The Christmas period is coming to an end and many of us have gathered with our families (or not...) to celebrate this time of the year with dignity. So I hope you all had a good time and that you didn't overdo it! Before drawing a line on this year 2019 and moving towards a new decade, I must finish this selection of discs which accompanied me during this fabulous year, rich in discovery and surprise! Without further ado, here is this second part which intends to share with you and reveal these little unknown musical gems.
Green Lung - Woodland Rites (Doom Métal / Stoner / Kozmik Artifactz)
I'm not going to beat around the bush because Woodland Rites is definitely my top album this year. Musically irreproachable and with an atmosphere flirting with occultism and mysticism, this piece of work, which is the first draft of this purely British band, would amply deserve to be venerated. As mentioned earlier, this first attempt is a perfect success and has nothing to be ashamed of when faced with the best productions of the great tenors of the genre. We find an excellent combination of pure and hard Doom Metal, tinged with psychedelic moments, not to say at the limit of the artistic virtuosity, proper to the Stoner Rock current.
Drawing its inspiration from mythical bands such as Black Sabbath or Saint Vitus, Woodland Rites will remind you of the dark and intriguing musical universe of the early 70s. Here no primary satanism or deviant and explicit insanity, as a more extreme metal band could expose it, but a long subtle initiation into the dark depths. Featuring compositions of rare complexity, diversified by riffs as well as powerful solos, this structure will be magnified by the exceptional vocalises of Tom Templar whose clear but sometimes nasal tone will remind us of the great Ozzy Osbourne's singing at the time. Exceptional on all levels, Woodland Rites is not far from becoming a timeless album !
Akiko Yano - Tadaima (Synth Pop / Repress / Wewantsounds)
Here's a record I've been looking for for a while and which was until then particularly difficult to find. Indeed, totally unnoticed in the West, this collection of more than cult songs in Japan, has not been published or distributed in our country. However, the arrival of Tadaima in the Japanese charts in 1981 marked the arrival of Akiko Yano as a major work of the singer/songwriter and thus enabled her to gain a certain notoriety among the general public. So much so that she was entrusted with the creation of several soundtracks for feature films produced by the Ghibli studio ! In other words, Tadaima is an important album for the Japanese recording industry.
Exuberant, Akiko Yano certainly is. Leaving this time the traditional piano to surround herself with a panoply of synthesizers, she doesn't hesitate to give free rein to her particularly extravagant and eccentric creative instinct. This soft madness which detonates by a song close to what Kate Bush could reproduce, at the best of her form, but also by a harmonious use of synthetic and more traditional sounds, delivers a resolutely pop album with acidulous and sweet accents. Everything here is a question of candour and pleasure. Because yes, Tadaima is a resolutely feel good and particularly catchy album ! A masterpiece whose repressing made by the label Wewantsounds remains extremely faithful to the original work. An opportunity for us to get our hands on a masterpiece of the genre that deserves to be recognized for its true value in our countries !
Vivian Girls - Memory (Pop Punk / Lo-Fi / Indé Rock / Polyvinyl Record Co.)
An all-female trio, Vivian Girls have made a name for themselves in the independent music scene at the beginning of this millennium. It was thought that their hiatus of several years would have put an end to their promising musical career. While everything seemed to predict that this group would be nothing more than a vestige of a glorious past of the indie scene, they announced their reformation and the release of their latest baby, named Memory. To say the least, this album is a pleasant surprise that left me more than admiring when I listened to these 12 tracks, all full of energy but also melancholy.
Not being personally predisposed to appreciate pop-punk type productions, from my conception of this genre, I must admit that Memory simply amazed me by its simple, efficient, but equally complex aspect. Following a minimalist and binary base, probably brought back from the Ramones' first records, this record sounds resolutely rock'n roll without ignoring the search for sonorities, the exact opposite of what this sub-genre could offer. There's sometimes a bit of Daydream Nation in this work, which tries to get away from the apperiosities and clichés that could be emitted against it. Refreshing, Memory is sure to make you have a great time !
The Builders And The Butchers - S/T (Folk Rock / Indé Folk / Repress / Jealous Butcher Records)
Another record that I wanted and that was also particularly difficult to find in its 12" version. Luckily for me, a repress reserved only for independent record dealers showed up in October ! Of course, I couldn't ignore the acquisition of this work which explores the dark and gloomy sides of a booming America during the 19th century ! Since not content with offering us texts exploring gloomy and unusual subjects, the musical party is clearly not to be outdone !
Melancholy skillfully blends with the intensity of the emotion, depending on the seriousness of the words to be transmitted. The string part is provided by a rhythmic acoustic guitar, often assisted by a mandolin or a banjo to add a constant dynamic. The latter is embellished on a few cello pieces that remain discreet but sufficiently present to add a heavy and dramatic dimension to the composition. As for the percussions, these are provided by two distinct members, allowing to vary the sounds while integrating a percussive element (several resonance boxes are used) increasing the intensity of certain phases. But above all, Ryan Sollee's tortured but melodious singing transcribes marvellously the atmosphere and the universe breathed into each of the brilliantly orchestrated tracks. A success on all levels that is an integral part of my bedside records !
