FRENCHIE'S TOP 50 RECORDS OF 2017

FRENCHIE'S TOP 50 RECORDS OF 2017

PART ONE: #50-21

PART TWO: TOP 20

It's that magical time once again. It's been a very solid year of music. I've listened to a lot of records but naturally there are always going to be some winners that pass me by so if there is something I may have overlooked please let me know! 

I'm going to include albums, EPs and collabs but not compilations or live releases. 

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Do you agree with my picks?

Did you dislike any of these covers?

What were your favourite covers of 2017?

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ALBUM REVIEW: PRURIENT - RAINBOW MIRROR

PRURIENT
RAINBOW MIRROR
Profound Lore / Hospital Productions
Drone, Dark Ambient, Noise, Electronic.
Listening Format: Digital



Prurient is just one of the recording aliases of US Noise artist Dominick Fernow. Over the past 15 years the man has put out a labyrinthine discography touching upon Noise, Power Electronics, Death Industrial, Techno, Industrial and Dark Ambient. But the one thing they mostly have in common is that Fernow's music is nails hard, aggressive, in your face and loud. His live performances often culminate in walls of suffocating harsh noise, whilst he stumbles about the stage screaming his lungs out. Prurient's own discography can roughly be navigated in two different ways. There are the self-released noise tapes that crop up frequently through his own label Hospital Productions, often his rawest and shortest in length releases. Then there are his projects on other labels such as Profound Lore, Cold Spring and Hydra Head, which tend to have a slightly higher production value and artistic scope, usually following some sort of concept. His 2015 double album 'Frozen Niagara Falls' brought a lot of attention and critical praise to Prurient. At the time this was considered to be one of the most ambitious projects attempted within the Power Electronics realm, which tends to favour shorter length releases. Little did we know Fernow had even more ambitious ideas in mind...

'Rainbow Mirror' spans 4 CDs or 7 LPs or 3 hours and 20 minutes of new music. It's safe to say that alone would test the patience of even the most hardened music fans, let alone fans of extreme underground art. Before anyone had even heard a second of this album, fans and critics were already left bemused, with one publication even claiming the album was "too long" before even hearing any of the material. Perhaps Fernow is looking to axe the stereotype that Power Electronics is only suited to short, chaotic bursts. Or perhaps it is because the 3+ hour 'Rainbow Mirror' opus isn't really Power Electronics at all. The album is made of 15 tracks or movements averaging 10 minutes in length. The press release I got for this album described it as "Doom Electronics". I'm not sure whether this was conjured by the label, the press agent or Fernow himself, but it totally hit the nail on the head. All of the pieces here are long, minimalist, sparse, bleak and very melancholic driftworks built on slow tempo pulsing electronics, lonely synths, iced with brittle layers of noise gradually seeping in. The end results have much more in common with Drone or Ambient music than Noise or Power Electronics, and should be approached by the listener as such.

If we take just disc 1 alone, over the 4 tracks here, the first two movements are the most subtle, reminiscent of Dark Ambient musician Lustmord, with the icy, alien atmospheres that made up Autechre's 'Amber' album. 'Barefoot God' and 'Walking On Dehydrated Coral' are incredibly sparse and build ever so slowly, working into a very gradual crescendo with finales approaching something noisier and more intense. These pieces of music are built on a simple, haunting and sad repeated melody that hypnotises the listener as they loop and repeat. By the time Disc 1 reaches it's climax on massive highlight 'Chaos - Sex' we have certainly reached much noisier and abrasive textures like seasoned Prurient fans would want. Except, this time around Fernow isn't interested in shocking your body or mutilating your ears with harsh, visceral blasts of noise. Here Prurient uses noise to enhance the atmosphere and intensity of these long pieces of music. Even when 'Rainbow Mirror' reaches its loudest peaks, it always remains a very solemn and downbeat journey. It is also important to note that this entire disc is entirely instrumental. In fact I only remember hearing vocals on one track across the entire project, 'Naturecum', and even these vocals were more like whispers or murmurs as opposed to his violent screams of previous releases.

The biggest talking point to address though... Is it too long? Did this album need to be over 3 hours long? Sure it demands a lot of patience and you will need to set aside a lot of spare time if you want to tackle this in one sitting, but the run time is justified. I got an advance on this album and in the space of two weeks I was more than happy to listen to the entire opus twice through. I then went back and just listened to Disc 1 a further two times. The length is justified because this project is so rewarding. What Fernow has achieved perhaps more than ever is that he has put so much emotion and raw feeling into these pieces. The addition of slightly more melody and distinct chords is a welcome addition that does wonders to enhance the mood of his music. This is a very sad and ghostly album that even has a few hummable chord phrases tucked away within it. If you take out the running time, 'Rainbow Mirror' is one of his most restrained works to date. It doesn't have that "shock factor" to it. And yet in complete juxtaposition, it is an extreme and hard going work because it so challenging, so moving and so lengthy. Prurient is making extreme and boundary pushing music still, just his methods of doing so having completely changed.

'Rainbow Mirror' is a true opus that doesn't need to be rushed or listened to in one sitting. The way the 4 discs have been broken down is very suitable and each disc feels like it's own album, each with a logical beginning, middle and end. Fernow is a very prolific musician, always writing and recording music, a lot of which is built on improv, documenting a mood probably based on what he is feeling as a musician at the time. But even though he puts out a lot of recordings very frequently, the overall quality of the end result has not been hampered. 'Rainbow Mirror' speaks as one of the most personal and heartfelt journies Fernow has ever expressed. Not only is it his masterpiece, but it stands as a late-coming album of the year contender. 9/10.

EP REVIEW: BURIAL - SUBTEMPLE

BURIAL
SUBTEMPLE
Dark Ambient, Electronic.
Hyperdub Records
Listening Format: Vinyl















Burial is undoubtedly one of the most exciting, revered and innovative Electronic musicians of the last 10 years or so. The publicity shy bedroom producer hasn't put an album out since 2007's modern classic 'Untrue', and neither does he look like he is any rush to follow it up. Instead Burial has been releasing vinyl and digital exclusive EPs dropping at random once a year ever since. In particular his two EPs 'Street Halo' and 'Kindred' have arguably been his greatest works to date. Burial used the EP format to the fullest, by making much lengthier and more experimental pieces than on his two studio albums. A trend he has continued with each year to this very date.

Whilst Burial has continued to experiment and innovate, the quality control of his work has sadly started to wane. The 'Truant / Rough Sleeper' and 'Rival Dealer' EPs had some great moments, but lacked cohesion as a whole. It felt like Burial was actually trying to escape the fantastic trademarks and signatures he had built up to give him such a unique and identifiable sound. Burial's latest works have definitely shown a decline in quality, yet the mystery of Burial still seems to fascinate. These 12" singles with super minimalist, near identical artwork keep on dropping once a year, almost like he is building his follow up album slowly, piece by piece, over multiple discs. The lowest point in his discography so far was his preceding 12", 'Young Death / Nightmarket'. Both tracks on this EP sounded like Ambient interludes that didn't seem to go anywhere, lacked memorability and didn't have enough "Burial-isms" to feel like a genuinely worthy release. This is the point where even die hard Burial fans started to ask the tough questions. Is Burial losing his magic touch? Is his music still relevant? Should his fans keep bothering to pick up these 12" releases or is it time for him to mix it up a bit more?

Roll on 2017 and yet another EP drops with the same faceless artwork. Except this time it is just a 10" vinyl. But essentially it is the same deal, with two side length pieces running at seven and nine minutes respectively. Critical response has been even less favourable than the forgettable 'Young Death / Nightmarket' 12", which is worryingly putting Burial's validity as an artist into question... 'Subtemple' consists of yet another two tracks which could easily just be described as "Ambient interludes". The kind of tracks that might hold a significant place sandwiched between two epic tracks on an album, but don't have much context released on their own. Is Burial taking his dedicated fanbase for a ride at this point?

Well, actually, I really enjoyed this release. In fact it is probably my favourite Burial release since 'Kindred' (although the actual track 'Rival Dealer' was a gem, if not the entire EP). Both tracks are nearly identical to each other in approach. Lengthy, minimal, Dark Ambient pieces that kind of glide on by. However I am quite a fan of Dark Ambient music, so this wasn't a problem for me. But I think there is actually more to these tracks than meets the ear. Unlike his last few releases, Burial is actually nodding back to his earliest recordings. In particular tracks such as 'Endorphin' from the 'Untrue' album (and yes, that was an Ambient interlude). 'Untrue' sampled heavily from Konami video games such as Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill. It sounds like Burial may be revisiting those influences, because 'Subtemple' and 'Beachfires' both sound strongly reminiscent of Akira Yamaoka's incredible Dark Ambient scores for the Silent Hill games... Clearly a strong influence on Burial in the first place. What impresses me more, is that if you listen very carefully, some of those Burial trademark's ARE there... just very. very much buried in the mix. The coating of vinyl crackle and pops, the use of a pitch-shifted female vocal sample, the sounds of fractured drum samples... They are all there, just not at all in the forefront of the mix or composition.

If you pay close attention, it actually feels like Burial is coming full circle with this release. And given that it is 10 years since his highly praised album 'Untrue' it feels like an appropriate time for it. The atmospheric and fragile drum breaks may be absent, the awesome use of layering post-Dubstep sub-bass with Hip Hop inspired vocal samples and loops are absent too. This is still not on the level of tracks like 'Kindred' or 'Ghost Hardware', but it does show more promise than a lot of critics and fans have made out. I still don't think this release needed to be yet another standalone EP, but at least the tracks show promise. 'Subtemple' is an EP of great subtlety, and actually shows some of Burial's more inspired compositions of recent times. 7/10.

ALBUM REVIEW: FOREST SWORDS - COMPASSION

FOREST SWORDS
COMPASSION
Electronic, Ambient, Dub.
Ninja Tune.
Listening Format: Vinyl














Forest Swords is the alias of Matthew Barnes, hailing from Liverpool, England. He has become one of the most critically respected Electronic producers of the decade ever since his first album 'Engravings' dropped in 2013. He has since composed a score for a ballet, and worked on music and sound design for the Assassin's Creed video game series. 'Compassion' is his second proper full length.

One of the most striking things about this record is that Forest Swords certainly knows how to arrange different sounds to create haunting and compelling atmospheres. 'Compassion' isn't quite as dark and melancholic as his debut album, and weaves in a lot of tribal and ethnic sounds. 'Panic' is a highlight with a middle-eastern groove running through it as distorted and chopped up vocal samples are painted wildly across the canvas. Many of the beats try to stray from his contemporaries adding in more varied percussive sounds. Standout track 'Raw Language' has a Dubby bass and a Trip Hop influenced beat reminiscent of Massive Attack's 'Inertia Creeps'. 'Compassion' creates sounds that are relatively abstract and very atmospheric throughout, feeling like it could easily be a score to a Dystopian Sci-Fi film set in a desert.

I've had 'Compassion' on heavy rotation for the last couple of weeks now, and whilst I really enjoy it when I'm actually listening to it, every time I come away from it I don't actually remember much of what I've heard. Forest Swords is an excellent producer, arranger and sound crafter, undeniably, but I feel like he is still lacking a distinctive voice. Even though I've heard this album ten times now, if I happened to switch on the radio and one of the album's tracks came on, I genuinely don't think I would clock that it was Forest Swords. 'Compassion' is just lacking in that extra wow factor and that hint of true originality. When the album is actually playing it is difficult to fault, but there isn't really a strong lasting impression once the ten tracks are over. The reason I have listened to it ten times is because I really wanted to try and get under its skin for the purposes of reviewing the album, and not because I was really compelled to go back and listen for sheer pleasure. Forest Swords is certainly heading in the right direction and could potentially strike gold in the future, but now that this review is written, I don't think I'll be desperate to put on this album again any time soon. 7/10.

ALBUM REVIEW: GAS - NARKOPOP

GAS
NARKOPOP
Ambient, Minimal Techno, Electronic.
Kompakt.
Listening Format: CD














Gas is the performing name of Wolfgang Voigt, producing his signature style of Ambient music. He is also the founder of Kompakt, one of the most well respected Electronic music labels and often considered a showcase of the "Berlin Minimal Techno" style. 'Narkopop' is the first release of brand new Gas studio material in 17 years now, and this comeback wasn't even really an anticipated thing, as it pretty much appeared relatively out of the blue earlier this year. The last Gas album 'Pop' came out in 2000 and the project went silent ever since. This isn't to say that Voigt himself has been silent, as he has continued to create music in different styles, including frequent releases under his own name and other pseudonyms. However Gas still remains his most popular and critically acclaimed body of work.

For those not familiar with Gas, his music very much takes many of the blueprints of Ambient music as pioneered by Brian Eno, but he puts his own signature spin on it. He often manipulates samples from orchestral works, particularly favouring dissonant and long drawn out chords, that he combines with synthesizers. The result is usually a slow moving, eerie and pulsating hum reminiscent of artists such as Angelo Badalamenti, the frequent David Lynch collaborator nicknamed the "master of the suspended chord". Gas often showcases a mixture of purely beatless Ambient washes, and tracks that feature a very minimal four-to-the-floor kickdrum often found in Minimal Techno. However this kickdrum is usually always drowned in reverb and pushed so far to the back of the mix that it sometimes passes through the awareness of the listener completely, like a ghost haunting the composition.

After 17 years away, Gas brings back those signatures in full force. The title 'Narkopop' suggests to me that this album has a direct connection to his previous album 'Pop'. Whilst 'Pop' could be considered a relatively sunnier and more uplifting album in the Gas discography, 'Narkopop' is very much the darker sister album. The album sleeves seem to correlate this, with 'Pop' having a bright, sunlit image of a tree branch, and 'Narkopop' in contrast looking like a walk through an eerie forest at night.

Essentially nothing has changed in Voigt's approach to making Gas music. We have another ten untitled pieces of music represented by numbers, using those trademark drawn out synths and sparse kickdrums. The pieces float between four and seventeen minutes, but the way they are sequenced makes it hard to pinpoint the exact moment where one track finishes and the next begins. It is very much an album experience that should be heard from start to finish. 'Narkopop' has a timeless feel to it because you can't really distinguish if this was recorded in 2017, 1997 or anywhere in between. This isn't to say that 'Narkopop' sounds exactly like his previous releases though, but it is very similar in concept, approach and performance.

What I love the most about 'Narkopop' is how genuinely dark, moody and melodramatic it sounds. The synths or samples are really dominant throughout this album. Whilst there are plenty of droning, drawn out sections that leave the listener feeling hypnotised, when the string and synth sounds do start to express themselves it sounds so doomy, almost angry even. Although Gas is German, I can't help but think of dark Scandinavian mystery dramas like The Killing, or perhaps the works of Lars Von Trier or Thomas Vinterberg when I hear this album. It has that stark, moonlit, winterry feel that I just adore. Everything sounds melancholic, isolated, and at times really chilling. Whilst it doesn't quite verge into Horror or Industrial territory, you could argue that this record verges on Dark Ambient at times. For an Ambient recording, I feel like 'Narkopop' expertly walks that difficult line where it keeps the details of composition and production relatively simple and sparse, yet manages to be completely enthralling and interesting the whole way through.

I feel like the only possible way a Gas fan could possibly be disappointed in this "comeback" record is in the fact that it doesn't do anything new. Even after 17 years, Gas sounds EXACTLY like Gas should. He hasn't changed his winning formula one bit. But that is a good thing too. Maybe fans would have still been disappointed had he gone out and changed things up too drastically. I think it is just a great treat for Gas fans to finally hear another record, that is really good and fits very comfortably among his already well established discography. In a time where Ambient music is still very much cutting edge, and where soundtracks new and old are being highly praised in the vinyl market, the return of Gas just feels very well fitting. 8/10.

TOP 25 LIVE PERFORMANCES OF 2016

Let's get the obvious out of the way. I can only count bands I have seen live in the flesh. Since I am based in Manchester this will mostly be the area covered. I've easily seen over 100 bands this year so here are the performances that knocked me sideways in 2016!

HOUSEWIVES - Gorilla, Manchester

25. DUKATALON
Rebellion, Manchester

The Noiz Alldayer ended up overrunning by about 2 hours, and this band that came all the way from Tel Aviv, Israel had waited patiently to play, finally coming on at 2am and devouring what was left of the crowd with their insanely high energy Sludgy Hardcore. They played with a real menace and their drummer was pumping up the crowd between each song, commanding them to get moving. The show ended in a fantastic stage invasion that saw nearly the whole crowd take to the stage in a moment of sheer bliss.
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24. RICK ASTLEY
HMV Manchester

I'm not Rick-rolling you at all here. I had practically no expectations when I arrived at this show, but Rick Astley really blew the crowd away, not necessarily with his songs (although a finale of 'Never Gonna Give You Up' was obviously incredible) but through his sheer passion and excitement. The man had a really good funk band behind him and delivered an incredible vocal performance. But it was his stage charisma, his fantastic sense of humour and the fact that he looked like he was having the time of his life on that tiny stage that really made this performance special. I'll never say a bad word about this man.
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23. JOHN CARPENTER
Victoria Warehouse, Salford

There was a lot of controversy about the arrangement and venue of this show, which sadly does taint the gig a little. I'm going to try and brush this aside and focus on the actual performance, which I thought was great since I managed to get there early and actually get a good spot in the room. It was incredible to see John Carpenter, the Horror maestro in the flesh with his excellent band that play on his 'Lost Themes' records. Not only did he play some of the best tunes of the two solo records, but of course many of his greatest film themes. Hearing the likes of 'Halloween' and 'The Thing' in the flesh was awe inspiring. Carpenter had a crazy charisma on stage and one of the best highlights was when the whole band put on sunglasses during the performance of 'They Live'. There were also scenes from each film playing on a big screen behind him, so that atmosphere was just right, and I had chills for almost the whole performance!
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22. ACxDC
Rebellion, Manchester

The news that US Grind/Powerviolence legends ACxDC are calling it a day became twice as sad after witnessing just how astonishing this band are live. They must have blitzed through about 50 tiny tracks, absolutely seamlessly with full on rage, venom, sweat and agony. There was no time to catch your breath as the band just raged and battered through blistering, lightning fast song after song. A blur of utter chaos and madness that was as beautiful as it was terrifying!
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21. SPACE WITCH
Rebellion, Manchester

This band don't come around my way often enough, but whenever they do it is an unmissable spectacle. As you probably know I have a bit of a fetish for Extreme Metal bands that implement electronics into their sound, and Space Witch are at the forefront of this in the British Metal scene. Psychedelic tinged droning Sludge riffs bludgeoned the Manchester crowd over their heads, as piercing electronics added deep, spacey textures to the mix and taking their sound to the next level of the spectral ether. Mindblowing from start to finish, seriously one of the most exciting bands in the UK right now!
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20. DESTRUCTION UNIT
Islington Mill, Salford

Without a doubt the loudest performance I heard this year, even with ear plugs in, this was painful and left my ears ringing. With a drummer, a bassist and about four guitarists crammed into the tiny Islington Mill stage, their sound was bigger than the entire venue. The aptly named Destruction Unit powered through pounding Garage Noise Rock with so much sweat and menace. The massive wall of tremolo guitars was intense and agonising... And EAR DESTROYING!
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19. MONO
Gorilla, Manchester

The majesty of seeing Alcest would have been more than enough to cover the ticket price, but we still had an epic MONO performance to enjoy. Equally as stirring as Alcest before them, their instrumental rock often started soft and melodic and built into loud, thunderous climaxes that were intense and overwhelming to the senses. True magic from the heart of Japan!
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18. ALCEST
Gorilla, Manchester

It's not often that you need to bring tissues to a Metal show but the double impact of Alcest and MONO would certainly reach deep into the souls of Metalheads. Alcest played a wondrous, dreamy set of buzzing shoegazy guitars, sweeping melodies and harmonious vocals, with a few shrieking Black Metal parts for good measure. Alcest really hit the sweet spot with a momentous performance.
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17. CONJURER
The Alma Inn, Bolton

The crowning kings of another incredible Riff Fest lineup, a free annual Metal festival in the heart of Bolton. Conjurer are a seriously wild bunch and a stage can barely contain the energy and immense heaviness of this band. As their set goes on these lads get angrier and more explosive to the point where the band and the audience can barely take it any more and the wheels fall off!
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16. HOUSEWIVES
Gorilla, Manchester

This was my first time seeing and even hearing this mysterious English Drone/Noise Rock band. They played in near darkness with strobe lights blaring as they played what seemed like one giant 40 minute composition of super atonal rock that almost felt like an incredibly minimalist and deconstructed version of Joy Division, complete with noisy saxophone and deranged screams. It was such a regimented and tense performance. This band had an entire crowd hanging on every note and even when they just jammed one note for 5 straight minutes it felt like the most intense thing that ever existed!
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15. UNDER
The Boulevard, Wigan

Under are a menacing and creepy Doom Metal/Drone Rock kind of hybrid band that have built an exceptional reputation over the year for their jaw dropping live performances. I've probably seen them about 10 times this year alone and they just get better and better. Under constantly change up their setlists, hinting at a well of new and unreleased material, so every performance of theirs feels fresh, exciting and unpredictable. This was the last time I saw them in 2016 and I am incredibly excited to just be a part of their wacky journey, just as a member of the crowd!
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JOHN CARPENTER - Victoria Warehouse, Salford

14. CAINA
Fuel Cafe, Manchester

Hands down one of the most extreme things I have ever witnessed. In what sadly looks like one of Caina's very last shows, the duo performed incredibly loud with dense layers of noise pedals and cold synths grinding away as the two screamed at the top of their lungs. Vocalist Laurence Taylor was terrifying, topless with a balaclava and cuts on his body. He got right up into the faces of the crowd, screaming nihilistic words and wrapping the microphone cable around his neck like a noose. This is what happens when a band take the performance aspect all the way up to 11!
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13. THE RIVER VERSUS
Rebellion, Manchester

Few things put as big a smile on my face as when I am watching The River Versus. They tantalise the Prog Rocker inside me with their virtuoso fusion of Neo-Classical verging on Post Hardcore. TRV are still a band that I am championing and sadly they don't quite play as often as I'd like or quite get the acclaim that they so sorely deserve. This band have the ability to leave newcomers completely speechless and the atmosphere at one of their shows is full of sheer joy and awe. Just go listen to them and never miss them live!
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12. SVALBARD
Damnation Festival, Leeds University

I was so excited to see Svalbard perform once again and they certainly didn't disappoint. In fact they just get better. It feels like the band are continuing to perfect their craft, delivering emotively resonant Blackened Hardcore with so much passion, energy and raw feeling. Playing in front of a packed out Damnation stage may well have been their biggest crowd and most defining show yet.
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11. FULL OF HELL
The Ruby Lounge, Manchester

This US band absolutely knocked me sideways. Bouts of lightning fast, brutal Grindcore suddenly evaporated into 0bpm electronic drones that were deafening and very intense, bringing a huge tension. The way Full Of Hell combine the slowest and fastest of Metal genres is really something special, and the way they switch between the two seamlessly is not only incredibly tight, but completely fucks with the audiences head. Absolutely astonishing.
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10. MAX RICHTER
RNCM, Manchester

The master of modern Ambient Classical performed his 'Blue Notebooks' and 'from SLEEP' albums in full with an ensemble and vocalist. Truly one of the richest and most beautiful performances I saw this year, with every note and instrument travelling through my body. It felt like a healing process and was incredibly moving.
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9. DEATH GRIPS
Manchester Academy

Perhaps the most anticipated show of the year, that sold out in mere seconds. Death Grips slammed through all of their best discography highlights, with MC Ride's maniacal grunts, Zach Hill's pounding drums and Flatlander's noisy synths sounding supreme, with so much energy and violence. This will remain one of the most talked about shows of the year.
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8. CULT OF LUNA & JULIE CHRISTMAS
Damnation Festival, Leeds University

To think that these musicians said they didn't get time to even rehearse properly is absolutely staggering! I think many who attended Damnation Festival in Leeds this year will agree that this performance was the crowning achievement of an already magnificent festival that seems to get better ever year. With about 7 people on stage, Cult of Luna absolutely pummeled the Damnation main stage with crushing, dense and emotionally draining riffs and textures, Julie Christmas was a bundle of energy, dancing, moshing and belting out powerful vocals. An absolute marvel from start to finish that we may never see performed again.
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7. AUTECHRE
Old Granada Studios, Manchester

The first time I saw Autechre live I didn't enjoy it so much, but I think it was let down by a poor sound and venue choice. No such problem this time as they performed in pitch darkness in a massive room where you could hear every blip, beep and rumble perfectly. They played a continuous hour long piece of music that was rather slow and doomy, with lots of discordance and alien textures. The lack of light allowed the music to really enter my body and take over my thoughts. Things got metaphysical and even though this band have no lyrics and use total discordant sounds, there was much emotion and expression.
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6. STEVEN WILSON
02 Apollo, Manchester

The master of Prog treated us to a 3 hour performance. In the first half he played the entirety of his fantastic 'Hand Cannot Erase' album, synced up to a film that ran on a big screen above the band with amazing visuals, helping to tell the story behind the lyrics. His band was incredible, including Marco Minnemann on drums and Dave Kilminster on guitar. The second half showcased songs from his latest release '4 1/2' and songs from his previous albums including a tear-jerking rendition of 'The Raven That Refused to Sing'. He even threw in some stunning Porcupine Tree songs, including 'The Sound of Muzak' and 'Lazarus' which he dedicated to David Bowie who had only just passed.
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5. SHOBALEADER ONE
Gorilla, Manchester

This quartet is a side project of Tom 'Squarepusher' Jenkinson, where he focuses solely on his virtuoso bass playing. This is one of the tightest bands I have seen perform all year. The music they played really reminded me of 70s Blacksploitation Funk. There were some seriously infectious grooves going on here, but with techy and jazzy parts thrown in also. A few renditions of Squarepusher classics were also performed. The band all dressed in black cloaks with masks on that had neon lights on them. How on earth they managed to perform to such a level was wearing them is anyone's guess!
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4. YOB
The Ruby Lounge, Manchester

A truly mindblowing performance from the US Doom trio. Guitarist and vocalist Mike Sheidt is mesmerising on stage. His guitar playing looks effortless, whether he is churning out massive slabs of Doom or clean, emotive arpeggios, and he pours so much passion into his vocals. The performance of 20 minute "ballad" 'Marrow' was something really special, completely captivating an entire room into stunned silence.
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3. EMPLOYED TO SERVE
Damnation Festival, Leeds University

Truly one of the most angry, visceral and energized performances I've seen all year. Mathcore maniacs Employed to Serve showed us how to fucking BRING IT!!! Like this was a "COME AT ME BRO" meme in it's most literal and musical entity. The stage was like a warzone and there was some seriously crazy pitting, crowd surfing and stage diving as they tore into the Damnation crowd with a relentless barrage of aggressive screaming and jagged staccato riffs, that ended in the destruction of a bass guitar letting out it's final battle cry (and I was lucky enough to catch a piece of it thrown into the crowd)! ISS BYOTIFUL!!!
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2. SLABDRAGGER
The Alma Inn, Bolton

In this very special one off performance, Slabdragger performed the entirety of their new album 'Rise of the Dawncrusher', and it was a FREE entry show! Damn! The packed out crowd were truly knocked sideways by the loud, crushing and technically mind blowing riffs. Constant twists and turns looked seamless in these 10+ minute epics. A true testament of great musicianship, high energy and sheer headbanging delight!
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1. KAMASI WASHINGTON
Manchester Academy

Damn, this was more than a show, it was an experience, a journey, a transformation! Kamasi Washington and his insanely talented Jazz band are more than a band, they're a family unit. With most of the players having grown up together as kids and learning their instruments from a young age, and it really shows. This band is beyond tight, and have a spiritual chemistry together on stage. The show was full of raw talent, insane musicianship, fantastic storytelling between the songs, and a lot of emotion too. 'Henrietta Our Hero' left people in the audience in tears. This was not only the best live music experience I had this year, but one of the best shows I have ever witnessed!
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KAMASI WASHINGTON - Manchester Academy

#337: MAX RICHTER - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

Performing this evening at The Royal Northern College of Music was German born, England raised Modern Classical and Ambient composer Max Richter. In tonight's sold out performance, he played with a string ensemble and soprano vocalist. The performance was divided into two sets, opening with his 2004 album "The Blue Notebooks", and closing with his most recent epic "from SLEEP".

THE BLUE NOTEBOOKS

Before launching into tonight's performance, Max Richter spoke to the crowd explaining that "The Blue Notebooks" features readings from Kafka's "The Blue Octavo Notebooks", and when he originally recorded the album it was a musical response to seeing media coverage of the Iraq War. On the original album, actress Tilda Swinton narrated, though another woman sat in a chair on stage and occassionally narrated in time to the music tonight. Compared to "from SLEEP", "The Blue Notebooks" leans further towards traditional orchestral music. Richter began the performance with his trademark minimalist piano arpeggios, drawing equally from Eno, Glass and Part. His ear for melody evokes a natural, and stirring beauty. He was backed up by his string ensemble who in some respects, stole the visual focus of the show. The strings would build in layers, coming in one by one adding swirling crescendos to the music, lead by Richter's wandering piano. "On the Nature of Daylight" in particular was incredibly moving highlight of this performance. Richter also added subtle electronics into the mix, with field recordings of wind and thunder as well as small atmospheric touches. Unfortunately there was a small technical issue in this performance, where a second synthesiser player could not produce any sound. Although the sound engineer ran on stage trying to fix it, the others carried on performing regardless, leading to only a small loss in the sound. Fortunately it did not impact very heavily on the performance, which managed to combine electronics and orchestral ambient music in a sublime way.

from SLEEP

In 2015, Max Richter released the epic 8 and a half hour long album "SLEEP", after studying the human body's psychological processes during sleep and composing music to compliment the human shutdown sequence. To coincide with this 8 disc behemoth, was a singular disc 70 minute journey, condensing the main melodic phrases down into new variations that also featured the string ensemble, as well as a female soprano vocalist.

Though tonight's performance only featured 3 unique compositions, hearing the subtle variations of "Dream", "Path" and "Sleep" was very exciting. Richter opened with the beautiful piano driven "Dream 3". The lengthy compositions of "from SLEEP" are far more minimalist and ambient than anything on the performance of "The Blue Notebooks" beforehand. However I found these compositions to be far more moving and beautiful. The compositions of "SLEEP" are written in cycles, made up of slow moving arpeggios. Though it is about 5 minutes into "Dream 3" before a violin even makes its presence, Richter's grand piano playing is so soothing and richly melodic that it is impossible to get bored. Of course when the strings did gently start to come in, the sheer emotion of the performance ratcheted up as a full body of sound began to envelop the RNCM concert hall.

With the second movement, "Path 5 (delta)", female soprano vocals were added, giving a very gothic and haunting tone. Through only a couple of repeated vocal phrases, the magnitude and emotion of the performance increased tenfold in what was the most stunning piece of the evening. "Space 11" saw Richter retreat into true ambient territory, with an extremely minimalist atmospheric hum that escalated in density through the use of subtle electronics. The ensemble then ran through the 3 pieces of music once again, adding subtle variations. Most notably, "Path 19" added a more stripped down piano melody to the mix, with the soprano vocals once again stunning the sold out crowd. The finale of "Dream 8" reprised the opening motif of "from SLEEP", but with much more involvment of the strings. This climaxed in a loud and epic crescendo that sent chills down my spine. The sheer richness of the music was overwhelming and intense. Though at times I tried closing my eyes during this music to take in the feels of the music, it would have been near impossible for anyone to feel sleepy through such a stunning performance. I left the concert feeling more awake than I had felt all day! 9/10.

May 21st 2016 @ RNCM, Manchester.

#295: ULVER - ATGCLVLSSCAP

2016.

Progressive Electronic, Ambient, Post Rock.

House of Mythology.

It's quite exciting being a long time Ulver fan. They change genre with each album they release, so it is fun trying to predict what they might do next. Personally I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an Ulver Reggae album! ATGCLVLSSCAP (which stands for each of the astrological signs of the zodiac) is somewhere between a new full length album and a live album. All of the material has been recorded from their 2014 tour, but it seems most of the material here I haven't heard before. Considering how eclectic Ulver are from album to album, you can guarantee that a live album would be extremely diverse within itself.

This is exactly the case. Though unlike most Ulver albums, this one is almost entirely instrumental. The overall arc of this album goes from slow, droning Post Rock, to Electronic with pulsing, tribal beats verging on IDM, then the second half of the album enters Ambient territory with nods to the Space synthesiser sounds of Tangerine Dream, before concluding with two excellent vocal tracks. "Nowhere" is an updated version of an old track "Nowhere/Catastrophe" from their incredible "Perdition City" album, with chiming, atmospheric Post Rock guitars added on. Ulver mastermind Kristoffer Rygg turns in a fantastic vocal performance here and it is a huge standout and sounds epic and mesmerizing. In fact this is one you could even sing along to! The album concludes with another great vocal track, which has a Gothic Depeche Mode kind of vibe.

With an album this diverse, it would be easy for it to be disjointed, but it flows extremely well and most of the time you forget it is a live recording. The album is quite slow and often minimalist, so it deserves to be heard in its entirety and will require your patience. If you are already well familiar with Ulver, then you will know this is usually the case anyway. Ulver aren't a band that grab you immediately, they are a band you have to take your time with and actually think about, as they slowly blossom petals of gold into your eardrums. Personally this has been my favourite Ulver release since "Shadows of the Sun". 8/10.

#293: BOARDS OF CANADA - TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY

2006.
IDM, Ambient, Electronic.
Warp Records.

When it comes to Warp Records artists, I tend to prefer their EPs to their actual full length LPs. Autechre and Aphex Twin tend to release an EP or two around the same time as each album, and with both of these artists I love the EPs even more (and the albums are brilliant too of course). The same goes with Boards of Canada. "In a Beautiful Place..." to me is their magnum opus, even if it is a third the length of "Geogaddi" (which is also a masterpiece). Perhaps I have a short attention span, or maybe I like it when things are concise?

If I had to pick between "The Campfire Headphase" or this one, I think the EP wins again! I know that "Dayvan Cowboy" was already on the album, but this may just be Boards of Canada's greatest tune! I think it works well in its own EP because the songs that surround it seem to fit that sound better than on the album (which to be fair is more diverse). Some fans criticised the addition of guitars on "Campfire...", but on "Dayvan Cowboy" they are so excellently placed, and used sparingly. If anything they enhance the power and the mood of their gorgeous floaty synth sounds. The track definitely has a My Bloody Valentine feel, and is also one of the most uplifting and beautiful songs I've ever heard. Watch it with the brilliant music video for an even enhanced feeling.

"Left Side Drive" and "Skyliner" have similar sounds and moods to the opening masterpiece. I love the way the synth sounds translucent, like it is slowly disappearing into the ether. I get the feeling of gazing out of the window of a plane as it sweeps through the clouds, with the beautiful glistening sea below. Perhaps it should have been called "Trans Canada Skyway" instead. The Odd Nosdam remix that closes this EP doesn't seem to get much love, but I liked it. It's a very minimalist and vaporous version that goes into more pure Ambient territory and it is a nice way to close a truly beautiful record. This is Boards of Canada at their prettiest and most emotional. A triumphant and uplifting record. 9/10.