At some point I will try and write a more in-depth article/history of Rasputina but for now here's a brief update. The current line-up is Melora Creager, Luis Mojica and Carpella Parvo.
Rasputina have released several more albums - Sister Kinderhook, Unknown (a concept album that is only available direct from their website), and the compilation album, Great American Gingerbread. They also released a compilation of demos from 1991 - 1997 called Magnetic Strip (which is only available as a digital download direct from their website).
Since the last issue of PussyRock zine Melora has released another solo album, Melora A La Basilica and a couple of limited edition CDs --- Ancient Cross-Dressing Songs and The Willow Tree Triptych (which was a limited edition of 100 with individual hand-collaged covers autographed by Melora). They were sold at their gigs/through the website but are now sold out (although her solo album is still available). Melora also recorded a limited edition CD, Fa La La which is now sold out and contributed songs/put together a compilation album called Dedication Compilation which was released for the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. (Melora had played cello with Nirvana on their final European tour).
Melora has also released a limited edition CD of a live Rasputina concert entitled The Pregnant Concert - Live From Knitting Factory and that is still available via their website as well as other merchandise. She also worked on the soundtrack to Repo! The Genetic Opera.
There was also a documentary about the band called Under The Corset that was released in 2010.
Rasputina and Melora Creager official website
Rasputina on Facebook
Showing posts with label rasputina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rasputina. Show all posts
Friday, 30 April 2010
Sunday, 18 April 2010
REVIEW. RASPUTINA --- A RADICAL RECITAL.
Rasputina's 5th full-length album is a limited edition of one particular concert recorded live in Pittsburgh in 2004. The 19 tracks cover their whole career although the majority (8 tracks) are from their most recent album, Frustration Plantation. And although one of the cover versions, Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll is available on the Lost and Found EP, there is a great version of Heart's Barracuda that is previously unreleased.
I think hearing Rasputina live brings an added dimension to their music. They sound heavier and fuller. The good thing about the mix on this CD, however, is that Melora's beautiful vocals are never drowned out or overshadowed but instead complemented by Rasputina's unique sound. Another great thing about a live CD is that it finally gives some of us a chance to hear Melora's bizarre and rather surreal onstage comments.
I'll admit at first, I wasn't too happy about the choice of tracks. I thought they'd missed off some of their more popular earlier tracks like Brand New Key and Transylvanian Concubine as well as not including more rarities like their live versions of Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby's Got Back and Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It. But I can see a certain logic in putting on lesser known album tracks to try and challenge the casual fan and encourage them to check out Rasputina's back catalogue. In the end I accept it's always going to be difficult to please everyone but my opinion is that this album should be viewed as more of a straightforward live album than a greatest hits collection (although it does act as a good basic introduction to the band for those who are unfamiliar with their work). It's a worthy addition to a great body of work by one of the most original bands around at the moment.
http://www.rasputina.com/
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2005.
I think hearing Rasputina live brings an added dimension to their music. They sound heavier and fuller. The good thing about the mix on this CD, however, is that Melora's beautiful vocals are never drowned out or overshadowed but instead complemented by Rasputina's unique sound. Another great thing about a live CD is that it finally gives some of us a chance to hear Melora's bizarre and rather surreal onstage comments.
I'll admit at first, I wasn't too happy about the choice of tracks. I thought they'd missed off some of their more popular earlier tracks like Brand New Key and Transylvanian Concubine as well as not including more rarities like their live versions of Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby's Got Back and Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It. But I can see a certain logic in putting on lesser known album tracks to try and challenge the casual fan and encourage them to check out Rasputina's back catalogue. In the end I accept it's always going to be difficult to please everyone but my opinion is that this album should be viewed as more of a straightforward live album than a greatest hits collection (although it does act as a good basic introduction to the band for those who are unfamiliar with their work). It's a worthy addition to a great body of work by one of the most original bands around at the moment.
http://www.rasputina.com/
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2005.
Saturday, 17 April 2010
REVIEW. RASPUTINA --- OH PERILOUS WORLD.
This is Rasputina's 5th full-length studio album --- for over 10 years now founder member Melora Creager has redefined cello music for a whole generation, sampling and distorting string music and combining with other instruments like dulcimer and drums and diverse influences from American folk music to gothic rock to create stunning musical landscapes. Oh Perilous World is perhaps her most ambitious concept to date. Rasputina have always written songs about weird and wonderful subjects (could any other band have written a song like Rats, about the Pope's decision to reclassify capybara, a South American rodent, as fish so Catholics could eat them on Friday) and so far they've managed to pull them off most of the time with breathtaking audacity.
This album tells the story of Mary Todd Lincoln, the queen of Florida and how she dealt with an uprising from Pitcairn Island led by Thursday October Christian, the son of Fletcher Christian. Melora has used songs based on past events like the extreme weather conditions of 1816 and the Children's Crusades of the Middle Ages to mirror events more recently like global warming or the use of child soldiers in African armies. As well as writing her own lyrics she has used lyrics based on other source material such as news reports of Hurricane Katrina or a speech by Osama Bin Laden.
It's undoubtedly a bold move but personally I didn't feel like it quite came off. They've kept their distinctive sound and even after 10 years they're still exploring variations (this album uses more dulcimer than before) and it sounds great but none of the tracks particularly stand out. It seems such a shame that such original music ends up as background music especially after all the effort that has gone into it. The album has beautiful artwork (and the deluxe package came with a set of postcards) that reflects the Victorian/steampunk style of Rasputina and deluxe editions came with a bonus CD of an extra 9 songs (2 remixes and 7 originals not on the main album). Maybe it was just me but I couldn't follow the concept through the various songs and I felt like using other source material almost made it sound like speaking in tongues at time. It was an ambitious concept and only a band like Rasputina would probably even attempt something like this. If you shoot for the moon and miss, you'll end up among the stars.
http://www.rasputina.com/
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MAY 2008.
This album tells the story of Mary Todd Lincoln, the queen of Florida and how she dealt with an uprising from Pitcairn Island led by Thursday October Christian, the son of Fletcher Christian. Melora has used songs based on past events like the extreme weather conditions of 1816 and the Children's Crusades of the Middle Ages to mirror events more recently like global warming or the use of child soldiers in African armies. As well as writing her own lyrics she has used lyrics based on other source material such as news reports of Hurricane Katrina or a speech by Osama Bin Laden.
It's undoubtedly a bold move but personally I didn't feel like it quite came off. They've kept their distinctive sound and even after 10 years they're still exploring variations (this album uses more dulcimer than before) and it sounds great but none of the tracks particularly stand out. It seems such a shame that such original music ends up as background music especially after all the effort that has gone into it. The album has beautiful artwork (and the deluxe package came with a set of postcards) that reflects the Victorian/steampunk style of Rasputina and deluxe editions came with a bonus CD of an extra 9 songs (2 remixes and 7 originals not on the main album). Maybe it was just me but I couldn't follow the concept through the various songs and I felt like using other source material almost made it sound like speaking in tongues at time. It was an ambitious concept and only a band like Rasputina would probably even attempt something like this. If you shoot for the moon and miss, you'll end up among the stars.
http://www.rasputina.com/
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MAY 2008.
REVIEW. MELORA CREAGER --- PERPLEXIONS.
Melora Creager is the founder member (and main vocalist/songwriter) for cello-rock ensemble Rasputina. This is her first solo CD and was released at the end of 2006. Musically, it isn't a great departure from the Rasputina sound although Melora has used keyboards on a couple of songs which Rasputina have only used on rare occasions earlier in their career. The songs are more towards the quirkier, unusual type of Rasputina song so although they do sound good they lack the immediate impact of songs like The Mayor or AntiqueHighHeelRedDollShoes. It's been indicated that she intended this EP to be a taster for the next Rasputina album but presumably contractual obligatons meant she had to release it under her own name (Rasputina are now on their own label, Filthy Bonnet Co.) rather than as a Rasputina EP.
Their previous E.P.s had been comprised solely of cover versions/remixes and they'd already done a live album so maybe she thought it would be good to do something different as a taster so this EP features 6 original tracks and 1 cover version, American Girl by Tom Petty. This EP continues the theme that Rasputina have used in the past of writing about historical events in an eccentric way or interpreting current events with an idiosyncratic twist. So we get songs about the volcanic eruption at Krakatoa and Warbots (military robots) and lyrics taken from the news reports of the California storms from a few years ago. But apart from a great rendition of American Girl, I'm afraid that although it was pleasant enough, it didn't haunt me in the way previous Rasputina releases have. If you're a die hard Rasputina fan you'll probably still like to have it and it's enough of a curiousity to be worth taking a chance on if you're a fan of other great eccentrics like Joanna Newsome or Bjork but if you're looking for a specific introduction to the genius of Rasputina, I'd honestly recommend an earlier album.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MAY 2008.
Their previous E.P.s had been comprised solely of cover versions/remixes and they'd already done a live album so maybe she thought it would be good to do something different as a taster so this EP features 6 original tracks and 1 cover version, American Girl by Tom Petty. This EP continues the theme that Rasputina have used in the past of writing about historical events in an eccentric way or interpreting current events with an idiosyncratic twist. So we get songs about the volcanic eruption at Krakatoa and Warbots (military robots) and lyrics taken from the news reports of the California storms from a few years ago. But apart from a great rendition of American Girl, I'm afraid that although it was pleasant enough, it didn't haunt me in the way previous Rasputina releases have. If you're a die hard Rasputina fan you'll probably still like to have it and it's enough of a curiousity to be worth taking a chance on if you're a fan of other great eccentrics like Joanna Newsome or Bjork but if you're looking for a specific introduction to the genius of Rasputina, I'd honestly recommend an earlier album.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN MAY 2008.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
REVIEW. RASPUTINA --- MY FEVER BROKE EP.
Rasputina also released this EP at the start of 2003. It features 3 remixes of State Fair and 2 remixes of Sweet Water Kill (2 album tracks from Cabin Fever) plus another straightforward version of AntiqueHighHeelRedDollShoes. However, what saves the EP from being redundant is a CD-ROM video of a live performance of My Orphanage which is especially good for those who live outside the USA and haven't had the chance to see Rasputina live. (It would be great if they would release an official DVD sometime.) There's also a quite frankly astonishing version of Belle & Sebastian's Fox in the Snow which you'll either love or hate. Although this is a good EP, I think it's more for devoted Rasputina fans rather than those looking for an introduction to the band.
Originally published in December 2004.
Originally published in December 2004.
REVIEW. RASPUTINA --- THE LOST AND FOUND EP SECOND EDITION
This is a reissued version of a limited edition EP originally available through Rasputina's website. It features 7 cover versions. The track listing has been slightly changed from the original EP and 2 new songs have been added. There's a version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Bad Moon Rising that I wasn't that keen on plus a great version of Pat Benatar's Fire and Ice that sounds very striking and unusual. I wish they'd recorded their versions of Baby's Got Back and We're Not Gonna Take It though as I've heard a live bootleg of them and they sound awesome. There's also their sublimely beautiful version of Wish You Were Here (originally by Pink Floyd) and an amazing version of Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll that goes for feminine wiles and seductive manipulation instead of the original traditional straightforward male rock music. It's a total surprise and unlike anything I could have imagined.
Rasputina's unique sound means these cover versions sound refreshingly different without ever becoming some kind of novelty item. This album acts as either a great introduction to their stunning sound or a good addition to any Rasputina collection.
Originally published December 2004.
Rasputina's unique sound means these cover versions sound refreshingly different without ever becoming some kind of novelty item. This album acts as either a great introduction to their stunning sound or a good addition to any Rasputina collection.
Originally published December 2004.
REVIEW. RASPUTINA --- FRUSTRATION PLANTATION
Frustration Plantation is the 4th studio album from the cello-rock ensemble, Rasputina. This album saw another change of personnel as founder member Melora Creager was joined by Zoe Keating on cello and vocals and Rasputina's first male member, Jonathon TeBeest on drums and percussion. Limited editions of the album came with a bonus disc, Poor Relations in the Shed Out Back. It featured 9 tracks (4 of which were remixes of album tracks) including some previously unreleased tracks. It's a nice little extra that's worth looking out for. The CD packaging is beautifully laid out continuing with the old fashioned themes that Rasputina are known for but with a particular pioneer/Old West theme.
Rasputina distort and sample their cello music to create a cross between more traditional classical music and alternative/Goth music. Each of their albums seems to showcase a different aspect of their sound --- in this case, the similarity between their music and traditional folk songs seems particularly highlighted. The songs come across as timeless rather than old fashioned and there are some fantastically catchy numbers like The Mayor and High on Life. Some of the songs have a slightly sharper edge than the laidback ambient feel of some of the tracks on Cabin Fever. Rasputina are an amazing band with a distinctive sound that is still being explored and reinvented even after 4 albums. This album isn't quite as instantly catchy as Cabin Fever but it's worth persevering with it because once you finally get it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without the weird and wonderful music of Rasputina.
Originally published in December 2004.
Rasputina distort and sample their cello music to create a cross between more traditional classical music and alternative/Goth music. Each of their albums seems to showcase a different aspect of their sound --- in this case, the similarity between their music and traditional folk songs seems particularly highlighted. The songs come across as timeless rather than old fashioned and there are some fantastically catchy numbers like The Mayor and High on Life. Some of the songs have a slightly sharper edge than the laidback ambient feel of some of the tracks on Cabin Fever. Rasputina are an amazing band with a distinctive sound that is still being explored and reinvented even after 4 albums. This album isn't quite as instantly catchy as Cabin Fever but it's worth persevering with it because once you finally get it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without the weird and wonderful music of Rasputina.
Originally published in December 2004.
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