Though I normally loathe Rolling Stone, I have to compliment Rob Sheffield for his fine article on Bryan Ferry. It’s a worthy read. Click here to see the article.
Tag: Art-Rock
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Bill Nelson – Signals From Realms Of Light
Legendary Be Bop Deluxe guitarist Bill Nelson is still producing music at an alarmingly wonderful rate. This disc is a reissue of an album that came out as a limited-edition release in 2011, and the sound is vintage Nelson.
If you can imagine 1969-era King Crimson played on Chinese traditional instruments and a more relaxed feel, you would have this new album by the Guangzho-based band Zhaoze. The music is definitely progressive, touching upon art-rock, but so solidly based in traditional Chinese music that one can call this a sound all its own.
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Pere Ubu – Trouble On Big Beat Street
Avant-rock legends Pere Ubu have a brand new album out! From the band’s Bandcamp site:
“Pere Ubu unveil their new album, ‘Trouble On Big Beat Street’, nearly four years after their previous record for Cherry Red, ‘The Long Goodbye’.
‘The Modern Dance’ (1978) marked the end of Rock ‘n’ Roll. ‘Trouble On Big Beat Street’ marks the end of The Song. Pere Ubu ended with ‘The Long Goodbye’ (their last album, also on Cherry Red, from 2019). Pere Ubu begins again with ‘Trouble On Big Beat Street’.
If you missed the last 48 years then imagine a bad- attitude. Imagine Electric Light Orchestra – the version with Roy Wood – then add Muddy Waters playing guitar and Nina Simone singing.
Pere Ubu is David Thomas, Keith Moliné, Gagarin, Alex Ward, Andy Diagram, Michele Temple and Jack Jones.Keith Moliné and Andy Diagram are the two pale boys. They have played with David more than 28 years.
Electronica artist Gagarin was soundman for the two pale boys. Michele Temple has been in Pere Ubu 30 years. Improviser and life-long fan Alex Ward submitted a cover version of a David Thomas song to the band’s live-streaming show. David invited him to join the band. David met Jack Jones in the pub.”
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Peter Gabriel – Live in Athens 1987
It’s incredibly nice to see Peter Gabriel release the bulk of his solo material on Bandcamp. He even offers a subscription for rare tracks and remixes, most of which are perfectly okay. This release was a pleasant surprise, as it was, I believe, once released as part of the So box set, but it sounds fine as a standalone disc. The recording is during the peak of his creative powers, and the musicians working behind him in this tour (David Rhodes on guitar, Tony Levin on bass, David Sancious on keyboards and Manu Katché on drums) are as tight as can be. As good as one can expect from a live recording.
This is a curious release. Abandoned Toys manages to balance ethereal ambient music with symphonic progressive rock. A rather brilliant balance, indeed.
Kara Jackson certainly knows how to leave a strong impression! If you can imagine Nick Drake’s guitar being willed to Nina Simone with a touch of the spirit of David Bowie (see the track brain for reference), then you have this incredibly powerful album. I had no idea what to expect when I saw the cover art, but this is one of those albums I’m very happy to have taken a chance on, as the listening was rewarding.
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PoiL Ueda – PoiL Ueda
This is a heavy, near-monstrous release involving Japanese singer and bassis Junko Ueda and the French avant-prog group PoiL. From their Bandcamp site:
“PoiL Ueda is the result of a collaboration between Junko Ueda, a vocalist and satsuma-biwa player from Japan, and PoiL, a French rock/contemporary music band. The creation is based on the 13th-century Japanese epic tale “Heike-Monogatari.”
The composition is based on traditional epic singing accompanied by the satsuma-biwa and Buddhist Shomyo chant. Through the fusion of an ancient Japanese traditional music with a hyper modern European musical formation, this project offers the opportunity to discover a unique musical universe.
An innovative performance where PoiL’s unrestrained experimental rock blends with the mellow and sinuous voice, the compelling narrative, and the remarkable charisma of Junko Ueda.“
Thirty years on, still no one is quite sure where to place Lodger. In a way, that’s appropriate: as the title suggests, it’s a record that doesn’t …
David Bowie – Lodger (2017 Remix) – Classic Music Review
I’ve had the pleasure of following altrockchick for a good while now. This is one of the best reads on a reissue I’ve perused in at least a year, so I am happy to introduce my readers to her stellar work.
Bruce Licher is an icon in the art-punk/post-punk/post-Industrial music scene. He was a member if the seminal band Savage Republic, runs Independent Projects Records and Independent Projects Press for his graphic design work.
Though we’re a bit early to the party, so to speak, Bruce will be reissuing an album called Tape Excavation, which has been supplemented with bonus material and will feature the gorgeous letterpress artwork he and the projects he works with are known for. I am sure that this will sell out very quickly, so you’ve been warned – now is a good time to pre-order this disc.