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A Full and Massive Sound

The last thing I expect to come from Germany is a group covering songs of Van Der Graaf Generator. And to be honest, I didn't expect an album of VDGG-covers at all. This music is so highly individual and idiosyncratic, that it is almost impossible to reinterpret these works. Just like in the case of Beefheart, Popol Vuh, etc. On the other hand, why not? Why exclude the possibility of successfully reworking highly idiosyncratic material. It all depends on the creative powers of artists. So let's look with open eyes to this album of interpretations of six VDGG compositions. Darkness (11/11) and Refugees, taken from the 1970 album The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other. Still Life and Gog come from Still Life (1976). Van Der Graaf Generator is still around as I discovered All that Before and Drop Dead come from their 2008 album Trisector. The job is done by S/T, a trio from Frankfurt, Germany, founded in 1993 by Martin Bauner and Joachim Gaertner, who present with Gorp their homage to this english progrock group. The musical careers of both men go back to the end of the 70s and that is about all I can trace about their earlier whereabouts. They are declared fans of Faust and Amon Duul 2, but also Pere Ubu, Cravats (remember?), and many other groups inspire them. Since 1997 they released several records. Gorp however is the first one meeting my ears. We hear Martin Brauner on guitar and vocals, Joachim Gaertner on organ and machines. Special guest Daniel Krieger is the drummer. The voice of Peter Hammill is of course not to be imitated. But they tackled this problem very cleverly. The voice is Bauner is manipulated, making it sound a bit distorted but penetrating, and it it not mixed on the forefront, so that making a comparison comes not to your mind. With guitars, keyboards and drums they create a full and massive sound of hybrid progrock. I do have several VDGG-albums, but not these three ones, so that I cannot make any comparison. But what I can say is that S/T deliver a very well executed album, with stripped down and a bit simplified arrangements and performance. The way they did it surely works. (DM)

Link: Vital Weekly

2010-02-12: Vital Weekly

Rigobert Dittmann: Gorp is a Homage

S|T Gorp (Mas de Cade, Cade 56000, LP): Gorp is a Homage und zwar an niemand Geringeres als Van Der Graaf Generator. Nicht gerade das, was man erwartet von einer Band, die auf ihrem eigenen Label namens Save Our Sperms in Frankfurt Titel veröffentlicht wie Fünf Scheiben Gouda (2004), Samenzellenkennsatz 26-28 (2005) und Stadtlandwurst ( 2007) mit einem Humor wie zuletzt vielleicht Hirsche Nicht Aufs Sofa. Das Artwork gehört zum Reiz des Ganzen ähnlich wie bei Strafe Für Rebellion. Seit 1993 musizieren Martin Brauner (guiter & vocals) & Joachim Gaertner (organ & machines) zusammen, mit einem Faible für Kraut, Psychedelic und Gutes wie Eyeless In Gaza, The Swell Maps, Red Krayola, The Fall, Normal Hawaiians, Pere Ubu, Gang Of Four bis hin zu Caroliner. Zudem gibt es Connections zu Herpes Ö Deluxe und H.J. Irmler von Faust, der auf Klangbad ihr Self Titled (2004) herausbrachte . Transhistorized Flashback (Lone Starfighter, 1997) enthält deutsche Versionen von Klassikern wie White Rabbit und Why Are We Sleeping, Phantasmagoric Mushroom Overflow (2000) und Space Fidelity (2003) machen kein Geheimnis aus ihrer Stoßrichtung. Aber... nein, kein aber. Natürlich ist das nicht Peter Hammill. Aber das dominante Georgel und der Sprechgesang sind gekonnte Verbeugungen vor Gog, Drop Dead, Still Life, All That Before, Darkness (11/11) und Refugees. Diese Songs werden zwar abgewandelt und um Einiges minimalistischer dargeboten, aber S|Ts Wagemut zahlt sich darin aus, dass VdGG hier als zeitlose psychedelische Band daher kommt. Julian Cope, David Tibet oder Edward Ka‘spel haben ähnlich ihre Konsequenzen als Kraut und Prog gezogen. Eindringliche Vocoderstimme und repetitives, hypnotisches Riffing verstehen zu fesseln und bei Zeilen wie Citadel reverberates to a thousand voices, now dumb: What have we become? What have we chosen to be? hält ein Pathos Einzug wie nur noch bei Hammill selbst. Ach, Hammill ist GORP! All That Before, schon im Trisector-Original ‚proggig-brutal‘, klingt im Remake wie ein Videokillerspiel mit Grungequerschlägern. Der Westen von Refugees vexiert aber dann auch bei S|T fast wie Avalon. Wir wallen gen Sonnenuntergang wie alle Flüchtlinge, wie selbst das Elbenvolk, carrying all we own in brown bags, tied up with strings... nothing to think, it doesn‘t mean a thing, but we‘ll be happy on our own.

Link: Bad Alchemy

Link: Ragazzi

2009-12-15: Ragazzi / Bad Alchemy

Strange Hybrid

S/T, short of 'same titled', is a trio from Frankfurt that has released numerous singles, albums etc. since 1993. Gorp is an anagram. If you read it backwards you might get an idea of what this is about. Gorp is homage to the music of Peter Hammill and his band Van det Graaf Generator (VdGG). s/t has recorded cover versions of one song from Hammill's vast solo catalogue and five from the band's. The biggest surprise is the selection of songs. Here are four more or less obvious classics originally recorded in the late 1960s and mid 1970s. The last two are from VdGG's last album Trisector released less than a year ago. All of the songs have been part of VdGG's live repertoire after the reunion in 2005.

S/T is a strange hybrid. The vocals and guitars (lots of them compared to VdGG's versions) often sound closer to black metal than prog rock, whereas the tempos and keyboards are more faithful to the originals. Gorp is not the perfect introduction neither to S/T nor VdGG, but it's interesting and to some extent humorous. Darkness, one of the most sinister songs penned by Hammill (along with Gog, also present here) is treated with a light reggae touch and sounds quite laid-back. On the other hand, Refugees, one of Hammill's most sincere and dear ballads, if ever he has written one, sounds harder, but still treated with respect. Gog and All That Before are merciless. The latter and Drop Dead made me pick up Trisector again, that I wasn't too impressed by last year. It sounded somewhat better by now.

To sum up: This album is what the writers of these songs would've characterised as 'Serious fun!' Great packaging and booklet, too. There's only one problem with Gorp as far as I can see. It's a limited edition of only 45 CDR copies. Hurry! The Pure Pop For Now People pages is the place to seek. And you might find out more about the band at the s/t home pages.

 

Link: Luna Kafé

2009-03-11: Luna Kafé