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Loving tenderness abounds for all
from the darkest
to the most eminent one beyond the stars,
- Hildegard of Bingen

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” Afternoon Easter 2012 ”

01. Anouar Brahem – Eté andalous
Le Voyage De Sahar (ECM, 2006)
02. Art Tatum – Lover
Body and Soul (A Jazz Hour With, 1996)
03. Sarah Vaughan – Easy Living
How Long Has This Been Going On? (1978)
04. Blossom Dearie – Our Love Is Here to Stay
Once Upon a Summertime (1958)
05. Fridge – Drum Machines and Glockenspiel
Happiness (Temporary Residence, 2001)
06. Múm - Away
Summer Make Good (Fat Cat, 2004)
07. The Roots – The Return to Innocence Lost
The Roots (1999)
08. Explosions in the Sky – Greet Death
Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever (Temporary Residence, 2001)

note: Happy Easter everybody. First, is everybody still in one piece? earthquake and all a while back. second sorry for not posting anything lately, but what’s new. Anyway, a little lazy afternoon list. It doesn’t have new songs, but made it fresh, so it should actually be “lazy afternoon”. As for the theme, maybe easter-ish. Love, redemption and death. I personally find it odd right now that life has to be redeeemed with death, seems so dark. With war going on and stuff. Why can’t they create a religious holiday to remind people not to be so bloody and destructive. sort of “chill” day. Nobody shall die holiday. It may not be all that grand, but at least it won’t be so dark. And yeah, the list is a bit dark at closing in keeping with my “see what I mean” mood. Love, death and destruction.. where is the redemption here and now? … ok. I am shutting up now. :D happy holiday everybody.

image: Ed Yourdon

 Image: Craig & Karl

“The Walkman changed the way we understand cities”. William Gibson

• DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo - Fu-Yu
  Ki-Oku (Instict, 1999)
• BUG - Indica
   Oscillations Part 1 (Jus Like Music, 2010)
• The Beta Band - Won
  Hot Shots II (Astralwerks, 2001) 
• Ty – Break The Lock
  Awkward (Big Dada, 2000)
• Gonzalez - Past Your Bedtime
  Uber Alles (Kitty-Yo, 2000) 
• Cornelius - Mic Check
  Fantasma (Matador, 1997) 
• Jollymusic - Talco Uno (Prefuse 73 Remix)
  Jollybar (Nature, 2000) 

Photo still: Hotel Chevalier

Wes Anderson’s long withstanding obsession with mellow, baroque pop and british invasion bands is fascinating to me. I keep uncovering my new, old favorite song every time I see one of his movies. I even have a playlist dedicated to his films, filled with songs and artists I discovered thanks to him and a few more songs that I think would fit in his next hypothetical movie. I’ve no idea what his next movie will be about but I’ve been thinking that his mostly muted, awkward characters would develop grandly in a fast-paced environment. It could be an interesting contrast. How about a movie about a speed racer? Or better yet, a road movie? A film about the life of a motorcycle drifter and his dreams of finding someone and settling down. Keep that thought while listening to this playlist. Hope you enjoy.

• Silver Seas – Imaginary Girl
  High Society (Cheap Lullaby / 2006)
• The Gants – I Wonder
  Gants Again (1966)
• Sailcat – Motorcycle Mama
  Motorcycle Mama (1972)
• Big Star – I’m in Love with a Girl
  Radio City (1974)
• Françoise Hardy – Only Friends
  Sings in English (1966)
• Margo Guryan – Someone I Know
  Take a Picture (Sundazed, 1968)
• Can - Turtles Have Short Legs
  Turtles Have Short Legs / Halleluwah (1971)
• The Feelies – High road
  The Good Earth (Rough Trade, 1986)d
• The Equals – Police On My Back
  Baby, Come Back (President, 1968)
• Donovan – Catch the Wind
  Catch the Wind (Pye, 1972)

It seems film directors are returning to the truths all pop music devotees have long tattoed to their heart: the collision of medium and man matters not, if it don’t sound good. In a recurring series tracing the links between movies and the pop music scores to which they owe so much, we’ll look at Wes Anderson’s ultra-stylized The Royal Tenenbaums and its mastery of the perfect pop music score. Film and cinema. Consider it a two-fer and settle in nice and close.

Pop culture fans tend to be self-mythologizers, building an odd nest out of the twigs and scraps of the movies and albums around them and claiming a place beyond themselves from the miasma that evolves. We force the arts into defining elements of ourselves, and copy and paste the way we might live up to them. Wes Anderson’s film is a masterwork of just this self-mythologizing. The grandiose characters—part cartoon-script and part Shakesperean tragedy—, the exaggerated costumes—from Mr. Sherman’s almost neon-blue jacket to Chas’s funereal black Adidas jumpsuit—and even Anderson’s Hitchcockian auteurism and its use of the same actors in widely-divergent roles links each movie to a larger awareness than any single film can lay claim to. Hints are given and fingers are pointed, but the links are there for the audience to follow at their choosing. Anderson rubs things smooth with his hyperstylized sets and costumes, but ultimately the film depends on pop music to connect itself to a world beyond its own colorful walls, and thus to blend the myth with the movie until there’s no longer any differentiating between the two.

- A kiss after supper: The Royal Tenenbaums by Derek Miller.

In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feast day of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: “Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14.” The feast day is still celebrated in Balzan (Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Second Vatican Council calendar. February 14 is also celebrated as St Valentine’s Day in other Christian denominations; it has, for example, the rank of ‘commemoration’ in the calendar of the Church of England and other parts of the Anglican Communion. – wiki

” Valentine day list. No.2. late ”

01. The Velvet Underground – Pale Blue Eyes
The Velvet Underground (1969)
02. The Lovin’ Spoonful – Coconut Grove
Greatest Hits (Buddha, 2000)
03. Bert Jansch – A Woman Like You
Birthday Blues (1969)
04. Moby Grape – Sitting By The Window
Moby Grape (1967)
05. Arlo Guthrie – My Creole Belle
Running Down The Road (Rising Son Records, 1970)
06. Richard Hell & the Voidoids – New Pleasure
Blank Generation (1977)
07. The KINKS – Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy
The Ultimate Collection (2003)

Note: A short list for lazy evening Valentine Day. Highland, british invasion rock. Definitely groovy 60′s.  I guess you can say this is MdM version of a box of chocolate. So don’t play the list too many times. Just enough. And happy V-day to everybody out there.

Image: trustypics

1. EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints (Souterrain Transmissions)
Listen: Anteroom

Martyrs are not victims. There is no self-pity or cool detachment to their pain. This is the mantra by which Erika M. Anderson lives in her songs. Past Life Martyred Saints is an intimate but uncomfortable album, it will make you feel guilty for the hearts you’ve torn apart and it will make you feel weak for all the times you’ve been hurt and felt victimized for it.

2. Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (Constellation)
Listen: Fear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun

The first time I heard Colin Stetson he was the opening act for Godspeed You! Black Emperor and it was absolutely mind-blowing. Some of us mistook him as a sound engineer and were caught completely by surprise when he started playing. One by one we fell into a silent trance as he created out of thin air the most magnificent, heartbroken beasts I’ve ever heard from a one man band. Recorded in one take with no overdubs, Judges captures the thrill of hearing him live with precision. Not only is the record technically impressive and conceptually novel but also highly compelling at a musical level. Inspired by post-rock and electronic pioneers, Stetson favors sonic aesthetics over experimentation, every deviation sounding calculated enough as to not scare the feeble away but smart enough to hook the most demanding listeners.

3. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
Listen: Swerve… The reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)

Experimental hip-hop that finds its roots on avant-garde jazz acts such as Sun Ra instead of disco and funk. I’ll be completely honest, english being my second language I have a hard time trying to understand hip hop lyrics, so I suck at appreciating the genre for one of its defining features and yet the multiple twists and turns in Black Up give it a replay value like few other albums I heard this year. Breezy, psychedelic and extremely unpredictable.

4. Braids – Native Speaker (Flemish Eye)
Listen: Lemonade

Native Speaker feels to me like an erotic reinterpretation of Animal Collective’s ‘Feels’; on one hand it has the same approach in creating pop music: Loops of haze, rock instruments stretched to odd realms and cryptic lyrics; on the other one, we’ve never heard Animal Collective create songs as deeply personal and carefully constructed as the ones in Native Speaker. There’s a definite streak of innate sensuality and maturity which gives the music a whole new level of influence and meaning.

5. Robag Wruhme – Thora Bukk (Pampa)
Listen: Wupp Dek

It’s always a treat to hear a producer who is proficient and well known around the techno community turning away from the dancefloor to release music that borders outside of their usual field of expertise. Thora Vukk is Wruhme’s exploration of his music’s more melancholic, contemplative side, while keeping the sense of tension and attention to detail that he has perfected as a techno producer. The result is warm, gorgeous album that is fascinating, at least on an aesthetic level. Chillroom microhouse.

6. Thee Oh Sees – Castlemania (In the Red)
Listen: I Need Seed

Of all the indie bands that have adopted the garage rock influence, Thee Oh Sees are, in my humble opinion, one of the most fun around. At 16 tracks, Castlemania is their longest album to date yet there isn’t a single song in here that outwears its welcome. Every track keeps things fresh by throwing a wild, eccentric touch into the mix which makes them sound like a forward thinking, modern band that isn’t particularly concerned with revisionism.

7. Vinicius Cantuária & Bill Frisell – Lágrimas Mexicanas (E1)
Listen: Aquela Mulher

One of my favorite discoveries this year was Vinicius Cantuárias’ music; an elegant sort of Brazilian jazz that seems to fit all my moods and seasons. On ‘Lágrimas Mexicanas’ he is joined by guitar-virtuoso Bill Frisell and the result is a very colorful sound that switches between Frisell’s heavily geared, atmospheric stylings and Cantuaria’s Brazilian sensibilities. Although it doesn’t quite bring anything new to the table this album is an absolute pleasure to listen to.

8. Chain & the Gang – Music’s not for Everyone (K)
Listen: Why Not?

Chain and the Gang frontman, Ian Svenoniu comes up with an upfront, snobby attitude and the unruly approach of a punk star, rocking out unironically while critiquing the very own genre’s conventions. Mordant and unusually funny, the enjoyment of this album depends on how much you appreciate tongue in cheek sloganeering and cynicism.

9. Crystal Stilts – In Love with Oblivion (Slumberland)
Listen: Through the Floor

While Thee Oh Sees sound like they are pretending they’re a 60′s garage band that travelled in time to use today’s technology, Crystal Stilts behave like gravekeepers. They think of their dead idols as purveyors of a sound now rotten and decomposed, creators of long forgotten anthems that are now bathed in a ghoulish atmosphere. Do not, under any circumstance, attempt to undig them. The dead should remain buried deep underground. Leave them be. Hear what their spirits are whispering and reinterpret it for any of us living that might still be listening.

10. The Go! Team – Rolling Blackouts (Memphis Industries)
Listen: Ready To Go Steady

I remember being annoyed by the songs in ‘Thunder, Lightning, Strike‘ when I first heard them back in 2004. It took me 4 years to finally understand, digest and admire the band, nowadays it has become one of the most treasured pieces of my music collection. When ‘Rolling Blackouts’ came out earlier this year I already knew what to expect, the energy of a horny, raging bull charging into a room filled with cheerleaders, brass-blasting walls of sound and a complete lack of subtleness. If this sounds like your thing, then it is as amazing as it sounds.

Note: I’ve had this post ready for months now, almost thought of killing it and storing it in the fridge… I mean it’s probably a bit late for best-of lists but maybe it will help you discover something you missed out. Hope you enjoy.
Also: Schils Favourite Albums 2011 & his Top Mixes and Compilations.

Henri Rousseau never went to the Jungle. He spent all his days in Paris and surrounds, meticulously painting images of nature that were anything but ‘natural’. He copied his designs from botanical gardens, zoo pamphlets, and children’s books, depicting animals that would never be seen in the same environment. Once he even painted a hand of bananas growing upside down. His paintings are naive, flat and disjointed.

This playlist is a musical equivalent to Rousseau paintings – “Jungle” music made by westerners. Electronic emulation of african sounds, drum machines instead of djembé. Starts off mellow before moving into more disjointed territory.

01. Joel Vandroogenbroeck – Kinderspiel
(Digital Project, 1989)
02. Brian Briggs – Aeo pts. 1&2
(Brian Damage, 1980)
03. Haruomi Hosono – Honey Moon
(Tropical Dandy, 1975)
04. Ralf Nowy – Holidays in Kenia
(Colours of Holidays, 1987)
05. Eric Vann – Random Pizz
(Bass Moods, 1987?)
06. No Zu – Tattooed Head (short)
(Tattooed Head, 2011)
07. Zazou, Bikaye + Cy1 - M’Pasi Ya M’Pamba
(Noir Et Blanc, 1983)
08. John Tender - Flowers from Fantasyland 1
(Fantasyland Vol.1, 1981)

image: detail of The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, 1905

There are many blossoms of great beauty – many indeed. But they cannot compare with the beauty of the blossoms of blossom town, for these bossoms also have human feelings. – Sharebon. Books of Wits and Fashion. (Early Japanese Literature: An Anthology 1600-1900)

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“Saturn Strobe. Recent Minimalist Extract. Moka’s Birthday.”

01. Goldmund - Gifts
The Malady Of Elegance (Type, 2008)
02. Brian Eno – Panic of Looking
Panic of Looking (Warp Records, 2011)
03. Hauschka - Mount Hood
Foreign Landscapes (Fat Cat, 2010)
04. Pantha du Prince – Saturn Strobe
This Bliss (Dial, 2007)
05. Helios - Convivium
Unleft (Unseen Music/Forced Exposure, 2010)
06. So Percussion – Aluminum
Treasure State (Cantaloupe, 2010)
07. Boxcutter - Panama
The Dissolve (Planet Mu, 2011)

Note: Everybody says Happy Birthday to Moka. (I am late again. But I think she will just grin this time.) I don’t have many albums in my head this year, so this one is not the usual edgy pop. Instead it’s a minimalism pushed all the way near pop sensibility. An old project, how to make less common music more accessible. Basically, it’s a pop music for 2 am. in the middle of cold winter. A little cold, somewhat alone, with a tinge of warm love. Imagine having a penthouse in Finland somewhere. 30th floor with a view of city and endless field of snow on the background. Late night. Put on a good headphone and watch the night float away… I’ve been watching a lot of japanese movie, this is my impression of minimalist mood and narrative links between songs. I think at least it’s functional and doesn’t wake up the neighbor.

Image: harold.lloyd

“The word arse is as much god as the word face.  It must be so, otherwise you cut off your god at the waist.”

List of songs about or related to body parts. More textural than literal, onomatopoeia, gesture and touch. Blues, jazz and some Lord Quas for the heads.

+ Townes Van Zandt – Lungs
(Townes Van Zandt, 1969)

+ Dorothy Ashby – The Moving Finger
(The Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby, 1970)

+ Horace Silver - I’ve had a little talk
(Total Response, 1971)

+ Colosseum II – All Skin & Bone
(Electric Savage, 1977)

+ John Sangster – Hair
(Ahead of Hair, 1969)

+ Roger Waters and Ron Geesin – Mrs. Throat goes Walking
(Music from the body, 1970)

+ Quasimoto – Come on Feet
(The Unseen, 2000)

If you can think of any other good songs about body parts, please comment below. I’m building a collection…

art: Horace Silver – Total Response (detail of left panel of inner gatefold)
quote: DH Lawrence

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