#kjetil nernes

[nofatclips]

Part II of Die Nibelungen by Årabrot, an excerpt from the soundtrack to Fritz Lang's legendary silent movie

[sinceileftyoublog]

Årabrot Interview: Speaking in Tongues

BY JORDAN MAINZER

On Norwegian Gothic, Kjetil Nernes and Karin Park preach the gospel of Årabrot. The Norwegian band’s 9th full-length is, according to the band, the logical culmination of the noise they’ve been peddling for almost two decades. Recorded and centered around the Swedish church where Nernes and Park live, Norwegian Gothic takes equal thematic influence and reference from Theodore Adorno as it does David Bowie, its aesthetic filled with psychedelic folk and ecstatic rock and roll. 

Just take a look at the two-part video series associated with the record, encompassing three songs. On “Kinks of the Heart”, Nernes, dressed in his suspenders and wide-brimmed hat, and Park, pregnant in a flowing white dress, come to a town with a bible-looking book with the band’s name printed on the cover. They quickly round up a few townsfolk and cause them to reflect and act on their innermost desires, from sexual promiscuity to cross-dressing, over crackly guitar riffs and hard-charging drums. Part II is the sharp dance-punk synth jam “Hailstones For Rain” and washy, saxophone-laden “The Moon is Dead”, where Årabrot and their newfound cabal go to a local church--in actuality, the church where Nernes and Park live--to speak in rock and roll tongues to enrapture the crowd and later celebrate the summer solstice in a haunted-looking mansion, Nernes and Park nude as other folks dance around them.

Årabrot have fully embraced the idea of Norwegian Gothic as a statement for a while. The record was written starting in 2017, a year before their last full-length, Who Do You Love, was released. (Earlier this year, they also released an EP from the Who Do You Love sessions.) It was eventually recorded with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (who Nernes calls “Gomez”) in London last year right before lockdown. There, they tracked drums, bass, and guitar before returning to the church for Park’s synthesizers, Hammond organ, mellotron, vocals, and overdubs. So while the album also features a number of other collaborators, like Jaga Jazzist’s Lars Horntveth, the spookiness of the church contextualizes the drama of the record, from the Kyuss-like opening guitars of “Carnival of Love” to the strings of “The Rule of Silence” and theatrical vocals of “Feel It On”. There’s also a number of spoken interludes, namely “The Voice” and album closer “You’re Not That Special”, that act as not just breaks or a comedown but, as they were culled from real-life thought provoking conversations the band had with friends, gives the album some substantial meat to back its purported philosophical influence.

Årabrot are holding out hope for some festival dates, like ArcTanGent in the UK in August, though I get the sense that, for once, their live streams so far are expertly curated displays of both Norwegian Gothic and Norwegian Gothic. Watching them perform “Hallucinational” from their church, Park’s spiritual singing and organ playing centering the band as much as the skulls that encircle them, I feel like I’m watching a production rather than a live show, yet one distilled to its raw emotion, and not just because it’s acoustic. Dressed in the same outfits as the characters from the short film, I’m unsure what’s an act and what’s not. What could be more gothic?

A couple months ago, I spoke with Nernes over the phone about Norwegian Gothic, which is out this Friday via Pelagic Records. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: You say that Norwegian Gothic represents the culmination or combination of everything you’ve done so far. What about it makes it such a good summation of what you do as a band?

Kjetil Nernes: As a musician and an artist, you might say, I have a pretty specific idea of how I want things to sound and be. Usually, it’s really hard--it’s a goal you have far ahead in front of you, and you just aim to that goal. It’s really hard to get to that goal right away. It’s a process: You need to make a few albums, for example, to come closer to your main goal, and finally, it comes together. I felt like Norwegian Gothic was like that, for the past 10 years, or even for my whole career. We kind of reached that one goal we’ve had for a really long time. It has to do with songwriting, how it actually sounds, the lyrics, a number of factors. It’s also important to reach the next goal, too--it’s a never-ending process, in many ways. It doesn’t stop here.

SILY: What else makes Norwegian Gothic unique as compared to your other records?

KN: The fact that we brought in a producer for the first time made a big difference. We had Gomez. He made a big difference, for sure. Karin’s been a part of the band on and off for 10 years, but she was much more involved here, which made a big difference from the previous ones. When you’ve done as many albums as I’ve done and been involved in as many projects as I have, you get a little feeling for when things turn out slightly different from all the other times. I had that feeling with this one. I also had that feeling with The Gospel that was released some years ago.

SILY: The Gospel is my favorite record of yours, so it’s interesting to hear you compare it to this one...What about the song “Carnival of Love” made you want to open the album with it?

KN: That is an interesting question because me, Karin, and Gomez were debating back and forth about that for a long time. There were a number of different options. Maybe you agree with me: I feel that there a quite a few songs that could have opened the album. We could have chosen a faster and shorter song, and it would have been a little bit of a different vibe to the album. We had a friend who was involved at the time, and he really got a kick out of “Carnival of Love”, and that made us decide to open with it.

SILY: How do you generally approach sequencing, and was there a different way you approached it here?

KN: Usually, you get a feeling. Sometimes, the label or the management comes with a suggestion. They usually decide the singles--which songs to promote. When you pick out the singles, usually you put them very early on, especially these days, even though I personally prefer to put them somewhere else. Back in the day, if you look at David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, all of the hits end the album. Many of the bands in the 60′s did the same thing: The main single was very far out in the album. Nowadays, the attention span is maybe a bit different so they’re usually earlier on. From there, you just listen to the songs and get a feeling, but on this one, it was particularly hard. Doing The Gospel was incredibly easy. This one took days of back and forth, and we had a lot of different ways of approaching it.

SILY: There are a lot of cinematic aspects on this record, from the strings to the spoken word interludes. Do you think about your records in a cinematic sense?

KN: Maybe. I do see a lot of films and am inspired by films and thinking of an album as a way of traveling through something. That may be what you’re referring to, too. I enjoy albums, and I particularly love albums that make you feel like you’re on a journey. That’s very often my starting point for making albums.

SILY: As much genre territory as this album traverses, “Hailstones For Rain” is an aesthetic standout. Can you tell me about the arrangement and instrumentation of that song?

KN: It does stand out. The label saw it as a very psychedelic song. I didn’t think of it that way. It started with me writing this specific rhythm inspired by some of the stuff The Residents were doing in the late 70′s. They had these weird sort of synthesizer rhythms with basslines on top. It just developed when we played it a lot. Karin added the jazzy theme on top of it. Further on, Lars Horntveth from Jaga Jazzist is playing saxophone, and there are two synthesizers going, and later, Anders Møller is playing percussion on it. It just develops. It’s a rhythmical thing. It turned out pretty interesting, that track.

SILY: How did the interludes come about? Who’s speaking, and what’s the inspiration behind the words they’re saying?

KN: Me and Karin had finished a tour with Boris. We did a week of traveling around the UK and visiting friends two years ago. I was interviewing my friend, and it started out with me saying to him, “Why the hell do we do this?” I got some really good conversations out of it. The first one on the record is Karin before “Hallucinational”, talking about her experience before writing it. The second one is with the writer John Doran, the cofounder of The Quietus. The final one is Andrew Liles, who is part of Current 93 and Nurse With Wound. “You’re Not That Special”: That’s his words.

SILY: I really like the panning in the vocals on that last one. It’s a disorienting way to end the album...You mentioned the label thought “Hailstones For Rain” was psychedelic. For me, the true psychedelic song is “Deadlock”.

KN: Yes. Exactly. I would say the same. I agree--the label is German. [laughs] Germans usually have a different way of approaching things.

SILY: What’s the inspiration behind the album title?

KN: I have a good friend who used to be in Chicago; he used to work for Chicago Mastering [Service], Jason Ward. He sent me an email a few years ago where he described our music as Norwegian Gothic, so I wrote it down. Over the years, there have been a lot of questions like, “What is Årabrot? What is it all about?” I came to the conclusion when I started writing the songs for this album that [“Norwegian Gothic”] felt right describing these genres and as a title. He was also being tongue-in-cheek about [Grant Wood’s painting] American Gothic because we live in a church and kind of look like the people in the painting. I forgot to Google the title after we started the whole process of recording, and I discovered my friends in Ulver have a song called “Norwegian Gothic” and had released it as a single or an EP and have released t-shirts for it. I was like, “Oh no!” [laughs] I did talk to them, and they were totally fine with it. Maybe it’s a good reference point, too, Årabrot and Ulver.

SILY: What’s the story behind the album art?

KN: We did a live session in the church on the summer solstice--Midsommar. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the movie Midsommar.

SILY: I have.

KN: So you know it’s quite big in Sweden. It’s a special day in Scandinavia. The sun is out all day. In Norway, not so much, but in Sweden, it’s a big day, and they dance around the maypole, and there are all these parties going around. This year, we did a live stream, and because there were travel restrictions, we did this live acoustic set. By the end of the session, we did some photos, and literally, exactly on the time of the summer solstice at whatever time--2:00 in the morning or something--that photo was taken by this photographer on his iPhone. He was really tired and getting really grumpy and sour, and Karin asked, “Take one more photo!” We just stood there in that circle with the skulls and stuff. There was some magic to that moment, so he took the photo. Karin was also 6 months pregnant at the time, and you can see her holding her belly. 

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

KN: The last two Clipping. albums, the film Corpus Christi, and the book Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley by Richard Kaczynski. 

[arabrot]

Norwegian Gothic lyrics

Carnival Of Love

Oh, the bloodhounds spoor me down

They track the smell

The false breath on my mouth

They sense a corrupted past

Everything I’ve done

Everything I’ve pondered upon

Will be tracked down

And ripped to bits

The animal knows, the animal sense, the feeble animal in me, I have tried to hide for years,

It will be chased down

It will be chased down

And torn apart, left in sticky pools of blood.

The hounds don’t mind the chase, they want the catch

Oh, your guilty conscience, your ill will motivations, your sentimental anger, it will all go down,

So bring it down

Bring it down

The hounds don’t go for love, they go for your soul

The hounds don’t mind the chase, they mind the catch

This is the blast

The eternal close

The spiral

The final somersault

This is the end

This is the end

You can start laughing

You can start laughing

Rendered to a gory pulp by the bite of fate

Oh, for the carnival of love

The Rule Of Silence

Come ye worthy

You are a miracle

Your Φήμη talk

Your Φήμη talk

I observe the rising

I observe the serpent

Around the waist

Around the naked waist

Caveat, person

You’ll stumble and fall

Upon the sword

Upon the sword

Upon a cross you fester

Pinned deep

Deep in the ground

Oh, I abide by the rule of silence

Come ye worthy

Your swords are like feathers

It holds a tight grip

You hold a tight grip

I observe the rising

I observe dagger

Observe the sacred, secret

Sacred heart

Caveat, person

Your great white mare rears

As they smith old symbols to new brands

I bend those who love me

I bend you to love me

To will

Oh, I abide by the rule of silence

Feel It On

Chainsaw engines roar

The smoke lay thick

Over the timber

A noise silence the buzz

The crazed wood pop

And it crashes to the ground

Leaving a poignant whirlwind

Of a defining emotion

Feel it on

Feel it on

The omens to come

One out of a thousand

Solitary boles

Left on dirty ground

Like heads nailed to the prow

A head would fit each bole

As a part of a sinister pop art display

It’s a defining charade

Feel it on

Feel it on

The omens to come

The Lie

What I told was a lie

I guess I am pathological

The lies told are self-inflicted wounds

I’ve been corrupted for so long

Even the truth is altered

And moulded into lies

I’ve been forced to

Build these walls around me to

Confine my very existence

But it’s collapsing

But I’m a thinking man

I carry a little wisdom

If nothing else I do pretend

Above all I understand it’s a given truth

What I told was a I lie

The Crows

I’m a skeleton, no shadows

I’m mere mass floating

From above they send messages

Like tides they jolt through me

I’m pointing upwards

And the crows gather in the frozen trees down yonder

I wish I could touch the spot

With my mind

Let lust be divided

Into dots and numbers

Into geometry

And the crows gather in the frozen trees down yonder

The crows lift towards the sky

And spirits leave the body

To shape new symbols

And new thoughtforms

A reimagined lust

And the crows gather in the frozen trees down yonder

Kinks Of The Heart

The herd lie down circling

The dry skeleton of a tree

The hot sun burning

And the victim hit thrice

The victim hit thrice

The last dance is scorched to

The iris of the eye

The same eye tired from

Not weeping for the victim hit thrice

The victim hit thrice

Round and round it goes

The kinks of the heart

You must swallow it all

The kinks of the heart

I dream I am an argent

Chevron between fylfots gules

And I throw up the sacrilege

And the moon cast silver on the victim hit thrice

The victim hit thrice

Thunder blitz the heavens

Vile animals rabble the bones

Do you feel sentimental?

Judas dangling before your eyes

The victim hit thrice

Round and round it goes

The kinks of the heart

You must swallow it all

The kinks of the heart

The herd lie down circling

The dry skeleton of a tree

The hot sun burning

And the victim hit thrice

The victim hit thrice

Thunder blitz the heavens

I cast the augury of bones

Who hung himself there?

Judas dangling before your eyes

The victim hit thrice

Hailstones For Rain

The sun is scalding

My body is burning

But I feel nothing

The sun is scalding

But I feel nothing

But the scorn

We gave them hailstones for rain, uh uh uh

The sun is scalding

I feel nothing, but the scorn

From the seething crowd

I carry my load

I cry, I lament

For Golgotha ahead

We gave them hailstones for rain, uh uh uh

Hallucinational

There’s a future on the rise

Places no one’s ever been to

Young dreams slowly realise

at unthinkable speed

without any doubt

We’re in motion without moving

We are shining without light

We are flowers without blooming

We are thinking without minds

Everything is now before me

Hallucinational

(This Is) The Night

This is the night and the night is dark

This is the night and the night is dark

I can’t sleep

My head, it hurts

I am howling into the silence

This is the night and the night is dark

This is the night and the night is dark

I can’t think

My head, it hurts

I hear a sound

I am not supposed to hear

From the bog they say:

From the bog they say:

From the bog they say: They are coming …

This is the night and the night is dark

This is the night and the night is dark

I can’t concentrate

My head, it hurts

This is the night and the night is dark

This is the night and the night is dark

I can’t sleep

My head, it hurts

I am howling into the silence

I hear a sound

I am not supposed to hear

From the bog they say:

From the bog they say:

From the bog they say: They are coming …

This is the night

And the night is dark

I am howling into the silence

I am howling into the night

Hard Love

Beauty lose and beauty win

And you trade beauty for knowledge

But you pay with love, hard love

Love is a nail in the skull

You pay with hard love

It’s a surge that fosters the fires within

When hoisting her aloft I witnessed a smile

You pay with hard love

My dirty hands reaches out for the soul

I can’t muster enough love

To equal the feasts of the divine

There’s not enough love is this world

To match the beating of the heart

You pay with hard love

My dirty hands reaches out for the soul

Hounds Of Heaven

The snakes flee an imminence

They betray me as I betray you

They flee upon the prospects of trust

Down the hollows of the deep

They flee the hounds of heaven

They flee the adversary

They flee the nights and they flee the days

At unperturbed speed

Lo and behold, their cunning beguile

And all that’s born die

Heaven and I weep, I’m defenseless

You drove love from yourself

As you drove love from me

Now as the chase draw nigh

It is time to bid farewell

You better content yourself in me

Or nothing will ever content thee

Lo and behold, their cunning beguile

And all that’s born die

Heaven and I weep, I’m defenseless

You drove love from yourself

As you drove love from me

Deadlock

The ocean glints like crystals as the sun explodes

And hisses down into a blood-red dusk

Life pulses in and out

Life pulses in and out

In the deep corners of their rigid hearts

They look into the eternity and whisper ancient nostalgias

They’re futures are at a halt

They’re futures are at a halt

They stare into the darkness and damn the night

Silently bemoaning the lack of life

The repentance of their griefs the only hope

The repentance of their griefs the only hope

They feel sick from watching the spectacle

The pleasures of their existence has been transformed

Into a place of sickness and misery

Into a place of sickness and misery

The Moon Is Dead

Bow to the black moon

And your laughter will turn

Into silence

Your children will hunt your

Dreams and you’ll see

The Moon hanging there

Over our heads

Why such negligence?

The moon is dead

The moon is dead

The moon is dead

The moon is dead

Death takes more than courage

For the unsuspecting

And it is your tears

That will have to

Fill the empty holes

So bow

And prey your children

Will bow too

The moon is dead

The moon is dead

The moon is dead

Hanging over our very heads

The moon is dead

The moon is dead

Hanging over our very heads

All things are in flux

But the old ways are in my nerves

Worn thin from suffering

So bring light, bring light

Cause the night

Has fanned out the day

And forgotten about me

All lyrics by Kjetil Nernes, except Hallucinational by Karin Park 

[iwannapushthebutton]

Teljesen szubjektív zenei lista a 2010-es évekből - külföld

Többnyire magamnak, hogy el ne felejtsem, de lehet titeket is érdekel. Olyan zenekarok vannak benne, akik 2010-2019 között alakultak, még mindig léteznek, vagy tevékenységük véleményem szerinti jelentősebb részét ebben a évtizedben fejtették ki - és én sokat hallgattam őket. (Ja és fontos: nem vagyok zenei újságíró, ha rosszul írtam valamit, akkor bocs.)

KÜLFÖLDI ELŐADÓK 

5. Arabrot 

A norvég Arabrot, bár már a 2000-es évek eleje óta létezik, kétségtelenül ebben az évtizedben ért a csúcsra, mikor elnyerték hazájuk legrangosavv zenei elismerését - ami után el is vált a két alapító tag útja: Kjetil Nernes egy darabig egyedül volt a név birtokosa. Majd a feleségével, az egykori pop ikon Karin Parkkal, újra szervezte a bandát, vettek egy templomot valahol vidéken, ami a stúdiójuk és a lakhelyük is egyben, és elkövették a zenekar életének talán legtermékenyebb öt évét, miközben Kjetilnek még a rákkal is meg kellett küzdenie, ami azzal fenyegette, hogy lehet, hogy soha többé nem fog tudni énekelni. A betegséggel való harc ihlette a The Gospel c. lemezüket, ami szerintem az évtized egyik legeredetibb... lemeze lett. 

Nehéz az Arabrot stílusáról írni - a legegyszerűbben a noise rock-val lehetne elintézni, de ennél sokkal bonyolultabb a helyzet. A Solar Anus utáni lemezeken ugyanis megtalálható még a metál hideg keménysége, de a Nick Cave-et idéző sztorizgatós alternatív, már-már folkos, szövegközpontú fejhangon és kiabálva előadott sötét rockzene is (az utolsó lemezükön már-már annyira elmennek ebbe az irányba, hogy kis túlzással majdnem olyan, mint egy Nick Cave lemez -  nem is a kedvencem). Mindehhez egy teljesen egyedi szövegírói világ társul, amiben ott vannak a XX. század eleji bolond avantgárd költők, a sátánizmus, a középkori mesék és legendák egybegyúrva, amiket egy hang maró gúnnyal és szarkazmussal köp néha a hallgatók felé, máskor játékosan már-már incselkedve ad elő, hol pedig minden érzékünkre hatva próbál becsalogatni egy pornográf látomásba.  Nagyon sokáig küzdöttem az Arabrottal, de az évtized végére sikerült megszeretnem őket és már nem is nagyon értettem, hogy korábban mi volt velük a bajom, hiszen pontosan azt az őrületet tolják, amit úgy szeretek. 

(a zenekar teljes katalógusa megtalálható a Spotify-on) 

4. Run the Jewels: RTJ2

Itt a Die Antwoord-nak kellene lennie, de sajnos ők az én szememben nagyon durván lecsúsztak a dekád végére. :( Nagyon bírtam a bolond dél-afrikaiakat, főleg, amikor rájöttem, hogy már hányszor váltottak alakot mire eljutottak jelenlegi formájukba. Azt is bírtam, hogy be volt lőve, hogy hány albumot csinálnak és, hogy vállaltan azt nyomták, hogy nemsokára befejezik. És végül nem igazán tartották be, amit ígértek. A szerepek felfalták a kitalálóikat, a zene, az ötletek, a szövegek pedig egyre gyengébbek lettek.  A Run the Jewels arcokat sokkal hitelesebbnek éreztem, a maguk szintjén elég elcseszett őrületével, ami nem mellőzi az öniróniát, ami vállaltan nem akar semmi komolyat, de ugyanakkor zeneileg elég komolyan megcsinált (figyeld a fúvósokat az albumnyitó számban!) és ha kell szívbemarkolóan őszinte és kemény is tud lenni (ld.: Killer Mike referenciái arra, hogy drog dealer volt, és az a szám, ami arról szól, hogy hogyan adott el egyszer heroint egy terhesnőnek). Ezek a csávók nem szerepet játszanak, hanem önmaguk, és ezt fullba felvállalják. A szöveg csak szöveg, a nagyotmondások mögött mindig van egy kikacsintás, hogy ez csak fantázia. Nincsenek maszkok, ígéretek, csak zene és váratlanul ajiba adott albumok a rajongóknak. Lehet, hogy mindez nem olyan mély vagy rétegzett vagy átgondolt, mint amit a dél-afrikaiak csinálnak, de legalább elejétől a végéig trú, felesleges túlzások nélkül. 

(minden fent van a Spotify-on) 

3. Repetitor

Európa legjobb gitár zenekara szerb! (Szerintem!!!) Ha a gitár zene most ugyanolyan menő lenne, mint harminc éve, akkor a Repetitor lenne az új Nirvana! Ezek a srácok szétturnézzák Európát, az anyanyelvükön énekelve! (Amúgy nagyon is fasza szövegeket.) Egyszer találkoztam egy belgrádi hangmérnökkel, aki mondta, hogy egy ideig a szomszéd próbateremben dolgozott, mint ahol ők próbáltak - és akkoriban még csak három fura arc voltak, a piszkafa srác, a lány a fekete párduc tetkóval és a kis mosolygós a dobok mögött, akik White Stripes-t játszottak. Iszonyatos milyen koncerteket adnak. Noise-rock? Post-punk? Grunge? Indie? Ez mind egyszerre. Ne tegyél fel kérdéseket. Rázd a segged, ugrálj és imádkozz, hogy a gyerek ne essen le az erősítőkről mielőtt a tömegbe ugrik! Látni és hallani kell őket, legalább egyszer. Ha én, aki évi egy-két koncertre járok, mert amúgy utálom a tömeget képes voltam az elő sorban táncolni, akkor neked is menni fog. 

(most már minden fenn van tőlük is a Spotify-on) 

2. Christian Fitness 

Ma már látszik, hogy a 2000-es évek egyik legmeghatározóbb angol zenekara a Mclusky* volt - csak sajnos ők annyira kicsik voltak akkor, hogy nem látszottak ki az éppen aktuális brit hullámból (Franz Ferdinand és társai) és egyáltalán nem voltak sem cukik sem szépek (mmint zeneileg). A zenekart vezető Andy “Falco” Falkous nem győzi adni** a Mclusky revival koncerteket mostanában - bár a fanyar és cinikus facebook bejegyzésein látszik, hogy jobb dolga is lenne ennél. Mondjuk gyereket nevelne otthon és lemezeket rakna össze az ágy szélén ülve. Már az évtized közepén is látszott, hogy a Future of the Left (Falkous Mclusky utáni zenekara) megtorpant és kreatív válságba került. Az utolsó lemezük kb. már egy az egyben olyan volt mint  Falco szólóprojektje... bocsánat “one man band-je”, a Christian Fitness. 

Hogy a Christian Fitness unalomból vagy bármi másból jött-e létre nem tudom, csak azt, hogy amikor az első számokat meghallottam, egyből az jutott az eszembe, hogy ezt nekem találták ki. Falkous elbaszott, torz tánczenéje, ami punkos lendülettel hasítja ketté a koponyádat véleményem szerint lélegzetelállító. A szövegek ön- és társadalomkritikus fekete humora elgondolkoztató (számcímek ld.: happiness is not for amateurs, date celebrities or die), és kicsit megrázó is, tudva, hogy mindaz, amit hallunk (többnyire) egy ember munkája, vagyis közben bevon minket egy nagyon is intim térbe. A hallgató közben némileg kiszolgáltatottnak is érzi magát, hiszen az alkotónak nem kell kompromisszumokat kötnie senkivel és természetesen a műfaji szabályokat is magasról leszarja - de ki mondta, hogy öncélúan! Falco radikális húzásai zenei poénok, amiken ugyanúgy nevethetünk, mint a keserű megjegyzésein. (Különösen az utolsó két lemezen dolgoztatja meg a hallgatókat.) Kevés olyan előadó van, akinek közvetlenül (értsd: nem Spotify-on) megveszem az összes  lemezét, és ő pl. ilyen. 

*továbbra is tök szubjektíven

**ha már évi egy van, szerintem az is sok neki

(youtube vagy bandcamp )

 1. Hawks

Ha valaki kicsit követi a sportokat, akkor megérti, hogy miért vicces, ha egy atlantai zenekar Hawks-nak nevezi el magát. A humor pedig velük kapcsolatban itt véget is ér. Nem túl sokat lehet tudni róluk, interjúkat alig találni, sosem voltak híresek, a dalszövegeik pedig egyetlen adatbázisban sem találhatóak meg (amikor nagyon kellett az egyik számuk szövege, akkor írtam nekik és az énekesük bepötyögte nekem messengeren!!!) Ez nyilván azért is van, mert a banda rendkívül analóg volt. Megjelenéseiknél a bakelitre rakták a hangsúlyt- minden más csak azután jött. A távoli rajongóknak így maradt a bandcamp, de ha őszinték vagyunk, akkor a SoulSeek ha valami out of printté vált. Egy ideig majdnem a teljes katalógus elérhető volt Spotify-on, de mostanra csak a leghíresebb nagylemezük található meg.* 

A Hawks teljesen egyértelműen noise-rock-ot játszik, a korai lemezeiken annyira keményen és torzan, hogy az bárkit elriaszt. Nagyon nehéz volt beléjük szeretni és magam sem tudom, hogy miért hallgattam meg újra és újra az ocsmány számaikat.    

A legfőbb indok talán Michael P. Keenan Jr. énekes hangja. A korai lemezeken üvölt, fröcsög, siránkozik és fenyeget, hogy az utolsó lemezre már csak kántáljon, beszéljen vagy néha megemelje a hangját. Magába sűrítve... még túl korai. 

Nem vidám a Hawks zenéje, és kezdetben különösebben invenciózusnak sem tűnik. Amit először realizálunk, azok  az avantgárd zeneműveket megszégyenítő kis átkötők, cezúrák a lemezeken, aztán jönnek a furcsa dalstruktúrák, amik nélkülözik a refrént, vagy néha úgy tesznek, mintha lenne, de aztán még sincs. Ha jobban figyelünk a dobokra rájövünk, hogy a ritmus is bonyolultabb, mint egy átlag punk lemezen. A gitáros pedig a legváratlanabb pillanatban nyom egy látványos szólót. A basszusgitáros szinte észrevehetetlen, pedig nélküle durván szétesnének a számok.   A szövegek pedig...

A Hawks zenéje voltaképpen egy fejlődéstörténetnek ágyaz meg. A férfivá válást mesélik el a lemezek - egyenként egy-egy külön fázist voltaképpen. Ebben nincs semmi direkt koncepció (legalábbis nem találtam ennek nyomát), de számomra így tűnik. A korai üvöltözést, túl érzékenységet az utolsó lemezen (ami után a zenekar feloszlott) a halk, visszafojtott csalódottság váltja fel, a kiábrándultság mindenből - a feszültség az utolsó számig gyűlik és csak ott robban. 

Keenan a szövegeivel remek portrét fest a modern férfiről, aki a különféle szerepek között vergődik, a toxic masculinty-től megfertőződve keresi önmagát, próbálja szeretni önmagát, és legfőképpen próbálja kimutatni az érzelmeit, ami szinte lehetetlen, hiszen a fejekben folyamatosan szólnak a démonok, a páncél pedig hiába tűnik vastagnak ha valami átjut rajta, az halálos sebet ejt.  

A Pity Party című számban remekül adja elő az igazi seggfejet, aki agresszíven faggatja a csajokat, hogy “Come on! Tell me why?” csak, hogy a refrénben már sírva üvöltse, hogy “I can’t live with this - ALONE! ALONE! ALONE!“ Vagyis, hogy még önmagát is utálja azért, amilyen. A Smile-ban egy alkoholista apával küzdő fiút játszik, és a szám végét azzal a katartikus sorral zárja, hogy “They want to grow us - into them, oh into them!” A No Excersie ámokfutásában pedig listát készít róla, hogy hogyan kell egy férfinak viselkedni a férfiak szerint, hogyan kell megfosztania magát az érzékenységtől és minden kedves dologtól, és ha mégis másképp látná, akkor pedig “You are the problem here!” és miután végig mantrázza a számot a végére már csak azt tudja hajtogatni, hogy “The perfect man! The perfect man! The perfect man!” 

Persze a társadalmi környezet és a világ is beszüremkedik valamennyire , de ezekre is egy rendkívül szubjektív szemszögből tekintünk. A Luckless c. szám, ami az utolsó szám az utolsó lemezen a kiábrándultság himnusza, amiben a történelem és minden ami rossz ismétli önmagát, amire az utolsó mondat még rá is erősít: “Watch and repeat!” Önkéntelenül is rossz viselkedési mintákat tanulunk meg, ha akarjuk, ha nem. 

Hatalmas zenekar voltak, akik később valószínűleg hivatkozási alappá válnak majd. De ezt más is mondta már. Ezt az évtizedet kétségtelenül nekik adom. 

*az előbb kerestem és már az sincs. 

(van bandcampjük meg a kiadóik oldalán lehet őket meghallgatni, esetleg megvenni)

[m3t4ln3rd]

Årabrot's Kjetil Nernes showcases gear in new video

Norwegian outfit Årabrot have teamed up with Premier Guitar Magzine to showcase frontman Kjetil Nernes‘ rig. Recently, the group launched a pair of videos via Brooklyn Vegan of Nernes and pianist/keyboardist Karin Park‘s unique guitar and keys setups, as well as the magnificent, secluded old Church in which they live and create music. Årabrot’s 9th full-length album Norwegian Gothic is out now…

[diabolicalslc]

Starting today listening to one of 2018's best albums: @arabrot 's incredible Who Do You Love sees Kjetil Nernes surround himself with an all star cast featuring Andrew Liles of Nurse With Wound, avant masters Kristoffer Lo and Ana Marthe Sørlien Hole, drummer Joakim Johansen and @ahrkh_gnod on bass. ° Imagine Nick Cave started a band in hell, this is what they'd want to sound like. (at Diabolical Records) https://www.instagram.com/p/Brf7zvhA6P6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1lkgsk4p0au3u

[nofatclips]

L'eremita by OvO (featuring Årabrot) from the album Miasma

[jdrespling]

ÅRABROT: BrooklynVegan Premieres Creepy “Pygmalion” Video From Norwegian Noise/Art Rock Enigmas; Who Do You Love Full-Length Out Now On Pelagic

ÅRABROT: BrooklynVegan Premieres Creepy “Pygmalion” Video From Norwegian Noise/Art Rock Enigmas; Who Do You Love Full-Length Out Now On Pelagic

ÅRABROT: BrooklynVegan Premieres Creepy “Pygmalion” Video From Norwegian Noise/Art Rock Enigmas; Who Do You Love Full-Length Out Now On Pelagic

Photo by Thomas Night

Last week, Norwegian noise/art rock enigmas ÅRABROT released their Who Do You Lovefull-length via Pelagic Records. Described as, “a universe unto themselves,” by Louder Sound calling frontman Kjetil Nernes, “an iconoclast for…

[arabrot]

ÅRABROT  - THE WORLD MUST BE DESTROYED EP

“The revolution will come soon. All this will be destroyed. The world must be destroyed”

Årabrot trampling underfoot the shrill stanzas of skepticism were:

A P Macarte – bass and background vocals

Ane Marthe Sørlien Holen – timpani, gran cassa, tubular bells, gongs, vibraphone, metal percussion and background vocals 

Andrew Liles – sound design

Dana Schechter – lap steel guitar and background vocals

Joakim Johansen – drums

Karin Park – vocals, mellotron, pump organ, piano and synths

Kjetil Nernes – vocals and guitars

Kristoffer Lo – amplified tuba, flugabone and noise guitar

All songs by Kjetil Nernes. 

Produced by Kjetil Nernes and Karin Park.

Recorded by Greg Norman at Electrical Audio, Studio A, Chicago, Illinois, USA and by Kjetil Nernes and Karin Park at Djura Missionshus, Djura, Dalarna, Sweden, 2017.

A P Macarte vocals recorded by John Tatlock at The Box Mobile Recording Studio, Manchester, UK, 2017.

Mixed by Milton von Krogh at Taakeheimen Lydrike, Oslo, Norway, 2017.

Mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2017.

Assistance and handclaps by Johan Klarberg.

THE WORLD MUST BE DESTROYED

I see right through you, your monkey heart

Your nervous breath, the foul mouth

I see right through you, your bended knees

Your frivolous words, your philosophy

I see right through you, your persiflage

Your wolf hunger, your jolly laugh

I see right through you, your fleas and your ticks

Your cavities, your snake tricks

I see right through you, your angel lust

Your death erection upon the cross

I see right through you, your transparent skin

Your drool, your tongue licking

I see right through you, your lockjaw

Your fundament, the dancing vertebra

I see right through you, your smile and sweat 

Blood pulse and the soft part of your neck

I see right through you, the clock ticking

Cocks and crosses and backstabbing

I see right through you, I see right through you

Don’t let me see right through you

They say the world must be destroyed 

Must be destroyed 

Must be destroyed

Don’t let them think you ’re broken

THE COMING

Here comes  a picture and a starry night

Here comes a hotel room and blinking lights

Here comes an envision of a woman by the sea

She screams my name, desperately 

Here comes the folding knife and a curious grin

Here comes trouble, she’s off wandering

What will they say, what will they say

Here comes the foul mouth, slanderous

Here comes a mysterious stabbing, was he drunk?

Did he hit on her? Did he hit her?

Here comes laughter in the alleyway

The dance you’ve been longing for, death as a gentleman

Father, you may rest here drunk among the graves

Mad from drink, drunk on insanity 

Mother, you may well read your magazines among the dead

Something out of the ordinary play in your head

Here come howls like laughter and a broken mirror

The gun draws blood, the knife retaliates

Beware, he’s on your back, his shadows are different

Luckily you are already among the ghosts

There’s that laugh again, scorning, bellowing

You pay your dues in the pit for a manoeuvre like that

Let him flee, let him flee

Here comes freedom, but only for a while

Here comes the law, strong manly law

In the spotlight you try to escape, you heave-ho 

Ghosts you can always run from

You can’t escape yourself, madness leaves no victim

Here comes the baton, there’s no return

You suck that weapon, you suck those kisses

Well, well, here come the pointing fingers

And suddenly it’s silent except a terrible scream

ANOTHER HALLUCINATORY DREAM

In a haze I sweep a corrupt tongue

Over sacred ground

The hearth crackle in the background 

And I tap the fluids

Let me fill your holes before I hit the ground

I flicker along with the shadows on the wall

I float in dreams and lick the sweat 

Cacoëthes, you are my god, I idolise you, I worship

I wake to find goosebumps as pearls on the sheets

And a smile like a thousand slivered diamonds

I am a sinner and I drown in blood

I am enthralled by cruel sex and I fall

I fall to my knees and die a million deaths 

In the holocaust of my very soul

[thoregil]

Jeg har ikke sett Årabrot så veldig mange ganger, men hver gang blir jeg overveldet over hvor bra de er. Det er ikke snakk om at de stiller opp og spiller, og så er det opp til publikum å like det eller ikke. De tar fullstendig over hele salen med en uimotståelig energi, og om du ikke tåler det så får du bare komme deg ut. Sist jeg så dem var det som Årabrot Speciale, dvs Kjetil Nernes og Karin Park – med stuntmusiker Ola Kvernberg som gjest. Denne gangen hadde de fått med seg Kristoffer Lo på siste sangen, og han løfta det hele til en infernalsk jam som tok det hinsides alt vi noengang har opplevd tidligere. Det var godt det var slutten på kvelden – å gå på en ny konsert etterpå ville ha vært helt meningsløst.

2018-02-02 Årabrot – Trondheim Calling, Olavshallen Lille sal Jeg har ikke sett Årabrot så veldig mange ganger, men hver gang blir jeg overveldet over hvor bra de er.

[todayssongsis]

Årabrot - Tall Man

Årabrot are getting some recognition for their last album The Gospel. They deserve it. It’s a cracking album. The video by Morten Traavik is good fun too.

[m3t4ln3rd]

Årabrot premiere "Maldoror's Love" music video

Band: Årabrot Song: “Maldoror’s Love” Album: Who Do You Love Release Date: September 7th, 2018 Label: Pelagic Records

Frontman Kjetil Nernes offered:

“Årabrot is in so many ways as much a travelling circus as a rock ‘n’ roll unit. Captured here is the essence of the snake-handling, the Holy Mountain alchemy and the medicine show prophesies. Paal Laukli/Laukli & Laukliwith the help of the amazing…

[drumsand2ba]

"Årabrot - Throwing Rocks At The Devil" by TigerFysiskFormat

[arabrot]

Årabrot Speciale

Årabrot is a two-headed monster. The band has toured Norway, Europe and the States extensively for years. They have released 7 critically acclaimed albums and won Norwegian Grammy for Best Metal 2012. The  most recent full-length The Gospel was voted Album Of The Year 2016 by influential music site The Quietus.

Årabrot the rockband is without a doubt a well-known and established name, but another important component of the band – the arty and more experimental Årabrot Speciale – often goes unrecognized.

 Årabrot Speciale is Årabrot outside of the conventional structures of a basic rock’n’roll-band. Årabrot Speciale is the elemental force. Dark and hypnotizing. Atmospheric. It could be the soundtrack to a perfect suicide. Crushing, ugly, but at the same time majestic and surprisingly beautiful.

(photo by André Løyning)

The Årabrot Speciale main core consists of Årabrot frontman Kjetil Nernes on vocals, guitars and electronics and pop artist Karin Park on vocals, flute and synths. The duo have performed at Øya Festival 2012, Trondheim Documentary Film Festival 2016, Kongsberg Music Film Festival 2016, Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF) 2010, 2013, 2016 and Haugesund International Film Festival 2016 (all Norway).

Årabrot Speciale presented live music to the screenings of director André Løyning’s documentary – Cocks And Crosses – The Music That Wouldn’t Die – at Norwegian theatres 2016, including the opening day of Norway’s biggest film festival the Haugesund International Film Festival.

Årabrot Speciale has performed live music to silent film classics such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Witchcraft Through The Ages (1922), Faust (1926) and an unofficial present-day world record of 5 hours (!) film music to the epic Die Nibelungen (1924) at the Silent Film Days, Verdensteateret Cinema in Tromsø, Norway, 2016.

The Årabrot Speciale-performances have included guests such as noise maestro Lasse Marhaug, sound artist Andrew Liles (Nurse With Wound/Current93) and jazz violinist Ola Kvernberg.

http://thequietus.com/articles/21574-arabot-speciale-watch

Årabrot documentary Cocks And Crosses: The Music That Wouldn't Die will be screened at Docnroll Music Doc Festival in London November 8th at the legendary The 100 Club. This is the international premiere of the film. The screening will be followed by a Årabrot Speciale performance by Kjetil Nernes and Karin Park with guests John Doran (The Quietus) and Andrew Liles (Current 93/Nurse With Wound). There will also be a q&a and dj-sets.

http://www.docnrollfestival.com/films/cocks-and-crosses-the-music-that-wouldnt-die-arabrot/

Årabrot Speciale live in Trondheim 2016: 

(photos by Thor Egil Leirtrø)

Check out Årabrot Speciale by Thor Egil Leirtrø here - 

https://thoregilphoto.com/2016/11/18/2016-11-18-arabrot-speciale-m-ola-kvernberg-dokkhuset/#jp-carousel-8818

[m3t4ln3rd]

Årabrot issues "Pygmalion" music video

Band: Årabrot Song: “Pygmalion” Album: Who Do You Love Release Date: September 7th, 2018 Label: Pelagic Records

Frontman Kjetil Nernes said of the song:

“Pygmalion fell in love with his statue. The song ‘Pygmalion’ is inspired by a vision of figures come alive in a garden in France. Terrible figures that give birth to terrible visions. It sounds like Årabrotat their most tender, but is it really?”