PLAYLIST

Les Rallizes Dénudés "Volcanic Performance" [Univive] 4CD—While I'm still behind this label as the supreme distributors of the more excellent Rallizes stuff there are some problems here. On the mostly excellent July 25 show from 1976 a few tracks here suffer through some of the most awful cassette skritch I've ever heard. It makes you wonder if the people saying stuff like "highest possible recommendation" actually listen to these things all the way through.  

Miyazawa Shouichi "Jinchukan" CD [Inundow]—I saw this and it referenced Mikami Kan and Onna so I snapped up a copy and what a record! Imagine elements of "Another Man's Sac" combined with the somber rhythm of something like "Flowers of Romance" all yelled over in a ghostly howl. 

Tisziji Muñoz "Love Always—Spirit of the Ancient Masters" [Shakajin Record] CD—A great way to find out if a record is good is to find someone who has the opposite taste in music than you and if they really hate something then it's probably worth checking out. And nowhere is this truer than jazz and progressive rock. Sadly—for the sake of this argument—I was unable to find anyone who knew anything about Muñoz except for the empty blurbage I read by Muñoz' most well-known supporter Paul Shaffer. This Japanese release, compiled by Jim O'Rourke and Henry Kaiser has been the perfect introduction for me. A lot of this reminds me of Sonny Sharrock's "Ask the Ages" which is an OK reference point. Would I be missing too many bottles to the head if I said "Highlife"?