Eerie Silence

Eerie Wanda is the brainchild of audio and visual artist Marina Tadic. Born to Croatian parents in the former Yugoslavia, Marina became a political refugee when she was just 6 years old. Forced to leave their home due to the Bosnian war, Marina’s parents sought asylum in the Netherlands- which is where Marina grew into an adult, became an accomplished artist, and where she still resides.

Now Only, written shortly following the release of A Crow Looked At Me and the first live performances of those songs, is a deeper exploration of that style of candid, undisguised lyrical writing. It portrays Elverum’s continuing immersion in the strange reality of Geneviève’s death, chronicling the evolution of his relationship to her and her memory, and of the effect the artistic exploration of his grief has had on his own life. The scope of Now Only encompasses not only hospitals and deathbeds, but also a music festival, childhood memories of conversations with Elverum’s mother, profound paintings and affecting artworks he encounters, a documentary about Jack Kerouac, and most significantly, memories of his life with Geneviève. These moments and thoughts resonate with each other, creating a more complex and nuanced picture of mourning and healing. The power of these songs comes not from the small, sharp moments of cutting phrases or shocks, but the echoes that weave the songs together, the way a life is woven.

From Russia, a fabulous album that would have the UK rock press sailvating if it were a British product. Silence Kit's eponymous 2002 debut is a record that deserves a wide audience. Events commence in eerie but ominous fashion with the instrumental 'Transmiss To Fades' but then the modern post-punk threat of 'Twenty Eight And Two' featuring a thrilling guitar rhythm, clattering percussion and a ghostly vocal. 'Francesca White' is leaner, rawer; evocative of Sonic Youth in their mid-80s pomp. After the doleful lo-fi rock of 'Lunik' the second half is occupied with the dynamic post-rock that Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai used to do so well..

Post punk is dead. But before everyone bins their JOY DIVISION tote bags, one thing needs to be said: it`s better that way! Post punk wasn’t created to be alive or to represent vitality. Post punk was, is and will always be a gaze into the void, an echo of a broken world which possibly won`t be the same tomorrow. Back in the 80s, tortured crossover artists such as Curtis, Coleman and Smith transformed the atmosphere of an unsure morning into sound and did what THEN COMES SILENCE do nowadays.