Arrington de Dionyso
Malaikat Dan Singa


Released 2009 on K
Reviewed by U Are A Ghost, 05/05/2010ce


Arrington already made our heads spin with his old band Old Time Relijun swampy-garage-no wave stomp, and made us wonder why people think Fire Music (Free Jazz) is dead when Arrington solo records rage with the same sonic fury of the sixties masters.

Arrington has done so much for advanced-improv- free form music in the last decades that we should recognize him for keeping the flame alive, whether is with his Captain Beefheart-No Wave-James Chance/White outfit, Old Time Relijun, playing his distorted and disjointed guitar and singing like a mad Howlin´ Wolf, with his solo recordings of Tuvan-Gregorian-growling like singing, exploring the wildest possibilities of human voice or playing sax and clarinet like ol´time mind blowers like Albert Ayler or Peter Brotzmann.

Old Time Relijun may have been put to rest for a little time, as Arrington becomes the only protagonist in this ride (well of course he has a backing band, but Arrington steals the show), but their maniacal sound spells will be sorely missed, but hey! Don´t despair! this time Arrington de Dionyso has brought us the whole picture, his vocal witchcraft is put in the front picture along with his horn playing and his maniacal no wave sound, this time the guy has finally and masterfully integrated his whole artistic vision, Malaikat Dan Singa, for it´s amazing characteristics this record could be called a “World Beat” (ugly and mediocre words really) record, it´s sung in Indonesian by Arrington himself, his Tuvan-gregorian vocalization are fully displayed, and the beats lean heavy on tribal sounds, as Arrington uses his advanced vocal techniques channeling breathing, voice and sound into pure energy, sometimes the clarinet and the sax are superfluous as de Dionyso throat Is the true relevant instrument here, the rest is garage—no wave –swamp music much in the mood OTR.

Whereas in the past Arrington kept both phases of his persona apart, this record, roughly translated as “Angels and Lions” pretty much tells the whole picture, as Arrington brings together his wild, barefooted, sweating-primitive persona (from Old Time Relijun), with his more sophisticated, intellectual, avant garde character of his solo records, the result is simply amazing, a record that never loses it´s vital energy, that’s sounds quite like nothing out there (with some obvious connections with Beefheart and James Chance/White) with its own logic and rules, is ugly music, is angry music, is stomping music, is nervy music, but for those looking for strong testosterone filled beats, they will find them here, for others, searching for estrogen filled psychedelic hallucinatory passionate-feel good passages, they will also find them here, so really what´s in here? I would say pure alchemy as Arrington has finally created his greatest record to date marrying mystics and science.


Reviews Index