STILL SINGLE

A space for thoughts on music and culture, as written by Doug Mosurock and a select handful of individuals. This is intended as a supplement to our regular feature Still Single, published on Dusted Magazine. Updates will run here more frequently, and may feature writing on music not covered in the column. Compact discs are still not accepted for review -- we have more than enough vinyl and the occasional cassette to worry about.

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October 23, 2011

Malcolm Mooney and the Tenth Planet – InCANtations LP (Milvia Son)

RECOMMENDED

Malcolm Mooney is my preferred Can vocalist. He doesn’t have the expansive array of ideas that Damo Suzuki did on those ‘70s records (and hell, probably now, benefit of the doubt), but he does have the timing that put the formative days of the band into a proper focus. He sounds so cool on those records, and he performs on most of my favorite Can songs, leavening the band’s bearded brew with the sort of vibe that kept their more soulful tendencies in the forefront. Given where the band goes in their respected run of ‘70s albums, it is reassuring for me to know that they were just a really limber, killer rock band at the outset. Going back to Monster Movie and Delay 1968 from there is like discovering how to uncook food, and that version of “Little Star of Bethlehem” on the Radio Waves boot straight up destroys. Mooney is in fine form here, projecting the same sort of jazz-inflected, character-rich tone as he did back in the day. His support band includes members of Negativland and MX-80 Sound – this is a Bay Area based project – and they more or less get it, bringing a bit of loose, strummy brightness to songs that can be played in such conditions. Drummer Marc Weinstein in particular plays with the same sort of feel as the young Jaki Liebezeit, with a stance of a jazz drummer really turning on to the natural laws of rock. These are all live recordings, so the booming percussion really bolsters the areas that lack so much depth. But it’s not to take away from Mooney’s control over these eight tracks, all from the earliest days of Can. They steer away from “Yoo Doo Right” but knock out some great ones like “Uphill” and “She Brings the Rain,” and especially the groover “Fall of Another Year,” which is the song I use to shake off annual New Year’s Eve melancholy. Pretty righteous effort here. Blue marble vinyl, 400 copies. (http://milviasun.blogspot.com)
(Doug Mosurock)

4 months ago • Notes