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Posts mit dem Label Kanaan werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label Kanaan werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen

2025-01-23

KANAAN & ÆVESTADEN live auf der MS Stubnitz, Hamburg (21. Januar 2025)


Mein zweites Konzert des Jahres führte mich Dienstag wieder einmal an Bord der diesmal eisig im Nebel unterhalb der Elbbrücken liegenden MS Stubnitz. Es rief die Kollaboration des exzellenten norwegischen Instrumentalrocktrios Kanaan mit der popaffinen und dennoch eigenwillig experimentierfreudigen Folkgruppe Ævestaden.

Genau wie Ni vorletzte Woche im Hafenklang war dies sicherlich eine (unverdient) randgruppenorientierte Veranstaltung, bei der man unter der Woche keine brechend volle Bude erwarten konnte. Von daher war ich in beiden Fällen durchaus positiv von der zwar noch überschaubaren, aber doch respektablen Publikumsmenge  überrascht.

Und wer sich von nah und fern (Grüße an Dave "Sula Bassana" Schmidt!) eingefunden hatte, um der Liveumsetzung des Albums "Langt, langt vekk" beizuwohnen, der wurde reichlich für seine Entscheidung belohnt.

Die ersten paar Stücke des Crossovers aus Krautrock, norwegischer Volksmusik und frommen Mittelaltertönen waren sowohl für das Sextett als auch Fans noch Warmmacher, ehe die Stücke sich stilistisch wie spielerisch immer weiter öffneten und man sich gemeinsam in einen ungewöhnlichen Rausch begab. Das Aufeinandertreffen von Lyra und Fiedel mit elektrischer Gitarre, Mellotron und Modularsynthesizer in zahlreichen Konstellationen erschuf in jedem Song neue Spannungsfelder. Himmlische Harmoniegesänge paarten sich mit jazzigen Bassläufen und der für Drummer Ingvald typischen wild-dynamischen Rhythmik. Todesballaden schwebten wie Nebelschwaden durch das Schiff und hin und wieder wurde auch das hart fuzzrockende Stoner-Riff ausgepackt.

Wie schon auf dem Album ging jedes Stück in eine etwas andere Richtung - und über die Studioversion hinaus, da - wie Bassist Eskild mir nachher erzählte - viele Kompositionen im Laufe dieser Tour ein Eigenleben entwickelt hatten. Zusätzlich zum kompletten Albummaterial, inklusive den gewachsenen, länger gejammten Liedern gab es auch noch etwas neue Musik, sowie den zuvor nie zu dritt live gespielten Kanaan-Song "Softly Through Sunshine", der bei der Gelegenheit natürlich reichlich - inklusive Gesang - gepimpt wurde.

Nein, weder über zu kurze Spielzeit noch über mangelnde Qualität durfte sich hier beschwert werden. Und tatsächlich waren nach dieser Feier am imaginären Feuer des schwimmenden Langhauses MS Stubnitz nur zufriedene Gesichter zu sehen. Ungewöhnlich. Und ungewöhnlich gut!

(Selbst der einzige Kritikpunkt des Abends löste sich in Wohlgefallen auf. Die Bar hatte nämlich nicht genügend Zero-Getränk am Start. Da ich aber gerade eine rädernde 24-Stunden-Blutdruckmessung hinter mir hatte, konnte ich den ungewohnten Zuckerschub allerdings gut für eine wache Heimfahrt mit Beschallung durch Ævestadens wunderbares 2023er Album "Solen Var Bättre Där"gebrauchen.)







2024-10-12

KANAAN & ÆVESTADEN - Langt, Langt Vekk

Ok, Hände in die Höhe! Wer hat's kommen gesehen? Nee, ich meine nicht ein neues Kanaan-Album, das kann man ja jährlich erwarten. Und mit dem Debüt von Full Earth hatten wir ja sogar schon eine erweiterte Variation davon.

Nein, ich meine, dass das norwegische Psychedelic/Stoner/Jazz-Rock-Trio gestern noch ein zweites kooperatives Album rausgebracht hat, auf der Neuinterpretationen skandinavischer Traditionals zusammen mit folk-inspiriertem Eigenmaterial zu hören sind.

Ich persönlich war nach der ersten Single von Kanaan und Ævestaden zumindest überrascht - und zunächst auch skeptisch. Mittlerweile kann ich mich aber kaum noch entsinnen, warum überhaupt. Ich glaube, es kam einfach nur so unerwartet.


KANAAN & ÆVESTADEN - Langt, Langt Vekk (sunburst vinyl LP) (2024)

Ævestaden sind ein schwedisch-norwegisches Trio aus Multiinstrumentalist(inn)en und darauf spezialisiert, u.a. mit Akustikgitarren, Fiedeln, Lyren, Maultrommel, aber auch Synthesizern traditionelle Motive aufzugreifen und in zeitlosen, oft verträumt entrückten Interpretationen  ins Hier und Jetzt zu transportieren. Dream Folk nennen sie selbst ihren Sound.

Das fusionierte Kanestaden-Sextett fügt diesem Ansatz noch Drums, Percussions, E-Gitarre, Mellotron und zusätzliche Backgroundsänger hinzu. Das führt im Resultat einerseits zu mit tollen Harmoniegesängen auf traditionellen Instrumenten vorgetragenen Folksongs, die durch die rockmusikalischen Elemente mal sanft augmentiert, mal kraftvoll vorangetrieben werden, anderseits aber auch zu langen kanaan-typischen Psych Rock-Jams, denen Ævestaden mit ihren Saiten und Stimmbändern eine zusätzliche spezielle Note verleihen.

Die neun allesamt sehr unterschiedlichen Stücke des Albums sind dabei so verteilt, dass es sich im Schnitt immer ausufernder anfühlt, selbst wenn zwischendurch mal etwas minimalistischer agiert wird wie in der Ballade "Farvel" oder dem ursprünglich im Jahre 1630 verwurzelten Choral "Hva har min Jesus gjort for meg" ("Herzliebster Jesu, was hastu verbrochen"), der hier vermutlich in erster Linie wegen seines direkten Bezugs auf "Kanaan" seinen Platz gefunden hat und von der Band im Grunde gut als Live-Intro verwendet werden könnte.

Zwei Faktoren, die maßgeblich zum Gelingen der Symbiose beider Gruppen beitragen sind zum einen die natürliche, ohne überflüssige Kinkerlitzchen die Performance an sich in den Vordergrund stellende Produktion und - hiermit natürlich auch verwoben - der Verzicht auf zuckersüßen Kitsch.
Gerade wenn es darum geht, Folk und Rock (insbesondere Metal) zu verbinden, aber auch in der popkulturellen Repräsentation angeblich nordeuropäischer Historie geht ja oft nichts mehr ohne künstlich aufgeblasenen Sound, übertriebenen Pathos, Verkleidungen, Rituale... was ich manchmal ganz schlimm finde, zugegebenermaßen in gut gemachten Fällen aber auch sehr mag.

Kanaan und Ævestaden allerdings gehen einen anderen Weg,. Das verrät einem schon die höchste Dichte an gemütlichen Norwegerpullovern, die ich je in einem Albumlayout erblickt habe.

Auch wenn diese Musik einen im Geiste oft weit hinaus in transzendente Sphären treiben kann oder das imaginäre Haupthaar in der inneren ersten Publikumsreihe schütteln lässt, bleibt doch immer irgendwie dieses Gefühl, direkt mit den Musikern an der heimelig knisternden Feuerstelle einer Blockhütte zu sitzen, während draußen im verschneiten Wald die Trolle und freilebenden Black-Metal-Pandas friedlich lauschend an den Baumstämmen lehnen.

Und selbst wenn einem hier und da natürlich ein paar unvermeidliche Namen der Trondheimer und Bergener Musikszene in den Sinn kommen (mit der Hälfte davon haben die sechs Musiker hier ja auch bereits in verschiedenen Formen zusammengearbeitet), bleibt am Ende doch ein Album, welches sehr selbstbewusst einen für sich allein stehenden und sich ruhenden Stil präsentiert - und das auf einem Niveau, welches ohne Hintergrundwissen eine langjährige gemeinsame Geschichte suggerieren würde.

Ja, die Parallelen zu Full Earth sind trotz des sehr unterschiedlichen Stils schon ziemlich zahlreich. Beide Projekte haben sich folgerichtig auch alle potentiell kommenden Nominierungen und Krönungen zum Album des Jahres in der kommenden Rankingsaison verdient.

Ein so überzeugendes Werk wie "Langt, Langt Vekk" hat eine würdige Aufmachung verdient, und tatsächlich gehört die LP zu den haptisch und visuell am schönsten gestalteten Veröffentlichungen, die mir dieses Jahr ins Haus gekommen sind. Insbesondere der schlichte, aber schöne Farbverlauf der limitierten halbtransparenten Sunburst-Variante könnte nicht edler und passender sein.

Als letztes Sahnhäubchen fehlt hier eigentlich nur - wie leider so oft - ein beiliegender Downloadcode, denn wer hier nicht direkt an der Quelle bzw. am Fjord sitzt, der muss inklusive Versand ohnehin schon relativ stattlich in den physischen Tonträger (schwarzes Vinyl und CD sind noch erhältlich) investieren.
Für Bestellungen über Bandcamp gilt dies natürlich nicht; das Label Jansen Records ("Say Ja. to great Norwegian music") darf hier aber gerne für die Zukunft Besserung geloben. Ja?








2023-06-19

Fuzztival Haul feat. ECSTATIC VISION and KANAAN


I just laid my to-do-list of reviews on the garden table and waited for a bird to shit on it. The poo landed on this post Esbjerg Fuzztival merch haul, which luckily - at least for this occasion - was quite overseeable with just the official festival shirt and one record a day.








KANAAN - Downpour (LP) (2023)

Buying the new Kanaan album from the merch table had always been the plan. And secretely I had also hoped to maybe see a surprise leftover copy of one or two other desired objects here, which were missing in my collection of the Norwegian power trio, because prices, shipping and taxes from outside of the EU aren't the cheapest. Well, at least I got this. And this is of course something!

As expected this album doesn't follow the epic cosmic exploration of the "International Space Station Vol.1" sampler, but rather continues on the heavy and ultra-fuzzy path of their 2021 release "Earthbound". Yet beside the gnarliest evolution of Blues, which opens the record with "Black Time Fuzz" and the Rock guitar ecstasy of "Amazon", which features the amazing Hedwig Mollestad, the instrumental band also goes back to the Jazzrock influences of their debut, not only with the odd santanaesque lead guitar here or there, but especially with the title track. Driven by super fast, sometimes almost chaotic drumming "Downpour" is a feverish Fusion fest, which goes through all stages of smoothness and heaviness Kanaan can offer. Loved this live in Esbjerg and absolutely dig the studio version as well.

Did I say this album is not that weltraumy? Ok, screw that, here comes side B with the "Psunspot" interlude and pulls out the analogue synth sounds. "Orbit" still mostly remains a maximum fuzzy Stoner stomper though.
But "Solaris Pt.1" actually is an elevating Psychedelic Rock trip, before "Pt. 2" closes the album by bringing all its krauty and blackholy elements together in one satisfying banger.

Yeah, these guys just always deliver.










ECSTATIC VISION - Live At Duna Jam (Yellow-Brown-Orange vinyl LP) (2023)

What a scenery! No wonder that Ecstatic Vision are offering their recent live album not only in this absolutely beautiful limited vinyl version, but also on BluRay. And it's also no wonder that after their crazy performance on the Esbjerg Huset stage, this was the record I just couldn't resist buying on Saturday.

With a very similar setlist this is probably as close as I can come to reliving that show in Denmark, even though the a small room full of Psychedelic projections is of course a different beast than a Sardinian sand beach in summer. But no worries, the high Hawkwind energy is defintely present at this rather exclusive Desert Rock tourist event, too. Rumbling bass, screaming saxophone, a never tiring beat and a manic frontman, ready to scream the waves back into the sea.

Ecstatic Vision are as rowdy and rapid as Psychedlic Rock can get. And the quartet knows how to make people "Come Together" for a party for sure. Short but sweet killer live album! 






And yes, yes, to complete the haul... Here's the Fuzztival shirt:


Hope you're happy now.





2023-05-28

ESBJERG FUZZTIVAL 2023 • PART 1/2: Friday, May 26th • feat.CAUSA SUI, EDENA GARDENS, KANAAN, NEBULA, VALLEY OF THE SUN and VESTJYSK ØRKEN


Read PART 2 here:

ESBJERG FUZZTIVAL 2023 • PART 2/2: Saturday, May 27th • feat. CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC, DEATHCHANT, ECSTATIC VISION, FATSO JETSON, HIGH DESERT QUEEN, SLOWJOINT, SLOWJOINT and SLOWJOINT




I've considered writing this festival review in German for three reasons: 1. convenience, 2. most of the non-Danish visitors obviously were Tysk, 3. just so I could use the word Bärtival. But then I also like it when more potential readers can understand my shit, so here we go in engelsk again!

Driving to Esbjerg in the Southwest of Denmark was quite a different experience than the way to Copenhagen two weeks before. Same route until I crossed the border, but then instead of only Motorvej and that huge expensive Great Belt Bridge an unhurried drive through the countryside, while my navigation system was hitlering for half an hour that I should go zurück zur Autobahn, before it finally excepted that I had different plans. My bad, because even though the Freeway route costs twenty percent fuel extra, it would have saved me a whopping five minutes!

I headed directly to the North Sea beach just outside the city, where the four Mennesket ved Havet ("Men at Sea") are staring into infinity, to follow my touristic duty:


After that I drove to the free parking space right next to the Fuzztival venue. My hotel also was just a couple of minutes away, so this was an event of exceptionally short distances.

The Huset Esbjerg actually is a little too small for what the festival has become, but since the original bigger venue had gone bankrupt earlier in the year, ticket sales had to be limited and the smaller location had to suffice. Due to the limitation the sold out Fuzztival never felt inhumanely crammed. It's just a pity that the organizers couldn't earn that sweet extra money from more visitors, which is so urgently needed in the current live music scene.

However I will write this review as a list of FAILs, because I am an asshole? Well, I hope not. I just noticed that some little or bigger thing was wrong all the time, as if this weekend had been cursed my an unfuzzable witch. Please don't take this too serious!







FAIL: The Esbjerg locals Vestjysk Ørken entered the stage - and the guitar amp was silent.

Redemption: After the technical problem had been figured out and some sound issues had to be overcome, the duo delivered a hypnotic mix of Heavy Krautrock and crunchy Stoner fuzziness [spoiler: the Fuzz part applied to ALL bands on the billing!], which almost felt like a summary or preview of what the whole festival was about. Great stuff with a lot of loop and pedal work.

Their drumkit stayed on stage for the whole festival, so you know that anyone writing about the festival, who cannot spell their name, clearly hasn't really been there.












FAIL: One, two... wait! Where's Nicklas Sørensen? Unfortunately the guitar player of Papir was sick today, so Edena Gardens, one of the three main reasons for me to be here, was incomplete!

Redemption: Martin Rude and Jakøb Skott tried their best to substitute the third member's absence, which meant that the bass player switched to guitar and looped some bass lines. While the latter didn't always work as intended, they were for the most part very successful in capturing the original Earth Americana meets laid back Psychedelic vibe of their albums. Definitely the right sound to close your eyes and slowly drift away, even though it understandably didn't reach the full greatness that was promised.

One thing one must ask however is, if it even occured to the two that they could have just as well have performed as the Martin Rude & Jakob Skøtt Duo? But maybe a Jazz Rock session in the line of their albums under that moniker would have been too far off the mood or the festival brand.












FAIL: Six thirty PM. I'm standing in front of the stage, but neither Kanaan nor any of their gear can be seen! Since the Norwegian trio is an even bigger reason for me to be here than the band before, I am beginning to question my life choices now. I would have had the chance to see them in Kiel the week before or in Hamburg only the day before - both options much closer to home. And now I'm here and they are not!

Redemption: Kanaan's touring van had gotten fixed just in time, so they could arrive around twenty minutes after their show should have started. They hectically rushed onto stage, set everything up, plugged in, didn't even pull all jackets off and started without any soundcheck. And behold! It was an absolute blast right from the beginning.
The situation surely pumped some extra adrenaline into the band. Anyone who has ever seen Kanaan live knows that Ingvald Andre Vassbø (who by the way has been announced as touring drummer for Motorpsycho later this year!) is always a completely unpredictable beast on the drums. But this time he seemed even more determined to outright destroy the kit and its surrounding. At least one big crash cymbal crashed down and hit his bandmate's second bass. Carnage!

And I haven't even said anything about their brilliant music yet. But then one can't put this ridiculously energetic mix of heavy Stoner Rock, Psychedelica and Jazz Fusion into adequate words anyway. There's no other band like Kanaan right now. Especially considering how it responded to its circumstances this show was my favorite of the day!

And they didn't even have to cut it short. The running order just had a delay of half an hour now and that was it.



A small detour: Instead of a regular setup the light show of the whole festival was made with several projectors which threw trippy analoge effects and textures and all kinds of mystical and nightmarish, cartoonish and cyberpunk or just plain weird artworks onto the white backdrop of the stage. Even though this looked pretty rad and fascinating - and every band got a distinct palette - I honestly found it to be a little tiring to have each and every single performance lit that way.

(It's also nearly impossible to shoot decent pictures of it with a certain digital toy camera, because these projections just aren't as bright as spots or stroboscopes. If you're already familiar to my live reviews you certainly noticed that apart from the tourist pictures I ditched the Harinezumi aesthetic and went for a different style which honours the predominant Orange amps of the Fuzztival.)

Well, if I wanted just a little break from those light shows - for a couple of minutes I would actually get it soon...








FAIL: More than one fail actually. The drummer kept kicking his bass drum away. And in the middle of the show the whole light show  suddenly went off.

Redemption: People were entertained. I guess. Honestly we now entered that corner of Desert Rock I'm not particularily fond of. Much emphasis on sleazy Rock'n'Roll and way too much hard to look at grimacing and posing. At least some self-awareness, as shown when the drummer wanted his mic open for banter and the frontman said "He thinks he is funny." Musically not really that bad though. I guess. Well, just not my thing.

The moving bass drum problem was at least solved for the following bands with a filled sack in front of it as a stopping weight.

And during the darkness a couple of volunteers in the crowd stepped in in with their smartphone flashlights. Which actually was a memorable moment and the highlight of the show for me.












FAIL: I have nothing. As far as I know everything went smooth. So I guess we just skip Causa Sui here, right?





















Ok, let's not do that! This show was true bucket list stuff. I've known for a while now that one day I had to see these Heavy Psych masters live - and that the best chance for that would probably be if they were playing at a festival somewhere in their home country Denmark. Enter Fuzztival! This sealed the deal for me - and rightfully so!

While Kanaan had delivered my favorite show of the night partly due to its special circumstances, objectively - I know, we don't like that term while speaking about music! - in regards to songwriting, atmosphere and experience Causa Sui certainly delivered the standout show.

The quartet's musicianship should be out of the question anyway, but there's also just a perfect dramatic flow in their compositions. No matter if the band levitated through flickering dreamscapes, Latin Szabodelici and sketches of Miles Davis or escalated into wild Fuzz Kraut Heaviness, it was always a transcendent class of its own. No question indeed, to witness this genre-transcendent mastery live is a treasure. Happy to strike this experience from my bucket list!

(Well, maybe I'll keep "Causa Sui + guest saxophonist" on it, just in case.)












FAIL: Hmm... I think there was something which I have forgotten. But then there was also that one really mean and brutal vocal mic feedback. I'd also count it as akward to put a (cover or poster?) design directly related to Grateful Dead into the slideshow. That's weird, like eating your Burger King fries inside a McDonald's.

Redemption: Nebula played was a good show. Down to Earth, definitely Desert Rock through and through, a little bit bluesy and for sure with a raw Grunge note especially in the vocal delivery. Also some nice jammy passages. Overall not the stuff I would need to listen to extensively at home, but nothing to complain about either.

Since I was tired I called it a day after half of the show. And I must say that the city of Esbjerg is quite tolerant, as I could still clearly hear the music almost during the whole walk to my hotel room.




I quickly realized how tired I really was. One moment I was sitting half-upright in bed, ready to take another sip of tea. And then suddenly sunlight peaked through the closed roller blind, it was almost seven in the morning and I hadn't even plugged in my phone to charge it yet.