A few good times in my life
The trend towards instrumental albums seems unbroken and the central element is and remains the electric guitar. Many bands in this genre are more associated with country or surf music. Hermanos Gutiérrez - the Ecuadorian-Swiss sibling duo of Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez combine the sound of Morricone's Spaghetti Western with Latin American sounds and a touch of psychedelia on their new record. Music and soundscapes that need no words to sound fantastic.
Another superb compilation by Bristol Archive Records was released yesterday. Their releases each cover a style of music that was released by local artists decades ago. Whilst last time the label highlighted the Bristol reggae scene, this time they turn their attention to the post-punk scene again . As you would expect, there are plenty of bands to discover here that were previously unknown to me. This compilation also lives up to its promise. A great overview of the music of the early 80's. Often with funk influences, short chords and/or massive drums. An album that simply gave me pleasure with its journey through time.
It was back in spring 1998 when a Gravelands by King was released and turned into the album that was played in almost every pub in my town. It's clever that an Irish postman came up with the idea of reinterpreting classics from the last few decades by laying a sonorous Elvis Presley voice over the classic song structures. It is of course perfectly legitimate to condemn this seemingly cheap concept of reinterpreting well-known world hits in this way, but for sentimental minds with a secret penchant for schmaltzy romanticism, this is a real treat. The initial euphoria of hearing classics in a new guise was fascinating at first, but quickly lost its lustre. Despite everything, it's an album that I enjoy listening to from time to time - even if it's just to hear these old songs again.
In the days when music said goodbye to the dinosaurs and turned to new shores, there were plenty of bands that accompanied this transition but didn't get the recognition they deserved. Many groups from the pub rock scene have accompanied the path to punk but few others have faded into obscurity. One of these bands was Doctors of Madness, founded in 1975 in Brixton by guitarist and singer Richard Strange. Partly they anticipated the power and energy of punk and partly they were deeply rooted in the sound of early David Bowie with a high proportion of the sound of Cockney Rebel. I recently rediscovered them and listened to their music and I have to say that their sound with the integration of a violin at that time is extraordinary but also fascinating in a certain way. Doctors of Madness only existed for a few years, but left their footprint in music history.
A few days ago I rediscovered a track from last year by Dirt Bogarde, a British producer and DJ. His music is a superb melange of Balearic, slow acid house and cosmic chug. Peyote Plains is one of those relaxed tunes you hear and will come back to it. Nothing more for me than an overlooked song from last year.
A brief summary after a week of European Championship football on television. Many teams have not convinced me and delivered the performances that they undoubtedly have. Only Spain impressed me with the way they played football. The Scottish fans are an enrichment and, no matter which city they were in, represented their home country in an inimitable way. Chapeau. As the fans will be arriving in Stuttgart today, I will be on my way in the late morning to welcome them to our city.
Today's song is from Water Still Flows, the new album by Nashville's ambient explorer Rich Ruth. Still based on mesmerizing loops, he complements his cosmic music with a heavier guitar sound, electronic drones and occasionally interrupts his flow with fragments of free jazz. I think this is another album not easy to listen but with so many ideas inside that it could get a hidden gem.
Last week British Murder Boys, a long running project by DJ's Surgeon and Regis, returned with a new album. Both were regular acts in Berlin's former techno temple Tresor at the begin of the new century. Mostly based on massive drums, a rattling bass and menacing synths the create an actual version of modern techno. Hypnotic and far from everything I listened to this year so far.
