Various Artists: Plague Songs

plague plagueCompilations are rarely this conceptual and complete. Based around the 10 plagues from Exodus, this is ten songs by well-known names played with local people from Margate. What is amazing about this compilation is how well-conceived each song is. Often times compilations end up getting tossed b-sides, rejects or otherwise inferior songs, but this one seems to have received great care from each of its collaborators. The Scott Walker song Darkness is excellent and fresh sounding. The Tiger Lilies, who I haven't heard before, were assigned "Hail", which they deliver upon with a strange and fragile ballad. The Stephen Merritt song is upbeat and about the plague of lice. The Rufus Wainwright song is about the death of the firstborn, a loungy, brooding number, the kind I somewhat guiltily enjoy. The Eno/Wyatt song comes in like soundtrack music, atmospheric and sonically powerful. Basically, if you like the artists I've listed you'll be glad to know that they've recorded another good song. I like the concept of the packaging and notes a lot, but I wish the imagery was more fitting to the theme. The cover looks like a graphic design student put off their homework until the last minute and didn't have any ideas. :: Various Artists: Plague Songs- 4AD/Beggars/Artangel

ck 28 Dec 06

MOUTHUS

Best of the recent Our Mouth stuff is the first Sullivan solo CD-R. Sullivan's comes under the name Eskimo King, and /Tooth-Shaped Migration/ is five thick, detailed chunks of sound spread over a quick 17 minutes. What I dig most about Sullivan is his wide-open outlook on what sounds are worth making. Mouthus may concoct a lot of deep, textured noise, but they also use acoustic guitar loops, dirgey metal-like stomps, polyrhtyhmic meditations, busted rock riffs, and tons more. (noiseweek.blogspot.com)

„Nein, nein, kein Soundtrack! Wir kombinieren nur die Stücke auf unseren Alben - wir schneiden erstmal alles auf Band mit, um dann, vielleicht Monate später, zu sagen: Oh, das hier passt ja thematisch zu diesem Stück und auch zu jenem. Oder: Dieses Stück würden zu jenen Anderen passen, wäre es nicht so grottenschlecht. Also: Trash it.” Brian Sullivan/HE Interview

MOUTHUS the final tribes

ESKIMO KING bear, un-bear

Interview Nate Nelson/Popcorn Youth

Interview Brian Sullivan

Various Artists: Plague Songs

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