CXXXVIII. Eleven Shadows | In Strange Lines & Distances

ELEVEN SHADOWS

In Strange Lines & Distances

©Hyperium. Deutschland, 1994.

‟Eleven Shadows releases illustrate the stylistic flexibility and strong compositional sense of musician Ken Lee. Lee is the main personality behind the music of Eleven Shadows, although he enlists a number of other musicians to add their personal touch to various tracks. Notable are Kristin Jaeger, whose beautiful liquid voice makes the melancholy "Salve Regina" a stand-out track.

Lee has an open-minded approach to arrangement, incorporating acoustic instruments such as sitar, guitar, Japanese percussion, and tambourine with textured, sonorous electronic instruments and samples. The result is a rich, unpredictable sound, highlighted by impressive musicianship. The ultimate strength of Eleven Shadows' music is that it addresses the listener on an emotional level, creating strong atmospheres without being overly melodramatic.‟

Machine Power Magazine

CXXXV. Rose McDowall | Cut With The Cake Knife

ROSE McDOWALL

Cut With The Cake Knife

©Bad Fairy Productions. UK, 2004.

‟McDowall’s first venture into music was in The Poems, an art- punk trio formed in 1978 with her then-husband Drew McDowall. She formed Strawberry Switchblade in 1981 with Jill Bryson. After signing with Warner Bros. Records they enjoyed chart success with their single “Since Yesterday” in 1984, however later singles and an album did not sell as well as expected. This and internal problems lead to an acrimonious split in 1986. 

For the next six years Rose was primarily a guest vocalist or “floating member” of several different alternative bands. She contributed backing or lead vocals for Coil, Current 93, Death in June, Felt, Alex Fergusson, Into A Circle, Megas, Nature and Organisation, Nurse With Wound, Ornamental, Psychic TV, and Boyd Rice on recordings as well as singing or playing guitar for live appearances. In 1993 she collaborated with Boyd Rice under the band name Spell producing 2 singles and an album of 1960s style pop, country and psychedelia covers for Mute Records .

At the same time she formed a folk rock band called Sorrow with then-husband Robert Lee. Between 1993 and 2001 they released two albums and one EP through World Serpent Distribution and performed in Europe and the U.S. During this time McDowall continued to record and perform with Current 93 and Coil, including the short lived group Rosa Mundi. Robert Lee left the band in 2002. Rose and her remaining bandmates continued to perform under the name until 2005 when she began performing under her own name.

McDowall is best known as a vocalist but also plays guitar, keyboards, melodica, and drums. Her signature instruments are a Washburn 12 string acoustic guitar, a Fender Coronado electric 6 string guitar, and an electric harmonium.‟

Creepyinsight

 

CV. oOoOO | oOoOO

oOoOO

oOoOO  EP
©Tri Angle. US, 2010.

‟Repateándose la blogosfera con la misma obstinación con la que rebuscábamos en las recónditas estanterías de las tiendas de discos de antaño, uno puede hallar proyectos tan interesantes como oOoOO. No ha hecho falta merodear demasiado porque la revista The Wire nos ha puesto en la pista de este sorprendente artista californiano, que a veces actúa como dúo, al hablarnos de un CD-R homónimo publicado por Disaro. El formato físico llega después de haber compartido durante un año sus canciones en internet. Su música es oscura y su imaginería críptica como códigos masónicos. Un halo de misterio entela sus canciones, a la vez que una belleza melancólica nos cobija cual hipnotizante parabrisas bajo la tormenta.

En una reciente entrevista a Vice Magazine, oOoOO cuenta que un amigo les dijo que "sonaban como la música de una escena de película en la que un hombre ha entrado en un abarrotado restaurante en Mumbai y ha disparado a todo el mundo. Y ahora está caminando, a cámara lenta, bajo una intensa lluvia, a media noche, a través de las mugrientas calles de la ciudad, llorando y torturado por los remordimientos de lo que acaba de hacer." Y de ahí surgió el título de “Mumbai”, que junto a otros cinco temas impronunciables conforman el citado CD-R de edición limitada ya inencontrable. The Wire los emparenta con las power ballads de los 80, con DJ Screw y con John Oswald por su apropiacionismo en piezas como "Pckrfcrmx", en la que reconoceréis el "Pockerface" de la omnipresente Lady Gaga. Aunque yo diría que harían mejores migas con V/Vm que con Oswald.

Podéis descargar algunas de sus canciones gratuitamente en The Hype Machine. Y en formato físico creo que aun quedan copias de un 7" compartido con White Ring publicado por el sello Emotion y en el que figura "Seaww". Y precisamente escogemos este tema como colofón porque su videoclip ha sido realizado nada más y nada menos que por Daniel Lopatin, el artista repsponsable de Oneoxtrix Point Never.‟
 

Klamm 

XC. Modern Witch | Disaro

MODERN WITCH

Disaro

©Disaro. US, 2010.

‟Bringing things up to date with young gun neophytes of low-battery 80s drum machine chug; devotees of caningly repetitive electro-punk vignettes fronted by dissolute female vocalist.

And let's praise artists for whom the 80s mark the beginning not the end of the holy mystery. The UK hauntology crew have betimes built an aesthetic out of attempts to claw back a glimpse of just-out-of-reach 70s wonderlands. Fellows such as Ghostbox and Mordant create music that dines out on wink of the eye cultural signfiers; grist to the critical mill for bloggers and Wire journalists keen to pull up a chair at the meme feast - drooling all the while over those hyper-designed album covers.

Extend the same courtesy then to Modern Witch and a more recent re-assemblage and re-enactment; dishing up pleasures a-plenty with a studied air of glassy-eyed ennui.‟

Weird Brother

LXXXV. The Frozen Autumn | Fragments Of Memories

THE FROZEN AUTUMN

Fragments Of Memories

©Eibon. Italia, 1997.

‟The Frozen Autumn started life as the solo project of Diego Merletto, founded after several years of involvement with various darkwave groups in Turin. The singer, keyboardist and synth programmer employed the talents of guitarist Claudio Brosio during early studio sessions and live performances, then in 1995 the first album, Pale Awakening, was released under the German Weisser Herbst Produktion label. The album was well-received by gothic-wave/dark-romantic fans across Europe, and in 1997 the follow-up was released, Fragments of Memories, this time by Milan-based Eibon Records.

In 1998 Merletto co-founded a side-project called Static Movement with Arianna, who provided guest vocals on the title-track from Fragments of Memories. The duo composed together for six months and in March 1999 the album Visionary Landscapes was released. The musical style of Static Movement was not dissimilar to The Frozen Autumn, however with only electronic instruments being used, the result was a more synthetic coldwave sound. The partnership proved fruitful for both parties and so Arianna became a permanent fixture in The Frozen Autumn line-up, Static Movement remaining their "concept research project".‟

Wikipedia

XLIX. Chris & Cosey | Trance

CHRIS & COSEY

Trance

©Rough Trade. UK, 1982.

‟Chris & Cosey's 2nd album for Rough Trade, 'Trance' was originally released a year after their seminal 'Heartbeat' LP, in 1982. This is the first time it's been reissued on vinyl in two decades, landing with impeccable timing in the midst of a cold wave revival. The genius electronic auteur, Chris Carter, and the agent provocateur, Cosey Fanni Tutti moved into even darker territory with these eight tracks, using Chris's dynamic studio innovations and Cosey's notorious imagination to articulate unspoken feelings of darkest misanthropy. The atmosphere of 'Trance' is unremittingly overcast and reassuringly darkside, from the cyber-tribal ritual sequences of 'The Giants Feet' and the immaculate electro sting of 'Impulse' to the opiated Arabesque 'The Gates Of Ancient Cities' maintaining a visceral tang and taste for the "other". Even when they go more poppy, like with Cosey's naif vocals and woozy cornet on 'Secret' or the jaunty gallop of 'Until', they're still ten shades shy of uplifting and pretty much define that feeling of dystopian futurism that so many look for in classic early '80s electro. This really is one of the most future-thinking, incredibly produced and timeless artefacts from the early 80's cold-synth scene, and comes to you with our highest possible recommendation.‟

 Boomkat