These Trails - These Trails [Sinergia, 1973] 320 kbps

01. These Trails 1:24
02. Our House In Hanalei 1:51
03. Of Broken Links 1:40
04. El Rey Pescador 3:07
05. Psyche I & Share Your Water 5:22
06. Hello Lou 3:47
07. Rusty's House & Los In Space 5:49
08. Psyche II 2:30
09. Sowed A Seed 2:17
10. Rapt Attention 2:15
11. Waipoo 2:36
12. Garden Botanum 3:31



Guitar - Dric Kingsbury
Synthesizer, Recorded By, Arranged By, Mixed By - Dave Choy
Written-By, Dulcimer, Guitar, Vocals - Margaret Morgan
Written-By, Guitar, Sitar, Vocals - Carlos Pardeiro
Written-By, Guitar, Tabla, Vocals - Patrick Cockett

Originally released in 1973
Recorded at Sinergia, Inc. Honolulu

'These Trails was an Honolulu, Hawaii group that was privately pressed on Sinergia Records in 1973. Their eponymous debut is an album that skillfully combines a keen sense of melody with otherworldly vocals from the enigmatic, late 'Margaret Morgan' and innovative sonic experimentation that over 30 years later has stood the test of time. What's more, the band furnished each of its tracks with the colours, scents and atmospheres of the botanical treasure of the volcanic Pacific island paradise that birthed them.

These Trails incorporate the synthesizer and multiple vocal tracks into something rich, moody and magical - with warbling frequency modulation complimenting Morgan's amazing slow vibrato, fleshed out by graceful acoustic guitars. The songs are full of simple beauty and the power of the performances will never diminish over time.

Each track stands out: "Psyche I & Share Your Water" is a 5 minute track begins with a calm, soothing Folk feel highlighted by some fine acoustic guitar work. Eventually it descends into bad trip territory with ghastly vocals and spooky electronics – an outstanding track, very trippy and worth the price of admission alone. 'Garden Botanum' is another strong highlight that hits like a ray of Hawaiian sunshine, the arrangements are free and green with lots of interesting twists, the vocals are beautifully exotic. 'Rapt Attention' is short, perfect ditty with a twee, joyful feeling and an incredible vocal performance. This is an unbelievably wonderful piece of music and one of the greatest albums of the 70s.' ~ ???

i humbly concur. the sweetest hawaiian psychedelique folk record ever manifested & still a favourite around deez parts. the tremulous trills of maggie's warbling vibrato, coupled with the gloop n' gurgle of vintage synths amidst a beautiful bed of acoustic alchemy make for an enchanting listen. nice feet too. upgrades are go. 320 blessings upon the originilluminator

Ayuo ~ Izutsu [Tzadik, 2000]

צ TZ7227

01. Taiyo 12:38
02. Ama No Umi 2:25
03. Lament 6:29
04. Izutsu 1 2:35
05. Izutsu 2 1:59
06. Izutsu 3 2:00
07. Izutsu 4 2:29
08. Izutsu 5 3:26
09. Izutsu 6 3:28
10. Izutsu 7 7:34
11. Izutsu 8 4:44
12. Izutsu 9 2:31
13. Izutsu 10 5:16
14. Izutsu 11 2:38
15. Izutsu 12 2:48



Producer, Harp, Guitar, Sitar - Ayuo
Vox - Makiko Sakurai
Koto - Yagi Michiyo [tracks: 4 - 15]
Oboe [Hichiriki] - Nakamura Hitomi [tracks: 4 - 15]
Sho - Tono Tamami [trx: 4 - 15)
Chorus - Ito Ayumi [trx: 4 - 15] , Tsukagoshi Hiroko [trx: 4 - 15]
Flute [Ryuteki] - Sasamoto Takeshi [trx: 4 - 15]

'This work is a type of opera based on the great Noh play Izutsu, written by Zeami in the late 14th century. Ayuo has employed the use of hurdy-gurdy, Celtic harp, something he calls "sitar-guitar," Dharma-vina, and traditional gagaku instruments that come from the royal court music of Japan and Korea. But it is the vocals of Makiko Sakurai that pull these disparate elements into a whole so haunting and beautiful that it feels otherworldly at times. Sakurai hovers and swoops, weeps and cries, and philosophically intones over the proceedings. It doesn't matter that it's in Japanese (there are some translations); the emotions inherent in these pieces are shot through with sincerity and empathy. Each utterance is a vibration against eternal silence while acknowledging its eternal presence. There are places of musical and vocal interplay, such as on the opening chant, which lasts a bit over 12 minutes, or the shimmering, sadly beautiful "Izutsu 4," where double-tracked vocals and a Celtic harp pine to each other in sorrow. It feels more like a prayer than an aria with accompanying chorus, and perhaps it is. Ayuo has written a masterpiece of modern music that, while rooted in a Japan he admits he has never seen but only imagined, is its own country, a territory that unites the mind and the heart in sound, thought, and word. It is absolutely stunning; a classic of new music. [A note to store owners and record buyers: never mind where to classify it, just play it in store and it will sell itself.] ~ AMG

happy holydaze. very engaged in the physical realm but here goes another contempo japanese ensemble featuring diverse instrumentation & lovely melodies; the brilliant tzadik debut from ayuo & his crew. 320 kbps + skans n' such. fanx to the originilluminator

Tony, Caro & John ~ All On The First Day [1972] @320

arrrr, peep my piratical sweaterrrrr

01. The Snowdon Song
02. Eclipse Of The Moon
03. Meg III
04. Snugglyug
05. Apocalypso
06. Sargasso Sea
07. Swordsman Of Samoa
08. There Are No Greater Heroes
09. Waltz For A Spaniel
10. Hole In My Heart
11. Morrison Heathcliff
12. Don't Sing This Song
13. Homecoming
14. All On The First Day
15. Swirling Sphere
16. Children Of Plenty
17. Forever And Ever
18. Tons Tons Macoutes



'Somewhere between the whimsy of The Incredible String Band and the stark beauty of Vashti Bunyan lie Tony, Caro and John. But it is better when Tony tells it. 'Fans of Fairport Convention, Incredible String Band, Pentangle, Bert Jansch, Espers, Vashti Bunyan... enjoy. All On The First Day by Tony, Caro and John was first issued in 1972, the result of a one year burst of creativity triggered by a lucky encounter between us -- three hippy folkie musicians and our first decent tape recorder... A lot has been written about the sixties and seventies as a social phenomenon, as a time of upheaval of values. However, at the time we had no idea that we were in some kind of historical transition. We were just being there. For all we knew, the eighties and nineties were going to be equally radical, or maybe there was not going to be any eighties and nineties at all. Vietnam was still raging, the Cold War was at its height, and nuclear destruction was just around the corner. But man, did we have a lot of fun. The only rule was anything goes, everything is equally valid. The songs were recorded by John on a Ferrograph tape recorder with track-to-track facility -- quite low tech even for the time, but the best we could do with almost no budget. The machine allowed us to overdub in mono but only by rerecording the backing track each time. That meant you had to play the part right and mix the backing track in at the right level all in one go -- tricky even on a good day. Luckily we didn't know the rules or we probably never would have started... After a while we figured enough people had told us they liked the tracks, and that we had enough outlets through friends, clubs etc., to put it out on a record, so we saved up our cash, chose our favorite tracks at the time and had them mastered at Eden Studios in South London. We pressed 100 copies, we sold them quite quickly, then moved on...' ~ Tony Dorè

perch merch

recently noticed this holy grail o' shimmering acid folklore has been re-ished on wax, so being the responsible sweetheart that i am [or total scum, depending on who you axe], it seemed an ideal occasion to drop the 'original' shadoks re-ish from moons ago & elevate awareness a twinge :) listen up me hearties cuz there are no greater heroes, than deez. 320k for the bit-racists, beautiful booklet incruded

L ~ Holy Letter [Holy Castle, 1992] Japan

01. Cold Was the Ground
02. Blues Trip #1
03. Blues Trip #2
04. Blues Trip #3
05. Utusimi
06. Holy Letter
07. Ben Ares Blue
08. Blues Trip #4
09. Troll
10. Blues Trip #5
11. Kiev

7"
A1. Azrini
B1. Harvest



All tracks composed and arranged by L except [1], composed by Blind Willie Johnson
L [Hiroyuki Usui] ~ 6-string, 12-string, bottleneck, bass, vibes, drums, assorted percussion, tam-tam, organ, harmonium, didjeridu
Taku Sugimoto: electric guitar [9]
Masaaki Motoyama: cello [6]
Engineered and produced by L

'L is the moniker of Hiroyuki Usui, one-time drummer for Fushitsusha and member of Marble Sheep. Recorded in 1989-90 and subsequently self-released with abysmal distribution, the venire is often serene, but the roiling white-heat psychedelia of Fushitsusha is present but sublimated; electric instruments, when present, vie with harmonium, didjeridu, cello and various assorted percussion, all creating a sonic blend in which every individual sound can be heard with stunning clarity. Even field recordings of muffled voices, waves and thunder – sounds that can easily be buried – are heard as stark backdrops against the silence. When the brew does reach boiling point, as in several of the five pieces called 'Blues Trip,' the tam-tam and kettle drum eruptions are momentary, transient microcosms of emotion which then submerge again into the uneasy calm.' ~ dusted

'Holy Letter is a barely-circulated masterpiece of deeply felt self-expression. Recorded in 1989/1990 by Hiroyuki Usui, Holy Letter beautifully captures the spirit and substance of a half-dozen of the key sub-underground pillars of sound. Working with guitar, vocals, vibes, harmonium, bass, drums, cello, field recordings, digeridoo, and more, Usui-san blends delicate folk, psychedelia, and experimental sounds into a mostly subdued but undeniably glowing suite. The layered but careful instrumentation on tracks like the epic 'Holy Letter' and 'Troll' backs the alternately plain-spoken and crooning vocals perfectly. Odd touches like snatches of throat singing and bowed vibraphone leap out of the mix at just the right time. There are overt references to the blues [the first track is an oblique cover of 'Cold Was The Ground'] - but other than the occassional slide guitar touch, the connection is overwhelmingly in the timeless feeling and atmosphere. I can hardly think of anything else like 'Holy Letter' but suffice to say if you like Richard Youngs, Popol Vuh, Six Organs of Admittance, Tim Buckley, acid-folk, japanese underground - anything like that - this is an essential purchase. Really, I'm not doing it justice.' ~ press hype

4 track superhero 'L' dropped this hazy vision of way out loner folk when i was still listening to honeywell erryday. at some point in the late neindeez, a wisened sage thoughtfully floated me a cassette with this album on one side & the black vial on the flip. still one of the best tapes anyone has ever made a bra. amazing how fresh it still sounds. here goes me 320 rip of the album & a scrounged rip of the accompanying [comparatively mediocre] 7" . oh, vhf re-issued this nugget awhile ago & that version can still be found on the cheap & even has an extra track. moody lo-fi fun