REVIEWS

ovo rmxdSomewhere between a riot and a more calculated form of destruction these remixes crackle with jagged energy. Thin sounding, distorted, screaming voices, guitar, drums and electronics smash against each other, spraying shards of sound across the mix. Elements of electronic noise and free jazz bob to the surface occasionally above the bursts of brutal black metal. Passages of fizzing electronic ambiance offer momentary relief from the barrage of aggression, but ultimately only make the next assault feel all the more uncompromising. The chopped up, heavily damaged nature of the remixes kick the legs out from under the listener grasping for the sense of narrative and structure provided by a live performance. Occasionally OvO do take a break from smacking their listeners in the head. "'Quanto Vive Un Ragno" is an edgy suspenseful crackle that wouldn't be out of place on a Fennesz's "Venice" and the menacing plod of "Teschi Ci Osservano Del Basso" recalls Sonic Youth at their most metallic. Despite the limited sonic palette used on this recording (there is hardly a single sound without a serrated edge) the record changes styles restlessly, often straddling genres within a single song. The wheezing harmonica and surprisingly gentle drumming of the final track offers a unsettlingly calm experience after the bug-eyed intensity of the rest of the disc. Not by any means for the fainthearted, but ultimately a rewarding listen.

:: OvO/rmxd by Daniele Brusaschetto - Blossoming Noise/blossomingnoise.com. 

harvey milkAnyone foolish enough to be taken in by the aging-choirboy and clean-sounding  guitars at the beginning of this record is given a boot in the ass when the gentle introduction swiftly gives way to an almighty racket. Tyrannosaurus-sized guitars stalk the land, volcanoes explode in squalls of feedback and a lava of fuzzed out riffs begin to coat your ears. The aging-choirboy approach is replaced with a Wild Turkey-gargling barbarian, disturbingly in the mood for a party. The banner pinned to the wall on the cover of Harvey Milk's latest release gives you a big clue about the kind of record you are dealing with. Harvey Milk have made a record to jump up and down to, to bang your head, to mosh as if your life depended on it. The surface 'darkness' that is part and parcel of the metal genre should in no way disguise the fact that listening to this music is enormous fun. This is one of those records: I defy you to stay still when listening to the epic, pulsing plod of the guitars and drums and if you can keep a smile from your face at the combination of hoarse vocals and screaming lead guitar I entreat you to take things a little less seriously. "Live - The Best Game In Town" connects directly with your inner Iron Maiden fan, wearing its excess plainly on its sleeve and combining it with music that is (whisper it) catchy, accessible and (worst of all) very clever.

:: Harvey Milk / Life...the best game in town - Hydra Head/Indigo.

Ny DönskIn the early 90’s, the Icelandic music landscape was dominated by four bands; The plastic soul of Sálin, the pseudo Stones of SSSól and the artpop of Todmobile. Best of the bunch was a group of kids from MH high school, who in 1989 released their first, and best album, Ekki er á allt kosið. Despite finishing last in that year’s Eurovision, singer Daniel and his gang painted an unforgettable portrait of teenagers blindly following trends on Apaspil, becoming trendsetters themselves in the process. Mellow, acoustic, and slightly hippie-ish, the stand out tracks feature bassist Björn Jörundur centre stage on Hjálpaðu mér upp and Fram á nótt. The early 90’s saw the two front men recruiting veterans Jón Ólafsson and Stefán Hjörleifsson, each album selling more than the one before, but quality wise, heading in the opposite direction. They split up after 1993’s flop Hunang, Daniel heading out to form Gus Gus, while Björn stayed behind and eventually reformed the band as sole front man. 

:: Ný Dönsk/Ekki er á allt kosið - (Steinar).

Eivör PálsdóttirAlthough not born in Iceland, Faroese goddess Eivör has become such a fixture on the Icelandic scene that she merits inclusion here. Even though it was Krákan that brought her to national attention in Iceland, Eivör has never sounded purer, or better, than on her first, Faroese produced, 2001 album. Officially labelled a jazz album, it is a combination of Faroese folk, siren shrieks and jazz instrumentation that sounds like nothing else but stands comparison to almost anything. Witness the beautiful track Föröyar mín móðir, a yearning pean to her homeland. The surprise success of 2003’s Krákan, one of the first albums released by record store 12 Tónar, enabled them to get the label off the ground. Now based in Denmark, Eivör may one day rule the world. If not, we want her back.  --Valur Gunnarsson/Iceland

:: Eivör Pálsdóttir/Eivör Pálsdóttir - 12 Tònar.

robyn hitchcockThe first thing that hits when listening to "Luminous Groove" is the twitchy 80s production. Although the vagaries of fashion mean that this style is currently popular the majority of these recordings were made in the mid 1980s. Arpeggios are played on chorused guitars, trebly bass lines abound and, occasionally monumental, echoed drums place much of this set in the same musical time and space as the Smiths. Closer listening, however, reveals a freer more anarchic spirit under the effects and studio gloss. Robyn Hitchcock's voice at times suggests a mid sixties speed freak Dylan with its machine-gun verbosity, at other times Bowie, Syd Barrett and John Lennon appear in a burst of woozy, campy, grandeur. For those who can stomach the occasional moment of whimsy and can hear past the 80s veneer, this set contains catchy approachable songs by one of Britain's most interesting songwriters. There is an appealing sense of craftsmanship in the music, especially in the carefully-arranged vocal harmony. The previously unreleased material included here is very strong, often sounding warmer and more three dimensional than the material that made it onto the studio albums.

:: Robyn Hitchcock/Luminous Groove - Yep Roc/Cargo.

black to commThere is something disturbing and angst ridden in this album by Marc Richter. It includes electronic, effects-laden sounds, an old Farfisa Compact Deluxe and Casio SK-5 and the use of analogue & digital effects pedals. Guests include Jonna Karanka (aka Kuupuu) on piano, Guido Möbius on trumpet and current Black To Comm (live) band members Renate Nikolaus on violin and Ulf Schütte (of Datashock, Aosuke, etc.) adding electronic sounds. However, it is not the sounds which disturb, more the way they tightly weave around each other, almost with an urge to strangulate. Each track has a unique flavour which remains insistent through its drones from beginning to end. "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" comes to mind with the first track. The vocals are like a bunch of drunks in slow motion, yet it is a little ghostly - a 'man in a white sheet' type of ghostly. As the music continues, I find myself intensely irritated. The first 10-30 seconds of each track contains a promise, but there is something which shakes the temper. The shudder is subtle but the relentlessness of it creates an earthquake. Maybe the 50 recording layers used have a 'sound weight' which presses on the soul. Whatever it is, the effect is quite astounding, and not one I want to have often.

Black To Comm/Fractal Hair Goemetry - Dekorder/A-Musik. 

rahim-laughterLong Island has two spirits in its breast. Two of its four counties are boroughs of New York City; the other two are suburbs of the City. "Laughter," Rahim's sophomore release, captures these two sides of Long Island: urban metropolis and removed suburbia. Rahim's view of life and civilization is detached, even somewhat aloof, as if they are observing New York City from an aerie. Civilizations rise and fall. People are born and die. So it goes. Rahim opens the album with  "Death." An electronic cowbell keeps you off-balance for 23 seconds, leading you into the pedestrian, melodic guitar strumming of "The Same." Unexpected jumps and new juxtapositions can make a song, but this transition is a bit clumsy. The wahs of the synth rescue the song from complete lifelessness. On "Endless Cavern," the listener is placed in the backseat of his parents' car, looking out the window at the Atlantic, which inspires hardly profound (albeit rather catchy) observations about the inevitable failure of human beings and civilization: "500,000 years on land/500,000 years and we crawl back again."  Rahim's rhythmic guitar and unsettling drums team up to whisk you along on "Cities Change," evoking movement and constant flux.  The singer attempts to express the fleetingness of life in a mechanized, modern city. Change is a constant in civilization; history is lost and the past becomes unknowable. Yes. And? It would be a boon to his listeners, for Michael Friedrich to push further, take us a few more steps forward. "Of Course" addresses the major question raised by all of these observations. Are human beings impotent against our inevitable doom? Rahim's answer is clear. "Of course." The bleak future is clear in the penultimate song, "Dark Harbors." While many themes are recycled and a bit redundant, "Dark Harbors" should be a springboard to future projects, as it combines acceptable lyrical understatement, catchy melodies, and Phil Sutton's percussive rhythms that push you off-kilter. Rahim's existential reflections continue in the final, title track: "Born in jungle or born in sand, we are born at setting
sun."  Perhaps laughter is our lone tool, our last line of defense against absurdity and our own inescapable downfall. 

:: Rahim/Laughter - Pretty Activities/Flameshovel/Cargo.