It took a while to write about it but I love the new David Bowie record “The Next Day”. I saw it coming when he released “Where Are We Now?” a short while ago.
With “Where Are We Now?” he picked up the nostalgic feelings which occasionally overwhelm me when I think about Berlin. I haven’t been born when Bowie was here. I was 7 when the wall came down but this town has changed so much since I had been born. I know it is part of every town but with Berlin I think it is a bit more extreme as there are two parts growing together which had been divided for so long (and I think it’s still not really finished). For me the song (apart from being about Berlin) comes with such an emotional power, it’s almost overwhelming. It is in every note played, the synths, the way Bowie sings, simply in everything. Sometimes it just hits me in “one of the moments” everyone has and my tears are filling my eyes. Those are the things I didn’t wrote down when I posted the video weeks ago.
But it’s not only because of one song that I fell in love with this album. It’s easy to say that he didn’t do anything new, that he is his old self or anything into that direction but the music, the melodies, the songs and lyrics he created on this album are still a lot more interesting, original and creative than all the Pop/Electropop/Rock/etc. you get to hear from a lot of the younger bands. And there some little sound parts in Bowie’s new songs which remind me of bands I fell in love in with in the last couple of years (e.g. Bowie’s “If You Can See Me” and Screaming Maldini’s, I think, “Secret Sound” - I am sure SM haven’t invented that bit either but I love it).
Throughout the whole album Bowie keeps on mentioning names - they seem to be companions in his life, some as inspirations, some as friends. I find “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” weird, funny and in a way disturbing. It’s like Bowie is criticising the thing he is having a benefit of himself: the worship of celebrities, of stars, by “normal” people. The worship not of the art they create but simply by what they act in public and how the stars make us, the “normal” people, a ball in their game. I love the lyric sheet they posted on his website (look here) which shows an idea for a video: “Video - stars like Greek gods, cruel and controlling”.
I especially love the second half of the deluxe album - most songs sound like a good party…with a little 80’s touch. One of my most favourite and most played tracks on the album is “Dancing Out In Space” - I love the swirling guitars and the steady beat and how it sound like two very different people dancing with each other.
“(You Will) Set The World On Fire” hosts a fabulous riff in the middle, comes with a bunch of names like Ochs, Van Ron and Baez - all Folk and protest singers. I have talked about this topic in some of my most recent interviews with other artists, wondering if there is still the need for such singers. There is because even though many things haven’t changed people still need to be reminded of all the things going wrong. Music is a good way of doing so. Or as Kasper Eistrup of Kashmir put it: “That little country of freedom can inspire the rest of the assholes to do things in a different way” (read here the rest of the interview). I keep wondering who Bowie is singing about.
It took a few listens and a bit of time until I started to really like “Heat” - compared to the previous songs, it is dark. I need the time to wrap my mind around the lyrics. The lines I like the most are “And I tell myself/I don’t know who I am” because they feel kind of familiar. I guess it is this wish of wanting to be different from your roots and the wish of being able to change your personality. All these character traits that make me stumble so often - as much as I try to change they are always coming back.
The deluxe version of “The Next Day” comes with three bonus tracks. The instrumental “Plan” which has a little psychedelic touch and somehow doesn’t feel complete to me - not because of the missing words but there is an end missing.
“So She” and “I’ll Take You There” are just enjoyable to listen to. I like their energy, especially “I’ll Take You There”. I somehow think “Hold my hand and/ I’ll take you there” are perfect lines to end the whole album. Basically he doesn’t leave me (us) alone after the album is finished and neither does his music. It keeps buzzing through my head, heart and body. That is what I love about the album. I keep on wanting to listen to this album and nothing else…for weeks now. Also, for me it closes a circle. In the first song “The Next Day” he sings “Here am I/Not quite dying” with such emphasis that it seems Bowie want to tell the world he is still alive. In addition he is not only alive but he can still take us with him.
If you fancy to know anything about the cover artwork of “The Next Day” I can highly recommend Jonathan Barnbrooks blog post about it - I can’t add any more or different thoughts on it:
http://virusfonts.com/news/2013/01/david-bowie-the-next-day-that-album-cover-design/
Thank you for reading,
Dörte
While everyone is talking about Amanda Palmer, we could as well check out the project Brian Viglione’s called Gentlemen & Assassins. I have listened to both records a lot in the last days as I have been writing about them for the German online magazine FastForward. I don’t want to compare the two albums, I just save some time by writing about both in the same blog post.
It’s amazing what Amanda Palmer archived with the Kickstarter campaign - I mean she got almost 1.2 million dollar for her new record and her creativity is amazing. However, I just have a problem with the new record “Theatre Is Evil”. I find it a tad boring and the reason is quite simple: whenever I listen to it, I try to figure out where I have heard the melody of the song before and that happens with almost with every song. I know, I know, it’s about the lyrics and what she says between the lines but if the sound of a song can’t catch me, it is most often very difficult to keep listening to it more than once. She is around in some 80’s influenced music and Pop, Punk, Rock and a bit of Classic here and there. Well, the introduction may give a hint towards this. It reminds of something of the time of the Cabaret.
The first few songs “The Killing Type”, “Do It With A Rockstar” and “Want It Back” are actually pretty catchy. I really like the little reference to Mackie Messer of Brechts “Dreigroschenoper” in “The Killing Type”- one sign of Palmers love of German literature. “Want It Back” reminds me of some Tegan and Sara song. One of the songs I find most difficult to listen to is “Grown Man Cry” - it just reminds of a really bad 80’s ballad - one of those kinds which you don’t even want to listen to on the radio anymore. Not even the lyrics are helping me out there. The following song “Trout Heart Replica” is one of my most favourites. It a beautiful song, I love the piano and string arrangements. Beautiful has to be seen relatively as it sounds very chased and unsettled. Superficially seen it is a song that criticise mass fish keeping and their killing. Funnily the one animal that some “vegetarians” still eat and which living conditions are just as worse as the conditions for other animals but they are less cute or something but that’s a different story. You can fully sink into the song and then the instrumental piece “A Grand Theft Intermission” will jolt you out of your thoughts. After this intermission it continues like beforehand. Well, the album is build like a theatre piece - stirring parts alternate with softer melodies (like “The Bed Song”) and end in an ultimate climax. For “Olly Olly Oxen Free” they use the whole wall of sound they have to offer and eventually you will be released into silence.
As expected she delivers a lot to think about but the melodies are way too familiar. That is the reason why I can’t really enjoy the album: I miss some interesting and innovative melodies to underline the lyrics to catch my interest for longer. It’s the lyrics that lift the album from mediocrity but if you just listen to it in passing, it’s really not more than mediocrity. You can download a free or pay as much as you like version of it, find lots of tour dates all around the world and information on how you can join her on stage on her website: http://www.amandapalmer.net.
As I already said Gentlemen & Assassins have their first album out. Next to Brian Viglione the band consists of two of my favourite musicians: Sxip Shirey and Elyas Khan. The album “Mother Says We’re innocent” is without a doubt one of the most interesting and fascinating albums the year had to offer until now. The reason is relatively easy, it’s the combination of very unique musicians who create a one of a kind sound. It is almost rare to find such a one of a kind band these days.
For those who haven’t read all the words I have already written about Sxip Shirey: he create music out of things that make noise like glass bowls with marbles, bells, penny whistles, guitars with paper clips and so on. And not only he creates music but he creates stories and landscapes and such. Adding Elyas and Brian to this picture sets it into a Rock Folk Punk frame. Another thing that is very difficult to describe is Elyas voice. Still. I have seen him so often and listened to his music so much and yet I lack words that could jsut nearly fit. Someone once said he sounds like “melted fucking chocolate over bourbon” and that kind of fits. Also, I always thought that you can hear all his roots in his voice. You can hear London, New York, India, Punk and all of that. In addition to singing many of the songs, he also plays bass or guitar.
What you can still hear is a reference to former times when it fits like in “Grandpa Charlie”. The music fits the title, it sounds like when our Grandparents were still young. “I Live In New York City” is an older song of Sxip, sounds like New York and with the band it is converted into a Rock version. “Istanbul” draws a picture of the city which even works when you have never been there. It kind of shows a traditional and a modern side of the city which seem to be in conflict with but still can exist next to each other. Some of older songs of Nervous Cabaret, Elyas band, got a new paintjob as well. What I like about Elyas lyrics is that he has his very own way to put what is going on in the world in his own words.
The album just never ceases to amaze me - it’s thought provoking and at the same time a pleasure to listen to and you can also dance if you want to. If you fancy watching them you have the chance today and the day after tomorrow in Berlin. Brian won’t be there but therefore Romain Vincente will join them for the drums:
20. September, Wild at Heart
22. September, Knochenbox
Last but not least an impression of G&A live:
Thank you for reading,
Dörte
You might wonder why you should help friends of mine when they are not yours but The Candle Thieves are not only my friends but also a fantastic band. It’s been the love to their music which eventually made me write about music, it’s been them I have overcome my shyness for and did an interview (back then I was absolutely terrified to do an interview, to talk with musicians about their work and all this). They are a lot of firsts for me. That is one thing, the more important thing for you is that their music is beautiful, touching like almost nothing else I know. At the same time they are absolutely funny. I still remember how I couldn’t stop watching “The Sunshine Song” video (watch here) when I first learned about them and how “Pull Back The Moon” made and makes me sad every single time I hear it. It’s an incredible touching song. That’s the song in their latest Pledge Update. Some of their songs are touching something so deep inside of me that I stopped listening to them in public. But you also have songs like “We’re All Gonna Die (Have Fun)” or “Sharks & Bears” which sound a lot happier. And the icing on the cake are their live shows. Pure fun - at least the ones I have seen. I didn’t had the chance to see them in a while but I will hopefully see them soon. I need their twisted world.
Also, I have grown a carrot in my room because of them. Yes, a carrot. They were signed to Alcopop! Records (yes, that’s how I fell in love with Alcopop) in their early days and the first few copies of “The Sunshine EP” came with some seeds.
Yes, there are a lot of personal memories connected to this band and they won’t count to you as much as they do for me but the music is awesome and if there is one album, one band I would recommend you to watch out for in 2012 it’s The Candle Thieves. And it’s up to us to make it happen (and at the same time support Well Child charity, too - that’s what you do as well, when you pledge, you support a charity chosen by the artist). What are you waiting for?
Wakey! Wakey! is one of those bands which made their way to me because of a passionate music fan and friend of mine – he did talk so much about them that I simply had to listen (Oh, let’s be honest, I love good recommendations by friends and strangers). And he is absolutely right – they are making fantastic Pop music but that is actually said way too simple from me. It is not only Pop they are making, it’s heartfelt lyrics mixed with rich melodies. At no point the songs seem to be just a simple thing, for me every single song is more like a theatre piece and they differ quite a bit. It’s a bit lazy to say it is Pop to be honest.
It took me a listen or two but now I love the album ”Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You”. I think the title sums up the theme of the whole album quite well. The band is the project of Mike Grubbs or he is the frontman – I am absolutely not sure in how much the songs are a group effort or “just” made by Grubbs. He is from New York and signed to Family Records – another very good label from New York. Apparently I have some kind of theme going on this last couple of days that I have just noticed! It will be a small part in my next article, too. Oh, I love New York!
My favourite song of this album is “Light Outside”- I like the uplifting melody that underlines the lyrics about taking care of the people who took care of you when you were down. “Take It Like A Man” seems, especially in the beginning, like a silent film - ridiculous piano and violin which sounds like someone pressed the forward button and then it turns into a pop song but just to be interrupted but the same ridiculous musical parts like there were in the beginning. It the softens just to develop into this huge sound. And the end? It’s just like the beginning.
“Square Peg And Round Hole” is a dance a long song – it is so much fun that I actually find myself doing the little dance moves and smiling (just to remember where I am and hope that either no one noticed or they will just smile with me). Funnily enough the next song is called “Dance So Good” but is a lot quieter. He sings “Sometimes I wonder why you can stay so sad when you are so beautiful” and I wonder how these things are connected but I actually think I am just missing the point. My focus is never long enough on the words he sings – it is carried away with the notes he plays. The song makes me sad somehow.
He has also some electronic bits in this album. “Get It All Wrong” has this bits underlining the song but only add some stings later. I like this almost a bit contrasting parts which perfectly reflect the message of it, too. The first song of the Album “Almost Everything” comes with some sort of bang. From the piano right into the whole yet fine structured power of all sorts of instrument. Grubbs story told in a few seconds? It seems almost like it. There are 10 songs on the album – I’ll leave the rest of them for you to discover.
Wakey!Wakey! is on tour now, too. They are touring through Europe (and they also toured around the UK but I am a little late, so it’s just Europe) – from what I have heard Grubbs is a very funny man as well. Good music and a good laugh in between are the best combinations for concerts:
26.10., Die Werkstatt, Köln, Germany
27.10., Knust, Hamburg, Germany
29.10., Privat Club, Berlin, Germany
30.10., Lil Vega, Copenhagen, Germany
01.11., Debaser Slussen, Stockholm, Sweden
04.11., Eureka, Zwolle, Netherlands
05.11., Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands,
06.11., VK, Brussels, Belgium
And last but not least, a video to my favourite song:
Wakey!Wakey! - Light Outside from VsTheBrain on Vimeo.
Thank you for reading,
Dörte
