November 5th 1995
Warp Records
Score: 8.9/10
If art is a product of environment then Autechre should make truly horrendous music. As you have no doubt glanced at the rating in the top left corner of your browser it’s clear this is not the case. To bring some clarity to things Autechre are Rob Brown and Sean Booth an electronic duo from Rochdale, a satellite town if you like as Manchester, England (birthplace of Oasis, The Smiths and Joy Division to name but a few). Rochdale is what we in the north of Endland refer to as a shithole. It’s what Newark is to New Jersey and what Nanterre is to Paris and is as close as Britain comes to the ghetto.
Of course for years huge waves in music have been born from the most unpleasant circumstances. So of what relevance is this to Autechre? Well where as hip hop, jazz and even punk represented a fight back and a stand (or at the very least a distraction) by their creators against their environment, Autechre created their art as a mirror of their environment. “Tri Repetae” is the spirit of Radiohead’s “Kid A” and “OK Computer” (despite obviously preceding them both) taken to its most extreme conclusions and where as Thom Yorke loves to deal with the soullessness of modern life and separation from reality as lyrical themes, Autechre have created it in an unabridged musical form. They have taken the bleakest of themes of depression and isolation and made them even less identifiable, by taking away any vocal or live instrumental element they have removed any human aspect and turned those emotions into the most emotionless of compositions. Of course the whole thing is an oxymoron because while the music itself is stripped of any kind of passion it’s that absence which proves the records strength and makes for an incredibly powerful and enjoyable piece of music.
As with any piece of music in this style to pick and pull at certain tracks is to miss the point of the album entirely. “Tri Repetae” is a swirling world of constantly evolving glitch tracks combined with hard bass and drum loops all written in competing time signatures. The entire form and construction of their music was groundbreaking for their time and signalled a great leap forward for the genre. Much of their music builds in a linear fashion with loops stepping on top of each other over the course of songs rather than operating in pop music style cycles and texture is created not with earthy or melodic synth tones (there probably isn’t a melodic note on the whole record) but with cold, alien blasts of noise giving the songs on almost no-wave style aura in that Autechre have completely disregarded what most people would consider music, forsaking structure, melody and anything which resembles traditional music creation. The attention to detail here is really something to behold and where as there is perhaps a negative stereotype of electronic music of being the same six loops played for six minutes this couldn’t be further from the truth with regards to Autechre. Beneath the focal loops of the tracks there is constantly something fresh bubbling under the surface of the album waiting to explode or recess again into the background.
In terms of Autechre’s back catalogue ‘Tri Repetae’ is generally regarded as the bands finest work and is the bridge between their Kraftwerk inspired past and their avant garde future. As both a landmark album for the genre and the band it is an essential album for any fan of electronic music and a great starting point for a new listener.
Autechre - Tri Repetae
The Tallest Man on Earth- Shallow Grave
May 3rd 2008
Gravitation Records
Score: 7.8/10
Comparing any new artist to Bob Dylan is usually a very lazy attempt by the describer to say this person plays an acoustic guitar and has a unique singing voice. It usually isn't a very good idea to compare any artist to someone that legendary anyways. Calling Dr. Dog Beatle-esque does not make me want to listen to them any more since I already have Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, and the like already in my record collection. But regardless of all this disdain of such generalizations when it comes to already legendary artists, the first word that has to come to mind when listening to Swedish songwriter, Kristian Matsson, absolutely has to be Dylan-esque.
The record opens with a rapidly finger-picked melody that leads me to think that he's simply covering “Don't Think Twice, It's Alright” but with different chords and lyrics. Where Do My Bluebirds Fly gives a wearied vocal performance with beautiful, longing lyrics that I'm sure symbolize something grand, but I'm not quite sure what. Honey Won't You Let Me In is another album stand out that reminds me of an odl folk standard by the name of Honey Allow Me One More Chance. I forget who sang it though. The entire album screams of lo-fi Neutral Milk Hotel-esque production standards and gives the record a very intimate feel like Matsson is in the room with you playing these songs for you.
Lyrically, this record is quite muddled. He seems to be a good lyricist, but it's hard to state that with full confidence as the lyrics are mostly nonsensical. Many of them are little tales with bluebirds and gardeners as main players. The lyrics are really secondary on this record though as his impassioned vocal delivery makes up for any perceived lyrical lackings. He makes whatever may be absurd seem perfectly logical and cohesive with his confident voice.
Although countless songwriters have tried to channel the vibe and energy that Dylan had when he first broke into the folk scene, few have made any notable records as they fail to stand out on their own. If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, then Dylan must feel very humbled over these past forty years. While only time will tell if the Tallest Man on Earth has a few more albums left of material this good and if he can carve his own niche in the folk world, I'll be more than happy to accept Shallow Grave for now. I just wonder if he'll go electric in a few years.
Paul Simon - Graceland
August 12th 1986
Warner Brothers
Score: 9.5/10
Having split from Art Garfunkel in 1970 (one of many splits in fact for the legendary duo) Paul Simon embarked on a solo career which many sensed was destined for mediocrity. Despite some early successes with his self titled debut, by the mid eighties, this was a largely accurate act of clairvoyance. Yet having reach a crossroads in both his personal and public life a rejuvenated Simon created Graceland in 1986 with the belief that despite his marriage falling apart and his career as a musician going much the same way, music and positivity could save it all. While many songwriters look deep within their mind at times of crisis (Springsteen’s Nebraska being an obvious example), Simon looked to the world and saw hope. People react to sadness in different ways and instead of focusing on his personal problems and wallowing in self pity, Simon turned to South Africa. With apartheid in full swing, Simon immersed himself in the life and sounds of the continent which proved the lyrical and musical inspiration for his magnum opus. Despite this Graceland is an album which extends far beyond the specifics of a time and place and is the work of true Universalist.
Musically Simon’s experimentation has been hugely understated and there is no individual songwriter of his prominence who has made such strides in terms of musical accomplishment and experimentation with other sounds. Sure Dylan went electric and Springsteen went Dylan but Simon has stepped deep into other cultures (South America and Africa being his most successful) and like all good songwriters made it his own. No matter where in the world he is coming from Simon has an endearing ability to always sound like a Jewish songwriter from New York City and despite all the sounds of the Dark Continent this is still a record steeped in Americana.
Nowhere else is this better demonstrated than on the title track (It’s named after Elvis’s house, what could be more American?) It’s a harrowing and deeply personal song written clearly about his ex-wife Carrie Fisher and yet comes across as though he’s speaking after the crash, after the worst is over and as he’s beginning to pick up his life again, “She comes back to tell me she's gone/As if I didn't know that/As if I didn't know my own bed/As if I'd never noticed/The way she brushed her hair from her forehead/And she said losing love/Is like a window in your heart/Everybody sees you're blown apart/Everybody sees the wind blow.” Perhaps it’s the driving African grooves and the upbeat rhythms but this is not a song that evokes depression it’s a song which evokes a kind of bleak and melancholy happiness. As an interesting aside the use of the term Graceland was originally thrown in as a placeholder although Simon felt it went on the have coincidental significance as a metaphor for the power of music.
A large section of the music here was written as collaborations with and performed with genuine mbaqanga musicians and it’s a testament to Simon’s prowess as a songwriter that this is blended so effortlessly and naturally with American sounds and musicians such as himself and The Everly Brothers, who guest on the title track. ‘You Know What I Know’ is his a stand out demonstration of this with its subtle and humorous take on American life “She said there’s something about you/That really reminds me of money/She is the kind of a girl/Who could say things that/Weren’t that funny/I said what does that mean/I really remind you of money/She said who am I/To blow against the wind.” Added to this are the powerful back-up singers of Lady-smith Black Mambazo who lend their hands to a beautiful accompanying chorus delivering urgency and strength which contrasts expertly the laid back grooves of Simon and his co-musicians.
The most instantly recognisable tracks both for their widespread radio play and instantly accessible sound are “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” and “You Can Call Me Al”, yet both are as far apart as Graceland gets in terms of sound. The latter is a synthy pop number which, the rhythms section aside, is the most recognisably American song on the record while the former is a master class of world music where a beautiful choral round slips into a moving story of poverty and separation.
All in all this has every ingredient of a classic album. It walks a musical path which is unique to itself, it sold by the bucket load (5x Platinum) and is a main stay of critics and media best of lists the world over. Graceland as an album is a buffet of emotions yet showcases its power in finding happiness in the darkest of times, never has a man captured the emotion and struggles of a culture separate from his own better.
Mutyumu - Ilya
September 25th 2008
Gyuune Records
Score: 8.1/10
Despite the incredible power of the internet search engine, standard Wikipedia checks and MySpace music, Mutyumu prove elusive even to the all encompassing grasp of Google. Type that album into Google and you’ll find more ways to illegally download Ilya than actually legally purchase it. Getting my hands on a physical copy involved the colossal hassle of working my way through Amazon Japan (literally one of two places on the entire internet which will sell it to you) and a two week wait. With that out of the way I’ll tell you what I know. Mutyumu are a Japanese six piece and their favourite artists stretch from Bach to Emperor to U2; all of which can be traced to the sounds of this here album. Ilya is almost certainly their second album following on from 2006’s self titled, although there is a fair chance they have prior releases the internet simply doesn’t record. Much like compatriots Envy (who the band also name drop on their MySpace) everything is sung in Japanese and with translations completely out of the question there’s no lyrical analysis to be had. The album cover hints at a Romeo and Juliet styled concept disc but who’s to say really?
Musically they are a band whose sound runs across genres one would assume were irreconcilable, but honestly who mixes obvious genres like metal and hardcore anymore? It’s all about opera meets post rock meets death metal. What perhaps makes them most distinct from the many other bands throwing every musical colour onto their sonic painting is how Mutyumu’s music is not expansive and open it’s extremely claustrophobic and fast paced from the word go. Forget five minute ambient passages this is an intense listening experience capable of extreme brutality and angelic harmony in a matter of seconds rather minutes and it actually makes sense. There is no grinding halt to a crushing drop C guitar shred fest followed instantly by clean chords and clean singing, the whole disc flows impeccably and none of the experimentation into different textures sounds forced or tacked on. Never have I come across a band, whose sound is a mesh of so many contradicting genres, who’ve made an album so cohesive. Take for example ‘Die Ewige Widerkunft’, the song spends most of its length focused on spiralling pianos layered with staccato violins, but every so often it breaks into the most recognisable (dare I say catchy) vocal refrain before we are greeted with yet more tumbling keys and a wall of noise. Most unexpectedly (but in no way superimposed upon the track) there is about half a minute of pure metal towards the end. This is a taster for the next song ‘L’oeil est Dieu’ which contains more of the same with a much more clearly defined structure and a lot more heaviness and screamed vocals.
As a fan of less angular and abrasive music Mutyumu are to me at their best when they explore the more serene and beautiful aspects of their sound such as on ‘Unforgiven’. It is perhaps the most post rock sounding material here and is a gloomy juggernaut of a track akin to the most intense and noisy Godspeed climax complimented beautifully by vocalist Hatis Noit. Her voice floats and meanders across the highest registers of the human vocal range in a solemn and most haunting fashion. ‘Raison D’Etre’ follows it in a similar yet subtlety different manner by featuring a far more prominent role for the piano which is so often the drive behind their musical landscapes and despite the eeriest of build ups the track closes in the most simple way with a lone piano accompanying a spoken word (although it’s more whispers panned across both headphones) piece. The centrepiece of the album is the penultimate epic “Prayer” which runs the gamut of the entire Mutyumu sound. It opens with a mind blowing and gorgeous 90 seconds of Noit showing her vocal prowess. I was absolutely blown away the first time I heard this. Having become very jaded with music in 2008 hearing her soprano cascade over those dissonant and traumatic layers of sound restored my faith in just how good music can be.
An issue I’ve not yet touched upon but that is well worthy of mention is how extremely technically proficient this band is. Those of you expecting guitar sweeps and double tapping may be disappointed but the standard of piano playing is phenomenal by absolutely any standards and is well worthy of representing the behemoths of classical music who have so distinctly influenced them. The strings too are masterfully used to accentuate, animate and occasionally instigate the direction of the album. Battling with the Piano as the ultimate manifestation of the bands talents is the vocal performance. The purpose of vocals in an album which could easily work instrumentally is twofold. On the one hands her vocals work as another instruments to add yet another layer to the music in much the same way as Sigur Ros use vocals but at the same time her voice is frequently used in the traditional way vocals are used in music; as an immediately identifiable and endearing element to the bands sound.
A lot of people it seems listen to music in seasons (the most clichéd example of which is pop punk in the summer and indie acoustic in the winter) but this isn’t something that I’ve ever really done. However I do listen to music by the time of day. Some albums just sound better at night for me. At this time of year in the UK it gets dark pretty early so when I leave University in the mid to late afternoon it’s perfect environment for listening to this kind of music. As I walk past the headlights of the cars in congestion something about this music makes perfect sense. It’s intensely violent yet calm and serene, it’s cold and yet it touches so many emotions and despite being that web of contradictions it is an extraordinary album.