Christine Ott is a master of this instrument, and she has an impressive new album coming out May 22 on Nahal Recordings. Chimères is promoted as a cosmic journey, and where you go is up to you but go far you will, as the little green guy likes to say. Gorgeous, fascinating, and compelling sounds, the kind of avant-garde music making that can speak directly to a broad audience.
“I dig the jacket!”
“He gets it! He knows music!”
Live-streaming music was only supposed to be a stopgap—it seems musicians were eager to jump into it, thinking it was only temporary.
Well, now it’s the new normal, and its unsustainable. There are so many factors that make live streaming jejune, at best, and aggravation is the normal effect. The poor sound quality of most acoustic performances, which depend on the musician’s transducer and then yours, the disconnect from the listener, the lack of spontaneity and interaction. It’s all dispiriting, and though there are continued critical swoons for it, that seems a product of gratitude—understandable!—and not for the actual music itself.
What does work is archives of live performances. They are more alive, because an audience feeling is captured, then any digital thing happening in real time. So yes check out those opera and classical music performances, those jazz gigs, those Radiohead shows.
Also check out the NYC Ballet’s YouTube page. They are presenting a digital spring season, showing archived performances on a set schedule. I’m not technically knowledgeable about the ballet, but I have always loved it, and it translates extremely well to the small screen.
The other thing about the ballet is you get great music. In the case of the above, you also get the Stravinsky-Balanchine collaborations, and what those two men produced is at the pinnacle of what Western culture has achieved.
“Anyone who can write with insight and authority about Alas No Axis, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello…Missy Mazzoli and William Britelle, and…Mahler…is okay in my book.”
“…Edgy models include Brooklyn Rail…”
Ain’t no finer band for the times than Sleaford Mods.
Rough Trade is putting out a tight little collection of singles and B-sides next week, and it really belongs in your library. Seriously, what else do you want to listen to while the powers that be scheme to fuck you over?
“My favorite new music blog.”
“Anyone who can write with insight and authority about Alas No Axis, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello…Missy Mazzoli and William Britelle, and…Mahler…is okay in my book.”
PRISM Quartet has a new album out, Surfaces and Essences.
“He gets it! He knows music!”
“George Grella, always on the money!”
Because I got hit with a back spasm this morning, and it’s really fucking painful.
“I ate your book.”
“…Edgy models include Brooklyn Rail…”
“George Grella understood exactly.”
“Anyone who can write with insight and authority about Alas No Axis, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello…Missy Mazzoli and William Britelle, and…Mahler…is okay in my book.”
Again and again and again. Not only is the song great, but it’s great to see this early version of the band.
“I ate your book.”
“Anyone who can write with insight and authority about Alas No Axis, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello…Missy Mazzoli and William Britelle, and…Mahler…is okay in my book.”
The Big City 
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