nevermind the bricolage

Paula Scher-The World

  

Graphic designer Paula Scher has created The World, an image reflecting information overload and, according to the information provided with the work, "presenting the world as made up of swirling information streams that are always changing, often inaccurate, while somewhat illuminating. It is expressionistic information." It reminds me a little of Stanley Donwoods work for Radiohead.

 

 

sodade

 

This is what we lost with Cesaria's passing.

Bing + Bowie = kind of strange

 

Not much of a believer

India was wonderful on so many levels, not the least of which was just not being in my regular life, which has been fraught with a lot of tension and turmoil for the past couple of years, both personally and vocationally. Sometimes being able to step outside of things is a gift and sometimes, as was the case this time, it can become a catalyst to a bit of an internal meltdown. The past couple of times I have gone away to stranger-than-usual-environs I have returned and proceeded to experience some intense emotional turmoil. Why it surprised me this time around I don't know, but it did.

I am in the process of questioning pretty much everything about my life--and I mean my whole life. To be honest, my entire world feels to be in a state of flux and transition. On some levels, this is nothing new, I am one of those people who is always slightly uneasy in life, always wondering, searching, feeling that things are a little skewed...can be difficult for those around me. I am not easy, I get that.

Jobs

Pretty much every bookshop I came across in India had one title on prominent display--the Steve Jobs biography, evidence perhaps of the influence of the tech revolution on Indian society?

 

public passings

Hitchens, Havel, Evora, Jong Il--that is a major dent in public figures who have passed in the last couple of days. Christopher hitchens has had a lot of column space devoted to his final months and the accolades have been pouring out from everywhere. Havel, must go down as one of the most significant political figures of the late 20th century a poet-politician whose way with words was matched by an abiltiy to stir and move a nation. I saw Cesaria Evora, the Barefoot Diva, at the height of her fame--saudade--that was her domain, and of that kind of love song, Nick Cave wrote,

"We all experience within us what the Portuguese call "saudade", an inexplicable longing, an unnamed and enigmatic yearning of the soul, and it is this feeling that lives in the realms of imagination and inspiration, and is the breeding ground for the sad song, for the love song. Saudade is the desire to be transported from darkness into light, to be touched by the hand of that which is not of this world. The love song is the light of God, deep down, blasting up though our wounds."--that sums up what her music did to you.

And today the demise of Kim Jong Il, North Korea's leader--what can be said about the man? Not much good will be said, of that I am pretty certain, and probably, given the apparent plight of his nation, there shouldn't be. It will be interesting to see what comes of that nation now that his son, the appointed heir, takes over--more of the same or maybe, just maybe, the possibility of something entirely other happening in and to that country--for the sake of the people you certainly hope so.

mark evans primal

I had the great fortune to meet artist mark Evans at his pop-up gallery/show Primal on Beverly Boulevard. Mark works a very simple process--knives on leather-a series of cuts and hand-tanning for effect and voila! Amazing works of art--they look like photos and it is hard to imagine that the works are actually made up of tiny cuts in leather--breath-taking actually. He has spent quite some time doing commission work but this is his first US exhibit of his work, if you are in LA, it's definitely worth a look.

Hovey Design

The Hovey sisters' have a keen eye for design and their blogs are frequent visits for me. They've just launched a design company and I love the room pictured above, right up my alley, I am a big fan of that old colonial with a hint of new thrown in-look.

Incomplete Lists

'We Like Lists Because We Don't Want to Die'--Umberto Eco, The Infinity of Lists.

It's the end of year, time for everywhere magazine and media outlet of every kind to publish it's best-of-lists. I resist Top Ten lists really because I can seldom reduce things down to a top ten, particuarly when it comes to something like music for instance. So here is my Incomplete List Of Music I Liked Very Much In 2011 That I Will Keep Listening To In 2010--in no particular order...

Meshell NdegeOcello: Weather--produced by Joe Henry--poppier and more accessible than her previous releases--still for my money one of the most interesting musicians out there--funky-arsed bass player too!

Joseph Arthur: The Graduation Ceremony--prime example that the music world revolves around so much more than sheer talent, if that were the case this man would be filling stadiums---ethereal, spiritual, earthy, sensual, melodic, sexual, poetic, rhythmic---a song-writer and painter--always great, always

Josh T Pearson: Last of the Country Gentlemen--Paris based, Texas musician records this in Berlin--dark, aching with melancholy , dont-listen-if-you-already-feel-down music

DRC Music: Kinshasa One Two---Damon Albarn and friends hit Congo, and Congo hits back---organic afro-western musical hybrids--Albarn is the David Livingstone of musical explorers!

Bjork: Biophilia--Bjork, come on, does anyone else release a ground-breaking App for her new work, invent new instruments and make some of the most amazing musical journeys in popular music, no they don't but Bjork does, every time she leaves the house to go to the recording studio.

Tom Waits: Bad As Me--First new work in a long time, doesn't dispappoint--brings a couple of new vocal stylings and Keith Richards to the table--the pair of them together is a gem of an idea.

Little Dragon: Ritual Union--Sweden--it's not just Abba and massive pop hit factories--it's a little corner of the electronica-hip-hop-r+b future and this outfit is a big part of it

Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi--If Nick Cave likes her, so do I know---guitar playing chanteuse, drowning in echo and ache, girl can wail vocally and instrumentally

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake--go on play the zither, see if we care--sharp lyrics about the current state of Britain and the world--Polly Jean brings it again, a must-have musical offering

Radiohead: King of Limbs--Yorke et al. go all Doobie Brothers with double drummers and tear a whole in expectatons yet again--they spawn a remix avalanche and invite their listeners to stretch once again--fucking brilliant!

Seun Kuti: From Africa with Fury--Youngest son of the great Fela--picked up his old man's band and brings the afro-funk all over again--

Baxter Dury: Happy Soup---son of Ian, lays claim to his dad's legacy by crafting insightful catchy tunes that are in no way reminiscent to what his dad did!!

Hollie Cook: Hollie Cook--daughter of Paul Cook, Sex Pistol's drummer, makes a cool reggae album--nuff said'--it's not all Bob Marley you know!!

Rolling Stones: Some Girls--it's not new, but it's been given the remix treatment by the band and Don Was and it is a reminder of the Stones picking their way through the debris of the punk explosion and finding legitimacy again-politically incorrect and sexy as hell.

Sigur Ros: Inni--live tracks, moody black and white film--Icelandic opus band--nuff said

Thievery Corporation: Culture of Fear--just buy it

The Black Keys: El Camino--opening track sounds like the Clash for a brief moment--this is to be played loud and often--cementing their blues-rock cred these boys bring it every time.

James Blake: James Blake--fractured fragments of zen-angst for the 21st century--hunt down his cover of Joni MItchell's Case of You and all will become clear--can't say enough good things about this release or this guy in general

There is so much more---a good year for music, so much great stuff out there these days--but I stand by any and all of these selections as well worth the hearing.

 

 

 

 

re-entry

I have had a bit of a difficult time with re-entry to the digital world since my return from India. Travel seems to be messing with my head this past couple of years. I find myself deeply reflective, and mostly troubled, when I return from abroad. I have a sense, which I have expressed here a number of times, that it is time for a major overhaul in my life. That is partially underway, but it seems that journeying outside my regular environs is a deep reminder of how disjointed I feel at present and how much I need to make some big moves--it's just the 'whats and wheres' that I havent quite figured out yet. All that to say that I am taking my time with getting back to postings etc. so please forgive the lack of new content, it will be coming, but a slower than usual.

I have been playing around with an iPad app called Clibe, which is a digital diary app--functions like a regular print journal, but with a few digital extras--it's a bit glitchy at times, but they seem to be fixing most of them fairly quickly. I have been a major diary/journal keeper for years so I have added this process to my usual paper journal work--a different medium provokes different things from me so its been fun.