September 2005

. Kevin Blechdom : Eat My Heart Out (Chicks On Speed).
Appearances are sometimes deceptive. The cover of this promo CD confused me for a while, although it fits perfectly its title. It shows Kevin Blechdom standing naked and holding a raw heart on her chest. One thing is certain: Kevin is a woman. It took me a while before I actually put the cd in the player, but then it came as a shock: I was thrown into the world of a rock opera. On her second album, Kevin Blechdom is direct-actor of this musical narrative dedicated to love. Ballads, rap, a 19 seconds long track summed up in : « You Got Yourself », a song performed a capella « Slow Me Down », music for cheap video games ("Songydong"), you find it all at Kevin's! She had a few collaborators on this polymorphous album:  Jamie Lidell and Lucile Desamory, a belgian film director/DJ (under the name DJ Telepath). The latter's musical movie COUNT DOWN TO NOTHING, starring herself and Kevin Blechdom is also available on the record. I cannot find words to describe the 13 minutes long video experience, besides that it suits perfectly well the atmosphere of the record (if you cannot stand super high-pitched vocals, just stay away from it!)

. Zavoloka : Suspenzia + Plavyna (Nexsound).
Kateryna Zavoloka is a musician from Kyiv city, Ukraine, which seems to be a rarity in itself worth noting. This is electronic music in the true sense: neither electro-hype clash, nor pop. No, we're here talking about analogical and digital noises accompanied here and there by vocals "Siayati/suspenzia" and melodies.
Plavyna is Kateryna Z's first "real" record. By "real" I mean the first one on cd, since she's been "releasing" mp3s here and there, and that "Susupenzia", her very first release was in fact a collection of these mp3s. Melodies, noisy sequences, ethnic vocals, going back and worth between technology and roots, here lies the philosophy of this 23 years old artist.
Both albums were released by Nexsound, a Ukranian label (highly recommended) speci alized in experimental music, whether it's acoustic or electronic, which the label calls "environmental music ".

.Anais : The Cheap Show (V2 Music).
What a peculiar album is this one! A live recording from Marseille, performed by a young woman alone on stage, in a half concert, half musical hall style. It is difficult to picture this by hearing it, besides I am sure we're missing a lot by being deprived of the visual part. From the clapping and laughters of the crowd, they were obviously having a great time. I cannot say the music is my favourite: French pop played on guitar, doing a parody of canadian singers, a rapping track, on which the rhyming is bigger than life, and a little wink to Francis Cabrel on top of it all. A nice collection of ironical references, or is it? The final result is a pleasant record, although you should have a solid background in French language and culture to fully grab the work.

.Every month, we try to present a band to listen to online. That way you can hear great bands who cannot afford to be produced or distributed worldwide.

The punk band of the month: Revenge Club, from San Diego, with a fat, efficient sound and  hammering drums. You can listen to their Shot Myself In the Foot e.p.   http://www.revengeclub.net/interest.htm

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