Very very slowely I'm moving forward, away from day dreams and being stuck inside alone, towards a more interactive and social state of mind. The cold German January had frozen my motivation but at least the world turned white recently and I even spent an hour outside on Sat, throwing a disc in the parc, way past the point when the warm blood painfully reached my ice-cold fingers. I don't know what it is about snow, but it cheers me up beyond any explicable matters.
After getting over the first frustration over bureaucracy and missing stimulation in this country, and then giving up the idea of a short-term (mental) hibernation, I'm finally on my way back to a more balanced emotional management. I guess during my travels I had changed more than I was even aware of, and that transformation of course requires new ways of living, that I have yet to discover.
One way of coping with my momentary lapse of reasons to go forward, is to listen to and play as much music as possible. Though I wasn't very excited at first, I went to a concert of Girls in Hawaii on the weekend, which I didn't know many songs of but gave a good show. I especially liked their more folk-sounding pieces like I'm Not Dead and Misses, which have a desolate tune and yet powerfully pull me out of apathy. Also the show turned out brilliant because I had tons of fun hanging out with my friend Linda, when confusing stage workers with band members and cheerfully buying 0.5l beer for 2€.
And yet the support act left an even bigger impression: BRNS. Above all their drummer played liked crazy until the end of the last song, when the drum sticks just fell out of his hands. They are also from Belgium and also have an overload of dark-themed songs (I know Brussels is quite grey but is it really that bad?), but their music turns out more energetic and less compromising than Girls In Hawaii. Now here's a short review on their incredibly good album WOUNDED, and you all best put seat belts on your ears, because it's gonna be a hell of a ride!
(I wonder if the player shows up?)
The album starts off intense and strange with Clairvoyant, giving a good impression what kind of sound to expect, and yet it's just the beginning of what BRNS is capable of. Deathbed keeps up the beat while being a lot more organized and giving more depth, without sounding depressive. Then comes my favourite track, Mexico, a great tune my heart is beating along with and my feet are itching, as I'm torn in between dancing and dreaming. Here Dead He Lies sounded especialy impressive live, as I mentioned the drummer is very passionate, but even the studio version makes me wanna put on my running shoes and skid through the snow. As the rather slow track on this album, Thru The Graveyard still doesn't fail to supply a good beat, though the follow-up The Story Of Bible quickly outmatches it with a catchy built-up, led by well-performed guitar riffs and lyrics reminding me of a Decemberists-song, and outbursts of energy like they were so typical for Colourful Grey in the early Frankfurt years. Our Lights with it's swaying intensity is the perfect final track of the album, as it leaves me humming the lyrics and instantly wanting to hit the replay button.
I like WOUNDED because it's interesting music, new and yet familiar in it's striking drum patterns. The album has a peculiar sound, somewhere in between the borders of the usual indie-pop - and far beyond it's comfort zone. If my impression doesn't sound convincing, maybe read a review from somebody better with words describing music, while I'm off to play my uke a bit.
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