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The Formative Years – Falco

Talking about formative years, the influence Johann "Hans" Hölzel’s exerted long before my exposure to punk cannot be overestimated. I do not believe in the concept of “guilty pleasures” and to this day, I enjoy music from the Eighties independently from the confines of any genre.

I remember vividly the first time I heard Falco’s Der Kommissar on the radio and I was fascinated by the exciting paranoia ridden tune about thinly veiled drug consumption from the get go as it had something that went beyond the music and it spurned an interest in the man that was to last for many years. It also constituted one of the first times I heard someone “rap”.

Having been socialised in the alternative lefty scene of Vienna and with sound musical pedigree having attended the Vienna Conservatoire, Hölzel honed his craft playing bass in bands like the eccentric shock value performance group Drahdiwaberl, before he reinvented himself and gave birth to his arrogant, nouveu-riche, clean-cut Falco persona, with his provocative song  "Ganz Wien" about the omnipresence of heroin in Vienna sort of marking the direction he was going to embark in. The song was banned and caused the controversy he must have hoped for, which got him exposure and seemed to reaffirm his decision to go solo.

What followed was his fantastic first album Einzelhaft, which featured the catchy and dry Der Kommissar, a song whose chorus perverted a nursey rhyme and one that marked what veritably constituted his first major hit, surfing the Neue Deutsche Welle.

His next album Junge Roemer shows the evolution not just as far as his Falco persona goes, but also musically as it gives insight into his musical prowess and diverse abilities.

Things were about to change with his third album, as he was going to join forces with the Bolland Brothers to broaden his appeal and channel their pop alchemy into harnessing Falco’s idiosyncratic approach to make it mass compatible. What resulted catapulted Falco into global stardom with his cliché laden tribute to Mozart in 1986, i.e. Rock Me Amadeus, a song that could be considered as one of the first rap songs to not only enter but top the US and other charts the world over.

The album, which marked the peak of his career, also harboured one of my favourite Falco tracks, i.e. the fantastic ditty Vienna Calling as well as what was perceived as one of the most scandalous songs of the era in the new world, i.e. the highly controversial Jeanny, a song written seemingly from the perspective of a rapist and murder.

The Sound of Music followed, another great song and album, followed by Data De Groove, which took some deliberate artistic detours, and Wiener Blut, which saw his fame taper off - comeback attempts with interesting but not commercially successful albums and him eventually moving to the Dominican Republic, where he died in a car crash days before turning forty-one.

To this day one of the more interesting intelligent, charismatic, entertaining, difficult and eccentrically complex personalities Europe has produced and whose specifically early oeuvre had a massive on me and one that reverberates to this day.

Water of Life – Puni

Italy is not exactly an epicentre when it comes to the distilling of whiskies and after attending a tasting about two years ago, I was pleasantly surprised about being proffered a dram from a very sleek bottle of what has its source in the Italian equivalent to the Scottish Highlands, i.e. a distillery that derived its name its accompanying rive and water source Puni.

Located in the Vinschgau valley, Puni Distillery sources its rye locally before it its being married with the foundation that barley provides and wheat, which is responsible to add a sweet note to the mash bill before its alchemy is channelled through handcrafted copper pot stills.

Puni’s Alba Whiskey can be considered to be its core expression and is a young one at that as it just passed the minimum of three years maturation that Scotch standards prescribe. Now, what might raise eyebrows because of the short maturation period, should be seen in the local context and, more importantly, the local climate and the mastery that informs their curation of casks, of which there are plenty to choose from in the wine country of Italy. After an initial period in Italian wine casks, the spirit spends time in what makes Puni specifically interesting for me: The whiskey is refined in second-fill bourbon barrels that have up to two and a half decades under their belts aging whiskies from Islay and thereby adding the island’s idiosyncratic iodine, sea spray and peat to the equation, resulting in a rich and complex flavour profile.

There is a natural aspect to Puni’s whiskies as their emissions are not chill filtered, which at times add a bit of haziness to the appearance and an aroma that meanders steadily between fruity, tarty and herbal territory heavily informed by the locally sourced grain and dried fruits.

Oily in texture, on the top of the roof is where Alba comes to life as dark fruity flavours are accentuated by grassy notes with spicy chocolate highlights, that are framed by a deliciously subtle smokiness.

The finish culminates and “dawns” (Alba being Italian for “dawn”) with a crescendo of peppery spice, dominant vanilla flavours and dried fruit.

Puni’s Nova expression is matured in American oak casks before being refined in what was previously used for cognac, i.e. French barrique Limousin oak casks.

What tickles the nostrils is more on the citrussy side of things, with a backbone of ripe apples and vanilla and toffee.

The floral flavours that serenade the palate are counterpointed by dried pears and the trademark Puni sweet graininess that is rounded out via spicy white peppery notes.

The finish is deliciously crisp, lean and subtle with sweet chocolate, herbal and cinnamon notes.

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image from company website

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Wayward Brewing

With bottle shops and liquor shops on terra australis looking like candy stores these days with the array of colourful cans of craft beers on display, the sheer sensory overload sometimes makes one walk past the true gems that have refined their approach to creating quality brews that are in alignment with traditional methods yet do not lack an adventurous, innovative edge.

With a core line-up of lagers and ales, Wayward lives truly up to its name when they venture off the beaten track to follow their instinct in channelling their alchemy to brew potions that excite their ever growing base of loyal beer aficionados, including imaginative detours into the never boring world of sours the psychedelically coloured Berliner Weisses.

With this first instalment on Wayward, I would like to set the focus on their India Pale Ales.

Wayward’s staple IPA clocked in at 6% and is in nature a very drinkable, vibrant American West Coast style variant IPA. What makes their core IPA a trusted go-to for me that is that it makes a borderline ideal component for boilermakers with smoky whiskies as the volumes is turned to 11 when it comes to the display of crispy tropical fruit and citrus notes that are resting on a foundation of hops, counterpointed by a delicate bitterness, which results in a dry finish.

Taking things up a notch is Wayward’s Red IPA – both in terms of flavour as well as ABV. Now we are talking. By marrying a triumvirate of hops, i.e. Simcoe, Amarillo and Galaxy hops, the crispy and fresh grapefruit notes are backed by a rustic maltiness that culminates in a well-balanced finish.

Wayward Cashmere Cat Hazy IPA not only has a slick but also a telling name as apart from Cashmere, NZ Riwaka, Gallaxy and Citra hops, rolled oats and wheat add an interesting component to the equation, the sum of which adds to what results in a beautiful melange of tangy and citrussy passionfruitiness with exquisite highlights of mango that is counterpointed by a delicate bitterness. Delicious!

Apparently Wayward Brewing has recently released a new limited edition, i.e. Wayward Son Lupulin IPA, which is fabled to be a hoppy homage to the head brewer’s offspring and given the quality and enjoyment factor of the aforementioned IPAs, I will make a concerted effort to track a few down.

Wayward Brewing not only entertains a taproom, which is on my to-visit list, but also has a merchandise and accessories range that is firmly placed at the more stylish end of the spectrum. I specifically like their subtle vintage looking designs, which are printed on quality garments that look and feel like proper gear compared to the merchandise a lot of other breweries offer.

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image from company website

Water of Life – Wolfburn Help for Heroes

Having resurrected its operations merely nine years ago, Wolfburn has been one of my favourite old “new” distilleries for a while now for a range of reasons, so when it was announced that they were going to release a limited expression in the tradition of the distillery collaborating for a great cause, i.e. Help For Heroes, I was intrigued. Word around the campfire had that it was going to be derived from Wolfburn’s oldest spirit, after maturation in first-fill bourbon casks before blending it with a component that has been refined in sherry casks, which on paper would promise a rich and complex drop.

With aromas on the floral and sweeter side of the spectrum, I find this limited expression to be far more accessible than the other Wolfburn whiskies as the honeyed chocolate nuance would appeal even to the uninitiated.

On the top of the mouth, vanilla unfolds its full glory, resting on a foundation of dried fruits and framed by an omnipresent malty oakyness with delicate tannic highlights from the casks shimmering through.

The elongated finish bookends the journey, closing the cycle by returning to the floral honeyed chocolate notes the nose promised and culminating in a crescendo that is topped with a subtle smokiness that makes one lust for another dram.

Nice.

Now, let’s take things up a notch or three: Wolfburn’s portfolio is comprised of quite a few heavyweights that would delight even the most seasoned aficionado, but I find their cask strength expressions to be the ones that really shine and sing.

Needless to say that expectations were set very high when I learned about their highest strength ABV release yet, i.e.  Langskip Cask Strength. This is a league or two above the Northland, Aurora and Morven releases as it packs a welcome punch in the best way possible, which is not further wondrous given its telling name of Viking origin.

What tickles the nostrils is surprisingly soft in nature, with vanilla-esque butterscotch meeting apple and zesty notes counterpointed by a nice seaside saltiness and expected ethanol highlights.

Oily in texture, swirls of buttery vanilla mix with spicy peppery nuances, accentuated by citrussy chocolatey notes that at times enter tarty territory, grounded by the barley maltiness and again slightly alcoholic notes, that add to the whole rather than detracting from it.

The medium length finish continues the journey and amplifies the spicy notes towards the end, rounding things out with reverberating crispy zesty lime accents.

A wonderful expression and so far my favourite Wolfburn expression as it clearly defines the flavours and aromas that make the DNA of the distillery, and despite having only been aged for five years,  the high alcohol content is not as raw as other cask expressions in the league of cask strength variants.

This bodes well and raises the bar for future emissions from Wolfburn.

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image from company website

The Formative Years – Dischord Records

Not unlike it is the case with a lot of great things, the premise of Dischord Records has always been and can be simmered down to a simple common denominator, i.e. the documentation of music coming out of their community in Washington D.C.

Founded by Ian McKaye in 1980 to release his band’s The Teen Idles’ first “Minor Disturbance” 7”, Dischord Records started quickly to spearhead and advance punk and hardcore at large, which is not further wondrous given the calibre of the bands on the label with either people being directly involved or their close friends.

My first exposure to Dischord Records must have been via Minor Threat – a band whose oeuvre, line-up and impact would deserve a separate dedicated instalment of this series, as would many of the over sixty bands that have found a home on Dischord Records to date.

Even quite a few years after Minor Threat’s short-lived tenure and subsequent breakup, their memorable songs propagating the very essence of DIY ethics paired with them planting the seeds for what would become known as the “straight edge” movement, had an instant impact on me, which prompted a letter to the Dischord Records along with a big order. Many more should follow.

While other early punk and hardcore labels like SST, Alternative Tentacles and Touch & Go Records had ups and downs with their bands and releases, Dischord Records was a trusted benchmark in terms of quality without falling prey to following a cookie-cutter formula with their releases – au contraire – they were at the forefront of breaking down silos and seemed very much inspired by introducing new musical style to a narrow-minded crowd, which resulted ultimately in a shift from pure hardcore punk to an active redefinition of what underground music could be with the right attitude.

If you look at Dischord Records’ extensively diverse roster and the myriad of releases, it is hard to fathom that all bands hail from the same city. I would consider literally each and every release of the first half of their catalogue as a veritable classic, with bands like Government Issue;  the fantastic Void with their unhinged punk metal fusion; Iron Cross; the wonderful Embrace who essentially coined what was to evolve to become labelled as the “emotional hardcore” genre; Rites of Spring (one of my favourite bands of all time, their “End on end” compilation is flawless); Ian Svenonius’ free-jazz influenced Nation of Ulysses who perceived themselves to be more of a political party than a band; Scream;  the predecessor of Girls against Boys i.e. Soulside; Henry Garfield’s S.O.A;  Gray Matter (their “Take it back” 12” is pure gold); Jawbox; Marginal Man with their punchy dual guitar attacks; Shudder to Think with their skewed pop sensibility; Dag Nasty with their classic releases; Lungfish and of course the revolutionary Fugazi with Ian being only some of them. To name only a few...

Despite seeming unsustainable on paper, Dischord Records’ approach to releasing records and dealing with bands, i.e. defining themselves as equal partners of the bands they are working with, has been working to this day and I would be hard-pressed to recount any negative experiences from people who have worked with them, no matter if it was in front or behind the scenes.