re: mixtape possibilities for year-end special issue coverage
Wed, 31 Oct 2007
Ends up being surprisingly hard to pick the order of preference. But
in terms of the vibe, the degree to which I think I know how to
describe it adequately(at least as I begin writing this), the musical
excellence on first listen (the chances of it grabbing the jaded
webears right off, or at least during first listen, cos I doubt most
things get more than one chance at most, in terms of attention to the
whole playing time), I guess first choice is Robert Wyatt's "Cancion
de Julieta." It's built on, travels on an upright bass riff, which
carefully adjusts itself, then tilts forward, like a rocking horse
that almost gets stuck on a surreal extention of a bent (fifth?) some
blues note or I should say blooooues note, groaning a little,
deliberately distended, before the last note, before the rocking horse
pilgrim tilts back into place. And Wyatt sings the same note, same
phrase, much higher like a little old man with a hole in his head and
the air pushing out and in, which is true of course, like a little old
man in a poem or a play, under the radar o trying to be that way, in
his mask (from Comicopera, and Wyatt explains he means it in the very
old school sense, the other side of tragedy, but useful, a working
piece of uniform), his parody, with the well-timed well-pulled tear in
his blues, giving just enough pause to the listener (and even a
sympathetic listener can stop listening if the music seems too
familiar, like this track never does; I keep listening to hear what
happens next, even though I "basically" or schematically know, but
it's the feeling of the listening experience that matters here, like
it always should). Also, it's not just a mask etc in the defensive
sense, or defensive in the wait for 'em to come at you sense; the
little old rocking horse rider isn't just finding away to keep his
place, he's somehow pushing forward, each repetition of the basic riff
brings some other sounds too, which suggest he's breaking into
something, pushing forward, into wreckage, the hull of a galleon maybe
(kind of an underwater moonlit quality). The bass player is also using
his bow, and overdubbing violins, scrabbling at the push, in the
push.(Wyatt also plays some kind of keyboard, percussion, pocket
trumpet, all in the arc and pull and push of the sway of the note).
"Un mar de sue-eh-eh, no. Un mar de tierra blanca," so not just
aquatic and doesn't just sound aquatic, but like he's entering the
water, rocking back and forth and forward. Sleepwalker? They can do a
lot. Not exactly sure all I'd say about this, but something where
listeners might be led toward making their own connections, if they
want, to any possible deeper waters. It's just the damndest track, is
all, first listen every listen. When you ask for these, you'll mention
the need for the artist to answer a few questions, right? I'm little
insecure about Wyatt doing this, but judging by the amount and variety
and quality of interviews, documentary material etc online, he's
fairly into doing media, or anyway he does it.
Sort of with the same effect is Ultra Living's version of Ornette
Coleman's "Skies of America." Composed for symphony orchestra, here
it's transcribed in 6/8 for three-part harmonies of guitars, then
saxes; bass and drums come to lead the way, eventually, maybe always.
Nothing like any Prime Time track I've heard, although to play
Ornette's themes you have to use his pitches, so to that extent sounds
like him, but the guitars are fuller, more detailed in texture than
Prime Time, and more single-minded than Blood Ulmer's playing with
Ornette, but they do have some of Blood's rattling, once they stick
it in. The saxes have a hard-won fatalism that gets dirgey at one
point, but keeps building poise without letting go of any blues, or
going bravura on us (well not too much). Not just about paying those
dues and maintaining your gnarly cool though, because the bass and
drums, like the opening guitars, are gouging steps in the side of
something, a ravine, judging by the size and shape of echo.
Engagement, and roughness and enlightenment and skills chopping
roughness, finding its own way forward, like Wyatt. (This is an
Anthology Recordings reissue.)(Not one of their ancient reissues;
it's from 2000, and Ultra Living are still alive and making albums, so
I guess they might be interview-friendly.)
Also, my third choice, Zigmat's "Turn Out," finds its own way
forward, maybe toward the edge of another ravine. Female vocalist and
new wave combo, but they seem to have learned what Blondie once knew
from 70s crossroad of arena (call it metal emphasis, more than
rhetoric) punk, disco and pre-disco girl drama—not "diva," she sounds
plainer than that, not "girl group," not much overdubbed harmonies,
she's alone. She's blurting out her story, and I find it hard to keep
up, but got some sense of it the first time that keeps me going with
her, trying to put together something that's way too clear to her:
starts out muttering about "couture," a chance to work, "a glimpse, a
spark," she sounds avaricious for, "Another chance to start, another
mistake," but at least another, not just one more of the same. But the
work she's got "cut cut cut cut turn it out, you know I wish I was
cured, I wish I was cured!(Turn on turn on turn out) You make me feel
assured. (Turn on turn on turn out.)" Sounds like she's reading
directions aloud on the paren parts, in contrast to louder, earnest,
desperate phrases.implied play on "asheared," as in "cut,"
asssheared," she's a sheep for a pimp who's assuring her and turning
her out like she turns out the couture? Is she whoring for the
clothes? But she also is distressed that his parents and sibs are
alarmed by her, and she speaks at times like he's her meat, or her
salvation, or both, another drug.The accent figures in too (class, and
musical associations, with Miami Freestyle as well as the above, so
enough diva for that, skills-wise) Sort of A Place In The Sun, and
she's Latina Montgomery Clift? (To some preppy pimp who's also running
the family garment business? ) She seems way more trouble than that,
because maybe dangerous only to herself, or maybe not. That kind of
urgency (and artfulness, like the way the calmest part shifts into the
frantic part, and it's the same words, same musical phrases, but
she's suddenly further into the feeling of the knowledge or what she
thinks) is more the point than any "mystery" I may be needlessy
uilding up, except like I said, she's hard to keep up with when you're
in the same room, same headphones.
I guess if you picked Zigmat(or Ultra Living) over Wyatt, that'd be okay,
though he's seems like the mostmusically compelling right off, as I said,
but it's fairly close, and
what ever seems to you like what might turn out the best writing-wise,
or a balance of that and the music; Zigmat is clunky compared to the
other two, but seems like more than just going through the
behind-the-trend motions, though if wanna say it's high-subgeneric,
yeah (but I never cared this much about the recent new wave revival;
it didn't make me care).
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