Kevin Dooley-Radio Waves (2011)

For this review, I’m going to review a SoundCloud album by artist Kevin Dooley. This album, called Radio Waves, is an interesting mix of original tunes, sound collage music, and found sounds from shortwave radio. All of the recordings are technically lo-fi in quality. I listened to the almost all of this album yesterday, but it is time for me to review the full thing.

The tracks:

“Petty Crimes”-This 31-second intro consists of a sample from an old record talking about “petty crimes committed by little people”, backed by a droning electronic buzz.

“Interlude 2: John Zorn, Morse Code, and Typewriters”-An interesting collage of the samples described in the title, which mostly makes me think of relaxing cowboy music being interrupted by alien electronics that transforms into a busy workplace accompanied by an old Christian radio broadcast.

“Mr. Ed”-A collage of samples from the Mr. Ed television show, with bouncy, video game-style electronic background music.

“Righteousness”-A warped and distorted recording as captured by shortwave radio.

“A Side of Glass”-An original electronic composition, performed on programmed synth and surf music-style guitar, as dedicated by the performer to the famed composer Philip Glass.

“No Facts”-A shortwave radio collage of music and advertising that is interfered by some strange radio noises.

“Carpenter’s Close to You-KD Remake”-A post-punk-style cover of the classic hit by the Carpenters, featuring a drum machine, distorted electric guitar, almost-shouted vocals, and synthesizer. In some parts, it sounds like a 50’s-style rock n’ roll tune, and there’s some experimental guitar solos in other parts.

“January Mood”-An original modern classical synthesizer composition that also features some experimental acoustic guitar noodling.

“Everybody’s Scared”-A shortwave collage of old-school religious music, pop, and talk radio.

“Transformers”-An instrumental medley featuring backwards synth bass, an experimental synthpop jam, and an industrial synth tune with droning sounds playing in melody.

“Interlude 3 (Bill Frisell in Shortwave Radioland”-A collage of Bill Frisell samples and shortwave radio.

“It Was No Accident”-A sound collage consisting of “easy listening, instructional records, organ music, shortwave radio, and FM radio… Blue Velvet, Berger and Brothers, noise, chatter, instructions on how to build a sewing machine table, bad 80s rock song, radio DJ with teenager on phone”. An interesting number that is a mixture of old fashioned music, radio ads, and arena rock!

“Half a Paragon”-A folk number with acoustic guitar and flanged synthesizer that I believe was recorded on a cassette tape, due to the massive amount of tape hiss on this recording, as if it came from the late 1960’s or early 1970’s.

“Interlude 4”-A collage of found shortwave radio sounds and random sound effects. You can hear a lot of cars zooming by on the road in this recording.

“Negativland Time Zones Remix”-A collage of radio recordings, piano, and Negativland samples, particularly from the track “Time Zones” off of their 1987 album Escape from Noise, and two tracks off of the band’s 1980 self-titled debut album.

“The Faith (JFK Remix)”-A collage of experimental dance music, a John F. Kennedy speech, and baby sounds.

“Elements”-A modern classical composition filled with string arrangements, conducted in a baroque-style manner.

“Gone Fishin-Orchestral Tribute to the Andy Griffith Show Theme”-A completely orchestral version of the theme song for The Andy Griffith Show.

“Pull That Handle-Bill Frisell Meets Instructional Record”-A collage consisting of “an old radio program on sales tactics, sound effects, organ music and music by Bill Frisell.”

“Draw Nigh Unto Elohim-A Mix with Sunday Morning Religious Talk Radio”-A shortwave radio collage of church radio programming.

“Somewhere: Bernstein Mixed with Grateful Dead, the Carpenters, and Ken Nordine”-This also features samples from FM radio and cable TV.

You can find this fantastic collage of randomness at: https://soundcloud.com/kevin-dooley/sets/radio-waves

The Strange and Wacky Music of The Electric Grandfather

The Electric Grandfather is an experimental electronic/electropop project founded by musician Ralph Pidibi. I first discovered them on SoundCloud, and to me, their music is a mixture of The Residents, digital sound collage music, noise rock, and electropop. I would describe their sound as experimental pop with nostalgic wackiness and camp styles.

I’m going to describe the project’s tracks I liked for my SoundCloud page, since the band didn’t release any actual albums.

“Clouds in My Eyes”-This is a noise rock piece featuring out-of-tune electric guitar backed by Chipmunk-style and baritone vocals. This is also augmented by some electronic effects.

“Yesterday is Scheduled Again for Tomorrow”-This features distorted voices, a marching band-style drumbeat, and electronic effects. The distorted voices for much of the track reminds me of the voice heard in the infamous Max Headroom broadcast signal hijack of 1987 (it happened only in Chicago).

“That Kid is Back on the Escalator!”-An array of pulsing electronic effects start the track, developing an EDM-style rhythm as white noise washes and random noises appear. Chipmunk voices begin to sing and talk, along with other random voices, eventually ending with reverb effects.

“The Future Sounds Like a Static Filled Balloon”-Electronic guitar sounds appear along with drums and a series of distorted voices. One part actually loops a bit. It ends with some reversed sounds.

“Ode to the Money Lenders”-This has a strange psychedelic fuzz jam with a distorted African-American-style voice. The guitar used has a Led Zeppelin tone to it.

“Slow Motion Freak-Out”-This has distorted slow-motion voices backed by what I think is a manipulated sample of the Residents’ track “The Mad Sawmill of Copenhagen, Germany”, from their 1971 demo tape The Warner Bros. Album.

“This is the Pit”-This has a looped rock music sample along with distorted Chipmunk voices, a slowed-down voice, and a distorted guitar solo.

“Everywhere You Look”-An experimental hip-hop piece with a looped drum machine rhythm and electronically-altered voice samples, along with some lead vocals.

“White. Hot. Burning.”-Driven by atmospheric guitar melodies and distorted voices.

“The Time has Come”-This has a folky acoustic guitar melody with warbly string effects and distressed lead vocals that almost sounds like that of Roger Waters. It also has other electronic noises in the mix.

“Don’t Forget Bob’s Pipe”-A hip-hop drum machine rhythm plays, along with electronic sounds and distorted singing. A buzzy synth also plays some distorted chords. It gets trippy in the outro.

“Walka Walka Walka”-This has a simple electropop melody backed by piano, distorted vocals and white noise. Normal-sounding group vocals also appear, but in a bit of a falsetto voice.

“Spacely Sprockets is Now Selling Cogswell’s Cogs”-Named after characters from The Jetsons cartoon from the ’60s, this has a desolate dance melody with distorted, rather gruff singing, and odd noises. Try to imagine Jandek experimenting with synthesizers and computers instead of his occasional bleak acoustic guitar and mysterious backing group.

“Huey, Lewey, Dewy and the News”-Named after Duck Tales characters (the characters’ names are misspelled for the title, maybe to avoid copyright infringement claims from Disney) and the pop giants Huey Lewis and the News, this piece has a funky dance beat with distorted, rather atmospheric vocals, distorted guitar, and electronic sounds. Compared to the other pieces mentioned, this is rather catchy and danceable.

“Gracefully Unties Knots”-This has a folky acoustic guitar melody backed by electronic effects and distorted Huckleberry Hound-style vocals.

“Baby! What’d You Do to Your Hair? You Like It? It’s Orange Sunshine.”-A hip-hop drumbeat with distorted synth noises dominates the track, along with spoken voice samples, mainly one of that of a man talking about drug use. You can also hear distorted group vocals.

“The Polaroid Picture”-An ambient pop-sounding number with acoustic guitar, synthesizer, distorted voices, and weird sound effects. It ends with strange clacking noises.

“Nature’s Inna Rage”-An electro rock piece dominated by drum machine, distorted guitar, and synth. The distorted lead vocals have a Zack dela Rocha-like tone, but more deeper. You also hear a chipmunk-like voice at one point.

“Dripping, Oozing, Replicating.”-The song starts in a mutated Beatles-like form, with acoustic guitar, distorted vocals, and synthesizer. It leads into a freak-out with voices and random synth effects, with the acoustic guitar becoming a little bit faint. The song increases in tempo and develops a pop-style drumbeat with electric guitar. This sounds like Todd Tamanend Clark completely losing his mind. It gets all tropical, but in a mutated way, at the end.

“Magnetic Resonance”-This is a progressive rock electric guitar melody backed by distorted voices to accompany it.

“It’s in the Static”-A jazzy hip-hop drumbeat appears with saxophone, slow-motion voice, and a series of spacey electronic effects.

“Exchange Your Mind for a Bomb”-A mildly psychedelic piece with backwards string samples, an EDM drumbeat and a deep spoken word recital that sounds like it is spoken in a Matrix-like tone. It also has distorted digital noises to accompany it. The vocals have some reverb by the end. What makes this piece even more psychedelic is that the voice talks about a nuclear bomb that is the size of a grapefruit!

You can check out stuff from the Electric Grandfather at: https://soundcloud.com/theelectricgrandfather