled four bands on short notice and produced this compilation as a pseudo-live snapshot of the movement. The production is uncharacteristically unmanipulated here, reinforcing Eno’s desire to capture the raw and brutal qualities of these four important acts.  The first four songs come from perhaps the most famous no waver James Chance and his similarly enigmatic backing crew the Contortions. Setting off with a less structurally experimental style, the Contortions lay in with the bulldozing bass of “Dish It Out,” expressing their distinct taste for funk and jazz. Despite Chance’s frantic yelping and the chaotic bending of the lead guitar, these are easily the most traditionally musical songs of the record, with “Flip Your Face” even mellowing the rhythm guitar out to sedated chords among strob...

  Brise-Glace - When In Vanitas… (1994) My copy: 1994 press by Skin Graft Records. The only full-length record from experimental noise-rock super-group Brise-Gace, When In Vanitas… is threatening and yet subtly mesmerizing. Featuring Thymme Jones (Cheer-Accident, etc.) on drums, Darin Gray (Dazzling Killmen, etc.) on bass, Dylan Posa (Flying Luttenbachers, etc.) on guitar plus Jim O’Rourke on various instruments alongside engineering by Albini: this one-off LP is mostly a collage of quiet, nervous energy and unnerving, punishing noise.  Beginning with faint static, layered as if it were the dull hum of a plane in flight, “Neither Yield Nor Reap” sets a very particular atmosphere. The guitar slowly rises into the spotlight, as accompanying notes leisurely ring out at the very edge of what one might call “melody.” Meshes of noise rise and fall like the deep breathing of some ancient giant before silence is interrupted by a haunted drum loop. Industrial moans and hisses adorn...

  Cop Shoot Cop - White Noise (1991) My copy: 1991 press by Big Cat. Following waves made by their visceral debut, Cop Shoot Cop released White Noise: reinvigorating their novel dual-bass noise-rock setup with stranger experiments for sampler and percussion. Tod Ashely’s vocals are as lively and unstable as ever, ranging from brutal gurgling to dejected mantra. Being obviously influenced by no-wave and industrial music, they rather surprisingly incorporate a wide range of more pleasing chords albeit hidden beneath a growling, rabid facade - these are talented writers and performers operating under the guise of atonal insanity.  Don’t let the frantic, industrial drumming and vitriolic vocal agonizing of “Discount Rebellion” throw you; there is something distinctly melodic about the low/high bass compositions here that are obviously rooted in knowledge of theory. There are vortexes of chaotic noise with stilted rhythms, but it lies only at the precipice of pure malice. “Tra...

  The Holydrug Couple - Moonlust (2015) My copy: 2015 press by Sacred Bones Records. Chilean duo The Holydrug Couple had already released an LP for Sacred Bones in 2013, though follow-up Moonlust managed to attract a much larger audience with boosted production and a heavier emphasis on chillwave-meets-psychedelic-rock. Falling victim to sleepy rhythms at times, the record does keep things moving with a broad collection of interesting sounds, though the performances are never as dynamic as they should be. “Atlantic Postcard” is instantly welcoming with sweet synth arpeggios and slow-pitch-bending chords ducking under grooving, trip-hop-ish rhythms. The relaxed mid-tempo jamming continues with “Dreamy,” contributing bubbling bass and aquatic, EQ-affected synths that sit strategically in the mix. “Light Or Night” brings a bit more energy but discards sonic adventure in favor of a slightly more dynamic rhythm. The high-class pool-party vibes of “French Movie Theme” are evocative o...

  Pissed Jeans - The Best Of Sub Pop 2009-2013: "Live" At The BBC (2014) My copy: 2014 press by Sub Pop. This is a live 45 limited release from 2014’s record store day that seems to have mostly flown under the radar given its average resale price of ~5 dollars USD.  Though this “limited” release is cheap and seemingly passed over regularly (perhaps for its bland and fairly confusing artwork/presentation) It contains four electrifying performances as they were recorded live in the BBC studios.  Looking at the cover you’d be excused for believing that this would be a compilation of several Sub Pop bands, but noise-rock fans should rejoice and allow themselves to be swept away by thunderous, booming drums, erosive noise-cluster-bomb-guitar, and Matt “Korvette” Kosloff’s visceral shouting on intro track “Romanticize Me.” Their classic single “False Jesii Pt. 2” from breakout album King Of Jeans is done justice: upped in tempo and delivered with an even more palpable disgu...

  Vashti Bunyan - Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind (1964-1967/2007) My copy: 2007 press by Dicristina Stair Builders and Spinney Records. This compilation record was released in 2007 after interest in Vashti Bunyan’s music had slowly and steadily risen over a 30+ year gap since her debut LP. Driven away from a pursuit of music by low sales, Bunyan had retired from singing, leaving a small collection of demos and singles behind in the wake of her discouragement. This double LP contains the titular Rolling Stones cover as well as official studio takes and a host of lo-fi demos with a deeply personal, intimate sound.  Bunyan’s tackling of “Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind” is surprisingly lively, though simultaneously stripped of the main psychedelic elements of the original. There is a certain regality added in Bunyan’s version; her delicate voice replacing playfulness with cool serenity. The title track and “I Want To Be Alone” both feature an array of session musicians...