Conspicuous Absence

Hi again. Let's begin, shall we?

Thank you to those of you who have continued to check in, however periodically, for new posts. Even though this is something I do to satisfy my own eccentricities and musical leanings, it's incredibly fulfilling to know that others might benefit, however slightly, from what is posted here. I appreciate your understanding and patience over the past couple months, and I hope you haven't given up on me. Thank you thank you. And now for something completely different:

Stream of consciousness is a form of expression for nonsense. It is a cathartic and reckless endeavor, but I would like to believe--or rather I have convinced myself through a calculated self-deception--that such streamed consciousness is necessary for a healthy heart and mind. An unrestrained flow of thoughts and words has something of an esoteric beauty, particularly when these thoughts and words gain a visible tangibility on the paper or on the screen. And I am quite convinced that whatever it's practical and sensible applications, the eraser and delete key have done wondrous damage to honesty in writing. When done well this unfettered scrawling is capable of producing beautifully esoteric art, of expanding and defining boundaries, and of offering perspective on convention. When, in the exceptional case, this written consciousness is navigable by those outside the author, we are able to discover meaning in the labyrinth alongside the author. When done poorly, however, such streamed consciousness retains its cathartic principles for the author but loses meaning and, often, beauty for the reader. It becomes instead arduous and grotesque, admirable perhaps only for its scope and breadth. And so it is that I re-enter the blogosphere full stream of consciousness ahead.


I'll let you in on a little secret: I didn't stop listening to music on May 27th--no, no. I continued to consume all things auditory, and I continued to scour the world of online music journalism for new bands and new sounds. I just didn't write about any of them. I was lazy, alright? I'm sorry! In addition to looking for new acts, I also took a trip down memory lane and revisited the more cobwebbed sections of my record collection in search of dusty gems needing a good spin-me-round. I've emerged, after nearly two and a half months of blog hibernation, with a daunting number of websites, third-party recommendations, and albums both new and old for your perusal. What better way to cop-out of my overwhelming sense of responsibility to write in-depth paragraphs about some of these discoveries than to provide you with, you guessed it, a list of these items with--ahem--"concise descriptive elements?" So without further adieu, I graciously present to you my humble list of discoveries and obsessions. I have done my best to break these lists into logical categories for your convenience.

Lists That Aren't My Lists:


1. A Glass Half Full: The Best Albums of 2010 So Far

This 30-album list from The Quietus--an excellent British music/film site--provides a unique look at bands and sounds that often go unnoticed in the American circuit. You'll recognize some of my subsequent recommendations have been taken from (or parallel) this list. I've yet to listen to all 30 albums, but I certainly made sure to get the top ten. Check this out if you're looking for a helpful, uniquely British take on what's enjoyable this year.

2. Supreme 13: Morrissey Reveals His Favourite LPs Of All Time

The Smiths didn't appear on my radar until two years ago when I purchased an original vinyl copy of The Queen Is Dead. I had the unfortunate habit of purchasing records that were considered classics or had achieved cult status in the world of independent music without listening to them ahead of time. In the case of The Smiths, this paid off in a large way. Say what you will about Morrissey's vocal limitations, but he--and the rest of the band--crafted literate, thoughtful pop music that influenced countless bands in the years to come. This is a list Morrissey delivered to The Quietus of of his favorite 13 LPs of all time. One would have to imagine that these albums also had a substantial influence on his music. I came across a handful of albums I had yet to listen to, and was particularly impressed by Sparks' album, Kimono My House.

3. Tiny Mix Tapes Favorite Albums '00-'09

The introduction to Tiny Mix Tapes' decade's best list is an expulsion of their driving ethos--using music/film as a lens through which to interpret larger cultural and political phenomena. As a culturally aware, esoteric, webzine with a penchant for the subversive, this list reflects what, in my opinion, is most important in a list: honesty. You can read the intro for yourself, but I found the following worth reproducing here: "More than anything, decade lists affirm not necessarily the 'best' albums, but which albums define that publication's cultural and aesthetic values at that moment...if we had compiled a list of this scope just three years ago, the result would reflect a very different set of tastes and values" (www.tinymixtapes.com).

A List (Fine, Two) Webzines For Those Craving The Avant-Garde

1. Tiny Mix Tapes

Tiny Mix Tapes is a breath of fresh air in an ocean of cultural sites drowning us in their own self-ascribed profundity. With playfully titled sections like the Back To The Future referencing "Delorean" (dedicated to albums that were before TMT's time), "Eureka!" (dedicated to albums that are particularly experimental or original), and "Shrimp Scampi" (dedicated, as far as I can tell, to web-comics), Tiny Mix Tapes exudes satire and, at times, a much needed virtual flippancy in what can be a largely high-brow, frustrating search for artistic commentary on the music and film we consume. But perhaps the most rust-proof, ever-novel feature of Tiny Mix Tapes is, um, the Mix Tape Generator. Yep, it's not just a clever name. The good folks at TMT accept submissions of proposed themes or titles for mix tapes. They then choose the themes or titles that strike their fancy (i.e. "I'm just going to sit and obsess over you since I have zero balls to ask you out") and create and post tracks to a mix tape that interprets that theme or title in a way they see fit. Genius. Please give this site a good read through, particularly if you're looking to escape what is quickly becoming the mundane in online music reviewing.

2. Altered Zones

Altered Zones is a united "blog collective," sister-site of Pitchfork. Dedicated to "leftfield pop, experimental, and home recorded sounds," Altered Zones is an attempt by Pitchfork to unearth some of the most esoteric DIY music. The site launched on July 7th of this year, so I have yet to come to any realistic conclusions with regard to its modus operandi. If anything, a move by a site with such a massive (bah, bleet) following as Pitchfork reflects what, at this point, should be assumed as a cultural imperative: there are those that will always shuck the husk of populism in favor of the DIY fringe. There are two things I find particularly appealing about this site: 1. There is a webplayer that allows you to listen to all the reviewed music uninterrupted, 2. The site provides you with links to other blogs and webzines that also tend to lean towards the experimental (The Quietus is listed, but Tiny Mix Tapes is conspicuously absent).

A List Of Albums I've Enjoyed In The Past Two Months

And finally, in what is surely an unremarkable return from summer laziness, I give you a list of albums I've enjoyed during my absence, many of which are older albums I rediscovered while going through my vinyl collection. I'm hoping to fill in some gaps by providing a few sentences on each album, but it will have to wait until I have more time. I hope this post finds you well, wherever you may be.

1. UFOmammut, "Eve"

2. Sun Kil Moon, "Admiral Fell Promises"

3. Loudon Wainwright, Album III"

4. Gayngs, "Relayted"

5. Dolphins Into The Future, The Music of Belief"

6. Lindstrom & Christobelle, "Real Life Is No Cool"

7. The Cure, "Disintigration" (reissue on vinyl)

8. Sly & The Family Stone, "Stand"

9. The Strawbs, "Bursting At The Seams"

10. The Books, "The Way Out"

11. Arcade Fire, "The Suburbs"

12. T-Rex, "Electric Warrior"

13. Empire Of The Sun, "Walking On A Dream"

14. Madeleine Peyroux, "Careless Love"

15. The Pixies, "Surfer Rosa"

16. Sparks, "Kimono My House"

17. Gang of Four, "Entertainment!"

18. Brian Eno & Harold Budd, "The Pearl"