22 February 2018

Efterklang "Magic Chairs" (2010)

Magic Chairs

release date: Feb. 22, 2010
format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,86]
producer: Efterklang, Gareth Jones
label: 4AD Records - nationality: Denmark


3rd studio album by Efterklang following 2½ years after Parades (2007) is the band's first on 4AD. The band is officially reduced to a quartet consisting of vocalist and songwriter Casper Clausen, keyboardist Mads Brauer, bassist Rasmus Stolberg, and drummer Thomas Husmer. Former member Rune Mølgaard is credited as co-composer and co-arranger of tracks #1 and #9.
Musically, this takes off almost exactly where Parades ended and sounds much like a Part 2 to that album, only this is a bit more indie pop-shaped, but I find that this one is with even lesser noteworthy highlights, thus making what should have paved way for an international breakthrough turns out as a bit of a soft landing making it the band's so far least favourable album.
[ allmusic.com, NME 3,5 / 5, 👍The Guardian 3 / 5, SputnikMusic 2,5 / 5 stars ]

19 February 2018

Happy Mondays "...Yes Please!" (1992)

...Yes Please!
release date: Oct. 1992
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,64]
producer: Chris Frantz & Tina Weymouth
label: Factory Records - nationality: England, UK


4th and originally final album by Happy Mondays and also the final album on Factory Records. The album follows two years after the acclaimed Pills 'n' Thrills & Bellyaches (Apr. 1990) and is produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Tom Tom Club and Talking Heads. Initially, the album was planned to have Oakenfold and Osborne as producers but as they were unable to find the time, new producers had to be considered. The album is notorious for several reasons. Before the recordings, both Shaun Ryder and Bez were deep into drug addiction, Whelan and Paul Ryder took to alcohol abuse and Paul Davis was both on drugs and alcohol. The manager and managers at Factory brought up the idea to have the band re-located to Barbados in an attempt to prevent substance abuse and secure ideal circumstances. However, in Barbados drugs and substance abuse was out of control, which of course afflicted the recording sessions. Furthermore, Factory were in financial difficulties and with new skyrocketing costs of the album Republic (1993) by New Order together with near-endless growing costs for this very album, the legendary record label declared bankruptcy Nov. 1992.
When reading about the recording sessions, it's probably not without sheer luck that they managed to come up with a new album. But two dynamic producers couldn't prevent the material from suffering. Drugs and alcohol in combination with strained internal relations hasn't exactly helped produce a bunch of great songs. The style has changed and perhaps even inadvertently to something more stringent. It's no longer the huge melting pot of styles but a style heavily built on funk and indie rock, and mostly without the strong traits from acid house and rave beats. Yes, it still maintains some alt. dance but in a subdued manner where guitars and drums dominate. Apparently, Shaun Ryder had been unable to produce the lyrics at the original sessions, which had to be added later back in England and that also reflects the end result. It's music without nerve, without strong hooks and ideas. Only positive thing here is the strong vocal performance by backing vocalist Rowetta, which says a great deal about the album. You can still tell it's Happy Mondays, but Shaun Ryder, who's lost all vitality only represents the rest of a band sounding as if they don't even bother trying. According to Shaun [see below link], the choice of producers was crucial to the failure of the album. He acknowledges Frantz and Weymouth as great artists but believes they directed the music into something more rock-oriented, which didn't fit with the new-found sound of the band, and that also prevented him from coming up with proper lyrics 'cause he needed to be inspired by their new music, which simply wasn't there. An argument, I completely buy because the alt. dance and pop-sound of the '90-album is seriously lacking on this.
The album was met by luke-warm to mostly negative reviews but still charted as high as number #14 on the UK charts. Tracks #1 and #3 were the only songs selected for single releases and didn't reach top-10 in the UK but went number #1 and #5 on the Hot Dance Club Songs list in the US. After the release, Happy Mondays toured with the album in the UK and Europe, and then finished off in Japan early '93. After the collapse of Factory Records the band and manager were in contact with various labels but after internal conflicts about the failure of the new album and the-who-did-what-thing, the band finally disbanded in early '93. Later that year, Shaun Ryder and Bez continued in the quintet Black Grape.
This album is not more than plain mediocre, and at times sounds (disastrously) more like Frantz and Weymouth have taken over (more than) the arrangements - it's clearly the least favourable album by Happy Mondays and not recommended.
[ allmusic.com 1,5 / 5, Select 2 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]


18 February 2018

Joe E. Carter's Group "Half as Much" (1966) (single)

Half as Much
, 7'' single
release date: 1966
format: vinyl (EST 104)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: ?
label: Ecco Records - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "Half as Much" - - B) "I'm Gonna Change the World"

Single release by Danish band Joe E. Carter's Group, who had recently won a Rolling Stones competition in 1965. This is the band's third single release.
The single is from my parents' record collection, and it's a single I enjoyed playing when 6-8 years of age.



~ ~ ~
This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

14 February 2018

PowerSolo "Buzz Human" (2011)

Buzz Human
release date: Feb. 14, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Jesper Reginal, The Great Nalna & The Railthin Bros
label: Crunchy Frog - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "I Love You But I Hate You" - 9. "Teach You Fun" - 10. "Sensation" - 13. "She Fights Your Boredom With Her Soul"

5th studio album by the duo PowerSolo produced by the producer brothers: Jesper Reginald Petersen and his brother 'The Great Nalna' [Ulrik Petersen] together with the PowerSolo brothers, here credited as The Railthin Bros. This is the first studio album completely without the band's former drummer JC Benz (aka Jens Søndergaard). Credits for drums and percussion are handed the Jeppesen and Petersen brothers (and I actually think that the album lacks good basic drumming). With this, PowerSolo comes out more subdued - perhaps because of the 'missing' drummer? - which could be fine considering the ecstatic turbo-mix they normally produce, but here it's mostly neither this nor that making it a lesser work of art compared to the predecessor, although, the production once again is fine.

09 February 2018

Blanck Mass "World Eater" (2017)

World Eater
release date: Mar. 3, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Blanck Mass
label: Sacred Bones Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Rhesus Negative" (4 / 5) - 3. "Please" - 4. "The Rat" - 5. "Silent Treatment" - 7. "Hive Mind"

3rd full studio album release by the one-man project Blanck Mass, aka Benjamin John Power (from the duo Fuck Buttons).
Stylistically, this is instrumental progressive electronic like the music of Fuck Buttons where Power gets together with Andrew Hung, but that's still rather different from this as World Eater has a much stronger industrial style and perhaps tends to be more expansive in terms of exploring other stylistic grounds.
The album was generally met by positive reviews ending up on many album top lists of the year, and I can see why. Power blends styles and elements so originally that it's really a treat to listen to. It's like a bliss and it's right in your face - it's an experience where you never know where it'll lead you but the journey is exhilarating. Yes, it has drone elements, it has synthpop bits and pieces, like ordinary pop compositions, and it's very aggressive and dark hinting at post-rock and hard rock in its industrial outfit. So, yes, it's really a conglomerate of styles and genres and all in all a truly fine and well-composed album.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Needledrop 3,5 / 5, Sputnikmusic 4,5 / 5 stars ]

03 February 2018

Morrissey "Low in High School" (2017)

Low in High School
release date: Nov. 17, 2017
format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,02]
producer: Joe Chiccarelli
label: Étienne / BMG - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 3. "Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up on the Stage" - 4. "Home Is a Question Mark" - 5. "Spent the Day in Bed" - 6. "I Bury the Living" - 10. "When You Open Your Legs"

11th studio album by Morrissey and his first on his newly-established label Étienne, and as the previous album, World Peace Is None of Your Business from 2014 the album is produced by Joe Chiccarelli.
Stylistically, Morrissey doesn't challenge his audience with new moves or surprises in his search of an overall genre. He may not need to, you may argue, as he has found his original expression long ago; however, what people do expect is new strong songs wrapped up utilising wit, sense of humour, and to some extent: A purpose of some sort; and frankly [Mr. Shankly] these elements are very much absent on this album. Some compositions contain fine structures - surely - like the first single "Spent the Day in Bed" and "I Bury the Living" but quite sadly they also lack in terms of being great songs altogether as whole compositions. Actually, I only find that one track stand out here with the rest being at best interesting or just: So-so, and then some even turn out as mediocre fillers, eg. "In Your Lap", "The Girl From Tel-Aviv Who Wouldn't Kneel" and "Israel".
Low in High School turns out to be Morrissey's least favourable album ever. It's quite disappointing and not really recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo, The Guardian, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, NME 2 / 5, The Times 2 / 6 stars ]

02 February 2018

I Break Horses "Hearts" (2011)

Hearts
[debut]
release date: Aug. 22, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,33]
producer: Maria Lindén
label: Bella Union - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Winter Beats" - 2. "Hearts" - 3. "Wired" - 5. "Pulse" - 6. "Cancer"

Studio debut album by Swedish duo I Break Horses consisting of composer and multi-instrumentalist Maria Lindén and percussionist Fredrik Balck. Five years earlier, Lindén helped forming the band Friska Viljor in 2006, and shortly after, she also became a member of the band Blackstrap. Fredrik Balck is former member of several bands including Aerospace and the band Strip Music, and after breaking up with these he was included in the trio Pueblo. Around 2009, Lindén came in touch with former Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde, who is one of the driving forces behind the independent record label Bella Union, and Raymonde offered Lindén to release her music and with Balck, I Break Horses became a reality.
All music is composed by Lindén, who in addition to singing also handles guitar, bass, and keyboards, while Balck is credited as songwriter and percussionist. The album consists of nine tracks and has a total running length of 40 minutes.
Stylistically, it's probably what you could call shoegaze revival deeply inspired by My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins without much new under the sun. These are original tracks, where the inspiration from classic shoegaze and dream pop is quite evident. The album garnered international attention and received enthusiastic reviews, but also criticism for not being particularly innovative. And yes, the soundscape is familiar and has been trodden many times in the 90s, and in that way Hearts doesn't bring anything new to the table, but the compositions are justified by offering something new to a style you may appreciate.
A somewhat anonymous but exciting start.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Mojo 3 / 5, Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, Under the Radar 4 / 5 stars ]