...And Justice For Sean!

Not really a review, but a lesson in fact-checking yourself and a humbling reminder that stupid defiance is only getting in the way of the enjoyment of shit.

Recently I sneakily deleted a whole paragraph in my last Cynic review. I can do that, I'm not claiming to be a reputable news-outlet, right? But why did I do it? Well, simply put: It was embarrassing for me.

Sometimes - maybe fostered by some attendant circumstances which point in a seemingly similar direction - a wrong information forms in your head by itself and you just dont even come up with the idea of verifying whether it's actually true.

As I stated in great detail in said review Cynic's "Focus" transcends just being a great album for me. Instead it's one of the best things among all things ever made.
And even though it doesn't have quite the same status for me, I still absolutely love their 2008 reunion work "Traced In Air" like very few other albums. I've even had the poster which came with the digipak CD framed on my wall for surely a dozen years now. Yet it's hanging beside their signed 2009 German tour poster, which features the live line-up of original Floridian members Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert and the Dutch section of guitarist / growler Tymon Kruidenier - who also performed on the album - and Robin Zielhorst - who definitely did not.
Instead the studio bassist had always been original band member Sean Malone, who just didn't play live at the time. This circumstance and the fact that the production didn't highlight the bass as it did on other Cynic releases may have led to the fact that at some point the false conviction nestled in my mind that it was already Zielhorst being heard on the recording. And for some stupid reason I never checked if that was actually the case.

But why did that even become an issue? Well, in 2019 Cynic released a remixed (and partly re-recorded) version of "Traced In Air". The teaser for it didn't get me excited and the news that all growling vocals had been removed and that there would be new bass lines by Sean Malone made this feel like an Ozzy Osbourne situation, where infamously the complete original bass parts of some of his albums had been replaced by new recordings by Robert Trujillo. So I was thinking it felt somehow disrespectful and just completely dismissed the remix ever since.

And now? What has changed?
Season Of Mist offered "Traced In Air (remixed)" for a bargain price, so I finally got it. And while comparing the booklet to the original I stumbled over my cringy mistake. Plus I also realized that this new version really sounds clearer and better than the original mix - at least in most parts.

And concerning the growls - they aren't actually as gone as I expected. There are still some kind of harsher and deeper vocals present where they used to be, so mostly there's just some kind of more aggressive texture absent, but appearantly not desperately missing.
So that point of critique actually doesn't make a great difference at all. The only track where I miss the bigger contrast and rollercoaster dynamic is "King Of Those Who Know". Here the new version omits the existence of the dueling voices completely, so I'll probably continue prefering the original version.

Yeah, so that's it. Usually I think that I'm always right, being the brightest mind I know from the inside and all, but with this I most definitely fucked up big time. Sorry! 

cassette craze chronicles XXV feat. BRUIT ≤, JAKOB BATTICK & TONGUE DEPRESSOR, LANA DEL REY, URN and WHITE WARD

Only one brand-new item, but a very beautiful bunch - inside and outside - in today's edition of my tape appreciation series:

LANA DEL REY - Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023)

The new one, released on Friday, obviously is album no. 9 by Lana Del Rey. It's pretty huge and deep and diverse - and haven't really made my mind up about it enough to write a proper review. Yet since I've half-accidentily bought two versions of it anyway, I will just postpone my (hopefully) deeper insights and devote another post to my vinyl copy it later.

Lana and photographer Neil Krug never seem short of material, so there are several versions not only with alternative covers, but completely different layouts out there. I'm honestly not even sure if one is supposed to be the standard artwork. All I know is that I think the one I chose here in my mind leans best to the tape format. Once again it's a beautiful item with a long fold-out J-card. And of course, because Warner is such a poor little start-up, you won't get a download with the cassette. Greedy vultures. 

WHITE WARD - Love Exchange Failure (2019)

Let's continue with the band which needs your support the most right now! I was looking forward to watching White Ward perform their latest album "False Light" at Roadburn one month from now, but unfortunately the Ukrainians had to cancel their complete European tour due to growing restrictions caused by Putin's war. So no matter which release or t-shirt or whatever of the Black Metal / Doomjazz fusionists you'll purchase - your money goes into the right hands.

The blending of contrary styles between blasting evil, epic Blackgaze and smooth saxophones and pianos is already amazingly seamless and flawless on this album from 2019. Especially the B side with various clean guest singers is a fantastic genre-transcending experience. The cover artwork works great for tape and the transparent blue shell surely is the most beautiful in this selection. Phenomenal stuff!

BRUIT ≤ - The Machine Is Burning and Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again (2021)

My fellow writers over at Veil of Sound, who put this on several of their top 5 album of the year lists for 2021 will probably be shocked that it took me so long to finally get a copy of it. Well, I had put it in many shopping carts, but somehow the grass was always greener and I couldn't really decide which format I wanted - until I discovered that these golden tapes were still out there for a very decent price.

In a spirit quite akin to White Ward the voice-sample-loving instrumentalists of Bruit ≤ fully commit to a concept which sets naturalism in contrast to civilisation angst. Their musical tools are mainly Post Rock with a lot of very strong Classical influences, expressed in strings and horns, as well as Ambient and Trip-Hop elements. But just breaking the album down by its genre and instrumentation doesn't do it justice, since it's really the powerful narration and emotion which especially makes the second half pieces "Amazing Old Tree" and "The Machine Is Burning" stand out. The title track undoubtly is a huge composition for the ages. Yeah, a part of me now wishes I had stayed at their live show last year, which really hit me at the wrong time and mood, a little longer.

URN - Recitál (2019)

Finally I bought some stuff from Stoned To Death Records again, among it two tapes. With two long tracks just called "A" and "B" and the very pastel-coloured cover it's obvious that Urn isn't the Black Metal band of the same name, but something different. Indeed the Danish (I guess?) artist has recorded an interesting moody mixture of Jazz, Western and experimental elements both acoustic and electronic. I cannot bring the totality of this album down to one specific formula, there's guitar-centric Jazz Fusion, Earth and sometimes even a little bit of The Comet Is Coming. As if that would help you, I know... But trust me, this is a worthwhile little atmospheric gem of relaxing and inspiring Future jazz.

JAKOB BATTICK & TONGUE DEPRESSOR - Raise The Dead (2022)

My second Stoned To Death tape of this haul is best described starting with the instruments used by the duo Tongue Depressor: bells, cello, double bass, microtonal organ, pedal steel guitar, tapes, violin. Nope, this is no upbeat Rock'n'Roll extravaganza. In two almost-twenty-minutes tracks with the light-hearted titles "Reek of Resurection" and "Under the Wormwood Star" they team up with singer / almost-narrator Jakob Battick, who uses their crawling oscillating soundscapes as a fitting backdrop for dark poetry sung in a mostly very warm and calm way. If you're looking for an occult Drone experience somewhere between Coil, Hypnopazuzu, Swans and a detuned Anna von Hausswolff with a pinch of Black Metal-ish atmosphere this isn't exactly that, but it surely comes close. An album which requires attention and a certain mood, but knows how to reward both.
The artwork is cool and the layout proves that cassettes and readabilty of lyrics don't actually exclude each other. Commendable! 

cassette craze chronicles XIII (DOLPO)

Yes, this new issue of my cassette craze chronicles only features one release. I just didn't get any other new tapes since the last time, but I want to share this - and it's awesome enough to stand on its own.

DOLPO - Inner Himalayas (2019/2022)

Previously released in two limited special vinyl editions, "Inner Himalyas" isn't brand new, but it's still pretty obscure for sure. This cassette version comes from the fantastic French/Chinese one-man-label WV Sorcerer Productions, so it's guaranteed to be made with much love.

Dolpo are an Italian band with Tibetian ties, and they are fully embracing this connection. Imagine heavily droning, noisy cosmic doom metal, enriched with tons of authentic Himalayan field recordings and the usage of Tibetian (and other Asian) wind and brass instruments like ding-chen, dung-dkar, kangling, rag-dung, taishogoto and overtone flute, as well as according percussions and occasionally also vocals.

If you're asking for references, from my personal circle of favorites Bong, Bong-Ra and also Bell Witch come to mind for the doom part, while the ambience reminds me of Mong Tong and Saba Alizadeh, whereas thinking of Phurpa feels almost too obvious. But in the end these six tracks are set in such a special sonic and spiritual space, that none of those names speaks the whole truth.

Dolpo have a raw purity about them, which radiates a primal mystic beauty, while still nursing you if you just want that crispy and skull-crushing slow motion doom experience. I may be reaching a little here, since this tape was intended to come out in December, but as it just arrived this week it's safe to say that with a new Mizmor coming soon, this January is already a heavenly month for doom.

The cassette sounds great and comes in a handmade package, wrapped in cloth and cord with a rice paper credits insert and accompanied by a cone of Tibetian ritual incense.

MURDERBAIT - When The Sun Goes Down, It Goes Down Forever

Machen? Oder nicht? Es ist einunddrölfzigster Oktober und jeder Anlageberater, Bäcker, Chemielaborant etc.pp. macht irgendwas mit ha... ha.. hatschiii...  Halloween.

Hab ich irgendwas passendes?

Ja, tatsächlich. Da habe ich noch neulich einen kleinen Download vom Sentient Ruin-Promomailer abgegriffen - und es ist tatsächlich kein megachaotisches Black death industrial noise-Weltuntergangs-Gehöllenschlunde!

Dafür aber goth as fuck. Also halloweenesk genug, oder was?

MURDERBAIT - When The Sun Goes Down, It Goes Down Forever (2019/2021)

Achtzehneinhalb Minuten kurz ist sie, aber damit immerhin noch länger als ihr Titel, diese von der Band selbst bereits 2019 veröffentlichte und nun von Sentient Ruin auch auf Vinyl herausgebrachte Zwei-Song-EP. Für das direkte Importieren über den großen Teich kann man sich also fast selbst ein Flugticket besorgen, um das Teil selbst abzuholen. Also besser schauen, ob es europäische Wiederverkäufer gibt oder sich mit der digitalen Version begnügen.

Wie auch immer - die Mucke stimmt, denn Murderbait sind erfahrene Hasen Kürbisse Vampire, die wissen, wie epischer Goth-Rock zu klingen hat.

Und so hören wir hier Coolness und Düsternis von Fields Of The Nephilim und der schwärzesten Phase der Swans, eingetaucht in eine dicke Nebelsuppe aus atmosphärischen Ambient- und Horrorklängen. Also das düsterste aus den Achtziger Jahren, gegossen in zwei wirklich saustarke Nummern, die sich wunderbar beim relaxen im Sarg auf Dauerschleife hören lassen.

Jetzt noch ein ganzes Album auf diesem Niveau und Murderbait gesellen sich locker zu meinen akuellen Lieblings-Düsterrockkapellen!

cassette craze chronicles V (feat. GOLD, GRAVE MIASMA, KNOLL and PUPIL SLICER)

My journey on the tape trail continues with its fifth installment, beginning with two cassettes which albeit ordered during the last Bandcamp Friday (until the continuation of this tradition in August) also feel like delayed souvenirs from the Roadburn Redux merch table:

GOLD - Optimist (2017)
GOLD - Why Aren't You Laughing? (2019)

After orbiting around in my musical cosmos on stage and digitally for a couple of years now, finally owning something from Gold in physical form was long overdue.

Often described as "post everything" these two albums present the Dutch group as exactly that. With the reserved yet emotional, fragile yet determinant voice of Milena Eva in the center, honestly yet also sarcastically dealing with relatable, heavy personal topics, everything around it - though clearly catchy and easy to grasp - can only be categorized in post terms: post punk, post rock, post metal and even post black metal.

Even though the roots in the scene around the Devil's Blood circle, to which I would also count Dool, are undoubtly present, Gold have developed a truly unique and  always evolving personality.

Both albums are great, but you can't deny a remarkable growth from "Optimist" to the masterpiece "Why Aren't You Laughing?" - a trend which after Roadburn Redux only promises to be continued.

Until then I will very much enjoy these two tapes, whoch both not only sound, but also look good. Even the lyrics are printed in a readable font and colour.

KNOLL - Interstice (2021)

Directly from the Redux merch stall (as in: ordered after seeing their stream) comes this dirty crusty gem of grind goodness made in the US.

Being the band with the youngest members on the festival bill, Knoll surprised me with how classic and at the same time fresh and energetic their sound was. Their death metal-infused grindcore was the purest, unhinged old school Napalm Death worship.

On tape it's a little bit more obvious that there's also some of the swansy / industrial stuff, which later Napalm Death loved to work in here and there too, as well as a big chunk of electronic noise noise, which lets in fact a third of the twelve tracks (the album is a little bit longer than half an hour) drown in swirling and droning static. It's fabulous!

"Interstice" is a banger which fans of extreme metal old and new should not miss out on - even though you might not get this tape, which was limited to 50 copies.

PUPIL SLICER - Mirrors (2021)

Transatlantic brothers and sisters of Knoll from another mother are Pupil Slicer, who seem to follow a similarily charged ethos, yet package it in an even more frantic and panicked musical framework of the most brutal and brain-wrenching mathcore insanity imaginable.

"Mirrors" is the heaviest shit of The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Hirsch Effekt, spiced up with the same raw and primal grind relentlessness which Knoll are utilizing. And because that mixture wasn't already fucking you up enough, guitarist / vocalist Kate Davies seemingly threw the dice on which millisecond passages of each riff landed in the trash before recording.

The result is highly unpredictable, wild, unsettling - and an immensly cathartic, neckbreaking experience. And when they get more immediately accessible like in the epic midtempo finale "Collective Unconscious" it only makes the album even better, because it  undoubtly confirms that everything here happens a hundred percent by coice.

And I can in no way imagine how the its heavy as fuck production could sound any better.

Bandcamp made a bit of a wave about this trio (which is how I found them too), and rightfully so. If Pupil Slicer can pull this lunacy off live, then they are clearly one of the hottest brutal acts of the coming years.

"Toxic green" is the exactly appropriate colour for this cassette. There are already half a dozen differently coloured tape and vinyl editions sold out by now though.

GRAVE MIASMA - Abyss Of Wrathful Deities (2021)

And finally here's yet another flavor of classix extreme metal brutality!

Did I compliment Gold on the readibility of their lyrics? Well, you can't say that about the print of Grave Miasma's "Abyss Of Wrathful Deities" tape edition. The whole layout looks good on first sight, but is just slightly off.

Luckily that doesn't diminish my love for this British death metal band. I cannot say that I listen to them very regularly, but they indisputably have a special place in my heart since my first contact with them at Hell Over Hammaburg 2017, where they unleashed a sulphuric maelstrom to the netherworld that instantly became one my favorite death metal live experiences of all time.

Stylistically this new album brings some - at least to my knowledge - new shifts in atmosphere and disharmonics to the table, yet mostly still cultivates all familiar trademarks and qualities I already know from 2016's "Endless Pilgrimage", and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's old school Florida / Vader / Nile death metal, sick evil riffs, howling Morbid Angel lead guitar duels and all, which disguises its technical flawlessness under thick layers of reverb on the vocals, giving everything a chaotic "Seven Churches" feeling, without actually relying on youthful really bad timing like Possessed on their landmark debut.

High quality evil!

WV SORCERER Zauberei mit DOPE PURPLE, 李劍鴻 LI JIANHONG und OTAY:ONII

Es begann mit der Vorbestellung des Soloalbums von Neptunian Maximalism-Chefvisionär CZLT (Vinyl verzögert sich leider noch etwas) und einer der mit an Sicherheit grenzender Wahrscheinlichkeit traumhaftesten Versionen von Senyawas "Alkisah".

Inzwischen habe ich vier weitere Alben bei WV Sorcerer Productions geordert, und ich glaube, das französisch-chinesische Label, welches konzeptionell im breiten Feld zwischen Drone, Folklore, Jazz, Psychedelik, Esoterik, Black Metal, Noise und weiterem Experimentalismus zu Hause ist, dürfte sich zu einem meiner Lieblings-Frischmusikzuführer des Jahres entwickeln.

Neulich trudelten folgende drei Scheiben bei mir ein:

DOPE PURPLE - Grateful End (transparent yellow LP) (2019/2021)

Jupp, der Name dieser taiwanesischen Band ist ziemlich  on the nose. Und der Songtitel  "Cosmic Rock Is Not Dead" verjagt auch jeden weiteren Zweifel, worum es auf dieser ursprünglich bereits 2019 erschienenen, doch nun erstmals auf Vinyl erhältlichen LP geht.

Die vier Tracks sind in der Tat 100% Spacerock, und zwar der permanent Schüttelreflexe auslösenden und auf die Glocke gebenden Art. Die Gitarre drängelt sich dabei schrill und dreckig ausflippend ständig in den Vordergrund, worauf der Rest der Gruppe dann auch schonmal mit derbem Chaos kontert.

Keine Frage: Das ist rebellisch lärmender, geiler Scheiß. Vielleicht auch genau richtig für Leute wie mich, die sich angesichts der einschüchternd gigantischen Diskographie nicht so recht an Acid Mothers Temple rantrauen? Auf jeden Fall sollte jeder, der seinen Psych wild am Rad drehend mag, hier einmal reinhören.

Die Platte klingt gut und sieht super aus. Es zum Auflegen allerdings hilfreich, zu wissen, dass sich das längste Stück ("人類最後的一天​/​甜美的夜晚，甜美的死亡 The Last Day Of Humanity​/​Good Night, And Good Death") auf der B-Seite befindet.

李劍鴻 LI JIANHONG - 山霧 Mountain Fog (CD) (2021)

Wem Dope Purple noch nicht sechssaitenzentrisch genug sind, der ist bei Li Jianghong genau richtig aufgehoben. "你看見那個火球了嗎？它躍過了望海崗 Did you see the fireball? It just leapt beyond the Wanghai Gang", der Opener der CD "Mountain Fog" besteht nämlich aus nichts anderem als siebzehn Minuten lang lärmender, dröhnender, dramatische Bögen spannender und vulkanisch eruptierender Gitarre.
Es handelt sich hier um eine 2018 in Zürich mitgeschnittene Liveaufnahme des chinesischen Experimentalmusikers, den ich stilistisch nach dem Eindruck dieses Albums zwischen Drone-Ikonen wie Stephen O'Malley und Dylan Carlson auf der einen und Noise/Jazz-Extremisten wie Keiji Haino oder Otomo Yoshihide verorten würde. Seine größte Stärke ist dabei der erzählerisch stringente und erhabene Charakter seiner Krachmacherei.

Das zweite und abschließende Titelstück wurde eine knappe Woche später auf derselben Europa-Tour in Frankreich aufgenommen. Hierbei handelt es sich um eine gemeinsame Improvisation mit dem Saxophonisten Wang Ziheng, bei der die einzige Absprache in der Vorgabe "Lass uns einen Berg spielen!" bestand. Und ein Berg ist dieser über eine halbe Stunde lang mäandernd wandernde, den Gipfel erklimmende und weit in die Ferne schauende Drone wahrhaftig.

Gewaltig, fantasiereich, beeindruckend.

Erwähnenswert ist auch, dass bei WV Sorcerer nicht nur die Plattenveröffentlichungen, sondern auch die CD - hier mit eindrucksvoller Fotografie von Li Jianhong und schwarzer statt silberner Tonträgerrückseite - sehr liebevoll gestaltet sind.

OTAY:ONII - 冥冥 Míng Míng (CD) (2021)

Das Digisleeve und die hier goldene CD wissen auch bei Otay:onii sehr zu gefallen. Musikalisch ist das zweite Solowerk von Lane Shi Otayonii, zwischen New York und Shanghai pendelnde Sängerin der US-Shoegazeband Elizabeth Colour Wheel der umfangreichste stilistische Rundumschlag des hier rezensierten Trios.

Verantwortlich nicht nur für Gesang, sondern auch für sämtliche Instrumente und mich an die Neuauflage von Wang Wens   "0.7" erinnernde Gemälde, schafft die gebürtige Chinesin auf "Míng Míng" einen gewaltigen, genauso abwechslungsreichen wie ergreifenden, Klang gewordenen Bildteppich, der sowohl instrumental als auch dank ihrer stimmlichen Fähigkeiten Dead Can Dance und Björk, traditionelle Folklore und brutalen Elektro-Noise miteinschließt.

Bemängelnd kann ich an "Míng Míng" nur, dass es trotz immerhin acht Songs doch insgesamt recht kurz geraten ist. Ansonsten ist dieses enigmatische, für keine vorgefertigte Schublade geschaffene Werk nämlich ein nahezu unantastbares, künstlerisches Statement geworden, welches ich, wenn ich nicht alphabetisch sortieren würde, wohl zwischen Zola Jesus und dem Kaiti Kink Ensemble einsortieren würde. Oder in der immer weiter wachsenden Asien-Abteilung meiner Sammlung natürlich.

Verstecken muss sich Otay:onii auf jeden Fall vor absolut nichts und niemandem.

Was genau es übrigens bedeutet, dass die Absolventin des Berklee College zweimal den "Laurie Anderson Women in Technology"-Award verliehen bekommen hat, kann ich nicht beurteilen, aber rein von der Referenz her stimmt mein Bauch hier sofort zu.

Große Kunst!

BANDCAMP DAY Mai 2021 mit BRUTUS, SNEEZING PUS, VOMI NOIR und YAZZ AHMED

Dieses Hobby nimmt manchmal schon bekloppte Formen an. Ich komme zwar im Moment gar nicht hinterher, mir alles, was ich mir irgendwann an Ohrenfutter bestellt habe, nach Feierabend reinzupfeifen, und trotzdem musste ich an diesem ersten Freitag des Monats schon wieder pervers zu vieles einfach unbedingt haben. Dabei hätte es realistisch vernünftig pragmatisch langweilig betrachtet wahrscheinlich schon genügt, mich auf meine morgentliche Album- und abendliche Single-Vorbestellung außerhalb von Bandcamp zu beschränken.

Gerüchte sagen, dies sei der letzte Der-komplette-Gewinn-geht-an-die-Künstler-Tag gewesen, andere Quellen sagen, es geht doch noch das ganze Jahr so weiter. Naja, für mich zählt erstmal das Jetzt.
Und diesem habe ich über die Plattform diesmal zwei niederländische Kassetten geordert, die genau wie die auf einem peruanischen Label veröffentlichten, aus Polen gelieferten LPs zweier Bands aus Mexiko zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt von mir besprochen werden.

Aber nee, das war natürlich noch nicht alles:

BRUTUS - Burst ("Glow In The Dark" vinyl LP) (2017/2021)

Das belgische Trio Brutus um Drummerin/Sängerin Stefanie Manaerts steht schon eine ganze Weile auf meiner Merk-/Wunschliste, vor allem live, was ja nach wie vor... ihrwisstschon, aber auch auf Tonträger. Ist es Hardcore? Indie? Post Rock? Shoegaze auf Adrenalin? Wen kümmert es? Auf jeden Fall drückt Manaerts der Gruppe sowohl mit ihrem ungezügelt treibenden Schlagzeugspiel ihren Stempel auf, als auch mit ihren gleichzeitig punkig direkten wie beflügelt über allem schwebenden Gesang. Dass ich mich manchmal an die cleanen Vocals von Oathbreaker erinnert fühle, mag vielleicht am verwandten Akzent liegen - oder ich bilde es mir einfach ein.

Sicherer belegbar sind da wohl die stilistischen Parallelen der Band mit Esben And The Witch, von denen sie sich jedoch genügend unterscheiden, um eine eigene unverwechselbare Identität zu behaupten. Eigen, aber eingängig. 

Vielleicht ist mir das aber auch alles Banane und ich möchte einfach nur wissen, ob diese aktuelle Vinylneuauflage des Debütalbums tatsächlich im Dunkeln leuchtet. Beweisbilder werden nach Eintreffen der Scheibe nachgereicht!

[EDIT: Hmmm... ok. Das Ding sieht super aus und glimmt tatsächlich, wenn es ringsherum komplett dunkel ist. Das ist nur schwer zu fotografieren, wenn man keine Lust hat, für eine Langzeitbelichtung ein Stativ am Plattenspieler aufzubauen, haha. Deswegen jetzt doch nur die normalen Fotos im Hellen.]

YAZZ AHMED - Solo 7"s Vol. 1 (violet vinyl 7") (2021)

Weiter geht es mit einer alten Bekannten dieser Rubrik, der kontemporären britisch-bahrainischen Jazz-Großmeisterin Yazz Ahmed - deren Schallplattenveröffentlichungen mir neu - und dann noch mit Inselporto obendrauf - eigentlich immer ein bisschen zu teuer sind, weshalb ich mich tendenziell eher mit Download oder CD begnüge. Dies trifft auch für diese 7" zu, für deren elf Minuten Musik ich - insbesondere am Ende eines eh schon verschwenderischen Tages - verhältnismäßig schon etwas zu tief in die Tasche gegriffen habe.

Mit dem scheiß Titel hat sie mich aber rumgekriegt. Wenn das Format schon im Namen steht, dann will man irgendwie doch, dass auch stimmig ist. Das Ding "Solo Downloads" zu nennen, wäre für mich also ganz klar sparsamer ausgegangen. Dabei werde ich mit Sicherheit noch einige Monate nur mit dem Download/Stream  auskommen müssen, bis die Single tatsächlich gepresst werden kann.

Aber hey! Auch ohne etwas zum Anfassen ist die Musik ist auch richtig gut. Es handelt sich hier Soloaufnahmen an Trompete und Flügelhorn, allerdings unterstützt durch Elektronik bzw. über den Hintergrund eines "Polyhymnia" Remixes gespielt. Was mich darauf bringt, dass "Polyhymnia Remixed" ja auch schon seit Ewigkeiten in meiner Merkliste schlummert...

Aber was soll's, diese beiden Stücke, eines ein alternativer Teaser für Ahmeds nächstes Album, das andere ein neuer Take von "One Girl Among Many" glänzen wie gewohnt durch virtuoses ohrenstreichelndes und doch aufregend zwischen Orient, und nahem wie fernem Okzident gleitendem Spiel. Miles would smile. 

SNEEZING PUS / VOMI NOIR - Putrid Necrotomy / Toutes les Couleurs de la Cacophonie Humorale (download) (2019)

Und zu guter widerlicher Letzt gibt es noch einen garstig eitrigen Download. Allerdings auch nur, weil mir der gute tote Neanderhaler Rene Aquarius die auf individueller Zufallsfarbe gepresste 7" neulich schon als Goodie zur "Rat Licker" beilegte. Ich habe allerdings gerne von allen Tonträgern eine digitale Version und in diesem Fall noch keine Kopie erstellt. Also nichts wie her mit dem kranken Scheiß!

Beide Bands dieser extrakurzen Split-EP, sowohl Sneezing Pus, in denen Arbeitstier Aquarius die Drums blastet, als auch die Franzosen Vomi Noir spielen dreckigen Goregrind der ganz alten Carcass-Schule, und alles weitere, was ich über sie sagen könnte, bräuchte dreimal so lange niederzuschreiben wie die insgesamt sieben zwischen ein und zwei Minuten ähem... langen Tracks durch das Gedärm wüten. Spaßmusik, ganz klar. Und als superbes Gesamtpaket verpackt! Die 7" ist genauso großartig wie sick, oldschoolig und doch originell gestaltet. Kostet tut das Ding nur sechs Euro. Also nichts wie reingesprungen in den eklig splatternden Körpersubstanzenauswurfmix!

cassette craze chronicles II (feat. A/LPACA, ANGEL OLSEN, DHIDALAH, HIERONYMUS DREAM, LANA DEL REY, SOW DISCORD and THROWING BRICKS)

 

Still nothing to see here. Just a bunch of recently bought tapes, including some purchases from last Bandcamp Friday.

But let's start this with an emotional double whammy of my almost-namesake Angel Olsen:

ANGEL OLSEN - All Mirrors (2019)

I've had this one on my long I-should-get-this-one-day-list since it came out in 2019. Since that was before I started using this medium again, I surely wouldn't have bought it on tape. But now with a song titled "New Love Cassette" did I even have a different choice anymore?

Having released several works between the realms of reduced, almost folky singer/songwriter material and equally guitar-centered indie rock, "All Mirrors" was the album, where Olsen dialed up bombast and production to the maximum. The larger than life big sounds and strings could almost wash a lesser artist's performance away, but Angel Olsen sits in it very comfortably and uses especially the epic vintage arrangements to her full advantage to create a sparkling experience which channels the emotional integrity of Emma Ruth Rundle through the lens of Shirley Bassey.
Sincere, cinematic, huge!

ANGEL OLSEN - Whole New Mess (2020)

As big, shiny and glamourous "All Mirrors" had been, the album never fully relied on its fassade, but was rather an experiment in how far Angel Olsen could takes the songs, which were initially written just with her voice and guitar, into this aesthetic direction without "losing" them.

The raw and intimate "Whole New Mess" seems like the radical counterdraft. A break-up album, recorded inside a church, using the room's acoustics to create distorted, dirty echoes. Even though it's technically a rather stripped-down recording of mostly the same songs with slightly altered titles, the sonic imperfections and underlying depressive tone make it feel much heavier than "All Mirrors".

In fact the recording of "Whole New Mess" predates the previously released work, so you could view this as a demo version. The term could be misinterpreted as diminishing though. Which would be a shame, because this is in no way a "lesser" version. Just a very intense, different take. I think I might actually even like this a little more. Both albums are great, no question.

A/LPACA - Make It Better (2021)

There's also no question that the debut album from these punky Italian krautsters ist great, because d'oh, I just reviewed it two weeks ago. I broke my promise to order it on violet vinyl though. You know why. If you dig Karkara, Slift and the "Nonagon Infinity" direction of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, do yourself a favour and through this into your tapedeck!

DHIDALAH - No Water (2017)

The five year old tape from the Japanese power trio Dhidalah, which I was lucky to find an affordable copy of in the Discogs shop of Burning World Records, feels familiar for different reasons, as these two heavy stoner doom metal spacerock crossover jams refresh the memories of a killer Roadburn show in 2018. Ripper!

THROWING BRICKS - What Will Be Lost (2020)

And now lets get just a megaton angrier with a release I ordered on last  Bandcamp Friday from the leading tape label in my young collection, Tartarus Records.

The sludgy, droning blackened post hardcore doom quintet Throwing Bricks proves that Dutch shit smells the nastiest. The nine tracks of "What Will Be Lost" are a journey through everything distorted and oppressive. Oathbreaker, Cult Of Luna, Mizmor, Sunn O))), Vattnet Viskar, their label mates Farer and in their melodic moments also Alcest are all names this multi-faceted ferocious beast brings to mind. Crushing, noisy, desperate, overwhelming. A punch into the face which disintegrates it like the one on the cover artwork.

SOW DISCORD - Quiet Earth (2021)

Continuing with the punishing art of discomfort, the list of bands from which the industrial black noise project Sow Discord recruits its guest musicians on the dystopian (or probably rather realistic/pragmatic) stocktaking "Quiet Earth", already reads like the promise of a world of pain: The Body, Primitive Man, My Disco. Fuck!
Somewhere in the sweet easy listening spot between JK Flesh, Merzbow and early Laibach vibes, yet with its own variation of dark spoken words vocals, this album wants you to rightfully hate humanity and does a pretty good job at it. But come on, David Coen, the man behind the rusty spikey curtain, is also the electronics guy of Australian doom steamrollers Whitehorse. So what else can you really expect but brilliant bleakness!

HIERONYMUS DREAM - Clairvoyance (2020)

Too much oppression now? Need someone to lift you up again?

Just when I thought I had already spend enough money on Bandcamp Friday and the week before, here come the sodding Psych Lovers on facebook guiding my attention to a special super-limited re-release of last year's debut EP "Clairvoyance" from the Greek instrumental band Hieronymus Dream, which included not only the "Weird Beard Tapes" strip for braggers, a beer mat and a nice t-shirt with a depiction of said beer mat, but above all with "Second Trail Of Alcyone" a new 13 minute bonus track on the B-Side.

What made me immediately buy this however is the sweet crystal-clear and warm sound. This floyd-fueled kraut engine runs so smoothly... you just tie yourself to its rear with a yarn thread and float in its wind like a happy kite in love. "Dream" in the band's name approved!

And while we're already up in the air now...

LANA DEL REY - Chemtrails Over The Country Club (2021)

Damn, eight tapes is a lot to talk about for such a little collective review. And after all that experimental and krauty and noisy mainstream stuff, I'm glad to finally support the underdogs once more and close this post with the new tape of a promising young American singer, who I really believe will one day be selling her albums also on CDs and vinyl all over the world.

It's a new Lana Del Rey album, so the expectations are pretty much set - and met. "Chemtrails Over The Country Club" starts close to where "Norman Fucking Rockwell" left off, with Del Rey's hightened pop persona equally ripened to a state that expertly balances the naiveté of her ex-lolita image and her typical piling of pop culture references with a healthy dose of cynicism - and above all a flawless vocal performance and damn good instrumental arrangements, which leave nothing to be desired and feel even more like one consistent band throughout the whole album this time.

The "features", which were a mixed bag on "Lust For Life" are back again, but this time Lana's three singer/songwriter sisters Nikki Lane, Weyes Blood and Zella Day, who join her on "Breaking Up Slowly" and even close the album on the Joni Mitchell cover "For Free", fit right into the organic, dreamy, nostalgic folk ballad appeal of this once again perfect summation of how great pop music can actually be.

There are brutal earworm battles being fought between Lana and Angel Olsen in my head right now for sure.

BANDCAMP DAY März 2021 mit KUKANGENDAI und ... ähm...

Ok, ich bin heute schreib- und auch etwas hörfaul. Deswegen werde ich den größten Teil meines Bandcamp Friday-Einkauf zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt in einem neuen Segment der "Cassette Craze Chronicles" behandeln, wenn die Dinger bei mir eingetroffen sind.

Rein digitale Veröffentlichung habe ich diesmal nicht von meiner Merkliste getilgt. Bleibt also als Thema hier und heute nur noch eine LP übrig, die erstmals vorletztes Jahr auf Stephen O'Malleys Label Ideologic Organ erschien. 

KUKANGENDAI - Palm (LP) (2019)

Die japanische Band mag mit Gitarre, Bass und Schlagzeug vielleicht wie ein klassisches Rock-Powertrio aufgestellt sein, doch da hört der einfach erklärbare Teil auch schon auf.

Kukangendai schaffen es irgendwie, polyrhythmisch anspruchsvoller als die professionell verkopftesten Jazz- und Progrockkapellen zu klingen und dabei doch nur peripher in beiden Sparten verortbar zu sein.

Der extrem experimentelle Rocksound mit starker Funk und Dub-Schlagseite ist in seinem kontrolliertem Chaos niemals wirklich nachvollziehbar, bleibt durch die beinahe schon entspannte Performance jedoch paradoxerweise erstaunlich leicht hörbar.

Ok, das ist wie so oft eine sehr relative Aussage, aber ernsthaft: Wenn man nicht gerade beim ersten Hören versucht, Hirnverknoter wie "Hi-Vision" zu dechiffrieren und die absolut irren Arrangements einfach als den eigenen Musikverstand übersteigend hinnimmt, ist es einfach nur ein irre cooler, irgendwie ursprünglicher und in seiner Einzigartigkeit faszinierender Sound, mit dem Kukangendai einen hier umspülen.

Am ehesten kann ich hier punktuell den Einfluss von King Crimson und mehr noch Blind Idiot God erkennen. Ein bisschen Khruangbin, Postrock, einige ganz subtile Japanismen kann man sich auch noch hineinhören, doch im Großen und ganzen ist "Palm" eine fernab aller gewohnten Normen und Konventionen stattfindende, in sich selbst stimmig geschlossene Erfahrung.

Dieses Album ist ganz klar ein rarer musikalischer Schatz, und ich kann es kaum erwarten, diesen auf schwarzem Gold drehen zu lassen.