December 2009
Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca:An exploded diagram of whitebread R&B w/ the moving parts rearranged to obscure their relationships. Hideous. 2
Pyramids with Nadja: A sprawling, subtle drone/ambient masterwork that left me wishing everything Nadja touched was so hauntingly elegant. 9
Luciano’s Tribute to the Sun: Ignoring the handclaps & children’s choir on track 1, a strikingly concept-rich minimal techno/house album. 7
Bear In Heaven’s Beast Rest Forth Mouth: Room-filling poppy psych-prog. Drink enough to blot out the otherness, and you might just dance. 8
Atlas Sound’s Logos: I wouldn’t have thought that a texture-rich psychedelic rock album could be this fucking boring, but go figure. 4.5
The Crystal Method’s Divided by Night: A presumably washed up big beat duo & 9 guest vocalists make for a surprisingly weird top 40 album. 6
Giant Squid’s The Ichthyologist: A much lighter, more technically accomplished heavy metal concept album about sea life than their debut. 8
Real Estate’s Real Estate: If the Beatles were a little “heavy” for you, and the Beach Boys seemed too complex, you’ll love this bullshit. 3
The xx’s XX: A surf-obsessed post rock act accidentally hooked up with two really awkward “R&B” vocalists. Just as confusing as it sounds. 7
Savage Republic’s Tragic Figures: Dark, minimal early 80’s post-punk with afro-beat borrowings; think early Swans sans drone. 8
Maserati’s Passages : About a half album’s worth of gorgeous, driving, psychedelic space rock, padded with some frankly lame remixes. 9/3
1 tag
Three short poems for a Love Triangle
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A Torture Garden
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This one, all langour, casts her glances down and
only looks on me when none look on,
concealed in folding limb and line;
entire and wholly mine.
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The second, boiling, fulminating lust,
her guile and...