John Fahey – The Mill Pond EP (1997)

Broker`s Tip/Little Brother

Important

• New Weird America 
• Avant-rock 
• Noise 
• Free folk 
• Avant-garde
• Art rock 
• Guitar ambient 
• Psychedelic 
• Freeformfreakout 
• American Primitive Guitar 
• Experimental rock 
• Noise rock 

Neli aastat enne siitilmast lahkumist salvestas vanameister 4-loolise üllitise, mille oli vähe ühist tema enda loodud näpuotstega sikutatud kitarrikeele mängutehnikaga (stiililise määratlusena Ameerika primitiivne kitarr), mis oma sulniduses moodustas ühelt poolt intrigeerivaid mustreid ja tekstuure ning teisalt kussutas hüpnootilist meeleolu luues. Selle asemel on keskmes kuulajale näkku räuskav toores tagasisidestus, mis kõigub-kaigub, suutmata leida tasakaalupunkti justkui mõni vana kooli analoogsüntesaator temperatuuriliselt ebasoodsates tingimustes piinlemas. Veenev mürasse kühveldumine – vali, lõikav, agressiivne, seestunud, teadvust hämardav, külmutav ja kõrvetav samaaegu). Ma ei ole ilmselt ülekohtune tänapäeva noisenikkude suhtes, kui väidan, et vanameistri vägi on paljudest neist suurem ja kütkestavam. Legendit on üllitisel aidatud elektroonikaga, tõsi, mille täpsem roll jääb selgusetuks (on need elektroonilised klahvpillid, digitaalsed-analoogefektid-masinad, kitarre on kõigest moonutatud jne). Arvustused sellele üllitisele on valdavalt negatiivsed – ilmselt on eeldatud Fahey`lt albumit, missuguseid ta oli juba salvestanud kümneid). Muideks, lõpuloos “The Mill Pond Drowns Hope” on kuulda ka vana tuttavlikku helikeelt, mistõttu vana kooli kummardajad ei peaks olema pettunud. Tõsi, lugu areneb omasoodu, millele lisanduvad elektroonika ja mõõdukad kajaefektid – arenemata küll plahvatavaks kaoseks (mida võib ju loo ülesehituse loogikat järgides eeldada) säilitab kompositsioon narratiivi ja pinge. Tegelikult ka avalugu “Ghosts” – isegi rohkem kui lõpulugu –, millel elektroonikat asendab trubaduuri joigumine. Vaadates lähemalt aja(loolist) joont – ei oleks üldse vale võtta see John Fahey album New Weird-liikumise alguspunktiks. Kolm aastat pärast seda tuli Animal Collective`i “Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished”, millel on nii mõndagi ühist veskilombi üllitisega. See on viis, kuidas täismehed lähevad ajalukku.  

8.0 (7.5-8.5)

Thee Outside – Deaf Disco (1997/2010)

Year Zero

• Drum and bass
• Jungle
• Experimental
• Alternative dance
• Breaks

Comment: this issue of 12 tracks was initially released in 1997 whereas the British music scene was virtually shook by a wave of Britpop which started off sometime in the mid of the 90s and on the other side there was up the club dance scene of drum and bass, jungle, speed garage and house music of becoming more apparent on the mainstream ground. Indeed, these styles of dance music come to provide something refreshing for more demanding music lovers. On the other side, some of those artists whose music had had a remarkable influence on the aforementioned styles decided to stand off or set their steps otherwise to continue stubbornly their very own idiosyncratic path. Such true pioneers as Aphex Twin, Mike Paradinas-led projects, Dryft, Luke Vibert, Venetian Snares, Squarepusher would go underground again. Thee Outside`s music in connection with artistic and aesthetic approach did have a similar, wide-ranging behaviour with regard to going beyond the boundaries of dnb/jungle music in a curious yet sapid way. Musically the artist used to loan from other adjacent styles yet exploiting deviant sonic effects in a great amount to the compound which appeared to be relatively uncommon then. All those details are accentuated and amplified in a truly poignant way. Although the nature of Deaf Disco is exquisitely experimental it might be as one of the most accessible notches in the discography of Year Zero. Let`s enjoy the dexterity of British people to generate poppy sounds for our pleasure. You should take time to concentrate and behave in the way it is repeated in a rhyme at Empty Mind - /empty your mind of all thoughts and distractions/you`ll lose yourself to become the music/. 

Dreamphish - Midnight Comes Around

Dreamphish - Garlic Icecream (1997)

Bandcamp

10.0

/Experimental indie, Art pop, Dream pop, Alternative pop, Indie pop, Art punk, Shoegaze, Post-rock/

Comment: Dreamphish was one of the foremost Estonian indie pop/rock bands with Dallas, Bizarre, and Borax in the second half of the 90`s. Their debut album Garlic Icecream (released on the cassette format only) rings out even today in an idiosyncratical and vanguard-ish way. While the quintet`s irresistible compositions are based on conventional yet majestic song structures it is spliced up with more uncompromising progressions - trip-hop-relied shadows, naughty punk rock, lofty shoegaze forays, and darkly gleaming post-rock-ish outer space. You can perceive the connections with Pulp, Stereolab, Portishead, Sonic Youth... . Most of the time the 10-track album induces to be longing and looking so hopefully for the future. Indeed, it is a glorious chapter of the Estonian innovative pop/rock. Inspite of missing nostalgically for those old good times, however, the album chimes perfectly on its own. I recommend listen to their follow-up It Is I (2000) either.