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VITAL WEEKLY
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number 658
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week 52
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Vital Weekly, the webcast: we offering a
weekly webcast, freely to download. This can be regarded as the
audio-supplement to Vital Weekly. Presented as a radioprogramm
with excerpts of just some of the CDs (no vinyl or MP3) reviewed.
It will remain on the site for a limited period (most likely 2-4
weeks). Download the file to your MP3 player and enjoy!
complete tracklist here: http://www.vitalweekly.net/podcast.html
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Submitting material means you read this and approve of this.
* noted are in this week's podcast
MECHANIQUE(S) - LIVE AT LOGOS, GHENT (CD
by Acheulian Handaxe) *
COLIN ANDREW SHEFFIELD - SIGNATURES (CD by Invisible Records)
*
DAVID CUNNINGHAM & YASUAKI SHIMIZU - ONE HUNDRED (CD by Staubgold)
SACK & BLUMM - RETURNS (CD by Staubgold) *
RAUSCHGOLD (CD by Staubgold)
RICH JOHNSON - UP THE TURRET MIL (CD by Loyal Label) *
TIBETAN RED - RITUAL BREATHING (CD by Antahkarana Records) *
VIC MARS - KANRANSHA (CD by Symbolic Interaction)
OBA MASAHIRO - PROT (CD by Symbolic Interaction)
HAKOBUNE - WE LEFT THE WINDOW OPEN SOMETIMES (CD by Symbolic Interaction)
LIONEL MARCHETTI/JEAN-BAPTISTE FAVORY - 100.000 ANNEES (2CD by
Monotype)
INSCAPE - LILLE-FLANDERS (CD by Monotype)
T. GADOMSKI & T. MIRT - SI SI (CD by Monotype) *
THIS MORN OMINA - INFERNO (CD by Spectre)
KRAKEN - NACHTSCHADE (CD + DVD by Spectre)
ARRINGTON DI DIONYSO - I SEE BEYOND THE BLACK SUN (CD by K Records)
HAEMORRHAGING FETUS - PROCREATION: A DISEASE / TANGLED DESIRES
(LP by Gaping Hole)
BERTIN - VIDEORECORDER (7" by Ole Records) *
NUMUW - NANIOU MOUGNE (7" by Ole Records)
WAND AND PRINCESS - BLOSSOMING WOUNDS (CDR by Hashish) *
DEAD KNIGHTS - SOLAR SKELETONS (CDR/ Lathe cut by produck)
THE LATE SEVERA WIRES/FATHER OF THE FLOOD (CDR by Sick Sick Sick)
VERNON & BURNS - SING IT SOFTLY TO THE PEBBLES (CDR by Meagre
Resource Productions) *
TEXTURED BIRD TRANSMISSION - BLAZING ANIMAL TRACES (CDR by Dead
Sea Liner)
DEAD WOOD/PHANTOM HERON SEAS (CDR by Dead Pilot Records)
87 CENTRAL - OFFICE EXPLODER (CDR by Less Label) *
87 CENTRAL- FEEDBACK (CDR by Less Label)
WYNTR RAVN - DAYLIGHT RAVING (CDR by Deserted Village) *
WEREJU - A STRANGE DARK PLACE (CDR by Deserted Village)
HELIOTAXIS - FROM BEING TO ANNIHILATION (CDR by Dirty Demos)
SINNATAGGEN - STOMPE OG STINE (CDR by Dirty Demos)
I BEFORE E - TRACK AND FIELD (CDR by Dirty Demos) *
PACTA - FRAGMENTS (3"CDR by Tuguska Label) *
CHEAPMACHINES - DISPLACEMENT (cassette by CMX)
AUTOPSIA - FACTORY RITUALS (MP3 by Autopsia) *
MECHANIQUE(S) - LIVE AT LOGOS, GHENT (CD
by Acheulian Handaxe)
Back in Vital Weekly 627, when reviewing a CD by Die Schrauber,
I mentioned that I never heard of the band, the people behind
it and the label, but I was wrong. 'Endangered guitarplayer' Hans
Tammen was reviewed before in Vital Weekly, on three occasions,
but surely sometime something slips my mind. All four reviews
deal with one important notion: improvised music and this new
one is no different. Again a trio disc, this time with one Dafna
Naphtali (voice, live sound processing) and Martin Speicher (altosax,
bassclarinet), under the banner of Mechanique(s). A recording
from 2001 at Logos in Ghent, Belgium. Like the previous release
by Die Schrauber, this is certainly quite a stretch to hear. The
improvisations are fully loaded - there is always something happening
and more often than not, there is a lot of things to pay attention.
When the three freak out into free jazz land, I am not interested
in joining them. Too hectic, too much jazz, too many notes. When
they find peace and tranquility, such as in the opening of 'Precipice'
I am, however, all ears. Intense, evocative, powerful. However
I must admit that this is a rarity among the craziness of this
record. This time I can't blame the sun, as I did before, but
some more rigorous editing seemed to be in place, I think. Nice
throughout, yet a bit heavy dinner, this one. (FdW)
Address: http://www.tammen.org/cds.html
COLIN ANDREW SHEFFIELD - SIGNATURES (CD
by Invisible Records)
This is the second release by a new label called Invisible Birds.
Their first release was M. Swizynski's 'Films 2007' we reviewed
in Vital Weekly 625, although it didn't mention this as a label.
The label focuses itself on releasing 'limited edition CDs and
DVDs evocative of birds and the landscapes they inhabit', which
I think is a very nice selection method for incoming demo's. Colin
Andrew Sheffield might better known from the releases on his own
label, Elevator Bath, for which he released CDRs and a CD. His
'Signatures' CD has its official release December 10th 2008, the
100th birthday of Olivier Messiaen, another lover of birds and
music (probably in that order). Sheffield uses a turntable, old
sampler and a 'portable 64-track digital workstation' and no computer
on these recordings. On the turntable lies records of nature sounds,
birds and water, of which Sheffield carefully selects fragments
to sample and layer on his ancient workstation. If you staple
enough sounds on top of eachother, then have them slightly out
of sync, one can create beautiful drone music, and that's exactly
what Sheffield does here. The first three tracks are nice, but
it will turn out they are exercises for what is to come: 'Breath
Of Day', the fourth and final epic of this, with gramophone hiss
and organ like sounds, being stretched out over the course of
the twenty-seven minutes this lasts. A true beauty, in all its
simplicity. Sometimes the simplest things is enough to get things
done. The previous tracks, which lay out what Sheffield wants,
eventually, are great too, but aren't of the same beauty as the
last one. If it would have been just the first three i would have
been equally enthusiastic about this, now I'm probably ecstatic.
Great CD. (FdW)
Address: http://invisiblebirds.org
DAVID CUNNINGHAM & YASUAKI SHIMIZU -
ONE HUNDRED (CD by Staubgold)
SACK & BLUMM - RETURNS (CD by Staubgold)
RAUSCHGOLD (CD by Staubgold)
When The Flying Lizards scored their big (novelty) hit 'Money'
in 1980 I was fifteen and already inspired by punk spirit: I started
their fanclub, which I had one member, and the fanclub magazine
(one issue, one copy) had press cuttings about them. I gave the
7" away to the nice lads of Kornreiniger some years ago,
since they loved it so much when I DJ-ed it, and I have at least
ten different 'best of new wave' CDs with the same song. Not very
often I get the chance to share these private notions, but then
I not often get music by David Cunningham, the man Lizard of then.
As a producer his work had nothing to do with novelty music, but
it turned me to This Heat shortly after the Lizards and later
also to Micheal Nyman. You say, dad, what pop music can do? Here
Cunningham teams up with one Yasuaki Shimizu, a renowned jazz
saxophonist who also worked with Sakamoto, Laswell and The Orb
and various Peter Greenaway film soundtracks. 'One Hundred' has
not one hundred pieces, but 'only' eight. It seems to me that
this is very much a work of 'let's get together and get something
going'. Cunningham with his guitar, footpedals, delays and kalimba,
and Shimizu with his tenor saxophone, piano and delays. That's
two delays and that is a bit much, certainly when they have a
'loop and repeat' function attached to them. The two musicians
find a strong united love for minimalist music. They set out to
make a nice ambient background sound of repeating loops of varying
lengths, which sound quite nice. I really like them, but then
the saxophone is coming on top, in a bit of a jazzy mood, with
delay delay delay and that sort of ruins it for me. Of course
there is no way of comparing it, not in a light year, but what
'Money' such a great song - its briefness - is ruining things
here. If the saxophone would have been down more, the background
more 'up' in volume and when tracks would have been half the length,
I think a very good CD would have been there. Now it comes across
as a pointless freak-out session, which somebody recorded in its
entirety without using the editing suite in the next room.
And that certainly can't be said of Sack & Blumm. Roughly
two-third of the length of the previous one, but with twenty-three
tracks, somewhere between six seconds and three minutes. Harald
'Sack' Ziegler and Frank Schültge Blumm have been around,
together and solo, for many years, and unlike their previous,
which they recorded on a distance by sending eachother sound files
('musical letters'), this one 'returns' to the old situation of
playing together. They play short pieces, with Sack playing the
horns and Blumm the guitar and bass, and then everything in between
by the two of them. This is not music made on the computer, but
'fitting the pieces together', but in true human interaction on
a multi-track tape. Partly improvised, partly composed, this is,
as usual, a strange bunch of sketches. Jazz like at times, naive,
child-like at other occasions, introspective at again other occasions,
folk like, country like. You name it, its there. Maybe the fragmented
approach works on your nerves, but they spot a good song, like
'Lord Ley Lyn' and grant it the full length version of three minutes
and seventeen seconds. A small radioplay packed as a pop song.
You could consider that they would do that for all the tracks,
and perhaps not choose the route of fragments, but I quite enjoy
this approach. It makes a fresh record throughout, full of pleasant,
funny, sad, hilarious and evocative surprises.
The previous mix CD by Staubgold, 'Dinner Music For Clubbers'
(see Vital Weekly 611) was well received by this hang-over party
animal as post-party music, which it was intended for. No such
instructions these time with 'Rauschgold: Alec Empire Plays Staubgold',
who mixes together 'droning krautronica' from the Staubgold catalogue,
and that's fine: no hang-over while writing this. Throughout the
years I think I pretty much heard everything by Staubgold (one
of the best labels in my book of labels), and Empire harks through
the entire catalogue for this mix. I have no idea who this is
intended for... Empire fans in need for the introduction to a
great label? A reminder for true Staubgold fans? An introduction
for those who still don't know? I don't think I will ever understand
the mechanics of rock business and why this is needed, but it's
surely a great historical ride presented here, with music by Irmler/Reuber,
Groenland Orchester, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Mapstation, Schwabinggrad
Ballett (now that's a new name for me), Organ Eye, The Loop Orchestra,
Autistic Daughters, Faust, Harald Sack Ziegler, Die Weltraumforscher,
Heaven, Klangwart, Beta Erko, Paul Wirkus and an outro by Empire
himself. (FdW)
Address: http://www.staubgold.com
RICH JOHNSON - UP THE TURRET MIL (CD by
Loyal Label)
Its not cool to say so, but sometimes I just fail to understand
things. For instance the release by Rich Johnson, which I spun
twice in a row and then still didn't understand it. Johnson is
a trumpet player, who also touches the acoustic guitar, piano,
laptop and mixes it with glitch, sampling, musique concrete. His
inspiration comes from Bob Dylan, Don Cherry, Low, Kenneth Galburo,
Fugazi and Jimmy Giuffre. What gives me a hard time, is what to
think of this? The eleven pieces are a mixed bag of goodies. There
are gentle glitches, there are heavy guitars and computer distortions
(in the title piece), there are traces of improvisation. That's
all clear. What I don't seem to get right is this: do I like this?
Is it good? Or is the variety of the material in its way? I don't
know. With some of these pieces, like the title piece, I think
its all too plain and simple, but then its not bad either. Then
I play it again, listen more closely and think: yeah, no, this
is great. Nicely atmospheric, put together in a nice way, good
moves, nice pieces. I read in the press text that 'this is a grower'
and I think, you're damn right, this album is a grower. An odd
bunch of pieces, more like a compilation, but then one in which
all the pieces seem to fit in neatly. A grower indeed. (FdW)
Address: http://www.loyallabel.com
TIBETAN RED - RITUAL BREATHING (CD by Antahkarana
Records)
Since many years there is Tibetan Red, but only in the recent
years he has been releasing more and more music. I must admit
I am a keen follower of his work. Some of it is great, while other
is good, but never bad, and 'Ritual Breathing' is no exception.
The central theme of 'Ritual Breathing' is 'air': sounds from
the air, sounds produced with air and instruments dealing with
air, such as the shakuhachi and didgeridoo. Tibetan Red is the
master of layering, 'massed sounds' as he calls it. He mounts
a seemingly endless pile of similar sounds on his computer and
then starts to mix them. They fade in and out, making a dense
sound field of drone music. Its hardly a wonder that this work
is dedicated to Eliane Radigue, with whom Tibetan Red seems to
be sharing a fascination for all things buddhist. On the cover
he says he wanted to avoid a narrative and that seems to be working
well. This is pure drone music, but with enough variation within
each of three lengthy pieces to make things once again a fascinating
journey. It easily matches the best work I heard of him so far,
'Fouta Djalon' (see Vital Weekly 566) - this new one is equally
great. (FdW)
Address: http://www.salvadorfrancesch.com
VIC MARS - KANRANSHA (CD by Symbolic Interaction)
OBA MASAHIRO - PROT (CD by Symbolic Interaction)
HAKOBUNE - WE LEFT THE WINDOW OPEN SOMETIMES (CD by Symbolic Interaction)
Some weeks ago I was completely blown away by an album released
on the Japanese label Symbolic Interaction. It was the album titled
"The black and white album" from two of Holland's most
prolific artists Frans de Waard and Roel Meelkop under the project
Zebra. The album was an interesting mixture of avantgarde electronics
and clubbish electropop. Now the time has come for another three
releases from the Symbolic Interaction label. All three discs
have been housed in slick ejector case with cover-art covering
half the size of front, a quite original package in itself. The
containment of all three albums belongs to the gentle downbeat
areas of electronic music. First album comes from Matthew Davies
composing under the name Vic Mars. Vic Mars combines classical
elements of orchestral soundscapes with gentle electronica. The
rhythm textures on the album titled "Kanransha" change
between breakbeat-patterns and acoustic sounding percussion. Overall
the acoustic expressions have quite an impact on this first album
and it certainly is a satisfying experience all way through. The
album closes with four remixes by different acts that gives their
own personal interpretation of the sound of Vic Mars, though all
four interpretations sticks to the gentle style of the original
album-tracks. The same thing can not be said about the next album
reviewed here from the artist called Oba Masahiro: On this album
the final remixes of the original works takes the listener far
away from the easy gentle tones of Oba Masahiro, never the less
very interesting indeed! Oba Masahiro works in beautiful sound-spheres
with his mixture between ambient and downbeat IDM. Clicking beat
pulses gently follows the ethereal soundscapes of electronic ambience
and acoustic sounds of piano. Momentarily the atmospheres are
strengthened by some excellent female vocals. The aforementioned
remixes on this disc comes from among others Dutch sound artist
Frans De Waard acting under the interesting style of his Freiband-project.
Frans de Waard pulls the gentle tone of Oba Masahiro into much
more demanding sound worlds. The melody has disappeared and what
is left is clicking abstract pulses accompanied by subtle noise
drones. The piano sounds of the original works have been changed
to short high frequency inputs adding a dark and threatening atmosphere;
thus a sharp contrast to the mild atmosphere of the original works.
Very interesting interpretation! The same can be said about the
remix from Motorofaam. This time the original sounds are sucked
into club-friendly territories with repetitive samples giving
a trance-inducing effect meanwhile technoid rhythms adds to the
physical style of the remix. Excellent. Last album comes from
the composer Hakobune. As the title "We left the window open
sometimes" suggests, there is a dream-like melancholy on
this album. Of the three albums this is the most classic ambient
album drawing associations towards classic releases from Brian
Eno. The atmosphere is deep and lush with the electronic soundscapes
assisted by gentle guitar strums. The remixes from Jason Sloan,
Capricornus and David Tagg keeps the style of the original five
pieces resulting in an awesome soothing ambient piece recommended
for everyone longing for deep and isolated listening. Three high
quality ambient/downbeat albums from Symbolic Interaction. Do
keep an eye on this label! (NM)
Address: http://www.symbolicinteraction.net
LIONEL MARCHETTI/JEAN-BAPTISTE FAVORY -
100.000 ANNEES (2CD by Monotype)
INSCAPE - LILLE-FLANDERS (CD by Monotype)
T. GADOMSKI & T. MIRT - SI SI (CD by Monotype)
A few questions can be raised about the disc by Lionel Marchetti
and Jean-Baptiste Favory. They each have their own music on a
separate disc in this package; why is that? A cunning marketing
trick perhaps, to sell music of the unknown Favory through the
relatively more known Marchetti. Otherwise there seems to be no
link between the two artists and their solo works. This brings
me to my second question: why are almost all the liner notes in
French? It seems that the Marchetti work was already recorded
in the early 90s and released by Metamkine in 1995 and its a long
collage of plunderphonic source material. Music, snippets from
records, tapes, TV, radio and some electronic music are mixed
together. Certainly a nice work indeed but perhaps at seventy-two
minutes also a bit long. The liner notes on Favory's work are
in English and his electronic piece is 'inspired by the movement
of the seven celestial bodies closest to Earth with the sun as
a central axis. Each planet is represented by one synthetic sound,
modulated by an inaudible concrete sound to obtain an effect of
constant and partly random evolution'. Its an entirely different
kind of work than Marchetti's. Shimmering electronics that seem
to cook and boil in a frying pan, with geiger counter, seismographic
sounds and radio sounds lurking underneath. Quite an interesting
work in the field of ambient meets musique concrete and evocative,
powerful (not in the harsh sense) drone music.
Much more information, in English, can be found on the release
by Inscape, the duo of Eric LaCasa and Jean-Luc Guionnet. As Inscape
they deal with 'site-specific listening installations', 'principally
on the notion of 'background noise'. The review of their CD can
never really deal with all the implications of their project (otherwise
I'd be retyping the entire booklet), but they more or less scan
the environment where a project is by means of audio and video,
which are used in a live concert or an installation piece. 'Lille-Flanders'
was made in 2004 at a disused postal sorting office, now a cultural
space and a list of sounds is in the booklet. Best is to sit back
and let the music just roll about. Cars passing, trains, water
meter, the rain falling, incidental music from the nearby train
station etc. Its all there. Other than LaCasa's solo work, this
is more a collage like approach on sounds, with a bit more rapid
mixing than in his solo work. It makes a small, but significant
difference and it makes a beautiful piece of music. A very fine
and solid work of field recordings.
I never heard of T. Gadomski nor of T. Mirt. Judging by their
names I assume they are from Poland. They use a variety of instruments,
such as harmonium, gongs, trumpet, Korg MS 10, Yamaha DX9, wind
whistle, shaker, train whistle, voice, and more such like. Although
the music is quite nice, its not easy to pin it down to any genre,
as its crossing various genres. The main thing is fourth world
music, especially through the use of the trumpet (think Jon Hassell),
in combination with Brian Eno like ambience and some current day
microsound like computer sounds (or perhaps these are the numerous
synthesizers used on the album). There is also an element of improvisation
in these pieces and the result is great. Relaxing music, but not
in a new age sense of the word, but maintaining an experimental
edge that keeps things interesting throughout. Now here's an example
of ambient music that moves outside the strict dead end alley
and does something that isn't new either (see the various Eno
collaborations with Hassell, Budd and Laraaji), but its a voice
seldom heard, and that's great. (FdW)
Address: http://www.monotyperecords.com
THIS MORN OMINA - INFERNO (CD by Spectre)
This Morn Omina is a Belgium-based project that opened its musical
explorations in the ambient-spheres back in the 90's, however
it was with their change into rhythmic noise/technoid industrial-trance
that the project started to become a well-known project. Especially
with the "7 Years Of Famine" album on German label Ant-Zen
Recordings, This Morn Omina clearly marked a stylish change in
the musical approach. With the latest effort titled "Inferno"
the project returns to the original sound. The album consists
of three lengthy pieces running between 15 and 19 minutes. The
style is dark ambient. Where the characteristics of previous releases
were the upbeat rhythms, "Inferno" shines with the complete
lack any rhythmic intervention. Despite the dark and sinister
expression that draws associations back to Lustmord's "The
place where the black stars hang" (Soleilmoon, 1994), the
album contains discreet melodies of warmth and emotion spiced
with samples of spoken words and acoustic instruments. Interesting
change and well executed by the Belgium artist Mika Goedrijk calling
himself This Morn Omina. (NM)
Address: http://www.spectre.be
KRAKEN - NACHTSCHADE (CD + DVD by Spectre)
Another impressive release from Spectre is the latest effort by
Belgium project Kraken. Behind the project you find the two sound
artists Joris Vermost and Ricardo Gomez. Kraken has since it's
beginning in the late nineties, had a strong focus on the ambient
style. On this their sixth album carrying the title "Nachtschade",
Kraken operates in the spheres of dark ambient built on low frequency
drones, samples of concrete and artificial sounds. Also the use
of spoken words is a frequent source to the style, this time spoken
words includes Dutch and Iranian language; the latter with an
alluring style of hypnotic ritual chant accompanied by atmospheric
ambientscapes. Awesome indeed! The music is subtle and dreamy
thanks to the drones of hypnotism and the distantly echoed voices
as well as a clever use of field recordings. Even with the occurrence
of the great amount of samples from real life, accompanying you
as you float through the tunnels of eerie ambientscapes, the atmosphere
on the album first of all delivers a sense of isolationism. The
release also includes a very interesting DVD from Kraken, showing
another interesting side of the project. The soundtrack to the
visual part is remixes of older works and the combination of audio
and video works extremely well. Excellent CD/DVD-set from Kraken!
(NM)
Address: http://www.spectre.be
ARRINGTON DI DIONYSO - I SEE BEYOND THE
BLACK SUN (CD by K Records)
Everything on the cover of this release is a bit hard to read:
you know I love those (not really). I figured out the title 'I
See Beyond The Black Sun' and its by one Arrington De Dionyso,
who combines throat singing with bass clarinet, which is of course
a strange combination and perhaps not easy to combine at the same
time. Otherwise there is no information on the website, which
describes this album as 'a raga influenced anthropological meditation'.
Its indeed a highly minimal affair of sustaining tones, both from
the bass clarinet as well as throat, and I believe the pieces
use multi-track recording to create various phasing layers of
sound. Its quite alright, although the first few pieces sound
alike. Two of these lengthy ones would be OK, and then the title
piece, with its loud drumming, which makes surely a difference
already quite a positive impression. Nine tracks at almost an
hour, including a fifteen minute bonus piece, is a bit too much
to digest all at once, certainly when some pieces sound too much
alike. But as said, half of this at one time, is absolutely great.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.krecs.com
HAEMORRHAGING FETUS - PROCREATION: A DISEASE
/ TANGLED DESIRES (LP by Gaping Hole)
I've had this 12inch around for about a week before playing -
I was hoping not to be disappointed- but it lives up to both its
promise and its PR. 3 tracks of sheer walls of noise -fairly continuous
low roar- like escaping stream, jet engine, Apollo lift off kind
of thing, with shards of feedback. H.F. is Anthony Shaw - he makes
harsh noise. Ergo HF = HN . And that might be sufficient - but
just two small points- technically this is excellent- it takes
both some skill- but much more the bravery not to glam up or add
to the totalizing noise, and the confidence to release a work
into a genre which is in some areas is imploding back into musicological
and/or political sterility AKA pussyfication. To those who assert
noise is just another musical genre this LP offers the lie. Noise
is not music but the sound of the end of the world. Best release
of 2008. (Jliat)
Address: http://www.snse.net
BERTIN - VIDEORECORDER (7" by Ole Records)
NUMUW - NANIOU MOUGNE (7" by Ole Records)
The best track, in my humble opinion, of Bertin's 'Joyeux' (see
Vital Weekly 542) is 'Videorecorder' and I am not really surprised
that someone thinks the same, and wanted to put it out on a 7"
record. I don't think that when Daniel Miller put out his The
Normal 7" 'TV OD', could have imagined this to be the classic
track which can be found on so many compilations. Or 'Being Boiled'.
Likewise I think 'Videorecorder' is of the same classic nature.
I heard it back in 2006 and now, I know its only two years, it
still sounds great, and I am sure it will sound great in twenty-five
years when its hailed as an early twenty-first century classic.
Up tempo rhythm, casio's running amok and the simple lyrics, singing
the joy of a videorecorder. To be found on many compilations in
twenty-five years and graced with remix CD version thereof. If
not, I'll eat a hat. The b-side is a new track of stomping casio
tunes, loud, vicious and weird. No vocals here. Copies (well,
not mine) come with a DVD-R with the excellent home video clip
Bertin made for this piece - which I think is also on YouTube.
I have never heard of Numuw, who did a mix of 'Naniou Mougne'
by one Ndiaga Mbaye. I am aware of the love of some of the Ole
personnel for ethnic music, and this is what I think: they found
the original somewhere on a record and had one Mumuw remixing
this piece, adding some more beats, some breaks, more bass in
order to make a curious cross-over of ethnic music and electronic
music, which would certainly raise an eye-brow if you spin this
at a party (where Bertin's 'Videorecorder' would have a bigger
impact on the dance floor). Here too a videoclip is added of naval
activity, which I fail to see the relation with - although I could
think of some. One side only, also a small tradition for Ole,
this is a very fine 7" too. Also with a DVD-R of various
vague video's which I fail to understand, but it looks good. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ole-records.nl/
WAND AND PRINCESS - BLOSSOMING WOUNDS (CDR
by Hashish)
In a handwritten comes the release by Wand And Princess, being
one Isabelle and George, who are probably from Greece and 'Blossoming
Wounds' is their fourth release, following a self-titled debut
in 2007, and 'Fatigue' (2007) and 'Yellow Ship' (2007). Their
label name Hashish may indicate something about the circumstances
under which the music is recorded. Seven tracks, over more than
hour of music. It might well be that the substances inhaled during
the recording and perhaps it leads to a less rigorous selection
when it comes to finishing a disc. They are a duo of lo-fi drone
music. Overtones are conceived by guitars and their effect boxes,
with amplification maintaining the sustain and the polite form
of feedback. Their music meanders about, is never loud and dirty,
but kind and nice. If I wouldn't know, I could easily suspect
this music to be recorded and released in New Zealand. It shares
the similar quality of lo-fi-ness, both in music and in cover
art. Neo hippie drone music but that would perhaps sound a bit
cruel. This is quite nice and I think they should step out of
their private world and seek to release their music on like minded
labels. I am sure they would pick on it. (FdW)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/wandandprincess
DEAD KNIGHTS - SOLAR SKELETONS (CDR/ Lathe
cut by produck)
This makes for an interesting release - for those of no technical
savvy CDs
play from the middle out - whereas of course the old vinyl plays
from the
outside in.. (everybody's got something to hide except for me
and my
monkey.) soooo here the Cd has one track and on the same surface
is a lathe
cut track. The noise is fairly slow evolving layered distortion
probably of
found sounds and reversed vocal detritus- that was at least the
CDr - moving
the polar bear and elephants to let me use the deck (I'm serious
but wont
explain) the lathe cut at around a minute @ 45 rpm - which seemed
right was
far far better. The quality - and surface media noise enhanced
the fairly
bland and typical low/sloo noise into a much more organically
interesting
piece - which not having a run out groove ends with the stylus
crashing into
the centre spindle. Great stuff. Worth getting if only for the
novelty - but
here could I say is an opportunity for someone - hopefully the
Dead Knights
(awful name - change it!) to use old CDrs as lathe cuts and so
bring Rons
(of RRR) re-cycled cassettes up to date. The CD surface gives
a remarkable
low fi sound. an interesting and promising potential - (jliat)
Address http://www.produck.tk/
THE LATE SEVERA WIRES/FATHER OF THE FLOOD
(CDR by Sick Sick Sick)
Two new bands here, both from New Mexico. "Father of the
Flood is a relatively new project in the desert noise scene and
is one of the loudest" it says on the website but I think
this is not that loud at all. Not soft either, but it works through
methods of collage, going from noise to introspective piano motifs,
which seems to last much longer than the noise, so there you go.
All captured in one long track, but me thinks it should have chopped
to various pieces. Quite nice actually. The other is a band, The
Late Severa Wires, with drums, guitars, bass and a turntablist.
Their tracks, seven in total, were recorded at the KFJC studios
in California and they show the bands love of improvisation in
the rock band format, but the electronic aspect is never forgotten
here. It plays a quite important role, either when recording the
material or in the post production. Their second track (no titles)
sounds like it has been cut-up, removing tiny seconds of sound.
The Late Severa Wires are probably more noisy than Father Of The
Flood, but they are also the rock band, with refined love for
all things improvised and experimental. Quite a nice release.
Lo-fi but great. (FdW)
Address: http://www.sicksicksickdistro.com
VERNON & BURNS - SING IT SOFTLY TO THE
PEBBLES (CDR by Meagre Resource Productions)
Every time in the last week I had this on, I was thinking 'ok,
this time we'll hear the story', but every time I am too distracted
to actually hear the story. Vernon & Burns are creators of
radio plays - among a lot of other things, such as their band
Hassle Hound. But mostly known from radio plays, in which a story
is important, as well as the sound that comes with it. 'Sing It
Softly To The Pebbles' was recorded for an exhibition in Glasgow
and has 'spontaneous stories, improvised music and field recordings'.
The music is played by a variety of people, Vernon & Burns
of course, but also Katy Dove, Belinda Gilbert Scott and Sarah
Kechington. The stories are told by Wendy Woolfson with a great
intonation. Every time the music, which comes plenty here, distracts
me from the stories, so I still have no clue what they are about,
but it makes a damn combination with the music, which seems to
be recorded in a rather naive fashion, a bit like Sack & Blumm
(see elsewhere), direct in front of the microphone, on what seems
at times toy instruments. In the final stage, the mixing, Vernon
& Burns show their greatest quality, that of melting the various
input sources together into a truly fascinating play. The voice,
the story may no longer seem the central point of attention, but
its the whole thing, the total package of sound and words that
make this once again a highly wonderful and fascinating journey.
Better than anything you'll ever hear on a radio. (FdW)
Address: http://www.meagreresource.com
TEXTURED BIRD TRANSMISSION - BLAZING ANIMAL
TRACES (CDR by Dead Sea Liner)
DEAD WOOD/PHANTOM HERON SEAS (CDR by Dead Pilot Records)
Still Textured Bird Transmission remains a mystery. They have
had a bunch of CDR releases, on Gold Sounds and Dirty Demos, and
several for Dead Sea Liner. This is from a world in which 'progression'
or 'new ideas' play hardly a role and things remain as they are.
Which of course is a valid choice too, but one that puts the reviewer
in difficulty. Textured Bird Transmission play cosmic, psychedelic
drone music on a bunch of old analogue synths, tape-delay and
some low level distortion pedals, I wrote before and its valid.
Six lengthy pieces of music, almost an hour worth of music, created
along the previous lines: they seem to me outtakes from longer
parts, jams that lasted hours and hours. Just one candle was lit,
some incense burned (yuk), illegal substances at hand and jam
along in good spirit. Also written before, and also still valid.
No progress was made here either. Nice one, again. Again. Quite
nice, once again.
Although a different website, in the same parcel came a release
on Dead Pilot Records, and I believe Adam of Dead Sea Liner is
the man behind Phanton Heron Seas. He does the equal numbered
tracks on this release. Dead Wood (being a different one that
NM reviewed last week, namely Adam Baker (of Dirty Demos fame))
with the unequal numbered tracks. Its interesting that both projects
make music that is quite similar. I play this from my computer
to my home stereo, and the play list is hidden, but over the course
of these forty minutes, things stay on similar ground. Highly
processed field recordings, mingled with electronic data streams
from various computer plug ins. It makes music that is highly
microsound in approach, much along the lines of Marc Behrens and
Roel Meelkop, but with enough style of their own. Nice one indeed.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.deadsealiner.co.uk
Address: http://www.deadpilotrecords.co.uk
87 CENTRAL - OFFICE EXPLODER (CDR by Less
Label)
87 CENTRAL- FEEDBACK (CDR by Less Label)
These two releases are on Jeff Carey's own Less Label, which will
act more like a digital label, than an actual physical label,
although they can be had on CDR as well (which I urge to get,
since its the better sound quality to be preferred over good quality
MP3, me thinks). The first release is an EP with a 'deconstruction
of sounds taken from the studio sessions of the recent Office-R(6)
release 'Recording The Grain' (see Vital Weekly 649). Carey is
a member of Office-R(6) and has therefore access to the bands
recordings and in good fashion that goes with projects like these,
all material can always be remixed, reworked and recycled. Office-R(6)
is a band of improvisation, the meeting of instruments and laptops
and they play some intense music in that area. What Carey does
here however is take various blocks of the sound and places them
in a more chronological order, repeats some and adding some, making
it perhaps more into songs, or perhaps more safely: into pieces
of music. The improvisation aspect is removed in favor of a more
composed sound. How much I like the original improvised sound
of this band, I must say that these three pieces are excellent
compositions. The traces are there, but it somehow all makes more
sense. Very nice.
The second release is a re-issue of the self-titled LP which was
released years ago on ERS Records, and apparently not reviewed
in these pages. This new version has a different order of the
pieces, as originally intended, but for technical reasons not
possible on the LP format. This is entirely different music than
the previous one. Carey deals here with feedback, along with some
instruments such as 'cello system', 'kalimba cello system' and
'two pass'. All of these are fed into the mixing board and then
doubled, trippled with the feedback generated by the infamous
no-input mixer. Its been a while since I heard the original record,
but listening to this again, on CDR, made me realize that this
is a great ambient record. Gliding and sustaining tones fly low
over the ground, occasionally hitting the surface and the bump
may cause a new action to develop as slowly and majestically as
the previous action. Even at the time when this was first released,
in the early years of this millennium, this wasn't the newest
thing in drone music, but Carey executes things with care and
patience. This is still a true beauty - and I know people like
vinyl but I think it sounds so much better on CD. A most welcome
re-issue. (FdW)
Address: http://lesslabel.radiantslab.com/
WYNTR RAVN - DAYLIGHT RAVING (CDR by Deserted
Village)
WEREJU - A STRANGE DARK PLACE (CDR by Deserted Village)
Behind Wyntr Ravn are Jane Austen of Avanti Maria and Currer Bells
and Gavin Prior of Toymonger and United Bible Studies. Fifteen
tracks can be found on their debut release 'Daylight Raving' and
its mayhem time. Samples of keyboards, a bit of voice, a bit of
noise, feedback, pop again, electro-acoustic collage - all recorded
with a charming lo-fi sensibility. Music that doesn't sound like
coming from Ireland, but more a German thing. A melting pot of
styles and ideas, some worked out, some not, but with a lot of
energy and speed of its own. Its less from the world of improvised
and noise music, if that is what you would expect based on their
background and this label, but much more electronic. Mutant disco
- had that not be reserved for something else.
Something entirely different is Wereju of whom it seems like only
a few months that i reviewed 'Through The Depths Of Unknowing',
but it was really in Vital Weekly 573. Cathal Rodgers is behind
Wereju, and his 'A Strange Dark Place' is not unlike his previous
2CD release. Guitars play the all important role again, and they
are spiked up with loads and lots of sound effects. Drone music
is optima forma. Dark, deep and atmospheric are the keywords to
this particular dead end alley of music, and it fits to the music
of Wereju. This time it seems that Wereju has moved from say Colin
Potter or Paul Bradley to a more Lull oriented sound, but these
are the minor differences that comes with the territory. The best
piece is 'Is This How It Should End', with its a little bit of
sunlight allowed on the winter morning. Wereju does play some
great dark mood music, that however holds nothing new under the
sun, but throughout its well done. (FdW)
Address: http://www.desertedvillage.com
HELIOTAXIS - FROM BEING TO ANNIHILATION
(CDR by Dirty Demos)
SINNATAGGEN - STOMPE OG STINE (CDR by Dirty Demos)
I BEFORE E - TRACK AND FIELD (CDR by Dirty Demos)
A three piece suite is Heliotaxis: Mark Hadsell (on 'lows), Corey
Bauer ('Shrills') and Myles Bisi (percussions). They are from
Brooklyn, NY and the two pieces on 'From Being To Annihilation'
(track titles are 'Being' and 'Annihilation') and its a pretty
chaotic psychedelic rock affair which isn't too well recorded.
I gather that comes part of the esthetic that is usual for bands
like this. Free form stuff that is probably nicer to play or to
witness live than to play on the CDR at home. It lacks the rawness
that it surely has when heard loud in a small, smokey club (no
doubt not many around anymore).
Following 'Lille Hus', his debut 3"CDR on Dirty Demos (see
Vital Weekly 601), here is a full length (thirty minutes) by Hamish,
a member of Rasmus Clausen. He has changed a little since we last
heard of him. He still works from that popmusic angle, but is
seems to me that he has changed his modus operandi. His music
is still very rhythmic in approach, but more dark. Computerized,
processed field recordings are added, but the joyous overtones
have disappeared from the menu. That is a pity, I think, since
he seemed to be on a such good course. Now only '3 Rolls' seems
to get near to what he did before. This is not bad music either,
and perhaps fits the season, but maybe I like things to be a bit
more frivolous with this kind of music.
As I Before E labelboss Adam Baker (also known as Dead Wood) works
together with Nick Davidson of Pinkeye/Orange Eye. Their 'Track
And Field' was already recorded in 2006 but for whatever reason
its now released. Its a strange and curious pastiche of dance
music rhythms - glitch, techno, dub, drum & bass - mixed with
a variety of field recordings and other curious sounds. More like
an example of 'lets sample some high brow techno (et al) stuff'
and see if we can do it as well. That usually doesn't work very
well if you are trying to create music that is actual dance music,
and as such I Before E fail a bit, but its throughout a brave
attempt in creating 'different' music. The most coherent piece
they get together is 'Misconception', with a raga like vocal,
dubby rhythm and alien synthesizers. If they would try their hands
more on that, they would actually make a coherent album. The right
ideas are there, but a serious beat master would be of great help.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.dirtydemos.co.uk
PACTA - FRAGMENTS (3"CDR by Tuguska
Label)
In the past I reviewed various releases by C-J Larsgarden, but
never (I believe) his side project Pacta. He also works as Ondo
and has ongoing collaborations with Frank Rowenta, with Julien
Louvet (as Yrsel) and A Perfect Friend (with Thomas Denver Jonsson).
As Pacta he walks the melancholiac path, armed with a guitar and
a laptop, filled with some field recordings. The seven pieces
here are indeed 'fragments' as the title implies. Larsgarden tinkles
away, there are sustaining sounds, bits of outdoor recordings,
which never seem to be traced back to anything, and there is throughout
a pleasant, atmospheric mood on this release. An easy, quick approach
to music however its not a 'lazy' approach. What he does, he does
with great care and style. Not a rushed job. Nice. (FdW)
Address: http://www.pactasuntservanda.se
CHEAPMACHINES - DISPLACEMENT (cassette by
CMX)
There was a time when Cheapmachines were to be found frequently
in the reviews of Vital Weekly, but the last few years it has
been a lot less. That's one break with the past, the other is
the music. His old CDR releases dealt with a combination of noise
and musique concrete, but his more recent work moved towards the
more atmospheric music, drone based and gentle. Now the format
has changed too, into cassette, the last sound carrier still standing
(?, well perhaps a more romantic notion on my side) and was recorded
in London, New York and Washington between September and November
2007. The ambient drone lines set out are continued here. Highly
processed field recordings (I assume) are moulded into stretched
out fields of sound that glide over each other in a most gentle
way, almost like 'real' ambient which you can find on Hypnos or
Gears Of Sand. A very distinctive break with the past, this one,
but that's fine. Cheapmachines walks new paths and that's great,
even when those paths aren't exactly new either. For him they
are and that's fine. Excellent stuff. Perhaps a pity its on a
cassette only. (FdW)
Address: http://www.cmx.org.co.uk
AUTOPSIA - FACTORY RITUALS (MP3 by Autopsia)
Although I tend not to make a habit out of this, mixing my reviews
with personal petite histoire, here is a nice story, which recently
came up in an interview on my own activities with cassettes in
the 80s: "I didn't make a living out of it. I do remember
wanting to put the cassette by Autopsia, and had no money, so
I washed my fathers car and got 10 guilders, so I could xerox
the covers." I could make as many as 200 cassette covers
of the 'Vivo' cassette which Autopsia send me earlier. As far
as I can remember it didn't have much info, and looking back I
am not even sure if it was supposed to be released by me. The
name Autopsia I picked up before and quite liked their sampling
madness of orchestral tunes and industrial rhythms. I think much
of my cassette ended up on the 'Wound' CD, released somewhere
in the 90s. This download only release by Autopsia harks back
to those glory days, and it was conceived for an exhibition in
Belgrade in 1989, and contains 'sampler & computer free recordings'
from 1985-1988. I assume it was made with splice and loop of good
ol' reel-to-reel recorders. None of the seven pieces sound like
the music I released, and seems to me, with the benefit of looking
back, the forerunner or their early CD releases, like my beloved
'Death Is The Mother Of Beauty'. Quite orchestral, with humming
and chanting voices, choir like and cerebral. This is still the
Autopsia that I like, the one that leaps from memory, when I think
of them. Static pieces with not many changes, but which have a
trance like character. I gather if I would encounter this today
for the first time, I would probably not like it as much, and
denounce it to be 'gothic', but at the time I heard it first,
I thought it was great, and now, twenty-five years it still stirs
up good memories. (FdW)
Address: http://www.autopsia.net