Time’s a-wasting, a saying that fits Matt Elliott well if you ask me. For starters, Elliott is the kind of musician that’s been with us for quite some time now. His track record goes back to the mid-nineties in which he was part of Linda’s Strange Vacation. In the beginning of this century he began releasing albums under his own name and was on a high in the period of his ‘Songs’ Trilogy (2004-2009). When I say time’s a-wasting, I’m also referring to the length and drawn out instrumentation of his work. Those who listen to Elliott are usually pulled into his world full of gloominess and wake from it about a hour later. I for one am just stepping out of the half light of his 2012 release, The Broken Man. However a new state of limbo already awaits me for a few weeks ago he released his sixteenth work with the tombstoner title: Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart. On The Broken Man he promised us more pain and by the looks of it there’s no escaping it. Bring it on.
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Ayreon – The Theory of Everything (2013)
Well this was a long time coming. I’m speaking of the review, but the same could go for The Theory of Everything, the follow-up to the 2008 01011001 album, which was long held to be the swansong for the Dutch Ayreon project. Arjen Anthony Lucassen, tired of doing huge and complex projects after 01011001, had all but decided that there would be no more Ayreon, and instead concentrated on Guilt Machine, the second Star One album and his 2012 solo record, albums which were all a lot more straight-forward the increasingly complex bloat Ayreon had become. Apparently though, Lucassen needed another challenge in his life; queue 2013, and the new Ayreon album, The Theory of Everything. Continue reading
Howe Gelb – The Coincidentalist (2013)
On a certain level, all kinds of interesting dependencies between notions are always to be found. Drunk driving is much less dangerous than drunk walking and meat eaters are selfish and less social, or at least some say so. Naturally one can question the validity if such claims, but lets skip that for a moment. Instead I have a claim of my own, here goes: the Danish landscape is strongly connected the desolate desert scenery we know from American Southwest. There you go. Okay, I have to be honest, unfortunately I don’t have any dataset that supports this in anyway, so to many number crushing fetishists this claim will be ripe for the bin in an instant. Unless.., that dark silhouette standing amidst of a gently sloping Danish field is here to save the day. Could this be Howe Gelb? Continue reading
[Live Review] Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam (4-11-2013)
Its been only a few months since the gig at the Netherlands’ biggest pop festival, A Campingflight to Lowlands, and from what we’ve heard from a few youngsters, Cave rocked the audience’s the socks off! Now for us ‘younger elderly’ Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds scheduled a new concert in Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall (HMH) halfway through November. Alas this was sold out in an instant. Luck has it Cave found another free date in his busy touring schedule, resulting in an extra (but far from sold-out) Amsterdam concert. Sounds from the Dark Side couldn’t resist the temptation and made the long and arduous journey to the sprawling edges of Holland’s capital.
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Atlantean Kodex – The White Goddess (2013)
If it looks like I’m fawning, it’s because I am. First there was that magnificent Fire on the Mountain album by Twilight of the Gods, and now there’s The White Goddess, the sophomore album by German epic metallers Atlantean Kodex. If it seems like I’m overdoing it with the superlatives by labeling both albums as “the best metal albums I have heard in years,” it’s because it is a bit too much. Problem is, it’s also very true. Continue reading
Twilight of the Gods – Fire on the Mountain (2013)
There is a glorious moment halfway through Sword of Damocles, where a lone guitar starts playing a solo and you find yourself saying, “this is a twin-solo if I ever heard one,” just before that second guitar joins the fray. It’s just before the song trots off in one of those Iron Maiden type gallops. Twilight of the Gods’ debut album Fire on the Mountain is full of moments like that. It’s Manowar versus viking style Bathory with a dash of Primordial here, and it’s brilliant. But let’s dive into the facts, before we start sprinkling superlatives. Continue reading
Sleigh Bells – Bitter Rivals (2013)
Earlier this week I fell asleep to the soothing voice of Bill Callahan… BUT WOKE UP TO THE AGGRESSIVE BEATS FROM THE NOISE POP BAND SLEIGH BELLS the next morning… I sighed deeply for a moment yet quickly was reminded of the fact that I still enjoy the debut of Sleigh Bells, Treats (2010). What I love about Treats is its intensive rawness, coming from mind blowing disordered riffs, hardcore beats and electro, and the interweaved feminine cuteness. I mean, ´Straight A´s´, ´Run To The Heart´ and the Diplo remix of ´Demons´ are just top-notch. At the time Sleigh Bells seemed to be a sort of wildcard in the indie scene, defying all kinds of conventions and taking the freedom to stir up some trouble. The simple and direct pounding continued on their sophomore album Reign of Terror in 2012. Vocalist Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Edward Miller described the latter as “the sonic equivalent of a beautiful shotgun to the head”. Thats not a bad comparison, apart from the fact that Reign of Terror was also groomed to attract a larger audience. Whilst the album did reach a number 12 spot in the Billboard 200 in its opening week, it plummeted to number 78 in the second week and was completely forgotten in the weeks that followed. Maybe people just don’t like to buy music with shotguns to their heads, hmm? Continue reading
Running Wild – Resilient (2013)
Rolf Kasparek is the Tony Iommi of German power metal. When you buy a Running Wild album, you know you will be treated to some really catchy riffs, and it’s no different with Resilient, the fifteenth album by the Teutonic Buckaneers, and the second since the rebirth. Where 2012’s Shadowmaker sounded a bit hesitant and, frankly, lacklustre, Resilient presents us with a more fiery and upbeat collection of material.
Bill Callahan – Dream River (2013)
In ‘96 I was first confronted with the tormented voice of Bill Callahan, who was at that time still known as Smog. Indeed The Doctor Came at Dawn (1996) was a very nice lo-fi album, yet it wasn’t memorable either. What was memorable to me was Smog’s ’second single, ´Cold Blooded Old Times´ that came with the album Knock Knock (1999). Cold Blooded Old Times caused a vicarious sort of heartache to take over one’s mood. This was strengthened when the song appeared on soundtrack of High Fidelity (2000) that is all about heartaches, from a male’s perspective that is. Continue reading
[DVD Review] Clive Nolan – Alchemy Live (2013)
Clive Nolan.
There, chances are that I have your attention now.
You might remember the prog maestro from, oh, Arena, Pendragon, Shadowland, Caamora, Strangers on a Train, Casino and a number of solo efforts. You might also know him from the splendid Jabberwocky and The Hound of the Baskervilles, both in collaboration with fellow keyboard wizard Oliver Wakeman. He has just released his second rock musical Alchemy, and it flew by completely below my hard rock radar, just like Caamora’s She did back in 2008. Having enjoyed She immensely, though, my interest was piqued immediately when I heard of Alchemy, and the two cd’s spanning work hasn’t left my player ever since I bought it. It’s that good. It’s so good, in fact, that it makes Nolan’s 2008 musical sound like a mere dress rehearsal. And for everyone who missed Alchemy the first time round, here it is again, performed live on stage this time. Continue reading
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