Kairos 115, March 2020 on Concertzender

Easter 2020, instead of watching the, all adult, grandchildren reaping chocolate Easter eggs in the back garden of their last remaining grandparent, we are all stuck to our own homes/rooms, meeting on one of the platforms. Easter 2020 is one to never forget although many people would not have minded to go back to 31 December 2019 to reset the year 2020 and see if the world can fare better and forget this one fast and forever. So why not listen to Kairos and share some thoughts with you?, Wo. thought. It looks like that now well familiar intro is sounding in his ears right now.

Sole piano notes take over the, shorter than ever before intro. Although I know who is playing, as I wrote in my review of three albums recently, I find it impossible to really distinguish between them, let alone remember a melody. Ella van der Woude is playing a song from her new album again. 'Sol Mineur' is a song in a minor key, so a bit glum, serious. Mostly played in the darker register of the piano. In the third quarter the variation sets in, lifting the song up a little. Soon it plays out and is taken over by Pieter Nooten.

'Variation in F# Minor' is a piece for a minor orchestra. Again with a darker mood, although a part of the strings give it a lighter touch. Like the first rays of the sun colour the horizon, without showing itself yet. The hint of day, at the end of the darkest hour, just before dawn as the Mamas & the Papas once sang. I've been told that the Spanish call that hour Madrugada. Talking about good music, with a deep dark mood: Madrugada.

Thus I am following my mind's wanderings. It leads me to field recordings interspersed with one of the beautiful new songs by Dutch band Donna Blue. 'In Between' is one of the most melancholy songs on the same titled EP. A triumph in a minor key the song is. Donna Blue is able to keep a song extremely small, using atmospherics and reverb to the maximum and not do more to reach a maximum effect, affecting the listener endlessly.

Harrold Roeland's field recordings can be heard all through 'In Between'. It is almost as if an unknown song, to me, by Donna Blue continues over the birds but it is Edgar Wappenhalter. 'I Travelled among Unknown Men' is a poem by William Wordsworth set to music. I can't help myself. The lauded English poet's name brings to mind Tom Tom Club immediately and this line from the band's hit 'Wordy Rappinghood: "What are words worth?". This music has nothing to do with the slow, meandering song of Wappenhalter. There is no beat, just a repeated guitar chord, somewhat less reverb than in Donna Blue's previous song, but certainly not a lot less. Wappenhalter song is fuller, more present, but also more one dimensional. A few guitars stacked above each other playing different styles and approaches. The whole is a repetition of moves. The birds from the Alps return at the end, some close, to the microphone, others more in the background. There are many birds in the Alps.

The next "band" has come by on this blog before. Pictish Trail's new album 'Thumb World' received a favourable post and for a good reason. 'Slow Memories' is a dreamy song, fitting well with what went before on this Kairos. The basis is a soft guitar motif over which all sorts of sounds are woven behind the soft, high voice of Johnny Lynch, who is Pictish Trail.

'Slow Memories' moves into a piano part that reminds me of 'You're A Lady' by Peter Skellern. It turns out to be another Pieter, Nooten, who gets a second slot in this Kairos. Again a mystical piece with dreamy strings. Nooten touches upon a territory where pop meets classic. It is not hard to imagine a singer joining in at some point and/or a rock guitar, where the composition changes into what could have been a huge hit in the 70s and now a forever classic in the Top 2000. It doesn't, but that does not make 'Theme Minimaliste II' less beautiful.

A slow piano returns to Kairos, with some atmospherics behind it. 'They Could Have Saved The Universe' is the instrumental track from Klangstof's latest album, with the extremely beautiful cover. Over and during it all sorts of things happen.

A large section that is up next is a Depeche Mood song, 'Goodnight Lovers'. Why it is mentioned several times in the playlist, I do not know. It is a song that I wouldn't have associated with the electro rockers in a million years. It is a soft ballad, with some electronic sounds here and there interspersing with the soft harmonies. .No at work?

A piano takes over. It is a second song today by Ella van der Wouden. Less sweet than the song that opened Kairos. She plays less harmonious notes, though they still can belong together but are not the obvious choices. Like I wrote on Microplaza's new single a few days back.

Something electronic moves in. As if the municipality is cleaning the streets. On the other hand, it could be a neighbour in my street working with a sanding device or something. Who can tell with Kairos? Anything can happen, right? Sometimes my own environment because a logical part of the experience, where with any other music it usually is an intrusion. Kairos magic I call it.

Melancholy electronics move into and over the slow piano. It is not Depeche Mode, although it was hidden somewhere in Van der Wouden's music, this is Pieter Nooten once again. His album 'Stem' is filled with magical sounds and compositions. For some reason I have the image of Yorkshire moors in my head, with sheaths of fog moving in and out over the heather. Kate Bush is singing about Heathcliff and dancing in the fog between the heather that covers her ankles.

'Fieldz' becomes darker and darker, but it turns out the reason for this is that Ethernet (Tim Gray) is mixed into 'Fieldz'. Dark electronic sounds vibrate in my ears. Slowly meandering in volume. Higher notes played in the background with some cymbal playing in a corner. Real or synthetic, there's no telling. This is not the whole story as 'Dodecahedron' is mixed with sounds from a rain forest to. I can't call 'Dodecahedron' beautiful, yet the mysterious repetition does get to me in unsuspecting ways. The only thing is that I can't make out what it does. It isn't beauty, it isn't loathing, but it does involve some distancing from my daily musical attraction. Back to Corona days it seems.

Next, Eleni Era returns to Kairos with a song from her album 'Rise Love'. 'How' sounds more mysterious than I remember it. .No at work or a flawed memory? It doesn't matter as slowly but surely the beauty of Elena Era's music reaches me once again. Why do I not play this album more regularly? It's time for a physical copy, I think.

Luka is a singer from South Africa who lives and works in Rotterdam. Her debut singer 'Lost Today/Found Tomorrow' features in Kairos. The electronic song has that mystery woven into itself that makes it fit with the theme I've discerned from what I have heard in the past 50 minutes. A lot of the music brought me in a mood removed from reality. Music for fairytales and fantasy stories.

Slowly Luka's voice goes under in the electronic sounds of House of Cosy Cushions, one of .No's favourite Dutch artists. 'Halo' brings me to the beach. I'm under water. Serene and secure. Above me the sea is raging. Wave upon wave crashes on the water on top of me. While I'm below just looking up at the spectacle. Something that cannot be for a human but is in my mind right now.

Kairos ends with a more eastern oriented composition. 'Salve Me' by Thomas Barquee on the one hand sounds like the orchestra is warming up, all independent from each other. And in a way this is the case. Percussion sets in, bringing everyone together, kicking some instruments out even. "Omm" is sung, the musical meditation, that despite the different instruments seeming to tune up, had already announced itself. This music definitely sets a person in a specific mood. It is also almost tangible after all the mystery that went before in the previous 53 minutes. What a way to end this Kairos. Beautiful is the right word here.

Wo.

P.S. It even set me in a mood that while next listening to a new record to test it for a potential review, I thought it beautiful. This morning for the life of me I could not understand the attraction. Sorry, no review of Zsa Zsa. 

You can listen to this Kairos here:

https://www.concertzender.nl/programma/kairos_546763/


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g

This is this month's playlist:
00:00 – 03:23  Ella van der Woude. Sol Mineur. Album ‘Solo Piano’. Snowstar Records.
02:57 – 06:21  Pieter Nooten. Variation in F# Minor (fragment). Album ‘Stem’. Rocket Girl RGIRL115.
05:29 – 07:31  Harrold Roeland. Field Recording Set 4 – New South Wales (fragment). Album ‘The Long Way Round’. Self-released.
06:21 – 10:43  Donna Blue. In Between. Album ‘In Between’. Snowstar Records.
09:09 – 15:10  Harrold Roeland. Good Morning Southern Alps! (fragment). Album ‘The Long Way Round’. Self-released.
10:43 – 17:04  Edgar Wappenhalter. I travelled among unknown men (W. Wordsworth). Album ‘Morc #58’.
16:17 – 18:04  Harrold Roeland. Good Morning Southern Alps! (fragment). Album ‘The Long Way Round’. Self-released.
17:04 – 20:51  Pictish trail. Slow memories. Album ‘Thumb World’. Fire Records.
20:35 – 24:34  Pieter Nooten. Theme minimaliste II. Album ‘Stem’. Rocket Girl RGIRL115.
24:17 – 26:26  Klangstof. They Could Have Saved The Universe. Mind of a Genius.
24:37 – 24:45  Depeche Mode. Goodnight Lovers (fragment). Album ‘Exciter’. Mute RecordsLtd./Venusnote Ltd. 7243 8102432 4.
25:02 – 25:11  Depeche Mode. Goodnight Lovers (fragment). Album ‘Exciter’. Mute RecordsLtd./Venusnote Ltd. 7243 8102432 4.
26:01 – 26:10  Depeche Mode. Goodnight Lovers (fragment). Album ‘Exciter’. Mute RecordsLtd./Venusnote Ltd. 7243 8102432 4.
26:15 – 26:31  Depeche Mode. Goodnight Lovers (adapted fragment). Album ‘Exciter’. Mute RecordsLtd./Venusnote Ltd. 7243 8102432 4.
26:20 – 30:09  Depeche Mode. Goodnight Lovers. Album ‘Exciter’. Mute RecordsLtd./Venusnote Ltd. 7243 8102432 4.
29:49 – 32:22  Ella van der Woude. Fear of sleep. Album ‘Solo Piano’. Snowstar Records.
30:25 – 30:33  Depeche Mode. Goodnight Lovers (adapted fragment). Album ‘Exciter’. Mute RecordsLtd./Venusnote Ltd. 7243 8102432 4.
31:22 – 31:32  Depeche Mode. Goodnight Lovers (adapted fragment). Album ‘Exciter’. Mute RecordsLtd./Venusnote Ltd. 7243 8102432 4.
31:45 – 38:10  Pieter Nooten. Fieldz. Album ‘Stem’. Rocket Girl RGIRL115.
37:28 – 44:52  Ethernet (Tim Gray). Dodecahedron. Album ‘Opus 2’. Krank 173
40:51 – 41:40  Polyphony of deep rain forest (fragment). CD Ethnic series 4. Victor VDP-1100.
44:23 – 47:44  Eleni Era. How. Album ‘Rise Love’. Louvana Records.
44:57 – 45:35  Eleni Era. How (fragment). Album ‘Rise Love’. Louvana Records.
47:22 – 50:02  LUKA. Lost today, found tomorrow. Single. Snowstar Records.
49:30 – 53:56  House of Cosy Cushions. Halo. Album ‘Underground Bliss’. Outcast Cats.
53:02 – 59:57  Thomas Barquee. Salve Me. Album ‘Sacred Movement White Swan Yoga Masters Vol. 1’. White Swan.