CXXXVI. Labradford | Labradford

LABRADFORD

Labradford

©Kranky. US, 1996.

‟Pongámonos en situación, en el capítulo de presentación. Labradford fueron, y digo fueron porque, como formación sus días acabaron hace ya una década, un trío estadounidense que durante un puñado de años intentaron buscarse el pan haciendo discos. Su lugar vino a ser aquel que navegaba entre el post-rock y, sobre todo, el ambient, terrenos terriblemente áridos en los que pocos pudieron subsistir, y que apenas dieron mucho que hablar. Ahí estuvieron gente de características análogas, como Godspeed You! Black Emperor, que crecieron junto a nuestro grupo de hoy. Labradford llegaron a publicar cinco discos, de los cuales hoy nos ocupa el tercero, que, junto con el siguiente Mi Media Naranja (1997), formaron el momento cumbre de su breve carrera.

Labradford (Kranky Records, 1996) es un trabajo compuesto por siete cortes, que crean un discurso único, en el que la oscuridad, misterio y temor acaban convirtiéndose en protagonistas. No los engañaré, a Labradford hay que masticarlo mucho. Es una película subtitulada de cine iraní, de esas que cuestra tragarse cuando no tenemos el cuerpo preparado para retos. Menos aún si “Phantom Channel Crossing“, su primer tema, nos pone las cosas tan claras. Que nadie espere eso de los machetazos de guitarra de gente como los propios GSYBE, o Mogwai. Labradford cultivan la sutileza de esa maravilla llamada “Midrange“, que continúa en trabajo, o de “Pico“, dúo que componen los mejores momentos de este trabajo.

“The Cipher” corta el álbum en dos pedazos, como mera transición, y “Lake Speed” estremece desde la primera escucha. Probablemente fue con temas como este con los que la etiqueta ambient cobró más sentido que nunca. “Scenic Recovery” complementa con eficiencia el toque místico y misterioso de Labradford, mientras que la final “Battered” redunda en la atmósfera fangosa, en el mundo diseñado por un Stephen King metido a compositor… en un disco no apto para perezosos‟

Dr. Chou

 

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

 

CXXXIV. Dark Muse | Sounds From Beyond The Silver Wheel

DARK MUSE

Sounds From Beyond The Silver Wheel

©The Fossil Dungeon. US, 2002.

‟Obtuse gothicism blurs and loops into an ethereal wonderland in this hour of shadowy she-spawned eardreams. Rising and falling on eerie waves with vague accents, "Queen of the World of Spirits" calls from faraway with her phantasmal moans. Throbbing ceremonial drums resonate from behind the wispy vocal veils fluttering in "Certain Angst," reminiscent of a homegrown Dead Can Dance.

A fogbank drone seeps into/out of "Luna Flow (The Deep)," its gaseous movements obscured by boiling grayness, occasionally gleaming with mysterious energies, rarely identifiable as instrumentation. So nice to have a feminine force operating in such vaporous realms! The mist-ified tinkle of metals is buoyed by a weirdly rolling sonic sea in the slow-simmering abstract murk of "Silver Wheel Flow" (5:22). Muted/mutated strings toll before "Disorder" (11:30) is swallowed in layers of female croonings, swaying like tattered scraps of lace in a twilight breeze.

Besides weaving entrancingly dank atmospheres in her Dark Muse mode, Phyll also crafts intricately jeweled adornments at ...eyescreamjewelry.... The seemingly disparate endeavors are in fact entwined. Both sound and jewelry merge Gothic, Victorian, Renaissance, Medieval, Art Nouveau, Celtic, Egyptian and Pagan influences into beguiling new shapes. Decorate your own chambers with the melancholy majesty of "Sounds from Beyond the Silver Wheel.‟

David Opdyke 

 

CXXXIII. Current 93 | Earth Covers Earth

CURRENT 93

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



 

CXXXII. Elend | Leçons De Ténèbres

ELEND

Leçons De Ténèbres

©Holy Records. France, 1994.

‟Sixteen years ago when Death & Black metal were at their peak the whole scene spinned around "brutality" & "darkness" in terms of rhythm and atmosphere, fast tempos & few harmonics, minimalism over melody and any band out of these standards was classified as a traitor (to an unexistent cause of course).

Elend was one of the first bands that tried to intruduce to the core of Metal trends the neoclassical echoes from bands like Dead Can Dance, melody over the rutilant course from metal. "Leçons De Ténèbres" its a daring experimentation, introducing a vanguardistic tendency in the form of an apparent impossibility. The major triumph of this album its his own demise as well, the orchestral maneouvers gets darkened by the fuzzy and often sloppy metal introits and when the beautiful harmonies brings the magic overtones of grace and atmospherics the oligophrenic growls and screams intended as vocals obliterate the whole dimension from the sound created. The contrast its intolerable and the result unbereable.

Milton´s vision on "Paradise Lost" partially taken as inspiration for this album is well conceptualized in terms of the whole creative effort employed but the aesthetics used (mainly on vocals and certain "metallic" arrangements) are hostile to the beauty of the narrative and completely childish in form. The intention to bring growls and screams as means of despair and darkness are very naive, somehow lose the essence from what the "Fall from grace" means, an spiritual loss and therefore a pain that is mainly centred on the soul. Screaming or growling upon a wall of neoclassical paintbrushes trying to instill atmospherics doesnt really bring more darkness into the picture, just the ridicule.

Nevertheless the work must be judged by its daring and proactive try, it opened the ways for the band experimenting way further and creating an universe for their own as well as many others to hear the magic sound that could be derived from a mix that could reconciliate the harsh form from metal with the deep strength from the classic.‟

Enfantterrible

 

CXXXI. Various Artists | ...And Even Wolves Hid Their Teeth And Tongue Wherever Shelter Was Given

VARIOUS ARTISTS

...And Even Wolves Hid Their Teeth And Tongue Wherever Shelter Was Given

©Cold Meat Industry. Sverige, 1995.

‟A killer sampler priced low for the masses and designed to showcase current or upcoming Cold Meat artists and releases. There is an American counterpart to this that's fairly different, the only re-appearing tracks being from Mortiis, Morthound, and ConSono. You could get both, but quite honestly the Euro version is where it's at, so just be sure to get it first. The full line-up: Arcana, Raison d'être, Ordo Equilibrio, Mortiis, Aghast, MZ.412, Mental Destruction, Ildfrost, ConSono, Desiderii Marginis, Atomine Elektrine (Raison d'être side project), Memorandum, Morthound, Deutsch Nepal and Brighter Death Now... whew. Most of the material should be fairly new to most, highlights, among many, include a stunning piece from Raison d'être (the most emotional and beautiful work I've heard from him yet), an ethereal symphonic/vocal piece from Arcana (of all these bands, the one to watch), the doleful and demonic whispers of Aghast (THE darkest thing you'll ever hear - guaranteed), and the evil strangulations of B.D.N. Your chosing if you wish to wait for the full releases from these bands... but I wouldn't... it's just too damn good for that.‟

Jason Mantis 

 

CXXX. Judith | Föhn

JUDITH

Föhn

©Amphion Music. US, 1995.

‟Judith es una banda neoyorkina formada apenas 7 años atrás por Christopher David, Damian James y Brian Veit, que retoma un género que a pesar de estar prácticamente abandonado, ha influido en multitud de grupos: el Rock Gótico.
En 1996 sacan al mercado su primer álbum "Föhn", conformado por once temas plagados de sonidos y ritmos oscuros claramente influídos por grupos tan emblemáticos como Bauhaus, Corpus Delicti, Joy Division y sobre todo Christian Death, influencia ésta última quese hace muy patente en canciones como “Opal Bed”, “Indolence”, “Libethra” y “Succesion”.

En el disco predominan los sonidos de la guitarra disonante de Christopher David, combinados muy habilmente con el bajo de Damian James. Temas como “Aurora” sin embargo, rompen la tónica general de la placa ofreciendo una melodía suave acompañada por una voz femenina muy en el estilo “Heavenly Voices”.
 A destacar los inicios lánguidos y atmosféricos de las canciones “Les Sylphes” y “Voice”, el tema “Mirror” que recuerda terriblemente a los primeros trabajos de los míticos The Sisters of Mercy y la penúltima canción “Maven” que presenta una impronta arabesca extremadamente sugerente.

En definitiva "Föhn" es un disco harto recomendable para los nostálgicos de los viejos grupos de Rock Gótico y After Punk de los ochenta y principios de los noventa.‟

Ignatius

CXXIX. Siouxsie And The Banshees | Kaleidoscope

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES

Kaleidoscope

©Polydor. UK, 1980.

‟2 days into the tour supporting their 1979 album 'Join Hands', Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris walked out, leaving Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin as a 2-piece.  The Cure's Robert Smith and former-The Slits/Big in Japan drummer Budgie were brought in to tour and promote the album.  While Smith left afterwards to return to The Cure, Budgie stayed in the fold and the 3 went to work on the follow-up, 'Kaleidoscope', with help from Magazine guitarist John McGeogh and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones.

In terms of a lineup change, it was pretty spectacular, as there was a pretty noticeable change in sound, as well, as they took a pretty firm step away from punk rock and toward the dark goth-wave that would serve them so well over the next years of their career.   In particular the two singles, "Happy House" and "Christine", pointed directly toward the band's future.

There was still plenty of dust left to settle, however. On much of the album they sounded unsure of where they were headed, and tracks such as "Tenant", "Hybrid", "Clockface", and "Paradise Place" seem rather half-complete.  The end result is that the album and the band itself seem to be a work in progress.  A couple steps away from their earlier punk-styled sound, a couple steps away from the more refined unit they later turned out to be, and certainly a couple steps away from the goth band they were always accused of being.

But progressing they were, and with the next album, 'Juju', they would arrive. As for 'Kaleidoscope', they still weren't quite there, but they were soundly on their way.‟
 

Drakkar

 

CXXVIII. Suishou No Fune | Prayer For Chibi

SUISHOU NO FUNE

Prayer For Chibi

©Holy Mountain. US, 2008.

‟Suishou no Fune originated in Tokyo's fertile psychedelic scene. After landing a spot on PSF's Tokyo Flashback 5 and releasing Where the Spirits Are in 2006, the group ventured out from Japan and took every opportunity to play across the United States and Europe. During one of these trips in the spring of 2007, the group-- down to the crucial duo of Pirako and Kurenai-- went into a recording studio for a few days and laid down these massive new tracks.

Prayer for Chibi might be the ultimate Suishou no Fune album; with two disks and more than two hours of music, the group finally stretches out and lets their music flow like it never has before. Much about Suishou no Fune has had to do with volume, but this new set of duets adds forays into starker songwriting and a languid serenity that works to make one feel as if it were necessary to hold one's breath through the entire album.‟

Holymountain.com

CXXVII. Sorrow | Under The Yew Possessed

SORROW

Under The Yew Possessed

©Piski Disk. UK, 1993.

‟Sorrow is an English-based band that is the brain child of Rose McDowall, once known as one half of the 80s pop duo, Strawberry Switchblade. Rose's first band was called The Poems, an experimental three piece based in her hometown of Glasgow. While still with The Poems, Rose also joined with Jill Bryson as Strawberry Switchblade. The Poems released one EP entitled Achieving Unity, but they broke up shortly after its release, when Strawberry Switchblade began to gain popularity. Switchblade's top-five hit, "Since Yesterday," is featured on many 80s compilations, and still receives considerable club and radio play. Switchblade disbanded in 1986.

Since 1985, Rose has worked with many other bands, including Current 93, Coil, Death In June, Felt, and Psychic TV. Through the years Rose has carried on working in a more experimental vein, and ultimately formed SORROW, releasing their first LP, "Under The Yew Possessed", in 1993. They have since produced: "Sleep Now Forever" (1999), "Final Solstice" (1999), and "Let There Be Thorns" (2001).‟

Wassonii

CXXVI. Neutral | Serpents In The Dawn

NEUTRAL

Serpents Of The Dawn

©Eis Und Licht. Deutschland, 2008.

‟The omnipresent violin breaks the melody into ‘Tales of Men and Trees’, doubling, swaying and changing. ASH’s grave voice takes over the song as soon as it appears. The melody is frugal, repetitive and circular. The guitar notes crackle trough the melody, their laconic sound counterpointing the elongated notes of the violin. The song is pure neo folk, melancholic, tainted in darkness and tantalizingly dipped in nature. With releases (both digital and physical) in Cynfeirdd, Heimdallr, Brudenia and now Eis & Licht , in ‘Serpents in the Dawn’ the Russian dark folk pioneers have reached a peak in their production. The delicacy in each song shimmers through the contrast of the voice line. The references to Current 93 especially, melodic Death in June and the more classic formations is obvious, but always appears with a personal touch. ‘The Starfall of the Nevermore’ is one of the examples: A tune that picks up DIJ ‘Something is Coming’ era, with a piercing chiming percussion, a languid violin melody and guitar arpeggios. The crude and straightforward tune the voice carries, taking turns against the violin spotlight. The inclusion of a female voice reciting, and the return to the main voice composition. A simple and precious work of art for any neofolk lover...‟

Isis

CXXV. Swans | Cop

SWANS
Cop

©K 422. US. 1984.

‟This is one of the most monochromatic, boring albums I've ever listened to. The formula for each and every song is relatively low volume guitar white noise and the same start-stop plodding beat, while Michael Gira grumbles self-loathing or society hating lyrics.

In reading about the Swans I was sure I would like them. I like the No New York stuff, I like Einsturzende Neubauten and Throbbing Gristle, I like post-punk guitar noise.... the Swans take a very similar approach to all these artists but, at least on this album, the songs are stripped of all craft, groove, or even shock value. There's just nothing interesting about this album. It isn't even memorably unpleasant. It's... just... relentlessly... dull.‟

Razumov22

 

CXXIV. Dead Can Dance | Aion

DEAD CAN DANCE

Aion

©4AD. UK, 1990.

‟Desconcertante el designio de la clarividencia: el muerto puede bailar. ¿Prodigio o infortunio? Peor aún, ¡su ritmo!, ese contoneo corrupto que dibuja una vil existencia; esa demencial imagen, placida, de tortura psicológica delineada por una atmósfera disímil, turgente de escabrosos detalles armoniosos que como tibias notas, como embrujo de lágrimas musicales, agobian y fascinan, cual relación bipolar. Y es que es asombroso como ese manto musical, ese murmullo sardónico que se esconde tras esta mirada cabizbaja, deprava a la belleza y la ahoga en un estado vesánico, y que tras arrebatos pasionales la saca a flote, y el duelo del desenfreno se desarrolla sobre una espesa e impenetrable niebla de desilusión. ¡Sí!, esa niebla, que cobija a las sombras reptantes en su narcótica intimidad embustera y de esta suerte, forma la unidad, punto de partida e inicio hacia mundos de ensueño y profunda introspección. Proeza mórbida, maldición suprema, amor sucio, manto de oscuridad que ofusca a la razón, haciéndola despreciadora de la cognición, y que malamente troca esa virtud por el desenfreno de las prohibiciones, del instinto natural y de versos recargados y vacíos que nos han de dar consuelo. Desconcertante el designio de la clarividencia, el muerto puede bailar: ¡me estoy moviendo, el muerto soy yo!.‟

Crimsondelator

 

 

CXXIII. Boyd Rice And Friends | Music, Martinis, And Misanthropy

BOYD RICE AND FRIENDS

Music, Martinis, And Misanthropy

©NER. UK, 1990.

‟I’ve been amused, confused and infused with the works and ideology of Boyd Rice. I’ve never been able to decide if Mr. Rice was as dark as the character he presents himself or if he was simply playing devil’s advocate, but I’d like believe that within all his proclamations that he was being honest, and that I wasn’t wrong for agreeing with him. I’ve always enjoyed his spoken-word messages because it wasn’t free-love hipsters preaching socialism. Combined with the moody, beautiful guitar ambience of Douglas P., Boyd Rice is given the chance to  really bring sense of calmness to the ears, allowing full hypnosis while his gentle voice encourages you to indulge on hate, take notice at life’s ugliness and except that most people are useless. The perfect example of this method at use is the track people. As well as being a ‘Boyd Rice and Friends’ classic, this song really exemplifies the subject matter, the intent, and the methods of this instigating poet. Along with help by Michael Moynihan, and the angelic vocals of Rose McDowall this is truly an intriguing record with infectious sounds capes, provocative commentary, and a sense of taboo enjoyment that anyone can love to hate. Boyd Rice and Friends is a classic example of what happens when you bring together a bunch or angry men sporting facist wardrobes, dark music and apparently hate everybody.‟

Deathmetaltyler 

CXXII. Low | The Curtain Hits The Cast

LOW

The Curtain Hits The Cast

©Vernon Yard. US, 1996.

‟Back in '96, while I and countless others were listening to Sixteen Stone and Dookie, Low was crafting a gem of an album - one that would not ever be fully appreciated by its audience. With two other albums under their belt, Low obviously was used to it and unwilling to allow it to stop them from releasing their slower-than-molasses indie rock ballads upon the masses. Thank God they did. The Curtain Hits The Cast is one of those ahead-of-its-time masterpieces that opens up like a ten year old bordeaux - slowly and intoxicatingly. With each track that seemingly drifts in and out of existence, Low's tailored minimalism hangs like a haze over the listener, lulling them inward, inside themselves, to the place where all their fears and joys reside. "Anon" plays like a lonesome drive, while the ever more-hushed "Coattails" reminds me of my first experience with love and longing. Without a doubt, the winner here is the lengthy-yet-rewarding "Do You Know How To Waltz?", with its heavily delayed, lush layers of guitar and magnificently thoughtful lyric, "One more dance before they take away the light", which seems to be what we all want from each other anyway: one last chance.

Whether you're a lover, a fighter, a thinker or a writer, The Curtain Hits The Cast will drop its emotionally-charged anti-ballads of love and desperation into the broken hearts we all pretend we don't carry around with us under our Sunday best. This album will become your new obsession.‟

Shutupandbreakdance