Mambo – Bertier


It’s finally time to review some mathrock extravaganza, this time introducing the 4 piece band Mambo from Belgium with their first LP Bertier. They recently played a show in town with Mutiny on the bounty and Dirty Crows and we were lucky enough to get an early insight into their debut.

The style is something between Honey for Petzi and Don Caballero, not too technical but still challenging head mathematics, which is just the perfect balance for an enjoyable experience. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m totally into math rockish stuff but when it’s just too technical you feel bad for your brain not being able to cope with auditory overstimulation.

The 10 songs on Bertier offer enough diversification, whilst keeping the high rhythm up for most of the time. Krokodile Junkie reminds me of the band Piglet, which is pretty cool and songs like Tokyo Tripot or Renfort Caisse have this unmistakeable, typical groove and edgyness of the genre; credits given to the drums and bass section here.

Don’t think of Mambo as a generic math band, there’s too much talent in this combo to be classified as such. Make up your own opinion and go see them live, as they are on tour right now!

Calvaire

Calvaire (also known as The Ordeal) doesn’t sound like a noteworthy cinematic experience if you whittle it down to a simple description. A few days before Christmas, a man finds himself stuck in a remote woods area with his broken down van and gets a room for the night at an isolated inn. Sounds familiar, right? It’s the world’s safest horror formula, it’s been done a bazillion times with minor variations, and even those variations have a tendency to be utterly predictable.

But before you scream “next”, allow me to inform you that this film turned out to be a gem among a sea of pebbles. There were two reasons why I decided to watch Fabrice du Welz’ picture despite the less than convincing plot summary: the fact that it was partly shot in Luxembourg (which is always enticing) and that it was featured on a New French Extremity movie list (a collection I am currently trying to wade through.) My expectations were low, but it is safe to say that Calvaire surpassed them.

First, I love the methods used to create the sense of impending doom throughout the first half of the movie and the generally eery atmosphere. The film doesn’t have a soundtrack, except for a violin tune during the final shots and credits and a piano tune during an earlier scene which I cannot describe for fear of spoiling one of the creepiest and most iconic moments Calvaire has to offer. The cinematography is just incredible in a toned-down way. The scenery is enveloped in grey, hazy tones, there are no flashy colours or outrageous effects, and coupled with the raw beauty of Belgian/Luxembourgish nature, this makes for a gripping and aesthetically pleasing viewing experience.

Then there are the characters and the brilliant acting. The protagonist, a singer and entertainer who goes by the name of Marc Stevens, has a talent for attracting people — including weirdos. And we buy it. He exudes charm and possesses the stereotypical timid, sensitive nature of an artist that appeals to both women and men of all ages. The owner of the inn, Bartel, is introduced to us as a suspicious but at the same time likeable teddy bear who would never harm a fly, and we spend a quarter of the movie wondering when or if he will snap. The clever scenes leading up to the break of bizarre madness fill us with tense anticipation, and that psychological thriller aspect of the film is its definite forte.

The first ~50 minutes deserve nothing short of a 9/10, it’s the remaining minutes that make me put a lower rating. While Calvaire is innovative and well made from start to finish, it did disappoint me a little for its sudden, drastic change of course about midway through. The way I see it, it dragged the movie down to a “senseless violence for the sake of it” level, which could have easily been avoided with a promising start like that. I still think it’s a must-see for fans of the genre and recommend it to anyone who is into European art house cinema. Prepare for a surprisingly disturbing ride if you do check it out.

Kitshickers – Horror Vacui

There’s probably no better way to celebrate a 15th band anniversary than with the release of a new album, in this case: Kitshickers‘ new longplayer Horror Vacui featuring 20 new tracks with lots of guest appearances and cryptic song titles. I remember the first time I heard this band was more than 10 years ago, when we still had this weird TV channel called Tango TV and when the Food For Your Senses festival took place in a humid, tiny basement somewhere in Luxembourg. At that time, this 4 piece collective playing chaotic alternative rock had nothing to do with the band we know nowadays.

Horror Vacui, 6th long player of the band, is something in between post rock and sludge, floating among melancholic depressive moods reminding of Mono up to hymnical highlights as if Isis would perform Pink Floyd‘s A Saucerful Of Secrets. Maybe a risky comparison, but you’ll get the idea after listening to the first five instrumental tracks, with Scarred‘s Yogi slamming on the guitar on nfr.

The first vocal appearance happens on the 6th track Lokavibhâga.1, featuring Cosmogon‘s Fabrice Mennuni, who’s got a short but striking commitment. I’d wished for a more aggressive vocal performance, as I know what this bloke is able to do with his growls, but that would not have fit into the concept, I guess.

Speaking of aggressiveness, the songs happen to build up into a multi-layered experience without outbursting into an explosion ergo a big wall of sound, which makes the listening experience even more challenging. The songwriting is diversified and too complex to be considered as boring or generic; plenty of work has been put into these tracks; the only thing that makes me sceptical is the suppressed aggressiveness. Don’t get me wrong but it isn’t until sunya where something really “big” happens in collaboration with Raph from The Majestic Unicorns From Hell, a song that’s got every ingredient of what Kitshickers‘ songwriting is all about; which is this blend between psychedelic world-weariness and simple outrage in one. Or maybe I’m just too stuck on their old album So That’s The Miracle Of Life, one of my personal highlights back in 2006.

Luckily enough, 273K could be described as a highlight for me. It’s sludgy and heavy, straight to the point; and I believe this song could be quite monumental when performed live on stage in combination with the following track buz&jég. I sense something epic on both tracks.

All in all, I have to say that Horror Vacui is NOT a bad album, it just takes its time to unfold its message / beauty. It’s nothing that impresses a distracted listener like me on first pass, but I’m pretty sure that this album can have a different effect once you see Kitshickers perform it live; which will actually happen this Saturday for their release party at the KuFa in Esch. So be there and make up your own opinion about the new album!

Pink Frost – Sundowning


The sun goes down and Mr. Shoegaze meets Mr. Grunge who both decide to do a jolly pub tour until the early morning.

Ruins sounds like a collaboration between The Smashing Pumpkins and Torche with its grungy guitar and amiable but in the same time sneaky rhythm that knocks you out of your socks when you don’t expect it.

Destructive grunge vocals and bass lines take you right back to the 90s from time to time, but it’s hard to define Pink Frost’s sound in just a few words, due to a certain love of experimentation which unhappily gives an impression of unnecessarily erring on a straight line.

The Difference then makes a difference (*bu-dum-ksh*) by turning down the volume and the noise. This unfortunately sounds like a boring version of some melancholic Foo Fighters summer hit. Just let the fury out guys, you don’t need this stuff! The listeners will be glad that the next song resumes with screeching guitars and dirty, non-pop sound. This doesn’t mean that more sensible tunes don’t work on this album, which is proven by Maybe It’s You, the secret star of Sunddowning.

Occupy within then suggests the intro of a punk song before changing into a rambling oriental psych-song. Blue Light, the last song, again strikes a calmer note, giving a warm and chilling feeling to your ears and letting the album slowly float towards the dawn of a new day.

Personally spoken, Sundowning should have more courage and let unfold itself and the power of shoegaze, but this certainly is something for fans of good-mood-grunge or alternative rock, shoegaze à la Torche (but more moderate), and maybe for lovers of California X.

Dværgen (The Sinful Dwarf)


I discovered The Sinful Dwarf (1973) in one of these “top 10 most shocking, weird, disturbing, nasty movies of all-time” YouTube videos. As I had never heard of this movie title, let alone of the film genre “dwarfsploitation” itself, I decided to give it a try.

To be honest, I am not even sure if there has ever been a sub-genre called “dwarfsploitation” or if some clever people just invented the term in order to build a cult around some crappy movies. Just in case there are other ones, please tell me in the comment section below.

The premise of The Sinful Dwarf is crystal clear from the beginning and there is not much to reveal. To sum it up, it’s all about a mentally retarded, physically disabled and vertically challenged “Jack Black” (thank God he isn’t an African-American Jew too) who, together with his alcoholic and ex-showgirl mother, runs a slavery junkie brothel concealed as a cheap pension.

The movie is a perverse, sleazy, dark and grim exploitation flick, composed of the same repetitious, monotonic patterns which always eventuate in graphic ’70s softporn scenes. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, but I have to admit that the main character, Olaf the dwarf (Torben Bille) doesn’t work for me and consequently renders the primitive movie structure ineffective. Director Vidal Raski’s aim was to portray a sadistic and depraved, giggling little man who treats women like mere objects and who should prompt loathing and hatred but in the end he only manages to grate on my nerves extremely fast. Nonetheless, there is something about the movie which made me feel a bit mal à l’aise. Not that I was “shocked” by the movie’s outstanding level of perversity, but the grungy setting and filthy ambiance combined with the sex-slaves’ (Anne Sparrow, Jeanette Marsden, Lisbeth Olsen, and Jane Cutter) rape scenes achieve their effect, and the latter ones almost couldn’t have been more humiliating towards women.

All in all, I don’t recommend this movie because of the failure of the main character. I am pretty sure though that a lot of viewers won’t agree with me and will get the full exploitation dose by watching Torben Bille as the sinful dwarf. Personally, I think that if you are interested in what these drug addicted sex-slave exploitation movies are all about,  you should watch the Swedish rape and revenge movie Thriller-En grim film as it is the better evil. Decide for yourself!

Sweetheart Come

Has it ever occurred to you how little you know about your country and the people in it? Day after day we see edited, squeaky clean versions of our neighbours, never aware of what’s really going on inside of them. In a tiny and wealthy place like Luxembourg, where everyone seems to know everyone and thus fear of judgement and feelings of inadequacy are prevalent, this effect is magnified.

For his self-described “sexumentary”, filmmaker Jacques Molitor wanted to scratch the surface and went on a quest to uncover people’s innermost thoughts and desires. He interviewed Luxembourgish citizens from all walks of life, many of which have suffered serious blows of fate. The result is a sensitive ode to love and sexuality as experienced by a wide range of Luxembourgers. Sweetheart Come is an intimate and honest account, but never shocking or sensationalistic, which is vitally important considering the delicate subject matter. It is true to life, and this inevitably means that it depicts a great deal of sadness: despite its heart-warming and even chuckle-worthy moments, it leaves us with a heavy heart and a head full of questions.

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Sexuality and intercourse are not only a reproductive instinct anymore, but something we do just for the hell of it. Furthermore, it seems to be something omnipresent in nowadays’ societies (even though sex is still able to shock some prudish Americans). Everywhere we look, we see half-naked male/female supermodels advertising all kinds of products. Every B-list celebrity has to have their own porn tape, directed and distributed by the ex-partner. C-Z-list celebrities move into the Big Brother house and hold their breasts up to the camera, and now I’m not even talking about our beloved Disney stars.

It seems that sex(uality) has finally become the most natural thing in the world, but unfortunately only as long as you are young, heterosexual and conform to the norm overall. Also, for the love of God, let us stay superficial. Don’t go to deep. Let’s not talk about desires, sexual preferences, practices and fetishes and please stay away with sexual orientations other than heterosexuality. Personally, I think that we are pretty damn sexually close-minded in our ever so open-minded societies.

With Sweetheart Come, direcor Jaques Molitor created a “cinematographic radioscopy of sexuality and relationships (in tiny Luxembourg)” and lays the focus on people who not only have to deal with their own private struggles but also face jaundices when it comes to their sexuality and are marginalized because of who and how they are. Molitor portrays, among others, a physically disabled couple who talks about their love for each other and that they, just like any other couple, have the desire to sleep with each other. Due to their handicap they are nearly completely dependent on professional help which begins when they only want to lie on the bed and cuddle. As if this was not hard enough already, most of the time, it is society which has a problem when it comes to sexuality and disabled people. The regular people, just like professionals, often pull the power card. Rather than leading an indispensable dialogue, we tend to close our eyes and deny disabled people’s sexuality, and here I am not even talking about mentally challenged people’s desire to have sex, a family, children etc. I am aware that the dialogue isn’t an easy one and we should not pull at society’s heartstrings in the style of I Am Sam, but there are other countries which are aware of and at least try to support disabled people’s private/sexual wishes and needs. Molitor did a really good job at portraying Joel and Andrea, they were my favourite couple.

Another group of people that is often associated and characterized with asexuality are old people. If you are old but still fit and independent, this prejudice can already be annoying, but at least you can raise your middle finger and say “fuck off”. What about people who are somehow disabled/ill and dependent? It is usually not only the family members but also the professionals who say things like “people your age should not think about sex anymore, let alone be sexually active.” And the power card is played again. We close our eyes and what we don’t see doesn’t exist. Again, I am very happy that Molitor did not forget about the elderly who are unfortunately forgotten too often nowadays.

The two segments of the documentary mentioned above are my favourites, as I had not necessarily envisaged them. But please, do me a favour and watch the whole documentary because each one of the interviewees has his/her very own story to tell.

-Luc-

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The majority of foreigners I meet know very little about the Grand Duchy, if they are aware of its existence at all, and it hardly comes as a shock — our country is rightfully considered the microcosm of Europe. And when people from other countries ask you about your own, they want to know what it is made of. They want to know what lies at its heart and what makes the people tick. They don’t want to hear you rattle down the historic events and political workings that lead up to its current state or a list of the monuments and architecture it has to offer, they can google that later at home.

So which adjectives would I use to describe the Luxembourgish temperament? Truthfully, I think of us, the average folk, as rather aloof, judgemental and materialistic, and it’s not just me. There are parodies of this. Our channel RTL aired a sitcom thematising the bourgeois “what will the neighbours think” type of mindset last year (it was torn apart by the viewers), our conservatism is a favoured theme in the lyrics of some of our most popular local artists, and anonymous commenters are happy to either serve as a prime example of or point out our shallow values under news articles at any given chance. Joel Delvaux, certainly one of the most inspiring and cerebral interviewees in Sweetheart Come, described the phenomenon with one poignant example: “[Disabled people] have the option of a ‘sexual assistant’ in some countries, but there’s no such thing here in Luxembourg. It’s as though human contact, physical contact were considered a luxury.”

I’m grateful that this documentary was made because it’s not afraid to delve into the taboo realms of our society, the realms which remain largely unexplored by the average privileged middle class Luxembourger. It gives a voice to the people we tend to ostracise and helps us realise that in spite of our vastly different backgrounds, under the cloak of conservatism and restraint, we all want the same thing: to be loved and fulfilled as people. And our suffering is universal, too. My favourite quote stems from an incredibly soulful professional dominatrix by the name of Connie: “If you learn to trust someone in a normal relationship and it goes wrong, it tears the soul apart.”

Sweetheart Come gets right to the heart of what really matters in this life, and does so with a gloomy aesthetic that suits the tragic beauty of it all. Next time a foreigner asks me to tell them about my country and my people, I will point them to this film, as it comes closest to painting the most accurate portrait.

~ Anna ~

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Watch the trailer for Sweetheart Come below. For more information, you can visit the documentary’s Facebook page.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JNn8XrcOCg]

Sleepers’ Guilt – Road Of Emptiness


Today I bring you the second highlight of the month in the national metal scene: Sleepers’ Guilt‘s second release Road Of Emptiness! Now, if you have read my review of their first endeavor you know that I wasn’t a fan of the vocals, but I liked the instrumental work. Earlier this year the band parted ways with their singer and announced that they had recruited Patrick Schaul of now-defunct Dead Eyes Memorial to fill the shoes in the vocal department. If you are familiar with the guy, you must have been as surprised as I was…but at the same time, I was very excited to see what the result of this unusual choice would be. Let’s find out, shall we?

The band still plays melodic progressive metal, but you can definitely notice an improvement over their previous material: it all sounds much more fleshed-out and mature. All the beloved elements remain, such as the piano and sparingly-used synthesizers, the killer riffs and the driving drum work, but at the same time the songwriting has vastly become better. The six songs are never repetitive and you are treated to a continuously enjoyable experience.

On a production level, it’s worth mentioning that it’s still self-produced but it sounds fuller than the, already quite well sounding, first EP. Especially the drums sound richer and simply more natural. The guitars also sound much more vicious and, as mentioned earlier, have some brilliant neck-breaker riffs as well as some really intricate ones. The solos are a bit on the slower, more melodic, side but they serve quite well to mix things up a bit, especially in a live setting your neck will thank you for them.

The biggest selling point, to me, however are by far the vocals since Schaul’s growls are almost exactly what I was aching for while listening to the the self-titled debut. To my big surprise he also sings clean vocals, which are obviously not on the same level as those of the band’s previous singer, but he gets the job done quite nicely and they sound very genuine throughout the twenty-nine minutes.

All in all, I would say that the transition has been masterfully achieved and while the growls do rob the band of a certain distinctive factor, they fit the musical direction way better. Definitely give this EP a chance and see for yourself! For more information, you can visit the band’s Facebook page and listen to the song below. And be sure to head to Rockhal this Saturday, where the band is hosting a release show!

Devildriver – Winter Kills


The California groove machine Devildriver is back with its sixth album Winter Kills! After their previous record Beast which is, as the name suggests, their heaviest output packed with anger and aggression, the band has decided to go back to their roots and take their signature style to a new level.

In case you have been living under a rock for the past ten years and are unfamiliar with DD, let me try to explain what they’re about: groovy rhythms mixed with ear-drum-shattering heaviness! This formula is noticeable in every single instrument, which means that you are treated to massive riffs and drumbeats that make you want to bang your head in approval, followed by balls-to-the-wall annihilation where no moshpit is a safe place to be and finally, to round the whole thing off, there’s just purely melodic parts.

There’s this weird thing that happens to me every time I listen to a new record by the band and I can’t quite figure out why. With every new release the quintet bests their previous one in my opinion and I completely stop listening to the old one, almost to the point where I can’t really enjoy it anymore. Whether that is a good aspect or a bad one is up to you, but it definitely makes me appreciate the eleven (thirteen if you have the limited edition) songs a lot.

Not much is to be said other than that, since the musicianship didn’t need any improvement and the song-writing is as solid as always. One thing that has to be mentioned, however, is the fact that they decided to cover a song and they did one hell of a good job with it. As far as I know, this is only the second time they chose to do so and therefore it’s a bit of a surprise that the band picked AWOLNATION‘s Sail, a song I personally enjoyed in its original form but now that it has the DD touch it’s even better. Check it out at all costs!

After being in the business for ten years now, Devildriver has certainly proven that they are far from being obsolete and I am looking forward to ten more years of music! For more information you can visit the band’s Facebook page and be sure to give the song below a go. And remember: Winter is coming, and it KILLS!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YweHmu4Jh7U]