Sabotage

 

In 1994 Beastie Boys released their fourth album Ill Communication. A hard-hitting return to their roots. Far fewer samples, but instead crashing guitars, a touch of jazz and funk. The lead single was ‘Sabotage’, a reckoning with their impatient producer, who accused them of failing to produce any results. The result was one of the best songs of the year and a video reminiscent of American police films from the 1970's.

Cari Cari they are one of the most exciting bands to come out of Austria in recent years. To mark the 25th anniversary of the radio station FM4, they recorded a live studio session. Among other tracks, they performed a version of the first song ever played on that station.

The tempo of ‘Sabotage’ has been slowed down, the rock guitars have been replaced by an Americana-style guitar, and the focus has been placed on the song’s rhythmic power. A worthy interpretation of a song that seemed impossible to cover.

Planet Caravan

Last Friday the copy of the latest album by Cari Cari arrived and I had the chance to listen to the whole album. It fulfilled my expectations but listening to the last song I was a little bit confused.

 

Confused may be not the right term but I thought by myself I know this song. Until I realized that I didn't mean the same song, but one that sounds almost identical. It was 1970 when Black Sabbath released their classic Paranoid that became one of the blueprints of heavy metal. On this album there was an untypical song from them where they drifted into space. Also played with reverberated guitars and similar vocals.

Some research revealed that Cari Cari count Black Sabbath among their role models and that this song is supposed to be something of an homage. Nevertheless, both are absolutely worth listening to.

 Black Sabbath - Planet Caravan

One More Trip Around The Sun

 

Regular visitors will know that I have a great affection to Cari Cari, one of my favorite band from Austria.  Cari Cari is an Austrian indie rock duo founded by drummer and singer Stephanie Widmer and guitarist and singer Alexander Koeck. This began when I first saw them live a couple of years back in a small venue close to my former workplace. Only about 50 visitors wanted to see this unknown band live and they missed something great. Right from the start, they created a warm and cosy atmosphere with their spartan equipment. Every song felt familiar. Years later, I saw them again at a festival, but this time in front of a few thousand people. They had perfected their sound and for many, this concert was the highlight of the weekend.

Now they announced the release of their third album and it seems that it has the same level as their predecessors. Cari Cari make desert rock. It sounds classically bluesy, sometimes psychedelic, but mostly with a pinch of Ennio Morricone, and their songs always sound a little bit like the Wild West. Like dried, rolling tumbleweed bushes, circling vultures and a siesta at the hottest hour of the day.

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.

My Grandma Says We Have No Future

 

After weeks of absence, I am here again. I had a visit from Sri Lanka for two months and took this as an opportunity to change my leisure time behaviour and to distance myself from a constantly recurring circle of stereotypical processes and to spend more and different time with friends. During this time, I also largely gave up music and only partially ran my blog. The thought of mothballing it came up more than once, especially since little new and exciting music has reached me. But it is also the case that I still enjoy running this blog and will continue to do so and share old and new things with others. Professionally, I am in my last year and still have a lot to sort out before I can retire as planned in the middle of next year.

A band that has appeared here on these pages again and again in recent years is Cari Cari from Austria. They are one of my favourite bands from my neighbouring country. Rumour has it that they only formed to place a song in a Tarantino film. With many of their songs, this would be quite conceivable, because their mix of psychedelic rock, Americana and indie pop would look good in many of his films. Their second single from their last album shows once again that a good song often needs nothing more than a twangy guitar, an almost padded voice and a good melody.

Enter Crocodile Mountain

 

Cari Cari, one of my favorite Austrian bands released their second album a few weeks ago. I featured them several times at this place and their new work fulfills everything I expected from them. Produced during the lockdown periods a few years ago they are back again with they psychedelic escapism and their love to Tarantino inspired pop song. Welcome To Kookoo Island is the perfect soundtrack for longer walks through the the landscape turning into brigth colours. Enter Crocodile Mountain might be the best example of their music: short licks on a deep tune electric guitar, a steady groove and a clear voice. What do we need more for a great song.

Nothing's Older Than Yesterday

For several times Cari Cari, one of the best bands from Austria during the last years, were featured on this pages. Now they tried to add an orchestra to their on guitar and drums reduced sound. Together with Berlins Babelsberg Movie Orchestra they transported their songs into a new dimension. If I thought that they wrote great songs - now I know it. Never heard a deep tempered surf guitar combined with an orchestra and I have to say I really like what I heard.

If you want more of this little experiment you can listen to their session in Austria here. As far as I know it will be online for a few weeks.

 

2021 - Short

 

I featured the other days albums that impressed me much and was played often at my place and I thought it was the time to write down the best songs of this year. Many of them you can find on the long posts and I have to admit that I am not the one that is able to finish the list because there were so many songs I heard the first time this year that made me happy once or several times. Other songs crossed my attention weeks later when I listened to them on my yearly playlist on Spotify where I collect new songs year by year. Looking at this playlist I find more than 200 songs and the more I think about it I can't decide which one would reach a top ten. So here are some songs, subjective of course and not showing the full range of music I listened too but still worth to be named when you look back on this year.

Belo Horizonte

 

Cari Cari were featured at this little place of the internet several times. Now they released a new song from their forthcoming album. And when they sounded like in former times like a hybrid of psychedelic and desert sound now they moved into late 60's inspired psychedelic. Not the worst road that they could chose. I saw them a few times during the last years and this way is a good road they are going no surprise to me.

Sabotage

 

Regular readers will know that when I switch on the radio I usually listen to Austria's station FM4. This station features new music with a massive focus on local artists. During the last years I discovered many new bands when they was introduced to the audience. One of those were Cari Cari an Austrian indie-rock band formed with the claim to get their music into a Tarantino film. And their sound would fit well to it. I saw them live a few years ago (in those days when it was possible) and overwhelmed of their presence on stage. Last week the station celebrated their 26th anniversary and many bands made some live home sessions for them. They started with Cari Cari and they covered the first song ever played on the station - Sabotage by the fantastic Beastie Boys following by other songs by them and one more cover by Asap Rock. You can find this session for a limited time here.

Club Noir

From time to time when I was using Spotify I crawl through some artists playlists just to see what they prefer. The last time I did this I debarked at Cari Cari's playlist and was astonished about their musical spectrum that stretches from Creedence Clearwater Revival over Neu! to The Kills. But there were also artists that I never knew before. This is the reason  I detected another band from Glasgow. Apache Sun is a duo formed in 2014 and they play a psychedelic version of a swampy blues. Like Nick Cave had a session with The Cramps.

Nothing Is Older Than Yesterday

I am back from the festival in Mannheim and at work since Monday and I am glad that there is a bank holiday today to recreate from three days standing around and watching bands. Me legs still hurt and I making minds to do this another time. Anyway, there is another band their live appearance impressed me much. Cari Cari is a two piece garage band from Austria and almost featured at these pages about ten months ago. They claim to have founded the band to get their music into a Tarantino film. And I can imagine that their songs could work as a soundtrack from Trantino. Their sound is a mixture of surf twang, Morricone and garage. Music the White Stripes would play if they are still on duty.

That they learned their musical history you could see in this video:

Mapache

It is time to feature another band from our neighbours in Austria. Cari Cari describe them with thiese words:

They are based in Europe, having lived  in London, Hamburg & Vienna. The duo has been baptised "the lovechild of The Kills and The XX" (IndieShuffle) "with a pinch of Morricone" (FM4) and "the raw grit of Cat Power" (BestBefore). Their songs “White Line Fever” and “No War” were used in the Hollywood productions “Shameless” and “The Magicians” while their single 'Nothing's Older Than Yesterday' gave them some significant recognition in Austria, Germany and around Europe leading to excessive touring and performances at renowned festivals such as “The Great Escape” (UK), “Eurosonic Noorderslag” (NL) and “Nova Rock” (AT).

I listened to their newest song Mapache on my way to the office a few days ago and was surprised by a sound melange like The Shadows working on a Morricone soundtrack. Just a great single from their upcoming album.