Vraslosken at work

Den Tenksomme Vraslosken has left Whitmore Reans. He now find himself working as a journalist at a newspaper in Bergen, Norway. He won`t return to Whitmore Reans, but will be found somewhere close by come september.

Leaving the scene of the crime after an interview with some Norwegian Art Students, Den Tenksomme Vraslosken is in good spirit.

Photo: Siv Dolmen

Ballad of the Broken Seas

Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell
Ballad of the Broken Seas (2006)
Review by Den Tenksomme Vraslosken

It‘s been two years since we last heard from the singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll sinner Mark Lanegan, it‘s been very quiet since the release of the critically acclaimed “Bubblegum”.

This time around he is collaborating with Isobel Campbell, best known for her work with Pop superstars Belle and Sebastian.

Just looking at the front cover tells you this is definitely an album for a rainy night. She is standing in front of a mirror, arranging her hair as if she is about to leave, while he is lying on the bed, reading a book. This solitude and sadness shines through in every single song.

It is a classic recipe that has proven successful in the past; put an angelic virgin together with a corrupted soul. Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. You can‘t go wrong with real men and sweet girls.

The deep and howling mutters and groans of Lanegan, combined with the half-whispered softness of Campbell‘s voice gives this album a deep, rich and compelling sound.

The first track is a cover of Hank Williams “Rambling Man”, a song you should treat with the respect it deserves. But with a voice like Mark Lanegan, you certainly could be excused for trying. With use of cellos, electrical guitar and deep bass-lines, he adds new life to the material. When he is moaning “when the Lord made me, he made a rambling man” you believe him, and Campbell‘s soft answer makes it all so beautifully sad.

This melancholic note follows in songs like “The False Husband” and "Honey Child What Can I Do?", where Lanegan’s songwriting comes to it‘s right. Lanegan is a man able to portray decay and loneliness in a way that sends shivers down your spine. The sadness of it all is relieved by the soft and tender voice of Campbell. Make no mistake, this is very sexy music.

Lanegan and Campbell are not doing anything that hasn‘t been done before, but it is solid, beautiful and never mediocre. The first half of the album is quieter than the last part, where Lanegan allows himself to play on a louder and heavier string.

Songs like "It's Hard to Kill a Bad Thing" and "Dusty Wreath" should fit like hand in glove for his hard-hitting live performances, and let‘s hope he somehow manage to lure Campbell with him.

This is one of the best albums I‘ve heard all year, and one that gives me faith in that there still is possible to squeeze fresh juice out of the four chords of Rock and Roll. Run and buy!

Red Billy

Billy Bragg
Wolverhampton Wolfrun Hall
23 April 2006
Review by Den Tenksomme Vraslosken

The singer-songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg returned to Wolverhampton Wolfrun Hall last night, as he continued his Anti-BNP tour.

Part folk concert, part stand up comedy act, part sing-along and part political protest, seeing Bragg live gives you a real taste of what Billy is all about. On this occasion a near sell-out crowd of 40 and 50-somethings came together to celebrate the revolution that never was. Looking around me I realized I was among the youngest (and poorest dressed) in the crowd.

Playing solo, just him and his guitar, this was always going to be a personal and intimate experience. But as he slightly ironically started the set with his own English translation of the socialist anthem “The Internationale”, the grey haired audience joined in with looks in their faces which more than anything else expressed melancholy and memories of that socialist movement in the seventies and early eighties.

Accepting the applause that followed, Billy took the microphone, saying: “so now you‘re telling each other it‘s going to be one of those political Billy Bragg concerts?” The polite laughter that followed spoke volumes, and when he went on by telling us what we already knew, that the reason for his current tour is to make people aware of the threat imposed by the BNP, the political correctness of it all was hard to ignore. But still, political correctness is better than fascism, isn‘t it?

Billy Bragg is a well spoken and charismatic man, a man who is considered a spokesman of socialists and the working man. The problem is there weren‘t anybody to convince in this audience. I would be surprised if there was a single person present who are even contemplating voting BNP in the coming local election, or who prefers Adam Smith‘s analysis of economy to that of Karl Marx‘, for that matter.

Songs like “Northern industrial town” and “A new England” had the crowd singing along. Billy Bragg gave us what we wanted, as I looked around me I could tell just how much the audience enjoyed remembering their youth and times passed by.

But his set wasn‘t all politics, as one would expect from a Billy Bragg concert. His political protest set aside, this is a man who is considered one of the finest singer-songwriters of his generation.

Songs like “Everybody loves you babe” and “At my window sad and lonely” were embraced by a powerful yet sensitive applause, and served as a reminder there luckily is more to life than politics. There is also love.