Another week, another update!
Okay I missed a week, I'm okay with that, I'm having a busy time. Okay, I was back in the Midlands, revelling in the joys of the motherland - finding time to go and watch Tiga and 2manydjs at the Medicine Bar. Yes they were crap but that's not the point is it? Anyway now I'm back in rainy Manchester (is this city EVER anything but dreary?) and I'm having a strange time, do I know where I'm going to be after the next two months? Not really, quite a headfuck, luckily I just bought a snazzy new metal distortion pedal to ease my existential suffering. Glory be, now I can make black metal in peace.
This week I've mostly been listening to Wolf Eyes. Maybe it's my frame of mind at the moment, but their newest offering 'Human Animal' is one of the tastiest aural treats I've managed to lavish upon my ears this year so far. Just take current 'single' The Driller - evil noise, painful squeals then BOOM, we're into hollering and percussive clatter destined to upset your neighbours. It's intense, it's visceral, it's everything I want in a record at the moment.
On a slightly different tip (okay very different) is a new album from the lovely Tom Meluch who's been emailing little old me for some time now. I was sadly too late to bag his debut album, Kranky beat me to it - but it's going to be out very shortly and let me say it's very lovely indeed. It's under his Francophile 'Benoit Pioulard' moniker and is called 'Precis' and it's the finest slice of romantic laptop-indie you'd care to hear this year. I listen to it a lot, especially when I want to revel in my own excessive emotion... you know the moments! Mr. Meluch was kind enough to give me three tracks for a 7" to release next year too... and blimy have they been giving me some respite - can't stop listening, bloody great!
Keeping on the emotional - those fine fellows at Fat Cat sent me some stuff last week and glory be, it's great. The new album from Sheffield based bloke Songs of Green Pheasant is an absolute marvel, it didn't grab me quite so hard at first, but i gave it 3 or 4 listens and now I can't get it out of my head. Wonderfully measured shoegazing pop songs, as played by someone who's only ever heard folk music... maybe. The album is called 'Ariel Days' by the way and I have absolutely no idea when it will be out! Also got the new Max Richter album, so those of you wondering what it sounds like - it sounds like the last one. Very very nice indeed, but maybe not as progressive as one might have hoped.
It's lovely getting packages through the post isn't it? Tearing off the horribly sticky brown packing tape and revealing some nice new records inside? MP3 downloading will never replace that feeling will it? Well this week I got a bumper package from the dark folk at Southern Lord, with a lovely double vinyl of the Striborg album inside. Striborg is Sin Nanna, a Tasmanian black metal guy, in case you were wondering, and the album is horribly recorded, just the way i like it. Reminds me somewhat of Canadian god-botherers Akitsa, and that's a very good thing indeed.
Also arriving through my door was a package from Static Caravan with their supercool Zombi 12" inside. It's all about the flipside with this one, a full side-length track which is so cheesy it will make your teeth fall out, but because it's Zombi, it sounds fucking fantastic. It's going to be a future DJ set classic I can just tell.
I guess I should tell you about some films too then should I? I saw Richard Linklater's 'A Scanner Darkly' finally and my my it was very good indeed - somehow the only way the book could be interpreted I think, in a funny way. It makes so much sense when you see it.
Other things happening in Typeworld - my album test pressings came in which made me beam from ear to ear - very loud cut and sounding better than ever may I say. Also tests on the lovely Goldmund 7" came through, and that was the soundtrack to last night's cooking, prosciutto has never been chopped more gracefully let me tell you.
My Weekly Listening 18/08/06...
For all of you lamenting the demise of the Type Chat board I thought it was maybe time I came up with a makeshift replacement... seeing all these people posting blogs everywhere I guess I felt drawn to the idea that I could do something like this myself. How pointless maybe, but at least I can vent some opinions.
Well this weekend was rather odder than ususal so for the early part of the week all I could listen to was Diane Cluck... if you don't know anything about this incredible singer/songwriter I suggest you research. She has one of the most beautiful voiceboxes of any lady I can think of right now (okay maybe I'm going over the top but please bear with me) and her handful of albums keep me sane when the rest of the world collapses. I think the one which had most impact this week in particular is 'Macy's Day Bird', which was her first full album, and has recently been reissued on the reliable Important imprint. It's a stunning collection of lo-fi songs; honest, heartfelt and deeply touching... if you haven't heard it I suggest you spend some of your hard earned or use some bandwidth up post haste. I managed to catch her live in Manchester a couple of weeks ago (and got to chat to the lady... wahey!) and she was fabulous... most of her recordings are one-take things, so you can imagine, she sounds just as breathtaking live as she does on record...
Also floating my boat this week has been Beirut's simply unbelievable 'Gulag Orkestar' album on Ba Da Bing!. It's not every day when I get insanely jealous that I hadn't released something myself, but every time I listen to this cd I think damn, this is my perfect record. Okay it's been blogged to death already and you don't need to hear it from me too but fuck it, here I am, it's a great album and the fact that a whole load of people love it too just makes it even better. So there. Call me a sell out why dontcha. 'Postcards From Italy' threatens to make me cry daily.
On a different tip I heard Nachtmytium's 'Instinct: Decay' album this week for the first time and it knocked me for six. If you're into death metal at all, this is damned progressive, using acoustic guitars (errrr) and long drawn out almost shoegazer style segments... not your usual deathy fare but it works, it REALLY works. I ordered the double vinyl pic disc (i'm such a sucker for that shit) straight away... it's well limited if you want it so you'd better get it quickly.
Two quickies I feel I ought to mention too... although they're both Boomkat's albums of the week this week I feel obligated to say 'hell yeah' because they're such incredible releases - namely the utterly stunning Tortoise rarities compilation 'The Lazarus Taxon' on Thrill Jockey and Broadcast's rarities compilation 'Future Crayon' on Warp. These two bands shaped my teenage years and without them I might not even give a fuck about music at all, Broadcast especially gave me a huge smack to the craniumn when I first came across their early 7"s... Birmingham's finest!
One film recommendation (considering my weeks DVD watching has included hits such as Day of the Dead, again and Toxic Avenger 2, yawn, I'm happy I can safely recommend something contemporary) Terry Gilliam's 'Tideland' - okay so you may have heard it's all shocking and is about drugs/necrophilia/a 10 year old girl... yep this is true, and although that might appeal to the side of my nature that spent years collecting video nasties, this is a surprisingly beautiful movie. Like last year's misunderstood 'Palindromes' the first reaction will be that of disgust and probably fear, but let the film show itself to you, absorb the message, and you won't be forget it easily. A beautiful, thoughtful and poetic film... one of the best I've seen in some time actually. It's not a movie for everyone, not a chance, but if you think you can stomache the disturbing nature of it then go and see it, I emplore you. Gilliam needs the money to carry on making these sort of maverick films.
I guess that's it for the moment, although Helios 'Eingya' vinyl tests just rolled into the office and sound ace. Should be ready for release in a couple of weeks - we've just changed pressing plants so any new Type vinyl will sound rather fab.
