Album of the month : Passion - Peter Gabriel

Music for The Last Temptation Of Christ, a film by Martin Scorsese is what it says underneath the title on the CD back cover.
This was my first introduction to Peter Gabriel's own Realworld label. It was the first release on that label, and it contains some of the most beautiful instrumental music I have ever heard made by a pop artist. Influenced by a lot of "world music" he had heard, Peter Gabriel composed a variety of songs which are all, to some extent, a stunning mix of the influences he absorbed and his own musical idiom.
This album is best listened to as a whole, of course, as the musical journey tells, in its own language, the story of the movie, and it contains such a rich palet of music that is like a multi-course dinner, of which each plate is delicious in itself, but the whole dinner has a surplus by the ideal combination of the dishes...
However, I have chosen some dishes for your enjoyment, to have a little taste to hunger for more :

• The feeling begins (mp3)
• Of these, hope (mp3)
• Troubled (mp3)
• It is accomplished (mp3)

You can buy the album here

Zombie Zombie

Was it shear coincidence that led me to this song and (later on) to its magnificent, animated video ? That I don't know, but what I do know is that got drown into the dense, blood-drawing atmosphere of this instrumental song immediately.
The video seems to have captured that spirit very well, as it is a stunning exhibition of how you can create a thrilling story with as little as a couple of play figures, home-made models and a lot of creativity. It's a remake of John Carpenter's film The thing in stopmotion with G.I. Joe dolls...

Enjoy this song : Driving this road until death sets you free - Zombie Zombie (mp3)

Zombie Zombie is a French duo consisting of Etienne Jaumet and CosmicNeman who have their own record label (Boomboomtchak! Records), based in Paris, France.

You can buy their album here

Another free album : The saltire wave - Downliners Sekt

If you like your guitars to dominate, your drums to be kicked half-dead and don't mind the absence of vocals, you might very well like Downliners Sekt. Their electro/post-rock oriented second album is available for free download on their website (as are earlier releases).
This band have chosen to release their albums for free on their website, because they believe they can have a greater impact thus. They claim this way they have some of their songs, released more than 7 years ago, still played at dubstep sessions.


Personally, I quite enjoy this music. They have clearly put a lot of effort into making music that generates a mood you're most likely to catch between 3 and 5 in the morning, somewhere drunk in the gutter, left alone by your girlfriend that is now doing it with your best friend, by your best friend (you know what he's doing right now...) and even by the smelly cat that came down the alley. Well, anyway, you catch my drift... If I knew where they're playing, I'd tell you to go and see them !

Before checking out their website, and maybe donate to keep them going, enjoy this selection of songs :

• Scope creep (mp3)
• Panic! Sonik monk (mp3)
• Point omega (mp3)

If you want to help these fine artists, mail them to ask what you can do !

Album of the week : Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung

This Belgian band's epynomous debut album proved you can play modern, rocking music without guitars. A clarinet, a violin, a cello and an accordion are all it takes for them to play something that reaches from klezmer to classic rock (they managed to squeeze some Led Zeppelin into Doorloop at live performances). Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung would change their name into DAAU for the following albums and their music would grow into something a bit more conventional (although you should definitely check out their Radiohead cover Of R*D*H*D (2 + 2 = 5) to understand how unconventional their music remains...).

Their debut album was released in 1995 and it definitely was something new. But even today, the album still stands firm as a house. The "warning on the sleeve is not without cause : "magisches theater - eintrit nicht für jedermann - nur für verrückte - eintrit kostet den verstand" (magical theater - admittance not for anyone - just for the mad - admittance will cost you your mind). The music (there is no singing on this album) still succeeds in capturing your attention to release it only after hours past the last note. At times you hear something which is vaguely reminiscent of something you know, what can't quite catch... (in Doorloop, you probably cán pin it down to Ravel's Bolero). This album does what most excellent debuts do : although it has been followed by probably better records, it remains the one that gets played more often.

I have seen this band play live on the tour that followed the release (which is why I know of the Led Zeppelin piece...) and they were really awesome. Check out their tour dates (they'll play some Swedish shows in february 2008...) !

Enjoy these tracks :

• V² - Drieslagstelsel (mp3)
• Doorloop (+ traditional) (mp3)

You can buy their debut album and their other albums here

The band offers you 4 of their songs for free on their website (here, under downloads) : Catfish blues, Voodoo sim, Mary go round and Gin & tonic.

Next week's album of the week : Kurr - Amiina