AUTHOR: Carlos Flaque Monllonch
10/22/2024

Spanish (scroll down for English):

«Puede que ahora mismo nuestro planeta sea miserable, pero existen otros mundos y otros espacios»

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS

A fin de conmemorar su 45º aniversario (1980-2025), The Legendary Pink Dots está lanzando Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24, una memorable edición limitada solo audible en streaming desde el 3 de octubre de 2024 a través de Bandcamp. Se prevé que las copias limitadas e impresas en disco compacto (CD) y álbum digital, sean enviadas, previa reserva anticipada, a partir del 15 de enero de 2025. Este nuevo trabajo de LPD pertenece a la colección especial, Chemical Playschool, de la cual forman ya parte otros diversos volúmenes anteriores que siguen su propia numeración.

Personalmente debo admitir que, tras escuchar Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24, me siento fascinado por este fantástico álbum, idóneo para ser oído con auriculares y disfrutado en diversos ambientes. Sin duda, es una obra maestra que se automejora con cada escucha y, como no, es uno de los mejores álbumes que han visto la luz este 2024.

El disco se compone de 12 temas. En él intervienen Edward Ka-Spel (voz principal, teclados, dispositivos diversos), Randall Frazier (teclados y dispositivos varios), Erik Drost (guitarra acústica, guitarra eléctrica, bajo), Quentin Rollet (saxofón, percusión) y Tom Hagerman (violín, viola, arreglos de cuerdas, acordeón). La masterización ha corrido a cargo de Ray Steeg y Peter van Vliet. La portada es un trabajo de Simon Paul.

Recordemos que The Legendary Pink Dots es una banda británico-holandesa fundada en 1980, conocida por su combinación única de psicodelia, rock experimental y música electrónica. Alrededor del vocalista Edward Ka-Spel y del tecladista Phil Knight (The Silverman), la banda desarrolla un estilo único, aunque con el paso del tiempo sufrió varios cambios en su formación.

Dentro de la formación, han colaborado artistas como Cevin Key (Skinny Puppy), el cual ha aportado una intrigante mezcla de sonidos que se han ganado el reconocimiento internacional de la vanguardia sonora. A pesar de los desafíos y transformaciones, la banda permanece aun activa, lanzando regularmente nueva música, experiencias y actuaciones en vivo.

Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24, es un discazo con todas las de la ley, sobre todo para todos aquellos seguidores que aman las bandas atípicas, con sonido diferencial y que se atreven a romper bloques convencionales en pos a la creatividad y el desarrollo de nuevos enfoques. La música es, por tanto, ocio, arte, pero también investigación y atrevimiento.

Las composiciones de este Volumes 23 & 24 son una auténtica joya, con arreglos sónicos que se ambientan a base de riffs especiales y sonidos electrónicos que convierten todo el álbum en una joya, esta vez sin el apoyo del teclista Phil Knight, también conocido como The Silverman.

El álbum despega con Gone Ton Pieces, un montón de notas de gran calibre emocional que vaticinan lo que va a ser el resto del disco. Atención a temas como My House, segundo corte del álbum. Se nos muestra como una melodía sumergible y profunda que te deja pasmado.

Acto seguido, sobreviene My Basement/The Cult Of Affordable Dentits Parts 1&2, un brutal éxtasis de giros y contrapuntos al más puro estilo disruptivo y experimental. Y que decir del track Shout ‘FIRE’, que es una gozada vanguardista de corte King Crimson con un depurado desafino y distorsión marcados por ritmos candentes e hipnóticos.

El quinto desarrollo se titula Good Night, una pista donde LPD se desmarca con una impresionante lluvia de emociones que enervan a cualquier cerebro en estado de suprema embriaguez sónica. Desde la suavidad al misterio, desde el ritmo tecnológico a la fusión armónica: todo ello se amalgama en una miscelánea explosiva de múltiples narraciones.

Tras la hecatombe paranoica de la buenas noches llega la armonía vocal y rítmica de Obscure Object/Blind Faith/Boiling Point/Imposter, cuatro conceptos entrelazados e independientes que en su conjunto conforman una sola sintaxis sonora. La ambientación cósmica del vacío es patente. Se comparten diversos pasajes con una completa regresión al abismo y al renacimiento de éteres siderales y lumínicos. Son 16 minutos de profunda locura inmersiva.

Tras ello, alcanzamos Magic Word, esa palabra mágica que se convierte en una peculiar melodía de acentuadas crecidas y descensos. A ello se adhiere una percusión marcadamente retro y perversa. Las voces de Ka-Spel difuminan los cambios rítmicos y arpegiados dentro de un backgroud de ráfagas saxofonistas, de violín y destellos electrónicos.

The Note es la octava pista del álbum; otro destello de maestría vocal y melódica. Múltiples capas se solapan para tejer una telaraña de sonidos de los cuales es imposible salir. Siseos suaves, vientos fríos, aceleraciones siniestras, vuelta al principio como una elíptica sin fin.

Wandering Sprits/The Haunted Piano Room, es el siguiente surco. Agrupa notas suspendidas, flotantes como lágrimas de cristal ácidas caídas del cielo con el fin de alcanzar The Meal, la comida del espíritu errante, ese manjar sónico para saborear delicadamente a base de ritmos y revulsión electrónica. Los detalles de sonidos son una auténtica pasada.

Bajo este final distorsionante, diversas notas colgadas entre golpes de piano y voces acrílicas se alejan en el infinito, para dar la bienvenida a los extraños: Welcome Strangers, esos foráneos que deambulan por el espacio/tiempo indagando posibles respuestas ignoradas. El sonido del mellotrón recuerda los paisajes sinfónicos de King Crimson. Junto a ello, un sostén de sintetizadores krautrock como el zumbido insectívoro de un saxo voraz y unas voces femeninas que se fusionan como un plug-in sonoro. El final es una suave disolución.

Y finalmente llegamos al cierre de la obra. Cae el telón y aparece Destination, un vuelo sideral bajo formato de ingravidez drónica. La fusión de capas y niveles son los protagonistas de esta sinfonía vanguardista que recuerda a Klaus Schulze y a György Ligeti. El órgano eclesiástico plasma su presencia en algunos de los fragmentos confiriendo una tonalidad astral sin límites.

Recapitulando, la maestría de Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24, se resume como un viaje sublime a través de los universos de lo inimaginable, una sinfonía arquitectónica que conduce al oyente por los rincones más insólitos y lóbregos. El alma experimenta la abiogénesis del inconsciente. Pocos discos logran socavar los cimientos anímicos como éste.

LPD es una banda que posee un arte y una imaginación muy especiales, tanto, que los convierte en una agrupación única. Son capaces de llevarte por los lugares más intangibles. Su nivel de composición es asombroso. Manejan la instrumentación con verdadero sutileza y su ingeniería y habilidad bate todos los retos posibles.

Cabe decir, además, y con plena sinceridad, que los temas de LPD nunca tienen final. Siempre están ávidos de nuevos peregrinajes, y de permanecer en constante evolución/revolución. Su música es la sangre que circula por sus venas, las eléctricas sinapsis que interconectan su sistema cerebral creativo, y el metabolismo sonoro que se disuelve en máxima experimentación y suspensión.

Son muchos años escuchando música y siguiendo a bandas de todo tipo, con grandes nombres en mi bagaje personal. En él se han enclavado hitos de máxima referencia histórica, tanto clásicos como diferenciales. Pero dentro de las formaciones más novedosas y extrañamente creativas, LPD reside en el más alto del trono, junto a Van Der Graaf Generator y Peter Hammill, así como otras de los 70 que marcaron un estilazos sin precedentes.

La música es un reflejo de parte de uno mismo y, por tanto, hay que saber valorar y atreverse con nuevas líneas de trabajo y sensaciones. Nunca olvidemos que la evolución es la base del crecimiento.

English:

“Our planet may be miserable right now, but there are other worlds and other spaces”

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS

In order to commemorate their 45th anniversary (1980-2025), The Legendary Pink Dots  are releasing Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24, a memorable limited edition streaming- only album beginning October 3, 2024 via Bandcamp. Limited, printed copies on compact disc (CD) and digital album are scheduled to ship, upon pre-order, beginning January 15, 2025. This new LPD work is part of the special collection, Chemical Playschool ,  which already includes several previous volumes that follow their own numbering.

Personally, I must admit that after listening to Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24 , I am fascinated by this fantastic album, ideal for listening to with headphones and enjoying in various environments. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece that improves itself with each listen and, of course, it is one of the best albums that have seen the light of day in 2024.

The album consists of 12 tracks. It features contributions from Edward Ka-Spel (lead vocals, keyboards, misc. devices), Randall Frazier (keyboards, misc. devices), Erik Drost (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass), Quentin Rollet (saxophone, percussion) and Tom Hagerman (violin, viola, string arrangements, accordion). Mastering was done by Ray Steeg and  Peter van Vliet . The cover artwork was by Simon Paul .

Let us remember that The Legendary Pink Dots is a British-Dutch band founded in 1980, known for its unique combination of psychedelia , experimental rock and electronic music . Around vocalist Edward Ka-Spel and keyboardist Phil Knight (The Silverman) , the band developed a unique style, although over time it underwent several changes in its formation.

Within the line-up, artists such as Cevin Key ( Skinny Puppy ) have collaborated, bringing an intriguing mix of sounds that has earned them international recognition in the avant-garde sound scene. Despite the challenges and transformations, the band remains active, regularly releasing new music, experiences and live performances.

Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24 is a great album, especially for those fans who love atypical bands with a distinctive sound and who dare to break conventional blocks in pursuit of creativity and the development of new approaches. Music is, therefore, leisure, art, but also research and daring.

The compositions on Volumes 23 & 24 are a real gem, with sonic arrangements that are set to a special riff and electronic sounds that turn the entire album into a gem, this time without the support of keyboardist Phil Knight , also known as The Silverman .

The album takes off with Gone Ton Pieces , a bunch of notes of great emotional caliber that predict what the rest of the album will be like. Pay attention to songs like My House , the second cut of the album. It shows itself to be a deep and submersible melody that leaves you stunned.

Next comes My Basement/The Cult Of Affordable Dentits Parts 1&2 , a brutal ecstasy of twists and counterpoints in the purest disruptive and experimental style. And what can we say about the track Shout ‘FIRE’ , which is an avant-garde delight in the style of King Crimson with a refined out-of-tune and distortion marked by hot and hypnotic rhythms.

The fifth development is titled Good Night , a track where LPD stands out with an impressive shower of emotions that unnerve any brain in a state of supreme sonic intoxication. From softness to mystery, from technological rhythm to harmonic fusion: all of this is amalgamated in an explosive miscellany of multiple narratives.

After the paranoid hecatomb of good night comes the vocal and rhythmic harmony of Obscure Object/Blind Faith/Boiling Point/Imposter , four intertwined and independent concepts that together form a single sound syntax. The cosmic atmosphere of the void is evident. Various passages are shared with a complete regression to the abyss and the rebirth of sidereal and luminous ethers. It is 16 minutes of deep immersive madness.

After that, we reach Magic Word , that magic word that becomes a peculiar melody of accentuated rises and falls. Added to this is a markedly retro and perverse percussion. Ka-Spel ‘s voices blur the rhythmic and arpeggiated changes within a background of saxophonist bursts, violin and electronic flashes.

The Note is the eighth track on the album; another flash of vocal and melodic mastery. Multiple layers overlap to weave a web of sounds from which it is impossible to escape. Soft hisses, cold winds, sinister accelerations, returning to the beginning like an endless elliptical.

Wandering Sprits/The Haunted Piano Room is the next groove. It groups suspended notes, floating like acidic crystal tears fallen from the sky in order to reach The Meal , the food of the wandering spirit, that sonic delicacy to be delicately savoured based on rhythms and electronic revulsion. The sound details are truly amazing.

Under this distorted ending, various notes hanging between piano strokes and acrylic voices move away into infinity, to welcome strangers: Welcome Strangers , those foreigners who wander through space/time searching for possible ignored answers. The sound of the mellotron recalls the symphonic landscapes of King Crimson . Along with this, a support of krautrock synthesizers like the insectivorous hum of a voracious sax and female voices that merge like a sound plug-in . The end is a soft dissolution.

And finally we come to the end of the work. The curtain falls and Destination appears , a space flight in a drone-like weightlessness format. The fusion of layers and levels are the protagonists of this avant-garde symphony that recalls Klaus Schulze and György Ligeti . The ecclesiastical organ expresses its presence in some of the fragments, conferring a boundless astral tone.

To recap, the mastery of Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24 can be summed up as a sublime journey through the universes of the unimaginable, an architectural symphony that leads the listener to the most unusual and gloomy corners. The soul experiences the abiogenesis of the unconscious. Few albums manage to undermine the psychic foundations like this one.

LPD is a band that possesses a very special art and imagination, so much so that it makes them a unique group. They are able to take you to the most intangible places. Their level of composition is astonishing. They handle instrumentation with true subtlety and their engineering and skill overcomes all possible challenges.

It must also be said, and with complete sincerity, that LPD ‘s songs never end. They are always eager for new pilgrimages, and to remain in constant evolution/revolution. Their music is the blood that circulates through their veins, the electrical synapses that interconnect their creative brain system, and the sound metabolism that dissolves in maximum experimentation and suspension.

I’ve been listening to music and following bands of all kinds for many years, with big names in my personal background. There are some of the most important historical references, both classic and distinctive. But among the most innovative and strangely creative bands, LPD sits on the highest throne, along with Van Der Graaf Generator and Peter Hammill , as well as others from the 70s that marked an unprecedented style.

Music is a reflection of part of oneself and, therefore, one must know how to value and dare to try new lines of work and sensations. Let us never forget that evolution is the basis of growth.

Source: https://crazyminds.es/discos/the-legendary-pink-dots-lpd-chemical-playschool-volumes-23-24

Alan Rider seeks Permission to Leave the Temple

Outside Left Music
by Alan Rider, East of England Editor
Photo by Margolein van Elteren
March 2023

EDWARD KA-SPEL
Permission To Leave The Temple
(Lumberton Trading Company)
5 heart rating

Edward Ka-Spel is a national treasure.

Having ploughed a very unique musical furrow from the early 80’s with the Legendary Pink Dots – freshly returned from an extensive North American and European tour to promote their excellent ‘The Museum of Human Happiness’ album – there have been numerous and regular musical diversions along the way.

Ka-Spel’s work includes side projects such as The Tear Garden with Kevin Key from Skinny Puppy, collaborations with Amanda Palmer, Motion Kapture and others.

It is perhaps in his solo works and performances too numerous to list (though the Tanith and the Lion Tree album is a good place to start) that Edward Ka-Spel’s vision truly shines the brightest. Unrestricted even by the constraints, if you can call them that, of the Legendary Pink Dots (who these days are tantamount to Ed plus a backing band in any case), it’s only with his solo output, considerable though it is, that you get to appreciate in its purest form the true genius of the man and fume at the scandal of him not being more famous than Elvis.

The spoken, whispered, and sing song nightmares within nursery rhymes that make up the lyrical contents, accompanied by carefully constructed and delicately off the wall electronic compositions defy categorisation or comparison. They are simply Edward Ka-Spel and that’s the only and best descriptor.

In some ways a 10″ is his perfect medium. The length of a poem each side, there is just enough time for the stories to unfold before they evaporate, leaving a tantalising silence in their place. Permission To Leave The Temple is another essential piece of the neverending jigsaw that exists only in his imagination, comprising five short tracks that leave you wanting, no, NEEDING more.

Permission granted. You may leave the Temple but you will be back.

Source: https://outsideleft.com

The Legendary Pink Dots

Γράφει ο Αχιλλέας Χαρίτος

Αν προσπαθήσεις να αναλύσεις το μουσικό παράδοξο που λειτουργεί κάτω από το όνομα The Legendary Pink Dots, είναι μαθηματικά βέβαιο ότι θα φτάσεις σε συμπεράσματα τα οποία θα σου δείξουν ότι αυτή η μουσική παρέα δεν μπορεί παρά να θεωρηθεί ένα από τα πιο επιτυχημένα σκοτεινά πειράματα του dark ηχητικού φάσματος. Και αυτό δεν απορρέει, σώνει και καλά, από το τελευταίο τους live στην Αθήνα και στο Gagarin 205, αλλά από τη συνολική τους εικόνα και τον πολυδιάστατο ηχητικό κόσμο στον οποίο περιπλανώνται σε όλα τους τα albums και τις ζωντανές εμφανίσεις. Και μιλάμε για πολλά albums και ατελείωτες ώρες μουσικής.

The Legendary Pink Dots – photo: John Frangos
Στην εμφάνιση τους στην Αθήνα οι θρυλικοί Dots ήρθαν με συγκεκριμένο πλάνο και αυτό ήταν η παρουσίαση της τελευταίας τους δουλειάς, το “The Museum Of Human Happiness”. To album που η μπάντα απο την Αγγλία και την Ολλανδία, ξεκίνησε να γράφει και να παρουσιάζει ζωντανά λίγο πριν ολόκληρη η υφήλιος “φάει” τη σφαλιάρα της πανδημίας και της απομόνωσης. Και όλο το album τελείωσε μέσα σε αυτή τη δυστοπία και γράφτηκε για τη μουσειακή αξία της ανθρώπινης χαράς. Το setlist του Σαββάτου, λοιπόν, είχε μεγάλο κομμάτι από το “The Museum Of Happiness” με όλους τους πειραματισμούς που κουβαλάει το “Μουσείο”. Πηγαίνοντας από τις industrial γραμμές του “Hands Face Space” στα avant-garde τοπία του “Cloudsurfer” και του “Postcards From Home” και στην εμμονική ψυχεδέλεια του “This Is The Museum” και του “Cruel Britania”. Πολύ καλή στιγμή το industrialized “Nightingale”, ίσως από τα highlights του show αλά και του album.

The Legendary Pink Dots – photo: John Frangos
Οι TLPD όμως έριξαν και μικρές ματιές στο παρελθόν της μπάντας. Αυτές ήταν μετρημένες και οι επιλογές δεν έρχονται από το πολύ μακρινό παρελθόν αλλά κυρίως από το πρόσφατο, όπως μεσα από το προηγούμενο album τους, “Angel In The Detail” του 2019 με το catchy, psychedelic pop του “Jankyard” που σου αφήνει και μια “γεύση” από Massive Attack, ή το παιχνιδιάρικα, πειραματικό, “Happy Birthday Mr. President”. Η ψυχεδέλεια είχε το peak της στο Floydish “Rainbows Too?”.

The Legendary Pink Dots – photo: John Frangos
Μια από τις καλύτερες στιγμές του show ήταν, επίσης, μια από αυτές τις αναφορές στο παρελθόν με το “Isis Veiled” να γεμίζει το Gagarin 205 στο encore. Το “Isis Veiled” έρχεται από το μακρινό 1992 και το album “The Last Man To Fly”, από την φοβερή συνεργασία του Edward Ka-Spell και του cEvin Key των τεράστιων Skinny Puppy, στο δικό τους ψυχεδελικό, πειραματικό project, The Tear Garden.

Οι The Legendary Pink Dots, ίσως, είναι ένα δύσκολο live να απολαύσεις, αφού χρειάζεται μια σχετική οικειότητα με τον άκρως πειραματικό ήχο τους και τον ολόδικό τους τρόπο να αποδίδουν τις σκοτεινές και industrial συνθέσεις τους. Η εμπειρία που κουβαλούν από όλα αυτά τα χρόνια κάνει τα show τους μουσικές εμπειρίες για εξοικειωμένα αυτιά, κυρίως σε ότι έχει να κάνει με το ψυχεδελικό avant-rock. Παρόλα αυτά μπορεί πολύ εύκολα να χάσεις αυτή την εμπειρία αν δεν βρεθείς εκεί με τη κατάλληλη διάθεση. Αν με ρωτάς, θα ήθελα ένα, δύο τραγούδια παραπάνω, από το πλούσιο παρελθόν τους.

Διαβάστε τα υπόλοιπα εδώ.

***

English (Google translated)
Written by Achilleas Charitos

If you try to analyze the musical paradox that operates under the name The Legendary Pink Dots, it is mathematically certain that you will reach conclusions that will show you that this musical group cannot but be considered one of the most successful dark experiments sound spectrum. And this does not derive, and saves well, from their last live in Athens and at Gagarin 205, but from their overall image and the multidimensional sound world in which they wander in all their albums and live performances. And we are talking about many albums and endless hours of music.

In their appearance in Athens, the legendary Dots came with a specific plan and that was the presentation of their latest work, “The Museum Of Human Happiness”. The album that the band from England and Holland started writing and performing live shortly before the whole world “eats” the cuff of the pandemic and isolation. And the whole album ended in this dystopia and was written about the museum value of human joy. Saturday’s setlist, therefore, had a large piece from “The Museum Of Happiness” with all the experimentation that the “Museum” carries. Going from the industrial lines of “Hands Face Space” to the avant-garde landscapes of “Cloudsurfer” and “Postcards From Home” and the obsessive psychedelia of “This Is The Museum” and “Cruel Britania”. The industrialized “Nightingale” is a very good moment, perhaps one of the highlights of the show but also of the album.

But TLPD also took small glimpses into the band’s past. These were measured and the selections do not come from the very distant past but mainly from the recent, such as from their previous album, “Angel In The Detail” of 2019 with the catchy, psychedelic pop of “Junkyard” that leaves you with a “taste” from Massive Attack, or the playful, experimental, “Happy Birthday Mr. President”. Psychedelia peaked in the Floydish “Rainbows Too?”.

One of the best moments of the show was also one of those references to the past with “Isis Veiled” filling the Gagarin 205 in the encore. “Isis Veiled” comes from way back in 1992 and the album “The Last Man To Fly”, from the awesome collaboration of Edward Ka-Spell and cEvin Key of the huge Skinny Puppy, in their own psychedelic, experimental project, The Tear Garden .

The Legendary Pink Dots, perhaps, is a difficult live act to enjoy, since it requires a relative familiarity with their highly experimental sound and their all-encompassing way of rendering their dark and industrial compositions. The experience they carry from all these years makes their shows musical experiences for familiar ears, especially in what has to do with psychedelic avant-rock. However, you can very easily miss this experience if you are not there in the right mood. If you ask me, I’d like one or two more songs from their rich past.

Source: Soundcheck Network https://soundcheck.network/posts/and-also-the-trees-the-legendary-pink-dots/
7 February 2023
Γράφει ο Αχιλλέας Χαρίτος / Written by Achilleas Charitos

Είδαμε Legendary Pink Dots και And Also The Trees στο Gagarin

Δύο συντάκτριες του Avopolis με «νεοκυμματικές ανησυχίες» βρέθηκαν το περασμένο Σάββατο στο συναυλιακό στέκι της Λιοσίων και μοιράζονται τις (θετικότατες) εντυπώσεις τους.

Γράφουν οι Άννα Γεωργάτου και Ναταλία Πετρίτη

(English translation below)

Legendary Pink Dots: φιλοσοφία, χιούμορ, beats & παγανισμός

Σάββατο που θα μπορούσες να ήσουν Ελευσίνα, αλλά βρέθηκες στη Λιοσίων, γιατί πραγματικά αυτό ήταν το double bill της χρονιάς και δεν ήθελες να βρίσκεσαι πουθενά αλλού, παρά μόνο στο Gagarin. Εν αναμονή της κακοκαιρίας “Barbara” o Edward Ka-Spel ανέβηκε στη σκηνή 21:05 και ήδη από το πρώτο λεπτό ήταν ο Ka-Spel που ήξερες και θυμόσουν και ήθελες ξανά.

Κιθάρα και πλήκτρα σε πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο κι ένας Edward θεατρικός, ευγενικός, πίσω από τα συνήθη σκούρα γυαλιά του, ηγετική μορφή των Legendary Pink Dots από το 1980, ο τύπος που ποτέ δεν θα βαρεθούμε και 13 χρόνια μετά την τελευταία εμφάνισή του στην Ελλάδα και στα 69 του με άνεση στήνει ένα ενδιαφέρον setlist με τον ίδιο, όπως συνήθως, σε φωνή, στίχους και keybords, τον  Randall Frazier σε synths και σε keys να αναλαμβάνει το 80% της μουσικής, τον Eric Drost στην κιθάρα και τον Joep Hendrikx στον ήχο.

Η cult μπάντα που αρχικά ονομαζόταν “One Day…” , αλλά τελικά άλλαξε το όνομά της με αφορμή τους ροζ λεκιέδες σε συγκεκριμένα πλήκτρα του πιάνου που χρησιμοποιούσαν στο στούντιο που ηχογραφούσαν, σχηματίστηκε το 1980 στην Αγγλία και μετακόμισε στην Ολλανδία λίγα χρόνια αργότερα όπου και παρέμεινε και κυκλοφόρησε πάνω από 40 άλμπουμ.

Δεν θυμάμαι αν τους βλέπω δεύτερη ή τρίτη φορά, αλλά η αίσθηση παραμένει η ίδια. Είναι σαν να είναι μια ομάδα παγανιστών ιερέων  που γνωρίζουν τα σωστά ξόρκια, έχουν και το κατάλληλο ηλεκτρονικό εξοπλισμό και συνθέτουν ένα μαγικό διαστημικό ήχο. Σου δίνουν την αίσθηση ότι παρακολουθείς μια μυστικιστική τελετή -κι όχι μια απλή συναυλία- γεμάτη συμβολισμούς, φιλοσοφία και σκοτεινό χιούμορ ανακατεμένα με ηλεκτρονικά beats. O Ka-Spel με τη συνήθη ριχτή φαρδιά ρόμπα-ζακέτα του και το μακρύ φουλάρι σε υπνωτίζει σαν σαμανιστής σε κάποια τελετή, αλάνθαστος στην έκφραση και την ένταση.

Δεν ξέρω πόση σημασία έχει να αναφερθούμε στο setlist της βραδιάς, αφού ακόμα κι αν είσαι φανατικός της μπάντας, στις συναυλίες τους μπορεί να ορκίζεσαι ότι ακούς κάτι για πρώτη φορά, αλλά να είναι κάτι παλιό και να σου έχει διαφύγει μέσα στα 40+ άλμπουμ. Ξεκάθαρη πρόθεση αυτή τη φορά, βέβαια, ήταν η παρουσίαση του τελευταίου τους άλμπουμ Museum Of Human Happiness, με σύντομες αναδρομές στο παρελθόν.

H συναυλία ξεκίνησε με industrial και avant-garde διάθεση και τα “Hands Face Space”, “Cloudsurfer” και “Postcards From Home” αντίστοιχα, το ξεχωριστό “This is The Museum” κατά τη διάρκεια του οποίου o Ka-Spel είχε μια ατυχή πτώση, αλλά σηκώθηκε χαμογελαστός με αυτοσαρκαστική διάθεση κι απλώς ψιθύρισε “Feeling a little stupid, that’s all” -και τα τέσσερα από το τελευταίο τους άλμπουμ Museum Of Human Happiness-, ακολούθησε το “Junkyard” από Angel In The Detail του 2019, το “Cruel Brittania”, το “Nightingale” που μας σημάδεψε και το “The Mouse that Ate The Shopping Mall” με τους ψυχεδελικούς στίχους, το cool spoken word “Rainbows Too?” από το  Plutonium Blonde του 2008 με την ανάσα του Ka-Spell την εντυπωσιακή, το “Isis Veiled” του 1992 στο encore, μια από τις καλύτερες στιγμές της βραδιάς, για να μας θυμίσει την αξέχαστη συνεργασία του Edward Ka-Spell και του cEvin Key των Skinny Puppy, στο ψυχεδελικό project The Tear Garden. Στο encore και το υπεραγαπημένο μου “Happy Birthday Mr President” από το Angel In The Detail του 2019 και το “The Grain Kings” από  το 1991 για το κλείσιμο.

Η μουσική των Legendary Pink Dots είναι ένα μείγμα από ηλεκτρονική μουσική, psychedelic folk, experimental/avant-garde, post-punk, ambient, synthpop, jazz, noise, goth-rock, κλασική και ελάχιστη σημασία έχει στο τέλος της ημέρας να την ορίσουμε.

Cult και art-rock και  rock and roll μαζί για εμένα προσωπικά και αφού υπάρχει φιλοσοφία και παγανισμός, όλα καλά. «Μουσείο της ανθρώπινης χαράς» και το σωστό ξεκίνημα για να ακολουθήσουν στη σκηνή οι And Also The Trees που πρέπει να δεις live για να καταλάβεις, και για τους οποίους θα σας τα πει αναλυτικά η Ναταλία Πετρίτη, εγώ μόνο να πω “Πόσο θεός αυτός ο ντράμερ!!!»

Ένα double bill πράγματι «βγαλμένο από τις πιο τρελές φαντασιώσεις των απανταχού μουσικόφιλων με νεοκυμματικές ανησυχίες» και, Death Disco, χρόνια πολλά και σε ευχαριστούμε!!

Άννα Γεωργάτου

And Also The Trees

Περιέργως διχασμένο μου φάνηκε το κοινό που συνέρρευσε το βράδυ του Σαββάτου στο πάντα φιλόξενο Gagarin 205: από τη μια εκείνοι κι εκείνες που βρέθηκαν στο venue για να ακούσουν τους ατμοσφαιρικούς βρετανο-ολλανδούς Legendary Pink Dots, στην πρώτη τους περιοδεία δίχως τον Philip Knight που συμμετείχε σε παραπάνω από 40 δίσκους της μέχρι τώρα πορεία τους, και από την άλλη οι die hard fans των θρυλικών And Also The Trees, έτοιμοι να γιορτάσουν παρέα με το συγκρότημα τις τέσσερις δεκαετίες μουσικής δημιουργίας που οι ίδιοι έχουν πια συμπληρώσει, με προσμονή για ακόμη ένα καταιγιστικό live επί αθηναϊκού εδάφους. Και αυτός ο αχρείαστος διχασμός που παρατηρήθηκε μετά από συζητήσεις στις οποίες συμμετείχα σε διάφορα πηγαδάκια γνωστών στη Λιοσίων, φάνηκε εν τέλει να καταρρέει μπροστά σε ένα double bill που θα θυμόμαστε για καιρό και που διοργανώθηκε στο πλαίσιο του εορτασμού μιας γεμάτης δεκαετίας της Death Disco.

Για τους Legendary Pink Dots τα λέει πολύ καλά η Άννα Γεωργάτου πιο πάνω, που μας είχε ανακοινώσει την προσμονή της για τη συναυλία καιρό τώρα, οπότε σειρά μου να μεταφέρω το κλίμα της εμφάνισης των headliners της βραδιάς, που μόνο για το τυπικό της υπόθεσης προσφωνούνται ως τέτοιοι, μιας που μιλάμε για πραγματικά ισότιμες και ιδιαίτερα αγαπητές μπάντες.

Ναταλία Πετρίτη

Διαβάστε τα υπόλοιπα εδώ..

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English (Google translated)

Two editors of Avopolis with “new wave concerns” were last Saturday at the concert venue of Liosion and share their (very positive) impressions.

Written by Anna Georgatou and Natalia Petritis

Legendary Pink Dots: philosophy, humor, beats & paganism

Saturday when you could have been in Elefsina, but you ended up in Liosion, because this was really the double bill of the year and you didn’t want to be anywhere else, except at Gagarin. Waiting for the bad weather “Barbara” Edward Ka-Spel took the stage 21:05 and already from the first minute it was the Ka-Spel you knew and remembered and wanted again.
Guitar and keyboards in a leading role and a theatrical, kind Edward, behind his usual dark glasses, leader of the Legendary Pink Dots since 1980 , the guy we will never get bored of even 13 years after his last appearance in Greece and in 69 comfortably sets up an interesting setlist with him, as usual, on voice, lyrics and keyboards,  Randall Frazier on synths and keys taking on 80% of the music, Eric Drost on guitar and Joep Hendrikx on sound.

The cult band originally called ” One Day… “, but eventually changed its name due to the pink stains on certain piano keys used in the recording studio, formed in 1980 in England and moved to the Netherlands a few years later where it has remained and released over 40 albums.

I don’t remember if I see them a second or third time, but the feeling remains the same. It’s like they’re a group of pagan priests who know the right spells, have the right electronics, and make a magical space sound . They give you the feeling of attending a mystical ceremony – and not a simple concert – full of symbolism, philosophy and dark humor mixed with electronic beats. Ka-Spel in his usual flowing loose robe-jacket and long scarf hypnotizes you like a shaman in some ceremony, unmistakable in expression and intensity.

I don’t know how important it is to refer to the setlist of the night, since even if you are a fan of the band, at their concerts you can swear that you are hearing something for the first time, but it is something old and has escaped you in 40+ albums. The clear intention this time, of course, was the presentation of their latest album Museum Of Human Happiness , with brief flashbacks to the past.

The concert started with an industrial and avant-garde mood and “Hands Face Space” , “Cloudsurfer” and “Postcards From Home” respectively, the special “This is The Museum” during which Ka-Spel had an unfortunate fall , but got up with a self-deprecating smile and simply whispered ” Feeling a little stupid, that’s all ” – all four from their latest album Museum Of Human Happiness – followed by “Junkyard” from  2019’s Angel In The Detail , “Cruel Brittania’ , the ‘Nightingale’which also marked us“The Mouse that Ate The Shopping Mall” with psychedelic lyrics, the cool spoken word “Rainbows Too?” from 2008’s  Plutonium Blonde  to Ka-Spell’s breath-taking, 1992 encore “Isis Veiled ,” one of the evening’s highlights, to remind us of the unforgettable collaboration between Edward Ka-Spell and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy, in the psychedelic project The Tear Garden . In the encore and my all time favorite “Happy Birthday Mr President” from 2019’s Angel In The Detail  and “The Grain Kings” from 1991 to close.

The music of the Legendary Pink Dots is a mixture of electronic music, psychedelic folk, experimental/avant-garde, post-punk, ambient, synthpop, jazz, noise, goth-rock, classical and it matters little at the end of the day to define it .

Cult and art-rock and rock and roll together for me personally and since there is philosophy and paganism, everything is good. “Museum of human joy” and the right start to be followed on stage by And Also The Trees which you have to see live to understand, and about which Natalia Petritis will tell you in detail, I can only say ” How god this the drummer!!! »

A double bill indeed ” from the wildest imaginations of music lovers everywhere with new wave concerns ” and, Death Disco, happy birthday and thank you!!

Anna Georgatou

And Also The Trees

The audience that flocked to the always welcoming Gagarin 205 on Saturday night seemed strangely divided to me: on the one hand those who came to the venue to hear the atmospheric British-Dutch  Legendary Pink Dots, on their first tour without Philip Knight on more than 40 records of their career so far, and on the other hand the die hard fans of the legendary  And Also The Trees, ready to celebrate with the band the four decades of musical creation that they have already completed, with anticipation for another stormy live on Athenian soil. And this unnecessary division observed after discussions in which I participated in various wells of acquaintances in Liosion, finally seemed to collapse in front of a double bill that will be remembered for a long time and which was organized in the context of the celebration of a full decade of Death Disco.

About the Legendary Pink Dots, Anna Georgatou says it very well above, who had announced to us her anticipation for the concert some time ago, so it’s my turn to convey the atmosphere of the appearance of the headliners of the evening, who only for the formality of the case are addressed as such, since we are talking about truly equal and highly beloved bands.

Natalia Petritis

Read the rest here.

Source: Avopolis– Anna Georgatou and Natalia Petritis
Appx 9 February 2023

The Legendary Pink Dots – Halloween Special 2022

by Carlos Flaqué Monllonch 10/31/2022

Con casi 50 discos en estudio a sus espaldas, 26 en directo y 39 compilaciones, sin contar los trabajos como solistas (The Tear Garden, Edward Kas-pel…) y las colaboraciones con Nurse With Wound, The Dresden Dolls, Jarboe, Jim O’Rourke, cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy), etc., conforman un lujo sónico de dimensiones arquitectónicas que encumbran a The Legendary Pink Dots al máximo imperio de los entes capaces de colgarte la mente en cualquier parte y circunstancia.

Formados en agosto de 1980 en Londres, pero residentes en Ámsterdam, Países Bajos, The Legendary Pink Dots, es, sin lugar a dudas, un habitual sonido entre mis selecciones intocables e inagotables. Cada disco suyo me deja boquiabierto, me ensueña, me hace descender a los sótanos del alma, produciendo una catarsis completa, bien porque su extensa discografía supera todas las líneas que agitan la cabeza y las emociones, bien porque abren un canal sensorial hacia la imaginación más compleja.

Es por ello que para este Halloween 2022, no podía faltar The Legendary Pink Dots y la necesidad obligada de plasmar su concepto de pavor y escalofrío en esa larga noche de las calabazas andantes, donde los muertos vivientes, los sonidos de ultratumba y los fantasmas deambulantes, se juntan para sobornar a los vivos bajo el arcano truco o trato.

Hallowe’en Special 2022 es la nueva odisea de la banda para tan siniestro y divertido evento, segun como se mire, un EP con una pista única de 16 minutos y 50 segundos, que bajo el nombre de The Butterfly Spirit / 10 Days Of Mourning (El espíritu de la mariposa / 10 días de luto), que a través de un enervante desarrollo, narra una historia espeluznante, donde la voz de Edward Ka-Spel se fusiona con el espectro sónico de la banda, dando como resultado una masa que aplasta y succiona hasta los confines de la oscuridad.

Gracias a estos elementos cercanos a la música industrial, space rock, ambient, dark, electrònic, supernatural, concret, apocalíptic, synth pop, post-punk, progressive, jazz noire y noise, se configura un conglomerado equilibradamente experimental y avant-garde, que se fusiona entre si bajo el título genérico de Hallowe’en Special 2022.

Sin duda, estamos ante una mezcla pluri orgánica y sonámbula, a veces perturbadora, y otras onírica o barroca, que generar verdaderos quebraderos de cabeza, sobre todo cuando la crítica insiste en ubicar estilísticamente a la banda. Y es que todos los trabajos de la misma son inclasificables, como ocurre cuando se habla de genios.

Recordemos que la banda gira alrededor de Edward Ka-Spel, una increíble figura creativa que media entre el embrujo y lo visionario. A su lado varios músicos lo han acompañado a lo largo de los años, bien por períodos cortos o por espacios más largos, pero el núcleo siempre ha sido el mismo: la voz y composición de Edward Ka-Spel y el cerebro musical Phil Knight, más conocido como The Silverman, el hombre plateado.

Espero que disfrutéis este Hallowe’en 2022 a través de la mística, arcana y absorbente pesadilla sónica que emana del espiritu de la mariposa que sigue aun revoloteando macabramente tras sus 10 días de luto. Happy Halloween!

English:
With almost 50 studio albums behind him, 26 live and 39 compilations, not counting solo works ( The Tear Garden , Edward Kas-pel …) and collaborations with Nurse With Wound , The Dresden Dolls , Jarboe , Jim O ‘Rourke , cEvin Key ( Skinny Puppy ), etc., make up a sonic luxury of architectural dimensions that elevates The Legendary Pink Dots to the maximum empire of entities capable of hanging your mind anywhere and under any circumstance.

Formed in August 1980 in London, but residing in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, The Legendary Pink Dots, is, without a doubt, a regular sound among my untouchable and inexhaustible selections. Each of his albums leaves me speechless, dreams me, makes me descend to the basements of the soul, producing a complete catharsis, either because his extensive discography overcomes all the lines that shake the head and emotions, or because they open a sensory channel towards the imagination. more complex.

That is why for this Halloween 2022, The Legendary Pink Dots could not be missing and the obligatory need to capture its concept of fear and chills in that long night of walking pumpkins, where the undead, the sounds from beyond the grave and the wandering ghosts , come together to bribe the living under the arcane trick or treat.

Hallowe’en Special 2022 is the band’s new odyssey for such a sinister and fun event, depending on how you look at it, an EP with a single track of 16 minutes and 50 seconds, which under the name of The Butterfly Spirit / 10 Days Of Mourning ( The spirit of the butterfly / 10 days of mourning ), which through an unnerving development, tells a hair-raising story, where the voice of Edward Ka-Spel merges with the sonic spectrum of the band, resulting in a mass that crushes and sucks to the ends of darkness.

Thanks to these elements close to industrial music, space rock, ambient, dark, electronic, supernatural, concrete, apocalyptic, synth pop, post-punk, progressive, jazz noire and noise, a balanced experimental and avant-garde conglomerate is configured , which merges with each other under the generic title of Hallowe’en Special 2022 .

Undoubtedly, we are facing a pluri-organic and sleepwalking mix, sometimes disturbing, and other dreamlike or baroque, which generates real headaches, especially when the critics insist on placing the band stylistically. And it is that all the works of the same are unclassifiable, as it happens when one speaks of geniuses.

Let’s remember that the band revolves around Edward Ka-Spel , an incredible creative figure who mediates between the bewitching and the visionary. At his side, several musicians have accompanied him over the years, either for short periods or for longer periods, but the core has always been the same: the voice and composition of Edward Ka-Spel and the musical brain Phil Knight , better known as The Silverman , the silver man.

I hope you enjoy this Hallowe’en 2022 through the mystical, arcane and absorbing sonic nightmare that emanates from the spirit of the butterfly that is still fluttering macabre after its 10 days of mourning. Happy Halloween!

Source: https://crazyminds.es/discos/the-legendary-pink-dots-halloween-special-2022/

by Stephen Kennedy / April 7, 2022

Album Review

There are bands out there, lurking in the shadows, or even waddling about in the bright sunshine, that you’ve never heard of.  And often, this is for a very good reason. And there are other bands, also hiding in semi-obscurity, that seem inexplicably to inhabit these spaces, that when you hear them, the mantra is always the same – “how are they not huge”. LEGENDARY PINK DOTS are one such collective, having come together in 1768, invented time travel and PINK FLOYD, released tons of stuff, toured the globe and a few outlying planets, while still remaining one of the best kept secrets in the creative arts. And here they are, post-plague, still quietly doing what they do, still relevant, still awesome, and still hiding in semi-obscurity.

From the off, you are thrown into a dizzying whirl of psychedelia, skittery percussion, and a darkly sinister mix of PORCUPINE TREE and GONG. ‘This Is The Museum’ is a song for now, part dream, part nightmare, a claustrophobic embrace that’s at once loose and then tight. ‘There Be Monsters’ has a more English pastoral feel to it, if you discount the lyrics which catapult this into less of a rolling hillside and more of a dark, woodland path. Silence, spaces, a calm and observant elegance soaks through much of the work here, and it makes for a whole that is both beautiful and deeply disturbing. It’s politically spot-on too, ‘Cruel Brittania’ dictates the follies of our time with an aged wisdom and wit, pointing decidedly at the foolishness of the political elite, and ‘Hands Face Space’ is as sharply paranoid and bonkers as the whole of the last 18 months combined.

‘Postcards From Home’ is so gentle it barely exists, spidery and trippy, and ‘Tripping On My Nightmares’ continues the meander through a sleepy landscape, suggesting life itself is the only drug required to observe the absurdity of human existence. And this wobbles off into infinity on final track ‘Nirvana For Zeroes’, which feels like being trapped in a snow-globe that someone won’t stop shaking, a surreal, disjointed tumble through a muddled microcosm.

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS have not so much released an album here, as a complete experience, a set of sinister, shimmering vignettes, reflecting, distracting, recording and distorting the last two years and the bizarre nature of our existence within this, and our relationships with one another throughout it. ‘The Museum Of Human Happiness’ is a document of our resilience, stupidity, and fear, and it seems to sit on some higher shelf, looking down without judging, just recording and shaking its sad and wise old head, seeing what we need to see, hoping we can get there.

Source: https://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com