Book Quotes: The Death Ship
Boyle Heights alley
“The deplorable thing, the most deplorable thing, is that the people who were tortured yesterday, torture today.”
-The Death Ship by B. Traven
Forever Dolphin Love
Connan Mockasin – Forever Dolphin Love (Erol Alkan rework) 2011
The dolphins swam below and along with the boat, the pod churning the waters with their graceful movements. I attempted to photograph them but I was so mesmerized by the way they moved, by the little newly born dolphin swimming alongside it’s parents and by the grace of the water creatures, that I abandoned my attempts for a perfect photo and became transfixed by the experience. The next day I heard this song, Forever Dolphin Love. It was a week of coincidences.
Newport Harbor, California – March 2011 (I am one of the shadows)
The above version of Forever Dolphin Love is a reworking by British DJ Erol Alkan. The original song by New Zealand dreamy psych artist Connan Mockasin is below. His full length album has just been released.
Connan Mocaksin-Forever Dolphin Love (original) 2010
Pardon My Dust
I’ve been away from the blog for a little while now. It’s tough. I got this new job dancing on TV shows for white people. But I’ll be back soon with more videos, useless commentary, book quotes and old family photos. You know, the thrilling filler that keeps you clicking back for more.
By the way, I’m just kidding. This video isn’t of me. It’s from a hipster club in Echo Park, the girl of infinite rhythm, enjoy!
Light Asylum
Dark Allies – Light Asylum from Grant Worth on Vimeo.
Light Asylum-Dark Allies
The surprise of last week’s Salem show was this band, Light Asylum. What an awesome performance and such fantastic energy! They almost made me forget the awkward crowd around me: rude supermodels, fascist bristling musclemen, Gucci Goths and other posers from the alienated suburbs. Not to say, it was all bad. I just happen to notice the creepy elements because I pay attention and also because this whole Witch House scene seems rather made-up. For that reason, I gave the crowd more scrutiny than I would otherwise.
I did a brief poll of those around me and asked “Do you know what Witch House is?” I was trying to find out if it really is a “scene” or something being pushed on bands that have that dragging beat drone. Some people chuckled when I asked but became more serious when I said I’m asking for my blog and then they were like “Which blog???” Don’t get excited pretties, I can’t make you famous. Most had heard of Witch House and when I asked if it was something they felt part of, one girl answered “I only have five other friends who like it.” That seems like a lot, right?
But back to Light Asylum, they were my favorite of the night and a tough act for Salem to follow. Light Asylum actually got the crowd dancing, uninhibited kinda dancing too. They were fun to watch and the music was excellent. An electronic band that knows how to put on a live show. Cheers to Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello of Light Asylum for making my night and helping me to forget the drippy Echoplex crowd!
Here’s a real show review because I’m not cut out for this kinda thing.
Light Asylum @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles
Secret Disco: I Wanna Be Your Lover
I Wanna Be Your Lover – La Bionda (1980)
Have you ever seen a more amazing sci-fi inspired disco video than this?* I think not. La Bionda were known for being some of the originators of Italo-Disco and for that I tip my beer to them because as you know, this blog is littered with references and videos paying homage to this gem of a genre.
Sally Shapiro-Spacer Woman from Mars (1980s)
*I thought Spacer Woman from Mars was pretty awesome especially after it was matched with these clips from Xanadu.
Salem
Salem-Asia (2010)
When I first heard the term Witch House I thought it was a joke, like I knew it was a real genre but I thought the term was used tongue-in-cheek. I was wrong. There’s a real scene out there associated with it, it started in New York but has since spread out all over the country. It’s home in Los Angeles is the tiny storefront club called Show Cave in Glassell Park. (It’s right across the street from a house where I bought my first communal living dining room table in 1995 from a family of junkie white folks. The dad yelled at his wife for selling us the chairs with the table and flicked his arm at us as we were loading the vintage chairs in our car, fucken take ’em, damn! he yelled). I wrote about the Show Cave scene in my review of Tearist. I like the place, it isn’t obnoxious like so many other clubs are, folks seemed downright relaxed, almost friendly and comfortable in their skins. I’m not expecting the same for tonight’s show at The Echoplex where I will see the above band, considered the torch holders of the Witch House scene, Salem.
Salem-King Knight
Salem is notorious for being one of those bands that doesn’t give a fuck but who cares if they space out on interviews when they make such badass music. I have a particular fondness for their early stuff which is like hip hop slowed down PCP style until it sounds like some wicked gnome spewing mush from a broken jaw. I’ve read the older songs were influenced by Houston based DJ Screw who is known for his “screwed and chopped” beats. However, the sound goes back even further, check out Hell Interface Project I posted about a couple of weeks ago. In any case, all the music is right up my electro alley and I’m looking forward to hearing how it all sounds live. Also, gonna do my fair share of scenster watching and gonna count up all those upside down crosses and triangles the audience is sure to be sporting in true Witch House style. Psychic TV, anyone?
Interesting take on the Witch House phenomenon here. Grave Wave, hehe.
Pitchfork’s guide to Witch House here.
Can’t stop listening to the Salem’s remix of Gucci Mane. Listen here.
Salem-Trapdoor (2010)
Te Vahine
Te Vahine-Tubuai Choir (click to listen)
I must press myself to write blog posts when I’m inspired. I often wait too long, needing more time to do research or frustrated by my struggles with grammar. Often times the posts never get done, they remain ideas in my head, the words long forgotten in the subsequent days.
This is one such post. I’ve wanted to share this song since this blog started, it was going to be part of series of posts examining how the rhythm of certain songs matches the rhythm of travel of the respective music makers. Te Vahine is one example. The rowing of the canoes, the sloshes of water against the vessel as it is propelled by dozens of arms and the energy of the ocean, I imagine these things gave this song it’s extraordinary rhythm. This song is so heavy with it, so compelling in it’s undulating movement of voices that I can’t listen to this song without some part of my body following the beat. It’s believed music was used by Polynesians as a form of oral tradition and to aid in canoe navigation. I would imagine the rhythm was equally as important as the words.
The song is performed here by the Tubuai Choir from the Polynesian island of Tubuai in the Austral Islands near Tahiti. While most of the island music suffers from the crush of Christian missionary zeal which systematically stamped out indigenous sounds and references from the natives’ musical repertoire, Te Vahine is one song that sounds like it could have been sung prior to the arrival of The London Missionary School. It lacks the touch of Mormons which makes it much more listenable than the rest of the album.
From the liner notes:
This old song is about a warrior woman, Te Vahine, using the power of the sky to dispute a high warrior on his declaration of war. She challenges him by taking his spear from him.
Supermoon
Last night, we drove around the peaks of Northeast LA, looking for the perfect view of the supermoon. The clouds teased us by intermittently blocking our view but finally, high up in Elysian Park, the sky cleared and the twinkling valley was illuminated by the perigree moon, lighting up the sad Los Angeles River as it made it’s silvery traverse through the Metrolink yards.
Barco Negro
Barco Negro-Amália Rodrigues
“No vento que lança areia nos vidros,
na água que canta no fogo mortiço,
no calor do leito dos bancos vazios,
dentro do meu peito estás sempre comigo”
This 7 inch was a surprise to me, I found it my vinyl collection yesterday. How long I’ve had it, I don’t know. Where I bought it, I can’t remember. I do know I haven’t heard anything so beautiful in awhile. A perfect song for a dark and cloudy day.