Blevin Blectum's Plutonian TechnoJazz And Brigid Mae Power's Aching Tim Buckley Cover
Blevin Blectum, "Soft Death (Afresimegol)" (Death Bomb Arc)
Omni was a magazine devoted to factual science, science fiction, and the paranormal that ran from 1978 to 1995. The magazine, which was co-founded by Penthouse editor Bob Guccione, hoped to attract the attention of Blevin Blectum (aka Bevin Kelly), a former experimental electronic music producer from Seattle who now lives in Point Arena, California.
As Kelly told me in her 2018 Stranger article, she draws inspiration from science writers like Ursula K. LeGuin, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, and JG Ballard. He also impressed in a Carl Sagan tribute band called Sagan. Thus the title of his new album, OMNII (released on cassette and digital on July 28), reflects his intentions. As you'd expect from this creative musician whose day job is in Amazon's consumer robotics division, the results are scientifically rigorous.
From the atmosphere of OMNII's opening puzzle, "Romana", Blevin Blectum takes you to a landless realm. The vast stream of "Vermilion Sandstorm" interrupts the inky stream with the void, punctuated by occasional laser bursts from spaceships. If she were alive, Stanley Kubrick would love her. The almost gothic doom of "Venus Velvet (Beyond the Unknown)" envelops a sinister space scene, organs fluttering like a distorted homage to Iron Butterfly's "In-a-cuda-da-vida."
The haunting "X-Day Celebration Immortal Children's Chorus on Planet X" highlights BB's skill at manipulation of distorted vocals. On “Nocturn (Planetfall Edit, Psaltriparus Minimus Maximus Mix),” an introspective abstract dreams of being a low-gravity space-age tour de force reminiscent of Kraftwerk’s LSD-era Tour de France soundtrack .
But the highlight of the album is "Soft Death (Afresymegol)", which packs a lot of fun and creativity into three minutes and twists. With some of the creepiest xylophonic patterns I've ever heard, whimsically inspired self-healing grooves, and some of Blevin Blectum's spiciest groove, this is the Aphex Twins' biggest song yet to be released: Plutonic techno-jazz at its best. Make no mistake: "A Soft Death" is up for Song of the Year.
At OMNII , Kelly shed her surprising tendencies and focused on the funnier, more dramatic vocals and international vibes of her career. It's a shame Cosmos isn't on the air because these songs are such a great soundtrack.
Brigid Mae Power, "I Should Be Blind" (Fire Records)
Irish singer-songwriter Brigid May Power has been shaking the skies with her wonderful folk music since she released her self-titled LP on Tompkins Square label in 2016. Across five studio albums, Power Sound has conveyed deep emotion without music or historical mix. . . In this way, she is reminiscent of soulful people like Julie Driscoll (also known as Julie Tippetts) and Linda Perhacs.
So it makes perfect sense for Hail to cover Tim Bucklin's epic ballad "I Must Haven't Been Blind" on his new album. The original version appeared in Jeff's Father's Blue Afternoon (1969) and captured the ever-changing folk-jazz icon in an understated and discreet, methodical melody with thin livephone, brushed/smashed drums and cymbals, and boney acoustic guitar. . Drum. Tim's word did not live up to the relationship's potential and he is sorry he broke up. The song should resonate with anyone who has ever experienced romance.
In Power's version of "I Must Be Blind," piano and violin replace guitar and vibrato as the main melodic elements, but the protagonist of the show is his voice. You can see that Power has a lot to do with the gentle violence at the heart of the song. Normally, I would consider it sacrilege for another artist to attempt one of my favorite Tim Buckley compositions, but Power can relate to TB's passion. glory!
"I Must Be Blind" is one of Deep Dream 's many well-produced highlights. "Descent" is nostalgic for Bob Dylan's "At Heaven's Gate," a lyric about the struggle to balance motherhood and a career in music. Power honored his legacy with "I Know Who's Sick" and "Down by the Glenside", an Irish folk song and 1920s Republic of Ireland standard. "Maybe It's Just Lightning" captures the gentle, swinging rapping of the esteemed Mazzy Star, but Power's vocals are more tonal than Hope Sandoval's. "The Waterford Song" offers driving force and some powerful singing. The majestic "I'll Wait for You Outside" features a beautiful slide guitar riff and adds a punch of gravity. But there's nothing "I must be blind" about this wonderful 21st-century revision of traditional folk truths.
