Young and reckless. It's just two characteristics that seem to fit well with Amsterdam quartet New YX. They're loud, slightly abrasive and compress a truckload of energy into their live performances. It's artpunk meets shoegaze, coming from the heart of the Amsterdam arty-farty squatter scene. As such, you could say they're barely legal. With their second release, they graduate from the demostage of their musical career and plummet themselves into the higher echelons of the Dutch underground scene. This is reïnforced by the fact that their second EP release, Slow Boy, is released by underground label deluxe Subroutine Records as a 12" vinyl record. Nothing quite says you mean business like a vinyl release. So far, so good.
New YX - Slow Boy cover art
A common problem with explosive live bands is their apparent inability to transpose their energy onto the format of a recording. they can sound either dull and clean or uneven and overly noizy. Either way it results in records that are, well, rubbish. New YX avoided this by hiring the right people for the job. Corno Zwetsloot and Zlaya Hadzich (recording engineer and producer respectively) are two indie-industry dinosaurs. They were able to put the right mould on the band's sound, striking the right balance between fuzz and clarity, space and compression. guitarist Liú Mottes' heavy duty guitarwork is sharp and gritty, a nice contrast to Lili Bos' crisp vocals.
It's not all pretty though. New YX is certainly doing fine in the riff department, but the lack of a real songwriter can't be overlooked. For the most part, these tracks carry themselves well, such as the brooding opening track "Tiny Villains" and violent closer "Crystal Math". These tracks are loaded with friction, compressed energy and drive. In between they're much less focused: "Jersey Shore" sounds sluggish and aimless, while title track "Slow Boy" is too fragmented to stick. These songs may hold up well live when powered by the band's unbridled energy, but on record they get lost in transition.
In the end, it's hard not to sympathise with bands such as New YX. Their enthusiasm and energy are a welcome change from the distant cool applied by so many hipster musicians. There's no lack of ideas on this record. Slow Boy is another big step forward for a band coming into it's own. There's still some baby fat to be trimmed, but with a little more structure to their madness they could come a long way. Plenty of potential to be found here.
The discovery of obscure talent is always a joyous occasion, and this first encounter with Norwegian singer-composer Jenny Hval is no different. History tells us that this inaugural release is the product of a lengthy career in the Norwegian underground, going back to goth-bands and two releases under a different monniker that didn’t quite make it to the surface. Whether a progressive development or just a ongoing frustration, Jenny Hval and her band sound mature, cohesive and balanced on this first album. At least, to experienced listeners. Hval’s music is far from a walk in the park.
Viscera cover art
The blonde Helsinki-based pixie creates a daunting brand of avant-garde indiefolk on her debut-album Viscera, constantly hugging the wastelands between structure and free form. She has an accute control of her voice, resulting in some impressive vocal feats. Still, the emotive quality remains firmly in the limelight, as does her -quite explicit- lyrical content. For Hval there seem to be no taboos on sexuality. But rather than taking a distant, rational perspective, as if to underplay its impact, she wraps her content in a bizarre fairytale soundtrack. It's Alice in Wonderland esthetics meets sexual liberation anno 2011.
Her songs seem to slowly imprint its structure into the wacky lyrical content. In some instances the song keeps a respectable distance from the experiment. With tracks that reach the seven minute mark more often than not, she asks a lot from one's attention span. In “Blood Fight”, however, she uses song-structure to great effect without losing Hval’s hypnotic, hymnal quality. The bond between her feminine, esthetic outings and musical craftsmanship is strong here. It’s daunting and moving, keeping the listener engaged without sharing too many of its secrets upfront. In “Portrait of the young girl as an artist” she lets the song explode into a Cranberries-like, 90‘s rock anthem. It just goes to show her versatilaty: there are plenty of surprising turns on Viscera.
Jenny Hval
It should be clear that Jenny Hval is not an easygoing artist: Viscera is daunting material both musically and lyrically. But just when the album is about to derail into nomansland, her songs take form, ending in climaxes that one is able to bear with. At least until a certain degree. Like Björk, Thus:Owls and/or Sigúr Ros, one needs to adapt to the given material. But if you’re up to the challenge, Jenny Hval’s reveals a magical affection. Whether it be a fairytale erotica soundtrack or a 'free-folk' (free-jazz mechanics applied to folk sonorities) novelty: Viscera is definitely one of the more bold, enticing records coming from Scandinavia this year. Acquired taste, yes, but great taste.
Another album review for the SF/London/A'dam peeps... -J
When Alamo Race Track released their breakthrough 2nd album Black Cat John Brown (and eponymous hit single) in 2006, its main songwriter and singer Ralph Mulder was immediately recognized for his ability to craft songs like wonderful little miniatures, bereft of any pretence or grand gestures. The crossover doo-wop / indie the Amsterdam quartet put out was playfully arranged and deeply melancholic at the same time, the fusion of which sounded quirky but very familiar....
New YX - Slow Boy cover art
