20 March 2024

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,

2 comments:

  1. Long Island Lulu
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    Little Genius
    7WKWcTU4Zv-9Le-p2yvFFAE9dpMhgDEPRL22Dh9-qE0
    Leaves, Sadness, Science
    WiVvOf3M4CdHffIhhvRENZsfr6EwIScK10rO8Aa5JcM
    Icarus Heart
    0V_hp82EZ5YRTo4hW7R6LlGbNoXzTvK0eF4hLoh5IjU
    Cocoon
    CT_RSgtTW8tc3A_QBoUDCvVssigS1VXigfOHbZSZW9I

    ReplyDelete
  2. The world will be a slightly better place if she calls her next album Keepin' Up With Annakin.

    ReplyDelete