ZIPPER / Zipper (Whizeagle)
Screw the American Idol aesthetic, Fred Cole's ragged pipes are among the world's most heavenly despite what many naysayers have to say (the same people probably hate Ron House and Jad Fair too). Cole's current trio Dead Moon continue to thunder around since the 80's, and while they got left behind in the big green Northwest Grunge cash-in, you would no doubt have seen Mark Arm, Kurt Cobain, and Eddie Vedder all worshipping at Big Fred's altar at various DM gigs. The recent Dead Moon biopic is truly inspiring, not just for the fact they are rockin' grandparents still doing it, but for their conviction to the whole DIY-ethic, building their own house, studio, guitars, and even vinyl-press while fearlessly rocking the world as only they know how. Before Dead Moon, Cole was in the Rats, and before that (but after his very Arthur Lee-inspired group the Lollipop Shoppe) came the band Zipper, circa 1975 but recently in WFMU's new bin. Needless to say, those with low tolerance for total dude rockist lyrics won't be amused (some of this stuff would make Jim Dandy do a double-take maybe), but this is righteous rock to the max, full of chunky, proto-punk riffery and blowout solos that never stray too far from a punk aesthetic despite the cock-rockery leanings.

ENCRE / Flux/ (Clapping Music)
A few years ago Mark Hollis (who is best known from the 80's New Romantic chart-toppers Talk Talk) re-emerged with a fragile solo record that combined airy, jazz-inflected passages of live instrumentation with an undercurrent of deep, organic electronic ambience that may not have turned too many heads initially, but slowly became talked about as a turn-of-the-millenium musical landmark of sorts. It was subtle, yet in many ways groundbreaking and indeed echoes of it can be heard in recent Radiohead forays, and texture-oriented indie labels like Montreal's Constellation. I also hear it a lot in this recent disc by French artist Yann Tambour, aka Encre; what may initially seem like another installment in a long line of instro-oriented postrock releases takes on much richer definition upon repeated listens. Even though the production is sparse and instruments/samples very much breathing their own space, there's a density to what's going on that's very intriguing. Loping cellos, distant underwater drums, intimately-whispered vocals (by both Tambour and sibger Noak Katoi) all move in opposite directions yet coalesce perfectly with almost erotic-cinematic vibe. Like elements of Gainsbourg, Encre takes on some lessons learned in more experiemental, electroacoustic studio scenarios (a large chunk of which were realized in 1960's France) and brings them in a pop realm. The dynamic arrangements benefit from the element of cut-up, and multiple layers of structure, while never becoming crowded. One can listen to and appreciate Encre on many levels, which to me makes for a fascinating release.