Day 0928 - La Revancha del Tango

Gotan Project "La Revancha del Tango" (2001)

Gotan Project is another artist where I was familiar with the name but had totally the wrong idea about what sort of music they played.   I assumed they were some kind of indie/alt-rock group.  Not sure if that was based on some vibe I was getting from their name or whether I was getting them mixed up in my head with some other act like Gerling.

The group are nothing like that though.  Much like Suba’s “Sao Paulo Confessions” (day 879) reinvigorated Bossa Nova music through modern electronic interpretation and instrumentation; Gotan Project’s “La Ravancha del Tango” (roughly translated as ‘Tango’s Revenge’) does the same with Tango music.

As with “Sao Paulo Confessions” this album/artist take the genre and produces a music based in the electronic genre but retaining certain familiar aspects, like rhythms or instruments specific to its chosen genre.  One of these instruments is the bandoneon (kind of a small accordion) which I love and has a brilliant sound.

I really enjoyed this album.  It does a really good job of modernising the Tango sound, while still retaining some of its fire in tracks such as “Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre)” and “Una Música Brutal”.

Day 0627 - Tank Battles

Dagmar Krause "Tank Battles" (1988)

Another really interesting find.   It's almost like a demented take on Broadway or Cabaret, which is maybe not surprising given that it featuring arrangement contributions from Greg Cohen.  Cohen had just recently worked on Tom Waits' "Frank's Wild Years" album, which mined similar musical territory.

Krause had started off in singing in clubs in the German Reeperbahn district, and had sung in a number of bands as well as working as a solo artist.   She had become interested in the music of composer Hans Eisler, whose songs focussing on the downtrodden and underground in early-mid 20th century Germany had led his works to be banned by the Nazis and forced Eisler himself into exile.

The album bursts with life, cynicism and humour.  Krause's deep Teutonic voice fits the music to a tee.  Songs like "The song of the whitewash" sound like some weird mix of Marlene Dietrich, Dresden Dolls and the more theatrical parts of Pink Floyd's "The Wall"

Day 0612 - I'm Your Man

Leonard Cohen "I'm Your Man" (1988) - got it

Cohen moves away from live/organic instruments in favour of synths and drum machines.  A lot of people, even now, praise it as a giant leap forward, but personally it doesn't 'do it' for me.  Don't get me wrong, the songs on "I'm Your Man" are among Leonard's best, but having heard live versions of some of them using live band instrumentation, I just feel like the songs would have been better served that way.

That gripe aside, the album does have an interesting sound.  Leonard picked it as one where he was happiest with his vocals, which is odd as he seems to sing with much less melodic range here (though his voice does sound smooth).  The lyrics here are brilliant as usual, with the title track being a personal favourite of mine.

Day 0589 - Hysteria

Def Leppard "Hysteria" (1987)

An interesting one... I mean the music itself is just catchy, bombastic, glammy rock with a touch of studio sheen to it, but there's a bit of a story to the album's creation.

The album was originally to be produced by Mutt Lange (he's produced everything from AC/DC and Foreigner through to Maroon 5 and Britney Spears) who had produced their previous album 'Pyromania', but Lange bowed out due to exhaustion.  The band tried to make things happen with Jim Steinman (of Meatloaf fame), but he wanted to make a raw, stripped-down rock record, clashing with Leppard who wanted to go with a more glossy and pop-metal sound.  Eventually Steinman departed and the band tried to produce themselves.  These sessions were eventually scrapped when Lange came back into the fold.

Of course, as is well known, Leppard's drummer lost his arm in a car accident.  The band stood by him and his decision to keep drumming, using a mix of traditional drums and some automation tricks to fill in the gaps left by his missing arm.

The long wait, the time put in, and all the studio work paid off.   At its peak, the album was moving around a million copies a week.