Batch #7

Sally Doherty And The Sumacs "On The Outside" CD [2000]
This is the second offering from Sally and her all-girl entourage The Sumacs and it follows on perfectly from the last album, exceeding my expectations and being musically superior. 16 tracks this time, with a definite Folk influence, while advancing the Neoclassical element of their sound. A perfect prelude to "Black Is The Colour". The list of instruments is again extensive: piano, cello, violin, clarinet, flute, tablas, oboe, djembe, bongo, rainstick, tambourine, harp, wind chimes, guitar, and don't forget the shaky egg. The album isn't devoid of fillers, but still a brilliant and intelligent piece of music.
(4 out of 5)

Amber Asylum "Bitter River" CD [2009]
The new album from San Fran Neoclassical girl band Amber Asylum gives us pretty much what their last album "Still Point" did. There isn't a lot of difference. It's very cold and icy, takes a while to truly penetrate and offers some beautiful and emotive sounds. Some tracks sound experimental while others sound more commercial. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but it's nothing like the dizzy heights of "Songs Of Sex & Death".
(4 out of 5)

Current 93 "Birth Canal Blues" CD [2008]
This taster for the now released new album "Aleph..." is actually better than the album itself! If only they had taken this route with the material for the new disc, we could have had something truly spectacular. But instead, they went with the whole Rock guitar thing (see my review further down). After years of being bombarded with Black Ship remixes and the like, we finally got some new stuff and it was actually interesting and exciting!. The first track is a slowish piano effort with dual layers of Tibet's vocals. The second also employs the piano but this time contains heavily distorted and enraged vocals, which brood and boil and become increasingly manic as the song wears on. Track three gives us a gravelly processed vocal, telling a story and enflaming in wildness as the minutes conquer on. The fourth sounds like it was lifted from something akin to "Soft Black Stars" but soon descends into a noisy, screaming chaos with the sound of horses running and then a loud Noise blast at the end. If only "Aleph..." had been this good!
(5 out of 5)