Concerts
BJORK
Last Tuesday at the Fox in Detroit, Bjork tore it up. A friend who'd seen her a few months ago in Chicago said she sounded tired, but I didn't notice. My attention can wander in huge venues such as this, but I was quite enamored with her performance, as expected.
I was also drooling over the DJ setup, which included touch-screen faders and pitch controls projected on 2 huge screens, and a REACTABLE. Apparently they're not even on the market yet. If you haven't heard of these babies, take a look:
This is what electronic instruments should be-- tangible, visceral, gestural.
My favorite from that night was Hyperballad, which started out like the recording and turned into a super sweet dance version of itself. And then there was confetti!
FEIST
I had high expectations for this show since, two years ago at the Blind Pig, she blew me away. I was disappointed as her voice just wasn't up to par-- she seemed tired or sick and wasn't sustaining or reaching high notes well. I enjoyed the quieter songs more due to all this. On the whole, though, not very memorable.
R.K. SRINIVASAN
A visiting professor from India, proficient in Carnatic and Hindustani styles. Suprisingly my favorite concert by far. Anything I say about it feels insufficient... He is a virtuoso and plays delicately and clearly. R.K. was joined by a tablas AND a mrdangam player, both excellent as well.
Indian music is so close to my heart, and this concert made me want to start practicing Hindustani singing again.
Geoff Dyer
This Brit is my new favorite author. I highly recommend Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It. It's a collection of short stories/essays that are a mix of travelogue and memoir. The location and content is always changing but there's a thread of dry humor and unbelievably candid insight throughout.
He writes in a way I'd like to be able to compose. Things are somewhat fictionalized while allowed to be just what they are: not overly dramatic or glossy, and in doing so he shows life to be even more surreal, profound, and glorified.
Daft Punk movie
I can't wait until I can get my hands on this. It's been released in Europe and there's a few North American screenings coming up, but no word on widespread availability yet.
Electroma Trailer:
More news soon on my own endeavors, perhaps, though living less in the virtual realm is definitely a good thing.
Nocturnally yours--
