BEACHED KITTIES

Importing Fierceness

2008-02-20T15:09:00.003-05:00

Stunning, rare and extremely welcome news.

One of the FNGB is on her way to the American shores.

We haven't spoken about her yet...but that's all about to change. In fact, we haven't spoken at all!

Hello. Apologies all around. Winter is cruel...and our FNGB know this all to well. But enough of that. There's news:

HANNE HUKKELBERG IS COMING TO THE UNITED STATES!!!!

To see the limited March 2008 dates, please visit her site here.

While you're at it, why not learn a thing or two about the newest edition to the FNGB pantheon?

Hanne Hukkelberg came across my ears a couple of years ago from the curator of Beached Kitty land, Mr. Brionity. A little note about Brionity: He's also the same person responsible for finding the other FNGB...and something tells me it's a talent that will never wane.

Hanne's approach to music is both experimental and classic. On her debut album, Little Things, for example, the track "Little Girl" sounds like the lament of Raggedy Ann. You'll hear a tuba, a banjo, bells, and what seems to be the sounds of spinning and then falling kitchen pot lids.

Hanne Hukkelberg and her ensemble have a new album out, Rykestrasse 68, and it's just as delicious as Little Things. Before sinking your teeth into Rykestrasse, however, I highly advise giving Little Things a big listen.

Tracks like "Do Not As I Do" echo influences of jazz, country, and electronica...it's the Norwegian way.

To get an idea of what Hanne is like live, and to hear one of my favorites from Little Things, a little track called "Balloon," take a couple of moments to enjoy this clip. Hear that little voice SOAR!

Laurie Anderson - Big Science.

2007-08-14T21:46:00.000-04:00

Gosh. I thought there for a minute that it might be enough just to have the cover of the CD in the post and just leave it at that. The cover alone should compel you to run to a store, just to hear what is inside.

Laurie Anderson is the Demigodess of electronic music in our age and is therefore a Beached Kitty by honor and integrity. Each of our beaches owes a part of their soul to her . . . whether they know it or not. I had to place this here. As a signifier. As a Momento mori.

Seriously, there is room for this recording in any person's collection. There is a poignancy to this full record that resonates beyond time. And the small catch phrase at the bottom of the picture states this with intent. . .

"This is the time. And this is the record of the time"

Most people consider Laurie Anderson to be an avant garde performance artist staging large multi-media shows. Which in fact she is, but it is in her recordings that one finds the poet, the realist with and ear and eye to the normal. Her songs refract the world at large and with "Big Science" with its brilliant lyrics and pacing, a beautiful picture of the longing for an America that never was...

Or was it?

Twenty-six years later the space of the record is still fresh and breathtakingly simple. How interesting that minimalism is the reigning dance form again now. Today, yesterday and forever.

I was introduced to Laurie (followers always refer to her as Laurie) through a brilliantly twisted individual named John Tucker in 1986, when I was attending the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. John smoked More 120's Superlong Cigarettes and grew up outside of Jacksonville, Florida. Every so often we used to jump in his car and drive south to dance at a club by the beach called Einstein a Go-Go.

They played Matt Bianco, Siouxie, Depeche Mode. One night we made the DJ play 'O Superman.'

"Cause when love is gone, there's always justice.
And when justice is gone, there's always force.
And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi! Mom."

The songs creates a reverie. A strong sensory displacement that captures and holds every moment. It can make me cry.

This wonderful re-master on Nonesuch Records is just in time to start YOUR fixation on someone that might be a missing piece of the puzzle. Timeless. Integral. Intelligent.

Also, one of the most humorous stand up performances available on CD.

FIERCE! Anja Garbarek Is In Our Sights!

2007-07-22T23:05:00.000-04:00

AHOY!

Morning came after my encounter from the message in a bottle. And off the coast of our little island stood an interesting creature floating above the tide, looking side to side like a chameleon looking for a fly...

Flashback to a few years ago when Violatrix and Brionity were taking a long drive from New York to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley for a traditional Friday Culture Adventure. We had just left the gardens and had a few samples at the local vineyard.

Soon after our departure on the homeward bound leg of our trip, Brionity invited Violatrix into the depths of his musical collection.

I've always found liquor to be the best way to encounter new secrets.

I felt like I was on a cold, musky walk to the Cask of Amontillado. But no murder awaited for me this time (that, obviously, came later...). Instead, I blasted off the planet with a sinister launch piloted by the likes of a blond, gorgeous weirdo...

Anja Garbarek.

One of the Fierce Norwegian Ghetto Bitches! She is truly a weirdo. And we LOVE HER!!!!

The song, and the only song I was allowed to hear of hers for quite some time, began to play...

"WHAT THE F*CK WAS THAT!?!?!" I yelled at Brionity. He giggled, like he always did when he had just revealed a secret from the other world. He quickly distracted me and played something else crazy, and oddly coincidental, the CD he then played had a kitty on the cover with big eyes...I still haven't heard that one again.

Flash Forward a couple of years and I find myself asking Brionity..."Hey, remember that drive and that 'OH MY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!?' song?

He pulled the CD from the large collection covering the apartment walls.

Oh wow.

I greeted Anja on the outer banks of the island, offering balloons for her mood. After all, she's not asking for much, now is she?

We immediately retreated to a nearby cabana where she revealed visual samples of her weirdest triumph ever, "Balloon Mood."

I watched...and listened...and knew that she possessed the heady performance artistry of Laurie Anderson, the looks of a European Lonnie Anderson, and the voice of an Angel A.

And with that, I knew that I was in the presence of a FNGB. I cowered and begged for forgiveness without even knowing why.

She reassured me that she was still in a mood and that I had nothing to fear...

*chills*

Strangely, but not really, I believed every word she sang.

Something Just Washed Ashore...

2007-07-21T17:38:00.000-04:00

Word has come that one of the FNGB is on her way.

The message came after exploring a Myspace friend of one of the FNGB.

You see, the FNGB stick together.

I opened the bottle and "Everybody's Girlfriend" began playing. "What's this?" I thought. A new voice? Deep and brooding like Fiona Apple yet snarky and sexy like Alison Goldfrapp? I asked her, "Are you a boy or a girl? Are you a boy or a girl?" She simply told me that there was love in this kiss and that she's everybody's girlfriend.

"Do you or don't you know where you have just...beached?"

She began to purr and then launched into an echoing song. I sat down on the sand and listened.

I then learned that she was Anne Marie Almedal and that she was singing some amazing songs that she did with some amazing musicians back in 2003.

Candy Thunder, eh? Well I like it.

It took you 5 years to beach here? Not bad.

As the torch on the beach flickered in the humid, night sea air, she grabbed my shoulders and her long brown hair caught the breeze. In a siren's message, she looked into my eyes with her cold northern eyes and told me...they're coming...and they want to regroup with the one you call, "Mrs. Zetlitz...Ms. Zetlitz if you're nasty."

"WELL!" I said, "You're more than welcome to crack open a coconut beverage with me and tell me about your travels while we wait for the arrival."

"Coconuts!?" Anne shrieked with laughter. "Ya, coconuts...rum...you know..." I assured.

"Perfect," she said, "the one who approaches collects stuff like that."

Roisin Murphy - Overpowered!

2007-07-21T15:54:00.000-04:00

Finally, we can hold in our hands a single by our dear friend and oxytoxist lover Roisin Murphy! It seems the wait was endless, but the reward is full.

Note the Viktor & Rolf immackulation! See the wonder of giant neon windmill clogs! And you are just on the outside of the single, which is really more than a single . . . as it includes two chunky b-sides and two smarmy mixes and the video. We give the whole thing a giant nod of approval.

We like Overpowered . . . especially now that we can hold it.

We argued endlessly about whether this is a comeback or a continuation. We have decided that it is a rebirth. We will cyclically breath through the birthing process and watch carefully these first steps. As you know how difficult those toddler years can be... (LMKWYLB)

It would be easy at this juncture to forget that Ms. Murphy has had an incredible career prior to this single. What with tracks from Ruby Blue still exploding on American television almost two years after its release.

GO BABY GO!

The single is already being championed by likes of Sammy Jo and Nita weekly residents at NYC's famed Mr. Black's nightclub. I, of course, have been rotating it through my weekly sets. Now if only someone would get wise and make a 7 minute edit of the original. Peacock?

Just When You Thought You Heard It All...

2007-07-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

Thank God you haven't heard everything yet. As Brion has nicely introduced, not only to you but to me, Bertine Zetlitz is an interesting addition to the Fierce Norwegian Ghetto Bitches.

For the longest time, I thought it was only AnjaHanneAnneli. Say that with panache and pizazz and see what happens. More on them later.

But now it appears there are others...yes, others.

Bertine Zetlitz:

The little girl in the woods look with fangs exposed says it all. She's a pop pixie who bites, chews, and then spits you back out. And it works.

On the aggressive side of the FNGB pantheon, Bertine comes across as a veritable scorned Athena. She's been fucked over, made bitter, and yet still on the offensive with men. In her music, she's not playing house. She's naughty and unapologetic. And it's quite easy to get caught up in the production of the music and miss out on the killing. That's right, killing. Nearly every tune mentions a knife, gun, killing, etc. You get the point. She's beautiful...so far.

When you get a chance, you simply must check out an unusual interview she did with one of the hottest men alive, Kristopher Schau, on the show, Team Antonsen. It involves some surprises, including nudity and animals.

Bertine notices something...

And then composes herself back to the interview...with an interesting smirk. Maybe she'll kill you?

Here it is:

Recommendation for first listen: Bertine's first album, Morbid Late Night Show. Going sequentially from there is the plan up to recent album, My Italian Greyhound. Have some free samples at her official site, http://www.bertine.com/

Obsession . . . You are my obsession.

2007-07-04T17:34:00.000-04:00

I think that I am obsessed with Bertine Zetlitz. I hadn't really counted on someone sneaking in the back door and prying open the well guarded hatch that houses the Fierce Norwegian Ghetto Bitches' Underground Headquarters. But Bertine, she's got a big knife and she wants in. I usually don't argue with knives . . . or homemade guns for that matter.

In 1998 I reviewed her debut album "Morbid Late Night Show" for The San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times. I had a weekly column that lasted for a number of years. It continued when I moved to New York.

That is where I met Bertine. She performed one night at Barracuda in Chelsea.

The show was a brief three track set but she came across as very sweet. She shrieked when she saw my Norwegian copy of the album and asked where I got it. I was just in Norway seeing Bel Canto and had scooped Bertine's CD for the trip home. (It is important to buy music when you are traveling.)

I forgot about Bertine, but that album remained in my collection. Every so often I would pull it out and listen to "Snow on a Hot Day." Then with Zoe, the a cappella mini masterpiece "Little Rosie."

Recently, with the advent of Beached Kitties, I began thinking about all the fabulous Norwegian women I had come to know and love. Bertine kept pestering my mind. I went online and found that her career kept growing, just not in the U.S.

Typical.

I immediately ordered her second album "Beautiful So Far."

I called Andy.

Last weekend on a trip out to Sag Harbor we spent some time reacquainting with Mrs. Zetlitz.

(I would say Ms. if I was nasty.)

Let me tell you, it scared the living daylights out of me. "Morbid Late Night Show" is quite distinctly a thinly veiled crime blotter of murder, arson and general mayhem. I mean I like a little axe murderer in all my friends and loved ones but this is ridiculous.

We add Bertine Zetlitz to our family. We will cover all her albums with conversational reviews.

Because she says so and she has knives, needles and guns...

^^^ Seriously. Would you argue with that? ^^^

Thank you, Brion

2007-06-21T08:51:00.000-04:00

"When I was a little girl..."

It all began for me when I heard/saw the likes of "She-Bop" and "Sweet Dreams" on my television. These women were twisted, aggressive, talented, gorgeous, and they had fiery, red hair.

Years rolled by and a friend played a little something new for me. "You're going to freak," he forewarned before he played. Sure enough, I did. It was Moloko's "Fun for Me," followed by the entire work, Do You Like My Tight Sweater?

A couple of months rolled by and the new Moloko, I Am Not A Doctor, arrived as an import at my local Virgin Megastore in downtown Denver's Pavilion outlet.

"Nobody Speaks of Pavilions anymore and that truly saddens me" - Sandra Bernhard.

Curiosity then directed me to the official Moloko site at the time:

Then, I met Br!on Tr!on on the old Moloko Blue Board.

After many messages, and then phone calls, I was introduced to music I never dreamed to exist. Beginning with Bel Canto, my musical journey took a new route into overdrive.

More time has passed and we're still talking about music. We're still perplexed why some of these essentials are not known to our fellow music lovers, much less the greater music loving population.

We will be exploring this echelon of music...old, new, and current. And we'll find why the terms, "old, new, and current" are not proper terms to describe the timelessness of this music. Good music, after all, is exactly that. It's a moment of genius that steps out of the sound structures of our world. It moves us. It affects us.

Exploring the why is the fun part.

Intro to B.K. Brionity shouts out!

2007-06-20T19:33:00.000-04:00

We here at Beached Kitties want to welcome you with open arms and warmth and congratulations! You have made it to this point in your wanderings for new music and to the artists that are changing the world one person at a time. Violatrix and I have been working hard to bring this site to the people we think will be interested in making their music collections deeper than the charts.

We originally wanted to name our site Fierce Norwegian Ghetto Bitches but all the acronyms were taken! And we didn't want people thinking that we were talking about bitches in a negative or pornographic way. The nerve.

Our inspiration was the unbelievable talents of the Norwegians, in particular, those brilliant vocalists who scale the heights of our hearts and sing the thoughts that we didn't know we had....

Violatrix and I met through the wondrous music of Moloko and the lyrics of Ms. Murphy. Hence our first post.

So this is, in a way, our story. And my introduction to me and why I am writing this at long last. For I am a writer of some renown. And an artist. And a musician. And a traveler. Seeker. Believer.

Stick around as we expand your brains and sing the songs of the Beached Kitties.

Glad to know you.

But let me make one thing perfectly clear. We will be expressing our opinions with vim and vigor. We will not hold back. We will challenge the norm, we will be snarky and sharp. Hateful sometimes, but don't worry or be afraid. We are, as our idols. Imperfectly perfect. Balanced and uneven. Glistening in the lackluster world and unashamed to say it. You should be too.

WELCOME!

As it should be . . . the first.

2007-06-17T19:06:00.000-04:00

As we begin, so begins one of our favorite artists. A new sound. A new look.

We will cover her mercilessly with interviews, gossip, studio chatter and banter.

Personal friend, extraordinary vocalist, contradictory character . . . Róisín Murphy.

We love her. So do you.