Monday's Long Song

 

The good things about re-releases are that you can remember the times you listened first to it or you can hear something new you missed but the lot of releases from this time. This happened to me when I listened to the latest release by Stereolab. In 1997 they released their collaboration with Nurse With Wounds as a limited single. On this two songs Stereolab combined their mighty organ sound with the krautrock inspired avant-garde of Steven Stapleton and he couldn't hide his experiences working with Guru Guru and Faust. Tripping With The Birds is an experimental mix of Kraftwerk's Autobahn, combined with a Rother-esque guitar and the spoken words by Stereolab. A nugget of forgotten release.

Stepping Out

 

During the last days I read Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson once again just to see if this books works to like it did almost 50 years ago. I have to admit that I wasn't impressed that much as in my younger days but the way Thompson wrote is still freaked out. He described the journey of two persons writing about an off-course race in the desert near to Las Vegas. But it is more about using drugs than reporting about the race. Anyway a book worth to be read. While I read this book I remembered Curse Of Lono a band named after another novel by Thompson. Based in London they released a couple of albums and EP's and I don't know if they still active. They wrote songs Mumford And Songs would die for. Always between classic rock with a heavy affinity to Americana and Country. Steppin Out is a song that works to any time and any place to me. Especially Sunday morning with my first cup of coffee.

Curse Of Lono - Steppin Out

Dub Housing

 

A few days ago while I looked for something other I found Dub Housing by Pere Ubu. I almost forgot that I had a CD version from their 1978 album. Formed in Cleveland in the late 70's they created their very own version of rock music. Inspired by punk as a new form of music they added elements of krautrock and free jazz to their cosmos. Seldom heard a darker and dangerous sound like on their first albums. If any music can hurt than theirs. I know this is not the cup of tea for everyone and lots of people would annoy this kind of music but if you are willing to to go to the darkest chapter in punk/new wave influenced music you have to listen to this. A tour de force of experimental sound. On the other side many bands were influenced by them. Once I read that they were the link between Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, Soft Machine, Brian Eno and This Heat and I have to say this is true.

Pere Ubu - Codex

Pere Ubu - Dub Housing

Pere Ubu - Ubu Dance Party

Monday's Long Songs

 

Another slow start to the week and with a new song by Nils Frahm a Berlin based pianist and composer. I featured him several times during the last years at this place and now again because he announced a new album for September. It is the first new album after he released collected works from the last years and what I heard so far is much better than them. Music for Animals sounds like he combined Brian Eno's Music for Airports with very own ambient works. Right Right Right shows him at a peak of his output and fusions his ambient works with krautrock elements.

Star

 

Sometimes a song comes unexpected and stays for days and probably will become a high position in my years end list. On the last days of last month A Mountain Of One a British band that is typically filed under psychedelic and prog rock. Now they released wit Star their now song. It was released with various remixes and the one by GLOK is certainly the best. A dubby journey into another space. More versions and the original could be found here

The Return Of The Protest Song

 

A few days ago I read that one of the last true folk-punk rebel is going to release another song. Together with The Singing Loins Wild Billy Childish released The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant a song where an acoustic guitar accompanied his words. I don't know if he wrote this song by himself or if it was a cover of a traditional folk song. Anyway, it is good that there are some people out there recording songs like these. Nothing more or less than a throwback to times when Billy Bragg got famous with this kind of songs.

Monday's Long Song

 

Let's start into a new month with a song that came back to my memory during the last week. Bob Dylan released Hurricane in 1975 on his album desire. t addresses the arrest and conviction of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. In the song, Dylan criticized the investigation into the Carter case and its racist acts. Carter and a man named John Artis were convicted of three counts of murder. This had occurred in 1966 at the Lafayette Grill in Paterson, New Jersey. After it was widely reported that the crime apparently had racist backgrounds (the victims were white, Carter and Artis black), Carter and Artis were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In the following years, the case became more and more a controversial issue. Thus, the lawfulness of the investigation and the testimony of an alleged eyewitness were questioned. Carter asserted his innocence in his biography, which eventually led to Bob Dylan's contact. Dylan and his prominent associates reached a further investigation. In the third instance, Carter was finally acquitted. Listening to this song makes me thinking that less things changed in the United States during the last decades. Desire is one of those albums by Bob Dylan from the 70's that didn't the recognition it should not only for introducing a violin into his sound but just because there were so many great songs on it.

Bob Dylan - Hurricane