We have all succumbed to the exquisite resonance of divine melody and rhythm and we have each revelled in its poignant effects. There is an undeniable calmness when smooth sinuous vocals meld with graceful ensemble, a benign comfort if you will. An equally powerful and supposed opposite coexists. Discordant beats that follow no recognisable outline force a mental agitation. Hesitant underlying noise provides an aural battering that the brain endeavours yet ultimately fails to interpret. Now envisage a faultless amalgamation of these two dissimilar themes, an oxymoronic proposition?
I was introduced to a mix tape entitled “Listen with Xela” in August 2004. Xela, also known as John Twells, may be likened to the electronic masterminds Four Tet and Fennesz. Boomkat, an English independent music specialist issued this album as part of their ongoing mix collection, garnished as follows:
“An out of focus world of modified symphonies, alien soundtracks and smokey jazz basements […] - for late night loveliness, the selection just doesn’t get any better……or more inspired.”
This was my first experience of “dissonant euphony”. I had discovered music that could utterly horrify me before effortlessly bringing me to serenity. “Listen with Xela” merges the fear of the night with the wonder of the stars and remains an unsurpassed midnight soundtrack.
Time to say so long, it won’t be too long. Good Night
- 1.edward artemiev - solaris part i (bach) (toei music)
- 2.carbon framework - krane (unreleased)
- 3.night of the living dead OST - driveway to the cemetary (varese saraband)
- 4.goblin - jane mirror theme (dagored)
- 5.goodiepal - flap nipper main (skipp)
- 6.midaircondo - serenade (type)
- 7.kenji kawai - the ring (pony canyon)
- 8.julee cruise - up in flames (warner bros.)
- 9.max richter - iconography (fatcat)
- 10.angelo badelamenti - generique : marcello (philips)
- 11.susanna and the magical orchestra - sweet devil (rune grammofon)
- 12.doris day - time to say goodnight
- 13.philip jeck - wholesome (touch)
- 14.akira rabelais - buciumeana (ritornell)
- 15.angelo badalamenti - mulholland drive (milan)
- 16.signer - night is blurred (involve/carpark)
- 17.julien neto - one (type)
- 18.svarte greiner - radar sound (unreleased)
- 19.fennesz - transit (with david sylvian) (touch)
- 20.carter burwell - fargo, north dakota (tvt)
- 21.susumu yokota - lapus lazuli (leaf)
- 22.john carpenter - dark star (varese)
- 23.porn sword tobacco - pinkys (city centre offices)
- 24.cocteau twins - otterley (4ad)
- 25.david lynch and peter ivers - in heaven (lady in the radiator song) (IRS)
- 26.goldmund - solaris part i. (bach) (unreleased)
I dearly wish for this to come back into print.
Labels: Dissonant Euphony, Eerie
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Much like in the discovery of the decaying Victorian-life films of Mitchell and Kenyon, came the unearthing of a series of experimental sounds by Halim El-Dabh recorded through 1944 to 1959. The particular electronic concoction responsible for my wide eyed grin is the “Wire Recorder Piece” (1944), a two minute paranormal head-fuck (to be frank) that predates the first known ‘techno’ track by two years, this is the track available above. A surmise of the ghostly atmosphere seems futile; it is the soundtrack of an asylum; echoes of lost voices rebound from cold sterile surfaces as if evoked by the dead. Indiana Jones has unveiled the holy grail of noise; it is ghastly and awe-inspiring.
A collection of these old tapes were released under the misguiding upbeat moniker of “Crossing into the Magnetic Electronic”. The first nine tracks continue in the same vein as the recorder piece – an exploration of the institute if you will. “Michael and the dragon” passes an operating theatre testing a new electro-shock-therapy procedure – a deathly wail is detained by the reverberations of alternating current that charges and condemns; “Meditation in White Sound” sees a padded cell and straight jacket, a drugged out invalid reeling from whatever it is he is reeling from. “Pirouette” sees a rusted wheeled bed pass us complete with restraining cuffs and stained sheets. The tall murky windows, high ceilings and smell of disinfectant are all too apparent in “Element, Being and Primeval”. To say that I am painting a picture too bleak is to say that medical holes in the trenches of The Great War lacked hygiene. “Electronics and the word” is our final therapy session with the doctor before “Venice” sees our brief epiphany.Labels: Avant-Garde, Eerie, Pre-1950
Volume 4 is the latest in the Anthology of Noise compilations, a series that reveals and narrates the hidden tale of an ambiguous Noise genre. This time it boasts a history of noise that can be traced back as far as 1937, a certain track by Olivier Messiaen, a haunting seven minute Oraison performed by the Ensemble d’Ondes Martenot de Montréal. This collection is significant for this track alone; to listen to the sounds of a magical long lost experiment is humbling; for it would be decades before Messiaen’s piece found itself a home alongside the Basinski-like electronic soundscape compositions of what is now the 21st century. The usual comment “ahead of its time” would not do it justice, this is motor cars in the time of chariots, this is the Wizard of Oz in full motion picture colour before the advent of film.
You can find this track on the "Early Gurus of Electronic Music" compilation that I also recommend.Labels: Avant-Garde, Eerie, Pre-1950
Joanna Newsom's latest album "Ys" is currently doing the rounds on my foobar whilst being widely praised throughout the indie and alternative music scene. At the moment "Emily" is my favourite but that will likely change with time. To celebrate here's a live performance of my favourite track from her debut, "Milk Eyed Mender" and it's called "Clam Crab Cockle Cowrie". This was performed in Japan in October of last year.
Time for a trip down nostalgia lane, here comes Alan Silvestri's main title to the classic 80s film "Flight of the Navigator". I get some strange kick seeing that dog catch the frisbee as the music starts up and the movie begins.
Max: I crashed into electrical towers and my star charts were erased. I need the ones in your head to complete my mission. David: So you need ME and my inferior brain to fly that thing? Max: Correction, I need the superior information in your inferior brain to fly this... thing.
See ya later, Navigator!
Labels: MP3, Soundtrack
Continuing the Todd Solondz theme, here is the catchy tune from Welcome to the Dollhouse, a film I happen to have an original theatrical poster for. The track is by Rey and Wisoff.
Labels: MP3, Soundtrack
From the unreleased and unplanned soundtrack to Todd Solondz's Palindromes comes the childlike innocent 'la la la' theme from Nathan Larson. For more of Nathan's work I recommend his website where he claims to make "music to order" and this track is available for download for free. In Nathan's own words:
I got to rip off the ROSEMARY’S BABY soundtrack, collaborated again with my wife Nina, always a pleasure; plus it was the first feature I did almost entirely on the laptop with which I write you now, at the now defunct Globe Studios, overlooking the Meat Packing District in New York City in it’s final days. Once a strange, nasty, and wonderful area, it’s now one big high-end designer outlet mall like everything else. Anyhoo, PALINDROMES has been very well recieved at the usual round of festivals, and apparently it’s been sold, thank God, as Todd paid for it himself , thus risking total financial annihialtion. Balls.Labels: MP3
El Perro del Mar is the band of singer/songwriter Sarah Assbring from Gothenburg, Sweden. She describes her project as "the name of the music that I had been dreaming of and planning on making for a long time." Her style is very reminiscent of 60's French pop; relaxed, care-free music and sombre yet child-like vocals.
This track is entitled "It's all good" and is available free from Last.fm (where this is streamed from).
What the heck; this is a track from the 1998 Hindi film "Dil Se" or in English "From the Heart". Chaiyya Chaiyya, Shahrukh Khan, Malaika Arora and a dancing troupe are choreographed dancing on top of a moving train. The group did not wear safety harnesses during this scene. I discovered this song after watching Spike Lee's "Inside Man" (a recommendation) in which it is played during the intro and once more at the credits. It's quite a catchy little number and seems to be growing in popularity in the western world.
Devil Got My Woman, performed by Skip James in 1966 at Newport. This is not concert footage from Newport. Alan Lomax recreated a juke joint at Newport, stocked the bar, and let nature take its course.
Another of the gems I discovered via the Ghost World soundtrack. Truly a mind bending track and this footage is stunning.
to stream track