Roman ambient post rock inflected doom.
Monsters? Surely not………then again…
Jenny Hval : Viscera
Her voice, delicate, mesmerizing, draws you into a quietened sense of self. The harmony of her songs: acoustic guitar, waves of voice that ebb and lap over a tide of abandon is matched brilliantly by the arrangements of her accomplices Havard Volden and Kyrre Laastad. This contrast of idealogical sensibilities, that of the singer-songwriter and that of the improvisational sound art / free noise jazz maker, furthers the scope and depth of musicality that is matched by the range of her lyricism. It brings them into a realm of its own creating. One dark, sweet, sardonic, dripping with sensuality and abandoning itself into a beauty of intimacy. There is no confessional aspect to these songs, theirs is not to relief a sense of guilt but instead a to share a joy of expression. A world of impulse, a once forgotten space that presents itself in glimpses.
Viscera is something verging on the present, an ancient remembrance that we all know, all have some idea of, but until reminded are unsure if it was dreamed or overheard. Somewhere between the ethereal sounds of Julie Cruise and Dead Can Dance, somewhere in-between the frail power of Stina Nordenstam and Múm, a confrontational Tori Amos and harsh abandon of pure noise. Somewhere in these places is a ground that Jenny Hval thrives, at once grasping the roots of classicism, the folkloric and contemporary. The fusion being a hypnotic revelation. One of milk, bile, honey, and the soul laid bare.
Contrasts and juxtaposition abound. One could easily assume a saccharine aesthetic and miss out on the raw, earthen and brutal honesty that Hval delves into. These songs, poems, associations, are the creation mythology. The artist as goddess, Theia, Earth before a cataclysm separated aspects of personality, and left them ever present, but separate. Like the moon, obvious, but kept for the realm of the night. Takes the legend and brings it into the present day, takes it from the seediness of shame and into the beauty and light of honesty. Creates an odyssey, one where allegorical gods, human behaviour and reality of sensuality are one. In her own words Hval says that the body is at once traveller and travelled, insides brought to the outside. Instead of the stars, Milky Way, and Underworld, Hval’s myths are the city, the journey of self, and the always. The mind Olympian, courts it’s own body. Sensuality is just that, it is not for provocation, not confrontational, but an openness. One that is shocking in its beauty because it is so rare, because it is not encumbered in a way that we expect it to be. This is her power, her force, her vitality. Not craven, not wanton. A gift of unexpected truth.
Live performances of such a woven sound can be difficult, often with artists eschewing some intricacies in favour of a more straight sound. This however is where Hval, Volden and Laastad excel. The album, you soon realise, was born from the tenuous and fickle temperament of the live set, it’s a realisation of hamonies between acoustic guitar, voices and a reeling dissonance. They are well prepared, and in the temporal, fleeting moments on-stage, create such force and brilliance that whoever lucky enough to see them live will remember it for some time to come. Drenching delay and reverb, light synthesiser touches, dark electric guitar all wash over the audience and makes an immersive spectacle. The communion between these musicians is utterly fantastic, their music, as a result being thick with understanding and balance. If the record is the myth, then the performance is the magic.
And there, in that space, magic is very real.
Check out Jenny Hval’s website and her music on myspace.
Rune Grammofon
Take, if you will this London based experimental rock trio with a trace of The Fall and musky scents of June of 44 and Reynolds, for your consideration is rewarded with their excellent “Moan Loose” a first release, on the shiny new “Horse Arm” label.
Full of tight breaks, sudden changes of intonation, the music’s dynamic drive teeters on the brilliant side of chaotic without ever falling over the edge into rambling self indulgence. The overall effect of this album is a heightened sense of neurotic elation. Veering sideways from a fast paced mania not seen since Akarso, to the anti-rock aesthetics of U.S. Maple, to gentle lulls, this highly dramatic album is fused with the full gamut of the nervous mind.
Poino find a voice, one that is not an affectation of something remembered, but one that seems genuine. Granted it is one that builds on the works of other bands (as all music is), but it is one that they take possession of. Singing in your own voice is something that a lot of singers don’t have the balls to do. It’s a kind of honesty that either scares people, or one that most don’t even realise they’re shying away from. De Vis’ vocals have definitely taken some of the cynicism of Mark E. Smith on board, fused it with a Yow-esque delivery and come out on the other side with something his own.
Cowbell is also something that doesn’t feature heavily in rock, “Bad Bag” changes that. In-fact Greenhorn’s drumming throughout is exceptional. The one problem I would have with the album is that sometimes there’s not enough clarity on the mix for the drums, snare and toms sitting a bit further away than they should, more of a choice than anything else.
Guitar and Bass are confrontational. Upfront and swerving in an unrelentlessly dizzying manner. There is no safety of a simple song structure, and the songs pull back suddenly just as easily as they jump out into a unforeseen complexity. It’s a feral conversation, one without language, where thoughts are put out to roam, or snuffed instantly.
Live they are full of on, headstrong, dramatic, and brave. Whether balancing a guitar on the face while screaming lyrics distort through its pick-ups, or suddenly shouting in accompaniment, they are engaged completely. The unrest and intensity of the performance is heightened by the utter silences between songs, they don’t choose their words lightly. Banality is not on the cards for Poino. Expect an onslaught of jagged guitar sounds, dirty punchy occasionally walking bass lines and energetic and innovative drumming.
“Previous He” – Savage
“Sex Pesto” – Great opening riff
“Strength of a Cowboy” – What a build up!
Listen to Moan Loose there. Horse Arm here
Dublin based Richter Collective rockers Hands Up Who Wants To Die have just release their first album “Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, Buffalo, buffalo”.
A write up after this.
Ola Horhe are another two-piece from Belgrade. This Drum and Synth combination plays compelling minimal Techno with driving beats. After playing together in various formats for a number of years, and touring extensively in eastern Europe as Ola Horhe they have honed their live performance to something close to sheer power. I was lucky enough to catch one at a festival last year, in a hut on the side of a ski-slope overlooking the city of Belgrade, absolutely fantastic stuff.
Their début album is coming soon.
Ola Horhe on myspace
Mühr are a doom outfit from Amsterdam. With “Shepherd/Blood” a (limited 12″ vinyl release) they’ve made an incredible first release, which is easily the best thing I’ve heard so far this year. Slow and graceful, laden with incredible power and also a delicacy of refinement. Mühr’s sound could be seen as a reflection of another Dutch band, 35007, albeit through a doom tinted glass. Indeed the psychedelic mix with doom/desert sound is something that those guys helped pioneer, Mühr takes this legacy to new places.
The guitar sound is immense in places, but is never overbearing. Even the solo’s have a very slight touch to them, using tone and noise to make a sparse swells that don’t detract attention from the overall sound.
The drumming is quite laid back, using a slow rhythm that is typical of bands in the doom genre. Using the cymbals as light touches which move the song forward, the bass-drum, tom and snare become part of a crashing noise of guitar and bass.
The vocals really stand out for their clarity. In a genre almost overrun by growlers and deep impenetrable primordial groans, the glistening immaculate vocals are a rare treat, sitting somewhere in the central background, with waves of bass and guitar around them. Like glimpsing the light of dawn through ancient oak trees on a foggy morning, or dappled through the stream of a waterfall. Mühr’s music is expansive, world-forming.
Heading back to the studio to record some new material quite soon, I expect great things from these guys. In the meantime check their myspace or buy their 12″ here.
PS (where’s my umlaut when you need it?)
10″ EP released in 2009 on Optimo Music
Listen
Fantastic Rock band. Living the Lore is a great , stright up rockin album. Shame that I only just heard about them
