post-rock / shoegaze / drone
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Italian combo Vanessa Van Basten have been a cult band in the post-rock world for years and probably well known by fans of Nadja, Jesu and Pelican. I've reviewed them earlier when 'Ruins, Sketches and Demo's' and 'Disintegration ep' were released. I really like both albums so I was quite eager to get my ears on this one, which actually is a remastered and slightly altered reissue of their debut. As you might now, the band is currently on an indefinite hiatus.
The original version was badly recorded. There was Only 500mb ram available, laptop fan causing audio feedback, low quality instruments, neither drummer nor amplification. Because of that, an instant cult classic became a good album but nothing shocking, which actually is a shame. I've listened to this piece of work a lot in the past few days, each time rediscovering the true brilliance about it.
The remastered version is an awesome album, carefully balancing on the thin line between shoegaze, drone and post-rock. Of course I immediately think of Nadja and Jesu but, and that's a bit of brutal honestly, this one is way more varied than those two. In a way it feels like a young band, still searching for their definite sound but equally satisfied with an amalgamation of influences, as long as it sounds good.
This is the background music to Morgan Bellini's thoughts and emotions, to be enjoyed by people who like to imagine a movie while listening to it. I surely am one of those people and it's true, I enjoy this one a lot. 'Dole', 'Floaters' and the massive closer 'Good Morning Vanessa' are probably my favorites but I prefer listening to the whole album, mainly because it has something conceptual, something narrative and certainly something cinematic.
So my advice is simple, check it out and get your hands on one of those vinyls. Taxi Driver did a great job with this masterpiece and finally made it the cult classic it deserves to be. I can only hope that the indefinite hiatus of Vanessa Van Basten ends one day because they are on my 'to see live' list. But for now, I'll just imagine them playing this stunning album live...
Serge
The original version was badly recorded. There was Only 500mb ram available, laptop fan causing audio feedback, low quality instruments, neither drummer nor amplification. Because of that, an instant cult classic became a good album but nothing shocking, which actually is a shame. I've listened to this piece of work a lot in the past few days, each time rediscovering the true brilliance about it.
The remastered version is an awesome album, carefully balancing on the thin line between shoegaze, drone and post-rock. Of course I immediately think of Nadja and Jesu but, and that's a bit of brutal honestly, this one is way more varied than those two. In a way it feels like a young band, still searching for their definite sound but equally satisfied with an amalgamation of influences, as long as it sounds good.
This is the background music to Morgan Bellini's thoughts and emotions, to be enjoyed by people who like to imagine a movie while listening to it. I surely am one of those people and it's true, I enjoy this one a lot. 'Dole', 'Floaters' and the massive closer 'Good Morning Vanessa' are probably my favorites but I prefer listening to the whole album, mainly because it has something conceptual, something narrative and certainly something cinematic.
So my advice is simple, check it out and get your hands on one of those vinyls. Taxi Driver did a great job with this masterpiece and finally made it the cult classic it deserves to be. I can only hope that the indefinite hiatus of Vanessa Van Basten ends one day because they are on my 'to see live' list. But for now, I'll just imagine them playing this stunning album live...
Serge
