Just what the world needs

A NEW BLOG!

(SON OF) EXILE ON MOAN STREET

First up is a couple of Bill Laswell related albums that I haven't seen in the blogosphere before.
'Operazone - The Redesign'
&
Russian Chants (The Ambient Mix) by Boris Feokistov and Bill Laswell.
I will be posting albums that I like regardless of their style on a semi regular basis.
Hope to see you there.

Will Oldham's double chocolate chess pie recipe

"… it’s beyond description. When you take a bite of it, it’s like… how you know… it helps you recognize how omnipotent and indescribable God is. Because this food, you know, goes beyond, and obviously God, you know, God would go beyond anything a Pope could tell you, or an imam could say about, or rabbis, you know? They can pretend that they can tell you about God, but it’s way fucking beyond their comprehension, no matter how many books they read or how much they whip their back or do whatever they do. It’s the same thing with the pies when you realize that the way things work is way beyond anything you could comprehend. We can put [the ingredients] together, but we can’t explain why, when you put them together, why they do what they do."

From 'Arthur Magazine' via 'When you Awake' here.

SPANK!!! (Update)

From 'Feasting On Roadkill' here.
UPDATE:
'The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster'
Go to 'Secret Identity' here.

Coming Soon: Bruno

"Can you tell me where we can find a locksmith?"

To see the trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie go here.

Most anticipated new release

Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions

Absolutely the worst album I have heard for years

I can't stand 'Sgt. Peppers'. Don't understand why it is often (still) voted the best album of all time. Twee sentimentality, cod mysticism, music hall numbers and Ringo Starr. Jesus, I would have left home too.
So now the Easy Star All Stars (after full reggae versions of 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'OK Computer') have turned to this. Despite the calibre of some of the artists involved: Michael Rose, The Mighty Diamonds, Luciano, Max Romeo etc. this is just a complete aural abortion. And why do I find it hard to picture any of the artists rolling up a large number and settling down to listen to Sgt. Peppers at the end of a hard day in the studio?

So this begs the question who is this designed for? Blokes in their sixties who still think that punk was the end of good music or young college kids just discovering the joys of dope and how well reggae and it go together. There is some great reggae music out there but this is certainly not an example of it.

As for the Easy Star All Stars, 'Dub Side of the Moon' sort of worked and I am afraid I am not a fan of the original version of that either. It always struck me as the perfect album for the time as stereo moved into more and more homes. I feel that the Floyd worked more on the FX and stereo separation than the words and tunes of the songs, which I was under the impression had been more important until then.

'Radiodread', sort of OK. White guys with dreads who go to college probably like it much more than me!

The Easy Star All Stars are playing at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne on April 11. I won't be there.

What's moving my world a quarter of the way into the year

Bill Laswell on Miles Davis (en Francais)

Why was this never released in the UK?

(French release)

(American release)

Material
"I'm The One" (12" Remix)

1982

Bass - Bill Laswell
Guitar - Nile Rodgers
Bongos - Daniel Ponce
Drums - Tony Thompson
Engineer [Remix] - Jay Mark
Producer - Material
Remix - John Luongo
Synthesizer - Michael Beinhorn
Written-By - B. Laswell/M. Beinhorn

Never released in the UK and only available on import costing a fiver, at the time that a new release album was £3:99!
More than I could afford.
Very kindly submitted by JoshR, who had seen my request for this song at other blogs as well as it being a reward for liking my 'Sting is Dead' April Fool's joke earlier today.
PS: Does anyone have the B side?

Breaking News - Sting dies in tragic helicopter accident in Southampton

Full story here.

What is wrong with this picture? (#2)

Just check out the bloke at the back of this photo of Coldplay (and there is lots wrong with them) taken at the Grammy's.
Don't you just know that this is some record company executive who rails against us bloggers!

Staff Benda Bilili

Je'taime (Sex Machine)

The fourth in the Congotronics seies from Crammed Discs is by Staff Benda Bilili (Look Beyond Appearances) who hail from the streets of Kinshasa and live in the grounds around Kinshasa Zoo. A group of four disabled musicians form the core of the band, backed by a younger, acoustic rhythm section and a hand made (wire, a tin, a bent stick and a radio mike) electric one string lute called the Satonge.
"I later learn that this lean, gentle-looking kid, who goes by the name of Roger Landu, invented the instrument he's playing with such dazzling virtuosity. The raw materials of the satonge consist of a milk-powder tin, a section of fish basket frame and a single electrical wire. A few days later, at our hotel, Roger makes up satonges to order and sells them to us for $20 (14) a pop... good business for a shegue, or homeless kid, who was surviving by busking for pennies in the Kinshasa central market."
Full article here.
Another good background article here.
Reviews of their excellent album 'Tres Tres Fort' here and here.
Crammed Discs have a lot of really good information on their releases and you can listen to a number of recordings.

Bonus (Audio):
'Avramandole - Sala Mosala - Staff Benda Bilili'

Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies

Girlz With Gunz # 28 ("Spare The GUN - and SAVE the CHILD")

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article5985928.ece

http://www.jamesfalvey.co.uk/

http://www.wherediditallgoright.com/BLOG/index.html