Soundtrack by DJ Stonewood

8:30 pm

Maurits Pauwels Groep (b)

2014 would seem to be presenting itself as top year for Mauro Pawlowski. You see, he added two albums to his musical oeuvre, albums that will later prove to be key moments in his career. So there was the debut ‘Sincerely Average’ by Hitsville Drunks, full of great pop songs, followed by the filthy rock album ‘Neutral Village Massacre’ by Gruppo Di Pawlowksi.

In between, Mauro – under the alter-ego Maurits Pauwels – keeps working diligently on his Dutch language repertoire. We already savoured his interpretation of ‘Jonge Helden’ (Arbeid Adelt!), as well as the never-released Dutch tear-jerker album by Galina that Mauro turned out to be the lyrical architect of. His version of the Peter Verhelst authored song ‘Viel Zo Graag Samen’ and ‘Toen Je Moeder Nog Een Wild Meisje Was’ (from this theatre tour with Ramsey Nasr) were instant convincers too. Maurits Pauwels Groep is a fully-fledged branch on the Mauro-tree.

9:45 pm

Sun Kil Moon (us)

“Uppercut.”
(De Standaard)
“Astonishing.”
(Pitchfork)

“Noteer: 2014 wordt het jaar van Sun Kil Moon, een Amerikaanse folkzanger die al zo’n tien jaar rake klappen uitdeelt, maar de verzamelde muziekpers met zijn zesde worp “Benji” onlangs pas echt knock-out heeft geslagen.“ Those are no small words by way of introduction, and thanks to De Standaard for that fine quote. Sun Kil Moon – named after the South Korean boxer Moon Sung-Kil – is the alter-ego of Mark Kozelek who we know from the, in ’01 disbanded, Red House Painters.

Kozelek's songs are always recognisable, as in “depressing, plaintive, melancholy, sometimes tragicomic. Always very explicitly autobiographic.” De Volkskrant further: “De laatste jaren is hij in grote vorm, als componist én als tekstschrijver. ‘Benji’ is misschien wel het mooiste dat hij maakte: een gevoelsmatig conceptalbum dat qua sfeer Bill Callahan en Will Oldham in herinnering roept.”