nick nicely again

Born in Greenland on a stopover during a transatlantic flight in 1959. Grew up in London on his parents classical music collection and radio pop of the 60s. When almost every- body started to play in punk groups he mixed 60s psychedelia with 80s electronics. Self-released his first single in 1980. It was re-released in same year by German Hansa Records, and became a small hit in France and Holland. This success was the cause of remove of the song at the last minute from Some Bizzare Album in 1981. It was the new wave synth-pop scene first manifestation with such groups as Depeche Mode and Soft Cell. Nick was signed by EMI, but after a single in 1982 he retired from the spotlight. In the late 80s and early 90s under various monikers he was involved in Acid House and Rave scene. The first nick nicely album with his two singles and unreleased tracks recorded between 1978 and 2004 was published in 2004, and was re-released repeatedly. His first ever live show was in 2008. Since then he shared the stage with Hawkwind, John Maus, Maria Minerva, Ariel Pink and more. The first real time nick nicely album titled Lysergia was released in 2011 on cassette on Burger Records. And the second is coming in September, but I think it will be almost same thing than Lysergia was.

Space of a Second album on Lo Recordings (UK)

He has got his name in 1973 when one mate said – Give us a fag you sod!
And another said – Why don’t you ask Nick nicely?

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Richard In Your Mind is a funny psychedelic pop band from Sydney. Confusing the audience since 2006.  But just in your mind.

Ponderosa album on Rice Is Nice Records (Aus) I want to hear more tracks from it.

rock’n’roll power poppy punk whatever but
„All your beers are belong to us.”

Problem Child by NIGHTMARE BOYZZZ

from the album Bad Patterns on Slovenly Records

The boyzzz broke up in this spring, but the nightmare goes on

There were lots of fanzine in Hungary in the late 80s and 90s. In our new series we cut album reviews out from these.

Második Látás (Second Vison) was one of the first Hungarian fanzines. It started as Mély Vágás (Deep Cut) in Debrecen in 1987 before two years the fall of communism. It produced a police investigation because to publish any printed matter without permission of Ministry of Interior was illegal at the time. So the title was changed to Második Látás in order to deceit the police. Then the editor Mihály Rácz moved to Budapest. Második Látás became the No 1. musical fanzine with tons of review.

CICCIONE YOUTH – The Whitey Album, LP, 1988 (Blast First Records)

The Sonic Youth’s album which was released under the name of Ciccone Youth wouldn’t be a lucky case as the first meeting with the band.  The wily musical jokes of the album become understandable in the light of their previous albums. It is unbelievable impudence as they surrounded their Madonna cover with masterful fake disco songs, always make mess of it with overdrive and slides, and as the cold drum riffs and string tears whip the soul of Chichonne youth which is locked in electronics. The album alloys the old tradition of Sonic Youth with sound of the new era.
„If somebody does the same thing for 5 years, then he can be called hippe for 5 years… the time has come to begin a business career, that is humpie pumpie bumpy.”

(Második Látás#2, 1989)

1. Needle-Gun 00:00  2. (Silence) 02:26  3. G-Force 03:33  4. Platoon II 07:11  5. MacBeth 11:30  6. Me & Jill/Hendrix Cosby 17:00  7. Burnin’ Up 22:30  8. Hi! Everybody! 26:21  9. Children of Satan/Third Fig 27:20  10. Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening to Neu 30:26  11. Addicted to Love 33:20  12. Moby-Dik 37:09  13. March of the Ciccone Robots 38:11  14. Making the Nature Scene 40:06  15. Tuff Titty Rap 43:21  16. Into the Groovey 44:02  17. MacBeth (Instumental) 48:36

The Legendary Tigerman is Paulo Furtado from Portugal. He is following the tradition of Mississippi Delta Blues where the blues-men performed playing and singing alone. He mix the blues with rockabilly and rock and roll rhythms.

True album on Metropolitana Records and Sony Music France

His best album is Femina (2009) where every song is a duet with a woman. For example Maria de Medeiros, Peaches, Becky Lee, Asia Argento, Rita Redshoes

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Jeans are Jasmyn, the singer of Canadian alternative pop band Weaves, and Tim from her previous indie garage rock band Rat Tail. Their music is distorted, dubbed old stlye pop music, like a sunny Dirty Beaches.

Digital album. Just name your price

For the fans of psychedelic rock.

Two San Franciscan hippies (one is guitarist of Wooden Shijps) thought that touring is easier thing for 2 persons than a full band, but realized just all the burdens are divided into two parts. But since last European tour the burdens are divided into three. It was the first case that the band was touring with live drummer, who joined the band just in time for a tour, but finally has become a member.

In Ravenna (Italy) their show was recorded. It will be released in August on Sacred Bones Records (US). It is an extremely limited edition of 2000 most of which will be available from the band on their upcoming European and US tours.

Moon Duo in trio in Liege

Killer synth punk tunes from the magician of cheap electronic instruments Giorgio Murderer. Feat Buck Biloxi on guitar

7″ EP on Goner Records (US)

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The most simple phrase for music of French duo Thee Verduns is folk-punk. With blues, bluegrass, cajun, country elements, ragtime rhythms and Trio cover

„Le catechisme de la joie, la vie entiere” LP and digital on Kizmiaz Records (France)

And sure, every nation has his own Verdun.

SKULL DEFEKTS from Sweden love one thing
and that is the repetition
„we sound like an AC/DC loop”
in the manner of The Fall, The Ex & Fugazi with singer of Lungfish

The Known Unknown

from the album „In The Dreams…” on Thrill Jockey

One of the best European garage rock/punk label is Goodbye Boozy Records. It was founded in the late 90s in Teramo, which is a little central Italian town. The label is focusing limited edition 7″ vinyls. Some names of the roster: Ty Segall, Mikal Cronin, King Khan, BBQ, Lantern, LiveFastDie, Red Mass, Straight Arrows, Movie Star Junkies.

Some of the recent 7″ vinyls are free to download now: The Hemingers, Sick Thought, Blowtops, Cosmonauts, People’s Temple, Tight Jeans, Livids, Drags, Warm Soda.

In Detroit on a sunny Sunday afternoon Timmy Vulgar decides to mow the lawn in his little garden. Then a small rubber monster bits his hand, and commence the metamorphosis…  Of course Mr. Vulgar is a totally antisocial character, because the lawnmowing is forbidden on Sunday.

HUMAN EYE – Gettin’ Mean

from the album „Human Eye IV” on Goner Records (US)

I know almost nothing about I Get Mynze. The members are from pop punk band Legendary Wings from Kalamazoo (Michigan), and they play excellent 80s-like lo-fi garage punk in the manner of Jay Reatard.

7″ EP on Pelican Pow Wow (US) and Red Lounge Records (Germany)

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The second album of the London based alt-country band Cat Meat, where “Phil’s primary influences are the alt-country of Wilco, the surrealist melancholia of Sparklehorse and experimental rock of Califone, though more than a hint of Captain Beefheart’s magisterial influence can be detected in the lyrics and song titles. Ian brings bluegrass chops and punk sensibilities in equal measure, whilst Barney’s slide and fingerstyle guitar reveal a love of the pre-war splendor of Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Willie McTell.” „Eldritch City Dwellers” is also free to download as their every recordings.

The band’s name keeps memory of a Montenegrin summer holiday.

Saul Conrad is a classically-trained American musician. Almost impossible to categorize his peculiar music: experimental chamber „pop” with surprising key changes, nonsensical rhythmic shifts, overlapping melodies, and folk elements.  His third album is more listener friendly than the previous two. There are easy melodies instead of experiments. But at the same time it’s a very serious album. Perhaps it’s more serious than the previous ones.

The non-musical influences: Kierkegaard. Especially his book about the despair, “The Sickness Unto Death.” Surprising or not, in Japan the book of the Danish existentialist philosopher is living its own renaissance as anime, manga and video game soundtrack. By the way, always the same thing occurs to me from Kierkegaard (1813-1855): during a night I read through his work titled Either/Or, then I vomited out of the window – but that is quite another story.

“The Four Zoas: The torments of Love & Jealousy in The death and Judgment of Albion the Ancient Man.” It’s a prophetic book by English romantic poet William Blake (1757- 1827). Conrad’s album title “A Tyrant And Lamb” references to a pair of poems of Blake: The Tyger, and The Lamb, about the dualism of nature and God. Conrad sings about alternation of this duality in the human sphere.

And now the gruesome list of musicians who have influenced on this album

Blaze Foley, the Duct Tape Messiah, country outsider, was „a genius and a beautiful loser” according to Lucinda Williams, was shot to death at his age of 39 in 1989.

Gram Parsons of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, alcohol, drugs, overdose, 26.

Townes Van Zandt, country music outsider, in the 70s, when the bigger part of his highly praised life-work was released he lived outside of Nashville in a tin-roofed, bare-boards shack with no heat, stayed almost entirely unknown until the 80s, when Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard covered one of his songs, which became a number one hit, and he played at dive bars and lived cheap motels invariably until January 1, 1997, when his femoral neck fracture and his delirium tremens were treated with vodka and weed for good, and stayed 52 for ever.

Harry Nilsson, singer/songwriter, nothing special except for his songs, but a heart attack, 52.

Syd Barrett, the most creative member of the early Pink Floyd, for the most part he wrote the first album alone, LSD, became unable to play in the group, two solo albums in 1970 and nothing more, but a nine parts composition by Pink Floyd to tribute to him in 1975, titled Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Died in 2006 at his age of 60.

Elliott Smith, singer/songwriter, alcohol, drugs, paranoia, suicide, 34. Strange fact, in 1997 he released an album titled Either/Or, which is based on Kierkegaard…

I’m sure, you are very curious

Saul Conrad – „A Tyrant And Lamb” album on Mountain of Leopards and Cavity Search Records. Buy LP or digital copy

10 children     60 seconds     0 toys     800000000 cars

industrial blues where performance and body art
meet improvisation and noise

from the album “Wölfli’s Nightmare” by SUDDEN INFANT
on Voodoo Rhythm

SUDDEN INFANT was started as a one man project by Swiss composer, performance and body artist Christian Weber 25 years before. In May it has transformed into a trio during the recording session with Alexandre Babel (drums) and Joke Lanz (electronics,vocal).

Wölfli le Grand (1864-1930) was a Swiss art brut artist, unconscious father of the surrealism and a mental patient. He used the Campbell’s soup cans as artistic motif at first.

About art brut in Hungarian on RNR666