Last X records you bought, 4th quarter 2003

and during lunch when i went to buy some indoor sport shoes i had to hide from rain & thunder and there, suddenly, i saw a music store! so:

mc5 - 'kick out the jams' [cd]
motorpsycho + jaga jazzist horns - in the fishtank [cd]

Murcof - "Ulysses"
Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance
IAM - Revoir un printemps
Ladytron - Softcore Jukebox

Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland

Ex Models, Zoo Psychology
State Property, The Chain Gang, vol 2

After two listens, I'm unhappy, though they're always hard to get initially. Overall, the energy level seems low. The drumming is much less inventive than in the past, and there's a dreary (and surprisingly faithful) version of "Lay Lady Lay" which hopefully won't be on the CD.

Gripe #2 is that the art and packaging don't live up to past examples. Overall it finally feels like the band isn't progressing, though I'm amazed that they managed four albums before that happened. It's not a disaster, and I may like it more down the road, but it's not what I'd hoped for.

Due to hurricane conditions in the east coast of Canada, today's releases didn't make it to some stores in Newfoundland (like the Ludacris or the Kid Koala). boo to the hurricane.
Also didn't see the new Do Make Say Think anywhere, but not sure if that's hurricane related or not.

listened to the new ladybug transistor, they got lucky with albermarle sound.

plus i just pre-ordered the second Rubble Box

frank lowe/rashied ali- duo exchange
ornette coleman- science fiction LP

Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Tom Waits - Farnk's Wild Years
Elbow - Asleep in the Back
Delgados - Hate
Chore - Coastaline Fire
A Silver Mt. blah blah (new one)
Gathering - How to Maeasure a Planet? 2CD
Pulp - We Love Life
Oasis - What's the Story...(recently stolen, not too saddened)
This Mortal Coil - Blood

new cd:
Prefuse 73 - "One Word Extinguisher"

used cd:
Alex Von Schlippenbach Trio - "Pakistani Pomade" (reissue)

Radio 4 - Gotham
Filter - The Amalgamut
The Frank and Walters - Trains, Boats and Planes
Headswim - Flood
Enon - Hocus-Pocus
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
Yes - Relayer (the new Rhino remaster)
Poster Children - Daisychain Reaction
Censurados - Confusão
Our Lady Peace - Gravity
Moonspell - The Antidote
Jane's Addiction - Strays

Afro-Cuban covers of Arabic songs, some unfamiliar, some very famliar to me. It's better than it deserves to be considering what a premeditated and staged sort of fusion it is. I will have to listen to the originals again, since I thought at least one of them was a tango (in the original). I don't know whether or not it's easier to go from a tango to son than or from an Arabic song to a son.

Asmahan is probably dancing in her grave, a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Joseph Ayoub: The Festival of Lebanese Music and Arabic Dabke Vol. 1.

I'd like more Lebanese folks music, and more Arabic instrumental music.

Alice Coltrane - Ptah the El Daoud
Six Organs of Admittance - Dark Noontide
Sonny Sharrock - Ask the Ages
Archie Shepp - Attica Blues
The Shangri-La's - Best Of (Mercury Years)
Scott Walker - Scott, Scott 3, Tilt
Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels - Rev Up!
Faust - Faust / So Far
Can - Unlimited Edition
V/A - Acid Daze
Joe Meek - The Alchemist of Pop

I am not going to buy any more CDs* until my VISA bill is caught up. That's for real for real, this time. After that, I'm going to cut back so I can start saving more for bigger things. Maybe one or two a month.

Also music-related, I just got A. J.** Racy's new book Making Music in the Arab World: The Culture and Artistry of Tarab

Racy is also a pretty good musician, not just an ethnomusicologist/barely-tolerable-musician. I liked a CD he did with Simon Shaheen, despite being skeptical of both of them, after hearing other recordings by each. I've also seen them perform in Brooklyn, which I seem to remember as being good, though I hardly remember the details now.

*(not counting the three that come with the Music of Bahrain book I ordered a couple weeks back, which I'm probably not going to ever see anyhow, since it seems to have been printed in a very small edition)

**That's "Ali Jihad." I wonder if he is going by "A.J." now since it's probably more marketable in the west than having "Jihad" for one's middle name.

aksak maboul - un peu de l'ame des bandits (upgrading to cd, honeymoon killers bonus track is great, who has their album?)
Ami Yoshida - Tiger Thrush
Kaija Saariaho - 6 Japanese Gardens / 3 Rivieres Delta (yawn)
Helmut Lachenmann - Schwankungen am Rand (!!!, !!, !!!!)
Roland Kayn - works for orchestra & ensemble 1957-1974
Michael McNabb - Computer Music
Luc Ferrari - Acoustmatrix 3 Electronic Works
Mike Oldfield - Balm for the Walking Dead (rarities bootleg)

what's this like?

it's not what I expected; some of the instrumentalists actually play notes, on occasion. it's great though. the first thing I'd heard was Gran Torso for string quartet. one of his early goals was live acoustic concrete music, and that's Gran Torso all over, pitchless micro-sounds, intricately interrelated, very quiet and intense. that one would probably make a better first impression, it's the most extreme. but Kairos just put out a bunch of his stuff, so I'm checking that out next.

also just bought:

Heiner Goebbels - Eislermaterial

So, it's more than ten.

Haha so I thought I had all the Bowie I wanted. Somebody sold back ALL those recent Bowie reissues cuz the guy heard they're coming out on SACD. The second I heard "Queen Bitch" I realized I NEED MORE BOWIE.

Damn "Queen Bitch" is great.

I got the ReR mailout today, read the preorder announcement and got all lightheaded.

TOO MUCH MONEY SPENT ON MUSIC :(

Considering the Soul Jazz Britfunk one, 600% Dynamite and the Jehst album.

John Cage: Empty words live 2 CD set on sale!!!

that empty words set is probably the Italian recording that ends in the riot, right? it's a lot of fun.

How are the Kites & Wolf Eyes things?

uhm

-- Jens (wimpshak...), November 26th, 2003.

wow.