"You look different," Paloma said. As I had done nothing new with my hair, I countered her comment with a quizzical, gape-jawed stare. "You're standing up." It was true. I was vertical as opposed to the horizontal posture I had been prone to adopt for much of the past week as the result of sharing my immune system with some miserable, little bug. And several times during the week, too enfeebled with fever to do more than slump on the couch, too weary from coughing fits to even turn my head [...]
Y éstas son oficiales, no como la "canción perdida" a cuyo autor, Christopher Stopa, finalmente descubrimos. Para comenzar el 2012 con buen pie, los seguidores de Radiohead podrán contentarse con dos temas de la misma cinta de la que provenían "Everybody Knows'" y "Girl (In The Purple Dress)" , que fue grabada en 1986 en la universidad de Oxfordshire antes de que On A Friday pasara a llamarse Radiohead y antes de que Jonny Greenwood entrara a la banda. El primero de los temas que podemos escuchar es "Fat Girl". Tiene un ritmo electrónico muy [...]
Putting aside the inventive valvework of countless jazzmen, I still have a hard time separating the trumpet from its martial associations. Unless we're talking the ambient strategies of Miles Davis muting or Jon Hassell processing, trumpets make me want to wake up or go attack something. Here's a tune that hits all those notes in sort of a roundabout way. Not a bad thing for a Monday morning. La Loora - Pre-Catastrophy
As surely as yesterday's tracks show a less visited side of the 1980s, here's one from the days when college rock did in fact have something to do with the intellectual ambitions of both bands and audiences. Not that it doesn't rock. And not without a charming earnestness that looks fondly on an imaginary utopia of Anglophilic power pop. A nice shade of California love. Game Theory - Make Any Vow s
Tracing the constellations of classic krautrock, you can't get too far without bumping into the boys of Cluster, also known by their excellently mellifluous names Moebius and Roedelius. You may have heard their collaborations with Brian Eno, but their solo work often achieves the same high level of textural minimalism that remains completely engaging at nearly any length. The kind of ambient that almost refuses to let a book or zone-out overtake your mind. Which is a good problem to have. So, in turn, we have Moebius doing movies... Dieter Moebius - [...]
When I was a kid, I secretly liked my many allergies and occasional colds because it meant I got to have cold medicine. The ensuing loopiness was at once a dry run for the pharmacopeian dimension of early adulthood and also a weirdly satisfying recline into level of consciousness untroubled by neurosis or hurry. This last weekend of heavy allergies (I blame that damn Irene for putting all kinds of subterranean dust into the air) brought me back to that state. And here's a tune for that kind of dreaminess. Don't even think of hating on that saxophone! [...]
It's been a dizzying workweek, and I'm bouncing on my toes until I can get out of town. Which brings the mind quite easily to driving songs and/or pop gems. And you can usually count on the the Chills to deliver on both. It's their second appearance on these pages, and there are some days I want to listen to no one else. Perhaps the least kinky song to mention leather garments, this one is a heavenly pop hit by any other name. The [...]
From Hot Chip to Hot Cold. And this track is just hot hot. Makes me sit back in my chair, sigh, and complain that they just don't 'em like they used to. (The secret is the guitar, young synth-poppers.) Seconds later, I will put my headband on and dart out the door to do something vigorous. I feel like a my own personal training montage for this to soundtrack. Hot Cold - I Can Hear Your Voice
Simplicity, repeat the repeat, create a classic on '86. I was 11 and you were not even born yet when Juan Atkins (aka Model 500) gave us this. #technoroots MP3 Model 500 - Play It Cool (vocal mix) (320K) (ge.tt)
Shook is part of new swathe of artists who are breathing new life into disco-funk with the help of a healthy sprinkle of electro, If you like Breakbot, Kavinsky and Show Your Shoe then you're going to love Shook. He has been on our radar for about a year now after he sent over his remix of Pheonix's 'Litzomania', which saw heavy support from fellow funk fusion maestro Breakbot, He scales the charts of Hype Machine pretty much every time he drops some new material. And we'd expect his 'Glow' EP to do the same. [...]
Once I reached college - and easy access to a dozen record stores - Tuesday was indelibly stamped into my music-centric mind as new release day. Tuesday remained a linchpin of the week for me because of music well into the '90s and my thirties. But in high school, new releases would have to wait for a trek into Cincinnati as the lone store in our hometown that carried music stocked a small selection. New titles might take weeks to arrive after release to the civilized world. Music was the stuff that held [...]
In the mid to late 1980s if you talked to anyone interested in Rock music who wasn't an avid Smiths' fan (and even some of those who were), you could be sure that they would sooner or later suggest that the Manchester band sounded miserable and depressive. And with titles like 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' and 'Girlfriend In A Coma', front-man Morrissey seemed intent on reinforcing this view. In reality however - if you dug just below the surface - it was never that simple or simplistic. Morrissey was a far more complex character than the miserable tag would [...]
The crew of the Challenger tragedy January 28, 1986. I made a 28 on a math test that day. My parents got a call from the teacher because it was abnormal for me to make a grade that low. Mine was a household where B's were barely tolerable, so to fail with such a low grade was almost inexcusable. The question my parents asked me was why did I do so badly on the test? My answer was simple. I was upset because a few [...]
These last few weeks, the snow has become such a natural part of the city landscape that I'm hardly noticing it anymore. Which may be why I've been living inside this excellent mix the last few days. It contains this semi-classic track, which I'm just now re-appreciating. Partly because of that charmingly dated synth percussion, and also because it manages to be icily funky without sounding being all post-punk ominous. And yes, something about Peter Gabriel in guest star mode makes me smile. Laurie Anderson - [...]
¿Recuerdan la película This is England , la historia musico-dramática dirigida por Shane Meadows que a través de los ojos de un chico solitario, retrataba perfectamente lo que era vivir en la Inglaterra de los 80s, con todo y skinheads, rock, ska, punk, traumas y redención? Bueno, pues evidentemente el tema daba para más, y en una época en que hacer series se ha convertido en todo un arte, es que se anuncia que la película del 2006 se ha convertido en una serie de TV que se comenzó a transmitir en su país de origen desde [...]
Steve Kilbey: My Birthday, The Moon Festival
Japanese pop bands have magical powers of refraction, taking original sources and bending them into sounds that range from a little disconcerting to very perverse. And they have a weird way of twisting memories of my adolescence. This tune sounds eerily like my first attempt at forming a band, from the excessive guitar effects to the drums that barely keep up. It's a game of telephone, weirdly imitating American teenagers weirdly imitating British '80s alt-rockers. I like how the guitar break is so perfect, dude plays twice exactly the same. D-Day - So [...]
Oh snap, it's Bill Nelson again! Songblague has been showing him a lot of love this year , and it's because he keeps filling my head with notes that sparkle. It's actually a little alarming how much I'm not getting sick of him. Or maybe I'm just tired, and fatigue makes you reach for unambiguous pleasures. At any rate, here's one for your dreamy Autumn pleasure. Enjoy it slowly, because the 'blague will be silent while I go for a little vacation/recharge. See you in about a week and a half. Many good [...]
A late word on the demise of the Walkman (for those of you who haven't heard, production is finally being discontinued). Good ambient music can absorb almost anything that passes in front of it, holding its space without being protective of it. The usual assumption is that it's best enjoyed in the confines of an interior space, doing things that music shouldn't overwhelm—laying about, washing dishes, reading, scheming, etc. But actually, I'm a big fan of ambient on the go. Put on the headphones, jack up the treated soft pianos and be the calm, roving center of the city, emotionally [...]
Barely Awake In Frog Pajamas
Cuchara Sónica
Now you're at Songblague!
Top Billin
Harder Blogger Faster
A Barrel Of Nails
DeadJournalist.com
noiselab
Art Decade
The Dadada
Conchord On Composing Music For Muppets
Watch: Trailer for Dave Grohl’s documentary, Sound City
Hardwell Bootleg Pack 2012
Webcast: The Kills’ 10th anniversary concert
Childish Gambino - "Heartbeat" (Official Music Video)
