Strawberry Complexity – This Is Pop Music
WTF Album: Strawberry Complexity – This Is Pop Music
Artist: DeFuncArt
Country: Ireland/UK
Timeline: 2010 -
WTF Quality: High, but see sidenote @Track 03.
Tags: found-sound, rape, jump-cut, string quartet, sampled, anger, granularity
Links:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1ef2r2e5a2ox1ay
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Strawberry-Complexity/76081961143
http://www.facebook.com/defuncart
This album declaims, in it's title, to be the definition of that mythical beast we all know and hate; the apparently universally loathed "pop music". But this turns out to be a very personal rage against the machine, fraught with difficulties of interpretation. This guy finds pop music offensive on many (possibly all) levels, and tackles it with an unprecedented venom. Surprisingly, though, his weapon of choice seems to be the switch labeled OFF. Instead of going for the obviously exposed jugular, he waits until it's on a Life Support System, and takes his time gnawing through the pipes and lines that feed it. A much crueller demise.
01 - Tik Tok
First Dr. DeFuncArt has nibbled through the saline drip. Rigor mortis has already set in; decomposition is well advanced. In essence this is a set of variations on a theme; three passes through some kind of granular processor(?) - the first gradually (so gradually!) faded in, then left to fester at full volume. A strangle hold is applied. The next, where filters are gently applied - fundamentals, harmonics, noise particles all jostling for supremacy but none getting the upper hand. Another more violent choking. The third pass has more aggressive filtering, topped off with a final gasp of agonized intensity. Before you know it, this (over) 14 minute track has passed away.
02 - Can't You See What I See?
Getting his teeth into the optic nerve, now. The lives passing before these glassy eyes include:-
*Lady Gaga - Love Game
*The Winstons - Amen, Brother
*Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
*Pink - Get This Party Started
*Taylor Swift - Love Story
*Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River
*Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl
*Britney Spears - If You Seek Amy
*t.A.T.u. - All the Things She Said
*Britney Spears - Toxic
*Rihanna - Umbrella
*'Solo' from Manic Street Preacher's cover of Umbrella
This is "rape", but a step further. This is a necrophiliac armed with a quart of Rohipnol.
03 - Just Dance
...in which he goes for the air-line, and starves the brain. On the face of it, it's just a string quartet arrangement of the original song; but that's already denied it any chance to breathe through it's lyrics. The instruments are of course samples, lacking the vital oxygen of dynamics and articulation - or even any natural rhythmic give and take. This one is a well-embalmed cadaver, just waiting to play at it's own funeral.
[sidenote] As a standalone, this track is not WTF at all – in the context it's as WTF as F.
04 - Since You've Been Gone
The Doctor holds up two X-rays here, saying “This is a picture of a healthy kidney. Now let’s take a look at YOUR kidney...”. I think you can probably guess by now which has the diseased nephrons.
*Kelly Clarkson - Since You've Been Gone
*Music Rank by ryno13333 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N9pcMmy8t0
*Krzysztof Penderecki - Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima
*Iannis Xenakis - Jonchies
*Iannis Xenakis - Nomos Alpha
05 La Forêt Blanche
"Original lyrics from Evanescence's Haunted, My Last Breath, Tourniquet and Snow White Queen.
Chord progession is inpsired from My Last Breath."
Here's the Frankenstein part...and for my money it's pretty successful...raid the cemetery for a few bits and pieces, stick 'em together, and see what crawls out of the desecrated hole. Exhumation 101; and the Circle of Death is complete.
Closure: As you can see, this package is thoughtfully provided with individual artwork for each track, each one a bastardization or conglomeration of the elements of the “original”. This provides a clue as to what DeFuncArt is trying to achieve here – a thorough autopsy followed by a wallowing formaldehyde bath for the entrails. I recommend this album if you ever get a bit ticked off with the “pop music/hype/culture/industry/machine”. It just goes to show that there's always someone angrier at it than you.
ettuspadix.
[WTF Review] Os Almeida - O Chamado de Cthulhucas (The Call of Cthulhucas) / The PSR-38 Sessions
[WTF Review] Os Almeida - O Chamado de Cthulhucas (The Call of Cthulhucas) / The PSR-38 Sessions | |
Double Review Aritst: Os Almeida WTF album: O Chamado de Cthulhucas (The Call of Cthulhucas) Tags: Lo-Fi, Folk, Noise, Satanic WTF Quality: Purest sickest shit telling the life story of LFC, WTF legend and sovereign ruler of All. Lifespan: 2008 - Country: Brazil Link: http://www.osalmeida.net download http://www.osalmeida.net/site/download/osalmeida_cthulhucas.zip I am LFC I am Lucas Fucking Crazy This is my life. it is Poetry of ecstatic sickness. Fucked Sickness Beyond Experience. He becomes me and I him, through this metamorphic transformation in the sound pair-a-dice. I am all consuming. the snake +QD+ Born from the infinite pure glowing blue. The pool of tranquil azure is the void from which I commence. Out of the blissful trance within the refraction of the sun and the water and the sky, I emerge. I scream electric static in your ears and at the celestial guitar harmonies. Os Almeida begin to utter my tale. Never satisfied I seek fulfillment like a child sucking at the tit, that's how I fucking feel. Until I shit rivers of milk and prematurely ejaculate a yellow flood of baby-spum at age 0.5. When it's done with me I start to feel the whiplash, like something is not right, to exceed is to incur pain on myself, too much is too much, any further and I drown in my own lust-fluids, I become what made me, the effervescent span of tranquil serenity. I drown it with abrasive noise. Unreasonable, unthinking, intuitive, primordial spum. It is not enough. A Criatura Anatomicamente Impossivel Pounding. Expended. Exhausted. In need of rest. In neutral. In fear. Drive is in reverse. Steady. Pulse. I am alive. And through all that. The throbbing gloom pulsating through this music is my black blood. Look at what I have become as I assume my metamorphosized adult form. I betray all beauties and ideals and hope. I have turned against my creator and seek only depravation of body and spirit. At this point in my life I am ready to take action. Still craving food and drink and chemicals in the brain. Escape. The deafening silence, I ROAR. ENOUGH OF THIS! DEFILE!!!!! A Noruega Paulista My friends the Almeidas have accurately depicted me, down to the last testicle hair. A thick thumping bass drives the crackling madness in my head. I am a scourge, I am evil, I am sick, I stand against all that is righteous and holy, I desecrate all that is sacred, I shit on you and myself, I love hate, I hate love, and I've had enough of this terrestrial space of flesh and grunt. Muck and Scum are merely not enough, the nauseating smell of boiling flesh and bone fumes are my next natural step. Descida ao Inferno (ft. LFC) I am LFC. Hear my voice. Whiskey. Tobacco. Various hard drugs of shady origin. Ugliness is the highest. I'm sure if you listen to this album, your journey will be different from mine, as I am the almighty LFC and you are an insignificant speck of shit hanging onto a flimsy anal hair. I reign over all in the sickest of shit. It is honestly the sickest of shit to ever grace the bowels of mankind and demonkind alike. Pesquisa Antropologica Sex. You want a love song? For you, my interesting sex story. Lyrics translation below. So tell me about your fantasies; are they anything like this? Just a few simple guitar chords, some tape hiss, melodica, and Portuguese lyrics, and of course the fascinating electronic toys that burn my erections to full throb. O Chamado de Cthulhucas And to suck it all off, my favorite party song. Oh love! Oh powerful joy! Mourn life! Celebrate dismemberment! Celebrate abortion! Celebrate the destruction of this Earth! Mourn the closing of this album! Celbrate LFC! For I represent the fucked up-ness in ALL! -Jeemobon (Via invocation of LFC) From Richard Almeida: everyone must know more about the life of the great LFC. So here are the lyrics translated into English by the songwriters themselves. +QD+ (abbreviation for "more than too much" The boy dreams too much when he took off the mask was himself who was behind the boy drinks too much when he poured the burning water was himself Who is distilled behind the guy knows what he does when he took off his pants was himself who became behind the boys gets laid too much when he ejaculated semen was himself who became pregnant behind THE CREATURE ANATOMICALLY IMPOSSIBLE a claustrophobic space of pure cracked concrete moldy floors and walls of sadness the drain of a sink rusty filthy left a creature whose geometry defies nature twenty-three angles between the tentacles less solid consistency to creamy facilitated the passage of something so big that instead of mouth had green suckers some say that the sound made by the creature denounced the lack of soul in something so appalling because, instead of voice or anything approaching human what was heard was a deafening hiss and even today, many years later there is no way of knowing what was that sound if they were screaming or wailing, in pain or pleasure because certain stories are better not being told PAULISTA NORWAY ("paulista" = located in the estate of Sao Paulo) In the village dominated by seafood once existed a pagan kingdom in attacks in the current Christian reality churches are desecrated with graffiti and the ink's fire still burns in memory of those who witnessed a can in hand and two fingers making horns from the hairy who resigned god the eighth level of the flaming underground lucifer watched the action with mannerism and indeed, it was the devil himself who called 911 and reported the vandalism what no one could even imagine that on that small village would born suddenly, without blinking the Antichrist who would descend to Hell DESCENT TO HELL (INSTRUMENTAL) ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH "Sex?" Asks the monster with a thousand faces "In the section on teen age education" responds the 60 years old librarian. "Sex?" Insists the monster with a thousand erections "I leave here at 6," says the widowed librarian I'm so horny for you mam Making love will be groovy And then they go down to the ninth level, and a forró happens (forró: traditional brazilian northeast music ball) Tens of thousands of elderly women with flaming nipples dance The Monster copulates with all, through its thousand sexual organs While the librarian shakes in jealousy and murderous rage The widow's glasses fog up and break At the same time she drops her grocery bags into the ground Boxes of cake dough and tubes of vaselin jelly are spread The monster gives 500 winks in one eye and smiles THE CALL OF CTHULUCAS Tem cabra que passa a régua, tem cabra que risca o chão (this verse absolutelly doesn't come across with nothing in english... but this would give a vague idea: "there are cowboys who get laid, there are cowboys who get fights") There are matchmaker women, there are women who don't say no And without excusing himself, he cut off the head of the old librarian woman and oddly enough Her chopped-off head still showed naughtiness. With the blood gushing out and black eyes rolling The whole tongue out, three seconds choking But it was long enough for the Devil to intervene Trying to defend the honor of the widow who would give birth to another Devil's child for this world to destroy While cleaning his teeth with the aborted fetus Into the deeps of the underworld he was teleported To checkout his bill, without a chance pay later With the owner of Hell, no Savior can help you: Accepted the knife fight, took off his shirt and went to battle After a long battle with Satan himself He escaped from Hell and never looked back He kept crushing the Demon's head And with cowboy boots he galloped To prove to the world who was ruling. Right above the Hell there is a vast ocean And he got his sea horse galloping Loud rang his trumpet to warn the planet I tell you this, my friend: the world is gonna end Now it's all fucked... Cthlhucas rises from the sea! WTF album: The PSR-38 Sessions Tags: Lo-Fi, Lo-Tech, MoR, Easy Listening, Funny. Very, very funny. WTF Quality: Just a very strange thing to do. Done for the sheer hell of it. A piece of Low Budget Brilliance. It was never going to be a fair fight. A bunch of lowly primates against the massed troglodytes of the mighty Yamaha Corporation? Os Almeidas have taken upon themselves here a worthy and noble task; to invade the enemy from within, to infect the host and let the virus spread from the micro chip to the processor, thence to the very brain of the beast; then to watch it tumble, humbled before the marauding horde. The PSR-38 is an evil piece of kit. The "samba" button alone has been scientifically proven to use ten times more energy than any other rhythm. This monster is not a friend to the environment. Os Almeidas, our hirsute Superheroes, have set out to prove that it can be tamed, and bent to the will of a skilled operative. Mission accomplished. 1./ Beber Pinga e Legal (Portugese:-Drinking Rum is Legal/Spanish:-Dick and Legal Drinking) Oily lounge-lizard shuffle with some frankly dangerous vocals recorded without a safety net. Plus lunatic solos clearly under the influence of one of the more fortified wines of the region. 2./ Eu Devia Ter me Casado (Portugese:- I Should Have Married/Spanish:- I Married and Deviated) Heavy Metal is up for treatment next. The PSR-38 handles this magnificently, with the aid of some frenzied guitar work that never quite musters the enthusiasm to melt your face. Splendidly done; the ending is a treat. 3./ A Velha Jovem Guarda (The New Old Guard) A spunky little blues, with manic "trumpet" interjections and some cheeky BV's, this chunters along nicely, but fear not! It then develops into a freaky "surf's up" solo; again, the ending is a doozy. 4./ Perdido, Nos te Amamos (Lost, We are in Love) Back to the Baroque here, which is deftly juxtaposed with an anti-social guitar solo. Delicious. 5./ Pereira E um Cara Batuta (A Pear and a Man-Wand) ...which frames off the suite beautifully. Well, it does; that - no more, no less. Although they are few in number, these pithy, witty, refreshing little sorbets are deceptively simple, deeply witty and darkly offensive all at one and the same time. Their brevity is testament to their humour and compactness. To flirt with so many styles, then to take them all home and bed them, is a tribute to the carefully cloaked skills of an unparalleled guerrilla force. To extract depth from an intellectually stunted instrument with the mental agility of a small soap-dish, is a tour de force greatly to be admired. It was never going to be a fair fight. A bunch of lowly primates against the massed troglodytes of the mighty Yamaha Corporation? My money's on the guerrillas, every time. ettuspadix |
Richard There - If the World Calls, Please Leave a Message
Artist: Richard There
WTF Album: If the World Calls, Please Leave a Message
Tags: Singer/Songwriter, Outsider, Spoken-Word, Dark, Rock
WTF Quality: Accent, Demented Poetry & Lyrics, Childish
Lifespan: 2008 -
Country: There
Link: http://richardthere.blogspot.com
After a lengthy hiatus from writing record reviews I'm returning with a handful of very special records.
To start we have the much anticipated new Richard There album produced by Richard Almeida.
Anyone already use to his lo-fi bedroom approach to recording will be in for a big surprise.
While the majority of the vocals keep the unique grainy recorded sound he has done in the past the music itself is well executed and recorded, along with special effects, soundscapes, SFX, and many other various ear-candy surprises.
In reviewing this album I got help from a friend of mine from back in the states. I thought he could help supply opposing thoughts on this as he hates, and I mean really fucking HATES, anything out of the ordinary in music.
I had no doubts that he would give opposite opinions against mine.
I did this because after I reviewed each individual song I realized that it was all too positive. I was licking Richard There's asshole - up and down.
I love this damn album to death and my words reflected that too much that I couldn't take all the sunshine praise and decided to give this review a black and white make-over.
So, I emailed my friend and asked him to say a few words about each song of the album.
My attempt at creating a duel first reactions review.
Later I edited a few parts to shorten things between us.
My friend may seem a bit harsh here but I know Richard and his fans can take it. And in the end, after reading his words, I learned to appreciate this music even more.
Ladies and gentlemen of the WTFMusic world - it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the man himself - who insists that I'm wasting my time with WTFMusic and thinks it is all a big joke for people with nothing better to do: Mr. James Jeffery!
1. If you want to say something
OP: A surprising introduction to the album. Already I feel that this is going to be something different than what I'm used to from Mr. There. Perhaps some kind of concept album?
JJ: Nothing too offensive yet. Just a quick answering machine recording introduction gimmick. I've heard this done a lot on many rap albums. Is this gonna be some kind of experimental crazy rap thing?
2. Everyday
OP: Time for story time around the fire with Richard! It's the simplicity in songs like this that gives comfort and charm to the music here. This story is a loop in itself and peaks at the moment of the subjects inspiration. It'S good to hear Richard's voice again singing new material that I know I will return to again and continue to enjoy. It's just so warm and comforting!
JJ: Whoa accent! That was a funny surprise! Not as weird as I'd thought it would be. Boring as all hell though. A repeating guitar figure accompanying a story about some bored guy who gets a flash of realization that he's a procrastinator. Most likely the same thing will happen again the next day. And the next. And the next. Like the repeating guitar. Okay. Next song please.
3. I don’t know what you mean
OP: Patterns? The world is calling. Messages are being left. Is there a mystery to unravel here?
JJ: Okay, another answering machine skit. "I don’t know what you mean when you say hi (high?)" How high are you Richard?
4. Call you friend
OP: Instant classic! A genuine playful and colorful creative tune about friendship with children as guest vocalists. It has that Wild Man Fischer spontaneous quality with the ever present Daniel Johnston innocence. Love it!
JJ: Sooooo, this is what I was afraid of. My wife walked in during this tune. She asked why I was listening to children records and accused me of doing drugs. Thanks for that Richard and Marcus. And really, anyone can make shit like this and many people already have. My only question is why?
5. Silence Train
OP: Nice production with the SFX and musical atmosphere to help support the words. Richard has great delivery in his text here and his voice seeps deep into the underlying sounds around him. Very easily drawn in and captivated. I can imagine that this would be great live. Perhaps we need to organize a Richard Show performed on a train?
JJ: A holocaust train perhaps? That was my first guess at least. This one is not so strange or bad either. I can't imagine wanting to listen to it again. Again the story goes nowhere.
6. Now I’m fucked
OP: I dig the "fucked" pronunciation. Not much else to say. Nice transition into the next track and keeping with the theme.
JJ: Fuck-ed? Yes Richard. Yes you are fuck-ED! No argument there.
7. Sand in my mouth
OP: A delicate sounding Richard delivering a loose message of someone somewhere losing something - being shot down. Brings variety to the set so far. Short enough to be valid. Really digging the way this album is unfolding.
JJ: This is what Bob Dylan would sound like if he came from a third world country. Enough said. The song's already over.
8. Robots
OP: What is this? A very unexpected side of Mr. There. Wonderful sci-fi soundscapes. A vocoder laced Richard untangles the age old question: what came first - the robots or the humans? Richard seems to be taking on all kinds of characters these days.
JJ: Oh come on! What's the point of this? To see what your voice sounds like disguised as a robot? More boring shit. How are people supposed to enjoy this on repeated listens? Really.
9. Joke
OP: This might be the first stand-up Dadaist joke I've ever heard . . .
JJ: So now I know that not only is Richard There not a musician but also not a comedian as well.
10. Listening to my breath
OP: Words of despair filled with questions and the lacking of confidence mixed with optimism. Themes I love to hear Richard talk and sing about. At first I was disappointed at the 1:52 mark. That build up. "See how it builds up like Linkin' Park?" (Lame Zappa reference - sorry). But trusting Richard's judgement over mine I went back and listened to the track a few more times. The way it ends is what justifies it for me. Not taking itself too seriously.
JJ: English pronunciation problems aside, and perhaps some people see that as part of the art (?), this is not such a bad tune. It's trying at least. And it almost does something until it just stops and dies.
11. Find my way
OP: Huh?
JJ: What?
12. The same
OP: I wonder if this was improvised. Almost like Alexander "Skip" Spence or Bill Clint in it's candid approach. Something rarely put down on record. Many people could never pull this kind of thing off but Richard does it with his honest and deep story-telling technique.
JJ: Someone get that rambling stoned hippy off stage. This is a family oriented coffee house you know! And man is that voice getting annoying. Sounds like you had some tough luck in your life Richard, huh? Yeah, don't we all. This is the worse so far. Especially when you go off on Velvet Underground.
13. Happy Birthday
OP: A warm introduction for the next song.
JJ: Is the Richard he's addressing here Richard There? Is this a song to himself? And this raises another question. Just how old is Richard There?
14. Doesn’t matter much
OP: Another instant classic from the coasts of There! A life full of sin is the only life worth living. Adding voices onto of pre-recorded material is always a plus in my book. Especially when it pulls the possibilities of weirdness. Possibly the best closing song to any album ever!
JJ: WTF?
15. If you are there
OP: Is this real? Are you talking to Richard Almeida? I'd always answer the phone if you called man.
JJ: Yeah, I'd ignore your phone calls too Richard.
Final thoughts:
OP: It's the personality that always pulls me into Richard There's world. The candid honesty, creative playfulness, witty experimentation, delivery of stories, twisted gloom vs. bright hope - this all makes up the world known as There. Where Richard lives and is happy to come and take anyone along who wishes to get out of their own routine of serious adult business and everyday chores of typical logic and life. With the EP "Who touched my bones?" I felt as if I was in the same room with Richard and he was telling me all these little stories. With this new album I feel as if he is taking me on a guided tour by flying carpet and introducing me to various characters and tales of feelings and memories. Each turn drastically different than the next. It's a special thing when an artist can keep their personally attached yet create drastically different backgrounds to express themselves in. A very well rounded and coherent record of WTF proportions and thoughtful playful exuberances. Thanks for the journey Richard!
JJ: Listening to this album is like falling down a hole in MySpace music hell. Where everyone and their stoned mothers are experimenting with all the music software they pirated off the internet. The creators call it weird and experimental but how can it be either if it's being done all over the world everyday over and over again? Pop star sensationalist Kanye West is more weird and experimental than this. Lady Ga Ga is at least spending the money needed to try out new technology with top producers on her albums. And both play with the media in ways that haven't been thought up yet. Using the public as part of the art the way politicians do but in a more creative fashion. That's fucking experimental. Not this shit. I'm sorry Ricard There. I'm sure you're a nice guy but your music goes nowhere, at least for me. It was alright writing words about this music but I assure you that I will not return to it.
Please comment and let us know who you agree with more. Me, onionapalac, or James Jeffery, also known as JJ here.
I think I know the verdict.
While JJ may be harsh with his words on commenting on Richard's music it brings into perspective how "outsiders of the outside" view our music. Something that is very interesting to me.
How should we deal with these people? Should we even consider dealing with them? Is it important? Should we only talk to ourselves and people like us? Only making friends with those who we can fully relate to?
To tell you the truth - I'm more concerned with those who are unfamiliar or those who refuse to accept this kind of music than with those who already embrace it.
What do you think?
DOWNLOAD the album HERE:
http://www.mediafire.com/?d2s3556jafq4mnz
- OnionPalac
WTF Album: If the World Calls, Please Leave a Message
Tags: Singer/Songwriter, Outsider, Spoken-Word, Dark, Rock
WTF Quality: Accent, Demented Poetry & Lyrics, Childish
Lifespan: 2008 -
Country: There
Link: http://richardthere.blogspot.com
After a lengthy hiatus from writing record reviews I'm returning with a handful of very special records.
To start we have the much anticipated new Richard There album produced by Richard Almeida.
Anyone already use to his lo-fi bedroom approach to recording will be in for a big surprise.
While the majority of the vocals keep the unique grainy recorded sound he has done in the past the music itself is well executed and recorded, along with special effects, soundscapes, SFX, and many other various ear-candy surprises.
In reviewing this album I got help from a friend of mine from back in the states. I thought he could help supply opposing thoughts on this as he hates, and I mean really fucking HATES, anything out of the ordinary in music.
I had no doubts that he would give opposite opinions against mine.
I did this because after I reviewed each individual song I realized that it was all too positive. I was licking Richard There's asshole - up and down.
I love this damn album to death and my words reflected that too much that I couldn't take all the sunshine praise and decided to give this review a black and white make-over.
So, I emailed my friend and asked him to say a few words about each song of the album.
My attempt at creating a duel first reactions review.
Later I edited a few parts to shorten things between us.
My friend may seem a bit harsh here but I know Richard and his fans can take it. And in the end, after reading his words, I learned to appreciate this music even more.
Ladies and gentlemen of the WTFMusic world - it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the man himself - who insists that I'm wasting my time with WTFMusic and thinks it is all a big joke for people with nothing better to do: Mr. James Jeffery!
Hello fine people of WTFMUSIC.ORG!
I look forward to say a few words about each song from Richard There's new album "If the world calls, please leave a message."
I have never heard of this Richard There guy before but Marcus (onionpalac) asked me this favor and I'm more than happy to abide.
I can only imagine what I'm in for. God, I hope this isn't THAT painful on my ears.
Let's get it on!
1. If you want to say something
OP: A surprising introduction to the album. Already I feel that this is going to be something different than what I'm used to from Mr. There. Perhaps some kind of concept album?
JJ: Nothing too offensive yet. Just a quick answering machine recording introduction gimmick. I've heard this done a lot on many rap albums. Is this gonna be some kind of experimental crazy rap thing?
2. Everyday
OP: Time for story time around the fire with Richard! It's the simplicity in songs like this that gives comfort and charm to the music here. This story is a loop in itself and peaks at the moment of the subjects inspiration. It'S good to hear Richard's voice again singing new material that I know I will return to again and continue to enjoy. It's just so warm and comforting!
JJ: Whoa accent! That was a funny surprise! Not as weird as I'd thought it would be. Boring as all hell though. A repeating guitar figure accompanying a story about some bored guy who gets a flash of realization that he's a procrastinator. Most likely the same thing will happen again the next day. And the next. And the next. Like the repeating guitar. Okay. Next song please.
3. I don’t know what you mean
OP: Patterns? The world is calling. Messages are being left. Is there a mystery to unravel here?
JJ: Okay, another answering machine skit. "I don’t know what you mean when you say hi (high?)" How high are you Richard?
4. Call you friend
OP: Instant classic! A genuine playful and colorful creative tune about friendship with children as guest vocalists. It has that Wild Man Fischer spontaneous quality with the ever present Daniel Johnston innocence. Love it!
JJ: Sooooo, this is what I was afraid of. My wife walked in during this tune. She asked why I was listening to children records and accused me of doing drugs. Thanks for that Richard and Marcus. And really, anyone can make shit like this and many people already have. My only question is why?
5. Silence Train
OP: Nice production with the SFX and musical atmosphere to help support the words. Richard has great delivery in his text here and his voice seeps deep into the underlying sounds around him. Very easily drawn in and captivated. I can imagine that this would be great live. Perhaps we need to organize a Richard Show performed on a train?
JJ: A holocaust train perhaps? That was my first guess at least. This one is not so strange or bad either. I can't imagine wanting to listen to it again. Again the story goes nowhere.
6. Now I’m fucked
OP: I dig the "fucked" pronunciation. Not much else to say. Nice transition into the next track and keeping with the theme.
JJ: Fuck-ed? Yes Richard. Yes you are fuck-ED! No argument there.
7. Sand in my mouth
OP: A delicate sounding Richard delivering a loose message of someone somewhere losing something - being shot down. Brings variety to the set so far. Short enough to be valid. Really digging the way this album is unfolding.
JJ: This is what Bob Dylan would sound like if he came from a third world country. Enough said. The song's already over.
8. Robots
OP: What is this? A very unexpected side of Mr. There. Wonderful sci-fi soundscapes. A vocoder laced Richard untangles the age old question: what came first - the robots or the humans? Richard seems to be taking on all kinds of characters these days.
JJ: Oh come on! What's the point of this? To see what your voice sounds like disguised as a robot? More boring shit. How are people supposed to enjoy this on repeated listens? Really.
9. Joke
OP: This might be the first stand-up Dadaist joke I've ever heard . . .
JJ: So now I know that not only is Richard There not a musician but also not a comedian as well.
10. Listening to my breath
OP: Words of despair filled with questions and the lacking of confidence mixed with optimism. Themes I love to hear Richard talk and sing about. At first I was disappointed at the 1:52 mark. That build up. "See how it builds up like Linkin' Park?" (Lame Zappa reference - sorry). But trusting Richard's judgement over mine I went back and listened to the track a few more times. The way it ends is what justifies it for me. Not taking itself too seriously.
JJ: English pronunciation problems aside, and perhaps some people see that as part of the art (?), this is not such a bad tune. It's trying at least. And it almost does something until it just stops and dies.
11. Find my way
OP: Huh?
JJ: What?
12. The same
OP: I wonder if this was improvised. Almost like Alexander "Skip" Spence or Bill Clint in it's candid approach. Something rarely put down on record. Many people could never pull this kind of thing off but Richard does it with his honest and deep story-telling technique.
JJ: Someone get that rambling stoned hippy off stage. This is a family oriented coffee house you know! And man is that voice getting annoying. Sounds like you had some tough luck in your life Richard, huh? Yeah, don't we all. This is the worse so far. Especially when you go off on Velvet Underground.
13. Happy Birthday
OP: A warm introduction for the next song.
JJ: Is the Richard he's addressing here Richard There? Is this a song to himself? And this raises another question. Just how old is Richard There?
14. Doesn’t matter much
OP: Another instant classic from the coasts of There! A life full of sin is the only life worth living. Adding voices onto of pre-recorded material is always a plus in my book. Especially when it pulls the possibilities of weirdness. Possibly the best closing song to any album ever!
JJ: WTF?
15. If you are there
OP: Is this real? Are you talking to Richard Almeida? I'd always answer the phone if you called man.
JJ: Yeah, I'd ignore your phone calls too Richard.
Final thoughts:
OP: It's the personality that always pulls me into Richard There's world. The candid honesty, creative playfulness, witty experimentation, delivery of stories, twisted gloom vs. bright hope - this all makes up the world known as There. Where Richard lives and is happy to come and take anyone along who wishes to get out of their own routine of serious adult business and everyday chores of typical logic and life. With the EP "Who touched my bones?" I felt as if I was in the same room with Richard and he was telling me all these little stories. With this new album I feel as if he is taking me on a guided tour by flying carpet and introducing me to various characters and tales of feelings and memories. Each turn drastically different than the next. It's a special thing when an artist can keep their personally attached yet create drastically different backgrounds to express themselves in. A very well rounded and coherent record of WTF proportions and thoughtful playful exuberances. Thanks for the journey Richard!
JJ: Listening to this album is like falling down a hole in MySpace music hell. Where everyone and their stoned mothers are experimenting with all the music software they pirated off the internet. The creators call it weird and experimental but how can it be either if it's being done all over the world everyday over and over again? Pop star sensationalist Kanye West is more weird and experimental than this. Lady Ga Ga is at least spending the money needed to try out new technology with top producers on her albums. And both play with the media in ways that haven't been thought up yet. Using the public as part of the art the way politicians do but in a more creative fashion. That's fucking experimental. Not this shit. I'm sorry Ricard There. I'm sure you're a nice guy but your music goes nowhere, at least for me. It was alright writing words about this music but I assure you that I will not return to it.
Please comment and let us know who you agree with more. Me, onionapalac, or James Jeffery, also known as JJ here.
I think I know the verdict.
While JJ may be harsh with his words on commenting on Richard's music it brings into perspective how "outsiders of the outside" view our music. Something that is very interesting to me.
How should we deal with these people? Should we even consider dealing with them? Is it important? Should we only talk to ourselves and people like us? Only making friends with those who we can fully relate to?
To tell you the truth - I'm more concerned with those who are unfamiliar or those who refuse to accept this kind of music than with those who already embrace it.
What do you think?
DOWNLOAD the album HERE:
http://www.mediafire.com/?d2s3556jafq4mnz
- OnionPalac
Happy Fucking Birthday WTFMusic.org compilation album
We received 10 entries for this marathon and it's a WTFM birthday delight, thanks to all who participated:
Phooey - Happe Birthday
zipperhacker - HapiBerzdej
onionpalac - Three Cheers For WTFM!!!!!
ettuspadix - Sorry I'm Late
Bloopy - sleep
cutworm - seed frags
LFC - HFB
richardalmeida - Parabéns pra Você
jeemobon - wtfmusic.org meets the angel of death
ettuspadix - Only the Juggler Stayed to the Bitter End
download it here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4ZSZMX6D
Berger Rond - Etrange en Compagnie close Artist: Berger Rond
WTF album: Etrange en Compagnie
Tags: spasmacousmatic, multi-threaded jump-cut, jazz, improvisation, free improvisation, experimental, spoken word, vocal
WTF quality: Intricately assembled with "no Bach shortcuts". Don't ask me.
Lifespan: 2010 -
Country: Canada
Workshop Manual for:- Berger Rond - Etrange en Compagnie
For this project you will require:-
1. An industrial strength French-English-Swedish Dictionary.
2. A Clarinet Extractor (available from most good retailers, but we recommend the "Claristract" from Wal-mart - it comes with attachments for most of the wind instruments, with the exception of the Double-Contra-Bass-Piccolo).
3. Google Translate (for light relief).
4. A No. 17 Clamp (metric or imperial, I really don't care)
3. An Open Mind (these are unfortunately no longer available commercially).
Preparation:- Download album from http://www.freakywaves.com/vb/Vincent/music.htm, and gently insert into player of your choice by means of wires or otherwires.
Procedure:-Sit or stand in a comfortable but conscious posture, with eyes open or closed depending on light levels, security, temperature etc.
Carefully initiate Track 1, labeled clearly "Riant va sans l'autre" - mind those fingers!
You will now be immersed in a web-like structure, from which it is difficult to escape. The upside of this predicament is that you probably won't want to.
Observe that the web is constructed very carefully, by somebody who really knows what they are doing. The materials used are similar to those used in previous models, but put together in intelligent and surprising ways. The various threads and nodules that you encounter are knotted together manually by a skilled artisan by the name of Vincent Bergeron. These are factory settings, and should not be tampered with.
Moving further down the web, you will encounter some vocals that have been equally and unequally overlayed, underlayed and throughlayed according to whimsy. These glue the entire structure into a very palletable entity, and strengthen the whole, without restricting the natural flow of energy. Few filters have been provided as standard, thus giving a feel of the most intimate and enchanting chamber-music. These vocals are due to the talents of Viveka Eriksson and Daniel Knox, both of whom seem to have been apprenticed to jazz stylists. This has enabled the designers to enhance the elegance emissions by over a third.
Add to this a contribution by Frederick Szymanski on classical guitar, and you have an overview of of the themes fuelling this album; the breakdown of communication, abstractness, minute attention to detail and genrelessness.
Now insert the prongs of the Google Translate into the title. The reading should be "Laughing Goes Without the Other" +/-9.
Negotiating carefully to the next track, "Intention Dévorante". Put the Google Translate into "loosely" mode, and press button B. This will now read "Devouring Intention".
This is made from similar but subtly different materials, and a slight change in personnel. Liz Alice joins the throng on vocals, while Daniel and Frederick take a back seat. A slightly more folky influence will also be perceived. Do not allow this to foul the carburettor.
Proceed to "Me detester quand je l'aime", the reading here being "I hate myself when I like it". Daniel once again replaces Liz on the vocals, and the jazzish feel returns, with a kind of piquant, sado-masochistic air. This may appear to introduce timing errors, but these are intentional, and should not be compensated for.
The introduction of a spasmacoustic Berger Rond into the next track has allowed engineers access to the throbbing heart at the centre of this unstoppable machine. Reference to the tables at the back of this manual will give an expected reading to "Du noir marre j'en ai" of approximately "I'm tired of black". This is well within tolerances.
Resolutely clamping the spasmacoustic valve will allow music to escape from "Le monde se défait toujours tout seul", and this may choke off the Google Translate. Do not be alarmed. After a minute or so, and a good hard thrashing, it will eventually yield "The world always defeats itself on it's own", with a remainder of "of it's own accord" to the right of the decimal point. It will also spit forth a bonus track, "Spasmacousmatic", which does exactly what it says on the can. I think.
Dismantling is now complete. Prepare a surface on which to lie down, and rest.
In the meantime, re-calibrate the translator, and leave to stand in a bucket of clean Berger Rond. Berger is of course a Shepherd, but Rond takes a little more effort; it can apparently give "round", "circular", "rotund", or my own personal favourite, "blind drunk". Savour those images for a moment. Then finally unravel "Etrange en Compagnie" to complete the jigsaw. Results of "In the Company of Strangers" are not unusual.
Re-assembly is the reverse of removal.
Health and Safety:- Hypnotic experiences may result from overuse, but I've never really minded that. There may also be lurking pools of percussion, but the effects do not last long.
Notes:- Spasmacousmatic is probably the best adjective to use for this jerky but attention-grabbing music. Involuntary movements are it's inspiration and it's Muses, and you will feel yourself sucked into the vortex, possibly reacting physically after a while. I have no idea how or why this works, it just does. It's like trying to make love standing up in a hammock; difficult, but ultimately very rewarding.
-ettuspadix.
Tags: spasmacousmatic, multi-threaded jump-cut, jazz, improvisation, free improvisation, experimental, spoken word, vocal
WTF quality: Intricately assembled with "no Bach shortcuts". Don't ask me.
Lifespan: 2010 -
Country: Canada
Workshop Manual for:- Berger Rond - Etrange en Compagnie
For this project you will require:-
1. An industrial strength French-English-Swedish Dictionary.
2. A Clarinet Extractor (available from most good retailers, but we recommend the "Claristract" from Wal-mart - it comes with attachments for most of the wind instruments, with the exception of the Double-Contra-Bass-Piccolo).
3. Google Translate (for light relief).
4. A No. 17 Clamp (metric or imperial, I really don't care)
3. An Open Mind (these are unfortunately no longer available commercially).
Preparation:- Download album from http://www.freakywaves.com/vb/Vincent/music.htm, and gently insert into player of your choice by means of wires or otherwires.
Procedure:-Sit or stand in a comfortable but conscious posture, with eyes open or closed depending on light levels, security, temperature etc.
Carefully initiate Track 1, labeled clearly "Riant va sans l'autre" - mind those fingers!
You will now be immersed in a web-like structure, from which it is difficult to escape. The upside of this predicament is that you probably won't want to.
Observe that the web is constructed very carefully, by somebody who really knows what they are doing. The materials used are similar to those used in previous models, but put together in intelligent and surprising ways. The various threads and nodules that you encounter are knotted together manually by a skilled artisan by the name of Vincent Bergeron. These are factory settings, and should not be tampered with.
Moving further down the web, you will encounter some vocals that have been equally and unequally overlayed, underlayed and throughlayed according to whimsy. These glue the entire structure into a very palletable entity, and strengthen the whole, without restricting the natural flow of energy. Few filters have been provided as standard, thus giving a feel of the most intimate and enchanting chamber-music. These vocals are due to the talents of Viveka Eriksson and Daniel Knox, both of whom seem to have been apprenticed to jazz stylists. This has enabled the designers to enhance the elegance emissions by over a third.
Add to this a contribution by Frederick Szymanski on classical guitar, and you have an overview of of the themes fuelling this album; the breakdown of communication, abstractness, minute attention to detail and genrelessness.
Now insert the prongs of the Google Translate into the title. The reading should be "Laughing Goes Without the Other" +/-9.
Negotiating carefully to the next track, "Intention Dévorante". Put the Google Translate into "loosely" mode, and press button B. This will now read "Devouring Intention".
This is made from similar but subtly different materials, and a slight change in personnel. Liz Alice joins the throng on vocals, while Daniel and Frederick take a back seat. A slightly more folky influence will also be perceived. Do not allow this to foul the carburettor.
Proceed to "Me detester quand je l'aime", the reading here being "I hate myself when I like it". Daniel once again replaces Liz on the vocals, and the jazzish feel returns, with a kind of piquant, sado-masochistic air. This may appear to introduce timing errors, but these are intentional, and should not be compensated for.
The introduction of a spasmacoustic Berger Rond into the next track has allowed engineers access to the throbbing heart at the centre of this unstoppable machine. Reference to the tables at the back of this manual will give an expected reading to "Du noir marre j'en ai" of approximately "I'm tired of black". This is well within tolerances.
Resolutely clamping the spasmacoustic valve will allow music to escape from "Le monde se défait toujours tout seul", and this may choke off the Google Translate. Do not be alarmed. After a minute or so, and a good hard thrashing, it will eventually yield "The world always defeats itself on it's own", with a remainder of "of it's own accord" to the right of the decimal point. It will also spit forth a bonus track, "Spasmacousmatic", which does exactly what it says on the can. I think.
Dismantling is now complete. Prepare a surface on which to lie down, and rest.
In the meantime, re-calibrate the translator, and leave to stand in a bucket of clean Berger Rond. Berger is of course a Shepherd, but Rond takes a little more effort; it can apparently give "round", "circular", "rotund", or my own personal favourite, "blind drunk". Savour those images for a moment. Then finally unravel "Etrange en Compagnie" to complete the jigsaw. Results of "In the Company of Strangers" are not unusual.
Re-assembly is the reverse of removal.
Health and Safety:- Hypnotic experiences may result from overuse, but I've never really minded that. There may also be lurking pools of percussion, but the effects do not last long.
Notes:- Spasmacousmatic is probably the best adjective to use for this jerky but attention-grabbing music. Involuntary movements are it's inspiration and it's Muses, and you will feel yourself sucked into the vortex, possibly reacting physically after a while. I have no idea how or why this works, it just does. It's like trying to make love standing up in a hammock; difficult, but ultimately very rewarding.
-ettuspadix.
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