Rome au ajuns deja la al 4lea album în tot atâţia ani. Dacă nu le-aş ştii muzica, aş crede că e prea mult şi că nu le poate ieşi la fel de bine de fiecare dată.
Ei bine, Flowers From Exile sună la fel de bine ca precedentele albume. Luxembourghezii încă reuşesc să creeze atmosfera necesară să te atragă în muzică, să te facă să te cufunzi în ea. Mai mult, albumul de faţă e o adevărată uniune europeană muzicală, conţinând inclusiv o piesă cu versuri recitate în română (A Culture of Fragments)
Ca şi bonus, băieţii sună foarte fain live, reuşind să transfere atmosfera de de care vorbeam, pe scenă. Cine i-o pierdut pe 12 decembrie 2008 la Braşov, are ocazia să recupereze pe 12 decembrie 2009, la Bucureşti, când Rome revin în românia pentru o seară excelentă pentru iubitorii de neofolkish stuff.
maudlin of the Well sunt o mai veche iubire a mea. M-am îndrăgostit de ei prin 2005 – cu o mică obsesie pentru Blight of River Systems, de pe primul album My Fruit Psychobells… a Seed Combustible.
Am şi luat albumele la puricat şi o început să îmi placă tot mai mult experimentele lor vocale şi instrumentale. Am aflat imediat că de fapt nu mai există şi că majoritatea membrilor formau deja o altă trupă. Nu-i vorbă, îmi plac Kayo Dot…dar nu-s maudlin of the Well.
Am stat cuminte în faţa tuturor zvonurilor că băieţii scot album nou sub numele de maudlin of the Well. Cu speranţa ascunsă şi scepticismu la vedere. Oare chiar scot? Oare o să mai sune a motW?
Part the Secondo fost lansat cu ajutorul fanilor. E una album pentru ei. Şi orice contribuţie o meritat, pentru că rezultatul final sună extraordinar. Mă aşteptam să fie mai împrăştiat. Să îi scârţâie balamalele. În schimb am primit un album mai omogen decât oricare din cele 3 ce-l preced, cu amprenta clară maudlin of the Well.
Ce-mi place la albumul “Cream Cuts” al baietilor din San Francisco, Tossle, e partea ritmica – tobe si bass care suna impecabil si imi amintesc de Crash Worship (mai mult) si de Emperor Machine(mai putin) si coperta, care parca a fost creata de bunica. Insa oamenii nu merg pe aceeasi idee de a face muzica antrenanta care sa fie perceptibila si sa te antreneze in acelasi timp in povestea pe care o desfasoara. Tossle conserva momentul ritmic si ii da valente ciudate, neobisnuite. De asta, cred ca sunt mai apropiati de noul val de ciudati din America (new weird america) , decat de Emperor Machine, Lindstrom sau altii care, dupa mine, nu au facut decat sa integreze vechiul ritm kraut, motorik, in muzica electronica actuala. Kraut rockul nu e un gen muzical ci o conventie pentru o perioada si o locatie. Un nume asociat de niste britanici cu nasul pe sus, unor nemti care faceau o muzica ce nu suna ca nimic cunoscut si nici nu se lega de rock’n roll-ul din acea perioada.
Si pe acest album e o piesa cu ritmul asta (Meh-The) dar oamenii au decenta sa nu faca un album intreg care sa sune ca un mix kraut-revival (sau mai bine spus Neu! revival) si au profesionalismul acelori muzicieni care si-au facut temele si diversificat sample-urile. Nu sunt atat de copy-paste ca oamenii din Europa. Nu e de mirare: Thom Monahan, unul dintre cei patru, a lucrat cu Devendra Banhart, Vetiver si Brightblack Morning Light. Freak-folk goes disco.
Reggae’s direct forefather is ska, an uptempo, rhythmic variation based on the New Orleans R&B Jamaican musicians heard broadcast from the US on their transistor radios. Relying on skittering guitar and syncopated rhythms, ska was their interpretation of R&B and it was quite popular in the early ’60s. However, during one very hot summer, it was too hot to either play or dance to ska, so the beat was slowed down and reggae was born.
Sunt la al doilea. Mojito. Suficient cat sa am timp sa rad de cei care se plangeau de ploaia de la Bestival si sa le recomand o vacanta la Roskilde. Nu cred ca o sa ma duc la un festival anul asta, asa cum obisnuiam in ceilalti ani; cel putin nu cum obisnuiam. Majoritatea au o doza de consumerism menite sa ingrase adolecentii, sa construiasca generatia urmatoare de cumparatori de mp3-uri si de bilete la festival. E atat hipsterism si sunt atatea lucruri fortate la un festival incat imi fac greata. Nu m-ar deranja sa fiu dopat si drogat la muzica, dar nu la modul la care sa primesc in transe rapide si infime imagini despre cum ar putea sa arate muzica. Nu e nicio diferenta intre Rock Werchter si MTV 2.
Probabil ca o sa ma simt ca naiba ca nu am fost la Santana dar asta o sa dureze doar vreo cateva ore, pana o sa realizez ca anii 60 s-au dus de ceva vreme. N-am chef sa ingros randurile nostalgicilor. Un concert se intampla, are loc ACUM. Santana nu se mai intampla de vreo 30 de ani. Acelasi bullshit corporatist ca reinventarea Woodstockului de la americani de anul asta si de acum 10 ani. Makes me puke, really!
Al treilea. Si va pot zice peste ce lucruri faine am dat azi.
Destul de aproape ca sunet si atitudine “indie” de Grizzly Bear, Foreign Born suna surprinzator de bine pentru o un nume de la care ma asteptam sa nu fie altceva decat o parte din noul val al ciudateniilor americane. Intr-o industrie care promoveaza sunetul supra-saturas si ultra-produs (vezi The Killers), albumul People to People are decenta sa sune uman si plin si sa nu-si satureze emotional cantecele.
Despre Bibio (Stephen Wilkinson) nu pot spune nimic nou; Ambivalence Avenue nu impresioneaza prin noutatea sunetului/compozitiei, insa e un album variat si bine produs, deseori suna ca o compilatie a ultimelor 10 trupe de pe NME.
^^ Nu e 60’s revival dar are suficient zvac incat sa te dea de-a rostogolu si sa incepi, fara sa-ti dai seama, sa bati cu degetele in masa si sa tii ritmul pamantului, controlandu-l tacticos dar inconstient cu varful piciorului. Si mai e si vocea care ma duce mai degraba catre garage decat catre boogie-ul saizecist…un timbru care iti vantura prin vintre pe toate lungimile de unda, de parca ar veni din epoca de aur a debutantilor in pornografie si muzica…inocenta, tupeu, nepasare, talent si onirism in doze letale.
Asa cum Dada exista chiar inainte sa fie inventata, muzica lui Juno El Grande suna a lucruri pe care le-ati mai auzit, dar recitate in ritmuri ciudate care transpun cuvintele in sensuri ciudate, in masuri ciudate, framantate de structuri muzicale care suna prea aproape de limbile vechi ale pamantului pentru a parea futuriste, in formule suficient de inovative incat sa nu para invechite.
Daca va plac Residents sau Frank Zappa, atunci delectati-va cu “Neo Dada”, ultima compozitie a norvegianului Jono El Grande.
La fel ca si “Utaka No Hibi” al japonezilor de la Mariah, Onna se gasea extrem de rar, poate prin vreun magazin de viniluri din Tokyo. Asta pana sa apara luna trecuta, reissue-ul de la Holy Mountain pe care l-am gasit ieri seara, in timp ce imi citeam feed-urile.
De curand, David Lynch a fost invitat la KCRW, sa o faca pe dj-ul pentru o ora, timp in care a discutat despre cantecele care l-au marcat.
I’m going to go to Richard Strauss. We’re getting into long haired stuff now. I was in a really swank Mercedes Benz in Germany one night. Black, deep black and snow flakes the size of silver dollars coming down. And I’d been left in the car — I forget who I was with but they had gone into a building and I had been left in the car — and I turned on the radio and I heard this thing. And it thrilled my soul. This particular piece of music at that particular time, I saw in my minds eye, my four year old son coming down a flight of stairs and it made me start crying.
Richard Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder / Four Last Songs
Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig, l982
Evening’s Glow (Eichendorff)
Through trouble and joy we have
walked hand in hand;
we can rest from our wanderings
now, above the peaceful country-side.
The valleys fall away around us,
the sky is already darkening,
Only a pair of larks still rise
dreamily into the scented air.
Come here, and let them fly
For soon it will be time to sleep
and we must not lose our way
in this solitude.
O broad, contented peace!
So deep in the sunset glow,
How exhausted we are with our
wanderings—
can this then be death?
Im Abendroht (Eichendorff)
Wir sind durch Not und Freude
Gegangen Hand in Hand,
Vom Wandern ruhen wir beide
Nun überm stillen Land.
Rings sich die Täler neigen,
Es dunkelt schon die Luft,
Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
Nachträumend in den Duft.
Tritt her und laß sie schwirren,
Bald ist es Schlafenszeit,
Daß wir uns nicht verirren
In dieser Einsamkeit.
O weiter, stiller Friede!
So tief im Abendrot ,
Wie sind wir wandermüde – Ist das etwa der Tod?
Au crépuscule (Eichendorff)
Nous avons dans la peine et joie
Marché la main dans la main,
De notre errance nosu reposons
A présent sur une terre paisible.
Autour, les vallés s’abbaisent,
L’air s’assombrit déja,
Seules deux alouettes montent
Revant dans la nuit parfumée.
Approche et laisse-les battre des ailes,
Il est bientot temps de dormir;
Que nous ne nous égarions
Dans cette slitude.
O vaste paix sereine,
Si profonde au crépuscule.
Que nous sommes las d’errer -
Serait-ce donc la mort?
Nu o sa spun lucruri pretentioase despre “Blue Water, Red Water”, albumul de anul trecut al lui Kazuki Tomokawa (友川 かずき). Cert este ca acest artist e enorm de subestimat de toti care se invart prin muzica probabil datorita profunzimii si texturii baroce a cantecelor.
Acesta e unul din momentele in care imi doresc sa inteleg japoneza. Iata cateva versuri traduse:
“Ikiterutte Ittemiro”
A filthy, sodden towel tied
Around your waist, dawdling home
It’s not like you’re dead yet
Pausing in front of your own house
Summoning the courage to open the door
It’s not like it’s hell inside
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Loneliness, kindness, and suffering
The painful melodrama of this world…
It’s not like it’s a slaughterhouse
Hippies, street kids, beggar kids
Dabbling in the ecstasy of grief
It’s not like you’re a cripple
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Dreams and reality dangling
Tears and loneliness your companions
It’s not like you’re a voiceless doll
With your long hair and your affected cool
Where’s the depth of your roots?
It’s not like it’s a tombstone
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Go on, try saying you’re alive
Go on, try saying you’re alive
La jumatate de an de MAP vă prezentăm Luna Amară. Ştiu că majoritatea ştiţi deja de trupa asta, dar băieţii tocmai au lansat un album nou excelent, aşa că merită menţionaţi peste tot În rest, ca de-obicei. Muzică multă şi diversă, din toate colţurile lumii.
Enjoy!
Janelle Monae – Sincerely, Jane
The name Janelle Monae might ring a bell – she has guested on several OutKast songs and recently signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy label. After seeing her energetic performance at Bonnaroo a few days ago I can say that she’ll be one to keep a close eye on. Even if Sincerely, Jane doesn’t do much for you, check out some live clips on YouTube to get the whole picture.
Le Microkosmos – Es Un Hermoso Verano Lunar
Guillermo Beresñak and Pablo Retamero got together in January 2008 in Buenos Aires. From this union came Le Microkosmos, an electronic ensemble in constant search for new musical experiences with synths, programming, instruments, vocals and orchestral sampling. This quest led them to create their own cosmos from each sound, such as this acoustic-electronic ballad taken from their brand new album, Y Vas Donde Sonrisas Te Dan Esos Encapuchados De Un Mundo Nuevo.
Dappled Cities – The Price
One of Australia’s, if not the world’s, most exciting indie-rock bands, Dappled Cities are back with their third album, Zounds. It was written and recorded after an extensive period of touring their previous offering Granddance, a classic album in the minds of many critics. The Price is a fantastic taster for old and new fans alike, worthy of immediate playlisting.
Júlia Says – Cá
Júlia Says have just released their second independent EP, Menos é Mais (”Less Is More”), in which the duo go deep inside electronica with some strong influences of dance-rock. The name of the band was taken from a children’s story and it’s a thing that helps us to connect to the fragile melancholy and beauty of Cá.
Wildlife – Sea Dreamer
How awesome is this song? So much so that when I saw them perform it during a soundcheck at a show in Ottawa recently, everyone in the room just watched in stunned silence and then exploded in wild cheers when it was done. To put that in context, that kind of thing never happens. But Sea Dreamer, in all its pounding, pulsing, marching-gleefully-into-the-apocalypse glory, is amazing enough to be the exception.
Valentina Fel – Circo Podrido
Full of aggressive beats, explosive sampling and social protest lyrics, Valentina Fel is the most logical evolution of a riot girl – punk almost in the realm of grime, do-it-yourself attitude with dancehall as a commodity and flamenco-injected defiance. Her long-awaited upcoming debut -to be release in the next few months – promises to be a massive earthquake in the dancefloor that nobody could anticipate.
Vomit Supreme – Versus Love
A new project by Mattis Jakobsen and Malte Hill of Straight To Your Face, Rock Hard Power Spray guitarist Frederik Valentin and recently joined by bassist Karsten D. Johansen (Strawberry Slaughterhouse), Vomit Supreme have long been an All Scandinavian favorite. Punk aggression spoon with pop hooks and with the mighty Versus Love spearheading their campaign, world domination should be nigh.
Fanfarlo – I’m A Pilot
I’m A Pilot, the opening track on Fanfarlo’s debut album Reservoir, sets the scene for what’s to follow. It’s a rich, heady brew of heavily orchestrated indie-pop which at times even feels like it’s pulling its punches. It’s the sound of a young band comfortable in their own grandiosity and as Reservoir carefully unfolds, it’s impossible not to be swept along. From now until July 4 you can download the album from the Fanfarlo website for just $1, so you’ve no excuse for not owning it.
TV OFF – Car Is On Fire
What a summer hit song! Cool and sexy! Singer Sara delivers delicious pop melodies over Markku’s electro bits and sounds. This duo from Helsinki are putting the final touches to their debut album, but they have already gained attention around the world, playing in London and Tokyo. Soon TV OFF will take over the world.
Phoenix – 1901
For too long Phoenix have been overshadowed by Daft Punk and Air, but no more. Even though Phoenix are four albums into an increasingly fruitful career, 1901 is possibly the most immediate and loveable thing they’ve ever created. An anthem for indie kids, a dancefloor filler for disco dwellers. It’s for everyone really.
High Voltage Humans – Laser Symphony (Catastrophy)
High Voltage Humans are a Munich-based electronic duo. The featured song is heavily energetic and balances guitar riffs with synth melodies sounding a bit like 80s space electro. It’s a concrete four-to-the-floor flour-dust explosion.
For A Minor Reflection – Óhljóð
For A Minor Reflection are a quartet from Reykjavík who play energetic, melodious, instrumental post-rock. They have earned comparisons to Explosions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Óhljóð, which means “discordant noise”, is taken from their 2007 debut album Reistu Þig Við, Sólin Er Komin Á Loft… (”Rise and shine, the sun’s up…”) on Blippr.com. Guitarist Kjartan Holm’s older brother Georg plays bass in Sigur Rós, whom they supported on tour last year.
Sleep Thieves – Osumi
Taken from It Was Only A Satellite, the debut EP from this Dublin three-piece, Osumi showcases the bleep-assisted electronic edge of their sound before diverting into heady post-rock guitar progressions, while singer Sorcha repeats a mantra atop like a prototype Natasha Khan. Their yearning indie-electronic-pop sound is reminiscent of Lali Puna, Broadcast and The Notwist.
My Awesome Mixtape – Me & The Washing Machine
I would have never expected to listen to an Italian band mix diverse sounds such as Anticon and The Postal Service, but when I heard My Awesome Mixtape I just had to change my mind. Infectious melodies and tight grooves, these young kids just seem to be unstoppable.
Los Amparito – Por Medio De La Lectura
Los Amparito is the mind-blowing, eccentric and absolutely sublime project of Carlos Pensina. He is relatively well known in Mexico’s indie scene for his more electronic act Pepepe, but Los Amparito have enormous potential to break into international boundaries. This sound is like a distorted Mexican mirror of traditional music mashed with its own repetition, flourishing vocals and colorful sequences resulting in something between Animal Collective, Amparo Ochoa and El Guincho.
Lisa Crawley – Brother
Lisa Crawley is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who stands out from the crowd because of her voice and the playful arrangements of her folk-pop songs. Brother, from her second independently released EP Hello, Goodbye And Everything Inbetween, would be great on the basis of its plinky-plonk piano alone, but it’s the trombone that lifts it to another level.
Firetop Mountain – How Can You Dance At A Time Like This?
Firetop Mountain are four boys and a girl from the Oslo area, who play indie-rock with a strong melodic focus. Just last week they released their debut album Indians Aren’t Afraid Of Heights on their own label. Their music is sometimes powerful and energetic – songs you want to jump around to – and other times more laid-back and sensitive. Good songwriting all the way.
Mi Jardín Secreto – Yo No Quiero Bailar Esta Noche
Mi Jardín Secreto’s debut album, La Ciencia Y El Arte De La Falsificación, contains 11 songs that flit between new wave, alternative rock and the sound of modern bands. The theme of the lyrics is a mixture of the warmth and coldness of the city of Lima, with characters who have adventures in a place and climate familiar to us all.
:papercutz – A Secret Search
What started as Bruno Miguel’s music project is now a trio with female vocalist Marcela Freitas and multi-instrumentalist Francisco Bernardo. After appearances on various international compilations :papercutz are now signed to Montreal’s Apegenine label, who released their debut album Lylac in February. In April, they were winners of the ‘off the beaten track’ category in The People’s Music Awards in London.
Luna Amara – Floodmoses
Luna Amara have been around for almost 10 years, during which they’ve managed to create an image and a name for themselves in Romania. From mellow alternative to angry metal sounds, their music is powerful and never fails to deliver its message. Floodmoses is taken from their recently released third album Don’t Let Your Dreams Fall Asleep.
The Seventeenth Century – Traffic
If Arcade Fire’s Wake Up moved you to your core then get ready to fall in love with Traffic. It has that soaring choral majesty, that sprawling orchestration and The Seventeenth Century clearly possess ambitions that are no less lofty. Having had a listen to the young Glasgow band’s forthcoming In The Place EP, we can say without hesitation that you’re looking at the best new band in Scotland.
Concave Scream – Fiction
We visit one of Singapore’s finest indie bands of the 90s with Concave Scream. Fiction, taken from their third album Three, hints at the flavors of DJ Shadow, The Cure, U2 and Butler-era Suede. It is a fine tune that could sum up the entire record with its use of ethereal vocals, otherworldly chorus-effected guitar lines and a blistering rhythm section. These days, Concave Scream are pushing the envelope of their musical whimsicality by releasing an instrumental fifth album that can be found on their website.
The Plastic Day – I Miss Me Myself
Post-punk/grunge trio The Plastic Day released their first full-length album, 30 Seconds Between The Dreamer And The Realist, only last month but already they’ve gotten unusually high coverage in Korea-related English language media online. With an intense rock sound paired with English lyrics, there’s no reason why they won’t get even further. I Miss Me Myself might be one of the softer songs on the album, but it’s one that instantly spawns an impulse to hit the repeat button.
Chuck Morgan – The Best Of You
I don’t know if there’s a term for the sound of Chuck Morgan. The last post I did on this Gothenburg-based troubadour tried to peg him as “romantic indie-pop”. His new song, The Best Of You, continues that sound but adds even more electronic beeps and blips to the mix.
, decat de Emperor Machine, Lindstrom sau altii care, dupa mine, nu au facut decat sa integreze vechiul ritm kraut, motorik, in muzica electronica actuala. Kraut rockul nu e un gen muzical ci o conventie pentru o perioada si o locatie. Un nume asociat de niste britanici cu nasul pe sus, unor nemti care faceau o muzica ce nu suna ca nimic cunoscut si nici nu se lega de rock’n roll-ul din acea perioada. 
