When it comes to long-lived makers of weird music, Einstürzende Neubauten is a fair match for Pere Ubu. Pere Ubu was founded a couple of years earlier, but as far as I can tell Neubauten has never had an officially inactive period. Pere Ubu is arguably the poppier of the two bands (most of their songs have musical instruments, chords, and even melodies), but it was Neubauten who was booked to support U2 on their Zoo Tour in 1993. (Just yesterday I was trying to think of a more surprising opening act than Joan Jett's selection of Lungfish in the '90s, and now I've found it.)Blixa Bargeld and co. are, like our friends from Cleveland, still active, still making new recordings and performing. I have no idea if or when we'll get them to cross the Atlantic again (their last planned tour here was canceled due to visa issues), but they certainly have a catalog vast and deep enough to keep DJs around the world arguing about the difference between music and noise for many years to come.
[Long comment in red pen that has become blurred beyond recognition.] "FABULOUS! (Now, can we get collapsing new people?)" "Yow! Yow! Yow! Magnifique!" "Somehow I know by the above handwriting that I'm not going to like this." "I was right! This is stupid noise!" "You sound like a parent! A [square] one at that, daddy-o!" "DJ Test. What is in here:[ ]New Wave[ ]Art Rock[ ]Noise[ ]Quite Rock[ ]Genius[ ]None of the Above" "Yes, yes, & I like the titles a whole bunch too!" "Yeah - some of the best stuff I've heard in a while." "Is this music?" "This is NOISE! I'm not a parent. I gave it a chance. Parents don't!" "And what is music comprised of? Noise!!!" "This is a great album." "Music is sound. This is sound. 'Noise' is arbitrarily determined by the listener. Some like noise." "Yes, and some don't. But I'm beginning to." |
Happy Boxing Day! Even if you are not particularly familiar with the catalog of the Pogues (and if you aren't, what is wrong with you?) you have most likely heard their song "Fairytale of New York" - in fact, you've probably heard it in the past month or so, as over the past twenty-five years it ha…
It's not often that the Review Revue files intersect with what's going on in the present day, due to the archive-digging nature of this project, but every once in a while we get lucky. This week's band, Pere Ubu - perhaps one of the longest-lived bands I've covered in this series - is playing tomor…
