Going through some old post-punk albums last night, Public Image Ltd‘s name came to mind. Thanks to Enzo Notorio’s good taste, he pointed me to the direction of The Flowers of Romance, which contained this gem.
Gothic
[Video] Controlled Bleeding – Red Stigmata
Perhaps too diverse for their own good, Controlled Bleeding were very comfortable working in everything from harsh noise to nearly danceable beat music which fit in well with the Wax Trax! Records crowd.
This track, however, is the one which left the longest impression for me. It reminds me more of a Gothic take on progressive rock, and it’s a vein I wish the band would have tapped more, because it really caught them at their best.
I’m absolutely thrilled to know that Paul Lemos has soldiered on, but it’s quite a bitter loss knowing that Joe Papa and Chris Moriarty have moved on to their great reward.
[Video] Morte Macabre – Symphonic Holocaust Pt. 1
Morte Macabre are a side-project of modern progressive rock giants Anekdoten. They blend a brutal symphonic sound with chamber-rock, something that reminds me of the Belgian act Univers Zero.
You can hear Part 2 here.
[Review] Roses Never Fade – Devil Dust
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the Apocalyptic Folk/Neofolk genre (or Wyrd Music, or whatever it’s called today). Most of the bands sound the same, usually rip off the old masters of the genre like Death In June, Blood Axis or Allerseelen. The music is nice, but not terribly interesting or something I’d come back to for repeated listening.
Enter Roses Never Fade. The music in their latest release, Devil Dust, published on Neuropa Records, comes as a breath of fresh air.
The first five minutes of the release feel a bit like the scene in the Andrei Tarkovsky, when the pilot flies into Solaris. Hazy, crunchy, like driving right into a cloud. Reminiscent of early Industrial soundtracks and Pink Floyd at their most esoteric. Once things become musical, things become very interesting.
Though it may not have been a conscious act, the band sound like they are channeling The Swans/World of Skin/M. Gira, and mixing it with more progressive folk like the legendary Comus. That was what immediately came to mind. Sure, there are also a few vocal styling which remind me of Douglas Peace in his youth, but the material flows nicely, and by about the 7th minute, I feel like I’m hearing elements of The Byrds in their psychedelic country phase.
A unique release. Go here to find more information about the band and Neuropa Records.
[Video] Sol Invictus – Believe Me
A special thank-you to Tanja Heimpapen, who originally posted this video on Facebook of Sol Invictus in prime later-era form.
[Video] Lola V. Stain – Makova Polja
Lola V. Stain were one of the founding members of Macedonian ethnocore. The project, featuring Zlatko Origjanski, gave a platform to musicians like Goran Trajkoski, who would found Anastasia, as well as the legendary gaija player Pece Atanasovski.
[Podcast] ‘Haunted’ by Christina Liveri
Haunted by Christina Liveri on Mixcloud
One of my favorite podcasters out of Greece, Christina touches on tracks by U.N.K.L.E., Dead Can Dance, and many others. A worthy follow (would you expect any less?).
[Video] Anastasia (Анастасија) – Na Rjekah Vavilonskih (By The Rivers of Babylon)
One of the greatest bands in the history of Balkan alternative music, Anastasia were fronted by singer Goran Trajkoski (Gotra), who went on to sing for Macedonian legends Mizar, as well as making incredible music as a solo musician. He is also an old friend who is as decent as he is talented.
Here is a sample of what you’re hearing, which is based on a text from the Holy Bible (David’s Psalm 137:1) in historic documents connected with destruction of Jerusalem by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II in 588 BC.:
На реките Вавилонски
таму седевме и плачевме
сеќавајќи се на Цион
На врбите среде него
ги обесивме нашите харфи
Таму нашите поробувачи ни бараа песни
нашите мачители се радуваа викајќи:
Пејте ни од песните ционски
Како да пееме песни господови на земји туѓински
Ако те заборавам тебе, Ерусалиме
нека се заборави десницата моја
Нека си го голтнам јазикот
ако не се сетам на тебе
ако не го издигнам Ерусалим
над мојата најголема радост
Сети се Господи на синовите едомски
кога дента во Ерусалим викаа:
разурнете го, разурнете го до темели.
Ќерко вавилонска, опустошена
блежен нека биде тој што ќе ти го направи тебе
она што ти ни го направи нам
Блажен нека биде тој што ќе ги земе децата твои
и ќе ги удри од камен.
In English:
By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
How can we sing the LORD’S song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation.”
O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With the recompense with which you have repaid us.
How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.
A Miscellany of Tasteful Music 05-03-2014
AMOTM-05-03-2014 by Rudy Carrera on Mixcloud
Thanks to being busy, it’s been quite a long delay in podcasts. Here is the tracklist:
- Test Dept – Sarff
- Franco – Attention na SIDA
- George Dalaras & Goran Bregović – Nychta
- Shockheaded Peters – Son Of Thumbs Of A Murderer
- Chris Cornell – Billie Jean
- Randy Newman – In Germany Before The War
- Valentina Goncharova – Ocean, Pt. 5
- Milladoiro – A Bruxa
- The Orioles – Is My Heart Wasting Time?
- The Ink-Spots – I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire
Enjoy!
[Video] Across the Fields & Liturgy of Confrontation – Across the Fields
I don’t normally have much of a chance to check out what is going on in the Apocalyptic Folk scene. A friend on a Facebook page suggested that I listen to this, and I was rather impressed by it. If you’re a fan of Death in June or similar bands, this may be something of interest to you.
Read more on Across The Fields and Liturgy of Confrontation at their respective Facebook pages.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 