Herman Dune Week

No-one's written anything on Herman Dune yet. I've been mogging for over half a year, and _I_ haven't written anything yet. Tut. Well, I'm designating this week *Herman Dune Week*, and I'll try to write something interesting related to the band every day for seven days. Given my track record of one or two month gaps between posts, it's unlikely that I'll succeed. Maybe it'll be a virtual week or something.Actually it's a bit scary saying I'll actually write something about the band, because I know so little about them.It's probably better sticking to what I know about their music.I've seen them once, just over a year ago on the 10th of January 2006. They were promoting _Not On Top_, their seventh album. They were playing at the Nottingham Social. I was a bit raw. Actually I was a bit raw for most of 2006, but moreso in January. My dad died towards the end of 2005. Suddenly, and young, too. My dad was my biggest influence in terms of music, and I probably have him to thank for my musically open mind. If he was still around he'd probably have "a":http://mog.com/Kate/blog_post/3090 "page":http://mog.com/Kate/blog_post/6415 "on":http://mog.com/Kate/blog_post/14617 "Mog":http://mog.com/Kate/blog_post/28222 (although it wouldn't be a _patch_ on Kate's dad's - let's be honest!)That really is a story for another post.Anyway, there I was in my rawness; a total sucker for some simple honest songs, about being stuffed-up, missing somebody, getting old. Herman Dune provided them in shovel loads, sometimes catchy, always challenging. One or two really stuck with me. There was one wishing "that I could see you soon", and another that, as far as I remember, about still being there "when the water gets cold and freezes on the lake".I bought _Not On Top_ and was very sad that these tracks weren't on it.Their "website":http://www.hermandune.com/ has contact information on it. Without expecting a reply, I emailed their two lyricists/singers, David-Ivar Herman Dune (aka Ya Ya) and Andre Herman Dune. David-Ivar replied first:_Hey None of the somgs you mentioned are on any album yetWe'll record them soonand I guess It'll be out in the summer or fallThanxBye_Andre responded after a week or so: _to my knowledge these songs haven't been recorded yetgood to see someone was really paying attention_I can see that these tracks are on the latest album, Giant. I'll review that when I get round to buying it, which will probably be when they come back to Nottingham, in April this year.In spite of the omissions, Not On Top is definitely a grower. It belongs on vinyl. Mono vinyl. It was recorded and mixed on tape down to mono. The whole thing is so lofi it verges on parody. There is no polishing, no clever digital editing. The material simply has to stand up by itself, and it does, too.Bear in mind here that I am not strictly into "honest" music. If my mog-o-matic could analyse my collection of cassettes, I could be accused of loving some seriously overdubbed (My Bloody Valentine?) or polished (Scritti Politti??) tunes.But sometimes you just need a guy strumming a guitar.*Not On Top*I feel a little strangeFeels like I'll never get my shit together27 and I'm f*ckedWell, it's 10 years from teenageand that's a freaking lotI think I'm getting oldand I thought I'd never saythat I bought Nevermindand it changed my lifesome fifteen years ago (background: Nevermind was thirteen years ago)I thought my little sister would never ever make it out of high schooland go looking for jobs (yeah right)Not on topBaby, I'm not on top(Sigh) That's so me.But in my case it's a freaking lot more than 10 years.