The Desert Is a Circle
September 9, 2007 at 10:32 am
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But when, after counting the palm trees, he cast his eyes around him, the most horrible despair was infused into his soul. Before him stretched an ocean without limit. The dark sand of the desert spread further than eye could reach in every direction, and glittered like steel struck with bright light. It might have been a sea of looking-glass, or lakes melted together in a mirror. A fiery vapor carried up in surging waves made a perpetual whirlwind over the quivering land. The sky was lit with an Oriental splendor of insupportable purity, leaving naught for the imagination to desire. Heaven and earth were on fire.
- Honore de Balzac, A Passion in the Desert
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“The Desert Is a Circle”
01. Trembling Blue Stars - Say Goodbye To The Sea
The Last Holy Writer (Elefant Spain, 2007)
02. Alaska in Winter - Harmonijak (MySpace)
Dance Party in the Balkans (Regular Beat Recording Co., 2007)
03. Six Organs Of Admittance - This Hand (wiki)
Dark Noontide (Holy Mountain, 2002)
04. Bill Laswell, Otomo Yoshihide, Yoshigaki Yasuhiro - Duck
Soup (P-Vine Japan, 2004)
05. Six Organs of Admittance - The Desert Is a Circle
Sun Awakens (Drag City, 2006)
note: A Sunday folk list. I checked the archive, I haven’t post anything folks since January. Very unhealthy. So here is one. This list is a lazy hot Sunday music, with Six Organ of Admittance (both albums worth owning) and Bill Laswell (avant-rock). Very satisfying. I think if there is something that the blog ever did recently, it’s digging neo-folks melodies. Those beautiful gems that are too delicate and strange for radio but what make music worth listening. To me melody is still the gem around which songs are created. Yay blog for popularizing this. Do you find any odd and notable sound lately?
see also: The unknown bird, Jackson C. Frank, Texture No.2a
image: moominsean
Video!
“London, London” video by Cibelle feat. Devendra Banhart
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I have to make a list for this video. (I’ll tag it here so I don’t forget.)
Heard Somebody Say - Devendra Banhart
I heard somebody say
That the war ended today
But everyone knows it’s goin’ still
Our motherlands and motherseas
Here’s what we believe
It’s simple
We don’t want to kill
I heard somebody say
That the war ended today
But everyone knows its goin’ still
Our motherlands and motherseas
Here’s what we believe
It’s simple
We don’t want to kill
Oh, it’s simple
We don’t want to kill
Oh, it’s simple
We don’t want to kill
Oh, it’s simple
We don’t want to kill
Loved the devendra banhart video. thanks squished :X.
Great videos, I saw him play an amazing set a few weeks ago at Reading Festival though I knew very little of what he played. As for the playlist, I wasn’t keen on the first song; sounded to me like mainstream drivel; no offence to you or the artist. I did enjoy the rest though. Thanks!
first song, well they are twee pop. Part of the band were member of “the abardeen”.I thought their pop sound is charming. I didn’t know it’s that overplayed in the UK.
The twee sound itself isn’t very much heard outside the UK. In the US, the position is taken by more traditional boy band (justin timberlake) or mtv/britney spears type of sound.
The “Sarah” records sound (simple melody, short phrase, simple cord, “jangly”) is arguably very much part of indie landscape. But you are right, it is a function of exposure. If one heard it one too many times or not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trembling_Blue_Stars
Trembling Blue Stars is a London-based twee pop band that currently includes members Robert Wratten and Beth Arzy (who was also in Aberdeen until they split up in 2005). Begun as a side project of Wratten’s previous band Northern Picture Library, Trembling Blue Stars became Wratten’s main band when Northern Picture Library broke up in 1995. Wratten took the name of his band from The Story of O by Pauline Réage. The Stars are characterized by slow songs with jangly guitars and introspective, painful lyrics.
PS. I did have a long argument if something too twee is worth posting, exposed to public via blog or not. now that was a rawdy forum thread. heh…
this one it’s not folk but you also ask for any different melodies
http://www.myspace.com/jagajazzististhesound
sorry, the embed video code didn’t upload
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfatm-s25q8
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(note: I embed it for you. I think you need to use account. for security reason, anonymous post can’t embed any html/java code. -sq)
ok, thanks