A commercial break

There's few contemporary folk singers Lord Bassington-Bassington appreciates more than Marissa Nadler.

This Boston-based singer of ghostly, Gothic folk songs not only captures the sense of His Lordship’s spiritual homeland, New England, perfectly. In a world seemingly filled to overflowing with young ladies strumming acoustic guitars, Marissa Nadler stands out like a shining gem. Her music is a bit like the best architecture you find in New England: A product of the youthful enthusiasm of the "new world", yet filled with a nostalgia for the world left behind. An approach to art that, in turn, creates dreams of a better, more beautiful world.

And as all her four album releases have been spun regularily here at Bassington Manor, His Lordship has been eagerly awaiting more music from Miss Nadler.

And lo and behold, recently Miss Nadler issues this call to support the recording of her next album.



And as Miss Nadler's records are the kind Lord Bassington-Bassington would definitely buy without hearing them first, all "Caveat emptor" instincts are immediately suspended. His Lordship has already donated.

Show your chivalrous side and ride to the rescue of this damsel in distress! Preferably on a Basset hound!

Memento Tony

Lord Bassington-Bassington hasn't quite landed yet after the last instalment of the Café Grössenwahn, where the small club managed to get neofolk founder Mr. Wakeford to come for a spin (and Mr. Jivek to open for him).

So here's a small memento of a night of flowing absinthe and wonderful music.

Dandies on exhibit

Lord Bassington-Bassington occasionally waddles into art museums. Especially if there's something Lovecraftian there to tempt him.

But the museum to visit these days, if you happen to find yourself in Scandinavia, seems to be Nordiska Museet in Stockholm. The museum is putting on an exhibition about dandyism which seems quite worthwhile. And which has prompted us here at the Chronicles to shamelessly steal from their press photos. For surely The Lord Bassington-Bassington Chronicles is a legitimate publication?!


Interior decoration tips for Bassington Manor?


The curse of the Scandinavian climate means that wonderful soles like these must be covered in rubber.


Yes, style is all about neckwear.


What would an exhibition about dandyism be without Beau Brummel?

In conjunction with the exhibiton there is also a competition, in which the visitor is invited to vote for one of the interpretations of the dandy provided by several Swedish style personalities. Not being Swedish, we here at the Chronicles have no idea who these “personalities” are, but we are highly skeptical. Case in point: One of them wears what appears to be a baseball cap. And to put it bluntly, Lord Bassington-Bassington is of the opinion that learning about style from someone wearing a baseball cap is a bit like, well, like taking French lessons from a Scotsman.

Falling snow...

A small video in honour of the first snow of the season to fall over Bassington Manor. Though we do hope the ground will be clear a little longer. For, as we've shown before, bassets aren't very good at traversing snow.



The song is by American neofolk band In Ruin.

Sub Luna

Despite having a penchant for Swedish neofolk acts such as Apatheia and Solblot, His Lordship had not given Swedish band Sub Luna a sporting chance to impress him. This situation quickly changed when the latest offering from this intrepid neofolk outfit arrived here at Bassington Manor.

The album Awake! is nothing less than a well-crafted collection of neofolk songs, with a distinct touch of Leonard Cohen (a definite plus in anyone’s book, we dare claim).



The album only seems to grow with each listening, and has been hogging the stereo here at Bassington Manor more than we care to admit.

Mikael Lindblom, who more or less is Sub Luna also functions as a live member of one of the world’s most exciting martial industrial bands, Karjalan Sissit. In fact, he seems to be an all-round good egg. In the picture below Mr. Lindblom is captured while wearing a stylish jacket and indulging in a glass of absinthe; activities which garner Mr. Lindblom a lot of goodwill here at the Chronicles.



Surely this picture alone should be enough for any discerning neofolk fan to ensure that there will be more Sub Luna albums? Lord Bassington-Bassington suggests you do this by keeping Mr. Lindblom in absinthe money, by simply buying Awake!

In the Bunker

For years, Kaiser's Bunker has been one of Lord Bassington-Bassington's favourite stops on the Interwebs. It is an example of old-school web at its best: A person has an intense passion, and wants to share it with the world. In this case, a passion for Prussian (and Canadian) uniforms. The result is nothing less than marvellous. How can one possibly resist an entire essay on the Hanoverian Gibraltar cuff-title?



But the best thing about Kaiser's Bunker undoubtedly the Kaiser the website is named after, namely Kaiser the Dachshund, who also consents to model some of the headgear. And yet again, we see how humans can never compare to canines when it comes to style.

Oktoberfest!

It's October, and hence, time for the Oktoberfest. It's time to dress up like our Germanic superhero, Superfritz (seen above during small break from saving the Heimat from American beer).

It'a also time to listen to some Alpinfolk and perhaps attempt some folk dancing...



...and perhaps visit a Bavarian restaurant?

Fräk folk

The phenomenon of “Alpinfolk” has grown into a small wave, a wave Lord Bassington-Bassington has been observing with quite some interest. Not least because Alpine artists such as Jännerwein, Klammheim and Sturmpercht make His Lordship’s droopy ears tickle in delightful ways.

So there was great rejoicing here at Bassington Manor when the latest release from Swiss outfit Fräkmündt, Urbärglieder, arrived.



For anyone who appreciates Alpine folk this is a must-have, but don’t take our word for it. As is often the case, the neofolk connoiseurs over at The Shadows Commence put it better than we can. Go read their review.

Lord Bassington-Bassington can only add that not only is Urbärglieder a really enjoyable album, the band Fräkmündt itself inspires an endless barrage of dubious puns (hence the title of this post). And as His Lordship is already under surveillance by the humour police, we’ll spare you any more (but feel free to get fräky in the comments section).



(Limited version of the record, which His Lordship was too slow to get hold of a copy of. Yes, His Lordship is sometimes a bit slow).

Some of our associates claim that Fräkmündt have also recorded a version of the song “Chainsaw Gutsfuck”, originally recorded by some Norwegian metal band His Lordship can’t quite remember the name of (was it Return?), but sadly, that’s not included on Urbärglieder.


Fräkmündt - Karfriitigsfüür (Lütholdsmatt / Pilatus) Schweiz

Fräkmündt | MySpace Music Videos

A constructiv(ist) post(er)

Of the Wand and the Moon are playing in Paris. And the poster was just too beautiful not to reprint here. Not least because Lord Bassington-Bassington has always had a weakness for constructivist poster art.

For more information: www.kosmokinoplaza.org.

His Lordship would like to thank those excellent Parisian dandies for the tip.