What Goes On Pt. 2 (Deerhunter, Arthur Russell, Rainbow Arabia)

.Admitting.
I'm jumping on the band wagon for the new Deerhunter album(s) Microcastle and the separate release that comes with it Weird Era. Cont.
While I won't doubt the fact that their 2007 album Cryptograms is one of the best of that year, The Atlanta group has finally lived up to the hype heaped upon them by the Pitchfork crowd a few years back. Not saying that the above mentioned debut album is anything to scoff at (or the many, many, many solo outings by Deerhunter main man Bradford Cox under the Atlas Sound moniker) but after countless listens trying to find a reason to think otherwise, I have come to the conclusion that this latest offering is one of the most pleasing slices of fucked out art rock I may have heard in this new millennium.

.The Master.
One artist I can link as a direct descendant to Deerhunter (and most notably Cox) in terms of the sheer volume of their artistic output has to be Arthur Russell, just in terms of ability to somehow make any genre of the avant-garde/underground into his own sound.
Best known for either his avant-classical compositions (aided by his training as a cellist) or his work as creator of the sound the bridged disco with the sounds of new electronic music to come.
In the past years various folks like the above mentioned Deerhunter, to Jens Lekman or the folks at DFA have positioned Mr. Russell in the highest regards that many believe is quite deserved (including myself). The eclectic array musicians who view Russell as an influence might seem peculiar, but it is indeed a testament to a man who (it would seem) was constantly unsatisfied with his creations and made a choice to move onto whatever sound seemed right to him at the time.

Since his death in 1992, there have been countless releases of the many recordings that never saw the light of day in his lifetime. Mostly focusing on his forays into the weird world of the New York club scene or the minimalist pieces that have become highly touted by luminaries like Philip Glass and David Byrne.
With the release of of Love is Overtaking Me (Audika Records), the newest batch of some of Russells "lost" recordings, it would be simple to think that this might be much of the same New York Noise-worthy stuff that could fall under nicknames Russell used for his outlets (Loose Joints, Dinosaur L).
Of course, making assumptions could lead to one thinking "I have several works of his I could skip this one."
That would be an incredibly bad decision.

What is most compelling about the latest release of his old material is the fact that it really sounds nothing like what you would expect of Russell, which says a lot considering he created an entire catalog based on making the music that really defied any confinement of one specific genre.
On Love is Overtaking Me, Russell takes on a new persona that finds itself on an excursion into folk-pop territory.
It might seem somewhat unexpected to find Russell strumming away at a John Hammond produced song that brings to mind more Townes Van Zandt or Gram Parsons opposed to Studio 54 ("Close My Eyes"), finding more 60's white boy soul sensibilities or a light toe touch in the ocean of early new wave but somehow this album is undeniably Russell.
Of all the music I have heard of the Mr. Russell's, I feel safe saying that Love is Overtaking Me might be his most accessible beyond the realms of sound that the timeless work Arthur Russell is known to occupy.



.New(ish).

Another group that could be seen as following the path that Mr. Russell and his contemporaries paved would be Echo Park, California residents Rainbow Arabia (pictured below).
While I was unsure if I missed the much hyped Gang Gang Dance release party a week or so ago, I found myself delighted to find Rainbow Arabia's intergalactic sounds might be the proof that aliens did indeed build the pyramids and they might have listened to something that came out sounding like this twosome and also serves as a new contemporary to the Gang Gang Dance global dance party.



Lastly, a slight departure from the top three mentioned artists is the upcoming LP by the collective known as Fire on Fire. The Portland, Maine group that is the new project of ex-members of the exceptional (and highly underrated) Cerbeus Shoal.

"The Orchard is the full length debut from Fire On Fire on Young God Records. Their debut was a five song EP on Young God released at the end of last year to overwhelming critical acclaim. Fire On Fire used to be the art-punk-prog-chaos collective Cerberus Shoal, but they ditched their electric instruments, went into hiding for a while, and now play all acoustic-stand up bass, mandolin, banjo, harmonium, accordion, acoustic guitar, dobro etc etc, and they all sing and harmonize on the songs. Live, they do it "old school" and just use two mics placed in front of them on the stage, like a bluegrass band. They all live in the same house up in Maine, across from rusting green oil tanks, apparently. To label owner Michael Gira they sound like "a backwoods, fierce, psychedelic Mamas And The Papas or a crazed and joyously vengeful gospel string band." It's all acoustic, but it's not in the least folky. More "old-timey" incantations - American music with excellent words and performed with the honed violence of intent that truly great music requires."