v/a - looking for europe

Looking for Europe is a great introduction to the much to ignored, and sometimes maligned, neo-folk style of music. If you kids don't know what neofolk is this a is a great place to start. The basic concept is to create an overview of the types of musicians and ideas connected with this genre, and it does it very well. I mean as you would expect there are bands missing that really should n't be(coil, current 93) and there are tracks on here that don’t need to be or could have been better served, but hell we all have our petty differences. And most of the really important bands are well represented. there is also an excellent companion booklet. explaining the origins of the genre, how it evolved from industrial music and has kept much of the ideology still alive. And with the descriptions of important bands and movements it provides examples explains them and includes them. And there are some really great pictures illustrating band believes through appearance or something like that. It also deals with recurring problems such as the identification of the music with neo-nazi/ pan European movements. Just in case you're wondering these assumed alignments turn out to be false, so don't be afraid. Interestingly it tackles some heavy concepts such as the idea that making European folk music, or exonerating something from Europe’s past is immediately identified as bad and discriminatory; interesting to think about why this is, how it has become an evil thing to give positive recognition to European history. how playing to European traditions it's automatically assumed that one is prejudiced. maybe says something about the way we think these days. Hmmmm, what are modern prejudices all that loverly stuff. As well there are some tracks from bands that were inspirational and important to the movement, but maybe not as folk. A nice mix of some euro folk movements a touch of psychedila and some stuff that is just all over the place. what is it real reviewers say when they look at this kind of thing and can't be bothered to say anything interesting, oh yeah this is an excellent introduction to this much maligned genre. Get it before it gets you.

Vizgig @ November 2006