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pop music

Blue Bob, David Lynch and John Neff (cd 2001 soulitude records)

Recently I discovered David Lynch as a writer and accidentally I found out that the man also makes cds. Recently released is a cd called “The Air Is On Fire”, but already six years ago David Lynch made a cd with a guy called John Neff under the name “Blue Bob”. How comes that I never heard of it? “Bluebob” can be described as dark and slow bluesrock with here and there an industrial touch and of course jazzy tunes. The album opens magnificently with great and greasy tracks. The music is slow, raw, with low-tuned guitars and deep vocals. Our duo has used a wide range of very old guitars and equipment to make a rather unique sound. Some tracks are instrumental (not the best ones), others have weird lyrics and Neff’s great vocals. In total this became a really dirty rock album; usually not my kind of music, but it seems that Lynch can turn many things into something great. I believe that while waiting for this cd, I read somewhere that there is a new Bluebob coming up, but I don’t know if I mixed it up with the soundscapes cd “The Air Is On Fire” of David Lynch alone. “Bluebob” used to be available only through Lynchnet.com, but I just got my copy from a Dutch mailorder. Recommended for Lynch-freaks and alternative (industrial) rockers alike.
(P.s. Everywhere the spelling is “Bluebob”, but Lynchnet has “Blue Bob”, I decided to just use both spellings.)
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About * Bongo (online album 2007 cock rock disco)

I know this band from their brilliant contribution to the free Cock Rock disco compilation. It was not until last week that I started to ‘Google’ the band, found out that they are from Amsterdam and that there is an album available. Like all Cock Rock releases, this is an online album. Whereas “Think Niles Drink” is a very ‘rocky’ and energetic track (with a great video), the rest of the album goes from weird poppy ADHD to more tranquil tracks. It all is not completely unlike Jason Forrest (see elsewhere) who also runs the label. In any case, something new seems to be happening, a mix between techno/breakcore and lollypop (catchy melodies, simple lyrics) completely with guitars and background vocalists. I haven’t decided if I like this album better than Forrest’s own “Shamelessly Exciting”, but “Bongo” sure is a wonderfull album if you like some weird (and happy) pop music every once in a while.
Links: About, Cock Rock Disco
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Der Blutharsch * The Philosopher’s Stone (7″ 2007 wkn)

After a few times having quitted the project, Albin Julius again anounced a few last releases. Here we have a 7″ with the title of the upcoming cd (and cd+7″ box) with one track of the cd and of course one exclusive one. Der Blutharsch again managed to sound like Der Blutharsch, but different from before. As anounced, there are no more “martial” influences in the sound. The two tracks are rather soft experimental industrial rock or whatever you want to call it. In the line of the last material, but a bit different. The tracks are not bad, not great, but I find that Der Blutharsch’ music usually comes out better on an album where they are in line of the other tracks, so I have no fears that the next last release, will again be a nice one.
Links: Der Blutharsch / WKN
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Naevus * The Silent Life (cd 2007 hau ruck!)

I have the idea that this bands operates somewhere in the margins of the scene, but maybe they are more popular than I think. I have some compilations when them on it, a split 10″ with Spiritual Front and now I decided to buy their latest album. “The Silent Life” sounds quite ‘typical’ for the band, but as you may know, Naevus have a sound of their own. There are the typical vocals, poppy sound that can not really be called neofolk anymore and electric guitars. “The Silent Life” turns out to be a poprock kind of album. Not smashing, but nice and easy to listen to. The bands deserves the recognition if they don’t already get it, not because they are the best ‘new thing’, but just because they keep doing their own thing and do it well too.
links: Naevus, Hau Ruck!
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Jason Forrest * Shamelessly Exciting (cock rock disco 2006 online album)

Jason Forrest is also known as DJ Donna Summer under which monicker he makes ADHD mixes between techno, breakcore, soul, jazz and whatever he can lay his hands on. A few years ago Forrest decided to form a one-man-band under his own name. “Shamelessly Exciting” is a complete novelty (as far as I know) in the music bizz. Forrest mixes fucked-up breakcore beats with poprock guitars, punk samples and towards the end the album gets a bit pop-idm-jazz-like. Eh? Hard to describe, but energetic, fresh and magnificent.

Ostara * Immaculate Destruction (2cd 2005 trisol)

It is funny. I learned about Ostara when Richard Leviathan sent me an email when the first cd was released. I found Strength Through Joy just alright, so I hadn’t heard “Secret Homeland” yet. When I did, I didn’t like it, too progressive or something. The album proved to be one of the few that grew on me. Usually I immediately hear if I like something, “Secret Homeland” became a good album after various rounds in my player. Then there were “Whispers To The Soul” (2001) and “Kingdom Gone” (2002) which are the best Ostara recordings in my opinion. With “Ultima Thule” the progressive and folky neofolk sound (which has already set new standards for the scene) was replaced for a more poprock oriented style. I like the album, but I already expected that this was probabaly the last Ostara album that I would enjoy. When “Immaculate Destruction” was released, I listened to a few mp3-snippets and decided that this album is not for me. Now I have the whole album and my conclusion stays. The first cd contains rather straightforward poprock, the second cd is a bit more experimental, but still not too much of my liking. u

Ostara * Ultima Thule (cd 2003 eislicht verlag)

This is the third cd of Ostara and so far all have been ‘shocking’ in some respect. First too accessible neofolk, then too poppy neofolk but Ostara gets away with it and after a while the first albums proved to be brilliant. Then a year ago, mr. Leviathan ‘warned me’ that the new cd could contain some metal elements and as the year 2003 continued ‘rumours’ said that the new cd would be more ‘rocky’, so when “Ultima Thule” eventually DID come out, I waited a while before ordering the cd… So… the cd indeed opens with who a whole range of rock songs and around the end more songs that would have been the more ‘natural development’ for Ostara. Musically it is still Ostara, but different. The melodies, Leviathan’s vocals, rhythms, samples and the keyboards are still recognisable, but these electric guitars… I have heard the cd several times now and I start to hear the recognisable elements, but I am still not used to the rocking guitars…

Ostara * Kingdom Gone (cd 2002 eis & licht tonträger)

I don’t buy most neofolk cds, but of course there are also bands that I do like and Ostara is one of them. If you follow the band a little, you will already have 5 of the 12 tracks of this cd, which is a bit of a pitty. “Kingdom Gone” opens with the brilliant “Bavaria” that we of course already got from the mp3.com page. “Hammer Of Ages” is new and nice. “The Trees March North” was already available on the 10″. “March Of The Rising Sun” is an experimental ‘industrial’ track showing that Ostara means to continue to push the boundaries of the genre. Songs 5 and 7 (“Overworld” and “Never Weep”) were already available on the picture 7″ and 10″ and also 10. “Divine Wind” comes from the “Whispers To The Soul” 10″. The new songs 6. “Sword Of Reverie”, 9. “Life’s Symmetry” and 11. “Transsylvania” are very beautiful (especially the last), quite melancholic actually. And speaking of pushing boundaries, 8. “Talenokai” is some kind of techno/trance like track that is nice, but a bit too long. The closer is a slightly darker track “Kingdom Gone”. Overall resulting in a wonderfull cd of almost an hour.
The back had the well-known photo of Richard Leviathan and Timothy Jenn, but Leviathan will continue Ostara alone with guest musicians.

Dream Into Dust * The Lathe Of Heaven (cd 2003 chthonic streams)

At last there is a new DID cd. It was a long wait since the masterpiece “The World We Have Lost”. A less interesting (but still nice) 7″ and compilation contributions in the meantime and now a new fulllength. Derek Rush released it himself and did the wonderfull artwork himself as well. Musically DID has evolved but is still obviously DID. A strange but magnificent mix between tranquil electronic music, industrial, rock, acoustic guitars and the vocals of Rush and time also a violin. The cd is fairly melancholic and tranquil, but not without some harscher industrial sounds. 52 Minutes of great music of one of the best and most original bands from the scene.

Dream Into Dust * The World We Have Lost (cd 1999 elfenblut)

It’s really about time that this US gothicer got some recognition! For years he’s been making the most wonderous music under the monickers December and Dream Into Dust. His releases have always been hard to get, mostly only through his own Chthonic Streams label. Now Derek Rush has been picked up by the English Misanthropy label. Their sublabel Elfenblut alread re-released the December 7″ “River Of Blood” and now there’s the first cd of Dream Into Dust. Both with December and Dreams Into Dust, Derek makes a marvelous piece of gothic music. Really tranquil music with industrial-like sounds, Derek’s warm vocals and his peculiar (bass)guitar-playing. There’re a lot of orchestral themes and for this cd he even used violins and chellos.
Derek’s also very active on the internet, making the homepages of various underground bands. Check out the Chthonic Streams homepage to find out.