Second life… half life… ain’t life at all? Difficult to be extremely precise, we’re living kind of interesting times and well, interesting is also the music of Dirk Geiger and this collection of remixes by 14 talented electronic artists, so this is quite an opportunity and we’ve got both: the interesting universe of Geiger, but also the reinterpretation of some fellow electronic artists. Even further, you can download also for free – “name your price” (I’m priceless! 😀 ) – this release from the Tympanik Audio’s official web site.
Geiger’s world is gloomy and contorted, subtle dark layers and distorted glitcherings are bring to the surface a dark, but pulsing universe. This is a post-industrial area of the music filled with cinematic soundscapes, post-psychedelia and percussive noises, a world of modern isolation and cold desperation. Still, Geiger is full of colors and life, he’s music is intelligently build and subtly driven, groovy and vibeful merging of hard and smooth counterparts. Read more Dirk Geiger – Second Life (2011)
Reviews
John Zorn – At The Gates of Paradise (2011)
Products. We’re living in a world of quite well defined rules and products. Sometimes maybe the rules might not seems so strictly outlined, but they actually are. It’s part of the “phenomenon” that I called “are we getting stupider?”, but generally speaking we’re know exactly about almost everything we consume what it is. Anyway, at least they make us believe we do. 😆 I mean, when you buy a cheeseburger at the fast-food at the corner you know for what you pay for, when you buy a Mercedes you know what you pay for, when you buy a Michael Jackson CD, well, you know exactly what are you gonna listening to.
When you listen a new Zorn album, you don’t even know what to expect of. And ladies and gentleman, that’s why I love Zorn and I believe he worth all our attention. Read more John Zorn – At The Gates of Paradise (2011)
Dub Trio – IV (2011)
Their 2004 debut album “Exploring the Dangers of” was literally recorded as a live-dub experiment and the band managed to deliver their own unique interpretation of dub and push it further to the another level of an art form. DP – Dave Holmes (guitar & keyboards), Stu Brooks (bass & keyboards) and Joe Tomino (drums & Melodica) break down the walls between raggae, dub, electronica, rock, punk and heavy metal to bring to the surface their own powerful and breathing music.
Although I’m generally avoid any instrumental rock album because I consider them usually kind of meaningless and boring, Dub Trio have some kind of secret magic power, have that primal, ancient and natural force to keep your interest constantly high, to crush you down with their massive sound and expressive compositions. Read more Dub Trio – IV (2011)
Florence and The Machine – Ceremonials (2011)
Florence Leontine Mary Welch came to the surface as a possible new Janis Joplin or Deborah Harry (of Blondie) back in 2009 and her debut album entitled “Lungs” was extremely appreciated by the media and the critics. But “Lungs” also was a commercial success, the album held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK Albums Chart and reached the top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks. The album has been in the top forty in the United Kingdom for sixty-five consecutive weeks, making it one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010.
“Lungs” won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 BRIT Awards; at the 53rd Grammy Awards, Florence and the Machine was nominated for Best New Artist and the band performed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.
And here we go, Florence is back with her Machine to put us through the new ceremonials. Read more Florence and The Machine – Ceremonials (2011)
Lou Reed and Metallica – Lulu (2011)
Metallica got a new lead singer or Mr. Lou Reed hired a metal band? This might be the clash of the titans, the collaboration of the millennium or a collision and disaster. The first sing released on YouTube, “The View”, in late September 2011, got up to date (and counting) 856,775 views from which 11,433 are dislikes and only 4,050 likes. One user wrote: “You’re know what I can’t wait for ? Willie Nelson and Slayer!!!!!!!!” Clash of the generations and styles? It’s kind of odd, after all these years and attempts of eliminate the genre limitations (in music I mean 👿 ), the audience seems to deliberately refuse any “violation” of the comfortable boundaries. I hear pretty much recently that idiograma “think outside of the box” while our parents, teachers, friends, politician, economists, priests and preachers, bosses and co-workers, the media, the internet (if someone consider it the closest person to him 😀 ), in less words, everybody and everything, pushing us back inside the box. The most obvious example is the Facebook. Instead taking advantage of the multitude of the internet (outside the box), most of the people are staying more and more captive exclusively on Facebook (inside the box). Talking with ex high-school lovers, growing sheep at virtual farms, read the news, giving likes to stranger’s cats or listening music, Facebook took over and for many becomes the internet itself, even further, the home and the family, the whole universe. Our feelings resume to giving – or not – likes superficially to “things” because we’re never leave that place, never dive beneath the surface. Any box is a prison and ladies and gentlemen, don’t matter what, I won’t imprisoning myself by free will ever! Read more Lou Reed and Metallica – Lulu (2011)
Brazda Lui Novac – Dizzy (2011)
It took almost 13 years since Victor made up his mind and last year he released his first self-titled album, although, previously he released several EP-s and featured on several other compilations and releases. “Dizzy” follows surprisingly soon, and this time Victor further down deeper into the dark side of IDM, the new album explores a more cinematic and subtle area of electronic music, actually this is not even close some dancing music, but food for thoughts – and spirit.
“Dizzy” will be released on Raumklang Music, Thursday, on October 20th at The Silver Church Club in Bucharest, Romania starting at 21 PM, local time.
The big release party will featuring 3 live acts and DJ set including Luntaire, Dirk Geiger and Matze with a DJ set. At the location will be on sell not only the fresh album by BLN, but also the previous self-titled album – first physical release, previously available exclusively in digital format on various online music stores -, different merchandises, but Read more Brazda Lui Novac – Dizzy (2011)
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto (2011)
Coldplay featuring Rihanna is not a nightmare or worst case scenario, but it’s actually quite occurred in “Princess of China”, one of the 14 new songs of the fifth studio album by Coldplay, “Mylo Xyloto”. And don’t matter what, after all these years and efforts, Coldplay are still not U2. “Charlie Brown” for instance, taste like U2, but it isn’t. Chris Martin might never reach the charm of Bono, but his struggling and trying.
The previous album, “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends”, in 2008, established a recording HQ at a disused bakery in Primrose Hill, North London, where they recorded, but Coldplay relocated to a vacant church, also in north London, to work on their new album in collaboration with Brian Eno. “Mylo Xyloto” seems to be a concept album. According to Chris Martin, the album is “based on a love story with a happy ending.”, in which the two protagonists: Mylo and Xyloto, are living in an oppressive, dystopian urban environment, meet one another through a gang called “The Lost Boys”, and fall in love. Lyrically, the album is inspired by “old school American graffiti” and “the White Rose Movement”, and Martin also said that the album was influenced by HBO TV series “The Wire.” Musically, Coldplay have stated that they want this album to be “more acoustic” and “more intimate” than its predecessor. And here we go, we’ve got “Mylo Xyloto”, set for official release on 24 October 2011. Read more Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto (2011)
Scooter – The Big Mash Up (2011)
Kind of unbelievable, but this is the fifteenth studio album from this German hard dance band. From their early “happy hardcore” up to dubstep, Scooter have experimented with several dance genres and sub-genres such as hardstyle and jumpstyle, and moving between hip hop and hard rock, shifting from trance to house smoothly. Ans “The Big Mash Up” is about mashing up all these styles and genres, twisted out the classic euro-disco into dubstep and blend happy hardcore with hard dance into one. The Scooter’s trademark sound combining simple and catchy melodies with fast tempos are all over the new album and most of their melodies eventually sounds familiar. This is quite a mash up. But probably… winning is everything. Read more Scooter – The Big Mash Up (2011)
Tom Waits – Bad As Me (2011)
It’s been seven years since “Real Gone” (2004) and ladies and gentlemen, Tom Waits are back and he’s brutally fresh. “Chicago” is a noisy opening track with garage rock pulse and horn-fueled cabaret rock after-taste and the whole album flows glowing and pumping, it’s like a radiography of Wait’s whole career and his best moments projected into the future. If “alternative” and “avant-garde” rock actually means something, then Tom Waits makes sense. Nowadays nothing means anything and nothing make sense, except commercials and music is nothing, but ultimately additional accessory to our iPods. And this is the world we use to say we’re against, but we’re accept it. Tom Waits said sometimes ago: “Apparently, the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad ideally, naked and purring on the hood of a new car”, and he added: “I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor.”
There’s no room for artificial intellectual bullshit, for faking alternatives. If you don’t actually feel it, better… “Get Lost”. 😀 Read more Tom Waits – Bad As Me (2011)
This Year’s Girl – Personal Ghosts (2011)
As much as I hate labels and boxes, genre classification, I had to admit that in a busy world with mainly superficial relations and all things done in the hurry, music became part of our outfit, mainly nothing but a background buzz coming from our iPod (or something) to cover up all the other noises around us and isolate us definitively from the rest of the world. Yeah, you’re gonna say I’m mean and probably you’re right, but still, I’m telling you facts. Music is only an additional part of your iPod and the iPod is just another fancy gadget incorporated in your daily dress code. Music is nothing more than your key ring, it’s one click away on the internet or you can buy it from the supermarket.
With all the internet (and press-kit I received) I didn’t managed to dig out too much about This Year’s Girl and if I’ll tell you this is some kind of pop-rock you’re probably will think of some sort of freak, half Madonna, half god knows what and that, my friends, it’s not quite true, actually it’s pretty far from reality. Eventually This Year’s Girl reminds me of the Americans OK Go and the British The Enemy or a mixture of this two bands and “Personal Ghosts” is an album with excellent vibe and a few extremely catch songs. Read more This Year’s Girl – Personal Ghosts (2011)
