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tibii's POP update 25 March 2008
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JANET LABELLE
EP “Birdsongs” is out now, at least on Snocap, though it’s hard to find there, which seems to be due to some programming errors on the Snocap website. Will keep you updated. Since her former band Avery has been inactive for some time, it was quite thrilling to learn how this enormously gifted songwriter, singer and keyboard player would sound like on her new recordings. And from what can be heard so far it was worth the wait. “Les Fleurs du Mal” gives us a wondrously beautiful melody, playing with psychedelic pop-rock as well as sixties European chanson as in Jacques Brel (whom Janet surely knows) and Boudewijn de Groot (whom she probably doesn’t know), including barrel-organ mod-type drama. Speaking of hurdy gurdy stuff: could it be that Franz Schubert, who set the Winterreise including Der Leiermann (The Organ Grinder) to music, also has been an influence on beautiful Janet’s songwriting?
The other tracks I heard were different, more American and current, but of the same quality.
http://www.myspace.com/janetlabelle
AVERY
You should also check Janet’s former band Avery (don’t confuse them with any of their numerous namesakes). I just purchased their glorious LP "There was a time, my darling...", produced, I guess, in ca. 2004, and enjoy the download every day, actually I can’t get enough of these gorgeous pop-songs.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=886458
(There must be a shorter URL)
POLICE LINE
An indication of what the future of rock’n’roll may be are Police Line.This IS the real underground. You may call it punk or experimental psychedelic jazz or noise metal, whatever, they have their totally unique style. This is not for the weaklings amongst thou. Because they deliver music which is not based on something old (though they refer to punk), so Police Line might take you by surprise, hit you with ideas you might not have been aware of. While their first album “Do not cross” is of such a poor sound quality that the older ones among us will find it difficult to realize what’s going on (it’s still worth it), their new album “Taken” demonstrates improved techniques of recording. Mastermind Tom aka paperclip is super-active and with Police Line got himself a great band together. While everyone misses the unconventional genius type of playing which Cole, drummer in Tom’s former band Seemingly Noticable was capable of , Police Line’s drummer Zack is just as good, but plays a different style. Tom is a dab hand at finding co-musicians who understand what he wants from rock’n’roll and who are able to realize his modern vision of punk.
http://policeline.fuzz.com/
JOHNNY NINE
Still relentlessly producing some of the finest disco high energy tekknoid type of music around is Mr Johnny Nine. As crazy as professional, as unusual as top quality. Btw some of it is also melodic and wavish.
http://johnnynine.fuzz.com/
ANDY BRAZENDALE
Andy from Tasmania is my favorite musician! Well, next to The Beatles and Swell. I found out about him by pure coincidence, searching for a certain singer, only to find someone of the same name as the singer, who plays in a band in Tasmania. Then while surfing through this band’s links (friends, favorites) I randomly clicked on Andy. Very exciting story, ain’t it? Actually, it WAS exciting, cause Andy’s music is as good as pop music can get. Andy is not only one of the best songwriters around, he also has an excellent taste in music. Through him I found out about some of my favorite other artists – which he presumably discovered by the same method: random clicking.
http://www.myspace.com/andybrazendale
In order to stay hip and up-to-date, I must occasionally check what guys like Andy listen to, so I went through his “influences”. Among those was a band called “Bedhead”. Searching for
BEDHEAD
brought up whom Andy must have meant, a great Texan indie band, somewhat in the tradition of Pavement and Swell (you see, I mention Swell for the second time!).
http://www.brainwashed.com/bedhead/
This band no longer exists, but the two Kadane brothers formed a new band:
THE NEW YEAR
This band can by all means be described as a continuation of Bedhead, check for yourself.
http://www.thenewyear.net/
While searching for Bedhead I not only found BEDHEAD, but also
BEDHEAD
Actually they sound completely different than the others, but they are great songwriters and performers. It seems they do a lot of work as a cover band, but we all have to make a living. Please listen to their original songs, they are great.
http://www.spookmusic.co.uk/index.html
And now, at long last, let’s move to
SWELL
As John Peel once put it (analogously): “Some people say that Pavement will be the next big thing after Nirvana. Now I would assume that Swell will be the next big thing after Pavement.”
This did not turn out to be the case commercially (it didn’t even happen with Pavement), but John Peel was correct in terms of artistic innovation. Nothing against Nirvana, but Pavement are better, nothing against Pavement, but Swell are better.
http://www.swellsongs.com/
A STRANGE PHENOMENON IN HIP HOP
Look at this crap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=740d8sTpM7U&NR=1
I’m not really disturbed by the fact that record companies aim their videos at fantasy dream worlds of 13 year old boys lagging behind their peers, because these boys are the guys spending money for the music. What does disturb me though is that this kind of video often is featured on websites of full grown unsigned hip hop artists. I do know most of these artists are intelligent and reflective men, but on the other hand they not only feature videos like this but also illustrate their sophisticated tracks with pics of kitschy cliché stuff like thick bank-rolls and big expensive cars which normally only boring old farts, drug dealers and pimps drive.
This type of self-infantilisation seems to be a mass-phenomenon among many hip hop guys. No idea what this means, but it surely means more than what meets the eye?!
BERNARD HERRMANN
Ever heard his music? You sure have, if you saw one of the movies he scored, e.g. Psycho and Fahrenheit 451. His best music like the scores for The Day the Earth Stood Still and Taxi Driver has remained interesting and modern over the decades. While strongly indicative of the respective times they were composed in, his works also include plenty of idea-sound-contiguities which will only be explored and understood in the future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Herrmann
EP “Birdsongs” is out now, at least on Snocap, though it’s hard to find there, which seems to be due to some programming errors on the Snocap website. Will keep you updated. Since her former band Avery has been inactive for some time, it was quite thrilling to learn how this enormously gifted songwriter, singer and keyboard player would sound like on her new recordings. And from what can be heard so far it was worth the wait. “Les Fleurs du Mal” gives us a wondrously beautiful melody, playing with psychedelic pop-rock as well as sixties European chanson as in Jacques Brel (whom Janet surely knows) and Boudewijn de Groot (whom she probably doesn’t know), including barrel-organ mod-type drama. Speaking of hurdy gurdy stuff: could it be that Franz Schubert, who set the Winterreise including Der Leiermann (The Organ Grinder) to music, also has been an influence on beautiful Janet’s songwriting?
The other tracks I heard were different, more American and current, but of the same quality.
http://www.myspace.com/janetlabelle
AVERY
You should also check Janet’s former band Avery (don’t confuse them with any of their numerous namesakes). I just purchased their glorious LP "There was a time, my darling...", produced, I guess, in ca. 2004, and enjoy the download every day, actually I can’t get enough of these gorgeous pop-songs.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=886458
(There must be a shorter URL)
POLICE LINE
An indication of what the future of rock’n’roll may be are Police Line.This IS the real underground. You may call it punk or experimental psychedelic jazz or noise metal, whatever, they have their totally unique style. This is not for the weaklings amongst thou. Because they deliver music which is not based on something old (though they refer to punk), so Police Line might take you by surprise, hit you with ideas you might not have been aware of. While their first album “Do not cross” is of such a poor sound quality that the older ones among us will find it difficult to realize what’s going on (it’s still worth it), their new album “Taken” demonstrates improved techniques of recording. Mastermind Tom aka paperclip is super-active and with Police Line got himself a great band together. While everyone misses the unconventional genius type of playing which Cole, drummer in Tom’s former band Seemingly Noticable was capable of , Police Line’s drummer Zack is just as good, but plays a different style. Tom is a dab hand at finding co-musicians who understand what he wants from rock’n’roll and who are able to realize his modern vision of punk.
http://policeline.fuzz.com/
JOHNNY NINE
Still relentlessly producing some of the finest disco high energy tekknoid type of music around is Mr Johnny Nine. As crazy as professional, as unusual as top quality. Btw some of it is also melodic and wavish.
http://johnnynine.fuzz.com/
ANDY BRAZENDALE
Andy from Tasmania is my favorite musician! Well, next to The Beatles and Swell. I found out about him by pure coincidence, searching for a certain singer, only to find someone of the same name as the singer, who plays in a band in Tasmania. Then while surfing through this band’s links (friends, favorites) I randomly clicked on Andy. Very exciting story, ain’t it? Actually, it WAS exciting, cause Andy’s music is as good as pop music can get. Andy is not only one of the best songwriters around, he also has an excellent taste in music. Through him I found out about some of my favorite other artists – which he presumably discovered by the same method: random clicking.
http://www.myspace.com/andybrazendale
In order to stay hip and up-to-date, I must occasionally check what guys like Andy listen to, so I went through his “influences”. Among those was a band called “Bedhead”. Searching for
BEDHEAD
brought up whom Andy must have meant, a great Texan indie band, somewhat in the tradition of Pavement and Swell (you see, I mention Swell for the second time!).
http://www.brainwashed.com/bedhead/
This band no longer exists, but the two Kadane brothers formed a new band:
THE NEW YEAR
This band can by all means be described as a continuation of Bedhead, check for yourself.
http://www.thenewyear.net/
While searching for Bedhead I not only found BEDHEAD, but also
BEDHEAD
Actually they sound completely different than the others, but they are great songwriters and performers. It seems they do a lot of work as a cover band, but we all have to make a living. Please listen to their original songs, they are great.
http://www.spookmusic.co.uk/index.html
And now, at long last, let’s move to
SWELL
As John Peel once put it (analogously): “Some people say that Pavement will be the next big thing after Nirvana. Now I would assume that Swell will be the next big thing after Pavement.”
This did not turn out to be the case commercially (it didn’t even happen with Pavement), but John Peel was correct in terms of artistic innovation. Nothing against Nirvana, but Pavement are better, nothing against Pavement, but Swell are better.
http://www.swellsongs.com/
A STRANGE PHENOMENON IN HIP HOP
Look at this crap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=740d8sTpM7U&NR=1
I’m not really disturbed by the fact that record companies aim their videos at fantasy dream worlds of 13 year old boys lagging behind their peers, because these boys are the guys spending money for the music. What does disturb me though is that this kind of video often is featured on websites of full grown unsigned hip hop artists. I do know most of these artists are intelligent and reflective men, but on the other hand they not only feature videos like this but also illustrate their sophisticated tracks with pics of kitschy cliché stuff like thick bank-rolls and big expensive cars which normally only boring old farts, drug dealers and pimps drive.
This type of self-infantilisation seems to be a mass-phenomenon among many hip hop guys. No idea what this means, but it surely means more than what meets the eye?!
BERNARD HERRMANN
Ever heard his music? You sure have, if you saw one of the movies he scored, e.g. Psycho and Fahrenheit 451. His best music like the scores for The Day the Earth Stood Still and Taxi Driver has remained interesting and modern over the decades. While strongly indicative of the respective times they were composed in, his works also include plenty of idea-sound-contiguities which will only be explored and understood in the future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Herrmann
Comments
"Nirvana is having tremendous success right now and Pavement is the next big thing, but the next, NEXT BIG THING might well be Swell."
I used to freak to this in high school. It was quite a scene.
But yeah, that's gotta go.