Blumfeld - L'état et moi

Taking your name from the title of a Franz Kafka novel is either a foolhardy or brave move.

Fortunately, German Indie-pop band Blumfeld were able to deliver the goods, producing six high quality albums between their inception in 1990 and split in 2007.

As with previous bands featured on this blog, I found it difficult to select a single album to include in this post. I've elected to post their second album L'état et moi, mainly because I love the way they hijacked the cover from the 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong LP (checkout the first YouTube clip)!

Blumfeld played guitar-driven indie-pop, existing somewhere in the realm between grunge and slacker pop. They have previously been described as a more subdued and tuneful Sonic Youth. And while musically they occasionally sound like Sonic Youth, there are other influences, such as The Fall and Pavement. As with Super Furry Animals' Welsh language album Mwng, a least part of their appeal for me is the mystery associated with not being able to understand the lyrics.

Album opener Draußen Auf Kaution commences with the sound of helicopters, evolving into a slow tempo-ed, dreamy atmospheric track reminiscent of Sonic Youth's Shadow of a Doubt, before upping the tempo towards the songs conclusion. Jet Set and 2 Oder 3 Dinge, Die Ich Von Dir Weiß are faster tracks, the former frantic, the latter again featuring Sonic Youth-like guitar.

Walkie, Talkie and Ich-Wie Es Wirklich War are both mutant rockabilly/reggae hybrids, similar in feel to The Clash's London Calling. Eine Eigene Geschichte, Sing Sing, and L' Etat et Moi all feature spoken word vocals, the latter sans music. Evergreen is jazzy, while You Make Me features acoustic guitar and vocals.



Blumfeld - 1994 - L'état et moi

1. Draußen Auf Kaution
2. Jet Set
3. 2 Oder 3 Dinge, Die Ich Von Dir Weiß
4. Walkie, Talkie
5. Eine Eigene Geschichte
6. Verstärker
7. Ich-Wie Es Wirklich War
8. L' Etat et Moi (Mien Vorgehen in 4, 5 Sätzen)
9. Sing Sing
10. Evergreen
11. Superstarfighter
12. You Make Me

FLAC Pt1, Pt2, Pt3, Pt4
MP3

The Lucid Ocean Diaries

Since I have so little time available to work on this blog, I regret to inform you all that........I have started yet another blog!

This blog will present my diaries and reminiscences from my time in a local indie band, Lucid Ocean.

So if you need to remind yourself there is always someone less unfortunate than yourself,head over to http://the-lucid-ocean-diaries.blogspot.com, where you can laugh at my misfortune, insecurities, and various psychological complexes!

I've started the new blog on a bad note - by plagiarizing last weeks post from this blog on our demo! And it probably won't get any better!!

Straitjacket Fits - Hail

Some more Australasiana - if such a word exists...

I posted the Straitjacket Fits Blow back in February. It didn't receive the traction I felt it deserved, in terms of both downloads and comments. So here, dear reader, is your chance to make amends.

A quick recap....."The Fits" emerged from Dunedin, New Zealand. They released three great albums before disbanding in the mid 90s. Their debut album Hail was released in 1988. The album posted here is the 1990 re-release, comprising of the Life In One Chord EP and original debut album. Although they fit (groan) within the broad sphere of indie/alternative, The Fits had their own unique and diverse sound resulting from the differing contributions of their two songwriters:  Shayne Carter contributed the snap and crackle, while Andrew Brough provided the pop (groan). This is acknowledged in the sleeve notes of Hail, which almost apologetically refer to the "different flavours" of the music on offer - like that's a bad thing?

Opener Dialing a Prayer sets the scene well, alternating between pop, subdued and spooky, and psychedelic, and features some great guitar noise. Telling Tales and Dead Heat are more straightforward indie pop, while Hail is more raucous and discordant.

She Speeds is the standout track. The subdued verses build suspense until the song bursts to life in the choruses, eventually leading into a joyous bridge. Sparkle That Shines and Take From The Years are again more straightforward indie pop. So Long Marianne sounds like mid-sixties Stones.

Grate is a mid-tempo atmospheric track built on great (oh puhlease!) discordant distorted guitar riffing. Fabulous Things is a slow-tempo atmospheric pop reminiscent of their best known song, Down In Splendour. Life In One Chord is a great three minute blast of pure punk, featuring some great guitar noise.



Straitjacket Fits - 1990 - Hail

1. Dialling A Prayer
2. Telling Tales
3. Dead Heat
4. Hail
5. Only You Knew
6. She Speeds
7. Sparkle That Shines
8. Take From The Years
9. So Long Marianne
10. Grate
11. Fabulous Things
12. All That That Brings
13. Life In One Chord
14. This Taste Delight

FLAC
MP3

Lucid Ocean - Demo

Inspired by Rushbo's guide, and snippets from his band Little Red Schoolhouse's LP, I present a demo recorded by my old band Lucid Ocean for your entertainment/laughter (select as appropriate).

Being a music obsessive, I kept a (virtual) diary throughout my time in the band. And again, inspired by Rushbo, I'm thinking of unleashing this on the public. Whether there is any interest in the shenanigans of four misfits and their trials and tribulations on the path to early-nineties-indie-pop-nowheresville is another question?! The diaries have everything - sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, bad hair, jealousy, hatred, borderline psychosis, unscrupulous music biz operators, local music rags questioning our moral fortitude....did I mention bad hair?

So onto the demo. It was recorded and mixed over a weekend at Tony Nesci's home studio, and sounds fantastic for a cheaply recorded demo. However, the sound clarity makes the limitations in Andrew's vocals all too obvious - we probably should have put him lower in the mix or drowned him out with reverb! IMHO our drummer Mark was the best indie drummer in Adelaide, and the drum sound showcases his abilities well. I was the sole guitarist in the band, and given that every other indie band had around two guitarists, I tended to overplay to compensate. I was also in the midst of my Ride-influenced guitar effects obsession, and this reduces the clarity of some of my playing.

The demo featured three of our best half dozen tracks. Our best track, Haunt, was recorded for an earlier demo, but all I have is the version I taped when it was first played on local radio station MMM (now 3D). I may make this available if there is any interest.

Flood is a six minute brooding atmospheric indie pop track. Mark's drums sound awesome. My guitar in the verses is far to busy - let's blame Johnny Marr! The spooky guitar effects in the middle worked well live but didn't cut it in the studio - no lights and dry ice there. As for the guitar solo, it was influenced by a certain heavy metal band from Birmingham, and IMHO works well in this context.

Autumn Color Haze is another atmospheric indie pop track, but this time at a faster clip. I think the guitar effects work well in this song, and Andrew's vocals work well.

This Peaceful Place is pure indie pop. It was one of our earliest songs, written on an acoustic guitar before my guitar effects obsession. And try as I may, I couldn't work my guitar effects or a guitar solo into the song without detracting from it! So it stayed pretty much the same as it was when written.

Circle She Is was my least favourite song. But everyone else liked it so I just had to accept it. The worst aspect about the song is that it often got us compared with Ned's Atomic Dustbin, who in my opinion were the most turgid piece-of-crap band in the entire fucking universe. I took the attitude that even if I disliked the song, I might as well enjoy what I played in it. I also use to play it with a guitar sound on the verge of feedback, and got some great sounds live. That aspect isn't really captured in this version, unfortunately.

The demo never had an official title. I always liked that idea of having a song with the pretentious title Anthem for the Estranged, and since there's noone here to argue with me I'm gonna adapt that for use as the demo title!

Lucid Ocean - 1992 - Anthems for the Estranged (demo)

01. Flood
02. Autumn Color Haze
03. This Peaceful Place
04. Circle She Is

Cardinal - Self titled

Cardinal was a collaboration between Australian Richard Davies and multi-instrumentalist Eric Matthews. Their debut self titled (and only) album is a great collection of ten short, sharp 3-min indie-pop songs that lasts for a tad over 30 minutes.

Cardinal played sublime guitar based orchestral indie-pop with a dark underbelly. The songs alternate between Davies' Bowie-esque and Matthews' smooth soulful vocals. The song writing is superb, and the vocal melodies are exquisite. Although the album was critically well received, you had to have your ear to the ground at the right time to catch it.

Opener If you believe in Christmas Trees, is subdued and sublime, featuring Davies vocals and Matthews violin and trumpet. Last poems, is mellow and succinct.

You've lost me now is the album's highlight. The song is built around piano and vocals, featuring heavenly vocal harmonies. Public Melody #1 is a short, dramatic interlude with a classical feel, featuring harpsichord and organ.

Dream Figure is sparse, dreamy, slowly building guitar pop, featuring great vocals from Matthews and superb vocal melodies. Tough guy tactics has a driving insistent beat, and is the closest the band get to rocking out. The slightly discordant music gives the impression the song may lurch out of control but never quite does (damn!).

The last three tracks are all sparse and subdued. Angel Darling features a Capella verses. Singing to the sunshine features vocals and acoustic guitar, while the albums second standout track, Silver Machines, has a psychedelic feel.

Davies and Matthews both went on to release solo albums after the demise of Cardinal. Matthews debut attracted a fair degree of interest - unfortunately not due to the album's heavenly orchestral pop, but because it represented Sub Pop first attempt to diversify from the grunge sound with which made it's name.

Cardinal was re-released in 2005 with 11 bonus tracks - and I'm embarrassed to admit I still haven't gotten my grubby hands on it....yet!

Cardinal - 1994 - Self titled

1. If You Believe in Christmas Trees
2. Last Poems
3. Big Mine
4. You've Lost Me There
5. Public Melody No. 1
6. Dream Figure
7. Tough Guy Tactics
8. Angel Darling
9. Singing to the Sunshine
10. Silver Machines

FLAC
MP3

Ratcat - Tingles EP

Aussie readers will think I've lost my mind (again?!)....

Ratcat shoulda been huge?

For a few months around the release of the Tingles EP in 1990, they were huge in Australia. I can well remember Beatle-esque scenes of hordes of screaming teenage girls. Ratcat were at the right place at the right time - an irresistible combination of good looks and good songs - or to be precise, one great song, That Ain't Bad, a sublime slice of Buzzcock-ian fuzz rock that worms its way into your subconscious, and hangs around like an unwelcome guests for months afterwards.

Like most objects of teenybopper desire, the buzz(cocks) didn't last too much longer. The follow up albums (Blind Love and Inside Out) and singles sold less and less despite the material being as good as that from their halcyon period.

The Tingles EP provides a good summary of the band for those who have not heard them: That Ain't Bad, four further fuzz rock gems, plus the forgettable My Bloody Valentine, a lackluster piece of atmospheric tomfoolery that is not worthy of that name!

Ratcat - 1990 - Tingles EP

1. That Aint Bad
2. Tingles
3. Don't Go in the Water
4. Getting Away (From This World)
5. Skin
6. My Bloody Valentine

FLAC
MP3