Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta David Tibet. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta David Tibet. Mostrar todas las entradas

miércoles, 11 de enero de 2012

CLXXI. Current 93 | Black Ships Ate The Sky



















Black Ships Ate The Sky
©Durtro Jnana. UK, 2006.


Ya puedes tenerte por un bragado y poderoso matador de discos. Si se abre el chiquero y lo que sale es un pedazo morlaco de la ganadería Current 93, encomiéndate a Pedro Romero y a Joselito el Gallo, porque es muy probable que te den los tres avisos, el bicho se te escape vivo, encampanado y desafiante, y no hayas podido pegarle más que un par de mantazos, huyendo. Ni picadores ni banderilleros te servirán de nada. Como no entables una cierta complicidad con el bicho, a base de mimetizarte con él en lo que dure la faena de la escucha, vas apañado.

Si su voluminoso ¡¡"grandes éxitos"?? ("Judas as Black Moth") hacía a nuestro hombre más asequible que nunca, enfantizando sus momentos más "pastorales", aquí volvemos a las andadas. Perdida en la noche de los tiempos la fascinación por Aleister Crowley (¿o no?), Tibet es un predicador terrible que nos acongoja con la inminencia del Apocalipsis. Si tendía, en discos recientes, a un sonido más remansado y neofolkie, más ajeno al mundo de su eterno compadre Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Bound), aquí reaparece el gótico más tenebrista.

Tibet está convencido de que el segundo advenimiento de Cristo traerá una era arcádica, pero se recrea en el preludio terrible a tamaña bendición. Por cada rincón del disco, las fuerzas diabólicas y las ovejas negras combaten sin tregua con ángeles belicosos del Antiguo Testamento. A modo de paréntesis, hasta en ocho versiones distintas, las palabras hermosísimas de un poema del siglo XVIII (Idumea) cobran distintos y ambiguos sentidos (siendo las mismas) en función de lo que con ellas hacen el vocalista invitado y los arreglistas. Brilla sobremanera Marc Almond y cumplen con más discreción Antony (muchacho, ¿no te estás pasando con tanta ubicuidad?) o Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (idéntica duda, aunque el bueno de Oldham ya nos tiene más acostumbrados a ser el perejil de infinitos guisos).

El incontinente Mr. Tibet, din duda imbuido del carácter de mandato divino que hay en su prédica, nos endosa casi ochenta minutos de delirio, acción trepidante, remansos e infiernos en la tierra. Dado su ritmo de producción, reincidirá, sin que paeen mucho más meses, y seguirá aumentando su núcleo de incondicionales.

No es convencional, no es amable y no es acogedor, pero el mundo de David Tibet, extraordinario autor de textos alucinados/alucinantes, guarda recompensa, precisamente, para quienes conceden un generoso plus de respetabilidad a los artistas que no han surgido de ningún molde conocido, y que a nadie se parecen. En ese sentido, el caballero que se esconde tras el seudónimo Current 93 es un portento.

Khurcius




sábado, 17 de diciembre de 2011

CLII. Antony And The Johnsons / Current 93 | Live At Saint Olave's Church



















Live At Saint Olave's Church
©PanDurtro. UK, 2002.


British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released in 1998. In 2001, Hegarty released a short follow-up EP, I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy, which, in addition to the title track, included a cover of "Mysteries of Love", a David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti song and "Soft Black Stars", a Current 93 cover.

Producer Hal Willner heard the EP and played it to Lou Reed, who immediately recruited him for his project The Raven. Now gaining more attention, Hegarty signed to US-based record label Secretly Canadian, and released another EP, The Lake, with Lou Reed guest-performing on one of the tracks. Secretly Canadian also re-released Hegarty's debut album in the United States to wider distribution in 2004.

This tape Recorded live at St. Olave's Church, London on April 5th and 6th, 2002. Antony dedicates his performances in loving memory of Nellie Hegarty.

Deathwish



 

domingo, 27 de noviembre de 2011

CXXXIII. Current 93 | Earth Covers Earth





















Earth Covers Earth
©Durtro. UK, 1992.


‟As most of you know by now, I'm a wee bit of a C93 obsessive.  Well this album is to blame for that I'm afraid, this was my introduction to their warped and twisted world.  Not an album I'd recommend as a starting point, but a damn fine listen nonetheless, this album was released when C93 were still trying to find their folky feet, and David Tibet was trying to discover his true voice.

The original release is only 6 tracks long, starting with versions of "The Dilly Song", a simple nursery rhyme, sung unaccompanied.  "Hourglass" makes two appearances, one narrated/sung by David Tibet, one narrated by a child's voice.  The lyrics are from a 17th century poem by John Hall, showing that Tibet yet wasn't really confident in using his own poetry, but also using Hall's words perfectly to deliver his message.  The only genuine C93 classic from this original set of tracks, is "Rome (for Douglas P)", a live favourite still, a folky singalong of a song, which would have graced an album such as Thunder Perfect Mind.

The additional tracks on the CD version, really make this release the 5 star release that it is.  The two versions of "At the Blue Gates of Death" are both essential, beautiful recordings.  One version is a shorter, paranoid vision of a song, with grinding backwards bass, the other, a gorgeous happy ode to a life well lived, you can feel the sun shining on your face as Rose McDowall's backing vocals perfectly complement Tibet's relaxed delivery.  "God Has Three Faces and Wood Has no Name", "She is Dead and all Fall Down" are two more slightly bonkers tracks, which would both fit perfectly on TPM.
Final track "The Dream Moves of the Sleeping King" really has no place on this, or any other C93 album.  That's not to say it's worthless, far from it, but it really is a Nurse with Wound style track, a long surreal melange of sounds, I can't see Tibet having had much input on it, it sounds practically all Stapleton to me.

DarknessFish