This post is just a list, with short comments, of what I bought at the Record Fair on the 25/9. It's not to brag (mostly not to brag), it's just as important as the reviews of records or live shows I do, since music is what I'm about.
I've heard most of the stuff earlier, and listened to almost all of them after saturdays treasure hunt. So it's something between short reviews and reasons for me buying them.
Vinyl:
The Residents - It's A Man's Man's Man's World (7'')
It's probably been about a year or so since I discovered The Residents. I am truly amazed by their way of making music. This 7'' is'n essential, perhaps, but it's two cool covers of James Brown, and I found it cheap.
The Residents - Duck Stab (7'')
This, together with, The Third Reich'n'Roll and Eskimo are my favorite releases from this band, I bought this release together with Buster & Glen as a 2x3''CD, listed below. But when I came across this 7'' a little later that day, I just needed to have this as well. Vinyl is always preferred.
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Gold Und Liebe
After hearing A.H. Kraken's cover of Verschwende Deine Jugend on their debut album and listening way too much to The Anals, I realized that I had to check out D.A.F, and I haven't heard that much still. I got a hold of the Alles Gut album as mp3's and listened to that since it's, according to allmusic.com, their masterpiece.
This is the album with Verschwende Deine Jugend so, I bought it, and I enjoyed the listen as well. Has hell frozen over now that I'm listening to german 80's synth?
The Foetus All-Nude Revue - Bedrock (12'')
I read about this 12'' somewhere, probably allmusic.com, and I realized I needed to hear this. Couldn't find a sample or streamed version of this song on the internet, so when I found it on the record fair, it was an instant purchase. I must say that this may be one of my favoite songs from Foetus so far, the swingy jazz and dark humour and malice in the lyrics. A really great output from this artist.
Foetus Über Frisco - Finely Honed Machine (12'')
Hadn't heard this one either, but vinyl is vinyl and great artists are great artists, so another Foetus record for the collection.
Foetus Inc. - Butterfly Potion (12'')
Bought for the same reason as "Finely Honed Machine", but this 12'' wasn't as sharp as his earlier work.
Yob - Catharsis
This, together with their debut "Elaborations of Carbon", were huge favorites back when I was really into Doom/Sludge music. This is really fucking heavy, and it's still a great album, even though I'm not listening that much to this kind of music these days.
Lars Demian - Pank
Should I call him a singer/songwriter or troubadour, I actually don't know. It's something inbetween, spiced with Nine Inch Nails and Tom Waits, if you listen closely. A part from a greatest hits collection (a kind of release I despise, but got it for free) this is the only Demian release I have now.
Rumblers - Punch Drunk
Robert Johnsons band before they changed their name to Robert Johnson & Punchdrunks, can't really remember what this LP sounds like, my father played it to me a couple of years ago. But I'm a huge fan of his guitar work.
Lydia Lunch - The Drowning Of Lucy Hamilton (12'')
Wasn't expecting to find this one or the "In Limbo" record. I haven't heard the songs on this one, but it's Lydia Lunch and she never disappoints me. These songs are the soundtrack to a film she did with Richard Kern.
Lydia Lunch - In Limbo (12'')
These piano based songs are amazing. Lunch's joined by Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) on bass and partner-in-crime Jim Sclavunos (Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, 8-eyed Spy, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Grinderman). Highly recommended!
Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld & Mick Harvey - Ghosts... Of The Civil Dead
Soundtrack to a film I still haven't seen, but I really should prioritize it.
David Bowie - Station To Station
Haven't heard the songs on this, but it's Bowies 70's and I really dig it.
David Bowie - Alladin Sane
Haven't heard the songs on this one either, but, as said, it's Bowies 70's.
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Purchased for the reason that Life On Mars? is on it, and since it's early Bowie, it's rock and not his 80's disco.
The Dead Brothers - 5th Sin-Phonie
Didn't even know that hey had release anything new since "Wunderkammer" 2006, so this was a wonderful surprise when I found it. This is without a doubt my favorite act on Voodoo Rhythm Records and always amazing. If you haven't heard them I strongly recommend that you check them out. As a reviewer put it: "Swiss Hoodoo jazz corpsegrinding Romany Country Blues a go go."
The Stooges - S/T
Is there any reason to explain this? Essential!
The Stooges - Fun House
Is there any reason to explain this? Essential as well!
CD:
Portishead - S/T
Never actually imagined myself to listen to a triphop act, didn't even now what triphop was until I looked it up. Portishead was a band listed as playing that genre, and I've listened to Portishead from time to time through out the years. I found this one, very cheap, so why not?
Also, this album got the track Only You which Chris Cunningham did a video for.
Jacula - In Cauda Semper Stat Veneum
This is 70's occult italian prog rock. I genre I've thought about checking out but never actually done it, so I bought this one. When I put it on, I realized I had gotten this as mp3's from a friend. This is dark, weird and pretty cool.
Vulcano - Bloody Vengeance (CD+DVD)
You've gotta love South American 80's death/thrash/black and this is a cult classic from that era, re-releases by Cogumelo Records in Brazil, with a bonus DVD with a live show. Still haven't seen it, but the album is awesome.
The Residents - Duck Stab / Buster & Glen (2x3''CD)
Duck Stab is great, as mentioned above, haven't heard Buster & Glen though. But this release is wonderful, a digipack with two 3''CD's.
James Chance & The Contortions - Molotov Cocktail Lounge
A live CD from the sax maniac. Not that many tracks from "Buy", my favorite output from James, but still that funky disco/jazz/no wave we've learned to love from this man.
Sage Francis - Human The Death Dance
Not as sharp as "A Healthy Distrust" at all, which might be one of my favorite HipHop albums ever. But this is still pretty good.
The Jesus Lizard - Down
I've only heard "Goat" and "Liar" earlier, and can't really recall how they sound, btu I know I enjoyed listening to both albums, so again, this was an easy purchase. This isn't as great as the mentioned albums, but really good.
onsdag 29 september 2010
måndag 27 september 2010
Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Hits (Part 2)
Cabin Fever!
I really love the song structure and vocal approach in this track, also the agitated beat. And the part of the song where Blixas fucked-up guitar is panned out left and right.
From Her To Eternity
This song might be the best title track of all Nick's albums after the Birthday Party years. The piano melody on this track really gets its hooks into you.
Saint Huck
I always considered this to be my favorite track on From Her To Eternity, but I'm not sure if it really is. No matter what, this is grim and evil. The repetetive bass line (reversed for the song Tupelo, more or less), the clanking and skronky guitars, the malice in Nick's voice.
Wings Off Flies
I love the slide guitar in this song, and what sounds like stomping.
And who can shrug off the end of the wonderful refrain where Nick's voice goes up.
Tupelo
The repetetive music, the "simplicity", Nick and the band succeeds with creating something terrifying with so small means. Just the beginning of the song, with the sharp beats, the bass and, again, the vocals.
The Carny
Everything about this track is amazing. The music is very dark, ominous, like lurking (always loved that word) evil. The words describing the songs atmosphere are more or less the same, very ominous, dark. The use of that busted inner of a piano really takes this song to a personal favorite music-wise. And one mustn't forget Nick's dark lyrics. The carnival vibe in the music might also be a reason for this one being a personal favorite, I love dark carnival music.
The Mercy Seat
So messy, so raw, so catchy and just plain gold.
Also greatly covered by the late Johnny Cash.
The Weeping Song
I love this duet with Blixa, might be an ugly ass video, but the song, the clapping, Blixas depth in his voice.
The Ship Song
I have a very special relationship with this song. This is mine and my wife's song, it became our song somewhere back in the days when we got together, and has been our song since then. We had our first dance as a married couple to this song on our wedding. So, of course, it needs to be on this list.
Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
"I passed beside the mission house
Where that mad old buzzard, the reverend,
Shrieked and flapped about life after your dead
Well, I thought about my friend, Michel
How they rolled him in linoleum
And shot him in the neck
A bloody halo, like a think-bubble
Circling his head"
"Well, the moon it looked exhausted
Like something you should pity
Spent an age-spotted
Above the sizzling wires of the city
Well, it reminded me of her face
Her bleached and hungry eyes
Her hair was like a curtain
Falling open with the laughter
And closing with the lies"
"I awoke so drunk and full of rage
That I could hardly speak
A fag in a whale-bone corset
Draping his dick across my cheek"
Do You Love Me?
Darkly romantic, but with harsh and provocative imaging. Love and blood, good and evil. The dark drive of the bass and piano in the song is really great.
Red Right Hand
Another one of those inexplainable favorites, is the use of bells, the bass, the guitars, the lyrics, the vocals? Or is it all of those aspects of the song? I do not know, but I really love this track.
Stagger Lee
I really love the beat in this one, as well as the lyrics. But I think that goes for almost all the tracks on Murder Ballads, Nick really aces his storytelling.
O'Malley's Bar
I think that the lyrics to this song really is what does it for me. The music isn't that big of a deal, not compared to a lot of other songs. But the monotone song structure, combined with Nick's story eally ends up with great results in my book.
God Is In The House
One of the most subtle and quiet songs on my list. This song is so great due to the dark sense of humour in the lyrics, with the all-american small town paranoia, prejudice and narrow mindedness.
No Pussy Blues
I was amazed when Grinderman appeared. I was amazed that he had so much fuck you-attitude left in him, it was so raw and so anti-Bad Seeds, so in your face and so fucking rock'n'roll. This track still remains my favorite Grinderman track, not conquered by any other on the album or by any of the songs on the newly release follow-up.
So there you have it. My 30 favorite Nick Cave songs, reasons for the choices and a good place to start listening if you haven't heard that much of him earlier and you find my blog illuminating regarding new music in your life.
torsdag 2 september 2010
Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Hits (Part 1)
When I was 13 years old, I asked my father to tape From Her To Eternity and Murder Ballads for me. I had heard Nick Cave from time to time through my childhood, since my father was a fan, and hearing From Her To Eternity on vinyl back then was a revelation. I had the tape in my walkman every day, my friends didn't understand it at all. From 13 and probably up until I was 18 I was, what can be referred to as, a metalhead. My first contact with metal was through a friend who listened to Manowar and Judas Priest, I had been listening to Queen since I was 10, so the step to heavy/power metal wasn't that big. When I was 14 I was introduced to Korn, Slipknot and Marilyn Manson, which were huge favorites through that year, until Black Metal made its entrace in my life. And between 15 and 18 I was really into that scene, for better or worse, with all its idiocy.
But through all those musical changes in my early musical life, I never let go of that tape with Nick Cave. I had it, kept it, played it until it was unplayable.
When I was 16 I got a vinyl player from my dad, and I started buying vinyl.
Some of the earliest albums I bought on vinyl that year was From Her To Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks and Tender Prey, I found them all in a used records store one day in ninth grade.
From that momen I was lost in the world of Saint Nick. And I still am. He's the only god in my house.
Me and my wife (girlfriend at that time) went to Hamburg to see him live in 2004, then we saw him in Stockholm 2008, I saw Grinderman on Way Out West that same year and I saw him with the Bad Seeds last year on Where The Action Is in Stockholm.
So, of course, I had to buy the issue of Uncut with Nick Cave's selection of his 30 greatest hits and a Grinderman interview.
But after going through his selection, I felt that there were some songs left out from my favorites. Me and Nick have very different views on his music, of course. He has been writing all of them more or less, and I've just been amazed by them for 12 years.
After reading the selection I thought that I should do my own Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Hits, but realized during the selection of songs that I could never rank them. It was impossible to say that "... is my favorite Nick Cave song of all of them" or "this is number five because...".
But even though the ranking is impossible, I wanted to publish my own selection as a tribute, and to let you know where I come from and where I find my inspiration.
And by being a lyricist, author, poet, idiot, myself, it's hard to separate my impressions of both music, vocals and lyrics. Some songs might not be musical favorites, but lyrical favorites, or vocal favorites.
The Uncut issue had a lot written for each song, but it was written or said by a large number of contributors. I am just one person, so each entry regarding a certain song might not be as extensive as the parts written in the magazine, but sometimes a little is enough, and I'm not one for dissecting songs.
This task took a lot longer than I had imagined, so in order to update the blog pretty today (something I haven't done since July), I've decided to do this in two parts. The first part is the 15 first "greatest hits" according to me, all Birthday Party songs actually. And the second part is from his first "solo" album and forward.
This selection is compiled without placing them in any other order than cronologically, this is it:
Mr Clarinet
This was also one of my favorite tracks on the Three One G compilation of Birthday Party covers, given a french touch on that one.
The weirdness of this track is wonderful.
The Friend Catcher
The intro, the hissing and noise, before this evil little guitar melody, I think I read somewhere that they didn't even touch the guitars for the intro. They just plugged it all in, guitar, pedals and amp, and this was the sound that came out.
Zoo-Music Girl
"My body is a monster driven insane" and the use of brass on this track, do I need to say more?
Nick The Stripper
A self-loathing approach, hideous to the eye, the video, the lyrics, the guitars. Actually one song I've wanted to cover through out my own musical career.
King Ink
I just love the repetetive bass on this track. Rowland's and Mick's guitars are just so screechy and evil. Even if this song got that little melody that's really catchy, it's still feels pretty provoking.
Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)
I love the bass line in this song, even though I think that Cave could have used the word Pow a little less in the lyrics. But this is really raw, just the intro of the song, when Nick spells out Hamlet over the bass line is really great.
Big-Jesus-Trash-Can
Another song that contains great lyrical lines.
"Fucking rotten business this", "Big-Jesus-Oil-King down in Texas"
Junkyard
From the start, the uttering of the words "I am the King" with that really heavy bass line, this an instant classic. "Honey-child's takin' over this place"
Release The Bats
I think this was the first BP song I heard. My father played it for me, and laughed about the fact that BP had released a collection called "Hits". What my father said was "I hardly think that they actually had any hits". I started to disagree with him pretty soon after hearing this. It was so raw, uncompromising and vicious that I instantly needed to get my hands on everything by the Birthday Party and as fast as I could.
Jennifer's Veil
Just like the "review" in Uncut said, this song might be so great because it's so different. But it's without a doubt a great song without considering the differences from "regular" BP-songs. The slow, dark, music and the mysterious lyrics are equally great.
Mutiny In Heaven
This is maybe not a top song musically for me, but the lyrics to this song is one of my favorite Cave writings of them all. It's filled with so many lines that it makes you think of stop writing yourself, because you could never compete with this.
I mean: "If this is Heaven ah'm bailin out", "perched on mah bed ah was... sticken a needle in mah arm", "Fucken wings burst out mah back" and "Mah threadbare soul teem with vermin and louse"
WildWorld
This is a song that is a vocal favorite, the way Nick uses his voice in this one. It's calming but upsetting at the same time, and he also manages to sing "la la-la-la-la la-la-la-la" without me wanting to kick his teeth out, since I hate that kind humming, wailing or whatever you should call it. But not by him, never by him.
Fears Of Gun
"Fingers down the throat of love". Another song that I've really wanted to cover with a band of my own. And, also, another song where I love the vocals and lyrics a lot more than the actual music. In the beginning of the song, when the vocals comes in:
"Gunn wears his alcoholism well
Finger in bottle and swingin' it still
From bed to sink and back again
Clock is crawlin' round the same"
The wailing in Nick's voice is like heroin to me.
Deep In The Woods
The haunting guitar work in this song is pure gold. Rowland Howards use of the MXR pedals and the reverb on his Fender Twin Reverb just creeps under your skin. And the lyrics, the lyrics:
"saying D-I-E into her skin,
saying DEAD into belly and DEATH into shoulder
Well last night she kissed me but than DEATH was upon her"
A Catholic Skin
I don't know when this song was recorded, but it's pretty early since the songs on this compilation is all more or less credited to the Boys Next Door. This song might have stuck since it got the word catholic in the title/lyrics or because of the great little melody this song is based around. Either way, both the song structure and the melody are parts of this song that I've been humming from time to time during the last 8 years or so.
But through all those musical changes in my early musical life, I never let go of that tape with Nick Cave. I had it, kept it, played it until it was unplayable.
When I was 16 I got a vinyl player from my dad, and I started buying vinyl.
Some of the earliest albums I bought on vinyl that year was From Her To Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks and Tender Prey, I found them all in a used records store one day in ninth grade.
From that momen I was lost in the world of Saint Nick. And I still am. He's the only god in my house.
Me and my wife (girlfriend at that time) went to Hamburg to see him live in 2004, then we saw him in Stockholm 2008, I saw Grinderman on Way Out West that same year and I saw him with the Bad Seeds last year on Where The Action Is in Stockholm.
So, of course, I had to buy the issue of Uncut with Nick Cave's selection of his 30 greatest hits and a Grinderman interview.
But after going through his selection, I felt that there were some songs left out from my favorites. Me and Nick have very different views on his music, of course. He has been writing all of them more or less, and I've just been amazed by them for 12 years.
After reading the selection I thought that I should do my own Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Hits, but realized during the selection of songs that I could never rank them. It was impossible to say that "... is my favorite Nick Cave song of all of them" or "this is number five because...".
But even though the ranking is impossible, I wanted to publish my own selection as a tribute, and to let you know where I come from and where I find my inspiration.
And by being a lyricist, author, poet, idiot, myself, it's hard to separate my impressions of both music, vocals and lyrics. Some songs might not be musical favorites, but lyrical favorites, or vocal favorites.
The Uncut issue had a lot written for each song, but it was written or said by a large number of contributors. I am just one person, so each entry regarding a certain song might not be as extensive as the parts written in the magazine, but sometimes a little is enough, and I'm not one for dissecting songs.
This task took a lot longer than I had imagined, so in order to update the blog pretty today (something I haven't done since July), I've decided to do this in two parts. The first part is the 15 first "greatest hits" according to me, all Birthday Party songs actually. And the second part is from his first "solo" album and forward.
This selection is compiled without placing them in any other order than cronologically, this is it:
Mr Clarinet
This was also one of my favorite tracks on the Three One G compilation of Birthday Party covers, given a french touch on that one.
The weirdness of this track is wonderful.
The Friend Catcher
The intro, the hissing and noise, before this evil little guitar melody, I think I read somewhere that they didn't even touch the guitars for the intro. They just plugged it all in, guitar, pedals and amp, and this was the sound that came out.
Zoo-Music Girl
"My body is a monster driven insane" and the use of brass on this track, do I need to say more?
Nick The Stripper
A self-loathing approach, hideous to the eye, the video, the lyrics, the guitars. Actually one song I've wanted to cover through out my own musical career.
King Ink
I just love the repetetive bass on this track. Rowland's and Mick's guitars are just so screechy and evil. Even if this song got that little melody that's really catchy, it's still feels pretty provoking.
Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)
I love the bass line in this song, even though I think that Cave could have used the word Pow a little less in the lyrics. But this is really raw, just the intro of the song, when Nick spells out Hamlet over the bass line is really great.
Big-Jesus-Trash-Can
Another song that contains great lyrical lines.
"Fucking rotten business this", "Big-Jesus-Oil-King down in Texas"
Junkyard
From the start, the uttering of the words "I am the King" with that really heavy bass line, this an instant classic. "Honey-child's takin' over this place"
Release The Bats
I think this was the first BP song I heard. My father played it for me, and laughed about the fact that BP had released a collection called "Hits". What my father said was "I hardly think that they actually had any hits". I started to disagree with him pretty soon after hearing this. It was so raw, uncompromising and vicious that I instantly needed to get my hands on everything by the Birthday Party and as fast as I could.
Jennifer's Veil
Just like the "review" in Uncut said, this song might be so great because it's so different. But it's without a doubt a great song without considering the differences from "regular" BP-songs. The slow, dark, music and the mysterious lyrics are equally great.
Mutiny In Heaven
This is maybe not a top song musically for me, but the lyrics to this song is one of my favorite Cave writings of them all. It's filled with so many lines that it makes you think of stop writing yourself, because you could never compete with this.
I mean: "If this is Heaven ah'm bailin out", "perched on mah bed ah was... sticken a needle in mah arm", "Fucken wings burst out mah back" and "Mah threadbare soul teem with vermin and louse"
WildWorld
This is a song that is a vocal favorite, the way Nick uses his voice in this one. It's calming but upsetting at the same time, and he also manages to sing "la la-la-la-la la-la-la-la" without me wanting to kick his teeth out, since I hate that kind humming, wailing or whatever you should call it. But not by him, never by him.
Fears Of Gun
"Fingers down the throat of love". Another song that I've really wanted to cover with a band of my own. And, also, another song where I love the vocals and lyrics a lot more than the actual music. In the beginning of the song, when the vocals comes in:
"Gunn wears his alcoholism well
Finger in bottle and swingin' it still
From bed to sink and back again
Clock is crawlin' round the same"
The wailing in Nick's voice is like heroin to me.
Deep In The Woods
The haunting guitar work in this song is pure gold. Rowland Howards use of the MXR pedals and the reverb on his Fender Twin Reverb just creeps under your skin. And the lyrics, the lyrics:
"saying D-I-E into her skin,
saying DEAD into belly and DEATH into shoulder
Well last night she kissed me but than DEATH was upon her"
A Catholic Skin
I don't know when this song was recorded, but it's pretty early since the songs on this compilation is all more or less credited to the Boys Next Door. This song might have stuck since it got the word catholic in the title/lyrics or because of the great little melody this song is based around. Either way, both the song structure and the melody are parts of this song that I've been humming from time to time during the last 8 years or so.
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