Jonah Birch – The Many Lives of François Mitterrand

Link to an article by Jonah Birch:

“The Many Lives of François Mitterrand”

Quote:

“the political power of the capitalist class flows not just from what capital can do, but from what it can choose not to do — invest. It is its control over the investment function, not its collective organizations, that is the key source of capitalists’ power in the political sphere: since, in a capitalist economy, investment is the prerequisite for growth, employment, and tax revenue, policymakers will always have an incentive to prioritize the demands of business confidence over all other considerations.”

U2 – The Unforgettable Fire

The Unforgettable Fire

U2 – The Unforgettable Fire Island ISL-1011 (1984)

Perhaps The Unforgettable Fire is best viewed as a transitional album.  The Gang of Four influences noticeable on War had faded, and in place Brian Eno‘s production makes the record sound like more of a continuous sonic fabric bound by The Edge‘s delay-laden guitar.  Now everything seems designed to support Bono‘s voice, a big reason most love or hate U2.  Bono confirms here that he has only one vocal trick — the aching, dramatic cry — and he was going to use it on every song, forever.  While this album took the first steps toward establishing a distinctive sound that made the group superstars, it also feels like a mere warm-up for The Joshua Tree.  The biggest factor holding this one back is the songwriting, which is mostly less than satisfying.  It’s effective on “A Sort of Homecoming” and “Pride”, but the political subject matter gets old.  “Elvis Presley and America” is of course regrettable too.  This is still a fair U2 album, but War was more interesting and The Joshua Tree was much better at what The Unforgettable Fire actually accomplishes.  Pinned between better offerings, it’s easy to see why this is overlooked, even if it’s better than most U2 albums.

Cecil Taylor – Unit Structures

Unit Structures

Cecil Taylor – Unit Structures Blue Note BST 84237 (1966)

Cecil Taylor brought a composer’s sense to improvised music. His percussive use of the entire piano keyboard was unlike anyone else’s. His harmonic sense was also unique. Not to mention that his “unit structures” were tiny fragments built up by his combo in improvised songs. The “superstar” group rehearsed Unit Structures extensively before recording it for Blue Note, which distinguishes the music from strictly spontaneous “free jazz”. The resulting album is essential listening. It is useful as a benchmark to have a familiarity with someone like serialist composer Anton Webern to appreciate (by comparison and contrast) how the composing/improvising linkage in Cecil Taylor’s intense, atonal music operates — another useful reference is the chapter on Taylor in Ekkehard Jost‘s book Free Jazz. A true high point in 1960s music, Unit Structures has integrity and honesty at all times while still remaining utterly fascinating.

Television – Live at the Old Waldorf

Live at the Old Waldorf, San Francisco, 6/29/78

Television – Live at the Old Waldorf, San Francisco, 6/29/78 Rhino Handmade RHM2 7846 (2003)

Television could walk a fine line between long and winding but still captivating and intense guitar soloing and slightly tedious guitar wankery.  You get some of both here.  The sound is pretty clear, but for raw power this can’t touch The Blow Up (which excises all of the wankery).  This is reminiscent somewhat of all those Grateful Dead live discs that may amuse obsessive fans but just seem superfluous to most everyone else.

The Beach Boys – M.I.U. Album

M.I.U. Album

The Beach Boys – M.I.U. Album Brother Records MSK 2268 (1978)

M.I.U. Album is not quite as bad as its reputation suggests.  That isn’t to say it’s a particularly good record.  The first two songs and even “Pitter Patter” have some good energy, but this is slight at best, and typically quite nondescript.  The band sounds rather disinterested and unmotivated most of the time.  The vocals can be downright lazy.  There is nothing memorable here — except maybe the so-weird-it’s-funny “Hey Little Tomboy”.  But slight or not some of the songs are good fun, and the production is serviceable.  This doesn’t induce quite as many cringes as say, The Beach Boys seven years later.  Make no mistake, though, there definitely are still cringe-worthy moments here, particularly at the end (“My Diane,” “Match Point of Our Love,” “Winds of Change”).  Truthfully, if the Boys had taken the best material from this album and their next one L.A. (Light Album) and made just one album from it, they would have had something decent, or at least better than either one individually.

The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys Caribou FZ 39946 (1985)

Where to begin?  For better or worse, but usually for worse, this sounds like a mainstream lite pop record from the mid-1980s, heavy on synths and drum machines.  The problem is that it sounds extremely dated now, and much of the material is exceptionally poor.  The first two songs aren’t bad really, with “Getcha Back” echoing the group’s old sound recast with 80s textures and “It’s Gettin’ Late” being a convincing take on contemporary — if average — pop.  From there, it’s just varying degrees of embarrassment, including a song aping Stevie Wonder‘s then-current sound.

King Geedorah – Take Me to Your Leader

Take Me To Your Leader

King Geedorah – Take Me to Your Leader Big Dada BDCD051 (2003)

Take Me to Your Leader is an unusual hip-hop album. Rapping from the assortment of guest MCs isn’t the focus. Instead, MF Doom (a/k/a Daniel Dumile, the man behind the mask, the curtain, and this album) floats monster movie sound clips across a gently flowing mix of cartoonish pop samples. This creates a dense soundscape that is more cinematic than average b-boy fronting.

When lyrics are present, the theme of a three-headed monster from outer space definitely emerges, among resolute sentiments of hope, determination, and wonder recalling Curtis Mayfield. The abundance of the orchestral strings samples only reinforces the likenesses to Curtis Mayfield. Move on up! Hostile tyrants, attackers, and outright monsters won’t stop the good and determined ones. This triumph over adversity is palpable.

MF Doom uses lethargic tempos to his advantage. Placing easy listening schmaltz — complete with mushy strings and syrupy guitars — on an indistinct bed of murky beats takes the music out of the typical rap battle arena.  Take Me to Your Leader is a fight where all elements conspire together, as one amorphous mass. I wanted to reach out, place my finger on this album. To have control over how a single part of it makes me feel. Instead it stupefied me: “Take that.” I almost expected to hear that spoken.

If I weren’t a decayed, empty being, I might love comic books, video games, and monster movies. Whatever is missing in me, replaced by dead matter, I can still recognize that King Geedorah, or MF Doom, has his own loves to champion. Recurrent obstacles won’t dog him too much. He will save this planet! Or at least will he convince me to save someone myself?  Or just save myself?

Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld – Inside Amazon

Link to an article by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld:

“Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace”

Bonus link: “Amazon’s Brutal Workplace Is an Indicator of an Inhumane Economy” and “Undercover at Amazon: Exhausted Humans Are Inefficient So Robots Are Taking Over” and “Amazon Must Be Stopped” (this stops well short of suggesting [inter-]nationalization, which seems quite appropriate) and “Giving Amazon’s Side of the Story”

The Incredible String Band – Wee Tam & The Big Huge

Wee Tam & The Big Huge

The Incredible String Band – Wee Tam & The Big Huge Elektra EKS 74036/37 (1968)

The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter is their best, but Wee Tam & The Big Huge may well be my favorite — it’s the one I reach for most often.  Robin Williamson emerges as a strong songwriter.  As before, there is still a lot of worldly post-modern folk eclecticism at work.  Maybe a bit fewer improvisational surprises.  But even a streamlined “Log Cabin Home in the Sky” is a pure delight.  Looking back upon ISB’s two albums from 1968 it would be hard to argue they weren’t the pinnacle of psychedelic folk.