10 May 2007

Too gloomy, very daring


So I finally listened carefully to Charbel's idols. Well, i must admit that i am not so thrilled. Sonic Youth, whom i've got a fantastic track on my Sub Rosa anthology, Audience, only managed to set my head in a gloomy mood, which i quite hate these days!


Maybe because i am too obsessed with my beloved The Pixies, maybe because it was the wrong album to begin with, i don't know. What i know is i will definitely attend their concert at la Villette...


So, at the end of the day, it seems i quite like Sonic Youth! What's the hurry?

Bye

5 May 2007

Anger Music

Oh yeah, i am angry with myself these days!
So i am listining to the right stuff: Albert Ayler "Le Fracassé" (thank you my Love for this wonderful word!!!): violin for the hysterical complexity banging in my skull, tenor saxophone to itch the crazy parts of my pathetic masochism and a good spoon of percussions. This guy is crazy and i love him! This is the album i am listening to.

The Pixies are quite alright for the situation too!!! Especially a track like Planet of Sound... I picked up their excellent compilation, from 1987 to 1991. Because the only thing i knew from them was Where is my mind? and i think i just needed their unrated energy!

Later!

17 April 2007

Hello Alvin!


Before leaving for the week-end to Bloomsburry, i had a wonderful surprise: a great jazz gig at Unesco Fontenoy Room (my, what a name!). Alvin Ailey, in a supershape, gave almost one and a half hour of brilliant jazz, with friends Jesse Davis on the alto saxophone, Dado Moroni on piano and monsieur Pierre Boussaguet on bass.


Of all pieces, i immensely enjoyed Estate, a sugary bossa, Ricorda Me and, my cherry on the cake, the excellent This There from the incredible Cannonball Alderley.

I love it so much when a drummer with the talent of Queen gives me goosebumps and almost makes me dance on the table (it took place in a conference room, remember?). Drum liberates me. This rythmic sweet violence always reminds me how much music is essential to my life...


Later

1 April 2007

I love Matmos


i can't wait to be here and i am getting ready to spend a week-end in London, so i forgot about my blog. Before leaving for a two weeks holiday and being busy busy, i took Matmos's latest album from the library. I discovered their work when they collaborated with my friend Björk. In 2004, i bought their first album which i don't regret at all.

The rose has teeth in the mouth of a beast, their latest album, is a beautiful project about different people's musical biographies: Patricia Highsmith, William Burroughs and Ludwig II of Bavaria are the only ones out of the ten tracks whom i know the names of. But is it really important?

Later...

17 March 2007

Punk or not Funk?

For many many years - in fact, since i've been listening to Music -, i used to say Punk music and recent French music -oh, and Celtic music, too!, weren't my cup of tea at all.

Recently though, i took this compilation from my beloved library. I chose it because the first track of the first cd was from Pere Ubu, that i adore, especially since the "Stolen Cadillac" track of his last album.

Surprise! I very much enjoyed listening to Cabaret Voltaire, Coil, Television Personalities, the beautiful Pixies and Crass. The sound is so nude, the lyrics are so funny and so scary, it's awesome !!! I am thinking of the extraordinary Crass's "Reality Asylum", it's like a punch in my ears!

Like the French say, Y'a que les imbéciles qui ne changent pas d'avis...

And strangely enough, i was pretty disappointed by this double live album... Nevermind, i know that sooner or later, i will give the old George and his mates another chance...

Later

14 March 2007

Death Contest: Labels vs Music... but here comes a Savior!




I bumped into this very good news. This site is trying to federate all the artists who refuse to become the slaves of multinational labels. The subtitle (originally in french) explains that this is "the first ethical and participative music label"...
Sometimes and when it's usefully directed, the Web is just a beautiful way to contribute to the freshness of Music. The label has also its blog (in french). See ya

10 March 2007

90's hot chocolate voice

Thanks to a dear friend of mine (Yas, i miss you so!) who inherited a magnificent collection of 800-CDs , i discovered the magnetic voice of Arthur Russell, who died of aids in the 90ies. He was only 41.

i can't stop listening to "You and me both"... This guy was obviousely a talented cellist and a disco artist: the blend is delicious and his voice is as sweet as hot chocolate with a very special late 80's flavor, that you immediately recognize... and love. Later!

6 March 2007

Golden african pop music

Once again, the library around the corner made me and many others happy! Right after my discovery of London is the place for me, I was really thirsty for African music. More the modern than the traditional one. And that's how i was immediately attracted to Golden Afrique vol.2 and its appealing subtitle: "Highlights and rarities (gimme more rarities, please!) from the golden era of african pop music (1956-1982); the great days of rumba congolaise and early soukous".

It is absolutely impossible to resist to "Coopération" track by Franco&Sam Mangwana from Congo: you can't help yourself, you dance, as the two artists encourage you to do so: "On danse!!" You'll find also there the early Manu Dibango and you will give a big big up to wonderful Tabu Ley Rochereau, another Congolese!

Keep on dancing!
Bye for now

28 February 2007

Is it because i am Black (in 1969)?

I fell in love with the voice of this guy. All the pain of the world, of the oppressed human condition, lies in those notes. And, as usual with gifted blues artists, your heart is aching ( right now, i am thinking of The sky is crying, performed by the late Stevie Ray Vaughan) when you hear someone asking "Is it because i am Black?" (that so many died in New Orleans, for example?).

Little by little, i am getting in touch again with the music i used to love. And the blues was, is actually, my first true passion. When i was 17, i plucked up the courage to go to the Oldies but Goodies shop, and ask, with a voice my adviser could hardly hear: "I'd like an only-piano blues cd". And the guy gave me the Memphis Slim and Roosevelt Sykes magnificent conversation (i am not at home, i can't remember its name right now).

This is the only disc that has been saved from the curious decision that i took one day: to sell ALL my blues and gospel collection to a friend, who is the owner of a music shop. "dialag, are you really really sure you want to sell all this?" "Yeah, i need some fresh air". I sold the whole package (maybe 100 cd's) and today the sky is crying.... A+

21 February 2007

An interview with Scott Matthew


All my gratitude goes to Scott Matthew, who agreed to answer my questions via email without knowing anything about me, except my blog. With this first short interview, I am back to journalism. Hopefully, lots more will come soon…


When I asked Scott Matthew how he got in touch with the Shortbus crew, this is what he answered: “I met the lovely John [Cameron Mitchell, director of Shortbus] at a party in Williamsburg. We got chatting about Tarnation and how I love Low. I gave him a demo and he liked it. The rest is history”. For me, history is one of those movies where you realise that sex, whenever you want it, deny it, or not, is the most beautiful energy of the entire universe.


Ever since I saw Shortbus, I have been listening almost non-stop to his four songs on the soundtrack. I know how I feel about Scott Matthew’s music and i wondered how he would describe it: “I tend to write fairly straight forward ballads mostly about love, love lost, heartbreak, you know, the usual. Oh, I do have a new song about the horrors of big business exploiting children.”


And because I am completely obsessed with New York these days, I asked him if he finds his inspiration away from it: “Fuck yes... If someone would just give me some cash so I could get the fuck out of here. I really want to get to Europe, this year fingers crossed.” People of Europe, you’ve been warned…

His present dreams? “To finish my album and stop smoking”.


And just for the ride, these are his favourites of the moment: “Antony [and the Johnsons], I adore. Olivia Newton-John, Chet Baker.”

Later

19 February 2007

1989: Bust A Move!

Oh, my God, what a beautiful shock i had yesterday, around midnight. I heard Bust A Move for the first time since... waouw, high school!!! I bought the tape at the time... I hardly knew that the buttieshaker i was listening to was rap and of course I didn't understand a single word - on est Français ou pas????
Many years later, i was quite sad to discover my tape box empty. Then years went by, until this beautiful Sunday night that reconnected me with my tomboy years. I just bought Stone Cold Rhymin' again on Internet. Akhkhkh... Highschool! Later

14 February 2007

Yummy... look at this little treasure!

As i was browsing the Web, I found this incredible Chicago label: tremendous web design, passionate posts and comments, truthful musical mission... A big big up for Numero Group!!! Later

5 February 2007

Thomas Adès...

I don't really know what to write about Thomas Adès, who is the guest composer of the latest Présences festival. I listened to some of his works, but the first one was far too gloomy for my mouse heart. I almost enjoyed the rest of the recording though.

So I will definitely give him (and me) another chance on stage. Live music is a totally different experience... Later

2 February 2007

Le trendy, c'est (parfois) funky!

J'adore ce type, surtout son Say What qui claque et qui réveille les os de Jamie Brownie qui nous a laissé tomber... A+

Ah, les îles...

Je ne me lasse pas de ce disque. Quelle vie dans ces percussions, on entend la mer, la joie de la mer, du soleil, des vagues, du vent, des dieux et des enfants qui sont, paraît-il, des presque dieux à Tahiti... A+

26 January 2007

Radio-France: que du beau monde!


Retour des Portes ouvertes, pour les deux sessions cette fois. Je tenais à rattraper Berio, Mantovani évidemment (Bruno, et pas Annunzio Paulo, 1905-1980, chef d'orchestre et amateur d'easy listening) et, tant qu'à faire, Bartok.

Et puis après le choc avec Marco Stroppa et son Concerto pour piano et orchestre emmené par un méticuleux et beau Pierre-Laurent Aimard... Très grand; et le compositeur est monté sur scène, applaudi trois fois pour cette création française [Mantovani était là aussi, c'est toujours bien sympathique de voir ceux qui ont créé tout ça].

Un beau début de nuit, tiré à toute vitesse par tout ce qu'un orchestre Philharmonique peut compter de percus.... A+

PS: En écrivant ce post, j'écoute Passing Ships de Hill... Quand je pense que je l'ai interviewé dans une vie antérieure: il déteste parler, la célébrité, ça ne l'intéresse pas, mais pas du tout. J'ai revérifié ça l'année dernière au New Morning: fin du concert, merci au revoir... Ecoutez-le!

25 January 2007

Cheval au galop

J'ai une passion ancienne et toujours pas assouvie pour la Mongolie, depuis Urga. Alors pour tromper le temps, j'écoute leur musique, qui ressemble à leurs beaux petits chevaux lancés au galop dans une steppe sans fin... Magnifique, je m'y croirais presque! A+

16 January 2007

Does anyone know Andrew Hill?

Jazz, suite: ça faisait longtemps que je voulais écrire un post sur un homme que j'ai découvert dans un club de jazz de Beyrouth: Andrew Hill. J'aime tellement Point of Departure qu'à chaque écoute, je n'en reviens pas. Dusk est insensé aussi... A+

15 January 2007

Coltrane, deux fois mort

J'hallucine... PERSONNE dans la presse de ce matin - je sais que Le Monde va se rattraper cet aprèm - n'a évoqué la mort d'Alice Coltrane. J'ai appris cette bad news hier, au flash de Fip, qui s'est contenté de dire qu'elle avait fait vivre l'héritage de son mari. A+

16/01: C'est vrai que je n'avais pas été formellement transcendée par le concert qu'elle avait donné à la Cité de la musique en août 2005 ou 6...

9 January 2007

Quel bol! Encore un webzine topissime

Voilà, comme je m'emmerde à mourir sur les Champs-Elysées, j'ai eu la chance de tomber sur ça. Phil Zampino, merci, merci, merci. A+