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LP
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N 098LP
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Well-versed in vintage vernaculars, Oakland-based producer/musician Mike Walti returns with his sophomore offering under the Organi moniker -- new album Babylonia follows 2020's Parlez-vous Français?, a landmark in vibe acquisition ever since. Fueled, at least in part, by those long-classic 12"s on the walls and channeled through ancient time travel devices such as the MCI 416B only to arrive on classic two-inch tape, it's a haven for all things organic, for all things imbued with that warm élan. Babylonia is so much more than linguistic confusion and ancient Akkadian Rhythms. Using that hidden portal near Alameda's finest port to access all kinds of remote regions and sonic spheres, it's super tight and feels, well, decent. The sophomore album's Berlin-based guest singer Nana Lacrima takes listeners elsewhere: title track "Babylonia" spins ever so softly, like a magic lantern, with images of dreamier Stones Throw funksters or Savath y Savalas looming over the steady flow of an arrangement that washes you clean like an ancient, unpolluted River Euphrates or Brazil's actual Amazon. A sexy Portuguese-flavored anthem, occasional guest singer Alix Koliha also enters the scene to add yet another layer of French chic to this Brazilian landscape. Tim Maia-penned "Padre Cicero" (1970) deals with the stunning transformation of the titular hero, and Organi's take on Elephant Memory's "Old Man Willow" perfectly underlines what Walti's Wyldwood endeavor is all about: easy-going experimental dream pop, fueled by Gainsbourg, Broadcast, Stereolab, etc. Right before the outro, key album guest Yea-Ming Chen (of Yea-Ming & The Rumors) returns to the mic, adding her dark and dusky trademark timbre to melancholy anthem "Pictures Of Your Face." Reminiscent of Nico and Trish, it's a track that's both dark and strangely propelling, hypnotic and hip-shaking.
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12"
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N 075EP
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A quick, spontané voyage to the French Riviera ca. 1968, good times long before things went south, Organi's Parlez-vous Français? is a woozy, tripping, soothing sojourn: DIY dream pop, hazy psychedelia, blurred-but-steady beats dripping down the golden boulevard, complete with mystical chants, a dash of half-remembered Franglais that goes down like some vintage eau-de-vie. There's a fine massage waiting behind those venetian blinds. Pay half an hour, you'll be relaxed and revived after 22 minutes. Très irrésistible when streamed, Organi's haunting, hard-boiled French lesson is even better with that classique vinyl crackle in the mix. Following the cinematic title skit with its bass loop appendix, Oakland-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Walti (and his songwriting partner Maryam) aka Organi invites singer Jessica Bailiff along for the majestic entrée, an interpretation of Philamore Lincoln's 1970 tune "The North Wind Blew South", adding anticon. heavyweights Jel and Odd Nosdam on synths and bass for à la mode enhancements and additional bric-à- brac. Whereas the theme tune "Organi" comes with big drums, big organ, seductive overtones, pure hypnosis, "Whispers" is the soundtrack to some kind of psychedelic campfire tableau vivant: all brumeux, hazy, with spare guitar, Gauloises or Gitanes dangling, a glass of Bordeaux waiting on the dusty old amp, and featuring guest vocalists Yea-Ming Chen and Susy Borhan. It gets even more Parisienne after that: a French woman just knows how to look classic, even when all she's got is some attitude, a ramshackle tambourine, a craving for old Sukia weirdness and those budget-couture "4 Dolla Jeans"... Clearly in love with analog equipment, Organi turn The Vaselines' "Slushy" into a slow- moving, bottomless lullaby -- "... you'll never miss what you never had" --, and the femme fatale minimalism of "Stay The Night" is too magnétique and alluring: A fuckin' sexy chanson, très léger and yet such a hard-knockin' head-nod anthem, it'll make you stay for sure, hungry for la petite mort. Before the expansive denouement -- a bank robbery in style: with bangs and a bucket bag ("Danger Walked In") -- the session gets super loose on "The Getaway," head scarves and berets shimmering in the cabriolet, and featuring Jena Ezzadine on vocals and Headnodic on bass. Includes download code; edition of 300.
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