Via Left - sexually satisfied thinking about borscht Right - sexually unsatisfied thinking about Putin, philosophy, revolution, inequality, blogging, emancipation, protest, etc... (Thanx Gennady!)
Composer, filmmaker and photographer Phill Niblock, who runs the
Experimental Intermedia Foundation in New York, writes noble, hypnotic,
majestic music constituted of sustained sounds for large instrumental
ensembles of the same family (e.g. all strings, all flutes, all
trombones, etc.) that very gradually change their timbre and pitch
characteristics (pieces such as "Four Full Flutes", "Early Winter" for
massed strings, "Didjeridoos", and "Five More Strings Quartets"). His
work is represented on this Roulette TV video by the beginning and
ending segments of his elegant composition "Guitar too, for four",
a.k.a. "G2, 44". Although only three guitarists are seen on the tape,
the computer samples make a total of 24 guitar parts plus two tracks
each from five other players that contribute to a slowly unfolding
density of harmonic richness. On two screens are images of Japanese
workers on Honshu island unloading and processing fish, mending and
re-stringing nets, trawling out to sea, and displaying their catch. Bits
of ephemereal melodic-like gestures (overtone illusions) sometimes
arise later in the piece. In his interview, Niblock explains how the
notion of minimalism applies to his music, describes his fascination
with the movements of people working, his efforts to get rid of
editing-style, his relationship to the audience and keeping his work
filled with content but "neutral" in the sense of allowing the audience
their own perceptions.
1. The Gravedigger's Song
2. St. Louis Elegy
3. Riot In My House
4. Harborview Hospital
Following the release of Blues Funeral back in February, Mark Lanegan
Band have recorded four songs for the thirteenth installment in the 4AD
Sessions series.
Pull Studios in Manhattan's Hudson Square played
understated host to a session that leans heavily on Mark's indelible
voice and undeniable presence, as well as the intensity and precision of
his band. Filmed during a break in rehearsals for a New York City show
that was to herald the release of the album, the session captures a band
fully sharpened and itching to hit the road (US dates begin May 10 and
are listed below).
Tearing through four stand-out tracks from
Blues Funeral, the performance ripples with a quiet fury that will be
familiar to all those who've followed Mark over a career spanning more
than two decades. Backed by a band as skilled as Mark is charismatic,
the ambitious range of tracks such as 'Harborview Hospital' sit
comfortably beside the barely concealed rage of 'The Gravedigger's
Song', reminding once again why Blues Funeral is such a rewarding
listen.
Unlike other sessions in the series in which a firmly
defined visual concept was central to capturing the performance, the
intention here was to strip away any studio trickery in order to allow
the band to stand-alone. That this simplified approach remains so
powerful is testament to the inimitable quality of the music on show and
Mark Lanegan's enduring allure.
Catch the Mark Lanegan Band on tour in the US this May:
May 10 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
May 11 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
May 12 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
May 13 - Boston, MA - Paradise
May 15 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
May 16 - Detroit, MI - Small's
May 17 - Chicago, IL - The Metro
May 18 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
May 20 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
May 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Gene Autry Museum - Heritage Courtyard
May 23 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
May 25 - George, WA - Sasquatch! Festival
May 26 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
CREDITS
Director: Robert Semmer
Producer: Robert Semmer
Director of Photography: William Voermann
Additional Camera: Anthony Mathile & Robert Semmer
Assistant Camera: Adam Gong
Gaffer: Rome Peterson
Editor: David Feinberg Colorist: Paul Shin
Sound recorded by Mitch Davis and mixed by Jeff Curtin Via
As My Bloody Valentine fans all know by now, the new reissue of the band's seminal 1991 album Loveless contains two different remastered versions of the same 11 tracks, and after hearing both, we admitted that they were relatively similar. Well, it looks as if the folks at Sony may have got confused, too, since reports suggest that the two discs may have been mislabelled... MORE
There's a deeply dispiriting collection of news reports today (just Google Laura Jane Grace Gabel Against Me) about the lead singer/songwriter and guitarist for the band Against Me! who has announced that she's transgender and is beginning medical and social transition to help alleviate her gender incongruity.
The news reports are dispiriting for two reasons: first, that TS/TG people, regardless of what they do for a living, are still objects of curiosity whose primary value is as a source of gossip for the general public - and second, that the reporting of such a deeply personal matter is still so substandard.
On her Twitter feed, Laura links to an article to be published later this week in Rolling Stone magazine. I can only begin to imagine how difficult that must have been for her and the pain of seeing it so full of sloppy reporting can only have added insult to injury at an already incredibly difficult time. Although Rolling Stone actually manages to respect her preferred pronouns - and it's frustrating to realise that even in 2012 it's still a comparative rarity to see even this most basic form of respect in the mass media - it's immediately cancelled out by the first paragraph which wastes no time in spouting the same hackneyed old nonsense that will be sickeningly familiar to anyone who's found themselves in the same position.
I'm not going to get into a rant about the mass media's appallingly and continually low standards of journalism about TS/TG issues - I'd be here all day and anyway, I've done more than enough of that in previous posts here at BoP and elsewhere. I just think it's sad that, despite much progress in the acceptance of TS/TG people over the past few years in many sectors of public life, we're still running into this ignorance time and again. I only hope that the fans of Against Me! are evolved enough not to let loose a wave of transphobic bigotry in a kneejerk reaction against Laura's changes.
Anyway, I'm going to close this brief post by wishing Laura a future full of good and happy things and hope that her transition is as smooth and as safe as it possibly can be. Much love, Laura, thinking of you.
If I could have chosen I would have been born a woman My mother once told me she would have named me Laura I'd grow up to be strong and beautiful like her
