Other Musics: THE NATIONAL

It´s about time we dedicated a post to The National, a band from Ohio now based on Brooklyn, which has obtained during last years the acclaim of critics and general public. Their tunes are unpretentious but elegant odes to sadness, melancholy, isolation and obscurity. The low voice of the singer wraps the listener in a dense atmosphere, which is difficult to escape from. Perfect sounds for atumn rainy days.

With their latest album, High Violet, The National has evolved their style towards calmer and quieter shores.



If you look for a definition of their sound, you´ll find in internet epithets like indie-folk, alternative & minimalist. We don´t care about labels; they are what they are, and you may like them or not. The only thing we can say is we see them like magnific architects of sound.

Will you dare cross the gate to their world? Be aware there´s no turning back... you´re warned.

Here is a link to a live performance of Sorrow, one of the saddest but most beautiful songs I´ve ever heard. A gem included in High Violet




Here is a very intimate & beautiful performance of Start a War a tune from Boxer, their album from 2007, which is considered by many people as their best work. This video is available in http://www.blogotheque.net



Enjoy...

Backwards Message in Fan & Fellows Vinyl Edition

Did you know that the vinyl of The Fan & Bellows. A Collection of Classic Early Recording released by Dead Dead Good Records contains a backwards message at the end of Side-B, after Nathan´s Phase song?

The message is, in fact, a small excerpt of the lyrics of Nostalgia sung by Mark Burgess.

The excerpt does not appear in the CD edition.

Here you can listen to the original excerptand then the reversed version:

Original Excerpt:



Reversed version:

Other Musics: STOFFER & MASKINEN

Don´t you believe in casualities? Visiting last summer Copenhagen, I was strolling around Nyhavn and then bumped into a band which was playing live as part of some summer cultural friday events in the danish county town.

From the first chords I heard I got shocked. They are quite a new band called Stoffer & Maskinen, but their sound is as if they were from the 80´s. Strong bass lines and razor edge guitars, and they could be easily labelled as a dream-pop or shoegaze band, but you will also notice some eletronic and even progressive influences, sung with melancholic beauty.



Although they are quite static on the stage, intentionally avoiding the visual contact with the audience (no wonder why someone labelled a music style as shoegaze, although it´s more related to an attitude on stage rather than to a proper music style), Stoffer & Maskinen have without any doubt great magnetism.



They have released their debut self-titled album, which we recommend to all of you without any doubt. All songs are sung in danish, and that gives them a distinction from all those european bands which adopt english as a must for expressing themselves. Perhaps the less interesting song from the album is the opener, a catchy and instant song called Flader mod Flader, which is too comercial for me, but the album is full with gems like the Indeni, a magnific song with a fantastic guitar line. Here is the youtube video from this song:




After that amazing concert I was lucky enough to find by casuality, I rushed into the nearest record store to look for their album and since them, Stoffer & Maskinen has turned into one of my favourites band, and I´m looking forward to listening to new material from these young guys.

I have to mention that their Live sound is much better than theirs in studio, perhaps due to an excess of post-production. Good things are better without condiments,a nd if you are a fan of bands from the 80´s like The Chameleons, The Sound and bands like Editors, Interpol, The Boxer Rebellion are in your list of favourites, you won´t be deceived with this danish group.

Good luck Stoffer & Maskinen! You´ve got a magnific sound, so keep on the good path, and for sure you will be recognized outside Denmark. From our blog, we´ll do our best to try and spread the word, so that your songs are listened from all over the world.

For those interested on this band you can visit their following websites:
http://www.myspace.com/stofferogmaskinen
http://stofferogmaskinen.dk/

... and if you like them we encourage you support them by buying their album

Want Wishville back?

Wishville, the official Chameleons forum was shut down indefinitely.

Wishville was a pretty extended database of Chameleons related threads worked and supported with the collaboration, hard work and contribution of their fans since 2001.

Wishville, like the Chameleons, exists no more, but you can join the facebook group "Bring Back Wishville", where Cham related discussions are still alive

Interview to Mark Burgess in [sic]magazine

The online Magazine [sic]Magazine, administered by Brett Spaceman, has published an interesting and quite long interview with Mark Burgess.

Burgess talks about past, present and past of his musical career, included his recent Chameleons Tribute Band: ChameleonsVOX. He also gives his point of view to the split of The Chameleons and his differences with Dave Fielding.

The interview can be read on [sic]Magazine Web-Site.

Note:The other side of the story can be read on the Bring Back Wishville Facebook Group

Other Musics: NOSOUND

This is a recommendation for all of you, who visit every now and then this lonely island.

In search of new atmospheric & introspective sounds, looking for bands not related to The Chameleons, I came up with this fantastic group called NOSOUND who could be labelled somewhere between Pink Floyd & Sigur Ros. Their long and melancholic compositions are their highlights on their albums.

Spend some minutes of your life to let the music of this song called Constant Contrast, included on their album A Sense of Loss, transport your soul to other world




More information about this group on their Official Website: http://www.nosound.net

ChameleonsVOX in BCN

Last 15th of January Mark Burgess and friends arrived in Barcelona to play some Chameleons classics songs. The venue was Bikini and the name of the band: ChameleonsVOX. Caution! Not to be confused with Chameleons. Some might say "What difference does it make? Meanwhile the sound remains as close as possible to the original it doesn´t matter", but some others will think Chameleons songs are too good to be played by other people than the original members Fielding/Lever/Burgess/Smithies.


The truth is that The Chameleons are (and will be) no more, so the only real possibility of listening live those beloved songs again is without the original band. In fact, it is right now the singer Mark Burgess the only remaining original member. John Lever joined him for some months, but he is not anymore. This is the actual line-up of ChameleonsVOX:

Mark Burgess - Vox
Justin Lomery - Guitar
Stephen Foxcroft - Guitar
Chris Oliver - Guitar
Ray Bowles - Bass
Dug McLeod - Drums



This is not the first time Mark Burgess plays Chameleons songs without the rest of the band (remember Mark Burgess & The Sons of God & Invincible), but we have to recognize this is the first time the guitars sound as close as possible to the original band. If you close your eyes you can almost pretend it´s Dave and Reg... almost, although you will notice three guitars are required to reproduce a similar atmosphere.

The venue was a bit small for the amount of fans who attended the show. Both the venue and band offered a fantastic sound quality. Mark´s voice was into shape, although I prefer it when he sings and plays bass at the same time. The rest of the musicians demostrated the love and respect they have for Chameleons songs. No one attending the show (knowing beforehand it was not the original Chameleons) would be upset. It´s always a pleasure to listen to these magnific tunes, when being recreated with professionalism and respect to the spirit of the original band.



Video of Tears


Video of Second Skin

The band of Mark Burgess focused on songs from Script of The Bridge and Strange Times albums, although a devoted audience was surprised with gems like Singing Rule Britannia or In Shreds. Second Skin, Monkeyland, Seriocity & In Answer were also some of the highlights of the show, which took almost two hours. Only a couple of songs, one of them Soul in Isolation sounded a bit strange and forced. The new millenium album Why Call it Anything? was ignored by the band, surely because it lacks the magic of the three classic albums.



Mark was very happy and warm during all the show, and he mentioned the possibility of coming back in summer.

ChameleonsVOX will have for sure a successful european tour, because die-hard fans are always eager to listen to Chameleons songs. But one question remains in the air: Would it be the same if the name of the band was simply Mark Burgess & Friends? Surely not, because a product always needs good marketing to be sold, even in The Chameleons world. And one thing is for sure: the word "Chameleons" and references to Reg´s original art will always attract more people.




I won´t begin a discussion if it´s fair or not the usage of Chameleons imagery when the original band is not involved, but I have to confess I personally miss new material from Mr Burgess both live and in studio.

I know people always ask on his concerts for Chameleons songs, but I guess it has to be a bit frustrating for the artist to be recognized only for songs created a quarter century ago.

I really hope this look to the past is only temporal, although it is evident on the shows he enjoys a lot playing with his new band. I hope this period will help Mark embrace the future with renovated efforts. We still have for sure a lot of new songs from this fantastic artist to enjoy. Let´s hope people will encourage him to move one step forward, leaving behind once and for all the Chameleons era, which should not be necessary for sold-outs.



It´s about time all chameleons fans recognized Mark Burgess for what he is, not only for what he was.

Don´t Fall Intro: Mistery Solved

Ever wondered which was the origin of the misterious words "In his autumn before the winter comes man´s last mad surge of youth" which appear in the Intro for Don´t Fall, the opener of Chameleon´s debut album Script of the Bridge?

Thanks to Yvo & GriefTourist, two Chameleons fans, the mistery is finally solved.

The words belong to musical comedy film Two Sisters from Boston, directed in 1946 by Henry Koster and starring Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante and Peter Lawford.

The excerpt where the famous words appear has been uploaded in Youtube by both Chameleons fans, so that we can enjoy the finding:



Thanks Yvo & GriefTourist for this.

Andy Clegg & Andy Whitaker with KIZILOK

It´s been a long time, since we haven´t talked in this blog about Andy Clegg & Andy Whitaker, founder members of MUSIC for ABORIGINES & The SUN & The MOON.

During last years both Andys, apart from resurrecting SUN & MOON Project for some live shows and performing the MIDLIFE DEMENTIA SHOW, have been collaborating with KIZILOK, another brilliant Manchester Musician, who is sadly totally underated.

The band is called KIZILOK& The Strange Times and is formed by:
Kizilok - songwriter, guitars and vocals
Andy Clegg - guitars, strange noises
Mark Mills - bass, drum machines, synths and other instrumentation
Andy Whitaker - guitars
Suzy Mills - backing vocals, piano, glockenspiel, photos, video

The Chameleons are one of the many influences of this eclectic & alternative band, who is always exploring new ways of understanding and feeling the music.


More information about KIZILOK on:

KIZILOK FACEBOOK
KIZILOK MYSPACE

Take a listen to this fantastic song called Say Goodbye at the Door, and dive into its melancholic atmosphere. The perfect song for a winter rainy day:




If you like it, join them in facebook to help them spread the word and if interested you can contact directly the artist to purchase their works.

MARK BURGESS collaborates with POCKET

We know this is old news, but as we missed this when it was released, we will comment it now.

On 2009, Mark Burgess collaborated with producer/mixer Richard Jankovich (aka POCKET) singing A Force of Nature, a single release by POCKET. Mark sings both on A-side and B-side, called Heaven.

Since last years, POCKET has been releasing many electro-pop "pocket mixes" featuring guest singers like Robyn Hitchcock, Craig Wedren (Shudder To Think), Steve Kilbey (The Church), Danny Seim (Menomena), Mark Burgess (The Chameleons).

More information about this project of Richard Jankovich, on his website.

This single is available in iTunes and you can also listen to it on Pocket MySpace Web Site.

Enjoy it!