video pioneer Nam June Paik passed away

Nam June Paik passed away at his Miami home at 8:00pm EST on Sunday, January 29, 2006.

Comic Creatory Birthdays: Leji Matsumoto and Mattotti

Yesterday was Italian comic artist mattotti's birthday. Some of his work is available in english here.

Today is Japanese anime legend, leji matsumoto's birthday. He is the creator of the excellent Galaxy Express 999 series as well as Star Blazers. His Galaxy Express 999 (background info site) film inspired artist Takashi Murakami in the early 80s to change his style of painting. Some of his recent work reached a slightly different audience when he made the Interstella 555 film for Daft Punk.

Good work from two of my favorite artists.

The Drift by Scott Walker

I know this is going around already, however, it is exciting news--

from 4ad mailing list:

4AD is delighted to announce that Scott Walker has completed work on his first album for the label.
The long-awaited new album - called "The Drift" - will be Scott's first since the ground-breaking "Tilt" was released in 1995.
4AD will release the album worldwide in May. The exact date will be announced shortly.

A documentary film about Scott's music - including the making of "The Drift"- is being made by the New York-based director Stephen Kijak. Titled "30 Century Man", it will also be released in 2006.

and

Yes, yes, it's the new Scott Walker.

New Films from Europe - at the HFA

Starting tonight at the Harvard Film Archive a selection of exciting new films from Europe. Many of which have no distribution in the U.S.A. at all.

I only hope I have time for all of them.

Screening on January 19 (Thursday) 7 pm
Les Amants Reguliers
(Regular Lovers)
Directed by Philippe Garrel
France, 2005, color, 178 min.
With Louis Garrel, Clotilde Hesme, Eric Rulliat
French with English subtitles

January 20 (Friday) 7 pm
January 21 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Ghosts
Directed by Christian Petzold
Germany 2004, color, 85 min.
With Julia Hummer, Sabine Timoteo, Marianne Basler
German with English subtitles

Screening on January 20 (Friday) 9 pm
January 21 (Saturday) 7 pm
Through the Forest (À travers la forêt)
Directed by Jean-Paul Civeyrac
France 2005, color, 65 min.
With Camille Berthomier, Aurélien Wiik, Morgane Hainaux
French with English subtitles

Screening on January 22 (Sunday) 7 pm
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Directed by Cristi Puiu
Romania 2005, color, 154 min.
Romanian with English subtitles

Screening on January 27 (Friday) 7 pm
January 28 (Saturday) 9 pm
Fallen
Directed by Fred Kelemen
Latvia/Germany 2005, b/w, 90 min.
With Egons Dombrovskis, Nikolaj Korobov, Vigo Roga
Latvian and Russian with English subtitles

Screening on January 24 (Tuesday) 7 pm
January 27 (Friday) 9 pm
Under Construction (Insaat)
Directed by Ömer Vargi
Turkey 2004, color, 108 min.
With Sevket Çoruh, Emre Kinay, Suna Pekuysal
Turkish with English Subtitles

Screening on January 24 (Tuesday) 9 pm
The Horizon of Events (L'Orizzonti degli Eventi)
Directed by Daniele Vicari
Italy 2005, color, 115 min.
With Valerio Mastrandrea, Gwenaelle Simon, Lulzim Zeqja
Italian with English subtitles

January 28 (Saturday) 7 pm
January 31 (Tuesday) 9 pm
Zozo
Directed by Josef Fares
Sweden/United Kingdom/Denmark 2005, color, 103 min
With Imad Creidi, Antoinette Turk, Elias Gergi
Arabic and Swedish with English subtitles

January 30 (Monday) 9 pm
January 31 (Tuesday) 7 pm
Kinetta
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Greece 2005, color, 95 min,
Evangelia Randou, Aris Servetalis, Kostas Xikominos
Greek with English subtitles

A brief hiatus.

I use this time ever year to catch up on my reading and listening. I still need to acquire a few 2005 releases that slipped past my radar-- if any readers have music or DVD suggestions, please let me know. I know the time is due for a few new reviews on this site, apart from other matters. Stay tuned for those as well.

My radio show will be interrupted with Hockey Broadcasts for the following weeks:
Boston College Men's Ice Hockey on ZBC
Fri 1/20 Vermont
Fri 1/27 BU
Fri 2/10 Providence

Also concerned about Angoulême. I have been monitoring information about it via forbidden planet and the comics reporter. It will be interesting to see who wins.

on the air

As stormclouds gather and holidaymakers in New England brace themselves for alternate plans, "OFF THE CUFF" is on the air again tonight. (WZBC 90.3fm 19:00 to 22:00 EST)

Luckily I took a winter break last weekend in fine comfortable lodgings.

This is the best article I've seen in regards to the literary hoaxes being perpetrated recently.

Have a good weekend.

The Montgolfier Brothers - All My Bad Thoughts

The Montgolfier Brothers - "All My Bad Thoughts"

RPM Quigley and Mark Tranmer are back with a new work, "All My Bad Thoughts", which brings them back into familiar territory. This is a stunning meditation on infidelity and existence. The album unfolds over the course of ten tracks, telling the end of a relationship, dwelling on the period after it, reassessing life as it becomes precious. There is a specific pattern, a specific course of events here that charts the free fall of an aggressor. The album begins with RPM Quigley's rich voice, recalling wet Northern English days, as he narrates the tale of a man who is not 'cheating' but rather, 'seeing someone else' in the song "The First Rumors of Spring". All the songs recall memories of a former lover, as the person's absence becomes more palpable, more of an albatross around our hero's neck. Constant apologies mixed with pure hate are the order of the day early in the album. Songs like "don't get upset if i..." and "all my bad thoughts", show a wretched, insufferable side to our hero. A light instrumental track, "stopping for breath" gives us a few moments to reflect on what has happened before diving into the much more contemplative final five songs.

The latter half of the album is composed on longer meditations of time and memory. The narrator remembers stories of childhood and is awakened by the contemplative nature of the surrounding architecture. The song "Koffee Pot" calls for 'drowning your sorrow in damp tea, while telling your problems to the window' (a different version of which can be heard on the Journey's End EP), while "brecht's lost waltz / summer is over" is a bizarre waltz filled with dirty ideas and regretful incidents.

The Montgolfier Brothers latest effort works well as a whole, as it chronicles the moments in the life of a modern romantic hero with musical echos of Wim Mertens and the Durutti Column, as well as the literary touch of J.P. Donleavy.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Interview with RPM Quigley by BBC Manchester
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
all my bad thoughts
(10 track cd album)

the first rumours of spring
don't get upset if i ...
all my bad thoughts
sins and omissions
stopping for breath
koffee pot
brecht's lost waltz / summer is over
quite an adventure
journey's end
it's over, it's ended, it's finished, it's done.

Vespertine and Son.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Montgolfier Brothers will also be on tour in Spain shortly:
Spanish Tour * january 2006

wed 18th castellon, teatro del raval
thu 19th tarragona, sala zero
fri 20th lleida, cafe del teatro
sat 21st madrid, cafe la palma
sun 22nd barcelona, sala apolo
mon 23rd zaragoza FNAC, plaza de espana
tue 24th guadalajara, teatro buero vallejo
wed 25th conciertos de radio 3 (tv recording)
thu 26th el puerto de santa maria (cadiz), sala poniente
fri 27th seville fun club
sat 28th granada, tbc

(most dates shared with southern arts society and the otto show)

Life Through the Lens: Film as Politics

Interesting series on the BBC right now:

"Films have never just been about entertainment - they have also been a powerful force for social change. So what a pity that the gulf between cinema and politics has never been greater. By David Puttnam

Does political cinema mirror life? How much impact can a movie have on its audience? To what extent is it able to influence the way we think about politics? The relationship between cinema and politics, often troubled, has recently become far too distant.
[...]
there's no doubt that films such as this can play a crucial role in generating a better-informed, more lively political and social debate. For years, stories that tackled controversial and complex issues were second nature to film-makers. Sadly, that is becoming increasingly rare. My reason for wanting to make the radio series was to convince myself that cinema still has an important role to play in exploring society's truths - as well as its myths.

We need to convince a whole new generation of film-makers that this is a challenge worth accepting. And we need to convince politicians that, from time to time, they should heed the message."

full article here.

David Puttnam's three-part series for BBC Radio 4, Movies With a Message, starts on Sunday 1 January at 10.45pm, with repeats the following Wednesday from 8.45pm

Here Comes Everybody!

Happy New Year!

Play it safe.

Favorites of 2005 - Music Music Music - A Year in Review

1. "Keep Breathing" - the Durutti Column (Fulfill/Artful)
2. "Confusing Outsides" - Martial Canterel (Genetic Records)
3. "Another Day on Earth" - Brian Eno (Opal)
4. "Dreams Made of Paper" - Arbol (lejos discos/emilii records)
5. "Snow Borne Sorrow" - Nine Horses (samadhi sound)
6. "Tales From Turnpike House" - St. Etienne (sanctuary)
7. "Les Retrouvailles" - Yann Tiersen (Labels)
8. "Small Explosions That are Yours to Keep" - Mitchell Akiyama (Sub Rosa)
9. "CHASM" - Ryuichi Sakamoto (KAB America) *
10. "Musique pour 3 femmes enceintes" - Marc LeClair (Mutek_rec)

Honourable Mention:
"From Fuji to Roma LIVE" - [Swedish] Death Polka (Chat Blanc)
"Kiss Me Again and Again" - Polmo Polpo (intr_version)
"All My Bad Thoughts" - The Montgolfier Brothers (Vespertine & Son)
"Symbol" - Susumu Yokota (Lo Recordings)
"Eco" - Skipsapiens (Mutek)
"Dropsonde" - Biosphere (Touch)
"The Dreamhouse" - Windy and Carl (Kranky)
"Cathederal Oceans III" - John Foxx (Fulfill)
"Music of the Future" - Desmond Leslie (Trunk)
"Idyllatry" - Peter Principle (LTM)
"Dead Letters to Lost Friends" - Desormais (intr_version)

Compilations:
"Stilllysm"- Various (Stilll)
"Kiss The Future" - Mark Stewart (Soul Jazz)

Reissues:
"Lyceum + Singles" - The Orchids (LTM)
"Striving for the Lazy Perfection" - The Orchids (LTM)
"Unholy Soul" - The Orchids (LTM)
"Like The Others" - Winston Tong (LTM)
"100 Years of Music: Live in Lisbon" - Steven Brown and Blaine L. Reninger (LTM)
"Subliminal 1979-1982" - Eric Random (LTM)

+++++++++++++
Note: The date for Ryuichi Sakamoto's Album "CHASM" is 2004. However, it is new to me so I have made an exception and included it on my list.
+++++++++++++
Recent Obituaries of note:
Guitarist Derek Bailey - John Fordham remembers him in hisGuardian UK Obituary.

Also, Salvador Dali's Secretary and exploiter.
++++++++++++++

Best Wishes to All! Have a Happy New Year!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas everyone.

Keep an eye on this-- next week my top discs of 2005 will appear.

Tonight on "Off the Cuff" - the Durutti Column : Keep Breathing

The latest effort from Vini Reilly & Co. has arrived! I will play it on my radio show tonight. I've heard that its a real return to form for the Durutti Column. Its in my hands now. Get ready to hear portions of it from 7-10pm EST on WZBC 90.3fm live webcasting
via brainwashed.com can be found on WZBC's website.

Stay tuned.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Details:
KEEP BREATHING
(Artful / FullFill)
6 February 2006 [official release date]
Tracklisting

1. Nina
2. Its Wonderful
3. Maggie
4. Helen
5. Neil
6. Big Hole
7. Let me tell you something
8. Lunch
9. Gun
10. Tuesday
11. Agnus Dei
12. Waiting

The Orchids - A Look Back.

For cracking good pop you can't do much better than the Orchids. The classic Sarah Records band has finally come back into the picture for Act II. James Neiss's Les Temps Moderne (LTM) label just reissued all of their old releases. It is so good to hear their songs on CD with all of their non-album tracks in one place. The Orchids started in Glasgow in the mid-eighties-- dire years for any kind of independent pop. They were heavily influenced by other Scottish favorites like Josef K, Orange Juice, the Go-Betweens, essentially the Postcard Records stable of bands, as well as early Primal Scream. One touchstone band for The Orchids was the Wake, which was on Factory Records and later Sarah Records as well.

Their mini-album LYCEUM, here re-issued with early singles as bonus tracks-- including the songs from Bob Stanley's Caff label, is eight pitch-perfect songs of pure indiepop bliss. From the brilliant opening of "It's Only Obvious" with James Hackett's strident vocals to the ecstatic joy of "Caveman" with its oblique political references, and the genius chorus of "The York Song", this disc will put you in a happy mood. The bonus tracks available include the pure pop of "I've got a habit"-- with the line "I'm drinking Iron-Bru and I'm thinking of you", the song "Apologies" with its "Sha-la-la yeah" chorus, as well as an anti-poll tax song, "Defy the Law". This disc is a solid purchase for jangly indiepop lovers of all kinds.

Up next is UNHOLY SOUL + SINGLES, it sees the band experimenting more with synthesizers and samplers on occasion, getting more into echoing the finer points of Sixties pop. A few of the tracks also have the soulful vocal talents of Pauline Hynds, this is the disc that has "Peaches"-- with Pauline singing "Get yourself high, feed your soul, set yourself free", one of the tracks that introduced me to the Orchids as it also appears on the Sarah 100 compilation "There and Back Again Lane". The Orchids are clearly moving towards a more psychedelic sound, as the influence of Madchester tends to leak in on UNHOLY SOUL. This is also evident on the wonderful paring of "The Sadness of Sex (Pt 1)" with its dirty guitar and whistled chorus and "Waiting for the Storm", the latter being a nearly 8 minute epic of programmed beats and samples-- it nearly feels like Coldcut's remix of Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full". This album oscillates between jangly Sixties pop and electro pop that at first blush may seem slightly incongruous but really works as a whole the more you listen to it.

Their final album was STRIVING FOR THE LAZY PERFECTION, released here with their Thaumaturgy single plus some demo tracks. Their experiments going forward and backward that came through in UNHOLY SOUL are further magnified in this release. It opens with the noisy guitar of "Obsession No. 1" and moves to the programmed bliss of "Striving for the Lazy Perfection", finally nearing an end with the haunting "I've got to wake up to tell you my dreams" then sliding into "the Perfect Reprise" with its recollection of the earlier track. Pauline Hynds also appears on this album to bring a feminine touch to a handful of songs. This disc has its jangly songs like "The Searching" and "Welcome to my Curious Heart" but it primarily leans toward electronic pop. The classic track "A Kind of Eden" is here, which was the Orchids' contribution to Elefant Records MONTECARLO compilation. My favorite track on this disc has to be the pretty electro-pop of "Avignon", which contains a sample that was also used on Acuarela Records' mainstays Emak Bakia's second album "Despues". The electro tracks on this disc also remind me of a pop-friendly Ultramarine.

Too many good songs are on each of these releases to do without one. LYCEUM provides a good introduction and will please any lover of good lo-fi pop, UNHOLY SOUL builds on the earlier template with more instrumentation and female vocals, STRIVING FOR THE LAZY PERFECTION further carries these experiments out to a heavenly conclusion. I've been told that the band has reformed and is currently working on new material. With a potential release in 2006, LTM's reissues provide the perfect refresher course for one of the most overlooked and consistently excellent indiepop bands out there.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

LYCEUM + SINGLES LTMCD 2442
66 minutes, features the 1989 mini album Lyceum plus their early singles.
Full tracklist: It's Only Obvious, A Place Called Home, Caveman, The York Song, Carrole-Anne, Hold On, Blue Light, If You Can't Find Love, + I've Got a Habit, Apologies, Give Me Some Peppermint Freedom, Defy the Law, Underneath the Window Underneath the Sink, Tiny Words, Walter, What Will We Do Next, As Time Goes By, Yawn, An Ill Wind that Blows, All Those Things.


UNHOLY SOUL + SINGLES LTMCD 2445
70 minutes, Originally released in 1991.
Full tracklist: Me and the Black and White Dream, Women Priests and Addicts, Bringing You the Love, Frank De Salvo, Long Drawn Sunday Night, Peaches, Dirty Clothing, Moon Lullaby, Coloured Stone, The Sadness of Sex (Pt 1), Waiting for the Storm, You Know I'm Fine, + Bemused, Confused and Bedraggled, Pelican Blonde, Tropical Fishbowl, How Does That Feel, Sigh, Something for the Longing, Farewell Dear Bonnie, On a Sunday.


STRIVING FOR THE LAZY PERFECTION + SINGLES LTMCD 2451
67 minutes (18 tracks) Originally released in 1994, The five bonus tracks are culled from the 1992 single Thaumaturgy plus demo tracks.
Full tracklist: Obsession No. 1, Striving for the Lazy Perfection,The Searching, Welcome to my Curious Heart, Avignon, A Living Ken and Barbie, Beautiful Liar, A Kind of Eden, Prayers to St Jude, Lovechild, Give a Little Honey, I've Got to Wake Up to Tell You My Dreams, The Perfect Reprise,+ Thaumaturgy, I Was Just Dreaming, Between Sleeping and Waking, It's Ours, The Letter.

Ghosts of Christmas Past - Tonight

I'll be back on the air tonight playing new music and old favorites. I have several releases from the new Belgian label Stilll: Off the Sky - "it is impossible to say just what I mean", Arden - "conceal" (Arden is Jeuc Dietrich, Jurgen Heckel (aka Sogar), Christophe Bailleau, Jerome Deuson (aka Amute), Mitchell Akiyama and Sebastian Roux), and Stilllysm, the label compilation featuring works by the aformentioned artists as well as Peter Principle, Benjamin Lew, Ghislain Poirier, Aoki Takamasa, wixel and others. I have also finally acquired Ryuichi Sakamoto's album from 2004 "chasm", which has a lot of interesting tracks, along with a few new interpretations of "World Citizen". Last, but not least, selections from Les Disques du Crepuscle's "Ghosts of Christmas Past" compilation will be scattered throughout the set.

That's WZBC 90.3 fm from 7-10pm (1900 to 2200) EST.

Please listen.

The Fairness Doctrine

The December 1, 2005 issue of the New York Review of Books has an excellent essay by Michael Massing on the current state of the American News media titled "The End of News". The paragraph below is the one that's been stuck in my mind for the past couple of weeks.

"An even more consequential, though much less visible, change took place in 1987, with the abolition of the Fairness Doctrine. Introduced in 1949, this rule required TV and radio stations to cover "controversial issues" of interest to their communities, and, when doing so, to provide "a reasonable opportunity for the presentation of contrasting viewpoints." Intended to encourage stations to avoid partisan programming, the Fairness Doctrine had the practical effect of keeping political commentary off the air altogether. In 1986, a federal court ruled that the doctrine did not have the force of law, and the following year the FCC abolished it."

Michael Massing's full essay can be found online here. The abolition of the Fairness Doctrine contributed greatly to the current political climate in the United States of America.

Journey's End EP - The Montgolfier Brothers

The Montgolfier Brothers - Journey's End EP (Vespertine and Son, 2005)

This latest release from Manchester, England-based group, the Montgolfier Brothers, heralds a true return to form. The Montgolfier Brothers is the brainchild of Mark Tranmer, who also records as GNAC, and RPM Quigley, otherwise known as 'At Swim Two Birds' or simply 'Quigley'. This is their first release of new material since "the World is Flat", which was released on Alan McGee's London-based Poptones label, this is also their first release on the recent "Vespertine and Son" label. Musically, they have always been inspired by the quieter aspects of work by French film soundtrack composers such as Francois de Roubaix, Michel Legrand and Philippe Sarde. Being from the Manchester area, the work is also heavily influenced by the heyday of such independent labels as Factory Records (longtime home of the another influence, the Durutti Column) and Les Disques du Crepuscule, the Montgolfier Brother's sound being more akin to the latter than the former in many respects.

The Journey's End EP opens with dense organ lines then minimal acoustic piano taking over the central theme, representing the steady march of time, a reflection on the loss of a dear friend. RPM Quigley's trembling, Manchester-inflected accent bringing a distinct Northern quality to the emotional content of the song. Journey's End is filled with vivid impressions of memory and existence, it focusses less on evoking the past, then the feeling of absence itself. It is a song that strikes the perfect tone for reminisence, never approaching the maudlin or bathetic. The second track, Bridestones Revisited, which comes across as rather similar to GNAC as if rewritten for a chamber ensemble, the sound is developed and expanded upon. It begins in a nearly baroque manner with organ and the occasional flute, with a clear emphasis on woodwinds primarily, the opening into echoes of guitar and piano. The third track, Koffee Pot Blues, retains the quiet mood of Journey's End, as it builds on a theme introduced by organ and flute, with a hint of Tuba and French Horn in the distance-- as if in remembrance or regret. A cello begins to play, driving the piece forward, with an acoustic piano finally picking up the main theme. However, it isn't until an electric guitar comes into focus that I recognize this theme as originating in Journey's End, the opening track. It is a march of sorts, an invitation to a journey. RPM Quigley sings "Sit and tell your problems to the Window, drown them in the sweet and stagnant tea.." It is an invocation for contemplation of time past. Again, he tells us "Always time for open-ended journeys, cast unintended looks at passers by..." He refers to the memories constructed by faded urban spaces. The distant history imbued in city life. This is a more poetic piece than Journey's End, as it it told through the production of concrete images, calling upon the senses to release memory. The EP ends with Koffee Pot Brass, a shorter version of Koffee Pot Blues, it begins with a harp-like sound, then ominous use of an organ in the foreground, meant to inscribe a solemn brass band, perhaps playing at a military funeral or some such affair. In many, was this is a denser version of 'Koffee Pot Blues' as RPM Quigley's vocals start almost immediately and use of the harp acts to emphasize an etheral quality inherent in his vocals.

For sheer consistency in mood and design, look no further than the Montgolfier Brothers to conjure heartfelt moments for rainy days. This is a perfectly composed EP. I cannot wait to hear the album.

www.vespertineandson.com


Journey's End 8:09
Bridestones Revisited 3:57
Koffee Pot Blues 9:55
Koffee Pot Brass 4:37

Rip it Up and Start Again by Simon Reynolds

The best new book about contemporary music history I've read is Rip it Up and Start Again: postpunk 1978-1984 by British music journalist, Simon Reynolds. Arguably the most exciting time in music since the late sixties, the postpunk era finally gets its due. This near complete version of postpunk independent music and how the subsequent labels, distribution methods and venues to deliver the new sounds came about (--and were gradually devoured by major labels and each other). This is a book that had to come out. This kind of music was only available for such a brief period of time before being trampled underfoot by a horde of commercially produced imitators. This is the music created by the generation that came of age in the mid-seventies. The sounds created were so new that independent methods were the only way to communicate their existence. People deliberately eschewed courting major labels in the name of having absolute control over their music. Reynolds chronicles all the successes and failures of the most consistently inventive (both sonically and visually) group of young artists and businessmen that tried to make a lasting impact on modern life.

To a certain extent, the simultaneous movements on both sides of the Atlantic (the book primarily deals with the United Kingdom and the United States-- deliberately leaving the project open for companion works discussing similar activity in Europe, Canada, Latin America and Japan) have left their mark on what passes for culture today. The timing of the book's release could not be more welcome, as a number of the labels mentioned recently celebrated anniversaries (Rough Trade, Mute and Les Disques du Crepuscule, among others) while primarily re-issue labels like James Neiss's Les Temps Modernes (LTM) have made a bulk of the long deleted music metioned in the book available to a wider audience. (The most recent of which being the double disc compilation of Eric Random's work titledSubliminal 1980-1982.)

Apart from filling in the gaps of my education in this expansive and somewhat personal study, this book helps to show the relationships between the people involved in the culture industry at that time. The book is really about a network for the production and dissemination of culture, that presented a near viable alternative to current methods of perception. It is not just about the artists and musicians involved but also the contributions of the label owners, journalists, and the public. Shifts in taste, budget, politics, and -- to a large extent -- technology, acted to create a unique cultural product. The emergence of so many young artists into the cultural arena at that time was astounding. A record label, such as Manchester based Factory Records was hyper-conscious not only of the quality of the music but also its packaging, often delaying releases for weeks so its delivery could achieve visual perfection. The goal amongst all these labels was to craft a--whether conscious or not--brand identity, to manipulate the public into the fold. This created a wonderfully red-hot tension between the musicians, the labels and the public resulting in the furious activity this book describes. It is this same commitment to quality and artistic integrity that fans of this period discuss to this day with the intensity of an erotic fever-dream.

Multiple criticisms can be leveled against the writer for spending too much time on certain groups and not enough time on others. While this is a valid concern, I do not see any glaring omissions in this work. This book is not only for anyone who wants to know about certain bands but it is also for those who want to understand the systems of interaction between the events discussed and how so many disparate elements influenced each other. In doing so, it provides a survey of the influential acts of the period.

One must never forget the lessons learned here of how it can be done. Applying these notions today one immediately sees distribution methods rapidly changing by the hour. Radio is still primarily dominated by commercial programming (check stopcbcpop for a current example of this). The template created by college radio in the United States (there is no such thing as an "independent music chart" in the United States--not to mention the absolute absence of a ministry of culture.) has been modified and turned into so-called alternative programming on commercial stations after someone recoginzed the viability of this demographic (circa mid-1980s). Today, the market is even further entrenched in this petty commercialism.

Then again, the knife cuts both ways, new independent labels are born daily. Nearly everyone involved in culture has a website or e-mail as technology enables things to change yet again. Disenchanted consumers of fine music are able to trace cultural activities that were previously inaccessible. In this sense, "Rip it Up and Start Again" is a worthy reference to the early days when it was all done via telephone, SNAIL mail, live performances and radio programmes (today, one is tempted to add music blogs to that list).

Our culture is on the mend, we desperately need free thinking creative people to wake up the underground once again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rip it Up and Start again
by Simon Reynolds
ISBN: 0 571 21569 6
Format: Paperback
Published: April 21, 2005
Pages: 608pp
Price: £16.99

Also due for publication in USA late January/early February 2006.

check out Simon's blog in the meantime.

Second Aspect of the Same Thing

I'll be on the air tomorrow night on WZBC, 90.3fm, filling in for Brian Carpenter.
That's Wednesday, November 16 from 7-10pm (19:00 - 22:00)EST.

Expect to hear a lot of music from Philippe Sarde, Francois de Roubaix, Ben Watt,
Quigley, the Montgolfier Brothers, and various artists from the Les Disques du Crepuscle stable. Oh, and of course, quite a bit of the Durutti Column, as their new CD, "Keep Breathing" will be released in early December on Artfull records.

Please listen and enjoy.

George.

Old Favorites from last week

This was my last playlist as a 29 year old.

Nine Horses “wonderful world” from snow borne sorrow (samadhisound)
SFT “deum de deo / so long, isolated sunshine / youngtoolong” from SWIFT. CD
Ryuichi Sakamoto “1919” from 1996 CD ALBUM (Gut 1996)
Philippe Sarde “Cour d'immeuble” from Le Locataire (The Tenant) (1976)
Egberto Gismonti / Nana Vasconcelos “Don Quixote” from Duas Vozes
Bruce Gilbert “Epitaph for Henran Brenlar” from the shivering man
Emak Bakia “Smile in your mind” from Jane CD ALBUM
The Durutti Column “Lullaby 4 Nina” from Tempus Fugit CD ALBUM (Kooky 2004)
Les Hurleurs “Hotel Varlin” from Ciel D'encre (Barclay 2000)
Deadly Weapons “Jayne Mansfield” from Deadly Weapons LP ALBUM (NATO)
Howie B “Five Days” from Freezone 3 CD COMP (SSR 1996)
Nine Horses “snow borne sorrow” (samadhisound)
Peter Principle “Scissors Cut Paper” from Idyllatry CD
Wio “To Chose is to Lose” from (K-RAA-K)3 Festival 2002 CD COMP
Wim Mertens “DARPA” from Strategie De La Rupture (Les Disques Du Crepuscule 1991)
Arbol “Summer and You” from Acuarela Songs 3 CD COMP
Susumu Yokota + Rothko “Reflections and Shadows” from Distant Sounds of Summer CD
Steven Brown “sous quelle etoile suis-je ne?” from a tribute to polnareff CD
Martial Canterel “Ascent” from confusing outsides LP ALBUM (genetic music geneticmusic.com 2005)
The Wake “Recovery / Host” from Assembly CD
David Kristian “brief notes that wept red” from The City Without Windows / La Derniere Voix OST 12-INCH (Creme Organization 2004)
HYPO “relax max msp / the perfect kill” from Random Veneziano CD ALBUM (Active Suspension www.activesuspension.org 2004)
Eric Random “Dow Chemical Co.” from Subliminal 1980-1982 (LTM www.ltmpub.freeserve.co.uk/ltmhome.html 2005)
Tuxedomoon “Luther Blisset” from Cabin in the Sky CD ALBUM (Crammed Discs www.crammed.be 2004)
The Durutti Column “Jacqueline” from Valuable Passages LP COMP (Relativity 1986)
The Durutti Column “the Missing Boy” from Valuable Passages LP COMP (Relativity 1986)
Seigen Ono “Julia” from Comme Des Garcons CD COMP (Saidera www.saidera.co.jp 1989)
Locust “Folie” from Morning Light CD ALBUM (R&S Records 1997)

Birthday Maakies

I know this is just coincidence but, Tony Millionaire has an interpretation of an Ode by Wordsworth as this week's cartoon.



A fine start to the day.