Our (fairly) regular roundup of Music & Arts related news from Chicago-based web media, featuring thoughts and insight from some of the city’s most dedicated writers.
- Contemplating suicide in the opera house men’s room
At 71, American-born Scott Walker, long a cult hero to the Brits, has stretched the meaning of that phrase further and asked for more indulgence from his small but devoted audience than just about anybody else in the history of cult heroics. He’s moved from a pioneer in orchestral pop with the early ’60s Walker Brothers, to an acid-damaged MOR pop star in his mid-period solo years, to a decidedly eccentric and esoteric devotee of the musical avant-garde for his final act—“Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen,” as The Guardian once proclaimed.
More than a little “out there” themselves, Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson, the Seattle duo that records as the experimental metal/drone/noise band Sunn O))), first approached Walker about appearing on a track on their 2009 album Monoliths & Dimensions. A few years later, the singer proposed something even more daring and ambitious: having the pair back him on a set of new material, creating an entire album together. Bravo to both parties for daring to think outside the box; as an idea, Soused is a grand one. Unfortunately, as a listening experience, it makes the harshest outings by Diamanda Galas, the only artist who even springs to mind for previous attempts to combine sonic clamor and operatic grandiosity, sound like a sunny-day pop trifle.
No doubt somewhere in the Afterlife my Italian forebears grimace to read this, but my tolerance for opera is minimal to non-existent, so barrier number one is Walker’s extremely theatrical, often highly affected baritone, virtuosic though it may be. Barrier number two is that Sunn O)))’s dark, dense, often arrhythmic waves of drone, undeniable on their own, never actually mesh with Walker’s Gilbert and Sullivan Tour Hell routine. Finally, there are the lyrics and subject matter, heavy on the fascism and sado-masochism with a splash of absurdity tossed in. And, at the end and just to lighten the mood, we get a cover of a tune by Ute Lemper.
Given all of that, and with five songs that each clock in around nine minutes or more, this clearly isn’t an album for everybody. But pondering the question of who its intended audience is, I can’t come up with anybody—except, perhaps, the hapless host of a Halloween party looking to clear out the last recalcitrant guests with something guaranteed to horrify (and not in a good way).
Scott Walker & Sunn O))), Soused (4AD)
Rating on the 4-star scale: .5 stars.
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@JimDeRogatis, join me on Facebook, and podcast Sound Opinions and Jim + Carmel’s TV + Dinner. - Django Festival All-Stars & Cyrille Aimee to Perform Beautiful Tribute on 10/24
The musical stylings of the legendary Django Reinhardt are unmistakable and extraordinary. One of the finest jazz musicians to emerge from Europe, majorly influencing their musical scene and those throughout the world, he combined the flair of gorgeous, wistful jazz music with the sensibility of big band lyricism. Though his music pervaded the scene with popularity during the 1930s, the mastery with which it has influenced music of our time is rich and unparalleled.
Paying homage to Reinhardt and his irreplaceable musical style will be the Django Festival All-Stars and songstress Cyrille Aimee, sharing a double bill at the Symphony Center this Friday evening, October 24. Drawing inspiration from the legendary musician, the tribute outfit is led by Dorado Schmitt, who learned guitar at the age of seven and has toured his established group around the country since 2002. He even emulates the persona of legendary Reinhard and his quintessential look. The ensemble features bassist Xavier Nikq, violinist Pierre Blanchard, accordion player Ludovic Beier, guitarist Francko Mehrstein, and clarinetist Ken Peplowski, who can be recognized for his works in famous Woody Allen films.
Cyrille Aimee will share a delightful complement to this group as she supports the bill with her beautiful jazz and lounge classics during her debut at the Symphony Center. Aimee grew up in France and was captivated by the lounge jazz style that Reinhardt was able to create so effortlessly. Joined by a backing of guitars covering several different musical stylings and an outfit of drums, Aimee’s voice will stun the crowd with its gorgeous clarity and her lounge singer stylings reminiscent of the 1900s-era greats.
The show will begin on Friday, October 24 at 8pm at the Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (312) 294-3000 or online, and range from $28-$89.
- Wednesday Afternoon Diversion: Dachshund’s Creek
What happens when four friends—who are dachshunds—living in the small fictional seaside town called Capeside, Massachusetts in the latter half of their freshman year come of age together? We’re sure it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster. [ more › ]
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