Poem: Data In Flames
The platform is more important
than the people; structural integrity
suddenly strangely malleable,
now data inflames emotions.
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Daniel Davies: Signals
Daniel Davies
Signals
Sacred Bones
Daniel Davies is the godson of John Carpenter. And along with Carpenter’s son Cody, they have formed the backbone of a live touring entity that has taken Carpenter’s music to live performance theatres – rather than just the recorded version in movie theatres; they’re behind the Lost Themes series of albums, running to three volumes now – and also the recent Anthology of re-records, and the trio of John, Daniel and Cody have worked on the two recent Halloween movie scores.
In and around that, Davies is creating music for film and as a non-score solo project – and Signals is his debut full-lengther, a beautiful alignment of synths and guitars which the multi-instrumentalist created in tribute to the artwork. In some sense, the music here works as a score for the installations of mixed-media visual artist, Jesse Draxler. Read More
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Poem: Out Living / Us All
So many Warren Zevon songs are here in my heart,
I’ve kept them there a while. Sha la-la, la la…
The lines that drip with irony and cynicism still
sting with so much heart. That was the hardest – and
toughest – part in understanding his brand of madness.
He knew, more than so many of us, the truth. That’s why
he was always running. And just when he stopped, when
he calmed himself down, karma came calling and took
what it earned. It had had him in its sights for a while.
Sha la-la, la la… So many songs. So many goddamned
beautiful songs. I’ll keep them where they belong for
a little while longer. Those songs will outlive us all.
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Yann Tiersen: Kerber
Yann Tiersen
Kerber
Mute
Yann Tiersen might be one of the most successful film composers without ever actually being a film composer. The French musician makes piano-based albums that reach out to tranquility, take a wee trimming and propagate new minimalist seedlings. But tracks from his first three albums were compiled to form the spine of one of the most mainstream-successful French films of modern times – Amélie.
Since then, he’s written for orchestra and smaller ensemble, adding electronic textures and also retreating to pure, solo albums with minimal orchestrations. Read More
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Taking Novelty Songs Seriously
Wikipedia tells me that a novelty song is “a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect”. I guess that’s pretty much what I would have said if someone asked me to define a novelty song – but let’s at least take Wiki’s word for it.
A few years ago I bought a double-CD of 50 novelty songs. I don’t remember ever listening to it. Couldn’t do it. But, more recently, I found volume four of Dr Demento presents: The Greatest Novelty Records of All Time. It deals with the 1970s and features a few, er, gems. Read More
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Short Story: Spelling It Out
Advances in science and medicine have meant we can now predict the life expectancy – we can know how long everyone will live. We know if the life will be cut short. Everyone is given a medical passport when they turn 10. It is stamped with an expiration date. The last six months of anyone’s life is clear. And, as a result, society is a whole lot nicer. People are kind to each other because everyone can know when anyone is going to die. Suddenly it’s also clear that everyone has the same struggles they’re working through: Life.
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Poem: The Fading Lights
Another life might have been different,
the fading lights can never signal that.
Another world is there inside this one.
The lights won’t fade again. They’ll
flicker, signal of something new.
Something good, something not quite true.
Another life is like another TV show.
You won’t get through it all – but
there’s no harm in starting a few episodes.
You can do it remotely. You can
be in control. Another world won’t
wait for you, its lights will fade from view.
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Frank Kimbrough: Ancestors
Frank Kimbrough
Ancestors
Sunnyside
Frank Kimbrough was one hell of a piano player – and he leaves behind a legacy across composition, covers and improvisation. His sudden death at the end of last year a shock, a great sadness and it makes listening to this first posthumous album (recorded in 2017) bittersweet. Read More
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Poem: Deselfing
Liking isn’t Voting
Voting isn’t Doing
Doing isn’t Changing
Changing isn’t Happening
Happening isn’t Stopping
Stopping isn’t Starting
Starting is a Chance
Chancing is a Hope
Hoping is a go
Going is a plan
Planning is a must
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In Praise of The White Lotus
The White Lotus. Currently the greatest show on all of television, across any of the formats and platforms.
The White Lotus is an American TV comedy-drama, a satire, a dark night of the soul that just happens to have a bottomless mojito and very comforting neck massage attached to it. It’s an HBO show that is screening through Neon in New Zealand.
Set in Hawaii – and filmed on location in Maui – The White Lotus is a (fictitious) luxury resort and rich white Americans are there. The strange tension and awkward dialogue palpable from the opening scenes. And from there it is ratcheted up. Almost continuously. Read More
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Genesis: The Last Domino?
Genesis
The Last Domino?
Atlantic Catalog Group
Something made me very nostalgic about this – a Genesis compilation that no one actually needs, and maybe hardly anyone wants. This material is available already and has been compiled several times over. But this exists to plug the farewell tour, for it is – basically – the setlist. In the order the band will be playing it. Read More
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Poem: Coincidental
once an almost
supernatural
sign, now just
the algorithm
deceiving you
into friendship.
But always
about commerce.