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!

2023-09-20

DIVIDE & DISSOLVE und CHURCHLICKERS live auf der MS Stubnitz, Hamburg (18. September 2023)

Ahoi! Am Montag haben ging es mal wieder an Bord der MS Stubnitz, Lieblingsadresse für obskure Advantgarde und jede Art von experimentellem Zeugs in Hamburg. Aus der Konserve lief Kayo Dots "Coffins On Io"-Album, dann u.a. Radare und Earth. Da weiß man doch gleich, worauf man eingestimmt wird!

Der Schiffsrumpf war für Wochenbeginn und überschaubaren Bekanntheitsgrad der Headliner einigermaßen respektabel gefüllt. Anscheinend hatte der lokale Opener hier erfolgreich einige Besucher den Arsch auf die Elbe bewegen lassen. Und das nicht unbegründet.




CHURCHLICKERS
Besetzt mit Gitarre, Drums und Klavier (plus weiterer Elektronik und Sampler) spielte das Trio Churchlickers instrumentalen Post Rock, der zwar oft leicht bis düster atmosphärisch daherkam und sich dafür auch aus geduldigem Ambient herauswabernd musste, der aber auch mal unvermittelt ruppiger werden konnte, und dabei in fürs Genre ungewohnter Weise ungeschliffen punkig gab. Das war dann gerade von der Schießbude aus auch mal ein bisschen übers Ziel hinaus geschossen. Außerdem hätte ich hier und da gerne ein wenig mehr Gitarrenwucht gespürt, doch dass mag daran liegen, dass ich ja vorne und relativ dicht am Trommler stand, hinter dem die gewaltige Verstärkerwand des Headliners optisch das genau gegenteilige Soundproblem suggerierte.

Das klingt jetzt allerdings schon nach viel mehr Gejammer als die Band verdient hat, denn Churchlickers fahren tatsächlich eine schön eigenständige erdige Schiene in ihrem Genre. Dass die eine oder andere Unebenheit im Gleis vielleicht noch zurechtgedengelt werden könnte, tut dem keinen Abbruch. Hat mir gut gefallen.

Nach Ernte vom Merchandise-Stand gibt's hier im Blog dann demnächst ein Wiedersehen in der Reihe cassette craze chronicles!








DIVIDE & DISSOLVE
Über das Niveau der von mit in diesem Jahr besuchten Einzelkonzerte kann ich schon generell beim schlechtesten Willen nicht meckern. Doch dann haben Clipping. die Messlatte am Wochenende im Hafenklang natürlich unglaublich hoch gelegt. Es mag hieran liegen - und daran, dass mir die erste Bekanntschaft mit Divide & Dissolve auf dem Roadburn Festival 2022 zwar durchaus gefallen hatte, jedoch noch weit von Perfektion entfernt gewesen war -, dass meine Erwartungshaltung an diesen Abend als stabil optimistisch, aber nicht hysterisch enthusiastisch bezeichnet werden konnte.

Doch was die Gitarristin und ihre - ich weiß nicht ob dauerhaft neue oder nur temporär für diese Tour anwesende - Drummerin nun vom Stapel ließen, war eine gewaltig krachende Doomwucht auf dem Dröhnmachtlevel von Gruppen wie Big|Brave oder Bell Witch, die sich vor nichts und niemandem verstecken musste. Im Vergleich zur letztjährigen Festivalperformance, bei der Musik manchmal etwas zufällig zusammengerifft wirkte, war hier ein ein gezielteres, absichtlicheres Selbstbewusstsein zu spüren. Dazu passte auch gut, dass - wie vom aktuellen Album "Systemic" versprochen - die im mit Patrick Shiroishi vergleichbaren Stil auf dem Sopransaxophon zusammengeloopten Intros deutlich anspruchsvoller und mutiger daherkamen.

Die volle DroneNoiseSludge-Gewalt ließ keinen Zweifel daran, dass die zwei Bass-Amps und zwei Gitarren-Doublestacks nicht nur als Deko aufs Boot gehievt worden waren. Außerdem nehme ich stark an, dass das in der Sommerpause aufgerüstete Soundsystem der Location sich bezahlt machte, denn an einen solch grandios präsentierten, ins Meditative transzendierenden Brachialklang konnte ich mich auf der MS Stubnitz trotz einiger bemerkenswerter Konzerterlebnisse bisher nicht erinnern. Ganz klar die richtige Investition!
 
Das Set des intrumentalen Duos bestand aus mehreren Blöcken zusammenhängender Stücke, und als Divide & Dissolve nach dem dritten dieser Blöcke die Show beendeten, war ich zunächst etwas perplex, weil es mir sehr verfrüht vorkam. Doch ein Blick auf die Uhr versicherte mir, Zeuge einer vollkommen normalen, angemessenen Spielzeit gewesen zu sein. Subjektiv allerdings ist diese Zeit irre schnell vorbeigegangen.

Was soll man machen? Auch wenn ich sicherlich noch zwanzig weitere Minuten Vibrationsmassage meiner inneren Organe vertragen hätte, bleibt da folgerichtig als Fazit nur restlose Begeisterung. Wunderbar!






2023-09-17

CLIPPING. live im Hafenklang, Hamburg (16.09.2023)


Komfortzonenausbruchspremiere! Nein, sicherlich nicht meine erste Hip Hop-Show, aber tatsächlich das erste gezielt besuchte Clubkonzert. Doch schon ein erster Blick durchs bunt gemischte Publikum, in dem u.a. Shirts von Napalm Death, Bell Witch und Sunn O))) zu sehen waren, verriet dass es heute im Hafenklang ähnlich wie bei Dälek oder Backxwash keinen unverfälscht lupenreinen Einblick in eine fremde musikalische Subkultur geben würde.

Dafür gab es eine anscheinend aggressiv Energie fressende Lightshow, die zunächst ordentlich rumbzzzte und krrckte, ehe das Trio Clipping. beginnen konnte. Doch dann waren fett dröhenende Elektrosounds zwischen unwiderstehlichen Grooves und Breakbeats, Horrorsoundtrack, avantgardistischem Krach und Powerviolence angesagt. Womit meine Minimalanforderung an Hip Hop ja schon exzellent erfüllt wurde: Die Musik an sich muss bereits spannend sein, bevor irgendwer überhaupt das Maul aufmacht.

Wenn dann aber noch ein Großmeister seines Fachs wie Daveed Diggs eben jener Maulaufmacher ist und in atemberaubenden (buchstäblich: Wann holt der Mann Luft?) Flow und Tempo auf kendricklamarschem Level vom Leder zieht... dann gibt es anscheinend kaum noch Grenzen nach oben. Dass der Typ, der hier fröhlich von Slashergrusel, Mord und Totschlag rappt nebenbei auch noch Broadway-Musical-Star in "Hamilton" ist, muss man in diesem Umfeld schon wissen, um es glauben zu können.

Zehn Jahre lange waren Clipping., die anscheinend allgemein nicht mehr viele Locations dieser intimen Größenordung bespielen, nicht in Hamburg gewesen und dementsprechend war der Bock auf und vor der Bühne grenzenlos.
Die ausverkaufte Show, die zur Hälfte aus Tracks des mir vertrauten  Albumdoppelschlags "There Existed An Addiction To Blood" und "Visions Of Bodies Being Burned" bestand, setzte das Elbufer lichterloh in Brand. Angesichts der für September unverschämt hohen Außentemperatur nicht ungefährlich. Aber das gehört zum Verlassen der Komfortzone ja generell dazu: No risk, no fun.

Hammer Abend!








2023-09-15

THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET - Image Of You (Tribute to Red Snapper)

The brave new world of international shipping! Even within the EU it often just sucks now. Shit just gets lost. And that's why I haven't been reviewing this EP already two months ago. But when I realized that I should have received the CD an eternity ago, Jason Köhnen thankfully was kind enough to send it out to me again.

THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET - Image Of You (Tribute to Red Snapper) (CD) (2023)

Just like "Seekers Who Are Lovers", which I reviewed as a digital track and purchased on CD later, this one-track EP belongs to a tribute series, which - at least how it seems as of now - takes a song of another artist and reimagines it as a gargantuan track of exactly half an hour length. In the beginning and some reprises along the way you could consider it a "normal" cover version, but all in all these rather appear to be very satisfying excercises in exploring a theme in the complete variety of moods and styles inherent to The Lovecraft Sextet.

And those are plenty! So what was originally a Trip Hop track by the band Red Snapper in the 1990's now morphs from that to eery Doomjazz, Eighties Darkwave, Horror Opera, annihilating Black Metal and much more. Jason Köhnen's vision and the spectacular aid of familiar collaborators like soprano singer Lilian Tong or saxophonist Colin Webster ensures that this patchwork always fits together and never gets tiring.

Even though he didn't even cover songs I had been familiar with before (or because of it?) this series is already among my favorite things in Köhnen's ridiculously prolific output - which besides The Lovecraft Sextet also includes Mansur, Bong-Ra and of course all the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble / Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation classics.

The limited signed CDs come in a black vinyl look in a neat little cardboard cover. Definitely a "nice to have", not too expensive collector's item which adds a lovely physical touch to this already amazing music. 






2023-09-12

MOTORPSYCHO ? Yay!

Yay, there's a new Motorpsycho album!


MOTORPSYCHO - Yay! (CD) (2023)

Ok, that sentence above not only is the absolutely lowest-hanging fruit to start this review with, but it also applies every year anyway, at least once, since the Norwegian are always so impressively productive. And neither plagues nor line-up changes can stop their discography from growing. That being said despite his recent departure the new album still features drummer Tomas Järmyr as the third band member besides Hans Magnus Ryan and Bent Sæther.

But even with the same trio as on the previous records (plus some guest flutes, violins and vocals) the overall vibe on "Yay!" is quite different than on those often very proggy epics.
This one is in a way smaller and simpler. The songs are shorter and you can easily tell that most of them were composed singing along to a strummed acoustic guitar.
Some like "Real Again (Norway Shrugs And Stays At Home)" are mostly kept that way, other tracks sound way bigger with added layers and harmonies, yet still maintain the overall singer/songwriter feeling of the album.

So "Yay!" isn't a wild party scream, but rather a sound of glad relief after a time of nebulous uncertainty. If you especially dig the feeling of easier Motorpsycho classics like "Let Them Eat Cake" (1999) or "It's A Love Cult" (2022) this will certainly be one for you.

And when towards the end "Hotel Daedalus" marks the pinnacle of their more heavy and bombastic mode,  it's a really well-earned climax on this perfectly structured, wonderfully dreamy, catchy, relaxing, but still intriguing album, which for the bazillion's time proves that these boys just cannot do wrong.


2023-09-06

Catching up with my to-review list with one more roundup feat. LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE, LEMUR, LUMSK and NOCTURNAL BREED


So here we are again with one of those collective reviews, this time I'll go through some physical promos I've received during the last weeks months. Admittedly I'm still not sure what exactly to make of some of these, so for comfort reasons I'll just start with the one I'm sure I'll be revisiting the most of this bunch:







LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE - Fire Fortellinger (2023)

I don't own any album of the Swedish Retro Prog band Wobbler, but over the years I have heard the odd song here and there and always found it enjoyable. So I already had at least a little some basic expectation when I saw this debut solo album of their keyboard player, on which Lars Fredrik Frøislie plays  tons of analogue keys and drums, also sings and is only aided by Nikolai Hængsle of Elephant9 on bass. Yes, there's no guitar and I had to read it to notice it, because the sound of all those organs, Moogs, Rickenbackers and whatnot is so rich that you simply don't even get the idea that the six strings might be absent.

The music is story-telling epic 1970's Prog, very dynamic, sometimes heavy, sometimes light-hearted, always very authentic. (Don't ask me about the story though, because the lyrics are in Swedish.) The musicianship obviously is great, but never overpowers the songwriting. This is definitely not an over-planned record, it even contains improvised bits.
All in all "Fire Fortellinger" is one of those album. which could be a blueprint of its particular stylistic niche. And Yes, even though there's a gentle gigantic amount of this kind of classic Prog out there, it still sounds fresh.

Can I even find anything bad to say about this album? Why is the second song "Et Sted Under Himmelhvelvet" not longer, maybe? Lars isn't the greatest singer in the world? But does this music require it? No, seriously, I see nothing which desperately needs to be improved here. This is great stuff!








LUMSK - Fremmede Toner (2023)

Now let's add guitars, switch the Rock part to modern sounding Metal and make the rest a lot more folksy - and we're getting to closer to Frøisle's Norwegian neighbours Lumsk.

Musically this sounds a lot like the Folk / Metal / Prog fusion tracks of Ayreon, and even the female singer here reminds me a lot of the regular Arjen Lucassen collaborator Anneke van Giersbergen.

Conceptually their comeback album after sixteen years presents six poems of classic European and North-American writers as translated by Norwegian author André Bjerke and then follows them up with another six songs based on the English and German original words.

Those song pairs aren't just the same tracks with different lyrics, yet rather independent compositions with some similarities here and there. But even though there are a lot of instruments at play and the change of female and male vocals also brings some variety, this album as a whole with its one-hour running time is just too much for me. While this is all done very well and I can honestly enjoy most of Lumsk's songs on their own, I just find myself saturated with these melodies and the aesthetics of it all after a couple of tracks. So I don't think I've ever continuously listened to the whole album in one session. Good, but surely just not a hundred percent for me.









LE MUR - Keep Your Fear Away From Me (2023)

Ok, sorry that I have to say this, but it may seem a little risky to use the word art too often in connection with this cover uhm...artwork, but we're continiuing with a German Art Rock band now.

Pinkfloydisms paired with Trip Hop influences, Krautrock, Blues, smoothjazzy saxophone jams, Prog, even some Metal... it's quite an interesting melange which Le Mur brings to the table, creating a very distinct sound, which in the best passages of "Keep Your Fear Away From Me" certainly puts you onto an exciting trip.

Unfortunately the quality of this voyage at times is subject to strong fluctuations. It's mostly the thick tschörmänn accent of the occasional vocals and the dominance of the drums in the mix combined with some shaky uptempo performances which creates very demoish moments that really throw me off the spaceship.

If Le Mur had concentrated more on their strengths in the slower atmospheric stuff, maybe made this an EP consisting only of more carefully produced versions of both the long opener and closing track of the album, this could have been a remarkable  work only for the right reasons. Yet how it is a lot of the great potential is sadly floating in the soundless void of space.







NOCTURNAL BREED - Carry The Beast (2023)

I know, this doesn't belong here. We had three band starting with and now these dudes. Missed the chance for some clever alliteration wordplay in the title of the post. And musically this looks like we're turning to another gear too, right? Well at least this is another album which I find a little too long to listen to in one sitting, especially with the three CD bonus tracks, which lift it over the seventy-minutes mark.

So appearantly Saxon and Cirith Ungol had a demon baby in the Nineties, and up until now I was completely oblivious of its existence. What reads like a recipe for either brilliance or ridiculousness in case of Nocturnal Breed's new album "Carry The Beast" actually absolutely and unashamedly is both. Everything about this band is an excercise in Heavy Metal hyperbole. Song titles like "Thrash Metal Hate Saw (The Last Act Of Terror)", "Raise The Flag...And The Hordes Will Follow", "Lady Vampire", "Blitzhammer" and of course fucking "Knights Of Denim" couldn't speak a clearer language of what you're about to get here.

Each track is a bloodbath in clichés, always slightly too long, slightly too over the top. The same goes for the intros and interludes of these Thrash'n'Roll bangers. It's corny, it's fun and you're allowed to laugh about it. But then you must also respect how great this similarly weird and straight-forward sick shit works.

And of course I won't forgot to mention that vocalist, who seemingly really digs the aforementioned Cirith Ungol and comes awefully close to the extreme organ of Tim Baker. That element alone makes the whole length of this record demanding and exhausting.

Yeah, this album truly is a beast. Raise your fist for the sensorial Blackened Thrash overkill! 





2023-09-02

Um, didn't I want to write about BORIS, CLARA ENGEL, JASNOVIDEC, LEAGUS, PAM RISOURIÉ and THE OCEAN at some point?


Even though I can only check out a small percentage of the promo invitations I received with this one life I have, some stuff unfortunately still gets left behind on my to-do-list.

And since we're doing collective reviews right now anyway, here are a couple of promos and other digital releases I bought or snatched somewhere else, which definitely deserve their justice:





LEAGUS - Flora Eallin (2023)

And there's no album I have criminally neglected more than this Norwegian Contemporary Jazz masterpiece! Normally just a guitar / piano duo Leagus was recruited to write a piece for the ten-member North Norwegian Jazz Ensemble in 2021, and the result - besides several live appearances - was this amazing album, whose twelve tracks always sound fresh and modern, but somehow also take you through a historical journey, touching on all different kinds of experimental Free Jazz and Fusion.

Even the specific achievement of putting one of the most annoying parts of any music album of the year into one of the best songs surrounded by an hour-long cornucopia of beautiful stylistically boundless magic, is somehow respectable and ultimately works. Well, just listen to "Pripyat", have a little patience and I'm sure you'll know, what I'm talking about, haha!

All other various vocal and instrumental performances and arrangements really are flawless though. And between Ambient, Pop, intimate Smooth and large Big Band Jazz, Heavy Fusion and all kinds of delicate and wild experimentalism connecting and dividing those elements, "Flora Eallin" is a truly exciting journey you just don't want to miss!

Is It Jazz? the record label asks. The answer is yes, but also so much more!






BORIS - "Akuma No Uta" Anniversary single "Ibitsu" (2023)

Now let's obliterate our hearing for a small moment and enjoy Boris' re-recording of a little song from an album originally released twenty years ago. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT. Fuck yeah, Rock'nRoll! That was good. I'll continue writing once the veil of feedback tinnitus has lifted a little.






THE OCEAN - Holocene (Instrumental) (2023)

From Japan back to Europe, where Post Metal superpower The Ocean has released a new album. As always I didn't care much, because this band is undoubtly good on stage, but seldom has that it, which makes me want to listen to their studio work. Or maybe they have the other it, which holds me back from engaging, being the redundant sheer existence of vocals.

Luckily they kind of know of this themselves and always make their releases available as alternate purely instrumental versions. And suddenly this heavy atmospheric stuff is so damn extra-good! This music just works way better this way. Hell, I even enjoy the track with freaking Karin Park as guest singer much more... um... without her. Not her fault, obviously. Sometimes even the greatest vocalists are best if they just shut up. The song needs what it needs - and doesn't need what it doesn't.

Still not saying that regular "Holocene" is a bad record by any means, but "Holecene (Instrumental)" just feels like the real thing, the Director's Cut, the legit Post Rock album of the year contender.






PAM RISOURIÉ - Days Of Distortion (2023)

Definitely pro-vocals is my stance on the full-length debut of the French Shoegaze group Pam Risourié. Not that the falsetto voices here would be something super special or outstanding on their own. But they are just the right choice to accompany the breathy dreaminess of this rhythmically often quite upbeat Post Punk affair, which towards the end gradually grows into a more and more spacious and cosmic experience.

Distorted guitar music in an ethereal haze. Eruptive and beautiful.






JASNOVIDEC - Vzpom​í​nka Na Sv​ě​tlo / Fyziognomie Hyeny (2023)

The most abstract release of this bunch by far comes from Stoned To Death Records in the shape of this two-track EP (also available as limited 7") from Jasnovidec. Just like on the 2020 self-titled debut album you should expect buzzing, crackling, droning and random analogue synth and electronics with zero hooklines, yet a lot of atmosphere and a big experimental tag on it!

With that inner preparation you'll find this is quite listenable and enjoyable.






CLARA ENGEL - Sanguinaria (2023)
AVI C. ENGEL - Sanguinaria (2023)

Look, I waited so long that I missed the name change! But does it even retroactively apply to a release once it is already out there in the world? If you obtain just the digital version it could, right? I don't know, I better leave that question for someone else to contemplate about.

Avi doesn't sound radically different than on their last album "Their Invisible Hands", the delicate minimal DIY instrumentation of these ten Alternative Folk songs is just as interesting and compelling. But even tough we're basically staying on the same high level and Engel keeps the total running time at least a little briefer this time, there are just a couple of tracks I somehow cannot fully warm up to. Hard to say why, maybe some of the sparse melodies simply don't fully meet my taste.

That also the excellent tracks require the right mood to work, shouldn't come as a surprise, because this music is not only slow-paced and quiet, but also very close and personal in away that doesn't work twenty-four hours a day. And that's totally fine.

If you're new to this artist, I'd recommend to listen to earlier releases first, but fuck me, you won't do what I tell you, so feel free to start diving into Clara/Avi's "one long continuous song" wherever it suits you best!






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?