For the third month in a row, here are reviews of music that has entered my home through the front door and not through my modem. If any of this intrigues you, please support the bands by buying their music.
Natural Snow Buildings “Waves of the Random Sea” double LP (2011, Blackest Rainbow)
My introduction to the world of Natural Snow Buildings came late last year in the form of an article and band interview by Anthony D’amico on the Brainwashed site. It has been awhile since I read a piece of writing that inspired me seek out music, mostly because thanks to the internet, it’s usually easier to skip the words and jump straight to the music. Why read about a band when you can simply listen to them? Obviously, I believe that there is something to be gained from reading. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be viewing these words. I fondly remember the articles that introduced me to a wide range of bands, from Chas Balun’s evocative article on Goblin in his magazine Deep Red (shit – I just googled him and discovered that he died of cancer back in 2009) to a small Hit Parader piece that introduced me to Iron Maiden and Saxon way back in junior high. Like D’amico, I soon discovered that it was hard to track down Natural Snow Buildings releases, at least ones selling for what I consider to be a reasonable price. It seems that most of their releases are quite limited. I quickly tracked down a release by Twinsistermoon, a solo project by one half of the Natural Snow Buildings duo, Mehdi Ameziane. I still haven’t heard Isengrind, which is the name that the other half of the duo, Solange Gularte, uses for her solo releases. It wasn’t until early in March that the beautiful double vinyl of “Waves of the Random Sea” arrived at my doorstep. Solange Gularte’s lovely, somewhat mystifying artwork graces all four panels of the gatefold.
The glistening, coruscating drones exude the kind of otherworldly mysticism that the best Popol Vuh releases do (I’m talking about In den Garten Pharaos and Hosianna Mantra, in case you were wondering). Occasionally, fragile, androgynous vocals, courtesy of Mehdi Ameziane, bubble to the surface, as do field recordings of birds. The latter contributes a pastoral feel to the music which colors my interpretation of the music with earthy hues. The vinyl version contains an extra track called Split Realm, over 7 minutes of glistening drone beauty. All of the songs are beautiful, with my current favorite being the 20 plus minutes of Drift the Water Soul, which plays out like a spiritual journey into the fields beyond the fields we know. It’s a deep, meditative piece to accompany long bouts of inwardness, or perhaps the soundtrack to those little quiet moments, like watching dew evaporate from a spider web on a Spring morning or witnessing shadows shrink and change as the planet rotates. Because of its pervasive, hazy blissfulness, the whole record feels like one piece of music broken into discrete movements. Time passes slowly under its influence, inspiring me to bring the needle back to the beginning again and again.
Deep Machine “s/t” 12” (2011, High Roller)
Somewhere deep in the bowels of my storage space, there is a box containing some moldering TDK D-90 cassettes of Deep Machine demos, live shows, and possibly rehearsals. They’re most likely 2nd or 3rd generation recordings too. I might have recorded them from my departed friend Mike Sammon, or maybe I got them from Wayne or Umlaut. I can’t remember now. At one point in their career, Kevin Heybourne from Angel Witch played guitar with them. That excited us back then. Now, I can’t remember if any of the tapes in my possession feature Kevin Heybourne. I guess I’ll have to dig them out. The songs on this E.P. were recorded as a demo in January of 1981 by a band that ended up never having any vinyl releases – until now, almost exactly 30 years after these recordings were made. In fact, Deep Machine has reformed, so there may be new recordings surfacing sometime soon, although I notice that the new line-up has exactly nobody in common with the line-up who recorded the songs here. Until new songs surface, we have this 4 song 12” to listen to. It starts out with Demon Preacher, the song I remember best from those old cassettes, probably because it has the word “demon” in the title. Yes, that’s the kind of teenager I was. It has that galloping rhythm so favored by NWOBHM musicians, rough, clean vocals that approach the higher end of the spectrum without being grating, and a memorable chorus. Asylum is similar, with less of a galloping feel and a slow outro solo. On the flip side, Witchild rages along agreeably with a nice chorus. The song Deep Machine has a riff that reminds me of fellow NWOBHM band Jaguar and some good, pounding drumming. There is a fold-out insert with photos, lyrics, and band history. Lyrically, the band wrote about evil (Demon Preacher, Witchild, and Asylum), insanity (Asylum), and heavy metal (the self referential Deep Machine). Not too surprising, I guess, as few of the NWOBHM bands ever showed any lyrical brilliance (Jersey band Legend was an exception). This release will no doubt thrill people like me who were around during the NWOBHM boom and actually remember the band. It will also be of interest to anybody who likes the classic NWOBHM sound – galloping rhythms, rough vocals, punk (non)production values, DIY attitude, and general raucousness. People into more modern sounding metal might want to look elsewhere. As for me, I’m more than happy with this release, although it would have been nice if they’d included some bonus tracks from live shows or other demos. I understand why they didn’t though – in the liner notes it states that these are by far the best of the surviving recordings, sound quality-wise. They do sound quite good for a demo recorded back in 1981, although I really had to crank the volume knob on my stereo to get the volume up to the required level.
All four songs on this E.P. are up on their Myspace page, so clink the link above if you want to hear them.
Michael Gira “The Milk of M. Gira: Selected Solo Home Recordings 2001-2010” (2011, self released)
This hand-assembled, numbered and autographed disc was sold at the merch table on the recent Swans tour. The cover image of a deeply lined, intensely staring face was printed in black ink, using a carved wood block, and the number and signature were done in gold ink. A lyric sheet is included. At this point, I have to warn prospective buyers: the songs here have all been previously released. Waiting Beside Viragio, Surrogate, and What We Were are taken from “Solo Recordings at Home” (2001); Destroyer, Michael’s White Hands, Purple Creek, and Rose of Los Angeles initially saw the light of day on “I Am Singing to You From My Room” (2004), and Jim, Eden Prison, Promise of Water, Oxygen, Reeling the Liars In, and My Birth are all from last year’s “I Am Not Insane”. If you don’t have the original releases though, this disc comes highly recommended, especially when you factor in the nasty prices that the original releases command these days (a quick glance at Discogs.com reveals that none of them are being sold for under $100.00 at the moment). The recordings here are all just Gira, his distinctive baritone voice, and his acoustic guitar. There is an appealing starkness to these songs. Much of Gira’s work sounds like a poetic confessional, at turns gruesome and poignant. The songs from “I Am Not Insane” later appeared in more arranged versions on the recent Swans CD, “My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope to the Sky” On some days I like these versions better, and it’s striking to me how well Gira’s acoustic strumming manages to evoke the massive power of Swans. This is beautiful, damaged music.
Wooden Wand “Death Seat” (2011, Young God)
The music here could be described as folk, or even country folk. Some might even call it psych folk or one of those new genre names qualifying the word “folk”. My introduction to many of these songs was in a live setting, when Wooden Wand opened for Swans at the beginning of the month. I was pleasantly surprised then, mostly because I was expecting something quite different (based on the only other Wooden Wand I’d yet heard – the Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice 3” CD released as part of the Folklore of the Moon series on Hand/Eye). Instead of the noisy improvised sound of that disc, the songs at the gig (and on the CD) are well crafted pieces of music ranging from almost poppy, upbeat numbers to more melancholy songs. The melancholy ones are my favorites, of course. My initial favorites were The Mountain and Hotel Bar, and they’re now joined by Servant to the Blues and especially Ms Mowse which enters Leonard Cohen territory in its sublime melancholy. The songs are based on acoustic guitar, and embellished at various times by mandolin, electric guitar, pedal steel, organ, piano (electric and acoustic), dobro, electric bass, upright bass, cello, fiddle, drums, harmonica, backing vocals, and theremin. I think that guitarist/vocalist/bandleader James Jackson Toth and company have produced an album that will appeal to a wide range of people, which means that there are some who will hate it based solely on that fact. I don’t mean the “dumbed down for mass consumption” kind of appeal though. These are just good, timeless songs.
Carol Anne McGowan “Songs From the Cellar” reissue (2011, Apollolaan)
This is the second printing of McGowan’s 2010 release, now with a different cover – the original image of what appears to be a wood block print of a lighthouse has been replaced with a photo depicting a similar scene. The liner notes state that this was “Recorded in a 500 year old wine cellar in the small German town of Oestrich-Winkel, on the Rhine… during the months of May and October, 2010”. Knowledge of the recording conditions inform the music, giving it just a touch more resonance than that which is already intrinsic to the songs. The music is timeless, sounding very much like it could just as well have been played back when the wine cellar was young. McGowan reminds me a lot of Marissa Nadler, although she sings with a more earthy voice which occasionally brings to mind a young June Tabor, especially on the album highlight Carrigeen. The acoustic guitar work is simple and contemplative, providing a warm bed for the melancholy vocals, tucking them in and telling them not to worry so much. Seven songs float by in a brief 29 minutes. No rough edges here – just simple, haunting serenity.
Ernst Reijseger “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done” OST CD (2010, Winter and Winter)
Werner Herzog has finally found a soundtrack composer worthy of stepping into the void created by the premature departure of Popul Vuh’s Florian Fricke. I still prefer Popol Vuh, whose music wafts from my speakers more often than most, but Reijseger definitely has moments that touch the sublime. Here, in addition to Reijseger’s score, we’re treated to a couple of songs performed by the great Mexican singer, Chavela Vargas, whose weathered voice alternately charms and haunts. Also included is a bit of diegetic music from Reverend George Washington Philipps, the charmingly naïve and eminently hummable I Am Born to Preach the Gospel. As for the score itself, I find myself most drawn to the songs featuring the haunting, earthy vocals of Senegalese musician Mola Sylla. He seems to contain the weariness of the eternal in his voice. This is especially effective when it is paired with Reijseger’s violoncello on Still Life/Leaving Your Earthly Possessions. I recommend seeing the film too, of course. In fact, I recommend seeing all of Werner Herzog’s films. He’s a very interesting guy and this is more often than not reflected in his films.
Paintbox “Earth Ball Sports Tournament” LP (2008, Prank – originally released on CD by HG Fact in 2000)
It’s a bit of a coincidence that this record by Japanese hardcore band Paintbox showed up in the mail on the same day that the tidal surge from the devastating Japanese tsunami showed up on the California coastline 30 miles away, sinking boats moored in Santa Cruz harbor. Coincidence aside, this is one powerful record. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a vocalist keep up with the lightning fast pace of this kind of hardcore musical assault like Paintbox singer Mune does here. He spits out consonants so quickly that I’m sure some of the words are turned inside out by the G-force of their rapid exit. Mune and the rest of the band (Suguru on drums, Nakasu on bass, and Chelsea (R.I.P.) on guitar) keep up a frenetic, tuneful pace for nearly the entire running length of the record, only occasionally slowing down for some mid-paced moments, like on the anthemic Music, Color & Dream. At times, this reminds me of trallpunk (a subgenre of Swedish punk, known for its gruffly melodic, sing-along qualities). It’s not a flat out imitation of the style though, like the music of fellow Japanese hardcore band Takahashi Gumi is. Also on hand here is the occasional touch of recorder, acoustic guitar, harmonica, keyboard, violin, and trumpet, although not so you’d notice unless you’re paying close attention. The last song, Bassai, includes a nice acoustic guitar passage. They would continue to expand in that direction on their more recent (and last, I think, since I believe that they’ve broken up) record, “Trip, Trance, and Traveling”.
Silent Stream of Godless Elegy “Navaz” (2011, Season of Mist)
My first exposure to Silent Stream of Godless Elegy came when I got their 2000 release “Themes” based on a review I’d read. “Themes” is an eclectic mix of doom metal (think old Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride) and Moravian folk elements. It has the growly vocals that one has come to expect from the genre, and I feel that when that style is used too much, it serves to limit the music somewhat. It didn’t stop me from picking up their newest disc though, and I’m glad I did. When it first hit my CD player I thought I was listening to Hedningarna, or perhaps Garmarna. The folk elements have been massively expanded upon, and the male growls have now largely been replaced by female singing, courtesy of vocalist/lyricist Hana Hajdova. That said, there are still a few moments where the songs are embellished with aggressive male vocals, and since this style is an exception rather than a rule here, the effect is much more powerful. The line-up is almost completely different here, with only guitarist Radek Hajda and violoncello player Michal Sykora appearing on both releases. Of course, I’m missing interim release “Relic Dances”, so I’m seeing two separate stages in the band’s evolution without knowledge of the interim step. While “Themes” was interesting, I didn’t find myself going back to it often. I have a feeling it will be a different story with “Navaz”. The music here is much more mature, with heavy guitars grinding along underneath soaring violin and beautiful vocals. Despite the fact that the band label themselves “ethno folk doom metal”, this doesn’t sound like doom metal to me. The songs are mostly upbeat, with driving melodies, especially the almost jaunty sounding Slava. The weeping violin adds an element of sadness to the sound, as do occasional haunting passages featuring choirs and additional strings, but the emotional palate here is much broader than one would expect on a CD of “doom metal”. Heck, there is even a dulcimer thrown into the mix. Songs flow into each other while still retaining distinct qualities, some of which only reveal themselves after repeated listens. The lyrics are pagan-themed, with references to gods and the natural world. I wholeheartedly recommend this for anyone into bands like the aforementioned Hedningarna and Garmarna, and folk metal in general. This is driving, emotional stuff, and some of the best so-called folk metal I’ve heard in awhile.
Blood Warrior “s/t” (2009, Ernest Jenning Record Co.)
I bought this because Greg Jamie from O’death plays guitar and sings on it. He is joined here by Kristin Kellas-Jamie on vocals and percussion, and Joey Weiss on guitars, keys, and vocals. With a name like Blood Warrior, I expected the music to be more extreme than O’death. Let’s face it, “Blood Warrior” is a good name for a metal band. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the music here to be… gentle. This has a back porch indie folk feel to it. Jamie does the lead vocals, but the other two members sing along more often than not. It sounds particularly joyous when they all sing together. The thumping drums are sometimes joined by shakers and hand clapping. One of my favorite moments here is the gospel dirge of Heaven, with Jamie’s brittle voice snarling over a wheezing organ before the drums and wordless backing vocals kick in for the climax. The following track, Darling Eyes, has a similar feel, making these two songs my favorites, although the first track, Blood Letting, is also quite good, sounding a bit like something O’death would record.
O’death “Outside”
Imagine my happiness when O’death had this disc at their merch table when they came through the area. After all, its release date is actually sometime in April. I had already heard one track online, and it had more than whetted my appetite for the rest of the songs. There is a new polish to the proceedings on this release, with a revamped sense of haunting melody. The pacing sounds a little more deliberate too, and when combined with Bob Pycior’s weeping violin, the songs often sound downright elegiac, an impression that is enhanced by the cover art depicting a backlit horse moving through foggy darkness. It’s hard to pick a favorite song, especially after only a few listens, but right now I’m listening to Ourselves and thinking that it’s one of the better ones. There really isn’t a bad song on here though. Greg Jamie’s vocals don’t have the rawness they did on earlier releases, and the rest of the band sounds like they’ve reined things in a bit, although David Rogers-Berry’s pounding drums occasionally shove their way to the forefront. I love the hushed backing vocals too. For some bands a quieter approach might be a bad thing, but here it really works. Then again, I’m a sucker for melancholy music. Damn, now I’m listening to Look at the Sun, and it’s just as good as Ourselves. I give up trying to pick a favorite. This is a release that has to wash over you in its entirety. If you like adventurous music played on folk instruments – spidery banjo, deeply satisfying fiddling, acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, give this a listen. If you’re a fan of their more raucous side, go see them live. They’re raucous as heck.
O’death “Low Tide” (Ernest Jenning, 2007)
The title track is an earlier version of the song which would appear on the “Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin” release the following year. The pace is slightly slower here, and the vocals more raw. Either way, it’s a damn fine song, with its ukulele intro, pounding drums, and frantic fiddle work. The B-side, I Think I’m Fine is a mid-paced song with more raw vocals from Greg Jamie (in fact, about midway through I swear I can hear his vocal cords start to shred), backed up by raucous backing vocals from the rest of the band. The 7” comes with a free download code, and the download version contains an extra track, a solid cover version of The Pixies’ Nimrod’s Son.
O’death “Spider Home” (Gigantic Music, 2007)
Spider Home is an early version of the song Vacant Moan from Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin”. It’s just as fun and movement-inducing as Vacant Moan, with a catchy melody dragging the listener over a bed of pounding drums. The B-side, Silk Hole, is gently paced by O’death’s standards, although when the drums kick in, it’s like being stomped on by an angry giant. And then everybody just kind of goes crazy. Good stuff!
Blackbird Raum “Swidden” (self-released, 2008)
Imagine a bunch of pissed off early 2oth century hillbillies playing punk on acoustic instruments, and you’ll begin to get a mental picture of what Blackbird Raum sound like. This is the first CD I’ve heard by Blackbird Raum, and I’m loving it. Instruments include accordion, washtub bass, banjo, mandolin, washboard, saw, and piano, usually all played at breakneck speed. Everybody sings, I think, and there is a nice mixture of male and female vocals. Lyrically, they tackle social ills in way that shows a love of history, or perhaps just a frustration that societies keep spawning the same screwed up imbalances again and again. Due to the historical settings of some of the songs, I can’t help but think of British band Blyth Power, who have been turning out clever historical/political lyrics for years. Musically, they exude the same kind of energy that bands like Gogol Bordello and O’death do. Perhaps there’s a little bit of Rube Waddell in their sound as well. I haven’t yet given this enough listens to declare any favorite songs, and I have a feeling it’s going to be hard to pick. All of the songs are excellent, ranging from slow, waltz-like tunes such as Germinal, and the relatively gentle final song, Everyone Up to the Wall, to out and out scorchers like Valkyrie Horsewhip Reel and Greymare (I love the line, “civilization is a train speeding towards a tunnel painted on the side of a mountain”). The raw vocals, lyrics, and frenetic pacing give this a definite punk edge, while the instrumentation brings to mind something out of time. This could be punk of the past, or punk of the future. As the wheel turns, the familiar becomes clothed in new strangeness, and that’s exactly how it should be.
Current 93 “Honeysuckle Aeons” (Coptic Cat, 2011)
My CD shelves are overflowing with Current 93 discs, but lack of space has never prevented me from buying more. More than most musical projects, each new release from David Tibet/Current 93 has a distinctive sound, whether it be the quiet piano of “Soft Black Stars” or the pulsing harmonium of “Sleep Has Its House” (to give just two examples from what is becoming a massive discography), there is always some new combination of instruments backing David Tibet’s spoken/sung poetry. Last year’s “Baalstorm, Sing Omega” introduced Elliot Bates’ oud playing to the Current 93 audience. On the album, Bates also played the erbane (Kurdish tambourine) and daf (Iranian frame drum). He was joined by James Blackshaw on guitar, glockenspiel and voice, John Contreras on cello, Baby Dee on piano and Hammond organ, Andrew Liles on guitar, bass and electronics, Melon Liles on vocals, Alex Neilson on drums and percussion, Bea and Isabel Taylor on Voice, and of course David Tibet.
“Honeysuckle Aeons” by comparison, is a much more intimate affair. Tibet is joined once again by Bates (oud, bendir, and erbane), Dee (piano, church organ, voice), and Andrew Liles (electronics). Lisa Pizzighella briefly plays the kalimba (African thumb piano) and Armen Ra provides the most noticeable new addition to the Current 93 sonic palette with his divine theremin playing.
After the brief introduction of Kingdom, the first full length track, Moon, starts with slow, deliberate piano, haunting theremin, and Tibet’s measured voice. The music hits me immediately with a more melancholy sound than “Baalstorm, Sing Omega”, and as usual the lyrics are much less penetrable. I’ve always been drawn to words that hover on the edge of my understanding, offering tantalizing glimpses of meaning before sinking once again into poetic obscurity. The combinations of words are beguiling and startling as always, and reading the text can be like watching clouds. The following song, Persimmon, picks up the pace a bit with a piano melody that reminds me of the general feel of the material on “Soft Black Stars”. The theremin swoops beautifully in the background. Next, Cuckoo opens with a church organ dirge, hypnotic erbane (or possibly bendir) playing, and a brief oud melody which gives the song a definite middle-eastern feel. Next to Cuckoo, Jasmine sounds positively jolly, with an upbeat organ melody underlying Tibet’s intonations. It doesn’t have the same careening calliope feel that I Dance Narcoloptic from “Baalstorm, Sing Omega” does, but it definitely leans in that direction. Theremin ends the song, only to be replaced by more dirge-like church organ as Lily begins. Tibet draws the lyrics out in an impassioned, weathered voice, and is soon joined by the almost metronomic pounding of frame drum and flourishes of oud. The delightful sonic oppressiveness is broken by the brief kalimba intro for Pomegranate. The song then gets underway with piano, voice, and some subtle theremin playing. I could imagine people slowly marching to the church organ-drenched Honeysuckle, although more in the context of the something tragic, like the Trail of Tears, than a happier event like a parade. Sunflower, with multi-tracked vocals accompanied by theremin and rhythmic organ, soon gives way to the much quieter (and much shorter) Planet which, like Persimmon, reminds me of the songs on “Soft Black Stars”. The forty five second Queendom ushers the album out with theremin and Baby Dee repeatedly singing the title.
At 38 minutes, this is a brief album. It has a much more intimate and less hallucinogenic feel than the last few Current 93 releases, but that is definitely no letdown. Some of my favorite Current 93 CDs (“Of Ruine Or Some Blazing Starre” and “Soft Black Stars”, to name a couple) have sparser arrangements and fewer musicians playing on them, allowing silence and suggestion to enter the room. This seems to be a much more Melancholy album that the last few as well, but I am a big fan of musical melancholy, so again this is a good thing as far as I am concerned. Time will tell if this will rank among my favorites, but there is definitely a good chance of it happening. For now, let it suffice to say that I think this might be my favorite post Michael Cashmore release. I do so miss his beautiful, fluid guitar playing on the newer releases.
Recent Comments