Neofolk publicism, part II: Apatheia

As any casual reader of The Chronicles will have noticed, Lord Bassington-Bassington loves Neofolk music. He also loves to give something back to people that have given him something. So His Lordship is happy and honoured to be able to combine those two loves by lending a helping paw to people whose music has inspired him, such as Coph Nia, Die Weisse Rose and Klammheim, by helping them with press releases to promote their recordings.

Last in a short (but very cosy) line is Apatheia, the project of the ever charming Linus Andersson. Mr. Andersson is not just a superb fellow, lover of good (vegan) foods and talented musician, he was also kind enough to take the time to travel to Oslo to play at Lord Bassington-Bassington and Lady Mju's combined stag and hen party. He deserves all kinds of respect and support.

And with those words, we cut for a commercial break.

Gothenburg-based multi-instrumentalist and sound sculptor Linus Andersson is a busy man. Not only does he beat the drums for goth-Industrialist outfit Coph Nia, and work as a sound engineer and producer for everything from hair metal to contemporary art music, he also plays in a bunch of punk bands.

No wonder his own neofolk project, Apatheia, seems to suffer from… well, apathy. Despite existing for about a decade, it has only produced a few releases, in highly limited editions on highly obscure labels. But as anyone who has heard any of this material knows, they have been well worth tracking down. Apatheia’s songs are typically well arranged and well played, with a strong sense of melody and sound. A song like “Rot in the Core” is worth the entire productions of some of the neofolk outfits out there.

This situation couldn’t last. It would only be a matter of time before a label grabbed Apatheia and gave its music the audience it deserved. This label turned out to be renowned Swedish label Cold Meat Industry, and now they’re re-releasing Apatheia’s Lifethesis.

This is what main man Andersson has to say for himself:

“Originally released in an edition of 100 copies by Stridulum Recordings in 2003, Lifethesis consists of some of the earliest Apatheia material, recorded in Linköping between 2001 and 2002. The recording quality is rough and the performances are often spontaneous and not always perfect - and all for the better! I considered remastering the album, but quickly realized that it did more harm than good. To me, these old bedroom recordings have a certain quality to them that couldn't have been reproduced in a proper studio setting”.

While his musical merits speak for themselves, there is more that makes Apatheia a bit unique in the world of neofolk. In a genre obsessed with symbols of power, conquest and control, Apatheia (the term denotes a state of detachment from the world) is all about retreating to one’s bedroom, to regroup and plot one’s revenge against everyone and everything. A bit like punk, only less noisy, less smelly and – let’s admit it – less silly.

So, rejoice that the notoriously perfectionist studio rat Andersson has decided to let some of his old treasures out of the vault. If Lifethesis doesn’t make you eager to hear more of his releases, then you’re not really interested in this sort of music, are you?


So, if you are interested in this sort of music, you should keep an eye on the Cold Meat Industry webpage in the time coming. And in the meantime, you could always check out the very limited vinyl single (see picture below) Apatheia has just released. The details below are stolen from the Apatheia blog, as are all the pictures in this post.

A new 7″ has been released. A numbered edition limited to 100 copies on blue vinyl will initially be released, followed by an additional 200 on black with different artwork.

The A-side features a new rendition of Rot In The Core (originally released on the Promo album), and a new song called You Will Not Survive on the flip. The latter is a droning instrumental version of the song, and it will most likely be published in a different version on a sampler early 2010.

Society News: His Lordship joins club!

(Society page writers: Yell "STOP PRESS!" now. The rest of you, please read on.)

In one of the most important social events of the season here in Little Storping-in-the-Swuff, Lord Bassington-Bassington has been accepted into the New Sheridan Club. He also has the pleasure of escorting his better three-quarters, Lady Mju, and friend Mr. Anthony Wakeford Esq. into the club. The club, which is slightly reminiscent of His Lordship's beloved Heretical Cellar (which has a gathering this coming Thursday, society page writers take note again), is a project right after his own heart.

Of course, one can ask why Lord Bassington-Bassington would apply for membership in the first place. His Lordship resides in Little Storping-in-the-Swuff, outside of Oslo, Norway, while the New Sheridan Club is in London, England. So his chances of attending one of their club nights are, sadly, rather slim. And even if the membership fee is just five pounds a year for overseas members, this could be seen as a waste of money.

Because of these hard facts, and as Lord Bassington-Bassington's tastes in menswear are well known, some would undoubtedly accuse Lord Bassington-Bassington of joining the New Sheridan Club just to be able to buy and wear a pair of its "Brolly Roger" club cufflinks (see pictures below). But while the club cufflinks are undeniably spiffy, this is far from the truth. The truth must, as it often must, be sought in religion.



In matters such as this, His Lordship relies on the advice of his Mullah, the famous "Mad Mullah" Hastur of The Little City Between The Many Mountains, to steal a phrase from the Dodologist.

In one of his many fatwas, the good Mullah underscored the importance of supporting the English economy in these dire times, so that purchasing fine English footwear, eating in English restaurants and – in a wider interpretation of the Mullah’s fatwa – joining their clubs, is a clear religious obligation.

So His Lordship is not joining the New Sheridan Club just so he can buy the club cufflinks. It is for religious reasons, darnit!

(And anyway, the club ties are pretty spiffy too...)

Against the modern book

While everyone seems to be talking or blogging about their Kindles (or some other electronic conveyance for reading), Lord Bassington-Bassington has become slightly obsessed by what Mr. Andrew Eldritch called "the ultimate technology": The book. The good, old-fashioned book.

Of course, this obsession can be seen as an expression of His Lordship’s armchair Neo-Luddism. In a world of letters swirling around in cyberspace, where the written word is ever more ephemeral, there is a certain reassurance in holding a well-made, hardbound book in your hands. It's like a small bunker, protecting against the vulgarity that the modern world.

As a result of this bibliophilia, as well as his ever-growing interest in weird literature, His Lordship has taken an interest in small presses like Side Real Press. This publisher has just started out, but their edition of short stories by Hanns Heinz Ewers is a real treasure to own; like a piece of art for your bookshelf. And surprisingly affordable.



Tartarus Press has been in operation a lot longer, and are especially notable for their exquisite editions of Arthur Machen's weird and wonderful literature. Mr. Machen's The Hill of Dreams is possibly the book that has come the closest to reflect Lord Bassington-Bassington's feelings about the world.

And not only do Tartarus publish great literature, their books are designed with dustjackets that look like the original dustjackets that apperared in Victorian times.





These publishers are the kind of commercial operations that really make the world a more beautiful place. They deserve every kind of support, but especially financial support. The kind of financial support which makes your bookshelves look more beautiful.

Lovecraft in Trondheim: Details now in place

As previously reported by the Chronicles, Lord Bassington-Bassington has accepted an invitation to give a lecture on the life, fiction and mythological impact of H.P. Lovecraft in Trondheim on November 20th. The details are now in place, as the poster above reveals (apart from minor mistakes, such as not getting Lord Bassington-Bassington's name right. Well, such mistakes can be forgiven).

It's been a while since His Lordship was entirely up to speed on the subject, so to help him refresh his memory The World's Coolest Librarian, keeper of much elder and eldritch lore, brought this theologically enlightening film to his attention.



But one thing is certain. Lord Bassington-Bassington's own little Cthulhu will not be allowed to come along, as he is grounded after his shameful behaviour the last time His Lordship let him out of Bassington Manor.

Neofolk publicism for Klammheim

As a glance at this blog will reveal, Lord Bassington-Bassington has a soft spot for Neofolk music. And it seems that some of the musicians creating this music reciprocate by appreciating (or at least tolerating) His Lordship. At least enough to enlist him as their publicist.

Latest in the (admittedly rather short) line of musical ensembles asking for His Lordship's help are upcoming Austrian band Klammheim. Klammheim are some fine people who Lord Bassington-Bassington has had the pleasure of following since their band's inception, and it's a real pleasure to see them grow, hear songs find new shapes and so on. Lead singer Dea has also helped these Chronicles with a previous post about patriotism.

Klammheim might be seen as a part of the small wave of Alpin-Folk that's currently rocking (or perhaps rather folking) the mountainous parts of Central Europe, and which sees charming bands such as Jännerwein don folkish costumes and play some nice and catchy tunes.

And now, here's Klammheim, who have, despite not having a debut release out yet, have realized some very important points about promotion. Such as the importance of having a good logo, something that will look stylish on the chest of a blazer (or, more realistically, a T-shirt).

So here's a preliminary promotional text, a preview of His Lordship's upcoming, full-length press release.



If you’re a Neofolk aficionado familiar with Steinklang’s Pagan Folk collection, or the Austrian club scene, Klammheim should be a name you’ve noticed. And now Klammheim’s debut album is due on December 15th.

Heimwärts is a collection of melancholic, soft-spoken and acoustic folk songs that occasionally reveal Klammheim’s roots in heaver, rockier sounds.

All vocals are sung in lead singer Dea’s Styrian (Austrian) dialect, and to augment the band’s line-up of guitars, accordion and percussion are guest musicians such as Thomas Bøjden (Die Weisse Rose) and Benjamin Sperling (Jännerwein). The album is housed in a lavish digipack with a 16-page booklet (there will also be an extravagant collector’s box).

Even at this early stage, this release seems to promise to be something greater than the sum of its parts. Might Klammheim be the missing link between Neofolk and Austropop, Death in June and Wolfgang Ambros (or perhaps even Falco?)

Klammheim's debut will be released by Heimatfolk records.

So, that's it for today. Now, Alpin-Folk enthusiast Lord Bassington-Bassington just needs to find a Basset version of the snappy "Alpine Canine" outfit below.

The problem of Evil: Lessons from Satanists

(Picture above stolen from this site, intended as free advertising).

Halloween is the day to ponder the problem of evil. And those who worship it.

A quick Facebook chat with the Norwegian translator of Anton La Vey’s Satanic Bible started Lord Bassington-Bassington thinking about Satanists. And by Satanists he means real Satanists, of the type one finds around the Church of Satan, not the reverse-Christians who tried to burn down substantial parts of Norway’s cultural treasures back in the 1990s.

The founder of modern Satanism and The Church of Satan, Anton La Vey, was one of the most interesting religious thinkers of the past century, and people who are sufficiently inspired by his teachings to call themselves Satanists are often misunderstood. Which is hardly surprising; naming a philosophy after a symbol of evil and then expecting to seen as a reasonable person would be like developing a system of teaching called Pederasty and then being surprised when local schools try to bar you from their premises.

As a result, His Lordship has always been a bit bemused (and a bit confused) by Satanists. They claim to be evil, but surprisingly often turn out to be the nicest people you’ll ever meet. They claim to be motivated by selfishness, but are often highly idealistic, whether they’re involved in animal rights work or various (usually quite unprofitable) cultural and artistic endeavours.

The question is this: Does this, pretending to be evil, greedy and selfish, while being nice, generous and idealistic, represent a form of Satanic hypocrisy? And if it is a form of hypocrisy, is it better, or worse, than when Christians pretend to work for good but turn out to be child-molesters?

Philosophers, please come to the rescue!

But whether one accepts that Satanists are evil in any real sense of the word, let's take some lessons in evil from them. So i honor of Halloween, the Chronicles are pleased to reprint this instructive course by Danish Satanists Ole Wolf and Amina Lap, with kind permission from Mr. Wolf and Mrs. Lap.

(click on the picture for bigger resolution. And if you can read Danish, it’s even funnier in the original language.)



Happy Halloween!

What an elusive thing

life can be. One can only seek consolation in the words of the Hávamál:

Cattle die,
and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
But a noble name
will never die,
If good renown one gets.

Rest in peace, Jan Kenneth Barkved.