Salam – Salam (2005)

 

WM Recordings

 

• African folk 
• World music 
• Ethnic music 
• Live

 

Puhastav ja värskendav 5-looline taies Senegali triolt, kes mängib kitarre ja pärismaiseid trumme. Laividel osalevad ka külalisesinejad, kelledest üks mängib käesoleval viiulit. Üle instrumentide kaigub sugereeriv jõuline meesvokaal, millede koosmõju tekitab kuulajas habrast transsi. Nende muusika on kantud mandinka ja diola hõimukultuurist, lauldes hinge ja südame ühtekuuluvusest ning armastusest; teisalt teavitatakse meelemürkide laastavast mõjust. Ka hõigatakse välja maailmarahu soov. Kui rääkida Musta Mandri muusikast, siis transs on ankurdatud rütmi, kuigi siin on see varjatum, tulles esile pikemal kuulamisel – see väljendub nii rahulikus tempos siuglevas trummeldamises kui helifraaside kordamistes. Nõnda see aus kraam välja destilleeritakse. 

 

8.0 (7.5-8.5)

Greg Houwer – Sauna Planet (2010)

WM Recordings

Free Music Archive

• Indie pop/rock 
• Lo-fi 
• Singer-songwriter 
• Art rock 
• Alternative pop/rock 
• Pop rock 
• DIY 

Ei ole kaua kirjutanud muusikast, mis antud välja Hollandi plaadifirma WM Recordings'i all. Ei ole ka ime, kuna leibel lõpetas tegevuse aastaid tagasi. Samas nende diskograafia sisaldab palju head muusikat. Alati tasub vana muusika manu pöörduda ja perrä kaeda. Antwerpen'is resideeruv Greg Houwer on üllitanud nimetet plaadifirma all kaks albumit - "Sauna Planet" oli järjekorras number kaks. Vaatasin, et artist üllitas neli kuud tagasi uue albumi – on leitav Bandcamp'ist. 12-looline "Sauna Planet" on igati vinks-vonks üllitis, mis lookleb poproki, indipopi ja kunstpopi ahtal piiril. Ja jäädeski kitsasse piiritsooni kõlama. Teisalt üllitis toidab eelarvamust, et flaami rokk ja pop ongi selline vaikne-turvaline ja väheke etableerunud, millest me teame vähe ja rohkemat võib-olla ei peakski teadma. Arad eksperimentaalsed kompamised, millest õige pea loobutakse kindla laulukirjutamise peale minemisega. Plaadiümbris ole ka nats totakas – sarnaselt Nirvanale võidakse see artist millalgi kohtusse kaevata. Ei imestaks.

The Rabbits – That Cave of Love Part 1 (2008)

WM Recordings

Archive.org

Free Music Archive

• Avant-rock 
• Alternative rock 
• Art pop
• Cinematic
• Noise pop
• Fuzz pop 
• Comedy pop 
• Experimental pop

Comment: The Rabbits` third outing on WM Recordings is playful and sardonic, entertaining and poignant at the same time. I have no understanding why such sort of music does not make up music charts because in fact it does have everything. Obviously it is way too dizzy for masses and all those influencers, opinion leaders and bosses of music labels who wish the world would be full of "of chickeny softness” while the world need heroes instead of it. The 9-notch outing was issued in 2008 yet it would predict what used to happen today when bloody political correctness embraces all within a society. I do not think that all sort of the so-called liberal activists with gleaming eyes could change world into a better place. I guess their pretension to make it is filled in with half-truths, faulty assumptions and partial knowledges while pretending to be idols by their public ambitions. More profoundly, one of the consequences is that young people are eunuchised by it and locked in porn sites. In truth, it is ridiculous to see all of that for a critical bystander. Do you think is it possible to change someone into a god who is a sort of animal (even if he/she does not recognize it) and headed by drives and subjugated to natural laws? Of course, it is the premise for so-called divine comedy. I do not believe in revolutions anymore, I believe in art and music and an organic way of living instead of it. I believe in a sort of patchwork through music which is represented over there – from dadaist outbursts and noise/fuzz pop spans to slightly pop-oriented developments and astounding blissful cinematic undulations and ork-pop quests. And the most important point – there is up freedom one could not find out from a recent society anymore.

Various Artists - Extremely Mild And Pleasant Tasting - The Best Of Bob Chaos Recordings 1984-1986 (2004)

WM Recordings

Archive.org

Free Music Archive

• Lo-fi 
• Psych-rock 
• Avant-rock 
• Dada music 
• DIY 
• Free jazz
• Experimental rock 
• Freeformfreakout 
• Noise pop
• Acid rock

Comment: this bunch of 22 tracks provides a good overview about the intention and music of such a cutting-edge imprint as cassette-only Bob Chaos (based on Muncie, Indiana, USA) due to a music label from the Netherlands, WM Recordings. Actually it was released in 2004, at the time home recording activities and the New Weird movement started appear in a dizzy way. Actually by such artists as Latent Chaos, Modern Exteriors, The Suadetones, Atomic Butterfly, MCRB, Disposable Air Sickness Band, Sonic Clams, Band-O-Fun, and Soul Celtics the listener can find out many those characteristics which started appear two decades later. Knee-deep psychedelia, at times being deliberately buffoonish and provoking by subverting the so-called established pop narratives. For instance, there is up a slippery version of Goldfinger by The Suadestones, there is also a song being obviously aroused by the Broadway aesthetics as a main sign of Western Capitalism and decadence. At times there are up themes being obsessive in their absurdity and madness being imbued with faint odours coming from the glistening aesthetic of Joe Meek, kitchen sink, space age music, radiophonic art, exploitation genres, and free jazz. I have always adored such sort of bands who dared to provide absurdity as a refreshing colour to the embodiment of music. And the most important thing is that we all are the apes in spite of bearing clothes and by using smart talk. By the way, our closer relatives used to do it as well. In a word, it is fun to partake in that decorous, spiky madness. Would you cut off your dick for art?

Norja – Vuonoja (2007)

WM Recordings

Archive.org

• Primitive music 
• DIY 
• Art music 
• Electro house 
• Electronic music 
• Dada music 
• Electro funk

Comment: this set of 21 tracks (or sketches) can be considered a grower. The grower in that sense you will discover many interesting nuances after a bunch of listening times. Undoubtedly it is a mischievous release because the Finnish artist is not interested in developing certain themes but is already ready to make frantic dodges as if zooming in and out incessantly. Because of that pattern it reminds of music being vamped up in the mind set of dada. The issue was outed by WM Recordings, and it reminds of another release from the imprint`s discography, Brunk`s Insert Coin To Continue (2009). In truth, with regard to the release years the proposition should be said vice versa. Of course, the whole is not without exceptions. For instance, at Vuono 18 one can hear enchanting electro house progressions with a midnight vibe. Vuono 17 is a beatific glimpse on the base of a dusty organ chords. Vuono 16 is a bewildering electro funk at its best. All music had been conjured up with Amiga 500 running OctaMED sound tracker program and was recorded to c-cassette in 1994-1995. In a word, you must listen to this eminent and fabulous release.

Noteherder & McCloud – The Tail (2008)

WM Recordings

Archive.org

• Free jazz 
• Improvised music 
• Avant-garde 
• Experimentalism 
• Modal jazz 
• Live session 
• Electronic music 
• Leftfield

Comment: I am very glad to back again at WM Recordings, the imprint which has introduced me to many interesting artists like brunk, Chenard Walcker, Roy "Chicky" Arad, Keshco, Phil Reavis, Jared C. Balogh, The Hathaway Family Plot and many others. Beyond that the roster embraces such luminaries as the godfather of the home recording R Stevie Moore, and Russian dadaist sound collage and surf pop mixed madness Messer Chups. Undoubtedly The Tail is a highly complicated and mind-provoking one composed of three different live gigs by the two experienced musicians wherein you can enjoy many parallel running compartments based on the playing of a soprano saxophone, and on the other side it is undermined by poignant synthesiser-based bubbling and effects making an impact on a fastidious listener. And I am probably the demanding reviewer. And if you want to get a solid review of how to play the soprano saxophone in an intriguing way then this issue is for you. Synthesiser is a remarkably more broad instrument or it can even be considered a platform, however, this issue provides a little yet intriguing bit of it. It certainly touches on sonic qualities which remind me of electronic krautrock artists as Konrad Schnitzler, and Asmus Tietchens. Use The Desk Lamp is the favourite of mine because it is absolutely fascinating in its overwhelming tempo and energy. For me, it is jazz punk. In a word, the result is great.

Vernon LeNoir – Balkan Spezialitaeten (2006)

WM Recordings

• Sampledelic 
• Electronic music 
• World music 
• Alternative 
• Conceptual
• Plunderphonics 
• Sound collage 
• Avant-garde

Comment: these 20 minutes are as diversified and manifold as the chart of the Balkan peninsula used to be in front of our eyes at the globe. Indeed, in English the word "balkanization" refers to something hostile and excessively divided. In the context of this issue the meaning of the word would be exploited positively. It is based on samples being either adjusted with each other or superimposed upon. Musically it contains mainly the vivid rhythms of Gypsy music though one can hear Slavic languages and hints at them either. Indeed, the outing is not arbitrarily lopsided. There are also represented spoken word snippets in English and...ABBA additionally. Those light-hearted upper layers and predominant motifs are backed up by thudding basses beneath. In a nutshell, the artist gets right to create a carnival-alike milieu throughout the course. By kindred souls it reminds me of a little bit Russian projects Messer Chups, and Messer Für Frau Müller by its exuberant madness. By artistic side the inspiration for LeNoir were the poetry of Igor Dithyrambescu and the surreal interpretations of Tizian paintings by Anushka Hamedalidbegovic. The issue is a part of the discography of WM Recordings.

Gorowski - The Gorowski Archives: Previously Unreleased Tuneage from the Archives 2005-2015 (2015)

WM Recordings

Free Music Archive

Bandcamp

• Electronic dance music
• Post-disco
• Alternative dance
• Breakbeat
• Big beat
• Electronic pop
• Tech-house
• Nu jazz
• Electro pop
• Psychedelic pop
• Acid jazz
• House pop
• Acid house

Comment: the Netherlands-based WM Recordings has been one of the dwelling places for many mind-boggling artists. Marco Kalnenek`s headed imprint`s placard “where music is different” is absolutely relevant accommodating such artists as Roy “Chicky” Arad (the Israeli Eurovision song contest`s competitor in 2000), Jared C. Balogh, The Hathaway Family Plot, Chenard Walcker, Spheriot, Brunk, Keshco, and Phil Reavis among many other artists. Indeed, Marco Kalnenek had been involved in doings of another outstanding imprint, called Comfort Stand Recordings being a home place for such underground luminaries as Big City Orchestra, Dan deacon, and R Stevie Moore so one could say he cannot distinguish between solid and inferior bum. Gorowski`s miscellany of 15 composition embraces compositions being produced in a span of 10 year activity. Musically one could distinguish between different accents – from indie dance/acid house oriented frequencies to more electro and big beat oriented dance propulsions which now and then used to clash in one and the same track. Furthermore, tracks like Rush By Meadow, and Styley used to run on nu jazz-y vibes thereby implying a remarkably more intimate association within the piece. Hipster`s Call is a sublime indication of electronic dance music and post-disco which should have poisoned contemporary charts. Skipping To Hazana is soaked with elegantly negligent psychedelic ripples. Rhubarb is a more club dance oriented track because of drifting somewhere between house, techno, and breakbeat oscillations. Stargate Pumpkin is another mesmerizing composition which does have huge pop potential due to the shift between acoustic and electronic pop being overloaded by frantic energy. On the whole, one could perceive different phases in decent developing and moving on aesthetically. 

The Hathaway Family Plot – Worry (2013)

WM Recordings

9.5

/Avant-garde, Post-industrial, No Wave, Psycho-acoustic, Experimentalism, Weird, Non-music, Abstract, Noise, Acousmatics/

Comment: undoubtedly THFP`s previous album Debt (2011, WM Recordings) was essentially weird but superb having hints at folk, lo-fi and indie and electronic music. Indeed, the combo carries on the abovementioned tendencies blending it with more acute noises, outstretched warped stereo effects, cyberpunk esque/error-loaded techno and abstract blowups. More concretely, it is a high-contrast issue of restless silent slices (involving echo-bestowed piano chords and doleful singing) and wrathful noise chops. At times I used to think the recent concept is infiltrated with some dadaistic seeds and motes. Indeed, this whole of 11 pieces is aesthetically challenging and provocative at its core.

D´r Sjaak - Speees KojBoj (2009)

WM Recordings

Free Music Archive

Lastfm 

8.8

/Industrial rock, Alternative, EBM, Leftfield, Dark pop, Synth pop, Big beat, Crossover/

Comment: undoubtedly this 12-track release is a little freaky due to its unsettled and bent nature which, of course, is welcome. It extends from brooding industrial synth rock and EBM sequences to more spaced-out electronic compositions involving the shards of hip-hop, big beat, cut and paste aesthetics. Or just conflating acoustic chords with electronically designed layers. However, despite a vast array of styles and experiments the album is judicious and accomplished. Emotionally there are some upgrading, expansive moments where D´r Sjaak extols the fun of music due to campy dodges and undulation, though, the greater part of the content is elegantly murky and glowering. And the coverprint is impressive. F.ck off!        

The Hathaway Family Plot - Debt (2011)

WM Recordings

Free Music Archive

9.6

/Avant-rock, Indietronica, Alt-folk, No Wave, Experimental rock, Avant-garde, Noise rock, New Weird America, Psychedelia/

Comment: these 13 tracks do constitute an aesthetically big cheese on the strength of a genuine amalgamation of cowbell indie/and primitive indie electronic progressions (a la CocoRosie), alt-folk, and Americana glides. On the other side, it provides knee-deep psychedelic and noise and post-punk deflected roars (thereby resembling an array of No Wave artists from the 70s and 80s). In a word, it is a highly articulated and thought-provoking miscellany of divergent sounds and ideas. Outstanding effort.   

Nambavan - Modnay Discoteka (2011)

WM Recordings

Free Music Archive

8.0

/Electronic pop, Electro pop, Alternative, Dance pop/

Comment: it might be this album of 10 tracks is recorded with irony regarding bitch cult in Western countries on a conceptual plane. Indeed, all these Russian-sung lyrics are about f.cking, f.cking, and f.cking, about c.cks reaching to the knees etc, however, being amply dispensed with human dignity. The counterpoint to these autotune-loaded obscene lyrics are dashing, sleek electro pop propulsions. As you have already figured out it is not recommended to play these tracks at parties.     

Zloty Dawai - Torso Apart (2011)

WM Recordings
FMA
Bandcamp

8.7

/Improvised music, Psychedelic, Free jazz, Noise, Avant-garde, Experimentalism/

Comment: there are represented a handful of (long-running) improvisations, conjuring up lots of noises and dust comprised of (electronic) sonic effects, downbeat basslines, splashing and squeaking strings. All these endeavours are performed as live recorded snippets allowing the air to react with composed sounds. Stylistically the whole veers away from electro-acoustic noise and free jazz outlets to spoken word-prevailing progressions and spacey, acute electronic effect/noise-filled appearances. Ultimately, everyone who is used to be keen to improvised music could find something from within it for him/herself. ZD is a Cologne-based combo involving 5 musicians. Torso Apart is a follow-up to their Teleopsis Belzebuth (2005), and Dada Work Chant (2006) all these albums have been issued on WM Recordings.

Meanwhile Project.ltd - The Sober EP (2011)

WM Recordings
Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.3

/Noirscape, Musique concrète, Psychedelia, Covers, Experimentalism, Modern classical /

Comment: a peculiar (just trying to avoid describing it as "macabre") shit which contains musique concrète-hued mourning classical music and essentially obsessive noirscapes, by the way including a cover version of the Pink Floyd`s coolest song Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, and a version of the Twin Peaks theme composed by Angelo Badalamenti. The EP is issued on WM Recordings, a great label from the Netherlands (Phil Reavis, R Stevie Moore, Chenard Walcker, Happy Elf, Spheriot, Roy Chicky Arad, Keshco and many other ones)

brunk - a simple guide (2010)

WM Recordings

Bandcamp 

Lastfm

8.8

Indietronica, Lo-fi, DIY, Experimental indie, Post-rock, Funk rock, Experimental rock, Avant-rock/ 

Comment: As brunk, indeed Bert van der Berghe`s impassion used to be creating angular beat schemes under guitar pattern-backed soundscapes or making up the profound soundscapes of ambient music (Winter EP). However, this is an issue of his old tracks wherein next to the indietronic approaches, sample-enriched math-alike progressions, DIY-based workouts can be met somersaulting funk rock and electro-rock and highly charged guitar outputs either. Powerful and totally convincing.

The Family Simpson Montague`s Lunchtime Speciale (WM Recordings)

The Family Simpson on laulukirjutaja Ian Simpson Šotimaalt Stonehaven`ist, kes võrdleb oma muusikast esilekerkivat ilu “katlaga, mille sisu on paisatud sügavkülmikusse” või “limonaadi, millest on suveriided läbi ligunenud”. Irooniline jah! Seetõttu ning ka intonatsiooni ning tehnilise lihtsuse poolest meenutab ta Šoti ekstsentrikust vagabundi Nick Currie`t aka Momus`t. Kitarrid, süntesaatorid, loop-pedaalid, vokaal. Tõsi küll, Momus`e intelligentse sarkasmi ning poliitilise ebakorrektsuse järele ei ole ta veel ennast sirutanud. Ka Simpson mainib imaginaarseid tegelasi, ainult selle erandiga, et ta seob nood tihedamalt iseendaga. Ta ei taha lihtsalt pealt vaadata, jutustada, vaid olla (inter)aktiivse suhte teine pool. Introspektsioon ning kurtuaasne temaatika. Inspiratsiooniallikana on ta maininud postkaartidel talletatud hetki. Muusikaliselt on siin poolelektroonilist indie`t/magamistoapoppi ning minikammerpoppi, lo-fi poppi ja kaunikõlalist velvetmuusikat. Ohtralt helimöllu veeklaasis. Iseäralikemaks looks on Bite, mis oma akustilise kidratroonikaga meenutab mulle varajast Mice Parade`i. See ning Soup ja My Funny Valentine on meistriteosed. Ka ülejäänud 8 lugu ei hiilga keskpärasusega.

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8.8

[Vana ning oluline] Phil Reavis The Reagan Years (WM Recordings)

Muusikaajalool on kombeks oma kadunud poegi-tütreid kunati tulevikus ilmavalgele tõsta. Muusika vallas toimub tahes-tahtmata varasemate fenomenidega tugevam sidestumine kui inimühiskonnas, kus enamus esivanematest on lihtsalt üks haihtunud umbmäärane abstraktne mass. Miks? Sest et muusikanähtused on eesmärk omaette, kuid inimkonna ülesandeks on täita ajaloolise tööriista rolli. Olete kindlad, et teie kondid jäävad pärast paarsaja aastast vedelemist maapõues buldooserist või kopa raudsest puudutusest purustamata? Muidugi, ajaloolises protsessis suurimad panustajad jäävad sellest harilikult puutumata. Võtke või jätke, aga see on panuste hindamise kriteerium. Ma ei tea, kuidas minu morbiidse jutu mõte võib inimlikus plaanis puudutada Phil Reavis`t, kuid fakt on, et see Indiana osariigist Muncie`st pärit mees on kohalikku põrandaalusesse muusikaskeenesse tugevasti panustanud. 80ndatel mängis ta seesugustes kollektiivides nagu Guano Brothers, Sign Language, Mad Hatters, The Atomic Butterfly, Soul Celtics jt. Nimetatud bände ning lugematul hulgal teisi rühmitusi – millest tuntuimad olid Chemotherapy, Latent Chaos, Suedetones ning The Convertibles - ühendas tiirlemine kohaliku underground-tuiksoone Bob Chaos Records`i ümber. Nimetatud plaadifirma tegutses aastatel 84-88 ning andis selle aja jooksul välja umbes 30 kassettalbumit. Seda veidra muusika plaadifirmat on kirjeldatud kui “omast ajast eest olnut” või “omal ajal vales kohas olnut”. Plaadifirma kodulehekülg võimaldab lahkelt kogu diskograafiale kõrva peale heita. Tehke seda!

35-looline “Reagan`i aastad” annab ilmekalt aimu valitsenud cutting edge-tendentsidest. Kuigi albumi esimene kolmandiku helipilt põhineb bluusi ning delta bluusi nurgakividel, jääb helipilt siiski kaugele nimetatud žanrite (pop)keskest. Helid langevad sisekaemustesse – enamasti see ei ole harmooniline protsess. Kramplikku tõmblemist on igas noodis tunda. Mees ning tema kriipiv elektrikitarr. Albumi ülejäänud osa järgib USA indie-muusika parimaid traditsioone. Tegelikult loob seda - loomulikult ning paratamatult - teatud mõjujoonte kaudu. I`m Gigglin` hulgub Jon Spencer Blues Explosion`i mängumail, Scooter meenutab akustilist versiooni Sonic Youth`ist, ning Delicatessing rokib Tim Toe meloodia järgi. Lugu Giggle Box ning Chicken värbavad ka dadaistlikke elemente – puhtakujuline avangard(ism), West of Here loob kaost psühhedeelse ning fluiidse flöödimängu abil, meenutades oma ebakonventsionaalsuselt, kompromissituselt ning skisoidsuselt Sun City Girls`i. Star Trek ning Good Riddance on destruktiivsed anti-kitarrimuusika manifestid. Lood 25-31 kannavad alapealkirja Trust Us – ehk siis versioone Captain Beefheart`i loost, mis võimaldab Phil Reavis`el näidata end ruumilise kõlapildi kaudu. Selle albumiga väärib Phil Reavis kindlasti kohta Põhja-Ameerika ekstsentriliste laulukirjutajate panteonil kõrvuti John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Jandek`i, Bill Callahan`i või Vic Chesnutt`iga. Tema kohta geenius lausuda ei ole vähimalgi määral liialdus. Oma ning kordumatu käekirjaga muusik. God bless you, man!

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