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May 24, 2007
We Need Some Art Damage in Here, Stat!
On the heels of two prominent posts celebrating the armadillos in our trousers set, we've got to maintain the balance by getting very pretentious, very quickly. Luckily, one of the most famously obtuse and hard to find releases of all time, the formerly cassette only 1980 compilation From Brussels With Love, has been recently reissued and delivered to my hot little hands. This tape was the first proper release of the esteemed Belgian label, Le Disques du Crepuscule, which was founded by journalist Michel Duval and Joy Division homewrecker Annik Honore. The pair's partnership had begun years earlier when they turned a disused sugar refinery into a Brussels club called Plan K that would be a desirably high concept venue for Factory Records acts on holiday. This Factory connection is reflected in the tracklisting, which features unused material from many of Tony Wilson's menagerie, as well as many other art rock luminaries. There's a solo studio track from genius producer/lunatic Martin Hannett! Electro drones from Wire members Gilbert and Lewis! "She Blinded Me With Science" man Thomas Dolby sounding exactly like fellow traveler Robert Wyatt! An unknown cut from Krautrock notables Der Plan!! An interview with Eno, backed with a Phil Niblock ambient track!! Multiple Durutti Column entries!!
Now this is the kind of music that the public could care less about!!!
Obviously this stuff's going to take a while for me to process, but here's a couple tracks fit for immediate consumption;
Kevin Hewick & New Order - "Haystack"
"Haystack", credited to Kevin Hewick and New Order, predates any material from the former Joy Division, beating the "Ceremony" single to very selective racks by a good four months. If Hewick was auditioning for the still warm lead singer slot, the obscure Factory signee was going about it all wrong. His bright eyed, glamorous delivery was certainly not Ian Curtis inspired. Instead, think Bryan Ferry with about 50% less panache and 96% less vibrato. Which is not to say that it isn't pretty great. Over a guitar slow dance deep in the red, Hewick starts with the very Ferry-esque line, "She kicked off her stilettos and we fell into the haystack." From there it's the kind of romantic heroin song that we should probably be glad they don't make anymore. Needles ("Haystack," get it?), rolling up sleeves, leaving tire tracks, etc. It's not very subtle. At least not until it gets very odd, with Hewick misremembering a few nature lessons on the refrain, "It's early in the morning and the bees are singing/ the birds are stinging/ in an open air sur-gery." Right.
Up until the end, New Order doesn't really make their presence explicity felt. There's a subliminal icy synth wave hovering below the uncharacteristically raw Hannett recorded guitar, but it mainly creeps in and then recedes again just as quickly. As the track glides towards its finish, however, the boys step up. A stark, stabbing (yet melodic) key blast overwhelms the listener before settling into the left channel, as the right ear is partially soothed by calming white noise. It sounds alien and confrontational sure, but still immediately compelling.
The actually Belgian group the Names were forced to drop their initial Iggy inspired moniker the Passengers when they noticed a rival group of Pop devotees had beaten them to the NME review section, which gives you a nice snapshot of the times we're dealing with. Ironically, this is more Joy Division indebted than the above track, although not as egregiously as other Factory/Crepuscle acts like A Certain Ratio. In fact, singer Michel Sordina's quaking voice more resembles Robert Smith, who would have to be considered more of a contemporary than a direct influence. With the angular guitar stabs, the quick and stiff rhythm, and the synthetic countermelody, you might make the blasphemous joke that Factory Records lived up to its name, churning out interchangeable products. I won't, but YOU could. It still sounds vital though, the storming build up to the final notes especially.
Phew, dedication to obscurism restored. I can sleep soundly again.
// From Brussells With Love buy
Posted by Jeff Klingman at May 24, 2007 03:35 PM
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Comments
HUGE thanks for posting this - how fitting to hear the humble beginnings of New Order right as we celebrate their demise (yet again). How are the Martin Hannet tracks? Is Thomas Dolby's Airwaves an early version perhaps? Any more postings from this would be gold.
Posted by: Keith at May 24, 2007 07:36 PM
Ha ha very funny review of "Haystack"..I might get it put up on my website.. I wasn't aware I was 'auditioning', Tony Wilson only told they'd do the session with me the night before.
It was my first ever session in a 'proper' recording studio, and was a huge JD fan and just overawed by it all and didn't play or sing well on the day.
Most of all the loss of Ian was still very raw for the band, so in retrospect I guess it wasn't the best of ideas at the time.
It's something from 27 years ago that keeps coming back, it's a song I'll still play in a set mind - I do it better now than I did then.
For any who are curious about it there's loads more of what I am in 2007 on www.kevinhewick.co.uk
Posted by: Kevin Hewick at May 25, 2007 09:34 AM
One should refrain from "googling" ones' name .....
Posted by: Ian C at October 17, 2007 08:41 AM
As one should refrain from choosing a screen name inspired by a dead rock icon.
Posted by: Jimi H at October 17, 2007 02:24 PM
