CLXXII. Various Artists | Neue Deutsche Post Avantgarde

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Neue Deutsche Post Avantgarde

©Goethe-Institut Brasil. Brasil, 1988.

‟This here is a wonderful Industrial various that has a bit of a back story.  This was made in Germany in 1988 for the Goethe Institute in Brazil (Sao Paulo). A pressing of 2950 was made for them.  150 copies remained for sale, while the rest was sent, and apparently "lost" (according to Monographie Asmus Tietchens)

Artists on this are S.B.O.T.H.I., Cranioclast, P16 D4, Gerechtigkeits Liga, Graf Haufen, Mullah, H.N.A.S., Cinéma Vérité, Frieder Butzmann / Thomas Kapielski and Werkbund. 

Neue Deutsche Welle!‟

Luca

CLXXI. Current 93 | Black Ships Ate The Sky

CURRENT 93

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

CLXX. Lycia | Estrella

LYCIA

Estrella

©Projekt. US, 1998.

‟The first time I heard Lycia, it was on a free sampler I received from Projekt, perhaps the premier darkwave/goth label of the 1990s, and perhaps the only label that was making a very serious attempt at following in the footsteps of esteemed British label 4AD. I don't remember what Lycia's song was, but I do remember that they sounded quite different than their labelmates, and that unlike other bands, they really didn't seem concerned about fashion or image, and the song sounded more like Aphex Twin than The Cure or This Mortal Coil. I thought their song was rather stunning and beautiful, but admittedly, I never did follow through.
Listening to the recently-reissued , the band's final album (and the first release in a Lycia reissue program), it's quite clear that Lycia was a different sort of band. The duo of Mark VanPortfleet and Tara VanFlower combined their strengths to make music that was haunting, beautiful and stunning, and in this goal, they were quite successful. Estrella found the band at a creative high, and the result was a record that lured the listener and took them into other realms of aural ecstacy. From the tribal "Tongues" to the Harold Budd-like "Clouds in the Southern Sky" and from the transcendent bliss of "Estrella" to the melancholy "The Kite," Lycia exploited the term "atmospheric" to the hilt--and the result was heavenly. Comparisons to The Cocteau Twins were and are inevitable, and while VanFlower's voice never quite reached to Liz Frasier's vocal heights--that's an impossible goal, anyway--her voice, in combination with VanPortfleet's stunning Robin Guthrie-inspired accompaniment, certainly justfied the comparison.
If you're not familiar with Lycia, Estrella is as excellent a starting point as you could find, because this record's beauty is a perfection that most bands could only dream of obtaining. Hopefully the forthcoming reissue series will illuminate this gorgeous darkwave band, and deservedly so.‟

Joseph Kyle

CLXIX. Various Artists | The Passion Of Covers - A Tribute To Bauhaus

VARIOUS ARTISTS

The Passion Of Covers - A Tribute To Bauhaus

©Cleopatra. US, 1996.

‟This one would've been hard to screw up. Who's not gonna jump in on a Bauhaus tribute CD? They have (mostly) good bands doing all the hits.

The Electric Hellfire Club's cover of "Bela" stays close to the original, as do several other tracks. Faith and The Muse's "Hollow Hills" is a reminder that any good comp sparks interest in the featured bands. Fahrenheit 451 and Eva O take "The Three Shadows (Part II)" in a fresh direction. (Now that Brendan Perry is pretty much retired, Athan Maroulis is neck-and-neck with Peter Murphy for Best Male Voice in dark music.) Black Atmosphere's "Muscle In Plastic" and Wreckage's "Largartija Nick" are the strongest reminders of the role punk played in early goth.

Two Witches' cover of "King Volcano" isn't as bad as others have claimed; it's a goofy song to begin with. The only real problem is that the singer sounds like he just had a novocaine shot. Makes you appreciate This Ascension's "In The Flat Field" that much more. "She's In Parties" continues Ikon's homage to Ian Curtis. Blade Fetish provides a perfect closing with "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything."

The "Multi-Image" cover is nifty, and the bands bring enough new flavor to merit the compilation. I'd give it five stars if it had Faith and The Muse covering "Silent Hedges".‟ 

Scott Sweet

CLXVIII. Delerium | Morpheus

DELERIUM

Morpheus

©Hypnotic. US, 1997.

‟This was Delerium before they found the newage/pop sound. I cannot say this makes the album any less artistic. What you have here is a gothic version of Front Line Assembly. Granted, FLA would add lots of elements of gothic and darkwave later on, we need to look at the timeline. In 1989 FLA had released "Gashed Senses and Crossfire" which was an EBM industrial album in the vein of Front 242. So this album is extremely fresh for its time and was radically different from Leeb's FLA.

The music is I guess you could say, gothic darkwave EBM. You really cant dance to it and is meant to listen to at those long nights alone. The music is extremely atmospheric, has almost no vocals, and plenty of samples, but these are not flaws. This is basically Baroque music in the industrial genre. The amount of Baroque influences are just increasingly high. But once again, this is a really good thing. Being influenced by Bach is never a bad thing. Metal bands do it and so does industrial music.

So in short this is a worthwhile release. If you dig FLA, pick it up. If you dig atmospheric music, pick it up. This is a sonic adventure that plays out like a single song with many moods and structures. Basically, this is a modern Baroque piece. 

(Recorded originally for Nettwerk in 1989 Canada, reissue by Hypnotic 1997)‟

Col Kurtz

CLXVII. Lux Interna | Ignis Mutat Res

LUX INTERNA

Ignis Mutat Res

©Eis Und Licht. Deutschland, 2004.

‟With their songs steeped in a spiritual and romantic tradition Lux Interna sit within the dark folk genre. Their music is primarily acoustic folk, swathed in string arrangements, but just as their erudite and poetic lyrics delivered by the twin vocalists, Joshua and Kathryn Gentzke, seek to locate the divine, their music strives to break free of the confines of the neo-folk genre. [a lantern carried in blood and skin] carries elements of dark Americana, ethereal folk music, misty atmospherics and at points the voices combine to create something closer to country and western.

You can piece together the trajectory of the group through the selection of tracks from the skeletal acoustic tracks of 'For An Autumn Girl' and 'Flowers Under Glass', where Kathryn's delicate tones takes the lead over the still, frosted setting of piano, guitar and tambourine accompaniment. These contributions from Absence and Plenum are sparse when compared to the rich arrangements of Ignis Mutat Res. The forceful ringing dark folk and dramatic strings of 'Horizon' where Joshua Gentzke voice resonates deeply, shadowed by the smooth gentle female voice of his wife, Kathryn is a strong opening track. And while 'Horizon' shares an affinity with fellow Americans Backworld, 'A Season Apart' captures a feeling of desperation as Gentzke's impassioned cries break over heavy piano chords, giving way to rolling drums before settling into a sort of decadent European feel as violins scrape furiously as an agglomeration of voices combine to intone: "this rune is carved in skin, yet deeper within..." It's impressive stuff.‟

Compulsiononline

CLXVI. Altar Of Flies | Permanent Cavity

ALTAR OF FLIES

Permanent Cavity

©iDEAL. Sverige, 2010.

‟'Permanent Cavity' is the latest, and some may say the best, in a long line of noise recordings from the prolific Mattias Gustafsson. It was recorded to tape between 2007-2008 at his studio in Sweden and contains seven articles of controlled experiments in the art of structured noise designed to unsettle and scare. His tactile approach and appreciation of silence and space would place his work closer to that of Kevin Drumm in some respects, than say the butchery of Prurient, and there's also the sense of doom dub dystopia that made BJ Nilsen's 'Death Dub' 7" so vital. Half way through the album we reach the most tranquil spot, where he conjures imagery of Philip Jeck and Helge Sten communicating under heavy skies and the scorched, spherical tones of the title track bear a resemblance to Mika Vainio's mastery of circuit-hewn brutality.‟

Boomkat

CLXV. For Against | Echelons

FOR AGAINST

Echelons

©Words On Music. US, 2004.

‟Available for the first time on CD! Echelons is the debut album by Nebraska's For Against, first released in 1987 for Independent Project. The album blends Factory Records atmospherics with the aggressive jangle of early R.E.M., juxtaposed against the earnest and isolated voice of Jeffrey Runnings. These elements conjoin to set the definitive image of the depth, vastness, and loneliness of America's sparse heartland.

Several songs on Echelons ("Echelons," "Forget Who You Are," "Broke My Back") perfectly capture the dark colorings of early Factory Records. The title track is replete with jagged, rusty guitar chords, painting gray and black trails onto which Runnings travels while reiterating the cautiously optimistic refrain, "Someone somewhere waits for me." The finale "Broke My Back" is a 7-minute anthem with shadowy chords and Runnings' boldly minimalist bassline — creating an atmosphere so bleak and compelling you can almost picture Martin Hannett behind the mixing console.

"Autocrat" weaves guitarist Harry Dingman's Gang of Four-inspired choppy, but ingeniously precise feedback and chord stabs through drummer Greg Hill and bassist Runnings' punchy, but solid rhythm section. Runnings wryly captures the song's essence with a repetitive one-line vocal melody: "Yeah, that's right, that's the way it is."

Other material ("Shine," "Get On With It") asserts the janglier elements of early 80s Athens rock, led by Dingmans' Peter-Buck-with-a-reverb-box melodies and Hill's lightning-quick drum patterns. All nine songs are distinctly identified by Runnings' clear, gliding timbre — a striking counterpoint to the dimly lit music supporting him.

One of the definitive American post-punk albums, Echelons was celebrated with a Grammy nomination for its remarkable cover design by Bruce Licher (a shaft of wheat accompanied each record sleeve in its initial 1,000 copy letter press run). This re-release is remastered with a six-panel digipak design by Licher.‟

Words On Music

 

CLXIV. Joy Of Life | Enjoy / Hear The Children

JOY OF LIFE

Enjoy / Hear The Children

©Hyperium. Deutschland, 1992.

‟Joy Of Life were a London based post-punk four piece initially influenced by Joy Division and early New Order.
Their debut LP, Enjoy was released in 1985 on Death In June's New European Recording's label and produced by Douglas Pearce. At the time the band were seen as a DIJ copyist act although their sound was more conventional with considerably milder Germanic overtones.
Joy Of Life were never a neo-folk act like Death In June, but did suffer a great lack of credibility from their affiliations with the other bards of Woking.
Following flirtations with major labels, no actual recordings just presumably lots of tapes and discussion, Joy Of Life did not release the follow up album until 1988 on their own Cadre label. This was a much darker affair with Gothic overtones, though the bass line on opener Liberty sounds very familiar. The band split shortly afterwards, but have reformed several times since to play Goth Festivals in Germany.
Both albums were had very limited runs and are long deleted, though German label, Hyperium reissued them as a single CD and limited edition CD box in 1992 from which these tracks are ripped. Joy Of Life were never an important band and were never really a good band, nobody will really ever miss them, though 20 years on their output does make interesting hearing for those inquisitive enough to listen.‟

Norecordshopsleft

CLXIII. Flores Funebres | A Moment Before Nothingness

FLORES FUNEBRES

A Moment Before Nothingness

©Ambientaria. France, 2010.

 

‟Flores Funebres is an one man band from Poland, formed by Mespheris in 2001. From the beginning, the project was based on elements of orchestral/classical music, dark wave, dark ambient and on instrumental parts inspired by black metal.

Flores Funebres music is often symbolic. It includes elements of the philosophy of nihilism, fear of death with a simultaneous fascination with the phenomenon of passing. The music is sometimes inspired by the metaphorical character of Lucifer, but also deals with universal issues and questions about the meaning of existence.

Flores Funebres explores the feelings of despair, grief, melancholy, suicidal thoughts, emptiness, pain of life… It is a musical exploration of the literary world of the late 19th century and of the aesthetics of decadence.‟

Ambientaria

CLXII. Asmorod | Involution Toward Chtonian Depths

ASMOROD

Involution Toward Chtonian Depths

©Solistitium. Deutschland, 1997.

‟Esta es una verdadera rareza, Asmorod es un proyecto francés de Dark Ambient del cual prácticamente no hay información, ni siquiera en su My Space se pueden encontrar datos acerca del origen del proyecto, pero calculo que nacen por el año 1993 ó 1994. La alineación también es relativamente una incógnita, pero en alguna página de reviews vi que sus miembros han sido: Cédric Codognet y Nicolas D. Faure, siendo el primero quien ya no se encuentra en el proyecto.

En 1995 lanzan su debut titulado "Dance In The Winter Fog", una producción muy en la línea de Les Légions Noires en cuanto a algunos elementos del sonido, una mezcla entre Dark Ambient y Black Metal que da como resultado una serie de sonidos espectrales y dignos de un filme de horror de mediados de los 80's. Escucharemos gran abundancia de treclados y pianos que dan una atmósfera incierta, ya que en el intro dan una sensación de tranquilidad al igual que en una parte del segundo track, pero en cuanto llegamos a la mitad de éste nos damos cuenta que es una banda que bien rivalizaría con los polacos Profanum. "Involution Toward Chtonian Depths" es una muestra más de una música cadavérica con ambientes ritualistas e inspiración pagana que no podrás eludir de tus pesadillas fetichistas.‟

Dark Ritual

CLXI. Various Artists | Im Blutfeuer

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Im Blutfeuer

©Cthulhu. Deutschland, 1995.

‟Tan misteriosa como su nombre es la música que encontramos en esta placa, donde se reunen bandas de reconocida trayectoria como Death In June y Sol Invictus junto a otras muy prometedoras como lo son Blood Axis, Ernte y Allerseelen.

El inicio corre por cuenta de Blood Axis con 2 temas, el primero "Walked In Line" un cover de Joy Division en el que se aprecia un sonido oscuro y crudo muy en la línea de los de Mnachester, el sengundo corte de Blood Axis "The Storm Before The Calm" está directamente influenciado por Death In June, en el cual un piano da comienzo a una triste pieza musical; acompañado por lluvia, truenos, vientos y ruidillos varios que van formando la atmósfera perfecta para una inquietante abstracción.

Una balada acústica es la que ofrecen Ernte en su corte "Sonnenwende", la unión de voces por parte de Will-I Stasch y Rose Kasseckert nos seducen de principio a fin, y si a esto agregamos la participación de Tony Wakeford en guitarras, en entorno se vuelve alucinatemente celestial.

Siempre en una compilación hay un tema que sobresale en forma especial, ya sea por su originalidad, por su interpretación, por los arreglos o su magia. En este caso "Hebba Gabbler" de Sol Invictus es un joya de pieza musical, piano y cello adormecen melancólicamente bajo la voz de Wakeford, produciendo un estado de calma imborrable, uno de los mejores temas del grupo que he escuchado (con letra del Sr. John Cale además).

Apartándose un poco de la sutileza quietud de este álbum, Allerseelen se hace presente con "Santa Sangre" (canción inspirada en la película del chileno Jodorowsky). Un corte ácido e industrial, fuerte y opresivo con grabaciones del film y mucha niebla, similar a lo que hace gente como In Slaughter Natives o Metal Destruction.

Finalmente Death In June nos regala "My Black Diaries", un tema caótico, lleno de sonidos y sin un ritmo a seguir, sólo la tristeza y la intuición nos conducen por la poesía maldita de Douglas Pierce.

Para ser un sello tan poco conocido como Cthulhu Records, impresiona por las bandas que logra reunir, un buen apronte para seguir investigando.‟

José Villegas

(Revista Fakxion, 1998 Rancagua, Chile)

CLX. Trial Of The Bow | Rite Of Passage

TRIAL OF THE BOW

Rite Of Passage

©Release. US, 1997.

'Escucha nuestra música con la mente abierta y deja a tu imaginación correr libremente' es lo que nos propone Renato Gallina (percusión y voz) y Matthew Skarajew (instrumentos de cuerda), ambos integrantes de Trial Of The Bow, dúo formado a fines de 1993 y que con su trabajo anterior el EP "Ornamentation", daban clara muestra de su gusto por la música étnica, enfocada principalmente en el sonido del Medio Oriente.

Oriundos de Melbourne, Australia, siempre los motivó el hecho que a través de la música podían visitar los lugares más exóticos con sólo cerrar los ojos. "Rite Of Passage" es una producción madura donde vuelcan  todos los matices sonoros que se puedan encontrar, creándose de esta forma un álbum profundo, místico, de meditación pagana, exótico, cadencioso, puro y sugerente.

La cantidad de instrumentos utilizados, amplía aún más la excelencia de esta creación ancestral, gaitas, tablas, flautines, se entremezclan logrando transladarnos a un oasis paranormal. "Father Of The Flower", "Ubar", "The Promise" encantan con sus ritmos orientales, recordándonos ciertos pasajes de Dead Can Dance en su brecha más étnica, "Serpent", "The Eyre Of Awakening" y "Muezzin" son más ambientales y oscuros. Los ritmos tribalistas se sienten en "Ceilidh For The Shallow Ground" y "The Court Of The Servant", la utilización de voces aparece en los cortes "Alizee" y "As Nights Falls", envolviendo todo esto con un aura más solemne. Trial Of The Bow en solo 10 piezas nos hace volar hasta Asia Menor, entre agua, beduinos velos y camellos, maravillando por su pulcritud y belleza.

Grupos como Muslimgauze, O Yuki Conjugate, Ataraxia o Rapoon son sus influencias más marcadas, que al unirlas crean música que como ellos señalan: 'Te hará perderte en ella, mediatar, relajarte, hacer el amor o saborear simples y extraños placeres.'

José Villegas

(Revista Fakxion, 1998 Rancagua, Chile)

CLIX. Cabaret Voltaire | Mix-Up

CABARET VOLTAIRE

Mix-Up

©Rough Trade. UK, 1979.

‟Cabaret Voltaire were the grim Northern counterpart to Throbbing Gristle's London screech and squallor, and it is well known that these kindred spirits both birthed and pioneered the Industrial music genre.  Whereas TG were willfully repellent and menacing, the Cabs had a more seductive element to there menacing music, which seemed to slither with a subtle sexuality.

This was achieved mostly by their incorporating of funk and dub reggae, which would gradually move to the forefront of their sound as their career progressed.  Another influencial musical factor loomed much larger during this, the initial stages of their discography: German Krautrock.  They would willfully admit a heavy debt to both Can and Faust and the improvisational techniques both bands employed.

With these influences in mind, it's much easier to grasp the mindset and intent of their debut full-length Mix-Up.  What may sound like aimless experimentation for the sake of it, will reveal itself as hypnotic and instinctual, yet disciplined and thought out musical innovation.  This album takes multiple listens to penetrate, but after getting past the initial murk and haze, you'll discover:

1) Another stellar example of their knack for creating compelling cover versions of songs which are excitingly unrecognizable, or at least severally distorted from the original.  In this case it's done to The Seeds' "No Escape."

2) A completely engrossing and absolutely terrifying description of the LSD experience in the harrowing "Heaven and Hell."

3) One of their musical peaks and the only song on the album to feature live drumming, "On Every Other Street" is Cabaret Voltaire firing on all cylinders and engulfs the listener in a wave of lurching, trippy, robotic funk for the paranoid.

Ultimately, while this album does lull in some places and is not a masterpiece, it holds up extremely well when compared to all of their follow-ups and when taken as a whole, is quite an awesome experience.  A landmark of the Industrial and Post-Punk genres, as well as the legendary label Rough Trade, it is well worth seeking out and is also a good place to start with this band, if you aren't a fan of "best of" compilations.  It's also worth noting that Cabaret Voltaire released excellend singles and EPs and some of their best and most well-known material is not included on their studio albums.  So in addition, I would highly suggest tracking down the Living Legends compilation, which collects all the early singles and EPs.‟

Bennyshambles

CLVIII. Argine | Luctamina In Rebus

ARGINE

Luctamina In Rebus

©Oktagön. Italia, 2001.

‟This accomplished album has a very full sound, and is characteristic of the best of Italian neofolk, whilst betraying other influences and styles. It has a gothic-industrial opening 'Luctamina Rerum Naturum Alunt' and soon demonstrates the group's classical abilities with 'De Versa Rosa'. On other tracks the choppy, frenetic violin playing shares the excitement of Matt Howden's style, so the instrumentation is sometimes reminiscent of Sol Invictus. 

I particularly enjoyed 'Urla (Frammenti D'Infinito)', a neofolk track featuring alternate male and female vocals, the furious violin and drum rolls. I also liked the nostalgic trumpet sound on 'Arm' which reminded me of early Death In June. 

My restaurant Italian is not up to translating the songs but we are told that Luctamina In Rebus is "a concept album about the conflicts between Nature and Man, between Man and Man and between Nature and Nature." The album comes in a beautifully produced gatefold digipak with a booklet featuring the lyrics and illustrated with Roman stucco paintings. Two members of Argine also belong to Anima in Fiamme.‟

Fluxeuropa