GENEVIEVE LETARTE – Chansons d’un jour; NATHALIE DEROME – Les 4 ronds sont
allumes;
AMBIANCES MAGNETIQUES: VOLUME 5: Chante! 1985-2000 (CDs on
Ambiances Magnetiques)
S.I.N.A. – SNAPSHOT (CD by Hands Productions)
THILGES3 – POLKA (CD by Staalplaat)
berlinertheorie – LIVE (CD by Staalplaat)
STEFFEN BASHO JUNGANS – INSIDE (CD by Strange Attractors)
RUDOLV EB.ER/JOKE LANZ – AKUSTISCHE AKTION: ESSEN (CDR by Absurd)
STYROFOAM – A SHORT ALBUM ABOUT MURDER (CD by Morr Music)
BOMB THE BASS/LALI PUNA – CLEARCUT (miniCD by Morr Music)
SIGUR ROS – AGAETIS BRYJUN (cd by Fat Cat)
AUDIO ODDITIONS #2 (Compilation cd by Influx Communications)
MARQUES WYATT – SOUND DESIGN / V1 (cd by Om)
GENEVIEVE LETARTE – Chansons d’un jour; NATHALIE DEROME – Les 4 ronds sont
allumes;
AMBIANCES MAGNETIQUES: VOLUME 5: Chante! 1985-2000 (CDs on
Ambiances Magnetiques)
‘Chansons d’un jour’: as the title suggests we have here a collection of
unpretentious songs. At first hearing they do not ask for much attention.
It is only after a second listening that the songs start to grow. Also by
her way of singing Letarte does not immediately catch our attention. She
sings a little flat and the music is subtle and intimate. It is all
happening under the surface. Be patient with this one because it is really
beautiful. It is all done with care and love. With a very clear voice and
pronounciation she sings her way through the day on the rhythms of the
tango, waltz and blues and with nice melodies. It is her second solo album
after 10 years. Her first one ‘Vous Seriez un Ange’ was released 1990.
Genevieve Letarte (voice, keyboards, accordion) has the company of four
musicians: Claude Fradette (guitars, bass, dobro), Normand Guilbault
(doublebass), Pierrre Tanguay (drums, percussion) and Serge Boisvert
(trumpet). Fradette is responsible for the sobre and effective arrangements.
Letarte is a Montreal writer (three novels), singer and performance artist.
She can also be heard on the critically accliamed ‘Millennium Cabaret’ cd
on Wired on Words (2000), which documents the best of the spoken word,
performance poetry and poetry/music scene in and around Montreal.
Nathalie Derome (voice) makes her debute with her cd. Accompanied by
veteran Rene Lussier (guitars, daxophone, voice, a.o.) and Guillaime
Dostaler (Fender Rhodes, synthesizer, voice) she sings 11 songs, most of
them composed by herself. In contrast with Letarte Derome is more extravert
and dramatic in her performance. Enjoyable. For those who want to hear
Lussier playing in a more conventional way should listen to this one.
>From time to time Ambiances Magnetiques gives light to a compilation-cd. On
this volume 18 different pieces are collected and are a good introduction
for those who want to discover this beautiful label. Pieces by Duchesne,
Papa Boa, Labrosse, Tetr,ault, Lussier, Cote, and many others should
attrackt you (DM)
Address:www.actuellecd.com
S.I.N.A. – SNAPSHOT (CD by Hands Productions)
If you’re looking for rhythmic power electronics, Sina H. is certainly a
woman to keep a close eye on. Having her fingers into different projects
released on Hands Productions, Sina H ranks among the most interesting
artists on the innovative German label. Where her alternative powerful
project “Mono No Aware” has an ambient-oriented approach to electronic
sound, this project shipped as S.I.N.A. is more tended towards a
bombastic “in your face”-kind of attitude. Spanning from EBM-oriented
industrial-techno to electro-punk the governing idea of “Snapshot” is
turned around heavy basslines, crushing electronics and the bombastic
vocals of Sina H. A hard-hitting ear-puncher from electronic music’s
femme fatale of Germany! (NMP)
Address: www.handsproductions.com
THILGES3 – POLKA (CD by Staalplaat)
Another in the material series from Staalplaat, as usual a very unusual
packaging… this time being white cardboard foam cut thin like paper,
quite impressive. This is the first thing I hear from thilges 3, a name
unknown to me from Austria. The CD is one track and lasts for 31 minutes,
although structurally it undergoes several changes. The material on the CD
is quite groovy, weird beats and rhythms wich almost reach the point of
being melodies sometimes. I feel reminded of Autechre’s beats structures,
although simplified, and the dry soberness of snd’s beats. Quite nicely
dramatic too. Some parts feel as if you are in a computer game and just
made the wrong move, like you’re sliding into troubles… but innocent
ones. Or am I being to far fetched about it(?). Anyway, kool!(HB)
address: www.staalplaat.com
berlinertheorie – LIVE (CD by Staalplaat)
New CD by Rubert Huber and Sam Auinger, recorded live in (guess where)
Berlin and Linz between 1995 and 2000. It contains three tracks; 1.
“miles”, I am wondering if that is a reference to Miles Davis in some way?;
2. “intro”, now here is something I find interesting as a title, to let the
intro be second and the longest track on the CD; and 3. “brucewillis”,
needs no introduction i presume. Awkward titles indeed. The first track is
a shifting manipulation of a voice loop, well it might afterall have
nothing to do with Miles Davis. The second track is quite different, a
concentrated soundscape. It sounds like they blend in field recordings wich
remind me of listening to the wind while waiting at a train station.
Although it might be completely shyntesized sounds. A very nice somesort of
hi-hat drum machine rhythm pops in and out in the first half. Very nice
track. Third track consists of a layered drone with looped rhytms, some
going faster and faster until dissolvement and then repeated. Interesting
but not as good as track 2 by far. Overall it is mellow CD wich is probably
interesting for :Zoviet*France: fans.(HB)
address: www.staalplaat.com
STEFFEN BASHO JUNGANS – INSIDE (CD by Strange Attractors)
Like the Azusa Plane CD I reviewed a couple of weeks back, this is also
entirely played on an acoustic steel guitar. Junghans has been playing in
folk tradition since the early 80s, but his true revelation came when he
heard the music by one Robbie Basho. He was so impressed that he adopted
Robbie’s last name too. I havenn’t heard any of his older stuff, but
‘Inside’ blew me away. Junghans has his own technique which is hard to
describe. The result is an open strumming which is repeating and minimal,
with a crystal clear sound as the result. At times you are reminded of the
old Loren MazzaCane Connors, but this has more tempo and is maybe more
minimal. It’s not at all a prepared guitar, no noise, no fuzz. An eastern,
raga like feel, but played on the instrument of the folk traditions. An
amazing journey, what else can I say? (FdW)
Address: www.strange-attractors.com
RUDOLV EB.ER/JOKE LANZ – AKUSTISCHE AKTION: ESSEN (CDR by Absurd)
Two players of the Swiss scene, and they have been around quite some time.
Rudolv Eb.Er started the Schimpfluch label over a decade ago and released a
bunch of now rare records filled with his aktionist sounds. Music of his
performances of spitting, sounds, body manipulations, but in a very
controlled manner. Joke Lanz used to call himself Sudden Infant and
released records and cassettes of mainly harsh noise. A recording of the
two is now released in a neatly printed cover and stems from a performance
in 1991. ‘Essen’ is German and means eating. Looking at the cover with one
large and many small photo’s we see two guys at a table eating dinner. The
menu is not enclosed, but it must have been quite a bite, since they take
45 minutes of eating and drinking. This, and not else, has been documented
on this CD. Two people eating, burping, drinking, taking up a fork, putting
it down. They don’t talk (well-mannered as they are). Defintely a strange
CD at parties, or when you have your in-laws over for dinner. Sounds are
random and the whole occassional character makes it a nice document. Well
done (pun intended). (FdW)
Address: absurd@otenet.gr
STYROFOAM – A SHORT ALBUM ABOUT MURDER (CD by Morr Music)
BOMB THE BASS/LALI PUNA – CLEARCUT (miniCD by Morr Music)
Sometimes you get a CD for review and the review is already written before
the first track ends. Sometimes you just don’t know. Styrofoam’s new
miniCD, which last over 38 minutes so what’s mini here, is one of those
from the latter category. I have played this already 15 times, and I still
don’t know what to write. Yeah sure it’s a great CD, but I came to that
conclusion the first time I heard it. It has melancholic keyboard lines,
great beats but it’s filled with sadness. It’s not pleasent music at all.
Seven tracks about murder, or maybe even suicide? It’s mind-grabbing stuff
here. Maybe it has to do with Arne van Petegem’s, Styrofoam’s mainplayer,
former outing Tin Foil Star, which also carried the same sort of
melancholy. Impressive stuff…
Bomb The Bass is one of those old techno names which never disappeared.
Here is a new track, recorded by in collaboration with German answer to
Seefeel, Lali Puna. The track is carried by hip hop like beats and has a
cool flow to it with nice vocals. Then there are four remixes (by Herrmann
& Kleine, Opiate, Arovane and Kleine) which were all alright, but they all
stayed very close to the original. No daring touches were made, and that’s
a pity.
Address: <info@morrmusic.com>
SIGUR ROS – AGAETIS BRYJUN (cd by Fat Cat)
The spoken word.
A backward mask and through the eyes can be seen the strains of an organ
labouring but only just so. Much use of piano and swoonish guitar to
create a mood of twilit time, and since apparently the words are “made up”
(sometimes difficult to tell with the Icelandic language in popular music)
they won’t get too deeply in the way of coital affirmation and so forth.
The orchestra flushes lushly from the hi-fi and the semper thereof – there
is no small amount of sincerity in the recording of these songs.
It’s all very groo-v material – but in America, it’s being beaten into
irrelevance by the “Bjoerk effect” (which I’ve often wanted a scientist to
say, i.e., “Gentlemen, here we have a terrifying example of what is known
as the ‘Bjoerk effect’.”) Oh, those kooky Icelanders! You Icelanders
(kooky or non-) know what I’m talking about. It’s essentially very mellow,
reflectively banal fuck music (not casting aspersions, mind) that repeated
listens could possibly uncover unseen stones. One never knows. (DC)
Address: <http://www.fat-cat.co.uk>
AUDIO ODDITIONS #2 (Compilation cd by Influx Communications)
U-R-I twists the tones from the harmonium or something very like it. The
winds bring another place to bear, someplace filled with cliffs an faraway
but not so far that it couldn’t be seen by looking over the shoulder, by
looking back. The horns ride hard against the growing mist but the circles
are so alluring, they gravitate towards them instead. Ion Sports calls you
on the telephone. An answer and breathing up cubic yards of hiss.
Twirling feedback travels over the breadth of a guitar and a faintly
familiar reverie casts various palls over various places. Voice of Eye
summon shivering tones and whispers whispers and a certain amount of gas,
which the piece can quite rightly be claimed to be. It flows seamlessly
into “Don’t Leave Me” by S.Q.E. – mists of notes/tones and how closely do
the themes of experimental music parallell the themes of “popular” music?
How far removed is it? The sounds collapse into a snatch of conversation
and how deeply is the undercurrent running? Much crescendo, rising and
falling. “Atonal music” and a weeping precedes the bowing of the strings.
Blood Box seeps in sidiously, a hand of sand across the depth of twilight
and yes, another fine example of fuck music, except that it is too long for
anything but the direst quickie. Edward Ka-Spel, in turn, steals the
dream, and he can take every one I have except the dreams of the snake
wearing a vest rolling a big doughnut, and the one where I find out what
his real name is. It’s a very slight piece – an almost-forgotten kiss in
youth – and one wonders what was cut and what was kept.
Orchis sings a song of Innocence and must all our vaunted ideals be
capitalised? Can’t they be accepted at face value – are there some ideals
that have escaped questioning? The haze of effects drapes itself gracefuly
across the singing and thrum. Kaosmik Kitty is just that, and
meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ow. Its alleyward sonatas chime in time with
the feedback of non-felinear maschines and is it the return of Katzenmusik?
No, just the dulcet tones of a panting hellsbellscat, woof. Oh, and in
addition, and quite rightly – barf out, fer sherr. Troum brings the rain of
drones, this one short, that one tall. A faint metallic taste is divined.
A gentle rhythm buoys the sea of sounds, into port, onto a later (but not
final) destination… Sebastien weighs in with the sound of dogs and
squealing – a family portrait, so it would seem. (DC)
MARQUES WYATT – SOUND DESIGN / V1 (cd by Om)
Much mellowness (almost to the point of ripening and rotting) and
soul-singin’ on this release but why and for whom is it designed? Vacuum
cleaners who need expression as much as the mop with whom you dance? The
musicians are proficient and tight and admirably so. A Latin rhythm snakes
through the line until you, too, shall declare “Tengo tango!”. It’s the
kind of music that is played behind the heroine of the film as she
successfully gathers her life together after multiple abuses. You know –
seamless.
And here’s the inescapable plinky-plonky piano, alongside “Elements of
Life”. Much steel drumming. Some compelling overtures to the dancing feet
on “Orixas”. And still it strides – the music, that is – along an
ever-revolving vertical world. The only thing that prevents it from
becoming eternal music is the ever-present spectre of boredom and malaise…
Address: <http://www.om-records.com>