Here's a concept I basically ripped right off from my friend and learned colleague, Ben. As a means of compensation, let me heartily recommend the man's own weblog, wherein Ben posts his daily ruminations, documents the travails of a struggling singer/songwriter and hosts much of his own original music. It's good stuff -- do check it out.
In any case, in rotation this month…..
MUSIC: With our relatively brand-spankin' new addition to the household taking up much of my waking hours, I haven't had quite as much time to devote to my otherwise-rampant music consumption of late (though there are always things I'm looking for and listening to). The last album I was genuinely thrilled to find (after unsuccessfully trying to prize a copy online) was The Ape of Naples by Coil, which I managed to pick up at Other Music. Tragically, this album serves as Coil's final chapter, as the band's vocalist/lyricist, Jhonn Balance, passed away suddenly in 2004. Posthumously orchestrated by surviving member, Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson (erstwhile member of the legendarily transgressive Throbbing Gristle), The Ape of Naples should, by rights, sound disjointed and unfinished, but plays more like a seamlessly realized labor of love. As haunting, evocative and wilfully unsettling as on the band's finest work, Balance's performance here is steeped in an almost unearthly prescience, as if he knew his end was looming. Like much of Coil's catalog, this album isn't quite right for every occaision (playing it on my iPod while walking through midtown Manhattan on a bright, sunny Summer day makes for a truly incongruous listening experience), but is a striking collection of music.
FILM: I honestly cannot recall the last time I went to the movies (for reasons why, please avail yourselves to this previous post), but the last film I layed eyes on was "The White Countess," featuring Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson. I was quite enjoying it, but Peggy fell asleep a quarter of the way into it (ah, the perils of watching movies on our couch), so I feel I'd be remiss in submitting a full review, having not finished watching it. The same night, we also rented Steve Martin's "Shopgirl," featuring Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman, but found even the opening fifteen minutes so unbelievably poor that we abandoned ship. "Shopgirl" gets the Flaming Pablum gasface!
WEBSITE: God Bless YouTube!
TEXT: At the moment, I'm reading Dan Leroy's book for Continuum's 33 1/3 series on the Beastie Boys' landmark second album, Paul's Boutique, but -- in due course -- I'm looking forward to putting that down and starting "The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup" by Matt Weiland and my good friend, Sean Wilsey.
LYRIC/QUOTE: Everyone thinks I'm a creep here/but the drinks -- they are so cheap here. [Firewater]
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