Kirk Samuelson » video

But there is still Sonic Youth

Kirk Samuelson — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:20:48 +0000

SY is still pretty cool. Their old stuff still sounds great. And some of their newer music, the experimental/noise stuff in particular, is pretty groovy.

In the eighties:

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the aughties:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Scott Walker

Kirk Samuelson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:47:02 +0000

I’ve only been a fan of Scott Walker since ‘The Drift’ was released in 2006. Maybe I’m always late to the party. On the other hand, who has even heard of Scott Walker? A lot of people apparently. He had mega-hits in Britain as a member of The Walker Brothers in the mid 60′s. His first three solo albums charted too. I’ve listened to ‘The Drift’ lots but my interest was really piqued after watching the documentary “Scott Walker: 30th Century Man“. I figured that his earlier work, especially the teen-idol phase of this career was only interesting because it was so contrary to the rather difficult music he executed so masterfully on ‘The Drift’ and its predecessor ‘Tilt’. Wrong. Scott’s dark and doomy talent was there from the start. He credits Jacques Brel as the inspiration for turning away from pop and towards an uncompromising pursuit of his own artistic vision. He performed songs by Brel on albums that also featured his own songwriting.

Scott Walker had one of the most memorable signing voices in pop music. He said that he wanted the vocals on ‘The Drift’ to just denote a man, singing. Indeed, his voice occupies those songs but doesn’t completely fill them. It’s the sound, that wash of beautiful noise and the exquisite sense of terror that can’t be forgotten.

It was 11 years between “Tilt” and “The Drift”. I hope it doesn’t mean we’ve got 8 more years until the next LP drops. I’m ready for it now.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Kirk Samuelson — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:33:51 +0000

This is a band I’ve like for a while. I’ve listed them as a favorite. I’ve made it a point to look for tour dates or new releases on their web site. I drove up to Boston on a Sunday night to see them. I did all that because I was sure I liked this music but I wasn’t sure that I loved it. I needed to settle that. It’s settled – I love this band. I love this music. It’s thunderous and lovely, whimsical and absurd, and frequently disturbing. It’s also very smart, very technical, and funny.

The Donkey Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion

I make it a point to buy CDs when attending shows. The bands actually get some money when you’re buying it from them directly. In this case it was SGM’s second album “Of Natural History” that I picked up. I already owned the first “Grand Opening and Closing” and the most recent “In Glorious Times” which I’ve listened to many times. “Of Natural History” is likely the strongest of the three. The album art and text is a mythologizing blend of fictional characters, events, and ideas (I can’t prove the non-existence of the Sleepytime Gorilla Press in 1934 or Ikk Ygg) and some real ones – there’s a marvelous insert in the CD which pits the Italian Futurists (violently pro-machine) against Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber (violently anti-technology). The striking thing is the anti-humanism in the credos of both. SGM explores this in several songs on “Of Natural History” and elsewhere. Their first film, now in post-production according to their web site (although it may be another hoax) is titled “The Last Human Being”.

But I don’t find anything misanthropic about SGM. Nils Frykdahl, the band’s musical and visual center, may be a scary looking dude but I suspect he’s really a sweetheart. Between songs he verbalized a fondness for wooded areas (driving through Connecticut) and babies (there is an actual live baby on their tour bus but I’m not sure which band member is responsible). The songs are unflinchingly dark though, and you can almost imagine a world without humans. But not one without music.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dagmar Krause sings Hanns Eisler

Kirk Samuelson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:04:21 +0000

This is really something. Dagmar Krause from Art Bears and Slappy Happy sings the songs of Hanns Eisler. The fact that it was never released in the US is of no consequence now – get it from Amazon or Emusic.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Florentine Pogen…

Kirk Samuelson — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:17:02 +0000

…is a cookie. And, of course, a Frank Zappa song.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Action Mount

Kirk Samuelson — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:05:20 +0000

Funny name but what I’m describing is the camera mount for my Flip. It has velcro straps that allow you to attach it to just about anything. The only thing I can think of is a bike, however. And that’s what I bought it for.

Click here to view the embedded video.

QT version

Hey, buddy.

Kirk Samuelson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:31:39 +0000

A ridiculous video of my daughter’s parakeet that doesn’t really show off my new Flip camera very well. Still, it amuses me.