Creutzfeldt Jakobs (Sweden) – Davos Man (single)
I’m always up for listening to bands and artists when they contact me directly via the website contact form or whatever.
And I was particularly attracted to ‘Davos Man’ as a song title because I am indeed a Davos Man. I’m rich, powerful, into politics, tech, celebrity, royalty, and pushing-the-envelope porn; a bit weird all round; I think I have the answer to everything and that it means you will own nothing and be happy. And I have a private jet to take me there to lecture anyone who cares to listen.
They just haven’t invited me yet.
CJ (I’ll explain my acronym later) are Swedish, focused on synth based electronica, with a small but growing recorded portfolio and on these songs they are joined by the Ukrainian voice actor Maryna Buschynska who seems to be a regular collaborator.
Collectively their images portray them as a bunch of white coated boffins around 1960s technology straight out of Dr Who. (And they release cassette albums!) Even the website layout suggests something clinical about them. I’m not sure quite what it means but its effective.
‘Davos Man’ is a two track single (the other is ‘Free unregulated Capitalism’) – I reckon you can see by now where they are coming from – on which they say “we are aiming to create a luxurious sound reminiscent of the Roxy Music ‘Avalon’ period and electronic acts like Severed Heads.
I’m afraid I’m detached from Severed Heads but to be fair they have managed to create a convincing, smooth sultry Roxy-like sound complete with subtle, outstanding sax over synths on ‘Davos Man’. (Or it could be synthesised sax, they don’t seem to have a regular woodwind player but I don’t care either way – it’s good).
(Incidentally, the percussion on ‘Davos Man’ impressed me. I’m assuming it isn’t a machine. Playing what sounds like a simple repetitive high-hat/snare 4/4 beat like that perfectly in time isn’t as easy as it sounds).
‘Free unregulated capitalism’ is more techno, with a hint of Kraftwerk. A darkened side room at Berghain with a sign on the door that says ‘Eintritt verboten’ even though you know it isn’t. And a commanding voice emanating from Maryna (who is apparently out of Lviv but presently in London) which could be that of a ‘Big Sister’ in ‘1984’, urging on the proletariat at a hate-speak rally.
Overall I’m impressed. They are playing a couple of live shows in Sweden this month and I wish I was able to check one out.
Now the downside; and I’ll cut to the chase. FFS guys, change the band name. Creutzfeldt Jakobs is a horrible disease. I know someone who succumbed to it and it wasn’t pretty. Now it’s being suggested it may be linked to the Covid vaccine. That’s going to make it really popular, isn’t it?
I used to know a guy who had a band called The Dead Dianas, as in Princess Diana. They were good but attracted very small crowds, most people finding the name distasteful. And here’s the thing. He was a fan of the lady, and convinced she was murdered by the establishment, as she might well have been. He just went about putting over his point the wrong way. It always pays to stay on the side of decency.
‘The CJs’ would do quite nicely.
Creutzfeldt Jakobs are Joel Munther (guitar, sampler), Paulina Rydnemalm (drums), Mia Lundholm (synthesizer) and Erik Cronqvist (synthesizer).
Find them on:
Website: http://creutzfeldtjakobs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creutzfeldtjakobs/
