Indian Jewelry – Free Gold!
Imagine three glorious mountains of sound, one The Jesus and Mary Chain, two My Bloody Valentine and three Swans. Somewhere nestled among the foothills of these peaks lies Indian Jewelry. They’ve got the overdriven guitar sound, the feedback and the slow pacing. Unfortunately though they haven’t yet climbed to the same melodic or atmospheric peaks that surround them. Instead they’re languishing in the lowlands, gazing upwards and overshadowed at all times.
Melt Banana: Crawdaddy June 20th
“We are Melt Banana from Tokyo, Japan!” shouts Yasuko Onuki as the band begin to furiously blast out hardcore noise-rock to the largest and sweatiest crowd I’ve seen in Crawdaddy for a long time. The place is jam-packed with obvious devotees who recklessly mosh to one of the best live bands around. That is if you like ear-shattering volume, minute long songs and surgical masks.
Before the show I was just as sceptical as you probably are right now. Melt Banana’s albums are notorious for being pretty inaccessible without investing a serious amount of commitment and my brief flirtation with them left me feeling apprehensive about what was to come. So it was with a healthy degree of fear that I listened to Party Weirdo, the excellent support, and waited for what I expected to be an hour and half of aural assault.
And that’s exactly what I got. Loud, short bursts of crazily distorted and layered guitar from Agata (who in his trademark surgical mask cut a pretty vultureific figure). Half-rap shouty vocals and killer poses from lead lady Yasuko. All accompanied by rumbling bass and frantic drumming. It amounted to a terrifying noise and peaked at the point Yasuko announced they were going to play seven short songs, which they delivered in around roughly two and a half minutes.
It was all that I expected it to be. Yet I didn’t expect that I would enjoy it so much. In fact I was completely won over by the sheer force of the music. The thing is that at points they would hit upon riffs and grooves that any regular band would turn into fantastic songs. In Melt Banana’s hands they were swiftly and deliberately deconstructed. It was captivating knowing they could easily create great songs but refused to. Instead they pushed these musical nuggets to the extremities of speed and sound. They created a constantly changing tension that combined with Agata’s theatrics, Yasuko’s slight tongue in cheek humour and the pure energy of the bass and drums all amounted to a great gig.
It may not sound like everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re ever sick to death of the same old, same old indie/electronic/folksy introspection that pervades alternative music Melt Banana provide a good antidote. A shot of highly distilled rock.
Docklands Festival
Analog Concerts (not us) are hosting a three day festival from Friday 17th July to Sunday 20th in Dublin’s revamped docklands. It’s going to be a two stage affair with the Main Stage in the new technicolour Gand Canal Square (above) and other concerts in the Analog Studio at the Conservatory in the chq Building. The highlight has to be the triple bill Saturday show with Liars, Efterklang and Tortoise all playing the Main Stage. However Friday’s major show Hal Willner’s Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys is bound to be an experience.
Other acts confirmed for the weekend include Jóhann Jóhannsson, Chequerboard, The Sleeping Years, Dollboy, Songdog, Silje Nes, Madam, Taraf De Haidouks, Vinicius Cantuária, Iain Sinclair with Susan Stenger, Jonathan Coe & The High Lamas and a Ninepoint Records showcase featuring Thread Pulls, Mit Nye Band and Petit Mal.
A limited number of weekend passes for the Main Stage are available at €60. However the Jóhann Jóhannsson and Chequerboard show at the Conservetory has already sold out. The Liars, Efterklang and Tortoise show is priced at €30, bargain!
Vetiver: Crawdaddy June 8th
After a weekend of bombast and electro-shock, Vetiver provided the perfect Sunday night soother.
The vaguely hippieish filled out Crawdaddy last night, as these Devendra Banhart collaborators took to the stage to promote their latest album Thing of the Past. It’s a collection of covers, remoulded in Vetiver’s americana heavy, country blues style and includes tracks as diverse as Hawkwind’s ‘Hurry On Sundown’ and Loudon Wainwright III’s ‘The Swimming Song’. However despite crowd requests, which prompted groans from the band, the rollicking Hawkind track wasn’t played. Instead Vetiver took it easy.
Their sound is so mellow and soft that as soon as those fingers start plucking you can just imagine you’re sitting on a porch, beer in hand, watching the sunset, while in the background the cicadas creak and the wireless gurlges in the kitchen. Their music lulls you with a gentle sway. It’s not the most amazing sound ever, nor the most exciting, however it could claim to be the easiest to listen to. Yet this overriding sense of peace that descends upon the gig dosen’t overwhelm the music itself. ‘Been So Long’ and ‘Luna Sea’ stand out as prime examples of well crafted songs that although they fit into the mood of the concert also entirely transcend it. Their quality allows them to stand alone, isolated from the set. It is this that makes Vetiver worth listening to.
Vetiver’s Thing of the Past is out now
Mu-sic: negative space in Japanese Electroacoustics
Nobuyuki Tsugata has a theory about Japanese animation. It concerns the main difference between American and Japanese animation styles. The American style, that style pioneered by Disney, relies on a process known as ‘continuous motion’. It’s fairly simple to understand, it’s actually all in the name: it is a style whereby there is constant movement on screen. In contrast the Japanese style veers away from this concept with the focus placed on very little movement and still frames where motion may occur only in one section. Obviously these styles vary enormously and hence they have produced very different canons of work. However despite the more pragmatic factors, such as cost and the amount of work involved, Tsugata believes there is a deeper reason behind the conservation of movement and the use of space in Japanese animation.
Tsugata believes that it is a reference to, and hence a contemporary use of, the Japanese notion of Mu. Mu is the idea of ‘negative space’; it is an ambiguous term which is hard to translate but you might describe it as “space where other things are not present”. This idea is derived from Chinese and Japanese Zen brush paintings, typically of landscapes, where some detail may be portrayed but the space above, below or around it is empty. Whereas this may be perceived as blank canvas it can also be interpreted as ‘negative space’. Space in which there may be air, wind, sound, smell, something visually unrepresentable but most importantly undefined. This ‘negative space’ therefore is just as crucial to the understanding of a work as anything that is illustrated. It adds texture, depth and extra sensory dimensions which are ambiguous enough to be filled by any interpretation.
So this then is the central concept of Mu. Naturally enough this idea of negative space, has cropped up in several different cultures in various ways over the centuries, however it is its use in modern Japanese electroacoustic composition that proves it is a fascinatingly malleable traditional technique. Although it may or may not be evident to composers such as Yuichiro Fujimoto, Akira Kosemura, Motohiro Nakashima and Daisuke Miyatani, to name a few, their explorations in electroacoustic soundscapes incorporate a facet of enduring Japanese art: the use of negative space.
What then do we mean when we talk about negative space in terms of aural rather than visual representation? Well despite the confines of text let us attempt to create an impression through description. Let us take for example Yuichiro Fujimoto’s ‘Drawing of Stars’ from his 2005 release Kinoe. It begins with a single chord, on keyboard, which is repeated metronomically. It is a constant. Gradually it becomes lazily punctuated by a sweet melody drummed out on acoustic guitar. This motif is cut up, and spliced in different forms and segments, not building, rising or falling, just playfully existing. A few glittering harmonics shine among these sounds. While the keys continue to pulse, the guitar deteriorates into muted scratching, until once again the melody returns before trailing off with the small death of the synthesized chord.
This then is a piece of electroacoustic composition. It may sound odd on paper; it certainly isn’t any less strange when heard. However if played solely as described above it would probably be interesting, maybe challenging, but certainly not great. There is however an element to the piece which was not revealed, and that is Fujimoto’s use of negative space. Throughout the track there is an organic static, maybe the sound of a microphone left on in an empty room, maybe the recorded sound of wind, gushing water or rain outside a window. Towards the end of the track it veers closer to white noise, the sound of someone pottering around and a plastic rattle disrupt the slight hypnosis that was created. What does this pervasive empty sound signify? What does it symbolize? It certainly isn’t the blank perfect silence of the mastered studio album. It is the deliberate use of empty space, negative space, to highlight aurally indefinable aspects of the work; maybe a certain time, place or feeling. Most importantly though it allows the listener to interpret all the other aural information they are presented with as they see fit. It injects an ambiguity into the track that emphasizes its musicality while simultaneously drawing attention to the empty canvas beyond.
The concept of Mu is therefore present in the music. It is used masterfully by Fujimoto on Kinoe and his peers make effective use of it in their own unique ways. Just like contemporary animation, contemporary Japanese electroacoustic composition is therefore just as inflected with traditional Zen artistic concepts, and it would probably not be too much of a stretch to locate them in different mediums. Nonetheless in Japan a great wealth electroacoustic works have been created that should not pass anyone by.
Some of the best:
Akira Kosemura – It’s On Everything
Daisuke Miyatani – Diario
Motohiro Nakashima – The Sandhill
Tenniscoats – Totemo Aimasho
Yuichiro Fujimoto – Kinoe
You can listen to some sample tracks from these albums here.
Jape Live: Crawdaddy, April 21st
As Richie Egan likes to point out one day he’ll be nothing more than a dead man who played the bass from Crumlin. For this tongue-in-cheek down-to-earth attitude I admire him. But there’s no need for him to be so humble, for with Jape’s current electro-rock sound he has ascended to the throne and become King of the Irish Underground.
It may be dubious to claim that Egan is still part of the underground, after all he has been around the Dublin music scene for almost a decade now, playing with Jape and The Redneck Manifesto. But whereas contemporaries such as Glen Hansard, Damien Rice and David Kitt have all moved on to bigger things following popular interest, Egan, bar the ‘Floating’ phenomenon, has never experienced international popular acclaim.
Maybe it’s because of the type of music he creates. The Redneck Manifesto, which he leads with his bass and freewheeling aplomb, are all about instrumental barrages of riffs and tight rhythms, a sound they’ve developed over the years and which has very much become their own. In contrast Jape began as a ‘stoner-folk’ side profect, acoustica tinged with electronica. Hardly then the most popular of genres. Furthermore both groups have also suffered from a wildly exuberant live sound that has failed to translate well onto record.
If you’ve ever seen The Redneck Manifesto or Jape live you’ll understand. Their shows are intense high energy affairs, which Egan directs with ineffable charm. However their albums, although technically perfect, seem flat and austere in comparison. But has the time come to address these wrongs? On June 6th (or 9th, Egan wasn’t sure) Jape will release their third full length album Ritual. With any luck it will right Egan’s track record of underperforming albums. If the show at Crawdaddy last monday is anything to go by the new material is gold.
Support was provided by Robotnik who on first appearances seemed to be a karaoke act, however his set quickly developed into a boisterous electro-folk medley. Despite obvious resemblances to the headliner, Robotnik’s crowd invasion antics and his musical tale of an affair he had in prison: ‘I Found Jesus in the Year 2027′, won over most.
Jape launched straight into ‘Chirstopher and Anthony’ before steaming ahead into a set mostly made up of new material that hinged around the monumental ‘Floating’. Their sound was heavy, with a lot more electronics and rubbling bass than The Monkeys In The Zoo Have More Fun Than Me, despite the fact that Egan shunned his trademark instrument in favour of a guitar. ‘I Was a Man’ and the crowd pleasing ‘Phil Lynott’ especially stood out as future singalong favourites. The night was wrapped up with an acoustic two song encore culminating in a repeat performance of his self-professed favourite ‘Technology’.
If anything this show proved that they’ve still got the live appeal in buckets and spades. After an appearance at SXSW in 2007 Jape made some international waves for themselves. One year on hopefully Ritual will capitalise on on the recent momentum they’ve built up through shows at home and abroad. Let’s just hope that this time they can nail the album too.
Jape – myspace
Supernova Scotia
Electro-pop from Kilkenny? That’s what Supernova Scotia provide. It’s catchy, quirky and light on the vocals. David Sheenan is the man behind the music, and with a little help from his friends, especially Jazz Panda’s Neil Quigley (who’s own lovely song ‘Chritmas Eve’ is destined to be pillaged by mobile phone marketing execs), he records and perfoms live.
Tracks such as ‘Bad Party’ and ‘Tron’ remind me somewhat of Soft Cell, while at the more instrumental end of things, between ‘Oxen’ and ‘Boredom Abroad’, Supernova Scotia’s obvious talent for making great little electro-pop gems shines. They just go to show that as more and more young Irish electronic artists emerge there is no dilution of quality. In contrast, home-grown electronic music is currently blooming and with the endeavours of such acts is becoming a stronger genre by the day.
Supernova Scotia – myspace
Boredom in the Antarctic
Boredom can lead to terrible things. However it can have unexpected results if properly channelled. So to complement Gareth’s post below about Sigur Rós’ movie Heima, I bring you to other end of the earth to showcase the results of boredom, in just as breathtaking surroundings, at the south pole.
At the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station a group of scientists recorded a great song made entirely with household implements and the few acoustic instruments they had to hand. They then filmed a short video for it and uploaded it to YouTube for the world’s perusal. Considering how it was made it’s actually a lovely track.
Who ever said there was only one cure for boredom?
Warning: there’s no sound for the first bit so don’t blow your eardrums by turning the volume up.
Leap Year
This year is a leap year. That means there are 29 days in February. Imagine that, one whole extra day to just take off and do as you will! So I decided a day of musical indulgence would be best. But it seems that the gods have once again ruined all my plans for fun, for Menomena, Fuck Buttons, SebastiAn, I Was A Cub Scout and You’re Only Massive all play Dublin the same night!
This Friday Menomena bring their brand of post-rock goodness to The Sugar Club, while Fuck Buttons create some ‘euphoric noise’ at Whelan’s. Meanwhile indie pop-rockers I Was A Cub Scout will be playing the Voodoo Lounge and the Shell 2 Sea Benefit at the Lower Deck boasts Herv’s breakcore, You’re Only Massive’s techno rapping and more post-rock from Hounds. Later on SebastiAn will be laying it down at Spy, but only if you’ve already bagged some tickets cause it’s already sold out.
Do you see the predicament? So what will I be doing this Friday? Probably sitting at home cursing the calendar and the heavens for this astrological anomaly and the conflicting scheduling it has inspired, while trying not to imagine the musical delights I could be enjoying if i wasn’t so indecisive.
A Week of Whelan’s
Now that the renovations are all finished, Whelan’s is looking better than ever. Although some may lament old-worldy messiness of old Whelan’s the extra space means more room for all at the busier gigs, surely a good thing even though there’s still a bottleneck at the bar. So to break it in and to acclimatise myself to these new surrounds I spent the week going to gigs all in the same venue. Well technically it was more like eight days, but that’s not the point though because over the week I caught Super Extra Bonus Party, Nouveaunoise,You’re Only Massive, Boss Volenti, New Amusement and Sons and Daughters all at Whelan’s.
This all started last Saturday with Nouveaunoise. Although their live show has little to recommend it, they are as interesting as two guys behind laptops can be on stage, their music redeemed them. It isn’t for everyone but their sprawling live electronic collages are hypnotic and enjoyable if you like that sort of thing. Certainly one to watch for the future and one for fans of Four Tet to check out. On the other hand although Super Extra Bonus Party can seem a bit dull on record, for these guys the live show is where it’s at. They were like a deranged circus troupe, dancing, jumping, thrashing guitars and hammering out beats with such enthusiasm that you couldn’t help getting swept up in the energy. I do have one gripe with them tough, I just wish their songs were a better. Sure they’re fun, but they’re not going to be blowing minds anytime soon despite the Portuguese rapping.
The next double bill then was Boss Volenti being supported by You’re Only Massive. This was a strange pairing and the crowd who mostly seemed to be there for Boss Volenti knew it. Their lukewarm response to You’re Only Massive’s electronic stylings was in stark contrast to the warm reception they gave Boss Volenti. However in my books You’re Only Massive were easily the better act. Sound and image wise Boss Volenti are stuck in a time warp, they desperately seem to want to be the new Thin Lizzy. However even the presence of ex-Therapy? drummer Graham Hopkins can’t save them. In contrast You’re Only Massive are so fresh for an Irish act that putting them on the same bill as Boss Volenti’s nostalgia parade seemed ridiculous. The result was that they rightly showed up the headliners and played a great set despite the crowd’s ambivalence. Since talking to Analogue in Issue 1 they’ve made plans for their summer 32 County Tour, a fantastic idea, and their musical-walking tour of Dublin DISCO-NNECT in June.
Finally the week ended last night with Glasgow’s Sons and Daughters, supported by New Amusement, another young indie rock band. This proved to be the one show of the week where the support act didn’t show up the headliner. Sons and Daughters were on form. They are currently touring on the back of their latest album This Gift, so a lot of new material was the order of the day. It’s a lot rockier than their previous output, but it lends itself well to the stage because they really seemed to be enjoying themselves playing in this harder mould. It was met with mutual enjoyment, for Whelan’s was packed to the gills with fans who held out to the end on this cold Sunday night. Once they were gone however it still wasn’t the end for me as there was some sort of country and western hoe-down going on in the main bar, but it had been a long week and from here on in it all gets a bit fuzzy…