V/A "BESTIARY" (Hairy Spider Legs) 2014
A DNA sample was taken from a brown recluse spider buried under terra cotta bricks circa 1906. Through an early model digital microscope, scientists were able to pull evidence of a collective of troubadours and minstrels that wandered and entertained the good people of Chicago. They managed to capture audio frequencies to tape and visual data by dot matrix printer. I will attempt to give my assessment of the data collected. This scientific discovery doubles as a cabinet of curiosities.
Each entry will include a description of the visuals (illustrations by Rebecca Schoenecker) that accompany the track listing as avatars. NOTE: this one was limited edition and as far as I can tell, only available via dizquoggz(link below), and streamable via a certain fruit-named company's musical arm.
🅑BESTIARY(cover image): clawed mammal with tiny tail, mouth open, waiting to be fed.
curio the first
🅢SPIRES THAT IN THE SUNSET RISE_arrival: long-beaked bird gracefully descending south-westerly. Hear a Gaian hymn, harmonized paean to nature's bounty. Banjo & mandolin plucks merge with folklore annunciated with perfect diction.
🅞ORA COGAN_ribbon vine: double helix model that grows split-tongue leaves. This is a masterful example of guitar soli primitivism, which bears resemblance to the title of Ora Cogan's solo LP.
🆃THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS_dragonfly: more dragon, less fly. More forked tongue and scaly serpent's tail with an arrow point. Headfirst dive, mouth open. Is this a field recording? It is evidence of natural abilities of voice, thumb piano, jaw harp, metallic bass drum. The joyous chorus: "Please don't drop those bombs on our heads."
🅐ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO'S MALAIKAT DAN SINGA_shaman rock and rolling thunder: in a glass ampoule, a pair of hands open and behold a great mountain. Tom Waits bumped into Lou Barlow in an alley, and all of their synths, pedals, plumbing equipment, Popeye vhs tapes and Daniel Johnston's barnyard animals noise toy splashed into polka-dotted puddles, while a baritone saxophone exhales the HVAC system of the bodega around the corner.
🅜MARMITS_little tony's last ocean trip: Little tony might be bummed, with hidden arms and with a sick wave creeping up over him. This maybe the soundtrack to a puppet show with a lesson. It depicts tony's nautical journey, and builds into a youthful punk anthem. Sweaty felt.
🆁RUBY FRAY_seventeen years: two more double helix patterns, each with double-forked tongues and earthworm pairings, and a beautiful charm necklace floating before a hand-held mirror. Spiritual vox & autoharp with fx, a pagan ritualistic hymn.
🅻LAUGHING EYE WEEPING EYE_dandelion: fox-faced dandelion stretches its long thin tongue. A fine transition from Ruby Fray to LEWE shows the compiler is no slouch, with an ear of precious metals. Synths and delay fx and harmony vox build the beginning of New New Age.
🅺KNIVES OF SPAIN_part one: a non-anatomical heart with an anthropomorphic cat-like creature wedged into it. Mallet instruments and vocoder and echo showcase a paced ambient monologue/poem. For anyone who digs Laurie Anderson's O Superman.
curio the second
🆅VILLAGE OF SPACES_ancestral oak: five acorns and three oak leaves. A pure pastoral folk gem as joyous as any of Fairport Convention's happier times. This one's a shout-out/homage to a tree, and I feel it's energy.
🆅VRARIDER_the bullet's song: pipes descending from clouds blowing out and sucking in arrows of something, maybe air or energy or bullets. But a whisper and then pizza-pan crashes and a li’l ‘careful with them axes, Eugene’! It carries on with the threadbare rhythms and verses, dabbling with light sonic witchcraft.
🅶GREEN THRIFT GROCERY_tick tick tick: grandfather clock is not amused, his eyebrows are at ten and two. Making nice with the metronome(uh, of course?) As with any time-based medium, the proprietors of the fragrant Green Thrift Grocery contemplate the void, the end, maybe not for them, maybe for you!
🅣THE VONVOLSUNG SISTERS_the death of queen jane: her highness is not looking well, perhaps a little jaundiced, but well dressed. The folk revival revival is 'ere my dears. The sisters (approximately) harmonize to a sweet crowd, and I wish I was there. Won't you come see me?
🅶GIANT SQUID AUTOPSY_stilligiati: super-close-up in the microscope, a hazy backyard protozoa party. Take note: the Queen's Root, Stillingia Sylvatica supports skin health, the upper respiratory system and occasional constipation. I totally get that. Must be the bassoon. Know your sub-shrubs, people. Cephalopod loves tuber. This Duo rips!
🆈YES YES_ylllov-ely llov-ely eyes: more double forked-tongue, adorning a pair of eyelashed eyes. Speaking of immune-boosters, Yes Yes may cure that melancholia after all. They'll put a big dumb smile on your face, not just because they know how to play and sing, they seem really nice. It's fer what ails ya.
🅼MARMITS_little tony's last ocean trip reprise: two rows of swirly ocean waves with a clever optical two-part viewing option. I know you missed him, so we brought Little tony and his pals back for an encore. So you know what that means, children? One last splash in the abyss before bedtime.
adam padavano
No comments:
Post a Comment