Who: Duo – Tasha and Zack – from Brooklyn, NY, formed in 2016. Their music draws from dream pop, shoegaze, and post-punk revival
Track: ‘DON’T WAKE UP, WAKE UP’ – first single from their debut album
out 1 November via Substitute Scene Records
Score: Wow! What a jaw-dropping debut this is! ‘Don’t Wake Up, Wake Up‘ rushes and
races fiercely like if somebody chases you in a nightmare and you have no clue how to escape. Screaming guitars, ablaze percussion and urgent vocals all add to the anxious impact of this bang-up buster. Sturdy stuff! Antsy turbulence!
Basically LEOPARD SKULL is just a Belgian singer/songwriter. But one who loves to dream 24/7, one who gets lost in his own and other ones’ thoughts, one who makes a far-out sort of tranquilizing music with a psychedelic twist so your chaotic mind can join the fun too. Think of Syd Barrett, deep down in some of his tranquil moods, having an exhilarating jam with Brian Eno, the legendary atmospheric sound explorer while Beck doing some backing vocals.
Leopard Skull is one of those many imaginative musers who became a musician to avoid, as much as possible, reality’s boredom and real-life itself. Yes, expect a kind of self-made weirdo who writes puzzling tunes for all other weirdos, like us, who have not the talent to do so. Enough reasons to have a chat with the man, but before starting the acquaintance let’s have breakfast with this peculiar artist…
Hello Leopard,
Welcome, let’s talk…
1. Why did you choose an alias to present your music to the public
and who is that guy called LEOPARD SKULL actually?
“I chose Leopard Skull as an alias because my birth name has a weird meaning in English. It’s also nice to have an extra front, this way certain things don’t get smacked in your face too hard. The Leopard Skull guy is a weirdo, he doesn’t like to be labeled with genres, it kind of annoys him. He likes to write music (duh) and likes to experiment with sounds
and progressions. He hopes to continue making interesting music.”
2. What’s your signature track so far to introduce yourself with?
“Well, to start with, I think the Leopard Skull books exist of two chapters at the moment, the first one was a rough sounding, surfy chapter with ‘Beach Crawler’ as signature track. The second chapter has just begun, but already sounds a lot more grown-up, but I don’t know if it already has a signature track. If you can trust YouTube statistics, ‘My Thoughts’ will be this chapter’s track.”
3. Your new album is titled ‘WELCOME HOME’. So, who got
back home and where has he/she been?
“As I was recording and puzzling the record I noticed a certain pattern about mental disorders and being afraid of it or being interested in what a person suffering such disorder would feel like. Like creating a different world where you start with checking in,
in the ‘The Weak’ hotel and going through a different number of disorders to be welcomed home again after that trip, where you can find peace and quiet. The song called ‘Welcome Home’ is actually made with sounds recorded in the streets of my hometown and sounds of daily life at home.”
4. The LP’s artwork is pretty kooky? Who designed it and what’s the story behind it?
“It was made by the incredibly talented visual artist Jan Vandeplancke! I met Jan at our favorite bar in Ghent and asked him if he wanted to make the artwork for this record. At his apartment, he showed me a bunch of his paintings, this way I could pick some favorites and give him a lead for what I’d like the artwork of ‘Welcome Home’ to be. But there was this one painting that kept haunting my mind: the pickle!”
5. ‘DUNES’ is one of my favorite tracks. Sounds like two songs in one. What is the song about and how came it together musically?
“It indeed originally started as two separate songs that were each stuck in someplace,
that I couldn’t go on with it. Something was missing and I didn’t know what exactly. But after a few months, it came all together in my head while sitting at my desk of my daytime job. I rushed home after work and combined the pieces and I made it work. As for the meaning of ‘Dunes’, before finishing the song I had a few conversations with people who are suffering from insomnia. So eventually the song ended up about being afraid of becoming an insomniac. I really need my sleep. It seems horrible to be tired but still
not being able to catch some sleep.”
. 6. What records/songs were you listening to during the recording of the album and did any music or artist had an influence on ‘the making of’ WELCOME HOME?
“At some point in time when I was completely stuck with the whole songwriting, my friend Charles Vanderborght, drummer of Mountain Bike sent me ‘Here Come the Warm Jets’ by Brian Eno. This album led to a much needed creative breakthrough for myself. Around
the same time I also rediscovered ‘The White Album‘, which I finally started to appreciate because of its ‘fuck it, we do our own thing’ kind of quality. I continued to dig into this particular musical era and was eventually also influenced by Kevin Ayers, John Cale,
Todd Rundgren…”
Brian Eno, the man of many sounds, influencing many artists…
7. What movie would you pick to show on a big screen behind you when
playing your new album live?
“That’s a hard one, I’m not really a movie connaisseur, but it would definitely be cool to have a whole animation film made by Triplophonic (Rafael Hilario and Samuel Dhoore) and screen it behind us. Triplophonic is the creator of the clip made for the ‘My Thoughts’ single. Haven’t they done a wonderful job? 4 minutes of their art is just too short!”
8. I saw you playing live some weeks ago. Instead of using tapes, as many solo artists do, you used a full band to get your music across. A statement or the only way you want an audience to experience your songs?
“I think it gives the whole performance a more energetic, dynamic vibe and I love to have the on-stage engagement with my friends, who are magnificent musicians. Also, I like how some songs take form and evolve when you play them live with good musicians, as they always have interesting ideas and their own styles to bring to the table.”
The Leopard Skull Orchestra…
9. When will ‘WELCOME HOME’ be a success for
you personally and as an artist & performer?
“As an artist, it’s already a success. I’m grateful that close friends and musicians like Mathias Stal, Ebert Dhuyvetters and Charles Vanderborght kept supporting me and pushing me forward through the process of making this record. And on top of that, Greg (EXAG’ Records) having faith in me is just a total blessing. I’m a happy man. As a performer, I love it when people sing along with the lyrics because I guess it means they truly and fully enjoy my music. That’s just an intense form of happiness. People buying my records, T-shirts or tote bags is of course also very cool, as well as when people come up to me after a show to have a chat. If the audience appreciates what I bring on stage, that’s all I need to be a content performer and have a good night.”
This is how a happy man looks like…
10. What’s the next step for LEOPARD SKULL?
“The next step is playing a lot of shows, letting people know this record exists. But I am already making blueprints for a new album. It’s nothing concrete yet, but my fingers start
tingling to record new sounds and songs. There’s also a bunch of new music in the making with buddies in other projects such as Accordion Planet 15, so I won’t be at rest for the next few months!”
Thanks for the chat Leopard
and success with your Skull!
You can stream brand new debut album ‘WELCOME HOME‘ here…
Trip-hop legends MASSIVE ATTACK released their second longplayer PROTECTION on
26 September 1994, 25 years ago. Although it seemed nearly impossible to match their groundbreaking debut classic Blue Lines this follow-up contained a series of significant tracks, enough to make it a critical and commercial success. The album peaked at #4 in the UK and #19 in the US.
AllMusic wrote: “Massive Attack’s sophomore effort could never be as stunning as Blue Lines, and a slight drop in production and songwriting quality made the comparisons easy. Still, from the first two songs Protection sounds worthy of their debut. The opening title track is pure excellence, with melancholy keyboards, throbbing acid lines, and fragmented beats perfectly complementing the transcendent vocals of Tracey Thorn… Tricky, another soon-to-be-solo performer, makes his breakout on this record, with blunted performances on “Karmacoma,” another highlight, as well as “Eurochild.” But even though the production is just as intriguing as on Blue Lines, there’s a bit lacking here. Massive Attack doesn’t summon quite the emotional power they did previously…” Full review here. Score: 4/5
Key tracks…
– KARMACOMA –
(My all-time fav MA track with vocals by Tricky)
Who: Firewoodisland is the alias of Bristol based Norwegian/Welsh multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Stian Vedøy and Abi Eleri. Their emotive and dynamic vocal harmonies together with the morphing of organic and digital instruments creates an atmospheric soundscape that is moving yet striking
Track: HOLLOW COVES – third single the duo’s 2nd self-titled LP out in 2020.
The song “is about reaching the point of having nothing left to give and meeting someone
with a fresh perspective who breathes new life into those empty places. It acts as a reminder that we’re not made to do life by ourselves” said the band in a chat with PopMatters
Score: This duo sounds like they’re living in a sort of fantasy land where everything illuminates and shines brightly. Their multi-layered harmonies remind me of Cocteau Twins‘ sonic promenades, otherworldly and spiritual. This is aural pleasure with a soothing and softening effect. Press play and start dreaming here…
IN UTERO is definitely my favorite NIRVANA album because it showed more and more how the great late terribly troubled KURT COBAIN was evolved into a a fantastic high-quality singer/songwriter. The LP, their third and final one, was released on 21 September 1993. It topped the UK Albums Chart four days after its release, 26 years ago today. It also hit the top spot of The US Billboard charts.
Who: “Since the release of their self-titled debut album back in 2013, Rev Rev Rev – based in Modena, Italy – have repeatedly been hailed as one of the finest new shoegaze bands. “
Album: KYKEON – released 20th September 2019
Sound: “A psychedelic drink made up of several ingredients, consumed during Eleusinian Mysteries, a set of rites, ceremonies and experiences held in the ancient Greece. Rev Rev Rev’s Kykeon is murky, ritualistic drone-rock including trance-like drumming, fuzzy reverberated guitars, tons of feedback and abrasive atonal sounds. But also Loveless-esque shoegaze sound with Laura Iacuzio’s shadowy, ethereal vocals emerging through all-consuming walls-of-noise.”
Last year ago I saw this quite talented Belgian singer-songwriter Ilayda Cicek aka ILA performing for the first time. It was an acoustic set. Just a guitar and a significant voice. Later on, she decided to add electricity to her heartfelt songs. She’s surrounded now
by a drummer and a guitarist with herself on electric guitar too. The turn around is overwhelming. So much more intensity, so much more passion and fire, also so much more confidence after playing a series of notable gigs.
Last Sunday I saw her performing once again. It felt like Jeff Buckley‘s ghost was in the house. Ila‘s bluesy musings and passionate reveries resonated as vulnerable, fragile and soul-stirring as Buckley‘s troubled introspections and disturbing contemplations once did. Ila‘s tense vocal timbre and highly sensitive discharge were at times similarly breathtaking as what we heard from that late great songwriter before. Quite an achievement!
After her 2018 self-titled 4-track live EP she will release her first studio record on 18th October. A new EP, titled Montagne. Ahead of it, here’s a first poignant cut called NUDE that summarizes everything what I experienced last Sunday. Discover the authentic beauty right here…
Now you’re here I definitely want to share this following live footage of HOME,
one of her most gripping songs so you’ll get an idea of her impressive live presence…
