SOUNDTRACK: UNDER BYEN-“Samme Stof Som Stof” from Viva Piñata! (2008).
Under Byen is a Danish band and has only one song on Viva Piñata.
I had originally written a review under the impression that it was different song (the CD and even iTunes confuses this song with “Kiss ME” by Uncut. And you can see my initial impression below). Now, knowing that this band is not singing in English changes a lot about my perception of what the sounds actually are.
This is one of the few remixes on the disc where I listened to the original first (to make sure I had the right song). The original is an interesting mix of peculiar instruments and some cool soundscapes. This remix chops it up into pieces and puts it back together. It’s an interesting twist on the song but man, the original is so much better.
[Here’s my original thoughts, when I read a bit about the song when I thought it was by the band Uncut and I thought that it was not a remix. And I saw that they were described as a poppy fuzzy band.
this song comes from one of their official releases. “Kiss Me” is not a remix but it sure sounds like one. It is kind of warped and the sounds feel manipulated in crazy ways. The vocals are mostly moans and noises. But it has a catchy beat and some interesting sounds. This is a weird song, and I’m not sure how it fits in with the rest of the album. I do kind of like it, but I wouldn’t hunt them down for more.
Of course, now that I know it’s supposed to sound like that, I change my tune completely. And I will hunt down some other songs for comparison.
[READ: March 23, 2012] An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter
This is the third novel from Aira that New Directions has released (translated wonderfully by Chris Andrews). It’s the first one they published and the first one of his that I had heard of. I actually heard of it long before I knew of Aira because the Preface is by Roberto Bolaño. And if you do a search for Bolaño, this title always comes up.
And so now I finally got to read this mythical essay. Sadly, it turns out to be an essay called, “The Incredible César Aira” which was recently published (2011) in Between Parentheses–bad timing for me. It also has nothing to do with this novel specifically
But on to the novel itself.
This short book is about the German painter Johann Moritz Rugendas. Little did I know that he was real. He was a landscape painter (a profession which became obsolete with the invention of cameras) and he was very well-regarded. Twice during his career he went to the Americas to paint the land. On his second journey (from 1831-1847) he went to Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil and Argentina, which resulted in thousands of paintings.
The opening of the book is rather philosophical (and a little dry). But after about ten pages, the book picks up with the titular episode. Rugendas and a German painter named Robert Krause set off in 1837 from Chile. They got on well. Rugendas was far superior technically and Krause, although also quite talented, was always respectful. Rugendas had sold prints and books and his Picturesque Voyage through Brazil was printed on wallpaper and China. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 