09/11/2016 – KURO-Incantation in C (2016)

Kuro have the prefect track as the winter of your discontent kicks in…

 

 

OK, so today’s not been great. Actually, who I am to say, maybe today’s been your dream day, and if that’s the case, bravo! If you’re not having a great day, then Bristol’s Kuro might have the answer. Before we go any further let’s explain who Kuro are. They are a duo from Bristol consisting of classical violinist Agathe Max and noise artist Gareth Turner. On paper a classic violinist someone who likes to create abrasive noise soundscapes shouldn’t work, but, like a lot of things, it works perfectly. The school of thought is very similar for both back grounds. Layers and layers of sound and Avant-Grade noise is built up to create something breath taking and harrowing. Listen to John Tavener in the 1990’s and you’ll know what I’m getting at. This duo met at a ZamZam Records night. “At the end of the show we decided to play a jam together, and the improvisation went very well” Max recently said “Gareth and I had already a very similar approach to the sound, textures and layers with our solo projects so it was easy to connect and create a wider range of frequencies playing together. We met a few other times after this first gig and we carried on improvising together whenever we had the chance to. At some point we decided to record something so I moved to Bristol in October 2015 to spend time practicing and composing music together.”

 

 

Now they have recorded an album, KURO, and its set for release November 14^th. KURO is full of dark chamber music with drone/psych jazz motifs, as you’d expect from a band named after the Japanese word for Black, but there is plenty of beauty and elegance going on too. Arashi, which kicks the album off, is about seven minutes of searing juxtaposition, organic strings vs. stark electronics. Incantation in C is a nine minute walk through paranoia, alienation and suspenseful, fingers down the black board, strings. The remaining four tracks follow suit, but you know, more full on. If you think Mica Levi’s Under the Skin score remixed by Mogwai and you’re on the right tracks.

 

 

KURO is released 14^th November through Rocket Recordings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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31/01/2014 – Prince-Le Grind (1994)

The Purple one at this most funky and commercially brave

 

I thought I’d go for something fun as its Friday. There is a lot of stuff being written about 1994 at the moment. I decided to look through my music and see if 1994 was a good as people are saying it was. In truth I think that the answer is probably yes.  While looking at the releases in 1994 I came across two albums by Prince. The first was Come. This was the direct follow up to Love Symbol. It came at the end of the a very successful run of albums. Come doesn’t live up to the previous ones. It’s not a bad album, but it’s not a good album either. It’s a shame as I really wanted to like it, but something about it keeps me really getting into it.

 

The second album released in 1994 was The Black Album. This album probably needs a whole blog to itself, but I haven’t got the time (or the inclination) today, but I’ll give you a brief history. Originally the album was meant to come out in 1987, but at the last minute it was shelved. No one really knows why, but it is alleged that both Prince and Warner (his label) agreed that it shouldn’t come out. In 1988 Lovesexy was released instead. Over the years it became a Holy Grail try album for Prince fans until in 1994 it was finally released. At the time I wasn’t that into it. Dance music and Alt-Rock were taking over my life and I didn’t have time for Prince. In recent years I have gone back to it a few times and I think it’s a great party album. Prince is at his most funky on this record (this has been alluded to a reason it might have been shelved for so long).

 

I was talking to a friend about it this week and I do honesty think that if it had come out at in 1987 is would have been massive and it would have changed the musical landscape for a few years. As it stands it’s a great slice of what might have been. Personally I’ve always like Prince more than Michael Jackson, and this album shows me that I am right with my decision.

 

Right so it’s Friday, crank this up as loud as you can and get ready for the weekend. The Six Nations starts tomorrow and what better way to usher it in than to play this to get ready for eight week rugby party!

 

Prince – Le Grind

 

January 2014

 

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28/11/2013 – Black Onassis-ADHD (2013)

There are three kinds of album. Some albums you immediately like. Others take time to get under your skin, and the third you dislike (no matter how many times you try). Black Onassis – Desensitized is the first. It’s the kind of forward thinking music that makes you glad that you don’t like generic pap. From the opening discordant chimes to the start of a monster of a riff, it grabs you by your collar and doesn’t let go until the ends.

 

Black Onassis is a solo project for Christopher Karloff. Anyone who has enjoyed the first Kasabian album should know his work. In 2005 he left (his reasons are still mostly unknown). When he left he took with him the experimental\progressive element of the band. As a fan I think it was the wrong decision, but on a person level he made the right decision. They were both going in different directions. Now he has FINALLY release an album that I think is worth the wait.

 

This is a pleasure to listen to on a few levels. Firstly it’s brilliant. It’s the kind of music that can only be made with my creative restraints (a rare thing these days). Each song runs the gambit of indie\electro perfectly. At times you can never tell if it’s a band playing, or just a guy with a laptop in his bedroom. It reminds me of this 65daysofstatic – The Fall of Math & The Cooper Temple Clause – See This Through And Leave. Not for its sound, but for the mood of the piece. It’s dark and atmospheric (and full of promise).

 

 

The only downside with the album is when you use multiple vocalists you lose the overall voice of the piece. This might only be a personal thing, but I like albums to have the same feel all the way through and with different vocalists it doesn’t flow as well. But saying that, if I heard any of those tracks individually, I wouldn’t mind as they’re great. I especially like the Ben Gautrey and I realised how much I missed hearing his voice.

 

All in all this is a very promising debut. This should not be missed!

 

8/10

 

Black Onassis – ADHD