Posts Tagged ‘new music’

A band that is a sign of our times

Let me start by saying that the surfacing of The Sick Man of Europe at this point in time in London with a name that borrows the phrase attributed to Tsar Nicholas I for The Sick Man of Europe live photographdescribing the decline and weakness of the Ottoman Empire (and these days more often refers to Germany’s status quo), is some of the most inspiring news this year. I believe that The Sick Man of Europe is one of the most relevant bands out there. In times of multidimensional crises, emerging artists who are socially perceptive and can get valid points across are truly fascinating.The Sick Man of Europe live photograph Can this country be perceived as the sick man of Europe of our times? I think it can, and it is, and the repetitive nature of this band’s message and rhythms works symbolically in many ways to get this message across.

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This set of photographs tells the visual story of the debut album launch gig of The Sick Man of Europe at The George Tavern in London in 2025.

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Monthly playlist-Favourite albums May 2025

Posted: 22nd June 2025 by blaue-rosen in Music News,press releases
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logo playlistWhat can be more exciting news than the release of a new album by SWANS? Well…the release of a new solo album by Peter Murphy, and the resurfacing of These New Puritans, Somatic Responses and DARKWOOD is the answer. If, like us, you enjoy music that could be considered mutually exclusive, and despite this, you can still identify the common thread that ties all of these albums together, then I think we need to sit down and have a beer with you 🙂

Birthing‘ the new offering by SWANS is everything that is expected by the band. Apart from  ‘Red Yellow’ all the other songs in this album are over 10′ long. This is a slow burner, with a tried and tested recipe that the band has refined over the years. Michael Gira, a summoner like those very few out there, is giving the signal needed for each song to open its tentacles to all sorts of dimensions. In his own words Gira has said about this album: “In all cases the material began with me sitting in my office with an acoustic guitar, singing and dreaming about what would become of these skeletal songs…” just before he throws a sort of bombshell: “We’ll do a final tour in this mode towards the end of 2025, then that’s it.” That’s IT? “After that, Swans will continue, so long as I’m able, but in a significantly pared down form.” We shall take this with a pinch of salt…for now.

Moving towards a less dark sonic part of this monthly soundtrack, we encounter ‘Crooked Wing‘ the new album by These New Puritans. Alternating tracks that bring to mind pre-classical compositions, others that belong to the sphere of dreamscapes, and others that explore krautrock dimensions, the band has offered us a lot of food for thought in this album.

In the realm of post-punk, we had the pleasure to enjoy really nice albums by Shad Shadows, No and The Discussion. ‘wunderhammer desire‘, ‘Desire Kills‘ and ‘All the pretty flowers‘ will definitely keep any dancefloor that hosts them very busy. With addictive and melodic synthwave soundscapes and motivating rhythms all three albums will keep fans of coldwave and darkwave music inspired.

Finally a special mention is due to Nytt Land who have reimagined Shamanic spells and set them to a different sound than they had in their original form. ‘Songs of the Shaman‘ is an album with an inspiring collection of positive spells employing throat singing and text in its original language. We believe this is the best way to prepare you for the upcoming Summer Solstice so…enjoy them with a shovel at hand or with your poison of choice in an unusual chalice.

 

 

 

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Monthly playlist- Favourite albums January 2025

Posted: 16th February 2025 by blaue-rosen in Music News,press releases
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Monthly playlist-Favourite albums September 2024

Posted: 26th October 2024 by blaue-rosen in Music News,press releases
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logo playlistPerhaps we can admit at this point that this is the best month of the year in terms of its music output and the best playlist of the year in terms of the variety of styles and energies that our favourite releases represent.

The debut albums of this month, from Virgin Vampires and Dreamless Veil, have maintained our interest in great gothic rock and extreme metal music. The former has songs infused with macabre theatricality, and the latter has bone-cracking/grief-infused vocals followed by frantic guitar solos that make us wonder how it might feel to disappear fully.

The new offering by ABU NEIN, coming from a place of profound sadness as the band has admitted, continues to haunt us with melodies that touch some very well-hidden dark chords in our psyche. The punk section of the month’s soundtrack was powerful and socially perceptive as it should be with a new single by SPRINTS, and a new album by Golpe sending rare political resistance vibes to the world from Italy.

Perhaps the most powerful noise/industrial release of the year, is the new album by Dame Area which manages to bring back the (now) rare qualities of dynamin non-hypnotic, non-repetitive industrial music. Alongside it we can enjoy the new album by Phobos Reactor, taking inspiration from powerful old-school industrial rhythms and aesthetics.

This month’s post-punk section includes powerful entries by CROWS, kontrolle and Chain Cult who stress the melodic, the vindictive and the noisy aspects of post-punk.

We believe that the darkest sonic colours were used by the releases of Diablation , Tribes of Medusa and A Swarm of The Sun this month. We believe that only a lived experience can give to people the wisdom of the layers and textures of sadness and darkness and these two albums explore all of them!

Finally, a special mention is necessary for the new albums of The Beauty of Gemina and Tindersticks. The return of Tindersticks revealed a preference for soul-infused songs and an exploration of animation and humour in their video clips.

The new album by The Beauty of Gemina, sounds very personal as if coming from a place of sadness. We have welcomed the return of the melancholic post-punk melodies in the band’s songs also evident in their visuals.

 

We hope that you enjoy listening to this playlist as much as we did while preparing it.

 

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Monthly playlist-Favourite albums August 2024

Posted: 26th September 2024 by blaue-rosen in Music News,press releases
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logo playlist …and you, have YOU protected your dreams from the Oneirophage? We think that if there was such a creature as GRIST seem to believe, then our favourite releases of the months, would provide the perfect soundtrack for its scary activities!

The music output of this month, as expected for the summer months was not the greatest in terms of quantity. Our favourite releases, helped us make a mind-numbing sonic journey while news about devastating wildfires and exhausting heat around the planet reached our ears and eyes. The latest offering by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ‘Wild God’, was soul-arresting, with slow rhythms and powerful soul and gospel elements infusing its ten rock ballads. Chrystabell and David Lynch‘s dreamy album ‘Cellophane Memories’ is offering some much needed lightness into our sonic landscape of the month, with ethereal songs that make one feel like floating on air. Speaking of lightness, we were particularly happy listening to Demi-Nuit‘s post-punk, 80s coldwave-infused, synthwave EP ‘Fille de Moujik’. Always punctual on her appointment with us during the summer, Chelsea Wolfe has treated us to one more beautiful disquieting ethereal EP ‘Undone’ full with great remixes by Boy Harsher, Ash Koosha, Full of Hell, Crosses and Justin K. Broadrick.

A special mention is due to the debut releases of the month, by Dallas Kent and Shadow Knell. ‘Ghost Highway‘ the debut single by Dallas Kent, is inspired by the best moments of dreamy trip hop both in terms of rhythms and visuals. ‘Shadow Knell‘ the debut album by Shadow Knell, is “…a mystical, mournful, and doom-laced synth fantasy that echoes from dungeons deep and forests eternal” and merges modern classical lyricism with the rhythmic existentialism of dark ambient music.

 

We hope you enjoy listening to this playlist, as much as we did preparing it!

 

 

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logo playlistJuly might have been much quieter than usual, but it was not a dull month in any way. The soundtrack of the month included the release of a very promising debut single by Virgin Vampires who are warming us up for their first album that sounds as if it will be following a darkwave path. The new offering by Peace De Resistance was refreshing with its combination of socially perceptive lyrics and a glam rock attitude. The new album by The March Violets is a classic gothic rock album that should be heard on the dancefloor of any dark alternative club.

Finally the new psych-rock release by Black Market Karma is inspired by the characteristics of analogue recording equipment with the aim of making the album “…feel like a collection of discarded and worse for wear instruments came to life, refurbished themselves and started to play. The sound is an attempt to give form to the often formless feeling that is nostalgia. With songs attempting to crystallise a feeling known as ‘fernweh’. A kind of longing for a place and time you’ve never experienced, be it in this world or another.” as Stanley Belton explained.

 

We think that this short and sweet playlist will be a great accompaniment to a very warm evening during the hours of the sunset and we hope that you enjoy it as much as we did while preparing it!


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Monthly playlist-Favourite albums May 2024

Posted: 3rd July 2024 by blaue-rosen in Music News,press releases
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logo playlistHere we are at the end of the Spring that never came with a monthly soundtrack that probably has the most debut album entries for a long time. There are two entries that need a special mention and they are the new releases by Chameleons and Barry Adamson. Both have been keeping us wondering about a next release and here they are. Chameleons with the EP ‘Where Are You?’ -teaser of an upcoming full-length album and Barry Adamson, faithful to his soul/rock existential blues offered us ‘CUT TO BLACK’ an album that fits very well within the rest of his discography.


Another special mention is due to one of our all-time favourite bands from Italy, no other than Ataraxia who kept us very good company with a nature-inspired, ceremonial, ethereal album entitle ‘Centaurea’. We particularly liked the psych rock releases of this month, both the new single by Julie’s Haircut and the new album by The Janitors which, at times, is reminiscent of the hazy  and grunge atmosphere of the music of The Stooges.

As always, we were delighted to listen to the new album by PIG, as his addictive sensual take on industrial music is always managing to make us realise that we really don’t have enough of this type of rejuvenating energy. Six years after ‘The Heretics’ Rotting Christ have come back with ‘PRO XRISTOU’, another album with big sound and big ideas, faithful to the band’s black metal character and favourite themes.

The debut albums of this month’s soundtrack prove that we are now living at a time when the quality of releases that come to us from new bands, is incredibly high. ‘YOBS’ by YOBS, ‘L’Enfant Terrible’ by L’Enfant Terrible, ‘Weaponize Tomorrow’ by MISSILES, ‘Discerning Spirits’ by A Sinister Light, all add a powerful note and reveal a fresh take on punk, coldwave and post-punk respectively.

We would like to end with a mention of the album ‘Heksescapes’ by Edward Ka Spel, an all-time favourite musician whose sonic spells accompany us like a protective spirit and the release of LEDFOOT, that hits our rock note and made us put ‘Thunder And Rain’ on our portable device so that we could listen to it on repeat.

Until next month, we hope you enjoy this as much as we did while preparing it.

 

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Monthly playlist- Favourite albums March 2024

Posted: 21st April 2024 by blaue-rosen in Music News,press releases
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