mick mercer
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "mick mercer" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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08:38 pm
[Link] | 
GUERRE FROIDE
VENTE
Brouillard Definitif
I could do with some more of this. Just as English bands tend to seem like they’re full or artistically driven mental cases, and Italian bands are essentially dignified even when angsty, so the French bands seem so casually easy in their contemplation, which is all decidedly cool.
Guerre Froide were a Cold Wave band to be reckoned with back in the 80’s who didn’t stick around long, but reformed a few years back, and still have it, just as Metal Urbain do and Brotherhood Of Pagans. With ‘Nom’ it creeps up on you, a sense of dissonant wrangling offsetting the oblique mood and clear, simple melodic method. Rhythmically dogmatic but lightly handled there are also vocals that walk the walk, sounding jaded one minute, but heard beneath furrowed brows. The guitar tingles, but there is a quiet menace, like a baby farting.
Incidentally I don’t know if that’s the actual title of the EP, I have simply guess from the attractive but all-French folded card press release. I can however state with my usual authority that the second song is ‘Entre Nous’ and it’s another ticklish, jarring blighter, the vocals wafted through a shabby well ventilated tunnel of atmospheric, troubled sound. With ‘Planete Hurlante’ they up the ante with a moody pirouette, the bass seepage contrasting with some itchy synth and much gloominess to be had.
The easy nature of their work is of course a disguise. To be this effortless you just have to be bloody cold. And so they are.
http://www.myspace.com/guerrefroide
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11:12 pm
[Link] | DANIELLE DAX book
Of course she was the wildest, sexiest and most esoteric of the lot. Follow the link, wait for the cover to appear and then flick through the preview pages if you don't believe me. Here we have a 328 page photo book about one of the most visually distinctive and dynamic live performers of all time, containing 425 images taken between 1983 and 1988, including three posed sessions, and six gigs. The majority of these photos are, as with all my books, previously unpublished. Details on how to order prints of the images are included in rear of book.
You need to register on the Lulu site to buy books which is easy. DO NOT use their express post, which costs far too much. If in the UK or US just use the normal inland service (not ‘express’), and if you are outside the UK or US stick with ‘economy’ which is simply their term for normal airmail. (If so inclined buy more than one book because the postage costs come down sharply. All books are very well packaged. If you are a business when you buy more than 10 books the cost of the actual books decreases too.)
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/danielle-dax-by-mick-mercer/7378741 - to buy.
http://stores.lulu.com/mickmercer - to drool over the other titles.
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11:34 pm
[Link] | THE BATCAVE – two exclusive books
THE BATCAVE remains the best known Goth club in the history of the genre, and here we have two huge photo books of classic images, of exciting bands, covering its original existence.
THE BATCAVE Volume 1 – £19.99
A 620 page photo book containing 818 images of happenings at The Batcave during 1983. You will find Alien Sex Fiend (three gigs), Ausgang, Danielle Dax (posed session), F1 Electric, Marc Almond, Pork Helmets, Sexbeat, Specimen (four gigs), along with the club itself, including staff, regulars, crowd and cabaret artistes/dancers.
THE BATCAVE Volume 2 - £19.99
A 572 page photo book containing 789 images of happenings during 1984/1985, featuring: Alien Sex Fiend, Anorexic Dread, Ausgang, Bone Orchard, Christian Death (Rozz Williams), Let’s Wreck Mother (post-Sexbeat), Pepperlip (featuring Jo Bones), Sexbeat (that’s Sophie on the cover), Specimen (two gigs), Tabatha’s Nightmare (Mark Tinley/Marcus Scott), Zero Le Creche and Zor Gabor (former Banshee guitarist John McKay), along with shots within the club of staff, crowd and regulars.
The vast majority of these photos are previously unpublished. Details on how to order prints of images included in rear of each book.
You need to register on the Lulu site to buy books which is easy. DO NOT use their express post, which costs far too much. If in the UK or US just use the normal inland service (not ‘express’), and if you are outside the UK or US stick with ‘economy’ which is simply their term for normal airmail. (If so inclined buy more than one book because the postage costs come down sharply. All books are very well packaged. If you are a business when you buy more than 10 books the cost of the actual books decreases too.)
THE BATCAVE Volume 1
THE BATCAVE Volume 2
- be patient while these pages load an you will see a preview where you can see some sample pages.
To keep up to date on all my book titles, including the new ones planned (including Flesh For Lulu, three volumes on Specimen, two on Alien Sex Fiend, three Gothic Image titles etc please keep an eye on http://stores.lulu.com/mickmercer - where you can also find all the existing books listed.
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09:06 pm
[Link] | 
BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL
QUADRANOTICS
Projekt
Well! This is a promo EP of sorts to promote the album ’10 Neurotics’ due later this year, in which Sam Rosenthal descends into a world of seedy hedonism at will, with topics so diverse and lubricious that the previous singers refused to sing them, resulting in a much changed lineup! How bizarre is that? Elysabeth Grant, Athan Maroulis, Nicki Jaine and Michael Laird have stayed true to the cause, and also hauled willingly on board, once they have queued to slap Sam’s face, are Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls riding shotgun and Attrition’s Laurie Reade who has been very busy lately.
It’s not all mid-life musical crisis of course. I have never been the only asking what might happen if there was a more conventional musical setting for their work, and here we have some of the answers. ‘Tell Me You’ve Taken Another’ is fabulous indie crossover which makes exactly the kind of direct connection I’d expect, the melody stronger the more the atmosphere is opened up, and the furtive or salacious lyrical content made weirder because of the refined surroundings, with a haunting flute wending through the filth as the singer proclaims, ‘I never separate the shame from the pleasure it arouses,’ sounding a bit mental. All in all it’s like a less melodramatic Marc Almond soiree.
‘Inch Worm’ contains the hallmarks of early BTFABG, and a twirly thing it is, with a chorus which would have been much better without the words ‘inch worm’ involved, as that’s a bit prissy (despite being inspired by a Courtney Cox blog), leading to something like a corrupted nursery rhyme. Great lyrics litter the jauntily sauntering journey including, ‘at least I won’t be embarrassed when I meet you in Hell.’ There’s a similar flow to ‘Sailor Boy’ and while there’s an intentional cabaret feel to both of these tunes, it’s also got a historical, bellicose quality amidst the naughty nautical allusions. I’m not sure what ‘Caught By A Stranger’ is, other than another lurid tale, as the music moans and slithers along, before we get the ‘expurgated’ version of ‘Sailor Boy’ and that’s that.
It promises to be an unusual album, clearly. The fetish themes and cabaret stylings are all old hat of course, as these have been done to death since the mid-90’s, but in this group the sound dynamics are different, as are the contrasts between word and music, so weird things will emerge. Reading the press release it seems more than likely. I am a complete innocent about such matters, but apparently the songs concern dom/sub, furries (a cover of ‘Memory’ from ultra-pervathon Cats perhaps?), police state fetishists (eh?), pro-anna (no idea there either), exhibitionists, humiliation, pain, self-destruction, cuckholding fantasies (what!) and anonymous sex.
The bit that amused me is where Sam talks of being a father and how children represent the clean slate and people can screw them up because of their own issues. Flash forward a few years.
“Dad, can we listen to some of your records?”
“Of course you can! Er, not that one….”
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com
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01:17 am
[Link] | 
DEAD GUITARS
FLAGS
Echozone
There’s something quite classic about the songwriting Dead Guitars create and maintain which means I need to mention individuals, because these may well mean something to you, although I confess I wasn’t aware of many of them. The band is large enough, but invite others to be part of the grand occasion. Having previously a link with Adrian Borland, and in many ways reminding me of The Waterboys in their output Dead Guitars are as follows: Carlo Van Putten – vocals, Pete Brough – acoustic, Ralf Aussem – guitars and bits, Patrick Schmitz – drums and Sven-Olaf Dirks – bass.
( Read more... )
http://www.myspace.com/deadguitars
http://www.deadguitars.com
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10:53 pm
[Link] | 
ABIGAIL’S MERCY
AFTER THE FALL
Pure Darkness
While this appears to be an album for those people unable to leave the house until they’ve strapped a sword with an unfeasibly ornate handle to their backs, or for those who can’t hear a clumpy drum without flailing their hands in the air, they also bring a resolute dignity to the blurry landscape of Gothic Metal, because they’re really a direct, fantasy rock outfit, blathering happily on about salvation and destiny. (Excuse the sleeve, it’s a promo one, so it doesn’t contain the actual imagery they’ve selected.) Now minus Terry they still fluctuate between male and female vocals, and have a meaty guitar sound dripping melodic blood over the steaming carcass of sound.
( Read more... )
http://www.myspace.com/abigailsmercy
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05:59 pm
[Link] | STEVEN WELLS (10.5.60 – 23.6.09) – R.I.P.
I only learned of his death today when listening to The Last Word on Radio 4 and was shocked – cancer, aged 49! Fark!!!
In many ways Steven/Seething/Susan Wells was the perfect NME writer, through having no understanding, or love, of music whatsoever! For him the message was the message, the music an abstraction. The difference between him and many NME hacks was he didn’t come over as an arrogant waste of space, even though he did seem like Fred Truman dressed as a skinhead. I first encountered him when he brought some poetry in to me at ZigZag, which I placed in the bin the moment I’d shooed him away. In truth I knew little about his activities from the 90’s onwards, due entirely to his lack of musical suss, and nobody can ever be forgiven for being a Ranting Poet. What I always loved about his writing was the humour, which included wonderfully surreal touches, a Queercore piece in Camden being my favourite. No surprise he went on to TV work, clearly, and then off to the States it appears, where he has chronicled his illness for the Philadelphia Weekly. Farewell then Seething Wells – a total nutter, but a unique one.
Read these, they’re brilliant:
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/Cell-Out-42215357.html - stunning piece.
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/in-extremis/Steven-Wells-Says-Goodbye-49054426.html - his final column. You can add obit tribute comments at the end
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09:50 pm
[Link] | 
KASMs
SPAYED
Trouble
There’s been a lot of discussion in scientific circles recently about what would happen if feral youngsters were raised in a cave on a diet of old X-Ray Spex bootlegs and then left to their own, entirely contemporary, creative devices, while sensibly made allergic to saxophones. This record appears to answer the question. Now, ferocious little buggers they may be but for all their reputation for manic live shows, and the press release observing they recorded this on a reel to reel to capture their vibrant nature, the thing which impresses me most is the surprising sweetness of their work and the bold contours.
( Read more... )
http://www.myspace.com/kasms
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10:09 pm
[Link] | FOR THOSE WITH SWIFTS NESTING IN THEIR GARDEN…
People who know about birds will be aware of this already but Lynda and I only learned about this today. People in the UK may wish to be aware.
Poor Mabel Cat got the blame initially, when we found a young swift outside our front door, although Mabel’s not blameless, having brought us an unbelievably young jay the other day which hadn’t even opened its eyes yet. However, when we rushed the little swift to Leatherhead’s bird hospital, as we had the jay who is now in a large cage with other youngsters, they informed us they’ve had loads of swifts this week because they’re dropping out of their nests due to the freak heatwave. Their nests are pretty much airtight meaning oxygen is at a premium. To get fresh air they nudge each other to the edge of the nest, and some simply fall out. The little chap we found outside had dropped some eighteen feet to the concrete ground below, but had no injuries, so there must have been some instinctive fledgling fluttering on the way down.
So if you have any in your eves, and you can hear them easy enough, maybe make emergency provisions before the weather changes this weekend, by which time everything should go back to normal. We’ve put an old duvet down, which has a bit of give in it, meaning they should land safely enough. I’m just relieved we have a bird centre only fifteen minutes’ drive away. I can hear the swifts squeaking away right now round the corner from the office window. They’re probably swearing at us. ‘Give him back!’ Alternatively they may be asking when I am reviewing the KASMs album, and that’s tomorrow, impatient little birds.
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10:08 pm
[Link] | So farewell then Karl Malden. You were so much more than a weird nose. You were the missing link hovering at an equidistant point between Ned Beatty and Gene Hackman, with just a hint of Burgess Meredith.
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10:46 pm
[Link] | 
ANDREAS GROSS
HAIL TO THE EMPLOYEE
Echozone
Although they choose the generic tags of Trip Hop / Electronic / Gothic on their myspace page this foursome, based primarily around maestro Andreas and vocalist Tabitha Anders (cellist Isabel Walter and guitarist Thomas Stumpf being the other vital ingredients) begins with ‘Revealing’ as a doe-eyed Ethereal ball of soft fluffiness. They slide into ‘My Fears’ like an amiable alt-folk lament without malice and ‘To Die For’, which is a nice title, is like a supreme supine slice of academic pop.
( Read more... )
http://www.myspace.com/andreasgross
http://www.myspace.com/maledictionmiss
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12:39 am
[Link] | 
ANOTHER SPECIES
LOADING…
ASA
There is much to admire when duo’s get stuck into a project and Erika and Nic Species are one such couple, who invest great dignity into their ostensibly sullen world, where you pick your way through the disgust and alienation, but pick up much satisfaction from the simple, sometimes compulsive slices of rhythmic life. They also manage to ease a bulging colour booklet into the CD case, which signifies how much they care about it. Full colour, full lyrics. Because they care I have found myself shrugging off the mind-boggling heat of the past two days to grapple with their dark beast of a record.
( Read more... )
http://www.anotherspecies.co.uk
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10:57 pm
[Link] | 
HISTORY OF GUNS
WHEN YOU DON’T MATTER
Line Out Records - free download single
We need a constant drip-feed of HOG material between albums so this is a blessing, as are the assurances of more albums as I can never tell from Max’s journal whether the band has split or still exists. It’s all quite alarming!
‘When You Don’t Matter’ instantly reminds you of how they conjure up a fetid mood, through angry rumbling lyrics spouted by prematurely weary vocals, over a bed of rhythmical nettles that stirs, slurs and takes you down the drain with it when it’s finished. Inspired by Del’s preference for obscenely short Union Jack dresses (Entire Nation: “My eyes, my eyes!!!”) ‘Slice Up Your Wife’ is probably the best Spice Girls cover they could abuse, like a conga in Hell constantly dancing to Chic’s greatest hits. ‘Forever’ is a glorious noir tincture of gloom and splendour, the sensitive synths and metallic percussive rustling combining behind the woe-bedecked vocals to create a post-Twin Peaksy wheeziness that highlights the other side of HOG from the mania, which is the tragic beauty of their dreamier music.
It’s free. What are you waiting for?
http://www.lineoutrecords.com/downloads/HistoryOfGuns_WhenYouDontMatter/
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10:59 pm
[Link] | 
ELLA JO
ALTER EGO
Diamond Seeds
I wanted to wait until I’d reviewed the UK Decay album before covering this, as Spon is involved with it. Ella’s later album, the excellent ‘Limits Of Milk Weed’, was covered here a few weeks back, and now here we have a more demure affair.
( Read more... )
http://www.myspace.com/ellajotaro
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11:24 pm
[Link] | 
UK DECAY
FOR MADMEN ONLY
UK DECAY
There are some records that you simply have to have in your collection and this is one of them. Available on CD for the first time, having been lost in the wilderness ether for 29 years, it represents the finest work of one of the most important Goth bands of all time, for here was a band around which the earliest activity pretty much revolved and who, instead of doing the usual snooty band thing of distancing themselves from all-comers did precisely the opposite, becoming a genuine inspiration. As well as the original album tracks they have added the magnificent ‘Rising From The Dread’ EP, plus three single tracks and for a band that split up unnecessarily early, this contains their greatest work. It remains imposing stuff, from a band that never stuck with any safe, expected pool of influences and audience-friendly overtures, but pushed the boundaries like insane cricketers as their songs developed hand over fist into some gigantic claw of noise.
( Read more... )
http://www.ukdecay.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/ukdecay
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01:18 am
[Link] | NUN SO BLACK
Weird few days. Got my new monthly disposable contacts, which are so light compared to the soft lenses I tried a few years back that seemed so heavy in my eyes and were a bugger to try and get out. Hopefully these ones will be fine. Tonight we went to see a play/musical with one of Lynda’s mates in. ‘Nunsense’ is about some nuns putting on a benefit show to raise funds to bury the remaining sisters in their convent who’d died from a mass outbreak of botulism. The had enough to pay for 48 corpses to be disposed off but then the mother superior bought a plasma screen TV, and there wasn’t enough for four nuns who then had to be placed in the freezer. O-kayyyyy.
While I still work my way towards uplaoding six new books this week we also had a nice weekend where we were official photographers/videographers at the wedding between two people she regularly performs shows with. Although it was a registry affair it was at an odd location with its own bar and reception area and attractive grounds, so it felt like a special place and occasion. The groom got so emotional when reading his vows he could barely breathe let alone talk, and everyone got teary. We got there ages before everyone else to scope the place out and take incidental photos of preparations that most people wouldn’t see, and the stress isn’t something I’m that keen on – it’s not like you can afford to cock anything up. Luckily Lynda not only likes people, she can talk to them, two counts on which I generally fail, so she did the organised group photos, where I take the more observational ones, including lots using the zoom of people concentrating on the speeches.
Music-wise, I bought UK Decay’s ‘For Madmen Only’ on CD a mere 29 years after its original release. That’s reviewed tomorrow. I also picked up a Sex Gang 1983 bootleg on eBay for 99p. Bargain!
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08:57 pm
[Link] | 
CUDDLY TOYS
TRIALS AND CROSSES
Jungle
We’ve had them here before, when the last compilation came out with some cool dvd footage, and here they are again, part post-punk, part pop, with a sour glam sauce always stuck in any wrinkles. For a band with split musical personalities and once managed by wrestler Kendo Nagasaki life was always bound to be a bit odd, but having previously been in the twisted Punk experience of Raped, Sean Purcell (R.I.P.) was prepared for anything. There may be nothing that great going on musically, with they’re being such a mish-mash, but for these sort of releases, with exhumed rarities added, it’s whether diehards fans will find it appealing, and I think it works just as well as the other did, with a high quality, detailed booklet, and two CDs providing decent quantity.
( Read more... )
http://www.myspace.com/guillotinetheatre
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09:14 pm
[Link] | 
LACKLUSTRE MIRROR
THE FORGOTTEN SONGS
Shadowplay
It’s actually called ‘The Book Of The Shattered Bonds Ch. III: The Forgotten Songs’ so it’s not convivial fluff, or generically divisive. It’s a serious, well thought out collection of emotional songs, for a reason. Have no idea what that is, but it’s implicit in the subtle drama, giving the work a heady determination.
The lyrics in the doomily bombastic ‘The Snows Pt 1’ are brilliant, suggesting that in the jaws of defeat can come a strident defiance, one man looking at utter despair all around can be stirred to action instead of ending it all. Weirdly though there’s a thin, never ending guitar outbreak running through ‘The Snows, Pt 2’ which is the sort of thing usually located in out of control concept albums of the early to mid 70’s, or the finale to any Bonnie Tyler epic. But for the fact the guitar rules the roost, I wouldn’t have been surprised to glimpse the mishapen head of Rick Wakeman looming from the song’s turrets. Instead it’s closer in feel to a lot of Gothic Metal, but with greater artistic flourishes and occasional vocal similarities to Michael Ball! Either it’s all that weird, or I’m off my head.
( Read more... )
http://www.lacklustre-mirror.net
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10:15 pm
[Link] | Currently nursing the naughty Mack who seems to have hurt himself, so no review tonight. Lacklustre Mirror’s ‘The Forgotten Songs’ album tomorrow, with another Cuddly Toys retrospective on Sunday. Just finishing off the first of the Batcave books tonight, so expect more news of them (two volumes) next week, along with three epic Punk Image books at 700 pages each. I will be doing three Gothic Image books, which should also be pretty big, plus photo books on Alien Sex Fiend, Specimen, Flesh For Lulu, Danielle Dax and Christian Death. As book creation and ill cats has altered my schedule for THE MICK somewhat I am working on doing two issues of those to come out at the end of this month, so a ton of interview questions will be reaching people next week.
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09:46 pm
[Link] | 
WAVES UNDER WATER
A SHORT PRESENTATION OF…
Calorique
‘Serpents And The Tree’ has that traditional electro pulse purring through it but the comforting vocals of Angelica Segerback are a charming guide, with Rickard Kretschmer regularly pirouetting in on rhythmical insistence, while it’s Johan Svardshammar who swarms all over the keyboards. It could be commercial europop in some senses, but for the avante-gardenia aspects of the fragrant lyrics. That’s also where the soppier side of Goth seems to come wandering through, and they look a bit Cabaret/Steampunk so it’s all going on.
‘Winter Garden’ has a more sorrowful feel over the trudging bass tones, the melody lilting through the pale shadows, stirring sweetly and kept lithe in immaculately ordered surrounds.
‘Nothing More’ is a trifle starker in sound, quite direct while stealthily advancing under emotional cover, to end quite simply, without unnecessary flourishes or repetition, which seems central to their work. What they do is lovely, and there’s no musical flab.
The album is out in August. One to watch for.
http://www.myspace.com/wavesunderwater
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