Manafonistas

on life, music etc beyond mainstream

As stereogum reports, they have recently received some actual details about Scott Walker and Sunn O)))’s upcoming album Soused, but there hasn’t been any actual music from the release. That changed yesterday with a new trailer that teases about two minutes of music. At first it sounds exactly how you’d expect. There’s Sunn-style guitar drone rumbling to introduce Walker’s baritone murmuring in what sounds like Latin, but may just be some warped appropriation of it. There’s strange imagery that reminds me of the black muck in Under The Skin before settling on the blurry image of an open hand. Then gradually you realize the hand is making a fist, and after that moment all hell breaks loose. Drums explode into the picture, guitars start riffing, and Walker shouting and screaming with an immediacy that you got in the fiercest moments of his 2012 album Bish Bosch. It doesn’t exactly sound like Sunn O))) or what we’ve heard yet from Walker, but it does sound incredible. The bad news is the album’s release date has been pushed back from 9/23 to 10/21.  And the really bad news is that the dull politics of GEMA (a highly dubious corporation representing a totally wrong dichotomy of „serious“ and „light, entertaining“ music (jazz, pop, folk, gosh, bullshit thinking relying on old academic traditions and hierarchies that belong in the garbage can – and you now know in which areas the big money flows!) prevents German listeners from being able to look at the youtube-trailer. Thank you, GEMA, for such counter-productive activities!

Is there anybody who knows how we can post the trailer without being blocked by these enemies of decent promotion?  (source: stereogum & manafonistas

This entry was posted on Freitag, 22. August 2014 and is filed under "Blog". You can follow any responses to this entry with RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

11 Comments

  1. Michael Engelbrecht:

    the same with the new song of Leonard Cohen, but after 30 minutes of web search I found a way to undermine GEMA politics:

    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x241lif_leonard-cohen-almost-like-the-blues-audio_music

    great song: Leonard goes dark

  2. Michael Engelbrecht:

    We´re told, the trailer is mind-blowing.

    Quote from the web: „No really; we’re not exaggerating here. As you can see below, the nearly two-minute clip is sparked by a few snarling riffs but quickly lets Walker steal the show via profoundly Gothic vocals that sound like Nosferatu singing in the penultimate scene of a rock opera about how it’s hard being a blood-sucker.

    Toss the melodramatic/monochromatic visuals of Gast Bouschet into the mix and you’ve got the recipe for a record that’s easily as epic in scope as anything Sunn O))) has ever done. As for how it’ll fit into Walker’s oeuvre, that remains to be seen, especially since he sketched the songs on Soused with Sunn O))) specifically in mind.

  3. Michael Engelbrecht:

    http://www.scott-o.com

    (this website has recently been launched)

  4. Lajla Nizinski:

    Danke fuer die ‚dailymotin‘. Ich mag die Stimme von Leonhard Cohen bei diesem Song nicht. Erinnert mich an Bukowski, als er sturzbesoffen eine Lesung in Hamburg hielt.

    Aber gestern Abend hatte ich ein schoenes deja-vu Erlebnis in einer Ausstellung: Es lief da ein Film von Broedl ueber Arnulf Rainer. Der Maler experimentierte mit seinem Koerper, um sich selbst in den Prozess des Malens hineinzuversetzen. Er tanzte, stand Kopf, schlug sich mit einem Affen herum, machte Grimassen oder haute um sich. In diesen extremen Situationen hielt er immer einen Stift irgendwo und zeichnete bzw. malte. Das Ergebnis war zunaechst genauso unverstaendlich wie die neue Musik von Scott Walker. Man BEGREIFT nicht mehr. Und doch ist das Greifen unser erster Sinn. Darauf besinnen sich wohl die Kuenstler jetzt. Scott [er greift nach nichts anderem als nach seiner Stimme] und auch Rainer sind ganz weit weg von Lektuere oder Philosophien. Sie stehen so nackt vor uns mit ihrer Kunst. Mich macht diese Entwicklung sehr neugierig. Anscheinend auch Luepertz, er stand auch da herum.

  5. Michael:

    i like differences of perception.

    i do love his voice here, it sends shivers,

    and i cannot stand bukowski s drunken voice.

    by the way, Cohen´s voice runs through subtle changes here, it is no shot. and the voice and the lyrics complement each another in a terrific way (always two angles) – one man´s shangrila is another woman`s ashtray, so to speak.

  6. Michael:

    On a day filled with mixed pleasures and something bitter in the air i finally blew out every light in my room and just listened to Mirel Wagner´s records, and Leonard`s song.

    My mind is totally sober, though i would have enjoyed one of Ian´s whisky recommendations.

    That would be perfect company. One glass, still working on the last scene – but it NOW already feels so much better…..high rotation remedy!

    Oh, there was another song, I forgot, the title song of True Detctive. It´s in my car player now, I learned the words and sing along with The Handsome Family.

  7. Lajla nizinski:

    I hope that his blues softens your blues.
    The lyric of this song is very beautiful and very sad.
    Often I only enjoy his poems without listening to his music.

  8. Bob:

    Just got back from holiday and what a present! It sounds as great ad I could ever have expected!!

  9. Michael Engelbrecht:

    Well, after Sept. 6th I will be in the mood for long travels, my plans for September and October:
    Algarve, Lisbon, London (trying to interview Scott Walker against all odds, this time for real, no dreamy Sylt story!), and, then, well, Manhattan sounds good for me, strolling through the Central Park and find some great jazz guys playing at the Village Vanguard! Dortmund will have a bad year, they played shit today, and I decided to live this year without football:)

  10. Bob:

    Whether you can interview Scott or nott(!), the Sylt story is so strongly emblazoned in my mind that it IS true! I hope BVB can come back strong. This was a difficult summer for Saints, where everyone left for the wealthy clubs!

    Manhattan Jazz sounds cool. Take lots of photos and I look forward to hearing the write up.

  11. Michael Engelbrecht:

    We’re all saints, aren’t we? Now, this year I will do a Dortmund sabbathical, because I know this will be a fucking bad year. Immobile was a mistake, he only played one good season in his career. And Dortmund won’t make no. 2 or 3.


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