Left of the Lastovers

During the course of Trip-hop February, I decided two groups warranted deeper delving. 

They are Mudville & Swandive...

Mudville was one of my favotite post-Trip-hop outfits. Mudville is mainly Benny "Cha Cha" Rubin & Marilyn Carino. Before they formed Mudville, the two released an album of soul-jazz under Marilyn's name. 

 

Marilyn Carino - Long Island Lulu, Lorelei Records Lorelei 1222, 1988.
all decryption codes in comments

The Body & Minds of Ordinary Beings
8 Winds
This Hollywood Life
Coal Black Sailor
Mayflower
Blue Jay Way (Beatles’ cover)
Sugar

 

 

 

 

After Mudville called it a day, Marilyn went on to record several more solo outings. Her debut solo album is a startling meld of sonic & lyric contrasts. These nine songs, with their downbeat tempos, shimmering layered sometimes angular textures, & criss-crossing rhythmic / drenched-in-soul melodic architectures, swallow the listener whole.

 

 

Marilyn Carino - Little Genius, Marilyn Carino self-released, 2011.

Whisper
Time Bomb
S'Cool
No Disgrace
Monster Heavy
Special Dark
I Will Have Everything
King of the World
Modern Love (David Bowie cover)

 

 

 

 

Her follow-up was written, recorded, mixed, & performed solely by Carino except for the track  "War & Peace", written by Marilyn Carino with Mike Mills (R.E.M. bassist), This release is a collection of vocal / lyric driven soundscapes; head-space grooves formed from layered, Moogy synths & stark beats.

The album's title comes from a Frida Kahlo installation Carino saw, which featured monochrome rooms, for each of which a sign noted Kahlo's feeling about the various colors. Yellow was madness, blue was peace, & green was leaves, sadness, science. The ten tracks on the album echo the graphic, challenging, & charged paintings of Kahlo, who's work, "Moses (Nucleus of Creation)" graces the album's cover.

 

 

 

Marilyn Carino - Leaves, Sadness, Science, Marilyncarino.com, 2015.

Tell Me
Fissure
In Case of the Punks
When the Innocents Go to War
Paen a la Nina
Eden
Science
C'mon
Veda
War & Peace (feat. Mike Mills) 

 

 

 

 

Swandive only released two albums during their short career. They then split up over "musical differences".  Lead singer Ann Kathrin Lüthi went on to a successful solo career using the stage name Annakin.

Here's my favorite by Annakin, her third...

 

 

 

 

Annakin - Icarus Heart, Phonag Records0081441PHO, 2011.

Tin God    
The Trooper    
Brainsauce I & II    
Elephants & Trees    
Playing Dead    
Second Skin    
It's a Sin    
Part of Mine    
Digging Out the Sun    
White Noise    
Sweet Awekening

 

 

 

 

She has a brand new release that I'll kindly share...

 

 

Annakin - Cocoon, Phonag Records 0082920PHO, 2023.

Side A -
Marian
Silenceland
Want You
The Cradle Man
Leeside

Side B -
Hero
Six Thirty-Two
Beautiful Illusions
Taken by Two
Blood Moon

Enjoy,
NØ