Del Rey & the Sun Kings - Battleship Potemkin
DEL REY & THE SUN KINGS
Battleship Potemkin
(Trakwerx)
A member of experimental music outfits Savage Republic and 17 Pygmies, instrumentalist/composer Jackson Del Rey pays tribute to the iconic Russian motion picture Battleship Potemkin by contributing a new score. Original composer Sergei Eisenstein claimed he thought the film needed a new soundtrack every ten years or so, and Del Rey has taken up the challenge. He easily rises to it, creating music that’s evocative, sensual and, when the mood calls for it, harrowing. Of course, how often you might listen to it is dependent on your tolerance for music made to accompany visuals (or your fixation on ambient work). That said, if you’ve got a copy of the film lying around, put it on your monitor, turn down the sound and play this disk alongside it for a no doubt fulfilling experience. Michael Toland
Monday, February 26, 2007
New adds on Ear Candle Radio
Fri, Feb. 2nd, 2007 8:17 PM
earcandleproductions.com News
Hi gang,
Usually, we like to slip new songs into our playlist discreetly and let them be a surprise to our regular listeners, but I have to tip my hat to 17 Pygmies for sending this exquisite package in the mail containing three CDs and a vinyl single (which contained a small ornamental card with directions on where to download the single's songs as mp3s). I have not yet listened to everything, but I'm adding a track each from the new 17 Pygmies album (and if you don't remember 17 Pygmies from the 80s, go to their myspace page and get schooled. They were a classically-tinged band that grew out of Savage Republic and are still doing great music today) and a mind-blowing new score for the Russian silent film Battleship Potemkin by Del Rey and the Sun Kings, a 17 Pygmies side project. Got some other good new stuff too:
"Vakulinchuk Acts" - Del Rey and the Sun Kings
"Water Carry Me" - 17 Pygmies
Enjoy, and keep listening.
Ear Candle Radio
earcandleproductions.com News
Hi gang,
Usually, we like to slip new songs into our playlist discreetly and let them be a surprise to our regular listeners, but I have to tip my hat to 17 Pygmies for sending this exquisite package in the mail containing three CDs and a vinyl single (which contained a small ornamental card with directions on where to download the single's songs as mp3s). I have not yet listened to everything, but I'm adding a track each from the new 17 Pygmies album (and if you don't remember 17 Pygmies from the 80s, go to their myspace page and get schooled. They were a classically-tinged band that grew out of Savage Republic and are still doing great music today) and a mind-blowing new score for the Russian silent film Battleship Potemkin by Del Rey and the Sun Kings, a 17 Pygmies side project. Got some other good new stuff too:
"Vakulinchuk Acts" - Del Rey and the Sun Kings
"Water Carry Me" - 17 Pygmies
Enjoy, and keep listening.
Ear Candle Radio
Lunar Hypnosis Review of Del Rey & The Sun Kings
Del Rey & The Sun Kings - Battleship Potemkin
Trakwerx Records - 2006
1. Main Title
2. The Men & The Maggots (Extended Version)
3. The Soup
4. Drama in The Harbor (Excerpt of Alternative Version)
5. Vakulinchuk Acts
6. The Death of Valulinchuk
7. A Dead Man Calls for Justice
8. All For One And One For All: The Rebellion Begins
9. The Odessa Staircase
10. A Happy Day In The City
11. Suddenly The Czarist Soldiers
12. The Ships Guns Roared (Extended Version)
13. Meeting With The Squadron
14. Squadron Sighted: Prepare For Action (Excerpt)
15. Join Us...Brothers!
16. Bonus Track: Original Piano Theme (Solo)
As with the film after which it is named, this music beautifully projects montages of sorrow, hope, and joy. Because I have seen and studied the movie at length at one point in my life, I cannot help but hear this music in black and white, with every tone of grey ablaze in between. This CD is a glorious exercise in just how painterly sound can be.
The music typically placed with the film (which was originally silent in 1925,) tends to be overtly dramatic and almost cumbersome in its desire to over-represent the film sonically. Which is a shame. What Potemkin needs least is bombast. What it gets most often is music that states the obvious. Loudly. From Edmund Meisel's glorious but hurried repetition to the Pet Shop Boys' interesting albeit somewhat sterile exercise, the music rendered for The Battleship Potemkin most often leaves me wishing to hear the film in silence and let the images sing for themselves.
Del Rey and the Sun Kings have achieved a rare feat; love of music, film and painting have interwoven to create a highly emotional juxtaposition of both traditional and contemporary audio articulations for Eisenstein's masterpiece. The accomplishment neither competes with the film nor becomes overbearing. Instead, the music seems to shimmer through the film; not an accompaniment but another facet of the montage. Exquisite.
Like the film, the music progresses in five well-constructed episodes; "Men and Maggots", "Drama at the Harbor", "A Dead Man Calls for Justice", "The Odessa Staircase" and "The RendezVous with a Squadron". This is typical of other soundtracks for the movie. What is not typical is the depth of consideration for the prose of the film itself in relation to the music. It is as if the lighting and atmosphere of the movie have been captured and remanufactured audibly. They seem inseparable; 'probably the truest mark of whether or not a soundtrack "works" for a movie.
It's nice to hear music expressed in so many layers and with such texture. Del Rey and the Sun Kings are masterful at painting sound like Anselm Kiefer's dark hopeful landscapes and Dali's endless bright horizons; Potemkin's images are a perfect fit for the heavy daubs and dashes of light at which Jackson Del Rey excels. The profound agony and the roaring aspiration of Eisenstein's masterpiece are represented here with great tenderness and respect; to have heard these recordings is to have seen the movie again with new eyes. Highly, highly recommended.
February 20, 2007
By Ginnie Moon
10 of 10
Trakwerx Records - 2006
1. Main Title
2. The Men & The Maggots (Extended Version)
3. The Soup
4. Drama in The Harbor (Excerpt of Alternative Version)
5. Vakulinchuk Acts
6. The Death of Valulinchuk
7. A Dead Man Calls for Justice
8. All For One And One For All: The Rebellion Begins
9. The Odessa Staircase
10. A Happy Day In The City
11. Suddenly The Czarist Soldiers
12. The Ships Guns Roared (Extended Version)
13. Meeting With The Squadron
14. Squadron Sighted: Prepare For Action (Excerpt)
15. Join Us...Brothers!
16. Bonus Track: Original Piano Theme (Solo)
As with the film after which it is named, this music beautifully projects montages of sorrow, hope, and joy. Because I have seen and studied the movie at length at one point in my life, I cannot help but hear this music in black and white, with every tone of grey ablaze in between. This CD is a glorious exercise in just how painterly sound can be.
The music typically placed with the film (which was originally silent in 1925,) tends to be overtly dramatic and almost cumbersome in its desire to over-represent the film sonically. Which is a shame. What Potemkin needs least is bombast. What it gets most often is music that states the obvious. Loudly. From Edmund Meisel's glorious but hurried repetition to the Pet Shop Boys' interesting albeit somewhat sterile exercise, the music rendered for The Battleship Potemkin most often leaves me wishing to hear the film in silence and let the images sing for themselves.
Del Rey and the Sun Kings have achieved a rare feat; love of music, film and painting have interwoven to create a highly emotional juxtaposition of both traditional and contemporary audio articulations for Eisenstein's masterpiece. The accomplishment neither competes with the film nor becomes overbearing. Instead, the music seems to shimmer through the film; not an accompaniment but another facet of the montage. Exquisite.
Like the film, the music progresses in five well-constructed episodes; "Men and Maggots", "Drama at the Harbor", "A Dead Man Calls for Justice", "The Odessa Staircase" and "The RendezVous with a Squadron". This is typical of other soundtracks for the movie. What is not typical is the depth of consideration for the prose of the film itself in relation to the music. It is as if the lighting and atmosphere of the movie have been captured and remanufactured audibly. They seem inseparable; 'probably the truest mark of whether or not a soundtrack "works" for a movie.
It's nice to hear music expressed in so many layers and with such texture. Del Rey and the Sun Kings are masterful at painting sound like Anselm Kiefer's dark hopeful landscapes and Dali's endless bright horizons; Potemkin's images are a perfect fit for the heavy daubs and dashes of light at which Jackson Del Rey excels. The profound agony and the roaring aspiration of Eisenstein's masterpiece are represented here with great tenderness and respect; to have heard these recordings is to have seen the movie again with new eyes. Highly, highly recommended.
February 20, 2007
By Ginnie Moon
10 of 10
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Retro Red-Eye Express Plays 17 Pygmies
February 2, 2007
Random Duo
Lotus (Electric Mermaid Mix) - 17 Pygmies - 13 Blackbirds
13 Blackbirds
Random Duo
Lotus (Electric Mermaid Mix) - 17 Pygmies - 13 Blackbirds
13 Blackbirds
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
WUNH 93.1fm
WUNH 93.1 FM Duham, NH
ADDS to PLAYLIST JAN. 2007
The Spirit Girls "Forever Free"
17 Pygmies "13 Blackbirds"
http://newserver.wunh.org/index.php?menutype=Charts&page=charts.php
ADDS to PLAYLIST JAN. 2007
The Spirit Girls "Forever Free"
17 Pygmies "13 Blackbirds"
http://newserver.wunh.org/index.php?menutype=Charts&page=charts.php
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
KVRX 91.7 plays "Battleship Potemkin"
Welcome to the KVRX Student Radio playlist archives.
University of Texas
Austin, Texas
:: current playlist ::
Phil Goetz's Nap Time with DJ No Alias :: 21:00
Battleship Potemkim "track 4" (del rey and the sun kings, on Trakwerx)
"Drama In The Harbor"
University of Texas
Austin, Texas
:: current playlist ::
Phil Goetz's Nap Time with DJ No Alias :: 21:00
Battleship Potemkim "track 4" (del rey and the sun kings, on Trakwerx)
"Drama In The Harbor"
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
THE NEXT BIG THING Reviews Trakwerx releases
January 30 Posted 8:12 AM by Lindsay Hutton
“The Spirit Girls sound has been described as something of a cross between Sonic Youth, King Crimson and 17th Century French Romantic paintings”, it sez in the blurb. Well I never heard any of The Paintings stuff but I don’t recognise a lot of similarity with the other two. “Forever Free” is a concept piece that floats these souls through the imaginary landscapes en route to their billet in the afterlife. It has a folky edge tempered with that LA-pop ethic. It’s actually pretty unusual and coming as it does in some nifty digi-packaging it looks like something on Sympathy. I think it sounds like Sandy Denny just found out she was Buffy and has to deal with it… no actually that’s bollocks but I’m not sure this thing can be pigeonholed. “Milk Maid” (track 2) recalls Angel CC, mainly because of the accordion. Otherwise it has an almost classical rock feel. Not classic rock dumbass, more of a symphonic afterburn. My other immediate favourite was “Small Town” with it’s Ministry type industrial segue into Burundi drumming and back to the gothosphere. I imagine that this section is breathtaking in a live situ. “Haunted Horse” is one of the great titles, so it’s an extra that it’s a cool song also with a kind of toytown Suicideness about it. “Song for the Spirit Girls” would be Abby from NCIS’s favourite I think. The Spirit Girls have been kissed with a little of that David Lynch soundtrack fairy dust. As a whole “Forever Free” has that detached void feel pretty much down pat while still selecting the odd heartstring to pluck. Peculiar but well worth the effort. Also check out lead SG Marni Weber’s arthaus!
Del Rey and The Sun Kings “Battleship Potemkin” is a homage to the silent Eisenstien movie. The director had stated that he hoped that a new soundtrack for the film might be composed every 10 years. The film is now 82 years old or thereabouts and I think that onetime Savage Republic man Jackson Del Rey was horrified that the most recent attempt was by The Pet Shop Boys. This somewhat ambient score somehow seems more fitting and I wonder if there have actually been public screenings with this providing the sonic backdrop. As composition goes, the kraut-rockish elements interweave with more traditional instrumentation. I don’t have the credentials to even begin to tell you how this guy has succeeded in such an astronomical task. But he has.
17 Pygmies were active in the 80’s but I don’t recall them at all. Their musical stylings have been dubbed “arcanica” by themselves. Apparently it means no-hit wonders. This "13 Blackbirds/13 Lotus" doublepack isn’t something you can stick on and instantly become acquainted with. It’s intricate and practically baroque. Folk but not as you reporter is familiar with the form. The pastoral piano shards of “Bley” other-world music are better soaked up in a peaceful environment. I tried playing it loud but it made much more sense at a more gentle volume. Maybe they could come up with some kind of pod for you to climb into for best results. Like a flotation tank.
Visit Trakwerx and check out these strange, NEW, sounds for yourself. The proof of the pudding after all…http://www.trakwerx.com/label.htm
“The Spirit Girls sound has been described as something of a cross between Sonic Youth, King Crimson and 17th Century French Romantic paintings”, it sez in the blurb. Well I never heard any of The Paintings stuff but I don’t recognise a lot of similarity with the other two. “Forever Free” is a concept piece that floats these souls through the imaginary landscapes en route to their billet in the afterlife. It has a folky edge tempered with that LA-pop ethic. It’s actually pretty unusual and coming as it does in some nifty digi-packaging it looks like something on Sympathy. I think it sounds like Sandy Denny just found out she was Buffy and has to deal with it… no actually that’s bollocks but I’m not sure this thing can be pigeonholed. “Milk Maid” (track 2) recalls Angel CC, mainly because of the accordion. Otherwise it has an almost classical rock feel. Not classic rock dumbass, more of a symphonic afterburn. My other immediate favourite was “Small Town” with it’s Ministry type industrial segue into Burundi drumming and back to the gothosphere. I imagine that this section is breathtaking in a live situ. “Haunted Horse” is one of the great titles, so it’s an extra that it’s a cool song also with a kind of toytown Suicideness about it. “Song for the Spirit Girls” would be Abby from NCIS’s favourite I think. The Spirit Girls have been kissed with a little of that David Lynch soundtrack fairy dust. As a whole “Forever Free” has that detached void feel pretty much down pat while still selecting the odd heartstring to pluck. Peculiar but well worth the effort. Also check out lead SG Marni Weber’s arthaus!
Del Rey and The Sun Kings “Battleship Potemkin” is a homage to the silent Eisenstien movie. The director had stated that he hoped that a new soundtrack for the film might be composed every 10 years. The film is now 82 years old or thereabouts and I think that onetime Savage Republic man Jackson Del Rey was horrified that the most recent attempt was by The Pet Shop Boys. This somewhat ambient score somehow seems more fitting and I wonder if there have actually been public screenings with this providing the sonic backdrop. As composition goes, the kraut-rockish elements interweave with more traditional instrumentation. I don’t have the credentials to even begin to tell you how this guy has succeeded in such an astronomical task. But he has.
17 Pygmies were active in the 80’s but I don’t recall them at all. Their musical stylings have been dubbed “arcanica” by themselves. Apparently it means no-hit wonders. This "13 Blackbirds/13 Lotus" doublepack isn’t something you can stick on and instantly become acquainted with. It’s intricate and practically baroque. Folk but not as you reporter is familiar with the form. The pastoral piano shards of “Bley” other-world music are better soaked up in a peaceful environment. I tried playing it loud but it made much more sense at a more gentle volume. Maybe they could come up with some kind of pod for you to climb into for best results. Like a flotation tank.
Visit Trakwerx and check out these strange, NEW, sounds for yourself. The proof of the pudding after all…http://www.trakwerx.com/label.htm
Monday, January 29, 2007
High Bias' LiveJournal Reviews "Forever Free"
January 25, 2007
THE SPIRIT GIRLS
Forever Free…
(Trakwerx/End is Here)
Rock bands that grow out of other projects—in this case a rock opera called The Spirit Girls: Songs that Never Die—are often a dicey proposition at best. Fortunately, artist/songwriter Marnie Weber’s group the Spirit Girls (which includes cellist Tanya Haden, of the well-traveled Haden clan) is no failure. Weber’s muse flits hither and yon, from acid folk (“The Hunted Little Green Grass Girl”) to industrial hard rock (“Small Town”) to gothic drone (“Haunted Horse”) to avant pop (“Airstream Dream”) to psychedelic instrumentals (“Graveyard Song”). Her serviceable melodies and forceful singing link the menagerie together, and the band brings each vision to colorful life. Forever Free… is more of a promising beginning than any kind of masterpiece, but as art projects-turned-bands go, the Spirit Girls are more substantial than ephemeral. Michael Toland
THE SPIRIT GIRLS
Forever Free…
(Trakwerx/End is Here)
Rock bands that grow out of other projects—in this case a rock opera called The Spirit Girls: Songs that Never Die—are often a dicey proposition at best. Fortunately, artist/songwriter Marnie Weber’s group the Spirit Girls (which includes cellist Tanya Haden, of the well-traveled Haden clan) is no failure. Weber’s muse flits hither and yon, from acid folk (“The Hunted Little Green Grass Girl”) to industrial hard rock (“Small Town”) to gothic drone (“Haunted Horse”) to avant pop (“Airstream Dream”) to psychedelic instrumentals (“Graveyard Song”). Her serviceable melodies and forceful singing link the menagerie together, and the band brings each vision to colorful life. Forever Free… is more of a promising beginning than any kind of masterpiece, but as art projects-turned-bands go, the Spirit Girls are more substantial than ephemeral. Michael Toland
Sunday, January 28, 2007
WNEC 99.1 plays 17 PYGMIES
17 Pygmies on WNEC 99.1 "SELDOM HEARD RADIO"/ New Hampshire
Western New England College radio station in Henniker, NH
DJ Frederick plays "Tree of Life" from 13 Blackbirds release
January 27, 2007
Seldom Heard Radio - Music & Culture in the Spirit of Free Radio
Music & culture in the spirit of free radio - featuring news and musings related to my "Seldom Heard Radio" broadcasts, independent music, community radio, pirate (free) radio, shortwave listening, zines & other alternative homegrown media, and interviews with bands and others promoting DIY culture.
Western New England College radio station in Henniker, NH
DJ Frederick plays "Tree of Life" from 13 Blackbirds release
January 27, 2007
Seldom Heard Radio - Music & Culture in the Spirit of Free Radio
Music & culture in the spirit of free radio - featuring news and musings related to my "Seldom Heard Radio" broadcasts, independent music, community radio, pirate (free) radio, shortwave listening, zines & other alternative homegrown media, and interviews with bands and others promoting DIY culture.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sonic Reducer review of "Forever Free"
Sonic Reducer
By Marisa Demarco
The Spirit Girls Forever Free (The End is Here Records)
If angry porcelain dolls made art rock, this is what it would sound like, though such a narrow label does this disc little justice. Lush with archetypal symbolism (ships, nests, bears, Ophelia), the chanted words yank your dream head from its murky depths. Don't listen to The Spirit Girls while operating heavy machinery--not unless you're using it to construct a life-sized dollhouse for your ghostly interior self, the one who's right at home with these pale, ethereal rock moppets. Be prepared to drift through long beds of soundscape with cellos, excessive panning and mostly tasteful vintage effects. Though not inaccessible, this album won't work for you if you're looking for something opaque, solid and tangible—in a word, easy.
By Marisa Demarco
The Spirit Girls Forever Free (The End is Here Records)
If angry porcelain dolls made art rock, this is what it would sound like, though such a narrow label does this disc little justice. Lush with archetypal symbolism (ships, nests, bears, Ophelia), the chanted words yank your dream head from its murky depths. Don't listen to The Spirit Girls while operating heavy machinery--not unless you're using it to construct a life-sized dollhouse for your ghostly interior self, the one who's right at home with these pale, ethereal rock moppets. Be prepared to drift through long beds of soundscape with cellos, excessive panning and mostly tasteful vintage effects. Though not inaccessible, this album won't work for you if you're looking for something opaque, solid and tangible—in a word, easy.
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