If You Find The Earth Boring...

For better or worse, I’ve always associated the Slits with X-Ray Spex, maybe because I discovered both bands about the same time way back.  I’m very saddened to think we’ve lost both Ari Up and Poly Styrene (read here, here, and a great interview with her here) to cancer in the span of one year.  Gonna give Germ Free Adolescents a few spins when I get home.

Many weeks ago I was on the road for a meeting in San Francisco.  In between the long hours of multi-day workshops, what seemed like never-ending presentations, and catching up with friends and colleagues, I took a break by ducking out of the meeting one evening and headed into the mission district to Aquarius Records and an in-store performance from neo-traditionalist acoustic guitarist Marisa Anderson. Being a former record store owner myself, I know how hard the folks at Aquarius work.  They put together an awesome bi-weekly list of new releases with very enthusiastic and detailed reviews of the releases.  These bi-weekly lists (and sometimes weekly themed lists) are archived on their website, which you should check out. Marisa Anderson resides in Portland, Oregon, a city close to my heart, but I didn’t know her from my time in Portland.  Her outstanding new record The Golden Hour, was recorded and mixed by friends and put on wax from other friends at Mississippi Records – a label and brick and mortar store equally wonderful as Aquarius records – and one which gets its namesake from its location on Mississippi Avenue.

A couple of months back you may remember I let you know I was an uncle for the third time, well, I am pleased as punch to announce I am an uncle for the fourth time (…and, no, this wasn’t the same sister you may ask, that would be pretty amazing)!  My nephew, Graham Jason, was born today!  I don’t have a fancy song like last time (unless Brian Eno has one called “Fourth Uncle” I don’t know about), so here is a photo of the little guy: P.S.: I know I haven’t been really great about filling you in on all the action like I promised, but I promise again, I have lots of stuff to tell you about.  The truth is that I have been out of town away at meetings, weddings, or visitings for the past month and really have not yet established myself as an ‘on the road’ blogger, so maybe you can forgive me?

One of my favorite releases last year - and one which I didn’t post on my 2010 year end favorites list because of its limited availability - was Chuck Person’s looped EccoJams mix tape on The Curatorial Club cassette label.  Word on the street is Chuck is really the alter ego of Daniel Lopatin from Oneohtrix Point Never and Games fame, but, who really knows. Listen to the edit of the track “Lightning Strikes” here: [wpaudio url=”http://ifyoufindtheearthboring.com/media/Lightning Strikes Edit.mp3” text=”Chuck Person - Lightning Strikes” dl=”http://www.mediafire.com/?x6lzas96l96yfql “] Thanks to Root Blog for the heads up on this one.

There’s already been a lot of great new music this year, but one of my favorite records has been Tim Hecker’s Ravedeath 1972 album, on Chicago’s Kranky record label.  All of Hecker’s records are equally beautiful and sinister, perhaps appropriately, his new album was recorded in a church in Reykjavik using the church pipe organ as the only source material (and also notable for contributions from fellow dark ambient sound sculptor Ben Frost). Hecker lives in Montreal and recently performed this live set at a place called La Sala Rossa.  I’m not sure who made this recording so I don’t know who exactly to give props to (…but I grabbed it from the great blog Ghostcapital): [wpaudio url=”http://ifyoufindtheearthboring.com/media/01 Tim Hecker Live At Sala Rossa, Montreal, Feb 10th 2011.mp3” text=”Tim Hecker - Live At La Sala Rossa, Montreal, February 10th, 2011” dl=”http://www.multiupload.com/MYWZALIIZM”] Last summer, I had a quick academic meeting in Montreal and was able to take my girl for a few days with me.  We had both been to Montreal a few times, but this particular whirl-wind visit was great and one of the highlights was having a (very generous) tapas dinner at La Sala Rosa, in the public house part which is located downstairs from the venue where the above performance was recorded. We had an equally delicious meal at the Casa Del Popolo vegetarian café and music venue across the street from La Sala Rosa/La Sala Rossa. All the restaurants and venues are run by the awesome Suoni Per Il Popolo collective who also put out great music on their record label and sponsored the show where this live recording was made.