Nomo - Ghost Rock (2008)

Nomo
Ghost Rock (2008)

What lying bastards! There's nothing even remotely paranormal about this music! My research found that everyone involved in this record was alive while recording it. Furthermore, they're still alive now! Preparing for a Spring tour no less!

And just listen to the music; it's full of life! Not at all ghostly in my opinion. Well, the electric buzzing that opens the album on "Brainwave" maybe sounds a little creepy in the right setting, but it certainly didn't scare me! After that, the album just gets more and more upbeat, like a dance album actually; and how many ghosts do you know who dance!? Ridiculous. Just listen to that percussion on songs like "All the Stars" or "My Dear". Ohhhh scaaaarrrry...NOT! How can I be scared when the music just makes me want to bob my head to the beat? Poorly executed, I say. Or how about all those enormously catchy brass parts like on "Rings" and "Three Shades"? They aren't haunting at all, they're infectious. They make me want to bust a move, not piss my pants!

As if the "ghost" part of the title wasn't suspect enough, how about the "rock" part? I mean, maybe jazz-rock or afro-rock at best, but certainly not rock rock. This sounds nothing like Black Sabbath! Now there's a ghostly rock band for you. That cover for their self-titled album gave me the creeps! Plus Ozzy Osbourne dresses in all black and like, ate a bird or some shit. And he usually at least looks kinda dead. I'm sure he wouldn't approve of this Nomo band going around talking about "ghost rock" at all. Not one bit.

I don't know who you're trying to fool with your deceptive album titles, Nomo, but I've got you figured out. I'm onto your game!


Score: 8.5/10


"Round the Way"


"Three Shades"

Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks (1990)

Angelo Badalamenti
Twin Peaks (1990)

Ah, Twin Peaks. Brainchild of cult weirdo David Lynch (and the lesser acknowledged Mark Frost). Widely considered one of the greatest television shows of all-time despite only having ran for two seasons, 29-episodes total, and only about 17 of those 29 episodes worth watching. But it's still somehow deserving of its classic status because sheeeeeiiit those 17 good episodes were really fucking good. Great music, that show had. Yeah, most of it was dominated by the constant repetition of that all-purpose "Laura Palmer's Theme", which was used for everything from serious dramatic scenes to uplifting emotional scenes to scenes with nothing but simple exchanges of dialog. But you didn't really notice most of the time, and if you did, you didn't mind, because it was a good theme. And plus the show, it was one of the greatest television shows of all-time. You were too engrossed.

It wasn't until listening to this soundtrack that I realized that there were indeed more than three or four songs that played throughout the series. There's the simple fingersnap melody ("Freshly Squeezed") that drives the more quirky scenes. The wild, free-form sax of Dale Cooper's prophetic dreams ("The Bookhouse Boys"). Even a few dreamy vocal tracks featuring the angelic voice of Julee Cruise. And most surprisingly how could I have overlooked "Audrey's Dance"? With it's sleek keyboard keys and a bass line as sultry, mysterious, and sexy as the character herself. Has there ever been a television character as intriguing as Audrey Horne, before or since? If Twin Peaks' following could be described as "cult", hers was pure obsession, plain and simple. The Audrey Horne hardcore band can attest to this, I'm sure.

You can't help but come away from this soundtrack without a newfound appreciation for Angelo Badalamenti's compositions. Even after your memory of the plot points have faded -- you can't remember who killed Laura Palmer without giving it some thought, or can't recall how the convoluted Windom Earle plot even came about -- you still remember the feel of the show and the mood of the characters and how much of a role the music played in establishing it. And then you wonder why Bohren & der Club of Gore and The Necks have been the only bands to make careers out of this sound.


Score: 7.5/10


"Laura Palmer's Theme"

Bohren & der Club of Gore - Dolores (2008)

Bohren & der Club of Gore - Dolores (2008)

A loungy German jazz band who plays film noir-style music at a funeral pace that often rests below twenty beats per minute named Bohren & der Club of Gore? Sounds more like BORING & der Club of SNORE! LOL WUT!!!1

Except not at all, and even though I would have a hard time defending against their music being a complete bore to some, I still consider them to be one of my favorite bands making music today. Their dark-ambient jazz music would be an anomaly in any collection that doesn't consist of a few Angelo Badalamenti compositions and a Twin Peaks DVD box set. Those familiar with the composers work for the 1990's TV show, however, will immediately be able to point out the similarities between he and Bohren.

The band's first album, Gore Motel, played almost like a tribute; any one song feeling like a missing b-side for the Twin Peaks soundtrack. With subsequent albums, though, the band has shown real growth, which came together most brilliantly on 2000's Sunset Mission (though many would argue the same point for 2002's Black Earth), when the band beautifully integrated the saxophone and mellotron into their previously bass-driven sound. 2005's Geisterfaust felt like a bit of a misstep for those who had grown on the band's sax-led sound, myself included. Bohren had already been known for long, repetitive song structures, but without the improvisation of the saxophone on four of the album's five tracks, the songs felt longer and more repetitive than before.

It would be hard to call Dolores a new creative leap for the band, more of a return to form. What the band is able to do is take the sound they aimed for in Geisterfaust and present the songs in more digestible lengths. It's a small change that leads to a significant increase in listenability. The breaks and changes come more quickly and are easier to recognize, so it avoids getting to that "Damn, this song is still on?" moment that a few of Geisterfaust's songs reached. On top of that, there's more sax, and it's used effectively to give Dolores more mood variety than the band have given on an album since Gore Motel. While the mellotron-led tracks fashion a feeling of extreme sadness and mourning -- such as on "Orgelblut" or the fantastic opener "Staub" -- the sax songs come off as optimistic; almost upbeat at times.

Bohren have given me yet another reason to love them with Dolores. But I can't help but be continually impressed with how a band with really only one song have been able to turn that song into six full-length albums of above-average quality. One song, yeah, but it's a damn good song.



Score: 8/10


"Still Am Tresen"


"Orgelblut"