Nov. 20, 2011
Just three albums this month as I’ve been listening to a lot of Brian Eno records ready for an upcoming understated classic. First up is 50 Words For Snow by Kate Bush, the second album that she has released this year. Back in May I wrote about Director’s Cut, which presented re-recorded and re-mastered versions of songs from her albums The Sensual World and The Red Shoes. This time around it is an album of brand new material, the first since Aerial in 2006.
Tags: Music, Album Digest, November, Kate Bush, Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel, Eleven
Nov. 7, 2011
I think it’s time to discuss your philosophy of drug use as it relates to artistic endeavour…
That quote is from the movie “The Naked Lunch” directed by David Cronenburg (see also this) and it also opens “Bug Powder Dust” by Bomb The Bass, the five star single that opens “Clear”. A rollicking piece of rock rap dripping with pop culture references that runs for four and half minutes and does not stop until another quote from “The Naked Lunch”, it is probably one of my favourite songs of the 90s.
Tags: Understated Classics, Bomb the Bass, Music, Electronic, Eleven
Nov. 3, 2011
There was much excitement about Contagion at work. Finally a movie that explains as part of the plot! A bunch of us went to see it, mainly to see whether a disaster movie about a global pandemic could hold up as entertainment and to have a bit of a giggle if it couldn’t.
I liked three things in particular about the film. I liked the cinematography, especially the opening sequences with the index cases staggering around.
Tags: Films, Disease Modelling, Science Fiction, Eleven, Twenty, Marion Cotillard, Thriller
Nov. 2, 2011
I saw that a friend had ‘liked’ this book on Facebook and reading about it on amazon, I was curious enough to give it a go. It is the autobiography of the philosopher Mark Rowlands, specifically the experiences and lessons learned from raising a wolf, Brenin, from cub to maturity and beyond.
The book addresses different aspects of philosophy including the nature of evil and the interaction between humans and other animals.
Tags: Books, Mark Rowlands, Non Fiction, Eleven
Oct. 31, 2011
This month we have albums by Björk, Coldplay, M83, and Radiohead.
Album Digest October 2011 - Intro I listened to Wilco’s The Whole Love again the other day. I happened to be walking past the venue in Portsmouth where I went to see them live back in 2004 and it seemed the right fit. I really enjoyed the album after a period of not having listened to it and I found that being familiar with the songs allowed me to better appreciate the production of the album.
Tags: Music, Album Digest, October, Bjork, Coldplay, M83, Radiohead, Eleven
Sep. 30, 2011
Hmmm, a rather grey looking selection of covers this month. The albums I have listened to most are:
John Beltran Ambient Selections FabricLive 59 mixed by Four Tet The Rapture In The Grace Of Your Love Wilco The Whole Love I have actually only had the Wilco album since Monday of this week (the 26th) but it has inveigled its way into my consciousness quite quickly. As I have said before, this blog owes its name to a Wilco song and they are quite an important band to me.
Tags: Music, Album Digest, September, John Beltran, Four Tet, The Rapture, Wilco, Eleven
Sep. 9, 2011
FUN FACT: It was because of the artwork to this album that I obsessively scrawled onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome onourwayhome on my pencil case at school. I also had a very passable u.f.orb logo drawn on it too.
In The Blue Room I had my first “close encounter” with The Orb in 1992 when the single Blue Room was in the charts.
Tags: Understated Classics, The Orb, Music, Electronic, Eleven
Sep. 9, 2011
A week or so ago, I finished reading Dune by Frank Herbert. It tells the story of a revolution within a Galactic Empire that takes place on a harsh and unforgiving desert planet called Arrakis. One central theme is how destinies can be shaped despite being intertwined around many axes. Another is the importance of adaptation in the fight for survival.
I came to Dune via the David Lynch film and then the Sci-Fi Channel’s mini-series, which I was able to stream through LoveFilm.
Tags: Books, Frank Herbert, Science Fiction, Dune, Eleven
Aug. 31, 2011
I bought a collection of electronic music this month. I mixed them all up in a smart playlist on iTunes, the smart aspect being to limit to tracks that had been played fewer than five then six then seven times etc. This made sure I was still listening to all the tracks equally often, despite the randomness.
Biosphere N-plants Ford & Lopatin Channel Pressure Gus Gus Arabian Horse Instra:Mental Resolution 653 Jon Tejada Parabolas Biosphere N-Plants I think this album makes Biosphere the most reviewed musician on this blog at the moment but I don’t mind too much, he makes some great stuff.
Tags: Music, Album Digest, August, Biosphere, Ford and Lopatin, Gus Gus, Instramental, Jon Tajeda, Eleven
Aug. 16, 2011
Happy Birthday! No matter how intellectual one gets about these things, the primary function of music is to have fun. With this in mind it is a good time to turn to Roxette then, as they are almost always the epitome of fun.
I received Look Sharp! as a present for my ninth birthday. This was probably a bit young to fully understand all the emotions expressed on the record. It’s just as well that it is also crammed with the kind of pop confections that made “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!
Tags: Understated Classics, Roxette, Music, Pop, Eleven
Aug. 5, 2011
I have now been writing decent length articles on this site for about a year. I have learned a lot in this time, mostly about writing but also how to express your feelings and how to marshal your ideas and passions into action. For this month’s “five on the fifth”, I would like to share with you some of the things I have learned.
Writing posts consistently is hard… There are a lot of things that get in the way of regular posting.
Tags: Lists, Writing, Blogging, Eleven
Jul. 31, 2011
Quite a mixed bag this month.
SBTRKT SBTRKT Zomby Dedication Brian Eno Drums Between The Bells Bon Iver Bon Iver Washed Out Within and Without This month’s collection of albums is a rather mellow bunch. The SBTRKT album (self-titled) is probably the most frenetic of the five though even that does not exactly pound four to the floor. Most of it is pretty calm, though the occasional burst of pop to spice things up: sometimes it is as downtempo as the rest (Right Thing To Do and Trials Of The Past) but at other times things spark into life, as on Pharaohs.
Tags: Album Digest, July, Music, SBTRKT, Zomby, Brian Eno, Bon Iver, Washed Out, Eleven