SOUNDTRACK: RE:-Alms [CST032] (2004).
Re: creates soundtracks for a dystopian world. Where metal and computers are integrated with nature. So a track like “Golem” which opens this album starts with what sounds like a golem walking–trudging desolate feet. Then there’s big bells that echo throughout. The multi-note music that anchors the song is eerie and enticing.
This album does not use the same “gimmick” as the previous one, where song titles were all words that should have the re prefix. So song two is called “Orientalism As A Humanism.” It runs nearly 9 minutes and opens with what sounds like an alarm but may actually be mechanical sounds (a saw perhaps?). But it is softened to make it a very interesting sound that swirls around half of your head. Meanwhile the other half of the song has a totally different sound. By the 5 minute mark it is primarily drums and noises. Until that all drops off for a bit of static. Some loud percussive noises fill the song until it turns into a fast paced drums beat which lasts for just a few seconds before the songs ends.
‘On Golden Pond” opens with more footsteps. Then there some squeaks and a splash and a voice saying “splash it.” And later a voice saying “You should see our house” These recordings are so clean, I have to wonder what they are from. “Radio Free Ramadi” opens with near silence. After about a minute of gradually increasing sounds, the big noisy electronics come in. It is a big noisy blast of noise like the first album. “Lasers, Tracers, Radar Drones” opens with gentle chimes and slowly melds different noises and electronics. “Pawk” opens with an acoustic piano–a nice relief from the electronics. It’s a simple melody, stark and bare, and is interrupted by what sounds like people making seagull sounds. The disc ends with “Home Security” a song with a huge burst of noise and electronic malfunctions.
Once again, this album is not for the timid or those who dislike dissonance, but if you’re open to experimentation, Re: proves to be a very interesting band.
[READ: May 13, 2014] The Wawa Way
For my birthday, I jokingly told my family that I wanted a Wawa Sizzli for breakfast, a Wawa Shorti for lunch, a Wawa Bowl for dinner and a Wawa chai latte for dessert. We didn’t have any of that (although I did get some Wawa chocolate milk before work), but suffice it to say I love my Wawas (most people have one, but I have two—the one by my house and the one by my work).
I grew up in North jersey where 7-11 was the king of convenience. I loved the 7-11, it was handy and had all kinds of junk food available. But once I moved to Central Jersey, I discovered the amazingness of Wawa. (In truth I knew about Wawa from trips to South Jersey, but it was more of a novelty then).
What makes Wawa so superior? Most people would say their coffee. I don’t drink coffee, so I can’t address that. But what I do like is their stuffed pretzels, their hoagies (and their touch screen for ordering), their milk and chocolate milk, their hot (non coffee) drinks and their newish cold drinks—all made to order. I also like their brightness and their cleanliness. And, when I go to the third Wawa (which is out of the way but close), I think their gas prices are fair and the people who work them are always nice. And, more impressively, they were open during Hurricane Sandy when so many other places were closed.
So when the family saw that a book about Wawa was coming out, it seemed an obvious choice for my birthday (purchased, I hope, at a Wawa for ½ off the cover price). (more…)
There is a (tiny) gimmick with this album. The band is called Re: and all of the songs have titles that work when you add “re” as a prefix. So song titles include: 1. scue 2. duce 3. solute 4. cipe 5. straint 6. buke 7. pent 8. legate 9. volve 10. ject 11. gulate. This makes me smile, even as the music can be a bit more challenging.
I Just Read About That... 