THE GREEN PAJAMAS - JUST TO THIS - FORTY SUMMERS OF LUST, LOVE, HEARTBREAK AND MADNESS

(Available on Sound Effect Double LP)

In celebration of their titular fortieth anniversary, Jeff Kelly has handpicked nearly two dozen rarities from Pajamas’ recording sessions and live performances for this career-spanning collection. Chronologically sequenced and meticulously remastered by Tom Dyer (Green Monkey head honcho who gave Kelly and the Pajamas their start when he released their debut album in 1984 - Summer Of Lust, alluded to in the title), this is a completist’s dream and a must-have for fans of psychedelic paisley pop. Lyrically astute, with many Easter egg autobiographical allusions, the selections highlight each of the various line-ups, and are held together seamlessly by impeccably tight musicianship and each writer’s incredible ear for a catchy melody that fits snugly within the Pajama ethos.

     While half the tracks were previously only available as digital downloads via their bandcamp site [links to our reviews of those sets are at the end of this review], we’ll focus on the exclusive tracks. But note that Tom Dyer’s remastering cleans up a lot of the dropouts, tape hiss, and surface noise from the original releases, particularly from the originally cassette-sourced tracks making this an audiophile and vinyl junkie’s delight.

     The first surprise is Kelly’s solo demo for 1988’s ‘Ghosts of Love.’ It’s two-and-a-half minutes shorter than the released version and before the sax, harmonica, and keyboard solos were appended, but this raw take is funkier with a swampy vibe that oddly predates the aura of David Lynch’s similarly-titled track from 20 years later! It’s interesting to hear the blueprint and compare with the finished version to see how the band creates magic from bare bones. The previously unreleased ‘Janine’ (1990) is another scorcher with a strident beat that could’ve sat proud on Ghosts Of Love.

     The live version of ‘Kim The Waitress’ included here is a decade before the current lineup’s 2004 version available on the digital download and features Steve Lawrence and Karl Wilhelm. It’s both fun and educational to hear how the different personnel worked the track to their strengths and note how the song evolved ten years down the line. Perhaps their best-known song due to several cover versions, the band are really having a lot of fun with it, as are the appreciative crowd at Seattle’s Crocodile Café. Kelly’s solo acoustic demo for his loving tribute to his daughter ‘Tess’ is also a revelation, from its Morriconi-esque whistling and spaghetti Western atmosphere to a proud father wondering what she’ll be like when she “grows old in a tower of gold.” Fellow Terrastock performer Mary Lou Lord has recorded several versions of ‘She’s Still Bewitching Me’ so it’s a treat to hear the live version from the Seattle Terrastock 4 Festival in 2000. The entire performance from the festival in their hometown is available on their Bandcamp page.

     Kelly is so prolific that he has plenty of songs to choose from when it comes to assembling the latest release, so they haven’t covered many songs in their discography. So it’s a welcome bonus to hear their Kinks cover ‘A Long Way From Home’ from a long-sold-out Mojo cover tribute disc. Perhaps an unusual choice, but I can hear a bit of Davies in Kelly’s songwriting and this cements their connection. A gentler, reflective Kelly shines through the alternate solo performance of ‘Princess Misa’ from the Eastern-flavoured Forever For A Little While and based on a character in Kurasawa’s Hidden Fortress. Kelly’s fascination with Japanese cult actress singer Meiko Kaji was also an inspiration and serves to illustrate his far-reaching musical tastes.

     ‘Agent 99’ still has that Spanish vibe from the mandolin solo opening, but the faster version here adds an extra element of intrigue and paranoia. ‘Blue Halloween Moon’ was always one of my favourite late-period Pajamas’ tracks (from 2013’s Northern Gothic on Tony Dale’s Camera Obscura imprint), but the slow-burn dreamier version on tap is even spookier...and more psychedelic! The album ends with the latest Pajamas’ creation, ‘Something About The Light’, which Kelly and bassist Joe Ross recorded and polished up over the last year and completed earlier this year! It’s a welcome addition to an enormous discography and hopefully augurs well for new material in the new year!

(Jeff Penczak)

Related releases:

Under The Radar Vol. 1

Under The Radar Vol. 2

Under The Radar Vol. 3

THE LADYBUG TRANSISTOR - THE ALBEMARLE SOUND

Available on Happy Happy Birthday To Me

This 25^th anniversary edition of The Ladybug Transistor’s third album includes an additional dozen tracks consisting of demos, instrumental backing tracks, brief, work-in-progress fragments of most of the finished album tracks, and a wink-wink, nudge-nudge non-album B-side that helps explain the album’s title! It’s an educational, fly-on-the-wall peek into the album’s creative process, that will be welcomed by musicologists, die-hard fans (not least our own Phil McM.), and completists. Emerging from The Elephant Six Collective’s eclectic stable of avant garde popsters, The Ladybug Transistor shares several members with Terrastock performers The Essex Green and their sound is comparable, but not necessarily interchangeable. A deep love of sunshine pop and everything Brian Wilson stood for in his master class on how to make a feel-good record, The Albemarle Sound oozes fun, smiles (pun intended!), and a great day at the beach.

     ‘Six Times’ sets the stage with a jolly little saxophone motif that propels the song that could easily soundtrack a top-down convertible drive along the Grande Corniche on the Côte D’Azur. The bonus six-minute “full version” improves your journey with an extended “race car” intro and extended coda that ups the fun quotient. A bonus 4-track demo version has a loose, jazzier feel that illustrates how they got from here (demo) to there (album version). ‘Meadowbrook Arch’ whose lyric gives the album its title is closer to the ramshackle kitchen sink approach of fellow E6 artists Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel. A piano-driven 4-track demo is more exploratory and improvisational, offering insight into the final mix.

     There’s a sleepy, Lou Reed vibe to ‘Today Knows’ (perhaps they were listening to ‘Perfect Day’?) and ‘The Great British Spring’ is such a happy-go-lucky instrumental, I want to hop a plane and sashay down the High Street. ‘Like A Summer Rain’ could’ve sat on a Spanky & Our Gang album and is deservedly the album highlight. An instrumental version can hold its head up high alongside Wilson’s Pet Sounds instros and can easily stand on its own. While ‘The Swimmer’ is a tad schizophrenic for my taste (interrupted mid-song by a piano interlude that feels dropped in from another song accompanied by what sounds like someone eating an apple!), ‘Cienfuegos’ is perfect relaxation music for a siesta until it gathers steam and turns into a galloping Morricone-esque outtake from a Sergio Leone spaghetti western soundtrack. The bonus ‘Piano Version’ offers a peak into the song’s genesis and is equally impressive.

     With hints of Zappa and The Mothers, the Residents, and various E6 cohorts, The Albemarle Sound is a loving reminder of Wilson’s arranging and production genius that gave us music to make us smile (again, pun intended!). It adds some shiny colours to a poptastic rainbow of sound and, with the additional bonus insights into its creation (and an untitled ‘Mystery Track’ [oxymoron there] that I’ll leave for you to discover) make this the definitive version of an already impressive burst of sunshine pop.

(Jeff Penczak)

LEE BAGGETT - WAVES FOR A BEGULL

(LP on Perpetual Doom)

The cover caught my eye initially - a sea turtle (presumably the Begull of the title) gliding lazily towards a distant sun. As soon as the needle dropped on the opening track ‘Sea Turtle’ though I was sitting up and taking a considerable amount of notice, since although Lee Baggett is a name that’s previously not been on my radar, his beautifully fuzzy, foggy, swirling guitar tones on this record are the stuff of dreams. If you’re a fan of Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their most rustic you’ll almost certainly dig this album, but I’d also recommend it unreservedly to anyone who is rightly in thrall of the great Jorma Kaukonen. This is one of those records that you’d want to play on a car ride with friends on a trip to the seaside, finally throwing open the doors, grabbing the surfboard, tasting the salt in the air and enjoying the sense of laid-back, boozy well-being, even if the only thing you can actually see is the swirling Pacific coastal fog all around you. As if to give the lie to that fantasy, Baggett then hits us with the joyous, bouncy ‘Enough Sunshine’, a trick that Neil Young also uses from time to time to serve as a counterpoint to the overall theme of a record - I was tempted to dig out and play ’Psychedelic Pill’ after hearing this. And similarly, Baggett also treats us to several extended guitar solos that slowly fade into a glorious oblivion, including the excellent ‘Good Foot Day’, the aforementioned ‘Sea Turtle’ and the title track itself. The album closes with the gentle, introspective ‘Sea Turtle Return’, a song which confirms Lee Baggett is just a great a songwriter as he is a player and arranger. A late contender for the year-end lists perhaps, but an album I personally rate very highly indeed.

(Phil McMullen)

MAGIC FIG – S/T

(LP from Silver Current)

The self-titled debut from San Francisco’s Magic Fig presents itself with one foot firmly in the past and one in the present. The Progressive Rock influence and elements are undeniable, but this is surely no mere nostalgia act. They've clearly done their homework and know where they came from and also know just where they are going. 

They waste no time crashing out of the gates with "Goodbye Suzy", as the bass immediately grabs you, but not without instantly falling for the airy, almost ethereal vocals. Combine that with floating guitar lines, moog-like synths, and lovely drumming that ties it all together. 

They stretch out a bit more on "PS1", revealing a bit more modern psychedelia, with some tasty guitar-work and unique keys, once again paying homage to their Proggy roots. Things get spacey with "Labyrinth", perhaps even recalling early Syd-era Floyd. 

Magic Fig photo: Michael Cruz

"Distant Dream" continues to enrapture the listener with intrigue. This is a band that refuses to be pigeon-holed. Slow and dreamy, like a warm summer's day. Possibly the hidden gem of the record!

Acoustic guitars dominate the record's lengthiest track, "Obliteration". Not only is the music beautiful, but one would be remiss to overlook the dark beauty in the lyrics, acknowledging birth and rebirth, as evidenced in "The sodden leaves decay / Materials will change / In neverending ways / All is rearranged".

The closing track, "Departure", is a gentle beauty with more acoustic guitar and carefully placed keyboards. Things culminate with some lovely flute that floats over bird songs for a felicitous ending to both the track and the record.

There's no doubt that some serious thought was put forth to the running order of these tracks as they flow very organically. Longer than an EP, let's call this a mini-LP, short and sweet at 28 minutes with no filler. Carefully distilled, I'd much prefer this to the arbitrary and once ubiquitous 40-minute record length, too often padded with unnecessary filler tracks. 

Available on black vinyl or in a beautiful, limited edition Pink Moonburst & Royal Blue colored vinyl. There's a lot to like here.

(Kent Whirlow)

MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER – TAROT PART II

(LP, CD on Sound Effect Records)

When Spain’s Magick Brother & Mystic Sister released their self-titled debut album in 2020, they blew the roof off their unique form of spacy psychedelia, earning spots on many end-of-year ‘best of’ lists.  This year, they’ve released the follow-up, a two-part concept album based on the Tarot, with Part I issued in March, and this second volume just out.  They do not disappoint.

This review will focus on Part II.  The first part is also outstanding and well worth your time and money, so by all means grab that one, too.  The word I keep thinking of to describe their sound is mysterious.  Every minute of the two albums conjures up thoughts and images of wondrous imagination.  The music is ethereal, drifting and gauzy, and beckons you from the shadows to enter their mystical realm, and they are the absolute masters of that atmosphere.  There are elements of Canterbury-style prog and Floydian ventures into the galaxies, with psych folk as a foundational building block.  They perfectly blend acoustic and electric guitars, synths, flutes, Mellotrons, and ghostly female vocals to form their rich sound palette, all with an immaculate production.

The Magick Brother & Mystic Sister themselves are Xavi Sandoval (bass, guitar) and Eva Muntada (vocals, keyboards).  Rounding out the band are Alex Carmona (drums) and Tony Jagwar (guitar, sitar), with some fine guest musicians such as Glenn Brigman (Triptides) and Maddy Gray as well.  Side One has far more instrumentals, the sense of mystery thick and pervasive as the cards are turned over.  Side Two sees a return to vocal songs with liberal sprinklings of mystifying psych excursions.

The group pours so much atmosphere into the record; the songs are chock full of sonic variation, from planetarium-style synth voyages among the stars to mind blowing trips to inner space.  There are so many instruments and electronic sounds on this album, they pulled out all stops on the production. When she breaks the instrumental passages with her vocals, Eva’s singing is always compelling and magnetic.  Although I love both albums, my favorite track is actually on Part I, “The Justice.”  A mixture of dark mystery with prog undertones, great understated vocals from Eva, the song also includes great fuzz guitar by Tony Jagwar and a brilliant Mellotron finish, really a perfect song.

The two Tarot albums are a standout highlight of this year’s releases.  Brilliant, original, mysterious psych with an aroma of spice from an ancient souk and a fortune teller’s secrets await you.  Muntada and Sandoval did all the artwork as well.  Not to be missed.

(Mark Feingold)

DAVID VAN AUKEN – DARK YEAR

(CD, on Debacle Records)

Finger picking guitarist David Van Auken’s sophomore effort on Debacle Records veers sharply from his 2023 debut American Harmony. Whereas that album conjures images of bucolic spaces from a tranquil time and place, Dark Year is everything its title implies, a minor key meditation for anyone who’s ever gone through difficult times, which is to say, all of us, where it was arduous drawing into focus that pinprick of light in the distance.

In David’s case the ten tracks are mostly borne of pain from personal demons along with
reflections on other’s somber experiences. But again, he’s sharing the music both as a means of catharsis and as an expression of the universality of the Dark Year we all encounter.

Again in contrast to American Harmony, where Van Auken gave each track its own unique backing soundscape, on Dark Year, he almost exclusively chooses for his backing the expressive viola playing of Carlin Schossau. Of course, the viola is often by its nature already a melancholy instrument, but she has an almost telepathic ability to accent Van Auken’s compelling guitar with just the right touch, full of compassion and pathos. He was taken early on by how well her sound complimented his and realized that on this album, for the most part that was all that was needed for sonic embrace. The other musician Van Auken utilizes is Syrian oud player Mohannad Nasser, who plays on two of the tracks, “The Good Sea” and “Red Phosphate,” which, curiously, were both inspired by different tumultuous experiences in the Indian Ocean (one off the coast of Zanzibar, and the second on Reunion Island near Madagascar). Nasser’s oud playing brings out the best in Van Auken’s compositions, most notably within the hypnotic and droning stunner (4th track on the album) “The Good Sea”.

Van Auken’s melodies are accessible and simple – deceptively simple – and he usually plays them in the form of arpeggios in all sorts of tempos. Listen to the changing tempos of “Gradients of Despair,” the way Schossau keeps up with him perfectly with her viola, and the almost Renaissance-like style in the closing section of their duet. Thankfully this Dark Year isn’t completely pitch black, as witnessed by David’s playful harmonics and Schossau’s fluttering viola technique in the otherwise sorrowful “Deadhorse Hill,” a site in Colorado where horses were tragically crushed by mining equipment they were pulling in their descent.

The final track is devastating. Full of simple, almost unaugmented ethereal beauty, the sense of despair is magnified when you then read the song title – “Will This End.” It concludes the album with no sugar-coated storybook ending, only reality. Fortunately, David is here, quite in command of his work and his art. It’s an important distinction that the album is mostly looking back at that Dark Year. We’re past whatever events transpired, we’ve found that faint pinprick of light, and on this record that pathway out may not always be well illuminated, but rest assured it is there.

(Mark Feingold)

KANAAN & ÆVESTADEN – LANGT, LANGT VEKK

(LP, CD on Jansen Records)

From Norway comes this fascinating album combining two groups of distant styles, resulting in a work that is as creative as it is timeless.  Kanaan is a hard psychedelic/prog/jam band.  Ævestaden is a neo-traditional folk group that combines ancient and modern acoustic instruments, synths, and solo and choral vocals.  Aside from the connection between Kanaan’s guitarist Ask Vatn Strøm and his sister, Ævestaden’s Eir Vatn Strøm, perhaps the union of these two groups shouldn’t work.  But work it does, brilliantly.

Kanaan (Ask Vatn Strøm, guitar; Eskild Myrvoll, bass & synths; Ingvald André Vassbø; drums) used to be much more psychedelic and jammier, but in their past few albums have gone in a much heavier direction.  But the presence of Ævestaden seems to have tempered their power instincts in a return to their previous form, which is a positive development in this writer’s opinion.  Some of the nine tracks tilt more in Ævestaden’s folky direction such as “Farvel” and some lean more in Kanaan’s rock realm.  But as you’d imagine, the magic happens on the tracks that truly blend the two acts the most, like the spellbinding “Vallåt efter C.G. Färje” or the title track.

If Kanaan is very much of the here and now, Ævestaden (Eir Vatn Strøm, Kenneth Lien, and Levina Storåkern) has one collective foot in ancient times and one in the present (or future).  They bring a sensibility that at times can sound like herdsmen and maidens chanting in the fields, and other times an eerie mood of mists, ice and snow.

A prime example of a track on Langt, langt vekk (translation:  Far, Far Away) that succeeds on all levels is “Dalebu Jonsson.”  Beginning as a simple call-and-response folk chant from Ævestaden with a sparse banjo-like accompaniment, Kanaan slowly infiltrates the proceedings with a propulsive, progressive beat from drummer Ingvald André Vassbø and bassist Eskild Myrvoll.  The prog rock rhythm builds and builds over the folk chant. Soon, Ask Vatn Strøm joins in with a fiery guitar solo as Kanaan unfolds into a full-blown psychedelic whirling dervish, before Kanaan ultimately melts away and Ævestaden’s unembellished chant returns in full for the conclusion.  It’s a whiplash-inducing blend.

Closer “Vardtjenn” introduces cosmic synths and effects adorning a simple repeating “da de da de da” vocal phrase from Ævestaden.  Kanaan enters about three minutes in and joins the melody with tasteful distorted guitar from Ask Vatn Strøm over energetic drumming, which rides out the remainder of the song’s eight minutes.  It’s a perfect conclusion to an exceptional hybrid performance.

Langt, Langt Vekk is a one-of-a-kind collaboration, a memorable collision like one of those in space between two heavenly bodies, asteroids that instead of breaking each other apart, join together to form a new, if oddly shaped whole.  It’s both ancient and futuristic, hard and soft, and will leave you thinking about it long after it’s over.

(Mark Feingold)