Strange jukebox indeed
Four selections from Uvulittle Records' catalog
(Stream: "Kyrie")
Want the feeling of being trapped in church with a duo of avant-garde musicians? The title of Chicago duo Jack The Dog's album Missa Canibus translates to "Mass Of The Dogs," and combines plodding, minimalist compositions with spoken passages and choirs inspired by the Catholic Mass. It isn't as dry as that might suggest: "Osanna" and "Alleluia" capture the sound of somber voices echoing through a cavernous church, and plenty other tracks summon up drones, field recordings, and a twitchy vibraphone. It's even got readings from the Bible. Hain says it's "by far the most unpopular CD we've ever put out.... that was a real lesson in learning to manufacture short runs with the weird stuff."
(Stream: "That Drifter's Song")
Speaking of "the weird stuff," one of the label's standbys, MiLkBabY improvises a disjointed space soundtrack on this live disc. It's held together by ethereal, swirling loops of vocals, percussion, and gurgling synths, allowing the band to throw in just about anything else (harmonica, bells, guitar, more percussion) as it goes. MiLkBabY sounds more interested in making all of these elements pulse into an unusual sonic mass than it does in moving a tune along. Still, whether it's entrancing or just odd, the band pulls off its arty wandering with a sense of childlike curiosity. The group broke up last month, but member Barry Bennett is playing Saturday's show as part of another group, The Impending Behavior Orchestra.
This disc from the Madison klezmer ensemble Yid Vicious was what Hain calls the label's first big money maker and continues to be a top seller. Of course, Madison is in love with its own little eccentricities, but this early seven-piece version of the band vividly tackles the spirit of klezmer music, equal parts stately, impish, and fun. Despite some electric guitar and song titles like "Never Mind The Cossacks," Hain thinks of this as Yid Vicious' most traditionally minded release. The fiddle, clarinet, trumpet, and euphonium bring a spark to the form, but without trying too hard to be edgy.
Brian Daly, the current owner of Madison's DNA Studios, has helped out with a lot of Uvulittle's releases as a recording engineer and producer. This album, from the rock trio he sings and plays guitar for, showcases an odd mix of modesty and obsession. The tunes on See The River Rise build on bright, compact guitar hooks and a solid rhythm sections. Even when he's at the front, Daly still comes off like the workman guy behind the boards: His take on pop is to mix up simple pleasures with a fresh kick, and even though he's thoughtful, he doesn't have an overbearing personality to weigh down the fun. The album's been through a few different pressings already, mostly because Daly keeps going back to work on it, keeping the same tracklisting but making little sonic tweaks and improvements. Refreshingly, that's the weirdest thing about it.
