In a period of governmental and cultural transition, former The Pipettes front-woman, GWENNO SAUNDERS, releases a political concept album inspired by an obscure 1970s Welsh language sci-fi novel, subtly disguised as a blissful kraut-pop record.
Written by Gwenno and produced by Rhys Edwards, Y DYDD OLAF (The Last Day) turns its back on predictable commercial aspirations and lifts a defiant middle finger in the direction of the mainstream.
Taking its cue, and title, from Owain Owain's 1976 novel about a dystopian future where the robots have taken over and are busily turning the human race into clones through the use of medication, Y DYDD OLAF blends big themes (including patriarchal society, government-funded media propaganda, cultural control, technology, isolation and the importance of, and threat to minority languages), great tunes, and a real sense of revolution to produce a powerful, politically-charged concept album.
After years on the peripheries of the mainstream - firstly as a professional dancer, then as a singer and musician – Gwenno returned to her home town of Cardiff in 2011 to produce music that's free of industry expectations, sales targets and commercial shackles.
First with Peski Records, where a limited edition pressing of the album sold out in weeks, and now signed to Heavenly Recordings, she has found the perfect home for her brand of left-field electro-pop. And with the parallel world of 1980s underground - and ground-breaking - Welsh-medium music by artists including Malcolm Neon, Llwybr Llaethog, Datblygu and Ectogram, not forgetting the German Krautrock movement of the 1970s, and early electronic music pioneers Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire inspiring her music, outlook and aspirations, Y DYDD OLAF feels at once retro, contemporary and futuristic.
The album, which is sung entirely in Welsh, apart from one song in Cornish, is a cultural document and a celebration of what is unique about life in modern day Britain.
The song is taken from the group's upcoming debut album, I, released on September 25 via Laser's Edge.
The group is led by former Crippled Black Phoenix members Karl Demata and Chris Heilmann alongside singer Keith Gladysz of Diet Kong and Typical Reptiles, keyboardist Elisa Montaldo of Il Tempio Delle Clessidre and drummer Mattias Olsson, formerly of Anglagard.
Demote says of bandmate Montaldo: “The first time I heard Elisa play, I knew we had to be in a band. Her innate melodic approach and instinctual understanding and knowledge of ‘anything prog’ is simply remarkable.”
Montaldo adds: “Karl asked me to join the project at the very beginning. My idea of prog is somehow more vintage, more typical 70s Italian style. After various experiments on arrangements and sounds, I went to Karl’s studio to record most of the keyboards, where we found the right balance.”
Read here our interview with the band.
Already primed following the release of the transitional ‘Sunne’ and ‘Murasaki’ EP’s earlier this year - Cheatahs return with their second album ‘Mythologies’ on October 30th.
Culled from North America, Germany and the UK, this multi-national quartet continue their journey following 2014’s acclaimed self-titled album. Ever evolving from their inception, ‘Mythologies’ is witness to a band that has developed in the interim - attributed in no small part to a touring itinerary that traversed the US in three-pronged aural attack with like-minded sonic souls Wavves and FIDLAR. Meanwhile, no less busy this side of the Atlantic saw triumphant dates with No Age and a seemingly never ending European jaunt with Metz which brings us to….’Mythologies’
Recorded over the past year and in hand with their debut, ‘Mythologies’ takes in a vast array of influences whilst taking its name from Roland Barthes’ 1957 collection of essays on semiotics and myth. A rollercoaster of sonic thrills - the cinematic widescreen brilliance of ‘Channel View’, the motoric rhythms of ‘In Flux’, the cascading sonic beauty of ‘Freak Waves’ or the scintillating beauty of ‘Seven Sisters’ and ‘Signs To Lorelei’ before the seismic surge finale of album closers ‘Mysteci’ and ‘Reverie Bravo’, it’s a marked and ambitious departure….
As the band says: “We had no permanent base whilst making this album and creating it in so many varied locations undoubtedly influenced us in a positive sense. We felt very nomadic and the sense of freedom inspired us to experimentation.”
The newfound sense of freedom has inspired and certainly influenced the self-produced ‘Mythologies’. Recorded at various locations in London, Marc’s studio home, a monolithic high-rise next to MI5 headquarters overlooking the Thames (one floor above offices that once housed anti-terrorist units in the 60’s), a converted church in Ramsgate and the fabled environs of Chemikal Underground’s Glasgow studio Chem19.
Mythologies is
1. Red Lakes (Sternstunden)
2. Channel View
3. In Flux
4. Freak Waves
5. Signs To Lorelei
6. Hey, Sen
7. Deli Rome
8. Colorado
9. Su-pra
10. Seven Sisters
11. 紫 (Murasaki)
12. Mysteci
13. Reverie Bravo
and available on double LP, CD and digitally (WEBB440)
Cheatahs are
Nathan Hewitt - vocals, guitar
James Wignall - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Marc Raue - drums, keyboards
Dean Reid - bass,vocals, keyboards
Alter Ego vzw proudly presents ‘Alchemia’.
An exclusive evening of atmospheric drone, ambient noise and deep listening with BARST, RM74, Charnia and Monnik on 01/november 2015 at Magdalenakerk, Bruges.
Artists in residence are Menerva Tau and Reflected Faith (No Faith Visuals, Valentina Gelsonero Mangeri and Angelo Roccagli) who will make an art exhibition around the theme Alchemia. Nicole Twister will present her SEPPUKU installation in a separate room and poetress Delphine Lecompte will introduce three new poems to emphasize the artistic concept.
This evening was made possible with the support of Consouling Sounds. Special thanks to Sander Jacobs for the lay out of the poster. You can visit his page www.sanderjacobs.be.
Photo on the poster for this event is made by Anna O. Photography. We are thankful for her support. https://www.facebook.com/annaophotography
Information about the special price formulas for the event:
Presale: 10€
Presale special*: 13€
This includes a promo package of Consouling Sounds which contains:
- Transitional - Nothing Real, Nothing Absent (CD)
- Fear Falls Burning - Frenzy of the Absolute (CD)
- Taiga - Flora Chor (VINYL)
Doors: 13€
Dresscode: silence/dress warmly
TICKET RESERVATIONS can be made via: alteregovzw@gmail.com
Het vijfde evenement van Alter Ego vzw getiteld ‘ALCHEMIA’ gaat door op 1 november 2015 in de Heilige Maria Magdalenakerk te Brugge.
De line up situeert zich vooral in de drone/ambient sfeer met Charnia die er een speciale drone set komt spelen, Monnik, RM74 en headliner BARST. Artists in residence zijn deze keer Menerva Tau, Reflected Faith, Nicole Twister en Delphine Lecompte.
Tickets kosten 10 euro, 13 euro met een promo pakket van Consouling Sounds inbegrepen die bestaat uit: - Transitional - Nothing Real, Nothing Absent (CD) - Fear Falls Burning - Frenzy of the Absolute (CD) - Taiga - Flora Chor (VINYL) Aan de deur betaal je 13 euro.
Reservaties zijn mogelijk door een email te sturen met vermelding van je naam en gewenst aantal ticket(s) (met of zonder promo pakket) naaralteregovzw@gmail.com.
Meer informatie over het evenement vind je op onze facebookpagina waar we geregeld audio en info over de muzikanten en art exposanten zullen delen. Onze website is momenteel nog aan een update toe.
Minneapolis garage-punk luminaries L'Assassins have more than made their mark on the Twin Cities music scene. They've notched two European tours along with several U.S. sojourns, and they're about to hit the road behind their new seven inch. A-side "Fire of Love" was written specifically for L'Assassins by Twin Cities new-wave king Chan Poling (The Suburbs). Their savage B-side "Liar" sees the band at the snarling top of their punk-rock game. These two songs cement L'Assassins' international reputation as bad-ass ladies making bad-ass music in the vein of Thee Headcoatees, Trashwomen and The Pandoras.
When L'Assassins shared a bill with The Suburbs in the fall of 2014, lead singer Chan Poling had already become familiar with the band's amalgam of garage-surf-punk rooted in trashy B-movie culture. To their surprise, he approached them with a song he'd written with them in mind: "Fire of Love". L’Assassins and Poling quickly worked out an arrangement, and hit the studio with he and his Suburbs bandmate Steve Price producing. They also recorded the band’s own just-finished "Liar", supplemented by an organ part by Poling. The resulting record is an incendiary blast that slips perfectly into the rest of their four-year-strong catalog.
Vocals: Tea Simpson
Guitar, vocals: Monet Wong
Bass, vocals: Ariel Dornbush
Drums, vocals: Angela Clark
