Sometimes German, sometimes English. • The title of this blog used to change from time to time. • Interested in me reviewing your music? Please read this! • I'm also a writer for VeilOfSound.com. • Please like and follow Audiovisual Ohlsen Overkill on Facebook!
Posts mit dem Label Emma Ruth Rundle werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label Emma Ruth Rundle werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen

2024-08-22

(D)EMMA RUTH RUNDLE und JON SAMUEL ARDRON live im Knust, Hamburg (20. August 2024)


D? Wer ist diese Demma Ruth Rundle? Die Frage muss wohl an den Programmplakatdesigner des Knust weitergegeben werden.

Meine Vermutung ist ja, dass hier irgendwie die Show der Band, die am Dienstag Abend bis direkt vor Einlass im Außenbereich des Clubs auf dem Lattenplatz spielte, mit hineingeraten ist. Jene Gruppe fing nämlich auch mit "De" an. Den Rest habe ich vergessen und schaue ich jetzt auch nicht nach, denn so sehr wie jene semiakustische Alternative Songwriter Pop (?)-Gruppe habe ich trotz solider handwerklicher Leistung sehr lange keine Band mehr Belanglosigkeit pflegen gehört.

Wer früh kommt, der wird halt nicht immer belohnt. Aber ich hatte auf dem Weg nach Hamburg halt noch ein, zwei Dinge zu erledigen und war deswegen zeitig losgefahren.

Außerdem brannten mir - einen Euro in die falsche-Redewendungskasse - zugegebermaßen auch etwas die Hummeln unterm Hintern, da ich es nach zweimonatigem Konzerthiatus seit Chelsea Wolfe nicht erwarten konnte, endlich wieder vor eine Livebühne zu kommen.





JON SAMUEL ARDRON

Auf dieser eröffnete Jon Samuel Ardron vor gut gefülltem Haus mit einer Klavierimprovisation das Geschehen.
Oder doch nicht? Zumindest dachte ich das. Nach der wenigen Vorabinformation, die ich mir gegönnt hatte, nahm ich sicher an, dass die etwas über eine halbe Stunde lange Nummer im Moment entstanden sein musste. Es kann sich tatsächlich aber auch sehr gut um seine auf Bandcamp präsentierte Komposition "Body of Abel" gehandelt haben. Oder liegt die Wahrheit irgendwo dazwischen?

Wie auch immer, es fühlte sich zumindest wie eine exzellente, wunderschön atmosphärische Improvisation an. Moderne Klassik mit populärmusikalischen und jazzigen Einsprengseln, und vor allem eine tiefe introspektive Stimmung, die mir vorkam, als hätte er reichlich Emma Ruth Rundles "Engine of Hell" zur Inspiration gehört. Was natürlich traumhaft passte und den Auftritt zu einem echten, künstlerisch auf die nachfolgende Show vorbereitenden Support im echten Sinne machte.

Nur folgerichtig war danach, dass auch während der Umbaupause die Atmosphäre durch die Kirchenorgelklänge von Anna von Hausswolff's "All Thoughts Fly" nicht gebrochen wurde. 






EMMA RUTH RUNDLE

Wasser, Wetter, Ähren und Pferde. Das waren die Motive, welche die visuelle Präsentation von Emma Ruth Rundles Performance bestimmten. Und anfangs war ich mir tatsächlich nicht sicher, ob die Sängerin passend zum Fokus dieser Tour auf ihr zehn Jahre altes Album "Some Heavy Ocean" einen strandtauglichen Schwimmeinteiler trug. Spoiler: nö. Glaube ich zumindest, haha. Ich bin mit meinen Annahmen ja schon weiter oben bei Jon Samuel Ardron ins Schwimmen geraten

Bis auf die elektrische Zugabe "Real Big Sky" begleitete sich Emma nur selbst auf der Akustikgitarre, welche anders als auf der letzten, komplett naturalistisch minimalistischen Tour aber diesmal reichlich durch den shoegazigen Effektboardwolf gedreht wurde.
Dadurch - und natürlich auch der Abstinenz eines Klaviers und des neueren Somgmaterials (nur "Citadel" stand von "Engine of Hell" auf der Setliste) geschuldet - fühlte sich dieser Auftritt ohne Band sehr viel anders an als die bestuhlte 2022er Show im Uebel und Gefährlich.

Stattdessen kam dies in sicherlich nicht ganz so magischer, aber dafür sehr viel selbstsicherer Form Roadburn 2017 nahe. Das war für mich als Zeuge dieser sowohl für das Festival als auch die Künsterlin wegweisenden, ohne Übertreibung legendären ersten Show ohne ihre Band vielleicht das einzige Problem ihrer aktuellen Rückkehr zum "Some Heavy Ocean" / "Marked For Death"-Programm:

Es war eine wunderbare Hommage und auch für sich allein ungeheuer starke Show, die neben der magischen Emotionalität ihres Gesangs auch die Klasse Rundles als mit eigenen Klängen, Farben und eigenwilligen Tunings brillierende Instrumentalistin in den Fokus stellte.
Doch ein Once-in-a-lifetime-Ereignis wie jene Offenbarung in Tilburg damals lässt sich auch beim allerbesten Bemühen natürlich einfach nicht reproduzieren. Das kann und darf man auch nicht verlangen. Es ist einfach nur schwer, sich von einem Eindruck wie 2017 als Messlatte gerade einer im Prinzip so ähnlichen Show zu trennen. Nicht Emmas Schuld. Ok, ein bisschen schon.

Trotzdem bleibt magisch natürlich magisch. Und das war dieser warme Abend am Ozean im Knust auf jeden Fall. Kraftvollere Ereignisse als Emma Ruth Rundle alleine mit Gitarre, Mikro und gelegentlich aufrüttelnd aufs Parkett krachender Stiefelsohle gibt es generell nur wenige.

Dafür nahm ich dann auch gerne eine leicht rädernde Nacht in Kauf. Da ich nämlich sehr früh aus dem Bett gefallen war und auch nach deswegen vorgezogenem Feierabend zu keinem Nickerchen zwischendurch gekommen war, verlängerte sich meine einstündige Heimfahrt diesmal um rekordverdächtige zwei Stunden Autobahnrastplatz-Nothaltschlaf. Nicht empfehlenswert, aber ich würde es für ein Konzert dieser Klasse ohne mit der müden Wimper zu zucken jederzeit wieder tun.








2023-09-01

Bandcamp Friday haul September 2023 feat. BONG-RA, BZAAT, CAZAYOUX and EMMA RUTH RUNDLE


Ouch, my wallet! Why is the first Friday of the month so early? Well, here are four artists who shut up and took my money for digital releases today:




BZAAT - Funkoholics (2022)

I saw Hadar Levi (guitar) and Aviv Mainzer (drums) aka Bzaat smashing the small Woodbunge Festival in July and I've been wearing the shirt dedicated to their song "Kill Confirmed" ever since. Time to finally get the album then, right?

"Funkoholics" consists of eight tracks of brain-melting instrumental Heavy Funky Orientally Grungy Mathy Hardcory Assy-Kicky Rock with a guitar seemingly inspired in equal parts by Morello, Weinmann and Hendrix.
And the only reason I excluded the ninth track "Staring Inside" is that it surprisingly has vocals, so I guess there's also a little King's X comparison in the mix.
It doesn't make sense to put these insane Israelis into a box anyway - they will immediately jump out of it.

This duo, this album - it's just pure fucking fun!  






EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - Engine Of Hell - Live at Roadburn (2023)

The memories and emotions triggered by this release are quite different, yet at least equally as precious. Emma Ruth Rundle's intimate "Engine of Hell" is still as wonderful as the day it came out and seeing it performed live in full was an almost magical experience. For me that was in Hamburg, since I had missed the premiere performance at Roadburn due to clashes.

So here it is and Emma capturing the completely silent audience in the packed 013 only with her voice, piano and acoustic guitar is as wonderfully moving as expected.
Nothing is cut between the songs, because her humbly and humorously talking about the songs and the transformative meaning of the festival for her is a crucial part of this album, which makes it whole and gives it another dimension than the studio recording additionally to the overwhelming emotional power of those songs themselves.

As an encoure she plays - on piano, not organ - the "Pump Organ Song" from the "Orpheus Looking Back" EP.






CAZAYOUX - Rendezvous (2022)

I just reviewed the self-titled debut album of this great Latin / World Jazz Fusion band from Texas, named after and led by drummer Forest Carazoux. If you've heard and enjoyed that one you'll surely have a great time with this preceding EP from last year, too.
Six tracks, mostly short, but filled to the brim with classy brassy funky summer vibes. Carazoux just play the sound of joy. If this isn't ultimate feelgood music, what on Earth is?






BONG-RA - Vaseline (2023)

He does this on purpose, right? Jason Köhnen has so many different musical outlets at hand to follow all his manifold ideas and inspirations, yet Bong-Ra, the once solo project, which he had transformed into an epic, droning and sludgy Doom Metal meets Jazz and World Music band, now suddenly returns  with an EP in the old Breakcore Electronic style. Ok, you're not confusing anyone.

But of course I'm not complaining, otherwise I wouldn't have bought this, right? There are still floating synths, which build a loose common atmospheric thread. It's only that now the mood isn't crushed by brutal distorted bass, but by a Jungle of super hard beats and noises. And what can I say? It rules! Wild stuff for friends of JK Flesh.

Slides in like... no sorry... Let's leave titles and artwork out of this mini review, before it gets silly, alright?







2022-12-03

MUSIC 2022: TOP 13 live shows

I've already chosen my TOP 7 favorite live albums of 2022, so now it's time for the even more live thing, being performances I witnessed in the flesh! And the winner is... *drumroll*... Jo Quail, who made it onto both of the following lists!

Ok seriously: Isn't it fantastic that live music is back to normal? - No, it's not, because it actually still isn't back. On the surface much has returned to how it was before 2020, I've only been to two shows, which still required special covid measures - and one of those still took the first place in the following ranking. But there are still many canceled or shortened tours, an overabundance of shows leading to smaller audiences, because you just cannot go everywhere - especially during a time of crisis and inflation. But what can I do about it? I just try to enjoy as much of it as I can, I guess. If enough of us do, live music beyond the Ticketmaster monopoly giants might survive after all.

Of course many more concerts would have deserved to be mentioned here, but I'm trying not to go too far overboard with these things this year, which is quite a hard exercise. I think a top 7 for club and solo shows and a top 6 for festival appearances seem like a reasonable ratio to the total of live music I've been enjoying in 2022. 




TOP 7 CLUB/SOLO SHOWS 2022:


  1. LAIBACH "Wir sind das Volk" - Kampnagel, Hamburg

    Halfway between a regular Laibach show (whatever that means by now) and a theater play "We Are The People" was a dark kaleidoscopic revue of memory fragments circling around German identity in the wake of Third Reich and WWII, featuring songs and text passages interpreted in stellar performances by professional actors and backed up by an especially sinister version of the band, including iconic frontman and "Angel of Desperation" Milan Fras and extended with the drummer boy duo The Stroj. It's a shame that I only took pictures of Peter Mlakar's following speech about love on this special night to remember, yet in my head this deeply thought-provoking is still present in vivid imagery.

  2. BJÖRK + RUNDFUNK-SINFONIEORCHESTER BERLIN - Waldbühne Berlin

    Admittedly I prefer my events to take place in tinier locations where you can for example actually see what kind of extravagant dress the singer is wearing. But of course I've just waited a couple of decades too long for my first live encounter with Björk, so a first row club show was unlikely and this distanced experience among many thousand other seated fans had to suffice. And "suffice" still translates to the memory of an absolutely magical night. What Björk's ageless voice and the strings-only orchestra conjured under the perfect Berlin summer sky cannot be put into adequate words. 

  3. IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT - Hafenklang, Hamburg

    It remains unfathomable how a black metal band can not only unleash such a tornado of cataclysmic destruction, but also be so deeply rooted and knowledgable in everything jazz while doing it. With its unique avantgarde extremism sound, the stoic masks putting a face to the Metropolitan moloch from which they draw their inspiration, and of course insane, jaw-dropping performances the New York trio left no doubt that they are rampaging on the forefront of defining the future of metal. Or at least of the corner of metal which is relevant.
     
  4. ORANSSI PAZUZU - headCRASH, Hamburg

    There is a reason why one of my favorite fashion combinations of this year is to wear my Imperial Triumphant hoodie together with the Oranssi Pazuzu longsleeve. Labyrinthian, clearly geometric yet hardly decipherable, structures within structures over a lovecraftiapocalyptic backdrop - there has seldom been a piece of merch depicting the actual music so accurately.  Oranssi's blackened psychedelic polyrhythm prog trip is one of the most singular and hypnotic experiences metal has to offer right now. And the insane package with Deafkids and Sturle Dagsland made this night even more memorable.

  5. VOIVOD - Indra Musikclub, Hamburg

    It shouldn't surprise anyone that every Voivod show I attend will always reappear in these end of the year rankings. Nothing against Opeth, but Hamburg got really lucky that they took a day off, which their support band used for this steamy, sweaty, smelly demolition of a headlining show. As always the new material didn't have to hide from the classics one bit and the energy level didn't betray that they (well, at least half of them) are doing this since the early 1980's. SciFiProgThrashParty excellence!

  6. EMMA RUTH RUNDLE "Engine of Hell" + JO QUAIL - Uebel & Gefährlich, Hamburg

    I'm not crying, you're crying! No, seriously, I wasn't crying. But like the rest of the audience I was silently spellbound by the exhaustless emotional power Emma Ruth Rundle set free just with her voice and piano or acoustic guitar. Having missed the live premiere of "Engine of Hell" at Roadburn it was a blessing to experience this performance in a more intimate setting now. Touring together with Jo Quail, who played a mostly rather delicate set this night and also kept Emma company for one song, was a congenial choice.

  7. KIKAGAKU MOYO - Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin

    What a happy sad farewell! Japanese kraut magicians Kikagaku Moyo have achieved far more than they would have ever dreamed of with their band that they once started as a jam collective on the streets of Tokyo, and they decided to go at the pinnacle of their popularity. As bummed out as I was not to have a final chance to see them in Northern Germany, as excited I got when I discovered that their Berlin show was just one night before I was in town to see Björk anyway. In front of a packed house and supported by Mong Tong this show was an ecstatic psych rock superlative if I ever saw one. Dōmo arigatō! It might take a long while until we'll see a band like this again.







TOP 6 FESTIVAL SHOWS 2022:


  1. Profoundly emotional, meaningful and real. Milena Eva working through her much too common personal trauma on the big 013 stage was as brave as it was a beautiful and connecting experience.
    Seldom have I seen an artist being welcomed by such an air of respect. Surrounded by a band plus string ensemble who more than lived up to the gravity of the moment, she thanked the audience with an unforgetable performance, which came very close to moving me to tears.


  2. SENYAWA - Roadburn Festival

    There is no other band which sounds even close to the unexpectedly heavy experimental mix of tribalistic traditions, drone, noise and industrial of the Javanese duo Senyawa. While Wukir Suryadi's performance on his self-made instruments was already worth its own show, it were the completely out of this world wailing, shouting, snarling, screeching, grunting, throat-singing, whistling and animal-noising vocals of Rully Shabara which made the crowd speechless in enthusiastic disbelief.   


  3. LILI REFRAIN - Roadburn Festival

    How can one single person on a stage evoke so much mystical energy? Lili Refrain seemingly stepped outside another dimension which is made purely of the magic and communion of music and put the whole Hall of Fame under her spell. Over gigantic looped walls of percussion, electronics and guitar her voice ascended to transcendent heights which easily rival the planes Anna von Hauswolff, Heilung's Maria Franz or Amalie Bruun aka Myrkur call their heavenly home.


  4. JO QUAIL "The Cartographer" - Roadburn Festival

    On a festival edition stacked with commissioned projects "The Cartographer" certainly was the most ambitious and musically atypical one. With the blessing of absolute artistic autonomy Jo Quail composed a captivating classical suite with metal influences for her electric cello plus electric violin, piano, two orchestral percussionists, eight trombones and two vocalists. The perfectly nailed performance of this outstanding piece, which any fan of Bear McCreary's soundtrack work should embrace and which has also been released as a studio recording, was an overwhelming triumph. 


  5. MARTINA VERHOEVEN QUINTET - Roadburn Festival

    A state of almost hallucinatory exhaustion, which elevated the intensity of this free jazz tohubohu to an experience beyond regular perception might have helped to bump this show up a couple of ranks on this list. Yet as proven on the already released live album this fifty minute eruption of improvisation by pianist Martina Verhoeven and her brilliantly cast ensemble of guitar, saxophone, upright bass and drums really was a world-class gathering of incredible musical momentum.


  6. SOLAR TEMPLE x DEAD NEANDERTHALS "Embers Beget The Divine" - Right On Mountain Festival

    Wow, finally an entry on this list not from Roadburn! Sorry, I've only been to three festivals this year and two of those were just one-nighters... And this joint performance too was actually premiered at Roadburn, but clashes forced me to omit most of the show. Luckily its repeat in Nijmegen gave me a second chance to fully indulge in its cathartic blast of unstoppable brutal majesty.
    After almost equally fantastic performances of both Neptunian Maximalism and Temple Fang I was actually surprised that this one still ended up flooring me the most at the Right On Mountain Festival.   






2022-10-16

EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - EG2: Dowsing Voice

No matter where you start with Emma Ruth Rundle and how amazing that first encounter may be; chances are pretty high that you will still gloriously underestimate her. She's just a way too complex and multi-faceted artist to give away all her talents in one single instance.

Guitarist, singer/songwriter, composer, but also painter and photographer. It seems like if something stirs her interest, she will obsess over it and inavoidably utilize it in manner which is much more than just presentable. Just look to what amazing fruition her interest in video and theater has  come in the visual companions to her last album "Engine of Hell"!

One other art form in which she truly exceeds is understatement. Talking about her latest work - which she naturally doesn't do that much, since she's still touring with the previous album - she's jokingly using terms like weird art project and chose to introduce it to us with the for many fans probably most alienating video single track possible. It's almost as if she was flirting with the idea of this work (which had actually already been completely finished before she had even started writing "Engine") being a failure. Which of course it absolutely isn't.



EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - Electric Guitar 2: Dowsing Voice (transparent red vinyl LP) (2022)

Rundle's first solo album in 2011 was a droning atmospheric instrumental work, developed during touring with Red Sparowes in 2010 exclusively on guitar and aptly named "Electric Guitar I". Obviously this is a continuation of that debut, but the premise is a little bit different, since this time she's also using field recordings and - even more important - her voice.
I hear what you're asking: Why then not just treating it like a regular album? The answer (or at least a part of it) is that the vocals here are improvised and very different from what we're used to hear from her, the challenging single "In The Cave Of The Cailleach's Death-Birth" with its Inuit style throat singing only being the most obvious example.

Where "EG 1" had track titles like "Oslo" or "Göteburg" indicating the places of their inception, most of "Dowsing Voice" depicts a different, much more ancient and mystical journey, inspired by Emma  Ruth Rundle traveling on her own through Wales for one month in 2020, while the final track "In Sadness For Our Dying World", which features guest vocals from Mizmor's A.L.N. was recorded in Loisville, Kentucky. That's at least how I understand it without the photographic art book, which accompanies a limited edition of the album and probably introduces some more context than just the track titles.

But luckily you're not inevitably dependent on further context or explanation to enjoy this extremely evocative music.
Between floating ambient sounds and twangy half-acoustic licks, which bring back to mind her being a collaborator on Dylan Carlson's "Conquistador", this album spans a remarkably wide range within its eerie minimalistic framework. And that's not even considering the vocals, which showcase Emma Ruth Rundle in her most versatile form as she switches from her usual soft and wailing expressions to snarling fry tones, myrkuresque banshee voices and experimentations in Galas tradition, which you would rather expect from her Sargent House labelmate Lingua Ignota.

I can relate to the artist downplaying this work, since a lot of it is only based on improvisation and recorded only with an iphone. In truth however "Electric Guitar 2: Downsing Voice" stands on its own just as strong as any other release Emma Ruth Rundle has ever been involved in. You can even understand it as the dark subconscious twin of "Engine Of Hell", which is similar in its emotional directness and stripped-down character. It's just a much more ghostly side of this coin.

Of course some fans who lean more to the classic singer/songwriter narrative will have problems with it. But even if it may not be your cup of cake, I think it's mandatory to applaud an artist who constantly explores new sides of herself and finds the bravery to step far out of her known comfort zone.
This album goes so far with that - if you had handed it to me with a couple of Chinese letters and a WV Sorcerer Productions logo on the cover, I would have probably believed you that this a whole different experimental musician. Who from time to time reminds me of Emma Ruth Rundle of course.

And I know that Wales isn't located in Asia - just in case you're wondering.

This a great exploration of wordlessly poetic myth, a wonderful soundtrack to legends that have never been. Can this artist even ever do wrong?









2022-07-20

EMMA RUTH RUNDLE und JO QUAIL im Uebel & Gefährlich, Hamburg (19. Juli 2022)


Ganz schön warm war's gestern für einen zwanzigsten Februar! Das war jedenfalls das Datum, welches noch auf meinem Ticket für Emma Ruth Rundle stand. Man fragt sich ja schon, ob man alle verschobenen Shows noch irgendwann nachholt - bis April 2023 ist bei mir derzeit der Plan -, oder ob im Herbst nicht eine Welle neuer Verschiebungen einsetzt.

Doch zurück zum Wetter: Es war eigentlich schon fast zu warm. Also so wie heute. Im Inneren des Hochbunkers am Heiligengeistfeld allerdings ließ es sich angenehm klimatisiert gut aushalten. Noch dazu hielt sich die persönliche Anstrengung generell im Rahmen, stand doch - für mich nun schon zum dritten Mal hintereinander ein Sitzkonzert auf dem Programm. Mein bequemer Arsch beginnt allmählich, sich daran als normal zu gewöhnen.
Musikalisch war die Bestuhlung aber durchaus gerechtfertigt, stand doch eher introspektive Gefühlsmusik zum stillen Einwirkenlassen an.



JO QUAIL

Ok, ich relativiere jetzt mal ein bisschen: Die zu meiner großen Freude als Opener präsente Jo Quail ist natürlich auch im Stehen bzw. in Bewegung ein Hörgenuss, so wie zuvor bereits im Dezember 2019 als Support von Mono erlebt. Und dann war da natürlich auch noch ihre gewaltige Premiere von "The Cartographer" mit großem Ensemble auf der Hauptbühne des Roadburn-Festivals. Doch hier stand die endlos sympathische Britin wieder alleine mit ihrem E-Cello und der Magie der Loop-Station auf der Bühne und entlockte ihrem Instrument in anspruchsvollen Kompositionen eine unglaubliche Fülle an atmosphärischen, harmonischen, melodischen und rhythmischen Klängen.

Obwohl es auch ein paar vielschichtige, mächtige Crescendi gab, die ich später auf der Heimfahrt gerne auf ihrem 2018er Album "Exsolve" nachgehört habe, merkte man schon, dass es sich im Schnitt um ein ruhigeres Set als während der Mono-Tour handelte. Das wunderbar entspannende, sehr klassisch orientierte Stück "Between Two Waves", welches einen tatsächlich sehr bildlich an ein zauberhafte Meeresküste entführte, ist nicht das Material, welches man einem betrunkenen Allweltsfestivalpublikum vorsetzen könnte.

Auch wenn Jo mit sich selbst ein paar Mal kritisch amüsiert ins Gericht ging und auf die Studioversion verwies, handelte es sich natürlich um eine großartige Performance einer tollen originären Künstlerin.

Nebenbei war heute nicht nur mein drittes Sitzkonzert in Folge, sondern Jo Quail war nach Björk und dem Quartet Berlin-Tokyo in Berlin ebenso das dritte Konzert hintereinander, welches instrumental nur von von Streichinstrumenten bestritten wurde. Das ist auch mal eine sehr unerwartete Statistik.  










EMMA RUTH RUNDLE

Dass Emma Ruth Rundles Fähigkeit, ihr Publikum komplett in den Bann zu schlagen, zunimmt, je weniger Mitmusiker sie begleiteten, ist ein Phänomen, welches mir bereits bekannt war. (obligatorischer Verweis auf Roadburn 2017 HIER!) Es bleibt dennoch beeindruckend, zu erleben, wie still ein mit hunderten Besuchern gefüllter Club an ihren Lippen hängen kann. Und so pur und unverstärkt wie hier, nur an akustischer (statt elektrischer) Gitarre oder Klavier, hatte ich sie bislang noch nicht gesehen.

Dieser Auftritt, den Emma in einem schwarz-weiß geteilten, an das Video von "Return" angelehnten Outfit begann, war tatsächlich maximal reduziert - nur ein einziger Spot Licht auf ihr (blöd für meine kleine Spielzeugkamera, der das zu wenig war) und der ganz große Mut zu leisen, beinahe schon geflüsterten, doch stets voll kontrollierten Tönen. Die Zuhörerschaft war so leise, dass der Dialog ihres manchmal knarrenden Klavierhockers mit den Sitzen des Publikums und dem gelegentlich umkippenden Leergut schon genauso als Teil der Performance zu werten waren, wie jedes kleine Quietschen ihrer Gitarrensaiten.

Emma Ruth Rundles Superpower - und auch dies sage ich nicht zum ersten Mal -, sind ihre Emotionen und wie direkt sie sie in ihrer Kunst teilen kann. Wen diese Stimme live unberührt lässt, der sollte sich beim Seelenklempner checken lassen! Dass sie daneben auch noch eine begabte Songwriterin ist, hilft natürlich auch.

Gespielt wurde wie erwartet das komplette letztjährige Album "Engine Of Hell". Dazu gab es als Zugabe noch "Living With The Black Dog".
Und für "Citadel", vorletzter Song des Albums und einziges Stück, vor welchem Emma nicht ihr Instrument wechselt, kam wie auch in der Studioversion Jo Quail am Cello zurück auf die Bühne. Das war nicht nur musikalisch schön anzuhören, sondern zeigte auch schnell, dass die menschliche Chemie auf dieser Tour hervorragend sein musste. Diese Konstellation passte schon von Humor und Bühnenverhalten her zusammen, noch bevor man überhaupt das stimmige musikalische Paket betrachtet. Und jenes war einfach magisch.

Was für ein wundervoller Sommerabend! Und das im Februar.








2022-04-05

EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - Orpheus Looking Back

Oh dear, April 1st was so busy. Maybe I forgot it over the outrage that a certain huge artist stole images of mine for a cover album (Read the legendary review by fellow Veil of Sound writer Gene HERE!) or I was just too busy enjoying and reviewing other new stuff... However I forgot to acknowledge that I indeed bought a non-physical new item on Bandcamp Friday - for which my blog still demands an immediate write-up.

Well, is there even much to say about it? It's Emma Ruth Rundle, it will probably be great, right?

I'm struggling a bit with Emma, not personally of course, but with her position in the newly released running order for the finally approaching Roadburn Festival. She'll be just in the centre of a huge clash cluster on Saturday, so I'll probably have to be content with skipping a heart-stopping show in favour of either at least part of a three-hour combined Lustmord/Karin Park/Årabrot performance or the mindblowing Kanaan, since I've already got my ticket for the postponed ERR date in Hamburg. It's still a painful decision lying ahead there, though.

But hey, let's talk about the music, shall we?


EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - Orpheus Looking Back (download) (2022)

Three tracks from the "Engine Of Hell" sessions, which somehow didn't make it on this raw and pure acoustic masterpiece. Maybe they didn't fit into the flow of the album. Maybe there just wasn't enough running time left, even though these are all quite short pieces around three minutes each.

"Gilded Cage" and "St. Non" both being acoustic guitar songs, may have disturbed the piano/guitar ratio.  They are both as intimate and beautiful as anything we've heard on "Engine" and a great addition to this artistic phase.

The stand-out track however is "Pump Organ Song".
Who would have thought, but it's indeed a song performed on a pump organ. And that's quite an interesting and captivating new sound in Emma Ruth Rundle's repertoire.

All in all "Orpheus Looking Back" is just the wonderful little EP you'd expect - with the only flaw being the lack of physical form. Its length is obviously made for a 7" release.







2021-12-18

MUSIC 2021: TOP 21 albums



Yes, in anticipation of the coming year (20+22=42) all signs are on silly numerology here. So after my 7 favorite live shows, 7 favorite live albums and 7 favorite non-album releases, it's only consequent to present my top 21 albums of the year now, to make the number which explains everything, 42, full again. But since 21 really isn't that much for this category, I've coupled each position with one more or less fitting extra recommendation. So yeah baby, we got 42 again.

The general rules are: This is my own fucking personal ranking, so no whining is allowed. It's only about albums which I already own in some form. It does not include reissues (my favorites are the first vinyl version of Brian Ellis's "Quipo" and the 25th Anniversary Edition of "Relaxing With..." The Heads), unless there hasn't been a physical release before. Following that logic also all releases, where I'm still waiting for my copy (I'm looking at you, Rostro Del Sol, Zaäar, The Lovecraft Sextet...) aren't considered until next year.
And of course there's also stuff still coming in now, which is just too late to the game.

As always - and most important: Music shouldn't be a competition anyway, so after the first couple of places the order really doesn't matter much and could be different on any day depending on my mood. So with all that being said, here are my...


TOP 21 ALBUMS 2021:

    1. AD NAUSEAM - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse

      It's already hard to be more death metal than the Italians Ad Nauseam. But it's close to impossible to push the genre into more unique, unheard territories of dissonant avant-garde than they do on "Imperative Imperceptible Impulse". Armed with their very own tuning, tons of dynamics and brutal virtuosity they created a sick masterpiece that makes most other metal albums look like elevator music in comparison. Listening to this double album might risk your sanity, but I prefer to imagine that it rather stimulates my cerebral receptiveness. A gift that keeps giving!



      One other boundless, yet in its loyalty to the core idea of the genre still somehow astonishingly pure death metal release of comparable magnitude is "Poison Palinopsia" by Qrixkuor. It consists of just two mammoth-tracks, over twenty-four minutes each, which fly by like a swarm of puking winged demons.





    2. SENYAWA - Alkisah

      Rooted in folklore, drone and unbridled experimentalism, amplified by self-build string, percussion and noise instruments and the exceptional vocal presence of Rully Shabara, the Indonesian duo Senyawa conjures a timeless spirituality and primal heaviness. While this music couldn't be more singular, its distribution is manifold, as "Alkisah" has been released in dozens of alternative versions by various labels all around the globe. The CN Edition by WV Sorcerer Productions, which includes a bonus CD with well-made remixes is a perfect package inside and outside.



      Senyawa also recently released their second (so far only digital) album of 2021. "Membaladakan Keselamatan (Ballads for the Survivors)" features acoustic reinterpretations of songs from previous albums and proves that even reduced to only acoustic guitar and voice the band's music is still incredible impactful, heavy, amazing.





    3. LINGUA IGNOTA - Sinner Get Ready

      The day has yet to come, when I will write something about Lingua Ignota and feel that I have done Kristin Hayter's art any justice. Even after dialing the obvious noise and brutality from "Caligula" down on her new wrath opus "Sinner Get Ready" and replacing it with a more naturalistic, folkloristic sound that sometimes even includes pure, pristine beauty, the way she channels heaviest themes and personal experience into profound, emotionally touching (if not even oppressing) art, is just one of a kind. A mercilessly uncompromising and unforgiving gospel that cannot leave you indifferent.



      Fans of Lingua Ignota should also check out "Mausoleum" by the Latvian trio Pamirt, whose singer Kristiāna Kārkliņa does not only remind of Hayter, but also takes notes from Jarboe, Anna von Hausswolff and Chelsea Wolfe. Their debut is rather short, but a grand and theatrical work of art nonetheless.
        





    4. ÅRABROT - Norwegian Gothic

      Kjetil Nernes, Karin Park and their family are living in an old church (which also works as recording studio and photo / video location) in the Swedish countryside. Rock'n'roll is their religion. On "Norwegian Gothic" their band Årabrot is redeeming everything this premise promises - and more. Recruiting help from members of Motorpsycho, Zu and Jaga Jazzists, as well as cellist extraordinaire Jo Quail they created nothing short of a dark noise rock / post punk masterpiece, filled with hits and creative surprises -  a carnival of the 80s, 90s and ultimately timeless rebellion.



      Oh well, fuck my no re-issues rule! There's no way of honouring "Norwegian Gothic" without uttering Karin Park's last solo album in the same breath. "Church Of Imagination" is equally as sprawling and intriguing, while speaking a different musical language of artistic pop with chamber, gospel and alternative rock elements. With "Omens To Come" it even features the original version of Årabrot's "Feel It On".






    5. SONS OF KEMET - Black To The Future

      They have done it again - the Sons Of Kemet are absolutely on fire! Fueled by the ongoing oppression and injustice people of colour keep facing "Black To The Future" is burning with urgency. Armed with two drumkits, tuba and saxophone, the Sons and guests like Moor Mother and Joshua Idehen continue their fight against the pain of the African diaspora and explore Black identity with a spectacular mix of bebop, funk, hip hop, Carribean and tribal music. Especially when the vocals halt for most of the second half of the double album, the musical storytelling gets spectacularly strong.



      A much more traditional, yet still vivid and exciting take on jazz can be heard on "The Space Where The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises" by Work Money Death. The two longtracks "Dusk" and "Dawn" are perfect homages to the spiritual masters Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra and John and Alice Coltrane.










    6. EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - Engine Of Hell

      You can call the instruments of Emma Ruth Rundle's minimalistic acoustic album piano and guitar, but in truth she's playing directly on our heartstrings. Mostly recorded in complete live takes "Engine Of Hell" is her most vulnerable, purest and bravest album to date. No other album on this list has captivated me inside a repeat loop and made me neclect the rest of my collection for weeks like this channeling of Emma's inner Tori Amos.



      Speaking of Tori, whose impact on my taste cannot be overstated, since there are at least four albums noticeably influenced by her on this list alone: with "Ocean To Ocean" she added a wonderful new gem - which in comparison to Emma's album is rather maximalist - to her now sixteen studio albums strong discography. Outstanding as ever!






    7. CYNIC - Ascension Codes

      After the passing of both Sean Reinert and Sean Malone it seems like Paul Masvidal pulled off an almost impossible miracle with this new Cynic album. While "Ascension Codes" surely carries the sentiment of tribute, eulogy and solace, the new age / alien genesis themed concept work doesn't bind itself to the past at all, but instead bravely thinks forward and explores new territories within and beyond the band's established cosmos. Just like Cynic has always done. But in a scope - filled with just so incredibly much music - noone could have ever dreamed  of. Rest in peace, Sean and Sean!



      Albeit I haven't come across anything even remotely similar to Cynic, I feel that this is the right place to point at the also very progressive, genre-defying and spiritually charged masterpiece "Har" from the Romanians Dordeduh, who have widened their palette of influences far beyond black metal and folk into all thinkable directions.






    8. KING WOMAN - Celestial Blues

      Doom metal album of the year? Thanks to Kristina Esfandiari that's an unusually easy choice for me. Not only due to her stunning vocal performance, which seems more rooted in grunge and shoegaze than in metal, King Woman's "Celestial Blues" has a luring quality which makes you voluntarily follow her Lightbringer / outcast Eve persona to the darkest pits of the underworld. In a very relative way by the standards of the genre every track on this crushing album is a compact, downright radio-friendly hit, an unheard yet still eerily familiar hymn of doom and gloom.



      It takes two bands to come close to King Woman's addictiveness. So dial up the oppressive riff power and let your ears be blasted by Jon Davis' (Conan) other, equally devestating Ungraven and the  masters of shared doom split releases, Slomatics, who present themselves in the most epic Khemmis shape here, on their mighty as fuck untitled split album!





    9. WANG WEN - 100,000 Whys

      How are Wang Wen doing this? You're always thinking that the Chinese almost-instrumental band has already reached post rock perfection, but then they keep proving that there's still room to grow with every album. The morriconisms of the guitar and keyboard licks and the glorious horns, trumpets and flutes alone are the stuff of dreams. Dipping into prog, jazz, latin influence, shamanistic chants and whatever they please at any given moment, but always keeping accessibility and a coherent uplifting spirit in focus, they finally recorded their perfectly wonderful, ultimate masterpiece with "1000,000 Whys". Well, at least for now, I guess.



      If you know my post rock monumentalism favorites, it won't surprise you that I can't say Wang Wen without also gushing about their better known Japanese half siblings Mono, who followed up an career-encapsulating live album with a studio release ("Pilgrimage Of The Soul"), that shows that they still have some new tricks up their sleeve, while never once loosening their special grip on your primal emotions.





    10. 夢遊病者 - Noč Na Krayu Sveta

      "This is Alice Coltrane and Toby Driver having a raging black metal baby. This is Mansur torturing Mono in hell. This is ambitious and beautiful, a piercing bliss so bright, it burns the eyes out of your skull." I doubt that I could summarize this chaotic thunderstorm of infinite instruments and styles under the umbrella of ritualistic black metal any better than I already did. Even though "Noč Na Krayu Sveta" is a rather short border case between EP and full album, the Russian/Japanese/American project 夢遊病者 proves itself as one of the most creative forces in (and far beyond) metal today.



      Sentient Ruin Laboratories released more than one other album deserving to be recommended here, but the most important one is probably "Abominion" by the US blackened industrial death doom metal war machine Abstracter. This relentless, destructive, pessimistic onslaught develops a vortical atmosphere which pulverizes you and inescabably sucks the remaining particles into the void.





    11. JÜ - III

      The third album of the Hungarian trio Jü has a truly complex premise, as it interprets traditional music from Eastern Europe, Northern Africa and Southeast Asia by drawing lines from psychedelic prog and math rock to experimental jazz fusion, from phase "Red" King Crimson over Mr. Bungle to Javanese gamelan music. And that doesn't even describe half of the experience, which also includes enchanting and insane guest vocals and electronic ambient noises. Few albums of 2021 blow over faster than "III" - and even less are a purer joy to spin.



      If especially the atmosphere of 's opening and closing tracks speak to you, you should immerse yourself in the already third album from The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation mastermind Jason Köhnen's trio Mansur. The improvisations on "Minotaurus" drone with a foundation of bass and electronic sounds, over which oud and Martina Horváth's voice levitate to the furthermost mystical heights.







    12. I've stopped trying to fathom how Motorpsycho are doing it a long time ago. The Norwegians are putting out these huge sprawling subgenre-defying rock (double) albums so fast that there's just no other way than to feature the band in these rankings almost every single year. And "Kingdom of Oblivion" is a complete work in all respects: Music, lyrics, artwork, gatefold design, quality of the transparent disc... everything about this double album is just as top class as their "Gulvåg" trilogy.



      If you dig 
      Motorpsycho and love instrumental rock, you should also check out "Ding Dong, You're Dead!" by their fellow Norwegian country(wo)men Hedvig Mollestad Trio. It's an explosive mix of jazz, prog, funk, metal, experimentalism and hard rock that is guaranteed to kick your ass and brain!




    13. NICK HUDSON - Font Of Human Fractures

      "The Quiet Earth" by The Academy Of Sun was one of the greatest albums of 2020, but that's obviously no reason for Nick Hudson to rest on his laurels, as his solo album impressively proves. Between experimental synth pop, post punk, chamber sounds and grand piano art rock "Font Of Human Fractures" glistens in new facettes on each track, among which especially the multi-layered epic "Ballad of K69996 Roma", the glorious Exuma cover "Dambala" and "Come Back When There's Nothing Left" with Nick's transatlantic buddy Toby Driver as guest vocalist stand out.



      Speaking of Driver: His band Kayo Dot has also released a fantastic new album. "Moss Grew On The Swords And Plowshares Alike" was recorded by the line-up of the predeccessing group Maudlin Of The Well and is a sentimental throwback both within his autarkic musical cosmos and the bigger picture of the genre. Yet of course it's still as unparalleled and  forward-thinking as any piece of avant-garde gothic death ambient black etcetera metal could ever wish to be. 





    14. MONG TONG 夢東 - 台灣謎景 Music from Taiwan Mystery

      One of the most enigmatic albums of this year weaves Taiwanese folk and field recordings together with ambient drones and noises, experimental electronic music and a pinch of psychedelic rock. The interplay of modernism, tradition and anachronism which builds the mosaic of "Music from Taiwan Mystery" is utterly fascinating. A strange story, which I don't even come close to deciphering, yet it still transfixes me from beginning to end.



      Mong Tong have released a second album in 2021, but since my physical copy hasn't arrived yet, I'm using this space to highlight another outstanding WV Sorcerer release: "Míng Míng" by Otay:onii (aka Lane Otayonii, singer of the shoegaze band Elizabeth Colour Wheel) is an impressive and thrilling artistic statement between Björk and Dead Can Dance, brutal electro noise and Chinese tradition.





    15. LANA DEL REY - Chemtrails Over The Country Club

      Yes, the pop music slot on this list is reserved for Lana Del Rey once again. The songwriting, instrumentation, production... all the creative decisions which had to be made and on top of everything of course the absolutely flawless vocal performance are all pretty much perfect on "Chemtrails Over the Country Club". Even the featured guests hit the nail on the head again, so I'm actually more convinced now than back in April that the organic, dreamy, nostalgic folk ballad appeal of this is once again a perfect summation of how great pop music can actally be.



      Even though her albums never suffer from too short playing time, Lana Del Rey had enough stuff up her sleeve to release a full second album with "Blue Banisters". It sounds more deliberately washed-out (like "Ultraviolence"), sees more daring experiments and and at the same time feels even more nostalgic than "Chemtrails", because the lyrics are more autobiographic and several of its songs had been written years ago, but didn't find the proper place to be released before.





    16. BIG|BRAVE - Vital

      How do you break down music to its most minimalistic and brutal core while still keeping it engaging? Big|Brave are amongst those bands who have found and perfected the formula. The Canadian drone rock trio smashes you with guitar noises which can only just be called riffs at all, demonstrating an ever-growing mastership in the application of pauses and sounds - and still finding room for subtleties in this confined space. Robin Wattie multiplies the impact of "Vital" with a devastatingly emotional, raw vocal performance and heavy personal lyrics.



      Big|Brave also released a collaborative record with The Body this year, and surprisingly it's not the complete eardrum obliteration one could expect from this constellation. Instead "Leaving None But Small Birds" is their very intense and sincere take on English / American folk and country traditionals. In my mind this album completes a triumvirate, whose other parts are the ranks 3 (Lingua Ignotas) and 6 (Emma Ruth Rundle) of this list.





    17. NAOKO SAKATA - Dancing Spirits

      Ok, technically speaking, especially in a world which unvoluntarily questions the parameters defining a live show,  you could also count Naoko Sakata's "Dancing Spirits" as a live album, since it's just the Japanese pianist purely improvising seven pieces, recorded inside a church in Gothenburg. The profound moods, ideas and virtuosity flowing out of her fingertips into swirling, rousing, moving pictures beyond the parting lines between contemporary classical music, jazz and whatever drives her in the moment, make this records one of the most stunning  experiences of the year. I keep discovering something new every time I immerse in it.



      Since I don't have anywhere else to go from "Dancing Spirits", the only link to this recommendation is the common ground of improvisation. And the Danish freeform fusion rock ecstatics Mythic Sunship are exceptionally, explosively good at it. More krautish than ever, again sporting Søren Lyhne Skov's power saxophone, "Wildfire" does its title more than justice.






    18. NADJA - Luminous Rot

      There's a good handful of drone albums, which would rightfully deserve to be featured here, but since I'm feeling that I've neclected metal in this whole thing a little too much, I'm just going with the most metal one. Besides Nadja's "Luminous Rot" is also actually the most magnetic monster of that bunch. A formidably crushing beast of droning sludge / drum computer industrial metal and shoegaze, which cites from basically all phases Godflesh and Jesu have ever been through and adds a strong influence of the last White Hills albums. I strongly recommend the Japanese CD version, which features a worthwhile bonus longtrack.



      Ok, since we're already in the business of referencing industrial-ish greats, let's not omit the odd fact that this list is missing some Laibach, who sadly didn't get any of their recently promised studio works ready yet. Their metal countrymen Noctiferia (plus guests like Attila Csihar and David Vincent) however released an appropriately reconstructive cover album called "Reforma - Tribute To Laibach", which is pretty damn awesome.






    19. KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - Butterfly 3000

      Does anyone still count how many albums König Muskelmagen und der Eidechse Zauberer (their name on my German version of "Schmetterling 3000") have put out at this point? Among the shapeshifting catalogue of the psych madmen from Down Under this one stands out with a very specific - and over its whole runtime very consistent - sound. Weird time signature psych rock meets sugary dream pop meets synth loop electronics. The result is dunked in almost obscene sweetness, but oh it's so fucking good! Addictive.



      Of course "Butterfly 3000" is not the only King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard work of 2021! "L.W." is equally as great and only doesn't get the spot in the ranking, because the successor of 2020's "K.G." is just not as completely original, being already the third full album of their microtonal explorations. It is however arguably the the most diverse and ultimately best one of that lot.





    20. SULA BASSANA - CV Sessions

      In current times recording a bedroom album while being stuck at home isn't exactly a unique selling point. Luckily Dave Schmidt's "CV Sessions" - even though they reflect the zeitgeist with a lot of ominous and brooding atmospheres - can confidently stand on their own without the context of the outer circumstances. The golden thread of this double album of elektrokraut jams is the use of modular synthesizer loops - which are connected via CV cables. The result is much more varied than the concept suggests and even in its darker moods developes soothing hypnotic qualities.



      One double album is something, two double albums in one year are certainly something more. "Loop Station Drones" is the spiritual sister of "CV Sessions" with a similar idea, but the subtle difference that these improvisations are based on effect loops. The quality of both is pretty much on par.





    21. AGUSA - En Annan Värld

      Once again the gorgeously extravagant psychedelic prog rock of the Swedish intrumental band Agusa just brings a big happy smile onto my face. Even though some darkness has crept into the two 20+ minutes longtracks, it's still a gloom which remains part of the big escapist fairytale, through which organ, guitar and the wonderful unmistakable flute are leading us. This music just let's me feel like a little round-eyed, big-eared child discovering everything in the world for the very first time again. And like that small boy deep down I know only one convincing explanation for what I'm experiencing here: magic!



      There are certainly a lot more deserving albums of both the psychedelic and the progressive kind out there, but I feel that the most exciting work to conclude this with is the gathering of Conny Ochs, Sicker Man and Kiki Bohemia under the moniker Trialogos. On their adventurous debut "Stroh Zu Gold" every single track explores a different flavour of kraut, while also wandering beyond that realm. Even though you should eat neither straw nor gold, this couldn't be more delicious!



    So that's a wrap! 2021. Of course I feel bad for a bazillion albums that didn't make it, but this already too long as it is, haha. Here are the previous parts:


    And here's a YouTube playlist with most of all that stuff: