The only good song from Consequences

Dad: Hey Josh, why can't you be more epic?
Son: Dad-uh! I'm trying to pratice economy!
Dad: Josh, you're such a pussy.
Son: I'll show you, one of these days I'm gonna be sooooo rich.

Godley and Creme's Consequences sucks.  If you're ever in a record store, and you see it for cheap, and think "but maybe it's worth it, it's their first record and it's from 1977, so it might be good..."  just stop thinking that.  It is not worth sitting through.  It's barely music.  I could tell you how upset I am about wasting my money on it, but that's my own fault.  It's obvious that Godley & Creme are indulgent, way indulgent, always.  They rarely pull it off. 

Godley and Creme - When Things Go Wrong

This song won't be that impressive unless you listen to it loudly on speakers.  Don't pussy out on me. 

This is how I feel all of the time right now

Biff Rose - What's Gnawing At Me

You don't know what's going on

Found this from the good folks over at idontcareaboutsleep.  This dude is out there.  A true mystic of the cosmos.  A real cowboy.

Exuma - You don't know what's going on

Cloudbusting

I don't know much about Wilhelm Reich, but he seems like a crazy fuck. After seeing Sweet Movie, I read up on Dusan Makavejev, and his previous film, W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism, is about Reich, among other things. Further Wikipediaing lead me to the insanity of Reich's philosophy and practices. There's too much to go into, and I really don't know that much about him, but beyond the fact that his practices are fascinatingly bizarre, I can't say that I have too much interest in him.

What is interesting, is to get a clearer understanding of Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting".  Most of her songs are so enigmatic and intelligent that I feel like I need footnotes to decipher them.

Loosely, from what I can understand, a "cloudbuster" is designed to shoot Orgone energy into the sky to create clouds, thus producing rain.  Orgones were created by Reich, and in his own words, are a "primordial cosmic energy".  Apparently anti-Orgone energy played a role in the desertification of the earth, and he used cloudbusters to fight this.  This is obviously an oversimplified description, but from what I can tell it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I wanted to post a cool picture of one of these cloudbusters, but it turns out they aren't that visually impressive, so instead I'll post the cover of Bush's single, which has a very imaginative re-creation of a cloudbuster, conceived by Terry Gilliam.



To make a very long, and very weird, story short, Reich was eventually arrested by the FBI and died while imprisoned. The Kate Bush song is written from the perspective of his son.

I thought about posting the music video for this song, featuring Donald Sutherland portraying Reich, and Bush as his son, but when it comes down to it, the video unfortunately sucks.  I am already walking the fine line of posting too much questionable material in one post.  You can youtube the video if you really want to, but it's pretty disappointing. 

Kate Bush - Cloudbusting

Stay Sweet

From director Dusan Makavejev of Yugoslavia. This is a Criterion release, so it can't be that hard to get a hold of.  It's a completely out of control, full on, absurdist political farce. Tons of nudity, both female and male, and plenty of degradation. It can be a little too righteous at times. For instance, there's a very difficult ten minute scene near the end involving coprophilia and emetophilia (shit and vomit everywhere), which I personally had a hard time handling, but besides that, it's a good old-fashioned European cult masterpiece. It's a movie that does whatever it wants to do. I supposed you could argue that it lacks subtlety and is distasteful, but then you wouldn't be having any fun.

Apparently Sweet Movie is Makavejev's most unrestrained film, so it'll be interesting to see what his other movies are like. If he can create a more formulaic story and present it with a fraction of the panache that he did with Sweet Movie, I'm in for a treat. (If you know what I mean.)

 

 

Cluster - Marzipan (from Zuckerzeit)

Drivin' Juice

I recently discovered Mississippi Records. Also, I'm making mint/lime/ginger infused vodka. If it turns out well, I will put it into a big water bottle, mix it with ginger ale, and ride around on my bike while listening to these Mississippi Records releases on headphones. Hopefully I will stumble upon something beautiful. Like a brunette in a red dress. Or a turquoise convertible with keys in the ignition. This is turning into a Baby Cakes diary entry.





Two Gospel Keys: I don't feel at home in this world anymore.

Pure Electric Energy

It's good to hear another group using those Faust-esque keyboards, someone with the guts to try to reign in the sound of static. The way these crazy Italians blend futuristic prog with medieval motifs is stunning. This song sounds like a soprano that got kidnapped by the sheet-metal-monster on the way to the opera. Thanks to Ian for the suggestion.

Pierrot Lunaire - Plaisir d'amore

Frenetic Pulse

This song has everything. I am in a constant state of being overwhelmed. Every time I listen to it something new appears that I hadn't noticed before. Minimalism that is both frantic and calm. It's got that crossover appeal, every so often I stumble upon a beautiful vein of avant-garde music that amalgamates experimentation with melody and I am engulfed by it's instantly accessible difficulty.

Roberto Cacciapaglia - Sei Note In Logica (Part II)

A Field on Fire

Its time to get meta, this is a song I made called a field on fire.



Other fiery field relatedness:

Fire in the Field: A band from New Hampshire. I think I first heard them on guitar hero. "Out" is the cut you want to be jamming.

Field of Fire: Great David Carradine movie from 1992.



Field of Fire is also a 1985 solo album by Richard Lloyd, with this controversial cover.










I am among mediocrity.

Break out the hardware, lets do it right.

Back to those halcyon days of cutting up tape and slicing throats with splicers. Those French guys were decadent. Take a cue, little British girl. I've got something in my pocket for you, come and get it.


White Noise - Love Without Sound

Cosmic Shredding

This is best heard on a road with very wide lanes and few cars. And, fuck it, driving a sleek silver car shaped like a bullet that can break the speed of sound. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSWAHAWAHAWAHAWAHAWAHAWOOOOOOOOOOOOSH.

Very similar to Michael Rother's solo work. Eduardo Bort definitely needs to take some cues from Bambibanda.

Song of the Day: Bambibanda e Melodie - Pian Della Tortilla

A Story Overheard at a Party as told by Elvis Presley

When the second hand strikes the full moon,
the carriage barrels down the hill,
the wheels flying off as it turns into a pumpkin.

Werewolves sit facing each other,
dressed in velvet vests, sipping cognac,
arguing over who gets to keep the glass slipper.

“I assume you’re being facetious, Rupert,
you must remember the night I won that slipper
on a bet with Lady Whisperloin
at the annual Breedlove benefit.” Nigel declares
as he puffs on a cigar laced with absinthe.

The carriage runs over Jack and Jill,
and proceeds to Satan’s Ball.

The distinguished guests rendezvous in the banquet hall
(disguised in masks of course, you can tell who is immortal by the glowing eye holes).

At the head of the table,
the well oiled neocons sit across from the French avant-garde composers,
bragging about which circle of the inferno they’ve reached.

While the bloodsuckers and Scientologists sit at the foot
namedropping famous false prophets they were once acquainted with.

The master of ceremonies, El Diablo himself,
wields his pitchfork and begins to carve the main entree,
who lays topless,
handcuffed to a silver platter,
with an apple in her mouth.

After dessert blindfolds are distributed,
and blood is thrown on the virgins.

Through the smoke machines and strobe lights,
I caught a glimpse of Poseidon
giving meaning to the life of an insignificant mortal,
piercing her with his feverish trident.

After awhile it gets pretty hazy,
but there was definitely a lot of buggery.

Or was that a different night?
I could be getting my stories mixed up, that party was crazy.
Who knows what happened to Cinderella.



Stackridge - Fundamentally Yours

Cash Cow

Gotta find one. I'm gonna go downtown where the lights are tonight. Care to join me? Hand in hand down the avenue.

Song of the Day: Charanjit Singh - Manje Re

Two things I love: Van Dyke Parks and Chuckie Cheese's

So last night I had a dream, and those are usually boring, but I swear to god I had one of the most bizarre dreams ever last night. I was recording music at a radio station, and Van Dyke Parks was there doing a radio show, so I asked if he could help with unloading tape from the machine. He helped me with that and then invited me back to his place to listen to records, to which I replied “Yes Van Dyke Parks it would be totally fucking awesome to go back to your place and listen to your records!” So we get to his place, and he lives in a tiny efficiency, that’s connected to a bigger house, that’s a fucking Chuckie Cheese’s, but, get this, it’s also a brothel! And the waitresses/prostitutes were all teenagers! Really fucked up. So I go order a slice of pizza and a beer, and there are all these video games and a gigantic neon bar with whores and pimps watching children play skee-ball. Anyways, this seventeen-year-old, exploited Slavic girl takes my order and I go back to listen to obscure Japanese and calypso records with Van Dyke fucking Parks who for some reason has fallen on hard times and lives in a one-bedroom apartment that’s connected to a Chuckie Cheese’s/whorehouse. I lose track of time and late in the night a pimp busts into the apartment and demands that I pay for the slice of pizza that I ordered hours ago. He starts accusing me of something about stealing money and proceeds to beat the shit out of me, and that’s when I woke up. Completely batshit insane dream.


So I guess I’ll post a Van Dyke Parks song today. I usually don’t like printed lyrics, they often look odd and unnatural on the page, but Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle is probably the closest that pop music will ever get to poetry, both lyrically and sonically.

Song of the Day: Van Dyke Parks - The Attic



The Attic
(Van Dyke Parks)

I was there upon a four poster there. Mind tousled I came to bear some thoughts from the past amid a dash of influenza. And then I came to see in baggage the memories of truncated souvenirs. The war years. High moon I said high moon lighted high moon eye to my moon.

Far beyond the blue mist enveloped lawn the blanketed night comes on. The champagne is dead and gone. The forest around sensitive sound forest primeval. Through the panes cloud buttermilk war remains and twisted cross war refrains lunatic so high moon I said high moon lighted high moon eye to my moon.

Your age will most probably carry away the letters enveloped in carrion. Vague unpleasantries of the war. May your son's progenitorship of the state haphazardly help him to carry on. God send your son safe home to you. High Moon. You're eye to my moon.

Bone

Watch it. Amazing. Imagine Nic Roeg coupled with the political inclinations of Hi Mom! Really great score as well, best 70s flick I've seen in a while. Can't wait to see Larry Cohen's horror movies.

Prince Buster has got to be the most arrogant guy in the world. This song is very misogynistic.

Song of the Day: Prince Buster - Ten Commandments

Ricoh

I bought a Ricoh ZF camera recently, and I got my first roll back yesterday. Light leaked into a few of the prints as a result of me not knowing what I'm doing yet, but it turned out pretty nice for this one.

Song of the Day: Townes Van Zandt - F.F.V.

Take me Away

Wealthy ex-wives, where are you?

Song of the Day: Bob Andy - Desperate Lover

Country Roads, Take Me Home

To the place where I belong. Trinidad, Cuba. Mountain Momma...

I might be getting something confused. Who's appropriating what? Am I mixing my metaphors? What is going on? Where do I wish I was? All I know is that it feels like a Sunday, and you know what that means!

Song of the Day: Emmitt Rhodes - Mary, will you take my hand?

Saddest Song Ever #2

Post number two in the ongoing series titled "saddest songs ever," which allows me to blog every day without really trying. Fuck this.

Song of the Day: Karen Dalton - Something's on Your Mind

You're my wife now Dave

Circus came to town got swept up by Papa Lazarus now I'm in a cage barreling over the mountains in a caravan. Beware of our smokey silhouette on the horizon.

Song of the Day: Boban Markovic Orkestar with Felix Lajko - Felix Kolo

Swamp Angel

It is called a Lefaucheux. It really is a beautiful, mysterious piece of equipment.


Song of the Day: Lee Hazlewood - I'm Glad I Never...

Klezmerizing

I am no mystic, but every night a full moon appears I hear my dead father reading from the book of Exodus in the parlor as wolves howl in the distance. Death sits in the corner, playing this dance, tempting me with his sickle.

Song of the Day: Jacob Hoffman - Doina and Hora

Talkin' bout Drillin'

OK, I don't really know how to do this the right way, so it might not work.

First, click on the youtube clip and mute the volume. Then press play on the youtube clip, then press play on the divshare playlist, and hopefully there won't be any lag and it will sink up and blow your mind all over your face. You will probably have to wait for them both to load and then restart them together. So much work, right? Ugh, I know.


I really don't know too much about either of these guys but here we go...

Bruno Spoerri was a German musician commissioned by the government to make music for factory workers. He used a lot of factory machinery within his compositions and created pretty fun musique concrete pieces that are very lively and playful. Which is why I like it, its musique concrete that doesn't take itself seriously and ultimately has a capitalist motive behind it that cheapens the artistry. It is both lowbrow and highbrow.

Len Lye, a New Zealand born experimental filmmaker and sculptor, is actually similar to Spoerri in a way. He spent his early career making films in association with the British General Post Office, creating television advertisements. It is an interesting notion, sneaking the avant-garde subtly into the general culture, seemingly without them realizing it. More on that in a future post. Anyways, this film was made without a camera, with abstract patterns and designs being painted on the film itself, so that is pretty awesome.

This is kind of cheating because it is very easy to take any avant-garde film and put rhythmic music over it, but I thought this clip sunk up with the two opening tracks of Bruno Spoerri's Gluckskugel pretty serendipitously.






Any German speakers out there know what Gluckskugel means? It is a very fun word to say.

On the overnight train to Venus

So it's impossible to not check something out when their name uses the words ANDROMEDA and MEGA and EXPRESS. Holy shit, why didn't I think of that? And the bad-ass name does the music no injustice. They've fused Morricone and Jean Claude Vannier with the celestial tendencies of Sun Ra, among other things. At once both progressive and nostalgic, they switch from toe-tapping bombast to eerie tediousness with an uncanny nonchalance that never appears gimmicky.

Its the type of music I imagine playing as Frank Sinatra walks around the Starship Enterprise on Christmas Eve. The crew on vacation, he sits on the bridge alone, entering his captain's log while gazing into the heavens and contemplating the inevitable existential crisis that is created when you are both a Starfleet commander and the most popular singer on Earth. Man, that would be awesome to see on the big screen.

This album really does weave a sonic narrative as you listen to it. I would post Take Off! in its entirety if I wasn't so lazy, but I'm not going to, so stop being a selfish asshole and BUY IT.



Song of the Day: Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - Gamma Pluto Delta




On an unrelated, self-indulgent note, I really might have some interest in seeing the new Star Trek movie if they made it a musical.