Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Live in Tallinn, 14th June 2009

LA avant-gardist's crazy performance at Club Tapper

Eccentric pop musician and avant-gardist from LA, Ariel Pink, was warmed up by Galaktlan and his live group, who are rarely seen performing. One different aspect about their gig was the presence of a guest vocalist, Kadi Uibo, for one of the songs. Galaktlan's quartet played a short set, for approximately 40 minutes.

Shortly before 10pm Ariel Pink made it on the stage with his backup band Haunted Graffiti. The protagonist was dressed in drag (with red skirt and all), his stage movement was chaotic and coggling and his between song stage banter was mostly stream-of-consciousness type nonsense. Just by his stage presence, marked by special feel of drunkenness, it was clear that Ariel Pink is a truly eccentric musician type.

Pure garage rock

In case of musicians with distinctive (home) studio sound one always wonders, how will they sound live? In the five member performance of Haunted Graffiti, Ariel Pink's lo-fi pop-psychedelia gained a heavy garage punk exterior. The band could sound like an authentic obscure garage rock band from the 60s, while having little to nothing in common with today's neo garage rock imitators.

Some of the tunes in the live setting, such as "Trepanated Earth" acquiered at places a level of intensity compared to heavy metal, or at least Boredoms type noise-rock. It also seemed that Haunted Graffiti can easily out-punk most punkrockers, if they want to. In terms of dissonance, synthesizer sounds and improvisational implications there was also some affinity to krautrock. A rare rendition of the rarely performed "Life In LA", where the clarinets of the album version were replaced by kazoos, suggested Zappa style weirdness.

All of these stylistic nuance variations refer to the music critic consensus that in Ariel Pink's music one can recognize quite a bit of which has been intriguing and inventive for the last five decades in underground rock. It was particularly evident on this concert. Which was really long, over two hours, including many songs that Haunted Graffiti usually does not perform. And arguably this was even crazier than Ariel Pink's average gig.

How eccentric

This gig was a rare case in Estonia not only because of seeing an act at his peak live. But also because the public got the taste of how eccentric the best sort of underground-rock can get. A lot of contemporary acts seems so restrained, compared to the exuberant charisma imbuing from Ariel Pink's stage presence. Then again, imitating him would also prove itself as a pointless perspective. Because natural authenticity (which Pink had plenty) is impossible to copy successfully.

Some photos

"Interesting Results"

Kumu Night on 5th June - Emphasis on electronica and improv

This year's Kumu Night festival was more modest in terms of selection of artists. Still, good music was heard even this time. Although with less diversity than before. There was more emphasis on improvisational and electronic music.

Electronic music was presented slightly less and the quality level varied. Kosmofon with its vintage retro synths and four-four disco grooves created an 80s vibe in a good way. On the other hand, Data with its sterile synth-prog trappings (and extremely tasteless synth sounds) sounded stuck in its own time in a bad way. The Battle of Skweee, comprised of Mesak and Joxaren, brought us danceable, yet deep, bubbly electro.

Music based on improvisation dominated more and this varied more in terms of stilistic variations.

Estonians did free-er improv. Liis Jürgens shined with intriguing concoctions of sounds from harp, piano (played by Liisa Hirsch) and live-electronics. Electro-acoustic free-improv at its best. Rainer Jancis contrasted the song based nature of his All album with a dual-bass (electric + acoustic) quartet improv, sounding a little like a slightly jazzier the Dildos. Triophonix' psychedelic electro-jazz with its blend of acoustic instrumentation, looper and samplers was really enjoyable at its best, but near 3AM it could sound tiresome.

Two foreign bands however did kraut jams. Wooden Shjips (USA) was energetic and rocking, but all of their songs sounded the same. Also, they focused on the arguably least interesting flavor of kraut-rock: straight guitar-rocking, but more drawn-out.

The Finnish K-X-P, however, embodied the more adventurous aspects of krautrock: electronics and metronomic drum grooves. Their drummer could hold a groove very insistently and propulsively, but he also possessed a formidable playing technique. The rhythm formed as a solid backbone for K-X-P's technoid psychedelia that flirted with monotony, yet was never one-dimensional.

A good aspect about this event was improved sound quality compared to the last year. Not that the sound balance was absolutely ideal even now, but there was nothing ear-grating. Feedback was minimal to non-existent. Even this is an improvement.

Handsome Furs live

28th of April saw the second concert in Estonia by the Canadian indie-duo Handsome Furs. Husband and wife band performed at club Juuksur as part of the concert series Odessa Pop.

Warm-up act was Mirabilia by ex-Dallas Holger Loodus (with Tanel Paliale - bass, Liis Jürgens - back vocals, FX and Madis Zilmer - drums). Mirabilia played pretty chamber-like indie pop that this time had a more acoustic flavor due to the absence of electric guitar.





The chamber-likeness of Mirabilia was a contrast compared to the intensity that soon was unleashed on stage by Handsome Furs. The duo played heavy music marked by wailing guitar and sharply pulsating beats and synths. HF's music was rather physical, as one could tell by their stage presence. The band lived into the music so much that sweat was pouring in creeks.

HF's performance was powerful and uncompromising. Even perhaps too much. The duo played with the same intensity throughout, except for one tune that saw the male part ditching his guitar. Inevitably, this makes their repertoire a bit samey. Then again, it is evident that they believe in themselves and enjoy being on stage.

The contact with public was good. As immediate communicators, they often threw compliments about how fantastic the public is and what a cool place to play Juuksur is. Despite their concentration mainly on the intense rocking, Handsome Furs is one of the most exciting acts in today's indie scene. And as one could tell, the second encounter with Estonian public was mutually pleasing.

Tanya Tagaq Live - Exotic Folk Tradition Spiced With The Avant-Garde

Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq's live performance in Kumu served to prove two. First, exotic type of folk music and avant-garde experimentalism can be amazingly compatible. Second, that the power of music lies beyond convenient labeling.

The avant-garde composers and performers have always looked towards the folk traditions to create, in a seemingly ironic way, something new and exciting. For example, minimalist composers have often adapted the principles of Eastern music for their own conceptions. Avant-garde vocalists have often used their voice as an instrument rather than a tool to convey message. Tagaq's throat singing technique proved that voice-as-an-instrument approach stretches back to the legacy of archaic folk music.

Also, the entire concert was based on improvisation between Tagaq and Michael Red (electronics) and Kenton Loewen (drums). Improv and avant-garde have often gone hand in hand. Then again, folk music can also rely on improvisation very well. In short, the merger of folk tradition and the avant-garde seemed logical and natural in Tanya Tagaq's performance.

Even though according to the presskit Tagaq was said to blend the northern aborigenes throat singing with the indie-rock, such labelling seems misleading. Not only that the indie as such is a rather vague stylistic term by nature, but also because there actually were no elements in the performed music that one could associate with indie rock as an idiom understood in a certain way.

Rather, Michael Red's walls of sounds referred to the manifestations of the more cerebral kind of electronica (musique concrete, ambient, glitch, IDM) and Loewen's drumming spectre encompassed Jaki Liebezeit's hypno-grooving, Tony Williams' free-jazz touch as well as Chris Cutler's sonic conceptions (he used a violin bow on a cymbal, for instance).

Therefore, the power of music does not depend on stylistic frontiers or labels. However, it is found in sounds. And also performance, which was fantastic. Even if during the quieter parts Red and Loewen's accompaniment may have seemed a bit random, Tagaq still held attention with her impressive vocal technique.

The more intense parts however sounded almost danceable and hypnotic and in Tagaq's body movement on stage there was some sexual animistic suggestiveness.

For the "encore", they improvised again: it began with a melodic singing which proved that Tagaq can also sing quite beautifully without special tricks and it culminated with an interplay built on an even dancier rhythm. In summary, it was an exciting, new kind of concert music.

Efterklang Live @ Von Krahl, 26.11.2008

The evening of 26th of November saw Danish contemporary chamber-rock flagship Efterklang perform at Von Krahl Theatre Bar in Tallinn, Estonia. The band who has been compared to acts diverse as Animal Collective, Björk, Arcade Fire or even the famed Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Efterklang were warmed up by chanteuse Eva Mitreikina, who presented her recently released debut album.

First, Aivar Tõnso served as a DJ. Shortly after half past 9PM Eva Mitreikina appeared onstage, accompanying herself on the acoustic guitar. Although the accompanying instrument was weakly heard, Mitreikina's voice sounded clear. Her fragile, vulnerable and spirited performance also included a touch of childlike sweetness. Her performance was occasionally sabotaged by loud feedback from the mics.

Then the main stars of the evening appeared. Efterklang came onstage as a seven-piece and it was clear that the stage was so small it barely could contain this big lineup and all the equipment that the band used. I was ready for the possibility that perhaps the group's chamber rock sound this evening might be geared a little too heavily on the chamber side of the fence. But surprisingly the balance was pretty good: there were both chamber and rock! The band balanced the soft and loud moments very well, along with composed sections and more freewheeling jams.

Each member performed on at least two instruments. The main drummer in the band often shined with his parts on the pocket trumpet (a compact version of the conventional trumpet that nonetheless sounds no different at all) which when combined with flute or sometimes even alto sax (played by one of the guitarists) formed quite a formidable horn front-line here and there. The lead vocalist also played drums and at the more powerful sections the double-drum attack clearly strengthened the sound. The violinist occasionally also sat behind drums, allowing the main drummer to shine on his brass instrument. Occasionally all three drummers played together. Particularly memorable was the group drum solo at the end of one song which proved that drum solos do not have to be boring. Perhaps the collective interplay did the trick?

One could expect Efterklang to come across as a serious band. However, the band felt freely onstage, their stage banter was humorous and they openly communicated with the audience. The contact with the audience was impeccable. Therefore it is safe to say that with its subtle and eclectic music, shining and energetic live performance and connecting well with the audience Efterklang not only is avant-rock at its most diverting, but this band clearly rendered one of the most memorable concert performances in Estonia this year. One can't help but think how this band would sound like on a bigger stage.



Some photos of the event here.

Kumu ÖÖ (Kumu Night) @ Estonian Art Museum, 20th June 2008

This year's Kumu ÖÖ (Kumu Night) music festival showed improvement in terms of inviting excellent foreign performers to Estonia. Unfortunately it also pointed to a problem that is still a rule rather than exception in Estonian concert halls: bad acoustics.

Sound problems were already present at the outdoor stage where Estonian bands presented their recent records. Maikameikers presented, playing in their known goodness, material from their debut album "8Hz". Particularly outstanding was the extroverted frontman Alan Proosa. Unfortunately, the band suffered from thin bass sound. As if that weren't enough, soundmen approached the band shortly after their set falsely accusing the band of breaking equipment. Köök, whose vinyl single "Ereliukas" release was delayed to July, sounded ok, whereas Stella (presenting "Love You Boy" album) suffered from a muddy and unclear sound.

One of the most interesting foreign bands that played in the big hall of the building, the British They Came from the Stars I Saw Them, were a quartet who wore white costumes and whose set presented enough groove, humor and energy to satisfy. The band was capable of rocking out without guitars, inviting audience participation, conjuring up interesting electronic sounds and even improvising. Naomi Auerfeld (vocals, reeds) surprised with a sharp, penetrating yet pure and sweet clarinet tone, particularly in the upper register.

However, the sound in the big hall was deafeningly loud. Especially for the headliners The Orb. Some of the listeners had expected a calmer and more ambient-driven set. Instead, the public was treated to a more beat-driven and noisier side of the band. Towards the end, their set had become a pure rave. Unfortunately, the band's multi-layered and detailed sound was - again - held back by substandard amplification.

The best sound was to be expected at the auditorium, where the public saw the quieter and more introverted acts. The most impressive of them was the German experimental pianist Hauschka aka Volker Bertelmann. He played several objects on and into the strings and thus managed to sound richer than most multi-member bands. His prepared piano sounded fairly orchestral, like a cross between grand piano, harpsichord and xylophone. The result was music that was calm, but dynamic and capable of sustaining interest.

To sum up, Kumu ÖÖ festival included several artists whose concert performance was impeccable. In order to improve from that, it would be necessary to stress the importance of decent amplification a lot more.

*This concert review was published in Estonian in a journal called Postimees. This is the English translation

Michael Nyman live at Charles' Church in Tallinn, Estonia on 29th November 2007

British minimalist composer Michael Nyman and his twelve member band gave a concert at Charles' Church (Kaarli kirik) in Tallinn, Estonia on 29th of November 2007. The concert was billed as the opening event of the annual Dark Nights Film Festival (Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival) in Estonia. For the night, Michael Nyman Band performed a set containing the well known compositions from Nyman's movie soundtracks. They opened with two numbers from The Draughtsman's Contract, "Chasing Sheep is Best Left To Shepherds" as well as "An Eye for Optical Theory", both with significantly more orchestral sound than on the original recordings. Pieces from Wonderland and Prospero's Books followed and these were among Nyman's most interesting pieces, each of them showcasing the composer's hypnotic, repetitive, rhythmically sustained and multi-layered scoring at its finest. Nyman also performed solo pieces from The Piano, including one of his most well known themes called "The Heart Asks Pleasure First". Finally the group rendered selections from Drowning By Numbers.

The sound quality was fair, but it left a bit desired in terms of clarity. The quieter songs sounded fine, but the more orchestrated pieces sounded a bit unclear. Although all the instruments were heard to some extent, some of these didn't cut through enough to display their tonal character in their whole. Given how Nyman's band with its twelve members can sound very orchestral for a group that one would expect to sound more chamber like, they certainly deserve better acoustics and sound balancing in order to make their sound more appreciated. Nonetheless, the public's reception to the performance was so enthusiastic that the band couldn't help it but play not only an encore, but three of them. First they played some more band pieces, and the final encore was yet another Nyman solo piano composition. All in all, a pretty good live concert.