Disco Volante - Counting Backwards

Disco Volante - Counting Backwards
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Isn't that just the coolest picture you've ever seen?

In 1981, at the grand age of 15, stepsisters Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly formed what would become one of the most influential bands in the Boston Alternative Rock scene, the Throwing Muses. Joined by bassist Leslie Langston and drummer Dave Narcizo, the group released a singles and an EP, before the mind shattering self-titled debut full length, also known as "The Green" album. With Hersh serving as primary song-writer, crafting brilliantly demented blue-grass tinged punk rock , with Donelly's angelic harmonies and pop hooks as a counterpoint, the band's music was as bold, chaotic and revelatory as anything being done by their Boston contemporaries like the Pixies or Dinosaur Jr.

The group went on to release a series of amazing albums, but after 1991's excellent The Real Ramona, Donelly split to co-found The Breeders with Pixie Kim Deal, and later went on to achieve MTV Buzz Clip success with a new band, Belly's and their hit single Feed The Tree. Hersh kept on trucking, reforming the Muses as a power trio for 1992's Red Heaven, with Bernard Georges replacing Leslie Langston on bass.

In 1994 Hersh launched a solo career featuring a gentler, acoustic side on the haunting Hips And Makers album. These days she continues to rock out with her new surf punk band, 50 Ft Wave, occasionally resurrecting Throwing Muses in trio form, and Donnelly also enjoys a critically acclaimed solo-career, (Robyn Hitchcock's a big fan.)

But Counting Backwards is the group at the height of their powers, so check out these criminally under-rated alt-rock giants on this week's Podcast.

MP3: Disco Volante – Counting Backwards (Right-click-Save-As)
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1. Throwing Muses - Counting Backwards (3:15) 2. Al Stewart - Turn to Earth (2:53) 3. Stereolab - One Finger Symphony (2:05) 4. Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop (5:20) 5. Tortoise - A Simple Way to Go Faster Than Light That Does Not Work (3:34) 6. Peter Gabriel - Digging In The Dirt (5:16) 7. David Bowie - Right (4:21) 8. Ed Dorn - There's Only One Natural Death and Even That's Bedcide (2:59)9. Komeda - Focus (3:38) 10. Animal Collective - My Girls (5:40) 11. Caetano Veloso - Nine Out of Ten (4:57) 12. Interpol - The New (6:07) 13. The Sundays - Joy (4:10)

DISCO VOLANTE - BODY ROCK

DISCO VOLANTE - Body Rock
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

I have a friend who grew up in Brooklyn in the late 1990’s, back when Mos Def was just a neighborhood MC, and he remembers the hype being almost deafening. He was the next big thing, all anybody could talk about. And it would be hard for any hip hop fan to deny his talent after listening to his 1998 collaboration with Talib Kweli, Black Star, an instant classic. Whether or not he’s lived up to his potential is debatable. After that first (and so far only) Black Star album, he released an excellent solo LP, Black On Both Sides, but his subsequent releases, The New Danger and True Magic haven’t quite lived up to the standards of the first.

These days it seems like Mos is more interested in acting than rapping, after several appearances on The Chappelle Show, an Emmy nomination for Something The Lord Made Me, and co-starring as Ford Prefect in The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. I even saw him on an episode of House on Monday!

But I’m really excited for his upcoming The Ecstatic, (mostly because of this Youtube video which shows Mos rattling off MF Doom rhymes, he’s a true hip hop fan!)

On this week’s opening track from the 1998 Lyricist Lounge compilation, Mos is joined by Q-tip and Tash from the Alkoholics for a really fun song, Body Rock, which features Mos at his early, laid back best.

Excelsior!

MP3: DISCO VOLANTE – Body Rock (right click "save as")
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

1. Mos Def - Body Rock [feat. Q-Tip & Tash] (5:11) 2. Tom Waits - Way Down in the Hole (1:44) 3. Animal Collective - Leaf House (2:42) 4. Savath & Savalas - Apnea Obstructiva (4:55) 5. Nouvelle Vague - This Is Not A Love Song (3:47) 6. Cornelius - Brazil (3:27) 7. Komeda - Focus (3:38) 8. Jack Logan - Shrunken Head (2:54) 9. Pavement - Black Out (2:10) 10. Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information (4:12) 11. Jaga Jazzist - Soumi Finland (7:28) 12. Jaga Jazzist - Real Racers Have Doors (3:32) 13. Majesticons - Parlour Party (3:18) 14. John Lennon - #9 Dream (4:48) 15. The Tragically Hip - Eldorado (3:47)

DISCO VOLANTE - Alone Together

In the mid 1990's, dj/producer/instrumentalist Yuka Honda was one half of the Manhattan J-pop phenomena Cibo Matto, a more than slightly twisted but cute as a button hip hop band whose wildly eclectic debut album, Viva La Woman! was an instant classic, one of the best examples of layered sampling I can think of, and a used cd bin glittering gem (like Last Splash or Elastica.)

Since the band split up in 2001, Yuka has worked on remix projects with everyone from Yoko Ono to Medeski, Martin & Wood, and released two fantasticsolo albums of elegant, organic-sounding electronica. I love her song titles, like "Why Are You Lying to Your Therapist?" and "Spooning with Jackknife".

Here she reunites with former bandmate, Miho Hatori, herself enjoying a promising solo career, and former that dog violinist/vocalist Petra Haden, whose acapella version of The Who Sell Out has to be heard to be believed.

MP3: DISCO VOLANTE: Alone Together (right-click-save-as)
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

1. Yuka Honda - Humming Song (Alone Together) (3:44)2. M.I.A. - MIA's Thing (MIA vs Amerie-Carrasco! mash-up) (4:25)3. Public Image Ltd. - Seattle (3:41)4. Public Enemy - Don't Believe The Hype (5:19)5. The Sea and Cake - Sound & Vision (4:06)6. Joan As Police Woman - Eternal Flame (3:39)7. Devendra Banhart - Mama Wolf (3:54)8. Destroyer - The Sublimation Hour (4:12)9. Cornershop - Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu (3:23)10. The Fall - Arid Al's Dream (4:48)11. CAN - I'm So Green (3:07)12. Camp Lo - Luchini (This Is It) (3:59)13. Stereolab - Household Names (3:42)14. Kate Bush - There Goes A Tenner (3:26)

DISCO VOLANTE - Bird's Lament

DISCO VOLANTE - Bird's Lament
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

Greetings, True Belivers.


How do you measure success? Is it by the size of the checks you cash? The number of gold records you sell or Grammy's you win? What constitutes a successful life? By all the usual standards, Louis Thomas Hardin wasn't much of a success, blind, living on the streets, toiling in obscurity for an often unappreciative and mocking public. But to many, the man who called himself Moondog was a rare, if eccentric genius, and lived a remarkable life.


For nearly 30 years, "The Viking of 6th Avenue," was a well known landmark of 53rd Street, Manhattan. Dressed in his handmade costume based on the Norse god Thor, complete with helmet, spear and flowing white beard, Moondog would recite poetry and play music for any and all who'd listen, often using strange instruments of his own design. He recorded many albums through the years, and was championed by no less personages than Artur Rodziński, the conductor of New York Philharmonic . But he refused to give up his life on the streets, until moving to Germany in the 70's.


The first song on this week's playlist, Bird's Lament, is Moondog's tribute to jazz musician Charlie Parker, and a great introduction the music of Moondog, it's worth seeking out.

MP3: Disco Volante – Bird’s Lament (right-click-save-as)
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

1. Moondog - Lament I (Bird's Lament) (1:43)2. Pram - Silver Nitrate (4:30)3. Boogie Down Productions - Im Still Number 1 (5:13)4. Erykah Badu - Erykah's Creamy Shower (Bruce Wang Creamshower Mash Up) (3:42)5. Pete Rock & Cl Smooth - Wig Out (4:07)6. Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent things (2:55)7. Dengue Fever - Sober Driver (4:05)8. White Hinterland - Dreaming of the Plum Trees (4:52)9. Stereolab - Pack Yr Romantic Mind (5:06)10. M83 - Kim & Jessie (5:23)11. R.E.M. - The One I Love (3:17)12. Cat Power - Ramblin' (Wo)Man (3:47)13. A Tribe Called Quest - Footprints (4:02)

DISCO VOLANTE - Uncorrected Personality Traits

DISCO VOLANTE - Uncorrected Personality Traits
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

Greetings True Believers,

This week I'm cheating a little bit. I made this playlist for an internet friend a couple of years ago, but I like it so much I'm posting it again here. I find it amazing that I have internet friends, people I’ve never met in real life, that I’ve known for ten years or more now. Wow! But, to be honest, I'm feeling more than a little bit of information fatigue, and am considering dropping Off-line and limiting my interweb activities to this blog and whatever is absolutely necessary. Sorry netpals, but there’s a whole world out there, full of trees and food and girls! Wish me luck!

I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens as some of the first generation of web-users, bleary-eyed and mind-boggled, start to drop off and step out into the real world.

As to the man who heads today's bill, what is there to say about the legendary Robyn Hitchcock? Is it enough to recall how his band The Soft Boys fused punk rock attitude with dark humor and swirling psychedelia to create one of pop music’s truly original sounds, influencing bands like R.E.M. and Pavement? Is it enough to say he is often called "The Fifth Beatle", not because he ever played with the Fab Four, but because of his seemingly effortless mastery of songcraft and irrepressible Britishness? Is it enough to say that the 1998 performance film directed by Jonathan Demme, Storefront Hitchcock, is a perfect introduction to the curious initiate to Hitchcock's wonderfully twisted world? Is it enough to say that Robyn Hitchcock is simply one of the pre-immanent living singer/song-writers of the rock and roll idiom on this or any other planet? Yes, I think it is, except to add that the little a cappella gem that heads our playlist this week, while not particularly representative of the rest of his catalog, certainly offers a healthy dose of his wit and charm.

Enjoy!

MP3: Disco Volante – Uncorrected Personality Traits
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

1. Robyn Hitchcock - Uncorrected Personality Traits (1:46) 2. The Spencer Davis Group - I'm A Man (2:51) 3. Gang Of Four - Call Me Up (3:33) 4. Broken Social Scene - Stars & Sons (5:09) 5. Cocteau Twins - Pitch The Baby (3:17) 6. Beck - Cold Ass Fashion (4:08) 7. Count Bass-D - Real Music Vs. Bull$#!+ (1:29) 8. MF Doom - Potholderz Feat. Count Bass D (3:20) 9. Common - Real People (2:48) 10. Erykah Badu - Appletree (4:25) 11. Gil Scott-Heron - I Think I'll Call It Morning (3:32) 12. The Jayhawks - Madman (4:04) 13. Stereolab - Velvet Water (4:25) 14. M.I.A. - Sunpowers (The Mophono Bruce Wang - Mash Up) (5:01) 15. Brazilian Girls - Don't Stop (3:51) 16. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Way Out (3:43) 17. The Zombies - Whenever You're Ready (2:46)

Disco Volante - Uptown Top Ranking

Greetings True Believers,

Welcome to our special Valentine’s Day show! Our opener, the delicious lollipop reggae classic, “Uptown Top Ranking” by teenaged duo Althea & Donna was a number one UK hit in 1978, championed by none other than BBC-1 hit maker John Peel. Their fantastic debut album of the same name, was produced by the legendary Karl Pitterson of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh fame and featured instrumentation by reggae giants Sly & Robbie. I must confess, it was the cover version by indie singer Scout Niblett that introduced me to the song, but after seeking out the original, there’s no doubt who is the real uptown top-ranking. And check out this awesome performance by Althea and Donna on Youtube - www.youtube.com/watch
Outta sight!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

MP3: Disco Volante – Uptown Top Ranking
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

1. Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking (3:52) 2. Cibo Matto - King of Silence (Dan The Automator Remix) (4:59) 3. Santogold vs Diplo - I'm a Lady (Diplo Mix ft Amanda Blank) (2:40) 4. Frank Zappa - How Could I Be Such a Fool (2:13) 5. Lily Allen - Straight To Hell (5:28) 6. Three Times Dope - Funky Dividends (4:19) 7. Charles Mingus - Duke Ellington's Sound of Love (4:15) 8. Electrelane - Birds (3:53) 9. Arab Strap - Here We Go (5:03) 10. The Bird and the Bee - Fucking Boyfriend (3:15) 11. AIR - Alpha Beta Gaga (4:41) 12. Dusty Trails - Dusty Trails Theme (3:19) 13. Kostars - French Kiss (2:47)

Disco Volante - Father Cannot Yell

Greetings True Believers!
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

This weekend at the Jacob Javitz Center commences the 2009 New York City Comic Con and I must say I am quite excited. The place will be jam-packed with costumed nerds and lovable geeks of all shapes and sizes, consuming snack foods, meeting professional creators, previewing upcoming blockbuster movies and tv shows and so much more I can hardly stand it.

I’ve been a comics fan all my life. I was introduced to comics by dear old Mom, who on her way home from work would diligently bring her latchkey kid a couple of slices of the world’s best pizza, (Dominics, downtown Waterbury, CT, without question,) and the latest issues of the Green Lantern, The Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men, for which I shall be eternally grateful. For me, comics are more than adolescent male power fantasies, though that they surely are, but more importantly, they are also one of the purest forms of expression of the creative mind. Anyone can create comics, the special effects budget is pennies on the dollar; you are limited only by boundaries of your own imagination.

And speaking of the outskirts of the imagination, take a gander at the cover art to the 1969 album by Can, Monster Movie, a fantastically stylized portrayal of the Marvel Comics character Galactus, Eater of Worlds.

The album, "Made in a castle with better equipment", was the groundbreaking debut of Can, perhaps mightiest of all Krautrock musik groops. Founded by Germans Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt, Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit, and African American ex-pat lunatic vocalist Malcom Mooney, the band’s name, it was retroactively decided, is an acronym for "communism, anarchism, nihilism", and that might be the best possible description of their sound. At once rhythmic and angular, tribal and futuristic, ambient and chaotic, it’s impossible to confine Can’s music into any neat categorical package.

Father Cannot Yell is the first track off the album and the first song on this week’s playlist.
Enjoy…

MP3: Disco Volante – Father Cannot Yell
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/

1. Can - Father Cannot Yell (7:03) 2. Stereolab - Ticker-Tape Of The Unconscious (4:46) 3. KMD - Sorcerers (3:03) 4. Ronnie Foster - Mystic Bounce (Madlib Remix) (3:22) 5. Silver Jews - People (4:43) 6. Deerhoof - the perfect me (2:40) 7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Satan Said Dance (5:32) 8. ESG - You Make No Sense (2:21) 9. 10,000 Maniacs - Pit Viper (3:51) 10. Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso (4:21) 11. The Fall - Cab It Up! (4:54) 12. The Fiery Furnaces - Benton Harbor Blues (Live) (2:53) 13. The Jam - 06. Town Called Malice (2:57)

Disco Volante, Seasons Reverse

Greetings True Believers!

Welcome to my new weekly music post, Disco Volante! Every Thursday I’ll be posting a new mp3 podcast mix, featuring pop music from a wide variety of genres and sources – jazz, funk, underground hip hop, indie rock, and whatever else I can throw in there, you’ll have to listen to find out.

In the spirit of transitions and new things, we’re starting off our first Podcast with “The Seasons Reverse” by Gastr Del Sol.

Founded in 1991 by Chicago luminaries David Grubbs and Jim O’Rourke, Gastr Del Sol produced seven albums of wonderfully weird indie rock, ranging from utter noise to glitchy electronica to genteel chamber pop, and featured a rotating cast of semi-famous back up musicians, including Markus Pop of Oval and John McIntire of Tortoise.

The Seasons Reverse is a great example of the group at its most melodic and comes from their last album, Camoufleur (Drag City 1998).

Thanks to David Von Shmavid and Orange Zest for being our gracious hosts and remember to tune in next Thursday for another edition of Disco Volante.

Excelsior!

MP3: Disco Volante – Seasons Reverse
saucerkommand.blogspot.com/


1. Gastr Del Sol - The Seasons Reverse (5:51)


2. Sonic Youth - Schizophrenia (4:38)


3. Biz Markie - Nobody Beats The Biz (5:04)


4. Fannypack - You Gotta Know (3:46)


5. White Rabbits - Kid On My Shoulders (4:33)


6. Evangelicals - Skeleton Man (4:24)


7. The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored (4:51)


8. MF Doom - Red And Gold f. King Ghidra (4:42)


9. The Sea And Cake - Parasol (5:30)


10. Goldfrapp - Happiness (4:16)


11. The High Llamas - Didball (4:03)


12. J Dilla - Anti-American Graffiti (1:53)


13. Broadcast - Daves Dream (4:01)

Word Balloons, December 26, 2008

Word Balloons, December 26, 2008


Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #1
Mignola, Fergredo
Dark Horse
Mike Mignola seems to have found a perfect stand-in artist in Vertigo veteran Duncan Fergredo, whose art is so similar to Mignola’s, (a lot of that might have to do with the coloring scheme.) Not to say it’s an imitation, Fegredo’s art certainly has it’s own style, it’s wilder, gnarlier, but the collaboration definitely is a good one. In this, the first issue of a new Hellboy miniseries, our hero attends a strange funeral, and is invited to join a deadly hunting party.

Simon Dark # 15
Niles, Hampton
DC
One thing DC does well is horror. They seem to have a feel for the right pacing and artwork that create a really creepy atmosphere. Simon Dark is a perfect example. Simon is a bogeyman figure that haunts Gotham city, he is a patchwork man, a sort of Frankenstein’s monster of body parts from various people, cobbled together by unknown (even to him) black magic. He acts as a kind of protector of certain areas of the city, thwarting rapes and robberies, often brutally murdering the perpetrators. But Simon has a child’s mind, and almost no memory of where you came from, and who created him. The book is very reminiscent of The Crow or V for Vendetta and Scott Hampton is an incredible artist. This issue there seems to be a new creature, similar to Simon, which is now prowling the streets committing vicious murders, or is it a just another side of his fractured personality surfacing?


Bad Planet #6
Jane, Niles, Daly III, Bradstreet
Image
This issue brings to a close the excellent horror/sci-fi mini-series from RAW Studios, (co-created by Punisher star, actor Thomas Jane,) about an invasion of ravenous crab-like aliens, humans struggling to survive and a big ugly monster who loves us enough to try and help. Will Ersmatus save us all from becoming crab food? Will the work of Nikola Tesla somehow figure into this? This series was great – twisted, grisly artwork and a face-paced, no-nonsense storyline. Find the back-issues if you can, but I’m sure it’ll be collected into a trade. I’ve also heard there’s a Bad Planet 2 in the works that picks up where this left off. I can’t wait!

Eternals #6
Knauf, Acuna
Marvel
For those unfamiliar with the mythology, the Eternals are a race of godlike humanoids living secretly among us, created for unfathomable reasons by gigantic otherworldly beings called Celestials, one of which, the so-called Dreaming Celestial, has recently taken up residence in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, an ominous sign to be sure. This issue finds Sersi on a mission to resurrect her incinerated lover, Makkari, while Thena battles the rampaging “forgotten one,” Gilgamesh. Acuna’s painted art has hyper-real, otherworldly quality, and the storyline, while a bit opaque at the moment, seems like it is actually building to something, however slowly. I’ll keep reading. This is a mid-tier book for me, pick up an issue and see if you like it.


Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1
Bendis, Maleev, White
Marvel
In the aftermath of the rather disappointing climax to last years Secret Invasion event, in which the shape-changing Skrulls were only barely defeated in their plot to take over the Earth, the disgraced Tony Stark has been replaced by none other than Norman Osborn (aka The Green Goblin) as head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. security agency. With the worlds heroes left in a shambles, Osborn plans to install a new world order, headed by a dark circle of power – Loki, The Hood, Emma Frost, Prince Namor, and Doctor Doom. Alex Maleev’s art is excellent as usual, and Bendis’ plotting is intriguing, even if the dialogue is a bit too hip and snarky, especially for characters like Namor and Dr. Doom. Whether you’ll want to read this or not depends on whether you’re interested in following Marvel’s larger continuity for yet another epic storyline that’ll probably end up mostly going nowhere. I enjoyed this issue though, especially the female Loki.

The Immortal Iron Fist #21
Swierczynski, Green, Bola
Marvel
There’s been a lot of buzz about this series but this is the first issue I’ve actually read, and I have to say, I’m a new fan. The mantle of Iron Fist has been passed on from generation to generation of martial arts champions down through history. This stand alone story features the nine-year-old Iron Fist of the planet Yaochi in the year 3099, as he fights to save the last Chinese descendents from the technological horrors of The Center of Heaven. Guest artist Timothy Green’s delicately lined artwork is superb. He’s done some smaller projects like the Starlord mini-series, but Marvel really needs to find a good writer to pair him with on a permanent monthly book. Preview this issue here --www.marvel.com/news/comic..._Immorta...


John Constantine: Hellblazer #250
Azzarello/Grampa, Delano/Lloyd, Gibbons/Phillips, Mieville/Camuncoli, Milligan/Campbell
Vertigo
Celebrating two-hundred fifty issues and 20 years of everyone’s favorite paranormal con-man, this double-sized issue features Christmas themed stories by various creators, including series founder Jamie Delano and science fiction superstar China Mieville. Nice jumping on point and introduction to John Constantine’s world of supernatural horror and black humor.

Sandman: The Dream Hunters
Gaiman, Russell
Vertigo
This is a terrific adaptation of the original illustrated novel by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano, a series of fables concerning a fox and a Buddhist monk and many other things besides in the intricate, weaving, dream-like fashion that fans of Gaiman and the Sandman series will find lovingly familiar. P. Craig Russell is no stranger to Dream Country, having illustrated one of my favorite Sandman stories, Sandman Issue #50 and others. Here he adapts the novel with considerable elegance and flair, truly bringing out the magic in Gaiman’s words. Neil Gaiman doesn’t do much comics work these days, and it’s a shame, because this is the medium where I think he truly does his best work.

The Bizzaro Starter Kit (Orange)

"Bizarro" is a new genre, I guess analogous to "The New Weird" writing of people like China Mieville and Ben Rosenblum, but less interested in narrative or science fiction concepts, apparently, and more about shocking with bizarre language. Bizarro fiction deals with strange, grotesque and absurdist subject matter, often with a science fiction or fantasy tinge, and lots of black humor.

The Bizzaro Starter Kit (Orange) is a collection of short stories and novella's by various writers in the genre, like Jeremy Robert Johnson's 'Extinction Journals,' which details the life of a man who survives a nuclear holocaust by wearing a suit made of living cockroaches, and Carlton Mellick's 'Baby Jesus Buttplug,' which I'll leave to your imaginations.

While the quality of the stories is uneven, I was definitely entertained. My favorites were Extinction Journals, Suicide Girls In The Afterlife and The Greatest Fucking Moment in Sports History.

There is also a "Blue" version of the Bizarro Starter Kit out there, with completely different stories and writers, which I have yet to read but I'm really eager to get, as it's edited by Steve Aylett, author of the wonderful "Lint". I can't wait!