Le gourou du dance-punk James Murphy revient avec le second album de son projet LCD Soundsytem. Même recette, qui est devenue la marque du label DFA Records, un de ceux qui sont à l’origine du retour interminable du rock des années 2000. On retiendra surtout The Rapture (”House of Jealous Lovers”) et Radio 4, groupes dont le son est très inspiré du groupe anglais de la fin des années 70 Gang of Four. Rythmes groovy, gros riffs de guitare, voix punk ! Ca n’a pas changé depuis 8 ans mais c’est toujours frais !

The dance-punk guru James Murphy comes out again with his new LCD Soundsystem album. He applies the same receipe that has become a trademark for his DFA Records label, one of the labels responsible for the 2000’s never-ending new wave of rock, mainly known for the success of The Rapture (”House of Jealous Lovers”) and Radio 4, bands which sound is inspirated by late 70’s English band Gang of Four. Here are a few groovy rhythms with heavy riffs and punk voices! It sounds the same as eight years ago though being still fresh!

El guru del dance-punk James Murphy vuelve con un segundo disco bajo el nombre de LCD Soundsystem. Aplica la misma formula que ya es marca de la casa DFA Records, uno de los sellos responsables de la nueva era del rock del siglo 21. Sobre todo conocido por el exito de The Rapture (”House of Jealous Lovers”) y Radio 4, bandas cuyo sonido esta claramente influenciado por la banda inglesa de finales de los 70 Gang of Four. Ritmos muy groovy con riffs heavy’s y voces punk! Suena igual que hace 8 años, pero muy fresco!

“North American Scum” :

Plus d’info sur Wikipedia [fr]
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Mas informacion en la Wikipedia [es]
LCD Soundsystem on MySpace
Commander Sound of Silver sur Amazon.fr

Just a great song, by a great singer, Gil Scott-Heron. “The Bottle”, an extract from his fourth LP Winter in America released in 1973. A song about the danger of alcohol abuse… Forewarned is forearmed!

Una gran canción, por un gran cantante, Gil Scott-Heron. “The Bottle”, de su cuarta larga duración Winter in America que salió en 1973. Una canción que trata del peligro del abuso de alcohol… A buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan!

“The Bottle” :

Plus d’info sur Wikipedia [fr]
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Mas informacion en la Wikipedia [es]
Gil Scott-Heron on MySpace
Commander Winter in America sur Amazon.fr

Madder Rose was an alternative rock band based in New York City active throughout the 90’s. Mary Lorson’s singing and Billy Coté’s songwriting married pop and grunge on their first album “Bring it Down”. A mix that allowed them to gain critical success not followed unfortunately by commercial success, maybe because of the lack of potential hit single on this record. Exception made of “Swim”, somehow the band’s theme, a wonderful little ballad…

Madder Rose fué un grupo de rock alternativo neoyorquino activo durante los años 90. El canto de Mary Lorson y la composición de Billy Coté casan el pop con el grunge en su primer álbum “Bring it Down”. Una mezcla con la que consiguieron el aprecio de la crítica y que desafortunadamente no fué asi con respecto al éxito comercial, debido al vago potencial de hits en el disco. A excepción de “Swim”, que de alguna manera es la joya del grupo, una preciosa balada…

“Swim” :

Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Madder Rose on MySpace
Acheter Bring it Down sur Amazon.fr

The Chameleons font partie de ces groupes qui étaient en marge de toute tendance à leur époque, raison pour laquelle ils n’atteindront jamais la renommée de leur contemporains (U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division…). Il n’y eut que feu John Peel et le club La Haçienda (du label Factory Records) pour croire en leur talent et faire parler d’eux.

En 1983, ils publient leur premier album “Script of the Bridge” dont le son est à mi-chemin entre l’after-punk et la New Wave du début des années 80. “Up The Down Escalator” donne une bonne idée du son si caractéristique qui émanait du groupe : émotion, mélancolie, caractère…

The Chameleons were one those bands behind any kind of trends during the time when they were playing, reason why they never reached the same fame as their contemporaries (U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division…). John Peel and La Haçienda Club (Factory Records) were the only ones who believed in their talent and helped them to make some place inside the independent movement of the time.

In 1983 they released their first album “Script Of The Bridge”, with a sound between the lasts bits of after-punk and the New Wave of the early 80’s. “Up The Down Escalator” is one of the examples of the band’s characteristic sound: emotivity, harmony, contundence, epic…

The Chameleons fueron una de esas bandas que estuvieron al margen de cualquier tendencia durante la época en la que estuvieron activos, por lo que nunca llegaron a alcanzar la fama de sus contemporáneos (U2, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division…) Tan sólo John Peel y el club La Haçienda (Factory Records) fueron los únicos que confiaron en su talento y los catapultaron al exterior.

En 1983 editan su primer larga duración “Script Of The Bridge” con un sonido a caballo entre los restos del after-punk y la nueva era New Wave de principios de los 80. “Up The Down Escalator” es el claro ejemplo del sonido tan característico que emanaba el grupo: emotividad, harmonía, contundencia, épica…

“Up The Down Escalator” :

Plus d’info sur Wikipedia [fr]
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Video clip demo for Up The Down Escalator
The Chameleons on MySpace
Commander Script of the Bridge sur Amazon.fr

C’était en 1992, deux années après la sortie de “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” l’album qui fut son plus grand succès. Outre la fameuse reprise du “Nothing Compares 2 U” de Prince, on y trouve “I Am Stretched on Your Grave”. Preuve s’il en était encore besoin de la singularité de la chanteuse, ce titre marie un texte du poète Frank O’Connor à des mélodies celtiques et un sample du Funky Drummer de James Brown. Ca ressemble étrangement à du Massive Attack (avec qui elle travaillera d’ailleurs plus tard) avec quelques mois d’avance toutefois… Sinéad O’Connor précurseur du trip-hop ?

As everybody knows, Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor is a rebel. Shaved hair, critics towards U2, band that supported her at her beginnings, a Prince cover as a pop carrer launcher, a Grammy Awards boycott while she had four nominations… And, last but not least, her biggest trophy, the Saturday Night Live show during which she tore a photo of Pope John Paul II while declaring “Fight the real ennemy!” as a protestation to the sexual abuses the Roman Catholic Church was then accused (watch that).

It was back in 1992, two years after the release of “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” the album that was her biggest success. In addition to the famous cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”, it includes “I Am Stretched on Your Grave”. Proof, if needed, of the singer’s peculiarity, this track marries words by poet Franck O’Connor to Celtic melodies and a sample of James Brown’s Funky Drummer. It sounds like Massive Attack (she will later work with them) though with a few months in advance… Sinéad O’Connor precursor of trip-hop?

“I Am Stretched on Your Grave” :

Plus d’info sur Wikipedia [fr]
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Mas informacion en la Wikipedia [es]
Sinéad O’Connor performing Bob Marley’s War at Saturday Night Live
Sinéad O’Connor on MySpace
Commander I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got sur Amazon.fr

Since the release of Lily Allen’s first album a few months ago, “Knock ‘em Out” kept beeing one of my prefered tracks. Built on a dancehall rhythm and an accelerated piano riff from the hit “Big Chief” by Professor Longhair, “Knock ‘em Out” sarcastically deals with annoying guys. Lily Allen enumerates the most unlikely excuses to get rid of the worst of them (”Oh, you know, I gotta go my house is on fire! I’ve - I’ve got herpes!”). We’re closer to M.I.A. than to “Smile”, her first single which is rather more suitable…

“Knock ‘em Out” :

Plus d’info sur Wikipedia [fr]
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Mas informacion en la Wikipedia [es]
Lily Allen on MySpace
Commander Alright, Still sur Amazon.fr

Le titre fut enregistré avec les musiciens du groupe MFSB et rappelle Curtis Mayfield. Il a également été repris par Massive Attack en 1991 sur leur premier album Blue Lines, version qui a pris un bon coup de vieux contrairement à l’original qui a 34 ans. “Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin the scene with a gangsta lean, wooh ooh ooh!”

William DeVaughn was working for the American government when he paid 900$ for a session in label Omega’s studio in which he recorded “Be Thankful for What You Got”, a song of his own. Once edited and distributed, the song will reach #1 in the american R&B charts and #4 in pop charts in 1974, thus selling nearly 2 million copies.

The song was recorded by MFSB’s musicians and reminds Curtis Mayfield. It also appeared as a cover on Massive Attack’s first record “Blue Lines” in 1991, a version that sounds quite old fashioned nowadays, contrary to the 34 years old original one. “Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin the scene with a gangsta lean, wooh ooh ooh!”

“Be Thankful for What You Got” :

Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Acheter Lounge Legends, Lee Hazlewood sur Amazon.fr

“The Fire”, issu de leur second et excellentissime album “From the Lion’s Mouth”, est un exutoire. Envoûtant, mélancolique, comme Ian Curtis, Adrian Borland est un écorché vif, un romantique désabusé. “I can’t change a thing! I can’t take a chance!”

The Sound was a British band active in the 80’s falling somewhere in between Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen. However, The Sound never gained the same success abroad as these two bands, in spite of deserving it (apart from Holland). The band also reminds U2 in the sound and in the way leader Adrian Borland sings.

“The Fire”, from their great second album “From the Lion’s Mouth”, acts as an outlet. Captivating, melancholic, Adrain Borland is a disillusioned romantic, as Ian Curtis was. “I can’t change a thing! I can’t take a chance!”

The Sound fueron un grupo activo durante los años 80, a medio camino entre Joy Division & Echo the Bunnymen. En cualquier caso nunca llegaron al éxito de estos. Recuerdan también a U2 por su sonido y el carisma de su cantante Adrian Borland.

“The Fire”, de su segundo álbum, “From the Lion’s Mouth”, es una cartasis. Cautivador, melancólico, Adrian Borland el romántico desilusionado, como Ian Curtis. “I can’t change a thing! I can’t take a chance!”

“The Fire” :

Plus d’info sur Wikipedia [fr]
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
The Sound on MySpace
Commander From the Lion’s Mouth sur Amazon.fr

While visiting Diddy Wah the other day, I fell on “Hot Sand”, a song by Shocking Blue, a dutch band mainly known for “Venus”, a chart-topper of year 1969 in the USA (and everywhere else), also a hit single in the 80s thanks to Bananarama. However, “Hot Sand” only has little similarity with “Venus”. Thus, my curiosity incited me to get the “At Home” record on which we can find both tracks, and it was rewarded! This album is an avalanch of heavy riffs leaded with high energy by singer Mariska Veres, and a bunch of sitar that reminds the ambient psychedelic context. All these elements are melt on “Love Machine”, that demonstrates the power of Shocking Blue’s sound.

“Love Machine” :

Plus d’info sur Wikipedia [fr]
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Shocking Blue on MySpace
Achter At Home sur Amazon.fr

A force d’écoutes, je me suis surpris à mettre en boucle “From The Day That You Were Born”, le morceau qui clôture le disque et sonne d’ailleurs comme tel. Ca respire la naïveté et l’optimisme, c’est doux, touchant, il y a du génie là-dedans. Et un peu de “Tomorrow Never Knows” et de John Lennon quand même, pour les sons joués à l’envers et l’effet de reverb sur la voix.

Pop Levi is an English musician from Liverpool, UK, who releases his first solo effort “The Return to Form the Black Magick Party” after being part of projects Super Numeri and Ladytron. As I didn’t listen to any of those projects, I discovered Pop Levi through brand new ears. And this first record appears quite refreshing! Sometimes glam, sometimes psychedelic, construction and arrangements are liberated, the result is full of spontaneity, the real kind of, the kind that lacks too much records.

Eventually, I surprised myself repeatedly listening to “From The Day That You Were Born”, the tune ending the record and sounds as such. It breathes naivety and optimism, it is sweet, touching, there’s genius in it. There’s a bit of “Tomorrow Never Knows” and John Lennon as well, in the reverse sounds and the reverb effect on the voice.

Pop Levi es un músico de Liverpool, Inglaterra. Acaba de publicar su primer trabajo en solitario “The Return to Form the Black Magick Party” después de formar parte de otros proyectos como Super Numeri y Ladytron. Así que como yo no he escuchado estas bandas, descubrí Pop Levi a traves de mis flamantes oídos. Y la primera grabación suena bastante fresca! A veces glam, a veces psicodelia… Composiciones y arreglos sin prejuicio alguno. Resultados espontáneos como el verdadero tipo que carece de grabaciones.

Me sorprendí por momentos a mi mismo escuchando “From The Day That You Were Born”, el último tema del disco que suena tal y como acaba. Respira un aire naif y optimista, dulce, se nota que hay un genio ahí dentro. Un poco de “Tomorrow Never Knows” y de John Lennon, de facil identificacion en los sonidos invertidos y en las reverberaciones de voz.

“From The Day That You Were Born” :

Pop Levi on MySpace
Acheter The Return To Form Black Magick Party sur Amazon.fr