It’s pretty strange listening with one ear the loudspeaker and the new album by Boris and with one eye looking over the shoulder to the tv set, watching what’s going on in Japan, especially at the Fukushima Daiichi site. Boris planning to release three new albums this year, “New Album” was released on March 16, 2011, on CD through Tearbridge – an imprint of major label Avex, and on double LP through Daymare. The album is not planned to be released outside of Japan and the CD and LP feature different versions of several tracks. “Heavy Rocks” and “Attention Please” are expected to be released in April and on the same day. And all this after in January we had a nice piece of work, the collaboration between Boris with Merzbow and the brilliant album “Klatter”.
The fifteenth studio album by Boris contains 10 brand new songs and this Japanese guys know how to rock. Read more Boris – New Album (2011)
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Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
A nice piece of post-rock/noise album from Belgium. Steak Number Eight was formed back in 2007 and won the local rock contest Westtalent. Only a few months later they became the youngest winners ever of the biggest Belgian rock contest, Humo’s Rock Rally (former winners: Deus, Goose, etc). After that they released their first demo album entitled “When The Candle Dies Out†in self-production. They played at the biggest Belgian festivals, a.o. Graspop Metal Meeting, Dour, Marktrock and also supported bands like Pelican, Torche, Deftones, etc. Planned to be released in the winter of 2010, “All in Chaos” is the new material of the band consist in 10 brand new contorted songs, and the album is produced by Matt Bayles (Isis, Neurosis, etc).
Brent Vanneste – vocals and guitar, Joris Casier – drums, Jesse Surmont – bass, and Cis Deman – guitar claim their roots in the sound of bands such Neurosis, Tool, Deftones, Pelican and Isis, and they managed to blend smoothly the dark and gloomy post-rock/noise elements – mostly very heavy and slow stuffs – with a few nice harmonies and calm moments. Read more Steak Number Eight – All in Chaos (2011)
Terrorvision – Super Delux (2011)
Terrorvision Rocks. In the good old-fashioned way: cutting edge guitars, pumping bass, solid drums, voice with character and it’s all about feeling good. I loved “Oblivion” from their second album “How to Make Friends and Influence People” released back in 1994, and Terrorvision managed to hit Top 40 in UK subsequently with all they singles released till 1999. But after their forth album “Shaving Peaches” EMI drop them and after one more album released by Papillon Records in 2001 “Good to Go” the band splitting up and vanished.
Meantime EMI tried to ripping off all the skins from the band and cashing in by releasing two best of albums and in 2005 with the release of” B Sides And Rarities“. The group reformed to play two tours in 2005 played four more dates in November and December 2007. Occasionally they played few gigs through 2008 and 2009 as well fulminating with the headlining on the Bohemia Stage at the 2010 Sonisphere festival at Knebworth House. Read more Terrorvision – Super Delux (2011)
Julian Cope – The JEHOVACOAT Demos (2011)
Cope is one of the few – if not quit the only – British guy who took the path of Krautrock and 
mainly he’s “to blame” for popularizing this gender in UK not only by playing it, but also by his book “Krautrocksampler” (1995). I discovered Cope through his most popular album, “Peggy Suicide” (1991) with a major delay. But Cope is also famous for his prominent role in the Margaret Thatcher Poll Tax Riots, and not at least for his permanent struggle with the Record companies and the music industry, with those he referred to as “greedheads”.
“The JEHOVACOAT Demos”consist of 15 previously unreleased tracks and 5 previously unpublished poems from the Archdrude, all written and recorded throughout 1993 in direct response to having been dropped by Island Records. In the mid-1990s, Cope signed with Rick Rubin’s Def American label, releasing “Autogeddon” (1994) and “20 Mothers” (1995), but he was dropped by the label when he refused to visit the USA. So Cope released the next album, “Interpreter” through Echo Records (1996). Read more Julian Cope – The JEHOVACOAT Demos (2011)
The Chemical Brothers – Hanna, soundtrack (2011)
“Hanna” is the latest movie directed by Joe Wright best known previously for 2005’s “Pride and Prejudice” and 2007’s “Atonement”. It’s an adventure thriller, filmed in Europe and Morocco. Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a teenage girl raised by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, geared to making her the perfect assassin. Cate Blanchett played the role of Marissa Wiegler. Actually I didn’t see the movie, I just read a few words about it. 🙂 But I had the pleasure to listen to its soundtrack written by Thomas Owen Mostyn Rowlands and Edmund John Simons aka Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, sometimes referred to as Chemical Tom and Chemical Ed, better known as The Chemical Brothers. So, this is not really a new album in the line following the intense “Further” released last year, but still, it’s a nice piece of work. We’ve got 20 tracks, some of them being strange sound textures, other real nice constructions of mysterious noises, ravishing synthesizers and twisted rhythms. Read more The Chemical Brothers – Hanna, soundtrack (2011)
The Haunted – Unseen (2011)
This guys from Gothenburg, Sweden managed to came out with the perfect blend of the traditional Melodic Death/Thrash with the modern, straight approach and sound of the later trends. And I’m gonna tell you right from the beginning: “Unseen” it’s another outstanding collection of heavy, consistent songs, all the 12 new tracks are killer ones, crushing constructions of modern metal, the three years passed from their previous material, “Versus”, worth the extended waiting.
Formed in 1996 on the solid foundation of the pioneering band of the Swedish metal scene At the Gates, The Haunted signed to Earache Records and released their debut, self-titled album in 1998. The original members were Anders & Jonas Björler, Peter Dolving, Adrian Erlandsson and Patrik Jensen. Read more The Haunted – Unseen (2011)
Wings – London Town (1978)
My mom played this vinyl many times and it gets under my skin. Tunes, fragments of it still vibrates in my ears even after 30 and so years. “By dawn’s first light i’ll come back to your room again/With my carnation hidden by the packages/I’m carrying, something/I’m carrying something for you…” Just like that. “People pass me by on my imaginary street/Ordinary people it’s impossible to meet/Holding conversations that are always incomplete/Well, I don’t know/Oh where are there places to go/Someone somewhere has to know/I don’t know…” Songs to humming along a lifetime. Just like “Girlfriend” or “With A Little Luck”. And I’m pretty sure, a guy named Michael Jackson learned this songs – and lesson – as well. But I love McCarney and I love this whole album from “”Cafe on the Left Bank” to “Famous Groupies” or from the “Backwards Traveller” to “Deliver Your Children” and I just can name all the 14 tracks of the original release. Worth to mention the over 6 minutes of “”Morse Moose and the Grey Goose” with Funky and Psychedelic infusions. On the re-issued and remastered release from 1993 there’s two bonus tracks: “Girls’ School” and “Mull of Kintyre”, this second one becoming the UK’s biggest-selling not charting single, even outstripping The Beatles’ largest seller “She Loves You”. Read more Wings – London Town (1978)
Van Der Graaf Generator – A Grounding in Numbers (2011)
Released on 14 March 2011, this date written as 3,14 comprises the first three digits of the number Pi. The second track, “Mathematics”, refers to “Euler’s identity” known as the mathematical poem and the trio consisted of Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evansin moved on to a new label, Esoteric Records. I have to admit, I missed the previous two albums – “Present” (2005) and “Trisector” (2008) – meantime, David Jackson quit the band after releasing “Present”, but Hammill, Banton and Evansin seems to feel quite alright together and the new set of 13 tracks sounds strong as the good old stuffs, but strangely also refreshing.
When I was absolutely convinced that the actual British scene is consisted exclusively by a bunch of kids with stupid haircuts, sponsored clothing and complete lack of inspiration, this old guys showed me otherwise. Perhaps “A Grounding in Numbers” is not another “H to He, Who Am the Only One” and actually I miss Jackson’s saxophone and flute, but the new material is a nice trip back to the 70s, but still looking forward. Read more Van Der Graaf Generator – A Grounding in Numbers (2011)
10 best albums of 2010
2010, musically speaking, it wasn’t a year of crisis, the music industry seems to be trying to cover excessive losses due to piracy by the avalanche of products brought to the market. I do not know how effective this approach is, but I know that in 2010 I wrote about over 300 albums and listened, well, many more. And this trend keeps rising this year.
In April I discovered the album “Blackjazz” by the Norwegian Shining and till “Ipsissimus” of Zorn/Moonchild in October I was firmly convinced that it is the album of the year. That does not mean that at the time between were not materials worth to mention. There were plenty. The quantity floods of products to the market fortunately didn’t buried for good the quality products. Yet.
10 titles, however, is frustratingly few to be fair. Some good titles are left out of this so-called classification, sorry guys, I love and respect all of you! I put this 10 titles in alphabetical order because all of them deserves maximum attention. Well, I do not make my “critics choice” with one eye on Billboard and the other one on eMpTyV, but what the hell?! I still believe that music is more than an accessory of the business that grew out from it. Music is not only for legs or ears, but for soul.
Mick Jagger – She’s The Boss (1985)
Did Jagger felt himself lonely at the top back in 85? It’s hard to believe while Jagger gathered around him an extended gang of musicians like this: the prolific Bill Laswell on bass guitar and synthesizer; Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Eddie Martinez, Nile Rodgers and G. E. Smith on guitars; also on bass guitar he had Bernard Edwards, Colin Hodgkinson and Robbie Shakespeare; playing keyboards, synthesizers, organ and piano there was Herbie Hancock, Jan Hammer, Guy Fletcher, Wally Badarou, Ron Magness, Chuck Leavell and Robert Sabino; on drums were pumping Sly Dunbar, Steve Ferrone , Anton Fig, Michael Shrieve and Tony Thompson and Ray Cooper, Anton Fier and Daniel Ponce delivered percussion while Aïyb Dieng played the shaker. Lenny Pickett played on the saxophone and Bernard Fowler, Fonzi Thornton and Alfa Pickett sung backing vocals. Sir Michael Philip Jagger got half a life? It’s even harder to believe, Jagger took at least double share of everything he could get. And I really and literally mean everything. Read more Mick Jagger – She’s The Boss (1985)
