This record is something different even for the three-thinkers among us. Why, you ask, when VoS is already thinking out of the box frequently? Good question, for various reasons to be explained below - but believe me, when I say that Mótha’s Nieuwe Manen will maybe change the expectations you bring to music. No matter what, we are proud to present the record in full three days ahead of its release on Friday via our beloved Consouling Sounds partners!
Why is this record different for VoS? Well, in many ways, first because we normally do not review live records. But in this it’s more of a live recording because you will not really encounter the audience present at this performance. Second, because even though we are not unfamiliar with discordance in music, this discordance is different. It’s a little bit noisier than “offsides” even when it provides harmonies. The third reason is because Neoclassical Avantgarde is not our frequent realm to roam, but in this case it makes total sense for us because expanding your horizon provides new perspectives which in themselves cannot be over-estimated. Reason number five might be the most obvious one: We hardly ever talk about music whose major and basic instruments are the flute and the hurdy-gurdy. However, we have already spoken about Mótha and their different approach to music in previous interviews of ours when we talked with Colin H. Van Eeckhout about the Flemish roots of De Manen Opzij an album that he did with the two musicians behind Mótha, our review for it is here. And once you hear this record you will surely see some connections soundwise. Some of these four movements might take you to completely different musical spaces. When one sounds like a very urban place, the next one might take you to the desert during an evening too warm to be chill and too sweaty to be cool. How did Mótha achieve that? By collaborating with a multitude of female artists - 15 to be precise - who all contributed to Nieuwe Manen during an intense creative weekend last summer. This record is the recording of their first show that weekend at Paradiso in Bassevelde.
Even if you do not feel like it right now, please give this premiere a spin to find out about the multitude of soundscapes and places on it. If you like what you hear, please find your way to the Consouling Store and (pre)order a copy of the record. We all need broader mindsets right now, and Mótha surely provide that!
