by noreply@blogger.com (allez-allez)

canadian dj and producer jesse somfay has been releasing music on various labels, including traum and archipel (they will be releasing his forthcoming album next year) since 2004. the 22 year old was turned on to electronic music through online radio shows in the mid nineties. this lead him, as it has so many others, down the path to dj-ing.

after a couple of years of playing hard techno jesse began to reach back to the music his father had introduced him to as a child: jean michael jarre, tangerine dream, vangelis. this softer style is on full display in this weeks epic mix. this is part one of a five part series (the rest of which can be enjoyed here). we recommnend you turn off on the phone, make a couple of tea and sit down luxuriate in jesse’s world for two hours.

playlist

clouddead - the teen keen skip
sole and the skyrider band - the shipwreckers
burial - archangel
boards of canada - dawn chorus
aphex twin - iz-us
clark - hot may slides
radiohead - idioteque
jel - all around
air - run
radiohead - like spinning plates
black moth super rainbow + the octopus project - copying soup onto sexy birdy
caustic window - afx 114
die fantastischen vier - krieger (aphex twin baldhu mix)
flying lotus - gng bng
clark - matthew unburdened
battles - leyendecker
black moth super rainbow + the octopus project - tony face
aphex twin - alberto balsalm
boards of canada - amo bishop roden
squarepusher - iambic 9 poetry
alias & tarsier - plane that draws a white line
jel - nice last
boards of canada - gyroscope
black moth super rainbow - algae
boards of canada - untitled
global goon - glory b
bloc party - where is home? (burial remix)
portishead - wandering star
flying lotus - auntie’s lock / infinitum (feat. laura darlington)
broadcast - corporeal
black moth super rainbow - zodiac girls
the tuss - gx1 solo
yo la tengo - nuclear war (version 1)
why? - gnashville

Download (right click, save as) (202MB, VBR)

mp3

‘njoy somfay,, njoy groove salad,,’ [dg]

via allez-allez

As a kid in the late 1960s, my artist parents used to take me and my brother to Paris in the summers. My bohemian folks weren't wealthy. They had lived there in the 1950s and loved returning each year when my brother and I were off from school. We'd stay with their friends out in the Neuilly district near the Bois de Boulogne. After I got married in the 1980s, my wife and I traveled to Paris fairly routinely, usually around Thanksgiving. To me, Paris is loveliest when it's cold. The grays are deeper, the browns are richer, streetlights are moodier, and the broiled chicken tastes a lot better. All of which now is, of course, just a fond memory given the economy. Who knows when we'll be back. [Photo of Fernandel by Philippe Halsman]

But thanks to YouTube, I did visit The City of Lights in spirit over the last couple of days—without the jet lag, brutal currency exchange or street battles with nicotine-crazed drivers. The song I used to satisfy my Paris passion was C'est Si Bon, a French song from the late 1940s that when executed properly is quite catchy and very hip.

Actually, if I'm being completely honest, my C'est Si Bon drift was really Stan Freberg's fault. When I spoke to the legendary comic recently, we talked briefly about his novelty hit in 1954 shortly after Eartha Kitt made the song famous in 1953. Stan's rendition, of course, is a hoot. If you're unfamiliar with it, more in a minute. On the Capitol single, he plays a Frenchman who struggles to train his background vocalists to sing "si bon, si bon" at just the right time. Of course, there are plenty of faux pas along the way.

When I told Stan that his parody of Kitt's hit remains funny after all these years, he recalled an encounter with Kitt shortly after his version climbed the charts: "When we met, Eartha said to me, [using an Eartha Kitt-enish voice], 'Stan Free-berg. [pause] I don't know whether to slap you or kiss you.' [laughing] Eartha said my version actually helped the sale of her records."

C'est Si Bon worked wonders for nearly everyone who recorded it. Some, like Petula Clark, sang it in French, while others, like Dean Martin, used the English lyrics. The song dates back to the mid-1940s and was written by Henri Betti. The French lyrics were by André Hornez, and the English ones by Jerry Seelen. According to the Originals Project (here), the first recording of the song was made in February 1948 by the Jacques Hélian Orchestra with vocalist Jean Marco. This audio clip will give you a taste of the interpretation. 

The next big hit was by singer Yves Montand [pictured], who gave it a jaunty feel in the late 1940s. By 1950, Americans had discovered the song, and dreary interpretations were recorded by Danny Kaye here and Johnny Desmond here.

Not until Eartha Kitt put her feline stamp on the song in 1953 with Henri Rene, an American-born conductor-arranger, did the song become a big hit, reaching #8 on the pop chart. Kitt's version was so expressive and definitive that the song became most closely identified with her. Stan Freberg's parody came the following year, in 1954, and many other French and pop renditions followed. What all have in common is a love for love—and for Paris.

So let me invite you now to take the same trip to Paris that I took while cruising YouTube. Here are my favorite video-clip versions of C'est Si Bon, in order of preference:

1. Eartha Kitt's live appearance on TV here (lip-synched?) in 1962 was a reprise of her 1953 hit, and it's a stunner on so many levels. First there's the mirrored set. Then there's Kitt's over-the-top camera mugging. And let's not forget that Kitt style. Watch Kitt's hands throughout. And dig those crazy French consonant rolls and gold-digger touches during the "si bon, si bon" extension. Absolutely priceless.

2. Mirelle Mathieu and Petula Clark teamed up here for a TV appearance in what appears to be the early 1970s. Mathieu is a celebrated French cabaret singer and Clark is the renowned British pop star. Many people are unaware that before Downtown and other rock-pop hits, Clark was a child singer whose early command of French made her a hit there in the 1950s. I just love how Mathieu steams up the camera to such an extent that the producer can't decide what angle to use. Two Euro-gals having a blast.

3. Yves Montand had hits with C'est Si Bon twice. This brief version looks to be from the late 1940s and gives you a great sense of the ingredients that made French male singers special. The music hall style and highly emotive acting-singing approach turned singers like Montand, Charles Aznavour, Serge Gainsbourg and others into national treasures.

4. Louis Armstrong has two clips on YouTube of C'est Si Bon.  This one is the better version (the other is taken way too slow).  Louis, of course, gives the song a Dixieland spin and like everything Louis touched, it works wonderfully.

5. Yves Montand's second hit sounds as though it's from the late 1950s or early 1960s. He's joined here by a sort of Double Six of Paris-sounding French choir and big band. Best of all are the images of Paris that accompany the YouTube clip.

6. Jean-Claude Pascal was another basso-voiced actor-singer who was popular in France in the 1960s. This version is a bit more conversational but royal in its laid back, hammock-swinging sensibility.

7. Stan Freberg's version here should make perfect sense now that you've heard some of the best straight-up versions. The first song you'll hear is Sh-Boom, arranged by Billy May. It's a 1954 novelty knockoff of hit versions by the Crew-Cuts and the Chords, which hit earlier that same year. The single that follows on the clip is C'est Si Bon, with the George Bruns Quintet. Despite the fact that these Capitol singles were recorded more than 50 years ago, they retain their ticklish sense of humor. (Bonus: Here's a gut-splitting rendition of Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel in 1956, with Freberg's fabulous tongue-in-cheek line about the piano playing: "That's close enough for jazz.")

8. Eartha Kitt. Here's part of her original appearance singing C'est Si Bon in New Faces of 1952, a musical revue film released in 1954.

While the eight versions of this song above cannot compare to snowy strolls along the Seine, a hike to the top of the Arc de Triumph on an overcast day, and a ride on an empty merry-go-round, I'm afraid it will have to do. For now.

Bizarre doesn't even begin to describe this album. A blend of progressive punk and almost pastoral music with a mean violin, vocal stylings that baffle even the Peter Hammill initiated, quirky, though generally brilliant, lyrics... the list goes on, and the bizarre melding of standard musical elements and a freakishly experimental mindset works overtime. Really, there is no way to describe this album effectively, it'll probably take a while to catch on as a whole, and any preconceptions you have about Van Der Graaf Generator probably do not apply to this album. Consequently, it's a bizarrely essential album: I really enjoy it, I appreciate there are a lot of people (particularly the pretty vocals crowd) who probably won't get it (not a bad thing, just different tastes), and I think it was really pushing the barriers in a way that the other classic prog bands had rather given up on by 1977. Graham Smith and Nick Potter give the album a great deal of attack, Hammill's experiments with all sorts of vocal ideas have jumped off into the deep end in a way that you'll either love or hate, Guy Evans is solid as ever, and the pianos and guitars are used with a lot more confidence and detail than most previous Van Der Graaf Generator efforts. I think it's a masterpiece, sure some others take the opposite opinion. Lizard Play exhibits the rather Van Der Graaf Generatorish (well, in this case, Van Der Graafish) of having some sort of anti-catch value. On the first listen, it made virtually no impact on me, either lyrically or musically, but now, I can call it nothing less than amazing. The first Meurglys III notes lead us into a little, slightly jazzy intro a bit reminiscent of When She Comes, before Hammill's light-hearted, very cleverly harmonised vocals come in, using a full range of high wispy overdubs to counterbalance low, gritty multiple vocals. Evans is fantastic, of course, providing all sorts of rolls in addition to some absolutely beyond-belief unusual hollow and tingly percussion inclusions. Hammill's lyrics are metaphorical, assertive and extremely potent once you actually see the whole picture, and allow for a couple of clever spins which you somehow never quite expect even when you know they're coming up. Potter's thorough, thick basslines provide the real backbone for the piece, as well as a sort of bestial feel to the piece. The Graham Smith violin is characteristically unusual, and includes a couple of rather neat subtleties that provide a little more weight to the acoustic. A song full of weirdness, shamanic rhythms, a general refusal to accept the standard terms of what rock is, and a touch of whimsicality that works really well for Van Der Graaf.

The Habit Of The Broken heart is another somewhat eclectic song, moving from a fairly basic acoustic riff to a subtle bitter bit of reflection to a full on burst of rock to a small vocal coda. The lyrics are a touch less sharp than I'd expect from Hammill, though they still contain a couple of great lines, and a basic message, which is more than a lot of bands manage to do. The lyrical vulnerability of the song relative to the rest of the album is more than outweighed by the superb musical content and the rather odd mood in Hammill's vocal. Guy Evans and Nic Potter provide a weird bass-driven riff for a fair amount of the piece. The dashes of organ fit in quite nicely, as does the lush background viola. A lot of the punk ethos thumping in again, along with a few elements of dissonance and the rather curtailed melodies than characterise much of World Record. The conclusion is nicely done. Not an absolutely perfect piece, but a lot of redeeming features, and a particularly top notch performance from Evans.

Siren Song features the album's finest lyrics, and some of the finest lyrics in rock, and the closest thing to a conventionally pretty vocal on there. The piano is absolutely lovely, and supplemented by a tragic violin, Guy Evans' very emotional and delicate percussion and the unusual Potter distorted bass sound. The mood changes of the song are distinctive, involving and feature a rather more upbeat, folk-inspired violin part, as well as an example of just how mobile Van Der Graaf Generator can make a song. Nic Potter never did a weirder bass part than that in the middle of this song, and it pays off fantastically. Anyway, the best way to describe this one is with a bit of a lyrics quote. It has reduced me to tears on occasion, and not many pieces can do that.

Laughter in the backbone laughter impossibly wise that same laughter that comes every time I flash on that look in your eyes which whispers of a black zone which'll mock all my credos as lies, where all logic is done and time will smash every theory I devise

The six minute Last Frame could well be the highlight of the album for a lot of the more prog-by-the-books listeners. A hollow atmospheric introductory solo on viola (I think) from Graham Smith leads us into the song proper, coupled with a couple of very dark, full jabs on bass and a tinkle of percussion, takes us onto the tragic retrospective vocals, coupled with a savagely bleak and determined set of lyrics. Hammill provides an acoustic (on occasion surprisingly unusual in sound) pretty much throughout the main part of the song, which is quite a nice change, and it fits in neatly both at the higher-tempo sections and the more introspective low-key parts. A sort of freakish guitar or violin solo backed up by a dab of Meurglys III riff takes up prime position in the instrumental mid-part. The song's conclusion is particularly awesome, with a distinctly rocking bass riff mixing itself in with dabs of percussion, classy lyrical bite and a distorted guitar. As always, Evans is a solid drummer, controlling his sound, volume and feel quite precisely and adding a slightly human feel through the drumming. Fantastic stuff.

The Wave is probably the most daringly introspective of the songs on this album, with quirky, and yet quite moving lyrics about the point of analysis and the effect of that on nature or feeling. The lush, but quite delicate, interplay between Hammill's piano and mellotron (it's probably actually a viola, listening to it a bit more closely) and the strings is extremely well-written, and Hammill's vocals are simply amazing in a way that only they can be. The tension is available, and a mixture of grandeur, uncertainty, high and low and whispered vocals, and selective self-harmonies adding a sort of ebbing feel to the piece. The rhythm section is again excellent, with Guy Evans' fitting in his own sort of style quite softly, accomplishing a number of subtle cadences that other drummers often seem nervous to add into soft songs, accomplishing the same sort of rolling line with no intrusion at all. It did take a while to catch onto me, as one would sort of expect a soft song like this to simply head for plain lyrics, but in the end the combination seems simply more and more right. Unusual soft songs are one of my favourite features of the classic 70s prog rock bands, and this fits that description perfectly. Masterful.

If one track can be described as driven, it's probably Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever, this piece rivets itself into the mind, frantically and schizophrenically leaping off its own ideas. Hammill's lyrics and vocals have a wonderfully reeled-off-on-the-spot tint, albeit not a lot of conventional beauty to counterbalance that. The jarring aggression of the vocals is in the vein of Nadir's Big Chance rather than Arrow or La Rossa, relying on an innate menace, speed and rhythm over volume or arrangement, and yet they are actually surprisingly fitting for the song, ramming in uncertainty, panic, menace and rage without pausing for breath... a burst of vocal dubs only heightens the frantic mood. The exhausted final vocal line is a complete contrast to this schizoid personality... one of the best worst vocal performances ever. Graham Smith's violin and viola provides truly berserk emotionality, reeling off a pulsing, tense riff as well as an array of off-the-wall solos, counterbalanced by the utter catharsis of the concluding solo. Nic Potter has never sounded better, with pulsating, demanding, insistent bass-lines complete with mixed-in sort of bass groans, as well as a bass-sound or two I haven't heard used in that way before. Even under that incredible violin solo at the end, he fits in a tasteful, obvious bass sound. The guitar is equally superb, providing a sort of picked-electric sound that lends a lot of character to the piece, as well as some blitz-on-the-ear wails. One of the big standouts of this piece, though, is Guy Evans. His combination of sort of trapping drum sounds, solid, aggressive beats, tasteful leaves, hard, flat rock beats and manically fast, yet comprehensible, fills, which sort of overspill all the parameters of the song, providing a sensation of real vertigo and being off the edge.

Anyway, I've gone into a bit more detail than I usually do on shortish songs for this one, but it was entirely worth it. An incredible song, one that really both pushes the parameters of rock and yet builds on existing traditions. As Peter Hammill would say, the 'exciting stuff'. It's a sample at the moment, so take a listen to it on the appropriate volume. If you don't like it, the album might not be for you (there's a wide range of material covered, and the lyrics, here, are probably not as strong as the rest of the album), but if you do, really, the album might be your thing. It's the song that brought me to going beyond the obligatory four VDGG albums.

The Sphinx In The Face is another oddity, complete with a particularly anarchically arranged set of lyrics, a range of rather clever musical quotes from previous pieces incorporated into the main piece. Opening with a cheerful guitar riff, backed up by the appropriate groove from the bass. A couple of rather reggae-ish moments are juxtaposed with a general pushing-rock-feel, amazing mellotron/viola, as well as possibly the most remarkably moving harmony in rock. The musicianship, as always, is incredible, and though the 'concept' of it all... the unifying theme of disunity, of a search... is a bit hard to grasp at first, once it kicks in, it sinks below the surface, and a range of exclamations that first seem trivial become extremely moving. Also brilliant, though I can imagine that the harmony ending won't hit anyone until you've really wrapped yourself in the album.

Chemical World is another piece of particularly good writing disguised by a bit of general chaos, noise, and lyrics which alternate between whimsical and acidic. Aside from a surprisingly Spanish guitar melody from Hammill, the song's softer moments are highlighted by Graham Smith's fascinating sax/flute-'imitation's on violin. The noisy, distorted-out-of-this-world mid-section is probably the high point of the piece, with an explosive Evans and a number of tense melodies and more 'psychedelic' ideas, which perhaps resemble that rather haunting section of Nine Feet Underground a little. Nic Potter's bass is very effective, again, handling a couple of lead guitarish licks on one occasion. Amazing stuff, and extremely progressive.

The Sphinx Returns concludes the album proper, with a rocked up version of the outro to The Sphinx In The Face, somewhat sealing up all the themes of the album in one range of bizarre musicianship and a fade to indicate that they continue.

Onto the bonus material. The Door is another great piece, with a killer riff. Rocking everywhere, a high-range thumping bass and a couple of hilarious keyboard effects. The demo version of The Wave is actually very moving and effective even without the lyrics, and it places a little more emphasis back on the individual music parts. Potter is probably a bit more effective (think it's that he's a lot more conspicuous with a quieter piano) on this one. Anyway, it illustrates that Van Der Graaf really could do instrumental extremely effectively... almost as incredible unpolished as it is finished. Ship Of Fools truly kicks, with a hammering riff, neat lyrics, and a sort of electric fire that reminds me a bit of a couple of the things 80s Crimson and Tull would go on to do. The vocals are truly off the wall, or off the charts, depending on how you see it, and Hammill gives a great guitar burst or two. I'd probably call it hard rock, more so than any of the Deep Purple and Uriah Heep stuff I've heard.

So, all in all, a collection including pretty much exclusively absolutely fantastic songs (The Habit Of The Broken Heart is a tiny bit weaker, but not much so), which I would consider among Van Der Graaf (Generator)'s list of finest achievements, and that really does mean a lot, coming from me. The album is characterised by subtlety disguised as blatancy, which is a pretty standard VDGG feature, so if you don't get H to He or Godbluff or something like that, you probably won't get this. The lyrics are typically . Nonetheless, vital for fans of Van Der Graaf Generator, aggressive progressive music, later, but still very progressive albums, or quirky, obtuse concepts. A masterpiece of progressive rock, and (and I say this even with Starless And Bible Black, and Brain Salad Surgery close in mind) Guy Evans' performance on this is perhaps my favourite percussion on one album ever.

Rating: Five Stars... seems a bit standard fare for VDGG and my ratings, but that's alright... Favourite Track: Very, very difficult choice. Cat's Eye/Yellow Fever or The Siren Song if I had to pick.

(oh, a couple of considerations)... I'm sure some of the times I reference saxalike/flutealike violins it is actually Jaxon, but I think at others they are, in fact, actually violin sounds that correspond to how I'd expect some of the saxes on World Record to sound. I'm not great on violas, so my exact terminology for string instruments may be horrifically wrong. Finally, the cover art, it's amazing, don't you think?

by TGM: Orb


VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR Music Online:
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HOLLYWOOD, NOVEMBER 19, 2008 – With the great dance sounds of the 70s and 80s coming to life once more, users are sure to feel the funk with Zero-G Satin Grooves. This collection, distributed in the U.S. exclusively by EASTWEST, contains the mid-tempo funk and soul grooves that are sure to give any production that vintage feel. (more…)

Many said this is 'carbon copy' Rush mid 80's, but I see more the 79'-83' new wave trend here! Of course, the guitars has lots of chorus effect in them (a Lifeson trademark) but is it so obvious?

Honestly, no. At least not on every song.

Clearly Mars Direct and Ebb and Flow has a certain Rush 'click' but if I haven't read some reviews saying: 'it's so Rush this and Rush that...' , I wouldn't really noticed anything that much. Perhaps on certain moments you can pinpoint Power Windows or Signals but if you want a REAL Rush tribute, try Tiles or at least Enchant.

What I see more in this album is Ah-Ha (the vocals and good choruses in Ripples in Time), Duran Duran (Strat guitar riffs), The Cure (toms rolling, airy keyboards) and perhaps XTC and Flock of Seagulls. This is a real tribute to an era that clearly means a lot to the band.

Okay, don't buy this album thinking you'll live the Rush dream again, because I did and it's not that impressive; BUT it has enough hooks to make you sing out loud and press replay on your cd player. Great keyboards as usual, a large palette of sounds and good vocals (not like Geddy, sorry).

Singularity became my favorite band recently with their two other albums, but this one is convincing me that this is no ordinary band.

It's 1982 again...and it's good.

by Menswear


SINGULARITY Music Online:
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