DVD OR DIE

Soooooooo the winter is still here, and it usually sucks to go outside. What better way to forget about the silly season, than spending hour after hour on the couch listening to and watching music at the same time?!?!
In this weeks edition of The Big Blog we have some nice DVD tips for you.

MINUTEMEN – we jam econo 2xDVD. This is probably one of the best documentaries I’ve seen about a band, and what a great band it is! Really informative documentary, with lots of stories and live clips plus tons of bonus stuff. If you’ve never heard Minutemen, this here is a sweet introduction to one of the most unique and progressive punk bands EVER. There are interviews with over 50 artists, sharing their memories and stories about this groundbreaking band. Two discs comes packed with the main documentary plus additional music videos, deleted scenes and 62 (!) songs from three live performances.

KRAFTWERK and the electronic revolution DVD. Kraftwerk was not just a great band, they were a important part of a huge movement that had, and still to this day has, a lot of impact on the culture in our society. This is a mindblowing 3 hour long documentary, not only about Kraftwerk, but the whole scene around them. Early electronic music mixed with krautrock. Tons of interview footage with some of the old heroes from that era. Kraftwerk members (and ex-members) share their memories together with the likes of Klaus Schulze, Conrad Schnitzler, Hans Joachim Rodelius, Wolfgang Siedel among others. This DVD is also full of live and studio clips from Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Harmonia and basically every “important” band that was or is part of this slice of musical history. Also includes rare photos of Kraftwerk and others. Three hours long, with some bonus features, this is money well spent. The film, however, is NOT authorised by Kraftwerk. But who cares?!?!

HISHAM MAYET – palace of the winds DVD. Here’s another great DVD from Sublime Frequencies. If you’ve totally missed this important label you need to check it out P-R-O-N-T-O. Since so called ‘western’ culture is overflooding the world, these guys (people from Sun City Girls) are on a crusade to preserve as much as possible of “exotic” rhythms, melodies and expressions. They go all over the world in search for awesome performers, and on the DVDs they mix random footage from street musicians, band rehearsals and festivals. On this DVD they Hisham Mayet travels on a dreamlike journey through the northern parts of Africa and the images he brought back are great. Featuring live performances by Group Doueh (Dakhla), Group Marwani (Laayoune), Sadoum Oueld Aida (Nouakchott) and Group Bab Sahara (Guelmim) and random sights and sounds from this obscure region’s most awe-inspiring musicians. 52 minutes of brilliant and mysterious beauty!

Pussystrengths

Pussygutt – Gathering Strengths LP

This one is a winner. Out of the tower of boxes we got delivered this week, this one is one of the undisputed champions. Apparently cello, clarinet and violin is perfect if you wanna do some gloomy doomy soundscapes that twists your soul and squeezes the air out of your lungs while your brain treats you to inner mental movies that could be born from mescaline power drinks. I read somewhere that, according to the band, this one is all about ‘esoteric meditation’. Great for your starving soul and the dying nature. Maybe their slow and spiritual droneish medicine will heal the world! This one lands somewhere close to other bands in the abstract land of doom/drone, without sounding too much like anything else. I highly recommend this one!

Them girls…

So to celebrate the fact that U.S. Girls just released their latest album ‘Go Grey’ on Siltbreeze (a celebration that coincides with lots of other celebrations) they will come to our sweet little spot and play us some sweet tunes. It’ll be totally amazing, and we most certainly hope to see you here.

Tuesday february 9. 21.00 (3 euros at the door) Come rock out with your favorite record store!

Aa-mazing

Aa – Glossy 12″

I was lucky enough to have these dudes play a show in conjunction with my latest exhibition in Prague in December last year. It was a sweet experience, and not only did they tear the house down, they are also really nice guys. If you dig noisy art rock or arty noise rock, this might get you to raise an eyebrow or two. They seem to come from the same school as Lucky Dragons or Health, but without losing any originality. They still bring something quite unique to the table, and even though it is two songs on a 12″ it is worth picking up. The songs are close to 10 minutes each, and great enough to totally weigh up the fact that the format could fit at least two more songs like this. I think the decision NOT to put more songs on there was for the Audiophile community. They seem to have this holistic attitude towards their music, and it seems important not just to be a bunch of people making songs. Art is closely intertwined with the music, and the live performances seem to be more than just the heartless presenting of some songs. As if the music isn’t enough reason to like them…

It is percussion driven noisy psych dance punk. Keyboards, drums and vocals all blend together to form this wonderful tribal shamanic session. Makes you feel like you are in the world’s dancefriendliest cult, like you belong somewhere, like this music was made for one purpose only; to make you feel good. Get your greedy hands on it asap! Here is your chance to beat the hype. You will not regret it!

Angel of Swans

Michael Gira – Songs For A Dog LP

Michael Gira. He will be my future wife, he just don’t know it yet. Probably because he has been so busy making ass kickin super duper great records with Swans and his post-Swans project The Angels Of Light. He’s also the driving force behind Young God Records (talk about sweet releases!!!) and he’s been known to do stuff under his “normal” name Michael Gira.

This record is full of old and odd ends of his musical life. At least seven of the songs are available on the AOL records, but of course in different versions. That is the strength of this album, that the songs have a different life on this release. Most of them are really naked and acoustic, just guitar and vocals.

Take ‘Promise Of Water’ for example. Here it is a mellow sad song, but on ‘We Are Him’ it is something totally different. The version of the old Swans song ‘God Damn The Sun’ from The Burning World is also something special. I can’t stress enough, that if you like melancholic sad and dark singer/songwriter stuff, or if you are a huge fan of his other work, this one is “mos def” something you’ll need. Get it while it lasts. 2000 copies have been circulating since 2006, and it will NOT be repressed or appear in any other format.

Hills Are White

White Hills – Dead 12″

White Hills stole my heart with their ‘A little bliss forever’ LP last year. The ‘Dead’ 12″ is also good, but not in the same way. Where the ‘bliss’ was more about crazy soundscapes, this one has more of a traditional song structure. 4 songs that spans over 2 sides of vinyl and smells like fuzzy and warm psychedelic spacerock (oh god how I hate that term) with driving bass-lines and noisy guitars. The damp vocals is sometimes hidden behind the wall of sound, and the drumming is hectic and freaky at times. I am not sure if this is a great psychedelic space rock record, and why all the Hawkwind-references? Spacerock actually sounds like U2 would play in a zero gravity chamber in a worm hole. White Hills sounds more like guys from Brooklyn toying around with sounds and instruments, without losing touch of songs and melodies. Anyway, if any of this sounds appealling, check out the 12″ next time. It is a limited (1000 copies) Thrill Jockey release, and that is usually a recipe for OUT OF PRINT, NOT SOLD ANYMORE, GET IT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

ADORNO OUT NOW

Are you a fan of Drive Like Jehu-ish melodies with some screamo influences? Do you like distorted, noisy and emotional music with as much heart as drive?

Check out this hot off the presses 4-songed 7″ from Portugals own ADORNO.
Released by Adagio830, which stands for QUALITY!

Moore, Steve. I need More!

Steve Moore – Fever Dream/30,000 Feet Deep 10″

Sweetness oh sweetness. Just when I was tired of Jean Michel-Jarre and just when the need for slimey synthesized sounds was on an all-time high, I stumbled upon Steve Moore. The 10″ is totally über awesome. The songs are seriously worth dying for. But there is just one small problem. You need to afford 18 euros for two songs clocking in at some seconds over 10 minutes. Not the ideal situation when it comes to spending hard earned eurodollars on music, but I have to be honest. These songs are killers! They will be played through out the decades, and will probably be the first songs ever to be played in another galaxy by another life form.

Steve Moore – Demo 2003 LP

If you feel that the 10″ is out of reach, go ahead and try the LP. Less euros, more songs, bigger format. Win win situation. There are some filler songs, but most if it is also high quality Moore stuff. He is more known for his projects Titan and Zombi, I guess, and I overheard somebody saying that he also plays/played with Earth, but after some www-investigation I am pretty sure that is another Steve Moore.

This is music for progressive people. Not an ounce of hardcore or metal here. Just a bunch of really important keyboard melodies.

White Rainbow

WHITE RAINBOW

A lot of people have probably found themselves repeating Blackest Rainbow numerous times during a short busride or in the post office queue. But it seems that few people have been properly introduced to the band White Rainbow. So let me do the honors.

Reader of blogs, meet White Rainbow, and White Rainbow, whereever you are, meet Reader of blogs.

The first time I ever came across WR it was instant attraction. Their, at the time, freshly released DLP ‘Prism of eternal now’ on Marriage records, had High Rotation on my digital walkman during those boring zombie shifts at the factory. I know at least a few mix cd’s from that era, that featured the song ‘Mystic Prism’.

And when their new record marriage was with Kranky there was no way in hell that I would close my eyes and look away. But somehow I did. Maybe I overplayed ‘The Eternal Prism’, maybe my White Rainbow quota was already filled?!?!
For some weird reason I never bothered to give it a try when I saw the album. My loss, I guess. Because the new one, called ‘New Clouds’, is one for the books. Totally dreamy soundscapey musical flying carpets of drones and looping melodies. It is really minimalistic, without being thin or static. The warmth that comes from these songs is welcomed, especially this time of the year. Synthesizers and effects, maybe an illegal drug or two, and how awesome is the fat gatefold cover with a spine thicker than yo mama, plus a style that goes well with the eternal cover of prisms. This band should not go unnoticed any longer. If I had the proper funds for it, there is no way I wouldn’t have thrown a WR celebration party a long time ago. Not the best party album, but I can see this being played a peaceful evening in a lounge with some mocca and a nice cigar, or on the Autobahn during a long over night drive, or over the headphones during a nice refreshing walk in the woods somewhere. If you wanna spend endless hours on Facebook, I would suggest some other form of soundtrack. Scooter comes to mind.

The ‘Prism Of Eternal Now’ is less Kranky-esque, more nu-tribal/hippiesynth, full of vibrant snakes of melodies and arms of meditation trying to grab a hold of you. A mezmerizing hypno-rhythmical journey over effect infected synth sounds and clouds of staggering harmonies while a steady drum beat pushes the listener forward. Magic indead… Some kind of bell sounding metal drumming. Layers of voices and more layers of more layers of sounds and more layers until it almost becomes unbearable, and then it turns into one of the best records EVER!

Apparently White Rainbow is a one man effort, which makes it even more awesome. And from what I understand, his first release was a 5 cd & 1dvd box on Marriage. I take my hat off for this man!

HCSRIH ANNAH

It is finally here! The CD & TAPE versions has been available for quite some time now, and to be honest I’ve been waiting for these songs on vinyl for what seems like an eternity. Probably one of the best contemporary bands in Sweden today.

It is poppy, punky and melodic stuff, with a lot of sweet melodies. This band will blow minds, if not now, then at least in ten years. I certainly wish that people would give this a chance. Here is a clip from their release show at Utmarken, Göteborg. It is dark and the sound is kinda shitty, but if you want great sound, pick up the LP!