Everything Is Fine - "1000 Seconds". Everything Is Fine looks like a pretty hilarious fellow. But that doesn't matter because his music is beautiful. Alan passed me "1000 Seconds," and there are many more mp3s here. The song is low bass notes and the resonant touch of hands to electric strings. That, and Marc Manning's voice - high, certain, forlorn. It is very, very sad, this song. Manning carries us, but what truly lifts "1000 Songs" above the rabble of weepy singer-songwriters is the squall of feedback that slowly grows, a fierce grey ache that rises and overwhelms - a mouth that opens wider and wider, sound without words. The yawning maw of death, or perhaps the terrifying struggle of truly living. [buy]
Warsawpack - "Year of the Car Crash". Warsawpack, it seems, are defunct. Which is a pity. Over the course of two very similar records, they played snarling, musical and cohesive funk rock - gloomy guitars, sharp horns, the slick knife of DJ Aaron Sakala. Recalling a wordier Zach De La Rocha, Lee Raback raps with deftness and fury: he rages singlemindedly against big business, fat cats, and Republican presidents. Although the records can sometimes be a little much, "Year of the Car Crash" is short and cutting, a blazing rant against SUVs and gasoline, whispery scratching amidst guitar atmospherics. [buy]
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As you can see, I've updated my blog-roll. While places like The Tofu Hut have a terrific, encyclopedic list of mp3blogs, the links on this page are to the sites that I most eagerly recommend - the sites that I visit daily. Anything that's on the right is totally fantastic - and I'm sure that there are many others worthy of attention that either I haven't yet discovered, or that haven't yet secured my interest. If I'm overlooking something wonderful, please do let me know.
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I was just reading about the Conet Project at Stereogum - strange garbled radio broadcasts, spy messages or the illuminati or something else. As Aquarius Records says,
"The Conet Project is possibly the most incredible, and weirdest, item of sound art/documentation that we've EVER [sold]... Mesmerizing, fascinating, unique, massive, scary, but sometimes even soothing."I made a mental note to try to track them down and sample. Lo and behold, in a show of synchronicity, t3poh discovers this treat: download all 4 discs from Irdial, the album's label.
A wonderful thing: Maciej's description of The Velvet Underground. (You may have to scroll down to find it.)
Listen to Devendra Banhart's psychfolk comp, Golden Apples of the Sun (featuring Joanna Newsom, Little Wings, and more), here. [via mefi]
If you're on a mac, Camino 0.8 is out, and it's great.
Posted by Sean at July 15, 2004 3:02 AMMe of course, even though i did kinda take a swipe at you in a post yesterday.
Posted by esco at July 15, 2004 4:50 AMhi. i'm liz. i read your site when i can get online. anyways, today caught up with your post about traveling around europe. i currently live in galway and know dublin quite well. i'm going to be traveling around europe myself in september, but i'll be back in galway in october. regardless of wether schedules meet up, i can definitely give you good places to see in galway and probably some places you can crash too. feel free to email. and thanks for the music. slan, liz
Posted by liz at July 15, 2004 2:23 PMOne of the things I love about living in San Francisco is the fact that I can visit Aquarius Records in person anytime I want...and one of the things I've loved about the AQ shop in recent years is their "Conet Project Sets Sold" tally behind the counter.
I have to admit I actually found the box set used elsewhere (dunno if the free d/l was available at that point). It's certainly interesting, weird stuff--but to listen to all four discs sequentially would be kind of crazy-making, if you ask me.
There was a really interesting radio documentary about shortwave numbers stations on NPR's "Lost and Found Sound" program a few years back--if you want to listen, it's archived here.
Much thanks for the blogroll linkage! :D
Posted by moerex at July 15, 2004 3:00 PMgoing to montreal next week, maybe ottawa too if you wanna hang out..?
Posted by anne at July 15, 2004 4:13 PMThat Everything Is Fine track is really good,
and your right he looks like a fun bloke to have a drink with.
Thanks for the tune.
Simon
X
liz - i've emailed you. thank-you!
moerex - [seething envy]
anne - YES. email me!!
Posted by Sean at July 15, 2004 4:48 PMDont forget to support those labels that do the right thing; you can buy one of Irdial's t-shirts or The Conet Project itself from them. If you like what they do of course...and I do!
Posted by Andrew Jameson at July 17, 2004 9:41 PMThere's stuff about the Numbers Stations all over the place, but this site seems to have quite a bit on them... http://www.spynumbers.com/
Posted by Phil Gyford at July 20, 2004 10:20 AM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
