LOVE SPECTACLE

I just got my hands on a copy of "Love Spectacle," a CD by Peter Litvin that I've been waiting for about six months.
I'm probably biased because I've been close to the process and waiting for it to be ready for so long that the first listen is going to sound perfect, and right now, as I listen to "wonders of the world" (track 10 of the 12 songs that Litvin delivers,) my only thought is how refreshing the music is.
After a year of listening to the Brooklyn "boom," some metal and electro-dance,pop, and of course, always listening to the radio, I finally hear something that stays in my brain without my head wanting to kick it out of there, but instead, inviting the songs to stay.
How refreshing is that?
When was the last time you actually felt that?
Well, I won't review "love Spectacle" because I have endless things to say about it, so I'm better listening to it.
Here's my favorite song: "Too much" although I wouldn't say this specific song is the x-ray of "love Spectacle."

If you want to check out other songs here's "Photograph"

I should've probably uploaded "Roller Coaster" which according to Litvin, has elements of every song that appears in the record, but I like other songs best (although it's hard to pick.)
If you still want more, click on the title of this post or go to the iTunes store.

MORE ABOUT MUSIC CRITICISM

I can't help to spend my time thinking about music criticism. How "important" and well delivered is what X journalist is saying about something? How much I agree or disagree with his ideas?
While I'm not thinking about music journalism, I'm either listening to music, reading music books, or reading books about music journalism. But it turns even worse when I find a passage like the one I ran into today in "Killling yourself to live" by Chuck Klosterman:
"Right now, most Rock journalism is just mild criticism with Q&A attached; nobody learns anything (usually) and nothing new is created (ever)." I agree.
But, what am I doing about it?...
Nothing, because (and I'll have to quote Klosterman again), the truth is that popular culture works when "you allow yourself to be convinced you're sharing a reality that doesn't exist."

BEIRUT

Every once in a while I mention music and politics. Well, here comes again. I don't know if you're aware of what's going on in Palestine, but Israel has taken over almost all their territory. If you take a look to a picture of Palestine and the Israeli occupation, this is what you'll see

Anyway, the relation with music comes here...very abstract, or maybe not?
Last Thursday (May14) a new hospital for Palestinian refugees was inaugurated in Beirut (Lebanon), and as a coincidence, I just got a great concert of the band Beirut. They performed in February @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg and I missed them because it was sold out, but things come to me when they're supposed to, and I'll share them with you, so here's a part of Beirut's beautiful concert, but before you click, think about all the interesting things they do with fusion (to give you an idea, here's a quote from their myspace: "a trumpet from Paris, farfisa organ, accordion, piano, ukelele, mandolin, glockenspiel, violin, cello, tambourine, The air powered organ I bought on twelth street, Congo drum donated from the neighbors....A broken microphone stolen from the university of new mexico...."), in this concert they even covered "Brazil". I wish the same would happen in real life

Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com

BRAIN TRUST

On a recent "Discover" magazine, they published on the last page "20 things you don't know about time". I've always had a hard time thinking that music is an event that occurs in time, because, what if time as we know it didn't exist?. Anyway, I'm pretty sure music EXISTS, but what if you read this?:

"time is an illusion, Lunchtime doubly so," joked Douglas Adams in The Hitchhicker's guide to the galaxy. Scientist aren't laughing, though. Some speculative new physiscs theories suggest that time emerges from a more fundamental-and timeless-reality."

QUESTION 6

Barak Obama was elected which makes me believe in human kind. I'm optimistic, and hopefully racial attacks will cease, and there may be peace, as Dee Dee Bridgewater sang while collecting founds for Obama's campaign. But singers and racial conflict have always been related and here comes my question:

Which 1964 song was Nina Simone's response to the killing of Medgar Evers by a white gang?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GpOGtGCLyk

Mississipi Goddam
Medgar Evers was a civil rights activists from Mississipi and was murdered by Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

And now that we're into songs related with human rights listen to this classic.
Strange fruit, an anthem that can be one of the firs anti racism songs remembered, specially in Billie Holiday's voice

MUSIC-POLITICS-MUSIC

These days there's a lot to say about music and politics. John McCain has been sued by the Foo Fighters for using their song "My Heroe" in rallies, and last month the band Heart demanded that the McCain campaign stop playing its song “Barracuda” in public appearances by Sarah Palin. At the same time musicians are gathering in NYC to found raise for Barak Obama's campaign. But to open the relationship between music and politics I was checking out DJ Olive's myspace because I love his music. I met him in SIM, the free music workshop I took in August and it turns out that all the music I love has a weird way of relating so he's playing a set next Friday Oct 17 at The Bunker. Anyway, I went to his myspace and this picture caught my eye

Woodie Guthrie
I went to his home page and this is the first quote you see
"A folk song is what's wrong and how to fix it or it could be
who's hungry and where their mouth is or
who's out of work and where the job is or
who's broke and where the money is or
who's carrying a gun and where the peace is.”

If you click on the title of this post you'll automatically go to his page. And if you want to check out DJ Olive go to http://www.myspace.com/theaudiojanitor

MUSIC MATH

All the 3.1416 (Pi...I guess my computer has that sign hidden so I wouldn't even think about using it), the Fibonacci series, and perfect proportion on music that's shown in master classical works was lost with some rock musicians that forgot how to count. I just want to see where you're standing so let's start with my math pop-quiz for today.
Multiply The Beatles' days in a week by the number of times The Doors want you to love them



yes, pretty simple uh?
8*2=16 ( I guess my comp's hidding my multiplication sign also)
Greetings,
The stupid Alien

SANTA MARADONA: THE PASSION OF LIFE

I'm not a football fan, but last Saturday Colombia lost a match again. Nothing new for the last 5 years. My friends who are football freaks felt defeated and to feel better they played the classic 1994 match 5-0 Colombia-Argentina.
Afterwards they showed me a video that inspired me for this post.
Music's life, football's life, life is passion but LIFE IS LIFE!
Take a look to Diego Armando Maradona dancing to Life is Life during a warm up and you'll understand why they say, well, that music's life

NIN CONCERT CANCELLED

Pic. by raquel Castaño

Everybody's upset because NIN's concert that was programmed for Oct. 12 2008 was cancelled in Bogotá, Colombia (South America).
There was a lot of speculation about the cancelation but Alfredo villaveces, Evenpro's representative was clear when he said that it was the band who decided to cancel the concert because it's not a profitable show if you think about the production expenses and all the equipment that needs to be transported and stored for the show.
Yes, it's true it's easier to have the gig in the U.S, but what about the music? and the fans? and the experience?. I guess some people forget about the beauty of art when money comes in the way, and I'm not saying they should loose money, but WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC?
Well, NIN also cancelled their shows in Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre and Trent Reznor wouldn't dare to talk to Colombian media.
So, eventhough I like NIN's music, it looks like they've forgotten about it and this is just bussines, so here's something I want you to think about. Specially you colombian NIN fans (just so you stop blaming Evenpro):
It's true Trent Reznor is responsible for creating the first industrial album to sell a million copies with Pretty Hate Machine in which he wrote the songs, coproduced and played every instrument. But beyond that, and the fact that you can enjoy NIN's music for purely enterteinment and not a critical experience, what's the ultimate creation of Reznor?.
Really, I mean, we're talking about a guy that described himself in 1997 in a Spin interview like this: "I'm boring...and I kind of made this pact with myself that I would just be honest(...)I am 31. I was born in Pennsylvania. I wasn't a male prostitute. I'm not gay. My tongue is my own. It's not like a Marilyn Manson situation".
So I guess I agree with Melissa Maerz (senior editor of Rolling Stone) when she says that "ultimately the most interesting art reznor has ever created is Marilyn Manson".
So yes, the show was canceled but still, Marilyn Manson WAS in Bogotá. So no worries.