What happens if two leading musical minds come together when each is renowned for musical mastery and compositional excellence? For me that question has been answered in the form of
Wing Beat Fantastic, the newly released
Mike Keneally album mostly co-written with former
XTC luminary
Andy Partridge.For Keneally, the multi-instrumentalist vocalist who came to world wide fame as Frank Zappa's Mr. Everything in his last touring band,
Wing Beat Fantastic seems to be his most commercially accessible album to date. Much of that may be owed to Partridge's pop song sensibilities shining through, yet it's Keneally who was left to flesh out the musical canvas the two had outlined together some years earlier. Typical Keneally albums (there are 20 of them now!) are chock full of musical left turns and sonic adventure tossing so many ideas at the listener you'd think there's enough present for two full albums while this album maintains a more focused approach unfolding cohesively, splendidly, ever on target. Superlative reviews are flying across the net.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sug4hC3Ysb0
-- 05 Oct 2012 02:49 --
This is the final release from the cultish '80's new wave ska-pop band Oingo Boingo. Though they had legions of fans back in the day I was not among them. In fact, I missed the Boingo train altogether. But while at the NAMM show several years ago I happened to see bassist John Avila perform and I was stunned by what I saw and heard. He was a beast! Leaping around on stage, Avila came across like a thundering elephant charging across a savannah of sound. He exuded the sheer joy of bass ferocity. I learned he had been part of that band whose name I recognized but never got around to looking into. Recently I happened across the following CD still shrink wrapped for cheap, and I thought 'Why not?' I've since read this album was a vast departure from the typical Oingo Boing owing to the fact that band leader Danny Elfman (from just about every Tim Burton film and he of the Simpson's theme song) had begun to incorporate his film scoring skills into the Boingo meme. The result is an album that's rich, lush, at times ethereal and thought provoking containing a musical craftsmanship second to none.
I still may not venture back farther into the Oingo Boingo back catalog feeling I have found their crown jewel recording.
Copies of this one can still be found for a pittance. Pounce when you see it.

-- 13 Jun 2013 17:10 --
Sure would be nice if someone else could point out some sonic bliss.
-- 06 Jul 2013 21:30 --
More music I've been digging on.
If you haven't run across Diablo Swing Orchestra yet you're in for a real treat. Here we have a big mashup of funk-metal opera and old time swing boogie. Picture The Brian Setzer Orchestra populated with zombies on a dark windy fall night. There's just too much fun happening here to describe in words. Go hit up youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsmAF9cVPm4