FAT32: s/t (Web of Mimicry)

FAT32: "Ziiion-Ponk (part one)" (preview)

Something akin to Lightning Bolt with keyboards instead of distorted bass (and without the extraneous vocals), FAT32 is a wild and noisy French "rock" duo — comprised of drummer Anthiny Capelli and keyboardist John Kaced — that currently is on its third tour with East/West genre annihilators Secret Chiefs 3.

With Kaced's impossibly fast fingers and arsenal of tones and effects, the two achieve the balance, diversity, and technicality that are necessary for any duo to succeed. And between the frenzied moments of spastic synthesizers, 8-bit sounds, and pounding percussion, FAT32 provides a few respites of mood and melody.

Make no mistake, however: this self-titled debut is chock full of riffs. They're just chopped and delivered piecemeal. The album's 17-minute, montage-style closer, "Puzzloïd," is great proof, traversing math rock, circus music, minimalism, and even a well-placed Phil Anselmo sample.

Asche & Spencer (and Chris Cornell): Machine Gun Preacher soundtrack (Relativity)

Chris Cornell: "The Keeper"

Asche & Spencer: "Opening Title"

In 1998, reformed drug dealer and born-again christian Sam Childers went on a mission to South Sudan, which was stuck in the middle of the nation's horrific second civil war and genocide. Once there, he made a pledge to himself that few others have: to dedicate (and risk) his life for the countless children whose lives have been destroyed by the violence.

Published in 2009, Another Man's War is the autobiography that tells the story of Childers, who later established (and guarded) an orphanage to rescue and rehabilitate the children. He also fought with rebels in South Sudan and Uganda against the Sudanese government and against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a ruthless, roaming group led by Joseph Kony that has murdered thousands, sexually enslaved women, and forced children to become soldiers.

This remarkable tale of dedication is now being shown on the big screen, as Another Man's War has been told as the major motion picture Machine Gun Preacher, starring Gerard Butler and showing in select cities. The film's soundtrack is garnering special attention as well, as its stirring and resonant sounds — crafted by the composers collective / licensing group Asche & Spencer and aided by the 60-piece Slovak National Symphony Orchestra — have been accompanied by a brand-new track by Chris Cornell.

The music, of course, is secondary to the story here. Nevertheless, it stands on its own merits, changing moods from dark to bright and pensive to hopeful with a range of instrumentation. Portions of the proceeds from Cornell's single go to Childers' Angels of East Africa charity, so make sure to download that from iTunes if you don't pick up the whole score.

Nurses: Dracula (Dead Oceans)

Nurses: "Fever Dreams"

After assimilating to Portland, Oregon’s ever-flourishing music scene, psych-pop trio Nurses hopped on board with Dead Oceans in 2009 to release its self-recorded album Apple’s Acre. Nurses’ members subsequently went rogue, Justin Vernon style, and embraced the isolation of cabin living during Oregon’s coastal winter to fully invest in its follow-up, Dracula.

The ethereal, California pop undertones on Dracula, however, are quite the opposite of those blistering surroundings, sometimes recalling the sun-kissed, multi-layered content of Animal Collective and Panda Bear. Interwoven harmonies lay a catchy groundwork for Aaron Chapman’s vocals, which cut through each track with their reverb-drenched, high-pitched intonations. There's a greater emphasis on texture, energy, and groove, and as a result, Dracula is the sound of Nurses coming into its own.

- Text by Lauren Zens.

The Nice Guy Trio: Sidewalks and Alleys / Waking Music (Porto Franco)

The Nice Guy Trio: "Caught in Thought"

Canadian-born, San Francisco-based trumpeter Darren Johnston has built quite a résumé over the past 15 years, working as a band leader, collaborator, and sideman. One of his most recent projects, The Nice Guy Trio, channels jazz in an oft-underused manner: with a heavy dose of chamber music and touches of worldly folk styles.

Sidewalks and Alleys / Waking Music is a new two-suite work by the trio — which includes accordion player Rob Reich and bassist Daniel Fabricant — and was commissioned by the Yerba Buena Garden Festival. Unlike its predecessor, Here Comes the Nice Guy Trio, it doesn't come with pedal-steel and tabla cameos or wander into Balkan and Hindustani styles. There also are no reworked jazz standards, which allows the "split" release to further focus on the songwriting talents of the group.

Written by Reich, Sidewalks and Alleys is a little less jazzy and more reminiscent of strolling through a centuries-old European plaza. Waking Music, Johnston's half, leans more toward the trumpeter's talents, but each side makes a balanced and tasteful use of string quartets, as made possible by guests Mads Tolling (violin), Anthony Blea (violin), Dina Macabee (viola), and Mark Summers (cello). Taken as a whole, the album leaves room for the players' individual talents and improvisations while maintaining very structured and beautiful compositions.

Chris Letcher: Spectroscope (Sheer Sound / 2 Feet)

Chris Letcher: "The Sun! The Sun!"

It’s been about four years since South African singer-songwriter Chris Letcher emerged with his debut album Frieze, and after an EP and film score, he returns with a dynamic second full-length, Spectroscope.

The most notable characteristic of the album is its variety. Significant changes in tempo, instrumentation, vocals, mood, and influence could make an album lose cohesiveness, but on Spectroscope, the variety only adds to the excitement for what’s coming. A piano and drum machine on one song may move to brass and strings on the next, typically guided by Letcher's rangy vocals (which hold a hint of Jeremy Enigk).

At times sounding like a string-backed indie-rock quartet and other times sounding like a solo multi-instrumentalist, Letcher demonstrates his multifaceted talents throughout Spectroscope.

- Text by Lauren Zens.

Honorable Mentions

Cave: Neverendless (Drag City)

Darren Johnston’s Gone to Chicago: The Big Lift (Porto Franco)

Dangerous!: Teenage Rampage (Epitaph)

Evangelista: In Animal Tongue (Constellation)

The Jim Jones Revue: s/t reissue (Punk Rock Blues)

Megafaun: s/t (Hometapes)

Opeth: Heritage (Roadrunner)

Tammar: Visits (Suicide Squeeze)

Waters: Out in the Light (TBD)

Kayo Dot's last release, Coyote, has been dubbed "gothic fusion" through its combination of melodramatic influences from Faith and the Muse and the rhythmic challenges presented by Herbie Hancock.

Stained Glass will consist of one long composition of the same title and will feature the lineup of Coyote, plus vibraphonist Russell Greenberg, who has been a part of Hi-Red Center and Yarn/Wire.

The NYC concert will also include the insane, atmospheric tech-metal band Cleric and the heavy, bluesy riffs of Bad Girlfriend (the good Bad Girlfriend from New York, not the bad Bad Girlfriend from New York).

Cleric just debuted its first LP, Regressions, on Mimicry earlier this year, presenting a musically complex, progressive metal album with an apocalyptic tone.

Each orbiting the musical genius of Trey Spruance, the Secret Chiefs 3 satellite groups each represent a different sonic dimension of the band's expansive, undefinable sound. Following Traditionalists' full-length take on Italy's giallo movement, Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 mostly collects seven-inch material from SC3 subgroups UR, Ishraqiyyun, and Electromagnetic Azoth.

This is far from a simple digital conversion, however; all of the material here was rerecorded for the release, with many tracks adopting different sounds and passages. UR, the Chiefs' "suprasensory surf" squad, presents three tracks of heavily tremolo-ed rock guitar surrounded by synthesized sounds, Eastern instrumentation, and epic motifs.

"Kulturvultur," one of the three, might be the group's most upbeat tune since "The 4," a sunny Ishraqiyyun tune from Book of Horizons that is irresistibly danceable. Spruance's most Eastern-infused ensemble, Ishraqiyyun retains a masterful balance between each side of the globe, as psychedelic and electronic elements are entangled with the Indian sarangi and an electrified Persian setar.

With the diverse palette that is typical of SC3, Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 is excellent for the uninitiated, and it's just enough to tide over diehard fans until Book of Souls finally is released later this year.

Secret Chiefs 3: Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 album preview
Secret Chiefs 3: Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 album preview

Chrome Hoof: Crush Depth (Southern)

Try to imagine gnarly doom funk from another planet, performed by a nonet that is dressed like a death cult at a space disco. That imagination in practice, London's Chrome Hoof, is every bit as dark, wild, and fun as it sounds.

The brainchild of brothers Leo and Milo Smee, Chrome Hoof is built around an intuitive rhythm section: drummer Milo’s pounding pulses and overlapping time signatures and bassist Leo’s heavy, cataclysmic riffs. With just its third album in ten years as a group, Chrome Hoof delivers its most boisterous and complete release, full of dance-floor jams as well as cinematic math rock.

Vocalist Lola Olafisoye uses a brash, regal delivery to command attention amid the organized chaos, but it's the infectious grooves of Crush Depth that steal the show. Chrome Hoof has few performances and fewer contemporaries, so if you get a chance to check out the band live, don't miss it. And, naturally, pick this up.

Chrome Hoof: "Crystalline"
Chrome Hoof: \"Crystalline\"

Qua: Q&A (Mush)

Melbourne resident Cornel Wilczek might be an apt representation of today's electronic artist, calling upon buzzing effects, analog synths, and field recordings as much as guitar, live drums, and acoustic instruments.

As Qua, he combines these sounds into a fun, blippy style that can hit hard, scale it back, or get bodies moving. Q&A, his third full album, was first released back in '08 on a local label before being distributed by Mush.

Now with its official US release, the album marks Wilczek's progress as a musician — while adding its name to the ever-expanding list of great electro-acoustic works. Key guest spots include James Cecil (Architecture in Helsinki) and Laurence Pike (Savath & Savalas, Pivot, Triosk).

Qua: "Circles"
Qua: \"Circles\"

Rosetta: A Determinism of Morality (Translation Loss)

With a style that is as themed to space travel as metaphysical exploration, Philadelphia's Rosetta specializes in delayed, echoing melodies, often over steady snare cadences, that build to powerful mid-tempo metal.

Despite vocal brutality, this brand of metal owes more to post-rock guitars and hefty song durations, with certain aspects akin to Irepress and other Translation Loss label mates. Many also will draw comparisons between Rosetta and groups like Isis and Neurosis, but Rosetta retains its own special idiosyncracies.

Rosetta: "Revolve"
Rosetta: \"Revolve\"

Tobacco: Maniac Meat (Anticon)

Maniac Meat is another 16 tracks of warped synth hop, pop hooks, and effected vocals from Tobacco, one of the key pieces of Black Moth Super Rainbow.

Like Fucked-Up Friends, his 2008 solo debut, Maniac Meat features harpsichord-flavored electronics that are awash in hip-hop beats, vocoders, and fuzzy and glistening analog synthsizers.

Two appearances by Beck add a new dimension to Tobacco's style, one that admittedly grows old from song to song and album to album due to similar sounds and melodies. Nonetheless, his contributions are unique, and Maniac Meat is proof that he hasn't run out of steam.

Tobacco: "Sweatmother"
Tobacco: \"Sweatmother\"

Honorable Mentions

Black Tusk: Taste The Sin (Relapse)

Damien Jurado: Saint Bartlett (Secretly Canadian)

Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band: The Wages (SideOneDummy)

Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet: Live At The Triple Door (Royal Potato Family)

Solvent: Subject to Shift (Ghostly)

Cleric: Regressions (Mimicry)

Ultimate annihilation, the end times, post-apocalyptic Earth — these are worn-out visual clichés, but ones that apply to the devastating music of Cleric.

For its full-length debut, this Philadelphia quartet specializes in demolishing tech-metal eruptions, savage math breakdowns, and grindcore blasts that give way to doom dirges, sinister atmospherics, nightmarish vocal distortions, and even the stray melody and piano line.

With nary a repeated passage and most major pieces measuring more than 10 minutes, Regressions sounds like a personalized soundtrack to death. Each track is meticulously arranged, and though it very much is for fans of musical complexity, the album has enough head-banging potential to ensnare lovers of "regular" metal. Undoubtedly, Cleric's music isn't quite like anything else.

Cleric: "A Rush of Blood"
Cleric: \"A Rush of Blood\"

My Education: Sunrise (Strange Attractors Audio House)

The name of German director F.W. Murnau is most synonymous with Nosferatu, the classic 1922 silent film that lost a lawsuit for copyright infringement of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Just as crucial to his legacy, however, was his work on Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, a co-recipient of Best Picture at the first Academy Awards in 1929.

Nosferatu has been the frequent subject of live scoring — rather recently by Tortoise too — but Sunrise doesn't receive the musical accompaniment as often.

Now enter My Education, an Austin quintet whose dramatic and dense brand of instrumental post-rock is noteworthy for its exquisite harmonies and use of strings. Sunrise is the band's homage to Murnau's Oscar winner, woven together over two years of live presentation.

Combining a traditional rock lineup with viola, cello, and vibraphone, My Education captivates with flares of tension and scrupulous melodies. "Sunset" and its reprise "Sunrise" are chamber-infused duels of harmonies that are interwoven with acoustic guitar and tuba.

Sunrise's most powerful and dynamic effort, "Oars," comes after a few more tracks of post-rock bliss that is evocative of Dirty Three, Grails, and Tortoise. The track's hiccuping, quick-twitch beats create a head-nodding background for swirling guitars and more shining string harmonies.

My Education: "Oars"
My Education: \"Oars\"

Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble / Terry Riley: In C (Ghostly International)

As one of the premier names in minimalist classical composition, Terry Riley has influenced and worked with key figures such as Steve Reich, John Adams, Philip Glass, and Morton Subotnick. His landmark piece, In C, wasn't a traditional composition but rather a series of 53 modules that hold different patterns and instructions.

Its hypnotic repetition and varied interpretations have led to countless performances and recordings by dozens of different ensembles and bands. The latest to take the mantle is the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble, a 16-piece Michigan group that recorded In C early last year for a daring remix album, featuring contributions from Glenn Kotche, Nico Muhly, DJ Spooky, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and a dozen others.

This particular release is a live recording of the New Music Ensemble working through the landmark piece with electronic producer/composer Dennis DeSantis on laptop and effects. By and large, their rendition is one of traditional instrumentation, with strings, woodwinds, percussion, and the familiar marimba pulse swelling and retreating.

DeSantis, however, adds IDM elements three-quarters of the way through, infusing the piece with electronic life. The result is an interpretation that pays fierce tribute to the original yet is a brand-new way to experience In C.

The Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble: "In C" (excerpt)
Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble: \"In C\"

Devastations: s/t (Brassland)

Following success early last decade in their homeland, these Australian natives migrated to Europe and exposed the Western world to their somber brand of alt-rock, goth, and neofolk.

The trio's fourth but self-titled effort finds Devastations stripping back its rock elements even more, focusing on Americana sounds and baritone crooning. The album remains peppered with Nick Cave-style rockers, such as "Loene," that rely on medium-gain guitars and Hammond organ.

However, like Cave's endeavors with Dirty Three violinist Warren Ellis, it seems that Devastations' trajectory — at least incrementally — is toward softer songs that are built on acoustic guitar and piano.

Devastations: "Previous Crimes"
Devastations: \"Previous Crimes\"

Bushman's Revenge: Jitterbug (Rune Grammofon)

Norwegian guitarist Even Helte Hermansen, no longer a part of prog-industrial countrymen Shining, has focused on the power-trio ferocity of Bushman's Revenge.

His effortless talents, ranging from Hendrix-style psych rock to heavy-jam improvs befitting Nels Cline, make the far-reaching band a potent yet enchanting experience. Jitterbug is the trio's third album, released just a year after You Lost Me at Hello, and it reveals a band manifesting its talents into an ever-more-cohesive mix.

Honorable Mentions

Balkan Beat Box: Blue Eyed Black Boy (Nat Geo Music)

Frog Eyes: Paul's Tomb: A Triumph (Dead Oceans)

Gogol Bordello: Trans-Continental Hustle (Columbia)

Mike Reed’s People, Places & Things: Stories & Negotiations (482 Music)

Mono: Holy Ground: NYC Live with The Wordless Music Orchestra (Temporary Residence)

Sigh

No strangers to fusing other revered genres to a doomy combination of black metal and thrash, Japan's Sigh uses its eighth studio album to deliver symphonic, epic metal that calls upon classical instrumentation to top its rock foundation.

Brass, woodwind, and string instruments — as well as organ and piano — accent as well as lead sinister melodies that take surprising turns through fanciful themes. Raspy, menacing vocals coat each track, resulting in a dramatic presentation that isn't much at odds with its complex backdrop.

Fans of Estradasphere, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Emperor, and Gonin-Ish would do well to check this out. With grade-A melodies that would sound at home with orchestras and chamber ensembles, Scenes From Hell is one of the first great albums of 2010.

Sigh: "The Summer Funeral"
Sigh: \"The Summer Funeral\"

Colorlist: A Square White Lie LP (482 Music)

A Square White Lie, released via heavyweight vinyl and MP3s, is the first album in two years from Colorlist, an ambient improvisational duo from Chicago that texturalizes sound by utilizing delayed, echoing loops, mounting tension, harmonic and dissonant layers, and germane percussion.

The four-tune album is a soothing, shifting sea of sound that finds Charles Gorczynski, with sax, harmonium, and electronics, building full melodies out of fragments, accompanied by the beats, brush strokes, and accents of drummer Charles Rumback.

Gorczynski and Rumback are staples in Chicago's younger circle of improvisers. With groups such as Silences (Sumire), Leaves, the Charles Rumback Quartet, and L'Altra already in their portfolios, the duo uses A Square White Lie to further supplement its distinguished body of work.

Colorlist: "The Lows"
Colorlist: \"The Lows\"

RJD2: The Colossus (RJ’s Electrical Connections)

Following a divisive album that saw the introduction of poppy, soulful vocals, producer RJD2 returns with something of a split release — an album that leaves no shortage of accessible, vocal-driven tunes but that emphasizes some inventive instrumentals.

Notably, one of those instrumentals, "Let There Be Horns," opens the disc. In addition to sporting a music video with a protagonist minotaur, "Let There Be Horns" is a grooving instrumental that, at times, sounds vaguely Indian while dousing the listener in synth horns, rock guitar, and squiggly keyboards.

"Games You Can Win," featured below, is a vocal jam that follows and glistens with an apparent glockenspiel or chimes. "Giant Squid" then returns the funky instrumentals, leaning on fuzzy bass, harpsichord, and spacey effects.

Fellow electro-crooner Kenna makes an appearance on The Colossus, and RJ gets more vocal assistance from Phonte Coleman, Aaron Livingston, and others. But whether or not you dig the soulful RJ, there's no doubt that the music on The Colossus is some of his best to date.

RJD2: "Games You Can Win"
RJD2: \"Games You Can Win\"

Honorable mentions

Good for Cows: Audumla (Mimicry)
Worm Ouroboros: s/t (Profound Lore)

ALARM leaves no genre unloved in our round-up of 50 albums that didn't receive enough attention in 2009.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez: Old Money (Stones Throw, 1/27/09)

Omar Rodriguez Lopez: "Family War Funding"

The first of many releases in 2009 from prolific guitarist/composer Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Accessible and centered on rock, sounding spacey, funky, progressive, psychedelic, a little jazzy, and a little Latin.

Kevin Hufnagel: Songs for the Disappeared (self-released, 2/3/09)

Kevin Hufnagel: "Tres"

Musical themes come and go, covering swaths of Spanish and Gypsy guitar before reverting back to haunting rock melodies, on this solo acoustic album from highly technical Dysrhythmia guitarist Kevin Hufnagel.

P.O.S: Never Better (Rhymesayers, 2/3/09)

P.O.S.: "Drumroll"

Likely the year's best hip-hop album, Never Better draws on Stefon Alexander’s background in punk and rock music (he plays most of the live instrumentation on the record), making this is an album that categorically defines the indie in indie rap.

Zu: Carboniferous (Ipecac, 2/17/09)

Zu: "Ostia"

Sludgy alt-metal with complex repeated rhythms and free-jazz freakouts. Features Mike Patton on two killer tracks.

The Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo: s/t (2/24/09)

The Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo: "Shadow Thief"

A Balkan-influenced classical guitarist joins an ethically inspired finger-tapping guitarist for a disc of skill and beauty.

16: Bridges to Burn (Relapse, 2/24/09)

16: "Throw in the Towel"

Dubbed the "Unsane of the West Coast" by ALARM's Jamie Ludwig, 16 issued another hard-hitting riff fest in 2009 with Bridges to Burn, the band's best album to date.

Umlaut: s/t (3/10/09)

Umlaut: "Kitty Puppy"

Mr. Bungle's Bär McKinnon, multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, issued one hell of an album for this new project — one that filters meticulous melodies and asinine vocals through the lens of a whacked-out lounge group.

Jono El Grande: Neo Dada (Rune Grammofon, 3/16/09)

Jono El Grande: "Oslo Coty Suite"

Fanciful music that's different around every turn. Art rock that weaves through theatrical, progressive, classical, and absurdist styles with influences from Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, King Crimson and Igor Stravinsky.

Kylesa: Static Tensions (Prosthetic, 3/17/09)

Kylesa: "Scapegoat"

Down-tuned dirge metal that rumbles with crust punk, sludge, metal, hardcore, and psychedelia, often laced with atmospheric samples. To date, Static Tensions is Kylesa's most powerful album.

(MF) Doom: Born Like This (Lex, 3/23/09)

Doom: "Cellz"

Dropping his “MF” prefix, the incomparable rapper and Marvel-inspired supervillain delivered another nearly impenetrable wall of rhymes and flow, dizzying listeners with his ever-shifting, slowly delivered lyrics.

Secret Chiefs 3

Having covered Indian, Persian, surf, metal, spaghetti Western, and electronic music — and so much more — Trey Spruance's unparalleled Secret Chiefs 3 has now set its sights on the Italian giallo horror/erotica genre of the 1960s and '70s.

Translating to The Severed Right Hands of the Last Men, this album encapsulates 30 brief, often abstract film cues that sonically invoke images of bloodcurdling terror — as well as moments of passive tranquility — inspired in part from the works of Bruna Nicolai, Ennio Morricone, Goblin, and other noted giallo composers.

It also represents the first release from Traditionalists, a subset of the SC3 umbrella that finds inspiration in fanciful cinematic scores.  It's impossible to know whether the next release will be the long-awaited Book of Souls or rather a full-length affair from another subgroup, but regardless, it's sure to cover uncharted (or neglected) territory.

Secret Chiefs 3: Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini preview
Secret Chiefs 3: Le Mani preview

Coalesce: OX (Relapse)

After 10 years, multiple reunions, and talk of resurfacing as a new entity, the hardcore maelstrom that is Coalesce has returned with a new full-length disc.

Following an outstanding two-song seven-inch in late 2007, OX finds the four-piece demolishing ear drums while treading new ground, edging into bits of acoustic melancholy, heavy blues, harmonized vocals, and spaghetti Western.

The softer moments aren't actually new; the Coalesce / Boy Sets Fire split included a thematic revamp of the Coalesce vibe, and There is Nothing New Under the Sun included a few true-to-form renditions of Led Zeppelin classics.  Here, however, the moments are interspersed or used as intros/interludes.

The upcoming OXEP, a seven-song addendum, branches out further, featuring vocalist Sean Ingram's preteen daughter screaming on a part of "Through Sparrows I Rest."  If that doesn't grab you and force your head to bang, OX surely will.

Coalesce: "Dead is Dead"
Coalesce: "Dead is Dead"

Busdriver: Jhelli Beam (Anti-)

Delivering his rhymes in a melodic, fast-talking, pinched-nose intonation, Regan Farquhar can be compared to few contemporaries.  And after a recent collaboration with jazz-rock group Kneebody, fans could have predicted another dose of indescribable idiosyncrasy on this, his newest full-length.

With beat/producing assistance from Daedelus and a host of others, Jhelli Beam winds through piano melodies, famous classical samples, synthesized dance grooves, and electronic hip hop.  And though the disc name drops everyone from Michael Richards to Idi Amin, Busdriver can be enjoyed without picking up one full sentence.

The Horse's Ha: Of the Cathmawr Yards (Hidden Agenda)

Layered over a mellow folk backdrop with country undertones, The Horse's Ha pairs the complementary vocals of James Elkington (The Zincs) with Janet Beveridge Bean (Freakwater).

The group also features the lofty talents of cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm (Vandermark 5), drummer Charles Rumback (Colorlist, Leaves), and bassist Nick Macri (Jeremy Enigk).  Though The Horse's Ha has been around since '02, this is its debut disc — a pretty, laidback affair that doesn't break any molds but will be enjoyed by those who dig the vocals.

The Horse's Ha: "The Piss Choir"
The Horse\'s Ha: \"The Piss Choir"

Stian Westerhus: Galore (The Last Record Co. / Rune Grammofon)

A presiding member of Jaga Jazzist, Monolithic, Puma, and a handful of other endeavors, Norwegian guitarist Stian Westerhus has expanded his scope and influence over the past decade in the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Limited to 500 copies, this vinyl-only release finds Westerhus partaking in noisy, effected meanderings. Experimental listeners and vinyl fanatics should be into this one.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: "Ignis Fatuus"
Orange Tulip Conspiracy: \"Ignis Fatuus\"

The group's debut album, released last year on Mimicry Records, is penned by Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, whose Q&A with ALARM can be read here.

The OTC tour begins May 1 in Seattle and runs through the Midwest, the East Coast, and the South before finishing up in California. The five winners of this contest can choose which show they would like to attend; the complete list can be seen at the band's MySpace page and in the contest form below.

**This contest is now closed. Thanks for your participation, and congrats to the winners.**

One entry per person. Contests are only open to ALARM newsletter subscribers. By entering your e-mail address you are signing up for our exclusive e-mail newsletter. You can always unsubscribe if you don’t like it, and you’ll still be eligible to win any contest you entered.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: www.orangetulipconspiracy.com
Mimicry Records: www.webofmimicry.com

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: "Ignis Fatuus"
Orange Tulip Conspiracy: \"Ignis Fatuus\"

The group's debut album, released last year on Mimicry Records, is penned by Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, whose Q&A with ALARM can be read here.

The OTC tour begins May 1 in Seattle and runs through the Midwest, the East Coast, and the South before finishing up in California.  The five winners of this contest can choose which show they would like to attend; the complete list can be seen at the band's MySpace page and in the contest form below.

**This contest is now closed. Thanks for your participation, and congrats to the winners.**

One entry per person. Contests are only open to ALARM newsletter subscribers. By entering your e-mail address you are signing up for our exclusive e-mail newsletter. You can always unsubscribe if you don’t like it, and you’ll still be eligible to win any contest you entered.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: www.orangetulipconspiracy.com
Mimicry Records: www.webofmimicry.com

As one of the principal songwriters in Estradasphere, guitarist/composer Jason Schimmel has always loved combining disparate styles in new and jaw-dropping ways.

But with Estradasphere on hold and a wealth of solo material, Schimmel now leads Orange Tulip Conspiracy, a similarly constructed but substantially different enterprise.

OTC's music worms through prog fusion, psychedelic rock, 1950s-style jazz, avant metal, Romani melodies, and much more. Its debut album, released last September on Mimicry Records, is nearly as diverse as an Estradasphere disc, but it's more focused from song to song.

Online editor Scott Morrow speaks with Schimmel to discuss this album's creation, the next album's sound, and the logistics of his nationwide May tour.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: "Ignis Fatuus"
Orange Tulip Conspiracy: \"Ignis Fatuus\"

Did these songs originate out of Estradasphere's downtime, or were they older and always meant for another project? Was there anything specific that you wanted to accomplish with this mix of styles?

These songs were always meant for another project. I've always written way too many songs to be used by just Estradasphere. Though these songs seem new to most people, I actually have been working on some of these since the early Estradasphere days — it has just taken me this long time to finally finish them off and make a complete record.

Since I have always been very interested in many different styles of music, it has always been hard for me to write in just one style. I like to mix things up and give the listener a unique experience — an unpredictability that keeps people on their toes, so to speak.

After your coast-to-coast US tour in May, what are the plans for Orange Tulip Conspiracy? If a future recording is in the works, how might it sound?

Well, for the first time ever, I have actually written an entire new record before setting out on a tour. The goal is to perform these new songs for an audience to get a feel of what is going to work the best.

By doing this, we can take a song and transform it into something greater by feeding off the audience's natural reaction to the music without a previous point of reference. That way we can add or subtract things based on real musical experiences.

In the past, I have always written the music first, then made the record, and then finally set out to play the tunes from the record live. What happens is that the playing on the record is very stiff and tight in comparison to how we usually play the song after we tour on it. So I want the looseness and freedom that comes from the confidence of having played the songs many times before setting out to record them.

Directly following the tour, I mean literally the day after the tour ends, we are heading into a studio to record this new album. I am very excited to finally see this new process unfold on a recording.

The new record will sound similar to the first one in that there are many different types of compositions. Avant rock, groove, improv, jazz, and ambient are some of the first thoughts that come into my mind. There will also be a a few covers on there as well.

In addition to many other guests, almost all of Estradasphere (past and present) helped record this album. How does the live presentation of Orange Tulip Conspiracy differ from the studio version?

OTC's live presentation could be considered a much more organic version of the record in that it is just five musicians playing the songs. With the recording, I had the liberty to have all sorts of various orchestrations coming in and out, massive production changes, drastic arrangement alterations, etc., which I don't have the liberty to completely accomplish in a live context.

In the live setting, I play guitar and bazouki (8-stringed Greek instrument) and do some vocals. [Former Estradasphere member] John Whooley plays tenor and baritone sax, keys, and vocals, Luke Bergman plays upright and electric bass, Zach Cline plays rhythm guitar, and [current Estradasphere / God of Shamisen member] Lee Smith plays drums.

A solid and bombastic rhythm section holds it down while electric guitar and sax cover most of the lead aspects of the music. This is augmented by another guitar that plays most of the harmonic aspects of the music.

Will this solo project continue as a major priority if Estradasphere gets back into full swing?

Yes, I think that OTC will be a major priority for me regardless of whatever bands I am playing in at the time. The reality is that I need another outlet for the plethora of material that I compose. No one band can satisfy all my needs as a musician and creative force.

There are all sorts of compromises and considerations that music goes through being in a democratic band situation. I think that it is very healthy for me to have a project where I can focus all my attention.

- Scott Morrow