Ataxia - "Automatic Writing" (Frusciante/Joe Lally-Fugazi collaborate on excellent psyche-out mini-epic)

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So I wrote about the Knitting Factory L.A. show I saw that was a Frusciante/Joe Lally/Josh Klinghoffer collaboration on another thread, but they have now released their first record (part of Frusciante's 1-record-a-month-for-a-year thing he's working on) under the name Ataxia.

After a few listens, I think it's amazing. Lally's bass is totally distinctive, and mixed with Frusciante's guitar freakouts, it adds up to this really heavy, swirling psyche thing that fits alongside the new Comets on Fire record. Other points remind me of Afghan Whigs mixed with Sabbath.

Has anyone else heard this?

― Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 18:44 (nineteen years ago) link

people who ONLY use pitchfork to learn of new music

― Red Panda Sanskrit (ex machina), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 18:56 (nineteen years ago) link

very much want to hear it.

the Michael Rother / Frusciante / Klinghoffer show in SF last week was great. Josh mentioned they were going to record the LA show, I hope they put it out.

― (Jon L), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:01 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah, i am dying to hear this

― kephm, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:08 (nineteen years ago) link

I like how Red Panda just ASSUMES that you used a Pitchfork review to learn of this release. Never mind that you mention reviewing one of their concerts a while back, never mind that the album was released yesterday and probably now graces to new release walls of hundreds of indie record stores, never mind that you would already know about this is you're a fan of John Frusciante, or Fugazi for that matter- you must have learned this from Pitchfork. I check ILM much less these days because I'm sick of all the insulting wannabe-clever assholes. Making an argument is fine, insulting someone for no good reason makes you an ass.

― jsoulja (jsoulja), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:22 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah but its Jon, one of the biggest assholes on the board, so you have to expect that he'd fuck up a thread. He really should have been banned months ago but the mods have let this place turn into anarchy

― anonymous to avoid his stupidity, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:53 (nineteen years ago) link

I was joking; grow up, coward.

― Red Panda Sanskrit (ex machina), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:54 (nineteen years ago) link

How come four people are downloading the Death Comet Crew's 'This is RipHop' from me right now?

― Red Panda Sanskrit (ex machina), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 19:55 (nineteen years ago) link

Your joke got old a long time ago dude, and I'm certainly old enough to recognize that

― anonymous to avoid his stupidity, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:04 (nineteen years ago) link

Um, where the hell does "grow up" or "coward" come from? Makes no sense....

Also, I can't seem to understand why people on ILM bash Pitchfork readers, especially since most people on ILM read the reviews on Pitchfork, regardless of intent. I can understand the writers/reviewers, but the people who check out the site? Also makes no sense...

― jsoulja (jsoulja), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Anyway, yeah, it's an awesome record. I think if this didn't have Frusciante's name on it and it just appeared out of nowhere more of the folks around here would be into it... oh, other things I forgot to mention are that it's only 5 tracks but it's definitely a full length (again, a'la Blue Cathedral) and Lally does some of the vocals.
Incidentally, I have no real problem with Jon's shenanigans -- it's almost an honor to get harassed by him, like some kind of liberal-arts-schooled Williamsburgian Don Rickles -- I just wish they would come later in the thread so that it doesn't get derailed so fast.

For the record, though, I just went to Pitchfork to see if this was a review for today or something, hence Jon's barb, but they don't even have a mention of this band anywhere on the site as far as I can tell. Weird.

― Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:13 (nineteen years ago) link

OHMYGOD

"..."

― jsoulja (jsoulja), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:40 (nineteen years ago) link

they reviewed it two days ago. i'm really excited to hear this, what's this about michael rother and frusciante though? and are klinghoffer and frusciante married now or what?!

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 21:50 (nineteen years ago) link

the two of them flew rother out to be his backup band for two gigs. they played tracks from rother's solo albums. after two songs, one loud peppers fan screams 'more frusciante!' third song: 'flammende herzen'.

― (Jon L), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:10 (nineteen years ago) link

i have admired frusciante since niandra lades, now that i hear this michael rother story, hey may be one of my favorite people EVER.

good thing he didn't die.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:24 (nineteen years ago) link

i saw frusciante perform for free during his junkie days (93-94 i think?) at a community college near los angeles, he laid down his guitar and spit up onto the concrete and began drawing pictures on the concrete with his saliva.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:27 (nineteen years ago) link

exactly how much saliva are we talking about here

― (Jon L), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:44 (nineteen years ago) link

This record marks the first time I am extensively using the synthesizer in a way that has nothing to do with 80’s synthesizer sounds. I am using it to treat the vocals, the drums etc. as well as to make noise that has more to do with feedback and computer noise music (like Pita) than with anything people normally associate with the synthesizer. As I said in my bio for The Will To Death, I am drawing inspiration for how to approach my modular synthesizer from music that has no synthesizer, such as The Velvet Underground and Max Neuhaus, as well as synthesizer music that has no relationship to the way synths are used in pop music, such as Iaanis Xenakis and David Tudor.

Hats off to early PIL as well…from all of us in Ataxia.

- John Frusciante

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:46 (nineteen years ago) link

PITA GYGAX PITA

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:46 (nineteen years ago) link

actually what I meant to ask was, what frusciante solo album should I start with? niandra?

heard that record once about 10 years ago, a roommate had put it on the other side of a cassette with bits of scg's 'live from planet boomerang', good match

― (Jon L), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:50 (nineteen years ago) link

Hmm... Well, he played the same guitar I do.

It was like bilous spitup.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:51 (nineteen years ago) link

a handful maybe. not sure exactly. it was a sad sight.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:52 (nineteen years ago) link

people who post the same picture or thread link on multiple threads at once until the joke, which wasn't all that funny in the first place, wears thin

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:54 (nineteen years ago) link

milton: niandra is certainly the place to start. you can skip the second album unless you are brave. i like everything he's put out since.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:54 (nineteen years ago) link

uhhh, what?

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:56 (nineteen years ago) link

you can skip the second album unless you are brave.

Is that why it's out of print? I've never heard it, but Rick Rubin keeps reissuing Niandra Lades everytime he switches distributors, whereas the second seemed to disappear as soon as John rejoined the RHCP.

― Vic Funk, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 23:12 (nineteen years ago) link

frusciante supposedly pulled the second record from the shelves. that may or may not be true.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 23:14 (nineteen years ago) link

Is the 2nd album the one on Birdman?

― Softly Weeping at the Oki Dog (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 23:30 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah, "smile from the streets you hold"

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 23:36 (nineteen years ago) link

people who post the same picture or thread link on multiple threads at once until the joke, which wasn't all that funny in the first place, wears thin
-- martin m. (mushrus...), August 11th, 2004.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/sexymollusk/alextwo_copy.jpg

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 23:41 (nineteen years ago) link

so i tried to BUY this from record collection's web site. and they are too stupid to make their records easy to purchase. and it's $17.98 at amazon.

so i downloaded it.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:33 (nineteen years ago) link

two months pass...

so has anyone else heard this?

― artdamages (artdamages), Sunday, 7 November 2004 22:58 (nineteen years ago) link

six years pass...

LOVE this

― puff pastry hangman (admrl), Sunday, 2 January 2011 00:49 (thirteen years ago) link

two years pass...

Still love this, yeah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Pi5kYmeAA

― StanM, Wednesday, 7 August 2013 19:49 (ten years ago) link

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