art rock

Duncan Browne: Ragged Rain Life (1973)

2014/11/26

Duncan Browne Londoner Duncan Browne is another one of those brilliant, forgotten ones. In 1973, with classical guitar in tow, he released another great totem for neo-folk music. His self-titled sophomore album combined some of that astounding experimentation with folk forms that John Martyn had shown, only he did it with more tempered, bittersweet music.…
Carolanne Pegg: Open the Door (1973)

2014/11/22

Carole Pegg I guess you can call this a “A Track, A Day” exclusive. Remember the sinisterly awesome Mr. Fox band? Lead by Bob and Carole Pegg, they pioneered a darker form of neo-folk which drew from their Yorkshire Dale region. Before the dark tales of Comus, theirs was the haunting sound that shocked early…
Franco Battiato: Sequenze e Frequenze (1973)

2014/09/27

I’m heading into the island of Milo, Sicily for a tiny bit. Back to catch what Franco Battiato was doing around this time. What a surprise it is to see him wrap up all his first stabs at mixing the electronic with the serene into one way too far ahead for its time musical statement.…
Bernard Lavilliers: San Salvador (1975)

2014/09/25

Bernard Lavilliers Now here’s a man that walked the walk and talked the talk. Today’s track of the day, the unique groove of “San Salvador” by Bernard Lavilliers introduces us to the sound of the Southern hemisphere via the offbeat French pop we all might not know nor love. There’s something about Bernard that informed…
Léo Ferré: Il n’y a Plus Rien (1973)

2014/09/24

Leo Ferre – 1973 I’m back on the saddle again and ready to share with you another unique artist. For today, I’m heading back to Europe. I’m there for music that outside of its own country of origin, remains waiting for the world at large to discover. Well, today’s track of the day Leo Ferre’s…
Fausto: Olha o Fado (1982)

2014/09/22

Fausto Bordalo Dias Now that I’ve shared the brilliance of Carlos Paredes and Zeca Afonso with y’all I have to tie the influence those two artists together had right? If ever there was a musical masterpiece that just screams with the unique sound and influence of Portugal its Vila Franca das Naves-native Fausto’s Por Este…
Camarón de la Isla: Volando Voy (1979)

2014/09/18

Camarón de la Isla – 1979 Flamenco music, oh what bane you have been dealt with. If, you ever encounter flamenco music in popular culture its usually as a type of dead language music. Seeing billowy dressed people stomp their feet, sing with overdramatic melisma, and pointless guitar flourishes you wouldn’t be wrong to have…
The Outsiders: Misfit (1968)

2014/09/16

The Outsiders Years before the MC5 or the Stooges planted the seeds of American proto-punk, and a couple of years after the Sonics and the Monks helped create garage rock, a couple of Dutch boys had already created music that went beyond proto-anything and issued a heavy statement defying any type of categorization. Helmed by…
Pärson Sound: Tio Minuter (1968)

2014/09/15

Parson Sound – 1968 You know, there’s one thing I refuse to do. Outside of work and a very little bit at home, I refuse to put on headphones and shut myself from the sounds of the world around me. Its the uncontrolled sound of hums, rumbles, breezes, pling, plongs, foreign audio soundtracks, and every…
Rodion G.A.: Stele si lumini (1980)

2014/09/12

Rodion GA – (Rodion pictured far right) In Cluj, Romania, in the year 1975, a young man, Rodion Ladislau Roșca, in the throes of Nicolas Ceaușescu’s attempt to introduce a kind of North Korean-style communist cult control, whittled away DIY-style making some of the most unique grooves to come out of Europe. Defiant to his core,…