MUSIC 2023: TOP 5 reissues

End of the year season continues, and after the TOP 23 live shows 2023 the next logical category is of course live albums. And I have indeed already written that post. But since I'm still waiting for one CD to take a neat little picture like above, we're doing another list - the shortest one of all - today.

So without furthar ado, here are my personal...

TOP 5 reissues 2023:

1. MAGMA - Une Histoire De Mëkanïk - 50 Years of Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh
   
   
   
   Ok, this is a little bit weird. Wasn't there a new pressing of Magma's larger than life opus "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" only yesteryear in my TOP 5 reissues 2022?
   Of course there was, but this huge box contains not only the original album and a hardcover book, but most importantly seven additional versions of the song/album: One of the earliest live versions from 1972, the 1971 demo, a choir and children's choir version from 1994/1995 and three more live version from 2000 to 2021. Some of these have only been released on CD or DVD before, others are entirely new. Each and every one is amazing and has different qualities. As a whole this is a treasure chest that keeps on giving.
   
   
   
   
2. LAIBACH - Nova Akropola
   
   
   

   Laibach's 1986 Industrial classic is undoubtly one of my favorite releases of that whole decade. This vinyl reissue comes remastered, with renewed artwork, extensive liner notes and - my main reason to purchase it - an extra LP with the previously unreleased malicious 2007 orchestral version of "Vade Retro Satanas" plus six more, partly revisited live renditions of songs from the album, recorded between 2018 and 2021. The only thing which annoys me is that months later there's now also a CD box with an extra disc of even more live recordings, which continues the unfortunate trend of Laibach vinyl releases with less musical content than their digital counterparts. Nonetheless this is still awesome.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. VOIVOD - The Outer Limits
   
   
   

   Yeah, so far this list is only made of long-established all-time favorites of mine and of course Voivod's underrated 1993 classic is no exception. I already got the first vinyl repress since the original run, released 2021 by Real Gone Music - but Listenable Record did their job so much better that I just couldn't resist, even though this one doesn't feature any new music beside the familiar Space Prog hits either. But as straight-forward as it is, the first vinyl version with the 3D cover variant obviously presents itself as a labour of love.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. TECHNO ANIMAL - Re-Entry
   
   
   

   Yes, finally some stuff actually completely new to me! Even though I've been a huge Godflesh and Jesu fan for ages, I've never explored the rabbit whole of Justin Broadrick and Kevin Martin's Electro project Techno Animal, whose monstrous two and a half hour album "Re-Entry" has now been remastered and reissued by Relapse Records. The droning and booming Industrial Dub power on this double CD is not only a levelling yet atmospheric brainmelter, but also feels astonishingly timeless. Remains the question: Why the hell didn't I indulge in this fantastic stuff decades earlier? Right, it probably was the duo's misleading moniker. Which surely is also why today's continuation of the duo is called Zonal instead.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. ALESSANDRO PARISI - La Porta Ermetica
   
   
   

   Phew, this tail end spot was a tough choice! It ultimately went to another album I didn't know before - and listen to quite regularly now. Originally released in 2013 this Italian Horror Electronics record finds the perfect balance between classic scary sounds and being danceable. Presented by WV Sorcerer Productions in rearranged and extended form there's nothing not to love about this excellent soundtrack to an imaginary slasher movie.
   
   

favorite MUSIC 2023 - all my lists:

TOP 23 albums   |   TOP 7 live albums   |   TOP 5 reissues
TOP 7 non-album releases   |   TOP 23 live shows

MAGMA - Une Histoire De Mëkanïk - 50 Years of Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh

Bald ist ja Weihnachten. Zeit also für meinen ultimativen Tipp, falls Du deinen Liebsten oder dir selbst ein edles Musikgeschenk gönnen möchtest!

MAGMA - Une Histoire De Mëkanïk - 50 Years of Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh (7LP + book box) (1973/2023)

Ich widerstehe ja generell den meisten größeren Boxsets. Außerdem habe ich erst letztes Jahr eine gelungene Vinyl-Neuauflage von Magmas unsterblichem Kultepos "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" gekauft. Und überhaupt sollte man die französisch-kobaïanische Band doch nicht nur auf dieses Vierzig-Minuten-Stück reduzieren!

Und doch waren die Verlockung und die Angst mich später über den Verzicht zu ärgern, bei diesem Co-Release von Seventh Records und Prophecy Productions einfach zu groß. Zum Glück, denn dieser Karton birgt wahrhaftig eine Offenbarung!

Wie der Titel schon sagt, handelt es sich hier um eine Sammlung zu fünzigjährigen Jubiläum des Albums. Oder auch um eine Geschichte der Band Magma von damals bis heute, exemplarisch illustriert durch ihre bekannteste Komposition.

Ich möchte hier nicht wieder einmal lang und breit die Basics ihres Sounds ausbreiten, da die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass der Leser dieses Textes ohnehin schon mehr als ein Grundinteresse an der Gruppe mitbringt, doch ziemlich hoch sein sollte.
Deswegen nur die grobe Kurzform: Der von Bandleader und Drummer Christian Vander kreierte Musikstil Zeuhl verbindet dessen Obsession mit John Coltrane mit wildem, technisch aberwitzigem Prog Rock, moderner Klassik, hypnotisch mächtiger Wiederholung und gewaltigen Chorgesängen, die in einer eigens erfundenen Sprache tönen. Magma landeten als vollkommen unfassbares monolithisches Enigma auf diesem Planeten und sind bis heute ein überwältigendes Live-Ereignis geblieben, eine der großartigsten Bands aller Zeiten.

Auf den sieben LPs dieser Box ist tatsächlich ausschließlich ein und derselbe Mammutsong zu hören, chronologisch sortiert in acht verschiedenen Versionen, aufgenommen zwischen 1972 und 2021. Und wenn man genügend Zeit mitbringt, kann man diese tatsächlich alle locker hintereinander weghören, ohne dass Langeweile aufkommt.

Zugegebenermaßen könnte ich auch die originale Studioversion alleine vermutlich schon den ganzen Tag rotieren lassen, da dieser besessenen, komplexen, faszinierenden Musik einfach soviel Magie, Klasse und Wahnsinn innewohnt, dass ihr Genuss niemals ganz zur Routine gerät. Und hier bekommen wir das Meisterwerk nun in deutlichen unterschiedlichen Besetzungen und Arrangements serviert.
Abgesehen vom Studioalbum ist dieses Material entweder relativ rar und bisher nur auf CD oder DVD erschienen oder ist bis dato noch nie veröffentlicht worden.

Es beginnt auf der ersten Schallplatte mit einer der ersten Liveaufnahmen des Stücks überhaupt, dann folgt eine im Studio aufgenommene Demo-Version und das bekannte Album in neuem Vinyl-Remaster.
Zwei kürzere gesangszentrischere Versionen von 1994 und 1995 teilen sich eine LP. Die erste davon glänzt mit einem sechzigköpfigen Chor, die zweite wurde - was beinahe unfassbar scheint - von einem Kinderchor und einer Band aus Kindern und Jugendlichen aufgeführt. Es folgen noch drei weitere Liveversion aus den Jahren 2000, 2005 und 2021.

Die Entwicklung des Stückes über diese Zeit zu verfolgen, ist einfach ein atemberaubender Genuss. Zwischen ungestümem Chaos und majestätischer Größe, von unterschiedlichem Fokus auf klassische Elemente oder irrwitzig rockende instrumentale Freakouts bietet das Stück scheinbar unendlich viele Möglichkeiten. Alein die unterschiedlichen Interpretation der Erzählung zu Beginn des Stücks könnte kaum vielfältiger sein. Und was wir hier hören, ist ja immer noch nur ein kleiner Ausschnitt aus fünfzig Jahren!

Jede einzelne Version hat ihre speziellen Qualitäten, und auch wenn ich eine gewisse Tendenz erkenne, dass das Ding bis heute immer komplexer, virtuoser, überlebensgrößer wird, könnte ich mich hier niemals für einen absoluten Favoriten entscheiden. Und das ist musikalisch wohl exakt, was man sich von solch einer Veröffentlichung erhofft.

Neben der über jeden Zweifel erhabenen Musik, welche in wertigen Pressungen präsentiert wird, enthält die Box noch ein über achtzigseitiges Hardcover-Buch mit Songtext, Liner Notes und zahlreichen Zeitdokumenten zur Entstehung des Albums und der hier vertretenen Liveversionen in Wort und Bild. Da alles original in zumeist französisch, englisch oder deutsch belassen wurde, hängt natürlich von der persönlichen Sprachkenntnis ab, wie vieles sich einem hier erschließt.
Abgerundet wird die Box durch einen Print des Originalcovers, eine großformatige Posterflagge und ein handnummeriertes Echtheitszertifikat.

Das schlichte, aber durchdachte edle Layout und die Qualität des Ganzen sind tadellos. Der einzige Minuspunkt für mich ist tatsächlich, dass die Box zu dick ist. Hier hätte man locker mindestens anderthalb Zentimeter sparen, immer noch den kompletten Inhalt hineinbekommen und wertvollen Platz im angrenzenden Regalplatz gewinnen können.

Auf mein übliches - und meistens berechtigtes! - Gejammer, wenn kein Downloadcode beiliegt, kann ich hier mal großzügig verzichten. Die bei zweihundert Euro ja doch einigermaßen kostspielige Exklusivität der Musik will ja gewahrt werden. Und mir selbst eine digitale Kopie zu erstellen - inklusive Zusammenbasteln der beiden Plattenhälften zu einem Track - macht bei dieser Pressqualität tatsächlich sogar Freude.

Ganz klar: Oft genug aufgelegt, um die Anschaffung zu rechtfertigen, wird diese goldene Schatzkiste auf jeden Fall. Mekanïk pour toujoursr!

MUSIC 2022: TOP 5 reissues

T'is the season again! Time to start with those dreaded end of the year lists! I'm trying to keep them short, even though it always pains me to leave out so much worthy stuff.

Today I'm starting with one of the "B categories" that doesn't need much explanation: just my personal favorite reissues which came out in 2022. So here we go!

TOP 5 REISSUES:

1. DOLPO - Inner Himalayas
   
   
   
   Seriously? A tape with a not really convenient packaging wins against several vinyl releases including a box set? Of course the value-for-money ratio plays a little bit into that, right?
   Yes, it does. But this WV Sorcerer Productions reissue of Dolpo's 2019 album, wrapped in cloth, with a rice paper credits sheet and a cone of Tibetian ritual insense, also looks cool. But most importantly this very raw cosmic drone doom experience, enriched with authentic Himalayan field recordings and traditional Asian instruments is just a phenomenal intersection of Bong, Bell Witch and Saba Alizadeh. With this run of cassettes long gone I still recommend anyone who digs the merging of doom with ethnic influences (think Rinuwat or SteppenDoom) to give the digital version a listen!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. BLUT AUS NORD - 777 (Sect(s) / The Desanctification / Cosmosophy)
   
   
   
   This box is not perfect (one poster mix-up and why no downloads for that price?), but it comes pretty damn close. The three albums in beautiful colour pressings and gatefold cover plus the slipmat, which is still rotating on my turntable, don't give me any regrets buying Blut Aus Nord's complete "777" trilogy, which was originally released in 2011 and 2012. Musically these avantgarde black metal meets industrial, doom and even French hip hop classics are a class of their own anyway. Enormous! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. MAGMA - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh
   
   
   
   This reissue from Music On Vinyl is pretty straight-forward. The album from 1973 is far from being an unearthed obscurity, but an absolutely legendary, genre-defining (the genre of course being Zeuhl) masterpiece. The quality pressing is gold, the cover artwork of the gatefold shines gold, too. Oh sorry, it's not gold, but "copper". Well who cares? It looks and sounds great. No fancy extras beyond that needed. Beautiful edition of an untouchable work of the century.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. KONSTRUKT & PETER BRÖTZMANN -  Dolunay
   
   
   
   This one looks even less spectacular: Just two black records in a single sleeve, a card, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less. But I'm in it for the music and this wild free jazz gathering of Turkish quartet Konstrukt and saxophone giant Peter Brötzmann from 2008 is a fantastic slice of exciting chaotic manic fun. Further proof that Konstrukt and Karlrecords are always a worthwhile combination.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. SINISTRO - Hóspedes Silenciosos
   
   
   
   The doom band from Portugal re-released three demos from 2012 on one CD. Over one hour of cineastic (apart from a couple of rather textural primal screams) instrumental sludge enriched with samples, slightly Mediterranean clean guitars, post rock, synthie scores and trip hop beats. Huge and heavy, deep and visonary emotional music. And of course a perfect reminder that Sinistro were already great before they had a certain fantastic lead singer for a couple of years and releases.
   
   

MAGMA - Kãrtëhl

Magma, the blueprint for a band with an absolutely singular identity, is back once again. And even forty-nine years after "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" the French-Kobaïan group isn't planning on giving you any reason to get bored by their Zeuhl shenanigans.

MAGMA - Kãrtëhl (2LP, Zünd D etched) (2022)

With their new live line-up and nothing to do for it, since covid cleared so many stages, Magma just used the time to record the successor of "Zëss (Le Jour Du Néant)" - and it became a very different work.

Instead of one huge composition or suite from drummer / singer / mastermind Christian Vander "Kãrtëhl" is not only a compilation of different songs - you know, what most rock music albums are -, but half of them are also contributions not written by him. Which is a big deal, since even though they stress that there has never been a deliberate choice to have him as the sole composer, it has actually been that way for decades.

But three other members are stepping up for the task now. "Do Rïn Ïlïuss" by lead vocalist Hervé Aknin, "Walömëhndêm" and "Wiï Mëlëhn Tü" by pianists Thierry Eliez resp. Simon Goubert all bring some fresh wind while also seemlessly fitting into the band's mind-blowing signature melange of prog rock, jazz, orffian classic and epic choirs singing myths of a far away planet in a made-up language.

From the beginning it's clear that the tone of this album is lighter and more adventurous than the doomsday narration of "Zëss", while also both the colourfulness of the vocals - provided by all in all seven singers - as well of the wild rock music side of Magma are bought to the forefront.
The legendary Jannick Top has been among the godfathers of a mean powerful bass sound on their 1970's records, and his son Jimmy obviously takes inspiration from him. Christian Vander has fun returning to the drumkit after his break on the last album and proving that he still can absolutely slay it as an insane jazz rock powerhouse. Last but not least Rudy Blas brings back the rock guitars, which had been missing in favour of the orchestra on "Zëss" in spades.

In short "Kãrtëhl" is just Magma having a blast - which is still far beyond the skills most musicians would even dare to dream of. But if you're among those fans for whom the band had become a little too academic lately, you will probably enjoy the energetic purity of this cooparetive effort all the more. This flies by so fast!

As a great bonus the record ends with the demo versions of the two Vander songs "Hakëhn Deïs" and "Dëhndë", both recorded way back in 1978 just with himself on piano and a capella beatbox and the late René Garber, who also played bass clarinet on several Magma classics, on lead vocals. And that's not just an interesting glimpse into the creative process, but actually very listenable and - just like the rest of "Kãrtëhl" - a joy to behold. This music will always be unique. Special. Impressive. Bliss. 

And now just give me that beautiful cymbal on the cover for Christmas!

belles rééditions: BLUT AUS NORD - 777 / MAGMA - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh

Given my recent orders from French bands and labels I almost feel like an essential factor in France's economy: Several records from WV Sorcerer Productions albums, a shipment from Seventh Records, which included an Offering CD box and Magma's fantastic live double album "Eskähl 2020" - and also two (or four depending on how you count) precious vinyl reissues:

MAGMA - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh (copper vinyl LP) (1973/2022)

It's damn impossible to overstate the importance of this album. Of course there are other worthwhile starting points into the unique world of Magma, and it's for sure ok to have other albums as personal favorites. But ultimately "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" remains the central artistic statement, the at its time absolutely alien booster detonation of Christian Vander's newly created genre Zeuhl, which combined wild, yet hypnotically repetitive progressive rock with the free jazz spirit of Coltrane and modern classic composers like Orff and Strawinsky, seasoned with choirs chanting in a made-up language and the drummer's own ecstatic vocal scats.

Even though the still active band has improved and refined many skills over the decades, the impact of "M.D.K." hasn't decreased in the least. This piece of music remains monolithic, enigmatic and mind-blowing, no matter if you see the band performing it today or stick to the original studio recording. Or in short: There's no doubt that the music on this album is untouchable.
So since I've had very good experience with previous vinyl reissues from Magma (as well as the label Music On Vinyl) and only owned this one on CD so far, I just couldn't say no to this limited copper edition.

It sounds great, a flawless pressing in my book, and it has a shiny gatefold cover including French liner notes and Kobaïan lyrics. Beautiful item, definitely worth it! 

BLUT AUS NORD - 777 (merged effect with splatter vinyl 3LP box) (2011-2012/2022)

The combination of my longtime lack of general interest in the black metal genre and the weird-sounding german name - at least for a native speaker - have kept me from paying attention to Blut Aus Nord for quite some time, until I finally checked out their latest album "Hallucinogen".
It was not only great in itself, but also stirred my interest for this three LP box, which combines the completey "777" trilogy of the albums "Sect(s)", "The Desactification" and "Cosmosophy".

What's the concept of the trilogy? I honestly don't know - and the song titles, which are just "Epitome" with a Roman Numeral from I to XVIII, don't really help. But honestly, I don't really care either, so why am I even mentioning it? Let's just look at this thing!

The bad:

I'm aware that most buyers of sets like this will probably be hardcore fans, who already own the album in another form. Still it would be a pretty nice gesture for newbies like me to pair a pricy acquisition like this with a download code.
One of the three included posters, which shows the box cover's hourglass, is missing - not only from my copy, as I've heard. Instead the "Desanctification" poster comes twice. Not super important to me, since I don't have free wall space anyway, but still a pity.

The good:

Three diverse albums of sensationally great, boundless avant-garde black metal with strong industrial influences, melodic and dissonant, beautiful and infernal stuff happening, while simply just going into every possible direction its creator wants to stir it. Which most of the time is not as out there as what obvious Blut Aus Nord fans like Esoctrilihum, Bríi or also Imprial Triumphant are doing today. Yet it's still a pretty wild - and from album to album more daring - ride, which on the final, in the beginning very My Dying Bride doomy chapter even includes a piece which sports French hip hop. Combined with the generally very unapologetic drum computer sound that's of course a "Le Privilege Des Morts" moment for the Laibach listener in me. But all in all these three albums are just overflowing with amazing ideas presented in a sick signature sound. No doubt, the music alsone deserves more than a threefold fuck yeah.

On top of that this musick is pressed on some very splendidly coloured exclusice vinyl versions, packed in gatefold covers, all within a simple yet gorgeous box.
And since I recently got a new turntable, the final kicker for me to purchase this box was of course that it also includes a slipmat.

By the way: My old player, which has moved to another room now, was allowed to keep its slipmat. Its design is none other than the famous logo of... Magma. And that's what I call a closed circle.

MUSIC 2021: TOP 7 live shows

Maybe, in a couple of years - if you allow me to be uncharacteristically optimistic for a moment -, when we'll look back on 2021 in regards of live music, we'll be able to say that it was the first of two transitional years of things going back to normal.

It took me more than two thirds of it though, to visit a show again - seated and with masks, when you wanted to move, but a great show nonetheless. Until then pre-recorded session streams and actual live internet broadcasts had to suffice - and they sometimes reached an incredible level of quality.

And just like in "real" life there's no way to ignore Roadburn, because Roadburn Redux not only gifted us incredible live performances like a monumental set from Neptunian Maximalism and the incredibly moving commissioned piece "This Shame Should Not Be Mine" from Gold, or amazing prepared streams from Steve von Till, Nadja, Knoll and many more, but it also became a true collective experience through social media and its own website.

The most memorable other streams were Voivod's two Hybercube Sessions, in which they performed their classic albums "Nothingface" and "Dimension Hatröss" in full with stellar performances and an absolutely jaw-dropping sound quality. In 2020 I was still too sceptical, so I missed the first of those three sessions, but I really hope those will see a Blu Ray release or something similar in the future.

Technically a rather standard TV session, yet musically so spectacular that it would be a crime not to honour it here, was Magma's ARTE performance of "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh".

It's simple unbelievable how on top of their game the French legends still weave their zeuhl magic!

All this can of course never be a full substitute of the real experience, but if shows aren't possible, I'll gladly take it!

Luckily - and who knows how long it will last? -, after nineteen long months without "real" live music, there was finally a silver lining on the horizon in September and I began to make up for lost time. At least enough to justify a top 7 list... (no extra category for festival shows though, because I've only been to one of those)

TOP 7 LIVE SHOWS 2021:

1. FRA DET ONDE - Musikhuset Dexter, Odense
   
   

   

   The best things in life are for free. Like this show of the Norwegian avant-garde free jazz trio Fra Det Onde, mixed and manipulated live on stage by Emil Nikolaisen. Their unbelievable jams presented music at its most adventurous and free-spirited. I had an absolute blast witnessing this - undoubtly one of my best life choices of this year to add this stop to my Denmark trip at short notice.
   
   
   
2. DOOL - Prophecy Fest, Balve Cave
   
   
   
   After two years of pandemic delay Dool finally were granted the opportunity to play a proper release show for their second full-length album "Summerland", and the enthusiasm to be back on stage after that forced hiatus was the extra spice on top of an already ass-kicking masterclass in the dark side of rock'n'roll.
   
   
   
3. ARTHUR BROWN - Prophecy Fest, Balve Cave
   
   
   
   Yes, it was Him, the true "God of Hellfire"! Like many other attendees of the Prophecy Fest I've never really considered seeing Arthur Brown live. I didn't even know that the 79 years young psychedelic proto hard rock pioneer was even still around. And boy, how he was - what a crazy great show!
   
      
   
   
4. MYRKUR - Musikhuset Aarhus
   
   

   

   Even though this wasn't my first Folkesange show, Myrkur's performance in the Symphonic hall of Aarhus still felt like a new magical revelation, as Amalie Bruun and her singers, drummers and string players seem to have grown a deeper connection to the beauty, but also the elementary otherworldy power of her acoustic material.
   
   
   
5. E-L-R - Prophecy Fest, Balve Cave
   
   
   
   Sludgy and post-metallic doom, which hypnotized through its slowly building repetition and above all the dreamlike harmonic vocals of both frontwomen, made the performance of the Swiss trio another truly mesmerizing experience!
   
   
   
6. ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF - Skt. Lukas Kirke, Aarhus
   
   
   
   Nothing to see at this show, as Anna and her bandmates played the pipe organ far above and behind the heads of the audience. So this concert was just about closing your eyes and wandering through the ancient haunted sound mazes of "All Thoughs Fly" in your imagination. A quite different, yet all the more memorable kind of show.
   
   
   
7. BADA - Hafenklang, Hamburg
   
   
   
   Call it drone, call it noise, call it purposely chaotic fun or majestic super heavy psych! It's all fine. What matters is that this Swedish group, which includes several members of Anna von Hausswolff's live band - including herself on keys -, is a mammothly morphing catalyst of decibel worshipping catharsis.

MUSIC 2021: TOP 7 live shows

MUSIC 2021: TOP 7 live albums

MUSIC 2021: TOP 7 non-album releases

MUSIC 2021: TOP 21 albums