NBTMusicRadio TWO reviews 2

In which Marc Presley embarks on a nostalgic voyage and delivers an intricate review of Andrew Kay’s new album. This is bookended by two short mini reviews by Martin Smit (creator/owner of the NBTMusicRadio) of tracks from artists featured across our 24 hour stream

Anilore – Mimicry and Murmur (from the album ‘’Lull’’)

In the Bandcamp notes for the album, Andrew Malenda calls the music ‘lonely’, but I will have to respectfully disagree, this (and especially this track) is all about contact, with like minds, battling against the timid, the ignorant, the vast deliberate unknowing. It is children holding hands in a storm, adults sharing half secrets once hidden in shy smiles. Uplifting and beautiful the song creates victory from quiet tragedies. It is rare to find such a balanced almost non dramatic mood inside the so called ‘shoegaze’ genre or such (rock) weight within ambient pieces and while the music recalls both the Rachels and Charalambides, there is a clutter and sigh that is all their own.

https://anilore.bandcamp.com/

 

Andrew Kay – Brand New Suit  (A Review By Marc Presley)

(buy it here: https://nbtmusicradio.bandcamp.com/album/brand-new-suit)

I don’t recall the first time I met Andrew, but I do remember the first time I saw him play. It was at the Rhodes University Great Hall in 1983.
I don’t recall the main act that his band, New Releases, was supporting, but I think it may have been Via Afrika. The reason I don’t recollect what the headline band was is that New Releases were so startlingly inspired and original, that they owned the event.
At the time, Rhodes was heavily inhabited by “Rhodesian” expats: mostly bitter, racist frat boys, and Andrew spat “The Rugger Bugger Rap” at them while Mark Osborn ran around like a mental patient freed from his straitjacket, in pyjamas, bashing a steel tray with an Old Brown Sherry bottle.
I was in awe.
I grew up in Uitenhage, a small, conservative town. For me, South African music was dudes in pubs playing “Hotel California”, and Juluka’s hard-to- find first record. After seeing New Releases and Not Even the TV, I was utterly blown away. I would never have picked up a guitar, nor ever stood in front of a microphone (unless being questioned by the police) without those two bands.
We became really close when I failed Sociology 3 and had to repeat. Andy was doing the same course, and we had immense fun with a prissy new lecturer, Afrikaans, who was slathered in make-up, wearing high-heeled shoes straight out of a porn movie, fresh out of uni, teaching the course on, of all things, Marxist feminism. We would sit together in her class with our feet up on the desks, chain-smoking, snarling and flicking ash on the floor. She once asked us, incredulously, “are you ALLOWED to smoke in here?” Andrew’s like, “we’re lumpen proletarians!” I’m, “It’s the means of production!”. That kinda stumped her. The poor woman.

After moving to Johannesburg, I formed Live Jimi Presley, and Andrew and Mark Osborn formed a two-piece, Pulse. Later Mark went on to spawn Sparky’s Magic Piano, and even later Mark and Andrew teamed up with Tilo von Brandis to create Tardishead. We were all very close. Hung out together, and shared rehearsal space.

Apologies for the rather long-winded introduction, but it is needed as a caveat for any perceived bias. Andrew’s one of my dearest, most beloved friends, yet I shall, in all honesty, try my best to give an objective critique of the record.
Here goes, then.

Firstly, don’t expect any information in or on the album’s sleeve. There is none. There is a small ball on the front and back, and the colour of the ball varies, depending on which edition you got. Inside, there is a song listing. That’s it. No production credits, no songwriting credits, no musician credits, no blurb; nada, zilch, just sweet fuck-all.
And I love that. It’s only the songs. That’s what Andrew’s always been about: the songs. Nothing to see here. Just put it on and listen.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: the songs. Because you know, songs are kinda the most important thing about a record. I hope nobody minds my comparisons to other bands, as Andrew’s influences are abundant and clear.

#1: We’ll be together

I have a special fondness for this one. I’ve always maintained that in another time and another place, it would have been a chart-topper. Most pop songs sound simple, but try playing Beatles and Abba songs.
I played rhythm guitar live on a couple of occasions as a guest for this song, and I had to practice for weeks. It’s pretty complex. I think it’s gorgeous. What I like is that Andrew has retained his original guide vocal; gritty and edgy. The slide guitar is magnificent. However, I have two problems with this production: 1:The brass is great, but I would have liked to hear the original guitar riff over it on occasion. 2: Remove the “baybeee”s. Try it. It sounds much better.

#2: Lucy in the sky with headphones

This is the best production on the record. Lush and gorgeous. It showcases how Andrew is one of the very few indie SA artists who can actually sing and harmonize. A marvelously constructed piece of psychedelia.
Produced by Tilo von Brandis. Respect

#3: God refused to hear

Excellent lyrics, but I just can’t get Santana out of my head when I hear it. Lame ending. Marc refused to hear.

#4: Book of love

I’ve said this before: the guitars sound like The Verve; the vocals Gabrielesque. It’s nice.

#5: Friday morning month end

The most intensely personal song on the record. I have a great admiration for artists who can document the everyday with sincerity and honesty. A good little country song, reminiscent of Neil Young and Kris Kristofferson’s more candid moments. I want to cry every time I hear the Max lyric.

#6: Superboy

David Bowie circa Aladdin Sane. I’m surprised Andrew hasn’t been sued for this. Still, a solid pop song, though. Andrew writes good pop songs. Lovely piano.

#7: Ear of an innocent

Hmm. Seagulls. That’s original.
I find the verses a little Syd Barretty, but the chorus is sublime. Love the bongos or congas or whatever they are.

#8: Long dark road

My favourite. What Andrew has done here is miraculous: combined the sadness and melancholy of traditional Country with lilting, joyous instrumentation. The incongruity and contradiction is astounding. A very clever and virtuosic piece of music, with a bit of Rock ‘n Roll thrown in for good measure. I’m always astonished to hear non-Americans play Country so well.

#9: Fat Elvis

Solid pop song. Great brass. A tight piece of Rock that may have been better as a ska song. Just my opinion.

#10: Easy

A nice Britpop Beatles thingie. Sounds too much like Oasis, though.

11: Revolution of love

I like this one. It’s one of Andrew’s older songs. Lenny Kravitz guitar with Ministry vocals. One of the less retro songs on the record.

12: Baiting Mr Big

I’m torn here. Whilst I love this song and was involved with Sparky’s Magic Piano, I cannot fathom why it’s on the record. It’s great that it’s getting out to an audience that have never heard it, but it’s a Mark Osborn song. Andrew doesn’t even play on it.

13: Big time love celebration

A great song. Andrew in celebratory mood. He tends to do that under the most dire stress. The most positive person I’ve ever met. But stop with the fucking “bayyybeees” already!

In conclusion, Andrew Kay is probably the most unrecognized, inspired and eclectic pop artist to come out of my generation. The fact that he is a consummate musician as well as a wonderful person, notwithstanding. The record is technically flawless. He just writes fucking beautiful music.

Again buy it HERE:  https://nbtmusicradio.bandcamp.com/album/brand-new-suit

you can also buy it in a bundle with the NBTMusicRadio Compilation (25 songs from 9 countries) AND the NBT theme song single..at huge discount.

Ric Gordon – I Will Always Be There (from the album ‘’ Standing Here’’)

Mr Gordon runs the Russian Winter Records label which is as eclectic with its roster as is NBT with its playlist, shoegaze, punk and electro all find a happy home there, but with this EP he takes a different route. Combining elements of Byrd like jangle attached to a Nick Lowe way with melody and lyric, this could almost be called acoustic new wave and this track in particular would have found a most welcome home on a Stiff Records compilation back in the day. Remarkably it is not at all dated nor does it have that feel of the deliberate ‘retro’ that sadly is now so in fashion, rather it is honest, timeless and rather damn catchy. Lovely stuff

https://russianwinterrecords.bandcamp.com/

all this music can be found  swimming freely deep down in the ocean of sound that is the NBTMusicRadio-Two

http://nbtmusic.de/

http://nbtmusic.de/2ndradio/

(Always: wonderful works in progress)

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NBTMusicRadio TWO reviews 1

And so we are back. The ever famous, mysterious and quite often cool NBTMusicRadio Reviews, in which we take a highly personal deep dive into tracks created by artists featured within the eclectic murky waters of the NBT 24 hour stream.

True, we actually never really went away, lurking in the shadows on other platforms and blog hosts, but right here has always been our real home, and we, even as the difficult children we were, finally realized that.

Most of the words below are written by Martin NBT the creator/owner of the crazy spaceship of indie radio that is NBTMusicRadio Two, but from time to time other deviants pop up with their thoughts of wonder and delight.

All this music can be found here, newly playlisted alongside music of an independent nature from past and present, and created by many huge stars of the near future.

And oh yes, as always… Here Be Fragments

The Blue Hour – One More Mystery

We are falling fast, with the mindless focus of rumbling missiles, through thunderstorm clouds perhaps, into a world not quite known, a lost tribe’s lament perhaps. The perfect mix of crystal clear voice, a whirlpool of beguiling strings all engaged in a somber interplay with smoky disturbing electronics.  As the  entrance into the band’s latest collection ‘ Awake’ this sets the scene for an evening of temptations and enchantments.

https://thebluehour.bandcamp.com/

SNMT – Melting Music

This Project’s music is described on Bandcamp as ‘’ Queer/Trans Noise. Psychedelic post-no wave/post-melt/post-modern classical memecore trashy shit’’ And People that really is just a start . We here at NBT have been fans for a long while now and would recommend  https://snmt.bandcamp.com/album/deep-cuts-2006-2016 as a good starting point into the extreme eclecticism on offer. The track we are writing about here today, created from free Android apps, is a bitter sweet lullaby perchance played to a child just before a long night of uneasy dreams, the kind that mixes fascination and fear, or is this sweet thing a grandparent’s longing made into a warped pop tune? You decide.

Radioactive X Girlfriend – Species Number Five

Ok now this (from the upcoming release ‘’ Volver Arriba’’ ) is the ideal song to listen to while frantically gulping coffee down and reading about this insecure world of ours imploding slowly into chaos, as weak madmen, now somehow leaders, threaten each other with death and destruction. Orchestrated ingeniously by Andrew Joslyn (Mark Lanegan, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis) this is a quirky and mischievous soundtrack to the apocalypse, down there in that Disco in the Dark.  It’s a mad glad head-rush mix of electronics and strings marching anarchic like across the troubled landscape of our imaginations.  And Beautiful too.

https://www.facebook.com/rxgf1/

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The NBTMusicRadio Review 143

 

At long bloody last, the writer part of the NBTMusicRadio brains-trust slides slowly back into action, here with some thoughts on some of the latest releases currently gracing our 24 hour stream. Here be Fragments, Random Joy and unrestrained excitement, here will be attempts to listen between the chords, read between the lines, to discover the stories and dance with the ghosts in the music.

Right let’s get down to it

Older Reviews (1 – 123) can be found here

Reviews 124 till now right on this very blog.

I am writing about SONGS here although most of these tracks come from fine albums which you can discover by simply following the links like the good curious reader you should be.

The Frown – This Is How The World Ends (I AM NOIZE & DESTRUKTO Mysterio Mix)

I have to admit, I like my club music to be slightly menacing and moody, yet still able to deliver the release needed for the dance floor fanatic to lose themselves under the mirrorball darts. This is all factory throb and sly tension yet never succumbs to the dreary tank crawl that some industrial tracks mistake for ‘passion’

https://soundcloud.com/destruktorobots

Stoney Spring  – That’s Not An Ice Cream Truck , That’s God

Coffee House piano battles a creeping otherworldly synth, then weirdly morphs into something Hudson and Manuel would get down into on a good night with the Band. You can almost hear Dr John thinking about singing over this as he passes on his way to his spaceship in this alternate universe.

http://www.stoneyspring.com/

Galleons – Rise

This is slow burning, slow building, song circle intimate harmonies, the dreaming, the soft desire for the dreaming, then release perhaps even surrender.  Most bands would leave it at that, but the Galleons push forward, ever higher till it’s not just a bird, it’s a sleek air jet of a song, modern and shiny.

http://thegalleons.com/

Andrew Kay – Bernoldus

Like all four tracks here, this is a shape shifter of sorts. It flirts with loss, but is more about legacy, the most fragile call to arms we have yet to hear from a singer who balances the gleeful with the late night heaviness. Deceptive in its simplicity, like all good music, it catches you unaware and all of a sudden you are making plans to change the world.

http://www.reverbnation.com/andrewkay7

You can catch all these songs and oh so much more on the NBTMusicRadio’s 24 hour stream

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The NBTMusic Review 142

The Random Playlist Experiment

Older Reviews (1 – 123) can be found here

So I thought I would try something different, Take three very talented, very different artists, throw all their new songs into a folder and let my player spit out the music at will, and I will attempt to convey my emotional, my sensual, my heart’s response to what hits me, and for three tracks from each artist I shall discover what private movies are created, what memories are triggered. I shall leave the technical dissection for other worthy critics; they have my permission, to conduct strenuous autopsies upon the verse and chorus of each song.

The three albums I will listen to are:

Monsters by Dudley Saunders (Strange Troubadours)

Tokyo’s Fifth – Tokyo Rosenthal (Rock and Sock Records)

Long Way Home – Max Carmichael (Independent Release)

So as a famous pair of lips once said in a cult film one dark rainy night, ‘’let’s get to it boppers’’

The first track up is Rosenthal’s ‘’What Did I Used To be’’ a reflective dark start to the proceedings.  3AM fragile where sunrise seems a lifetime away, and the hope that kept the younger man going seems in short supply. What surprises is how gentle this is, perhaps this is how depression hits us not with blunt force, but cloaked in sweet melody.

Saunder’s ‘’ What Rats Are We’’ stays in that temperamental time zone,  part of the night where time slows to a crawl, but this is  jazz romantic, neon sign reflected in puddle moody, kinda hip as the ghosts of Marlon Brando and Miles Davis are evoked. These too are lost men, but watch for the proud tilt of the head, the small wicked smile.

And so we leave the street and enter a packed club, An impossibly cool band whose members all look like Max Carmichael are playing on a tiny cramped stage, the song is, ‘’ Yellow Mud’’, we think of the Beatles, but not in Hamburg, rather in CBGBs, Jonathan Richman looks on and takes notes, a yuppie in the corner is loudly demanding a coloured drink, perhaps because his girlfriend is paying too much attention to the band.

Speaking of the Beatles, Tokyo takes back control of their ‘’Helter Skelter’’ but with none of the affectation of U2. This is country fiddle joyful, recalling a glorious time in the mid 70s when the American charts were full of country rock boogie, sing along anthems devoid of guile, you know, like when the Doobie Brothers were NOT slick, NOT polished, and there wasn’t a genre called adult contemporary.

Carmichael’s ‘’Plateau’’ comes skipping in, keeping the party vibe going, Everly Brothers overdosed on Paul Simon sanctioned subliminal afro rhythms, the singer enjoying the insecurity of sunshine through clouds,  we feel we are on a roundabout ,things become a pleasant blur, tension and giggles in equal measure.

Dudley Saunders brings back the fear, but oh how tactile, stirring seductive he makes it, in ’’ The Man In The Game’’ we cuddle up nervous next to one of his curiously broken characters, find an understanding for the approaching horror, glory in the detachment, this is how nightmares should be written, not with screeches and bombast, but rather with a slightly dangerous empathy.

Rosenthal’s ‘’Waste Of A Heart’’ with its traditional Oprey feel, and shy lilting harmonies from Andrea Connolly, makes us wish that Leonard Cohen, had written more Country songs. Regret and acceptance he moves out towards the dawn at last

In ‘’Zero Out (In These Boxes) ‘’ by Dudley Saunders,  we discover how memories can trap the soul, how powerful inanimate objects can be, as if they are magic, that just by looking at them, taking them out of that box in the attic or the top of the cupboard, they bestow the not  completely welcome gift of time travel. This for me is the most personal track on this album and all the more beautiful for it.

And finally we head down into Max Carmichael’s ‘’Rifted Valley.’’ What amazes me here is suddenly we are no longer in the artist’s beloved New York post Punk Loft dreamscape, but somewhere deep in that intellectual alt Americana that folks like Andrew Bird inhabit. It is fitting that this is the last song of this random journey, because the music is epic, growing, dense and like all that we have heard today, full of ideas, but never disregarding the raw emotion of it all.

Find out more from these artists right here:

http://www.tokyorosenthal.com/tokyo_rosenthal/home.html

http://www.dudleysaunders.com/index.php

http://www.maxcarmichael.com/

And you can hear LOADS of tracks from these three albums on the NBTMusicRadio 24 hour stream

http://nbtmusicradio.playtheradio.com/
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The NBTMusic Review 141

Older Reviews (1 – 123) can be found here

Child Of Ancestors – Sarah Jane Mary Hills (Sjambok Music)

Written by Jacobus Rossouw aka 88KOS

Every month, I read every music magazine and website and blog end to
end. It’s a search for albums that are personal, stripped of ego,
beautiful and honest. On my twitter account I ask questions, hoping
that the crowd will source these beautiful albums for me… And every
so often I’ll come across Warpaint or a rare perfection like Mountain
Man’s “Made the Harbour”, but more often than not I’m disappointed by
the anodyne starch that is served up as music so regularly.

Then, out of the blue I see a post about Sarah Jane Mary Hills’ new
album, Child of Ancestors, on NBT’s Facebook feed. I loved the work
she did with Sunways and so it was an easy decision to buy the album
immediately from her bandcamp site. After listening to the opening 5
seconds I was hooked, and when NBT Music Radio asked me to do a review
I jumped at the chance.

This is a rare album, so deeply honest and personal that it’s an act
of courage (and perhaps catharsis) to release it to the public. The
arrangement is simple and the production sparse, and combines with
introspective lyrics to produce an intimacy that is arresting and
inspiring.

Though this is a solo album the collaboration with the Legendary
Warrick Sony in terms of the final product is worth mentioning. Hills
and Sony have worked together before with Hills contributing vocals to
two Kalahari Surfers albums – One Party State
(http://kalaharisurfer.bandcamp.com/album/one-party-state) and the
recent Agitprop (http://kalaharisurfer.bandcamp.com/). For this album,
Hills recorded the vocals and guitar before sending the songs to Sony
to add final musical touches after which he did the final mix and
mastering.

Sony’s genius is that his contribution is light and sensitive thereby
adding to the album’s haunting beauty. The layered vocals and the
simple guitar figures against a background of sweeping soundscape is a
trip into someone’s soul.

Hills’ writing is superb, never over the top and never straying from a
sound that suits the album’s themes. The subject matter is sometimes
emotionally tough but ultimately leaves this listener with hope and a
sense of peace. This may make it sound like a “difficult” album but it
is extremely accessible and you will find yourself humming the songs
long after listening.

This is not an album for anyone that is fond of aggresive posturing or
frivolous pap, but for those who appreciate simplicity and beauty it
is a rare find and I encourage you to make your way to Hills’ bandcamp
site with your credit card ready.
(http://sarahjanemaryhills.bandcamp.com/). Child of Ancestors is
another superb Sjambok Music release and while you’re in a buying mood
make sure to check out other albums released by one of SA’s finest
labels at http://www.sjambokmusic.com

Tracks from this cool album can be heard all over the 24 hour stream that is the NBTMusicRadio

http://nbtmusicradio.playtheradio.com/
TuneIn (for blackberry and android):NBTMusicRadio

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The NBTMusic Review 140

Older Reviews (1 – 123) can be found here

Light in Cages – album launch Zack’s, Wilson’s Wharf 28 October.

By Helge Janssen

I first came across Rowan Stuart when he opened for a Jaspar Lepak gig @ St. Clements in Musgrave Road more than a year ago. He had already become well known via Cynosure a “quirky fun-pop-rock band” in the words of Rowan himself. At St. Clements, he had a way with creating guitar loops and backing beats that grew the sound beyond he and bassist Jared Collison’s stage presence. All the while Rowan’s eyes would dart around: audience to guitar, drum beat/loop to audience, microphone to foot pedals….as if he was looking for something unfathomable, seemingly out of reach. At the same time he was having fun experimenting before a highly appreciative audience. But quite clearly the glint in Rowan’s eye (a single eye peering through the curtain of his fringe) was searching for a greater challenge.

Light in Cages – Rowan’s solo project alias transmuting into a band for performances – literally burst onto the Durban rock scene @ Zack’s on a rainy Sunday night. Heading the line up was multitalented Rowan (lyricist, vocals, lead guitar, synth programming); Jared (bass); and Jude Kendrick (drums). I sensed immediately that there had been a shift in Rowan, a shedding, displaying a masterful command of his performance that was grounded, driving, inimitable. He has been hard at work, realigning his planets and taking stock of his life, allowing his lyrics and songs to speak for themselves. As such, this break-away venture bares all the courage of self-exploration within a context of philosophical portent. But I also sensed there is a lot more in dynamo Rowan – in perfect voice, a voice with a range of which great legends are made – that wants to kick ass. He certainly has rock star looks and style, wearing black shirt, black skinny-jeans and hipster black and white checked belt. Long time collaborator Jared was solid on bass, complimenting Rowan with confident ease. Newcomer Jude gave a vigorous and beat-perfect performance on drums.

There is certainly light – and darkness – with immense intelligence in the lyrics, which are most epic. The melodies are haunting and memorable. There is magnificence in the musical arrangements that are many-layered, which I see (given time) being performed with full orchestral accompaniment. Time will prove just how far ‘Light in Cages’ has raised the bar in this genre and as such this is indeed an exciting and much needed addition to South Africa’s rock scene.

The CD cover is a direct link to this projects name: a man in a state of ecstatic abandonment with light emanating from his chest cavity, and who is surrounded by a bleak landscape swathed in darkness. The immediate impact is of a soul trapped in a human body yet forever free. It is of note too, that while the rib cage is an ‘entrapment’ it is also a flexible protection.

The CD has been expertly produced and recorded by Rowan with Brent Quintin mixing and mastering. The talents of Sidney Rash were used on drums, with Rowan completing the range of backup musical instruments: bass, guitars, programming.

I have at least two best best favourite tracks: “Symphony” and “The Labyrinth”.

Here are the lyrics courtesy of Rowan:

SYMPHONY

They say that we were once beasts
Who rose from the ground
We were bound and displeased

They say our thirst never died
As we grew in our numbers
So we grew in our pride

I say that beasts we may be
But blessed with the ability to better are we

So come on, come on baby please
Won’t you close your box of vanities
Cause there’s a symphony
It’s called Humanity
And every note, every beat
Is an angel reborn

If we choose to live and let live
To create and to wonder
And take less than we give

We can break from these cages of skin
Becoming humane and not merely human

So come on, come on baby please
Won’t you close your box of vanities
Cause there’s a symphony
It’s called Humanity
And every note, every beatIs an angel reborn
Is an angel reborn

There’s a symphony
Called humanity
And every note, every beat
Every note, every beat
Every note, every beat
Is an angel reborn

————————-

THE LABYRINTH

Curse of birth or gift of the divine
Sworn to walk this trying maze of mine

I’d just watch the sky to stay strong
And dreaming between the stars
I’d forge on

Cause I could never stop this search, it is my fate
To walk the labyrinth

And every time you tear me down I’ll recreate
Myself inside of it
The labyrinth
It’s in my veins now

Whispers and stirring bones
Of those before
So few find the prize
We die for

But I could never stop this search, it is my fate
To walk the labyrinth

And every time you tear me down I’ll recreate
Myself inside of it
The labyrinth
It’s in my veins now

This is rock music at its fledging best!

If Rowan were a fine artist, I would call this the world’s first rock instillation art piece!

It is going to be interesting to see if Rowan will succeed in enticing people to buy into his music rather than into his name or image, or whether there is a calling of which he himself is as yet unaware. After all rock music is very much about lifestyle and performance that marries and drives home its liberating message.

On its own, the CD is an astounding achievement. Get your copy now!

Visit Light in Cages web site at: http://www.lightincages.com/fr_music and get a free download of a track.

You can also visit the Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/LightInCages?ref=ts&fref=ts

Tracks from this album can be heard all over the NBTMusicRadio 24 stream, specially though, during the hour of 7 PM Berlin time (that’s 6 PM UK,  1 PM New york)

http://nbtmusicradio.playtheradio.com/
TuneIn (for blackberry and android):NBTMusicRadio

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The NBTMusicReview 139

Older Reviews (1 – 123) can be found here

Tracks from Asleep In Transit’s EP can also be heard on the NBTMusicRadio during the 6 PM (Berlin Time) slot

Wide-awake in a starry sky: Asleep in Transit – Jackie Horner Pub, Helen Joseph Road, Glenwood, Durban. 08 September 2012

review: Helge Janssen

This five member band, formed as a duo almost two years ago, presented the Jackie Horner pub with an acoustic set as a threesome: singer/percussion Irena Buzdugan, acoustic guitarist Allister Christie, and bassist Joshua Woolf. Vlad Buzdugan (synthesizer) and Chris McNabb (drums) were otherwise engaged.

Like the proverbial live-wire, Irina Buzdugan’s beautiful voice weaves its way around the acoustic and bass guitars, slithers through the notes sparking their intention, explores range and depth, tempo and space, stretches, evolves – holds time itself -with an ease of expression that belies its depth of persuasion. As such, Irina locates  the melody outside of and between the driving rhythms with intuitive jazzy-verve. This creates space for melodic invention that is the casting point of strength of this band. With charisma to match, her exotic beauty is alluring and mesmerising, while the two guitarists wouldn’t be out of place in a vogue photographic shoot either! Allister has a natural alto voice that entwines Irina’s in an harmonic, shamanic echo-chorus – and at other times he leads – that is as pleasing as it is surprising. With his acoustic guitar, at times banjo-like, sometimes upbeat in a blue-grass kind of way, Allister forms and informs the essential fulcrum through which the performers anchor their focus while allowing space for each musician to explore their potential unhindered.

Joshua is reinventing the bass guitar: at times driving the songs rhythm, at others leading with an electric guitar-like riff, or happy to simply accentuate and prolong the dramatic use of a deep and warm bass reverb in sudden contrast to the dancing higher notes, he is always inventive. And yet, these bass guitar melodies do exactly what a bass guitar is meant to do: heighten the countering rhythm, and add depth to instrument structure.

Of particular note too is the arrangement of the songs. These have well thought out deceptively simple layers of melodies that dance around the primary rhythms sustaining aural intrigue progressively adding depth and range to the dramatic context. These performers are not afraid to play with time, have an equable performance style which belies the poignancy in their message. The songs are thought provoking, memorable and accessible. I had a strong sense of lateral thinking infusing their creative processes. This allows for maximum individual input within an infrastructure of mutual respect. Listen to “Brother, Sister” or “What a mess we must appear” which are both melancholic AND upbeat and will have you smiling!

What a Mess We Must Appear:

“Why’d you burn all the buildings?

I just don’t get it.

Why can’t you tell your smoke from fire?

I heard I’m dying tonight
and I think I just found out why..”

This rich tapestry with its counter-point surprises forms the essential drive and interest that becomes the expansive whole of ‘Asleep in Transit’. As such they have produced a unique alternative Durban sound. From this showing this band could neatly slot into the international circuit and they definitely have what it takes to rise to the top.

They might be ‘asleep in transit’ but they are very much wide-awake in transmission!

WHAT a boon! You can download their debut album FREE here: http://soundcloud.com/asleep-in-transit/sets/asleep-in-transit-ep

web site: http://www.asleepintransit.com

Durban is exploding with musical talent!

The NBT MusicReview 138

Older reviews (1 – 123) can be found here

Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet – Piano Magic (Saint Marie Records)

dismissed in some circles for not being ‘indie’ or minimal or pure enough (depending on the ”intellectual” creds of the writer/blog) the latest release from Piano Magic, is a slow burn alternative universe collection, exuding  a shimmering calm that only comes before or after some kind of exquisite tension.

This is the gentlest bitter, a restrained anger, no overblown dramatics, rather a sensual hypnotic even devious journey into the soul. There are words of warning here for the dishonest, the reckless, and the self satisfied, whispered with a smile rather than shouted in futility.

The band has not given up on that (previous label) 4 AD mystery, but now adds a bit of soul, a touch of world, a lot of restlessness to the mix. Imagine if you will a midnight wedding tween a New Order pop song and a David Sylvian willful experiment with just a hint of the more masculine side of Dead Can Dance and then dream on, listen on, from there and let the surprises take you at will.

The title track give a clear indication of what the writer and the band hope to convey, achieve, charting that ambiguous dangerous time, where self doubt and hopelessness can push one to the very edge, and yet somehow you pick yourself up and keep going, keep creating keep trying to express yourself.

This new album is full of such intimate ideas expertly told and wonderfully played.

Trax from This Album will be featured on the NBTMusicRadio during the following hours:

2 PM 6 PM Berlin Time (1 PM/5 PM UK and 8 AM/ 12 Midday New York)

And Both Midnight Madness Hours (midnight Berlin Time (11 PM UK) and also midnight New York Time)

http://nbtmusicradio.playtheradio.com/
TuneIn (for blackberry and android):NBTMusicRadio

iTunes: Click on ‘Advanced’ then ‘Open Stream’

and paste: http://listen.radionomy.com/nbtmusicradio.m3u

stream thru your Media Player: http://listen.radionomy.com/nbtmusicradio.m3u

The NBT Review 135

Whitehorse – Whitehorse (Six Shooter Records)

Let’s mood swing for a moment into this new dream. Old time radio filtered captured thoughts, a lazy ghost drifting across wild western desert or is this hazy vision really Russian winter bleak? The music hints that both worlds could be here, within this fragile opening.

We are taken from this delicate tension, (almost Wim Wender Serene Soundtrack like) into the echoed dramatic of, ‘’Killing Time Is Murder’’ the ghosts become rock n roll real, a finger snapping delightfully urgent harmonic surge, the girl boy balance fine tuned, so it’s not truck driver macho or even ethereal femme detached, but rather that space in between.

Even when Luke Doucet takes on lead vocals, there is enough of Melissa McClelland’s dream pop sensibility to make these songs a wonderful fantasy version of what Okkervil River might sound like mixed lovingly with Beach House.

What delights here is that, just when you think you have tied down this duo to some genre or other, they jump/dance away from the label and throw in something else. There is haunted rock-a-billy here, there is AM radio power pop,  there are slivers of wounded wondering Folk songs and there is even that old time roots pop that the Loving Spoonful got so very right which makes their version of Springsteen’s ‘’I’m On Fire’’ a natural marvel.

Indeed they construct rare beauty in songs that make the listener think of Ryan Adams for a few seconds, then KD Lang for a few more, while never losing their own trance logic, an ‘other’ worldly shimmer that is their own.

Find out more about this incredibly seductive band here:

http://www.whitehorsemusic.ca

You can hear tracks from this album spread ALL over the 24 hour stream that is the NBTMusicRadio

But specially during the ‘’Essence Of The Song’’ Hours which go out every day

3 and 4 PM Berlin Time for our European listeners (2 and 3 PM UK Time)

And 9 and 10 PM New York time for our USA and Canadian Listeners.

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Burner – TERRANOVACAIN (Independent Release)

I confess to have succumbed to the jagged post punk soul of this album, so my thoughts are those of the converted, are purely spiritual , personal, chaotic random and deep as thought can be in the moment of the music, so critical detachment, a cold clear look or listen is not what happens here. But maybe like this collection, it is something more, more true to the ambition inside the rhythms

This is all oiled machine flirting though with the rust of hard use, it is all friction versus the fluid, the darkest sigh against the pounding hammer. It’s Stax era funk, folded smooth into white boy need, jittering and jerking, animated clown, loose limbed new wave under the mirrorball at 4 am in the morning.

It’s disco with abrasive guitars, it’s the Bass as half robot half panther, these songs never stop prowling, disturbing, they are electro shock without terror, but embracing the fear as a wicked jive partner.

These songs are songs of hope from a cynic’s point of view, where defeat is ever on the edge of its seat, grinning with excitement only to be surprised by the magic and love, the ultimate daring of what comes next.

My job is to listen to those that call themselves ‘’Independent’’ and I have noticed how few earn that title.

TERRANOVACAIN wear it with pride.

Find out more:

http://www.reverbnation.com/terranovacain#!

You can hear this band’s music ALL over the 24 Hour stream that is the NBTMusicRadio

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The NBT Review 134

Physics for Poets: Nick Darcy-Fox

A Review by Helge Janssen

ISBN 9781466462106

Physics, distinguished from that of chemistry and biology includes: mechanics, heat, light and other radiation, sound, electricity, magnetism, and the structure of atoms.

Poet: a person possessing special powers of imagination or expression

This is an exceptionally well-written uncontrite and at times humour-filled tale of seemingly trite White South African life in the dying days of apartheid….into the crossover of the ‘new’ reality…where the relatively sudden adjustment of having to accept that the ‘swart gevaar’ was to be the New Government was as difficult to grasp as any interrupted dream might be. Set in Durban between 1988 and 1990 this is an earnest coming-of-age story of teenage angst as it negotiates a way through sex, drugs and alternative music.

And then a gap in this nightmare: ‘Faces’ nightclub….a fissure enough to affirm a vital perspective.

Relating events is Charl Forth (roughly fifteen in the earlier parts of the story) who is in the throes of realizing that things are not quite right in this land of Nod. Not to mention the omnipresent emotional dishonesty bred through political disinformation that is fostered hand in hand with contorted truth. This reality check is eventually highlighted with the release of Nelson Mandela causing disparate political undercurrents within relationships to become starker: life was indeed very dire hanging at this abyss-edge of total onslaught. One scenario: as Belinda (the girlfriend) and Charl boringly await the release of Mandela from prison (poor T.V. coverage) their dialogue reveals Belinda’s racism and growing sense of threat welling up as a need for sexual affirmation.

The narrative of ‘Physics for Poets’ interweaves subtle allegorical cross linkages and nuances of sexual current/oppressive heat/weather/human behaviour/political change perceptively and craftily within the backdrop of contortions within family life. As such this tale becomes a most poetically inventive, linguistically ingenious, politically left convolution of these problematic times. The over-all dynamic of the text – where sentences and imagery constantly clip-flip into place – gives a sense that Charl is dealing with the intricacies of a South African Rubik’s Cube.

A troubled youth attempting to find cognizance of life’s profound imports while being held in the travails of its ubiquitous cavernous insanity: apartheid – perversely in every nook, cranny, classroom and graveyard. Charl is not only trying to negotiate his way through matric, he also has to face his own demons.

The grim prospects of a warped education system….hell bent on indoctrination….robbing white South Africans of authenticity – is well captured. To not be sucked into the convention needed a cutting edge intelligence counter balanced by a willingness to live in the moment. But, as Syd Kitchen famously said: “South Africa is not for sissies” we realise it is for those who somehow manage to plumb some depth into their psyche honestly, that salvation is possible. This twist of cognizance comes as a calibre that cannot be earned lightly: a spiritual mettle that cuts through the silly double-speak and one-upmanship with deftness….while at the same time realising that the bigger picture is far more serious….if not just a pack of cards so easily collapsible. Charls’ anarchy therefore rests in his spontaneity and he emerges as the antihero not indifferent to the scores he settles (private and political) launching his broadsides with startling accuracy. As such the innate (poetic) mien of his nature is affirmed. He represents the LIFE apartheid tried so hard to quell. The crime (for those who are not aware) is that this is any person’s automatic birthright.

The language is sharp and the sentences bristle with inventiveness and perspicacity. The pace is measured and, as such, creates space for the undercurrent to surface. The situations unfold effortlessly yet surprisingly. I could not put the book down – until closing it with a broad smile on my face. A must read.

ps: the club ‘Faces’ referred to – and experienced – in the novel quite clearly is PLAY at the Community Arts Workshop in Walnut Road. This barn-like building stood next to what became Tilt Night Club and was demolished in 1989 to make way for the multi-story Bureau de Change.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Physics-for-Poets-Nick-Darcy-Fox/9781466462106
10.66

Otherwise the kindle can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Physics-for-Poets-ebook/dp/B006NZFX8K/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1329442134&sr=8-8
as well as the actual book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Poets-Nick-Darcy-Fox/dp/1466462108/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1329442134&sr=8-3