Jono El Grande's next release in 2011

From Jono El Grande's Facebook:

Jono El Grande has just defined the track order for next release (hopefully fall 2011), a wonderful collection of ultimately bizarre, previously unreleased highlights from the past 15 years: outtakes from earlier albums, one-time only improvisations from live shows, art performance soundtracks, rehearsal recordings and a lot of other gems from my strictly personal composer desk drawer.

Review: Pikapika Teart - Moonberry (2010, Atr0ck)

Do you know many bands from Siberia?

Whatever the case, here’s a group from Krasnoyarsk deserving your attention.

Pikapika Teart begain its life in 2004 with common love for the music of Aranis, King Crimson, Henry Cow, Fred Frith as well as Stravinsky, Schostakovich and Schnittke. The fact that there album is out on the Italian label Altr0ck is the result of Marcello Marinone (the band behind the label) discovering the band’s music on their Myspace in 2006. Thus began an online communication (using translators) about releasing their music on the label, followed by the hardship of finding a proper studio for them to record in. Eventually the obstacles were conquered and we have the opportunity to hear this band’s music.

miRthkon Will Release A DVD in 2011

News posted by miRthkon here:


miRthkon: the DVD: THE TRAILER from miRthkon on Vimeo.

That’s right folks. We’ve done the market research, we’ve held the focus groups, and the data speaks for itself: consumers want a live, avant-prog musical experience seamlessly intertwined with immersive, mind-altering video content, all laser-inscribed onto a shiny polycarbonate disc and projected directly onto their retinae for optimal neural absorption.

So that’s what we’ve made.

To celebrate the impending approach of this momentous event in human history, we’ve thrown together a little trailer chock full of all the good parts from the film (plus some filler). And because we truly care about getting you to pay attention to us, we’ve thrown in tons of enormous boom sound effects just to be sure that you know you’re watching a real honest-to-god movie trailer.

miRthkon: the DVD
• Featuring footage from our Earth-shattering performance at CalProg 2010 in Whittier, CA
• 14 songs, 4 of which have NEVER BEEN RELEASED before this.
• All songs a helluva lot faster than on VEHICLE, cause you know, you release something again it better be better, and FASTER means BETTER
• 32-track live audio recording mixed by Wally Scharold
• Choice selections from our vast library of stupid short films
• Digital versions of the entire audio program for your Zune
• Countless disturbingly apt non sequiturs
• Mounds and mounds of delicious julienned vegetables!
• Lots of other goodies too numerous, complex, and profound to be described in human language
Coming in 2011!

Review: Picchio Dal Pozzo - A Live (2010, Altr0ck)

This release captures the live show of Picchio Dal Pozzo along with Yugen at the 2008 Altr0ck festival. The concert features 5 songs form their first album, the single, Uccellin Del Bosco, from the Abbiamo period, one from Camere and one from Pic_Nic. The closing track is a re-discovered lost track from the Abbiamo album that a fan had on cassette and passed it to the band.

Review & Spotlight: Komintern - Le Bal du Rat Mort (1971)

This French band was founded by Francis Lemonnier (sax and vocals) and Serge Catalano (drums and percussions) in May 1970 after they left Red Noise due to musical and political disagreements. The name chosen gives you a clear indication as to their political views. The band released one album called "Le Bal Du Rat Mort" in 1971 and one single "Fou, roi, pantin" and were active until 1975. The musicians that joined them were Michel Musac (guitar), Olivier Zdrzalik (bass, vocals, organ and piano) and Pascal Chassin (guitar). At first they were less focused on composing only music but more on mixing it along with satiric theater - a sort of "cabaret satirique", in order to express their extreme left views. They used their music to enhance their message, and they did it in a manner that mixed several styles of music that would fit their show and the message to be passed on to the crowd/listeners. They were related to extreme left movements such as the "Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire" and they toured in the summer of 1970 in, among other places, universities and factories that were in strike.

Review: Yugen - Iridule (2010, Altr0ck)

In Iridule, Yugen continue their musical journey began in Labirinto d’Acqua in 2006. While they retain their sound from their first album, here Yugen are incorporating additional styles, including the addition of (female) vocals, courtesy of Elaine Di Falco (Thinking Plauge, Caveman Shoestore). Yugen offer several shorter, vocals-lead songs, which are focused on creating eerie and odd textures and atmospheres, rather than presenting a tune. 

Review: Gargantua - Kotegarda (2007, Roadkill Music)

Gargantua is a Polish (avant-) prog-rock group who released two album thus far. Here I'm reviewing their second album, Kotegarda from 2007.

The balance between the rough and the pleasant

Starting with a lovely violin lead tune, the music sides on the more folkloric side, but also has a certain formal elegance. The vocals accompanying the music are sung in a female fronted lead backed up by male voices. The entire amalgam of sounds takes from so many styles that it is a challenge to try and decipher their whole influences; however it is a delight to listen to. In a way it reminds me of the way that Le Silo took so many influences in their debut album 8.8 and made a fabulous mix out of it. The music here doesn’t sound at all like Le Silo but the exercise done is similar in that they take from many sources and combine it into one, with such elegance and easiness.


 

Review: Roz Vitalis - Compassionizer (2007)

I heard of Roz Vitalis before but never had the chance to listen to their music. This latest release is the first I get to hear and I was looking forward to this, since what I read mostly got me intrigued about them. Roz Vitalis began in 2001 in Saint-Petersburg and have since self-released 4 studio albums, two EP’s and one live release. Compassionizer is their fifth studio album. I got a promotional copy of this album, and am glad to have this opprtunity to explore this band's music and to be able to promote it here and in other places online.