na: nicole willis, gong, bali

Three extremely good new records for everyone to check out today. All highly recommended.

Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators, Keep Reachin’ Up: Willis is a New York-born R&B singer who has since moved to Finland, jettisoning her earlier career that included stints with the Brand New Heavies and Deelite. Judging by Keep Reachin’ Up, it was a swell move. Her husband Jimi Tenor produced this album; it’s basically a disco-soul record circa 1979, smooth and supple. The opening track, “Feeling Free,” was a big Finnish single (elsewhere in the EU as well), and it’s definitely a must-download. The rest of the record is good, just not that good.

Various Artists, Anthologie Des Musiques De Bali Vol. 4: I’ve been claiming Music of Indonesia Vol. 3 as one of my favorite records for a couple of years now. And I still do. But today we received a record that, while not as great, is weirder, this Buda collection of music from Bali.

Musiques De Bali is not nearly as melodic as Indonesia, but in terms of orchestration and instrumentation, the two are very similar: lots of warped, sharp clanging sounds and wind instruments, a rhythm that feels like the lumberings of an elephant family and performances that swell and subside unhurriedly. But Indonesia has nothing like the fifth track on Bali, “Au Jardin” (click for a sample). “Au Jardin” sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard. Maybe death metal, maybe the Swans. A gravelly voice barking and screaming words I am glad I don’t understand, his loudest exclamations punctuated by the clang of percussion. So nuts, and worth the download.

Gong, Best of Gong: An early ’70s prog band with Soft Machine connections, Gong played highly melodic ’70s British rock — bits of blues, early metal, prog and folk mixed together. The drumming apes the work of Keith Moon, and the vocals remind me of both Pink Floyd and Spinal Tap. This is one of the band’s many best-of collections, and while I can’t vouch for how it stacks up to its peers, I will vouch for the music itself. It’s a bit hokey — what British music from the ’70s wasn’t? — but also irresistible. Start with “Tried So Hard,” which I immediately added to my ongoing playlist for favorite June songs.