If can find where to get a copy of the Pixies' Surfer Rosa, will love you long time.
EDIT: Will love you longer time if can also find a copy of Husker Du's Zen Arcade or The Arcade Fire's Funeral.

adam

I'm in a bit of a rut. It's like the last thought I have the minute before I book in is saved and replayed every time I book out. So all my processes proceed at 2/7ths the normal speed. I feel retarded.

adam

Shou Hao let me listen to the Arcade Fire in bunk a couple of days back. I am definitely impressed. When the band switches key on 'Rebellion' suddenly every alt-rock band in history who has ever played Bb-Gb-Db is totally vindicated, as if they managed to single handedly redeem the premise, the ideal of alternative rock. It's that good.

adam

DO NOT IGNORE THE PREVIOUS POST. Just because I wrote this one so quickly.

bands with very strange names

Stone Temple Pilots
Frou Frou
Butthole Surfers

bands with Rather Cool names

The Pixies
Queen
Weather Report
The Beatles
Manic Street Preachers
Sonic Youth
Sly and the Family Stone

bands with names that probably sounded like a good idea at the time

The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Franz Ferdinand
Guns N Roses
Jamiroquai
Slayer
Radiohead
U2
Velvet Revolver
Yes

Bored and short on originality, I ripped off Rayner's latest blog post :

My 15 Favourite Songs (in no particular order)

15. Cherokee
This one's a jazz standard - I quite like Clifford Brown's interpretation on 'Study in Brown' - super fast. A simple, poignant melody rendered with a kind of bittersweet energy when traditionally interpreted in double-time.

14. Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits
I told myself I HAD to include some dire straits and it took a bit of thinking before I chose this over 'Portobello Belle'. I love this song for the empathy for the sordid state of humanity that's evident in Mark Knopfler's songwriting. And also the killer guitar solo.

13. Teen Town by Weather Report
Not much to say. It's brilliant.

12. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend by The Ramones
Nothing quite encapsulates the early Ramones aesthetic than this song. The blockish simplicity is completely purposeful - 'Hey little girl, I wanna be your boyfriend. Sweet little girl, I wanna be your boyfriend. Do you love me babe? What do you say?' No mucking about with abstracts here, and that is the middle class pathos that the Ramones captured so well.

11. Sir Psycho Sexy by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
I said before that Anthony Kiedis' songwriting took a downhill turn when he stopped writting about sex. This comes from way before that. His lyrics are unbelievably dirty but shakespearean in their wordplay. 'There's a devil in my dick, there's some demons in my semen'

10. Flamenco Sketches and Sanctuary by Miles Davis
Double entry because I'm afraid of running out of space. Miles plays the same way on both tracks but sounds completely different. His gift for arrangement is unparalleled. Flamenco sketches sounds almost primitive in its simple melody and ghostly harmonies, almost primevial - on the other hand, Sanctuary is urban, dense and complex, but possessed of the same wonder.

9. Sliver by Nirvana
Horrific, shocking angst and anger. When Cobain starts screaming 'Grandma take me home' the whole of my childhood comes falling down on my head like so many cinder blocks made out of teenage angst. He achieves this without singing about blood or darkness or night or cutting himself, for many bonus points.

8. Gigantic by The Pixies
Of course it's about sex - but like all good lyrics it references much more profound ideas - 'Gigantic / A big big love'. I love the simple chords and the sincere delivery.

7. Best of Both Worlds by Van Halen
Such a happy song, and such a guitar solo. I can't think of a reason to put this up here other than the happy feelings it fills me with. Props to the bassist I guess, for playing only one note throughout the whole song?

6. Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
Mysterious, quiet and brilliantly arranged. A melody worthy of McCartney's extraordinary ability.

5. Crossroads and Walkin' Blues by Eric Clapton
Clapton is a master of the blues. When he plays, you feel it in your stomach. Unbelievable.

4. New York, New York by Frank Sinatra
This one's about the American Dream, and when he sings it, you believe it. 'These little town blues/are melting away/I'll make a brand new start of it, in old New York'

3. Son of Mr. Green Genes by Frank Zappa
I'm not very familiar with Zappa's oeuvre, but this one caught my attention from what I have.

2. Impressions by John Coltrane
More of the live version with Eric Dolphy than the album version, but hey. They're both great. Coltrane's intensity shows here, as well is his impeccable logic and his prismatic phrases. Dolphy burns with a more abrasive, atonal sort of intensity.

1. Slither by Velvet Revolver
Sure, disgusting corporate rock which probably doesn't mean anything but damn if it isn't catchy.



Hmm. I've left out a lot. Can't be helped I guess, but a few honorable mentions:

Raining Blood by Slayer
Could You Be the One by Husker Du
Opus Pocus by Jaco Pastorius
Love Foolosophy by Jamiroquai
Honeysuckle Rose by Jane Monheit
Take the 'A' Train by Duke Ellington
All Along the Watch Tower and Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Una Muy Bonita by Ornette Coleman
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi by Radiohead
Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap

Ahh fuck it. It's impossible.

adam

Looking for

A female drummer with no skills whatsoever except excellent timekeeping and a rudimentary ability to sing. Please respond.

adam

I'm back from the first week of SISPEC. It is surprisingly a very good place. I guess that's partly because I'm in Echo company, said to be the slackest in sispec, but hey. The PT doesn't vary much, only the treatment does - and as far as I've seen the trainees are treated with much, much more respect than the recruits in BMT. I might actually enjoy myself here. I'm actually enjoying all the PT, even if it pushes me to the max - like running 4k in vest slacks at an INSANE speed because my sec-com is some charlie bravo fit guardsman. I guess it's because they don't yell at you during PT, and I know I'm pushing myself and nobody else is.

Other than PT, sispec is mostly lectures and later outfield. The lectures are stultifying. They are perverse. We've spent the first week doing mostly safety procedures and my god is that dull. I understand now why my sergeants always complained that they sai kang a lot - this is why : Safety forms. Safety procedures. Oh well - I guess the admin shitstorm is coming my way too.

More updates to come.

Also, I'm looking for people to form a rock band and I need a bassist, singer, drummer and another guitarist if possible. I'd like to try out some punk/alternative/indie stuff and I guess I've never played anything other than jazz in a real band.

adam

SPNS leg two.

I thought it was just a really horrible, senseless way to get knocked out. We were doing Very Well, in fact - 2nd placing in the qualifying round and then we got whacked by the Red Shadows during the quarters. Not to disparage their skills at all - they eventually made 2nd place and are a very solid team indeed - but it was a silly way to lose. We didn't make any tactical errors, we just got shot out plain and simple from behind covers. I know xun's beating himself up that he didn't get behind his dorito properly, but I think it isn't that simple to put the blame on him. I don't think we got complacent - not on such an important match. I just think in that match we were outplayed when our shooting wasn't taking a good turn. Mistakes were made despite the best of intentions, as happens inevitably to novices. And that is a shitty way to lose.

adam

The Pixies!

So true to my foray into the deep, mysterious and self-esteem-plagued world of punk, alternative and indie rock, I've discovered the Pixies. At first I didn't like them at all - I believe my first reaction was that they were playing the same four rather nauseating chords over again and pretending to be Mogwai - which Isn't Totally Fair because i was more accurately suffering from stomach flu and had Nirvana playing at the same time on itunes.

Their sound really grows on you though. You can tell how a generation of hippie environmentalist/political activist (I'm starin' at YOU, Bono) took to this music and made it their own somehow. Yet, there will never again be the Pixies. They are bizarre, never afraid to sound like pop music but always intelligent and always slightly off-the-wall (check out the screaming on Caribou - bet that made you jump.)

Also, Kurt Cobain apparently worshipped this band which is an interesting point to note because I like Nirvana so much and suddenly I see where Nirvana's pop roots and Kurt cobain's love of screaming came from.

Also also, I think the one possible flaw with The Pixies' approach is that fans spend FAR too much time staring at Kim Deal with their mouths slightly open. Not kidding you, I actually missed most of the 'Caribou' clip on youtube doing just that. Beware.

adam

Aguas de Marco/ Waters of March

To continue last week's topic of what bossa nova should have been, another brilliant case in point: Stan Getz's recording of 'Aguas de Marco'. This one came off the 'perhaps perhaps perhaps' compilation (an album which I fully expected to be full of disgusting sleaze and which was in fact probably full of disgusting sleaze except for a couple of gems - it had Mack the Knife too) so I'm entirely unsure of the personnel except that Stan Getz is on the tenor.

The arrangement on this track certainly deserves the most praise: again the disgusting double-kick-pedal drum beat is avoided, a beat that has become the unfortunate cliche of bossa nova after its inception. Instead a variety of hand drums, cowbells and shakers are substituted for brilliant effect: bossa nova done this way sounds far more ethnic (as opposed to slutty).

The lyrics are sung first in portugese, then in english; the guitarist here deserves much praise as well for showing unparalleled mastery over the bossa nova beat - while never departing from the basic beat he manages a palette of textures just by varying minutiae like the duration of every chord or a subtle change in voicing. Take note of the different texture during the portugese verse (upbeat, sprightly) as compared to the english verse (laid-back, wistful)

Of course none of this analysis would count for anything if not for the bedrock of any music: solid, beautiful songwriting. This one's another Jobim masterpiece, more impressionistic than Ipanema; the descending progression and the rapid fire images suggest a rural, tropical life. Jobim's lyrics are wistful or even sad as they describe the details of a simple life: 'A knot in the wood, the song of a thrush' 'A scratch, a lump/It is nothing at all'.

The singer's voice seems to reflect sadness but it seems in the scheme of things (as painted by Jobim) the sadness is part of some cosmic cycle : she sings 'And the riverbank talks of the waters of march/It's the promise of life/It's the joy in your heart.'

When Getz comes in with his solo it seems all things must be right with the world again: no need for smashing cymbals and exploding snare drums: the drummer simply ramps it up to quavers on the ride cymbal, the band changes key and that is enough intensity for Getz as he embarks on his solo. Getz's tenor sounds pensive; romantic yet restrained and is the perfect foil for the singers. This solo's longer than the one on Ipanema and develops a lot more: his motivic playing is evident around 3.14 where he riffs off a 5 note arpeggiated motif (4 notes descending, one ascending) providing an interesting tension which contrasts plenty with the expressive, drawn out high notes previously played. It strikes me as particularly appropriate for the bossa nova mood because it reflects the same complex, yet restrained beauty. The end of his solo mirrors its beginning: while he starts with a 3 note descending arpeggio, his solo ends with a set of ascending 3-note arpeggios. The inversion is not lost on the listener; it feels complete and perfect.


adam

Friendship

Re: Rayner's post got me thinking about pretty much the same thing. I think it doesn't concern me as much as it concerns him, maybe because I'm too much of a loner, but also I think these sort of things need to be let be. I mean, there's nothing I can control about the way I relate to people or the way they relate to me except to always spend time with my friends whenever I can, which I do anyway.

He's right though, some friendships DO drift and are drifting because of army. There isn't much I can do. I think the more worrying part is that I haven't made many new friends. Of course my section mates and platoon mates count, but that's more of being forced to live together. I still haven't found anyone new to just share the things that I love with.

I think one day my laissez-faire attitude to life will get me killed. I mean, whatever happens happens and you have to deal with it. But until then I refuse to worry.

In other news, army has not delivered any surprises in the crap department: it's still crappy. On the upside, we get a hell lot of free time now: on the downside, the sergeants never let us get more than 1.5 hours without ordering rifle cleaning. The past week has been full of PT: 2 x ability group run, which is basically endurance running, 2x double strength training (which is 4, YES.), SOC and one 60:120 speed training. all in 4 days. Plus, I got remedial training on saturday which meant a late bookout and some -very- painful thighs. Fucking ranger hops. After bookout I went to play paintball with the 20th Legion (my team) and achieved record highs of fatigue level. Adrenaline only keeps you going for so long. This time, I managed not to kill any team members... but I still shot Terence after he was out. Bugger. I need to upgrade my IFF software. Still, I'm getting the hang of the basics. It is very fun.

So, I guess until next bookout I'll be PTing some more. Next week looks far better than last week, but this being Viper company there will still be much manly fun. And games day as well, during which I am part of the awe-inspiring Tentage Assembly Team. Yes, quite possibly the least manly event in games day save the cheerleading squad. On the other hand, just watching the combat race made me tired, so maybe this was a good idea. When keng comes your way, accept it with open arms, that's what I say.

adam

This one's a bit of a blast from the past: The Getz/Gilberto recording of 'The Girl From Ipanema' which was my audition piece for the jazz club. One of the first jazz recordings I ever heard, and studied obsessively. I can recite the portugese lyrics, if anyone wants to hear. Anyway:

Listening to the recording with the benefit of some experience and the freshness of having come back from 2 weeks of field camp/mad PT, it strikes me as a huge pity that bossa nova went the sordid way of easy listening, lounge music and boom-chuck-boomchuck generic, wishy-washy music. Because when it begun (and this is one of THE definitive bossa nova recordings) it had an immense delicateness that somehow lost its way along the line. Paul Desmond echoed my sentiments on the liner notes of Bossa Antigua I believe - something disappeared along the line which is so present on this recording. It is a (pardon me if I try to describe) sense of wanton freedom and a delicate appreciation of nature. The latin beat of the guitar is finely balanced against the jazz outlined by the hi-hat. There is no 1 rest rest 4 1 rest rest 4 bass. The bassist plays only on the 1 which gives the sound a folk-like simplicity (again, my vocabulary fails me). The arrangement is clean (and free of synth strings and Dave Weckl's massive overplaying. Good Lord) and largely consists of a guitar accompaniment which is romantic but not sloppy (is that Joao Gilberto? I'm not sure). Stan Getz's solo echoes the melody (supposedly a crime in modern jazz) but does not strike one as a lazy solo - it fits the mood perfectly. Astrud Gilberto's singing is as perfect as ever - detached and dare I say wistful.

My point in all this waxing lyrical is that this is an intelligent, finely constructed jazz recording that should be evaluated on its own merits rather than by what eventually happened to bossa nova. It's also one of my all-time favourite songs.

adam

Unimaginable, aimless depression. I don't know what it is this time. Maybe my subconscious has decided to rebel. I don't really have any reason to be that unhappy. I just feel sick and tired.

I just came back from camp. Army is suck. But on the upside, there is music! Back home, that is - nothing feels better than coming back from 2 and a half weeks of silence and (god forbid) army songs to some good music. I guess I've for now put my musical demons behind me.

Anyway, I gave Frank Zappa's 'Hot Rats' another listen. This is one of my all-time favourite albums. I consider it one of the pinnacles of instrumental rock and quite possibly the only time I've ever heard it done convincingly (I'm lookin' at YOU, steve vai.) It is a beautiful album. The opening track, 'Peaches en Regalia' is tightly composed but feels freewheeling and blooms with what I can only call exuberance. There is no hint of faux machismo here. This is rock music that isn't afraid of being happy - and it is very much so, but; like all great works of art, a sublime happiness. Which is why I prefer to say exuberance; a joy at the fact of listening, of life.

On a more technical note, Zappa's playing is free from cliches but strikingly simple, and his ability to improvise long and coherent solos is incredible - listen to the final track, 'The Gumbo Variations' for about 6 straight minutes of improvisation over a single chord, and it never once gets boring. Zappa's ability to be emphatic is one of his best qualities (and one which places him well above many many other guitarists). I appreciate the simplicity.

This is not to say the album is simple - it definitely contains elements of jazz fusion, with the tightly composed melodies and structures that implies. The instrumentation is varied and often bizarre (many many synths.) but it always feels like the structure is in service of a melody - and again, Zappa's gift with melody is seldom surpassed. Tracks like Peaches en Regalia and Son of Mr. Green Genes demonstrate this knack for simple but beautiful melodies.

On 'Little Umbrellas' Zappa displays a more experimental side - with a more jazz-like melody and much more complex chord changes, almost reminding one of Wayne Shorter's writing for the Miles Davis quintet and particularly for Weather Report with all the multi-layered melodies and compositions.

Kudos also go to Zappa's sidemen. Ian Underwood (saxophones) plays masterfully on 'The Gumbo Variations', contributing his own lengthy solo that delves into the shrieking, squeaking realm of free jazz but never deviates from the funky, earthy theme. Listen to the Art Ensemble of Chicago on 'Theme de yoyo' for an interesting comparison. Also, Zappa's violinist whose name I forget puts in a beautiful solo on the same track.

I saved the best for last - 'Willie the Pimp' is arguably the crowning achievement of the album. It is the only track on the disc with lyrics, and it represents Zappa's long fascination with the absurd and scatological, not to mention sexual. Zappa's associate Captain Beefheart supplies hoarse vocals, shouting 'HOT RATS!' over Zappa's slippery guitar playing. Then Zappa launches into a long, greasy solo - probably the most rock influenced in the whole album.

In total, 'Hot Rats' is an easily accessible but extremely well put together album that never fails to put a smile on my face. We miss you, Frank.

adam

First impressions - David Bowie, Earthling.

I don't see why the critics gave this album a hard time. The opening track, Little Wonder, is a brilliant vindication of electronica, replete with Bowie's spacey harmonies and even a little rock guitar. It fills me with happy feelings. Report on the rest of the album to follow.

adam

Purify my heart.

I've been unconsciously emo-ing myself into a hole these past few days, moping about in taxis and on buses, sulking around with my headphones in sunny KL, stuff like that. I dunno what it is. Maybe it's the quarter life identity crisis. I guess it is. I've been thinking about music. I've gotten quite jaded about jazz. I mean, face it. Jazz is in a rut. There haven't been any convincing acts (at least, none that I've seen) in the last 20 years at least. Fusion is a sad mess. Free jazz can't decide what it wants to do. The post-bop and Wynton's gang could never match coltrane's ideas and are stuck with pale imitations. I won't even get started on smooth jazz... I've just been to a wedding and that means Kenny G during the appetisers and Pachelbel set to a disgusting soft porn soundtrack during the main course. I guess it sucks that I might actually have to move on and do something else just as I was getting good at it. I'm tired of jazz.

adam

Just got myself a copy of Radiohead's OK Computer. Took me awhile to warm to it, but now I am busy partaking in the condensed awesomeness. I may be unresponsive on msn for a few hours.

adam

Wow. Not only am I not a musician or a writer... I'm barely even a person. Maybe I needed to realise that before I could get over being a teenager. It feels good, somehow. I don't want to have to be anything anymore.

adam

Hide and Seek

where are we?
what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just begun to fall
crop circles in the carpet
sinking feeling

spin me round again
and rub my eyes,
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines
all those years
they were here first

oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines (oh, you won't catch me around here)
blood and tears (hearts)
they were here first

Mm whatcha say?
Mm that you only meant well?
well of course you did
Mm whatcha say?
Mm that its all for the best?
of course it is
Mm whatcha say?
Mm that it's just what we need,
you decided this?
Mm what did she say?

ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
sick-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs
speak no feeling no i don't believe you
you don't care a bit,
you don't care a bit

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This song has been guilt tripping me for a whole week. Fuck you, Imogen Heap.

adam

Coltrane plays ballads

Not an album review this time - just some thoughts on balladry.

Coltrane's playing has long been revered for his speed and (more importantly, I think) ability to weld strings of hyper-fast notes into shockingly coherent, thematically layered melodies. This is beyond doubt and still amazes me every time I listen to 'Giant Steps' or his work with Miles.

I think another, less looked at (I shall not say overlooked because every aspect of his playing has been analysed and debated countless times) aspect of Coltrane's playing is his way with ballads. I find his approach to the slower songs one of the most compelling in the history of jazz music. Never letting his tone become mushy or sentimental, he still manages to be terrifically romantic by stating the melody emphatically. His directness is refreshing, and the strength (I use this word advisedly - the only way I can think to describe his approach is 'strong') of his tone reminds us that 'romanticism' contains both sentimentality and power, and cannot do without either - without power, it is wheedling and mushy (as Kenny G proves) and without sentimentality it is callous and rude (i'm looking at you, Mr. Weckl.)

I think Coltrane understood what it means to be romantic. I don't think anyone will be able to play a ballad convincingly without this kind of understanding.

adam

edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tjlz3DYmTw

Here's a video of the Coltrane quartet playing 'Everytime We Say Goodbye'.