Gate, The Wisher Table (CD)

While some Gate records deviate far from the Dead C's formula, 1997's The Wisher Table lies closer to that group's typical palette. While the album features occasional twists in its palette and approach (like the recognizable keyboard sounds on "Spirit"), Michael Morley builds most tracks around his primitively-recorded vocals and growling guitars. Without Robbie Yates's incessant drumming, the percussion is less propulsive, and it often feels a bit more laid-back than the Dead C as a result. The structures also resemble the classic Dead C formula, with repeating melodies and parts that never follow a classic song structure. The packaging is beautiful, with a blurry photo on both sides of a nice fold-out, paper sleeve. The sound quality is of course rough and mid-range-y—I can't imagine this music any other way.

Tuxedomoon, Pinheads on the Move (side C)

Pinheads on the Move is an impressively thorough 1987 collection of early (1977-1983) Tuxedomoon oddities. The group's work varied a lot at the time, from more new-wave-like singles to extended abstractions, and this compilation covers it all. Some things were released as 7"s or on classic compilations like Can You Hear Me? and Subterranean Modern, while others are identified as "rehearsal recording" or even "recorded live on the back of a carnival float". "Joeboy the Electronic Ghost" from the first 7" is of course particularly memorable. The mastering and pressing is surprisingly good for 1987, but the packaging would make more sense with their work from that era than it does with this compilation.

Freiband & Machinefabriek, Oahu (CD)

Oahu features two Dutch electronic musicians collaborating to process a lap steel recording. Freiband is Frans de Waard of Kapotte Musiek and Beequeen, while Rutger Zuydervelt seemed incredibly prolific in 2008 (when Oahu came out) making music as Machinefabriek. The music here is typical of their work—it floats slowly with drones and electronic glitches intersecting to create something of a narrative flow. There are occasionally harsh sounds, but it's mostly beautiful. The acoustic recording rarely turns up recognizably in the remixes, so its rare appearances are a jarring break from sounds that are generally far detached from the original source. The sound quality is generally clean without any purposeful use of digital artifact, and the Digipak looks nice, with some gently doctored nature photos.

Minny Pops, Sparks in a Dark Room (side A)

Minny Pops' use of electronics, processing, and awkward song-like structures is distinctive, if not entirely original, in the post-punk genre. The weak point of 1982's Sparks in a Dark Room is the vocals, which are very derivative of Ian Curtis without being particularly powerful. Minny Pops hailed from Amsterdam and released several singles in addition to this album. Sparks in a Dark Room sounds good and looks great, with impressively austere packaging that looks both commercial and worn-out. I also find it interesting that the Plurex label, which members of Minny Pops helped form, released the Twinkeyz album.

Archie Shepp, Life at the Donaueschingen Music Festival (side A)

This one is a live album, even if the title gets a bit confusing. Life at the Donaueschingen Music Festival was recorded in 1967, but not released until '72. It marks one of Shepp's earliest extended chaos experiments after his earlier albums had more recognizable tune structures. At this point, the playing itself often directly references jazz, even if the structures do not. Shepp is clearly aware of his contemporaries—the minimal "small instrument" percussion surrounding the opening bass section recalls Roscoe Mitchell's work at the time, and some of the group interplay shows a bit of Ayler's influence. The group here is among Shepp's most impressive, with Rudd, Moncur, Garrison, and Beaver Harris accompanying him. The live recording doesn't sound great, especially all of the weird space around the drums, but its flaws have aged nicely. Despite the apparent misspelling of "live", the front cover looks great, with Shepp's dashiki referencing playing cards! I'm still trying to determine whether the trombonist warming up in the back or the fellow intently watching Shepp is Roswell Rudd—they both look a bit like him.

Richard & Linda Thompson, Hokey Pokey (side A)

While 1974's Hokey Pokey retains the dark lyrical themes of so much of Richard Thompson's writing, it approaches them with more levity than on the duo's other canonical albums. Emphasizing the levity is the fiddle, which plays in a light and somewhat antiquated style. The songs, while great, aren't quite as memorable as on Bright Lights Tonight or Pour Down Like Silver, and the backing group is Thompson's usual from this era apart from Timi Donald on drums. The old-fashioned cover design is fun, and the recording sounds great. Unfortunately, my early-80s Carthage pressing uses overly-glossy paper and was mastered too bright/present.

John Fahey, Volume 6: Days Have Gone By (side A)

1967's Days Have Gone By precedes by a year Fahey's notable "out" works like Requia and The Yellow Princess. It marks a transition from his earlier, more folk-inspired works, into this unconventional territory. There are bits of technology and oddity, a clear influence of Indian music, and more explorations with space and slow tempos. At the same time, Days Have Gone By does not hint at the confusion and insanity that would turn up only a year later. It's a beautiful album with a great cover design, clear (if slightly bright) guitar recordings, and some memorable song titles like "A Raga Called Pat".