Josh Reichmann Oracle Band
Life is Legal
By Pras Rajagopalan

Best known for his work in Toronto garage punk outfit Tangiers, and later for his idiosyncratic musings as Jewish Legend, Josh Reichmann returns to prog things up even more with this incarnation. The EP kicks off with the rootsy groove of “Great Shadows,” accented by a sax and keys combo that portends the dissonant funk yet to come. It is followed by the beating heart of the EP — “Ancient Bloody Paradise (I Miss You)” and “Plant Words” — a striking pair of songs that should be ingested as one. The former is a smouldering soundtrack to Reichmann’s almost ritualistic incantations (“Palm trees submerged with ships of white men’s gold and bones”) that reaches its apex with a truly glorious harmonica solo before descending with ease into the next song. “Plant Words” isn’t in itself particularly striking but with its subtle keyboard stabs, sax accents and jumble of cryptic lyrics, the song serves as a rousing coda to its predecessor. More of this madness and Reichmann should find himself in mighty good stead. (Paper Bag)
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Ani Difranco - Red Letter Year
Arkells - Jackson Square
Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
Belle and Sebastian - The BBC Sessions
Beyoncé - I Am… Sasha Fierce
The Cure - Hypnagogic States
The Cure - 4:13 Dream
Danielson - Trying Hartz
David Karsten Daniels - Fear of Flying
David Martel - I Hardly Knew Me
Desolation Wilderness - White Light Strobing
Diemonds - In The Rough
Final Fantasy - Plays To Please
The Fleshtones - Stocking Stuffer
Francois Virot - Yes or No
Fredrik - Na Na Ni
Frida Hyvönen - Silence Is Wild
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Hospital Ships - Oh, Ramona
Lake - Oh, The Places We'll Go
Library Voices - Hunting Ghosts & Other Collected Shorts
Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Mon Electric Bijou - Backstabber Blues
Mount Eerie - Dawn
Mugison - Mugiboogie
New Order - Movement / Power, Corruption & Lies / Low-Life / Brotherhood / Technique
Parts & Labor - Receivers
Past Lives - Strange Symmetry
The Postmarks - By-the-Numbers
Proud Simon - Night of Criminals
The Rapture / Various - Tapes
The Smiths - The Sound of the Smiths
Starfucker - Starfucker
The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed
Surf City - Surf City
Tanya Davis - Gorgeous Morning
That’s The Spirit - Staying Places
Various - Hallam Foe
Various - Sprechen Sie Pop
Wallpaper - On The Chewing Gum Ground
White Fang - Pure Evil
Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto
Wilderness - (K)no(w)here
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Mary J. Blige - Stronger with Each Tear
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