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Dominick Fernow is a formidable presence live. Typically shirtless, he requires only two microphones and some large amplifiers to extract the shriek and roar of victims who've succumbed to some violent act. His noise is visceral and muscular, masculine in a savage and homicidal sense, and the result live usually involves injury and complete absorption; there's absolutely no way anyone's attention could be anywhere but on him. On record he's fucking loud, the kind of loud that will get the cops called to your house because the neighbors think something is exploding and the house might burn into flames at any moment. The music is dense and my experience with Fernow's work is that there's never really a moment of silence or a space anywhere in the noise. It just keeps coming and coming until eventually it strips the paint off the walls and ejaculates it back in my face.
Black Vase is slightly different for a couple of reasons and those reasons make this a better album. First, drums and synthesizers make an appearance and provide fairly consistent rhythm to a few tracks whose sole instrument is Fernow's voice going completely off the edge and the mics shrieking their ear-shattering madness over and over again. A song like "Sorry Robin" benefits from these additions, sounding like a perverse new wave experiment in torturing small animals and children. The feedback rendered in the song takes an almost melodic role and the drums simply pound away in tribal fashion, eventually overloading the whole piece with Fernow shouting his strange lyrics. Those lyrics constitute the second aspect of his work that is either the most appealing or the most revolting aspect of Prurient. Undoubtedly sexual and almost certainly meant to emanate a violent attribute, Fernow's lyrics sound possessive and psychotic, the product of a child forced to live in a basement and meditate solely on what he can hear through the floorboards: his mother being beat or his father womanizing over the years.
The lyrics can sound a bit amateur at times, reaching from some erotic conclusion but not quite getting there because of the favor Fernow takes towards bluntness. A track like "Lord of Love," on the other hand, is perfect, ambiguously situated in some kind of cross-dressing fantasy created by an infatuation with a nameless woman. As excellent as Fernow is at forging harsh noise extravaganzas, he shines when he exhibits the ability to craft multi-layered songs that are as brooding as they are caustic. I get the feeling Black Vase could've been even more powerful if Fernow had decided to contain himself slightly more and fine-tune the record. Sometimes the silence is far scarier than the burst of anger of the explosion of hatred that accompanies death.
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Drag City
Opener “Punks in theBeerlight” tears out of the gate with a ferocity rarely heard inBerman’s previous work, and its tale of puking into paper bags and“burnouts in love” ensures that this will not be your typical recoveryalbum. While past Silver Jews records expertly mined the “aw shucks”alt-country vein with often excellent results, Tanglewood Numbers seesthe band entering a much more rock direction, a move seen on songs like“Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed.”
Although much of the album isconsistently good, I have to confess that I find the new “rock” sound abit contrived and less appealing than the shambling country approachfound on previous efforts (American Water comes to mind). Berman ismost effective when he’s there sharing the bottle with you, not onstage playing his guitar. As a result it is a good album that suffersfrom a split personality. A rock album has to rock, and thoughTanglewood Numbers does carry more sneers than its predecessors, itcan’t shake the feeling that it’s misplaced. Even so, the album isbalanced out by several standout tracks.
“K-Hole” features some ofBerman’s most desperate vocals, with him intoning “I’d rather live in atrashcan/ than see you happy with another man.” And while it would seemthat the overall mood of the record is all dark clouds and stormydepression, Berman does us the favor of lightening the mood withrollicking numbers like “I’m Getting Back Into Getting Into You” and“How Can I Love You (If You Won’t Lie Down)”, which features the warmbacking vocals of his wife Cassie Marrett.
Though it featuressome questionable shifts in approach, Tanglewood Numbers highlightsensure that it will be a worthwhile entry to the Silver Jews canon.
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THE NEW CURRENT 93 ALBUM and other C93/Coptic Cat news 4 February 2011
HONEYSUCKLE ÆONS AMEN STAUROS The new Current 93 album The new album by C93 is titled HoneySuckle Æons. It will be released at the Athens show on 24 March 2011 and will be available at the other subsequent C93 concerts on the tour. It will also be available from the Coptic Cat shop and will be sent out on 24 March. Coming soon... Amen Stauros.
Current 93: ‘Thunder Perfect Mind’ to be played live simultaneously with David Tibet’s lyric book launch “Bloody smoke, foggy smoke, beginnings and endings…” We are delighted to announce that David Tibet, Michael Cashmore and Current 93 will be performing the entirety of their Hallucinatory Playtime Dream Cycle, THUNDER PERFECT MIND, in (almost definitely) London whilst simultaneously launching David Tibet’s long-awaited lyric book, SING OMEGA (previously titled Under the Rain and Teeth of Gods). Due to the nature of their rehearsals, and the availability of our chosen venue, this concert is likely to take place in July 2011—meaning a brief postponement from the previously-mentioned March publication date—but it is very important to Michael and David to bind together these two events and make each of them into as Hallucinatory a Playtime Dream as possible. It is likely C93 will be performing two nights. More details very soon. Click here to buy Thunder Perfect Mind from Coptic Cat (2CD or download) or here to buy it from Jnana Records (2CD).
Current 93 cloth bags re-ordered
There have been a lot of emails asking about the Thunder Perfect Mind and Dogs Blood Rising/There’s No Hiding from the Blackbird cotton fairtrade bags which sold out very quickly. We have just re-ordered both of these—the Thunder Perfect Mind bag will be in the blue/green/jade we call ByrdColour, and the Dogs Blood Rising/There’s No Hiding from the Blackbird bag in the same red/black as before.
C93 German and (possibly) Danish dates added to March tour C93 hope to play play their first-ever Scandinavian show in Denmark as part of their forthcoming tour, but this is not yet confirmed. More details as and when we have them. An extra German date has been added, at Cologne/Köln Stadtgarten on 29 March. We hope to see you there, as real as rainbows.
David Tibet ‘Baalstorm, Sing Omega’ original artwork for sale David has added four pieces of his original artwork for Baalstorm, Sing Omega to the original artwork section of the Coptic Cat website. The first is ‘She is Naked Like the Water’, the painting used for the front cover of the CD and vinyl LP album; this piece is approximately (30 × 30 cm/12" × 12"), crayon and white ink on black paper. The second and third are, respectively, ‘Anoükiem et Anok in Storm’ and ‘The Assault Against Christ and the Four Apostles by the False Moon and her Legions’ which were two more of the paintings David made whilst working on Baalstorm, Sing Omega for possible use in the album artwork. These pieces are both A4, crayon and white ink on black paper. ‘Anoükiem et Anok in Storm’ is presently in the hands of Devendra Banhart, who is including it along with two more pieces by David in a large group exhibition he is curating in Mexico City in February—more details of this exhibition follow below. The fourth and final piece, ‘ZOSer and Pavo Ascend as Egypt’, is now in the collection of Uwe Henneken and Katja Strunz and is being exhibited at the Berlin show mentioned elsewhere in this update. All pieces can be found in the original artwork section of the website.
David Tibet ‘I Have Seen the Gnostic Awe and All’ original artwork for sale David has also added images of the nine paintings in his I Have Seen the Gnostic Awe and All series which he did for the Fabio Quaranta T-shirt collection that will be released in the Autumn of 2011. ‘I Have Seen the Gnostic Glory 2’ is presently in the hands of Devendra Banhart, who is including it along with two more pieces by David in a large group exhibition he is curating in Mexico City in February—more details of this exhibition follow below. All pieces can be found in the original artwork section of the website.
Test pressing of C93 7" available
There are eight copies available of the black vinyl 7" test pressing of the C93 single, ‘Time of the Last Persecution’/‘Black Flowers, Please’. It comes in the original sleeve, signed by David, and has white labels with the title and the group’s name written in black ink by David. They are £75 each plus postage and packing. Please email
Unique C93 test pressing box sets added to eBay Two box sets have been added to eBay at the links below. There is only one copy of each. One is the Like Swallowing Eclipses box set of Andrew Liles and C93’s reworking of early album material. This has all six albums as white label test pressings, with the titles handwritten by David. Also included is a piece of original artwork by David which was done for the box set but never used. The box set includes: the proper printed LP covers (into which the test pressings are inserted), the double-sided colour photographic insert and the printed box. So: this item is the same as the standard box set release, but with handwritten white label test pressings and the extra original artwork. The other is a test pressing of the German Vinyl on Demand Current 93 box set. This contains all eight white label 12" black vinyl test pressings, and the white label 7" black vinyl test pressing that was available to subscribers to VoD only. The records are housed in two black wooden silkscreened boxes which themselves come in a beautiful fine-linen silk-lined box with a Coptic text design by David on it. Each label has the titles handwritten by David. It contains all the original items from the original box set, which sold out on pre-order. So, this is identical to the subscribers’ edition of the box set except that the records are white label test pressings with handwritten labels; there was a small number of black card boxes, containing all the test pressings, with a drawing by David on the front of the box; these were sold privately. This box set is the only one in which the labels are handwritten. A list of what is in the two box-sets follows. Please notice this box set is very heavy, so be aware that the postage cost will reflect that.
Stapleton-Tibet album CD reissues We are now working on the reissue of the two albums that David Tibet and Steven Stapleton recorded together. Both will be 2CD digipaks. The Sadness of Things will contain the two tracks from the original album, as well as ‘The Fire of the Mind’ from the Simply Being book by James Low and an alternate mix of ‘The Grave and Beautiful Name of Sadness’, whilst Musical Pumpkin Cottage will feature the two tracks from the CD album of the same name, the alternate mixes of those tracks that were released first on the vinyl album Musicalische Kürbs-Hütte and then later on the Octopus CD and the track ‘I Left Her for a Cartoon Octopus’, also released on the Octopus CD. More details as soon as they ready.
Don Bradshaw-Leather CD reissue David is meeting Don Bradshaw-Leather’s sister once again when she returns to England in March/April to discuss the Coptic Cat reissue of her brother’s masterpiece Distance Between Us. This project is taking longer than we had both envisioned due to her recent relocation outside of the UK. She is very keen (as I am) to find extra material for the issue—photos, texts and perhaps even music. The release is still absolutely on and we are planning for it to be out later this year.
David Tibet painting in Berlin group exhibition David has his painting ‘ZOSeR and Pavo ascend as Egypt’, which was used on the insert of the vinyl edition of Baalstorm, Sing Omega, on display at a group show called ‘La Vallée Patibulaire’ between 25–27 February at Caro Bittermann, Gustav Müller Str. 18, 10829 Berlin. Opening times: Friday 25 February: 6–10pm; Sat 26–Sun 27 February: 12–6pm. www.vallee-patibulaire.eu.
David Tibet paintings chosen by Devendra Banhart for Mexico exhibition David is Over the Æon to have had three of his paintings chosen by the loveliest Devendra Banhart for a group exhibition entitled ‘La Migra!’ that Devendra is curating in Mexico City. The paintings are ‘Anoükiem et Anok in Storm’, ‘This Day You Will Be With Me in Paradise’ and ‘I Have Seen the Gnostic Glory 2’. The exhibition opens on 23 February. The exhibitors are as follows: Zach Hill • Marc Bell • Eric Wareheim • Jerry Hsu • Beck • Melissa Shimkovitz • Kevin Long • Adam Green • David Tibet • Marilyn Manson • Fabrizio Moretti • Alia Shawkat • Nat Russell • Thomas Campbell • Travis Keller • Angeline Rivas • Keegan McHargue and Adam Tullie with one more person tba… The show will be held at VICE GALLERY, Mérida 109, esq. Alvaro Obregón Col. Roma, Mexico City. www.viceland.com/mx
This update has been written by me, Anok Pe David Tibet, in |
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Tribute albums can often be enlightening. They can also beexcruciating. It can be illuminating to hear differing interpretationsof a songwriter's back catalog. A cover version can give you a freshperspective on a familiar song, or place it in a new musical contextthat may lend itself brilliantly to the original material. In the past,I've heard wonderful collections of artists interpreting the songs ofsinger-songwriters Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Lee Hazlewood. The Bells Shall Sound Forevercollects 15 tracks from 15 artists, paying tribute to the songs ofCurrent 93. From the beginning this project is doomed. David Tibet'swork as Current 93 is so irredeemably idiosyncratic, and is performedand produced in such a specific way, that any reinterpretationnecessarily runs the risk of diluting the meaning and power of theoriginal material. Current 93 albums do not contain songs; they containstanzas. Each album is a poetic cycle, weaving together Tibet's musingson Christ, cats and apocalypse with sparse and evocative soundsettings. The very idea of isolating a track and reinterpreting itseems, on the surface, to be a ridiculous venture. Tibet's dramaticspoken-word vocals, Michael Cashmore's haunting instrumental backdropsand Steven Stapleton's mindbending soundscapes and production acumen:all of these elements are vital to the sound of Current 93. David Tibetcan't play any instruments, he can't read or write musical notation andhe can't write a song. Therefore, the idea of covering a Current 93song seems just as pointless as covering a Wesley Willis song. TheEuropean and American artists on Bells are largely obscure,often amateur, with a clear emphasis on bedroom industrial and neo-folkmusicians — people who have had their brains twisted by constantexposure to Sol Invictus records. Sonne Hagal's limp take on "Death ofthe Corn" is made comical by the thick German accent of the singer.Dorien Campbell turns in a capable but unremarkable rendition of "ASadness Song." Vequinox manage to make the already boring "Earth CoversEarth" even more lackluster, sounding like a middle-aged, pot-smokingWiccan couple recording on a four-track in a dusty tool shed in theirbackyard. German industrial band Engelsstaub attempt to transform"Happy Birthday Pigface Christus" into one of those faceless EBM clubtracks. What an outrageously bad idea! Hungary's Cawatana contribute ahilariously corny version of "A Song for Douglas After He's Dead",complete with silly pan flutes and broken English. "Crowleymass" is anembarrassing mess — it's hard to tell what Storm of Capricorn werethinking with this annoying cacophony of multi-tracked vocals and dullCasio keyboards. If you've ever wanted to hear a heartbreakinglybeautiful song turned into utter shit, listen to Der Feuerkreiner'sself-consciously "gothic" reading of "Soft Black Stars." PancreaticAardvarks turn in a seven-minute dark techno track clearly influencedby Coil, but it appears to have nothing in common with the Current 93song that it purports to be a cover of. The tracklisting containsseveral glaring errors, mixing up the order of the tracks 12 through14, which is fine with me because I'm sure I won't be searching forthese songs in the future. I actually liked O Paradis' psychedelicflamenco version of "Calling For Vanished Faces I," if only for theamusement of hearing the lyrics sung in Spanish. Apparently, DavidTibet donated a Louis Wain painting from his personal collection forthe sleeve image. If this means that he is giving his stamp of approvalto this project, I would question his judgment. All I felt afterlistening to The Bells Shall Sound Forever was an overwhelmingdesire to dig out my old Current 93 records and listen to these songsin the proper context. Perhaps that was David Tibet's plan all along.
- O Paradis - Calling for Vanished Faces
- Storm of Capricorn - Crowleymass
- Der Feuerkreiner - Soft Black Stars
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The immediate reaction I had to my first airing of this CD is probablyquite common: It's impossible, at first, to believe that this isgenuine. Thankfully, the intensity and craftsmanship of the music lenda great deal of credibility, and after repeat listens I am less andless inclined to challenge the band on whether or not their hearts aretruly in this. I grew up listening to Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica,sporting the worst mullet on the planet and a backpatch on my denimjacket to strike fear into all those who opposed. As I grew older, Igot into Yes, Dream Theater, and even some King Crimson, and learnedhow expansive one could make rock sound. Nightfist have taken the worksof these and other collective metal and prog-rock influences andbettered them, even if only here and there on their first release. Iftheir bio is indeed true and Nightfist's members are recent high schoolgraduates, then color me doubly impressed, as there's not one slip-upis to be found in these louder-than-love anthemic passages, and thatkind of skill is rare on music so technically precise as this. Theprologue and epilogue come off a bit forced, like an afterthought,detailing the warrior's journey in two brief monologues; thankfullythey let the music do most of the talking. Furious drumming, blazingguitars and mad-scientist keyboards abound, and the songs take on alife of their own. I saw the warrior, put upon by so much strife,swinging his sword and crushing enemies with one blow, striving towardsthe final battle. The entire CD is a metaphor for this up and comingband, and at this rate they'll be the stuff of legends sooner ratherthan later.
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While their debut album was equal parts all-out guitar assault and plaintive resignation, Explosions in the Sky plumbs the depths of their oeuvre by digging within on their second record, even in its first moments. The quietly played notes that begin the first track eventually join with a heartbeat of percussion that builds into a carefully blended swell where all instruments feel like they're being played with someone's life on the line. When it all finally combusts, it's not at all like before: it's better.
The relentless touring; the stigma associated with album covers and titles; the strife that comes with any band meeting this much popularity this soon all have served to teach this band what it is exactly they possess, what hold they have. They've pulled out the stops on their growth, and become one time and time again over this at once triumphant and sad record. The quiet-loud-quiet dynamics that were there before are less extreme in variation, but where some might miss these moments it has actually strengthened their ethos considerably. There's no fear in this music. The members of the band have surrendered themselves completely to this art, and the end result is radiant. The first half is the triumph, where "First Breath After Coma" and "The Only Moment We Were Alone" display a renewed hope and vitality. These are the songs that say "We've been through hell, but we're all going to be okay. We're not out of the woods yet, but we're still here." For the ones who didn't make it, like the poor sailors on the Kursk who inspired the songs' creation, there's "Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean" and "Memorial," two sad but gorgeous numbers that represent the mourning and pain that can devastate. Then, in the midst of it all, comes "Your Hand in Mine," the closest thing to an honest to god love song Explosions may ever give up. "Your Hand" brings everything full circle, and, like the rest of the album, shows the real beauty in what this band can accomplish. Their US tour has already begun, and if you've never seen them now is the time. 
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Somewhere there exists a Metal Valhalla, an otherworldly paradise where all of the head-banging Vikings, beer-swilling Satanists, fist-pumping Klingons and face-painted Odinists are slam-dancing under the dark crimson moonlight to the pure amplified glory of the heaviest sounds in the Universe. For all we know, this Guitar Nirvana might be completely out of reach of mere mortals, at least in this lifetime, but that doesn't stop people from trying time and again to invoke it right here on Earth.
For the past two decades, as American and British metal bands have crept uncomfortably towards soulless rap-metal, middle-of-the-road alt-rock and hair-metal parody, Norway's legion of Black, Neo-Black and Blacker-Than-Thou Metal bands have gradually asserted themselves as the most extreme, experimental and creative force still untainted by irony and trendspotting. The scene made headlines in 1993 when Count Grishnackh of Burzum burned down a few churches then murdered his former Mayhem bandmate Euronymous, in a bid to prove that his virulently radical and amoral views were more than just a stylistic pose. Since the recent decline of Mayhem and Emporer, the Scandinavian scene's acknowledged godfathers, Dimmu Borgir have taken the gilded Viking helmet by the horns, releasing several masterful albums of megalithic death-rock that stand up to the best heavy classics of the past.
Death Cult Armageddon is their strongest effort to date, a Dionysian explosion that comes on like a nuclear assault and relentlessly pummels forward on its own twisted momentum. Dimmu Borgir are inspired by three demonic familiars known as Speed, Power and Majesty. Speed comes in the form of the primal, high-speed drumming of Nicholas Barker and the savage technical mastery of guitarists Silenoz and Galder. Power manifests in the growls, groans and operatic screams of vocalists Shagrath and Vortex. Majesty is provided by the symphonic keyboards of Mustis, who wields the entire Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to provide the final Wagnerian piece of the puzzle. The production on Death Cult Armageddon is precise and deadly, achieving an impressive balance between the symphonic backdrops and the vicious bombast of the band.
The album is filled with moments of dark orchestral intrigue, punching up the action. Mustis has clearly been influenced by the gothic symphonic film scores of Danny Elfman, as well as John Williams' space fanfares for Star Wars. "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" builds a twisted tower of epic Hollywood intensity, quickly exploding into a monolith of speed-damaged brutality. Shagrath's growling vocals are phased and mutated, joined on two tracks by the powerful gut-wrenching of Abbath Doom Occulta of Immortal. Yes, it's overwrought, and unquestionably goofy, but it's also an amazingly entertaining listen. I've never heard another band that puts quite so much visceral energy into scaring the hell out of their audience while simultaneously blowing out their eardrums.
There's not a dud among the 11 tracks on Death Cult Armageddon, but the album certainly builds up to the dual orgiastic climaxes of the two lengthy final tracks — "Unorthodox Manifesto" and "Heavenly Perverse" — where soaring symphonic swells are unashamedly wielded to devastating effect. The songs willfully change tempo and direction, dipping into industrial rhythms, gothic drama and Slayer-style debauchery, pausing every now and then to reinforce their own violent virtuosity. This is the Close to the Edge of the Black Metal genre; revelatory progressive metal for a post-apocalyptic millennium.
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Those familiar with Electrelane may not recognize them now. Wherebefore they were apt to formulate long, dire instrumentals with murkybass, flamboyant keyboards, and fuzz guitar, these four ladies fromBrighton have apparently decided that less can be more, provided that the energy is right. On Paradeis a sample of what's to come from the band on their debut full-lengthon Too Pure, and has an intriguing concept given their past. Threesongs weighing it at a little past eight minutes is a little shocking.The Bruce Springsteen cover ups the oddity level, though they've playedit live in the past with good notices. But the punk-injected soundtakes the taco, as the Electrelane of before has been replaced by thebastard daughter of Snowpony and Sleater-Kinney (recent tourmates =coincidence?). At any rate, it's a fairly by-the-numbers EP: new soundon track one, strangely appealing though out of character cover ontrack two, and a more traditional-sounding (read: instrumental) trackthree to prove to fans they haven't completely lost their minds. It'sfairly mediocre, but not in that it-almost-stinks kind of way. It'sjust nothing all that special. Verity Susman has that husky JohnetteNapolitano quality in her voice that always sounds like it can't domuch more than it is right now. The music is catchy and has a certainulterior groove to speak of, but at the end of the day I'm left wantingto give it all the old heave-ho on days when I want to trade in old CDsfor new at my local. The jury's not out so far that I wouldn't listento the forthcoming debut, but I'm suspect nonetheless.
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Rune Grammofon is known for releasing consistently excellent recordswhile at the same time convincing listeners that all their music comesfrom Norway. One would think, given the output of this label alone,Norway should have long ago become the new Iceland…or something. Rune'sreputation for continually thwarting audience expectations will not betarnished by Fevergreens,the second release from outsider-composer Jono El Grande. Next to ArneNordheim's abstract electronics, Supersilent's dead-city jazz, andSpunk's inimitable improv, Fevergreens occupies a territory ofits own; problem is, the territory isn't so thrillingly exclusive thistime around. While El Grande's playful blend of easy listening,exotica, and soundtrack styling may stand out in Norway, there is a"tried" quality to this music that makes the disc less than impressive.Fevergreens is enjoyable; the exuberance of these tracks iscertainly palpable, the pathos-ridden moments gripping even. ElGrande's forays into easy listening and a kind of quasi-exotica arewritten well, never drifting into (more-than-appropriate) parody. Thedisc fails, somewhat admirably, in its ambitious nature. The musicoperates under a classically informed, theatrical guise, bookendingprologue/epilogue sections and all, with the soundtrack-influenced vibefueling the listener's vivid journey through the crests and denouementsof an elaborate, though abstract tale. Such a framework clashes with ElGrande's interest in jazz and the progressive rock sound bearing themark of people like the Mothers of Invention and Henry Cow. The avantpresence is subtle, isolated to bursts of rock drumming, spasticsynthesized melodies, and a more pronounced jazz edge, but relevantenough to pull the stoicism out from under what would otherwise be arather refined musical achievement. The short lengths of the songs,each packed with enough mood changes to make one's head spin, likewisedetract from the latent seductive quality of this music. I find myselfwishing the avant-rockist bits were allowed to flail and degeneratefreely, or the moments of a more classical resolve given more room tobreathe. The former would provide Jono El Grande a welcome (and stillunique) spot on Rune Grammafon's intimidating roster, while the latterwould still make him the best Norwegian making such interesting music(which, to be honest, could mean the best worldwide).
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The future of indie rock mixed with electrorock funk is definitely indoubt. Black Audio are a Finnish pop outfit with a mission to be thebest club band ever, or so it seems listening to their slickproductions on this release. The sad thing is that their beats arederivative, and every track is ruined by the mispronunciation of aword, or a strange effect that throws everything out of balance. Thereis a lot of creativity in their music, no question there, but it hasvery little substance that can be called originality. This single,composed of one undisturbed track off their debut album and two remixedversions of album tracks, is enough to give a taste of the band andtheir flavor, but there is precious little here that would give me anycause to want to listen to their full-length at all. "Louisiana" iskeyboard funk with scratch guitar and a steady programmed beat, butit's crippled by the flatulent keyboard bassline, and the repeatedphrasing of "Yamaha" as "Ya-MAH-ha." "Rock 'N' Roll Egos" starts offfairly strong, with a labored rhythm and guitar bend, but it's thelyrics that ultimately do this one in, as well: "Yeah I hate therednecks, dislike hipsters even more/Getting along with mean morons forthe sake of business makes me a whore." It just shows that subjectmatter only gets you halfway there; next you have to carry the conceptto the masses on your words and feelings. Maybe something is lost inthe translation here, and that's part of the problem. "Mockba 1980" isa tribute to Finnish Olympic medal winners of the past, but the remixhere just plods at first, then annoys at the end with its blandkeyboard sounds and rapid-fire for no reason beat. It's a good attempt,and maybe there would be more on the full-length for me to enjoy. Withthis as an appetizer, though, I have very little stomach for the maincourse.
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If brevity is the soul of wit, then the 99 remixes of Cock ESP on Hurts So Goodmust be the wittiest music ever produced. Close to none of these songsexceed the two-minute mark, most of them averaging about 30-45 seconds.It's an album tailor made for noise lovers with ADD. Cock ESP isanother one of those aggro-noise outfits with a wicked sense of humorand a predilection for transgressive fun. V/VM Test records iscertainly an appropriate label for this stuff, as much of their humorderives from brutal parodies of pop music and pun-filled song titles,poking fun at pop culture clichés and other easy targets. Thisadolescent satire has the potential to wear out its welcome quickly,but when it comes in such tiny little disposable half-minute packages,it's hard to resist. Just reading down the list of the 88 band namesand 99 song titles that make up the album is a fucking riot. A samplingof some of the more ridiculous band names: The Edible Scab Package, DJEnormous Genitals, U Can Unlearn Guitar, Obscuration/Albee Featuringthe Mellow Oaks First Grade Choir, Uncle Fatso, Kid666 and DJSmallcock. The song titles: "Don't Stop Bleedin'," "The Pursuit ofCrappiness," "Enjoy the Violence," and "Hologram of Balls." The musicruns the gamut — mutated voices, perversions of pop music, sampledmedia cut-ups, harsh blasts of industrial noise, aggressive drill n'bass techno, clarinet solos, a children's choir, field recordings anddrugged-up fucking about — some of it hilarious, all of it annoying,but certainly that was the intention. As an unexpected side effect,listening to this disc on random repeat mode all afternoon has given methe strange ability to read the minds of people's genitals. In fact,your dick just told me that it wants this CD. -
- Madame Chao - Hologram of Balls (Horrorglam of Bars Mix)
- DJ Enormous Genitals - Don't Stop Bleedin' (Enormous Cock Mix)
- Arctic Universe - Too Good To Be Experimental (Ten Below Mix)
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