Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday morning 7 a.m. holiday weekend & I thought I would listen to something fresh & challenging with my uplifting pint of java.
I put Nalle’s ‘Sirens Wave’ on the player & the alien sounds contained therein, soon had me hiding behind the sofa.
I knew I was expecting a blend of Finnish/Scottish freak folk, but this was way beyond expectations, it was so otherworldly.
I am aware that I have other sounds by the band, perhaps their 1st album, e.p.s etc…… so I am off to dig in the crates.
Highly recommended for fans of squeaky voices & crazy Hawk & a Hacksaw, over the Balkans, strangeness.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Trawling the Ether for Whimsy & Flair
Over the past few years trawling the ether on the trail of lost psychedelia, I have discovered some truly exciting sounds.
Some of these albums were quite understandably, overlooked at the time of their release. Perhaps this was due to their ‘pop’ qualities: instant & forgettable.
However on the other hand there are bands like
‘First there is a Mountain, then there is no Mountain, then there is…’
Oh no Eno
Oh no, another of those Eno moments. It’s Monday a.m. early & time for the garden waste to be recycled. As the lorry moves up the street, there is the screech of it’s compactor, combined with Anvil Salute’s ‘This is the Voice of Doom Calling’, this was very organic & acoustic but played at bat level, due to the early hour.
Incidentally, I played this album to the Happy Highlanders & they were let us say, less than impressed!
The recycle lorry disregards the early hour & goes about it’s business & the sounds mix in with Anvil Salute & create an interesting effect.
I have given the Happy Highlanders the opportunity to catch up with some freak folk, but they didn’t seem overcome with enthusiasm, perhaps they were just overtired with attending so many gigs.
Getting back to ‘The Voice of Doom Calling’ & I am reminded of John Fahey with a drummer.
Shady Grove
I finally got to visit the fossil grove in Victoria Park. I had really wanted to see the spring flowers, as they looked spectacular glimpsed from the main road. I was disappointed when I saw them up close, they had passed their best.
I was shocked to discover that the fossil grove was actually open. This is the first time I have found it open. I like the building’s 1950s railway station look, however, I was less impressed with the interior & the same 1950’s lighting. Does it have to be dark & dingy?
Furthermore, I have more ancient fossils sitting in my garden, most of which were brought back from a petrified forest in the middle of a Saudi desert.
Yes, it was interesting to finally see those petrified tree stumps & it is good to have that sense of ancient history & picture the Caledonian forest running rampant, before the city planners got a hold of the area.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The Spoonbenders @ the Eggshell Repair Workshop
Where do we go from here? Follow the Jacques Tati career path?
I love all that amateur DIY stuff. I used to laugh at my father’s awful attempts at DIY before it was named this. His hand-crafted bunk beds & sofa repairs, were truly the work of hands destined for other things. Am I becoming him?
There is absolutely no harm in being a bungling Jacques Tati in this mad world full of the next fad, the next best thing. I do not think my sons see this yet. This world needs that anarchic sense of fun, that less than perfectly-formed wall, those paving slabs that buckle in the rains, nothing that runs in a perfect straight line.
I must admit I do attempt to use a spirit level, but I believe that this is not this device’s true purpose….i.e. for detecting the presence of ghosts.
Sure there is a place for perfection & it is always better to get someone to do a good job. This is not a perfect world, sometimes the cracks in it are what makes us fell human. My own
I can see an affinity with the work of all the Outsider Artists of the world & I do have a passion for those artforms.
The
I just thought I would throw in the long title for the credibility of referring to both the Grateful Dead & Zappa in the one heading, but really we are here to mention the mud wasp.
My son has asked for suggestions for his stag weekend soundtrack & I realise my chances of getting anything played are as remote as Glenmore.
He has already pooh-poohed my request for an all-day Merzbow fest. (Mr Akita has certainly been prolific enough!).
This morning I was listening to some 7 a.m. Scandinavian neo-folk as per usual & I left the mp3 running as I went for a shower. Half way through & I thought there was a plane crash in the living room as there was an almighty cacophony that shook me to the rafters.
I hit the volume button rapido, It was only Astro ‘Mud Wasp’.
Do not listen alone & whatever you do do not ever stand on one!
The Glorious Game
What a week of highs & lows for both sides of the Old Firm.
Rangers go crashing out of the UEFA final & their fans run riot in
I had never met Tommy, although my son has been in his company. By all accounts he was a well respected & loved man & he had such an impact on other people’s lives. He was a man of strong faith & principles & I was so delighted to see the Celtic fans applauding the Rangers supporters paying tribute to Tommy at the gates of
Mind you I did chuckle a bit when the fireworks went off in my neighbourhood after the game. This was to celebrate Rangers losing! However I do live in a very one-sided area.
Personally I blame Walter Smith’s lack of ambition & vision. He seems to be prepared to win the game by boring the fans & opposition to death. You have to attack to win. Yes, a solid defence is terrific, but you don’t win by defending.
I wish we could go back to the old fashioned type of football, two wingers & three strikers. All this nonsense about the lone striker. I have never seen this tactic work.
Recently, I watched Celtic Vs Hibs. What a spectacle. An exciting, open game full of drama (yes the odd error), a sheer delight to watch & I am sure it was the same to play in. The highlight for me was Filipe Morais, who is just like his countryman, Cristiano Ronaldo, but with a slightly less technically-formed , skill set. Portuguese football (if you exclude the love of diving at every opportunity) reminds me so much of the real Scottish game of our rich past.
Perhaps we should pay closer attention to their game & forget all about our apparent desire for big Dutch strikers. I believe the need has passed. Scott McDonald Vs Van Venegoor illustrates the fact so well.
Usually my Friday nights are spent relaxing with
Nature had changed the line up radically, but I jumped at the opportunity to see them again.
I was not disappointed. They were every bit as exciting as I expected. Slightly different, but it was so good to see the new blood keeping the sound alive.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Lucky
I recently acquired Lucky
‘Hypnogogia had such an outstanding track: ‘Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Child’?. I remember when I first heard this on Gilles Peterson’s show & I just had to run out & buy the album.
It is early days for me to know my way around ‘Dip’, but on initial plays, I am deeply impressed. I feel as if I am listening to some of Alice Coltrane’s deep, meditative grooves, while lying in a hot tub. The spirit of Satie is not far away either. I just want it to go on forever, but I suppose I can always hit ‘play’ again.
A recent visit to Gartocharn possibly brought Tom Weir into my head anyway. I met a chap there who wanted Duncryn Hill renamed after the wee man. It’s a funny thing about Scotland, it is jampacked full of many more wee men & of course those big hills.
Threshold Houseboys Choir
If, like me, you often wonder what would have happened to Tonto’s Expanding Headband if Little Stevie Wonder had not bought them up lock, stock & barrel & stopped them producing such innovative works of beauty, then I suggest that you give a listen to the Threshold Houseboys Choir’s ‘Form Grows Rampant’.
It also reminds me a little of White Noise’s ‘Electric Storm’, but a remixed version by
Sally Go Round the Roses
It’s that time again: the West Dunbartonshire Book Festival has started & that also means that Glasgow’s West End Festival is already on the horizon.
I managed to attend the inaugural event as I did last year. It was held in the superb Millenium Hall, Gartocharn with it’s intensely beautiful backdrop.
Although I had watched Sally Magnusson (I
This was in itself an astonishing achievement, knowing the potential for traffic hold-ups around the
She kick-started the festival, which is now in a period of transition in it’s 8th year, making the journey from being organised by a friend & colleague, to an event that is designed by committee. Whether this will work or not we shall find out in the next few weeks.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Pragmatism or how to Survive Beyond the Summer of Love Without Compromising (Too Much)
Check out & witness that the road to excess does not lead to the
It is not better to burn out than fade away.
Avoid the Money god at all costs.
Learn to love yourself with all your faults & then you can love others with all their faults.
Do not get obsessively upset by the ‘me’ generation in their 4 x 4 dropping fat kids off at the school gates & clogging up traffic. John O ‘Farrell nails this so well in his ‘May Contain Nuts’.
I feel such pity for people who live their whole lives always tidying up & trying to buy happiness by buying more & more stuff than their neighbours.
Be content with what you have.
‘Be Here Now’ as Baba Ram Das (Dr Richard Alpert to all those acid heads out there) wrote in his useful guide for living. Check his almost total collection of writings in that super little shop in the Findhorn Foundation, where the road sign have hidden depths & where ‘Slow Down’ really means slow down. Sound advice.
Saturday Night Behind the Iron Curtain
Why does all the problems with the car occur, when the other driver is behind the wheel?
Of all the places in
One of my ex members of staff had to move elsewhere, although she had just moved into it. She had obviously bought the flat in the daytime at a knockdown price & had not realised how the neighbourhood comes alive at night.
Even the breakdown lorry driver had a tale to tell about the last time he had a call out in the district & almost had all his tools nicked as he was loading a car onto his breakdown truck.
Anyway the vehicle in back at base (can I say ‘al quieda’) & not be flagged up on the cia/m15/mossad websites?
Although I got a new exhaust recently, I believe I only got 2 thirds of a whole one & it’s the other bit that went. Sods law I believe.
Fron the Lowercase World of Glitch & Squeek
I am becoming fascinated with the combination of whatever I play on cd running in parallel to the birdsong & other natural sounds, bleeding in from outside.
I can see many possibilities with this new format. This a.m. I finally got around to playing Harry Smith’s stupendous ‘Anthology of Folk Music’ & it is every bit as important & refreshing as the critics say. While it was playing my favourite early morning blackbird sang along & it created such a wonderful blend.
Tropical
Switch off. Take time out. Practice breathing. Put yourself in that other place. That safe place away from the noise & the hustle & bustle of everyday life.
Get your priorities sorted out. How? It’s not easy in a life bombarded by external events. Find a quiet spot.
An alternative approach & one that I would recommend is to grab hold of a good ambient recording that you really enjoy & wont get bored with over time.
Those Windham Hill or ECM jazz records used to do it for me, but now I am more inclined to natural sounds. Not the new-agey, whales, wolves or loons type sounds but more likely Chris Watson albums or Geir Jensens superb recordings from Tibet.
Certainly I would avoid at all costs the Conet Recordings of the numbers stations or Ghost Orchid’s Introduction to EVP as they would either freak you out or make you think too much.
I would ignore some of the Touch label items like The Runaway Train or the other one about a UFO sighting for the same reason given above, but the Touch label has a wealth of other natural sounds.
Friday, May 09, 2008
The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
I came in for my usual lunchtime feast of Hommos & Pita bread & there were 2 bits of mail.
One from the snp informing me about the next meeting & the other a postcard from Tobermory, once home to my great grandpa & now hosting visits from mad, mental Highlanders, who rabbit on forever about some minor team in the Premier League.
What is going on in this country?
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Thursday, May 01, 2008
A Man Who Knew Stuff
Synchronicity banging on my door every day, perhaps it is near my exit time.
Yesterday a phone call from
Maybe it is because I am now working on the banks of the
How to be remembered? Best 54+ striker
Perhaps, it goes with the territory, Librarians are expected to ‘know stuff’. I would wish to be remembered as someone who ‘knew stuff’. I am sure that most of my esoteric & arcane knowledge is totally irrelevant to the rest of the world………e.g. best psychedelic or drone albums of 1969!
What is your favourite time of day?
My answer to this question would have to be between 7- 8 a.m. That pint of quality java & that first hit of tobacco & at present, musical accompaniment from either Charalambides or the Double Leopards.
The latter puts me in a very safe place, a haven, where I have a peaceful time to think.
Always the drone, we all come back to the drone. Is that why I love Ivor Cutler & his harmonium so much. Is that why William S. Burroughs’s drawl sits so comfortably in my memory.
Double Leopards wrap me in a warm blanket, a comfort zone, keep me grounded & force me to relax as the caffeine & nicotine do their job. One takes you up & one brings you down, echoing ‘White Rabbit’,