SOUNDTRACK: HRSTA-Ghosts Will Come Down and Kiss Our Eyes [CST048] (2007).
Hrtsa has another record out from Constellation. This band is the brainchild of Michael Moya. Moya writes some really fantastic melodies with interesting and unusual instrumentation. The first song contains a pump organ, I believe (the liner notes don’t go into any detail). And throughout the album, whether the songs are long or short, either the guitar lines are great or the different instruments creates atmospheric swells that are really something.
My only problem with this record is the singing. There is occasional singing. On my first listen, I thought the voice was a woman with a deep husky voice like Carla Bozulich or Marianne Faithfull. On the second listen I realized the voice is probably that of Moya, making it a reedy tenor voice. At times he sounds a bit like Gordan Gano from the Violent Femmes. The problem is that his voice doesn’t really have the power to pull of the songs. The voice often gets lost in the mix or just distracts from the instruments. This disparity is heightened even more because there are a number of fantastic instrumentals on the disc.
I certainly enjoyed the disc, I just would have preferred no words or a more interesting singer.
[READ: October 2, 2008] “Mimsy Were the Borogoves”
Sarah and I watched The Last Mimzy a few weeks ago. I didn’t know it was based on a short story. I also had never heard of the author. Well, it turns out that the author is a pseudonym of Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore, two other authors I also hadn’t heard of. This edition of the story comes in a book attributed to Henry Kuttner (originally published as The Best of Henry Kuttner, but released now as The Last Mimzy). Phew.
So, where was I?
Well, if I didn’t know that the story was the basis for the movie, I never would have guessed. The only thing relating to the story is that two kids find a box full of inexplicable toys which behave in a manner that is unlike anything on earth. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 