Am I an Internet Whore?

I just joined Friendster. This may be my biggest mistake since starting this blog. I'm not saying that I don't like this blog. I do. But sometimes it makes me a little uncomfortable.

If any of you are on Friendster, send me an email, and we can become "friends" (in the Friendster sense—imagine me shuddering in distaste).

I've also started a second blog. It's for my 16th and 17th century French poetry class (though the first post is on a poem of Baudelaire's). There is little reason for anyone besides my classmates to read it, but you should check out the title, which I will explaine next time I post.

A Wake

My beloved Automatic Pearl Blog is no longer. I'm not quite sure what about it I found so intriguing, but I will miss it.

Reagan Cultism Burgeoning

The apotheosis of the late Ronald Regan?

Ay Ay Ole!

It's not often that I am genuinely blown away by something that I stumble across on the internet. On those occasional times when this does happen, it is usually the graphic design and interface that leave me speechless. I was thus particularly stunned last night to come across one of the best web sites I have found in years and find myself liking it not for its graphic design (which was functional), or for its interface (mediocre), but for its content. Flamenco Guitar Transcriptions was obviously a labour of love. Despite that the site is in some sense advertising for a set of two books that the author has put together (one for Soleares, the other for Siguiriyas—both very reasonably priced at 30 Euros), there is still a wealth of information available that is wonderfully organized. My favourite parts trace the historical evolution of different falsetas (fancy guitar licks that fit within a particular compas (rythmic structure, of which Soleares and Siguiriyas are two examples)). There are only a handful of examples online (many more are available in the books), but they are worth checking out for the short recorded examples, even if you don't play or listen to much flamenco. Start with the evolution of a Soleares falseta, and then check out variations in the alzapua technique throughout history. From the latter, I especially enjoyed the little snippet of Montoya from 1936.

Ahoy to the New Year

Much has happened in times of late. I've spent three wonderful weeks in Vancouver, where I enjoyed many heart filled times with old friends. It's good to see everyone, even if we're all not in the best of places. In that spirit, I'm listening to an album I recently rediscovered, Radiohead's "Amnesiac". Depending on my mood, this album will sometimes get my vote for their best album. Though "Ok Computer" was perhaps a more impressive studio effort, "Amnesiac" tends to suit my mood more often (Jedd and I exchanged parts of this conversation less than a week ago). Perhaps we should all light a candle for Evan's soul. No, it's alright, Evan doesn't believe that he has a soul.

In a similar vein, I've also rediscovered what has been, for me, Blind Melon's most enduring album. "Nico" contains an excellent rendition of "The Pusher", an awesome recording from an answering machine ("Letters from a Porcupine") and a heart wrenching ballad (of sorts, what really is a ballad), "Soul One". It is a fine piece of songwriting.

I'm hitting the sack early tonight. It's about two, but many of my friends are still at a house party. Today's been sort of a hectic day, especially considering that I'm still on vacation. I spent all day prepping for the evening which included dinner for an old friend recently returned from France and a Scotch tasting that I was co-leading. Dinner was good. A simple moules marinière with good baguette and some good cheese. We enjoyed a very tasty (for the price, $6.99USD) Bergerac Sec from Seigneurs de Bergerac (2003). Mostly Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon with a splash of Muscadelle, the wine was delicious on its own but also paired nicely with the mussels.

As for the Scotch:

We started with the Auchentoshan 10 yrs (Lowland). Very nice rounded caramel nose with a smooth palette. Fruity a smooth (these notes are a little pathetic as I didn't write anything down at the time).
Now in simple order of appearance:
Balvenie 10 (Speyside)
Bunnahabhain 12 (Islay)
Cragganmore 12 (Speyside)
Laphroaig 10 (Islay with a kick in the chops)

Cragganmore was my favourite, though I always love a good healthy kick in the chops.

I must head to sleep. Good night to all.

Deep Futurism

Jedd and I have just returned from a lovely night at the Legion. We're about to hit the sack—sort of an early night—and are listening to some Common before we put ourselves to bed with a new (relatively) Ezekiel Honig track. A few months back, while surfing Amazon I discovered a free downloads section. Generally, any music that is genuinely available for free is not worth listening to, but this little ambient piece by Honig, "More Human than Human", stood out from all the chaff. Honig takes you through a mood, leaving nothing to hold onto, and by the end, you're left wondering how you got there. (We're just listening to the song again now—it's still just as good—sublime.) We decided to look around and see what else Honig has produced. A quick search on Amazon produced an album and an Ep. According to a customer review of the album, anyone interested in 'deep futurism' really needs to check this album out. I'd certainly say that anyone interested in good music who is even moderately versed in electronic music should check this album out, but what is 'deep futurism'. As tempted as I am to launch into a diatribe against meaningless genre distinctions, it is not only a hackneyed subject, but the the name, 'deep futurism', is suprisingly fitting for this particular track. There is a depth to it, which is to say that it brings you into another world, you feel ensconced in a different paradigm. There is also an obvious futurism, you can't help but feel that you are living in a post-modern age partly free from referentiality as you listen to this track. The track captures a certain existential joy filled angst that can be concomitant with a loosening sense of objectivity. The music could equally be described as ambient glitch, but that would be a more technical name, that wouldn't capture some of it's heart. Whatever it is, I suggest you give Ezekiel a try. Jedd and I will be looking for more of his music soon and we will update if the quality is wildly divergent.