July 2010
13 posts
Clouds
Sometimes it is good to just watch the clouds.
“I am well aware not only of the importance of children — whom we naturally...”
– William Steig’s Caldecott Award Acceptance Speech, 1970, for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.
Via our friends at The Wooden Wagon, and found in full at Letters of Note.
Arto Monaco and the Land of Makebelieve
And last but most importantly, Monaco’s ‘Saga of Cactus Flats’. The poster refuses to provide embed code….. so jump to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyygvy7aMro
“You have tracks inside a city. You build from wherever your center is. Wherever...”
– Paul Blackburn, interviewed on 25 May 1971 by L.S. Dembo in Contemporary Literature v. XIII n. 2. Read in full.
WatchAndrew Pekler, from Entanglements In the Orthopedic Sensorium (Schoolmap, 2009). “A short clip documenting the tragic discovery and ritual burial of a pterodactyl deity by a group of telepathic sea nymphs. ‘Waltz For Minor Planets’ plays in the background.” A superb album.
WatchThree improvisational pieces laced over a video of this year’s Independence Day parade in Jay, NY.
Mike Shiflet, excerpt from split LP with Keith...
Keith Fullerton Whitman, excerpt from split LP...
These Feathers Have Plumes, “Vortex,”...
The Caretaker, “False Memory...
June 2010
4 posts
Goodbye, David Markson
I learned today, through his one-time publisher Dalkey Archive, that David Markson has died within the last few days. At 82. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, Markson was one of the best voices in American post-war writing, a meticulous thinker and stylist, a careful orchestrator of words into phrases into a music that was at once jarring and soothing. Reading his work could be akin to...
May 2010
12 posts
Time out
For thinking and discovery. See you soon.
“I’m trying to get close to the language of thought. It’s hard to put into words...”
– — Robert Horvitz.
An excellent expression of the relationship between music and thought, reminding me of the work of many of my favorites who somehow capture the mind at work (viz Richard Skelton).
Via Brainpicker (via But Does it Float, via Modcult).
Mark McGuire, “Second Thoughts,” Solo...
Sounds of Liberation, “We’ll Tell You...
Emeralds interviewed by Mapsadaisical's Scott...
Jump to FACT magazine to read Scott McMillan’s excellent interview with Emeralds, one of the finest bands at work today.
And always go to Mapsadaisical directly.
“Our entire language is made up of short little dreams; and the delightful thing...”
– Paul Valéry, “On Myths and Mythology”
agreed,absolutely.
thank you invisiblestories
(via billyjane) (via ajourneyroundmyskull)
Generative Music →
Another terrific discovery within the informative Twitter feed of poet and sound artist Christian Bok. Developed by Barry Van, this is a very basic Oulipian concept, using a generative device to create a work of art. Through the device, also called a constraint (as in a constraining generative principle), a work of art is systematically built. Think of any formal constraint— the sonnet form...
Meg Baird, “Moving Up a Ways,” We are...
Abdul-Wahad Ahmad – Qoyrat (Beshiri) « Excavated... →
If you aren’t familiar with Excavated Shellac yet, you should be. Its mission is amazing: “A blog dedicated to 78rpm recordings of folkloric and vernacular music from around the world.” First, go have a listen to this superb and superbly rare track from Iraq and then start to dig through the massive digital crate there.
Bill Orcutt Live at 21 Grand
Bill Orcutt at 21 Grand, March 26, 2010
As discussed before, we love Orcutt here.
Fractals and Musical Composition
Dmitry’s Research
I’ve been investigating mathematical means of music production for years and here Dmitry Kormann offers another application. Compositional “machines,” those that form a system of composition out of a set of requirements or constraints, have been adapted from the Oulipo and others. This, when then combined with the open-endedness of free improvisation, can result in some...
April 2010
44 posts
Sun Araw's Super Slayerss -- A mix for The Wire →
Sun Araw tells us: “The Wire asked me to make a mix for their ADVENTURES IN MODERN MUSIC radio program. It’s been beamed across the UK and back, and now it can be on your computer. Click HERE.”
Great comp. Here is the tracklist:
Exuma Exuma, The Obeah Man from Exuma (Mercury) Teddy And The Fingerpoppers Soul Groove Pt 1 12” (Arctic) Big Daddy Kane ...
Jozef Van Wissem and Heresy of the Free Sprit live... →
Last Saturday afternoon, Jozef Van Wissem (lute), and Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist/improvisers Che Chen (bowed instruments, percussion) & Robbie Lee (Portative Organ, Baroque Recorders, electric guitar, banjo, tape echo) stopped by Chicago’s WNUR for a live set. As Heresy of the Free Spirit, they wove a beautiful tapestry of melody and sound. Van Wissem followed with a solo...
The Magic Carpathians
Last Sunday on the always magical Airborne Event, Dan Bodah played a 19’09” complete head exploder by The Magic Carpathians from Poland. This was new and fresh to me, and I soon found myself on their MySpace, where they provided:
“The Magic Carpathians Project has been active since 1998, established by Anna Nacher and Marek Styczynski (who previously had been a leader ...
Susan Howe and David Grubbs, “Souls of the...
New D. Charles Speer & the Helix recording
Great band. And part of the amazing group of bands at Three Lobed Recordings. Good to hear that new music is soon to come.
hanschew:
We’re at Seizures Palace today with Jason LaFarge recording a track for the forthcoming Three Lobed Recordings tenth anniversary boxed set…look for that later this year…it’s going to include a lot of great artists and will certainly be handsomely packaged like...
Pitchfork: Jack Rose Gets Massive Tribute Album ... →
I’m so glad this comp is getting love. From all over the place. All proceeds go to Jack Rose’s estate. Please support this incredible album, incredible guitarist, and incredible loss.
yvynyl:
“In the experimental music underground, Philadelphia guitarist Jack Rose was a beloved figure. Last December, Rose died of a heart attack at the age of 38. Now, a group of his peers have...
Zoltar's Revenge: Sleep-Dopesmoker (2003) →
Julian Cope can really head out into space when it comes to explaining what he loves about a record. And I like that. Another intriguing look into the world of music from the mind of Zoltar’s Revenge.
Hallock Hill, “Photography,”...
Aran Ruth, “Cast Your Ship Upon Rain,”...
Honest Strings: A Tribute To The Life And Work Of... →
Three Lobed Record’s Cory Rayborn has curated this spectacular tribute to the life and work of Jack Rose, and all proceeds go directly to Rose’s Estate. This is a download-only release, so click through the link above to get it (for only $15!) from Fina. There’s over 6 1/2 hours of music on this comp, with contributions from:
Alvarius B. Elisa Ambrogio Bardo Pond The...
Bill Orcutt, “My Restless Parts,” A...
Without records →
Synth Gear details the installation called “Without Records” by Otomo Yoshihide and Yasutomo Aoyama at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media in Japan.