Sex is probably the most powerful driving force in nature, in arts, implicitly in music. Some people believe that the power behind The White Stripes was the (sexual) tension between Jack and Meg White. When this flame faded out, Jack White moved over, eventually Jack find Alison Mosshart and we’ve got The Dead Weather.
The roots of “Blunderbuss” Jack’s first official solo album goes back several years when White was recording songs for several artists such as Tom Jones, Insane Clown Posse, etc. White was in contact with Wu-Tang Clan member RZA and they were going to do a recording session, but RZA couldn’t attend the session, so White recorded several tracks, which would ended-up into “Blunderbuss”. We’ve got 13 tracks, Jack delivering from raw blues to garage Indie Rock all the tricks and approaches he tried out in the last 15 years. Still, Jack managed to be timeless and fresh, shiny. This music is both simple and flawless! Read more Jack White – Blunderbuss (2012)
blues
Everlast – Songs Of The Ungrateful Living (2011)
Everlast was always close to my heart. Back in the 90s House of Pain was one of my first and almost only hip hop bands I dig, still, they second album “Same as It Ever Was” from 1994 is probably the best hip hop release ever and after the band’s split in ’97, and Danny Boy founded an art company, DJ Lethal became a member of Limp Bizkit, Everlast kick out a blooming solo career and achieved multi-platinum with his 98’s album “Whitey Ford Sings the Blues.”
The mixture of blues, country and hip hop, Everlast delivering since is quite fresh and tasty. Erik Francis Schrody (aka Whitey Ford), but better known by his stage name Everlast, reinvented himself singing the blues merged with rap, but saying facts right into your face. And I appreciated his style and honesty. Read more Everlast – Songs Of The Ungrateful Living (2011)
Playing For Change – PFC 2 – Songs Around the World (2011)
Gathering together brilliant artists including Baaba Maal, Keb Mo, Sandra de Sá, Taj Mahal, Tinariwen, Carlos Vives, Roger Ridley, Grandpa Elliot, Stephen Marley, Mermans Kenkosenki, Char and Toumani Diabate, this second release by Playing for Change, “Songs Around the World” is a refreshing collection of covers reinterpreted in a key of exotic mixture of raggae, dub, African drums, blues and soul.
“Playing For Change” is a multimedia music project created by the American producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson with his Timeless Media Group, that seeks to bring together musicians from around the world. Read more Playing For Change – PFC 2 – Songs Around the World (2011)
Heroin and Your Veins – Lovely Bone Structure (2011)
I stumbled into this accidentally on the Bandcamp, but well, I still don’t believe there is anything accidental in this life, so…Heroin and Your Veins is a one-man band started in 2006 by Janne Perttula in Tampere, Finland and Solina Records released the debut album entitled “Dead People’s Trails” in August 2007. The second album is called “Nausea” and it was released in April 2009 by Verdura Records. It is available also on Bandcamp for 8 Euro. “Lovely Bone Structure” is one single track last for 48 minutes, it was released on 19 April 2011 and only available in the internet at Bandcamp and “name your price” actually means that you can downloaded even for free typing zero. Well, it’s not quite polite, but… I think art and artists deserves our support in a world where everything becomes more and more plastic, fake and prefabricated. Read more Heroin and Your Veins – Lovely Bone Structure (2011)
Garage Days
Today it’s a nice, smiling Sunday. And I felt like I have to smile back. 🙂 So, I dig out some tracks that were send to me by Grigore (Oedip Piaf) with one of them songs: “Detentie” (Detention) , and I cut off Serban’s guitar track, I used some parts of it and other parts were re-sampled and I write a brand new theme for them, give life to a new song. 😀
It’s always exciting to work on something and re-arrange it to become something totally different, to give birth to another thing. That’s the reason why I – still – insist on my collaboration without frontiers idea. And the doors for it are still wide open.
“Garage Dayz” is kind of dirty, dusty blues rock song, I’m not actually into blues at all, but this one feels alright. 🙂 Read more Garage Days
John Scofield – A Moment’s Peace (2011)
Since the 70s, John “Sco” Scofield always is up to something, he’s shifting from one thing to another, rewinding now, I recall that “This Meets That” released in 2007 was filled up with horny horn section and blasting jazz, the previous “Piety Street” lead us to the gospel flavored edge of jazz and this brand new “A Moment’s Peace” have the smoothness of the quiet, dinner-jazz. Don’t expect this time punchy funk-playing, Sco bring the blues and some shattered bop after-taste with bittersweet harmonies and solitary, intimate solos. Some classics (You Don’t Know What Love Is or I Loves You Porgy), some his own, Sco with pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade serve us 12 “luxuriates in balladsâ€. Ivan Hewitt from The Telegraph said “it’s lovely for five minutes, enervating after 20” and perhaps for some that might be true, but others probably will really enjoy it more and more after the first 20 minutes. Taste are not a matter to discuss. As it’s also true, many journalists and critics expect more than a free CD to write a few nice words in a review. Well, there’s no lunch as free lunch after all, isn’t it? Read more John Scofield – A Moment’s Peace (2011)
Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What (2011)
In reference to the new album, Simon says “It’s the best work I’ve done in 20 years”. Most artist declare things like that about their latest release, but I guess Mr. Simon this time is right. Anyway, in a beautiful springtime morning like that, a few weeks before Eastern, it’s pretty strange to star my day listening “Getting Ready for Christmas Day”… 😆 “So Beautiful or So What” is due for release on the Concord Music Group label on April 12, 2011 and contains 10 brand new songs, 38 minutes of music. Since April 5, the material it’s fully-streamable on its own site.
This is the 11 solo album by Paul Simon, best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair’s songs and in 1970, at the height of their popularity, the duo split, and Simon began a successful solo career, recording three highly-acclaimed albums over the next five years.Songs like “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” haunting me since my childhood… Read more Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What (2011)
Trophy Scars – Darkness, Oh Hell (2010)
Îmi dau seama că recomandările mele în mod frecvent n-au nici o relevanţă, lumea preferă brand-urile comode, marfa corporatistă de larg consum, ciunga ulimu’ răcnet asortat iPodului, însă aceşti Trophy Scars m-au lăsat cu gura căscată. Foarte proaspătul „Darkness, Oh Hell” este un amestec ameţitor de sonorităţi de la secvenţe Post Hardcore la Jazz şi Blues Rock, de la Indie realmente Alternative la orchestraţii subtile asortate perfect cu viori sau suflători şi au nervul absolut absent noii generaţii (pseudo) Punk. Oscilează pe o gamă extrem de largă muzical, riff-urile furioase nu exclud armoniile, pianul sau trompeta se îmbină cu cele mai incisive ritmuri şi răbufniri zgomotoase.
Catalogaţi Post Hardcore experimental, Trophy Scars mi-au amintit de geniul celor din Cop Shoot Cop, experimentele avangardiste ale celor din Crass, prospeţimea şi creativitatea celor din Sonic Youth (mai ales cu sonorităţile albumul „Dirty” – 1992), au ceva din abordarea celor din Rollins Band de pe albumul „Weight” (1994), dar mi-au amintit şi de Clutch şi Helmet presărat cu ceva din şarmul lui Tom Waits. Rădăcinile The Beatles se împletesc organic cu energia unor Converge (mă bucur că şi alţii au remarcat gaşca aceasta de Metal), dar şi cu sonorităţile experimental-zgomotoase ale celor din Eels în cele mai incisive şi frământate momente ale lor.
Muzica lor este o invitaţie de a explora lumea dincolo de aparenţe şi evidenţe, o lume ascunsă, vibrantă, uneori întunecată şi îmbibată de misticism şi magie. O magie pierdută, uitată, izolată în subconştient şi abandonată. Read more Trophy Scars – Darkness, Oh Hell (2010)
Eric Clapton – Clapton vs Neil Young – Le Noise (2010)
Iar am pescuit un morman de albume şi din nou am ascultat prea multe discuri. Multe proaste, majoritatea de uitat instantaneu, dar şi câteva „chestii mişto”.
Cine a împuşcat şeriful? Cu siguranţă nu Clapton. Ştiu, ştiu, ştiu! E o legendă, The Yardbirds, Mayall, Cream, adevărate repere muzicale. Din anii ’60. Suntem în 2010 şi după albumul Blind Faith din 1969, o colaborare cu Lennon şi The Plastic Ono Band, din 1970 – adică de 40 de ani – Clapton a scos 20 de albume solo, a colaborat la o serie de coloane sonore şi a cântat cu toată crema muzicii. A avut piese şi momente bune – nu că ar conta, mie mi-a plăcut cât de cât albumul „Pilgrim” din 1998 unde infuziile de sonorităţi moderne i-au prins bine lui Mr. Slowhand, „Unplugged”-ul din 1992 pe care „Layla”, piesa celor din Derek and the Dominos sună parcă cel mai bine, mi-a plăcut „It’s Probably Me” – colaborare cu Sting pentru soundtrack-ul „Lethal Weapon 3” şi… cam atât. „Cocaine” e piesa lu’ J.J. Cale din 1976 şi multe alte piese care i-au adus faimă, nu-i aparţin.
Doamnelor şi domnilor, Eric Clapton e un labagiu şi nimeni nu are argumente serioase să mă convingă de contrar. Mai ales Clapton n-are nici un argument. Clapton, în ciuda repetatelor sale ieşiri rasist-naţionaliste – sau poate de aceea – a „spălat” muzica neagră, a albit-o şi a transformat-o într-un produs comestibil, o muzică de salon pentru snobi, bătrânei nostalgici şi pseudo-elitişti. I-au fost de folos producătorii pricepuţi şi invitaţii, colaboratorii, toţi muzicieni de elită. Cu aceştia şi administratorul din bloc ar scoate discuri impecabile. Şi nu că ar fi un om rău – administratorul -, dar talent ioc.
Albumul „Clapton” Read more Eric Clapton – Clapton vs Neil Young – Le Noise (2010)
Eels – Tomorrow Morning (2010)
Everett a apăsat pe acceleraţie. Trilogia formată din „Hombre Lobo” (2 iunie 2009), „End Times” (19 ianuarie 2010) şi „Tomorrow Morning” (17 august 2010) s-a închis cu acest ultim material.
Din capul locului precizez că noul disc este probabil cel mai bun din cele trei însă – din păcate – rămâne mult în urma sonorităţilor cu care „unchiul” E m-a cucerit la mijlocul anilor ’90, începutul anilor 2000 şi mă refer aici la albumele Beautiful Freak (1996), Electro-Shock Blues (1998), Daisies of the Galaxy (2000) si Souljacker (2001) despre care am scris pe larg în ianuarie anul acesta: Eels – de la „Beautiful Freaks” la „Blinking Lights…” .
Din 2005, de la „Blinking Lights and Other Revelations” Everett a cotit-o spre o zonă Indie presărată cu nuanţe Blues, Folk şi Country şi a lăsat în urmă experimentele, sonorităţile bizare, au dispărut chitarele distorsionate, ritmurile mai incisive, dar odată cu ele s-au dus şi notele care-l distingeau pe E de restul masei inodor-incolore Indie. Decât lălăielile acustice, mult-mult mai incitant a fost proiectul MC Honky şi albumul „I Am the Messiah” din 2002…
Pe acest „Tomorrow Morning” E face un efort să readucă ceva din farmecul, şarmul de odinioară, a reuşit să compună piese mult mai convingătoare şi le-a presărat şi cu mici picanterii sonore, s-a mai „jucat” puţin şi cu sunetele neconvenţionale. Poate nu mai are nici pofta, nici motivaţia din anii ’90, deh, la dracu! îmbătrânim toţi! – dar vis a vis de ce se întâmplă în ultimii 2-3 ani pe segmentul Indie, cum mişcarea de garaj a devenit produs de duzină, pieptănat şi ambalat „comestibil”, E măcar ştie să scrie piese, are texte amar-amuzante – mature ce-i drept şi poate fără rezonanţă la puştii emo… – şi ştie să creeze atmosferă, muzica lui încă mai are farmec, se aşterne cumva plăcut şi se lasă ascultată.
Avem 12 piese (plus intro-ul „In Gratitude for This Magnificent Day” şi intermezzo-ul „After the Earthquake” ) şi un bonus EP cu încă 4 piese. Majoritatea pieselor sunt lente sau într-un ritm moderat-mediu, excepţiile nu sunt nici ele explozive, de exemplu „Looking Up” Read more Eels – Tomorrow Morning (2010)
