Summer Grab Bag / News Cycle #2

Good Day Zealots!

today is a grab bag: some songs i’ve been obsessed with, some talismans (talismen?) to hold loosely in our palms as we walk through the valley of the shadow of late summer. and after that we’ve got a second little round up of SotE-coded podcasts, essays and media from the last month or two. first, a few songs i’ve been obsessed with — and some accompanying questions, which maybe you’ll engage with me about in the comments :)

THE AVANT-GARDE, david byrne

Q: is this david byrne the birdman to the batman of the david byrne of, say, remain in light?

MIND LOADED, blood orange (& a raft of his friends)

my song of the summer:

Q: if the moniker ‘blood orange’ is a juxtaposition of opposites — ‘blood,’ a primary, irreducible fundamental; ‘orange,’ a secondary color whose qualities of mixture & doubleness (red & yellow) result in a higher-vibration frequency — does this song feel more ‘blood’ or ‘orange’ to you?

HAMBURG: THE BEATLES & THE LARVA of SONG OF THE EARTH

the beatles arrived in hamburg for the first time 65 years ago today, august 17th, 1960. for those who celebrate:

felicia and i arrived in hamburg, with s t a r g a ze, to premiere the earliest version of Song of the Earth at the elbphilharmonie three years and 51 weeks ago today: august 10th, 2021. here’s felicia singing the Earth Crisis EP, from 5 EPs, at the show a few days later:

omg, it was still COVID! social distance spacing, every other seat .. .

Q: what is/was the beatles-in-hamburg of your life? what is the star-club of your life ?

WORKING AS A WAITRESS IN A COCKTAIL BAR

Q: which question arises first for you: ‘how?’ or ‘why?’

please note, these questions are not rhetorical :) i’ve been tripping on how intense digital media consumption require us to be in intake mode all the time. where’s the digestion? where’s the exhalation? maybe we should all create as much as we consume, in balance … maybe, at the end of every article, the writer should be required to ask some questions … i’m trying it out

ok but here’s more! i’m going to turn it over to our resident keeper of the links Mr Jake Abrams to deliver the news :)

Alec Bemis — writer, founder of the Brassland label, and friend of the ‘stack — has a new essay on Song of the Earth out in Artforum.

“It is a walk in the woods, not a flight through space. A hike through a forest, not a slide under a microscope. A series of minute observations, not a telescopic study. Neither technical nor utopian, it is not a systematic scientific exploration or a hustle to persuade us to move to the country, where a better lifestyle—enabled by gadgets—awaits.”

Last March, Curtis and KJ from The Ion Pack hosted Dave in their studio in Chinatown, NYC. This episode is exclusively for subscribers to the Ion Pack Patreon, but you can check out a preview of the pod right here:

Dave spoke with Interview Magazine for their Sound Advice column — he contributed a 20-song playlist as well. Choice tracks include selections from the Cinderella Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Wagner’s Parsifal.

Ezra K., Dave L., and Jake L. reunite for a characteristically wide-ranging convo on Bob D., millennials, and generational alpha and beta waves:

Dave fielded questions from the indieheads on reddit last month — and we plan on answering more in an upcoming ‘stack.

Alberta’s own keeper of Indie Rock culture, Vish Khanna, hosted Dave on his pod Kreative Kontrol earlier this year. Check it out below!

The ultra-prolific Larry Fitzmaurice caught up with Dave on his blog, Last Donut of the Night. Topics of conversation include but are not limited to: Ochi, Los Angeles, parenthood, and Levi’s advertisements c. 2009:

Dave and Andy Beckerman went deep on Andy’s podcast, “Beginnings.” They talk about Dave’s earliest musical memories, his parents’ record collection, and boarding school.

Dave went on the Ecosystem Member podcast to discuss Song of the Earth and our fractured relationship with the non-human world. Dave and host Rick Evans touch on climate anxiety, collaborating with Björk, and the score for The Legend of Ochi.