Stark Reality / Now
Album: Now   Collection:General
Artist:Stark Reality   Added:Sep 2003
Label:Stones Throw  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2003-10-06 Pull Date: 2003-12-08
Week Ending: Dec 14 Nov 30 Nov 23 Nov 16 Nov 9 Nov 2 Oct 26 Oct 19
Airplays: 1 3 2 2 2 1 3 3

Recent Airplay
1. Jan 03, 2005: The Penultimate Bin
Say Brother
4. Dec 08, 2003: Dollar Bin
Comrades
2. Sep 23, 2004: Umami Jazz Program
Junkman's Song
5. Nov 26, 2003: Umami Jazz Program
Rocket Ship
3. Jan 12, 2004: The Digital/Analog War
Junkman's Song
6. Nov 25, 2003: The Digital/Analog War
All You Need to Make Music

Album Review
The Dead Kenny-Gs
Reviewed 2003-10-01
Stark Reality - Now
Tripped out funky psych-rock interpretations of jazzy children's songs. Stark Reality features Monty Stark on vibes, leading a quartet featuring drums, bass and guitar. Recorded in 1968-1970, these tracks have a lot of psychedelic flavor, but there is also quite a bit of funkiness. Also, there are moments that are quite loose, and moments that are extremely tight musically. Recommended for lovers of psych, fusion jazz, funk, or just generally interesting music -some of you are really going to love this one.
Tracks 1-8) Selections from The Stark Reality discovers Hoagy Charmichael's Music Shop. This album is one of the Holy Grails of crate digging culture, original copies regularly change hands for $500 on eBay. Originally produced for a special on Boston's public television station WGBH about the music of Hoagy Charmichael, these are way tripped out versions (there's plenty more background in the liner notes).
1) **Dark, slow. Starts with open drums, clanking percussion, plenty of fuzz
2) *Mellow jazzy interplay of vibes and wa-wa guitar, vocals with odd harmonies
3) Discordant, percussive
4) *Metallic fuzzed out vibes, marching vocals
5) Mellow at first builds up to a nice freak-out at the end, good one to frighten the kids with
6) *Up-tempo fuzz, floating echo-y vocals, with a really satisfying distorted guitar finale
7) Rocking, essentially a long guitar solo and instrumental intro with some
8) **Down tempo fun intro to music theory, with some real nice open drumbreaks
Tracks 9-12) Bonus tracks, these are Monty Stark orginals, not from the Music Shop LP, but very much in the same vein. These songs also feature a larger band including horns.
9) *Funky off kilter song about roller coasters
10) Strange off-key singing
11) **Very funky baritone sax
12) **Groovy little tune originally released on a 45, chugging, with more slightly discordant vocals
Tom Purcell, October 2003

Track Listing
1. Junkman's Song   7. Dreams
2. Thirty Days Hath Spetember   8. All You Need to Make Music
3. Cooking   9. Roller Coaster Ride
4. Comerades   10. Too Much Tenderness
5. Shooting Stars   11. Sunday's Song
6. Rocket Ship   12. Say Brother