| Daniel Blumberg |
Minus (May 4th, 2018) |
Daniel Blumberg — Minus (May 4th, 2018)
˜˜˜ Objekt vzácné krásy a sofistikovanosti. Daniel Blumberg has found the balance between discordant avant~garde and sweet melody on Minus.
˜˜˜ Minus was recorded by legendary producer Peter Walsh (best known for his work with Scott Walker) with a group of radical musicians whom Blumberg met at Cafe Oto including Billy Steiger (violin), Tom Wheatley (double bass), Ute Kanngiesser (cello) and Terry Day (vocals). Jim White (Dirty Three) played drums on the album.
˜˜˜ On 11th April 2018 Cafe Oto’s Oto Roku released a live album, recorded at Cafe Oto on 28th February with Billy Steiger, Tom Wheatley and Ute Kanngiesser. It was mixed by Marta Salogni, recognised for her acclaimed work with Bjork, amongst others.
˜˜˜ Blumberg is a visual artist working in the medium of drawing. In 2015 he was awarded a scholarship to study a diploma in traditional drawing techniques at London’s prestigious Royal Drawing School and has had work exhibited at Christies.
Born: 1990
Origin: London, England
Genres: Alternative, Free Improvisation, Experimental, Indie rock, Slowcore
Album release: May 4th, 2018
Record Label: Mute
Duration: 44:21
Tracks:
01. Minus 5:42
02. The Fuse 3:46
03. Madder 12:33
04. Stacked 4:50
05. Permanent 5:04
06. The Bomb 4:58
07. Used to Be Older 7:28
Credits:
˜˜˜ DB (Harmonica, Steinberger Guitar, Piano, Vocals)
˜˜˜ Billy Steiger (Violin),
˜˜˜ Tom Wheatley (Double Bass),
˜˜˜ Jim White (Drums)
Review
Will Hodgkinson, May 4 2018, 12:01am, The Times; Score: *****
˜˜˜ Daniel Blumberg was only 15 when he formed the chirpy guitar band Cajun Dance Party. Then he went through a series of projects (Yuck, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Hebronix) before arriving, at the grand age of 27, with this remarkable debut in his own name.
˜˜˜ Blumberg has been through it recently: he split with his girlfriend, the actress Stacy Martin, lost a childhood friend, and was hospitalised for mental illness a week before recording the album with experimental musicians in a remote studio in Wales.
˜˜˜ He’s open about his turmoil. On the improvised Madder he sings about “full~on madness”, while the track Minus finds him reflecting on the desolation of a bad year. “I have been thinking that I think too much,” he concludes. ˜˜˜ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/
REVIEWER: JAMES BENTLEY; Score: ****
˜˜˜ An object of rare beauty and sophistication.
˜˜˜ Listening to this elegant, organic record you’d never believe that it was made by the once~frontman of Myspace~era teen art~rock band Cajun Dance Party. Having also graduated from shoegazers Yuck among others, Daniel’s latest project is easily his most mature work. It might also be his best.
˜˜˜ Opener ‘Minus’ immediately establishes the textures and tones that categorise the album as a whole. A pensive piano repetition partners double bass and mournful, scratching violins, evoking Warren Ellis’ Dirty Three, or indeed, the recent works of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Daniel’s wistful vocal, meanwhile, sits atop the moody instrumentation, sounding particularly angelic on ‘Stacked’.
˜˜˜ At the centrepoint of the album is the cacophonous ‘Madder’, a track that draws on the dissonant majesty of Talk Talk’s seminal ‘Spirit of Eden’. It adds tortured guitar squeals to the formula, and uses subtle dynamics to violently progress towards a climax somewhere in the middle of its gratuitous 13~minute runtime. Later, the cyclical gospel chorus of closing track ‘Used To Be Older’ ends the record on a particularly mesmeric high.
˜˜˜ All in all, this is an object of rare beauty and sophistication that posits Daniel Blumberg on a higher plain. ˜˜˜ http://diymag.com/
Label: http://mute.com/
˜˜˜ The first release under his own name. An astonishing work, the record weds an improvisational, free~music ethos to the rawest emotional songwriting, rooted deep in the personal turmoil Blumberg experienced whilst making the record.
˜˜˜ The first taste of Minus comes in the video for the title track, set in the shed where Daniel wrote most of the record and created the album artwork. It was edited in
˜˜˜ Budapest by award~winning Hungarian film editor David Jancso (White God, The
Childhood Of A Leader).
˜˜˜ The album was recorded live with legendary producer Peter Walsh (Scott Walker’s
collaborator since Climate Of Hunter) in just five days during a remote residential
stay in Wales, amidst a debilitating breakup with his partner of seven years along
with Blumberg’s ongoing struggle with mental illness which resulted in his
hospitalization just a week before recording.
˜˜˜ Blumberg had previously spent much of the last five years working solely within the
radical community of musicians centered on London’s Café OTO, where he has been regularly improvising with a host of forward~thinking, uncompromising musicians. ˜˜˜ From this community, Blumberg forged a strong creative relationship with violinist Billy Steiger and double bassist Tom Wheatley, and together they crafted a new, singular music centered on Blumberg’s songwriting. Much~revered drummer Jim White (Dirty Three, Smog, Cat Power) joined the trio for the album sessions. Still only 27 years old, Blumberg has written himself a rich musical history; from his teenage band who signed to XL whilst he was still at school, onto and through the projects of Yuck, Oupa and Hebronix, whilst solidifying close creative partnerships with the likes of David Berman (Silver Jews), Low, Lambchop and Royal Trux’s Neil Michael Hagerty (with whom Blumberg has performed as a member of the Howling Hex).
˜˜˜ With Minus, though, there is a sense that Daniel Blumberg has finally arrived at the place he has been searching for ~ an arresting and progressive work, one which is set to establish him as one of Britain’s most unique contemporary voices. Blumberg will support the album release with a series of live dates including a show at Rough Trade East and a residency at Café Oto. Performing with Daniel will be violinist Billy Steiger and double bassist Tom Wheatley. Jim White joins on select dates. Further dates to be announced.
Rough Trade Album of the Month: May 2018
˜˜˜ Rough Trade exclusive with Bonus CD. It features seven solos, one by each artist who played on Minus: Daniel Blumberg, Terry Day, Ute Kanngiesser, Billy Steiger, Tom Wheatley, Jim White and Seymour Wright. Daniel Blumberg’s Minus is an astonishing work; one that weds an improvisational, free~music ethos to the rawest emotional songwriting, rooted deep in the personal turmoil Blumberg experienced whilst making the record. Minus is an album about breakdowns: relationship breakdowns, mental and physical breakdowns, breakdowns in communication, and the breaking down of received methods and practices. And situated at the broken~down heart of the record lies a pathological preoccupation with a breakdown of trust. But out of all this, and through the arteries of the album’s seven tracks, pulses a sense of growing fortitude and an almost mantra~like effort to create a way back into the world. Key refrains sound like the fevered incantations of a soul willing itself to recover, to find its voice again, and to resurrect the broken~down self.
˜˜˜ Still only 27 years old, Blumberg has written himself a rich musical history; from his teenage band who signed to XL whilst he was still at school, onto and through the projects of Yuck, Oupa and Hebronix, whilst solidifying close creative partnerships with the likes of David Berman (Silver Jews), Low, Lambchop and Royal Trux’s Neil Michael Hagerty (with whom Blumberg has performed as a member of the Howling Hex). With Minus, though, there is a sense that Daniel Blumberg has finally arrived at the place he has been searching for.
˜˜˜ Minus pulls the listener into the deep and nuanced reaches of the human soul and proceeds to drag them through all its fractured ventricles. Although the album’s approach can be traced back to improvised avant~garde experimentation, the overriding impact for the listener is Blumberg’s remarkable songwriting, and his natural talent for melody and composition. Minus stands as an arresting and progressive work, one which is set to establish Daniel Blumberg as one of Britain’s most unique contemporary voices.
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/boiledeggink/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielBlumbergOfficial/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
| Daniel Blumberg |
Minus (May 4th, 2018) |
˜˜˜ Minus was recorded by legendary producer Peter Walsh (best known for his work with Scott Walker) with a group of radical musicians whom Blumberg met at Cafe Oto including Billy Steiger (violin), Tom Wheatley (double bass), Ute Kanngiesser (cello) and Terry Day (vocals). Jim White (Dirty Three) played drums on the album.
˜˜˜ On 11th April 2018 Cafe Oto’s Oto Roku released a live album, recorded at Cafe Oto on 28th February with Billy Steiger, Tom Wheatley and Ute Kanngiesser. It was mixed by Marta Salogni, recognised for her acclaimed work with Bjork, amongst others.
˜˜˜ Blumberg is a visual artist working in the medium of drawing. In 2015 he was awarded a scholarship to study a diploma in traditional drawing techniques at London’s prestigious Royal Drawing School and has had work exhibited at Christies.
Born: 1990
Origin: London, England
Genres: Alternative, Free Improvisation, Experimental, Indie rock, Slowcore
Album release: May 4th, 2018
Record Label: Mute
Duration: 44:21
Tracks:
01. Minus 5:42
02. The Fuse 3:46
03. Madder 12:33
04. Stacked 4:50
05. Permanent 5:04
06. The Bomb 4:58
07. Used to Be Older 7:28
Credits:
˜˜˜ DB (Harmonica, Steinberger Guitar, Piano, Vocals)
˜˜˜ Billy Steiger (Violin),
˜˜˜ Tom Wheatley (Double Bass),
˜˜˜ Jim White (Drums)
Review
Will Hodgkinson, May 4 2018, 12:01am, The Times; Score: *****
˜˜˜ Daniel Blumberg was only 15 when he formed the chirpy guitar band Cajun Dance Party. Then he went through a series of projects (Yuck, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Hebronix) before arriving, at the grand age of 27, with this remarkable debut in his own name.
˜˜˜ Blumberg has been through it recently: he split with his girlfriend, the actress Stacy Martin, lost a childhood friend, and was hospitalised for mental illness a week before recording the album with experimental musicians in a remote studio in Wales.
˜˜˜ He’s open about his turmoil. On the improvised Madder he sings about “full~on madness”, while the track Minus finds him reflecting on the desolation of a bad year. “I have been thinking that I think too much,” he concludes. ˜˜˜ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/
REVIEWER: JAMES BENTLEY; Score: ****
˜˜˜ An object of rare beauty and sophistication.
˜˜˜ Listening to this elegant, organic record you’d never believe that it was made by the once~frontman of Myspace~era teen art~rock band Cajun Dance Party. Having also graduated from shoegazers Yuck among others, Daniel’s latest project is easily his most mature work. It might also be his best.
˜˜˜ Opener ‘Minus’ immediately establishes the textures and tones that categorise the album as a whole. A pensive piano repetition partners double bass and mournful, scratching violins, evoking Warren Ellis’ Dirty Three, or indeed, the recent works of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Daniel’s wistful vocal, meanwhile, sits atop the moody instrumentation, sounding particularly angelic on ‘Stacked’.
˜˜˜ At the centrepoint of the album is the cacophonous ‘Madder’, a track that draws on the dissonant majesty of Talk Talk’s seminal ‘Spirit of Eden’. It adds tortured guitar squeals to the formula, and uses subtle dynamics to violently progress towards a climax somewhere in the middle of its gratuitous 13~minute runtime. Later, the cyclical gospel chorus of closing track ‘Used To Be Older’ ends the record on a particularly mesmeric high.
˜˜˜ All in all, this is an object of rare beauty and sophistication that posits Daniel Blumberg on a higher plain. ˜˜˜ http://diymag.com/
Label: http://mute.com/
˜˜˜ The first release under his own name. An astonishing work, the record weds an improvisational, free~music ethos to the rawest emotional songwriting, rooted deep in the personal turmoil Blumberg experienced whilst making the record.
˜˜˜ The first taste of Minus comes in the video for the title track, set in the shed where Daniel wrote most of the record and created the album artwork. It was edited in
˜˜˜ Budapest by award~winning Hungarian film editor David Jancso (White God, The
Childhood Of A Leader).
˜˜˜ The album was recorded live with legendary producer Peter Walsh (Scott Walker’s
collaborator since Climate Of Hunter) in just five days during a remote residential
stay in Wales, amidst a debilitating breakup with his partner of seven years along
with Blumberg’s ongoing struggle with mental illness which resulted in his
hospitalization just a week before recording.
˜˜˜ Blumberg had previously spent much of the last five years working solely within the
radical community of musicians centered on London’s Café OTO, where he has been regularly improvising with a host of forward~thinking, uncompromising musicians. ˜˜˜ From this community, Blumberg forged a strong creative relationship with violinist Billy Steiger and double bassist Tom Wheatley, and together they crafted a new, singular music centered on Blumberg’s songwriting. Much~revered drummer Jim White (Dirty Three, Smog, Cat Power) joined the trio for the album sessions. Still only 27 years old, Blumberg has written himself a rich musical history; from his teenage band who signed to XL whilst he was still at school, onto and through the projects of Yuck, Oupa and Hebronix, whilst solidifying close creative partnerships with the likes of David Berman (Silver Jews), Low, Lambchop and Royal Trux’s Neil Michael Hagerty (with whom Blumberg has performed as a member of the Howling Hex).
˜˜˜ With Minus, though, there is a sense that Daniel Blumberg has finally arrived at the place he has been searching for ~ an arresting and progressive work, one which is set to establish him as one of Britain’s most unique contemporary voices. Blumberg will support the album release with a series of live dates including a show at Rough Trade East and a residency at Café Oto. Performing with Daniel will be violinist Billy Steiger and double bassist Tom Wheatley. Jim White joins on select dates. Further dates to be announced.
Rough Trade Album of the Month: May 2018
˜˜˜ Rough Trade exclusive with Bonus CD. It features seven solos, one by each artist who played on Minus: Daniel Blumberg, Terry Day, Ute Kanngiesser, Billy Steiger, Tom Wheatley, Jim White and Seymour Wright. Daniel Blumberg’s Minus is an astonishing work; one that weds an improvisational, free~music ethos to the rawest emotional songwriting, rooted deep in the personal turmoil Blumberg experienced whilst making the record. Minus is an album about breakdowns: relationship breakdowns, mental and physical breakdowns, breakdowns in communication, and the breaking down of received methods and practices. And situated at the broken~down heart of the record lies a pathological preoccupation with a breakdown of trust. But out of all this, and through the arteries of the album’s seven tracks, pulses a sense of growing fortitude and an almost mantra~like effort to create a way back into the world. Key refrains sound like the fevered incantations of a soul willing itself to recover, to find its voice again, and to resurrect the broken~down self.
˜˜˜ Still only 27 years old, Blumberg has written himself a rich musical history; from his teenage band who signed to XL whilst he was still at school, onto and through the projects of Yuck, Oupa and Hebronix, whilst solidifying close creative partnerships with the likes of David Berman (Silver Jews), Low, Lambchop and Royal Trux’s Neil Michael Hagerty (with whom Blumberg has performed as a member of the Howling Hex). With Minus, though, there is a sense that Daniel Blumberg has finally arrived at the place he has been searching for.
˜˜˜ Minus pulls the listener into the deep and nuanced reaches of the human soul and proceeds to drag them through all its fractured ventricles. Although the album’s approach can be traced back to improvised avant~garde experimentation, the overriding impact for the listener is Blumberg’s remarkable songwriting, and his natural talent for melody and composition. Minus stands as an arresting and progressive work, one which is set to establish Daniel Blumberg as one of Britain’s most unique contemporary voices.
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/boiledeggink/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielBlumbergOfficial/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜