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As we argued in our review of Ange's Le cimetière des arlequins, the years 1968-1975are a golden time for many genres of popular and experimental art. One of the strains we did notmention in that particular piece is that of library music, a now seemingly extinct form ofmusic making that has largely escaped the public's gaze. Library music, alternatively referredto as source music or mood music, is music that is composed and recorded with the specificaim of being used for radio and television documentaries, series, and programs of all varieties.In the climate of the 1970s, where dozens of B-movies were released every year, there was alsodemand for cheap source music to add a little bit of flair and mystique to otherwise oftenlaughably incoherent strips of celluloid.
Matinee Orchestra's first album conjures up wonderful images of childhood stories, England’s rolling green landscape and the comfort of your bed as a child, tucked in tightly, listening to birds peacefully sing, as they lull you off to sleep.
Merzbow starts off the new year with a huge bang, in more than one way. Houjoue takes in six disks, a mammoth release in any artist's eyes, and Merzbow’s second biggest after the even weightier 50 CD set that is the Merzbox. Even more daring been a noise artist, near on six hours is a hell of duration to sit through. So I hear you ask is it any good? Oh yes, it’s very good and those hours, will zoom by as you get sucked deeper and deeper, into its churning audio tapestry.
The years 1968-1975 constitute, in retrospect, a magical time. Hippie ideals were slowly falling apart,and the revolt of May '68 had failed because of the deeply ingrained consumerist concerns of even themost hardened revolutionaries, who found school holidays more important than standing on thebarricades. Hollywood had not yet succumbed to the blockbuster disaster, and turned out some of itsfinest movies, such as The Conversation and The French Connection.Exploitation and B-movie cinema was at its pinnacle with dozens of titles released each month.In Italy, the dynamics of the time created fantastic film music (Ennio Morricone,Bruno Nicolai); In France, some of the greatest electro-acoustic music ever recorded(Pierre Hernry, Bernard Parmegiani, François Bayle) was unleashed bygovernment-subsidized organizations such as INA-GRM; And in Germany, a number of groups lumpedtogether under the krautrock monicker traveled down vistas unknown where post-hippie freakouts,Stockhausen-influenced avant-gardism, jazz, and adventurous rock met.
This is one little Gem from 2005 that would have made it onto my best of the year list if I had got hold of it sooner. I came across it being played across the brilliant Gibert and Joseph record store in Paris, the strange mesmerizing tones drifting over the shelves of records and straight into my unconscious. I enquired as to the source of this sound and I was directed to this EP by Cambridge resident Ryan Teague.
Drummer Morgan Ågren never let a chance slip to pimp the Belgian 'chamber-rockers' of Univers Zero and I'm sure he's proud to be their labelmate now. The music of Mats/Morgan Band is a bit different of course and on their seventh album you actually notice signs of 'growing up'. This means a little more emphasis on melody, a more listenerfriendly approach if you will.
Akira Rabelais is a software designer and musician that is perhaps best known for his creation of two pieces of software, Argeiphontes Lyre and Argeiphontes Recalcitrance. He has previously released a couple of Cds on the Ritornell label.
Volcano!’s Beautiful Seizure, crash's in with a chaotic mix of indie guitars, sometimes manic, often laid back electronics . A vocalist who mixes conventional indie fare with angry highs and melodic sensibility, but also drops into manic speaking tongues mode.
Since the original ten Masada albums were released we have seen many new arrangements of these pieces first given life by the quartet of Zorn, Barron, Cohen, and Douglas. Guitar, rock and chamber ensembles have all given these tunes new twists and perspectives. The original albums showcased John Zorns idea of radical Jewish music, contemporary but holding on to many of the traditions dear to Klezmer. The recent series of Masada releases subtitled the Book of Angels have been taken from over three hundred new songs composed by Zorn over the last couple of years, this collection he calls Masada book two.
Glissandro 70 Debut hints of summer days, spent partying as the sun,slops down out of the sky. You’re high on the people around you and your choice of stimulant. Put simply it’s a great joyous journey, brimming with musical surprises.
Jonathan Coleclough is one of a group of musicians currently working with electronic or electro-acoustic drones and releasing their work on labels like Ircdistribution, Twenty Hertz, Crouton and Anomalous records. Andrew Chalk, Colin Potter and Keith Berry being three other close associates. This release on Anomalous is for me one of the defining releases from this group of artists.
I’m happy and I’m singing and a 1, 2, 3, 4 is a classic album of electro acoustic music from Jim O’Rourke released on Mego in 2001. It features three tracks all fairly long and all displaying O’Rourke’s unique style of composition and textural work.
Brad Lubman is a conductor of new music, and has conducted works by Stockhausen, Boulez, Cage, Zorn and whole host of other composers. This is the first ever release of his own music and showcases electronic and electro-acoustic music spanning several years.
Beauty is all around us, in every nook and granny of our existence. You just have to look for it, see things with fresh eyes. Minima Moralia seems to highlight the beauty of the mundane and make it sparkly so bright, but the sound is often touched by a fragile sadness.
Final is Justin Broadrick’s first musical project, long before he became known and connected with the name’s Napalm Death, Godflesh and Jesu. 3 is the projects new release, spanning two disks. Taking in a whopping 124 minutes of experimental soundscapes of grey to pitch black ambience, mixed in with drone like elements.
Cacoy’s Human is Music is a wonderful,lush and laid back mix of: glicty electronics, hip hop beats, tuneful child like air, jazz and pop. This is a reissue of the album from 2003- that was unavailable outside of their native Japan, until now.
Otomo Yoshihide is sometimes described as the Japanese John Zorn. This despite his most often employed instrument being the Guitar rather than the Sax. This reference probably came about due to Yoshihide’s huge array of projects, groups and range of material, much of which involves free jazz improvisation.
A mystical, desolate journey into the depths of the darkest soul of man. That’s how I would describe this album. Esoteric’s forth album, is a tour de force of apocalyptic power and dynamics. Taking references from right across the spectrum from Swans, Neurosis, Old school industrial and the cream of the funeral doom scene. As soon as you press play it hits you with an impenetrable wall of sound, vast, epic riffs, and dissonant harmonics. Only three tracks but clocking in at over 45 minutes.
Given the near four year gap between Mutter and their last album Reise Reise it was something of a surprise to see the follow up being release just over a year later. From the first blasts of Benzin it’s clear that the band are continuing where they left off, with lead heavy riffs, and their trademark soaring choruses.
East West Blast Test’s second album: Popular music for unpopular people, brings together angery guitar work and a hardcore edge. Along with genre pick and mix that dips it’s toe in the waters of : off kilter easy listening, 80’s funk and a Resident's like take on World Music and lots of other bizarre stop off's along the way too.
Crime and dissonance is a darkly heady psychedelic audio chocolate box, full of twist and turns. Taking in Morricone’s less know and experimental soundtrack work from through out the 60’s and 70’s.Making an alternative and surprising look at one of the great soundtrack composers.
It is just over a year since Jhonn Balances untimely death from a fall at home. Since then there has been little or no activity from Threshold House apart from the promise of a full realised album based on work Coil had been developing over the last two years.
Earlier in 2005, Dan Abrams released Chessa on 13k under his Shuttle358 moniker,one of the best albums of the year . This autumn, he came back under a new moniker: Fenton. His album, Pup, sees the light of the day on the ever-so-good Japanese label Plop.
In two years of existence, via quite a few high profile shows as openers as well as some seemingly “slaying” shows on their own, Capricorns have made quite a name for themselves in their native Albion. These three men, involved at one point of time in Dukes of Nothing, Iron Monkey or Orange Goblin, were being expected by a lot of people to release a killer album.