STEF KAMIL CARLENS - MAKING SENSE OF ∞

• stef kamil carlens: making sense of ∞
      (2019, cd, bel, pias recordings piasb602cd)

Stef Kamil Carlens' new album!!
Beautiful.
If you're familiar with Zita Swoon or with Stef Kamil's previous release, "Stuck In The Status Quo", you sort of know what to expect and you won't be disappointed.
Quite the contrary, actually.

Here's 'My Soul Is In The Desert' :

https://stefkamilcarlens.be/

‘‘Back On The Road‘‘, a road trip that takes you to a dusty, hot desert, kicks off the album impressively and is also the new single, which is now available everywhere.

"Someone leaves his house, his cocoon, his security, his permanent place and starts to travel. He has done it before, so the feeling of being on the road and the places where he ends up are familiar. Or does he recognize a world he has seen before in a dream? His garden, where roses once bloomed, is overgrown with weeds and bamboo. His old familiar house has been swallowed up by nature, but his heart beats like never before, and he feels his blood rush through his veins like a wild stream."

tourdates

28/09/2019 - Zaventem BE - De Factorij
04/10/2019 - Middelburg NL - De Spot
12/10/2019 - Hamont-Achel BE - Cinema Walburg
23/10/2019 - Brussels BE - Ancienne Belgique
24/10/2019 - Kortrijk BE - De Kreun
30/10/2019 - Sint Niklaas BE - De Casino
08/11/2019 - Groningen NL - Vera
09/11/2019 - Brugge BE - Cactus Club
12/11/2019 - Leuven BE - Het Depot
16/11/2019 - Amsterdam NL - Paradiso
21/11/2019 - Breda NL - Mezz
22/11/2019 - Maastricht NL - Muziekgieterij
26/11/2019 - Gent BE - Handelsbeurs
28/11/2019 - Antwerpen BE - De Roma

STEF KAMIL CARLENS

Stef Kamil Carlens (dEUS, Moondog Jr., Zita Swoon, solo) recently took part in the "Liefde Voor Muziek" tv-show. It showed Stef Kamil performing songs by other participating artists, and those other artists performing some of Stef Kamil's songs.

Here's SCK with 'Big Whale' (Kommil Foo)

Ilse DeLange performing "Josiesomething".

Laura Tesoro : Thinking About You All The Time

In the meantime, Stef Kamil's website is announcing a new album + concerts later this year.

https://stefkamilcarlens.be/

SCK :

I am currently recording a new album with the band. Release in september. More news in a few months.

DEUS - IN A BAR, UNDER THE SEA

• deus: in a bar, under the sea
      (2017, 2lp picture disc, eu, universal)

Twenty years ago, Belgian band dEUS released "In A Bar, Under The Sea".
A superb album. It was, and it still is.

One of the tracks on this album is called 'Roses'. The lyrics go like this :

Rose said "It's time to make a mess
This one's yours and yours is self obsessed
She's painting on my back a green tom, the Beefheart one
And she cuddles and she coos and she cuts the bullshit I confessed

The album got produced by Eric Drew Feldman, who had been part of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band (and who is performing with The Residents now).
Wonder what he thought of this.

Anyway, this album has some stunning artwork by Rudy Trouvé.
Reason enough for Universal to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this album with a beautiful picture disc set.
Soon on one of my wals. Somewhere.

side one

side two

side four

STEF KAMIL CARLENS ON VRIJE GELUIDEN

From a couple of weeks ago, Stef Kamil Carlens at Dutch tv show Vrije Geluiden.

STEF KAMIL CARLENS - STUCK IN THE STATUS QUO

• stef kamil carlens: stuck in the status quo
      (2017, cd, bel, pias recordings piasb468cd)

Stef Kamil Carlens, frontman and galvanizer of Zita Swoon, has released a solo album.
His previous project, "Nothing That Is Everything", presented The Zita Swoon Group with music and fashion and dance in a dadaïstic environment. "Stuck In The Status Quo" shows a return to the source. Beautiful, accessible pop / blues songs. A singer-songwriter at his best.

I was fortunate to catch Stef Kamil and his band in concert at 'De Singer' last Thursday where he presented this new album.
He did a great job.

If you're able to catch the band live, don't hesitate.
In the meantime, get and enjoy "Stuck In The Status Quo".

ZITA SWOON - NOTHING THAT IS EVERYTHING

• zita swoon group: nothing that is everything
      (2015, cd, bel, starman records)

I saw the Zita Swoon Group perform "Nothing That Is Everything", their tribute to Dada, last weekend.
Dance, costumes, masks, graphic art, music, poetry,...
Playful.
Fun.
Lots of 80's avant-garde / pop sounds.
Loved it.

Out on vinyl and on CD.
I didn't hesitate.

A ZITA SWOON UPDATE

Zita Swoon Group presents Nothing That Is Everything : a multidisciplinary performance.
Nothing That Is Everything is based on a short film that reconstructs one of the first performance of Dada at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich.
The film contains all the elements Stef Kamil Carlens and his associates use in their performance: costumes, dance, music, rhythm, poetry, a confusion (of tongues) and humour. 

A track from Zita Swoon Group's new performance NOTHING THAT IS EVERYTHING, premiere on March 13 2015 in Kaaitheater, Brussels.

ZITA SWOON

• zita swoon: lonely place / wake up for the trees
      (2010, cdr-promo, bel, chikaree records)

I just added a picture of this promotional CDR to the United Mutations Archives. Promo for the 2010 March and May concerts in The Netherlands.

ZITA SWOON GROUP - NEW OLD WORLD

• zita swoon group: new old world
      (2014, cd, bel, starman records) 

I never hesitate when Zita Swoon (or Zita Swoon Group as they are called nowadays) release a new album. I buy it.

"New Old World", however, did surprise me. First of all, it's an instrumental album. And second, it's the soundtrack of a production that included movies, theater and dance.
It still has the Zita Swoon groove, but it does sound a bit odd at times.
I've never seen the actual production, so I can't lose the feeling that I'm missing something. I read somewhere that an added picture book would have been nice. Or a DVD.

Still, this is not bad. This is not bad at all.
But it will need another couple of listening sessions.

Out on the Starman label.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - SCHRIJVER ZOEKT ZANGER

• various artists: schrijver zkt. zanger
      (2013, cd, belgium, radio 1 - 082564 634648 6)

A couple of weeks ago, Belgian Radio 1 released "Schrijver Zoekt Zanger", a collaboration between a number of Flemish and Dutch writers and musicians.
Matchmaker / curator Ruth Joost did an excellent job.

The album got released in combination with an issue of Humo magazine a couple of weeks ago (for about six euros extra). A nice way to reach a new audience.
Marcel Vanthilt, Arno, Hennie Vrienten, Stef Kamil Carlens, Frank Vander Linden, Mauro Pawlowski (and others) put the writings of Herman Brusselmans, Dimitri Verhulst, Bart Moeyaert (and others) on music.
I like these sort of exercises with less likely combinations.

A BEATBAND - JINTRO TRAVELS THE WORLD IN A SKIRT

• a beatband: jintro travels the world in a skirt
      (1993, cd, bel, jack$johnny recording / bang)

Somewhere in the early ninetees, Stef Kamil Carlens and Aarich Jespers founded A Beatband. Later the band's name changed to Moondog Jr. and, eventually, the band turned into Zita Swoon.
In the meantime, Stef Kamil Carlens had started dEUS with Tom Barman, but he left the group in 1996.

"Jintro Travels The World In A Skirt" is the one and only release by A Beatband. It's from 1993.
A nice addition to the United Mutations Archives.