- Alan Ezust and Julie Geanakakis
- Albums and Singles
They sound a lot like some of the"Heavenly Voices" bands from Germany, featuring two lead singers, onewhose voice quality is reminiscent of Sade, the other who reminds me abit of Katharina Franck in her ethereal-cabaret style. Unfortunately,the liner notes give no hints of who is singing on which track. Theirvoices come together with velvety tremolos and canonic harmonies. Moodyclassical arrangements with eerie synths produce beautiful gothicsoundscapes. Matt Howden, from Sol Invictus and PigSix4, appears withhis violin prominently on most of the tracks, and as always, he adds adimension to the music which is priceless. That, plus Wakeford's guestvocals on Second Watchwords remind me that I really must dust off myold Sol Invictus albums and listen to them again!samples:
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- Chris Hill
- Albums and Singles
Mumma does what is most difficult for theelectronic musician, he keeps the sounds interesting but doesn't ignorethe emotional content. When the bombs land in The Dresden Interleaf 13 February 1945,the horrific buzzsaw cacophony recalls the brutality of war. It's notthe cold, modern click and pop groove that makes your body move, but itelicits a different reaction: visceral, not danceable.Mumma pioneered what he called "cybersonic" technique, wheretraditional acoustic instruments interact with electronics throughMumma's home-built circuitry. There are some examples of this techniqueon the CD, including Pontpoint, where the archaic bandoneon and bowed psaltery converse with hyper-modern electronic bleeps and bloops.
Until this CD came around, if you wanted to hear anything by GordonMumma, you had to search out his few vinyl releases. This CD collectssix of Mumma's electronic compositions from the late 18's through theearly 80's. Conspicuously absent from this collection is Megaton for Wm. Burroughs, which is reportedly forthcoming on another CD release. That and more experimental artists from the label, Lovely Music.
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- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
This album celebrates EN's 20th year of operation with a marked improvement in production values. The focused and streamlined sound finds equal space for pulsing, naked bass guitar, trimmed-down sound effects, low-end percussion, and strings. Not least of all, the punchy production brings EN's often-personal lyrics and intense delivery to the forefront--to double-edged effect.
The pregnant pause on the title track makes for very, very uneasy listening, but the chanting at the end is downright pathetic. On the whole, though, "Silence is Sexy" is as its title suggests--a very quiet release with sporadic outbursts of violent noise. "Zampono" is one of my favorite selections, sounding as though EN just shanghaied the Blue Man Group into banging on hollow plastic pipes. I can almost see the BMG bouncing about. One of my beefs, however, is that there's a bit too much repetition on many of these songs. Again, it's a technique that has its pluses and minuses. Fragments such as "I wish this would be your color . . ." haunt your head long after the CD leaves the player, but the approach just as often recalls last year's obnoxious "all I really really really really really really really really want to see is a total eclipse of the sun" refrain. Another personal peeve is the German vs. English issue. After experiencing his attempts at the latter, I most certainly prefer to hear Blixa singing in German. Maybe something was lost in the translation. And, (un?)fortunately, his version of "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" didn't make it onto the album.
The UK edition of Silence is out right now, presented in a deluxe package with a second CD featuring 18 minutes of bonus material. Unsurprisingly enough, this amounts to a very repetitious song that stubbornly refuses to end. But it's truly noisier than the rest of the record, and I can recommend grabbing this edition (while you still can) if repetitious noise is your bag. A US ediition will be released sometime in May (I believe) but without the bonus disc. Should EN tour for this release, don't miss it. Live EN dwarfs any of the group's recent albums.
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- Carter Adams
- Albums and Singles
My first impression ofthis album was one of amazement. I can remember hearing the firstself-titled album by this Canadian band and thinking that these guyswere poised to take over the indie rock world. One this, their secondalbum, I found a band much more in syncopation. The evolution of theirmusic shows a more mature band interested in textures and ideas,allowing the music to undulate and expand. Gone are the funky rhythms,but in their absence come amazing expanded musical themes and jazz-liketempos. Definitely an album worth picking up, and I recommend 'playingtwice before listening' on this one.samples:
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- Carter Adams
- Albums and Singles
With the popularity of gybe! at the moment, it's impossible to escapecomparisons between A Silver Mt. Zion and its more widely-acclaimedbrethren, and I can't seem to shake off these comparisons either whenlistening. But, it's best to consider "He Has Left Us Alone..." as anexample of "chamber godspeed." Not quite as expansive as some of thegodspeed's more epic works--perhaps becuase it's minus six members ofthe fabled ensemble--the minimalism of the tracks on this albumcontribute an austere beauty. But, far from being ascetic, this albumis one of the most emotional and visceral works I've heard from anyband in quite some time. The highlight of the album comes halfway intothe track with the sole appearance of vocals. Sung in a somewhat timidvoice, the lyrics come across as one of the most honest deliveries I'veheard. "He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace theCorner of Our Rooms" will easily be on my top five list of this year,and provides the perfect example of an album so emotionally packed itcan be described only as visceral.samples:
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- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
The world can never have too many bands who sound like they really love Spacemen 3. This Boston three piece is a band to keep an eye out for. A couple weeks ago I reviewed their set I caught, which caught me off-guard. The band have magically formulated a beautiful sound on recording in addition to the wonderful live set.
Castle Von Buhler
Recently released is this 7" single (their first in a series of four planned for this year). Both songs are dreamy and echo of Spiritualized and Spacemen influences. The production is professional enough to hear all instruments perfectly yet scratchy enough to have a heavy soul. Boy does that plucked bass guitar sound nice. Now available on the Boston-based label, Castle Von Buhler, get it now before the band gets signed, releases 3 albums and then splits only to be honored more in their death.
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- Robert Devlin
- Albums and Singles
McMahan certainly has with this third release by the For Carnation, aband that has featured Dave Pajo, John Herndon, Doug McCombs, and BradWood. This time around, the principal players are different yet again-- save Brian's brother Michael, who also played on "Marshmallows" --and the guestlist is interesting to say the least (Britt Walford fromSlint, Kim Deal, Rachel Haden to name a few). Behind the knobs thistime as well adding some flourishes here and there is John McEntire,whose presence adds credibility to any release these days. It's notneeded here, though, as what's important is the power of these songs.Gone are the days of "rocking out" that McMahan exhibited in Slint, butdon't think for a second that he's lost his edge. These songs are atonce beautiful, menacing, soothing, and frightening. Imagine a recordthat can completely relax you but still scare the shit out of you. Andthe lyrics! The finest McMahan's ever written. When he speaks "Child --go back inside/where is your father now?" on "A Tribute To" you feelhis concern, his fear, his anger, and his detachment, all in one line.I heard the description "imagine if Slint made a trip-hop record."Don't believe the hype. Yes, there are some sampling and electronicexperiments here and there, but this record is far from trip-hop.Instead, McMahan is proving that his music isn't just getting better,it's becoming more vital than Slint ever was. Brilliant.samples:
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- Jessica Tibbits
- Albums and Singles
The Noise Made By People combines moody yetenchanting torch songs (such as "Long Was the Year" and the album’sfirst single "Echo’s Answer"), charming psychedelic pop melodies ("ComeOn Let’s Go" and the highlight of the album "Papercuts"), and plenty ofhaunting instrumental pieces ("Minus One" and "Tower of Our Turning").Broadcast have proven to be adept at blending "real" instruments withelectronics, which is refreshing to hear in this type of music. Withthis release they seem to exhibit far more diversity than in the past,adding a maturity which was a bit lacking from the tracks compiled onWork and Non-Work, and have developed and refined their signaturesound.Read More
- Mark Weddle
- Albums and Singles
The first thing that caught my eyehere was the beautiful Van Gogh like cover. Then the name of the artistrang a few vague bells, I seem to remember it being dropped a few timeson the SWANS and Scott Walker e-mail lists and in The Wire magazine,all reliable sources for great music recommendations. A half minuteinto the first track at the listening station I knew this was for me.Dirty Three are an instrumental 3 piece from Australia with at leasthalf a dozen full length albums in 8 years. The music is composedsolely on violin, guitar and drums ... deceivingly simple consideringthe rich and full sound. Each piece is slow and melancholic as theclean guitar tones, violin and light percussion gently play off eachother. "I Offered It.." is the exception as it begins with severalminutes of solo violin then slowly builds into a barely contained rockfrenzy in the latter half. It's for the best that these tracks areinstrumental because the titles and music say everything that needs tobe said. "Whatever You Love, You Are" (great title) is a delicatelybeautiful album and I'm sure the more musically hip (i.e., fans of NickCave, the Legendary Pink Dots, SWANS, Godspeed You Black Emperor!,etc.) will agree. It looks like I have some back catalog catching up todo.Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
The result is as eclectic as the back catalogsof both players and it works. The 13 tracks ignore the traditionalboundaries of numerous genres, freely exploring and combining dance,ambient, lounge, country & western, Hawaian, swing, jazz, etc.Cole's pedal steel adds a unique vibe to Vibert's goofy samples and hiphop-lite beats, whether it be as ambient backing or lead licks. Italmost seems as if Cole's parts are merely samples but that's thething, they're not. The blend of 'real' and machine music is seamlessand sounds natural. Three tracks also have vocals, which is unfortunatein the case of Addie Brik's whining and moaning on "Nick Cave" butfunny in the case of Bobby Valentino's spoken intro and outro pieces.And with track titles like "Swing Lite - Alright", "Hipalong Hop","This Stuff is Fresh" and "Party Animal" ... how can you possibly gowrong? "Stop the Panic" isn't mindblowing but I don't think it'sintended to be. It's certainly interesting and a lot of fun. It'salways good to hear talented musicians from such supposedly differentgenerations and musical worlds collaborate. Vibert and Cole arecurrently on tour in Europe.Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
This features two brand new approximately 15 minute tracks. Listening to the CD is a treat for Coil fans as bits and pieces strike a nerve, remeniscent of last year's phenomenal Musick to Play in the Dark. Quick piano strikes from "Black Nurse" echo "Red Queen" while noises echo bits from "Red Birds."
Stunningly beautiful choral samples on "Tudor Fruits" aren't far from the similar choral samples heard on "The Sea Priestess" from Astral Disaster. I wish I could figure out what the items listed in "Tudor Fruits" had in common during the spoken sections. Keep in mind, however, this is not a Coil record, despite the guest vocals from John Balance. While it is does move and meld, it lacks a certain continuity apparent on nearly all Coil releases. This should also be available through many of the recommended brainwashed stores so save your bidding money.
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