Song of the day: EMERGENCY BROADCAST NETWORK – Comply

Here’s something from nineties political cut-up video artists Emergency Broadcast Network for your delectation. They were to video what Steinski was to vinyl.
 

 

RYM – Some final thoughts

A few weeks ago I wrote a fairly innocuous article about online discography sites, and in particular Rate Your Music and Discogs. I happened to mention that I’d encountered homphobic, misogynist and borderline racist comments on the former site. I wasn’t implying that these were endorsed by the site, or the work of more than [...]

Cult Albums: #2 BEAUMONT HANNANT – Basic Data Manipulation: Tastes and Textures Vol. 2 (1993)

One for the “whatever happened to” file. Beaumont Hannant was a York-based electronic producer who was one of the most respected (and prolific) artists around the ‘Artificial Intelligence’ boom in the mid nineties (OK, IDM if you must). Recording for GPR, the Black Dog’s pre-Warp label, he released three full length albums and a whole [...]

Album: TRUE COLOUR OF BLOOD – All Of The True Things I’m About To Tell You Are Lies (Gears Of Sand 2008)

True Colour Of Blood is the recording alias of Eric Kesner from Washington, DC. All Of The True Things I’m About To Tell You Are Lies is an album containing ten tracks of dark ambient dronescapes put together using guitar, mixer and tape manipulation. There are no keyboards or samplers involved. Kesner says on his [...]

TV Review – The Passions Of Vaughan Williams (BBC4)

This August sees the fiftieth anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ death, and this has given rise to two films about the composer already this year. After Tony Palmer’s magnificent three hour film O Thou Transcendent shown on Channel Five on New Year’s Day, we get the BBC’s offering, The Passions Of Vaughan Williams. It was [...]

Cult Albums: #1 MIMI & RICHARD FARINA – Reflections In A Crystal Wind (1965)

There are probably thousands or more great records that have, for whatever reason, fallen through the cracks of history. Some are by obscure artists, and some by better known acts which have been unfairly overlooked. Then there are others that have a devoted cult following, but which are virtually unknown outside of their constituency. I [...]

Album: MATMOS – Supreme Balloon (Matador OLE799 2008)

Matmos seem to have more or less ditched the concept of having a concept with Supreme Balloon. Where previous outings by electro-collage boffins Drew Daniel and MC Schmidt had themes ranging from plastic surgery and rodent behaviour to the American Civil War, the latest album is a simple collection of retro-futurist electro-pop redolent of 1970s [...]

All Tomorrow’s Parties – Butlin’s, Minehead, 16 – 18/5/08.

Although I’m an ATP veteran, this was my first visit to the new site at Butlin’s in Minehead. It’s light years away from the WW2 prefabs and tacky sixties décor of Camber Sands. It’s also a lot bigger, and so there were a hell of a lot more people milling around than I was used [...]