Occupying both the garage and the temple, Calla are at once dissonant and pristine, harmonious and rhythmic. They cling to the dirty residues of NYC with an attention always affixed upward to cosmopolitan refinement. A fact perhaps explained by the group’s roots in Texas and their emigration to Brooklyn. We asked the percussionist Wayne Magruder to pick three recent tracks that he is enjoying…

Guido Möbius – Keit, [Klisten]

Guido’s album Klisten came out last year and remains one of my favorite albums. He takes banjos, guitars, bass, voice, glockenspiel, jew’s harp and mixes with samples to create a unique take on modern composition. Pop and the avant-garde collide with melodies and complex arrangements.

[visit Guido Möbius’s website here, buy Klisten here]

Vetiver– Farther On, [Vetiver]

Andy Cabic, Jim Gaylord and cellist Alissa Anderson along with guests Devendra Banhart, Colm O’Ciosoig (My Bloody Valentine), Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), and Joanna Newsom make beautiful and slightly eerie music as Vetiver. Devendra’s vocals sound less “Tiny Tim” on this (if you’ve ever been put off by that), his lyrics and phrasing remain surreal though thankfully. Usually the neo-folk stuff kind of bothers me conceptually (as does the 80’s retro trend). I mean, it’s cool that yr into _________, but shouldn’t you try to update it a little or add some original character into it? Vetiver is the best neo-folk group I’ve heard, mostly because Devendra’s delivery is so unique and the songs are damn good.

[buy Vetiver here, read Rachel Khong’s Stylus review of Vetiver here]

Henry Flynt– Interview

Henry Flynt is a composer from the 60s that started off academic, discovered hillbilly music, turned against the “NY New Modern Music Movement” and went on to create original music pieces that attempted to elevate American ethnic music. Because he didn’t “fit in” with the New Music Elite (Cage, Tudor, Feldman) he went unnoticed until recently when independent labels started releasing his archive. I recently discovered a great WFMU interview mp3 with Henry Flynt online. He explains how he arrived at his “american ethnic” concept and who had influenced him throughout his career. Throughout the interview he plays his pieces as well as his favorite artists (Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Coasters, Drifters) His stories on John Cage and La Monte Young in NYC are especially interesting. I found it as inspiring as his music.

[visit Henry Flynt’s website here, buy Henry Flynt stuff here]