The Belarus trio, who recently relocated to Los Angeles, have crafted a subtle and complex piece of darkwave here. It’s music which is perfect for travelling home on trains as dusk gathers in crowded cities. Take your pick which city. This album is concrete and neon, dark and ominous. It’s rather beautiful too. The plethoraContinue reading “Album Review: Molchat Doma- Balaya Palosa”
Tag Archives: Experimental
Lost In Music: This Mortal Coil
Formed by 4AD bosses Ivo Watts-Russell and John Fryer, This Mortal Coil made some of the most sublime, prescient music ever. Not everyone was keen. AR Kane dismissed them as simply “people in black clothes with shaved heads” and the second album by the collective , the dense,sprawling Filigree and Shadow (also my favourite) wasContinue reading “Lost In Music: This Mortal Coil”
Lost In Music: Geneva Jacuzzi- Art Is Dangerous
Featuring cameos in the video from legendary artists of many disciplines- from Ron Athey to Drab Majesty- the new single from Geneva Jacuzzi is part manifesto,part cheeky deconstruction of art and its function in contemporary society. It’s sexy, smart and danceable. Based in Los Angeles, her work is multi-disciplinary, fusing music, visual art and performanceContinue reading “Lost In Music: Geneva Jacuzzi- Art Is Dangerous”
Waiting For Credibility
The most bizarre Broadway theatre news in ages arrived the other day when I read that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, original stars of slacker comedy Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure , are to take on the Samuel Beckett classic Waiting For Godot. I honestly thought that this was a parody, like that time ChrisContinue reading “Waiting For Credibility”
Overlooked Classics: Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band-Safe As Milk
Running the gamut of genres- from Delta blues to experimental psych- the magnificent debut album from Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band is all about the inimitable singer songwriter and musical fruitloop, aka Don Van Vliet, finding his feet after an attempt at popularity with the swampy hit, the cover of Bo Diddley’s Diddy WahContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band-Safe As Milk”
Album Review: Xiaowang-Kachakacha
What an exciting debut from this young Bejing band. Xiaowang make music that’s as unexpected as it’s exhilarating. They’re described as “kawaiicore” and that’s a perfect term, as their music is often pitched between the fun and the terrifying. Steal vacillates between deadpan choppy postpunk and death metal roars, whereas Duck Song is slicing, staccatoContinue reading “Album Review: Xiaowang-Kachakacha”
Album Review: Ora Cogan- Formless
The Canadian artist’s eighth album is a real labour of love, with contributions from Luz Elena Mendoza of Y La Bamba on the mellifluous, twisty duet’Ways Of Losing’ and LANKUM’s Cormac Mac Diarmada playing violin and viola on ‘Feel Life’. ‘Dyed ‘ feels like a folky jazz incantation with a psychedelic undertow and her newContinue reading “Album Review: Ora Cogan- Formless”
Overlooked Classics: Julian Cope- World Shut Your Mouth
This is the album, not the song. That can be found, of course, on Saint Julian. World Shut Your Mouth marked Julian Cole’s transition from Teardrop Explodes pin -up,to eccentric solo artist. And there are a couple of would -be TE tracks on here (Pussyface’ and ‘Metranil Vavin’) but in the main, it’s Cope flyingContinue reading “Overlooked Classics: Julian Cope- World Shut Your Mouth”
Album Review: Adult Jazz- So Sorry So Slow
This album is heady, intoxicating and heavy. It takes a while to settle into certain rhythms, before turning, at times almost imperceptibly, into different genres, moods and textures. Once you allow yourself to let it just embrace you though, it pays dividends. Post-rock, fused with avant pop, it’s elusive but gorgeous. With Harry Burgess’ sweet,Continue reading “Album Review: Adult Jazz- So Sorry So Slow”
Dance Review: Eidos/Rules To Live By
This wonderful double bill by dance artist Suzi Cunningham couldn’t be more perfect for this blog. Eidos was created by Cunningham in tribute to both the late,great Mark E Smith of The Fall, and Cunningham ‘s own grandmother, who like Cunningham herself exuded glamour and independence. Cunningham is like a shapeshifting sorceress. She is, variously,Continue reading “Dance Review: Eidos/Rules To Live By”
Hit The North 