The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace (1985)

I've been told that you don't listen to The Fall as much as you immerse yourself in them; there's a quality to Mark E. Smith's slightly caustic, acerbic delivery that fits perfectly into their jagged and abrasive rhythms and demands a lot from you as the listener. 

That they might agitate your senses into oblivion is of little to no consequence here- this album serves more to hold you hostage in a scuzzy London basement, alternating between showing you snippets of snuff films and electrocuting your temples.

Like all challenging music it makes you work hard for it, and you'll likely discover before the album is halfway done that to listen to The Fall is more of a visceral experience than a passive one. That all being said this is the most accessible of The Fall's 80's output.

This is a great starting point for one of the most underrated bands of all-time. I've previously blogged their 1982 album Hex Enduction Hour, which I actually like more than this one- this is probably a better starting point and I say give it a go if you've ever wondered what this band was all about. 

The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace (Beggars Banquet; 1985)

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (2007)

Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if you gave a robot a lot of LSD?

Hopefully I'm not the only person thinking this. But just in case you were thinking this, here's the perfect album for a lysergically-induced cyborg freakout session.

This record is right up there with Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, Panda Bear's Person Pitch and Dungen's Ta Det Lugnt for post-millennium psychedelia.

Enjoy!

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (Graveface Record; 2007)

David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971)

Jerry, Phil, Mickey and Bill from The Dead.

Michael Shrieve and Gregg Rolie from Santana.

Jorma, Jack and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane.

Graham Nash.

Neil Young.

Joni Mitchell.

And David Crosby.

All-star line-up gets together for this criminally underrated 1971 classic.

David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971; Atlantic Records)

Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety (2013)

You can make really great pop music and exist completely outside of the mainstream; Arthur Ashin aka Autre Ne Veut- French for "others don't want" (how fitting) has crafted a really fine art pop record here, completely free of any of mainstream R&B's trappings. 

An homage to Prince as much as one can be without falling victim to imitation, it doesn't overindulge in nostalgia. Yet there's a really heavy sadness underneath everything here. It's messy, it's strange, it's yearning, it's pacing back and forth, it's a lot. 

It's anxiety.

Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety (2013; Software Recording Co)

John Lee Hooker - It Serve You Right to Suffer (1966)

John Lee Hooker's raw, stripped down electric blues have more power than a locomotive barreling down the track at 90 mph- somebody done him wrong here and he's got eight tracks to let you know. 

Featuring the a barest of bones for a backing band- stalwart session men Barry Galbraith on rhythm guitar, Milt Hinton on the bass and Panama Francis on drums as well as Dicky Wells on the trombone for a track (Money) and the inimitable Billy Preston on the keys for a few songs. 

The name of this record was eventually changed from the colloquial to the proper use of the word "serves" but I'm leaving the spelling as it appears on the original release.

Check this one out!

John Lee Hooker - It Serve You Right to Suffer (1996; Impulse Records)

Mogwai - Young Team (1997)

Mogwai's Young Team is a landmark album in the post-rock genre; weaving intricate melodies into a giant wall of sound then going up against gentle atmospheres while building tension then giving way to a cathartic, almost violent release.

Mogwai - Young Team (1997; Chemikal Underground Records)

O.C. - Word...Life (1994)

Born Omar Credle in Brooklyn- never for one second has the man stopped reppin' his hood- running with another Out Sounds' favorite Diamond D's Diggin' in the Crates crew, O.C. strikes a balance between his depression and desire to move into the light, presenting us with a dark and introspective record that isn't cringeworthy like a lot of today's rappers. O.C. was very critical of gangsta rap, preferring to talk instead about relationships, his faith and racism. This album is a perfect snippet of the mid-90s inner city zeitgeist. 

Featuring production from an all-star cast like Lord Finesse, Buckwild and Organized Konfusion, the beats and samples are very sophisticated, dare I say abstract, while lending a jazzier quality to the sound that by 1994 a lot of producers in hip-hop were starting to move away from.

O.C. - Word...Life (1994; Wild Pitch Records)

I'm baaaack!

Decided to resurrect this thing- where to start? 

Okay, first- I sold my entire record collection. 

Got a pretty penny for it but that's not the point; all of this great music, everything I uploaded onto this blog I owned at one time in one form or another, mostly vinyl. 

So I started this blog in March of 2010 because I wanted to show that insane collection off, or better yet- let you all hear it. 

A collection built from countless hours spent in record stores from Philly to NYC to Oakland, Berkeley and SF down to LA and up to Seattle and all points in between. So many Saturday morning garage sales. 

Lists and lists on scraps of paper and in my brain. Re-issues, remasters, first pressings, Japanese pressings, avant-garde, noise pop, psychedelia, abstract hip-hop... it didn't matter. 

So I "shared" all of my music on here until I got shut down by the constant Digital Millennium Copyright Act notices (or DMCA for short). 464,000 page views- apparently that attracts a lot of attention from the powers that be. 

The writing was on the wall- Spotify was finally coming to America, labels were cracking down on file sharing, it was over for all of us fileshare bloggers. 

I wrote my last post on November 12th, 2011.

Until today. 

Here's the story: I checked my spam folder for the first time in years and I got an e-mail last week about a post on here, a guy from Denmark was begging me to re-upload an album. I thought "we all need music right now... does he not know of Spotify? YouTube?" 

I didn't respond but linked back to the post in question and it was weird reading some shit I wrote about an album almost 10 years ago. 

I decided to dust this off and give it another shot.

I've replaced every single Rapidshare link with a link to either Spotify or YouTube. 

A handful of the records on here are not available on either of those sites so they are now completely gone- but you should try to find these elsewhere, like in record stores or Discogs. 

Here they are:

Mekons - The Quality of Mercy is Not Strnen (1979, Virgin Records)

Jandek - Chair Beside a Window (1982, Corwood Industries)

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic - Magnetic Flip (1984, Ace of Hearts)

Arvo Part - Tabula rasa (1984, ECM New Series)

John Zorn - Bar Kokhba (1996, Tzadik Label)

Various Artists - Chains and Black Exhaust (2002, Memphix Records)

90 Day Men - Panda Park (2004, Southern Records)

Anyway, I'm going to try to post a few albums a week and get back into what I used to love, which is getting people outside of their comfort zone and into listening to new music.

If you're not into having your mind blown by challenging, obscure, esoteric and otherwise "missed" albums, this is not going to be the site for you.

There are 236 posts (about 245-ish albums, some posts have multiple albums on them) so have a look around, listen to something, leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by. 

R.I.P. Out Sounds

I've decided to shut this bad boy down; seems like I get a DMCA notice every few days now and a lot of the older posts have just simply vanished into thin air. Combine that fact with Rapidshare's overall crappiness and the decision to shut it all down becomes easier.

Plus, (and I hate to say it but it's true) Spotify has basically made blogs like these obsolete. Why fill up your own hard drive and have to buy bigger and bigger data storage devices to satiate our need as completists to own every single record ever made (which is impossible) when there's a really cheap service that does it all for you?

As a friend of mine recently said, (and he works in the industry as a producer/engineer, pretty well known but I'll keep him anonymous since he's a super rad guy) "this is how we make our living..." I don't want to get into a debate again about stealing/sharing, etc. but I had a hilarious e-mail battle last year with the merch guy from Stones Throw Records (that went on for like a week) and another e-mail from Justin Moyer of Antelope (now-defunct Dischord Records band) in which I returned asking a series of pointed questions that he never responded to. I have to admit it, but you guys are totally within your right when representing the label/artist/etc.'s view of music sharing (a term I'll continue to use; I would only call it stealing if I made money off of it) and since there's such a nebulous cloud around myself in terms of what I think is right and wrong, it's easier just to say "forget it".  

Basically, I'm over it.

I love all of you that have DL'ed, commented, read, etc. but I'm going to devote my time and minimum talent elsewhere on the interwebs.

Peace out.

Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds Of (2001)

Stars of the Lid are by far my favorite ambient group; if you ever wondered what to listen to while you read on the couch with a mug of chamomile tea, look no further than this record. Have you ever wondered what the noise between space stations and satellites sounds like? How about the sounds of mice tunneling under snow?

And if you want to fall asleep to their languorous, slow-churning, drony textures; please do...

...I think that's the whole point of this record.

Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds Of (2001; Kranky Records)

Links to Spotify

Sonic Youth - Goo (1990)

Dear Kim & Thurston,

Seriously guys, this is an October Fools' joke, right? I mean, c'mon, you guys- you're like indie rock royalty and stuff, you can't do this to us. At least stay together for the fans. 

And Mark Jacobs, too. I mean, next time he debuts a fashion line and you two aren't there front and center wearing shredded thrift store gear and looking super uninterested in everything, it's gonna be weird. 

But you're not breaking up the band, right? I hear it's still cool and all, like musically and stuff. I should've known something was up when you got the bro from Pavement to play bass so Kim could look cooler singing and playing her guitar (which was probably turned way down, thanks Lee). I can't believe this.

It was Thurston, right? Did you bang someone else, dude? It was one of these new indie rock goddess-types, like Zola Jesus or Alice Glass or that dude from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs*.

This kinda sucks guys.

Whatever, here's Goo.

Maybe I'll post a Sonic Youth record every day until you either get back together or the band breaks up.

* - Karen O is actually an alien.

Sonic Youth - Goo (1990; DGC Records)

Steve Roach - Structures From Silence (1984)

Pure ambient bliss; sound textures from deep space.

From the back of the album cover:

Suspension . . . Intimacy . . . Silence
Touch the essence of Structures from Silence.
Steve Roach's flowing melodic impressions and
sustained synthesizer chords breathe.
rest, and breathe again.
A subtle visionary album,
serene and haunting.
a timeless statement.

Steve Roach - Structures From Silence (1984; Fortuna Records)
Links to Spotify

Lavvi Ebbel - Guns and Crepe Flambee (2014)

Belgian New Wave- it sounds exactly like that. Belgian. And New Wave. It veers somewhat into "avant-garde pop" but remains entirely listenable, you can see how they maintained a sizable cult following in their homeland. 

Here's a retrospective of their entire career:

Lavvi Ebbel - Guns and Crepe Flambee 1977-2014 (Starman; 2014)

Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom It May Concern... (1991)

Aceyalone, Self Jupiter, P.E.A.C.E., J. Sumbi & Myka Nyne; the anti-gangsta rap from the West Coast- these guys were kinda like the De La Soul of the L.A. scene. When everyone else (N.W.A., Ice-T, et. al.) were rapping about gats and hoes, these five MCs were waxing poetic on the state of welfare, education, higher consciousness, yeah.

Even though it's 20 years old, it doesn't sound the least bit dated. Give it a spin...

Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom It May Concern... (1991; Sun Music)

Tabla Beat Science - Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove (2002)

One of my favorite releases of the last ten years, combines dub reggae bass lines (from Bill Laswell) with multiple tabla percussionists (Zakir Hussain, Talvin Singh and Trilok Gurtu), scratching and turntablism from DJ Disk, drums and programming from Karsh Kale and the master of the sarangi, Sultan Khan.

Traditional Hindustani music meets electronic in a live performance in SF's Stern Grove; be sure to check this out.

Tabla Beat Science - Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove (2002; Palm Pictures)

Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch (1965)

I was sad to hear of Bert's passing earlier this week, wish I could have seen him play. Another legend gone but not forgotten. Here's his 1974 album LA Turnaround I shared back in April of 2010, for those so inclined: http://out-sounds.blogspot.com/2010/04/bert-jansch-la-turnaround-1974.html

But here's the 1965 debut; his guitar playing is deft and nimble- I remember reading somewhere that Jimmy Page lifted Bron-Yr-Aur from one of Jansch's arrangements. He was also highly regarded by (as well as being an influence on) Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, Johnny Marr and Neil Young.

Bert was 67 years old.

Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch (1965, Transatlantic Records)

Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior (1976)

Chick Corea's Return to Forever project is one of the benchmarks of mid-70s Jazz Fusion, what it lacks in songwriting it more than makes up for in technical prowess- Al DiMeola's guitar runs sizzle, Stanley's Clarke's bass lines pop and Lenny White anchors it all with some funky drumming. 

Chick is Chick, what more can be said about the man? If you find this too dense and impenetrable, try Chick's earlier stuff and work your way up to it. 

This comes with a disclaimer: they veer heavily into psuedoclassical territory here and if you're a fan of both jazz and prog as well as later-day jam band noodling (a la Phish, et. al.) then this one does not disappoint. 
Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior (1976; Columbia Records)

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor (1979)

For fans of Kraftwerk; except replace their serious, post-apocolyptic angular modalities with YMO's bubbly, cosmopolitan Tokyo cityscape video game world. 

It's neon and anime and fun.    
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor (1979; Alfa Records)

Jan Jelinek - Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records (2001)

A landmark record in the genre of Glitch; Jelinek's "digging in the crates" ethos has led to this gem of an album- a minimal, abstract beautiful piece of music that plays well late at night after returning from a hectic night at the clubs. 

There's a soothing neutrality to the ambience here that wraps you in its soft caress and delivers you safe and warm 51 minutes and change later.
Jan Jelinek - Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records (2001; ~scape Records)

Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too (2008)

If disco had a future it would sound like this. 

Best listened to on headphones far away from the world.
Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too (2008; Smalltown Supersound)

Phil Upchurch - Darkness, Darkness (1972)

One of the most underrated soul jazz records of not only the 70s but of all-time; session man Phil Upchurch steps up to the front and cuts loose on this gem of a funky record- not only killing it with his own compositions but reworking some classics like Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues, James Taylor's Fire and Rain and Carole King's You've Got a Friend. 

A perfect intersection of jazz, funk, rock, soul and blues.
Phil Upchurch - Darkness, Darkness (1972; Blue Thumb Records)
-link opens to a YouTube playlist-

Gavin Bryars, Philip Jeck & Alter Ego - The Sinking of the Titanic (2007)

This is the live recording of the Gavin Bryars' minimalist masterpiece from 1975, utilizing the help of sound collage artiste Philip Jeck and the Italian classical sextet Alter Ego. 

The story behind the record goes like this: the band on the Titanic played the as the ship sank to help calm the passengers and ease the transition to the lifeboats; all eight musicians went down with the ship. Bryars' piece is meant both as an homage to the heroism of the musicians as well as what it may have sounded like- they chose Amazing Grace and another hymn Autumn as well as interspersing actual sound clips from survivors.

Take a dive into this heartbreaking and haunting solemn work of sound art.
Gavin Bryars, Alter Ego & Philip Jeck - The Sinking of the Titanic (1969-) 2007; Touch

Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance (2003)

Intense atmospheric emotional indie rock from Seattle just at the turn of the century. 

It's raw but clean sounding, ragged yet polished. 

Highlighting bass player Derek Fudesco from seminal garage punk act The Murder City Devils as well as Jason Clark on guitar from post-hardcore cult band Kill Sadie and featuring the amazing vocal stylings of one Andrea Zollo, this band burned too bright and ended way before their time. 
Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance (2003; Matador Records)

Focus - Hamburger Concerto (1974)

Symphonic prog from the Netherlands; features excellent guitar work from Jan Akkerman- medieval renaissance and classical baroque styles mixed with rock and funk. 

Nods to Jethro Tull and Yes all over this record; it's more an homage than a rip-off. A necessary addition to any prog rock fan's library.  
Focus - Hamburger Concerto (1974; Atco Records)

The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story (1969)

Curtis Mayfield before he was Curtis Mayfield; classic Chicago Soul from one of the iconic masters of the genre.

Spiritual and political while still romantic and sophisticated, check out the polished and lush production from another underrated gem from 1969.
The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story (1969; Curtom Records)