SOUNDTRACK: SONG OF THE SILENT LAND (2004).
This is a compilation from Constellation Records. It features mostly unreleased tracks and turns out to be a great sampler for both the fan of the label and the novice.
Since the label never had any “hits” per se, they couldn’t really release a “greatest hits” collection. But they went the extra mile by selecting rare tracks rather than just a songs from their albums,.
It also belies the idea (put forth by me as well as many others) that Constellation had “a sound.” While they have branched further afield since this collection was released, even prior to this you can see a lot of diversity. From the epic instrumentals of Godspeed You Black Emperor, to the noise structures of Exhaust, to the sort of spoken word of 1-Speed Bike to the viola/bass duet of HangedUp. This compilation contains one track from pretty much every artist on their roster from the (then) new artist Elizabeth Anka Vajagic to early bands Sofa.
The Do Make Say Think track, “Winter Hymn Winter Hymn Winter Hymn” is described as a condensation of the album of that name into 5 minutes, and I believe it is). Many of the other artists’ tracks are remixed. But the remixes aren’t dance remixes or dub versions, they are just remixed, usually by Efrim or one of the other Hotel2Tango individuals.
If you’re a fan of the label, hunt down this disc. If you’re not familiar with the artists, this is a great place to start. The bands’ tracks, even the remixes are representative of the bands. So, you get a good sense of Exhaust, 1-Speed Bike, Fly Pan Am and HangedUp. Although the real selling point is the live track by Godspeed You Black Emperor. It’s not one of their “real” songs per se (as it is just an outro) but it’s a nice indicator of their live show (which was one of the best live shows I’ve seen).
[READ: December 18, 2009] Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro
I’m not sure how this book ended up in my house. I was looking at a pile of graphic novels and there was this one. I hadn’t really noticed it before and Sarah didn’t know anything about it, so…who knows. Anyhow, I decided to just go ahead and read it. It turned out to be my very first manga (awwww). And it took me a few pages to understand the style at all.
Manga primer: First off it’s written right to left (so at first I wasn’t even sure where to start the book, as this one starts without a real “start”). Then I realized that the 4-panel style means you read all four columns down on the right and then all four columns down on the left. And, just to complete the culture shock, you read the speech balloons on the right of the panel before the ones on the left. After about twenty or so pages it grew easier, and by the end it wasn’t an issue anymore. But wow!
Oh, and for a little more confusion, there are occasional full color pages thrown in, but they aren’t chapter breaks or any special pages, they just seem to be in color.
So, anyhow, on to the story. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 