Tag: Reviews
9
There's so much metal in so many shapes and guises out there these days that it's inevitable a proportion of bands will rage against the shimmery-shiny output of many of today's bigger acts and opt for the down and dirty approach adopted -- usually out of necessity -- by those who first kicked off the extreme metal movement. Indeed, Kolbotn's Obliteration have done just that and, while a lot of latter day old-school acts whet the whistle with demonic nods towards dirty metal's formative years, this Norwegian crew come across so authentically ancient that they could easily be mistaken as having been around during the early days of Darkthrone's bleak death metal reign. It's no wonder that Fenriz himself praises them for having succeeded in accomplishing what he and Nocturno Culto had attempted to do with "Soulside journey" and "Goatlord" between '88 and '91. Indeed, "Nekropsalms" harks right back to that era in terms of sound and song structure and offers a superb album that sounds even more old-school than some of the genuine mature stuff out there. There's not much point in highlighting examples of nostalgic vibe on this, the band's second full-length effort, when it oozes early-‘90s atmosphere from start to finish. If you want to relive the experience of discovering this type of music when it was first clawing its way out of subterranean Norway, then this is the album with which to do it. Death, doom, despair, horror and -- indeed -- Obliteration await.
- John Norby
Dusted reviews the Pan Sonic/Keiji Haino collaboration "Shall I download a blackhole and offer it to you": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/5462
Pitchfork finally gets around to reviewing the Immortal reunion record "All shall fall": https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13671-all-shall-fall/
Pitchfork has a track review of "Colouring of pigeons", the first sample of The Knife's forthcoming opera "Tomorrow, in a year": https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11706-colouring-of-pigeons-ft-mt-sims-and-planningtorock/
6
Cheesy enough to make into fondue, there's nary an original moment on Tobias Bernstrup's newest EP, "1984". However Bernstrup is too busy getting listeners off their butts to worry about a silly thing like originality -- and darn it if he won't have a sweaty dance floor as his reward. Cleverly marrying a grab bag of the spandex-generation's influences (Depeche Mode, Joy Division, anyone who's ever played with the sample function on a synthesizer), to the lighter hand of modern electro-goth, and just a splash of self-awareness (I hope), "1984" comes off as a deliciously melodramatic trifle. Heck, the titular track does warn, "We're in 1984." Don't lie -- you've still got your "Members Only" jacket. Right?
The key word here is melodramatic. From Bernstrup's Bela Lugosi vocals layered over relentlessly driving synths (every good synth is in want of an "ohhh-ohhh oh oh" refrain) to titles such as "Light years apart" and "Enemies of the Earth" there's little here to suggest that less is more. Again, it's nothing we haven't heard, but like "B" horror flicks, this represents a brilliant rehash of classically campy 1980s sound. The only offender is "Data love", its spoken chorus coming close to collapse under self-parody. However, positioned as a closing track, it's too late for ardent complaints -- Bernstrup has already sucked you into his neon-clad world. Grab me a Fresca, let's hit the floor.
- Laura Studarus
Pitchfork reviews the American release of "Eggs" from Danish act Oh No Ono: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13792-eggs/
The Free Jazz blog is not so keen on Swedish artist Bengt Berger and his latest album "Beches brew": https://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2010/01/bengt-berger-beches-brew-country.html
The new Love Is All track "Kungen" got a mediocre writeup at Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11703-kungen/
5
There's something rather appealing on first mention of Antifilm that's hard to pinpoint; maybe it's the name, maybe it's the album cover. I'm not really sure. Musically, however, Dane Thomas Bred doesn't quite live up to whatever expectation I had of his debut album "IO". It's not that "IO" is a bad album, rather it's a collection of songs that have difficulty in finding focus or common ground. Of course, variety is the spice of life and an album on which everything sounds the same would make for a boring effort indeed, but there still needs to be some sort of unity throughout. "IO" gives the impression that we have a musician out there with some great ideas, but with little notion of putting together a coherent collection of songs. "What's with all the stars" kicks the album off with a second-rate attempt at some sort of semi-upbeat indiepop, a trait that, thankfully, doesn't rear its head again until "Ovenfra", and I have no idea what in the hell is going on with that particular number. That said, while "IO" does have its abysmal downsides, it makes up for such negatives with the inclusion of some wonderfully atmospheric pieces like "Rondo", "IO" and "Heavy petting", all of which border on the soundtrack/dark ambient genres and all of which showcase Bred at his creative best. Closer "Here comes the son" is labelled as 'the summer hit' and for the life of me I can't think why. Was this a summer hit? And if so, where was it a summer hit? Forgetting that, this album does show that Antifilm has great potential but, for now, has given us just over thirty minutes of material that borders on the pretentious.
- John Norby
5
"Murta St. Calunga" should have been Benni Hemm Hemm's breakout album. After the song "GítStemm" was featured on the excellent "Fjölskyldualbúm Tilraunaeldhússins" compilation in 2006, they released their sophomore effort "Kajak" to critical acclaim. On "Kajak", you could almost hear singer/songwriter Benedikt Hermannsonn's arrangements maturing, the twinkling list of acoustic guitar and the stutter of his brass canter in increasing symbiosis, interwoven with a distinctly maritime flourish. But while "Murta" upstages the brassy pomp of its predecessors, it struggles to find depth. Too often, as on childish "Whaling in the North Atlantic" and the faux-western "Riotmand", Benni falls short of recreating the sparkling intimacies of "Kajak". Thus, the ineffective melodies and sparse acoustics must be salvaged by the atypical rhythms of their instrumental breaks. The jaunty brass, with its shifting time signatures, continues to be BHH's most potent weapon. Though it elevates the repetitive horns above those that proliferate in today's colorless indie, they are little more than a palliative here, providing temporary respite from "Murta"'s predictable doldrums. The soft, textured horn laments that worked so well on "Kajak" wander aimlessly in the album's sluggish middle, where copycat brass mimics endless iterations of what seems to be one single dim melody.
It's not all bad, though. The Van Morrison rifflets and the faux-metal hammer-ons of "Veiðiljóð" are welcome additions, as is the warmth of "Riotmand", where glockenspiels flutter beautifully above static horns. The formulaic vocals lack the depth or vision of those on "Kajak", but Benni's voice still transmits a blissful Nordic solitude. If I had not been primed me to expect great things from Benni Hemm Hemm, perhaps I would not be so quick to dismiss this album. I'm hopeful that their next will be a return to form, as I'm hesitant to believe that BHH's best music is behind them.
- Nathan Keegan
The Line of Best Fit recommends the album "Cardian malformations" from Swedish jazz-influenced indie act Thus:Owls: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/01/thusowls-cardiac-malformations/
I haven't heard the full album myself, but I've definitely been into the samples I've gotten.
The Silent Ballet reviews Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player Nils Økland and his album "Monograph": https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3000/Default.aspx
Pitchfork reviews the new "Prison break" remix EP from The Tough Alliance: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13772-prison-break-ep/
PopMatters reviews the latest album "Islands" from Swedish indierockers The Mary Onettes: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/117937-the-mary-onettes-islands/
Also covered, the American release of "Wayne Coyne" from Danes The William Blakes: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/118115-the-william-blakes-wayne-coyne/
Obliteration
Tobias Bernstrup
Antifilm
Benni Hemm Hemm