In Rotation, November 2005
Andrew Fenner
Drunk With Joy – Sound Living
Track Listing: Travelling Light, Our Friends The Actors, Boy Must Die, Woman, I’m On Fire, Little Boy Blue, Lullaby, Beginning, Go In Stay In Tune In, London Tears, Sound Living, Not To Forget.
Lovely, hypnotic trancefolkgothelectronica. Indescribable. Female vocals over lo-fi, minimalist, electronic arrangements. It works sooooo well! Can’t call it pop; it’s far too mature, adult, sophisticated... and dark. The group is British, a male/female duo. This format seems as ubiquitous these days as the “power trio” was in the 60s and 70s, except the music here is something other than rawk. Expressive of sadness, resignation, and beauty; an aesthetically powered light in the darkness of the rude world with its modern zeitgeist full of business buzzing and the hard-sell fist.
One For Jude – Hélice
Track Listing: Hélice, The Punishment of the White Rose, L'ébloui, Hélice - Prague, 2002.
Very French... even includes an accordian. Dark ambient, garage shoegazer with male vocals in French and English. The title track of this atmospheric EP is actually very nice, but they include a poorly produced live version at the end which drags heavily on the overall effect. Might still be worth it for first song alone though. The others are a little flat, though adequate and meaningful enough for a listen.
Edward Ka-Spel – Long Red Ladder To The Moon
Track Listing: Black Widow’s Kiss, Mechanical Sam, Flipside, Hey Rainman, Gone Subterranean (Parts 1 And 2), It’s Just A Job, Never Say Never, Treehugger (Parts 1 And 2).
This offering is from Edward Ka-Spel of Legendary Pink Dots reknown, who also has a list of solo releases that reads like the entire catalogue of a small record label. Is there such a thing as “hard-edge” poignancy? If so, this guy invented it.
The familiar sophisticated sadness of vocal delivery, as usual, catches little snags on the sweet spots of the heart with its careful inflections and inherent grace. The sparse electronic arrangements serve to vector the ear toward the lyrics and their delivery, rather than swamping the mind with lush aural soundscapes. The effect is almost more like poetry combined with live theatre than songs. Here we find a great longing to rise above our weary realm into a higher state of spiritual life, yet with a mournful resignation to the fact that we are, after all, earthbound creatures. Ed is a beautiful soul, and the refined, protracted moan of his art is manna from within.
Zombina and the Skeletones – Mondo Zombina
Track Listing: Zombie Hop, The New Orleans Incident, Springheeled Jack, Counting On Your Suicide.
More Zombina! They have gotten even better. Goth-punked, retro rock and roll with maybe a dash of something from the Roaring 20s or the Big Band era. Fairly revels in high-energy dark lunacy that will have you dancing... and laughing... your buns off. Excellent musicianship and vocals add to the fun. Too bad it’s only an EP.
Glenn Love – Belle Epoque
Track Listing: Iceland, Darkroom, Airships, Mars Ascending, Landwehr, Waking Dreams on the Bridge of Night, Seventh Veil, Infinity, In Exile ( Remix), Belle Epoque, Der Letzte Abend, Mars Ascending (AntiWar Remix by AntiStasis), Iceland ( T.H.Industry Remix).
A new album from the Canadian electronic artist, acclaimed for his 2001 release, “Cruel Utopia”. Trance electonica with strong grooves and atmosphere. Excellent club music as well as good “busy music” while doin’ stuff around the house. There is a continual sense of urgency and import that repeatedly pulls your ear back to it no matter what else you might be doing. This dude is bad in the best sense of the term.
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