日志

文/张晓舟 图/苏巍
　　“不一样”其实就是“另类”的意思，但“另类”这个词实在是太知识分子了，从“不一定”到“不一样”，不过是从一个口头禅，变成另一个口头禅—— “口头禅”，多好的一个词啊，先锋在此多么日常。
当“不一定”渐成 “一定”，窦唯便另起“不一样”的炉灶。今年《雨吁》的出版转移了视线，甚至给有的人窦唯又要开唱的错觉。实际上这张尘封6年的旧作那些古僻汉字并没有掩盖其Bark Psychosis式的后摇滚尾巴，而窦唯在此后渐渐摆脱模仿，开启了真正的“东游记”。我曾把窦唯与不一定去年的《八和九生》称作 “在古琴与电子之间无中生有”，与其说是对他们音乐状态的描述，还不如说更是期望，实际上在“不一定”中，张荐远未用电音发功。到了今年的《东游记》和《水先后古清风乐》，窦唯他们不只是继续重用巫娜的古琴，还添上了瑟，而窦唯与Fm3在香港出版的佳作《后观音》则沉湎于电子的太虚幻境。窦唯成了一个在琴瑟相鸣的民乐与虚实相生的电子两极逍遥游的神人，这正是中国新音乐在新世纪的新形象。遥视窦唯的两极，看似风马牛不相及的“不一样”人员组合也就顺理成章。
刘元并没给“不一样”带来任何爵士气息，就像以前尽管“不一定”大多成员玩爵士，但“不一定”的音乐并没什么爵士色彩，因为窦唯基本与爵士无关，我曾送给他一张John Coltrane的《Blue Train》黑胶，但他不知John Coltrane是谁（于是这张黑胶便转落入文智涌之手）；杨一也没有带来什么民谣，虽然他有人声，偶尔这人声也近乎吟唱。总之，一碰到窦唯，刘元不爵士，杨一不民谣，立马变得不一样。只有武权和张荐是“一样”的，那就是挥洒其电子音乐家/声音艺术家本色，他们的两个笔记本电脑，决定了“不一样”的电音取向：吉他贝斯鼓三大件基本被弃，电音垫底，电音铺陈，而不玩电音甚至不碰电脑的窦唯一碰到武权和张荐，当然也“不一样”了。
12月2日在深圳根据地酒吧上步店算是“不一样”的“全球独家首演”，演出时间是65分钟，3日在根据地南山店演出时间则是64分钟，第二场因为有第一场的积累，加上观众也没第一场那么爆棚嘈杂，因此临场发挥明显更好，演到一小时的时候，看表读秒的张荐便与武权一齐合上笔记本，留窦唯吹箫一曲终了。
窦唯的份量比在“不一定”时有减无增，由于武权和张荐二人电力十足，他的键盘有时甚至只是晴蜓点水，若有若无。第一场他以键盘独奏开场，第二场则始亦箫终亦箫。第一场本说好不打鼓，但中间还是即兴打了一长段，当然仍是波澜不兴、节奏几乎不变的招牌鼓风。有了两个笔记本电脑，键盘多少被抢了一些风头，鼓则可打可不打，箫还是刘元和杨一吹得更多，窦唯的角色有点模糊、游移不定。
但重要的是窦唯更像是一块暗暗包藏秘不示人的磁石，能够随时制造一个磁场。刘元一进入这个磁场，就变得ECM起来，第一场后张荐笑说今晚有十分之一像ECM（我觉得还不只十分之一），并揭发刘元的CD机里是一张 Jan Gabarrek。当然刘元并没有Jan Gabarrek的冷洌，只是风轻云淡。4月份和瑞士打击乐大师Pierre Favre等人（当时还有小河、万晓利的人声、张巍的古筝等）即兴jam的时候，刘元也是这样云卷云舒地玩萨克斯和箫。事后Favre称赞其音乐素养高超。
杨一间或以人声给张荐提供采样，经调变循环播出。杨一还吹箫和口琴，最出彩的是第一场有一段堪称“前卫口琴”的吹奏，那唇齿间发出的压抑急迫的噪声几乎听不出是口琴。
武权与张荐的电音合作第二场时更为炉火纯青。张荐是最忙的一个，他还不时采样杨一和他自己的人声来玩，偶尔还玩玩非洲乐器卡林巴，吹吹云南少数民族竹管。第二场用了更多的节奏，但不是IDM（聪明舞曲）,节奏缓慢，往往历久持续不变，间或音量加重节奏加快，然而就在听者期待高潮之际又一点一点按捺下去。张荐、武权此次与窦唯擦出的火花，相当于FM3与窦唯的合作，更接近于新出的声境精微迷离的《后观音》，而不是节奏很多、近乎聪明舞曲的《镜花缘记》。对于摇滚、爵士乐甚至“不一定”的乐迷来说，这是一场“只有前戏，没有高潮”的抚摩，或许一点点撩起你的激情，或许只是一点点抚平一袭清衣上的褶皱，一点点抖落俗世的尘埃，其实无所谓前戏后戏，高潮低潮，只不过是众声平等的狂欢，或寂静。
第一场演毕后有七八个观众在酒吧门口示威抗议，“这不是摇滚音乐节吗？”“不唱歌怎么行呢？”， “这能叫音乐吗？”“窦唯总得在台上跟我们说两句吧？”，“我们能不能退票？或者后天免费让我们看唐朝？”……这些声音都被录了下来，张荐本打算用作第二场最后一场结尾的素材，可惜音质不清最后没用。实际上第二场是以窦唯将一位女乐迷送的花一枝接一枝回掷给观众来谢幕的。他曾经用一把火面对疯狂的世界，现在改用一把花。
“不一样”音乐会的海报用的是一幅日本水墨画，上面是五个柿子，窦唯开玩笑说乐队也可以改叫“五柿子”。而近年痴迷国画的杨一恰好在深圳参加一个水墨展。“东”，贾樟柯的纪录片用这个字表述一个情结，窦唯更直接命名专辑为“东游记”，刘元在后海新开的酒吧则名为“东岸”。这五个柿子便是在“东岸”日日把玩出来的，然后在冬天，因为窦唯买错了票，他们坐一列慢车从后海东岸来到上步南山。经过后期制作，“不一样”会将深圳现场做成一张名为《上步南山》或者《五柿子上步南山》的唱片。
这辆慢车，并非上流中产小资优越闲暇的“慢生活指南”，而是慢慢掠过在喧变时事中已然像钞票一样模糊、残旧、破碎的人面桃花，遥遥驶向万古亘新的山河，就这样在E时代的峰巅放下五个柿子，让群山围绕它们耸立。

The 70's killed me! Sorry about that... I really just couldn't choose for a lot of these, sorry...

2009 - Still undecided... ( Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind, maudlin of the Well - Part the Second, Mastodon - Crack the Skye... ?)

2008 - Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale / Deathspell Omega - Veritas Diaboli in Manet Aeternum: Chaining the Katechon EP

2007 - Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum <- This year was about as good as the 70's but DSO came out on top. Special mention for Ulver...

2006 - Negură Bunget - Om / Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain / The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure

2005 - Opeth - Ghost Reveries / Deathspell Omega - Kenose EP

2004 - Deathspell Omega - Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice

2003 - Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye / Opeth - Damnation

2002 - Sigur Rós - ( ) / Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors / Agalloch - The Mantle / Porcupine Tree - In Absentia <- Another great year!

2001 - Opeth - Blackwater Park / maudlin of the Well - Leaving your Bodymap / Bath

2000 - Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven! / Weakling - Dead As Dreams / Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun / Ulver - Perdition City

1999 - Opeth - Still Life

1998 - Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse

1997 - Emperor - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk / Radiohead - OK Computer / Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯A♯∞

1996 - Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood / Burzum - Filosofem / Katatonia - Brave Murder Day

1995 - Porcupine Tree - The Sky Moves Sideways / Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve / Ulver - Kelvdssanger

1994 - Ulver - Bergatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler / Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse / Jeff Buckley - Grace / Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

1993 - Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss / Cynic - Focus / Slowdive - Souvlaki

1992 - Alice in Chains - Dirt / Änglagård - Hybris

1991 - My Bloody Valentine - Loveless / Atheist - Unquestionable Presence / Death - Human

1990 - Naked City - Naked City / Psychotic Waltz - A Social Grace / Atheist - A Piece of Time / Lustmord - Heresy

1989 - The Cure - Disintegration / Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness / Voivod - Nothingface

1988 - Metallica - ...And Justice for All

1987 - Dead Can Dance - Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun

1986 - Metallica - Master of Puppets

1985 - Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

1984 - Arvo Pärt - Tabula Rasa / Metallica - Ride the Lightning

1983 - Bacamarte - Depois Do Fim

1982 - King Crimson - Beat / Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast / Rush - Signals <- Pretty freaking bad year.

1981 - King Crimson - Discipline

1980 - Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

1979 - Pink Floyd - The Wall

1978 - Rush - Hemispheres (I can't believe I had to give Rush that year... Shows how mediocre the year was)

1977 - Pink Floyd - Animals

1976 - Rainbow - Rising / Camel - Moonmadness / Van der Graaf Generator - Still Life

1975 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

1974 - King Crimson - Red

1973 - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

1972 - Yes - Close to the Edge

1971 - To hard to choose just 1... see below.

1970 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid / Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

1969 - King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King: An Observation by King Crimson / The Beatles - Abbey Road

1968 - The Zombies - Odyssey and Oracle

1967 - The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (but also Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, etc.)

1966 - The Beatles - Revolver (special mention to Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa)

1965 - The Beatles - Rubber Soul / John Coltrane - A Love Supreme / Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

1964 - The Beatles - Hard Day's Night (only because it's the only album I've ever heard from this year. It's a pretty mediocre album...)

1963 - Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

1962 - John Coltrane - Olé Coltrane

1961 - Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds

1960 - Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

1959 - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue


So hard to choose for some of those!!! Look at the amazingness the 70's produced!

1975 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here / Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks / Van der Graaf Generator - Godbluff / Queen - A Night at the Opera / Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All / Camel - The Snow Goose / Black Sabbath - Sabotage / Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte ... And more.

1974 - King Crimson - Red / Yes - Relayer / Camel - Mirage / Magma - Köhntarkösz / Focus - Hamburger Concerto ... and way more!

1973 - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon / King Crimson - Larks' Tongue in Aspic / Genesis - Selling England by the Pound / The Who - Quadrophenia / Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire / Magma - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh ... and so many more!!!

1972 - Yes - Close to the Edge / Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick / David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars / Nick Drake - Pink Moon / Deep Purple - Machine Head / Genesis - Foxtrot / Wishbone Ash - Argus / Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per un Amico / etc ... Ugh, another insanely amazing year!!!

1971 - Led Zeppelin - IV / Pink Floyd - Meddle / Yes - Fragile / Jethro Tull - Aqualung / John Lennon - Imagine / Comus - First Utterance / Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts / The Who - Who's Next / Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink / Yes - The Yes Album / Genesis - Nursery Crime ... AMAZING YEAR!!!

1969 - King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King: An Observation by King Crimson / The Beatles - Abbey Road / Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left / Led Zeppelin - I & II / Frank Zappa - Hot Rats ... etc.

Jake

IZIA, Wu-Tang Clan, Suprême NTM, Assassin, Nirvana, IAM, Bob Marley & The Wailers, La Spirale, Django Reinhardt, Squarepusher, The Prodigy, Necro, Ill Bill, Cypress Hill, Craig Armstrong, Heather Nova, La Coka Nostra, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Keny Arkana, Bérurier Noir, Birdy Nam Nam, System of a Down, dead prez, Le Peuple de l'Herbe, Beastie Boys, Busta Rhymes, Alpha & Omega, House of Pain, Seth Gueko, Aphex Twin, Profecy, DJ Krush, Prefuse 73, R.A. the Rugged Man, Rage Against the Machine, Laurent Garnier, Dead Can Dance, Kool Keith, High Tone, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Erik Truffaz, Portishead, Wax Poetic, Johnny Cash, Foreign Beggars, Lady Sovereign, Sinéad O'Connor, Vitalic, Radikal Dub Kolektiv, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jan Garbarek, Svinkels, Love Spirals Downwards, KRS-One, Dave Clarke, DJ Cam, The Doors, Clint Mansell, Lisa Gerrard, Fat Jon, Les Gourmets, The Beatles, Johannes Heil, KoЯn, Sleater-Kinney, Wax Tailor, B-Real, J Dilla, Filastine, Two Fingers, Asian Dub Foundation, Eminem, Jefferson Airplane, Autumn's Grey Solace, Gym Class Heroes, Shpongle, Herbie Hancock, Radiohead, Rockin' Squat, Mike Patton, Björk, Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Waldeck, Millencolin, Massive Attack, This Ascension, Lordz of Brooklyn, Ensemble Badila, Snoop Dogg, The Problemaddicts, Dub Syndicate, Groundation, Wolf Myer Orchestra, Beth Orton, Oh No, Edward "Kid" Ory, The Offspring, Venetian Snares, Alexander Kowalski, Rageous Gratoons, Noir Désir, Ben Harper, Nas, Ideal J, Verbose, Micropoint, The Black Seeds, Metallica, General Elektriks, Buraka Som Sistema, The Chemical Brothers, Thom Yorke, Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke, Ayọ, EZ3kiel, Amon Tobin, Mano Negra, King of Conspiracy, Bob Marley, Moondog, 25G, Jimi Hendrix, Bauchklang, Moderat, Sigur Rós, DJ Muggs & Planet Asia, Louis Armstrong, Son Doobie, Tryo, Kronos Quartet, Iration Steppas, Looptroop, Mysa, Nine Inch Nails, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Olympic Gramofon, Leftfield, Fairy, Joy Division, 2Pac, Peace Orchestra, Eek-A-Mouse, Snowgoons, Heiko Laux, The Temptations, Le Trio Joubran, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Guru, Flunk, Earl Hines, Erykah Badu, Burning Spear, Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Oi Va Voi, 80kidz, Infected Mushroom, Animal Collective, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, NOMAK, Year of No Light, Horace Andy, The Cinematic Orchestra, Red Snapper, Nneka, Leila, NOFX, Lucky Thompson, Cal Tjader, Le Klub des 7, Jeff Buckley, Manu Chao, Wagon Christ, Drummers of the Societe Absolument Guinin, Barney Wilen, Ol' Dirty Bastard, UNKLE, Erik Truffaz & Sly Johnson, The Blue Stars, Underworld, Shurik'N, Arsonists, Madeleine Peyroux, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Nostalgia 77, Terry Callier, Medine, Fingathing, Big Daddy Kane, Macka B, Keith Jarrett Trio, Iration Steppas Meet D. Rootical, De La Soul, Chali 2na, Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters, John Coltrane, DJ Food, Sergent Garcia, Rockamovya, Antonio Vivaldi, Notorious B.I.G., Sidney Bechet et Claude Luter, Tracy Chapman, Angélique Kidjo, EPMD, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, St. Germain, Daft Punk, Fat Freddy's Drop, Fatboy Slim, Johnny Clarke, RJD2, René Thomas, Soul Assassins, Deftones, Kaophonic Tribu, Linkin Park, The Skatalites, Muse, Belleruche, Sunflower Caravan, Les Reines Prochaines, DJ Shadow, Mass Hysteria, múm, Кочани Оркестар, Israel Vibration, Jurassic 5, Gelka, Lionel Hampton, Lost in Hildurness, Hilight Tribe, Shadow Dancer, Elek Bacsik, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Tânia Ârab, Troublemakers, William Orbit, Plastikman, The Specials, CunninLynguists, dead prez & DJ Green Lantern, Mansfield.TYA, Thievery Corporation, Raphael Saadiq, Smooth, Kery James, DJ Muggs vs. GZA/Genius, Love Is Colder Than Death, Miss Kittin & The Hacker, YAS, Chet Baker, Pendulum, Claude Bolling, Hubert Rostaing, Georges Brassens, Refractory, Scarface, Bill Coleman, Funkdoobiest, Telefon Tel Aviv, Lightning Bolt, Morcheeba, DJ Mitsu The Beats, Tricky, Hafdís Huld, Sidsel Endresen & Christian Wallumrød & Helge Sten, Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse, Akhenaton, Alif Tree, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Maurice Meunier, TAT, Carl Craig & Moritz von Oswald, Stéphane Grappelli, Black Uhuru, Kid Loco, Common, Ellen Allien, Roots Manuva, Joris Voorn, Method Man, Jah'licious, Hux Flux, Toots Thielemans, Blockhead, Rokia Traoré, Max Romeo, Cœur de Pirate, Method Man & Redman, RND, Volta & FX909, Venetian Snares & Speedranch, The Rolling Stones, BHASS Project, Orchestre National de Jazz, Pink Floyd, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Michel Legrand, Sayag Jazz Machine, Emilie Simon, Late Night Fruit, Buddy Banks, Pan•American, Booba, DJ Muggs vs. Planet Asia, The Kumba Mela Experiment, Jeff Mills, Ulytau, ZAMAN 8 & Hafez Modir, Ematom, Harmonic 313, Freestylers, The Gladiators, Control Machete, The Bush Chemists, Twista, Orange Street, The Roots, Michael Jackson, Los Hermanos, Dub Incorporation, RZA, The Ananda Shankar Experience and State of Bengal, Da Taz, Thelonious Monk, Limp Bizkit, Mr. Oizo, 雅-miyavi-, Ella Fitzgerald, Sex Pistols, AC/DC, Minty Fresh Beats, Gus Gus, Gideon, Themselves, Parabellum, K2R Riddim, Easy Star All-Stars, Rhythm & Sound, The Toraia Orchestra Of Algiers, Lee "Scratch" Perry & King Tubby, Keziah Jones, Ataraxia, TTC, Immortal Technique, Coldcut, A Tribe Called Quest, Lali Puna, Rhoda Scott & Kenny Clarke, Iron Maiden, Dizzy Gillespie, Pierre Michelot, Umek, Miles Davis, Gang Starr, DJ Muggs, Orbital, OutKast, Anthony Rother, Donald Byrd Quintet, Diego, Igorrr, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch, Dream Theater, Anoushka Shankar, Sonny Criss, The Smashing Pumpkins, K's Choice, Massive Attack vs. Mad Professor, The Herbaliser, Blakroc, Lenny Kravitz, Cujo, Cosma, Killarmy, Big Punisher, Jamiroquai, Charles Mingus, Missak, Burial, Bernard Peiffer and his Saint-Germain-des-Prés Orchestra, Albert Nicholas, Édith Piaf, Mix Master Mike, Maceo Parker, Rae & Christian, Steel Pulse, Hocus Pocus, Opeth, Dee Nasty, Tom Waits, DJ Fresh, Manu le Malin, Khoiba, Animaltek, Peter Tosh, Steppenwolf, Alter Ego, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Boards of Canada, Red Hot Chili Peppers9, Bernard Zacharias et ses solistes, Ill Bill & Necro, Sublime, Crystal Distortion, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, GZA/Genius, Salmonella Dub, Harold Nicholas et son Orchestre, Grems, Missy Elliott, Sammy Price & Lucky Thompson, The Herbaliser Band, Ghostface Killah, Cranes, Slaine, Necro & Ill Bill, Lars Klein, Outlines, Saïan Supa Crew, John Dahlbäck, Junior Murvin, Delinquent Habits, Dubians, Arom & Gourmets Beatclub, Afu-Ra, Slide Hampton, Agoria, 2Pac & The Outlawz, Archive, The Alchemist, Somogo, Toots and The Maytals, Philip Glass, Ray Charles, Sia, Marcel et son Orchestre, Trust, Aretha Franklin, Sinsemilia, Public Enemy, Buck Clayton, James Brown, Zenzile & High Tone, The Streets, Adam F, Oscar Peterson, The Abyssinians, Improvisators Dub, Yuksek, Alanis Morissette, Alici, CAKE, Up, Bustle and Out, Art Blakey, Scan X, DMX, Etikal Lab, Lady B, Keith Jarrett, David Carretta, Cocteau Twins, Lhasa de Sela, Jacques Brel, Charlie Singleton, Dimitri from Paris, Bonobo, Emmanuel Top, CéU, Kosheen, Jungle Brothers, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Nada Surf, Cercle Rouge, Monolake, Marilyn Manson, Rachid Taha, Alain Goraguer, Dub Pistols, Jimmy Archey, Pat Metheny, Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass, Jimmy Riley, Wailing Souls, Taigaz, Air, Triston Palmer, Donald Byrd, Promoe, Ice Cube, Gang Gang Dance, Barbara Morgenstern, Technasia, Dubmood, Josh Wink, Eddy Louiss, Africa Combo & Bugge Wesseltoft.

Two hour program focused on compositions of Billy Strayhorn.

Swing Plus #86
11/24/09 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
http://www.kbrpradio.com

1- Take the A Train – Billy Strayhorn
2- Dirge – live Duke Ellington
3- Stomp – live Duke Ellington
4- Interview – Lena Horne & Billy Strayhorn
5- Passion Flower – live Duke Ellington
6- Interview – Billy Strayhorn & Duke Ellington
7- The Intimacy of the Blues – Duke Ellington
8- Upper Manhattan Medical Group – Dizzy Gillespie
9- Lush Life – Billy Strayhorn
10- After All – Ike Carpenter
11- Lotus Blossom – Julia Lee
12- Rain Check – Fred Hersch
13- Day Dream – Jo Stafford
14- Le Sacre Supreme – Dutch Jazz Orchestra
15- Blue Heart – Dutch Jazz Orchestra
16- Pretty Little Girl – Johnny Hodges
17- Something to Live For – Betty Roche
18- My Little Brown Book – John Coltrane & Duke Ellington
19- Three & Six – Johnny Hodges & Billy Strayhorn
20- Your Love Has Faded – Billy Strayhorn & Ozzie Bailey
21- Chelsea Bridge – Gerry Mulligan & Ben Webster
22- Multi-Colored Blue – Billy Strayhorn & Ozzie Bailey

To those of you that have heard of Sunn O))) before, you will probably know exactly what to expect out of their latest release, Monoliths & Dimensions. This is another album filled to the brim with dark, brooding atmosphere that is meant to be played at deafening volumes. With this album, Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson collaborated with eighteen other musicians in order to make their most ambitious album to date. Guests include Dylan Carlson (Earth), Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Burial Chamber Trio), Oren Ambarchi, Julian Priester (Sun Ra, John Coltrane), an upright bass quartet, two choirs, and even some horns make an appearance.

The album opens with Aghartha (a reference to jazz legend Miles Davis), a seventeen minute track which begins the same way most Sunn O))) songs do: a low, droning guitar and bass duo. Most of this track is centered around Attila Csihar’s spoken vocals that go throughout the song. The song continually builds towards a climax by adding in low piano and screeching strings. The effect is both beautiful and terrifying. Aghartha could easily be the heaviest work Sunn O))) has ever done. The amount of bass in the recording has made me dizzy a few times while listening with headphones. The combination of the droning guitars, the haunting vocals, and the ambient effects strewn throughout the song make for a masterpiece of experimental drone.

Big Church [megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért] begins with the sound of an almost angelic choir. The contrast between this and the end of the previous song is sure to grab the listener’s attention. This song epitomizes the core concept of the entire album. This is Sunn O))) showing the musicality that is present in all of their other songs by adding additional instruments which showcase those elements. The juxtaposition of the beautiful choirs against the discordant guitar work is simply amazing. There are no words to faithfully describe the awesomeness of this track. A quick side note: The long word in the title of this song is a Hungarian compound word that was used during the inquisition as a sentencing for heretics. It roughly translates to “you’re desacralized because of your own actions, that you brought upon yourself, to the point that it’s impossible to be sacred again”.

We then move on to Hunting and Gathering (Cydonia). This is another song where Csihar shines. Right at the start he is growling over a very heavy, very Earth-esque riff. Further in, we hear the horns really being featured for the first time. The sound is massive and intense. The song begins to take on an almost tribal feeling as more auxiliary percussion is added and the horns take a back seat to Csihar again. After a climax, synthesizers are introduced with occasional horn fanfares interrupting. The synths give this track a surreal feeling to the whole song. This is probably the weakest track on the album, but it is by no means a bad one.

Finally, we arrive at the track Alice (a reference to Alice Coltrane). The guitar work here has the twangy/dirty tone that Dylan Carlson has been fond of lately, and the first portion of the song has Carlson playing a slow riff over a ringing bass. Slowly, horn swells appear in order to accent the changes in the riff and a trombone solo begins over the top of everything. This song sounds simple and consonant compared to the rest of the album, and even takes on the sound of a modern jazz piece towards the end with extensive cymbal work and a harp providing harmony behind the trombone. It’s truly beautiful and it creates a pleasing end to an amazing album.

Overall, Monoliths & Dimensions is a contender for Sunn O)))’s best album to date. The progress shown between their debut album, The Grimmrobe Demos, and what they have just released ten years later is astounding. They’re addition of elements from jazz and classical music makes this a more pleasant listening experience than the blackened sound of Black One, and it will probably be much more accessible than their previous releases. That said, if you didn’t like this band before you will probably not enjoy this album, but for fans of experimental music this is an amazing album that is well worth the money.

Tracklisting:

Aghartha (17:34)
Big Church [megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért] (9:43)
Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia) (10:02)
Alice (16:20)

Album Art:

moonlit_reverie's top albums (overall)
1. Francis Poulenc - Poulenc: Chamber Music (55) 2. Francis Poulenc - Poulenc - Piano and Organ Concerti - Roge, Deferne, Hurford, Dutoit (32) 3. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (26) 4. Count Basie - The Complete Atomic Basie (26) 5. Los Angeles Philharmonic & Michael Tilson Thomas - Prokofiev: Greatest Hits (26) 6. Francis Poulenc - POULENC: Sonata for Two Pianos / Clarinet Sonatas (25) 7. Robert Schumann - Marchenerzahlungen (Fairy Tales) Op 132 (24) 8. Frédéric Chopin - CHOPIN: Complete Piano Music (24) 9. Francis Poulenc - POULENC: Sextet / Trio / Oboe Sonata / Flute Sonata (23) 10. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem (23) 11. John Coltrane - Standards (22) 12. Richard Sherman, Jan Eberle, Kimberly Schmidt - Spectral Trio (22) 13. Alex Klein, oboe - Fantasies and Partitas (21) 14. Mary Stolper (flute), Carolyn Hove (English horn) & Paul Viapiano (guitar) - Carolyn Hove, English Horn (20) 15. Francis Poulenc - POULENC: Stabat Mater / Gloria / Litanies (20) 16. Vladimir Ashkenazy - Chopin Nocturnes Disc 2 (20) 17. Jacques Ibert - Jaques IBERT: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 1 (20) 18. Franz Schubert - Mass In A-Flat Major (20) 19. Sergei Prokofiev - Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas #2, 7 & 8 (20) 20. Francis Poulenc - POULENC: Histoire de Babar / Leocadia (20)

The idea was to get a list together of all the records I have and keep on adding to it. Ill probably forget to maintain this, not gonna lie.

Humbug - Arctic Monkeys
Greatest Hits - Dave Brubeck
Phrazes For The Young - Julian Casablancas
London Calling - The Clash
Coltrane - John Coltrane
My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello
Horehound - The Dead Weather
Five Leaves Left - Nick Drake
Bryter Layter - Nick Drake
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan
Dylan - Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits - Bob Dylan
More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits - Bob Dylan
At Budokan - Bob Dylan
Body And Soul - Coleman Hawkins
Autobahn - Kraftwerk
Early Music - Bob Marley And The Wailers
Exodus - Bob Marley And The Wailers
Ten - Pearl Jam
Dixie Narco EP - Primal Scream
Come Together - Primal Scream
songs for the death - Queens of the Stone Age
Rolled Gold: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones
Goo - Sonic Youth
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground
Live at Max's Kansas City - The Velvet Underground
Fly Farm Blues - Jack White
After the Gold Rush - Neil Young
No Nukes - Various Artists

ill keep adding
x

The Idea was to get a list together of all the records I have and keep on adding to it. Ill probably forget to maintain this, not gonna lie.

Humbug - Arctic Monkeys
Greatest Hits - Dave Brubeck
London Calling - The Clash
Coltrane - John Coltrane
My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello
Horehound - The Dead Weather
Five Leaves Left - Nick Drake
Bryter Layter - Nick Drake
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan
Dylan - Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits - Bob Dylan
More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits - Bob Dylan
At Budokan - Bob Dylan
Body And Soul - Coleman Hawkins
Autobahn - Kraftwerk
Early Music - Bob Marley And The Wailers
Exodus - Bob Marley And The Wailers
Ten - Pearl Jam
Dixie Narco EP - Primal Scream
Come Together - Primal Scream
songs for the death - Queens of the Stone Age
Rolled Gold: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones
Goo - Sonic Youth
The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground
Live at Max's Kansas City - The Velvet Underground
Fly Farm Blues - Jack White
After the Gold Rush - Neil Young
No Nukes - Various Artists

ill keep adding
x