Thursday March 30, 2006 -- 1:47 p.m.
It appears that spring may finally have arrived. Today, the sun shone bright and clear and the world seemed to drowse in a current of warming breezes. I was able to open a window or two and let the winds in. It was a true delight. It made me think of this story and poem, although I have not yet really been able to put my finger on why...
"One night the Zen hermit-poet Ryokan comes home to his tiny hut to find that a thief has taken his few possessions. (In one version of the story, he catches the thief in the act and, sorry there's so little to steal, gives him the clothes off his back.) Afterward he sits down and writes:"
The thief left it there
There in the window frame--
The shining moon.
from The Zen Commandments by Dean Sluyter, 2001
Stephanie shared this amazing music with me some time ago, and I have been meaning to post it here since then but have held back, hoping for the proper moment. I think perhaps today is that moment. Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp, co-founders of the media arts collective and record label Apestaartje are also the people behind the amazing sounds of mountains. On the Apestaartje site, they explain that they are interested in the concpets of gradual development and extremely detailed listening, and both are extremely relevant when listening to the music of mountains. Textural sounds, layers of tones, and subtle harmonies build to a steadily expanding wall of music that rewards repeated listenings. There are a number of intriguing CDs available on the Apestaartje site, and although their online ordering is temporarily down, they promise it will be active again shortly. To investigate further, listen to this untitled second track from the mountains tour cd.
mountains -- tour cd, track 02
In the same message, Stephanie also shared a song from Sebastien Roux whose CD "Pillow" is also available from Apestaartje. It is called "July Rain" and, to me, calls to mind both the summer rain as well as the summer sun. Strange but serenely beautiful. This track has risen to the top of my "must listen to every day" list, as Stephanie alluded it might.
Sebastien Roux -- July Rain
There are two more things I would like to share with you this evening. Yesterday I wrote about how my days pursuing and purchasing art were coming to a close due to the size of the existing collection and the sense of satisfaction and happiness that it brings. There is a slight amendment to that, but not one of hypocrisy or second guessing. Aprroximately seven months ago, I received an e-mail from the artist Dan McCarthy because I had purchased a few of his prints in the past. He was offering a subscription service for the year, and for a very reasonable cost, the subscriber would get a copy of each of his twelve monthly art prints. Dan does absolutely amazing work, and you really should take a look at his site and see what I mean. He still has many prints available and for very reasonable prices. As you can probably guess, I agreed to purchase a subscription and for the past 6 months, a new print from Dan has appeared at my door. He generally prefaces the monthly mailings by sending out an e-mail announcement with a JPG of the new image. I have never been disappointed, but today brought a new e-mail with what is possibly my favorite image yet. Take a look...
And this final piece of music is an accompaniment to that. For slightly less than two years since its release, this has been my favorite piece of music. It is perfect. Even the slightly odd vocal sample at the beginning muttering "Okay dammit, watch me sleep" seems very much in place. It makes me think of the two things I am always seeking, peace and freedom. And of course, it makes me think of the warm summer sun. Here is "Dilmun" by The Orb.
The Orb -- Dilmun
Matt K.
Wednesday March 29, 2006 -- 7:27 a.m.
I woke up early this morning, as I usually do. This was the view from our balcony.
The last week and a half has been an exhausting marathon. A "bruising, shattering ride" as Julian Cope might put it. So very many threads in my life have come to a natural end, and while that is exciting and bittersweet the uncertainties of the future loom large.
As you may know, I have been spending a great deal of time for the last two months working at a practicum, which is something very much like an internship, at a central urban branch of a large library system. If you know where I live it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out the system. It has been an interesting experience, and certainly the kind that classroom lectures simply cannot prepare you for. It has also been a draining experience as well. Juggling the practicum hours and the dreadful commute it necessitated, a part-time job in Columbus, another part-time job in Kettering (another suburb of Dayton, about 20 minutes from the suburb where I live), classes back in Columbus, a workshop in Cincinnati, the continuing recovery from the illness which plagued me earlier in the year, trying to spend some decent time with my wife Rudy, and always working to finish my own comics and art projects stretched me to the absolute limit of my endurance. Finally, though, I can see some light at the end of this tunnel and I am reasonably certain it is not a train. Two weeks ago, on Wednesday, March 13th, I completed the final working hours of my practicum at the main library. After exactly 2 months there, the practicum...
On Saturday, March 25th, I gave the second of two library instruction sessions on the HeritageQuest Online database and genealogy research in general to a rather large and vocal group of genealogists. All the reading, research, preparation and practicing for the session paid off, and the work is finally over. True, I learned a lot about library instruction session and it is so markedly different from my experiences as a high school and junior high English teacher, but I won't have to concern myself with that again until I start work as a librarian. Even then, I may not be doing any library instruction, so we'll see. For now, it is simply an enormous relief to know that the work I did for this instruction session...
One of my two jobs, the one in Columbus on Tuesdays and Saturdays, was working part-time in the Laughing Ogre comic book store. I've been working there since late 2002 and it has really been a fantastic experience. The owner, Gib, is a true prince among men and who could deny that working in a comic book store is maybe one of the best part-time jobs there is? I got to be around all sorts of comics from both the Big Two (Marvel and DC) to the tiniest little independent publishers and I had the chance to read probably a lifetime's worth of comics in three years time. I took part in a few conventions both big and small, sat on a few panels, moderated a few panels, met quite a few comics professionals (most of whom were actually quite funny and polite, some of whom were totally self-involved assholes), and enjoyed the benefits of a fantastic employee discount. Well, that store I worked at was bought by a chain of comic stores from Virginia and while they will be keeping the name as the Laughing Ogre as well as the services of the former owner Gib, pretty much everything else will change. I've met the new crowd and they have some pretty fantastic ideas for the store, so I'm quite certain that they will be able to push things to even greater heights. However, due to my distance (I know live about an hour and ten minutes from the store) and my changing availability due to my impending graduation and new career as a full-time librarian, it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Laughing Ogre and I have come to a fork in the road. Yesterday was my final shift there, so yeah, I guess my stint as a comic book store employee?
While I've really deeply enjoyed being able to immerse myself in the visual narrative of comics and graphic novels for the past three and a half years, contemplating the end of that experience has not really filled me with any sense of sadness, depression, panic, or regret. Quite the contrary, actually. While I've never stopped being a reader of literature and non-fiction books, that pursuit really took a secondary role during my time in graduate school. For obvious reasons, I spent most of my time reading textbooks, articles, and other material relevant to my classes. At times, the reading load was pretty heavy indeed. The escapist bent and visual pyrotechnics of comics and graphic novels, especially the riskier and more unusual independent publications, was a welcome antidote to the dry and scholarly tone of my grad school studies. Now that I am only six weeks away from graduation and the hardest work of this final semester is already behind me, I am slowly orbiting away from the world of comics. My hunger for literature-novels, novellas, anthologies and so on-has returned. I am really looking forward to spending some time with a big stack of books, fiction and non-fiction. It's not as if I will be throwing away or selling my comics and graphic novels (even that collection is minsicule compared to most comic readers), but for a good while now I think that my time reading comics...
This past week brought the arrival of seventeen new prints to my door. Seven pieces from Tyler Stout, four pieces from Kelsey Brookes, and a suite of six "Soldier Prints" from Seripop. What was particularly exciting about that whole experience is that, for the first time, I was able to trade some of my own artwork for the prints, so I had that brief and exciting feeling that, for a moment, I was actually a real artist. Cool! Anyway, in addition to having seven older pieces framed an hanging in our apartment, Rudy and I also have a little over one hundred additional art prints, silkscreens, drawings, gig posters, and other art from people like AZStar78, Jeff Soto, Johnny Ampersand, Dan McCarthy, Dan Grzeca, Nick Butcher, Leonard Baskin and more. We also have my own drawings as well as a whole bunch of incredible watercolors that Rudy did several years ago. In short, we probably have enough art to cover every inch of wallspace in our apartment, and we are both very fond of every piece we have. There are so many that we hope to frame and hang someday, and continuing to acquire new pieces, whether we trade for them or buy them, would be foolish and exceptionally greedy and materialistic. We now have so much, and are so lucky and fortunate to be able to enjoy our own art collection. I think it's time to be completely satisfied and at piece with what we have and move on. So my short-ish career as a collector of art...
Readers of this site know a bit about the health issues which plagued me earlier this year. Some closer friends know even more about what I was facing, and the mental and physical toll it took. Thankfully I seem to have made a solid recovery. I still have days where the symptoms trouble me a bit, but I have more good days than bad and have learned how to manage and cope. Even though I will probably never again feel 100% normal, I can settle for a good 90% for the rest of my days. So that damnable illness?
This past Monday night, Rudy, Sean McKeever and I headed to the Newport Music Hall in Columbus to see Blackalicious with the Lifesavas, Fatlip, and Pigeon John. We haven't been to a show of any kind in quite some time, so it was huge fun. Pigeon John was unexpectedly entertaining, Fatlip was a bit of a disappointment, the Lifesavas really got things going again, and of course Blackalicious owned the place. Additionally, singer Joyo Velarde, the wife of Lyrics Born and a proud Filipina, was one of the backup vocalists for Blackalicious, so that was an unexpected delight. All in all, the show was a lot of fun but the crowd was intriguingly problematic. The intersection of race and hip hop is a very tricky thing, and something I am not nearly articulate enough to discuss properly. This is difficult to write about, so perhaps the best way I can describe this is by comparing it to my experience with comics over the past few years. I've been able to really listen to a lot of incredible music over the years. Stuff from all over the musical landscape, from prog rock to hip hop to ambient. I suppose, though, that up until now, music has primarily been something I listened to slightly passively. I mean, I dug into things a lot more than most people, but I don't know if I've ever really challenged myself musically to a serious degree. I've made some forays into that realm, but there was always something else requiring my time and mental energy, so those explorations would eventually slide to the backburner and I would return to the familiar and engaging music I was used to. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Music means different things to different people, and I am not placing any kind of judgment on what you might listen to or what your reasons are for listening to it. I think that now I am in the center of this enormous life transition, with so many things coming to a conclusion and so many challenges appearing on the horizon, I would like to push myself a little more deeply into an exploration of what my friend Kevin calls "difficult music." A lot of this is a result of some conversations, emails, and CDs from Stephanie and the aforementioned Kevin, but there are personal reasons as well. Pop culture, the relentless and savage blindness of trends, the influence of the record labels and the dollar on music, and the madness of crowds has a lot to do with it as well. I could probably go on and on about this, but I will wait until my feelings have solidified a bit more before doing so. For now, I think I want to move forward with a different kind of musical exploration. And what better way to close out that past then by celebrating with a fantastic, positive show like the one we saw Monday night? So for now, filling my ears with hip hop and turntablism...
I guess this entry is sort of like the last chapter of part of the story. I'll close this for now, and return either later this evening or tomorrow with more MP3s and other news.
"To live at all is miracle enough."
---Mervyn Peake, "The Glassblower" 1950
Matt K.
Monday March 20, 2006 -- 7:13 a.m.
Hey, I won't have time for much of anything at all until this Friday. I am putting the finishing touches on my database instructional session and there is a whole lot of stuff to do to make it all project-worthy beyond simply doing the presentation. I am up to my eyeballs in it right now, but this will all be a memory by Thursday evening at 8 pm. In the meantime, I did manage to finish page 4 of "Spudd 64" issue #4. You can see it by clicking here and scrolling down to where you see "Hassan's Tale" and the NEW next to page 4. I thought that Johnny's script was going to get easier from here on out, but I was wrong. I actually have to draw all kinds of people! It is really hard, especially when you consider how few humanoid-looking people have actually appeared in Spudd 64 so far. Man, Johnny!
Back to work. More Friday. Art, music, stuff...
Matt K.
Friday March 17, 2006 -- 7:46 a.m.
I have to be in Columbus again, all day today and tomorrow, so I won't have time to do any posting or updating until Sunday. Due to the absence, I am going to lay a 37 minute track on you, an epic live DJ performance by the Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark from LA's Variety Arts Center way back in 1997.
Originally available at Jurassic 5 shows, you can still track this disc down a few places on the internet and every now and then in a good hip hop music store. This is just an amazing slab of hip hop, funk, skits, beats, and routines, with cuts from Eric B. & Rakim, Main Source, Diamond D, DJ Krush, A Tribe Called Quest, Original Flavor, Organized Confusion, Laurie Anderson, Art of Noise, Bobby Byrd, Slick Rick (the Ruler's Back!), the "Knight Rider" theme song, some Mudfoot bits from the always fresh "Fat Albert," and Pharaoh Monche among others. At just over 37 minutes, it will be a long download, but well well worth the time. Oh, and when you download it, the track MIGHT come up as something weird like "Ray Comfort, Track 7 -- How to Get on Fire for God." I have no idea why. Perhaps the way the originally coded the track on CD as some kind of joke? I have never been able to figure it out. Anyway, listen and dig it.
Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark -- Live at the Variety Arts Center, 1997
Matt K.
Thursday March 16, 2006 -- 10:18 a.m.
It's strange, but quite often when I share my artwork with friends, many of them tell me it makes them think of Central American art, like the Aztec calendar stone and some of the Inca temples and pyramids. My drawings Metatron and Watchers seem to get that comment the most, but I have heard it from a number of people about many of my pieces. I am not quite sure I see it, although in some cases I can see why the colors I chose would call to mind that kind of art. I've said before how the greatest conscious influences on my non-comic art are Jack Kirby, Adolf Wolfli, P.M. Wentworth, and outsider art in general. As a child, I was fascinated by the Codex Borgia of the Aztecs, which I found out about in a National Geographic magazine at my grandmother's. I would stare and stare at all the bizarre and colorful drawings of the gods and animals and the strangeness of their clothes and headdresses and scepters that looked almost mechanical and alien. Here are a few images from that Codex.
I guess it's up to you to decide. I am certain there was probably a subconscious influence on my drawings, but one could easily argue that every image I looked at and admired became a part of that same subconscious influence. Anyway, today's two songs are sort of an ode to the supposed Central American theme of my art. First, for Angela P. who has a lovely vinyl LP of this album, "Like an Inca" by Neil Young, from 1983's experimental commercial failure (which I love) "Trans."
Neil Young -- Like an Inca
I kind of like the whole overblown apocalyptic feel of that one. It does kind of go well with some of my goofy drawings. I will also leave you with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention's "Inca Roads." There is a long and confusing history to this song, and you can read about it much more clearly right here from AllMusic.com. It's a lot more light-hearted than the Neil Young song, but it still has some dazzlingly complex arrangements and blistering Zappa guitar work. Have fun.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention -- Inca Roads
Matt K.
Wednesday March 15, 2006 -- 2:44 p.m.
Scottish duo Boards of Canada seem to get a lot of buzz whenever they release an album or an EP, but then disappear entirely until they are next heard from. It seems like this would contribute to a lot of fair weather fan response, but they don't seem to pay that much attention and continue to make the kind of music they want. I've heard it described as everything from cultish, cryptic, spaced out, blissful and sinister to a reimagining of the soundtrack of some high school science film from the 1970s. I suppose all of those are correct in some ways, but their near constant use of analogue equipment and found sounds tend to favor the science film soundtrack theory rather heavily. Anyway, you can buy their CDs online at Warp Records and download their stuff through iTunes, plus you will usually be able to find at least one of their discs at any decent music store.
I enjoy just about everything I've heard from them, but am particularly fond of their more ambient aural collages. This piece, "Corsair," is from their second full length album, 2002's "Geogaddi." It makes me think of the cold lavender light of dawn on the morning after that night in your life when everything changed and you knew things would never be the same again.
Boards of Canada -- Corsair
Matt K.
Wednesday March 15, 2006 -- 10:07 a.m.
Yes, really really busy again. I spent almost all day Friday and Saturday in Cincinnati attending a workshop on electronic reference services, then had to complete some practicum hours on Sunday and do an enormous amount of apartment cleaning since things were starting to slip a bit (and if there is anything I simply cannot abide, it is an untidy apartment), and then it was back to the grind with a full day at the practicum Monday, a free preview of "V for Vendetta" Monday evening, and back to Columbus on Tuesday for work at the comic store and my evening class. It was all a bit too much, really, and I will be so deliriously happy when this practicum and the attending database presentation project are completed. I think I might have to start a cocaine habit just to find something to occupy all the idle time I will have. Ha.
And all this time, I kept thinking of music that I wanted to post and share. I jotted down little lists and notes but never had the chance to post anything. So here, in one fell swoop, I will give you nearly a weeks worth of music. These are all tunes from my collection, but starting tomorrow I will have some fairly amazing stuff to share with you that comes courtesy of Ms. Stephanie W. and will soon have a home here in Ohio as well. It is quite exciting, and worth looking forward too.
I picked up the first UNKLE album, 1998's "Psyence Fiction," soon after its release. Wait, I think I need to backtrack slightly here. My parents had some wonderful and interesting musical tastes. Some of my fondest memories of childhood involve sitting on the bright blue shag carpeting of the living room and listening as my father spun all sorts of prog rock albums. There was a lot of Yes, Rick Wakeman, and Genesis as well as soundtracks to "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Star Wars." I was crazy for the synthesizer in all this music, and something about those electronic arcs and cries thrilled me absolutely to the soles of my feet. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" by Rick Wakeman and "Close to the Edge" and "Fragile" by Yes were my favorites and as soon as I was taught how to operate a turntable I played them incessantly, whether my parents were around or not. I guess I just didn't care so much about guitars or rock gods or even lyrics back then, I just wanted more and more and more of those crazy symphonic electronic sounds.
Back to 1998. I remember reading an article about UNKLE, DJ Shadow, and DJ Spooky in some magazine (it was almost certainly SPIN, not that it matters) and I was fascinated by what these new artists were doing with decidedly non-traditional sounds. Something about their fearless eclecticism really captivated my attention, so I went out and found "Psyence Fiction"...only to be incredibly disappointed. I guess I just wasn't at all ready for that kind of innovation, and I think a part of me was expecting some kind of homage to the bloated prog rock masterpieces of the 70s, crafted with cut-n-paste sounds, samples, electronic beats, and turntablism. Fortunately for me, UNKLE got a second chance while I was working at Half Price Books. As employees we were allowed to sign out and listen to any used CDs that came in to the store, we simply had to return them within 2 weeks. I know, this probably sounds great to you reading this, but when you consider that easily 99% of the music that came into the store through buys from the public was something along the lines of Britney Spears, new Aerosmith, and Garth Brooks, it wasn't all that great. The arrival of something like UNKLE was enough to set the whole staff buzzing and usually the employee lucky enough to be doing the buy would end up purchasing the CD for themselves. As you can guess, I was doing the buy that contained the UNKLE CD. Out of curiosity, I signed it out and listened to it again, 6 years later, curious to see whether my initial disappointment was warranted. Keep in mind that I was finally starting to learn much much more about music, connections, and sounds from my friend Bradley, so in a sense my musical education had finally begun. This time, UNKLE blew me right out of my socks. I couldn't believe I had ever been disappointed by "Psyence Fiction," and it quickly became one of my top 20 favorite albums. I was finally able to draw some of the connections I had been missing previously and see the music as a recontextualization of beats and sounds crafted as exquisitely as any prog rock symphony but closely allied to an entirely different aesthetic.
So, in 2005, I finally got around to picking up UNKLE's 2 disc special edition "Never, Never, Land." I knew that DJ Shadow had left and James Lavelle had ended up using a host of guests and fill-ins to complete his vision for the album, but I was still curious. While there are some interesting tracks, both CDs were (again) a disappointment to me, although I wonder if perhaps that may change for me in another 6 years. In any case, there was really only one truly standout track for me called "I Need Something Stronger." A pulsing drone of dueling synthesizer washes played by Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and the legendary Brian Eno, the piece begins with the distorted vocal sample "And I wrote my happy songs / Every child may joy to hear" from the introduction of William Blake's 1789 book of verse "Songs of Innocence." The song weaves in and out of wavelike patterns of sounds with ghostly recorded voices intoning the question "What's wrong?" over and over. Sampled dialogue from George Lucas' "THX 1138" chant things like "What's wrong? Nothing, nothing really. I just feel that I need something stronger," and "Take four red capsules. In ten minutes take two more. Help is on the way," and "If you have a problem, don't hesitate to ask for assistance." It is all marvelously ominous, antiseptic, chilling, and soothing at the same time. A narcotic sound that lulls the listener into a realm of honeyed nightmares and deadened senses. It makes me think of the cold clean whiteness and silver of medical instruments, masked and faceless scientists, colossal cities of steel, glass, and neon dying under sheets of gray acid rain, incurable viruses sweeping unchecked through the treeless hinterlands while the urban populations cower in fear and hedonism. A world with no green, only the colors of television static and the plastic of surveillance cameras. I worry about the future, and about science sometimes. I wonder what my friend Charley thinks of this? He is a science teacher. Alright, enough of that.
So here is the piece. You can download it from iTunes or probably pick it up at any music store.
UNKLE -- I Need Something Stronger
I will post more tunes at several points today, so check back.
Matt K.
Thursday March 9, 2006 -- 10:19 a.m.
As you can tell, I ended up being far busier with schoolwork than I thought, so I was unable to update with the promised MP3s until now. I do apologize, but here they are and I think you will enjoy them.
When I was younger, we used to go camping a lot. My parents started with something called a Portacabin and although we eventually moved up to a larger, more traditional trailer, my fondest memories were of the summer weekends we spent in that Portacabin at Pin Oak Lake Park. In fact, that was where I had my very first kiss, when I was 10 years old, with a girl named Lori. It was probably pretty hilarious.
We used to spend July 4th holidays there, and the owner of the campground, a round old man with a truculent disposition and a speech impediment whom we jokingly nicknamed Elmer Fudd, would attempt to set off all manner of fireworks from a field on a nearby hill. He was fairly successful, but his efforts were always augmented by other campers and their teenage children who would continue igniting what were almost certainly illegal fireworks deep into the night. These weren't just Roman candles or bottle rockets though, they were full-fledged starburst type fireworks. Pretty magnificent stuff to a young boy like me. Unfortunately, since I was such a little seed, my parents still enforced a curfew and I was expected to be in bed by midnight. I would lay in the little sleeping ledge of the Portacabin, unzip the canvas window cover so I could look out the screen, and watch the explosions in the sky. I would pretend I was watching some space battle unfold in the low atmosphere as ships from warring intergalactic empires vied for control of the Earth. And of course, the lights and sounds and thoughts would send me off to wonderful dreams.
This piece by Matmos, from their 2003 release "The Civil War," brings with it heady memories of those summer nights. Nothing lulls me to sleep more wonderfully than the deafening night chorus of locusts and cicadas and the warm midnight breezes. Throw in the far off sound of fireworks and you have a true nirvana. Enjoy "For the Trees (Return)" by Matmos.
Matmos -- For the Trees (Return)
I promised you two songs, and I deliver. I like pretty much everything about Four Tet, one of the several intriguing musical incarnations of Kieran Hebden. I was eagerly awaiting last year's new release "Everything Ecstatic" and my high expectations were exceeded on nearly every track. Again, in keeping with the theme of Zen-like peace and tranquility, let me close this entry with the almost-perfect "You Were There With Me." I suppose I could go on and on about what this song means to me, what thoughts it inspires, and how moving I find it, but that would just prejudice your own listenings. Right-click, save-as, listen, and let your mind wander.
Four Tet -- You Were There With Me
You can hear more Matmos MP3s on the Matador Records site, and you can also purchase or download them there. iTunes also has some stuff, as well as your local music store and some of the bigger chains.
You can hear more Four Tet MP3s on the discography page of his site, and you can purchase the CDs at Domino, download them at iTunes, or probably find them in any decent music store from your local joint and even Borders.
Comments on this entry, requests, or further musical recommendations? Email me and I'll share them with everyone else.
Matt K.
Tuesday March 7, 2006 -- 7:58 a.m.
I'll have a new MP3 for you all tonight. I have to go back to Columbus yet again for work and class as well as finish reading 4 chapters of the thrilling textbook Essential Reference Services for Today's School Media Specialists and e-mail a whole slew of details on my practicum project to the coordinator. I would kill for an hour off.
However, I did want to mention that several weeks ago I AGAIN received some amazing stuff in the mail from friends Dara Naraghi and Kyle Wallace and I have been remiss in updating this section to reflect that. Apologies to both Dara and Kyle and I will be taking care of that starting now.
Dara has finally risen to the challenge of crafting an excellent mix CD and busting out with a cover of his own. What I particular like about Dara's CD, beyond the title "Lifelike, Vol. 1" which fits perfectly, is how the titles of the songs almost flow together like a narrative. It is uncanny, and I think perhaps intentional. You can check out the cover and the track list in the music section, you can also check out Ferret Press, the crowning jewel in Dara's publishing empire, and finally you can read his very excellent web comic "Lifelike" which lends this mix CD its name.
That Dara is a talented guy. He does all this creative stuff, holds down a much-more-than-full-time tech job, has his own house, and finds time to spend with his lovely partner Wendy and her daughter Hanna. And I can barely find time to eat a sandwich. I gotta reorder my priorities or something.
Anyway, off to the highways of central Ohio. Check back later tonight (maybe around 10 pm or so) for a new MP3 from Matmos. And an update on Kyle tomorrow.
Matt K.
Monday March 6, 2006 -- 9:30 p.m.
Yesterday and today were so busy I barely had time to breathe. I've been in 3 cities, 3 libraries, 3 restaurants, and 2 apartments, all in the span of 32 hours. I am plum tuckered out. And this evening's musical selection will be a wonderful way to lay back, close my eyes, and let the cares of these two days dissipate.
Bryan Hollon makes music under the name Boom Bip, and while his earlier efforts may have come closer to the kind of beat-heavy hip hop sounds one might expect from that name, his latest album, 2005's "Blue Eyed in the Red Room" skirts much closer to other genres, flirting with electronic, ambient, and even folk sounds. It definitely took me several listens for the CD to finally sink in and find a home in my headmeats, but now that it has taken root I find myself listening to it surprisingly often. For this evening, I will share one of my favorite tracks, something I will be listening to quite often as I float off to the Land of Nod, called "One Eye Round the Warm Corner." 5 minutes and 10 seconds with an acoustic guitar, some lurking beats, and a frosting of synth sounds. Right-click, save-as, listen, and be at peace.
Boom Bip -- One Eye Round the Warm Corner
Comments on this entry, requests, or further musical recommendations? Email me and I'll share them with everyone else.
Matt K.
Sunday March 5, 2006 -- 9:31 a.m.
Good morning. First, I am most pleased to announce that I have finally completed work on page 3 of the newest issue of "Spudd 64." You can see the art here. Just scroll down to the "preview pages" section and look for the big bold "NEW!" and you shall see what I have wrought. This page has been a real 700 pound gorilla for me, and is probably the single biggest cause of the sluggish progress of this issue. Johnny turned in a wonderful script for me to draw, but I think perhaps he drastically overestimated my artistic skills. The script is full of challenges, calling upon me to visualize and draw things I have never attempted before. Page 3 was no exception. Johnny's script reads "Splash page. Big shot of Hafez, looking brave and heroic, gazing off into the distance. Behind him is a cheering mass of people." Piece of cake, right? I mean, sure, it is relatively easy to visualize something like that, but to take a pen and commit that image to paper in a manner that is both recognizable and still very firmly situated in the visual trappings of the Spudd 64 universe...well, the challenge seemed impossible. I drew and re-drew and re-re-drew endless thumbnails trying to find something I was happy with and felt I could pull off. In the end, while I realize the page is certainly not perfect, I am rather pleased.
First, I did the entire page myself. At first, I was looking at lots of other comics, trying to see how other artists created similar scenes. I was THIS CLOSE to pulling off some kind of swipe, but I just couldn't stomach it. Well, I must credit friend Steve Black with inadvertently providing the inspiration for the nimbus of light that surrounds Hafez. He sent me an image of a pet portrait he was working for a commission, a crowned dog, and he had a nimbus of light around the crown. As I was finishing my page, I realized there was not enough to emphasize the figure of Hafez so I sketched in the aura to see how it would look and it was just what I needed. Thanks Steve!
Second, I avoided asking Johnny for help in roughing out the page. It became more and more important for me to meet this artistic challenge and best it myself. In the end, after about 50 thumbnail sketches, I settled on a layout I liked and went to work. Yes, I know there are some problems. Some of the details are a bit dense, so parts of the page become a little muddy. The perspective is always off with me. The page could benefit from some gray tones or shading to differentiate the depth of field a little more. And maybe Hafez could even be a little larger or more proportionate. But in the end, the page came out a little better than I had hoped it would, so that is one big obstacle down. Anyway, as always, I would really appreciate your feedback and critique, especially if you see some areas I could improve on or skills I need to develop, so please e-mail me and let me know what you think, even if it is negative.
And I do have some music for you today too. I came across the artist Guitar on another MP3 blog. I believe it was Music (For Robots) but I am not certain as the entry is now gone. It has been difficult for me to find much information on Guitar other than to ascertain that Guitar is indeed a German named Michael Luckner. Apparently devoted to the sound of guitar strings, this piece is from his third release "Tokyo," the followup to 2002's "Sunkissed" and the earlier "Honeyski." On "Tokyo," he is assisted on several tracks by the achingly beautiful voice of Ayako Akashiba, although the majority of the album is instrumental. From Luckner's chosen name Guitar, it is reasonable to deduct that he is a bit obsessed with strings and that is borne out by the tunes on this album. Lovely shimmering layers of strings, both acoustic guitars and more traditional Japanese instruments like koto and pipa guitars, seamlessly blended with subtle electronic beats and ambient sounds make every cut on this release a delight. This track, "Sunday Afternoon at Tamagawa River" perfectly evokes the sunny summer days of my youth when I spent an inordinate amount of time in the woods, fields, and creeks behind my house marveling at the heat, the sounds of the birds and insects, and the endless variety of plants and trees I saw every day. Perhaps that was all a bit maudlin, I'm sorry, but check out the track and see for yourself.
Guitar -- Sunday Afternoon at Tamagawa River
I had a devilishly difficult time tracking down this CD. I was fortunate enough to find one copy at a an independent music store here in Columbus, so if you live near a bigger city with good music stores you might be able to find one there. It can be ordered online through the big retailers but there will probably be a delay of a week or too while they track it down for you. iTunes has "Sunkissed" available for download (which I plan on doing soon) but interesting enough, not "Tokyo." I'll be sharing another track or two from this CD in the future, so perhaps that will give you all the drive and the energy to do whatever it takes to track it down. "Sunday Afternoon at Tamagawa River" is easily my favorite track of the last year. I hope it brings you as much happiness as it has brought me.
Matt K.
Saturday March 4, 2006 -- 5:46 p.m.
While some would refer to Savath + Savalas as merely a Prefuse 73 side project, Scott Herren claims that is not the case. From his own web site, he states "If Prefuse was my best friend, then Savath + Savalas is my baby." 2004 saw the release of the "Manana" EP from Warp Records, a follow-up to the amazing "Apropa't" LP earlier that same year. While "Manana" seems to offer little more than rehashes of some of the same sounds Herren was working with on "Apropa't," it is looser and more experimental, allowing each piece to breathe and grow at an almost glacial pace. It is also nicely wrapped up in a rather sensual Maya Hayuk cover. I find a great deal to recommend both recordings.
This song, "Dema Vinura," is from the "Manana" EP and is elevated by the honey-sweet vocals of Eva Puyelo Muns. As you listen to this, you may detect what sounds like some slight distortion or fuzzing around the edges, but this is present on my copy of the CD as well. I strongly suspect that this is intentional given Herren's studio mastery, and actually warms up the sound as well as lends a distinctly lo-fi sheen to the entire affair.
As always, right-click, save-as, listen, and enjoy.
Savath + Savalas -- Dema Vinura
Comments on this entry, requests, or further musical recommendations? Email me and I'll share them with everyone else.
Matt K.
Friday March 3, 2006 -- 6:37 p.m.
Quannum Projects is just a fantastic record label. Mutating from its previous incarnation as Solesides, liberally assisted by DJ Shadow, the label continues to roll out track after track of amazing music. From hip hop like Blackalicious and Lyrics Born to pop-inflected electronics from General Elektriks and ApSci, their releases rarely disappoint. Today's number is a catchy tune from the Poets of Rhythm. "The Jaunt" is the sixth track on their 2001 release "Discern / Define" and should definitely get something moving on your body. What'll really flip your lid is that the Poets are two kids from Munich, Germany, who were introduced to funk by some school friends. Thank God for that. They went nuts, sucking up tons of records and honing their sound. Now they hammer out the garage funk (on real instruments, natch!) and do it to you in your earhole. Check it out, and love it like we all should. And if you like it, you can buy it from the Quannum Projects web site as well as any decent CD store, as well as download it on iTunes or a whole bunch of other places. It's not tough to find, so do yourself and favor and find it.
The Poets of Rhythm -- The Jaunt
Matt K.
Thursday March 2, 2006 -- 10:31 a.m.
See that special announcement above? Maybe you read it earlier and learned a little bit about how I'm basically just going to be following my own desires with my comic "Spudd 64" and making it into what I want, regardless of how others perceive it. Now we are on the verge of something, my friends. This very web site is in many ways an extension of that comic, and maybe even a little slice of me. So I thought to myself, why not do the same with my site? Make it whatever I want to make it? Stop worrying about who is visiting, what they think, what they want to see and what they don't want to see. Just be true to myself and let the chips fall where they may.
So there it is. And now, because I want to and I think it will be cool as all get out, I am going to start adding MP3s to the site just about every day. Oh, there will be some rules to govern this. I am not out to steal any money or any intellectual property from any artists or musicians, or any record labels either. I also don't want to pay any hefty fines or go to jail. I suppose there is a risk to this (there always seems to be) but based on what I've been seeing on some of the other MP3 blogs which I've been visiting and researching quite frequently, I think there is a place for this if it is done respectfully and responsibly. These rules and guidelines will be given a permanent home over there to the left of your screen, just under the "news archive" but always in view on the screen. But to kick things off right, here are my rules for posting MP3s, so please read them very carefully and follow along and we should all be safe from the avarice of the record labels and the long arm of the law.
RULE ONE: These MP3s are posted for evaluation purposes only, not to condone piracy.
RULE TWO: Each and every MP3 posted has been legally purchased (meaning PAID FOR) by me. You will do the same if you listen to the music and like it.
RULE THREE: Each and every MP3 will remain active for no longer than 7 days and then removed. If you miss it, you lose it.
RULE FOUR: Any MP3 will be removed immediately if the artist, label, or owner requests.
RULE FIVE: Please, absolutely no direct linking to these MP3s. You will really mess up my site, and you don't want that do you?
RULE SIX: Support these artists. If you like what you hear, pay cash for their songs. That is the only way we will be able to keep listening to their art.
There ya go. Mind the rules and we should all be okay. I am really excited about this new dimension of the site, and I hope that it turns into a way for me and all of you to share music, hype the artists we are really excited about, and maybe even do a little bit to add to their sales. I know there is a lot of contradictory rhetoric being pumped out by record labels and artists about so-called piracy, but if you are like me and the overwhelming majority of my friends and acquaintances, downloading and listening to a free MP3 always results in either the legal purchase of the album (if you like what you hear) or the deletion of the MP3 file (if it wasn't to your taste). And I hope that is what you all do with what I am able to share with you here.
Finally, my taste in music is somewhat scattershot. While I listen to a pretty wide variety of things, unfortunately I am not always able to dig as deeply as I would like into a particular genre. There will probably end up being a lot of hip hop and hip hop instrumentals, electronic music, ambient, prog rock, and basically anything else that I happen to be listening to or enjoying at the time. Think of this as a primer only, and if you out there have anything at all you would like to share musically...from tips to playlists to recommendations to information to MP3s to comments and finally to critiques...then please email me and I will post them (if that's cool with you) or at the very least learn from them.
Now, on to the music...
As always, it has to begin with Bradley W. I've mentioned before how I came to know Bradley during the time I spent working at Half Price Books on Bethel Road, affectionately known to the staff as store #040. Bradley was rather quiet, always impeccably polite and considerate, and somewhat shy it seemed. I'm not certain how it came about, but on one shift he and I ended up talking about music in that sort of half-nervous way where you want to really open up but don't yet know the other person well enough to risk possibly offending them or, even worse, coming across like a self-important poseur. We discovered that we shared similar interests in both Brian Eno and ambient music as well as hip hop. My hip hop days were primarily in the past and I had not listened to much since endlessly repeating cassettes of Dana Dane, Kwame the Boy Genius, Slick Rick, and the occasionally Ice Cube while I played the Super Nintendo with my brothers Josh and Zach and their friend Donnie in our old house on Milan Avenue. Bradley had come upon hip hop by different paths and had really researched the aesthetics and the history of the culture, so he was already an able journeyman in the Four Elements. The conversation ended pleasantly, and while I looked forward to future dialogues about music, nothing could have prepared me for what Bradley would do next.
The next time we worked together, Bradley told me there was something for me on my stash. (The stash is a shelf in the employee breakroom where we could leave our stuff or put books on hold for later purchases). I quickly darted to the back of the store and there, on my stash, was a mix CD that Bradley had put together for me. The playlist was impressive and utterly unfamiliar to me. There was Murs, Little Brother, E-40, Aceyalone, and way more. It was so unexpectedly generous and cool. That CD opened the floodgates, and since then Bradley has shared hours and hours and hours of music with me, from hip hop to metal to punk to experimental, and his generosity has never ceased. Bradley's knowledge, kindness, and genuine passion for music irrevocably changed the way I look at everything from genres to aesthetics to journalism to the fine art of making mixes. He inspired me to make mixes of my own for the first time since high school, and I still feel like everything I do, and every "Iron Galaxy" compilation I make, is a pale attempt compared to his skills. Nonetheless, his friendship and presence has had a monumental impact on me, so this first entry in the MP3 series is dedicated to Bradley Watson.
First up is a tune from that first mix CD that Bradley gave me all those months ago. I had never heard of the North Carolina hip hop trio Little Brother until Brad dropped them on me, but it was like a cool drink of water after a long trek through the desert. Their breezy delivery, Pete Rock-like beats and soundscapes, and rock solid production (courtesy of 9th Wonder) spun me around 360 degrees. Framed up by the skit-like voice over from stewardess Simone, the song begins with a warm and drowsy liftoff into the heady aether above. What a trip. Believe it or not, I listened to A LOT of Little Brother while I was drawing my Six Archons for the "Panel: MYTH" anthology. It was sort of like the unofficial soundtrack.
Little Brother -- Altitudes (Flyin' High)
Posting this next piece is, for me, a bit of an homage to Bradley. When I asked him who his favorite MC was, without hesitation he answered Rakim. Since then, I have seen that name at the top of nearly every list of the best MCs. There is not much I can write here about Eric B. and Rakim that has not been articulately more skillfully and with more credibility by dozens of others before. Eric B.'s beats are as visceral as ever, and Rakim's flow is amazing, lethal, murderous, and still somehow introspective and somewhat reticent. Their cut "Follow the Leader" is my anthem in terms of my own personal journey through music, always following Bradley. So Watson, for you, for me, and for the rest of the world, Eric B. & Rakim STILL tearing it up.
Eric B. and Rakim -- Follow the Leader
Right click, save as, and listen to. Enjoy the tunes. Support the artists. And if you have any comments, email me and I'll post them.
Matt K.