Une nouvelle fois, la programmation du festival parisien BBMix est plus qu'alléchante. Articulé autour de 5 soirées à thèmes, la scène du Carré Bellefeuille à Boulogne-Billancourt recevra plus d'une quinzaine d'artistes proposant une définition alternative et audacieuse de la musique moderne.

On retiendra particulièrement la soirée du 30 Octobre menée par l'excellente électro-pop M83 et l'ambiant glaciale de Baltic Fleet. L'après-midi du Dimanche 26 Octobre donnera carte blanche au trio NLF3 (rock instrumental vif et syncopé à la Battles) pour une interprétation des Aventures du Prince Ahmed de Lotte Reiniger. Enfin, en guise de clôture, le 1er Novembre, les improbables Chrome Hoof défendront sur scène leur fusion disco-métal étourdissante. Une rendez-vous à ne pas manquer.

Plus d'infos ici

The rain and mud may have sodden the trousers and skin of many a reveller, but certainly not their spirits, and certainly not the hair of Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong who neatly strut their tailored musical wares about the stage with such confidence that even their instruments pout. In the dry of the Big Top tent The Breeders radiate a warm glow with their smiles and humour alone, their set has a consistent brilliance through old favourites such as ‘Cannonball’ to newer gems like ‘We’re Gonna Rise’ that’s enough to keep the festival lit up for the whole weekend. Despite over a decade on hiatus and excessive shoe-gazing, main stage headliners My Bloody Valentine cranked out their trademark silken vocals over a wall of gushing guitars in powerful and mesmeric fashion. The effect of the synced in fast moving film clips created a disorientation that peaked at the end of their set with 10 minutes of lung collapsing noise that crashed sublimely back into the end of ‘You Made Me Realise’. By far one of the most intriguing spectacles of the weekend were Chrome Hoof. With an eleven strong entourage dressed in glittery silver gowns like futuristic Druids at a solstice booze up, they blast out shards of post apocalyptic melodrama that somehow straddles the apparent gulf between Funkadelic vibes and doom metal. With an array of instruments from bassoons and violins to synths and chugging guitars, the elaborateness of their music more than matches that of their costumes.

Saturday was opened with the softly whisperings of Laura Marling. Perhaps not optimum weather conditions for her alternative take on traditional folk, though ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’ cuts through the morning haze with uplifting jolliness and a somewhat strange pertinence. Kitty Daisy & Lewis boogie down with circa 50s R&B and quiff heavy rock ’n’ roll which they do very well, though it seems at times to simply be a pure nostalgia trip that makes them little more than a good pub band to keep in mind for you cousin’s wedding. A band stirring the sleepy post-rock nest are Vessels. As a light drizzle sets the mood perfectly, with musical virtuosity they create atmospheric quakes that tower above their occasionally all too obvious precursors Explosions in the Sky, which they blend in with gently trotting intricacies. As something of an almost comical contrast, Let’s Wrestle clatter out an endearingly clumsy frenzy of slightly discordant indie-pop that is so effortlessly brilliant, it almost seems like they’re dong it by mistake. Hanging nonchalantly between The Cribs and The Moldy Peaches, they prove that tuning up is what lesser bands do to hide the fact that they don’t have any decent songs.

The promoters were holding a couple of cards close to their chests by listing two surprise guests. The whole main arena went berserk when Terry Hall bounded out and played what amounted to The Specials greatest hits collection. Though the absence of Jerry Dammers meant they were not officially billed as The Specials, no-one in the crowd seemed to care about such minor details as they hollered and danced along to Too Much Too Young’ and ‘A Message to You Rudy’. The appearance of Grace Jones on stage was quite spectacular and also slightly surreal. Everything about her exudes eccentricity. From the costume changes after every song to the androgyny of her voice, which is magnificently showcased in in its full and frightening range in ‘La Vie En Rose’. With po-faced cool, XX Teens cruise their way through a mix of quirky rock, pulsing techno and big band blasts in which ‘Over You’ stands out as a future dance floor classic. Back on the main stage, Hot Chip attract the biggest audience of the festival by far. In Bestival spirit they emerge on stage in fancy dress before launching into a set charged with a relentless energy. By ‘And I Was A Boy From School’ their anthemic dance steps which tread on adorably camp retro ground has the whole crowd, despite being crammed together like sheep, waving whatever limb they manage to shake loose. Hot Chip are one of those bands that are designed to play on big festival stages. In front of the huge crowd their songs take on a heightened intensity with an immensely more colourful sound. In true prima donna style, Amy Winehouse staggers on stage 40 minutes late to mix of cheers and booing, which seems to highlight the mysterious intrigue that people seem to have towards her. Like a Victorian freak show, she instils in the audience a kind of morbid curiosity so that people turn up just to see her - sod the music, which is dangerously middle of the road anyway, with each song being met by a response that would generously be called apathetic. Although she does have an incredible voice, she represents something more. Like a huge mirror on stage that reflects back the darkest and most hidden drives and curiosities of our being, by the end of the set its a depressing fact that most people would feel more satisfied if she’d come on stage smoking a crack pipe and then just fallen over on something sharp than played any songs.

On a slightly less dismal Sunday morning in the aftermath of the previous evening’s excesses, the lenitive tones of King Creosote perfectly vocalise the optimistic daze of the scattered crowd who are appreciative of his folksy lullabies. For a brief moment when the sun slices its way through the cloud, a subtle euphoria hangs like a mist over the main arena; music to release a gratifying sigh to. Thomas Tantrum are like a bright sunshiny beam emanating from the BBC stage. With wonderfully imaginative pop songs that shoot off on unexpected digressions they epitomise much of what is splendid about indie music. Songs twist and skip about so that there’s never a dull moment throughout their set. In little under half an hour Thomas Tantrum firmly carved their faces into the indie-pop candy mountain. There was a mix of mild reluctance and intrigue surrounding Sebastien Tellier’s appearance, though his talent and wit shone out through his set which was often so drenched in irony that a second pair of wellies was required just to wade through it. Standing like a rock cavalier he paints a huge rainbow coloured smile across the festival, and with psychedelic waves of retro computer sounds layered on disco pop beats he churns out music that sounds like the theme tune for a Japanese cartoon about a young boy and his adventures with his pet dragon ‘Bjorn’.

Micah P Hinson sets a more serious tone as a slightly angrier Elvis Costello. Although his music sounds rooted in 70s folk such as Neil Young, there are grittier strings to his bow which often erupt in Frank Black-esque screams. Zombie Zombie win the award for the most sparsely attended set, which is surprising considering the buzz surrounding them leading up to the Summer – I guess no one was in the mood for their journey through a minimal techno wonderland. Anyone who thinks that all the possibilities of a guitar, bass and drums have been exhausted need to go and see Akron/Family. They play eerie traditional folk with a dynamic gusto spliced in with Eastern themes so that choruses often sound more like mantras. Then straight from left-field, the show ends with drummer Dana Janssen taking the microphone as the human beat-box for a hand waving version of ‘Ed is a Portal’.

If anything this year’s Bestival won’t so much be remembered for the rain and the mud, but that everyone was having too much of a good time to let the rain and the mud bother them, well at least those who didn’t go home completely deflated by the rain and the mud.

Best Bands:
My Bloody Valentine
Thomas Tantrum
Hot Chip
Chrome Hoof

Worst Band:
Well, that wouldn’t be in the spirit of the festival. All the bands were good, just some in a more abstract and subtle way than others.

Il circo del paradosso; Math – Noise – Disco – Prog – Doom demente ed allucinato. Un pandemonio senza eguali dove Leo Smee (Cathedral, Miasma & The Carousel Of Headless Horses), suo fratello Milo ed altri dieci (!) elementi hanno saputo conciliare il primigenio amore per il Prog d’annata (King Crimson su tutti) con le più disparate influenze quali Sun Ra Arkestra, Frank Zappa, Electric Wizard, Neu! e chissà cos’altro ancora.
La teatralità gioca un ruolo importante nell’immaginario Chrome Hoof, sia nel riscontro estetico (sorta di mix tra Sun Ra e Sunn O))) in tuniche di metallo) che in quello musicale. Ne è prova la conclusiva “Mad Air Punch”, dove si susseguono a rotta di collo arzigogolate partiture ritmiche ed un istrionismo auto ironico. L’incipit iniziale di “Krunching Down” ci riporta a mente invece “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic” in versione noiseggiante, salvo poi rimodellarsi in un riffing Voivodiano sopraffatto dai fiati, mentre “Year Ram” riesce nel tentativo di fondere assieme Doom pachidermico ed i magmatici Guapo in una sola canzone.
Lo zoccolo cromato, dunque, imbastisce architetture sonore con una semplicità che non ha del normale, merito sì di un’ottima perizia tecnica, così come, però, di un background musicale capace di librarsi tra generi di diversa provenienza. Un approccio “open minded” lodevole ma non scevro di modestia.
Come non amarli alla follia?

Tracklist:
1. Krunching Down (On The Skull Of A Newt)
2. Year Ram
3. Mad Air Punch

Damiano Rizzo

]]> http://optimistprime.wordpress.com/?p=698 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:19:49 +0000 laurajb http://optimistprime.nl.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/my-favourite-bestival-acts-id-never-really-been-into-before/ Chrome Hoof

Ebony Bones

Other stuff that was brilliant:
The Foals, Human League (bizarrely), My Bloody Valentine, Hot Chip, the sound of grace Jones from my tent, the learn-to-dance tent and so much more...

What wasn't:
the mud...

Gemma Hayes has announced a very special show at London's Union Chapel in early September as part of a 10-date jaunt around the country in support of her most recent album, The Hollow Of Morning. First, though, she's putting in an appearance at Electric Picnic, Ireland's premier summer festival, on August 31st. Hayes is always brilliant live, if patchy on record, so expect great things if you happen to find yourselves at any of these venues:

01/09 The Yard, Wexford
02/09 The Yard, Wexford
04/09 Fat Fox, Portsmouth
05/09 Marquee, Hertford
07/09 Arts Centre, Norwich
08/09 Union Chapel, London
09/09 Glee Club, Birmingham
10/09 Jericho Tavern, Oxford
12/09 Louisiana, Bristol

* * *

The irresistible Santogold hits the festival trail next month, with an additional headline show at Koko in support of new single, ‘Lights Out', released on August 4th through Lizard King/Atlantic. See her here:

19/08 Fringe Festival, Edinburgh
23/08 Carling Festival, Reading
24/08 Carling Festival, Leeds
29/08 Surfstock, Cornwall
20/08 Electric Picnic, Stradbally
31/08 Hydro Connect Festival, Argyll
03/09 Koko, London
05/09 Bestival, Isle Of Wight
06/09 Becks Fusion Festival, Manchester

* * *

Also next month, Clare & The Reasons bring their gorgeous cinematic pop to the UK on a 15-date tour beginning at the Edinburge Fringe Festival and ending at the End Of The Road Festival in September.

25/08 Club Voltaire, Edinburgh
28/08 Café Drummonds, Aberdeen
29/08 Madhatters, Inverness
30/08 Hydro Connect Festial, Argyll
31/08 Fat Sams, Dundee
02/09 King Tuts, Glasgow
03/09 The Duchess, York
04/09 Night & Day, Manchester
05/09 Glee Club, Birmingham
06/09 Bodega Social Club, Nottingham
08/09 Arts Centre, Norwich
09/09 Borderline, London
10/09 Louisiana, Bristol
11/09 Bullington, Oxford
12/09 End Of The Road Festival, Dorset

* * *

Relentless tourers Chrome Hoof have lined up a special performance at Dingwalls in Camden amidst a string of festival dates. Move your feet to some galactic funk here:

12/07 T In The Park, Kinross
13/07 Optimo Club, Glasgow
07/08 Dingwalls, London
08/08 At Home By The Sea Fest, Brighton
30/08 Offset Festival, Hainault Forest Country Park

* * *

Theatrical misfit Emilie Autumn returns to the UK in October for a four-date tour in support of her latest book, ‘The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls', due out in November. Indulge your gothic fantasies at the following venues:

02/10 Academy, Manchester
03/10 Barfly, Birmingham
04/10 The Marlboro, Ilfracombe
05/10 Islington Academy, London

* * *

Alan Pedder

It's one of the coolest festivals in The Netherlands but hey, what is Finntroll, doing there? But the rest of the line up from this FREE festival in Nijmegen from 12-18 July is great, including The Teenagers, Liars, DeVotchKa, Why?, Fink, The Juan Maclean, Mugison, Phosphorescent, Miracle Fortress, Get Well Soon, James Pants, YACHT, The Black Seeds, Heidevolk, Pivot, SixNationState, Krause, Chrome Hoof, The Accidental, Lucky Fonz III, Lea, Lynn, Jean Parlette, John & Jehn, Leine, Okieson, Blaudzun, Smash The Statues, Bonne Aparte, Marten de Paepe, capacocha, INVASIVES, De Staat, Intero, The Cohens, Anavarin, Voer, Beansprouts, Pedro Delgados, Pierre Courbois, Black Bottle Riot, Dead Man Running, De Kwelling van Pythagoras, Wax 'n' Wane

Check the site.

Chrome Hoof play an assortment of instruments, but remain firmly driven by the bass guitar of Leo Smee, the synthesizer of Emmett Elvin, and the strings work of violinist Sarah Anderson. Indeed, at the start of the show, it was very hard to hear the wind section of Emma Sullivan and Chloe Herington above the power of the bass. For example, when Chloe was playing the bassoon, she was even placing the top of it straight onto the microphone and it was still hard to hear! On the other hand, when Emma provided her screaming backing vocals, there was no missing that! In any event, the difficulty faded over the course of the one-hour set.

In terms of the music, a personal favourite, Pronoid, featured early on. it was followed by Circus 9000, where I liked the really full sound on the song's violin solo. For Death Is Certain!, Leo donned a heavy spike-encrusted helmet and his throaty inhuman growl sounded even more disturbing live than on the record. Indeed, it was amusing to see quite a few girls deciding that it was time for a bathroom break once he got going! Later on, Tonyte was unsurprisingly brilliant, before the show was rounded off with quite a joyful rendition of Spokes of Uridium that had everyone bopping along to it.

On balance, I was very excited by my first experience of seeing Chrome Hoof play live. Now, I would really like to see them play a venue where their rich and varied sound can be exploited to the full. On the other hand, while it is may just be a personal thing, I do not think that they need the sideshow distractions of the make-up and garbs in order to gain attention. They are highly credible live performers without them.

The Redneck Manifesto however, are sublime. Since 'I Am Brazil' was released in 2004, I've had my doubts as to whether the rednecks could better it. 'Seven Stabs' and 'RMNMN' were good but not as good as 'I Am Brazil'. Within last nights performance there was quite a big hint that they've gone one better.

Their set was pretty much 50/50, new/old. The old stuff was, as always, brilliantly performed. The new stuff was mind blowing at times. There's so many new ideas, so many experiments and such excellent musicianship in this new music. It still sound like the rednecks but it's better. It's hard to judge on the basis of 5/6 songs but I was really impressed.

The mix of new and old was well received. The rednecks never fail to put on an enjoyable and fascinating show.

Battles on the other hand take experimentation to a new level. These guys are at the top of their game in the so called 'math rock' genre. For most of the performance my jaw was on the floor in awe of how talented and tight these guys are.

Their sound is fascinating. Most of the songs start with a very basic loop and it's processed to produce a rhythm that just builds and builds in brilliance. The drummer is extraordinary. Never misses a beat no matter how bizarre the loop he's trying to play with is, he holds it all together. The addition then of the guitars and keyboards is actually magical. There's two guitarists, both also play keyboards, both play guitar and keyboards at the same time. It's incredible to watch (see video below). There's so many times, while watching these guys, that you think you're listening to a backing track, but you're not, eventually you find who's playing what you're hearing. At times there was 6 instruments being played by 4 people plus various loops that had started the song.

The addition of the pitch shifted vocals really got the crowd going. This was a little discerning though. About halfway through the show they played 'Atlas', their most well known song. At the point this kicked in it suddenly seemed that everyone was there to just hear that song.

Nevertheless, it was a mind boggling gig, from Chrome Hoof through the Redneck Manifesto to Battles this wasn't one for anybody without a passion for music but, it was so good.

Een stadsfestival als Les Nuits du Botanique heeft altijd wel de nodige aantrekkingskracht. Als je dan met één ticket ook nog eens in de vier beschikbare zalen terecht kan, mag je er op rekenen dat de opkomst groot zal zijn. Het betekent natuurlijk wel dat je moet kiezen en dat je voor volle en dus ontoegankelijke zalen kan komen te staan. Interessant was het programma in elk geval genoeg.

Neem The Germans bijvoorbeeld. Dit kwartet uit Gent staat niet meteen bekend om zijn zachtzinnige aanpak. Aankloppen was dan ook niet nodig. Gewoon de deur opentrappen en de muziek over de luisteraars heen storten. En dat is precies wat de band deed. Op het podium staat het schuim hen op de lippen en schieten hun ogen vuur.

Het is al even geleden dat we nog dergelijke energie en spelplezier van een stel musici hebben zien afstralen. Zanger-gitarist Jakob Ampe werkt zijn woede uit op de microfoon, ritmesectie Lennert en Timothy Jacobs blazen je de lucht uit de longen en leadgitarist Vincent Cauwels slaat spijkers met koppen. De nummers zijn sterk en doen je de vuisten ballen, laden je batterijen weer op en brengen de doden tot leven. Hulde!

De nieuwsgierigheid drijft ons de tent binnen. In de VS wordt vol lof gesproken over Of Montreal. De psychedelische popmuziek die daar te horen valt, kan ons echter niet echt bekoren, waarna we elders naar ander vertier op zoek gaan.

De voor Timesbold tot de nok toe gevulde Rotonde doet ons noodgedwongen terugkeren naar de orangerie waar Blood Red Shoes de zaal wel in beweging krijgt. Piepjong zien ze eruit: drummer Steven Ansell en gitariste Laura-Mary Carter. De ene slaat zijn frustraties van zich af, terwijl de andere haar gezicht voortdurend verstopt achter haar haren. Maar songs als I Wish I Was Someone Better gaan er in elk geval in als zoete koek.

Dat Two Gallants steeds de moeite loont, is al lang geen geheim meer. Adam Stephens (gitaar) en Tyson Vogel (drums) weten met beperkte middelen zoveel emotie en opgekropte frustraties in hun muziek te leggen dat het op de duur beangstigend wordt. Wat immers te denken van een zaal die luidop meebrult : “Death’s comin’ / And I’m still runnin’” (uit Steady Rollin’). Je zou van minder rillingen krijgen.

Helaas hebben ze vanavond  - de eerste show van hun Europese tournee – te kampen met technische problemen, waardoor er veelvuldig van kabels dient gewisseld te worden. Hoewel Stephens zoals steeds onbewogen zijn set afwerkt, heb je toch de indruk dat de concentratie na een tijdje weg is. Toch is het heerlijk om Seems Like Home To Me te horen overgaan in een lichtjes aangepaste versie van hoger vermelde single. En ook op Las Crucas Jail wordt volop uit de bol gegaan.

Terwijl ook Of Montreal volop aandacht had voor het visuele aspect tijdens hun show, was het vooral uitkijken naar die andere vaudeville, Chrome Hoof. Beschouw dit collectief maar als een blended whisky: voeg een aantal van deze gerenommeerde Schotse geestrijke dranken samen en je krijgt een cocktail waarvan je gaat duizelen. In Chrome Hoof wordt gespeeld met de funk van Bootsy Collins, de soul van James Brown, de grunt van een deathmetalband en je krijgt een fractie van het smakenpatroon dat je gehemelte streelt. Dan hebben we het nog niet over de overduidelijke klassieke inbreng (viool, trompet, saxofoon, fagot).

De hele band is getooid in zilveren - chroomkleurige, zo u wil – kapmantels met uitzondering van zangeres Lola Olafisoye. Terwijl zij het publiek uitdagend toezingt en danst hebben twee danseressen zich op de hoeken van het podium opgesteld en dansen synchroon op de vaak complexe muziek van de groep. Die muziek doet soms denken aan de structuren die een groep als Battles in haar songs legt : het veranderende tempo, de hooks die elkaar in sneltempo opvolgen,  een onverwacht instrument, een verrassend interludium of een gillende stem. Het lijkt misschien vreemd, maar dit allegaartje smaakt verdomd lekker.

Na een lange avond keren wij nog dronken van het laatste spektakel huiswaarts. Indien er wodcacontroles hebben plaats gevonden rond de Botanique, zal de staatskas ongetwijfeld weer gespijsd zijn geweest.

Copyright : daMusic
Meer foto's op Photobucket

Shoots and scores!

It is on in Vicar Street, Dublin on the 15th May. Its gonna be good. Real good.

Here are a couple of vids to whet the appetite with:

Battles - Atlas

Redneck Mainfesto - We Still Got it

Yesterday there was a great Chrome Hoof concert in 013. It looked and sounded great!

For me it was a pretty good year, filled with big surprises and, on some occasions, even bigger disappointments. On the whole, though, we've seen a pretty hefty number of stellar LPs hit the shelves, my most favourite of which you can find handily arranged below. So without further ado...

Future of the Left - Curses

Intelligent, angular punk rock, with a mean-spirited edge and some of the downright funniest, yet thought provoking, diatribes to ever grace a lyrics sheet.

Middian - Age Eternal

Continuing his legacy of psychedelic, uber-groovy Doom Metal, former YOB mastermind Mike Scheidt returned in 2007 under the guise of Middian and, true to form, delivered 5 crushing hits of thinking man's sludge that put the competition to shame.

The Ocean - Precambrian

A sprawling two-disc collection of pant moistening metal of the progressive variety. The Ocean have melded their myriad of influences to create a vast, kaleidoscopic wall of sound that more than lives up to their epic moniker.

Odious Mortem - Cryptic Implosion

Few people will argue that when it came to Technical Death Metal in 2007, Odious Mortem ruled the proverbial roost. Not only was their sophomore album an uncompromising slab of brutality, it also had an unmistakably progressive lean and showed a band willing to push the boundaries and take the tried-and-true Death Metal formula in exciting new directions.

Bongripper - Hippie Killer

Let me introduce you to one of 2007's best kept secrets, the mighty Bongripper. An instrumental Doom-outfit whose mission is to churn out some of the tastiest, haziest jams known to Bongkind. Imagine Sleep jamming with Isis and you have a vague idea. Epic.

Chrome Hoof - Pre-Emptive False Rapture

Prog-Funk-Disco-Doom from the brothers Smee. This is party music for the discerning rock/metal fan and is sure to go down a storm at the social gathering of your choice. Describing the Hoof's sound is futile as the band really are a genre unto themselves. Trust me, hearing is believing.

Insect Warfare - World Extermination

These Gulf Coast grinders are the epitome of old school, bullshit-free, down 'n' dirty Grindcore and their debut LP, World Extermination is every bit as apocalyptic as the title suggests. Hands down the best Grind release to hit the underground in 2007.

Slough Feg - Hardworlder

After five amazing albums you'd think Slough Feg would be running out of ideas, but if anything Hardworlder proves front man Mike Scalzi still knows how to craft some of the most idiosyncratic, and memorable hard rock/heavy metal ditties known to man. From the bluesy, Sabbath-stomp of "Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues" to the rousing, folk-tinged "Tiger! Tiger!", Hardworlder is a Traditional Metal masterclass.

Baroness - Red Album

Without a doubt my most listened to album of 2007. Dropping the largely abrasive, and angular sludge of their first two EPs for a more free-flowing, and organic sound The Red Album is an amazingly crafted set of songs that flow beautifully from start to finish. Big riffs, big beards and even bigger hooks, what's not to love?

Mithras - Behind the Shadows Lie Madness

Otherworldly Death Metal from one of the leading lights in the UK scene, with Behind the Shadows Lie Madness, Mithras have finally capitalised on the promise shown on Worlds Beyond the Veil and delivered their tersest, most compact outing to date. The wildly experimental, esoteric flair that earned Mithras their reputation is still intact but the added focus, and improved song writing makes this their most challenging, intriguing and, importantly, entertaining release to date.

Honourable Mentions:

Akercocke - Antichrist, Alchemist - Tripsis, Behold... The Arctopus - Skullgrid, Between the Buried and Me - Colors, Blood Freak - Multiplex Massacre, Clutch - From Beale St. to Oblivion, Coliseum - No Salvation, Crystal Viper - The Curse of Crystal Viper, High on Fire - Death is This Communion, Jesu - Conqueror, Magrudergrind - Rehashed, Nadja - Touched (re-release), Omega Massif - Geisterstadt, Rosetta - Wake/Lift, Sarpanitum - Despoilment of Origin, The Senseless - In the Realm of the Senseless, Today is the Day - Axis of Eden, Vintersorg - Solens Rötter, Weekend Nachos - Punish and Destroy, Winters - Black Clouds in Twin Galaxies, Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters

Biggest Disappointments:

Aborted - Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical Overture, Alcest - Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde, Beneath the Massacre - Mechanics of Dysfunction, Despised Icon - The Ills of Modern Man, The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works, Municipal Waste - The Art of Partying, Sigh - Hangman's Hymn, Torche - In Return EP

Stuart Bullen

The 21st of february Chrome Hoof will play in 013. It's a 12-person band with members who also played in Entombed. It sounds like doom disco (or you can call it free rave) with influences form bands like Black Sabbath and Funkadelic, performed in Sun Ra suits. You can win 2 tickets if you tell us which Dutch breakcore artist played guitar during their Eurosonic show. Send a mail to contest<at>zxzw<dot>nl
Update: andere interessant feitje voor jullie site is wellicht dat de bassist van Cathedral (Leo Smee) in Chrome Hoof zit. Zij broertje speelt drums fluister Joep me net ook in. En de zangeres komt uit Spektrum.
Update 2: Vince will spin records.

Felix Martin z Hot Chip raczył rzec na łamach "Mojo" co następuje: "Gdyby czerpać inspiracje tylko z artystów podobnych do nas, muzyka byłaby niesamowicie nudna. Podejrzewam, że właśnie dlatego większość z niej jest nudna".

Prawda, sama prawda. Punk? Wiadomo, not dead. Ale choćby nie wiem jak kombinować, wszystko co w tym gatunku powstaje musi jakoś odnosić się do Pistolsów, Stooges, The Clash, The Ramones - i już lepiej nie będzie. Lepiej już było. Sex Pistols może i nie umieli grać (na pewno nie umieli), ale odkrywali nowe lądy. Punk rock był białą kartą, którą zapisali tymi swoimi kulfonami, zabierając miejsce młodszym i zdolniejszym. To samo z death metalem (ale się uparłem, co?). Kiedy Morbid Angel, Carcass, Deicide czy Entombed wydawali swoje najlepsze płyty, nie szukali punktów odniesienia w obrębie gatunku, bo jeszcze ich nie było. To oni wytyczali szlak, wyznaczali zasady i granice. Dzisiaj death metal, jak każdy dojrzały gatunek muzyczny, komentuje sam siebie, a to oznacza, że nawet jeśli powstają płyty doskonalsze pod względem techicznym, lepiej brzmiące, zawierające dojrzalsze kompozycje itepe itede, to nie wywołują już tego podniecenia, bo są jedynie wariacją na temat tego, co dawno zostało powiedziane. Są po prostu nudne. Niestety, to samo dzieje się już z uwielbianym przeze mnie gatunkiem zwanym, z braku lepszej nazwy, post-metalem, czyli klimatami bliskimi Neurosis, Pelican czy Isis. Serce mi krwawi, kiedy to piszę, ale tak, słychać już pierwsze oznaki zmęczenia materiału. Neurosis byli (i są, oczywiście są...) fajni, bo twórczo rozwijali myśl Black Sabbath czy Swans, ale kapela, która gra jak Neurosis wzorując się na Neurosis to nuda...

Eigentlich wollte ich gestern abend schon längst auf dem Weg zum Median sein. Bei ARTE begann allerdings gerade TRACKS und diese Sendung habe ich bisher immer sehr gerne gesehen. Eine DSL Breitbandverbindung und dazu noch nebenjob-bedingte Daueraufenthalte im Internet können aber alles ändern. Wie und warum wird noch zu zeigen sein. Einstweilen holte ich mir aus dem Kühlschrank ein weiteres Bier. Die Themen der Sendung waren unter anderem das japanische Original welches die Sendung Jackass inspirierte, Kool and the Gang, der New Young Pony Club und ein Reverse Graffiti Artist aus Brasilien.
Bei letzterem könnte meine Kritik ansetzen, denn der Beitrag bestand aus einem Video, das schon lange durch die Streetartforen und entsprechende Blogs geistert. Nur konnte man es nun dank ARTE noch einmal in einer vernünftigen Auflösung sehen. Abgesehen von einer sehr kurzen Anmoderation kam nichts Neues zu Tage.
Am meisten interessierte mich allerdings ein Beitrag über „New Clash“. Die unweigerliche Assoziation zur Punkband The Clash ist bei dieser Genre-Konstruktion der zentrale Punkt auf den alles zusammengezogen wird. Sowie The Clash die Musikstile der karibischen Minderheit und Punk verbunden hatten, soll auch New Clash ein Genre sein, dass diese Verbindung wieder belebt. Aber na ja, denke ich mir. Großbritannien ist ja immer für neuen, heißen Scheiß gut, warum also nicht? Vorgestellt wurden im Folgenden drei Bands. Die erste war Ebony Bones, die tatsächlich diese Mischung aufweist und auch für missingtoof.com-affine Ohren interessant sein dürfte. Danach folgten die deutlich rockigeren Noisettes und den Abschluß bildeten Chrome Hoof, welche ihre Musik auf Myspace mit Progressive, Death Metal und Electro umreißen. Damit hatte allerdings auch ARTE den Bogen überspannt. Denn die drei Bands haben stilistisch nicht allzu viel gemein. Der einzige feste gemeinsame Nenner ist eine schwarze Sängerin, die jeweils für exotische Einflüsse in an sich bekannte Stile zuständig ist. Am besten gefällt mir daraus bisher Ebony Bones.

Früher – um mal auf den Punkt zurück zu kommen – wäre dies für mich ein weiterer interessanter TRACKS Beitrag gewesen. Musik von der ich gar nicht weiß, ob sie mich interessiert, weil ich schlichtweg nicht weiß, dass sie existiert. Mit einem Breitbandinternetanschluss, Myspace und MP3 Blogs muss man aber nicht mehr alles schlucken was das Fernsehen einem vorsetzt, zu mal die Hypes – und da kann eben die letzte TRACKS Sendung als Beweis gelten – sowieso zuerst im Internet stattfinden, bevor sie fürs Fernsehen und Popkulturmagazine relevant genug sind. Als interessierter junger Mensch, kann man sich bisweilen also sogar den einen oder anderen Umweg sparen – so könnte man meinen. Andererseits hieße das, die Rechnung ohne den Wirt zu machen. Popjournalismus berichtet ja nicht wertfrei über Hypes die losgelöst im freien Raum passieren, denn erst die Kommunikation über ein Phänomen macht den Hype möglich. Schreiben über Pop heißt also auch immer an Pop aktiv teilzunehmen. In diesem Sinne kann ich jetzt ganz profan meinen Beitrag mit der Bemerkung beenden, dass ich mich nun zurücklehne und den Traffic abwarte.
;)

I spent this weekend with three old and very good friends at the Portishead-curated All Tomorrow's Parties. What a weekend.

Within hours of being out from under the guiding (some might say restraining) hands of our better halves, and upon discovering that Russell Brand had named named his first venture into the world of literature "My Booky Wook", we were compiling a list of "people who can feck off". Great to be back with some like-minded cynics.

The festival clips are being uploaded as-I-write onto YouTube, and I'm sure that will carry on for a few more days yet. My current favourite, embedded here, shows what went on in the smoker's shelter for several hours on Saturday night.

Our top three acts of the weekend were Thurston Moore, Portishead and Chrome Hoof.

We were surprised about Thurston, I have to say. After Sonic Youth's show this time last year (which was also top-notch), we had expected him to show up and give us an hour and a half of loud feedback, just to even things out a bit. He played it straight down the line, and we were bowled over by how good he and his band were.

Portishead, playing for the first time in ten years, were as stunning as you would expect them to be. A big comeback from them next year.

Chrome Hoof can be hard to describe, but I'll try: it's kind of Death Metal Disco Psychadelic Funk played by silver wizards with Shirley Bassey on vocals.

Sorry to say (Andrew) that Sparklehorse wasn't up to much again. I've seen him do a much better show. And Jerry Sadowitz (who doesn't want to be reviewed, but I don't care) disappointed 5000 people by switching to play at the smallest venue possible, thus allowing only about 400 people to see his show. I don't think there are any clips of him having a tug on stage, but I think this image is now permanently available in the mind of one of my work colleagues.

Poem of the weekend goes to John Cooper Clarke, who had us reciting hire car all the way home in our, well, hire car. Sounds a bit like Jimmy Saville, but what a hell of a guy.

Honourable mentions also to Black Mountain, Jah Shaka, Aphex Twin and Kling Klang. Anyone else who was pretty good - apologies, I probably wasn't there.

Whilst wandering past a noticeboard, I noticed (that's the point of noticeboards surely?) that "The Catford Scum" were there. Google says that "Catford scum does not match any documents", but I'd be delighted to find out who the Catford scum are, and perhaps even meet them someday.

We've come back wondering, after a little too much flavoured vodka and pickled eggs, if it's possible to have black pepper poisoning?

(Edited slightly on 4 Feb 08, to remove my ill-thought out potty-mouthing.  I don't want this site to have an adult content label slapped on it, thank you very much.)

Library Tapes - Skiss Ar Trad
Burial - Near Dark
Saturday Looks Good To Me - Money In The Afterlife

Chrome Hoof - Tonyte
edIT - Artsy

Charlie Louvin - Knoxville Girl
Richard Youngs - Low Bay of Sky
Joeyfat - Waiferville

David Lynch - Audrey
Tullycraft - Our Days In Kansas
Boxcutter - Rusty Break

Kylie Minoise - Vintage Car Bondage
Nathan Fake - The Sky Was Pink

This weekend I have been in Birmingham at the Supersonic festival. Suffice to say, it was pretty damned special. Two days of high quality left-field music. I will most probably post a more detailed review once I have had sufficent time to digest it all. For the moment, the brief highlights, with photos from the quite brilliant Toby Price. Crikey these photos are good.

Miasma and The Carousel of Headless Horses
Absolutely Progged my bloody face off.

Sunn0)))
Quite frankly the loudest thing that I have heard in my life. Slow, occasionally beautiful, occasionally a sound of pure terror.

Chrome Hoof
Incredible Live Show, great brass, great interpretive dance.

The work of Ray Brassier and his Alien Theory: The Decline of Materialism in the Name of Matter is being chatted about over at Larval Subjects. I too am making my way through Brassier's PHD thesis, and I am slowly making summary notes (to let people know what he is rattling on about), as well as a occasional notes towards a critique of some of what he says, that might just blurt out on this blog, or might write up in a more substantial way. It is brilliant fearsome stuff though, that gets my philosophical motor running, as much as I don't agree with all of it. And given this article, Genre is Obsolete, Brassier may well have appreciated some of the noise contributions to the bill at Supersonic: Equilax (who since it was their last show treated to an Atari Teenage Riot style 20 minute blast of harsh white noise - quote the NME on ATR last gig "an attempt to punch a gaping hole in the space-time continuum and rip its throbbing purple guts out with a sonic pitchfork"), Jazkammer, Migrant not to forget everyones favourite quasi-macho fist pumpers Wolf Eyes.

Noise has become the expedient moniker for a motley array of sonic practices: academic, artistic, countercultural; with little in common besides their perceived recalcitrance with respect to the conventions governing classical and popular musics. Noise not only designates the no-man's-land between electro-acoustic investigation, free improvisation, avant-garde experiment, and sound-art; more interestingly, it refers to anomalous zones of interference between genres: between post-punk and free jazz; between musique concrete and folk; between stochastic composition and art brut. Yet in being used to categorize all forms of sonic experimentation that ostensibly defy musicological classification; be they para-musical, anti-musical, or post-musical, noise has become a generic label for anything deemed to subvert established genre. It is at once a specific sub-genre of musical vanguardism and a name for what refuses to be subsumed by genre.

I am not at my standard computer, so I am posting this on a Windows PC. I have to say that the recently release Windows Live Writer, a desktop (eg not browser based) blog writing tool, is pretty sexy software, which set up incredibly easily. Colour me surprised.