Thranenkind "The Elk" review

One of the main responsibilities of the music writer, it could be argued, is it inform, entertain and assist the reader in choosing pieces of work which could be to their taste in terms of both musical content and the context from which it was produced. Formed in 2007 in Munich, and essentially the work of Pesten and Nathanael,Thranenkind (which can be translated as “child of tears”) are described in their press release as “vegan and/or straight edge and share interests in the ideas of green anarchism, civilization critic and left wing politics”. So this then may be considered the musical context, whilst the album itself follows a narrative based on the story of two siblings on a journey to their father’s funeral. Whilst on this journey they encounter old friends, memories and a variety of emotional twists and turns.Some may shy away from music that is described in such terms, for the listener who is receptive to dense musical concepts intertwined with carefully considered political ideals, “The Elk” is a rewarding album to discover. To listen to purely on a musical level, with no knowledge of its background, “The Elk” is a handsome collection of songs and instrumentals pieces. One cannot help but conjure up images of a dark, ominous Bavarian landscape in its expansive use of instrumentation and dynamics. The vocals are brutal yet somehow longing and fraught.

The opening ‘Monument’ exists within a framework of distant guitar lines, isolated percussion and desperate vocals barked over each layer of sound, whilst ‘Just Another Way of Expressing Defeat’ features extensive instrumental passages that ache with anguish and melancholia in equal measure. ‘My Transparent Heart’ continues musically the overall mood of profundity and seems to implore the listener to digest and consider its themes and messages. ‘Today, the Sea (Anja’s Song)’ and ‘Deleting Those Three Words’ bring together the brutal vocals, expansive instrumental arrangements and vocal samplings into a poignant mixture of ferocity and anguish. ‘This Story of Permanence’ raises the tempo slightly and brings the instrumental arrangements closer together before the album ends with the naively appealing title track with its brief, yet touching, tale of the experience of observing an elk in the woods....

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The Gabriel Construct "Interior City" review

 

A meta-analysis of comments and reviews posted on this solo release fromGabriel Lucas Riccio suggests that the music is more or less saturated with influences and styles. For the aficionado of avant garde or “progressive” music this is high praise indeed, but for the casual listener the layers and depth of sound here may be problematic. There are certainly elements of rock, metal, jazz and classical music here which will unquestionably tick all the boxes for most readers of ThisIsNotAScene. The sound is by no means a chaotic conglomeration of these influences however, and Riccio, in association with Travis Orbin andThomas Murphy of Periphery, David Stivelman, Soren Larson and Sophia Uddin, has crafted a signature sound which, despite being reminiscent of the Rock In Opposition (RIO) movement, is identifiably his own.

“Arrival in a Distant Land” which opens the album, develops steadily on a background of dissonant piano before the haunting vocals add a further dimension. The juxtaposition of dissonance and harmony is unsettling initially, but as the listener become accustomed to the construction of sound, the character and elegance trickle through. The percussion is, not surprisingly, very much to the forefront on many of these pieces, and many of the rhythms are densely populated. There are some truly outstanding moments of pomp and grandeur, such as the opening of ‘Curing Somatization’ which leave the listener metaphorically breathless with intrigue. Another extensive track which pushes the ten minute mark is ‘Defense Highway’, which again, is propelled along on dissonance and layers of instrumentation that are bewildering, yet on a level which many, hopefully, will understand, deeply fulfilling....

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Talisman - "I-Surrection" album review

Like any style of music that is fortunate enough to find itself out of mainstream attention, never in fashion so never out of fashion, roots rock reggae is timeless in its appeal and context. An album of new material can sound as appropriate now as it would have done in the 1970’s, 1980’s 1990’s and through into this millennium. A signature bass line, rhythms that are guaranteed to have the most cynical listener “winding up their waist” and deeply conscious lyrics of slavery, emancipation and injustice, are instantly recognised trademarks of the movement.

This latest release from Talisman is a perfect example of the timelessness of this sound, and how music can be used as a force to coerce the listener into thinking more deeply how they and others coexist together. From the opening ‘Things Ah Get Tough’ and ‘Season for Freeman’ the listener is taken on a journey into the sound of Bristol street music, the resonance of urban communities and the soundtrack that binds them together. A recent support slot for a UK tour by The Selector has surely helped audiences begin to acknowledge Talisman.

For those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to immerse ourselves in dub, many of the tunes on “I-Surrection” are followed by their dub counterpart mixed by David Hill of Rootikal Productions. These versions should in no way be merely dismissed as meaningless filler, as these stripped back versions are considered by many to be the definitive way of exposing the sound, or, to paraphrase Lee “Scratch” Perry, think of this as “x-ray music”. Dub can facilitate total immersion in the music, it can allow the listener to explore how the music was shaped and it can welcome the listener in to its most insightful depths. ‘Praise Jah’ is a sumptuous hymn that keeps the mood light but buoyant. Again, the lyrics concern themselves with hope for the future whilst cleverly evoking the spirit of roots rock reggae of the past.

‘Hey Yout’ (Melodica Version)’ is a call for the youth of today to take up the mantle, saturated in dub aesthetics, whilst ‘Help Yourself’ is characterised by a palette of dynamic organ stabs punctuating the distinct chugging rhythm. Throughout “I-Surrection” the sound is given further potency and mass with luxurious layers of brass from the Matic Horns....

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WOMAD, Charlton Park July 2013 Photos

A selection of photographs taken at WOMAD festival, Charlton Park July 26th-28th 2013

From Mali, the Tuareg Tamikrest

Max Romeo

Lee "Sctratch" Perry

Seun Kuti

Throat singing from Tuva, Huun Huur Tu

Psychedelic rock from Canterbury  Syd Arthur

Sam Lee

The procession

Tiny Tea Tent

Gilberto Gil

Yours truly in festival shirt and hat

Lucy T at the open mic

United Ghosts album review

For this particular writer, any band that cites its’ influences as shoegaze, psychedelia and krautrock has attracted the attention from the outset. Originating from California, this is the first full length release from United Ghosts on Tambourine Girl Records. Can the band really amalgamate shoegaze, psychedelia and krautrock into a fully cohesive sound? Surely influences such as those are in danger of producing pedestrian pop, albeit with an edge? Thankfully “United Ghosts” allays any fears and instead delivers ten arrangements of unadulterated joyfulness and spirituality. The key sound is achieved somewhat by the dual vocals of Sha Sabi and Axel Steuerwald who create an almost wraithlike eminence layered upon luscious tunes. “United Ghosts” is a collection of tunes that are immediately accessible on first play, that is not to say they lack depth or authority simply that they are striking to the ears from the offset. Certainly not music to gaze at shoes, more music to gaze at the sky.

The opening ‘Echo Lake’ leisurely throbs onward over dreamlike keyboards and guitar lines, providing the perfect supplement to the ethereal vocals, whilst ‘Unhypnotized’ picks up the tempo slightly whilst losing none of that trademark wistfulness. There is certainly a sense, as the listener moves through the tracks on “United Ghosts”, that this could indeed be music from another era altogether. An almost sinister edge to the chord progression on ‘The Revolution Waiting’ takes the listener momentarily out of their previously established comfort zone. Krautrock credentials are fully recognised on the openings to ‘Modern Crime’ and ‘Holes into the Night’ which go on to develop into a delicious beds of inspirational noise, whilst ‘Sparkle and Fade’ soothes the mood with a restrained naivety...

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Bangladeafy "The Briefcase" EP review

Bangladeafy’s Facebook page describes the bands interests as,”…to always be a student”, which, as well as being a personal mission statement for this writer, is a perfect summing up of the music on “The Briefcase” EP. With musical influences cited as including John Entwistle, Jaco Pastorious, Stewart Copeland and the Beastie Boys, the music here will be hard to categorise, and is all the more agreeable for it.

Bangladeafy are essentially Jonny Germ on bass, vocals and keyboards andAtif Haq on drums who originate from New York and produce music of such joyous intensity that it is hard for the listener not to put down what they were doing and pay close attention. Imagine if you will a version of the band Lightning Bolt playing intricate passages that veer from free jazz to progressive rock via thrash metal and you can start to comprehend “The Briefcase”.

‘Fruit Flies’ features astonishingly complex lines and arrangements providing the framework for dazzlingly intense vocal. ‘Elixir’ and ‘Dumpster Fire’ continue on a similar theme, and without the vocals, showcases the density of the arrangements. Sound is manipulated and tortured on ‘Tubes’, before the listener is teased by what sounds like a familiar spaghetti western theme running through ‘Show Me the Gold’, an absolute tour de force of technical ability and passion.

The brevity of “The Briefcase” may be argued to be a disappointment for the listener who is now transfixed with the mischievousness of the music and the barrage of instrumentation on display. Reading this, the listener should not be put off “The Briefcase”, fearing it to be another collection of technically adept, but ultimately soulless, “mathcore” tunes. Exciting to listen to at home, but one must also wonder, how bracing to experience in the live context...

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Baroness - Live at Maida Vale BBC EP

For many committed music enthusiasts the name Maida Vale is synonymous with John Peel, Andy Kershaw, Janice Long, Zane Lowe and Friday Rock Show sessions and any other number of exclusive sessions recorded for Radio 1 shows. Studio MV1, one of seven spaces within the complex, is one of the largest recording studios currently operational in the UK. It has been used as a venue for recording numerous classical and popular music concerts and dramas, and from 1958 to 1998 it was the home of the legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

In July 2012 Baroness entered the intimate studio 4 to record four tracks from their latest release “Yellow and Green”, and these interpretations are being made available as a limited 12” vinyl and digital release. Baroness has never been a band to retread old ground when it comes to releasing recorded material. It could be said that they have now replaced their hostile, sludgy sound with one of introspection.

Whatever the perspective, the session here opens with ‘Take My Bones Away’ which, to anyone familiar with the “Yellow and Green” version, is a gloriously vigorous riff and hook laden bombardment of the senses. No less riff and hook loaded is ‘March to the Sea’ whose majestic vocal and lead lines are subtly suggestive of the song title itself. More or less psychedelic in nature, ‘The Line Between’ carries the momentum instigated by the two previous tracks into a buoyant blend of thunderous percussion, high-spirited riffs, and grandiose vocals with elements that would not sound out of place on the live Pink Floyd “Ummagumma” material. ‘Cocainium’ builds elegantly into its final riff formation, and although no less prevailing overall, takes time to build into a closing upsurge....

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