THE LEAVING TRAINS & THE CELIBATE RIFLES

On March 1. 1986 at the age of 16, I discovered a music club in my hometown called DE MEDIA where I went to see an IVY GREEN/L’ATTANTAT double bill. Both shows were wild and explosive and a new world opened up for me. Because I really loved the place, I became a co-worker and started recommending bands to the club owner. Two years later, THE LEAVING TRAINS from L.A. planned a European tour to promote their third SST long-player “Fuck” and I managed to book a show at the club. Again, it was another raw and exciting rock & roll night and because a good time was had by all, the club owner agreed to my recommendations to book more guitar bands. I can’t tell you how great it felt as a 17-years old kid to jump on his bike and pedal off to wild shows by the likes of SOUL ASYLUM, TAR BABIES, DOUGHBOYS, THE STEPPES, 11TH DREAM DAY, VANILLA CHAINSAWS, ED KUEPPER, THEE HEADCOATS, DEAD MOON, THE WALKABOUTS, THE CYNICS and 22 PISTE PIRKKO!


A couple of months later, I saw THE CELIBATE RIFLES from Australia at some squat in Antwerp called 1,000 Appeltjes (1,000 Little Apples). Half of the band was dressed like they’d spent the afternoon on a surfboard with their swimming shorts and beach sandals! It must have been July 30. 1988 because I remember how I slept on a bench in the city afterwards and took a bus to the Sfinks festival in nearby Boechout early in the next morning where I saw revelatory concerts by Toumani Diabate, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abdel Aziz El Mubarak and Ali Farka Touré. Although I had a very good relationship with my parents since my 3 older sisters had left the house, I really enjoyed being on my own as an adolescent, living on a steady diet of music and little money. The following night, I slept at an outdoors sawmill and after the second festival day, I had to phone my parents to come and get me because I had spent my last money on a Miles Davis record. But I’m wandering off the subject.


As with THE LEAVING TRAINS, THE CELIBATE RIFLES were also promoting their finest platter (“Roman Beach Party”) when I saw them for the first time. Both albums have that same exciting, loose spirit that somehow shaped me as an individual at the time. My carpe diem attitude was energized by both records and that’s probably the reason why I have always considered them as twin albums.

Life without memory is not life at all – to quote Buñuel - and that’s why I not only cherish both records based on their qualities but especially because they remind me of an inspiring time full of discovery & excitement. Nothing wrong with a healthy dose of nostalgia, right?

Here are 3 songs from both “Fuck” and “Roman Beach Party”. I’m sure you will agree that these songs still hold up today:

What Cissy Said – THE LEAVING TRAINS mp3

27 Days – THE LEAVING TRAINS mp3

So Fucked Up – THE LEAVING TRAINS mp3


Jesus on T.V. - THE CELIBATE RIFLES mp3

The more things change – THE CELIBATE RIFLES mp3

Ocean Shore – THE CELIBATE RIFLES mp3

YOSHIDA KIJU

Besides a couple of great new movies at the INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM, the true revelation for me was the discovery of the films of YOSHIDA KIJU, one of the leaders of the Japanese New Wave. Not many people outside Japan and France have ever seen any of his beautiful and intriguing films so I count myself very lucky for having seen 4 of the 7 selected films on the big screen. The focus on Yoshida Kiju was part of a more extensive retrospective of 13 films (Yoshida made 19 fiction films in total) organized by the Norwegian Film Institute who also published an enlightening and highly recommended catalogue called “Yoshida Kiju: 50 Years of Avant-Garde Filmmaking in Postwar Japan”.

“I was never really conscious of doing something to be anti-something, but whenever I wrote a screenplay, it naturally came out like that.”

University-educated Yoshida made his raw debut film in 1960 when he was 27 years old, after only five years of apprenticeship mainly under Kinoshita Keisuke, master of comedy and melodrama. He had graduated in French literature from Tokyo University, Japan’s top university, and was heavily influenced by Sartre’s existentialism. Yoshida brought his academic views of society to the screen and rejected harmony and resignation.

The Affair at Akitsu (1962) is a beautiful and intense melodrama and marked Yoshida’s first collaboration with the star actress Okada Mariko. Before long they became inseparable, married and established their own independent production company Gendai Eigasha. About The Affair at Akitsu, Yoshida says the following: “I was thinking of trying to make a romance film. But romantic love is always betrayed by time, because it’s only for a very short period of time that a man and a woman can think in unison. So for me a true romance film is a film that shows the gap between the woman and the man and shows that they go past each other without really finding a common meeting point.” A wonderful and powerful film!


Yoshida’s filmic analysis of human relationships and female nature is experimental in both style and structure. Eros + Massacre (1969) is a complex yet enchanting tour de force and almost unanimously acclaimed as his true masterpiece. The film takes on Osugi Sakae, the pre-war anarchist and advocate of free love, and his relations with three different women, but has them mingle and interact with a couple of student radicals from the 1960s. Yoshida denies the narrative function of cinema in favor for a dynamic interplay of different points of view. It’s a long and complex film, but the inspiring content (the struggle between male logic and female passion) and the enchanting cinematography ensures a most rewarding experience.

Looking at it more broadly, I also went beyond the normal set of rules for setting up the camera and framing a scene. The common rule is that when you make a close-up, the focus of the shot should be at the center of the frame, so that for most people it’s easy to look at, it’s comfortable. Which also means that as part of the set of rules of cinema, the person at the center is often unconsciously defined as the protagonist. So I very often frame only half of the face of the actor. It’s a kind of resistance, telling the audience, “Don’t trust so blindly what you see on the screen. Please try to find by yourselves what is really important to you as the audience, in what you see within this frame.” That kind of feeling became stronger and stronger for me.

Coup d’Etat (1973) is a beautifully accomplished attempt to journey into the mind of the rightist revolutionary Kita Ikki, and which takes on the position of the emperor in the modern Japanese setting. It’s a difficult film to understand but the strangeness of the style of the film makes watching it an altogether unique cinematic experience.

At the age of 40, Yoshida took a thirteen-year break in making feature films during which he challenged the format of documentary. During the 1980s, he made two more films: The Human Promise (1986) and Wuthering Heights (1988).

Yoshida returned to fiction filmmaking after another fifteen-year interval with The Women in the Mirror (2002). Three generations of women question their identity but, with the atomic dome of Hiroshima in the background, have to admit that there can be no definitive answer to their query, due to the irrational character of the atomic bombing. According to Yoshida, the film took him 13 or 14 years to make and reunited him with Okada Mariko on screen after an absence of three decades.


The Women in the Mirror was also the last Yoshida film I saw in Rotterdam and I hope I will be able one day to see his other films too. According to Yoshida, what a filmmaker – as an artist – really wants to do is express something that one doesn’t understand. I myself didn’t understand a lot of what I saw on the screen, but I was completely enthralled by his challenging and brilliant films.

“A film is ultimately not about what I tell the audience to see but about what the audience sees and discovers for themselves.”

CC RIDERS

In 2001, Alicja Trout’s Contaminated Records released a 100 copies only CD-R by a band called CC RIDERS. Besides Alicja herself (The Clears, The Fitts, Lost Sounds, Mouserocket, Nervous Patterns, River City Tanlines, Black Sunday), this Memphis band included Monsieur Jeffrey Evans (Gibson Bros, ’68 Comeback, South Filthy), James Arthur (Fireworks, Necessary Evils, Feast of Snakes, Golden Boys) and a guy called Jay Reatard. Around 2000-2001, the band had a weekly practice on Friday evening 7-9pm and according to a recent Jeffrey Evans post on the Goner Board, Jay always added the right guitar parts and hooks even on the real rootsy stuff the band was doing. Despite the band’s killer line-up, the music on the 11-song CD-R is far from essential. Nevertheless, it’s great rockin’ stuff and I would love to own a copy on vinyl. I sincerely hope the album’s (re-)release is just a matter of time. In the meantime, you can enjoy the CC RIDERS here:

1. Monkey's Uncle
2. The Long, Long Ballad Of The Red-headed Girl (killer!!!)
3. I Gotta Right (Iggy And The Stooges)
4. Olde Joe Clarke (traditional)
5. Train Kepta Rollin' (Tiny Bradshaw)
6. Soul Deep (The Box Tops)
7. King Riders Boogie [King Riders Motorcycle Club, Memphis, TN]
8. This Pussy's Gotta Give
9. Sally Honeycutt Blues
10.Workin' Man Blues (Merle Haggard)
11.Stormy Monday Blues (traditional)

International Film Festival Rotterdam

Gone to Rotterdam...

LES DIPLOMATES (Haiti)

Lately, I was totally disgusted by this thing called “the human race” when an online poll in my newspaper revealed that 46% of the voters didn’t have any intention of donating money to the poor victims of the Haitian earthquakes. Well, I sincerely hope that those greedy bastards won’t be saved from a disaster in the future because it would definitely clear their fucked up mind!

Anyway, here’s a wonderful ode to Haiti by a great band - called LES DIPLOMATES - that I once saw live at the Open Tropen Festival in Turnhout. The show was amazing and afterwards, I bought a cd from the band called '20 ANS DE COMPAS A PARIS' which makes me believe that LES DIPLOMATES are Haitian expatriates who live in Paris. This track is an absolute scorcher: enjoy (play it LOUD!!!) and don’t forget the people of Haiti!


Haïti - LES DIPLOMATES & JEAN-FRITZNER DELMONT

During lunchtime, I paid a visit to a second-hand vinyl shop around the corner, ignored the worn-out & way too expensive vinyl records and left the shop with 3 out-of-print CDs with both CDs and booklets in excellent condition! For a mere €20,00 this is my deal of the week:

Alhaji Bai Konte:
Kora Melodies from the Republic of the Gambia, West Africa, Released 01/01/1973

Bai Konte is a virtuoso performer on the kora, the 21-stringed African harp. He gets a sweet sound from the harp, and the flowing chords, shifting rhythmic patterns, and spirited runs create a quiet, meditative atmosphere. Since its release in 1973, this album's gentle, transcendant charms have captivated thousands of listeners -- you don't have to be an African music fan to love it.

Various Artists:
Vintage Music from India -- Early Twentieth-Century Classical & Light-Classical Music, Released 01/01/1993

Produced by Dick Spottswood and Peter Manuel, this disc constitutes the first compilation of reissues from early 20th century India, presenting a cross-section of recorded genres and artists of the time. What is remarkable about Indian music is the continuity of its evolution, dating back more than two millennia. Change has been continual and often remarkable, particularly since the emergence of new genres since the 19th century and the introduction of relatively new instruments like the sitar, sarod and tabla. The period represented on these recordings was a time of fascinating transition.

Various Artists: Afghanistan: Female Musicians of Herat

Once a major cultural centre of the Timurid Empire (15th century), the fascinating medieval city of Herat, in western Afghanistan, has for many centuries enjoyed a reputation for excellence in the arts. The albums "Traditional Music of Herat" and "Female Musicians of Herat" offer a variety of vocal and instrumental music from the Herat region with traditional instruments such as dutâr, chahârtâr, sornâr and dohol, dâira, nai chapâni and robâb. These recordings were made just before the start of the civil war, which disrupted the life of this ancient centre of Islamic culture. Recorded in 1973 - 1977 Text by John Baily

Burned Again - THE FORTUNATE SONS

Let me introduce you to a scorchin’ & mighty blast of a punkrock record that unfortunately went completely under the radar when it was released in 2004. THE FORTUNATE SONS are 4 guys from Ottowa, Canada and recorded the songs for their one and only album (thus far) with producer Jeff Meier (ex-Detroit Cobras, Rocket 455) in Detroit in 2003. The album – Burned Again - was released by a rather obscure German label that had also released a 10” and LP by 3 of the members’ previous band the DEAD CITY REBELS. The label, High Society International, probably didn’t make a lot of publicity because I haven’t seen or read any reviews over the years. A real shame because if ‘Burned Again’ would have been released on a label like Crypt Records or Sympathy, I am convinced that the band would have reached many more fans. I really like everything about this album: the hi-octane energy of its 12 killer songs, the singer’s raunchy vocals, the superb production, hell - I even love the sleeve!

I couldn’t resist contacting the band through their myspace and here’s what guitar player Nat Hurlow responded:

Hi Luke!!
Thanks so much for the kind words! Yeah, 'Burned Again' was the only thing that was released (and it's hard to believe that was 5 yrs ago...) unfortunately. Lots of demos and practice tapes though. We're all fairly busy with work, and other bands now. Also, Austen lives in Toronto, so that makes it a little difficult to practice regularly. We try and jam and play shows when we can, but it's not very often at all anymore. We've got some newer stuff (the LP was basically all of the songs we had from the start of the band up to that point) that we've been trying to record, but it hasn't worked out sadly. Hopefully this spring we'll be able to get it together.
thanks again for your email,
Nathaniel/FS

To wetten your appetite, I leave you with 3 awesome tracks from ‘Burned Again’. According to the website, the album is on sale for only €3,75 (???) so don’t mind the shipping costs and go buy this bonafide classic NOW!

Split Shift Heart Attack – THE FORTUNATE SONS
Fast Luck – THE FORTUNATE SONS
Mother Fucker In Law – THE FORTUNATE SONS

R.I.P. JAY REATARD 1980 - 2010

On January 16th 1999 as I enter the 4ad club in Diksmuide, I see a young guy sitting cross-legged in the middle of a small stage. Upon first sight, it looks like he is meditating but it soon turns out that he isn’t feeling too well and is trying to control his fever. It’s an image that is burned into my mind forever. Fortunately, my fears that the intensity of the show would probably be weakened by this sudden flu turns out to be unnecessary when his band REATARDS starts kicking out one classic hate-fueled garage punk tune after the other with the guy ending on the ground between our legs, screaming & hollering like mad. This was my first introduction to the hyper-intense live shows of an ultra-talented kid that called himself JAY REATARD.

At the end of 2003, Jay came back to Europe to tour with his new band the LOST SOUNDS. Since I was a huge fan of that band (and still am today), I asked Jay if I could do an interview after the show at the Pit’s in Belgium. The band agreed and we had a great 2 hours chat with all band members and some friends of mine. It soon became clear: Jay wasn’t in it for the fun & the chicks. Rock ‘n roll was his way to deal with reality. “Rock and roll is my salvation it’ll set me free whatever that means” he says in the liner notes of the first Reatards album.

Although the 2003 Lost Sounds show was somehow a disappointment to me because the set didn’t really reach a climax and ended way too soon, the band’s second appearance at the Pit’s in April 2005 was pure bliss. This time, the Lost Sounds went way beyond a climax and left me KO, both physically and emotionally. A total mindfuck. Afterwards at the bar, Jay tells me that these are the last Lost Sounds shows but that he will be back soon with his new band THE ANGRY ANGLES and the reformed Reatards. He got bored with the synths and wanted to go back to basics.

A few months later, Jay is back at the Pit’s, backed by TOKYO ELECTRON. His set with The Angry Angles, featuring his then girlfriend Alix, is great but Tokyo Electron totally kicks ass. Two minutes into the second song, my eyebrow gets busted open by the bass guitar and I am bleeding like a cow. I go backstage to wash my bloody face and bump into Jay. He tells me not to worry and shows me his own scars from various wild shows. A real nice fellow who would soon transform into a savage beast. The Reatards show that night was the only time in my life that rock ‘n roll scared the shit out of me. Jay started molesting microphone stands, smashed lights, pints and microphones and went totally berserk. I felt my heart in my mouth and was thrilled at the same time because it all sounded so fuckin’ raw & pure. Definitely one of the best shows I’ve ever witnessed!

I saw Jay two times again in 2007 as JAY REATARD AND THE BOSTON CHINKS but I must admit that I always preferred his former work with Reatards and Lost Sounds. On the other hand, I was very glad that he finally got the attention & recognition he so much deserved. The worldwide positive response to his first solo album ‘Blood Visions’ and the subsequent signing with Matador Records was a great reward for his dedication and talent.

Death is a strange thing; I haven’t been moved by someone’s death since John Peel passed away in 2004. I hope there’s still a future for punk rock & roll now that Jay is no more. As for the moment, I doubt if there will ever be another guy in punk rock as talented, genuine & exciting as Jay Reatard. RIP Jay, it fuckin’ meant a lot to me and I am still very impressed! Thanks so much!

***

My favourite Jay Reatard live shows:

1. 19/11/2005: ANGRY ANGLES + TOKYO ELECTRON + REATARDS (Pit’s, Kortrijk)
2. 19/04/2005: THE LOST SOUNDS (Pit’s, Kortrijk)
3. 16/01/1999: REATARDS + PERPETRATORS (4ad, Diksmuide)
4. 20/12/2003: THE LOST SOUNDS (Pit’s, Kortrijk)
5. 15/06/2007: JAY REATARD & THE BOSTON CHINKS (Lintfabriek, Kontich)
6. 18/05/2007: JAY REATARD & THE BOSTON CHINKS (Pit’s, Kortrijk)

more about Jay here and here.

Unsung Hero of R&B/SOUL: TED TAYLOR

TED TAYLOR was a Southern soulster with a distinctive tenor voice. At a young age, he became a member of The Cadets/Jacks, a Los Angeles R&B vocal group with two names that recorded for Joe Bihari’s Modern Records. Taylor left the group in early 1956 and embarked upon a solo career, recording a wealth of sides for several labels throughout the years (Ebb, Jewel/Ronn, Duke, Cold Eagle, Warwick, Laurie, Atco, Okeh etc). Listen to 4 great tracks by the man with the swooping falsetto who sadly died in a car accident in 1987:

Everywhere I Go – TED TAYLOR (Ebb Records 1957)
Pretending Love – TED TAYLOR (Okeh 1962)
Somebody’s Always Trying – TED TAYLOR (Okeh 1964)
Close Your Eyes – TED TAYLOR (Jewel 1966)

For more Ted Taylor, buy THE EVER WONDERFUL TED TAYLOR: OKEH UPTOWN SOUL 1962-1966 on Shout! Records (2006) and continue with EVER WONDERFUL (THE COMPLETE JEWEL AND RONN SOLO SINGLES A’s AND B’s) (Westside Records 2CD 2000)

My favourite COMPILATIONS of 2009 (part one)

WHEN GIRLS DO IT (Broadside Records)
Reissue of a terrific double LP from 1971 on Red Lightnin’ Records. Flamboyant killer blues recorded during the ‘50s and ‘60s and including mighty tunes from Junior Wells, Ike Turner, Memphis Slim, Magic Sam, Jimmy McCracklin as well as from unknown and obscure musicians like Bobby ‘Guitar’ Bennet, Little Oscar Stricklin and Donnie Jacobs. Cover of the year too! (click to enlarge)


listen to SUGAR BOY WILLIAMS' Little Girl by clicking here
PANAMA 2: LATIN SOUNDS, CUMBIA TROPICAL & CALYPSO FUNK ON THE ISTHMUS 1967-77 (Soundway Records)
Panama music is the forgotten music of Central America and Soundway Records did a wonderful job to adjust this injustice with a fabulous 3 volumes Panama collection. A compilation to die for!


listen to IDAMERICA RUIZ CON OSVALDO AYALA Y SU CONJUNTO's No Llores Porque Me Voy by clicking here
KONKANI SONGS: MUSIC FROM GOA MADE IN BOMBAY (Trikont Records)
“What are Italian mandolines, Mexican trumpets, sounds from the south seas and Cuban son doing in India? Rare pearls of this Indian masala mix from the 1960s to 70s on this compilation”. Another quintessential Trikont release that makes the over-hyped Sublime Frequencies releases look pale in comparison with its enlightening liner notes and great pictures!


listen to CARMO ROD's Nach Athanche by clicking here
GRIND MADNESS AT THE BBC: THE EARACHE SESSIONS (Earache Records 3CD)“Without Peel, we wouldn’t be doing this interview. For me, Peel was the teacher for me. Punk was where it started but Peel opened the doors to everything else that was strange and weird but pushing boundaries. That’s what I enjoyed and what first clicked with me. This guy played what he wanted to play and was a total outsider to the rest of them on Radio 1.” (from an interview with Mick Harris) Enough said.


listen to EXTREME NOISE TERROR's People Not Profit by clicking here
FIRE IN MY BONES: RAW RARE + OTHERWORLDLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN GOSPEL (1944-2007) (Thompkins Square 3CD)
So you thought raw gospel is music from a long lost (pre-war) time. This fabulous compilation makes you think again!


listen to REV. ROGER L. WORTHY & HIS SISTER BONNIE WOODSTOCK's Get Back Satan by clicking here

MY YEAR IN FILM

It is a deplorable sign of the times that 2 of the 3 films in my top 3 have not been screened in Belgium. I was lucky enough to catch both gems at the always outstanding International Film Festival Rotterdam in January. Both films premiered at the Cannes film festival in May 2008 and especially Phillipe Garrel’s FRONTIER OF DAWN got mixed reviews. Many people found the movie pretentious, confusing or downright boring. I for myself left the theatre under a spell, amazed by this sublime meditation on love, faith and eternity. As with all art forms, the perception of a film lies in the basis of our own lives and often depends on the way we relate the film to our life. La Frontière de l’Aube touched me right in the heart.

1. La Frontière de l’Aube

a brilliant ghost story shot in sumptuous black-and-white

2. Das Weiße Band

a masterfully directed and hyper-intense drama

3. Four Nights With Anna

a grim and compelling Eastern European tale

4. The Chaser

thriller of the year comes from South Korea

5. Stella

… or why I loathed De Helaasheid Der Dingen (and adored Stella)

6. Three Monkeys

splendid film noir by this Turkish arthouse master

7. Strawberry Shortcakes

already from 2006 but this superbly directed Japanese film is too good to be forgotten

8. 24 City

a brilliant mix between fiction and documentary – I didn’t expect great things but was blown away by this masterly directed film

9. Precious

raw, pure & honest

10. The Story of Anvil

wonderful & heartfelt music documentary

11. The Sound Of Insects

final countdown to death – an amazing piece of film in every aspect

12. Bright Star

marvelous costume drama about the poet John Keats

13. Süt/Milk

spellbinding second part in Semih Kaplanoglu trilogy – a must-see!

14. Cargo 200

brilliant Russian comedy/horror/thriller

15. Let The Right One In

a subtle horror movie from Sweden

16. Un Prophète

grand cru prison drama

17. Antichrist

an upsetting but genuine piece of cinema

18. 35 Rhums

another powerful little gem by Claire Denis

19. The Wrestler

comeback of the year for Mickey Rourke!

20. Leonera

raw Argentinian prison drama



I also enjoyed: Milk, Teza, Afterschool, Fish Tank, Los Abrazos Rotos, Seraphine, Inglourious Bastards, The Loner aka Hikikomori, Departures, Paper Soldier, Morphia, Survival Song, La Mujer Sin Cabeza, Altiplano, Inland, Ocean Flame, La Maison Jaune, Songs From The Southern Seas, Still Walking, El Regalo de la Pachamama, Firaaq, Voy a Explotar, Vacation, Katanga Business, Treeless Mountain, A Festa de Menina Morta, Salamandra, Native Dancer, All Around Us, Funuke Show Some Love, Parque Via, Puisque nous sommes nés, La Vida Loca, Serbis, Izulu Lami, Soi Cowboy, Liverpool, Tokyo Sonata, Before The Burial, La Pivellina, Sahman, Gigante, Katalin Varga, Politist, Adjectiv, No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti, Yuki & Nina, Le Roi de L’Evasion, Wild Field, Petropolis, Applaus, Naked of Defences, The Weaving Girl, Fish Eyes, Il Divo, The Hurt Locker, Red Cliff

Films I haven't seen yet: Goodbye Solo, Revolutionary Road, La Belle Personne, Frozen River, Elève Libre, Lost Persons Area, Gran Torino

DECADE'S FINEST RECORDS

I recently asked a couple of friends about what they think are the 15 greatest records of the last decade. Here are the albums that brightened their days (& mine) during the last 10 years. I am convinced that you will discover a couple of records that you didn’t know were that great. After all, this is what makes these lists interesting and fun, both for the compiler and the reader. Big thanks to all the people who voted! Stay tuned for my favorite movies, concerts and records of 2009!

BAZOOKA TOM

1. Congotronics - KONONO N°1 (Crammed Discs 2004)

Some more in alphabetical order:

# The Pirate’s Gospel – ALELA DIANE (Fargo 2006)
# Bassholes - BASSHOLES(Dead Canary 2005)
# Let It Bloom – BLACK LIPS (In The Red 2005)
# Good Bad Not Evil – BLACK LIPS (Vice 2007)
# Ultraglide in Black – THE DIRTBOMBS (In The Red 2001)
# You Without Sin Cast The First Stone – ISAIAH OWENS (CaseQuarter 2004)
# In The Seventh Moon … - KASAI ALLSTARS (Crammed Discs 2008)
# Mauretanian Music from the Trarza Region – NEMA MINT CHOUEIKH (Popular African Music 2006)
# Timebomb Highschool – REIGNING SOUND (In The Red 2002)
# Aman Iman - TINARIWEN (Independiente 2007)
# Boulevard de l’Independence – TOUMANI DIABATE’s SYMMETRIC ORCHESTRA (World Circuit 2006)
# Return To Cinder – WOODEN TIT (Hate 2006)


DANNY WYCKAERT

# As is now – PAUL WELLER (2005)
# Damnation - OPETH (2003)
# Is This It – THE STROKES (2001)
# Nailed – PLACE OF SKULLS (2002)
# In the future – BLACK MOUNTAIN (2008)
# Woven Hand – WOVEN HAND (2002)
# The Weirding – ASTRA (2009)
# Witchcraft - WITCHCRAFT (2004)
# Firewood - WITCHCRAFT (2005)
# II – ESPERS (2006)
# Things we lost in the fire – LOW (2001)
# The man on the burning tightrope – FIREWATER (2003)
# Black-Wave – LOST SOUNDS (2001)
# Lost Sounds – LOST SOUNDS (2004)
# Graveyard – GRAVEYARD (2008)

Also two outstanding live albums: Paul Weller & Opeth. The decade I got to know (fantastic) English folk (Spirogyra, Pentangle, Fairport Convention, Trees, …), fully appreciate progressive rock (Pink Floyd, Camel, Caravan, Spring, Genesis, King Crimson, Kansas, …), realise 80’s metal is still the best metal of all and finally got to know … Bruce Springsteen. On a disappointing note: not one Classic rock or metal-band made a truly memorable album …



BART DE ROO

# Under and Under – BLANK DOGS
# Hex Dispensers – HEX DISPENSERS
# The Goodnight Loving – THE GOODNIGHT LOVING
# Midnight World – BLACK TIME
# Black Wave – LOST SOUNDS
# Porcella – THE DEADLY SNAKES
# The Western Lands - GRAVENHURST
# The Real New Fall LP – THE FALL
# Whiskey Flower – THE GOLDEN BOYS
# The Trials of Van Occupanther - MIDLAKE
# American IV: The Man Comes Around – JOHNNY CASH
# Time Bomb Highschool – REIGNING SOUND
# Guts of Steel – BRIMSTONE HOWL
# Our Love to Admire - INTERPOL
# Let It Bloom – BLACK LIPS


KEVIN DECOSTER

# Cellscape – MELT BANANA
# Yaweh of the Highway – ARAB ON RADAR
# Black One – SUNN O)))
# Six Litanies for Heliogabalas – JOHN ZORN
# Witchcraft Today – ELECTRIC WIZARD
# White Chalk – PJ HARVEY
# Fordlandia – JOHAN JOHANSSON
# 1000 Hurts - SHELLAC
# Defexiones Will & Testament – DIAMANDA GALAS
# MASTER MUSICIANS OF BUKKAKE
# Dancer in the Dark OST - BJÖRK
# Dead Hills – WOLF EYES
# Drums not Dead - LIARS
# You Are There – MONO
# Conference of the Birds – OM


WIM COTTENIER

# Hex Dispensers - HEX DISPENSERS (Alien Snatch lp)
# Marked Men - MARKED MEN (Rip Off Records lp)
# Something to Crow About – THE RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS (Gearhead Records lp)
# Ten inch - SMUT PEDDLERS (Dead Beat Records 10”)
# Young, Tight & Alright - DIGGER & THE PUSSYCATS (Spooky Records cd)
# Carbonas - CARBONAS (Raw Deluxe lp)
# Machine Gun - DRUGSTOP (P Trash 7”)
# Lose It - RETAINERS (P Trash 7”)
# Feast of Shame - BRUTAL KNIGHTS (P Trash lp)
# Here comes... – HEARTATTACKS (P Trash lp)
# American IV: The Man Comes Around – JOHNNY CASH (American lp)
# Demos - PERIPHERIQUE EST (Self released lp)
# Wheelchair Album – THE SPITS (Slovenly lp)
# Plastic Girls – THE MINDS (Alien Snatch lp)
# Hit After Hit – THE BRIEFS (Dirtnap Recors lp)


JAY HINMAN

# Sistema de Termancion Sexual – XYX 7” EP
# Blueberry Boat – FIERY FURNACES
# Numbers Life - NUMBERS
# Present the Paisley Reich – TIMES NEW VIKING
# Shrinking Moon For You – WOODEN SHJIPS 12”EP
# Seperated By Motorways / Big Infatuation – THE LONG BLONDES 45
# Make Out, Fall Out, Make Up – LOVE IS ALL 45
# Description of ther Harbor – SIC ALPS
# O – TILLY AND THE WALL
# Grass Widow – GRASS WIDOW
# Relentless Machines/Blasphemer’s Union – TOMAS FUNCTION ” 45
# Between You & Me – FABIENNE DEL SOL
# Fast Metabolism - TYVEK
# Songs III: Bird on the Water – MARISSA NADLER
# Problems – NOTHING PEOPLE 7”EP


M&M

1. Memphis Is Dead – LOST SOUNDS (2000)
2. Wolf In Sheeps Clothing – JOSEPHINE FOSTER (2004)
3. A Real Good One – THE LITTLE KILLERS (2006)
4. Aman Iman: Water Is Life – TINARIWEN (2007)
5. White African – OTIS TAYLOR (2000)
6. What Have You Done My Brother – NAOMI SHELTON AND THE GOSPEL QUEENS (2009)
7. Arrived in Gold - SIGHTINGS (2004)
8. Porcella – THE DEADLY SNAKES (2005)
9. Piercing The Veil – WILLIAM PARKER & HAMID DRAKE (2001)
10.Prinzhorn Dance School – PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL (2007)
11.World Without Tears – LUCINDA WILLIAMS (2003)
12.Blackout – BLACK TIME (2004)
13.Honour Valour Pride – BOLT THROWER (2000)
14.Diary of an Afro Warrior – BENGA (2008)
15.Rare Wood – SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN (2004)


STEVEN VDW

1. Memphis Is Dead – LOST SOUNDS (Big Neck '00)
2. Is This It – THE STROKES (RCA '01)
3. Let it Bloom - BLACK LIPS (In The Red '06)
4. Help – THE OH SEES (In The Red '09)
5. The Sophtware Slump – GRANDADDY (V2 '00)
6. Figure 8 – ELLIOTT SMITH (Dream Works Records '00)
7. Porcella – THE DEADLY SNAKES (In The Red '06)
8. White Blood Cells – THE WHITE STRIPES (Sympathy '01)
9. Midnight World – BLACK TIME (In The Red '06)
10.The King Khan & BBQ Show LP – THE KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW (Goner '04 )
11.Is A Woman - LAMBCHOP(City Slang '02)
12.Black-Wave – LOST SOUNDS (Empty '01)
13.Real Gone – TOM WAITS (Anti '04)
14.Bandana Trash – LIVE FAST DIE (Dead Beat '06)
15.Ta Det Lugnt – DUNGEN (Subliminal Sounds '04)


MARTIN VANTOMME

# Hit After Hit - THE BRIEFS
# Hex Dispensers - HEX DISPENSERS
# Hope For Men - PISSED JEANS
# The Lamps - THE LAMPS
# Butcher and the Butterfly - QUEEN ADREENA
# Petite Tu Es Un Hit - THE FEELING OF LOVE
# Is this it - THE STROKES
# Third - PORTISHEAD
# Punkrock at the British Legion Hall - BILLY CHILDISH & MUSICIANS O/T BRITISH EMPIRE
# LIVE BATACLAN PARIS 1972 – THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2x picture disc)
# Elephant – THE WHITE STRIPES
# XTRMNTR – PRIMAL SCREAM
# Deep in the Hole - MASTERS OF REALITY
# The Spits - THE SPITS
# American IV: The Man Comes Around – JOHNNY CASH


JASPER DE WILDE

1. Red Lite – MR AIRPLANE MAN (SFTRI)
2. The Horrors – THE HORRORS (ITR)
3. Black Lips – BLACK LIPS (Bomp!)
4. The Essential Fucked Up Blues! – THE IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS (Estrus)
5. The Spits – THE SPITS (Slovenly)
6. The Fatals – THE FATALS (Yakisakana)
7. Thee Cavemen Sessions – THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN (Boom Boom of Renton)
8. Blackout – BLACK TIME (Concrete Life)
9. Tunnel of Love – TUNNEL OF LOVE (ECA)
10.In de Winkel – THE KRUNCHIES (Criminal IQ)
11.Yes. No. Shut It. – THE HUNCHES (ITR)
12.Grab Them Cakes – THE MISTREATERS (Big Neck)
13.Yer Last record – CHEATER SLICKS (Secret Keeper)
14.Rat's Brains and Microchips – LOST SOUNDS (Empty)
15.Tyrades - TYRADES (Broken Rekids)


BART BIZEUR

# White African – OTIS TAYLOR
# Leviathan - MASTODON
# Surrounded By Thieves – HIGH ON FIRE
# Zeïbekiko - DIMITRIS MITROPANOS, THEMIS ADAMANTIDIS, DIMITRIS BASIS
# War Crime Blues/Weed – CHRIS WHITLEY
# The Living Ground - LHASA
# Paseo De Los Castaños - TOMATITO
# Cositas Buenas - PACO DE LUCÍA
# Shine – DANIEL LANOIS
# Those Once Loyal – BOLT THROWER
# Slingshot Professionals - KELLY JOE PHELPS
# Downhome Sophisticate – CORREY HARRIS
# The Deep End, Vol. 1 – GOV’T MULE
# The Road We’re On – SONNY LANDRETH
# African Roots – MICHAEL ROSE


GUY PETERS

# The Argument – FUGAZI
# Live at the Performance Center – RAINER PTACEK
# American V: A Hundred Highways – JOHNNY CASH
# Crack The Skye - MASTODON
# The Narcotic Story - OXBOW
# Six Litanies for Heliogabalas – JOHN ZORN
# Here Come The Miracles – STEVE WYNN
# Songs for the Deaf – QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
# Given To The Rising - NEUROSIS
# Smile – BRIAN WILSON
# Phanerothyme – MOTORPSYCHO
# and then nothing turned itself inside-out – YO LA TENGO
# The Dirty South – DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
# Stay Positive – THE HOLD STEADY
# All the Falsest Hearts can try – CENTRO-MATIC


LUKE BATARANG

1. Time Bomb High School – REIGNING SOUND (In The Red Records 2002)
2. I’m Not Your Soldier Anymore – DEADLY SNAKES (In The Red Records 2001)
3. Elephant – THE WHITE STRIPES (V2 Records 2003)
4. Is this it – THE STROKES (RCA Records 2001)
5. The Ape of Naples - COIL (Threshold Records 2005)
6. Wheels On Fire – WHEELS ON FIRE (Rosa Records 2006)
7. Doctor Velvet – NICK CURRAN (Blind Pig Records 2003)
8. Brain Jail – LUIS & THE WILDFIRES (Norton Records 2008)
9. Shift – NASUM (Relapse Records 2004)
10.Corridors & Parallels – DAVID S. WARE (Aum Fidelity 2001)
11.Black Wave – THE LOST SOUNDS (Empty Records 2001)
12.Mutilation Nation - CPC GANGBANGS (Alien8 Recordings 2007)
13.Aman Iman: Water Is Life - TINARIWEN (Independiente 2006)
14.Raining on the Moon – WILLIAM PARKER QUARTET (Thirsty Ear 2002)
15.Vignettes - MARILYN CRISPELL (ECM 2008)

too many concerts, too little time

On Tuesday, The Moon Invaders were backing up rock steady-legend Pat Kelly in my hometown. A friend just told me that the show was wonderful. I missed it however, because yesterday night, I choose to drive 200km to see Venomous Concept. Since the Brutal Truth show earlier this year might be my concert of the year and as Venomous Concept = ½ Brutal Truth + ½ Napalm Death, I absolutely didn’t want to miss this show. I didn’t like the first two bands but Belgian grind masters Leng Tch’e had some real strong moments and besides, how can you not love a grind core band with an afro-American singer? Venomous Concept fulfilled my expectations. Probably not as mind-blowing as the Brutal Truth show, but still a blasting sound of furious grind core & punk rock. Another kick-ass show for sure!


If you look to the left, you will notice that before the end of the year, there are still a bunch of exciting concerts on the way. Unfortunately, that means less time for reading & watching movies. It’s probably my biggest frustration these days: too little time to enjoy the pleasures of life. On the other hand, I’m not complaining: the idea that artists really brighten my days with their great shows, amazing records, wonderful movies and fascinating books, makes me a happy dude. Life’s what you make it but without the artists, mine would be terribly bleak. Honor where honor’s due.

COMPILATION OF THE YEAR !!!

I think I just found the compilation of the year in my mailbox. I ordered this attractively-priced 3cd directly from the label and I urge you to do the same 'cuz it's absolutely genius! Praise the Lord, Hallelujah!

DJELIMADY TOUNKARA BLUES PROJECT

I have always been a big fan of Djelimady Tounkara, the “Guitar Hero” of Manding music. His playing is colorful, elegant and downright fascinating. Yesterday, this African virtuoso came to the Zuiderpershuis in Antwerp to introduce the DJELIMADY TOUNKARA BLUES PROJECT. The show was mind-blowingly good!

Djelimady was born in a family of Griots in the heart of the Malinke; the cradle of the great dynasties of Griots in Mali. At a young age, he had already learned the majority of traditional instruments (balafon, kora, ngoni…) and fairly rapidly discovered a passion for the guitar. Soon, Djelimady started accompanying the Griots at weddings, baptisms and circumcision ceremonies. After contributing to the Orchestre National “A” and “Pioneer Jazz” – Mali’s first modern dance bands - he joined the Super Rail Band at the start of the 1970s and in this way accompanied the first musical steps of Salif Keita and Mory Kanté. The critically-acclaimed “Belle Epoque” series on Sterns Music (three double CDs) tells the story of the band from 1970 to 1983.

In 2001, Djelimady released his first solo record Sigui on the French Label Bleu and 3 years later, the follow-up album Solon Kôno was released on Marabi. Both CDs showcase his brilliant guitar style, heavenly female vocals and wonderful accompaniments on the djembé, doundoun, calabash gourd and ngoni.

Yesterday, Djelimady was surrounded by Moussa Diabate on guitar, Aboubacar Diombana on electric bass and Abou Cissoko on ngoni. The foursome’s playing was subtle and inspiring and all four gave the others the opportunity to show off their virtuosity. Abou Cissoko’s ngoni playing was very intense & challenging while Aboubacar’s bass gave the songs a genuine drive. At times, Moussa Diabate’s guitar almost sounded like a kora and it really felt like a musical heaven to me!

During the whole concert, Djelimady switched between acoustic and electric guitar and one could hear a lot of different styles in his playing: Cuban, Hot Swing, Flamenco… Djelimady masters all those genres! At times, Djelimady & Abou stood up and started an improvising duel with their instruments. The way they used the call-and-response concept of blues music was absolutely thrilling. No wonder the concert finished with a standing ovation and a rousing cry for more!


Together with Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate, Djelimady Tounkara forms the holy trinity of Malian music. Let’s hope the DJELIMADY TOUNKARA BLUES PROJECT will do some studio recording in the very near future because from what I heard & saw yesterday, this is a totally unique band that has the potential & talent to record a masterpiece!

Scandinavia Rocks!

Here are 3 Scandinavian bands from the nineties that I really liked at the time but never made a big fuzz outside of their homelands.


First is a Swedish band called SOUL PATROL that I know very little off. The CD inlay doesn’t reveal any info about the band or year of release and I don’t even know if they only made one album or more. The only album that I own - ‘Use…’ on CBR Records - features a track called “Slowmoving Revolution” that was a real underground hit at our local youth club at the time. The irresistible drive of the song and the passionate vocals always made me and my friends spill our beers and bang our heads like fools on the dance floor. I include this track although I must admit that it’s pure nostalgia to me and probably sounds terribly outdated or boring to you. The other 2 tracks that I include are the opening song “Heart of Gold – Soul of Ice” and the scorcher “Your Friend For A Day”, tracks that I still cherish today. PLAY LOUD!


Heart of Gold – Soul of Ice – SOUL PATROL mp3
Your Friend For A Day – SOUL PATROL mp3
Slowmoving Revolution – SOUL PATROL mp3

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ANAL BABES were a Norwegian band that released a split 7” with BRAINBOMBS on the Belgian Demolition Derby/Pit’sbull Records way back in 1995. The year before, the band had released its second album on Big Ball Records and “Shoot The Hostages” is the opening track of said album, nicely called ‘Delirium or Diarrhea’. ANAL BABES made quite an impression on me when they played at the Democrazy club in Ghent in support of the album. They didn’t want to play on the big stage and choose a dark corner of the club instead. With the exception of 2 black leather gloves, the singer was bare-naked and the band spit out a wild bunch of nasty & hate-driven punk tracks. Don’t miss their wild cover of The Electras’ “Action Woman”!


Shoot The Hostages – ANAL BABES mp3
Action Woman – ANAL BABES mp3

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Last but not least is RADIOPUHELIMET from Finland whose lyrics are in Finnish and who sound like The Jesus Lizard making an appearance in a Kaurismäki film. Their album 'Maalla' from 1993 was – like most of the band’s output – released on the Bad Vugum Records label, one of the most interesting labels in Europe during the nineties.
Lãhiõssã – RADIOPUHELIMET mp3
Tee se kotonasi – RADIOPUHELIMET mp3

© Fazal Sheikh

"Ten oosten van Erzurum is de weg leeg en verlaten. De dorpen liggen ver uit elkaar. En zo kan het om een of andere reden gebeuren dat je de auto langs de kant van de weg zet en de rest van de nacht in de openlucht doorbrengt. Warm ingepakt in een vilten jack, een bontmuts over je oren, hoor je het water koken op de primus, die beschut staat achter een wiel. Geleund tegen een aardhoop kijk je naar de sterren, het golvende landschap richting de Kaukasus, de lichtgevende ogen van een vos. Je verdrijft de tijd met hete thee, af en toe een woord, een sigaret, en dan wordt het licht, het breidt zich uit, kwartels en patrijzen laten zich horen… en je haast je om dit ultieme moment in je geheugen als geheel op te slaan, waaruit je het op een dag weer zult opdiepen. Je rekt je uit, je zet een paar stappen, voelt je heel licht en het woord ‘geluk’ lijkt plotseling veel te mager en beperkt om te beschrijven wat er door je heen gaat.
Want de kern van je leven, dat is niet je familie, je carrière, wat anderen over je zeggen of van je denken, maar dat zijn dit soort momenten, waarop je wordt opgetild door een sublieme kracht, serener nog dan de liefde, die het leven ons slechts karig toebedeelt, omdat ons hart er niet te veel van verdraagt."

Gelezen in De wegen van de wereld (L’Usage du monde - 1963) van Nicolas Bouvier (Uitgeverij Bas Lubberhuizen 2009)