Molly Nilsson – The Travels (CD, Dark Skies Association / Night School)
Some friends told me about this artist, I never had heard before. So I took the chance to see Ms. Nilsson live in Dresden, but the concert wasn’t that convincing. Musically everything came “out of the box”, but the singer was fine. So I thought about giving her a second chance and I bought this recommended CD from 2013, because even my friends found the actual sound a bit shallow.
“The Travel” contains, to make it short, melancholic pop music, all based on Electronica. Some pure pop songs, some Reggae influences and even some “happy techno”, I normally really hate. The outstanding element of the music is the dark voice of Molly Nilsson, making the songs a bit sad and romantic at the same time. I’m convinced she could be much better, if she looks for some real musicians, to do her songs in deeper, more interesting arrangements and hopefully without cheap beat software. Besides all criticism, it’s still fine pop music, that would fit radio better than many other songs you hear on air. The opener “Worlds Apart” is my favorite song, surely worth having a broader audience.
Hybryds – The Ritual Of The Rave (2CD, Zoharum)
“Ritual Of The Rave” has been originally released in 1995. This album is an interface between Techno and Tribal music, combining electronic and hand-made beats with mystical atmospheres. The six long compositions mostly start slowly and become more and more energetic over time. Dance music at it’s best. The only exception is the Ambient / sample track “Shamanistic Dream” at the end of this CD.
CD 2 of this issue contains three studio tracks, only released on compilations and some live tracks from the time, the original record was released. Those tracks had been recorded at a gig in Nijdrop, still following the path of old style dark ritual / ethnic music. “Love Is The Law” is the strongest track with an extensive summoning after Crowley.
The compilation tracks are again more electronic. “Joy Of The World” from HYDRA is a nice dub, the Alpha Project track “Come together” is a bit “housy techno”, I don’t like.
The reissue on Zoharum is newly mixed by the Hybryds mastermind Sandy Nys himself, so guaranteeing a modern sound close to the original.
Maninkari – L’océan rêve dans sa loisiveté (CD, Zoharum)
The French Instrumental duet Maninkari – consisting of Frédéric and Olivier Charlot – combines improvisation and composition with viola, cimbalom, bodhran, synthesizers, cello, santoor and drums. So the music is more organic than electronic and to be honest, I would this call some kind of ethno / folk avantgarde. On one hand you often have dominating tribal rhythms on the other hand there are buzzing violins like in some classical tracks or Oriental melodies on the santoor, that you could also find on a typical record of this kind. However you can call the outcome of Maninkiris combination of all this elements – it’s an intense, peaceful music and I really enjoy it.
The Grey Wolves – Exit Strategy (CD, Tesco)
New CD of this legendary British Power Electronics project. Very strong sounds, sometimes clear, sometimes noisy. I miss a bit the vocal contribution. But no wonder: This is the soundtrack to an yet unmade Hong Kong splatter movie: “A seemingly endless march through cinematic urban decay. The original sound reduced to its basic structure through loops, repetition, distortion and other alienation techniques.” For me, final track “Flatline” is for full satisfaction. Musically “Lockdown” is a burner…
Genocide Organ – Civilization (2CD, Tesco)
Re-release of GOs second, ground-breaking work “Save Our Slaves” with some additional compilation tracks. CD 2 bears a live recording from a complete gig in Mannheim 1990 in a OK quality, but very powerful. Great packing with a hard case and a 24 pages booklet – great artwork. Get it, if you love the sound of violence.
Klangstabil – One Step Back, Two Step Forward (2CD, Ant-Zen)
Klangstabil ist sicher nicht jedermanns Sache. In meinem Freundeskreis gibt es einige, die die Tübinger Band nicht mögen. Sicher, es gibt einiges auszusetzen an der Musik, so zum Beispiel das etwas stark deutsch akzentuierte Englisch, manche kleine Kitchfalle, in die das Projekt tappt oder auch die teilweise Übersteuerung einiger Tracks. Doch um ganz ehrlich zu sein, das sind alles lässliche Fehler, wie diese Zusammenstellung von 30 Tracks (einige “Dubletten” sind dabei) aus 15 Jahren Bandgeschichte zeigt. Der anspruchsvolle bis experimentelle Synthiepop / Electro weiß über weite Strecken zu überzeugen und Title wie “Math and Emotion”, das hymnische “You May Start” oder auch “Pay With Friendship” lassen sich auch bestens in der Disko einsetzen. Besonders angetan hat es mir das Stück “Verführung” mit seinen prophetischen Samples aus der TV-Serie “Timm Thaler”. Bei aller Kritik, die man durchaus an Klangstabil haben kann, hier sind zwei Künstler am Werk, die voll hinter ihrem Werk stehen. Und wer das nicht bei der Musik selbst mitbekommt, der sollte unbedingt einmal ein Konzert von Klangstabil besuchen. Mich hat es bisher auf jeden Fall immer beeindruckt, insbesondere Sänger Boris auf der Bühne zu beobachten, wie er in der Musik aufgeht. “One Step Back, Two Step Forward” ist das ideale Mittel, sich mit dem Projekt Klangstabil vertraut zu machen.
Sklo – Sound Quadrature (CD, Sky Burial)
Sklo is the Czech sound collective from Ostrava releasing a lot of collaborations, for instance with Napalmed or Drén. “Sound Quadrature” seems to be there second distinct album and it’s really harsh stuff, even for those who are familiar with experimental music. Sklo present a free improvisation between screamy Jazz and Noise, not made to listen for relaxation. Normally I do not like this kind of chaotic sounds, but Sklo somehow manage to make the music still listenable, without being to stressful. So they also choke speed and intensity from time to time, that the ears can recover from Noise and saxophone attacks. All together not my cup of tea but a fine record for those who like it a bit more crazy.
Holotrop – Dead Bird Calling (CD, Raubbau)
Holotrop has released several records over the last three years. Though there had been relatively small gaps between the releases dates, the quality had been always high. And so it is with the actual CD “Dead Bird Calling”, but I guess some of the old fans are not 100% happy. Soundwise the CD is the best so far, also thanks to the remix of Eric Heyde aka Balog (member of the Dresden based Industrial band SAEDH) and the production of Raubbau label.
Regarding the music, Holotrop has become a bit more reduced and sharper, but in my point of view also less intense. The sound does not have the same magic spell on me, as his older releases had, though I cannot exactly tell why. I already spoke with the musician about this and it seems I’m not the only one with that problem. I guess one reason is the more intellectual approach to his work, that makes the music a bit “colder”. When dealing with the psychotrope substances, Holotrop seemed to be more personally involved.
Strangely, though the concept is much more broad, there is nearly no use of contextual samples or “lyric sheets”, to give the listener a base of ideas, what this record deals with. The nicely designed CD only contains a nihilistic but fluffy quote of the Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa. On the Bandcamp-site two more names are mentioned, the pioneers of anthropofugal thinking Philipp Mainländer and Ulrich Horstmann. Maybe that’s not enough fooding, to make listeners curious about the ideas behind that work of Ritual Ambient.
Besides all criticism, “Dead Bird Calling” is still a great piece of music, but maybe it failed in being a further inspiration.
Sielwolf / Nam-Khar – Atavist Craft (CD, Sombre Soniks)
Sielwolf had been a harsh Electro act in the 1990ies. When I first heard about their collaboration with Ritual project Nam-Khar, I askedf myself, how this should work. It works, because Sielwolf nearly disappears in the collaboration.
“Atavist Craft” is a fine Ritual album with Drone atmospheres and not to superficial electronic and intense handmade rhythms. A mostly quiet album. With it’s Cello sounds and a whispered incantation, the track “Clost Indukt” is really powerful and my favorite one. But also “Repron”is fantastic: the track starts as some kind of funeral march and vortexes deeper and deeper into absolute darkness.
If there is to criticize than it’s the poor artwork. A record like this deserves something better…
Genetic Transmission / Moan – Collaboration 1 (CD, Zoharum)
Genetic Transmission / Moan – Dedicated To Luigi Rossolo (CD, Zoharum)
This two albums are part of the rerelease of Genetic Transmission works on Zoharum, the GT Archive Series. Here Tomasz Twardawa (GT) collaborates with Rafal Sadej of Moan, an Ambient project, while GT is more into musique concrete. The collaboration (1) combines both of this stiles and the five pieces – produced in an exchange manner – are concrete sound layered with Drones. By this some kind of soundtrack of a city or a working space is created with a haunting atmosphere. Very interesting to listen to and still manageable even for friends of melodies.
The “ Dedicated To Luigi Rossolo” CD is more rough, nearly sounding like the pure recording of a factory at work. To be honest, I can’t find much structure in the first track,, but Luigi Russolo was one of the pioneers in this kind of “urban music” out of daily noises, so it’s OK as a tribute. A bit to arty for me, if you want to put it like this.
Track 2 suits me better, because you can hear the will of a conception, the sounds are not only randomly arranged. The whole is still very noisy and machinelike, but more exciting at all.
Jarl – Negative Rotation / Intensice Fracture (2CD, Zoharum)
Jarl is the solo project of Erik Jarl, sound wizard at Swedish Industrial act IRM. Shortly after the start of his band, he began to release his own stuff, as far as I know, mostly Ambient tunes. This double CD reissues two cassettes originally released in 2007 and 2005 in a small amount of copies on the Abisko label. Zoharum brings this to works a broader audience, adding two compilation tracks on each CD.
“Negative Rotation” consisting of eleven tracks of “normal length” is a more quite album with fine static drones, some of them in a more light way, somer dark as the Northern nights. No samples are used, the sounds act as themselves, no extra meaning is induced. It’s not easy to say, which sources have been used; some sounds completely electronic, while others could be made from wind noises etc. Though the most tracks have nothing really typical the music has it’s own character, as well as you can recognize IRM sounds. Maybe this is due to special devices Jarl uses.
The tracks are based on Ambient, that is combined with frugal drumming or beats, a distant melancholic melody or, metal sheet beats. “Negative Rotation” in it’s beginning, is a fine Ambient / Drone album in the boundaries of that genre and I like it. As it comes to it’s end, it’s getting more and more interesting.
The additional pieces “No Response” and “Succubus”, both taken from samplers are a bit more characteristic, the first one very close to IRM with noisy, distorted metal sheet sounds, the second one
CD 2, containing the “Intensive Fracture” release, is much harsher than “Negative Rotation”. The five pieces are some kind of distorted Ambient, very strong but only for lovers of this music. For all others this is mostly noise – metal scratching on metal in a heavy storm.
The additional three tracks, taken from different compilations are a bit more “friendly”, still noisy ambient with a metal-centered sound, but not that harsh anymore. Besides that the tracks are very cold, it’s not an Ambient to feel good, it’s a more disturbing sound.
Wolves In The Throne Room – Thrice Woven (CD, Artemisia Records)
To be honest, I’m not a big Metal expert, not even a Wolves In The Throne Room fan. But after seeing their concert, I wanted to take this music home with me, because it has everything I like in that genre. “Trice Woven” is highly dynamic, epic, powerful. You have passages of pure Black Metal with singing and heavy guitars, fast drumming and a demonic nagging, some folky excursions (reminding me a bit of Amorphis), female fee singing, good melodies and even spoken messages. Great album, though some experts could have a different opinion.
Laibach – Also Sprach Zarathustra (CD, Mute)
Laibach is one of the special bands. You cannot understand their music, if you leave out the conceptual context. Musically the exploration of totalitarian as well as market mechanisms didn’t satisfy my expectations for a long time. “Spectre” for instance was much to shallow pop for my taste. “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, made for a theater play, is the first album in a long time, I’m really delighted with, because Laibach went back to an experimental kind of music, combined with their typical “brutal” form of recitation (this time of Friedrich Nietzsche quotes). The electronic avant-garde sounds combined with a more jazz-like drumming and the deep, dark voice create a haunting atmosphere, you cannot escape. The only drop of bitterness is, that it doesn’t long for the whole record. The latter songs become “harmonic” and sweet again, especially the “classical” track “Vor Sonnenaufgang”, when Mina Spiler sings. But tracks like “Der Untergang”, “Ein Verkündiger” or “Als Geist” are dark enough to stand this short incursion of sunshine. Good old Laibach strikes again!
Operant – ZK-II
This tape contains four more or less unnamed tracks, all between 6 and 8 minutes long. Title one is combining some clock like sounds with a restless atmosphere, while track two is more like a soundscape, till a beat starts to take over and some space samples and vocals come in.
Track three starts has the beats from the beginning, so there is an even more Techno feel, contrasted with a TG like sound of distorted guitars and a conjuring voice. Title four brings in female voice and a slow beat speeding up after some time over a haunting sound, getting noisy more and more. Regarding, that this is the first release of Operant, it’s fine. For me the beats are a bit simple and the “arc of suspense” isn’t very strong. So there’s still place for development.
Raskol’nikov & Hjalmar – Yama (CD, Zoharum)
Experimental electronica integrating a wide range of sounds: Ambient soundscapes, heavy synthetic beats, Ethno rhythms, psychedelic synthesizer melodies, folky violin loops, jazzy baselines, field recordings and so on. Nice journey but nothing to keep in mind for to long.
Rapoon – Airstrikes (CD, Zoharum)
Actual album of Robin Storey. Very fine combination of Ethnic sounds and rhythmic structures. A lot of samples make it even more interesting to listen too. One of the best releases I heard so far from Rapoon, creating an atmosphere, that drags you in. Not as harsh as Muslimgauze, but in a similar vein.
Palcolor – Wróg (CD, Kosmodrone)
“Krautrockelectronica” produced on analogue electronic equipment. Nice background music for Chill environments but nothing I would listen to thoughtfully. At least some parts have a dancy character. Not bad at all but “in to one ear – out of the other” music. I guess Techno fans will look differently on this, for my taste it’s all to nice and mostly boring.
23 Threads – The Ornaments [The Ghost Of Miranda] (CD, Zoharum / Hard Art)
Third album of musical allrounder Marek Xavier Marchoff (best known for his project Different State) and singer Ingrid Swen. Weird folk psychedelica with a wide range of electronic sounds, mostly combined with a dark female voice, sometimes with tangled male voice (Marchoff). The only thing I miss is catchyness; the most tracks have a flow but no real melody.
Rapoon – Seed In The Tide Volume 5 (2CD, Zoharum)
Another rerelease of Rapoon recordings – I ask myself where all this material comes from. I’m not a fan of this Robin Storey project, but I like some of his stuff. This two CDs are not fully included. Especially I don’t like the “classical” tracks, because they are unbearable schmaltzy and without any energy. CD1 also contains a long, not very exciting Ambient track.
The collaboration with Cisfinitum in Moscow is a fine tribal track, the 20min track “We Walk In Diamond” also, but a bit more noisy and technoid.
First part of CD 2 is a mixture of Ambient and mostly Indian ethno sounds, that’s fine. Then some “light” Drone Ambient with violin comes in (“The Longing Of Memory”) – to schmaltzy for me and much to long. Luckily next track is darker, a minimal slowed down techno, followed by a darker ambient and rhyhtmic tracks with an ethnic touch. “Stolen Diaries And Marijuana Dreams” with his Spoken Words over an Ambient layer and some drumming is really fantastic. Some more Ambient with field recordings, some more like a horn drone the other abstract and a bit noisy. At least it get’s even a bit jazzy.
All together CD 2 is much more interesting than CD1 but to be honest – it would be enough to put the best tracks on one of them.
Rafal Kolacki – A’zan. Hearing Ethiopia (CD, Zoharum / Hard Art)
Sounds from Addis Abeba. It’s interesting but no music at all. It’s just a pure field recording of street noise. Of course you can discuss on the level “everything is music” but it’s a bit thin.