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I've been obsessing a bit about goth music lately, it's true. The world is going through dark times and that demands dark music. It has been awhile since I heard from 1999. They released a single on Release the Bats! a few years ago and posted a few other tracks on their website, but after that... nilch. I even attempted to email them about appearing on my latest "Reader's companion" comp, but got no reply. So when stumbled across Celebrity Lifestyle Records (named after the Swans song), the new label that released their full-length debut, naturally I was excited. Luckily CLR was more open to communication and before too long I had a copy of the CD in-hand. Let me tell you: this is the shit. It's borrows heavily from the past (Joy Division, Bauhaus, yadda yadda), but also incorporates more noise and Krautrock influences. Deceptively simple and hypnotic, cyclic riffs, dancefloor-friendly beats and sloganeering vocals - not quite to the level of, say Nitzer Ebb, but definitely leaning in that direction. Like a rawer, more primal version of Boys of Scandinavia. The particular track I've posted today is the album's opener. Deceptively simple and driving. I love how the guitar just turns into a wash of noise with barely any distinguishable attack. The cavernous tone provides the right balance of Melody and noise while letting the drums and bass carry the song. Simplicity is key. Beauty is the winner, indeed.
1999 - Beauty is the winner
MIC Norway profiles Susanna and the Magical Orchestra and their new album "Melody mountain": https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2006081812050684791943
Melody Club reports that drummer Richard Ankers is out and now replaced by some dude named Andy.
This week's Friday mp3 post is kind of a guilty pleasure for me, 'cept that I don't really feel all that guilty. Why should I feel ashamed for loving great pop music? Like a lot of folks outside Norway, I first heard Kurt Nilsen when he performed at the World Idol championship in 2004. It's no wonder they saved him until the end because there's no way that anyone could follow his blockbuster showing. To paraphrase Australian Idol judge Ian Dickson: the face of a hobbit, but the voice of an angel. Tal Bachman's "She's so high" was his first single back home in Norway and it's everything a great pop song should be. The Melody soars and pulls all the right heartstrings and, even if the production seems a bit much sometimes, I don't believe that anyone can find serious fault with it. Kurt's albums are pretty good too, even his early work with pre-Idol band Fenrik Lane. Obviously, it's not necessarily the sort of thing I normally seek out, but my wife adores him and I'm happy to oblige by listening politely. On a side note, what's up with the singles they gave this year's Idols? I was never much of a Katherine fan, but the song they gave her for the finale was pure shit. I'd suggest that they intentionally sabotaged her, but Taylor's song was only marginally better. Silly as it may sound, both of them are better than the material. Ridiculous!
Kurt Nilsen - She's so high
Ellen Beach is the kind of band that totally frustrates me. The band is capable of writing some brilliant songs, but they need more discipline and self-awareness. Their self-released album "Yaw / Yawn" (or double-EP, if you will) features quite a few inspired gems, but it also padded with enough filler to almost kill my enthusiasm. Thankfully for them, it's just "almost," not "completely." Take the song I've posted today for example: the lead Melody has hooks for days and is absolutely dripping with the kind of heartfelt, yearning qualities I love to hear in my melancholic pop. The way the guitar takes over the lead vocal line on the final chorus is a perfect conclusion to the song, but then they add a few final measures of a coda afterwards. It doesn't ruin the song, but it does leave a bad taste in my mouth. If they culled a few of the weaker songs and tightened up the arrangements, "Yaw / Yawn" would be a winner f'sure. The band's potential is ridiculously high, so let's hope they can live up to it. One last additional note: Ellen Beach is especially recommended for anyone into The Fine Arts Showcase. The bands share a similar, complimentary sound.
Ellen Beach - Roaring fields
Enough already! After one week of hot sunny weather, I'm through. Good thing I've got a proper soundtrack to take my mind off the summer doldroms. Raison D'être (aka Peter Andersson) has been one of the leaders of the dark ambient genre for long, long time and his newest masterwork "Metamorphyses" is absolutely brilliant. The record consists of what amounts to six movements of light-devouring darkness. This is the soundtrack to the most dismal blackness you could possibly imagine. Totally enveloping and all-encompassing. Ambient in this case does not mean background music - I like to crank this record up loud, close my eyes and let it consume me. Traditional notions of rhythm and Melody aren't always necessary to hold your attention. Check out "Phase I" which I've posted today. It reminds me of the sound of the harbor at night, when you can here the the ropes pinging against the masts. Except of course, it's far more sinister than that. This is the anti-summer soundtrack.
Raison d'Être - Metamorphyses Phase I
The new album "Melody mountain"Susanna and the Magical Orchestra has been confirmed for an August 14 release via Rune Grammofon. The disc was produced by Helge Sten aka Deathprod (Supersilent, Motorpsycho) and will include ten songs, all covers of artists such as Prince, AC/DC, Scott Walker and Leonard Cohen. Listen to the first single "Love will tear us apart" (Joy Division) at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/susannamagical
Even though Holiday For Strings aren't purely an instrumental act, the vocals they do employ are most certainly not of the pop verse/chorus variety. Dub-by, spaced-out beats and droning guitars and repetitive, understated vocal lines - no, it's definitely not pop. Imagine Silverbullit on 'ludes and you'll get a better picture. The particular track I've posted today is especially great because of the way it builds off of the drum figure. The way the cymbal hits shimmer and distort is lovely and I really dig the way the Melody builds and expands from the original rhythm. The guitars slowly open up with chiming, fingerpicked chords and become more and more insistent as they get busier and busier. The only downside is that the piece drifts into chattering noise without much of a resolution, but realize that in the context of the full album, it works perfectly.
Holiday For Strings - I got two hands
I have already posted today's mp3 selection elsewhere, but it's far too good for me to leave it at that. The entire "Love to run" EP in which Firefox AK lends her song to the Kellerman clan for reinterpretation is amazing, but of all the versions, husband Rasmus (perhaps better known as Tiger Lou and billed here as Araki) delivers the kicker. The original version (available for streaming here) is kind of an upbeat electropop number and in Rasmus' hands, it turns into something much darker and more reflective. It's amazing how the entire mood is changed by switching the lead synth Melody to guitar and stripping away the dance-heavy beat. Rasmus' plaintive vocals take you to an entirely different place, but I don't think it sounds sad, I think it sounds like love. The gentle way he handles and transforms his wife's composition is a thing of beauty all its own. The rest of the EP is damn good too, but this... this is special. [BUY IT]
Araki - Love to run
The Slaves aren't that bad (in fact, they're sort of mediocre), but I don't really see the point with them when there are other (Swedish) bands such as Caesars, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Pet Politics, etc around doing this type of music, but with much more finesse and less clichés. I might listen to the odd track from "Save me from yesterday" in the future, since a nice Melody pops up here and there, but overall I find it unexciting.
- Simon Tagestam
Melody Club have revealed that US label The Saturday Team will be launching the band in the States with a CD featuring various cuts from the band's two records. Nothing confirmed 100% yet, but look for it around September to coincide with a tour. In other news, Melody Club has started work on their third album with producer Klas Ålund.
Happy Friday everyone! This week's flashback post belongs to Matt Giordano:
For my first mp3 posting of an older track I chose "Those kids are gone" by Text. For those who are unaware, Text was a collective featuring most of the Refused members (Dennis being the one absent). Whilst most of the disc is spoken word, this track really sticks out. Not only is it the catchiest song on the record, but also because of its production quality. It's one of the rawest acoustic tracks I have ever heard, and David Sandström's Melody is quite beautiful. And since this track was only performed by him, it, at the time, was giving you hints at what to expect from his solo work, as well as David Sandström Overdrive.
The whole album used to be available for free download at the Demonbox site, but the links are broken. However, you can still go there to read more about the band.
Text - Those kids are gone
The title of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra forthcoming album has been confirmed as "Melody Mountain". Look for it in August.