Play list: 11.07.06

And so a whole month passes. He's what's been on as of late:

• Bach, Goldberg Variations performed by Gould
• Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
• John Coltrane, First Meditations
• The Smiths, The Queen is Dead

Play list: 10.03.06 (The Return of Miles)

Ok, so Miles is back with a vengeance. I've spent the last few days listening to "Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X" from On The Corner, Miles's notorious funk album. While the album remains one of my least favorite from the electric period, "Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X" is an underrated gem. The over-dubbed drum parts alone are worth checking out.

• Miles Davis, On The Corner
• Miles Davis, Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel
• Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Play list: 09.24.06

Looking over these entries, it occurred to me I haven't listened to too much jazz as of late. I have no idea why, as over the past few years, I've listened to more jazz than any other genre. Perhaps I reached some sort of burn out. Anyway, here's what's been on over the past week:

• Einsturzende Neubauten, Strategies Against Architecture
• Bob Dylan, Modern Times
• Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
• David Bowie, Low

Play list: 09.18.06

It's been a few weeks, but here's what's been on rotation as of late.

• Bob Dylan, Modern Times
• Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
• Melvins, Ozma
• Guided by Voices, Bee Thousand

Play list: 08.27.06

Every once in a great while I come across music that is truly different, genuinely extraordinary, and original. This week I discovered The Dillinger Escape Plan's Calculating Infinity, and it certainly deserves special note. While it has certain medium-tempo minor-key noodly sections that loose my interest, when it burns, it's quite exceptional. Highly recommended for those who like their music on the noisy side.

• The Dillinger Escape Plan, Calculating Infinity
• The Band, Music From Big Pink

Play list: 08.20.06

I've been trying to think of something useful to do with this blog space, and it occurred to me that I could use it as a record of my weekly listenings--if nothing else, it'll be interesting to revisit as I continue in my grad program to see if or how my interests may change. I'm always fond of browsing such lists, so here's my contribution. As always, feel free to comment. I'll try to update every week.

Week of 08.20.06

• The Jesus Lizard, Liar
• Wire, Pink Flag
• Sinead O'Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
• Pere Ubu, Terminal Tower
• Anthony Braxton, Quartet (Dortmund) 1976
• Julian Cope, Peggy Suicide
• Daniel Carter, William Parker, Federico Ughi, The Dream

End of the semester

I've reached the end of the semester and my first year as a graduate student in ethnomusicology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The semester was a good one, although things were intense at the end, writing four papers for my different seminars: Research Methods in Women's Studies, Music and Culture Workshop, Research Methods and Materials in Music, and Nietzsche and Schopenhauer's Ethical Responses to Suffering. My paper topics were all over the board: one paper on Johnny Cash and femicidal violence in American Recordings, a significant rewrite of my Max Roach's Politics of Sound, a paper on Nietzsche and music, and a final paper on music and violence. The last will hopefully function as the basis for my M.A. thesis; the paper on Johnny Cash will also be part of it.

I'm currently working on a separate self-reflexive project in which I am attempting to determine what music most resonates with me and why. Having listened to music intensely for almost all my life, I'm finally going to turn my gaze inward a bit to figure out exactly what music makes me tick. Solipsism, to be sure, but I think it worthwhile nonetheless, especially if I'm to write about music in others' lives. So I'm looking at this as a sort of musical autobiography more than anything else. I am attempting, ultimately, to be ruthlessly self-aware about my musical tastes, taking into account notions of Bourdieuian taste, the ideology of the aesthetic, and so forth. Anyway, perhaps nothing will come of it, but it will be fun nonetheless.

World music, NASA style

There's some fascinating information about the Voyager mission and a Golden Record sent along "intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials."

From NASA's web site:

"The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record--a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. The contents of the record were selected for NASA by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan of Cornell University. Dr. Sagan and his associates assembled 115 images and a variety of natural sounds, such as those made by surf, wind and thunder, birds, whales, and other animals. To this they added musical selections from different cultures and eras, and spoken greetings from Earth-people in fifty-five languages, and printed messages from President Carter and U.N. Secretary General Waldheim."

The music on the disc can be found at NASA's Voyager mission Web site

Daily dose of anarchism

Just watched the Democracy Now! dramatization of readings from Howard Zinn's Voices of a People's History of the United States. Good stuff. Haven't read much Emma Goldmann lately, but worth revisiting. Check out Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty.

Listening list

On rotation as of late:

Getz/Gilberto -- Getz/Gilberto
Walter Gieseking -- Debussy, Preludes
AMM -- The Inexhaustible Document
"Ugly Music for Beautiful People" Podcast -- 02/02/06 broadcast
Bad Brains -- Rock for Light
Curtis Mayfield -- Superfly
Bob Moses -- When Elephants Dream of Music

Special study music

• Paul Motian -- Dance
• Edward Vesala -- Lumi

Podcasts

I've been enjoying two podcasts as of late, both worth checking out.

1) "D.D. Jackson's Living Jazz Podcast," available from iTunes and his Website, is an interesting approach to documenting the life of a jazz musician. In particular, check out podcast number three for intriguing comparisons between jazz and theatrical improvisation. Well worth a listen.

2) "Ugly Music for Beautiful People," perhaps a forced title, has some really interesting selections on it as well -- also available from iTunes. Ed Corcoran DJs the show and runs a blog here on Blogger. I've been introduced to a lot in only two shows, and am endlessly listening to the David Thomas Broughton song that starts the 02/02/06 show. Great stuff. Must go out and pick it up at somepoint.