Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Horizontal lines denote microphone breaks.

* Michael Bates -- "Machinery" -- Clockwise (Greenleaf, 2008)

Previously noted here.

* Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble -- "The Drum Sounding a Message in War Is Beaten in a Cryptic Manner; Only Wise Men Can Dance To It, and Only Experienced Men Can Understand It" -- Proverbs for Sam (Boxholder, 2008)

Previously noted here.

* Brinsk -- "Laser Eyes" -- A Hamster Speaks (Nowt, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here. Gave 'em a couple spins in honor of the show they're doing Sunday and their new vinyl releases: white/pink vinyl of the full album, and a 7" with newest member Liz Allbee (trumpet).

Mute Socialite -- "(Prelude)/The Damaged Country" -- More Popular Than Presidents and Generals (Dephine Knormal, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Source: ugEXPLODE

Previously noted here. One of the slower (well, midtempo), jazzier tracks on the album, a good 7-minute stretch-out as prelude to...

A nicely vicious track that opens with keening blares of guitar. On some of these improvised duets, Halvorson shows the same kind of rock-oriented approach as on parts of Dragon's Head On others, like this one, she goes the full improv/noise route -- with squeals, or fast clicking noises, or sounds like a cat getting stepped on. Walter goes nuts on the drums, of course, but the really delicious parts are in his quieter playing, which is fast and accurate and marvellously textured.

Sonore (Mats Gustafsson, Peter Brotzmann, Ken Vandermark) -- "Broken Hymn" [excerpt] -- No One Ever Works Alone (Okka Disk, 2004)

A trio of saxophone colossi (colossuses?) In spots, they go for the all-out frontal assault that each of the three is known for -- and in fact, just knowing their stuff, you might expect an hour of that on the CD. But of course, these guys are all veteran enough to have developed a deep feeling for pacing and silences, too. This track opens up with a fairly aggressive group blast but settles into individual unaccompanied solos for a long stretch. Very nice.

Interesting mix of Pinhas' space-music electronics (including laser sounds harkening back to '80s synths) and Merzbow's white-noise antics. The two can blend better than I'd thought. This track is particularly effective, starting with Pinhas alone, a pleasant buzzing of bees. By about the 7-minute mark of the 17-minute track, Merzbow's wall of noise has taken over, colored by Pinhas' electronics tones, like a crowd scene with individual people rushing past in the foreground.

Previously noted here.

It's power-ambient, if that makes any sense, a mature and polished sound with flapping sheets of music, an angrier Harold Budd. We at the station know Leikam for the aggressively improvised music he plays -- and we happen to know him personally too -- but this is something different, and quite impressive. "Sideways Trigger Slip" is aggressive and appropriately dance-y, while other tracks like "F-Lense" (flense?) focus more on washes of synths.

Source: rothkamm.com

Forty piano variations on the first line of the Spongebob Squarepants theme. The concept is apparently inspired by Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, for what it's worth.

It's quite classical-sounding, and you wouldn't know anything was up were it not for variations like the fourth one, where the theme is in plain sight. After that "Waaaait a minute..." moment, you start being able to pick out the theme in other tracks -- No. 30, for instance, features stern low-note hammering for about a minute before decelerating into the theme. The variety adds to the fun; No. 39 has a "hit single" feel, using rock techniques for an Elton John effect. No. 40 is a cheat; it's a recording of the inner locked groove on a vinyl record.

I played No. 4 as an easy introduction to the concept, then added No. 34 as further illustration. No. 34 is six seconds long (five, if you don't count the opening fraction-of-a-second silence) and doesn't even get through the theme all the way. A very smart-ass trick that just adds to the charm.

Apparently, the CD comes with a sponge. Gotta love that.

* Trio Encompas -- "Sunspots" -- Trio Encompas (Avant Coast, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Mostly, this is indie pop in a more downcast vein. I went for the one screechy track with a nearly artsy refrain sung in piping falsetto. Cool!

Previously noted here.

* Birdsongs of the Mesozoic -- "Theme from Rocky and Bullwinkle" -- Dawn of the Cycads (Cuneiform, 2008; orig. released 1984)

Previously noted here. Pretty much had to play this one at some point.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.