tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23827039621604735472024-02-07T06:27:03.946+00:00Quiet Worldian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-44615911569379713102018-08-31T15:39:00.002+01:002018-08-31T15:39:41.689+01:00Upcoming gigs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEYPQ70Uv4GRBz_0p7PoUGUXwnM2g4GRjkKWlB1es8y4sOWnl_9eukRb6VIsbQGOflRY-_7Yi4Gep5_dxo7OlkQsw6KYo4BrDSQx_uBdZliB_FKovj25_AZj6nMzM67CCuFcx_FR1PJkT/s1600/Ian+Holloway+%2528colour%2529+photo+by+Rhodri+Thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEYPQ70Uv4GRBz_0p7PoUGUXwnM2g4GRjkKWlB1es8y4sOWnl_9eukRb6VIsbQGOflRY-_7Yi4Gep5_dxo7OlkQsw6KYo4BrDSQx_uBdZliB_FKovj25_AZj6nMzM67CCuFcx_FR1PJkT/s320/Ian+Holloway+%2528colour%2529+photo+by+Rhodri+Thomas.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Ian will be performing - in a duo with Susan Matthews - at this years Nawr at Swansea International Festival on October 3rd - more details here...<br />
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<a href="https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/43881/NAWR-at-Swansea-International-Festival-2-Angharad-Davies--Lee-Patterson--Susan-Matthews--Ian-Holloway">https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/43881/NAWR-at-Swansea-International-Festival-2-Angharad-Davies--Lee-Patterson--Susan-Matthews--Ian-Holloway</a><br />
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and in Aberystwyth on November 1st - which is all the details i have on that for now.<br />
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It's been extremely quiet around here lately as I try and get well and get my little business off the ground but hopefully i'll be able to dedicate some more time to the label again sometime soon.<br />
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Stick with us and we'll see you soon.<br />
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ianian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-32241072985624600142017-10-17T12:09:00.000+01:002017-10-17T12:09:27.034+01:00Philip Corner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a very long hiatus following various accidents, injuries and illnesses Quiet World is finally back in the game with our newest release by the incomparable <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Corner" target="_blank">Philip Corner</a>.<br />
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'Gong/Ear:Natura' is a set of recordings dating from 1995 of Philip interacting with two locations (an orchard and a courtyard) with gong and assorted other less immediately identifiable sound sources (there's definitely a drink being slurped during 'Courtyard').<br />
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The recordings were made using a Sony Walkman and a Sennheiser microphone and so are quite noisy in places. They've been cleaned up a little but we kept it light so as not to lose the spontaneity and the very nature of the recordings.<br />
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The album has been released on CDr and as a download and can be found here...<br />
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<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1896395959/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/gong-ear-natura">Gong/Ear:Natura by Philip Corner</a></iframe>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phoebe, Rhodri, Philip, David, Ian, Jenn (photo by Daryl Feehely)</td></tr>
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Philip and his partner Phoebe Neville recently visited Swansea as part of <a href="http://www.rwan.cymru/" target="_blank">Nawr</a> at the <a href="http://www.swanseafestival.org/" target="_blank">Swansea International Festival</a> and performed two concerts in the town. I was honoured to have been asked to perform with them at the first of these, 'Metal Meditations', alongside <a href="http://www.rhodridavies.com/" target="_blank">Rhodri Davies</a>, <a href="http://www.jennkirby.com/" target="_blank">Jenn Kirby</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gongengine/" target="_blank">David Pitt</a>.<br />
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When I first moved to Swansea in 1994 one of the first places I visited was <a href="http://www.missiongallery.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Mission Gallery</a> and immediately fell in love with the place (in particular it's acoustics) so to finally get to play there - especially playing Philip's fabulous score on David's fantastic gong collection with five amazing musicians in front of an appreciative audience - was a dream come true and they were fantastic hosts.<br />
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We were hoping to have the new album available for the concert but a series of broken promises by the printers meant the discs didn't arrive in time. Instead I spent the afternoon hand making copies of the album using blank discs, card and coloured cases that I had around the house; I managed to make 16 (8 purple and 8 blue) before my printer ran out of ink. Each disc was signed by Philip with 6 being shared with the performers and the rest offered for sale. We still have a few of the blue left - purple proved very popular - and these will be put up for sale at a future date<br />
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The second concert was at the Swansea Studios and featured a selection of Philip's works performed by the trio of Philip, Phoebe and Rhodri. Each piece was wonderful but for me it was the physicality of opener 'Piano Movement' and the delicate and beautiful 'Petali Pianissimo' that stole the show.<br />
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Huge kudos must go to Rhodri for organising these concerts (and the other two in the series) and a massive thanks to Philip and Phoebe for making the journey. ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-12483693985969082742017-07-23T22:00:00.001+01:002017-07-23T22:00:17.952+01:00You can call it AlHi folks.<br />
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Good evening from the land of thunderstorms and sudden and intense monsoons. Here on the Welsh coast, contrary to popular opinion, we generally get fairly mellow weather but the last couple of days it's been alternating between blazing sunshine, lightning storms and sudden torrential downpours, it's very confusing and soggy. I've even bought a pakka mac, I've named it 'Al'... Al pakka (sorry...not sorry).<br />
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Other than the weather this week has been mostly dominated by work. I'm in the process of setting up a new business (wish me luck) and so my focus has very much been on getting the plan correct and in place. I have managed, for the first time in recent memory, some time to make some music. I had a couple of sessions during the week and two new tunes have emerged; one is a finished piece whilst the other is most definitely a work in progress.<br />
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My plan for the coming week is to find time to work on a couple of new releases for the label, one of which is an exciting return by an old friend. I'm not going to tell you any more at this point but this has been on the backburner for a few years now whilst I recovered from my accidents and learnt to walk again (twice) and it's about time it came out. It'll hopefully be released to coincide with an upcoming event.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The British Space Group at Nawr 7 (photo by Daryl Feehely)</td></tr>
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Last night was the latest in the series of 'Nawr' concerts organised by Rhodri Davies here in Swansea. I made one of my rare live appearances (photographic proof included) in my BSG guise at the last one alongside Deaf Pictures, Bill Thompson and Olivia Louvel. It was a fab night in a lovely venue. I've been wanting to catch Deaf Pictures (or Dan and Rose as I prefer to think of them) for a while now as I've missed them every other time they've played here. Bill and Olivia were both new names to me and what a joy they turned out to be; Bill's immersive guitar improvisations and Olivia's suite of song based electronica were a beautiful counterpoint to each other. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burkhard Beins & Rhodri Davies at Nawr 8 (photo by me)</td></tr>
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Yesterday the very fine line up was swn-dial, The Swansea Laptop Orchestra, Burkhard Beins & Rhodri Davies and cellist Hannah Marshall. I thoroughly enjoyed them all but it was especially wonderful to hear long time collaborators Rhodri and Burkhard as they're improvisation was seamless and unless you were watching closely - which I wasn't / couldn't from my seat at the back manning the merch desk - it was impossible to tell where one musician ended and the other began.<br />
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To return to Dan and Rose for a moment, in their other guise as film makers they interviewed me (and a host of other Welsh musicians) for their next documentary. I'm completely fuzzy on the whole experience and can't remember if I talked a load of old tosh or not (probably). I've had the distinct pleasure of watching one of Dan's previous films and am excited to see all the bits that don't include me of this next one.<br />
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'Til next time.<br />
Be well.<br />
Ianian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-55928994236505044082017-07-15T10:32:00.000+01:002017-07-15T10:41:11.704+01:00Hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok so some of you who've used the .co.uk links to Quiet World or Wonderful Wooden Reasons might be a little surprised to find yourselves landing here.<br />
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Basically it was time to renew the website and it simply wasn't economically viable to do so so I had to kill them off. I did save all the contents so much of it will reappear here in some form. the WWR content is going to be turned into a book so you if you appeared in the pages of the zine then you will soon appear in the pages of a book, which is cool, yes?<br />
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After several years of incident and accident and associated recovery times I am starting to return to the world. Quiet World is starting to emerge from its enforced hibernation with a couple of releases on the horizon - the first one around September time.<br />
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I'm also going to start trying to use this blog more - potentially as a weekly roundup of what's been going on so if you're so inclined you might like to click follow to keep updated.<br />
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More soon<br />
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Peace<br />
Ianian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-17374977126886712452016-04-16T13:24:00.000+01:002016-04-17T11:47:07.765+01:00The Phantasmagoria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About 6 years ago I came to the painful realisation that I probably was never going to soundtrack one of those cool gothic Doctor Who episodes of the Philip Hinchcliffe era full of robot mummies, dilapidated country piles, mad scientists laboratories and Victorian sewers. The bird hadn't so much flown on that one as much as that the egg from which the bird would have to hatch in order to one day fly away had never been laid. So, I made my own. <br />
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The process was simple. I came up with some characters led by a <a href="http://wyrdbritain.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Thomas%20Carnacki" target="_blank">Thomas Carnacki</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algernon_Blackwood" target="_blank">John Silence</a>, Doctor Who type chap and a list of plot points that I thought gave a suitably vague story arc (so that I didn't have to do any actual story writing) and then composed around that list.<br />
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I wanted this to be a fresh new start so I used an entirely new (to me) set of musical tools both to avoid slipping into any old habits or any of the same old compositional tricks I've used over the years and also in order to get a more appropriate sonic pallette and so armed I set about writing a suite of tunes that would evoke the music that had defined my ears. In line with the soundtrack idea I deliberately kept the music short and, in order to evoke an air of suitable menace and otherness, fairly atonal but on a couple of tracks I tried my hand at a tune or two which was a big step for someone who'd spent the last 12 years avoiding them like the plague.<br />
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That first <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms" target="_blank">Phantasms EP</a> came together over the course of a couple of weeks and the response was enthusiastic enough to plant the seed to make another one.<br />
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By now though I'd satisfied my Doctor Who hankering and I wanted to take inspiration from another show from my youth, Sapphire & Steel. A show that had such an impact on a young me that I still flinch when having my photo taken. I got far more involved with my plot points this time round and I needed to remind myself of the oddness of that particular show and the way the mundane bled into the obtuse. Like the show, I wanted to avoid the obvious, keep resolutions to a minimum and maintain a fairly constant atmosphere of unease. This <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms-2" target="_blank">second EP</a> duly made it's way onto Bandcamp<br />
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By now I realised that this Phantasms thing was destined, in the great tradition of science fiction, to be a trilogy and so I duly embarked on the third part and hit a creative brick wall. To do the final entry in my holy trinity of <a href="http://wyrdbritain.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wyrd Britain</a> sci-fi I'd have to have done 'Quatermass' next but that seemed to me to be a project in it's own right but I really wanted to round things off and say goodbye to these, partially formed, un-named travellers who have lived in my head for the last 6 years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrO0SDiUIJsh3TbWRo7VRSH08WGM3NHdu4Mo8OOFmp-8XnGTqK5R81bxUg5IbbJdraKk3RbbxD1l-0YMWptBcdfgsqnOGa0cJPTyfY-xQmeIZZhRTiiQAb25I_RkdwWfHBEoqKyYLxPl5/s1600/The+British+Space+Group+man+t-shirt+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrO0SDiUIJsh3TbWRo7VRSH08WGM3NHdu4Mo8OOFmp-8XnGTqK5R81bxUg5IbbJdraKk3RbbxD1l-0YMWptBcdfgsqnOGa0cJPTyfY-xQmeIZZhRTiiQAb25I_RkdwWfHBEoqKyYLxPl5/s200/The+British+Space+Group+man+t-shirt+logo.jpg" width="200" /></a>And so, in the end, I did just that. I envisioned a story whereby the travellers are summoned to go on a journey to say a final goodbye to their comrade who has chosen to finally stop in this new place. He stays, they depart and all eventually find their way home.<br />
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This one was undoubtedly the most difficult of the three to write and record. Half of the music came fairly quickly but then I kept getting distracted from it by work commitments and various other projects but once I'd established the narrative the final tunes were written and recorded in a few days. This <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms-3" target="_blank">third EP</a> was finally released onto Bandcamp a few weeks ago, some 5 and a half years after the first one went live.<br />
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So, over half a decade on from the initial whim to do something different and having enjoyed doing it so much that I've now adopted a new name under which to record this more, I suppose, radiophonic and hauntologically inclined music and I've decided to give the three EPs their time in the sun. Having previously only been available digitally via our Bandcamp page I've now collected the 3, given them a spiffy new name, some smart new black and white artwork and have made them available on disc for the first time. <br />
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BTW - The three separate EPs are still online for those who may already have some of the parts and have no need to buy all three.<br />
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The Phantasmagoria is out now and available on both disc and digitally via the <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Quiet World Bandcamp page</a>. <br />
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I hope you enjoy.<br />
Ian<br />
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<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1113176408/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/the-phantasmagoria-the-collected-phantasms-eps">The Phantasmagoria: The Collected Phantasms EPs by The British Space Group</a></iframe>
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-32951045141264550522016-03-14T13:46:00.001+00:002016-03-14T13:48:21.355+00:00Phantasms 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaZWNvKaQtV3tasit-afIxJ10Ml6SQ50xTuhdQNGgU9cLIl4b8_gtDKEki2hVvQxJtUDZjNPEPdV5PtCUhHhLCq26eRF4hTNokE9J3vMRGOSXDD4AKdnkOsvE7Ji6oGDGmltxmUPTlDCv/s1600/The+British+Space+Group+-+Phantasms+3+verison+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaZWNvKaQtV3tasit-afIxJ10Ml6SQ50xTuhdQNGgU9cLIl4b8_gtDKEki2hVvQxJtUDZjNPEPdV5PtCUhHhLCq26eRF4hTNokE9J3vMRGOSXDD4AKdnkOsvE7Ji6oGDGmltxmUPTlDCv/s200/The+British+Space+Group+-+Phantasms+3+verison+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">8 months on from my accident things are <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">finally starting to get back to normal here. </span>There
are a few releases lined up for the next couple of months as much of
what was planned for last year had to be temporarily shelved but we have
a couple of real treats lined up. I'll have more details on them <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">closer<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> to release</span>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Firstly though we are happy to bring
you the third and final part of<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> my</span> </span><span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms-3" target="_blank">Phantasms</a></span><span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> project - incidentally now attributed to </span><span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebritishspacegroup/" target="_blank">The British Space Group</a></span><span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">. </span><br />
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">You can hear the third part <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">in the player below an<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">d parts <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">one and two are available <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms-2" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2172733026/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms-3">Phantasms 3 by The British Space Group</a></iframe>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1XnXUQznzfDSqJCgZIfGV1esIxkOLcK8EcuPriNn0OespLdgOZRH7UMWR3aW1YDqRBNM7xDYpBO0ZykmVle-NHmBiU_PKOVA4lj8IL3zx9Pq4thEzt1wrmAOoSmK10OFLJ_OuKTdiVw6/s1600/The+British+Space+Group+-+The+Phantasmagoria+webimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1XnXUQznzfDSqJCgZIfGV1esIxkOLcK8EcuPriNn0OespLdgOZRH7UMWR3aW1YDqRBNM7xDYpBO0ZykmVle-NHmBiU_PKOVA4lj8IL3zx9Pq4thEzt1wrmAOoSmK10OFLJ_OuKTdiVw6/s200/The+British+Space+Group+-+The+Phantasmagoria+webimage.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">As with the other parts this has been made available digitally but
within a fortnight we will be issuing all three parts on one CD under
the umbrella name, 'The Phantasmagoria'. We will, of course, announce
it here and on the </span><span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Quiet-World-114161621948833/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> page when it's ready<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> but <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">here's a sneaky peek of the sleeve<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> just to tantalise<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Finally,<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I</span>'d just like to take this opportunity to thank every<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">one for their<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> support<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> and</span> kindness over<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> the last 8 months.</span></span></span></span></span> It really was hugely appreciated.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Peace</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="size9 Helvetica9" style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Ian</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span>ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-87172591605427660362015-09-12T12:57:00.003+01:002015-09-12T13:01:54.929+01:00Strange Orbits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJMvgQKmqvnc9Sq5z22LSHc_8kZ_WSfskuSGXACot1Yc6VT1lGPsrfNsZua4h4oW5MTcZOXF2W2QNa5o6JcDJNRjOw36qnSPg7NL9geKTVML-VtoqriNu5XJBhhawpIvPSr_zij5IoCg_/s1600/strange+orbits+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJMvgQKmqvnc9Sq5z22LSHc_8kZ_WSfskuSGXACot1Yc6VT1lGPsrfNsZua4h4oW5MTcZOXF2W2QNa5o6JcDJNRjOw36qnSPg7NL9geKTVML-VtoqriNu5XJBhhawpIvPSr_zij5IoCg_/s200/strange+orbits+front.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Back in 2006, under my old 'Psychic Space Invasion' name, I released an album called '<a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/pendulum" target="_blank">Pendulum</a>' (click the name to hear / buy it). It was made over the course of a weekend in the back room of my flat whilst watching the snow fall on Swansea. It was made using layers of short loops I'd made from various sources that I overlaid and overlapped.<br />
<br />
A couple of months later I started working on more loop pieces which when finished - with one exception that appeared on a very small run compilation on the Anima Mal Nata label - sat on the hard-drive of my computer whilst I got distracted by other things. And there it remained.<br />
<br />
Until today.<br />
<br />
Today I was playing around with the logo I'd made for The British Space Group - that one up there ^ and realised that it seemed to fit with the long neglected album so here it is; seeing the light for the first time in 8 years is my 'new' loop album, 'Strange Orbits'.<br />
<br />
It's a lot more intensely psychedelic experience than 'Eyes Turned Skyward' but after spending the last 8 weeks pretty much trapped indoors thanks to having split my tibia in half that's pretty much how I feel.<br />
<br />
This one is going to be digital only (unless I change my mind) and for those of you wondering about them, lots of my tunes start off their lives with nonsense words for titles just in the case of 'Pendulum' and now 'Strange Orbits' the titles stay that way.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy.<br />
<br />
Ian <br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1777988669/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/strange-orbits">Strange Orbits by The British Space Group</a></iframe>ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-52175211220763915642015-08-10T10:02:00.001+01:002015-08-10T19:22:44.728+01:00Under An Animated Sky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhx1o6lHn_YhRpkPbizxUYOuorr6PtE_U-0y6zbY4s6ThPRVJphAATFWjYrv-z90AGqBhLTrUe3dBJbspkqQBpiD9X1XuUCy-bTu_ArxIGaYzjBK0B1sb_Bg8sHgT0uY-VVGYBXdAmRFq/s1600/bsg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhx1o6lHn_YhRpkPbizxUYOuorr6PtE_U-0y6zbY4s6ThPRVJphAATFWjYrv-z90AGqBhLTrUe3dBJbspkqQBpiD9X1XuUCy-bTu_ArxIGaYzjBK0B1sb_Bg8sHgT0uY-VVGYBXdAmRFq/s200/bsg.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm still laid up with my right leg in plaster from toe to hip after the surgery to pin and repair my very broken tibia (I fell down the stairs) and now that the morphine has run out I'm getting increasingly bored of the view from my living room so I've been pottering with stuff.<br />
<br />
So I've made a video for my track off the XPYLON charity compilation (see previous post). The footage is from an old film called 'Our Mr. Sun' - <a href="https://archive.org/details/our_mr_sun" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/our_mr_sun</a> - from which I edited a few of the animated segments.<br />
<br />
I hope you enjoy it and if you do then please consider chucking some cash at the XPYLON compilation. You can grab the album for £7 or individual tracks for a bargain £1 each.<br />
<br />
Peace<br />
<br />
Ian<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X5oTERBJ_gk?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-58855220066297327482015-08-06T16:31:00.001+01:002015-08-06T16:31:15.437+01:00[xpylon] charity compilation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUS2mEpqY1fcVLnroc_9CnHK1P4H0UhpH6JWCCo2Q3eK5Kix0f-I6tlwn9kTL2sFxFk_L3RGASl6OqKJ8iS4lFMTlfYo5j_QePTDTrlSrkW86jZws3KNJnzRZzWW92MsQs3PAeHsxj5pww/s1600/xpylon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUS2mEpqY1fcVLnroc_9CnHK1P4H0UhpH6JWCCo2Q3eK5Kix0f-I6tlwn9kTL2sFxFk_L3RGASl6OqKJ8iS4lFMTlfYo5j_QePTDTrlSrkW86jZws3KNJnzRZzWW92MsQs3PAeHsxj5pww/s320/xpylon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
One of my British Space Group tunes is featured on this new
compilation released this Thursday in aid of the charity Mind; any and
all support you can give would be hugely appreciated.<br />
<br />
The title
references the fabulous Exotic Pylon label and radio show which connects
all the participants - in my case, the radio show.<br />
<br />
Press release:<span class="text_exposed_show"><br />
Once upon a time there was a radio show, then there was a series of
live gigs and events. Eventually, there was a record label. They were
all called Exotic Pylon. There was one man who was the creator, curator
and driving force behind all these things: a man called jonny mugwump. A whirlpool of creativity and enthusiasm, jonny is as close to a raging Darwinian force of nature as you could ever meet.In its record label state, Exotic Pylon produced a series of releases that
were completely unique from each other. There was no through - line of
sound. No label aesthetic. The one thing they all had in common was that
they had nothing in common. From torch songs to folk, from electronica
to spoken word. All human life was on the label (assuming the human
life was slightly lop-sided and walked with a limp). The one thing that
united everyone on Exotic Pylon was a sense of comradeship. We were all
proud to have been involved in some way or another. We were all members
of the same invisible college. Almost without exception we all kept in
contact with each other once the label had died. It may have disappeared
but its spirit has remained.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Here we present XPYLON, a compilation
of ex-Pyloneers. Each track is brand new and exclusive to the release.
There are supergroups, individuals and collaborations, all of which
evoke the heady days of the once great Exotic Pylon.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3764000715/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://xpylon.bandcamp.com/album/xpylon">XPYLON by XPYLON</a></iframe>
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-44569773708729531552015-02-24T11:07:00.000+00:002015-02-24T11:07:55.809+00:00Some not so Wonderful Wooden ReasonsI'm tired. So very tired.<br />
<br />
I've been burning every part of the candle that would catch light for so long now that something has got to give soon and I think that it's going to be me.<br />
<br />
I've been down this road before about 12 years ago and it's not somewhere I want to go again so I think I need to take this opportunity to change direction.<br />
<br />
I need to take things out of my life and make space and it looks like one of those things is <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>.<br />
<br />
I've loved doing my little magazine and it's led me to so much amazing music and I've met so many lovely people through it. At it's height each issue was clocking up thousands of hits and it was truly humbling how many of you cared enough about my witterings to come back and read each issue. But, I simply don't have the room at the moment to give it, not just the attention I should, but seemingly, any attention at all.<br />
<br />
So, for now, Wonderful Wooden Reasons is turning it's lights off, closing it's doors and saying goodbye.<br />
<br />
I'm going to be continuing with <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a> but perhaps in a much quieter fashion but your support is always appreciated. There's a new album available there this week which is something I've been pottering with for about a year now, I hope you like it. <br />
<br />
Thank you for all your support over the past 12 years. It's been a
pleasure getting to know you all and hearing your amazing sounds.<br />
<br />ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-80020632607632593012015-02-20T20:59:00.001+00:002015-02-20T20:59:21.878+00:00The British Space Group<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTWjP09SYjL-Gexof1FaNvnE5QO2ZdMpb9iMiJC886gd2lKTq9ALknc6J0NSngCzQGWfHUxCmTFw5nk498XolgOZKyvEoMkCBWoZNAQGElLKnVZyi4O99drSDm0RTOBusyBfok6Lh5C8P/s1600/The+British+Space+Group+small+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTWjP09SYjL-Gexof1FaNvnE5QO2ZdMpb9iMiJC886gd2lKTq9ALknc6J0NSngCzQGWfHUxCmTFw5nk498XolgOZKyvEoMkCBWoZNAQGElLKnVZyi4O99drSDm0RTOBusyBfok6Lh5C8P/s1600/The+British+Space+Group+small+logo.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
So after taking quite a long time out to recharge, refocus and reinvigorate I have today launched the digital copy (CDs to follow) of the first album by my new project <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebritishspacegroup" target="_blank">The British Space Group</a></b>.<br />
<br />
The album - <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/eyes-turned-skyward" target="_blank"><b>Eyes Turned Skyward</b></a> - is a deliberate (but not huge) step away from the more post-industrial musique concrete style music that I've been making of late. It's more in the spirit of the more synth driven albums I produced in a mad scramble a few years ago such as <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/pendulum" target="_blank">Pendulum</a>, <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/pendulum" target="_blank">All Gods Children Got Space</a> and Phantasms <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms" target="_blank">I</a> & <a href="https://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/phantasms-ii" target="_blank">II</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl62Q6SGLjXGMrvEw-T9YuJWXS4tgtKrqbx43jsmSlqKOSCwwpKj_ImmWk8yoCwdRIoEWTkYxvgRVFZOUvCW4MNQ0XENX3clf8kZew-0kfhaF4qvnxyjmbZIrMeaZn_XpX0S_sA9RamRGa/s1600/The+British+Space+Group+(front).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl62Q6SGLjXGMrvEw-T9YuJWXS4tgtKrqbx43jsmSlqKOSCwwpKj_ImmWk8yoCwdRIoEWTkYxvgRVFZOUvCW4MNQ0XENX3clf8kZew-0kfhaF4qvnxyjmbZIrMeaZn_XpX0S_sA9RamRGa/s1600/The+British+Space+Group+(front).jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
The new identity is an attempt to create a home for this side of what I like to make that is distinct from the other music. It's certainly not going to replace it - expect the long delayed Aurarora album to be available before the end of the summer - but is something I'm thoroughly enjoying playing with at the moment.<br />
<br />
Digital only at the moment due to a delay with the CDs but they will hopefully be available by the end of next week. <br />
<br />
Hope you like it.<br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1162447122/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://ian-quietworld.bandcamp.com/album/eyes-turned-skyward">Eyes Turned Skyward by The British Space Group</a></iframe>ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-79183309884714221772014-11-12T19:50:00.001+00:002014-11-12T19:50:52.136+00:00Music Review: Listening Center - Other Voices 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBl-iqgBzFEmzdQaRvhy2s5GOmAUxpU5lJlyhgMRoWzqUXTjM9kssTjNdAGJV35K1Bf0C_BdBPzj_t1_jc-noIJSDWhpfudmTR7O3a1usMXBdM4syd_bs0tGSK3DFOW_xSMOK62tQ9cNN/s1600/listening.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBl-iqgBzFEmzdQaRvhy2s5GOmAUxpU5lJlyhgMRoWzqUXTjM9kssTjNdAGJV35K1Bf0C_BdBPzj_t1_jc-noIJSDWhpfudmTR7O3a1usMXBdM4syd_bs0tGSK3DFOW_xSMOK62tQ9cNN/s1600/listening.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
(Ghost Box GBX712)<br />
7" Single<br />
<br />
Listening Center is the musical persona of NYC musician David Mason. For his contribution to the new Ghost Box series of 7" delights he has brought a short set of synthesizer ditties that invoke a sprightly library vibe alongside Vangelis-esque beats and a Kosmicshe-pop sensibility. <br />
<br />
It's a wonderful pop record that feels like it should have been released a couple of decades ago but I'm glad it wasn't because back then I was all about the fast and the heavy and so would have never gotten to hear it.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.ghostbox.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.ghostbox.co.uk</a>)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hGm_W8QmWy0?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-35163526590604423132014-11-11T21:18:00.000+00:002014-11-11T21:18:43.115+00:00Music Review: Brooks & O'Hagan - Other Voices 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZVlSye4AD-NhVIuueL8UL-Ptec-7b5egAzKjb80Dn5c3CZESHrOEwZHz0na7dpOjA3K8VD1XWHhJ0vDeEW1tuPs8lNniuGHgUQo5K17ER3UlkqdDwL3DV823qEgqLVVkkUa_ov1ViwcL/s1600/brooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZVlSye4AD-NhVIuueL8UL-Ptec-7b5egAzKjb80Dn5c3CZESHrOEwZHz0na7dpOjA3K8VD1XWHhJ0vDeEW1tuPs8lNniuGHgUQo5K17ER3UlkqdDwL3DV823qEgqLVVkkUa_ov1ViwcL/s1600/brooks.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
(Ghost Box GBX711)<br />
7" Single<br />
<br />
Ghost Box regular Jon Brooks (he of The Advisory Circle) here teams up with Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas for two pieces of gentle, hazy, lazy sunshine pop or 'poptology' as my brain keeps insisting I call it.<br />
<br />
Brooks' trademark hauntological tendencies are here giving the two tracks the feel of a 'Programmes for Schools and Colleges' countdown tune (which is no bad thing in my book) whilst O'Hagan's influence (and strings?) steers the music away from imminent lectures on 'Chemistry in Action' into the sunnier warmer climes of the gentle pop of The Free Design and The Beach Boys where instead you can feel chemistry in action. <br />
<br />
Singles were meant to sound like this.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.ghostbox.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.ghostbox.co.uk</a>)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dw5TsFpLYW0?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-58090171688175808202014-11-09T18:39:00.000+00:002014-11-09T18:41:55.635+00:00Music Review: Delia Derbyshire & Anthony Newley - Moogies Bloogies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGTcj4eZRxcCTVfSERizt9CP-KuHBvXg2Zyfbc4nZ7aHmWY4gNV6nIUNRGSbeWq-ADBcKpkVuoZv28eLPW6G9otOM8s_7zj1nPGD70xjtvYrydROKgZw6KUZHUl__QmgpTaAflKMZU-5M/s1600/Moogies-Bloogies_585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGTcj4eZRxcCTVfSERizt9CP-KuHBvXg2Zyfbc4nZ7aHmWY4gNV6nIUNRGSbeWq-ADBcKpkVuoZv28eLPW6G9otOM8s_7zj1nPGD70xjtvYrydROKgZw6KUZHUl__QmgpTaAflKMZU-5M/s1600/Moogies-Bloogies_585.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
(Trunk TTT008)<br />
7" Single<br />
<br />
Here we have an unreleased collaboration between Delia and the multi-talented Anthony Newley created apparently as soundtrack pieces but remained unused due to his move to the US with then wife Joan Collins.<br />
Side one is a whimsical slice of vintage Delia all nursery rhyme atmospheres and tooting melodies over which Newley has added a voyeuristic commentary all sung in his best mockney manner (think Blur's 'Parklife'). Lyrics here - <a href="http://wiki.delia-derbyshire.net/wiki/Moogies_Bloogies" target="_blank">http://wiki.delia-derbyshire.net/wiki/Moogies_Bloogies</a><br />
<br />
Over on the B side is something much, much stranger. 'I Decoded You (Moogies Bloogies pt.2)' sounds unlike anything else by Delia that I've ever heard and for it's 1 minute 28 second run time it is filled with busy clangs and tootles before twisting suddenly into a calliope waltz; over it all Newley, in another (more 'cultured') accent again signs a frankly creepy love song. The notes on the reverse of the sleeve make the claim that musically this is an example of Delia sampling which seems reasonable and these folks are far more knowledgeable on this topic than me.<br />
<br />
7 inch singles are rarely particularly cheap these days but they remain my favourite format and combining it with an unreleased rarity by a favourite musician makes this a real treat that's very much worth the asking price.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.trunkrecords.com/" target="_blank">www.trunkrecords.com</a>)<br />
<br />
(please note, that's not actually Delia (or Anthony Newley for that matter) in the video below but American composer and musician <span class="st"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Ciani" target="_blank">Suzanne Ciani</a>)</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hGP9UPHsl5I?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-25812072582006271562014-10-29T01:01:00.000+00:002014-10-29T01:01:37.926+00:00Music Review: Pauline Oliveros, David Rothenberg, Timothy Hill - Cicada Dream Band<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcxuq6rMUeVebRUVthSpmiw5HBIRHsNwcshEbF4SZjO2QPZ3h8vpPTw7rv_0ViMpiqxnTvj2KbYeULK3KMG9ZBlorQqVEpS63B1EL4yAGiZS3aIoNzB0z3o8Djlw0hzbUV5_OlZEy21zA/s1600/cicada_dream_band.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcxuq6rMUeVebRUVthSpmiw5HBIRHsNwcshEbF4SZjO2QPZ3h8vpPTw7rv_0ViMpiqxnTvj2KbYeULK3KMG9ZBlorQqVEpS63B1EL4yAGiZS3aIoNzB0z3o8Djlw0hzbUV5_OlZEy21zA/s1600/cicada_dream_band.jpeg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
(Gruenrekorder Gruen149)<br />
CD<br />
<br />
When we last heard David Rothenberg he and some friends were making beautiful Bug Music on his earlier Gruenrekorder release. This new one finds him continuing along that unique path again in the company of vocalist Timothy Hill but joined also this time by the (as if you needed me to tell you this) accordion playing Pauline Oliveros. <br />
<br />
CDB is a similar sort of creature to it's successor, which is no bad thing, but this time out the instrument seem to be taking a prominent role in the recordings. Previously it seemed that Rothenberg was reacting to the insect's cavalcade of sound. Here the critters are more integrated into the music; as though the music was assembled around their exclamations. It works really well but it does seem more deliberate and, for lack of a better word, 'composed' (which seems unlikely to me) than the previous.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfargYTRP1dfLWCZgYMO0v60xb8xc6cI_4km-YsDBSLHViYAG4NqRwwiMz7JJIuWSG4LDHI247e2u8PviLKpgZYFLRgFJJsm8EOw1SZ6y4tUgR_TC6S4AYXQU4dAFtcJZJETKHn8DIK9Kq/s1600/Hil+Oliveros+Rothenberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfargYTRP1dfLWCZgYMO0v60xb8xc6cI_4km-YsDBSLHViYAG4NqRwwiMz7JJIuWSG4LDHI247e2u8PviLKpgZYFLRgFJJsm8EOw1SZ6y4tUgR_TC6S4AYXQU4dAFtcJZJETKHn8DIK9Kq/s1600/Hil+Oliveros+Rothenberg.jpg" height="141" width="200" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1369373395"></span><span id="goog_1369373396"></span>It's a really lovely set. Rothenberg is centre stage and on fine form, Oliveros is a more withdrawn presence but her contributions are precise and work particularly well alongside Hill whose vocalisations are restrained and avoid the overt (and for me very annoying) vocal gymnastics that many avant-vocalists are prone to.<br />
<br />
Highly recommended and another in a long line of phenomenal releases from this eclectic and wonderful label.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.gruenrekorder.de/" target="_blank">www.gruenrekorder.de</a>)<br />
<br />
............................................................................................................. <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>
has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms.
Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie
reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a>
label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway,
Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and
many more.
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-43127644046168622522014-10-26T23:48:00.001+00:002014-10-26T23:51:53.535+00:00Music Review: Craig Safan - Warning Sign<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0J8a52MxELWahRb9gvaTLgnNDcT4KZAxpAg89i3sB5Hqg0aXPRrm0kmuTnTMuZgbKWGMgdKjq6opxVzRwqccKAB9MQNSVH6UKFEywgdmlKQ0JSuqJOKjNbx0-_EAbubZXADLJsG3MNexj/s1600/INV136LP_WarningSign_packshot_WEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0J8a52MxELWahRb9gvaTLgnNDcT4KZAxpAg89i3sB5Hqg0aXPRrm0kmuTnTMuZgbKWGMgdKjq6opxVzRwqccKAB9MQNSVH6UKFEywgdmlKQ0JSuqJOKjNbx0-_EAbubZXADLJsG3MNexj/s1600/INV136LP_WarningSign_packshot_WEB.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a></div>
(Invada Records)<br />
CD<br />
<br />
Safan is an American soundtrack composer with a long filmography that includes things such as 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master', 'The Last Starfighter' and the TV series 'Cheers' for which he provided all the original music except the theme. Here though it's his electronic score for the ultra-obscure 1985 zombie movie 'Warning Sign' that concerns us.<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure you can take a fairly accurate guess from that date what this is going to sound like. Recorded on the Synclavier synthesizer - the synth of choice for many 80s pop music stalwarts such as Sting, Genesis and Michael Jackson - 'Warning Sign' is awash with sounds that have been rendered utterly passé by overuse. The polyphonic tones of the Synclavier though are rich and endearing and weighted with nostalgia and Safan manages for large parts of this soundtrack to conjure up and maintain some heavy, dramatic and occasionally melodramatic ambiences. Sometimes they all come crashing down to earth with a (now) clichéd 'du du dum' noise but, as I said earlier, he's got a pedigree for this stuff and knows how to build and hold a mood.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLwxIusvkjrMDrTT-tCIKWk8A1wr_4s2UxiMMLQYKFhVkzoPpf9GTR7XYm6X2oRk_nPUPceU5xlGe5x9YspYc4bYA5p6302hxbnRfXbKlmAQ84ZMdGGQ8zP2OfDJKQ-5n7Ha-Xc6kmM7g/s1600/safan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLwxIusvkjrMDrTT-tCIKWk8A1wr_4s2UxiMMLQYKFhVkzoPpf9GTR7XYm6X2oRk_nPUPceU5xlGe5x9YspYc4bYA5p6302hxbnRfXbKlmAQ84ZMdGGQ8zP2OfDJKQ-5n7Ha-Xc6kmM7g/s1600/safan.jpeg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
I've had a copy of this sitting around for a little while now and, as is my way, I've tried it in different environments. Of them all it proved to be most at home in my car. The cinematic scale of the compositions and the depth of the Synclavier's tones means it's perfectly suited to motorway driving; particularly at night as it decorates the journey with cyberpunk textures. <br />
<br />
It is dated sounding and is lacking that certain spark that similar, and classic, soundtrack work of the same era such as 'Blade Runner' or some of John Carpenter's work has and as such I can't see it ever being more that a reasonably well thought of piece of cult ephemera but that's no bad thing.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.invada.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.invada.co.uk</a>)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xv0pNLcrR70?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
............................................................................................................. <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>
has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms.
Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie
reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a>
label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway,
Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and
many more.
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-57817341117110077452014-10-26T01:53:00.002+01:002014-10-26T01:56:52.871+01:00Music Review: Howlround - Torridon Gate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPigmG9amiByO5TwovnpcDS51Zn67EhxKF7keRIE3Fb23SIvthe_PL5K6u-nbOsmN7Wd4rP2XH0MZNr_AJWtN0swfHxalD-OPAYeBKblvmEw-vQde-pAlk6Ab4GzeoGKno81Wrcek3FUXM/s1600/howlround-tgs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPigmG9amiByO5TwovnpcDS51Zn67EhxKF7keRIE3Fb23SIvthe_PL5K6u-nbOsmN7Wd4rP2XH0MZNr_AJWtN0swfHxalD-OPAYeBKblvmEw-vQde-pAlk6Ab4GzeoGKno81Wrcek3FUXM/s1600/howlround-tgs.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
(A Year in the Country)<br />
CD<br />
<br />
This third album from London's finest manipulators of magnetic tape, Howlround, is a slow burning, deeply atmospheric corker. Produced entirely from recordings made from the gate referenced in the title, the duo of Robin (the Fog) and Chris (Weaver) have coaxed a dizzying array of unsettling and even sorrowful sounds from this most functional of objects and have layered them to astonishing effect.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgponNI4MlSdnUiJdv0xRny5Acqf9f8UIw_yiswiP7iomfxUtGdOsnD3GzjQRjNvPrv3kmrRSs78q4WUt5SObtQVHW6cd-JIAawzSnIB24Y1FesggnaCgYmAZ1CToPLWPE5HxZzqek6OAlH/s1600/Howlround-Torridon-Gate-Robin-The-Fog-Chris-Weaver-Resonance-FM-A-Year-In-The-Country-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgponNI4MlSdnUiJdv0xRny5Acqf9f8UIw_yiswiP7iomfxUtGdOsnD3GzjQRjNvPrv3kmrRSs78q4WUt5SObtQVHW6cd-JIAawzSnIB24Y1FesggnaCgYmAZ1CToPLWPE5HxZzqek6OAlH/s1600/Howlround-Torridon-Gate-Robin-The-Fog-Chris-Weaver-Resonance-FM-A-Year-In-The-Country-3.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a>The Howlround modus is based very much on that of the early years of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and as such they record their sound sources onto loops of tape of varying sizes which are then played via three tape recorders with all processing and editing done within the machines. In this way the composition that the two have persuaded the tapes to reveal is as otherworldly and queasily creepy as it is beautifully earthy. There's a gritty texture that evokes stories of the gate's history, it's place and it's age but through all that there is movement. The sounds expose themselves, transform and meld producing a piece of music that is at times introspective, at times vociferous and in a constant state of resurgence and restless agitation. <br />
<br />
The end result as presented here is a piece of music that whilst acknowledging the debt it's playful manner of execution owes to the workshop of the 1960s, is, in conception, timeless and really rather fun.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.ayearinthecountry.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.ayearinthecountry.co.uk</a>)<br />
(<a href="http://www.howlround.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.howlround.co.uk</a>)<br />
<br />
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2585932341/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://ayearinthecountry.bandcamp.com/album/torridon-gate">Torridon Gate by Howlround</a></iframe>
<br />
............................................................................................................. <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>
has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms.
Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie
reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a>
label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway,
Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and
many more.
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-24493939275120275422014-08-01T15:04:00.000+01:002014-08-01T15:04:52.538+01:00Book Review: No Wave: Post Punk Underground. New York 1976-1980<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibckmwrbxrSsQFsy8yYseudDR6Le_3eoKqb1I-CEiHhFOt5059oV_RtzE96ajdj-yr7bhlUtacR3503LGAV1Vhz3D-5WEwuvp1IYMnBccYYF_a1AICeIzpA_L4NeJOQjJXrmFFXhJqGufT/s1600/no+wave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibckmwrbxrSsQFsy8yYseudDR6Le_3eoKqb1I-CEiHhFOt5059oV_RtzE96ajdj-yr7bhlUtacR3503LGAV1Vhz3D-5WEwuvp1IYMnBccYYF_a1AICeIzpA_L4NeJOQjJXrmFFXhJqGufT/s1600/no+wave.jpg" /></a></div>
Thurston Moore & Byron Foley<br />
(Harry N. Abrams Books)<br />
<br />
<i>No Wave is the first book to visually chronicle the collision of art and punk in the New York underground of 1976 to 1980. This in depth look at punk rock, new wave, experimental music, and the avant-garde art movement of the 70s and 80s focuses on the true architects of No Wave from James Chance to Lydia Lunch to Glenn Branca, as well as the luminaries that intersected the scene, such as David Byrne, Debbie Harry, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, and Richard Hell.<br />This rarely documented scene was the creative stomping ground of young artists and filmmakers from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Jim Jarmusch as well as the musical genesis for the post-punk explosions of Sonic Youth and is here revealed for a new generation of fans and collectors.<br />Thurston Moore and Byron Coley have selected 150 unforgettable images, most of which have never been published previously, and compiled hundreds of hours of personal interviews to create an oral history of the movement, providing a never-seen-before exploration and celebration of No Wave.</i><br />
<br />
No Wave was for me always better in the abstract. For the most part I'm really not all that into the music. There are exceptions but truthfully these are mostly exceptions to the scene anyway - Glenn Branca's guitar ensembles and some of the latest Lydia Lunch things.<br />
<br />
As I'm sure this is the case for many folks it was that lady back there (along with Sonic Youth) that was my entry point into the scene. Truthfully though I have read more about the bands than I have heard them. The book increases this discrepancy via an abundance of quotes and snapshots. There's a vague authorial narrative but the bulk of the journey is conducted via the words of the participants. The photos are a mix of band promos, gig pics and snapshots. They work well with the text reflecting it's monochromatic delivery and lack of fussiness with their directness.<br />
<br />
Searching and indepth it wasn't, interesting and personable it absolutely was.<br />
<br />ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-68362690397413410292014-07-21T21:42:00.003+01:002014-07-21T22:30:02.613+01:00Book Review: Alan Moore - 25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Harry N. Abrams)<br />
<br />
<i>With each new technological advance, pornography has proliferated and degraded in quality. Today, porn is everywhere, but where is it art? 25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom surveys the history of pornography and argues that the success and vibrancy of a society relates to its permissiveness in sexual matters.<br />This history of erotic art brings together some of the most provocative illustrations ever published, showcasing the evolution of pornography over diverse cultures from prehistoric to modern times. Beginning with the Venus of Willendorf, created between 24,000-22,000 bce, and book-ended by contemporary photography, it also contains a timeline covering major erotic works in several cultures. 25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom ably captures the ancient and insuppressible creative drive of the sexual spirit, making this book a treatise on erotic art. </i><br />
<br />
This is a reproduced essay written by Moore on one of his non Lovecraftian obsessions - pornography.<br />
<br />
It's an interesting little read that is entirely and obviously Moore and feels like it fell straight out of the pages of Dodgem Logic. The really odd thing about it are the remarkably prudish illustrations. For an article that is championing the decline in quality of pornography it's remarkably coy about showing almost anything that could be considered actually pornographic.<br />
<br />
A light but enjoyable article that is more polemic than argument but was possible better suited to be a magazine article rather than a book in its own right.<br />
<br />
............................................................................................................ <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>
has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms.
Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie
reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a>
label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway,
Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and
many more.
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-46812559774891314232014-07-21T21:38:00.002+01:002014-07-21T21:38:58.130+01:00Book Review: Alan Moore & Facundo Percio - Fashion Beast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Avatar)<br /><br /> <i>Alan Moore's lost masterpiece comes to life as an incredible comic book series almost three decades later! The mid-80's were a stunning period of brilliance for Alan Moore, seeing him create true masterpieces including Miracleman, Watchmen--and Fashion Beast! Working with Malcom McLaren (Sex Pistols), Moore turned his attention to a classic re-telling of a Beauty and the Beast through his unyielding and imaginative vision.<br />At long last, Fashion Beast is presented in deluxe trade paperback and hardcover collections of the complete ten issue Fashion Beast series. Doll was unfulfilled in her life as a coat checker of a trendy club. But when she is fired from the job and auditions to become a "mannequin" for a reclusive designer, the life of glamour she always imagined is opened before her. She soon discovers that the house of Celestine is as dysfunctional as the clothing that define the classes of this dystopian world.</i><br /><br />
This is an old Alan Moore based on an idea he'd worked on with Malcolm McLaren way back when. It tells of a self obsessed cloakroom attendant named Doll who finds herself hired as the feature model at the world most prestigious fashion house. As the world falls apart outside she discovers that life inside the fashion house to be wholly dysfunctional.<br />
<br />It's an entirely of sort of thing that didn't really grab me to the point most of Moore's things do but it's lack of anything to grab onto may be a fairly good reason as to why it never saw the light of day until now. It seemed empty, almost vacuous even. The ending is heavy handed and the pacing was uneven but an intriguing read nonetheless.<br /><br />............................................................................................................ <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>
has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms.
Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie
reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a>
label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway,
Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and
many more.
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-58599502254889522532014-07-21T21:34:00.001+01:002014-07-21T21:34:31.803+01:00Book Review: Barry Gifford - The Stars Above Veracruz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Thunder's Mouth Press)<br /><br /><i>A high-wire artist named Ropedancer is our guide to Gifford's world in The Stars Above Veracruz. His tale opens and closes this book of linked short fictions that take place in Honduras, France, Cuba, Paris, New York, New Zealand, Mexico, and other locales. Gifford's lyrical stories are often confessional, involving crimes large and small and narrators who, win or lose in their battles, never emerge unscathed. There is little triumphing here; victory lies in the completion of the journey, the survival of the high-wire artist who, step by step, follows his lifeline with utter concentration. At once tragic and humorous, full of pathos, and reminiscent of Thornton Wilder's humanist classic The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Stars Above Veracruz is Gifford's most significant work since Wild at Heart.</i><br /><br /> This set of shorts from the author of the Sailor and Lula novels (the first being Wild at Heart made into a movie by David Lynch) had some gems mixed amongst them and there were some moments of pure Gifford but it wasn't all gold. Some parts dragged which is really saying something with stories that often only lasted a couple of pages.<br /><br />I'm a huge Gifford fan. I've read everything I can get my hands on and he very rarely disappoints. This is also the case here and on the whole though it was still a typically fun piece of Gifford-ana.<br />
<br />
............................................................................................................ <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>
has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms.
Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie
reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a>
label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway,
Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and
many more.
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-13879949887345869022014-07-19T22:11:00.001+01:002014-07-19T22:12:56.904+01:00Book Review: Charles Stross - The Apocalypse Codex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Orbit)<br />
<br />
<i>Bob Howard used to fix computers for the Laundry, the branch of the British Secret Service that deals with otherworldly threats, but those days are over. He's not only been promoted to active service but actually survived missions against cultists, enemy spies and tentacled horrors from other dimensions.</i><br />
<br />
I really like these very British Lovecraftian books about the UK's magical secret service The Laundry that Stross has done but I'm not sure I could actually read one. All the one I've come across (and I'm fairly certain that it's all of them) have been audiobooks and now all the characters are so entirely tied up with the voices that reader Gideon Emery has given them that this is the only way for me now.<br />
<br />
This latest one pits our promotion bound hero, computational demonologist Bob Howard, against an American evangelist with a hard on for waking the Sleeper which would be bad news for all involved and everyone not involved. Helping him along the way are two external operatives - Persephone Hazard and Johnny McTavish, a witch and an ex-squaddie respectively - who slowly reveal to him the the true hidden history and nature of The Laundry.<br />
<br />
This time out it's less obsessed with the bureaucracy of the agency and what we get is more of a straight adventure story but as Stross has been writing each as a pastiche of different authors such as Len Deighton, Ian Fleming and Anthony Price and here inserting Bob into Peter O'Donnell (Modesty Blaise) novel that's understandable. These have fast become amongst my most anticipated releases and are an absolute joy to find out where Stross is going to take Bob next which is a particularly apt way to end this review as it mirrors the tantalising end of the book<br />
<br />
............................................................................................................ <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a>
has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms.
Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie
reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a>
label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway,
Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and
many more.
ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-12826063879542060612014-07-09T13:13:00.002+01:002014-07-09T14:38:17.756+01:00Book Review: Mitch Cullin - A Slight Trick of the Mind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Canongate) <br />
<br />
Behind my head as I write this is a shelf with about 20 Sherlock Holmes books plus various DVD adaptations / versions. It would be pretty safe to say I'm a fan. I am not however even remotely precious about it. Amongst those 20 odd books and sat alongside the canon are a number of pastiches, some are downright silly - the 'War of the World' one springs immediately to mind (written by the magnificently named Manly Wellman). Another features him teaming up with a young Teddy Roosevelt, whilst a third pits him against the gentleman burglar Arsene Lupin although he is called Herlock Sholmes in that one. There's even a first edition of Michael Chabon's masterclass of a novel featuring an elderly Holmes, The Final Solution.So basically, do what you want with him. The character is malleable and durable enough and I'm enough of a fan to go along on the journey and see if it's going somewhere interesting.<br />
<br />
In 'A Slight Trick of the Mind' Mitch Cullin takes Holmes somewhere very interesting indeed, to the end. Cullin places the nonagenarian Holmes in two very different settings and the younger version into what at first seems like a rather nondescript case that eventually takes on much deeper meanings.<br />
<br />
Switching effortlessly between his life amongst his beloved bees in the company of the housekeeper's son, his beekeeping protégé, and a trip to postwar Japan ostensibly to search for prickly ash but also to satisfy a young man's curiosity regarding his estranged father whilst also being drip fed the resolution of the earlier case; Cullin's book is that rarity, a literary pageturner. It's beautifully written and reveals it's heartbreaking secrets both far too soon and frustratingly slowly. The carefully crafted links between the various stories are given the time and space to allow their tales to tell and to allow us to more fully understand what it means to be both Holmes at the height of his powers and Holmes at their decline.<br />
<br />
For many people this will no doubt be an ill fit alongside the canon but those people will be missing the point. This isn't a book about Sherlock Holmes the great detective; he is simply the principal in a book about loss both great and small. Loss of friends, loss of family, loss of a child, loss of love, of memory, of things, of direction and ultimately loss of self. Holmes is ourselves wit large and as such any loss is born magnified and intensified. Through him we are shown what it means to be ultimately, inevitably, inescapably fallible.<br />
<br />
I found this to be a beautiful and poignant read that took me to a place I've not visited in a while and brought me back filled with questions for which the answers can only be experienced when the time comes for them to be asked.<br />
<br />
Heartily and resoundingly recommended.<br />
<br />
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For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a> has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms. Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/">Quiet World</a> label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway, Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and many more. ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-31238535917496244302014-07-09T13:01:00.002+01:002014-07-09T14:02:09.436+01:00Book Review: Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill - Nemo: The Roses of Berlin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Top Shelf)<br />
<br />
This is the second League of Extraordinary Gentleman spinoff books to feature the exploits of everyone's favourite sub aquatic pirate goes off to Germany to rescue her daughter and her son in law, the air pirate Robur.<br />
<br />
The book mixes in The Great Dictator, Metropolis, Cabinet of Doctor Cagliari, She and more to great effect. I've got to say though that if it wasn't for the majesty of Jess Nevins and his explanatory website - <a href="http://jessnevins.com/annotations/rosesofberlin.html">http://jessnevins.com/annotations/rosesofberlin.html</a> - much of it would have been incomprehensible to me as it was written in German and I don't currently have a friendly German to hand..<br />
<br />
It's a quest book (of sorts) and as such is a little thin on plot but what there is is typical Moore and there is plenty of distraction in the always beautiful art from O'Neill who as ever brings the most absurd worlds to life in stunning, awe inspiring and eye popping glory.<br />
<br />
Not the best of them but still wonderful.<br />
<br />
............................................................................................................ <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a> has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms. Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/" target="_blank">Quiet World</a> label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway, Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and many more. ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2382703962160473547.post-55089153673732477892014-07-09T12:54:00.002+01:002014-07-09T13:02:09.157+01:00Book Review: Ray Bradbury -Fahrenheit 451<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(HarperCollins UK)<br />
<br />
Time, I think, for a classic. I do this every now and again. I'm a fairly freeform sort of reader normally and just go with what catches my eye but now and again I like to dig into the classics for a while. They rarely disappoint. I did A Canticle for Liebowitz recently which turned out to be a corking experience so, as I said, time for another. This is one of those books that regularly sits near the top of 'Greatest ever...' lists so I had high expectations for it and disappoint it did not.<br />
<br />
The story, as I'm sure you all know, tells of the awakening of fireman Guy Montag from a world of blinkered, sanitised corporate delusion where he burns books for a living to one where he becomes one of the saviours of the very things he's meant to hate.<br />
<br />
It's a poignant, sad and exhilarating and is as tightly wound as Montag's nerves. Most of all the novel seems utterly and depressingly real. Magnificent.<br />
<br />
............................................................................................................. <br />
For the last 11 years <a href="http://www.wonderfulwoodenreasons.co.uk/">Wonderful Wooden Reasons</a> has championed experimental and non-commercial music of all forms. Please visit to access our extensive archives of music, book and movie reviews. <br />
It is the in-house magazine for the <a href="http://www.quietworld.co.uk/">Quiet World</a> label which has released music from artists such as Ian Holloway, Darren Tate, Banks Bailey, Philip Corner, Colin Andrew Sheffield and many more. ian hollowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13185795270490170583noreply@blogger.com0