THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS – THE MUSEUM OF HUMAN HAPPINESS

Carlos Flaqué Monllonch- 08/26/2022

English:

Probably, there are bands that people have never heard of or that seem to inexplicably inhabit that semi-darkness that is so difficult to penetrate. They occupy those spaces where there is a dissimilar light, where shadows speak for themselves, and fears surface that can drive any human soul crazy. They are musical formations that seek to distance themselves from commerciality, from that sound that overwhelms us, that always sounds with the same patronage and that the masses consume immediately, but the next day it is relegated to oblivion. They are bands that do not transmit messages or thoughts. Transgression and genius are absent.

Trying to present The Legendary Pink Dots (LPD, from now on) is not an easy task since it is one of those formations that wanders beyond the normal, the mundane. As a result, every time I sit down to write about their work, it’s like trying to navigate a Sargasso Sea and trying to stick my head out in search of a few bubbles of oxygen. Sitting down to listen to LPD is like falling into the tangles of an extensive meander of deep Borgesian curvatures. It is simply trying to understand a puzzle of impossible coordinates, where mathematics and quantum physics try to make sense of a tremendous unintelligible human chaos.

The very name of the band produces confusion or chills, especially for those who could be classified as neophytes in their sound, but also for veterans who have been listening to their works for some time, either as a band in progress ( LPD ), or in their works. solo ( Edward Ka-Spel) and in parallel ( The Tear Garden) , respectively.

Talking about The Museum Of Human Happiness, the band’s first new work in almost three years, is like trying to condense the Cosmos inside a tiny box, that is, an impossibility that would lead us to develop an intangible space within an eternity. absolute. But aside from this metaphorical clarification, I would dare to say that this is one of the best LPD albums . Its concept, structure, composition and details are immense.

Hence, the majority of more specialized critics praise it as one of the most golden works of the band. For example, Narc from the UK: “Infused with emotional prowess, this album draws on the Dots’ strongest assets to create a release that is driven, focused and soulful . “ Or Sonic Seducer from Germany: “Happiness is still a matter of opinion, but The Museum Of Human Happiness is indisputably among the best Legendary Pink Dots albums” .

It should be said that The Legendary Pink Dots is an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980, and that operates outside the currents of the market since their music is incompatible with the brain mass of the mainstream . However, the band has managed to build and maintain a fierce and loyal cult following around the world, maintaining a long career of over forty studio albums, as well as a host of additional recordings. They have a long line of followers completely devoted to their creations. It is music to imagine, feel and think and, above all, to get carried away by its multiple hyperdimensional nuances.

Edward Ka-Spel (founder, vocals, keyboards), Phil Knight , also known as The Silverman (co-founder, keyboards, electronics), and guitarist Erik Drost , are responsible for this wonderful The Museum Of Human Happiness, a work that reaches nirvana at all levels. We are facing a work of creative luxury, of chilling sensitivity, that arises from a world shattered and sealed by the problems and poisons that suffocate its existence. It is an album, therefore, that emerges with its own identity, with a caustically ingenious and cryptically evocative style, which outlines a deviation from that dark psychedelic path that the band had taken on previous albums. This new state of mind, poetic and refined sound, unfolds like a precise high-end clockwork mechanism.

From the beginning, the album, released by Metropolis Records, plunges you into a dizzying whirlwind of daydreams, fast-paced percussion and a sinister mix of dreams, nightmares, claustrophobia and inexplicable dimensions. Basically, it is a work that reflects the tortuous human nature on what it produces or generates as a consequence: disorder and silence covered with an artificial beauty that forges disturbing and false happiness. And more so considering that due to the pandemic the composition and recording of this album took place in cyberspace during 2020 and 2021.

Edward Ka-Spel himself in the interview that Klemen Breznikar did for It’s Psychedelic Baby! Magazine, reminds us that “The pandemic reared its ugly head as we traversed Europe and then the world stopped. It was the last time The Legendary Pink Dots were in the same room together. From that moment, The Museum of Human Happiness had a lot to do with those circumstances (…) In the darkest moments we feel a bit like the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, spreading discomfort when life stops».

Without a doubt, The Museum Of Human Happiness is not a simple album of strange songs or for elitist minorities. Rather it is a complete experience, a set of sinister and brilliant fragments that reflect and distort the reality we live in, as well as the strange nature of our existence and our relationships throughout it.

This is also how Stephen Kennedy of the music portal Reflections of Darkness understands it when he writes that « The Museum of Human Happiness is a document of our resilience, stupidity and fear, and it seems to be on a higher shelf, looking down without judgment, just checking in and shaking his head sad and wise, seeing what we need, hoping we can get there.”

The lyrics on the album are heartbreaking. They describe narratives of solitary confinement and pessimism as suffering infiltrates through long, winding openings. It is a mind-blowing journey through existential and social metabolism. In this regard Ka-Spel says: “The lyrics are absolutely moving, desperate, sometimes with a flash of black humor, but ultimately they are a burning purgative fire .”

The album debuts the tracklist with This Is The Museum , a song that rhythmically takes us into that chilling museum where human happiness queues to be valued in the face of true happiness: «Here, in the sacred space, I promise you will cry (…) Along with those smiling faces (…) under the painted sky. This is the museum.” The album cover is decisive.

The second theme is There Be Monsters , which by its title flagellates the membranes, either because of its sound details, because of its undulating melody or because of its withering lyrics: «I see monsters, they come closer, but they don’t make a sound. They clean the head (…) until it bursts ». A clear message to politicians who destroy critical thinking in order to maintain the link between power and submission.

Cloudsurfer is insane, pure immersion into the depths of the downcast being surfing through the clouds trying to avoid the dark reality that lies beneath his feet. It’s six minutes of real nightmare. Drost’s guitar strumming is tremendous, hard and cutting like a knife, between piano hits and obsessively pernicious rhythms. A psychological slap in the face. For her part, Cruel Brittania dictates the follies of our time with aged wisdom and wit, taking aim resolutely at the stupidity of the political elite. Ka-Spel unravels in it that dangerous rise of far-right populism.

Nightingale is one of my favorite songs, a luxury of voices, sonorities and rhythms that dream and overwhelm like the tireless song of the nightingale bird that endlessly modulates all night long in search of perfect harmony. It is a masterpiece and very subtle, with registers and layers, a nightmare that engulfs you and leads you towards the last blinding light.

Hands Face Space is sharply paranoid, a melody composed under different rhythmic and dissonant layers, with ascents and descents, fusing sonic breaks, histrionic laughter and flashes of warning in the background. A complete delusion.

Coronation Street , has an electronic scale jolt that overrides your calm and plunges you into its thorny whirlwind. The percussion is vital and there is a certain King Crimson touch .

Postcards From Home is another of my favorite themes, a wonderful theme. Right from the start, it catches you in its tentacles. It manifests so softly that it hardly seems to exist. Everything slides slowly like an arachnid through its web. It exudes a biomechanical environment, under the trippy and wah-wah guitar effects . In short, a psycho-melodic journey that dissolves the neurons under immense oceans of imagination. The solo voice takes on immeasurable whispers.

The Girl Who Got There First and A Stretch Beyond constitute a sonic polarization since the contrast between the two is far from compositional. While the first track coils up the throat like poison ivy, it’s a clearly agonizing and desperate development with marked rises and falls. The second piece, however, is shown in a lower tone, almost slipping between calm and mystery.

Tripping On My Nightmares continues to meander through a sleepy landscape, suggesting that life itself is the only drug needed to look at the absurdity of human existence. The voice unleashes unusual registers, even bordering on the most experimental Bowie and a very twelve-tone Ka-Spel . The atmosphere takes unimaginable heights and tortuous digestion. Nirvana For Zeroes , with an oriental start and an air of psychedelic bands from the 70s like Gong or Amon Düüll , feels like a snow globe that someone keeps shaking, a surreal and disjointed fall through a confusing microcosm, of maybe the title there.

To finish, there is nothing better than quoting Ka-Spel ‘s shrewd thought where he conclusively summarizes the essence of the album: “Happiness in today’s society is only possible when people start talking about peace instead of war, when we have learned to not vote for the monsters, when we have broken down the borders and learned to share and appreciate life. This is possible, but we have to work hard on it.” And while this does not occur we have to swallow. Meanwhile we are left with the dreams of The Legendary Pink Dots and their wonderful works of art.

Source: https://crazyminds.es

Español:

Probablemente, existen bandas de las cuales la gente nunca ha oído hablar o que parecen habitar inexplicablemente esa semioscuridad tan difícil de penetrar. Ocupan aquellos espacios donde existe una luz desemejante, donde las sombras hablan por sí mismas, y los miedos afloran pudiendo enloquecer a cualquier alma humana. Son formaciones musicales que buscan distanciarse de la comercialidad, de ese sonido que nos abruma, que suena siempre con el mismo patronaje y que la masa consume de inmediato, pero al día siguiente queda relegado al olvido. Son bandas que no transmiten mensaje ni pensamientos. La transgresión y la genialidad están ausentes.

Tratar de presentar a The Legendary Pink Dots (LPD, de aquí en adelante) no es tarea fácil ya que es una de esas formaciones que deambula más allá de la normalidad, de lo mundano. En consecuencia, cada vez que me siento a redactar sobre sus trabajos, es como tratar de navegar en un mar de Sargazos y tratar de sacar la cabeza a flote en busca de unas burbujas de oxígeno. Sentarse a escuchar LPD es como caer en las marañas de un extenso meandro de profundas curvaturas borgianas. Sencillamente es tratar de comprender un puzle de coordenadas imposibles, donde la matemática y la física cuántica tratan de dar sentido a un tremendo caos humano ininteligible.

Ya el mismo nombre de la banda produce desconcierto o escalofríos, especialmente para aquellos que podríamos calificar como neófitos en su sonido, pero también para los veteranos que llevamos tiempo escuchando sus obras, bien como banda en curso (LPD), o bien en sus trabajos en solitario (Edward Ka-Spel) y en paralelo (The Tear Garden), respectivamente.

Hablar pues de The Museum Of Human Happiness, el primer nuevo trabajo de la banda en casi tres años, es como tratar de condensar el Cosmos dentro de una diminuta caja, es decir, una imposibilidad que nos llevaría desarrollar un espacio intangible dentro de una eternidad absoluta. Pero al margen de esta metafórica puntualización, me atrevería a decir que estamos ante uno de los mejores discos de LPD. Su concepto, estructura, composición y detalles son inmensos.

De ahí que la mayoría de críticas más especializadas lo encumbran como uno de los trabajos más dorados de la banda. Por ejemplo, Narc desde Reino Unido: «Infundido con una destreza emocional, este álbum toma los activos más fuertes de los Dots para crear un lanzamiento que es impulsado, enfocado y conmovedor». O Sonic Seducer desde Alemania: «La felicidad sigue siendo una cuestión de opinión, pero es indiscutible que The Museum Of Human Happiness se encuentra entre los mejores álbumes de Legendary Pink Dots».

Cabe decir que The Legendary Pink Dots es una banda de rock experimental angloholandesa formada en Londres en agosto de 1980, y que opera al margen de las corrientes del mercado ya que su música es incompatible para la masa cerebral del mainstream. Sin embargo, la banda ha sabido construir y mantener un culto feroz y leal en todo el mundo, manteniendo una larga carrera de más de cuarenta álbumes de estudio, así como una gran cantidad de grabaciones adicionales. Poseen una larga fila de seguidores completamente entregados a sus creaciones. Es música para imaginar, sentir y pensar y, sobre todo, para dejarse llevar por sus múltiples matices hiperdimensionales.

Edward Ka-Spel (fundador, voz, teclados), Phil Knight, conocido también como The Silverman (cofundador, teclados, electrónica), y el guitarrista Erik Drost, son los responsables de este maravilloso The Museum Of Human Happiness, una obra que alcanza el nirvana en todos sus niveles. Estamos ante un trabajo de lujo creativo, de escalofriante sensibilidad, que surge de un mundo destrozado y hermetizado por los problemas y los venenos que le ahogan la existencia. Es un disco, por tanto, que emerge con identidad propia, con un estilo cáusticamente ingenioso y crípticamente evocador, que perfila un desvío de aquel oscuro camino psicodélico que habia adquirido la banda en discos anteriores. Este nuevo estado de ánimo, de poética y de sonido depurado, se desarrolla como un preciso mecanismo de relojería de alta gama.

Desde el principio, el disco, editado por Metropolis Records, te sumerge en un torbellino vertiginoso de ensoñaciones, percusiones trepidantes y una mezcla siniestra de sueños, pesadillas, claustrofobias y dimensiones inexplicables. En su fondo, es una obra que refleja la tortuosa naturaleza humana sobre aquello que produce o genera en consecuencia: desorden y silencio revestidos de una artificial belleza que forja inquietantes y falsas felicidades. Y más teniendo en cuenta que debido a la pandemia la composición y grabación de este álbum se llevó a cabo en el ciberespacio durante 2020 y 2021.

El propio Edward Ka-Spel en la entrevista que Klemen Breznikar le hizo para It’s Psychedelic Baby! Magazine, nos recuerda que «la pandemia asomó su fea cabeza mientras atravesábamos Europa y entonces el mundo se detuvo. Fue la última vez que The Legendary Pink Dots estuvieron juntos en una misma habitación. Desde ese momento, El Museo de la Felicidad Humana tuvo mucho que ver con esas circunstancias (…) En los momentos más oscuros nos sentimos un poco como los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis, propagando el malestar cuando la vida se detiene».

Sin duda, The Museum Of Human Hapiness no es un simple disco de canciones extrañas o para minorías elitistas. Más bien es una experiencia completa, un conjunto de fragmentos siniestros y brillantes que reflejan y distorsionan la realidad que vivimos, así como la extraña naturaleza de nuestra existencia y de nuestras relaciones a lo largo de ella.

Es así también como lo entiende Stephen Kennedy del portal de música Reflections of Darkness cuando escribe que «The Museum of Human Happiness es un documento de nuestra resiliencia, estupidez y miedo, y parece estar en un estante más alto, mirando hacia abajo sin juzgar, simplemente registrando y sacudiendo su cabeza triste y sabia, viendo lo que necesitamos, esperando que podamos llegar allí».

Las letras del disco son desgarradoras. Describen narraciones de incomunicación y pesimismo mientras el sufrimiento se infiltra a través de aberturas prolongadas y sinuosas. Es un viaje alucinante a través del metabolismo existencial y social. Al respecto Ka-Spel dice: «Las letras son absolutamente conmovedoras, desesperadas, a veces con un destello de humor negro, pero en definitiva son un fuego purgante que arde».

El disco debuta el tracklist con This Is The Museum, un tema que nos adentra rítmicamente en ese escalofriante museo donde las felicidades humanas hacen cola para ser valoradas ante la verdadera felicidad: «Aquí, en el espacio sagrado, te prometo que llorarás (…) Junto a esas caras sonrientes (…) debajo del cielo pintado. Este es el museo». La portada del disco es determinante.

El segundo tema es There Be Monsters, que ya por su título flagela las membranas, bien por sus detalles sonoros, por su melodía ondulante o por su fulminante letra: «Veo monstruos, que se acercan, pero no hacen sonido. Limpian la cabeza (…) hasta que revienta». Un claro mensaje a los políticos que destruyen el pensamiento crítico a fin de mantener el vínculo entre poder y sumisión.

Cloudsurfer es una locura, pura inmersión a la profundidad del ser abatido que surfea por las nubes tratando de evitar la oscura realidad que yace bajo sus pies. Son seis minutos de auténtica pesadilla. El rasgueo guitarrístico de Drost es tremendo, duro y cortante como una navaja, entre golpes de piano y ritmos obsesivamente perniciosos. Una bofetada psicológica en pleno rostro. Por su parte, Cruel Brittania dicta las demencias de nuestro tiempo con una sabiduría e ingenio envejecidos, apuntando decididamente a la estupidez de la élite política. Ka-Spel desgrana en ella ese peligroso aumento del populismo de extrema derecha.

Nightingale, es uno de mis temas favoritos, un lujo de voces, sonoridades y ritmos que ensueñan y sobrecogen como el incansable cantico del pájaro ruiseñor que modula sin cesar toda la noche en busca de la armonía perfecta. Se trata de una pieza maestra y muy sutil, con registros y capas, una pesadilla que te engulle y te conduce hacia la ultima luz cegadora. Hands Face Space, es agudamente paranoica, una melodía compuesta bajo distintas capas rítmicas y disonantes, con ascensos y descensos, fusionando rupturas sónicas, risas histriónicas y destellos de advertencia como fondo. Un completo delirio.

Coronation Street, tiene un sobresalto de escala electrónica que te anula la calma y te mete de lleno en su torbellino espinoso. La percusión es vital y existe cierto toque a lo King Crimson.

Postcards From Home es otro de mis temas favoritos, una maravilla de tema. Ya desde su inicio te atrapa en sus tentáculos. Se manifiesta tan suave que apenas parece existir. Todo se desliza lentamente como un arácnido por su tela. Destila un entorno biomecánico, bajo los efectos trippy y de guitarra wah-wah. En definitiva, un viaje psico-melódico que diluye las neuronas bajo inmensos océanos de imaginación. La voz solista adquiere susurros inconmensurables.

The Girl Who Got There First y A Stretch Beyond constituyen una polarización sónica pues entre ambos dista el contraste a nivel compositivo. Mientras el primer tema se enrosca por la garganta como una hiedra venenosa, es un claro desarrollo agónico y desesperado con marcadas subidas y caídas. Sin embargo, la segunda pieza, se muestra bajo un tono más bajo, casi deslizándose entre calma y misterio.

Tripping On My Nightmares, continúa el meandro a través de un paisaje somnoliento, sugiriendo que la vida misma es la única droga necesaria para observar lo absurdo de la existencia humana. La voz desata registros inusuales, incluso rozando al Bowie más experimental y un Ka-Spel muy dodecafónico. La ambientación toma cotas inimaginables y de tortuosa digestión. Nirvana For Zeroes, bajo un inicio oriental y cierto aire a bandas psicodélicas de los 70 como Gong o Amon Düüll, se siente como un globo de nieve que alguien no deja de sacudir, una caída surrealista e inconexa a través de un microcosmos confuso, de ahí quizás el título.

Para terminar nada mejor que citar el sagaz pensamiento de Ka-Spel donde resume de forma concluyente la esencia del disco: «La felicidad en la sociedad actual solo es posible cuando la gente empiece a hablar de paz en lugar de guerra, cuando hayamos aprendido a no votar a los monstruos, cuando hayamos derribado las fronteras y aprendido a compartir y apreciar la vida. Ello es posible, pero tenemos que trabajar mucho en ello». Y mientras esto no se produzca nos toca tragar. Mientras tanto nos quedan los sueños de The Legendary Pink Dots y sus maravillosas obras de arte.

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS: THE MUSEUM OF HUMAN HAPPINESS

Un album des Legendary Pink Dots s’appréhende avec un sens du sacré quand on est fan. Les autres regarderont ça avec un petit sourire en coin. La discographie d’Edward Ka-Spel est vertigineuse par le nombre. Et l’on sait aussi que chaque disque a son ambiance générale, ses tonalités ou couleurs et ses passages magnifiques sur lesquels on reviendra forcément, mais qu’il faudra dans un premier temps savoir repérer dans cet amoncellement sonore pour mieux les apprécier. Le dernier long format Angel In The Detail datant de 2019 (aussi chez Metropolis), on a eu plus de temps que de coutume pour approfondir. Nous sommes donc prêts pour de nouveaux titres.

La première pièce de ce cru 2022 est un long morceau hypnotique qui cache sous des travers prog une félicité new wave clinquante – digne de The Tower ou Any Day Now. Pourtant, pour avoir accès aux jolies pointes, il faut accepter les répétitions, les détails dysharmoniques qui louvoient. Le groupe s’amuse et refuse le tube propre qu’il sait écrire. “Cruel Britannia” épouse un rythme disco-rock gentiment brit-pop, mais sans refrain appuyé, perdu dans les souffles de fusées qui décollent et qui interrogent les atermoiements de la démocratie et de l’amour des autres. “Hands face Space” renoue également avec les volutes synth-wave primordiales, mais le canevas bifurque vite vers une psyché-folk progressive accrocheuse, mais en partie décevante.

La tonalité est introspective sur plusieurs titres, c’est-à-dire que la musique sert d’accompagnement à une prise de conscience (altérée) du leader et le suivre n’est pas aisé. Les fans du groupe le savent : “Cloudsurfer” ne survivra sans doute pas à ses trois écoutes polies : gonflée par le heavy sixties et les nappes kraut, la composition ne sait pas forcément où aller, mais elle trace une route psychédélique. “Postcards from Home” est bien plus pertinente, triste et mélancolique, sur un fond minimal-jazzy répétitif.

Les arrangements, heureusement, sont une force et beaucoup de fans aiment traquer les détails qui parsèment par touches les compositions. “Coronation Street” fait partie de ces pièces qu’il faut observer au microscope auditif. La voix mutine se promène dans un paysage chatoyant : oui, encore une fois, on peut songer à des trips liés à des hallucinogènes en écoutant les Pink Dots… On sait aussi que “Tripping on my Nightmares” deviendra un compagnon du soir, une fois sa montée saturée intégrée dans notre cerveau.

La voix trône, exigeante et toujours juvénile ; on l’apprécie particulièrement pour sa richesse sur le conte “The Girl who got there first”, même si ce titre manque aussi d’une stabilité. De nombreux samples font état de foules qui applaudissent ou crient, comme si la solitude liée au confinement devait se conjurer par la musique. “There be Monsters” narre ainsi de manière métaphorique l’invasion du virus dans un village, une submersion que le groupe a vécue en direct lorsqu’il a tourné pour ses quarante ans d’existence, gagnant chaque soir une nouvelle destination soumise peu de jours après à des interdictions. À l’opposé, la berceuse accompagnée de chants d’oiseaux et jouée au piano, “A Stretch beyond”, est un moment de calme ; moment doublé par la psalmodie au clavecin électronique qui finit l’album : “Nirvana for Zeroes” est un nouvel anthem du groupe, classique dans ses aspects maniérés et expérimentaux, long voyage en territoires baroques.

L’album selon Ka-Spel est conçu comme un bûcher expiatoire face à la folie humaine. “Nightingale” a cette dimension cérémonielle qu’on apprécie chez les Dots : intime et publique à la fois, un rituel proche de nous et pourtant élevé. Combien planeront une fois de plus ?

English:

A Legendary Pink Dots album is apprehended with a sense of the sacred when one is a fan. The others will watch this with a smirk. Edward Ka-Spel’s discography is dizzying in number. And we also know that each disc has its general atmosphere, its tones or colors and its magnificent passages to which we will inevitably come back, but which it will first be necessary to know how to spot in this sound heap to better appreciate them. The last long format Angel In The Detail dating from 2019 (also at Metropolis), we had more time than usual to deepen. So we are ready for new titles.

The first piece of this vintage 2022 is a long hypnotic track that hides under prog quirks a flashy new wave bliss – worthy ofThe Tower or Any Day Now . However, to have access to the pretty points, you have to accept the repetitions, the disharmonic details that waver. The group has fun and refuses the clean hit that they know how to write. “Cruel Britannia” espouses a gently Brit-pop disco-rock rhythm, but without a strong chorus, lost in the blasts of rockets taking off and questioning the procrastination of democracy and the love of others. “Hands face Space” also reconnects with the primordial synth-wave volutes, but the framework quickly branches off towards a catchy, but partly disappointing progressive psyche-folk.

The tone is introspective on several titles, that is to say that the music serves as an accompaniment to a (altered) awareness of the leader and following him is not easy. Fans of the group know it: “Cloudsurfer” will probably not survive its three polite listenings: inflated by the heavy sixties and the kraut layers, the composition does not necessarily know where to go, but it traces a psychedelic route. “Postcards from Home” is much more relevant, sad and melancholy, on a repetitive minimal-jazzy background.

The arrangements, fortunately, are a strength and many fans like to hunt down the details that dot the compositions. “Coronation Street” is one of those pieces that must be observed under an auditory microscope. The mischievous voice wanders through a shimmering landscape: yes, once again, we can think of trips linked to hallucinogens while listening to the Pink Dots… We also know that “Tripping on my Nightmares” will become an evening companion, once its saturated rise is integrated into our brain.

The voice reigns, demanding and always youthful; we particularly appreciate it for its richness on the tale “The Girl who got there first”, even if this title also lacks stability. Many samples show crowds applauding or shouting, as if the loneliness linked to confinement had to be warded off by music. “There be Monsters” thus metaphorically narrates the invasion of the virus in a village, a submersion that the group experienced live when it toured for its forty years of existence, reaching a new destination each evening subject to few days later to bans. In contrast, the lullaby accompanied by birdsong and played on the piano, “A Stretch beyond”, is a moment of calm;

The album according to Ka-Spel is conceived as an expiatory pyre in the face of human madness. “Nightingale” has this ceremonial dimension that we appreciate in the Dots: intimate and public at the same time, a ritual close to us and yet elevated. How many will soar once more?

Posted by: Sylvain Nicolino
Source: Obskure.com

The Legendary Pink Dots: “Museum Of Human Happiness”

Essayer de « présenter » les Legendary Pink Dots à chaque fois que l’on s’assoit pour écrire sur leur dernier album ressemble à une course de dupes depuis une décennie. Leur discographie est devenue un labyrinthe aux dimensions borgésiennes depuis longtemps. Ils ont fêté leur quarantième anniversaire juste avant la pandémie. L’appellation de leur nom, qui se voulait autrefois archi-dérisoire, est devenue une vérité sous l’administration Clinton. Contextualiser The Museum Of Human Happiness, le premier nouvel album du groupe depuis près de trois ans, pourrait prendre une éternité, mais nous pouvons aller droit au but et dire que c’est le meilleur album du combo depuis plus de vingt ans.

Après cette affirmation plutôt audacieuse, il convient de préciser que rien sur The Museum ne s’écarte du chemin sombrement psychédélique qu’ils ont tissé jusqu’à présent – c’est simplement que les ambiances, poétiques et sons classiques que nous attendons de LPD, aussi réguliers qu’une horloge, sont ici animés et rafraîchis, et délivrés par certaines des chansons les plus serrées et les plus impressionnantes que le groupe ait jamais écrites. Bien qu’il y ait beaucoup de dérives spatiales qui sont la clé de l’ADN des Dots, la plupart des compositions de The Museum sont concentrées en termes d’arrangement, de mélodie et de paroles. Sur « Nightingale », la programmation de base du synthétiseur et le riff de guitare reçoivent un timbre et une dimension supplémentaires par le biais d’un bruit industriel métallique, mais le mystère sombre et séduisant du morceau n’est jamais perdu.

En parlant de séduction, si vous êtes un fan de longue date de Dots, vous entendrez probablement une demi-douzaine de morceaux qui vous rappelleront ce qui vous a attiré en premier lieu dans leur orbite (ou celle de The Tear Garden). Le synthétiseur chaleureux et magnifiquement mélodique de « There Be Monsters » mérite des éloges particuliers. L’interaction entre la voix d’Edward Ka-Spel, un arpège de piano lent et de douces impulsions de synthétiseurs tactiles est tout simplement magnifique. Plus tard, la mélodie pentatonique classique de type Schulze qui clôt « Hands Face Space » est autant une réplique moqueuse au swing de synthétiseur qui a commencé le morceau qu’un hommage aux influences du groupe. En vérité, le disque maintient une présence si intentionnelle et concentrée qu’au moment où arrive le spacieux « Postcards From Home », offrant un large paysage poussiéreux pour des clics dubby et une guitare wah-wah, on est heureux de pouvoir souffler un peu. Et pourtant, même ce morceau pensif semble impeccablement sculpté, et en vérité, il capture la magie intime d’un bon live de Dots aussi bien que n’importe quel autre enregistrement studio dont je me souvienne.

Si le confinement a peut-être permis au groupe de réaffûter ses instincts musicaux, il a aussi donné à Ka-Spel l’occasion d’affiner son style lyrique caractéristique, à la fois caustiquement spirituel et cryptiquement évocateur. Ka-Spel ne perd jamais de vue ni d’humanité lorsqu’il s’attaque à la montée du populisme d’extrême droite dans « Cruel Brittania », tandis que des chants samplés du Millwall FC prennent la même tournure fasciste horrible après le Brexit que « The Beer Barrel Polka » dans V For Vendetta. Beaucoup plus légère mais non moins intelligente est la complainte pour les premiers rêves utopiques du net sur « Cloudsurfing ».

En écrivant sur les dernières sorties de Dots ici à I Die : You Die, nous avons souvent noté que le son du trio de base composé de Ka-Spel, The Silverman et Erik Drost était minimaliste et lugubre ces derniers temps. C’est tout sauf le cas ici. Le style caractéristique de chaque membre se voit donner libre cours et est utilisé au maximum, saturant chaque moment d’autant de couleurs que le son peut en porter. Sur The Museum Of Human Happiness, les Dots sont agiles, calés et carrément affamés. Hautement recommandé.

English:

Trying to “feature” the Legendary Pink Dots every time we sit down to write about their latest album has felt like a fool’s errand for a decade. Their discography has long since become a labyrinth of Borgesian dimensions. They celebrated their fortieth anniversary just before the pandemic. The appellation of their name, which was once meant to be arch-ridiculous, has become a truth under the Clinton administration. Contextualizing The Museum Of Human Happiness, the band’s first new album in nearly three years, might take forever, but we can cut to the chase and say it’s the combo ‘s best album in over twenty years.

After that rather bold assertion, it’s worth clarifying that nothing about The Museum deviates from the darkly psychedelic path they’ve weaved so far – it’s simply that the classic moods, poetics and sounds we’ve come to expect from LPD , as steady as a clock, are here enlivened and refreshed, and delivered by some of the tightest and most impressive songs the band has ever written. While there are plenty of spatial drifts that are key to the Dots’ DNA, most of The Museum ‘s compositionsare concentrated in terms of arrangement, melody and lyrics. On ‘Nightingale’, the core synth programming and guitar riff are given added timbre and dimension through metallic industrial noise, but the track’s dark, alluring mystery is never lost.

Speaking of seduction, if you’re a long-time Dots fan, you’ll probably hear half a dozen tracks that will remind you of what drew you into their (or The Tear Garden’s) orbit in the first place. The warm and beautifully melodic synthesizer of “There Be Monsters” deserves special praise. The interplay between Edward Ka-Spel’s voice, a slow piano arpeggio and soft pulses of tactile synthesizers is simply magnificent. Later, the classic Schulze-like pentatonic melody that closes “Hands Face Space” is as much a mocking retort to the synthesizer swing that started the track as it is an homage to the band’s influences. In truth, the record maintains such a purposeful and focused presence that by the time the spacious ‘Postcards From Home’ arrives, offering a wide, dusty landscape for dubby clicks and guitar wah-wah, we’re glad to get a breather. And yet, even this pensive track sounds impeccably sculpted, and in truth, it captures the intimate magic of a good Dots live as well as any other studio recording I can remember.

While the lockdown may have allowed the band to hone their musical instincts, it also gave Ka-Spel the opportunity to hone their signature lyrical style, both caustically witty and cryptically evocative. Ka-Spel never loses sight or humanity as he tackles the rise of far-right populism in ‘Cruel Brittania’, while sampled Millwall FC chants take the same gruesome post-Brexit fascist twist as “The Beer Barrel Polka” in V For Vendetta. Much lighter but no less intelligent is the lament for the net’s first utopian dreams on “Cloudsurfing”.

Writing about the latest Dots releases here at I Die: You Die, we’ve often noted that the sound of the core trio of Ka-Spel, The Silverman and Erik Drost has been minimalistic and gloomy lately. This is anything but the case here. Each member’s signature style is given free rein and utilized to the fullest, saturating each moment with as many colors as the sound can carry. On The Museum Of Human Happiness , the Dots are nimble, savvy, and downright hungry. Highly recommended.

****

Source: rock-decibels.org

by: Kristofer Hadodo
2022.03.16

Optimistiskt och ovanligt starkt innehåll

Edward Ka-Spel låter inte så darrig på rösten som han kan göra, och ofta väljer att göra. Det finns en nyfunnen stabilitet i hans leverans på The Museum Of Human Happiness. Det samma gäller produktionen som känns ovanlig solid, rytmisk och tung, till exempel i singeln Hands Face Space och i Cruel Britannia.

Mitt i 40-årsjubiléet tvingades Legendary Pink Dots att avbryta festligheterna. Nedstängningar och restriktioner satte märkbart djupa spår. Redan i öppningsspåret This Is The Museum känner man att veterangruppen andas optimism. Eller är det galghumor? Faktum är att ordparet “human happiness” upprepas hela 82 gånger (!) i texten, vilket blir som ett mantra, och det man också tar med sig när skivan är slut.

Andra extraordinära detaljer är ljudet av en sprakande lägereld i förening med sjungande syrsor i There Be Monsters. Det blir liksom inbjudande, närapå hemtrevligt.

Av de tolv nya låtarna är det bara två som mäter över sju minuter. Hur ska de psykedeliska, hypnotiska partierna få plats, undrar förstås vän av ordning. Ingen fara. Phil Knight kan skruva till en knäpp idé både tre och fyra varv extra, även om speltiden är “kort”.

Särskilt ett spår sticker ut: Nightingale. Det är en tung, dubbig och suggestiv låt som skulle ha platsat på någon av de senare skivorna från de nära vännerna Skinny Puppy. Här känns det som att Legendary Pink Dots – i synnerhet Ka-Spel – kommer väldigt nära lyssnaren med varm och innerlig röst.

Ett av tidernas mest produktiva band (katalogen rymmer långt över 200 titlar) premierar inte alltid kvalitet, men denna gång är det omöjligt att inte drabbas av det starka innehållet.

English

Optimistic and unusually strong content

Edward Ka-Spel does not sound as trembling in his voice as he can, and often chooses to do so. There is a newfound stability in his delivery at The Museum Of Human Happiness . The same applies to the production, which feels unusually solid, rhythmic and heavy, for example in the single Hands Face Space and in Cruel Britannia .

In the middle of the 40th anniversary, Legendary Pink Dots was forced to cancel the festivities. Shutdowns and restrictions left noticeably deep scars. Already in the opening track This Is The Museum , one feels that the veteran group breathes optimism. Or is it gallows humor? In fact, the phrase “human happiness” is repeated 82 times (!) In the text, which becomes like a mantra, and what you also take with you when the album is over.

Other extraordinary details are the sound of a crackling campfire in conjunction with singing crickets in There Be Monsters . It becomes kind of inviting, almost homely.

Of the twelve new songs, only two measure over seven minutes. How should the psychedelic, hypnotic parties fit, of course, friend of order wonders. No danger. Phil Knight can screw up a crazy idea both three and four laps extra, even if the playing time is “short”.

One track in particular stands out: Nightingale. It is a heavy, dubbed and suggestive song that would have been placed on one of the later records from the close friends Skinny Puppy. Here it feels like Legendary Pink Dots – especially Ka-Spel – comes very close to the listener with a warm and heartfelt voice.

One of the most productive bands of all time (the catalog holds well over 200 titles) does not always reward quality, but this time it is impossible not to be affected by the strong content.

source: gaffa.se

By: Michael Bohli
25 March 2022

Deutsch:

Oft denke ich an den Abend zurück, als ich unschuldig und unvorbereitet die Gruppe The Legendary Pink Dots live im Ochsen Zofingen entdecken durfte. Experimentelle und andersartige Musik, fernab der gewohnten Strukturen und Klangfolgen. Die Gruppe um den Frontmann Edward Ka-Spel nistete sich in meinem Herzen ein, viele Jahre später legen die Herren mit «The Museum of Human Happiness» ihre neuste Platte vor. Ein extrovertiertes Werk, das in seiner freien Interpretation der Rockmusik vor den Kopf stossen kann, im Kosmos der pinken Punkte aber kein Ausreisser darstellt.

Psychedelische Kompositionen, Sprechgesang und ein kritischer Blick auf die Gegenwart, ohne den Humor zu verlieren. Die zwölf Stücke bringen fast 70 Minuten Musik auf die Waage und pendeln zwischen einschmeichelnden Erzählungen («There Be Monsters») und Dekonstruktionen von Krautrock und Electronica («The Girl Who Got There First»). Die Synthesizer blubbern, die Musik wirkt kühl, dissonante Stellen sind die wahren Schätze. Alle Krisen der heutigen Zeit haben «The Museum of Human Happiness» geformt, The Legendary Pink Dots zünden Feuer an und positionieren sich auf den Ruinen.

Das wirkt kontemporärer und treffender als beispielswiese auf «Angel In The Detail», der Bogen wird durch die Musiker in die Vergangenheit gespannt («Coronation Street «) und das digitale mit dem Retro-Flair kombiniert. The Legendary Pink Dots klangen auf ihren Alben schon immer etwas dünn, das hat sich bei The Museum of Human Happiness nicht geändert, stört aber nicht. Durch den Virus in den virtuellen Raum gedrängt, hat die Gruppe nicht aufgegeben und viele zündende Einfälle gesammelt.

English:

I often think back to the evening when, innocently and unprepared, I discovered the group The Legendary Pink Dots live at Ochsen Zofingen. Experimental and different music, far away from the usual structures and sound sequences. The group around the frontman Edward Ka-Spel nested in my heart, many years later the gentlemen present their latest record with «The Museum of Human Happiness». An extrovert work that can offend rock music in its free interpretation, but is not an outlier in the cosmos of pink dots.

Psychedelic compositions, chanting and a critical look at the present without losing humor. The twelve tracks weigh almost 70 minutes of music and oscillate between insinuating stories («There Be Monsters») and deconstructions of krautrock and electronica («The Girl Who Got There First»). The synthesizers are bubbling, the music seems cool, dissonant passages are the real treasures. All of today’s crises have formed «The Museum of Human Happiness», The Legendary Pink Dots light fires and position themselves on the ruins.

This seems more contemporary and more appropriate than, for example, on “ Angel In The Detail ”, the musicians draw the line back into the past (“Coronation Street”) and combine the digital with the retro flair. The Legendary Pink Dots always sounded a bit thin on their albums, that hasn’t changed with The Museum of Human Happiness, but it doesn’t bother. Pushed into virtual space by the virus, the group did not give up and collected many brilliant ideas.

Source: https://artnoir.ch/the-legendary-pink-dots-the-museum-of-human-happiness/

Het zal niemand verbazen dat een geroutineerde muzikant als Edward Ka-Spel het liefste effectief te werk gaat. Uiteraard met de nodige ruimte voor het experiment en die gretigheid om steeds weer die vernieuwing op te zoeken. Maar als je dan genoodzaakt bent om afzonderlijk van elkaar aan een plaat te werken is dat wel zwaar balen. In die situatie verkeren de oudgedienden van The Legendary Pink Dots tijdens de viering van hun veertigjarige bestaan. Corona maakt een einde aan het feestje, maar gelukkig niet aan het succesverhaal. The Museum Of Human Happiness heeft die ouderwetse vorm, en is zelfs stukken urgenter dan de meer dan prima voorganger Angel in the Detail.

Oudheden en obscuriteit. Artistiek en vernieuwend. This is The Museum brengt je terug naar de zomer van 1980. De nasleep van de rellen bij de bekroning van koningin Beatrix, de oplopende spanningen bij het Margaret Thatcher regime. Een hoog werkeloosheidsgehalte en het idealisme van punk en postpunk. Twee werelden treffen elkaar, botsen en brengen een oerknal voort. The Legendary Pink Dots is een feit. Die tienerangst domineert hedendaags weer, en hebben we dan oude vergeten helden nodig om die wanhoop te reflecteren? Ja, blijkbaar wel.

The Legendary Pink Dots, ze zijn weer terug, maar dan nu ook echt. Human Happiness in een No Fun maatschappij. Edward Ka-Spel is nog steeds die jonge idealistische strijder, gevangen in een op leeftijd zijnde getekend lichaam, opgesloten in een lockdown gemeenschap. Het getergde geweten, ontwakend als een bloedzuigende vampier, zichzelf voedende met egocentrisme en misplaatste teleurstellingen. De instrumentatie bouwt zijn eigen netwerk, met verstrikte spinnenwebdraden, kerkelijke geloof aanvechtende orgelpartijen en de roep om de versmorende chaos te controleren. Verlaten straten, isolement en eenzaamheid als A Stretch Beyond basisbegrippen. Een vervreemde buitenstaander die het verval objectief als een onwerkelijk leefklimaat kanaliseert.

Behoed je voor de omgeving, There Be Monsters in dit verhalende sprookjesboek, waarbij de bevlekte kanttekeningen een onoverzichtelijke warboel vormen. Edward Ka-Spel is net zo onbetrouwbaar als die bespiedende omgeving. Muzikaal ongemak en onzichtbare valkuilen laten je in die onvatbare wereld van dit onberekenbare genie verdwalen. Als je zijn steun opzoekt, bemerk je dat die helpende handdruk je allang verlaten heeft. Vanaf hier sta je er alleen voor. De toereikende gids gooit je de donkere diepte in. En daar draait het bij het onberekende This is The Museum om. De opgelegde The Legendary Pink Dots breuk speelt met die overlevingsdrang. Samen de ontbrekende puzzelstukken plaatsen, met beperkte middelen binnen handbereik.

De vanzelfsprekende vastigheid spant met het verliezen van de gecreëerde werkelijkheid samen. Tripping On My Nightmares, realistisch slaapwandelen in opvullende leegte en gedirigeerde wanorde. Coronation Street waarheden en internet Tel Sell Fake News. Verkoop je oprechtheid aan de wantrouwige internetsurfer, geef hem een sprankje aan plastic hoop cadeau. De Brexit in het conservatieve naar vergaande tijden verlangde Cruel Brittania, waardoorheen brokken aan historische folklore uiteenspatten. Er wordt weer ouderwets, totdat de noise zijn ontvlambare kookpunt bereikt, aan de knoppen gedraaid. Barricades met torenhoge lawaaierige ijzerplaten opgebouwd, gitaren grondig gesloopt, verloren pianotoetsen zonen binnengehaald en een anarchistisch leger aan opdringerige tribal Electric Body Music beats losgelaten. Heerlijk verdwalen in de neurotisch grommende bas van Postcards From Home en de psychedelische 1969 The Girl Who Got There First roes.

We leven in een futuristische 1984, de 2.0 variant, waar Big Brother een onmisbare vriend is, en we voorgeprogrammeerd de eisen van de wereldleiders opvolgen. Die afzijdige losgekoppelde werkwijze heeft The Legendary Pink Dots het gewenste resultaat opgeleverd. Er worden luchtkastelen vernietigd, en met de puinresten verbindende wankele bruggen aangelegd. Het geluid van The Museum Of Human Happiness is net zo nostalgisch als 2022, alleen beseffen we dat nog niet helemaal. The Museum Of Human Happiness is de plaat die Edward Ka-Spel veertig jaar geleden nog niet durfde te maken, zelfs niet hoopte te maken.

Het album The Museum of Human Happiness van The Legendary Pink Dots is uitgebracht door Metropolis op 18 maart 2022.

source: writteninmusic.com
Geschreven door: Leon Pouwels
March 16, 2022

English (via Google Translate)
It will come as no surprise that a seasoned musician like Edward Ka-Spel prefers to work effectively. Of course with the necessary space for experimentation and that eagerness to keep looking for that innovation. But if you’re forced to work on a record separately from each other, that’s a real bummer. That’s the situation the veterans of The Legendary Pink Dots find themselves in during the celebration of their 40th anniversary. Corona puts an end to the party, but luckily not to the success story. The Museum Of Human Happiness has that old-fashioned shape, and is even much more urgent than its more than fine predecessor Angel in the Detail.

Antiquities and obscurity. Artistic and innovative. This is The Museum takes you back to the summer of 1980. The aftermath of the riots at the crowning of Queen Beatrix, the rising tensions within the Margaret Thatcher regime. A high level of unemployment and the idealism of punk and post-punk. Two worlds collide, collide and produce a big bang. The Legendary Pink Dots is a fact. That teenage fear dominates today, so do we need old forgotten heroes to reflect that desperation? Yes, apparently it is.

The Legendary Pink Dots, they’re back, but now for real. Human Happiness in a No Fun Society. Edward Ka-Spel is still that young idealistic warrior, trapped in an aging scarred body, locked in a lockdown community. The provoked conscience, awakening like a blood-sucking vampire, feeding itself on self-centeredness and misguided disappointments. The instrumentation builds its own network, with entangled cobwebs, ecclesiastical faith-challenging organ parts and the call to control the choking chaos. Deserted Streets, Isolation and Loneliness as A Stretch Beyond Basic Concepts. An alienated outsider who objectively channels decay as an unreal living environment.

Protect yourself from the environment, There Be Monsters in this storytelling fairy tale book, where the stained notes form a cluttered mess. Edward Ka-Spell is as unreliable as that spying environment. Musical discomfort and invisible pitfalls let you get lost in the elusive world of this unpredictable genius. If you seek his support, you will find that helping handshake has long since left you. From here on you are on your own. The adequate guide throws you into the dark depths. And that’s what the unpredictable This is The Museum is all about. The imposed The Legendary Pink Dots break plays with that urge to survive. Place the missing puzzle pieces together, with limited resources at your fingertips.

The self-evident steadfastness conspires with the loss of the created reality. Tripping On My Nightmares, realistic sleepwalking in filling emptiness and directed disorder. Coronation Street Truths And Internet Tel Sell Fake News. Sell ​​your sincerity to the suspicious internet surfer, give him a spark of plastic heap. The Brexit in the conservative era longed for Cruel Brittania, through which chunks of historical folklore shattered. The old-fashioned way, until the noise reaches its flammable boiling point, is again turned on the knobs. Built up barricades with towering noisy iron plates, guitars thoroughly demolished, lost piano keys brought in sons and unleashed an anarchic army of intrusive tribal Electric Body Music beats. Get lost in the neurotic growling bass of Postcards From Home and the psychedelic 1969 The Girl Who Got There First intoxication.

We live in a futuristic 1984, the 2.0 variant, where Big Brother is an indispensable friend, and we follow the pre-programmed demands of the world leaders. This aloof, disconnected working method has yielded the desired result for The Legendary Pink Dots. Castles in the air are destroyed, and shaky bridges connecting with the rubble are built. The sound of The Museum Of Human Happiness is just as nostalgic as 2022, only we don’t fully realize it yet. The Museum Of Human Happiness is the record that Edward Ka-Spel did not dare to make, nor even hoped to make forty years ago.

The Legendary Pink Dots’ album The Museum of Human Happiness is released by Metropolis on March 18, 2022.