Music Log (2009)
Submitted by Menindrag on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 03:25
Tags:
- The Olivia Tremor Control - Dusk At Cubist Castle (1996) [Art Pop/Indie]
- This is what The Beatles should of done. Harness their ability to make brilliant songs, into a whole brilliant album. This is what The Olivia Tremor Control could do what The Beatles couldn't. Make a consistent, brilliant album out of experimental studio effects, harmonies & pop melodies. They take The Beatles' style, and expand on it. Oh Paul & John, if only you weren't baby boomers.
- Pere Ubu - Terminal Tower: An Archival Collection (1985) [Art Punk/ Experimental Rock]
- I feel this is a debt i've long been in debt in. Pere Ubu are one of my personal favoreite bands. Modern Dance, New Picnic Time, Dub Housing, Art Of Walkong. All grand artistic statements with Modern Dance being one of the greatest musical works of the 20th century and I had yet to listen to this. A collection of their singles & rarities from that creative period. Well, I finally grabbed my lazy white ass out of the comfy chair and listened to this. And I can conclusively say, it was worth it. From the eerie, harrowing Heart Of Darkness to the childish, playful Not Happy this is yet more brilliance from Pere Ubu. Also worth it for an early version of Modern Dance (Untitled)
- B.B. King - Live At The Regal (1964) [Electric Blues]
- Me and my mother enjoyed this over lunch. Not a grand artistic statement, but well worth a listen, Especially is you like the blues...yea...
- The Pop Group - For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? (1980) [Post Punk/Dub]
- Not as good as Y, or Mark Stewart's "Learning". There's your review, aren't I a darling?
- Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions (2009) [Drone Doom Metal]
- You know that feeling you get, that tingle in your spine, that shear oh-my-fucking-god I'm going to die. One die I shall not exist, I shall never ever see the world again. Never see the life & colour & beauty. Just an eternal nothing. Well hey, heres the soundtrack to that feeling. Enjoy, it's bloody good fun.
- Mary Margaret O' Hara - Miss America (1988) [Folk/Alternitive Rock]
- A superb collection of folk ballads. Mary Margaret O' Hara has a unique voice. With the intimacy of Joni Mitchell, the power of Diamanda Galas and the delivery of Meredith Monk she constructs a metaphysical world inside herself. But, the backing music does let her voice down, bacsue I dread to say it, it's dull. It never reaches a peak, it's emotionless and sometimes it feels like life music. If you can get past this however, this album is worth buying just for the unique characteristics of O' Hara's voice.
- Lou Reed, John Cale & Nico - Le Bataclan '72 (1972) [Folk Rock/Experimental Rock]
- An acoustic set from two members of The Velvets and a young lady by the name of Nico. They say that The Velvet Underground never performed the same track the same way twice, and this album is furthur proof. From the slowed down, almost country-esque "I'm Waiting For My Man" to the upbeat Dylan-esque "Black Angels Death Song" this is a superb live performence by the three of them.
- Taj Mahal Travellers - August 1974 (1974) [Free Improvisation/Drone]
- Continuing the high bar set by July 15, 1972, The Taj Mahal Travellers create a soundscape of a psychedelic infrastructure, one which has no boundries or rules. A highly impressive set of tunes, however I feel that this is just a sequel to July 15, 1972, not bringing any new ideas to the band only developing the old ones.
- Franz Koglmann - Cantos I-IV (1995) [Creative Jazz]
- Filling the gaps between Stravinsky's instrumentations, Cecil Taylor's deconstruction of jazz & Miles Davis' effortless cool. Highly recomended to jazz lovers.
- Babes In Toyland - Fontanelle (1992) [Punk/Grunge]
- This is an eruption of violence, a women's anger against the prejudice world which she has entered. Kat Bjlelland spews out lyrics with harrowing rage, like she is spitting back at the world which threw her out. A masterpeice of extreme emotions, living on the edge of sanity.
- New York Eye And Ear Control - New York Eye And Ear Control (1964) [Free Jazz]
- If Ornette Coleman's "Free Jazz" is your wake up call, "New York Eye And Ear Control" is the punch which knocked you out. A very enjoyable album, the instruments seem to come and go at will and when they do they're played with such force and ferocity it makes Cecil Taylor yarp.
- Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1997) [Black Metal]
- A really epic album. I haven't had that much experience with Black Metal before (Burzum being the only artist I've delved into) so I didn't really know what to expect. This is a really really dark epic album. Sustains a level of crescendo, there's no real build up or break dream, it's all high level. And that isn't a bad thing. Sometimes though, it does get a litle too much and I did find myself laughing at some of it. Still, it's an enjoyable album.
- Leo Kottke - 6 and 12 String Guitar (1969) [American Primitivism/Folk]
- This similar to John Fahey's work but less experimental and mostly shorter songs. It's pretty good. There's some really good polyrhythmic sequences (Vaseline Machine Gun) and generally excellent guitar playing. Not a masterpeice, but a highly enjoyable album.
- Elegi - Varde (2009) [Dark Ambient/Experimental]
- This one hit me. I didn't really expect myself to like it. I've never really liked dark ambient or anything similar to it, I've always thought it sounded cheesy (great word) and too forced. But Varde really is excellent. It tells the story of a group of fellow countrymen on a failed mission to by the first to the South Pole in 1914, and you can almost hear them. It's like you know they're there, but you can't hear what they're saying. It's really interesting how vivid Elegi managed to create the story, without making it obvious. This is a bleak, harrowing, and beautiful album which you should really listen to if you haven't already.
- Ben Klock - One (2009) [Minimal Techno/Dubstep]
- A really interesting album. I'd sort of given up on new techno. It had entered into a unending cycle of minimal, dub and melodic with the records that are either clones of Villalobos', Hawtin's or Basic Channel's school of music. However, recently, a label called Ostgut Ton and a club called Berghain have been creating this new sort of techno. It's slowed down, yet it's still danceable. It's dark without feeling cheesy. It soaks up inspiration from the past to create something very new. Villalobos' soul, Hawtin's energy, and Basic Channel's level of detail. Shedding the Past was last year's great example, One seems to be this year's. It's really quite good. It doesn't feel like a journey, more like snapshots of life in a city.
- Lisa Germano - Geek The Girl (1994) [Dream Pop/Folk Rock]
- A haunting but beautiful album. A self-portrait, a diary of a girl coming to sexual awareness, but with an immature innocence, a vulnerability, which allows her to be victimised. "...A Psychopath" is the masterwork of the album. A harrowing, dark song with a real 911 call about a girl getting raped and attacked, as it happens. Germano's intricite violen playing, her voice drenched in grief, all creates a deeply personal atmosphere of a girl driven to madness. 9/10
- The Gun Club - Fire of Love (1981) [Punk Blues/Psychobilly]
- A driving, catastrophic, fuck-fest blues ridden, hillbilly, terrifyingly brilliant album. The anger and nihilism of punk and the depression of blues is juxtapositioned by just the pure fun of the thing. I've never had so much fun listening to an album since I first heard Captain Beefheart. 8.5/10
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor - f#a# (infinity) (1997) [Post Rock]
- An apocalyptic vision of a frankly depressing future. The album starts with a low, dreary drone and a voice saying, "The car is on fire. And there's no driver at the wheel. And the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides..." From this post-apocalyptic stillness, a violen starts in the background which has a pessimist's magic about it. After this optimistic and hopeful start, sadly the album goes downhill from here. When they try and be overwhelming and powerful, it ends up sounding pretentious, silly and artificial. Listen to their masterpeice "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven" instead. 6.5/10
- Third Ear Band - Third Ear Band (1970) [Progressive Rock/World Music]
- A wonderfully quirky album of world music fusion with western music ideals. "Earth" is properly the best track on the album, a rising ethnic fusion of celtic dances and indian ragas, which actually sound remarkable similar. Which is quite remarkable as each genres of music were created in two completly different parts of the world, it's shows that music must have some evolutionary purpose if it can be made in two unrelated parts of the world which properly didn't have contact which other many-a-year ago. But anyway, going back to the album. A good, interesting album which does have it's moments. Nothing exceptional, but still highly enjoyable. 7.5/10
- John Coltrane - Acension (1965) [Free Jazz/Avant-Garde Jazz]
- I haven't really delved into much post-A Love Suprme Coltrane so I went into this album not really knowing what to expect. I'd heard it's meant to be good (understatement) and inspired by Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz (which I love) but I was spectical Coltrane could pull off anything this free after the work I'd seen him do on A Love Supreme, Giant Steps, My Favourite Things, His work with Miles Davis. Don't get me wrong, I think he's an amazing player (one of the best) but he seemed to contrived, too controlled for the unapologetic emotion of free jazz. Well, after listening to it, I can conclusively say, I have never been more wrong in my life. This is an absolute masterpeice. Coltrane handles the group of ten musicians masterfully and the results are magnificent. Emotion pours out of each note; anger, love, betrayel, humour, frustration, confusion. It's a big melting pot of human feelings and it's set on the highest temperature. Outstanding. 9.5/10
- ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes (2002) [Hard Rock/Art Rock]
- A blistering collection of hard rock with an art influence. At best, spritual, at worst, whiney crap. Temperamental but still worth a listen. 6.5/10
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008) [Indie Rock/Folk]
- A very sweet and cute album. Really impressive harmonies and (oh god, don't say it) melodies make this album stand out from the rest. A fusion of Beach Boys, Indie Rock, Pop and Choral music. And it works. It's a soft album with infinite charm and warmth. This could warm up any damp, cold, miserable, tedious room in this unending winter. 7.5/10
- No Age - Nouns (2008) [Noise Pop/Indie Rock]
- Fuck. Shit. Beep. Argh, Ouch. Crap. Punch. Slap. Hit. Kick. Bite. Kiss. Hug. Rub. Fuck. Shit. Beep. Argh. Ouch....an impressive album 7/10
- Foetus - Nail (1985) [Industrial/Experimental Rock]
- Wow, I was really shocked by this album. I was expecting it to be a hardcore, headache inducing, pile of devil's shit (much like Twin Infinitives, in a good way though). But it turned out to draw on nearly as many influences as Lullaby Land. Jazz, Classical, Swing, Electronic, Rock. Nothign gets spared on this album. A blistering tour-de-force of human deprivation. 8.5/10
Author Comments:
Started 12/01/2009
These reviews are great. "A blistering tour-de-force of human deprivation." Couldn't have said it better myself!