TUXEDOMOON - Milano, Leoncavallo December 11, 2014

                                                     

Tuxedomoon  last night looks to me in a very good shape. It was the first time for me; I never see them live before and it was a good surprise.

Location and time were unusual but at the end a good atmosphere to enjoy Blaine & C. performance. Music (with video clip and an actor live performance as a background) was fantastic driven by Peter Principle's bass devastating rhythm.

Really well done Blaine, Steven, Peter and Luc ...see you again !!!

Other videos: http://youtu.be/jN20QVju6a8

                     http://youtu.be/pnBJuZnvwo8

                     http://youtu.be/ccwWtgUuK0w

LAMB - Milan, Magazzini Generali - November 19, 2014

Really a strange couple form the LAMB.  The folksinger  Lou Rhodes and the techno composer and producer Andy Barlow. Two extreme in the music world and also two completely different appearance on the stage; Lou is ethereal in her white long traditional dress and Andy that seems just coming from a rave party.

It is like to have “Chemical Brothers” and “Loreena McKennit” together on the same stage. Difficult to image but incredible is the result.

LAMB combines these two extreme and melt together obtaining a very nice result . Techno, Trip hop, rock? Difficult to classify. Some song are similar to Portishead, some other to techno-disco (Andy help to move the stage in this direction!!).

At the end it was a good live act. Unexpected and for this more appreciate. Today I am playing “Backspace Unwind “(just released) again and again….

Lamb - Doves& Ravens 

PORTISHEAD - Sour Times (1994)

 Thinking about Trip Hop the first name I have in my mind is for sure "Massive Attack"; the second is "Bristol" and the third is "Portishead".
You can also change the order of the three words  but the result is the same: an equilater triangle with wonderful music inside.
Portishead music can be considered the essence of Trip Hop music with slow and intriguing rythms like in this sour times.
If you have not seen I suggest the Roseland live video (1998)...music not only to listen but also to  see.




here: http://www.adrive.com/public/u3qqAV/sourtimes.zip

WALL OF VOODOO - Ring of fire (1980)

Recently I played this old EP and I appreciate again the feeling that Wall of Voodoo music gave to me several years ago. The Techno-Western Rhytm of this band was (is) full of energy. Unfortunately they had a very short story (at least with the original components). Stan Ridgway had a quite good solo career with quality works.


ring of fire:
http://www.adrive.com/public/6mJPEc/rngoffre.zip

THE ASSOCIATES - The Affectionate Punch (1980)

It was 1980 when this first "Associates" LP appears and I liked from the beginning. Also now after more than 30 years I listen to this with respect and a little bit of nostalgia,

The affectionate punch: http://www.adrive.com/public/rVFgGr/ASS%20affpnch.zip

U 2 - Here again

The new U2 work "songs of innocence" is now available !!
I read a lot of comments (most of them negatives) about the presentation with Apple I- phone 6, the choice to release the album free on i-tunes, the commercial turn  of U2 for the business and bla..bla...bla...

What it's interesting for me is the music and the fact is that I'm listening "songs of innonence" since days and I like it. Yes, it is a commercial and easy listening music, nothing really new but  .....U2 are here again.  It seems yesterday  (... really about 30 years ago!!)  I saw their concert in Rome together with Pretenders and Big Audio Dynamite. Other times, other contest but the music is not so different.

NEW FAST AUTOMATIC DAFFODILS - Pigeonhole (1990)

Thanks to other bloggers I discover this band that I didn't know in the '90. Since the first listening I realized It was a wonderful band. The sound really  original  and a powerful rythm. It is a pity I missed them for so many years.

With this post I also try a new file hosting system (Adrive). It is always more difficult to have free file hosting services....

The link expire  end of August 2014.

Enjoy : pigeonhole

INCOGNITO & GREGORY PORTER - Villa Arconati July 24, 2014

Villa Arconati Music Festival is a quite famous appointment in the Milan area every year. Villa Arconati is a nice old villa with a large green park. Thursday 24 -7 -2014  to close the 2014 edition of the music festival, there was a combined event with Gregory Porter and Incognito. Really a great night music started at 9:30 until 12:30. I decided to go at the last minute (just a little bit of sun in this strange wet summer was enough to decide). 30 € well spent for a chair few meters from the stage (not so common for a music show). Gregory Porter was unknown to me and a good surprise. Good Jazz with Gospel influence really a great voice and good band (mention for saxophone). After more than one hour Gregory leave the scene to Incognito. 11 elements on the scene with a lot  Funky Power.  Really a relaxing music night just what I needed after a heavy working day. Waiting for next year edition of this festival.

MASSIVE ATTACK - Milan June 25, 2014

Massive Attack at Milan. An important appointment not to loose. And it was a great night.
The wait was long (1 hour from the planned  21:00) but the dark of the night help a lot  to create the right atmosphere  in line with the light show. I was not disappointed, all  my expectations were satisfied, Martina Topley Bird voice helped to elevate the level. Music and Rythms really powerfull.
Difficult to forget!!!!

TELEVISION - Milan June 3, 2014 Alcatraz

The feeling was that of great events. It is not common to have TELEVISION in Italy, as Tom Verlaine said  "this is the 2nd time in Italy in 40 years" (first one was in 1987). If you add the fact that they played the whole "Marquee Moon " playlist this makes really the event a great one.
I had the ticket since months and the expectation was satisfied. The sound was really clean, Tom and the band, after a soft start become more and more confident and songs longer  (Marquee Moon version   about 12 minutes).  Happy to be there !!!

A CERTAIN RATIO - Mind Made Up 2008

This is probably an easy way to approach the ACR music. This work is a mix of dance-funky-wave music. So different from the early ACR and after 10 years from previous works but anyway this  has a  great personality. What is  impressive to me is the energy and power of bass and drum sound in these tracks. A lot of power but with more than an eye to melodic themes. Well done.

Nice to listen: Mind Made Up

ALAIN KOUNKOU - R.A.S. (1996)

Just another post dedicated to world music. After Europe and America (see the two previous post) here we are in Africa.
I don' t know so much of Afrcan music but I have some "souvenir" from any of my vacation. It is my custom when I go to other country for vacation to take some "music sample " with me when I come back to home.
Today post was a souvenir from Kenia (I was there but I don' t know were the music come from) and I offered 5 dollars to a taxi driver to give me the cassette he was playing in the car-stereo. So that is the source and sure the audio quality is not at the top but just to understand what SOUKOUSS music is. The cover is probably not the right one but that I found on the web.

ENJOY : Soukouss RAS

THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND - Greatest Hits (2011)

Following the "world music" way we cannot avoid to make a stop to the southern country music of the US. I think it is an expected path forward after the previous post!!!
The Marshall Tucker Band has to be mentionded at least for their long career (more than 40 years). Songs like "Searchin' for a rainbow " or "Fire on the Mountain" can be considered  "classic pieces" of this kind of music.
They start their career later in the '60 with hits in the '70 than through the '80, '90 and again. Really a neverending story.

Enjoy: The Marshall Tucker Band

BATTLEFIELD BAND - Home is were the van is (1980)

Something different  today. Battlefield Band is a Scottish folk band and this LP is dated 1980. There was a period in my life were traditional music  was in my  favourite playlist. Since many years I never listen to thin again but I want to post this one.... There is a lot of energy in this music and sometime listen to something else can help. We have a lot of various things in our world...why don't appreciate them!!!!

here:
Home is were the van is

SECTION 25 - Always now

Section 25 first LP "Always Now" is dated 1981. The vynil LP I have is one of my favorites and probably one of the most  played . Their name was always associated to Joy Division and there were a lot of contact point between the two bands. Ian Curtis produced their first single "girls don't count" and Martin Hackett produced Joy Division studio album and this one, too.
Personally I estimated Section 25 since the beginning and I am quite curious to follow the evolution of the group also after the death of Larry Cassidy (also here I see same similarities in the sound change with New Order after Joy Division).
Always Now remain probably their best work, here is the 1991 reissue with several bonus tracks  (non in the 81 LP ). The repetitive drumming and the lament of Larry voice are something timeless.

Enjoy: always now

SIMPLE MINDS - Alcatraz 25/2/14

Two years ago, same place, the 5x5 tour and now the new tour "Celebration". It is always a pleasure to see Jim and his band also if year after year the time pass also for him. Really this concert was not comparable with the unforgettable 5x5 tour (see the old post). This one was more conventional (probably because of the high expectation). The performance was divided in two parts (plus the final closure). The first 50 min were flat and Jim too soft. The real concert was in the second part. More power, more rythm and  the most famous hits. At the end I was satisfied after 2 hr and a half. But again the 2012 5x5 tour  was        really another thing.

PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT - Live at Magnolia 17/2/14

 It was '82 when  Peter was at Milan with New Order at "Rolling Stones" for their first concert. Now, 32 years later I saw Peter again. Good performance at Magnolia club last Monday. Few people there, also because the event was not  so publicized (I just casually know about it few days before) and good "atmosphere". Peter appears as a mid age man. He has nothing to demonstrate any more but it seems he enjoy himself playing  on the set. The band is really good and the sound is "still " there (the voice unfortunatly no). At the end  with the appetizer of some Joy division songs and main dish of New Order first two LPs (Movement and Power Corruption and Lies) the concert was 2 hours and a half long. The etherogeneous audience (more fashionists and professionist than rockers) at the end was really satisfied and the final "Blue Monday" was the right closure of  the night.

Peter video 1 :Joy Division Song

Peter video 2 :New Order song

HATFIELD AND THE NORTH - The Rotter's Club (1975)

This evening I played some old songs of the "progressive " era. So I just remember this group. Hatfield and the North was part of the "cultured" progressive music of the '70 also known as Canterbury school.
The Rotter's Club was the second LP of the group and it is a good memory of that period (1975).


HERE
http://rapidshare.com/share/8CE9AADDB30B478A779CB4E332389C60

TELEVISION - Marquee Moon

I am listening to this old record ( 1977) to be prepared for a June 2014 event. TELEVISION will be on tour with  a date in Milan to play again Marquee Moon songs. You can like or not TELEVISION sound with guitar goimg up and down and Tom shouting voice but anyway  it  was something original and different in the music scene of that period. I consider Tom Verlaine a musician out of any scheme.

Marquee Moon is considered a piece of music history (both the song and the LP) and I hope to listen and see something worthy of fame that this work has.

HERE:
http://rapidshare.com/share/4B72528C8D5DEF87B352569038D1A2EA