Streaming Video – Zachary Mule

CHILDREN OF THE PINES

(TOPBOX PRODUCTIONS/DAME MEDIA/MIDNIGHT JUSTICE FILMS/FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA (92 minutes; Unrated); 2024)

If a title like CHILDREN OF THE PINES makes you anticipate a horror film about cherubic baddies along the lines of CHILDREN OF THE CORN or CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED, well, that’s understandable. Any cinematic outing that focuses on “Children of, well anywhere or ANYTHING,” is bound to be a less than wholesome look at youngsters that are probably up to no good. But writer/director Joshua Morgan’s nifty little thriller has far more substance than your average horror film, and while it DOES have some horror in it for sure, it’s more properly termed a “dark melodrama” than a straight horror film. And in both its pacing and the deliberate way its script unfolds, this is one cleverly made and genuinely unsettling little film. It kept me very interested, despite my initial low expectations, and that’s saying something.

CHILDREN OF THE PINES (RICHARD COHN-LEE, DANIELLE J BOWMAN) (screenshot)

College girl Riley (Kelly Tappan) has been through some troubling issues with her parents Kathy (Danielle J. Bowman) and John (Richard Cohn-Lee), and is less than enthusiastic about visiting them on a winter break at their home in an unnamed mountain town. In a curious bit of voiceover narration, she tells us “Sadness will only ground you, in ways that happiness can only dream of doing.” Nicely open-ended, that. We quickly learn that the parents have a few secrets, one of which is that they’ve provided employment for Riley’s ex, Gordon (Vas Provatakis). That’s annoying enough for our heroine, who is trying to maintain cordial relations with her former beau. But when it becomes clear that the folks have called upon the services of a cult-like organization that uses, shall we say, “unconventional methods” to facilitate healing for this troubled family, things start to get weird. Especially when some creepy young children are suddenly in the mix, and Riley is supposed to welcome them with “mothering” arms. Where did they come from? And what in the world makes Kathy and John think Riley is gonna be okay with these odd young’uns, one of whom is clearly not quite right in the head? The film’s primary tension comes from how Riley tries to manage each new bit of information thrown at her, and figure out what in hell her parents are up to. And possibly the old beau as well. The film impressively takes its time setting the tableau for this series of events, and while most of us have seen enough disturbing horror films to expect certain lousy things to happen in a story such as this, Joshua Morgan reveals himself to be a thoughtful, psychologically tuned-in kinda filmmaker. Issues of alcoholism, domestic abuse and estrangement are brought up, but nothing is driven to extremes the way you might expect. This is a character drama, one in which you get to observe these folks’ behavior yourself, and try to figure shit out right along with Riley.

CHILDREN OF THE PINES (KELLY TAPPAN) (screenshot)

And let’s talk now about Kelly Tappan’s performance here. Some of the first notes I wrote down while watching this were “terrific acting” and “totally naturalistic scene in the diner,” that being a conversation between Riley and Gordon as they get reacquainted before some of the more disturbing stuff happens. Tappan manages to do something all too rare in movies these days: Convince you that this girl exists and is genuinely like people you might know in her reactions and comments. Without being shrill or over the top, she lets you know she is truly concerned about her family and is trying to figure out what to do. When the moment comes where she has “had enough,” you’re totally with her all the way. It’s a marvelous, nuanced performance by this young actress. Her mom, Bowman’s role, is also impressive although I often wonder WHY a seemingly intelligent, thoughtful woman like this would go along with some clearly deranged behavior from her hubby. But then we KNOW this kinda shit happens today, don’t we?

The behavior of the cult that Riley’s parents are being guided by has some serious resonance with stuff we know is going on today, and one of the cult’s reps, the energetically cracked Lorelei (Donna Rae Allen) is believable in a downright icky way. I consider it a small miracle that director Morgan shows so much restraint in this production when he could have cheerfully gone much more over the top. And let it be said that while there IS some shocking violence in the film’s final third, it does NOT go over the top or push the limits. Events stay just on the right side of plausibility, which is disturbing unto itself. And the acting is naturalistic to a fault. The whole cast here impressed me, honestly. And the mountain setting is memorable as well… the film is visually striking, and you absolutely can imagine that all these events are actually happening in this little town. When Riley is walking through a snow-covered pathway, trying not to slip in her little boots, you feel every second of her effort. And you ROOT for her with every step, no doubt about it. That’s testament to Tappan’s anchoring performance, which I won’t soon forget.

I could quibble about the ending, which I wasn’t that wild about, and I sometimes get personally worked up about dysfunctional family dramas, especially when the solutions bad parents seek are clearly bonkers. But there is something genuinely compelling about what writer/director Joshua Morgan has given us here. The degree of realism, the fine acting, and the disciplined script all indicate a filmmaker with loads of promise and the thoughtful nature to look at complex human dilemmas with plenty of empathy and curiosity. CHILDREN OF THE PINES ends up being clearly on the INTELLIGENT side of the horror genre, with a determination to avoid cliches and overused tropes as much as possible. I applaud it for that, and will be interested in whatever Mister Morgan does in the future. Not to mention the charming Ms Tappan.

IN PRAISE OF EPHEMERA’S MONOLOVE, A CLASSIC NORWEGIAN POP GEM ON ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

KEVIN RENICK REFLECTS ON MUSICAL PERFECTION

“We live in a cynical world.” That famous line was uttered by Tom Cruise’s titular character in the movie JERRY MAGUIRE, and it pops into my head sometimes. There’s a lot of distrust, unhappiness and social division out there these days, and it’s hard to find your own personal “throughline” in a world that seems to be constantly struggling, with more and more individuals feeling trapped in some way, or just plain alienated.

EPHEMERA (Ingerlise Storksen, Christine Sandtorv, Jannicke Larsen Berglund) (photo credit BENT RENE SYNNEVAG)

“Only chaos/Only empty days/Only thin skin/Only tension/Only make-no-sense,” sings Ingerlise Storksen of the divinely talented Norwegian girl trio Ephemera at the beginning of their fifth album MONOLOVE. The irony behind these seemingly gloomy lyrics, which are just as apt as ever 20 years after the album first came out, is that they are sung in an absolutely GORGEOUS and riveting pop song, “Chaos,” which opens with one of the most deleriously chiming keyboard flurries I’ve ever heard on a modern pop album. Sheer sonic beauty was already a hallmark of Ephemera’s career when MONOLOVE was released in late 2004; members Christine Sandtorv, Ingerlise Storksen and Jannicke (Larsen) Berglund had established themselves as supremely gifted songwriters and rapturous three-part harmony singers through the course of four previous discs, including successful outings like BALLOONS AND CHAMPAGNE in 2001 and AIR in 2003. But their winning formula only locked into place when they teamed up with producer Yngve Leidulv Saetre for an album called SUN in 2000. I will be upfront and say that this “formula” (an inadequate word to convey the lush and organic purity of this music) soon became one of my favorite sounds in the entire musical universe. And by the time I fully absorbed the depth, variety and spine-tingling perfection of the 13 tracks on MONOLOVE (an album that had a tendency to SLAY me on long road trips in my car), it managed to become my favorite album of all time. Yes, it’s THAT good and THAT personally significant to me.

“It was a really fun album to record,” Jannicke told me via email correspondence this summer (I contacted all three women to get their feedback when I was planning this piece). “I loved all the songs that the other two had written at that time and it was very giving and exciting to record them. Harmonies and arrangements came easily and our producer (Yngve) understood really well what kind of sound we wanted to express.”

Of course MANY groups might say such things about the process of making an album they are justifiably proud of, but some kind of transcendent magic had to be taking place in the studio to result in songs like “On the Surface” and “Thank You,” two exquisite Ingerlise Storksen compositions that send shivers up my spine whenever I play them. Ingerlise’s vocal approach on these songs is “blue diamond” stuff in my book… breathy, intimate and heartfelt. Add the delicate string arrangement on “Thank You,” the enthralling three-part “mm mm” harmonies and the haunting lyrics about a person in the singer’s life who helped guide her journey (“You left your footprints in the snow/A guideline for me so I will know/The day I get lost/Which way to go… ”), and you’ve got yourself a positively transcendent art song. The harmony interlude that follows that first chorus is literally one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard on any record. And it affects me the same every single time I hear it. THAT’s magic!

But one of the notable things about MONOLOVE is how all three of the band members contribute peak, spellbinding songs to the mix. Jannicke gives us two of her very finest, “City Lights” and “Paint Your Sky,” stunningly arranged soft rockers that always change my mood for the better the instant either begins. And a secret, underlying component here – something I bring up in a songwriting class I teach – I would characterize as “aesthetic vagueness.” That’s when the listener gets the imagery and overall feel a songwriter is aiming for without knowing all the specific details of what the song is truly about, so you can insert YOURSELF into it. “I can put up a show, so simple and lame/It’s far from the same/But the line is thin/Between failure and success/There’s either more or less/You’re either out or in/The line is thin… ” Plenty to relate to here, especially when Jannicke sings the lyrics in a clear, plaintive voice and is soon joined by her two cohorts on a deceptively simple chorus: “Under the city lights I fail/Under the city lights I’m pale.” I have been positively transfixed by that chorus since the first time I heard it, and I am profoundly MOVED by the sonic blend the group and their genius producer achieve here.

“‘City Lights’ is a song about the very unfair differences in our world,” Jannicke told me. “The background sounds and voices in the intro were recorded in Tokyo or Osaka when we were on tour in Japan. I like how it sets the atmosphere in the song, both quiet and chaotic at the same time. What I mean to express in the song is that no one is better or more worthy than the other. We are all equally small and unimportant in this big universe, or big and important in this small world. The point is that no one should put themselves above others. Be a fellow human being instead, if you have the chance… ”

Jannicke plays evocative keyboards on this and many other Ephemera songs; in video clips of the band’s performances, she’s almost always behind the keys, playing something distinctive and resonant. You’ll also notice, when you hear this album a few times, that just a simple percussion bit here and there or the way the bassline comes in at just the right moment, reveal an ensemble with exquisite taste and a unified sense of purpose. Everything sounds just so clear and right… The trio seem to be brimming with confidence throughout, apparently paying close attention to literally every detail of every song.

EPHEMERA, 2004 (Christine Sandtorv, Ingerlise Storksen, Jannicke Larsen Berglund) (photo credit BENT RENE SYNNEVAG)

“This was a really busy time for Ephemera, with a lot of traveling abroad,” Ingerlise related. “So it was really nice to have a break from it all, and that we got to stay home for a couple of weeks recording MONOLOVE at Duper Studio. We were in a very creative and productive state, I remember – and we did a lot of live recording in the studio. Most of the songs were written on the road and in between, so many of the songs were quite fresh by the time we landed in the studio. This gave it all a new nerve and feel to the sessions. I remember it being like busy, calming and lovely, all at once.”

To read those descriptive words busy, calming and lovely all at once from one of the people who actually MADE this amazing music was enormously helpful to me, as I’ve struggled through the years to explain to the uninitiated why Ephemera are just so darn brilliant. While it’s always a subjective thing to evaluate pop music (or really ANY music) – as a songwriter myself and a guy who has been doing music journalism for nigh on 30 years now, I think I have a reasonably good idea of what constitutes “good” music. But very, very FEW things have transfixed me and soundtracked my very being the way Ephemera’s music has. And I’m certainly not alone.

EPHEMERA (Ingerlise Storksen, Jannicke Larsen Berglund, Christine Sandtorv) (uncredited photo)

“Your music is what reaffirmed my belief in the possibility that people have souls,” posted one enthusiastic fan on the trio’s original web site, from which I extracted as many opinions as I could before it went defunct. He was probably responding to the same sincere vulnerability, compassion and unquestioning LOVE for the human condition that I find so compelling, and that these remarkable women inject into every song. Think of any movie scene that once gripped your emotions or any powerful moment in your life that still fills you with aching nostalgia, and that’s the sort of feeling you’ll find in almost every Ephemera composition. And MONOLOVE has more of those than usual. Christine Sandtorv, commonly the most prolific songwriter in the band, contributes six songs to the record, and they are mostly of a stylish piece, dealing with the uncertainties of relationships, the whole “trust versus love” dilemma and the simple challenge of being a vulnerable human being. Her songs feature delicate, often masterful acoustic guitar picking, tasteful string arrangements and conversational-style lyrics that anchor her songs. Even titles like “Do’s and Dont’s,” “Leave It At That,” and “Put-On-Smile” hint at the reflective approach these songs contain. That latter song contains one of MONOLOVE’s most telling verses: “I’m not in the sky/I’m not on solid ground/I cannot lie/But I know how to pretend/I’m not in the mood/Don’t feel like jumping for joy/Though I should be happier than medium okay.” Medium okay, wow! I know that condition, Christine! The primary musical element here is rather jaunty, with even Christine’s memorable vocal delivery sounding almost upbeat. But a strongly melancholy acoustic guitar arpeggio later in the song and some solemn but beautiful three-part harmony from the band nails down the real mood here for any attentive listeners.

EPHEMERA onstage (Ingerlise Storksen, Christine Sandtorv, Jannicke Larsen Berglund) (photo credit TORE SAETRE)

“I think a lot was on my mind at the time, as it often is when you are on your way to becoming an adult,” Christine told me. “It was probably a rather dark time for me. I was starting to get tired of traveling a lot. I like being close to family the most. You can see it thematically on many of my songs on this album.”

Christine related how the sparse, haunting album closer “Long” was played at the funeral of her father in 2007. “It became too difficult to play it live,” she said. “Even though it wasn’t written directly for him, I felt that a lot of emotions in the song fit.”

The existential sadness and uncertainty expressed in tunes like this helps explain why MONOLOVE steadily ascended to the very top of my list of favorite albums. Every song focuses on something relatable and timeless, something your heart was aching to hear… though perhaps you didn’t know it yet. I’d lost many loved ones myself and was constantly pondering the meaning of it all, something I tended to do a lot on long car trips. And I found that there was no better music to provide the soundtrack for such contemplation than Ephemera’s. And they truly outdid themselves in that regard with MONOLOVE. You get a real sense, song after song, of self-aware fellow human beings creating ultimate musical portraits of what it means to be a tuned-in, caring person in the “cynical world” of today. Take Jannicke’s anthemic song “Paint Your Sky,” a tune that absolutely bowled me over the first time I heard it. The subtly beautiful, lilting arrangement provides a bed for Jannicke’s clear, almost matter-of-fact vocal addressing the subject of self-doubt. The spellbinding chorus soon kicks in and I have quoted it often through the years. It plays rather continually in my head: “Those you rely on/They seem to be pretending/You’re in denial/Go out and hold your banner high/Painting your own sky… ” It’s unutterably lovely, creating one of the group’s most distinctive lyrical manifestos in those last three lines.

“‘Paint Your Sky’ is a song that shows the mood I was in at that time; happy, self-confident and ready to express myself, without being shy or afraid,” said Jannicke. “I was tired of compromising (myself), which is revealed as a layer of vulnerability in the song. I love the playful bass and the deep electric guitar, and the light, insistent mandolin.” She’s right about the arrangement; it positively dazzles. The group’s harmonies are luminous, and this is sure to be one of the songs that’ll stick in your head upon a first listen to MONOLOVE. But in a stroke of conceptual and sequencing brilliance, it’s followed by an even more unforgettable song, which doesn’t seem possible at this point. “Dead Against the Plan,” oh my lord. Absolutely unbelievable how good this song is. To this very day, after countless listens, I become positively awestruck listening to this Christine and Ingerlise collaboration. I thought about pressing them on how this track came to be, then decided I wanted it to stay somewhat mysterious. Not everything needs an explanation; it’s enough to say this is a stone CLASSIC. I’m not sure I can think of a better example offhand of a giddily inventive arrangement, peerless vocals both in the lead by Ingerlise and in the group harmonies, and the truest form of aesthetic vagueness thematically in the service of a song about something that has gone wrong in an unknown relationship. “Something happened/You could surely have done without” is about all the songwriters are going to clue you into here. There are three or four SEPARATE earworms in this track, and I’m on record already as saying the recording should be taught in music classes at universities as an example of getting every single aspect of a song just about perfect. You know those music-related queries in social media where they ask you, “If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?” If I wasn’t allowed to cheat and pick the entire ambient album of my choice, I would probably say “Dead Against the Plan” by Ephemera. Inside, I am laughing and crying at the same time when I hear this truly BRILLIANT piece of music making.

EPHEMERA (Christine Sandtorv, Jannicke Larsen Berglund, Ingerlise Storksen) (photo credit BENT RENE SYNNEVAG)

So at this point, I MUST take my hat off to Yngve Leidulv Saetre, the George Martin-like producer of Ephemera, who has shepherded every album of theirs since SUN at the turn of the millennium. He’s produced many other acts as well, including DumDum Boys and Kaizers Orchestra, and he was the lead singer of Barbie Bones in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. But I’m here to say that Mister Saetre helped this trio conjure absolute magic in the studio, and if I ever met him I’d give him a bottle of fine champagne or something to show my appreciation of his wizardry.

“Yngve is the fourth member of Ephemera,” Ingerlise declared. “From early on, with our debut album GLUE (which he mixed and mastered), he understood what we were working on. Where we wanted to go with our music. Yngve is a very creative producer, creative in the same sense as the three of us in Ephemera. We think the same (at least most of the time), and he understands and catches the depth and the sense, as well as how he challenges us. With MONOLOVE we worked quite productive and fast, because we had such a busy schedule (in between touring). This was not an issue, because we were already on the same page, and knew where we wanted this album to go.”

The famed producer was tough for me to reach; I had tried twice before, most recently with Ephemera’s 2020 comeback album SEASONS, and wasn’t successful. But I got ahold of him this time and he spoke very highly of Ephemera, calling their previous collaborations “open, playful and inspired.” While mostly in sync with the group’s intentions, Saetre said that MONOLOVE posed a particular challenge overall. “It was in many ways a very ambitious project,” he said. “There were different ambitions from many angles, also from outside the trio. It was hard to try to unite all this into the wonderful tripod balance that to me is Ephemera.”

EPHEMERA (producer Yngve Leidulv Saetre) (photo credit CHRISTINE SANDTORV)

Certainly at this point in the trio’s career, pressure was coming from not only within as to what should happen next, but from the industry as well. The discussions must have been rather lively in the studio, but whatever tension may have occurred pushed the group to their highest creative levels yet. You don’t get a masterpiece like MONOLOVE without many, many factors coming together to influence the result. Other musicians have contributed to Ephemera albums in the past, but the sometimes more complex arrangements on their fifth full-length feature contributions from well-known Norwegian players Thomas Dahl and Julian Berntsen (for whom Ingerlise recorded a duet called “The Park 1920”), among others; both are credited on some of the lush strings that the album features, though it is difficult to read the tiny credits on the CD sleeve. My favorite credit reads “Bits and pieces of sound on just about every track,” which is how one of Yngve Saetre’s credits reads. And we also learn that “Long” was recorded live at the producer’s apartment, which helps explain the ambient birdsong and other outside sounds that effectively adorn that song, ending the album with a particularly evocative flourish. Not to mention revealing what a hands-on producer Yngve clearly was. Without making this article longer than it already is, I can only declare straight up that Yngve surely has something to do with the particularly evocative details in many of Ephemera’s catalog entries, two of my personal favorites being “Maple Tree” and “Bye.” To be able to listen to certain songs over and over and ALWAYS get lost in their beauty, takes a secret ingredient in the production, and as both Jannicke and Ingerlise pointed out earlier, Yngve simply has an intuitive understanding of what their songs are aiming for, and how a detail here and there can make them even more rapturous. I can’t know what “bits and pieces” throughout MONOLOVE were his doing, but I bet Yngve had something to do with the three-tiered descending harmonies on “Leave It At That,” or how in the next to concluding song “End,” in the lyric “I see us leaving hand in hand,” penned by Christine, the word hand is memorably repeated a few times in the last minute. And in songs that achieve actual perfection like “Thank You,” “Paint Your Sky” and “Dead Against the Plan,” the producer deserves some kind of award for sonic dazzling. I doubt that George Martin ever heard this album when he was alive, but had he done so, I bet he would have nodded and smiled.

“I’m happy to hear you appreciate this album so much,” Yngve told me. “It’s always a good feeling to hear from somebody who found something of value in something one contributed to. Music has this direct connection to your feelings and you can’t argue with it. When you listen to something, you immediately recognize the way you felt when you got to know it the first time. I have it like this with a couple of other albums that were hard to make.”

I got the sense that Yngve is a modest chap, with an obviously strong work ethic. I wish I could have told him about the many, many transcendent moments on Ephemera recordings that I know he was at least partially responsible for. And to just THANK him for serving the trio so well… “Yngve always has good thoughts behind the work he does,” Christine related. “He allows us to be creative and try things out, while at the same time managing it all in a steady manner. We have never wanted to collaborate with any other producer, because we think Yngve is the best both as a producer and as a person. He understands us in a respectful way, which may have been extra important as an all-girl band.”

EPHEMERA, 2020 (Christine Sandtorv, Ingerlise Storksen, Jannicke Larsen Berglund) (photo credit: MAGNE FONN HAFSKOR)

“We always put a lot of work, all our hearts and minds into the recording of an album,” said Ingerlise. “The devil and the angel are always in the details, and all three of us really love working with the minor details, the tiny twists and turns, sounds and feelings. I think we were all very happy with how MONOLOVE came out in the end.” She added that she thought it was “more mature than some of the other recordings. A more balanced album, from low and ‘heart hurt’ things to the more uptempo and feel good songs. We like it like that, some down, some up. And some songs in between. Like LIFE… ”

As a very dedicated fan of this amazing trio, I have often mused about their working process, i.e. how could they consistently come up with such beautiful music? Their ear for melody, the often subtle sonic detours in the songs, and, I must point out, the rather intoxicating precision of their singing in English… pure musical catnip for yours truly. It’s understood that most Scandinavian artists speak English rather fluently and can make music in that language as well as their own, depending on the audience. I absolutely ADORE hearing Christine, Ingerlise and Jannicke singing perfect words and well-constructed phrases in their soft, beguiling voices. There are many reasons why Ephemera’s music affects me like few other artists, and at least one ingredient is surely their natural, intimate vocal style, which is warm and comforting, eternally. I absolutely BELIEVE everything these ladies sing; there is never a false note of any kind. Listening to “Thank You,” “Do’s and Don’ts,” “Call Me Home,” “Long” or any other tune here is like having a special friend share something important and meaningful with you. Your ears perk up, constantly. The fact that the sentiments are couched in glistening, resonant pop tunes only makes the experience more potent. It’s easy to forget that human beings with their own personal issues and separate ambitions had to perhaps struggle a bit to record this stuff.

“It was a challenging recording,” Christine acknowledged. “I remember a bit of frustration, with different opinions about where we should end up, together with a very strong desire to make something really good. Not too poppy and not too quirky. In retrospect, I think the album turned out really well.”

EPHEMERA, 2024 (Ingerlise Storksen, Jannicke Larsen Berglund, Christine Sandtorv) (uncredited photo)

Speaking for myself as a listener, I’m often fascinated by what the intentions were of the artists I like. It has not always been the case with “Artist X or Y” that their enthusiasm in public statements about their work correlated with my own level of appreciation. In the case of Ephemera and their sublime MONOLOVE disc, I soon came to the conclusion that I probably loved every single thing about this album more than they did! The platter contains timeless melodies, remarkably economical lyrics couched in rich, sparkling arrangements, gorgeous vocals both in leads and textured harmonies (sometimes occurring lower in the mix waiting to be discovered upon the umpteenth listen), and moments of such unforgettable emotional intimacy that I sometimes ended a listening session wanting to just say “thank you” to the universe and this band for, well, the SONG “Thank You” and all twelve other gems on this masterpiece. After any full listen to MONOLOVE, I end up feeling changed, and grateful. I hold the CD in my hands like it is a piece of jewelry or something, gazing at the cover photo of the three lovely musicians posing in a triangle-configured closeup of their heads, and leafing through the minimally adorned but classy booklet, soaking up every detail. And as an aside here, I want to say I still bemoan the devaluing of the CD and the “artistic presentation” in recent years. Yes, yes, I KNOW that downloading and streaming are the way most people listen to stuff, and people just don’t want to pay for physical “product” anymore. Phooey! To me, you simply CANNOT get the full experience of an album like this with a few digital downloads. Or, God forbid, “sampling” it on a YouTube video. I’d say the same about other artists I love like Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Talking Heads and more. All of whom, by the way, are also featured in my “Top 10 list of all time.” A really good album/CD is a work of art, something to be savored, something to immerse yourself in.

And that is what I do with MONOLOVE, every time. I’m aware it represented the culmination of everything this Norwegian trio were striving for. They and their crack producer worked their butts off on this thing. They were all at a peak of inspiration, coming off a major burst of attention and ambition, and they gave the world this gem. But it was to be the end of an era. No more new music appeared for 15 years from Ephemera, and while 2020’s SEASONS was a welcome return for sure, and featured the genuinely surprising classic “When the Best Ones Are Gone,” which accidentally became a pandemic-era soundtrack, plenty had changed, including their own career trajectory. On a simple level, all three ladies were just involved in growing families and their regular careers. Is that anything to be sad about? But shucks, in my “dream alternative universe,” there would be a “20th anniversary reissue” of MONOLOVE the way so many bands today reissue deluxe editions of classic albums. There’d be a stunning new booklet with unseen before photos, alternate takes of album cuts and some rarities, and perhaps even a delightful live album of an Ephemera concert, all housed in a handsome, shiny box. What a great treasure that would be in my alternative universe!

EPHEMERA (Jannicke Larsen Berglund, Ingerlise Storksen, Christine Sandtorv) (photo credit: BENT RENE SYNNEVAG)

But back here in reality… I am writing these words not knowing if there will EVER be any new Ephemera music again (hope I’m wrong), knowing that most music fans have never heard of them (unfortunately there is a Swedish heavy metal band with the same name, making any casual search for “Ephemera songs” a problematic exercise), and knowing I am probably the only writer in the WORLD, at least in America, saluting the 20th anniversary of an album you can’t even GET as a physical product anymore except from sellers on Discogs (and I highly suggest you old schoolers who are intrigued by what I wrote here to get the original album that way). I’ll finish by saying I did not want to casually just share some “top 10” list in social media or elsewhere with the Ephemera entry at the top, and then have some people scratching their heads over my entry. “He’s putting this obscure group above the Beatles and Joni Mitchell? What’s up with this dude?” Well, it was a simple evolution over time, that’s all… an emotional connection deep and enduring and truly personal. Because yes, MONOLOVE, by the Norwegian trio EPHEMERA, is indeed my very favorite album of all time, I am proud to say that. And I salute it, for all it means to me, and for the potent and enduring quality of its contents. I’ll let Jannicke (Larsen) Berglund have the last word.

“Music brings us all together. And I love it… ”

For more about Ephemera, here are links to their social media: https://www.facebook.com/ephemeragirls, https://www.ephemera.no/

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Features/Interviews Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | September 29, 2024 | 20th Anniversary Acoustic Music Christine Sandtorv Ephemera Folk Music Ingerlise Storksen Jannicke Larsen Berglund MONOLOVE Music Norway Norwegian Pop Pop Music Pop Rock Progressive Folk Rock Rock and Roll Streaming Video Yngve Saetre

STAR ZERO: EVERLASTING LOVE

(SELF-RELEASED SINGLE; 2024)

Star Zero is new band formed by five seasoned veterans from San Clemente, California. They have recently released several singles of what has been termed “Nu-Grunge” or “post-Grunge,” which is a not-unappealing melding of Grunge (generally exemplified by artists such as Soundgarden and Pearl Jam) and Nu-Metal (down-tuned-guitar based Metal acts such as (hed) PE, Deftones and Chevelle). The group, channeling the more melodic side of heavy music (Stone Temple Pilots and Alice In Chains immediately come to mind), features Josh Paskowitz, former vocalist for the Flys (1998’s “Got You (Where I Want You)”) alongside guitarists James O’Brien and Billy Murphy, bassist Jeff “Poppy” Poppenhagen and drummer Bernie Sanchez; they are augmented live and in the studio by keyboard player Reggie King.

“Everlasting Love” is Star Zero’s latest single. The quintet continues working with producer Cameron Webb (who has helmed projects by Linkin Park and Motorhead, among others) on a full-length album. The video, as you can see, is an artful, mind-bendingly trippy ode to the Old West; the music is stunningly melodic with gargantuan, beefy guitar and Paskowitz’ incredible vocals, evoking the memories of both Layne Staley and Chris Cornell (with a little Scott Weiland thrown in for good measure). This song, along with “You” and “King Saul,” has me excited for a full-length release! Make it so, gentlemen!

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | May 29, 2024 | Bernie Sanchez Billy Murphy Cameron Webb Hard Rock James O'Brien Jeff Poppenhagen Josh Paskowitz Music Nu-Grunge Nu-Metal Reggie King Rock and Roll Single Star Zero Streaming Video

TAYLOR SWIFT: THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT

(REPUBLIC RECORDS; 2024)

“Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift, TAYLOR SWIFT!” Say the name three times, really fast, like the Maitlands did with BEETLEJUICE in Tim Burton’s dark comic drama about hauntings, but instead of Michael Keaton’s titular character suddenly appearing to enact some supernatural nonsense, how about if Taylor appeared to solve your pesky relationship problems? Wouldn’t that be awesome? “This guy is obviously trouble,” the all-wise Swift apparition might say to you. “Get rid of him yourself by NOT responding to his text messages, or say something simple and direct like ‘Can’t trust you after last night. Think I better just tell you good bye right now.’” Or Swift could just quote from one of her many, many songs about spooked relationships, such as the motherlode you’ll find on her new album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. It’s fun to imagine such a thing!

TAYLOR SWIFT, Nashville Tennessee, May 07, 2023 (photo credit: JOHN SHEARER/TAS23/GETTY IMAGES for TAS Rights Management)

These days, you only have to say Taylor Swift’s name ONCE, anywhere, and the person next to you will likely voice a reaction. Everything from “Oh I LOVE her music, it’s like a personal soundtrack for me!” to “Man, I just don’t dig that kind of music, and I’m sick of hearing about her!” Taylor has become the most famous entertainer in the world and one of the most awarded of all time; she’s in rarified company, having become a self-made billionaire strictly on the basis of her art. When’s the last time THAT happened? Thing is, when any product becomes TOO successful, the army of detractors is just WAITING to speak up, to NOT participate in the kind of unprecedented enthusiasm that greeted Taylor’s sold-out ERAS tour, the boundary-breaking concert film made from the tour, or the widespread love for her most popular albums such as RED, 1989 and FOLKLORE. And she even won a record setting FOURTH “Album of the Year” Grammy at last year’s ceremony with her tenth album MIDNIGHTS. Commercially it has seemed like Taylor can do no wrong, and Swifties, as they are called, will defend her every move and musical change-up. So this has generated anti-Taylor commentary more and more in recent years, and even if it wasn’t a hateful sort of tone, some listeners have begun to sound jaded or just EXHAUSTED from all the Taylor product out there. Eleven studio albums now. Four remade albums in her notorious reissue campaign to stick it to Scooter Braun so she can own her masters again (you can read about that anywhere), with two more to come, probably. A concert film and a documentary. The ongoing ERAS tour. Alternate vinyl and CD versions of various albums with bonus cuts. Tons of magazines and books (go into any Barnes and Noble and you’ll find an entire display rack with nothing but Taylor publications). Photos appearing EVERY DAY and news updates of an ordinary human being who has to be one of the most TRACKED individuals in the world. You and I can NEVER know what it’s like to be at Taylor Swift’s level of fame. And you or I can probably NOT avoid getting into conversations about her, sometimes, with SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE. In a word, she is omnipresent.

TAYLOR SWIFT, circa 2020 (photo credit: BETH GARRABRANT)

So let me say, at this point, that I AM a fan. I have my own past with Taylor’s music that doesn’t need to be part of this story, but I’ve admired her sparkly pop craftsmanship, her often irresistible melodies, and her truly singular journey through the wilderness of pop music (and culture). I probably became a “Swiftie” when FOLKLORE appeared during the pandemic. That album grew on me quickly, and expanded Taylor’s sonic palette with indie folk stylings, third-person narratives here and there and a much more introspective and melancholy world view. I still LOVE that album and consider it Taylor’s best. It is aging really well. But we’ve had a couple more since, and now here we are in the TORTURED POETS era. This one seemed to arrive out of nowhere, long before the typical “calendar” would seem to indicate it’s time for a new Taylor release. But Taylor follows her own calendar, that’s for sure. So this thing arrived with a big splash, surprising even in-the-know Swifties by coming out, at least digitally, as a DOUBLE album – there being a batch of 15 additional songs announced as THE ANTHOLOGY the very day of release. Were fans ready for another 31 new Taylortunes?. If you read any of the grumblings that greeted the leaked early release, not ALL. Predictably, some listeners (and even a few popular reviewers) chose to vent their “Taylor exhaustion” at this point, and plenty of less than flattering opinions were voiced. This sort of thing rarely matters in the Taylor-verse.

TAYLOR SWIFT (photo credit: BETH GARRABRANT)

And quite frankly, I’m having none of it. As a musician myself and an experienced music writer, all I want to know is, does this new collection of Taylor music stir my emotions and make me think about things from a few new angles? The answer is definitely YES. It’s a more demanding album than some of her others, and there aren’t as many “bangers” (apparently that’s the hip word for an instantly grabby pop confection) as many fans would like. But TTPD is among Taylor’s most contemplative, introspective and melancholy albums. For my personal taste, that works just fine. But let’s get one thing out of the way here. Many reviews and fan commentaries have spent a LOT of space wondering which songs applied to recent Taylor beaus such as Joe Alwyn or Matty Healy from The 1975, given that Taylor clearly DOES write about her love life and LOST LOVE life, and has created a kind of intrigue about these things with her base. But I won’t be taking that kind of approach here. I’m going to discuss other things about some of the songs and how they make me feel. Who inspired them is not particularly important to me.

You’ve all heard “Fortnight” already; it’s a somber little dark-pop collab with Post Malone, featuring the memorable line “I love you, it’s ruining my life.” Plenty of us can relate to that more than we’d like. The title track memorably addresses the concept of the “tortured poets” Taylor’s self-analytical character and her less than profoundly inspired love interest think they are, by name dropping Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith, something that caused the latter to write Swift a note thanking her for coupling those names together. It has an air of deep sorrow and resignation, but on a personal note, I couldn’t help feeling tickled that some future music list might see me and Taylor Swift paired together because she discusses “typewriters” in the lyrics here, and one of my own best-known songs is “Goodbye Typewriter.” Hey Taylor, proud to be with you in that sure-to-come-someday reference! But anyway… the first tune to really stick with me was “Down Bad,” in which Taylor curiously compares the experience of being swept up by a compelling lover to that of being kidnapped and prodded by space aliens. A low throbbing synth tone holds our ears captive, while additional glowing keyboard sounds adorn other parts of the mix. It’s a pleasantly spacey production featuring regular Tay collaborator Jack Antonoff. Taylor harmonizes with herself throughout, a blend I greatly enjoy, and she also curses a lot in this song. In fact she curses quite a bit on this album overall. I make this point because many pundits try to speak about what a “role model” Taylor is, and how she often portrays what we think a “good girl” is supposed to be like. Does a real lady swear this much? Well, screw all that. She’s a human being and a woman and a visionary artist. No reason in the world why she can’t say “shit” and “fuck” as much as the rest of us. I first noticed Taylor’s freedom to swear on FOLKLORE and it made me grin. This uber successful artist, with all the material things a person could want and more power than any of us could DREAM of, is gonna just go with her REAL emotions, song by song. THAT helps make her more relatable, you see. Remember the lines “Do you see my face in the neighbor’s lawn?/Does she smile?/Or mouth the words ‘Fuck you forever?’” from the angry tune “Mad Woman”? Or the balls-out tune “Vigilante Shit” from her previous album, in which she sings “I don’t start shit, but I can tell you how it ends.” I guess the point here is that swearing is a pretty natural response to stress for most of us, and you don’t hear it in music lyrics that often outside the world of rap. When Taylor swears, it absolutely commands attention, as it does on the chorus “I’m down bad crying at the gym/Everything comes out teenage petulance/Fuck it if I can’t have him/I might just die, it would make no difference.” I thoroughly GET that this songwriter is putting the full emotion INTO the song. It doesn’t matter if the situation is ruling any part of her life anymore or detracting from her happiness. We’re allowed to experience the full disappointment and angst she expresses IN the composition, IN the sound. That’s when music really grips you and becomes ultimately relatable.

If “Down Bad” is a mostly effective and memorable tune, the first genuine classic here is “So Long London.” The song begins with several ethereal Taylor voices singing that title in a repeated, choir-like manner. Then the stomping beat kicks in with a simple but resonating synth pop reverberation. Whatever you call this style – synth pop noir might work – it sure grabs yours truly. As Taylor unspools lines like “I pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away,” she achieves a perfection between sound, lyric and mood that had me marveling. The first time I shivered listening to this album was hearing her sing “How much sad did you think I had/Did you think I had in me?/Oh, the tragedy… ” Her voice is clear and upfront, the way I like it (Scandinavian singers typically mic their vocals this way, but it’s not always the case with American singers, who sometimes overdo the production). Taylor rarely overdoes the drama in her vocalizing, and that actually makes her a much more authentic and appealing vocalist than some give her credit for. I absolutely LOVE her weary sounding resignation here, as on this superb verse: “And you say I abandoned the ship/But I was going down with it/My white knuckle dying grip/Holding tight to your quiet resentment.” If you have EVER had a painful relationship or one that failed despite your best efforts, Taylor writes the ultimate soundtracks for such things, and this is absolutely one of them. And I personally relate to the notion of surrendering your attachment to a certain PLACE you liked because of the person you shared it with. In her case, London; in mine, I had a series of amazing times with a woman in Springfield, Missouri some years back, and now I can never experience the town in quite the same way. So you see, the SENTIMENT here is what is hugely relatable… apply “So Long London” to any place in YOUR romantic past, and suddenly this song gains emotional relevance. But it’s simply superb, every second of it, including when Taylor sings certain lines in double octaves, a musical choice we songwriters respond to right away when we hear it.

TAYLOR SWIFT, 81st Annual GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS (photo credit: STEVE GRANITZ/FILMMAGIC)

“But Daddy I Love Him” is a startling song lyrically, a co-write with the amazing Aaron Dessner. Taylor is fantastic at aiming the camera at herself musically, and freely being self-reflective. She started being more ruthlessly honest on her controversial REPUTATION album, when that whole Kanye insanity had taken its toll and a certain faction of her audience was turning on her. She had to shy away from the spotlight a bit, and it could be argued that the two sublime pandemic albums, FOLKLORE and EVERMORE, were an attempt to shift the focus from her own relationship doings and simply tell stories about people and their experiences, whether mirroring hers or not (sure, they did at times). When the publicity machine got cranked up to “11,” and that gigantic tour started after the release of MIDNIGHTS, Taylor had to be thinking about her level of fame and all the many, many things people were saying about her. Here is a woman, after all, who has her life (especially her LOVE life) under a microscope at all times, dissected to the nth degree. Who can withstand all that without going a bit nutty? And yet by all reports, Taylor is a completely delightful and friendly soul in person, interested in the same topics we all are, and wanting to just live her life as an energetic artist and make her mark on the world. She donates generously to charities, takes good care of her huge staff, has brought incredible economic benefits to every city she performs in, and is more than just “appreciative” of and openly demonstrative to her eternally reverent (and GIGANTIC) fan base. But the constant judgments from strangers surely has to take its toll. Hence, one of the most revealing and self-aware moments she has ever written appears in this powerful song: “I’ll tell you something right now/I’d rather burn my whole life down/Than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning/I’ll tell you something about my good name/It’s mine alone to disgrace/I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing/God save the most judgmental creeps/Who say they want what’s best for me… ” Just plain WOW. I had to read those lines a few times as I was writing this, marveling at how they appear in a slowly starting tune that appears to be about having to defend romantic choices all the time. Surely exhausting for the most famous woman in the world! And this recurring lyric is a genuine hoot: “Now I’m running with my dress unbuttoned/Screaming, ‘But Daddy I love him!’/I’m having his baby/No, I’m not, but you should see your faces.” A heck of a lot going on in this song, and the more you’re into Taylor, the more you’ll begin to truly appreciate what this kind of revelatory songwriting means in her career trajectory.

TAYLOR SWIFT, Sydney Australia February 23, 2024 (photo credit: DON ARNOLD/TAS24/GETTY IMAGES for TAS Rights Management)

I’m not that impressed with “Florida!!!,” a much ballyhoo’d collaboration with Florence and the Machine. It’s catchy, sure, but not really one of the album’s highlights. By the time you get to “Guilty As Sin,” you are probably becoming aware that many songs here are mid-tempo in nature, and there’s a “familiarity” setting in. That is what was probably happening with some of the early comments about this record – Taylor has found her chosen groove and is mostly going to stay with it. Production-wise, much of the sound is shaped by frequent collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, and you can find some longtime fans grumbling that Taylor needs to work more with others. Personally, I LOVE what those guys add to her music. The trick here is, as a LISTENER, you also have to “stay with it.” These songs are multi-layered and rather sophisticated; they don’t always totally grip you on first listen. It’s worth it to give them repeated plays, and you’ll come to realize you are truly listening to an evolved artist, one of our finest songwriters, who is in an introspective mode that occurred at the same time she was outwardly experiencing the biggest successes of her career. And having to let go of TWO failed relationships while welcoming the promise of a NEW one – that being Travis Kelce, of course. It’s an awful lot, don’t you think? And these songs represent Taylor’s mindset over the past year and a half, maybe longer. They have depth and detail, and yes, they are worth your patience going through them all, if you’re a fan.

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” is another very self-aware Taylor song, more interesting lyrically than musically. But various lines from it will stay with you. “You don’t get to tell me about sad” is one of them. And this one had me pausing a bit to reflect: “I was tame, I was gentle ‘til the circus life made me mean.” Not to mention her repetition of that title, which at least a few times, she answers with “You SHOULD be.” Hey, this is a woman who got unprecedented revenge on former label boss Scooter Braun by going to the trouble and expense to RERECORD the albums she originally did for him, just so she could own the rights to her own masters. Don’t MESS with Taylor! That’s a message that has been coming through in various songs of hers since 2020, and TTPD is full of moments revealing that Taylor is pretty dang clear about who she is.

A sparse, sinewy and rather sombre production is given to the short song “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can),” done with Jack Antonoff. I like Taylor’s lower-register voice on this one; it sounds like it could have been on FOLKLORE or EVERMORE. It has some of that kinda vibe. So does the piano-centric “loml” (an acronym for “love of my life”), co-written by Aaron Dessner. This is a beautiful, epically sad piece that is going to make some fans cry. It’s full of regrets and the full-on confrontation of romantic failure, something a bit too easy for me to access if I let it. Lines like “I wish I could un-recall/How we almost had it all” and “Our field of dreams, engulfed in fire” are unambiguous, signature observations of love’s sad failings. “Love of my life” too often turns into “LOSS of my life,” which this song seems to point out.

TAYLOR SWIFT (uncredited publicity photo)

Taylor saves three of this album’s best songs for the final stretch; each one is a bona fide classic. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” is the genuine “banger” on this record, a Tay gem. It seems to perhaps be about Taylor’s ability to convey an upbeat, celebratory attitude to her public while knowing that darker emotions are churning inside. She sings it with real joie de vivre, over a positively zippy keyboard run and a catchy rhythm. “I can read your mind,” she says, “‘She’s having the time of her life/There in her glittering prime/The lights refract sequined stars off her silhouette every night/I can show you lies.’” Doesn’t all of that but the last line sound like how the audience likely perceives her each night of the sold-out ERAS tour? But something else is clearly being expressed here. As the song reaches its conclusion, the most famous woman in the world sings, “You know you’re good when you can even do it/With a broken heart/You know you’re good, I’m good/Cause I’m MISERABLE!/And nobody even knows!/Try and come for my job.” Man, that last line is killer. Really, the whole song is. It’s one of Taylor’s greatest, most honest and revealing songs. An instant classic, probably. Fans will be talking about this one forever.

TAYLOR SWIFT, Nashville Tennessee, May 06, 2023 (photo credit JOHN SHEARER/TAS23/GETTY IMAGES for TAS Rights Management)

If you have read any reviews at ALL of TTPD, you’ll know that “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” is one of the most talked-about songs here. It’s another Dessner co-write, and it begins with an audible sigh by our girl, like she KNOWS she’s about to lay down one of her most potent vocal and lyrical workouts ever. Doesn’t matter to me WHO this song is about; it’s plainly devastating, Taylor at her MOST wronged. “I would’ve died for your sins/Instead I just died inside/And you deserve prison, but you won’t get time/You’ll slide into inboxes and slip through the bars” is just one of the unforgettable verses here. While primarily a delicate and lovely piano composition, it soon builds into a dark synth-pop classic that reaches a pounding climax featuring such lines as “Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?” and “Were you a sleeper cell spy?” I’m not sure anyone is writing better songs about betrayal and romantic deceit in the current musical environment than Taylor Swift. Songs like this simply KILL, and if you have even a HALF open mind, this one is gonna stick with you. And like millions of her regular fans, you’ll be wondering “who the fuck was that guy?” Taylor sings those very words in this classic.

TAYLOR SWIFT (“Safe and Sound” video capture)

The final “regular” song on TTPD is another major piece of Swiftian musical craftsmanship called “Clara Bow.” Utterly sublime. Over a potent four-note descending bass line, the lyrics explores the “It girl” phenomenon that has chewed up and spit out hot female stars for literally decades. The promise of fame and attention that talent scouts have lured young starlets with (the titular silent era actress being an early example), telling them how “special” they really are until the NEXT one comes along, is an undeniably oft-told story. The bridge is just a killer: “Beauty is a beast that roars/Down on all fours/Demanding ‘more’/Only when your girlish glow/Flickers just so/Do they let you know/It’s hell on earth to be heavenly… ” I felt a terrible ache inside listening to the song, pondering all the excited young women in pop culture history who were noticed and elevated to a special level of fame. But eventually abandoned. Taylor addresses this topic with searing insider wisdom, and the music is poetic and timeless enough to deepen this major tune’s four-star impact. And you want more classic Tay self-awareness? Dig the last verse, but picture some cigar-chomping Weinstein type about to address an eager new nubile actress or singer saying this: “You look like Taylor Swift/In this light/We’re loving it/You’ve got edge she never did/The future’s bright/Dazzling.” The music ends suddenly after Taylor sings that last word. The impact is profound. We’ve just heard yet another classic Swift song, and it’s NOT about an unfaithful boyfriend, or a lover who won’t commit. It’s about a potent reality for female stars in today’s entertainment industry, both aspiring and established. And how the biggest star in the world right now can take a moment to contemplate the whole phenomenon and make us feel its sadness and inescapable nature in three minutes of riveting modern music. That is part of Taylor Swift’s particular genius… enabling us to relate to things that feel HUGE and inevitable, but like we could sit and talk to her about them easily. Or to our friends. Because being a vulnerable human being MATTERS, it’s true for all of us. And couldn’t we ALL strive to do better in our relationships, and how we treat others? Taylor’s songs always have such questions lurking in the background, even if the answers sometimes prove elusive.

NOTE: In this review, I did NOT tackle the full set of songs contained in the digital ANTHOLOGY. Most of those songs are quiet and introspective, not dissimilar to Taylor’s two pandemic albums. But they deserve a close look of their own, which I may do at a later date. What I covered in this review is the material on ALL standard versions of Taylor’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT release.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | May 14, 2024 | Aaron Dessner Digital Extras Grace and the Machine Jack Antonoff Post Malone Streaming Video Taylor Swift THE ANTHOLOGY THE ERAS TOUR

HERE FOR BLOOD

(SCREAMBOX ORIGINAL/PAGEMAN PRODUCTIONS/BLOODY DISGUSTING/CINEVERSE (101 minutes; Unrated); 2024)

This is a horror movie that is aptly named, as it indicates that if you watch horror movies in hopes of seeing a lot of blood, this one delivers. Throughout the film, there is spurting blood from stabbings, limbs getting cut off and even a couple of outrageously over the top head choppings. So I am saying all that upfront so you know that bloody violence is the order of the day in this’un. But since it is billed as a “horror/comedy,” the undertone of absurdity and satire helps alleviate any revulsion you may feel about the killings, although I have to say, the first two were really rather shocking… they happen in the film’s first 15 minutes. But what’s it ABOUT, you ask? Well, there’s this wrestler guy named Tom O’Bannon (Shawn Roberts) who makes less than a good living from cheap matches that a sleazy promoter stages for peanuts. Tom isn’t happy about his plight but hasn’t much choice in the matter. His attractive girlfriend Phoebe (Joelle Farrow) has an important test to cram for, and she asks Tom to fill in for just two hours for a babysitting job she agreed to do for friends, who have a young daughter named Grace (Maya Misaljevic). Tom is anything but thrilled about this but reluctantly agrees. Problem is, the house has been targeted for sinister reasons by a band of psycho cultists. When Tom orders a pizza for him and Grace, the pizza delivery guy is slaughtered in brutal fashion, and then it’s abundantly clear something horrible is taking place. And when Tom investigates a couple of weird sounds, the mayhem begins in earnest.

HERE FOR BLOOD (MAYA MISALJEVIC) (Screen Shot)

That’s the setup in a nutshell.

HERE FOR BLOOD (JOELLE FARROW, SHAWN ROBERTS) (Screen Shot)

I don’t really think, in a low-budget horror film such as this, that you need either a detailed plot synopsis or an analytical review of how successful the horror tropes are. Most people watch horror for the visceral kicks a film provides and the overall entertainment value. We’ve seen plenty of films about home invasions by masked psychos, which is the deal here, but this movie seems to delight in a level of excess that definitely makes an impression. One of the dimmer of the psycho cultists, apparently named “Bernie” (Jesse Buck) gets his face held to a red hot stove burner by Tom, screaming his head off; he also gets stabbed a bunch and has a hand cut off. The way Buck screams and pouts angrily throughout is the first sign you should NOT take this movie too seriously. Performance-wise, Buck is over the top but clearly understanding of the TONE that director Daniel Turres is going for. Which is a kind of high-energy schlock-carnage. “We are under attack by a gang of sex perverts!” Tom declares to Phoebe when she finally arrives after her studying is finished. “Everybody grab a knife,” he adds. There are tons of knives in this film, and an axe or two, all utilized regularly. “Just chop!” Tom tells Phoebe when she is wondering how they are going to subdue one of the killers. Phoebe is reluctant at first to do any killing and seems pathetically unhelpful, but when a killer calls her a bad name, she does some chopping all right, to such an extent that Tom has to tell her she can STOP now. Blood spurting in all directions is all the evidence needed that one of the baddies has been taken down. I laughed at that scene, honestly. And I laughed even more when Grace’s parents return home; this seemingly innocuous but neurotic couple, played with sitcom-like dopiness by Tara Spence-Nairn and Michael Therriault, provide some of the meant-for-relief laughter in the film’s final third. Considering the grim nature of the intruders and the detailed butchery we witness, the presence of these two quarreling knuckleheads will either help you relax or annoy the shit out of you. It sort of did BOTH for me.

HERE FOR BLOOD (JOELLE FARROW) (Screen Shot)

The killers are part of a cult, naturally, preparing for some kind of “ascension” that involves both a disemboweled talking head (voiced by Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider) that keeps saying “Feed me!” (a la the plant in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS), and the sacrifice of an attractive young woman, which is Phoebe’s intended role in all this and a point of attentive self-awareness and parody by the filmmakers, who score a point or so for that in terms of comedy. “We all knew the risks of joining a cult,” one of the homeowners casually declares. “But it’ll all be okay when we ASCEND.” Of course. That’s how it’s supposed to work! HERE FOR BLOOD is not a boring movie – it keeps things moving along at a good pace, and one or two setpieces of insane bloodletting, though winking at past films like THE EVIL DEAD and REANIMATOR, aren’t quite as deleriously funny as they’d like to be. The acting is not very good, for the most part, although the muscular Shawn Roberts tries to anchor things as best he can (and takes a thorough beating throughout). At one point, young Grace points to a bloody figure on the floor and asks “Is that guy DEAD?” “Yeah,” Tom replies. “Sucks, cause he was a fan of mine, too.” I laughed at that scene, and plenty of others. Clearly the intent was to have some fun with the genre by both the director and writer James Roberts. But it’s no classic, and much of the acting is just too stiff to be memorable. Still, it’s worth a watch for horror fans that like to be repulsed or startled by what they see. And I give the film an extra point or two by letting the good guys win despite going through hell. But many will perhaps NOT make it to the end of this one without a decisive response either yay or nay. But if you’re “here for blood” when you sit down to view this piece of self-aware horror carnage, chances are you will get what you came for.

HEY, MA! WATCH THIS Movies Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | April 27, 2024 | Action Movie Comedy Daniel Turres Dee Snider HERE FOR BLOOD Horror James Roberts Jesse Buck Joelle Farrow Maya Misaljevic Movie Trailer Movies Screambox Shawn Roberts Slasher Movie Unrated Wrestling Movie

IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING: KING CRIMSON AT 50

(DISCIPLINE GLOBAL MOBILE (86 minutes; Unrated); 2023)

In the pantheon of so-called “progressive rock” groups, you’ll always find discussion of such bands as Yes, Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd and a few other titans of technological trailblazing and trickery. Prog rock has generally been revered and reviled in equal percentages, but that’s no big deal… EVERYTHING is nowadays. Mention King Crimson, however, and I suspect there’ll often be a pause before the expected opinion is uttered. There’s always been something DIFFERENT, something hard to pin down about this Robert Fripp-led ensemble. You can’t just say ONE thing about them. Were they the makers of that outstanding classic rock platter IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING, the one with the cover of an enlarged mouth gone wild and the immensely pleasing vocals by Greg Lake? The unpredictable sonic architects of challenging platters like RED? The laboratory where some of today’s finest musicians, such as Bill Bruford, Tony Levin (looking cool as heck in his segments) and Adrian Belew went IN and came OUT as changed players forever? The often tyrannical experiment waged by mad overseer Robert Fripp who expected DISCIPLINE (pun intended), tireless dedication and an impossible sort of perfection from anyone he deemed worthy enough to be part of his ongoing alchemical adventure? The answer: YES. To all of that. And as the amazing documentary IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING: KING CRIMSON AT 50 makes clear, there was a lot of suffering taking place to make that art over a half-century’s duration..

“I came back from making some of that music and my hair had fallen out,” said guitarist extraordinaire Adrian Belew, whom most associate with one of the most fertile and memorable phases of the band, from 1981 to 2009. “It was so stressful to be under the microscope that way.”

“It could be a very bumpy… and lumpy ride,” Bill Bruford offered about his time in the band. “Some people handle being winded, and WOUNDED, better than others.”

Guitarist/vocalist Trey Gunn, part of the band from 1994-2003, provides an even more memorable quote about the KC experience. He compared being in Crimson to having a low-grade infection. “You’re not really sick, but you don’t feel well, either.”

IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (JAMIE MUIR) (screen shot)

Much has been written about King Crimson over the course of their volatile journey, and this documentary does a good job of trying to provide perspective on a fascinating musical story. A common element in any attempt to discuss the band is coming to terms with the uncompromising vision of guitarist/leader Fripp, who, as one of the most innovative guitarists of all time, had the right to pursue his musical goals and listen to what his ego commanded. But that was not always pleasant for the players, to say the least, and Fripp himself has often said he’s not always the nicest guy in pursuit of his musical ambition. Some contributors, such as percussionist Jamie Muir, didn’t last long; his work was mostly confined to the 1973 album LARKS’ TONGUES IN ASPIC.

“It’s a maelstrom of electricity,” he said in a clip from the film. “You’re in the middle of a storm, and you’ve got to stand in the middle of this storm and coherently play music. And a roaring, bellowing, regal animal tries to emerge out of something.”

IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (ROBERT FRIPP AND “THE GREAT SILENCE”) (screen shot)

There are plenty of clips of performances in the doc, although maybe not as many as you might want from the early days. But it’s the honest interviews with the many fabled musicians that make the biggest impression. Some, such as drummer Bill Rieflin, are not around anymore despite a prominent presence in the movie (Rieflin died in 2020 at the age of 59). There are quite a few segments that feature Rieflin, and he’s one of the more affable commentators we see. “Urgency is one of the main characteristics of Crimson music,” he relates. We see that powerful vibe in clip after clip, and Rieflin is among those who apparently thought the relentless challenge of it all was worth it, despite the “constant pain” he was in during his last couple of years. Rieflin was quite a storied musician already, having contributed his talents to bands such as Ministry, Pigface, REM and Swans among others. He was passionate about what Crimson was doing and said he was “made for it” when asked why he stayed when it was clearly so tough. “Music can restore grace, if only for a moment, in a person’s life,” the drummer related. He could have been referring to both the players and the fans. The doc shows us numerous crowd scenes of Crimson fans, clearly enraptured, bobbing their heads or staring at the band in awe. There’s a substantial segment featuring a nun, of all people, expressing her rabid enthusiasm for the band. “It goes over most peoples’ heads,” one pundit declares. “It is quasi scientific. If you get it, you really get it. Something like magic happens. But the conditions have to be so perfect. To get there… it’s so fragile.”

IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (ROBERT FRIPP) (screen shot)

The film does not shy away from showing how bull-headed Robert Fripp often was. He was often quick to get angry, dismissive of early incarnations of the band, and actually somewhat insulting to director Toby Amies. A long and painful moment near the end of the doc shows the director waiting eternally for Fripp to answer a reasonable question. I had to check my screen a couple of times to make sure the image hadn’t frozen… but no, it was just a long, long closeup of Fripp thinking, composing some sort of response. And one of the last scenes is a direct insult, with Fripp obviously NOT quite appreciating the inherent uncertainty of what Amies was trying to do… putting together a sprawling and ambitious doc about one of the most singular and unpredictable bands in the history of rock music. Amies makes a wise decision to feature so many players in KC’s revolving door talking about their experiences… a sense of the genuinely personal and honest comes through, from pride to abject misery at times. “I just started to hate what I was hearing,” admits Ian McDonald, a KC member only in their first incarnation. “The really dark things. I hated inflicting it on the audience.”

IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (KING CRIMSON LIVE AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL) (photo credit: TONY LEVIN)

But as the passing of time (and the countless changes) have shown, King Crimson has a dedicated fan base, who LIKE the “dark things” and the less easily accessible elements of this wild and weird music. Fripp always has an intense look on his face in the doc, like he KNOWS that attaining musical transcendence is possible, no matter the hardships for the rest of the band (and, to be fair, HIMSELF) in trying to get there. KING CRIMSON AT 50 serves the fan base well and does a remarkably balanced job at portraying the tireless pursuit of aiming for the sonic UNKNOWN by a truly ambitious innovator and his band of (mostly) sympathetic comrades. Whatever your opinion of any phase of Crimson’s long career, this well-paced documentary is absolutely worth seeking out.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: As an aside for readers in the Saint Louis area, if you miss Crimson’s “live actions” or just want to see a really good band playing some very challenging music, there is a great tribute band called THRAK performing locally for your listening and dancing pleasure. Check out their Facebook page when you need to scratch that Crimson itch.)

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI HEY, MA! WATCH THIS Movies Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | February 6, 2024 | Adrian Belew Avant-Garde Music Bill Bruford Bill Rieflin Classic Rock Documentary Hard Rock Ian McDonald IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING: KING CRIMSON AT 50 Instrumental Music Jamie Muir King Crimson Live Music Movie Trailer Movies Music Music Documentary Progressive Rock Robert Fripp Rock and Roll Toby Amies Tony Levin Trey Gunn

TEN YEARS AND KICKING: THE INITIAL KICK INTERVIEW

PART ONE: THE INTRODUCTION

INITIAL KICK (Steve Ojane, Frankie Schaffer) (publicity photo)

Angel is one of my all-time favorite “progressive” rock bands. The first time I heard “Tower” on the radio, I was hooked… went out and bought the debut album immediately. While I never saw the original band live, I did see them probably twenty-five years ago, when singer Frank DiMino and drummer Barry Brandt put together a short-lived version of the band. I had given up on ever hearing from the band again when it was announced that DiMino and the band’s incendiary original guitarist, Punky Meadows, were working on new material as Angel. Not long after, I had the opportunity to see this reconstituted band play live. This new Angel line-up was more in line with what the original band sounded like. Each member of the group was a stand-out musician, but I continually found myself focusing on the bass player, one Steve E Ojane. He had that beefy, muscular sound that drove most hard rock bands of the 1970s, including Angel, particularly the albums with Mickie Jones’ replacement, Felix Robinson. Steve recorded two albums with the group, RISEN and ONCE UPON A TIME. Recently, it was announced that Felix Robinson would be returning for select shows and that other players would be filling in on bass. Ojane’s time in Angel was apparently over. On the same day that I read the news about Felix, I received a promotional download of PLAYS WITH MERCURY by Steve’s new/old band, Initial Kick. I immediately requested an interview, the result of which follows…

ANGEL, circa 2022 (Charlie Calv, Billy Orrico, Punky Meadows, Frank DiMino, Danny Farrow, Steve Ojane (publicity photo)

THE INTERVIEW

THE MULE: So, the two of you formed Initial Kick about a decade ago… quite a while before Steve took up the bass duties with Angel. Steve, why did you decide to set IK aside and play with that iconic band? How has that experience influenced your work here?

STEVE OJANE: First off, I just want to thank you for talking with us today, Darren. It’s a pleasure. To answer your question – I was a big Angel fan since my early teens. Angel was five days shy of being my first concert. (The Meat Loaf BAT OUT OF HELL tour was my first, just five days earlier.) I had all the Angel albums, had their posters on my walls, et cetera. When this opportunity presented itself all these years later, there really wasn’t any question. I had to go for it. Frankie completely understood the decision to put Initial Kick on the back-burner temporarily. It would have been a bit too much performing live in two touring bands at the same time. But since we started recording the Initial Kick album before I joined Angel, we continued the recording and mixing during the interim.

THE MULE: Did Angel’s connections with Starz lead to Richie Ranno’s participation on PLAYS WITH MERCURY or did you know him before Angel?

STEVE: I met Richie through the shows we did with Starz and he’s been a good friend ever since. He’s a terrific guy and an incredibly melodic guitar player. His style blended perfect with the material on the Initial Kick album, and we are thrilled he generously offered to play on two of the tracks – “Tomorrow and Forever” and “Rock and Roll Saved My Life.”

THE MULE: Frankie, while Steve was touring and recording with Angel, how did you keep busy? Did you do any writing or work on other projects? Did Initial Kick continue to play and record during Steve’s downtime from Angel?

FRANKIE SCHAFFER: I’m so glad Steve got to live his dream and tour the world with Angel. That said, I’m very happy Initial Kick is back now and firing on all cylinders! The past few years for me have been filled with life, work, and lockdowns. Ha. Actually, I played in a Ramones tribute band for a while that was a lot of fun, and I’m always in the studio messing with things. Steve and I were always in communication and, although we placed IK, the live band, on hiatus for a bit, we continued working on making the record the best it could be. And we’re working on the follow-up now which, if you like the first record, you’ll love the next one!

INITIAL KICK (Steve Ojane, Frankie Schaffer) (uncredited photo)

THE MULE: I’ve been listening to the album and there’s a certain… smoothness to the sound, particularly the vocals. I think that this approach serves the material quite well, especially on the singles. “Tranquilizer” is jarringly tranquil… not at all what I expected. And, the cover of “Sugar, Sugar” is a blast. First, is the sound a natural extension of working together or is it an intentional attempt to do something just a bit different within the confines of Rock and Pop music? Second, obviously, the Archies were next level cartoon performers – on par with another like-minded band, the Beatles – but have rarely been covered. What prompted you to cover the national anthem of Pop confection and how much fun was it to record? Is there a cover of the Groovie Goolies in IK’s future? Or, the Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Banana Splits, Jabberjaw and the Neptunes or Evolution Revolution from LANCELOT LINK: SECRET CHIMP?

STEVE: Maybe that “smooth” vocal sound you refer to is simply because I don’t have a particularly loud voice. So I would say it’s not a deliberate thing, just the way I sound I guess. Of course I belt it out on the heavier tunes. As for the bubblegum possibilities… I don’t know. Frankie, Is “Yummy Yummy Yummy” on deck for the next album? Ha!

FRANKIE: Steve and I both love upbeat, fun music and I’m a big fan of the original bubblegum genre – 1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express, Bay City Rollers, Sweet, et cetera. I think it was Steve’s idea to cover “Sugar Sugar” and I was instantly onboard 100%. It’s just a great song and fits well on the record. I’m not sure about the Banana Splits but I do see some Partridge Family in our future. Ha ha!

THE MULE: Steve, I saw Angel a couple of years ago (at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, IL) and was quite impressed, not only with your playing but with the tone of your bass. That is the sound that I grew up listening to, with bands like Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, Bad Company and so many others… a truly classic sound. Are you playing bass on the new IK album and will you play the parts live or are you concentrating solely on the vocals?

STEVE: Thank you, Darren. Yes, that classic bass sound is deliberate. That sound we all grew up on is still in my heart as the classic bass tone. I did play bass on the album but don’t play bass while singing live with the band. I’d rather be free to just sing, and I have limited attention bandwidth! Ha ha!

STEVE OJANE on stage with ANGEL, November 3, 2021 (photo credit: DARREN TRACY)

THE MULE: Tell us a bit about the songwriting process within the band. How do the tunes come together?

STEVE: Since you brought up “Tranquilizer,” that’s a good example. I had half an idea kicking around in my head for a while for a 3/4 timing song that spoke about finding relief for the things in life that ail ya. Then one day, Frankie started playing this sweet wah-wah guitar part that was perfect for the song. We fused those elements together into what became one of the standout tracks on the album. It was even used in a movie soundtrack – BOXANNE, directed by Brian Wild.

FRANKIE: Most of the material on the first record are songs, ideas, and melodies Steve had written over the years. I liken it to ice cream. Steve is the ice cream on this record. I am the sprinkles. Ice cream is great, but ice cream with sprinkles? Forgeddaboutit!!

INITIAL KICK (Alexx Reckless, Steve Ojane, Johnny Zabo, Frankie Schaffer) (uncredited photo)

THE MULE: I’ve mentioned Richie Ranno. Who else plays on the album? Aside from the two of you, who else would be a part of a touring Initial Kick band? Have you considered putting together a permanent version of the band outside of the core? What does the future hold for the two of you and the band?

STEVE: In addition to Richie Ranno, we also have Charlie Calv (keyboards) and Billy Orrico (drums) from Angel playing on a few tracks. Also, Damian MonteCarlo and Phil “Mad Dog” Roberts make an appearance. As far as the live band, we have our original drummer, Johnny Zabo, back on board and we’re looking to start performing live again early next year. In the mean time, like Frankie said, we’re actually working on the second album. It’s really a one-two punch. We had so much material that we couldn’t fit it all on one album. So we split the material in two and, for the complete Initial Kick experience, you’ll have to check out the follow-up album which will be released in 2024!

FRANKIE: There’s a bit more collaboration writing-wise on the next record. In reality, we have so many songs to choose from, it will be interesting to see what makes the cut. Just looking forward to the next single off of PLAYS WITH MERCURY and moving forward. IK2 is in the works!

THE MULE: Finally, Steve, I’ve seen posts from the Angel camp stating that Felix Robinson will be returning for a few shows on their next run and that others will be filling in, as well. Does this mean that you have officially parted ways with the group or is this merely part of a push to get Initial Kick into the public consciousness?

STEVE: I’m thrilled that Felix is back in the fold. He’s a great guy and of course – a phenomenal musician. I’ll be in the front row cheering him on! This is actually what I’ve always hoped for. Although I love the time that I spent in Angel, I was always hoping it would serve as a catalyst for getting the original members back together. This is a great first step, I think. Who knows what the future has in store but, for now anyway, I am no longer in Angel and I’m really enjoying writing, recording, and performing my own music.

THE MULE: Thanks, guys. Oh, yeah… one last thing: Please tell me there’s going to be a vinyl version of PLAYS WITH MERCURY.

FRANKIE: Ha ha! It’s in the works!

THE REVIEW

INITIAL KICK: PLAYS WITH MERCURY

(DEKO ENTERTAINMENT; 2023)

Guitarist Frankie Schaffer and singer/bassist Steve Ojane, for all intents and purposes, are Initial Kick and their debut album, PLAYS WITH MERCURY, has been a long time coming. The original band formed a decade ago, taking a six year hiatus while Steve toured and recorded with one of his favorite bands, Angel. Realizing that the time was right, Ojane stepped away from his Angel duties to finish what he started with Schaffer and Initial Kick. So, was the delay worth the wait? Well… DUH!

INITIAL KICK (Alexx Reckless, Ray Ray D, Johnny Zabo, Steve Ojane, Frankie Schaffer) (photo credit THE MUSICIANS ROCK NETWORK)

““On the Inside” gets the proceedings off to a bombastic start with a bit of “stun guitar” from Frankie and Steve’s effortless vocal style. “Tomorrow and Forever” features a chugging rhythm and some very nicely-placed tack piano by (Steve’s former Angel bandmate) Charlie Calv occasionally pushing its way up from the depths of the mix. The lead work and solo (from Frankie and Richie Ranno from Starz) are of the type that one would expect from an Arena Rock band from the latter Jurassic Period (late ‘70s and early ‘80s), but tweaked just enough to make it fresh and new. With pounding drums from Steve’s battery mate in Angel, Billy Orrico, and a riff that would make Chuck proud, “Wish You Well (Once Upon a Time)” could be the ultimate “kiss off” song of all time… kind of the biggest “I loved you, you broke my heart, I’m so over you” song ever written. Plus… COW BELL! The first single from the record, “Tranquilizer,” was featured in the Brian Wild movie BOXANNE. It’s about keeping the demons in your head in check and chugs along at a dizzyingly lethargic pace even after the drums pick up over the last half of the tune. A chorus with lyrics like “Give me a tranquilizer/To steady my head/To feel good instead,” certainly makes it an odd choice for a lead single, but… it works. You almost believe that the drugs are working when Steve sings “I will be good/The way that I should.” It ain’t a toe-tapper but, it sure does get stuck in your head.

INITIAL KICK (Ken Mondillo, Steve Ojane, Alexx Reckless) (uncredited photo)

“Another great riff, a catchy melody, an appearance by original IK drummer Johnny Zabo and more of Ojane’s old-school bass style highlight “Sotheby’s Wasteland (It’s a Mall World After All).” The tongue-in-cheek lyrics are merely icing on the cake of another excellent mid-tempo rocker. The opening guitar on “Me and Rock and Roll” is somehow very reminiscent of the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down” and the lyrics could be and updated version of “Beth” by Kiss. Given the name of the tune, both of those comparisons are quite apt. The guitars bite in a very laid-back way (as dichotomous as that sounds, that’s what I’m hearing). Frankie offers up another nice solo at the end. “Sloan Road Kids” is one of the more rockin’ tunes with a cool, almost familiar riff. With Steve, Frankie and the boys leaning into the Power Pop sound, it has a certain Cheap Trickesque magnificance. The instrumental harmonics of “’93” add a certain… here’s that word again… familiar warmth to what is the only actual ballad on PLAYS WITH MERCURY with a killer acoustic lead. The sound oddly brings to mind an old T Rex hand-clapper – especially the final minute or so – as the tempo picks up a bit, bringing a good song to a nice finish.

““At Home With the Animals” is an absolute rager compared to everything else here. And, like everything else here, it features solid licks, a cool solo and powerful though understated drumming. A true standout track among an album of standout tracks. I’m a sucker for cover tunes, the stranger the better. That, in a nutshell, is IK’s take on “Sugar Sugar,” that saccharine piece of bubblegum pop by the Archies, a cartoon group based on the ARCHIE comic books. In 1969 and 1970, it was almost impossible to escape the infectious song. Initial Kick adds a hard rock edge to the syrupy number, with rather tribal drumming and some stingingly awesome guitarwork. Of course, Ojane’s bass shines throughout and his smooth vocal delivery is almost a mirror of Ron Dante’s original. “Big In Singapore” is another lyrical gem, a track about the travails of a working rock band trying to find an audience in the good ol’ US of… in the 2020s. After quite a nice, melodic guitar intro, the lyrics take hold. With lines like “Thinking we passed the test/Then we get an F” and “We found our home abroad/Our US plan was a little bit flawed,” you hear a tinge of frustration, but also the ring of truth about the fickle state of the music industry (and its consumers) in this country. Steve gets bonus points for the line “Get your ass caned if you misbehave.” With a cool organ intro by Charlie Calv, aggressive power chords (are there any other kinds?) and the bass and drums as powerful as anywhere else on the album, “Rock and Roll Saved My Life” seems the antithesis of the previous number, extolling the healing properties of music and Rock music in particular. This is as close to a nod to Steve’s time in Angel as any of the previous eleven tunes. The song also has a snotty kind of guitar solo by Richie Ranno that fits perfectly here. Much like “On the Inside” was the perfect track to open PLAYS WITH MERCURY, “Rock and Roll Saved My Life” is the perfect set closer.

INITIAL KICK (Alexx Reckless, Ray Ray D, Steve Ojane, Johnny Zabo, Frankie Schaffer) (uncredited photo)

It only took ‘em ten years, but Frankie Schaffer and Steve Ojane have finally delivered the near-perfect debut album. Here’s looking to record number two. And… hopefully, a tour? What do ya say, boys?

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Features/Interviews Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | November 30, 2023 | Angel Artist Interview Billy Oricco Charlie Calv Classic Rock Felix Robinson Frank DiMino Frankie Schaffer Glam Rock Hard Rock Initial Kick Johnny Zabo Music Pop Music Pop Rock Punky Meadows Rock and Roll Steve Ojane Streaming Video The Archies

JERRY HARRISON AND ADRIAN BELEW: REMAIN IN LIGHT/COOL COOL COOL

(February 22, 2023; THE FACTORY IN THE DISTRICT, Chesterfield MO)

I have always been a huge Talking Heads fan, right from the beginning of their CBGB’s/weird art-punk days. I listened obsessively to their debut album when I was working at a record store, was thrilled beyond measure when my musical and creative hero Brian Eno started working with them on their second album MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD, and was literally ecstatic by the transcendent weirdness of their artistic peak with FEAR OF MUSIC and the colossal REMAIN IN LIGHT. I could write pages about how much I adored those two albums, but… this is a concert review, so I gotta be disciplined here. But I’m just stating unequivocally how much David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison have meant to me as a music fan and still do. I saw the Heads twice in their heyday but never got to see the REMAIN IN LIGHT stuff performed live, until Harrison and Adrian Belew put together this amazing touring show with former members of Turkuaz, now renamed as Cool Cool Cool. I could not pass this show up, and although I had some personal circumstances that were daunting, I soon found myself venturing to the Factory in far St. Louis County for the first time. I was eager to see how these performers were going to make up for the lack of vocalist David Byrne and killer rhythm section Chris and Tina, one of the best EVER.

JERRY HARRISON AND ADRIAN BELEW: REMAIN IN LIGHT TOUR (ADRIAN BELEW, JERRY HARRISON) (photo credit: MICHAEL WIEINTROB/REMAIN IN LIGHT)

Cool Cool Cool opened the show with their expansive ensemble rhythmic funk, impressing with sterling musicianship that include a three-piece horn section, two percussionists and the delightful high-energy vocals of Sammi Garett and Shira Elias. It was a pleasant danceable mix, and the audience responded with enthusiasm. But there was definitely a feeling of anticipation in the air about what everyone had come here to see. Jerry Harrison had planned a “REMAIN IN LIGHT” celebration since before the pandemic, when his plans with Belew were derailed by an industry-halting nightmare. Once things returned to relative normalcy, the two legends revived their inspired plans, and you could be forgiven by perhaps thinking that doing something like this without Heads leader David Byrne might be a daunting proposition. But two key factors made this an absolutely thrilling show. First, Harrison and Belew were aiming to recreate some of the feeling of the legendary STOP MAKING SENSE tour that Jonathan Demme captured so amazingly in his film, where an extended cast of players could add layers and layers of sonic details to the blend both vocally and rhythmically… as well as the notable 1980 concert in Rome that a huge audience blissed out to and that the Heads themselves have pointed out as a career high point (Belew was part of that show, and it’s still available to see on YouTube). Secondly, the smart decision was made to have different musicians taking lead vocals depending on the song and who sounded best on it. Hence Belew sang lead on “Psycho Killer,” a surprising “Drugs” and a genuinely riveting “Life During Wartime,” which gained obvious rich thematic resonance due to the savage ongoing war in Ukraine. Harrison sang lead effectively on “Houses in Motion,” which was fab. But maybe the biggest surprise of the night was the strength of the vocals by “Cool” member (and baritone sax man-handler) Josh Schwartz, a tall bespectacled fellow at stage right who didn’t “Byrne it” so much on lead vocals as he “interpreted energetically” on songs like “Crosseyed and Painless,” “Born Under Punches” and the utterly transcendent classic “Once In a Lifetime.” These three songs transported me somewhere I haven’t been in years: I wrote in my notes “shivers of joy,” as such were traveling up my spine especially on the latter two songs. Besides the effectiveness of the insistent rhythms we were treated to, I cannot say enough about the hypnotic backing vocals of Sammi Garett and Shira Elias on these and other songs here. Whether it was their repeated “I’m STILL waiting” on “Crosseyed…, ” or the unbelievably transfixing phrases like “All I want is to breathe,” and “and the heat goes on” in concert high point “Born Under Punches” and the insistent “letting the days go by” and various water references in “OIAL,” these two ladies absolutely killed it musically. As a fan of backing vocals and repeated refrains and a recording artist myself lately, I just LOVE this aspect of music, and part of the true GENIUS of the album REMAIN IN LIGHT is how much of that kind of thing listeners were treated to, courtesy of the Talking Heads’ evolved aesthetic by that point and the crazy machinations of producer Eno in the studio. The gals also had their bigger than usual moment on “Slippery People,” a gospel-flavored workout in which they essentially sing lead on much of the song. Truly wonderful. It was also wonderful to hear “I Zimbra” from the FEAR OF MUSIC album, another chance for Schwartz to take the lead at the mic, even though this is certainly a group-based number, with its singular challenge of chanting made-up lyrics over tribal-sounding sonics.

JERRY HARRISON AND ADRIAN BELEW: REMAIN IN LIGHT TOUR (JERRY HARRISON) (photo credit: REMAIN IN LIGHT)

JERRY HARRISON AND ADRIAN BELEW: REMAIN IN LIGHT TOUR (ADRIAN BELEW) (photo credit: REMAIN IN LIGHT)

Okay, we gotta pause and single out Adrian Belew here. Holy effing shit. This guy is one of the most distinctive and trailblazing guitarists in the history of rock, and his leads are very much present throughout REMAIN IN LIGHT. Everything you were probably hoping to hear him do in this concert was firmly on display. I was writing down phrases like “great piercing lead by AB” in my notes on “Crosseyed and Painless,” “Houses in Motion” and others as fast as I could scribble, noting the smile on Belew’s face so much of the time, which I could see through my binoculars. Belew nodded to his long tenure with King Crimson by performing the band’s “Thela Hun Ginjeet” and sidling up to the fetchingly attired, chorus-sharing Garett, who was clearly having a ball all night. So was I, for sure! I was a happy man to be able to experience such tunes as “Cities” and my mega-favorite “Once In a Lifetime” and pretend I was approximating the joy any true fan must have felt experiencing the Heads at their performing peak. As for Harrison, he did a great keyboard solo on his own tune “Rev It Up” and served up the “quirk” on “Slippery People” and others. Harrison doesn’t always get credit for the delightful flavoring his insistent repeated keyboard parts added to the Heads’ oeuvre, and certainly classics like “Once In a Lifetime” wouldn’t have attained their legendary status without his work.

COOL COOL COOL (SHIRA ELIAS, CHRIS BROUWERS, MICHAEL CARUBBA, GREG SNADERSON, SAMMI GARETT, JOSH SCHWARTZ, CRAIG BRODHEAD) (uncredited publicity photo)

A spirited “Take Me To the River” found the whole ensemble wringing every bit of iconic juice out of a song that we all know extremely well, with the ladies adding drama by repeating the two-line refrain over and over, singing it more and more quietly (which the audience was noticeably riveted by) and then kicking up the volume at the end for a glorious climax. On both the floor and the balcony, contingents of people were dancing happily. There HAD to be an encore, of course, and Belew said “Are you sure?” to the audience when the ensemble was summoned for their expected callback. I was CERTAIN the song would be “The Great Curve,” the only RIL classic not already played, and I was right. It was thrilling, powerful and very much the rhythmic and danceable classic of its original incarnation. What an ensemble! What a show! Many people have listed REMAIN IN LIGHT as one of their “ten favorite albums of all time,” myself included. I was thinking about that in the waning moments of the concert, WHY that album made such an impact. Was it the reinvented afrobeat sound for a modern audience? Talking Heads leaping beyond their quirky art rock to another dimension? The timeliness of that album and its hit “Once In a Lifetime” finding a fresh audience at the dawn of MTV? Sure, all of that. But my own phrase is “transfixing weirdness,” captured on the album like few others at the time. Hearing Harrison, Belew and the very inspired members of Cool Cool Cool doing powerful justice to a beloved album which is unlike anything else ever released… weird, life-affirming, body-moving and consistently challenging and mysterious… made me very happy. Kudos to these immensely talented musicians for coming up with a great idea, and then carrying it off so thrillingly.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Live Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | February 26, 2023 | Adrian Belew Chesterfield MO Classic Rock Cool Cool Cool Dance Music Funk Music Jerry Harrison Josh Schwartz King Crimson Live Music Music New Wave Music Pop Rock Progressive Rock Punk Rock REMAIN IN LIGHT TOUR Rock and Roll Sammi Garett Shira Elias Streaming Video Talking Heads The Factory In the District

THE BEATLES: GET BACK

(DISNEY PICTURES/APPLE CORPS LTD/WINGNUT FILMS (468 minutes; Rated PG-13); 2021)

You can’t really argue that GET BACK, the new three-part documentary directed by Peter Jackson about a pivotal month in the life of the Beatles during their last year together, isn’t THE cultural media event of Fall 2021. It’s been talked about for months, Paul McCartney himself did an NPR interview in which he discussed it, and it aroused the emotions of Beatle fans everywhere when the pandemic caused the project to morph from an intended theatrical film to a much longer documentary to be streamed exclusively on Disney+, the company’s streaming service, for three nights over the Thanksgiving holiday. Speculation in advance was intense, as one contingent of fans feared it would “whitewash” the long-discussed tensions of the Fab Four in their final days (which the previous LET IT BE documentary certainly left one with knowledge of), and another contingent waited for validation of long held beliefs: that Yoko broke up the Beatles, that Paul was a dictatorial tyrant in those last days, that George Harrison had simply had enough and stormed out in anger, and that the lads were simply incapable of working together creatively anymore after the many pressures of being the most successful and influential rock band in history.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (John Lennon, Peter Jackson) (publicity still)

Well, then. New Zealand’s legendary director Jackson, never having been shy about tackling enormous, “impossible” projects (remember that LORD OF THE RINGS thing?) has a mega documentary for YOU! And guess what? You can put everything you thought you knew about the Beatles’ final days aside, and marvel at the intimate scope and cumulative effect of this roughly eight-hour saga and the many revelations it contains. First, some clarity: This is not really a film about the “final days” of the Fabs. What we have here is a cinema diary of just over three weeks from January 1969, when the band was working on a planned project that became LET IT BE, intended to be a film, album and concert that would capture their intention to “get back” to a more youthful, spontaneous atmosphere that’d harken back to… well, when they were more youthful and spontaneous. A look at the ACTUAL last days of the Beatles would focus on the ABBEY ROAD recording, the massive tensions created by Allen Klein being hired to manage their financial affairs (a pivotal decision supported by all but McCartney, who fought it tooth and nail and had to sue the other three to put an end to Klein’s shady practices), and John Lennon’s increasing desire to be with Yoko and do his own thing instead of being wrapped up in the monstrous machine that was THE BEATLES. You see all the seeds of this stuff in Jackson’s doc: Klein is introduced in the latter half of it, Yoko is seen at John’s side throughout most of the footage, and songs that later appeared on ABBEY ROAD are indeed rehearsed and talked about in many segments. But no, this is NOT an investigation of what broke up the Beatles. Jackson was given access to 60+ hours of unseen video and roughly 150 hours of unheard audio, and from this massive trove, he culled together a day-by-day record of what John, Paul, George and Ringo were doing during those fabled days first at Twickenham Studio (where they were under pressure to get stuff done before the movie THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN was to take over the place, starring Ringo and Peter Sellers), and later at #3 Saville Row, home to the Beatles’ own Apple Records label. The band had a reasonably interesting project in mind; you can’t fault their intentions, and all seemed eager to dive in and work after a fairly long break following the White Album. But things did NOT go smoothly, and we see quite clearly that they were in over their heads, unable to figure out WHERE to stage a live performance, WHICH songs to record and HOW to carry on efficiently without a “daddy figure” (as McCartney refers to Brian Epstein, who’d previously sheltered the boys to some extent from the worst tensions brought on by fame and industry pressures). Jackson had an absolutely daunting task here: All this footage has been buried in a vault for half a century, and the Beatles clearly had NO taste for delving into a pile o’ stuff that would, rumor had it, show them in their worst moments, unable to cooperate with each other long enough to simply record a new album and go on about the business of being the world’s biggest band.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison) (publicity still)

Except, that is not what happened. The story was WAY more complex than that, and not nearly so bleak. This amazing documentary allows us to travel back in time and be “flies on the wall” at the daily recording sessions, where the four lads discuss various songs and impulses, jam spontaneously, and gradually shape the compositions that would eventually become the songs most of us know like the back of our hands by now. Repeated segments showing the evolution of songs such as “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Two of Us” are fascinating, and from a songwriting point of view, the insight into the process is invaluable. You may get sick of some of the repetition, but I’m pretty sure most committed Beatles fans won’t mind at all. To see how “Get Back” evolved from being a “protest song” about immigrants to a more aesthetically vague pop/rock tune that the boys agreed should be the next single, is captivating. And “Two of Us” has layers of resonance about the close relationship between Paul and John, both in the actual lyrics of the song (“You and I have memories/Longer than the road that stretches/Out ahead… “) and in the discussions we are privy to about the arrangement, in terms of whether it should be a simple acoustic song or something more sonically dense, with many scenes showing the two most famous songwriters working closely together to try to get it right. They ALL want to do that, and these things take TIME. Plain and simple. We see them getting impatient, making fun of themselves, and trying various things over and over. It could and does get tedious at times. The infamous exchange between Paul and George where the latter mutters that he’ll “play anything you want, or I won’t play at all if it will please you… ” that was a focal point in LET IT BE, occurs here with much greater context, that primarily being that Paul was trying to be the taskmaster and keep the group focused, not only on specific arrangements but on getting things DONE in a timely manner. With the full backdrop of the proceedings on display here, it’s pretty reasonable, and George’s impatience is understandable, not because McCartney was a jerk, but because “it’s all too much” at times. Plain and simple.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon) (publicity still)

George, of course, does walk out for a while; every essay about this documentary has talked about that. In 1969, Harrison was truly coming into his own as a songwriter, and there are two pivotal scenes that deal with this. A remarkable private conversation between Paul and John is captured on audio. John declares, “It’s like George said, he didn’t get enough satisfaction anymore because of the compromise he had to make to be together… it’s a festering wound that we’ve allowed to… and yesterday we allowed it to go even deeper, and we didn’t give him any bandages.” Paul is listening, clearly, and responds: “Yeah, we treat him a bit like that. See, because he knows what we’re on about. But I do think that he’s right. That’s why I think we’ve got the problem now, the four of us. You go one way, George one way, and me another… “

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon) (photo credit LINDA MCCARTNEY/APPLE CORPS LTD)

The revelatory conversation continues with John openly stating he’s intimidated at times by Paul’s insistence on certain arrangements, and how he’s sometimes given up speaking out in favor of his own thing. He admits that “sometimes you’re right” to Paul, but that other times he has disagreed with the final results. In the context of all we know about the Beatles, this is just groundbreaking, to have this inside look at a tension-packed time. Meanwhile, we’re all aware of what was coming next for George Harrison. He was writing tons of new songs, including numbers like “All Things Must Pass,” “Isn’t It a Pity” and a little tune called “Something.” A much talked-about scene shows George struggling with the line to follow “Something in the way she moves/Attracts me like… ” Lennon comically suggests singing anything at all until a good fit is found. “Attracts me like a cauliflower,” he suggests, and a different scene shows George singing “attracts me like a pomegranate.” This is all pretty amusing, but when you step back for a moment and realize you’re seeing one of the greatest songs ever written in its infancy, a song that was obviously one of the highlights of the Beatles’ soon-to-be final studio album, ABBEY ROAD, you can’t help but be totally caught up in George’s place in music history right here. There’s a separate conversation between John and George where the latter tells John he’s written about “20 new songs” and that it would take ten more Beatle albums to get them all out there at the current rate of “two George songs per album.” George suggests he may just have to do a solo album, something which at first surprises John, and then seems to turn a light bulb on in his head. We all know what actually happened, and it’s simply another revelatory moment. So is seeing George being the pragmatic one through most of this documentary. While the others are brainstorming ludicrous ideas like doing a performance at an ancient historical site in Libya, or taking a selected group of fans on a large ship across the ocean to be the audience for whatever they’re gonna do, George wryly declares “We can’t even get Fender to send us a free amp.” This documentary will almost certainly increase your respect for George Harrison and his importance to the Beatles…

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Billy Preston, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison, Yoko Ono) (photo courtesy: THE BEATLES)

Does the film show Paul McCartney as a raging egomaniac? No, because they ALL clearly were. Remember, they were already the most famous group in the world with endless expectations heaped upon them everywhere. We get to see various members reading their own press at the time, richly entertaining, including George reading a bit about him and John coming to physical blows, an event that did NOT actually happen. Paul is definitely shown paying the most attention to specific song arrangements, and the reality of trying to meet their deadlines, but he is about collaboration all the way. It’s amazing to see him and John working together closely; you really WANT them to figure everything out and keep making remarkable music. Songs that never became official Beatle songs are given bits of time, such as McCartney’s “Teddy Boy” and “Another Day” and Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” and “Child of Nature,” which would in a couple of years morph into “Jealous Guy.” And wow, is there some fun seeing early versions of ABBEY ROAD tracks like “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” (showing Beatles road manager Mal Evans banging a device gleefully), “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” and “Polythene Pam” enter the picture. Everything is a question mark in this film: WHAT songs will they record? WHAT songs will they play for whatever live concert they are going to do? How can they possibly deliver when they feel they only have maybe half a dozen songs with fully developed arrangements?

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison) (photo courtesy DISNEY PICTURES)

But what is NOT yet truly a question: Are the Beatles going to break up? NO, that is not yet obvious. There are no “fights” in the conventional sense here; the lads are having a good time, they clown around, they crack jokes. It’s surprising in particular to see how good-humored Lennon is most of the time. He’s happy to have Yoko around (SHE, by the way, is almost continually a gentle presence, never intrusive, and even defended by Paul in a couple of scenes (“they just wanna be together, you know… “). With remarkable foresight, Paul declares in one scene, “Wouldn’t it be funny if in 50 years people say, ‘Oh, Yoko broke up the Beatles because she sat on an amplifier?'” So there’s plenty of myth smashing in GET BACK. When this footage was being shot by original LET IT BE director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (looking more youthful than you’d think and probably a bit in over his head), there were still several possible futures for the Beatles. That is crucial, because this film is NOT a breakup film. It’s about ambition, mega fame, the ups and downs of collaboration, artistic egos stretched to the limit, and problem solving on a grand scale. Watch the happy look on John Lennon’s face when keyboardist Billy Preston enters the scene and shows effortlessly that he can spruce up the arrangements on some of these new songs. “You’re IN the band!” Lennon tells him. Watch a fetching Linda Eastman and her energetic young daughter Heather, respectively, holding hands with Paul and taking photos (Linda and Paul were two months away from their fabled wedding at the time of this footage) and dancing around the studio gleefully, exuberant as a young girl could be. And watch, for the first time, the legendary “rooftop concert” in its entirety, the Beatles’ final live appearance, which of course was filmed on top of Savile Row, to the delight of some on the street below and the consternation of many others, including the British bobbies, who amusingly try to shut things down because of complaints. People on the street are interviewed and shown in effective cross cuts as the Beatles play, reflecting a reasonable cross section of opinions. This is music history, folks. But it’s told in a fresh, fascinating manner that changes what we thought we knew about the Beatles. And Peter Jackson wisely avoids any present-day interviews… he stated his desire to avoid that sort of thing. Nope, this is time capsule stuff, our unique opportunity to experience what the Beatles were going through in January of 1969.

THE BEATLES: GET BACK (Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison) (photo courtesy: APPLE CORPS LIMITED)

It’s amazing, honestly. What was to follow was the group throwing up their hands in despair at their inability to complete the planned album (in a still controversial move, the whole thing was handed over to Phil Spector, resulting in an album that almost no one would be completely happy with), a stunning decision to record a brand-new studio album that would give George Martin one more chance to fully produce the band, George Harrison a chance to show he’d finally equalled the others in songwriting prowess, and give McCartney a chance to spearhead perhaps the greatest medley ever featured on a rock album; a furious legal battle over Allen Klein and the failure of the other three Beatles to stop McCartney from releasing his debut solo album BEFORE the release of LET IT BE (the accompanying press at the time appeared to show McCartney “officially” announcing the end of the Beatles, even though that isn’t quite accurate), a disbelieving fan kingdom unwilling to believe it was “the end,” and of course, lots and lots of nasty comments and bad feelings. But that was what would FOLLOW the events in GET BACK. It is NOT what we see on screen, which is in fact an energetic, lively, mostly upbeat look at an intense collaborative period by four of the most famous musicians in history and their handlers, all trying to respond to the immense pressure of gargantuan fame. GET BACK really is a treat, if sometimes a patience-testing experience, that will be richly rewarding for dedicated Beatles fans. You won’t forget it if you watch it with focus and attention. There are scenes that are simply stunning in what they tell us, all these years later. And it’s invaluable as a detailed look at the creative process itself. Sure, it’s a pain to have to find a way to get Disney+ in order to watch this thing. But do it. Really. There has never been a documentary as insightful and surprising, in musical terms, as THE BEATLES: GET BACK. We owe Peter Jackson a debt of gratitude for pulling this off, and let’s be happy for Paul, Ringo and the wives of John and George, for seeing a critical record set straight at last.

UPDATE: Since this review was written, a DVD of the film was scheduled for release in February 2022. Apparently, a few copies managed to make it into the hands of some lucky fans, though once Amazon’s stock was depleted, the Disney Company pulled the package from its schedule and in April announced that the title has been delayed indefinitely due to “authoring challenges.” It now appears that the DVD and Blu-Ray editions will be released, at least in the UK, on July 26. The three-part docuseries is still streaming at Disney+.

DVD/Blu-Ray HEY, MA! WATCH THIS Movies Music Reviews Streaming Video Television | Kevin Renick | May 16, 2022 | Allan Klein Billy Preston Blues Rock Brian Epstein British Invasion Music Classic Rock Documentary George Harrison George Martin Glyn Johns John Lennon LET IT BE Linda McCartney Live Music Michael Lindsay-Hogg Movie Music Paul McCartney Peter Jackson Pop Music Psychedelic Rock Ringo Starr Rock and Roll Rooftop Concert Television Series The Beatles THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN Twickenham Studio Yoko Ono

TARANOYA: BECOMING

(SOUND AS LANGUAGE; 2021)

I have been writing about ambient music for many years, as it is the still under-appreciated genre I MOST find myself able to get immersed in. From those heady early days decades ago when Brian Eno contextualized a new sound that could function as either foreground or background and that would serve as “a tint, an atmosphere,” as he put it, rather than something you had to experience in a traditional listening mode, to the myriad of variations the genre sprouted in the modern age (Ambient Jazz, Ambient Classical, Ethno-Ambient, Dark Ambient, space music, et cetera ad nauseum), I’ve been riveted by the endless universe of sound that the misleading term “ambient” can encompass. I honestly can’t think of another musical banner, excepting maybe “indie rock” or “art rock,” that will accommodate so many types of music. It’s because of how the music is supposed to FUNCTION for the average listener, the fact that it needs to be workable as background music, but also to reward close listening, that helps it to live up to Eno’s definition.

Imagine my delight, then, to come across the Iranian born, Portland-based female composer/vocalist/producer Taranoya (Taraneh Schmidt), whose new release
BECOMING is just about the most enthralling thing I have heard this year. It’s all dreamy, drifty, ethereal soft vocals, most of it essentially wordless although there ARE some intended lyrics, floating through beds of gentle droney synthesizer. Reference points don’t immediately come to mind… some of Liz Fraser’s aesthetic on the Cocteau Twins’ VICTORIALAND disc in particular would be one door in. I also was reminded here and there of a Kranky label artist named Jessica Bailiff, as well as scattered tracks from other ambient artists who’ve utilized feather-soft female vocals in the background. But what we have here is an entire album’s worth of this sumptuous sound, and it’s pretty singular in my view. And singularly PRETTY, without ever being vacuous or saccharine. That’s no mean feat, and it speaks wonders for Taranoya’s soulful, deeply contemplative vibe. I am almost shocked at how blissfully haunting this recording is, and how it manages to avoid nearly every cliche of the genre. Releases in this sonic terrain can sink rather rapidly if the lyrics are too upfront and take you out of the dreamy web you want to get stuck in, or if the instrumentation veers too much into the “new age” realm. Without wanting to irritate fans of new age (and I have some records that would fall under that banner myself), I am experienced enough with this kind of stuff to be able to tell the difference between New Age and Ambient, something that connoisseurs used to argue about on the net, back when these things were viewed as more consequential. What many of us viewed as new age seldom stood up to late-night scrutiny, as it aims for the lightest and most undemanding of moods while being generally quite restricted in its ambition, with some exceptions. Taranoya’s BECOMING, my friends, is very definitely AMBIENT music, and that’s a compliment. It’s lush, lulling, pastoral dream music conjured by a woman who seems to intuitively know that heading right for your subconscious, the place you inhabit when your intellect is turned off, makes for a far more satisfying sound experience than adhering to the parameters of the more typical offerings in this ballpark.

I personally LOVE music that appeals to a sort of “half asleep” state, and has a quality of being totally removed from mundane or stress-induced concerns, the kind we all battle daily. “Accidents” is eight minutes of beautiful keyboard drone that invites you to get comfy, serves you a fruit-infused beverage like nothing you’ve imbibed before, and then puts you at rapt attention as your charming host murmurs things to you that you can’t quite hear but you don’t care… her voice hypnotizes you and pulls you right into a place you would be happy to just never leave. “Heavenly” is an overused adjective in the ambient world, but… this IS heavenly, mes amis. What Taranoya’s voice does between 4:27 and about 4:43 on this track may be the single most beautiful moment I’ve experienced in a piece of music this year. The whole track is a wonder, really. A little bit of spoken word at the end adds to the feeling you’re in a partial dream state sitting in a cushioned chair at the airport or something. “You’re Only Breaking Down” is an even longer track, commencing with a Cocteaus-style flourish before Taranoya goes full feminine vocal allure in the middle of the mix. It’s like hearing your favorite cat purring happily, with neither one of you inclined to move even a smidge from where you’re currently located. And I was awestruck by the artist’s discipline to keep the keyboard sounds so subtly in the background, never showing off for even a moment. The dream state rules here, aesthetically. Works for me!

“Thinking About You” does get a shade more familiar initially, with the main synthesizer being not too far removed from the odd Tangerine Dream release or even early Pink Floyd. But from about the two-minute mark on, the sort of “otherly” ambient strangeness we fans always hope for kicks in, and Taranoya proves once again she’ll opt for originality and the sonic multi-verse over any formula or “non-genre” tenets. I was fully spellbound by the time this track was over, and knew I’d be a fan of this gal from here on out.

On “Let the Air,” the vocals are the most “conventional”; you can just about hear some actual words and there’s a touch more normalcy if that’s what you prefer (love the ending, though). And “Do I Return” has what is clearly a piano, not some obscure synth setting stumbled across in the wee hours of the morning when otherliness rules in the studio. It’s still very pretty. But the long track “Wake Me Up Rush” returns to the killer combo of Taranoya’s ethereal voice and the airy synth settings she tends to favor, with a low-frequency drone entering stage left at about the four-minute mark that adds some unexpected gripping energy. Subtle variety in a tapestry of sound that is uniformly lulling, is what makes this set something of an ambient classic, ethno-femme division (“fembient”? “womenbient”? What moniker should we give, exactly, to characterize the sub-genre of ambient where a deeply compassionate and yes, angelic female presence, is at the center of the sound? And is that even worth pursuing?). I’m in love with this music, and I thank this spellbinding artist for truly forging some new territory on BECOMING. Taranoya strikes deep… into your life it will creep, if you decide to check this out and float away among the clouds of bliss that this very visionary and wondrous artist has to offer.

(BECOMING is currently available as a limited edition of 100 cassettes, as well as the obligatory digital download)

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Kevin Renick | December 19, 2021 | Ambient Music Cassette Only Release Digital Drone Music Experimental Music Limited Edition Music Streaming Video Taranoya

WHAT’S INSIDE