Seven-year-old wisdom

"I know how to play James Bond.

...

Jump off things."

For The Record

I have, in fact, continued putting together hypothetical mixtapes, but somehow got bogged down with them to the extent that I couldn't bear listening to them again in order to write about them in any meaningful (or otherwise) way.

And so I list them, without comment, for anyone who's interested. As usual, all material could have been downloaded from the usual places.

January 2007 mixtape:

The Peanut, "Roman Rain"
DSK, "Winter Lane"
Barbara Morgenstern, "The Operator (Piano Version)"
El Perro Del Mar, "I Can't Talk About It"
Marit Larsen, "The Sinking Game"
Charlotte Hatherley, "Behave"
The Yardbirds, "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago"
The Everly Brothers, "Lord of the Manor"
The Hudson Brothers, "With Somebody Else"
Robert Wyatt, "I'm A Believer"
Galt MacDermot, "Ripped Open by Metal Explosions"
Felix, "Tiger Stripes"
Prinzhorn Dance School, "You Are the Space Invader"
Escort, "Starlight (vocal)"
Sinoia Caves, "Naro Way"
Electrique, "La Presse People"
Professor Genius, "A Jean Giraud 4"
Sachiko Kenonobu, "Look Up, The Sky Is Beautiful"
Skyhooks, "Love's Not Good Enough"

March 2007 mixtape:

Love, "Seven & Seven Is"
The Seeds, "Nobody Spoil My Fun"
Minimum Chips, "Know You Too Well"
Other People's Children, "On A Clear Day"
Drop Nineteens, "Kick The Tragedy"
The Houston Outlaws, "Soul Power"
Airliner, "Nostalgia"
McNeal & Niles, "Quiet Isle"
Queen v Sly & The Family Stone, "We Will Rock You"
Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt, "Flies (The Plague of Flies)"
Perrey & Kingsley, "Toy Balloons"
Future World Orchestra, "Just A Matter of Time"
Reverso 68, "Tokyo Disco (Part One)"
Mark-Almond, "City"
Jacques Dutronc, "Hippie, Hippie, Hourrah"
The Guess Who, "Undun"
Stereo Total, "Get Down Tonight" [a must: KC & The Sunshine Band rendered in the style of the Velvet Underground]
Graham Bond Organisation, "Wade In The Water"

May 2007 mixtape:

Backini, "Company B-Boy"
The Primitives, "Crash"
Silicon Teens, "Memphis, Tennessee"
James Brown, "Call Me Superbad (Cornelius Rework)"
Eddie Maelov and Sunshine Patterson, "Lines"
Sen Kumpa, "Niawal"
Miami Horror, "Don't Be On With Her"
Dave Pike Set, "Mathar"
The Professionals, "Theme from The Godfather"
Annabee-Nox, "Always On My Mind"
The Runaways, "Cherry Bomb"
Quarks, "Wiederkomm"
The Alessi Brothers, "Seabird"
Robert Palmer, "Johnny and Mary"
Glass Candy, "Miss Broadway"
Ada, "Maps (Mayer & Thomas Remix)"
Copeland Davis, "Morning Spring"

and, to bring us right up to date:

July 2007 mixtape:

Vallerenga Blues and Disko Combo, "Ballerina"
Datashat, "Stop The Message"
Hilary Duff, "Danger"
Glass Candy, "The Chameleon (Acapella)"
Shanghai Au Go Go, "I Cried All Winter"
The Seeds, "Can't Seem To Make You Mine"
Junior Senior, "Move Your Feet"
Junior Parker, "Taxman"
J-Walk, "French Letter"
Scott Walker, "Maria Bethania"
Manu Chao, "Rainin' In Paradize"
Zalatnay Sarolta, "Egyszer ..."
Lez Dantz & His Orchestra, "Louie Louie"
The Honeymoon Killers, "Histoire A Suivre"
A Mountain of One, "Innocent Reprise"
Liechtenstein, "Stalking Skills"
The Come Ons, "Hip Check!"
Ricardo Villalobos, "Baila Sin Petit"

Song of the day

Beck, "Soldier Jane". Wouldn't it be nice to be Beck? To be able to take your shopping trolley along the endless aisles of the music supermarket, pulling off the shelves a bit of this, a bit of that, and, when you get home, throwing them into a big pot, adding some dada poetry, and hey presto, it's another album of Beck songs. An ingredient I didn't expect to see him using, however, was Simple Minds' "New Gold Dream '81-'84". But that's exactly what he employs on "Soldier Jane" from his most recent album, "The Information", in the process creating a song that, unusually for Beck, has a bit of emotional heft. Only a bit, admittedly, but at least that's a start.

This goes with this goes with this

Of the many descriptors I have used for Stereolab over the years, I don't recall Giorgio Moroder coming into the frame. But there I was, casually listening to Sparks' "No 1 In Heaven" album, when "My Other Voice" started up. Clearly, there was the rhythm track from "Contronatura", the last song on "Dots And Loops", and one of three on that album produced with Mouse On Mars, with all of its walking-on-a-bed-of-snails crunchiness, waiting to get out.

And then I was compelled to listen to "Familj" from the new Dungen album "Tio Bitar" (which is not the instant classic that "Ta Det Lugnt" was, but is rewarding further, and deeper, listening), and there it was again. I swear.

Giorgio Who?

No, it's not Armani. No, it's not Moroder (although he will be mentioned here anon, if I can only find the time to do a little listening/research). Yes, it's de Chirico.

I used my lunch break to wander across to the NGA to take a gander at its new baby. Very nice it is, too. There may not be any trains, children rolling hoops, or shadowed piazzas, but there is quite a lot going on in such a small square of canvas. The colours are intense, especially the central orange and that big blob of green in the top right. And in spite of the lack of obvious visual signposts, it is still very much a de Chirico.

Disappointingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, I had the painting to myself for as long as I wanted to look at it. Send in the crowds.

A Handful Of Dust

Seems like we only fire up this blog when someone dies.

Today's unlucky winner:

Max

Roach

drummer.

Against Nature

There is a God. I thought I had called His bluff. Then when I wasn't looking He turned around and bit me on the bum.

Meanwhile, what is the song of the day? It is either "Boobs A Lot", by The Fugs, or "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart", by Julee Cruise, depending on when exactly you catch me.

Song of the (Sun)day

"Si Mi Caballero", by Françoise Hardy. The perfect song for a day when, to paraphrase the oracles (Roy and HG), too much melancholy is barely enough.

Dead Souls

This just in.

People seem to have either loved or hated Tony Wilson. Or both. But try to imagine a world in which he had never existed.

Surprise song of the day

"Cardboard" by The Cannanes. Unheard for probably 15 years, this popped into my head in the shower this morning, a song from the best years of my life, when the McCartin Street / Simon's Lane axis was in full effect, the seven-inch single was king, and songs like this could be heard on South Gippsland community radio (even if that was only because we played them). The Cannanes summed it up best: "1988 - Celebrate Everything Else."

Song of the day

"Girl", by Beck. "Guero" is an album which has been unfairly slept on around here (c.f. "The Information", which has only just now been acquired, second-hand, with a bonus DVD of unknown content, but with NO STICKERS - well, except the one on the CD case that says it comes with stickers: how's that for a paradox, it's messin' with me 'ead). However, given how easily its standout tracks have slipped back into my head, it must have gained some traction at the time, which is funny, because I can't actually remember the physical act of playing the damn thing (perhaps it was on an extended rotation in the car).

"Girl" is a fantastic song; Beck in full-on summer pop mode. What ices it is the way he sings the "Heeeey" in the chorus as if he were Hank Kingsley in "The Larry Sanders Show", the most lovably pathetic sidekick in the history of television comedy. (Somebody please go to Jeffrey Tambor's Wikipedia entry and get his psychopathic star turn in "Muppets From Space" on there.)

Say it ain't so

Well, we knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier when you see it in black and white:

Mr Hazlewood, he gone.

Still, if you're going to die, you might as well die in Vegas.

Song of the day

"Vamp", by Trentemøller, from "The Last Resort". The cover of this album, by the way, is a thing of great beauty. 2007 must be the year of the bass guitar. What with the Shit Robot remix of Dondolo's "Dragon" (technically 2006), Prinzhorn Dance School, and now this fabulous track: there is nothing like some heartfelt thunking on the bass strings to get the hips moving.

July in August

I just read a couple of Miranda July pieces in the New Yorker, which I really enjoyed, and now I stumble upon a link (thanks SFJ) to the website for her new book. This, I think, is my second-favourite use of the Internet of all time, after Richard McGuire's beautiful Willing To Try (hint for that one: you have to allow pop-up screens)

But back to Miranda July: click on this link and keep clicking the right arrow (itself a beautiful object) at the bottom of the screen. And enjoy.

3.32pm update

Closely followed by Debra Dejean's [who?] version of "Time Of The Season", from 1981, which contains a lovely little echo of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, for them what are listening.

Song of the (bad) day

"Für Alle, Die" by Klee. In the middle of the most stressful work day of the past 8.5 years, this is the perfect antidote. The fact that I have no idea what she is singing matters not.