No thread on Nadja, though there is plenty of discussion over on the Shoegazer Metal : Search & Destroy thread. But it's time they got their own thread. New album coming out on Crucial Blast called Desire In Uneasiness
Following a wave of recent reissues and re-recorded versions of older CD-R titles, Desire In Uneasiness is an album of all new material from the acclaimed Canadian dreamsludge weavers Nadja. Five colossal jams of eternally-fuzzy, ethereal dirge that are powered by the interlocking bass guitars of Leah Buckareff and Aidan Baker, who set loose a wave of monstrous grinding bass riffs amidst a fog of beautiful, swirling electronic effects. Desire also marks the first Nadja album to feature a live drummer in place of the drum machine programming that has driven the band's previous recordings, and the difference in the band's sound is apparent from the first crushing beats of album opener 'Disambiguation'. The organic drumming here takes Nadja's music into new realms of spacious jazzy exploration, dubby rhythms and cavernous psychedelia, while also delivering some of the band's most grooving, crushing hypno-bliss yet.Desire also stands out from the rest of the Nadja catalog for it's bizarre artwork that Aidan commisioned from his friend The Reverend Aitor. Aitor's bright, bold lines and textured magic marker artwork gives the gatefold jacket we've presented this disc in the look of a twisted children's book on acid, with weird images of chickens, trees growing through chairs, and more. The package is a sturdy 4-panel gatefold jacket printed by Stoughton, and it looks killer.
Desire also stands out from the rest of the Nadja catalog for it's bizarre artwork that Aidan commisioned from his friend The Reverend Aitor. Aitor's bright, bold lines and textured magic marker artwork gives the gatefold jacket we've presented this disc in the look of a twisted children's book on acid, with weird images of chickens, trees growing through chairs, and more. The package is a sturdy 4-panel gatefold jacket printed by Stoughton, and it looks killer.
Not heard this yet but look forward to it. There is also some remade versions of older cdr releases come out juts like there has been over the past few years. Conspiracy Records are also doing vinyl editions of older releases too which I am excited about.
So let's talk about Nadja.
― Herman G. Neuname, Friday, 4 April 2008 14:45 (5 years ago) Permalink
i have come to the conclusion that this guy's stuff isn't that interesting to me. like a lot of shoegazey metal, just kinda hums along pleasantly while completely failing to engage my interest. i think i liked touched more than the other ones i've heard. i think that was the one that sounded like doom lycia.
― GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ, Friday, 4 April 2008 14:50 (5 years ago) Permalink
Nadja's not Baker at his best. mired in affected doom-murk. tho the two Archive sets are pretty sweet. AB's quality control seems a little questionable, but his best solo work - like the live set released as CD2 of Oneiromancy and At the Fountain of Thirst - is first rate dream-drone. i really like his ARC trio, too.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Friday, 4 April 2008 14:58 (5 years ago) Permalink
or Oneiromancer. whatev. and add Field of Drones to the list of Baker's stand-out solo discs.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Friday, 4 April 2008 15:02 (5 years ago) Permalink
Nadja are one of those bands that never disappoint me. The reworked stuff is great.
― Herman G. Neuname, Friday, 4 April 2008 15:52 (5 years ago) Permalink
All I have is Touched. Where should I go from there? I'll probably get the new one too, when it comes out.
― jonathan - stl, Friday, 4 April 2008 17:24 (5 years ago) Permalink
Try Truth Becomes Death and Bodycage
― Herman G. Neuname, Friday, 4 April 2008 17:54 (5 years ago) Permalink
The organic drumming here takes Nadja's music into new realms of spacious jazzy exploration, dubby rhythms and cavernous psychedelia
This really excites me, actually. One of my biggest issues with his music is the simplistic and shitty-sounding electronic drums, which sound like someone playing an SR-16 with their fingers.
It would be really refreshing to hear more cymbal work, and a rhythmic pulse to wrap his standard sludge/high-end-swirly-processed-feedback sound around.
― rockapads, Friday, 4 April 2008 18:03 (5 years ago) Permalink
I really like some of his solo stuff, but holy crap is there a lot of it, some of it shockingly dull. Someone needs to tell him not to release every last note he records.
As yet Nadja have not grabbed me, but I probably ought to give them more of a chance.
― a passing spacecadet, Friday, 4 April 2008 18:23 (5 years ago) Permalink
you might like ARC, then. live percussive jams based around the tribal rhythms of R & C. a different framework for Aidan's processed flute, guitar and feedback. the music's still doom-and-gloomy but not at all sludgy. more entrancing. think Neurot or Rapoon. or Rich and Roach, even.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Friday, 4 April 2008 18:35 (5 years ago) Permalink
xpost for rockapads.
My favorite solo stuff is "The Sea Swells a Bit", "Oneiromancer", and the "Orange" split with THISQUIETARMY.
Thanks for the ARC recommendation, Mr. Hal Jam. I've actually sought out his ARC stuff before, but all I've found were two albums called "Blaze" and "Arcturus". I didn't care for either of them - found them a bit too retro chill-out/new age. What you're describing sounds very cool. Any particular albums you would recommend?
― rockapads, Friday, 4 April 2008 18:56 (5 years ago) Permalink
there are a lot of different ARC's out there. neither of those sound like Aidan-Richard-Christopher titles. the same Italian label that released The Sea... (forgot this one. a good one) released my favorite ARC, album, The Circle is Not Round. the newest ARC, Arkhangelsk, is also very good.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Friday, 4 April 2008 18:59 (5 years ago) Permalink
Thanks!
― rockapads, Friday, 4 April 2008 19:01 (5 years ago) Permalink
yeah, the ARC that released Blaze and Arcturus is Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve. chillout E-music twaddle, i presume, based on what i've heard from those guys. Taylor Deupree and Savvas Ysatis made some decent music together as Arc. i'm sure there are at least 4-5 other ARC's and/or Arc's out there. buyer beware.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Friday, 4 April 2008 19:04 (5 years ago) Permalink
I just looked up the Arcturus/Blaze Arc on Allmusic and I don't know why I didn't do that a long time ago. Those two albums have been sitting around on my work PC for years never listened to. *Delete*
― rockapads, Friday, 4 April 2008 19:07 (5 years ago) Permalink
core063 - NADJA 'Touched' 2xLP - 200 Silver and 550 Black core064 - NADJA 'Radiance Of Shadows' 2xLP - 200 White and 550 Black core065 - NADJA 'Truth Becomes Death' 2xLP - 200 Gold and 550 Black
for 40 euros altogether @ Conspiracy i'm not the biggest Nadja fan but i might pick this up. How are those albums compared to everything else they did?
― rizzx, Thursday, 1 May 2008 10:59 (5 years ago) Permalink
Touched and Truth Becomes Death are 2 of my faves.
― Herman G. Neuname, Thursday, 1 May 2008 11:10 (5 years ago) Permalink
Yeah, that basically sums up my feelings as well. There's way too much to keep track of, and admittedly I'm a couple of years behind on what he's been doing. I should give Nadja another chance though.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Thursday, 1 May 2008 12:09 (5 years ago) Permalink
anyone else heard "Desire in Uneasiness" ? this is great.
― Professor Respect, Thursday, 15 May 2008 02:41 (5 years ago) Permalink
Desire in Uneasiness is great. Having a live drummer makes a huge, huge difference. Compared to the usual stuff, this is insanely fast!
― A. Begrand, Thursday, 15 May 2008 20:50 (5 years ago) Permalink
Awesome, theres a couple of eps out too. Got the 7" in today. Not tracked down the other thing yet, but mp3s are around.
― Herman G. Neuname, Thursday, 15 May 2008 20:52 (5 years ago) Permalink
Oh and there's the Nadja/Black Boned Angel split too!
― Herman G. Neuname, Thursday, 15 May 2008 20:53 (5 years ago) Permalink
^^downloading that atm, is it good?
― wilter, Friday, 27 June 2008 01:36 (4 years ago) Permalink
It's ok
― Herman G. Neuname, Friday, 27 June 2008 01:37 (4 years ago) Permalink
I'd need to play it again actually. So ignore that.
― Herman G. Neuname, Friday, 27 June 2008 01:38 (4 years ago) Permalink
Nadja - When I See the Sun Always Shines on TV
1. Only Shallow (My Bloody Valentine cover)2. Pea (Codeine cover)3. No Cure for the Lonely (Swans cover)4. Dead Skin Mask (Slayer cover)5. The Sun Always Shines on TV (A-ha cover)6. Needle in the Hay (Elliott Smith cover)7. Long Dark Twenties (Kids in the Hall cover)8. Faith (The Cure cover)
― StanM, Thursday, 19 March 2009 17:13 (4 years ago) Permalink
MBV cover is kind of meh.
― Alex in SF, Thursday, 19 March 2009 17:16 (4 years ago) Permalink
Whoa, I need to hear this! I have high hopes for "Faith" and "Needle in the Hay".
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Thursday, 19 March 2009 17:19 (4 years ago) Permalink
Following the bug-eyed ravings of John Doran on The Quietus last year I made a note that I should check out the re-recorded Skin Turns To Glass ... it took me a while to get round to it, but bugger me if it didn't immolate my soul. Absolutely, utterly gobsmacking; I don't know what the original 2003 version sounded like, but fuck it, I don't need to.
Right now this is the only thing of theirs I've got; I'm going to pick up Desire In Uneasiness from eMusic but obviously there's a lot of their music out there. I'd be surprised if any of it's a patch on SKtG, though; I'm also surprised nobody's mentioned that one on this thread.
― a tiny, faltering megaphone (grimly fiendish), Saturday, 18 April 2009 14:43 (4 years ago) Permalink
theres loads of great stuff
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 18 April 2009 14:51 (4 years ago) Permalink
OK, let's keep it simple: is there anything of this prolific output I should actively avoid? :)
― a tiny, faltering megaphone (grimly fiendish), Saturday, 18 April 2009 15:02 (4 years ago) Permalink
not for nadja, no.
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 18 April 2009 15:05 (4 years ago) Permalink
Awesome. Thanks!
― a tiny, faltering megaphone (grimly fiendish), Saturday, 18 April 2009 15:16 (4 years ago) Permalink
a lot of it is OOP anyway. Try getting Truth Becomes DeathCorrasionBodycage
for a start
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 18 April 2009 15:18 (4 years ago) Permalink
and Touched
Just picked up Truth Becomes Death (used), Touched (also used) and a new copy of the covers album that came out yesterday. Agreed the MBV cover is not exceptional, but sweet Jesus, that "Faith" cover is fucking powerful and totally beyond great. Still working on the tracks in between.
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Thursday, 30 April 2009 03:01 (4 years ago) Permalink
has anyone heard the bungled and the botched? hands down the heaviest thing i have ever heard in my life, although it also has wonderful, affecting melodic movements. the moment where the first doom riff hits actually produces a physical reaction in my every time i hear it. fucking incredible! it had a really limited release last year but there's been a reissue.
― samosa gibreel, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 18:42 (3 years ago) Permalink
yup
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 18:45 (3 years ago) Permalink
cant remember if i have it or have it on mp3. I cant keep up
it's good, eh?
― samosa gibreel, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 18:47 (3 years ago) Permalink
The vinyl pressing is extremely beautiful.
http://thebluehouse.org/details.php?id=1064
― Tourtière (Ówen P.), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 19:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
it's a good cover. my favourite nadja album art is on the atavist split.
― samosa gibreel, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 19:06 (3 years ago) Permalink
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BB7dNJcVUzY/SMwlDiR79yI/AAAAAAAAASM/oWztSDqItUI/s320-R/o1627492.jpg
oops
I must check out this "Bungled and Botched" (curious title!).
I'm sure you've all seen it, but I love Julian Cope's review of Radiance of Shadows -- a typically hilarious piece of hyperbole:http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/albumofthemonth/1939
Radiance of Shadows, it must be said however, is my least favourite of the 5 or so Nadja LPs I have.
― Duke, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 20:11 (3 years ago) Permalink
Why does The Bungled and the Botched not turn up when I search on iTunes?
― Sundar, Thursday, 1 October 2009 00:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
no clue, but here's a rapidshare link if yer into that sort of thing
― samosa gibreel, Thursday, 1 October 2009 00:04 (3 years ago) Permalink
maybe everyone's first Nadja record is their favorite, since there isn't a ton of variation between them. My favorite is Body Cage.
― A polar bear you can see in a snowstorm (rockapads), Thursday, 1 October 2009 01:01 (3 years ago) Permalink
i guess that's an xpost re: the julian cope thing.
― A polar bear you can see in a snowstorm (rockapads), Thursday, 1 October 2009 01:02 (3 years ago) Permalink
Thanks, samosa!
― Sundar, Thursday, 1 October 2009 01:10 (3 years ago) Permalink
Hm, it's asking for a passphrase?
― Sundar, Thursday, 1 October 2009 02:16 (3 years ago) Permalink
the pass phrase is www.metalportals.com or something like that. don't give up!
― samosa gibreel, Thursday, 1 October 2009 14:54 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah there is definitely a lot of truth to this. although bungled and the botched isn't the first i had heard, it's probably the first one i was compelled to listened to twice, the one where i was like "okay, this is what i was looking for." i think the index of variation is like this: albums with ambient melodic parts and also doom riffs that come out of nowhere, albums with only ambient melodic parts, albums that are only noise, albums that are all doom riffs and noise, splits with doom bands which are all doom.
― samosa gibreel, Thursday, 1 October 2009 14:59 (3 years ago) Permalink
err better ask a mod to remove that link. ILM isnt I Link Music unfortunately.
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 1 October 2009 15:03 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah by all means let it be removed. i really wasn't sure what the etiquette wrt linking full albums is around here, my bad.
― samosa gibreel, Thursday, 1 October 2009 15:21 (3 years ago) Permalink
edited it to be unclickable/uncopypastable
― a misunderstanding of Hip-Hop and contracts (HI DERE), Thursday, 1 October 2009 15:42 (3 years ago) Permalink
New one's pretty good. Features Mac McNeilly of the Jesus Lizard on drums! Definitely adds a nice, different swing to proceedings.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 15 October 2012 16:02 (7 months ago) Permalink
Also a new mixtape from them reflecting inspirations for said album
http://www.cvltnation.com/sonic-cathedrals-vol-lxxviiicurated-by-nadja/#more-57587
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 15 October 2012 17:13 (7 months ago) Permalink
saw this band last night in a small loft, maybe 40 ppl. their set faded into complete silence from the crowd, and it was a good 5 seconds before applause started. i think the only time i've seen an audience so completely subdued? it was fucking loud lol.
― marc iv, Monday, 15 April 2013 04:39 (1 month ago) Permalink