John Roseboro, Leah Thomas and Gong Gong Gong 工工工 meets Mong Tong.
Twisted post-Bossa, shoegazy freak folk and a lost, pan-Asiatic psychedelic kung fu soundtrack. Thursday is looking up.
John Roseboro - Fools (Public Confession Art House)
Roseboro started popping out some pretty idiosyncratic singer songwriting in 2021, which on quick appraisal is remarkable for its lack of polish and care free, acoustic approach which oozed disdain for today’s shiny, over produced mainstream music by numbers and a certain disregard for success.
He could have blown his cover with the new LP though. This time he’s invited his New York muso mates along for the ride, who variously add a bit of propulsion, vocal sweetness, as well as some string and wind flesh to the previously bare singer songwriter bones. There’s also a more cohesive album approach which is less easy to ditch, and a twisted Bossa thread that provides a nagging familiarity to the steadily jazz licked, pan-American freak folkiness.
Cohesiveness in no way means compromise though. There is still a singularity to proceedings, not the least of which is Roseboro’s quirky lyrical and stylistically meandering vocal approach which requires a buy in and perhaps similarly alternative world view, but those putting their hands in their pocket will be well rewarded as the curtains are finally pulled back to reveal an accomplished guitarist, natural band selector and leader, as well as a vulnerability to the louche swagger. Whether he wants to or not I think he’s going to make it.
Lea Thomas - Cosmos Forever (Triple Dolphin)
Lea Thomas is a shapeshifting folk artist that likes to keep her fans guessing. Hailing from Maui, she’s ditched Hawaii for the more climatically variable and (I’m guessing) folk attuned Hudson Valley. It’s certainly had the benefit of being closer to TSMM favourite John Thayer who’s been enabling her singer songwriting whimsy, both in front of and behind the mixing desk.
Her new LP starts traditionally enough, but almost immediately notes start getting stretched beyond all reason into a firm bed of electric guitar drones and low key dramatic chords giving the opening track a (distant) thunderous, psychedelic slowcore backdrop for Thomas’ unhurried acoustic guitar picking and sunnier, daydreamy vocal delivery. With the scene set the album proceeds more or less on this course and to be honest I’d probably be content with that but, and I imagine with Thayer’s gentle encouragement, some freak folk rockiness, mazy shoegazyness and dream pop seamlessly morph into the mix to really elevate this LP over her more music by numbers inclined peers.
Quite why this LP is not getting more streams and sales is probably more to do with marketing budget than quality. Whilst you’re providing the grassroots word of mouth support or social media acceleration, can I suggest checking Blue of Distance - her ambient folk duet with Thayer, and the more recognisable good ol’ girl folk rock joys of Mirrors To The Sun. She’s one of the good ones.
Gong Gong Gong 工工工 & Mong Tong - Mongkok Duel 旺角龍虎鬥 ( Rose Mansion Analog)
It’s been one way traffic for far too long, but Asian music is finally infiltrating the West . I have a theory that the shift is caused by the K and J-Pop girl and boy groups being given major label, international marketing support. If so it’s having a rare and most welcome secondary effect of sweeping a lot of more underground sounds along in the slipstream, or at least attracting western eyes eastwards to explore the previously hidden, eclectic array of sounds hidden behind the language barriers. I certainly seem to be regularly stumbling across some impressive psychedelic rock mutations.
On this rare show of unity Taiwan’s Mong Tong unite with China’s Gong Gong Gong 工工工 to highlight that collaboration trumps conquest any day of the week. GGGIII have always been the rawer of the two opting for a purposeful, unpolished bass and guitar journey to the heart of the sun, whilst Mong Tong tended to flesh out their lack of manpower with overdubbed instruments, electronics and field recordings to warmer, yet similarly lysergic effect.
The new LP is an imagined soundtrack to a lost kung fu movie, and as well as being thankful for the soundtrack I’m now hoping some 70’s fight film noir footage is invented as well . Perhaps it’s the concept helping, but despite all the cooks in the kitchen nothing is overcooked. Purposeful psychedelic minimalism and stripped back insistent grooves with a post punk meets krautrock urgency, rather than blaxploitation funkiness are the order of the day, and film or no film I’m here for it.
Playlist Companions:
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