Canals Of Europe - November 1998
No Cure For Curiosity - February 1998
Down To My Last Bollock - October 1997
"Antediluvians" - May 1997
Lapsed Chasm - 1996Robert Christgau Review.
Heavens Above! Rock's most "misunderstood" artiste decamps to Vienna and records the most coherent, though hideously contrived, albums of his career. Muck has an almost imperceptible sincerity that expresses itself in tidy, abstact bass-lines. His overweening arrogance expresses itself everywhere else.
The most convivial of the "pentology" (oh, for the days of WC Handy) is Lapsed Chasm, which has a druggy somnolence thats slyly ingratiates itself with the listener. Apart from opener "Freight Train Be Comin'", a shameless, embarrassing shout out to the Mississippi Delta and environs, the album saunters indiscriminately along, mixing high jive "Throw Them Hands Towar's Day Lord", skiffle "I'm But A Binman" and electronica "EuropaFunkSludge" to agreeable effect. A-
"Antediluvians"
The portentous quotation marks are warning enough. Muck has made his contribution to the unlistenable "art rock" performance piece disaster (see Metal Machine Music: Reed, Lou). Usually the sign of a contractual squabble, it appears that this offering is, somehow, a serious effort at making music, which renders the subsequent sprawl of noise infinitely more amusing. "Soundscape 1" is mesmerizing in it's awfulness, lapping loops of hideous feedback "qualified" by a dour unchanging drum machine beat. The transmogrified piano on "Noise-scape 1492" is more berzerk and unsettling than anything by Beckett. Perhaps something of a glorious disaster? C+
Down To My Last Bollock
Nobody knows you when you are down and out. Except, of course, if you are a world famous musician like Jakob Muck. Is this album sardonic? Mostly acoustic and "confessional" in tone, with all vocals set to anguished yelp, Last Bollock is a monument to self obsession. It starts badly, the minor chord ravages of "Winona, Why?" segueing into the turgid 9 minute solo piano of "Shot At Redemption", and only gets worse. A special place in hell should be reserved for "Last Will And Testament", the cello-led finale. D
No Cure For Curiosity
Yes there is and this is it. E-
Canals Of Europe
Like the final flailing swings of a falling boxer, Canals Of Europe has a strange dignity all of its own. Muck has always been an exceptional songwriter, his personality and demeanor just got in the way. "Anarcho" is a good start, and "Kiss My Grits" is even better, but the five song flourish that comprises "Moscow, 1917", "When I Were A Young 'Un", "May I Caress Your Soul, Madame"(eat your heart out, Jacques Brel), "Narcoleptic Janitor" and "Pancake Moon" is the best work of Muck's career. Closer "Retrospective Haircuts", with it's eviscerating fiddle and mournful trumpet, comes perilously close to High Art. A+
No comments:
Post a Comment