Wire Tapper 35
Included with The Wire issue 366 from August 2014.
Bad Seeds gone…bad?: I recently went to see a local theater company stage Nick Cave’s “And the Ass Saw the Angel.” The live background music for that show was a perfect threatening and foreboding soundtrack; the track “Holt, Jarmara” by God In Hackney would have fit perfectly into that setting. It is anchored by bowed double bass, threatening drumming, and repetitive chanted group vocals, and creates a tension that is never relieved. For further listening check out their album “Cave Moderne” which presents variations on the same theme.
One I explored further: The track included here by Quttinirpaaq (“Malvert”) sounds like the theme song for an amazing film noir. An ominous repetitive deep percussion and piano line, indecipherable but sinister vocals down in the mix, and apparently a colony of bats are released a couple times to add a little chaos.
Listening to the album this track comes from (“No Visitors”) reveals that “Malvert” is actually one of their more “mellow” tracks. While there are a few other songs in a similar vein, the rest of the album also includes lots of industrial psyche noise and feedback. I keep finding great bands from Austin, Texas like this one; a few more and I may need to relocate.
One I will definitely explore further: On first listen it sounded like some sort of alien broadcast. “Figment of Imagination” by Coppe’ is a poppy experimental electronic song featuring unusual vocals and a really catchy beat. Intrigued I started clicking away and found her website which refers to her as “The Legendary Godmother of Japanese Electronica” and shows a ton of music she has released. For me this is one of those artists where I have to embarrassingly wonder how I’ve missed all this time…I should have discovered her years ago, but somehow did not. The good news for me is now I have an extensive Coppe’ catalogue waiting for me to dig into.
Best Saxophone, Hair and Beard combination: “Marens Mauw (Edit)” by Lars Greve nicely combines him playing slow, minimalist saxophone over a bed of nature sounds and static. The music is so good it is not overshadowed by his tremendous hairstyle and beard. An enthusiastic thumbs up for the style of both the music and the musician.
I don’t see how this could possibly work: “Briefcase Wormholes” by Cayos has chaotic electronic rhythms and noise overlaid with gentle electronic ambient sounds. The idea behind that mixture may not sound like it can result in anything good, but it does. I find it simultaneously energizing and calming; I can’t explain how it works, it just does.
Honorable mention, or four more to explore: Included here is a small excerpt from a live improv entitled “A Field Perpetually at the Edge of Disorder” by John Edwards/Mark Sanders/John Tilbury. The trio features double bass, piano and drums/percussion and the players seem to both challenge and complement each other with fantastic results. “Nu Dat Deze Dag Voorbij Is” by Dakota Suite & Quentin Sirjacq is just a lovely piece of music made with what sounds like a handful of brass and woodwind instruments. On “Motoman” by Running you hear loops, including what sounds like a car engine starting and squealing car wheels, mixed with a funky bass buried a bit in the mix and a slow insistent rhythm track. Then there’s “Furtivo” by Delmore fx, with its lo-fi electronics (including a tone generator that sounds like it’s malfunctioning) plus weird repurposed dinner table noises and a defective cuckoo clock…at least that’s my best guess.
Other important music information regarding the number 35:
— The 80/35 Music Festival has taken place annually for the last decade in Des Moines, Iowa. It’s named after two interstate highways which intersect that city, including I-35. Spoiler alert: I’m going to save myself some work and use this fact again when Wire Tapper 80 hits the newsstands. I’m guessing that will be around…2031…so stay tuned.
— “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” was a hit song by Bob Dylan. Even if you don’t recognize the title, you probably know it from the memorable line ending each verse: “Everybody must get stoned.”
— “Bit 35” is a song on the album “Tender Buttons” by Broadcast. Do you know the memorable lyric from this song? No, you don’t, because it’s an instrumental.
— Finally, 35 is one of the ages Frank Sinatra recalls in the song “It Was a Very Good Year.” It sounds like he had some money and was apparently hanging with “blue-blooded girls” and riding in limousines at that age, as one does. As the saying goes “It’s Frank’s world, we just live in it.”