Head, Jowe
Cabinet Of Curios
First ever career-spanning compilation of the solo work of Jowe Head, an essential name in the birth and development of the UKs underground scene through his recordings with Swell Maps, Television Personalities, personal projects such as Palookas, Househunters and work under his own name. From 1981 debut album "Pincer Movement" up to 2014 recordings by Jowe Head and The Demi-Monde, plus previously unreleased tracks, these 20 cuts present Heads wonderful mixture of off-kilter pop and avant-garde weirdness, like a noise party attended by Joe Meek, Burt Bacharach and Sun Ra. A Record Store Day release. If one looks at the galaxy of stars that can be attributed as source material for todays musical DIY/lo-fi generation, Jowe Head shines as a true iconoclast. His 1973 addition to the avant-garage godfathers Swell Maps added an impressionistic edge to their psychedelic punk pastiche that drew of Max Ernst as ably as Can. Later on in The Television Personalities and his Househunters and Palookas projects, not to mention a sprawling solo discography, Jowes persona injected color and livelihood into an often-too-cool-for-school post-punk scene around Britain while still delivering transportative sounds and open-to-the-listener interpretations. This compendium is in itself a galaxy of sounds that will never fail to deliver. Brian Turner, WFMU Music Director