MC 011 – Themselves,  Ergo Phizmiz,  Amon Duul II ‘Made In Germany’ and ‘Legends Of Benin’

We have a lot to get through with this edition so I shan’t keep you to long.

The 20th anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down seems apt as I finally reach Amon Duul II’s LP ‘Made In Germany’. My article is full of information on the records subject matter, a 150 year journey through Germany’s history with all its references to war, art, opera and literature. This grand opus of a rock opera shares the same criticisms that most concept albums attract. Much lauded even by fans of German music this album has had a thorough kicking, in part due to its controversial topics. Recently Kasabian have come out and admitted to using the cover artwork as a backdrop to their own ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’.

We have three albums up for review this time round. The  left field Hip Hop of Themselves, Surrealist experimental musician Ergo Phizmiz and the latest compilation from German label Analog Africa all make an appearance.

I shall leave you to it.

(DV)

Themselves - 'Crowns Down' 2009

Themselves – ‘Crowns Down’

Anticon 2009

Vinyl (double)

Side 1.

1.    ‘Back II Burn’

2.    ‘Oversleeping’

3.    ‘The Mark’

Side 2.

1.    ‘Gangster Of Disbelief’

2.    ‘Daxstrong’

3.    ‘You Ain’t It’

Side 3.

1.    ‘Roman Is As Roman Does’

2.    ‘Skinning The Drum’

Side 4.

1.    ‘Dead Catcher II’

2.    ‘Gold Teeth Will Roll’

In recent times we have seen a flourishing underground movement in Hip Hop that has moved towards a rawer and more left field indie direction. Both in the use of their original beats and the style of delivery artists such as MF Doom, Madlib, Mr.Lif, Aesop Rock and Edan have remained low key in the background busily reinventing the scene. They all make the ridiculous blown up pretensions of commercial Hip Hop look frankly out dated and stale. Just because the likes of Kayne West sample Daft Punk it doesn’t mean that he has taken any risks.
You see it’s all calculated to the nth degree so that he can sell more of his pop lite banal brand of rap, we seem to have created a monster! His rival to the crown of most over-rated rapper is Jay Z whose recent headline at Glastonbury just made the case for yet more of that smoke and mirrors nonsense of epic proportions.
The last decade in Hip Hop has ended up being watered down for the X-Box generation, either brute force messages about killing to stay alive or boring ditties about girls and money by 50 Cent seem to be the only choices on offer to the masses. But there is an amazing scene that runs counter to its bloated rival helped by social networking sites and low key gigs that have promoted some of the more cutting edge and experimental groups out there.
Artists like Yo! Majesty and Uffie have broken through yet remain gritty and carry a lot of kudos, granted that they may not have the most politically charged of subjects in their resume. Like Spank Rock they may just want to shake their booty. All these artists have incorporated a back to basics approach into their music, rocking beats from the golden period of Hip Hop in the Eighties and merging them with an updated style of now.

Which leads me to the inventive duo of Dose One and Jel, who have both been involved in a long list of creative projects including the highly acclaimed cLOUDDEAD and Subtle, whose influence is heavy on this the third album from their creatively successful moniker Themsleves.
Dose One and Jel return to the old skool set up of MC and DJ to create an extraordinary poetic slice of never ending prose, set to a mix of beats and samples that conjure up memories of the golden period in Hip Hop of 1985 to 1989.
On top of this we get a layer of industrial strength effects and abstract sounds familiar to those used on Subtle’s ‘Exiting Arm’ LP.
The rapping features the distinct nasal style of Dose who never lets up on the tracks ‘Oversleeping’ and ‘The Mark’, in fact it sounds like he’s not going to ever come up for a breath. He uses this delivery style almost like an instrument in its own right as he spits rapid readings like a form of lyrical autism.
Famously back in the day Dose faced off against an unknown Eninem at a scribble jam, which he lost by the way though I think we know who the real winner is!
Partner Jel supplies the music and drum beats though some cool and dazzling effects, he borrows from Ultramagnatic MC’s, Kool G Rapp and Marley Marl. Like on the opener ‘Back II Burn’ which uses a heavily influenced electro break fest from Graig G era Transformer’, or the darker tones of past masters Paris and Big Daddy Kane on the track ‘Roman Is As Roman Does’.
His drum machine creates some deeply unwieldy moods that threaten to crush who those that step up to the challenge.

Highlights on the album include ‘Skinning The Drum’ which has samples flying around with nods of recognition to the pioneers, much in similar fashion to Edan on his ‘Beauty And The Beat’ LP.
The lyrics further back up the mood with the repeated refrain of “who was inventing it, who was wrenching it”,
On ‘Daxstrong’ a swirling playground ambience turns into an assemblage of breaks that could have been on the cLOUDDEAD album as Dose eloquently builds up a picture of social ills expressed in his clever use of lyricism.

My only criticism is in the track ‘You Ain’t It’ which sounds like a horrible vocoder pastiche of Californian bump and grind mixed with Hal Mar Superstar’s smooth brand of funk.
I’m not sure what they are trying to do with this song but it doesn’t in my mind sit well with the rest of the album.

This album thoroughly deserves your attention even if you don’t usually follow Hip Hop. A mix of experimental sound collage and subliminal wordplay suffused with the inventive use of samples ‘Crowns Down’ could be the equivalent of TV On The Radio’s ‘Dear Science’ LP from last year.
It will defiantly make my best of 2009 list.

Dominic Valvona

Ergo Phizmiz himself steering the Dada ship ever forward.

Ergo Phizmiz (& The Rock ‘n’ Roll Machine) – ‘Dadaphone’

Available through FMA (Free Music Archive)

1.    The Bomb
2.     It’s A Sin
3.    Saturday Night
4.    Karma Police
5.    A Little Respect
6.    Lets Get Ready To Rhumba
7.    Turn Around
8.    Slap My Bass Up
9.    I Think We’re Alone Now
10.  That Bassline

Ergo Phizmiz is the modern day equivalent to the Surrealist Max Ernst and Fluxus movements La Monte Young.
His work across installation, sound and performance pushes the ideals of Dada to more extremes with his nonsensical and childlike approach to sometimes-heavy themes.
An in demand composer who has had work commissioned for numerous art institutions as well as the BBC, his back catalogue is far and wide in range.
The common thread that runs throughout is that he doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, a joyful abandon cannot be contained no matter how stiff the subject.
I actually briefly contributed to one of his projects a while back. At the time he was artist in residence at the Dimbola Lodge gallery on the Isle Of Wight, famous for being the home of Victorian photography pioneer Margaret Cameron; the Annie Leibovitz of her day hanging out with Tennyson and Darwin among many other renowned characters.
Ergo weaved a set of recordings around the history of the place with his storytelling sound collages, I found myself taking part with a conversation piece between us being cut up and added.
Anyway I’m diverting attention away from the album, let me continue back on track so to speak.

This ten track scattering of covers entitled ‘Dadaphone’ is a strange mix of Nineties commercial dance anthems, Eighties pop and some more credible labelled songs such as ‘Karma Police’ by Radiohead.
Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and shopping mall teen queen Tiffany all spring up and receive a tongue in cheek deconstructive form of dismemberment.
Ergo’s brand of medicine produces a mix of Captian Beefhart era ‘Electricity’ and Bonzo Dog band ‘Gorilla’, which on the Ant and Dec adjusted titled song  ‘Lets Get Ready To Rhumba’ is evident in the Bonzo’s Cambridge Footlights vaudeville humour.

The stand out tunes include The White Stripes style trash of ‘It’s a Sin’, which erupts into a slavishly grinded out blues number via the sonant ‘Greensleeves.’
As I mentioned before Radiohead’s ‘Karma Police’ is given the Ergo treatment, though his version becomes a jaunty polka knees up that drops a lot of the original sentiment out yet still captures some of the soul.
‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ is now a romantic mandolin led waltz through medieval France in the age of Chretien De Troyes. Both pleasant and joyful his appropriation of this Eighties pap actually lends it some gravitas that the original never envisioned.
By far my most favourite cover is Erasures classic ‘A Little Respect’, which in the hands of Ergo becomes a maelstrom of raw emotion played out by krautrockers noise merchants Faust.
Heavy yet not ridiculous it is a pretty deserving tribute.

Lesser highlights yet still worthy of your attention is the broken down cacophony of ‘That Bassline’. The bass line in question is Chic’s, which is accompanied by a mash up of competing riffs and refrains. Pure Beefheart in approach and spirit everyone sounds like they’re playing completely different tunes at the same time. It amusingly starts to work and instead of falling completely apart resignedly triumphs in its chaos.
Also on the album there are experimental nods to dance acts such as the Prodigy and pop princess Kylie as well as a sea shanty inspired rendition of the annoying hit ‘Saturday Night’. I can’t for the life of me remember who had the original hit but she was defiantly Dutch.

All of the tunes are freely available on the music site Free Music Archive, where you can choose at will or download the lot. My advice is to grab them all as everyone eventually grows on you.

God bless you Ergo Phizmiz! May your avant garde ship of tomfoolery continue to set its course through the oceans of mediocrity and boredom.
Not too strong I hope!

Dominic Valvona.

Analog Africas 'Legends Of Benin' compilation 2009.

‘Legends Of Benin’ (Afro Funk – Cavacha – Agbadja – Afro Beat 1969 to 1981) –  Gnonnas Pedro/ El Rego/ Antoine Dougbe/ Honore Avolonto.

Double Album available on both Vinyl (version reviewed and CD)

Accompanied by the following backing bands: -

Dadjes
Panchos
L’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo
L’Orchestre Black Santiago

Compiled by Samy Ben Rejob for Analog Africa Records, 2009

Track List:-

Side A

1.    ‘Dadje Von O Von Non’ – Gnonnas Pedro et Ses Dadjes (3:53)

2.    ‘Feeling You Got’ – El Rego et Ses Commandos (3:44)

3.    ‘Honton Soukpo Gnon’ Antoine Dougbe  (7:05)

4.    ‘E Nan Mian Nuku’ – El Rego et Ses Commandos (4:26)

Side B

1.    ‘Tin Lin Non’ – Honore Avolonto et l’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo (8:48)

2.    ‘Okpo Videa Bassouo’ – Gnonnas Pedro et Ses Panchos (3:30)

3.    ‘Ya Mi Ton Gbo’ – Dougbe et l’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo (6:34)

Side C

1.    ‘Nou Akuenon Hwlin Me Sin Koussio’ – Antoine Dougbe (5:03)

2.    ‘Na Mi Do Gbe Hue Nu’ – Honore Avolonto (6:44)

3.    ‘Vimado Wingnan’ – El Rego et Ses Commandos (3:01)

4.    ‘Dou Dagbe We’ – Honore Avolonto et l’Orchestre Black Santiago (4:26)

Side D

1.    ‘Djobime’ – El Rego et Ses Commandos (2:31)

2.    ‘Kovito Gbe De Towe’ – Antoine Dougbe (6:39)

3.    ‘La Musica en Verite’ – Gnonnas Pedro et Ses Dadjes (7:08)

Afro beat; Afro funk and all its many bewildering sub genres have always slightly perplexed me. I’ve often taken a peek and thumb through the African music section in all the record shops that I regularly frequent, though until now I have left it well alone. The sheer depth and number of styles have often left me confused, as a novice I feel a little shy to point out my ignorance, though it never usually stops me from having a punt and purchasing a record on chance alone.
Well on this occasion my first ever-actual buy was aided by complete chance.
I happened to be in Borderline Records store in Brighton, an emporium of reissues and forgotten gems from bygone ages. On that day they were playing some pretty groovy foot tapping sounds, a quaint version of early Stax mixed with liberal lashings of James Brown’s infused funky Zaire period soul.
Instantly I became hooked as my whole body decided to break out into some embarrassing Paul Simon induced dance routine. Cut a long story short I ended up asking the owner what he was playing, he kindly showed me what it was and I ended up with ‘Legends Of Benin’ a lovingly compiled album of 14 tracks by four of the African country of Benin’s finest artists. In case your knowledge of African geography is shaky, Benin is in the west and borders Togo, Nigeria, Burkino Faso and Niger. Tightly caged in by its neighbours the influence of all these regions leaks into the music to create a unique mash up of rhythms and beats, that switches from rhumba to rocksteady in the blink of an eye.

The artists on this album include the likes of Gnonnas Pedro, a politically charged crusader, El Rego, an entrepreneur of dubious enterprises including a brothel and a boxing club, Antione Dougbe a much feared Vodun priest and Honore Avolonto, responsible for the country’s biggest selling album of all time.
These pioneers of poly-rhythmic charged music were all collected together by German based label Analog Africa’s Samy Ben Redjeb, an honourable sounding advocate of the genre who should be commended for his efforts.
His personal sleeve notes lavishly grace the record with a real fondness and warmth, though he had many problems licensing and obtaining permission to release this record. Three of the four artists are no longer with us so their legacy has been left in the hands of relatives and old musical comrades, not all of them initially eager or trusting in the beginning.

The music itself is a combination of funk, rhumba, soul and an attempt at reggae, all served with a thick dose of infectious grooving traditional African rhythms and instruments. Local bands to the region back each of the artists, from the military moniker Commandos to the exotically named Black Santiago.
Being a former colony of France the songs are titled and sung in the former interlopers language, if it makes sense these tracks even sound like their being played in French.

Highlights on this record include El Rego’s ‘Feeling You Out’, which has an inviting bass line that introduces a prime slice of James Brown at the Apollo rawness whilst the sax sounding squeaks coupled with a break beat backing make this into sound like a missing Northern soul stomper.
Antoine Dougbe, the high priest of some primal religion who professed to be the spirit of a dead relative sent back to this world so he could heal and curse those who cross him, concocts a swinging style of pulsating and joyful abandon on ‘Ya Mi Ton Gba’. His more down to earth day job as a musician is less frightening then his reputation precedes.
Honore Avolonto on ‘Tin Lin Non’ delivers an Afro beat groove behemoth that just never lets up, whilst Gnonnas unleashes a call and response soul spine tinkler with ‘Okpo Videa Bassovo’. His ‘Dadje Von O Von Non’ opens with ghostly sounding twanging guitars and features catcalls over a bouncing melody.
Some of the tracks are more laid back and quite subtle evoking comparisons to ska.
There is a real sense of authenticity running through these tunes and they come across as quite fun to make.
All the musicianship is tight with plenty of space to let it breath, there are no solos or hogging of the limelight to be found.
As to all the different genres I’m still not too sure how they’re prescribed only that it has something to do with timing, the instrumentation and that some of the styles are derived from ceremonies and folklore. None of this matters of course as they all sound great.

Chuck this on to get any party moving and to impress your know it all friends.
Thanks Analog Africa for introducing me to an untapped rich library of quality world music.

Dominic Valvona

A German Music Odyssey – (1968 to 1975)

Part 8 – Amon Duul II   ‘Made In Germany’

Background: -

Sadly this will be the last in the series dedicated to Amon Duul II before I go to work on Colognes finest Krautrock advocates Can.
But I’m ending it with the bands sensational Teutonic rock opera of 1975 ‘Made In Germany’.
This epic homage to the Who’s ‘Tommy’, broadly mixes in all the low and high points of Germanys history, from the birth of a united country in the 1800’s to the fall out of World War II. Along the way countless references incorporate a host of cultural figures, from composers such as Wagner to the philosopher Kant.
Politically charged and self-mocking this album both courted mock disdain and controversy, which we will come to later.

Firstly that’s rewind back to 1974, a stressful period in the bands career. Coming home after a tout and emotionally draining tour the guys needed a little down time, members had upped and left whilst the direction of the music was in turmoil.
Along comes the A&R man Jurge S. Korduletsch, a man of considerable means who had recently set up his own label Lollipop Records. Certain promises were made and before you knew it he had signed them up.
At once he pushed the band into a recording session, this hastily orchestrated session became the backbone of their next release ‘Hi-Jack’. This strange record became their most commercial marketable album yet and oddly borrowed heavily from Bowie and glam rock.
It was at this point that Atlantic records came calling offering a deal to release their music in the states, though they would also release the LPs under the ATCO division in the US and Canada. This may have been in response to the relative success that Virgin were having with bands from Germany, Tangerine Dream and Can amongst others.
After some initial success with ‘Hi-Jack’ it was agreed that now would be the time to follow up with something quite ambitious, as well as a great fuck you to the establishment and sensibilities of the man.
John Weinzierl puts it that they basically become disillusioned with the so-called changes in society and empty gestures of the underground youth movements. Also it was apparent to him that history itself was not moving on and that his fellow compatriots were still seen as the bogeyman of Europe. Even though his generation had seen the horrendous fall out of the former regime and reacted to it by pushing the leftist antidote forward, they were still envisaged as bad guys. As much as they tried to separate and fight against it, the world carried on viewing them with suspicion and always eager to remind them of the war.
With all this in mind Weinzierl and the group embarked on a grand project which would see them releasing a double album of songs based around a central theme of irony and self-provocation. This would take both real and made up figures from the rich history of the country, borrowing heavily from literature, film, opera, fantasy and real life events.
The Weimer Republic, Fritz Lang, King Ludwig, Hitler and Marlene Dietrich all make an appearance in this cliché heavy diatribe. From the unification under the heavy brow beating of Prussia, which came after the eventual victory over Napoleon to an initial story involving a character named Mr.Kraut, this LP has it all crammed in.
‘Made In Germany’ is like nothing they’ve done before and continued instead a move towards a crossover rock and pop experimentation, which ‘Hi- Jack’ had tried before.
By this point they shared nothing in common with any of their fellow countrymen in style or direction as they went out on a limb with their new brand of classical music and intelligent rock.

In the krautrock fraternity this record is usually given a wide berth, which is unfair. A loyal bunch of us have a certain fondness though and will go on about it quite a lot, spreading the word so to speak. Recently to my surprise a new champion in the form of Kasabian came forward, who both rate the record and admit to using its cover as inspiration for ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’.

The cover artwork of ‘Made In Germany’ is itself different depending on which of the two different versions you have.
In both the US and UK a compressed single LP version (see track list) was released. This had Renate dolled up to look like Marlene Dietrich from the movie ‘The Blue Angel’, she has an alluring but contemptuous gaze as she straddles a chair in true Cabaret style.
The original version used a picture of the band sitting for an old fashioned portrait bedecked in various costumes including Bavarian pomp, what looks like a Zeppelin pilot and Renate as a heroine from Wagners Ring Cycle. This is the picture that Kasabian re-enacted for their album.
This original was included in the single version on the inlay sleeve as well, so not sure why they buggered about with it.
The reasons for their being two variations comes down to a fall out with Atlantic boss Ahmet Ertigon, who was mightily surprised to find his latest signing offer up this platter of Germanic mayhem and political satire.
Finding it in poor taste and completely misreading the concept he got cold feet and cut the album down, only Germany itself to my knowledge received the proper double album. Rumours that Ahmet’s Jewish background played a part, though on being told that Amon Duul II wanted to embark on a US tour/invasion by travelling over in a Zeppelin can’t have helped matters. Remember this is only thirty years after the end of World War II itself.
Also the original contains a mock shock DJ interview with Hitler himself, which uses his speeches as the DJ pokes fun with a knowing wink and some poor taste quips. All this has been available on CD for years now so you don’t have to miss any of the stuff that was cut out on the single album.

The recording itself included session players such as Thor Baldursson, the Icelandic keyboardist and singer who worked with Giorgio Moroder and Grace Jones, Heinz Becker, Lee Harper, Bobby Jones and Helmut Sonnlestner, who all had a background in jazz.
New boy Nando Tischer became a fully ingrained member of the band playing guitars and singing as well as composing some of the songs. Robby Heibl was back on duty again and mucked in on near enough everything, he was also now the designated bass player of the group.
John Weinzierl is credited as guitarist but was the leader so to speak of Amon Duul II and is responsible for a far old share of the concept and composition.
Renate and Chris Karrer do most of the singing whilst Falk U Rogner supplied his sonic delft touches on synth and organ.
The talented Peter Leopold, who gets some room to show of his old ‘Yeti’ solos, supplied drums as usual.
All of the musicians do a sterling job and it is amongst the best of their whole catalogue. Obviously the songs are more structured but there is always room for inventiveness and some great lead guitar work.

Right I think that covers the background details now its time for the review.
I’ve chosen the original double album version to write about but have included both track listings for completion.
Also at the end of the review there is a complete list of all their releases up to date.
Weinzierl and some of the core members continue to tour and are embarking on a new album. Also they are set to be busy with showcasing some of their old material for a one off filmed performance that will take place in the original Bavaria studios.
Of course I will update you on when this will happen.

Review:-

‘Made In Germany’ 1975

Double gatefold LP on Nova Records, only released in Germany at the time.

Record 1.

1. Overture    (5:12)

2. Wir Wollen    (1:32)

3. Wilhelm Wilhelm    (3:10)

4. SM II Peng    (2:16)

5. Elevators Meets Whispering    (1:26)

6. Metropolis    (3:27)

7. Ludwig    (2:32)

8. The Kings Chocolate Waltz    (2:28)

9. Blue Grotto    (3:33)

10. Mr.Krauts Jinx    (8:44)

Record 2.

1. Wide Angle   (4:06)

2. Three-Eyed Overdrive    (1:17)

3. Emigrant Song    (3:21)

4. Loosey Girls    (5:13)

5. Top Of The Mud    (3:45)

6. Dreams    (4:08)

7. Gala Gnome    (3:52)

8. 5.5.55    (1:39)

9. La Krautoma    (6:08)

10. Excessive Spray    (1:41)

Single version on one record released in 1975.

UK – Atlantic Records

US/Canada – ATCO

Side A.

1. Dreams    (4:08)

2a. Ludwig    (2:33)

b. The Kings Chocolate Waltz    (2:52)

c. Blue Grotto    (3:33)

3. 5.5.55    (3:13)

4. Emigrant Song   (3:23)

5. La Krautoma    (4:45)

Side B.

1. Metropolis    (3:38)

2. Loosey Girls    (5:20)

3. Gala Gnome    (1:18)

4. Top Of The Mud    (3:44)

5. Mr.Krauts Jinx    (8:48)

Personal: -

Renate Knaup: Vocals

Robby Heibl: Vocals, Bass, Guitars and Violin

Chris Karrer: Vocals, Guitar, Banjo and Violin

Peter Leopold: Drums and Percussion

Falk U Rogner: Synthesizer and Organ

Nando Tischer: Vocals and Guitar

John Weinzierl: Guitar

Thor Baldursson: Keyboards

Heinz Becker: Timpani, Gong and Percussion

Lee Harper: Trumpet, Brass Section

Bobby Jones: Saxophone (Solos on ‘Loosey Girls’)

Jurgen S.Korduletsch: Additional Backing Vocals and Producer

Helmut Sonnleitner: First Violin and String Section

A rolling timpani and clashes of cymbals announce the theatrical opening bars of ‘Overture’. A prelude orchestral snippet of all the tunes to come, it is used in a similar fashion to the same titled song on The Who’s ‘Tommy’.
This Wagner evoking composition transcends his ‘Ring Cycle’ stiffness and is instead an uproarious celebration of this inspired requiem that Amon Duul II have set sail on.
Played out in full classical pomp this overture of sorts’ sets us up for the 150-year journey through Germanys history.
The track makes its way through all the different melodies on this album, 8 bars or so of each song to come is given the ceremonial treatment before a final clash of the gong and the next track ‘Wir Wollen’ strikes up.
Roughly translated as Come On!, this rock steady instrumental groover continues the classical mood. Old joy de vie orchestral pieces from past dead German composers interact with the lead guitar of John Weinzierl as the percussion crashes about in the background., culminating in an epic finale.
‘Wilhelm Wilhelm’ breezes along on some hip riffs as Renate and Chris Karrer enter the fray with their harsh Germanic tones that tell the tale of King Wilhelm I of Prussia (between 1861 – 1888) and later on the whole of united Germany (1871 – 1888).
Wilhelm had fought against Napoleon in his youth and went onto to rule the kingdom of Prussia before eventually brow beating all the separate states, of what was to become Germany, into eventual unification.
He famously appointed Otto Von Bismarck as his Prime Minister, which was in part due to the ill feeling and distrust between the royal household and parliament. Bismarck was to act as his man on the inside and to be sympathetic to the Kings views but this gave way to him taking on most of the decisions and led to him gaining most of the real power.
Added to this the founding of the a new Fatherland were plots of assassination by anarchist and left wing groups, which led to draconian laws being introduced against the liberals and free thinkers. King Wilhelm was lucky to escape with his life and was wounded in one of these attempts, which he saw as a wake up call and prompted a lock down mentality and placed the country in a militarised state, ring any bells!
Our three-minute funky number encapsulates all this background into a poppy little ditty that is both sung in English and their native tongue. A chiming melody and a crunchy wah wah effects driven guitar gives this song an almost rock disco feel, whilst Peter Leopold lets loose on the cymbals that end in an eruption.
The strange and exotic titled ‘SM II Peng’ is next up, another instrumental interlude. It ambles along in fine fettle abandon riffing off a 12 bar blues boogie with the accompaniment of some spooky sounding effects from Falk U Rogner. The track sounds like a cheerful wander through a graveyard or a sit down at an séance in a Gothic palace.
This is followed by another instrumental segue way entitled ‘Elevators Meets Whispering’, which apart from its strange use of English is another slice of mysterious creepy and misty fog bound graveyard atmospherics.
Our odd curio is given some gravitas from Weinzierl and his strung out haunting guitar strums before this short interruption abruptly ends and makes way for the big guns.
‘Metropolis’ begins with a grand piano, which accompanies a staccato riff of rock as Renate’s sultry Teutonic tones gloriously paint a picture of 1920’s Weimar through the films of Fritz Lang.
Lang and his most famous work of art ‘Metropolis’ is dissected and referenced throughout the tune, nods to both locations and the underlying plot are connected to paint a picture of disillusionment. Angles, Dr.Mabuse and Zeppelins all pop up, as the workers remain left at the bottom of a modern day version of the Tower of Babel. As in the biblical tale a common language is lost between those in control who reached the peek by standing on the underclass’s faces and those who ended up in a shitpile after building futile monuments to false ideologies.
This expressionistic romp both mixes Sparks and Roxy Music into a boogie Euro stomp; Renate adds a dose of eccentricity with her approach to the vocals that are sung with enthusiasm but also with the hint of cynicism. She sounds like a heroine from one of Klimts paintings or an oracle from Wagners ‘Valkyrie’. This is one of the albums many highlights.

Next up is the three-part story arc suite of poor old King Ludwig, a much maligned and ridiculed figure from German history.
The first of these acts is ‘Ludwig’ which tells the tale of his apparent suicide by drowning, though a strange plot to get rid of him by his ministers makes for a good conspiracy theory.
Ludwig II of Bavaria was brought up in a privileged world and he inherited his fathers’ exuberance for fantasy and myth. His love of arts and music led to him patronising the controversial Richard Wagner, who had been involved in anti-establishment intrigues and had run away once after taking part in protests. This lonely king was more at ease with images of old folklore and Arthurian legend then with the day-to-day running of his country.
After the unification of all the individual kingdoms by Wilhelm, Ludwig stayed on his throne but with a diminished role. Following his late fathers building plan of extensive palaces and castles, he plunged his domain into bankruptcy. Not wishing to take advice from his ministers he threatened them with being removed.
Plots to have the king certified as mentally unstable were slowly put into place, a hasty draft was sent for approval to Bismarck himself who dismissed the claims.
Another attempt with the involvement of four prominent physicians of the day sealed his fate, though he didn’t come quietly and its alleged he may have been shot whilst escaping on Lake Starnberg. It was announced to the world that he had committed suicide but we know better – right?
‘Ludwig’ crams all of this background into a satire inspired boogie that has Renate on lead vocals again.
‘The Kings Chocolate Waltz’ is an instrumental stopgap built around a sad sounding Wurlitzer loop. Some echo and deep reverb drenched guitars are added to the stirring ambience.
Our short story arc is finalised with ‘Blue Grotto’, with its poetic and crooned delivery from Renate. Ludwig and his eccentricities are given an airing in this ballad to the misunderstood actions of the deluded king.
What chance did he have when he was famously brought up in the Disney like palace of Neushwanstein, which was situated near to Schwansee or under its better-known moniker Swan Lake. In fact Ludwig was nicknamed the Swan King after it.
All the references in this song are adhered to in the true misfortunes of the foppish monarch, moonlight picnics and hanky panky in the nude with his male servants add to the fascinating tale of a little boy lost.
Renate has named this her favourite song in the whole Amon Duul catalogue.

Leaving behind the fateful old charming Ludwig we end the first part of the album with the eight minute long tale of ‘Mr.Krauts Jinx’. A heavily German toned vocal from Karrer sets up the story of our unfortunate character Mr.Kraut, more of that tongue in cheek approach of self-disdain.
Our character is exploring the Valley Of Kings in Egypt on some cheap package tour I expect though this one ends with him being beamed up by extra terrestrials. This unforeseen addition to his holiday sees him travel through the cosmos before he is promptly placed in a space zoo as the latest exhibit. Some anthropologist type of table turning or reference to the search by right wing ideologist for a white superman we can’t be sure. But over the course of the song we go from a warm acoustic introduction in the vain of Dylan before we progress to what amounts to some thrashing out rock aspirations.
The end of our story is a kind of positive as Mr.Kraut is thrown a concubine of well-equipped proportions to spend his eternity with; our man now has a smile on his face.
A final refrain of “Cause future ain’t tomorrow, future is today” rings out in uplifting defiance or because ones fate is finally sealed.
Karrer seems to have a few problems with singing this track, as he almost goes out of tune with some of the lines.
I’m at odds with this track as it remains in my eyes a bit of a filler and lets the whole album down with its almost Euro embarrassing direction.

The second part of the album starts with the country rock inspired buoyant jaunt of ‘Wide-Angle’. Renate is at her ‘All Years Round’ best as she reminisces about the days of self abandon in the Munich communes. Dropping acid and hanging onto every word of a lost love interest that long since moved on and left the original principles of change back at the bed-sit.
Both the aspirations and drugs are now replaced in the stars backstage with “compromised cocktails” lavishly bestowed upon our band by the new suit wearing management. I can’t help but think this is a dig at how their music has been adopted into a more commercial arena along with bands like Can who after 7 or 8 years have finally to a point compromised their sound.
‘Three Eyed Overdrive’ is another one of those instrumental interludes, which features more haunting synths and organs. This time the main thrust is a pulsating synth that becomes pretty disturbing as it moodily stews away.

Karrer delivers a heavy burdening thick German accent in the next tune ‘Emigrant Song’. Cuckolding a parody driven lament to the story of the first German settlers to try and make their way in the USA. Escaping all the loons and stiffs from back home they hope to take a slice of the new world but end up in the inhospitable lands of Sierra Nevada. It would take brave men indeed to tame this mountainous region which had the worst of both climates, it could be either stiflingly melting hot or become snow bound frozen tomb.
Some stereotyping of German traits is delivered with an outburst of banjo and homage to the Native Indians history as penned by Bob Dylan.

The paintings of Otto Dix, Max Beckmann and George Grosz influence the Weimar Republic hedonism of ‘Loosey Girls’.
Heavy doses of Pink Floyd era ‘Meddle’ are played out over this alluring jazz number, which features a saxophone solo and the hard pressed vocals of Karrer.
A cabaret inspired world of depravity in the days before the stirrings of the far right put an end to such loose times, this song weaves a heartfelt poem of woe as our prostitute heroine falls into a society of despair. It all sounds like Karrer has seen it happen too many times, though it has quite a moving melody and hits the right spot even though it carries some sentimentality.
‘Top Of The Mud’ ups the tempo as we get a heavy rock rendition of blues that ends in a glam infused knock at the current music scene. Renate and Karrer sing in unison as they lampoon their own route from space rock troubadours playing music from another dimension to the more structured ambitions of recent years. With lines like “might not be much fun, without any fans” they comment on their own situation within the industry and sound jaded and knocked about by the increasing lack of faith in what they are doing. Though it is unfair as this album could be their best.

Confidently sweeping in is the heavy South American tango tinged ‘Dreams’. Passionate Cuban like sounds and melody infused with the ruminants of a flamingo style shindig add to this track that has Karrer swoon about sharing thoughts of a love that got away through his dreams.
A segue way instrumental ‘Gala Gnome’ intrudes proceedings with an ambient brief interlude. Delayed synth combined with a low engine like hum produce an unnerving breather before the next song ‘5.5.55’ arrives to much anticipation.
Better known as the 5th of May 1955 this is the date that West Germany gained full sovereignty, though the US kept its presence there hoping to put off any plans the Soviets might have creeping over the boarder.
The economic miracle of which this track speaks started off through the seeds of the Marshall plan and catapulted the Germans to becoming one of worlds most productive and eventually rich economies. By 1973 they had help found the G6 nations group and became the industrial capital of Europe, all within thirty years of the end of the war.
Contrary to belief they didn’t exactly get away with it easily as both culturally and scientifically all intellectual property was either appropriated by the US or swallowed up into the allied nations own companies.
Both France and the UK received more money through the Marshall plan then Germany, it wasn’t until the Eighties that we in the UK paid our debt off. Germany had paid a higher interest fee off and eventually by the mid Seventies had got rid of its debt.
All this is adhered to in the song as this rock heavy jolting tune asks what could have been, space programmes are both mentioned in the sense of lost opportunity but also pilloried as being paid for by those who can’t afford it.
A reference is also made to the Kraupp dynasty, a 400 year old industrial family who owned some of the biggest steel and ammunitions factories in the country. Sympathetically playing to whoever was in charge at the time the family business survived most leaderships. A cosy relationship with the Nazi party helped them get all the major contracts to supply the army.
Alfried Kraupp was head of the company at the time of the thirties and forties, an opportune shady wheeler-dealer he used slave labour during the war supplied by an ever-helpful Herr Hitler. Alfried got cold feet after the failure of the German invasion of Russia and started to siphon off money and try to keep a distance from the regime. After the war he was put up for war crimes and received a 12 year sentence and made to sell off his company, but here’s the sickening part. No one brought his business and after spending half his initial sentence incarcerated he was allowed out to take control again. This reinforces in part the underlying mistrust by the next generation who inevitably ended up trying to overthrow the system.

At the end of ‘5.5.55’ there is a short interjection. In the style of a shock jock US radio interview, a rambling 80 syllables a second ranter puts across questions to Hitler as though he was questioning the leader of some band. Hitler answers with snippets of his original speeches as our DJ mockingly goads him. This interview builds up with what sounds like an audience waiting in a theatre for the performance to begin. All of a sudden they all break out into a feverent applause and cheering as Amon Duul II strike up their last jam. It becomes apparent that this audience is the one at Nuremburg.
The six minute instrumental ‘La Krautoma’ is based on the popular South American derived ‘La Paloma’, an old folk type song that has been recreated a million times across every country. Hell Elvis used it for his hit ‘No More’.
This space rock balling freak out mixes in the old country tune as Peter Leopold lets rip with one of his most ambitious drum solos of all time.
Aggressive guitars intercede as notes are left on sustain and put through pitch shifters, whilst all hell breaks loose as pure flights of fancy take hold of the band.
As the last galactic charging rhythms and effects fade out ‘Excessive Spray’ draws this grand opus to a close.
Military played recall on the snare accompanied by ‘Yeti’ era subtle ambient stirrings end in triumph. Falk’s synth has its last say with some Gothic pretensions, whilst we feel a sudden sadness loom over the horizon. Never again would we hear Amon Duul II in such a creative manner, complete sounding even if it is a move away from the improvised jams of yore.

So ends Krautrocks most overtly ambitious and aspiring work of art, a beacon of farce that attracts only those willing to learn and willing to experience a direction in music rarely repeated.
To be fair I’ve dissected this album to the point of obsession but hope in doing so that my enthusiasm sends you in the right direction and that you don’t dismiss the record as folly or high jinx theatrics.
Though I hate bands who gabble on about their influences, Kasabian’s unexpected nod to ‘Made In Germany’ may give it some attention, the richly deserved sort of attention that bands like Neu! and Can attract with ease. Though these guys sound practically stiff and cold in comparison to this.

Amon Duul II - 'Made In Germany' 1975.

DISCOGRAPHY:-

1969 – ‘Phallus Dei’

1970 – ‘Yeti’

1971 – ‘Dance Of The Lemmings/ Tanz der Lemminge’

1972 – ‘Carnival In Babylon’

‘Wolf City’

‘Utopia’ (Side project)

1973 – ‘Live In London’ (Live)

‘Vive La Trance’

1974 – ‘Hi-Jack’

‘Lemmingmania’ (Compilation)

1975 – ‘Made In Germany’

1976 – ‘Pyragony X’

1977 -  ‘Almost Alive’

1979 – ‘Only Human’

1981 – ‘Vortex’

1987 – ‘Anthology’ (Compilation)

1989 – ‘Milestones’ (Compilation)

1992 – ‘Live In Concert :BBC recording from 1973 (Live)

1996 – ‘Eternal Flashback’

‘Kobe’ (Reconstructions)

‘Nada Moonshine’

‘Live In Tokyo’ (Live)

1997 – ‘Flawless’ (Compilation)

1999 – ‘The UA Years: 1969-1974’ (Compilation)

2000 – ‘Manana’ (Compilation)

Official site:-

http://www.amonduul.de/main.html

PART 9:- We’re off to Cologne next as we leave our Munich friends behind for the first part in the series on Krautrocks most popular group Can.

The freethinking improvised masters of everything from west coast rock to world music via cut up experimentation, changed music forever during the Seventies.
We kick off with their first album ‘Monster Movie’, heavily influenced by The Grateful Dead, Hendrix and that West Coast of the US psychedelic rock. This record includes some pretty amazing beats and playing from the guys.

Dominic Valvona.

A few years ago, California’s Why? released Elephant Eyelash, an album that seemed to come out of nowhere to with its twisted patchwork of geeky hip-hop, euphoric pop melodies and indie-slacker sensibilities. It represented a massive leap forward for Yoni Wolf, who’s words and voice  are core to the Why? sound. Formerly of exalted avant-rap group cLOUDDEAD and a core signing to Oakland’s hip Anticon. label, his previous solo work was promising, with moments of genius mired in a lo-fi aesthetic and a see-what-sticks canvas. On Elephant Eyelash, it came into focus: he found a distinct voice and style that suited his frank, acerbic words and their dexterous delivery.

Last year’s Alopecia took the outline of its predecessor and coloured it much darker, with harder percussion and gloomy, funereal synths framing Wolf’s pained, cathartic lyrics, which were so personal you felt like a creepy voyeur unable to take your eyes off the prize. Recorded at the same time as Alopecia but only released this month, Eskimo Snow’s ten songs feel like the closest thing to a bright side.

Produced by Mark Nevers, who has previously worked with Americana artists including Lambchop and Calexico, this new one immediately feels cleaner and more organic from the opening bars of first track ‘These Hands’, delivering a sound more akin to seeing the trio live. Intricately connected percussion, glockenspiel and keyboards play off each other, drawing you unwittingly into Wolf’s still-dark narratives, morbid and blackly humorous as ever.

I know saying all this in public should make me feel funny,
but ya gotta yell something out you’d never tell nobody.
- The Shadows of My Embrace

The songs that make up Eskimo Snow never feel like offcuts from Alopecia, in part because of the difference in production and that stylistically they feel more like pop songs, albeit broken ones. The galloping ‘Against Me’ has a chorus so catchy you’ll struggle to remove its squelchy synth-glockenspiel combo from your head, while ‘Even The Good Wood Gone’, where Wolf draws a connection between his eventual, mundane death and that of a Pharoah in a museum, is wrapped up in acoustic guitar and harp. These additions are clear throughout the record, bringing new textures to the typically atypical Why? sound but they are still a long way off folk songs and all the better for it.

Listen to Eskimo Snow in full at Spotify.

Namaste!

To promote Eskimo Snow, Why? have collaborated with director Andre Hyland to produce a bizarre 10-episode web mockumentary, detailing the band leaving Anticon. in search of commercial success under the advice of new manager Blake (an approximation of Tobias from Arrested Development). It comes off like an overlong, at times tedious but occasionally hilarious Saturday Night Live skit. Worth a watch though. Here’s part one:

Parts 2-10 are on Vimeo.

cLOUDDEAD est unique.
Après une première compilation de singles, le trio d’Oakland se décide enfin à sortir son premier et dernier album: “Ten”. Ce qui peut représenter une nouveauté dans l’univers du groupe, tant le reste que ce que le combo pouvait avoir produit paraissait décousu, désorganisé, sans fil conducteur, lachant alors l’auditeur dans une nature luxuriante et diapré, passant de surprises en surprises sans vraiment se retrouver.

“Ten” est un album qui peut paraître, au premier abord, étonnamment structuré. Morceaux de durée légitime (trois à quatre minutes), nombre de titre respectable, rien de particulièrement suspect. Au premier abord. Car “Ten” est un joyeux bordel, une jungle de sons foisonnantes avec ses harmonies étranges, enivrantes et droguées. Hip-hop perverti jusqu’à la moelle; cLOUDDEAD s’en joue, le détourne et s’amuse avec. Les idées fusent, toutes plus étonnantes, improbables et captivantes les unes que les autres, afin de créer un monde à part, hors de propos. Un rêve sucré, duveteux, flamboyant, mélancolique, lumineux, abscons; un déluge ensoleillé et aveuglant de couleurs enfantines intense, guidé de main de maître par le flow sautillant et précis de Doseone et Yoni Wolf, chefs d’orchestre aux paroles absurdes et décalées. Les deux MC’s servant alors parfaitement la production du troisième larron derrière les machines, Odd Nosdam. Ce LP est une erreur, un dysfonctionnement, une entité mutante qui se serait libérée de touts les carcans dans laquelle elle était confinée pour s’envoler et libérer alors son plein et magnifique potentiel.

cLOUDDEAD cultive autour de lui le même mystère et la même adoration qu’un groupe comme Boards Of Canada (ils se sont d’ailleurs remixés l’un l’autre à plusieurs reprises). Peu d’apparitions publique, ce qui renforce l’ombre autour du trio, mais laisse du même coup flotter une certaine magie autour de celui-ci. Une magie nécessaire à la pleine et entière appréciation d’un album tout simplement exceptionnel, point culminant de la carrière d’un groupe qui s’est sabordé aussitôt après sa sortie…

 ”This is cLOUDDEAD number 10 of ten”

cLOUDDEAD – Ten (2004, anticon.)

1. Pop Song
2. The Teen Keen Skip
3. Rhymer’s Only Room
4. The Velvet Ant
5. Son of a Gun
6. Rifle Eyes
7. Dead Dogs Two
8. Three Twenty
9. Physics of a Unicycle
10. Our Name

cLOUDDEAD

My first instinct when I get an interview back with no adherence to capitalization, punctuation, or sentence structure is to clean it up, fix the ‘errors,’ and in this particular case, rewrite the whole thing. Then I thought, ‘Wait, Themselves‘ music seems to mirror this interview-in-the-raw too well to lay the grimy hands of grammar on it.’ Below is an interview with the dudes that have long been known for letting their unbridled muse loose to thrash about inside their songs – now it is on the Porch.

Mixtape (zip-file): Themselves – FREEhoudini

Q: How are you doing?

A: fantastic…just finished out little westcoast FREEhoudini tour…twas smashing in all regards…

Q: What influence does living in Oakland (if you still do) – and being a part of the Anticon collective have on your music?

A: well, we make all our music at home…in theO…and as a divorce baby…i had never lived anywhere longer than three years, my entire life, so being that i have lived in oakland for a decade now, i call it home, and rep it with all my might…as for the anticon collective, it influences us permanently and entirely, its the difference between us and everyone else, and us and our former selves, we are commited to our trusted group of good guys, and forever proud of the inspired individuals and fans who surround us because of it…i have never been patriotic, but i will flash my ant and stand tall anyday…

Q: Was there a particular incident or catalyst that made you guys think that you should strip yourselves back down into your previous form, Themselves?

A: no, more a color to the winds around us, and reality to the difficult financial times we are all in…in all, it was a sociopoliticalpanenvironment omen and tow that got us back into themselves, a bit of rigtous indignation mixed with cometiming…

Q: How does a Themselves’ song come into existence? (The process of writing one, and collaborating with each other).

A: its either greased lightning, or decomposition slow…in the sense that some songs come to us in a sitting, music, and even words…others exist too clearly in our heads before we begin making them, therefor, when we attempt to manifest them in the real world with drum machine and throat, everything is close to perfect, but not just right…and we have to search a little slower for the finishing strokes…that being said, all themselves songs, go through layers of treatment, both the production and lyrics, are built up and torn down many times over, before we mix and finish songs…with both jeff and i commenting and working on all ends of the songs…i produce with jeff, and he is my grand inquisitor for my raps, if they past the jeff test, they are good to golden…

Q: Was there a pool of subject, or object matter you were pulling from for ‘CrownsDown’ (besides the obvious anti-monarchy stance)?

A: yes, we wanted to make a rap record, in its sonics and tennants…so we mined our rap collections for albums we felt fit perfect into rap, and modeled our overall motiffs, to be ones that ring true to our lives and aesthetics, and that are classical rap themes…however only themes that still hold true in the 2000times…so there is a bootleging song, a guess who”s back song, a don”t fuck with my dj song, a don’t bite song,a love song, a diss song or 5…and again our main motto in the themselveses band…is be honest or be destroyed…to stand by a line in the sand…

Q for Doesone: You seem to be quite the literary gentleman, having published a volume of your own poetry as well as your massive body of lyrics which could be considered poetic. With that being said, do you remember the first book or author that you connected with? What are some other writers who have shaped your word-output, and what are you reading now?

A: ha…yes, the first thing i read like a feind was watchmen…and the around the same time, i also read of mice and men…guess that sure time stamps a motherfucker…the dilemmas of lenny and rourshack…both widened me signifigantly…then public school systems gradually made me hate reading….and i still do…

however, in college i got into poetry, and reading my favorite poets and living with why?, is my only unformal coloquial training…i like my talent raw and spelling poor…i like cracks in my finish…that being typed…my favorite pen pushers are…dylan thomas, gallway kinnel, bob kaufman,maralyn hacker,and david berman…i also love a great deal of other poets, but the above are the ones i would take a bullet for…

Q: What do you do before a show to get hyped?

A: crack a joke or two, do a shot if its that far into a tour…for jeff and i we step into it, our stage selves are far greater than us, more an armiture or exoskeleton we step into, so there is no prep, we put on our grey on grey suites, and do what we were meant to, then we take them off, and pack dose and jel”s gear back into the rental van, and adam&jeff make a b-line for a thing called bed…

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A: sure, did you know? ben franklin invented the fire department…initialy there was a plaque you paid for, that said i am paying the fire department, and if your house was on fire, they would put it out, but if you had no plaque, they would watch it burn…

also spiders will not spin webs from light blue paint…apparently there is something about spinning their webs on lightblue paint, that disoreints them and makes discerning their webbing from the surrounding difficult…thats how i feel when i perform our songs at instores…

thanks for the time and incline…love adam and jeff

If you enjoyed this romp of an interview and the accompanying song, then perhaps you will also enjoy this post, which is entirely dedicated to Doseone’s musical output.

todd osborn = osborne = soundmurderer

Osborne – Ruling  (beautiful micro house)

Soundmurderer – Badman (ak47 furious jungle)

tadd mullinix = dabrye  = sk1

Tadd Mullinix – The Letter  (ambient blips)

dabrye – Gimme Lowlands  (go west young man)

dabrye – hyped up plus tax   (static metronome)

Soundmurderer & SK-1 – Call Da Police

BONUs

(ckxu shesaid favourite)

cLOUDDEAD – Pop Song

5 mixes, over 10 hours in total, a who’s who and what’s what of downtempo, shoegaze and electronica. Compiled by Jesse Somfay, the Canadian’s production qualities alone are enough to go nuts about. Somfay’s releases on Traum, have helped set the label apart from any other like minded German output. That then, makes these mixes a must for anyone who’s up for coma induced listening. I am just wondering if these are good enough to rival DJ Todos Kilchurn Sessions…

“This is not intended to sound mixed in any way as it is not a DJ mix. It is merely a selection of music strung together, so the focus is purely on the music itself and not the technicalities of mixing”.

Jesse Somfay – Hexahedral

Hexahedral Part One
1. Clouddead – The Teen Keen Skip
2. Sole and the Skyrider Band – The Shipwreckers
3. Burial – Archangel
4. Boards Of Canada – Dawn Chorus
5. Aphex Twin – IZ-US
6. Clark – Hot May Slides
7. Radiohead – Idioteque
8. Jel – All Around
9. Air – Run
10. Radiohead – Like Spinning Plates
11. Black Moth Super Rainbow + The Octopus Project – Copying Soup Onto Sexy Birdy
12. Caustic Window – AFX 114
13. Die Fantastischen Vier – Krieger (Aphex Twin Baldhu Mix)
14. Flying Lotus – GNG BNG
15. Clark – Matthew Unburdened
16. Battles – Leyendecker
17. Black Moth Super Rainbow + The Octopus Project – Tony Face
18. Aphex Twin – Alberto Balsalm
19. Boards Of Canada – Amo Bishop Roden
20. Squarepusher – Iambic 9 Poetry
21. Alias & Tarsier – Plane That Draws A White Line
22. Jel – Nice Last
23. Boards Of Canada – Gyroscope
24. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Algae
25. Boards Of Canada – Untitled
26. Global Goon – Glory B
27. Bloc Party – Where Is Home? (Burial Remix)
28. Portishead – Wandering Star
29. Flying Lotus – Auntie’s Lock / Infinitum (feat. Laura Darlington)
30. Broadcast – Corporeal
31. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Zodiac Girls
32. The Tuss – GX1 Solo
33. Yo La Tengo – Nuclear War (Version 1)
34. Why? – Gnashville

Hexahedral Part Two
1. CocoRosie – Rainbowarriors
2. Sol Seppy – Slo Fuzz
3. The Postal Service – Brand New Colony
4. The Knife – Only For You
5. The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
6. Gemma Hayes – At Constant Speed
7. The Cinematic Orchestra – To Build A Home
8. Bon Iver – Lump Sum
9. Fink – Blueberry Pancakes
10. Alaska in Winter – Close Your Eyes – We Are Blind
11. Beirut – Scenic World
12. Ai Phoenix – The Party’s Over
13. Lisa Germano – Reptile
14. Ai Phoenix – Revolutionfriend
15. Blonde Redhead – Dr. Strangeluv
16. Gemma Hayes – Out Of Our Hands
17. Lisa Germano – A Beautiful Schizophrenic
18. Nico – Chelsea Girls
19. Lisa Germano – Geek The Girl
20. Blonde Redhead – Falling Man
21. The Postal Service – Suddenly Everything Has Changed (The Flaming Lips Cover)
22. Death Cab For Cutie – A Lack Of Color
23. Nico – The Fairest Of The Seasons
24. KaitO – Shelflife
25. The Manhattan Love Suicides – Things You’ve Never Done
26. My Bloody Valentine – Drive It All Over Me
27. Eric’s Trip – Happens All The Time
28. Henry’s Dress – Definitely Nothing
29. Eric’s Trip – You’re Always Right
30. Shocking Pinks – Blonde Haired Girl
31. Eric’s Trip – Mirror
32. Helium – Pat’s Trick
33. The Kills – At The Back Of The Shell
34. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Pin
35. Henry’s Dress – Sunshine Proves All Wrongness
36. The Ramones – Listen To My Heart
37. Eric’s Trip – Open Your Heart
38. The Silversun Pickups – Well Thought Out Twinkles
39. Placebo – You Don’t Care About Us
40. Eric’s Trip – My Room
41. Sun Dial – Open Your Eyes
42. Pavement – The Hexx
43. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps

Hexahedral Part Three
1. Boris – となりのサターン
2. Kinski – Rhode Island Freakout
3. Dead Meadow – Dusty Nothing
4. Sun Dial – Acid Test
5. Can – Vitamin C
6. Portishead – Half Day Closing
7. Eric’s Trip – Secret For Julie
8. Shocking Pinks – Strip Mall Blue
9. Portishead – Small
10. The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
11. My Bloody Valentine – Come In Alone
12. Spaceman 3 – Mary Anne
13. Sciflyer – Girl
14. Motorcycle Ride – Union City Blue
15. My Bloody Valentine – Off Your Face
16. Stereolab – John Cage Bubblegum
17. Neu! – After Eight
18. Stereolab – Revox
19. The Black Angels – You In Color
20. Stereolab – The Seeming And The Meaning
21. Six By Seven – Untitled
22. La Dusseldorf – Rheinita
23. Neu! – Cassetto
24. Suicide – Cheree
25. Gravenhurst – Velvet Cell
26. The Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye
27. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Caterpillar House
28. Animal Collective – Fireworks
29. The Silversun Pickups – Little Lover’s So Polite
30. Low – Murderer
31. Why? – Light Leaves
32. The Velvet Underground & Nico – All Tomorrows Parties
33. My Bloody Valentine – Honey Power
34. Deuter – La Ilaha Il Allah

Hexahedral Part Four
1. Aphex Twin – Rhubarb
2. Bibio – Bewly In Red
3. Boards Of Canada – A Moment Of Clarity
4. Clark – Herzog
5. Radiohead – Up On The Ladder
6. Blonde Redhead – Sings Along The Path (Maps Remix)
7. M83 – Sitting
8. The Radio Dept. – Ewan
9. Skywave – I Believe
10. Astrobrite – Orange Creamsickle
11. Brasilia – Hindsight
12. Asobi Seksu – New Years
13. Amusement Parks On Fire – Motown Ritual
14. Electro Group – Glistened
15. Pia Fraus – 400 & 57
16. Study Of The Lifeless – Promised Land
17. Brasilia – Sublimation
18. Chessie – The Century
19. Cruyff In The Bedroom – Sad Paradise
20. Henry’s Dress – Stumble (Demo)
21. Boris – Farewell
22. Electro Group – Killer Bees
23. Brasilia – Prized Fighter
24. STAR – Pure Gold Reason
25. The Ecstacy Of Saint Theresa – Honeyrain
26. Astrobrite – Swooner
27. My Bloody Valentine – Loomer
28. Joy Zipper – Baby You Should Know
29. Fleeting Joys – The Good Kind Of Tomorrow
30. Astrobrite – Lemondrop
31. Pia Fraus – Chromatic Nights
32. The Charlottes – Liar
33. Chapterhouse – Breather
34. Blind Mr. Jones – Disneyworld
35. The Raveonettes – Hallucinations

Hexahedral Part Five
1. Swirlies – Tall Ships
2. Slowdive – Machine Gun
3. Asobi Seksu – Walk On The Moon
4. The Walkmen – The North Pole
5. Rollerskate Skinny – Speed To My Side
6. Gravenhurst – Farewell, Farewell
7. Slowdive – Jazz Odeon
8. Astrobrite – Boy
9. Cocteau Twins – In Our Angelhood
10. Joy Zipper – VSX
11. Death Cab For Cutie – Passenger Seat
12. Radiohead – How I Made My Millions
13. Lisa Germano – Cry Wolf
14. Astrobrite – More
15. Pyramids – The Echo Of Something Lovely (Lovesliescrushing Remix)
16. Lovesliescrushing – Darkglassdolleyes
17. Astrobrite – Amorotic Zoom
18. Lovesliescrushing – Auvn
19. Burial – Endorphin
20. Helios – Vargtimme
21. Vir – Dapur
22. Astrobrite – Girl
23. Boards Of Canada – Olson
24. Sigur Ros – Untitled
25. Bjork – All Is Full Of Love
26. Lovesliescrushing – Ilgesn
27. Burial – Forgive
28. Your Favorite Horse – Tuning Up On Cloud Nine
29. Astrobrite – Dragonfly Pinky Fuzz
30. Lovesliescrushing – Suischre
31. Astrobrite – Cherryflavor Burst
32. Autechre – Vletrmx 21
33. Squarepusher – Tommib
34. Boards Of Canada – Saw Drones
35. Low – Kind Of Girl
36. Boards Of Canada – Constants Are Changing
37. Slowdive – Here She Comes
38. Vincent Oliver – Outro
39. Aphex Twin – Lichen
40. Boards Of Canada – Corsair
41. Bibio – Black Country Blues
42. Boards Of Canada – Tears From The Compound Eye
43. Squarepusher – Tommib Help Buss
44. Boards Of Canada – Over The Horizon Radar

The mix features all beats by producer Odd Nosdam throughout his career with the Mush and Anticon labels minus the Clouddead output that I didn’t want to focus on for the mix. I went through all of his beats that I had and wanted to do something that stayed close to his original work, yet at the same time throw my own twist on it. There’s almost 40 tracks mixed together in about 51 minutes. The mix is a little A.D.D on steroids, but I think it’s a good point for people to learn and hopefully enjoy Odd Nosdam’s tracks as much as I do… Elektro4 did the artwork.

Download

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Yoni Wolf is the master of pop-inflected psychedelic folk-hop. He and his pals at Anticon are always making something hip and it’s safe to say that all the dudes on the Porch are fans. In fact, we’ve even met the dude at SXSW and he’s a gem in person and on stage. Which makes his music even better (in my opinion).

Today’s mix celebrates Yoni’s craft, friendliness, beats, and killer lyrics. It was sooper difficult to pick tracks for this, but I decided to give a diverse range. IT’s ALLLLL GOOOD! I selected the album opener from his latest record Alopecia, a killer collab track, the first Why? song I ever heard, a cover, another collab, and a classic hit. Then again, he ONLY plays the hits. I hope you enjoy!

::: Download Friday Feel 29 – Yoni Knows Best :::

1. Why? – “The Vowels Pt. 2″
2. cLOUDDEAD – “Dead Dogs Two”
3. Why? – “Miss Ohio’s Nameless”
4. Xiu Xiu – “The Wig Master” (Covered by Why?)
5. Hymie’s Basement – “All Them Boys”
6. Why? – “Crushed Bones”

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Also, a friendly reminder that The Hooded Deer will be throwing down at Good Records tomorrow night! Come check out all the bands, freeeee stuff, and I’ve designed several new tees for Record Store Day!

Themselves, half of which is Doseone, is playing a show tomorrow night (Monday) at Hailey’s in Denton, TX. If you live anywhere near, you gotta go. As if you need another incentive, friend of the porch, Yeahdef is opening.  Below is a micro-mix commemorating Dose as an outstanding artist, and pioneer of  Thought Hop.

*****Thought Hop: Doseone*****

1. Doseone & Boom Bip – Art Saved My Life/The Birdcatcher’s Return
2. Clouddead – I Promise Never To Get Paint On My Glasses Again
3. A Grape Dope – Red Hat Attack
4. Subtle – F.K.O.
5. Themselves – Poison Pit

Alfred Darlington isn’t your average cookie-cutter musician. From how he looks (early Victorian Dandism), to how he makes music, to how he expresses himself and views the world, his is a very individual, a ‘bespoke’ outlook.

Long established (and sometimes derided) as an electronic producer with whimsical, jazz-like sensibilities, Daedelus often plays with genre, from the summery samba sweep of 2006’s Denies the Day’s Demise to the bubbly avant-hop of 2003’s Rethinking the Weather and 2004’s Exquisite Corpse (all on Mush records). In 2008, he’s tackling rave music — specifically the “zoo rave” and hardcore/pre-jungle styles of the early ’90s — which he calls “my little temple, my little altar.”

“I’ve been collecting these records since ‘92, when I was too young to know what I was putting my hands on, but I just liked the sound. And I’ve been buying them ever since,” says Daedelus. “Finally, I feel comfortable enough after this many years of releasing records to make a stab at it.”

The result is a pair of impressive releases. In January, influential L.A. imprint Alpha Pup issued Live at Low End Theory, a document of a Daedelus’ performance at the popular Los Angeles event. Throughout the 60-minute disc, Daedelus tweaks a Monome, a small MIDI device designed by engineers Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain, that’s connected via USB cable to a MacBook running a Cycling ‘74 Max/MSP software program with the OSC protocol. The setup allows him to chop up dozens of tracks from his decade-long discography, remixing them into a furiously imaginative set.

Alfred was born in Santa Monica in 1977 to an artist mother and psychologist father. Musical from very early on, as a child he was classically and jazz-trained in a number of instruments, but his interests were broad and varied – less a prodigy than a renaissance boy whose obsessions ranged from Greek legend to the mountains of Wales. As a 15 year old he finally persuaded his parents to take him to the Principality. Whilst in a YMCA in London he flipped the radio dial, found a pirate radio station and taped some UK rave and hardcore. “It was my first ‘Eureka!’ moment in music,” he says.

Back in the US he joined local rock bands, jazz bands and ska bands, which he enjoyed but felt limited by,too. At home he was listening to Warp, Ninja and your harder electronic stuff. He started DJing out the more leftfield side of drum and bass and making his own rudimentary productions. They were meant to be drum & bass but they kept turning out different and from his outsider’s experiments his own style was born. He chose the name Daedelus as he had a childhood obsession with invention, and what was he doing, after all, if not tinkering and fiddling and experimenting like the “gentleman inventors” of old?

In 1999 he started DJing on Dublab.com for his “Entropy Sessions” and began dropping in his own early demo productions. Carlos Nino (of ammoncontact) had the show after him and usually pushed Alfred out the studio as quickly as possible as he was not so into Daedelus’ confrontational DJ style, but when he heard a tranquil Daedelus production he took, in typical Nino style, Daedelus under his considerable wing around the LA scene. Nino placed Daedelus tracks on two influential compilations and then persuaded Plug Research to release his debut album, “Invention” in 2002, Remixers included Madlib, who later took Daedelus’ accordian parts and used them on the Madvillain record, closely followed by his “The Household” EP on Prefuse 73’s Eastern Developments label.

In 2003, he was booked to play a show in San Diego by Brian Crabtree and Peter Siegerstrong and they asked him to test out an early prototype of the Monome box. “It’s a Non-traditional electronic instrument,” Daedelus explains. “Basically it allows for massive improvisation.” Since then Daedelus has continued to use this revolutionary box, bringing much genuine liveness to the sometimes static world of performed electronic/dance music.

In 2003 he did “The Weather” album with Busdriver and Radioinactive and the remix album “Rethinking the Weather” on Mush records (home of cLOUDDEAD, also on Big Dada/Ninja Tune). 2004 saw the release of “Of Snowdonia” on Plug Research, the album with which Daedelus says he first “felt true artistic confidence, finding a true voice. I was finally in the right zone.”

There was certainly no let up in his creativity. Also in 2004 he released the concept album “A Gent Agent” on tiny German label Laboratory Instinct. The 2005 album “Exquisite Corpse” on Mush album featured the likes of TTC, Mike Ladd, MF Doom. Ninja signed Daedelus for UK/Europe (a relationship which has reached its full expression on “Love To Make Music To,” his first album for the label worldwide and put together with the help of their team). In 2006 “Denies the Days Demise” came out, a record showcasing his love of Brazilian music. Last year he released his first live album, “Live At the Low End Theory,” and “The Fairweather Friends EP”. Later this year will see the release of his collaboration with his wife, Laura Darling, as Long Lost!

And while his reputation has grown internationally, his place in the LA scene has also solidified. The musician that many of the hottest names in the city turn to for everything from bass clarinet licks to advice on obscure electronics, Daedelus has worked extensively with Taz from Sa-Ra, the pair of them opening for the likes of DJ Assault, Justice and Two Live Crew as well as appearing in Erykah Badu’s most recent video.

As for “Love To Make Music To,” Daedelus says that this album is “the imaginary memory of a time that never was! It’s my drug/love record, harking back to that time in the YMCA in London, when I first heard rave…”

Daedelusis a flagship user for the Monome, a small MIDI device designed by engineers Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain, that’s connected via USB cable to a MacBook running a Cycling ‘74 Max/MSP software program with the OSC protocol. The setup allows him to chop up dozens of tracks from his decade-long discography, remixing them into a furiously imaginative set.

myspace.com/daedelusdarling
daedelusmusic.com
discogs.com/artist/Daedelus

Nick: I like this a lot actually, it seems like the kind of thing you would get more and more out of the more you listen to it.

and this is rap? is doesn’t really sound like rap to me, it’s far too melodic.

well it’s a record made by someone who sometimes raps, put out on a ‘leftfield’ hip hop label but it’s nowhere near what most people’s idea of rap is.

now this is a very good example of a consistent style, but within it it has enough variation and invention, you don’t get bored, I could listen to two albums by this guy.

ok well, if you want two albums here’s his latest, Alopecia, I guess this time the band is called Why? and he who used to be Why? is back to being Yoni.

Yoni? spelled which way?

y-o-n-i.

that’s quite worrying.

why’s that?

well that’s the Sanskrit word for vagina.

now there’s no way this one could be called rap, this has moved even further away.

it’s more mainsteam, and therefore not as interesting.

which one is your favorite?

the first one as well, but that could just be because I heard it first, I tend to always like the first thing i loved by a band most, does that make sense?

yes well, this all seems like reverse progression. the stuff here is no where near as interesting as the first one, I hate to say it but maybe the first record sold badly so they changed their style?

well maybe you’d prefer cLOUDDEAD? the band he was in before going solo.

here’s Ten by them

(track 2 – The Teen Keen Skip)

here comes a blender solo.

o….kay

well this is again full of invention, but it’s less satisfying, it seems to be searching for something, his solo one is more coherent, a clearer vision.

I still like it though.

it’s just missing something that the other one had, I guess it’s just…..you could tell the first one was an album, this could be a compilation, little bits from everywhere.

Jeepers creepers that went off in a direction I wasn’t expecting. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank a man named Cookiemonster for sending me a compilation a few years ago. On this CDR was a track by Dose One & Boom Bip, at that moment in time it was the greatest thing I’d ever heard and I immediately went on a huge anticon and anything related buying spree, pretty much all of it was fantastic but Oaklandazulasylum was and probably always will be my favoritist of the bunch.
Thanks Cookiemonster, whoever & wherever you are.

www.myspace.com/whyanticon

www.myspace.com/clouddeadrecords (unofficial)

Published in The Believer, Oct. 2007.

Adam Drucker, better known by the alias Doseone, has said his initial attraction to rap was as much about the “persona/ego projection” as a love of words. Drucker cut his teeth on the rap-battle circuit, exchanging rhymes with Eminem and other MCs, until his friendships with like-minded musicians led to the creation of the Anticon collective/record label, which fuses hip-hop to indie rock, ambient music, poetry, and experimental noise.

Although Drucker has recorded several solo albums, his primary efforts have been collaborative. With the trio cLOUDDEAD, he worked with Yoni Wolf (Why?) and producer David Madson (Odd Nosdam) to create a pair of critically acclaimed albums that pasted non-sequitur raps onto sleepwalking funk beats and archaic keyboards. His most consistent collaboration has been with producer Jel (Jeffrey Logan) as Themselves. The duo has joined forces with German indie-rockers the Notwist as 13 & God and with other musicians in their current project, Subtle.

Read the complete article in The Believer.

Published in The Fanzine, Nov. 2007.

Every once in a great while when a band breaks up, it’s like a supergroup in reverse; each performer’s independent project is packed with an exactness of vision that seemed impossible in collaboration: as if Bob Dylan had always just been the guy who played rhythm guitar in the Traveling Willburys and then – Bam! – came out with Blonde on Blonde; a complete inversion of the rock archetype of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatle blandness.

Eccentric hip-hop trio, cLOUDDEAD, part of the Anticon collective, formed in Cincinnati in 1999 and relocated to Oakland together in 2001. Producer Odd Nosdam (David Madson) built murky soundscapes from archaic keyboards, flea market reel-to-reel tapes and a Roland SP-202 “Dr. Sample” while rappers Doseone (Adam Drucker) and Why? (Yoni Wolf) overlapped non-sequitur lyrics about paint-spattered eye-glasses, their neighborhoods and the universality of death. As self-described shut-ins who shared apartments in various permutations, on their albums they sound telepathically close: Why? and Doseone completing each others’ sentences while the production mirrors their hypnotic, sometimes morbid humor.

Read the complete article at The Fanzine.

Sometime in 2002

FIRST OFF: JESUS CHRIST WHO CARE’S IF THEY’RE HIP HOP, THEY MAKE GOOD MUSIC

SECOND: Alright, by now, you should know the story. Their first record isn’t really a record at all, but a compilation of six 10″s the trio recorded while still living in godforsaken Cincinatti, OH. But the sound that comes out of the speakers when you throw on cLOUDDEAD can’t be pinned to any geographic location. And it can’t really be pinned to any genre either (the discussion over which I mentioned earlier).

What the three can make with just a sampler and some Dust Devils is quite earth-shattering. Each track (each track corresponds to a side on one of the 10″s) is a little world of its own, with probably three or four movements to each one. This album was a great one for the first eight tracks, until I hit the compiled Cloud Dead Number Five, their second to last EP. My god, the waves of sound that burst forth from the speakers, breaking on the shore, but still surging straight at you. Odd Nosdam’s production really outdoes itself, launching cLOUDDEAD from some terrestrial domain right into the heavens. This album is one of those where, when it’s all good and done with, after the out-of-nowhere group singalong on “Bike”, you are frozen in your seat, wondering what you can do next.

And that’s how I know this is one of those albums that will always stick with you.

-mp

Qui a dit que le hip hop était un genre trop cloisonné?
De toute façon, à ce niveau là, on ne peut plus vraiment parler de hip hop.
cLOUDDEAD est un style à lui tout seul.

Composé de trois membres reconnus dans le milieu (Dose One, Why? et Odd Nosdam), cLOUDDEAD est une étrangeté, quelque chose de trop rare. Un groupe libéré de toute contrainte stylistique, ayant paradoxalement digéré un nombre phénoménal d’influences. En faire une liste ici serait inutile, tant ce trio est à part. Car sous le nom de cLOUDDEAD se cache un univers, un monde parallèle, une dimension alternative que seuls ces mecs semblent à même de comprendre. A la base, cet album est une compilation des divers 7″ du groupe. On aurait pu craindre un fourre-tout un peu bordélique, sans lien entre les différents morceaux, et c’est le cas. Mais, étonnamment, cela participe au charme du tout, lui donnant un aspect encore plus incertain et bancal. Chaque titre est finalement découpé en mini séquences de quelques minutes, accentuant encore plus l’aspect imprévisible de la cette musique. La sensation de flottement est palpable, comme pourrait le suggérer les nuages de l’artwork. Laisse-toi bercer et profite de la balade… La production, signé Dose One, est atypique, mais idéale. Le disque semble avoir été enregistré au fond d’une cave, les beats semblent lointains et proches à la fois, car lourds, presque poisseux. Par dessus le tout se pose des nappes ambiantes, parfois trafiquées, languissantes, mais qui peuvent annoncer des moments de pure beauté (“I Promise Never to Get Paint On My Glasses Again (Part 2)”, “Cloud Dead #5 (Part 1)”). Mais cLOUDDEAD ne se résume pas qu’à ça, et les compos fourmillent d’inventivité, de surprises, pouvant faire apparaitre un morceau sous une tonalité complètement différente, distillant alors une émotion nouvelle, mais toujours avec ce sentiment étrange d’être dans le gaz, de ne pas y voir clair, en toile de fond. Et bien sûr, on ne peut oublier ces deux fabuleux MC’s, Why? et DoseOne, imprégnant l’atmosphère de l’album de leurs empreintes. Lascif, posé, limite branleur, le flow ne s’emballe jamais, maitrisé, d’une fluidité assez impressionnante, pièce maitresse de l’univers cLOUDDEAD; cet univers que seuls ces types semblent comprendre et interpréter (voir les lyrics, à ce sujet), et dans lequel il est délicieux de se plonger, de se perdre et de s’abandonner…

cLOUDDEAD – s/t (2001, Anticon)

1. Apt. A (1)
2. Apt. A (2)
3. And All You Can Do Is Laugh (1)
4. And All You Can Do Is Laugh (2)
5. I Promise Never To Get Paint On My Glasses Again (1)
6. I Promise Never To Get Paint On My Glasses Again (2)
7. Jimmy Breeze (1)
8. Jimmy Breeze (2)
9. Clouddead #5 (1)
10. Clouddead #5 (2)
11. Bike (1)
12. Bike (2)

Myspace: cLOUDDEAD

Bicycle themed Friday Feel Mix!
Hope you enjoy.

:::Download FRIDAY FEEL 14:::

Tracklist:
Peter & The Wolf – “The Bike of Jonas”
Ann Tiley & Rick Roberts – “Bicycling”
TV on the Radio – “Bicycles Are Red Hot”
Deerhoof – “Midnight Bicycle Mystery”
cLOUDDEAD – “Physics of a Bicycle”
Animal Collective – “Flesh Canoe”

I recently started participating in a daily exchange of music with a group of new friends. My day to share is on Friday, in which I’ve entitled FRIDAY FEEL (not to be confused with FALAFEL FRIDAY). This is the second mix and it contains some beautiful pop, experimental delights and even some hip-pop. I try to share a broad range of world class hits in each mix. You will find Mix #1 plus all future mixes here

:::::Download FRIDAY FEEL MIX #2::::::

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele – “When You Were Mine”

Bird Show – “Sleepers Keep Sleeping”

Day Might Same – “Three By Three”

Brian Eno – “Cindy Tells Me”

cLOUDDEAD – “All You Can Do Is Laugh”

Hailing from Oakland; California, Subtle are a unique hip-hop outfit. Fronted by MC Adam Drucker a.k.a Doseone, who was also 1/3 of seminal Anticon group cLOUDDEAD, unleashes stream of consciousness verses like a verbal machine gun. Supported by a live drummer, keyboardist/sax player and fellow Anticon member Jeffrey ‘Jel’ Logan who does amazing things with only a sampler at his disposal.

Jel

They begin their set with a brace of songs from their new album Exiting ARM. This is the third in a trilogy of releases, which follow the exploits of a character called Our Hero Yes including the title track which contains the chilling verse “would you skin your skull to draw its strength, would you swallow a lie to disinfect your angst, would you razorblade redecorate your arm, would you freeze a whole lake to steal you some calm”.

They don’t forget their older songs though, delving through their back catalogue and coming up with tracks like The Mercury Crazy from their second album For Hero For Fool it’s a stomping, scuzzy tune resplendent with some sleazy sax and see’s Doseone picking up one of the many skulls they’re got littered on the stage and singing to it like some sort of latter day Hamlet. They even play I heart L.A, which is my favourite Subtle song, and although they hit a minor technical hitch, for some reason one of the loops cuts out just before the “day after day after day” chorus, it still sends shivers down my spine. They even throw in a few obscure tracks from their early ep and some of Doseone’s solo work from Skeleton Repellent for the fan-boys in the audience.

Doseone

At first I think that the crowd isn’t too into it as no-one seems to be moving about. However the end of every song is greeted with rapturous applause. Cargo has no air-conditioning which means that everyone is far too hot and sweaty to be swaying around to much for fear of collapsing. I don’t mind sweating at a gig if I’m dancing around but when you’ve got beads of it running down your face and all you’re doing is tapping your foot along to the music you know that somethings wrong.

Dose chats easily to the crowd in between every song. Letting us know his thoughts on the possibility of a black president for America, his amusement at the fact that soy food has been revealed to contain animal enzymes and gleefully informing us of the people he’d like to drown in a bath tub; Robin Williams, Kanye West, and the whole of Saddle Creek. He’s on fine form and the crowd are receptive to his charms. Although as the gig wears on there are a few hecklers telling him to shut up and get on with it, including band mate Jel.

Doseone & Jel

When they first start there seems to be something lacking from their usual sound, I’m also sure that there should be a fifth member. This is cleared up when Doseone explains that electric cellist Alexander Kort was unable to go on tour as he’s just had a son. News which gets a big cheer from the crowd. As was the case when I saw Why? Here a few weeks ago the the sound is a bit murky to begin with but slowly improves throughout the gig. By the end of the night though Jel’s sampler has been turned right up and I can feel every bass note thud in my chest.

As they leave the stage I glance at my watch for the first time and realise that an hour and fifteen minutes has gone by in the blink of an eye. I’ve been witness to one of the best live performances I’ve seen this year, an honour shared with Comets on Fire, HEALTH and Animal Collective. I leave Cargo drenched in my own fluids, but a happier man for it.