The album starts smoothly, acoustic guitar, few noises and a whispering voice spoken in… Hungarian about music. Pretty strange for a band from Porto Alegre, Brazil. Don’t get fooled: this is raging, contorted, striped down to the bones, pure hardcore, back to the basics but looking forward music. It’s furious and experimental, cutting and abstract simultaneously. Reminds me of a widely obscure album from 1995, “Mountains of Madness” by H.P. Zinker, a band formed at New York and unfairly forgotten, although, that particular album was Grammy nominated. Anyway, The Bruce Campbell Punk Rock Trio, commonly know just as Campbell Trio, bring to the surface parts from a world of madness.
They says: “This is not a band. This is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is not a band, in the ordinary sense of the word. No, this is a prolonged insult, a gob of spit in the face of art, a kick in the pants to god, man, destiny, time, love, beauty, what you will. We are going to sing for you. A little off key perhaps, but we will sing. we will sing while you croak, we will dance over your dirty corpse!
To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. We are singing.” Read more Campbell Trio – The Campbell Trio Sings The Blues (2011)
experimental
David Sylvian – Died In The Wool – Manafon Variations (2011)
New and not so. As you can easily deduct from its title, “Died In The Wool” are variations on David Sylvian’s 2009 release “Manafon” including collaborations with acclaimed composer Dai Fujikura, producers Jan Bang and Erik Honoré and a stellar roster of contemporary musicians and improvisers. The 50 minutes of the original “Manfon” weren’t an easy listening and “Died In The Wool” are another intercourse in the outer limits of avant-garde and experimental music, a dark and strange trip into the abstract reflections of the reality. You can listen the album at Sylvian’s official site HERE .
I was a huge fan of Japan back in the 80s and I followed Sylvian since, he never disappointing me even when he gave us some hard peaces to chew with our ears, but most, with our souls and minds. Food for thoughts, some may say, but also, food for the spirit. Read more David Sylvian – Died In The Wool – Manafon Variations (2011)
13 & God – Own Your Ghost (2011)
Result of an over-sea collision, 13 & God returning with their second studio album and their pumping, flowing, floating cocktail of sounds and genres which reminds me partly of Massive Attack, but these guys blending and mixing into it from pop to indie and from ambiental textures to folk everything they can get their hands – and imagination.
The official story is pretty hazy: “somewhere outside of Toronto in early 2004, on a stretch of uninspired highway leading to the U.S./Canadian border, a computer onboard a large tour bus spontaneously combusted. Some point the finger at the driver (an aspiring reality show auteur), others blame a faulty battery, and most hold a small stuffed fox accountable. But however it happened, themselves and The Notwist were stranded. Dates were cancelled. Meals were skipped. Shady motels were booked in below-freezing weather. The fox was dead. It was the fifth breakdown of their joint tour series of minor disasters distant somewheres, a love was born of nervous laughter, shared admiration, axle grease and roasting circuitry.
From the balloon-and-burst child psychology of Adam “doseone” Drucker, Jeffery “jel” Logan, and Dax Pierson (collectively themselves), and the pinhole-in-paper astronomy of the Acher brothers Markus and Micha, and Martin “Console” Gretschmann (the core of The Notwist), emerge 13 & God.” (MySpace Bio) Read more 13 & God – Own Your Ghost (2011)
The Mustard Seeds
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus and there are minor differences between Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The parable suggests the growth of the kingdom of God from tiny beginnings to worldwide size.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31–32)
“How will we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we illustrate it? It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.†(Mark 4:30–32)
“What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.†(Luke 13:18-19) Read more The Mustard Seeds
The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation – Anthropomorphic (2011)
The improvising alter ego of The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble , The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation delivering one hour of diving into the shady, gloomy, suggestive world of neo-jazz and cinematic meltdown.
Gideon Kiers, Jason Köhnen, Charlotte Cegarra, Hilary Jeffery, Eelco Bosman, Nina Hitz, and Sarah Anderson and various interchanging guest musicians including Ron Goris, following “Doomjazz Future Corpse!” and “Succubus”, “Anthropomorphic” is the third released session of TMFDC.
If for some, TKDE may sounds pretty strange, TMFDC it’s one step further. This may be the fourth dimension Doomjazz, a doorway to a dark, but sparking universe made of noises, gloomy textures and vibrating improvisations in the best avant-garde tradition of free jazz. As they describe it: “take a piece of THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA’s cinematic jazz, a dash of THE BROADWAY PROJECT’s dark/noir, a hint of AMON TOBIN’s twisted mutant jazz and a little FREEFORM ARKESTRA orchestral ambience. Throw in a minipinch of DJ SHADOW and MAJOR FORCE WEST, and a good dose of Planet Mu-ism and you’re pretty much there.” Read more The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation – Anthropomorphic (2011)
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – From The Stairwell (2011)
I discovered them back in 2009 through the “Mutations” EP which promised to be the preamble for the new album. It’s been over a year and finally we’ve got “From the Stairwell” and eight fresh tracks. This is a Jazz experiment with gloomy electronic textures and atmospheric noise spices, it has a deep Miles Davis after-taste and abstract post-industrial flow, well, this is avant-garde in it’s deepest meaning.
TKDE started in 2000 as a project to compose new music for existing silent movies. Jason Kohnen (better known as Bong-Ra) – double bass and fretless, respectively Gideon Kiers – beats and effects, both graduates of the Utrecht School of Arts, combined their audio and visual skills to reinterpret classic movies by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) and F. Langs (Metropolis).
While Bong-Ra is quite known having several releases through labels such as Planet Mu, Cock Rock Disco and Sublight, Gideon Kiers worked with Jochem Paap (Speedy J), on the development of the 5.1 surround sound ‘Umfeld’ project. Runs the bi-annual Sonic Acts Festival in Paradiso Amsterdam. Read more The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – From The Stairwell (2011)
Devin Townsend Project – Ghost (2011)
Devin is probably one of the most talented rock artist of the 21st century, he always find a way to surprise us, to explore a new path, to create and share exciting music and feelings with us. And I think we should thank for this. “Ghost” is the closing act of the four piece release started with “Ki†in 2009 and followed the same year by “Addictedâ€. “Ki†was an exciting incursion into a world of ambiental, jazz, blues and rock blending and “Addicted†lead us into the area of power pop/alternative metal. This year “Deconstruction†and its nine tracks drive us into the contorted, gloomy world of post-metal madness, it was a mind-blowing return to the noisy constructions of the Strapping Young Lad era. As Devin promised, “Ghost” is the mellowest one. And “mellow” is the word that quite fits this material. Read more Devin Townsend Project – Ghost (2011)
John Zorn – The Satyr’s Play – Cerberus (2011)
John “Restless” – while Zorn appears on over 400 recordings as a composer or performer – Zorn is back. After “Nova Express”, the downtown Alchemist throw in the battle a flamboyant and dynamic brass trio made of Peter Evans – Trumpet, David Taylor – Bass Trombone and Marcus Rojas – Tuba, and the explosive and colorful percussion section made of Cyro Baptista and Kenny Wollesen. Some may say that Zorn is the Devil in person, but I’m only sure of he’s one of the very few actually creative musicians of the 21st century. And well, mentioning the Devil, a Limited Edition of 666 copies have been individually signed & numbered by Zorn’s hand, and are for sale exclusively at Downtown Music Gallery and Fields Books in San Francisco for $25 [shipping extra]. 😀 Read more John Zorn – The Satyr’s Play – Cerberus (2011)
Buckethead – It’s Alive (2011)
Buckethead now days feels like riffing, so “It’s Alive”, the thirty-first studio album by this workaholic and madman guitarist it’s mainly heavy fuckin’ metal. “Lebrontron” kick off pumping like an Iron Maiden anthem while it’s dedicated to LeBron James, the American professional basketball player for Miami Heat. “Tonka” brings some modern tones into the music while “”Barnyard Banties” introducing funk and industrial colors in the heavy glows. “Crack the Sky” shift back to the more traditional approach and have a nice, quiet, acoustic break. “The Hatch” pumping on a funky theme with twisted turns and noisy cut downs. “Brooding Peeps” slow down to some medium tempo, it’s a quite classic construction, heavy and hard themes are crossing each other and Buckethead offers a nice solo. “Picking the Feathers” it’s a Buckethead trademark experiment with a crushing riff, a Spanish-like guitar and lots of noises, a nice and convenient closing of the material. Read more Buckethead – It’s Alive (2011)
Boris – Attention Please (2011)
“Attention Please” is the seventeenth studio album by Boris, released simultaneously with “Heavy Rocks” and it shows the darker, more emotional side of the band. Four tracks, “Party Boy”, “Hope”, “Les Paul Custom ’86” and “Spoon” are different versions of songs from “New Album”, while “Aileron” are a short cut version from “Heavy Rocks”. Also a version of “Tokyo Wonder Land” was previously released on the “Golden Dance Classics” split release with 9dw.
“Attention Please” is the first album on which all vocals are sung by lead guitarist, Wata and features her intimate, multifaceted vocal style. While Boris are widely known for their ability to breach styles and stretch sonic boundaries of all that is heavy, psychedelic and drone music, “Attention Please” are more airy, ambiental-like, cinematic, unexpectedly clean and sparking, but still pretty dark and exploring. Read more Boris – Attention Please (2011)
