Gay, Ben Lamar / Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun
Album: Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun   Collection:General
Artist:Gay, Ben Lamar   Added:Jun 2018
Label:I A R C  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2018-07-04 Pull Date: 2018-09-05 Charts: Classical/Experimental
Week Ending: Sep 2 Aug 12 Jul 29 Jul 22 Jul 15 Jul 8
Airplays: 1 1 2 2 3 6

Recent Airplay
1. Nov 04, 2021: Stranded at Settembrini's (rebroadcast from Oct 21, 2021)
Music For 18 Hairdressers: Braids And Fractals
4. Sep 01, 2018: Music Casserole
Oh No... Not Again!
2. Oct 21, 2021: Stranded at Settembrini's
Music For 18 Hairdressers: Braids And Fractals
5. Aug 10, 2018: Old Fart at Play
Swim Swim
3. Jun 04, 2020: Stranded at Settembrini's
Melhor Que Tem
6. Jul 28, 2018: Music Casserole
Oh No... Not Again!

Album Review
Tom McCarter
Reviewed 2018-06-29
Reviewed: 2018-06-29
Genre: General (X)
FCCs: none
Review: Gay is some kind of post-industrial master of structural manipulation, the kind of guy who can fit a song into the most unlikely of unoccupied spaces the same way an urbanite grocery store or parking lot will spring up in a place never meant to hold either. Everything fits if you make it to fit.
If You Like: King Krule, early Dr. John, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Funkadelic, Steve Reich
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
1/ Vitus Labrusca (0:32) – spacey heavy metal noise> fade
*2/ Muhal (3:43) – heavy drums start> midtempo heavy metal hip-hop> heavy organ solo> uptempo jam with scattered vocals> quick stop
3/ Music For 18 Hairdressers: Braids And Fractals (2:26) – percussive synthesizer start> fast jam slows to uptempo with horns & repetitive riff> quick stop
4/ Jubilee (3:23) – spoken vocal/heavy funky percussion starts> morphs into chanting with midtempo heavy jazz jam with trumpets> quick stop
*5/ A Seasoning Called Primavera (3:51) – vocals start with rap lyric & psychedelic midtempo deep undertone> > chorus chanting like a New Orleans funk beat> quick stop
*6/ Miss Natalie Burns (2:48) – piano/trumpet starts> wild uptempo jam with vocals> quick stop
7/ Me, Jayne, & Big Bee (1:46) – trumpet starts> slow tempo jam, like a funeral dirge> slow sax solo> quick fade on spoken vocal
8/ Uvas (4:19) - modulating synth starts> slow tempo jam, almost like chanting> slow cheesy soundtrack like Buck Rogers> segues into chanting> slow jam> slow fade
9/ Galveston (3:46) – heavy repeated synth space chord starts> space jam> slow fade & some percussion> stop
*10/ Swim Swim (3:23) – funky guitar starts> spoken sing song vocals over the top of spacey uptempo jam> fade
*11/ Kunni (3:47) – spacey start> midtempo spacey jam with slow vocal overlay> morphs into uptempo spacey jam> builds in volume & intensity> quick stop
12/ Melhor Que Tem (3:29) – spacey start> slow space jam> fade
13/ Gator Teeth (1:23) -intermittent chimes start> percussion like Morse code> quick stop
14/ 7th Stanza (0:57) – slow jam with spoken word poem> quick stop
*15/ Oh No... Not Again! (4:53) – repetitious synth chord starts> midtempo space jazz jam heats up to wild fast tempo> guitar solo with repetitive riff> horns kick in> wild midtempo jam> quick stop

Track Listing
1. Vitus Labrusca   8. Uvas
2. Muhal   9. Galveston
3. Music For 18 Hairdressers: Braids And Fractals   10. Swim Swim
4. Jubilee   11. Kunni
5. A Seasoning Called Primavera   12. Melhor Que Tem
6. Miss Natalie Burns   13. Gator Teeth
7. Me, Jayne, & Big Bee   14. 7th Stanza
  15. Oh No... Not Again!