tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86666599623431756452024-03-28T00:54:30.945+01:00Metronomic Underground<center><a href="https://chromaticapparition.bandcamp.com/"><u>Chromatic Apparition</u></a> --- <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/p/the-music-game.html"><u>The Music Game</u></a> --- <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/p/about.html"><u>About</u></a></center>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17295562938792511228noreply@blogger.comBlogger312125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-29603716662497083802024-01-28T16:26:00.001+01:002024-01-29T14:38:39.107+01:00Human Highway (1982)It’s rare that I’m compelled to write a review because I consumed media that is so bad that I feel the urge to warn other people to stay away. (The only other time I can think of was after buying <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/John%20Lennon">John Lennon</a>’s <i><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2007/11/john-lennon-walls-and-bridges-1974.html">Walls and Bridges</a></i> in a fit of naïve, overzealous, completionist fandom.) As a great fan of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Neil%20Young">Neil Young</a> and at least a modest fan of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Devo">Devo</a>, it’s hard not to be curious about <i>Human Highway</i>, a film financed, cowritten, and codirected by the former and featuring the acting and music of both. Allow me to tell you now not to watch this movie. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Highway">Wikipedia</a> covers the “plot” and background details well enough, so let me summarize what this film features:<br />
<ul>
<li>Bad acting from everyone involved</li>
<li>Bad writing, no character development, and a flimsy excuse for a plot</li>
<li>Blatant racism, including both Young and Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh (as Booji Boy) dropping a slur</li>
<li>Casual sexism</li>
<li>Romanticization of car culture despite the vague environmentalist/anti-nuclear theme</li>
<li>Nuclear apocalypse</li>
<li>A senseless and gross milk bath</li>
<li>Less focus on music than you might hope for</li>
<li>Only one musical collaboration between Young and Devo</li>
</ul>
It is this last point that provides any reason to consider preserving any part of this film. The infamous early jam version of “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” with Booji Boy on lead vocals (recorded in 1978 before the officially released Crazy Horse version on <i>Rust Never Sleeps</i> (1979)) is bizarre and wonderful. But you can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clR-KJXk7DY">find that online</a> without having to endure the rest. I suppose there’s also Devo’s cover of “It Takes a Worried Man”, but you can find that on their delightful <i>The Complete Truth About Devolution</i> (1993) anyway. The movie also features parts of most of the synthesizer songs from Young’s excellent and idiosyncratic <i>Trans</i> (1982), which might’ve been novel for the very few people who caught the movie before the album was released, but that’s irrelevant today. (And yes, I loved <i>Trans</i> long before I understood myself to be <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/on-transitioning-in-public-spaces.html">trans</a>!)<br />
<br />
Young was clearly fascinated by the phrase “human highway”, as evidenced by recording and performing myriad versions of the song over the years, recording an unfinished album under the same name with <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/CSN">CSN</a> in the 70s, and ultimately making this film. Of everything he created that used the phrase, this movie is the worst by a wide margin.<br />
<br />
I have some concern that by bringing attention to this movie, I may inspire someone to watch it. Please do not make this mistake. It is not even campy in a so-bad-it’s-good sense. It’s just bad. It makes me think less of Young. He was old enough to know better.<br />
<br />
<b>Scores</b>:<br />
<i>Human Highway</i>: D-<br />
Young and Devo’s “Hey Hey, My My”: A<br />
<i>Trans</i>: A-<br />
The entirely unrelated Neil Young song “Human Highway” from <i>Comes a Time</i>: A<br />
Either of the CSNY versions of “Human Highway” from <i>Archives II</i> (2020), originally recorded in 1973 and 1976: A+Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-82478657358912687142024-01-12T13:47:00.002+01:002024-01-13T15:51:13.795+01:00Uwe Schütte (ed.) - The Cambridge Companion to Krautrock (2023)<p>About nine years ago, I <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2015/04/julian-cope-krautrocksampler-1995.html">reviewed</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Julian%20Cope">Julian Cope</a>’s <i>Krautrocksampler</i> (1995), and I complained quite a bit about it and suggested finding a different guide. Despite my own recommendation, I never did so myself. I suppose I’d already made the plunge, so reading another book about Krautrock and kosmische Musik felt unnecessary. Nonetheless, I was always curious if the perfect primer would eventually come around. David Stubbs’s <i>Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany</i> (2014) got good reviews, and Ulrich Adelt’s <i>Krautrock: German Music in the Seventies</i> (2016) also looked promising, and maybe someday I’ll try one or the other. But after enjoying the honesty and depth of Uwe Schütte’s <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/12/uwe-schutte-godstar-die-funf-tode-des.html"><i>Godstar: Die fünf Tode des Genesis P-Orridge</i></a> (2022), I decided to check out <i>The Cambridge Companion to Krautrock</i>, which he edited and wrote the introduction and <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Kraftwerk">Kraftwerk</a> section for.<br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Xyd9SEYq69HOPaH3_N5HUtUY9sSou_XY7TWY73rQ4AysdaMZO5NK8LDnN6-1_beDdNuQJ9r1LchgvlF088Xm-y6MxDA9tYvF79j8X2e0AVMKIpMT44Q9htDkpn0h_cxuYKvIRUP5IXwhvb8MdTbn7zsi134BeOWkuMaYSSlOQG67zZLOsWlWM_5osYtp/s648/Uwe-Sch%C3%BCtte-Cambridge-Companion-to-Krautrock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Xyd9SEYq69HOPaH3_N5HUtUY9sSou_XY7TWY73rQ4AysdaMZO5NK8LDnN6-1_beDdNuQJ9r1LchgvlF088Xm-y6MxDA9tYvF79j8X2e0AVMKIpMT44Q9htDkpn0h_cxuYKvIRUP5IXwhvb8MdTbn7zsi134BeOWkuMaYSSlOQG67zZLOsWlWM_5osYtp/s320/Uwe-Sch%C3%BCtte-Cambridge-Companion-to-Krautrock.jpg" width="221" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[<i>The Cambridge Companion to Krautrock</i>.]</div><p>
Schütte assembled a superb team of writers to fill out the text, including both Stubbs (on <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Neu%21">Neu!</a>) and Adelt (on “Definitions, Concepts, [and] Context”). That each section is somewhat independent means that there is unfortunately some overlap, but that’s a minor inconvenience. The benefit is a wide variety of perspectives with unique specializations and interests. The book provides a great overview of the social, political, musical, and geographic background that gave rise to the genre (or “discursive formation”, as Adelt prefers to call it, since the movement isn’t really a cohesive unit), thorough deep-dives into some of the primary artists, and a well-considered selection of the subsequent genres and artists that have been influenced by Krautrock.<br />
<br />
The tone is academic but approachable, which I preferred quite a bit to Cope’s excited mess, even if I missed some of the passion. The book is in English, despite that several authors (and the music itself) hail from Germany, which occasionally means there are some awkward phrases, like describing music as “spherical”. (In German, “sphärisch” can mean something like “atmospheric”, “celestial”, or “spacey”.) Thankfully, this is rarely distracting. I also appreciated the attention paid to detail and accuracy, again unlike Cope’s wild exaggerations and reliance on oft-repeated rumors. The only mistake I encountered was the claim that Klaus Dinger never appeared on a Kraftwerk album. (He is <a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/125204-Kraftwerk-Kraftwerk">credited</a> with playing drums on “Vom Himmel hoch” on their debut album.)<br />
<br />
The breadth is quite wide and generally quite balanced, with practically none of the idiosyncratic bias of Cope’s tastes. I was initially surprised how little mention the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2015/04/on-meaning-of-krautrock-and-kosmische.html">folk, prog, and jazz sides of the genre</a> received, but since those are the factions that were most similar to contemporaneous Anglo-American acts, it’s an understandable choice. (I also tend to be less interested in those bands.) I would’ve loved a section on Agitation Free, but otherwise the choice of highlighted bands is probably the same set that I would’ve picked, both in terms of notoriety and quality. However, my favorite chapter was Jens Balzer’s “The Flip Side of Krautrock”, which was full of pleasant surprises. He openly acknowledges some of the conservative or even counter-revolutionary aspects of the movement, such as the relative lack of women and immigrant voices in the canon, and discusses some notable acts from adjacent genres, like Die Dominas, Inga Rumpf of Frumpy, and Turkish-German bağlama player Ozan Ata Canani.<br />
<br />
I also particularly enjoyed the third part on Krautrock’s legacy, which includes chapters on punk and Neue Deutsche Welle, post-punk, and electronic dance music. Several of my favorite artists from the late 70s and 80s are cited in their connection to Krautrock, including <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Einst%C3%BCrzende%20Neubauten">Einstürzende Neubauten</a>, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Siouxsie%20%26%20the%20Banshees">Siouxsie & the Banshees</a>, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Bauhaus">Bauhaus</a>, and of course <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/David%20Bowie">David Bowie</a>. The discussion and comparison with German punk is quite insightful, particularly in exploring the shared desire to reject oppressive, received, Anglo-American norms. The final chapter on “Krautrock Today” also covers a great selection of younger bands in the kosmische mold, including of course <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Stereolab">Stereolab</a>.<br />
<br />
This is the book I wish I could’ve read ten years ago. We can safely forget about Cope now. (Well, not his music!) It’s telling how far the movement has gone in public perception that it can now grace the prestiged printing presses of Cambridge. It’s no longer just the domain of obscure fanatics. The internet has thrown open the doors, and academia has finally caught up.<br />
<br />
<b>Score</b>: A-<br />
<br />
P.S.: Two links buried in the footnotes deserve calling out. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOcf9Uq6EjQ">First</a> is a Detroit TV show clip featuring a bunch of people in 1991 dancing to Kraftwerk’s “Nummern” (“Numbers”). <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2210740370/posts/10157570097910371/">Second</a> is a Facebook post by Adelt in the Krautrock group in which he spawns the most absurd debate about the boundaries of the genre I’ve ever seen, only to be hijacked by <i>The Crack in the Cosmic Egg</i> coauthor (and group moderator) Alan Freeman pressing <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Amon%20D%C3%BC%C3%BCl%20II">Amon Düül II</a> vocalist Renate Knaup for <i>Melody Maker</i> scans from the 70s!<br /></p>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-65026394745400459842024-01-04T20:52:00.000+01:002024-01-04T20:52:11.846+01:00Prague Symphony Orchestra & Prague Chamber Choir - Live 2024.01.02 Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany<p>Program:<br />
1. Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, composed by Ludwig van Beethoven (1822-24)<br />
2. <i>Carmina Burana</i>, composed by Carl Orff (1935-36)<br />
<br />
This double-header of two quite popular works performed by a major orchestra and choir from Prague on tour at one of Berlin’s finest venues seemed like a guaranteed success. The first two movements of Beethoven’s Ninth started off the afternoon well: both the tension of the first and the rhythmic stops and starts of the second were handled with grace. The third movement began to drag (although perhaps I can blame Beethoven for not predicting my modern tastes), but the fourth began to unravel. It’s the most dramatic and well-known part of the whole work, and the only movement featuring the choir, but the many pieces of the puzzle didn’t quite fit together. The powerful melody shone through, and the soloists did their parts justice, but the timing was rough and the sound was chaotic.<br />
<br />
<i>Carmina Burana</i> also seemed to start on a high note with the “O Fortuna” movement, but the signs of discoordination were again soon apparent. With even more musicians on stage, and some changing instruments during the performance, there were even more moving parts, and the performers were not able to get it together. In a particularly crucial moment, the first French horn player even missed a note, eliciting a look of horror from his neighbor. I was impressed by the density, power, and complexity of the work, but the sloppy timing was a significant distraction. Not being familiar with the lyrics and not being able to understand the Latin and Middle High German didn’t help with making sense of the movements. The climax of the “O Fortuna” reprise had moments of rapture, but the wheels had come off and the musicians seemed exhausted such that it came off worse than the first movement.<br />
<br />
The soloists were on their game, but I can’t say the same for the rest of the performers. Was conductor Martin Pešík to blame for the lack of cohesion? Did some members celebrate the new year a little too heartily? Was it too difficult to get over 80 musicians together for long enough to sufficiently rehearse these two lengthy works? Whatever the case, I expected a higher standard for a performance like this.<br />
<br />
<b>Score</b>: C-<br />
<br />
P.S. The groups were billed as Tschechische Symphoniker Prag and Coro di Praga, and it is surprisingly difficult to determine canonical English (or German!) names for these groups.<br />P.P.S. Thanks to Alyssa, Katie, and Cheryl!</p>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-63759931057019734102023-12-26T22:17:00.005+01:002024-01-15T19:46:55.716+01:002023 in ReviewWell, it’s been another year without a lot of activity here. Seeing live music and writing about music have continued to be low on my list of priorities. I had to travel quite a bit for medical reasons and then spent a month in the hospital. I saw a few friends’ shows in addition to the two I <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2023/02/schorsch-kamerun-der-diskrete-charme.html">reviewed</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2023/04/yo-la-tengo-live-20230425-huxleys-neue.html">here</a>, but the real musical highlight for me was performing with my choir and with my band (<a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Soltero">Soltero</a>/<a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Anf%C3%A4ngerfehler">Anfängerfehler</a>). Both shows were a lot of fun and quite successful, and I’m looking forward to more shows next year. Soltero also put out <a href="https://soltero.bandcamp.com/track/creampuff">two new</a> <a href="https://soltero.bandcamp.com/track/reveal-yourself">singles</a>, both excellent. I didn’t contribute directly to the studio versions, but I have played the latter live with Tim.<br />
<br />
I haven’t quite kept up with new releases as much as I’d like, but I still of course found plenty to enjoy. Here are my favorites of 2023:<br />
<ul>
<li><b><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Big%20Thief">Big Thief</a> - <i>“Vampire Empire” / “Born for Loving You”</i></b> - This double single is as good as the best parts of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2023/01/2022-in-review.html">last year</a>’s <i>Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You</i>. The first song is strong and angry, the second sweet and rolling. Some people were mad that “Vampire Empire” wasn’t as good as the version first heard on Colbert’s <i>Late Show</i>, and while the studio version did cut the line “I’m the fish and she’s my gills”, it flows better, has bigger dynamic range, is much tighter, and stays in tune.</li>
<li><b>boygenius - <i>the record</i> and <i>the rest</i> [EP]</b> - Three talented singer-songwriters team up for a collaborative album and another EP? I’m in. They remind me of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/case%2Flang%2Fviers">case/lang/viers</a> or, yes, obligatorily, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/CSN">CSN</a>. Honestly about half the album drags a bit, but the other half is so good I don’t mind it. The EP appears to be leftovers, but “Afraid of Heights” is one of their best. The harmonies are outstanding, the production good but predictable.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Church">The Church</a> - <i>The Hypnogogue</i></b> - Album #26 is the concept album? Why not. It’s not really as proggy as sole remaining founding member Steve Kilbey claims, but it is as good as his and the band’s mysteriously psychedelic best. It isn’t a pop album like <i>Of Skins and Heart</i> (1981) or <i>Starfish</i> (1988), but nor were any of their albums in the last 15 years or more. The concept is farcical and vaguely sci-fi, yet if you didn’t know what it is, you could easily mistake it for prescient social commentary, which is exactly what Kilbey claims it’s not. I don’t believe him. In any case, it’s great.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Cup%20Collector">Cup Collector</a> - assorted releases</b> - This has been Cup Collector’s busiest year so far, and the six releases (totalling 11 tracks at just under two hours) reveal a wide reach of experimental instrumental music. He’s either started using synthesizers or he’s perfected the technique of simulating a synthesizer via guitar effects, layers, and reverb. <i>The Hourglass</i>, “Life Form”, “The Fourth”, and <i>Your Shining Heart</i> are calming, warm, and pleasant. “A Shephard’s Howl” starts off like the extended acoustic improvisations released under his birth name (James David Fitzpatrick), but then switches to his classic electric guitar tones. “‘Love’ Spray Painted on a Tree Trunk” (from <i>The Fourth</i>) is a blend of synth exploration and field recording, which also recalls his “solo” work, albeit more abrasively. The <i>Elder</i> EP is the real surprise, featuring three pieces ranging from (what sounds like) noisy sequencers to melodic layers of arpeggiated guitars.</li>
<li><b>Low Forest - <i>Entrovert</i> and <i>Ambivector</i></b> - Old friends <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Joshua%20King">Josh King</a> and <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Brad%20Schumacher">Brad Schumacher</a> (with drummer Halston Rossi) have made a high-concept space rock double-album, in which one album is the rock and the other is the space, and of course they’re synchronized such that they’ve created an interactive listening experience in which you can try mixing the two parts together yourself. Separately, both albums stand on their own, but their combination is spine-tingling. I hear a lot of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Hum">Hum</a>’s <i>Inlet</i>, creative use of synthesizers, and concern for political, social, and environmental catastrophe.</li>
<li><b>Pale Blue Eyes - <i>This House</i></b> - This trio have mastered the art of turning grief and sadness into propulsive, upbeat synthpop. There are bits of goth rock and shoegaze in the mix, but the genuine lyrics of working through loss and difficult emotions to embrace community and make the most of what’s available are what seal the deal. It’s even better than last year’s <i>Souvenirs</i>.</li>
<li><b>Perlee - <i>Speaking from Other Rooms</i></b> - I enjoyed the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/12/2020-in-review.html"><i>Slow Creature</i> EP</a> (2020) and they’ve grown considerably since then. Now they <i>really</i> sound like early-era <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Beach%20House">Beach House</a> or even <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Slowdive">Slowdive</a> at times. They’re not just a derivative of dream pop masters, though; they bring their own folky touch, Saramai Leech has a great voice, and instead of just melancholy, I hear optimism in their belief that love is more powerful than whatever divisions the pandemic created within us. Cormac O’Keeffe’s voice ain’t bad either, and it’s especially lovely when they sing together.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Slowdive">Slowdive</a> - <i>Everything Is Alive</i></b> - We can now celebrate that their reunion was not just a fling with one new album (too bad about Lush) – it’s for real, and this album is just a hair behind 2017’s self-titled album. It seems they’re starting to acknowledge <i>Pygmalion</i> (1995) again in that there are more electronic elements. They shifted the balance more towards atmospherics over crafting pop appeal, and it gels beautifully.</li>
</ul>
Here are a few honorable mentions:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Beach%20House">Beach House</a> - <i>Become</i> EP - These five songs are outtakes from <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2023/01/2022-in-review.html">last year</a>’s <i>Once Twice Melody</i>, and while I often joke/admit that their songs tend to sound the same, I agree that they didn’t fit the album. They’re all fairly good, but they’re a step back in the direction of <i>Thank Your Lucky Stars</i> (2015). As with <i>Once Twice Melody</i>, though, I really miss the full power of Victoria Legrand’s voice. She can still bring it on stage, but why is it absent from the records?</li>
<li>Elk City - <i>Undertow</i> - Some parts feel dry and formal, but on half the songs they cut loose and build up some great jams. The weird synth parts and the bits that remind me of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Stereolab">Stereolab</a> (often occuring simultaneously) are the highlights. Is it just me or do I see a lot of commentary on social media in the lyrics?</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Ian%20Fisher">Ian Fisher</a> - <i>Ghost Father</i> - A collection of songs written for a production of <i>Hamlet</i> at the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, mostly featuring just electric guitar and voice. The songs are weighty and reflect a suitable obsession with death. The instrumentation is stark, but the vocals are strong and nuanced. This isn’t a standard album, so to speak, and it was only released via Fanklub.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Mitski">Mitski</a> - <i>The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We</i> - An abrupt change of pace wherein Mitski goes orchestral and to Nashville. There’s less power and drama but more directness and emotional clarity.</li>
<li>Sufjan Stevens - <i>Javelin</i> - Sufjan has a knack for delivering emotional wrecking balls without hitting you over the head with them. Without context, these songs sound like his typical wistful acoustic-synthetic fare, but the resemblance to <i>Carrie & Lowell</i> (2015) is more than just superficial. On the day of the album release, Sufjan dedicated the album to his partner, Evans Richardson, who died in April. Musically, the album doesn’t cover new ground, but the lyrics are personal and piercing. It’s certainly better than <i>The Ascension</i> (2020), which I didn’t get at all. I wish he would sing again with more dynamics instead of this breathy, hushed voice, but he somehow managed to get <i>Pleasure Activism</i> author adrienne maree brown to sing on most of the album, which certainly adds texture and novelty.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Veldt">The Veldt</a> - <i>Illuminated 1989</i> - This is their original debut album, produced by Robin Guthrie of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Cocteau%20Twins">Cocteau Twins</a>. How was this shelved!? It’s not quite as heavy as <i>Afrodisiac</i> (1994), and maybe the guitars are a little too indebted to the Cocteaus, but is that really a complaint? This would’ve been a shoegaze classic, and maybe it will be yet.</li>
</ul>
And here a few other 2023 releases that I have opinions about:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Belle%20and%20Sebastian">Belle & Sebastian</a> - <i>Late Developers</i> - I know that these songs are supposedly more than just outtakes from <i>A Bit of Previous</i> (2022), but that’s what they sound like. That album was fine, but this album has all the same faults and just about nothing else. Their steady march into clichéd dance-pop is completely boring. Even Murdoch’s lyrics are getting stale.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/John%20Cale">John Cale</a> - <i>Mercy</i> - As weird as ever, but this time with notable collaborators on almost every track. It kind of works, but also sounds really formless and directionless. It’s too similar to his other latter-day work and I’m finding myself less and less excited by his bizarre stylistic mashups.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Love%20%26%20Rockets">Love & Rockets</a> - <i>My Dark Twin</i> - This double-disc companion piece to <i>Sweet F.A.</i> (1996) is broadly split into three sources: early and alternate versions of album tracks (all inferior and superfluous), extended jams (good vibes but absurdly overlong; I’m amazed that two of them were actually released back in the day on the <i>Glittering Darkness</i> EP (1995)), and actual outtakes (mildly enjoyable). Ash’s outtake songs could’ve easily fit on the album, but <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/David%20J">J</a>’s are an entirely different style, much more similar to his solo album <i>Urban Urbane</i> (1992). I get why they didn’t make the cut – they don’t fit the mid-90s alternative guitar groove – but I like most of his usual socio-political commentary anyway. And hearing the band jam with <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Genesis%20P-Orridge">Genesis P-Orridge</a> is honestly pretty cool.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Wilco">Wilco</a> - <i>Cousin</i> - Mostly notable for being coproduced by Cate Le Bon. (A woman! Gasp!) She did seem to bring out an exploratory, experimental approach to sound design, but the songs themselves are a bit too drab and plodding, much like the run of albums before last year’s <i>Cruel Country</i>. “Evicted” is the only song with enough of a melody and pop sensibility to stand out above the crowd.</li>
</ul>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-33891871292634462772023-07-15T15:45:00.002+02:002023-08-06T09:45:04.274+02:00Soltero, Again<p>Heads up: it's time for a new Soltero show, and this time with drums!</p><p>We're playing on August 17th at the 8mm Bar in Prenzlauer Berg. I'll be on bass and will even sing a few words here and there. We've got a full set lined up for you and I'm looking forward to see you there!</p><p>For some previews of what we've been up to, check out <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soltero_musik/">https://www.instagram.com/soltero_musik/</a>.</p><p><i>[Edit 2023.08.06:] </i>Doors at 7pm, show at 8:30pm. Please be aware that this venue unfortunately allows indoor smoking.</p>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-15429711651832565452023-04-29T22:53:00.001+02:002023-04-29T22:53:17.912+02:00Yo La Tengo - Live 2023.04.25 Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin, GermanyYo La Tengo have always on my periphery, but I never took the time to dig deep. I mostly just knew the dream poppy, shoegaze-adjacent albums, which are still my favorites. When a friend suggested joining him for this show, it was an easy choice, despite my relative ignorance.<br />
<br />
They’re touring without an opener and just playing two long sets. The first set started loud, but they immediately took it down several notches and played chill and quiet songs. It was almost <em>too</em> quiet, but they managed to command the audience effectively. Some songs were acoustic, and some were more jam-oriented, and a few were both acoustic <em>and</em> jammy. Ira Kaplan’s acoustic guitarwork was right on par with his electric skills, so it was a welcome variation to the vibe.<br />
<br />
The second set also started loud, but mostly stayed loud, often very loud. Most songs were exploratory and relatively heavy, which was a slightly more compelling mood. Sometimes the songs meandered a stretch too far, but the subtle strength, energy, and confidence of the trio was captivating. It also helped that they played more songs that I recognized. The last song of the set, “Blue Line Swinger”, was drawn out for what felt like ages, which again was on line of going too far, but the payoff of the buildup was a delight.<br />
<br />
The encore was just three covers, with each member singing lead on one. They were all fairly quiet, sparse, and brief, which was pleasant but simple. Of course I loved “Who Loves the Sun”, but the other two were a bit tame. It was something of a reprieve after the louder songs, but not particularly exciting.<br />
<br />
With only three members and no backing musicians or guests, there’s a lot of condensed pressure to make the show interesting. I loved how frequently all three traded instruments. James McNew played everything: bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums, and he sang lead and harmony with such a warm, mellow voice. Georgia Hubley, nominally the drummer, played several songs on keyboards and sang several from both behind the kit and in front. Her voice was perhaps just hint too timid and restrained, but so pure and direct. Ira sang more than the other two and was louder, rougher, and rawer. I was surprised at how loose and wild his guitar soloing was. He hit plenty of bum notes, tried some misguided runs, and produced a lot of noise. It kinda worked, though. I find raw emotion more interesting than cold precision, and yet I suppose I expected a higher standard.<br />
<br />
While the first set was slow and underexpressed, the second was loud and substantially more intense. The choice of splitting the material in two sections like that made some sense, but it was also a bit wearying to have so much of one approach in series. The individual songs varied enough to keep it interesting, but considering that it was a three-hour show without any real hits, not much pop, and limited melody, I’m not too surprised some members of my party didn’t make it to the end. I was also fairly exhausted, but I found it rewarding. I loved the musicianship, even with my complaints, and the arrangements were consistently compelling. It was an enjoyable show even with its flaws.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSFgL9VOxl8RxvZa6TzAE8tyCw7C3aJhS5VpkikbZzgySmEN38sVRT1rdJXpc0GkRvmmOGqnSq2fbTHhRMML_lkrcXLkU_rspEahWsaARzrCako000cnB6pHte4o-n65IKT0i1GKkX5WYYd_RPXh4l-wHXPpy1EgZ355NzckVoikthT-nu7nH5KFNJQ/s3128/Yo%20La%20Tengo%20at%20Huxleys%20Neue%20Welt%202023.04.25%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1893" data-original-width="3128" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSFgL9VOxl8RxvZa6TzAE8tyCw7C3aJhS5VpkikbZzgySmEN38sVRT1rdJXpc0GkRvmmOGqnSq2fbTHhRMML_lkrcXLkU_rspEahWsaARzrCako000cnB6pHte4o-n65IKT0i1GKkX5WYYd_RPXh4l-wHXPpy1EgZ355NzckVoikthT-nu7nH5KFNJQ/s320/Yo%20La%20Tengo%20at%20Huxleys%20Neue%20Welt%202023.04.25%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Set 1:<br />
01. Sinatra Drive Breakdown<br />
02. Tonight’s Episode<br />
03. Fog Over Frisco<br />
04. Aselestine<br />
05. Until It Happens<br />
06. I’ll Be Around<br />
07. Nowhere Near<br />
08. My Heart’s Reflection<br />
09. Miles Away<br />
<br />
Set 2:<br />
10. This Stupid World<br />
11. Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House<br />
12. From a Motel 6<br />
13. Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad [Grateful Dead cover]<br />
14. Stockholm Syndrome<br />
15. Fallout<br />
16. Big Day Coming<br />
17. Artificial Heart<br />
18. Sugarcube<br />
19. Blue Line Swinger<br />
<br />
Encore:<br />
20. Who Loves the Sun [The Velvet Underground cover]<br />
21. This Diamond Ring [Gary Lewis & the Playboys cover]<br />
22. You Can Have It All [George McCrae cover]<br />
<br />
<strong>Score</strong>: B<br />
<br />
P.S. Thanks to Tim, Brooke, and Luisa!<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-47178994328418458162023-02-21T21:28:00.003+01:002023-02-28T11:25:13.676+01:00Schorsch Kamerun: Der diskrete Charme der Reduktion - 2023.02.17 Vollgutlager, Berlin, GermanyI went to this “concert installation” on a whim when a friend invited me. It was part of the Schall & Rausch Festival für Brandneues Musiktheater organized by the Komische Oper, but at a different venue while their usual home is undergoing renovation. I had no idea what to expect. I unfortunately knew relatively little about Schorsch Kamerun’s longstanding band Die Goldenen Zitronen, but based on that and the name of the event (“The Discreet Charm of Reduction”), I had a good feeling. I wasn’t let down.<br />
<br />
The evening started with the crowd assembled on a roped-off side of a large venue filled with platforms, tables, large yellow balls, and green structures resembling small houses. After a brief introduction, classical singer Ivan Turšić sweetened the air, and we were invited to follow him up a set of stairs to a rampart and then into the rest of the space. Meanwhile, the ropes were taken down and actors, many of whom also sang as part of the Richardchor Neukölln, started scattering across the venue to take up an odd assortment of tasks. Throughout the night, they pushed boxes around the houses laboriously, sat at a table and ate, projected psychedelic patterns with oils on the wall, sang, demonstrated products to each other, analyzed a mess of papers, crawled on the floor, mined clay for some sort of pellets, and at one point became ants that seemed to be preparing for battle. There was a lot going on.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the primary attention shifted between Turšić, narrator/lead actress Annemaaike Bakker, and Schorsch, who occasionally spoke but mostly sang songs accompanied by keyboardist PC Nackt and a classically-trained ensemble from the Komische Oper. Some of the material was based on previously released songs and some parts were renditions of classical works, but most was newly composed for the performance. The themes, unsurprisingly, were socio-economic critiques of contemporary Western society, particularly capitalism, but also political corruption, war profiteering, globalization, marketing, interpersonal relationships, coping with trauma, and urban versus rural life. I didn’t hear anything that I found disagreeable, but plenty that made me think or laugh. Schorsch didn’t have all the answers to solve our problems, but he did have a few specific suggestions: stop driving private cars and commit to a reduction in productivity to counter the myth of infinitely increasing growth in a closed system.<br />
<br />
The experience was immersive and engaging. I’ve never experienced something quite like it. It wasn’t quite interactive, but there were always multiple things going on at the same time, so it was impossible to be bored. The music was diverse and consistently of a high caliber, both in composition and performance. I left in a great mood. It turns out that the venue is part of Schwuz, the longest-standing queer club in Berlin, and at the end, Schorsch welcomed us to have a drink and say hello at the bar. I did, and sure enough, he and some of the performers and crew were to be found on the dancefloor well into the night. I didn’t even have to wait in line to get in, so that was quite an unexpected bonus!<br />
<br />
<strong>Score</strong>: A<br />
<br />
P.S. Thanks to Lutz and Anton!<br /><div><br /></div><div><div><i>[Update 2023.02.28:]</i> P.P.S. The taz also <a href="https://taz.de/Musiktheater-von-Schorsch-Kamerun/!5917562/">wrote up a review</a>. Theirs is much more detailed, but it's in German.</div></div>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-87769094675766987202023-02-05T11:18:00.000+01:002023-02-05T11:18:06.527+01:00Nico - (The) Drama of Exile reissue (1981/1983/2021)Nico is a curious and frustrating artist. She was a model and actress turned musician, despite limited musical training and an unusual voice that she was generally uninterested in adapting to mainstream taste. She guested on the first <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Velvet%20Underground">Velvet Underground</a> album to great success and then made an album of folk songs largely written by VU members and former male lovers, which she promptly dismissed after the producer sweetened the mixes with extra instruments without her knowledge. And from then on, she never made another attempt to cater to mainstream tastes. Most of her subsequent albums were produced by <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/John%20Cale">John Cale</a> and were grounded in her droning harmonium. The arrangements are typically dark, minimalist, and unsettling. Unsurprisingly, the gothic rock and industrial scenes adored her. <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Bauhaus">Bauhaus</a> brought her on stage twice, Throbbing Gristle attempted a full-album cover of <em>Desertshore</em>, and she duetted with Marc Almond. Her spiteful attitude to the press included constant autobiographical reinvention and provocative political statements that further alienated her from mainstream attention.<br />
<br />
While Nico’s music fascinates me, I have to be honest that I don’t actually enjoy most of it very much. The VU album and <em>Chelsea Girl</em> are classics, of course, but of the rest, most of it is just too dark to want to put on very often. But there is one major exception: <em>Drama of Exile</em>, first released in 1981, and re-released with different tracks and mixes in 1983 as <strong><em>The</em></strong> <em>Drama of Exile</em>. It was her only album after <em>Chelsea Girl</em> without Cale or her harmonium. Instead, it features French and Middle Eastern musicians blending instruments, rhythms, and styles from a variety of sources. It may be her most “rock” album, but it doesn’t sound like any other rock album I know. The result is her best album by a wide margin.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8ki53qJch3yMCwxwZ6ZUWVC0JT8NE_I6ggpqDVx6K_e8UKsDkSQ-G9G_ZcFl8nsC3OBkRmQwvi-ki5o7cs3XmvjxLC1fMiGKAd2-pGS0TmuxUM6qjTwP32tNh9KV0Ytr0553qkguLz8EvR95tbjsHA8FqNTi81IOgALTaqMwJg2dq9mK57wELCf6ZA/s600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8ki53qJch3yMCwxwZ6ZUWVC0JT8NE_I6ggpqDVx6K_e8UKsDkSQ-G9G_ZcFl8nsC3OBkRmQwvi-ki5o7cs3XmvjxLC1fMiGKAd2-pGS0TmuxUM6qjTwP32tNh9KV0Ytr0553qkguLz8EvR95tbjsHA8FqNTi81IOgALTaqMwJg2dq9mK57wELCf6ZA/s320/05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[<i>The Drama of Exile</i> (1983).]</div>
<br />
However, this album has been long marred by a confusing release history. There are conflicting stories about what happened (which <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_of_Exile">Wikipedia</a> explains in fair detail), but the short version is that the originally released version by Aura in 1981 was unfinished and prematurely released against Nico’s and producer Philippe Quilichini’s wishes. The re-release on Invisible Records in 1983 is supposedly the authorized version. Quilichini claimed it was entirely re-recorded, but it sounds more like a remix with overdubs. Due to a mess of legal circumstances, both versions have been reissued in various formats and in various countries. Some of these tracks also appeared on other releases, such as <em>Icon</em> (1996). Sorting out what is what and what really happened is difficult.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzy3DUOK_m7EF_r1HDvYb0XVBhEUT35OWJLLJN9MjtQ68XDDXRQSoZe1Luty2OXCkop2wZo9o2NSSAiZRKw7VXb-MZ4LbntnIAvVbxRPs6JI0iazWODxcnQMZNE5LJmiQLwiV9t-PaBVe_k7xROGQVtqLriHpXkvARLynjpDtE4I9pvRmi4Jwww7kJQ/s1400/drama-of-exile-nico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzy3DUOK_m7EF_r1HDvYb0XVBhEUT35OWJLLJN9MjtQ68XDDXRQSoZe1Luty2OXCkop2wZo9o2NSSAiZRKw7VXb-MZ4LbntnIAvVbxRPs6JI0iazWODxcnQMZNE5LJmiQLwiV9t-PaBVe_k7xROGQVtqLriHpXkvARLynjpDtE4I9pvRmi4Jwww7kJQ/s320/drama-of-exile-nico.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[<i>Drama of Exile</i> (1981). Seriously, who authorized this cover?]</div>
<br />
However, thanks to a new reissue on Modern Harmonic from 2021, it’s finally easy to sort out the differences. It features the original 1981 version as well as the 1983 remixes, although for some reason the “Saēta”/“Vegas” single isn’t included, despite that both songs were on the 1983 version. That’s a shame, because they’re both great tracks (although thankfully available on compilations elsewhere), but at least you can compare the rest of the two versions side-by-side. (The Martin Hannett-produced “Procession”/“All Tomorrow’s Parties” single from 1982 is also overlooked, but the <em>Femme Fatale</em> compilation from 2002 has both tracks, although they sound like they were mastered from vinyl.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DJ9hJT4zWZtUyEKrIW3iAkFp4bfxexe0j0bTw8-0JMigkIYgkGFTO8VHKdkEBdLvbFMGT7e33zYD0628qQb6VgtZV-s7OPYhd5FDda1f3Kel1dybtnokacxhvT4nlBvMZB6UqzuDV1fbLXir6Zkd-pr4fTIuC5MsUndEy5HD3I2cQeGkwu_5ysOqbw/s600/nico-saeta-vegas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DJ9hJT4zWZtUyEKrIW3iAkFp4bfxexe0j0bTw8-0JMigkIYgkGFTO8VHKdkEBdLvbFMGT7e33zYD0628qQb6VgtZV-s7OPYhd5FDda1f3Kel1dybtnokacxhvT4nlBvMZB6UqzuDV1fbLXir6Zkd-pr4fTIuC5MsUndEy5HD3I2cQeGkwu_5ysOqbw/s320/nico-saeta-vegas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[“Saēta”/“Vegas” single (1981).]</div>
<br />
So what’s the difference? Well, first off, the 1983 version dropped “Purple Lips” and added “Saēta” and “Vegas”. “Purple Lips” is probably the weakest track of the whole bunch, so that was no great loss. The next most obvious difference is the track lengths: all of the 1983 versions are shorter, except for “The Sphinx”. A few (“Henry Hudson”, “Sixty/Forty”) were sped up, but most are just slightly tighter mixes. “One More Chance” and “Orly Flight” both lost over a minute, including a few lines at the end, but neither is a great loss.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, the differences are in the instrumentation and mix. The basic tracks are the same. Generally, the 1981 version is sparser, simpler, starker, and less well-defined. The instruments are generally not very clear and the mixes are a bit thin and muddy. The 1983 version has more instruments, in particular more synths, electric violin, bouzouki, and backing vocals. The mixes are much fuller and more detailed. For example, the 1981 version of “One More Chance” has piercing lead guitar, while the 1983 version has more synth, violin, and vocals. “Henry Hudson” lost the needling violin and gained blaring sax throughout. The original “Orly Flight” has a weirdly compressed sax, synth, or violin part, while the remake has bouzouki and more percussion.<br />
<br />
In most cases, the 1983 version is undoubtedly superior. “Sixty/Forty” is a bit hard to call, as the stark austerity of the 1981 version is quite good and almost rivals the more atmospheric 1983 version. (I think I still prefer the latter.) The strangest matter is the two covers. The 1981 version of “Waiting for the Man” is rawer, punkier, and closer to the spirit of the original VU version. The 1983 version trades the prominence of the guitar in favor of the piano, which turns it into something more like the later lackadaisical versions sometimes played by <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Lou%20Reed">Lou Reed</a> solo. The 1983 mix is also strangely murky. It’s decidedly inferior to the 1981 version. “Heroes” is also complicated. The 1983 version some extra backing vocals and other minor details, but the mix is again rather murky, especially in the vocals. The 1981 version has sax solos, more prominent violin, and a slightly better mix. It’s a hard call, but the 1981 version is slightly superior. I’m not quite sure what happened with those two; how or why did they get worse?<br />
<br />
In the end, neither version is perfect, but both are good. I’m glad to finally have ready access to both, as well as the other tracks from the same era. I’ve satisfied myself by making a playlist of my preferred version, using the ordering of the 1983 version and most of its tracks, but substituting the two covers from the 1981 version. I’ve added “Purple Lips” and the “Procession”/“All Tomorrow’s Parties” single as bonus tracks. Now I have the best of both worlds!<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
1981 version: B<br />
1983 version: B+<br />
2021 reissue: A-<br />
“Saēta”/“Vegas” single: A<br />
“Procession”/“All Tomorrow’s Parties” single: B<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oiITle0VljaO1QHZMcKUY5Cnu8iikDiqCKNH44UbPaSpdeAqCpB-AlgjvdZHXyww-NvfqTX3N99VnAZYC1v6u6IX8qTB7_I6eg2eGz5btG8OsMqbyGnj9wxFtMT4dJ_GUoxvy6W5B2SNxRc1QMHXbqLFdsEMJ4mEF_beFn6LjARIVcLTNSCAtSarRg/s600/nico-procession-parties1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oiITle0VljaO1QHZMcKUY5Cnu8iikDiqCKNH44UbPaSpdeAqCpB-AlgjvdZHXyww-NvfqTX3N99VnAZYC1v6u6IX8qTB7_I6eg2eGz5btG8OsMqbyGnj9wxFtMT4dJ_GUoxvy6W5B2SNxRc1QMHXbqLFdsEMJ4mEF_beFn6LjARIVcLTNSCAtSarRg/s320/nico-procession-parties1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[“Procession”/“All Tomorrow’s Parties” single (1982).]</div>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-46129467101794909752023-01-01T14:11:00.005+01:002023-01-27T15:48:54.527+01:002022 in ReviewYet another strange year. For one, I <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/on-transitioning-in-public-spaces.html">shared some news</a> about why live music and this blog haven’t exactly been my priority lately. I definitely saw more shows than either of the last two years, but with mixed results. Apparently, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy7jdk/why-do-live-music-audiences-suck-right-now">I’m not the only person who’s noticed that live concerts are kind of weird right now</a>. I doubt that I will be much more active next year, but I may surprise myself yet.<br />
<br />
Well, at least I bought music in greater quantities again, both old and new. It seems the wave of pandemic albums might be finally over. That’s not to imply the pandemic is over, just that the unique circumstances of altered recording and performances habits seem to have faded back into something we pretend is normal, and the music itself reflects that. Anyway, here are my favorite releases of 2022:<br />
<ul>
<li><strong>Anfängerfehler - <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/09/anfangerfehler-anfangerfehler-ep-2022.html">s/t EP</a></strong> - Obviously my bias as a member of the live band is hard to ignore, but I really love the work that Tim (and Matt Johnson – no, not the one from The The) did with the production. It sounds lovely. You should probably <a href="https://anfaengerfehler.bandcamp.com/album/anf-ngerfehler">listen to it</a>.</li>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Beach%20House">Beach House</a> - <em>Once Twice Melody</em></strong> - Beach House continue to effortlessly create the best vibes, but I wish there were just a bit more drama. Victoria Legrand’s voice is soft and hushed throughout, never reaching its past transcendent peaks. The double album is an impressive achievement: there isn’t a bad song, although it does feel a touch overlong. I love the returning shoegaze vibes seen in full on <em>7</em> (2018), but I also love the “experimentation” with acoustic guitar. It leaves me feeling a bit sad for Victoria, though, who seems to have had profoundly rough times with online dating. She’s probably not alone in that.</li>
<li><strong>Big Thief - <em>Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You</em></strong> - Another expansive double album. Big Thief have been on the periphery of my awarness for a while but this one finally won me over. “Red Moon” is infectious, “Wake Me Up to Drive” is charmingly lofi, “Change” is plaintively poignant, and “Sparrow” is an excellent study of gender dynamics. The country affectations work fine for me, and I love the subtly psychedelic and occasionally outright bizarre lyrics.</li>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Andrew%20Bird">Andrew Bird</a> - <em>Inside Problems</em></strong> - Sonically, this is something of a retread of <em>My Finest Work Yet</em> (2019), which I <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/01/2019-in-review.html">thoroughly enjoyed</a>, so I’m not complaining. I always admire Bird’s carefully constructed folk-pop and his understatedly virtuosic touches. The lyrics are less overtly political, but several are easy to read as socio-political commentary despite his claims in interviews that these songs were intended to be more personal and internal affairs. Bird also recently released “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” with Phoebe Bridgers, a well-crafted adaptation of a delightful Emily Dickinson poem.</li>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Kikagaku%20Moyo">Kikagaku Moyo</a> - <em>Kumoyo Island</em></strong> - I’m so sad that this is their last album before breaking up. It’s wildly creative, beautifully psychedelic, and playfully hard to pin down. It’s all over the place, yet always pleasurable.</li>
<li><strong>Mogwai - “Boltfor”</strong> - Pretty par for the course for them, but since not everything they touch turns to gold, it’s still notable when they can drop such an uplifting and ebullient single.</li>
<li><strong>The Smile - <em>A Light for Attracting Attention</em></strong> - The exact midpoint between a <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Thom%20Yorke">Thom Yorke</a> solo album and a full <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Radiohead">Radiohead</a> album. It’s Yorke’s best non-Radiohead album, and if it were marketed as a Radiohead album, I might not even notice the difference. It’s not as good as <em>A Moon Shaped Pool</em> but it lives in that space perhaps more than anything else Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have done. I don’t know anything about Tom Skinner but his drumming is good. I can’t tell if the two dreamy older songs (“Skirting on the Surface” was even played by Radiohead once upon a time!) are simply just great songs, or if I’m biased because I’ve been listening to bootleg versions for ten years.</li>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Stereolab">Stereolab</a> - <em>Pulse of the Early Brain: Switched On Volume 5</em></strong> - I’m clearly just a sucker for this band. Be that as at may, this compilation does include the 1992 EP <em>Low Fi</em>, which is one of their finest releases and the first appearance of Mary Hansen and Andy Ramsay. It’s been out of print since the early 90s as far as I know, and the licensing is still complicated enough that it doesn’t appear on digital versions of the compilation. Intriguingly, two of the tracks appear to be previously unreleased extended versions, despite not being labeled as such. Much like the rest of the <em>Switched On</em> series, it features a wide mix of songs, but this set covers material that was too experimental or obscure even for those. Despite the name, four songs come from the sessions from their last album during their original career, <em>Chemical Chords</em> (2008), and those aren’t the only ones that I wouldn’t say came from their “early brain”. One wonders why they didn’t swap those for the incongruously early-era tracks on <em><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/01/2021-in-review.html">Electrically Possessed</a></em>, or why they <em>still</em> left a couple songs to the sands of time, like the version of “Cadriopo” from the split single with Fugu or the demo of “The Eclipse” from the same split single that produced “Yes Sir! I Can Moogie!”. Admittedly, this is reaching quite close to the bottom of the barrel, so some of the tracks here are second-rate. Still, the gems still make it worth it.</li>
<li><strong>The Subtanks - <em>Prime Numbers</em> EP</strong> - Okay, again we’ve got to talk about bias, but old friends <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Joshua%20King">Josh King</a> of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Joshua%20and%20the%20Ruins">Joshua and the Ruins</a> and Asher Mendel have finally reunited for a “proper” album, and it rocks. (I haven’t forgotten about <em><a href="https://entropicalfruit.bandcamp.com/album/riff-city-demons">Riff City Demons</a></em> (2010), but this is a wide step ahead in terms of production and composition. I mean, just compare the versions of “Ambitions Renewed”!) The EP lives up to the bold claims of <a href="https://thesubtanks.bandcamp.com/album/prime-numbers">their own description</a>. It keeps turning and changing, and there’s all sorts of sounds, ideas, and references in it. It never gets boring, not for a second.</li>
<li><strong>The Veldt - <em>Entropy Is the Mainline to God</em></strong> - The first new full album in 15 years since <em>White Music for Black People</em> (credited to Apollo Heights) is thick and a bit noisy, and the lyrics are frequently indecipherable, just as you’d expect from classic shoegazers. What I can discern is frequently quite explicitly political, which isn’t difficult for them to channel their energy and anger into. They also released the <em>Electric Revolution (Rhythm and Drone)</em> EP earlier in the year, but it only has two unique tracks, and neither is as good as anything on the album or the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/01/2019-in-review.html">2017 EPs</a>.</li>
<li><strong><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Wilco">Wilco</a> - <em>Cruel Country</em></strong> - I almost skipped this album after the last three were such mixed bags. This is their most compelling album since <em>A Ghost Is Born</em> (2004), and the most satisfyingly cohesive since <em>Yankee Hotel Foxtrot</em> (2001). The country affections are almost entirely tasteful and well-integrated into their sound. I was worried it’d be a caricature, but it isn’t just a genre exercise. Jeff Tweedy’s voice is occasionally shaky, and there are (very) minor imperfections in the performances, but the project is an opportunity for Tweedy to wield some of his best lyrics, and the arrangements are generally quite good. It is maybe a bit overlong, and it can feel a bit tedious by the time you get to side four, but the sum total is impressive.</li>
<li><strong>Wilco - <em>Yankee Hotel Foxtrot</em> [Super Deluxe Reissue]</strong> - Okay, an eight-disc version of any album is probably too much even for a masterpiece, but still, I can’t resist this sort of thing sometimes. The radio session interview is a bit cringe, but the live versions with weird intermediate lineups of the band with Tweedy on lead guitar are somewhat special. The real treasure, though, is all the alternate studio versions, even if there isn’t a single one that bests the originally released versions. It’s also great to have these in such high fidelity instead of the incomplete, glitchy mess that has long circulated on bootlegs. But much to my surprise, <a href="https://raisemyglasstothebside.wordpress.com/2022/10/02/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot-outtakes/">not even everything from the bootlegs is on this release</a>! Then again, I don’t know if anyone really needs a seventh version of “Kamera”. I saw another review criticize the duplicated transition from “Ashes of American Flags” to “Heavy Metal Drummer” on the <em>Unified Theory of Everything</em> disc, as if that exact moment wasn’t the subject of one of the most pivotal scenes from the <em>I Am Trying to Break Your Heart</em> film (2002). Obviously this is only relevant for superfans, and I think I’ve just given away where I stand.</li>
</ul>Actually, there was a lot of good music this year. So here are some extra honorable mentions:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Belle%20&%20Sebastian">Belle & Sebastian</a> - <em>A Bit of Previous</em> - This album has moments that feel like conscious throwbacks to their glory days, but most of it continues the threads of their last few albums, which is to say the music is a bit too precious and overproduced. Nonetheless, their blend of maturity and ageless playfulness is as rewarding as ever. There are few standout moments and some well-intentioned but awkward political statements (what’s the deal with “Do It for Your Country”?), but I appreciate that they are trying to push themselves and expand their horizons.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Cremant%20Ding%20Dong">Cremant Ding Dong</a> - assorted singles - They’re still going, although they haven’t really shown any signs of changing the formula. Well, Eva (the cute cat) sadly passed, but Rosa (the new cat, also cute) looks uncannily similar. Somehow every song is still a banger.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Cup%20Collector">Cup Collector</a> - <em>The Interior Key</em> - Is this an EP? A maxi-single? A mini-album? It doesn’t matter, of course. This is almost like a best-of compilation of CC’s styles. Each track is a different method of reaching a similar vibe: warm, cozy guitar drones. These songs make me feel settled in and at peace. Jim also released a track under his full name (James David Fitzpatrick) that’s in a somewhat related vibe, but more spontaneous: it’s just him freestyling on an acoustic guitar with the windows open. The heavy reverb suits it well.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Cure">The Cure</a> - <em>Wish</em> [Deluxe Reissue] - The Cure’s <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2013/10/the-glove-blue-sunshine-reissue-19832006.html">reissue</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2018/10/the-cure-mixed-up-reissue-19902018.html">series</a> continues it’s lackadaisical pace and half-hearted repackaging. The much-hyped remaster (or is it a remix? <a href="https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-cures-wish-finally-get-the-deluxe-edition-treatment-track-listing-on-page-20.745030/page-40#post-30902740">Some fans are really missing the slap sound from “High”</a>, and honestly it is weird that it was removed, especially since it’s still in the 12" mix!) is not really much different than the original, and the only bonus tracks of note are the lovely instrumentals from the fan club-only <em>Lost Wishes</em> EP (1994) and one extra instrumental outtake (“A Wendy Band”). The rest are forgettable remixes and another slew of at best marginally interesting demos. And seriously, <em>what</em> is the point of the Partscheckruf Mix of “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea”? And why is the mastering of the 12" mix of “Doing the Unstuck” so much obviously worse than what was already released on <em>Join the Dots</em> (2004) 18 years ago? At least this time I don’t think there are any <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2013/10/the-glove-blue-sunshine-reissue-19832006.html">re-recorded vocals</a> on this one.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Ian%20Fisher">Ian Fisher</a> - <em>Burnt Tongue</em> - This album is a bit softer than what came before, probably in large part due to the influence of producer <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Jonas%20David">Jonas David</a>. It works for the more sentimental songs like “A Mother’s Love” and “I’ll Be There”, but the darker and moodier songs like “I’m Burning” and “How Far” are missing a bit of heft. The lyrics and performances are still great, though. Ian also released the pseudo-album <em>Marcella & Peggy Go Driving</em> via Fanklub. It’s just sparse arrangements of his favorite country tunes, many of which he’s been playing for years on stage. There are no real surprises, but it’s nice to have recordings of his mellifluous melancholy voice on these songs.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Lutzilla">Lutzilla</a> - <em>First We Tape Manhattan</em> - Punkier than I was expecting, meaning that I hear some traces of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Fehlfarben">Fehlfarben</a>. The lyrics are as incisive as ever, particularly the critiques of consumer culture and social media. Uli’s bass steals the show, and Carola’s drumming gives these songs the solid rhythm they deserve. “Was bleibt!?”, rerecorded from <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Lutz%20Steinbr%C3%BCck">Lutz</a>’s solo 2019 album <em>Selbstportraits</em>, is a marked improvement with the help of his compatriots.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Mitski">Mitski</a> - <em>Laurel Hell</em> - I didn’t like <em>Be the Cowboy</em> (2018) as much as everyone else, so I told myself I should keep my expectations low, but this album is a step up again. Mitski tries on a load of retro sounds and commands them with ease. Her lyrics grappling with fame and career choices feel strangely relatable; certainly “Working for the Knife” applies to more than just indie rock stardom. The glide guitar touches are great, too.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Sharon%20van%20Etten">Sharon van Etten</a> - <em>We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong</em> - Great album title, great music, incredible voice, and good themes, but I still don’t actually connect with the lyrics much.</li>
<li>Vieux Farka Touré & <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Khruangbin">Khruangbin</a> - <em>Ali</em> - The Malian guitarist teamed up with everyone’s favorite vibe-setting Texans to cover the former’s father’s songs. The result is a good blend of both artists’ strengths, and yet it has a way of blending together a bit <em>too</em> much.</li>
</ul>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-4631550494999370772022-12-29T15:14:00.001+01:002022-12-29T15:14:12.030+01:00Uwe Schütte - Godstar: Die fünf Tode des Genesis P-Orridge (2022)Earlier this year, I received a curious email inquiring about using a photo in one of my reviews for a book. Naturally, I was happy to share it. As I traded emails with Uwe Schütte, I realized that <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2018/11/psychic-tv-michael-cashmore-shaltmira.html">I had seen and photographed the last performance</a> of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Psychic%20TV">Psychic TV</a> and <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Genesis%20P-Orridge">Genesis P-Orridge</a>. Of course I had known that P-Orridge died in 2020 just as the pandemic was unfolding, but it hadn’t occurred to me to reexamine their performance history and compare notes.<br />
<br />
So, as a result, my picture now graces <em>Godstar: Die fünf Tode des Genesis P-Orridge</em>, released this year via <a href="https://www.verlag-reiffer.de/produkt/godstar/">Verlag Andreas Reiffer</a>. I received a complementary copy and it immediately jumped to the front of my reading queue. Schütte had told me that the book is really more of an essay than a biography, and the parenthetical subtitle only found on the inside cover page, which translates to “something of a secret history in pop culture”, alludes to this as well. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant in practice, but it did make me curious.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHHCZQWl6I5OEhEKbtVdXPbrN9NiWZecYcSeBAE5XkTx8LK9rMpfyU3Jvg_-8gSwFDzdO3_OE5AJga_mMS6jBk0JvUNKz1BgMZNRb0s87_Oopbj7-WPSCvGPOxsFmfo34mFeXxzvrBSdDIU8t2hFi2ZziE1aDzmDs6i5F5qttazKgYmiVxwv4sAAQ6w/s2357/Uwe-Sch%C3%BCtte-Godstar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2357" data-original-width="1476" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHHCZQWl6I5OEhEKbtVdXPbrN9NiWZecYcSeBAE5XkTx8LK9rMpfyU3Jvg_-8gSwFDzdO3_OE5AJga_mMS6jBk0JvUNKz1BgMZNRb0s87_Oopbj7-WPSCvGPOxsFmfo34mFeXxzvrBSdDIU8t2hFi2ZziE1aDzmDs6i5F5qttazKgYmiVxwv4sAAQ6w/s320/Uwe-Sch%C3%BCtte-Godstar.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[<i>Godstar: The Five Deaths of Genesis P-Orridge</i>.]</div>
<br />
Indeed, the book is a wide-ranging and wandering essay about a broad range of topics, most notably esoteric magic and Brian Jones, the subject of the song “Godstar”. There’s a lot about Aleister Crowley and Satanism, as well as a few sections about the artist Marina Abramović, presumably because of her similar style of shock-tactic performance art. The Pandrogyny Project comes up, as do the antics of COUM Transmissions, Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, and even Coil, Cosey & Carter, and Marc Almond. I could’ve gladly taken even more gender discourse, more about the music itself, and maybe more about what the TOPY really was about, but regardless, few of Schütte’s sidetracks weren’t worth the diversion. They kind of work together to build a picture of Genesis’ environment and interests. There’s plenty of political and general pop-cultural commentary, most of which is sharp. On occasion Schütte might be a little too critical of what doesn’t suit his tastes, but rarely did he fail to make a strong case.<br />
<br />
I’m also glad that Schütte didn’t shy away from P-Orridge’s dark sides. He writes plainly of their abusive relationship with Cosey Fanni Tutti and others (and Jones’ and Crowley’s similar behavior), their domineering authoritarianism in their bands and other projects, and their repulsive actions in the name of art. P-Orridge is a complicated person, which makes for excellent material for pop-cultural discourse, but it requires stomaching a lot of rather triggering information.<br />
<br />
The legacy of P-Orridge’s “Godstar” project is another one of those things were the truth is hard to find. Schütte presents the book as a sort of continuation of a legacy that Genesis started with a pop song in 1985, continually reworked, and never quite finished. Supposedly they intended to produce a film about the life of Brian Jones, but they never managed due to money troubles. In reality, I suspect that such a film was just such a huge project that they never quite had the focus and perseverance to see it through, and instead they were easily distracted by new ideas and other projects. The closest they ever came to really producing something towards that goal was <em>Godstar: Thee Director’s Cut</em>, a double-disc compilation of songs and remixes mostly originally released in the 1980s on the excellent <em>The Magickal Mystery D Tour</em> EP (1986), the fairly good <em>Allegory and Self</em> (1988), and assorted contemporaneous singles. In truth, it feels more like another instance of “reissue, repackage / re-evaluate the songs / double-pack with a photograph” than any sort of truly newly assembled masterpiece. “Godstar” and a handful of other tracks remain classics, and the rest remains forgettable.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDXOlE6sNLzwT_Ta5CKh2ExnApI8Kcc64tbR0aD514zMOW6YKjQbxyOREBMrzgVdXdc5IDX1lljRwOIjB31VIp5U01T6fee1IMy-DTQWVb_9KgtSLw04ltb2m3-ItalM_NAZCv4-qfIwgupZtVAhAkoECq49pJ804z54bZ6Tk-4Qb4t0WD_gP_BXUYw/s600/Psychic-TV-Godstar-Thee-Directors-Cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="600" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDXOlE6sNLzwT_Ta5CKh2ExnApI8Kcc64tbR0aD514zMOW6YKjQbxyOREBMrzgVdXdc5IDX1lljRwOIjB31VIp5U01T6fee1IMy-DTQWVb_9KgtSLw04ltb2m3-ItalM_NAZCv4-qfIwgupZtVAhAkoECq49pJ804z54bZ6Tk-4Qb4t0WD_gP_BXUYw/s320/Psychic-TV-Godstar-Thee-Directors-Cut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[<em>Godstar: Thee Director’s Cut</em>.]</div>
<br />
The book ends up being a great alternative reading of pop culture through the lens of subversive, radical art and anti-establishment religious practice. In fact, I learned far more about esotericism than I ever expected to, and I came away feeling like I finally understand a part of society that I regularly run into but never could quite make sense of. It’s probably still not for me, but the concepts of seeking your true self, making your own forms to suit your individual needs, and living outside of the bounds arbitrarily placed upon us by uncaring institutions all resonate strongly with me. I’ve been literally searching for the same things my whole life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxghffkfL7EGzSm2gS1_1EPa00E75kLZB0eKVFkhUwZbK0zTHFV6AVzVLQNX6QGEMEkWiDdDljW0T9UHMIsVFc1fBkIWD-d7sGgalFBljRBHIFs69NTG46BDhaZlAo4tumbluasNJGwSTJOkaw-8QvhqcO1EF1GY8OFlOamB83i7HBsfhIsLUHvm--w/s4275/20181115_211958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2433" data-original-width="4275" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxghffkfL7EGzSm2gS1_1EPa00E75kLZB0eKVFkhUwZbK0zTHFV6AVzVLQNX6QGEMEkWiDdDljW0T9UHMIsVFc1fBkIWD-d7sGgalFBljRBHIFs69NTG46BDhaZlAo4tumbluasNJGwSTJOkaw-8QvhqcO1EF1GY8OFlOamB83i7HBsfhIsLUHvm--w/s320/20181115_211958.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[The only other picture I took at the fateful concert. See the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2018/11/psychic-tv-michael-cashmore-shaltmira.html">original review</a> for the picture used in the book.]</div>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-86874086807668057692022-12-10T14:25:00.003+01:002022-12-10T14:25:42.182+01:00Gabe Bullard on what makes a band<p>I'd like to point you over to a <a href="https://gabebullard.substack.com/p/i-rocked-with-a-zombie">great article over at <i>Number One with a Bullard</i> about what defines a band</a>, and specifically whether a band with none of the original members is still the same band. This is a question I've concerned myself with many times over the years. Inspired by one of those conversations with Gabe, I literally asked the same question about <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Smashing%20Pumpkins">The Smashing Pumpkins</a> and <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Zwan">Zwan</a> when I saw <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2012/10/the-smashing-pumpkins-live-20121018.html">the act billed as the former in 2012</a>. It came up again when I saw <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2019/10/tangerine-dream-live-20191025.html">Tangerine Dream a few years ago</a>, and in that case it did not at all negatively affect my enjoyment of the performance.</p><p>Anyway, Gabe's been writing on all sorts of topics in media and culture relevant to my interests, asking and answering plenty of questions that have rolled around in my head as well. <a href="https://gabebullard.substack.com/">Go check it out</a>. There's a written version and a podcast version (at least for the newer posts), and they're usually very similar but sometimes have slight differences. It's all worth it.</p>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-55518682370820146692022-11-21T23:08:00.000+01:002022-11-21T23:08:18.123+01:00Synästhesie 2022 Day 2Venue: Kulturbrauerei<br>
Location: Berlin, Germany<br>
Date: 19 November 2022<br>
<br>
Unlike the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/11/synasthesie-2022-day-1.html">first day</a>, on Saturday I came right on time. I wanted to catch <strong>The Asteroid #4</strong>, who were announced as a surprise guest shortly before the festival. They’d just played <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-asteroid-no4/2022/urban-spree-berlin-germany-3bbf9c94.html">a show at Urban Spree four days before</a> that I skipped due to my already-busy concert schedule, so I was happy to get a second chance. I was a <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/12/2020-in-review.html">big fan of their 2020 album <em>Northern Songs</em></a> and their latest, <em>Tones of the Sparrow</em> (2022), is just about as good. The Kesselhaus stage wasn’t quite ready on time, and the band ended up starting a half-hour late for unclear reasons, but the wait was worth it. Their set was energetic and a warm mesh of psychedelic guitar effects. I was entranced by the drummer, who had more complicated rhythms than I expected. The vocals were mixed too low, but I could still hear the lovely harmonies.<br>
<br>
I then tried to see <strong>Avishag Cohen Rodrigues</strong> at the Local Stage, which turned out to be a rather cramped bar, PANDA platforma, accessible via an inner courtyard. It was full and they were monitoring capacity, so I had to wait in the snow to get in, but thankfully not for long. I couldn’t see anything on the stage, but it sounded like the sort of bedroom electro-industrial music that <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Merchandise">Merchandise</a> used to make. I was just beginning to make sense of it all when they left the stage.<br>
<br>
I returned to the Kesselhaus to see <strong>Tess Parks</strong>. Her dusky voice and the haunted grooves of her band reminded me of Low and Mazzy Star. I again struggled to understand the vocals and I wasn’t quite able to get into the mood, but I enjoyed it anyway. The music was just a bit too languid and mellow. Normally I’d expect that to work for me, but I found it hard to find a good spot in the crowd and I ended up fairly distracted.<br>
<br>
After her set, I tried to go up to the Maschinenhaus to see The Vacant Lots, but I literally could not get in the door. Apparently, no one was monitoring capacity at that time, but they had been at other times and should’ve been then. It was unbelievably packed. Once I realized I couldn’t get in, I tried to turn around, but got stuck against the rest of the crowd still trying to squeeze in. That was deeply uncomfortable. I eventually made it out and again settled in the Kesselhaus to wait for <strong>Tempers</strong>. I’ve enjoyed the darkwave synthpop of their recordings, but they couldn’t replicate the same energy on stage. They appeared as just a vocalist and a guitarist playing over multiple layers of backing tracks. For a moment I thought they might go in a more early <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Beach%20House">Beach House</a> direction, but they had none of the grace or melody, and they relied too much on their tapes. The sound was good, but they had no energy on stage and didn’t really engage with the audience.<br>
<br>
I eventually admitted to myself that I was disappointed and bored, so I left and attempted to see Roomer at the Local Stage. It was again full, and there was a large crowd that wasn’t exactly forming a neat queue, so I didn’t stick around. Instead I went to the Maschinenhaus to see <strong>Roller Derby</strong>. They played a rather straightforward form of new wave pop. Compared to their recordings, the synth seemed downplayed while the two guitars came to the fore and set the mood. The lyrics and music were a bit too light and soft for my tastes, but they sounded good and they were generally upbeat, which helped me feel better after the series of frustrations I’d been running into.<br>
<br>
Then there was <strong>Slowdive</strong>. Finally! They opened with “Slowdive” from their debut release, the <em>Slowdive</em> EP, and followed with “Avalyn”, the second (and third) track from the same EP. I wondered if this was going to be a gimmick, but they branched out from there. (I wouldn’t’ve minded if they’d played their early EPs straight through!) Their setlists haven’t seemed to vary too much since they reunited in 2014; they didn’t play a single song they hadn’t played when <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2017/10/slowdive-isan-live-20171003.html">I last saw them in 2017</a>, and there’s quite a bit of overlap with the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2016/05/levitation-2016-day-1.html">strange show I saw at Levitation in 2016</a>. But as before, I can’t really complain. Every single one of the songs was great, and the sound was huge and enveloping. The interplay of the shimmering guitars was beautiful, even if it’s quite a challenge to distinguish which performer was actually producing which sound. But that doesn’t bother me: it’s the sum total that matters, and when they reached full swing in “Souvlaki Space Station” and “When the Sun Hits”, it was pure bliss. “Catch the Breeze” was once again far superior on stage than the originally recorded version, and “Golden Hair” was extended as usual into a massive, soaring jam. I had my strongest earbuds in and it was right on the line of being uncomfortably loud, which made for a pleasant full-body experience, but I pitied anyone without hearing protection. The only weak links were again a few times when the drums seemed to stumble and the fact that the vocals, especially Rachel Goswell’s, were too low. I’m aware that that’s rather standard for a shoegaze band, but it does lessen the experience.<br>
<br>
Slowdive’s setlist:<br>
01. Slowdive<br>
02. Avalyn<br>
03. Catch the Breeze<br>
04. Crazy for You<br>
05. Souvlaki Space Station<br>
06. Star Roving<br>
07. Blue Skied an’ Clear<br>
08. Sugar for the Pill<br>
09. Alison<br>
10. When the Sun Hits<br>
11. 40 Days<br>
12. Golden Hair [Syd Barrett/James Joyce cover]<br>
<br>
<strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: I’m glad Synästhesie survived the pandemic, that they’re still going strong, and that they pull in a good mix of psychedelic bands from across the spectrum. I think it’s great to stretch their bounds and bring in a somewhat wider range of artists. That said, it’s hard for me to compare my experience this year with the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2019/11/synasthesie-2019-day-1.html">loaded lineup</a> I <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2019/11/synasthesie-2019-day-2.html">saw in 2019</a>. There were also four stages that year compared to three this year. Of course personal taste and prioritization make a difference, but even that year, I complained that the second day didn’t live up to the first. This year I had more problems around overcrowding and simply not being able to get into the smaller stages. I might simply <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/on-transitioning-in-public-spaces.html">be more sensitive than I was three years ago</a>, but I don’t think that’s the whole story. Even taking all that into consideration, I was less impressed than I wish I was. I was bored by too many bands relying too much on backing tracks and not really using the stage to its full effect. And again, the mixing could’ve been better, especially with the vocals. That’s a common complaint for me, especially at festivals, but it really makes a difference for me. I had a good time, but it really could’ve been better for the money.<br>
<br>
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br>
Asteroid #4: A-<br>
Tess Parks: B-<br>
Tempers: C-<br>
Roller Derby: B<br>
Slowdive: A<br>
<br>
P.S. Thanks to Luisa!<br>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-58580393220325810512022-11-19T15:52:00.006+01:002022-11-19T15:54:15.989+01:00Synästhesie 2022 Day 1Venue: Kulturbrauerei<br />
Location: Berlin, Germany<br />
Date: 18 November 2022<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Syn%C3%A4sthesie">Synästhesie</a> was the first (and so far, only) large-scale music festival I’ve attended in Germany, and despite the flaws, I had a great time and intended to return. It didn’t happen in 2020, and I ended up returning my ticket in 2021 (due to covid anxiety, not a refusal to get vaccinated!). This time, despite some continued but milder covid anxiety as well as <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/on-transitioning-in-public-spaces.html">social anxiety and stress</a>, I decided to push myself and give it a try.<br />
<br />
I showed up a bit later than intended and found a long line waiting to get their wristbands. Lesson learned: always show up early on the first day when there’s a one-time check-in. And then I had to contend with the coat check being by the Maschinenhaus and Kesselhaus, but half the bands I wanted to see being in Frannz. All the venues are in the Kulturbrauerei complex, but it’s about a five-minute walk between the two main areas, and in temperatures below zero, that was not a fun journey to make four times, especially with the roving hordes of drunken revelers taking advantage of the half-prepared booths for the impending Christmas market that takes place in the same space.<br />
<br />
I missed the first act I wanted to see, Emerson Snowe, by a longshot, but was still able to catch <strong>Gloria de Oliveira</strong> at Frannz. She sang, played keyboards, and triggered the samples, while her rather timid-seeming band played steady bass, minimalist drums, and ethereal guitar. I was reminded of the softer, lighter moments of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Cocteau%20Twins">The Cocteau Twins</a>, particularly in Oliveira’s strong and idiosyncratic voice. I was enjoying the set until they played a couple songs that were so slow and sparse that the crowd got bored and started talking over the music. Admittedly, they were losing my attention as well. They seemed to leave the stage early after apparently misunderstanding the festival staff telling them to play their last song.<br />
<br />
I trekked back to the main venue and tried to find a spot in the Kesselhaus to see <strong>Tricky</strong>. He took his time getting on stage and was accompanied by a highly rhythmic guitarist, a very funky and active drummer, and a vocalist that he let take more parts than he sang himself. In fact, it might’ve been a full ten minutes before he sang or said anything. I loved their grooves but found the set confusing. When Tricky sang, I could barely make out a single word, and he spent so much time simply moving around without apparently doing anything that I felt like I was missing something. On top of that, he seemed not to be having the best night. He cut one song off after just about a minute, and not long later demanded the stage lights to be turned off, leaving him and the band to play in near darkness. It was a weird vibe. I’ve never quite been able to get into Massive Attack or any other trip-hop band, and this didn’t help me get any closer.<br />
<br />
I left early and went back to Frannz to see <strong>Sonic Boom</strong>, AKA Peter Kember, onetime member of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Spacemen%203">Spacemen 3</a>. Despite having just released an album with Panda Bear of Animal Collective, he said he would be playing his 2020 album <em>All Things Being Equal</em> straight through with no encore. I thought he might be joking, but as he started into the third song, I realized he wasn’t. He appeared with just his electronics and a laser light show, so there wasn’t exactly much happening, and I hadn’t found the album particularly captivating, anyway. It was rather crowded and I was bored, so I bailed.<br />
<br />
I took a chance and went up to the Maschinenhaus to see <strong>Suns of Thyme</strong>. It was also quite crowded, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying the music. The band have been on hiatus for six years and this was their first show back together. By no means would that have been apparent from the performance: they were tight and full of energy. They played psychedelic hard rock with great driving grooves. Each of the instrumentalists played solidly and the balance among them was good. I was impressed.<br />
<br />
When they finished, I came back downstairs to the Kesselhaus to see <strong>Die Nerven</strong>. I’d expected them to already be well into their set, but they were at least 20 minutes late. They eventually appeared while Beethoven’s “Ode an die Freude” played over the PA. They launched into “Europa” from their recent self-titled album, and appeared to be playing the album straight through. They were loud, forceful, and taut, which I intially found intimidating. I found myself enjoying the instrumental work more than I’d expected, and the heavy and dark energy about them made more sense when I realized their lyrics were all piercing socio-political critiques. The songs rocked hard and I let myself get into it. It’s been ages since I’ve seen a noise punk band like that!<br />
<br />
The band cajoled the audience for being tame and sleepy, but I quickly realized that I was also quite tired, perhaps in part from seeing <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/11/stereolab-julien-gasc-live-20221117.html">Stereolab the night before</a>. The intensity took a toll on me, too. So I left early.<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
Gloria de Oliveira: B-<br />
Tricky: C<br />
Suns of Thyme: A-<br />
Die Nerven: B+<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-78759574086298764352022-11-18T16:46:00.004+01:002022-11-29T13:30:06.725+01:00Stereolab / Julien Gasc - Live 2022.11.17 Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin, GermanyOn the same night I saw <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/10/michael-rother-chicks-on-speed-live.html">Michael Rother</a> at <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2019/11/synasthesie-2019-day-1.html">Synästhesie</a> in 2019, I also saw <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Stereolab">Stereolab</a>. Around that time, they’d reissued most of their back catalog. Since then, they still haven’t made any new music, but they’ve released two new double-disc editions of the <em>Switched On</em> series – <em>Electrically Possessed</em> last year, mostly covering latter-day obscurities (which I <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/01/2021-in-review.html">thoroughly enjoyed</a>), and <em>Pulse of the Early Brain</em> this year, which is more of a mixed bag, but still quite good.<br />
<br />
I couldn’t figure out if there was an opener, but unfortunately, there was. Now, I’ve seen <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2008/10/faint-live-20081019.html">some</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2012/03/radiohead-with-other-lives-live.html">great</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2014/04/the-national-with-warpaint-live-20140421.html">opening</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2017/11/ride-dead-horse-one-live-20171105.html">bands</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2018/11/boogarins-lovenjoy-live-20181108-musik.html">in my</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2018/11/peter-murphy-with-david-j-desert.html">time</a> (I mean, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/10/michael-rother-chicks-on-speed-live.html">Chicks on Speed opening for Rother just last month</a> was awesome!), so I usually like to take the chance if I haven’t done my research. But just in case, I usually do a bit of research so I can skip things I’m reasonably confident I won’t enjoy (e.g. <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2012/10/the-smashing-pumpkins-live-20121018.html">The Smashing Pumpkins’ 2012 tour</a> opener, whose name I don’t recall and I didn’t even mention in the review!). And in this case, I think the less I say about <strong>Julien Gasc</strong>, the better. He appeared alone, without even an instrument, and sang lounge pop songs without much movement. I guess he had a decent voice. That’s probably the only positive thing I can say, so I’ll stop there.<br />
<br />
Thankfully <strong>Stereolab</strong> was another matter. They started with the bouncy but somewhat unexciting “Neon Beanbag”, but then picked things up with “Low Fi” from the 1992 EP of the same name, recently reissued (finally!) on the aforementioned <em>Switched On Volume 5: Pulse of the Early Brain</em>. The rendition was relatively tame, but had the classic cozy groove and familiar needling guitar and crunchy keyboard sounds. This set the mold for the night: intermittent album cuts interspersed among a wealth of relative obscurities, most of which can be found on the various <em>Switched On</em> releases. It’s almost like they were trying to do the opposite of their 2019 tour, where their choices formed a bell curve over their discography and mostly focused on the core albums. This time, they overwhelmingly picked from the first few and last few years of their original career. Given the recent releases, that makes sense, although they still haven’t reissued their last few albums. And since every single one of the early tracks that they played was a jam, I’m certainly not gonna complain.<br />
<br />
That said, some songs worked better than others. “Harmonium” was already a strong, upbeat rocker, and then Tim Gane tapped a pedal that activated a loud, swirling overdrive that shook the building, reaching levels of intensity that weren’t even present on the recorded version. But while I liked the idea of trying to bring the looping vocal layers of “I Feel the Air (of Another Planet)” to the stage, it didn’t quite fulfill the vision. Bassist Xavier Muñoz Guimera and keyboardist Joe Watson each added vocal parts, but neither of their voices hits the same way Mary Hansen’s did, and both were just a bit too low and dull in the mix. (The mix overall, including the backing vocals, was quite a bit better than the 2019 Synästhesie show, but still not perfect.) Performing the full four-part suite of “Refractions in the Plastic Pulse” was another bold choice, and while I like the twists and turns in the recording, on stage it felt a bit jarring and even tiring by the end. But “U.H.F. - MFP” and “Mountain” were both great rockers in their early style, and “Super-Electric” was another absolute peak performance. The perfect, locked-in groove of all the instruments was a delight to bathe in while Lætitia Sadier charmingly sang about nuclear apocalypse. They extended the song into an improvised jam, then brought it down to almost nothing before tearing into another round of the chorus.<br />
<br />
The encore was also well-chosen: the strangely sweet b-side “Allures”, followed by another raucous rocker extolling anarchism (“French Disko”), and then an extended space jam. Ironically, “Simple Headphone Mind” was originally Nurse with Wound’s cut-up reworking of “The Long Hair of Death”. But they didn’t play “Long Hair”. They played “Simple Headphone Mind”, including the slightly disturbing, time-stretched vocal samples repeating the title. It started as a kosmische jam based around Watson’s synth noodling and guitar riffing from Gane and Sadier, but increasingly got wilder and weirder, eventually culminating in a heavy, driving version of the final section of “Excursions into ‘Oh, A-Oh’”. That was an excellent way to end the show!<br />
<br />
I wouldn’t could call Stereolab’s performance incredible, but it was impressive and a lot of fun to watch them dance through the many sides of their career, even if I wish they’d’ve played literally anything from <em>Mars Audiac Quintet</em> (1994), still my favorite of their albums. The musicianship was great, and the balance of styles was well-managed. They gave time to their more formalistic and precise pop experimentation as well as their rawer bursts of energy and protest, although I wish they’d been a bit noisier and less shy with the distortion pedals. I imagine that a casual fan might have been a bit confused by the scattershot approach to their discography and sound, but for a dedicated listener, this was quite a treat.<br />
<br />
Setlist:<br />
01. Neon Beanbag<br />
02. Low Fi<br />
03. Eye of the Volcano<br />
04. Refractions in the Plastic Pulse<br />
05. U.H.F. - MFP<br />
06. Miss Modular<br />
07. Mountain<br />
08. Delugeoisie<br />
09. Harmonium<br />
10. I Feel the Air (of Another Planet)<br />
11. Pack Yr Romantic Mind<br />
12. Super-Electric<br />
<br />
Encore:<br />
13. Allures<br />
14. French Disko<br />
15. Simple Headphone Mind → Excursions into “Oh, A-Oh” [second half]<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
Stereolab: B+<br />
Julien Gasc: F<br />
<br />
P.S. Thanks to Alyssa and Uwe!<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-82357041383871722482022-10-30T21:47:00.006+01:002024-03-27T21:16:52.883+01:00Michael Rother / Chicks on Speed - Live 2022.10.26 Betonhalle, Silent Green, Berlin, GermanyI saw Michael Rother shortly before the pandemic at <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2019/11/synasthesie-2019-day-1.html">Synästhesie</a> and thoroughly enjoyed his set, so I didn’t hesitate to buy a ticket to this show, especially since it was billed as “Michael Rother & Friends Celebrate 50 Years Of NEU!”, and it took place in a relatively new venue I’d been curious about since it opened. Silent Green is a cultural space in a former crematorium, one of the first to be opened in former Prussia. Well, it turns out the show was <i>actually</i> in the Betonhalle, which is a new construction <i>next</i> to the crematorium. Still, for being a concrete hall (that’s the translation, and it’s literal), the space was fairly cool.<br />
<br />
I’d been busy and hadn’t paid close attention to who the guests might be until the day of the show. I only really knew Stephen Morris (of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Joy%20Division">Joy Division</a> and <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/New%20Order">New Order</a>) but I was intrigued by the rest and looking forward to some interesting collaborations. Well, my first surprise was that Chicks on Speed appeared as the opening act. Well, actually, the <i>real</i> first surprise was that they had a member of their entourage, Jeremiah Day, come out and instruct the audience on some qigong and contact improvisation to help us rid ourselves of anxieties. He said normally he did these exercises with the band to get them in the right mood, but they asked him to do it for the crowd. That was actually kind of fun.<br />
<br />
And then <b>Chicks on Speed</b> came out. These days they are nominally Melissa Logan and Alex Murray-Leslie, but another person I read as a woman stood behind a laptop and some other gadgets, and Jeremiah also came out to add vocals on one song. Melissa and Alex sang and spoke their way through several songs in fairly fast succession, and the breaks weren’t always so clear. Their music seemed almost entirely pre-recorded, although it was unclear to me what the third person may have contributed. At first I found their vibe chaotic and bizarre. Then I suddenly found myself entranced by their politics, wit, and unconventional grooves. They were loose, but they were incredibly fun to behold. They played two then-unreleased songs, including one titled “Two Songs” to support the release of Julian Assange from prison, which was released two days after the show. I thoroughly enjoyed their a capella version of Delta 5’s classic “Mind Your Own Business”, with words humorously adapted for the contemporary era. Their final number was a version of their biggest “hit”, “We Don’t Play Guitars”, which included Alex playing a high heel shoe outfitted with guitar strings to create a mess of noise.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Dv6p3kNXOR3T7wPLuoGH2yOqEwYGuY7w1QKXxDUoFQ7os9uIk0tSBSPEWO72kIBbi5QXsPQSwZGTqOsHwL2USiIQqoqjzGpDwG17x4pXECTtdEwnWQyDH7_657lxLuPjpGZyVV5ztMoKpWKpQlBOSzlH0nFQYhei4e4N75MWRoc1mt-vnr5grdTPWg/s4453/20221026_202519.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1970" data-original-width="4453" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Dv6p3kNXOR3T7wPLuoGH2yOqEwYGuY7w1QKXxDUoFQ7os9uIk0tSBSPEWO72kIBbi5QXsPQSwZGTqOsHwL2USiIQqoqjzGpDwG17x4pXECTtdEwnWQyDH7_657lxLuPjpGZyVV5ztMoKpWKpQlBOSzlH0nFQYhei4e4N75MWRoc1mt-vnr5grdTPWg/s320/20221026_202519.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Chicks on Speed. Note the high-heel “guitar” by the amp on the left.]</div>
<br />
<b>Michael Rother</b> got right down to business and had little to say, preferring as usual to let the music convey his messages. He was again accompanied by Franz Bargmann on rhythm guitar and Hans Lampe on drums, and they kicked off a setlist that seemed rather familiar to what I’d seen three years ago. The mix was a bit muddy, though, and the crowd got very pushy. Nonetheless, the music was stellar. Rother’s signature shimmering guitar blaze and the insistent motorik beats kept me floating. The first real highlight was Yann Tiersen coming out to play synth on “Sonderangebot” and “Weissensee”, which were medleyed just like on <i>Neu!</i> (1972). Tiersen’s contributions were great; he added tasteful touches that added flavor and detail but didn’t obscure the core vibe. I was disappointed to see him leave.<br />
<br />
The next surprise was Vittoria Maccabruni coming out to sing on “Negativland”, a song that I’ve only ever heard performed in instrumental arrangements. Unfortunately, she was practically inaudible. I liked the idea, and it sounded like it would’ve worked, but I just could not hear her! I caught just a few words here and there and that was it. I could barely even catch the melody. She stayed out after that and switched to synthesizer for three songs, but again, I could barely hear her contributions! I don’t know what the deal was, especially since Tierson hadn’t had any problems. I could just barely make out some bits of her synth, but they were incoherent. The songs in question were a bit too monotonous and static, so without her parts, I found myself mildly bored and increasingly distracted by the pushy crowd. I wondered if they would play something from their collaborative album, <i>As Long as the Light</i> (2022), but it didn't seem that they did. Besides, most of the album is minimal downbeat techno, with Rother’s parts relegated to texture and soundscape rather than showcasing his signature sound like the live set did.<br />
<br />
And that was about it. I never actually saw Stephen Morris until I checked the website again and saw he was listed as a DJ! Sure enough, he was still over at the turntables. Admittedly I had been enjoying the house music more than I usually do, but it hadn’t really occurred to me that he wouldn’t be performing with Rother on stage. I also found it odd that Chicks on Speed had vocally expressed a desire to perform with Rother, but they did not come back out. That would’ve been awesome, although I have no idea what they would’ve done together.<br />
<br />
I came away feeling rather disappointed. I’d enjoyed most of Rother’s set, and yet my expectations had been set high, both by the last show I saw and by the marketing as a Neu! tribute. He did a slightly higher concentration of Neu! songs than last time, but it was overall quite similar, and he again didn’t play any of the songs that more obviously bear the mark of his erstwhile bandmate Klaus Dinger. I mean, he recently appeared on stage with <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Iggy%20Pop">Iggy Pop</a> to do a truly inspired take on “Hero”, and I would’ve loved to see something like that. Alas. I’m surprised to report that I think I enjoyed the Chicks on Speed set more than Rother’s. I think my experience was all about expectations: I was hyped up by the marketing, and I don’t think I quite got what I was sold. Meanwhile, I didn’t even know Chicks on Speed would be performing, and their set was entrancing and jubilant.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwGZRHZbUbaS6T5oo4Iu9Ic1HErpKjQs2yoNbHXq5SiHme7z7a8xoA1YtroxQa5AqfiJ7oEY0eLBP3eDEEPQumpdTWo3UsB6W66bEj5FefiltgSrrXarvvexrhhloUbybS2HuzfW6QJgUlUrMTqzRtjzUV6MOt6dYd6NpTeFjw9VC-inntw4QlVsCHw/s2254/20221026_222748.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="2254" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwGZRHZbUbaS6T5oo4Iu9Ic1HErpKjQs2yoNbHXq5SiHme7z7a8xoA1YtroxQa5AqfiJ7oEY0eLBP3eDEEPQumpdTWo3UsB6W66bEj5FefiltgSrrXarvvexrhhloUbybS2HuzfW6QJgUlUrMTqzRtjzUV6MOt6dYd6NpTeFjw9VC-inntw4QlVsCHw/s320/20221026_222748.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Michael Rother with Vittoria Maccabruni.]</div>
<br />
Michael Rother’s setlist (approximate):<br />01. Neuschnee<br />02. Isi<br />03. Seeland<br />04. Veteranissimo [Harmonia song]<br />05. Deluxe (Immer wieder) [Harmonia song]<br />06. Sonderangebot → Weissensee [with Yann Tiersen on synth]<br />07. Zyklodrom<br />08. Hallogallo<br />09. Negativland [with Vittoria Maccabruni on vocals]<br />
10. Groove 139 [with Vittoria on synth]<br />
11. Dino [Harmonia song, with Vittoria on synth]<br />
12. E-Musik [with Vittoria on synth]<br />
13. Im Glück<br />
<br />
Note that I might’ve mixed up a few things, and the trio near the end with Vittoria on synth kind of blurred together, so I might’ve gotten them wrong. I also didn’t label the Neu! songs since most of them were!<br />
<br />
Chicks on Speed’s setlist (incomplete):<br />
1. Shooting from the Hip<br />
2. Two Songs<br />
3. Mind Your Own Business [Delta 5 cover]<br />
4. Utopia<br />5. We Don’t Play Guitars<br />
<br />
<b>Scores</b>:<br />
Michael Rother: B-<br />
Chicks on Speed: A-<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-47647787957542703642022-10-06T17:26:00.004+02:002022-11-19T16:18:27.656+01:00Godspeed You! Black Emperor / Tashi Dorji - Live 2022.09.28 Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin, GermanyWhen Godspeed first scheduled this show for February, I passed on it. I wasn’t feeling safe enough to go. But then they rescheduled it, and with not much else on my concert calendar, I decided to give it a go. Thankfully it wasn’t sold out, but it was quite full.<br />
<br />
I was a big fan of their latest album, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/01/2021-in-review.html"><em>G_d’s Pee at State’s End!</em></a> (2021) as well as the one before it, <em>Luciferian Towers</em> (2017). I mean, they really don’t have a bad album (or EP), and somehow they just keep coming. <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2015/09/godspeed-you-black-emperor-xylouris.html">The last time I saw them was in 2015</a> (in <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Austin">Austin</a>) when they were touring for <em>Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress</em>, although they played most of what would become <em>Luciferian Towers</em> as well. They don’t seem to have continued the trend anymore of previewing new work in concert years before it appears on record, but that’s okay. No one’s gonna complain with anything from their back catalog!<br />
<br />
First, though, the opener: <b>Tashi Dorji</b>. He appeared alone with just his electric guitar. He played one extended piece (a little over a half-hour) that sounded mostly improvised, although it may have contained elements or motifs from more solidified works. At first, I thought he might move in a metal-leaning, riff-heavy direction, but he got increasingly experimental and unconventional as he progressed. His sound and style were familiar to me from <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/St.%20Louis%20Noise%20Fest">the noise scene</a> that I was once interested in and <a href="https://entropicalfruit.bandcamp.com/">loosely involved with</a> in <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/St.%20Louis">St. Louis</a>. I heard and saw bits of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Sonic%20Youth">Sonic Youth</a> in the prepared instrument manipulations and unusual techniques. A few sections used loops to build a soundbed or occasionally a hint of rhythm over which Tashi continued to improvise. Rarely was there something approaching melodic content, and when there was, it seemed to appear almost as if by accident. It was a rather dissonant performance, which made it more than a bit challenging. It certainly wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t entirely captivating, either. It felt a bit aimless or directionless despite the dynamics, and I have no idea what, if anything, was intended to be conveyed.<br />
<br />
Thankfully <b>Godspeed You! Black Emperor</b> didn’t make us wait too long before they emerged, although at first it was just Thierry Amar on double bass and Sophie Trudeau on violin, playing a rather minimal piece. The projectionist (presumably either Karl Lemieux or Philippe Leonard, but I’m not sure which) started the scratchy imagery that occasionally yielded the word “Hope”, cluing us in that this was an iteration of their apparently now standard introductory “Hope Drone”. The rest of the band slowly shuffled out and picked up instruments. They kept it fairly restrained and didn’t quite let it build like most of their larger works.<br />
<br />
As the drone wound down, they slid into the opening guitar riff of “Job’s Lament / First of the Last Glaciers” from their latest album. They played it fairly faithfully to the album, as they also did with “Cliffs Gaze”. Both nonetheless sounded huge and especially dramatic in the live rendition. The projections for both showed scenes of winter snow in the city (presumably Montreal?). The scenes were sparse and quiet without much human activity. During “Glaciers”, the imagery gradually shifted to springtime and more shots of nature, but in “Cliffs Gaze”, the imagery concentrated around the juxtaposition of graves and shots of of piles from a crumbling pier. Both seemed to presage environmental catastrophe.<br />
<br />
The rest of the songs were scattered from their back catalog, and they played with the textures more and allowed them to deviate from the recorded versions. “Anthem for No State” (from <em>Luciferian Towers</em>) is already a classic, and its political urgency felt stronger than ever. It was accompanied by imagery of stock exchanges and buildings, which I believe had been used to accompany the other major piece from its album, “Bosses Hang”, when I saw them perform it in 2015.<br />
<br />
“World Police and Friendly Fire” (from <em>Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven</em>, 2000) and “The Sad Mafioso” (from their debut, <em>F♯ A♯ ∞</em>, 1997) were both powerful and perhaps even further expanded and more adventurous than their studio versions. The latter’s video accompaniment included updated international protest footage, including Black Lives Matter protestors as well as shots with banners in German. As it drew to a close, the band seemed to seque into “Drugs in Tokyo” (which also followed it on the 1998 CD reissue). After the band slowly left the stage one by one, they left behind them a series of looped drones. (Even the projectionist left a slide loop running.) After a while, bassist Mauro Pezzente and drummer/percussionist/glockspielist Timothy Herzog came back out and manipulated the various amplifiers and pedal boards for a while. They slowly turned off each board and amp as they moved around, eventually reducing the layers down to silence. As per usual, there was no encore in the traditional sense, unless you count the loop manipulation.<br />
<br />
This show was great. Unlike the last time I saw them, the mix was superb. I could usually distinctly hear all eight instrumentalists, although it was easy to let their sounds intermingle into an awesome whole. The ups and downs and subtle curves of their songs carried me along and conveyed the heaviness of their concerns. I was surprised to realize how much of the melody was carried by Trudeau’s violin, and also that she occasionally used guitar effects on her instrument, such as light phasing on “Anthem for No State”. Efrim Menuck’s bulldozer guitar may introduce and lead several songs, but it’s the interplay with the other guitarists (Mike Moya and David Bryant) that make it cohere and blossom. Similarly, the dynamics between the two bassists (Amar and Pezzente) and the two drummer/percussionists (Aidan Girt and Herzog) yielded a harmonic and rhythmic complexity that isn’t necessarily obvious at first glance, but unfolds with careful listening (and a good sound system). I suppose that’s the appeal of the band: they sound huge and epic, but the subtlety and finesse in their compositions is what keeps me listening again and again.<br />
<br />
Setlist:<br />
1. Hope Drone<br />
2. Job’s Lament → First of the Last Glaciers<br />
3. Anthem for No State<br />
4. Cliffs Gaze<br />
5. World Police and Friendly Fire<br />
6. The Sad Mafioso → Drugs in Tokyo<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
Godspeed You! Black Emperor: A<br />
Tashi Dorji: C<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuGVm-bY221qZcHVAxxE93nqrUoqhEuZyav8pRy_KX1_w4LestW0a_xp3fxuVuY_XEevC7r7lw69KXzBSfN98VqmhHNrYeB45oKAzp_C3KCkR-WrdEvslXl5Rh7bnzN6f2-SbyAEEPyjIPS9MjJIV0KcTWMfkcpZgaMa_EQnB_OXR5OM07kz7t_LdKw/s2728/20220928_212256.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1325" data-original-width="2728" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuGVm-bY221qZcHVAxxE93nqrUoqhEuZyav8pRy_KX1_w4LestW0a_xp3fxuVuY_XEevC7r7lw69KXzBSfN98VqmhHNrYeB45oKAzp_C3KCkR-WrdEvslXl5Rh7bnzN6f2-SbyAEEPyjIPS9MjJIV0KcTWMfkcpZgaMa_EQnB_OXR5OM07kz7t_LdKw/s320/20220928_212256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[The best shot I could get with their anti-theatrical lighting and my old phone.]</div>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-85641706490992863452022-09-07T21:46:00.001+02:002022-09-07T21:46:34.576+02:00Anfängerfehler - Anfängerfehler (EP, 2022)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphVDZgKUS1LAlo757737gc5EBO_t8uk2m1eZkclvhDHD3LTiOLV_3LazUU9UXN_MEHdQheTj8w2JqzX5o0IY2FWirdHvwWTcisy4pqV2un8_oIckW0TFUFUSnZNtrsbqV5SwW8Gf01cgti1e7YxbQXND2lkO2rRXoMaigbiopWgcA7VpqzAzO727Gsg/s2800/cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="2800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphVDZgKUS1LAlo757737gc5EBO_t8uk2m1eZkclvhDHD3LTiOLV_3LazUU9UXN_MEHdQheTj8w2JqzX5o0IY2FWirdHvwWTcisy4pqV2un8_oIckW0TFUFUSnZNtrsbqV5SwW8Gf01cgti1e7YxbQXND2lkO2rRXoMaigbiopWgcA7VpqzAzO727Gsg/s320/cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Check out this <a href="https://anfaengerfehler.bandcamp.com/">new EP from Anfängerfehler</a>! This is Tim Howard of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Soltero">Soltero</a>’s German-language project. The name translates to “beginner’s mistake(s)”, alluding to Tim’s journey of learning German. The EP features three lovely, carefully produced songs full of wistful atmosphere and subtle wit. It’s a pleasant listen even if you can’t understand the words, but all the better if you do. I can’t claim any credit for the recordings, but I played these three songs live with Tim at the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/03/upcoming-show-with-soltero.html">Soltero show back in March</a>. Sooner or later we’ll get another chance to present them to you in person, but until then, enjoy the EP!<br>
<br>
Tracklist:<br>
1. Ich atme zum ersten Mal<br>
2. Weihnachten ist vorbei<br>
3. Strohwitwer<br>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-50413537369504001002022-09-04T15:22:00.006+02:002022-11-29T13:33:30.866+01:00Bauhaus / Hope - Live 2022.08.22 Zitadelle Spandau, Berlin, Germany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUd7psU0usenL8131WYWefycayPkkuGzfivACFoVEWDy8PfLly5i_dtEVcw2ERpCVbImiu3BEqqqtPphIgUvUcmEpN6HR9fFeZwcLr2T4K6XxCL9-3u90qDFYRlvZGvDpCUsnajaRcx9reoAanajMGSNgXVGiBo76Dm71MEjCnudWZGi1ZjcnNfKCLA/s3037/IMG_6178.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1729" data-original-width="3037" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUd7psU0usenL8131WYWefycayPkkuGzfivACFoVEWDy8PfLly5i_dtEVcw2ERpCVbImiu3BEqqqtPphIgUvUcmEpN6HR9fFeZwcLr2T4K6XxCL9-3u90qDFYRlvZGvDpCUsnajaRcx9reoAanajMGSNgXVGiBo76Dm71MEjCnudWZGi1ZjcnNfKCLA/s320/IMG_6178.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Bauhaus.]</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Finally. I finally saw Bauhaus. They are one of the first bands I got into as a young person that I still enjoy today; I bought <em>Gotham</em> in 2002. And 20 years later, I <em>finally</em> got to see them live. Apparently, I got <em>really</em> lucky, because they’ve <a href="https://www.stereogum.com/2198086/bauhaus-cancel-north-american-tour-dates-as-peter-murphy-enters-rehab/news/">canceled their North American tour dates due to Peter Murphy entering rehab</a>.<br />
<br />
But first was <b>Hope</b>, a local Berlin band. They played a very sparse and minimal take on darkwave. Maybe I could even call it goth rock, but it didn’t really rock. The guitarist’s tone was very much in the spirit of Daniel Ash, albeit even more reliant on heavy effects and atmosphere over riffs or chords. I don’t think there was a single song that had something I’d label a “solo”. The musicianship was good, but it was so vague that I found it rather unexciting. The last song finally broke out of the mold and really picked up some steam as the vocalist repeated “don’t touch me”. That was powerful. But of the rest I can hardly remember anything.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8TcqBzdj9EdmOZZ7yIyCg7iq9L7T_RO7AItSlzb0wJilS13VWneDh-BikoXd2HEveeKmeOF_fxC8gPsr5d4eoIWHZWyP0S-EyTIaoEgnmuJHkbsHe451XDWUATPvI1TqKuI1xGV2O9RRXSF73xnitZ6KhWG6ZqncEssfwygv60-YFSHRrXxP3m4M3Q/s3612/IMG_6170.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2308" data-original-width="3612" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8TcqBzdj9EdmOZZ7yIyCg7iq9L7T_RO7AItSlzb0wJilS13VWneDh-BikoXd2HEveeKmeOF_fxC8gPsr5d4eoIWHZWyP0S-EyTIaoEgnmuJHkbsHe451XDWUATPvI1TqKuI1xGV2O9RRXSF73xnitZ6KhWG6ZqncEssfwygv60-YFSHRrXxP3m4M3Q/s320/IMG_6170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Hope.]</div>
<br /><b>
Bauhaus</b> took their time coming out to the stage, and I hadn’t expected an opening band, so I (and seemingly most of the crowd) were a bit impatient. The lights eventually dropped and a loud drone could be heard, akin to Ash’s guitar buzz at the start of “Dark Entries”, but alas, that was just a tape, and it went on for something like 15 minutes. It seemed like some sort of endurance test!<br />
<br />
When they finally did come out, the used their typically stark and theatrical white lighting and thick fog machines to play with the shadows. <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/David%20J">David J</a> wore his typical attire of a suit and sunglasses. Ash had a sort of wild mohawk and flamboyant boas over sparkling clothes. <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Peter%20Murphy">Peter Murphy</a> looked like royalty, with a bald head, a sparkling polka dot shirt, and a freaking <em>scepter</em>. Kevin Haskins was the only one who seemed remarkably conventional, and he quietly took his spot behind the kit. Murphy immediately owned the stage and exuded a commanding presence. Ash tried to showboat some, but it didn’t work the same, and his somewhat more macho energy didn’t quite match the vibe. (Nor did it distract.)<br />
<br />
Their choice of opener, “Rosegarden Funeral of Sores”, was perhaps unexpected, but from there they ran through the superb opening triple salvo from <em>In the Flat Field</em> (1980). I wondered if they were going to do the whole album, much as Murphy and J did on their joint 2018 tour, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2018/11/peter-murphy-with-david-j-desert.html">which I caught in Berlin</a>. Thankfully, they diverged, although they still did “Spy in the Cab”, one of their weakest songs, for reasons I cannot fathom. In fact, the setlists were quite similar, just rearranged. The duo actually played <em>more</em> songs in 2018, although mostly just the rest of the album. Only “Dark Entries” (which ironically was the set <em>closer</em>) and “Sister Midnight” were unique to this. Apparently “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything” was on the setlist as second encore, and I even saw a stagehand bring out an acoustic guitar, but the band did not return to play it. That would’ve been such a delight!<br />
<br />
Other than the new cover, they really didn’t take any risks. The vibe was familiar, the songs were the same, and the staging was unchanged. I don’t blame them for not playing their one new recording, “Drink the New Wine”, since it was an exquisite corpse-style studio creation, but their catalog is quite varied. They had a few extra instruments and tricks (mostly just things for Murphy to jam on during instrumentals like the dubby outro of “She’s in Parties”), but they also relied on a few samples. That wasn’t particularly distracting, but it occurred to me that the noise running through “Adrenalin” is one of its defining features. It’s an unusually static song for the band. There’s just one sound the whole way through with hardly any dynamics. Considering that it was the only song from their last album (<a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2017/02/a-few-thoughts-on-peter-murphy-in-21st.html"><em>Go Away White</em></a>, 2008) that they played, it felt like an incongruous choice.<br />
<br />
But what can I say? They’re still really powerful on stage. You can hardly tell their age. Murphy’s voice has gotten better over time, if anything. They weren’t as tight as they could’ve been, but they certainly weren’t loose, and I’d still say they nailed the songs across the board. They’ve got their shtick figured out. Even if it is predictable, it’s thoroughly enjoyable.<br />
<br />
Setlist:<br />
01. Rosegarden Funeral of Sores [John Cale cover]<br />
02. Double Dare<br />
03. In the Flat Field<br />
04. A God in an Alcove<br />
05. In Fear of Fear<br />
06. Spy in the Cab<br />
07. She’s in Parties<br />
08. Kick in the Eye<br />
09. Bela Lugosi’s Dead<br />
10. Silent Hedges<br />
11. The Passion of Lovers<br />
12. Stigmata Martyr<br />
13. Dark Entries<br />
<br />
Encore:<br />
14. Sister Midnight [Iggy Pop cover]<br />
15. Adrenalin<br />
16. Telegram Sam [T. Rex cover] →<br />
17. Ziggy Stardust [David Bowie cover]<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
Bauhaus: B+<br />
Hope: C+<br />
<br />
P.S. <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/on-transitioning-in-public-spaces.html">In my last post</a>, I griped about my recent concertgoing experiences and openly wondered if seeing live music was going to continue to be a pleasurable hobby for me. I’m happy to say this concert was a refreshing return to something akin to “normal”. I still got pushed around and smoked upon more than I’d like, but generally people were much more chill and respectful. It probably helped that it was at an awesome venue (It’s a medieval fortress! With bats at sunset! I still can’t get over that!) and it wasn’t nearly as crowded as the <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/patti-smith-live-20220610-zitadelle.html">Patti Smith show in June</a> at the same venue. I wonder if the overwhelming countercultural orientation of the crowd had an impact. At any rate, it’s always fun to admire the goth fashions!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOT6Pz2rb3lBdX6EJ7W8KgXqJX323tnJ_ZNIR4CtIgd91alrkPaEEs9Vq5W2baveqboogkDL5XfYe1ii2AzB1fouztrJ0TjzHsVrWMBlHyB8b9rEJGb0qxBxKTbfGZ1udydgKrEESIRqoyqkee0bgm8KINH9GscOEKdSt4RB_fKQ3tA34i-GGCiYaowQ/s3259/IMG_6185.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1968" data-original-width="3259" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOT6Pz2rb3lBdX6EJ7W8KgXqJX323tnJ_ZNIR4CtIgd91alrkPaEEs9Vq5W2baveqboogkDL5XfYe1ii2AzB1fouztrJ0TjzHsVrWMBlHyB8b9rEJGb0qxBxKTbfGZ1udydgKrEESIRqoyqkee0bgm8KINH9GscOEKdSt4RB_fKQ3tA34i-GGCiYaowQ/s320/IMG_6185.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Bauhaus again.]</div>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-14431778048346563932022-06-18T11:31:00.001+02:002022-06-20T16:47:41.036+02:00On Transitioning in Public SpacesI’ve been avoiding writing some version of this post for some time, but here we are.<br />
<br />
Okay. I’m trans. If you’ve been reading this for a while, if you follow my <a href="https://twitter.com/chromapparition">Twitter</a>, or if you know me from elsewhere, you’ve probably noticed something going on. I mean, this blog used to be named after me, or rather my birth name. It was embedded in the URL! But in 2020, during the pandemic that seemed to destroy everybody’s mental and/or physical health, I was stuck at home, slowly falling apart as I finally took the time to try to make sense out of my seemingly permanently confused gender identity. Beyond that and the fact that live music wasn’t really happening, I was also faced with a conundrum of writing for a website whose very name misrepresented me to my core.<br />
<br />
First I had to find my own name. I went with the most obvious choice to me, the only choice that ever really made sense to me: Patti. Is it an homage to <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Patti%20Smith">Patti Smith</a>? Well, sorta. I mean, it is. It’s not like I can even defend every song of hers, or every thing she’s ever done. But unlike plenty of producers of mainstream media, she’s always been one to openly subvert society’s expectation of gender performance, and I have always admired that in a unique way. At a certain point, I had to just move forward and stop endlessly questioning every decision I had to make. I accepted the uncertainty, the risk, and the vulnerability. What else could I do? Delaying further became increasingly painful.<br />
<br />
And then I had to rename the website. Now it’s Metronomic Underground, a blatant reference to one of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Stereolab">Stereolab</a>’s most <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2015/04/on-meaning-of-krautrock-and-kosmische.html">kosmische</a> songs. In the process, I undertook the tedious task of updating every single internal link on the blog. I also had to rename my musical pseudonym. Ironically, I had originally chosen <a href="https://thenowhereman.bandcamp.com/">The Nowhere Man</a> in 2008 specifically in reference to the agender or genderfluid character in the <em>Yellow Submarine</em> film, which fascinated me since childhood. However, the drawbacks associated with that name had become too great. For one thing, there’s a million other people also using it. So now I’m <a href="https://chromaticapparition.bandcamp.com/">Chromatic Apparition</a>. I think it suits me and my music better.<br />
<br />
Earlier this year, I’d decided I should try to write a post in commemoration of this blog’s 15th anniversary, sort of like I had <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2017/05/ten-years-of-music-reviews.html">for the 10th</a>, in order to properly introduce the new blog name. I also wanted to celebrate five years in <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Berlin">Berlin</a> and perhaps allude to my personal changes. But life got in the way and I never found the time. It didn’t help that I didn’t really know what to say.<br />
<br />
Well, now I do. As previously posted, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/ian-fisher-accidental-bird-live.html">I went to</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220601.html">five</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220606.html">concerts</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/beach-house-white-flowers-live-20220608.html">in the span</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/patti-smith-live-20220610-zitadelle.html">of two weeks</a> after a very long lull. <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/09/bernadette-la-hengst-der-chor-der.html">I’ve written some</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/01/2021-in-review.html">about the experience</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220601.html">of live music</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220606.html">during a pandemic</a>, particularly now that most people are ignoring it, downplaying it, denying it, or trying to find their peace with it and have a good time despite it. But something else struck me hard these past two weeks. In the past, despite timidly identifying as non-binary, I believe I was generally seen as a man and afforded some of the typical privileges of men. At this point, I’m about a year into hormone replacement therapy, and I seem to be generally treated as a woman, which usually brings me joy. However, people in public spaces treat me quite a bit differently now, which does <em>not</em> always bring me joy!<br />
<br />
At all of the four large-scale concerts I recently attended, I experienced multiple incidents of people threatening my space in ways I’d rarely dealt with before. I was pushed and jostled constantly without any sign of concern or apology. I was hit hard with a bag without any sort of acknowledgment. People repeatedly intruded into my space without comment. When I protested, I was often completely ignored, as if I didn’t exist. I stood powerless as a man used his female partner as a battering ram to barge into my spot. He had the presence of mind to ask if he was bothering anyone, but when I responded in the affirmative, he looked right past me and pretended not to hear. The <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/beach-house-white-flowers-live-20220608.html">Beach House show</a> was probably the worst experience of them all, despite that that was the one show to which I hadn’t gone alone. My partner, who is also a woman, intervened on my behalf on two occasions, but was only barely met with better success.<br />
<br />
My life in public spaces outside of concerts hasn’t been much better. I’ve had men blatantly cut me off and push into my space on public transit. I get interrupted more often. I’ve been overlooked and ignored by service personnel at bars and in other queues. I’ve had bored men start talking to me and asking me questions despite my obvious disinterest.<br />
<br />
It’s not like none of these things happened to me before. They did. But it was different. It was infrequent and less of a pattern. It wasn’t every time I went out. If I spoke up, I could usually get my aggressor’s attention and sometimes even argue for my space back. I mean, even the way people <em>look</em> at me has changed. Men used to make eye contact in order to assess how threatening I might be, and I always looked away first and presumably made it clear who was dominant. Women rarely made eye contact with me if not necessary. While earlier in transition, I was frequently looked at with confusion or open disgust or contempt, and that hasn’t completely gone away. Now, if I don’t get that treatment, men size up my body; my eyes are an afterthought. On the other hand, women do actually look at me now, and sometimes we even politely negotiate for an open seat on public transit; at least, until a man simply skips right past us and takes it for himself.<br />
<br />
I’m aware that there are other factors at play here as well. I was never particularly fond of large crowds, and I didn’t exactly enjoy many of the physical aspects of going to concerts. I’ve probably lost some of the resistance to that discomfort that I built up over the years before the pandemic. I also know that people are restless at the moment and ready to party hard to make up for the time they feel they’ve lost. There are probably still plenty of people who still aren’t comfortable with concerts, which means the balance of people who do show up is perhaps skewed towards the rowdier, ruder, and more reckless fans.<br />
<br />
This is all profoundly bizarre for me. Everything about transitioning is bizarre. I don’t say that to mean anything negative about transitioning in itself. It’s rather the experience of transitioning in society that is needlessly stigmatized and uniquely challenging. I’ve never been happier with my identity and my body, and yet there are countless struggles in practically every facet of my life. I just want to live my life, seek the care and community I need, and not have to worry about my safety or comfort any more than I did in the past. But if my concertgoing experiences continue in this trend, it is not likely that I will be going out as often as I did in, say, <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2019/">2019</a>. I’m not happy about that. I don’t know how else to feel right now. Maybe I’ll find some other way to spend my time and money. Or maybe I’ll build my confidence and learn to assert my needs more effectively.<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-50723970126822457282022-06-15T19:21:00.000+02:002022-06-15T19:21:11.353+02:00Patti Smith - Live 2022.06.10 Zitadelle Spandau, Berlin, GermanyThis show was both the last of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/ian-fisher-accidental-bird-live.html">a busy</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220601.html">two-week</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220606.html">run of</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/beach-house-white-flowers-live-20220608.html">five shows</a> and the last one that I’ve been holding a ticket for since 2019. This one was at least outdoors, so I was hoping it’d be a bit less cramped and humid than <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/beach-house-white-flowers-live-20220608.html">the last</a>.<br />
<br />
Patti Smith hasn’t released a proper new album since <em>Banga</em> in 2012, but that hasn’t stopped her from periodic touring. She’s also 75, which doesn’t seem to be stopping her, either. She did release <em>Live at Electric Lady</em> last year as a Spotify exclusive, but otherwise she hasn’t released much new music. With a catalog like hers, she doesn’t need to, and besides, she’s been busy with other projects, in particular her writing. I assumed the songs from the live EP/album (it’s seven songs, so take your pick) would form the basis of her set, but otherwise I didn’t know what to expect. As it turned out, that assumption didn’t hold at all: the only song from it that she played was her low-key take on Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings”. I would’ve absolutely loved to see her do Stevie Wonder’s “Blame It On the Sun”, but that one doesn’t seem to have entered regular rotation.<br />
<br />
That said, the songs she did choose were an excellent bunch, well-scattered from throughout her long career. I note with pleasure that there was only an overlap of five songs with <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2017/08/patti-smith-live-20170815.html">her last appearance in Berlin</a> (at the same venue), all of which are among her absolute best. At that last show, I complained a bit that some songs felt a bit slow and the overall vibe was a bit downbeat and lacking in strength and energy. Smith was playing with the same band as before, but this time was completely different. The band were tight and the set was generally quiet upbeat and energetic. Patti was full of enthusiasm and passion. Her son Jackson’s solos were generally stronger, more melodic, and more creative. There was hardly a dull moment!<br />
<br />
Of course the old classics like “Redondo Beach” and “Free Money” went over well, but I also really enjoyed “Don’t Say Nothing”, a song with a great groove and an even better lyric about dealing with the guilt of not speaking up when someone speaks hatefully of another. Patti read the “footnote” section of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” without musical accompaniment, despite that her song “Spell” uses the same words <em>with</em> musical arrangement. It was nonetheless powerful and felt like a throwback to her earlier days, when she more regularly mixed poetry and song in her live performances. She stumbled at a couple points, yet never let it get away from her. The audience was completely transfixed.<br />
<br />
As usual, Patti left the stage for a brief break and let keyboardist/bassist Tony Shanahan and guitarist Lenny Kaye each take their turn at a beloved cover. Both rocked hard, and then Patti returned and followed that up with “25th Floor”, which rocked even harder. She said she remembered the exact day she wrote it (December 10, 1976) because it was the night that Fred “Sonic” Smith (Jackson’s father) first kissed her. The one misstep of the night was the next number, “Nine”, written as a birthday present some years ago for Johnny Depp, whose birthday was the night before. Patti didn’t mention him by name, nor did she address his recent controversies, but the performance nonetheless felt like a show of support, which bothered me in some way. It doesn’t help that the song (published in 2012!) contains an appropriated slur for Romani people. She should know better! Interestingly, the audience also did not seem amused, but for different reasons. Both that song and the following (“One Too Many Mornings”) were performed in quieter, acoustic-oriented arrangements, and I heard a surprising number of demands for “rock and roll”. I don’t mind a little variety or a pause for breath during an otherwise quite vigorous performance, but apparently that was too much for some.<br />
<br />
At any rate, the punters got what they wanted. The rest of the set returned to her most exuberant and rocking classics. I certainly wasn’t going to complain about that! Several of her songs carry an incredible transcendence, but it’s still tough to beat Patti’s gleefully gender-bending and guilt-averse take on Them’s “Gloria”. For the encore, they predictably played “People Have the Power”, but to my surprise, Smith picked up an electric guitar and delivered a wild noise solo at the end!<br />
<br />
Several times throughout the night, both during songs and between them, Smith spoke to the crowd about topical issues, in particular gun violence, war, and political liberation. It’s the sort of thing that would probably come across as inauthentic or painfully over-earnest by most performers. But Smith has a way of commanding a space and exuding confidence that change is possible and within our reach. Honestly, it’s inspiring. I admire that she can take her already-political songs and guide them into new territory to address the present day.<br />
<br />
If I can overlook my annoyance with “Nine”, this was close to a perfect show. The songs were great, the performances were solid, and the mix was quite good despite being outdoors. It was quite crowded, which was fairly uncomfortable at times, but again, at least it was outside. Smith claimed it was her largest show ever in Berlin. The Zitadelle holds somewhere between 5000 and 10000 people, so it’s certainly possible. Somehow Smith has avoided falling into obscurity and seems to only gain credibility and popularity with time. I’m impressed that her idiosyncratic and lyrical take on rock music translates as well as it does!<br />
<br />
Here’s the setlist:<br />
01. The Wicked Messenger [Bob Dylan cover]<br />
02. Redondo Beach<br />
03. Grateful<br />
04. Free Money<br />
05. Footnote to “Howl” [Allen Ginsberg reading]<br />
06. Don’t Say Nothing<br />
07. Dancing Barefoot<br />
08. Beneath the Southern Cross / Within You Without You [The Beatles cover tease]<br />
09. Stone Free [Jimi Hendrix Experience cover, lead vocals by Tony Shanahan]<br />
10. I Wanna Be Your Dog [The Stooges cover, lead vocals by Lenny Kaye]<br />
11. 25th Floor<br />
12. Nine<br />
13. One Too Many Mornings [Bob Dylan cover]<br />
14. Because the Night<br />
15. Pissing in a River<br />
16. Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria [Them adaptation]<br />
<br />
Encore:<br />
17. People Have the Power<br />
<br />
<strong>Score</strong>: A<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-18474666621953268812022-06-13T21:43:00.004+02:002022-11-22T09:44:38.822+01:00 Beach House / White Flowers - Live 2022.06.08 Columbiahalle, Berlin, GermanyBeach House released their latest album, <em>Once Twice Melody</em>, in four parts over the end of 2021 into 2022. It’s a logical successor to <em>7</em> (2018), but more varied, and with a few surprises like (<em>gasp</em>) acoustic guitar! It’s as beautiful as any of their albums, almost as good as their best, and full of instant classics. They’ve clearly figured out a vibe that works, and they’re not going to give that up anytime soon. They don’t need to. Anyway, if I recall correctly, this show was announced at the same time as the first part was released in November last year. Despite my intense covid anxiety at the time, I bought a ticket, hoping for a better global health situation by the time the show came around. Indeed, things are a little better, and obviously this wasn’t my <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220601.html">first major concert</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220606.html">of the season</a>. Still, it was my first for which I bought the ticket during the pandemic, as opposed to merely being rescheduled from 2020. Does that matter? Probably not.<br />
<br />
The show started with <b>White Flowers</b>, a duo that is ripping off Beach House so hard that I’m almost surprised that they tolerate it. I guess imitation is flattery? I tried to study them closely to discern what made them unique. Certainly the format of an ethereal, waify keyboardist/singer with a seemingly shy guitarist looked familiar. But the guitar was in a different style, more like the spacier, upper “lead” bits of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Chameleons">the Chameleons</a>. However, unlike them, they lacked the more grounded lower part to counterbalance that. Instead, they just relied on synthesized drums and bass, which sucked away some of their energy and left nothing to really drive the rhythm live. Their sound was pleasant and warm, but a bit too hazy and vague for me to grasp.<br />
<br /><b>
Beach House</b> certainly took their time coming out, and the crowd was impatient and rowdier than I’d expected. The audience had completely ignored the opener and talked straight through their set, but thankfully settled down a notch for the headliner. Just like their last tour, or at least consistent with <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2018/10/beach-house-sound-of-ceres-live.html">the show they played in Berlin in 2018</a>, Beach House came out as a three-piece. Vocalist/keyboardist Victoria Legrand and guitarist/bassist/backing vocalist Alex Scally were joined once again by James Barone on drums, but no one else on supporting keyboards, unlike their <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2016/11/sound-on-sound-festival-2016-day-2.html">2016 appearances</a> <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2016/04/beach-house-chamanas-live-20160411.html">that I saw</a>. I initially thought that they too were relying on samples to fill the missing space, but the more I watched, the more I realized that a lot of their parts were really carefully looped, and Alex was providing most of the low-end with bass pedals! I’m sure there were still some samples (a few songs are built on drum machines, and I caught Victoria singing a lower harmony in part of “Myth” while the regular melody was clearly played back from tape), but it felt quite vibrant and live. The live drumming makes a huge difference, and the bass pedals do, too. Honestly, it’s quite impressive to watch Alex play guitar while simultaneously trying to get his feet in the right spots. He did occasionally fumble or play slight variations (whether by intention or not), which only endeared the experience to me more.<br />
<br />
They played several songs from the new album (but still less than half of it!) and a decent mix of songs from their back catalog, although nothing from the first two albums nor <em>B-Sides and Rarities</em> (2017). I was just slightly disappointed that they skipped some of my personal favorites, particularly “Take Care”, which has been played on most nights of the tour, but it’s hard to complain with the excellent choices that they did offer. There wasn’t a bad song in the bunch. That said, I was amused to note that they almost exclusively picked their songs with the most plays on Spotify. (I had no idea that “Space Song” was so wildly popular! What TV show or movie soundtrack did it end up on!?) I don’t blame them for giving fans what they want, but I would’ve enjoyed some more risks. Maybe 2022 just isn’t the year for that kind of risk.<br />
<br />
“Space Song” ended up being a real highlight of the night. It was simply beautiful, and the audience seemed transfixed and unusually peaceful for the moment. I’m fairly certain that Victoria was live-looping her vocals, which was really well done. They nailed it. “Pink Funeral” was an outlier due to Alex taking a rare solo, as in, not just a lead part, but rather a big, bold guitar solo. It wasn’t exactly blazing or aggressive, but rather a touch showier and more dynamic than normal while still managing to fit the mood. “Myth” was of course a standout, but it was a bit dampened when they had to stop the song to get help for someone who had passed out. They restarted it from the top, but it was hard to jump back into the feeling. “Modern Love Stories” was another solid new song, but I was surprised that Alex didn’t have an acoustic guitar for the coda. It seemed like he used an acoustic simulator on his guitar and looped it, but it may have been sampled after all.<br />
<br />
Musically, Beach House had an excellent night. The mix was great and they played well. Although it can be difficult to distinguish which song came from which album without a good deal of listening experience, and there’s still something special about some of the classics, the new songs fit in right alongside the old. The songs from <em>7</em> are already classics and fan favorites, so the same fate will likely be afforded to the best of this bunch. I’m surprised they didn’t play even more of the new ones, especially considering how many there are. I would’ve particularly loved to see the fully-charged electropop of “Masquerade”! Visually, the band were their usual quiet selves with anti-rockist, nocturnal lighting. They did speak to us and apologize for the oppressive humidity of the venue, but they’ve never done much posturing. The real drag of the night was the crowd. It was weirdly hyped and aggressive. I had such a rough experience that I think I’ll dedicate a <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/on-transitioning-in-public-spaces.html">separate post just to that topic</a>.<br />
<br />
Here is Beach House’s setlist:<br />
01. Once Twice Melody<br />
02. Silver Soul<br />
03. Dark Spring<br />
04. Pink Funeral<br />
05. PPP<br />
06. Superstar<br />
07. Levitation<br />
08. Lazuli<br />
09. New Romance<br />
10. Myth<br />
11. Black Car<br />
12. Only You Know<br />
13. Lemon Glow<br />
14. Space Song<br />
15. Modern Love Stories<br />
<br />
Encore:<br />
16. Over and Over<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
Beach House: A-<br />
White Flowers: B-<br />
<em>Once Twice Melody</em>: A-<br />
<br />
P.S. Thanks to Alyssa!<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-22976054537718090292022-06-07T22:11:00.001+02:002023-02-02T20:23:45.826+01:00Einstürzende Neubauten - Live 2022.06.06 Konzerthaus, Berlin, GermanyYes, I just saw Neubauten <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2022/06/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20220601.html">five days before at the Columbiahalle</a>. As with that show, this one was also rescheduled from 2020, although this one was supposed to happen first, at the start of the tour in April. The Columbiahalle show was originally scheduled much later at the end of the tour in September. This show was initially rescheduled for the same timeframe in September, then again to September 2021, and then once more to this date. Thankfully it finally happened! You can read my hesitations around live music during a pandemic in my last review (or anything I’ve written in the last two years), but in any case, I went. I know it’s absurd to see the same band twice in the span of less than a week even during non-apocalyptic times, but I was presented with a bit of a conundrum. The nature of live music these days is accompanied by a constant worry that any show might be canceled at any minute. This literally just happened to <a href="https://www.rbb24.de/kultur/beitrag/2022/05/herbert-groenemeyer-jubilaeumstour-absage-corona-waldbuehne.html">Herbert Grönemeyer’s big tour</a>; all three nights in Berlin were canceled because he has covid. So while I was actually more interested in seeing this show (I mean, it’s at the Konzerthaus! It’s a beautiful classical music venue!), I had to hedge my bets. So I went to both. I had tickets to both since 2019 anyway.<br />
<br />
The show started off just like the last one. I was worried I was going to be bored by a repeat of the same experience. However, despite that the setlist was the same until the first encore, it gradually became apparent that the band were performing at a higher caliber. I complained quite a bit about the band being loose at the last show and even at <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2017/11/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20171114.html">the 2017 show I saw</a>, but this time, they were tight on a level I hadn’t seen before. Even “Taschen” was better! The parts fit together just right and the songs flowed with carefully crafted grace. Even the slower songs jelled better; they were just smoother. I still think the samples were too much, and some songs were still a bit too tepid, but this time I could at least follow the intended idea and mood. They felt like they finally had some life in them. I was particularly impressed by “Alles in Allem”, which worked better than ever, even better than the album version. “Tempelhof” also excelled in this environment, and its position at the end of the first encore, but not the entire concert, was much better.<br />
<br />
The best songs from <em>Alles in Allem</em> and all the classics were just as good as ever. On top of that came a surprise: when introducing the band before “Ten Grand Goldie”, Blixa Bargeld brought out his daughter Millicent to come out and play the trombone part from the record, which she also played on! Amusingly, she wore a blue suit much like Jochen Arbeit’s standard attire. Another surprise was “La Guillotine de Magritte”, a non-album single from 2020, in place of “Sabrina”. I love “Sabrina” but appreciated the variation. The Rampe improvisation was also quite a bit different than the one from the Columbiahalle show. The key lyrics in this one appeared to be “before I go” and “dissolved”. I could see Blixa’s lyric monitor (but not well enough to actually read it), and there were lyrics for it, but the display kept jumping around, so he was almost certainly freestyling. Rudolf Moser seemed to still be figuring out what to do with the song, as he moved around the stage to use just about every set of percussion he could get his hands on. Meanwhile, Alexander Hacke used some really weird effects on his bass to make a bizarrely fuzzed-out squeal. I liked it.<br />
<br />
The end of the second encore was “Let’s Do It a Dada”, which was a pure delight with several members of the band using all sorts of weird toy instruments. N.U. Unruh donned a white garment and an absurdly tall hat in an apparent homage to Hugo Ball’s Magical Bishop costume and read Dada poetry, apparently written by Blixa, but obviously inspired by Ball. They’d also played the song successfully at the 2017 show, but this time it really struck me what a great showcase for their strengths the song is! It has some similarities to “Zivilisatorisches Missgeschick”, but where as that song feels random and abrasive, “Dada” is light-hearted, joyful, and full of energy. I also realized that the most driving instrument is simply Hacke’s fuzz bass. He wielded it with so much power and confidence. I want to play bass like that! (For more context on the lyrics and inspiration for the song, I recommend <a href="https://seelebrenntarchive.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/just-you-and-me-my-darling-a-fan-guide-to-lets-do-it-a-dada/7/">this mostly-English article</a> and <a href="https://merzmensch.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/einstuerzenden-neubauten-dadaismus-7079150/">this German article</a>.) And after that, the band came back for yet another encore! They just gave us one more song, “Redukt”, which was a great closing pick.<br />
<br />
In addition to the tighter performance and slightly better setlist structure, the venue itself made a big difference. The Columbiahalle is a typical large rock venue: no decoration, no comfort, no style, just pure function. The balcony is nice and the sound is fine, but it’s not exactly a pleasant place. The Konzerthaus, on the other hand, is beautiful, ornate, and designed with some level of comfort in mind. And it sounded way better, too! I was particularly surprised since I was sitting behind the band at an angle, and yet I still was treated to superb sound quality. I heard some gripes from other people near me about the view, but I thought it was great. I had an excellent view of the percussion, which is my favorite part of the Neubauten live experience anyway. I could hear every subtle note and beat, including several things I didn’t catch or didn’t understand at previous performances, mostly from little extra touches that Unruh would add on top of the main beat typically supplied by Moser. It was a pleasure to get such a close view of all the weird bits of metal, the assorted springs, the various machinery, and the amusing household found-art objects that the band uses to create the underpinning of their songs. I mean, Moser’s jet turbine percussion solo in “Nagorny Karabach” is just so good!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQX_aIzkeC52PCtPIm-wH7n07rcUKSZO4HRvkYyFNamYK9dStTE2EFxq5QAhAqfWLdpbvkR2g9OglhzYKM3KVNwgqSWkrvgTnFXjumdQsh7Y7Yx59Cnk7iIfLVnNYJ5MWEfHNf-vvlwjf_Ftf73uKaQ8VvjG9uZv3VWPGjgvN7v-TIo-R8hCngGpqpfA/s3261/Ten%20Grand%20Goldie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3261" data-original-width="3186" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQX_aIzkeC52PCtPIm-wH7n07rcUKSZO4HRvkYyFNamYK9dStTE2EFxq5QAhAqfWLdpbvkR2g9OglhzYKM3KVNwgqSWkrvgTnFXjumdQsh7Y7Yx59Cnk7iIfLVnNYJ5MWEfHNf-vvlwjf_Ftf73uKaQ8VvjG9uZv3VWPGjgvN7v-TIo-R8hCngGpqpfA/s320/Ten%20Grand%20Goldie.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[“Ten Grand Goldie” with Millicent Bargeld on trombone. Also note the large curved spring played by Hacke.]</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I bought the USB stick recording of the show afterwards. It’s still just mp3, but at least this time it’s 320kbps! (The one I got in 2017 was 256.) It sounds great; the only flaws I’ve noticed so far are some distortion in the heaviest parts of “Sonnenbarke” and Blixa’s screeched vocals in “Zivilisatorisches Missgeschick”. It still can’t beat the combined audio-visual experience, and the lack of editing certainly sets it apart from a typical commercial live recording, but considering my comfort with bootleg recordings, I think it stands fairly strong. I’m happy to have it.<br />
<br />
Here’s the setlist:<br />
01. Wedding<br />
02. Möbliertes Lied<br />
03. Nagorny Karabach<br />
04. Die Befindlichkeit des Landes<br />
05. Sonnenbarke<br />
06. Seven Screws<br />
07. Grazer Damm<br />
08. Alles in Allem<br />
09. Zivilisatorisches Missgeschick<br />
10. How Did I Die?<br />
11. Am Landwehrkanal<br />
12. Ten Grand Goldie<br />
13. Susej<br />
<br />
First Encore:<br />
14. Taschen<br />
15. La Guillotine de Magritte<br />
16. Tempelhof<br />
<br />
Second Encore:<br />
17. Rampe<br />
18. Let’s Do It a Dada<br />
<br />
Third Encore:<br />
19. Redukt<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
The concert: A-<br />
The recording: B+<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-62434028911720577552022-06-06T17:09:00.005+02:002022-10-24T14:34:12.445+02:00Einstürzende Neubauten - Live 2022.06.01 Columbiahalle, Berlin, GermanyEinstürzende Neubauten released <em>Alles in Allem</em> in May 2020. I briefly reviewed the album as part of my <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/12/2020-in-review.html">2020 in Review post</a>, and honestly, I wasn’t that impressed. About half the tracks are good, but the other half just leave me bored. I was disappointed. Primary Neubauten albums are usually superb. Obviously, they weren’t able to tour at the time, but I’d already bought tickets for two shows of their tour long before I’d heard anything but the lead single. This show was originally scheduled in September 2020, and it was initially rescheduled for September 2021, but ultimately postponed again. It finally happened this time.<br />
<br />
This was my first large-scale indoor concert since <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/02/">early 2020</a>. It was a strange experience. With the exception of a small minority of people wearing masks (including percussionist N.U. Unruh), you could hardly tell that there was a pandemic still going on, or that for significant parts of the last two-plus years, concerts like this weren’t happening (in Germany, at least). Large-scale indoor concerts have been generally allowed here for about a year now, but plenty of bands didn’t feel comfortable touring, or they couldn’t finance the tour because ticket sales were low. I’m clearly not the only one who’s been hesitant. I still wish case numbers were lower, I wish more people were vaccinated, I wish public sentiment mirrored health organization advice, and I wish we didn’t live in an ableist capitalist society that shamelessly throws health workers and the vulnerable under the bus in the name of profit. And yet, I too long for some sense of normalcy, even though my world has been substantially shaken up in the last two years, and not just by the pandemic. I’m finally ready to take the occasional risk, test regularly before and after, and try to enjoy one of my favorite activities in life: live music. For better or worse, I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t resist. The show was sold out and the venue was quite full.<br />
<br />
I saw Neubauten <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2017/11/einsturzende-neubauten-live-20171114.html">in 2017 in the same venue</a>. It wasn’t a perfect show, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. This show ended up being quite similar, but much more focused on the “new” album. In fact, they played the whole thing, albeit not in the same order. Interspersed were some of their greatest hits, with a particular bias for <em>Silence Is Sexy</em> (2000). Much to my frustration, though, not a single one of the older songs they played hadn’t <em>also</em> been played at that 2017 show. For a band with such an extensive discography over a 42-year period, that felt a little strange. That said, every single one of those older songs is excellent, so it’s hard to complain too much.<br />
<br />
At any rate, the show started really strong. The first two songs, both from <em>Alles in Allem</em>, were meditative and trance-like, with good grooves and clever lyrics. This is a relatively new vibe for Neubauten, and they nailed it with these ones. They then played some of the classics, including one of my personal favorites, “Die Befindlichkeit des Landes”. Bargeld’s musings on the commercial-capitalist takeover of Potsdamer Platz feel more relevant than ever! He warned us that “Sonnenbarke” was written well before the pandemic but includes the word “Corona”, and I was surprised that when he actually sung it, some people in the audience cheered! I’m still not really sure how to interpret that. Were they just excited to have caught it and wanted to prove they were paying attention?<br />
<br />
Then came “Seven Screws”, one of my favorites from the new album. It felt a bit sparse and thin, but again, the groove held it together just right. I love that Bargeld managed to throw in a reference to “Für immer” by <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Neu%21">Neu!</a> <em>and</em> make a very relatable play on words about his gender identity: “non-binary: I forever (k)new”! I might be reading into it a bit much, but that’s the sort of song that feels written for someone like me.<br />
<br />
But then from “Grazer Damm” onwards, things got really slow and tame. That song and “Alles in Allem” just kind of dragged on without any of the pulsing energy of the previous songs. “Zivilisatorisches Missgeschick” came with an amusing explanation from Bargeld that the song consisted of fourteen parts within four minutes, each with amusing names, but the song itself mostly just felt like random bits of noise and scattered lyrics. “Am Landwehrkanal” was a notable interruption, though. It’s also one of the strongest tracks on the record and serves as a lovely requiem for Rosa Luxemburg. I love the simple admiration of the line, “Wir hatten 1000 Ideen, und alle war’n gut” (“We had thousands of ideas, and all of them were good”). The percussion was particularly good, and it was a rare case of guitarist Jochen Arbeit first adding some percussion and then even playing a melodica part!<br />
<br />
The first encore opened with “Taschen”, another song from <em>Alles in Allem</em>, which seemed almost intentionally offbeat. Unruh and Arbeit both struck large plastic bags for the main beat, which is almost impossible to keep in time, and indeed even the recording on the album is loose. I like the lyric, and the way it specifically plays off similar lyrics and ideas from “Grundstück” from <em>Perpetuum Mobile</em> (2004), but musically it didn’t quite pull together. But then “Sabrina” and “Redukt” were excellent throwbacks!<br />
<br />
They could’ve ended then on a high note, but I wasn’t upset that they came back for more. First, they tried a out a Rampe, their name for an experimental improvisation. I didn’t recognize anything from the piece, but it sounded like a key phrase was “write to me” (or “right to me”?). I was disappointed at the lack of a Rampe at the last show I’d seen, and I was worried that that was a thing of the past, so this was a pleasant surprise. However, ending the show with “Tempelhof” was a bit disappointing. It was of course appropriate in that the former airport and current park was literally across the street from the venue, but the song itself was just too sparse and diffuse. There was no energy to it.<br />
<br />
I came away happy to have seen the show, but overwhelmed by the crowd and uncertain if I really got what I’d come for. The new-ish songs were a really mixed bag, much like the corresponding album. A few are awesome, but several just aren’t. Many of the songs heavily rely on string parts, but most were sampled. A few were done on keyboard, which feels more like a reasonable compromise, but the whole set felt a little too reliant on samples. Considering how much pride the band has in their unusual instrumentation, it just seems like a jarring choice. The band and their crew spent so much time arranging various unusual percussion instruments, which is a joy to behold. Yet much of the structure and rhythm is nonetheless provided by samples! And despite those backing tracks, the band again seemed a bit too loose. Unruh in particular seemed to have trouble keeping the beat, but it’s probably not fair to lay blame solely upon him.<br />
<br />
Neubauten are a rare and wondrous beast, but they aren’t quite hitting their target. I’m glad I went, but I still wished for more. I didn’t bother getting the USB stick recording of the show afterwards.<br />
<br />
Here’s the setlist:<br />
01. Wedding<br />
02. Möbliertes Lied<br />
03. Nagorny Karabach<br />
04. Die Befindlichkeit des Landes<br />
05. Sonnenbarke<br />
06. Seven Screws<br />
07. Grazer Damm<br />
08. Alles in Allem<br />
09. Zivilisatorisches Missgeschick<br />
10. How Did I Die?<br />
11. Am Landwehrkanal<br />
12. Ten Grand Goldie<br />
13. Susej<br />
<br />
First Encore:<br />
14. Taschen<br />
15. Sabrina<br />
16. Redukt<br />
<br />
Second Encore:<br />
17. Rampe<br />
18. Tempelhof<br />
<br />
<strong>Scores</strong>:<br />
The concert: B-<br />
<em>Alles in Allem</em>: C+<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-1365244966835353362022-06-04T21:51:00.004+02:002022-06-04T21:55:22.225+02:00Ian Fisher / Accidental Bird - Live 2022.05.29 Prachtwerk, Berlin, GermanyYes, it was only about <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2021/10/ian-fisher-live-20211022-prachtwerk.html">seven months ago</a> that I saw Ian Fisher at the same venue, touring for the same album, <em><a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/2020/12/2020-in-review.html">American Standards</a></em>, released in 2020 for supporters. This time, though, he was touring with a full band. He claimed this was his last chance to do a proper tour for the album before moving on to new material from a new album that’s apparently already recorded. Again, I was hesitant about Covid risks, but I felt pretty comfortable at Prachtwerk, which is a cozy environment than has never felt crowded or otherwise overwhelming to me.<br />
<br />
First was <strong>Accidental Bird</strong>, the new band of Stefan Honig. He brought with him Martin Hannaford from <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Honig">Honig</a> on lead electric guitar and Harmen Ridderbos of <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Town%20of%20Saints">Town of Saints</a> (who has also appeared on Honig and Ian Fisher albums) on keyboards and acoustic guitar, both of whom have also participated in <a href="https://www.metronomicunderground.com/search/label/Tour%20of%20Tours">Tour of Tours</a>. Honig played all new songs from an as-yet unreleased album. The songs largely felt familiar to his established style of meditative, comforting singer-songwriter pop. The exception was a song titled “Climate Change”, which he claimed was his punk song. That might be an exaggeration, but it was his most upbeat and jagged affair, and the frustrated lyrics were an earnest plea for action. Ian Fisher came out and joined in on guitar and vocals to accentuate it. Musically, I enjoyed the well-honed backing vocals and the subtly intricate but supportive instrumental parts.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZycpL1ksijet_rFew0rbpmU9pEwsysny3aLsF6fHG2qZ8bv4Kw4n-bV0Y3e4iMmavdPrvERdqY8R5l_hTX9B8HDUyO2KDU6QsSIMLvJGHlVM9gJV-NIaOANf8jwlt-ljrZpkndE_YRVn_ksRdUN_Pzdwibm9nZl3QuKC2aK15D3K1fqFUJK0p-YjNw/s4608/20220529_200756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZycpL1ksijet_rFew0rbpmU9pEwsysny3aLsF6fHG2qZ8bv4Kw4n-bV0Y3e4iMmavdPrvERdqY8R5l_hTX9B8HDUyO2KDU6QsSIMLvJGHlVM9gJV-NIaOANf8jwlt-ljrZpkndE_YRVn_ksRdUN_Pzdwibm9nZl3QuKC2aK15D3K1fqFUJK0p-YjNw/s320/20220529_200756.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Accidental Bird with Ian Fisher.]</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<strong>Ian Fisher</strong> came to the stage with a five-piece band, the largest I’ve ever seen back him. I immediately recognized Camillo Jenny on drums from past tours, and I’d heard Richard Case on pedal steel and backing vocals on some of Ian’s past recordings and radio shows. Fairly new to the crew were Emanuel Krimplstätter on lead guitar and backing vocals, Lukas Pamminger on bass, and Danny Rico on keyboards and percussion. Notably absent was Ryan Thomas Carpenter, who was already in the USA for the St. Louis Muny season. Nonetheless, Ian mentioned him a few times throughout the night. They make for quite the musical duo, and when Ian had last toured just as a duo with Ryan last year, it was a different experience. That show featured a number of new songs (mostly versions of songs from his now-defunct <a href="https://www.patreon.com/ianfishersongs">Patreon</a>) and a couple covers (one of which has now appeared on his <a href="https://www.fanklub.com/ianfishersongs">Fanklub</a>). This show focused more on explicitly on <em>American Standards</em> and included most of the album along with about half of his previous, <em>Idle Hands</em> (2018). These are generally all great songs, but I missed the playful risk of all the new songs from the last show. That said, I always appreciate some of his prescient classics like “Candles for Elvis” and “Manmade Mountains”.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, with the full band, the newer songs really shone. As Ian has progressed in the complexity and nuance of his recorded arrangements, the songs have increasingly benefited from the skills of a tight band that can reproduce and embellish the material on stage. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ian play with both a lead guitarist <em>and</em> pedal steel player, to say nothing of a keyboardist as well. Krimplstätter wasn’t flashy, but he wielded a number of delicate solos in just the right places. I appreciated the band’s subtle changes from the recorded versions. And despite my affection for the full sound, I also enjoyed that Ian again took it a step down for a few songs. He performed “Bed Downtown” by himself and then “Candles for Elvis” with just Richard Case on lead guitar. Case moved back to his pedal steel for “Manmade Mountains”, and Camillo Jenny came back out on drums halfway through to really punctuate it. The rest of the band came back for “Regret”, and Stefan Honig came back up to sing along as well.<br />
<br />
I’ve never been disappointed by an Ian Fisher show, and this was no exception. I’m looking forward to that new album!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUf-JfezehFWEEXRXqmNWDg8N4n6MZa9ZAGsG9OXF93Da6N-bfJrf28CuJs8wI7GHxw_Yz_RT4iqUCGDG06bn8ysmI9qph1H9ljExEbbqsXtBoB1i9ojgTHsO5HupNJsKVqezIcQyVUYyjkB-L5ygtMux3xdFEwr2qdrKdgK-9EzOi_utgn_qn8l9Bw/s4608/20220529_204543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUf-JfezehFWEEXRXqmNWDg8N4n6MZa9ZAGsG9OXF93Da6N-bfJrf28CuJs8wI7GHxw_Yz_RT4iqUCGDG06bn8ysmI9qph1H9ljExEbbqsXtBoB1i9ojgTHsO5HupNJsKVqezIcQyVUYyjkB-L5ygtMux3xdFEwr2qdrKdgK-9EzOi_utgn_qn8l9Bw/s320/20220529_204543.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Ian Fisher with his band.]</div>
<br />
Here’s the setlist:<br />
01. Be Thankful<br />
02. AAA Station<br />
03. American Standards<br />
04. Melody in Nashville<br />
05. Road to Jordan<br />
06. Tables Turn<br />
07. Maybe a Little More<br />
08. One Foot<br />
09. Bed Downtown<br />
10. Candles for Elvis<br />
11. Manmade Mountains<br />
12. Regret<br />
13. Koffer<br />
14. It Ain’t Me<br />
15. Constant Vacation<br />
<br />
Encore:<br />
16. Nero<br />
17. Idle Hands<br />
18. Ghosts of the Ryman<br />Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666659962343175645.post-74402449334013766302022-03-27T22:11:00.003+02:002022-03-29T14:24:07.015+02:00Upcoming Show with Soltero<p>I'm excited to announce I'm going to be joining <a href="https://soltero.bandcamp.com/">Soltero</a> for a show on 2022.04.02 at the Belvedere am Kreuzberg in Berlin! I previously joined Soltero for <a href="https://twitter.com/chromapparition/status/1479814856303955969">a brief set in January</a> during an evening of poetry at the same venue, but this will be more of a conventional concert. I will be performing on bass. We will also perform some songs from singer-songwriter Tim Howard's other project, Anfängerfehler. Sharing the bill for the evening is Mikka Bozu.</p><p>The Belvedere am Kreuzberg is located at Kreuzbergstraße 32Y, on the northwest corner of Viktoriapark, right by the bus stop. Doors are at 7, show at 8. It's 5€ and will be following the rules for 2G plus a test. That means you need to be vaccinated or recently recovered <i>and</i> tested. There is a simple bar at the venue.</p><p>Dedicated listeners may already know, but I've been jamming with Tim for a couple years now. I edited some recordings from one of our sessions and released them on my <a href="https://chromaticapparition.bandcamp.com/album/preserve-the-absurd"><i>Preserve the Absurd</i> EP</a> last year. I'm thrilled that we're finally able to perform outside the rehearsal room together!</p>Pattihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18348046004218243295noreply@blogger.com0