Philip Glass-Solo Piano

I thought I'd pluck minimalist gem from the ole' catalog and I came out with this metamorphic masterpiece. I was introduced to Glass a few years ago before entirely getting into minimalist music, this particular album was my gateway into the deep void of artists like Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, and Terry Riley, all of which have worked with Glass minus Riley. He has a massive body of work, so let this be the first in your ongoing discovery! I'll try to help a little bit on the way....

Highly recommend listening to this in transit, reading, and/or homework (for us studious types)

it's not minimalism, it's "music with repetitive structures"

Ecstatic Music of the Jemma El Fna

"For centuries, the Jemaa El Fna (Rendezvous of the Dead) has remained the stage for one of the most spectacular social forums on the planet. By day, this central square in the city of Marrakesh, one of Morocco's great imperial cities, fosters a kaleidoscope of entertainment for its local inhabitants; storytellers, acrobats, magicians and snake charmers all create intriguing displays of bewitching spectacle. As the sun sets, the evening grows frantic with the pulse of the crowd; it is then that the night musicians set up. Free from the restrictions and expectations of light entertainment for a tourist crowd, these musicians manifest ecstatic performances that animate the audience and players alike. The groups represented on this album; Troupe Majidi, Amal Saha, and Mustapha Mahjoub, are working and carrying the torch of their musical heroes nightly in the square. These songs come from the repertoire of Morocco's greatest musical exports: Nass El Ghiwane, Lemchaheb, Jil Jilala, Larssad and many others from the Chaabi (Moroccan popular music) canon and are given a raw, emotional and fiery interpretation. Instruments are powered by car batteries and blown out through megaphone speakers. These recordings represent a rare opportunity to hear this music at such close proximity taking in all the power and passion of the performances. The raw fidelity captures an unflinching immersion of what is simply some of the greatest street music on earth. Recorded by Hisham Mayet in 2005, a few of these performances were featured in his film Musical Brotherhoods from the Trans-Saharan Highway (Sublime Frequencies DVD SF041). This collection also contains tracks not present in the film for a more potent snapshot of the ecstatic Jemaa El Fna. Limited edition LP comes in a beautiful full color gatefold Jacket with photos of the musicians and liner notes by Hisham Mayet." -SF

Sublime Frequencies have done it again with the all too raw field recordings of Hisham Mayet in Morocco. This music is the purest of the pure, never have I been so awestruck with the energy and intensity beaming from my speakers than when we first spun this LP. Very on par with the Groups (Inerane, Doueh, Bombino) intensity and virtuosity, though it's completely foolish to even try and compare these bands. They are very much their own separate entities from each other, but there fervent intensity speaks to the listeners most human self that has no boundaries or borders.

a glimpse of what is simply some of the greatest street music on earth...

Great interview with filmmaker and field recorder for SF

Sparklehorse-It's a Wonderful Life

Whether it's the biting irony of this album or the whisper thin vocals of Mark Linkous, this album has been more than fitting for the unfortunate realizations/experiences this summer has provided me.

Sorry for the lack of review, they're out there, look.

I'm the king of nails

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum-Live at the Bowery Ballroom 4/18/09

More tunes from my favorite anti-humanist companions, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. With summer comes the vivid smells and sights of the industrialist world in all its splendor that wears on me oh so much, so in some morbid and pseudo-sadistic way I felt like sharing that with you all.

This is a bootleg I came across a few months ago after I saw them in Chicago and needed to hear the live Sleepytime dynamic again and again and again. The fluidity of their live experience is exceptional, in between every song Nils will carry the listener through his delusional murmuring and exclamations that is contagiously hallucinogenic in the most hilarious and horrifying ways, one is never quite sure where the act begins or ends.

Do yourself a favor and see them play!! They are so busy having babies I just don't know when they'll hit the road again.

We must know more, we must know more, we must know more.....

Group Bombino-Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 2

Group Bombino is the latest salvo from the Agadez music scene. Led by the guitar virtuoso Omara Mochtar (Bombino), the group’s debut LP-- Volume two in the Guitars from Agadez series, represents the latest chapter in the modern sound of the Tuareg revolution. As of 2008, the Tuareg rebellion is in full force again, and Bombino is in exile to parts unknown. Agadez has been cut off from the rest of Niger. The only road that connects this legendary city with the rest of the country is littered with land mines and the only escorts are the military. This music and its messages of hope, justice, and desire for validation of the Kel Tamachek way of life ring louder than ever. Group Bombino are gaining mythic status in and around the Tuareg community for their incendiary live performances. Coming from the same scene as Group Inerane and sharing some of the same musicians, Group Bombino showcase both sides of the Tuareg Guitar style. Side one features the “Dry Guitar” sound, an unplugged selection of songs sung among the dunes and stars of the Tenere desert. Side two showcases the electric fury of the full band, a melding of heavy, psychedelic guitar heroics with a raw garage sound, back beat percussion, all swirling in extended trance rock moves. Recorded live and unfiltered in Agadez and the surrounding desert in early 2007, with the band’s equipment powered by generators and an unflinching dedication to the rebellion, Group Bombino’s music transcends any influence and ignites the raw passion of its message to the outside world. -Sublime Frequencies

What more is there to say? This is a must for all avid fans or those interested in Tuareg music.

---The only road that connects this legendary city with the rest of the country is littered with land mines---

Back again

Hello out there,

Just want to apologize for the lack of music posted in the last month, had a malware infestation so I wasn't able to access the ole' satchel. Back on track now though, so I'll try to keep up with your insatiable appetites you filthy little beasts.

Minutemen-Double Nickels on the Dime

“The album was named Double Nickels on the Dime as a reaction to the Sammy Hagar song "I Can't Drive 55," a protest against the federally-imposed speed limit of 55 miles per hour on all U.S. highways. The Minutemen decided that driving fast "wasn't terribly defiant"; Watt later commented that "the big rebellion thing was writing your own fuckin' songs and trying to come up with your own story, your own picture, your own book, whatever. So he can't drive 55, because that was the national speed limit? Okay, we'll drive 55, but we'll make crazy music."

The band illustrated the theme on the cover of Double Nickels on the Dime, which depicts Watt driving his Volkswagen Beetle at exactly 55 miles per hour ("double nickels" in trucker slang) on the dime (as in precisely). "The title means fifty-five miles per hour on the button, like we were Johnny Conservative." Dirk Vandenberg, the band's "buddy/contributor," took photos from the backseat as Watt drove under the sign to San Pedro, the band's home town; it took three circuits of the highway and two days of photography before the Minutemen were happy with the cover. Vandenberg later commented on the cover art: "There were three elements that Mike [Watt] wanted in the photo: a natural kind of glint in his eyes reflected in the rearview mirror, the speedometer pinned exactly at 55mph, and, of course, the San Pedro sign guiding us home". However, when the cover was presented to SST, "someone botched the cropping for the print and cut off the end of the word Pedro."”

Honest music from a very short lived band, crack open a few cold ones and put this on for a spin.

Double Nickels on the Dime