In the past I've done a book/song list where i pair up a book I'm currently enjoying with an appropriate song. This time around I think I'll just make a list of books on my mind at the moment.
Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means by William Vollmann
This book took Vollmann twenty years to write, but it was well worth the wait. RURD is a 7 Volume treatise on the nature of violence. I pick a copy of Vol I and II at the library (the boxset is out of print and about $600), but he also published a much condensed version of the text for easier access. It's currently on Amazon for 7 dollars, which is about a penny a page - pretty good deal.
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano
Bolano spent the last decade of his life slowly dying of kidney failure. During that time (the 1990's) he wrote the bulk of his work, including his most widely read and arguably best work of fiction, The Savage Detectives. It tells the oral history of two Spanish literary Quixotes in search of a lost poet. The book is full of youth, humor, and freedom. Thanks to his suburb translator, all his works are now available in English.
The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth
The Ghost Writer marks the beginning of Roth's decade long Zuckerman Bound Trilogy. It's a great starting point for anyone unfamiliar with Roth's massive catalogue of fiction. Nathan Zuckerman is an alter ego to Philip Roth, and shows up in many of his best works, including American Pastoral and The Human Stain. At under 200 pages, The Ghost Writer is a great weekend read.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Easily one of the greatest living authors, McCarthy is currently in a Renaissance of sorts (not that he ever had a low period). In 1985, Blood Meridian was McCarthy's fifth novel and it's initial reception was mild from both critics and readers; however, it is now known as his masterpiece and the beginning of his time as a household name. Meridian is a dark and brutal tale of Indian hunters in the border towns of Mexico in the mid 19th century. It reads like a Western-Horror story written by Milton. If they ever need someone to rewrite the Old Testament, Cormac McCarthy would be the first choice for the job.
Das Kapital by Karl Marx
It's unfortunate that the name Marx strikes people with such visceral reactions. Especially since most people have never read the work they are hardwired to hate. The Communist Manifesto is a quick, passionate, drunken treatise that caused a chain reaction that no one could have expected. I don't really have much interest in it; however, Captial has so far (I'm just diving into it) proved to be a pretty dynamic economic education. I have Adam Smith's Wealth of the Nations cued up right after, so I should have two sides of the same coin pretty well examined by the time I'm done.
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen
Edgar J Watson is a complicated man, and that's what drew Matthiessen towards him thirty years ago. Set in Southwest Florida during the late 19th century, Shadow Country is a retelling of Matthiessen's trilogy on the semi-historical outlaw and murderer, EJ Watson. The sort of folks who would choose the isolated existence of the undeveloped Everglades marshland during that time, come to life under the command of Mattheissen's writing. Those who read the trilogy probably don't have much reason to go back, but to new comers like myself Shadow Country has been a great journey.
Although I wish I put these mixes out more frequently, I'm still pretty happy to have made it to Episode #8. Seven is supposed to be the perfect number, but I always thought 8 had the most going for it. Two of my favorite albums came to mind when I was trying to name this thing. The first being Interstate 8 (an early Modest Mouse record and song) and the other being Figure 8 (by Elliott Smith). I went with the former but used the concept of a Figure 8 with the Philip Glass bookend - so it should play on loop pretty well. Enjoy!
As I'm sure you all know, Polaroid has shut down their production of analog Instant Film. Since that announcement, film lovers around the world have been looking for a hero to rescue this sacred format. Well, will a little luck The Impossible Project may be that savior. The name doesn't sound too promising, but their mission does.
Here's their mission:
Impossible b.v. has been founded with the concrete aim to re-invent and re-start production of analog INTEGRAL FILM for vintage Polaroid cameras.
Therefore Impossible b.v. has acquired the complete film production equipment in Enschede (NL) from Polaroid, has signed a 10-year lease agreement on the factory building; and has engaged the most experienced team of Integral Film experts worldwide.
The Impossible mission is NOT to re-build Polaroid Integral film but (with the help of strategic partners) to develop a new product with new characteristics, consisting of new optimised components, produced with a streamlined modern setup. An innovative and fresh analog material, sold under a new brand name that perfectly will match the global re-positioning of Integral Films.
Somehow I was in the dark about Tom Ford directing his first feature. This 2 minute trailer for A Single Man, based on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwod, looks beautiful and mysterious. One thing is for certain, the wardrobe with be impeccable! The film depicts 24 hrs in the life of an Englishman visiting LA, who's lover Jim has died.
September 14th, 2009 Posted by Dave Cantor · No Comments
The discussion touching upon the dichotomy of Elvin Jones and Rashied Ali, who just passed away on August 12th, in the various Coltrane ensembles of the ‘60s doesn’t have a natural end. And in effect, the two were so stylistically removed from each other that the debate about whose playing better fit Coltrane’s is pretty much moot. Both possessed a unique acumen behind the set as each was able to fit their bosses playing for a time.
Elvin Jones, though, might be a better known figure in general – despite the fact that Ali went on to perform with a huge list of folks including Thurston Moore for a few odd dates. After working on Coltrane’s early sixties output, this drummer, who eventually figured he wasn’t any longer the proper foil to the sax players increasingly disjointed fair, struck out on his own. Leading groups comprised of folks that are/were already legends as well as assembling some combos comprised of players that were just making a name for themselves, Jones began exploring music beyond acoustic jazz.
As the ‘70s dawned, with funk and soul making its impact on jazz, Jones found himself attempting to incorporate those elements into his work. Maintaining a brisk recording schedule, Jones put together ensembles, recorded and very frequently found himself amongst a new crop of players for his next session. The 1976 album Main Force and its ‘77 follow up, Time Capsule, for instance, only share a single performer in common. Despite the revolving door, though, Jones and company were able to concoct a set (mostly comprised by tunes written by alto sax player Bunky Green) that made use of jazz, funk and even a bit of what would become smooth jazz courtesy of soprano saxophonist Frank Foster.
There are those moments when a listener must wonder why? Parts of “Digital Display” prompt that thinking, but during brief passages on that offering, the band swings so hard it almost doesn’t matter. Elsewhere, though, the polyglot percussionist helps his band pull of some stringently devised compositions – the title track most noticeably.
But where there’s a Coltrane band alumni, there’s sure to be a grip of interesting work with the album’s closer, “Spacing,” providing such moments. The broadest drum solo is provided here as well as bringing to a close an album the found Jones achieving what he wanted with a group of performers that would, at some point, sit in with the drummer again. Time Capsule isn’t the highlight of Jones’ catalog, but it’s a telling piece of history from the decade after Coltrane changed the genre.
September 8th, 2009 Posted by Dave Cantor · No Comments
The life of rappers, who at one time had to sell tapes outta trunks, has been irrevocably changed by the digitized America. That’s not a new and novel concept at this late date, but what is becoming more and clearer is that if you can do it on the internets, you can do it in front of a real crowd – for the most part. So regardless of what one might think of Asher Roth (or the fact that his face was on pretty much every bus stop in Los Angeles during the beginning of the summer), he illustrates the point pretty well.
But there are legions of folks out there doing the same thing – they just don’t all happen to be from Pennsylvania and enrolled in a bachelor’s program. Regardless, QuESt has been at it, following roughly the same path as some other digital phenoms for what’s gotta seem like years. The Florida based emcee aligned himself with the iLLRoots crew and producer/web-wrangler Mike Waxx. The relationship has yielded a series of mix tapes that have been mostly positively received by the (pretend) internet press. But a scant few months after the release of his last project, QuESt returns with Broken Headphones.
The rapper’s love of all things D.A.I.S.Y. Age is well documented at this point – but this newest release seems a bit detached from that. The production is probably what separates Broken Headphones from not just QuESt’s idols, but his back catalog. It’s an updated sound given the ‘90s style production that Distant Travels Into Soul Theory sported. That’s not meant to figure that the beats here are lackluster – just different.
But much in the same way that Distant Travels Into Soul Theory dealt with the travails of relationships – one specifically – this new release seems to do much the same thing. It’s an odd corner for a rapper to find himself in when he so clearly finds merit in some of the more cerebrally powerful emcees of that bygone (‘90s) era. QuESt surely isn’t done. There isn’t even a proper album under his belt as of yet. If he wants to get there, though, his rhyme book needs to hold a bit more than songs about ladies no matter how beautiful each might be.
All great art has it. You may not be able to grab hold of it, but you know when it's there. Whether it be a cross-cut in a film, a touch of yellow in a painting or a hanging note in a song, all great art carries with it a hidden x-factor that won't allow itself to be pinned down. I generally end up calling this quality "heart," and I think that's a good enough name for it as any. Does the work have "heart?" Has it been created with and channelled by a drive, talent, desire and honesty that allows it to transcend its plot, subject or medium? All bad art is honest, so we definitely can't forget "talent" in that list of attributes.
Pulp Fiction is a film with an x-factor. It's better than the sum of it's parts. If all the parts got on a scale and weighed 170 pounds, the completed film would weigh 185. There's 15 pounds of x-factor to deal with in Pulp Fiction, and because of that it may forever be Quentin's finest creation.
Fast-forward fifteen years. While nothing in the Tarantino canon has touched Pulp Fiction, a handful of incredible, joyous, and virtuoso films now fills his catalogue - most notably his two part revenge epic Kill Bill. The exploits have been there since the beginning; however, Jackie Brown really started his shift into exploitation as the product. This went into hyper-overdrive with Kill Bill's bloody pastiche of Kung-Fu and Manga, and almost off the rails with the double feature Grindhouse. Instead of playing with the conventions of genre and exploit in his films, Tarantino became determined to perfect the art form of exploitation itself.
Finally we come to Inglorious Basterds. The first thing I can tell you is that I had a smile on my face for the entire 153 minutes. Didn't think I'd ever laugh through a scalping, but there I was. Tarantino is committed to making the art form he loves a wondrous and magical experience. It's present in every line of dialogue, camera pan, reveal and bloodletting. In that regard Inglorious Basterds is a masterpiece. The question is, does it have that x-factor? I'm going to have to say no. His commitment to the genre leaves no room for anything else. There's a heart there, but it's latched onto the genre, and I'm not sure where to place that.
I loved Inglorious Basterds and all it's twists, turns and carnage. I think it was a glorious return for the filmmaker, and I can't wait to take the ride again. I do however hope that at some point he gets his x-factor back.
This mixtape is about two months old, and since music now moves at the speed of light - these songs are almost classic rock by now. For some reason it never felt quite ready, but it's now or never so I'm calling this The Lost Mixtape. It was originally going to be called "Schizophrenia is taking me home" after a great Sonic Youth song, because it felt really scattered, but we'll stick with the new title.
Same deal - go here to download the mix. I also have it up at Sound Cloud, which allows you to repost the recording and stream directly from there (if anyone is so inclined).
August 11th, 2009 Posted by Dave Cantor · No Comments
John Dwyer is a monster. In a good way. The amount of music that he’s had a hand in over the last decade is well beyond most other figures currently mucking about in the underground music world. From his work in Coachwhips to his relatively new ensemble Thee Oh Sees, Dwyer’s adept amalgam of scuzz, garage, noise and pop makes for not only an interesting assemblage of sounds, but some good records as well. And on the heels of the In the Records’ release of Help from earlier this year comes a collection of demos and some weirdo downer, home recordings in the form of Zork’s Tape Bruise.
The fact that Zork is partially comprised of work recently released in proper form shouldn’t deter the devoted. Each take on the six tracks from Help (Rainbow, Enemy Destruct, Ruby Go Home, A Flag Unfurled, Can You See?, Soda St. #1, Destroyed Fortress Reappears) are not only unique when compared to the album versions, but also only make up about a quarter of the disc. The pop side of Thee Oh Sees seems to be better represented in these versions – the slower pacing of each track begging for the Dwyer and Brigid Dawson to take time to harmonize and the like.
“You Are in My Glass,” which finds Dawson taking the lead on vocals is a folksy traipse through pop with a flute prominently figured as a solo instrument and still maintains the same slow pacing as those aforementioned retreads. The echo that so frequently accompanies work from Thee Oh Sees remains a constant, but seeing as the track is comprised of only two guitar chords and Dawson’s voice, this seems like a completely different group – that’s still an endorsement.
Even with that approach taking over a good deal of this odds and sods disc, the more shambolic side of the group is still present. “Untitled Byt Substantial” moves back to a recognizable Oh Sees’ pace and buries the vocals behind some whizzing noise and constant quarter note drumming. It’s not the highlight of the disc or the band’s ever ballooning catalog, but it probably beats out a good deal of whatever your local garage band is cranking out.
The ups and downs of Zork’s Tape Bruisearen’t going to entice the passing fan even if the stomp propelling “Hey, Conflicted Men” is undeniable. And seeing as the initial vinyl pressing has come and gone, hunting this down might be difficult anyway. It’s most assuredly worth a shot, though.
