FEATURED ALBUM: Sanhedrin - Ever After

[Zappathustra]

^Jericho (Churchills after namechange).... The first Churchills record is an extremely important artifact in Middle-Eastern rock in general...I absolutely LOVE the s/t Jericho. This is gloriously aggressive for 1972, sitting neatly next to classics like Masters Apprentices' Panama Red or Parachute by the Pretty Things or even monsters like the debut Procession (Frontiera) or Trettioåriga Kriget from a cuppa years after.

I had listened to the s/t Jericho some 5 years ago a couple of times and blew me away, then forgot totally about it. It's a monster, and the comparisons you make are completely valid. Brilliant guitar-driven assault, maintaining though the spirit of freedom of the psychedelic culture. Kill me with your love is glorious - you know I am a sucker for this kind of music.

The first Churchill's is also a beautiful specimen of late 60's psych. I am surprised I knew nothing about it.

Overall, thanks for the Israeli exposition in this thread. Lots of good music I am discovering thanks to it.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ As said, the later stuff (lots of goodies from the 90s and 2000s) is yet to come.

Try to get the Ktzat Acheret, Apocalypse, Sheshet, Zingale, Shlomo Ydov and Cotton Candy by Shlomo Gronich - these are all classic Israeli progressive (or underground) rock albums from 1970-1981 whish have stood the test of time rather brilliantly. There are more too, of course, but these are probably the ones to begin with for the overt "prog" fan.

re: Jericho. "Featherbed" and "Kill Me With Your Love" sound like the tracks Cipollina would have recorded with Man for an imaginary studio album. Syrupy as hell.

[Scrotum Scissor]

whish

Which.


You RIO bastard.

[Udi Koomran]

14 Octaves

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ That's a truly odd one. Good for keeps, but entirely uneven in contents. On the same CD-reissue label as the Ktzat Acheret, Sheshet, Shlomo Ydov et al., but apparently quite scarce and hard to get by nowadays - at least here in Europe.

Some really cozy tunes somewhere between salón jazz, vaudeville, Randy Newman'ish clever pop and more, along with the short instrumental ditties which I suppose make out the "progressive" quota of the record. Nice, not exactly fabulous IMO. Rechter and Kenner were famous in their own right, of course - and the strapped-down duo format actually works quite well here. They're good arragers, singers and multi-instrumentalist performers.

[Udi Koomran]

[Progbear]

Good call on Cotton Candy. It’s rare I hear anyone talk about it. It opens up with an eerie slice of ambient pop and ends with a kind of Gentle Giant sound-alike. In between is...not prog precisely, more of a kind of arty singer-songwriter disc with an emphasis on cinematic keyboards. Anyway, if Anima latina by Lucio Battisti should suddenly (and, let’s be honest, deservedly) earn the praise of hipster record-collectors some 40+ years down the line, I see no reason this album should not earn a similar re-appraisal.

[Udi Koomran]

Check it out

https://youtu.be/W2Mu2cOjRS4

[Camelogue]

When will we see a new release?

[Udi Koomran]

When will we see a new release?

I had the bass player over to see my new room recently
My impression is that its not happening currently .
But Telegraph are working on a new one

[Scrotum Scissor]

"Modern" Israeli this afternoon. Some cheap brandy, a drop of Amaretto and a bit better Scotch in time, for now I'm enjoying some half-bitter Spanish cider (Fonciello) - which is lighter and less sweet than those from northern Europe and even than most food-variants from British cuisine.

I'm running through some great stuff. It isn't often I have time for this anymore, but when I do dwell in I really commit, so today/tonight it's

Sanhedrin - Ever After (of course!); Camel'ish instrumental "symphonic" rock with odd fusion touches (see thread). Not too intricate, but highly refined.
Hot Fur (or Parva Hama) - Hot Fur. Like I wrote earlier; halfway between mid-70s Zappa/Mothers, lite RIO and pop melodies. Good stuff.
Mr. Toad - Trench Art. Strange but very worthwhile release of mishmash folky (quasi-medieval) rock, retro "symphonic" and more. English lyrics.
Karen Alkalay-Gut - Thin Lips. Poet/singstress doing tricky tunes featuring two folks from Ahvak. Art-song (think Laurie A.) vs. electronica.
Sympozion - Kundabuffer. GGiant meets Steve Reich meets National Health in Hebrew. Compositions seriously impressive; performance amazing.
Trespass - Morning Lights. Over-the-top pomp fun from a trio who never heard ELP or Triumvirat but puts both to some shame. English vox.
Lebanon - Planet Rubble. Again. This is one of the best math-rock releases I ever heard this side of Sleeping People.
Sussita - Sussita. Probably the one band who revitalize 70s vibes of Sheshet etc. the most. Mostly acoustic, folky-jazzy stuff. Hebrew vox.
Lemmus Lemmus - Chameleon Mood Swing. Former keyboardist for Rockfour (see below) sweating out some truly Barrett'y atmospheres.
Kruzenshtern I Parohod (plus Vialka!) - (shared release). Russky emigrees doing hyper-manic, quirky electroklezmer zanity. French duo Vialka to boot!
Anakdota - Overloading. A dash of UK, one of GGiant or perhaps Echolyn or Underground Railroad. English lyrics; outstanding playing, great tunes.
Rockfour - Supermarket. The prime post-psych/semi-progressive Israeli group. Levels of songwriting, execution and production are simply astounding.
Ahvak - Ahvak. An earthquake of supremely intricate, dissonant and menacing contemporary progressive rock force. I love this album, always did. And Udi's input rules!
Telegraph - Mir. Somewhat Geffen/Wilson'ish, but less poppy and more enigmatic and - er - cryptic. Grows in time.
Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets. Epic "symphonic" post-metal with their previous extreme-metal antics safely guarded.
Tractor's Revenge (or Nikmat HaTraktor) - Othello. This is the only one of theirs ever available in physical format here in Europe. Fine work.
Quetev Meriri - (Hebrew title; from 2009). They are one of the most fascinating industrial-rock projects in operation, and the cultural depth fits every aura of sound.

I also tried to pull out Dissonant, Ephrat, Amaseffer and Solstice Coil again, but my assessment still stands; they're not very interesting. YMMV.


Not too much activity to speak of right now down there, it seems. According to the 'pedia, avant-garde/experimentalist/progressive rock trends in Israel has shifted largely towards mizrahi and folky variations and approaches. I believe the newest of the above was the Anakdota, and that's five years back. But oh, what loads of fabulous music they were, all of these!

[Zappathustra]

Sympozion - Kundabuffer. GGiant meets Steve Reich meets National Health in Hebrew.

And I would add the loungey, Stereolab-ish melodic lightness. Great stuff.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ The lightness of detail is one of its most intimate assets. Pure sophistication; every note counts.

They were truly both "indebted" and totally contemporary at the same time. Listenable yet -very- complex. As with Ske's 1000 Autunni although arguably sporting a different base of influence. I never tire of listening to this, and it never ceases to impress or even surprise me. Enriching music and everything the 'progressive' in rock was supposedly about. Force by challenge, power by control and still so utterly playful!

If only 3% of other modern "prog" bands could be as developed and visionary as this.

[Zappathustra]

They were truly both "indebted" and totally contemporary at the same time.

I believe this latter part is the most important, and the one which is so disturbingly absent in modern "prog". Of course the setting some 15 years ago was different, because there were bands that would use the rock format in a creative and adventurous way and still break to the mainstream. Bands like Grizzly Bears or Animal Collective or the Battles or Stereolab earlier or whichever. Whereas now rock music is an anachronism in itself, so there's no living process of rediscovering, of reinventing, and of communicating the music to the public. It's all retro nowadays - directed to the nostalgia of middle-aged people.

[JKL2000]

I totally enjoy this album. Really wish they'd crank out another.

Interesting that some think it should have some rougher edges. Isn't there already enough of that? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but sometimes I need this. And to be fair, I think they have more in the way of 'rough edges' than Camel. Just my 2 cents.

Just as the cigarette makers found out in earlier decades, it’s often difficult to strike a successful balance between smooth and satisfying. I think you have to be as good as or at least different different enough from the other smooth and satisfying smokes and bands, or in the case of Camel, both.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ To me, Jed, Mirage was the defining Camel album precisely because they tend to 'rock out' there while still remaining fully adventurous in form and content.

I remember Trond Gjellum (of Panzerpappa) telling me that in a conversation with Richard Sinclair the latter had referred to Mirage as "Andy's record" because Andy Ward apparently had been eager for more intensity after the somewhat subdued sonorities of the debut Camel in '73. When you hear the rawness of "Freefall" opening - which sounds very much live-in-the-studio except for the vocals - session is certainly set for a far more edgy tone than on the debut. And Ward is on fire on most of that record; backing the synth-solo in "The White Rider" for one. Only on "Lunar Sea" did they truly capture that energy later, I think, although they came quite close in tunes like "Unevensong" and "Echoes".

There's also the "God of Light" workout on the Greasy Truckers, though. Both Ward and Latimer are badasses on that one.

[smcfee]

"Modern" Israeli this afternoon. Some cheap brandy, a drop of Amaretto and a bit better Scotch in time, for now I'm enjoying some half-bitter Spanish cider (Fonciello) - which is lighter and less sweet than those from northern Europe and even than most food-variants from British cuisine.

I'm running through some great stuff. It isn't often I have time for this anymore, but when I do dwell in I really commit, so today/tonight it's

Did you ever hear Musica Ficta - A Child and a Well?

[Scrotum Scissor]

Did you ever hear Musica Ficta - A Child and a Well?

Just listened to it - I merely forgot to mention! A good one that too. A bit uneven in spots, but what's good on there is phenomenal.

[Yehuda Kotton]

Lebanon - Planet Rubble. Again. This is one of the best math-rock releases I ever heard this side of Sleeping People.

Not too much activity to speak of right now down there, it seems.

Never Heard of "Lebanon - Planet Rubble"/ Quite listenable.

[flytomars]

Hey Scrot, have you heard of Backnee Horn?
More on the krautish mindbending side of things,
There are some free albums on youtube:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...ctSTuzDLgR00Da

[Udi Koomran]

Dropkin was a collaboration of Jewlia Eisenberg rip with music by Roy Yarkoni.
The lyrics are Hebrew translations of poems by the Yiddish modernist Celia Dropkin (1887-1956).
Her work is intensely personal, rich with violent sexuality, intense longing, and strange explorations of family dynamics.

I Mixed 2 songs for them Lutzifer and Circus Lady

Shhhh here is a Download link

https://we.tl/t-xyEwwANlNu

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Wow. Makes it all the more sad about Eisenberg's recent passing. Thx for the link, Udi.

[Udi Koomran]

Roy Yarkoni of Ahvak and Thin Lips

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Precisely!

Is he up to anything new these days? I guess we could reckon the whole "contemporary Israeli 'prog' scene" pretty defunct now, but surely some of these cats must be active in music one way or another?

[Udi Koomran]

Try this

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/5t2VRSTXMU8nQs9t6