Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Words & thoughts on last 7 albums on my mp3 palyer: AMM, Makoto, Miles & Vangelis!!

The snow pounded the earth this morning here on Haida Gwaii, and is now caressing the concrete, and I sit here counting down the days, hours and minutes left on my holiday.

This ain't no fucking way to live!
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Thinking about
memories
of the past
hated and painful
trying to stir
a bubbling
creativity
that refuses to break through...
...but I must wait it out...
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Racism is racism even if it is reactionary.
Hatred is hatred even if you think it's justified.
And love remains elusive...
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Last 7 albums played on my trusty mp3 player...(a strange selection, and actually pretty mediocre)...just for the hell of it...

a) Prince: 1999 (1982) --- this was fun, and i've always been a (sometimes lacklustre) fan. some catchy tunes and some dirty funk. ***

b) Cressida: Asylum (1971) --- not bad...in fact, pretty interesting and I would give these guys another spin. They only released 2 albums in their career. Semi-progressive pastoral kind of music...I thought of Caravan while listening to them. ***1/2

c) AMM: The Crypt (1968) disc 2 --- well well well...experimentalism extreme...this kind of music has no melody, structure or much of anything...BUT...if you listen to it and let the sounds wash over your brain it can take you into a dream-like state that is as satisfying as any well constructed melodic song. Try it...you'll probably hate it, but try it...it's GOOD for you...
yeh, that's it...
try something different
break through the rehearsal of your life
and get on stage
before the play is over
and you're taking your final bow. *****

d) Miles Davis: Decoy (1984) miles back from his hiatus after making some of the deepest darkest funkiest electric music ever made in the 1st part of the 70s. of course, miles has a shit hot band, and its tight and somewhat funky, but it leaves me...indifferent...why listen to this when there's 50 official miles albums that are better, and probably hundreds of concerts online worth listening to before this...not awful, but "blah" recording. **

e) Vangelis: The Dragon (1971) this early vangelis was done shortly after his Aphrodite's Child days...so don't expect chariots of fire or that kind of soundtrack stuff...i really enjoyed this...good prog rock, and i loved the heavy guitar workouts on the title track...i like aphrodite's child & this one...is he worth exploring or does he eventually just go for the moolah by making ott soundtracks? i dunno...but this one is an easy ****

f) Early Works, vol. 9 - Kawabata Makoto (recorded 1981 released 2000) the acid mothers leader released his early works in 2000, and for amt fans it's a necessary listen. Very experimental - closer to Haino than AMT - and this particular disc was fantastic. 2 20 minute tracks that cuts some brain synapses while planting new ones...like The Crypt - very experimental but oh so fucking satisfying! *****

[aside: experimental??? what a stupid way to describe these brilliant works of musicians like AMM, Haino, Makoto --- but as shorthand to indicate that this kind of music is not normally played on commercial radio stations, and may be a new kind of music for the majority of the peeps out there, I guess, it'll have to do.]

g) Fillmore - It's A Beautiful Day (1968) a boot from the fillmore west...man, this just didn't do it for me...nope...sorry...**
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The sun is breaking through the clouds and the day seems to be warming up. Soon, it will be time to take the dog out for a walk and review my scattershot mind.
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