Which brings me to the real topic of this post: loving music enough to share it, and what I hope is the result. I’ve been explicit about it elsewhere, along the lines of “please support the artists featured in these mixes,” but on the internet that might seem like some sort of pseudo-legalese ass-covering. I hope that it’s always evident, however, that in the case of blogs like this one–sharing mixes, sharing very deeply out-of-print music–that we really mean it, that the objective is to support and promote artists. Prior to Musicophilia, I grappled with the ethics of mix-sharing on a broader scale when distributing the ’1981′ box. On the one hand, I was “giving away” music that I did not create; on the other, I did so with the (non-legally-binding) approval of nearly every artist I spoke with who had made the music, with only one dissenting voice. Perhaps more importantly, nearly every person with whom I talked after they’d had the mix a while said something like “darn you, you’ve made me spend so much money buying albums on stuff I first heard on the box”. I wanted people to experience the thrills and joys the music had given me. But my “ulterior motive” was very definitely that they should then go out and be a big dork who buys lots of music and thereby supports the sort of shops that sold such music, and the artists who made it.

What has me thinking about all this at the moment is the exchange between a college student who wrote about having 11,000 songs in her collection while having purchased only 15 CDs in her life, and musician David Lowery, writing about the ‘new paradigm’ her attitudes reflect and foster. As is my wont, I’m late to the discussion and you probably have already read it all. But it’s a subject I imagine people who would come to this sort of blog–which arguably straddles both sides of the argument by its nature–might have interesting insights on the matter. So I invite you to discuss the issue here, at least in part picking up a conversation we began years ago here.

For myself, I spent just enough years (a decade or so) as a music-lover before downloading (legally or illegally) became an option that I deeply value both 1) physical media/record stores/real-life conversations about music and 2) the potential equalizer of the internet, wherein you weren’t limited by where you lived or who you knew or how much money you had, but only by your interest, in your path to musical discovery. This was no small matter to someone with voracious ears who lived in the hinterland, without a hip older sibling, without money–the sort of person who, without the internet (and some lucky opportunities to travel), might have faced years of frustration instead of years of discovery.   As a result, I’m neither old-school nor new school: I think of the internet as a great tool for discovery and turning others onto discoveries–but I still believe record shops, physical media, and supporting artists/labels/shops directly are essential to a sustained musical culture.

I’ve probably spent around $50k in my twenty years of buying music, a sizable portion of every dollar I’ve ever earned. From around 1998 onward (the year I was a college radio DJ, like Ms. White, and gained access to high-speed internet) almost all that music almost could’ve cost me $0. So maybe I’m a rube and a sucker, a consumerist weighed down by meaningless discs.  Maybe I’m arguing broad access to music is a game for the rich (or, in my case, the financially stupid).  But for all that music has given my life–and it really is a huge part of what gives me my hope for humanity, and on a personal level is intertwined with almost every memory I have–don’t I owe something to the people who made it?

I don’t say all this because I think I’m inherently more moral than younger folks “spoiled by the internet”–maybe they can’t imagine music being anything but free.  And I can see how that could be the paradigm for the casual listener, satisfied with the limited supply of music propagated through mainstream channels at any given moment.  But it’s impossible for me to understand the mentality of someone who says “my world is music-centric,” yet thinks that this “center” of their life just appears out of thin air–moreover, someone whose main approach to music’s central role in her life is how “convenient” it is to hear.  I have to admit, that mindset makes me question the validity of something like Musicophilia as a help rather than a hindrance to musical culture.

Perhaps the optimism I’ve always had about the internet as part of a hybrid approach (virtual + real-world musical discovery) is unfounded. Maybe mix-sharing is just another way of creating a false notion that music is “free”–and cheap. Maybe physical media will die, and all the shops will close (I’m living in New York right now, and it feels almost as barren as my hinterland home 15 years ago, for decent shops), and music is mostly a fashion accessory these days anyway. I can get very old-man-grousing “get off my lawn” about it. But then–so much of the music I’ve mixed on Musicophilia is in print and can be bought, and I feel like more and better music is being reissued than ever, and on physical media to boot.  Contemporary independent, theoretically artist-driven music has never had deeper inroads into the mainstream. Even if half the ones I knew are gone, there are still shops selling all this music.; and while I may find it baffling, people can and apparently do spend money on mp3s. It all leaves me completely unsure which way the wind is really blowing.  Is there a generation out there that really thinks the way Emily White thinks?  Are all the great reissue labels just experiencing one final flourish selling to the last of the “record geeks,” soon to disappear?  Is online music selling going to boil down to whatever “convenient” gatekeepers like iTunes decide to sell, and on their terms–putting people back into a virtual hinterland? I guess I can only hope that for every “music lover” who thinks everything is free now, there are two who recognize it’s never been easier to find the music you were born to hear–and doesn’t think it’s too inconvenient to “support the artists” in a very real way.

So share your thoughts, anecdotes, statistics, sad stories of shops closing, triumphant experiences of all this complicated mess working out for the best. And hit up some of the “BUY. MUSIC.” links to the right, while we still can.

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I would never have guessed I’d be making a mix in response to a Flaming Lips album, in 2009.  But the Lips, purveyors of grinning, gleeful quirk-pop, festooned by confetti and bunny suits during the last decade–a recipe with initial charm but diminishing returns–have, according to Wayne Coyne, killed off their “former selves . . . Our more crafty or calculated selves. Our less brave selves . . . Our less spontaneous selves”.  Thus in their 26th year, the band has created what I feel is their strongest work ever: ‘Embryonic,’ (which can be streamed here at NPR).  I was so floored by the strength of the album–a total surprise, including its staggering cover–that rather than trying to review the album, I felt compelled to respond in mix form, with ‘Zygotic‘.  The Flaming Lips’ new album borrows from the production techniques and stylistic eclecticism of their previous best, ‘Zaireeka,’ and from the manic energy and freak-out distortion of their 80s and early-90s albums.  The stylishness and cinematic scope of their most acclaimed album, ‘The Soft Bulletin,’ is channeled into a darker, sparer, more visceral direction.  Though there are moments of silliness and optimism, most of the cartoonish clowning (“She Don’t Use Jelly,” “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”) and scrubbed-clean brightness of their mainstream successes is gone.  The lyrics remain largely abstract, but a more lifelike character voice is conveyed, one wrestling with the ambiguities of humanity that can be “evil” but can “be gentle, too, if they decide”.   It all adds up to their most sonically vigorous, sometimes most soothing, sometimes most ferocious, and certainly most emotionally evocative work to date.

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Looking back, I see that 1997′s ‘Zaireeka‘ was a truly mind-altering experience, formative in my expectations of what music could do in terms of sound, increasing my appreciation of how sounds could be produced and arranged on a record.  Without it, I doubt I would have traveled as readily during the next couple of years into Can, 70s Miles Davis, early Reich, Faust, Silver Apples, early dub, or the more experimental side of post-punk–to say nothing of music concrete favorites like Bernard Parmegiani or Pierre Henry a few years later.  ‘Embryonic‘ proves the link was no fluke, as it reflects a deep connection with many of the sounds that are central to the Musicophilia aesthetic–to the music they propelled me toward.  ‘Zygotic‘ is not meant to suggest, however, that Coyne & Co. have created a pastiche; the mix isn’t an attempt at sonic genealogy, and I wouldn’t claim that any of this music is definitely a direct inspiration for the Lips’ resurgence.  ‘Embryonic‘ is imbued with a here-and-now quality, and it maintains a wit and vocabulary that is uniquely Flaming Lips–ultimately it sounds like nothing else.  Rather, ‘Zygotic‘ is primarily intended as an echo (or pre-echo, as it were) of the spirit of the album; and only secondarily is it an attempt to illustrate the sound-heritage from which the Lips may have drawn inspiration.

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I’ve followed the overall form of the album: two halves totaling roughly 70 minutes, in 18 parts, all interlinked with repeating motifs and sounds.  I’ve also attempted to match the careful blend of the beautiful and the ugly, the ambient and the massively heavy, that characterizes ‘Embryonic‘.  The result is hopefully a nice counterpart to the album–but certainly not a replacement for it, and I highly recommend you buy it from the band or at your local record shop.  If you need some convincing for the download, I’ll break down the mixes after the “more…” link, along with the full tracklist.  Personally, I recommend that you surprise yourself and listen to the mixes first, and then look at the artists and tracklist later.  So, if you trust my mixing heretofore, here is the download link.

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‘Embryonic‘s central production feature is the classic Lips technique of very heavily compressing the drums, creating a distorted, absolutely massive sound, this time devoted to more intricate and sexier beats than ever before.  Other sonic “solids” are created with stabs of distorted guitar, swooping harps, distant bells, and subtle percussion.  But despite these distorted and compressed elements, the music is (literally) highly dynamic, and around and between these sonic boulders and rocks is a beautiful and melodious stream of electric piano and organ, treated vocals, strings and xylophones, and ambient texture.  ‘Zygotic‘ recreates this blend from two major strands.  First, art rock (Krautrock especially,) sound library and soundtrack music, and fusion jazz–all with drums as huge as possible–recreate the bursting energy and ferocious beats.  And second, work from minimalists, hazy psychedelia and musique concrete artists creates the contemplative web of melody and texture that holds the mix together.

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From the heavy camp, we have artists like Led Zeppelin (who created the original mammoth rock drum sound) and Miles Davis (with the insanely heavy “Rated X”), early Kraftwerk, Ennio Morricone’s The Feed-Back, the Silver Apples, Jaki Liebezeit-led Can, This Heat’s Charles Hayward, White Noise, Heldon, Joe Ufer, Janko Nilovic and Faust.  Adding texture and experimentalism are Tod Dockstader, Jon Appleton, Yoko Ono, Erkki Kurenniemi, Pierre Henry, Dick Raiijmakers, Alvin Curran, Tangerine Dream’s Klaus Schultze, Francois Bayle, and Bernard Parmegiani.  And tying it all together with moody beauty are David Axelrod, Roy Budd,  Pierre Arvay, Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co., Neu, Cluster, Alice Coltrane, Nino Nardini, Egisto Macchi, Joe Meek, Bernard Estardy, Brian Eno, Luciano Cilio, Franco Battiato and the United States of America.  Of course, none of these is segregated from the rest, and hopefully it is their intertwining which makes this mix a successful homage to ‘Embryonic‘.

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Various Artists – ‘Zygotic’ (2009)
(After the Flaming Lips’ ‘Embryonic’)

Disc I

01 [00:00]	Jon Appleton – “Infantasy” (1969) Led Zeppelin – “When the Levee Breaks” (1971) Tod Dockstader – “Four Telemetry Tapes – No. 1″ (1965)
02   [04:25]	Yoko Ono – “Greenfield Morning I Pushed an Empty Baby Carriage” (1970) Miles Davis – “Rated X” (1975)
03   [07:25]	Roy Budd – “Hallucinations” (1971)
04   [11:41]	Kraftwerk – “Stratovarious, Part 1″ (1971) The Feed-Back – “Kumalo” (1970) Erkki Kurenniemi – “Hana” (1969)
05   [13:26]	Pierre Arvay – “All Day Long” (1975) Tod Dockstader – “Four Telemetry Tapes, No. 3″ (1965)
06   [16:04]	Kraftwerk – “Stratovarious, Part 2″ (1971) Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co. – “Easter” (1970) Neu – “Im Glück” (1969)
07   [22:26]	Kluster – “5″ (1971) Silver Apples – “Water” (1969) Nino Nardini – “Depart Pour le Cosmos” (1970)
08   [26:49]	Alice Coltrane – “Lovely Sky Boat” (1968) United States of America – “Cloud Song” (1968) Pierre Henry – “Valse” (1970)
09   [30:29]	Can – “Mushroom” (1971) Dick Raaijmakers – “Canon 1: Super Augere” (1964) Egisto Macchi – ‘Voix” (1975)

Disc II

01 [00:00]	David Axelrod – “The Human Abstract” (1969) Alvin Curran – “From a Room on the Plazza” (1974)
02   [05:22]	Joe Meek – “The Bublight” (1962)
03   [07:33]	Klaus Schulze – “Satz: Gewitter” (1972) Suicide – “I Remember” (1977)
04   [10:39]	Heldon – “Ballade pour Puig Antich” (1975) Charles Hayward – “Crystal Palace” (1987) Bernard Estardy – “Marche À L’échafaud” (1972)
05   [17:57]	Franco Battiato – “Mutazione” (1972) Franco Battiato – “Meccanica, Part 2″ (1972) White Noise – “The Black Mass – An Electric Storm in Hell” (1969)
06   [21:59]	Faust – “Party 1″ (1973) Cluster – “Für Die Katz” (1972)
07   [25:35]	Francois Bayle – “Solitude” (1969) Janko Nilovic – “Duty Free” (1970)
08   [28:45]	Brian Eno – “Through Hollow Lands” (1977) Luciano Cilio – “Studio for Winds” (1977) Joe Ufer – “Drums on Phasing, No. 2″ (1973)
09   [31:26]	Bernard Parmegiani – “Accidents/Harmoniques” (1975) Miles Davis – “Willie Nelson (Insert 1)” (1970)

[Total Time: 71:09]

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‘A Year in the Light’ began as the 2010 installment of the ‘Get Off My Lawn‘ series, but ended up as something I feel is more aesthetically coherent and emotionally compelling than those “year-ender” recaps, coming closer to the decade-spanning ‘A Decade in the Dark‘.  But rather than the millennial noir quality of that mix, ‘Light’ has, while hardly a sunny daytime feeling, a somewhat more buoyant quality.  It combines the contemplative and the beat-oriented, often at once; the spacious and the immediate; the narrative and the abstract.  Somehow, the electronic and dance sit comfortably alongside the art-rock and the singer-songwriter.  As is my tendency, I heard relatively little current music in 2010, maybe three dozen albums.  But I am impressed by the quality of what I’ve heard, most of it apparently free of the shackles of irony, playful with the weight of influence and occasionally sounding genuinely timeless.

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I was particularly surprised, in some cases, by where this mature art came from.  A number of artists featured in this mix were those I’ve disliked in the past, but whose current work has forced me to reconsider.  LCD Soundsystem, Joanna Newsom, Squarepusher (here as Shobaleader One), Antony & The Johnsons all rubbed me the wrong way, years ago in earlier incarnations.  I’d assumed Will Oldham’s best work was behind him.  I’d seen Four Tet totally outpaced a few years ago by his opening act, Jamie Lidell, himself another act I’d thought had lost his way.   Probably the most surprising–and most recurring–personage here is . . .  Beck Hansen.  Yeah, didn’t see that one coming, myself. But he seems to have discovered a new talent: enabling other musicians.  Beck’s production for Jamie Lidell helped him escape the white-boy-plays-the-Apollo wannabe act he’d become to recapture some of the energy that made his electronic work and early vocal music exciting.  Beck also produced Charlotte Gainsbourg’s remarkably strong album, and he apparently wrote a lot of the music for it, too.  The most surprising “album” of the year, and among my top few, was the Beck-organized “Record Club” take on the entirety of Skip Spence’s ‘Oar,’ with the help of Wilco, Feist, Lidell and drummer extraordinaire James Gadson–the whole of which is well worth a listen (along with the other fun, if slightly less consistently good, Record Club cover albums).  Along with Caribou, who’d already won my heart with his previous album and now upped the ante; and newcomer James Blake, who makes music well beyond his years; and the always-wonderful Knife, this “year-end” mix hopefully transcends its ephemeral impetus sufficiently to overcome being a couple months late.  Download and tracklist beyond the “more…” link.

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Various – ‘A Year in the Light’
(2010)

01  [00:00]  Caribou – “Found Out” (Swim, 2010)
02  [03:18]  The Knife – “Colouring of Pigeons” (Tomorrow, in a Year, 2010)
03  [14:15]  Jamie Lidell – “Compass” (Compass, 2010)
04  [18:58]  Four Tet – “Sing” (There is Love In You, 2010)
05  [25:33]  Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – “Merciless and Great” (The Wonder Show of the World, 2010)
06  [30:59]  James Blake – “I Only Know (What I Know)” (Klavierwerke EP, 2010)
07  [36:08]  Shobaleader One – “Abstract Lover”  (d’Demonstrator, 2010)
08  [39:50]  LCD Soundsystem – “Home” (This Is Happening, 2010)
09  [47:38]  Antony & The Johnsons – “The Spirit Was Gone” (Swanlights, 2010)
10  [50:49]  Darkstar – “Deadness” (North, 2010)
11  [55:21]  Record Club – “Grey Afro” (Record Club: ‘Skip Spence’s Oar’, 2010)
12  [62:55]  Charlotte Gainsbourg – “Vanities” (IRM, 2010)
13  [66:22]  Joanna Newsom – “On a Good Day” (Have One on Me, 2010)

[Total Time: 68:11]

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Superficially, the ‘1981‘ box set tells the story of just one year; not even really the whole year, but one year for a particular scene.  It is what Woebot described as an act of “potholing”.  But that partial history of one year of post-punk was chosen because it was not a one-off (like “real punk”), but rather a nexus, an intersection of many other stories that suggests many other directions backward and forward (“frantically out-branching” as Pitchfork put it).  Moments and movements of extreme artistic fecundity are perhaps always this way: as exciting as they are in and of themselves, the particular mechanics of their expression, and especially the places and people who make them happen, are fleeting and finite; but if they’re really tapping into something, the energy carries on in many directions.  Why I love post-punk in the year 1981 is because it wasn’t really just about itself, even as exploring it consumed countless hours and energy and plenty of dollars in my life.  It was perfect at the time because it rekindled the excitement of all my musical “discoveries” to that point, and has provided the fuel for my exploration and enjoyment since.  Even though sharing it represents an end–it’s the last of nine mixes– ‘Ice‘ is perhaps the best example of the fact that ’1981′ isn’t just an isolated incident: these sounds are the most out-of-time, ageless, in some ways oddest but most enchanting of the set’s dozens of tracks (hundreds, if you include the ‘Briefcase‘).  I hope the mix and the box set will provide you with fuel for further exploration, too.

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‘Ice‘ is not definitely not meant to imply coolness in the sense of detachment.  Bill Laswell’s Material quickly prove that, along with Talking Head Jerry Harrison, Was (Not Was), the Honeymoon Killers, and The Slits, as they bring the movement and the (earth)beats.  ‘Ice’ is about mystery, as explored by Brian Eno and David Byrne, the Comsat Angels, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Selecter, Phew, or Ryuichi Sakamoto.  ‘Ice‘ is also about being just plain, un-fuckwith-ably cool, like Ex-Can Holger Czukay, Grace Jones, ESG, Jim Jarmusch’s Del-Byzanteens, the Gun Club, or our hero Robert Wyatt.  But there’s also meditative contemplation, as with the Delta 5, Echo & The Bunnymen, or the creator of perhaps 1981′s most timeless and compelling contribution of all, “O Superman,” Laurie Anderson.  Full tracklist and the download link are after the “more…” break.

The Del-Byzantines – “Girl’s Imagination”

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1 9 8 1  |  I c e

01  Holger Czukay – Fragrance (Edit)  [3:16]
02  Jerry Harrison – Worlds In Collision  [5:03]
03  Comsat Angels – Restless  [3:16]
04  Selecter – Their Dream Goes On  [3:42]
05  Gun Club – Promise Me  [2:37]
06  ESG – You’re No Good  [3:12]
07  Siouxsie & The Banshees – Into the Light  [4:15]
08  Laurie Anderson – O Superman  [8:21]
09  Phew – Fragment (Edit)  [2:37]
10  Honeymoon Killers – Histoire a Suivre  [3:05]
11  The Del-Byzanteens – Girl’s Imagination  [6:44]
12  Was (Not Was) – Oh, Mr. Friction  [3:32]
13  Brian Eno & David Byrne – A Secret Life  [2:30]
14  Echo & The Bunnymen – All My Colours  [4:03]
15  Material – Square Dance  [4:27]
16  Ryuichi Sakamoto – Kachakuchane (Edit)  [2:50]
17  Grace Jones – Nightclubbing  [5:04]
18  The Slits – Earthbeat (Peel Session) (Edit)  [5:44]
19  Robert Wyatt – Born Again Cretin  [3:06]
20  Delta 5 – Different Fur  [2:37]

[Total Time: 80:00]

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This is the fourth posted mix from the 10-disc, 400+ band ’1981′ Box Set I put together in 2004-2005.  (For more information regarding the set as a whole and the impetus behind it, check the first mix, ‘Feet’.)  1981 probably wasn’t the peak year for any sort of “pure” cultural or musical strain of what defined “post-punk” as an ethos or as a sound (I’d give that title to 1979).  But I chose to focus on 1981 in such depth because it seemed to me the year that that sound and way of looking at music had spread farthest without diminishing in intensity (few would argue, no matter how much they love the music of 1982, that even in that one year later there was not a bit of a come-down, or at least a diffusion into more disparate strains).  The heroes of the first wave of post-punk were about to retire (like Wire, Buzzcocks, first-run Pere Ubu) but still hadn’t lost a step, and so many others were at their peak (and still many more greats just getting started).  So this mix, ‘Amplifier,’ exemplifies the breadth of post-punk in ’81, when set next to any other mix from the set.  While much of the rest of the set might attest the ascent of the art school or art house over the arena in rock, the artists on ‘Amplifier’ are less artsy, more visceral, less equivocal about the guitar, and probably the punk-est of the post-punk.

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But while riffs and chops still had cache amongst the nascent hard-core punks and plain-out rockers found here (not much Oi here, as to my ears it’s usually too reactionary and conservative to qualify as post-punk in any way) there’s still an undeniable artiness creeping between the fuzz boxes that qualifies it as more than simply temporally “post-punk”.  This might be the last mix I think of when I think about the ’1981′ box set, but when I listen to it again, it always surprises me how much I enjoy it—it’s certainly not “least” of the set.  Looking past the omnipresent guitar, there’s a surprising variety here: drama, irony, silliness, melodicism, anger. And it’s a lot of fun, and it’s what you can play for your little siblings or nieces and nephews who just picked up their first studded belt and got their first faux-hawk, to start them on a journey to wider waters.  Plenty of the names you’d expect are here: the Minutemen, Black Flag, the Meat Puppets, Dead Kennedys, X, Buzzcocks (with their triumphant final single from the original phase), Agent Orange, The Cramps, Mission of Burma, Stiff Little Fingers, The Replacements and Bad Brains.  Also along for the ride are less-knowns like The Gordons, Au Pairs, MX-80, Empire, Josef K, the Zoomers (with thanks to Hyped 2 Death), and Portland’s beloved Wipers.  Toss in a few voodoo oddballs like Flipper, the Flesh Eaters, 100 Flowers, Swimming Pool Q’s, Gun Club, and the early Virgin Prunes, and you’re read to turn it to 11.  Full tracklist and download link after “more…”.

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1 9 8 1  |  Amplifier

01  The Embarrassment – Celebrity Art Party  [3:06]
02  Minutemen – Straight Jacket  [0:57]
03  The Replacements – Johnny’s Gonna Die  [3:24]
04  Flesh Eaters – Pray Til You Sweat  [2:36]
05  Black Flag – Louie Louie  [1:19]
06  Stiff Little Fingers – The Only One  [4:18]
07  Mx-80 – Cover To Cover  [2:42]
08  Meat Puppets – Big House  [1:06]
09  Agent Orange – Too Young To Die  [2:04]
10  The Saints – Paradise [Edit]  [2:56]
11  Buzzcocks – I Look Alone  [3:01]
12  Empire – All These Things  [3:15]
13  Secret Hate – New Routines-Suicide  [1:26]
14  The Gordons – Coalminers Song  [5:43]
15  Virgin Prunes – Twenty Tens  [2:27]
16  The Cramps – Green Fuz  [2:06]
17  Minor Threat – Straight Edge  [0:45]
18  100 Flowers – Reject Yourself  [2:34]
19  The Undertones – Julie Ocean  [1:46]
20  Bad Brains – Pay To Cum  [1:30]
21  Flipper – Ha Ha Ha  [2:13]
22  Mission of Burma – Fame and Fortune  [3:35]
23  Gun Club – Goodbye Johnny  [3:45]
24  Josef K – Crazy To Exist  [2:57]
25  Swimming Pool Q’s – Rat Bait  [2:21]
26  Dead Kennedys – Nazi Punks Fuck Off  [0:59]
27  Au Pairs – Love Song  [2:52]
28  Wipers – When It’s Over  [6:36]
29  X – Adult Books  [3:19]
30  Zoomers – Give Your Heart  [2:13]

[Total Time: 79:51]

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Finally following up ‘His Heart Had Six Strings,’ here’s the second volume in Musicophilia’s singer-songwriter series, representing the women of the movement as it expanded through the 70s from its neo-traditional folk revival roots.  Like the men on the first volume, there’s perhaps more range here than might be expected, subtly incorporating elements of the gestalt of the late 60s and early 70s, from jazz to folk to even a touch of Stockhausian electronics and avant-garde experimentalism.  The overall palate certainly emphasizes blues, purples, greens: the emotional intimacy and sensitivity for which the genre is known.  But there are explorations of both darker and sunnier territory to match the longing and the hopes.  To be sure, the central strength of the singer-songwriter approach was that it suited the voices, literal and figurative, of men and women equally.  This is simply music about being human, seeking universality through the honest expression of the personal and specific.  Download with artwork and full tracklist after the “more…” link.

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I’ll forgo the usual breakdown of specific artists, and instead apologize for the mothballing of Musicophilia over most of the last year, if anyone is out there who noticed.  I can only say that almost every aspect of my life has changed radically in the last year, mostly for the best (happily married, graduate school in traditional architecture) but with the result that I’ve had almost no time for even listening to music, much less making mixes.  I certainly miss it, and sharing its joys through this blog.  Hopefully somehow I’ll manage to make a few mixes during the new year.  Regardless, I hope Musicophilia continues to be found by a trickle of new folks, and isn’t too dependent on “new” work, but rather acts as an archive of worthwhile listening.  Do check out the “back pages” and see what might be new to you, and pass it on.  Many thanks for your kindnesses, and I wish you all the best in the new year.

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Various – ‘Her Heart Had Six Strings’
Volume 2 (1965-1977)

Part 1
01  [00:00]  Emmanuell Parrenin – ” Ce Matin À Frémonte” (Maison Rose, 1977)
02  [02:35]  Joni Mitchell – “California” (Blue, 1971)
03  [06:20]  Odetta – “Hit or Miss” (Odetta Sings, 1971)
04  [10:11]  Sibylle Baier – “William” (Color Green, 1973)
05  [12:31]  Karen Dalton – “Katie Cruel” (In My Own Time, 1971)
06  [14:45]  Brigitte Fontaine – “La Harpe Jaune” (Vou et Nous, 1977)
07  [17:33]  Anne Briggs – “Fine Horseman”  (The Time Has Come, 1971)
08  [20:38]  Kate & Anna McGarrigle – “My Town” (Kate & Anna McGarrigle, 1975)
09  [23:27]  Annette Peacock – “Gesture Without Plot” (I’m The One, 1972)
10  [26:49]  Bridget St. John – “The Lady and the Gentle Man” (Songs for the Gengle Man, 1971)

Part 2
01  [00:00]  Linda Perhacs – “Hey, Who Really Cares?” (Parallelograms, 1970)
02  [02:33]  Candi Stanton – “I’ll Drop Everything and Come Running” (Candi Stanton, 1973)
03  [05:21]  Shelagh McDonald – “City’s Cry” (StarGazer, 1972)
04  [07:50]  Mimi Farina – “Miles” (Reflections in a Crystal Wind, 1965)
05  [10:33]  Linda Thompson – “Withered and Died”  (I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, 1974)
06  [13:59]  Roberta Flack – “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (Killing Me Softly, 1973)
07  [18:45]  Nico – “Afraid” (Desertshore, 1970)
08  [22:14]  Vashti Bunyan – “Window Over the Bay” (Just Another Diamond Day, 1970)
09  [23:55]  Nina Simone – “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” (Wild is the Wind, 1966)

[Total Time: 57:25]

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Say the words “singer-songwriter” to some music geeks, and you may induce a Pavlovian cringe.  It’s a much-abused term, no doubt, often applied to every M.O.R. woman to sit at a piano and wail, every goateed doofus to wallow over his mother-of-pearl-inlaid Taylor or Ovation.  But taken (as a start) as a natural progression out of 1960s folk revivalism into music with more potential for both sonic breadth and popular appeal, it is one of the bedrocks of the greatest decade in popular music, the equal of funk or post-punk or Krautrock.  It’s sometimes spare and unadorned, sometimes verges on baroque pop, and often brings in jazz and chamber music touches to become something that just doesn’t fit under a more accurately descriptive ready-made label.  This mix is intended as evidence that if handled with care, a few unabashedly poetic lyrics, a little soul-searching confession, some sing-along melodicism, and an acoustic guitar can add up to a very good thing.  ‘His Heart Had Six Strings, Vol. 1‘ features (as the title suggests) male songwriters; it will be followed up soon with a feminine counterpart–and probably a sequel, since I left so many favorites of this volume.

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Starting things off are Duncan Browne and the Zombies Colin Blunstone; both excel at more spare and introspective sounds (please don’t miss Blunstone’s heartbreaking chamber masterpiece, ‘One Year‘), but are featured here in a more uptempo approach.  I haven’t avoided the well-known and the beloved favorites–Cohen, Simon, Dylan, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, and (stretching the term a bit) Eno and Kevin Ayers are all here.  But fewer may know Canadian wit Lewis Furey, or Uruguayan hero Eduardo Mateo (of the beautiful El Kinto).  I hope you all know Arthur Russell, but if you missed the most recent facet of his work as revealed in Audika’s ‘Love Is Overtaking Me,’ you’re in for an unexpectedly treat (if anything can really be unexpected from Russell).  Frenchman Areski Belkacem is best known for his work with Brigitte Fontaine, but his first solo album may be even more adventurously mysterious; his countryman Henri Texier diverted from his Mingus-influenced jazz bass work for a trio of truly unique and accessibly experimental albums of wordless vocals and bass-driven rhythms that call to mind Morocco or Turkey as much as France.  Procol Harum is far from a one-hit wonder, and the aching voice-and-organ “Too Much Between Us” is a longtime favorite of mine.  Leo Kottke‘s resonant voice is underrated, as is his often funky second album, ‘Mudlark‘.  Curt Boettcher (of The Millennium/Sagittarius) takes a slightly more stripped-down approach to his sunshine pop, Jorge Ben brings a little Brasilian sun of his own, and Bill Fay makes sure the End Times will sound good.    Download with artwork and full tracklist after the “more…” link.

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Various – ‘His Heart Had Six Strings’
Volume 1 (1968-1977)

Part 1
01  [00:00]  Duncan Browne – “Journey” (Duncan Browne, 1973)
02  [03:15]  Colin Blunstone – “Andorra” (Ennismore, 1972)
03  [06:28]  Leonard Cohen – “Chelsea Hotel No. 2″ (New Skin for the Old Ceremony, 1974)
04  [09:27]  Paul Simon – “Peace Like a River” (Paul Simon, 1972)
05  [12:40]  Areski – “Le Dragon” (Un Beau Matin, 1972)
06  [15:07]  Arthur Russell – “Close My Eyes”  (Love Is Overtaking Me, 1974)
07  [17:39]  Lewis Furey – “Love Comes” (Lewis Furey, 1975)
08  [21:05]  Kevin Ayers – “Two Goes Into Four” (The Confessions of Doctor Dream, 1974)
09  [22:35]  Bob Dylan – “If Not For You” (New Morning, 1970)
10  [25:02]  Eduardo Mateo – “Quien te Viera” (Mateo Solo Bien Se Lame, 1972)
11  [27:00]  Brian Eno – “By This River” (Before & After Science, 1977)

Part 2
01  [00:00]  Big Star – “Holocaust” (Third, 1976)
02  [03:46]  Henri Texier – “Amir” (Amir, 1976)
03  [07:05]  Van Morrison – “Slim Slow Slider” (Astral Weeks, 1968)
04  [10:21]  Procol Harum – “Too Much Between Us” (A Salty Dog, 1969)
05  [13:56]  Leo Kottke – “Eight Miles High”  (Mudlark, 1971)
06  [17:38]  Jorge Ben – “Zumbi” (A Tabua de Esmeralda, 1974)
07  [21:04]  Curt Boettcher – “I’ve Been Wrong” (There’s An Innocent Face, 1973)
08  [24:37]  Bill Fay – “Come A Day” (Time of the Last Persecution, 1971)
09  [27:04]  Tom Waits – “Closing Time” (Closing Time, 1973)

[Total Time: 61:16]

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Sorry for the lack of new mixes lately, everyone. The demands of planning for graduate school and other life-concerns have kept me from finishing mixes lately.  But I promise good things are afoot.  I’m working up multi-mix series focusing on Sound Library music, ‘issued’ under the Musique du Monde banner; another featuring more “post-post-punk” music that carries on the spirit and sounds of the post-punk pinnacle through the 80s to the 2000s; and an exploration of my favorite singer-songwriter music from the underrated early 70s period.  There are also new Le Tour du Monde and Les Miniatures mixes I need to finish up.  But odds are, there’s stuff already up you haven’t heard, so I recommend taking a look at the 52+ mixes that went up in Musicophilia’s first year–which I’m proud (and astonished) to say just went over 20,000 total listens earlier this week!  I sure hope that means people are hearing (and then buying) things they never knew before!  Thanks for listening and spreading the word.

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Ten years out from 2019, it’s pretty clear ‘Blade Runner‘ was a little off the mark in terms of flying cars, bio-engineered supermen, a resurgent retro-Deco architecture (alas), and attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.  But as this first decade of the new millennium comes to a close, I can’t help but feel like the film nevertheless got more right than we might like to admit.  Not the least is the pervading sense of darkness; no, things aren’t literally gritty, wet and ever-dark, but it’s not hard to feel after this bungled decade that things might not be soon enough if things carry on with current trajectory.  The upside of this noir condition is that uncertain times, a futurism that isn’t optimism, and the melted cultural edges of an internet age have produced a lot of fantastic music that wouldn’t sound the least bit out of place in the sin dens and street bazaars (and cold storage laboratories) of ‘Blade Runner‘.

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‘A Decade in the Dark‘ began gestation as a more traditional end-of-decade best-of mix, a la Musicophilia’s annual ‘Get Off My Lawn‘ series, based on my recent ‘Top Albums of the 2000s‘ list.  My favorite albums and singles of the decade included plenty of love songs, pop tunes, wistful singer-songwriter fare, etc. (which I’ll visit in future mixes).  But as I gathered pieces, I noticed a more compelling (if less comprehensive) story emerging.  The result is remarkably singular and cohesive, all parts sharing common threads of minimalist exoticism; spartan electronics that verge on organic; a judicious balance of wet and dry sound; and a haunted, longing emotional quality.  This is not the sound of realism: it’s not meant to convey the religious and imperial violence, political bitterness, or economic depression of the closing decade.  Rather, it is a romantic exploration of the emotional territory of this future-past, one we never dreamed of as kids when imagining life beyond that far-off year 2000.  It’s a dark story, but an evocative and enchanting one.

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The twelve main songs that make up ‘A Decade in the Dark,’ along with two textural interludes, feel like individual vignettes set in a shared cinematic world.  The characters here are played by The Knife, Daniel Menche, Erykah Badu, Bjork, Burial, Portishead, Junior Boys (channeling Frank Sinatra), Low, Flaming Lips, David Sylvian, Thom Yorke, David Thomas with Two Pale Boys (re-envisioning the Beach Boys), The For Carnation, and Fennesz.  All play anti-heroes, like Deckard and Roy Batty–their motives and their motivations are complex, their outlooks informed by unresolved romanticism and pessimism, uncertain nostalgia and even less certain hopes.  I hope you enjoy the “film”–best played in the dark.   Download with artwork and full tracklist after the “more…” link.

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Various – ‘A Decade in the Dark’
The Sound of Futures Past, Part 1

01  [00:00]  The Knife – “Silent Shout” (Silent Shout, 2006)
02  [04:30]  Daniel Menche – “Concussions, Part 2″ (Concussions, 2005)
03  [04:58]  Erykah Badu – “The Healer” (New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), 2008)
04  [08:40]  Bjork – “Where Is The Line” (Medulla, 2004)
05  [13:17]  Burial – “U Hurt Me”  (Burial, 2006)
06  [18:29]  Portishead – “Machine Gun” (Third, 2008)
07  [23:04]  Junior Boys – “When No One Cares” (So This Is Goodbye, 2007)
08  [27:00]  Low - “Breaker” (Drums & Guns, 2007)
09  [29:46]  Flaming Lips – “See the Leaves” (Embryonic, 2009)
10  [34:08]  David Sylvian – “Late Night Shopping” (Blemish, 2003)
11  [36:52]  Thom Yorke – “The Clock” (The Eraser, 2006)
12  [41:11]  David Thomas & Two Pale Boys – “Surf’s Up” (Surf’s Up!, 2001)
13  [49:42]  The For Carnation – “Moonbeams” (The For Carnation, 2000)
14  [59:00]  Fennesz – “Onsay” (Venice, 2004)

[Total Time: 60:00]

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As far as music made in the 2000s goes, I’ve encountered it pretty much the way an old man sitting on his porch sees the kids who walk down the street: accidentally, viewed with suspicion, what with their crazy haircuts and eyepods, whilst muttering about the good old days.  Ok, so I’m not quite as curmudgeonly as that–there’s actually been a lot of music made this decade I’ve loved–but this blog is generally a testament to the fact that my attention has been directed elsewhere.  Still, I’m a music geek–just because I’m not really qualified won’t stop me from making a mix documenting the year as I managed to hear it (blaring from the goddamned headphones of the teenaged hoodlums in the neighborhood).

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Two albums especially stood out to me this year: Fever Ray‘s ‘Fever Ray’ (more or less a new album by The Knife); and the big surprise, The Flaming Lips‘ ‘Embryonic,’ which grabbed me so much I had to make a mix in response.  Each was something of an “album album,” difficult to convey through a single track.  But they fit into the pervasive atmosphere of this mix (not sure if it’s the result of my scattershot listening or some actually representative strain of internet-era almost-zeitgeist) of dirty, fuzzy, clattering darkness, cunning north-north-west madness, and a healthy dose of sweetness.  The Harvey Girls, Dominique Leone, Voodoo Economics, David Sylvian, Animal Collective, Mos Def, Radian, and Faust create a slightly exotic nocturnal bazaar of sound.    Reflecting an uncertain world that still wants to believe in beauty are Mirah, The Subcons, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Grizzly Bear, Vitalic and Junior Boys.  Unless I’m just hearing it with rose-colored hearing aids, (possible given its punning title,) my favorite song of the year, Matt Anders‘ “Schtick Around” (streamable above,) is a heartbreakingly wonderful, almost-unabashed declaration of love and hopefulness–under its bright synthetic kit and half-autotuned vocals, Old Man Soundslike thinks it’s a lovely tune, like they made the old days.

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‘Various – Get Off My Lawn, 2009, And Stop That Racket!‘
A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Shopping During the Apocalypse

Part 1
01  [00:00]  Air – “Love” (Love 2, 2009)
02  [02:36]  Flaming Lips – “The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine” (Embryonic, 2009)
03  [06:41]  Mirah – “Shells” (Aspera, 2009)
04  [09:05]  Harvey Girls – “Tickle” (I’ve Been Watching A Lot of Horror Movies Lately, 2009)
05  [12:36]  David Sylvian – “Money”  (Manafon, 2009)
06  [14:49]  David Bazan – “Lost My Shape” (Curse Your Branches, 2009)
07  [18:28]  Dominique Leone – “Sometimes You’ve Got to Be Happy” (Abstract Expression, 2009)
08  [22:55]  The Subcons – “I Respired” (Unreleased, 2009)
09  [27:08]  Lee Fields & The Expressions – “Love Comes and Goesl” (My World, 2009)
10  [30:10]  Fever Ray – “Dry and Dusty” (Fever Ray, 2009)

Part 2
11  [00:00]  Grizzly Bear – “About Face” (Veckatimist, 2009)
12  [03:20]  Voodoo Economics – “Meathook” (Nighttime Sabbaticals, 2009)
13  [08:00]  Animal Collective – “Daily Routine” (Merriweather Post Pavilion, 2009)
14  [13:29]  Mos Def – “Twilite Speedball” (The Ecstatic, 2009)
15  [16:08]  Vitalic – “Your Disco Song” (Flashmob, 2009)
16  [19:43]  Radian – “”Subcolors” (Chimeric, 2009)
17  [23:57]  Junior Boys – “What’s It For” (Begone Dull Care, 2009)
18  [28:55]  Faust – “Lass Mich” (Version Originale) (Cest Com Com Complique, 2009)
19  [30:48]  Matt Anders – “Schtick Around” (A Whisper to No Face, 2009)

[Total Time: 67:17]

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It’s probably no surprise to any long-time Musicophilia listener, but I’m pretty disinclined to spend much time concentrating on the thin slice of all-available-music that is “now”.   That said, I did manage to hear quite a lot of stuff I really love during the 2000s–which are suddenly at a close, while albums from 2004 still feel “new” to me.  I’ve put together my highly personal, in no way shape or form comprehensive list of favorite albums from the decade.  But my real purpose in posting it is to solicit suggestions from my listeners who’ve been more in touch about all the great stuff I missed!  Keep your eyes peeled for the 2nd annual ‘Get Off My Lawn’ year-end mix (the least-well-informed year-end mix series you’re likely to hear); and maybe a ‘Get Off My Lawn, 2000s’ decade-spanning mix.

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Here’s a ranked Top 20, followed by a year-by-year list of albums that have stuck with me to varying degrees after the “more…” link.  Who knew it was a decade about electro-pop, female singer-songwriters, artists creating their best work in their 2nd/3rd/4th decades, and Mornons from Duluth?  Probably only for me.

01  Bjork – Medulla (2004)
02  Sam Phillips – Fan Dance (2001)
03  Knife, The – Silent Shout (2006)
04  Badu, Erykah – Mama’s Gun (2000)
05  Low – Drums & Guns (2007)
06  Burial – Burial  (2006)
07  Herbert, Matthew (Herbert) – Bodily Functions (2001)
08  Flaming Lips – Embryonic (2009)
09  Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere (2006)
10  J Dilla – Donuts (2006)
11  Portishead – Third (2008)
12  Knife, The – Deep Cuts (2003)
13 Herbert, Matthew (Herbert) – Scale (2006)
14  Thomas, David – Surf’s Up (2001)
15  For Carnation, The – The For Carnation (2000)
16  Low – Trust (2002)
17  Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)
18  Caribou – Andorra (2007)
19  Burial – Untrue (2007)
20  Sylvian, David – Blemish (2003)

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Best albums I heard of the 2000s (by year):

(2000)
Badu, Erykah – Mama’s Gun (2000)*
Broadcast – The Noise Made by People (2000)
Cat Power – Covers Record (2000)*
Chicago Underground Duo – Synesthesia (2000)
For Carnation, The – The For Carnation (2000)*
Kozelek, Mark – Rock ‘n Roll Singer EP (2000)
Low + Spring Heel Jack – Bombscare EP (2000)
Modest Mouse – The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
Outkast – Stankonia (2000)
Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
Songs:Ohia – The Lioness (2000)
Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (2000)*

(2001)
Adult – Resuscitation (2001)
Bjork – Vespertine (2001)*
Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)*
Erase Eratta – Other Animals (2001)
Garbarek, Anja – Smiling & Waving (2001)
Herbert, Matthew (Herbert) – Bodily Functions (2001)*
His Name Is Alive – Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth (2001)
Knife, The – The Knife (2001)
Kozelek, Mark – What’s Next to the Moon (2001)
Low – Things We Lost in the Fire (2001)
Sam Phillips – Fan Dance (2001)*
Radiohead – Amnesiac (2001)
Thomas, David – Surf’s Up (2001)*
Tortoise – Standards (2001)
Welch, Gillian – Time (The Revalator) (2001)

(2002)
Beck – Sea Changes (2002)
Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
Herbert, Matthew (Radioboy) – Mechanics of Destruction (2002)
Liebezeit, Jaki & Burnt Friedman – Secret Rhythms (2002)
Low – Trust (2002)*
Nordenstam, Stina – This Is (2002)
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)*
Yo La Tengo – The Sounds of the Sounds of Science (2002)

(2003)
Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)
Blur – Think Tank (2003)
Courvoisier, Sylvie – Abaton (2003)
Herbert, Matthew – Goodbye Swingtime (2003)
Knife, The – Deep Cuts (2003)*
Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
Sylvian, David – Blemish (2003)*
Wyatt, Robert – Cuckooland (2003)

(2004)
Bjork – Medulla (2004)*
Deadbeat – Something Borrowed Something Blue (2004)
Nordenstam, Stina – The World is Saved (2004)
Phillips, Sam – A Boot & A Shoe (2004)

(2005)
Amadou et Mariam – Dimanche a Bmako (2005)
Anders, Matt – 2005 Demos (2005)
Dockstader, Tod – Aerial (2005)
Feist – Let it Die (2005)*
Jones, Sharon & The Dap-Kings – Naturally (2005)
Lidell, Jamie – Multiply (2005)
Menche, Daniel – Concussions (2005)
Prekop, Sam – Who’s Your New Professor (2005)
Vitalic – OK Cowboy (2005)

(2006)
Burial – Burial  (2006)*
Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere (2006)*
Herbert, Matthew (Herbert) – Scale (2006)*
Hu Vibrational – Universal Mother (2006)
J Dilla – Donuts (2006)*
Junior Boys – So This is Goodbye (2006)
Knife, The – Silent Shout (2006)*
Kode 9 & The Space Ape – Memories of the Future (2006)*
Kreiner, Michael Pogo – E-Magic Flute (2006)
Menche, Daniel – Creatures of Cadence (2006)
Roots, The – Game Theory (2006)
Yorke, Thom – The Eraser (2006)*

(2007)
Burial – Untrue (2007)*
Caribou – Andorra (2007)*
Low – Drums & Guns (2007)*
Menche, Daniel – Animality (2007)
Various – After Dark (2007)
Wyatt, Robert – Comicopera (2007)

(2008)
Badu, Erykah – New Amerykah, Part 1 (2008)
Fevre, Bernard (Black Devil Disco Club) – Eight Oh Eight (2008)
Hercules & Love Affair – Hercules & Love Affair (2008)
Matmos – Supreme Balloon (2008)
Phillips, Sam – Don’t Do Anything (2008)
Portishead – Third (2008)*

(2009)
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post  (2009)
Bazan, David – Curse Your Branches (2009)
Faust – C’est Com Com Complique (2009)
Fever Ray – Fever Ray ( (2009)*
Fields, Lee & The Expressions – My World (2009)
Flaming Lips – Embryonic (2009)*

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Just a quick update, since things have been quiet here lately: “real life” has once again intruded on the important business of mix-making and musical geekiness.  However, there are a number of projects waiting on the back burner: a new Musique du Monde series focusing exclusively on the titans of Sound Library; a number of follow-ups to the “Post Post-Punk” mix, exploring the genre as it mutated and spread after its heyday through the 80s and 90s; and Musicophilia’s first jazz-only and global-folk-musics-only mixes.  Some of these may be ready sooner than later, but I can promise things will be back in full-swing by late January 2010–and from the tracks I’ve already got selected, I’m excited for what’s in store.  In the meantime, I hope you’ll browse the back catalogue of over 50 mixes–if you haven’t heard it yet, it’s new to you.  Thanks as always for listening, and spreading the word.

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Finishing up the ‘Le Mystère de la Musique‘ trilogy (for now) after ‘Volume Un‘ and ‘Volume Deux,’ I’m happy to present ‘Volume Trois,’ which visits a darker, moodier, but no less catchy territory.  As with previous volumes, the focus here is the mid-70s, and the music which links the ‘Le Tour du Monde‘ and ‘Les Miniatures‘ sounds with the ‘1981‘ and other post-punk work.   ‘Le Mystère’ blends art-rock, sophisticated funk, and artful soul with elements of dub, songwriter-noir, subtle fusion jazz, and even minimalist country, alongside music that belies the “post” in “post-punk”.

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At the nexus of all the sounds on ‘Volume Trois’ is the proto-post-punk music (going to show how inaccurate the “post-punk” moniker really is) of Roxy Music and Pere Ubu, but things quickly expand far afield in terms of genre while maintaining these artists’ artfulness.  David Axelrod kicks it all of with some deep-groove funk that is simply irresistible.  Big Star and Bob Marley (in an instrumental dub treatment) brings things into the nighttime.  Stevie Wonder carries on the contemplative mood, while Ennio Morricone adds a dainty chamber orchestra touch.  Jorge Ben‘s emotional voice soars above his psychedelic orchestral tropicalia (which is in the emotional tradition of the music tristeza of Astrud Gilberto).  Willie Nelson is equally emotive, in his understated fashion, and Miles Davis‘ last great group adds fire to heartbreak in an incredible tribute to Duke Ellington–stunningly and completely timeless music, it exists outside of all genre boundaries.  Lard Free provide an abstract electronic transition into the unbelievably soulful simplicity of trans-Carribean-South-American-British group Cymande.  This is accessible music, but it is in no way shallow, and I hope you find the combination of sounds rewards return visits.   Full tracklist and download link for this LP-length mix (with full “sleeve art” and “liner notes”) at the “more…” link.  If you like what’s going on here at Musicophilia, please take a moment to participate in our 1st Birthday poll and CD giveaway drawing.  Your feedback is very much appreciated!

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Various Artists – ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ Volume Three
(Musique du Monde, France – 1977)

A1  [00:00]  David AXELROD – “Everything Counts” (Heavy Axe, 1975)  USA
A2  [06:52]  Big STAR – “Nightime” (Unreleased, 1976)  England
A3  [09:38]  Bob MARLEY – “Jamming (Version)” (Unreleased, 1977)  Jamaica
A4  [12:39]  Stevie WONDER – “Pastime Paradise” (Songs in the Key of Life, 1976)  USA
A5  [16:00]  Ennio MORRICONE – “Un Salotto Troppo Elegante”  (Stato Interessante, 1977)  Italy
A6  [17:47]  Roxy MUSIC – “Sentimental Fool” (Siren, 1975)  England

B1  [00:00]  Jorge BEN – “Errare Humanum Est” (A Tabua de Esmeralda, 1974)  Brazil
B2  [04:48]  Pere UBU – “Heaven” (“The Modern Dance” single, 1977)  USA
B3  [07:52]  Willie NELSON – “Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain” (The Red-Headed Stranger, 1975)  USA
B4  [10:07]  Miles DAVIS – “He Loved Him Madly” (Get Up With It, 1975)  USA
B5  [18:54]  Lard FREE – “Tatkooz a Roulette”  (I’m Around About Midnight, 1975)  France
B6  [20:36]  CYMANDE – “One More” (Cymande, 1972)  Guyana & Jamaica

[Total Time: 46:54]

Rough Translation, Back Cover:
“How does one describe the mystery of music? Perhaps it’s best to let music speak for itself: language may get in the way. And so we present ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ which explores the changing sound of a world where borders are disintegrating between sounds, and between people. Across the discs of this series you will find feelings of the night, of the unknown, of the new and as yet undefined. This music refuses to fit itself to the old, established genres and boundaries. Instead, it pushes forward into a future where freedom of expression and breadth of creativity are the central reasons for being. The mystery is not a riddle to be solved: it asks you to revel in the indescribable, the unknown, the journey and not the destination. Open your ears, and your mind will follow, through the mystery of music.”

Reissue Notes:
The Musique du Monde label built its reputation in the late 60s and the early 70s issuing some of the hippest, grooviest and eclectic collections of the era, the ‘Le Tour du Monde’ and ‘Les Miniatures’ series. It is secondarily revered for its early 80s collections of discoid madness, ‘Les Rythmes du Monde’. But among the lesser-known contributions to musical mind-expansion of Musique is a group of mid-to-late-70s compilations that explored a more nebulous territory, one that bridged the gap between the earlier funk- and psych-based music of the ‘Le Tour’ discs and the post-punk realm explored by the contemporary heir to Musique’s curatorial role, the Musicophilia Co. This nearly forgotten series, called ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ can perhaps be described as the night to Le Tour’s day: living up to its “mystery” moniker, the series threads through the darker edges of progressive funk, pop, folk, fusion-oriented jazz, electronic and concrete music, nascent art-rock (that would eventually be called “post-punk,”) and even touches of country and sound library music. Much of the music is difficult to categorise meaningfully, even thirty years later. But such was the Musique ethos, even in the earlier days: to celebrate the “mystery” of the connections and blurring lines between seemingly disparate forms of recorded sound. ‘Le Mystère de la Musique’ remains enticingly mysterious, even though many of the artists found across its platters are well-loved today.

— I. Sonnecomme, September 2009

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October 4th marks the one-year anniversary of Musicophilia’s first post and first mix, and in that time the blog has featured almost one mix for every week (indexed here), which between them have been downloaded over 15,000 times with nearly 70,000 views and at least 200 subscribers.  The “internet famous” 1981 Box Set from 2005 was finally made available in full to a broader audience; a whole new (fake) reissue label was born, Musique du Monde, to explore the wonderful sounds of the 60s and 70s; the Miniatures Series provided you full listening experiences in 2-minute doses; and the experimental and cinematic Sensory Replication Series hopefully found its way through a few headphones in the dark.  Toss in a bunch of one-off mixes, single-artist features, fantastic guest-mixes and even a few full albums, and the blog now has a pretty substantial “back catalogue”.

[Note: Please take a moment to participate in the year-one Musicophilia poll, and leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for free Musicophilia-approved CDs, after the "more..." link.]

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Along with the birth of sister-blog Musicophilia Daily and the Musicophiliacs Facebook group, crafting this blog has enriched my listening and exploration with the joy of getting to share discoveries and old favorites with my fellow lovers-of-sound.  It’s been so much more fun than I could have expected, and I’ve enjoyed meeting lots of great people.  The next year will probably have to be slower (real life, and all that), but there are several mixes on the way over the next couple of months, and as always I hope to bring you more guest mixes from friends of Musicophilia.  If you’re interested in sharing your mix(es) with the Musicophilia audience please let me know.

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To celebrate this birthday, I’d like to give you guys a few gifts.  Drop a comment on this post, letting me know your favorite mixes, a discovery you made here, a suggestion for future mixes–whatever you feel like, I just want to hear you’re out there.  Then I’ll randomly draw names for presents–CDs like Kluster’s ‘Zwei-Osterei,’ David Axelrod’s ‘Release of an Oath‘ (as the Electric Prunes), and Jean-Jacques Perrey’s ‘Moog Indigo,’ along with other surprises.  It’s also been a while since I’ve checked in with Musicophilia’s listeners, so I’m adding a some polls below the “more…” link, and it’d be great if you participated.  Finally, I’ve tried to come up with my personal top-five favorite mixes from the first year:

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Thanks for listening!

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]]> http://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/musicophilia-musicophilias-1st-birthday-with-a-poll/feed/ 9 Soundslike [Musique du Monde] – ‘Le Tour du Monde, Volume 7′ (1967-1973) [Sensory Replication Series] – ‘Collide\Coalesce’ (1950-2004) [1981] - 'Feet' (2005) [One-Off] – ‘Still’ (1630-1999) [Sensory Replication Series] – ‘Tall Stories of Evil Gris-Gris’ (1915-2007) http://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/musique-du-monde-%e2%80%93-%e2%80%98le-mystere-de-la-musique%e2%80%99-volume-two-1974-1977/ http://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/musique-du-monde-%e2%80%93-%e2%80%98le-mystere-de-la-musique%e2%80%99-volume-two-1974-1977/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:05 +0000 Soundslike http://musicophilia.wordpress.com/?p=780 ]]> ¶

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Following the first volume of the ‘Le Mystère de la Musique‘ series, here’s ‘Volume Deux,’ which continues to explore the music that links the seemingly disparate sonic strands on which Musicophilia mixes have focused–especially early 70s funk- and art-rooted music and late 70s/early 80s post-punk.  This mix retains the off-center, mysterious quality of the series, but is perhaps a little funkier and more pop-oriented, featuring some very catchy music indeed.

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‘Volume Two‘ begins and ends with quiet ruminations on the joys and pitfalls of love from Kevin Ayers and long-lost German chanteuse Sibylle Baier.  The nebulous territory between “Prog” and post-punk, “proto-punk” and new pop is mapped out here by artists like David Bowie, (very early, very catchy) Laurie Anderson, and Television, with Brian Eno and This Heat adding minimalist textural links.  French artists Emmanuelle Perrenin (usually a more pastoral musician, but here found creating a completely out-of-time hip-hop beat) and Albert Marcoeur add a touch of RIO sophistication.  Robert Wyatt approximates a New Orleans jazz funeral dirge through a lamp-lighted street, and vibraphonist Roy Ayers brings the big-beat  jazz-funk to close out Side A.  Luciano Cilio creates sensitive, minimal music that presages the understated experimentation of beautiful modern chamber group Penguin Cafe Orchestra.  Augustus Pablo floats his famous melodica over one of the funkiest dub tracks ever made.   Among the least known artists found here, Canadian Lewis Furey struts confidently through his sophisticated art-pop that envelopes many of the sounds found elsewhere on the LP–jazzy drumming and brass arrangements, funky bass, pop harmonies, vibraphones and a sweet-and-sour wit.  Full tracklist and download link for this LP-length mix (with full “sleeve art” and “liner notes”) at the “more…” link.

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Various Artists – ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ Volume Two
(Musique du Monde, France – 1977)

A1  [00:00]  Kevin AYERS – “Thank You Very Much (Demo)” (Unreleased, 1975)  England
A2  [02:56]  David BOWIE – “Weeping Wall” (Low, 1977)  England
A3  [05:45]  Emmanuelle PARRENIN – “Topaze” (Maison Rose, 1977)  France
A4  [07:26]  Albert MARCOEUR – “Elle Itait Belle” (Album a Colorier, 1976)  France
A5  [10:17]  Laurie ANDERSON – “It’s Not the Bullet That Kills You”  (Airwaves, 1976)  USA
A6  [13:55]  Robert WYATT – “Song for Che” (Ruth is Stranger Than Richard, 1975)  England
A7  [17:28]  Roy AYERS – “A Tear To A Smile” (A Tear To A Smile, 1975)  USA

B1  [00:00]  Luciano CILIO – “Dialoghi dal Presente, Part 3″ (Dialoghi dal Presenti, 1977)  Italy
B2  [02:06]  TELEVISION – “Prove It” (Marquee Moon, 1977)  USA
B3  [07:04]  This HEAT – “Basement Boy” (BBC session, 1977)  England
B4  [08:40]  Augustus PABLO – “East of the River Nile” (East of the River Nile, 1977)  Jamaica
B5  [11:28]  Lewis FUREY – “Last Night”  (Lewis Furey, 1975)  Canada
B6  [14:25]  Brian ENO – “Aragon” (Unreleased, 1976)  England
B7  [15:30]  Penguin CAFE ORCHESTRA – “Chartered Flight” (Music From the Penguin Cafe, 1976)  England
B8  [21:09]  Sibylle BAIER – “The End” (Unreleased, 1974)  Germany

[Total Time: 46:56]

Rough Translation, Back Cover:
“How does one describe the mystery of music?  Perhaps it’s best to let music speak for itself: language may get in the way.  And so we present ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ which explores the changing sound of a world where borders are disintegrating between sounds, and between people.  Across the discs of this series you will find feelings of the night, of the unknown, of the new and as yet undefined.  This music refuses to fit itself to the old, established genres and boundaries.  Instead, it pushes forward into a future where freedom of expression and breadth of creativity are the central reasons for being.  The mystery is not a riddle to be solved: it asks you to revel in the indescribable, the unknown, the journey and not the destination.  Open your ears, and your mind will follow, through the mystery of music.”

Reissue Notes:
The Musique du Monde label built its reputation in the late 60s and the early 70s issuing some of the hippest, grooviest and eclectic collections of the era, the ‘Le Tour du Monde’ and ‘Les Miniatures’ series.  It is secondarily revered for its early 80s collections of discoid madness, ‘Les Rythmes du Monde’.  But among the lesser-known contributions to musical mind-expansion of Musique is a group of mid-to-late-70s compilations that explored a more nebulous territory, one that bridged the gap between the earlier funk- and psych-based music of the ‘Le Tour’ discs and the post-punk realm explored by the contemporary heir to Musique’s curatorial role, the Musicophilia Co.  This nearly forgotten series, called ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ can perhaps be described as the night to Le Tour’s day: living up to its “mystery” moniker, the series threads through the darker edges of progressive funk, pop, folk, fusion-oriented jazz, electronic and concrete music, nascent art-rock (that would eventually be called “post-punk,”) and even touches of country and sound library music.  Much of the music is difficult to categorise meaningfully, even thirty years later.  But such was the Musique ethos, even in the earlier days: to celbrate the “mystery” of the connections and blurring lines between seemingly disparate forms of recorded sound.  ‘Le Mystère de la Musique’ remains enticingly mysterious, even though many of the artists found across its platters are well-loved today.

— I. Sonnecomme, September 2009

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The ‘Le Mystère de la Musique‘ series progresses the Musique du Monde label into the under-appreciated mid-70s, bridging the gap between the late-60s/early-70s ‘Le Tour du Monde‘ and ‘Les Miniatures‘ mixes and Musicophilia’s post-punk mixes.  Appropriately for a time that sits in the shadow of the more well-loved musical “peaks” before and after, ‘Le Mystère‘ explores a nocturnal, ambiguous territory that is perhaps more understated but also more bewitching than the other Musique LPs.  The fantastic beats are still featured, and the genre-eschewing, world-spanning ethos remains in place.  But there is a greater emphasis here on spaciousness, noirish shadow and light, and slow-boiling sexiness–on mystery.

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‘Volume One‘ opens with three tracks–by Henri Texier, Joni Mitchell, and a very young but already ambitious Arthur Russell–that set the mysterious, unclassifiable tone of ‘Le Mystère‘.  Osama Kitajima amps things up with an avant-metal-cum-kabuki sound.  Musique concrete master Bernard Parmegiani provides an abstract interlude, while Lou Reed brings the first side to a close with a dose macabre humor.  Alan Parker and John Cameron, sound library kings, open Side B in a mellow grove, and Brigitte Fontaine and Areski echo Texier’s French-via-Central-Asian exoticism.  Italians Le Orme follow the direction laid out by Franco Battiato into sci-fi-tinged Prog that doesn’t need to show off its chops to be effective.  Sun Ra simmers one of the Arkestra’s funkier, more laid-back numbers, and Harmonia bridges to Iggy Pop‘s dark masterpiece “Nightclubbing”.  The untouchable Hamilton Bohannon closes the record with one of his sexiest, most intoxicating sophisticate-disco grooves, sending us off into late-night ecstasy.  Full tracklist and download link for this LP-length mix (with full “sleeve art” and “liner notes”) at the “more…” link.

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Various Artists – ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ Volume One
(Musique du Monde, France – 1977)

A1  [00:00]  Henri TEXIER – “Le Piroguier” (Amir, 1976)  France
A2  [04:04]  Joni MITCHELL – “The Jungle Line” (The Hissing of Summer Lawns, 1975)  Canada
A3  [08:25]  Arthur RUSSELL – “Goodbye Old Paint” (Unreleased, 1975)  USA
A4  [11:52]  Osama KITAJIMA – “Tengu, A Long-Nosed Goblin” (Benzaiten, 1974)  Japan
A5  [14:47]  Bernard PARMEGIANI – “Incidences: Battements”  (De Natura Sonorum, 1975)  France
A6  [16:30]  Lou REED – “Kicks” (Coney Island Baby, 1976)  USA

B1  [00:00]  Alan PARKER & John CAMERON – “Sahara Sunrise” (Afro Rock, 1973)  England
B2  [02:59]  Brigitte FONTAINE & ARESKI – “La Harpe Jaune” (Vous et Nous, 1977)  France
B3  [05:43]  Le ORME – “India” (Contrappunti, 1974)  Italy
B4  [08:44]  Sun RA – “That’s How I Feel” (Unreleased, 1977)  USA
B5  [14:07]  HARMONIA – “Trace”  (Unreleased, 1976)  Germany
B6  [15:09]  Iggy POP – “Nightclubbing” (The Idiot, 1977)  USA
B7  [18:53]  Hamilton BOHANNON – “Come Dance With Me” (On My Way, 1977)  USA

[Total Time: 45:37]

Rough Translation, Back Cover:
“How does one describe the mystery of music?  Perhaps it’s best to let music speak for itself: language may get in the way.  And so we present ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ which explores the changing sound of a world where borders are disintegrating between sounds, and between people.  Across the discs of this series you will find feelings of the night, of the unknown, of the new and as yet undefined.  This music refuses to fit itself to the old, established genres and boundaries.  Instead, it pushes forward into a future where freedom of expression and breadth of creativity are the central reasons for being.  The mystery is not a riddle to be solved: it asks you to revel in the indescribable, the unknown, the journey and not the destination.  Open your ears, and your mind will follow, through the mystery of music.”

Reissue Notes:
The Musique du Monde label built its reputation in the late 60s and the early 70s issuing some of the hippest, grooviest and eclectic collections of the era, the ‘Le Tour du Monde’ and ‘Les Miniatures’ series.  It is secondarily revered for its early 80s collections of discoid madness, ‘Les Rythmes du Monde’.  But among the lesser-known contributions to musical mind-expansion of Musique is a group of mid-to-late-70s compilations that explored a more nebulous territory, one that bridged the gap between the earlier funk- and psych-based music of the ‘Le Tour’ discs and the post-punk realm explored by the contemporary heir to Musique’s curatorial role, the Musicophilia Co.  This nearly forgotten series, called ‘Le Mystère de la Musique,’ can perhaps be described as the night to Le Tour’s day: living up to its “mystery” moniker, the series threads through the darker edges of progressive funk, pop, folk, fusion-oriented jazz, electronic and concrete music, nascent art-rock (that would eventually be called “post-punk,”) and even touches of country and sound library music.  Much of the music is difficult to categorise meaningfully, even thirty years later.  But such was the Musique ethos, even in the earlier days: to celebrate the “mystery” of the connections and blurring lines between seemingly disparate forms of recorded sound.  ‘Le Mystère de la Musique’ remains enticingly mysterious, even though many of the artists found across its platters are well-loved today.

— I. Sonnecomme, September 2009

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Musicophilia’s 1st birthday is coming up soon, and by then the blog will feature over 50 mixes! In order to make them easier to find, I’ve created a Visual Mix Index. I’m posting it here as a blog post, but it will be permanently available (and updated) at this page. So if you’ve missed some mixes–go grab them, and I hope you’ll hear new sounds to love. Thanks so much for listening!

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After a long absence from Musicophilia, I’m very happy to be (almost) fully back to my normal geeky self.  To kick things back into action, we return to an ongoing series of mixes made by Hiram Lucke of The Harvey Girls which explores the wide-ranging influences of his eclectic, adventurous, and geeky-in-the-best-way band.  For the first mix and the story behind the series–and especially for samples of The Harvey Girls’ music–don’t miss ‘Good Morning‘.  For those about to rock, we present ‘Afternöön Röck Blöck‘.  I’ll leave the insights and the concepts to Hiram, as he’s provided a great personal essay on what all the music means to he and his partner in life-and-music Melissa (included with the download and quoted below).  I’ll simply say that if Musicophilia has ever seemed a little too earnest or cerebral or mannered, this mix gives the blog a nice kick in the pants while wearing a beaming smile from ear to ear.

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Things start off back in your teenaged, pre-geek, pre-access-to-everything years with Led Zeppelin, (post post-punk) Mekons and Blue Oyster Cult.  But this is a mix made by an unrepentant geek, so while the music continues to rock, it quickly leaves behind strict genre-allegiance to Rock.  And so we visit Selda Bagcan, Howlin’ Wolf, the Tall Dwarfs, and Buck Owens.  Pre-streamled Flaming Lips hug close to Aretha Franklin, next to Adam & The Ants.  John Cale hangs out with Dennis Wilson, whose harmonies are echoed by ELO next door to glorious pop-mode Wire.  Things finish off with two old Musicophilia faves, Jonathan Richman (in acoustic Modern Lovers mode) and Robert Wyatt, blissfully kissing the afternoon goodbye.  It all makes sense when you know Hiram:

I spent my early childhood in the late 70s and early 80s, so my brain doesn’t really see what’s wrong with androgyny, polyester (as long as I don’t have to wear it), or overly-dramatic and completely overblown pop songs.  I love Black Sabbath as much as I love ABBA. I can listen to a lot of proggy goodness in the way of Guru Guru and then turn on the sixth Beatle Jeff Lynne and his bubblegumilicious candy-prog band ELO.

Download link with artwork and Hiram’s full thoughts are after the “more…” link.  Stay tuned for the beautiful conclusion to this series, ‘Night Time = Right Time,’ probably my favorite of the bunch.

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Various Artists – ‘Afternöön Röck Blöck’
(Mixed by The Harvey Girls, Mix 2 of 3, August 2009)

01   [00:00]   The Mekons – “Rock and Roll” (‘The Mekons Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ 1989)
02   [03:29]   Led Zeppelin – “Misty Mountain Hop” (‘Led Zeppelin IV,’ 1971)
03   [08:01]   Truck Stop Love – “Other Stars” (‘How I Spent My Summer Vacation,’ 1995)
04   [10:50]   Blue Oyster Cult – “Burning For You” (‘Fire of Unknown Origin,’ 1981)
05   [15:16]   Zoom – “Balboa’s Cannon” (‘Helium Octipede,’ 1994)
06   [17:55]   Selda bagcan – “Meydan Sinzidir” (‘Selda Bagcan,’ 1976)
07   [21:33]   Howlin’ Wolf – “Down in the Bottom” (‘Howlin’ Wolf,’ 1962)
08   [23:40]   Tall Dwarfs – “Starry Eyed and Wooly Brained” (’3 EPs,’ 1994)
09   [26:30]   Buck Owens – “Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass” (Single, 1969)
10   [28:47]   Flaming Lips – “Talkin’ ‘Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immorality Blues” (‘Hit to Death in the Future Head,’ 1992)
11   [32:31]   Aretha Franklin – “Save Me” (‘I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You,’ 1967)
12   [34:44]   Adam & The Ants – “Prince Charming” (‘Prince Charming,’ 1981)
13   [37:58]   John Cale – “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (‘Paris 1919,’ 1973)
14   [41:12]   Linda Husik – “Good Times Roll” (‘Rutles Highway Revisited,’ 1990)
15   [45:07]   Dennis Wilson – “River Song” (‘Pacific Ocean Blue,’ 1977)
16   [48:46]   Wire – “Outdoor Miner” (‘Chairs Missing,’ 1978)
17   [51:34]   Dsico – “Fateful Pavement” (Online Release, 2002)
18   [54:55]   Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky” (‘Out of the Blue,’ 1977)
19   [59:48]   Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – “Afternoon” (‘Rock ‘n’ Roll With the Modern Lovers,’ 1977)
20   [62:34]   Robert Wyatt – “Heaps of Sheep” (‘Shleep,’ 1997)

[Total Time: 67:30]

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Hello everyone.  My girlfriend posted last week to let you know why I’d gone silent, and I’m happy to be able to post myself today to let you all know I’m home after ten days in the hospital.  The doctors say my illness is very unusual (a “lightning strike” of bad luck), and I remain on I-V treatment and have to return for many visits, but they seem confident I will recover fully.  I want to thank all of you for your kind words and positive thoughts, and for your patience as Musicophilia and Musicophilia Daily have been silent.  I’m regaining a lot of energy, and as I’m stuck home from work I hope to be able to finish up some mixes this week.  Keep your ears open for further guest mixes from friends of Musicophilia The Harvey Girls this coming week.  Thank you all.

Hi everyone,

I have been in the hospital for the last week and it looks like I will be here for a while longer. I will start posting to Musicophilia again as soon as I am better.

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Today I’m very happy to present ‘Somniloquies,’ mixed by our fourth guest contributor, the sound-obsessed mind behind the truly uncategorisable Love, Execution Style (described on one website as making “”Music” for those who love sounds just as much as songs,” which is almost exactly how I’ve classified myself).  L,ES is, in the best possible way, close to what you’d get if you took every good track ever shared on Mutant Sounds and hit random–perhaps on several stereos at once.  (For a quick sense of at least the non-musique concrete side of what I mean, check out the “WAWL Local Show Theme Song” on L,ES’s MySpace page, which expertly runs through surf rock, early jazz, dub, disco-funk, indie rock, country, metal and chamber pop in an incredible 49 seconds.) I’m very honored that the mix L,ES has crafted is envisioned a “sequel” to ‘The Somnambulist,’ one of my ‘Sensory Replication Series‘ mixes (which are my favorite mix undertakings: densely mixed, spacial, cinematic, seeking unexpected synergy in new combinations and de/re-constructions of tracks).  L,ES’ unabashed love of sound is the perfect match to the Sensory Replication approach, and he’s coalesced a heady blend of thirty tracks by thirty artists in exactly 30 minutes.

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Among the artists found here in previously unheard contexts are such Musicophilia favorites as La Dusseldorf, Edgar Varese, Sun City Girls, Jean-Claude Vannier, Z’Ev, Muslimgauze, The Flying Lizards, Faust, Boredoms, John Fahey, Nurse With Wound, Derek Bailey, Can, and Family Fodder, amongst many others.  The full tracklist and download link are after the “more” link.  Here are L,ES’s thoughts and narration for his rich nightmare/dreamscape:

“Thomas Edison would unlock his creativity by entering a “twilight state” between sleep and consciousness, and during these sessions, he would hold a handful of ball bearings.  If he fell into a deep sleep, his grasp would loosen, and the resulting racket would awaken him, allowing him to vividly capture the current state of his wandering mind.  A previous entry in the Sensory Replication series, ‘The Somnambulist,’ was an absorbing, sleepwalking journey through “an immersive aural environment,” and I strived to make ‘Somniloquies‘ a worthy sequel to ‘The Somnambulist,’ beginning with a shared fascination with unconscious states.  However, this time the focus is on spontaneous creation—sounds, melodies, syllables—all arranged with Edison’s twilight state in mind.  Quiet, lulling passages are punctuated with startling jabs, intended to be the equivalent of ball bearings, to stir the listener from a slumber, and such arresting moments are scattered among the mix, including the blood-curling shrieks of “Black! Black! Black!” from Patty Waters or the disruptively played piano tone clusters in “Giving Up” by Stock, Hausen & Walkmen.

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The mix begins with actual recordings of Chad Vickery talking in his sleep, from his cassette-only release Sleep Talker, and his short, nonsensical exclamations are the first of numerous odd vocalizations in the mix.  Best known as a percussionist, Z’EV is also a seasoned audio manipulator, and he stretches and warps spoken-word pieces from artist Bryan Lewis Saunders, making them sinister and inhuman.  Although Col. Bruce Hampton is a figure in the jam-band world, many may not be aware of his fruitful avant-garde side (for example, his early group, Hampton Grease Band, is on the Nurse With Wound list) and bizarre vocal work.  String Trek is the duo of violist LaDonna Smith and guitarist Misha Feigin, but “Tribal Reverberation” is a vocal piece, revealing the two trading off animalistic outbursts.

‘Somniloquies’ also contains a fair amount of drone, noise, and free improvisation, which is improv with no specific genre in mind; as guitarist Derek Bailey put it, it is “playing without memory.”  Davey Williams is a veteran of free improv and is also on the Nurse With Wound list for the Trans Museq albums he made with the aforementioned LaDonna Smith; here, he uses an electric screwdriver in the vicinity of his guitar pickups to simulate the sounds of aircraft.  A brief track from quintessential free improv musician Derek Bailey is paired with a John Fahey tune, creating an improbable duet from guitarists with nearly opposite approaches; although the two songs uncomfortably rub up against each other, careful listeners may notice a few fleeting moments of unlikely synchronicity.

‘Somniloquies’ is not ambient music, at least by Brian Eno’s definition; in the liner notes of Ambient #1 Music for Airports, he wrote, “…Ambient Music is intended to induce calm and a space to think…It must be as ignorable as it is interesting.”  Instead, think of the frog fishing scene in ‘The Triplets of Belleville,’ where the aging title characters use a hand grenade to not-so-gently harvest the unsuspecting frogs from a serene pond.  If it is to serve its purpose, ‘Somniloquies‘ must not be ignorable, as it periodically lobs grenades for small musical explosions to help capture any subconscious ideas that may be lurking about.”

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Various Artists – Somniloquies (1931-2009)
Mixed by Love, Execution Style

[00.00 - 04.23]   01   La Düsseldorf – “Sentimental” (1981)
[00.00 - 11.40]   02   Chad Vickery – “Sleep Talker” (excerpt) (2008)
[00.22 - 06.29]   03   The People Under the Sun – “Hell and Earth” (2006)
[01.03 - 06.54]   04   Edgar Varèse – “Ionisation” (1931)
[01.32 - 06.05]   05   Lau Nau – “Pläkkikanteletar” (2005)
[01.59 - 15.56]   06   Patty Waters – “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” (1965)
[03.25 - 17.00]   07   Sun City Girls – “Nibiru” (2002)
[06.11 - 10.04]   08   Rainy Day – “Holocaust” (1983)
[06.48 - 09.59]   09   String Trek – “Tribal Reverberation” (2007)
[07.55 - 14.50]   10   Jean-Claude Vannier – “Les Garde Volent au Secours du Roi” (1972)
[09.31 - 11.03]   11   Olhon – “Entrance” (2008)
[09.38 - 22.50]   12   Z’EV & Bryan Lewis Saunders – “Embracement” (2008)
[11.15 - 14.10]   13   Muslimgauze – “Gilded Madrasa” (1995)
[11.34 - 15.39]   14   Ryoji Ikeda – “Test Pattern #0101” (2008)
[11.52 - 15.39]   15   Unrest – “Los Desasosiego” (1985)
[12.21 - 15.23]   16   The Flying Lizards – “Purple Haze” (1984)
[13.57 - 17.40]   17   Faust – “Party 1” (1972 or 1973)
[15.39 - 17.23]   18   Boredoms – “Magic Milk” (1994)
[15.48 - 17.16]   19   Davey Williams – “At the Air Show” (2008)
[16.39 - 19.36]   20   Killick – “Stereo Diabolical Hems” (2008)
[16.46 - 20.34]   21   Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret. – “Tunnel” (2008)
[17.57 - 20.34]   22   John Fahey – “Sligo River Blues” (1967)
[18.21 - 25.08]   23   Nurse With Wound – “Soliloquy for Lilith” (excerpt) (1988)
[19.19 - 20.09]   24   Derek Bailey – “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone” (2002)
[20.34 - 24.19]   25   Moonshake – “Girly Loop” (1993)
[20.39 - 25.35]   26   Neon Viking Funeral Vs. Secret Guilt – “Untitled” (excerpt) (2009)
[24.00 - 26.12]   27   Can – “LH 702 (Nairobi / München)” (1972)
[24.55 - 26.32]   28   Shaking Ray Levis – “Bubble Nose & Needle D” (1992)
[25.53 - 29.44]   29   Family Fodder – “Le Grand Méchant Loup” (1979)
[26.36 - 30.00]   30   Stock, Hausen & Walkman – “Giving Up” (1993)

[Total Time:  30:00]

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I’m pleased to present ‘Good Morning,’ Musicophilia’s third guest mix (with several more soon to come).  I recently had the pleasure of befriending a very talented musician, writer, and unrepentant music geek, Hiram Lucke.  Hiram and his wife Melissa Rodenbeek create beautiful, wide-ranging music under the name The Harvey Girls.  The numerous loves they share (for each other, for making music, and for hearing music) are deeply imbued in what they do.  I asked Hiram if he’d be interested in guest-mixing at Musicophilia after he asked to interview me for Circle Into Square and we hit it off, and after immersing myself in The Harvey Girls’ music, I suggested the loose idea of “an influences mix”.  Hiram came through in spades: he made not one but three excellent mixes–one for each phase of the day, perhaps for each phase of life–and while the “influences” in terms of music are apparent here, Hiram aimed also to express the bigger intertwining experience of music-as-sound with music-as-life-itself. Hiram’s written a lovely story-telling essay about the ways in which music permeates, informs, and reflects a musical and a literal marriage, excerpted below (and which is included in full with the download).  The mixes stand perfectly well on their own, with a nice blend of the sorts of music Musicophilia has already shared with a number of surprises and other faves (you’ll be amazed at how much sense TLC’s “Waterfalls” makes by the time you get there).  But to enjoy the “influences” aspect a little more, I’d like to share a few The Harvey Girls tracks, too.

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To my ears, The Harvey Girls inhabit a similar sort of sprawling, genre-free world to His Name Is Alive, Beck, Family Fodder, Cornelius, Godley & Creme, Manitoba/Caribou, Flaming Lips, or The Homosexuals clan, with a hint of the enviable coupled sweetness of Yo La Tengo or The Innocence Mission (with a marriage-safe touch of the witty Quasi or Richard & Linda Thompson).  Playful catchiness, record-geek sound savvy, and emotional sincerity all meld equally as the duo skip and stroll and surf  through pure sunshine pop harmony, girl-group la la las, D.A.I.S.Y.-age hip-hop, sweet country balladry, synth pop and intimations of dub and musique concrete.  These examples tend toward the poppy end of their spectrum, but the darker and stranger and more contemplative moments of their albums always feel just as right.  They also happen to be after the mix-maker’s heart, as the albums are sequenced as journeys, so if you like what you hear I definitely recommend listening to the full albums, a number of which are available for pay-as-you-can donation.

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“Hey Little Sprout!” (‘Nutate,’ 2007)

“Good Morning, Bubblegum” (‘Blabber ‘N Smoke,’ 2004)

“Girls Sing” (‘Wild Farewell,’ 2005)

“Resh Day Lo” (‘Nutate,’ 2007)

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Now, back to ‘Good Morning,’ which is definitely part of a healthy breakfast: amongst others, there’s post-punk a la Liquid Liquid and Pere Ubu, funk love from Sly & The Family Stone and Al Green, and glamor courtesy of T. Rex to TLC.  There’s summer sounds from Tinariwen, De La Soul, Gilberto Gil, Paul McCartney; and things go deep with M83, King Tubby, and Bjork.  ‘Good Morning‘ is the first of three mixes, to be followed over the next few weeks with ‘Afternöön Röckblöck,’ which will finally bring a bit of the Metal to Musicophilia; and the lovely ‘Night Time = Right Time‘.  Here’s a bit of context from Hiram, but be sure to read the whole essay included with the download (after the “more” link as usual):

There’s a few things you can gather from these songs.  We like rhythm and we like solitary sounding singer/songwriters.  We have an inexplicable love of British pop from the 60s to the 80s.  We love noise and sweet sounding pop in equal measure.  We freaking adore the girl group sound.  And, finally, we’ve got a thing for strings.  Strings are proof of a higher power inasmuch as music is our religion.  And there’s a lot more stuff we’ve left out: no delta blues, no religious choirs, no Fela Kuti, no John Fahey, no Bollywood soundtracks, no Archies, not enough dub, not enough country, no Alton Ellis, no jazz, no kids records, no classical… you get the idea. . .

I spent my early childhood in the late 70s and early 80s, so my brain doesn’t really see what’s wrong with androgyny, polyester (as long as I don’t have to wear it), or overly-dramatic and completely overblown pop songs.  I love Black Sabbath as much as I love ABBA. I can listen to a lot of proggy goodness in the way of Guru Guru and then turn on the sixth Beatle Jeff Lynne and his bubblegumilicious candy-prog band ELO.  But it hasn’t always been that way.

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Various Artists – ‘Good Morning’
(Mixed by The Harvey Girls, Mix 1 of 3, July 2009)

01   [00:00]   Liquid Liquid – “Optimo” (‘Optimo’ EP, 1983)
02   [02:39]   Tinariwen – “Oualahila Ar Tesninam” (‘Ammasakoul,’ 2004)
03   [06:17]   Pere Ubu – “On The Surface” (‘Dub Housing,’ 1978)
04   [08:50]   Sly & The Family Stone – “Underdog” (‘A Whole New Thing,’ 1967)
05   [12:43]   Gilberto Gil – “O Canto da Ema” (‘Expresso 2222,’ 1972)
06   [19:07]   Moonshake – “Seance” (‘Big Good Angel,’ 1993)
07   [23:15]   De La Soul – “The Magic Number” (’3 Feet High and Rising,’ 1989)
08   [26:27]   Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 – “Socket” (‘Strangers From the Universe,’ 1994)
09   [30:44]   Rob Swift – “Rob Gets Busy” (‘Return of the DJ, Vol. 1,’ 1996)
10   [34:52]   Harry Mudie & King Tubby – “Strings Dub in Rema” (‘Meets King Tubby in Dub Conference, Vol. 1,’ 1976)
11   [37:38]   Al Green – “I’m So Glad You’re Mine” (‘I’m Still In Love With You,’ 1972)
12   [40:24]   TLC – “Waterfalls” (‘CrazySexyCool,’ 1994)
13   [44:57]   Paul McCartney – “Coming Up” (‘McCartney II,’ 1980)
14   [48:49]   M83 – “Run Into Flowers” (‘Dead Cities, Red Seas, Lost Ghosts,’ 2004)
15   [52:57]   Bjork – “Come to Me” (‘Debut,’ 1993)
16   [57:42]   T. Rex – “Cosmic Dancer” (‘Electric Warrior,’ 1971)

[Total Time: 62:11]

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Download Here | Subscribe to Musicophilia |  Visit The Harvey Girls (Site + Facebook)

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Note:  Some listeners report getting an error when unpacking the .zip file containing the mix, leaving them with only “Part I”.  I found I had no problems using a freeware program like ExtractNow, but did get the error on one machine using the built-in unzip function of Windows Vista.  On Macs, the situation seems to be reversed–the built-in OS unzipping utility works, program(s) may not.  Sorry for the hassle, and thanks for visiting. I’ve added a new download link with a new zip here, which hopefully has none of these problems.

A majority of the music I share here at Musicophilia could be described as oriented around movement: the kinetic, sometimes frantic energy of post-punk; the rhythmic fluidity of the Musique du Monde-style blends of funk, jazz, Krautrock, sound library music, etc.; the space-disco march of the ‘Rhythmes du Monde‘ mixes; or the narrative journey through the dense, quasi-three-dimensional landscapes of the ‘Sensory Replication‘ series.  These are generally the sorts of music to which I listen most often.  But there is always a need for music that focuses inward, that slows our minds and draws our attention to the smallest, simplest details–for me such sounds remain my foundation, whatever far-flung branches my path through music takes.  This is the music found here in ‘Still‘.  This is a mix I could have made (and probably virtually did make) a decade earlier in my musical searching–but this, I hope, is a good thing, an indication that this is music that remains constantly evocative, elemental and essential.

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There’s piano-based and fusion jazz, singer-songwriter balladry, harp- and flute-like instrumentation from Italy, Japan, Indonesia, England, and the Ivory Coast.  There’s neo-chamber music, modern compositional sounds, folk music of the South Pacific, and the generally unclassifiable.  But the common thread is a spaciousness, a carefulness, and a simplicity that I think makes everything coalesce.  Among the mostly well-loved artists are Dave Brubeck, Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis, Moondog, Nick Drake, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Toumani Diabate, Colin Blunstone of the Zombies, Low, Keith Jarrett, and Arthur Russell.  Less known but no less beautiful are Renaissance composer Giovanni Maria Trabaci, Brigitte Fontaine & Areski, the Noday Family, L.S. Gelik, Rachel’s, and Gerald Bole.  This may not be Musicophilia’s most ambitious mix, but many of these are among my very favorite songs, and I hope you’ll enjoy them.  Full tracklist and the download link are at the “more…” link below.

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Various Artists – ‘Still’
(1630-1999)

Part I
01   [00:00]   Giovanni Maria Trabaci – “Toccata Seconda & Ligature Per L’arpa” (1630s)
02   [02:57]   Dave Brubeck – “Fujiyama” (1964)
03   [07:54]   Mark Hollis – “Inside Looking Out” (1998)
04   [14:06]   Brigitte Fontaine & Areski – “Declaration de Sinistre” (1974)
05   [16:11]   Noday Family – “Mago Uta” (1968)
06   [18:18]   Moondog – “Marimba Mondo 2″ (1977)
07   [23:30]   Nick Drake – “Rider On the Wheel” (1970)
08   [26:00]   L.S. Gelik – “Bandung (Mang Koko)” (1992)
09   [29:36]   Rachel’s – “Egon & Gertie” (1996)
10   [32:35]   Nina Simone – “Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair” (1966)

Part II
11   [00:00]   Bob Dylan – “Moonshiner” (1963)
12   [05:02]   Miles Davis – “In A Silent Way” (1970)
13   [09:12]   Joni Mitchell – “A Case of You” (1971)
14   [13:32]   Toumani Diabate – “Jarabi” (1989)
15   [18:32]   Colin Blunstone – “Though You’re Far Away” (1971)
16   [21:52]   Gerald Bole – “Moonlight” (1983)
17   [23:56]   Low – “Long Long Long” (1998)
18   [27:41]   Keith Jarrett – “Don’t Ever Leave Me” (1999)
19   [30:18]   Tongan Folk Musicians – “Faikava Love Song” (1974)
20   [32:58]   Arthur Russell – “Our Last night Together” (1986)

[Total Time: 72:24]

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Download Here (NEW ZIP FILE/LINK) | Subscribe to Musicophilia |  Cover Photo by J.E. Dolan

Following up part one of an interview conducted by Hiram Lucke of The Harvey Girls at Portland-based label/magazine Circle Into Square, part two is now available here.  Hiram and I ramble through the ethics of music sharing; the significance of the artifact in musical discovery; the irrelevance of rock-star (or even indie-rock-star) ambition to music-making in the current milieu; the cycle of stagnation versus fecundity in popular music and the role of the past-mining geek; better and more important blogs than Musicophilia who’re making available primary-source recordings; and the future possibility of “real-life-based” social mix sharing.  So check it out, and be sure to look around and sample some of the music and writing available at Circle Into Square.

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[UPDATE: Great news--the album is set to be reissued in 2010 on the Bureau B label (home of Faust, Cluster, Wolfgang Riechmann, et al) on CD and 180g LP, as per a representative of the label in the comments below.  If you downloaded and enjoyed the album, please support them and Jaki Liebezeit & Co. by buying the reissue when it's available.]

This is a very unusual post for Musicophilia, but it’s one I think needs to be made.  For the most part, the out-of-print albums I’d like people to hear are already shared at places like Mutant Sounds, Egg City Radio, the Library Hunt, Never Enough Rhodes or Decoder Blog.  My primary objective in sharing music at Musicophilia is to encourage the further discovery and support of featured artists, by getting you the listeners to make new purchases.  But for (very) out-of-print music, this is not an option–if you bought the overpriced LP on eBay nothing goes to the artist anyway–so all bloggers can hope for is to foment enough interest that a (legitimate) reissue eventually happens.  This is one of those cases of an album being severely out-of-print (going for $150+, if you can even find it for that; or on a similarly rare bootleg “twofer” CD), and amazingly this wonderful album doesn’t seem to have been shared on the blogosphere.  I simply ask that you support Jaki Liebezeit and Phantom Band by purchasing the one album that remains in print, 1984′s equally good ‘Nowhere‘.

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Phantom Band, as featured at Musicophilia Daily and in the recent post-Can compilation here at Musicophilia, was Jaki Liebezeit’s principle ongoing project after Can.  On this, their first LP, they were in many ways a direct extension of Can, further developing the fusion of art-rock, Afrobeat and South American and African pop, reggae, spacey funk, and disco and electronic dance music that the former band originated on ‘Saw Delight‘ and ‘Out of Reach‘.  In my opinion, though, ‘Phantom Band‘ is a stronger and more cohesive album than any of the late Can albums.  It’s definitely a better showcase of Can collaborator, vocalist and bassist Rosko Gee.  As I mentioned previously, it reminds me most of Hamilton Bohannon‘s warm-but-spooky disco-funk. It will also appeal to fans of the Rail Band, King Sunny Ade, Magazine, Maximum Joy, A Certain Ratio, Tony Allen or Fela Kuti, ET Mensah, fusion-era Miles Davis; 70s soundtrack work by Alain Goraguer or Roy Budd; or the funkier side of 70s sound library recording, like Alan Parker‘s ‘Afro-Rock’ LP or Janko Nilovic‘ ‘Supra Pop Impressions’.  The music is shimmering, serpentine, catchy, joyous and often wonderfully melodic.  It is rich with delectable beats, judiciously polyrhythmic percussion, slinky and bouncing basslines, glistening Rhodes and shimmering synths, minimalist funk rhythm guitar and Karoli-like leads, and unexpected flourishes like harmonica, dub production or brass arrangements, all stitched together by Rosko Gee’s sweet vocals.   It desperately deserves a reissue, and I can only assume there’s some sort of legalistic hang-up preventing Mute from getting it (and its fairly disparate but very good follow up, ‘Freedom of Speech‘) out there.  Regardless of the Can connection, this is an album that should be much more broadly heard.  Full tracklist and download link after the “more” break.

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Phantom Band – ‘Phantom Band’ (1980)

01. Phantom Band – You Inspired Me (4:00)
02. Phantom Band – I Am The One (5:53)
03. Phantom Band – For M. (4:16)
04. Phantom Band – Phantom Drums (1:26)
05. Phantom Band – Absolutely Straight (3:32)
06. Phantom Band – Rolling (5:13)
07. Phantom Band – Without Desire (2:38)
08. Phantom Band – No More Fooling (4:09)
09. Phantom Band – Pulsar (4:03)
10. Phantom Band – Latest News (2:49)

[Total Time: 38:00]

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Following the mix of later-era Can from a few days ago, this new collection of post- and extra-Can tracks, ‘The Church of Latter-Day Can, Book Two‘ should be perhaps an even bigger surprise for those who’ve bought the hype that Can was all downhill after ‘Future Days’.  Putting together this collection, it even surprised me just how great the boys of Can continued to be after the “split” in 1979–if anything, this period was even more fertile than ’74-’79.  They might not have been years ahead of their time as they were with ‘Tago Mago‘ or ‘Future Days,’ but they were very definitely right in the thick of the zeitgeist of the day, mixing up a glorious “post-punk”-ish blend of reggae, funk, electronics, musique concrete, post-Krautrock, Afrobeat, and dub, with occasional pop melodic flourishes.  This collection covers both “solo” projects by various members (which always included other members of Can) and collaborative efforts with luminaries and lesser-knowns of the post-punk and dance worlds.  Given the breadth of years and the number of releases (17) and the vast number of participants, there is a remarkable cohesiveness in the diversity, proving that even after a “breakup” Can continued in spirit for quite a while.  This set is especially illuminates the fact that whatever Can were in the early days–art-rock, proto-punk, prog rock, Krautrock–is very much part of a strong progression of music through the 70s (reaching out laterally to funk and even sound library music) directly to the very best of post-punk, the latter’s name notwithstanding.  If you find yourself thinking of Talking Heads, The Slits, Arthur Russell, The Pop Group, Pere Ubu, Public Image Limited, This Heat, Family Fodder, Flying Lizards, Antena, Trio, Raincoats and the Tom Tom Club–along with Lee Perry, KPM library records, Brian Eno, Nonesuch’s ‘Explorer Series,’ King Tubby, et al–it’s surely no accident.

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The collection begins in the 70s reaching back to Neu!, with Jaki Liebezeit playing the role of Klaus Dinger with aplomb alongside the real Michael Rother and Conny Plank (the latter of whom, along with Inner Space Studios, remains ever present through this set).  Next Holger Czukay demonstrates both the “Turtles Have Short Legs” humor of Can, as well as his Stockhausen-trained musique concrete roots, all set to an easy disco groove provided by Liebezeit and frequent late-era Can collaborator Rebop Baah; it ends up sounding like a silly counterpart to Eno & Byrne‘s ‘Bush of Ghosts,’ a disco-era update of Bernard Parmegiani‘s “Pop’eclectic” or Francois Bayle‘s “Solitude”.  His second solo track here (also featured in the ‘1981‘ set)  proves balding Germans with goofy mustaches can be sexy.  In ’81 Czukay and Liebezeit helped launch Annie Lennox and Phew in style with fantastic bouncing rhythms and brass instrumentation; and Czukay also found time to Goth it up in a one-off with Conny Plank as Les Vampyrettes, who provide a horror-movie soundtrack to match the Bauhaus “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” or The Normal‘s “Warm Leatherette”.  Irmin Schmidt largely exited the pop music world, focusing on soundtrack and experimental work, which his track here with Bruno Spoerri captures well, reminiscent perhaps of Ryuichi Sakamoto.  His other appearance here is nearly a full Can reunion, with Liebezeit, Karoli and Rosko Gee, taking a Meters-like New Orleans-funk feeling into outer space.  Both Liebezeit and Damo Suzuki show up–from different years–with minimal Afro-funk German group Dunkelziffer.

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Jaki Liebezeit is unsurprisingly the core of Can even after Can, appearing on nearly every track here.  His excellent Phantom Band is represented as it evolved over four years, starting as a polyrhythmic troupe that I think Hamilton Bohannon would’ve dug (with vocals from Rosko Gee, late-Can member).  By 1981 Phantom evolves into a trippier post-punk dub outfit, and finally by 1984 a pop group that calls to mind Talking Heads or the Urban Verbs.  Liebezeit also helped out with Gabi Delgado-Lopez‘s transition from S&M DNW industrialism with Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft into Mediterranean New Pop territory more befitting his native Spain.  Jah Wobble is here in multiple instances bringing the woozy low-end that Public Image Ltd. lost.  He joins up with Czukay for probably the most surprising moment here–a NYC-style no disco synth workout that would have fit right in on Larry Levan‘s decks, with guitar from The Edge (yes, of U2) and produced/programmed by proto-house legend Francois Kevorkian.  While he was apparently less prolific than others in his post-Can output, Michael Karoli rounds things out (with the aid of Liebezeit) on two beautiful tracks from ’84 that would fit in right beside the “Earthbeat” phase of The Slits or the Raincoats‘ underloved ‘Moving’ LP, with Polly Eltes (who sang on Eno‘s ‘Taking Tiger Mountain’).  I won’t claim all this music will be a guaranteed hit all at once (though if you read all this, odds are good); but there’s a goldmine in this music.  Sadly, much of it is currently long out-of-print; but I ask that you support the artists by buying what is available. Full tracklist and the download link (with individual mp3s and relevant cover art) is after the “more” link.

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Can – ‘The Church of Latter-Day Can, Book Two’
(Beyond Can, 1977-1984)

01  Michael Rother (with Liebezeit & Plank) – “Karussell” (Edit) – ['Flammende Herzen,' 1977] (3:22)
02  Michael Rother (with Liebezeit & Plank) – “Zeni” (Edit) – ['Flammende Herzen,' 1977] (3:38)
03  Czukay (with Liebezeit & Rebop Baah) – Cool in the Pool” – ['Movies,' 1979] (5:03)
04  Phantom Band (with Liebezeit) – “Without Desire” – ['Phantom Band,' 1980] (2:38)
05  Phantom Band (with Liebezeit & Rosko Gee) – “You Inspired Me” – ['Phantom Band,' 1980] (4:00)
06  Eurythmics (with Liebezeit) – “Take Me To Your Heart” – ['In The Garden,' 1981] (3:35)
07  Eurythmics (with Czukay & Liebezeit) – “Never Gonna Cry Again” – ['In The Garden,' 1981] (3:05)
08  Les Vampyrettes (Czukay & Plank) – “Biomutanten” (Edit) – ['Biomutanten' EP, 1981] (3:32)
09  Phantom Band (with Liebezeit) – “Experiments” – ['Freedom of Speech,' 1981] (3:34)
10  Liebezeit, Czukay & Jah Wobble – Trench Warfare” – ['How Much Are They?' EP, 1981] (4:50)
11  Czukay (with Liebezeit) – “Fragrance” – ['On the Way to the Peak of Normal,' 1981] (4:13)
12  Phew (with Liebezeit & Czukay) – “Fragment” – ['Phew,' 1981] (3:59)
13  Schmidt (with Bruno Spoerri) – “Toy Planet” – ['Toy Planet,' 1981] (3:04)
14  Schmidt (with Liebezeit, Karoli & Gee) – “Endstation Freiheit” – ['Filmmuzik Vol. 2,' 1981] (3:37)
15  Dunkelziffer (with Liebezeit) – “Strom” (Edit) – ['Stil Der Neuen Zeit' EP, 1982] (3:03)
16  Czukay, Jah Wobble, The Edge & Francois Kevorkian – “Snake Charmer” – ['Snake Charmer' EP, 1983] (4:07)
17  Gabi Delgado (with Liebezeit) – “Victim” – ['Mistress,' 1983] (3:30)
18  Phantom Band (with Liebezeit) – “The Party” – ['Nowhere,' 1984] (1:31)
19  Phantom Band (with Liebezeit) – “Loading Zone” – ['Nowhere,' 1984] (3:50)
20  Dunkelziffer (with Suzuki) – “Watch On My Head” – ['In The Night,' 1984] (2:52)
21  Karoli & Polly Eltes (with Liebezeit) – “Yours & Mine” – ['Deluge,' 1984] (4:28)
22  Karoli & Polly Eltes – “Watch On My Head” (Edit) – ['Deluge,' 1984] (3:47)

[Total Time: 78:37]

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If you’re listening here at Musicophilia, odds are you’re a devotee of Can’s early records.  But the ‘received wisdom’ says that the later Can is vastly inferior, perhaps not even worth listening to, and so many people have never looked past the first few albums.  I know it took me years before I explored beyond ‘Soon Over Babaluma,’ and a little while further before it could hit me on its own terms. It’s true, the later albums are not what their early albums are, as so little is; when Can began, they were essentially inventing a whole new sound and aesthetic almost from scratch.  But if later-day Can were a separate band free to create its own legacy, I believe ‘Can II’ would be held in equal esteem alongside the “Krautrock” bands that rate just behind early Can, like Faust, Neu! and Cluster, certainly up there with Harmonia, early Kraftwerk, Agitation Free and La Dusseldorf.  And as much as post-punkers no doubt loved their copies of ‘Ege Bamyasi‘ and ‘Tago Mago,’ the truth is this music sounds more post-punk, as it’s tapping into the same diverse sounds–funk, dub, reggae, Afrobeat, sundry “world musics,” and surely not least disco–as the best post-punk would do a couple years later.  So give it a try–just please support the artists, do yourself the favor, and buy the albums you may have missed.  (And it almost  goes without saying, if you don’t know Can well already–run, don’t walk, and buy the first few albums as soon as possible.  Then come back to this music after your mind has exploded and you’ve put it back together as best you can.)  A second mix will follow shortly of extra- and post-Can tracks and collaborations by members of Can during the post-punk and new wave years.  Tracklist and download link after the break, for a limited time. I ask that if you enjoy the music found on this mix, you purchase the relevant albums, and remove the mix from your devices–please.

Can – “Aspectacle” (1979)

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Can – The Church of Latter-Day Can, Book One (1975-1979)

01. Can – Red Hot Indians [Landed, 1975] (5:38)
02. Can – Half Past One [Landed, 1975] (4:39)
03. Can – Smoke [Flow Motion, 1976] (5:20)
04. Can – I Want More [Flow Motion, 1976] (3:34)
05. Can – Animal Waves [Saw Delight, 1977] (15:30)
06. Can – Sunshine Day And Night [Saw Delight, 1977] (5:51)
07. Can – Give Me No Roses [Out of Reach, 1978] (5:21)
08. Can – One More Day [Out of Reach, 1978] (1:37)
09. Can – Serpentine [Out of Reach, 1978] (4:03)
10. Can – All Gates Open [Can, 1979] (8:19)
11. Can – Aspectacle [Can, 1979] (5:52)
12. Can – Safe [Can, 1979] (8:36)

[Total Time: 74:20]

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[Update:  5/3 Download Link is down again.  If you are an artist or label responsible for a particular work but do not wish it to be featured, please let me know and I will remove it.  My sincere intention, as always, is to promote the artists' work and help people discover it and purchase what is available.   So listeners, as always, the music shared here is not intended to replace purchased music.  Please support the artists involved, especially via independent shops like those linked in the right-hand column. ]

[Check out 'No Heroes'-style bonus tracks, with links to the originals, as part of an ongoing series at Musicophilia Daily.] For a bunch of supposed futurist Marxist Modernist post-historical art-weirdos, the post-punk/New pop set were actually remarkably affectionate toward the music they grew up loving, “I Hate” graffiti t-shirts notwithstanding.  And not just toward their Can and Roxy Music and Lee “Scratch” Perry albums that they all had, naturally, when they were 13 years old proto-Art School students.  Sure, there’s an LP worth of voidoid Rolling Stones anti-covers of varying quality that can be pretty backhandedly complimentary in a Warhol sort of way.  But at least in music, if not rhetoric, there was a lot of love for the radio of recently-lost youth: for Motown, for psychedelic bands and garage (the “first punk” kind) rock, for the Beatles, even for the occasional movie theme and crooner standby.  The covers on this “newly discovered 2xLP” compilation “from 1982″ are certainly not reverent, and few are straight (most are decidedly a little bent, befitting the zeitgeist), but few of them are detached, (wholly) ironic, or dismissive.

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Post-punk is often quite catchy in its way, and so there’s plenty of singability, listenability, pop ability on display–some of which actually had some popular impact in the grand tradition of the commercial cover tune.  The Beatles get channeled by Yellow Magic Orchestra, The Feelies, and Hecter Zazou.  Lee Dorsey and Al Green are both faves, fueling Devo and Trio, Talking Heads and Orange Juice, respectively.  There’s Motown and funk love to spare, with A Certain Ratio, Flying Lizards, Soft Cell and The Slits being careful to avoid direct theft they can’t pull off, but honoring the sources with their own quirks firmly displayed.  Straight-up pop is in evidence with Lydia Lunch, Tom Tom Club, Lene Lovich, Plastics and Antena joining the Oldies parade–and even Psychedelic Furs tackling “Mack the Knife”.  As for the “I Hate Pink Floyd” sentiment, Dolphins aren’t having it, and The Pretenders clearly don’t hate the Kinks.  Lizy Mercier-Descloux and the Selecter take you to the movies, and XTC and The Cure of all people show Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix love.  The Gun Club reach back to Robert Johnson, and Siouxsie’s Creatures laud The Troggs.  Only Bauhaus and Japan cover material you’d think of as post-punk-approved–Eno and The Velvets–but they do it with aplomb.  I can’t say most of this music eclipses the originals–be sure to check below for links to all of the source tracks–but it’s all a lot of fun.  Full tracklist, artwork and download link–along with those originals links–at the “more…” link.

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Various Artists – ‘No Heroes’
(2xLP Set, The Musicophilia Co., 1982)

SIDE A

A1  [00:00]  A Certain Ratio [Banbarra] – “Shack Up” (1981)
A2  [03:07]  Creatures [Chip Taylor] – “Wild Thing” (1981)
A3  [06:17]  Gun Club [Robert Johnson] – “Preaching Blues” (1981)
A4  [10:15]  Lydia Lunch [Buie, Cobb, Middlebrooks & Shapiro] – “Spooky” (1980)
A5  [12:45]  Yellow Magic Orchestra [The Beatles] – “Daytripper”  (1979)
A6  [15:28]  Tom Tom Club [Resnick & Young] – “Under The Boardwalk” (1981)

SIDE B

B1  [00:00]  Flying Lizards [Berry Gordy, Jr.] – “Money” (1978)
B2  [02:27]  The Feelies [The Beatles] – “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide…” (1980)
B3  [06:26]  Dolphins [Syd Barrett] – “She Took A Long Cold Look” (1981)
B4  [07:37]  The Cure [Jimi Hendrix] – “Foxy Lady” (1979)
B5  [09:20]  Psychedelic Furs [Weill & Brecht] – “Mack The Knife” (1980)
B6  [12:57]  Plastics [Boyce & Hart] – “Last Train to Clarksville” (1979)
B7  [15:54]  Japan [The Velvet Underground] – “All Tomorrow’s Parties” (1979)

SIDE C

C1  [00:00]  Lene Lovice [Ritchie Cordell] – “I Think We’re Alone Now” (1979)
C2  [02:40]  XTC [Bob Dylan] – “All Along the Watchtower” (1978)
C3  [07:19]  Hecter Zazou [The Beatles] – “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1979)
C4  [09:32]  Lizzy Mercier-Descloux [Lalo Schifrin] – “Mission Impossible 2.0″ (1979)
C5  [11:51]  Antena [Antonio Carlos Jobim] – “The Boy From Ipanema”  (1982)
C6  [14:37]  Bauhaus [Brian Eno] – “Third Uncle” (1982)
C7  [19:30]  Pretenders [The Kinks] – “I Go To Sleep” (1981)

SIDE D

D1  [00:00]  Devo [Lee Dorsey] – “Working In A Coalmine” (1981)
D2  [02:38]  Selecter [Monty Norman] – “James Bond” (1980)
D3  [04:57]  Soft Cell [Holland, Dozier & Holland] – “Where Did Our Love Go?” (1981)
D4  [08:01]  Trio [Lee Dorsey] – “Ya Ya” (1981)
D5  [10:17]  Talking Heads [Al Green] – “Take Me To The River”  (1978)
D6  [15:08]  The Slits [Strong & Whitfield] – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1979)
D7  [19:01]  Orange Juice [Al Green] – “L-O-V-E Love” (1982)

[Total Time: 87:45]

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An unusual post today:  I’ve been interviewed about the Musicophilia blogs, music and the internet, the role of the ‘geek mentor,’ etc. at the lovely Circle Into Square , “a Portland, OR based label, online magazine, and local artist community”.  Conducted by the multi-talented Hiram Lucke of The Harvey Girls, the interview was very free-wheeling and a lot of fun.  So check it out here, and be sure to look around the site while you’re there.

As I mentioned previously, I’m always interested in featuring music made by Musicophilia-listeners at Musicophilia Daily.  But I’ve also decided to make a mix of your music to post here, as Daily still lags behind in readership (though honestly more of my energy has gone there than here of late, so you should check it out and consider subscribing if you haven’t already).  I’ve had a number of interesting submissions to previous posts, but I want to give one last request for submissions before I make the mix.  So if you enjoy the sorts of music on offer at the Musicophilia blogs, and feel your own music would be of interest to like-eared listeners, please leave your name, a link to your site(s) and/or download links, and any information you think is relevant in the comments.  I’ll contact you with further questions, if necessary.

In the meantime, I continue to be a little busy with pesky “real life,” but I have numerous mixes getting closer to completion, and I don’t plan on letting Musicophilia go silent any time soon.  As always, if you’d like to contribute a mix (or more) that you feel fit what’s being done here, I’d love to have co-bloggers.  Thanks!

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As you hopefully know, the principle nine mixes from the ’1981′ Box Set are all now available for download here at Musicophilia.  For those who just can’t get enough of the post-punk fecundity, the adventure continues roughly every weekend with tracks from the ‘Briefcase‘ disc (a catch-all mp3 disc that added another 250 tracks and artists/bands to the box set) at Musicophilia Daily.   Periodically, these tracks will be collected and presented here at Musicophilia in unsequenced, alphabetical order; this is the second such collection, featuring tracks #21-40.

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Highlights from this 20-band collection include Bow Wow Wow, the Bunnydrums, the Cardboards, Cancer, Buzz, very early Chameleons,  CCCP-TV, Ceramic Hello, Hyped2Death faves Chemicals Made From Dirt, Christian Death, The Clash in dance-remix mode, Bouncing Czechs, Colours Out of Time, and perhaps my faves of the bunch, Club Tango.  Tracks are in low VBR and include cover art; download link below the “more…” link.

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All nine mixes from the ’1981′ Box Set are now available in full! That’s hundreds of key artists, the famed and the forgotten, from the apex of post-punk and the ascent of new-pop, synth-pop, and related artforms.  Links to every mix are below, at the “more…” link.  Don’t be shy–say hello, let me know if you dig what I’m doing here.

Roughly five years after I began the project, I can definitely say it’s been a satisfying endeavor, one that’s allowed me to talk with many interesting people from all over the world, including a number of the musicians who created the music (and to whom all credit is due).  As much fun as it was to produce hundreds of hand-made/folded/stapled/printed physical box sets–making them digitally available at Musicophilia has been a relief, and hopefully been of use to the hundreds of people who were left on a waiting list for the box that I was never able to get to.  So please, enjoy them, collect them all, check out the ongoing ‘Briefcase’ posts at Musicophilia Daily from the box set’s mp3 disc; keep your eyes peeled for new 1981-themed mixes; and if you dig it, share them with friends and help spread the word–I still love this music, and I know there are plenty of people who haven’t heard it yet who’d love it, too.  Please support the artists involved by buying what you enjoy, when it’s in print.

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The last couple months have seemed a little slower than usual, but looking back there’s still been some stuff I’m proud of.  I hope to get back to full speed, starting today with the newest installment from the faux Musique du Monde label, ‘Les Miniatures, Volume 14‘.   But to recap since mid-February: there’ve been further additions to ‘1981,’ including the 8th mix, ‘Fire;’ the first set of ‘Briefcase‘ tracks; and a new Deutsche Neue Welle in ’81 mix.   There’s was also ‘Electromance,’ an accessible electronic pop mix; another album of my own work; and a unique guest-mix covering music from the very edge of now.   I also hope you caught the “blog-swap” that resulted in this amazing guest mix and one of my favorite Musicophilia mixes, ‘Tall Stories of Evil Gris-Gris;’ and finally, the first ‘Sensory Replication Series’ mix, of which I’m really fond, called  ‘Adrift‘.

There will be more Musique mixes soon, as well as a trilogy of ‘Post Post-Punk’ mixes expanding on the original.  Additionally, I hope you’ll visit Musicophilia Daily, where I’ve been loving the freedom of posting anything and everything, and trying to say a little something about it all (here’s a sampler from the first week, and it’s only gotten better since then, IMO).  Finally, the call is still out for music by Musicophilia listeners to be featured at Daily and potentially in a for-and-by-the-listeners mix right here.  As always, thanks for listening!

UPDATE: Ok, well, still running a little busy and behind here–but new mixes will return soon.  In the meantime, I hope you’ll give recent mixes a listen.  Thanks!

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After an unintended hiatus, Musicophilia’s “reissues” of the Musique du Monde label are back, with the first of three more “10-inch LPs” from the ‘Les Miniatures‘ series following Volumes 3 and 12: ‘Volume 14,’ drawing from the years 1972-1975.  As with all the mixes in the broader Miniatures Series, the aim is to cover a lot of ground in very little time: all tracks are two minutes or less in duration; and the mixes are around 30 minutes total.  The ‘Les Miniatures‘ mixes are like morning commute-length portions of the 2xLP-length ‘Le Tour du Monde‘ mixes, so anything goes as long as it’s got a groove: funk of myriad permutations from New Orleans to Philly to France to Yugoslavia; musique concrete, psychedelia, singer-songwriter, sound library and soundtracks, proto-punk, Krautrock, early electro-pop, jazz, Tropicalia, and a little of the simply unclassifiable.  You’ll find the familiar and the new, each hopefully adding something to the experience of the whole.  (If you’ve been visiting Musicophilia primarily for the post-punk, I invite you to take a chance on some of the Musique du Monde stuff–it may be worlds apart from post-punk in some regards, but for my money, this is where the coolest sounds in the world were happening, presaging the radical artistic fecundity of the post-punk years.)

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Franco Battiato – “Cariosinesi”  (1972)

Shuggie Otis – “Happy House” (1974)

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Making up the thirty minutes of this mix are twenty artists from seven countries.  The better known include Marvin Gaye, The Residents, Kraftwerk, Big Star, Barry White, and Brian Eno.  Less well known in the U.S. but heroes elsewhere are Bernard Parmegiani (probably my favorite artist working with electro-acoustic experimentation), Franco Battiato, Brigitte Fontaine & Areski, The Aggrovators, Popol Vuh, the Soft Machine’s Hugh Hopper, and Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry.  Finally there’s key sound library figure Janko Nilovic; funk-pop prodigy Shuggie Otis; savant-garde group Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Curt Boettcher (of The Millenium, Sagittarius and the SoCal sunshine pop scene); and soundtrack maestros David Snell and Karl Heinz Schafer.  If you like what you hear, there’s plenty more where that came from: nine other Musique du Monde volumes so far, and several more in the coming weeks and months.  Full tracklist, “liner notes,” and download link after the “more…” below.

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Various Artists – ‘Les Miniatures’ Volume 14
(10″ LP, Musique du Monde, France – 1975)

Side A:
01  [00'00"]  Janko NILOVIC – “Flock” (Percussions Dans L’Espace, 1974, Yugoslavia)
02  [01'20"]  Shuggie OTIS – “Happy House” (Inspiration Information, 1974, USA)
03  [02'24"]  Popol VUH – “Kleiner Krieger” (Einsjager & Siebenjager, 1974, Germany)
04  [03'18"]  Penguin CAFE ORCHESTRA – “From the Colonies” (Unreleased, 1975, England)
05  [04'48"]  Marvin GAYE – “The Break In (Police Shoot Big)” (Trouble Man, 1972, USA)
06  [06'39"]  The RESIDENTS- “Boots” (Meet The Residents, 1974, USA)
07  [07'30"]  Bernard PARMEGIANI – “Incidences/Battements” (Unreleased, 1975, France)
08  [09'15"]  Curt BOETTCHER – “Without Her” (There’s An Innocent Face, 1973, USA)
09  [10'37"]  Hugh HOPPER – “Minitrue” (1984, 1973, England)
10  [11'55"]  The AGGROVATORS – “I Am Lost Dub” (Unreleased, 1975, Jamaica)
11  [13'38"]  KRAFTWERK – “Uranium” (Radio-Activity, 1975, Germany)

Side B:
01  [00'00"]  Free DESIGN – “Fugue” (There Is A Song, 1972, USA)
02  [02'00"]  David SNELL – “International Flight” (Unreleased, 1973, England)
03  [03'54"]  Franco BATTIATO – “Cariocinesi” (Fetus, 1972, Italy)
04  [05'45"]  Karl HEINZ SCHAFER – “Kidnapping” (Les Gants Blancs du Diable, 1973, France)
05  [07'04"]  Big STAR – “I’m In Love With a Girl” (Radio City, 1974, USA)
06  [08'48"]  Brigitte FONTAINE & ARESKI – “Les Petites Madones” (L’Incindie, 1974, France)
07  [09'42"]  Barry WHITE – “Stick Up” (Together Brothers, 1974, USA)
08  [11'39"]  Bryan FERRY – “Rivers of Salt” (These Foolish Things, 1973, England)
09  [13'22"]  Brian ENO – “Another Green World” (Another Green World, 1975, England)

[Total Time: 29' 36"]

Rough translation, back cover text:
“It’s a big world–on a small record!  This is the groove the world spins on today, with the melodies that get you singing and beats that can’t be stopped!  Take a trip at thirty-three and a third rotations per minute, the new speed of sound, and get yourself “funkified”  These are the tunes that will bounce through the streets in France, in England, in the United States, in Italy, in Jamaica, even in Yugoslavia.  You’ll get it all with ‘Les Miniatures’!”

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So far, eight of the nine ‘1981‘ mixes from the box set released in 2004-2005 have been “reissued” here at Musicophilia, with over 3,000 downloads between them, hopefully helping many of you hear music that’s new to you.  But there was a whole other element to the box set where the carefully sequenced and themed mixes ended: the ‘Briefcase‘ disc, which was a catch-all grab-bag from the endless corners of what could be called “post-punk” in 1981.  It added another 250 tracks and artists/bands to the box set, and while not a mix in the usual sense (tracks were simply presented alphabetically), there was a lot of great stuff in there, and the ‘Briefcase’ is what makes the box set something closer to an historical record than simply a collection of mixes.  Every weekend, more tracks from the ‘Briefcase‘ are made available for streaming over at Musicophilia Daily; but due to their apparent popularity, I’ve decided to make the tracks available for download here at Musicophilia on a periodic basis.  Here’s the ‘1981 Briefcase, Volume 1‘, with the first 20 tracks; depending on whether anyone downloads this set, another 11 or so volumes will likely follow over the next year.

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Among the highlights from the twenty artists in this collection: 1000 Ohm, Absolute Body Control, and Beranek (also featured in higher quality as part of the “1981 addendum” mix, ‘How To Say 1981 in German‘); early A Flock of Seagulls and ABC; Adam & The Ants; Alternative TV; 49 Americans side-group Avocados; pre-Bangles The Bangs; The Work-related Black Sheep; Blondie; and Cyndi Lauper’s first foray, Blue Angel, amongst others.  Tracks are in low VBR and include original cover art; download link below the “more…” link.  [My thanks to the true geeks who discovered this download last week via my little April Fools trick/self-satire/wishful thinking.]

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A Musicophilia first: sharing an utterly out-of-print album in full!  I’ve scoured the internet, including the encyclopedic Mutant Sounds, and nobody seems to have shared it yet, so I’m happy to make a first-source contribution.  The album is truly one-of-a-kind, and unfortunately almost a total mystery: its nine tracks are untitled, and I can find almost no information beyond what is written in the liner notes of the Russian “import” reissue promo that I picked up at Exiled Records.  So I’ll simply quote the notes here:

‘Let Them See‘ is the long-lost cornerstone of the nearly-forgotten but deeply influential post-post-punk Circuscore scene based in La Digue in the Seychelles from the early 1980s through the fall of the Berlin Wall. The album was produced jointly by Robert Gotobed of Wire and Albert Kuvezin (later of Tuvan thoat singing combo Huun-Huur-Tu), and features guest contributions from bassist Lemmy Kilmister, trombonist Peter Zummo, ex-Shangri-Las Mary Weiss, and string arrangements by future Fraggle Rock music director Don Gillis.

Chalsa Nepal combine their obvious debt to Crass, the bands of Les Disques du Crépuscule, and an abiding love for classic skiffle 78s with the longstanding Seychelles tradition of Circus Music derived from the islands’ French, African, Indian, and Chinese populations’ roots. ‘Let Them See’ (a title taken from a quote by band-hero Henry David Thoreau) is a free-wheeling set of neo-psychedelic disco-dirges and xylophone-led post-Soul proto-dubstep pop confections–albeit with a tendency toward Marxist-Feminist death metal darkness.

Says Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, “The first time I heard it, I hated it; but the second time, my brain turned around backwards in my skull. It changed me forever; I think it changed all of us.”

This is one you have to hear to believe.  Full tracklist and download link below the “more…”

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Chalsa Nepal – ‘Let Them See’ (1983)

01 Untitled [09:43]
02 Untitled [03:25]
03 Untitled [02:17]
04 Untitled [07:27]
05 Untitled [04:15]
06 Untitled [01:28]
07 Untitled [10:56]
08 Untitled [02:33]
09 Untitled (Live) [04:01]

[Total Time: 42:05]

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One element of post-punk that’s generally overlooked in the prevailing narratives (grey overcoats, “art school,” edgy guitars, politics) is that it directly countered the lockstep of punk by vastly expanding, if not exploding, the rhythmic possibilities of “rock” music.  Gone was the polka-like punk stomp, gone was the prog 20-piece-kit pomp; and in their place, a cultural pluralism of percussion, groove, shake, surf, shimmy, disco, jazz, skank, and free-form funk.  You might call it renewed cultural imperialism after 20 years or so of rock-whiteyfying; but perhaps Malcolm Mclaren-touched projects aside (think Bow Wow Wow), the sound to me is one of liberation, not domination; honor, not theft; it’s exploration, not usurpation, in earnest joy.  As evidence, here is the 8th mix from the ‘1981‘ Box Set: ‘Fire‘.  This is perhaps the most generally encapsulating mix of the broader zeitgeist of post-punk (at least as I see it) after the first mix posted six months ago, ‘Feet;’ and both share a prevailing danceability and buoyant pace, making this another good mix to share with your post-punk neophyte friends.

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Loosening up the beats across 24 tracks and 80 minutes are plenty of well-known names: New Order (from their underrated debut, the gloom already beginning to lift); David Byrne going solo and mirroring his contemporaneous work with Brian Eno, along with Talking Heads and beside the Tom Tom Club; The B-52s; INXS (telling you something about just how vibrant 1981 was by being actually quite decent); Wire, in one of their last first-run releases; Prince, already stirring up controversy.  Then there’s queen Banshee Siouxsie in her fantastic polyrhythmic side project Creatures; David Thomas really going all out like a parade, from his first solo album, and sounding about as far from contemporaneous Pere Ubu as you could imagine; The (English) Beat; The Specials with their all-time great and post-Specials Fun Boy Three; Japan with Mick Karn’s singing bass; and A Certain Ratio demonstrating Factory’s shifting modus oparandi.  Rounding it out are Fad Gadget, the Raybeats‘ surf stylings, Loung Lizards‘ snake-skin jazz, The Suburbs, indefatigable Lizzy Mercier-Descloux, Bauhaus, The Raincoats marching to their own drummer (in this case This Heat’s Charles Hayward), and a barn-burner from my favorites, Family Fodder.  And that leaves one more to go–the counterpart to this mix, ‘Ice,’ so keep on the lookout soon.  Full tracklist and download link at the “more…” link.

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1 9 8 1  |  F i r e

01  A Certain Ratio – Waterline  [3:36]
02  New Order – Chosen Time  [4:07]
03  Fad Gadget – Make Room (Edit)  [3:18]
04  Fun Boy Three – The Lunatics  [3:12]
05  David Byrne – The Red House  [3:22]
06  Creatures – But Not Them  [3:20]
07  Raybeats – Calhoun Surf  [1:53]
08  Suburbs – Tired of My Plans  [3:33]
09  David Thomas – Crickets in the Flats  [4:59]
10  Killing Joke – Butcher (Edit)  [3:12]
11  Japan – Talking Drum  [3:33]
12  The B-52′s – Give Me Back My Man (Remix) (Edit) [3:04]
13  Lizzy Mercier-Descloux – Room Mate  [2:44]
14  The Beat – Too Nice To Talk To  [3:08]
15  Lounge Lizards – Do The Wrong Thing  [2:39]
16  INXS – Stay Young  [3:24]
17  Prince – Controversy  [3:28]
18  Talking Heads – Houses in Motion (Edit)  [2:51]
19  Bauhaus – Of Lillies & Remains (Edit)  [2:51]
20  The Specials – Ghost Town (Edit)  [3:47]
21  Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love  [4:02]
22  Wire – Midnight Bahnhof Cafe (Edit)  [2:38]
23  Family Fodder – Emergency  [2:39]
24  Raincoats – Shouting Out Loud  [4:54]

[Total Time: 80:14]

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Before spring wins out, winter gives it one last shot, and the night can seem colder than ever.  And so this album seems to fit, inspired by vast open spaces of a Southern winter night.  ‘A Where Was And Isn’t Anymore‘ is partly the sound of hiding in a cocoon of winter bedding, partly the sound of lonesome sojourn drives away from distant love; this brief album reflects the feeling of a transitional time and place in life.  If you have not heard ‘The Irish Sea‘ and ‘Complicity,’ I’d recommend you start with those more fully-formed works (previews of which have been added to the original posts).  But if you happen to enjoy them, you’ll probably find worth in this one.  Like those others, this is improvised music, created by impulse and instinct in my youth, when a lack of any ability to create music that reflected my tastes didn’t stop me.  I was beginning to listen to more expansive music, but I had no skill to replicate or reflect expanding influences.

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Perhaps that was an advantage, as this music has no direct musical inspiration, but rather bypasses intellectual channels and reflects emotional (in)experience directly.  The music is spare, open, unadorned, with flashes of fire and ice; it was never really intended for an audience, but it might find a home with those who place value in simplicity and emotional honesty.  Improvised on an inexpensive Danelectro guitar and a cheap Korean acoustic over the course of three days in December, 1999, this album contains nine tracks over 25 minutes.  The track “Sleep” is previewed below.  Full tracklist and a download link are found at the “more…” link.

“Sleep” (1999)

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Soundslike  -  ‘A Where Was And Isn’t Anymore’ (1999)

01   “People I’ll Never Know”  (3:18)
02   “I Can Breathe in Winter”  (2:33)
03   “Chasing Lonely Headlights Home”  (3:32)
04   “Interlude”  (1:28)
05   “First Snow”  (1:35)
06   “The Empty Bed”  (4:07)
07   “Frost”  (1:29)
08   “Valentine”  (3:28)
09   “Sleep”  (3:17)

[Total Time: 24:47]

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And now, as they say, for something completely different: Musicophilia’s 2nd guest-mix, graciously crafted and contributed by my old friend Richard, singer and songwriter of Portland, OR’s dream-pop band The Subcons (newer music here).  As you might have guessed from Musicophilia’s usual content, I mostly left behind the current day a long time ago; but as a working musician, Richard has got his ear to the ground, and brings Musicophilia a bit of the new with this mix.  Almost all of it is completely new to me, and my trainspotter ears hear a lot of fun things: plenty of prime Beach Boys, bits of Scotland’s Orange Juice or New Zealand “Pink Frost;” a little Buggles and Telex and Trio; some Tiny Tim, Vashti Bunyan, The Zombies, Marine Girls, and any number of quality cuts from the ‘Rushmore’ soundtrack, Mark Mothersbaugh included; and finally, touches from the last time I was current with current indie-pop, like The Minders, Kings of Convenience and Belle & Sebastian.  But the point is: it’s great sweet pop music, and definitely evocative of the onset of more verdant days.  I’ll turn it over to Rich:

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Strikingly both familiar and new, the onset of spring has always felt so welcome and relieving. I think some of this music may affect the same way. Mozart used the phrase “gleich alles zusammen” to describe how he heard all the parts of a symphony he was writing all at once. So lovely to imagine taking it all in—perhaps this mix can accompany an upcoming outdoor excursion, where new sights and smells abound, helping to catalyze the beginning of spring in your life. Musicophiliacs may find some of this to be familiar territory laden with new ornamental trim. Others may find it wholly refreshing and invigorating. Wherever it takes you, make a point to anticipate a renewal, a tribute.

From the Swedes (Melpo Mene) to the Scots (Camera Obscura) and Welsh (Super Furry Animals), the Euro slant on springy popness can be sublime. Likewise for the Americans: whether east coast (Animal Collective, AC Newman, Grizzly Bear), midwest (Ghosty, Bird Names, Papercuts, Deastro), southern (Dent May, Canon Blue), or west coast (Coconut Records, Mirah, The Long Lost, M Ward), each region holds its own version of spring and its own odes to the beauty and newness of this time of year. All tracks were released within the last few months or will be in the next few.

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Rich has been making his ‘SeasonYEARmixes’ for going on six years, and they can be found here.  For the full tracklist and download link, click the “more…” link below. [UPDATE: tracklist file was errant in all downloads prior to March 24th, the correct tracklist is below; a new download link has been created with a corrected file.]

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Various – Spring2009Mix (By The Subcons) (2009)

01  [00:00]  Animal Collective – “My Girls” (2009)
02  [05:32]  Dent May – “Meet Me In the Garden” (2009)
03  [08:45]  AC Newman – “The Changeling (Get Guilty)” (2009)
04  [12:07]  Coconut Records – “Saint Jerome” (2009)
05  [14:50]  Super Furry Animals – “Inagural” (2009)
06  [19:51]  Ghosty – “Dumbo Wins Again” (2008)
07  [23:24]  Bird Names – “Defined Styles” (2009)
08  [26:32]  Papercuts – “Primitive” (2009)
09  [30:45]  Mirah – “Generosity” (2009)
10  [34:14]  Melpo Mene – “I Adore You” (2008)
11  [38:17]  Camera Obscura – “Swans” (2009)
12  [42:33]  The Long Lost – “The Art of Kissing” (2009)
13  [45:15]  M Ward – “For Beginners” (2009)
14  [48:07]  Grizzly Bear – “Knife” (2009)
15  [51:37]  Canon Blue – “Halcyon” (2008)
16  [56:40]  Deastro – “The Floating Cradle” (2009)

[Total Time: 60:40]

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‘How to Say 1981 in German‘ is a Musicophilia’s first “addendum mix” to the ’1981′ box set (and is based on a mix I put together partially from tracks in the ‘1981 Briefcase‘ in 2005).  It explores the tip of the iceberg of Deutsche Neue Welle and DNW-inflected music, and in terms of quality could well have been the 10th “main disc mix” in the box.  If DNW is new to you, this should serve as a reasonable introduction, despite being limited to just one year: ’81 was as peak for Germanic-speaking synthy, dark, reassuringly non-virtuosic  pop as it was for post-punk at large–though like Italo Disco, DNW seems to have carried on strong longer than non-New Wave/New Romantic post-punk in Britain and the U.S. did.  Within basic parameters described above, this compilation reveals the considerable breadth within the DNW umbrella: songs of tuneful joy; sultry saxed-up rockers; dubby or D.A.F.-lite dance-pop; playful squelchy synth-funk silliness; sentimental romanticism; minimal ambient horror-shows; odes to evil robot CIA/KGB; precient proto-house (if Pole tackled house instead of dub); “dance-punk” that you’d swear came from 2003; and of course a good dash of pre-apocalyptic rumination, as expected from the front-lines of the cold war, but offset by an equal measure neo-kosmiche optimism.

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Few generally recognised names are found here (unless they’re better known in Germany): Neonbabies are sort of the German Bush Tetras; theres Absolute Body Control, Grauzone, Palais Schaumburg, Beranek, Geisterfahrer, Pyrolater (perhaps the best-known name here); Klopferbande, Sudenten Creche, Din a Testbild, Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons, Metro Pakt, Kosmonautentraum, Mythos, 1000 Ohm, Les Vampyrettes (actually Holger Czukay & Conny Plank, but which fits right in); and Deutsche Wertabeit, Matthais Schuster, Van Kaye & Ignit, Starter, Exkurs, and Weltklang.  Not a great deal of this stuff is readily available, though there are a few scattered “best ofs” and the occasional CD reissue of some of them; others are still waiting for their due.  As a couple of these tracks have been shared from the ‘1981 Briefcase‘ at Musicophilia Daily, I’ll stream them below as a preview of the mix.  Full tracklist and download below the “more…” link. [This mix is presented in its original form, as individual tracks, non-mixed.]

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1 9 8 1  |  How To Say 1981 In German

01  Neonbabies – “Profi” [3:51]
02  Absolute Body Control – “Is There an Exit” [4:09]
03  Grauzone – “Ich Lieb Sie” [3:16]
04  Palais Schaumburg – “Gute Luft” [2:38]
05  Beranek – “Crystal Dream” [3:23]
06  Geisterfahrer – “Himmel auf Erden” [1:56]
07  Pyrolator – “Elefantendisco” [3:10]
08  Klopferbande – “Am Hauptfelsen” [4:45]
09  Sudenten Creche – “Are Kisses Out of Fashion?” [3:19]
10  Din a Testbild – “Logischer Gefrierpunkt” [4:11]
11  Kitchen and The Plastic Spoons – “Filmen” [3:35]
12  Metro Pakt – “Neue Straßen” [2:40]
13  Kosmonautentraum – “Kosmonautentraum No. 6″ [1:12]
14  Mythos – “Robot Secret Agents” [3:05]
15  1000 Ohm – “A.G.N.E.S.” [6:22]
16  Les Vampyrettes – “Biomutanten” [4:39]
17  Deutsche Wertarbeit – “Deutscher Wald” [4:01]
18  Matthias Schuster – “Schlaglichter” [2:38]
19  Van Kaye and Ignit – “Opera of Worms” [3:59]
20  Starter – “Part of You” [3:10]
21  Exkurs – “Fakten” [3:55]
22  Weltklang – “Veb Heimat” [2:26]

[Total Time 76:20]

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Things are still getting cooking over at Musicophilia Daily a few weeks in.  Already there have been over 40 tracks shared, numerous links, and even an original review.  There’s another feature I’d like to add– but in order to do so I’ll need your participation.  I’ve already talked with half a dozen of you whom I know to be talented musicians; I suspect, given the sort of stuff we’re listening to here, that there are many more of you.  And I would like to showcase music made by Musicophilia listeners, for other listeners.  I know it wouldn’t be the biggest bit of publicity you’re likely to receive, but it would certainly be reaching discerning and passionate ears.

So if you’d like to be featured, leave a comment with a link to your music (be sure to use a working email address–nobody but me will see it).  I can’t guarantee anything, but if what you’re doing seems like it might appeal to Musicophilia listeners, I’ll get in touch with you.  I’d like to use one or two choice tracks to stream directly in the blog post, along with artwork or a photograph, which I’ll need you to supply; then I’ll write up a snappy blurb, and link to your site(s)/MySpace/Facebook/etc.  I feel like this would really add something to what I’m putting together with these two blogs, so I would really appreciate your participation.  I’m constantly honored to meet the thoughtful, passionate people the music we love brings here, and I’m always thankful you’re listening.

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Ah, the teenage rite of passage known as “the crush mix”.  Those doting collections of indie-pop/indie-folk love songs, usually given too early in a courtship, usually over-thought and overwrought with “meaning,” mostly the sort that says “I wanna be your lover” without daring say it (while inevitably including a track that has the word “love” in it but is actually about hookers or drugs or politics).  In truth, the whole mess was a lot of fun; but as I recall the results usually leave something to be desired musically–at least I’m pretty sure mine did, circa 1996.  So a couple of years ago, I put together a crush mix that honored the holy-cow-I’m-spinning awkwardness and intensity of youthful amore, but that eschewed the indie-centric blueprint for a broadly electronic orientation (while remaining accessible to the theoretical prospective girlfriend/boyfriend whose musical tastes remain mysterious).   So imagine this is a crush mix made by some precocious 17 year old who came up on bleeps and bloops instead of jangly guitars.  ‘Electromance’ is a little rougher than usual Musicophilia standard, as it wasn’t originally intended for a music-geek audience; and it has a little overlap with tracks featured on other mixes.  But I enjoyed it on rediscovery, and hopefully you will, too.  Record it to cassette and give it to your crush, and then sit around all week waiting to hear back, wondering if they’re getting all the careful subtext, and worrying about whether they’ll think the Depeche Mode track is sexy–or just kind of stalkerish.

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Doing your wooing through ‘Electromance’ are: Silver Apples, Giorgio Moroder, Radiohead (a little indie, but a good track nevertheless), The Knife, Prefuse 73, Rachel’s, Herbert, Arthur Russell, Depeche Mode, Outkast, Burial, Prince, Vitalic, Suicide, Kraftwerk, Laurie Anderson, Scritti Politti, Rebecca Gates, Portishead, Brian Eno, and Bjork.  Full tracklist and download after the “more…” link.

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Various – ‘Electromance’ (1969-2006)

01.  Silver Apples  -  “I Have Known Love”  (1969) (3:49)
02.  Giorgio Moroder  -  “From Here to Eternity”  (1977) (4:11)
03.  Radiohead  -  “Worrywort”  (2001) (4:28)
04.  The Knife  -  “Heartbeats”  (2002) (3:51)
05.  Prefuse 73  -  “Why I Love You”  (2003) (2:38)
06.  Rachel’s  -  “Artemisia”  (1999) (2:37)
07.  Herbert  -  “The Audience”  (2001) (5:45)
08.  Arthur Russell  -  “Just a Blip”  (1985) (3:33)
09.  Depeche Mode  -  “I Want You Now”  (1987) (3:00)
10.  Outkast  -  “Love In War”  (2003) (2:56)
11.  Burial  -  “Distant Lights”  (2006) (2:18)
12.  Mos Def  -  “Climb”  (1999) (3:58)
13.  Prince  -  “I Wanna Be Your Lover”  (1979) (3:04)
14.  Vitalic  -  “U and I”  (2005) (2:23)
15.  Suicide  -  “Cheree” (Remix)  (1977) (3:20)
16.  Kraftwerk  -  “Computer Love”  (1981) (3:19)
17.  Laurie Anderson  -  “Walking & Falling”  (1982) (1:53)
18.  Scritti Politti  -  “The Sweetest Girl”  (1982) (4:16)
19.  Rebecca Gates  -  “Lure & Cast”  (2001) (3:16)
20.  Portishead  -  “It Could Be Sweet”  (1994) (4:15)
21.  Brian Eno  -  “By This River”  (1977) (2:30)
22.  Bjork  -  “Undo”  (2001) (5:41)

[Total Time: 77:00]

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Just a quick note to apologise for the lack of new mixes in the last couple of weeks; hopefully the break has provided an opportunity for everyone to look back through the 30-odd mixes that have been posted in Musicophilia’s first five months.  I’ve been busier than I expected; but hopefully it’s some consolation that things have been hopping over at Musicophilia Daily (including a new every-weekend feature of tracks from the ‘1981 Briefcase‘ mp3 disc).  But don’t worry–I’ve still got a lot of mixes in various stages of completion, so things should be picking up again soon.  Next in the queue is a series of new ‘Post Post-Punk‘ mixes, this time tracing out several central musical aspects of post-punk and its divergent permutations through the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.  With any luck, at least the first of these will be up by early the week of March 16.  Since I’m blabbing–I’d also like to let everyone know that I’m always open to possibilities for guest-mixes, blog-swaps, etc., so if you’ve got an idea, let me know in a comment and I’ll write back to you as soon as I can.  Thanks as always for listening!

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For those of you who enjoy the mixes from the ’1981′ set–there’s a whole other side to the box that until now I haven’t had a good way to share.  But with the advent of the Musicophilia Daily blog, I think there’s now an appropriate forum.  So starting today, every weekend I’ll be posting tracks both from the ’1981 Briefcase’ proper, and additional ’81 tracks I’ve discovered since I made the box in 2004.  Of the 250+ tracks originally included on the disc, I’d say fewer than a dozen were included for “context” or in order to “paint a full picture,” stuff I didn’t really enjoy musically (though you might); the vast majority are, in my opinion, high-quality stuff that just didn’t fit for one reason or another on any of the themed mixes.  So this is not barrel scraping–if you like what you’ve heard so far, you’ll hear plenty to love.

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In case you haven’t yet had the chance to check out Musicophilia‘s new sister-blog, Musicophilia Daily, here’s a sampling of what’s been posted there in the first week (really, four days).  It’s not a carefully crafted mix in the usual Musicophilia style; but that’s sort of the point: Musicophlia Daily is a way to share music spontaneously, even more eclectically than in Musicophilia’s mixes, and so this “sampler” is presented in the order in which tracks were posted at Daily.  For more information (and full-length tracks, for those edited/truncated in this sampler, and links to full-album downloads) on any track/artist, click the link for any track in the tracklist below.  The mix is available for download beyond the “more…” link, but in the style of Daily, I’m also including a streaming version.  If you like what you hear, you should consider subscribing to Musicophilia Daily, as I don’t think I’ll do these sort of week-in-review mixes often, and it’s going to be a lot of fun over there.  Thanks for listening!

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Various – Musicophilia Daily Week One Sampler
musicophiliadaily.wordpress.com | March 3-6, 2009

01   [00:00]   La Dusseldorf – “La Dusseldorf” (1976)
02   [04:00]   Wapassou – “Chatiment” (Excerpt) (1974)
03   [09:22]   Our Daughter’s Wedding – “Buildings” (1982)
04   [12:45]   Chrisma – “C-Rock” (1977)
05   [18:05]   The Feed-Back – “Kumalo” (Edit) (1970)
06   [26:10]   Laurie Anderson – “It’s Not the Bullet That Kills You” (1976)
07   [29:53]   Ut – “Safe Burning” (1989)
08   [33:48]   Steinski & Double Dee – “Lesson No. 1 – The Payoff Mix” (1983)
09   [39:08]   Peter Zummo & Arthur Russell – “Song IV” (Excerpt) (1985)
10   [44:52]   Antonio Vivaldi – “Double Concerto, Largo, G Minor” (1780s)
11   [48:05]   Erkin Koray – “Sir” (1974)
12   [50:55]   His Name Is Alive – “One Year” (2001)
13   [54:35]   Cyber People – “Polaris (Club Mix)” (Excerpt) (1984)
14   [58:14]   Gamelan Semar Pegulingan Club – “Gambang” (1972)
15   [61:20]   Arthur Russell – “Our Last Night Together” (1986)

[Total Time: 64:55]

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Hosting and Bandwidth?

Well, unfortunately that didn’t take long. . .  It seems that at least for some people, the audio streams at the brand-new Musicophilia Daily blog are non-funcioning: they simply “buffer” indefinitely.  This may be an issue with the way in which I was attempting to host the files (for free).  If anyone has this issue–please let me know.  So I ask for your help. Does anyone reading/listening to Musicophilia know a stable way to host an additional 5-20MB per day, with probably around 1500+/-MB bandwidth per day?  I can’t really afford to pay for hosting costs, but maybe they’re more reasonable than I realise–so does anyone know an inexpensive way to host files along those numbers?  Or, hope of hopes–is anyone out there a big fan of Musicophilia who has access to some hosting space and bandwidth who would contribute to the cause?  Don’t be shy now, friends–I need your help!

After five months, 30,000 views, and over 6,600 downloads of more than 30 mixes, it’s time for Musicophilia to expand.  My ultimate goal when I started blogging was to help people hear great music, and hopefully get inspired to support the featured artists and independent music shops.  I love mixes, and I think they can have value in and of themselves; but they take a lot of time (for mixers and listeners) and energy, and have their own inherent limitations in terms of variety and spontaneity.   So to further Musicophilia’s goal, I’d like to have the flexibility to move beyond the mix-only format, to share individual tracks, links to recommended posts at other blogs, videos, reviews, out-of-print albums, previews of upcoming mixes, questions, and ideas; all sharing the spirit and sounds of Musicophilia.  However, I would like to do so without cluttering up Musicophilia–which will continue to focus on carefully crafted mixes–or forcing more content on its subscribers than they bargained for.  To that end, I’d like to present Musicophilia Daily.  I encourage you to subscribe in order to automatically receive new updates. Further details after “more…”.   Head over to Musicophilia Daily for further information.  Thanks for listening!

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Following my contribution from last week, ‘Tall Stories of Evil Gris-Gris,’ I’m proud to bring you the second part of Musicophilia’s (first) “blog swap” from my friend and mix-making hero Ettiem of the Gris Gris On Your Doorstep blog: ‘Human Heads‘.  Ettiem has said he mixes “with a mind toward soundtrackiness,” and his mastery of narrative flow (both on mixes and live) certainly inspired me to put extra care into my mixes over the years.  But Ettiem has an ability to create a compelling structure while retaining a rawer, dirtier, thicker energy than my own mixes ever achieve.  So if ‘Tall Stories of Evil Gris-Gris‘ was a scary story whispered at 4am in a swamp shack, ‘Human Heads‘ is a 70′s party-horror-action flick set on the road from the shack to the French Quarter during Mardi-Gras.  Despite beginning with birdsound, things quickly take a turn for the weird, hot and funky, and the beats don’t stop.  So take the ride–and don’t forget to look around at Gris Gris On Your Doorstep, grab some of the choice cuts he’s offering there, and maybe drop him a note asking for more killer mixes!

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Heating up the humid air on ‘Human Heads’ are Cheval Fou, Verne Langdon, the Temptations doing their best freak-out, hot-shit Ultrafunk, The Ventures, Parliament, James Last, Brain Donor, Coloured Balls, proto-Italo heroes Chrisma channeling Neu, Savage Ressurection, Tommy James + The Shondells in an Ettiem remix, and War.  If you love hard funky beats, if you love strings, if you love thick basslines and fuzzed-out psych-Kraut madness, if you love dirty-but-tight mixing: don’t miss this one.  Full download and tracklist after the “more…” link.

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Various Artists – Human Heads

Mixed by Ettiem

01  Cheval Fou – La Fin de la Vie (Country Florist Loops)
02  Verne Langdon – Sound Trip Through the Catacombs
03  Temptations – Psychedelic Shack
04  Ultrafunk – Buffalo Soldier
05  Ventures – He Never Came Back
06  Parliament – Funky Woman
07  James Last – Voodoo Ladys Love
08  Brain Donor – Pagan Dawn
09  Coloured Balls – That’s What Mama Said
10  Chrisma – C-Rock
11  Savage Resurrection – Thing in ‘E’
12  Tommy James + Shondells – Candymaker (Ettiemedit)
13  War – Gypsy Man

[Total Time: 53:00]

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I think I’ve been a non-practicing producer since I got my first pair of headphones: I’ve always been  pulled in by the staging of sound, the dryness or wetness of it, the sense of music pulling or pushing one forward, spinning you around, the mysteriouss relationship between timbre and emotion.   Eventually, I began to hear the world around me as music, too–how different spaces and different noises also created emotions.  I love the way both music and sounds in an environment literally feel in my ears, and the way my body responds even before my mind can.  And so eventually, as my own music was limited by my talent and means, and none of my friends was begging me to produce their records, I started mixing (instead of compiling) “finished” music together, with idea that mixed music–treated as sonic/emotional raw material–could at least temporarily replicate our full sensory intake, including a sense of time, and perhaps even call us to a heightened sensory state.  ‘Adrift‘ was the first mix where I fully embraced this approach, the results of which I’ve decided with unrepentant nerdiness to call the ‘Sensory Replication Series‘.

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At a brief 31 minutes, ‘Adrift‘ is by far the simplest of this series, in technical terms.  Consisting of ten primary tracks only sometimes intermingled (unlike later, more ambitious mixes that involved remixing, dubbing, or weaving six tracks together at once) it relies on the way its component pieces fit harmoniously together.   Looking at the artists in the tracklist, ‘Adrift’ might seem to be a somewhat edgy, cerebral affair; but in fact, this is mysterious, sensual, even sweet music, and I’m not certain whether I’ve since matched the purely intoxication of this mix.  I find this music heartbreaking in the most delicious way.   These mixes tend to be the least popular here at Musicophilia, but I hope that for those who allow themselves to drift in, they offer a listening experience outside the every-day.

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Mostly instrumental, this mix brings you the most unabashedly beautiful, emotional sides of John Cale, Faust, Rachel’s, This Heat, Mnemonists, Harmonia, Neu, Holger Czukay and Brian Eno (here interpolating Pachelbel with what would seem to be a mental excercise but which is almost more affecting than the original, for me).  The timecode provided with the tracklist is very approximate; but I’d suggest you basically ignore it, and try to let the trainspotting tendency to dissipate.  I think you’ll be amazed how quickly 31 minutes passes in this territory.  If you do enjoy this mix, please don’t miss the most recent addition to the series, ‘Tall Stories of Evil Gris-Gris,’ a dirtier, haunted, swampy, funky, twisted and more beat-oriented approach to the Senrory Replication idea.  Full tracklist and download after the “more…” link.

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Various Artists – Adrift (1969-2001)

01   [00:00 - 02:10]   John Cale – “Wall” (1970)
02   [02:00 - 04:30]   Faust – “Das Meer” (1971)
03   [04:20 - 07:35]   Rachel’s – “With more Air Than Words/All Is Calm”(1996)
04   [07:00 - 11:30]   Soundslike – “Violence” (2001)
05   [10:15 - 13:00]   This Heat – “Water” (1979)
06   [11:40 - 15:45]   Mnemonists – “Nailed” (1983)
07   [13:00 - 14:40]   Harmonia – “Trace” (1976)
08   [15:30 - 23:40]   Neu! – “Leb Wohl” (1975)
09   [21:40 - 25:10]   Holger Czukay – “Boat-Woman-Song” (Excerpt) (1969)
10   [24:30 - 31:20]   Brian Eno – “Fullness of Wind” (1975)

[Total Time:  31:20]

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[NOTE: This mix is now available to download from Musicophilia here.]

Musicophilia is happy to announce a first with this mix: a blog-swap of custom-made mixes (and hopefully not the last).  I’ve created this mix, ‘Tall Stories of Evil Gris-Gris,’ specially for my friend and musical role-model Ettiem and his ‘Gris-Gris On Your Doorstep‘ blog–and following shortly, he’ll be presenting Musicophilia with a special mix of his own.  I’ve had a long-standing desire to use the Dr. John track ‘I Walk on Gilded Splinters’ as the cornerstone of a mix.  When Ettiem proposed the blog-swap idea, I took the murky, slightly dark, beat-oriented tendencies of Ettiem’s blog and music and my desire to revisit the heavy-mixing techniques of the ‘Sensory Replication Series‘ but with a focus on songs (music with vocals and lyrics) and realised I had the opportunity I’d been waiting for.  The title of his blog clinched the deal.  Other ‘Sensory Replication’ mixes have been largely instrumental, immersive but hazy soundscapes, abstract scores to imaginary films, often involving upwards of six tracks brewing at any given time.  With ‘Evil Gris-Gris,’ I wanted cracked scary stories, spiritual folk tales, cautionary legends told at a witching hour in a shack on stilts in a swamp (though one that’s incongruously filled with beeping, half-broken technology).  In terms of mix method, I wanted to restrict most of the overlapping to “duets” between a storyteller and a complimentary (or tension-producing) instrumental work of pure sound.  I’m very happy with the results, and hope that people will let the slight madness creep in and rest awhile.

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Contributing the ‘tall stories’ (a phrasing borrowed from the included dubbed-up Leadbelly track) are such modern folklorists as David Sylvian, The Spaceape with Kode 9, David Thomas (of Pere Ubu), Muddy Waters, Low, The Knife, an ancient-sounding Shona folk musician, The For Carnation, Stina Nordenstam, Arto Lindsay, Disco Inferno, Charles Dodge‘s early electronically-created voices, Hector Zazou with Bony Bikaye, Anja Garbarek, Brigitte Fontaine and Areski, and of course, Dr. John.  Making the roux of sound around the stories: David Byrne, Pierre Henry, Scanner, Pole, J Dilla, Ike Yard, Edgar Varese, Shriekback, Charles Ives, Squarepusher, Tangerine Dream, Iannis Xenakis, and Gruppo D’Improvvisazione Nuova Consananza.  Hopefully the end result is a way-in in either direction for those who favor lyric-based songs, or those who obsess over sound itself (and it should be a comfortable, if haunted home for the freaks like me who’re equally obsessed with both).  From a “avenue for creative energy” perspective, this mix (and the other ‘Sensory Replication‘ mixes) is what I most enjoy and put the most time and energy into creating.  So I hope you’ll head over to Gris-Gris at the link below the “more…” and give it a (headphones-on) listen–and while you’re there, do yourself a favor and explore the gumbo Ettiem’s got cooking.

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Various Artists -  ‘Tall Stories of Evil Gris-Gris’ (1915-2007)

01  [00:00 - 03:00]  David Byrne – ‘Ghost” (Knee Plays, 1984)
02  [02:05 - 07:25]  David Sylvian – “The Only Daughter” (Blemish, 2003)
03  [02:30 - 12:25]  Pierre Henry – “Dislocation” (Le Livre Des Morts Égyptien, 1988)
04  [07:10 - 10:20]  Kode 9 & The Spaceape – “Correction” (Memories of the Future, 2006)
05  [10:20 - 19:55]  David Thomas & Two Pale Boys – “River” (Surf’s Up, 2001)
06  [19:00 - 23:10]  Disco Inferno – “Love Stepping Out” (Summer’s Last Sound EP, 1992)
07  [19:50 - 24:00]  Scanner – “Emily” (An Anthology Of Noise & Electronic Music Vol. 2, 2003)
08  [23:20 - 28:30]  Muddy Waters – “My Captain” (Folk Singer, 1964)
09  [24:15 - 28:35]  Bernard Parmegiani – “Kaleidoscope II” (Pour en Finir avec le Pouvoir d’Orphee, 1972)
10  [28:35 - 31:40]  Low – “Balarus” (Drums & Guns, 2007)
11  [28:40 - 31:45]  Pole – “Fohlenfurz” (3, 2000)
12  [31:45 - 33:35]  J Dilla – “Lightworks” (Donuts, 2006)
13  [32:50 - 36:20]  Ike Yard – “NCR” (Ike Yard, 1982)
14  [33:20 - 36:30]  The Knife – “Still Light” (Silent Shout, 2006)
15  [36:00 - 40:35]  Shona Folk Musician – “Nyamaropa yeVana Vava Mushonga” (The Soul of Mbira, 1973)
16  [36:45 - 40:55]  Mnemonists – “Nailed” (Nailed/Tic EP, 1983)
17  [40:55 - 47:00]  The For Carnation – “A Tribute To” (The For Carnation, 2000)
18  [41:00 - 48:35]  Edgar Varèse – “Poeme Electronique” (Music of Edgar Varèse, 1958)
19  [46:40 - 50:10]  Stina Nordenstam – “This Time John” (Dynamite, 1996)
20  [47:15 - 51:20]  Shriekback – “Hapax Legomena” (Lined Up EP, 1983)
21  [49:35 - 53:50]  Charles Ives – “Section A: Earth & The Firmament” (Universe Symphony, 1915)
22  [52:00 - 55:45]  Arto Lindsay – “Unsure” (Prize, 1999)
23  [55:30 - 60:40]  Squarepusher – “Iambic 5 Poetry” (Budakhan Mindphone, 1999)
24  [55:35 - 57:20]  Charles Dodge – “The Days Are Ahead” (Synthesized Voices, 1976)
25  [55:40 - 60:45]  Tangerine Dream – “Birth of Liquid Plejades” (Zeit, 1976)
26  [60:35 - 62:20]  Iannis Xenakis – “Concrete PH” (Electronic Music, 1962)
27  [60:40 - 62:25]  Leadbelly – “Yes, I Was Standing in the Bottom” (Last Sessions, 1948)
28  [60:55 - 68:30]  Gruppo D’Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – “Soup” (Nuova Consonanza, 1975)
29  [62:15 - 66:15]  Zazou, Bikaye & Cy 1 – “Lamuka” (Noir et Blanc, 1983)
30  [66:05 - 69:50]  Anja Garbarek – “Blinking Blocks of Light” (Smiling & Waving, 2001)
31  [69:10 - 71:55]  Brigitte Fontaine & Areski – “La Tête Bandée” (L’Incindie, 1974)
32  [71:45 - 79:20]  Dr. John – “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” (Gris-Gris, 1968)

[Total Time: 79:24]

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