Saturday, February 6, 2010

plastelin.com reviews The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari DVD


Nije neobično da se pop-muzičari dohvate ozvučavanja klasika nemog filma. Neki skorašnji radovi su imali globaln(ij)e ekspozicije (Pet Shop Boys - Krstarica Potemkin na Trafalgar Skveru uz logistiku grada Londona), ali su većina (Mum, KTL, Nine Rain...) nakloni nečemu što ih je kao persone i umetnike gradilo.

 

Cult With No Name su (još uvek) čuveno ime iz departmana dobro iskrojenih pesama; ako iko upita zašto (?), odgovori se nalaze na dva albuma objavljena za etiketu Trakwerx (Paper Wraps Rock - 2006, Careful What You Wish - 2008). Grehota jeste što to više ljudi ne zna, kada u (među)prostoru alternative ima dovoljno širina/dužina da budu obrani od-tamo-negde gde počinju Tuxedomoon brazde, Associates usevi, pa sve dokle god pogled puca u današnjicu. Ovako su konzumirani od malobrojne, ali cenjene sile poštovalaca gde su najglasniji (muzički novinar) Mick Mercer, (muzičar i producent) Krammer (Bongwater, Shimmydisc) ili (magičar) Blaine L. Reininger ( TuxedoMoon). Konstatacijom da su CWNN u današnjem pop svetu sav onaj anticoldplay ukus, Mercer (im) je i dao najveću preporuku.

 

Trakwerx etiketa, preko Del Rey and The Sun Kings (Jackson Del Rey, ex Savage Republic) lagano gradi tradiciju izdavanja albuma na kojima se muzikalijama dopunjavaju nemi filmovi. Onda, nije iznenađenje da su se CWNN latili klasika nemačkog ekspresionizma "Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" koji je Robert Wiene režirao 1919. godine. Ovo delo retke izrade pomerilo je misaonost mnogih, a nesporan je uticaj na ljude popularne muzike. Mnogi su od Pere Ubu, Bauhaus, In The Nursery (etc, etc...) (is)koristili Caligarija da podupru svoju estetiku. Ni kačenje muzičkih draperija na "Das Cabinet..." nije incident, no, kao kuriozitet treba spomenuti sjajnog Billa Nelsona koji je 1981. uradio svoj soundtrack i kasnije to spakovao kao album za Cocteau etiketu, a upravo je Robert Wiene tridesetih godina prošlog veka pokušao sa angažovanjem Jeana Cocteaua oko ozvučenja filma. Ima se i utisak da su Britanci svakojako inspirisani filmom, pa su prošle 2009, na devedesetogodišnjicu snimanja, skor za film uradili i elektro-jazz duo Cipher i visokopoštovani džentlmen Steven Severin (ex Siouxsie and the Banshees, Glove).

 

Cult su iskustva gledanja filma opisali kao unikatna sa uvek drugačijim utiscima i verovatno je to razlog što su im zvuci raznovrsniji u odnosu na regularan rad. Od znaka za početak pa do zadnje slike, Erik Stein i Jon Boux (uz asistenciju Jeffa Brennemana) prate radnju bez tenzije koja bi posmatraču razbila pažnju i/li ugođaj praćenja filma. Muzika je(ste) nesumnjivo za njih univerzalni jezik, pa se ne osećaju disforično, a ugodno je naslađivati se ovom muzikom i kada nije dopuna. Dr. Caligari dijagnostikuje da CWNN-DVD ne reciklira svoj rad, već razvija i nove uticaje, pa smo (u)čas (u)sred nečega što priziva Eno+Budd ambient, čas nas dostigne gotski-trip-hop-pop i nešto od prijatnog (polu)industriala. Nisu zanemarili sopstveni zaštitni znak, piano prepariran za nas koji preferiramo žurku usamljenika. Bez tako iritantne užurbanosti i bezrazložne pretencioznosti.

 

Ima ljudi koje odbijaju ovakve tvorevine i ovaj OST bi mogao da im bude izazov za skidanje čari. Stein je rekao da ne može da zamisli muziku odvojenu od filma i eto prednosti nama konzumentima nad umetnicima. Naravno, valja uzeti ono što je dobrovoljno ponuđeno i tako se audio-separat Caligarija može skinuti džabe sa CWNN stranice:

 

www.last.fm/music/Cult+With+No+Name/The+Cabinet+Of+Dr.+Caligari
a može se i pazariti kao DVD

 

www.maryattmusic.com/store/cd_info.php?id=MMG+477

 

Svakom po volji i po afinitetu. U kabinetu Dr. Kaligarija.

 

Autor: Mileta Okiljević

 
 

Cult With No Name - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari DVD (Trakwerx/Lightwerx, 2009)

 

ImageThese days, it's not unusual to hear 'pop' musicians add their sound to silent movies. Some are subjected to worldwide exposure, such as the Pet Shop Boys' performance of Battleship Potemkin in London's Trafalgar Square, but most (Mum, Ktl, Ninerain) are something more personal to the individual artists.

 

Cult With No Name retain one of the best reputations as classic songwriters. Those seeking evidence need only to check out their two albums on the Trakwerx label, 'Paper Wraps Rock' (2007) and 'Careful What You Wish For' (2008). It's just a shame that more people aren't aware of them. There's more than enough space in alternative music for a band that whose roots lie in Tuxedomoon, but whose fruits hint at a modern version of The Associates. Still, they have a small but respectable group of noisy admirers, including Mick Mercer (renowned post-punk journalist), Kramer (Bongwater, Shimmydisc), and Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon). Perhaps Mercer provided them with the biggest accolade when he dubbed CWNN "the anti-coldplay".

 

The Trakwerx label, under the guidance of Jackson Del Rey (ex Savage Republic), have slowly built a tradition of releasing new soundtracks to old silent movies. It's no surprise, then, that CWNN have taken hold of the German expressionist classic 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari', directed in 1919 by Robert Weine. The movie is a persistent influence on the aesthetics of a range of popular musicians, including Pere Ubu, Bauhaus and In The Nursery. A mention must also go to the great Bill Nelson, who released his soundtrack in 1981, as well as the musical score released by electro-jazz duo Cipher and Steve Severin (ex Siouxsie and the Banshees) in 2009, to coincide with the film's 90th anniversary.

 

The experience of watching the film is unique each time you watch it. Perhaps this is why CWNN's soundtrack is more diverse than their previous two albums. From the opening moments to the closing bars, the music of Erik Stein and Jon Boux (with assistance from Jeff Brenneman) seamlessly follows the plot, adding to the satisfaction of watching the movie. Dr. Caligari doesn't see CWNN recycle their previous work, but invoke new influences. One moment the music recalls Brian Eno/ Harold Budd ambience, whilst the next we find ourselves caught in gothic trip hop pop and semi-industrial sounds. Of course, they haven't neglected their trademark, with plenty of piano for us loners. Everything is perfectly placed, perfectly timed, without any hint of pretension.

 

Of course there are people who are hostile to such modern soundtrack takes on movie classics. And CWNN have said that they cannot imagine the music separate to the movie. However, it is we as consumers that have the option. Either buy the DVD or simply download the music alone.

 

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cwnn3

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lightwerx-cabinet-dr-caligari/id351228902

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is one of my favorite films. I recently composed a new soundtrack for the film on my blog. http://tinyurl.com/39cmk75
Thanks for the great post.
Danny Hahn
www.neokitsch.com