Τετάρτη 29 Δεκεμβρίου 2010

SMEGMA - "MIRAGE" (2010)

Το μουσικό τρελοκομείο που λέγεται Smegma κλείνει αισίως τα 30 χρόνια και με αυτό το άλμπουμ φθάνει τα 36 !Όπως, οι Sun City Girls, οι Red Krayola, οι Butthole Surfers άλλες παλιές περιθωριακές avant rock μπάντες, οι Smegma αντιμετωπίστηκαν στα 80ς από την υπό διαμόρφωση τότε indie rock κουλτούρα ως χαζοβιόληδες θορυβοποιοί στην καλύτερη. Τα τελευταία χρόνια, βέβαια, με τις αναφορές νεότερων μουσικών κολεκτίβων σε αυτούς (βλέπε Wolf Eyes), απολαμβάνουν και αυτοί ένα μικρό cult status και πάλι, νομίζω, όχι λόγο των πλέον πρόσφατων δίσκων τους, αλλά για ριζοσπαστικό μουσικό τους παρελθόν. Όπως, όμως, συμβαίνει με κάποιες γεροντάρες του free underground, χωρίς προειδοποίηση, βγάζουν μια δισκάρα και ξαναβρίσκουν την εφηβική τους δυναμική. Κάτι τέτοιο δεν συνέβη με το “Funeral Mariachi” τo ή “My Father Will Guide Me… ” φέτος ; Χωρίς να έχω παρακολουθήσει στενά την δισκογραφία των Smegma, το “Mirage” είναι μάλλον από τα απολαυστικότερα άλμπουμ τους εδώ και χρόνια. Γνήσιοι ιδρυτές της επιδραστικότατης αυτοσχεδιαστικής κολεκτίβας Los Angeles Free Music Society, έχουν φυσικά στο DNA τους τις ανατροπές. Και ως γνήσιοι Αμερικανοί όταν παίζουν μουσική δεν τους ενδιαφέρει η «φόρμα», η « ατμόσφαιρα» και άλλοι, ολίγον μάταιοι, ευρωπαϊκοί προβληματισμοί, αλλά το πώς θα περάσουν καλά. Ναι, όσο δύσκολο κι αν φαίνεται ο ατελείωτη μουσική πολυμορφία που διέπει το “Mirage” δεν κουράζει, γιατί, έναν καθαρά Smegma «καμένο» λόγο, έχει χαβαλέ. Ταυτόχρονα, έχει και μοναδική ποιότητα. Αυτό φαίνεται με το καλημέρα του άλμπουμ στο 11λεπτο εναρκτήριο κομμάτι σήμα κατατεθέν της φάσης τους. Μπλέκουν free jazz ξεσκίσματα στα κορνέτα, τα κλαμπατσίμπαλα από οικιακά κρουστά, καυστικές noise παρεμβολές, γουστόζικα αναλογικά εφέ, τσιρίδες και ουρλιαχτά, το στιβαρό drumming του Daniel Buck, κιθαριστικά ξεσπάσματα και αλλά ακόμα πιο θορυβώδη σε ένα ιδιαίτερο σουρεαλιστικό αυτοσχεδιασμό, που μόνο με τις πιο αξιόλογες στιγμές των Nurse With Wound μοιάζει. Παρακάτω, τους ακούμε και σε πιο χαλαρές στιγμές είτε χτίζοντας free jazz βινιέτες γύρω από απλά κιθαριστικά αρπίσματα είτε σε ασκήσεις music concrete με παιδικά παιχνίδια προς το φινάλε. Στο μέσον του άλμπουμ βρίσκουμε την ξεδιάντροπη rock n roll πλευρά τους , στα 2:25 λεπτά του “F-85 Turbo Rocket”. Ένα ζαλισμένο rockabilly κομμάτι, που μοιάζει έτοιμο να καταρρεύσει κάθε λεπτό και ζέχνει από την cult σαπίλα. Κάπου εδώ, όμως, οι περιττές αναλύσεις πρέπει να σταματήσουν, καθώς, στην ουσία, στο “Mirage” μιλά μια από τις πιο αυθεντικές συνιστώσες του ελεύθερου Αμερικάνου πνεύματος। Από τις λίγες που επιβιώνουν σε αυτόν τον αιώνα.

((E A R)) ((E Y E))

Τρίτη 21 Δεκεμβρίου 2010

50 FAVORITE 2010 ALBUMS


50. Dreamcolour – “Inner Worship”
Cosmic jazz, drone wizards. A free form dizzy and limitless outer-space.


49. Omar Souleyman – “Jazeera Nights”
More hilarious electro dabke mayhem from our favorite Syrian party crusher!



48. Ora Cogan – “The Quarry”
A tremendous and fragile voice, over some strong and tense melodies. The attack of estrogens.



47. Mark McGuire – “Living With Yourself”
A very personal musical diary, from Emeralds guitarist, for his friends and family. Sweet, emotional, gentle and of course chaotically psychedelic…



46. Julian Lynch – “Mare”
A huge collection of different - and many times opposite - music elements. Jazz , pop, drones, folk and many other species are gathered together to make some of the most beautiful tracks of the year.



45. Ensemble Economique – “Phychical”
A brooding dark synth drone head-trip from tropic California to magickal Africa.



44. Mountain Man – “Made The Harbor”
Mystical harmonious hillbilly a capellas, softy and gently feminine. Who are these girls?



43. Rangers – “Suburban Tours”
An album that has been labeled as hypnagogic, but it has greater horizons and more influences . The best dusk soundtrack.



42. Messages – “After Before”
The spirit of the Theatre of Eternal Music lives on through this very organic drone recording.



41. John Zorn – “In Seach Of The Miraculous”
Homogenous and easily digest lounge jazz meets, finally, the miraculous.



40. Keith Fullertron Whitman – “Disingenuity b/w Disingeniusness”
Polarized Semi-random interpretations of modular synthesizer heading towards your conception of what avant garde in 2010 really is.



39. Sproatly Smith – “Pixieled”
Mystic, Magic, Majestic: A very special invocation to Old England nature and customs informed by 60s folk and the modern day ghostronica.



38. The Books – “The Way Out”
Futuristic, folktronic plunderphonia with a rare pop sensibility. A loop that goes round and round in your head.



37. Alastair Galbraith – “Mass”
Experiments that lead to nowhere. Broken melodies. Never ending tracks. Non-fitting drones. No cohesion at all. Sound awful but if it’s delivered by Galbraith is wonderful.



36. Excepter – “Presidence”
Practicing Electro improvised meditations never sounded cooler. Can’t make out a word, but I feel already teleportized…



35. The Ex – “Catch My Shoe”
Still growing at the forefront of post hardcore / free rock with at least 4 “classic” the Ex anthems included. Arnold de Boer’s accent is almost Greek, all the better for it!



34. Supersilent – “10”
The personnel change shifted the improvisation dynamics from noise / free jazz to almost reductionism, creating their most glacial soundscapes. Arve Henriksen’s restrained lyrical sax at its most touching and beautiful.



33. Barn Owl – “Ancestral Star”
Guitar drones with country aesthetics. In the hostile American desert, the grains of sand are still swirling.



32. High Wolf – “Shangri L.A” - "Ascencion"
Ethnic drone psychedelia for a thousand mindtrips. We just kept synched to the guru’s hypertrance.



31. Suum Cuique – “Midden"
Captivating ambient sub-bass vibrations and transforming them to entropic sound phenomena, the mysterious Suum provided some of the highest quality analog drone of the year.



30. Fursaxa – “Mycorrhizae Realm"
A folk witchcraft. A mountain peak full with colours and melodies. A ethereal soundscape where you want to get lost and never be found.



29. Jack Rose – “Luck In The Valley"
The last album from the best guitar-picking player after John Fahey. Country and drone, folk and rock are alchemically mixed.



28. Flower Corsano Duo – “You Will Never Work In This Town Again"
Our favorite post-Coltrane / Ali duo in their most frenzying free jazz sitar / drums power strikes. Come work in Athens anytime.



27. Kim Doo Soo – “Evening River"
Best singer songwriter album for this year came from this melancholic Korean troubadour. Spent many countryside driving hours listening to this.



26. Seijaku – “Mail From Fushitsusha"
How black can the blues be? And how noisy? The new Japanese supergoup with Keiji Haino’s musical prose as a Trojan horse.



25. Sabbath Assembly – “Restored to the one"
A uncanny rock opera with the most uplifting, harmonious, gospel singing since Jesus Christ Superstar. I was a believer for one hour.



24. Group Inerane – “Guitars From Agadez, Vol.3"
Psych-rock music from the north Africa. Tuareg at its best. Yeah dude, behind the head.



23. Marc Ribot – “Silent Movies"
All the different styles and forms in guitar are passing by his fingers. Abstract but strong and solid, this album has the same fogy atmosphere, the same dusty power that the silent movies have. Absolutely magnificent!



22. Ignatz – “Mort Aux Vaches"
Sensitive and melancholic. The blues from Ignatz’s electric guitar is something unique and elegant. Elliptical improvisations that sounds like the monologues inside the head of a schizophrenic.



21. Pete Swanson – “Where I Was"
Static noise drone crescendos simultaneously mournful and powerful. Truly gifted.



20. Gil Scott-Heron – “I'm New Here"
He is still alive and he is still here. A nocturnal vibe is stretched above the covers that constitute the return of a contemporary myth. All tones of gray are scattered at this emotional and brilliant album.



19. The Red Krayola With The Art & Language – “Five American Portraits"
The opening of the right nostril / The middle lower lip / The inner ear of the right ear. Who can say anything about this crazy humorous band? Another great album of, what it seems to be, a musical-free form-jazzy-stand –up comedy. Frantic applause.



18. Moritz Von Oswald Trio – “Live In New York"
A live ambient techno record not repeating even one pattern? Improvised music you can dance to? Genius!



17. Andrew Chalk – “Ghost of Nakhodka"
Psychedelic-drone extravaganza. His thick ambient and emotionally soundscapes comes from a different, occult world.



16. Ghedalia Tazartes – “Ante Mortem"
From noise to poetry, from loops to collages, from ethic music to waltzes, from jazz to folk. This avant-garde shaman has a unique and indescribable music style that you love or hate. An original piece of art.



15. Woods – “At Echo Lake"
The most “polished” album for the lo-fi revival veterans, until now. Campfire-rock, indie-rock, weird folk, you name it, the music of these weirdos leave you with the irresistible feeling to hear it over and over again.



14. Magic Lantern – “Platoon"
Most exciting muddy fuzzy stone rock by Stallones and friends. Essential companion to “On Patrol”.



13. Rose Kemp – “Golden Shroud"
Folk, metal, singing-songwriting and doom are paradoxically work side by side in this hybrid music. A wonderful journey into the beauty of darkness.



12. Call Back The Giants – “s/t"
What sounds flat, plain and amateurish at the surface , can convey original quirkiness and probably hidden messages from the beyond.



11. Suzanne Langille & Neel Murgai – “Wild And Foolish Heart"
Subtle melodies lay in a hair-rising voice (Langille) and they are accompanied by some hunted percussion( Murgai). Vivid, theatrical and fragile, these songs have the magic of simplicity.



10. Pocahaunted – “Make It Real"
Shaken from their hygnagogic sleep, Pocahaunted offer perfect stripped down funkiness with a good deal of psych rock. A surreal female sensual dream.



09. Trembling Bells – “Abandoned Love"
Nielson and co produced the best fevered and expansive brit folk rock since Fairport Convention. Only, they play their own songs and actually sound pretty unconventional.



08. Hype Williams – “s/t"
Smokey anti-electro and primitive sampling resulted in the most weird sounding avant beat experiment. Truly Elusive, you just can’t pin them down.



07. Burzum – “Bellus"
Genius? Is that the right word? Not exactly metal, but surely black – as the sky at a heavy thunderstorm – burzum raise his aggressive and muddy music up to perfection. So, perfection is the right word?



06. Nalle – “Wilder Shores Of Love"
The warm and dreamy melodies of this album bow gently to the weird Hanna Tuukili’s elf voice. Strange and abstract, this albums stick to you like a tender scarf in the snow.



05. Alasdair Roberts – “ Too Long In This Condition"
A few talented folks teams up to share their passion for the British traditional music. With the guidance of Alasdair Roberts they cover some of the finest – old and new – tunes of their country, with the energy, the love and the freshness of a wedding ceremony. The result is another great album for the Scottish leader in folk music.



04. Swans – “My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky"
A Soul- crushing maelstrom from start to finish. And of course the best realized reunion of all time. SWANS ARE UNDEAD.



03. Gate – “A Republic of Sadness"
A blurry mist is created by the endless repeating melodies, the atmospherically hum and haw, the layers of the popish electronica. Headphones are suggested for this introvert, warm music that has the attractive sense of the unfinished. I’ve heard it over a thousand times in this year, and still, I cannot sate my thirst for it.



02. Sun Araw – “On Patrol"
OH! Great psych-o-master of all things vast, tropic and freefloating we thank you for this hymid hazy soundream. Plus, the only music you can enjoy in Athens at burning 35 Celsius summer evenings.



01. The Dead C – “Patience"
The inglorious come back of the noise-rock magicians. Heavy guitars, feedbacks, improvisation, free form and sharp directness, at the New Zealand’s legend trio hands becomes a mothdropping electrified stardust that leaves you, at least, with a lovely headache.