V02I06 - 02071999
Two new tidbits on Current 93:
- New facelift to website is live.
- NYC shows announced for March 4th and 5th, with a show on the 6th in the same place by Christoph Heemann. Unfortunately the C93 shows are sold out already, the Heemann tickets have not gone on sale yet.
A NEW MODEL
Trans Am have a new album coming out March 23rd. Sound samples and cover artwork are available right now.
IN BRIEF
The self-titled debut of this Portland, Oregon duo is a brief, but
masterful exercise in both organic and inorganic sound. The cover
features a lithograph by Max Ernst and the album in general exudes the
spirit of German Dada. The liner notes implore the listener to utilize
headphones when playing the CD, and as with most albums, it does indeed
make a dramatic difference. The first two tracks are a collage of
metallic dragging, banging, dropping, rumbling, scraping, and dripping
stripped down and isolated. The third and fourth tracks demonstrate the
heavy influence of Japanese electronic innovators such as Aube and Ryoji
Ikeda, respectively, upon Omro. The third track, "(webster chicago wedded
to the computer)", is a power-electronics surge while the fourth, "(one
quiet moment in the basin of conjecture)", is an ultra-minimal drone with
a thin, scratchy layer of surface noise. The album concludes with a
speaker-blowing blast of blistering static interspersed with cello sounds
that give one the physical sensation of falling. Diverse, yet
uncomplicated, Omro's sound is thoroughly modern , but never seems to
forget where it comes from. They are certain to please fans of all forms
of progressive electronic-based music. Their CD is currently available via
the band and they can be contacted at omro@thedoghousemail.com.
- Jessica Tibbits
L'ORCHESTRE NOIR - ELEVEN
"Wakeford's requiem for the First World War and his expression for peace in
Europe in the future." So reads the liner notes from Eleven, the second
album from L'Orchestre Noir, Tony Wakeford's neo-classical output that
offers him a vehicle to escape from his more prominent musical endeavour,
Sol Invictus. The first track on the album, "Eleven--Dawn," opens with Tony
Wakeford's distant voice repeating a series of lines, all beginning with
"eleven," over a layer of muffled bass drum, a string section, and a
staccatto horn line.The rest of the album is filled much with the same,
heavy, minimalist compositions and some tracks feature vocals in French,
English, and Latin. "Comes the Dawn," midway into the album, uses a lengthy
sample from Faust, and the album's penultimate track features layers of
violins that build upon a base of organ and bass drum. "Eleven--Dusk" sees
Wakeford using a children's choir and his signature metallic acoustic guitar
sound to work the album into a frenzied climax. The only dissapointing
element to this release was the somewhat patronizing and at times corny
foreword to the album, but hey, what can one expect from World Serpent?
- Carter Adams
THE PROTAGONIST - A REBOURS
A Rebours marks the full-length debut of Swedish label Cold Meat
Industry newcomer Magnus Sundström, better known as The Protagonist, and
this highly anticipated release does not disappoint. The title of the
album is borrowed from the legendary novel (known to English readers as
Against Nature) by French decadent J.K. Huysmans. The album's first
track, "The Eternal Abjectness of Life," contains a recitation of a
passage from another famed Huysmans novel, Là-Bas. A large portion of the
album, in fact, contains lyrics or poetry of various writers (Percy Bysshe
Shelley and Edgar Allen Poe, to name a few) and hence the album functions
as a sort of tribute to Sundström's most beloved authors. Haunting male
and female voices whisper and chant the quoted works, most notably Mark
Ellis of Elijah's Mantle's seductive, solemn reading of Shelley. The
actual music is strongly reminiscent of In The Nursery, but more
interesting and darkly romantic. Swirling orchestral soundscapes combine
with heavy rhythms (such as on the brilliant "Zoroaster") and the result
is luxurious and enchanting. The Protagonist is poised to become a new
jewel in the CMI crown with this album, a perfect soundtrack to the novels
of Huysmans. - Jessica Tibbits
As always, check out the latest update of NEW RELEASES brought to you by Greg and Feedback Monitor.
REVIEWED
I just rented "The Land of Faraway" with Timothy Bottoms and Christopher Lee at random; and I can't recommend a film highly enough .... raciest thing I've seen all year. I was going to mail a copy to Coil but I heard the "Where are you?" quote from Nurse with Wound's "Who Can I Turn to Stereo?" half-way through and figured they were possibly aware of it already.
Christopher Lee is becoming my staple of great film, from Dracula to the Wicker Man to this. The fight scene between Lee and Bottoms is a Freudian's wet dream. Enjoy! - Brandon, guest contributor
Subject: Can I send visa?
Can you accept visa for the Coil releases for people outside of the USA? I'm living in Israel.
Brainwashed doesn't sell anything (at this time), so when you see an announcement on a web page here that a band is selling something, read the announcement clearly, as the answers to all the questions should be included.
OF THE
WEEK
Submitted by a faithful reader, this link, at www.bigweenie.com/AmishPorn has all sorts of pictures of Amish women in poses and positions they shouldn't be...
CELEBRITY
OF THE
WEEK
DANA CARVEYWhoa, what happened to this guy? He was in and out of style faster than you can say Joe Piscopo. This guy hasn't even turned up on Hollywood Squares. I bet he could use a job doing 800 collect calling commercials, but nobody can seem to find him!
YOUR CD
PLAYER?
Z'ev - Ghost Stories
Sol Invictus - All Things Strange and Rare
Morthond - This Crying Age
Cranioclast - Lost in Karak/Somnii Palus
Scala - To You In Alpha
Tibet/Stapleton - Octopus
- Jessica Tibbits, new contributor extrordinaire.
Brainwashed Day Care Services
PO Box 7
Arlington MA 02476
USA