Read:My:Back

LISTEN: Ennio Morricone's "Svolta Definitiva"

If you wake up tomorrow morning and the first sounds to drift through your head are the opening notes of this song, it's a fair bet that you're going to be involved in a wild car chase and/or kill somebody. Just ask Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, or Jill Ireland, all of whom star in the 1970 Italian crime thriller, Citta Violenta. (Later re-titled The Family for domestic release here in the States. Click here to watch the trailer.) 

As usual, Ennio Morricone's soundtrack is something pretty close to godhead, as especially evidenced by "Svolta Definitiva". (Which I have opened many radio shows with—when you get down to it, what better subtexts are there for radio broadcasts than wild car chases and revenge killings?) You can also find the song on the completely excellent (and by now, probably about as scarce as the original Citta Violenta soundtrack) Cherrystones Hidden Charms comp, which also has ace appearances from Dynastie Crisis, the Shadows, Mashmakhan, and Cher. Yes, that Cher.

WATCH: BBC4's "Synth Britannia" Documentary

I've been waiting for this one to turn up on YouTube for a while, and it was well worth the wait. BBC4's semi-recent (2010?) documentary chronicling the rise of Britain's electronic music scene/culture. Great insights from Daniel Miller (The Normal, Mute Records), Bernard Sumner (Joy Division), and Kraftwerk's Wolfgang Flür, who brilliantly summates:

"We saw [ourselves as] engineer musicians, instead of dancing boys on stage to arouse the girls."

Skinhead Reggae Kinda Nights

I'm still holding out hope that I'll track this one down on vinyl someday... But in the meantime, god bless whoever uploaded the entire Trojan Records Skinhead Reggae box set to Soundcloud. Part one is above, here are links to parts two and three.

"Saint of the Pit" by Diamanda Galás

It's reassuring to know that in 2012, I'm still able to freak people out and ruin their lives with the sound (and in this case, sight) of Diamanda Galás. Twenty years ago, this was a ritualistic component of my weekly radio show on WPRB—these days, I just wait for my wife to walk into the room and then fire up this video clip.

"Saint of the Pit" was released in 1986 and is the second piece from her AIDS-themed "Masque of the Red Death" triptych. Further nightmare fuel here and here. Stunning and utterly distrurbing.

Wedding Present Radio Sessions from 1992

The Wedding Present: The Black Session by Peplau

I've been to exactly one Wedding Present concert. They played Maxwell's sometime in 1993, and although they performed masterfully and were louder than a freakin' atomic bomb going off, the fact that "Dalliance" (or anything else from the brilliant Sea Monsters LP) did not figure into the setlist sort of tarnished the experience in my memory. Sea Monsters and Bettie Serveert's Palomine totally defined a particular era at WPRB for me, and even as those months were unfolding in realtime, getting stiffed on "Dalliance" was a palpable annoyance. Getting on twenty years later, this live radio session from around the same time makes me feel like it's finally time to forgive.

Originally heard on the Black Sessions program which broadcasts on France Inter (French Public Radio—"FPR", if you will...) this great-sounding set showcases the band at their creative peak, and David Gedge's vocals in their exquisite and froggy-like prime. That's not to suggest that their later material is anything to scoff at—many years after this performance, a reincarnated version of the band effortlessly blew a lot of minds (mine included) with the track "Interstate 5", and rightly so.

But I didn't come here to tell you that. (Focus, man, focus!) These sounds have been blaring forth from the official r:m:b sound system all morning, and show no signs of relinquishing their control any time soon.

Go forth and amplify!

The Ex—Live at the Knitting Factory, 1999

WFMU's Kurt Gottschalk recently forwarded a link to some amazing footage of The Ex performing live on a Paris streetcorner. Watching it quickly set me longing for the years in which I routinely saw The Ex perform knockout sets at the old Knitting Factory on Leonard Street. Let praise be freely distributed to whomever uploaded this 80 minute knockout video of one such concert, during which The Ex ably demonstrate why they are the single greatest and most inspiring band of current history. Any chance to see them perform live should be seized upon as though your life depended on it. No foolin', they are that good!

I'm sure I was at the Knitting Factory on this night—probably in my customary stance near the other side of the stage, knocking back a Maker's Mark and getting my head torn up in the most joyous manner possible: entirely at the hands of The Ex. The author of the original Blogotheque piece sent by Kurt summates this band pretty effectively when s/he writes:

"[The Ex] started their career in Amsterdam squats at the beginning of the DIY movement, played ten times in every single European and international venue, mixed their rock with the freest jazz, and then rooted it in the heart of Ethiopia. The Ex is a symbol for musical freedom in its most rigorous form."

Bravo, I say! For more written eloquence, check out these words from WFMU's Brian Turner, regarding the band's visit to his radio program in January of 2007.

The Ex frequently rotates the selection of free MP3s available on their website, so definitely grab these favorites while they're still in the mix.

Listen to the Painters | Hidegen Fújnak a Szelek (with Tom Cora) | Prism Song | It's a Sin

Late note regarding the Knitting Factory video: DO NOT MISS the psycho guitar improv that punctuates the song "Lump Sum Insomnia" (pay close attention beginning at the 58 minute mark). The song is from their Starters-Alternators album (1998) and remains a much-anticipated element of their live show. No wondering as to why!

Wiley's "Numb3rs in Action"

Direct from WFMU's Digital Dump dynasty comes this utterly blazin' new Wiley track. As has been the case for many other stateside enthusiasts of the UK grime/dubstep phenomenon, copycat artists and samey releases fizzled my attentions pretty quickly. (I'll never forget the first time I saw that first Dizzee Rascal video -- It was in a hotel room in France, and when the track started I was so immediately captivated that I literally told my bunk mate: "Shut up, I'm watching this.")

Under normal circumstances, I am never that rude unless it is absolutely necessary.

Anyway, it's great to see Wiley still at it and continuing to drop epic tracks like this. "Numb3rs in Action" is from the 100% Publishing album, coming this summer on the Big Dada label. More info via Ninjatune here.

Reggae Britannia

I would strongly urge you to watch this ASAP, before it gets yanked from YouTube. It's busting at the seams with excellent archival footage, as well as great interviews with scene kingpins and converts like Don Letts, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jerry Dammers, Viv Albertine, Dennis Bovell, and Stewart Copeland.

And can I just quickly add how jarring it is for me to imagine life in a place where quality art and culture are routinely celebrated the way they are in Britain? Can you imagine American network television producing a documentary of this caliber on any similar subject matter? The British youth culture fixations of my teens and twenties clearly paved the way for my more recent considerations of media, economics, and the complex paradigms that shape them. Considering the way we live, vote, and spend, is it any wonder that we so rarely feel any kind of kinship with the stories told on television?

Where are all the familiar faces?

 

The Iron Maiden scene from "Persepolis"

In further deference to my new life of being woefully behind the cultural curve, I finally watched "Persepolis", the uber-acclaimed animated French film from 2007, based on the graphic novel of the same name. The story considers the 1979 Iranian Revolution, as seen through the troubled gaze of a young innocent named Marjane. Like many other middle class Iranians of the era, Marjane's parents rally against the US-backed Shah, but end up remorseful over the rise of the Khomeini-led fundamentalist government that eventually assumes control.

The perhaps questionable role of graphic novels and political animation serving as historical documents notwithstanding, Persepolis recounts an exceptionally complicated series of events with admirable skill. The characters, especially Marjane and her grandmother (voiced by legendary French actress Dannielle Darrieux), are profoundly engaging and often wickedly funny in spite of the film's grave subtext. To the top of your Netflix cue, stat!

Butterfly Cupcakes

My wife is officially crazy. Not because she married me (zing!), but because she stayed up all night to hand craft a swarm of candy butterflies for our daughter's first birthday party cupcakes.

That a woman of such epic patience agreed to spend her life with a man who recently came close to putting his fist through a wall at his inability to assemble a ladybug-shaped tent is a remarkable thing indeed. (Note to non-parents: tasks such as "baking thematic cupcakes" or "assembling whimsical indoor tents" only became regular components of our lives after the arrival of our daughter. You should think very carefully about this before you start easing off the birth control.)

Anyway, chalk these cupcakes up as more proof that I don't have the patience for baking. I work in broad strokes, not pointillism. Nevertheless, I'm happy to stuff my face with the fruits of someone else's labor and find thematically suitable music for the occasion in the FMA. Use the player below to stream or download UK hip-hop trio Godmanwho perform the awesome "Slight Butterflies."