Music stores and I don't get along very well. Any venture I take into one usually starts off okay, and for about forty five minutes I stroll around browsing all the sections looking for deals and gems, generally just having a good nose. Before I realise it though I've amassed a pile of ten odd CDs which I'd picked up without noticing and now it's time to go, I've idled too long and decisions must be made. The big question looms; which album do I buy? Well having limited funds, I can't just whack them all on the credit card and leave with a smug smile in the knowledge that I can have all the music my heart desires. No, it's not that easy, these financial reigns force me to choose between my now precious finds.
I start to get nervous, I rapidly cut three telling myself they're just impulse buys. Then I try to weigh up the bargains versus my original intended purchases. It gets tough. What do I really want to listen to? Am I going to find this semi-rare album again anytime soon? Which artist would appreciate my financial contribution the most? The debate gets more and more hypothetical and before I know it I'm left with one CD. I look at it. It doesn't look back at me (CDs don't have eyes you see). But we both know it. This is not the album I came here to buy. Dejected I put the record back on the shelf, do a quick u-turn and walk out. Cursing music stores worldwide and vowing from now on to stick to a purchase plan.
This little scenario happens daily, it's a miracle that I acquire any new albums at all. However every now and again, on a whim I manage to purchase a CD. Not just any CD however, this is a purchase based entirely on cover art alone. Now you must understand that as a musical obsessive this is a drastic move. No research! No previous listenings! "What am I doing?" I ask myself as I meander towards the counter past all the other albums which are shouting out "buy me! buy me!" Well in fact I know exactly what I'm doing; taking a risk that the music inside the lavish sleeve will be as striking and intriguing as the cover promises. Price does not come into consideration, I find myself hypnotised into buying this album no matter what. This glorious event happened yesterday when I purchased The Cusp of Magic, composed by Terry Riley and performed by the Kronos Quartet and Wu Man.
This scan does not do the cover for The Cusp of Magic justice, unfortunately though it is the only one I can find online at the moment. The original photo is crisp and clear. The colours are bold and arresting. This picture of a road littered with golden flowers, bordered by autumn forests, leading into the darkness of an unexplored land that is hidden under a lilac sky evoked such a monumental desire in me to own this record that I could not walk away from it. The artwork promised so much, especially coupled with the title, for it does look like a magical place.
Now I have to admit that this time I did know who the musicians behind the coveted sleeve were, so my choice wasn't pure blind faith. Terry Riley, the Kronos Quartet and Wu Man are all milestones in my adventures in musical exploration. However it was not their names that drew me to this recording, it was the artwork alone. I was ambushed by a simple photograph and I knew that if I didn't buy this album today I would be back tomorrow to gaze upon it once again.
To many this may all seem very silly, but there is a point in here somewhere. Am I being anachronistic buying CDs for their artwork when I could just download them with a high definition photo of the artwork to accompany it which I could stick onto my photo-iPod? I don't think so, if I had seen this album online I doubt I would have purchased it. It was purely for the fact that it stood out so vividly from all the others around it on the shelf that I picked it up in the first place and marvelled at its beauty. More importantly though it reaffirmed my previously dwindling belief that a physical musical formats are worth cherishing. Even if it is just for the memory of the sense of wonder that enveloped you the first time you saw it, I once again believe that it is worth owning physical formats.
Welcome to Future Sounds. The premise of this column is simple; just great bands, homegrown and from abroad, that have shown promise and are a great tip for the future. It will be short and snappy with a bit of a biographical recap and review.
Future Sounds 1: LITE
You're Only Massive - This duo from Waterford have been ripping up dance floors with their techno karaoke sound for a little while now. They've become increasingly popular since their interviews in Mongrel and Analogue. Live they are just fun, fun, fun till their daddy takes the t-bird away.
Storkboy Choons - Ambient electronica sounds sweet and innocent in Storkboy's hands. Songs like 'By The Waters' have gently pulsing synths and samples of storytelling Scandinavians just add to the beautiful mystery of the music. Then of course there's the robot hoe-down of 'Hogans Farm'. It all fits together though, and if you want to listen to really wonderful homegrown electronica you wont find much better at the moment. You can catch Storkboy Choons supporting Casiotone For The Painfully Alone Sunday week (9th March) at Whelan's.
Nouveaunoise - Their myspace describes them as 'Live Electronics'. They're exactly that, two guys with laptops and confusing black boxes push buttons and make sounds happen. But it works. When first I caught them at Whelan's a few weeks back they were pretty solid quality for a support act. Live they sound a bit like Four Tet, a bit like Daedelus, on their myspace though you can hear how superior they are in the studio (bedsit kitchen). Tip.
