Papir "IIII" (2014)

IIII

release date: Feb. 11, 2014

format: digital (4 x File, FLAC - Impetus Series 09)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]

producer: Jonas Munk [recorded by]

label: El Paraiso Records - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: 1. "IIII.I" - 2. "IIII.II" - 3. "IIII.III" - 4. "IIII.IIII"

4th studio album by Papir following one year after III seems like the continued series of instrumental space rock, prog rock, and post-rock releases on El Paraiso, again with recording engineer Jonas Munk and with artwork by Jakob Skjøtt.

Even the album title and the track titles differ little from the 2013 album giving a minimalist variation, and you could argue that also the soundscape remains intact with little progression from the two previous albums. In fact, the Papir has played more or less the same instrumental and experimental prog rock founded on 70s krautrock and progressive psychedelic rock and then to some extent: more contemporary post-rock influences. "IIII.I" appear as a strong post-rock compositions, whereas the following tracks repeat the pattern from the 2013 album by being more like jam session-oriented. The final track "IIII.IIII" does, however, again point to a more original melodic universe. The album is in every detail a close new chapter in an ongoing journey that could use some more variation. That said, I still find this band of skilled instrumentalists a rather fascinating acquaintance.

[ bandcamp ]

Morrissey "California Son" (2019)

California Son
release date: May 24, 2019
format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,82]
producer: Joe Chiccarelli
label: Étienne / BMG - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Morning Starship" - 5. "Days of Decision" - 6. "It's Over" - 7. "Wedding Bell Blues" (live) - 9. "Lady Willpower"

12th studio album by Morrissey is his second on his own label and his third consecutive album to be produced by Joe Chiccarelli. Perhaps Morrissey's interest and acclaim for covering other artists - a lovable trait he often exercises at live concerts - made him decide to record an album entirely made up of covers. Fact is, this new album is just that, and perhaps not exactly in the way fans have come to really enjoy his choice of covers, because playing live, he has often showed his affection for energetic punk rock and new wave familiar songs from his youth, which is to say from late 1970s to early 1980s, covering artists like Ramones, The Pretenders, and Magazine - and a bit contrary to that, he has selected more obscure songs from artists primarily of the 1960s. In chronological order the songs have originally been released by Jobriath, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Phil Ochs, Roy Orbison, Laura Nyro, Dionne Warwick, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, Carly Simon, Tim Hardin, and Melanie, all of which very likely could be sources of inspiration to the music by Morrissey's former band, The Smiths.
The promotional single "It's Over" (Roy Orbison) was released in February and "Wedding Bell Blues" (Laura Nyro) was released in April, and the album has fared quite well peaking at number #4 in the UK; however, critics have been less positive about the album, and I really do understand that. I simply find California Son his least enjoyable album ever released - even "under-passing" his most recent low point, Low in High School from 2017. It has been labelled a collection of protest / anti-war songs, but that is not the case. It's really a bunch of very different songs varying from political protest songs, songs about identity and pure love songs, and the arrangements reflect the same diversity as some are recorded as if made in the Phil Spector heydays with multi-layers of violins and horns, whereas others are cut to fit a contemporary production state of the art.
Perhaps his ever more bizarre statements in recent years have a say in my conclusions about his music in recent years. In 2010 he allegedly called Chinese people a 'sub-species', and in the last few years he has been the explicit supporter of Right-Wing politicians, Nigel Farrage (of the Brexit Party) and particularly Anne Marie Waters (of For Britain) who speak against Islam and is for British/English sovereignty. Morrissey is in this regard cited for stating that "all people like their own race the most" - and other stupid right-wing stuff that alienates him from his audience. Of course it makes you take a stand as to whether it's not possible to distinguish the artist from the person - as in the case of Michael Jackson, who undoubtedly made some truly great music. On the other hand we do not really mind what political preferences Da Vinci, Wagner or Lord Byron shared, and instead we look at what they wrote and composed of artistic value, but it does seem to be a difficult, if not impossible process when speaking of contemporary active artists.
As Helen Brown of The Independent concludes: "I could have forgiven this album its missteps if I could dissociate the music from the man. It’s really not bad. But I can’t. Alright, mum. I’m turning it off now." Morrissey's low point is not a recommended listen, although, you cannot take away from him that he is still a mighty fine modern crooner.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👍Mojo 3 / 5, NME, The Independent 2 / 5 stars ]

Rammstein "Rammstein" (2019)

Rammstein
release date: May 17, 2019
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Olsen Involtini, Rammstein
label: Universal Music - nationality: Germany

Track highlights: 1. "Deutschland" - 2. "Radio" - 3. "Zeig dich" (live) - 4. "Ausländer" - 6. "Puppe" (4,5 / 5) (live) - 8. "Diamant"

7th studio album by Rammstein - also referred to as [untitled] - released almost a full decade after Libe ist für alle da (2009). For the first time a studio release is without Swedish producer Jonas Hellner - instead Rammstein has co-produced the album with German guitarist, producer, and engineer Olsen Involtini (aka Olsen Olic), who arranged strings on Mutter (2001) and Reise, Reise (2004) and furthermore is guitarist in the American / German band Emigrate [founded by Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe].
2011 saw the best of compilation album Made in Germany 1995-2011 featuring one new track, but other than that, the following 9 years saw Rammstein members engaged with live tours and individual projects including Till Lindemann's collaboration, Lindemann, Richard Z. Kruspe's band Emigrate, and the production on a new Rammstein album was announced on several occasions from 2013 - '17.
A decade is a long time in the music business and even longer than many bands survive together, but for Rammstein time hasn't made the band less popular - all thanks to the widely spread conception of being one of the most fascinating live acts around. Two months before the album release, Rammstein released an extended music video for the first track, "Deutschland" in cinematic proportions, and the single attracted much attention and also peaked at #1 on the national singles chart list. Also the second track, "Radio" was issued prior to the album release - peaking at #4, and following the album, the single "Ausländer" was released as the so far third and last single from the album, peaking at #2. The new album replicates their previous albums by topping the German albums chart list, which was followed in a number of other countries - especially around Europe. It has already been met by international acclaim as one of the band's absolute best studio albums, which I too find very understandable.
The album opens up with four strong tracks, and with the composition, "Puppe" - as a contender to their best song ever - the band reaches new heights of energetic brutality and they successfully explore new territories within industrial metal. On "Diamant" the angry music is exchanged for a surprisingly soft emotional brake. There are so many strong tracks here, and the best thing about it is the sense of revitalisation of a band, which many thought had peaked with Mutter some 18 years ago, but here they produce one of their best albums on which they primarily sound like Rammstein but also by adding new dimensions to its strict stylistic repertoire. They are sort of widening the genre by adding new elements to it, like a sense of humour, sentimentality, and a display of trust in own abilities.
Highly recommendable.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Kerrang!, Exclaim!, NME, Clash 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

2019 Favourite releases: 1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Ghosteen - 2. The Cranberries In the End - 3. Rammstein Rammstein

Protomartyr "Relatives in Descent" (2017)

Relatives in Descent

release date: Sep. 29, 2017

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]

producer: Protomartyr & Sonny DiPerri

label: Domino - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "A Private Understanding" - 3. "My Children" - 4. "Caitriona" - 5. "The Chuckler" - 6. "Windsor Hum" - 7. "Don't Go to Anacita" - 9. "Night-Blooming Cereus" - 12. "Half Sister"

4th studio album by Protomartyr follows two years after The Agent Intellect (Oct. 2015). The album is the band's first to have actual producer credits as their previous releases only mention recording engineers.

Stylewise, the band has progressed from a more minimalist version of garage rock and post-punk to a more refined version still drawing on both styles in combination of more complexity bonding with indie rock and echoing The Bad Seeds, Pixies, and Modest Mouse - in their most tense versions, and sometimes with small hints of The National. That said, Protomartyr are still very much post-punk revivalists in the tradition where both Interpol and Joy Division play their parts. Greg Ahee's guitar swirls and roars as if a clone of Daniel Kessler (Interpol) Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse), and Black Francis (Pixies), while bassist Scott Davidson and drummer Alex Leonard are both highly familiar with Peter Hook and Stephen Morris of New Order / Joy Division. And in front of it all, vocalist Joe Casey fills in with sheer parts of Nick Cave, Matt Berninger, Ian Curtis - at times with a distinct Mark E. Smith (The Fall) wryness on top of his own original sneer. It's both dark, noisy, melodic, and first of all: pretty lively.

Bottom line: it's easily the band's so far best album, and a highly recommended listen.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, 👍NME, Record Collector 4 / 5, 👎Pitchfork 6,9 / 10, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

Anadol "Uzun Havalar" (2018)

Uzun Havalar

release date: Jul. 13, 2018

format: digtal (7 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]

producer: Anadol

label: Kinship - nationality: Germany

Track highlights: 1. "Görünmez Hava" - 2. "Ay Çürüdü" - 3. "Adieu" - 4. "Casio Havası" - 7. "78 Yılının En Uzun Dakikası"

2nd full-length studio album by Türkish-born Gözen Atila following one year after her debut Hatıralar. The album is made up of seven instrumental electronica / synth-folk collages. Where the debut was much more influenced by Turkish folklore, Uzun Havalar appears like a stronger original work. You may still hear an influence from Turkish music tradition but the overall shape is one of contemporary synth-folk electronica. Anadol mix old and new, it's a pot of Eastern mystcism mixed with Western melancholia.

Papir "III" (2013)

III

release date: Feb. 11, 2013

format: digital (5 x File, FLAC - Impetus Series 07)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]

producer: Jonas Munk

label: El Paraiso Records - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: 1. "III.I" - 2. "III.II" - 3. "III.III" - 4. "III.IIII" - 5. "III.IIIII"

3rd studio album from Danish space rock instrumentalists Papir is like the predecessor Stundum (Nov. 2011) released on El Paraiso and produced by Jonas Munk and comes with artwork by Jakob Skjøtt.

III is much like a new chapter in a predictable sequel of instrumental space rock with prog rock and krautrock elements as well as more modern post-rock traits. The album feature five compositions of varied length running from 4:55 mins. (track #3) to 15:21 (track #5) with a total of just under 44 mins.

The first two tracks both have a stronger post-rock touch, appearing as the most interesting music, whereas the three following compositions tend to feel like studio improvs of more unfocused space rock.

The band still still evolves, at times you hear an unmistable influence from Hendrix but mostly it's out-of-space prog rock. I rate this one a little better than their previous effort, and what I fundamentally find is better here is the instrumentation. Guitarist Niklas Sørensen has grown and simply demonstrates a Hendrix-fascination that never goes too close to the original, and also bassist Christian Clausen and drummer Christoffer Brøchmann goes nicely hand in hand with their flawless rhythm-section.

[ bandcamp ]

Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint "The River in Reverse" (2006)

The River in Reverse

release date: Jun. 6, 2006

format: digital (13 x Files, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Joe Henry (exec. produced by Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint)

label: Verve Forecast: - nationality: England, UK / USA

Track highlights: 1. "On Your Way Down" - 2. "Nearer to You" - 4. "The Sharpest Thorn" - 5. "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" - 6. "The River in Reverse" - 7. "Freedom for the Stallion" - 11. "All These Things"

Collaboration album by Elvis Costello and New Orleans-based songwriter, composer, record producer, pianist and composer, Allen Toussaint, who is a familiar name of traditional American rhythm & blues.

Toussaint had previously contributed as pianist on Costello's "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror" for his Spike album, and the two had earlier discussed the possibility of a collaboration work, but it wasn't until the hurricane, Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005 that Costello was concerned about Toussaint, as he was one of many affected artists of the disaster. Both was involved in benefit concerts and Costello initially thought of and performed with Toussaint's song "Freedom for the Stallion" after which the two was paired for live concerts, which ultimately led to Costello suggesting that they made an album together. And in that way The River in Reverse is a requiem on the New Orleans tragedy. Except for the title song, which is written and composed by Costello, the remaining 12 compositions are reworkings of songs composed by Toussaint - a few with new lyrics by Costello.

The result is actually really good. Toussaint has composed lively and traditional music, and Costello delivers some a vocal performance on the majority of the songs with warmt and emotions that at times make me think of Van Morrison. It's a quite different arena than Costello's recent collaborations: Painted From Memory (1998) with Burt Bacharach, and Deep Dead Blue (1995) with Bill Frisell, but it's by no means a left-handed work or a lesser experience - it's just... different, mostly because this album is a genuinely rhythm & blues album, which again shows us how easily Costello adapts to different styles. Not that he masters everything, but I don't think he believes there's a style or genre he cannot handle.

This is a warm and delightful album.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, 👍Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 6,1 / 10 stars ]