Manafonistas

• No. 12 ALABAMA SHAKES: BOYS AND GIRLS – Shades of early Aretha Franklin on one track, definitely some Janis Joplin in the vocals at times, but good old fashioned, honest, rocking, soulful tunes all round. Normally not  my cup of Darjeeling, but it feels irresistible No. 11 MIRRORING: FOREIGN BODY – Dead echoes, lost stories on a long and winding road, folk laments from old America, drone songs sending shivers down your spine, everything on the verge of falling apart. Gimme ten words for “heartbreaking”! No. 10 CAN: THE LOST TAPES – Ritual Music from the Underground of the ancient Bundesrepublik (don’t  call it Kraut or Rock)  No. 9 HEINER GOEBBELS: STIFTERS DINGE – experimental collage full of disturbing sounds, desterted landscapes, lonely voices, old chants –  and good old storytelling …  No. 8 LOUIS SCLAVIS ATLAS TRIO: SOURCES – Another “mini laboratory” of French clarinet virtuoso Louis Sclavis. The weird combination of piano, Fender Rhodes piano and electric guitar might produce headaches in the hands of less-gifted musicians, but here we go for a wild ride, full of eccentricities, grooves,  and pieces children might love. No. 7 GEOFF BARROW / BEN SALISBURY: DROKK – MUSIC INSPIRED BY MEGA-CITY ONE – brilliant trip through a dystopian world with haunting echoes of old 70s sci-fi-soundtracks (Vangelis, Carpenter) and radical twists and turns. Much more than a nostagic ride, though two old Oberheim synthesizers from the golden seventies set the tone.  No. 6 SIDSEL ENDRESEN – STIAN WESTERHUS : DIDIMOY DREAMS  – Singing in her very own language (free of semantics and  any oldfashioned business of message) she is the greatest female shaman of the northern atmosphere, and  the experimental guitarist at her side knows how to paint the scene. A wild, wild world.  No. 5 FIONA APPLE: THE IDLER WHEEL IS WISER THAN THE DRIVER OF THE SCREW, AND WHIPPING CORDS WILL SERVE YOU MORE THAN ROPES WILL EVER DO – The production is nearly ascetic and minimal and thereby enhances the emotional impact. Pretty ugly things, twilight zones of the mind, and how make the darkness find its tone – and move, move on up! The great percussive work (on the drums, and the piano (!)) emphasizes a kind of ritual quality (without quoting ethnic exotica).  No. 4 JOHN SURMAN: SALTASH BELLS – finally another pure solo work by the neo-romantic jazz man playing everything himself: saxes, clarinets, synthesizers! Strolling  through landscapes of the English southwest (and the spaces of his childhood). Might as well be his imagination running wild. Surman finds the right balance  between ascetic forms of introspection and uninhibited joie de vivre.  No. 3 PAUL BUCHANAN: MID AIR – The late night-voice of Mr. “Blue Nile”, Paul Buchanan, a piano, some shades of strings and electronics, the most intimate song cycle next to silence; so do not believe anybody who asks for some proper arrangements.  No. 2 ASTRID: HIGH BLUES – the spirits of Erik Satie and the No-Neck-Blues-Band rarely mix in a singular vision, but this French quartet even uses moments of the enigmatic moods of Mark Hollis and some Eno-esque abstractions to create unique chamber-like atmospheres that never soumd like a sum of their inspirations.  No. 1 THOMAS KÖNER: NOVAYA ZEMLYA  – His music reaches out for new territories each time. This time, inspired by somerset distant hinterland in Russia, the master of „Arctic Ambient Noir“ lets silence explode, in a silent way. A lamento without voices. Masterpiece!

 
What a title for an album. Just eccentricity? No. Or yes, doesn’t matter. Though there are a lot of unusual sounds and instruments, they never distract from the songlines. The production is nearly ascetic and minimal and thereby enhances the emotional impact. It’s impressive when a singer uses the spectrum of her voice – from a wisper to a scream – without craving for attention. It all serves the gist. Pretty ugly things, twilight zones of the mind, and how make the darkness find its tone – and move, move on up! The great percussive work (on the drums, and the piano (!)) emphasizes a kind of ritual quality (without quoting ethnic exotica). Astonishing!