Heart-ripping
The Rip by Portishead with scenes from the film The Fountain starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weiss.
Why this video? Because it wraps up nicely several thoughts that have been roaming through my mind the last year. Thoughts on life, love, continuation, living forever, new generations, the earth, deadly missions, goals, useless wars, fruitless ambition, and obsessions. Yep. All of that.
Plus, it’s Portishead. Doy.
A new year is here, friends! I said “Sayonara, 2009, to the books with you!” with friends, one lover, and one foe, who will remain unnamed. My next move? I’ll face it with the moxie typical of a woman on a mission….
… as well as the shortcomings and drawbacks typical of a Geena.
Do Phoenixes smolder in the winter?
Yes, yes they do.
Wish this Take Away Concert with Phoenix could have happened when I was in Paris.
Some screenshots of them playing at Trocadero Square with a serendipitous surprise for I’m sure both parties:
The other videos feature them on a tour bus (imagine seeing Paris in the open air of a double decker with Phoenix playing live in your ears! What’s so remarkable about La Blogotheque in my opinion is how the artists usually succeed at captivating an audience but in the end it is still the city that captures the furtive attention of anyone involved… even the band, whoa are native Frenchmen.
Just posted this over at Four Eyed Girls:
From a roadtrip a loooong time ago with Gloria, using her ol’ point-and-shoot.
I gotta get on the ball with uploading pictures. I have upwards from 300 pictures since I’ve gotten back from Paris. It’s a worthless habit, taking pictures and never sharing them.
Speaking of which — the Leonid meteor shower is coming and North America is getting the benefit of the beauty. Prepare your cameras, people. You can end up wih a shot like this:
Leonid meteor shower of 2007.
Haikus would so not work in politics
This contains three parts:
A thousand words. Two haikus.
A hidden stress ball.
I love learning tongues;
I should bite mine more. Haikus
are plenty practice.
Good Night
First off, Jools Holland’s production and lights know what they are DOING. What a gorgeous recording.
Secondly, The XX goes good with: a glass of wine, moments when you feel psuedo-sinister. If you are a fan of Cocteau Twins or The Cure’s quieter stuff, or shoe-gazey music in general, you will probably eat The XX right up. They combine hushed vocals, reverb-y drumbeats, and guitar/bass effects that sound like a quiet moonlit adventure? See, I’m not very good at describing things, but that’s the point of music. As much as I lack in describing the music, it really does the job for itself.
Of course it’s nice to be wanted
Today marked my first day of work at Copy Corner as a desktop publisher. Other than my sweeping charms and my winning smile, my friend Dub Scout got me the job. Ha. The possibilities for this combination of paper, ink, and friend are explosive. I am in heaven. The whole place smells like a new book… I almost can’t take it. This afternoon my supervisor caught me cuddling a warm stack of printed paper to my chest.
“Hot off the press! It’s good, isn’t it?” He understands.
So, within the first few hours, a client representing a company called “The Word Station” came in to print out several educational booklets. Peering at what was on the computer screen, I commented on how interesting that approach to teaching was, using knowledge of Latin and Greek roots to better comprehend vocabulary in any subject be it scientific, arts-based, or mathematical. That sort of thinking gets me so buck. Do you know how fun it is to be able to figure out another language simply by breaking it apart using etymological skills? It feels like I’m solving a riddle or a deciphering a puzzle. It makes me feel smart, and no doubt it helps kids expand their learning processes.
One question led to several more, and then he asked for my resume. I lowered my voice and said, “Sir, I work here. This is my job. I don’t know how appropriate that would be…”
He gave me his card and asked me to e-mail him my resume.
Well! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting a second job… especially when I know I could be good at it and continually hone my linguistic skills. Maybe just not in the presence of my new employer… but. You know. Mama’s gotta make money.
To The Max!
Snippet of a snapshot of our mid-term project
Working with Max MSP has opened up so many possibilities for the way I would like my music to sound. I feel like I have little experience and time to play around with programs other than Garage Band, Ableton, Audacity and Frooty Loops. Garage Band of course is so user-friendly that you can whip something up in a matter of minutes, but not being able to tweak the sounds to my liking gets kind of awkward. Ableton is handy for “jockeying” music — it’s the next step in computerized DJing. Since I am still searching for a set of speakers and a stereo receiver to use on my analog turntable, Ableton allows me to access the feeling of maneuvering and toggling. Audacity is good for normalizing and quick equalization and leveling, but it tends to freeze and most of the time frustrates me in that it’s limited. I just haven’t had time to use Frooty Loops but it’s a pretty popular program so I at least know I have many human and google resources to look forward to…. ehhhhh when I get around to downloading it.
Max MSP, however, could theoretically work with any of these programs. .AIF, .WAV, .MOV, .SWF, .MP3, you name it, Max MSP will take it. For the most part it’s still developing so all it needs are interested programmers who are willing to make the impossible possible. Max MSP recently crafted a patch that works seamlessly with Ableton so I’m excited about those possibilities.
In my electronic music composition course here at A&M, we have already gotten acquainted with a step sequencer, basic/rhythmic delay, multiple flangers, a way to make a loop using the delay function… At the moment we are in partnerships working on our mid-term projects. You wouldn’t believe the stuff people have come up with. I’m pretty proud of my peers. We have violinist music majors who are working on avant garde ways to electronicize their beloved instrument. There’s another duo that is working on making an electronic drum set into a set of loop pads and scale pads.
My partner Kimberly and I are working on a way to make storytelling a little more exciting. More on that later, but you can hear stuff we’ve worked on (weekly assignments, nothing special). This and this are just the tip of the iceberg. My classmates’ assignments can be found at the link on the right side-bar of my blog (“Electronic Music Composition”). Have at it!
And as far as music-making goes on a personal level, I can’t wait to see what I can do with Max along the lines of artists like Múm, Imogen Heap, Aphex Twin, and Daedelus. If you don’t know what those sound like, have a hear… here.
Múm – We Have a Map of the Piano
I’m not quite sure what they use as far as programming goes, but the sounds they do make seem like they could be done in Max. Really I just wanted to put this song on here. They’re from Iceland, and … they sound like it. I love when artists’ music can hearken to where they’re from.
Imogen Heap – Just For Now
I really wanted to put Frou Frou’s Let Go on here, but that’s not just Imogen Heap, nor does that band use Max or Ableton at all. Imogen Heap, herself, however, does and phenomenally at that. Plus, the woman looks like some sort of raging tropical bird when she performs.
Aphex Twin – Windowlicker
This video is one of those videos that heightens the song. If you’ve ever seen Grandma’s Boy you’ll recognize the end as what JP is listening to while he’s working at his pod. Haha. That can probably ruin or amplify your perception of the song. There’s an awesome version of this song mixed with M83 and Khia’s – My Neck My Back, called Pussy Licker. It’s got a good beat and if you can get past the fact that it’s the nastiest lyrics you will ever hear, it’s enjoyable.
Daedelus – Sundown
I posted a Daedelus video up a long time ago, but he deserves several mentions all the time. Also. He looks like a friendly lad from the 1800s. And maybe a goat from the 1800s.
Junior Boys, Dead Horse
For today, a bittersweet shot of electricity in music form. I needed it today. The sky was like a gray canvas. It wasn’t too bad when I think about it. But that one moment on the slick cobblestone, listening to this song – when I looked up, not for answers, but to, I don’t know, say a prayer to get the sun to come out, I felt the grim pleasure that comes with getting hurt. Let’s be clear, I don’t enjoy pain. But there was something satisfying about looking at that cobblestone, telling myself wondering whether I would take it that fast, seeing the fall a split second before it even occurred, bracing myself, peering up at the sky and letting it happen anyway.
People rushed up, like they typically do. “OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY?”
“Yes, of course, I’m fine. I’m up.” I dust off my pantaloons and pick up my bicycle.
“Are you sure?”
With a gentle twinge of annoyance in my voice – “Yes. It’s a part of it. I get over it pretty quickly.” A hop on the saddle and then a quick ride away. That’s all you really want to do… just ride away as fast as you can.
The knees hurt like the dickens but the ears, they were gooooood.
