Sunday, January 20, 2008

David Mizrachi - HaShiva HaBayta - 1995 - Israel - Rock

דוד מזרחי - השיבה הביתה



Ripped from CD
Thanx to Eyal

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Knesiat Hasechel - Kach Shirim - 1994 - Israel - Indie/Rock/Altternative




Knesiat Hashechel (The Mind Church)

Members:

Yoram Chazan - guitar, vocals, sax
Ran Elmaliach - base, vocals
Mike Golan - keyboards, samples, programming
David Rased - guitars

Taking its name from Robert M. Pirsig's modern classic novel "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" Knesiat Hasechel ( The Church of Reason), one of the more dominant groups that came into consciousness in Israel of the 1990s, maintain loyalty to literary influences in their 1994 album "Kach Shirim" (Take These Poems):

"Take these poems, do not read this book
Do violence to it:
Spit on it, squish it
Kick it, pinch it."

From a poem by Meir Weiseltier, loosely translated from the Hebrew by Ran Abramson

And they did. Using poems of prominent Israeli poets, "Knesiat Hasechel" creates a dialogue between music, words and also image by giving a stage to the works of the photographer Ronen Lelna in the album cover and inserts. From pre-state poets to more contemporary ones, the group's music casts itself like a fishnet over the words, gathering them into this obscure space where its boundaries are drawn by the absence of which, taking them out of their silence, their water, their natural habitat, and serving them to our ears, whispering – take us...
Thanx to Oswaldo Parks


Ripped from CD
Thanx to Natalia

Ashqelon Quilt - The Event - 2001 - Israel - Prog/Folk/Psych






The Ashqelon Quilt led by brothers Shachar (vocals/keyboards/programming) and Ori (vocals/guitar/percussion) Hendel, produced the album by themselves and thus managed to create an intimate and very 70's sounding album. Various influences can be heard throughout the album, notably Gentle Giant, but also Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd, Peter Hammill, Peter Gabriel and the more melodic side of the Canterbury Scene, the band takes these influences and adds some English, Celtic and Middle Eastern folk and manages to create its own unique sound and personality. This is reflected in the excellent and mature song writing, Shachar's nostalgic voice and keyboards playing and Ori's killer acid guitar (resembling Gary Green of Gentle Giant and Phil Miller).In several tracks they are assisted by female vocalist and recorder player Sharon Rinat, whose voice reminds me of Sally Oldfield's. Violin and cello are also used to a good measure adding symphonic depth to the music. The album itself is great and highly ecommended its highlights includes "One by One", a Gentle Giantish track with great guitar work, the title track which starts with instrumental middle eastern tune (reminding of Peter Gabriel's Passion album), turns into an Irish folk and evolves into the main theme and so on. The best track however is "The Well", a mini epic in several sections and great guitar and keyboards work.


Ripped from CD
Thanx to Hagai

Monday, January 7, 2008

Diewelt - Diewelt - 1996 - Israel - Alternative/Electronic




Members:

Bnaya Reches: keyboards
Alon Ovnat: vocals
Ido Drori: guitar
Dudi Gild: base
Roi Nasi: drums

Diewelt started in Jerusalem in the early '90s, signed at "Nana Disc" in 1995 and released their first and only albun in 1996. Their music combine Rock, Noise, Industrial & Electronic.



Ripped from CD
Thanx to Natalia

Friday, January 4, 2008

Gilad Kahana - Shachachti Ech Leechol - 2000 - Israel - Alternative




Gliad Kahava - member & co-founder of the band "Girafot"("Giraffes") - released his first solo album in the the break between the releases of the two albums of his band. he played most of the instruments in the album, arrenge and produced it and even record himself on 8 tracks tape. The album didn't get any attention from the radio stations. This album take the surealism of the first "Girafot" album to another level, a very trippy level.

Ripped frome CD
Thanx to Natalia

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Danny Ben Israel - Chantarish 3¼ (Bullshit 3¼) - 1970 - Israel - Psych



"Chantarish 3¼" is a collaboration beween two very different worlds of music in the '60s Israeli Music. On one side, Danny Ben-Israel, the singer of the "Lahakat Pikud Tzafon" Military Band, who had Very big hits like "Kochav Hatzfon" ("northern Star") & "Los Pikudos Tzafonos" that made him a big star in the Israeli pop. On the other side ,Shlomo Mizrachi & his band "HaBbama HaChashmalit" ("The Electric Stage"). The "Electric Stage" was one of Israel's best rock group (or rhythm group as we call them on the '60s). In the band were Shlomo Mizrachi - who was known as "the Israeli hendrix" - on lead guitar, Sheldon Cohen on base, Eli Tubul on drums and Dubi Aldema as lead singer. When "The Electric Stage" move from Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv, this album was one of their first intersting experiments. Mizrachi and his band took active part in the wild and avant-garde musical trip that was to became "Chantarish 3¼", providing the live musical background to Ben-Israel's provocative lyrics. Strangly enough, their names were missing fron the list of credits on the album's cover. "Chantarish 3¼" came out almost in secret at the end of 1970. Very few copies were sold, and printing stopped almost as soon as it had began. Disappointed with the cold response, Ben-Israel moved To the USA, and return during the mid '80s. Shlomo Mizrach and His band members continued to play and perform in Isarel and in Europe. Mizrachi is still active in music industry.

Ripped from CD