Media Things: Progressive

The War on Freedom: How and Why America was Attacked, September 11, 2001

2006-09-08T17:59:05-08:00

The news behind the events; the news mainstream media isn't reporting: The most complete book I know of, summarizing the relevant background and foreground intersecting upon the events of September 11... -- Barry Zwicker, Vision TV Insight

Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed

The Fever

2005-01-07T01:16:59-08:00

This little play, Wallace Shawn's monologue of 112 pages, rocked me when I first encountered it at the Vancouver Fringe Festival sometime in the mid '90s. Perhaps I'll add some commentary later, but for now, try these links: A reading by the author, Wallace Shawn Analysis/Review Review: performance at the fritz theatre, san diego, CA, 19 April 99 which provides the most erudite observation of the meaning underlying this play: "Shawn's theater is not of didacticism, but of dialectic, of disturbing questions posited to provoke us rather than simple answers to soothe." Keep that in mind when reading the reviews by Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly on Amazon.com, which are in stark contrast to those by readers.

Wallace Shawn

Peter Gabriel 2: Scratch

2004-10-31T15:48:02-08:00

Peter Gabriel has always been among my favourite song-writers and performers. There may be no one in the music industry who has been as consistently progressive, subversive and creative in his politics, art and delivery. This album, his second solo effort, is notable for several well-crafted songs, among them On the Air, A Wonderful Day in a One-Way World, White Shadow, Indigo and, for me, the most touching: Mother Of Violence Walking the street with her naked feet, So full of rhythm but I can't find the beat. Snapping her heels, clicking her toes, Everybody knows just where she goes. Fear, Fear, she's the mother of Violence, Making me tense to watch the way she breed. Fear, she's the mother of Violence, You know self-defense is all you need. It's getting hard to breathe, It's getting so hard to believe, To believe in anything at all. Mouth all dry, eyes bloodshot, Data stored on a microdot. Kicking the cloud with my moccasin shoes, TV dinner, TV news. Fear, Fear, she's the mother of Violence, Don't make any sense to watch the way she breed. Fear, she's the mother of Violence, Making me tense to watch the way she feed. The only way you know she's there Is the subtle flavor in the air. Getting hard to breathe, Getting hard to believe in anything at all But Fear.

Peter Gabriel

Crafty Hands

2004-05-30T00:17:22-08:00

Perhaps my favourite album, particularly when the intention is to listen, and to get emotional in the process. Exquisite musicianship all around in a band consisting of guitar, bass, standard drum kit and a pair of keyboardists. Among these principle instruments are smattered some horns and flute as well. The musicians weave intricate interplays of melody and rhythm in an aural tapestry.For me what is most astounding about the timbre of the music is how well the synthesizer programming stands the test of time. This album was originally released in 1978 and over 25 years later the keys remain fresh, richly toned and organic. Listen to other progressive and jazz groups of the era, Chick Corea, for example, and you'll hear thin, listless, inorganic synthesizer patches which even a contemporary child's Casio can out perform. A few other bands from the era mastered their synths, notably Pink Floyd and ELP, however, nowhere else will you find a pair of keyboards producing such astonishingly wonderful sounds.Compositionally, this is unique, unusual stuff with a hint of the medieval madrigal to it. Dense, penetrating, shifting from sublime to seething in a drumbeat, sophisticated rhythms and melodies sustain the largely instrumental set of songs. In a sense this band is an electric Oregon in the quality of both musicianship and songcraft. Highly recommended.

Happy the Man

Anima Mundi

2004-02-14T16:48:40-08:00

This is sweet, sweet music, driven by superb musicianship. Karklins is one of those composers who defies categorisation, even in this age of hyper-synthesis. The central element in much of her music is Karklins' Latvian heritage and her deft hand on the kokle, a traditional Latvian string instrument somewhat like a dulcimer. The kokle is tonally rich and folksy, producing clear ringing tones which can be bright and whimsical one moment and achingly melancholic the next. Combine this with a singing voice of no small presence and expressiveness and you have a potent combination. As on her other albums, A Darker Passion and Red Hand, Anima Mundi mixes lyrical and non-lyrical songs. There are traditional Latvian folk tunes, some re-interpreted quite freely as a bridge to often hauntingly ethereal works of the sort one might associate with early progressive and avante garde composers such as Brian Eno. Lyrically, Karklins focusses on her fondness for Carl Jung and Daoism for developing her themes. The music complements the mystical themes, and overall the album moves gently and harmoniously through the tracks. This is one of my favourite albums for just kicking back on the couch and losing myself in the sound and mood of the music. It is unfortunate for us that Karklins is on a hiatus from composition, exploring instead the written word unaccompanied by music. Still, we have A Darker Passion and Red Hand and Anima Mundi, A Darker Passion is, well, darker and more passionate, while Red Hand is more exploratory in form and content. Neither of these albums attain Anima Mundi's melodic fluidity, but that was not their intention. Within a distinct sound, Karklins has created three different albums, distinct from each other thematically and musically, all of which grow on the listener with every listen. Highly recommended.

Ingrid Karklins

Dark Side of the Moon

2004-01-23T12:07:08-08:00

How long was the album Dark Side of the Moon on the charts? As of December 1, 2001, issue of Billboard, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon has been on the charts for an astounding 1,285 weeks This is one of the most durable and enduring musical compositions ever made. None of the Beatles' albums, not even Sgt. Peppers, have remained on the charts so long. Quite amazing. Still, I must admit to preferences for other Pink Floyd Albums, notably Wish You Were Here, Meddle and Animals. On the other hand, I haven't listened to The Wall in, perhaps, a decade or so. A song here and there, for sure, but not the album straight through. I've always been something of a contrarian.

Pink Floyd