Oozing Wound "High Anxiety (Thrill Jockey)"
Look… If you aren’t already a fan of thrash metal, there’s very little I can say here to convince you to check out the amazing new Oozing Wound record, High Anxiety (Thrill Jockey). Conversely, if you are already a big fan of Oozing Wound, there’s little I could say here to get you even more excited than you already are to hear their latest collection. And if you are a fan of Mel Brooks’ oft-forgotten movie High Anxiety, look elsewhere. This has naught to do with that. Those are the only two kinds of people, right? Those who don’t like thrash metal, and those who love Oozing Wound. Makes sense to me. Check out “Tween Shitbag” and finally decide once and for all what kind of person you are.
The Lasso "The Sound Of Lasso (Mello Music)"
The Sound Of Lasso (Mello Music), the solo debut from The Lasso, is exactly what the title says. Stepping out from his normal role as producer and beatmaker, The Lasso is free here to make whatever kind of music he wants. This is not the first time he’s released a solo album, but this one feels like a focusing and rebirth sort of affair. Armed with a drum machine and 13 talented musicians, the sound here is varied from song to song. Occasionally sounding like ‘90s trip-hop, other times like experimental electronica a la Books or Liars, and other times mixing Brian Eno passages of ambient beauty with hip-hop sensibilities. Passages also can remind the listener of Stevie Wonder, or the French band Air at times. Needless to say (but I’m gonna say it anyway) this is a gorgeous collection of (mostly) instrumental music. Chill, sophisticated, vibe-y. Get into the vibe with the uplifting “Heaven.”
Turning Jewels Into Water "Map Of Absences"
Like a lot of the best music, Map Of Absences-the debut from Turning Jewels Into Water-is easy to listen to but hard to describe. Thankfully, someone better equipped than I am this morning did all the heavy lifting. “Turning Jewels Into Water is a live electronic duo led by Indian-born drummer/producer Ravish Momin along with Haitian electronic percussionist Val Jeanty. They seamlessly blend futuristic turntables, ritual chants, polyrhythmic percussion, live loops and synth melodies along with rhythms inspired by global dance music.” Thanks fperecs.com! Check out the hypnotic drive of “Dark Waters Rushing In.”
William Basinski "On Time Out Of Time (Temporary Residence)"
The latest William Basinski record On Time Out Of Time (Temporary Residence) started out life as the audio portion of an art installation that appears to have something to do with the merging of two black holes over a billion years ago… I gotta say, I’m feeling not that smart right now seeing as how I just found the PR for a music record hard to follow. Oh well. Good thing the music isn’t hard to follow at all. It sounds like… well… space! Longtime readers will know that I love me some space-stuff. Ergo, I sure am digging this ethereal collection of tunes. Made up of two tracks, check out “4(E+D)4(ER=EPR)” (because the other one is nearly 40 minutes long.)