Madrugada
3 new singles

I guess you could call it milking the cow, but I think the motivation for releasing these three CD EPs/singles is to maintain public awareness of the band, while we're waiting for their important 2nd album, expected to be released early next year. Besides, it's one fat, healthy cow they're milking. On two of these releases we get some extra goodies, in the form of additional tracks not present on their debud CD. The band have spent last year touring Europe in addition to recording their upcoming record in New York. Rumours have it that they will deliver a dirtier product this time, but also more sexy and 'nightclub' inspired ... Whatever that means, I feel confident we won't be disappointed.

The Electric EP (Virgin) is made up of Electric, a nice, but dangerously cliché song, taken from the debut CD Industrial Silence I'm Life's Wonderful Way Of Letting You Down, a new song filled with the existential blueness that Madrugada loves to display - fragile and raw at the same time Bill Sking Fifth - another new one - an instrumental guitar track, a waltz (!) with emotions similar to Nick Cave's The Carny, though more subdued - great slide and finally a cover of The Gun Club's Mother Of Earth. This last track was also featured on the S2 Records compilation Frozen - A selection of Polarized Country, with Madrugada calling themselves The Silver Bullet Band (we get a sligthly altered version here). They play with natural ease, and treat the song respectfully, making it a solid homeage, perhaps a little too close to the original? It comes as no surprise that this EP is dedicated to Jeffrey Lee Pierce, The Gun Club in many ways being one of Madrugada's older relatives, musically speaking.

The Higher EP is sewn together from four tracks taken from three earlier releases: The crowd-pleaser Higher, the calmer and more anonymous Tonight I Have No Words For You, and the naked and somewhat lyrically epic The Riverbed all appear on the New Depression EP (but the version of Higher included here is from the Industrial Silence release). The jangly Bad Seeds sounding Highway 2.000.000 is taken from the now sold out self-titled debut EP. If you've got these earlier releases, I can see no rational reason to buy this one. Otherwise, this may be a good time to catch up.

Last month came the Beautyproof single, a little more interesting for fans, as it includes another previously unreleased track. Called Legends And Bones, it was recorded in something they call "The Shit City Sessions." (Do they mean Oslo?) The guitar solo breaks on this one are very Lou Reed / Velvet Underground like - laidback, dry, simple, soulful and soothing. Suits the song perfectly. As a filler, it's more than great. Beautyproof itself has become another live favourite, a steadily hard rocking item, direct-to-door delivery ... Lastly, we get 1990, released earlier on the New Depression EP, a sugary sweet pop song, at least compared to the rest of Madrugada's blue song catalog. To sum up: Two great old songs, and one great new one.

Copyright © 2000 Knut Tore Breivik