Nicole Dollenganger - Natural Born Losers

I'm not sure if "angelic" is the correct word to use in regards to Nicole Dollenganger, but it is indeed the first thing that comes to mind whilst listening to this possibly troubled teen. I say that because there is something a lot more than just the voice of an angel here; there are many other faces, perhaps those of demons, bubbling beneath the surface. Her voice is fragile and delicate, yet powerful and mesmerising. 

On Natural Born Losers, Nicole combines ethereal, dreamy, almost non-structured synth work with an alternative pop vibe that for me evokes the work of Daisy Chainsaw / Queenadreena's KatieJane Garside, Grimes, to an extent Lana Del Rey, or even Kate Bush. The music that accompanies her voice is akin to various shades of post rock, the experimental side of indie or even shoegaze. 

Favourite track: "Angels of Porn II"

Christine And The Queens - Chaleur Humaine

Excellent, if not a bit too polished pop from France. Initially I suspected that this record suffered from "lead single syndrome", and whilst to some degree that statement still stands, this is a subtly clever album that will grow on you over time. Well, unless you exclusively listen to shit like Hatebreed, then you'll probably despise this, obviously.

This was subject to one of those weird comeback-outta-nowhere scenarios; having originally being released in France back in 2014, yet marketed as an entirely new release here in the UK in 2016. In 2017, most idiots have forgotten about it already, which isn't surprising really; some of the songs drag, I'll have to be honest, but it is clinically executed, and Christine's (real name Héloïse Letissier) delivery is a an astute homage to figureheads of pop both past and present. 

If you've got nothing else to do, click play. If you come here for the grindcore posts, I probably wouldn't bother, though. 

Death In June - Nada!

Nada! is my favourite Death In June record. Brown Book is kind of similar but I prefer Nada! for its dominating dark 80s synthpop vibes and martial background. There’s also less Nazi imagery flirtation going on here, which is always a plus. I believe that this album was the last the group did as a three piece; and seems a fry cry from the acoustic solo project that Death In June has been for so many years now.

I love the dense electronic sound on most of these tracks. I’ll have to find out what equipment was used here, especially the drum machine (not so I can go out and get one, but see if any .wav rips exist that I can import into iDrum or something like that). “The Honour Of Silence” opens things up on a haunting, sombre note (what else would you expect though?), and “The Calling MKII” sounds like it could have been in regular circulation on the radio back 25 years or so. “Rain Of Despair”, “Foretold” and “Carousel” bring those dark synth vibes in by the truckload, which is just what I want. My favourite track though has to be “Crush My Love” with its excellent synth lead and unusual vocal approach (for DIJ). To top it off, Nada! is probably the best place to start with Death In June, although I could be slightly biased.

Jesu - Silver

There’s a lot of Jesu stuff out there now – I think this project ended up being much more productive than even Justin Broadrick could have anticipated when he first started lurching out the aching melancholic drones of Jesu. Silver however, simply has to be some of the best material recorded under this moniker. It fights for the top spot against Lifeline, which was the first Jesu release I heard and therefore I have an immense soft spot for. I think Lifeline is probably more solid overall, but Silver might just take the crown simply because of the title track alone.

 

"Star” and “Wolves” are also two fantastic Jesu songs ranking high up there, but “Silver” itself is something else. It has the components of any other great Jesu track; the droning, distorted guitars and bass creating a wall of sound, a basic drumming backbone and a bright, melodic synth to carry the whole thing. It’s a brilliant song but it’s not until the middle of the track that all these components come together so beautifully that it sends shivers up my spine every single time I hear it. The band chug through their heartbroken metal whilst that synth just fucking soars and unfolds and goes on and on and on…Then the vocal kicks back in; “Silver’s just another gold…” repeated over and over and over. I’m not sure of the intended message in this song but I get feelings of reassurance and comfort, as if it’s saying “things aren’t the best, but they could be a lot worse. Look on the bright side, pal!”

 

The only time I’ve ever taken magic mushrooms (well, Dutch truffles) was the day that Jesu played Roadburn 2012 and the experience, although mild, peaked during the band’s set. I was able to intricately study the music and dissect it in my head, really get behind every aspect of it, and hearing “Friends Are Evil” and “Silver” in that way nearly brought me to tears. It was a powerful moment I’ll never forget and definitely brought me a lot closer to Jesu’s music.

 

If you’re gonna play this video, please play this as loud as you possibly can.  

Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here?

'Scuse the lack of posting guys and gals - it's that time of year again where I fall off. Just had to drop in to share this post though; one of the most positive and uplifting records I've heard in a while. I've been craving fresh, new musical experiences lately in amongst flying about being a mental-busy spastic, and I've been journeying to musical realms that I've rarely touched up in the past. I heard of Emeralds for the first time in, of all places, a Pitchfork top 100 list. Bored in work one day I did a drive-by sweep of their 100 best between 2010-2014, and tried to pick out stuff that looked interesting, perplexing, awesome or just not-too-hipstery. Emeralds was one of those bands. 

Whilst the fact that it appeared in a Pitchfork listing in the first place doesn't do much to defend it's non-hipster credentials, I don't really give a shit because Does It Look Like I'm Here? is one of the nicest things I've heard in a while. It is a composition, a series of miniature musical scores, that really bring in some fantastic vibes and feels throughout the entire album. The songs flow with immense fluidity, and the long, bubbling synthesizer passages are nothing short of complete audible delight. 

This is watching a city come alive at 5am music. This is power-walking through that final 100 meters to the mountain peak kinda music. I'd also say that this is pretty cerebral and would recommend it for tripping too, as it's extremely immersive and enveloping without being at all threatening or aggressive. 

Suicide - Suicide

Well, this is… different. I’m aware of the influential impact that Suicide and Mr. Alan Vega have had on some of my favourite artists, so it was only fair that in time I go back even further and plumb those original depths. After a bit of research, and conversing amongst friends, I came to rest on Suicide’s debut album; a puzzling affair of cheap synths, almost early Lou Reed-like vocals and linear narrative and repetition that no doubt cemented the foundations for the no wave genre.

Despite the, how should I put it, homely style of synths, the overall recording is pretty flat and claustrophobic. Song subject matter ranges from comic book crushes, to the monotony and crushing feeling of entrapment in Western life (for the working class, at least). Each song does hold it’s own unique vibe and atmosphere, which is quite the achievement for something so linear.  “Frankie Teardrop” is probably my favourite song here. I was unaware that “Che” was originally by Suicide (I love the Sunn O))) version), and I am impressed that it still packs quite a punch without two guitars and thousands of pounds worth of amplification equipment.

All in all, I’m glad I made the listen, and I do appreciate what’s going on here, I just don’t think it’s for me. Not yet.

Cintecele Diavolui - The Devil's Songs (10")

This is probably one of the more bizarre things that I have bought recently. Cintecele Diavolui is an old alias / side project that was used by Mortiis in the mid/late 90s when he was deep into making mainly dark ambient synth and keyboard based music, or as he called it - Dark Dungeon Music. Cintecele Diavolui is a pretty cool name in my opinion. The phrase means "The Devil's Songs" in Romanian, which is also, rather coincidentally, the name of this 10" mini-album. The five tracks here are spooky, and a little cooky; dark and suspenseful writing portrayed through the slightly cheesy classic-horror medium of synthetic organ sounds. The record claims that the music here isn't performed by Mortiis as such, but by an old vampire called Vukodlak, who Mortiis "brought to life" for this release. Make of that what you will.

Musically, it is a charming yet cheap sounding record. It depends on entirely how you approach listening to the thing, and the same goes for all of Mortiis' 'Era 1' output; if you can get past the fact that this sounds like it has been composed using the shittiest of the shit MIDI keyboard sounds in existence, then you will probably really enjoy it. These quirky, bargain-basement instrumentations can be over-looked on sprawling works such as Født Til Å Herske, Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent and Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør, but The Devil's Songs suffers with the same ailment as The Crypt Of The Wizard's material; once the composition is broken down into smaller tracks with more active instrumentation you can't really ignore the shoddiness of the equipment used. It feels like music on a really old video game.

I suppose that the tackiness to the sound really adds to the overall atmosphere, but if you are familiar with the early Mortiis works listed above, please do not expect Cintecele Diavolui to possess the same haunting and depthless darkness. All in all, The Devil's Songs isn't a bad record in any way, the writing is fantastic, it's just that the method of delivery used could have been more inventive. If you hated The Crypt Of The Wizard era Mortiis, then it's a safe bet you won't like this. Considering this isn't a canon Mortiis release and was marketed as an entirely different project of "vampire music", it would have been super, super awesome if this was played on a real church organ or something, for extra spooky and spine-chilling effect. But, it is what it is.

This was self-released by Mortiis back in the day, using his Dark Dungeon Music label. I would say that this is probably for fanatic-level fans only. Like I said, if you're not too fussed on the Era 1 stuff then I wouldn't bother checking this out. Otherwise, tuck in! *Does insane, Italian-accented vampire laugh*

Aphex Twin - Richard D James Album

The first thing that I notice about this Warp repressing of Aphex Twin's classic record is that it is not a double album. That's not a problem, I just assumed that it would be on double wax. The vinyl is heavy, though! I don't know how heavy exactly, but it weighs a fecking ton (slight over-statement) and is very difficult to get out of the sleeve. When the needle slides onto the wax though, the perfect clarity and depth can be appreciated. Does heavy vinyl really make that difference? Bloody heck!

Most folks have seen the videos for "Come To Daddy" and "Windowlicker" but there is so much more to Aphex Twin that those two songs, and this album does a fantastic job of proving that; showcasing a smorgasbord of electronic sounds and puzzling samples assorted into ticking beats and lush synths. Whatever the vibe of a particular track, the electronics remain endlessly busy and ensure that there is always something interesting going on. Every time I listen to this I pick out something else that I missed the time before. The amount of time that went into making these "songs" must have been absolutely staggering.

This album has been considered a classic a thousand times over by now, so anything I can say will really do it any justice; ya'll need to load up on some mind-altering substances and appreciate the madness/genius for yourselves. And the best way to do that is get the poxy thing on vinyl, right? Reissued by Warp Records in 2012, but you can still get your hands on the original if you're that way inclined, just expect to pay a lot more for a copy.

Burzum - Dauði Baldrs

I know this doesn't exactly rank high amongst the playlists of many black metal enthusiasts, but I am a huge fan of the prison-Burzum era. I think we need to reflect on what the man was simply left to work with; any country that allows you make an album whilst serving prison time for murder is pretty unusual in my opinion, and to be fair, considering Varg was supposedly only allowed to use a synthesizer, he did a pretty good job. Sure, it sounds cheap, but so does any synth music made in that era - just check out early Mortiis, that sounds similar and that dude wasn't chained up in the clink when he was writing his shit.

I think that the cheap, tacky feel of the keyboard sounds really contribute to the full atmosphere of the record. Sure, these tracks would sound absolutely stunning performed by a full orchestra or even a small group, but the tacky electronic instrumentation really gives this record it's charm. I was chuffed to bits then, when Back on Black re-issued not only the guaranteed-to-sell Burzum records, but the whole shebang, allowing me, the crappy keyboard music enthusiast, to get a lush new copy of this record on wax. I am not usually that keen on re-issues but Back on Black has made the whole Burzum catalog (not to mention a lot of "classic" black metal) much more affordable for vinyl fans. The fact that this label seems to get through so many releases can only be a good thing for the vinyl world, right?