By Marilyn Roxie

WHEN: 1982 – 1991

CULPRITS: Jason Pierce/J. Spaceman (guitar, vocals), Peter Kember/Sonic Boom (vocals, guitar), Pete Bain/Bassman (bass, 1982-88), Nicholas Brooker/Natty (drums, 1984-87), Stewart Roswell/Rosco (drums, 1987-88), William Carruthers (bass, 1988-91), Jon Mattock (drums, 1989-90), Steve Evans (guitar, 1990), Mark Refoy (guitar, 1990)

ALBUMS: Sound of Confusion (1986); The Perfect Prescription (1987); Performance (1988); Playing With Fire (1989); Recurring (1990); Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To (1990); The Singles (1995)

HOW: I was recommended Spacemen 3’s Playing With Fire by Jakob Battick (a quite talented musician and artist who is part of the Tea and Oranges collective) sometime in 2008 because he’d noticed I had been listening to Suicide (70s electronic pioneers) a lot and thought I might like them as well. I noticed it was in Robert Dimery’s 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, which I’ve been soldiering on to finish for some time, so I thought I might as well … and I was blown back entirely!!! I wondered why I hadn’t heard of them before, why didn’t everyone know about them (only just now approaching 100,000 listeners on Last.fm, at the time I’m writing this). The Suicide association made sense, because of the drone-riff repetition throughout, and of course an 11-minute jam called “Suicide” as an homage to that band. Some months later, I obtained The Perfect Prescription, which is now one of a very few albums I’d give 5/5 stars. I hesitated a bit before getting Sound of Confusion, since people seemed not to think highly of it, but I absolutely loved it, despite the fact that much of it is covers (13th Floor Elevators’ “Rollercoaster”, Juicy Lucy’s “Mary Anne”, and The Stooges’ “Little Doll” — “O.D. Catastrophe” might as well be a cover since it’s a lift from The Stooges’ “T.V. Eye”), as well as their last album, Recurring, which is curious to listen to because of it being split between a Sonic Boom/Peter Kember side and a J. Spaceman/Jason Pierce side. I had previously heard Spiritualized’s (J. Spacemen’s band, post-Spacemen 3) Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space and Lazer Guided Melodies a couple years prior; Spiritualized is certainly more well-known than Spacemen 3, and both are further still more listened-to than Spectrum (Sonic Boom’s post-Spacemen 3 band), which is a shame, because I love them all!

WHY: Spacemen 3 have quickly become one of my most-listened to bands and part of an elite club of music that actually makes me somehow more relaxed and even help me to fall asleep (The Kinks and Natural Snow Buildings also often do the trick). As much as the band were linked with and lyrically/thematically revolved around drugs, there is also a more profound spiritual element and unabashed sensuality in the music and words that one would be hard-pressed to ignore. To me, Spacemen 3 are nothing short of musical magic.

SONGS: The song selection here comes from highlights on their studio albums (chosen with assistance from polling people on Tumblr), as well as an alternate version of “Hey Man” (“Amen” from Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To), a Perfect Prescription demo (“Walking With Jesus“), the single version of “Transparent Radiation” (Red Krayola cover), and a live track (“Things’ll Never Be the Same“). It was tough to narrow down the essentials, but I think this better than any singles/greatest collection around previously — it’s the best compilation of Spacemen 3 you’re apt to find anywhere!

LINK: Click the list below to hear our 80MFL SPACEMEN 3 iMix.

__________________________

Marilyn Roxie is a 19-year old music blogger at A Future in Noise and an electronic, instrumental composer. She’s just released her first single “Zug der Krautrock” (a tribute to the genre that Can and Kraftwerk both share) and is getting ready to launch her own record label, Electronic Angel.

So good to be back at Small Beast after a few weeks’ absence. Nothing has changed – New York’s most unpredictably fun weekly musical event was as edgy as always. This time around, Pete Galub opened the night while Botanica keyboardist and Small Beast impresario Paul Wallfisch furiously wrote out charts for his show later in the evening with Sally Norvell. Most solo shows are boring to the extreme, but Galub had brought along a gorgeous hollowbody electric guitar and gave a clinic in powerpop songwriting – and when the time came, guitar solos, playing along methodically as if he had his usual band behind him. Galub gets props for his playing, and deservedly so, but his songs are every bit as clever as his work as a lead guitarist for a cavalcade of A-list writers: Amy Allison, Serena Jost and others. He opened with a sardonic, Big Star inflected number possibly titled Exclusive Guest, following that with a gorgeously poignant, minor-key, somewhat Neil Finn-esque tune, Crying Time. A cover of the late former LA Trash frontman Alan Andrews‘ big 6/8 ballad Undiscovered Life maintained the poignant tone while adding a tongue-in-cheek vibe, segueing into a nasty, noisy riff-rocker that wouldn’t have been out of place in the Kevin Salem catalog – complete with an offhandedly savage solo. And then a real surprise, a pensive and heartfelt version of Any Major Dude by Steely Dan. When Galub opened his set, he’d hinted that he might take a detour into the Dan catalog, and this was a typically counterintuitive choice. Most solo shows are a clinic in how to bore an audience: Galub reaffirmed that if you have the chops, the material and a sense of humor, you don’t necessarily need a band.

Guitarist Thomas Simon and his drummer cohort were next on the bill, with a long set of swirling, atmospheric, effects-laden numbers that took the shape of a suite as they segued into one another. “A Spacemen 3 kind of thing,” one of the cognoscenti in the crowd murmured – this set had remarkably more aggression than Simon’s previous appearance at the Beast in July (very favorably reviewed here).

For one reason or another the women who play Small Beast turn out to be the night’s biggest stars, and an Austin punk legend, former Gator Family and Norvells frontwoman Sally Norvell maintained the tradition, backed by Wallfisch and erstwhile Big Lazy bassist Paul Dugan on a few numbers. Norvell is best known as a menacing noir cabaret femme fatale, but this set was a showcase in stylistic diversity, masterful subtlety matched by wrenching, raw intensity. Norvell can belt with anyone, but it’s how she holds back, how she works whatever emotion the lyrics call for that makes her such a captivating presence – and one sorely missed, at least around these parts. A few years back, right around the time that her duo with Kid Congo Powers, Congo Norvell was pretty much finished, she put out an amazing, sparsely beautiful album, Choking Victim, backed just by Wallfisch and occasional minimalist percussion or guitar. They opened with one of the songs from that one, One Gentle Thing, replete with longing and regret, Wallfisch obviously in his element and relishing the moment from its first few stately chords. A creepy, swaying Congo Norvell song pulsed along with a steady, ominous eight-note pulse from the bass. And then noir cabaret personality Little Annie joined them for an understatedly anguished version of her big audience hit Because You’re Gone – the contrast of Annie’s bitter contralto and Norvell’s breathy soprano, and the counterpoint between the two, was absolutely transcendent and the two women made it seem effortless. And unaffectly intense – it brought Norvell to tears. The rest of the set could have been anticlimactic but it wasn’t – a brief, menacing Paul Bowles song (Wallfisch worked with him for a time), a sad minor ballad in 6/8, a gorgeously dark lament, and then Norvell finally cut loose with a soaring version of the old spiritual Trouble in the World, imbuing it with a nihilistic fury. “You can’t have an apocalypse without Jesus,” she grinned gleefully.

Keyboardist and Americana soul stylist Matt Kanelos and then another keyb guy, frequent Thalia Zedek collaborator M.G. Lederman were scheduled to follow, but there were places to go and things to do. Next week’s Beast is a beauty, with Julia Kent, Carol Lipnik and Rebecca Cherry in addition to Wallfisch doing his usual set solo at the piano – if you’re in New York this coming Monday you’d be crazy to miss it.

Our friends over at Bloodied black posted this gem yesterday. Since I’m a big fan of that man-boy Sonic Boom I just had to post it too (of course all of us love Kraftwerk too, but that goes without saying).

/ Mikael Nordlander.

Here’s the latest batch of Music Musings and Miscellany’s unapologetically subjective selection of the twentieth century’s best 1000 singles. More Rs. By the way, in case you’re wondering how long there is to go in this seemingly interminable series, there are just over 300 records left which will take another 20 parts.

SUPREMES – Reflections / Going Down for the Third Time (Motown 1111 1967)
By 1967 the Supremes still ruled, well, supreme as far as chart action went at Motown. The basic formula remained, but was tweaked to include hints of psychedelic pop both lyrically and sonically. The backbeat is little changed, but there is a new use of electronics, particular the oscillator in the introduction.

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR – Refugees / The Boat of Millions of Years (Charisma 122 1970)
Van der Graaf were undoubtedly the fiercest, most punk of all the prog bands springing up at the start of the seventies. So, although they never achieved anything like the commercial success of some of their contemporaries (except, oddly, in Italy), their critical reputation remained untarnished during the punk year zero revisionism of 1976/7. “Refugees” sees Hammill and co in an unusually romantic (in the heroic sense) mood, as it swells with the hopes of people seeking a new life away from tyranny. You’d have to be hard hearted, or a Daily Mail reader, not to be moved.

NEW ORDER – Regret / mix (London NUO1 1993)
Republic was pretty lame by New Order’s standards, but it did open with this, the band’s finest guitar-oriented single since “Ceremony”.

BIRTHDAY PARTY – Release the Bats / Blast Off (4AD 111 1981)
For a while this became a bit of a millstone for the band as pig-shit thick hacks and DJs decided the band were Goths because they were singing about vampire bats and were all stick thin and pale (with the exception of the robust and well-muscled Tracy Pew). “Release the Bats” was more of an affectionate homage to the old fifties B movie inspired rock and roll stuff like Billy Lee Riley, Nervous Norvus and, of course, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

SHANGRI-LAS – Remember / It’s Easier to Cry (Red Bird 8 1964)
It’s amazing to think that the girls’ entire recorded career was more or less crammed into an intense 24 month period. “Remember” was the first, and saw the Shangri-las sound emerge fully formed, from the seagull laden, dreamily hypnotic chorus to the glorious melodrama of the verses where Mary Weiss seems constantly on the edge of a fully-fledged breakdown.

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – Rescue / Simple Stuff (Korova 1 1980)
They’ve been going for 30 years plus now which, when you think about it, is the same amount of time as that between the beginning of World War 1 and VE Day! All the good stuff had been recorded by the end of 1984. “Rescue” was one of the band’s first songs that didn’t rattle along at a high tempo, but was more measured. The thing that makes the song is the chiming guitar theme – both simple and instantly memorable.

ARETHA FRANKLIN – Respect / Dr Feelgood (Atlantic 2403 1967)
STAPLE SINGERS – Respect Yourself / You Gonna Make Me Cry (Stax 0104 1971)
“Respect” is one of those songs that has been analysed to death and had reams written about it. It’s an example of the unique effectiveness of a good song. In under three minutes it says more clearly and concisely what everybody analysing it can’t capture in all their pseudo-intellectual gibberings. The same is equally true of the Staple Singers’ classic.

E-Z ROLLERS – Retro / Subtropic (Moving Shadow 103 1997)
Few acts are as aptly named as E-Z Rollers. Their best records use rolling breakbeats and a kind of lounge jazz sensibility to create a relatively mellow and sophisticated drum and bass. “Retro” is one of their best and is topped with Derrick May’s ruminations on the fortunes of the electronic music pioneers.

THIRTEENTH FLOOR ELEVATORS – Reverberation / Fire Engine (International Artists 111 1966)
SPACEMEN 3 – Revolution / Che (Fire 29 1988)
What set the Thirteenth Floor Elevators apart from all of their peers was the real sense of a lysergic experience going on. They had great tunes, sure, but so did a whole host of other mid sixties garage bands. The sound, though, seemed to beam through from an altered reality, particularly with the use of drone, reverb and the very weird sounding electric jug. Their first two LPs are absolutely essential. “Reverberation” comes from the first and does exactly what it says in the title. Rugby’s Spacemen 3 were acolytes of Roky Erikson’s crew, and it certainly showed. “Revolution” takes a two note droning riff and turns it into a mantra that never varies in tempo or rhythm, but simply in intensity. It’s barely a song at all, with the words largely spoken like a super slo-mo rap, but it’s hypnotic.

WILD SWANS – Revolutionary Spirit / God Forbid (Zoo 9 1982)
The Wild Swans were among the first wave of Scouse post-punk acts that included the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Pink Military and Wah! They lasted long enough to do one Peel Session (which includes the brilliant “No Bleeding”) and this twelve inch single, although they’ve regrouped several times since. “Revolutionary Spirit” switches between a downbeat series of short verses, and a big, yearning chorus that is basically the same chords but in a higher key. Simple, but bewitching.

JOHNNY CASH – Ring of Fire / I’d Still Be There (Columbia 42788 1963)
Unlike nearly every other one of the artists who’d started out in the mid fifties’ rockabilly explosion and who rapidly switched to mainstream country, Cash never forgot how to rock. “Ring of Fire” was written by Merle Kilgour and Cash’s future wife June Carter, and is just as direct and basic as any of his classic Sun sides of the fifties.

ROBINS – Riot in Cell Block #9 / Wrap It Up (Spark 103 1954)
“Riot in Cell Block #9″ was one of Leiber and Stoller’s earliest efforts, but it has all the trademark humour, drama and storytelling in place. It was also one of the first non-novelty records to use sound effects such as police sirens and machine gun fire. Bobby Nunn’s bass drawl recounts the story in something approaching a slow rap which is almost comically cool considering the mayhem going on all around. “The warden said ‘Come out with your hands up in the air / If you don’t stop this riot You’re all gonna get the chair’ / Scarface Jones said, ‘It’s too late to quit / And pass the dynamite, ’cause the fuse is lit’” The way he almost absent mindedly says that last line is priceless. Nunn and fellow Robin Carl Gardner went on to become one half of the Coasters who were one of the best loved acts during the second half of the decade.

MASSIVE ATTACK – Risingson / mixes (Wild Bunch 8 1997)
“Risingson” introduced the dark, paranoid rock sound that was explored on Mezzanine and famously disillusioned founding member Mushroom so much that he quit. 3D’s narcoleptic rap fits the atmosphere of stoned menace like a glove. The video was typically brilliant, featuring the band sitting around in a crumbling house, making tea and generally appearing bored, unconcerned and stoned whilst it’s under attack from a hoard of masked men like a Police SWAT team.

More soon

Listen in tonight to Radio Loveless at KRUI 89.7 fm from 8 to 10 pm or online here. You never know, maybe Patti Smith will offer up some “Free Money”.

1. Patti Smith, Horses (originally released 1975, live album and digitally remastered version released in 2005. Patti’s Horses album also contains one of my all time favorite album covers, if this isn’t the image of feminism and equality I don’t know what is. It has photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s picture of black and white androgynous Patti.), Free Money

2. Gordon Gano, Hitting the Ground (2002), Hitting the Ground
3. Black Francis, Bluefinger (2007), She Took All the Money

4. Joy Division, Closer (a direct quote from Wikipedia “Closer is the second and final album by post-punk band Joy Division, released July 18, 1980, two months following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis.” Such a sad fact.) , Twenty Four Hours
5. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses (1989, Writers of the NME declared this album in 2006 the greatest British album of all time), This is the One
6. Desert Sessions, The Desert Sessions Vol 9 & 10 (2003), There will never be a better time
7. Thurston Moore, Trees Outside The Academy (2007, Thurston’s first solo album since his 1995 Psychic Hearts, another interesting tidbit is that it was recorded in J. Masics’, of Dinosaur Jr, home studio), Trees Outside The Academy
8. Blondie, Blondie (1976), Look Good in Blue
9. X, Wild Gift (1981 and on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of all Time!), In This House That I Call Home
(On a side note the vocalist Exene Cervenka has a solo album out with Blood Shot Records that I hear is awesome! She just performed live in Brooklyn NY just last weekend. Also through the grape vine, I heard that this classic vocalist has recently been diagnosed with MS. One more reason to admire this woman who is still rocking live venues.)
Here’s her new album:

10. The Smiths, The Sound of the Smiths (A compilation released in 2008), Vicar in a Tutu
11. Depeche Mode, Violator (1990, their seventh and most brilliant, in my opinion, studio album. This is also on Rolling Stones 500 greatest albums of all time and is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before you Die), Halo
12. Bauhaus, The Sky’s Gone Out (1982), Third Uncle (This was originally Brian Eno’s track)

13. The Cure, Seventeen Seconds (1980), M
14. June of 44, The Anatomy of Sharks-EP (1997, based out of Louisville), Boom
15. Egg Hunt (a project of Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson , former singer and drummer of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat), Me and You-Single (1986), Me and You

16. Pavement, Brighten the Corners (1997 with Matador Records), Date W/ IKEA
17. Sleater-Kinney, Sleater-Kinney (1995), The Day I went Away
18. The Jesus & Mary Chain, Stoned And Dethroned (1994), Girlfriend
19. South, From Here On In (2001), Sight of Me
20. Spacemen 3, Recurring (1991), Just to See you Smile
21. Kinski, Alpine Static (2005 off of Sub Pop), The Party Which You Know Will Be Heavy
22. New Order, Substance (1987), Perfect Kiss
22. Slint, Tweez (1989), Pat

*Bare lige for god ordens skyld, så skrev jeg oprindeligt dette indlæg skærtorsdag i år på en anden blog, men har nu valgt at flytte det herover, hvor det passer bedre ind. Så tag det med den aktuelle højtid med et gran salt.

Ja, nu var det såmænd ikke i et håbløst forsøg på at lokke sagesløse Take That-fans herind – omend I selvfølgelig er hjerteligt velkomne – at jeg navngav denne post efter et af deres mange store hits, men jeg følte at det var en passende indgang til dette musikalske indlæg. For hvad er mere oplagt end at fejre den aktuelle højtid med et par bønner eller tre fra bunken? Altså, bønner til Gud, I ved – øjet i det høje. Derfor kommer her tre mere eller mindre ydmyge, musikalske bønner.

• Damien Jurado – Medication (fra Ghost of David, 2000)

“Lord, do me a favor/it’s wrong but I ask you/take my brother’s life”

Jackie, fortælleren i Damien Jurados 4½ minutter korte, musikalske novelle, har mange bekymringer; så meget afslører han allerede i første strofe af Medication. Han har en bror lidt længere nede ad vejen og en elskerinde andetsteds i byen, og de har begge alvorligt brug for ham, og uanset om klokken er to om natten eller seks om morgenen, så er han manden der sidder klar ved telefonen for at støtte sine kære. Men det er ikke nemt at være Jackie, for kvinden han elsker er gift med en politibetjent af den hårde skole, der kan spotte farer og løgnere på stedet, og hun er forståeligt nok ikke tryg ved at måtte lyve om sine udenomsægteskabelige affærer. Midtvejs i denne traurige historie har betjenthusbonden åbenbart fornemmet at noget er i gære, og stakkels Jackie bliver afvist af sin udkårne.

Men så er der heldigvis mere tid til at tage sig af brormand, og det kan der nok være brug for, da han er psykisk syg og ser småkryb på loftet og mænd der fortæller ham, at han og Jackie snart skal dø:

“Death is upon me/I know ’cause he showed me/pictures of graveyards/and us underneath”

Da Jackies møde med elskerinden som nævnt er aflyst, bliver han hjemme og passer på sin bror, der tilsyneladende har leget med barberblade – i hvert fald plejer han sit sårede håndled, mens han trygler Jackie om tilgivelse og beder ham om ikke at lade “dem” tage ham. Men Jackie bliver mere og mere skrøbelig, og ved synet af sin bror – bundet fast til bordet af lægerne, med elektroder hægtet fast overalt på kroppen – kan han knapt kapere mere. Heldigvis har han fjernsynet at støtte sig til, for

“the tv is blaring/with some preacher saying/God is among us/and he hears our cries”

Og så er vi tilbage hvor vi startede, med Jackies erkendelse af, at han ikke kan gøre mere for sin bror, og at denne har bedst af endelig at få fred:

“Lord, do me a favor/it’s wrong but I ask you/take my brother’s life/’cause he’s sick of the suffering/the pills he’s inhaling/the cross he is bearing/that is his troubled mind

Og sådan slutter denne ubærlige tragedie med en bøn til at Gud slår et af sine egne børn ihjel – for alles bedste. Om han opfylder ønsket melder historien intet om.

• Shellac – Prayer to God (fra 1000 Hurts, 2000)

Nu Gud alligevel er i gang med at fjerne sine kære fra deres jordiske liv, så har han forhåbentlig også modtaget nedenstående memo:

“To the one true God above/here is my prayer”

“Jeg kender lige et par mennesker du gerne må ondulere. Det drejer sig om en kvinde og en mand. Hun må gerne lide en stilfærdig død, måske via en sygdom eller eventuelt et diskret slag i nakken, lige der hvor hendes halskæde lukkes. Ja, det lyder som den rigtige metode.

Ham, just fucking kill him/I don’t care if it hurts

Nej, ved nærmere eftertanke – han skal virkelig lide.

Fucking kill him/but first/make him cry like a woman

Hold lidt igen, lad ham lide lidt mere – og så:

Fucking kill him/kill him already/kill him/just fucking kill him!

Amen.”

• Spacemen 3 – Lord Can You Hear Me? (fra Playing With Fire, 1989)

“Lord, help me out”

“Jeg har gået og overvejet at tage mit eget liv, for, ser du, alle jeg elsker er skredet, og der er ikke rigtig noget i dette usle liv der kan tilfredsstille mig. Jeg har mistet alt, og prøv at se hvordan jeg har mishandlet mig selv, se hvordan jeg ser ud. Men nu er jeg kommet i tvivl, for hvis jeg tager mit liv – hvor havner jeg så? Kører elevatoren op til taget eller ned i kælderen?

Gud? Gud? Kan du høre mig, Gud? Er du der? Hører du overhovedet efter? Så tag mig dog, for fanden!

UPS!”

Hvis jeg skal komme med et kvalificeret bud, så tror jeg elevatoren kører ned i kælderen for afsenderen af denne bøn.

Og således opmuntret ønsker jeg alle en fortsat god påske. Spis og drik jer mætte i oblater og rød saftevand (eller andet, hvis det smager jer bedre), og husk: At I altid kan sende en mail eller bøn til Ham på øverste etage. Der er dog ingen garanti for at han modtager jeres besked.

It’s been ages. I was looking down my “Recently Played” playlist trying to decide where the cutoff should be; 10, 20, 30 or 40. Then I thought, well I guess it depends on how much commentary I put with each track.

So I’m going with a Top 40. Reason – I have several new CDs to review so I’ll save my energies for that. This will be a list. Just a list. No comments.

This goes from most recent to most distant!

1. Why Does The Rain – The Loft
2. Help You Ann – The Lyres
3. The Smallest Church in Sussex – British Sea Power
4. Killed By Death – Motorhead
5. Ten Feet Tall – XTC
6. Games of Diamonds – Deerhunter
7. My Sex – Ultravox!
8. Easy – The Beta Band
9. We’ve Got Time – Broadcast
10. French Tickler – Sonic Youth
11. Got To Get The Nerve – Field Music
12. Jacqueline – The Durutti Column
13. Ignoreland – The Forms
14. Atrocity Exhibition – Joy Division
15. Unlit Hallway – Mark Kozelek
16. Insight – Joy Division
17. So Far Gone – The Early Years
18. Honey – Spacemen 3
19. Babys – Bon Iver
20. Pumpkin Gets A Snakebite – Animal Collective
21. Everyone – The Aliens
22. Ten – The Soviettes
23. Voodoo Ray – A Guy Called Gerald
24. Mt. – Super Furry Animals
25. One Half Hour Ago – Rain Parade
26. The Bells of Dunwich – Stone Angel
27. Fade Away – New Age Steppers
28. Macbeth – Ciccone Youth
29. Went Crazy – The Teardrop Explodes
30. Oh Lonesome Me – M. Ward
31. Concrete Heaven – Blitzen Trapper
32. Last Words – 23 Skidoo
33. Senor Nachos – Dustball
34. No Motion – Dif Juz
35. You Used To Call Me Sadness – Stereolab
36. Remember Me – British Sea Power
37. It Was A Pleasure Then – The Velvet Underground
38. Falling Down Around Me – The Teardrop Explodes
39. And Then Again – A Certain Ratio
40. Married, 2 Kids – The Fall

Woosh. Done. I’ll pick a few out of these to comment on tomorrow. Settling down now to watch England vs Croatia!

P

E mais um clássico! Ou nao deles fizessem parte Jason Pierce (Spiritualized) e Peter Kember (aka Sonic Boom, fundador dos Spectrum e membro dos EAR).

Review by Ned Raggett

Appropriately preceded by the mind-melting crunch of the “Revolution” single, Playing with Fire proved to be the end of Spacemen 3 as a functioning band, but in truly spectacular fashion. Exploring both the depths of serene, agog beauty and sheer tape-shredding chaos, Playing with Fire pushed the extremes of The Perfect Prescription to an even further edge. It’s little surprise that Pierce and Sonic couldn’t find themselves properly working together after it, but even less that hordes of bands to follow would rank Playing with Fire as the equal (or better) of psychedelia’s ’60s/’70s forebears. Sonic himself is quoted in one reissue’s liner notes as feeling the album “was the refining point of a lot of my theories on minimalism being maximalism” — as apt a description as any. One of his songs, “How Does It Feel?,” sums it up by using a series of notes echoing off into the distance, again and again. With future Spiritualized bassist Will Carruthers in place of Bain, the trio (and uncredited drummer) created glazed, liquid songs with subtle arrangements and sheer reveling in aural joys. Flange is everywhere, as is echo, full dynamic stereo mixes and more, a feast of sound. When aiming toward a gentler, hushed sound, most notably on Pierce’s compositions, the incorporation of gospel power filtered through the band’s own perspective results in wonders, as heard on “Come Down Softly to My Soul” and the album closing “Lord Can You Hear Me?” As for the louder end of things, besides the awesome “Revolution” itself, a slow burn blast that just keeps getting more and more obsessive and frenetic as it goes, Sonic calling for a release of energy in a mere five seconds, the other complete freakout is “Suicide.” An instrumental tribute to the New York synth pioneers, Spacemen 3 keep the minimalism and up the feedback with astonishing results. Initial repressings of the album in the mid-’90s included tracks from the Revolution and Threebie singles, while an elaborate reissue in 1999 also including a full extra disc of demos and rarities, including covers of the Perfect Disaster’s “Girl on Fire” and the Troggs’ “Anyway That You Want Me” — eventually Spiritualized’s first single.

1 Honey
2 Come Down Softly to My Soul
3 How Does It Feel?
4 I Believe It
5 Revolution
6 Let Me Down Gently
7 So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears)
8 Suicide
9 Lord Can You Hear Me?
10 Suicide [live]
11 Repeater (How Does It Feel) [live]
12 Che
13 May the Circle Be Unbroken

http://rapidshare.com/files/250966534/Spacemen_3_-_Playing_with_Fire.rar
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http://www.mediafire.com/?mvfmizmvggw

Powinni już teraz rządzić światem, z grubsza biorąc, a Polską w szczególności. Liczba fanów grupy Loop, która ujawniła się, odkąd przemieszczam się z naręczem płyt tej formacji (ostrzegam: komentarze sugerujące, że to tani lans, będą usuwane – jeśli to w ogóle lans, to z pewnością niezbyt tani . Z dwoma z nich miałem przyjemność na Blipie, dokąd ostatnio zajrzałem w pogodni za nowymi formami komunikowania. Trzecią – właściwie kandydatką na fankę – okazała się moja koleżanka z działu filmowego „Przekroju”, którą zainteresowało dobiegające z mojego pokoju głośne „Black Sun” i dla której właśnie w tej chwili sporządzam poglądową kopię drugiego albumu w dyskografii Anglików. Zdawkowe uwagi na temat reedycji płyt tej grupy wymieniłem z napotkanymi słuchaczami Off Festivalu i jeszcze z jakimiś zupełnie przypadkowo zagadniętymi osobami. Bo tak się składa, że przy okazji wychodzących reedycji Loop zapętliłem się w słuchaniu ich muzyki.

Dlaczego aż tak? Łapczywie nadrabiam w ten sposób stracony czas. Zespół ten w Polsce miał w czasach swojego istnienia status jeszcze gorzej znanego niż spokrewniony muzycznie Spacemen 3. Czyli w praktyce status zerowy – nie grano go w radiu i nie pisano o nim w prasie. Pomijam tu recenzję mojego kolegi Rafała – piszącego wówczas jako RNDZL – ponieważ ukazała się w gazetce “Off”, w której samemu maczałem palce. Co więcej, z tej właśnie recenzji dowiedziałem się sam o istnieniu Loop, już krótko po rozwiązaniu tego zespołu. Co ciekawe, najpierw poznałem dwa projekty, które powstały na gruzach Loop. Sekcja rytmiczna założyła wtedy The Hair & Skin Trading Company, zespół, który nagrał trzy płyty: kiepską, dobrą i… cóż, trzeciej nigdy nie słyszałem. A Robert Hampson poszedł własną ścieżką jako Main i z racji moich ówczesnych zainteresowań okolicami muzyki industrialnej i ekstremistami w rodzaju Godflesha (ale także dostępności w Polsce – dzięki Beggars Banquet, zresztą podobnie rzecz się miała z TH&STCo) na jego nagrania trafiłem wcześniej.

Ta wspomniana w nawiasie dostępność była kluczowa. Płyty Loop wydawano na kompaktach na bieżąco, ale były niedostępne w Polsce, więc zdobyczna kaseta z przekopiowanym albumem “A Gilded Eternity” stanowiła dla mnie długo swego rodzaju relikwię, a w czasie wypadów na Zachód Loop był pierwszy na liście do kupienia i pozostał dla mnie prywatnie ze statusem świętego Graala. To odpowiedź na pocieszenie dla dzisiejszych 20-latków, którzy czują się nieswojo, bo nie poznawali starych arcydzieł na bieżąco, gdy te wychodziły z pierwszego tłoczenia. Spieszę donieść: dzisiejsi trzydziesto- i czterdziestolatkowie mieli ten sam problem z jeszcze wcześniejszą epoką (np. moje pokolenie z latami 70. – jak ja żałowałem, że już wtedy nie słuchałem muzyki), poza tym nie poznawali płyt na bieżąco, tylko po latach nadrabiają zaległości. Sam czekałem całe lata na reedycje tych albumów. I wreszcie są.

“Heaven’s End” 2CD (Head 1987/Reactor 2008 – 8/10) kupiłem na początek, bo tego – wstyd się przyznać – nie znałem w ogóle. Spodziewałem się zżynki z The JAMC, okazało się bliżej Spacemen 3. Plusem jest dla mnie brzmienie przesterowanych gitar, które, oryginalne w swoich inspiracjach, przypomina nie The JAMC, ale wręcz Hawkwind. Gdybym słuchał tego w latach 90. pewnie zrobiłoby na mnie jeszcze większe wrażenie. Podobnie z grą perkusji. Hampson zatrudniał tu jeszcze na perkusji własną żonę, Bex, a ta miała wyraźnie spacerockowe podejście, jeśli chodzi o sposób grania. W przeciwieństwie do jej następcy (nie na stanowisku żony, tylko bębniarza, of course) Johna Willisa, którego wzorcem bębnienia był raczej Stephen Morris i zespół Joy Division.

“Fade Out” 2CD (Chapter 22 1989/Reactor 2008 – 7/10) jest najgorsza z całej trójki albumów, ale mimo wszystko warta zainteresowania. Bliżej JAMC, a jeszcze bardziej do nieokrzesanych The Stooges, narkotyczna atmosfera i powtarzalne męczenie gitar. Sprawia wrażenie najbardziej “amatorskiej”, puszczonej na żywioł produkcji Loop, ale kilka fragmentów zachwyca. Pisałem przy okazji recenzji Dinosaur jr. o rzężeniu (poprawna wersja płyty rzęzi jednak dużo mniej). Przy okazji Loop lepszym określeniem byłoby bzyczenie. Jeśli słucha się tego z daleka, cała ściana gęsto sfuzzowanych gitar plus jazgoczący jednostajnie pierwszy plan brzmią razem właśnie jak brzęk, albo nawet szum. Przy okazji – to tu na bonusowym dysku znaleźć można serię “Fade Out Guitar Loops”, o których mowa nieco dalej.

„A Gilded Eternity” 2CD (Situation 2 1990/Reactor 2009 – 8/10), choć często wymieniana jako najlepsza, nie jest wcale najlepszą płytą na początek dla kogoś, kto grupy nie zna. Przede wszystkim najdalej odbiła od linii psychodelicznego rocka końca lat 80., w którą wpisują się dwa poprzednie albumy. Klimat jest najbardziej zimny, riffy bardziej chore, dołujące jest to wszystko jak cholera – włącznie z kapitalnym finałem, jedną z najlepszych kompozycji Loop w ogóle, czyli „Be Here Now”. Nie do pomylenia z kompozycją Oasis z płyty o tej samej nazwie. Zresztą co to jest Oasis przy Loop, jeśli patrzy się na oba zjawiska z perspektywy kilkunastu lat.

“The World In Your Eyes” 2CD (Reactor 2009 – 9/10) – w tym wypadku wysoka ocena może dziwić, szczególnie tych wszystkich, którzy znają pierwotną wersję kompilacji o tym samym tytule. Tu mamy jednak do czynienia z zupełnie inną płytą. Nowe „The World…” to album trzypłytowy zawierający same rarytasy, nieostępne gdzie indziej utwory z EP-ki „16 Dreams” i singli, ale w znacznie bardziej obszernym zestawie niż na składance wydanej w roku 1987. Trafiły tu także różne wersje kompozycji „Arc-Lite” i kilka kapitalnych fragmentów koncertowych. No i covery z tribute-albumów poświęconych różnym wykonawcom: „Mother Sky” grupy Can, „Pink Moon” Nicka Drake’a i „Cinnamon Girl” Neila Younga. Ciekawe jako zestaw utworów i jako źródło inspiracji. Morze materiału i kopalnia informacji o potencjale zespołu, a przy okazji bardzo ładnie wydany trzypłytowy zestaw. Pełna lista utworów dla zainteresowanych – poniżej.

Co ważne, WSZYSTKIE poprzednio opisywane katalogowe albumy zostały teraz wydane w wersjach dwupłytowych, więc komplet sesji dla Johna Peela i brawurowe wykonanie „Rocket USA” Suicide, jak również gitarowe eksperymenty Hampsona z pętlami gitarowymi zwiastujące pierwszą fazę Main znajdziemy na poszczególnych bonusowych płytach. Po latach doceniam lidera Loop także za to, w jaki sposób podchodził do nagrań. Trzymał pieczę nad każdą nutą i dlatego możemy się cieszyć z jednej z najładniejszych i najpełniejszych serii reedycji, jakie kiedykolwiek wpadły w moje ręce. Dziś Hampson właśnie wydał kolejny album – tym razem solową płytę z muzyką eksperymentalną. Szczegóły wkrótce, gdy tylko wydostanę się z pętli.

This is the sort of release that really challenges the critic.  What to say?  Back to first principles as we say in the day job…

(1) Are you familiar with the work of Spacemen 3 and the two core members, Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce? Yes – go to (2).  No – go to (3)

(2) Do you like Spacemen 3 and in particular Sonic Boom’s influence on the band?  Yes – go to (4).   No – go to (5)

(3) Where on earth have you been?  Buy the second album “The Perfect Prescription” and “Translucent Flashbacks” (a compilation of the first two Spacemen 3 eps).  If you don’t like those go to (5).  If you do work through the rest of the Spacemen 3 catalogue, I suggest in roughly this order – “Playing With Fire”, “Sound Of Confusion”, “Dreamweapon”, “Recurring”, “For All The Fucked Up Children In The World We Give You Spacemen 3”.  If you’re still with me move onto Sonic Boom’s solo work and work with Spectrum (go to (4)). If you like the second half of “Recurring” move on to Spiritualized (tempted to say go to (5) but that is a bit harsh on poor old Jason, who had all the musical talent but none of the magic).

(4) Spectrum – “War Sucks” ep.  This is the second time Sonic Boom has covered a song from The Red Krayola’s 1967 album “The Parable of Arable Land”, after Spacemen 3’s version of “Transparent Radiation” which was, in my opinion, one of the finest Spacemen 3 songs.   “The Parable of Arable Land” is a pretty good album (almost) ruined by horrendous ‘free-form freakouts’ between each song.  There are many reasons to love the sixties, but any decade that results in musicians employing 50 of their fans, calling them “The Familiar Ugly” and getting them to make random noises using both musical instruments and household implements to use as segments between songs clearly wasn’t all that.

And how fucking depressing is it that some old hippy, anti-war, nonsense from the 60s is relevant and vital today as it was back then? The only consolation is at least that Tony Blair has given us a damn perfect reason to hate him, so I don’t have to come across as unreasonable saying I just hate his smug, bible bashing, self-serving, smug, conceited, cunty, smug, twatty smug-face.

Anyway.  “War Sucks” is the kinda garagey, poppy, psychedelicacy that Sonic Boom does so well. It would undoubtedly be harsh to say it’s one for the completists, but let’s be frank, not everyone is a total Sonic Boom obsessive like me.  8/10.  “Razzle-Dazzle Mind” is much more in a Stereolab vein – relentless and almost certainly one that will become a live favourite.  On record 6.5/10, but I gotta felling it’ll be an 8.5 on stage.  “Walking and Falling” is not a song (spoken word track in its original form, but with music on this ep) that I am familiar with.  Apparently it’s a Laurie Anderson cover.   Fucking chilled out shit of the highest order.  Very few guitar bands can get this laid back, and it segues into “Over and Over” which doesn’t get any less horizontal.

(5) You, my good sir (or madam), are a cloth-eared fool.

So, I’m not an obsessive fan. I can’t even tell you the chronology of their releases.

1982: We all liked Echo And The Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes. When we discussed influences the talk was always about The Doors and The Velvet Underground. I’d heard of Iggy Pop but not yet experienced the full force of The Stooges. The MC5 were nowhere to be seen. I was learning.

1984. A new wave of American rock hit the British shores. The Rain Parade and Green On Red started talking about their influences and one name kept cropping up; 13th Floor Elevators. I hooked up with some mailorder catalogs. No online ordering then – write off for the catalog, wait for it to arrive, digest, disect and order. Then a longer wait for delivery! I got one – I’m convinced it was linked somehow to Bucket Full Of Brains, but I may be wrong! And there were pages of stuff I’d never heard from the 60s, plus a whole section devoted to the 13th Floor Elevators. I was intrigued (mainly by the covers!).

1986-ish. Either Radio Merseyside or Red Rose Radio. Will Sergeant interview. Running through his favourites. “I Walked With A Bugs Bunny Bendy Toy” by the Mel-O-Tones and a band called Surreal Estate. Both on Probe Plus. Went out the next weekend and bought both. Will talked about his love of Nuggets bands – in particular the 13th Floor Elevators.

1986. Jason Pierce talking about his bands new album “Sound Of Confusion”. Journalist gushes about Spacemen 3’s cover of “Rollercoaster”! Words like “seminal” used. It was that band again; 13th Floor Elevators. The shoegazing/lo-fi scene was gathering momentum. Creation records was the label to collect. Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream – all cited the 13th Floor Elevators.

1990. Droolian. Julian Cope. “Free Roky Erickson” on the cover. Who? The front-man of the 13th Floor Elevators, that’s who! (Julian Cope has opened more musical avenues for me than any other musician – he’s a legend, his musical knowledge is encyclopaedic. Ignore him at your peril).

1992/1993. Picked up some Nuggets compilations second hand – nice covers! More Elevator music!

2000. High Fidelity. The opening break-up scene. “You’re Gonna Miss Me”. 13th Floor Elevators. In a film that name-checks Stereolab and The Beta Band, that was some choice to open with. (Of course John Cusack knows his music history. Respect Mr. Cusack.)

2002. “The Psychedelic World of the 13th Floor Elevators“. 3CD set. Well worth my hard earned Dirhams. Started investigating that whole punk/psychedelic rock 1960s scene. Amazing.

2008. Mogwai. EP for the album “Hawk Is Howling”. Roky Erickson to guest on “Devil Rides”. Here we go again. I feel a Elevator experience coming.

2009. Twitter. Plasmatron aka Stuart Braithwaite. Front-man (??) with Mogwai. Mid-June. “my 10 cd 13th Floor Elevators box set just arrived. yes. I’m happy “.

2009. July. Received my copy of “Sign Of The 3 Eyed Men”.

Love the title, love the band (like they love The Mary Chain, Suicide and Spacemen 3). Crocodiles newest effort is out on Fat Possum. Bought mine on CD at Pet Sounds in Stockholm, but there’s supposed to be an LP too. Check it out!

/ Mikael Nordlander.

So here is the sixth band of the week. It has been a long time since I posted, and since it is summer, I now have copious amounts of time to keep up with this thing.

Quite possibly my favorite band that is still together and going on, The Asteroid No. 4.

The band has multiple albums, their latest album These Flowers of Ours: A Treasury of Witchcraft and Devilry, which is definitely and by far their best album. Their other albums, in order, Introducing The Asteroid #4, Honeyspot, King Richard’s Collectibles, and An Amazing Dream are all great albums, but do not compare to their latest.

An Amazing Dream is definitely second best, followed by King Richard’s and Introducing. Honeyspot is more of a psychedelic folk/country rock album, but is still worth a listen, especially to see some of A4’s roots.

My five favorite songs by A4 are My Love, War, These Flowers of Ours, Urban Disaster, and Egyptians & Druids. The first three are all off of These Flowers of Ours, and the other two are off of King Richard’s and Introducing, respectively.

A4 is a great mix of Shoegaze, Psychedelic, Folk, and Rock. hey are very reminiscent of the 60’s, and I guess they would have been very popular then if they had been born in that time period.

I enjoy A4 and their persona, and just about all of their music. They have recently started work on new songs and have actually played a few in concert as well. I really would like to see them in concert, but the kind of bands I like never seem to come to the midwest.

A4 credits bands such as Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Spacemen 3, The Byrds, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Buffalo Springfield, The Who, and The Cure among others.

La imagen icónica de “Persona” (1966), la que para una buena parte de cinéfilos es una de las aportaciones más decisivas de Igmar Bergman al séptimo arte, es la de los bustos entrecruzados de sus dos actrices protagonistas, Liv Ullmann y Bibi Andersson: cabezas griegas, de narices respingonas y la tez clara, serenas y marmóreas en el fotograma en blanco y negro. Que Andreas Tilliander haya escogido “Persona” para titular su nuevo disco bajo el alias –o sea, bajo la máscara; máscara en griego es ‘persona’– de Mokira indica una afinidad completa con la película de su sueco paisano, aunque no hay que ver mayores conexiones más allá del gusto de Tilliander por un tipo de cine reflexivo. Tilliander puede ser un personaje polivalente en esto de la electrónica –un día le hace un mastering a un extraño a cambio de unos cuantos euros, al otro le da por el baile nervioso–, pero desde que trasladó a Mokira al sello Type con el soberbio “Album”, está claro que ha hecho de este seudónimo, conscientemente, su bandera por la abstracción, por la refinación del ambient.

El primer Mokira en Type sugería un estudio minucioso de los procesos dub y techno de Vladislav Delay: era una larguísima suite de crujidos analógicos, de ambientes con carga magnética y de bombos abortados, comidos por una introspección congelada. “Persona”, aún compartiendo el mismo gusto por la sutil permanencia, está formado a partir de otros principios. Se intuyen los restos de una pasión anterior por el sonido de la escuela Chain Reaction, se oyen aún los ecos lejanos de un dub serpentíneo, de color gris metal, ahogado en unas aguas casi bajo cero, pero no deja de ser un final del camino y un punto de partida para el otro. Admite Andreas Tilliander que, en estos últimos años, se ha dado al buen vicio –o capricho, porque no es malo ni perjudica a su salud– de coleccionar sintetizadores antiguos. También dice el sueco que, como le ocurre a mucha gente, su oído está más fascinado por el espacio entre planetas que el resquicio que queda entre dos bombos, y por tanto “Persona” suena más cósmico que según el libro de estilo de Pole o Scion. Este punto de partida es, en efecto, la clave de todo.

Más que cósmico, “Persona” es espacial: hay una dedicatoria a Jason Pierce y Pete Kember en el libreto interior –“gracias por firmar mi camiseta, Jason, y perdón de nuevo por interrumpir tu concierto”–, una manera muy directa de decirnos que admira mucho el trabajo de Spiritualized, de Spectrum y, sobre todo, del dúo que unió a Pierce y Kember en los años ochenta, Spacemen 3. Luego llega “Oscillations And Tremolo”, pieza quinta en una suite de pulsos, atmósferas cargadas y extensas longitudes de vacío, y la influencia que hasta entonces sólo se había advertido tímidamente estalla de pleno: es, en efecto, un homenaje al space rock de grano grueso y trazo analógico directo de Spacemen 3. ¿Cósmico? No exactamente: antes y después de ese ensayo tímbrico con osciladores antiguos y sintetizadores del cámbrico lo que se intuyen son los inputs que otorga el escuchar mucho a Harmonia en casa –en los discos en los que también estaba Brian Eno, claro es–, pero también a Flying Saucer Attack y a esa pareja con barba y faldas con la que, quién sabe si queriendo o sin querer, Mokira está compartiendo espacio, Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom, también agazapados entre las sombras que dejan las interesecciones entre sonido kosmische y el no atreverse a soltar el beat. Hay caminos que se hacen al andar. Lo que no sabía el poeta es que hay caminos que se hacen al flotar y sin que el tiempo transcurra. Y el camino de “Persona” es de aquellos que invitan a uno a olvidarse del reloj, incluso de lo que ocurre más allá de la ventana, envolverse en un nirvana con forma de burbuja y recorrerlo con frecuencia.

Skriet

If Spacemen 3 made minimalism as the new maximalism, Skriet (one of the guys from the amazing Pascal and one filmmaker…) makes what could’ve been if the tripping space cadets started in Sweden right now, looted history, but skipped the really loud guitar (for a proper Spacemen 3 vibe, check out Pistol Disco  from Gothenburg. They’re really good). Skriet does have that blues, early rock and gospel feel to them on their Skriet full length, even if they never lived it. Sure, they also resonate some vibe the 80’s acts in Sweden tried out, mostly because the lyrics are sung in Swedish.

 Ok. What then? Introvert, floor sitting and shoe gazing. Mostly low-key and fluid but also a bit haunting. I’m left with a feel that this is quite good, even if the Swedish sometimes puts me off. At the same time, I guess this is pretentious enough to make some of you choke on your morning coffee (that’s a good thing by the way).      

Can’t really find a proper release date on this, but I guess August sometime is close enough.

 PS. Check out the brilliant Ok Boys by Existensminimum that’s released on the same label (Novoton) as Skriet. I’ve listened to that a lot this year, and it hasn’t gotten old yet.

/ Mikael Nordlander.

The December Sound

Playing records at Rundgång @ Babel in Malmö tomorrow with Dennis Lood. (Mono Stereo play live, check them out too!). Thought we’d bust out some new(ish) stuff besides the obvious shoegazing oldies and 60’s racket. Since most of you won’t be there, I’ll let you in on a few of the newer things I’ll play. You might have heard them all before, but since I do love stating the obvious…

 Woven Bones. Thrashed-out garage with a lot of smoke and strobe as company. Think Misfits playing the first Jesus and Mary Chain after stealing Velvet Undergrounds’ dope. A lot of goodness here even though they’ve only released three 7” yet. Hope to hear a lot more from these Austin dudes.

 Crocodiles. If you take away the nihilistic punk feel and keep the feedback drenched 50’s feel of the same equation i presented above and toss in some Suicide minimalism and noise you get Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowlands’  (The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower/Some Girls) new band. Primal and sweet (yet sometimes they manage to annoy me with some ’03 NYC indie dance-vibe). Their new album is called Summer of Hate.

 The December Sound. Might be yesterdays news for you since they’ve been around for a few years, but I like it a lot, and I think they deserve some more attention. If you mix Warlocks with A Place to Bury Strangers you’ll get this. Nice feedback and fuzz-drenched space rock. More Spacemen 3 and shoegaze than Hawkwind though. Said to have a new record out soon.

 / Mikael Nordlander.

Occasionally, I wonder if I stopped off in the wrong city.

It’d be nice to travel down to Northcote or Collingwood of an evening and be able to catch a sprawling set of often instrumental music from Beaches: music that touches on much of what I enjoy (Krautrock, 60s garage, beach parties, Sonic Youth, 1980 London post-punk, 1982 Dunedin). It’d be nice to rub shoulders on the inside, begin to feel the heady warmth of the sixth or seventh pint obscuring vision and memory, do away with the past decade of misdirection and fake DIY (any band that cites Animal Collective as an influence, any band that relishes the description ‘twee’ – unless they happen to be the Bobby McGee’s, any band that once enjoyed Britpop). This is Australian music as I understand it – Drones, Cannanes, Scientists. This is garage rock as I’ve encountered it in Detroit, in Peckham, in Seattle, in Melbourne. This is music that cleanses and scours and invigorates.

I know next to nothing about Beaches. I have the memory of one sighting – at January’s ATP, where the five ladies absolutely rocked the smaller stage, despite being offset by cavernous peaks and fluctuating sound, where they made me slip momentarily back in time (stage front, Victoria, London’s Venue, 1985, Spacemen 3 tuning up… but far scratchier). And I have one album – last year’s Beaches, released on Mistletone, which I dare not get to close to, in case my yearning for physical contact becomes like a physical ache. ‘Horizon’, in particular… yeah, ‘Horizon‘ in particular.

Oh, and ‘Free Way’ may well be a Sonic Youth (circa Sister) rip… but it’s a fucking great Sonic Youth rip!

Whatever. (Shrugs.) Plan B Magazine no longer exists, no one pays me shit to write about anyone anymore… I just wanted to tell someone.

A les 19.30 de la tarda, feien la seva aparició a l’escenari Estrella-Damm els Spectrum. La banda de l’ex-Spacemen 3 Sonic-Boom (Peter Kember) omplien el recinte del Fòrum amb al seu so ple de psicodèlia i de loops de guitarra. El seu trance-rock hipnotitza gràcies a uns temes que et transporten a la dimensió caleidoscòpica del so.

A les 20.35 comencaven a sonar els The Vaselines a l’escenari Rockdelux. Un repàs a les seves melodies i a uns temes que Kurt Cobain va posar en boca de tots, però que per si sols ja haurien de tenir prou reconeixement. Després de Jesus don’t want me for a sunbeam, era l’hora de fer cues i gastar encara més pasta: hi havia set i gana, per tant, a perdre temps i a escurar-se les butxaques. Pert, cert, fent un mos sentíem a The Tallest Man On Earth, una mena de Dylan del S.XXI cansat de tot, però que sonava interessant, potser massa dens, però apuntarem el nom.

A les 21.45 teníem a Yo La Tengo a l’escenari Estrella Damm. Presenten disc al mes de setembre, i amb el seu eclecticisme habitual, van oferir algun tema nou i també van aprofitar per fer memòria de la seva discografia, amb un so que per moments et feia pensar que estaves a un recinte tancat i petit. Funk, pop, noise, folk, tot en un, i tot només amb tres músics sobre l’escenari que van sonar de primera.

A les 23.20 Phoenix omplien l’escenari Rockdelux, on la gent va poder disfrutar dels temes del seu darrer treball. Els francesets van confirmar el seu bon moment de forma, i tot i que tenen temes amb certa gràcia i melodies agradables, quan se’ls compara (injustament) amb altres bandes, encara tenen un llarg marge de millora.

00:20.My Bloody Valentine es plantaven amb la seva muralla infranquejable de so amb un volum i una distorsió excessives per aquells que quan van a un concert volen reconèixer tots i cadascun dels temes. Kevin Shields sembla decidit a fer els temes de MBV però amb un massa proper a Experimental Audio Research. Per tant, al quart tema, cap a l’escenari ATP, on ens esperaven el descobriment de l’any, els Dead Meadow. El trio de Washington, amb un so que suma l’stoner i la psicodèlia, van fer el tema del dia: At Her Open Door. Crus, senzills, autèntics, i capaços de crear una atmosfera verdosa i el·líptica propera al nirvana musical.

Per acabar la nit: The Horrors. Enormes. El seu darrer treball els confirma com la millor banda nova del moment. Ni un so lamentable va frenar la banda, que durant una hora ens va hipnotitzar a tots gràcies al seu creuament perfecte entre Ramones i Joy Division. Who Can Say o I Can’t Control Myself van ser dos dels moments de la primera jornada.

RA.155 Louderbach (zshare: stream/download)

Tracklist:

The Acid Didj – 4 – Telepathic Recordings
Stars Of The Lid – 13 Piano Aquieu – Kranky
Andrew Thomas – Hushhh – Kompakt
Spacemen 3 – Taking Drugs To Make Music To – Father Yod
Cluster – Marzipan – Brain
DJ Dove – Feel The Sun – Narcotic Records
Plastikman – Contain – M_nus
Der Zyklus – Formenverwandler – Frustrated Funk
Acidrain – Floatin – Stadtgruen
Phuture – Jiggerwatts – Public
Plastikman – Plastiscene – novamute
I.A. Bericochea – R7 – M_nus
Losoul – Open Door – Playhouse
Section 25 – New Horizon – Factory
Jack Master – Manic Danser – Jack
Ø – Helium – Sähkö Recordings
Kotai & Mo – Boys In The Backstreet – Elektro Music Department
Peter F. Spiess – Malfunction – Klang Elektronik
Silver Apples – Lovefingers – Kapp Records
Higher Intelligence Agency – Selinite – Warp Records
Drexciya – 700 Million Light Years From Earth – Clone Records
Jake Fairley – In Stitches – Sender Records
Psychic TV – New Sexuality – Temple Records
Konrad Black – Separation Anxiety – 240 Volts
Bauhaus – Of Lillies And Remains – Nippon Columbia
Baby Ford – Normal – Rephlex
Monojunk – Mindwander – Dum Records
The Cure – All Cats Are Grey – Polydor
Round Four – Found A Way – Main Street Records
Stephan Laubner – Portside Waves – Perlon
Arthur Russell – Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun – Rough Trade
William Basinski – Melancholia 1 – 2062