review: Bex, Niedowierzanie, Henrik N. Björkk, Jan Svensson

Well that is about it for 2011... only a few hours left this year to play some records. I do not like end of year lists and I will not be joining that trend here. Still in this last day of the year I want to share a few words on a couple of records that were released quite recently and I played a lot here this last period of the year.

The German double label Treue Um Treue / Reue Um Reue did suprise me again with some very nice releases. In the past I preferred their more elektro influenced release on the TUT part of the label. But since some time the RUR part with it's more experimental music releases is what I play the most here.

This year a third vinyl by Novy Svet was released... a second archive release as the band is not active anymore since some years. The other archive record was a massive 2LP document with early (post)-industrial stuff... absolute great. Totally different is "Into Your Skies"... a record consisting only of guitar tunes... mostly acoustic guitar tunes. It took me some time to appreciate this one... but because of the amazing and beautiful song 'Silver & Grey' I kept coming back to this LP again and again... and even though I still think this record does not showcase the uniqueness of the band and incredible talent of the musician(s) behind it is still a record I enjoy a lot.

Then there was the second Niedowierzanie LP... the first one was a bit of an IDM influenced album... not bad at all but it never did grasp me as this new album "Attendre" does. The sound has shifted towards a more mediterranean kind of thing... like what O Paradis is famous for... still Niedowierzanie is more dynamic and his music shows some more variations within the context of one album. Also the musician shows here he is an excellent instrumentalist... I saw him this year performing live with Wermut in Berlin as he is now part of Wermut... and there too it was evident he is capable of playing various instruments very well.

Still there was one more record on RUR that truly blew me away... it was the debut vinyl by Bex... having a (post) black metal background this album "Rosegger" is going way beyond that. You could described this as a drone record, or dark ambient music or whatever... still this would not be fair as the music is less easy to define... it has a dark mood full of suspense with drone like structures but with twists that sets it apart. It is not otherworldly like the amazing Karl Bösmann record "Eskalation" but still it comes close and I often play these two records after each other...

Curious to hear what else is coming from Bex in the near future, but also from Niedowierzanie and other acts of what seems to be a new scene operating from Berlin and centered around the Reue um Reue label.

What else did attract my attention this last period... well there are the latest releases on cult label Börft. Here is an independent industrial / experimental / whatever music label dating back to 1987 and coming from the same scene as Cold Meat Industry. Unlike Cold Meat Indsutry the releases put out by Börft are still interesting... CMI has moved more towards a cliché industrial and gothic world while Börft has stayed much more true to the nature of industrial music as being weird and undefined and experimental.

There is a new series now on Börft entitled "Synthesator". Two parts have been released recently. Volume two is by Joel Brindefalk and a piece of electro-acoustic music... so very much for art music lovers. Volume one on the other hand may appeal to more people. It is a piece of dark ambient by Henrik N. Björkk, who is known from such bands as Mz. 412, Pouppeé Fabrikk and Nordvargr. What makes this record really nice is that it is done completely with modular synths and the music was not processed in anyway afterwards. You hear this and the sound of these synths is great and makes it also interesting for lovers of synthesizer music instead of only (dark) ambient fans.

BUT what really suprised me the most was the record "Pogrom" from label boss Jan Svensson himself. It suprised me in various ways... first as I had expected the music to be noise music... well if you look at the sleeve it is a classic industrial/noise piece of artwork and then you put on the record... it is really nice synth music. The music itself surprised me too... it is not just a really nice piece of synth music... it is really quality stuff we are talking about here. It is rather atmospheric with some parts which are maybe a bit more moody but mostly it is quite light and easy listening... it reminds me of some Minimal Music like that of Terry Riley but less freaky...

Also this album calls to mind the Hero Wouters LP I released on Enfant Terrible "Muziek Voor Leven En Dood". It has the same balance of being poppy and experimental... it is neither and has elements of both. Also in mood and feeling it has the same dramatic feeling with some suspense and some frivolous parts...

These records made up an excellent soundtrack for the last periode of 2011 for me... but I am sure I will be enjoying them way into the new year and for much longer...

The Niedowierzanie, Bex, Henrik N. Björkk and Jan Svensson records are for sale in the Enfant Terrible webshop...

And... here is a full track preview from the Jan Svensson LP...

Jan Svensson - Happening by Terrible Music Blog

review: Five O'Clock Traffic - Aside From Dreams And Hallucinations

People who check my webshop stock from time to time will know I am big fan of the Börft label from Sweden. Since quite some time I sell about every release they put out next to some classic records they put out in the past. This Swedish cult label deserves more recognition I think... They started to spread music in the industrial/experimental pop styles in 1987. This is at the same time as fellow Swedish label Cold Meat Industry started their work. In the beginning they even shared some sounds and bands like Enema Syringe.
While Cold Meat Industry moved more and more into what you could call gothic territory Börft staid more true to their experimental and weird side.
Lately Börft suprised me with the great Kord 7 inch (see elsewhere on this blog) and the more then excellent return of noise cult act Enema Syringe on LP. Most recently the label came up with the new album by Five O' Clock Traffic. A Swedish elektro project by a member of industrial cult act Goz Mongo Alliance.
As Five O' Clock Traffic he already released two albums. One a rather dancefloor orientated elektro pop piece and the other more weird and experimental. The good thing about this new album is that it has elements of both these previous releases. Most of the tracks are perfect elektro pop for the dancefloor with a nice playful touch. In between you get served a few more weird and noisy pieces. This works wonderful for the dynamics throughout the record.
It has been a long time since I enjoyed elektro pop so much. Probably not since It & My Computer... too bad they stopped producing their fine tunes.
The albums comes in a nice three panel sleeve and is limited to 300 numbered copies. Simply a must have for any elektro pop fan. You can get a copy in the Enfant Terrible webshop here... I also have some of the Enema Syringe LP's... of course!

reviews: Monster Apparat, Kord, Rodent Plague

Recently some nice 7 inches are spinning round here on the turntable. From Sweden came a big suprise as a band I had never heard from before called Monster Apparat landed here on the doormat. It seems this band came into existence somewhat like an accident, but it is a new act I keep an eye on for sure.
After some little examination of the sleeve and insert I discovered that Monster Apparat consists of the musician behind Kord (see below) and one of the guys from Adolf Filter. Well... since I like both acts nothing could really go wrong... but the music even surpassed my expectations.
You get the best from both world: the excellent more uptempo rhythms and synth sounds from Kord with the atmospheric elements of Adolf Filter. Really... this is pumping and energetic stuff but with a nice mood to it. Easily some of the best synth pop / elektro pop recently released! It comes in a very nice fitting sleeve as always with Kernkrach releases.

While the person behind Kord is doing nice things with Monster Apparat he also released a new 7 inch on Börft Records. As Kord he also released records in 1998 and 2006 so it is not a very active project as it seems. But who cares if the quality of his output is that good as with Monster Apparat and this new 7 inch!?
The A side is a killer track. It is a slow rather funny and druggy tune. I can imagine stoned people going crazy on this and seeing pink elephants or something. But... still even as a non user I am enjoying this tune so much. Like you are walking on clouds and the sun is shining so nice...
On the B side is a more uptempo track I can imagine being played on parties. The vocals are done well with a little twist and the melody takes the track onwards while the beat is running strong. Simply excellent!

More weird and fitting perfectly in line with the A side of the Kord release is Rodent Plague. This is a side project by one of the musicians from the guitar band A-Frames. With this Rodent Plague 7 inch on the Kill Shaman label (Factums, Pink Noise) the sound goes into wierd synth and strange surf music. The A side is like the Beach Boys being totally drenched in LSD. Nice... but far more excellent is the B side which goes much furthur... a procession tune done as an eerie circus theme... truly a small masterpiece...
Only I discovered recently after numerous playing turns the record should be played at 33 rpm and I play it on 45 rpm... well I checked but decided I prefer it on 45 rpm... it gives it that nice little extra wierd twist...

I have some copies left of all three 7 inches in my webshop...