PORT CHESTER RADIO

Winter Mix '11

2011-01-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

"Why Must the People Cry?"

LISTEN - Stream, 30 minutes

DOWNLOAD - Mediafire, 25 mb

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Monster Rally - "Cuban Velvet"
I've been listening to Monster Rally's tape-loop instrumentals since the summer, and although their southern-hemispheric beat-work seems out-of-season here, I've always thought the best time to soak in tropical art is in the dead of winter, if only for the sake of escapism. All of their releases, especially their debut LP--Coral--come highly recommended. See also - "The Wolf"

Robb London - "Gloria"
Reverb soaked snare drum rattles, snarly guitar ricochets and audience response banter from this no-name south Texas one-record band is yet another grainy gem from the incalculably rad website Garage Hangover. Obviously, this song was covered to death in the 1960's, but here it sounds more vibrant than ever due to production values well ahead of its time. (via)

Ty Segall - "Caesar"
One of my favorite albums 2010, (a lackluster year in independently released music) wasTy Segall's Melted. Formerly a one man band, Ty harnesses noise and pop, heavy riff-work and the most rad use of an acoustic guitar I've heard maybe ever. "Caesar" also features the out-of-tune piano solo the world has been missing since White Light/White Heat. But best of all, it is the ebbs and flows of tempo that reel this one in and out several different grooves for an overall effect of post-garage rock renaissance insanity. Fucking brilliant stuff.

Smith Westerns - "All Die Young"
Smith Westerns sound like the house band from a John Hughes teen-movie prom on their newest, I can just hear Molly Ringwald engaging in meaningful dialogue during an slowdance beneath confetti and a disocball to this. I can't believe it, these guys are only 18 years old. Their first release, (which came out while they were still in high school, evidently), was a low-fi pop classic but with a real production budget they are able to achieve a unique blend of pop nostalgia (and a feature on NPR.)

Kurt Vile - "Jesus Fever"
I saw Kurt Vile at The Shank in the summer of 2009. I didn't know much about him then, but I remember being blown away by his 2:45 A.M. set performed for a gangly bunch of insatiable East-Williamsburg twenty-somethings. Since then, he's been signed to Matador and has more or less gone viral in the indie music-blog world (read: is under profound pressure to deliver an artistically and monetarily viable LP). It's relieving to hear his new song, Jesus Fever, unveiling his unusual casio-folk style in faster tempo and in higher-fidelity.

Aphex Twin - Fingerbib
I was listening to this album at the coffee shop I work (Update: "worked") at, and while making lattes for a French couple I noticed they were sort of nodding their heads. They placed what I later found to be a five dollar bill in the tip jar and said, "this is for the great music." I figured, in light of that, posting this song would be worth something. Aphex Twin hasn't released an album in 10 years, but some say that's going to change this year.

James Blake - "Sparring the Horse"
James Blake has been called "post-dub", and although "Sparing the Horse" is probably the most formulaic song that I've heard from him, (most everything else has been closer to Kraftwerk B-sides), it establishes him as a sonic pioneer. This song possesses a mixture of fidelity that I've never been exposed to, a great use of tension-building rests, and a vocal loop that floats and haunts. But this song truly caught my eye because of its intellectual superiority to most generic dubstep I've been forced to hear, and promises intrigue not only for Blake but for the genre in general. Hear more.

Star Slinger vs. Teams - Punch Drunk Love
A sped-up sample of this classic provides the foundation for this beat, so as a lover of doo-wop and southern rap drum machines, I'm sold. Star Slinger really hits the contemporary hip-hop instrumental void on the head. Further listening - "Longtime".

Madvillain - Avalanche
A preview of the upcoming Madvillain album from the Stones Throw website. Madvillainy is probably my favorite indie-rap album ever, and I've always been fascinated by DOOM's verbal weirdness and dadaist non-sequitors, all spat over some of the best looped music ever assembled. Madlib's compositions rival Donuts in my mind as beat-making at it's highest-art. Here's another one from their forthcoming Madvillainy 2 - "Paper Mill".

Billy Swan - I Can Help
Bizarre one-hit-wonder from disturbed pop genius (this can't be his realy name) Billy Swan. I have always been a sucker for ironic use of pop music in films, and this song played over a murder interrogation scene in the most recent Gus VanSant movie, and I was sold on it's spooky pop-appeal. As far as CBS F.M. 101.1 staples, this has got to be the holy grail, next to this of course.

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Previously:
Winter Review '10

HALLOWEEN MIX '10

2010-10-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Halloween is far and away my favorite holiday. This year I've been working on a DJ set for the Halloween party at the House of Love, where James Barnes will be installing a mind-scrambling video system, projecting clips from slasher flicks, horror favorites and spooky ambience. In the spirit of the day of the dead, I've put together a very, very long mix (clocking in at nearly 2 and a half hours) of spooky sounds, ghost-synth, drone-beat, ambient dance music (much of which owes it's sound to horror movie scoring), all punctuated with sound clips from such classics as A Nightmare on Elm St, The Shining, The Golden Arm, Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Meyers, Vincent Price's "Great Ghost Stories" and many, many more. So, when the big day comes, open up your windows, put this on blast, let the ghostly sounds resonate through the fallen leaves and jack-o-lanterns and get into the halloween spirit. Listen now or download (if you dare!)

DOWNLOAD

More halloween mixes here and here

Happy Halloween!

Sweet Soul Mix

2010-09-27T12:12:00.001-07:00

I have been collecting soul music recorded in the 60s/70s for a while now, starting more or less in the spring of 2007. At first it began as a quest for drum samples because at the time I aspired to produce beats, but as my affinity for hip hop waned my love for sweet soul flourished. I reached a point, the winter before last, where I literally did not listen to anything else. I felt at the time that there was something more poignant, meaningful and heartfelt about sweet soul than anything that was being recorded in the modern age. The production quality of these songs possesses a richer emotion, the recordings were conducted in specialized rooms, with reels, tangible instruments and vocals, as opposed to contemporary recording, where sounds are proceessed through an endless series of digital compressions. At any rate, this is a mix I wanted to share, with the best of the best soul songs I have come across. Download it, put it on a mix CD, and let that sugary soul get right in your heart.

Download ZIP
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tracklist:

freddie scott - got what i need
archie bell and the drells - green power
the manhattans - follow your heart
the charmels - as long as i've got you
garland green - i cant believe you quit me
ruby andrews - you made a believer out of me
marlena shaw - california soul
the persuaders - trying girls out
honey and the bees - come get it
the impressions - man oh man
irma thomas - it's raining
the escorts - i can't stand to see you cry

Late Summer Mix

2010-08-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

The sun is starting to hang higher in the sky these days, but still the haze of summer washes over the city of Port Chester. In this early phase of autumn, there is some vague, purgatorial mood, a ubiquitous feeling of nostalgia, reflection and somber anticipation. Beaches are closing and town pools are being drained. And although there is bittersweetness in the cooling air, most of us cherish these fleeting, elusive last breathes of August. Sonically, though, there is certain music played that aims to bottle up that last day of summer. That's what these songs do for me, I soak them in and save them for winter. Exp. date - 9/21/2010.

Late Summer Mix (51:22)

Download (71mb)

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tracklist:

Javelin :: goal/wide

A proper requiem for summer--Javelin's George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk harness seizing microsamples and assemble them into a spooky, melodic march. The cuts and pastes are sequenced in an off-kilter rhythm, with the intent to scramble brains, but the sounds themselves are so rich that a sugary streamline is achieved. Fantastic.

Neon Indian :: (if i knew i'd tell you)

The synth-sounds in this 45-second interlude from Psychic Chasms evokes 1980's prom slowdances, but also the melancholy, pink-dusk pangs of early Autumn. A great late summer slow burner.

Daft Punk :: Make Love

Despite it's elevator music undertones, the grand piano loop that supplies the foundation for this cut from 1997's Human After All possesses weighty drama, while the wet guitar plucks give it bounce. Beyond that, the airy vocal loop soars and is nailed to ground by a minimalist Casio drum-machine pattern. Perhaps their most tearful jam.

Nite Jewel :: Falling Far

Here's a buoyant glo-fi sizzler from Nite jewel, who takes us on a submarine ride through gold-coast galactic seas. Dreamboat pop brought to life by used keyboards dipped in late 70s glitter.

John K. :: What Music Makes Us Do

First heard John K. on the Twin Sister "International Dust" micromix. Upon inquiring with bassist Gabe, I learned that, "John is the bomb. a friend of mine, he pumps out albums, does everything himself. I recommend his newest one: "Lost in the Beat" http://www.mediafire.com/?zemnugnijjw , and a self titled one: http://www.mediafire.com/?2dxzqgjmnyl , which is my personal fav. She's Got The Eye is on one called "At The Moment". I think he has all of them up on his myspace, http://www.myspace.com/johnksongs". His self recorded/released albums are like strawberry milkshakes for the ears. Inspirational, especially if you're a musician attempting home recording.

Dem Hunger - excerpt

This is a clip from a Dem Hunger mix, culled from "dirty 45s". There was a time when I listened to this mix multiple times daily. It always put me in a strange and wonderful stupor. I suggest you dig in to Dem's digs, you won't be sorry.

Los Amparito :: Por Medio De La Lectura

Don't know much about Los Amparito, but this South American rainmaker is like Avery Tare x Jorge Ben. I can't get over how good these tropical tones sound when saturated with sunny electronic manipulators. A fruitful blend of time and color. Bask in it.

Dolphins into the Future :: On the High Seas

This song will lull you into a watery daze about psychedelic whales and breezy clocks. The swirling synths makes wakes in kodachrome pools. Highly visual music, I recommend taking a dive into all of Belgian scapist Lieven Martens' material, who took the name for the project from this book.

Arch M :: rapid transit

I just can't get over how accurately august afternoons are captured by this and everything else from Land Huxt. It makes my heart melt with longing for the days of my youth spent wandering aimlessly in Rosendale, in swimming pools, backyards, riding bicycles in slow motion. The album plays like deep streams, you'll have to come up for air.

Beach Boys :: All I Wanna Do

I've been listening to a lot of Brain Wilson this summer, Smile demos, things like that. They (the Beach Boys) really mastered the art of sluggish, loving pop songs in the early 70s. This one is a gold-toned standout from the Sunflower album. I listen to this on repeat, just to dig in to the introductory keyboard chordal riff, it's worthy of accentuation.

Beach Fossils :: Youth

One of my favorite songs from last summer was Beach Fossil's "Vacation". I posted it for last year's summer mix on mediafire and I recently discovered that the hit count has ballooned to over 1500 downloads. Their blend of pop guitars and underwatervocals has swept the blogosphere, evidently. This new one, though, slower and wispier, fits in here for its youthful-lament.

Family Portrait :: Mega Secrets

This is my favorite song of the last few years, so I figured I stop hogging and post it. Anyone who has played music with me recently will now know that I am guilty of red-handed burglary of this song's A major scale bounce (and for playing surf pop without laughing). I've listened to this song, one of the only releases from New Jersey's Family Portrait) a million times and the ardent crescendo gets me everytime.

Beach House :: Some Things Last A Long Time (Daniel Johnston cover)

Out of all the haphazard Daniel Johnston covers in the world, this is the only one I've found that even comes close to reaching the emotional heights of the original.

Department of Eagles :: Therapy Car Noise

From In Ear Park, an opalescent jewel of an album.

Dum Dum Girls :: Baby Don't Go

A haunting cover of a Sonny and Cher song. The spare, swelling, reverberated electric guitar strumming paired with airy and vocal harmonies make for an unnerving cover. From I Will Be.

Washington Phillips :: Lift 'Em Up, That's All

This is one of the most beautiful recordings I've ever heard. It remains uncertain what instrument is being played (sources say that most likely the instrument was entirely handmade by Phillips), or when it was recorded, but the way the song sounds on the grainy tape-reel of the time has a poignant dustiness incomparable to any other music recorded in history. "Lift 'Em Up", a truly powerful gospel song, sung with chilling sincerity.

Jon Brion :: Row

Kate Bush :: Army Dreamers

The more I listen to this song the more I realize how amazing it is. Lore surrounds her recording career, notorious for perfectionism she didn't not allow her visions to go underperformed. Kate Bush records have also been in heavy rotation this summer, so her inclusion here is fitting.

Television :: Days

The lyrics of this song ache my heart in the same way watching leaves start to change does. Surprising how underlistened Adventure is--Marquee Moon is the best debut LP of all time, but they by no means disappointed with their follow up. Check out a compilation of tropical Adventure covers, curated by the Aquarium Drunkard.

More late summer mixes here and here.

Summer Mix

2010-07-21T13:01:00.003-07:00

"Move Your Feet from Hot Pavement and into the Grass"

Greetings from Port Chester, NY--that forgotten suburban city, thorn in the side of Westchester County corporate developers. Once the site of a pulsating music scene now is a trashed outer-borough wasteland lined with shabby shops and potholed pavement. It's late July and the heat makes waves in the air, the asphalt bakes in the orange sun and King Street pressurizes under my feet. These are the songs I listen to most when walking hot sidewalks. Like icy lemonade in dixie cups, these songs cool me down.

Summer Mix (45mins)

Download (40mb)

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1 - Ach M :: "cave grill"

Arch M records meditative EPs that evoke sonic july. Spaced out, peculiarly tropical and decidedly psychedelic, heart strings are pulled and thoughts provoked while minds and muscles are turned to mush. The thumping bassline nails the ambient wa-wa phrases to the ground. Captures lackadaisical summer in a bottle.

2 - Beach House :: "Saltwater"

Dissonant, harmonic. heartwrenchigly low-fi. Casio chords run through a broken amp, drum machine on loops in a dusty cellar. This material will lull you into a aural daydream while you picnic in an abandoned meadow in rural Maryland. It's effortless, simple, far more poignant than anything else I've heard from them.

3- Deerhunter :: "Rainwater Cassette Exchange"

Bradford Cox and his shoegazing co. get beachy on this one, turning the reverb all the way up for californian delight, sounds like a 60's pop quintet broadcasting from a sewer in Pasadena. Deerhunter, Lotus Plaza and Atlas Sound aside, Cox's blog is worth following as well, his charisma as a musician is matched by his taste in doo-wop, micromixing, and youtube videos. New Deerhunter record coming soon, evidently.

4 - Yuzo Kayama :: "Black Sand Beach"

Japanese surf rock The interpretation of the beach formula on the other side of the pacific is a wonder to behold. Arguably superior to U.S. bands in execution and heart, surf rockers from japan turned the genre into a blistering, up-tempo pre-thrash powerhouse. Listen to Yuzo Kayama, Dick Dale of Tokyo, tear up the frets.

5 - The Drums :: "Let's Go Surfing"

The contemporary surf-rock renaissance can be spotty, but The Drums really nail it. Unlike bands that incorporate folk and shoegaze into the surf sound, they are are more roots-surf, literally singing about the beach with facetious lyrics about "the new kid in the town." "♪ Down down baby down by the rollercoaster ♫". Pop gold.

6 - Jacuzzi Boys :: "Island Avenue"

Menacing garage rock from Jacuzzi Boys, shakin down punks at the arcade. Grisly guitar strumming and gnarly wet lead riffs, this one's a real firecracker. Irreverent lyrics and snarling vocals, yeah, a real gem.

7 - The Love Language :: "Lalita"

Feel good summer jingle jangle pop song, stripped of sappiness thanks in part to mean, screeching guitar line, a monstrous pop hook, and catchy lyrics with a fantastically animalistic percussion part. Gets your feet stomping.

8 - Brilliants Colors :: "Over There"

No-fi San Francisco songstresses Brilliant Colors harness noise nicely on "Over There". Sounds like b52's x thurston moore x neon boys. Pear shaped and grimy.

9 - The Babies :: "Meet Me in the City"

CAN NOT get this song out of my head. Loving the open chord rockabillie folk-core pop sound and lyrics that resonate with all new york subway hoppers. Members of Woods and Vivian Girls. (If u ask, me, this band outshines both) These guys played Purchase recently. Can't believe I slept on that.

10 - Wavves :: "Gun in the Sun"

Infamous one man band Wavves. This isn't something I talk about alot, but this music is phenomenal. The hissing guitar thrashes and the tape recorder hanging on for dear life make "gun in the sun" far and away his best cut. I don't know how the fuck he achieves that falsetto doo-wop melody, it's unhuman.

11 - The Crystals :: "He's a Rebel"

Here's a phil spector record from the early sixites. The wall of sound really pounding on this one--that thundering drum line. Been on a huge doo-wop kick these last few months, barbershop quartets are like Mr. Softee ice cream cones for my eardrums. Thing about this song, it's bubblegum lyrics over and instrumentation that's mean as a snake.

12 - Public Nuisance - "Please Come Back"

I picked this up from a mix that Avey Tare of Animal Collective made for the Deerhunter blog, (check out mixes from all three current members HERE), the harmonies on this are haunting, the strumming pattern chopped up with the drums makes for a wildly original garage rock record. Public Nuisance were an unsigned sixties pop group in California, forgotten by all save for lost vinyl collectors. Check out more lost garage bands at Garage Hangover, (site is incredible)

13 - Real Estate :: "Suburban Dogs"

Real Estate This song sends me slowly spiraling into a daydream about Bergen County dogs running away. I grew up in the country, so suburban life holds a kind of mystique for me, and this songs epitomizes the ennui and dog day afternoon beauty of it all, the ways that suburbanites humanize themselves, seeking out meaning in cookie cutter cinemascopes.

14 - Arcade Fire :: "The Suburbs"

The new Arcade Fire single. (Only band that could pull off such a heavy handed title). That crash cymbal rollicking piano line intro gets me going. "The Suburbs" possesses some novelistic qualities to it, encapsulating a weighty dramatic arch, using only 5 minutes of analog tape. Again, the commentary on suburban weirdness resonates with me, not only as a resident of a particularly of wacky suburban city but also as someone who finds a twisted prettiness in what Win Butler calls "the walls that they built in the 70's." A record and a half, the drone of the descending guitar line in the chorus keeps me up at night.

post-poetic memory

2010-07-21T13:01:00.001-07:00

a port chester radio mix by tom

summer is the best season because its themes are love, absolution, indolence and immortality.

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i: 52 girls:: the b52s

ii: fuzzy freaky:: david byrne

iii: you can't hurry love:: the supremes

iv: black snake root:: mf doom

v: popcorn children:: eldridge holmes

vi: nicotine & gravy:: beck

vii: real people:: common

viii: i just can't make up my mind:: joyce jones

ix: absolute sway:: seth kauffman

x: running, returning:: akron/family

xi: today:: dr. dog

xii: i've just seen a face:: the beatles

xiii: depression:: dirty projectors

xiv: mr. lee:: the bobbettes

xv: baby:: os mutantes

xvi: spikenard:: mf doom

xvii: our dreams:: wu tang

xviii: getaway:: earth, wind and fire

xix: clap ur handz:: k-os

Sex God

2010-07-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

"Tell me something I don't know"

Sex God - "Good Day"

In the last year, Aaron Maine's Sex God Cowboys (formerly space Ghost Cowboys) picked up steam, pulling ahead as far and away the most promising band to come out of SUNY Purchase Class of '10--quite a feat for someone who was never enrolled in that highly exclusive music conservatory. The band has taken strides in creative output, and "Good Day" the eighth song from Aaron's solo release "The Secret Album" shows just how many steps they've taken forward. The incorporation of violin, thumping basshits and even a pager sample (?), all indications of the high creative ceiling for this band.

I remember reading an interview he did for The Submission where explained why he didn't want to study music academically, saying something along of the lines of not wanting to "fuck with" music like that. And that shows in the teeth gnashing irreverence of the band's live shows, which by the end of this past semester had roped in schoolwide notoriety for their often rawkus, always crowd surfing voracity. Due to the nature of the music consevatory at Purchase, music majors are under tremendous pressure to be more than just a guy with a guitar; there is such a tendency to hyper-conceptualize, (see Deacon, Dan), and the refreshing thing about Aaron Maine is the he is just that--a guy with a guitar. And I think that's what people are really looking for in music--honesty.

All SUNY Purchase nepitism aside, the visceral gravity of Sex God Cowboys is undeniable. If Aaron Maine knows one thing, it's that heart-break is the strongest musical unifier of all, and the band goes after that theme with reckless abandon. The loss of a girlfriend, unrequited love, the unbearable pangs of being alone. Tired motifs, in the grand spectrum of things. But what sets Sex God apart from the pantheon of bands who hang themselves up on childish heartache, Maine accentuates the exhiliration of the break-up, glorifies it and in doing so makes everyone feel better about their most private hearts. This is especially evident in their live shows, where the superficial barriers of projection are broken and animalistic mosh pits materialize. Maine croons and spills guts, and what's left is that very primal unity. Aaron sings with an almost self-parodical tone, irreverant songs are delivered with a wink, the self-loathing lyrics put forth without shame, knowing damn well you'll (perhaps begrudhingly) know just what he's crooning over.

SEX GOD COWBOYS - "Wolf" - Live at Port Chester Beach Party from Luke Carr on Vimeo.

Sex God Cowboys, live in my living room

One of the most endearing facets of the band is that they wear on their sleeves solidairity with imminent post-grunge bands of the nineties--early Weezer, The Pixies and of course Pavement--and Aaron's got a knack for pop hooks, infiltrating eardrums by force. I know I'm not alone in saying Sex God's choruses have taunted my mind's jukebox many afternoons, where I cant walk the streets of Portchester without my brain crooning the lyrics to "time goes by, whatever" over and over again.

The Sad Album, put out last year by Sam Schacter's "Shack Attack Records", is devoted to the anguish of romantic dissillusionment, advertently obsessed with cinematic teen movie themes, high school emotions, puppy love gone awry. Songs like "Graveyard Bed", "Wolf", Apple Pie", and "Hole" all possess that melodramatic poignancy that is so tricky to achieve. There are two kinds of lamenters--on the one hand you have the whiners, whose lament is a mere ploy for pity and self-aggrandizement. On the other hand there is the type who laments with a sense of humor, regarding the tragedy as a cruel joke, poking fun and maintaining a bizarre sense of humility. Sex God delivers numbers, puntcuated with honesty while incorporating true stories of personal crisis. Then soaks the song in a vat of unharnessed distortion and screeching feedback. We can all resonate with that.

sunfondled colorblossoms: spring mix by tom

2010-04-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

spring is the best season because its themes are love, impetus, animation, and aporia.

part 1

1: since i left you:: the avalanches
2: do like you:: stevie wonder
3: legal man:: belle & sebastian
4: heart it races:: dr. dog
5: sebastiana:: gal costa
6: jellyfish:: ghostface killah
7: the funky side of life:: sound directions
8: hello there:: john cale
9: jack fig:: leo kottke
10: 5 years time:: noah & the whale

download ZIP

part 2

1: i just wasn't made for these times:: bullion
2: truth to light:: count bass d
3: funky blue note:: madlib
4: uh huh:: method man
5: lady madonna:: the beatles
6: a new day:: olivia tremor control
7: be kind to your conscience: gabel d'amico
8: derek:: animal collective
9: mr. blue sky:: elo
10: springtime is the season:: of montreal

download ZIP

Spring Mix '10

2010-04-13T12:50:00.001-07:00

"I Love the Sunlight. You Love the Flowers"

1 Fatboy Slim - "Praise You"
2 Mr Oizo - "Jo"
3 MF DOOM - "Mandrake"
4 Breakbot - "Happy Rabbit"
5 Javelin - "intervales theme"
6 Sleigh Bells - "Ring Ring"
7 Animal Collective "Daily Routine (phaseone remix)"
8 Thurston Harris - "Little Bitty Pretty One"
9 Twin Sister - "Ribbon Bow"
10 Jackie Wilson "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher"
11 Real Estate - "Green River"
12 Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Neon Syrup for the Cemetery Sisters"
13 Panda Bear - "Bonfire of the Vanities"
14 Beach Boys - "Can't Wait Too Long"

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Port Chester Radio: Winter Review

2010-01-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

Winter Mix '10

Running Time: 42 Minutes

DOWNLOAD

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tracklist:

"Lotus Mafam" - Larry Gus (Stitches Promo EP, 2009)

"Palmitos Park" - El Quincho (Alegranza, 2007)

"Boneless" (Panda Bear Remix) - The Notwist (2008)

"Untitled" (Washed Out Edit) - Jack Nitzche (St Giles Cripplegate, 1972/ The Fantastic Symphony Mix, 2009)

"Dreams" (FM Re-edit) - The Avalanches/Mingus Rude (Unreleased)

"What Did He Say" - Nite Jewel (Good Evening, 2009)

"st. james" - RUN DMT (Bong Voyage, 2009)

"I Want a House" - Twin Sister (Vampires with Dreaming Kids, 2008)

"Snow" (Instrumental) - Real Estate (Underwater Peoples Compilation, 2009)

"Winter's Love" - Animal Collective (Sung Tongs, 2004)

"My Blue Heaven" - Gene Austin (1927)

"Nhemamusasa" -Mmhuri Ye Kwa Rwizi (Zimbabwe - Shona Mbira Music, 1977)

"Don't Talk" (Brian Wilson piano demo) - The Beach Boys, (Pet Sounds Sessions, 1966)

"I Only Have Eyes For You" - Peggy Lee (1950)

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TWIN SISTER Micromix: "International Dust"

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tracklist:

1. The Bublight - Joe Meek
2. Aku Tetp Sadar - Dara Puspita
3. She's Got The Eyes - John K. (a friend of mine, he pumps out albums, does everything himself)
4. Banana Walk - Dub Specialist
5. Time: The Donuts of the Heart - J Dilla
6. Dis Moi La Verite - T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou
7. Transition (collage of sounds from upcoming twin sister ep)
8. Like Someone in Love - Bjork

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DATA DOG
Dan Arnes: "Wonderful Year"

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tracklist:

1. Happy New Year To You - The Qualities w/ Sun Ra
2. Inspiration Information - Shuggie Otis
3. I Want Someone - The Mad Lads
4. Juego De Nino - Atahualpa Poalasin y su Trio Los Incaicos
5. Dois mil e um - Os Mutantes
6. Business Before Pleasure - George Akaeze & His Augmented Hits
7. I Like My Toys - Idle Race
8. "6.4 = Make Out" - Gary Wilson
9. Paraiso - Haruomi Hosono & Yellow Magic Band
10. It's You - The Millennium
11. Kagami No Nako Jugatsu - Tamao Koike
12. "When Will It End?" - Raymond Scott
13. Quando eu era Sem Ninguém - Tom Ze

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SPIRIT ANIMALS INC.

mixes from Peter Basch

"The First Slush"

1. Cold Cave - Life Magazine (2:56)
2. Sufjan Stevens - The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake (1:39)
3. Electrelane - On Parade (2:35)
4. Washed Out - You'll See It (2:55)
5. Modeselektor - Silikon (Siriusmo rmx) [3:40]
6. Broadcast - Poem of a Dead Song (2:30)
7. Bob Dylan - I Want You (3:08)
8. Juana Molina - Vive Solo (5:58)
9. Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke (3:54)
10. Bachelorette - Her Rotating Head (4:09)
11. Bob Sinclar - Major Sea (1:14)
12. Califone - Stepdaughter (3:17)
13. M83 - Run Into Flowers (Jackson Midnight Fuck Remix) [7:31]
14. Josephine Foster - Little Life (3:45)

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"Can we at least Pretend"

1. Adam Green - Bleeding Heart
2. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Strange Overtones
3. Sufjan Stevens - Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne
4. In Flagranti - Pick a Trick
5. Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Lovesick
6. Komeda - Campfire
7. The Spencer Davis Group - I'm a Man
8. Department of Eagles - Balmy Night
9. Lavender Diamond - I'll Never Lie Again
10. Ween - Pandy Fackler
11. William DeVaughn - Be Thankful for What You Got
12. In Flagranti - Brash & Vulgar
13. The Dodos - Eyelids

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"northern lore of yore: a port chester radio mix by tom"

winter is the best season because its themes are love, interiority, anticipation, and death.

DOWNLOAD

1: frosted ambassador:: olivia tremor control
2: swing tree:: discovery
3: not a love song:: k-os
4: alaska:: shugo tokumaru
5: don't ask:: grizzly bear
6: gold teeth:: man man
7: i'm leaving you because i don't love you:: jens lekman
8: epitaph for my heart:: magnetic fields
9: crayon:: manitoba
10: waiting to know you:: fiery furnaces
11: fog:: radiohead
12: nyatiti:: andrew bird
13: sleep the clock around:: belle & sebastian
14: temptation:: new order
15: on a highway:: animal collective
16: barnowl:: caribou
17: loveless:: okay
18: die die die:: dr dog
19: don't get hung up in your soul:: richard hawley

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Top Albums of the Decade

2009-12-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

If there's been one emblematic shift in pop since 2000, it has been the digitization of music. The onslaught of the MP3 has forever changed the way music is produced and how we consume it. There are no more labels, aside from the "Big Six" conglomerates, and anyone with access to the Internet can virtually track down and download any song ever recorded for free. Music, in my opinion, has actually benefitted from this. Recording technology has been ripped from the hands of the elite few. Anyone with ProTools and an M-Audio microphone can record full-lengths in their bedroom. The reason I think music has benefitted from this, at least in terms of quality, is that musicians are more obliged to compose the most stimulating songs their private hearts can muster, otherwise their music never rises to the surface of the murky swamp that is the Independent Music. But that's another story. This story is about the albums from 2000-2009 that floated up to the slimy surface and reached my eardrums . Considering I was twelve years old when the century turned, these years have been formidable to say the least, and the albums I list here have all had a profound effect on me. My favorite albums of the last decade aren't necessarily the ones that broke barriers or the ones ones that challenged old formulas, but ones that revitalized old formulas with new Turns. Before you start scrutinizing my list, criticizing my taste, and scouring it for emissions, please know that these were just the first seven that came to mind.

Danger Mouse - "The Grey Album" (2004)
Someone brought this up the other day and I realized it may be the album with the widest influence of the last ten years. This tape was the catalyst that set off the wave a mashup culture, a genre that has become appallingly over-crowded, mostly because of people like girltalk who overindulge the concept. But when an unknown producer named Brian Burton released this for free in 2004, the concept was unheard of. Listening to it now, it is nicely composed, but what's more important is this album's breakthroughs in music distribution, cross-polination of genre, music collage and a style of production so sweet to the ears that even Apple records had to drop their suit.
I mostly wanted to mention Danger Mouse's and his introduction to the music world because his projects since have been nothing short of illustrious--Gnarly Barkely had the pop hit of the decade, his collaboration with MF DOOM is solid gold. His production for The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Gorrilaz, Beck and The Black Keys among others concretized his foundation as the mightiest sword wielding composer of the last ten years. Most recently he collaborated with David Lynch (!?) on the mysterious comp album "Dark Was the Night", which if you haven't heard (most likely because it's never being commercially released) you should take a listen (here)

The Avalanches - "Since I Left You" (2000)
That The Avalanches haven't released anything since this is a true shame, (although a follow-up to "Since I Left You", apparently, is slated for release this year, but i'll believe it when i see it.) The concepts perfected on the album--hyper sampling, micro-sampling, thematic compositional arches, electronic lucidity--all have been adopted and mimicked by producers all over the world. "Since I Left You" is a near perfect stream of songs, ranging from the low-key/down-tempo "Tonight" to the hyped up banger "Live at Dominoes". I keep coming back to this one.

"Live at Dominoes" - The Avalanches

Grizzly Bear - "Yellow House" (2006)
As soon as I heard the salulatory flute runs and haunting piano stabs on the albums opener, "Easier", I knew I was in for a delight. This album transports you instantly to a caustophic realm of rustic poignancy. The fact that they recorded Veckatimest twenty minutes from my hometown, or that the house I grew up is yellow, furthers its resonance with me. An ornate, spooky and elegant journey.

"On a Neck, On a Spit" - Grizzly Bear

Beach House - "Beach House" (2006)
This album inspired me to add the Casiotone CT-360 to my christmas list. So look out for my beach house esque project doing shows at the co-op this semester (along with our surf-rock quartet?) under this name. Beach House is that visual visual visual dusty prom dress ocean-at-night boomchic tattered drum machine plastic jewlery wave pop theatre organ electric twinkle music box. All done with complete sincerity. Victoria Legrand's vocals haunt my dreams and Alex Scally's watery guitar drips are the best supplement to that I can think of. The "sounds like" on their myspace says it is all

Beach House - "Childhood"

Madvillain - "Madvillainy" (2004)
Madvillainy. Discovering MF DOOM in high school (thanks theo) introudced me to Vic Vaugns twisted landscape of catroonish stream of consciousness ear-candy vocab spat over eclectic minimalist beats, and this album is his best, I'd say. Madlib's instrumentations are melodic and decisively simplistic in origin; samples were culled from lost Sao Paulo vinyl using a portable record player, an SP 303 and a borrowed cassette deck. The subsequent remixes by Four Tet and Koushik only add to the album's legend.

Madvillain - "Supervillain Theme"

J Dilla - "Donuts" (2006)
It's hard to get a sense for the weight of this album with out first knowing the narrative behind it. The heart-breaking legend of Dilla's final compositions, the majority of which were conducted in a hospital bed. Donuts, released three days before his death, is beats-making at it's most refined, proof that the hip-hop formula is something permanent. James Yancey's homage brought new validity to the genre, inspiring a new school of producers.

J Dilla - "Don't Cry"

Panda Bear - "Person Pitch" (2007)
I had heard cuts from Strawberry jam, Feels, Sung Tongs, but it was this candy-colored gateway that revealed to me to the strange billiance of Animal Collective's catalog. Bubble-guns of sound, fuzz-soaked samples and pop hooks at once disonant and sugary make this album a blue jewel in the sea.

Panda Bear - "Bros"

Dr Dog - "We All Belong" (2007)
The second I heard the showering grand piano loop and jerky bass thump of "The Way the Lazy Do" while standing in Fuck City's kitchen, I knew I had found something special. Their albums, Toothbrush, Fate, Easy Beat, are all gifts, but it was We All Belong that really touched my heart, chronicling my first love.

Dr Dog - "My Old Ways"

"Cornucopian Dreams"

2009-11-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

"Autumn is the best season because its themes are love, excess, and death."

Download

---------------------------------

tracklist:

1 - Thom Yorke / Mark Mulcahy :: All for the Best

2 - Dirty Projectors :: Not Having Found

3 - Madvillain :: Great Day Today

4 - Andrew Bird :: Fake Palindromes

5 - Okay :: Hungry

6 - Prussia :: Great Lakes

7 - Broken Social Scene :: Pacific Theme

8 - Neutral Milk Hotel :: Communist Daughter

9 - Marco Benevento :: Ruby

10 - Deer Tick :: Baltimore Blues No. 1

11 - Talking Heads :: I'm Not In Love

12 - Daedelus :: Just Briefly

13 - Magnetic Fields :: The Sun Goes Down and the Wolrd Goes...

14 - Atlas Sound :: Cold As Ice

15 - The Books :: An Animated Description of Mr. Maps

16 - Animal Collective :: College

17 - Charles Bukowski :: Songs For Sadists Without a Place to Sit Down

"Seattle is for Recovering Depressives"

2009-11-17T11:55:00.001-08:00

CheffMix no. 1

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tracklist

1. Block Of Ice - Thee Oh Sees
2. Midnite Cobras - Tonstartssbandht
3. Lets Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack - Liars
4. Cold As Ice - Atlas Sound
5. I Remember Learning How To Dive - Animal Collective w/ Vashti Bunyan
6. The Dark - Woods
7. Stockhold Syndrome - Yo La Tengo
8. Wooden Cave Loop (Excerpt) - Lucky Dragons
9. Dot Gain - Deerhunter
10. An Ode To Schiavo - The Philly Fake Out (Purchase band!)

In a mysterious, puzzling, and mystical way, the true work of art arises "from out of the artist." Once released from him, it assumes its own independent life, takes on a personality, and becomes a self-sufficient, spiritually breathing subject that also leads a real material life: it is a being. It is not, therefore an indifferent phenomenon arising from chance, living out an indifferent spiritual life, but rather possesses-- like every living being-- further creative, active forces. It lives and acts and plays a part in the creation of the spiritual atmosphere that we have discussed. It is also exclusively from this inner standpoint that one must answer the question whether the work is good or bad. If it is "bad" formally, or too weak, then this form is unsuitable or too weak to produce any kind of pure, spiritual vibration within the soul. - Kadinsky

Late summer in a new city. Transitional period bred a mix that is not about crate digging but rather about the transitions between songs.

Download MP3

"Halloween"

2009-11-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

"I'm still having those awful dreams"

New music collage inspired by B-movie horror flicks, dotted with found audio clips culled from such films as "A Nightmare on Elm St 3: Dream Warrior", "Silent Night, Deadly Night (1 & 2)", and Stephen King's "IT", among others. Includes music from Tobacco, Memory Tapes, Zomby and Rockwell. Happy Halloween.

Download MP3

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tracklist:
1 - Memory Tapes :: "Excerpt from 'Walk Me Home'"
2 - Black Moth Super Rainbow :: "Feel the Drip"
3 - Tobacco :: "Backwoods Altar"
4 - Dem Hunger :: "Excerpt from 'White Drugs'"
5 - Zomby :: "Helter Skelter"
6 - Justice :: "Planisphere (Part II)"
7 - Ghosthustler :: "Someone Else's Ride"
8 - Rockwell :: "Somebody's Watching Me"

"Fall Mix"

2009-10-07T17:50:00.001-07:00

(25:18)

DOWNLOAD MP3

or

DOWNLOAD ZIP with individual tracks and artwork
(35 MB)

*************

tracklist

1 arch m :: cple outside park with me

2 dem hunger :: excerpt from "shelley duvall"

3 the avalanches :: two hearts in ¾ time

4 gold panda :: quitter's raga

5 the silent league :: here's a star (neon indian remix)

6 vega :: other end

7 beach house :: master of none

8 the mantles :: don't lie

9 oscar wright :: fell in love

2009-09-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

"Sound like this"
I have been inspired by these jewels.
Dem Hunger, a sound collage conjurer from UK cooks chemicals in his lab, many of which stir up figments of bad imagination, melting faces, turning minds into mush, and every now and then landing sequences that sound real pretty. culled from dusty found vinyl. take a listen.
Dem Hunger - (bukowski referencing) "ejaculation control"

This is the most recent mix--says dem--"MA MA SHIT GOT COOKED UP BOUT TWO MINUTES AGO. GOT A NEW FUCKIN LITTLE MIX TING. JUST DID IT MANE'. JUST COOKED IT ON THE PAN AM FLIGHT 666. WAS IN SOME FUCKIN MANHUNTER/CHRISTINE/DEEP 80'S FUCKIN SERIAL KILLER TYPE SHIT. GET ON THAT FUCKIN SPIRITGIRL BEER SHIT. CHEERSSSS."

Suburban Dogs

2009-08-07T11:43:00.001-07:00

"Budweiser, Sprite. Do you feel alright?"

We took a road-trip to Philadelphia last weekend, and as we drove through the greater New Jersey area, I got to thinking abut one of my favorite bands, Real Estate, who hail proudly from the state. Their blissful gems are the direct product of a sort of making-the-best-out-of-it type of mentality, and their songs almost make me wish I was from there. I'm going to try to get them to play in the student center sometime this fall, but i guess we'll see what happens.

Real Estate - "Green River"

Real Estate "Fake Blues"

Here's a video from chocolate bobka, they brought a camera to show where real estate played in a backyard in north jersey.

Real Estate - Green River > Suburban Beverage from Chocolate Bobka on Vimeo.

Download
Real Estate "Green River"
Real Estate "Fake Blues"

Also from Jersey is Family Portrait, whose "Mega Secrets" may very well be August's best song.

Download
Family Portrait "Mega Secrets"

Arrived in Philadelphia, I was reminded of another musician, one who I saw in the cavernous, now defunct brooklyn venue The Shank--Kurt Vile.

His band, the Violators, were late getting in from PA that night, and didn't go on until 2:30, and by then the sweat-pouring stragglers were in poor manners--the two hour late arrival was met with scathing protest. Before the jaded, irritable crowd, Vile was able to conjure soundwaves from the guitar that I wasn’t aware existed. Off-kilter chord configurations, clawed down strum configurations, lyrical poignancy, a real treat.

Download
Kurt Vile - "Overnite Religion"

2009-08-07T11:42:00.001-07:00

Beach Fossils

This song makes my smile look like a watermelon slice, i think it resonates so much with me this week because I am on the verge of leaving new york behind for the country, vowing never to return. "It's always on my mind."

Download
Beach Fossils - "Vacation"
Beach Fossils - "Daydream"

redd foxx

2009-07-30T16:27:00.001-07:00

Memphis' Phaseone produces sonic july with this ode to Sanford from Sanford & Son

Phaseone - "Redd Foxx"

Listen for the glitch in the 8th measure. Gold.

best coast

2009-07-30T15:42:00.001-07:00

Sun Was High (So Was This Unauthorized Video) from PAT VAMOS on Vimeo.

There is no point in listening to this song unless you are standing in the hot sun.
Download:
Best Coast - "Sun Was High (So Was I)"

Download
Pearl Harbour - "Sunburn"

Top Ten Inebriated Appearances on Corporate Talk Shows

2009-07-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Corporate talks shows are nearly always forced, tense, scripted trash engineered to promote some half-hazardly composed product. That's why I appreciate these clips--if nothing else, they are rare glimpses into the actual personalities of stars who have stumbled into the limelight, and these instances remind us that they are real people with real consumption habits. More importantly, it's admirable to see stars defying their handlers, the PR machine and and a viewership of consumers who expect celebrities to cater to corporate norms.

Hunter S. Thompson on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

In this clip, HST begrudgingly appears on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Thompson had turned down a number of invitations to be on the show, finally agreeing to appear on the condition that the clip be a remote segment, and that Conan meet him "on a farm in Upstate New York to shoot guns and drink hard liquor." Conan agreed, and they shot this.

Ol' Dirty Bastard on Yo! MTV Raps - 1995

This is some of the most amazing footage I've come across in a long time--Ol' Dirty Bastard on MTV Raps, wasted out of his gourd. What he's doing vocally in this, entirely incomprehensible, wildly inventive--out-of-whack mannerisms, exaggerated gasps and bizarre shimmying. He really was something else.

James Brown on "Sonya Live! in L.A." (CNN) - 1988

We've been laughing about this James Brown interview for a while now. One of the most absurd moments in corporate talk show history. "I'm single and I wanna mingle!"

Sly Stone on The Dick Cavett Show - 1970

Sly Stone was a loose canon, and it shows in this clip. Getting loaded on cocaine and appearing in front of a TV audience of millions is never a wise idea, but it happened here on the Dick Cavett show in 1970.

Crispin Glover on Letterman - 1987

Crispin Glover: a nut. We were looking up footage of him after watching RIVER'S EDGE, and came across this clip form the late eighties. He went on Letterman dressed as a character from his self-financed experimental film project, and did the interview in costume. Years later, he confessed to having been hallucinating during the interview.

Harmony Korine on Letterman - 1995

Harmony Korine was that kid who wrote KIDS, and whether or not you think that movie is a modern masterpiece or a sketchy piece of shit, you can't deny how much of a brave and funny motherfucker he is. We'd all like to think that this is what we'd do if we stumbled upon some inadvertent fame--it's inspirational to see that it happened to someone our age and that a person actually defied corporate pressures. In this video, Korine throws off Letterman, and his audience, by flipping the script and responding to typical Hollywood interview prompts with truly comically surreal lines.

Jack Kerouac on Firing Line - 1969

This was towards the end of Kerouac's life. Filmed in 1970, the crew of William F. Bukley's talk-show "Firing Line" urged Jack to take it easy on the booze on the set, threatening to remove him from the show, but to no avail. Kerouac is soused in this clip.

Lou Reed Interview - 1975

"Do you want people to take drugs themselves? Is this perhaps why you sing about drugs?"
"Oh yeah, I want them to take drugs"
"Why's this?"
"Because it's better than Monopoly"

David Byrne Interviews Himself - 1984

Summer Mix 09

2009-07-17T19:42:00.001-07:00

King Kong Millions Summer Mix 09

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1. Walkabout - Atlas Sound (feat. Panda Bear)
2. Twin of Myself - Black Moth Super Rainbow
3. Deadbeat Summer - Neon Indian
4. I'm Not Moving (Indjut Boys Edit) - Phil Collins
5. God Only Knows - Bullion
6. Loving You Sometimes - The Outcasts
7. Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters
8. Tú Serás Mi Baby (Be My Baby) - Les Surfs
9. Run for Your Life - Nancy Sinatra
10. South of France - Harlem
11. Sunburn - Pearl Harbour
12. Vacation - Beach Fossils
13. Beach Comber - Real Estate
14. Seat in the Kingdom - The Crumb Brothers

2009-07-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

7 Perplexing Music Samples

2009-05-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Whether or not you think rappers and r&b singers who sample records from yesteryear is a plague on music, there are just some times when you hear something and you have to step back and say, "what the fuck?" Some samples are just puzzling, and it makes you wonder what the fuck the producers were thinking.

1. Tom Tom Club - "Genius of Love" * Mariah Carey - "Fantasy"

Tom Tom club was a Talking Heads side project made up of Tina Weymouth and Chris Fratz in the early 80's. At some point in the nineties, a producer at Sony decided it was a good idea to use the song for budding pop star Mariah Carey, and "Fantasy" become a number one single. I'm not sure what to make of this--somehow, in the tunnels of sample culture, the Talking Heads fit into the spectrum of R&B pop circa 1995.

2. Lou Reed - "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" * A Tribe Called Quest - "Can I Kick It"

What do Andy Warhol and hip-hop from the late eighties/early nineties have in common? This song, apparently. I guess that Q-Tip felt, upon hearing Transformer, that Lou Reed's guitar and stand-up-bass intro would be an ill loop. Also, the sing was written about transvestites, runaway hookers, heroin dealers and amphetamine addiction, evidently. Two very different music histories overlapping here.

3. David McCallum - "The Edge" * Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg - "The Next Episode"

Late 60's avant garde intrumentalist David MacCallum never would have thought in 1967 that forty years later his experimental recordings would be transformed into a g-funk club hit. Lo and behold, this was the biggest single off of Dre's Chronic 2001. If everyone knew how strange and geeky the guy behind the jam is, I doubt the song would be bumped so loudly in Isuzu jeeps across the U.S

4. The Clash - "Straight to Hell" * MIA - "Paper Planes"

Some freinds of mine were livid about this lift--there was that point last summer when you couldn't go anywhere without hearing "Paper Planes" on the radio, my one friend Dan was ready to pull his fucking hair out. I think mostly because no one rally knew that what they were listening to was, essentially, a Clash riff. "Joe Strummer must be turning over in his grave." I don't feel so negatively about this sample; it's good in that it's, at the least, an unusual choice.

5. Daft Punk - "Harder, Better, Faster Stronger" * Edwin Birdsong - "Cola Bottle Baby"

Not a lot of people know this, but Daft Punk is not necessarily generating the sounds that you hear on their records, their music is heavily grounded in sampling. This one in particular is a direct steal. The original version, by forgotten disco keyboardist Edwin Birdsong, was ahead of it's time to say the least, the future funk dates back to 1975. Regardless of whether or not this sample counts as theft, you have to admit that it's very amusing to picture Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo in a record shop basement and deciding that, yeah, this will blow up in Parisian clubs.

Freddie Scott - "Got What I Need" * Biz Markie - "Just a Friend"

I got to thinking about this song when I saw that Heineken commercial, and then heard a someone put the original on a party and decided that both these songs are really sugary and great. Biz Markie brings out the goofiness in what otherwise is a pretty heartfelt record, the jerky piano riff that opens is about the only thing he takes. Again, it' s a wonder how he found this break at all. These songs make me grin from ear to ear.

The Dovers - "What Am I Going to Do?" * Atlas Sound featuring Panda Bear - Walkabout

Deerhunter's Bradford Wilcox's solo project--he chose to sample this obscure pop record from the early sixties after hearing it on a tour bus during his European series with Animal. The circulatory twinkling dazzles and is oriented in a forward-motion groove, certainly raising the bars for looped music. This song is destined for widespread adoration, I think, and could change the way the music world views music sampling.

Listen to "Walkabout" - Atlas Sound feat. Noah Lennox

Misc. Snapshots

2009-05-21T14:11:00.001-07:00

Dr. Dog, Clearwater Festival, June 2009

The Cool Kids, Culture Shock Festival 2009

Irish Folk Band, Saint Patrick's Day, Snugs--New Paltz, N.Y.

Jobs

2009-05-21T14:09:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn Snapshots

2009-05-21T13:50:00.001-07:00

Vietcong Loft Party, McKibbin St., Bushwick Brooklyn NY

E. 8th St, Flatbush Brooklyn

East New York, Brooklyn

Free Documentaries

2009-05-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are three of my favorite journalistic films dealing with New York City.

All are viewable on Youtube in their entirety.

Digital Photography--final project

2009-05-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

From: CARR, LUKE
To: Lunstrum, Nathan

Subject: Final Presentation/Project

I just wanted to get some feedback on my project before the presentation on Tuesday. I wanted to make sure I was covering all the bases. Let me know if there's something else I should try to include for the presentation aspects.

Also, I never turned in a proposal for this final. At this point it seems pointless to hand one in, but I'll give you a brief overview of what I set out to do.

I was inspired by a friend of mine who is taking a Collage course in the VA. I was visually impressed by what happens when you re-appropriate images, creating a new world within the worlds. The only thing I saw as a limitation with that medium was that there was no way to alter the dimensions of the material seeing as the material was cut out of magazines and newspapers. "If only you could warp these images to make them fit," I thought, "Then you could really make something click."

I was reminded of our Composite Image assignment and how, in "The Indecisive Moment", there was mention of technology--our generation has beeen blessed with Photoshop, among other tools, in which to capture image on multiple levels. I saw a short cut to producing compelling pictures; if there was a portrait I liked but the backdrop was mediocre, I could superimpose another setting for my "characters".

I began to realize that what I was doing had ceased to be photography in the journalistic sense and had now become storytelling. I was coming up with fictionalizations. That has been the underlying theme of my project--fiction. I have written some fiction before and did my best to apply what I had learned about narrative and nuance to the photographic medium.

So there you have it, my project has do to with composite imagery, seamless collage and photo-fictionalizations.

Tell me what you think,

L

Ten Composite Images

2009-05-08T14:56:00.001-07:00

http://www.brooklynrail.org/2008/07/lastwords/bloombergs-blockin

2009-05-08T14:50:00.001-07:00

Greenpoint, Brooklyn-----New York, N.Y.-----Long Island City, Queens

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bridges/pulaski.shtml

2009-05-08T14:49:00.001-07:00

2009-05-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

2009-05-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

Third Avenue Bridge

http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/third-avenue/

2009-05-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Underneath the BQE

http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=222

Handball and Basketball Courts, South 4th and Havemeyer

2009-05-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

http://5ptz.com/graff/gallery/

2009-05-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Mikey of The Cool Kids

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2007/10/cooler-talk.html

2009-05-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.gershowrecycling.com/dl/A-Trip-Through-The-Junkyard.html

2009-05-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Red Hook Houses

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/redhookjustice/redhook.html

125th Street

http://www.harlem.org/

Coney Island Beach

http://www.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1235815877

Avenue A and 8th

http://www.stmarksbookshop.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

Polish Diner

http://www.villagevoice.com/locations/neptune-1086263/

Greenpoint

2009-05-08T13:18:00.001-07:00

http://northbrooklyn.info/

2009-03-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

2009-03-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

2009-03-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

2009-03-11T17:09:00.001-07:00

2009-03-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Thompson at age 21, near his cabin in the Catskills, NY.

2009-03-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.theparisreview.org/viewinterview.php/prmMID/4825

2009-03-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Valley of the Lot at Vers
André Derain
1912. Oil on canvas

2009-03-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

2009-03-11T16:08:00.001-07:00

2009-03-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

2009-03-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

He sat in his cell tapping his fingers on the bottle, thinking, it’s very sporting of them to give me this bottle. When he tapped at the glass it felt good on his fingers, spreading them a bit so, and getting the cool, clean touch. He had used whiskey before, found it made life bearable; took off the edge; was a good wash for minds that turned too fast: culling it, slowing it, settling it to a visible mark

http://http//www.brooklynrail.org/2008/05/fiction/20-tanks-from-kasseldown-by-charles-bukowski