The Band: "Islands" (Capitol, 1977)

The liner notes for Robbie Robertson's version of the Band's swan song makes the case that Islands was never meant to be viewed as their studio signoff. Rather, argues Robertson, it was seen as their version of the Who's Odds and Sods and a contract fulfiller so that the quintet could release their true coda, The Last Waltz, on Warner Bros. With such modest aspirations in mind, Islands, while falling far short of the Band's creative heights, provides a pleasant listen for stalwart fans. Covers of "Ain't That a Lot of Love" and "Georgia on My Mind" (the latter recorded to boost Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign) showcase the always striking vocals of Levon Helm and Richard Manuel, respectively. And while the likes of "The Saga of Pepote Rouge," "Knockin' Lost John," and "Let the Night Fall" lack the passion and precision of prime Band, they're appealing in their own modest way. --Steven Stolder

By The Band's standards, "Islands" is less remarkable than earlier efforts; but given the fact that it was merely a contract-filler to Capitol Records, it's not as disappointing as most albums that are as business-oriented. The overall musical sound that The Band produces on "Islands" sounds distinctly like 70s easy listening radio (refer to 'Right As Rain' and 'Let the Night Fall'), a definite drawback for a group that had previously created a sound that was as unique at it had; gone was the inimitable ring of a 19th-century creole that was still easy to place with any given era in time, only vaguely present on 'Knockin' Lost John.' But the effort of the five members is still there nonetheless. The late Rick Danko's vocals on 'Street Walker' and the alluring gem 'The Saga Of Pepote Rouge' are highlights, as is that of the late Richard Manuel on a cover of 'Georgia On My Mind,' which became Jimmy Carter's theme during his run for the Presidency. Garth Hudson's keyboards are well-served, even if his saxophone--though perfected--is somehow out of place on the album, but Levon Helm's drumming and vocals are unmistakable. Robbie Robertson's biazarre guitar work that he had perfected in the past seems to be absent. His lyrics however are recognizably brilliant most of the time, echoing a feeling of sadness, weariness, and melancholy, evident on another gem, 'Livin' In a Dream' and 'Knockin' Lost John.' But those emotional lyrics are for some reason matched with disappointingly upbeat and bland music, and weak moments like 'Let the Night Fall' and a cover of the standard 'Ain't That A Lot of Love' drag the album down a bit. The title track, an instrumental, doesn't sound like a Band song at all, but rather an empty 70s-style take.For the most part, "Islands" is worth the taking and much more enjoyable than most of The Band's 90s output. It's hard to ignore the fact that most of the genuine feeling is absent, and a lot of aspects suffer as a result.

By
Bud Sturguess

Fennesz: "Black Sea" (Touch, 2008)

Christian Fennesz is one of a handful of people from experimental electronic music's late-1990s halcyon days still kicking around. Where others have disappeared (Oval), taken on a curatorial role (Gas), or resigned themselves to arms-length abstraction (Autechre), Fennesz has evolved his aesthetic and found new avenues of expression. In the last few years he's released two albums with Ryuichi Sakamoto, collaborated with Mike Patton and guitarist Burkhard Stangl, knocked out some remixes, and created music for dance and films. He's been busy, but people who don't follow this music closely probably haven't noticed. They've been waiting for a new solo album, preferably something that might cross over from the "electronic music" racks in the way that 2001's monumental Endless Summer did. But Fennesz's unhurried approach to his solo work has yielded dividends. Since he takes so long between proper Fennesz records, the release of a new one still feels like an event.

Black Sea, which again finds Fennesz working primarily with guitar and computer, is his first solo album since 2004's Venice, the follow-up to Endless Summer. It's tempting to compare this record with its predecessor based on the characteristically striking cover art, once again by Touch label founder Jon Wozencroft. Where the Venice sleeve featured a lone rowboat bobbing in rich and impossibly blue water, Black Sea sports a shot of an industrial skyline across a filthy-bottomed straight at low tide. The image and title suggest that we're in for something colder and comparatively grim, and even though that's only partly true, such subtle shading via imagery has always been important with Fennesz albums. What is apparent right off the bat is that Black Sea finds Fennesz painting on an especially large canvas. While some may hope for a partial return to the pop-like miniatures of Endless Summer, tracks that could be thought of as "songs," these feel more like classical pieces-- sweeping and symphonic and patiently unfolding.

From http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/node/147846

Varios: "Dancehall: The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture" (Soul Jazz, 2008)

Another astounding set of heavy vibrations from Soul Jazz in there ongoing series of collections focusing on great Jamaican music. This bouncing set takes a long, deep look at Dancehall culture, and accompanies a great book by Beth Lesser.

While dance halls have existed in Jamaican music for years, the focus here is Dancehall with a capital D, from the early 80s on, when Jamaican music took a turn away from the heavier, sufferer's themes of the Roots era and became more interested in rocking good times. This set is filled with certified classics, guaranteed to ram the dance and capture the heavyweight title in any soundclash, all bouncing numbers from the pre-digital era through more stripped down Casio-driven treasures. 16 tracks in all, including "Dangerous" by Conroy Smith, "I'm Just A Dread/One Shut" by Jacob Miller & Trinity, "Informer" by Lady Ann, 'Wa Do Dem" by Eek A Mouse, "Only Woman DJ With A Degree" by Sister Nancy, "Deaf Ears" by Early B, "Uptown Girl" by Trinity, "Spar With Me" by Toyan, "Jump & Pawn" by Clint Eastwood, "Greetings" byHalf Pint, "Under Mi Sin Teng" by Reggie Stepper and "Call The Brigade" by Frankie Paul.

Taken from http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=n24h3267b7

Warp 01: Forgemasters - "Track With No Name" (1989)

La primera referencia discográfica del sello Warp (WAP1):

Warp Records is a pioneering independent English record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music.

Founded by Steve Beckett and the late Rob Mitchell from their experiences working at the FON record store, alongside producer Robert Gordon, the label (whose name was chosen because the original name, 'Warped Records' was difficult to distinguish over the telephone) soon became home to artists who would be highly influential in shaping the future of music.

The first release (WARP1) was by Forgemasters (produced by Robert Gordon), whose limited 500 copy pressing of "Track With No Name" was financed by an Enterprise Allowance grant and distributed in a borrowed car. It set a trend for the early releases both in terms of sound and the use of purple sleeves (designed by The Designers Republic).

Interzona TV: Glasvegas - "Geraldine"

Lo siento, pero no ha sido posible empotrar esta vez el video en el blog.
De todos modos, poco importa, pues podéis hacer click en el siguiente enlace para verlo sin problemas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMT418TyRiA

Pinacoteca 004: Jacques Lipchitz - "L'Homme à la mandoline" (1917)

Biblioteca 004: Stendhal - "Vida de Henry Brulard" (1835–1836; incompleta, publicada en 1890)

«Hay una frase que resume la esencia de Stendhal y, en concreto, de Vida de Henry Brulard: el amor es un perfecto egoísmo compartido.»

Vida de Henry Brulard es la autobiografía novelada del gran maestro de la novela realista del siglo XIX. En este libro, tan franco y agudo que no se publicó hasta más de un siglo después de su escritura, el autor de La cartuja de Parma y Rojo y Negro descubre su infancia en una ciudad de provincias, su vida familiar y las raíces de su temperamento, además de escribir algunas de sus observaciones más lúcidas sobre la vida, el arte y la literatura, el pensamiento y el amor.

Editada en España por Alfaguara, en su colección Clásicos Modernos.

Bubblegum: "Where is Matthew Smith?" (Rock Indiana, 2008)

El tercer disco de Bubblegum es una maravilla. El grupo se ha consolidado con una propuesta que, en Where is Matthew Smith?, se nos revela como antológica y viene envuelta en una bonita carpeta homenaje al mundo de los primeros videojuegos.
El grupo asturiano repite experiencia al cobijo de Rock Indiana, el sello discográfico estatal que mejor encaja con su propuesta, y ha sido grabado en los estudios Ultramarinos Costa Brava propiedad de Santi García, lo cual se nota en el resultado final.
Vuelve el cuarteto con una colección de canciones mejor compuestas, mejor cantadas y mejor interpretadas. ¿Se han hecho mayores? Sí, pero para bien, porque Bubblegum son capaces de aunar el power pop de siempre, con la new wave y el mejor pop rock americano de los últimos tiempos.

Son diez canciones en las que se advierten claramente dos líneas: la del punk pop o pop punk, como prefirais, de Iván Díaz y la del power pop y rock americano de Ángel Kaplan.

Lo más destacado de Where is Matthew Smith?, cuyo título evoca al del inventor del ZX Spectrum, el ordenador que muchos tuvieron de pequeños, respecto a entregas anteriores de Bubblegum es que Ángel Kaplan canta mejor que nunca, y que las armonías vocales son perfectas, todo un ejemplo para la escena y a la altura de cualquier formación internacional.

Reseña tomada de http://www.hipersonica.com/rock/bubblegum-where-is-matthew-smith

Filmoteca 003: Stan Brakhage - "Glaze of Cathesis" (1990)

Graveyards: "Esprit de Corpse" (Brokenresearch, 2006)

Graveyards is a collaborative effort featuring John Olson (of noise group Wolf Eyes) on electronics, saxophone and bass clarinet, Ben Hall on percussion and electronics and Hans Buetow on cello, engaging in a new kind of free improvisation. Although the group's sound may hint at times to both the most extreme ends of jazz improvisation (the Anthony Braxton/Richard Teitelbaum duets come to mind) as well as those of noise, Graveyards combines its sound into something different, a new and fertile ground for collective musical endeavor.
On Esprit de Corpse, the group's eighth release on Hall's own Brokenresearch label, the triumvirate plays its usual brand of slow, brewing music. The space around the notes is just as important as the notes themselves here. The group never rushes into things, opening the first of four untitled tracks with an eerie, high-pitched electronic tone riding over a lower repetitively undulating one that could well be Olson's saxophone, Buetow's cello, or even another electronic device—the difficulty in distinguishing one instrument from the rest only adds to the alien nature of this music. Slowly building as hisses, drones, and the odd assortment of notes see in and out of the mix (one second what sounds like cicadas, the next a washboard played by a hacksaw) this is hesitantly hostile music that the musicians even seem to be hesitantly inching themselves around. It feels to be unfamiliar ground for all involved.

Taken from http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26620

Pascal Comelade: "The No Dancing" (Because, 2008)

Each new album by Pascal Comelade is in itself a bit of an event. The man makes himself rare in France and is much more prolific in Catalonia, where he is considered to be an essential musician. In France, he is seldom mentioned in the media, and, in record shops, his music is often to be found in the film score section, with experimental music or even with world music. The last time he really got the attention of the critics was for his musical show Psicotic Music-Hall in 2002, a tribute to La Bodega Bohemia, a historical cabaret in Barcelona. Fortunately his new ‘Best Of’ album, ‘The No Dancing’ (Because Music) puts into perspective the importance of his works and demonstrates his many-sided musical vision, his multi-layered pocket symphonies, his bazaar of toy instruments and his playful ramblings, sometimes shared with big names in the world of the bizarre: P.J. Harvey (Love Too Soon) and Robert Wyatt (September Song) among others. A great way to brush-up on your Comelade culture. The 20 tracks on ‘The No Dancing’ were taken from the following Pascal Comelade albums: Danses et Chants de Syldavie - 1994 Musique pour Film - 1997 L’Argot Du Bruit - 1998 Psicotic Music’hall - 2002 Best Of (French version) - 2007 Metode de Rocanrol - 2007

Taken from http://bolachasgratis.baywords.com/?p=2190

Ron Sexmith: "Exit Strategy of the Soul" (Yep Roc, 2008)

A true artist's artist, Ron Sexsmith has been writing and performing his earnest, soulful songs for nearly thirty years now, engendering praise from a litany of artists too influential and many to name. On his latest album Exit Strategy of the Soul, Sexsmith expands his musical canon with vaulted yet direct string arrangements and sweeping horn sections, resulting in a work equal in musical breadth and emotional depth. Recorded in both the cold of classical London and the sweaty flamboyance of Havana, Cuba, Exit Strategy... is a study of the beauty that can come from the heartfelt melding of seemingly contrary ideas, be they musical, cultural or emotional. Delving deep into Cuban music, Sexsmith recruited legendary Cuban musicians Amaury Perez and Alexander Abreu as well as experienced arranger Joaquin Betancourt to lend latin punch and style to his sweeping, yearnful melodies. Also appearing on Exit Strategy of the Soul is standout track 'Brandy Alexander,' co-written with fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Feist. After the two met at a party where Ron was drinking the concoction, the two entered into a long-distance collaboration with both artists eventually recording their own version of the song for their respective albums. In the career of Ron Sexsmith Exit Strategy of the Soul is at once a culmination and a precipice, a work that feels as complete as it does an artistic jumping-off point. Only the mind of the artist knows his intention and knowing Sexsmith, he's not telling.

Taken from http://www.amazon.com/Exit-Strategy-Soul-Ron-Sexsmith/dp/B00197U12A

Pinacoteca 003: Horacio Ferrer - "Madrid 1937 (Aviones Negros)"

Factory Records: Complete Discography

Factory 1:

FAC 1PETER SAVILLE: The Factory 5/78 - 6/78May 78

La primera referencia del sello Factory, de Manchester, no fue ningún disco, sino el siguiente cartel, que anunciaba una serie de conciertos en el club del mismo nombre de las bandas que aparecen en él. Diseñado, cómo no, por Peter Saville.

The Epsilons: "The Echo" (Stax 0021)

Esta semana me apetece recordar este single publicado por el supremo sello Stax:

Interzona TV: Graveyards

Un par de vídeos de Graveyards (John Olson, Ben Hall y Hans Buetow), en directo:

Interzona TV: James Hunter - "Carina"

Ahora que se ha puesto de moda el revival soul, he aquí un vídeo de uno de sus representantes más genuinos: James Hunter.

Fotografía 001: Laszlo Moholy-Nagy - Schwinmm Probe (1929)

Biografías: Freddie Slack (1910-1965)

El pianista y líder de su propia banda Freddie Slack es recordado mayormente por sus ritmos boogie-woogie de finales de los años 30 y principios de los 40. Slack era un buen pianista y se manejaba bien en otros estilos, los cuales incluso prefería. Su principal defecto fue que no intentó con demasiado empeño separarse del género boogie-woogie, al cual quedaría adscrito. Todo intento de reinventarse a sí mismo parecía encaminarle de nuevo a los ocho compases.

Originariamente formado como baterista, Slack asistió al Conservatorio Americano de Música de Chicago, y desde 1927 hasta 1931 formó parte de la orquesta de Johnny Tobin. En 1931 se trasladó a Los Angeles, donde se incorporó a las orquestas de Henry Halstead, Earl Burtnett, Archie Rosate y Lennie Hayton. A mediados de los 30 se unió a Ben Pollack, al que dejó para trabajar con Jimmy Dorsey.

En la banda de Dorsey hizo una buena amistad con Ray McKinley. Cuando McKinley abandonó la banda de Dorsey para formar una orquesta con el trombonista Will Bradley, Slack le acompañó y se reveló como una pieza fundamental en los números boogie-woogie del nuevo grupo. Freddie dejó a McKinley y a Bradley en 1941 y formó su propia orquesta en 1942. Siguió los pasos de su antiguo líder, encabezando el movimiento boogie-woogie de la época. Su banda se convirtió en una de las primeras que firmaron con el recién fundado sello Capitol, al que proporcionó su primer éxito: "Cow Cow Boogie". La vocalista más famosa de esta banda fue Ella Mae Morse y trabajó para ellos como arreglista Les Baxter.

Freddie Slack disolvió su orquesta en a principios de los 50, pero continuó tocando en la Costa Oeste como pianista de un dúo y con su propio trío. También escribió varias canciones durante su carrera, siendo la más popular "The House of Blue Lights", co-escrita con Don Raye. Finalmente, Slack falleció en 1965.

Biblioteca 003: Ernst Jünger - "Sobre los Acantilados de Mármol" (1939)

La que para muchos es la novela fundamental de Ernst Jünger, su indiscutida obra maestra, cuenta cómo un antiguo y civilizado país situado junto a las aguas de un lago, de vida apacible y dedicado al cultivo del trigo y de la vid, ve amenazada su tranquilidad por las huestes de los bosques.

El narrador y su hermano Otón viven al borde de los altos acantilados, entregados al estudio de la botánica. Un día, mientras buscan una peculiar orquídea, descubren la Barraca de los Desolladores, el lugar al que los violentos habitantes de los bosques, bajo las órdenes del Guardabosque Mayor, arrastran y descuartizan a sus víctimas… En ese descubrimiento verán una premonición del avance del nihilismo y de los sombríos tiempos que les esperan.

Novela visionaria y cargada de simbolismo, Sobre los acantilados de marmól fue publicada en Alemania a finales de 1939 y, como afirma Andrés Sánchez Pascual en su esclarecedor prólogo, “produjo una enorme conmoción. Sus millares de lectores de entonces encontraron en ella la acusación más clara y contundente contra la tiranía que en aquel momento reinaba en muchos países de Europa, no sólo en Alemania.

SST 001: Black Flag - "Nervous Breakdown" (1978)

Hoy iniciamos el repaso a la discografía completa del sello americano SST, fundado por Greg Ginn en 1978, en Long Beach (California), en principio para publicar las grabaciones de su propio grupo, los legendarios Black Flag. Las siglas SST significan Solid State Transmitters.

Muy pronto el sello se convertiría en un emblema de referencia para el hardcore de la Costa Oeste y su prodigiosa evolución en grupos como Minutemen o Hüsker Dü.

La primera referencia de SST es el single debut de Black Flag: "Nervous Breakdown", publicado en octubre de 1978.

The recording was financed by Greg Ginn with proceeds he had earned from his mail-order ham radio electronics business, Solid State Tuners (SST)[1]. Through Spot, then an apprentice engineer whom Ginn had already known from living in Hermosa Beach, California, the band found Media Art, a studio that had recently completed construction.[2]
The recording was originally supposed to come out on Bomp! Records, but the band felt that the label was taking too long to put the record out. Eventually the band took the master rights back, and Ginn put some more earnings from his ham radio business, located a pressing plant in the phone book, and co-founded SST Records with Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski, borrowing the label's name from his business.[1]
It is commonly misconstrued that Spot was the producer and engineer of record for Nervous Breakdown. In his sleeve notes for the 1982 outtakes anthology Everything Went Black, Spot pointed out that as an apprentice engineer, his involvement in the sessions was limited to setting up microphones during the tracking sessions, and doing rough mixes for the band to hear.[2]
The initial pressing of Nervous Breakdown was 300 copies. Black Flag were able to use the record as "a badge of legitimacy" (according to Dukowski) to begin getting live gigs in the Los Angeles area.[2]

The EP is still in print both in its original form (a 7" vinyl EP), as a 5" CD single, and as part of the anthology The First Four Years. It was also available at times as a 3" CD single, a 10" colored vinyl EP, and as part of the various artists compilation of SST singles, The 7 Inch Wonders Of The World.

Track listing:
All songs written by Greg Ginn, except where noted.
1."Nervous Breakdown" – 2:07
2."Fix Me" – 0:55
3."I've Had It" – 1:20
4."Wasted" (Ginn/Morris) – 0:51

Personnel:
Keith Morris - vocals
Greg Ginn - guitar
Chuck Dukowski - bass
Brian Migdol - drums
David Tarling - co-producer, engineer
Spot - engineer, mixer
Raymond Pettibon - artwork
Note: On the original pressing, Chuck is credited under his real name and ROBO is credited as the drummer.

Taken from wikipedia.

"Never Ever Land - 83 Texan Nuggets from International Artists Records 1965-1970"

International Artists (IA) was an independent record label based in Houston, Texas that existed from 1965 to 1970. During its existence IA released 13 albums and 39 singles and passed through the hands of several owners, including Lelan Rogers, brother of country singer Kenny Rogers. The label is infamous for its roster of well-known Texas psychedelic rock bands, including The 13th Floor Elevators, The Red Crayola and Bubble Puppy, as well as lesser known bands such as The Golden Dawn, Lost And Found and Endle St. Cloud. International Artists also released an album by blues guitarist Lightnin' Hopkins that featured session work by the 13th Floor Elevators' rhythm section.

Never Ever Land is a three-CD set designed to give a reasonably comprehensive picture of International Artists' strange and memorable five-year lifespan. Disc one is focused on Texas garage rock, and features some of the fuzzier and more straightforward material from the 13th Floor Elevators, the Red Crayola, and the Golden Dawn alongside lesser-known teen rock acts such as the Beach Boys-influenced Coastliners and the frantic Chayns. Disc two is devoted to IA's psychedelic acts, though since several already popped up on disc one the distinction may seem vague to some; at any rate, while most of this music isn't as eccentric as AI's reputation would suggest, this is still a solid set of acid-influenced rock, ranging from the tight hard rock of the Bubble Puppy and the earnest folk-rock of the Rubayyat to the country-flavored sounds of Ginger Valley and the brilliantly "huh?"-inducing sides from the Red Crayola. Finally, the third disc rounds up various odd and ends, from the sublime (two superb acoustic tracks from Roky Erickson with Clementine Hall) and the worthy (a couple selections from Lightnin' Hopkins' IA set Free Form Patterns) to the ridiculous (Sonny Hall's dunderheaded country novelty "The Battle of the Moon"). The set is accompanied by a thick booklet featuring a short history of the label, an entertaining interview with Lelan Rogers, and an AI discography. Never Ever Land reveals the dirty little secret that much of International Artists' output wasn't as bizarre as their most famous releases would lead you to expect, but the first two discs serve as an excellent overview of the heady era when teenage rock gave way to something more adventurous, and the third delivers some superb moments while filling in the gaps in the IA story; it's a loving tribute to a label whose existence was in many respects a brave leap into the musical unknown.

Interzona TV: Jimmy Scott - "Sycamore Trees"

En esta emisión vamos a ver la interpretación de "Sycamore Trees" que Jimmy Scott realizó para la serie norteamericana Twin Peaks.

DJ/rupture & Andy Moor: "Patches" (unsuitable, 2008)

The first release on their own 'unsuitable' label, Dj /rupture and Andy Moor's debut CD Patches bring together the unusual combination of guitar and turntables to powerful effect. Rupture and Moor come from opposite though not opposed musical worlds, not to mention different continents. Guitarist Moor arrives from the post-punk exuberance of the Dog Faced Hermans, The Ex, and Kletka Red. Rupture came up through his adventurous and influential take on dancefloor DJing which led him to a stint as turntablist with Norah Jones' old band and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. Both have nonstop musical curiosity, and after playing together a few times, they quickly found a common language, combining Moor's exploratory fretboard antics and saw-toothed guitar sounds with Rupture's dark but warm grimey bass riddims and rich textural soundscapes built from avant-garde turntablism. These 15 tracks were recorded live at the duo's shows across Europe. Their arresting sound world flows from irresistable melodies underpinned by Rupture's serrated beats to sonics colliding with virtuoso precision into angular displacement and dissonance. Improvised live, you can hear ideas being explored with quick-reflexes and the sensitivity of musicians who listen, using silence as a compositional tool.Occasionally they veer into total free improvisation, with Rupture conjuring up extraordinarily obnoxious sounds purely from vinyl manipulation and Moor making his guitar sound like it's strung with highly charged telephone cables - but somehow they always manage to keep a central pulse going and never seem to lose their way.Patches cooks up an unlikely stew of Kenyan kipsigis singing girls from the 50s and scratching discordant guitar and Diana Ross. Timeblind's dubstep beats, Varese, and Japanese noise meet with big crunchy whammy chords. Bass Clef, Steve Reich, Tracy Chapman and Sardinian fishermen songs get flipped and fried... impossible but tasty.

Taken from http://cdbaby.com/cd/moorrupture

Chris Garneau: "Music for Tourists" (Absolutely Kosher, 2007)

La crítica especializada se ha emperrado en coronar a este jovencito como el nuevo Rufus Wainwright. Aceptamos que existen varias similitudes entre uno y otro, en especial por el pop melódico, instrumental y con presencia orquestal que ambos fabrican, pero no. Chris Garneau recuerda más a Damien Rice que a Wainwright. Y eso no es necesariamente malo.

Aceptamos que Garneau comparta con Rufus varias cosas: la primera, el pop melódico, en el que Wainwright es experto. La segunda, la instrumentación orquestal, aunque en el caso de Garneau se centra fundamentalmente en cuerdas (piano, violín y violonchelo). Rufus por su parte ha tirado algo más por el barroquismo (ahí están algunos temas del ‘Want One’ y ‘Want Two’ para demostrarlo) y no por el menos es más, precisamente. En lo que sí se parecen es en la presencia de piano, que es magistral y en las referencias al mundo marica en sus letras, que nos imaginamos que es lo que ha llevado a la mitad de los críticos a olvidarse completamente de que este chico es más parecido a Damien Rice o a Elvis Perkins que a Rufus Wainwright.
En cuanto a ‘Music for tourists’, no hay nada que objetar. Es un disco correcto, quizá algo facilón en cuanto a composición (más por lo repetitivo de sus textos que por otra cosa) pero con algunas letras que son francamente maravillosas y capaces de ponerte los pelos de punta. Ideal para escuchar en pleno otoño, ahora que anochece tan pronto, e ideal para escuchar sin dejar que los prejuicios de algunas críticas te hagan pensar que es un mal disco, porque no lo es en absoluto. Lo que pasa es que, en los tiempos en los que vivimos, donde todo va tan rápido, hay veces que cuesta dedicarle a un disco el tiempo que se merece. ‘Music for tourists’ no es inmediato, pero cuando le coges el punto, es delicioso.

Tomado de http://jenesaispop.com/2008/10/20/chris-garneau-music-for-tourists/

Interzona TV: The Who - "My Generation" (Marquee Club 1967)

Filmoteca 002: Frans Zwartjes - "Birds" (1968)

Frans Zwartjes is a filmmaker, musician, violinmaker, drawer, painter and sculptor. Heavily involved in film since 1968, both as a filmmaker and as a teacher. In his films, actors are adorned with make-up and costumes and are put in a setting to enact a staged event. Sexuality, psychosis, cruelty, power and powerlessness are ever recurring themes in his films. The images are abstracted in ruthless black and white. The general idea of reality is broken down by brilliant camera work and neurotic editing to replace it with a personal and often disturbing reality. His films are available for free at ubuweb: http://zxzwblog.com/2009/01/27/frans-zwartjes-films-on-ubuweb/

Pinacoteca 002: Henri Matisse - "Le violoniste à la fenêtre" (1918)

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis (Sunday Best, 2008)

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are a three-piece band comprising the teenage siblings of the Durham family. Their music is influenced heavily by R&B, swing, jump blues, country and Western, blues, Hawaiian and rock 'n' roll. They are all multi-instrumentalists playing guitar, piano, banjo, lapsteel guitar, harmonica, double bass, ukulele, drums, trombone, xylophone and accordion between them.
Kitty Durham (15) is the youngest of the group and primarily sings and plays drums, harmonica, ukulele, banjo, trombone and guitar. Daisy Durham (20) is the eldest of the group, who primarily sings and plays drums, piano, accordion and xylophone. Lewis Durham (18) is the middle child who sings and plays guitar, piano, banjo, lapsteel and drums. He collects and plays/DJ's 78rpm records and has built a home studio for the band to record in. It consists of 1940's and 50's recording equipment such as 8 track tape machines and vintage BBC and RCA microphones. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis do not use computers or any digital format during the recording process. They live with their parents in Kentish Town, north London. Daisy and Lewis have already left school, while Kitty still attends Acland Burghley School.

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Daisy_&_Lewis

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis nos transportan en solo tres segundos a los años 50 con una estupendo abanico de rock n’ roll, rockabilly, blues, swing, country e incluso el aire hawaiano de “Honolulu Rock-And-Roll-A”. Un disco que repasa clásicos como el “Going Up The Country” de Canned Heat en este álbum, tan corto como intenso, editado por Sunday Best. Parece que crecer escuchando a Buddy Holly, Duane Eddy, Elvis o Scotty Moore tiene efectos más que beneficiosos. La vuelta a los orígenes de Kitty, Daisy & Lewis no es únicamente estilística, si no que este trabajo ha sido grabado con material vintage de los años 40 y 50, recuperado para conseguir un sonido tan analógico que, cuando escuchas el disco, parece que los lleves pegados al culo tocando la batería de pie y soplándote la harmónica a la oreja.
Clásicos del pasado con aire fresco y una fuerza propia de una panda de adolescentes. Y ya, lo único que me queda es sacar el peine de mi bolsillo, perfeccionar mi look engominado, ponerme mis zapatos de empeine blanco y prepararme para el baile de graduación.

Tomado de http://www.muzikalia.com/leerdisco.php/1932/kitty-daisy-lewis/kitty-daisy-lewis

Wolf People: "October Fires" (Battered Ornaments, 2008)

Behold Wolf People! The Blues-tinged acid-fried psych outfit, centred around obsessive purveyor of counter culture Jack Sharp, present this homemade, handcrafted stomper.The result of a penchant for vintage recording techniques and an experiment to see how loud you can record onto a 1960s Grundig home tape recorder before it becomes unlistenable.Over the past year the psychedelic Wolf People commune has welcomed a host of collaborators, including Tom Hubmann (The Midnight Orchestra) and Marissa Straccia (The Lady Wolf), as well as Jack’s own Mum and Dad on tin whistle and blues harp respectively. Months of painstaking experimentation and a burgeoning live schedule have seen Jack shrink the ranks to just a core of four members, with Gabriel Lloret, Tom Watt, and Joe Hollick making up the numbers.This strictly limited vinyl only release is the debut release from Battered Ornaments Records, an independent label headed by Doug Shipton (Finders Keepers / Delay 68) with a DIY aesthetic producing lovingly made, limited 7” vinyl runs of off-kilter independent music housed in jaw dropping sleeves created by top artists and graphic designers.

Taken from the promotional sheet.

Interzona TV: Brightblack Morning Light - "Everybody Daylight"

Biblioteca 002: Douglas Coupland - "El ladrón de chicles" (El Aleph)

Un ejercicio de dolor y soledad escrito con cinismo y acidez en el que los perdedores son lúcidos. Una novela que retrata lo difícil que puede llegar a ser buscarle un sentido a la vida en un mundo aséptico y competitivo, a través de la compasión y la complicidad.

Como es habitual en Douglas Coupland, existe un interés en superar el desgaste del tiempo, en afrontar la muerte y los fracasos que nos acompañan en la vida. Pero lo mejor (aparte de su naturalidad para escribir) es que Coupland sabe captar nuestro tiempo, el espíritu de una época.

-La vida siempre te mata al final, pero primero te impide conseguir lo que te propones.
-Tenía casi treinta años, edad suficiente como para empezar a tener pesadillas por las noches ante la posibilidad de tener un trabajo basura toda la vida.

-Como permitas que tus sentimientos salgan a la luz, la gente te va a hacer mucho daño. Usarán tus sentimientos en tu contra. Algo que en su día fue privado y sagrado para ti se transformará en un arma de doble filo. Algo tan precioso podría resultar dañado. Acabarás por sentir dolor.

Pinacoteca 001: Francis Bacon - "Self-Portrait" (1972)

Biblioteca 001: Hans Blumenberg - "Trabajo sobre el mito" (Paidós)

Trabajo sobre el mito es el tí­tulo de un libro de Hans Blumenberg publicado en 1979 y reimpreso en una tercera edición revisada en 1984. Pero también podrí­a ser el lema de los amplios intereses y la singladura creativa del autor. Pues los viejos mitos se convierten, para él, cada vez más, en metáforas de nuestra existencia.

¿Qué queremos decir, qué nos mueve cuando nos representamos el mundo? ¿Con qué medios percibimos el tiempo, como magnitud histórica y existencial? ¿Qué significaciones trae consigo el mito y en qué consiste su superación? Y finalmente ¿cómo se determinan las imágenes y las alegorías, las técnicas y las estrategias con las que la vida se asegura su cualidad de soportable?

El libro de Blumenberg explica el valor del mito a este respecto desde puntos de vista funcionales. En los relatos y en las parábolas mí­ticas la humanidad sobrevive de la misma manera que en los útiles y objetos cotidianos. Gracias a la transposición realizada por el mito, lo inhóspito y lo siniestro, lo extraño y lo repugnante, se convierten en algo aceptable y grato. Pero el trabajo del pensador consiste en enseñar a reconocer ese paso en sus consecuencias.

Blumenberg ha estructurado el tema con la exactitud de un filólogo y el arte de un exégeta genial: las secciones dedicadas al mito de Prometeo con la mirada puesta en Goethe, por poner un ejemplo, resultan insuperables.

Muddy Waters: "The Woodstock Album" (Chess, 1975)

Recorded in 1975, The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album was the brainchild of the Band's Levon Helm and producer/songwriter Henry Glover. At the time, the duo's production company, RCO, had recently set up shop in a barn-turned- studio in Woodstock, New York, and Muddy Waters was their first client. The album, born of a unique merger of top-flight talent (Waters' touring band plus the cream of the musicians then living in and around Woodstock), is one of the loosest, swingingest records that Waters ever cut, and features such musicians as blues-harp great Paul Butterfield, Helm and Garth Hudson (of the Band), guitarist Bob Margolin and keyboardist Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (from Waters' band), and renowned session players Fred Carter and Howard Johnson.
The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album includes five original songs written by Waters ("Going Down to Main Street," "Born With Nothing," "Funny Sounds," "Love, Deep as the Ocean" and the previously unreleased CD-only bonus track, Fox Squirrel) plus covers of Louis Jordan's "Let the Good Times Roll" and Caldonia, Bobby Charles' "Why Are People Like That" and Leiber & Stoller's Kansas City. As chronicled in the newly penned liner notes by Billboard's Chris Morris, the disc proved to be the last that Waters would record for Chess. It was, however, a memorable farewell - The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album was awarded the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording.

-Sidemen:
Paul Butterfield, harmonica
Henry Glover, producer
Levon Helm, bass/drums/producer
Garth Hudson, accordion/keyboards/saxophone
Howard Johnson, saxophone
Sammy Lawhorn, guitar
Bob Margolin, guitar
"Pinetop" Perkins, piano
Muddy Waters, vocal/guitar

Taken from http://theband.hiof.no/albums/muddy_waters_woodstock.html

Interzona TV: The Chantays - "Pipeline"

Teen Idles: "Minor Disturbance" (Dischord 1, 1981)

Con esta reseña comienzo el repaso a la discografía completa del sello Dischord, de Washington DC, emblema del hardcore norteamericano capitaneado por Ian MacKaye y Jeff Nelson (ya saben, Minor Threat, Fugazi, ...):

Teen Idles - Minor Disturbance 7":

Tracks: Teen Idles / Sneakers / Get Up and Go / Deadhead // Fleeting Fury / Fiorucci Nightmare / Getting in my Way / Too Young to Rock (Minor Disturbance)

1000 copies on black vinyl w/insert and shiny sleeve1000 copies on black vinyl w/insert, matte sleeve, second pressing note on back

Dischord 1, 1981

Lineup: Nathan Strejcek - vocals / Geordie Grindle - guitar / Ian MacKaye - bass / Jeff Nelson - drums

Minor Disturbance was the sole studio extended play by the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band The Teen Idles, released on Dischord Records in January 1981. Comprising eight songs, Minor Disturbance referenced a number of issues pertinent to the band, from being turned away at local concerts due to their age ("Too Young to Rock") to what they felt was the increasing complacency of many first wave punk bands ("Fleeting Fury"). Upon its release, Minor Disturbance, Dischord Records' first record, received positive reviews from local fanzines and gained airplay on local radio stations.

The Teen Idles were a Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band that formed in 1979. Comprising vocalist Nathan Strejcek, guitarist Geordie Grindle, bassist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson, the band evolved out of The Slinkees. After original vocalist Mark Sullivan left for college, The Slinkees first tried to recruit Henry Garfield (later Rollins) before Strejcek joined. After renaming themselves The Teen Idles, the band toured locally; they played at a range of venues, including opening for Bad Brains at an art gallery called Madam's Organ.

The Teen Idles entered Inner Ear in late 1980 to record a number of songs, with owner Don Zientara engineering and Skip Groff producing. Inner Ear was merely Zientara's house; he owned a four-track recorder and some home-made gear. The mixing board was on the porch, and was connected to the basement of the house where the band played; Zientara later noted that "everything was held together with clothespins". Inner Ear was useful to The Teen Idles, as at the time there were few options available to an American independent band between recording on a boombox or at a professional studio. Seven tracks were recorded in total.

Like The Teen Idles' other material, Minor Disturbance features mainly standard hardcore punk melodies and rhythms. Many of the album's songs feature Strejcek shouting over a fast one-two hardcore beat, with MacKaye and Grindle providing short and speedy riffs. On Minor Disturbance, the band drew inspiration from local punk band Bad Brains, as well as Californian hardcore bands such as Black Flag and The Germs.

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_Disturbance

Interzona Punk TV: Teen Idles - "Deadhead"

Filmoteca 001

Marie Menken: "Glimpse of the Garden" (1957)

Poema visual de la realizadora Marie Menken -artífice también de Moonplay, Lights y Nightwriting- que hizo reír a los espectadores de la Cinemateca Francesa en 1963 por su desconcertante sencillez y simplicidad. Naturaleza en estado puro, en lo visual y en lo sonoro. Una celebración de la vida y la belleza, hasta entonces inédita (y después de gran influencia en autores como Brackhage y Mekas), surgida directamente de la contemplación de la realidad y lo cotidiano.



Tomado de http://metraje-encontrado.blogspot.com/2008/01/marie-menken-glimpse-of-garden.html

Brightblack Morning Light: "Motion to Rejoin" (Matador, 2008)

Shamanic soul duo Brightblack Morning Light certainly haven’t refashioned their arrowhead with Motion to Rejoin, their second effort for Matador Records. The Native American-inspired team of Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes hit repeat for another round of blissed-out boogie, but the tunes’ enveloping qualities only partly make up for the fact that they all sound alike.
Which isn’t to say there aren’t a couple of differences between Motion and its self-titled predecessor. The new record is a bit fuzzier, with a crusty coating I initially mistook for bad MP3-era mastering. Turns out they recorded the thing entirely with solar power, at Shineywater’s pad in New Mexico rural New Mexico. What might seem at first like a gimmick is revealed as commitment when you realize they could only record when the sun was out.
The crux of Brightblack’s sound is Hughes’ organ, which swells and recedes with its own lunar logic. Shineywater’s guitar merges seamlessly, with the occasional arpeggio ringing out against vast chasms populated only by spare Native American instruments and shaker. Every so often, horns work their way to the center, temporarily edging out Shineywater and Hughes’ heavily reverb’d vocals. These moments reveal the band’s feel for Southern Soul and British boogie, sublimated through Neo-Organic Psych.
Though much of the record drifts by like smoke from a peace pipe, some songs manage to make an impression. “Hologram Buffalo,” with its sashaying rhythms and probing horns, is both visceral and trance-inducing. Soul-mama background vocals straight from a T. Rex side coo and caw lustily as Shineywater sings something or other about teepees. “Summer Hoof” impresses for opposite reasons. It’s all build-up and no release, with protracted chords, atonal bells and attenuated horn lines flecked with analog delay. It’s an appropriate soundtrack for the final leg of a lengthy peyote sojourn.
At other times the songs – while still enjoyable in a nebulous “go to the light” kind-of-way – simply lose all pretense to distinction, bleeding together in a tonal wash of echoed vocals, tremolo guitar and gooey organ. What lyrics can be deciphered seem to be run-of-the-mill dreamcatcher claptrap, a kind of New Age magnetic poetry.

Taken from http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4559

Interzona TV: Eric Chenaux

Eric Chenaux, Rooftop, 61 Major Street, 7.17.08, Toronto

Lambchop: "OH (Ohio)" (Merge, 2008)

Lambchop return with this, what might be counted as their tenth official studio album (if you consider Aw C'mon and No You C'mon as a single text), and it sees a resumption of the energetic song arrangement that the band seemed to abandon after their landmark country-soul LP Nixon.

OH (Ohio) never strays quite so far from the Americana template as that record did - and you're unlikely to detect a Curtis Mayfield influence on this one - but with uptempo cuts like 'National Talk Like A Pirate Day', 'Popeye' and 'Sharing A Gibson With Martin Luther King Jr.' Kurt Wagner and co. sound like they've broken free of the hushed simplicity that's been a part of their work for the past few years. The slow jams are still of the very highest order though: 'Of Raymond' features gorgeous, jazzy horn arrangements, while 'Slipped Dissolved And Loosed' is somewhere between The Band and Glenn Campbell, which is probably a good fit for Lambchop.

Taken from http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=136257

Okkervil River: "The Stand Ins" (Jagjaguwar, 2008)

On this album-length sequel to last year's The Stage Names, these Austin indie rockers continue to dissect the looking-glass emptiness of life spent on the stage, as well as in the cheap seats. "Fuck long hours, sick with singing," frontman Will Sheff sings over slow-building, mariachi-style blues on "Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979," a boozy, post-fame portrait of the late gay glam rocker Jobraith.
Like its predecessor, The Stand Ins also continues to stretch the band's mopey sound. "Lost Coastlines" trips along on a sprightly Motown groove. "Starry Stairs" is a Smiths ringer punched up with Stax/Volt horn charts. Maybe most surprising is "Pop Lie," an Eighties-style power-pop rocker that rails at "the liar who lied in his pop song" — a character that might just be Sheff. And on the melodramatic "On Tour With Zykos," a song about a fleeting hookup, the singer channels a fan who guilt-trips over smoking bowls and watching TV when she should be making great art. But with The Stand Ins, dude is providing an excellent role model.

Taken from http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/22723970/review/22787116/the_stand_ins

Groove Chronicles: "1999 / Black Puppet" (DPR, 2008)

Two UK garage classics from headboy Noodles of Groove Chronicles fame. '1999' takes it nearly 10 years back with some super cool bubbling pressure, all unhooked syncopations and blooming subbass to show the current kids how it was done back then, and then the wriggly bubblers styles of 'Black Puppet' on the flip. Another classic of the era with an unbeatably authentic swing carved out of clockin snares and a stick-and-move motion that so undoubtedly influenced the current batch of dubstep producers from Kode 9 to Burial and Blackdown. Killer!

Taken from http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=143580

Giant Sand: "proVISIONS" (Yep Roc, 2008)

Tucson, Arizona-based musician Howe Gelb has released the first Giant Sand album in nearly four years proVISIONS featuring friends such as Isobell Campbell, Neko Case and M. Ward.
‘Giant Sand is a mood,’ says Howe Gelb. The creative force behind the extended family that has comprised Giant Sand over the years, speaks of ‘yippity and happenstance’ that arise to inspire the soundscape that is Giant Sand. The musical family tree of the Tucson, AZ group is long and illustrious, beginning in 1980 as The Giant Sandworms and later spawning bands like Calexico, The Friends of Dean Martinez and OP8.
Howe Gelb has steadily amassed a prolific catalog of Giant Sand and solo material that spans the wealth of southwestern roots and lo-fi. Thick with musings scattered by desert winds, and soaked with eroding guitars and dusty piano, proVISIONS sonically explores love and loss in the socio-political climate of the modern world.
This incarnation of Giant Sand is comprised of Gelb, Danish musicians Thoger T. Lund (bass), Peter Dombernowsky (drums) and Anders Pedersen (slide guitar). It features talented friends/collaborators such as Neko Case, M. Ward, Isobell Campbell, Henriette Sennenvaldt, Lucie Idlout and Lonna Kelley.
A creeping cruise down a dark desert highway, these proVISIONS provide for the furthering ride of Giant Sand’s completely unique sonic legacy.

Taken from http://www.giantsand.com/

Neue Deutsche Welle: ALU - "Bitte Warten Sie!" (1980)

ALU was a spinoff of Sand featuring two of its three members, Johannes Vester and Ludwig Papenberg. They recorded a studio album in 1980, but only two of the songs were released on a 7" single. Their only full-length album releases at the time were two live LP's, Störfaktor I - ALU's riskantes Experiment and Licht, both recorded with a female vocalist, Nadja. But now the studio album, Autismenschen, has been released on CD by C.I.P. Records. I haven't heard the album, but here's an excerpt from the liner notes (written by Current 93's David Tibet):

"Moving savagely away from [Sand's] trippy, inner-space explorations, ALU inhabited a colder, more paranoiac country than their predecessors. Yet [with Sand] I hear the beginnings of the alienated schizophrenia that comes so intensely to the fore in the material released by ALU during their brief life, as well as on this remarkably unsettling album that was, until now, never released ... ALU possessed a sharp, cutting and motorised beat with the guttural sound of those at war with anything around them. The hallucinations of Sand had given way to something far colder, far darker. Harsh, uncomfortable, arrhythmic within its own metronomic rhythm, loveless yet full of passion, ALU were, like Sand, unjustly overlooked -- almost forgotten. Perhaps in these apocalyptic, crepuscular years their time has, at last, come."

Taken from http://www.gepr.net/aa.html

50's Rock'n'Roll Party! TV: Gene Vincent & his Blue Caps - "Be-Bop-a-Lula"

The Band: "Northern Lights, Southern Cross" (Capitol, 1975)

The first studio album of Band originals in four years, in many respects Northern Lights - Southern Cross was viewed as a comeback. It also can be seen as a swan song. The album was the Band's finest since their self-titled sophomore effort. Totaling eight songs in all, on this album the Band explores new timbres, utilizing for the first time 24 tracks and what was (then) new synthesizer technology. "Acadian Driftwood" stands out as one of Robertson's finest compositions, the equal to anything else the Band ever recorded.

--Rob Bowman, All-Music Guide