Rarely Unable

Boduf Songs will be heading to mainland Europe for live performances this March, in celebration of the latest release, “This Above All Else In Spite of Everything.” and will play the album in its entirety each date.

 

The fourth Boduf Songs extended play was created using Mathew Sweet’s standard recording set up of a single microphone and a small array of instruments, but it comes with a few surprises – most notably the prominence of electric guitar, bass and stomping drums on a few tracks. All of the elements that make his previous sound creations so arresting are still present; the impeccable song structures, the minimal approach, the delicate yet dominant singing. The album opens with the naked sound of the hammers of an old upright piano striking strings, an apt metaphor for the lyrical content which is just as raw and exposed. Mathew broadens his vocal approach here, exploring range and employing some unpredictable, well-placed harmonies. This Alone Above All Else In Spite Of Everything is effectively a concept record, and makes for a dramatic journey. Mat states..

“There is a theme that runs through each song and the track order is paramount to that – it’s a hugely important part of making a record work.“

So pay attention.

On this tour the live band will consist of Mathew Sweet, Clive Henry, and Jessica Bailiff Sweet.

Boduf Songs will play the following venues:

02.03. F – Paris @ Lespace B
03.03. NL – Tilburg, Incubated @ Paradox
04.03. B – Diksmuide @ 4ad Musiekclub
05.03. D – Dortmund @ Pauluskircke
06.03. NL – Utrecht @ Bastiaan & Ellen’s
08.03. D – Duisburg @ Steinbruch
09.03. D – Leipzig @ Conne Island
10.03. D – Berlin @ Schokoladen
11.03. D – Dresden @ AZ Conni
12.03. D – Stuttgart @ Galao
13.03. D – Bamberg @ Morph Club
14.03. D – Erfurt @ Woodstock record store
15.03. CZ – Pardubice @ Divaldo 29
16.03. CZ – Praha @ A Studio Rubin
17.03. A – Vienna @ Rhiz
18.03. CZ – Brno @ Falk Cafe
19.03. SK – Trencin @ Kino Luc
20.03. SK – Bratilslava @ A4 – Zero Space
21.03. HR – Zagreb @ KSET
22.03. SLO – Maribor @ Pekarna-Gustaf
23.03. IT – Udine @ Cas’Aupa
24.03. IT – Genova @ La Claque/Teatro della Tosse
25.03. IT – Ravenna @ Bronson

Pat Jordache has been making elliptical sparkling waves in Montreal’s vibrant noise-pop community for several years now. His band Sister Suvi with Merill Garbus made a fierce but short-lived impact, serving up dense, lo-fi, supercharged complexity and garnering accolades from Pitchfork among others for their Now I Am Champion album. With the departure of Garbus for the American west coast and her focus on tUnE-yArDs, Pat drew inspiration from that friendship and from Garbus’ hermetic solo process, retreating to minimum wage employment while working up home recordings of solo material.

Future Songs is the bracing result of Pat’s isolation; an album of brilliant off-kilter pop, anchored by woozy baritone vocals, angular guitar lines and a gloriously careening approach to rhythm and arrangement. Evoking sounds and sensibilities that encompass David-Baker-era Mercury Rev, Joy Division, Scott Walker and Can, to name just a few, Future Songs was self-released on cassette and went up on Bandcamp in summer of 2010, circulating quickly through Montreal’s DIY music community and Tumblr accounts across the continent. While entirely self-recorded, with almost all parts played by Jordache, the material unmistakably cried out for full band treatment, for which there was no shortage of eager participants.

Early Pat Jordache shows were solo ventures, re-working the recorded music using a DD-3 pedal capable of looping only 1.4 seconds of sound. These droning minimalist arrangements soon came to be supported by the explosive percussion efforts of duelling drummers Phillip Chanel, Jeffrey Malecki and Thom Gillies. Rory Seydel (Shapes and Sizes) soon joined the group on guitar, allowing for a more faithful interpretation of the recorded songs. Pat Jordache toured house show circuits as a 3-piece and 4-piece throughout 2010 while playing tirelessly at home in Montreal’s underground spaces, with occasional forays into the mainstream, including a raucous and rhapsodic late-night set at the Pop Montreal after-party venue.

Future Songs opens with the clarion call of “Radio Generation” (also pressed on a tour-only 7″ with previously unreleased “Radar” on the B-Side), where Jordache’s falsetto kicks off the tune against stuttering and fluttering guitar vamps before settling into an off-beat chord pattern and verses delivered in Jordache’s unique baritone. “Get It” follows, built from a great staccato riff and driven by tripled octave-shifted vocals. “Salt On The Fields” brings back the damaged Beach Boys falsetto winding around a rhythmic track of bubbling wood block and chimes, with a taste of afro-beat guitar lines. “Gold Bound” is woozy psych-tinged lo-fi folk. “The 2-Step” instantly sounds like a lost classic from a Joy Division session. “ukUUU” deploys nature sounds, reverse vocals and spaghetti western guitars winding their way towards a speak-song testimonial and a Velvets-style doo-wop to close the album. All in all, an awesome ride.

With the original sessions lost in the theft of Jordache’s laptop from a Montreal roadside smoked meat shop, the initial release of Future Songs was in lo-res, self-mastered 160 kbps mp3. In one of the many small miracles of our digital age, full resolution back-up .wav files of the sessions were dredged up from a forgotten Mediafire account, from which the songs were re-mastered for the Constellation release of the album.

Constellation are planning to release this record on 26 April in the UK. Meanwhile, you can listen to the track, ‘Get It (I Know You’re Going To)’ on the Constellation website now.

“Future Songs is… rough-housing; it is stargazing when you’re in love, reeling from a blow to the head, wearing sunglasses.“

The Haxan Cloak self titled debut album is barely believable.

Exploring mystic and occult audio space with cello, field recordings, violins, hand-made percussion and the human voice, this is barely conceivable as an artist’s first album. The depth and quality is tangible in every hair-raising moment, at every crescendo when one is left teetering above the abyss…

Combining elements of modern classical, film score and electronica with modern free-folk and even metal sensibilities, The Haxan Cloak is a truly diverse album.

‘Burning Torches Of Despair’ brings to mind a sedated Prurient trapped on a galleon, whereas ‘Fall’ and ‘Parting Chant’ have pathos of incredibly powerful modern Classical pieces, with stunning vocal performances from collaborator Mikhail Karikis.

‘The Growing’ shows a more modern, more digital side with it’s nod to modern electronic and even dubstep in it’s processed percussion, though culminating in unexpected grindcore blast beats courtesy of noted tattoo artist and drum maestro Liam Sparkes (Trencher). Additional visceral power was gained thanks to the mastering of Kris Lapke (long time cohort of NYC’s Hospital Productions, home of Prurient amongst others).

Simple classification is beyond impossible for this varied and majestic album. The Haxan Cloak simply is, was, and ever shall be.

Tracklisting:

01. Raven’s Lament

02. An Archaic Device

03. Burning Torches Of Despair

04. Disorder

05. Fall

06. The Growing

07. In Memoriam

08. Parting Chant

The album will be released via Aurora Borealis, who have organised a launch party on a boat in London (yes, you did read that correctly) on Thursday March 31st. More details will be forthcoming.

Meanwhile, Haxan Cloak will be supporting Wild Palms on the following dates:

Mar 2 – Fibbers, York

Mar 3 – Rough Trade East Instore – DJ SET ONLY

Mar 4 – King Tuts, Glasgow

Mar 5 – The Factory, Manchester

Mar 7 – Static Gallery, Liverpool

Mar 8 – The Cooler, Bristol

Mar 9 – Hare And Hounds, Birmingham

Mar 10 – Hoxton Square Bar, London – DJ SET ONLY

Mar 11 & 12 – The Green Door Store, Brighton

You can check out a remix Haxan Cloak did for Wild Palms on Soundcloud

The man behind the ‘cloak’ so to speak is a Sound Designer and Composer who has composed for installations at the V&A Gallery, Future Gallery and also created an original piece for The Rambert School of Dance. Other clients include Toyota, Sony Playstation, Google Chrome, Samsung, Vimeo and Swarovski. Pretty wide-ranging then!

Steve Ignorant announces the details of the FINAL show of the Last Supper tour…

“So here it is then – the final date for the final gig, it’s so weird looking at it knowing it’s going to be the last time I ever perform Crass songs live on stage. I know that was the idea behind this Last Supper tour, but to see it in black and white in front of you like this really makes it final. I know that every gig I do is special and that me and the band put 1000% into every performance, but I have to admit to you all, this one will be special.

If you’re thinking of coming, bring some tissues – it’s gonna be emotional” - Steve Ignorant

The Last Supper
O2 Shepherds Bush Academy
London
Saturday 19th November.  Doors 7pm
Special guests: The Cravats
(more to be announced and probably some unannounced ones too.)

Tickets £20, on sale tomorrow (17 Feb) from Ticketweb, the Southern web shop, UK tickets.

BACKGROUND 

In 2007, STEVE IGNORANT gathered some friends together and put on two shows at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London.
Called The Feeding Of 5000, the show was a celebration of the Crass album of the same name, which was performed in its entirety.

It most certainly was not a CRASS reunion, and never sought to be.

The Last Supper tour answers the calls that have come from around the globe in response to the Shepherd’s Bush gigs. Steve is celebrating the period of Crass’ work with which he feels most closely aligned – the period when he feels the band were at the strongest, most productive and most hopeful.

Steve continues to perform with a full band. The touring line up includes Gizz Butt (guitar), Bob Butler (bass), Spike T Smith (drums), Carol Hodge (vocals) and of course Steve Ignorant (vocals). As well as featuring Crass songs (plus a few other favourites) there are some rather special visuals. 

Having started in London in 2007, this new expanded show has visited other parts of the UK and Europe and is soon going to head across the pond to North America before the FINALE in London. At which point the door will be firmly closed.

About the brand new album Black Earth…

Black Earth is a haunted and magical place. There’s an old barn there with many rooms and a silo that’s filled with dead insects. Outside there’s a big wood pile filled with spider webs that probably has black widows living in it. There are mysterious plants growing everywhere. At night, when the air is crisp and clean, you can lie on your back by the fire and look up at the stars and listen to the animals and insects making their music. A trip to Black Earth could change you forever and you may want to never leave.