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
Gregory Porter – Liquid Spirit (2013)
Lets face it, Gregory Porter is all about superlatives. With his impressive appearance and magnificent voice Porter is among today’s top jazz vocalists. Since the release of the debut album Water (2010) everything he touched turned into gold. Water was enthusiastically welcomed by the press and received a Grammy nomination in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category. In 2012 his sophomore release Be Good proved to be just as successful as its predecessor. Be Good was a number-one debut on the iTunes Jazz Album Chart and reached top ten positions on various other charts. Moreover Porter was honoured with another Grammy nomination for the single ‘Real Good Hands’. Recently I saw Gregory Porter perform on the North Sea Jazz Festival with the Metropole Orchestra and, to throw in another superlative, it was breathtaking. Porter is on a high, so there´s no surprise a new release in 2013 was on the stocks. Beforehand there was no reason for fans and critics to worry about quality of Liquid Spirit, for Indeed the brand “Gregory Porter“ already stands for high quality jazz and soul. I However am obliged to uphold a critical attitude to all that´s hyped and hip and therefore question if the towering achievements of Porter
don´t lead to a case of the Midas touch. Continue reading
Goldfrapp – Tales of Us (2013)
On several occasions Goldfrapp left fans of old empty handed. For those of you who don’t know, Goldfrapp once was famed for their darkish, icy and cinematic breakthrough album, Felt Mountain that was released more than a decade ago. A few years after this success Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory decided to radically change their focus to glam electronics and combined this with a ‘Lady Gagaish’ look and feel on stage. Personally I was startled by the contents of the successor Black Cherry (2003) but also secretly accepted this album to be my guilty pleasure of the year. That year I also noticed that I wasn’t alone in this. Black Cherry was sold in very large numbers and picked up by Coca-Cola, Nintendo and Armani who used Goldfrapp’s tunes for commercial purposes. Obviously this popularity led to a follow up album in 2005. Supernature was meant to be an extension of the previous success and flourished on many hot and sweaty dance floors around the world. Next up was Seventh Tree (2008), an album that slightly reassured me because its rationale was of a more delicate and tranquil nature. Did this foreshadow a return to the early years of Goldfrapp? Alas it didn’t, for on their fifth album was neglectable. On Head First (2010) Goldfrapp reverted themselves to catchy dance music. When you try and sum this up in one sentence one can only conclude that Goldfrapp’s discography is not one you need to aline chronologically. This summer he latest scion from the duo was released on Mute Records and to be honest, I don’t know what to expect anymore. Yet after more than a decade, my devotion to Felt Mountain is still strongly present so I’m willing to give it another shot. Continue reading
Turisas – Turisas2013 (2013)
Your first thought upon having listened to Turisas2013 in its entirety for the first time, might very well be, “what the bloody hell just happened?” Then again, if you’re familiar with the Finnish folk metal band, chances are that it’s a feeling you have come to expect when listening to a Turisas album for the first time. I know I have, and I’m still flabbergasted whenever I first lay ears on what Mathias “Warlord “ Nygård and his band have in store for us. The only thing is, with Turisas2013 it started sooner than normal, with the announcement of the album title, which is, we can fairly say, crap. When the band released For Your Own Good as a streaming track in advance, however, I was quite ready and set for disappointment. Continue reading
Earth Mk. II – Music For Mammals (2013)
Even when the name of your best friend is Jacco Gardner it’s kind of a bold decision to quote from Pink Floyd’s debut, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967) to grace your own debut album. Overconfident or not, Hugo van de Poel at least shows that he’s got a fine taste in music. From an early age he and Gardner listened to Syd Barett, The Zombies and Billy Nicholls. This eventually led to the band The Skywalkers that was a small hit in the Dutch freak scene. Hereafter both chaps decided to focus their attention onto their solo projects. Gardner’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2013) proved to be very successful leaving van de Poel outside the spotlights. That is, up until now. Because this month under the alias Earth Mk. II he released Music For Mammals on Excelsior Recordings. And guess what, Gardner acts as the album’s producer, so there is no surprise that Music For Mammals is all about sixties psych pop. Also Music For Mammals is the umpteenth psychedelics record this year and some courage is needed when entering this already full market. Yet courage is not the only prerequisite for success. Earth Mk. II needs to find a way to be distinctive from the others bands in this genre. And I wonder if there is any space left to do so. Continue reading
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