Plenty of new music to be had this week from Laetitia Sadier and Storefront Church, Six Organs of Admittance, Able Noise, Yui Onodera, SML, Clinic Stars, Austyn Wohlers, Build Buildings, Zelienople, and Lea Thomas, plus some older tunes by Farah, Guy Blakeslee, Jessica Bailiff, and Richard H. Kirk.
Lake in Girdwood, Alaska by Johnny.
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Fans of Mojave 3 and the legendary (and sadly defunct) Slowdive haveawaited with baited breath and in sweaty anticipation the solo debut ofNeil Halstead, the frontman of both groups. Having performed quite anumber of live gigs prior to the release of 'Sleeping on Roads,'Halstead's ease as a solo artist is apparent.He has taken on boardsuch talents as Ian McCutcheon, Darren Seymour, Nick Holton and MarkVan Hoen (on whose Locust album 'Morning Light' Halstead made a briefbut memorable vocal appearance) to assist with the recording in variousfacilities. His remarkable songwriting abilities have always invitedcomparisons to both Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, but rarely has theirinfluence been so clear as on this release. The pervasive sleepymelancholy and sumptuous lullabies of 'Sleeping on Roads', however, arethoroughly Halstead's trademarks. "Martha's Mantra (For The Pain)", anunderstated ballad of sex and religion is a particularly strikingexample of his talents. That said, it is rather surprising that thisalbum isn't as catchy as these elements would suggest. With theexception of more standout tracks such as "See You on Rooftops" and"Seasons," the songs tend to amalgamate indistinguishably after awhile, leaving the impression that Halstead may have benefited from astronger production team. The contributing artists help to balance outthe dominance of the acoustic guitar with subtle touches of cello,organ, trumpet and light electronic elements, but the guitar remains abit heavy-handed. On the other hand, being such a clearly-focusedrecord, it is most likely that his intentions were on the modest side,and in this respect, he seems to have succeeded.
Although Halstead is the former Slowdive member currently receiving themost attention in light of his new solo record, Christian Savill hasremained active as well, recording with Sean Hewson as Monster Movie. Cross his previous work, the pop-gospel of Spiritualized, and notparticularly strong songwriting, and you get this, their debut album.The Slowdive factor is evident with the pretty male and female vocalharmonies and dirgy guitar. It's an admirable effort, and by no meansan unpleasant record, but unfortunately, something just isn't clickinghere. The general lack of charisma despite the obvious skilledmusicianship of Savill and Hewson smacks of some of the more mediocre'90s Brit pop bands. In terms of production, 'Last Night' is aknockout: undeniably dynamic and very well assembled, but it couldbenefit from the talents of a seasoned songwriter to balance everythingout.
Bed are a French group led by Benoit Burello, presumably at least thevocalist and pianist, and this is their debut for French label Icid'ailleura. Austere is the word that immediately comes to mind whenlistening to these ten very sleepy, very subdued songs. Mildly jazzykeys, guitar, bass, strings and winds just barely blanket the spaces inand around Burello's unassuming, almost spoken word vocals (all inEnglish, best I can tell). It's all very casual, very quiet, very slow,very relaxed and, in some way I can't quite adequately explain, veryFrench. And 36 and 1/2 minutes later it's time for bed. There's not toomuch in the way of memorable melodies or lyrics really, just brieflyused or underdeveloped phrases. They're all pretty but too often theycome and go with frustrating ease, such as the way "An Itch" begins tobuild a promising groove then aborts it less than a minute later or thegorgeous piano refrain of "The Whimps" is best used in conclusion. Ohwell. C'est la Vie!
Everyone seems to either love or hate the 'electro revival,' but thetruth of the matter is that, with any genre of music, you have the goodand the bad. In this case, you have the good (Fischerspooner, Soviet,Ladytron) and then you have artists like Norway Squared. This secondalbum by Eric Melzer on Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric's Plastiq Musiqlabel (home also to Soviet and Travelogue) embraces every tired andworn-out element of electro and new wave. The vocals are vocoded onevery single track, except for the self-titled intro, in which analogbleeps and tones swirl around a monologue depicting Norway Squared as afuturistic plastics factory. "The future is closer than we think, andNorway Squared is there to lead the way." That is, if leading the waytowards the future is programming uninteresting drumbeats and blandsynth melodies. The vocals and lyrics seem intentionally jokey, butjust because something is slightly ironic doesn't excuse its badness:"My synthesizer talks to me, my synthesizer told me to free, then itsaid 'you can't synthesize love'" Melzer lists over 60 of his 'recentinfluences,' including both "bad synth pop," which makes sense, and"anyone trying something new for a change," which doesn't. Noticeablyabsent from the list is the Cure, whose "Let's Go To Bed" Melzer bitesnearly note for note as the chorus of "It's Only Pop." Additionally,the opening of "From One Ballad To Another" sounds so much like CyndiLauper's "Time After Time" that I initially thought it was a sample.The lesson to learn from Norway Squared is that just because you ownmodular synths doesn't mean you can write a good song. It isuninspired, unoriginal synth drivel like this that gives the wholeelectro revival a bad name. -
Between his late '70s stint with Public Image Limited and the mid '80sfoundation of Invaders of the Heart, Jah Wobble released a number ofsolo and collaborative singles, EPs and albums. This 2 CD compilationselectively revisits that period. Included are the original"Invaders.." 12" (the cream of the crop), the "Voodoo" 12" with OllieMarland and Polly Eltes, the "Blowout" 12", the title track from the"Tradewinds" LP with Ollie Marland, the "Fading" and "A Long, Long Way"12"s (minus the instrumental versions) and the entirety of the aptlytitled "Bedroom Album". Noticeably missing are all of the releases fromthe same era for Virgin and Island, the ones I'd much rather hear, suchas the collaborations with Don Letts, Keith Levene, Holger Czukay, JakiLiebezeit and The Edge. Wobble's work with PiL and of the past 2-3years is by far my favorite, thus my low expectations for "Early Years"were not surpassed. There are some pleasant and promising moments butnothing on par with his previous post-punk and later, more seriousoutput. Goofy, cheesy pop tendencies (least of which are often silly ortrite lyrics and vocals) and not so interesting experimentationspredominate, while the dub wise world sound he is best known for isonly in it's fledgling stages. Recording quality is a bit dodgy hereand there too, some tracks obviously mastered from inferior masters.It's somewhat curious that Wobble would choose to re-issue these ratheramateur recordings now. I recommend PiL's "Metal Box"/"Second Edition"and Wobble's other recent 30 Hertz discs instead. -
Ex-members of Maeror Tri are behind this atmospheric, beat-orientatedalbum which stands somewhere in between traditional German electronicpioneers and current artists like Maju and the more experimentalstructures of Zoviet France. It adds another shade of grey to the widefields of independent produced music - leaving no clue if the intensionis to connect these styles or if this is just the result due to theinfluences and likes of those involved. The accompanying info saysTausendschoen's music is rooted in the agreement that everything has anopposite which should be realized, and their music is "music for thecentre of your brain". Some sharp contrasts pointing out the oppositeswould have been welcome to keep the interested listener listening.However, late at night it is a lot more appealing than during daytimedue to the lengthy ambient structures and the general drifting mood.The nicely handpacked and limited bonus CDR (200 copies with additionalgraphic data 3" disc) shows the current state of this project. I guessthe main work are paintings, some of them can be seen atwww.t000schoen.de. If you feel like obtaining it This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as the site is not yet updated and I doubt there is aproper distribution company involved.
The second in Mancester based RSI label's Spilt Signals series bringstogether a pair of unique improvising duos from the North of England.Posset from Newcastle and Gommorrahh from Manchester both coupleprocessed string sounds with electronic generated noises. Gommorrahhare cellist Daniel Weaver, formerly of Stock, Hausen and Walkman, andbeatmonger Mild Man Jan, who appeared on the earliest V/Vm Testcompilations and later made a single with Mark E Smith and has morerecently been composing symphonies for mobile phones. Their starter'Darwin's Evil Lotion' sounds like a short cousin of Fennesz in "HotelParallel", with Audiomulched cello noise and quick change drum machinepatterns. The main course from Gommorrah is 'Onanie Thermos and the BigDrip' which clicks and gurgles along to a steadier bulkier beat, withfunny underwater bell sounds drowning all around. 'Crushed CigaretteHolder' goes bossanova for dessert with the cello actually soundinglike a cello. Flip the reddish purplish record over and Posset slowlybuild up some tense processed guitar noise over the course of threetracks. 'Vernix' sends little skittering crackles over regular rhythmicsquelch and sonar blip. 'Endocrine' is a very short burst of feedback,heralding 'Myconium' which has more recognisable light guitar hammeringover an escalating drone which builds to a controlled crescendo. If youenjoyed the Triangles album Moikai released last year, you might wellalso enjoy Posset. This and the first in the Spilt Signals series whichfeatured Disco Operating System and JJ Howard, can be ordered fromwww.rsirecordings.co.uk.
This compilation serves as a soundtrack to last years NYC Electroclash2001 festival. Held over four days at various venues throughout thecity, Electroclash brought together many of the contemporary luminariesof the currently festering retro electro scene. Adult, Peaches,Fischerspooner and many other lesser known acts graced the stage, andafter the rubble cleared, we were left with only this compilation.The disc starts off on a killer note, with Fischerspooner's inspiredcover of Wire's "The 15th". It's hard not to love the infectious synthmelancholy of this gloomy pop song. The rest of the artists on the compyearn to reach the heights of this first track, with varying success.Memoryboy's "(There is No) Electricity" is a surprisingly powerfulpastiche of dark OMD-style electro. Morplay's "Check Your Pulse" is myfavorite track by far, a hilarious and ingenious Afrika Bambataa-styleelectro rap anthem. It sounds like the bastard child of Jonzun Crew andTechnotronic. Soviet turns in a very passable plagiarism of DephecheMode that shouldn't be enjoyable, but is. Robbie D. deserves somepraise for the Coil-style audio perversion of his track "Lotion." Therest of the artists engage in increasingly less and less interestingjuxtapositions of the same familiar clichés that make all EBM andDarkwave bands sound unlistenable and retarded. However, on the whole,this is an excellent compilation that successfully documents this scenein all of its inconsistent glory.
MikeDykehouse (yes, it's his real last name) recorded this effort, hisfirst release on the Planet Mu label, on 4-track, then it was mixed,mastered, edited, and reconstructed by Mike Paradinas, the banalincubus known as µ-Ziq. The end result comes out sounding like thesoundtrack to Gran Turismo mixed with cutscene music from NYPD Blue andthe keyboard demo on Casio keyboards, and set in the backdrop of"Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo." That's right: pretty uninspired,mostly keyboard-created drivel. And that's not to say it's withouthope. There are tracks on here that are passable, and they mostlyinvolve lush keyboards with samples, and clever changes in the middle.Most of this music, however, is just modern electronic mastery appliedto classic Detroit techno—Dykehouse hails from Kalamazoo—which makes itsound incredibly obsolete as well as repetitive. And when somethingcomes across that is genuinely stunning ("Humid Easel Hockey," forinstance), it only lasts long enough to get you addicted to thatstuttering beat and pretty keyboards, then it fades away. EvenParadinas himself, whose involvement is often both a blessing and acurse, offers a non-commital description of dykehouse on the Planet Muwebsite ("it was pretty good" and "so it's like Moodyman meetsAutechre, however awful that sounds" are the high points). There isextreme potential here. The high points on this CD blow the rest of itout of the water. I found myself wishing that the rest of the CD hadthe same sound of the fantastic triple-shot of "Hockey," "The Patina ofAccumulation," and "Kalamazoo." Sadly, that's the best it offers. Thenit disintegrates under the weight of a limited palette and lack offresh ideas. I'd like to hear more, perhaps downloading the MP3 albumhe has on the Planet Mu website. But this release left me as uninspiredas it sounds like Mike was making it.
If the poor girl couldn't decide what costume to wear to the SonicYouth-curated All Tomorrow's Parties festival in LA this March, andstayed hiding behind her door, then maybe this souvenir disc compilingtwelve of the performers could be some consolation.It's worth hearingjust for Boredoms' two chord big drum hoedown and the spoken wordtwilight psychedelia of Bardo Pond, whose warped eastern percussion led'White Turban' is the highlight. 'White Turban' builds wonderfullyhypnotic layers of tidal guitar ebb and flow over which IsobelSollenberger recounts a disjointed tale of something queer likestarlight. Boredoms gain big kudos for their long instrumental windtunnel which sounds unlike anything else they've done but couldn'treally be anyone else. Sonic Youth play a restrained sparse fireflyflickering instrumental that segues neatly into the more distortedUnwound who sound here like they could almost be the same band withtheir ghost piano, skittering footsteps, thick chunky bass andoverloaded drums. This track pisses all over everything from theirdisappointing "Leaves Turn Inside You" album. Dead C also sound oddlyas if they're paying distorted homage to Sonic Youth circa "Bad MoonRising", although this is probably unintentional, and the joyous racketthey kick up seems less artfully considered with drums even moredistorted than Unwound or Boredoms. Stephen Malkmus shrugs off a tweethrowaway demo tune about 'good kids' which becomes pretty irritatingafter repeated listening, whilst Papa M despairs of how to tell someonehe loves them in a maudlin folky style. Catpower also does the folkything but whereas Papa M sounds convincingly fraught about his wordsblowing away and deploys emotively effective dynamics, Catpower juststrums bland and forgettable. Table top guitar mangler Kevin Drumm andSatan's Tornade (Merzbow and Russell Haswell) end it all with somesuitably apocalyptic laptop noise. Drumm has more textural variation inhis track whilst Satan's Tornade go hell for weather in random digitalstorm clouds. All tracks are exclusives except for the ever bland andboring sickly sweet Stereolab and the much feted hip hop combo CannibalOx, who leave me feeling indifferent as they hang Zeus on the crucifixand scream Phoenix. -
Fans of Nick Drake rejoice: there is an heir apparent to the throne.Not a true heir, to be sure, but one of such promise that everyoneshould pay attention to his words and melodies as they're sure toimprove over time. Adrian Crowley's sophomore release, "Family" markshis domestic debut thanks to Ba Da Bing! Records, who will also releasehis debut record "A Strange Kind" later this year.And what a findCrowley is. First, he fits in nicely with the other artists on Ba DaBing!, as his releases are understated, small enesemble affairs (thistime it is Kate Ellis on cello and Thomas "Hulk" Haugh on drums).Secondly, he gains serious cred on "Family" through the production workof Steve Albini, who, thankfully, just lets the music speak foritself—mostly. Lastly, there are so many flavors here that fans ofBonnie Prince Billy, Red House Painters, Badly Drawn Boy, and theaforementioned Drake will all find something to pique their interests.In fact, if there's any complaint about "Family," it's that some of itsounds almost too much like other artists. The chiming, faded guitar,solemn piano and cello with very simple drumming are very much WillOldham in nature, and Crowley's voice is an interesting mix of MarkKozelek, Oldham, and Drake. It's the melodies and lyrics that setCrowley apart, and show immense promise for his future. Somewhatunfortunately, the next release US audiences will hear is actually hispast, but if it's even a shadow of this it should be a lovely listen. Ilook forward to his next studio release as well as an American toursometime in the near future (I hope). -