Blogs

Amazon, The Fame of God by AJ Kaufmann (Kendra Steiner Edition, July 2010)

The latest collection from Aj Kaufmann is set in the Amazon and tells the cryptic
story of Aguirre. He a character that feels both disconnected from his family and
haunting by demons both literal and perhaps figurative. He is on a journey to escape
what haunts him and to reconnect to his family at the same time. In that sense this
may seem like a traditional tale, but it is told with some really compelling imagery.

"Nothing original is left un-improved to ruin"

It seems like more and more known musicians are willing to step outside the normal structure of music and album to create a unique product these days. A few weeks ago I talked about the new album from Chris Connelly and now details are starting to surface about the latest project from Tim Holland (aka Sole). Over the course of fifteen years he has released 15-plus albums under the monickers of sole, sole & the skyrider band, & mansbestfriend. His radical approach to hip-hop songwriting has earned him countless accolades and a worldwide cult following. However his new project, The Prye, with Denver poet and painter Ravi Zupa goes far beyond anything Sole has done in the past.

Guz Guz by Stan Manoukian

Listening:
1. Modern Skirts: Pop rock from Athens, GA. They self-released their Happy 81 EP on July 6th. Listen to: Rebecca St. Claire (mp3)
2. Murder Mystery: The boys are back and better than ever! Listen to: Change My Mind (mp3)
3. Mountain Man: Three girls from Bennington, VT... no joke. Listen to: Soft Skin (link)

Reading:
1. Sternum as 3 by Jason Jordan
2. Sections by Tim Horvath

Pitchfork Music Festival takes place in Chicago this weekend and this week we highlight a few of the band worth noting.

Episode Twenty: The Pitchfork Preview
* Sonny & The Sunsets: Too Young To Burn
* Kathryn Regina: Sometimes When on Fire Pt. II
* EL-P: Meanstreak (In 3 Parts)
* Davis Schneiderman and Don Meyer: Open Letter to J.D. Salinger
* Netherfriends: Never Be Comfortable
* PF Potvin: Port To Uneven

When I heard from Chicago's Thrill Jockey that Markus Popp (aka Oval) was returning to music and had some ambitious plans for 2010 I was very excited. I had been missing the inventive sounds and releases of '90's electronic music and musicians like Aphex Twin, Oval, Kit Clayton, and others, and the return of Orbital and the lingering of The Chemical Brothers weren't quenching my thirst.

Oval was originally Markus Popp, Sebastian Oschatz, and Frank Metzger, but by the band's third release in 1995 Popp was on his own. He continued to release quality glitch and experimental music, but hasn't been heard from musically since 2001. Last month, Thrill Jockey released a new single and video from Popp called "Oh". The song was refreshing and inventive, and shows that Oval is back.

The Margins of a Central Man by Yannis Livadas (Graffiti Kolkata, June 2010)

"What I am, a bucketful of stars
I kick it and spread
Fleeting impressions
Around the world."

The margins can mean a few things. I first thought it would be the words scribbled in
the spaces around memos and agendas during meetings through out the day. However,
afte reading through this new collection from Yannis Livadas and Graffiti Kolkata I see that Livadas means a different type of margin. It's the idea that your life has a central purpose but there are a multitude of events that pull your focus away.

"Echo," by Dan Gamble: oil on panel, 12" x 15”, from his new exhibit opening at Zg Gallery on July 23rd.

Listening:
1. Holy Family: Gothenburg does it again. Listen to: Whatever There's to Know (mp3)
2. Eskmo: This electronic musician has signed to Ninja Tune. Listen to: Come Back (mp3)
3. Dominant Legs: This San Francisco duo will be releasing their debut ep on Lefse next month. Listen to: Clawing Out At The Walls (mp3)

Reading:
1. Field Mice by Matthew Sovoca
2. Dream A Little Dream by Ajay Vishwanathan

Summer romance unfulfilled, lost romantics with no one to love, a pack of no one's moving is a similar pattern but never finding the warmth they desire, the idea that you can crawl inside someone if only for a minute, it is all a part of this week's podcast.

Episode Nineteen: I Want To Be You

* Coolrunnings: I Am You
* Oval: Ah!
* John Cotter: Excerpt from Under The Small Light (Live from The Orange Alert Reading Series)
* The Morning Benders: Pleasure Sighs
* Autechre: Known(1)
* Roxane Gay: Do You Have a Place For Me?