like O.M.G.

Alarm will sound, my most favoritest group ever, is doing something fan-fucking-tastic. Aside from covering THIS:



(how the hell they're doing that, i dont know) they're also going ahead and doing covers of

THE SHAGGS

yeah, thats right, the mutherfucking shaggs.

And if i was in new york, i would be all up in that kitchen business. Do they tour? Maybe their website has clues (oh wait, theres no tour schedule posted for 2008... DO'H). Eitherway, this 69' thing they've got going makes me feel... so.... much... love.

I guess there is nothing for me to do but buy their merchandise. hurray!

Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam

My recently acquired recording of Strawberry Jam is pretty sweet.

Maybe a little tame in comparison to some of the earlier works of Animal collective, but sweet all the same. I was familiar via Youtube with several of the tracks already, like the eccentrically lyrical Fireworks and the darkly hallucinogenic-electronic folk of Peacebone.

Chores, the third track, feels like a kind of homage to the The Shaggs, and their only release- philosophy of the world. The track 06 #1 has a continuous minimalistic electronic organ pattern reminiscent of Riley's Persian Surgery Dervishes or Glass' Music in a Similar motion.

The 8th song in the set, Cuckoo Cuckoo, uses a sample of a luscious late-Romantic piano chord progression (i don't know what its lifted from, Faure? Scriabin? cant tell), repeated endlessly with the groups typically strident vocals and electronics layered over that peaceful piano sound bite.
All in all, in this disk we get a continuation and development of the groups' ability of creating simple, folksy lyricism along side visceral, experimental electronics, dissonances and a strong eclecticism and energy.

Which just begs the question..... why aren't there more weightlifting classical musicians and fans? I dont get it. Is it that persistent platonic/cartesian dualism crap? that (incorrect) mentality that the body is meaningless and has no effect on our supposedly independent intellect? Meh, for the record, I'd like the say that weightlifting is quantifiable awesome*. And for you fellow pianists, it strengthens the forearms, which is excellent for extended tremolo passages and possibly the Concord Sonata.

Anyway, i think classical musicians could always use a little more muscle... in the various meanings of the word.

____
* i could list the reasons, but i wont here. unless you really, really want me to.

Que Sera Sera

More Mughals.

(Love)