I discovered this group about six months ago and they have completed changed my musical life. I've always been a fan of ridiculous musicianship and extreme pushing the musical envelope, but this band changed the fucking definition of music to me. They're so underground that I haven't even found many other people who know who they are. Please give me some feedback. For those not in the know: Henry Cow existed for about a decade (1968-78) and were the far experimental side of the British Canterbury Rock scene. They were largely an instrumental group, but they did feature vocalist Dagmar Krause on their third album. They were a very political (read: leftist) group and their music ran the gamut from extremely complex, composed music to wholly free improvisations. They released four studio albums, one live album, and one as the backing band for the avant-pop group Slapp Happy. Recently, the band has released a nine-CD, one-DVD boxed set that covers their entire history.
I have loved both progressive rock AND 20th Century experimental classical music (like Bartok and Ligeti) for years, but somehow managed to not get my hands on any music by this interesting band. Luckily, a week ago, I found the Leg End album on iTunes, and I had enough extra cash to purchase it. I am very happy with my purchase. This stuff is right up my alley. I find it both incredibly stimulating AND incredibly relaxing. I tried mixing some of their tunes off of Leg End with opioids (my favorite drugs to mix music with), and let me tell you: It blew my world. "Amygdala" is my favorite at the moment. What should I check out next? I heard their live compilations are worthwhile. Or should I just get their next album in the series?
