The rain
began: that horizontal rain that filled all your pockets and wormed its way
down your neck. Riley argued that it wasn't a sign either. It wasn't Galway
unless the rain was whipping down—even when the sun came out. As he crossed
over the little rivulet that passed under the road, a single magpie laughed at
him from its perch on a reed and he remembered it was one for sorrow, two for
joy, and looked in vain for a second. "Shoo," he muttered, waving an
ineffectual hand. The pie flicked its tail feathers, hopped to the other bank
and continued to make remarks about the weather—or his fate.
I'm cheating a bit on the "overlooked" aspect of today's choice as it's a new release. Let us say, it is in danger of being overlooked in a market crowded with Xmas product and far too many soporific X-Factor Idols of Disney uniformity annd blandness. Truly remarkable and independent voices have a hard time being heard at all, let alone getting a decent chance at finding an audience in the overcrowded cacophony that is the net.
And there was a beautiful view But nobody could see. Cause everybody on the island Was saying: Look at me! Look at me!
~ Laurie Anderson, Language Is A Virus
I know I've written about Spacedog and Sarah Angliss before; I was so pleased to have a chance to see them perform last June (and yes, I got to play the theremin after the show :-). I'm even more pleased to say that they've released a CD Juice for the Baby.Of course I immediately downloaded it as soon as I heard about it (can't remember if that was on Facebook or Twitter) from Bandcamp.I'm happy to report it's just as wonderful as the live performance. There's the ethereal music, theremin, vintage sound clips, and beautiful vocals and recitations all woven together in a seamless waking dream of surreal affect. You can't see the robots, but you know they're there.
The songs range from the eerie "Electric Lullabye" and the somehow comfortable "My Death" to the heartbreaking "For Laika" as well as the captivating (and favourite at the moment, because it's owls) "Owl Club" featuring guest Professor Elemental.And how can I resist a song channeling Tommy Cooper? I can't, of course. Besides, 25% of the procceeds from that song's downloads will go to the Entertainment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund, jus' like that!
This collection is magical: it manages to feel both like a seance with a lost past and an ultra-modern dream. Angliss and her co-horts (which include sister Jenny on vocals and percussionist/composer Stephen Hiscock as well as the guests) bring a sense of wonder to the mechanical and electronic, a glitter of the uncanny which makes the coldness of technology seem warmly alive. Highly recommended!
Be sure to catch all the Overlooked A/V recommendations at Todd's blog.
Whoohoo and hoooowwwwwwl! It has arrived. My contribution to Mr B's fine Trestle Press series Drunk on the Moon: IT'S A CURSE. Yes, of course of course, it takes its title from a song by The Fall and yes, there may be a few references to other Mark E. Smith lyrics in there.
You're shocked, I can tell.
Here's the synopsis:
Roman Dalton’s woken up in the wrong place again, but he can’t blame it
on the moon this time. Finding himself in a tug-of-war between two
lovely women might sound like he’s landed in clover, but one wants to
‘save’ him and the other—well, he’s got a feeling she’s a whole lot of
trouble wrapped up in a designer gown. As far as our favourite werewolf
PI’s concerned, IT’S A CURSE.
On Friday I had a chance to chat about it on the G-Zone with fellow Trestle Press writer Edith Maxwell. Mr B called in too and well -- to be honest, the two of us kind of hijacked the rest of the show, hee hee. You can listen to the whole thing from the archive. Great fun.
I've already made a trailer for it. Tell me what you think. And help spread the word! The page could use tagging, liking and of course, reviews! It's at B&N, too.
