This Berlin-based via Melbourne and Britain band make post-rock with roots in new wave. Like all good bands they can be a volatile rock band on stage one minute and cooled down balladeers the next, always retaining their strong melodies with a dark twist.
Their songs are layered in lush melodies and psychedelic riffs evoking Bowie, Joy Division and Nick Cave with vocal comparisons to Morrissey and Morrison.
And if that wasn’t enough their new album is finally released today. Titled “Electric Odyssey” expect to hear a smattering of songs from this tonight folks.
Notes:For those into new wave and post-rock, the new album “Electric Odyssey” from House of Light is a refreshing arrival. Formed in Berlin last year, its members come from various countries. “Electric Odyssey” has been described as a trip in an out of darkness. A post-apocalyptic stab at the sun. Harmonic layers burn and die and fall from a raging phoenix that splits the industrial sky.”
Produced by Martin Fiedler (Alec Empire, Josh T Pearson) with mixes by Clif Norrell (Jeff Buckley’s “Grace” album, U2, Mars Volta, Pixies) and Gordon Raphael (producer for the Strokes, Regina Spektor) it explores themes such as urban inertia, immanence, futility and the dualities of the spirit. Their songs are typically layered in lush melodies, psychedelic piano and guitar riffs, and lyrics that draw upon the French romantics and the surrealists. Musically they have been compared to the likes of Bowie, Joy Division, Nick Cave and Radiohead.
All hail the dark side of the force, this night shall go down in Berlin rock history as the Blackest of all. It’s all gone black. Black Mountain at Festsaal, Black Angels in Comet Club…….rage black-out at Blitzgigs HQ. This is ridicerous.
Why? you ask. Well kids, it’s like this, The Black Angels are one of the finest psych-rock bands around, just think back to how much you enjoyed Wooden Shjips and you’re on the right track, and not only do they unfortunately come to town the same night as Black Mountain we’ve also discovered that these two bands are actually touring together later this year with a double-headlining show of cosmic psych-rock legendariness in London before a tour through the US and Canada ending in Black Mountains’ hometown Vancouver. So, naturally the only question is who’s got a van and secondly, I reckon we can take in a few Guided By Voices shows along the way too. This could be the best winter ever.
The Black Angels release their 3rd album “Phosphene Dream” on September 13th, check out the artwork on that one, phew, these guys don’t just pretend to be into the cool of psych-rock and all it entails, cool record covers, posing looking spaced out and interesting, the website is all wobbly and liquidy and nothing is as it seems, the edges are soft and…….ooh, it’s not what you need to look at with a gigantic hangover. My tummy feels funny. But if you’re feeling fine it’s just the ticket. It’s psych-rock of the highest quality, literally. Dark and brooding and trippy and wibbly and slightly sinister. Perfect.
I’m going to get in training. Why? you ask. If I’m going to take in Black Mountain and Black Angels in one night, or at least some parts of both, it all depends on who has the better merch table really (or the cuter merch table girls ) then it’s no more booze and kippen for this boyo. Me, wagon, it, on. Over and out.
The first time I heard this band was at the end of their support set to an, at the time, much better known Canadian band and all I could think was damn that’s loud! And then it ended. People came out looking stunned, shocked, bewildered, I was intrigued……momentarily anyway.
It wasn’t until someone played me their tour only 12″ E.P. a few years later that I remembered that I almost saw this band and realised why those people had looked so bemused that night. So now that I’m a huge fan and know the records inside out you can imagine how excited old Bazz is getting about this and there’s still 3 months to go……..so for homework kids, digest “Black Mountain” and “In the future”. This is one band you won’t want to miss.
This trio of Milan-born heartthrob brothers Amadeo and Simone Pace and sexiest female guitarist-ever Kazu Makino from Tokyo come to Berlin to our favourite venue to plug their new album “Penny Sparkle” out soon on 4AD.
Last time I didn’t see them cos I sold my ticket like an idiot but that was in another place, another time, another continent even. This time though, this time.
The sophistication of their records is what attracts the most about Blond Redhead. Dreamy female vocals atop a mess of spacey guitars and drums, somehow they manage to never make the same record twice.
Last album “23″ is a modern classic which will be rediscovered and hailed as a lost classic in a few years, mark my words but please don’t remind me if i’m wrong. That, like the new album, was produced by Alan Moulder, legendary shoegazer producer who has produced everybody from Jesus and Mary Chain to My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpins, the list goes on and on. In the presence of greatness, it’s a nice place for a band, or a producer for that matter, to be. Enjoy.
Werner Zappi Diermaier and Jean-Hervé Péron, also known as Faust, or the other Faust if you’re a fan of the other Faust because there’s two of them, appear at Festsaal for a rare outing guaranteed to burn itself onto your long-term memory, if you have any left after the summer that is. Confused? You should be, I am.
Faust are the Krautrock band and have the stunning debut album, great follow ups and band break-ups to prove it, just like any great band should have. Their unique approach to producing music and completely unorthodox sound of their records meant a new genre had to be coined to deal with them. Krautrock, in the end, wasn’t even big enough to hold them.
In 1975, after five albums, the original line-up went their separate ways and what happened in the next 15 years are anyone’s guess. Diermaier (drums) and Peron(guitars, vocals, misc) have since then reformed their Faust in 1992, toured together first, then with the rest of the original Faust, then quit that Faust and re-formed their own version of Faust while the other one keeps going also. Oh, by the way, if you see a Faust record in the shops called Faust Is Last (2010, Klangbad) that’s by the Faust that is NOT playing tonight. Got it? Of course they have released records too, tonight’s Faust I mean, the last one being called “c’est complique” in 2009, loosely translated “it’s very complicated”, indeed.
Yes, indeed, it’s enough to make you form a krautrock band of your own and call them Fasut with your debut album entitled Fasut is First Faust Last.
I can’t wait for this show. It’s a couple of legendary noise-makers and their collaborators given the best stage in Berlin. Drool.
Here’s a video of them playing in London doing “Krautrock”, what else. Patience will be rewarded 4:40 secs in.
It’s gonna be a sweaty one folks. This Western Australian band finally take their show to Europe, showing us how it’s done in Australia. It involves lots of sweating and beer for starters.
Naturally well-respected in Australia and totally unknown in Europe for that is the way of things here in head-up-its-own-arse-europe (and I’m European by the way before you all accuse) once you’ve listened to their fantastic three albums to date you’ll see the similarities to other stuff you like that also comes from Australia and think huh, I actually listen to a lot of Australian music.
Sorry readers, I’ve got a huge hangover and can’t really be bothered today. This is what The Kill Devil Hills are there for, a couple of their lovelorn ballads to lift the soul and I’ll be right in no time. What I want to say is exactly what their wikipedia page says about them:
“Their sometimes rickety, sometimes dirty, frequently swampy and always intense take on country, folk, gospel blues and rock harkening like some bawdy old Irish reel bashed out on a rusty banjo by a half-cut lumberjack, high on the music of moonshine. At times chugging along in a rockabilly howl, then turning out heart-rending ballads of loss and vengeance, The Kill Devil Hills take a rolling, merry lunge at the heart of rock ‘n’ roll”.
As for the show, apparently James Cruickshank is the support, another excellent australian musician, he used to be in The Cruel Sea, another famous australian band that you’ve never heard of but should have. Pfff, Europe.
Notes:Google Translate from German: live: THE KILL DEVIL HILLS ‘Swamprock/Blues – AUS’ at the Restaurant +JAMES CRUICKSHANK ‘The Cruel Sea’ live: THE KILL DEVIL HILLS ‘Swamprock/Blues – AUS’ The Kill Devil Hills is a West Australian 5-piece rock band formed in 2003. The Hills
Hot on the heels of his latest masterpiece Saint Bartlett, we are to be bathed in the brilliance of one of the best singer-songwriters making music today, Damien Jurado, in NBI.
Jurado’s output to date has ranged from full on indie guitar rock outs like I Break Chairs and the Gathered in Song E.P to fragile acoustic affairs And now that I’m in your shadow and Ghost of David, to a mix of both. Snapped up by Sub-Pop Records in 1999 you could see he was here for the long haul, Sub-Pop having as they do a knack for only releasing great music. Since then he’s moved on to release through Secretly Canadian alongside Magnolia Electric Co. and Antony and the Johnsons.
Last time he was in town Jurado dropped by the Hans Wurst Cafe and did a solo show much to the surprise of Micha and co and the 20 guests present at the time. Let’s hope he does the same this time round.
Video for “Ohio”, opening song from Rehearsals for Departure, 1999.
Notes:Google Translate from German: This man is heard singing a big event. Sing him to see the intensity of the experience is likely intensify once again. Damien Jurado, one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of our time, living in Seattle, is traveling with his new and now in its ninth album in Europe. Minimalist seems the instrumentation of “Saint Bartlett to” behave lamenting the singing, the stories of everyday occurrences that reveals the narrator. But it is precisely in these components is the incredible emotion and presence of the songs. And get the Zuhorer_innen without detours Warming. Damien Jurado prejudice and it is highly recommended to pass up this stimmgewordenen diamonds in any way.::
All dressed up in this photo, things have been a long time coming for Stars but my, how they’ve earned it.
When “Set yourself on fire” , already their third album, was released in 2004 we were firmly reminded that Stars is no inbetweener while off duty from other projects, namely Broken Social Scene. Amy Millan and Evan Cranley must have been cloned in order to pull off the schedule they’ve had in the past decade what with playing in BSS, solo record-making etc etc, there’s no other way…….luckily they survived the gruelling constant touring and now devote themselves to Stars.
The rest of Stars must have been lonely while they were gone so much but you’d hardly recognise it. Torquil Campbell sounds like a canadian Morrissey and Chris Seligman writes some mean pop tunes to match those songs so it would seem all that’s gone before, the tours between tours….the playing on other bands records instead of making their own…. has strengthened this band where as lesser ones would have folded. Can Canadian bands do no wrong? Answers on a postcard to Bazz’s place, 1234, Friedricxhainsberg, Burrlin.
It’ll also be nice to get back into the Postbahnhof for a gig……why no more shows there? Answers on a postcard to…….
Bursting into our lives in 1992 with “Fashion crisis hits New York” these three lads from Cork put the pop back in pop-classic. The rest as they say is history.
A debut album lauded by critics, Top of the Pops appearances, even coordinated wardrobes onstage (bright orange polo-necks the favourite) aswell as their incessant touring and famously turning up at the Wimbledon tennis thingy in their VW van and playing a gig to an unsuspecting crowd….drum-kit set up inside the van too!
They live it as they want and never regret anything, take their time( 5 years between 1st and 2nd albums) and give hilarious interviews. All the while they keep making great albums, all 5 of them better than anything to have come out of Ireland and Britain in the last 20 years. “Beauty becomes more than life” from 1999 was described as “one of the 10 best lost albums of the 90’s” by NME to which they typically, cheekily replied “it was in the shops, ye just didn’t look hard enough”. Classic.
Recent single “The Parson” is another pop classic, they don’t know any other way.
…and seeing as this is happening in the restaurant upstairs and you’ll be trying to enjoy your burger and chips while pretending to be interested in the band expect to get a chunk taken out of you by a wolf which will then be slaughtered onstage, ritual-style and served up to your fellow diners by a caribou…who ever heard of a rock n’roll gig in a restaurant…
This band deserves the full downstairs White Trash treatment with a proper stage and lights and a drunk crowd who like them…ah, whatever…now where’d that sun go?
) then it’s no more booze and kippen for this 
http://www.blackmountainarmy.com/
