Disintegration Street

Also courtesy of Pitchfork, also on Temporary Residence Ltd, and also out September 4th...

A 10th-anniversary 9xLP, 5xCD, book + DVD boxset of William Basinski's The Disintegration Loops (2002, 2003)! Includes a couple of bonus unreleased live performances.

[Edit #1, 8/9: TRL homepage actually says 9/11, or whenever it's physically ready.]



Although I never actually bought the set, I used to listen to these back when Lala existed.



"dlp 1.3" from The Disintegration Loops IV (2003)

You can download that loop & also pre-order here.

According to the Pitchfork news item, the album will be inducted into the National September 11 Memorial & Museum later this year. If you haven't heard the story already, here's a Wikipedia summary:

Loops is based on Basinski's attempts to salvage earlier recordings made on magnetic tape, by transferring them into digital format; however, the tape had physically deteriorated to the point that, as it passed by the read/write head, the ferrite detached from the plastic backing and fell off. Basinski has said that he finished the project the morning of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, and sat on the roof of his apartment building in Brooklyn with friends listening to the project as the WTC towers collapsed.

I didn't realize that Basinski was born in Houston... Sorry that I don't remember a go-to article about all the info. Pitchfork linked to an earlier 9/11 article, but I'm sure there's lots of others.

[Edit #2, 8/9: my Lala post actually linked to this Stylus review - it's good.]



"dlp 4" [excerpt] from The Disintegration Loops III (2003)

Limited edition of 2,000 - apparently the only time the set will be released on vinyl, like ever. (We'll see...) Either way, seems well worth $225 to me!

But if you just wanted the standard CD's, they're $13 each over at Forced Exposure.

Mono New Cleo Tide

Not only the new Maserati - Temporary Residence Ltd. also has an upcoming release from Japanese cinematic post-rockers Mono (#4, 2009 and #5, 2006)!!



For My Parents comes out September 4th...


MONO - Dream Odyssey by Biz 3 Publicity

A couple of tracks have been released for preview. Apparently recorded with the Wordless Music Orchestra, who joined Mono for their live Holy Ground 3xLP/DVD (#27, 2010).



"Legend" from For My Parents (2012)

That's the "A Journey Through Iceland" official music video for the opening track, according to Pitchfork. Link also includes world tour info... 10-14 Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds! Top Live Shows: #7 of 2009 & #10 of 2010.

From the TRL record Pre-Order page, expect a 2xLP vinyl. And there's an album trailer video!!

After the last 3 studio albums, looks like Steve Albini did not not record / mix / engineer / produce this new one... Bummer.

Wide Latitudes

Quite a few interesting releases recently from the Latitudes series, bringers of Grails' Interpretations of Three Psychedelic Rock Songs from Around the World EP (2005). And also of 2010's Sky Burial drone EP by Nadja (co-#4 Drone/Ambient and #16 Metalloid, 2009).



First up, not sure how I missed this one from Pac-NW mystic collective Master Musicians of Bukkake (#11 of 2009, #37 of 2010)...



"Elogia De La Sombra" from Elogia De La Sombra (2010)

The title track charges up that good ol' motorik buzz. And there's also a more typically ersatz-Eastern A-side: "Tainted Phenomena."


Sylvester Anfang II - Jam 3 by Southern

From Belgium keeps coming Sylvester Anfang II (#9 Drone/Ambient of 2009, #22 Overall of 2010). I guess this one is self-titled (2012), and comprises five live jam rituals. Such as "Jam 1," "Jam 4," and finally "Jam 5."



And these last two groups were featured in my Aurora Borealis FB posts.


Grumbling Fur - Solar Nights & Rainwater by Southern

Grumbling Fur manifests here as a duo - with members from AEthenor (#7 of 2006, #16 of 2009, & #13 of 2011) and Guapo (#2, 2006) - to release the 3-song Alice (2012).

If further interested, there's an mp3-sample of "Wylderness Waiting" streamed over at Aquarius Records. More singing from Daniel O'Sullivan, as with Miracle (co-#5 of 2011, with Zombi's).

p.s. Someone finally posted Miracle's B-side cover of BÖC's "Veteran of the Psychic Wars!"


Haxan Cloak - The Men Parted The Sea To Devour The Water (excerpt) by Southern

The Haxan Cloak are still new on my radar, but I went ahead and ordered it anyway! That excerpt is from the single 27-minute track for this release.

Check out the whole thing! Someone also put up their entire 2011 self-titled full length - I'll have to check that out as well...

O, Meco

A long time ago in a cinema far, far away...

On 25 May 1977, Meco watched the feature film Star Wars on its opening day. By the second day, 26 May 1977, he had watched it four times, and he watched it several more times that weekend. He then got the idea to make a disco version of the score by John Williams.

Meco was an American named Domenico Monardo, who originally formed a band... musical group... production team. Along with a "guitar genius," the current musical director for Dancing with the Stars (ABC-TV) and Jon Bon Jovi's 2nd cousin, they made an album.



"Star Wars" from Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk (1977)

Apparently, Tony Bongiovi would regularly advise: "It's not dumb enough – It's too good." Ever heard of Suzanne Ciani? "In 1977, Ciani provided the sound effects for Meco's disco version of the Star Wars soundtrack, which was certified platinum." She recently had a collection released by Finders Keepers. US CD from Forced Exposure. Check out a tune or another of hers.

I embedded the long (album) version up there, but there are a whole bunch of different ones. Such as the Cantina Band 7" edit, or some longer remix, some of which are probably not MECO originals... Who knows any more?!



Encounters of Every Kind, Side 1 (1977)

Because of the known hilarity of the Meco-Star Wars axis, I recently bought the unknown Meco Close Encounters of the Third Kind record, released the same year (1977). Same trip as the infamous Caroliner haul. Coincientally, it was "the last Meco album to gain significant prominence on the Billboard charts, though he continued to record film tie-ins with disco-inspired albums..." Surprising!!

Here's the tracklist for Side 1: "Time Machine" (0:43), "In the Beginning" (3:27), "Roman Nights" (1:26), "Lady Marion" (2:52), "Icebound" (1:20), "Hot in the Saddle" (4:27). Close Encounters, amirite?



"Theme from Close Encounters" from Encounters of Every Kind (1977)

O wait, there it is - last track on the record! There was also a "very rare" Close 7" version, but what you really care about is...



EWOK CELEBRATION 12" (1983)

amirite?!

CROM!!

Updated release schedule for the upcoming Bag of Hammers double from the Linus Pauling Quartet (#3, 2007): now September 18th.



But in the meantime, here's the very first official (hand-made) LP4 video:



"Crom" from Bag of Hammers (2012)

Debuted yesterday on Vice Magazine's video wing Noisey. All of this is from the current Linus blog, by the way...

Including recent announcements on two (or 3) upcoming Tom Carter benefit shows here in Houston:

(O yeah: new DONATION link!!)

TOM CARTER BENEFITS SHOWS
Friday 24 August @ Rudyard's
1 am Project Grimm
12 am The Linus Pauling Quartet (playing a couple Mike Gunn songs)
11 pm Dead Mineral
10 pm Hearts of Animals

Doors 9pm, Music 10pm(!!!)
21+
Pay what you can – suggested donation $10

*100% of the door money goes to to The Robert Thomas Carter Irrevocable Trust
*100% of the sales made that night of the new LP4 album "Bag of Hammers" will go to The Robert Thomas Carter Irrevocable Trust

Rudyard’s British Pub


Saturday 25 August @ The Railyard

Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith – improvised duo
Richard Ramirez / Brian Traylor (night at noon) – noise duo
FLCON FCKER – live handmade electronics interfaced with laptop
A Week of Kindness (Sean E. Matzus)
Eric Todd – solo guitar

8pm to 11pm
All Ages
$5

*100% of the money collected from the door and from the donation jars goes to to The Robert Thomas Carter Irrevocable Trust

The Railyard

Both look really nice - see ya there!

YarmonyGrass 2012

Speaking of obscure American festivals, I saw a poster in Durango for this one starting yesterday: YarmonyGrass, over in Colorado. One of our coffeehouse waitresses in South Fork was wearing a main headliner's t-shirt, and suggested their own upcoming music fest, Rhythms on the Rio.



The band that the coffeehouse recommended was Elephant Revival - playing 2 sets!



"Sing to the Mountain" from Elephant Revival (2008)

I think that's called Newgrass... maybe. Their more recent album is Break in the Clouds (2010). You can find both albums on Amazon, plus a YarmonyGrass 2008 live recording.

Here's one of many live vid's.



"Long Walk Home" from Railroad Earth (2010)

Also two sets! This band seems pretty nationally popular, but I'd never heard of them. From New Jersey, kinda unexpected place for roots Americana. Some live jams.

Got several records on Amazon. O yeah, their website.



Danny Barnes - of the great ol' Austin bluegrass band Bad Livers.



"Pizza Box" [live 2010] from Pizza Box (2009)

Here's 3 more from the same source.

Check out the Bad Livers' old Men In Black medley (Motörhead &Johnny Cash), live 1991. Download that entire epic show!



"That's All Right, Mama" by Honkytonk Homeslice (live 2008)

A String Cheese Incident side project (w/ 2 members). One of the vendors at Austin Psych Fest was really jammin' to the SCI, sounded a lot like '70s Grateful Dead, it seemed... Their live album Carnival '99 was suggested to me.



"New Speedway Boogie / Norwegian Wood" by David Gans (live 2012)

The Grateful Dead Hour's David Gans will also be playing, which is pretty neat. I did know he played some music, as I remember that he sang "Mason's Children" on Henry Kaiser's Those Who Know History Are Doomed to Repeat It (#8, 1988).

Speaking of whom, here's a Dead-heavy 1997 show from The Broken Angels - for free download. Includes Gans, Kaiser, and Dose Hermanos: Tom Constanten (played with Grateful Dead in late '60s) and Bob Bralove (co-wrote "Picasso Moon").

Me & my brother saw TC play a solo set in some SF head shop during the Dead's 1990 NYE run in Oakland. And my first GD show was the very first performance of "Picasso Moon" (04/28/1989).

A Monument to Love & Truth

This is a bit about Bill Hicks.


Long story short, Hicks was a new kind of comedian in the '80s, busting out of Houston, TX, on a rant. Scathing, influential, and dead much too soon...



"Flying Saucer Tour" from Dangerous (1990)

That was the first bit that I ever heard from him - on Rice University's late, lamented radio station KTRU.



"Great Times on Drugs" from Relentless (1992)

So yeah, they want to build a Bill Hicks statue. Good on 'em! Mightn't you help out?

I got this e-mail from Free Press Houston, which puts on our local Summerfest (#5 Live Show of 2011, #8 of 2010):

BILL HICKS is revered throughout the world as many things - legend, truthsayer, shaman, philosopher, and many more. Bill was a rare breed of human; A guy that comes along once in a lifetime to challenge us to be better. He made you think, he kept you on the edge of your seat, and he was completely fearless. He's one of the few comedians that is still relevant almost 20 years after being taken from the world too soon, and his legacy grows every day. Yet, there does not stand a single monument in the world to him. Bill began his comedy career in Houston at the now defunct Comedy Workshop on San Felipe and Shepherd. A statue to permanently pay homage to him in the city where he began his journey would solidify his legacy. This statue would serve as a symbol to remember the past and everything Bill gave us, but also as a reminder for the future generations to seek knowledge around every corner.

Houston sculptor DAVID ADICKES has agreed to build the statue of Bill. If you've ever seen his work, you know he is the best man for the job and that the statue will be nothing short of amazing. A Houston legend sculpting a Houston legend - It doesn't get better than that. The family and estate of Bill Hicks has given their blessing to this project and will be on hand at the statue's unveiling.

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN. You can directly support the building and placement of the statue to honor a hometown hero by clicking the PayPal link below and donating money to the cause.

The costs for creating, placing, and maintaining such a monument are staggering. Costs also include a nationwide PR campaign and location fees. We estimate this total to be about $70,000 yet any funds which exceed cost will be donated to Bill Hicks Foundation for Wildlife.

Free Press Houston is going to start this project off with an initial donation of $10,000. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP.

For the most generous donors ($5,000 or more), we have something special for you-- YOUR NAME WILL BE PERMANENTLY INSCRIBED on the statue thanking you for making it a reality.

For donations of $1000 or more, YOU WILL BE HONORED AT A PRIVATE THANK YOU DINNER AND PARTY the evening preceding unveiling. This party will have very special guest performers.

People who donate $200 or more will receive hand signed and numbered, LIMITED-EDITION SILK SCREENED ART PRINTS OF THE 'REMEMBER ME?' POSTER BY WORLD RENOWNED POSTER ARTIST JERMAINE ROGERS.

But really, anything helps, and if you aren't able to donate money, a simple share on your social networks spreads the word about this project to more people and helps immensely. Please pass this along to everyone you know and encourage them to support in any way they can.

We have our own ideas about where this statue should be placed - a public historical place where fans can pay homage, but also where people who Bill is unknown to can discover him for the first time. Because you're the ones who are going to make this dream a reality in the end, we'd like to have your opinions on where this statue should go as well. Please email us your thoughts on where you'd like to see this statue at, and any other suggestions here.

You can DONATE via PayPal



"Sex on Trial" from Relentless (1992)

... for the record.