Doom & Gloom Dispatch #16: Delayed Reaction Brats

Royal Arctic Institute, Luna, Bob Dylan, White Heaven, Guided By Voices

The Royal Arctic Institute - From Coma To Catharsis

The only problem I had with the Royal Arctic Institute’s previous release, From Catnap To Coma, was that it was too short. Now, with its follow-up, From Coma To Catharsis, that problem has been solved. As its title implies, this one picks right up where the NYC-based “cinematic jazz quintet” left off with a gorgeous mini-album’s worth of dreamlike compositions, like Tortoise covering Santo & Johnny. Once again recorded with pristine delicacy by Yo La Tengo’s James McNew (hey, they’ve got a new album, too!), the six instrumental tracks here are intricate without being fussy, lovely but not without a slightly restless undercurrent, glacially paced but with plenty of forward momentum. All very nice contrasts! Catharsis awaits.

Luna - The Chapel, San Francisco, California, January 14, 2022

Luna went on a quick west coast tour last month and I was filled with the need to book a flight to go see them — it’s been too long. Alas, that flight didn’t happen, but fortunately a taper was on hand to record this terrific San Francisco gig at the Chapel, a venue where the band feels very comfortable; you can check out some awesome official live recordings made there over on Bandcamp.

A great setlist, kicking off with the rarely played Talking Heads cover “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel” and closing with the even more rarely played Lou Reed cover “Walk On The Wild Side.” I think I’ve only heard Luna do the latter once before on a radio session way back in the 1990s. In between, we get some deep cuts and some hits, all showcasing a band that sounds as good as ever to my ears.

I don’t know what the future holds for Luna — more shows likely, new album less likely. In the meantime, the band is reissuing their debut LP in expanded form. Looks solid, with an entire disc’s worth of early demos and other goodies … I can’t wait.

Bob Dylan - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan, February 10, 1997

Like many of you, I’ve been digging into the latest Bootleg Series over the past few weeks — and no surprise, I’ve been really enjoying it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s a golden age for Dylan fans. Just imagine 10 years ago if you told anyone how many archival treasures (many of which were unheard even by the most die-hard bootleg sicko) would see official release by now … they’d almost certainly say: “I don’t belieeeeeeve you. You’re a LIAR.” Believe it: we’ll be sorting through the Bootleg Series’ riches for decades to come.

Fragments is another winner. Do we need that Time Out of Mind remix? Well, maybe. I like it, anyway — though the 1990s Dylan album that most needs a remix is Under the Red Sky, if you ask me. In a weird way, the de-Lanois-ed mix of TOOM gives me a deeper appreciation of the sonic environment that Dan created for the album; all those instruments and players and overtones blending together, not always totally harmoniously but always totally interesting. However he ended up mixing the finished product, that environment coaxed some astounding performances from Dylan; one of the biggest pleasures of Fragments is just luxuriating in the awe-inspiring crag and grit of Bob’s vocals, getting to hear his various approaches to songs, like an actor trying out different accents, different rhythms, different vibes. In a weird way, it makes me think of the Basement Tapes, when Dylan would disappear into his own voice, time slipping way way way out of mind.

Anyway! Soon after the TOOM recording sessions in early 1997, Bob was back on the road again, heading for another joint — in this case, the Tokyo International Forum. This recording of the second show on the tour is a good place to check out where Dylan was at during this point in the Neverending Tour; he had a new drummer, David Kemper, who would be with him through the Love and Theft days. Guitarist John Jackson was coming to the end of his Dylan stint. Bucky Baxter and Tony Garnier, well, they sound comfortable and groovy. It’s not a completely remarkable show, but that’s not a diss — Bob is very into it vocally and the setlist is nothing to complain about. That “Shelter From The Storm” re-arrangement is a jaunty pleasure and “Love Minus Zero” builds majestically. The crowd participation on the “Highway 61” rave-up is wild. And the “Girl From The North Country” in the encore takes us someplace very wonderful — Dylan’s guitar solos manage to be both heartwrenching and hilarious. As the snowflakes storm here in Colorado, it’s warming me up.

White Heaven - Demos and Outtakes (1980-1991)

The great Black Editions label has reissued White Heaven’s hard-to-come-by second LP Strange Bedfellow — which is very nice of them. First released in 1993, Strange Bedfellow isn’t quite as good as its predecessor, the incredible Out, mainly because it doesn’t feature the god Michio Kurihara. But it’s still damn good, a raw slice of Voidoids damaged garage-psych, with Soichiro Nakamura filling in ably on lead guitar. You definitely want it.

You also definitely want to check out this fan-made comp of primal White Heaven jams, drawn from the years leading up to Out. Super burnt jams, including a truly wild cover of the Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive.” After you’ve enjoyed that, dig into the Ohaluuuuu channel, which features a dizzying selection of deep Japanese underground sounds.

Guided By Voices - Toad's Place, New Haven, Connecticut, October 30, 1995

Back to the Alex Butterfield Archives. This terrific tape captures Guided By Voices opening for Urge Overkill back in the Alien Lanes era — kind of an odd matchup, in hindsight. It was the 1990s, I guess. The tour was fraught with difficulties; in fact, a few days after this Toad's Place gig, GBV was unceremoniously booted by UO. What happened?! Well, fortunately, MTV News was on the case all those years ago:

When we last left Guided By Voices, they had either: 1) Been kicked off the Urge Overkill tour; or 2) Left the tour because things were going so bad for the group. Yesterday, we got the band's side of the story from the one and only Deborah Orr, publicist for Matador Records. "GBV has nothing against Urge Overkill," said Orr, insisting that GBV was not kicked off the Urge tour. "It was completely their own decision to leave the tour. The two bands got along together fine, (Editor: Is that a euphemism?) and leaving the tour had to do with [GBV singer Robert] Pollard's injuries. The most important injury being to Pollard's voice." Being restrained in a choke hold tends to do something nasty to the vocal cords. According to Orr, the whole dispute in Toronto, in which a security guard got violent with the singer, occurred after Pollard walked back out on stage to explain to an insistent audience that, given time constraints, they would not be able to deliver an encore. Pollard, who had been drinking (as usual) believed that he needed to personally explain the circumstances to one fan, but unfortunately the security guards didn't agree, and overreacted. Orr also informed us that GBV will be off the road until March, when they go out to promote their next album, The World Series Of Psychic Phenomena.

So there you have it ... all things considered, Pollard and co. sound magnificent here despite the indie rock drama, parallel lines on a slow decline. Their opening act status means that it's a truncated set — only 18 songs in 41 minutes! With fill-in drummer Craig-O in the lineup, GBV wastes no time, playing plenty of the hits, plus a few previews of Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, which (as the MTV News report shows) was not called that yet. There were a lot of different names for that album: The Power of Suck, The Flying Party Is Here, Mustard Man & Mother Monkey ... There are also a few rarities, like "Delayed Reaction Brats," "The Worryin' Song" and "Uprooted Before Seeding." Thank you once again for the tape, Alex!

PS - You can check out Alex’s own tunes over here and here, too …

From The Doom & Gloom Archives

Robert Forster & Grant McLennan - BR-2 Session, Munich, Germany, May 27, 1999

In between the breakup of the Go-Betweens in the early 90s and their reformation in 2000, the band’s principal songwriters, Grant McLennan and Robert Forster played some acoustic duo shows featuring stripped down versions of Go-Betweens songs, as well as tunes from their respective solo careers. I was lucky enough to catch one of those shows in NYC during the summer of 1999, and it stands as one of the best gigs I’ve ever attended. This isn’t that particular show (though I understand recordings exist), but rather a lovely German radio broadcast, capturing the pair in perfect sound quality. It’s really a breathtaking performance, with a dream setlist and a warm, intimate vibe. I especially like the rearranged versions of a handful of Grant’s solo tunes – though he wrote plenty of good songs during the 1990s, the production on those records usually left something to be desired. “Suicide At Home” and “Easy Come Easy Go” are both definitive readings, with Forster adding some very nice piano to the mix. The chemistry between these two talents is evident throughout – you can really tell that they both appreciated what the other brought to the table. Check out their hushed duet on “Clouds” or the delicate reading of “Right Here.” This one comes highly recommended! 

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