Kath Bloom & Loren MazzaCane Connors: 1981-1984

In the early '80s, singer Kath Bloom and prolific avant-garde guitarist Loren MazzaCane Connors collaborated on a series of five LPs, each limited to 200-copy print runs. Marrying Bloom's oddly off-kilter warble to Connors' abstract guitar work and occasional backing vocals, the songs themselves fused elements of folk, country, blues, free jazz, and a few spirituals ("Swing Low, Sweet Chariot") without fitting into anything resembling a scene or niche. It's no surprise that the results are both hard to find and occasionally abrasive, but listening to a welcome new best-of CD, it's striking how transcendent they often are. Bloom may not sing on key too often, but her voice is a tremendously expressive instrument, at times akin to the ghostly whistle of a theremin. For his part, Connors' exploratory instrumental work rarely seems arbitrary or self-indulgent, even if few songs go by without the occasional wrong note; far more often than not, he only adds to the drama of the dark, low-fidelity proceedings. When 1981-1984 works, its beauty is almost baffling, as on the awkwardly mesmerizing "Come Here My Sweetest One," which alone is worth the price of admission. Personal and heartfelt, and at times breathtaking, this material deserves its long-overdue rescue from limited-edition obscurity. (Megalon Records, P.O. Box 460383, San Francisco, CA 94146)