COLLECTIVE MEMORY

We have had a stunningly beautiful autumn here in the Pacific Northwest and I have been soaking up magnificent sunshine as the landscape around me begins to transform into vibrant and awe inspiring shades of orange and yellow. My skin is thankful for the needed dose of a natural vitamin D, which in turn elevates my spirit and helps inspire hope.

I try to reconcile this with what I see around me... markets tumbling and talk of global economic insecurity... mud slinging and appeals to base human fears in both Canada and America as national elections transpire... continued saber rattling on the global stage as entrenched ideologies collide.... greed reigning supreme as human safety is only a vague consideration for the food supply in places like China........

I try to embrace a tempered sense of hope, not the Hallmark variety "don't worry be happy" kind, but a hope that stubbornly persists in the face of darkness. It is a hope that dares to remember that as humans we are occasionally capable of irrational acts of beauty, and that we are only one small part of much larger forces of life.

I think of the ubiquitous crows in Vancouver, who despite the fact that their natural habitat was long ago plowed over return every night to the same place where their collective roost once stood. Every evening around sunset you can see them circling in droves above the trans-Canada highway near the Burnaby-Vancouver border, driven by some collective memory that calls them home, even if it is not as it once was.

For us it is the same, as all is not as it once was and likely won't be again, yet somehow we continue to remember and resist the temptation to simply forget. In this strange new world before us we can dare to remember that this is indeed our home and that we can manage somehow to find new places to claim in an ever changing landscape.

Some say that in another generation the Vancouver crows will forget about where they used to roost and will be too far removed from any living memory to return again. If so, then perhaps they will claim a new space, and find a new way to bring life and memory to the world. Either way, the will continue to fly above the din, bringing their own story to wherever they choose. So can we.

MUSICAL LANDSCAPES

In a new series called "Scratching the Surface" , Justin Gage of Aquarium Drunkard is attempting to examine the impact of album covers (a dying art form?). In his latest posting in this series he examines minimalist album art, citing Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" as one of his favourites;


Personally, I can't think of another album cover that so accurately reflects the aural journey found within it's sleeve. In this case the white lined radio waves from a pulsar placed on a stark black background create a cold and distant landscape, functioning as the physical embodiment of the music itself. In my mind this image will always be inextricably linked to the music.

Another one that has had a similar impact is the 1990 album "Nowhere" by the band Ride;


This horizon-less watery landscape creates a sense of displacement, with the crest of the wave veering off into some unknown and immeasurable distance. Like much of the early 90's shoe gazing scene, this album was more about textures and landscapes, not promoting any direct meaning but rather providing an engaging sensory experience that takes you to another place with no clear point of reference.

A more recent example of minimalist engagement is the 2002 album by Sigur Rós that is uniquely entitled "( )" (aka the "Parentheses Album");


Sung in the made-up "Hopelandic" language, this dense and ethereal album is one of my favourites from this nameless decade (appropriate indeed). It is at times sublime and beautiful, with some morose undertones thrown in for good measure. The parentheses, filled with black, white and gray images from nature, functions almost as a gateway to another place, inviting you to fill in the blank spaces between.

(Note: The packaging and art work on the CD are fantastic, including blank translucent pages where you can fill in your own interpretations).

With the growing prevalence of digital music I am increasingly interested in the concrete and tangible, and I hope to write more about album art, which for me has always been an integral part of the music that I love. I would also love to hear about the album art that has inspired others and how the visual component relates to the listening experience.

KICKING IT OLD SKOOL ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Recently, Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May has been taking a "retro" approach to her campaign in the federal election and has been traveling across Canada by train. It hearkens back to days of yore when populist politicians would ride the rails and make speeches at various stops, both small towns and big cities alike.

In May's case she is also trying to promote the green alternative of rail travel, rightfully pointing out the need for more passenger rail service in Canada. This is a point I have pondered as well at times, and I have often wondered why in an age of pending oil scarcity and climate change we aren't investing more resources into developing high speed and efficient trains in a similar vein to what already exists in many other places in the world?

Yes, I know that North American cities are more spread out and that freight is seen as being more profitable than passenger service. I do think though that when there is a will there is a way, and logically if train service was more efficient and accessible more people would use it. This would cut down emissions substantially, and provide more time for people to read, daydream and perhaps ponder life while taking in the magnificent Canadian landscape unfolding outside their window

In BC, part of the preparations for that corporate monstrosity known as the 2010 Winter Olympics has included inconceivable amounts of money being spent to upgrade the Sea to Sky Highway which connects the resort town of Whistler with Vancouver. To do so they had to blast away countless tons of rock, and even destroy some ecologically sensitive bluffs. Yet there was no thought given into upgrading or making more efficient the existing rail lines that are already in place between Vancouver and Whistler.

Anyways, I do hope that May can promote further dialogue around this issue while on the campaign trail. Even beyond this, I think it is kind of cool that she is at least doing something a little more attuned to our history than the random appearances made by the other candidates in a different region each day as they seemingly zig zag across the country.

I am pleased that at least May is engaging in something that provides a bit more of a coherent narrative, symbolized by the long stretches of rail that have historically linked us as a nation, and have provided a psychological connection point for many across the vast expanse that is Canada.

MY OWN PRIVATE AIRWAVES

I have been taking a bit of a blogging hiatus, though I was recently tagged by Liberality for a music meme, which of course I couldn't resist. In this case I must list the top 25 tracks in rotation on my MP3 player - this is easy for me because I obsessively sync my iPod with my iTunes library and therefore always have my automatic "top 25 most played" list up to date.

It is a fickle and ever changing list (a healthy sign I believe for a true music geek) so with little further ado here is the current Top 25 as per the airwaves in my own private musical universe;


1. "Skinny Love" - Bon Iver
2. "Happiness" - Goldfrapp
3. "Mistaken For Strangers" - The National
4. "Another Sunny Day" - Belle & Sebastion
5. "Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star
6. "Fake Empire" - The National
7. "Challengers" - The New Pornographers
8. "Hold On, Hold On" - Neko Case
9. "Lay Your Head Down" - Keren Ann
10. "A Well Respected Man" - The Kinks
11. "Samskeyti" - Sigur Rós
12. "Boy With A Coin" - Iron & Wine
13. "Rugla" - Amiina
14. "Margaret Vs. Pauline" - Neko Case
15. "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" - Spoon
16. "Borrowing Time" - Aimee Mann
17. "In You Eyes (live)" - Ben Harper
18. "Messenger" - Blonde Redhead (w David Sylvian)
19. "Meet Me In The Morning" - Bob Dylan
20. "Bitches In Tokyo" - Stars
21. "Fall On Me" - REM
22. "The Last Beat of My Heart" - DeVotchKa
23. "Jeane" - Sandie Shaw
24. "Ceremony" - Galaxie 500
25. "Marquee Moon" - Television

I will have to tag a few other hapless bloggers of course, so Mellowlee, Barb, Anais & Allison you are all officially on notice!

btw - I like getting a glimpse into other people's personal musical universe - it takes me to my happy place!

SOMNILOQUISTS OF THE WORLD UNITE!

I am truly enraptured by the surreal nocturnal monologues of famed somniloquist Dion McGregor. Released in 1964, The Dream World of Dion McGregor is a strangely engaging recording that captures the limitless bounds of the human imagination through our capacity to dream.

Whoever the person was at Decca Records who had the imagination to release an entire record of one man's dream speak is a hero in my book. Kudos also to McGregor's roommate who had the foresight to record his surprisingly lucid night time diatribes.

It is oddly engaging and perhaps a bit spooky to hear these subconscious verbal meanderings that cover everything from sticking fruit in various human orifices to lecturing an imaginary three year-old around birthday party etiquette. The opening piece "Val" is about a woman with a single steel eye who wears concrete boots, drinks rusty water and looks "tired all the time". This could easily be a character in a Tom Waits song.

The dreams that end in loud screams are a little jarring, though they point to the complex web of emotions, ideas and primal human fears that lay just below the surface. This is not for everyone I realize, but there is something very compelling about McGregor's ability to narrate his dreams in an audible and surprisingly coherent matter.

McGregor may not have been the successful songwriter that he aspired to be, though he literally left us with some strange and engaging dreams that can take us to another place. It only makes one wonder about the fantastical landscapes that exist in our own minds, just out of reach but always present, playing on a tape loop on some barely audible frequency that on rare occasions, if we are lucky, we get to hear.

(Link here to listen firsthand to some of Dion McGregor's nocturnal tales via a myspace page that was set up in his honour - Also, I would be happy to send some more tracks for anyone who is interested)