R.E.M - "Fables of the Reconstruction"

i have something of a fanatacism for the back catalogue of r.e.m., and am of the distinct opinion that from their debut ep "chronic town" until their major-label "automatic for the people" they were an uncompromising force of brilliance, creating wonderful pop music that was in no way flat, but rather pregnable with possibilities, terrific melodies, coruscating arpeggios and the impenetrable, murky voice of michael stipe. it is inevitable that the excitability and ingenuity of their music would slacken the longer they remained an operable group, as much as that is a certainty for virtually every band or artist who persists in making music for an extended period of time. r.e.m. had a stretch that is enviable, though, in that every record they released over a decade had something commendable, mesmeric about it. of their studio work from "chronic town" to "automatic," only their fifth record, "document," was marred by regrettable choices (mostly in the form of trying to "rock out" in a fashion that is entirely foreign to them). "out of time" - that preceded "automatic for the people" - does indeed have "shiny happy people" and a few other songs that are questionable, but the remaining four songs on the album are among the greatest songs of their respective career. as much as i am indebted to their full-length debut "murmur" for hours upon hours of listening and rapture, it is their third album, "fables of the reconstruction/reconstruction of the fables," to which i am recurringly drawn.



the texture of the record is one of its inherent charms for me, as there seems to be a slight, obscuring fog hanging over the instruments, and there is a feeling of being buried by the sounds it invokes. the chorus of "auctioneer" has a wall of flanged-guitars that scare the shit out of me, but that dissonance and the angular flashes of darkness permeate the whole album. i usually discredit the back stories surrounding the completion or composition of books, films, records, but in this instance i find it interesting that r.e.m. was preparing to disband shortly after the recording of "fables." the depressive atmosphere would certainly support that, and in a way it would be nice to speculate the "what-ifs" had they parted ways, leaving only "chronic town," "murmur," "reckoning" and this manic mess in their wake. the gothic, southern mood prevails through much of the album, especially the puzzling, entrancing "maps and legends," a song that could certainly pepper the soundtrack to any suicidal southerners summer, with its weary pulling and slow waves of chords; the word "impenetrable" - often used parallel to r.e.m. - is most apt here.



light occasionally breaks through, however, most notably - and merrily - on "green grow the rushes go." i have no goddamned idea what the hell stipe is singing about, but it brings a certain, inextinguishable joy to me whenever i hear it. i can see how the album could be viewed or castigated as "uneven" or some such adjective, as some of its juxtapositions are a bit surprising ("can't get there from here" or the strangely sedated end of the album, "wendell gee"). i welcome all of it promiscuously, and hope it can be enjoyed, and that news of its greatness will spread like contagion.



this is the remastered edition of the album with supplemental tracks. i grabbed this anonymously from the internet and the sound is a relief. the prior cd release of "fables" was mastered at such sub-humanly low levels that volume was a significant problem. this mix is unmuddied (as much as possible, it's meant to be a bit blurred) and rings with a refreshing clarity. enjoy!

download fables of the reconstruction:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7Z60P3ZY

Vincent Gallo - "When"..."Brown Bunny" OST..."Buffalo 66" OST

alas, this is the only video i can find for gallo's wonderful music on youtube.



unlike many people, i find nothing adverse or polarizing about vincent gallo in any of his numerous pursuits, whether it be music, film or painting. the conflation - and much of the acrimony surrounding the mere mention of his name - seems to arise from the purposefully outrageous persona that he has publicly adopted. the perception is that he's an arrogant, self-fellating egoist of the highest order, with little or no talent to fortify his claims to genius. he made a movie where he receives a blow job at the end! wow, what an arsehole, etc. it saddens me that a film as beautiful and honestly evocative of sorrow and inexpressible pain should be so uniformly derided by people who haven't even bothered to watch it. "the brown bunny" is among my favorite films, especially in terms of its minimalism and aesthetic. the tactile nature of its atmosphere, the sheer feel of it is almost impossible to explain. ozu, jarmusch and bela tarr are all wonderful filmmakers, but none of them have reached the universal zero, the reduction and systematic elmination of everything but pure, miserable sensation that is found in "brown bunny." herzog called it the greatest film about loneliness. jean-luc godard chose it for use in an installation he had a few years ago, expressing his admiration. "buffalo '66" is usually characterized as "quirky" or some similarly antiseptic adjective, with its style accused of existing without substance. i waver back and forth as to which film i admire more, but usually i settle on "brown bunny," simply for the fact that it is so taxing to watch. i can watch "buffalo" literally any time, and often do in long stretches. "bunny" is, however, something i feel compelled to prepare for as it devastates me, and by the final frame i feel as if i have all but vanished into its landscape. gallo's music is an extension of the loneliness and bare beauty of his films, and i carry about an insatiable regret for the fact that he has not produced more.

the "buffalo '66" soundtrack features king crimson, yes and some of gallo's own music (especially the dream-like "lonely boy"). the "brown bunny" features music primarily by john frusciante with nothing of gallo's own music (lamentably). gallo's own album "when" is a delight, and i have a difficult time expressing my love for its little melodies and incredible texture, its comforting warmth.


download "when"

http://www.mediafire.com/?z4ysndhjtj4

download "buffalo 66"

http://www.mediafire.com/?fiydumatg9x

download "brown bunny"

http://www.mediafire.com/?1xb9bss5zhk

Talk Talk..."Laughing Stock"

i have nothing remarkable to say concerning this album, other than the fact that i am heavily indebted to its charms and mesmerism. another one of those indispensible listening experiences for the late hours of the evening, when everyone across the world is inert, asleep or otherwise dead.

download "laughing stock":
http://www.mediafire.com/?agrzsyebj29

John Lurie..."Stranger Than Paradise" Soundtrack

as much as i adore jarmusch's films, i would hesitate to say he ever made anything as gorgeous and absorbing as two of his earliest efforts, "stranger than paradise" and "down by law." "dead man" is singular and hypnotic, and inevitably remains (to me at least) his last startling, inventive effort (i haven't had the opportunity to finish "limits of control," but i was quite taken with the hour i watched). john lurie, whose bizarre teflon acting helped characterize both "stranger" and "law," was responsible for creating both of their respective soundtracks, and they are terrifically evocative, with an almost bartokian string implementation and noted aylerisms. unlike most soundtracks, lurie's music is never passive and continually invites a world entirely of its own.

download "stranger than paradise"

http://www.mediafire.com/?4thteynz34y

Doors..."Strange Days"

i know, but listen.



for years i conscientiously abstained from listening to the doors, as my tolerance for the hagiography and hero-worship around morrison was skeletal and bare. ugh, especially those ubiquitous posters where his arms are outstretched and he's wearing that repugnant glare like a party mask. i've heard "roadhouse blues" enough to congeal six consecutive lifespans, etc. however, i watched "apocalypse now" over a year ago, and something about hearing "the end" while marlon brando is hacked apart with extreme prejudice...something just sent up the flagpole for me, and since then i've been listening to the doors after years of utter refusal. primarily, i've been listening to this album - aside from "horse latitudes," which is unintentionally hilarious, this is nearly perfect, entirely of its own. aside from "love me two times" and "people are strange" these songs have been nowhere near radio frequencies for the better part of four decades; absolute shame. i'm enamored of the guitar tone on these songs, especially "unhappy girl" and "moonlight drive." the arrangements are delirious, and no matter how overplayed "people are strange" may be, that carnivalesque, brechtian piano romp towards the end of the song will always act as a great sound of conveyance, transportive in a sense that is delirious and rightly strange. i care a great deal for the majority of their debut album and their third, "waiting for the sun." after that it's somewhat sporadic and prone to mediocrity, but "strange days" is the perect embodiment of what the doors' music was intended to be, fortunately avoiding the pratfalls and pretenses that such ambitions might bring. quite good, evocative - to be listened to exclusively during the late hours of the night.



download:

http://www.mediafire.com/?2xi4bmjedyn

Albert Ayler..."HIlversum Sessions"

speech is insufficient:



working with the quartet that was responsible for ayler's previous album, "vibrations," this session was recorded live in europe and presents an elongation on the themes of the prior work. it's debatable whether it reaches the disorienting, paramount heights of "vibrations," but i find its variations to be enlivening and sometimes favor it even more. ayler himself was a mercurial figure, and the wordless melisma and vocalizations of his playing leave me hollowed and immobilized. his playing definitively embodies the term "free jazz" in a much more appropriate way than either coltrane or coleman (at least to me), as there is nothing short of pure celerity and motion in his phrasing, an unbounded cry from the depths of the human body. though his renown is comparatively pale and bare alongside coltrane, there has been something of a renascent interest in his music (notably, there was a documentary a few years ago called "my name is albert ayler," though it is frustratingly rare to come across). i recently discovered that he's buried about 45 minutes from where i'm living now, so i intend on visiting his grave in the near future.



download "hilversum session" by albert ayler

http://rapidshare.com/files/217521741/Albert_Ayler_-_The_Hilversum_Session.rar

(this link is an advertisement for the wonderful "albert ayler depot" blog, which sponsors nothing but ayler's music...mercifully, they even have the holy ghost boxset):

http://albertayler.blogspot.com/

Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard..."Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Dept."

why the phrase "electric newspaper boy" resonates so deeply with me, why it makes me feel ineffaceably alive...i don't know, but here you go...



i'm attending the guided by voices reunion show in columbus, ohio, so i'm expectantly devouring the countless, massive amounts of music conducted under pollard's genius (yes, i believe him to be possessed of it in his own unmistakable way). i've been listening to guided by voices and robert pollard for nearly 6 or 7 years now, and though i may not listen to them as unflaggingly as i have in the past couple of years, i always return reverently before his drunken altar. pollard's solo career (until the recent dissolution of gbv) has remained mostly obscure to anyone but inveterate, dedicated fans. quite a shame considering "not in my airforce" and "waved out" are both studded with a gluttony of gems. then there's "speak kindly of your volunteer fire department," a record that provides me with a surfeit of warmth and happiness. collaborating with late-era gbv guitarist doug gillard, "speak kindly..." finds pollard at his most deliriously pop-oriented. it should be a cardinal sin to listen to songs this deliciously well-written. "pop zeus" is a rather obvious tune to praise (disgustingly perfect as it is), but tracks like "and i don't (so now i do)," "frequent weaver who burns," "slick as snails," "tight globes," and "larger massachusetts" are equally as enticing. lyrically, pollard is at his best here, and vocally he has rarely sounded as powerful and assured. even something as seemingly disposable as "soul train college policeman" is endeared due to its performance (and the strange sincerity with which "post-christmas cupcake handgrenade" is sung). in its entirety, this is a great record, on an equal footing with pollard's earlier solo effort "waved out." despite the preponderance of memorable tunes, the closing song ("and my unit moves") remains my unwavering favorite for reasons i could never possibly express.

download bob pollard and doug gillard's lovely little album:

http://megaupload.com/?d=G296J5IN