Los verdaderos géneros que son en realidad independientes y que nunca se van a comercializar en MTV, ni en MySpace, pero aun seguirá con su flama viviente a travez de los tiempos, donde la única paga de esta música será un donativo de 5 pesos para ayudar al artista (0.5 USD), mayoria de este VERDADERA musica indie ha sido casi olvidada por las nuevas generaciones, otras las conservan en lo mas profundo de su mente de los recuerdos de su corazón.

bolero

Los mayores exponentes de este generos son los tríos musicales como Los Panchos, Los Tres Ases, Los Dandys, artistas que en sus tiempos fueron populares, no necesitaban sacar disco, pura tocada en vivo en bares y clubs de la mejor categoria, incluso cantaban al aire libre y era la musica romántica de su época.

No requería mas que un instrumento y la voz de los tres cantantes.

La única canción que representa que este género es Gema.
(NOTA: Luis Miguel trató de comercializarlo y no le funcionó, pero El Madrugal de Café Tacuba convenció :D)

trova

Se sabe que desde hace mucho tiempo, para contar historias tenias que ir a un trovador, este te las cantaba para que estuviera mas entretenido, aun siguen haciendolo, pero no hay que pedirles, ellos nos cuentan historias de desamores, la vida segun el criterio del cantante, la historia en la que se inspiró para cantarla, homenaje a otros artistas, en fin, la trova es una de las musicas indie/alternativas que la mayoria deberia sentirse orgulloso.

Muchos cantantes como Silvio Rodriguez, Joaquín Sabinas, Pablo Milanés, Joan Manuel Serrat e Ismael Serrano son los mas populares acualmente en este género.

La trova que mas me gustó fue la del Unicornio (Album Version), incluso varios temas de trovas lo cantan otros artistas de este genero y no hay que pedir regalias por ello.

tango


Ni que decir de este baile hecho en argentina, es el "blues latino", la canción de los desamores orgullosos, conozco muy pocos artistas de este genero, el uncio del que puedo acordarme es Carlos Gardel.

Pueden buscar mas artistas en el tag oficial :D

Incluso esta música es mas sensual que el mismo reggaeton, pero aun asi respetando a las féminas que nos adolecieron el alma.

bossa nova


La bossa nova es un género musical de origen brasileño que surgió a fines de los años cincuenta, impulsada por un grupo de estudiantes y músicos de clase media procedentes de Copacabana e Ipanema, en los barrios de Rio de Janeiro situados junto a la playa. El nombre se puede traducir como "el ritmo nuevo" o "el camino nuevo " aunque etimológicamente significa "voz nueva". Se hizo muy conocida en Brasil gracias a la grabación de "Chega de Saudade", interpretada por João Gilberto y compuesta por Antônio Carlos Jobim y Vinicius de Moraes, tres de los principales exponentes de este género. en Brasil.

Lo que puedo decir es que la mayoría de la Bossa nova que se conocen salió en los soundtracks de bewitched (Hechizada) y Mi bella genio (i Dream of Genie).

mariachi


Musica romantica y casi olvidada en su propia nación, conozco un montón, aunque los mejores son Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, Jorge Negrete y el mismisimo comico Mario Moreno (Cantinflas) xD.

Nuestra tradición era enamorar a cualquier mujer de su balcon regalarle una de nuestras hermoas melodias románticas a luz de la luna nocturna iluminada con el esplendor de sus ojos, la mas pura de las sonrisas, y si funcionaba obtendrias la fogosa felicidad en menos de loq ue cantaba un gallo.

es bueno que un grupo creado por uno de mis amigos kb7clx, La Música Tradicional de México para no tratar de olvidarla como los huapangos de la huasteca o las danzas del Xantolo (en español dia de muertos)

Huapango


Su música y danzas aun siguen vivas aun despues de la conquista, tradición milenaria de mis antepasados los huastecos :D, mas se aprecia esta musica en la danza de los viejitos en los dias de muertos.


en fin, estos generos fueron olvidados con el rock vacio, el pop insulso, el reggaeton estridente, eMoTV, la manipulación mediatica de los sitcoms de Hannah Montana, aunque aun la tecnología trata de apoyarlos.

Bands and artists mentioned:

- AFX
- ABC
- Adicts, The
- Autechre
- Ashra / Ash Ra Tempel
- Antonio Vivaldi
- Afrika Bambaataa
- Astor Piazzolla
- Animal Collective
- Anita Lane
- Agent Orange
- Adolescents
- Antony and the Johnsons
- Aphex Twin
- Asian Dub Foundation
- Amon Duul / Amon Duul II
- Architecture in Helsinki
- Angelo Badalamenti
- Autopsia
- Air
- Ausgang
- Annie Hogan
- Antonius Rex / Jacula
- Agitation (Free)
- Alien Sex Fiend
- Antonio Vivaldi
- Alan Vega / Suicide
- Asylum Choir, The
- Anti-Flag
- Absolute Body Control
- Au Pairs
- Andrew Lloyd-Webber
- Akira Yamaoka

Sources:

- Wikipedia
- Last.fm
- Various websites with reviews (Pitchfork, Amazon, Reviewcentre, Rockreviews, etc.)


01.05.2008.

It's high time to organize this pile of music I've been collecting for a while. To my surprise plenty of albums I keep haven't been tagged (this is the part I hate doing). Having no life is so much fun.

Thursday the 1st of May. This day is brought to you by the letter A.




I woke up and (after few rounds of Asleep by The Smiths that sadly didn't put me back to slumber) put AFX's Chosen Lords from 2006 on. Good start of a day it was.



I postponed listening to Aphex Twin because there's nothing better in this world than a musical variety. Therefore, my next pick went to Lexicon Of Love from 1982 that I haven't listened to for a while. Martin Fry sang about his unrequited romance in the sophisticated suit-wearing style for about an hour. All of My Heart remains my favourite ABC tune over The Look of Love, and Poison Arrow. But enough flashy silver suits... sorry Fry but after '4 Ever 2 Gether' I have New Romantic coming out of every living pore.



Another choice wasn't really hard to predict - what's the opposite of an elegant gentleman? A Droog. I wonder what the guys are doing now, I have heard they still perform gigs after 30 years, which is ultra-cool, especially for a Punk Rock band. The Adicts is my local band from Ipswich, Suffolk, formed in 1975 (first as Afterbirth & The Pinz) . I started with Ultimate Addiction from 1987 which contains Easy Way Out - probably their best tune with jumpy music and catchy lyrics. Then I put Sound of Music on, continued with Complete Adicts Singles Collection, through Songs of Praise, finishing with This is your life after which my Romance with Punk came to an end. Their tune Falling in Love Again is worth mentioning because it differs in style to the rest of their songs. I have no idea what they were trying to accomplish by adding to their style an odd synth tune, but they certainly won my attention.



It's time to move to some Electronic music again for a while. I looked into my newly made 'A' folder and saw Autechre, a British IDM band that I have been neglecting for almost a decade. Shame on you Euchy... I start from Incunabula from 1993, the first Autechre album i had a pleasure to listen to as a teenager. At this point I'm angry at myself I wasn't learning the titles of the songs much, so as a result I'm pretty much still unfamiliar with them. The storm outside perfectly matches the atmosphere. The band has "utilized a wide array of analog synths in their production as well as analog and digital drum machines and samplers. They have also made extensive use of a variety of computer based sequencers, softsynths, and other applications as a means of controlling and processing the synthesized sounds". After Incunabula I play Basscadet EP (1994) and the sun comes up. It's been a very warm day today which makes me wonder if I shouldn't go out, lay on the grass and listen to my mp3 player. Maybe some other time. I agree that Amber (1994) is slightly overrated. I mean it's a good album but I wouldn't consider it their best record. Though Silverside is truly beautiful, I like the addition of classical music samples.
Thank goodness i didn't go out, the sky got black, another huge storm is being drawn on the horizon. It's 5pm already and i still have 3 tracks of Amber to go before I put Anti EP (1995) on. It's been an ambient afternoon, I really don't recall listening to so much Autechre before. I have a lifespan to embrace it all, so I'm not worried much. Anti EP makes me contemplate of how long my lifespan is going to be. Hah, maybe I SHOULD start getting worried.
Quick restart of Macbeth, 6th mug of coffee, salami sandwich, and I continue feeding myself with Elemental Experiments. Thinking of salami brings an image of a donkey, which makes me think i've certainly had enough ambient for today... aaaand enough coffee, for the record. Anvil Vapre EP finished smoothly which gives a perfect opportunity to put my favourite Autechre album on - Tri Repetae (1996). I think it's their best record because of tunes like: Dael , Leterel, and Clipper. Plus Eutow would probably turn anyone into a mass murderer if played non-stop for few hours. Wait a second Euch, that's worth trying one day...
This coffee tastes of horse piss but my brain would explode if it was stronger.
EP7 album's on, 7PM just passed, and I still have two more Autechre albums queued, soooo at this point I'm certain that Aphex won't go out of my speakers till morrow, not after such a density of electronic sounds. Which also means that Friday will be brought to me by the letter A as well. This reasoning brings another conclusion - I won't finish this project till Winter.
To all the fans of 1999 record - EP7, I'm not very fond of it - most of the tracks listed don't appeal to me, they lack consistence and are overly distorted. Maphive 6.1 is very sweet though, it has some oriental touch inserted into a plain performance of an electrocuted mind taking advantage of sounds empty glass bottles make. Euchy likes. Another good record from 1998 - LP5 - contains a very brief, yet quite psychedelic tune called Melve, finger lickable indeed. Sadly, the last record I've been on for a while disappoints me sorely. Draft 7.30 from 2003 started quite promising, but V-PROC gave me a headache, even though I'm already stoned. 11pm, I put Autechre back on a sluggy n' sticky shelf of the microcosmos of bytes and look towards some instrumental krautrock...



I see Ashra! Whooray, I thought my whole Ash Ra Tempel collection went missing. The album Blackouts is a good representative of an atmospheric kraut. It's starts with a smooth and gentle 77 Slightly Delayed and takes me back home - this little green and red cell of youth. I think Ash Ra Tempel changed it's name to Ashra because the band members decided to go instrumental on few albums. Pity I don't have any Ash Ra Tempel with me, I enjoy their spacey psychedelia. Ohh, the guitar on Midnight on Mars gives me an eargasm. I'll give Blackouts another go - it has got a calming effect, and I'm also a lazy cheek.

02.05.2008.

Friday the 2nd of May. This day is brought to you by the letter A. I dedicate this day to The Vowel Family tune by They Might Be Giants, because vowels are important letters.



After second helping of Blackouts by Ashra I travelled to 18th century in search of Italian baroque that I found on Antonio Vivaldi 's The Four Seasons performed by Itzhak Perlman and two philharmonic orchestras from Israel and London. No matter how many times I listen to Winter Allegro Non Molto , it always gives me this gut feeling of 'Memento Mori you silly unimportant being' so I cry and smile, and listen once more. I said goodnight to the world and the strings took me away to some better world.



The rubbing-window-pane-with-a-wet-spongie sample can be found on Jazzy Sensation (Bronx Version) track by one of the most talented masters of the beat from the heart of Bronx - Afrika Bambaataa on Looking for the Perfect Beat 1980-1985 album. Is it the only tune I know with the spongie? ...Hmmm, it seems that three other mc used it to cause some rump shaking as well. So get on a mike party people, yeah - Planet Rock, what an awesome tune... yeah I can hear Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express, if somebody can't... well - your loss! Are you ready?? C'mon, everybody! Let's do some Rockin' to the funky beats. Woooo yeah, I should start days to good old-school hip-hop more often. Right, funky people, I'm going to move my non-stop shakin' bottom to the kitchen and make another coffee in a quasi Robot Dance style, hoping no neighbour will see me, call an appropriate departament and wrap me in a straight jacket. Why? Because I already listened to The Adicts's Straight Jacket yesterday and Devil Doll's Dies Irae with 'The still look Curled up in the straight jacket' is way ahead. Ok... Coffee.



Midday almost there, and I just finished the third phase of the caffeine treatment to Astor Piazzolla 's Leonora's Song - a beautiful Argentinian tango with quite distinctive Carlos Gardel 's influence. Sadly, it's the only Astor's track I have, although I'm certain that his Five Tango Sensations with Kronos Quartet must sound incredible.
Morning started so well that I decided to give a go to one damn freaky group of people calling themselves Animal Collective. Before I move to my favourite Sung Tongs from 2004, I tune in to Here Comes The Indian (2003) and squeeze my brain into a little hole of WEIRD. The song Panic is quite displeasing - 'I'm happy, she's happy, so why the fuck are you not happy?' - is probably one of the worst set of lyrics I can think of. Fact: 192kbps/44kHz is NOT enough when listening to Slippi. Sung Tongs start with a notable Leaf House track that makes me feel warm inside more than any candy twee... can I hear meowing kitties? Another very decent track on the album - Who Could Win A Rabbit makes me turn the volume up a bit. I am grinning and the grin is geeky. But the best is still to come. I patiently wait for the adorable We Tigers and bite my lip. The wild drums (right after a minute short song that expresses the lack of need for formal education) fills my room, and - as a matter of fact - I'm going to play it few times before turning to Mouth Wooed Her. Confession: my high-pitch 'Whoop' sounds (I'm articulating now) shouldn't be heard by absolutely anyone. I'm glad Sung Tongs gained high critical acclaim so more people are exposed to this side of Indie music that starts with G through double O and ends with D. After the remarkably unremarkable album Feels from 2005 I move back in time to year 2004 and the collaboration of Animal Collective & Vashti Bunyan called Prospect Hummer - a very gentle collection of four acoustic melodies wrapped in a hollow-like voice of this legendary female version of Bob Dylan. The 2007 record Strawberry Jam I was recommended few months ago sounds more tolerable and less disappointing than Feels thanks to songs like Chores and For Reverend Green, nevertheless it doesn't win my heart as it goes away from the look-at-the-bonker-me-dancing-naked climate towards common indie sounds. I'm much more fond of their early recordings. My editor just said that he hates Strawberry Jam so the feeling of guilt after criticizing Cuckoo Cuckoo as one of the most hideous songs the collective has ever made fades away.



Half past three brings an end to Animal Collective and hunts Anita Lane down into my head. One sexy woman she is, therefore, her Dirty Pearl (1993) sounds really sexy as well. I look at the CD produced by Mick Harvey (from The Bad Seeds) and other notable bands like Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Haut, and The Birthday Party. I'm home... I'm so much home right now. I really enjoy her covers of Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing and Sister Sledge's Lost in Music (although I prefer The Fall's version of this song). Fact: the moment miss Lane articulates: 'I won't give up my music', should make many men hard. So I play again... Blume is in my speakers at the moment; I heard this soft tune about flowers for the first time on Einstürzende Neubauten's Tabula Rasa many years ago and as far as I remember Anita stands on a pedestal that slowly spins and talks through a massive ... megaphone on the video. Two other tracks I really like on this record are A Prison In The Desert (from Ghosts... Of The Civil Dead) and I'm A Believer, however I'd recommend all of the songs on Dirty Pearl to every demanding and gentle ear.



I need around 12 hours for Richard D. James which means I must postpone him again because it's 5pm already. It slowly becomes a cherry on the top, a very scary cherry haha. Bad rhyme. So I move back to punk, and more precisely to one quite influential band - Agent Orange. The album from 1981 - Living In Darkness contains hits like Bloodstains, Everything Turns Grey, and Too Young to Die. Although the band was formed in 1978 and plays till this day its lineup has been changing for all these years. One of these changes was marked by the departure of the bass player Steve Soto in 1979.



Why am I indicating this one and not the others? Steve Soto formed the band Adolescents in 1980 (Letter A) that is going to be played straight after Living in Darkness, that's why. The album Adolescents from 1981 is a mixture of short, fast and very energetic tunes which oscillate around hardcore convention more than the music produced by surf'n skatin' Agent Orange. I like O.C. Life in particular: 'The limit of your mind is what they're counting on all ends ' is a fine line.



I reckon it's high time to get depressed a little now. Therefore, I take my self-titled Antony and the Johnsons record (1998) and press play. Antony Hegarty is a British singer who started his career in American cabaret as a drag queen. The first LP sounds much more theatrical in style than I Am a Bird Now that followed the debut album and gained an incredibly high acclaim from the critics (Technics Mercury Music Prize 2005). I find his music magical - very intense and sinking in melancholy. The density of humble feelings such as sorrow, longing and misery loads the lyrics with drama and passion. This passion is then articulated by one of the most incredible voices of the new millenium - Mr.Hegarty. Songs like the dramatical Hitler in My Heart ('don't punish me for wanting your love inside of me') and violent Cripple and The Starfish cause an honest heartache inside my chest. Antony and Lou Reed collaborated on several occasions. It was Lou Reed who first used Antony's voice while recording The Raven before the commercial success of the band. Lou Reed appears on Fistful of Love with guest vocals and guitar on The Lake EP. Antony also released a split single with Current 93 in 1999. I Fell in Love With a Dead Boy EP from 2001 contains two sublime songs - I Fell in Love with A Dead Boy and Julee Cruise's Mysteries of Love from the albums: Floating into The Night and Blue Velvet soundtrack, as well as the beautiful cover of Current 93's Soft Black Stars. I truly adore the CD cover of I am A Bird Now which refers to the video of the first track on the album - Hope There's Someone. I highly recommend this set of musical solitary suffering of a beautiful mind to absolutely everyone, even those daft disco bitches... someone needs to educate people that 'Keep Bleeding in Love' is a small mediocre pimple-bug on the arse of music and needs to be squeezed out and stomped upon. I am A Bird Now that I hold dearly is less dramatic, yet incredibly lyrical. Few other artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Davendra Banhart, and Boy George appear on the record with guest vocals. But right now I'm tuning to Be My Husband (have you heard Jeff Buckley's verion??) from Live at the Knitting Factory bootleg, a powerful cover of the jazz queen - Nina Simone.

03.05.2008




It's a brand new morning, so without further ado I let Richard David James penetrate every corner of this space I call my room. What is the best electronic album? Many debates can be arranged to solve this dilemma. My personal pick goes to Aphex Twin 's Selected Ambient Works 85-92 released in 1992. This evil elf from another dimension is probably the most creative, imaginative, inventive, innovative, constantly improving, influential figure in electronic music. Young Richard started making music at the age of 12... very nice indeed. Fucking whoah after you listen to his first Selected Ambient Works where some of the tunes contained remember his 14th birthday. But enough flattery Euch, geniuses shall not be praised, but worshipped. Hence I devote this day to Aphex Twin. I'm just repeating Xtal and I and look towards faster, slightly manic, and less atmospheric Xylem Tube EP (1993). With the last beat of Dodeccaheedron I switch to Melodies From Mars that start like the worst nightmare of a child who suffers from Darkseed syndrome . It's worth adding that David Firth used Untitled tune in his Pandabear animation which Tab can be found here. It is also worth mentioning that Locust Toybox is David's IDM and ambient project that he includes in most of his recent works. All animations by David Firth are available on this website . Mr.Firth's twisted imagination creates very bizarre stories sinking in ambient of other notable music makers like Boards of Canada, or Jim Ether. I've been thinking of one obscure satitist Chris Morris and his Jam series (the CD Blue Jam is very hard to get and its price on e-bay reaches over 20 pounds, I've participated in two auctions after which I simply gave up. My birthday is on the 17th of december, if anyone wants to make Euchy happy...) that used to be available on Tv-links website. Morris used Aphex music to soundtrack his Jam, while James considers Morris "the best comedian of all time". "Morris and James have both done work that veers between radical and repulsive" and I just can't imagine Jam without Rhubarb from Selected Ambient Works, Volume II (disc 1) and other sounds created by Aphex.



It's impossible to pick an all time favourite from this album, because the journey from Cliffs floats slowly to White Blur 1 (which causes an incresing anxiety in my ferret - Sid Vicious) in order to continue the escapade to the outer eldritch space of Blue Calx (trivia: it's also one of Aphex's pseudonyms) and finally rest next to Match Sticks. Intimidating Grey Stripe should be played in cinemas before any horror to cause a massive collective apprehension, while tunes like Rhubarb, Mold, or Curtains is music I want to be served during the funeral where cold and proud like never before I hide in the coffin. While listening to ...I Care Because You Do (1995) I find an interesting information about a tank and a 'cheap' submarine, and wonder what else can be purchased these days. Ventolin will kill me one day, for sure. Reading about Richard's entangled thought process is very absorbing. In one of interviews he says: "The other day, I was lying in bed, stoned. I was thinking, 'What's the scariest thing you could think of?' And I ended up imagining people coming into my house and doing hideous things to me, tying me up, stripping me naked, and squirting this foam into my mouth and down my throat, shoving it up my nose, into my ears, jamming it into my tear ducts, until it all went solid. I was getting the Fear. I had to go, 'Think about something nice, you twat!'". That's for Richard's confessions and my trip to the realm of the too improbable to believe twin. I Care Because You Do finished, and the time of Ventolin EP (The Remixes) (1995) has come. Driiiill, drilll, drilll, and one more drill within my cerebral cortex. After several Ventolins my conscious experience shatters the perception of reality, savagely rips every vein of primal emotion, mutilates the thought, and disembowels the soul. I surrender.
I enjoy the way in which Richard describes himself as "irritating, lying, ginger kid from Cornwall who should have been locked up in some youth detention centre. (Who) Just managed to escape and blag it into music."



Richard D. James Album is a masterpiece that opens with a decent 4 (LP Version) - a track with an oriental spice and fast percussion which resembles an unconventional therapy performed by some Asian witch. A rhythmic mechanical force of drums played against my ear induces harmonic vibration of body organs and I am cured just to acknowledge Cornish Acid (LP Version) and crawl under my bed in search of the other side of the rainbow. A multitude of various commercials and shows used Aphex music to evoke certain emotions from the viewer. It's not surprising that I hear Aphex in the background while watching programs about deviated children, rape victims, or women who like to insert sharp objects into their uterus . However, the adaptation that I regard with a special favour goes to... yup - David Firth's Milkman of gore.
Apparently the grandma from Come To Daddy enjoyed the horror before her eyes; I certainly did. If I try to think of the all time favourite videos I have seen, I'd have to place Come To Daddy somewhere at the top. Aphex claims that 'Come to Daddy' came about while he was just hanging around his house, getting pissed and doing this crappy death metal jingle. Then it got marketed, and a video was made, and this little idea that he had, which was a joke, turned into something huge ( quote ). The video was made by Chris Cunningham and filmed on the same council estate where Stanley Kubrick shot many scenes to 'A Clockwork Orange'. Double myum. Yet amidst death metal samples and anal sex offers, the coolest tune on this record is bouncy, is beat-beaty, and round - Bucephalus Bouncing Ball (LP Version) wins! After 51/13 Aphex Singles Collection from 1998 I tuned to overly cherished Windowlicker (1999). I remember a wave of sudden interest around Aphex after the video of Windowlicker was aired, which marks his ultimate commercial success. Although I dare to expect that many folks out there perceive Aphex as 'the guy who did Windowlicker', the same as they perceive Nick Cave as 'the guy who did Where the wild Roses Grow with K.Minoblergh. Oh well. The voyeuristic windowlicking voyage ends quickly, grunting the subsequent need for Drukqs (2001) that delight my senses and excite the intellectual admiration. The music on these two CDs "ranges from refined blue mood piano meditations worthy of Claude Debussy or Erik Satie to furious digital exercises that sound like pneumatic drills gone haywire." Tracks like Strotha Tynhe, Gwarek2, and Kesson Daslef deserve an extra caution, nevertheless - Avril 14th prevails and once more proves superior.

Right now I wish Steven could tell me: 'Well done little girl, you managed all day without me.'

'No sweetheart, I didn't. As a matter of fact I was singing Hand in Glove during coffee breaks. And I'd be delighted if you could spend the rest of the evening with me.' I'd reply...

I say goodbye to Richard David James and this uncomfortable stool I have been sitting on all day.

04.05.2008.

Morning 9am sets my tired body in motion. Slightly unwillingly, but persistently my weak, willow-wobbly-weepy arms take the first step in carrying out today's schedule.



I browse through the folder and pick Asian Dub Foundation - a dub band from Great-Britain-not-that-Great. And after few tunes I realise that I have never been a big fan of ragga and breakbeat. The jungle rhythms incorporated in Frontline 1994-1997 album from 2001 do not attract my demanding ear. Maybe I'm just not into indo-dub basslines much. Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu.



Splendid news - I got hold of two Ash Ra Tempel albums - Starring Rosi (1973) and New Age of Earth (1976). I have good reason to be grateful for the opportunities which were made available to me, so - consequently, German krautrock occupies the gates of today's morning. Refined quality of space rock on Day Dream and Cosmic Tango on pop-oriented 1973 album Starring Rosi (named after the lead vocalist - Rosi Mueller) teleports my cosmic consciousness to a place crowded with stoned German youth of the '70s. 'Where do they give free acid?' I ask and hear no reply, just this atmospheric fog of sounds. It Must suffice for now.



Once upon a time in Germany there was a student movement which influence changed the views on experimental progressive rock all over the world. A radical political art commune from Munich calling themselves Amon Düül after the Egyptian God of Sun - Amon Ra and the Turkish mythical figure - Düül (meaning 'moon') opened up a magical passage of undiscovered musical genre that we now call krautrock. Their musical improvisations sound far beyond the understanding of an average John Smith. Hence, it shouldn't be astonishing that these pioneers of kraut rightfully attained a cult status in the late 60's. A certain factor that occured in 1969 caused a schism within the collective. The flexibility of the membership was giving an opportunity to every enthusiastic person to attend and freely express himself during the happenings and demonstrations. The reason of the inevitable split into two components was marked by a fraction of several more ambitious and less politically inclined members of the group who in 1969 detached and formed Amon Düül II - the greatest krautrock band this silly world has ever had a pleasure to host. My trip with the less talented part of the collective started with Disaster from 1969, rhythmically moving ahead to Psychedelic Underground (1969) with an interesting Bitterlings Verwandlung and Im Garten Sandosa, then travelled onward to Collapsing/Singvögel Rückwärts & Co. (1970) with Natur (Auf dem Lande) that served as a nice background to 17 minutes long Love is Peace, the opening track on Para Dieswarts Duul from 1970.



Now it's time for a little twist, a bit of slagging, and a short story that may explain one's slight confusion when tuning to the record from 1989 - Die Losung. Why confusing? Well, if anyone listened to any of their material from 60's and 70's, he may ask himself 'What the fuck is wrong with their records from late 80's and 90's?'. The answer is simple - Die Losung hasn't got much in common with the original collective - Amon Duul. Now, that's confusing... I'd really like to be double checked on this one, but from what I've read, there was a time when Amon Duul II decided to split up. However, Two members of Amon Duul II (persistent people they were) didn't give up their career and with a help of few English folks (like the drummer from Van der Graaf Generator and a vocalist Robert Calvert) formed...

Funfairs! Drums! Suspension! ...
Amon Düül <--- (no shit!)

So fucking original... The guys released Die Losung - plainly dreadful record with monotoneous to the core guitar riffs, infantile drums, and frog prince vocals. On Drawn to The Flame (part 1) I get an impression that Calvert is about to be sick, especially during his: 'retreating, retreating, retreating, and back again!'... No, please not again. Their other CD from 1990 called Fool Moon sounds like a decent, progressive rock-oriented record, with interesting blues riffs on Tik Tok, and nice Indian psychedelic atmosphere on Hymn for The Hardcore.

05.05.2008



Amon Duul II - "a commune including eleven adults and two children who did everything together, including among other things, music" - may be perceived as having two distinct eras in their glorious career - the improvisational and the compositional period. "The improvisational period consisted of albums such as Phallus Dei (1969), Yeti (1970), and, to a lesser extent, Tanz Der Lemminge (1971). These albums all feature long, improvisational tracks. Their compositional period starts with Carnival In Babylon (1972) and is highlighted by Wolf City (1972). In this period, the band moved to more structured composed pieces". My 2006 edition of Phallus Dei apart from treasuring fantastic Kanaan ( VIDEO ) also contains two bonus tracks - TouchMaPhal and I Want The Sun To Shine. The controversy behind their first album born out of sheer improvisation may have actually helped the band to break through. The Catholic Church together with the Christian Bavarian government wanted to ban the album because of its blasphemous title. Nevertheless, the true genius of this unconventional collective lays in their second album - Yeti that I'm drooling to now. Absolutely every track on this record is Superb. Full Stop. End of the story. Additionally - the CD cover just rules, for a lack of a better word. From Soap Shop Rock to the improvised Sandoz In The Rain, Renate Knaup, Chris Karrer, and the extremely skilled rest, prove that music is able to replace every lack in my life... and I lack a fucking lot. The opening four-part suite Soap Shop Rock has the same disorienting effect as riding a quickly-spinning amusement park ride for a couple of hours, while the vocals of Eye-Shaking King erupt with an electric, demonic hiss. There is a moody acoustic number named Cerberus and the commanding, doom-laden vocals of Renate Knaup on Archangels Thunderbird, one of the album's finest tracks. It's the only krautrock album I have heard with such a dense virtuosity, therefore Tanz der Lemminge from 1971 may sound rather disappointing. Improvisational phase ends smoothly while i consider going out and having a little break from krautrock.
One round of The Cure's Disintegration in my headphones, green grass, some sun, and I'm back to the compositional era of Amon Duul II that starts with Carnival in Babylon from 1972. One track there wins my attention - a 10 minute long Hawknose Harlequin, after which I turn Wolf City on, a very good, though more conventional recording from the same year, with shorter tracks and more straightforward song structures. This change may be explained by the increasing popularity of the band, both in Germany and UK, however on tracks like: Jail-House Frog, and powerful Deutsch Nepal the group's love for experimentation continues to shine. Another record I play is the BBC in Concert Plus - a decent live performance with songs from both periods, although not a single tune from Yeti. Later on, I play 1973 record Utopia with a sweet love song - Alice, The Wolfman Jack Show on which I hear some proper use of sax, and jazzy Jazz Kiste song. Vive La Trance from the same year sounds even more commercial than the rest. Most of the tracks are 3 minute short easy-to-listen tunes from which i pick Manana and Trap (both can also be found on BBC live album). Hijack from 1974 doesn't really differ from the other records from the second period and offers no surprises apart from melodic Da Guadeloop with nice oriental strings in the background. The last breath of Amon is exhaled thanks to one strange and quite unnecessary record from 1975 called Made in Germany that starts like an attempt to mutate prog into a symphony on Overture, then turns into a weird parade on Wir Wollen, where few old people are trying to attest forgotten skills but nobody's listening, and finally offers no one else but ... yup - ADOLF HITLER pun, (very bad one) on a track named 5.5.55 (a little Ha Ha because today is the 5th of May). The last CD from 1999 - The UA Years 1969-1974 is a pleasant collection of Duul's material that finishes with great Pale Gallery from Yeti album.

06.05.2008



I have to gather a lot of Sad/Negative fluids in order to listen to one Australian group from Melbourne that contains way more happiness than I can handle right now. Therefore, before I proceed to the first album by Architecture in Helsinki, I tune in to Morrissey's Viva Hate and Bona Drag, slowly getting out of bed around 11AM (this is all their fault, tweee kids force me to stay with Steven a little longer... but I can't - the schedule, the fucking schedule) sooooo... I play Disco Volante haha. Mike protects me from these evil Woodland Christmas Critters for another hour, that is slowly expiring even though I put few astonishingly fucked up tracks on repeat. It's time Euch, face it, damnt. So it starts, Fingers Crossed from 2003 throw One Heavy February at me - a happy beat accompanied by the sea of little clapping hands. I wait for an additional 'Yeah!' to nail it, but it never occurs; it changes into candy 'La La La' instead. Ok, Euch, don't get nervous... The Hello Kitty girl starts singing Souvenirs followed by aenemic bubble-boy expressing his happy-sad innocent love on Imaginary Ordinary. 3 next songs steal my time replacing the loss of sanity with an ocean of chocolate poured right into my Reptilian , so, thinking about Lust , Severed limbs , and Sexploitation increases as a self-defence mechanism. I feel like restrained Charles Manson who got jailed in Michael Jackson's Neverland, forced to wear Peter Pan Costume and play with Bobbles. Track number 7 - The Owls Go is their little success on this CD, thanks to the music rather than the singing. I'd be a cock if I sent them a letter asking for instrumental music from this time forward, which is worth trying. The first CD ends and I put Nirvana's Negative creep to regain the balance. I play it several times and still fail to find enough courage to put In Case We Die from 2005 on. Four tracks of Rudimentary Peni should do the trick and wash away the sin. In Case We Die is certainly more complex in form, more sophisticated record than their debut album. It starts with a gloomy (imagine a laughing child trying to appear gloomy... (on the second thought, it's even more creepy than an obvious display of horror performed by Freddie )) Nevereverdid and proves that these kids make really refined music. Their musical arsenal on this record is enormous; I hear analog synth, tuba, clarinet, and few other weird instruments I can't name, along with more conventional guital, bass, and drums. Unfortunately - they are still singing. My personal pick goes to Do the Whirlwind with a fucking cool video (the rest of their videos like It's 5! is rather repulsive) that reminds me of coin operated Arcade Games... a little taste of my childhood. Lastly, I wish i never listened to Places Like This from 2007. I really wish I didn't. And I'm not even going to explain why, implication should suffice.

07.05.2008

For the past two days I experience a difficulty in getting out of bed. It's almost eleven, I've been up since 7am and I still feel like a lousy retard. Seems life is getting out of me and every day is one step closer to... ehh nevermind. The folder is waiting while I tune to William Basinski's Disintegration Loop 1.1, hoping it will chill me out and make this day easier to cope with.



Therefore, sir Angelo Badalamenti gets a ticket to my head before sunset. And with a bit of luck I'll push one more A band through my system today. This contemporary composer from New York that turns 70 this year is widely known for his apparitional, twisted, atmospheric work with David Lynch. "Badalamenti remained largely unknown before hooking up with Lynch on the soundtrack of the director’s 1986 masterpiece Blue Velvet; they subsequently worked together on the features: Wild at Heart (1990), Lost Highway (1997), The Straight Story (1999), and Mulholland Drive (2001). Perhaps the most famous fruit of their collaboration was the cult hit television series Twin Peaks (1990), for which Badalamenti created one of the most distinctive and evocative theme songs in TV history. The duo also wrote and produced a pair of LPs for Julee Cruise, 1989’s Floating Into the Night and 1993’s The Voice of Love, and staged an avant-garde musical theater piece titled Industrial Symphony No.1". It's not very eloquent to quote other people instead of writing my own review, especially when it comes to artists like Badalamenti that I've been listening to since I was a little brat, but today sucks and so do I. I'll try to make few digressions though; 'Nicolas Cage should never sing' is one of them (I'm not a big fan of his acting either, especially in the recent creations of Ghost Rider or the 2006 role of Edward Malus (shouldn't it be sergeant Howie ?!) in The Wicker Man remake). It is also disappointing that the band Thought Gang disappears together with Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me soundtrack from 1992 - their Real Indication and The Black Dog Runs at Night are the only tunes available, which is a shame. My top two numbers of both Twin Peaks soundtracks remain: Laura Palmer's Theme and Montage from Twin Peaks: Girl Talk -- Birds in Hell -- Laura Palmer's Theme -- Falling (talking only about Badalamenti, because I'd be an idiot if I didn't mention The Nightingale, being probably one of the dearest songs to me, overall). Right after Fire Walk With Me I put an incredibly bizarre and sorrowful The City of Lost Children album composed by Angelo Badalamenti and The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, with an opening tune - Generique - sang by Marianne Faithful. The soundtrack I got into recently is The Straight Story - 13 tracks of gentle, nostalgic melodies featured in the 1999 film about a man on a long way to find his brother and repair their relationship. On Farmland Tour and the beginning and ending of Montage I hear the spirit of Twin Peaks - long, etheral sounds and a gentle piano. Even though the film doesn't really match Lynch's style, the music certainly does. The last record i'm on is the 2001 Mulholland Drive soundtrack. Confession: I got bored with the film and haven't finished watching it. Mullholland Drive put me off Lynch to that extent that I haven't watched Inland Empire yet. Enough confessions.

08.05.2008



I don't understand people who say they don't have anything to listen to... Christ. Only yesterday while browsing the Nekromantik group in search of some more Hermann Kopp (that apart from one weird tune called Mondo Zombie I fail to find) I came across a new band, starting with A. Autopsia is a very decent project fitting into Dark Ambient category. So far I don't know much about this band (I only listened to what I gathered once), therefore, I'm going to be a poof and paste the info from their profile: "Autopsia is an experimental, electronic, ambient, industrial band. Autopsia’s art practice began in London in late 1970s, continued during 80s in art centers of former Yugoslavia and since 1990, Autopsia acts from Prague, Czech Rep. At the beginning of its activity Autopsia issued a dozen of MCs, in the period after 1989, twenty CDs were issued, at first for Staalplaat from Amsterdam, then for German label Hypnobeat, London’s Gymnastic Records and Illuminating Technologies. One of its compositions is a part of the soundtrack for Peter Greenaway The Pillow Book (film). Music production of Autopsia is associated with a large graphic production which consists of original graphic objects, design of flyers, posters, booklets, CDs, CD ROMs, experimental films and audio instalations." That is the whole info I am aware of so far. My own feelings are very positive, the 6 tracks album from 1989 - Death Is The Mother Of Beauty sounds as if lost souls of soldiers trapped in cosmic limbo were trying to manifest their miserable existence through echo and fog. The music is very spatial, choral, atmospheric, solemn, and serious. I see darkness, I'm covered with gloom, and I enjoy it. Now a nice surprise - 7 tracks (from 3 different albums: Mystery Science, The Knife, and Radical Machine Box Edition) are free to download on Autopsia profile, one of them being a transmutation of Erik Satie's Gymnopedie no.1. It's a shame I experience problems to find the rest of their tracks. I hate incomplete albums more than i hate Madonna.



Almost 2pm and dark ambient gives up it's place to another electronic band, Air. This French duo was formed in 1995 influenced by many artists from various music genres: kraut (Tangerine Dream) and psychedelic rock (Pink Floyd), through trip-hop and house, to synthesized sounds similar to Jean Michel Jare and Vangelis. The incredibly successful record Moon Safari from 1998 contains hits like psychedelic Sexy Boy, cosmic Kelly Watch the Stars and my favourite, gentle and slow All I Need with a plain, warm video about a fragment of life of two people who simply love each other. I get The Straight Story feeling while listening to this song that satisfies my ear and proves that simple often means valuable. Moon Safari is the only Air album I have, although I'm familiar with their The Virgin Suicides soundtrack and the big hit - Playground Love, that probably helped the film (about ...mundane existence of few babes that decide to end their boring lifes and save the hymens from the evil world of cocks) in gaining popularity.




Before I start writing about the post-punk band Ausgang (probably one of my best discoveries this year, alongside with Bone Orchard and 1919) I feel obliged to paste some info about one relevant club. The Batcave was a nightclub in London, England at Meard Street Soho. It is considered as the birthplace of the English goth subculture. As one of the most famous meeting points for early goths, it lent its name to the term 'Batcaver', used to describe fans of the original gothic rock music. The club opened in July 1982. Originally specialising in New Wave and Glam rock, it later focused on Gothic Rock. Ollie Wisdom, the lead singer in the band Specimen, ran the club with the assistance of production manager Hugh Jones. Famous regulars at the Batcave included legends such as Robert Smith, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin, Foetus, Marc Almond, Nick Cave, and Danielle Dax. A diverse array of bands would play at the club, backed up by their resident DJs Hamish McDonald and Annie Hogan (Marc Almond band member, who also collaborated with Nick Cave and Clint Ruin on Annie Hogan Plays "Kickabye" from 1985, that I'd kill to get). The bands involved electronic leading act Alien Sex Fiend led by Alice Cooper influenced vocalist Nik Fiend, the host's band Specimen who took ample influence from 1970s glam rock, and Sex Gang Children a group who would go on to prove influential in gothic rock, dark cabaret and deathrock movements. The club also showed black and white movies in the old theatre and occasionally featured unusual cabaret. Much of the image and fashion used by the subculture can be traced back to the bands who played at the Batcave. One of the lesser-known British goth/post-punk bands of the early to mid-'80s is The Birthday Party and Bauhaus influenced Ausgang, which put out one album, one mini-album, and a handful of 7" and 12" singles between 1982 and 1987. All the albums are available to buy via Ausgang website . This Batcave band uses spiky guitars, stiff punk-funky drumming, clipped yelping vocals, dark, alienated ranting songwriting, and little melody to make Euchy very happy. Ausgang made little impact in the United States, where very few are aware of them. Manipulate is the only record in my collection, which makes me increasingly frustrated. Being the most obsessed The Birthday Party (and Bauhaus to a lesser extent) fan who'd do a LOT to have 15 minutes with Nick one to one, I crave more... I want it all. All numbers on this record sound the way I want the music to be: born out of the filth in the gutter, smothered by cold rain, and raped in the dark alley. If I have to pick a tune... Girl Gristle and Pumping Heart are just awesome. The hunger remains unsatisfied though.

09.05.2008



I decided to devote the morning to satan. While preparing to his unholy arrival I listen to the filthiest slut of the music world and her 13.13. record that slowly becomes my favourite Lydia Lunch album as it tries to win my heart over the Honeymoon in Red. There's very little information about the Italian goth-prog band Jacula formed by probably the most charismatic figure of all the italian prog scene, Antonio Bartoccetti in the late 60's (hmm yes, i see it starts with 'J'). Jacula was a 'youth mistake', as put by the founder himself. Their first album, in 1969, was recorded in London and only released in a strictly limited number of copies (300 + 10 promos) that were only partly distributed by the producer and label owner to sects. An album full of dark atmospheres, mainly based on guitar and church organ and with no drums has recently been reissued by Black Widow. Second album, and usually considered their first proper release, was Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus, also released in limited number of copies for an unknown label (this seems to be a constant in all the Bartoccetti production) and housed in a cover sporting the same design as the previous one, but coloured instead of the original black and white. In 1974 a new name change to Antonius Rex and an album called Neques Semper Arcum...Tendit Rex (full name). Despite a contact to release it on Vertigo, the label considered it to be too outrageous, with the black and white cover reproducing a 17th century "diabolic" letter and strong lyrics, especially in the Devil Letter track. I found Antonius Rex and Jacula while looking for a band similar to Devil Doll (note: this band is NOT similar to Devil Doll). My personal opinion is that Mr.Doctor surely got influenced by Bartoccetti's obscure progressive rock of the 70's with its occult verses (in Latin and French), superposition of organ, piano, and other dark sound effects, BUT (thank god for that) decided to produce FINE music as opposed to this bullcrap. Hovever, I understand that comparing these two proves that both - Jacula in the 70's and Devil Doll in the 90's - were very rare and underrated back in their days. I still fail to find anything similar to Devil Doll (I've been looking almost 10 years already) and salivate to Dies Irae that is being sold at ridiculous prices on e-bay (30 pounds approx). I'll come back to Jacula and the letter J in few months, I'm quite sure i have both big mistakes of Bartoccetti somewhere.



Agitation Free was a German krautrock band formed in 1967. It is said that the members chose its name randomly from a dictionary. The band was initially called Agitation, later adding the word 'Free' to (as suggested) express the style of their live performances. Before releasing Malesch the band lost two of the original members, the guitarist left to Guru Guru and the drummer to Tangerine Dream in 1971. Here's a very good review of Malesch I found on few websites and blogs: 'Agitation Free's debut album is one of the absolute classic albums to come out of Germany in the 1970s. Agitation Free approached the groundbreaking experimental tendencies of the German scene from a different persepective than most of the other groups. Firstly, the delicate touch of melody was certainly not lost on the band, and they often bypass the strictly standoff-ish approach of many of the other German bands, infusing their albums with a gorgeous melodic drive. The album extensively incorporates ethnic and world music influences, due to the fact that much of the album was apparently composed on a trip to Egypt around the same time. Much of the album features sound samples and recordings from the trip, which are used to divide the tracks. Most of the Arabic and ethnic influence is percussive, as exotic rhythms underpin Agitation Free's melodic and powerful guitar interplay. You Play for Us Today and Sahara City both build into exciting, driving guitar led crescendos (available to download here ). Ala Tul features an extraordinary Michael Hoening keyboard motif that glides over the intense and magical percussive backdrop. Pulse tends to get bogged down a little in avant soundscapes, but does provide some breathing room and eventually morphs into a heavily hypnotic piece. Khan E Khalili and Malesch both build on the already established style of the album, and are full of powerful guitar interplay and a completely magical atmosphere. The soaring closer Ruckstruz is totally majestic, a powerful melody that closes out this classic album in fitting form. Agitation Free manages to be extremely melodic, yet retains that experimental focus and pushes their music waaaaaaayy out there. The incorporation of Arabic influences beneath the incredible guitar dueling makes this a unique entry in the Krautrock scene. I doubt that those already not predisposed towards the Krautrock/space-rock movement will find themselves converted by this album, but newbies would do well to start here."



Letter A nearly done while I tune to Austin Cobra Players song I found today while looking for GreensKeepers' song about a girl trapped in a well, a bucket, and a little dog. Their It Puts The Lotion On The Skin is an experimental dark ambient tune with a hint of noise somehow similar to some of the Nurse with Wound material. After the short date with Mr.Bill I play Alien Sex Fiend - a british deathrock band formed in the early 80's that emerged in the gothic scene thanks to their dark electronic, industrial sounds mixed with manic vocals, interesting lyrics, and heavy samples. Acid bath from 1984 contains tracks that range from heavy industrial to experimental ambient. In God We Trust slogan should tempt every ASF fan to write 'In Cars We Rust' underneath. Songs that start with lines like: 'I'm on the cross looking down', or finish with: 'Boo Hoo, nothing you can do' always put me in a good mood. Liquid Head in Tokyo is a live CD released a year after Acid Bath and contains most of the hits from the band's second album. I've never been into Alien Sex Fiend much as I don't like when industrial and deathrock appear mutually, these two genres appeal more to me when separate, however, I like thier fucked up lyrics. Acid Bath album cover has been made famous due to a character in Tim Burton's film, Mars Attacks wearing a T-shirt based on the cover throughout the film. While on Here Cum Germs from 1987, I read some lyrics (being a fucking Pole limits my listening comprehension a lot, so I need to read what I'm listening to, otherwise I won't understand the message). I pick some of the lines like:

Tonight, Tonight
Bury the sh*t, Bury the sh*t, Bury the sh*t
With YOU!
Tonight tonight tonight!!!

(that's a good start)

He came from Venus
His eyes were red and so was his penis.

(gets better, although Genesis P-Orridge's lyrics are way more fucked up)

Up on the cross, looking down
My arsehole is the sea and in it you'll drown

PArrOt PERCH...parrot perched on my shoulder. YOU KNOW YOU shouldn't TALK IT Makes YOU look SO MUCH older!!

et cetera, et cetera...

15.05.2008

Jeeez, I had a break from the project. Needless to say the chemicals in my system run wild non stop for the past 5-6 days... I lost the count. Will try to gather all the energy I have, stop the shaking of hands, think straight, and finish this fucking first letter of the alphabet before I get wasted again, certainly before the end of this week.

Just listening to the last few tracks from Here Cum Germs and queue the last ASF album I've got - Another Planet (1988). Unfortunately there are no lyrics for most of the tunes on the Internet, which gives me a hard time focusing, picking up the words and phrases out of this screaming jibberish. It reminds me of a time I was trying to comprehend what the heck is being sang on Loveless by My Bloody Valentine (to a much more annoyed extent). While on I Walk The Line I notice I do understand what the critter is trying to say... woo hoo - "I drink so much I don't walk, I merely stagger" is a line I can apply to my past few ventures. Right, Another Planet starts with electronic, quite monotoneous Alien on which a multitude of unnatural samples was dropped without any elegance... I wait for the vocals, and they never happen. Another Planet, though still monotoneous, contains lyrics.

"I know you enjoy kicking sand in my face.
So I've lost faith with the human race."

Unfortunately the music sounds increasingly annoying and slightly dreadful, the samples and the musical composition hurts my ear, especially the damn keyboard... ohh shut up shut up. Hahaha, another starts with a sample 'Bun Bun Bun Bun' which gets entangled with a screaming sample 'time time time', embedded in background's 'Ho Ho Ho', plus few hideous samples from an old transistor, all mixed together... Can I hear birds singing or it is my defense mechanism?! Fuck, this track is merely atrocious. This is something the members of Skinny Puppy could do as 7 year olds playing with synthesizers and dead bodies in the basement before school. I check what's its name... haha - you'd never fucking guess, it's Bun-Ho! I have enough of ASF for today. As a matter of fact, I have enough of them for a very long time. I still like In God we Trust and the atmosphere on Acid Bath though.



It's really early in the morning, sexually deviated group of Aliens gave me a slight headache, therefore, I tune to more classical music of Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, this time performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter, Herbert von Karajan; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Mmmmm. With various versions of Four Seasons I always try to find these little differences in sound, tempo, and volume; all in all they still play the same composition, but only fool could think they all sound the same. If only I could hear the original 18th century performance witnessed by its composer, that would really make my day.



To all the fans of Suicide - hope you do have some Alan Vega solo. Influenced by Elvis and rockabilly vocals of a man who in 1985 said: "Suicide was always about life. But we couldn' t call it Life. So we called it Suicide because we wanted to recognize life." combined with a high standard experimental, electronic new-wave sounds, would satisfy every Suicide fan. While tuning to Deuce Avenue from 1990 (late record which contains way less rockabilly than Alan's previous material) I read that Alan "began his career as a visual artist, gaining notoriety for his “light sculptures”; eventually he opened his own lower Manhattan gallery space, called the Project of Living Artists. The Project served as a stomping grounds for the likes of the New York Dolls, Television and Blondie, as well as the 15-piece jazz group Reverend B., which featured a musician named Martin Rev on electric piano. Soon, Vega and Rev formed Suicide, whose minimalist, aggressive music — a fusion of Rev’s ominous, repetitive keyboards and Vega’s rockabilly snarl — helped pave the way for the electronic artists of the future. Suicide disbanded in 1980, and both Vega and Rev undertook solo careers". Vega’s self-titled 1980 debut (containing Jukebox Babe, one of his best known songs)and his 1981 album, Collision Drive, continued to explore the fractured rockabilly, identity he had established in his earlier work. There's a song on Collision Drive called Ghost Rider, that doesn't have any musical connection with Suicide's Ghost Rider from Suicide (1977) - in my humble opinion the greatest Suicide record that I'm going to unwrap and discuss when I'm 60 like Vega and finally start letter 'S'... fuck damnt. 1983’s Saturn Strip, produced by longtime fan Ric Ocasek, marked Vega’s debut for Elektra Records. The record, unlike the first two albums, adopts electronic fast beat and synthesized samples, occasionally turning away from the rockabilly style of Vega's early music. Alan's relationship with Elektra Records soured during production for 1985’s Just a Million Dreams, and at one point the label even attempted to remove the singer from his own studio. The 1996 collaboration Cubist Blues with Alex Chilton and Ben Vaughn is an interesting record combining Vega's Elvis-like vocals with psychedelic surf rock and a hint of electro punk. I'm pretty amazed listening to Alan's 2007 release named Station. To be honest I expected some electronic beats introduced into plain rock/blues rhythms similar to Alan's material from the 90's. What I actually get is an experimental, avant-garde record with a massive amount of vigour, agressive samples, manic atmosphere and running wild beats. The tune Psychopatha is just wicked. I'd never think that this 60 year old musician will come up with such a twisted, great idea. It's good to be wrong sometimes.

16.05.2008



It is raining today, and I think it is going to be this way for the whole weekend which will probably contribute to finalizing the second part of this post. Hurrah. As far as I can see there are 6 more bands left: one psychedelic, one punk, two soundtrack composers, one post-punk, and one fuck knows what because I neither remember getting hold of it, nor listening to it. I'll start from the psychedelic band from the 60's - The Asylum Choir and the CD Look Inside The Asylum Choir right after I finish my morning coffee to no-wave brlliant band ESG. Seems like the 60's duo wasn't really popular or creative (only 2cds), because the given info is quite pathetic. I'll do a little favour to the music world and try to gather some more data about mr.Leon and mr.Mark from other websites. "First known mostly as a session musician, Leon Russell has played with artists as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis, Phil Spector, Joe Cocker, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, BB King, Freddie King, Eric Clapton, and The Rolling Stones. With a solo career spanning the genres of rock, blues, and gospel, Russell began his musical career at 14 in Tulsa nightclubs. Russell built his own recording studio in 1967, and recorded his first LP, Look Inside the Asylum Choir, in a collaboration with Marc Benno.(...)Also in 1971 Russell played on recording sessions with B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan. He also released two studio albums under his own name that year, Leon Russell And The Shelter People and Asylum Choir II." There, seems the guy is pretty busy afterall.(more info in wikipedia)



I missed Anti-Flag gig last month, which may suggest that it's not one of my favourite punk rock bands. Never the less I have their debut album released 8 years after the band was formed and two later records. Anti-Flag is a punk rock band from Pennsylvania, formed in 1988. Despite relatively modest beginnings and a back catalog of independent labels, the band has risen to steady popularity, having performed tours on four continents and signed to a major label. New Red Archives released their first album, Die for the Government, in 1996. The AF lyrics are usually politically inclined describing:

A) rather negative attitude towards the government:

"But don't believe what they say, because your government is lying
They've done it banging on myself because i just don't care.
there's nothing left for me back there before and don't you know they'll do it again"

B) their social life:

"gulp, gulp, gulp i want to drink more beer until i puke drink drank punk i'm so cool i can drink so much i can drink more than you drink..."

C) few ideas of what should be done without any particular goal:

"of course you'll bring no change when you sit home on your couch
we need to stand up and fight bring our future to a start"

And then years later they get a handshake from government members for encouraging people to vote...

D) individual indifference towards the society:

"banging on myself because i just don't care.
there's nothing left for me back there"

E) as well as the concern about the youth:

"i'm saying poser go home
poser squatter go home
go home, take a bath, take a shower, wash your clothes"

F) a slight disapproval towards the police force:

"police state in the usa it's fascism with a friendly face police state in the usa the government controls everything you do with the police and the feds watching over you you try to stand against them and you'll end up dead as your front door is smashed in..."

G) and hatred towards somebody's father:

"yeah more like your dad was just a mother fucking scum bag who had to stick a needle into his dick to get high (...) your daddy was a scumbag, mother fucker, fuckhead, asshole, piece of shit he was a whore, a fuckin' rich piece of whore" (hehe, I even like this one)

I am sure that Anti-Flag won't get higher in my charts, mainly because of this by-the-book attitude, much more suitable for the angry youth rather than this tired, sickened, anarchist (with a slight hippie attitude) that I am. The 1999 record New Kind Of Army as well as the 2002 release Mobilize don't differ much from their debut album both, in music or lyrics. I personally like the semi-educational song on Mobilize called Anatomy of Your Enemy.



It's time for the band that constitutes one of the riddles in my collection, giving me a headache trying to remember from who, when, how, and finally WHY I decided to get it - Absolute Body Control. So I press play and at the same time get acknowledged what the heck is coming into my head right now. While on the single Is There An Exit (7") (1981) I can state for sure that this is an EBM band (what a discovery) which doesn't sound like something made recently. So I read that "Absolute Body Control is an electronic music project from Belgium. It is notable as the first significant project of musician Dirk Ivens". Moving for a second from wikipedia to last.fm I get acknowledged that "in 1978, Dirk started as singer and guitar player in the punk band Slaughterhouse, but broke up the group one year later to form the more new wave minded project The Few." It occurs to me that mr.Dirk is probably a very well known and respected figure in the musical world of Belgium (I suck at Belgian music scene... ehhhh was Front 242 from Belgium? heh). I continue gathering some more information that says Dirk formed Absolute Body Control in 1980 as a project more influenced by the prototype synthpop sound, bands like Suicide (fuck me, there's absolutely no suicide influence here to me) and UK electronic scene (that's a really wide term, isn't it?). "The first single Is There An Exit ? became a local underground hit." I put Figures from 1983 on and read that Mr.Dirk participated in a multitude of projects I have no idea about (shame?), like The Klinik and Sonar. "Dirk was a member of The Klinik until 1991. When they decided to split up, they already built themselves a very good live reputation with their unique sound and visual gigs and became, besides Front 242 (<-- my memory isn't that horrid it seems) and The Neon Judgement, one of the biggest names in the Belgian electonic/industrial scene. Even today they are still an influence for many young bands." The Last.fm wisdom doesn't say absolutely anything about Absolute Body Control's new material, so I turn back to Wiki to discover that Dirk took the project back on stage in 2006 and continue to tour with the project. In 2008, 22 years after splitting up, Absolute Body Control re-formed and released "Wind[Re]Wind" (2008) (I think somebody should add these new releases to their last.fm profile), which contains newly recorded versions of their best tracks so far next to the brand new EP Never Seen (2008). That explains my slight confusion: having two records from the early 80's and three records from 2008. The MYSTERY UNSOLVED. Listening to Figures I am not surprised it is listed as the top tune on last.fm; it's a portion of very decent, minimalistic, quite old-fashioned EBM. After two early records I play Live WGT 2007 (limited edition) from 2008 and two other new releases mentioned above. I still don't remember who recommended it to me, but whoever it was - cheers mate.

18.05.2008



I was supposed to go mushroom picking to the nearest forest this morning (no, not shrooms, it's not the season yet) but I decided to remain the grumpy old hag and stay at home finalizing the post. I started the day to Au Pairs - a feminist post-punk, English band, founded in 1979. From all the post-punk/new wave bands with female vocalists (like The Slits, The Raincoats, Essential Logic, Delta 5, and LiLiPUT