UNITED MOVEMENT - introducing the exploration

An ideology is a nice thing, if it is your own and you can shout it out to people. Following someone else’s ideology is always awkward and shouting a strange ideology out to people makes you look dumb and completely un-fab. An artistic ideology is even better than the average political one, though, of course, the two cannot ever be safely separated. I prefer an artistic one anytime, especially if good rock music is involved[1] because of the promise of excess, noise, liberation and coming back home safe in the morning to have a nice sleep until the afternoon. Then waking up, with your ears still ringing, your mouth all fluffy from the drinks you’ve had but the great feeling of having had an experience that might (or in the long run might not, but the only thing that counts right now is the next fifteen minutes, the afternoon, the day ahead) change your life.

The United Movement is not at all what it says it is, because definitely they’ll walk alone in the front, with guitars blasting, drums pounding and the vocals screaming, sighing, whispering, moaning. Like a blast from the good old days of Noiserock that keeps me going this day still, this record has only fours songs, but sometimes that is all that it takes to make you a fan, innit? And what more does it take at times than an electric guitar, distorted and overdriven but not that much, a drumset and mics? The riffs are simple yet cleverly constructed, the songs are straight forward with just that much dynamics to make you grab your beer tighter so you can shake your whole body without spilling too much. After more songs and more songs I even feel the damp cold and the slightly stale smell of the cellar holding tonight’s United Movement-show creep up my legs (even though I know I am still at my desk writing these words…) Which is to say, the ingredients are well known, the execution is dashingly tight and heavy and the result rocks.

Starting a movement isn’t easy, from the first primordial tribes right through history via the Christian religion and the building of nations down to Fight Club, the in-crowd and the out-crowd (or rather the not-in-crowd) were always delineated by a set of rules only known to those in. One easy way to destroy any movement (and thereby the only way to secure success in forming the movement – think about it!) is to demand from each and every follower to be his or her own master. Disguises and cloaking your faces behind masks has been likeable apparel through the ages, rock music, obviously, hasn’t. The United movement also has its own rules. If I see a set of rules, I instantly start to scan them to see which I will break by my everyday routine, which I will have to break just because they look to me as if they just have to be broken – be it to prove that free will still exists or because I am convinced that they are wrong – and then there is always that set of rules, which I will break just because an opportunity arises. This here set is an easy one. #1 says: “It is strictly forbidden to talk about music.” Check, I am out. Of course, I will have to remark upon the high-pitched metal vocals (see The Darkness) before the break in “Devil gave me a chance”.

#10 on the other hand states: “It is demanded from every UM follower to listen to himself / herself only.” Check, but that doesn’t mean I am in, right? But that is a slight consolation to the blows received beforehand, but anyway. So I listen to myself and follow the call to “Spread the myth, spread UM”, even if that means talking about music. Because it still rings true, what The Cramps sung 20 years ago: "I want some new kind of kick!". Today its "it's time to sweat again, sweat again."

[1] There is a history of that: The Nation of Ulysses / The Make*Up come to mind, sadly missed still, but also World Domination Enterprises, Atari Teenage Riot, and others. Thinking about it, even the Bloodhound Gang had something like a following with their own ideology. Where did it all start: I guess I am not wrong to say two words: KISS-Army. The Church of Elvis was founded later on, I think.

UNITED MOVEMENT Introducing the exploration CD, noise appeal

I will never join a movement, no chance. Even in protests, I walk alone. But if I had to chose one party to hang myself to, I’d chose the United Movement, because of the noise-rock-factor. Two people naming themselves “Body” & “Soul” and usurping the supreme master’s throne trash out a heavy, fat short blast of noise-rock. The ingredients are simple: electric guitars with some distortion, pounding drums, vocals and a home-brew ideology that ambles between liberating the world and dominating it absolutely (very much like the Roman Church or the free masons …) but hell does it ever rock when mixed and ready.
An ideology is a nice thing, if it is your own and you can shout it out to people. Following someone else’s ideology is always awkward and shouting a strange ideology out to people makes you look dumb and completely un-fab. An artistic ideology is even better than the average political one, though, of course, the two cannot ever be safely separated. I prefer an artistic one anytime, especially if good rock music is involved[1] because of the promise of excess, noise, liberation and coming back home safe in the morning to have a nice sleep until the afternoon. Then waking up, with your ears still ringing, your mouth all fluffy from the drinks you’ve had but the great feeling of having had an experience that might (or in the long run might not, but the only thing that counts right now is the next fifteen minutes, the afternoon, the day ahead) change your life. The United Movement is not at all what it says it is, because definitely they’ll walk alone in the front, with guitars blasting, drums pounding and the vocals screaming, sighing, whispering, moaning. Like a blast from the good old days of Noiserock that keeps me going this day still, this record has only fours songs, but sometimes that is all that it takes to make you a fan, innit? And what more does it take at times than an electric guitar, distorted and overdriven but not that much, a drumset and mics? The riffs are simple yet cleverly constructed, the songs are straight forward with just that much dynamics to make you grab your beer tighter so you can shake your whole body without spilling too much. After more songs and more songs I even feel the damp cold and the slightly stale smell of the cellar holding tonight’s United Movement-show creep up my legs (even though I know I am still at my desk writing these words…) Which is to say, the ingredients are well known, the execution is dashingly tight and heavy and the result rocks. Starting a movement isn’t easy, from the first primordial tribes right through history via the Christian religion and the building of nations down to Fight Club, the in-crowd and the out-crowd (or rather the not-in-crowd) were always delineated by a set of rules only known to those in. One easy way to destroy any movement (and thereby the only way to secure success in forming the movement – think about it!) is to demand from each and every follower to be his or her own master. Disguises and cloaking your faces behind masks has been likeable apparel through the ages, rock music, obviously, hasn’t. The United movement also has its own rules. If I see a set of rules, I instantly start to scan them to see which I will break by my everyday routine, which I will have to break just because they look to me as if they just have to be broken – be it to prove that free will still exists or because I am convinced that they are wrong – and then there is always that set of rules, which I will break just because an opportunity arises. This here set is an easy one. #1 says: “It is strictly forbidden to talk about music.” Check, I am out. Of course, I will have to remark upon the high-pitched metal vocals (see The Darkness) before the break in “Devil gave me a chance”. #10 on the other hand states: “It is demanded from every UM follower to listen to himself / herself only.” Check, but that doesn’t mean I am in, right? But that is a slight consolation to the blows received beforehand, but anyway. So I listen to myself and follow the call to “Spread the myth, spread UM”, even if that means talking about music. Because it still rings true, what The Cramps sung 20 years ago: "I want some new kind of kick!". Today its "it's time to sweat again, sweat again." [1] There is a history of that: The Nation of Ulysses / The Make*Up come to mind, sadly missed still, but also World Domination Enterprises, Atari Teenage Riot, and others. Thinking about it, even the Bloodhound Gang had something like a following with their own ideology. Where did it all start: I guess I am not wrong to say two words: KISS-Army. The Church of Elvis was founded later on, I think.

CD, noise appeal