The most Spanish Austrians, Novy Svet open the record with 'El Sabor de Pan', a good song to enter the subject, mostly based
upon a quite repetitive melody and the usual nonchalant vocals from Jürgen, singing in Spanish. Follows the first
contribution 'Nada mąs allą' by the Catalan musician Ō Paradis… a quite typical Ō Paradis song that should please all those
who enjoy the multiple little sounds that form the music and Demian's particular voice. Totenlieder brings a bit more
'punch' as well as melancholy with 'Como Olvidar'… which reveals itself as a nice neo-classic composition lead by his
recognisable violin... it can only make one impatient to listen to a full Totenlieder album.
All in all, this record creates a subtle mix of different musical styles (from black lounge to strange Catalan folk pop)
that makes pleasant listening for those alcoholic evenings...
The 12" is limited to 410 hand-numbered copies on black vinyl and comes in a beautiful handmade gatefold cover (black
velvet outside and satin inside).
A new very nice and highly recommended Punch Productions release, that proves once again that this label really cares about
the production and always offers original productions with brilliant and careful artworks.
Nathalie F.
Contacts:
With 'Drinking To Better Days', Tairy (the mastermind behind AIT! and Punch Productions) gathers his friends from Novy
Svet, Ō Paradis and Totenlieder for a joint release featuring two exclusive tracks from each one. One can easily guess that
these contributions will have been influenced/inspired by alcohol as suggested by the title.
Then comes AIT!, his first track closing the a-side and his second opening the b-side. 'Sixty Sick Years' is just
amazing and sounds in my ears as one of the best AIT! compositions so far!... a subtle combination of sad, tense and
melancholic atmospheres... and Tairy's distinctive and strangely deformed voice. The second track 'Ego Te Absolvo a
Peccatis Tuis' is also good but more martial and based on more familiar sound/speech collages... Two tracks that will
make a new AIT! album highly awaited by his fans! The following Totenlieder contribution 'Sin Amor o Esperanza' will
probably sound quite surprising, not only because of the kind of 'guinguette' accordion melody that begins with but to
the unusual noisier sound environment the track creates too. O Paradis, then Novy Svet with 'Hola Barca' conclude this
sound fest with a quite strange track that features Jürgen on (Spanish) vocals, a quite repetitive rhythm and chorus...
and an unmistakable kazoo that brings the touch of craziness to this last track/drink!
As for the extra limited edition of 33 copies, this one comes on black vinyl with speckles and is, as expected,
already sold out now.
Winter 2004/05
Punch Productions: www.punchrecords.it
AIT!: www.punchproductions.net/AIT
Novy Svet: www.artcraf.it/novysvet.htm
Ō Paradis: www.o-paradis.com
Totenlieder: totenlieder.ath.cx/Intro.html