Mauerbercher is a music collective headed by Rane Knudsen. Characterized as medieval/electro/world, Knudsen’s music encompasses world music, neo-folk, and neo-medieval, all of which are represented on “Wilderness”, and more. Whenever I see the term “neo-medieval”, I have feelings of intense trepidation, bordering on impending doom. With Mauerbercher, this was thankfully unwarranted.

“The Heel of Winter” has a Middle Eastern sound, with synth drones that (surprisingly for me to say) do not detract. “Daz Die Milton” has a spooky horror-movie intro, that turns into a medieval epic, with spoken lyrics and plodding percussion that lends a sense of foreboding. “Nerve Candy” is an electro piece with a harpsichord-ish sound reminiscent of folk hymns or even holiday music. “The Holy Sepulcher” is another somewhat Middle Eastern sounding track, with both traditional instruments and electronics. “Helas Medame” written by Henry VIII is next, with mostly traditional instruements and strong percussion that lends a dramatic air. “Coming to Rocamadour”, one of my favorites, is truly epic, and would not be out of place on a soundtrack. This is a perfect song for gearing up for the Renaissance Faire or sword practice. Play it loud. In the same vein, “Son ar’ Merc’hed” is another mix of electro and traditional instruments with a decidedly medieval feel. “Elfin glades” is a haunting, plaintive air, with harp dominating. “Wilderness” is dark and ambient, with a steadily mounting sense of suspense. “Eske Litle’s March” finishes the CD with another grand epic style, with military percussion, hurdy-gurdy, and other traditional instruments that invokes a medieval army on the march or arrayed for battle with standards waving. ‘Wilderness’ is a very atmospheric CD that is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys early music, particularly those who are not ready for the purely period pieces, or those who seek a bit of variety in their medieval musical fare. But you don’t have to be a fan of medieval music to enjoy Mauerbercher. It will lend an air of majesty to any musical collection.

www.myspace.com/mauerbrecher

http://www.fossildungeon.com/fossildungeon/

Niyaz calls their music a “21^st Century global trance tradition” and others have called them a “fusion of eastern and western musical styles”. Neither description really does this CD justice. Nine Heavens is a seamless blend of medieval Persian mystical and South Asian poetry and western rhythms and electronics. Azam Ali’s vocals are simply captivating, superbly complimented by the arrangements of Carmen Rizzo and Loga Ramin Torkian. Guest musicians include none other than Tony Levin of King Crimson. Traditional Middle Eastern instruments are finely balanced with electronics in a way that I would have deemed possible until listening to Nine Heavens. As a longtime fan of Medieval music, I have always been skeptical of attempts to merge Medieval poetry and melodies with modern instrumentation. There are some bands who manage to do this quite well, and whom I enjoy immensely, but generally speaking, they sound like…well…attempts to merge medieval music and the modern electronics. I will gravitate towards the more traditional sounding songs, and bear with the “dance” material.

But Niyaz have succeeded admirably in capturing the essence of ancient Sufi and Persian songs, while adding electronics and modern rhythms without diluting the effect in any way. Azam Ali’s haunting vocals weave amid the hypnotic percussion and electronic arrangements with traditional instruments, transporting the listener through the centuries and back again. As an added bonus, for those who prefer the music without electronics, a second “acoustic” CD is provided. I never thought I would say this, but I like the electronic versions as much as the acoustic ones. The acoustic CD does not have the same track order, which makes it seem almost like another album.

The CD begins with the irresistible “Beni Beni”, an 18^th century Turkish Sufi poem with strong percussion and lutes that is one of my favorite tracks. ‘Tamana” is an 18^th century Urdu poem that opens slowly, then glides into a raga bridged by atmospheric electronics. “Feraghi- Song of Exile” is an evocative lament that conjures epic spaces of both terra firma and the soul. “Ishq: Love and the Veil”, an 18^th century Urdu poem by Khwaja Mir Dard is eminently danceable, with a complex mixture of driving percussion, trance, and traditional instruments melded with Azam’s vocals. The very Middle Eastern sounding “Allah Mazare” is a traditional folk song from Khorassan with rich layers of vocals and instruments. “Iman” a lullaby written by Azam and Loga for their son, evokes a sense of longing and reflection, with sort of a New Age minimalism.

“Molk-E-Divan”, a song by 13^th century Persian mystic Amir Khosrau Dehlavi, has hypnotic rhythms and urgent vocals with traditional string instruments.  “Hejran”, a wonderful instrumental, is a veritable tapestry of percussion and strings.  “Sandrang” another poem by Amir Khosrau, finishes up the CD with Azam’s mesmerizing vocals backed by effective electronic drones, deep percussion, and strings.

“Nine Heavens” is truly a wonderful CD that will appeal to fans of World Music, Trance, Medieval music, and more.

http://www.niyazmusic.com/

The 13th Annual South Florida Tattoo Expo, held Aug 16-18 at the Deerfield Beach Hilton Aug 16-18 2008, featured over 80 tattoo artists, vendors, bands, suspension shows, and a car show. We attended the 11^th Annual expo and had a blast, so we were looking forward to the 13^th. However, unlike the show two years ago, our experience at this one was rather less than thrilling. When we arrived on Saturday night, parking was virtually non-existent. No one was directing traffic at all, and cars were lining the shoulders of the road as far as the eye could see. We found a space about a quarter of a mile away, and considered ourselves lucky.

There was a beautiful tiger on display outside the entrance, and we hoped he was just sleeping and not sedated. (Cats do sleep most of the day.) At the front door, no signs were in evidence pointing to the ticket booth. We later found that there was a sign taped to a pillar, but it was obscured by the mob congregating in the entrance. A large sign suspended from the ceiling, or at least high enough to be seen above the crowd, would have made things much easier. Nevertheless, the ticket staff and corridor monitors were very nice.

We wandered around, going from room to room to see the vendors.

There was a delightful monkey in the hallway, who was very sociable and a lot of fun to watch. We were greatly looking forward to seeing Slip and the Spinouts, South Florida’s best Rockabilly band. Looking for the band stage, we discovered it was outside by the pool area. The stage area was dark, cramped, and filled with chairs which had been jammed into a huge mass by the passing crowds. After all, this is South Florida in August, so it was humid and hot outside, more so by the stage since it was under cover and not conducive to catching the rare breeze. I do not think it was a good deal for the bands, either, who took a back seat to whatever exhibitions were going on by the pool. We finally found a couple of seats and sat down to wait for Slip and gang to perform.

Read More… The 13th Annual South Florida Tattoo Expo

This (lengthy) article is in response to Douglas Haddow’s article, “Hipster Culture: The Dead End of Western Civilization,” which can be found here:

http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

Hats off to Douglas Haddow.  His recent article on hipster culture pretty concisely sums up the reason why most people hate them.  Hipsters summarily piss all over everything that every subculture has hoped to achieve in the last 55 years, and it is a legitimate gripe.  However, what is more disturbing and less-known is how the shaping of hipster culture not only derides our past, but is rapidly accelerating its undoing.

Most of us know by now that hipster culture is strongly anti-subculture, sort of a “sit down and don’t be counted,” culture if you would.  It is amazingly simple in execution and its appeal: subcultures, especially old ones, are often quick to judge, and put exceptionally high barriers of entry towards acceptance.  To be fair, these old cultural warhorses have seen repeated attacks and piracy by the constantly stagnating music industry, and if not for these routine assaults, would probably not be as exclusionary as they are today.  However, be that as it may, some of these protective measures, however superfluous and irrational looking from the outside, have paid off.  If not for the visceral infighting that has paralyzed the goth scene in the past, we would find goth clubs full of freaks in Hot Topic gear dancing to tuned-down, terribly-played commercial rock today.  Other examples for other subcultures exist, and are plentiful.

(In)Security Blanket

However, it is this fear of rejection, or more so perceived fear of rejection, that has helped shape hipster culture to begin with.  Every crowd has its snob, and this dynamic has been molded into a stereotype that directs hipsters away from preexisting subcultures.  Combine this with tell-tale stories from hipsters being snubbed in their youth, and it solidifies it.  I have made several attempts in the past (and will in the future) to promote my night to this crowd, and the most common messages I get back are, “It’s not my thing,” “Goths are too snobby for me,” in addition to all sorts of sundry excuses as to why a bunch of people who love Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, The Chameleons UK, and The Jesus and Mary Chain would never show up to a night that plays these gratuitously.

Read More… Hipster Culture: Dead End for Independent Music?

Well now, here is something!  While the rest of the world is busy learning the steampunk aesthetic, the Unextraodinary Gentlemen stand out as one of the few bands not content to merely dress in worn-out Victorian garb, but actually make a sound of things.

5 Tales From God-Only-Knows starts off slowly but surely, with triangle strikes and travelling bass on Black Iron Road.  It gradually introduces violin, keys, and Malcom Shreeck’s full-bodied vocals.  We are immediately transformed to a melancholy, haunting world of Victoriana-dipped technology.  Locomotives, pox, and of course, black iron all make lyrical appearances, and tell us that this is not going to be another typical album in new outfits.

Next, Mr. Soot’s Little Black Book gets rolling with Shreeck shouting “gather round, gather round!” although we are already quite obliged to.  The tempo picks up, while the lyricism remains nostalgic and the musical elements stay intact.  No where else will you hear stories of old-time prostitution described with words like “strumpet,” or “trollops,” but I believe the Unextrodinary Gentlemen wouldn’t have it any other way.  Open Arms, Empty Air introduces more synths and conjures images of airships.  Airships, of course, are a quintessential steampunk theme, but indeed a welcome one here.

By the time we get to the slinky, dance-y Skeleton Comes to Town, we begin to appreciate the real excitement that is behind steampunk right now.  The Unextrordinary Gentlemen are not merely rehashing familiar fantasies, but creating entirely new ones.  Creativity, at last!  Harpischord, violin, and swing-inspired drumming is not what you may first think of when you think goth/deathrock, but that’s exactly the point.

While the album ends with the much more danceable Ants Under Glass, dancing is still clearly not the obsession, and the song retains its artistic edge.  5 Tales From God-Only-Knows tips the iceberg that is steampunk music, and is as unique as it is accessible.  If you have looked down your nose at steampunk in the past, I suggest you don a top hat and spectacles and learn to enjoy the view.  Then you should pick up this delightful little treat and get ready for what is next - if this is the beginning, we should all be so lucky as to see it through to the end.

www.unextraordinarygentlemen.com

www.myspace.com/unextraordinarygentlemen

Note:  You can catch the Unextraordinary Gentlemen alongside musical steampunk pioneer Vernian Process at this year’s Eccentrik Festival. The entire lineup is quite spectacular, and I suggest you check it out.