Monday, November 30, 2009

Erik Enocksson - Man Tänker Sitt

Read my entire review on The Silent Ballet.

People often talk about the music when they see these films, what a dramatic addition it is.  There is something about Enocksson's minimalist approach that is hard not to like, but the music of Man Tänker Sitt is somewhat bland when compared to his other work. Farväl Falkenberg was so bright and diverse musically, and it's as if the subject matter of this newer film set big limitations on the composer, subduing his talents into drab territory.  There's really no way to make Latin sound cool, is there?  I certainly applaud Erik Enocksson for, again, doing something different.  We can hear the talent trapped below the surface, but one gets the feeling that the Latin verses and the repetitive themes are best spread out within the context of the film and not jammed into twenty-seven short minutes.  It's all pretty heavy handed, and may or may not scare parents come caroling season.  If you see a lost child with a byzantine halo wandering around the Christmas tree this year, maybe give this soundtrack a spin.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Here Be Dragons

Read my entire review on The Silent Ballet.  It's a good one...

Here Be Dragons possesses a unique quality of being stylistically special while at the same time striking a very strong vibration of nostalgia.  Time slows down and folds over as the myriad forms and styles are sent through a kaleidoscopic opium den.  The album cover is a striking acrylic painting done on wood by one Luke Berliner.  The girl depicted in the painting appears to be in a deep trance, eyelids heavy, casting a spell upon those who dare lose themselves within her gaze.  Her androgynous appearance as well as the dark, ambiguous nether-scape sets the mood up convincingly for sultry violins, burly trombones, haunted electronics, and a cast of other earthly and cosmic sounds to conjure a most splendid nocturne.  

Dock Ellis Throws a No Hitter on LSD

This is just a great story and a great montage of images/animation.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Pelican - What We All Come To Need

Read my entire review on The Silent Ballet

Pelican have been using the heavy riff platform to capture a pop sensibility for years, and here on WWACTN we have catchy proto-metal storytelling along with the first taste of the band incorporating vocals. Whether they continue doing this is another matter, but the band sounds more crisp with its song writing. At times their riff-to-riff style can smell a bit like riff-by-number, arbitrarily piecing parts together, but Pelican get to the point more quickly here than on past albums, and it makes for a very satisfying listen -- Maybe as satisfying as the new Pelican Burger at Kuma's Corner in Chicago, who name all their burgers after famous metal bands. A ten ounce beef patty with pan-seared scallops and lardons in a garlic white wine sauce on top of a parmesan crisp, served with white wine-garlic aioli sounds good. If all this doesn't whet your appetite for a band that is doing metallic post-rock as good as anybody, then not much else will.