Bask interview on Dec. 12 Tuesday Asheville FM Music Sessions, 5-6pm

Airing Saturdays at 11 am, Brown Mtn. Lights spans the musical horizons from folk, jazz, Americana, rock to blues and beyond. This year, we saw so many amazing releases now that the music world is in post-pandemic recording and touring mode. Since we rarely repeat a spin, it was hard to narrow down this year’s most interesting records, but here are some gems that we really dig this year:

Fire! Orchestra: Echoes [Rune Grammofon]

The newest release from the mind blowing and huge [43 person] mostly Scandinavian ensemble led by saxophonist Mats Gustafsson features 80+ minutes of explosive music. Blending rock, jazz, avant garde and classical, Fire! Orchestra pulls all the punches. Free jazz legend Joe McPhee makes a submerged guest appearance on a stand-out track, I see your eye Pt. 2.  Whatever you call this music…..it is thrilling and all-encompassing.

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Kaze & Ikue Mori: Crustal Movement [Libra Records]

While the pandemic does seem to be in the rear view mirror, this album emerged sort of miraculously from it. Featuring 2022 MacArthur Genius recipient and no-wave and all around experimental music legend, Ikue Mori on electronics, drummer Peter Orins and pianist Satoko Fujii, this album is a sonic adventure.  With sections offering incredible dynamics, space and anarchy, it’s a great testament to the abilities of these musicians to work in the challenging conditions of the pandemic to assemble these improvisations remotely into something rather amazing.

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Nightbeats: Rajan [Suicide Squeeze Records]

Danny Lee “Rajan” Blackwell leads this Texan-born, Seattle-based, guitar-drenched psychedelic band on their 5th album. This one features a touch of Indian sounds blended with elements of The Seeds, early Stones and maybe a sprinkle of Graham Parsons.  The Brown Mountain Lights creative crew all [1 of us] approve of this happy mix.

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Josephine Foster: Domestic Sphere [Fire Records]

With a voice like a distant theremin on a windy prairie, Foster’s quivering music evokes the lonely landscape.  Soothing yes, but also unsettling, like a midday dream, her newest record is very stripped down, but she fills the space with the occasional gathered sound and floating lyrics that are….well….haunting: “Darling I am a haunted house / All earthly things are snares, you see / Take the breath from my mouth / Ease the door, now let me be / For / I am a haunted house / There is no light in me ”  

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Hayden Pedigo: The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored [Mexican Summer]

Fans of the primitive guitar work of John Fahey or newer purveyors of the form, like William Tyler, might check out this 29 year old’s newest record. Anything from the Mexican Summer label typically catches our ears, and this one shows the incredible promise of Pedigo’s guitar work. He’s one to watch….

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Desire Marea: On the Romance of Being [Mute]

South African queer performer, actor, and trained spiritual healer Buyani Duma performs under the stage name, Desire Marea. His 2nd album employs a 13 member ensemble and combines house, gospel, Zulu tribal sounds and much more into an indescribable social and artistic statement. The daring video to the album’s frenetic centerpiece, “Be Free” encapsulates how Desire Marea beautifully represents the past, present and future of Afro-pop, and maybe just all pop.

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The Nude Party: Rides On [New West Records]

Boone, NC-born, New York-based psych-folk/ country-rockers have caught their unassuming groove on their third full-length, self-produced record.  What if the Velvets and the Stones took a trip into the desert with Sky Saxon behind the wheel of a 70’s shag carpeted van?  Ride on…..

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Bonnie Prince Billy: Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You [Drag City]

Like some kind of weird orange wine aged in an underground cask, Will Oldham’s music has a peculiar presence on the palate; invigorating with obscure floral notes, and…..just a little sour. His newest, and 21st record under the BPB moniker, has unforgettable lines that come straight at you like mini sermons from a front-porch prophet.  Consider “Trees of Hell“: “The trees have come to take back what wе took away from them / We yanked thеir roots, claimed their branches, pulled them limb from limb / We stole and violated all that would have been shared swift / We saw inherent harmony, assumed it was our gift” This is one of his best records.

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Hauschka: Philanthropy [City Slang]

His newest album after winning an Oscar for the soundtrack for last year’s remake of All Quiet on the Western Front, Hauschka is Volker Bertelmann‘s prepared piano project.  Getting the most out of both the percussive and string aspects of the piano, Philanthropy is a mostly positive minimalist record with titles that highlight humanity’s best attributes. My favorite is the propulsive opener, “Diversity.” An inspiring record that goes great with reading, running, walking, sitting, talking, cooking, eating, listening, etc”

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Cable Ties: All Her Plans [Merge Records]

A great fist pumping record from Australia proving that punk’s central attributes are timeless and essential.  The third album from the Melbourne trio led by Jenny McKechnie features some great anthems to our most crucial issues from mental health, addiction, to trusting others and….well….the basic need for love.  Check out the great mix of angry fire and devotion in “Time for You.” This is a great band.

This week on the show, you’ll hear an interview with Lala an anarchafeminist in the Azerbaijani group Feminist Peace Collective about the recent war against and expulsion of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, about the Aliyev regime and patriotic elements in Azerbaijan’s reaction against anti-militarist voices, conspiracy theories and real critiques of non-profit NGO’s versus grassroots lgbtq+ and feminist organizing, and other topics. You can learn more about Lala’s group at FeministPeaceCollective.Com. The full episode can be found here.

On December 19^th at 8pm Caucasus time / UTC+4 (or 11am Eastern Standard or 8am Pacific Standard time) Feminist Peace Collective is hosting an online discussion with Dr. Chiara Bottici via zoom called “Anarchafeminism in troubled times” and with a focus on antifeminist and anti-queer backlash and war in the South Caucasus, central Asia, Turkey and Russia. There’s a registration link here.

Links from Lala

• Antidoqma, posts in English, Russian and Azerbaijani
• FemUtopia (facebook), posts in Azerbaijani
• Transvisionary (Instagram), also posts in Azerbaijani
• Nafas LGBT (Telegram) , in Azerbaijani
• Queer Radar, in Azerbaijani
• Başla, radical publishing (translates literature in azerbaijani on facebook)
• Egalite, radical publishing (facebook)

Announcements

Fundraiser for Emergency Committee for Rojava

There’s a GoFundMe fundraiser for the guests of our October 15^th interview, the Emergency Committee for Rojava including some thank-you gifts. More details at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-emergency-committee-for-rojava-2023

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Featured Track:

• Down 4 Life (instrumental) by DJ Muggs