And Emil continues to make the appropriate-styled official videos too. The album cover also features some swank art with a 2-texture embossed treatment.
L&C opened for Grails most recent mini-tour, and you can watch their Brooklyn show at this link (and the Grails set here.)
Long way to go & a short time to get there. Both of the two guys from Zombi (#5, 2011) were super-busy last year, and there's a ton of fun out there. Let's start with their side-splitting LP project, Brainstorm. I guess the single was Steve Moore's "Enhanced Humanoid," but here's a cool fan-vid to scope...
"Dawn of Primordial Life" by Steve Moore, from Brainstorm (2012)
Majeure's album side is the 20-minute "Atlantis Purge." Haha, epic.
"Tyken's Rift" by Steve Moore, from Light Echoes (2012)
Course that's not sufficient for either of these dudes - solo releases! Moore had this one, with the massive Part II of the title track, not surprisingly a ST:NG reference.
[Edit, 11/21: Wow, I botched that pretty good - bad "Light Echoes II" link, unclear that "Tyken's Rift" was the Star Trek reference... Fixed.]
"Extreme Northern Lights" by Majeure, from Solar Maximum (2012)
But don't forget about A.E. Paterra... he's gotta have his own (OOP) record too. And with its own catchy title track as well.
Zombi will be hitting the road again for December, opening for the fantastic Goblin reunion. Do try to catch them if you can!
Not only that, but these guys (bandmates in Zombi) have also started up a limited-edition cassette-tape label - VCO Recordings. You want some weird? Try the sold-out Rusting Cyphers of a Forgotten Sky from Jonas Reinhardt & Abyss of Fathomless Light.
On the lighter side, Abul Mogard's 2012 s/t debut tape (ed./100) is still available!
"Post-Crisis Remembrance" by Abul Mogard, from Drifted Heaven (2013)
And they're taking pre-orders for the follow-up right now... with a super-new official video preview. Each cassette order comes with full & free digital download.
This list was a little difficult, but necessary - a very strong year in this consolidated pseudo-category. I couldn't quite get to 10 runner-up's like in the Main 10, but some real decent stuff didn't make the cut.
Review - Too exclusive...
Download/Purchase - I think Kickstarter has ended...
I think our first Octopus Project in the lists. This will supposedly be the soundtrack to a Wiley Wiggins-related old-school sci-fi adventure game for iPad. And the music was one of the Kickstarter rewards... Well worth the donation, and the game looks like it should be cool too.
#915 Mai 2011: Live at Golden Pudel Club - Demdike Stare
Demdike Stare have been doing quite a few live shows over the last couple of years. This one seems fairly typical for that, and I'm little surprised it's still available for Purchase. Definitely more of one for the super-fan. If you're just starting your explorations, I'd begin with either Tryptych (#8, 2010) or Elemental (#4, 2012).
#8 "Dark Star" RSD 12" (Paris '72) - Grateful Dead
I dunno... I consider this a pretty cool idea, not so sure about a large swath of the guests, and a lot of the songs don't really jump out at me. But I'm glad they made it, I'm glad I got it, and sometimes I'll put it on & try to figure out what the hell is going on. I do wonder if the Lips have completely moved on from making any future normal-style records, though.
I knew very few of these bands before pre-ordering it, based purely on the Austin Psych Fest / Reverberation Appreciation Society role. Not all are my absolute favorites, but I really go for the focused-exploration comps (even if the scene is, like, "Europe"). I can definitely see myself picking out a few of the bands & digging deeper at some point.
#5Live at The Continental Club - Pong
"Interpol" from Live at The Continental Club (2012)
I do like Pong (#3, 2010 and #1, 2005)!! This is the best (official) live bootleg that I have of them, sound quality-wise. Setlist-wise, it missed by a couple of years that sweet spot where all of the albums contributed to the mix. Why, I've got a 2004 set with "Neil," "Blues Underground" and "Bubble Jungle!" Just kidding... this is awesome.
So great & so diverse that I'm doing a track-by-track series of artist overview posts. Many luminaries of the psych-folk-noise-pop axis contribute exclusive (and good) tracks for the comp, which benefits Texas ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). 94 tracks, 11½ hours, check it out!
#3Assault on The Vault of The Ancient Bonglords - The Linüs Pauling Quartet
3xCD career retrospective from "probably my favorite active hometown heroes." Some super-fan might quibble (more rarities! less debut!)... To which others might argue, "Shut up, their debut was your #9 album of 1995... Idiot!"
Let's see... Can? The #4 of 1972, #1 of 1973 and #2 of 1974 Can? O yeah, a 3xCD collection of unreleased outtakes, alternates, and demo's might rank among the best repertoire releases of the year. Probably... What an awesome band!
#1The Disintegration Loops box set - William Basinski
Trailer for TRLDisintegration Loops box set (2012)
"d|p 3" from The Disintegration Loops II (2003)
"d|p 1.3" from The Disintegration Loops IV (2003)
I'm VERY glad I went ahead and ordered this. Although expensive, I'm also surprised that this one is still up for grabs. Extra-deluxe package, with a book, DVD, unreleased live versions of some loops, first & only ever vinyl edition (with CD's). And the music really is everything you could want from this kind of thing. Really top-notch all the way around. Take the plunge!
You can probably get a pretty good idea about most of this from the recent Caretaker/Leyland Kirby overview post. Earlier on, I covered the return of The Caretaker, since this was the first year under that guise in awhile. Most all of this 2011 stuff arrived via his annual digital subscription, which I don't believe was repeated for 2012. This is still mostly early-20th ballroom edits (of Caretaker fame), with some surprise electronics (from the Kirby EP's).
Let's start again with The Caretaker...
"Libet's delay" from An empty bliss beyond this world (2011)
The first thing that jumps out at me (as on "All you are going to want to do is get back there") is the vinyl snap, crackles & pops - they do not feel organic. Not sure if accurate or intentional, but it sounds like a different sound-field. Like they are looped separately and added in, or that a different effects-set is applied to them. Depending on the magnitude of the effect, it can become a little distracting. You might also notice the jump-cut out, which occurs through the album.
Tape flutter or maybe mechanical noise likewise creeps in - for example, "Moments of sufficient lucidity." Quite a few brief clips here too, under the two-minute mark, including "I feel as if I might be vanishing" and "Bedded deep in long term memory." As always, the full-album length is the correct approach, as the dreamy, time-transporting effect works best when allowed to accumulate and envelope the listener.
And then the Leyland Kirby LP was more compositional, more piano, and with longer tracks... like so:
"My dream contained a Star" from Eager to tear apart the stars (2011)
The only really bite-sized one is "To Reject the World," based on a more ominous drone. They're all a little different, like the lullaby-march of "They are all dead, there are no skip at all." Weirdly, none of the subscription-only bonus tracks are out there now.... (I guess that's the point of exclusivity), but they kinda split the difference between the drifty album and the 3 more noisy Intrigue & Stuff EP's.
"Video 2000" by Leyland Kirby, from Intrigue & Stuff, Vol. 1 (2011)
This is what kicked off the series, and surprised me and (I would assume) many others. A little bit back to V/VM's glitchy finger-in-the-eye of the dancefloor? Whew.
I still don't know exactly what prompted these noise-bump EP's, and why they're under the Leyland Kirby tag. Seems pretty separate from that previous stuff, but maybe he's consolidating identities & styles back down together. One more from Vol. 1: "Ruined Visions."
"Eventually, it eats your lungs" by Leyland Kirby, from Intrigue & Stuff, Vol. 2 (2011)
Was originally going to start with the one short track, stereo-shifter "Speeded up slow motion." But that's too cool with the video! Third track brings another epic: the 20-minute "Complex Expedition."
"The watcher and the watched" from Intrigue & Stuff, Vol. 3
Hahahahaha! I made that video almost a year ago... Enjoy!!
If you're reading this in the distant future, check around the cyber-cloud for "Lie low, pick your moment" - a true return to his V/Vm roots.
"Remember Us" by Leyland Kirby, from Intrigue & Stuff, Vol. 3 bonus tracks (2011)
But it looks like me and Leyland are the only ones making videos for Vol. 3 & bonus tracks.
Genre - Modern Classical / Ambient Hauntology / Electro Official - brainwashed.com/vvm/ Location - Berlin (still, I think) via UK
This will be cursory, if not brief. Going back at least to his days as V/Vm, James Leyland Kirby has been extremely prolific, in a variety of modes, continuously, for a long time (since mid-'90s at least). The Caretaker &c. have also been fairly well documented on the web, with one notable exception.
V/Vm caused quite the hullabaloo in England over his "Pig" single (1999), when feeding sounds were mistook for a slaughterhouse soundscape. Despite this auspiciously scandalous ground-zero, I cannot find any streaming evidence of this prankster art collage.
The V/Vm Test label released mostly his own stuff, and weird theme compilations (curious about that Falco Tribute 2x7"). And he also gave Kid606 an early platform (then / now).
"Lady in Red" from 7" single (2000)
But he really broke through with uglified & distorted reprocessings of pop hits, like that NME single-of-the-week, or like "Take My Beef Away" or John Lennon. With "White Christmas" (2000) kinda pointing the way more towards The Caretaker. On the other hand, I missed all of that the first go-round.
At one time, huge amounts of The Caretaker discography were available for free download - which was the inspiration for the original post with the Free Music tag. But all of those archives disappeared a long, long time ago...
For about a decade, most everything from The Caretaker took a somewhat similar approach: loop melodic portions of old ballroom 78's (with attendant clicks and scratches), add some echo or reverb or distortions, and either let roll or compose from those modular sections. The results are linked (before or after) with an ongoing theme of the nature, tricks & travails, and cruelties of memory. The Caretaker name is in reference to Jack Torrance in Kubrick's The Shining (1980), who is haunted by the memories and tragedies of the Overlook Hotel - with chilling results.
One final note before we fly through the years: album-title links go to The Caretaker Bandcamp. All digital full-album downloads seem to cost around ₤5 or so ($8) - try something out, you'll love it!
Good place to start on the first album, but not everything is that straightforward. Wouldn't be near as interesting that way. The opening track "The
Haunted Ballroom" seeps up through the floorboards, darker than shadows.
Now that's a great unofficial video. (Remember album titles link to full-record Bandcamp pages.) Drakulady has some good taste with a few videos like "Emptiness." But here is why I do all this blogging - discovering gems like "Cloudy Since You Went Away" (live?!). Yeah, live Caretaker... maybe. (original.) The blue-filtered photography videos, like the first one above and the title track here, are from Kirby himself.
i was thinking about how all those people playing in the big band orchestra are probably dead but their music lives on inside the caretaker. - EvilEtiquette
"memory six" & "memory seven" from Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia (#1 Drone/Ambient, 2005)
Not too many unofficial from this one. You can check out the full album + bonus tracks (Additional Amnesiac Memories) either as a YouTube playlist, or at Bandcamp:
I think maybe I should say a bit more here, seeing as this was the release that first exposed me to The Caretaker scene. Going from memory (ha!), these 72 tracks were released free via internet over the course of a year-long project. Then collected into a 6xCD box-set, which is where I come in - courtesy of Boomkat front-page hype.
Wikipedia description of titular condition:
In cases of pure anterograde amnesia, patients have recollections of events prior to the injury, but cannot recall day-to-day information or new facts presented to them after the injury occurred.
For some reason, I associate this one with another JLK identity - The Stranger, through which he's released a self-titled (1997) and Bleaklow (2008). I'd downloaded the first way back when, but never even heard about the more recent one.
Terrific album, maybe the best place to begin if just starting out. But who knows? (Click title for all...) I still regret missing the vinyl edition, which sold out too quickly. If only hear for select tunes, randomly chosen: "Rosy Retrospection" and "Long Term (Remote)." This video for "Past Life Regression" might be work-appropriate, due to POV sexytimes via Swedish/Russian film.
That's about it, except for a few web-mixes, of a similar nature. "Recollected Memories from the Museum of Garden History" (2008) with previous Caretaker material, for an event at the Museum of Garden History in London. Here's pretty much the whole thing (on YouTube). Then came Recollections from Old London Town (2009), still available for free download from The Wire. This one includes passages from The Stranger's "Kirkbymoorside" (from Bleaklow), "Von Restorff Effect" and others.
Wow. Okay, we're closing in on the end... promise.
Leyland Kirby broke out under that name in 2009 with 1 track on The Caretaker collection Recollections from Old London Town, and that year's more piano-based trilogy of 2xLP's Sadly, The Future No Longer Is What It Was (#3 Drone/Ambient, 2009).
"And Nothing Comes Between The Sadness And The Scream" from Sadly, The Future No Longer Is What It Was (2009)
That first year, Kirby apparently released 2 MP3 collections under the title Lost Moments, Errors And Accidents (#001 & #002), but I can't find them anywhere anymore. Also un-locate-able: When It Rains, The Puddles Shine Black download, and "What A World, What A Life, What A Love" downloadable. You can still stream it at The Wire link, but I can't find a D/L there.
Both of The Caretaker and Leyland Kirby aliases combined for the final Top 10 of 2011 entry - wrapping it up just in time: soon.
Another Top 10 regular: MONO (#5 of 2006, #4 of 2009, #7 Live of 2009, #10 Live of 2010). Their 2nd record, but the oldest I'll probably have once we've moved backwards beyond their 2001 debut, Under the Pipal Tree.
Emotive Japanese post-rock in the cinematic GY!BE vein - if that means anything to ya: quiets & louds. Unfortunately, I missed their recent Houston appearance and still don't have the new one.
"COM(?)" from One Step More and You Die (2003)
After a few minutes of floaty intro track, you get one of the best, early, typical Mono tunes. It doesn't wallow excessively in the heartstrings, modulates the intensity rather than just straight-up lowering the boom, acknowledges its debt to Pink Floyd. Plus, like 16 minutes! (Okay, they do somewhat drop the hammer once, but whaddya gonna do?? It is what it is.)
"Sabbath" from One Step More and You Die (2003)
I believe this one has been the longest-running of live staples in the Mono roadshow. You gotta have an occastional break from all the crescendo freak-outs sometime. The next song could almost be a cover of The Caretaker... This aspect presents an early classical experimental composer path that they really didn't pursue later (at least on the albums I've got).
"Halo" from One Step More and You Die (2003)
Not gonna post each & every. Here's the last full-on track (before a backwards-mask coda piece), and another quality composition from Mono. What can I say that listening to the music won't tell you? Dynamics this, interplay that, a little cello there, some strings here, Floydian drift, Sonick noise-drop, instrumental mood-music post-rock, whoop!
This seems like something I would have heard of before now... but I just saw it at the bookstore today!
Beyond the Black Rainbow trailer (2010)
Set in a brave new '83, even more oppressive and dystopian than the real thing.
With a soundtrack from Jeremy Schmidt - the keyboardist of Black Mountain (#10, 2008), who is also Sinoia Caves (co-#8, 2006), cover artist for them and Zombi (the last couple)...
Music from Beyond the Black Rainbow by Jeremy Schmidt (2010)
Okay, okay. I don't know much about the director or others, but I think I'm gonna have to pick this one up. You?
Martin Scorsese has made some pretty decent movies, several of which ended up somewhere on the 2012 Sight & Sound poll. I had originally planned to watch Hugo (2011, S&S #588) early in the month. Didn't get the DVD borrowed, and decided to just roll over to a different film on a different theme.
I crossed protest lines to see this in the theater. Texas, man...
Rabbi 1: That is blasphemy.
Jesus: Didn't they tell you? I am the saint of blasphemy. Don't make any mistakes. I didn't come here to bring peace, I came to bring a sword!
Rabbi 2: Talking like that will get you killed.
Migraines of the reluctant Messiah. Early on, you might wonder whether this will be the Jefferson Christ - maybe a seer of visions, but no miracle-worker. But that's not the case. As much as I think this is a great movie, I do often wish it was somehow different or possibly better. This time around, I noticed how much of the story is comprised of the Greatest Hits by Jesus: water-into-wine, raising Lazarus, storming the money-changers, the Last Supper... Often handled with a deft touch though, sure. Like Judas's crack about Peter being steady and solid as a rock. Or when Jesus he-who-is-without-sin's the stone-casting mob and Zebedee (director of The Empire Strikes Back) steps forward, he calls him out. "Who is that widow you've been seen with?" And someone in the back of the crowd yells out, "Judith!!" Awesome. I also wondered if there were any relation at all to the Bob Dylan "Judas!!" heckler.
The focus is very clearly on the human aspect of the Christ duality: the fear, reluctance, indecision, resentment, confusion, that bearing the Holy Spirit would create. But sometimes it spills over into the realm of possible madness. The way he expects crowds to naturally understand his vague parables, which could easily come off as nutty ramblings. Pretending not to recognize his own mother to make some obscure point. Until the literal miracles start up, the hint of insanity meshes with the earlier doubts among his disciples (especially the guy who misses his sheep). The approval of John the Baptist ("My Dinner with" Andre Gregory) might even be suspect given the throng of ecstatic loons he attracts. But once you see someone pull their own heart out of their chest and start talking baptism-by-fire, you pretty much have proof.
But overall, I generally feel sorry for this Jesus. From what Magdalene says, sounds like he was a pretty normal kid. He admits his faults, and especially his paralyzing fears, to the desert monk early in his journey. Despite those fears, he accepts his duty and pushes forward towards his own death. While waiting for the "betrayal" at Gethsemene, he's scared shitless - begging to be spared like Moses, Isaac, Noah, Elijah... And of course, Satan exploits his fear of death with the last temptation. What kind of bothers me is how Jesus isn't so much tempted to live a whole, normal, happy life - he gets to!! Might not technically be reality, but seems fairly real to me. I'd forgotten that it wasn't actually Magdalene that Jesus grew old with. Also, Harry Dean Stanton's St. Paul is practically satire.
Other than the sacrilege, a common complaint is the various (usually American) accents on display in the holy land - Brooklyn Judas and so on. I don't see the problem. It would be weirder to me if everyone tried to put on the same fake accent, and what would that be? Some American Jewish accent, something like European Yiddish, some Middle Eastern Hebrew flourishes, the flat nowhere diction of Hollywood? No thanks. Also, although they're clearly American accents, the variety might even be kind of accurate - like if the different characters came from different regions within Israel. Willem Dafoe talks like a Nazarene, the Iscariots were the Brooklynites of Judea, etc... Romans of course have spoken with a British accent (Bowie!) since time immemorial.
A lot of great desert photography, nice Peter Gabriel "world music" soundtrack, an all-star cast with lots of odd cameos. It's certainly not perfect, but I do find it thought-provoking. And the filmstrip runout transcendence right before the end credits provides one final unusual touch.
I have seen El Topo (1970, S&S #588), and I'd listened to this one's soundtrack (but didn't realize that Don Cherry was part of it), and I knew that John Lennon ponied up some dough for the production.
Produced by Allen Klein, plus rumors of George Harrison almost starring!
The Holy Mountain (La montaña sagrada)
dir. Alexandro Jodorowsky. 1973, USA.
Sight & Sound 2012: Critics' #588 / Directors' #224
Eye for Film movie review ... 366 Weird Movies essay
DVD from Amazon [Blu-Ray / Box-set]
No streaming...
***NSFW*** The Holy Mountain trailer (1973)
Patron: The cross was a mushroom. And the mushroom was also the Tree of Good & Evil. The philosophical stone of the alchemists was LSD. The Book of the Dead is a trip, and The Apocalypse describes a mescaline experience.
Lessee... my notes read: "SHOCKING (images)! NONSENSE (story)!!" Well, maybe not completely. More psychedelic mysticism than traditional surrealism - something to do with the ultimate quest for immortality, ego-death, metempsychosis and/or spiritual ascension. I noticed various symbols of the Tarot, but probably missed a lot and couldn't actually interpret the ones I did see... apparently, the main character was intended as The Fool. Along with some quite disturbing sights, the experience features a lot of fantastical visuals and design. This film definitely looks great, but watch your dosage.
A still from only the post-ritual chanting & shaving credits intro... already. I really can't explain much about the film, so have a bunch of intriguing pix.
Oops, most of these are from the Alchemist's Tower, where transformation occurs. O well, no Aztec horned toads battle, no significant animal trauma, always a lot of Jesuses, one carried by a Christopher, a pack of whores with a chimpanzee in tow (Chucho-Chucho)... and that's just in the first City of Iniquity section of the tripartite structure.
Why yes, primary colors do feature prominently.
Fortunately the exotic animals fare much better than goats, et cetera... I wrote a lot of stuff like "POE," "precious bodily fluids," and "the Philosopher's Load?"
A series of introductions to powerful forces of industry, art, planets, cosmetics, whatever. Pretty interesting, and often funny/satirical. The quest hits the road. Despite lederhosen and projectile-lactation-by-jaguar, the final section tends to drag a bit... until the big reveal.
Was a little surprised not to see this anywhere on the Sight & Sound poll, but I guess Nashville (1975, S&S #73) sucks up all the voting. Either that or Popeye (1980)!
Again... this fell below #250/#100, so I've inserted the appropriate rankings below - as I have with the missing ones in previous posts.
This being the American frontier, we get an opportunity to see beautiful movie stars down in the muck and grime of some Pac-NW undeveloped mining town, but I was really pleased to see the names Duvall (she), Devane and Carradine (and Leo. Cohen!). After the introductions, lots of dense but subdued conversations in dimly-lit interiors lulled me into a cozy dream. I think I might have actually nodded off a little bit during the early scenes.
McCabe: I got poetry in me!
McCabe's a lone gambler maybe gunman - plays poker, not euchre with some partner. He dismissively turns away other interested parties. But when Mrs. Miller (two consecutive brothel madams) emphatically explains his rank incompetence at running a decent whorehouse, he hilariously has no good comeback. He's no better at math than at telling his terrible frog jokes... nice fur coat though! One of the hypotheses speculated about is that the girls might turn to religion out of boredom. And religion in the town of Presbyterian Church does conspire to threaten him, just not exactly as expected though.
Kind of like an inverted Bonnie & Clyde (1967), with Beatty here as the sidekick - behind the scenes at least. And in this case, the degenerate gambler/whore turn to 'legitimate' business - rather than two 'upstanding' citizens turning to crime. The company men are so clean and professional, which only makes them that much more menacing (but apparently not to McCabe). As usual, Mrs. Miller sees the situation with the clearer eye, while he plays close-to-the-vest and bluffs away. Until the cards run out...
The end brings a crescendo of violence, new exotic locations, excessive 'special' effects, a steampunk fire brigade, and the new ambiguity. What'd I see? Some Tree of Life, a bit of The Shining, maybe even a little Mulholland Dr.... Do we know for sure? Not me.
