i
this is the aftermath
of a nuclear
disaster
ii
I climb a treetop
and look out past the fallout
this is where you left me
the oceans are rising like
the earth is crying
she called this the danger zone
“zen”
I wipe the table clean to serve the nuclear family dinner
my blood
now radioactively charged
“I need a new form of transportation
something better to ride.”
nuclear fission is the hyperactivity of my soul
I’m in danger of splitting atoms
this is the splitting of you
and I
could wipe out the fucking planet
and leave nothing
behind
this is your pride
poisoned
“with my ego I could kill continents”
“Alas, Babylon”
“where do we go from here?”
this is the point
of catastrophic conclusions
and I’m standing in the middle of it
like standing in shit
and I
ignite, and radiate the croplands
this is the feeling you feed off
“and for my next trick…”
iii
without me
to point the finger at you, your
pride
will be drained
“by the power
vested in me
I now pronounce you
a wasteland,” wetlands
your flesh will burn when you enter, “me
I’ll be ok.”
“look at the big picture”
look at what you caused
when you die of cancer with lesions on your skin
and legions at your feet
they’ll proclaim
my name
for the horror’s you’ve inflicted.
like anthrax
or syntax error, you
will burn
with the sinners
and sluts.
9.28.2006
This Day & Age - "The Bell and the Hammer"
Throughout The Bell and the Hammer, Buffalo, NY newcomers This Day & Age blend skillful musicianship with pop sensibility – a task that all too often escapes most young bands. The musicians in This Day & Age are impressive in their ability to navigate the confines of their instruments and stretch beyond those limits. It may seem like a stretch, but the closest comparison that comes to mind is Queen – another band that wrote popular and memorable songs that also featured incredibly talented playing.
“Always Straight Ahead” opens with lively uptempo bass playing from Joey Secchiaroli over a sixteenth note, dancey drum pattern from Steven Padin. Secchiaroli’s bass serves as a strong undercurrent throughout The Bell. Downtempo and emotive heartbreakers are given life by Secchiaroli’s constantly entertaining bass, always in lockstep syncopation with Padin’s drums. “More of a Climb, Less of a Walk” again showcases Secchiaroli’s bass – and deservedly so. This Day & Age have a rhythm section worthy of accolades.
Jeffrey Martin’s lead vocals are laden with reverb and chorus, giving them an ethereal and clouded texture, reminiscent of Elliot’s False Cathedrals. On “Second Star to the Right…” he is at his best, his voice dancing around Padin’s stick and move drumming. Martin’s intelligent lyricism and thoughtful phrasing is a welcome respite from so many of today’s juvenile songwriters. Secchiaroli, Padin and guitarist Michael Carroll also contribute vocals, mostly in the densely layered and effects ridden fashion made popular by Jimmy Eat World on the all-time classic “Clarity.”
Kelly Sciandra’s keyboards are used thoughtfully throughout. The album’s title track is built around a soothing Rhodes line, again kept alive by Secchiaroli, while Sciandra’s conjures images of Chick Corea with his very 70’s melody on the aforementioned “More of a Climb.” The 70’s vibe continues on “Of Course We’ve All Seen the Sun” and the closing “All We Thought We Could.”
“Sara Poor Sara” is too sunny to be written by upstate New Yorkers, but somehow This Day & Age pull of the beachy “OC”-vibe with ease. “Building a Home” features the same sort of classic pop style – like Beach Boys gone emo. “Winter Winter Spring” and “We’ve All Seen the Sun” are further highlights on this outstanding debut.
“Always Straight Ahead” opens with lively uptempo bass playing from Joey Secchiaroli over a sixteenth note, dancey drum pattern from Steven Padin. Secchiaroli’s bass serves as a strong undercurrent throughout The Bell. Downtempo and emotive heartbreakers are given life by Secchiaroli’s constantly entertaining bass, always in lockstep syncopation with Padin’s drums. “More of a Climb, Less of a Walk” again showcases Secchiaroli’s bass – and deservedly so. This Day & Age have a rhythm section worthy of accolades.
Jeffrey Martin’s lead vocals are laden with reverb and chorus, giving them an ethereal and clouded texture, reminiscent of Elliot’s False Cathedrals. On “Second Star to the Right…” he is at his best, his voice dancing around Padin’s stick and move drumming. Martin’s intelligent lyricism and thoughtful phrasing is a welcome respite from so many of today’s juvenile songwriters. Secchiaroli, Padin and guitarist Michael Carroll also contribute vocals, mostly in the densely layered and effects ridden fashion made popular by Jimmy Eat World on the all-time classic “Clarity.”
Kelly Sciandra’s keyboards are used thoughtfully throughout. The album’s title track is built around a soothing Rhodes line, again kept alive by Secchiaroli, while Sciandra’s conjures images of Chick Corea with his very 70’s melody on the aforementioned “More of a Climb.” The 70’s vibe continues on “Of Course We’ve All Seen the Sun” and the closing “All We Thought We Could.”
“Sara Poor Sara” is too sunny to be written by upstate New Yorkers, but somehow This Day & Age pull of the beachy “OC”-vibe with ease. “Building a Home” features the same sort of classic pop style – like Beach Boys gone emo. “Winter Winter Spring” and “We’ve All Seen the Sun” are further highlights on this outstanding debut.
9.25.2006
Four Tet - 'Remixed'
Kieran Hebden’s latest release as Four Tet, the moniker he has recorded under since disbanding late-90s post-rockers Fridge, is a double disc collection of remixes. While a remix album may seem superfluous in the catalogs of many artists as young as Hebden, Remixes in all actuality serves as a stellar introduction to one of the brightest young talents in electronic music today and is an essential and timely addition to the Four Tet collection.
Remixes compiles two different approaches to Four Tet’s music. Disc one is a concise selection of the best remixes Hebden’s hands have touched while disc two collects every remix of Four Tet’s own work done by other artists.
Many jazz fans may not be familiar with the work of Four Tet – but they damn well should be. Hebden is a student of music, versed in a variety of sounds and styles from acoustic folk to jazz, ambient dub and the avant-garde compositions of Steve Reich (who recently began working with Four Tet on a series of collaborations).
And if you think about it, the remix really is a sort of post-modern form of composition, not unlike jazz and other composed mediums. Rather than manipulating sounds in ones head and transcribing those ideas to paper, the composer here digitally deconstructs and then reconstructs actual, tangible prerecorded sounds to produce something wholly new and original. The art of the remix isn’t easy - to make a track your own, to keep the integrity of the original work and add one’s own artistry takes a deft knowledge of sound construction and an almost instinctual musicality. Hebden is perhaps the most apt remix artist around, and this shows throughout.
Remixing (disc one) begins with a surrealist, nightmarish reworking of Lars Horntveth’s “Tics.” Radiohead’s “Skttrbrain” follows with glitchy layers of percussion and Thom Yorke’s signature falsetto. Two tracks from Madvillian, the collaborative effort of Stones Throw soldier Madlib and multi-personalitied emcee MF Doom, receive the Four Tet treatment. “Money Folder” is highlighted by video game tech keyboard samples while “Great Day” brings Hebden’s signature acoustic guitar to the mix, layered over loose, jazzy drumming.
Post-punk buzz band Bloc Party sees their wonderful “So Here We Are” dissected in minimalist fashion and Australian chanteuse Sia gets the funk treatment on an Issac Hayes-influenced rendition of her “Breathe Me” – what a voice! And in a most outstanding effort, Four Tet tackles folk songstress Beth Orton’s “Carmella,” creating a twelve-minute overture that truly showcases Hebden’s talents.
Remixed (disc two) is highlighted by an appearance by the late J Dilla, who beautifully reworks “As Serious as Your Life.” Sa Ra offers a beach blanket version of “Sun Drums and Soil” and underrated emcee Percee P shows up on “A Joy” (a track that actually appears in three different forms here). Manitoba and Boom Bip, two artists in the same vein as Four Tet and equally as deserving of recognition by jazz fans, also lend their talents to Remixed.
Remixes compiles two different approaches to Four Tet’s music. Disc one is a concise selection of the best remixes Hebden’s hands have touched while disc two collects every remix of Four Tet’s own work done by other artists.
Many jazz fans may not be familiar with the work of Four Tet – but they damn well should be. Hebden is a student of music, versed in a variety of sounds and styles from acoustic folk to jazz, ambient dub and the avant-garde compositions of Steve Reich (who recently began working with Four Tet on a series of collaborations).
And if you think about it, the remix really is a sort of post-modern form of composition, not unlike jazz and other composed mediums. Rather than manipulating sounds in ones head and transcribing those ideas to paper, the composer here digitally deconstructs and then reconstructs actual, tangible prerecorded sounds to produce something wholly new and original. The art of the remix isn’t easy - to make a track your own, to keep the integrity of the original work and add one’s own artistry takes a deft knowledge of sound construction and an almost instinctual musicality. Hebden is perhaps the most apt remix artist around, and this shows throughout.
Remixing (disc one) begins with a surrealist, nightmarish reworking of Lars Horntveth’s “Tics.” Radiohead’s “Skttrbrain” follows with glitchy layers of percussion and Thom Yorke’s signature falsetto. Two tracks from Madvillian, the collaborative effort of Stones Throw soldier Madlib and multi-personalitied emcee MF Doom, receive the Four Tet treatment. “Money Folder” is highlighted by video game tech keyboard samples while “Great Day” brings Hebden’s signature acoustic guitar to the mix, layered over loose, jazzy drumming.
Post-punk buzz band Bloc Party sees their wonderful “So Here We Are” dissected in minimalist fashion and Australian chanteuse Sia gets the funk treatment on an Issac Hayes-influenced rendition of her “Breathe Me” – what a voice! And in a most outstanding effort, Four Tet tackles folk songstress Beth Orton’s “Carmella,” creating a twelve-minute overture that truly showcases Hebden’s talents.
Remixed (disc two) is highlighted by an appearance by the late J Dilla, who beautifully reworks “As Serious as Your Life.” Sa Ra offers a beach blanket version of “Sun Drums and Soil” and underrated emcee Percee P shows up on “A Joy” (a track that actually appears in three different forms here). Manitoba and Boom Bip, two artists in the same vein as Four Tet and equally as deserving of recognition by jazz fans, also lend their talents to Remixed.
9.10.2006
Clip
his words were
vulgar
like breast strokes
in
Babylon. I tried to tune him
out
but
he
was so off
key I want to pick
his lock
or
was it pick his brain
“she left bloodstains on the carpet.”
vulgar
like breast strokes
in
Babylon. I tried to tune him
out
but
he
was so off
key I want to pick
his lock
or
was it pick his brain
“she left bloodstains on the carpet.”
9.08.2006
John Medeski/Matthew Shipp "Scotty Hard's Radical Reconstructive Surgery"
Matthew Shipp. John Medeski. William Parker. Enough said.
But alas, you want more. The latest Thirsty Ear Records release, Scotty Hard’s Radical Reconstructive Surgery sees modern jazz powerhouses Shipp and Parker teamed with Medeski of Medeski, Martin, and Wood-fame. And while those three names may be familiar to many, Scotty Hard’s may not be. An acclaimed producer and remix wizard, Scotty Hard has worked with Wu-Tang Clan, MMW and most recently DJ Logic.
Rounding out the lineup for Radical Reconstructive Surgery are drummer Nasheet Waits (Antonio Hart, Michael Marcus) and DJ Olive, with additional drumming by Brazilian percussionist Mauricio Takara.
Medeski and Shipp haven’t shared a session since the two were students together at New England Conservatory of Music. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the duo dive into conversation like two old friends and throughout the record, Medeski’s organ effortlessly navigates the spaces around Shipp’s big, chunky piano chords.
Parker and Waits are generous in laying down beats for Medeski and Shipp to get lost in. Their rhythms provide space and get busy at the same time - a daunting task that only talents like these could pull off. The chameleon-esque Parker sounds amazing here playing the roll of Ron Carter on People’s Instinct Travels (A Tribe Called Quest) - jazz bass master fashioned as hip-hop head bopper. His ability to transition from abstract aural adventures with the likes of Hamid Drake and Peter Brotzmann to funky, on-the-corner jams with the Thirsty Ear fam makes Parker one of the most sought after bassists today and a true representative of the modern voice in jazz.
A brief introduction segues into the tempo-shifting, scatter brained opener “Chance Operation.” On “St. Clare’s Hospital,” Medeski plays the right hand to Shipp’s left.
“Joint Desease” begins with Shipp disjointedly wandering through the city lights, dodging a sonic assault of sirens and cries from the city at night. The drums here, for the first time on the record are DJ-produced and give the tune a New York circa 2012 vibe. Waits slowly and gently brings live drums in over DJ Olive’s MPC-processed beats while Medeski introduces his organ in a schizoid android fashion. The band brings a smoking groove beat back for “The General.”
Most of Radical Reconstructive Surgery sounds like John Medeski participating in a Thirsty Ear session, which, ostensibly, is the case. “Eclipse” however, sounds more like Matthew Shipp guesting on a Medeski, Martin and Wood record with a vibe far more reminiscent of MMW’s funk-filled vamps. Midway through “Eclipse” everything drops out and Shipp jumps in, pounding the keys with Cecil Taylor-like intensity.
“Eclipse” segues perfectly into the walking bass of “Cocktail.” Imagine two great pianists strolling the avenue after a few drinks, talking jive and arguing in loving fashion, stepping over each other and never letting the other finish a sentence. Then 1:20 later the conversation is over, neither one winning the argument.
The way Waits subdivides the beat on “The Peeler” is magnificent and “Anatomy of Melancholy” is again disjointed and angular in true Blue Series fashion. “Round Two” closes Shipp and Medeski’s Radical Reconstructive Surgery.
Bottom line: we want more!
But alas, you want more. The latest Thirsty Ear Records release, Scotty Hard’s Radical Reconstructive Surgery sees modern jazz powerhouses Shipp and Parker teamed with Medeski of Medeski, Martin, and Wood-fame. And while those three names may be familiar to many, Scotty Hard’s may not be. An acclaimed producer and remix wizard, Scotty Hard has worked with Wu-Tang Clan, MMW and most recently DJ Logic.
Rounding out the lineup for Radical Reconstructive Surgery are drummer Nasheet Waits (Antonio Hart, Michael Marcus) and DJ Olive, with additional drumming by Brazilian percussionist Mauricio Takara.
Medeski and Shipp haven’t shared a session since the two were students together at New England Conservatory of Music. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the duo dive into conversation like two old friends and throughout the record, Medeski’s organ effortlessly navigates the spaces around Shipp’s big, chunky piano chords.
Parker and Waits are generous in laying down beats for Medeski and Shipp to get lost in. Their rhythms provide space and get busy at the same time - a daunting task that only talents like these could pull off. The chameleon-esque Parker sounds amazing here playing the roll of Ron Carter on People’s Instinct Travels (A Tribe Called Quest) - jazz bass master fashioned as hip-hop head bopper. His ability to transition from abstract aural adventures with the likes of Hamid Drake and Peter Brotzmann to funky, on-the-corner jams with the Thirsty Ear fam makes Parker one of the most sought after bassists today and a true representative of the modern voice in jazz.
A brief introduction segues into the tempo-shifting, scatter brained opener “Chance Operation.” On “St. Clare’s Hospital,” Medeski plays the right hand to Shipp’s left.
“Joint Desease” begins with Shipp disjointedly wandering through the city lights, dodging a sonic assault of sirens and cries from the city at night. The drums here, for the first time on the record are DJ-produced and give the tune a New York circa 2012 vibe. Waits slowly and gently brings live drums in over DJ Olive’s MPC-processed beats while Medeski introduces his organ in a schizoid android fashion. The band brings a smoking groove beat back for “The General.”
Most of Radical Reconstructive Surgery sounds like John Medeski participating in a Thirsty Ear session, which, ostensibly, is the case. “Eclipse” however, sounds more like Matthew Shipp guesting on a Medeski, Martin and Wood record with a vibe far more reminiscent of MMW’s funk-filled vamps. Midway through “Eclipse” everything drops out and Shipp jumps in, pounding the keys with Cecil Taylor-like intensity.
“Eclipse” segues perfectly into the walking bass of “Cocktail.” Imagine two great pianists strolling the avenue after a few drinks, talking jive and arguing in loving fashion, stepping over each other and never letting the other finish a sentence. Then 1:20 later the conversation is over, neither one winning the argument.
The way Waits subdivides the beat on “The Peeler” is magnificent and “Anatomy of Melancholy” is again disjointed and angular in true Blue Series fashion. “Round Two” closes Shipp and Medeski’s Radical Reconstructive Surgery.
Bottom line: we want more!
9.07.2006
Billie Blue
“you got to
chill
baby…” Bille told
Miles
but the way she made
his stomach
get tense
made it hard to blow.
you can’t find the rhyme
with love and longing
on the mind
so Billie blew
kisses
when
no one else was looking
“what they don’t know
keeps us free”
“be a mystery”
chill
baby…” Bille told
Miles
but the way she made
his stomach
get tense
made it hard to blow.
you can’t find the rhyme
with love and longing
on the mind
so Billie blew
kisses
when
no one else was looking
“what they don’t know
keeps us free”
“be a mystery”
9.05.2006
"Pica Pica" Brotzmann/Mangelsdorff/Sommer
Pica Pica is an all-star affair featuring the trio of Peter Brotzmann, Albert Mangelsdorff and Gunter Sommer originally recorded in 1982 at Jazzfest Unna in Germany. Dug out of the Free Music Production archives by the good folks at Atavistic, Pica Picais now available here in the states as part of the label’s Unheard Music Series.
The pairing of Mangelsdorff, an innovator on trombone through his use of polyphonics, with the gut busting, reed-biting tenor of Brotzmann is intriguing to say the least. Not to say that Brotzmann is any less technically sound than Mangelsdorff, but the elder trombonist clearly has pedigree in the classical tradition of his instrument and thus has a, let’s say, calming affect on his counterpart.
And that’s not to say Brotzmann doesn’t blow his little heart out on Pica Pica - he most certainly does that. Jesus - a mere three minutes into “Instant Tears” he’s wailing, exorcising the ghost of Albert Ayler or conjuring images of contemporaries like Anthony Braxton or Ken Vandermark. But mere second later, the moment is more subdued, and Mangelsdorff takes the lead.
What makes Pica Pica so amazing is not that Brotzmann backs off or confines himself to give Mangelsdorff space. The trombonist offers respite to the fits of aggression from the saxophonist and Brotzmann can’t help but adapt to the repetitive accompaniment of Mangelsdorff, which makes Pica Pica far more listenable that much of Brotzmann’s catalog.
Brotzmann is fantastic in support of Mangelsdorff, when he chooses to do so. See, whereas Mangelsdorff never seems to stop playing, with a note here or there while Brotzmann and Sommer get lost in their own world, Brotzmann on the other hand seems to just stop playing when Mangelsdorff solos. Maybe this is best, as Brotzmann’s meaty tone would surely overpower the sometimes-delicate Mangelsdorff.
Sommer’s drumming gets busier on “Wie Due Mir, So Ich Dir Noch Lange Nicht,” filling in the empty space behind Mangelsdorff and Brotzmann with snare rolls and rudimentary exhibition. It’s hard to tell throughout Pica Pica whether Sommer’s low levels in the mix are a result of live recording methods or if the drummer just plain plays soft and if the case is the latter, kudos to Sommer for not trying to compete with Brotzmann in volume. Mangelsdorff’s multiphonics on “Wie Due Mir” are magnificent, so much so that the listener can actually ignore Brotzmann’s alto sax, which here sounds like he is strangling a small puppy.
The fifteen-plus minute “Instant Tears” and “Wie Due Mir” are followed by the briefly entertained title track, which closes the session perfectly. “Pica Pica” is more playful than the two previous tracks, with Sommer almost sounding like his trying to swing on his ride cymbal.
More avant-garde classical than jazz per se, Pica Pica is an outstanding addition to the Atavistic catalog and another great release from the often unheralded, and even sometimes discredited, Brotzmann.
The pairing of Mangelsdorff, an innovator on trombone through his use of polyphonics, with the gut busting, reed-biting tenor of Brotzmann is intriguing to say the least. Not to say that Brotzmann is any less technically sound than Mangelsdorff, but the elder trombonist clearly has pedigree in the classical tradition of his instrument and thus has a, let’s say, calming affect on his counterpart.
And that’s not to say Brotzmann doesn’t blow his little heart out on Pica Pica - he most certainly does that. Jesus - a mere three minutes into “Instant Tears” he’s wailing, exorcising the ghost of Albert Ayler or conjuring images of contemporaries like Anthony Braxton or Ken Vandermark. But mere second later, the moment is more subdued, and Mangelsdorff takes the lead.
What makes Pica Pica so amazing is not that Brotzmann backs off or confines himself to give Mangelsdorff space. The trombonist offers respite to the fits of aggression from the saxophonist and Brotzmann can’t help but adapt to the repetitive accompaniment of Mangelsdorff, which makes Pica Pica far more listenable that much of Brotzmann’s catalog.
Brotzmann is fantastic in support of Mangelsdorff, when he chooses to do so. See, whereas Mangelsdorff never seems to stop playing, with a note here or there while Brotzmann and Sommer get lost in their own world, Brotzmann on the other hand seems to just stop playing when Mangelsdorff solos. Maybe this is best, as Brotzmann’s meaty tone would surely overpower the sometimes-delicate Mangelsdorff.
Sommer’s drumming gets busier on “Wie Due Mir, So Ich Dir Noch Lange Nicht,” filling in the empty space behind Mangelsdorff and Brotzmann with snare rolls and rudimentary exhibition. It’s hard to tell throughout Pica Pica whether Sommer’s low levels in the mix are a result of live recording methods or if the drummer just plain plays soft and if the case is the latter, kudos to Sommer for not trying to compete with Brotzmann in volume. Mangelsdorff’s multiphonics on “Wie Due Mir” are magnificent, so much so that the listener can actually ignore Brotzmann’s alto sax, which here sounds like he is strangling a small puppy.
The fifteen-plus minute “Instant Tears” and “Wie Due Mir” are followed by the briefly entertained title track, which closes the session perfectly. “Pica Pica” is more playful than the two previous tracks, with Sommer almost sounding like his trying to swing on his ride cymbal.
More avant-garde classical than jazz per se, Pica Pica is an outstanding addition to the Atavistic catalog and another great release from the often unheralded, and even sometimes discredited, Brotzmann.
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