Cannibal Sea

We're not breaking any records yet" is the opening line from "This Isn't Farmlife, the first track from�The Essex Green's fourth outing,�Cannibal Sea. The introductory words are rather passive aggressive. Perhaps The Essex Green were feeling like they had nothing to lose with this album, so why not raise the flag with a shrug? Ironically, the nucleus of EG-Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell, and Chris Ziter-came out firing on all cylinders with renewed focus and musical precision. While previous releases tended towards the Brian Wilson approach of utilizing the full studio and all the attendant aural tricks, on�Cannibal Sea, the band sounds like a cohesive live unit. And the "hits" are numerous: "This Isn't Farmlife" wears a mod stomp skinny tie; raise-the-voice and make-joyful-noise abound on the harmonic "Don't Know Why (You Stay)"; pop supreme "Penny & Jack" summons the Rickenbacker guitar army era of classic IRS records; hints of Stereolab circulate on the starry-eyed "Cardinal Points"; and the spirit of Lee Hazlewood is alive and well on "Rabbit." Through it all, The Essex Green stay rooted in honor of all those cool�Nuggets compilations, with nods to early Soft Machine, Arthur Lee, The Left Banke, The New Pornographers, and all the dusty $1 record finds in some desolate resale shop just off a two-lane blacktop on Route 66. Ambitious, passionate, and brimming with grace,�Cannibal Sea�may be rife with metaphorical description, but justice is served after one listen. US 1. This Isn't Farmlife 2. Don't Know Why (You Stay) 3. Penny & Jack 4. Snakes in the Grass 5. Rue de Lis 6. Cardinal Points 7. Rabbit 8. Uniform 9. The Pride 10. Sin City 11. Elsinore 12. Slope Song 13. Pack Up Your Sorrows 14. San Bernadino 15. Victor N N N N MERGE RECORDS 05/22/2018 1 73733 N N 0 114 1 .60 25693140 25.98 17.64 0 EMRD1122.1 4560283217220 01 SHERIFF LINDO AFTERSHOCK DUBS 02/04/2014 http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/a/500/1/2/2/0/2440221.jpg 001 015 N N N N EM RECORDS 12/26/2013 5 73734 N N 0 0 1 1.00 27175033 13.98 10.04 0 EMRD1130.7 4560283217305 07 NOAHLEWIS MAHLON TAITS TENDERLY / DREAMBOAT 10/28/2014 http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/a/500/2/5/1/0/2790152.jpg 001 002 1. Tenderly 2. Dreamboat N N N N EM RECORDS 09/16/2014 5 73735 N N 0 0 1 .09 27114797 28.98 18.98 0 EMRD1131.1 4560283217312 01 BANDON,DAO KON KEE LANG KWAI (MAN ON A WATER BUFFALO) 11/11/2014 http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/a/500/3/7/7/4/2784773.jpg 001 012 LP version. This is the second release in the re-launch of EM Records' Thai music series. Paradise Bangkok, Soi 48 and EM have teamed up to deliver a series showcasing the extraordinary performances of some of Thailand's greatest musical legends. For reasons unknowable, certain places in certain eras become hotbeds of music, fertile in their growth and flowering of musical talent. Thailand in the 1970s was such a place, and Dao Bandon is one of the enduring greats of that era. Born in the farm country of the Isan region, Bandon came from a poor family and was a monk during his teens, two great influences which shaped him, with his farm roots grounding the earthy heart of his lyrics, and his years of monastic chanting lending a unique resonance to his singing. After an apprenticeship with some of the greats of Thai music, Dao Bandon began to enjoy success leading his own band. The songs here, released in the 1970s, showcase the infectiously joyful Bandon groove, his mellifluous voice, and his captivating melodic sense. His lyrics deal with sex, love, marijuana, and the struggles of the poor, but no matter what he sings about, a sense of good cheer is always evident. Featuring parallel translations of the lyrics, in-depth liner notes, rare photos, and of course, great music, Man on a Water Buffalo is yet another example of Thai excellence from EM Records. English & Japanese text with Thai, English, and Japanese lyrics. N N N N EM RECORDS 09/04/2014 5 73736 N N 0 0 1 .89 27175040 28.98 18.98 0 EMRD1132.1 4560283217329 01 GIBBS,JOHN & THE U.S. STEEL ORCHESTRA STEEL FUNK 12/16/2014 http://media.aent-m.com/graphics/items/sdimages/a/500/3/5/1/0/2790153.jpg 001 002 LP version. Following the appetizer of the two 12" singles "Trinidad (Disco Mix)" and "J'Ouvert," EM Records now serves up the main dish, the fine 1977 album Steel Funk by John Gibbs And the Unlimited Sound of Steel Orchestra, a new addition to the "EM Steel Pan Series." Trinidadian steel-pan player John A. Gibbs studied science at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees and formed the Jamaica All Stars Steel Band. This was the start of a dual career in science and music that eventually took him to the United States. He moved to Philadelphia in the mid-'70s and met Philly arranger/producer Louis A. deLise, with whom he collaborated to create a new steel pan music, welding Trinidadian steel music to Philly soul. He researched and advocated a new style of steel pan music, describing the steel pan as an "Omni vibraphone" in his 1978 book the Unit Steel Band, in which he combined his scientific and musical backgrounds to illuminate the physics of the steel pan. Gibbs' innate musicality comes to the fore on Steel Funk, where he compiles several years of experience with deLise into an appealing Trini-Philly groove union, with the five steel pan players of the Unlimited Sound of Steel Orchestra working in sync with a 30-piece studio orchestra of brass, strings and rhythm. The songs range from Calypso to film theme to pop standard, covers and originals, but Steel Funk is not a chintzy pastiche, it's a glorious unity. EM Records offers this re-release as "the 2014 version," newly remastered, with improved sound quality, a different track order, and new cover art drawn by Yoshihiro Tsuyama/2Yang. NOTE: All tracks are NOT duplicated on the two 12" singles "Trinidad (Disco Mix)" and "J'Ouvert.