A very nice review of the Contrastate compilation CD has just appeared in the latest issue of Vital Weekly. Copies are still available direct (blackroserecordings@yahoo.co.uk) or from outlets such as AufAbwegen, Cold Spring, Drone, Millstone Vinyl, Tesco Organisation, etc.
CONTRASTATE - RECORDED EVIDENCE II (CD by Black Rose Recordings)
Over the years I must have recounted many a time my love-hate relationship with Contrastate, having liked the first two records a lot, and then when they became a trio and vocals went to the foreground I was less of a fan (and 'hate' is a too strong word). But I have been following their work over all these years with much interest. This new CD is actually not a new work, but a collection of "rare and unreleased" bits. You would think this the follow0up to 'Recorded Evidence I', but I can't find evidence of its
existence. The tracks span a period of some twenty-seven years, from their 1993 7" by Dying Earth Europe to 2019, a track they did for a compilation cassette by Fourth Dimension (see Vital Weekly 1214). This is a fine showcase of what this band is all about. If it is the name you heard but have no idea about the music, then this could serve as a very good introduction. It covers the many musical grounds this group walks upon. The ambient and drone atmospheres, the spoken word pieces (or rather the music pieces of which spoken word is a part), the melodic touches and the esoteric ritual side this music also has. And none of this is very strict, everything blurs together; a piece can start out in a drone/ambient fashion and then evolve into something that is a collage of sound, spoken word and a bit ritualistic drumming. 'Revolution Sera La Nom De La Civilisation' is such a piece. Some of this is a bit too much over the top for my taste, but then, so I was thinking, this might very well
be something that Contrastate loves doing. Playing out the theatrics of it all, to be different than all the others in this crowded musical field. To be serious silly at the same time as serious and contemplating. Great stuff! (FdW)
