Cultural Vanguard

Just the good stuff

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🎼The Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)

A mammoth release, genre defying and mainstream supersuccess from the alt-rockers of Chicago. The album and single B-sides are close to 60 tracks in total depending on editions. But very little fillers or fluff.

The outset is rumored to have been an album as if it was their last. And as history has it, it was their last with that line-up. At least for some time. Or as lead mastermind Billy Corgan (vocals, guitar) once described it ”The Wall for Generation X” referring to Pink Floyds album of 1979.

A change from previous producer Butch Vig to Flood and Alan Moulder and a whole new schedule for rehearsing and recording gave way for new creativity. Working in two parallel studios simultaneously offered efficiency and more of a band effort than before. Corgan had to leave more room for input from James Iha (guitar) and D'arcy Wretzky (bass). Both often quoted as being held back by Corgan on previous releases. It was also the last album to feature Jimmy Chamberlin (drums).

The piece as a whole fluctuates between grunge, alt-rock and even art rock. With a wide variety of instrumentation and a bit more use of synthesizers than previous albums. But not as electronica flavored as it’s successor Adore.

The scope is dense, ambitious and nuanced. No song feels ”undercooked” or unfinished, except the track Pastichio Medley that is just a 25 minute mix-up of unfinished tracks from the session. The singles Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, Zero, Tonight, Tonight and Thirty-Three kept them in chart and sales success. The album in itself was awarded certified diamond by the RIAA in 1986, selling over 10 million copies.

The album coupled with the accompanioning singles offers a sprawling wholeness, hits, party anthems, covers, love songs and tender introspections. A fitting description from Corgan: ”the human condition of mortal sorrow”. A good example is the track Porcelina of the Vast Oceans that bears a lot of heritage from classic Pumpkins, but is allowed to extend and stretch the formula for over nine minutes!

Various iterations of members has worked with Corgan under the bands name since. But this is the swan-song of the classic line-up. I seriously invite you to listen to it as a whole, and if you are serious; add the The Aeroplane Flies High box-set with all the singles b-sides included. You’re in for a trip!

Buy here from iTunes: https://music.apple.com/se/album/mellon-collie-and-the-infinite-sadness-remastered/721224313

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🎼 Kristofer Åström: Hard Times (2020).

I’m a greater fan of Mr Åströms solo work than what he internationally probably is most recognized for, the band Fireside. The humble persona, the thoughtfulness of words and instrumentation just strikes a deeper chord with me.

This album is sincerity and directness at its finest. Crystal clear sound and perfect balance in the mix.

Quality Americana: check.

Deep melancholy: check.

Impeccable vocal harmonies: check.

Lyrically the themes are from well trodden paths: unrequited or lost love, despair, afterthought and hope. All very heartfelt and never bland.

Backed by a band consisting of Per “Flamman” Westling on guitars, Jonas Kernell on keyboards, Fredrik Moberg on bass, Fredrik Normark on drums and Britta Persson on backing vocals. In all it sounds like a band effort with a prominent captain in charge.

Especially two tracks stand out as ones that will live on in my “best of”-playlists for a long time. First is opener Inbetweener, sounding like a live in studio effort. Second is Another Love, a sweet duet with Britta Persson. Both tracks offering the soundtrack to heartbreak at the sincerest.

Hard Times is released on October 23rd 2020, order here: https://shop.startracks.se/sv/cd/kristofer-astrom-hard-times-cd-preorder-okt-23.html

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🎼The Sisterhood: Gift (1986)

The many twists and turns, animosities and feuds between Wayne Hussey (guitarist in The Sisters of Mercy, later forming The Mission) and Andrew Eldritch (vocals in The Sisters of Mercy) are far too many to warrant space here. Let’s just say there were a legal battle about the band name The Sisters of Mercy among other issues. Eldritch not waiting for final verdict opted on a interim band name of The Sisterhood (”borrowing” the idea from Hussey), releasing this mini album between First And Last And Always (1985) and 1987s Floodland.

After The Sisters of Mercy split Eldritch was alone with ”Doctor Avalanche”, his trusted drum machine . A terrible mess of record deals since the split left Eldritch in control of his assets only if he worked under the name The Sisterhood. Eventually he enrolled Lucas Fox and Patricia Morrison and set forth a new path. 

Where The Sisters of Mercy had been the epitome of Goth Rock, The Sisterhood was more electronic and what would be known as Darkwave. Still sombre and dark, but less guitar and distortion, and a more sparse sound. A lot more focus on production values, something that was taken to the max by Floodland (1987).

First track Jihad intros the sole appearance of Patricia Morrison (later bass player in The Sisters of Mercy) repeating the words ”two, five, zero, zero, zero”. Counting up the £25.000 Eldritch took from the record company as rights to the next album by The Sisters of Mercy, leaving Hussey & Co without. The holy war was on, for sure! Oriental keyboards over heavy beats drives this track at a driving pace.

Colours is a more downtempo and fateful song where the lyrics are repeated ”You reap what you sow, put your face to the ground, here comes the marching men, your colours wrapped around”. Invoking visions of russian farmers during WWII, a recurring theme in Eldritch writings. This track was later re-recorded for Floodland a year later.

Giving Ground is more of a band effort. But the ”band” consists of only Eldritch doing bass, guitar, keyboards and programming of Doctor Avalanche. Lucas Fox does some percussion. Cool, circular layers, prophetic vocals and a sense of urgency. It was the first and only single released from the album.

Finland Red, Egypt White is probably the most notorious track off the album. A heavy, repetitive beat is accompanied by Lucas Fox retelling the specifications of the automatic rifle AK-47. The title refers to the color coding of ammo cartridges. The track was an underground hit with the Body Music scene.

Rain From Heaven is the final track. Also a very beats driven track back at Colours level of  fatefulness. The chorus is presumed to have Alan Vega present, but still unconfirmed.

Gift is an album that makes more sense if you’re into the whole debacle of the spilts and animosities. But on pure musical qualities it is awesome for it’s period, so very DIY, so very ”f*ck you” to the record labels and former band mates. And a dress rehearsal for what was to come with Floodland and it’s worldwide success with heavy rotation on MTV.

Gift is not easy to come by as it is was released by Eldritch own label Merciful Release in 1986 on vinyl only. It was later released on CD in 1989 and re-released only in Germany in 1994. Streaming services has so far stayed clear of it, not wanting to get caught in the still ongoing legal battles.

Oh, one final note, album title Gift is not the english word for a present, but the german word for poison. Another stab at everyone not in Eldritch’s favor.

Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiw_rfWXax_zj7-1qJjOJoZVdJuI3UYxt

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🎼David Sylvian: Gone To Earth (1986)

The vocalist of the Art Pop band Japan of the late seventies and eighties on his second full-length solo album. Unmistakable voice intact, but gone is the radio friendly pop.

The transformation from Japans Art Pop, and later an influence to the burgeoning New Romantics scene, to ethereal ambient soundscapes is huge. Enter Japan bandmates Steve Jansen (drums) and Richard Barbieri (electronics) together with progressive guitar guru Robert Fripp and Mel Collins on sax (both from King Crimson) among many other notable musicians. Together they bring together a massive piece of music of pure aural bliss. Jazz references are always present, beat-driven tribal rhythms, and frequent solo improvisations from most of the participants, all wrapped in a massive, spacious production.

Production here is key, Steve Nye, who has worked with XTC, Frank Zappa and Penguin Café Orchestra (besides Japan), provides just the right amount of deliberate improvisation and meticulous soundscape engineering. Of course it is just a trick, everything is staged by Sylvian and Nye in minuscule detail. The spaciousness, present in most of Sylvians work, here perfected with reverbs and Barbieris craftmanship.

Sylvians vocals are interspersed with instrumental passages and the double album consists of one record with vocals (whose recording was paid for by the record company) and the other instrumental (paid for by Sylvian himself). There is something almost daydreaming-like about the sound. It’s hard to pinpoint the emotions the album wants to evoke. It’s not sad but there are darker passages. Sometimes it’s uplifting but not really joyous, other times there are just sounds, like a field recording, from somewhere ancient or holy. These themes are also present in lyrics and cover art since Sylvian at the time were interested in Gnosticism. Never a preacher but always questioning life’s absolutes of love, death, nature and mans place in it all.

A track by track review is not relevant here since it is an album that is purposefully put together to enjoyed as a whole in one uninterrupted sitting. With quality headphones in a dark room or under a starlit sky preferrably. 

Two tracks stand out though; Taking The Veil and Riverman are as close to stand-alone tracks as this album can muster. They also represents two of the many high points on the album.

Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/david-sylvian-official/sets/gone-to-earth-4

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🎼 Roger Waters: The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984)

On the brink of leaving Pink Floyd this album is the bass player and chief lyricists first soloalbum (not counting The Body soundtrack from 1970). Waters the master of concepts and conductor of ceremonies, the perfect ring-leader, offering tender love poems and spewing vitriol into lyrics that hits hard. Very much a progression from albums The Wall (1979) and Final Cut (1982).

Getting ”free” of the band that had been his mainstay for over 20 years proved to be all about content and musicianship. Replacing comrades of the past couldn’t be done without great care. And what a band he assembled! Andy Bown (of Status Quo) on organ and guitar, Eric Clapton on guitar, Ray Cooper on drums, Michael Kamen on piano and conducting The National Philharmonic Orchestra and David Sanborn on saxophone. Backing vocals handled by Katie Kissoon known from working with numerous superstars along with Madeline Bell and Doreen Chanter. Jack Palance is even showing up with a tiny spoken word part.

The album in itself is very much a concept album. All tracks titled as time stamps from 4:30AM to 5:11AM. Representing a dream sequence in real-time by a man handling a midlife crisis. All tracks segueing into each other making it a whole with no obvious starts and stops. No obvious singles just a whole, epic piece. A nice miniscule note of interest: the original album released on vinyl had a five second ”gap” in the real-time for changing sides from A to B.

Lyrics are, as always, at centre with Waters work. Here the lead character (Waters) is processing  the actions and reactions of a midlife crisis. First parts centered around a road-trip through California, a brief encounter with a female hitch-hiker leading to adultery, and later parts his eventual reconciliation with his wife after serious spells of paranoia and almost crazed expectations of life. Finally ”saving” his family by going off-grid and trying to be the best he can be. A task with its own implications. Trying to distill the lyricism is a great diservice to this work. It is very heartfelt and on-point. Heartbreaking sometimes and other times gutsy machismo. There are wrongs and rights, actions and reactions, parts that make up a life, of love, fantasy, achievements and bitter failures.

Lyrically this album stands out as one of Waters absolutely finest. Everything is portrayed in the raw.

Musically the all-star cast of musicians leaves no one disappointed. Drawing heavily on the more blues-driven formula of later Pink Floyd the Clapton/Kamen/Sanborn setup melds like few before it. Clapton is laid back and cool as ever, Sanborn almost angry with his sax-attacks and chill with subtlety at other times, Kamen punctuating with symphonic details where it ”hurts” the most.

No matter what way you look at it, whatever musicians Waters chose after Pink Floyd for solo projects the bar is set very high. Gilmour is a super guitarist in his own right and hard to match. Clapton here (and on later album Amused To Death (1992); Jeff Beck) does a great job. What is missing from the Pink Floyd-formula is perhaps Richard Wrights signature keyboard playing, not easily emulated. Not that it is in itself necessary or even wanted but its hard not to compare with what has been a monolithic career for so many years.

This is Pink Floyd 2.0 at it’s very best.

Buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Pros-Cons-Hitchhiking-Roger-Waters/dp/B0000025ZF

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🎼 Max Richter: Sleep (2015)

The German born British classical composer of postminimalistic fame brings a mammoth work, eight and a half hours in total. Music meant to enjoyed at night complementing a full nights sleep. With help from neuroscientist David Eagleman they set the premises and variations most beneficial. As Richter puts it: ”Sleeping is one of the most important things we all do ... We spend a third of our lives asleep and it's always been one of my favourite things, ever since I was a child. ... For me, Sleep is an attempt to see how that space when your conscious mind is on holiday can be a place for music to live.”

There are tracks in Sleep but not in the usual sense, think variations instead. Variations and themes that comes and goes, in very much a lullaby sense. The music is performed by the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (strings), Grace Davidson (vocals) and Max Richter himself (piano and synthesizers). The music is very slow, soothing and mellow. The instrumentation and production is impeccable in that it offers no surprises, it stays dead focused on delivering just the right amount of sound to bear up melody, but no more. It is very intriguing as a concept but not as experience. The experience is very much like experiencing falling into sleep.

If you suffer from insomnia or restlessness at night Sleep might work for you. It does for me. Not necessarily falling asleep every time but getting a very good rest at least. Focusing on the music for a while will slowly turn you to a mellower place, you will eventually lose focus and just wander off for the very slow journey. No, this is not new age or ambient music but it does have commonalities. This is a piece of art that is very well thought out, intricate, and passionate.

The physical release of Sleep is a box set of eight CD’s and a Blu-Ray disc. Of course you don’t want to flip discs eight times during the night so rip them to your favorite music playing app and make a playlist of the whole piece. Or you can buy it in digital format of course, but then you miss out on the Blu-Ray with high-definition sound. Now there is even a Max Richter Sleep-app with the whole experience built in. Whatever format you choose there might be a slight problem, you need fairly good speakers to play the piece at a low volume that still offers audio quality enough so you can discern the nuances of the music. Or if you are comfortable with headphones while sleeping that might work.

Among minimalists I hold Philip Glass in highest regard, Max Richter is a very good second.

Get the iOS app here: https://apps.apple.com/se/app/sleep-by-max-richter/id1509084936

Get the box set here: https://www.amazon.de/Sleep-8CD-1-BluRay-Audio/

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🎼 Faithless: Sunday 8PM (1998)

Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Three names that brings awe in anyone into the trip-hop/trance scene of the late 90’s early 00’s. The three recorded some of the best known anthems for the more discerning rave crowd. Megahits like Insomnia and Salva Mea from their debut album Reverence (1996) set a new standard. Rollo and Bliss are actual musicians flanked by other actual musicians when performing live. Maxi Jazz is an authority on album and stage, a real MC, by voice, persona and presence. Bliss being the mastermind composer, Rollo the producer/mixer and Maxi Jazz the vocalist. On several albums they have appearances by occasional semi-members and vocalists Pauline Taylor and Dido. In comparison to many other acts at the time who had a new guest vocalist for each track Faithless was and is a real band. Airplay and sales picking up steadily after Reverence (1996) it was time for album number two. And what a slam dunk it was!

The Garden is the instrumental introduction to the album. Shifting between acoustic guitar, strings and bombastic beats in a woeful melody, almost like a lullaby. This is so very Faithless in style it is like they found the distillery for what is to come.

Second track is Bring My Family Back is composed around one of Maxi Jazz’ recurring themes, keeping the family together, no matter what. Heavy beats and choral arrangements complement the rap exquisitely.

Hour of Need is the first more straightforward song on the album and with a gospel tinge. More upbeat than most tracks on the album.

Postcards, enter Dido, Rollos multimillion-selling sister, kicking of a cool duet. Not the strongest track on the album unfortunately, sounds a bit hurried compared to the rest.

But one imperfect track doesn’t spoil the album. Take the Long Way Home picks up the rave-vibe after an intro of ambiance-setting strings and ominous beats. It’s a seven minute trip with Bliss churning out yet another of those unforgettable anthemic sequences.

The comedown is Why Go?, a masterful guest appearance by Boy George delivering a very sincere song about separation. Short, sweet and very much in line with the flow of the album.

She’s My Baby is Maxi Jazz raising the rap ante, delivering at a very precise pace gearing up to what is to come.

Track eight, God Is a DJ, is undoubtedly the anthemic masterpiece of the album. Bliss’ layered signatures mixed with Rollos soundscapes, Maxi Jazz prophetic delivery and the background crowd noise, no-one can sit still when the drop hits at 4.03. Play loud in headphones and close your eyes, you’re immediately transfered to Docklands of the era.

Hem of His Garment is the better of the two songs featuring Dido. Acoustic guitar in the forefront with slightly subdued electronics in the back.

Sunday 8PM, a short interlude ending with crowd cheer to signal the end of ”the show” is near.

Killer’s Lullaby, ending as it started, with a lullaby. Where The Garden was a sad song this is rough and full-on Maxi Jazz at his best. Spitting verses like a cobra to a heavy beat going in circles like his rhymes.

A great album from a great band. Eclipsed maybe only by Massive Attack and Portishead in quality from that era. The formula is set for great albums released after. Massive Attacks Mezzanine was released the same year so there definitely was a progression in the genre that year. The only tiny drawback is that the sound quality is not always perfect. Rachael Brown and Pauline Taylor sounds very odd and muffled on She’s My Baby for example. But that is trifle in comparison to the immense production values overall.

Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXrpYhjsv-jAK1LN_K_wzZeqGfJPd8MAW

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🎼 Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

To choose one release from the immense library Radiohead has produced is an impossible task. So many bands and artists are taken seriously for the first couple of releases and then the later ones are just nice reminders of their heyday. But Radioheads sheer volume and consequent quality warrants a later release for this entry, if not just to prove that the “rule” of only early work being great does not apply here.

A Moon Shaped Pool is Radioheads ninth full length album. A continuation on stellar albums like The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997) and Kid A (2000). Megahits like Creep (1993) and Karma Police (1997). They have amassed the finances to indulge themselves musically, politically and businesswise. With a cachê from performances and album sales they need not compromise.

A Moon Shaped Pool is a diverse album in the sense it is a little bit like everything before it. But not overly experimental nor outright radio friendly. It has elaborate instrumentation with London Contemporary Orchestra on intro track Burn The Witch. A track that in itself is uncommonly upbeat for being the start of a Radiohead album. Not to worry, the comedown is hard in second track Daydreaming. A desolate place where frail vocals and lyrics is in focus.

Third track Decks Dark adds choir to the lowest of lows, a pure execution of sounding simple yet built to perfection.

Fourth track Desert Island Disk is a continuation on vocals being emphasized by instrumentation, never the other way around. 

Ful Stop is a tipping point on the album where electronics build up the momentum to the pulsating rhythms of intro track Burn The Witch. Vocals somewhat subdued in a machinelike turmoil slowly raising till it becomes accompanied by live instruments to the lead out.

Glass Eyes is a slow mellow piano interlude that brings us back to ground zero again. Thom opens with the words ”Hey it’s me, I just got off the train” to illustrate the journey before and what is coming.

Identikit has a more improvised feel to it, with layers and cycles. Choral verses and a guitar sounding more persistent, racing with the vocals to the end.

Enter the first masterpiece track of the album, The Numbers. A call to arms against false authority. A super-layered instrumentation with orchestra, acoustic guitars, choir and sublime vocals. The video for that track is a re-recording with just a CR-78 drum machine and Greenwood on guitar, Yorke on guitar and vocals. Performed with gut-wrenching honesty if there ever was one.

Present Tense is a beat centric track with a bossa nova feel to it, veiled in choral ”blankets”.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief is the electronica-soaked Radiohead of Kid A, or maybe more like Thom Yorkes solo work.

True Love Waits is the second masterpiece track off the album. A song that has been performed live for at least 20 years by the band but never released on an album. Layered pianos and effects, vocals from the heart, so simple, so perfect.

In all the album can seem like a pretty dark affair, it is! But not just, there are balance in the lower spectrum. Anxiety-ridden but also signs of hope. It all benefits hugely from a pair of quality headphones.

Listen here: https://www.radiohead.com/library#amsp/a-moon-shaped-pool

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti6qhk3tX2s

[culturalvanguard]

🎼 Florence + The Machine: Lungs (2009)

After attempting different musical projects, this is Florence Welchs debut album on her own. Backed by The Machine: keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Robert Ackroyd and harpist Tom Monger, providing the core band, even to this day. An eclectic mix of genres but not style. There is art rock, classical music, indie pop and folk music in the mix. But everything sounds unmistakably as only Florence + The Machine.

Florence Welchs voice and delivery sounds like few other vocalists. She handles the tender nuances and outright almost screaming with the same aplomb. The range of delivery is truly awesome. If I close my eyes I can sometimes sense fragments of both Joan Baez and Kate Bush.

Lyrically the themes are a “scrapbook of the past five years... it's about guilt, fear, love, death, violence, nightmares, [and] dreams" as she puts it.

Just as the vocals are wide ranging so are sound of The Machine. Driving beats and rock guitars accentuated with harp and guest musicians provide a just as varied musical space. Sometimes bombastic, other times very low-key. Almost punk on Kiss With A Fist, and choral on Between Two Lungs.

The masterpiece track of the album is Cosmic Love. It is perfect in sound, delivery and lyrics. It is the absolute epitome of what Florence + The Machine is about. In just over four minutes you get from tender to thunder and despair to hope. This track is in my opinion the bands best up until No Light, No Light on their 2011 album Ceremonials.

Buy Lungs here: https://music.apple.com/se/album/between-two-lungs-deluxe/1440495906

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🎼 Sweet: Desolation Boulevard (1974)

The third album from the originally singles-centric British glam-rock band Sweet. The albums proving more of a band effort than the previous hit factory singles of writers Nicky Chinn & Mike Chapman. More rock ’n roll, more experimenting, less bubble-gum pop.

Being their second album of 1974 in the UK, ”Sweet Fanny Adams” released in April set the tone for what was to come. More crunchy guitars and more prolific drumming. This formula proved fruitful and even different versions of songs were released. Fox On The Run for example is a rock ’n roll gem on the album and a far more poppy, polished and radio-friendly on the re-recording for the single. The Man With The Golden Arm is eight minute orchestral rendition of the Bernstein/Fine classic interspersed with a lengthy drum-solo.

Two distinct versions of the album were released, the UK version of ´74 with said Fox On The Run as the main single. The US version of ´75 adding tracks like Ballroom Blitz and I Wanna Be Committed.

Both versions include the epic track The Six Teens, with lyrics about growing up in the ´60s. One of the last tracks written by Chinn/Chapman and produced by Phil Wainman. One of several tracks from the era that firmly show progression from pop to glam to establishing Sweet as a hard rock band.

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🎼 Mike Oldfield: Ommadawn (1975)

Mike Oldfield, short introduction: multiinstrumentalist born 1953. Got in the public spotlight with 1973′s instrumental monolith Tubular Bells. The theme from Tubular Bells was used in the movie The Exorcist and has since sold at least 15 million copies worldwide. That album kickstarted Virgin Records and what later would become Virgin Group of companies.

OK, so this tremendously talented twenty-something from Reading, UK, scored a mega-hit album with a no-compromise attitude towards composing and performing. Of course he got carte blanche from founder of Virgin; Richard Branson, for a sequel. So Mike pursued his vision, staying reclusive not to be distracted by reviews and public reaction and released Hergest Ridge the year after. An equally ambitious project but not equally mass appealing. 2 million copies sold world ´wide.

The success of the second album was comparatively modest and shortly after release Tubular Bells overtook Hergest Ridge in the charts again. Disappointed Mike went even further into reclusion, not wanting to record in a studio but in his home, where he would do most of the recording for the third album Ommadawn.

Released in 1975, it is a blueprint to heartfelt emotion. The loss of his mother the same year, the “failure” of Hergest Ridge and insecurity in his own abilities is somewhat present. It’s a quite dark affair with it’s title anglisized from the Irish amadán, meaning idiot.

Just as the two previous albums it consists of two LP-sidelong tracks showcasing Mikes magnificence as a musician. Where Tubular Bells bears the hallmarks of a “hit-album” in the genre, this is full of gut and more sparse in execution. It leaves more room for after-thought. Celtic influences are obvious and there is a sombre playfulness peeking through with the crossover of African drums and Clodagh Simonds vocals in a nonsensical-coded Gaelic-like language.

It all ends with the untitled passage later known as “On Horseback”, that stands on it’s own as a conclusion of hope and appreciating the smaller things in life.

One can assume the maestro is drained of creativity after Ommadawn. It is not until 1978 the next album is released. Of course he ups the ante with a double-album, Incantations.

Order here on iTunes: https://music.apple.com/se/album/ommadawn-deluxe-edition/1440735205

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🎼 Tuxedomoon: Half-Mute (1980)

The first album from the San Fransisco based nucleus of Blaine L. Reiniger (violin, guitar, keyboards) and Steven Brown (saxophone, keyboards, lead vocals) in 1980. After two E.P.’s before the time had come to fill an album worth of post-punk experimental new-wave. With Peter Principle on bass guitar the group was complete.

The underground scene at this time was very fertile. That the album was released through Ralph Records is a landmark of this era. Numerous concerts during this period was theatrical shows. They were joined onstage with performance artist Winston Tong and filmmaker Bruce Geduldig. Gradually they got a following, but mainly in Europe. So they eventually relocated to Brussels and the rest is history.

What makes this album stand out? Well, the approach to making music that sounds like nothing else before it. By nodding to the esthetics of punk rock, still in recent memory, adding the craftsmanship of violin and saxophone and being unafraid in composing and performing. This album sounds like no other, sounds like no specific country or culture. It is pure in it’s execution.

Listen here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7xjDegZP677Ot0FAd5CJHr?si=v6UKmvWxRleaqNxJhW0Gag

[culturalvanguard]

🎬 Watchmen (2009)

Based on Alan Moores (Batman: The Killing Joke, V for Vendetta) and Dave Gibbons limited DC Comics series. Noted director Terry Gilliam, among many others, left the project during the extremely long production with the words “it’s unfilmable”. Between 1987 and 2005 it went through development issues, stops and starts with different movie companies and financing issues.

Eventually it landed in the directorial hands of Zack Snyder (”300″) and the various companies involved settled on a number of issues, giving the project a last chance. Snyder opted for live-action and real sets, bringing the CGI and green screens to a minimum. Leaving the story, sets and props very true to the the original series.

The premise of Watchmen is an alternate historical period circa 1985, at the height of the cold war, social unrest and raised criminality. A retired superhero dies and his colleagues from the past starts an investigation. With lots of flashbacks to the 50′s and 60′s heydays of these superheroes throughout the movie, the main characters are fleshed out for the more grim “now” of the movie.

The love between Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II, the philosophical dilemmas of Doctor Manhattan, the ethics of Rorschach and the conspiracies of  Ozymandias. It’s a web of interconnecting storylines and historical milestones (some real, other fictitious). The superhero genre are rarely given so much attention to the subtle and unheroic. The kitchen sink reality, proof that death is messy, the canned beans-dinners and those unfulfilled hopes and dreams are draining even a superhero.

It’s a very emotional movie with extreme attention to detail. Nostalgia accentuated in the storyline, the clothes, the hairstyles, the superhero costumes. All accompanied by a super-curated soundtrack.

This is by far the best superhero movie ever done, based on one of the best superhero comics ever. 

Of the many versions available the best experience is the Ultimate Cut from 2009 incorporating the animated Tales of the Black Freighter-sequence, clocking in at a majestic 3 hours 35 minutes in total.

Order the Ultimate Cut here: https://cdon.se/film/watchmen-ultimate-cut-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-2-disc-48517458

[culturalvanguard]

🎼 The The: Dusk (1993)

Soul Mining (1983) being the busting-out-of-the-underground epic. Infected (1986) the edgy, more commercial step. And Mind Bomb (1989) mixing it with almost pop. All of them political and in your face, not just lyrically but album covers, videos and marketing.

Then Dusk. Still political, still with urgency but also even more personal. If the previous albums were daytime protests, this is the late night confessions of loneliness, vulnerability and hopelessness. 

This is a cigarette smoke, cheap bars, dimmed lights, stripper poles and candid conversations setting. But also a ride on the train of consequences, afterthoughts and painful regrets.

Matt Johnsons peaks as a singer. Machisimo, earnestness, bravado and vulnerability. The band is of course super-tight now. Johnny Marr and David Palmer bringing the super-classy foundation. Everything sounds so effortless and flowing, pure emotion delivered through music and lyrics.

Listen here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2l787tSnzSfpfvgPNsR5O2?si=sEciTqqLR5Wl7x7KOTfPzg

Thanks to Sara Roseman for reminding me of this absolute gem.

[culturalvanguard]

🎬 & 🎼 Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Koyaanisqatsi means “Life Out of Balance” in the Hopi language. This is the first in a trilogy on the subjects of mankind, nature and technology and the interactions and conflicts between them. 

Godfrey Reggios stunning, slow moving, visual poetry is a slow ode to the progress of humankind and a harsh warning of the perils of the same.

Many breathtaking clips from nature, everyday life, industry and life in general in  a sequence. Without narration, texts or explanations. “A day in the life” cinematographic extravaganza.

The movie is a work of art in itself. Coupled with the score that is very much so. Philip Glass music is the “narration” and synonymous with the movie. It’s also a snapshot of where Glass was at that specific time in his artistic progression. He has toured with the Philip Glass Ensemble, performing the score live to the picture several times. An awesome experience in so many ways.

The cyclical but intricate music adds a sense of both focus and diversity to the picture. At times hypnotic it still keeps the viewer curious. If you listen to the score separately is very rewarding in itself but a completely different thing than coupled with the picture. The merging of cinema and music has rarely been so complete and perfect.

After viewing the movie, ask yourself “what was it about?”. Your answer will be as good as anyone else’s.

Purchase the movie here (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Koyaanisqatsi-Life-Balance-Philip-Glass/dp/B000068OCS

Purchase the score here (iTunes): https://music.apple.com/se/album/koyaanisqatsi-complete-original-soundtrack/314215935

[culturalvanguard]

🎼 Bloc Party: Intimacy (2008)

The conclusion of a steady progression. From Silent Alarms indie rock (with nods to punk) to A Weekend in the Citys more electronic feel and expansive instrumentation overall. Intimacy boils them both down to their respective cores and focuses on the development of songwriting and sound. It finishes the trinity; the essence of what Bloc Party were and is. The formula is set by these three albums, everything after are derivatives.

Subject matter is as the title implies those of love and relationships. Kele Okerekes lyrics stand out as even more to the point than before. There has always been a sense of urgency with Bloc Party songs, even more so now. The lyrics are even more “in-your-face” and direct.

Halo, Signs, Talons, Zephyrus and Better Than Heaven are probably the best Bloc Party songs ever. Masterly crafted pop that feels very well thought out and progressive in production. But this is what came naturally for the band, as a necessity, as the recordings were hurried.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0mnV4bQvNvKdodA0qQCl7P?si=T73S-EKjQXqjEhwUwVwlTQ