Landlocked Music - 202 N. Walnut Ave. - Bloomington, IN
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(812) 339 - 2574
Hours of operation:
Monday - Saturday : 11:30 - 7:30pm
Sunday : 12pm - 5pm
Every week (or so...), the proud employees of Landlocked Music attempt to help guide you along the path of auditory redemption. We take time away from our busy schedules and craft, in our own words, a tiny little review of a great piece found in our bin that is for sale. We are happy as a clam when a customer purchases our picks, we gotta feed our egos somehow, right? But don't just take our word for it... or rather, DO take our word for it!
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Not for the weak of heart... Aidan Moffat's debut solo recording comes after a decade of work with lecherous Scottish duo Arab Strap. Whereas Malcolm Middleton's post-Strap work took him towards a pop world, I Can Hear Your Heart presents Aidan as a writer of prose more than simply a musician. An attached book is to be read first, followed by the recording. Tales of drunken encounters at pubs, relationships gone sour, guilt and remorse. Over 36 minutes he guides you through his world of shags, pints, fights and lust at a quickly moving pace. Simple background noise and home-recorded music adds to the stories, and its all an eerily wide open look into his heart, letting you in on his confessions to girls, explanations to one night stands, love letters never delivered to strangers, and even a forgot the words intoxicated sing-along version of Springsteen's Hungry Heart. RIYL Arab Strap, Jim Carroll, Shane McGowan, Serge Gainsbourg, Tindersticks. - Heath
One of the most versatile bands in country music, the Buckaroos are best known as Buck Owens' backing band, but they cut a number of great LPs under their own name in the 60s. This excellent comp brings together many of the highlights. About half feature vocals: sometimes handled by Buck himself, other times guitarist Don Rich sings. But where they really shine are on the instrumentals. Rich and pedal steel guitarist Tom Brumeley trade licks like they've been playing together since the nursery. They tear through a series of styles, from moonlight exotica to chicken-pickin' honky tonk to something approaching surf rock. Fans of guitarist like Chet Atkins and Les Paul as well as the Ventures or Speedy West will find much to love. Also, fans of the Flying Burrito Bros. are seriously remiss without the Buckaroos in their library. - Jason
"Skip" Spence was the heart and soul of one of the best 60s bands, San Francisco's own Moby Grape. After falling under the psychedelic spell of a girl who was allegedly deep into black magic, he attacked the door to his bandmates' hotel room with an axe and was carted off to Bellevue Mental Hospital in NY. It was during this stay that Skip composed the songs which make his lone solo classic. According to legend, upon his release, Skip convinced the people at Columbia to buy him a guitar, amp and a motorcycle on which he could ride to Nashville and record his album. A great story that adds to the overall impact of this amazing piece of work. Recorded and performed entirely by Spence on a 3-track recorder, I have never heard anything that sounds quite like 'Oar.' Bouncing from serious, prison-cell ruminations to goofy wordplays to simply transcendantly gorgeous songs. This album is so uniquely amazing that it's really hard to do it justice in words, it must be listened to. - Cyrus
Sounding exactly like I imagine a voodoo ceremony in the middle of a torch-lit Louisiana swamp would sound like, Dr. John's 1968 debut album 'Gris-Gris' is one of the most unique albums to come out of the 60s. I've never heard an album with quite the same vibe as this one. The Dr.'s amazing witch-doctor vocal delivery cuts right through the foggy mist created by the backing track, a swirling mix of tribal drums, strange chants, mandolins, horns and piano, all wrapped up in a disorienting cloud of reverb. I bought this album because of the strange cover art and was completely blown away by the music inside, not sounding much like the funky, tuneful Dr. John I had become familiar with. It's definitely more experimantal and trippy than his other work, but the songs are still great and full of hooks. Recommended for anybody looking for an entirely different and utterly amazing album to spice up their collection. - Cyrus
A friend whose music taste I trust turned me on to this LP from last year. I'd somehow overlooked it, despite being on In the Red, who are on a serious roll lately. The friend described it as having a "skinny tie" sort of sound to it, which is pretty much on the money. It's raw and loud and... well, very in the red. I dislike the term "garage", but I guess that fits to a certain extent. But there's also a strong New Wave / neo-Mod element to it. Every song seems to be a variation on the classic Knack beat. There's little (if any) keyboard on it, and the guitar sounds woozy, murky, and a little ghostly. It's a bit like if Jon Spencer started a new wave band. Another winner from In the Red. - Jason
Imagine: two girls, best friends. As children they explore the woods, creeks. They have fantastical adventures with make-believe animals, dress up in floral frocks, masks and feathers in their hair. Songs are made up and repeated often. Over time paths diverge and they lose touch but never forget. Years pass - the girls reconnect and plan a weekend together to catch up. Faded photos, notebook drawings, cassette recordings and strange totems mix with memories, blood red wine, incense and opiates. The instruments play themselves and the childhood songs take on a new life with new experiences. The dreams of childhood remain but a darkness of lost innocence looms. This is not true but the sounds make it seem as though. RIYL His Name Is Alive, Cocorosie, Valet. - Heath
Another New Zealand treasure, the Tall Dwarfs formed in 1979 and quickly established themselves as one of the earliest pioneers of the DIY/lo-fi movement. Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate released a series of home recorded EPs throughout the 80s before finally biting the bullet and releasing this, their first full-length album in 1992. Major pillars of the New Zealand scene, this album clearly shows why they are held in such high regard. These guys are great songwriters. This predates the U.S. lo-fi psych-pop movement and you can see what a big inluence it had. The fact that it was reissued on Olivia Tremor Control's Cloud label should be a good clue as to its high regard among the lo-fi crowd. Very creative melodies and lyrics are enveloped by a great 4/8-track sound full of tape loops and fuzz. RIYL Elephant 6, Beatles, the Clean, Pink Floyd, etc. - Cyrus
I love the Apples in Stereo. They basically spearheaded the entire Elephant 6 collective, and while they were probably the poppiest of the core bands, they do it in a brilliantly creative and never dull-sounding '66-'67-era-Beatles kind of way. A lot of this comes down to wonderboy Robert Schneider, who also recorded both Neutral Milk Hotel records, among others. All of the Apples' records are sprawling works of pop-psych brilliance, with a sparkling analog sheen that sounds just right to my ears. Her Wallpaper Reverie is basically their 'SMiLE,' insanely catchy pop songs jam-packed with weird sounds, segued together by psychedelic interludes all revolving around and playing off of one recurring musical theme. A concept album about a girl who trips herself out while staring at the patterns in her wallpaper and listening to records. A good premise which is executed so perfectly, it makes you want to follow Ruby's lead, pop on the headphones, and have a little reverie of your own. - Cyrus
Pretty. That's the bottom line. These Texans create luscious modern compositions that cross into many sub-genres of contemporary classical, experimental folk, cinematic dreamscapes, etc. The songs are mostly built around acoustic guitar and piano but feature tasteful additions of strings on most songs. Someone years ago told me that Rachel's (a similar group) is classical music for people who don't know anything about classical - and while that remark is harsh and short-sighted, it also applies here. Balmorhea might have sheet music but they still have heart aplenty in their music and are looking to play in front of more eyes and ears than the conservatory allows. See for yourself Thursday night at the Art Hospital. RIYL: Eluvium, Sigur Ros, Pullman, Max Richter. - Heath
"When did you stop loving me, when did I stop loving you?": Gaye sings directly to his soon-to-be ex-wife, Anna Gordy (daughter of the Motown label founder), on this, the most literal and unflinching of breakup albums. As part of his bizarre divorce settlement, Gaye was ordered to deliver an album with all the advance money and much of any profits that might result going to Gordy. A lesser artist might have dashed off a set of perfunctory tunes. But not Marvin. He lays down a double LP laying bare his unraveling relationship. The lyrics sometimes read like courtroom testimony, as Gaye vents his anger and disappointment. But it's also confessional and self-deprecating in places, with Gaye at least indirectly owning up to his drug dependence and infidelity. As he says himself on the introductory dedication, "there's a lot of truth in it." - Jason
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