Mini-Reviews

[silber@p.cs.uiuc.edu (Ami A. Silberman)]

Here are a few mini-reviews, of stuff that I picked up recently:

Die Krupps - Stahlwerke Symphonie

Interesting rythmic industrial music EP.  The first side is less interesting,
not having any vocals.  The vocals seem to be slogans shouted in German, or
something like that.  The whole work is built over a constantly shifting
and pulsating bass line, and a changing percussion figure (sounds like an
anvil) which drives for a while, staggers a few beats, and settles down into
a new groove.  Unfortunatley out of print.

The Pheromones - Yuppie-drone

Cute, socially conscious anti-yuppie music EP.  A nice bit of fluff, with
new-wave, punk, old-folk, modern-folk, and ballad like songs.

Kastrierte Philosophen - Insomnia

Another fine issue from 4AD.  Has a lot of the same feel as Tuxedomon or
Blaine Reinenger, but with mostly female lyrics. The title means "the
castrated philosophers", but the music is assuredly non-whimpy.  Some of
it is eerie, other bits rather charming delicate. Seems to be inspired by
50s lounge jazz.  A nice change of pace.

The Tourists - Luminous Basement

This is the band that Annie Lennox and Dave Stewert used to be in.  I think
that this one is also out of print, but somewhat worth hunting up.  More
generic Rock/New wave type stuff, the best songs are those in which Annie
sings.  I wouldn't really go out of my way to get this one, though.

Nico + the Faction - Into the Arena 

I may have gotten the title wrong, but one of the songs is called that.
Anyway, this is an excellent album.  Remember Nico?  Teaming up with fellow
Velvet Underground member John Cale (as producer), she has produced one of
the most haunting and delicious albums of '85.  The music is minimalist,
often somewhat repetively so in places.  The songs are well matched for her
voice, and offer well written and evocative lyrics.  The two songs in 
German, one of them (I belive) a translation of an English Art song of the
19th century, are understandable by anyone with 2 years of the language,
and Nico's accent has gone from the campy and even grotesque of her middle
period back to the charming "vocal flavoring" of her VU or Chelsea Girls
period.  (BTW, anyone know whether "Chelsea Girls" is still in print?)
I bought this album as a cut out, and am tempted to get another copy.
I've listend to it about once a week for two months now, and that's a lot.
I recommend this very highly.

Diamanda Galas - The Divine Pushment, Into the Pit

These two albums comprise the first two parts of her "plague mass", 
"The Masque of the Red Death".  (I think that there will probably be a third
album, probably setting modern poems (Sylvia Plath?))

The creator of the ear-shattering "Panopticon" has done it again.
These albums have affected me more than any other in the past year.
For those unfamiliar with this "operatic terrorist", Diamanda Galas writes
some of the most abrasive and potentially inaccesable music imaginable.
On the other hand, I think that it is well worth listening to.
"The Divine Punishment" is a series of biblical quotes (some in Italian, most
in English) dealing with plague and related topics (including some of the
more downbear psalms), and ending with a sort of statement by the anti-christ
(in Italian, I belive).  "Into the Pit" contains settings of various French
Symbolist poems from the last century, again on rather downbeat topics,
interspersed with instrumental movements and movements which use the voice
(chanting something in Greek) as an instrument.  The actual orchestration
uses a fair amount of synthesised percussion, is varied and complexe, but
the texture is open.  Galas vocal delivery varies between semi-rythmic
recitive, more or less singing, to screaming out the vocals in a high pitched
whine.  Her voice is potentially very beautiful (I believe that she has been
trained), and flexible.  Unlike many performers who do this sort of thing,
she has the vocal apparatus to get away with it, and she never degenerates
into mere inchoherent screeching. (At least, not without cause.)
I found influences of Orff, Berg, Schoneberg, and Liggetti in these pieces.
Galas is undubitably one of the most original workers in electronic music
these days, and I find her works to possess an eldritch beauty. Imagine
what Kate Bush would sound like if she were possessed.  Highly recommended.

BTW - Does anyone out there know anything about a group named 
"Deutsches-Americanishes Freudenschaft"?  I have seen a couple of their albums
used, but have no idea what they sound like.  The song titles (in German, 
I think) look interesting, but I'm afraid that they might turn out to be
wimpy European syntho-schlock.

Ami Silberman

"I am the shit of God" - Diamanda Galas

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