There are many blossoms of great beauty – many indeed. But they cannot compare with the beauty of the blossoms of blossom town, for these bossoms also have human feelings. – Sharebon. Books of Wits and Fashion. (Early Japanese Literature: An Anthology 1600-1900)

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“Saturn Strobe. Recent Minimalist Extract. Moka’s Birthday.”

01. Goldmund - Gifts
The Malady Of Elegance (Type, 2008)
02. Brian Eno – Panic of Looking
Panic of Looking (Warp Records, 2011)
03. Hauschka - Mount Hood
Foreign Landscapes (Fat Cat, 2010)
04. Pantha du Prince – Saturn Strobe
This Bliss (Dial, 2007)
05. Helios - Convivium
Unleft (Unseen Music/Forced Exposure, 2010)
06. So Percussion – Aluminum
Treasure State (Cantaloupe, 2010)
07. Boxcutter - Panama
The Dissolve (Planet Mu, 2011)

Note: Everybody says Happy Birthday to Moka. (I am late again. But I think she will just grin this time.) I don’t have many albums in my head this year, so this one is not the usual edgy pop. Instead it’s a minimalism pushed all the way near pop sensibility. An old project, how to make less common music more accessible. Basically, it’s a pop music for 2 am. in the middle of cold winter. A little cold, somewhat alone, with a tinge of warm love. Imagine having a penthouse in Finland somewhere. 30th floor with a view of city and endless field of snow on the background. Late night. Put on a good headphone and watch the night float away… I’ve been watching a lot of japanese movie, this is my impression of minimalist mood and narrative links between songs. I think at least it’s functional and doesn’t wake up the neighbor.

Image: harold.lloyd

“The word arse is as much god as the word face.  It must be so, otherwise you cut off your god at the waist.”

List of songs about or related to body parts. More textural than literal, onomatopoeia, gesture and touch. Blues, jazz and some Lord Quas for the heads.

+ Townes Van Zandt – Lungs
(Townes Van Zandt, 1969)

+ Dorothy Ashby – The Moving Finger
(The Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby, 1970)

+ Horace Silver - I’ve had a little talk
(Total Response, 1971)

+ Colosseum II – All Skin & Bone
(Electric Savage, 1977)

+ John Sangster – Hair
(Ahead of Hair, 1969)

+ Roger Waters and Ron Geesin – Mrs. Throat goes Walking
(Music from the body, 1970)

+ Quasimoto – Come on Feet
(The Unseen, 2000)

If you can think of any other good songs about body parts, please comment below. I’m building a collection…

art: Horace Silver – Total Response (detail of left panel of inner gatefold)
quote: DH Lawrence

a.

Photo: Lars Tunbjörk

• Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - No One Is (As I Are Be)
  Mirror Traffic (Matador, 2011)
• Deerhunter – Desire Lines
  Halcyon Digest (4ad, 2010)
• Dj Shadow - Scale It Back
  The Less You Know, The Better (Roc-A-Fella, 2011)
• Julianna Barwick - Vow (Diplo & Lunice Remix)
  The Matrimony Remixes (Asthmatic Kitty, 2011)
• Steve Mason - Lost and Found
  Boys Outside (Double Six, 2010)
• James Figurine - Apologies (John Tejada Remix)
  Forgive Your Friends (Monika Enterprise, 2006)

The winter is just around the corner, and the last entry which I had around here, was totally dedicated to summer.
Never too late for a welcome to an omnipresent autumn.
Regarding the playlist … I wasn’t very sure about including that Deerhunter song, although it is one of my favorites  from the group. I got stuck in the idea that it disrupts the overall mood of the other songs … in the end, though, I wanted it to reach out and I dared to include it. Hope it doesn’t affect your enjoyment and you enjoy the rest of the selections.

Photo: Hotel Basico. Playa del Carmen.

Belated summer / continental nostalgia.

• Andrew Sisters – Rum & Coca Cola
  Rum & Coca Cola (1944)
• Cesaria Evora – Sodade
  Miss Perfumado (Lusafrica, 1992)
• Os Mutantes – Bat Macumba
  Os Mutantes (1968)
• Seu Jorge – Bem Querer
  Cru (Naïve, 2004)
• Vinícius Cantuária – India
  Silva (Hannibal, 2005)
• Arto Lindsay – Simply Beautiful
  Mundo Civilizado (Bar None, 1996)

I’ve gone missing for the best part of the summer. Not really doing anything meaningful, mostly hypnotized and reckless.  Love will do that to you. No excuses this time.
Right now the hurricane Jova is painting the Mexican coast with rain and it’s forcing me to stay indoors all week (good news for MdM) and since I’m all sorts of a rebellious escapist I’ll call in the hidden suns with some warm, sensuous – mostly – brazilian music. I owe you a whole summer after all. Please enjoy this playlist as an apology.

note: In the past few years we were using the playtagger script to stream mp3s. As some of you may know, Yahoo! has sold the delicious to Avos and playtagger has been axed by their development team. And so, we’re left with two options: Yahoo!’s webplayer or Aol’s streampad, the former is the most similar to the one we had before and the later is less invasive but it’s hard to notice if you don’t know it’s there (check the bottom of the page as it is the one we’re currently using). The good thing about both is that they allow a continuous stream of the playlist, a feat missing from playtagger. Comment away if you know about a third option or if you’d like us to switch to the yahoo! webplayer.

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Today’s list is nostalgic, and includes a track by John Fahey (who I initially discovered on this very website). It’s slightly warped playlist to listen to on a sunday drive. Just like the pumpkins in the photo, it’s earthy and organic, but in a slightly bent and malformed way. Folky, country, electronic and exotic. A few of these original pressings fetch a mighty dollar online, so enjoy the rips.

1. John Sangster - Sunrise
(Australia And All That Jazz Vol.1)

2. Vashti Bunyan – Diamond Day
(Just Another Diamond Day)

3. John Fahey - In Christ There Is No East Or West
(The Legend Of Blind Joe Death)

4. Matthew Young - Dummy Line
(Traveller’s Advisory)

5. Matthew Larkin Cassell – In My Life
(Pieces)

6. Tony Wilson – I Can’t Leave it Alone
(I Like Your Style)

7. Nino Nardini & Roger Roger – Tropical
(Jungle Obsession)