Perfect Sound Forever- June 2021 edition now online

[Jason Gross]

Greetings,

In the latest issue of Perfect Sound Forever <http://www.furious.com/perfect/index0621.html>, you'll find (among other things):

CAKE- in search of 90s alternative by Pete Crigler
"It was the mid '90's, and I was in sixth grade. One band we all became completely obsessed with was Cake. "The Distance" was all over the radio, and I in particular couldn't get enough. It was weird, quirky, and just strange enough that it captured our attention as few songs or bands had at the moment. By 2002, Cake was out of the public consciousness and had seemingly eradicated themselves. What the hell happened?"

CHRISTIAN ROCK- origins of a (hip?) style by Bob Gersztyn
"The 1960's began with a movement away from religion as college students scrawled Nietzsche's "God is Dead" quote on bathroom walls, followed by the 1966 TIME magazine cover asking the question "Is God Dead?" By the end of the decade, that question was answered with a definite "No!" Pop music radio had a string of hits talking about Jesus."

EPISTROPHY ARTS- Austin's 'adventurous music' hub by Robin Storey Dunn
"I don't know Pedro Moreno, other than to see him at shows, but it's been twenty years of shows, so it feels like I know him. He's the vision and labor behind Epistrophy Arts, a small nonprofit that brings free jazz and improvised music to Austin, Texas. Sam Rivers, Hamid Drake, Sunny Murray, and William Parker; Fred Frith and Henry Threadgill; groups from Central America and Europe, artists who never would've gotten here otherwise."

LES RALLIZES DENUDES- their pre-terrorist psychedelic roots by Daniel Hess
"'Atonal, hypnotic cacophony' does not even begin to describe the symphonic numbness your ears will experience while listening to Les Rallizes Denudes. With that simple enticing opening, the music is but yet a small fraction of the mystery, infamy, and legacy that this group holds in their home country of Japan."

JOHN LENNON- reassessing his Yoko-less solo years by Kurt Wildermuth
"Some things never get their due. Consider John Lennon's "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)," a track from his solo album Mind Games (1973). Some pop-rock music aficionados like to talk about "deep cuts," meaning worthy album tracks that get lost in the shuffle, and "Aisumasen" might be Lennon's deepest cut. Another hidden beauty is "Bless You," from Lennon's Walls and Bridges (1974). When was the last time you heard or heard about either of these songs?"

MOTORCYCLE JACKET- glam/punk fiction by Jim Rader
A sordid NYC tale of gay bar hopping, glam music, a guy named Leather Pants, hip rock chicks, arty mags and a certain jacket.

PRINCESS TINYMEAT Post-punk genre-bending madness by Freek Kinkelaar
"Princess Tinymeat turned out to be a four piece led by Daniel Figgis, a former child actor on television and stage who had been active in Dublin's punk scene of the late 1970's. He joined The Virgin Prunes, playing drums and contributing keyboards, under his new moniker Haa Lacka Binttii, on their first two singles and two instrumental tracks. He was unceremoniously kicked out of the band in 1981. Figgis formed Princess Tinymeat three years later."

SAMPLE SNITCHING- a musical/legal investigation by J. Vognsen
"I think there is not only one, but really two basic issues to consider with regard to the public discussion of sample sources. One deals with artistic matters, the other with legal matters, i.e. "snitching." The first I think is potentially profound but in some ways more easily navigated. The second tends to the more banal, but is in practical terms more difficult to handle. I'll try to cover them both."

U-ROY- toasting the last toasting by Eric Doumerc
"Ewart Beckford, who had acquired the nickname "U-Roy" (after one of his cousins failed to pronounce his first name), found a job as a timekeeper in a cement factory and continued to attend sound-system dances. In 1969 he made his first recordings for Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, and Keith Hudson. He then recorded two sides for Lloyd Daley in October 1969 but it was with the producer Duke Reid that he was to achieve real success."

U2- 'Exit' and its murderous connections by David Chriko
"A few reasons, based on the presence of mainly psychotic mechanisms, can be crystallized as to why Robert Bardo shot to death actress Rebecca Schaeffer July 18th, 1989 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles and what relevance the music of U2 had."

VINYL ANACHRONIST- High-end audio during COVID by Marc Phillips
"When we first experienced the gravity of the pandemic, many of us were astonished that the high-end audio industry was this fragile. Didn't we have a pandemic-proof business plan by selling products meant to be enjoyed in people's homes--and usually by a single person, perhaps one sheltering in place? We didn't understand what was coming, all those dominoes, starting off with the audio shows cancelling one by one. That had more of an impact than we expected."

ED WARD- tribute to a late great music scribe- tribute/interviews by Jason Gross
"If you know Ed Ward's name, you've probably heard it attached to his work at Rolling Stone, Creem and NPR. But there was also his adventures in New York, California, Texas, Germany and France, all of which he called home at one time or another. And then, along with his pioneering music writing, mention should be made that he was also an expert food critic and historic chronicler. Oh, and he helped to co-found a certain little music festival called SXSW. Even after knowing him for the last 25 years of his life, it turns out that there was even more to this brilliant, frustrating guy than I imagined."

RALPH WILLIAMS- NYC underground sax by Kurt Wildermuth
"In the spring and summer of 2020, New York City was shut down during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many residents were living elsewhere, and tourists were staying away. You could walk through Central Park and have long stretches to yourself. If you continued toward what often feels like the heart of the park--a bench-lined plaza at the end of a shaded promenade called the Mall and just before Bethesda Terrace, with its staircase and angel-adorned fountain--you might have encountered a lone figure standing and playing a tenor saxophone."

WOODEN WAND- Indie/freak folk interview by Addison Martinez
"I can't begin to talk about the music of James Jackson Toth without first comparing him to the character Jonathan Strange in the British writer Susanna Clark's novel of alternate-history, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. As far as who's who in the real world, I'd say take your pick for a Mr. Norrell, for me, it was Bob Dylan; James Jackson Toth was undoubtedly the adept Jonathan Strange. In fact, it wasn't until I took to my front porch one evening to listen to Toth's instrumental "Lucifer Over Lambeau (Collage 165.3)" and a hailstorm broke out that I realized that I was talking to, and listening to, the man, if not the magician, named Wooden Wand."


We also have a Spotify playlist with most of the artists above here:
<https://open.spotify.com/playlist/083TeO0jHc6IDCZg8UhRhP?si=9eeade82d8de4706>

We're always looking for good writers and/or ideas so let us know if you have anything to share.

See you online,
Jason