Wednesday, December 10, 2008

...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edy-vDrfyeE

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Pink Floyd - Athens, 31.05.1989


On the 31st May in the year of our Lord 1989 Pink Floyd set foot for the first and last time in the Olympic Stadium in Athens. An because God loves us every once in a while, there was a camera in the stadium, which recorded almost 90 minutes of this historic concert. Quality is pretty good, given that the video is almost 20 years old.

This is the whole setlist, unfortunately not all of it is included in the video...

Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts 1,2,3,5
Signs of Life
Learning to Fly
Yet Another Movie
+ Round and around
A new machine part 1
Terminal Frost
A new machine part 2
Sorrow
Dogs of War
On the Turning Away

One of These Days
Time
On the Run
Great Gig in the Sky
Wish You Were Here
Welcome to the Machine
Us and Them
Money
Another Brick in The Wall pt 2
Comfortably Numb

One Slip
Run Like Hell

Video:
ON RS. (Alternative file hosters will follow)
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3

Here is two tracks from the video, so you can get an idea...
Welcome to the Machine

Time

Aereogramme - Acoustic Tour 1-5


The five acoustic releases from Aereogramme, mostly (if not entirely) available on tour.
Additional comments are not necessary, this is Aereogramme. (And this compilation is wonderful!)

CD 1
1. The Black Path
2. Broken Horse
3. Without you
4. On The Road
5. Moving Mountains

CD 2
1. The Future Without You
2. Golden Hiding Places
3. Blood Connection
4. I Don't Need Your Love
5. Conscious Life

CD 3
1. Dreams And Bridges
2. Paint Me A Picture
3. Nightmares
4. When You Wake Up
5. MTV Song

CD 4
1. More Than Welcome
2. In Gratitude
3. Barriers
4. Trenches

CD 5
1. Breath
2. Motion
3. Sunday 3.52
4. Three Feet

Your Hand In Mine - Yogoto No Yume - OST + EP


Your Hand In Mine is a group from Thessaloniki, Greece. Their album came along a couple of months ago as a really nice surprise, since we haven't seen something worth mentioning from Greece for quite a while.
The story behind the Yogoto No Yume Soundtrack is that the band was asked to write music for the 1933 Mikio Naruse's silent film "Yogoto No Yume" (Every Night Dreams) and present it live at the 48. International Thessaloniki Film Festival.
For me, this album worked really as a warm soundtrack of two very important weeks of my recent life. And since it had an impact, i feel like sharing it here.
So, if you like soundtracks (and Yann Tiersen) give it a go. Let it play in the background.
Here it is.
But since this isn't the only release of Y.H.I.M. you can listen to their self-titled EP, HERE

Beirut – Gulag Orkestar



The first album of another wonder boy from the United States. Zach Condon travels all the way to the other side of the globe, meets somehow the sounds of Balkan music, filters them and present us with this really balanced piece of work. Nice melodies and variety of instruments shaped in the form of a pop album (and not in one of a serbian charity event...).
Probably one of the strongest releases of 2006, given it's a first album and a different direction in the whole indie folk scene that's growing in the USA.
Here it is.

"Sorry about the rain, but it's a Radiohead gig..." - Berlin, 8. Juli 2008



A long overdue post. We didn't keep the updates as prompt as we hoped. However, here are the videos of this wonderful concert. A great setlist and an overall good appearance from the band. Many highlights, perhaps (looking back at the concert) the best were "There There", "All I Need" and "Where I End And You Begin" in the rain. And of course all the "OK Computer" tracks.


Setlist:

15 Step
Airbag
There There
All I Need
Where I end and you Begin
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Videotape
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling into Place
My Iron Lung
A Wolf at the Door
Reckoner
Everything in its right place
Bangers
Bodysnatchers

1st Encore

Cymbal Rush
You and Whose army
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cents
Idioteque

2nd Encore

House of Cards
The National Anthem
Street Spirit

And, as usual a series of photos and videos, for those who are interested.

Some Modeselektor Videos.
Great support. Check them out!






Radiohead photosets:


Set 1
Set 2

An Some Videos:


Weird Fishes


No Surprises


Jigsaw Falling Into Place


My Iron Lung


Reckoner


Paranoid Android


Idioteque


House of Cards

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Bluff a Music Geek




Ever been smacked down by a friend with an encyclopedic knowledge of music? You can fight back without really having a clue.

Got extra advice for stumping the snobs? Log in and contribute.

Adopt obscure tastes. So obscure they're nonexistent. Tell your friend you're a big fan of the Egyptologists or some other made-up group. (What's he gonna say — "I've heard of every band, and that's not one of them"?) If he can't get a handle on your palate, your opinions are unimpeachable.

Answer questions with questions. "I think I've heard of Flop. Who was their manager?" Checkmate. It's surely not your fault this so-called fan can't provide enough background info to help you pluck Flop from your mental jukebox.

Use the magic words. To paint bands you know nothing about with broad, meaningless strokes, you need only two adjectives: overrated and underrated. With careful use, you can position yourself as a sophisticated critic of criticism, a qualified judge of not just music but the canon itself. Leg-sweep your foes with baffling pronouncements. The Beatles? Underrated. Another good word is reactionary. Everything is reactionary so it's a superfluous statement


props go to wired.com how to's,  I really had to laugh after reading this. The right people will know why.

source:http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Bluff_a_Music_Geek

now go enjoy a good beer, it's octobe(e)rfest time,

cheers

Monday, September 22, 2008

Beyond The Wizards Sleeve - ARK.1


"we got a big one here! you don't wanna' miss this! richard norris, founding member of the grid, and london's premier dj, producer and remix maestro erol alkan have been releasing music under the beyond the wizard's sleeve moniker since 2007, when their first 12" sold out in a matter of days. then came the second, third and fourth releases, all selling out as soon as they hit the shelves. here is a collection of some of the finest moments from the 4 highly sought after 12's. this is a serious slice of esoteric, eclectic freakbeat weirdness. re-edited nuggets, long lost exotic psychedelia and krauty, disco beats are all mangled into previously unheard shapes. totally exclusive to rough trade, this is simply some of the most vital, mindbending and great music to be heard. do. not. miss." -Rough Trade


'nuff said, big thank you to soundweave. really made my day when I heard it. and the next one, as well.


plus this band has a preciously brilliant name.
and don't forget:
KEEP KIDS DANCING!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Saturday, July 19, 2008

An Aereogramme update.



This is a newsflash about the farewell gift from Aereogramme and Chemikal Underground Records... No date yet. Just the announcement to keep us excited.

We are excited to announce that a proposed vinyl only box set of Aereogramme's chemikal EPs and albums is now in the early stages of development. After discussions with the band, a six vinyl (count 'em) box set featuring the following releases, new liner notes and possible selective remastering has been slated for release in the late autumn:

Glam Cripple EP (Fukd ID #1) (sold out long, long ago)
White Paw EP
A Story In White
Sleep And Release (previously unavailable in vinyl)
Livers And Lungs (previously unavailable in vinyl)
My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go (previously unavailable in vinyl)


And here's the bonus track, "dissolve" from "My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go", included in the japanese (i think) version of the album. A beautiful song, it's a shame it's not in the regular release. I HATE IMPORTS!

Lately I don't feel much at all

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Murder By Death - Cologne, 07.07.2008



A detailed review of this great concert will follow in the near future. I just need to be in the right mood and unfortunately that cannot happen right now.
Until then, fill two glasses with whiskey (the second one is for the devil) and listen to their albums one by one. (I'll make the start by offering number 1...
Then if you're drunk enough you can watch my videos from the concert. Audio is not very good, but they catch the mood of the concert...

Let the devil come. Let him come...

Slideshow



Photoalbum

Murder By Death


Videos

Rum Brave



Those Who Stayed

Radiohead - Amsterdam, 1. Juli 2008 - UPDATE



The post from the Radiohead concert in Amsterdam has been updated with the recording of the show and some photoalbums...
GO THERE -->

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Keith Jarret - Köln Concert


On January 24, 1975 Keith Jarret entered the Köln Opera House unprepared, without having any set of premeditated passages at the ready, and improvised a solo piano concert that changed the way music was perceived at that point for both the audience, and the receiving public in general. The Köln concert is often referred to as one of the masterpieces of jazz music, as one of the masterpieces of any solo artist ever and as one of the most impressive displays of human capability for improvisation and creation ever captured.

These attempts at categorization obviously are bound to be pointless, since the music herein transcends any label that one could think to stick to it, and with every clearly audible groan of the artist acting as a genius it becomes apparent that we the audience are reduced to nothing more than bystanders who witness the immersion of Keith Jarret into his very own sphere of existence, where no criticism or comparison could possibly hold.

At the beginning of the concert you might hear some chuckles, stemming from the fact that Keith Jarret allegedly said upon entering the stage that he will let himself be inspired by the sound of the Opera bell. Well, that bell must have had an extremely warm, dreamy tone, as the results should keep you warm and cozy through rain, wind and snow.

And when you spin it, take a care to remember that this music was just coming spontaneously to the very fingertips of its creator, and try to imagine how humbled and joyed the original audience must have felt.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Touch Me I'm Dick

For all you Singles and Mudhoney fans out there. Here comes the sickness.

Berlin Grooves


This is just a placeholder for our impressions of the Berlin Radiohead Gig tomorrow which are set to follow until the end of the week.


Until then, enjoy. Greater things to come.


FOR THE ACTUAL POST CLICK HERE

I've heard of BasketBalls...but never of basketheads



I just wanted to point out that the basketball-season is starting for good with the Acropolis Tourney today.

Then on the 14th we get the OQT, where the last 3 tickets to Beijing will be battled out.

If you have any sort of heart for the sport, this event should be exciting enough to go crazy.
Not necessarily like him, though, you can keep to going crazy from the insides...
After all, the gladiators are chosen who will journey to China and try to battle the mighty beast (USA). I will reveal myself to be slightly biased and will let you read this as if it were screamed at the top of my lungs: Go Greece!!!
(three exclamation marks, a sure sign of a diseased mind)

Clouds - We Are Above You


I think I will join the Doc in his trial to lighten things up.


So here I present you a 70's blues/rock-punk-macho-metal album with the most arrogant title ever. Courtesy of the ever-expanding in both quantity and quality Hydra Head Label, which keeps on impressing me with their choices of bands.


This here album for instance can't decide itself what it wants to do exactly, more Led Zeppelin or more Motörhead, Black Mountain or Black Flag? Clutch or Boris?


Chances are if you like any of those bands, or all of them, you will like it. And if some of them are too one-sided to you and bore you to the high heavens *humming* then you will probably like it even more, because it never stays the same. It's not TMV'S Goliath, by all accounts, but then again you don't have to be borderline mental to be able to enjoy it.

It's just a solid good piece to rock out to, and for those of you who feel light-headed and need an energy-boost each morning on the tube to work, this could just turn out to be worth a spin or two.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Agent Provocateur Ads



Things are getting awfully serious here, so here's something to let your mind and body work in another direction... And music is always there, in the background.
She's lost control again...

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Bernardo Soares - Το βιβλίο της ανησυχίας (GR)



Apologies to our massive international readers.....

Παρακάτω είναι ένα απόσπασμα από το “Βιβλίο της ανησυχίας” του Bernardo Soares (ένα από τα πολλά ονόματα που χρησιμοποίησε ο Fernando Pessoa). Στο μέλλον θα μπουν πιθανά και άλλα αποσπάσματα από το βιβλίο καθώς προχωράει και αφήνει το στίγμα του...



6.


Ζήτησα τόσο λίγα απ'τη ζωή, αλλά ακόμα κι αυτά τα λίγα η ζωή μου τα αρνήθηκε. Ένα υπόλλειμα από ένα κομμάτι ήλιου, λίγη ησυχία και ένα κομμάτι ψωμί, να μη με βαραίνει πολύ η γνώση ότι υπάρχω, να μην έχω καμιά απαίτηση από τους άλλους ούτε κι αυτοί από μένα. Ακόμα κι αυτό μου το αρνήθηκαν, όπως αυτός που αρνείται να δώσει ελεημοσύνη όχι γιατι του λείπει η καλοσύνη, αλλά γιατί βαριέται να ξεκουμπώσει το παλτό του.

Γράφω, λυπημένος, στο ήσυχο δωμάτιο μου, μόνος όπως υπήρξα πάντα, μόνος όπως θα υπάρχω πάντα. Κι αναρωτιέμαι αν η φωνή μου, φαινομενικά τόσο ασήμαντη, δεν ενσαρκώνει την ουσία χιλιάδων φωνών, τη δίψα να μιλήσουν χιλιάδων ζωών, την υπομονή εκατομμυρίων ψυχών υποταγμένων σαν τη δική μου στο καθημερινό πεπρωμένο, στο ανώφελο όνειρο, στην ελπίδα ποθ δεν αφήνει ίχνη. Αυτές τις στιγμές η καρδιά μου χτυπά πιο δυνατά γιατί έχω συνείδηση πως υπάρχει. Ζω περισσότερο γιατί ζω πιο μεγάλα. Νιώθω στο άτομο μου μία θρυσκευτική δύναμη, κάτι σαν προσευχή, σαν κραυγή. Αλλά η αντίδραση ενάντια μου κατεβαίνει από το πνεύμα μου... Βλέπω τον εαυτό μου στον τέταρτο όροφο της Ρούα ντος Ντοραδόρες, με παρατηρώ μέσα από τον ύπνο. Κοιτάζω πάνω από το μισογραμμένο χαρτί τη μάταιη και χωρίς ομορφιά ζωή και το φτηνό τσιγάρο που καίγεται καθώς γράφω πάνω στο παλιό στυπόχαρτο. Βρίσκομαι εδώ, στον τέταρτο όροφο, να καλώ τη ζωή, να εκφράζς τι νιώθουν οι ψυχές, να κάνω πρόζα όπως οι μεγαλοφυϊες και οι διασημότητες! Ναι, εδώ βρίσκομαι!

They say the devil is paranoid

HE SMILED.
It had all been so good last night.
He had made it.
He felt vibrant, strong.
On top of his game.
Chuckles filled the empty room around him,
The cockyness of self-importance.
Oh, he was so confident, so independent.
He had even found that old Frankie 7" he had bought
From a street seller this one time.
The New York national anthem was just done spinning,
In all its cheesy glory.
He could relate.
The world was his playground.
He concentrated on his body and flexed every muscle he could muster.
One by one.
Then he threw the clock on the wall a quick glance.
He stole the time from it, as if he didn't care.
It had been nearly thirteen hours.
But he was so strong, time wasn't the matter.
He wasn't one of those people running after time, not him.
It wasn't until 2 minutes of nothingness rinsed away that he
slowly reached with shaking hands for his bundle across the table.
Full of disgust he started unfolding and preparing it.
Tears raced his face.
He couldn't bear to look at what he was doing,
Observation would mean confirmation, and that was the road to ruin.
But he also couldn't avert his gaze,
For all the loathing it filled him with.
He couldn't find a vein without looking. He just couldn't.
The little losses life handles us,
sometimes.

PUNK IN YOUR FACE F@CKER


Refuse to conform.
Refuse to smoothen your edges and fit in.
Don't sell out.
Don't settle.
Don't F*CKING die.
please don't die


Punk. Pure Punk. Today I feel that there has never been anything closely as PUNK this.

It's like taking a beautiful picture of everything that should be and all that could have been and rolling it up as a cigarette to go with your black bitter coffee.

I worship, cherish and love this band. Always have. But seldom have I felt their impact as clearly as upon waking up and putting on wishkah and hearing the Intro and the launch into school.
NO RECESS. we don't ever get a break, now do we?

I recommend it for a sunny day when everything's going great and you still feel like shit,
it's the sonic counterpiece to a rose garden.
UPDATE:
I forgot to mention sth. important. it's a post about punk, y'see..so:
FUCK YOU!!!

Weekend Thoughts


Interesting facts about civilization doping and how the pharmaceutical companies are slowly pushing our lifestyle into addiction. It won't be long, when the few of us who actually worked through their tough spots and exams without the help of neuro-enhacers will be aliens and underachievers. We're being faced with change: inability to remember, concentrate, calculate by head, fatigue , drowziness, mood-changes and fluctuating mental productivity will be considered sicknesses, ailments..... bugs. And the industry will readily provide solutions to these, as no well-oiled machine should be subject to such uncontrollable "problems".
If you can't work because you're heartbroken, they will help you.

Let's bugfix the hell out of humanity until none of it is left, let's sacrifice the last bit of individuality we have left in our very minds to the altar of productivity, who needs personality when you can have a mercedes?`
Who needs a real relationship when all men and women can supress their hunger and emotions and can look like models and smile all the time, benefit of ACME Inc.
Why sleep much? Why dream? Wasted time, you only live once, you can only achieve so much in one lifespan, maximize it. Go for it. Don't let the petty little nagging problems you have hinder you, dopamine's your friend, and you won't even feel a thing. Ever.
I promise.

What Isaac Asimov failed to see was that his robotic future was made of organic matter, not wires and silicone.

Can anyone imagine how neurotic Dr. Mephesto and Sr. Cartmanez could become aided by the likes of Ritalin et al?Picture a whole society turn Gonzo.

Brave New World

Friday, July 4, 2008

Radiohead - Amsterdam, 1. Juli 2008



Setlist:

01 Bodysnatchers
02 All I Need
03 The Nation Anthem
04 15 Step
05 Lucky
06 Nude
07 Street Spirit
08 There There
09 The Gloaming
10 Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
11 Idioteque
12 Faust Arp
13 Videotape
14 Just
15 Bangers and Mash
16 Everything In Its Right Place
17 Reckoner
Encore 1
18 House of Cards
19 Climbing Up The Walls
20 A Wolf At The Door
21 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
22 Karma Police
Encore 2
23 Super Collider
24 How To Disappear Completely
25 Planet Telex

Here's the recording of this wonderful concert (FLAC).
Credit goes to the original uploader and recorder Bunzing.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
(RS.com, you need all parts to extract)

Here are two slideshows from the concert.
(Direct links to the online albums for better viewing at the end of the post)


These are not our photos. Just a selection of images across the web. Credit to the original photographers.



Bodysnatchers




Lucky



Street Spirit



There, There



Idioteque





Bangers & Mash



Climbing Up The Walls



Jigsaw Falling Into Place





Super Collider



Planet Telex



Photoalbums
Radiohead Amsterdam


Radiohead Amsterdam 2

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Godspeed You!Black Emperor Live at L'Olympic, 14.05.2003, Nantes, France


Maybe a detailed review will follow. Maybe not. Anyway, there isn't much to say about the live act of Godspeed You!Black Emperor. Hopefully you saw them live back in the day...
This is, though, a very special recording, featuring two unreleased songs (Gamelan & Albanian) and a beautifuly executed „Moya“.
The quality is very good. Here's 1. And 2...
(Here's a clean and combined version of Gamelan)

Setlist:
Disc 1
01. Moheim
02. Albanian
03. Dead Metheny
04. Gamelan (1st Part)

Disc 2
01. Gamelan (2nd Part)
02. World Police
03. Tazer Floyd (Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls)
04. Moya
05. The Dead Flag Blues

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Carissa's Wierd - Songs About Leaving



Carissa's Wierd is a now disbanded (unfortunately) group from Seattle. They released five great albums. “Songs about leaving” is in my opinion the creative peak of the band, an incredible album based on (mainly) acoustic guitars and strings.

The album creates a very moody atmosphere, and the fragile voice of Jenn Ghetto, although quiet, sounds so powerful and bitter-sweet. Just listen to it at night, with the company of the drug of your choice (nicotine and alcohol that is....), light some candles and float... And bring back the memories. Because this album does that so very well. At least it still does it for me, as it never left my playlist for the most part of 2007. And it always comes back on a rainy afternoon and a cold night.

This album should get you depressed (if you aren't already). If it doesn't, it failed. Let it connect, let it do its thing and crawl to the black, heartbroken paths of your mind...
Get depressed
Highlights: Farewell to All These Rotten Teeth, Sofisticated Fuck Princess Please Leave Me Alone



And here's a video...



Carissa's Wierd - Sympathy Bush (live)



Saturday, June 14, 2008

Colour Haze - All





Bass.



Imagine a bass-tone, without a body or instument causing it, floating above you.

It spins around you with a very distinct sense of direction and tells you:

"Get dressed. Leave that pen, take it out of your hand. Get ready. You done, yet?

Now come with me. Come. Now."

Silent Moon Turns Lights If Stars All Fall One Remains.

Enter Stefan. He shows you the steps with his guitar right now. Some fills from the drums start coming your way as well, so you get the rhythm. Now that you have familiarized yourself with the pieces, the direction and the steps, you can start dancing. Floating the right direction. Get warm, because , if you ever heard anything be these fellas, you know that this is just the beginning of a long dance that will take you up, down and all around town and further.

And no, this starting song Silent is anything but what it called like and won't surprise you.

Actually, it is the kind of rising intricate colour haze rock jazz whatever jam that you have come to love and adore, but it is not a great step away from what you know and expect, which in its case is a great thing as it is the perfect way to get you onto this bus and rolling.



Track 2. "Moon" it says. Imagine a military parade stomping its way furiously up to the capitol showing off their power and prowess left and right. Concentrate on the image. Look at theit faces, the strain and collective sense of power they get from their syncopated motions.

Now imagine they're all hippies, long hair and everything.

A very determined hippie march advancing on your mind, with high pitched voices sending out their message in a very urgent and lucid way. These hippies know what they want and where they're going. And this song does as well and surprises as CH manage to really keep their tempo in check here, refrain from the great variations we know and just roll through it with discipline and a power that matches outside, resulting in an ending that will have you banging to the ground waiting for that final beat that just won't come. In a live setting this song is a force of nature.



The next song is actually a popsong with weird spacy muffled backgrounds and actual clear singing, a welcome stop from all this madness going on and a chance to go have a leak, roll another one, turn on some candles or whatever it is you want to use this intermission as best. It's a great song, in a way that the pit stops often are very refreshing and nice parts of a journey, but not really the prime deal.



Lights/Camera/Action! Even in the introduction you can tell that this will be a jammer, as it sets a tone, but doesn't seem to rush at all and the beats and grooves seem to rush about all around the place in a very relaxed and promising way. And there it is:clear signs of jazz, with the frilly guitar and intricate percussion parts taking turns on the stage , making more space for the organ to fill the void with even more colours that will keep you relaxed and leave you in a mild state of trance.

Fortunately at this point we get a break with two short songs under the 3-minute mark, with the first (If) being a straight rocker with all the force you'd expect -reminding us of better times of the great qotsa (who have gone AWOL since 2003, if anyone sees them tell them to put some stuff out, can't be too hard)- and the second (stars) being the quintessential eastern blues jam, that sets a very unusual and welcome 16-beat vibe underlined with acoustic guitars. Think Kyuss' Space Cadet played by the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

All in all, all All comes down to is All.
Forgive the pun, but All truly is The Centerpiece of this album, as was probably left to be expected by the title. The one thing you will need for this song is time and patience.
Colour Haze have always been at their very best when they've been tripping us out over half hour stretches of psychotic lapses that they put together and present as songs. You come to get so accustomed to these half hour stretches that the world hardly ever seems to have existed without these organically fitting flowing perfect pieces of grooves nestled on into another.
All. All suprises ad is wort a whole review in itself.
Let me quote something to get myself started:

"An Indian classical piece starts with a movement called an “Alap” The Alap is the slowly unfolding exploration of a musical scale in free meter by a solo instrument with a drone in the background , slowly growing in intensity. It doesn’t really grab your attention on the surface, but once your are sucked in, you are gone. Playing an alap may be technically easy, but it requires a tremendous amount of concentration and a trance state of consciousness to really pull it off. "

0-6.50: The song launches ito an alap, with an actually uplifting melody. Uplifting I said, yes. And although I know that this is practically the same as saying "shallow and worthless" in certain peoples' minds - like mine-, do not fret: this "uplifting" will suck you in. Stefan slowly introduces his vocals here – attractive, wistful, longing and delicate.

I'm a man of certain pride
Set my home in the skies so high
And every time I wanna jump up it turns me down
On a wheel, under a spell I'm bound

6.50-9.03
Remember, it is Colour Haze. All has the longest silent stretch of sheer beauty in these fist 7 minutes CH have ever made, but these masters of their school would not let you get sucked in for naught. They turn it up here, the fuzz enters, the chorus is turned up and only a great deal of tranquilizers could prevent a living being from uttely grooving along to that after listening to the Alap before, as Phil's bass and the seemigly standing notes by Stefan dig in deep and dirty.
I am free
Oh, I'm so Free

9-end
The psychedelic groove-out of the song. It all happens here. Diversions of the groove, coupled with Jimi Hendrix making a cameo-appearance before the song goes quiet for a while and then erupts into spontaneous jams coming from every part of this band.
Imagine te skies opening and the organ coming to aid the hand of god that points at the stage where these guys perform thi song live. It is that good, and seems to cover the ground other songs explore in 25minutes in just under 15.


Fall will take you on the flipside of this journey, in no less impressive manner. Where there was the transcension into light earlier, the plunge into darkness was bound to follow.
Uh, like a feather, high and I fall.
Way louder and more forceful than All, this song crashes you back onto the cold ugly ground by virtue of the big blues et al.

One is one last rocker that will grab you with its hypnotically chanted repeated mantra and finish off with even more eastern explorations to set the stag for the final song of this album, Remains, which is a meditation on single guitar with another eastern 16-beat drone and supposedly was written over the death of the oldest of Stefan's beloved cats, the one that has always gotten to hear the new songs first while keeping the man company on the -yes, eastern- carpet when he was experimenting with new sounds.
All sees Colour Haze advancing on their sound, but still delivering on their strong suits. This band is growing and doesn't seem to be content with their winning formula of strong psych tunes, which is great to see in one of the best band the genre has to show for.
The varied song-lengths and contrasts make for a very tight listen and the eastern influences and broader use of musical styles and elements make All a very satisfactory unit as an album and a sure grower for mental travelers.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

If - 3



A great british Jazz-Rock band, surfaced at the late 1960s. They present a different kind of jazz and blues touch and blend rock melodies in the (at the time) typical jazz sound and "structure". I especially like the two saxophones and the extensive vocals giving another direction to the music. All in all, a great album, the third of the band (as the album title mysteriously reveals...).
Hihlight: "Upstairs"
Grab

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Trust us, we know.

Lightning!

psssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Pink Floyd at the BBC 70-71




Not exactly an album, still this collection of two BBC shows gets us off to a running start.

Long before the Floyd became a household name, musical aficionado and BBC presenter John Peel hosted a couple of concerts of the mighty psychedelic peers who had finally liberated their sound from the unfortunate downfall of former bandleader Syd Barret.

The songs on these two(with the one coming off a tad stronger) present some of the finest live moments of the era and function more as a stream of consciousness in their free approach to song structure than as a mere performance of pieces set in stone.

The sheer overwhelming beauty of the melodies and ingeniously improvised jams here should appeal to every listener who does as much as offer a patient approach, giving the collection a couple of full devoted listens, during which the poignant brief introductions by the late famous John Peel might stick to the ear as much as the music itself.

Actually in my own experience I didn't get to fully appreciate the deep quality of this music until I used it as a background to a lengthy period of studying, during which I found myself increasingly able to concentrate as the warm organic flow of 'Embryo' accompanied me through these desolate hours. Thus this album seems a natural choice to give this blog a face, as the music itself will appeal to the kind of listener which we like to address and encourage to keep checking in.
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Plus it features the song 'Fat Old Sun'. Twice. In different versions.
So just go ahead, already!
Let the games begin.