In which Actress douses the rejoicing Noah with gallons of water, slips him a stiffener, and pulls him by the marimbas straight onto the dancefloor. Cracking remix.

Ghanaian highlife bombs: giants like K. Frimpong, African Brother Nana Ampedu, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley (with The Complex Sounds); unfamiliar names like Los Issufu and his Moslems, Waza Afrika, Funky Afrosibi.

‘The first new Sun City Girls release since Funeral Mariachi ten years ago, Live at the Sky Church is a performance that melds their signature alien-jazz improv, Asian-tinged psychedelia, and Middle Eastern meditations together with their ranting psychodrama. An audio and visual recording from Seattle in 2004 shows a group that is both aware and committed to its history, while still demonstrating the power of the experimental to drive an enormous cudgel through the heart of those who believe they have all the answers.’
Includes DVD.
“LONG MAY THEY ISOLATE.”—John ‘Inzane’ Olson (American Tapes, Wolf Eyes, etc).

‘Verve By Request.’

Two World Pacifics from 1959, The Swingers! and A Gasser! (featuring Annie Ross on her own). Straight songs and hip new renditions of great stuff like Little Niles, Four, Airegin, Now’s The Time.

Sweet Stalag business.

In the view of Robert Crumb (who did the lettering for the cover). Tenor, baritone, electronics, music box. Great repertoire — Ellington, Ayler, Lars Gullin’s fabulous Danny’s Dream — done charged, lyrical justice.

Brilliant, dazed and skewiff electro-pop from Fact magazine’s label of the year. The Autre Ne Veut is pretty great, too.