MUSIC REVIEW: Christine Leakey’s tunes are part orchestrated noir, part dark forest and yet very much a real dream. These first free songs from her coming record Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure are a smooth decoupage straight from the heart that have been a long time in the making since her earlier days in bands called Cadillac Bill & the Creeping Bent, The Double Feature Creatures and Tijuana Knievel. There has been a time lapse since her having to set music down and done some traveling. Perhaps she was on a quest to find her muse? Whatever the case – she’s fermented her thoughts and has some illuminating tales to tell us after a 14 year gap. Hailing originally from the heart of the 1000 Islands, Gananoque Ontario (sounds so magical), Canada she is our familiar neighbor whom brings us fairy-esque soundscapes sculpted from many fem-fatale influences and life experiences. In a exchange she says..
“I will admit though, there is a strong sense that I missed out on something throughout this time. It could just be that the weight of having to abandon my music… Or a relationship gone wrong… Either way, when I look more deeply, I see all the little things I have been doing and it all adds up to some interesting years.”
This preview of teasers we hear the dark sexy light of Nico washed in Bongwater like reverb and the pillow talk of pink floyd. She’s created something pretty focused and telling here with lots of layers like those you in might find when digging in the sand. A castle of music has been created with subtle and solid colors of sound which will give you a fuzzy feeling. Give it a go – the authentic grit will draw you in and surprise you. Your imagination will conjure the rest of the story.
Lovely MP3 by Christine Leakey from Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure
Sounds likes these: Daddy’s Gone MP3 by Sparklehorse featuring Nina Persson from Dark Night of Soul Femme Fatale MP3 by The Velvet Underground featuring Nico Kisses Sweeter Than Wine MP3 by Bongwater featuring Ann Magnuson from The Power of Pussy (1991) Salle Des Pas Perdus MP3 by Coralie Clement from s/t Salle Des Pas Perdus
ALBUM REVIEW: If you like psychedelic rock too much then ignore this because you’ll be addicted to Dumbo Gets Mad’s sounds from tail to snout on Elephant At The Door from the first walk. Wedging itself on the wake of some big bass riff from the get go on “Plumy Tale” the undertow will drag you right in. What makes this record believable is that no computer chips were used in the raw recording of this music. It’s not laptop rock and was executed with care via Big Panda Records. This singing and keyboard sounds are vintage late 60’s- early 70’s analog so it’s all very authentic halogenated reverb. Imagine your in a sexy leopard pleather lounge called “San Tropez”. In this futuristic situation your inhaling the best of imported air at this purest oxygen bar from 2011. Listening to this collection of psychadelia – kicking back feeling the pulse of speakers vibrate your very sensitive eardrums. It’s blissful.
Distributed as a Free digital download the vinyl is available for you audiowhores who deserve these type of Meddle like soundscapes that a blind man could surf too — so I would get on this and buy some stock. Yup that’s right they aren’t super heavy but definitely amplify the volume when required. At time it reminds me of Pink Floyd jams and other moments it’s sweet like lemon iced tea made from some lost mountain spring. Maybe just the gear they are using where certain moog settings are unswappable it feels like another successful genre retro-record with enough variety you might find at your regular whirling dervish bionic hashish market. Other times it’s a Jonestown Massacre happening and a little female birdy is telling you to set your ears on right because the dream and feeling is real. Take it for a ride.
7 Inch Friday: I remember hearing “You Don’t Love Me Yet” on WFMU and then stumbling on the 7″ in a west village record shop so many moons ago and recall thinking this music is so some crafty stuff even if they were both covers –what a way to do it. Bongwater was Kramer and Ann Magnuson (actress) and were always backed with some great musicians and song writers David Licht and Dave Rick plus a bunch of others. This record like all of the other Bongwater tunes were produced and engineered by Kramer at his studio Noise New York. He would later move recording studio to New Jersey and record bands like Ween, Mars Needs Women and False Front. One of the many shows I caught at cbgbs in 1991 was Bongwater. Magnuson was already a redhead but came out with all this super long wigs wearing some crazy boas and sexily vocalizing with her spoken wordish ways.
If these are the first two songs you hear by underground legends Bongwater they are great ones but if can find it pick-up Double Bummer first which contains some of the early releases and then work your way to Power of Pussy, Too Much Sleep or the The Big Sell-Out from their discography. I hear there is a bootleg I need to try and find but anyway. For many years after the break-up the two did not get along over some shady business dealing that ended in Kramer’s label Shimmy disc going under. Everybody was ready to sell-out in those days with no fear of prosecution. They were a great musical pair in a very new york hip sonny and cher kitchy kind of way. Kramer would play his Hoffner (Beatles bass) up into his gut with out a strap and she would rant about celebrities any where from Bowie, Nick Cave or Lenny Kravitz. One way to think about them is a pre-curser to the band She & Him but the rated X version. Half their set were covers built on soundscape assaults interwoven with Magnuson’s spoken word dream journal and super sexy burlesque outfits. The music painted a picture in my imagination alright that would be soundtrack to many a night. Magnuson still acts and lives in Silverlake and Kramer has moved himself to Florida still offering his reverb mixing services.
Richard Metzger‘s Video for “Power of Pussy.” This song was a super hit except the title would hold it back from any sort of public airplay. It is a cult classic done for $1,000. Great video description and write-up on the Daily Swarm.
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