Here we are, to talk about Contron's newest release, "contron - where the flowers grow (contron is dead)", which is currently available as a pay-whatcha-want download from the artist.
Due to some uninteresting changes in my giant corporate email provider's policies, it happened that my mail client lagged a lot and I got, purely luckily, the news only today, a nice notification from yesterday, Contron has a new release !
Checking this particular mailbox, for which I suspected somehow a failure, was the kind of thing I do when I got absolutely nothing else to do, like, say, just now, at 3am in the middle of the night.
And now the download is about to complete, and I have to write about Contron, no matter about what time it is, Contron, who is, to me, the major artist over the past few years, since I discovered his first recordings back in 2012, and then I passionately followed all the story. A rich, colorful story, indeed.
Contron uses to sing with a incredibly pleasant acoustic guitar, to sing (with a slightly detuned backing vox line, quite often) about a strange universe that is, to me, of an incredible poetic quality, talking about friends, pills, sometimes girlfriends, and what is surrounding all this is just a very accurate vision of how hard to live and how empty can be the XXIth century's ordinary human's life, even if you are lucky enough to be in a relatively safe place of the world... It reminds me a lot about my (r)urban life & youth, just, you know, the roads, the cars, the small shops, and the definitive feeling of not being at all adequate to the world.
And now the download's finished, let's unzip and press play...
Or, wait, just before I still have to add that I'm a bit curious... And, let's say it, anxious, about what will be this release. I had noticed a few weeks before, when I saw that there's now a CD pack available "From me 2 U" for sale on his page... It's indicated "from the artist formerly known as contron" and this sounded a bit strange, and, maybe, somehow creepy, when you are following greedily whatever an artist can produce and someday he's "formerly known"... What happened ? I was a bit bothering... And now a release entitled "contron is dead".
Well, life ain't always easy, let's face the monster... I press play and...
white noise, more present that at any time before... Guitar notes, of a delicate grace, and immediately the voice, and... It's like being struck by a lighting, but spawned over a few seconds, the whole fragility of this construction, the feeling that emanate from it is just too much, you just can't cope with this...
And then the album really starts... And it's different from before, quite different from before. It's always in the style that the artist used to practice, that style like no other that he created for himself, but... It's just like if Contron had quit a part of his humanity, becoming some kind of etherized, pure soul, talking directly to you, to what you are at the deepest level, and it hurts. This album is not for the average people's needs, I have to say. It hurts.
Developing slowly but surely to more and more killer tunes, it will just chew you then spit the bones. With a perfect, totally suiting the album's mood lofi production, Contron lays his genially written guitar arrangements... After a while, I finally became able to put words about what was unclearly emerging as a semi thought in my mind... All what I have to say, is, we got some kind of nowadays' Robert Johnson here.
Well you know, I don't think that wall be remembered a century and a half away from us will be what is currently on TVs and radios. And if one album for the half of the 010's has a ticket to retain the attention of humanity for longer than a summer season, it may be this 'where the flowers grows'. That's my conclusion.
And I realize at this time that I've been listening to the album in random mode. For your information, the track that initially put me into pieces when I pressed play was "the marks", the fifth one.
Mar 15, 2016
Comfort Food - Waffle Frolic
Hello dear reader, and welcome back to the land of great sounds that I want to share, my old music review blog where, as you may know, I use to spread the world about releases that deserve to be discovered.
Today, we'll talk about Comfort Food's "Waffle Frolic" which was just released today. That's a lucky strike that it is this album, especially, that reached my ears just on time, because I play since a few days ago at the game of setting up multiple loudspeakers and amps carefully placed at various places in the flat, to achieve, when I'm located at the crossing of each speaker's field, a near-to-perfect listening experience, with each instrument in the mix clearly distinguishing and placed in the three-dimensional space. I must confess that I had very good time listening to some classics in my music library... And now it's time to see how a new album, that I had never listened to before, will render on this setup. I say this is a lucky strike because, and that's a great thing, it happens that the album I'm talking about today is at the crossroad of noise-rock and jazz... Especially the kind of music whose richness and sharpness can reveal its full potential on a demanding playback system... And, you may know so since I'm writing now, the album didn't deceived me.
It just starts quietly, with jazzy brass samples looping, drums and guitar developing slowly harmonically an rhythmically rich patterns as the song goes on... At the beginning I just though, well, it's a nice blend to hear, it's pleasant and well done... But I had rapidly to admit that it was going far beyond that. Because, Comfort Food's songwriting got a very special trick that drive them way further most of bands of alike style : they don't bury their music under tons of unnecessary breaks and movements. Instead of that, they surely develop sharp and efficient melodic and rhythmic lines in an hypnotic way, talking to the most primal part of the listener's soul, and driving the evolution of each track until it culminates to incredible heights and unknown territories. This is not some cold music computed by meticulous musician just following some style's guidelines and composing music just like a developer would write efficient software. No, definitively. This album is emotionally rich and actually makes you feel the music and its full expressiveness.
It also is really coherent, the band has, for sure, found a style and you can really guess the pleasure they probably have when exploring the paths through its possibilities. As I said, I rapidly got enthusiast when the layers of the first track were adding to each other and culminating in a great, definitive apotheosis ; at this time, I thought to myself "man, it's just like a 21th's century vision of what makes Messe pour le temps présent's second movement an all-time classic". And, while the album was playing, I enjoyed the fact that the success in composing and performing achieved with this first track is not due to chance, but actually belong to the personality and style of a musical project that has a clear and well-thought aesthetic.
But do not think that the album lacks of nuances ; each track has something special, they are all very different, but the track order has been, I think, carefully chosen to draw a progressive evolution, and while the initial track was reminding me Henry, I also would like to say that, once the record has reached its end, what I had in mind was much more MC5 when they were approaching free jazz and experimenting mixing it with the electric, rock sound. Still a 60's reference, just like if the spirit of what people used to call "pop" at this time (and this was definitively not nowadays' sense) was resonating loudly in our mid 2010's, the spirit of 60's high-end music, but with the addition of the freedom that noise rock or noisy pop, with all their ancestors up to 70's punk, have added to the way a conscious musician may want to play music today. That's a noticeable point that I tend to spot in most of the releases I love enough to write about here, a commonality that maybe someday will be clearly identified by musicologists and labeled, defined, named... But for now all I can say is that it's music for today, and music that I love today.
I think I quite clearly expressed my ideas now, and if you follow my advice you'll take the time to listen to this very interesting record. I just want to add, to end this review, that the two most important remaining points I noticed about it were, first off, the quality of the production, with a warm but still very sharp and powerful, clear sound that meets the musical excellence of the songwriting... And also, that the performing, talking about guitars and drums, is also at the same high level of excellence, never cold or too technical but actually imaginative and straightforward, and it's, to sum up, definitively a pleasure to listen to such a blowing band.
Available as pure download or as limited edition of 100 tape cassette+download at Already Dead tapes
Today, we'll talk about Comfort Food's "Waffle Frolic" which was just released today. That's a lucky strike that it is this album, especially, that reached my ears just on time, because I play since a few days ago at the game of setting up multiple loudspeakers and amps carefully placed at various places in the flat, to achieve, when I'm located at the crossing of each speaker's field, a near-to-perfect listening experience, with each instrument in the mix clearly distinguishing and placed in the three-dimensional space. I must confess that I had very good time listening to some classics in my music library... And now it's time to see how a new album, that I had never listened to before, will render on this setup. I say this is a lucky strike because, and that's a great thing, it happens that the album I'm talking about today is at the crossroad of noise-rock and jazz... Especially the kind of music whose richness and sharpness can reveal its full potential on a demanding playback system... And, you may know so since I'm writing now, the album didn't deceived me.
It just starts quietly, with jazzy brass samples looping, drums and guitar developing slowly harmonically an rhythmically rich patterns as the song goes on... At the beginning I just though, well, it's a nice blend to hear, it's pleasant and well done... But I had rapidly to admit that it was going far beyond that. Because, Comfort Food's songwriting got a very special trick that drive them way further most of bands of alike style : they don't bury their music under tons of unnecessary breaks and movements. Instead of that, they surely develop sharp and efficient melodic and rhythmic lines in an hypnotic way, talking to the most primal part of the listener's soul, and driving the evolution of each track until it culminates to incredible heights and unknown territories. This is not some cold music computed by meticulous musician just following some style's guidelines and composing music just like a developer would write efficient software. No, definitively. This album is emotionally rich and actually makes you feel the music and its full expressiveness.
It also is really coherent, the band has, for sure, found a style and you can really guess the pleasure they probably have when exploring the paths through its possibilities. As I said, I rapidly got enthusiast when the layers of the first track were adding to each other and culminating in a great, definitive apotheosis ; at this time, I thought to myself "man, it's just like a 21th's century vision of what makes Messe pour le temps présent's second movement an all-time classic". And, while the album was playing, I enjoyed the fact that the success in composing and performing achieved with this first track is not due to chance, but actually belong to the personality and style of a musical project that has a clear and well-thought aesthetic.
But do not think that the album lacks of nuances ; each track has something special, they are all very different, but the track order has been, I think, carefully chosen to draw a progressive evolution, and while the initial track was reminding me Henry, I also would like to say that, once the record has reached its end, what I had in mind was much more MC5 when they were approaching free jazz and experimenting mixing it with the electric, rock sound. Still a 60's reference, just like if the spirit of what people used to call "pop" at this time (and this was definitively not nowadays' sense) was resonating loudly in our mid 2010's, the spirit of 60's high-end music, but with the addition of the freedom that noise rock or noisy pop, with all their ancestors up to 70's punk, have added to the way a conscious musician may want to play music today. That's a noticeable point that I tend to spot in most of the releases I love enough to write about here, a commonality that maybe someday will be clearly identified by musicologists and labeled, defined, named... But for now all I can say is that it's music for today, and music that I love today.
I think I quite clearly expressed my ideas now, and if you follow my advice you'll take the time to listen to this very interesting record. I just want to add, to end this review, that the two most important remaining points I noticed about it were, first off, the quality of the production, with a warm but still very sharp and powerful, clear sound that meets the musical excellence of the songwriting... And also, that the performing, talking about guitars and drums, is also at the same high level of excellence, never cold or too technical but actually imaginative and straightforward, and it's, to sum up, definitively a pleasure to listen to such a blowing band.
Available as pure download or as limited edition of 100 tape cassette+download at Already Dead tapes
Feb 8, 2016
No Monster Club - I Feel Magic
Hey oh, here we go, here's another Underketing review ! Today we'll be talking about No Monster Club's "I Feel Magic" which is already available for preorder, either in digital format, or on of these nifty tape cassettes that the label, Already Dead Tapes, uses to release. The date for public availability being Feb, 19.
But, well, due to the awesome nepotism of being a music review blog maintainer, I got invited (such an honor) to get my hand on the release even before it's out. An advice, kid : start a music review blog ! Music perfectly fitting your taste will reach you automagically, and you'll get exclusive access to the albums you would actually pay for ! Actually, I will probably pay for this one, just because, I got just any physical release No Monster Club even issued... That's a long story, dudes.
Back in the mist of times, say, end of Spring in year 2009, I was lurking the #netlabel hashtag on Twitter, and I stumbled upon a webpage, from the (now defunct) Rack and Ruins netlabel, about a debut release, from a band called No Monster Club, and the page was saying something just like "Velvet Underground" blah blah blah...Quite intrigued, I pushed the "Play" button... Heard a few guitar chords... And the streaming stalled. But I was so charmed by the few seconds I had heard, that I downloaded the .zip...
The rest, now, is history. I enjoyed 'Tropical Decibels Volume 1" enough to buy the two volumes on tape cassette... And over years, kept on getting my hands on whatever No Monster Club could produce. Just because, word, No Monster Club is just like The Beatles. This band is defining a sound which will remain major in mankind history.
And, years after years, releases after releases, No Monster Club never deceived me, with their psych lofi garagepop straight from their island, that's just the kind of band that you can actually get old while listening to, just like, for me, Bob Marley, Blondie, Pixies, Nirvana or The Clash. Incredible ! A band from the XXIth century scene that was even better than our lovely dinosaur ancestors !
No need to say that I got quite anxious when pushing play to their newest release, "I Feel Magic"... Three... Two.. One... Ignition !
And the first arpeggios of Côte d'Ivoire are reasoning through the living room...
Well, this is the good ol' NMC... But actually, the sound is more precisely defined, more sharp, less lofi... I don't know, maybe, just like the average well produced indie release of the 80's... That's quite strange, I wasn't used to such a clean production...
Toy keyboards are aboard on this track, should I indicate.
The song, itself, is quite charming, a kind of strange lullaby, exactly the way the band used to serve tunes...
And now the second track is starting... Again, toy keyboards, sticky voice melodies, and, here's the chorus... And well, that's our beloved NMC, with the dynamics, the tricky sound, just excellent, all that I've to say.
I guess such a track, in a concert, would be a killer one.
Oh yeah ! Pixiesesque bassline starts... Lemonade, the KILLER SINGLE TRACK ! cant' wait, for the chorus... An ineffable endorphin load is expected... And that's on ! But actually, the band still plays it in demi teintes, not the hienergy chorus I was expecting... Maybe they added more colours to their... Uh, the song is over !
Fourth track... Still this sharp, well defined sound, for which I was not used to... Oh Bobby tries an unusual emphasis while singing on the intro... And the song really starts... Well, I guess this album, while being quite while produced, with a sound definitively oriented toward the broaden audience, is not of an easy access. You got to deserve to access its marvel. Too bad I planned to write a review from the first listening session. I guess it has to be listened again and again to reveal its true value.
Fifth track, starting with a Police/Jam-like arpeggio... Now I Know they achieved a major album... Oh Lord what a track. I feel shivers over my face, and when I think the tears are about to come, the song suddenly chill out... Until the heavy feeling starts again... Well, this "Charity Shop _Slaughterhouse" is definitively one of their best songs ever... If not one of the best songs ever ! Makes me think of Madness and XTC now... Excellent, definitively. Exactly why I love No Monster Club. I have nothing more to say.
And the albums goes on... Track after track, I now know that my writing skills is definitively not sharpened enough to describe how good this release is...
I got my soundtrack for when friends come in, for the whole year !
A smiley feeling is taking control over me... It's getting warm, even in French February with a low warming budget for the flat...
I got it. No Monster Club is mainly about naivety and innocence. It took me years, but now I got it !
Okay, it's time to write more generically about the album :
It's just usual business. No Monster Club is pioneering its way in the musical landscape, release after release, and this one is not an exception to the rule : it's a gem. Listen to it, or die silly.
I think it has the potential, both to please the old fans, and to gain new ones. But beware, once stung, you'll never recover !
This review is dedicated to Ismaël, a good friend since teen age and devoted NMC fan. You saw them live in Paris last fall, damn f*cker !
But, well, due to the awesome nepotism of being a music review blog maintainer, I got invited (such an honor) to get my hand on the release even before it's out. An advice, kid : start a music review blog ! Music perfectly fitting your taste will reach you automagically, and you'll get exclusive access to the albums you would actually pay for ! Actually, I will probably pay for this one, just because, I got just any physical release No Monster Club even issued... That's a long story, dudes.
Back in the mist of times, say, end of Spring in year 2009, I was lurking the #netlabel hashtag on Twitter, and I stumbled upon a webpage, from the (now defunct) Rack and Ruins netlabel, about a debut release, from a band called No Monster Club, and the page was saying something just like "Velvet Underground" blah blah blah...Quite intrigued, I pushed the "Play" button... Heard a few guitar chords... And the streaming stalled. But I was so charmed by the few seconds I had heard, that I downloaded the .zip...
The rest, now, is history. I enjoyed 'Tropical Decibels Volume 1" enough to buy the two volumes on tape cassette... And over years, kept on getting my hands on whatever No Monster Club could produce. Just because, word, No Monster Club is just like The Beatles. This band is defining a sound which will remain major in mankind history.
And, years after years, releases after releases, No Monster Club never deceived me, with their psych lofi garagepop straight from their island, that's just the kind of band that you can actually get old while listening to, just like, for me, Bob Marley, Blondie, Pixies, Nirvana or The Clash. Incredible ! A band from the XXIth century scene that was even better than our lovely dinosaur ancestors !
No need to say that I got quite anxious when pushing play to their newest release, "I Feel Magic"... Three... Two.. One... Ignition !
And the first arpeggios of Côte d'Ivoire are reasoning through the living room...
Well, this is the good ol' NMC... But actually, the sound is more precisely defined, more sharp, less lofi... I don't know, maybe, just like the average well produced indie release of the 80's... That's quite strange, I wasn't used to such a clean production...
Toy keyboards are aboard on this track, should I indicate.
The song, itself, is quite charming, a kind of strange lullaby, exactly the way the band used to serve tunes...
And now the second track is starting... Again, toy keyboards, sticky voice melodies, and, here's the chorus... And well, that's our beloved NMC, with the dynamics, the tricky sound, just excellent, all that I've to say.
I guess such a track, in a concert, would be a killer one.
Oh yeah ! Pixiesesque bassline starts... Lemonade, the KILLER SINGLE TRACK ! cant' wait, for the chorus... An ineffable endorphin load is expected... And that's on ! But actually, the band still plays it in demi teintes, not the hienergy chorus I was expecting... Maybe they added more colours to their... Uh, the song is over !
Fourth track... Still this sharp, well defined sound, for which I was not used to... Oh Bobby tries an unusual emphasis while singing on the intro... And the song really starts... Well, I guess this album, while being quite while produced, with a sound definitively oriented toward the broaden audience, is not of an easy access. You got to deserve to access its marvel. Too bad I planned to write a review from the first listening session. I guess it has to be listened again and again to reveal its true value.
Fifth track, starting with a Police/Jam-like arpeggio... Now I Know they achieved a major album... Oh Lord what a track. I feel shivers over my face, and when I think the tears are about to come, the song suddenly chill out... Until the heavy feeling starts again... Well, this "Charity Shop _Slaughterhouse" is definitively one of their best songs ever... If not one of the best songs ever ! Makes me think of Madness and XTC now... Excellent, definitively. Exactly why I love No Monster Club. I have nothing more to say.
And the albums goes on... Track after track, I now know that my writing skills is definitively not sharpened enough to describe how good this release is...
I got my soundtrack for when friends come in, for the whole year !
A smiley feeling is taking control over me... It's getting warm, even in French February with a low warming budget for the flat...
I got it. No Monster Club is mainly about naivety and innocence. It took me years, but now I got it !
Okay, it's time to write more generically about the album :
It's just usual business. No Monster Club is pioneering its way in the musical landscape, release after release, and this one is not an exception to the rule : it's a gem. Listen to it, or die silly.
I think it has the potential, both to please the old fans, and to gain new ones. But beware, once stung, you'll never recover !
This review is dedicated to Ismaël, a good friend since teen age and devoted NMC fan. You saw them live in Paris last fall, damn f*cker !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)