David Bowie - "Is It Any Wonder?" Vinyl, EP, Limited Edition, 2020 (Parlophone)

A six-song 12" EP is another must-have if one is a David Bowie fanatic. Bowie is resembling after-life as a version of Elvis's reissues. Still, the quality is high, and I wonder if it is even possible for Bowie to make a truly bad record?  The answer is no!   The songs here are not totally new, but they are recent recordings made between 1995 and 1998, during his come back, quality-wise, after his "Outside" album and the next underrated "Earthling" recordings.    There are two songs from Tin Machine "Baby Universal" and "I Can't Read," as well as "Stay" from "Station to Station," and "The Man Who Sold The World."  The new songs (at least for me) are "Nuts,' which sounds like the technique of bass n' drums of "Earthling," but has the darker mood of a selection from "Outside." The other tune "Fun (Clownboy Mix)" is not familiar to me.   The song has a nice flow, in fact, the entire collection melts from one song to another.  

This EP is not a rehash but a fresh approach to some of his older songs or re-thought out in a manner for his electro-rock aesthetic at the time. Nevertheless, it's classic Bowie and does show the talents of Reeves Gabriel (now in The Cure) and Mark Plati.  Both contribute a lot to the mixes and their fingerprints on the work come up splendidly.   The Bowie estate is really doing a nice and thorough job in putting out these releases.  When you can, I suggest you buy "Is It Any Wonder? on the Rhino website, here: David Bowie Is It Any Wonder?

Trans - "Green" Vinyl, EP, 33 1/3 RPM, 2014 (Rough Trade)

Trans is a band formed by Bernard Butler, of Suede fame, and John McKeown, who is or was in a group called The Yummy Fur.  Backed by the rhythm section Igor Volk and Paul Borchers, they remind me of Television, just due to the guitars of Butler and McKeown.  What I read of them is that they basically improvise, or jam, and then edit the recordings down, similar to Can's method of writing/making songs.   Also, there is very little information about Trans, because I suspect that the band rather have the music speak for itself, or just weary of the media/music promotion world.  Nevertheless, Trans is really good.

"Green" is minimal in a package, but cool design.  The music has a groove that is Can-like, but again, the guitars how they relate to each other is very Verlaine/Lloyd.   They made two EPs, with four songs each.  "Green" although improvised (in theory) is very melodic, and there is a hardcore guitar sound throughout the four songs.  Vocals are here, but it's the guitars that are forefront.  So if one has a need to hear Neil and classic Crazy Horse, or Can - and as mentioned Television, then Trans fit into that planet in a very organic manner. 

Liquid Liquid - "Successive Reflexes" 12" 45 rpm, Vinyl, EP, Reissue, 2015/1981 (Superior Viaduct)

Liquid Liquid is a remarkable band from New York City, and they made noise in 1981.  "Successive Reflexes" is an EP of five tracks.  They're really not songs, but more of a groove with tons of percussion instruments. There's a tiny essence of a piano, but mostly it's bass and drums.  In a sense, they remind me of ESG, another band from the New York area of that same time/era.  Clearly, LCD Soundsystem is very much influenced by Liquid Liquid, which is a hybrid of post-punk, dance music and disco - yet, more geared in the dub era of Public Image Ltd.   They also remind me a bit of the Factory Records band A Certain Ratio.   

They made live recordings, but I prefer this EP of studio work, due to the experimentation of the sounds they are making.  There is something clinical but raw sounding about their approach, but it is clearly music to make you hop, twist, and shake your body parts.   

Brian Eno - "Rarities" Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 1983 (Editions EG)

I'm such a total record/vinyl geek these days.  I often wake up ashamed of my passion, but then I think of the enjoyment I get from hunting, looking and of course, listening to these damn types of vinyl.  We live in such a horror landscape that even for a few minutes (which I turn to lasting for days) I love being lost in a world that is both exotic and obsessive.  For one, I  have been looking for a vinyl release of Brian Eno's single "Seven Deadly Finns"(1974) and one he did around "Another Green World" "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," which was originally a folk song.  I did find copies of the 45 rpm singles but were way too expensive for me to buy.  Then, suddenly I came upon the "Rarities" disc that was part of a large package "Working Backwards: 1983-1973, which at the time of this boxset release was the entire discography of solo Eno.  Since I have all the albums in this box set, all I wanted was the "Rarities" disc.  It took years, but someone on the Internet was willing to sell just the "Rarities" EP.   Moving like a Seal Navy soldier of fortune, I snapped the record from the other collector.  

"Seven Deadly Finns" is very much the aesthetic of the first two Eno solo albums.  It's a sonic rush of pure mayhem.  I don't know who plays on the recording, but it's such a perfect blend of action - it reminds me of Jackson Pollack doing a painting in front of a movie camera.  If one wants to put the recording in a category I would call it 'hyper-glam.'   "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is minimal in a sense, but somehow sounds maximum.   Eno overdubs his vocals which is a tribute to a 20-century take on folk, which became a hit pop song with the group The Tokens in the 1960s.  Eno loves vocal music and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is the perfect piece of canvas for him to do his painting on.  

The other side is three instrumentals, and all sound like it was recorded during his time working with David Byrne and Talking Heads.  Electro-funk and I haven't the foggiest idea who is on the recordings besides Eno.   The songs are "Strong Flashes of Light," "More Volts," and "Mist/Rhythm."  All three are excellent works.