Dear friends
Covid-19 is dangerously impacting the social-economic category of musicians. No concerts, poor political and social consideration, uncertain earnings. As a consequence, an ever-growing number of musicians, especially those from the experimental area, are trying to promote their music on BandCamp in digital format only. It is increasingly difficult for me to follow and review this incredible flow of music. I therefore decided to open this section on my blog Neuguitars where I propose music in digital format that I consider particularly interesting and worthy of attention. I hope you like it. Let’s support musicians. They need it.
Andrea Aguzzi
Black Moon Lilith in Pisces in the 4th House by Johanna Hedva, 2021 on #neuguitars #blog
Mystical doom, hag blues, confrontationally pure, Black Moon Lilith in Pisces in the 4th House is a solo electric guitar and voice performance that is as much a cathartic grief purge as it is a droned-out metal colossus that summons the holy spirit. Informed by Korean shamanist ritual and the Korean tradition of P’ansori singing (which demands rehearsal next to waterfalls, in order to ravage the vocal cords), as well as by Keiji Haino, Diamanda Galás, and Jeff Buckley, this performance—termed “intimate metal” by a fan—is a grief ritual for my mother, who was a Pisces.
Statement from Johanna Hedva—
This record is a document of grief at the death of my mother. The journey the record takes you on begins with encountering death, the rage and violence that this summons; to the wash of grief, all the tears and heaving feelings that it brings; to a small, little crying-out in the dark; to, finally, not acceptance, but surrender to the annihilation of it. These stages of the story map to the songs: “O Death” is the angry encounter, a doom song that is violently bare; the washing tears is the song “Wash”; the small cries are the two ballads in the middle, “Family” and “Taking”; and then “2 Coins” and “Mary” at the end are the annihilation….
Co-released by crystalline morphologies and Sming Sming.
johannahedva.com
www.smingsming.com
www.crystallinemorphologies.com
credits
released January 1, 2021
All songs written by Johanna Hedva, except the American traditional “O Death”
Guitar and vocals by Johanna Hedva
Mixed by Randall Dunn
Mastered by James Plotkin
“O Death” recorded by Chandler McWilliams, Human Resources Los Angeles
“Wash” recorded and mixed by Pan Daijing and Turi Agostino, Amplify Berlin
“Family” recorded by Hedva, at home in Berlin
“Taking” recorded by Hedva, Amplify Berlin
Violin on “Taking” by Pauline Lay
“2 Coins” and “Mary” recorded by Francesco Donadello, Vox Ton, Berlin
Front photograph of Hedva by Ian Byers-Gambler
Back image by Chandler McWilliams
Thanks to Schorr Guitars for the guitar, and Rerun Electronics for the amp, on “Wash” and “Taking”
Thanks to John Herndon for the amp on “O Death”
NeuGuitars 