Benny Goodman - “Sing Sing Sing (With A Swing)”
Live At Carnegie Hall
I came across this track completely while accident while looking for the more conventional dance hall version of this song, but after putting it on, sat in shocked rapture for the entire 12 minutes. The breakdowns and rebuilds, the departures and returns to the original melodies, the unbelievable playing. I wish I could hear what he says that makes the audience laugh nine minutes in, though. And man do I wish I was there that night in 1938.
Have I so much leisure, or little business of my own, as to look after other men’s matters which concern me not?
Crime in Choir - “Cincinnati”
Crime in Choir
Two. Two. Two songs in one. The first half is a triumphant anthem with unbelievably tight percussion; the second half, a gorgeous guitar soundscape with clattering drums and voice loops. Just an absolutely brilliant piece of music all the way through. (insound)
Royksopp - The Drug
Congratulations to Mike, Stefan, and Noel on a job well done. Truly weird, guys.
wearish: withered and shrunken; tasteless; insipid
contemn: to treat with contempt; to scorn
parasang: an ancient Persian unit of distance equal to ~3.5mi
pleonasm: the use of more words than necessary to express an idea; a redundancy
chirurgeon: archaic term for surgeon
quacksalver: a charlatan; origin of “quack”
maltster: a person who makes or sells malt (obvious in retrospect)
chorographical: a description or map of a region, or the technique of creating one
fleer: to mock or coarsely express mockery; a jeer or fleering action
stentorian: uncommonly powerful in sound (after Stentor, a legendarily loud Greek herald)
I said unto the fools, ‘deal not so madly’
If that severe doom of Synesius be true, “It is a greater offense to steal men’s labours than their clothes,” what shall become of most writers?
Bedhead - “The Present”
Transaction De Novo
Bedhead’s understated songwriting makes for such incredibly solid albums, but so few truly standout songs, that it’s hard to pick a track. I’ve always loved the slow grow and sudden end of “The Present.” It’s not exactly representative of this excellent album, but it’s a great song nonetheless. Great being around the house music.
gobonated: in heraldry, equal divisions forming squares (gobbets)
sithence: archaic version of “since”
mediatized: to annex a state or territory while preserving some of its ruler’s rights
antbear: an aardvark
foliot: a mischevious woodland creature in Italian folklore
chiromancy: palmistry and fortune-telling
exornation: ornamentation or embellishment
franked: marked in such a way as to secure transmission or passage
ludeful: no definition. It appears to have appeared only once in history. (poss. lewdful)
pelf: a scornful term for wealth
cit: 17th century slang for citizen
avaunt: begone
Thou may’st be searched for polish’d words and verse
JMW Turner, Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus, 1848
