motel de moka

The blow - hey boy
(Poor Aim: Love Songs & Remixes, 2007)
The Fiery Furnaces - waiting to know you
(Bitter tea, 2006)
Department of eagles - no one does it like you
(tba, 2007)
Paolo Conte - happy feet
(Best of Paolo Conte, 1998)
Greg Ashley - sailing with bobby
(Painted Garden, 2007)

Photo: Izima Kaoru.

In this little lonesome dwelling, with some slender means that she possessed, and by the licence of the magistrates, who still kept an inquisitorial watch over her, Hester established herself, with her infant child. A mystic shadow of suspicion immediately attached itself to the spot. Children, too young to comprehend wherefore this woman should be shut out from the sphere of human charities, would creep nigh enough to behold her plying her needle at the cottage-window, or standing in the doorway, or labouring in her little garden, or coming forth along the pathway that led townward, and, discerning the scarlet letter on her breast, would scamper off with a strange contagious fear.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

“Theme from a Dream”

01. Portishead - Glory Box (Alex C Adventure)
(Dumb, 2006)

02. Thievery Corporation - International Flight
(The Outernational Sound, 2004)

03. Desmond Williams - Theme From A Dream
(Delights Of The Garden, 2002)

04. St Germain - Pont Des Arts
(Tourist, 2000)

05. The Cinematic Orchestra - Music Box
(Ma Fleur, 2007)

06. Clogs - Fiddlegree
(Lantern, 2006)

Note: Two part lounge list for MdM and MIA. Let’s see if I can create a soft Gothic feel without turning too dark. This list comes with a lot of my favorite artis. so visit their page and buy their album.

see also : Imperial Lounge 3b, 2, 1, Nathaniel Hawthorne
image : speakingoffaith

Red house painters - cabezon
(Ocean beach / 4AD / 1995)
Arthur Russell - a little lost
(World of Arthur Russell / Soul Jazz / 1980)
Andrew Bird - the supine
(Armchair Apocrypha / Fat Possum / 2007)
Bright Eyes - middleman
(Cassadaga /saddle creek / 2007)
Kammerflimmer Kollektief - nest
(Jinx / Staubgold / 2007)

Foto: Lin & Tony.

Photo credit: takuya miyamoto

For those who have successfully coped with last weekend’s Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky: you may now proceed to part 2.

1. Earthless - Flower Travelin’ Man
   Sonic Prayer (Gravity, 2005)
2. Titan - Die Morgensonne / Die Mitternachtssonne
   Untitled (Paradigms, 2006)
3. Comets On Fire - Holy Teeth
   Avatar (Sub Pop, 2006)
4. Om - Kapila’s Theme
   Variations On A Theme (Holy Mountain, 2005)

The idea remains the same. Roughly 50 minutes of psychedelic guitar improvisations and gut crunching base riffs to take you on an acid rock trip that will leave you thunderstruck. Be prepared to be blown away by the first track. After a minute and a half the guitar kicks in and basically starts an 18 minute improv trip with apocalyptic results. This is all the exercise you’ll ever need to train your neck muscles.

Titan relies more on atmosphere so they take their time to build the right ambiance to unleash their freaked out psychedelic rock jam. To add some contrast I’ve included one of my favourite tracks of last year’s Comets on Fire album. They waste no time and start kicking you in the face right from the moment the track starts. And finally there’s Om with their minimalistic approach to repetition, mantra-style vocals and hypnotic patterns to close the list with a gargantuan piece of heavy grooving stoner.

+Elliot Smith - 2.45am
(Either/Or, 1997)
+Elliot Smith - Son of Sam
(Figure 8, 2000)
+Ane Brun - Drowning in those eyes
(Spending Time With Morgan, 2003)
+Ani DiFranco - Millenium Theater
(Reprieve, 2006)
+Arrah & The Ferns - Science Books
(Evan is a Vegan, 2006)
+Cat Stevens - Into White
(Tea For The Tillerman, 1970)
+Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark
(Plans, 2005)
+Donovan - Get Thy Bearings
(The Hurdy Gurdy Man, 1968)

2.45am has always been my favorite time of the day… I don’t really have a congruent explanation for it actually… I just think that that time of day posses something somewhere along the lines of ‘magical’.

Nighttime is seductive, I love it how your senses seemed hightened at night, everything goes quite, delicate, speech turns down to whispers, touch to caresses, even breathing takes on a different rythm, but in all of this, I have to admit that the thing I find more appealing is the quiteness. At night, everything goes quite and starts humming in a whole different level, you can listen to everything.

I like it how I can put on my music to just a whisper and still get to take it all in. There is nothing to disturb me at nights, it’s me and my thoughts, me and the streetlights, me and my pencil…

This is a very heavy folkish playlist, which suits my night humor right now, it’s pretty warm here, and I think this playlist is too, tell me what you think.

Photo credit: oybay

There I was making an actual “murder ballad” playlist when it suddenly dawned on me that we have far too less upbeat music around here. Of course, motels are supposed to be somewhat depressing and I happen to be a huge fan of anything remotely gloomy. But still, every now and then some colourful and uplifting music wouldn’t hurt us at all.

So let me try to start this week off with some music that casually looks at the positive side of things, the colourful aspects of life, the sunny side of the street.

Murder ballads… pfff.

1. Dizzy Gillespie - On the Sunny Side of the Street
   Sonny Side Up (Polygram, 1957)
2. Tribalistas - Já Sei Namorar
   Tribalistas (Blue Note, 2002)
3. Orchestra Baobab - Werente Serigne
   Pirate’s Choice (World Circuit, 1982)
4. Telegenic - Untitled 9
   Meet in California… When We’re Dead (self-released, 2007)
5. The Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Jive Samba
   Cannonball in Japan (Capitol, 1966)
6. The Robot Ate Me - On Vacation Part 2
   On Vacation (5 Rue Christine, 2004)
7. Susumu Yokota - Flying Cat
   Grinning Cat (Leaf, 2001)
8. The Golden Oaks - Sweet Kentucky Ragas
   Split CD-R (Time-Lag, 2005)
9. Tin Hat Trio - The Clandestine Adventures of Ms. Merz
   Book of Silk (Ropeadope, 2004)

Alvin Lucier - Music on A Long Thin Wire 1
(Music on a Long Thin Wire / Lovely Music / 1992)
Andrew Chalk - The River That Flows Into The Sands 3
(The River That Flows Into The Sands / Faraway / 2005)
Andrew Liles - Where?
(Un World / Infraction / 2001)
Carl Stone - Big Gold
(Kamiya Bar / Robi Droli / 2000)
Luciano Berio - Venid a Ver
(Coro / Deutsche Grammophon / 1991)
Giacinto Scelsi - Trio for Strings 3
John Cage - A Room
(Music for Prepared Piano II / Naxos American / 2001)
Fennesz - Sz
(Hotel Paral.lel / Mengo Austria / 2004)
Scott Smallwood - Re’juvin
(Eletrotherapy / Deep Listening / 2004)

note: these need your extreme patience… =)

photo by borix