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Posts tagged Von Zamla
Von Zamla – 1983 (Live 1983) (@256)
30 Jun 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
This album contains recordings from two live concerts in Germany during Von Zamla’s Spring 1983 European tour. The production is very good especially since these are live recordings.
“1983″ features songs from both “Zamlaranamma” and “No Make Up!” studio albums, together with some songs that has never been released on any album before.
The sound is very much in terms of RIO but also laced with gypsy jazz (circus-like music). For this one, Belgium’s Michel Berckmans (of Univers Zero fame) joined the band and he gives a typical Berckmans input with his bassoon.
The music pumps with a creepy, Monster Mash hipness and astounding changes in mode and tempo, filled with delicate lines, little details, and bizarre humor. The group draws influence from seemingly all music at once and spits it back out with flair and bold disregard for convention or popular ideals. The thirteen cuts brim with this energy. The vast majority of tunes here are instrumental and offer much with a truly progressive form of rock music.
Among the highlights in this album would be the impressive Temporal You Are with keyboard layers reminding of Pink Floyd’s Shine On You Crazy Diamonds and the Gong-like Doppler.
Line-up:
- Eino Haapala / guitar
- Lars Hollmer / piano, organ, korg, accordion
- Hans Loelv / piano, organ, korg, melodica
- Michel Berckmans / bassoon, oboe
- Wolfgang Salomon / bass
- Marten Tiselius / drums
Track List:
01. Ten Tango – 7:23
02. Forgeetyde – 4:23
03. Harujanta – 7:56
04. Temporal You Are – 5:59
05. Antsong – 5:34
06. Fur Munju – 4:46
07. Glassmusic – 1:00
08. Rainbox – 3:11
09. Doppler – 7:57
10. Akarondo – 2:48
11. Dancing Madras – 0:30
12. Clandestine – 6:59
13. Odet (Bonus Track) – 5:42
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Von Zamla – No Make Up! (Vinyl 1983) (@320)
29 Jun 2010
(Thanks to CrimsonKing and his new blog Brain Damage)
Second studio album of the Von Zamla incarnation features an expanded lineup of six, including Univers Zero reeds man Michel Berckmans. “No Make Up!” is undeniably an avant progressive tour de force.
Throughout the album, it’s once again Lars Hollmer’s familiar accordion, that drives most of the Nordic European style folk melodies. The ensemble work is tight, in typical chamber music fashion, with the aggressive rock edge provided by guitarist Eino Haapala, the same role he played for the Zamla clan prior.
It’s fair to say that most of the groups in the Rock in Opposition camp find it hard to avoid some crazy improvisation, sort of their bitch-slap to the establishment. Here Von Zamla only utilize one piece for that, the unbelievably irritating (and mercifully short) ‘Voice Improvisation’. Fortunately the remainder of the tracks remain composed, energetic and satisfying.
The album opener “Forge Etude”, is a rework from the Zamla Mammaz Manna incarnation’s final album “Familjesprickor”.
Line-up:
- Michel Berckmans / bassoon, oboe
- Eino Haapala / guitar, vocals
- Lars Hollmer / keyboards, accordion
- Hans Louhelainen / keyboards, melodica
- Wolfgang Salomon / bass, guitaron
- Marten Tiselius / drums
with
- Kalle Eriksson / trumpet (4), percussion
Track List:
01. Forge Etude – 4:07
02. Soon Series – 7:25
03. Fur Munju Indojazz – 6:01
04. Gilmit – 4:31
05. Hopeful – 4:35
06. Endanko – 3:51
07. Piece of Antsong – 2:45
08. Voice Improvisation – 3:49
09. After Smrt – 5:14
10. Cancion de Bi-Me-Mela – 3:25
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Von Zamla – Zamlaranamma (1982) (@256)
28 Jun 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Von Zamla (translating Son of Zamla) is an evolution of Samla and then Zamla Mamma Manna. It is also in the musical continuity of its pedecessors. Von Zamla has Haapala and Hollmer from the band’s previous incarnation, with the addition of two other musicians from Albert Marcoeur’s band.
Their sound’s main bet is on multicolored melodic motifs, extravagant tratments, heavily relying on dissonant chord progressions and pretty recurrently sustained on counterpoints regarding the arrangements. The music is deeply challenging while not being particularly aggressive – their compositions and style bear the heritage of Zamla Mannas Manna (ZMM) but with a more light-weight attitude toward the interactions between all musicians. The absence of a drummer, or more precisely, a specialized percussive section, allows the ensamble to focus more enthusiastically on the amalgamation of keyboards, guitars and woodwinds, although the rhythmic basis still plays a solid role at ordaining the aforesaid amalgamation. The strong position of the accordion helps the band to elaborate a folk-based depth within the confines of the band’s overall vision.
The opener “Harujanta”, bearing a pletoric aura of celebration with various hints to Northern Europe folk, is a definite proof of their sound. Later on, ‘Clandestine’ includes an effective melodic twist that leads to a werid musical box-like final motif and ‘Original 13/11′ is headlong for the delivery of overwhelming exotic ambiences; both persevere with the special, bizarre magic that Von Zamla instill on their particular approach to RIO.
‘Rainbox’ displays a more melancholic mood, sweet and suave, but not without its proper touch of mystery. ‘Doppler’ is a definite highlight with its sinister spirals of neurosis and spacey cadences. In many ways the somber spirit in this track is a reminder of the sophisticated tension so clearly illustrated on ZMM’s swansong “Familjiesprickor”.
Other notable tracks include the nocturnal ‘Temporal You Are’ and the last two numbers ‘Antsong’ and ‘Tail of Antsong’, genuine brainstorms of atonal colors. ‘Ten Tango’ brings back the band’s softer, althoug displaying more intensity and mystery than ‘Rainbox’, particularly due to the hypnotic use of texturial ornaments in a weird confluence of tango-fusion, Stravinsky and gypsy folk.
Line-up:
- Eino Haapala / guitar, bass, cello, mandoline, percussion, vocals
- Lars Hollmer / keyboards, accordion, percussion, glockenspiel, lead vocals
- Denis Brely / bassoon, oboe, voice, baryton sax, Soprano flute
- Jan Garret / bass, bass pedals, guitar, percussion, vocals
Track List:
01. Harujanta – 7:51
02. Rainbox – 3:15
03. Doppler – 4:34
04. Clandestine – 5:46
05. Temporal You Are – 4:34
06. Original 13 11 – 4:49
07. Ten Tango – 5:44
08. Antsong – 5:12
09. Tail Of Antsong – 2:04
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