Wednesday, December 26, 2007

This I believe.

I believe in the random line

accidental color

chance glimpses behind

veils of delusion

*

Perhaps Jimi Hendrix presaged

waterboarding when he wrote

"feel like I'm living at the bottom of the bay."

But also, to be forced to breath

air--isn't that a form of torture as well?

Call it . . . in-hell-ation.

Consciousness is given just enough oxygen to realize that it is doomed.

*

Still, as Cioran pointed out, each moment of this tedious hell is a sublime miracle.
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Sunday, December 23, 2007

The 3rd album by Tomahawk

I picked up this cd in Missoula the other day.

It's pretty good stuff--but there are certain questions of appropriation.

"All tunes are original arrangements inspired by native american material from the late 19th century."

That's it for information on what the original sources are.

I would hesitate to play this music for the Indians I've worked with in my studio.

Ultimately, I think it could all be worked out. There just needs to be more specific reference to the original sources.

I've got some amazing stuff on vinyl of field recordings made in Montana in the 50's and 60's.

Apparently, this is stuff that is TRANSCRIBED by anthropologists or ethnomusicologists--there just isn't enough information in the packaging or at the Ipecac website.

Www.Ipecac.com

Actually, I really like the music, I'm just disappointed that there isn't more direct acknowledgement of where its coming from.

The "Anonymous" title also bothers me. Mike Patton has borrowed riffs from the Ramayana Monkey Chant for years. All music is derived from other sounds. Bartok doesn't specifically reference the folktunes he appropriates. Yet, in our time, we can now easily refer to our sources.

"Anonymous" seems pretty lazy. The borrowings on this album range, it would seem, from Hopi, to Crow, to Blackfeet, to . . . I don't know.
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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Time Machine

Bought this device at a garage sale

a while back.

Happened to get it out the other day

wind it up and set it in motion.

*

Haven't seen it since.

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