A hat tip to Cornelius Martins for turning me on to the music of Lena Platonos, a singer who should have received her fair due 30 years ago, but this is better late than never.
Month: September 2016
[Literature] Translated Works of Horacio Quiroga
Horacio Quiroga was a very weird, very strange man.
He wrote stories which, in their jungle settings, use the supernatural and the bizarre to show the struggle of man and animal to survive. He also excelled in portraying mental illness and hallucinatory states. His influence can be seen in the Latin American magic realism of Gabriel García Márquez and the postmodern surrealism of Julio Cortázar.
He was also quite a fine writer who has yet to have a compendium of his works translated to English. This blog is trying to remedy the situation.
[Music] Michael C. Hall – Lazarus (CBS Performance)
Apparently Dexter can sing as well as butcher people. Michael C. Hall does a rather nice cover of one of David Bowie’s last singles.
[Music] Depeche Mode – But Not Tonight
Depeche Mode have many wonderful albums, but Black Celebration is, for my ears, their crowning jewel. This song was my favorite of the lot.
[Literature] My Grandfather Roald Dahl, The Magician
Sophie Dahl reminisces about her grandfather, the fabled storyteller (and ace fighter pilot) Roald Dahl, in this article for The Guardian.
[Music] Psarantonis (Ψαραντώνης) – In A Fake World (Στον Ψευτη Κοσμο)
Antonis Xylouris, the aforementioned Psarantonis, is a wizard of the Byzantine lyra, a musical instrument with powerful roots in Crete. Several friends have introduced me to his work, and it amazes me that I missed this man’s work for so long.
[Music] Amira Medunjanin & Mostar Sevdah Reunion – Mito Bekrijo
Sevdalinke is Bosnia’s gift to the world, and the pairing of a wonderful songbird like Amira Medunjanin, known as the Bosnian Billie Holliday, with the amazing gypsy troupe Mostar Sevdah Reunion is a blessing to a sore head at the moment.
[Music] Three Dog Night – It’s For You
If my memory serves me right, my old friend Pat and I were being taken home from either school or baseball practice, and we ended up in their garage as I waited to go to my house. We rummaged through some records, and a live version of this song came up. I was hooked by Three Dog Night at that very moment.
[Music] Сезон Дождей / Rainy Season – Возвращение / Return
Сезон Дождей (Rainy Season) were a Lithuanian avant-progressive band from around 1992. The first time I had come across their music was while working at Aron’s Records in Los Angeles. It came in as a promo, but as I had no Internet access, I was unable to find any information on the band. Thankfully, through the wonders of Youtube, we have information on this album at least:
Artist: Сезон Дождей / Rainy Season
Album: Возвращение / Return
Year: 1992
Genre: Progressive Rock, Space Rock, Ambient
Country: Lithuania
Label / Catalogue: Lituanus / RGM 7006
Line-up:
Максим Пшеничный / Maxim Pshenichny – guitar, bass, voice, Yamaha DX100 & Korg M1 synthesizers
Алексей Петров / Alexei Petrov – percussion, drums, wood box, glockenspiel, triangle
+
Алексей Зубарев / Alexei Zubarev – flute (A1), slide guitar (A2), pizzicato (track B1a), rhythm guitar (A1, A2 & B1b)
Максим Кузнецов / Maxim Kuznetsov – lead guitar (B1b)
Ринальда / Rinalda – voice (B1a)
Tracklist:
A1 Запахи Леcа / Scents Of A Forest 0:00
A2 К чиcтой воде / Towards A Clear Water 7:00
B1 Красная ночь / Red Night 21:19
– a) Часть 1 / Part 1
– b) Часть 2 / Part 2
[Music] Flowers for Bodysnatchers – Memory (Night To Void)
Flowers for Bodysnatchers are the best of a new, burgeoning black ambient scene. I haven’t heard anyone this good since Lustmørd was at his peak a few years ago. I expect Duncan Ritchie to continue on this trajectory. His work, thus far, has been amazing listening.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 