Before We Bow Down: An Interview With Sanguine Hum

sanguine hum

In 2007, British musician Joff Winks released the album Songs For Days, credited to the clumsily-sounding “Joff Winks Band.” Its digital release would soon be forgotten about, as the band would soon revamp with both a new name and a stunning new direction as progressive rock band Sanguine Hum.

Nearly a decade later, the album’s finally seen a proper physical release, whilst being expanded to a two-disc set, the second containing unreleased material, demos, and remixes of period material, showing that this young band’s search for direction certainly was a time of fertile creativity.

We sat down with Sanguine Hum frontman Joff Winks and keyboard player Matt Baber to discuss these early days, the music that inspired them, and about becoming Sanguine Hum.

Before We Bow Down: A Conversation With Sanguine Hum by Therecoup on Mixcloud

Wes Montgomery Featuring The Eddie Higgins Trio: One Night In Indy (Resonance Records)

eddie higgens wes montgomery

The last few years have been especially kind to jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, whose career was brief but noteworthy, cut short by a heart attack in 1968 at the young age of 45. While his reputation as a noteworthy guitarist has never been in doubt, he seemingly slipped into obscurity. Thanks to the discovery of a handful of unheard recordings and performances, his star has been shining bright once again. The most recent of these releases is One Night In Indy,  a nine-song live set recorded in January 1959 from  when he sat in with the visiting Eddie Higgins Trio. As such, the set is a showcase more for Higgins’ talents, with Montgomery’s accentuating a setlist of jazz standards. No matter, though; both players are in fine form as they tackle such classics as Thelonious Monk’s “Ruby, My Dear,” Cole Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To,” Duke Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss,” and Edgar Sampson’s “Stompin’ At The Savoy.” With a setlist that runs from uptempo and jaunty to slow and mellow, One Night In Indy may not necessarily be a revelatory set, but it is a fine recording of a master at play.

One Night In Indy is available now via Resonance Records 

Harpers Bizarre: The Complete Singles Collection 1965-1970 (Now Sounds)

hapers bizarre

Hokey is hard to pull off; do it wrong, and you look foolish. If you do it right, though, the results can be rewarding. No group was better at this than Harpers Bizarre, a Bay Area pop band who quickly became a definitive band of the “Sunshine Pop” movement. In their brief three year existence, they would release four albums and a slew of singles. Those singles are compiled here on The Complete Singles Collection 1965-1970, offering twenty-six songs of amazing, wonderful pop music.

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Teaser: The Pop Group, “We Are All Prostitutes”

Last year saw the release of two fantastic records by the legendary agitprop group The Pop Group. Led by Mark Stewart, the band specialized in sounds that were dark, heavy, and, well, just plain unclassifiable. One of the releases was a rarities compilation, and the other a brand new studio album entitled Citizen Zombie.  Next month will see the first-ever western CD and digital reissue of the first iteration of the band’s final album, For How Long Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?. Released in 1980, it was even more aggressive and extreme than the band’s debut album Y,  which had been released the year previous.

Ahead of the album comes a reissue of the band’s 1979 single, “We Are All Prostitutes.” It is an amazingly harsh number. Listen to it above, and hear Nick Cave talk about the song, and after listening to the song, you’ll understand why…

“We Are All Prostitutes” and For How Long Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? will be released 19 February 2016 via Freaks R Us

 

 

Various: Hillbillies In Hell (Iron Mountain Analogue Research)/Christians Catch Hell (Honest Jon’s)

hell series

Two compilations have recently been released that offer two glimpses into the religious culture of the mid-to-late Twentieth century American Protestant culture. One, entitled Hillbillies In Hell: County Music’s Tormented Testament 1952-1974, puts its focus on white Southern Gospel and country music, while Christians Catch Hell: Gospel Roots 1976-1979 focuses solely on African-American gospel of the late Seventies, through the prism of a brief but prominent Gospel record label. Both compilations are excellent snapshots of their respective cultures, and reveal a divide in perspective about faith that is quite noticeable.

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Steve Ellis: Best Of Days (Angel Air)

steve ellis bes of days

British singer Steve Ellis’ had a bit of a revival over the last year or so, and it’s a good thing. He started his career as the wunderkind vocalist of The Love Affair, who scored big with the powerful single, “Everlasting Love.” The Love Affair didn’t last very long, Ellis’ career continued on, with different groups as well as different iterations of The Love Affair. Best Of Days, his solo offering from 2008, found Ellis in fine form. Though in his late fifties, his voice still contained the same youthful earnestness and vigor of his earliest work, while possessing a maturity and wistfulness that comes only from age. The songs range from introspective ballads (“Brand New Day,” “Little One“), mid-tempo R&B numbers (“Modesty,” “Heaven’s Word”), and mellow rockers “As The Crow Flies,” “Best Of Days”). A few of his friends appear here, too; Paul Weller (whose style owes much to Ellis) shows up on “Step Inside,” while old friend Roger Daltrey offers up some fine harmonica on “Nu Clear Blues.” Don’t be afraid of the remake of “Everlasting Love” as it’s not a rerecording of his biggest hit. Instead,it’s a complete rethink of the song, stripped down to acoustic guitar, string section, and backing singers. If the original version was a demonstration of desire through a powerhouse of an arrangement, this version removes all of that and shows that it was always the lyrics that made the song so wonderful. (A live version of the song is added as a bonus, an acoustic version that also features Weller.) Best Of Days is the sound of an old master simply doing what he does best—making great music, free of pretense and full of passion.

Best Of Days is available now on Angel Air

Editorial: The Recoup State Of The Union

The movie "The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel by Stephen King. Seen here, Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance at a typewriter. Initial theatrical release May 23, 1980.  Screen capture. © 1980 Warner Bros. Credit: © 1980 Warner Bros. / Flickr / Courtesy Pikturz.  Image intended only for use to help promote the film, in an editorial, non-commercial context.

Greetings and salutations!

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Karen Young: Hot Shot (Big Break Records)

karen young

Karen Young was much like Tasha Thomas in that her solo career came at the fading of the disco era, releasing but one solo album, and then dying suddenly at the young age of 39. Unlike Thomas, though, Young’s career was brief; she was a local Philadelphia musician who performed solo as well as fronting a group, Sandd. She released her debut single, “Hot Shot,” in 1978, a groove-heavy affair made sweeter by her powerful, soulful voice, and the song quickly rose to number one. Hot Shot appeared shortly thereafter, and it was a minor success as well. Two further singles followed in the disco vein,  “Baby You Ain’t Nothin’ Without Me” and “Bring On The Boys,” both fine club numbers, but neither of which obtained the same success as her debut single. Those three songs constitute one half of her album, yet the other three songs are sonically diverse. The upbeat  “Where Is He” is discotheque-minded fare, but is a bit more restrained than the other dance numbers found here;  “God Knows I’m Just A Woman”  is a straight-up blues-rock number–Young’s voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Janis Joplin–while album closing “Beau” is a powerful, gut-wrenching ballad that proves Young was capable of more than just dance floor fare. The bonus tracks featured on this deluxe edition are nice, if not a little redundant, capturing different mixes that might be more familiar to listeners of the era. Hot Shot would be her sole offering, but not her final release; a handful of singles would appear throughout the 1980s, but her career came to an end with her sudden death in 1991. However, her music lives on; “Hot Shot’ is an exemplary hit of the era that still makes regular appearances on disco nights and compilations, while “Bring On The Boys” would soon become a very popular gay club anthem. This reissue shows just what the world lost—a talented, powerful singer whose abilities were never fully realized.

Hot Shot is available now from Big Break Records

Roy Orbison: One Of The Lonely Ones (UMe/Roy’s Boys)

orbison
Roy Orbison’s life mirrors only Job’s in terms of tragedy and heartache, cursing a man blessed with one of the most beautiful voices of modern times.   The double-whammy of losing his sons in a house fire and watching his wife die in a motorcycle accident would be hard enough to bear for any man, but for a sensitive soul like Orbison, they were simply one of a salvo of hard-luck happenings, including poor business deals and a suddenly fading recording career.During this dark time, he quietly recorded a handful of songs, and plans were made for an album of these recordings, entitled One Of The Lonely Ones. To add to his life’s frustrations, the album was canceled and withdrawn, with the songs going straight into the vaults—until now, that is.

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Nico: BBC Session 1971 (Gearbox)

nico peel sessions

German singer Nico’s reputation was built upon a foundation of dark lyrics and haunting melodies delivered in an icy manner by a statuesque junkie with a thousand yard stare that could rival Medusa. Musicians came and went; John Cale was her most consistent collaborator and arranger, but in actuality, all she needed was her voice and harmonium. Dead since 1988, her reputation has only grown in recent years, and these long-circulated radio sessions recorded for John Peel in 1971 capture the Nordic goddess in her prime. All four songs are simply her with her harmonium, but that’s all she really needed. The sounds it produces can range from the haunting, disturbing drone of “Janitor Of Lunacy,” a luminous beacon from the afterlife on “Frozen Warnings,” while being downright hypnotic on “Secret Side” and “No One Is There.”  BBC Session 1971 is Nico in her prime, a handy “greatest hits” for an artist who defied—and still defies—all classification.

BBC Session 1971 is available now via Gearbox Records

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