workoutwednesday

A brisk trot on the cross-trainer today, or a reasonably strenuous run. Euphoria comes in a lot of flavors; call this a sampler pack.

Inside-Out (live) – The Mighty Lemon Drops House Of The Ancestors – Afro Celt Sound System Monarch – Hex The Blissed One – Lotus Omega Shock The Monkey – Peter Gabriel Buenos Aires – The Golden Palominos What Kind Of Man Reads Playboy – Andy Summers & Robert Fripp (cooldown) Riviera ‘68 – Steve Stevens

Short notes (I’ve written about many of these groups or songs elsewhere, so the links is important):

Years ago there was a Volkswagen ad campaign based around the concept of “the pleasure of driving.” There was a chirpy little techno theme song, with floaty female vox singing “fa-a-h-hr-ver-r-r-rg-nü-ü-ü-ü-ü-ü-gen-n-n-n” (you’ll hear an instrumental version in that YouTube clip). My brother-in-law used to sing that jingle whenever he heard me playing “Monarch.”

Hex never really got a shot, partly because they had a weird format history: I’d say they were due for a rediscovery, because I think their organic/electronic experimental-pop thing with Donnette Thayer’s gorgeous vocals would go down a storm in today’s musicblog scene—but their two albums were cassette-only, part of the ill-advised “Ryko Analogue” line, and mp3s are still difficult to find.

I know nothing about Goa trance, one of the many dance-music subgenres that have blossomed in such baffling, fragmented profusion; I found “The Blissed One” literally by running a Soulseek search with the query “150 bpm.” And I thought it was funny.

My parents got me the second Summers/Fripp record for Christmas when I was 17 or 18. My mind was blown: with players like this, with crazy guitar synthesizers no less, this was TEH MOST AVANT-GARDE THING EVAH. and oh my god this song was like 12 minutes long—total crazily complex prog monstrosity I’m sure. Then, upon my third or fourth listen, I realize that, at heart, it’s just a sixteen-bar blues fa chrissakes. Robert Fripp, playing a blues like just another bar-band hack. Motherfucker.

Also: NICE HAIRCUT, JACKASS.

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