David Moss – Dense Band (1985) (24/44 Vinyl Rip)

Don't say I didn't warn you: This is no mainstream! They say it's Avantgarde – I say it's a class of students destroying the machinery of a blacksmith workshop.

Review from Allmusic:
On Dense Band, percussionist and insane vocalist David Moss picks up where he left off with his preceding effort, Full House, expanding the number of musicians in a given piece but keeping to brief durations in an attempt to formulate a kind of avant-garde pop song. As the band's name implies, the sound is significantly denser and, partly due to this fact, the music is more successful. Moss also appeared more comfortable using vigorous, almost rock-like rhythms, giving the tunes a richer bed in which to layer more abstract squeals, turntable samples, and clattering percussion. But the most important difference is that guitarist Fred Frith co-composed all of the pieces. His imaginative sense of structure provides exactly the sort of "corral" that serves to accentuate Moss' talents most clearly. Many of the musicians from Full House reappear here and are also shown to better advantage. Frith, turntablist Christian Marclay, and the late cellist Tom Cora all shine throughout. But it's the cohesion of the entire package that makes this set work as well as it does. The goal of using pop song concision melded with improvisatory creativity was at least partially achieved here. If Dense Band didn't sell a million copies, well, that's the public's loss. Recommended.

Biography from Allmusic:
Innovative percussionist and vocalist David Moss has been based out of Berlin since 1991. Improviser and provocateur, Moss' music ranges from extreme to experimental to 20th century, and includes compositions, sound collages, and tough jazz rock hybrids – as in his Dense Band. Commissioned by New American Radio for the second time in the mid-80s, he created an 'operadio,' Language Linkage, based on and around the texts of Italo Calvino. He has performed solo worldwide – including NYC, Köln and Tokyo – in prestigious places as the Whitney Museum. Moss has also led the group Direct Sound, and served as Musical Director for the Leipzig Opera (for "Survival Songs"). Among his honors: a 1991 Guggenheim Fellowship and a DAAD Künstlerprogramm stipend for a one-year residency in Berlin; the Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik in 1992 and 1994; the Hörspiel des Monats from the Deutsche Akademie der Darstellenden Künste in 1995 for "Moss Tales." There's a clear record of experimental achievement and an openness to variety found in Moss' past that includes his solo performances; his work with music makers Heiner Goebbels, Fred Frith, and Jon Rose; and his collaborations with dancers Steve Paxton, Kei Takei, and Kenneth King.

Tracks
A1 Stride 3:25
A2 Shuffle 3:03
A3 Slow Climb 3:17
A4 New Feet 3:54
A5 Fallaway 2:15 · Voice: David Moss
A6 Surface Tension 3:15 · Drums: David Moss · Effects: Fred Frith
B1 Sixth Sense 3:05
B2 Say So 2:20 · Guitar: Fred Frith
B3 Three Metal Moves 3:35
B4 Next Witness 1:26
B5 Dance Bend 2:35 · Voice: Fred Frith
B6 Unsafe At Any Speed 3:15 · Guitar: Fred Frith
B7 In The Dark Times, Will There Be Singing 3:16
Total Time: 38:34

Musicians
David Moss: Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Percussion
Arto Lindsay: Vocals, Guitar
Fred Frith: Vocals, Bass
Wayne Horvitz: Synthesizer
John Zorn: Voice, Saxophone
Tom Cora: Cello
Jules Moss: Drums
Christian Marclay: Turntables