From Franz Enmark Sent Wed, Oct 22nd 1997, 00:42
From Franz Enmark Sent Wed, Oct 22nd 1997, 00:42
Re-view:
Argonort / Mingus EP / Dot Records / DOT1208 / Releasedate: 10.31
Tracks:
A1. Mingus Mundana [06.30]
A2. The Argonort [09.56]
B1. Mingus Mundana (Crashed in Spacer) [07.28]
(what happened to the Coil remix?)
Dot isn't really keeping a relaxed releaseschedule, just about once every
month these Swedish knights have been stealthbombing us with cutting edge,
no bullshit music.
This Mingus 12" is the october harvest from the Swedish kingdom of Dot.
I've had this record now for some more than a week, but I still have some
problems getting a grip on it, it's not like anything released on Dot
before - not that I have a problem with that - it's just that it's so very
different and so very wicked. Argonort are two english guys and the first
non-swedish signing of Dot, I don't know if they have released anything on
some other label...
Anyway, the first cut, >>Mingus Mundana<< kicks of with some hellish
timpanies and a FATSO sting bit. It's kinda hard to explain, but before
this song is ended we've been led through >>The Seventh Sail<<, >>Dead Men
Don't Wear Plaid<<, >>The Man With The Golden Gun<< and a couple of
stairway-chases. This is a soundtrack to a film to complex to be made, with
far too many plots to arrange. >>Mingus Mundana<< is very diversed and if
you jump the needle 2 times you'll hear 2 different songs. It's wonderful
and all woven together like magic. I guess it could be lifted from the Wall
Of Sound archive anyday - however, there's something that makes me go WOW
and HEYBOPSONOFAMOTHER! Electrojazz, doublebass, pianosolos straight outta
jazzland (these guys must be musicians for real - y'know in a common sense)
and other elements that makes me wake up.
Another track to add to the collections of must-have Dot tracks.
The next track is a recording from a disco in egypt with Ken Downie, Rick
Smith and Argonort locked in the bathroom. It might sound fun, but it
actually isn't... Too repetitive, and too 4/4 in 150bpm for me. Kinda Black
Dog-ish but without the polyrythms and all the weirdness, I'm not too
impressed. The layers are too easy to spot - it's not too easy to explain,
it just doesn't captivates my attention. And it's FAR too long.
The Luke Gordon remix of >>Mingus Mundana<< is not by far as good as the
original but still a wonderful track. A Jungelish interpretation of the
agent-like original, it works pretty nifty. The >>Sensory Man<< album on
Pussyfoot was nice, I haven't heard the new one, but this remix makes me
want a big taste of it.
All in all this Argonort debut is - for a Dot release pretty mediocre IMO
(although the >>Mingus Mundana<< track is awesome), but on the ocean of
bullshit Argonort's got themselves a pretty big fucking ship.
And I shit you not fellow sailors, but the forthcoming material from Dot,
the new Quant, the new Roupe etc. will kick our butts harder than most. I
heard some of the new stuff when Anders and Stefan of Dot were playing
records in Umea where I live, and I was totally overwhelmed. Stay tuned for
stealthbombing of the most serious kind, electro- eklekto-funkshitty
knightly bombs from the realms of Gothenburg, Sweden.
I personally can't wait.
Fe.
PS. The Dot pages (addy in sign) will be updated very soon with pictures of
the knights etc. Also, the OFFICIAL Dot site is very close to impact. But
folks, just don't leave us on Gargamel because of that...:)
- sale/wants: http://gargamel.com/frankie ''' = ) - =-= = '''''''''' -
- plodulism!: http://gargamel.com/plod -->--> -/ - - - ] '''''''' -
- dot records: http://gargamel.com/dot '''''' = -.. =-= = '''''''''' -