ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Favorite Street (side A)

I have a lot of Steve Lacy records, and I've never heard half of the pieces that ROVA rearranges here (the tracks that I own are on some of my less-favorite Lacy albums, though he often recorded pieces more than once). Their treatments of Lacy are generally deferential without being (from what I can tell) literal. At times they reference jazz (despite the lack of a rhythm section), while at others, they become more fragmented and syncopated—this description could also fit a lot of Lacy's albums. By 1984, ROVA seem to have smoothed over some of the oddities from their early records on Metlanguage, as Favorite Street feels a bit more refined and careful. Art Lange's liner notes are both informative (I learned what Lacy record one of the pieces came from) and slightly pretentious (he was really eager to talk about Charles Olson).

Jon the Postman's Puerile (CD)

It's hard to say much about this one past stating the obvious fact that I was in a bad mood when I put it on. I've never seen 24 Hour Party People, but apparently an actor in it plays Jon the Postman? He was a drunk guy who sang "Louie Louie", opening for bigger bands in Manchester. On Jon the Postman's Puerile, he imitates Mark E Smith and references The Door And The Window all in about the first minute, but his improvised lyrics grow less interesting as the backing group fumbles its way through "Louie Louie" for a really long time. Nonetheless, for reasons that probably reveal ugly facts about my psyche, I keep coming back to this one and it avoids the "sell" pile. After 25 minutes, he finally moves on to something other than "Louie Louie", which may or may not be a good thing, and that's well before the all-kazoo version of "הבה נגילה". It looks like the albums were originally from 1978, with this CD having been reissued in 1998.

Kletka Red, Hybrid (CD)

A very strange hybrid of Gypsy songs and Touch n Go style (early/mid-90s) heavy rock, and a fairly confusing, diverse record. Parts really emphasize the fragile folk song elements, parts are remarkable freakouts, and parts sound like fairly straightforward heavy rock. The recording has a distinct Albini influence (Jesus Lizard/Shellac style, though Hybrid did not come out until 2000), though the mastering at times emphasizes sub-bass as if it were a techno record. Andy Moor from the Ex contributes some fantastic and creative lead guitar.

Comsat Angels, Eye of the Lens (12")

I love the early Comsat Angels, so two non-LP, Sleep No More era B-sides (1981) are enough to make me happy. A reminder to listen to two of the best songs from the album is nice too. The B-sides sound similar to the album tracks, with a couple of weird overdub touches on "Another World" and an extreme dynamic build on "At Sea". 45 RPM 12"s always sound great, and this one is no exception.

Skullflower, Last Shot at Heaven (CD)

Much of 1993's Last Shot at Heaven finds Skullflower in power-trio mode. I wouldn't mistake them for Euphoria, but I might confuse this album with the Sightings. There are hints of the sheets of aggressive drone that would make Carved into Roses so overwhelming (only a year later), but Last Shot at Heaven has a foot planted more firmly in some sort of rock idiom. Despite the fairly primitive production, some tracks have a prominent 80s reverb on a loudly-mixed snare that certainly sounds out of place. There's plenty of the weirdness here that makes me cherish Skullflower and own so many of their albums.

King Loser, You Cannot Kill What Does Not Live (side A)

On cursory listen, New Zealand's King Loser appears almost accessible, with driving rock songs in somewhat conventional structures. Somehow, though, everything is far enough off to leave them firmly in the world of strange. From Chris Heazlewood's unfriendly vocals to the often murky recordings (including the "better" recordings by Tex Houston), the whole record feels as menacing as welcoming. You Cannot Kill What Does Not Live (their second, from 1995) is my favorite King Loser, with a diverse range of pounding instrumentals (that vaguely reference the Dead C) and catchier songs ("76 Comeback" is particularly memorable). There's even a fairly "straight" cover of "Morning Dew".

Tim Hodgkinson, Sang (CD)

Hodgkinson provided the most overtly compositional voice to Henry Cow, and it's really emphasized on 2000's Sang. With far less of the chaos of Henry Cow or (especially) Konk Pack, his work can be a bit less accessible, but is just as fascinating and intellectually engaging, as his compositions here are almost overwhelming. It's amazing to think that he played almost everything on the album—at the same time, as his voice comes though so distinctly, it makes total sense.