Gonjasufi MU.ZZ.LE [Warp; 2012] by A.S. Little Rating: Does a muzzled muzzle make a sound? This is something like a Zen koan, but I have follow up questions — though, perhaps Zen does too. Sorry, ideas-of-clarity-as-clarity, or silence-as-sanctity. What does an emanation from said muzzle sound like? What’s being muzzled? Two dots are evenly distributed among the six letters of Gonjasufi’s album title, MU.ZZ.LE , like a divvied colon splayed and on its side, yet counterbalanced and properly distributed in accordance with its own logic. Right-side-up language is upside-down. The partition, or mediation of a ...

This LP from a remainder stall on Brick Lane was bought back in the 90's. Made in Holland on the EG label in 1981. Produced by Brian Eno. I guess this was around the time Brian was experimenting with "world music" with David Byrne and Talking Heads and projects like "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts". The music is typical afro-beat similar to Fela Kuti and other stars from Ghana and Nigeria at that time. Wikipedia says - "By the beginning of the 1970s, traditionally styled highlife had been overtaken by electric guitar bands and pop-dance music. Since 1966 ...

Tracklist: 1 The Odyssey 2 Stack With Me Featuring $iMpLe 3 Halos 4 Proper Burial 5 Dead Poet Showboatin’ Featuring Dead Poet 6 Chasing The Dragon 7 Nightingale 8 Gag Order 9 Picket Fences 10 Turquoise 11 Troubled Youth Deluxe Featuring Qwazaar 12 One More Game Featuring Dead Poet 13 Trust Fall 14 Vampire Red Featuring Madness 15 Last Call From Poet Featuring Dead Poet 16 Suicide King Blues Featuring G.G. [...]

Greensky Bluegrass @ Majestic Theater, December 30 & 31 On December 30 and 31, Michigan’s Greensky Bluegrass celebrated New Year’s at the Majestic Theater in Detroit. Although Greensky is still considered an up-and-coming act, this was no local party for friends and family. Rather, Greensky managed to turn Detroit into a destination for NYE 2011-2012 as fans had traveled from far and wide – even internationally – to ring in the New Year with a band whose gift for psychedelic improvisation and timeless originals is rivaled only by their reputation for throwing one helluva party. [All Photos by Andrew Bender] December 30 Opening both nights were The Macpodz out of neighboring Ann Arbor; and as in prior opening performances for Umphrey’s McGee and moe., they showed an amazing ability to kick off the party. Combining aspects of funk, jazz, rock, disco and various forms of infectious musical weirdness, the Macpodz eschew the usual guitar-driven jams for the danceable orchestration of keys and trumpet, percussion and bass. The first night’s performance took place in the neighboring Magic Stick bar; half-way into the Macpodz hour long set, the 300+ capacity venue was already getting full in anticipation of the weekend’s headlining act. Greensky Bluegrass took the ...

(Ace Records/Fuse) Pioneering soul music Mecca gets the deluxe treatment This three disc collection chronicling the glory days of FAME Studios – the other, other home of southern soul, along with Stax Records and the Muscle Shoals Recording Studio – contains Clarence Carter’s heartbreaking Slip Away and the jubilant Land Of 1000 Dances recorded by Wilson Pickett. Two of my all-time go to tracks, ones I could confidently listen to daily for years without growing tired of them. And if that’s all ...

It’s been a minute since garage-rock institution did anything with his old backing band the Shrines. But now they’re back in full effect, horns ablaze and all, on Khan’s new track “Bite My Tongue.” It’s a perfectly characteristic bit of old-school hard-soul wailing; nice to hear that Khan still has his Wilson Pickett records in [...]

The American Federation of Musicians will picket the Lionsgate-produced show in response to the company's decision to record "The Hunger Games" score abroad.

Well well.. Our 2011 calendars seem to only have a couple of days left until they run out of paper. I guess that means that it is time for Blouse to reflect and cherry pick the things that we felt made 2011 the year that it was. Blouse's Best of 2011 (ZIP file download from Mediafire) -------------------------------------------------------------- Gang Gang Dance Eye Contact 4AD Gang Gang Dance still bears the experimental elements of its previous album Saint Dymphna . But on Eye Contact they are more accessible – without being predictable. 'Glass Jar' is more than 11 minutes long but is so varied ...

by Andy Schwartz When Howard Tate died on December 2, 2011, most obituaries for the great soul singer mentioned the name of another man who’d passed on in July of this year. Jerry Ragovoy (September 4, 1930 – July 13, 2011) was a songwriter, producer, pianist, and the studio Svengali behind Tate’s career masterpiece, the 1967 Verve album originally issued as Howard Tate and later retitled Get It While You Can . Arguably, Ragovoy never made a better album in his career. In fact, Rags didn’t make that many albums: Much of his most influential music appeared on singles ...

Do you like "boring" music? I know I do. Last month, the A.V. Club noted that 2011 is "the year of boring"--meaning that this year's most critically acclaimed music was almost invariably called the b-word by a large segment of music writers and the listening public. So, what does boring mean exactly? Here, I'll defer to the A.V. Club (after all, I'm not a member of the Club, and membership has its privileges): Any kind of music can be boring depending on the listener. No song is inherently not-boring. . . because boring is obviously based ...

I am a man of my word. Months ago I promised you, my faithful readers, and the Ripple editors that I would select a random piece of new music and review it regardless of whether I liked it or not. I think I missed a few months but that's life. Anyway, I'm back on track with the latest edition of the grab bag special. I was thinking about what to write up when the new issue of Classic Rock magazine arrived and this CD literally fell into my lap. Saint Jude are a soul/R&B; influenced band based ...

Don Cheadle Born November 29, 1964 I think Don Cheadle is a great actor. When he’s attached to a film, I make a point of seeing it. He brings charisma and intensity to his roles that make him absolutely enthralling to watch on screen. I remember when I first saw Cheadle in a film. It was in Boogie Nights . That film showcased the talent of so many great actors in what was a formidable ensemble cast, and with Don Cheadle, it made me sit up and ask, “Who is this guy?” Before Boogie Nights , Cheadle had several guest starring ...

Black Joe Lewis' vocals have been compared to the likes of James Brown, Wilson Pickett and Howlin' Wolf, while his guitar playing recalls blues greats ranging from Elmore James to R.L. Burnside. This is all the more impressive when...

Desert mystic Gonjasufi has made new track 'Nikels & Dimes' available as a free download. Secluded in the Californian desert, Gonjasufi is able to sit back and observe the world. The rapper's sun bleached mysticism rippled through debut album 'A Sufi And A Killer' which matched his unmistakeable voice to dense, provocative music. Since then, Gonjasufi has emerged from the desert. Recently releasing an EP of new material, the rapper has confirmed a release date for forthcoming mini-album 'MU.ZZ.LE'. Set to drop on January 23rd, 'MU.ZZ.LE' will be available on CD, double 10" and as a ...

In August of 2000 the Todd Phillips-directed Phish movie, Bittersweet Motel was released featuring footage and interviews captured in 1997 and 1998. To date it remains the only feature-length documentary about the band. Much has changed since the film’s release in the world of Todd Phillips (who has since added Old School and The Hangover to his directing resume) and certainly in the world of Phish. After forcing my roommate to sit down for his first-ever viewing of the flick, I was inspired to put together this list of 10 aspects of the film that would seem out of ...