Maria Minerva - Cabaret Cixous
Minerva's eccentric avant pop seems to be influenced by all the right things, (Chris & Cosey, Chicago house, vintage electronic pop etc) and on this her second full length of 2011 she's combined a number of these into an album of steamy, lo-fi laments that's both detuned and distorted in a charming and inebriated way.
Cut Hands - Afro Noise
William Bennett's Cut Hands project still carries with it some of the grinding malevolence of his previous work as Whitehouse, but the use of percussion and traditional African instrumentation lend this album a ritualistic and sprightly menace. The musical equivalent of that scene in Heart of Darkness where Marlow's steam boat comes under attack by Kurtz's native African army.
Hype Williams - One Nation
Hype Williams heavily sampled sonic aesthetic takes in everything from 80's pop to Americana and Hip Hop to House carefully blending the the lot into a syrupy, smacked-out fusion of lo-fi electronics. On this, their third full length they're at their most reflective, even melancholic and it's probably their last, if rumors are to be believed, and most coherant album to date.
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
OPN's third album in as many years follows the same pattern as the previous two in that it's heavily synthesized electronica; the addition of percussion and piano, however, have a radiant effect on the OPN sound. There is, as with a lot of Daniel Lopatin's music, a warm insulated fuzz and emotional velocity on display here and by broadening his approach, Lopatin is at once breaking with and continuing the OPN aesthetic in impressive fashion.
Roly Porter - Aftertime
Dramatic and dystopian neo-ambience courtesy of Roly Porter formerly of Vex'd. There are some real moments of grace and beauty slipped between the crackling white noise and monochrome atmospherics here and although the overall feeling is somewhat bleak, it's still a pleasure hearing the former dubstep producer developing his sound in such a sophisticated manner.
The Pale Kind by David Foster Wallace
The Pale King never quite hits the highs of Wallace's masterpiece 'Infinite Jest' but that's to be expected as it's made up of an unfinished mauscript found after his death in 2008. It's impossible to tell where the narrative may have headed and the plot is far from linear, but despite that, there is here still a worthy reminder of Wallace's unique voice and extraordinary skill as a writer.
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Having enjoyed Franzen's previous novel 'The Corrections' I was eager to purchase Freedom and as expected, the narrative was easy to immerse yourself in and difficult to put down. The dialogue between some characters did seem at times a little verbose and the inclusion of certain politically aligned individuals seemed only to convey the author's dissatisfaction with the Bush regime, but all in all this is a thoroughly enjoyable read and a book that continues the fine tradition of the great American novel about the the great American family.
Death in June Live, 15 October Lisbon
It was a total highlight visiting Lisbon during an unusually warm week of sunshine in October- made all the more amazing by catching one of my all time favourite artist's Death In June perform live. The gig's location was not actually disclosed until on the day of the event and but for a bit of good fortune we would have missed it all together. However, fortune favors the brave, or so they say, and thanks to Charlotte's persistence we did finally locate the venue- a quaint and practically perfect Portuguese working mens club in Downtown Lisbon- and an excellent city break was amplified by the power of ten.
The Sopranos
The standard may drop off a little in the latter series' but this is still up there with The Wire and Mad Men as one of the best shows ever made. I was genuinely upset when it all ended for big T and the remainder of his crew in such enigmatic and ambiguous fashion.
Honorable mentions should also go to:
Dalglish - Benacah Drann Deachd - digitally contorted sonic architecture that sounds like its been downloaded from a large generator in outer space.
Cindytalk - Up here In Clouds - Textural and tactile industrial/ambient business from Gordon Sharp.
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972 - Best Hecker release in a long time. Vast, imposing and beautifully poised.
3 comments:
good work squire, I enjoyed both the Hype Williams and Dalglish releases from the list, will have to try and get my ears around the others at some point in the new year
I played you some cut hands too, remember?
Loads for me to listen to from here cs.. Will report back. You saw death in june too!! Bet you were well chuffed that fell into place!!
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