Today you’re probably all spaced out from yesterday’s trip up to the higher levels of weird. Don’t worry; I haven’t lessened the cataclysmic storms of the bizarre today. Bring food, snacks, whatever you need. Get a book, do some reading, expand your mind. Avoid the television, or, if you must watch, put it on cartoons and turn the sound off. Then make up the dialogue according to the sound. I’ve done this before; it is a very funny experience, especially the more hyperactive the cartoon is. I’d say Anime would be your best bet, but that’s just merely a suggestion.
Without further ado, I present day two of your journey.
Day Two
1. Gastr Del Sol – Our Exquisite Replica of “Eternity”
Jim O’Rourke gets a lot of shit, mostly by me. This song explains my reasoning behind it. It shows that before he went down a lazy, predictable path, he had the ability and inclination to follow his muse wherever it led him. Here you get a real feel for the build up, which leads into the progressive rock epic following.
2. Van Der Graaf Generator – A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers
Rusty Venture definitely let his kids listen to this, in order to find their creative muse via 70s progressive rock. He couldn’t do much worse than this; this is sort of the crowning achievement of so much nerdy dorks with far too much musical training.
3. Fuck Buttons – Olympians
FUCK BUTTONS! This takes its size and inflates it dramatically with noise, melody, and tribal drums. Does it work? Oh, it works so very well.
4. Television – Marquee Moon
After the past few intense songs, I figured we might need to slow it down a bit. Notice for this particular playlist there’s a few visitors from the 70s. This is just one of many common threads.
5. Tortoise – DJED
Single-handedly remixing any and almost all worthwhile genres of rock and rock-related genres into a massive mix, this does justice to their vision of a “jazz band playing rock music”. If you’re not so keen on the more “difficult” tendencies of this list, I’d suggest going with this one first. Like the New York Times stated, this is “the easy listening end of the avant-garde”. Maybe I’ll make an easy listening, or abridged version of these three lists. We’ll see.
6. Philip Glass – The Grid
Continuing the non-offensive music comes Philip Glass. Basically, the complaint many have is that he steals from his previous works, like “Music in Twelve Parts” among other things. But this definitely gives a great example of what sort of music he’s capable of when he’s hot.
7. Janek Schaefer – The Ruined City
Veering a bit towards the more the experimental, we have what is essentially a remix of depressing classical pieces. Rather than allow his technical performances overwhelm the samples, he works more around the territory than stupidly smashing through it. That sort of stuff happens later in the mix, with far more useless music.
8. British Sea Power – Lately
An epic jam bringing to mind the best and happiest of Grateful Dead, had they existed until the late 90s intact. Towards the end, watch the volume, it gets very loud.
9. Oneida – Sheets of Easter
You’ve to look into the LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT. Uh, I found the perfect repeating loud stupid music. And it is this. There’s no evolution, it is the same thing throughout the entire length. You’re welcome.
10. The Residents – Part Two: the Making of a soul
Birthed from Elvis’s vagina in the 1840s, following the annexation of the Northwest Territories, they roamed the countryside planting apple trees while fighting the Confederacy.
This is all irrelevant however. Really they are theatrical people who created such another-worldly Dadaist play that it must be heard to be believed. I’d recommend the whole album of “Not Available” but this is probably the best bit.
11. Of Montreal – No Conclusion
If you missed what Of Montreal was before Skeletal Lamping, try this, the EP right before that said album came out. Without any idea that they are, I’ll let you know they conjure the images of the glam of David Bowie during his glammiest phase.
12. Terre Thaemlitz – Elevatorium
Neurosis of living in an urban area is reflected oh so well. There are some beautiful things at work, and it is a bit of a shame that in later releases Terre focused more on theory than actual musical content. Here he lets the music speak for itself, without any little theory ruining your blissful dreams.
13. Amp – Perception Returns
Amp nicely compliments Terre’s music. Now we move into the countryside for a form of “rural psychedelic a” that Flying Saucer specialized in. Only in this case, we don’t have to put up with their crumby vocals.
14. Joanna Newsom – Only Skin
Homes infected with Hipsters usually put this on to get rid of them. She’s pretty damn important, and if you were wondering what renaissance fair music would sound like taken to the highest level possible, this would be it. Perhaps if this played at renaissance fairs, I might actually go to them.
15. Nobukazu Takemura – Icefall
Every time I’ve put this on for people, they called it “emotionless computer music”. I disagree; this song puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day every time I hear it. Each little glitch sounds like a computer in the wild passionate throbs of love. Adore it.
16. Sigur Ros – Vidrar vel til loftarasa
This comes closest to anything normal you’ve heard for about the past hour. Odd that the bizarre Icelandic group has to “mainstream” things on here, but that’s what we’re looking at. Indeed, it is truly lovely stuff, rightly influenced by slowcore (one of my favorite genres) and post-rock.
17. Tim Hecker – Incurably Optimistic
Ambient noises come together to from a happy melodic drone.
18. Do Make Say Think – Fredericia
I’ve been fortunate enough to see these guys live, they are excellent. Many people would compare them to a watered down Godspeed, but I don’t think so. They have the same citizenship as Godspeed, but they focus more on the tender side of things than the epic scale Godspeed employs.
19. Jandek – Not Even Water
A depressed Texan comes up on side and starts singing ultra-depressing stuff. Nobody in the audience knows who he is, and then he really rips into the material. By the second song, most have guessed that he is Jandek. But this first song no one knew a thing.
20. Rodan – The Everyday World of Bodies
Beginning the intense paranoia, Rodan kicks off their longest, most enraged song. Forming from the ashes of Slint, they had the pedigree, and, had they stayed together, probably could have gotten a serious following. But like so many bands in Louisville, they cut it short for reasons we’ll never know.
21. Butthole Surfers – Jimi
I am death. – Gibby Haynes. Uh, none of this song makes any sense and the guitar solo sounds like Jimi Hendrix is getting severely tortured while playing his heart out in a sewer system somewhere.
22. Royal Trux – (Edge of the) Ape Oven
The strongest track off “Twin Infinitives” they make sure the hits are directly scored. Both of them sing utter nonsense about things that may exist in their minds/reality. It is hard to tell, as their ravings and intelligent remarks sort of melt into one screed.
23. Autechre – Second Peng
Yeah, you can’t avoid Autechre for long, uncomfortably paranoid pieces. This is from their “pre-digital” era, so the sound will appeal to those who found 90s electronic better than that 00s glitch stuff. Plus, there’s a ton of empty space to get lost in.
24. Kid606 – Never Underestimate the Value of a Holla
KID606 goes insane, starts destroying all pop from 2002. Perhaps besides adoring loud, aggressive punk, he’s a secret closet fan of trashy pop hits.
25. New Order – Perfect Kiss
You should know this.
26. The Juan MacLean – Happy House
Following so close after New Order, this shows that the goofy spirit did not die, but lived on. Though it sounds so simple, the amount of detail put into it is pretty impressive, as is the multiple parts.
27. Boards of Canada – Happy Cycling
Boards of Canada are pretty much dormant right now. But when they’re hot, they’re hot. This one is from their first “official” album, and it is a real wonder. It ended the album, like it ends my mix for today.
