Bring the Noise Quiet?

Bobby & Blumm and The Sargasso trio

This weekend some friends and I mounted a short roadtrip to Worcester, Massachusetts to attend a “silkscreen workshop” at the HBML Junk Shoppe. Basically this means we watched a guy silkscreen stuff on other stuff that we and other people brought in to the store and then browsed through the vintage clothing, comics, zines, records, toys appliances, crafts, art and other memorabilia that makes up the shoppe’s saleable merchandise while our freshly-inked garments dried.

It also means I finally got a in-person tutorial on how to silkscreen and was afforded the opportunity to talk shop with someone who does it for a living. This is awesome because I’ve always been fascinated by silkscreening (ever since I was a kid and my parents — who believed that computer-based graphics and screen-printed garments were the wave of the future — were threatening to buy all sorts of equipment and open a screen-printing business) and have wanted to try my hand at it since before screen-printed-everything became what’s “hot in the streets.”

It also-also means I came away from the spot with a fresh blue t-shirt emblazoned with the classic Public Enemy logo in dark black ink. Having the famous crosshairs design on my chest (for the first time since the early ’90s) today inspired me to blog about some new music that continues in the tradition of Public Enemy’s patented “wall of noise” aesthetic. But then I realized nobody (with the exception of El-P maybe) is making Hip-Hop like the Bomb Squad used to, so I decided I might as well go in the opposite direction and smooth it out.

Bobby & Blumm ‘Everybody Loves’They don’t come much less noisy or more smooth than Berlin-based Bobby & Blumm, a duo made up of Swedish singer & musician Ella Blixt (Bobby Baby, It’s a Musical!, etc) and German musician Frank Schültge Blumm. The twosome’s LP Everybody Loves is a stripped down (consisting of little more than guitar, bass — or maybe a sprinkle of keys — and vocals on most tracks) and somnambulant affair, with Blixt’s cooing and Blumm’s string-plucking evocative of a Jazz duo performing minimalist covers of already bare-bones ’50s Rock ‘N’ Roll (think Buddy Holly and — appropriately — Santo & Johnny’s classic guitar-ballad “Sleepwalk”) splashed with dreamy, modernist Indie-Pop.

The sameness of the tones in the sonic palette used by the two to color their compositions throughout might seem so repetitive as to be hypnotic to some listeners. This could be relaxing or frustrating depending on the listener. But the droney thrum of the music and the whispery exhalations of the vocals are beautiful to me, and put me in mind of a mating between Joni Mitchell and Björk in her more minimal moments. I’m particularly enamoured of “Around Aground” for it’s existential lyricism and the super-short exercise in self-dissection “This Piece” for it’s delicate male/female chorus.

Bobby & Blumm “Around Aground”

The Sargasso Trio ‘Burnin’ Burnin’ Burnin”Norwich, UK-based Sargasso Trio — consisting of Emily Siddall on vocals, guitar, keyboards & drums, Pete Murdoch on vocals, guitar, percussion & keyboards and Ben Winn on vocals, drums & keyboards — are likewise of a relaxed temperament, soft texture and quiet tone. Their new full-length Burnin’ Burnin’ Burnin’ is anything but one-note though, shifting tempo, style, sound and even personnel as easily and comfortably as one might shift from one side to another while reclining on a comfy sofa while listening to it. Folk, Jazz, Country, Samba, Post-Punk, New Wave, Synthpop, Yacht-Rock, lo-fi Electronica, IDM, Soul and contemporary Pop all inform the proceedings, which proceed at paces that vary from dirge-slow to mosh-pit fast.

The bubbly “The Drum,” with it’s thudding drums, toy keyboards and twisty melodic changes, is one of the fastest things on the disc. While folky numbers like “Step One,” “Man Walks” and “Wide Sargasso Sea” (which all owe a bit of a debt to Johnny Cash) move at a more molasses-like speed. The collection of eclectic electro-acoustic tunes that falls between should appeal to anybody who thinks Feist and the Guillemots would benefit from sounding a little more like each other. My favorite of the bunch though is the Charlie Byrd-meets-The Postal Service Laptop-Samba tune “Why Do Birds Fall In Love?,” which melds a swaying Brazilian guitar rhythm to buzzy synths, stuttery drum-machine beats and bittersweet reflections on romance.

Sargasso Trio “Why Do Birds Fall In Love?”

Not exactly bringing the noise, I know. But like I said, not many folks are doing that now-a-days. Even if there were, the recording industry would probably be burying them under a mountain of anti-sampling legislation anyway. And when faced with that kind of stress sirens and screeching J.B.’s horn loops probably aren’t gonna help you keep your cool.

This entry was written by El Keter, posted on June 16, 2008 at 10:59 am, filed under Music and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

44 Comments

  1. jacob

    Posted June 16, 2008 at 9:37 pm
    Permalink

    hey, this is jacob from HBML– nice meeting you this weekend and thanks for the bigup! also, link to the real website, not that myspace garbage– sstore blog has, like, content everyday! also, have you heard these bomb squad instrumental megamixes? YIIIIIKES!!!!!!!!

  2. free antyspyware

    Posted July 15, 2008 at 2:32 pm
    Permalink

    rub off downloader program rub offr worm rub off windows antispyware removing malware malware kill removing adware removing trojan horse worm scanner of charge antyspyware

  3. niherasebekei

    Posted September 3, 2008 at 5:09 am
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, admin.

  4. werewolf

    Posted September 5, 2008 at 5:48 am
    Permalink

    Nice site
    Thanks, webmaster.

  5. werewolf

    Posted September 5, 2008 at 6:31 am
    Permalink

    Very amazing site
    Thanks, webmaster.

  6. werewolf

    Posted September 5, 2008 at 6:47 am
    Permalink

    Amazine site
    Thanks, webmaster.

  7. Svetlana

    Posted September 5, 2008 at 8:54 pm
    Permalink

    Amazine site
    Thanks, webmaster.

  8. Svetlana

    Posted September 5, 2008 at 9:45 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog
    Thanks, webmaster.

  9. Svetlana

    Posted September 5, 2008 at 10:41 pm
    Permalink

    Very amazing site
    Thanks, webmaster.

  10. helmet

    Posted September 8, 2008 at 4:09 am
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  11. helmet

    Posted September 8, 2008 at 12:20 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, admin.

  12. helmet

    Posted September 8, 2008 at 12:35 pm
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, admin.

  13. helmet

    Posted September 8, 2008 at 4:35 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, admin.

  14. were to buy

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 7:42 am
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  15. halloween

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 1:45 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  16. halloween

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 2:10 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, admin.

  17. halloween

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 2:19 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  18. legally blonde halloween costume

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 5:17 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, admin.

  19. pictures of halloween costumes

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 5:40 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  20. legally blonde halloween costume

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 5:48 pm
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  21. sewing patterns for halloween costumes

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 9:08 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  22. adult pirate halloween costume

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 9:31 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, admin.

  23. sesame street halloween costume

    Posted September 11, 2008 at 9:49 pm
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  24. Elena

    Posted September 12, 2008 at 12:37 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, admin.

  25. Elena

    Posted September 12, 2008 at 4:47 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, admin.

  26. Sveta

    Posted September 12, 2008 at 5:10 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  27. Maria

    Posted September 12, 2008 at 8:55 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, admin.

  28. Maria

    Posted September 13, 2008 at 3:38 am
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, admin.

  29. Elena

    Posted September 13, 2008 at 12:16 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  30. Elena

    Posted September 13, 2008 at 12:55 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, admin.

  31. Marina

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 1:55 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  32. Maria

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 2:11 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, admin.

  33. Marina

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 2:17 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, admin.

  34. Sveta

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 2:24 pm
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, admin.

  35. Pavel

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 4:46 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, admin.

  36. Pavel

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 5:23 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  37. Marina

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 7:40 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  38. Sveta

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 8:08 pm
    Permalink

    Amazing site.
    Thanks, admin.

  39. Sveta

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 8:17 pm
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, admin.

  40. Sveta

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 11:04 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  41. Pavel

    Posted September 14, 2008 at 11:13 pm
    Permalink

    Cool blog.
    Thanks, admin.

  42. Maria

    Posted September 15, 2008 at 9:17 am
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  43. Elena

    Posted September 15, 2008 at 9:44 am
    Permalink

    Nice site.
    Thanks, webmaster.

  44. Marina

    Posted September 15, 2008 at 9:53 am
    Permalink

    Beautiful design.
    Thanks, admin.

6 Trackbacks

  1. By forexG on July 16, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    forexG…

    i do agree but i don’t think that’s completely true. I’m so confused!…

  2. By Jack on July 16, 2008 at 9:05 pm

    electroacoustic guitar…

    …

  3. By Vintage Antique Stoves Vintage Slips on July 19, 2008 at 8:31 pm

    Vintage Antique Stoves Vintage Slips…

    I didn’t agree with you first, but last paragraph makes sense for me…

  4. By Wedding Dresses Secretaries In Short Skirts Stockings Tight Braless Shirts on August 14, 2008 at 3:39 pm

    Wedding Dresses Secretaries In Short Skirts Stockings Tight Braless Shirts…

    I didn’t agree with you first, but last paragraph makes sense for me…

  5. By ohio antiques on September 9, 2008 at 3:49 am

    ohio antiques…

    Six Apart started a working group in February 2006 to improve the Trackback protocol with the goal to eventually have it approved as…

  6. By Dell Computers Free Educational Time Games On The Computer North Dakota Lamoure Computer Animation Camp Charge on October 1, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    Dell Computers Free Educational Time Games On The Computer North Dakota Lamoure Computer Animation Camp Charge…

    I didn’t agree with you first, but last paragraph makes sense for me…

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

*
*