The poststructural feminists are going to have field day with this one. There's already been so much said on Jenny Hval, former alias Rockettothesky, that it requires some self-reflection of adding more unnecessary internet debris. I'll try to make this short and sweet. First off, "Viscera" -- the first effort released under her own name -- scares the shit outta me. Kicking off with a quirky avant-garde-like recitation, it dropkicks you like a welterweight champion of morbid genius. Heavyweights I'm referring to of course of dark siren goddesses and radical poets: Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux, Elisabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins, Patti Smith, Laura Nyro, etc. It's no wonder Ms. Hval wrote a Masters' thesis on Kate Bush, probably something as bad-ass as Lacanian readings on voice (think: Mladan Dolar's, "A Voice and Nothing More", MIT Press) or phonocentrism. Just as Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" was inspired by an Emily Brontë novel, Jenny Hval draws on strong literary influences. It takes special brains to not only extrapolate necessary understanding of one's music on paper, but be a decisive act/performance as well. And she certainly is.
An old music critic once told me you can tell everything about a band by reading their lyrics. Most of the time you do it reluctantly, with one-eye squeezed shut -- especially bands where English isn't their first language. It's painful to ingest the gaping vulnerability of text, so it's often treated it as a discardable or excess entity, sidelined by the "real" stuff. But here the music follows the imagery of the words, pieced together like limbs conjoined and changing; developing within itself, evolving, caving in, and even exploding ("Portrait of the young girl as an artist"). Jenny Hval exhibits beautiful harmonic development ("How gentle") but her songs never get so lost to return to a theme ("Blood flight"). It never so alienates it's listener should you understand it, and patience is rewarded abundantly. - Ann Sung-an Lee
All About Jazz has two reviews of Håkon Kornstad's new solo album "Symphonies in my head", both very complimentary: http://t.co/8hsX91rh / http://t.co/Or3kWP8C
I'm ashamed to say that I've still not heard this yet, but I have no doubt it's every bit as good as they say.
Norwegian noise maestro Lasse Marhaug has started a new zine called "Personal Best" which will debut this month, the inaugural issue featuring interviews with a number of scene luminaries such as Gold Soundz, Keränen, Zweizz, Ronnie Sundin and much more. The goal is to publish two issues per year in A4 format with full-color covers -- samples and more info here: http://www.marhaugforlag.no/personalbest1.html
The final 12 nominees for the 2011 Nordic Music Awards have been decided and they are as follows:
Ane Brun - It all starts with one Lykke Li - Wounded rhymes Rubik - Solar Gus Gus - Arabian horse Malk De Koijn - Toback to the fromtime Siinai - Olympic game Björk - Biophilia Iceage - New brigade Montée - Renditions of you Anna Järvinen - Anna själv tredje Goran Kajfes - X/Y The Field - Looping state of mind
This experimental Norwegian trio have taken a decent stab at the drone genre, generally opting for an askew folk/jazz aesthetic rather than the subsonic metal rumblings that often accompany the style. Its opening title track gives the impression that this could be a contemporary soundtrack to "The wicker man", which is down to the unison of Kongsberg-native Hanne Hukkelberg's eerie vocals and the uneasy nature of the music itself. The second of the recording's two major pieces, "Ear/eye connector", really needs to pull something strong out of the bag and, while it's a great background piece when played at subdued volume, it's something of a disappointment when given one's full attention. It makes a fundamental mistake in the grand scheme of music -- that of the false build up that leads nowhere. For a good deal of its almost 13 minute running time the implementation of drum and sample patterns gives the impression that we're leading into one hell of a driving beat; the pulsating feedback would remain the same but with a beat over it that would just kill. Sadly, it's not the case, which renders the track a good background listener rather than a great piece of sonic genius. It's actually something that could be said of this release as a whole, with "For the working class" seeming like a pointless entry and closer "Star spangled pillow" failing to intrigue on a concentrated listen. If it's a backgrounder you're after, though, this will do the trick. Definitely! - John Norby
is doing a number of vinyl pressings of back-catalogue releases, including the following:
Elephant9 - Live at the BBC (LP) Scorch Trio w/Mars Williams - Made in Norway (2LP) Fire! w/Jim O'Rourke - Released! (10" EP) The Last Hurrah!! - The great gig in disguise (10" EP)
has picked up Norwegian thrashers Nekromantheon in a kind of no-brainer deal. Look for their new album "Rise, Vulcan Spectre." to be released on January 13.
Jenny Hval
Huntsville
