July 8, 2012

A scatterbrain sings of christians (...and the ghoul bares teeth)




Chester and Marco have gone to the beach to regain their inspiration, so for today you’ll have to do with this guest post. At first I wrote a cookie-cutter review of Current 93’s “An Introduction to Suffering”, but then I remembered this is gonna get posted on Tzeeeac, so I cut off most of the crap. This is what was left, specially arranged in list form for you simians.

- Current 93 is the band most often cited as a major influence by quirky avantgarde/neofolk/2deep4u ensembles.[citation needed]

- They have released over 30 albums. All of them – with the exception of “Lucifer over London” – have awful covers. All of them.

- I first learned of Current 93 while I was looking at some half-naked pics of Maniac (don’t ask). He was no longer the vocalist of Mayhem then, playing in Skitliv instead, along with Niklas Kvarforth of Shining fame. In one of the pics he sported this large tattoo on his chest, spelling “Who will deliver me from myself?” in the curly, classy typeset of a tramp stamp.

- Upon further searching, I found out it was a line from “Black Ships Ate the Sky”, by Current 93. I still feel a hole in my stomach when I recall listening to it for the first time. The bleak, distorted pulse of the backtrack and the repulsive voice really put me off at that time.

- Last week I’ve been listening to Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat’s “An Interlude To The Outermost” – a long time favorite – and it dawned to me that I should look for more bands in this weird experimental folk vein. Main influence: Current 93.

- Despite its name, “An Introduction to Suffering” is not the best choice for those who haven’t listened to Current 93 before. As I found out only afterwards, it is a compilation of alternate versions and other previously unreleased stuff.

- It is, however, a quite nice showcase for the range of their style, from folky tunes and poem reciting to synthy instrumentals and mad rambling. Some of the songs ended up on my bedtime playlist. <3 “All the Pretty Little Horses” and “Judas as Black Moth”.

- After this pleasant experience, I grew a pair and revisited “Black Ships Ate the Sky”, this time listening to the full album. I was simply blown away. Heard in this context, the title track provides a strong and satisfying musical and conceptual climax.

- The highlight of the album is “Idumæa”, a christian hymn present here in 7 versions, each sung by a different guest artist. Other great tracks are “Sunset (The Death of Thumbelina)”, “Black Ships Were Sinking Into Idumæa” and “Why Cæsar Is Burning Part II”. Actually I liked all the songs; they all contribute to the menacing and mystic end-of-the-world feeling of the album.

- The Tzeeeac tumblr is slowly reaching 93 followers. You can be the final Cæsar. Come and join us.


AND I AM BLACK SHIP
AND I AM BLACK SHIP
AND I MADE THEM ALL RISE
AND I KILL SLEEP WITH PIRATICAL MIRTH
AND BLACK SHIP TIME MAKES ME CRAVE
TO STEAL FACES FROM THE GALAXY
I CRAVE FACES FROM THE GALAXY
I'LL KILL FACES FROM THE GALAXY


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