Vaiping – Industrial Workers Of The World
From Stavanger in Norway, industrial noiseniks Vaiping forge raw beats through the metal presses and the production line issues forth a concept album in oil-stained overalls, pounded out to the hard rhythms of the burgeoning industrial revolution in the first decades of the twentieth century.
In keeping with the imagery of the production line, the rhythm is constant and implacable, the only short respite given by theSalvation Army. The ceaseless use of robotic beats owe a large debt to Kraftwerk initially, and latterly to the more modern electronica of Depeche Mode, and musically this is an unrelenting trip along the conveyor belt of heavy industry, occasionally counterpointed by short synth melodies.Transatlantik is pure Radio-Aktivität era Kraftwerk, with a slight twist in that the German vocals are sung by the dispassionate female voice of Ann Karin Både. I’m sure I’ve heard the early melody line in Victory, or something very similar to it on a Kraftwerk song, and the ongoing comparison to the grandaddy of electro beats is unavoidable. The occasional vocals offer a bit of needed variety, especially the ethereal wordless vocalising on High Hopes. The album concludes with a rare example of a fully formed song, Pie In The Sky featuring a repeated and almost oriental melody in place of a chorus, fading away into the smoky firmament, before reprising the song section at the end.
I would imagine this makes for an engaging live set, given the band’s reputation for dressing the part, right down to the dirty overalls, but as a piece of music to sit down and listen to it lacks something, maybe a hook here, or a dynamic there, and as such feels a bit flat. However Vaiping are interesting enough to keep an eye on in the future.
Tracklist:
01 Land For Sale
02 Street Talk
03 IWW
04 Transatlantik
05 Wind Will Blow
06 Listen Up
07 Victory
08 The Blue Ribbon
09 Salvation Army
10 High Hopes
11 Pie In The Sky
Line up:
Erik Steffensen -Vocals, keyboards
Håkon Landmark – Guitar, bass, percussion, backing vocals
Per Magnus Johnsen – Bass, backing vocals, 12 string guitar
Rune Horvei – Drums, loops, backing vocals
Additional musicians:
Mina Steffensen – Vocals (10)
Ann Karin Både – Vocals (04)
Hans Edward Hammonds – Voice (02, 03, 06)
David Bowen – Voice (02, 06)
Funin – Unsound
Bergen indie outfit Funin released this, their debut waxing back in November 2010 in their home territory Norway but it did not get a world release until a year later, and it seems to have gone under my radar until now, more’s the pity. Undoubtedly influenced by heavyweights such as Arcade Fire, Björk, Radiohead, Portishead, they have created an interesting listen with their seven piece line up, expanded from their beginnings as a duo, and now featuring a string section and sundry electronica.
The electronic beats and sundry strangeness on Inch Of Me combined with Marit Elisabeth’s elfin tones come direct from the Björk work manual but there are other things going down here, like Øyvind’s lounge-jazz ivory tinkling with languid flute that lend the song its own sound.
Away from the sphere of Iceland’s premier chanteuse, we have the gorgeous electro-soundscape ballad Everything initially sung by co-vocalist Gaute in the style of an angst-free Thom Yorke before swapping verses with Marit, and very nice it is too as the string section take the lead. Here it is…
Rocking Chair lurches along like a Tom Waits jazz from the dark side moment, but instead of Tom’s nicotine stained growl we get more of Marit’s dulcet tones, a combination that works well as handclaps and what sounds like a picked banjo bring the song to a close. Machine is not so much mechanical as menacing, eerie electronica on the beat backing Marit again, and this one has the Bristol sound of Portishead and Tricky going on, with Eastern sounding strings on top, ending with some distant piano. Strange and toe-tapping at the same time this song sums up the confidence of a band not afraid to tackle something a wee bit out there. We end withSkywalkers which starts off threatening to be an Arcade Fire style pop song but then abruptly goes deliberately awry.
All in all a confident and complex debut from a band that should go far, and indicative of the amazingly varied music scene that comes out of Norway.
Tracklist:
1. Unsound
2. Everything
3. Wonderland
4. Tornado
5. Last Day
6. Inch Of Me
7. Indestructible
8. Rocking Chair
9. Machine
10. Skywalkers
Line-up:
* Marit Elisabeth Svendsbøe – vocals and flute
* Øyvind Vie Berg – piano and rhodes
* Gaute Stedje – vocals and guitar
* Aleksander Tveit – guitar
* Sissel Ørstavik – violin
* Audun Berg Selfjord – cello
* Edvard Mjanger – bass
* Hans Christian Dalgaard – drums
Buy this here from those fine folk at Karisma Records, a label that gets more esoteric by the day!
Moraine – Metamorphic Rock
One of the pleasures of this reviewing lark is that once in a while something hitherto unheard of will land in your inbox that simply takes your breath away. This is as you might imagine, a fairly rare occurrence, for although during the course of a year the reviewer may receive a handful of seriously good CDs amongst the piles of average and worse, to receive something astounding is a rarefied pleasure indeed.
Such a thing is Metamorphic Rock whose irreducible complexity, to borrow one of the song titles is of such a seriously magical content I just can’t put it down. This band is filling mega stadiums in a parallel universe where Simon Cowell is on trial for crimes against art.
Formed by composer and guitar player Denis Rea, Moraine have so far released just one studio album, Manifest Destiny in 2009, and Metamorphic Rock is a document of their appearance at the 2010 Nearfest in the USA in front of a small but appreciative crowd, most of whom no doubt know how lucky they were to have witnessed such a wonderful ensemble in action.
Covering the many strata of styles that results in an easily identifiable cogent whole is no mean feat but Dennis Rea – guitars, James DeJoie – sax, flute, percussion, Alicia DeJoie – violin, Kevin Millard – eight string bass, and Stephen Cavit – drums make it sound easy. Dennis Rea, guitar player extraordinaire, covers all bases from Page-like riffage to Fripp math excursions, along the way taking on Chinese scales and Far Eastern imagery, amongst a whole gamut of other influences. Until last year I had not heard of this man, and I regret that a lot! He is also a member of Moonjune heavy jazz-fusion combo Iron Kim Style and has recently released a gorgeous solo album, but they are stories for another page.
The compositional credits are dominated by Dennis, with contributions from James and Alicia and Kevin, with one group composition, and another written by since departed cellist Ruth Davidson who appeared on Manifest Destiny. Indeed, since that album the cello contributions have been replaced by James’ sax and flute.
After the almost Zeppelin-esque power of James’ opener Irreducible Complexity, an early highpoint is the three part track Disillusioned Avatar/Dub Interlude/Ephebus Amoebus. The first part is composed by Alicia and her violin takes a plaintive lead melody with Dennis’ subtle guitar sounding like an elongated sigh as the tune sways along, conveying the melancholy of a deity disappointed with the results of man’s “achievements”. When I read the word “Dub” in a rock context, the aural results are often cliché-ridden and cringeworthy, not this time though as the short unobtrusive section soon leads into Kevin’s jazz-infused Ephebus Amoebus. As a non-muso I often wonder how drummers write songs, but this guy has come up with a mini jazz symphony over which Dennis goes through all kinds of gear changes including an avant cacophony. Marvellous!
Dennis’ Disoriental Suite follows with a marked change of style with much Eastern percussion and is lifted from his solo album Views From Chicheng Precipice and manages to mix traditional Chinese music and Dennis’ take on that sound with a sort of alt-blues with absolutely no problems at all. This is a truly beautiful piece of music my friends, and one not to be missed, and the band’s easy intuitive style is one that should, if there was any justice, make Moraine a household name, at least amongst the prog community. Here I should mention the rhythm section which as is necessary cope with all the style changes and Eastern time signatures with a casual ease that should frighten off lesser mortals. Stephen replaced the original drummer and so had to learn most of this from scratch, which shows how good he must be.
Some of the other things I can hear in this are chamber prog, Zappa, jazz-fusion, avant garde sound painting and hoedown….that last one was possibly a joke. Unusually for a live album there are previously unreleased compositions on here as well as a good few tracks from Manifest Destiny, and the aforementioned lift from Dennis’ solo album. This was presumably to accommodate the new line up where the cello is replaced by the sax & flute, and the tracks from Manifest Destiny do sound fuller in this new context.
The Okanogan Lobe has some nice squalling guitar and sax and violin and is a tremendous thing running amok until it ends with a melancholy air featuring some nice reverbed violin and a soaring solo from Dennis. Even when things get a bit out there, as on Uncle Tang’s Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for instance, the madness never takes over to the detriment of the arrangement, such is Dennis’ and the band’s compositional flair. Blues For A Bruised Planet does what is says on the tin, free of tired old 12-bar cliché too. Some nice trading of licks and interplay between the guitar and violin permeates Middlebräu and we reluctantly come to the end of a stunning musical tour-de-force…damn, just hit repeat!
Hell, I’m beginning to sound sycophantic, but honestly, it’s not intended. Metamorphic Rock is a timeless slab of an album and there is nothing at all terminal about this Moraine! Do yourself a favour, if you like good adventurous music, be it prog or any other genre, buy this seriously good CD, currently available from Moonjune Records at a bargain $12 (USA) or $14 (outside USA) including shipping. That, my good people, is a steal, treat yourself!
Tracklist:
1. Irreducible Complexity (3:39)
2. Manifest Density (3:45)
3. Save the Yuppie Breeding Grounds (4:07)
4. Disillusioned Avatar/Dub Interlude/Ephebus Amoebus (10:25)
5. Disoriental Suite (11:46):
a) Bagua
b) Kan Hai De Re Zi
c) Views from Chicheng Precipice
6. Kuru (4:31)
7. The Okanogan Lobe (7:36)
8. Uncle Tang’s Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (3:44)
9. Blues for a Bruised Planet (4:35)
10. Waylaid (5:31)
11. Middlebräu (9:09)
Line up:
* Dennis Rea – guitars
* James DeJoie – baritone sax, flute, percussion
* Alicia DeJoie – violin
* Kevin Millard – NS/Stick (8-string extended-range bass)
* Stephen Cavit – drums, percussion
Special Providence – Soul Alert
Since forming in 2004, Hungary’s Special Providence has released two albums, Space Café (2006) & Labyrinth (2008). Soul Alert is their third album, out on 12th January on Hunnia Records.
The band cook up a melodic dish driven by powerful dynamic rhythms, and although there are short solo sections, no one player gets to dominate proceedings for too long, the group preferring an engaging integrated approach, and their music could be described as symphonic prog-metal-jazz-fusion.
Babel Confusion toys with the listener by introducing some atypical speed metal riffing at the beginning, but soon settles into what becomes the band’s trademark style, melodic synth lines leading the way, followed by fluid jazzy guitar solos from Kertész and soaring synth workouts from Cséry, the metal theme returning to underpin the song.
A stylistic trait throughout is the centring of compositions around deceptively simple but catchy motifs. You won’t find interminable aimless wigouts in A minor here, and that’s a good thing too! There is nothing “flash” about this band, as can occasionally be the case in fusion when a band tries to disguise its lesser abilities by “shredding”, as fusion is not a style to be attempted without the necessary chops, which these guys definitely possess in spades.
The rhythm section is direct and unfussy, the drummer and bassist creating a punchy intro to Asparagus for example, over which a melodic guitar line sets the theme. Fehérvári shows what a great bass player he is on Return To Childhood and closing song Fences Of Reality surprises firstly by having vocals and secondly by reprising the melody from Lazy Boy where it was taken by the synth. A clever touch that brings a smile to my face!
Steering a path through Euro funk on Lazy Boy to melancholic jazz balladry on Incredible Flower, to prog metal on Soul Alert, Special Providence show why they are highly regarded as a live act, for although this CD is undeniably powerful, I can guess that they must be truly captivating on stage. These guys never attempt to dazzle with excessive virtuosity but prefer to stick to team playing, and they have hit on a formula that is both uplifting and involving, and you will be bopping round the room by the end. Most certainly a good purchase for the aficionado of prog metal jazz fusion.
Listen to samples on myspace
Tracklist:
Babel Confusion (7:24)
Lazy Boy (5:59)
Asparagus (8:20)
K2 (6:13)
Untold Chapter (5:12)
Incredible Flower (8:10)
Standing Still (3:52)
Soul Alert (7:40)
Return To Childhood (3:42)
Fences Of Reality (3:50)
Line-up:
* Cséry Zoltán – Keyboards
* Kertész Márton – guitar
* Fehérvári Attila – bass
* Markó Ádám – drums
Flower Eaters – The Spectre Loiters
The first album from this two man London group mixes classic space rock sounds with Klaus Schulze like sequencer led synth extrapolations to produce an open inviting sound.
Stretched phased guitar chords invites us into The Flower Eaters’ universe, languorous phased soloing leading into mid-paced riffage that thankfully stays well outside metal territory, Vitamin BC slightly reminiscent of mid-90s Porcupine Tree. The Schulze influence looms large over Hyperspace Mood,and there is also a feel of Quark period Hawkwind.
Suitably distant and swirly vocals feature briefly on Bend The Rainbow whose muddy caveman riffing recalls the heady days of The Rainbow, Finsbury Park circa 1973. You can almost smell the patchouli, and I’m sure that was Stacia I saw, grooving in the corner to Clearlight Symphony. If Jam 2.0 were played at twice the speed it would have made a good rave tune. As it is, it stays in the chillout zone where it shares a bong with an Ozric or three.
After this we head across Le Manche and end up travelling the autobahn for a few hundred klicks as Euro sequencers take charge, Microdots being well into an early Kraftwerk vibe. The album ends with Hyperreality Doom, which as its title suggests rocks out, but in a fashion much faster than that normally associated with “doom” and is a fitting end to the journey, although the ending seems unnecessarily abrupt, almost as if the tape ran out, but maybe that was deliberate? If so, I don’t think it quite worked.
Of course, it is highly unlikely that a young modern audience would be aware of all the sounds I’ve listed as references, unless their grandads’ were old hippies, and if it leads to a new audience for good ol’ spacerock, then I’m all for it. The sound on my downloaded review copy is not that good, being a bit fuzzy and too muddy in places, but one hopes this is just down to the inferior quality of my low bitrate download over the physical CD. Overall a fine debut effort from this young group of apprentice stoneheads, and it will be interesting to see where the trip takes them next.
Oh, and the guys would like it known that they were never an Avril Lavigne covers band!
Listen to some tracks on myspace.
Buy the CD here.
Tracklist:
1. Vitamin BC
2. Hyperspace Mood
3. Bend the Rainbow
4. Jam 2.0
5. Frozen Technology
6. Microdots
7. Buttercups
8. Hyperreality Doom
Line-up:
* Thomas Perryman – guitars, synthesiser, bass, and vocals
* Leo Pérez – drums
Steven Wilson – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 31st October 2011
November 5, 2011 by Roger T.
Filed under Live reports, Reviews
Grace for Drowning was one of the most eagerly awaited albums this year, and certainly lived up to all expectations in my book, so my anticipation for this show had been building for some time, ever since my esteemed colleague PW managed to acquire the tickets some months ago.
Not knowing what time Steven was due on stage, and vaguely recalling a posting on his Facebook page asking the fans to get there early, we were seated to the right hand side of the upper tier by 7:20. The stage is shrouded by what my mate referred to jokingly as a “net curtain”, and some ten minutes later the house lights dim and Lasse Hoile’s trademark bleak images, changed every ten minutes or so, are projected onto the thin gauze accompanied by Bass Communion’s ambient drones, which are an acquired taste at the best of times. This carried on for an hour, which was probably at least half an hour too long. One wonders why we were asked to arrive so early? Another of Steven’s polite requests was no photos please, which I have adhered to, but judging by the tens of mobiles going off all through the evening it was an instruction that was largely ignored. Assuming the request was down to Steven’s perhaps understandable dislike of low quality images, it is somewhat ironic that a recent slideshow on his Facebook page is comprised of amateur iPhone images taken by an audience member at the previous week’s Paris gig. Ho-hum…
Come 8:30 eventually one by one the band take up their positions and begin playing the opening song. For the first 20 or so minutes of the set the “net curtain” remained in place in front of the band, occasionally used as a backdrop for more of Lasse’s images, which were much better displayed later on the backdrop behind the band. I now know how a poor unfortunate suffering from cataracts must view the world. It wasn’t until the veil was lowered during Sectarian, to a big cheer from the sell out crowd, that I really began to enjoy the gig.
Steven acted mainly in a conductor’s capacity throughout, playing occasional keyboards or guitar, and of course singing. He said he was going to be taking a back seat and would let the band do their thing, and a splendid “thing” it was too! Nailing down the beat to thunderous effect but also displaying subtlety where needed was Marco Minneman, on bass and Chapman Stick was Nick Beggs, who is now something of a prog stalwart, being a long time member of Steve Hackett’s band. He sure has come a long way since Kajagoogoo, but he still retains a slightly daft haircut! Lead guitar duties were performed with panache by Aziz Ibrahim, formerly (and briefly) with the Stone Roses, his guitar was a light show in itself. Nick and Aziz along with Steven showed their undoubted technical skills on the fast syncopated parts of the epic Raider II, Nick even got to do some guitar god posing, and they all looked to be having a jolly good time.
On keyboards was Adam Holzman, who when he got to play the jazzy piano fills showed his chops off to fine effect. Last, but by no means least was Mr Flute himself, the redoubtable Theo Travis, whose wonderful playing is all over Grace For Drowning. Unfortunately he often suffered in the louder sections particularly from being a bit buried in the mix, which was a shame.
You can see from the setlist below that a varied selection was played from both the solo albums, and the highlights for me were the ultra creepy Index, Raider II which was simply magnificent, Deform to Form A Star, which as my mate says sounds like it could have been a Porcupine Tree song from 1997, Harmony Korine was excellent, and the encore, Steven replete with gas mask, was a moment of triumph.
After an over-long introduction, and the “net curtain” overstaying its welcome, the gig eventually became a truly jaw-dropping display of musical excellence, and was certainly well worth the wait.
Ske – 1000 Autunni
1000 Autunni is the first solo album by keyboard maestro Paolo Ske Botta, a name familiar to me from French TV’s This Is What We Do, and latterly as a member of Italian avant-proggers Yugen.
What we have here is another gem from Italy’s Fading Records that delivers a difficult but engaging album drawing on a wide range of influences ranging from chamber music, Gentle Giant, Henry Cow, Hatfield And The North, National Health, and a smattering of classic symphonic prog as well as jazz and modern classical.
Paolo is a collector of vintage keyboards, many of which are used on this album to great effect, all lovingly noted in the tastefully designed booklet. Each track gives a complete listing of all the instruments used as well as the keyboards, showing that this album was most certainly a labour of love.
The Hatfield’s influence is felt with the vocalisings of Roberta Pagani, very much in vein of The Northettes, when she makes her appearances on Carta E Burro (Paper And Butter), Delta, and La Nefazia Di Multatuli. A very good example of voice used as instrument, an art that is difficult to master.
Denti (Teeth) is suitably feisty but never edgy, and Scrupoli, introduced with a Dave Stewart style organ swell, leaps about like a court jester, and has a strong Egg influence, no bad thing in my book. Delta offers a moment of reflection with some nice synth work lulling the listener before the first of the three part Scogli (Rocks), which is separated by other songs, but if you program your CD player to play them in succession, a strong Gentle Giant influence abounds, as well as drawing on modern classical music. That is not to say that this album is derivative, as it creates its own distinctive sound while wearing its influences with pride. Mummia sounds as cinematic and Gothic as it should, and things are rounded off with Rassegnati in an almost classic Italian prog style leaning towards Picchio dal Pozzo.
1000 Autunni is a complex and esoteric piece of music making that shows Paolo’s skill as a composer and arranger as well as highlighting his abilities on numerous keyboards. The juxtaposition of gentle acoustic instrumentation (see below) with the array of Paolo’s keyboards and electronica, and Francesco’s guitars, is always interesting and engaging. The intricate rhythms are embellished with many percussion instruments that are underpinned by the subtle playing of Pierre (bass) and Mattia (drums), and this produces a whole listening experience in itself. By my fourth or fifth listen I found myself following just the rhythm section on some songs, beguiled by the subtle intricate complexity on show.
Paolo’s other fellow musicians are all top notch players too, and the ensemble playing throughout the album is exceptional. An album for those who like their music to be demanding, this a very rewarding and satisfying listening experience, and cannot be used as background music. In an age where the need for ambience sometimes takes precedence and music is often relegated to a secondary rather than primary experience, it is refreshing to put on an album that requires, no, demands that you give it your full attention. A bit like a three course meal at a very good restaurant, by the end you will be sated but not over-fed! Definitely best listened to in the company of a decent bottle of red wine, 1000 Autunni is yet another high quality release in 2011. Oh, and the cover and booklet artwork is lovely by the way.
Highly recommended!
Tracklist:
Fraguglie (6:05)
Denti (5:10)
Carta E Burro (4:57)
Scrupoli (4:12)
Delta (5:05)
Scogli1 (2:12)
Sotto Sotto (5:35)
Mummia (5:23)
Scogli 2 (2:33)
La Nefazia Di Multatuli (6:29)
Scogli 3 (1:30)
Rassegnati (7:08)
Line-up:
Paolo Ske Botta – Keyboards, synths
Fabio Ciro Ceriani – Sansula, percussion
Valerio Cipollone – Clarinets, saxophones
Enrica Di Bastione – Harp
Maurizio Fasoli – Piano
Elia Leon Mariani – Violin
Nicolas Nickolopoulos – Flute
Giuseppe Jos Olivini – Theremin, percussion, effects
Roberta Pagani – Voice
Valerio Neth Raina – Voice
Mattia Signò – Drums
Markus Strauss – Saxophone
Fabrice Toussaint – Idiophones, trombone, perscussion
Pierre Wawrzyniak – Bass
Francesco Zago – Guitars
Listen to streaming on myspace. The whole album is currently on streaming at www.progstreaming.com (scroll to bottom of page) but this may not be for long.
Abrete Gandul – Enjambre Sísmico
From Chile, Abrete Gandul offer up a satisfying stew of styles on this, their third album. Enjambre Sísmico (Seismic Swarm). It lives up to its English translation, sounding at times like a jazz infused Anekdoten, or a Latin King Crimson, with helpings of Canterbury influence updated to the 21st Century having spent the interim under Latino influence, and is one hugely enjoyable musical ride.
At an hour long the album has eight songs only two of which are under the seven minute mark. Such is the intricacy of the instrumentation that one’s attention is required all the time, but having said that it all flows together nicely, so the listening experience is never hard work, as can be the case with some more wilfully obtuse offerings.
Judging by the album titles and what I can understand with my limited Spanish from the story in the cover booklet, the album appears to be a journey through a natural disaster, with which being Chilean, the band are no doubt all too familiar.
The seven and a half minute Marejada (Surge) is a particular highlight, covering a gamut of stylistic influences, the math guitar reminiscent of Fripp, the warm ambient layers giving way to a laid back cool but never bland jazzy vibe. Each member is given the chance to shine, but no-one gets to show off unnecessarily, Consecuencia Natural (you don’t need me to translate that, surely?!) being a case in point where Antonio showcases a delicacy of touch while dancing round the beat, before the song morphs into a Levin/Gunn-like sequence followed by some great sax blowing, all the while the bass of Pedro subsonically shaking the floorboards. Rodrigo’s guitar shines on Colapso, his warm and fluid soloing leading into a heavier section backed by swathes of synths before Rodrigo re-enters on flute, the theme slowly returning and building to a redemptive crescendo and then ending suddenly. An enticing piece of music that puts me in mind of Mel Collins era Crimson, but with Wetton on bass.
Jamie’s keyboards take more of a textural role than a lead one, in much the same way that, say, Richard Barbieri does with Porcupine Tree. As with Richard, Jamie’s contribution is an essential part of the whole, and bothConvergencia Caótica and Intangible have some nice understated piano to demonstrate that he is a quality player. The latter builds on a cyclical piano riff, reflected by the bass and guitar at various tangents to create a slight dissonance that remains within the melody so never becomes jarring, while throughout Antonio holds down a no doubt difficult time signature, showcasing a group of players at the height of mutual understanding. Wonderful stuff!
Their Chilean/Spanish roots are to the fore on the closing track which starts like an off kilter flamenco, before a sax conjures up a smoky neo-Cuban jazz club feel, a lovely way to close the record.
Another contender for album of the year, in a year which has given us so much great music, this is a must for all fusion fans, lovers of heavier Canterbury sounds, Crimson, you get the picture.
Hear some streaming on myspace
Buy here from Fading Records
Tracklist:
Line-up:
Jamie Acuna – Keyboards
Pedro Santander – Bass, Effects
Antonio Arceu – Drums, Percussion
Rodrigo Maccioni – Guitars, Effects, Flute
Leo Aries – Saxophone
Caravan – The Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, 13th October 2011
The band’s successful resurrection last year for a TV special (available on dvd and well worth it) has provided fresh impetus to what has become a bit of a venerable English music institution, the reigning kings and elder statesmen of Canterbury, Caravan. The line up that played that show, Richard Coughlan excepted, sauntered out onto the stage at the comfortable and well appointed surroundings of The Stables and launched into a joyous rendition of the Memory Lain Hugh/Headloss medley from what for me is their best album, For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night, so a great start!
Band leader and founder Pye Hastings, the only original member on stage tonight, was in fine form after initially struggling to reach the high notes. Singers often find their range decreases with age, and it’s a wonder Pye can hit those high notes at all given that a lot of his songs seemed to have been sung at the top end his range, even three or four decades ago.
Star of the show was undoubtedly Geoffrey Richardson who was an entertaining MC as well as alternating between his trusty viola (son amour), flute, guitar and piccolo. He even played an amusing rhythmic interlude during Golf Girl on spoons! On keyboards we had Jan Schelhaas, who first played with the band as far back as 1976’s Blind Dog At St Dunstan’s, and on bass was Jim Leverton, another veteran of the 70s underground rock scene who first played on 1995’s Battle of Hastings reunion album. Jan and Jim filled their roles with gusto, and both, indeed all the band seemed to be really enjoying the experience. Particularly so latest recruit the comparatively youthful Mark Walker on drums, although according to his website he left school in 1980 so he’s not exactly a spring chicken himself!
Large chunks of In The Land Of Grey And Pink were played, 40 years old this year no less, including a sparkling rendition of Nine Feet Underground. We learned that the song was so called because Dave Sinclair wrote it in a state of some impoverishment in a cellar in Canterbury that was…nine feet underground. Sorry if that shatters any artistic delusions you may have had! Geoffrey also related the tale of the title of the great 2003 reunion reunion album (this band have stopped and started more times than a Trabant with a blocked carb), The Unauthorised Breakfast Item. Staying in a posh hotel in Trenton, New Jersey for the 2002 Nearfest, Mr R having already gorged on a sumptuous American breakfast wandered over to the Continental Breakfast buffet and helped himself to a croissant, cunningly concealed in his napkin, fuel for what he described as a forthcoming long day playing “Prawg” (heheh), when a maitre d’ stopped him with the immortal line (adopts American drawl) ”Excuse me sir, but you seem to have an unauthorised breakfast item”. Well, it made us laugh, maybe you had to be there!
Songs spanning seven albums and some 33 years were played, along with two new songs which both sounded good to me and bode well for the planned new album. A fine evening’s English whimsical entertainment was enjoyed by an audience who were largely but not exclusively, of shall we say, a certain age, but remember, everthing will be alright if you don’t leave your Dad in the rain…:)
Finally, it was sad to hear that drummer Richard Coughlan is too ill to accompany his mates on tour this time round, and we wish him all the best.
Thanks to John Price for the photos.
Magazine – No Thyself
We live in a time where it seems that even bands with no living members have reformed in pursuit of one last undead payday. Probably the most exploitative recent reunion was that of the Sex Pistols, and ironically so given their original manifesto and the fact that Howard Devoto was instrumental in getting the Pistols to play the now legendary gig at Manchester Free Trade Hall. Lydon has certainly lived up to his epithet from the first time round: “…ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” he berated the crowd at the Winterland as his era defining band collapsed in a sea of drugs and paranoia in 1978. The lumpen reunion of the iconic punk band epitomises an undignified chase for filthy lucre alongside a complete lack of artistic integrity that so many reunions suffer from to some degree.
Cards on the table – I was a big fan of Magazine the first time round, and you might think from that introduction that my opinion of the reunion and No Thyself is not exactly of the highest order, but you would be wrong, although I must admit the album slid into the CD player with trepidation. My first worry was who would replace the angular and barbed guitar lines of the sadly missed John McGeoch of the original line up, and the answer is seasoned punky-new wave veteran Noko who amongst numerous other bands played with Devoto’s short lived post-original Magazine band Luxuria. Noko manages to step into John’s shoes with aplomb while being a distinctive entity in his own right. Barry Adamson’s replacement is bass guitarist Jon “Stan” White, who occasionally and spookily manages to replicate Barry’s sinuous and funky flanged bass groove to the nth degree. If you didn’t no (sic) you would swear it was Barry on the four strings on some of these songs. The distinctive keyboards of Dave Formula and the solid pulsebeat of John Doyle are both present and correct.
Howard Devoto, looking like he has aged well from the booklet photo, wrote lyrics of a Hammill-like wit and intelligence, and here they are, still as oblique and easy as ever. Lines like “I was out probing the weaknesses of society, when I got my fat little fingers burned” and “But I’ve made my decision to die like a king, like Elvis on some godforsaken toilet” show Mr D has lost none of his dry wit and louche style.
The first song Do The Meaning has a certain “Shelley” as a lyric co-writing credit, so it’s good to see the old twosome collaborating again. Other Thematic Material is a primal cry of lust, juxtaposing animal sex instinct with strange suburban banalities, Alison Steadman may have played the lead role, and it makes many musical references to past glories with the same knowing slyness as Mr D’s lyrics.
Gothic atmospherics abound throughout as you might expect, Dave Formula’s synth breaks weaving in and out like the return of a long-lost friend. Some real spiky guitaring introduces Hello Mr Curtis (with apologies) a musing on the courage or otherwise of suicide, and not unexpectedly given the thirty years since the last Magazine album, mortality is a running theme. The Burden Of Song is Howard’s Tower Of Song, getting all philosophical, enslaved to the creative impulse, and is fittingly and muscularly insistent.
The Burden Of A Song by Magazine
The Burden Of A Song by Magazine
The Burden Of A Song by Magazine
Musically there is enough here to show that the creative juices are still flowing, and perhaps this is helped in no small measure by the addition of the two “new” members who get equal billing for all the tunes. I love the sweeping soundtrack qualities of Of Course Howard (1979); there’s a song in slow waltz time, again reprising the band’s fondness for dance time signatures, hell, there’s even a ballad that were you to strip away the modernisms could have been Procol Harum…maybe not lyrically though!
Magazine were the art-punk band that prog fans could like, although I doubt the band would thank me for saying that. No doubt because of their musicality their work has lasted the test of time better than a lot of their contemporaries, allowing them to faultlessly take up the baton dropped all those years ago. No Thyself is a document of self awareness and wisdom acquired over the passage of time tempered by just enough but never too much cynicism, a chain of events of which all of us who were there back in ‘78 share common knowledge. And you can dance to it!
Roll on the gigs, a full listing of which appears on their myspace page.
The album is not on general release until 24th October, but you can get the limited edition digi-pack direct from the label’s website now.
Tracklist:
01. Do The Meaning
02. Other Thematic Material
03. The Worst Of Progress….
04. Hello Mister Curtis (with apologies)
05. Physics
06. Happening In English
07. Holy Dotage
08. Of Course Howard (1979)
09. Final Analysis Waltz
10. The Burden Of A Song
Bonus Track (limited edition only)
11. Blisterpack Blues
Line up:
Howard Devoto – Vocals
Jon “Stan” White – Bass guitar
Dave Formula – Keyboards
John Doyle – Drums
Noko – Guitar
