Did Frank Black and Alice Coltrane have a secret lovechild? If they did, they probably named him Arrington de Dionyso. Seriously, Malaikat dan Singa, the third disc from the former front man from Old Time Relijun, is equal parts “Debaser” and “Ptah el Daoud,” bringing together the spastic movements of late ’80s grunge and the disregard for musical form of the outermost avant-garde jazz. The result is a record that is extremely playful, albeit irritating at times. Malaikat features Dionyso performing on a multitude of instruments, along with label-mate Karl Blau on bass and drummer Andrew Dorsett—and while the instrumentation is quite strong throughout the record, it’s Dionyso’s vocals that holds everything together. Sounding like gibberish, the lyrics throughout the record are actually Indonesian translations, sung with a fierceness that is without parallel. This, coupled with song-structures that sound like a hybrid of worldbeat, Albert Ayler, and the weirder moments of the 1980s American underground, Malaikat dan Singa ends up being a most rewarding listen. (K Records, www.krecs.com) Jeff Friesen
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989