The Hu "Gereg" 2019****

It was two years ago in December, when music magazines published their best-of-the-year lists, that I first came across the name of The Hu - I remember remarking in this blog that only Classic Rock magazine could have included both The Who and The Hu among the year's best. So I checked the band on youtube, and I liked what I saw. Also: Mongolian folk metal? How can a genre this cool be missing from my collection? Strangely enough, this is wasn't my first encounter with Mongolian rock: a friend of mine spent some time with nomads on the Mongolian steppes, and brought back the CD of a local band called Mohanik. I made a copy which I've listened to from time to time but, good as it is, it's really alternative rock often imbued with oriental melody. On the other hand, Hu belong to a different genre; plus their CD is easier to get, so I went ahead and ordered it from amazon.

The members of Hu apparently all have music diplomas and come from Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator, a Soviet-style "modern" city - so, urban kids rather than the yak-herding nomads most of us envision when we think of Mongolia. But they're clearly in love with their country's nomadic and war-like past, and their lyrics and music reflect that: while many other folk rock bands employ traditional instruments only to give a folk color to their music, here they are often placed in the frontline, especially the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle), while other instruments include the Tovshuur (a kind of lute), Tumur Khuur (jaw harp), and Tsuur (flute). These are all relatively crude compared to their Western counterparts and indeed Mongolian melodies don't have the complexity of Western music, but they usually have a pleasant buccolic quality and soothing effect. In The Hu's case, however, these are often amplified and played in a galloping, militaristic, manner. Combined with the loud and hollow drums, it makes for an exhilerating noise that rockers can identify with. The band combine mainstream rock vocals with that highly idiosyncratic guttural throat singing of the region which became more widely known in the 90's when Huun-Huur-Tu briefly became "world music" stars. I never expected to hear it in the context of rock, but it seems pretty natural - after all in metal we're accustomed to deep booming voices and otherworldly growls. Throat singing is practiced by all Hu members, often in harmony. It is the first human sound we hear on the opener "The Gereg", whose propulsive riff and repetitive chorus are strangely reminiscent of Rammstein. The band's rousing choruses are probably the main factor in the band's success with rock/metal audiences: instantly catchy, they make you want to sing along even though you don't understand a single word, which (seeing as the band sings in their mothertongue) probably is the case for all of us. The first song I heard from The Hu, and probably the most westernized of all, is "Yuve Yuve Yu". It's basically a Status Quo-like boogie with a bluesy riff and catchy chorus, while "Shoog Shoog", with its riff and chorus reminding us of bands like AC/DC and Rammsten, is another tune that may instantly appeal to Western ears. "Wolf Totem" is introduced with the atmospheric sounds of the morin khuur, before it's taken over by a metallic riff, sinister throat singing and defiant war cry "Hu!Hu!Hu!Hu!". "The Great Chinggis Khaan" is slower, with hefty throat singing and a suitably heavy/epic chorus, while the rest of the album is closer to folk than metal, similar to a heavier form of traditional Chinese music - with the obvious exception of the vocals which are unique to Mongolia. These may be less exhilerating for rock fans; I find myself less carried away by the energy and more attentive to the musicians' playing: especially the horsehead fiddle on "Mother Swan",  Jew's harp on "The Same" and flute on "Shireg Shireg". Needless to say, masterful as their playing and deep as their knowlegde of traditional music is, the real draw here is their ability to dumb down this ancient spiritual music into something Western teenagers can enjoy, by combining it with big fat riffs, punchy choruses, and the kind of boastful lyric one expects from the likes of Manowar. Don't get me wrong: the dumbing down is the genius move that turns what would otherwise be an indulgence for chin-stroking intellectuals into something fresh and fun to listen -or, occasionally, headbang- to. One final word of praise must go to the production: It's very clean, the sound is full but never clattered, with the instruments clearly audible. It's nuanced, heavy at the right places and lyrical at other. I especially like the drum sound, the playing is not fast or loud, but huge, hollow and imposing where appropriate. This is for sure one of the most original metal CDs I've heard in the last decade!

***** for The Gereg, Wolf Totem, Shoog Shoog, Yuve Yuve Yu

**** for The Great Chinggis Khaan, The Legend of Mother Swan

*** for The Same, Shireg Shireg, The Song Of Women

Les Pirates Avec Dany Logan ‎"Le Rock Des Années 60 Vol.1" 1961-1962(rec) 1973(comp)***

I got this LP, together with and a bunch of others, from the bargain bin of a record shop in Tours, France. I had never heard most of these bands, so I just chose some judging by the cover, thinking that at €1 per piece they were worth the risk. I later searched for some info on Les Pirates, but couldn't find much: they appeared in '61 with "Oublie Larry", a French-language version of Del Shannon's "Hats Off To Larry" which they cut only a couple of months after the original's release. It was backed by French versions of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls Of Fire" ("Tu Mets Le Feu") and "Let's Talk About Us" ("Je Bois Du Lait"), and "Le Jet" (Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist"). The EP sold relatively well, and the band had a busy year recording more EP's, appearing on TV, and giving concerts around Paris, including a short residency at the famous Olympia Theater, amusingly sponsored by the French Committee of Milk Producers who must have taken the band's song "Je Bois Du Lait" ("I Drink Milk") way too seriously. The next year, band members starting getting called up for (then still compulsory) military service, resulting in an unstable line-up and subsequent breakup. They hadn't released any LP's during their original run, but their songs were later compiled into LP's like this one. All of them are American rock'n'roll hits with French lyrics. The band is enthusiastic and proficient enough, so whether you'll like this record depends on how you feel about classic oldies re-interpreted in French - a language which isn't always a natural fit for this music. It's clearly meant to be a party record, only slowing down twice for covers of Elvis' "Danny" and "One Night" (as "Un Jour Sans Toi"). Besides the 4 songs from their debut, other highlights include "Comme Un Fou" (Elvis' "Blue Suede Shoes"), Je Te Dis Merci, (Marty Wilde's "It's Been Nice") , "Laissez-Nous Twister" (Sam Cook's "Twistin' The Night Away"), and "Le Locomotion" (obviously Little Eva's "Locomotion"). Little more than a curio, but fun nevertheless.

**** for Tu Mets Le Feu, Je Bois Du Lait, Comme Un Fou, Le Jet

*** for Oublie Larry, Dany, Je Te Dis Merci, Laissez Nous Twister, Caroline, De Tout Mon Coeur, Le Loco-Motion

** for Un Jour Sans Toi

My French Road Trip , including visiting Record Shops in Pas De Calais, Normandy, and the Loire Valley.

I recently returned from a road trip in the north of France. It was a long time in planning, but kept getting postponed, lately due to the pandemic. Well, we may not yet be finished with Covid-19 but there's no time like the present: we're fully vaccinated, and there was a lull lately with corona cases (which unfortunately seems to be over by now). We were still careful: we didn't use any public transports, and were relieved to notice that every restaurant, museum, or shop we visited asked for the our health pass/vaccination certificate before admitting customers in. I was struck by the beauty of the French countryside and small villages (we avoided the main highways, opting for the scenic route instead). During the trip, I also indulged my record hunting hobby whenever possible, so I thought I'd share the relative info (along with some travel tips) with the rest of you.

Hauts-De-France

Ypres is actually in Belgium, but close enough to France for me to include in this part of our road trip. This beautiful Flemish town had been pounded to dust during successive battles on World War I (1914-1918), but has since been rebuilt and retains its timeless charm. The scale of the madness of that war is unbelievable: by adding the numbers on wikipedia, the toll of the dead in the small stretch of land around Ypres rises to 1 -1,4 million. The weather on the way was appropriately somber, as was the music: somewhat literal-mindedly, I had put on Tinderstick's Ypres, a mostly instrumental album composed in commemoration of the victims of W.W. I. We stopped here for a couple of hours before midday, and the only record shop wouldn't be open for a few hours yet. According to Google, opening times on Friday are 2:30pm-2:00am. At first I thought it was a typo, but apparently it's correct: Vinyl and Chill is a cafe/bar that also sells records, hence the name and weird opening times. Sounds like a great proposition, sorry to have missed it. It gets good reviews, so it'd be a shame not to visit if you're in the neighborhood. On the French side, we stopped at Saint-Omer and Montreuil-Sur-Mer. I can recommend a visit to the former's library and to the latter's medieval citadel, but no record shops since, as far as I know, there aren't any. Interesting fact: Montreuil is the town that apparently inspired Victor Hugo to write Les Miserables - in the summer there's a spectacle bringing the masterpiece to life, supposedly an unmissable experience. Before embarking on the trip, I had resolved to buy local wines and ciders at every stop, but apparently the Pas-De-Calais region doesn't produce any of note. What they do make is artisanal beers and fruit-based aperitifs. Of course I got some, but I have yet to try them, so I can't say whether they are a must-try kind of thing. We then spent a night at the old fortified part of town in Boulogne-Sur-Mer. From there we could easily take a stroll along the castle ramparts, or visit France's longest crypt: situated under the cathedral, featuring great murals, and not as claustrophobic as you'd expect, it is highly recommended. To visit Sono Music (Rue Nationale 131), I had to leave the castle and walk downwards for 7 minutes. It sports a good collection of RSD items, and vinyls new (€20-30) and old (rather overpriced €15-30) as well as few CD's. About 50% of the albums are French music. Of course, like in every major French city, one can also buy records in the local FNAC store (65-67 Rue Faidherbe). On the way back, one week later, we spent a night at another town in this region, Arras. Also quite beautiful, with two impressive Flemish-style town squares and nice shops and restaurants, it is home to a record store called Big Star Records (8 Rue des Balances). It wasn't open when I visited (Saturday afternoon & Sunday), but I could see it was rather large and had many vinyls on display. It goes without saying that there are many more record stores in Hauts-De-France; first and foremost in its biggest city, Lille. But we left it out of this particular road trip, so any presentation of its record shops will have to wait.

Normandy

The next days we drove a lot around Normandy. Unfortunately, we reached its capital Rouen on Saturday afternoon, and I didn't get to visit any record shops, as they all close from Saturday afternoon to Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. I will mention some here anyway: there's Select Records (97 Rue de la Vicomte, old/new vinyl and hi-fi), Aesthetic Circle (41 Rue des Bonnetiers), Un Son Impure (37 Rue Beauvoisine, Lp's new/used) Urban Shop (72 Rue Cauchoise, seems to be specialized in hip hop), and a 2nd hand/vintage store that seems to deal in everything including vinyl, called Ouh la la! (46 Rue aux Ours). Even though I missed out on all of them, it was fun to walk around the old town, visit an interactive museum on Jean D'Arc, and the Gothic cathedral. This majestic building, consecrated in 1063 by William The Conqueror, houses the remains of his ancestor Rollo the first Duke of Normandy (yes, the one from the Vikings series, though his portrayal there was heavily -if not completely- fictionalized) as well as the heart of his great-great-grandson, Crusader king Richard The Lionheart. You just get overawed, standing next to the mortal remains of such legendary figures. And hungry - luckily there was a big open market for food and local produce on that weekend. There, I bought some hydromel, the fermented honey mead one reads about in historical romance. While it's not something you readily find in liqueur stores, French farmers still make their own and sell it at local markets. It's similar but different to hypocras, another medieval drink which is basically wine infused with honey and various spices. The latter is much rarer, though I did buy a bottle from the gift shop of the abbey on Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Now, this place is one of the main reasons I wanted to visit Normandy, and did not disappoint me at all. It's so impressive that you think it must surely be an imaginative artists' creation, maybe an illustration for the Game Of Thrones books or some similar fantasy series. It is a fortified town built around a Benedictine abbey on a tidal island connected to the nearby marshes during the morning ebb, and isolated from land during high tide. Next to its religious significance, it was a strong defensive position that proved to be impervious to repeated attempts of conquest by the English during the 100-Year War. Long-time readers would expect me to make a culinary remark by now, and they would be right: The most famous dish on the island is Mère Poulard's famous omelet, so we had to try it. The original chef has of course been dead for 80 years, and an omelet in her old (Michelin star) restaurant costs €35 and requires reservation, so we settled for one of the competitors that advertised they followed the original recipe. Well, it was certainly the fluffiest omelet I had ever eaten (and, at €22, still the most expensive), but not the tastiest at all! As for the omelet at the famous Mère Poulard restaurant, most reviewers describe it similarly to what I myself tasted, so I highly doubt it's worth its price. As you may have already guessed, the small commune inside the island walls doesn't have a record shop, and neither did some other (nevertheless highly recommendable) destinations in our trip, like the beautiful seaside towns of Honfleur, Deauville and Trouville. I did have better luck in Caen, capital of the cider-making Calvados region. Of course I bought a bunch of different ciders to try, and the famous apple brandy that bears that region's name, as well as another drink I hadn't heard of before: it's called pommeau, and it's a mixture of Calvados and apple juice that's left to age in oak barrels for 30 months. It has a 16–18% alcohol percentage, and it's drunk as an aperitif. But I was going to tell you about the record shops: I visited two of them, plus the local Fnac store, all very close to each other. This Fnac (25 Rue de Bras, inside the Paul-Doumer department store) has a big vinyl department, all new of course. Most LP's cost €25-32, some offers for €17-25, and a few jazz/rockabilly ones for €10. CDs are noticeably cheaper, while there are also listening stations. Very close to it (43 Rue de Bras) you can find Sonic-Records. The shop gets some bad reviews on google, citing the owner's attitude as rude, but that was not my impression. The man is friendly enough, he was willing to speak English with me, and to answer my questions. He promoted his online shop, saying that the physical shop only holds 20% of his merchandise while the rest can be found here. It wouldn't hurt to take a look online before you visit. The shop has an especially good post punk/new wave collection, but you can find all styles incl. French music, jazz, rock, soul etc. New LP's cost mostly  €20-30, while used LPs and CDs cost €10-20; prices in general are quite reasonable. Espace Disc (7 Rue Arcisse de Caumont) has a big CD/DVD inventory. Used CD's cost mostly €5,90-9,90. LP's (about 40% French and 60% international rock/pop) go for €10-25 (used) or €20+ (new). The stereo was playing The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking when I got in, I was surprised because I hadn't heard it for ages, actually not since I reviewed it for this blog, and not for a very long time before I did. It sounded better than I remembered.

Loire Valley

On the way to the Loire valley, we stopped at Le Mans (typically part of the same region). The city is famous for its 24 hour car race, but I couldn't care less about that. During the stop, I tried to get to both of the city's independent record stores: The first one, Vinyles Store France (4 All. du Bourg d'Anguy) was supposed to be open, but the owner/clerk had just put a sign on the door with his telephone number, and disappeared. Maybe he had an emergency, or more probably just didn't feel like working that day. At least the second one Unik Music (104 Rue Nationale) was open. A little further from the center, this shop seems to have a specialty in world music: lots of Afro & Caribbean LP's, music from the Maghreb, Pakistan, Latin America etc. Used LP's around €15-25, new ones €25+. The city also has a quite large Fnac (inside Les Jacobines Mall, 13 Rue Claude Blondeau). Next stop on our journey, Tours. I didn't know what to expect, but I absolutely loved its vibe! The city houses a big university and is home to some 20,000 students. It's full of bars and restaurants, many options to go out, and lots of young people hanging out till late at night. In a city with a demographic like that, I always expect to find good record shops, and the first one didn't disappoint me: Passe Passe Store had many good records at reasonable prices: used LP's mostly went for €8-15, while there were some for €3 or €1 - not just junk, too. I left with a big bagfull of (mostly cheap) LP's. Based on the number of Japanese editions available, it seems that the owner has business connections with Japan, or travels there regularly. There were also lots of Latin and world music records, pop, rock, jazz and prog. I also tried to visit another shop called Madison Records. Unfortunately, although the opening times stated on the door coincided with the ones google gave, the shop was closed - this time there wasn't even a note. Shame, because the records on the front window piqued my interest. Inside, I could see mostly vinyl LP's, some CD's and music-related merchandise. I kinda liked the neighborhood, too (it's on 135 Rue Colbert). It's a bit further from the center, but has interesting shops. Now that I'm checking the internet again, I see two more record stores: O'CD (45/47 Rue Marceau) and Baromètre (13 Rue du Petit Saint-Martin). I must have ignored them because Google describes the former as a DVD shop and the latter as an appliance store. A more careful look at the photos and reviews would have revealed they both sell music CD's and vinyl. Anyway, I doubt I'd have the time to visit them all anyway. For those interested in cooking, there's an amazing shop with spices from all around the world called Terre Exotique with the sublabel "Civilisations & Gastronomy". It's based on a beautiful mansion on the bank of the Loire, a few kilometers outside Tours. We stopped there on the way to the castle of Amboise, and my partner bought all kinds of nice stuff. There are almost 300 chateaus on the Loire valley and we would have loved to see them all, but chose the royal castle of Amboise for its history: Leonardo Da Vinci was a guest here, and is buried in its chapel. Many other historical personages have lived here too. If you've seen the TV series Reign which concerns the young Mary Stuart a.k.a. Mary Queen of Scotts, a lot of it is supposed to take place in Amboise even though it's actually filmed in Ireland. A visit is certainly recommended. Last stop, the city of Orléans. Probably the best record shop I visited in this trip was Planète Claire (11 Rue Croix de Malte). It is packed with records (and CDs) of all kinds. I was especially interested in  the many garage rock/post punk/alternative records, but there was also classic & hard rock, jazz, psychedelia etc. Used LP's mostly cost  €9-16, new ones  €17-30, and CD's  €6-8, all pretty affordable. After an hour of browsing around, I took a handful of records to the cash register where I was informed they didn't accept any cards, so I had to leave most of my choices behind. The other independent record store in town is Haffidread Records (133 Rue de Bourgogne, at the center of the old town). It's only open 2-7 p.m. so I didn't catch it open, but it gets good reviews for its selection, prices, and for its affinity with reggae. On the same street (Rue de Bourgogne 239) I also passed a second-hand store selling records, books, CDs etc. May be worth a look, too.

All in all, this was a great road trip. I didn't have much luck with the record shops, many of them were closed even during their self-proclaimed opening times (that's France for you!). But it was full of amazing sights, experiences, and tastes. I could give a lot of pointers on the latter, but I'll try to keep it short: Sample all the local alcoholic beverages. Eat any local cheeses they serve, especially the smelly ones. Don't be afraid of the frog legs, they're delicious even though there's very little meat on them. Skip the pricey omelet at Mont St. Michel, but don't leave Honfleur without tasting the sea food in one of the taverns. If you're on a budget, you can subsist on crêpes or their savory counterparts, galettes. Do not order any dish with ris, unless you're feeling brave! I thought it meant rice (which is riz), but it really means "sweetbreads", which is a fancy word for pancreas, thymus glands, ovaries and testicles. It was the only dish I didn't manage to finish on this trip.

Lambchop "Nixon" 2000****

Each time I see an album given glowing reviews by the press, I can't help but wonder whether it will prove to be a future classic or get forgotten after a decade or two. Lambchop's Nixon got great reviews when it was released, and was even awarded the Album Of The Year 2000 title by Uncut Magazine, prompting me to buy it at the time. I've since sometimes used it as background music, but given it little attention otherwise. So when my random album selection method picked it for review in this blog, I was curious to see whether, 20 years after its release, I'd recognize it as a classic album. Seeing that Lambchop come from Nashville Tennessee, one expects to hear some country influences in their music. It's in there somewhere, but don't expect the familiar country twang: the band's sound initially was understated indie folk, augmented with judicious string and brass arrangements that made them sound like a cross between The Cowboy Junkies and Tindersticks. Singer/songwriter Kurt Wagner remains the focal point for Lambchop, which by this time had grown into a 13-member band, not counting session musicians. Despite that fact, the music is always breezy, never busy. Wagner himself employs two different singing styles: One is a sing-talking voice that reminds me of Leonard Cohen, packing similar warmth but without Cohen's gravitas. The other is a surprising falsetto that he seems to have copied from Prince, and probably uses here a bit too liberally - most notably in tracks "You Masculine You" and "What Else Could It Be?" - both fine songs, despite the unconvincing, pseudo-black, falsetto. "Grumpus" is another mid-tempo funky piece. The arrangements here are reminiscent of the smooth soul of Barry White and Isaac Hayes (I'm talking Hayes, as in his version of "Walk On By", not "Shaft"), but apparently since he can't emulate their rich baritone, he tries for Prince's high register. The result isn't sensual as in the case of the aforementioned black artists, but it is quite warm and pleasant, at least to my ears. The tempo is generally pretty slow, with two exceptions: lead single "Up with People" is rather upbeat, with the handclaps and choir giving it a gospel colour. Closer "The Butcher Boy" is also fast, with relatively louder drums and a more abrasive, experimental guitar sound. Penultimate track "The Petrified Florist" may differ in its lethargic pace and sparse arrangements, but also makes for a relatively "difficult" listening. Their placement at the end of the disc is probably meant to undermine the comfortable feeling created by the previous smooth easy listening sounds, and to remind you you're still listening to an "underground" artist - in case you weren't listening to the lyrics, which is a twisted, David Lynch-like, take on American suburban life. In interviews, Wagner trolled reporters about Nixon being a concept album about the same-named former U.S. president, but apparently the title was inspired by the album cover, not the other way round. So, is Nixon a classic album after all? I'd say yes - not just because of its quality, but also of the sense that something new is happeing here, that this mix of country, chamber pop, alt-rock, and soul is a bold and successful experiment. Its follow-up Is A Woman is another great step in the same direction - with the funk overtones slightly turned down. Only downside: the lack of any great standalone songs, with the exception of "Up With People". But as a whole... the atmosphere, the arrangements, the musicians' playing, everything about it is top notch!

***** for Grumpus, Up with People

**** for The Old Gold Shoe, Nashville Parent, What Else Could It Be?, The Book I Haven't Read, 

*** for You Masculine You, The Distance from Her to There, The Petrified Florist, The Butcher Boy