Manafonistas

1) Locke (one man, one car, one journey, and the most heartfelt way to say ‚Fuck Chicago‘)  2) Frank (waiting for the gift of sound and darkness)  3) The Dallas Buyers‘ Club (one of these movies that make you look fo the essence of it all)  4) The Grand Budapest Hotel (old european twilight zones, fairytale meets wartime, inspired by Stefan Zweig)  5) A Field in England (like a drugged nightmare that cuts off the horizon, final game with a vision)  6) ’71  (the spirit of John Carpenter works here, and for the best) 7) Maps to the Stars (David Cronenberg’s dance of the living dead in Hollywood)  8) 20,000 Days On Earth (an inventive portrait of Nick Cave between privacy and persona) 9) 12 Years A Slave (hard stuff, great acting, dark times) 10) Cold In July (film noir Joe R. Lansdale-style) 

„Rays of Darkness is the first MONO album in 15 years to feature no orchestral instruments whatsoever. That fact alone is remarkable given the band’s reputation for sweeping, dramatic instrumentals that recall Oscar-worthy film scores. Instead, Rays of Darkness more closely resembles a jet engine taking off inside a small, crowded auditorium. It is MONO’s blackest album ever, a collection of scorched riffs, doom rhythms, and an unexpected contribution from post-hardcore pioneer Tetsu Fukagawa of Envy. The album ends with the smoldering wreckage of distorted guitars and ominous drones playing out a eulogy to the days when MONO shot blinding rays of light through seemingly endless darkness.“

 
(Selbstcharakterisierung mit hohem Zutreffendheitsgrad)

 
 
MONO site
 
 

„The Last Dawn is the first of these two companion albums, and is the „lighter“ of the two, thematically and melodically. It contains undoubtedly some of MONO’s strongest songs ever, drawing on an array of influences from minimalist film score to vintage shoegaze. It is MONO at their absolute purest, executing an uncanny, unspoken dialogue with each other without the dozens of stringed instruments that have been so prominent throughout their catalog. The songs are also noticeably more efficient – there hasn’t been a MONO full-length record to fit on a single slab of vinyl since 2003’s One Step More And You Die – and the album benefits immeasurably from this streamlined approach. MONO have always been masters of telling compelling without words. But now they’ve proven they can do it without frills, too.“

 
 
VIDEO RAYS OF DARKNESS
 
 
VIDEO RECOIL, IGNITE
 
 
 
MONO
 
Takaakira Goto (electric guitar, glockenspiel)
Hideki Suematsu (electric guitar, glockenspiel)
Tamaki Kunishi (bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, glockenspiel)
Yasunori Takada (drum kit, glockenspiel, synthesizer)
 
 

MONO coming MONO coming, MONO again, againg, aagaiingg

 
 
13/12 BERLIN
14/12 KÖLN
15/12 KARLSRUHE
16/12 MÜNCHEN
 

While Ian has had a strange epiphany looking at an abstract painting in Paris, i’ve been looking for a big high quality anorak that keeps the icy winds of Sylt from my body while strolling through deserted coastlines. Cause I was really tired after all. Cause I got lost (mesmerized) in a book that rendered (?) me speechless even after finishing the last of its 600 something pages, everything slowed down, but I’ll start the journey soon. Little delay. In case someone hasn’t got the message (the book and the message have at least one thing in common: time traveling), four Eno albums (from the 90’s) will be re-released as „expanded“/“extended“ editions that really deserve that word. Is there anyone out there who loves surreal heartfelt experimental rhythmical wild music from the outer fields of so-called electronic multicoloured post-fusion anti-math-rock who has never heard NERVE NET? Among its admirers Heiner Goebbels and Eivind Aarset. So tomorrow (in Germany, on Monday in all other countries) you can correct history and get your hands on NERVE NET and MY SQUELCHY LIFE on one double cd. And there’s a special story (see comment 1) behind those „squelchy songs“: it’s  a „killer“ with Eno often working in expressionist mode. Might kick another hole in the cosmos for you, these extensions with all their connections to ancient cave painting, atheist space prayers, deconstructing a John Paul Jones guitar solo, fractal zooms and profound dadaism. I do not know if Ian has ever had a relationship with NERVE NET, but „le Jardin du Luxembourg“ would be a great place to listen to it: a cold afternoon, strange faces, lonesome benches. And feeling great. Late autumnal euphoria. And for the ambient music lovers: NEROLI and THE SHUTOV ASSEMBLY will do the trick and spread their wings around you. Mhm, this sounds too poetic, but it’s not easy to avoid the thing with the „immersive experience“ here. Oh, so sorry, and,  a propos „immersive“, I forgot to give you at least the name of the book: THE BONE CLOCKS.