Coleman's 1990's; Part seven - 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999

Oh boy, nearly five months? Really? No wonder I can hardly remember how to type and where to find all the Blogger's features. Well, what can I say... There were things to do, money to be earned, offspring to be looked after. Which, thankfully, only turned into a gap but by no means an end. So here I am, resurrected in the spring, with all the  little antsies, beesies and flowersies to bring some more happy, jolly and uplifting music. This time I've decided to roll the remaining years into one post, there are not that many of them left to give them separate entries. And here they are:

Rambo Amadeus - Mikroorganizmi (1996)

As you can see in the comment just below the video, this is not an official clip but I think the faithful enthusiast has managed to capture the atmosphere of the track quite well. The strange sewer organism would have made a fantastic one as well, but it's not a bad effort at all, and you can always play Mikroorganizmi while watching the sewer aliens simultaneously anyway. As for Rambo Amadeus himself, the album from which Mikroorganizmi comes from, again, is linked to my studies and people bringing back from the Balkans all sorts of musical finds. Good, old tapes, hey? This track just mesmerised me. The cold Russian narrative takes me back to hundreds of Soviet era films of my childhood (there would be some SF among them, some that had most likely freaked me out big time, but of which I remember nothing) and actually sends shivers down my back. It may not be a nice feeling but it is as fascinating as the track's anxious atmosphere and for that reason it has found its way into my selection. And also because the hilariously witty lyrics of Godine Kurcu Prolaze would have been completely lost on the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons, so there was no point going for that one.

Umbra Et Imago - Hörst Du Mein Rufen (1996)

It is very unfortunate that no album version of this song is available online. It's a shame because it features Peter Heppner of Wolfsheim, which reminds me that I definitely should have had a Wolfsheim song in my 90s selection. After all, with songs like The Sparrows And The Nightingales or Kuenstliche Welten (especially this one, due to the clip shot in Warsaw) the duo features heavily in my personal official soundtrack to the decade. Never mind, maybe we can do it all again in a few years time just tu put things right.

Where was I?

Ah, yes, Umbra Et Imago. Well, you know the drill by now. Bunch-of-German-goth-weirdos scene. The usual stuff, nothing more to see here.

Depeche Mode - It's No Good (1997)

The good, old editor doesn't want me to embed the video for you, so you have to click the title all by your lonesome. And I really recommend you do it because it's the video that won the choice for me. When Ultra came out, each new single was quickly becoming my new favourite track from the album. But when I saw the boys on the stage in those shiny garments, when I saw Anton Corbijn dropping the mic, when I saw all that Dave's lavish gesticulation and when I thought 'Marc Almond is going to take it badly' I knew that I found my Liebchen. Words escape me when I try to describe the awesomeness and the magnitude of the pisstaking contained in that short masterpiece. The song is great, but the award goes to Anton in this case. I'd tip of my hat, but I'm not wearing one. It would crease the hair gel.

Kismet - Voden 2048 (1997)

The problem with alternative Macedonian bands is that it is extremely difficult to find the song you want, hosted legally anywhere. And so, in this case, the best I can offer you is THIS, which is only a few seconds long fragment. Yes, very difficult to find a whole track to listen to legally. If you know, what I'm not saying. Kismet as a band was formed after the Mizar disbanded taking more electronic path which has became the sound of re-formed Mizar as well. When the country is only about 2 million citizens strong, the music scene as varied and original as it might be, can't be too big. Not that it matters much. You still can't find Voden on YouTube or Vimeo, so what's the point writing about a song you can't even listen to? *sob*

VAST - Pretty When You Cry (1998)

I know what you're thinking - that I just went for the wonderfully freakish video, but you'd be wrong. It was very much down to music that I became VAST's fan. Well, mostly. The music and the fact, that Jon Crosby employed the Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares choir to do all the lovely job in the background. You know, the choir that Goran Bregović has been working with since the dawn of time. And no matter how fantastic the video is, there is no denying Crosby's talent. Highly original (at least up to some point), brilliant and skilled multi-instrumentalist, the man is brilliant and his début album had the power of a ram blasting open castle's gate. I was impressed then, I'm still impressed now. Sit back, close your eyes and enjoy. Or lean forward, keep your eyes open and get freaked out.

Myslovitz - Dla Ciebie (1999) 

I have a confession to make. Well, having Myslovitz on the list is a give-away, but yes, I do kind of like them (which probably would earn me a few scornful looks among my friends). Maybe not all of the music but as a band, I definitely think they were one of the most influential and important bands of the alternative rock scene of the post-communist era. While grunge was all the rage (see what I did there?) Myslovitz was a band that didn't bother travelling for inspirations all the way to Seattle. No, they jumped the ship (am I on fire or what?) near the British shores. And that was in times before Blur/Oasis war even started and Radiohead boys were still holding their guitars the right way round when playing. And boy, did it work! Myslovitz then went off to record more and more successful and less and less interesting songs, but there were exemptions. Dla Ciebie stands out for me because of the video. I mean, Artur Rojek, the singer and leader of the band, even at best times looks like the only living thing about him are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but here for the first time I've seen the sense of humour which I found rather charming, and decided to forgive the band many a hit that plagued the radio waves before. And it also allows me to wrap up the decade with a vampire. I'm happy with that.

Which means... my work here is done. At least as the first decade is concerned. But fear not, before anyone else manages to as much as lift a finger, I should be back with the first helping of the 2000s.

SHORTCUTS:

The Tracklist
Part One - 1990
Part Two - 1991
Part Three - 1992
Part Four - 1993
Part Five - 1994
Part Six - 1995