Icehouse "Primitive Man" (1982)

Primitive Man
release date: Sep. 20, 1982
format: cd (2002 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Iva Davies and Keith Forsey
label: Warner / Diva Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Great Southern Land" - 2. "Uniform" - 3. "Hey, Little Girl" - 4. "Street Cafe" - 5. "Glam (instrumental)" - 7. "One by One" - 9. "Mysterious Thing" - 10. "Goodnight, Mr. Matthews"

2nd studio album by Australian synthpop and new wave band Icehouse following two years after the bands debut Icehouse (1980) - released under the name of Flowers. This album is quite extraordinary as it's basically a solo-project since lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and only songwriter of the band, Iva Davies, recorded all songs of the album all by himself and some help from co-producer Keith Forsey. The album is still released as a band effort, although, credits on the album leave no information about this. Apparently, Davies wrote all compositions, supplied vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass and drum programming, and Forsey added percussion to the recordings. The other band members then gathered up with Davies to promote the album on a following live tour. For this, the band presented a new line-up with Iva Davies on vocals, guitar & keyboard, Michael Hoste on keyboards, John Lloyd on drums, and three new members: Bob Kretschmar on guitar, Guy Pratt on bass, and Andy Qunta on keyboards & backing vocals.

Primitive Man was met by critical acclaim and peaked at #3 on the national charts list, topped the list in New Zealand, peaked at #5 in Germany and was a small hit in most Scandinavian countries. The single "Hey, Little Girl" remains the band's best-selling single. It was, however, surpassed by two positions in Australia by the release of the first single "Great Southern Land" peaking at #5, but it didn't make noteworthy entries except for in New Zealand.

The album was the first I came across by this great Australian band. As I recall, it was quite popular in the Fall of '82 / Spring of '83. Stylistically, it blends art pop, new wave, and sophisti-pop, which really wasn't a familiar style back then - but this album really was one of the first true 'sophisti-pop' albums leaning on Roxy Music, David Bowie, Japan, and probably influencing upcoming artists like Simple Minds, David Sylvian and The Church. At the time of the release I found it too mainstream sounding, although, in retrospect, it really is a strong and most vital album.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ] 

Jesu & Sun Kil Moon "30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth" (2017)

30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth

release date: May 5, 2017

format: digital (9 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: Mark Kozelek & Justin Broadrick

label: Caldo Verde - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "You Are Me and I Am You" - 3. "Needles Disney" - 4. "The Greatest Conversation Ever in the History of the Universe" - 5. "He's Bad" - 6. "Bombs" - 7. "Twenty Something"

2nd collaborative work by electronic artist Jesu (aka Justin Broadrick) and alt. folk artist Mark Kozelek released on Kozelek's label Caldo Verde. The first album by these two isn't much more than the year old album Jesu / Sun Kil Moon (Jan. 2016).

Stylewise, this is not just a second chapter to his joint-productions with Broadrick as this appears more in line with some of Kozelek's other recent releases, which means without electric and / or rock-instrumentation as backing, as was the case with the Jesu / Sun Kil Moon album. Instead, this turns out like another chapter to Kozelek's improv-sounding and spoken-word-like progressive experimental and long sessions about everything and nothing - and mostly: small dairy-snippets from recent impressions of ordinary lived life and small conflicts with people he meets on any random day in his everyday life. And yes I know, some would say it's ramblings, or they would describe it as babbling along. Anyway, to me it's both, meaning sometimes I get why people have negative feelings about it, and then, at other times I'm equally entertained. Musically, this album is more like subdued electronic / experimental backing music by Jesu. Mark Kozelek has recently excelled in this type of spoken-word compositions on solo releases either using his name, Mark Kozelek, e.g. on Night Talks (ep) (Mar. 2017), and on solo releases as Sun Kil Moon, e.g. on Universal Themes (Jun. 2015) as well as on his most recent Sun Kil Moon album Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood (Feb. 2017). In that sense, this one sounds more than a new chapter to that as opposed to a natural follow-up to his and Broadrick's first collaboration album - there's just a longer distance to that.

Regardless, if Kozelek issues music in his own name, as Sun Kil Moon, or he invites someone else in as collaborator, the end-result comes close to something installed and directed by Mark Kozelek. Track #4 and #5 here are the album's highlights and they both follow a pattern in Kozelek's artistic progression where he dwelves on story-telling in a progressive set-up of sorts, arrangements where the backing instrumentation works as sound tapestry, and when it really works, it comes out as a fascinating synergy. The downside is twofold: it sounds similar, and sometimes much alike other fine tracks, and often it doen't really work, but there are always these glimpses of 'whoah! That's just gooood.' Pure sunbeams.

I find that this is easily bettering their first album out where Broadrick perhaps brought some original remains of alt. rock and industrial rock to the table that I didn't enjoy in the company of Kozelek.

This ain't bad. It may not be great, but there's definitely more to it than what first meets the ears, and if granted attention, it's funny, entertaining, and really off but in that non-politically correct way of intentionally who gives a f*c# anyway!

[ 👍allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, PopMatters 3 / 5 stars ]

Sinéad O'Connor "Throw Down Your Arms" (2005)

Throw Down Your Arms

release date: Oct. 4. 2005

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]

producer: Sly and Robbie

label: Chocolate and Vanilla - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: 2. "Marcus Garvey" - 4. "He Prayed" - 6. "Curly Locks" - 8. "Prophet Has Arise" - 9. "Downpressor Man" - 10. "Throw Down Your Arms" - 12. "War"

7th studio album by Sinéad O'Connor follows three years after the fine but mostly neglected Sean-Nós Nua (Oct. 2002), and much like was the case with the former, this album consists of newly arranged cover songs. Before this she released the 2-disc compilation She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty (Sep. 2003) consisting of 'rare' recordings (soundtrack songs, collaborations, B-sides) and one cd consisting of a live concert from 2002. O'Connor had been outspoken about this being her final album. It does make sense in the way it was launched and the scope of it, but obviously she changed her mind about this. Also, earlier this year the compilation Collaborations (Jun. 2005) was released by EMI / Capitol - basically a collection of songs O'Connor had made with other artists while signed on Ensign / Chrysalis.

Throw Down Your Arms is O'Connor paying tribute to the genre of reggae. She had early on in her career been influenced by reggae, and later on she also found comfort in the culture of rastafari. The album is one of a few without John Reynolds, and instead the album has been recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and produced by the legendary duo of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who also plays drums and bass on the album.

As a Sinéad O'Connor release the album does fall far from her initial records, and also when comparing with Universal Mother (1994) and Faith and Courage (2000), but as a tribute to a whole genre it works quite fine. It doesn't add much to the great selection of songs but of course O'Connor's vocal provides a certain novelty that turns it into something more.

For me, the album has a touch of obscurity to it that both makes it interesting / fascinating and worth checking out, and then it only really makes me wanna listen to the originals, which in a way isn't a bad thing. That could be said about her Am I Not Your Girl? album, but this is actually paying tribute to the originals instead of being something entirely diverse. It's not bad and then it's neither great.

[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Blender, 👉The Guardian 3 / 5, Mojo 4 / 5 stars ]

Rum 37 "Guldstol mod yderste kaj" (2017)

Guldstol mod yderste kaj

release date: Jan. 27, 2017

format: vinyl (TARGET1703LP) / digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Rum 37?

label: Target - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Caligula" - 3. "L.L.R." - 4. "Der går et smil gennem skovene i år" - 5. "Mestervaerk" - 6. "Kalifornien" - 8. "Brænder dæk" - 10. "Svanerne sang"

2nd full-length album by Rum 37 follows 4½ years after Mellem rum (Oct. 2012). Like the band's self-titled ep debut Rum 37 from 2011, no producer credits are listed on the album, only recording, mixing, and mastering personnel, and the album is recorded by Klaus Sandberg and Rum 37. The main reason to the long interval from their most recent release to this must be attributed the fact that during the recording sessions in 2014 - with intentions to release the album in late 2014 / early 2015 - drummer Mikkel Lumbye all of a sudden passed away, November 2014, 37 years old, leaving the band reduced to a trio of vocalist Kristian Helmuth, guitarist Camillo (Gino) Askjær, and bassist Søren Adolph. The release was naturally much delayed and has only been realised with the aid from friends and the support from former associates [source: targetgroup.dk].

All songs are credited Rum 37. The album contains ten tracks - tracks #2 and #9 are short instrumentals - with a total time running just below 37 minutes. The end track "Svanerne sang" is the longest composition with a playing time of 7 minutes.

Guldstol mod yderste kaj [translates to strangely sounding 'Sedan Chair on the Last Pier'] (the title is a line from "Caligula") is with lyrics entirely in Danish and when comparing with the 2011 and 2012 albums, it's evident that the band here has transformed to something of more substance. The music is still in the light-end of alt. rock and indie pop with a strong influence from other Danish acts, such as Love Shop, Minds of 99, and Mellemblond, and with a strong musical influence from Swedish band Kent, however, whether the band takes notes from this or that, they here appear in their most original shape so far, which ultimately makes Guldstol mod yderste kaj a more than well-made album. The album was met by positive reviews and following the album release, the band was expanded to a quartet as drummer Rasmus Holmboe was included as official band member. Rum 37 played a few concerts in 2017 and now appears to be on a hiatus. There are no further info to be found regarding touring dates or other news, and the band's Facebook-profile hasn't been updated since 2017, so Guldstol mod yderste kaj remains the most recent release from the band and it could very likely be the final album by this promising quartet.

Recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, GFRock.dk 5 / 6 stars ]

Gróa "Gróa" (2018)

Gróa [debut]

release date: Apr. 26, 2018

format: digital (7 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: ?

label: Post-dreifing - nationality: Iceland

Track highlights: 1. "Prakkari" - 2. "Downward Dog" (live) - 3. "Ocean Is Amber" - 4. "EoEo" (live) - 7. "Lokadans (Onofos)"

Studio album debut by Icelandic three-piece Gróa comes with an album title stylised in capital letters. The name of the band is taken from Norse mythology and the völva, and goddess of knowledge named Gróa. The trio consists of the two Maríudóttir sisters: drummer Hrafnhildur Einars Maríudóttir (aka Hrabba) and younger sister Karólína Einars Maríudóttir (aka Karó) on guitar and lead vocals teamed up with bassist Fríða Björg Pétursdóttir.

The trio plays an experimental type of art punk, which here appears inspired by punk rock, post-punk, and noise rock, but it's also tempting to list Björk, The Sugarcubes, and Kukl as natural inspiration sources, although, there's also an original tone burried in these quite diverse compositions. This album of seven tracks [sold on bandcamp] with a total running time of just over 23 minutes is a fine and refreshing short take on established styles, and it will be exciting to follow the trio in a near future, as they manage to come out with something to offer other than the ordinary, which succeeds both in terms of melody and as an alternative to mainstream music.

Recommended.