One of the songs Elvis Presley liked to perform in the ’70s was Joe South’s “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” its message clearly spelled out in the title. Sometimes he would preface it with the 1951 Hank Williams recitation “Men With Broken Hearts,” which may well have been South’s original inspiration. “You’ve never walked …
“Footsteps in the Snow” (Claude Debussy)Written by French composer Claude Debussy on December 27, 1909, this piano prelude is perhaps the quintessential piece of classical music concerning winter (alongside Franz Schubert’s Winterreise.) The slow, soft tones move from D minor to E minor to F minor–a melancholy, moody tune. “Heart of the North” (Basil Kirchin)Where …
The late John McGeoch once opined that, “everyone remembers where they were when they first heard Public Image”. Certainly, that was true for me. I was in my bedroom, where I spent all my time when not in record shops. I recall I was lying on the bed. I also remember where I was when …
Let’s be clear: electronic music didn’t begin in the 1980s. Innovations in electronic noise have been developing since the end of the 19th century. Both Italy and Russia had important Futurism or “Futurismo” movements that greatly advanced modern music. Each subsequent decade adding to the thinking, sounds and instruments musicians have at their disposal. Nevertheless, electronic music did …
Rat Scabies is the drummer of The Damned and Professor and the Madman. PATM’s great new album, Séance, echoes The Who, Beach Boys and Hüsker Dü, and was released November 13, 2020. *** What is your idea of perfect happiness? Peace of mind. What is your greatest fear? Seeing it coming and not being able to duck. What …
True, we love life, not because we are used to living, but because we are used to loving. There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness. Friedrich Nietzsche For those who write, watching a film by Austrian auteur Michael Haneke requires preparation: sitting down, meditating for a …
Eater was always one of my favorite bands. They were one of these British punk bands- actually Anglo-Egyptian- that created a lot of noise after inventing punkrock practically overnight. Eater are from North London and released their only studio album in that crucial year of punk. It’s called The Album (1977), and has been released …
ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE (opening lines of American Psycho) Every time when somebody mentions the obnoxious Matrix films and babbles something about “taking the red pill“, I fantasize that Patrick Bateman comes along, presses play on “Sussudio“, and then does what he does best. The Matrix films are works of science fiction …
I have about a hundred thousand favorite records. But because you’re based in Germany, I’ll pick a German band this time. The album was released on the legendary Ohr label, like so many albums of those pioneers that are gathered under the term “Krautrock”. In their prime, Guru Guru were the wildest of all these …
Crisis creates art and prosperity leads to tastelessness. This has recurred throughout history. The most recent example was how mortgage fraud of the late 1990s/early 2000s and the United States housing bubble of 2001-2005 coincided with the rising popularity of reality TV. Reality TV features people whose own privileged lives share little to no resemblance …
