Distribution changes & more jazz

So, we got a DMCA takedown notice. I'm not particularly fazed, but perhaps it may be prudent to find a new means of distribution.
So, here's what's going to happen from now: We'll be maintaining a nicely ordered pastebin with all the links so as to provide a layer of obfuscation. I'll also be switching to mega for hosting as it seems more ideal. The pastebin link can be obtained from our IRC channel topic (#mus/a/k on rizon.net), and will remain a constant link so if you really hate us in there you can always bookmark it and never come back.

Now, with that out of the way, let's get some more jazz up in here. This will be a pretty big post, hope you enjoy!

Eggmun:
Chihiro Yamanaka - Because

A well-accomplished Japanese pianist with a very sizeable discography, to which Because is one of the more recent additions, Chihiro Yamanaka has a very refined style which sits in a comfortable position between calm and complex - something to play when you're after a bit of flavour, but you're not after the intensity of say, Uehara or Corea. In my eyes, a lot of Japanese jazz (and I mean 'academic jazz' if you get me, not wild bands like Soil and Pimp or Katteni-Shiyagare) tends to emulate jazz almost perfectly, but by and large doesn't bring anything new to the table. Don't get me wrong, it's very good, very standard; it's not an inherently bad thing and even if it were there's still certainly magnificent exceptions. Because mostly doesn't challenge this, but certain songs make me think it wants to. 'Honey Pie' introduces a melodica out of nowhere, 'Michelle' turns the mood of the album on its head yet still remains thematically relevant, and 'It Was A Beautiful 8 Minutes Of My Life' is an impossibly smooth number, probably up there in my top 5 trio pieces. Overall the album does not disappoint, and is fine listening to casually in parts or seriously in one sitting.

The Bad Plus - Prog

These guys are fun. Prog is overall perhaps their most solid album, but I'd definitely say that their other stuff is a very fine listen too. Crazy solos, wild interpretations of other songs - it may take a while to get used to these guys but I guarantee it will grow on you. I'd say they'd fall under avant-garde jazz, although saying that leaves a bit of a funny taste in my mouth: 'avant-garde' tends to call forth images of strange sounds, discord and noise that could only be called music under a loose interpretation of music―but The Bad Plus don't go that far. The avant-prog sections are maybe borderline schizophrenic at times, but it's all very musical and ties in very nicely. Listening to an entire album in one sitting may be a bit much however, I'd  suggest taking these guys a song or two at a time.

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Infernal Machines
So, we've had some standard jazz with Because, and some totally wack shit with Prog, now we find ourselves somewhere between those two on the spectrum. These guys fancy themselves an 18-piece steampunk big band, though their music alone perhaps doesn't convey that concept fully. Nonetheless, this is truly modern jazz that isn't 'too modern', it's very new, it's very smooth. Another album that works fine in pieces, but I'd suggest setting some time aside for it and taking it all in. There's an incredible amount of depth to this album, and I think I discover something new about the music every time I listen to it. 

Lawrell:

Indigo Jam Unit - Demonstration

Like a lot of Japanese jazz bands (Soil & "Pimp" Sessions immediately comes to mind), this trio has a particularly modern sound that I can't quite find elsewhere. The songs' structures are much more focused on melodies and chord progression than improvisation, which characterizes American jazz, or at least it did in the past. That is not to say that there aren't any solos in this album, the opening number Giant Swing even has a very groovy double bass solo in it; it just isn't as spontaneous as what you would be accustomed to in 50's-60's American jazz. All in all, Indigo Jam Unit has great players, where no one is more prominent than the other (although they all have their own moments), and Demonstration as a whole has a very modern sound.

The Souljazz Orchestra - Rising Sun

This one's a bit different. This album is an offering from The Souljazz Orchestra, an Afrobeat band from Ottawa. If you aren't familiar with Afrobeat, all you need to know is that it was pioneered in Nigeria in the 1970's, and is influenced by funk, jazz, and distinctive African rhythms and call-and-response vocals. What's different about Rising Sun is that it is completely acoustic (the instruments in Afrobeat usually aren't), which oddly gives it a much jazzier/funkier sound than the rest of this genre's other albums, and apart from a few grunts and chants, it is completely instrumental, so the music is a bit more complex, along with more solos than you would expect. Although I honestly can't tell all its influences, Souljazz introduces many musical influences from around the world in this album, giving it a very lively, fiery sound when it should be, and gives off a very serene feeling when it should be. Overall, amazing compositions and very ambitious instrumentation (over 30 instruments), all played with a great amount of passion. If you are curious about Afrobeat, I would recommend listening to this band's other albums, or anything by Fela Kuti, the main pioneer of Afrobeat music.

Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething

My last album is the lightest of the bunch - some of the songs could pass for slow ballads on pop albums. Of course, that doesn't make it bad per se; the lyrics on some of the songs that Cullum wrote himself are surprisingly insightful, fitting for the album's title. I'd suggest you to listen to the title track to get an idea of what I'm saying, a simple synopsis of the lyrics wouldn't do it justice. The song selection on Twentysomething is something you see often for vocal jazz albums: Jazz standards, mixed in with some of the artist's own compositions, and covers of popular songs here and there. What I thought was interesting was that the songs that are on here generally convey the feelings of a confused twentysomething, naive love (from the jazz standards), longing, and sometimes downright regret towards one's own life choices. It's entirely possible that I'm reading too much into it (I probably am), but this is a nice, light listen nonetheless.