The Bad Fire

 

A few weeks ago, Mogwai announced the release of their new album for the end of January. Two songs were released in advance, which I listened to several times and which left me with an ambivalent feeling. 

On God Gets You Back they need almost three minutes to find their sound. Until then, flutes, cymbals and an ethereal voice pave the way for a dominant bass and guitars. Not a bad song, but overambitious and not of the class I'm used to from Mogwai.

Lion Rumpus makes up for this, who clearly reproduces what I love about Mogwai: a wall of guitars, feedback and a forward-driving drum kit.

I'll probably have to listen to the whole album before I can make a final judgement. But again, the question is, which version? The double or triple LP or the CD or perhaps the cassette? Today's marketing strategy leaves the fan in despair.

Nice Knowing You

 

Towards the end of October, a friend recommended I listen to Spectre's latest album AM-DRAM, as he thought it was one of their most exciting releases. It took me a while to find the time to do this.

Spectres are one of the many bands from Bristol who have been in the alternative/experimental scene for 14 years. Their songs are all based on massive droning guitars, joined by a dirty bass and driving drums. The fact that they can also integrate great melodies into their songs makes the record even better. It looks like bands like this are springing up all over the UK. And that's certainly no mistake. Obviously this is the band's last album and that would be a shame, because they certainly have potential.

Rubber Bullets

 

I have relatively few singles in my collection. This is partly because I thought they were too expensive for the time and partly because LPs were easier to get hold of. That only changed when the first 12-inches were released.

I bought one of my first singles when I was 14, when some local DJs were selling off parts of their collection. I can't say why I bought Rubber Bullets by 10cc, probably because I liked the song and still like it today.

10cc were founded in 1972 and had their first chart successes as Hotlegs with Neandertal Man, a simple stomper. Years later, Abwärts, one of the first German punk bands, recorded the ultimate version of this song.

The defining members of 10cc were songwriters Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, whose talent for classic pop songs set the band apart from the crowd before punk changed everything.

In 1976 Godley and Creme left the band to concentrate on the development of an electronic music device, ‘The Gizmo’, and to enter video production and music as Godley & Creme. The device, which was supposed to imitate strings, was rather unsuccessful, as synthesizers were soon to do a better job. 

Musically, they both wrote a few hits and good songs, but then quickly disappeared from the stage. What remains is probably one of the most impressive videos ever produced.

Monday's Long Song

 

The year is drawing to a close and over the last few days I've been looking back on my musical life. I can't explain why various albums have come to mind in this context that were released several years ago but gave me a lot of pleasure at the time.

So I came across the debut of The Long Champs Straight To Audio again. Welsh producer Lloyd Jones made it into my review of the year with this album. 

The album has everything that electronic music expressed at the time: forward driving beats, clever electronic parts, a little synths and guitars and everything put together in an absolutely listenable way. In retrospect, another overlooked album.

The Long Champs - Next Stop Nowhere

New Song On Sunday

 

Anja Plaschg aka Soap&Skin is currently one of the most interesting musicians from Austria. Two years ago, she played at a festival in Austria where she exclusively performed cover versions. This gave rise to the idea of recording a complete album with versions by other artists. Instead of just re-recording popular hits, she dug deep into music history to find the right songs for her.

Plaschg knows how to give her songs/interpretations a dark, minimalist and melancholic flavor that gives you goosebumps in the best moments. It takes a lot of self-confidence to cover a song from David Bowie's last album and recreate it with monotonous beats, horns and a combination of industrial and folk elements. However, the respect for the original is not lost at any point. The song was also excellently realized in their self-designed video. In short, one of the most beautiful cover versions of this year.

As a bonus one of the best versions of a classic Velvet Underground tune.

The Storm Has Passed

 

Some new electronic music to start into the weekend. These days Exeter's Mighty Force label released a record by Reverb Delay, a band I never heard before. Searching for the band in the internet I could only find links to an electronic module that reproduces sounds with a time delay to improve the spatial sound of music. On the one hand, this is used for live performances in order to better balance the loudspeakers and, on the other hand, it is a popular product for mixing recordings in the studio.

The Storm Has Passed is an almost nine minute long journey to dubby spaces with a steady flow. Someone called this music ballacid and this describes the music best.

If U Know U Know

 

After two years Cari Cari, one of my favorite bands from Austria, released a new song. Since 12 years Stephanie Widmer and Alexander Köck are running their vintage project. I saw them several times during the last years and always was astonished how a two-piece band could make room-filling sound. Only some drums and Köck's guitar that sounds like escaped from an Morricone soundtrack are their trademark.

And they show again that you don't need much more than some great guitar chords, a steady rhythm and good vocals to make one of the finest songs since a couple of weeks.