Avant-psych review page

BLRRec. Un Festin Sagital : Epitafio a la permanencia (CHI,rec.2006,re.2008)****'

For this kind of new music, you need to LISTEN, and have an ear to music ; then you can hear how this brilliantly built up music hangs so well together. If one could see images to the music it would be even more clear how descriptive and well arranged and produced this is. This is more than avant-garde, experimental music or rock music. This is highly constructive in its abstract score, while recognisable structures appear more often, as if in this filmic score man has its rightful place, not dominating, but participating. Spoken word, song, heavy guitar riffs, Magma-esque or classical vocal arrangements, acoustic guitar passages float more than once on top of more abstractly moving overtone keyboard harmonies, or other arrangements with different instruments, filmic but in an avant-garde impulsive way, calm and finding new structural combinations. Brilliant stuff !!

The only thing I didn’t know yet after some listenings was : where exactly have I been and what brought all these different worlds together during this musical happening ? The whole complexity of hanging together contrasting elements is just leading to more listens.

Audio : "Epitafio a la permanencia (pt.1)"(or here), "Epitafio a la permanencia (pt.2)"(or here),

"L´Age Délicieux (la revolución perenne)", "¡No hay Coristas!", "La dignidad del espíritu bestia",

"Destierro" & with info on http://www.myspace.com/unfestinsagital

Spanish info on group : http://www.musicapopular.cl/2.0/index2.php?op=Artista&id=2241

Info : http://brainwashed.com/...

Label info : http://www.blrrecords.com/prod/1706/epitafio_a_la_permanencia.html

Description : http://missinglink.net.au/search.php?item=Un+Festin+Sagital

Homepage : http://www.cumshot.cl/ufs/

Other reviews : on http://brainwashed.com/...

& http://www.gothtronic.com/?page=23&reviews=4485

& http://sonicasymmetry.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/un-festin-sagital-epitafio/

Dutch review on http://www.kindamuzik.net/...

BLRRec. Volcano The Bear / La STPO :

The Shy Volcanic Society at the Bear and Bird Parade (UK/F,2009)****

Although both bands are musically not completely related, their approach, based upon constructive and imaginative improvisation, on this album there is a closer comparable perspective, both with their own aspects. Volcano The Bear never sounded so theatrical-architectural constructive, building up a kind of ritualistic event with peeping and bowed iron sounds with wind and wood instruments, some trumpet and voices and some intervals focuses, until the piece finds it’s conclusive idea like some kind of inspired middle eastern improvisation (oud,trumpet,rhythmic ideas,..). La STOP doesn’t break the mood, but only directs the music to a different chapter. Also they make use of bowed iron sounds, higher pitched tensions while adding a new fundament of electric guitars nearer to occasional metal, with guitars, and a lead voice, within a total, free and improvised music perspective. Weird oral submissions with real word layers are added, as one of the elements that keep the range of expressions from sonic mood meditation to free-bordered heavy rock. A strange experience, with visual becoming.

Audio on http://www.theomegaorder.com/...

Label info with audio : http://www.blrrecords.com/...

Description on http://www.toben-records.de/...

Sub Rosa Wild Classical Music Ensemble : Musics in the margin (B,2009)***°'

I need to mention this rather special release from this band with artistic mentor Damien Magnette (drums, bass, flute, licambe) playing together with 4-6 mentally retarded musicians (on guitar, sampler, trombone, violin, keyboards, melodica, trumpet, vacuum cleaner pipe didgeridoo and vocals). I have noticed before that with the right mentor and provided circumstances that make a certain concentration possible, mentally retarted people are able to make artistically strong visual art to start with, from a much more “real” level compared to pop art for instance, and more arranged than any Dadaism or noism. This release shows that it seems that also in music format their outsider’s constructive spontaneity, of created patterns, sounds, melodies, harmonies and expressions aren’t too different from any other honest and well concentrated artist or band : the same sort of elements build up in layers and sections together, honestly and with full awareness and with no note too much. Also nowhere is there blurriness or any repetition. The style switches from concentrated sound-sensitive avant-garde, meditative at times, free music over heavier near-punkrock elements (with great rhythms of course, structuring the spontaneity), of nearly (outsider’s) psychedelica, to new classical polyphony in vocals (!!!), adding strange lyrics (with an occasional “rien de rien” from Brel in an honest, convincing but absolutely odd voice-as-an-instrument version). The music remains well constructed the whole time and thrills even, after the first few tracks, from start to finish.

A great one ! Fans of avant-psych : you will be amazed.

Info with audio : http://www.myspace.com/wildclassical

Label info : http://www.subrosa.net/online/main_dr_news_detail.php?AlbumID=73

(from http://www.subrosa.net)

Other reviews : -

Aagoo Rec. Father Murphy : Anyway, your children will deny it (I,2012)***°

This is the first time I heard of this Italian band Father Murphy. In a way they would fit well with favoured bands like Cerberus Shoal, The Eyesores or Silver Mnt. Zion (or perhaps early Spires That In The Sunset Rise). While most of these the bands that I say would fit are huge bands with a huge sound, this is only a trio. Often their sound is rather dark, they also use these interesting Americanised vocal harmonies, male lead mostly and with female voice harmonies. There’s something wicked in the use of their instruments, with a deep ear to or feeling for sound, in a bit avant-garde way I am here easily reminded of early Einstürzende Neubauten and their research for beautiful sound combinations with industrial material, even though Father Murphy are in a completely different context, it is just the way they use their textured cymbals, or deep bass percussion by moving casks, or the electric string resonances of a difficult to define instrument, most probably guitar. With all they build up in the first four tracks with those sounds and songs, this all sounds natural and logical in rhythm, they only use unusual sounds for it. On the third track I hear accordion and a strange kind of rolling rhythm. Around the 5th track the mood changes to something one step darker with a neoclassical loop of an arrangement with voices in a more marching walk rhythm. This more Gothic darkness continues in the next few tracks with some church organ used too. There still is used some good ears for certain sounds despite the increased dense atmosphere in those tracks, still with song contexts.

The band has supported Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu and Sic Alps, and consists of Reverend Freddie on vocals and guitar ; Chiara Lee on vocals, keyboards and percussion and Vittorio De Marin on vocals, drums and strings.

Video intro : http://vimeo.com/35089141

Band info & audio : http://fathermurphy.bandcamp.com/

& http://www.myspace.com/reverendmurphy

Distro info : http://fiverosespress.net/?p=3918

Label info : http://www.aagoo.com/records/196.php

Other review : http://soundsxp.com/...

Earlier release : http://www.inkoma.com/read.asp?id=946

Interview : http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/features.php?which=466