- Jason Olariu
- Albums and Singles
On this double Cd, those two long out-of-print albumsappear in their entirety, along with a previously unreleased thirdalbum (all self-titled, by the way). Taking inspiration from folk,rock, and the more oddball indie rock that was happening at the time(The Meat Puppets and Minutemen, for example), The Donner Party craftedcatchy indie rock. Sometimes humorous and playful ("Would You Like ToHave Something To Eat?"), occasionally frightening, such as on theschizophrenic ramblings of "Chocolate Shake." Showing their progressionfrom Husker Du-inspired edgy punk-pop of early Donner Party, to themore experimental leanings of their later stuff, this compilation is agreat showcase to an often over-looked band. Tracks such as "Notker TheStammerer", clearly the blueprint bands such as Soul Asylum and Swellfollowed, rock hard without devolving into childishness plagued by someof their material. Maybe it's that divide, between Dead Milkman-likeimmaturity and honest punk-pop tunes with loads of hooks, that made TheDonner Party not get the attention they deserved (a lot of people,critics especially, like their music straightforward, with nosurprises). Let's hope with the re-release of this old material,history will be corrected.
Read More
- Rainer Padamsee
- Albums and Singles
Current 93's effort is entitled "Immortal Bird" and is evidently fromthe forthcoming album "Sleep Has His House". There is an immediatechange of atmosphere, as dark synths and Cashmore's instrumentationgive an ambience not dissimilar to the Island material, albeit a littleless electronic and well integrated with quietly strummed guitars. Thevocals open shortly after with "What drives us on? What drives us on?".Tibet then launches to a tragic and poignant verse, neither sung norspoken, in much the way that he employed his melancholic vocals on SoftBlack Stars.
The song is reminiscent of "Moonlight or Other Fields..." in that bothhave a short spoken-sung section culminating in a final line ofhalf-rhyme "and the gun, and the glory that was to come" (Moonlight...)/ "Your eyes wide, and shot through; With Sea blue" (Immortal Bird).
The lyrical section lasts only for the first two and a half minutes ofthe song, whereafter the melody plays on, gradually and subtly soundingmore enforced and more desperate. Initially I was a little disappointedthat the last four minutes of the song are all instrumental, but onrepeated listening I find this works very well; we are all left hangingto Tibet's last line while the music drags us along and away.
The holistic effect is very depressing, much more so than the track byAntony and the Johnsons. As with Soft Black Stars, the lyrics soundautobiographical ("I was nothing for you but the shadow of anotherlove" ) and at the same time surreal ("shift your skies to pasturesblue, streaked with passing and loss/ Moonlight sweeping over Northernbeaches where the trees are stripped silhouettes of memories") andmetaphor-laden ("in your vault of skin").
It is, in his own words, the sound of his own "particular fall". Andyet nevertheless David Tibet once again manages to evoke emotions,moods and meanings which are universal.
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
You might expectthis to be kitschy or maybe good for a laugh and nothing else, buthonestly, it's actually got very emotive vocals (in that big '70's rockway) that remind me of Waters-era Pink Floyd. The whole album has aDuets theme, so it's the melvins with (in order:) Leif Garrett, DavidYow(Jesus Lizard), Hank Williams III/Henry Bogdan(helmet), Mike Patton(Mr. Bungle/Ex-Faith No More, Fantomas), Foetus, Skeleton Key, Tool,David Yow/godzik pink, Hank Williams III/Henry Bogdan, Bliss Blood,Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth). The first David Yow song is very punk-ish(it is a Jesus Lizard cover) sounding every bit as drunk as the linernotes say he was during recording and the better of the two; the secondDY song is a bit more metal/grindcore with a very avant-garde jazz bitin the middle by godzik pink ("interlude") then right back into the DYyelling. The HW3/HB tracks are great, a real high point in the album(the first one is "Ramblin' Man" a Hank Williams Sr. tune, the other is"Okee From Muskogee" by Merle Haggard). Tool sounds very un-like itselfhere, kind of ambient-metal I'd call it and then the first 4 minutes ofthe 14min song are over and it starts sounding a bit more like Tool.The Feotus song is a great dirge-y ballad which is cool actually; theonly thing that it has going against it is the fact that it's rightafter the Mike Patton track which is so amazingly good that it kindaruined me for the rest of the album for a bit. The song ("G.I. Joe")starts with electronic squeals and beatboxing turns into a very denseeclectic song quickly. The bottom line is that this is a great albumthat I'd recommend to anyone who likes albums that are more on theeclectic side of the spectrum -- especially if you like any of theartists on this disc.
Read More
- David A. Banton
- Albums and Singles
I think my initial reservations about the new"accessible" sound were valid, and I'm not yet sold on all the songs,but there is certainly enough here to make this a keeper. Letting go ofthe past and accepting this on its own terms was a start (and thanks toRichard Leviathan for his thoughtful comments in private); beginning to"hear" the lyrics and how they inform the music has been particularlyhelpful.
"Operation Valkrie" was perhaps the obvious choice for the pre-releasepromo single, but my current favorite is "The Wolf's Door". It's thatrare gem of a song that conveys a deep sense of melancholy, yet alsomanages to be uplifting and a source of strength... I can't get thatchorus out of my head! I am also leaning heavily towards "Serpent'sWine". Nice work!
Life is a field of Emptiness.
Read More
- Alan Ezust and Julie Geanakakis
- Albums and Singles
samples:
Read More
- Alan Ezust and Julie Geanakakis
- Albums and Singles
The first song sounds almost like a 60s beatles ripoff, and then turnsinto this very dirgey noise with some The The-like electric harmonicasounds. The elephant trumpet samples mixed with orchestral sounds inSnowfish add a very surreal quality to an otherwise manic piece. Everysong just goes nuts half way through, providing no end of surprises,and yet there is a cohesive theme that carries through the whole CD,providing a very entertaining trip. If you enjoy high-energypsychedelic weirdness, unexpected and out of context sounds throwntogether in a rhythmic way, and occasionally amusing spoken wordsamples, this CD is for you. One small comment about the packaging - itis incredibly difficult to insert and remove the CD, so one of thefirst things I did was trim the packaging so it would fit into a jewelbox. It was a very easy operation to perform.
samples:
Read More
- Thomas Olson
- Albums and Singles
"Chickenspin" is a thin and tightly controlled soundtrack for Santa'selves at work. I like the part where the boss walks in and they all getbusy.
Jhon Balance's lyrics on "Silence is Golden" are wonderfully kinky, andthe music on this piece, alternately jaunty minimalist pluck and darkominous pulse, is effectively schizophrenic. As if Balance werePersephone, skipping gaily through a field of Asphodels in a littlewhite frock, unaware of something enormous homing in... like a shift offocus from figure to ground. The way he says "My love is endless" givesme shudders. The lyrics on this are really extra-deliscious, likehaving phone sex with H.P. Lovecraft.
"Their new polka" is wobbly and perky, like a tightly spinning jewel giving offdelighted tones as it slowly runs out of energy.
"46 things I did today" is a pretty little music box tune which turns into afrantic and tense reflection of Annie Anxiety's spoken word list of activities.Her list occasionally falls into rhymes which briefly create exciting rhythmsagainst the music...
COH is Russian (living in Sweden) Ivan Pavlov, and I see his posts onthe Coil email list now and then -- what's his story? I'm suddenly afan.
samples:
Read More
Since Swans demise in 1997, Michael Gira has meticulously re-packaged exactly what he wants to preserve of Swans 15 year legacy via double cd re-issues, this being the fourth and final one. This set couples the long out print 1983 debut album Filth and the 1982-85 studio out takes and live recording collection Body to Body, Job to Job. In addition is a previously unreleased 25 minute live show in NYC from 1982/3 and a 9 minute live version of "Raping a Slave" from 1984. Noticeably missing are the four songs from the debut s/t EP from 1982.
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Since Swans demise in 1997, Michael Gira has meticulously re-packaged exactly what he wants to preserve of Swans 15 year legacy via double cd re-issues, this being the fourth and final one. This set couples the long out print 1983 debut album Filth and the 1982-85 studio out takes and live recording collection Body to Body, Job to Job. In addition is a previously unreleased 25 minute live show in NYC from 1982/3 and a 9 minute live version of "Raping a Slave" from 1984. Noticeably missing are the four songs from the debut s/t EP from 1982.
Swans always had the potential for brutal sonic assaults throughout their life span but this era in particular focused solely on an uncompromising and unapologetic, sledge hammer sound. Melody and harmony are essentially absent in favor of pounding percussion, raw slabs of guitar and bass sound and Gira's guttural vocals. Lyrically Gira reels against authority and control, money, sex, violence, etc. with simple, receptive slogan like chants. Altogether it's a big, ugly, intense, slowed down mutant strain of punk rock that was all their own, at least, up until everyone started copying them.The 25 minute live show (indexed as 1 track) on the Filth disc is bootleg quality but in this case it doesn't much matter as it's comparable to, and just as interesting as, the numerous rare live recordings on the Body to Body disc.
It's a bit of a challenge to listen to all of one disc at a time, much less the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes, but for those days when you get a traffic ticket, you're doing your taxes, you hate your job, your significant other leaves you or you just plain hate everything ... this is your soundtrack. The packaging is the same as the other re-issues with a tan and black double digipack (signed by Gira if you order direct from the Swans web site) featuring the Filth teeth and BtB,JtJ young MG cover pictures and an insert with the Filth lyrics. Say what you will about Gira's track selection for these re-issues but he certainly did a great job of creating a great looking and sounding set of discs for old and new fans alike.
samples:
Read More
- Mark Weddle
- Albums and Singles
This 2cd set (this being the limited edition version with 'bonus' cd)features 2 live shows in Germany from late 1984, not long after thedeparture of Peter Christopherson and John Balance (Coil). Here we havethe very beginnings of the 'hyperdelic' song based period, though thebulk of these tracks are still in the experimental vein of the early tomid '80s. PTV were notorious for not practicing for gigs and, well, itshows. Sometimes I wonder if anyone on stage was actually aware of whatanyone else on stage was doing at any given time. It often seems likerandom jamming, noise and feedback ... in a bad way. A really bad way.The 'songs' are loosely arranged with Genesis mumbling, yelling,bellowing, howling and/or occasionally singing over them here andthere. Those that should be recognizable, like "Unclean" and "Godstar",barely are and are lame in comparison to their studio counterparts. Thesound on both discs is bootleg quality: poorly mixed, distant and fuzzywith audience members clearly chatting amongst themselves. Disc 2,which I guess is the 'bonus' disc, is ironically the better of the twoas the band is much tighter and competent, but only marginally so. Andwith 7 tracks exceeding 11 minutes in length this is simply cruel andinhumane punishment. As for the packaging, it's not much better. Thecover drawing is the most redeeming quality as the insert offers only 1b/w picture of Genesis, track listings, copyright info and web siteurls with nothing in the way of liner notes. Everything about thisreeks of bootleg despite it being an official release from Cold SpringRecords. Definitely for die hard PTV fans only. As for me, I'll stickto the studio albums. May I please have my $18 back?.
samples:
- note - It wasn't worth the hassle of listening to any more of this to find 3 minutes worth of redeemable music to make mp3s.
Read More
- Jason Olariu
- Albums and Singles
Read More
