Manafonistas

Von unten schallt laute Reggaemusik herauf und dichter Marihuanaqualm zieht ins Zimmer. Trotzdem versucht Tschechov sich zu konzentrieren und seinen Text zu lernen. Es wird Shakespeare gespielt werden. Jemand liegt neben ihm auf dem Bett, kuschelt sich an ihn. „Antonio, hör mal! Trifft das nicht auch auf dich zu?“ flüstert die dunkelhaarige Schöne und liest aus einem Buch von Jorge Luis Borge, auf dessen Umschlag nur ein gelber Strich zu sehen ist und auf dem Everything & Nothing geschrieben steht:

„In ihm war niemand; hinter seinem Gesicht … und hinter seinen Worten, die üppig, fantastisch und wildbewegt waren, stand nicht mehr als ein kaltes Wehen, ein Traum, der von niemandem geträumt ward … Als er (Shakespeare) einige zwanzig Jahre alt war, ging er nach London. Instinktiv hatte er sich schon zu dieser Zeit angewöhnt, so zu tun, als sei er ein anderer, damit seine Niemandsverfassung nicht herauskäme; in London fand er einen Beruf, der für ihn prädestiniert war, nämlich den des Schauspielers, der auf der Bühne spielend so tut: als sei er ein anderer, vor einer Ansammlung von Leuten, die spielend so tun, als hielten sie ihn für einen anderen!“

Over five hours, the music works a strange effect on the listener. The intervening decades of minimalist and ambient music have made us familiar with the concepts of long durations, tonal stasis, consistent dynamics, repetitions, but November uses these techniques in an unusual way. The sense of continuity is very strong, but there is no fixed pulse and few strict repetitions. The slowness, spareness and use of silence, with an organic sense of rhythm, make it seem very similar in many respects to Morton Feldman’s late music. The harmonic language, however, is very different. Johnson’s piece uses clear, familiar tonality to play with our expectations of the music’s ultimate direction, whereas Feldman’s chromatic ambiguity seeks to negate any feeling of movement in harmony or time.

Bill Callahan: Dream River [Drag City]

River ain’t too much to love, I wish we were an eagle, and Apocalypse were three masterpieces. Under the name of Smog, Bill Callahan had released several very good works, the best were Red apple falls, and Knock knock. So, in a year, without new albums of The Mountain Goats, Robert Wyatt, Joanna Newsom, Brian Eno, Lambchop and David Sylvian, Bill Callahan might release the „killer album“. In the field of raw and intimate songs.

“My language came from watching Humphrey Bogart movies as a kid and wondering, Who is this Raymond Chandler guy? A lot of it just has to do with the metre, the way the sentences are put together. I outgrew Chandler once I discovered (US-hard boiled authors) Cain, Hammett and Woolrich. Some of the Hammett short stories are almost like Beckett, and Woolrich was kind of like Poe. Those writers speak to me in a way Shakespeare doesn´t.” (Mojo)

First off, this is a must for any album collector simply because of the inclusion of four songs from the infamous, last concert the Beatles ever gave: The Rooftop Concert on January 30th of 1969. These songs being Dig a Pony, I’ve Got a Feeling, One After 909, and Get Back, and you can actually hear the boys singing!
And hey, what’s wrong with the album anyway? „Two of Us“ is just a wonderful song for the emotional Beatles fan, as it has John and Paul harmonizing together with acoustic guitars for the last time ever… racking my brian through the songs on Abbey, and I think that last statement of mine is accurate… „Dig a Pony“ is fun for the Lennon fan, especially his voice in this one– hoarse and involved… .. and of course you’ve got your classics, „Across the Universe“ (which sounds fine to me) „Let It Be“, „Get Back“ and „The Long and Winding Road“ (I think the orchastrizations are wonderful, they make the song all the more poignant… be interesting to hear the song devoid of those violins though, is that on Anthology 3, I wonder?)

I don’t see why so many people put down the acerdic „I Me Mine“– what’s wrong with it? I personally think it’s one of George’s better Beatle efforts… it’s sincere anyway, listen to the bitterness in his voice… and the lyrics– obviously reflecting upon his relations with the other Beatles and recording studio, and the contract… and then that almost chipper chorus comes and saves you from the nadir of George’s depressing rut… I-I Me Me Mine! :-p

I love the short bits– why any Beatle fan would dislike them is beyond me… The Beatles, half the reason they are so popular is because of their overbearing personalities and what shows personality better than „Dig It“ and „Maggie Mae“ Can’t you see them horsing around in the studio? Okay, fine, disregard all the altercations going on at the time– now can you see it? But John’s vocals in „Dig It“ make it notable, and a rare duet between Mr. Lennon and Ringo in „Maggie Mae“ is priceless! Listen to the contrasting voices… do it right now!

„One After 909“ is a fine song, the only pure rock song on this album besides „Get Back“ and a stroll down memory lane, but advanced to the then-current groove the Beats were in… „For You Blue“ is another nice song.

Saving the best song for last, „I’ve Got a Feeling“– how can one not simply CHERISH this song! It’s wonderful! First off, the catchy, vivid, and poignant guitars in the beginning… is that John on rythym there or George? I don’t recall… But then Paul comes in „I’ve got a feeling…“ and his vocals are beautiful and candid– probably because of the high he MUST have gotten from performing live again… He does his bit, then John sings „Everybody’s had a hard time…“ (who can’t like that „Ev’ry had a wet dream“ line?:p) and then, glory of glory, one of the finer moments in the later Beatles albums when John and Paul’s partenership had begun to fade, they both come in and rieterate what they’d just sung– at the same time! You’ve got Paul doing his „I’ve got a feeling“ thing while John’s singing his „Ev’rybody’s…“ Wonderful bliss!!

Buy this album, I feel bouyant just thinking about it– it’s all worth it for that last song… Escasty!

May the Mountain Goats never stop making records so long as I’m alive. This album comes right into cue with the rest of the Darnielle’s fantastic poetic gems. The liner notes offer an explanation for new initates about the boombox sound, ubiquitously and erroneously labeled „lo-fi“. Darnielle’s recordings capture some inexplicable and sublime raw intimacy, which will draw you to the brink of oblivion, if you give it half a chance. After a highly metaphorical dance with death on the Coroner’s Gambit, Darnielle’s classic wit, straight forward style, and even keyboard percussion, return. Songs like „Balance“ will remind you what it feels like to dig your own heart out with a spoon.

P.S.: Gut, die reissue lässt nich ein wenig auf sich warten, sie erscheint erst im August (auch auf Vinyl), die nächste gute Nachricht ist, dass The Mountain Goats aka John Darnielle nach Deutschland kommen. Fürs Luxor in Köln hole ich mir gleich die Karte. Anybody who wants to join?

Upcoming tour dates in Europe (easy going for  our three Manafonistas in London, Glasgow and Amsterdam; the Union Chapel is a particularly nice place, Bob!!!) 

October

7 – St. Georges *, Bristol, UK

8 – Union Chapel *, London, UK

9 – Royal Northern College of Music * , Manchester, UK

10 – Arches *, Glasgow, Scotland

12 – Handelsbeurs *, Gent, Belgium

13 – People’s Place *, Amsterdam, Netherlands

14 – Luxor *, Cologne, Germany

16 – La Gaite Lyrique *, Paris, France

18 – Teatre Conde Duque *, Madrid, Spain

19 – Caprichos de Apolo * , Barcelona, Spain

* with Alessi’s Ark