French anthropologist Marc Augé defined modernity through the concept of “non-places”, an idea that he first coined 25 years ago in his opus titled “Non-Lieux, Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité”. The French author described some of the major changes in our society and dubbed them supermodernity, which can be seen in various physical alterations, including so called “non-places”, anti-spaces, as opposed to relational places concerned with identity. Our today’s guests, multi-cultural atmospheric doom rock post metallers LAS CASAS VIEJAS took this concept and gave it proper gloomy soundtrack, which we’re premiering below!
Goule//H explores the contept of nonplaces, inspired by the work of French anthropologist Marc Augé, who introduced the idea of spaces of transitoriness where we remain anonymous. The band explained it in the commentary below:
The main concept behind our upcoming release is the comparison of “Non-Places”. Though the terms “Place” and “Non-Place” are not necessarily meant in an anthropological sense like Marc Auge delved. It’s more about the constructs “Urban Space” as monstrosity, a location of industry with consumption and production as its main goals and “Nature” as the anti-pole which becomes a protection-surface, something to yearn for in a system which more and more aims at a canon of values coined by capitalism. We tried to create a harsh experience always in between desire, pain and negation, the possibility to experience a “Non-Place” with the true features of both constructs, never reaching what you aim for but having a rather oppressive and sad experience instead.
Art by Eva Grun. ‘Goule//H’ comes out on November 10th via Alerta Antifascista Records.
They further commented on their project and their inspirations:
Las Casas Viejas as a project is more a network of friends, where we try to create and produce music in a D.I.Y. sense. What we want to do in the first place is having a good time together, as friends and artists, being happy when we see each other -it sadly does not happen too often because we live far apart from each other. We want to work on ideas together like many brushes painting one picture and letting other people having a look at it if they want to. We don’t know how far that’ll take us, but as long as what we do feels right we`re excited to see where that journey leads us to, personally and musically. Our music benefits from various influences, just as different music genres, writing and politics, our everyday social interactions, to name just a few. We take inspiration form nearly every genre, many musicians and artists. That creates an eclectic, kaleidoscopical and maybe to some ears unusual mixture of sound.
Asked about their lyrics, they added:
The way the songs and lyrics were written kind of forbids us to make any comments about their meanings. What is important for us is that every single one who is open to such a thing can find her/himself in it. It is like a picture taken in a specific situation, but that does not necessarily mean that the person, who takes a look at it might see the same thing. It’s about creating a personal experience where every individual who is interested should be able to see itself in it. We don’t want to tell people what to do, what to see think or feel but rather building a frame where a personal perception can take place. In the case of our upcoming record goule/H, that frame is the concept of the comparison of “Non-Places”.
Las Casas Viejas are a six piece epic-atmospheric rock band, hailing from Austria and Germany, featuring members of LA LIGNE MAGINOT and FAKE EMPIRE. Drawing influence from postrock, sludge, doom and blackmetal. This is an immensely complex band, lyrically and musically. Peeling this back like an onion reveals a mixture of down-tuned hardcore punk with seriously dark metallic overtones and atmospheric textures piercing through waves of thick reverb. Lyrical overtones paint a bleak existential foray into the decay of society, poetic without sounding contrived, and are well translated from the native Austrian-inflected German.
