For Christmas, I purchased for my s.o. Sasha and John Digweed's Northern Exposure, Vol. 2: East Coast Edition. We already had their West Coast Edition, and have been disappointed somewhat in this other volume. Both from the same year, they take different approaches to the album-long trance DJ mix format. Where WCE was pure electronica with no vocals whatsoever, ECE brings some words into play, and not entirely for the better. The first track, Gus Gus's "Believe" is a pseudo-Christian trance movement and puts you off-kilter for the rest of the CD. Things get properly lighter and airier after that on ECE, but it never maintains the same ethereality and space-age-polymer feeling of WCE. As well, a notable problem is the inclusion of almost the same mix of "Purple" as on Paul Oakenfold's Tranceport. It may be that we happened upon WCE by chance, giving its high quality that extra sheen of serendipity, but I'd say stick with West Coast Edition and you'll be happy.
| Electronica |
Artist: BADLY DRAWN BOY
Album: HOUR OF BEWILDERBEAST
Label: Beggars Banquet
Released: 2000
My favorite album of 2000 is one of those strange works of art that people seem to like to argue about more than enjoy. (Call it the Eminem Principle.) Ever since Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy, won Britain's Mercury Music Prize, a sort of Turner Prize for current music, last summer, the press has been awash in reviews either slavishly praising the album or, more often, puncturing the hype. Gough's strange, self-absorbed live debut in NYC a couple of months ago drew an even larger number of slams from the press and hipoisie. As if this weren't enough, the guy has, Moby-like, already allowed commerce to sully his art: Gap licensed his track "Everybody's Stalking" for a recent TV ad for winter-wear. With no top 40 hits or Grammy awards, this is the kind of "controversy" that urban media types who are already bored with 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' or think the whole world watches Charlie Rose live for.
But the album, IMHO, is the real deal: a Nick Drake-an song cycle bursting with gorgeous melodies, clever studio craft, polished arrangements, and introspective lyrics. Unwilling to be pigeonholed as a pure Navel Gazing Folkie, Gough spikes the album with bouncy keyboards and other quirky sounds that give the record a bit of a kitchen-sink feel. Gough does have one of those mannered British pretty-rock voices (Morrissey haters might want to avoid), but he's playing up the singerly aspect of his voice, not the mopey end, and that makes all the difference. To be fair, BDB may have shot his wad, melody-wise, with this album; if that aforementioned live gig is any indication, he may well be primed to self-destruct from all the hype. No matter: 'The Hour of Bewilderbeast' is that rare thing, an album that arrives fully formed, envelops you on the first listen and surprisingly doesn't grow tired on the 20th listen.
It could end up an 'Invisible Man' (unrepeatable genius) or might well be a 'Portrait of the Artist' (great work presaging masterpieces to come); time will tell.
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Dear Friends:
The other day I had this idea for a "viral blurb network" that would marry the technology of email, the process of a chain-letter, and the collective cool of my friends. (Can you marry three items, or is that rhetorical bigamy?) I called it the Ishbadiddle Network, because it sounded kinda cool and goofy (like some of you). It's a way for friends (and friends of friends) to share opinions about books, music, movies, and all the pop culture stuff we consume regularly. Now here's how it works:
There are two names below. The second one is your friend who sent you this email. The first address is your friend's friend, (who is probably also your friend too, but for the sake of convenience I'll call them your FOAF (Friend Of A Friend)).
First, write a blurb / rant / review of a book, movie, CD, MP3, website, comic book, or anything else you think is interesting. Your blurb could be short or long. You could love or hate the work in question. Just let them know what you think. Send it to the first name on the list (your FOAF), and cc: the blurb to Ishbadiddle@yahoo.com.
Second, copy this email. Remove the FOAF from the address list below (that's the first address). Put your email address second. (Your friend's email becomes the first one.) Now send that new email to 5 of your friends. People who watch movies and read books and listen to music and stuff.
Now, just sit back and wait! You should get some cool reviews. But there's more! By writing a review and cc'ing Ishbadiddle@yahoo.com, you'll become a proud member of the Ishbadiddle Network, meaning you'll get even more reviews as a reward for turning over all those cultural rocks. And you'll be doing your part to strike against mediocrity in our media. Or something like that.
That's it! I hope you enjoy (and I hope this works!). Your friend and FOAF,
-- Mike Everett-Lane
YOUR ISHABADIDDLE EMAIL ADDRESSES (Send your blurb to the first address, then delete it and put your address below the second address):
dal20 -at- columbia.edu
meverettlane -at- yahoo.com
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FAQ
If I become a member, can I opt out?
Of course! Just send me an email saying "stop bothering me!" to Ishbadiddle -at-yahoo.com.
What the heck is this?
I have never found a "collaborative filter" that really works (whatever happened to Firefly anyway?). The recommendations on Amazon or other e-commerce sites are 1) written by strangers whose tastes are unknown to me, and 2) edited by people who want to sell me stuff. Wouldn't it be better to get recommendations from your friends? Thus, the Ishbadiddle Network. See, my friends know a lot more about pop culture than I do, so instead of pestering them for recommendations, I decided to create a Blurb Ponzi. Originally, it was gonna be a website, but I'm too lazy to learn HTML. Maybe in the future.
Is someone making money off of this?Of course not! Don't you know you can't make money on the Internet any more?
What happens if I don't pass this on?A man in Conshohocken once failed to pass on an Ishbaddidle email. Three days later, his plant died. He then sent a review to his Ishbadiddle FOAF. The plant was still dead. Just hit the old delete key, my friend, and you'll never be bothered again.
What's an Ishbadiddle anyway?It's a nonsense phrase that my grandparents taught me: Ish-ba-did-a-lee-oaten-doat-bo-bo-ske-dee-ten-dot. Say it a bunch of times. Kind of sticks in your head, don't it?