Strategies Against Architecture - The Avant Garde/Experimental Album Club

dankrsta · 01-13-2011, 01:35 PM

"Wherever we are, what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it, it disturbs us. When we listen to it, we ﬁnd it fascinating."
John Cage

Welcome to the The Avant Garde/Experimental Album Club! Since this part of the forum has been slow, this might be a good way to revive it. I'm happy there are already people interested, but anyone can join at any time. The idea is similar to other clubs here especially to tore's The Prog & Fusion Album Club. I like the idea of every chosen album having its own thread. That means we are going to suggest albums for listening in this thread and then we're going to vote for one. When suggesting an album it would be nice to include some album art along with a name, year (it's not necessary, but I like it) and a bit of info (or at least a link to allmusic, rate your music or something similar). That way we will know what we vote for.

The next question would be: What makes some album avant-garde or experimental? Let's just say, any composer, musician or a band that you would write about in this part of the forum count. We're not going to be strict about tagging. This way, we have a very broad field to choose from, everything from so called high art avant-garde music to experimental genres of popular music. It just has to go out of comfort, established zone and be off-center.

For the first round, we can start suggesting albums these two days. Then, I'll add poll here and we'll vote over weekend. We will have a week for listening to chosen album. Plenty of time for it to sink in. After that I'll open the discussion thread. And then we can do this weekly. If that's all right with you, I can later edit these rules to be more readable.

Let's begin!

This week listening:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

I'd like to suggest:
Art Zoyd - Berlin

Strange very beautiful album by the fiercely underrated, and overlooked chamber-prog outfit Art Zoyd. This is the last album they've ever written that wasn't a silent movie soundtrack, and probably their last album as a 'band' rather than a 20, or so member mini-orchestra.(they're quite as big at this point but not as). This is the point where they really really were starting to invest in electronics, and this is pretty much an industrial album. Yet, a very melodic industrial album, and in 1989 probably one of the first few of it's kind.

dankrsta · 01-13-2011, 01:35 PM

Discussion Threads:

Phew - S/T (1981)

Alva Noto - Transform (2001)

Keiji Haino - Watashi Dake? (1981)

Flux Information Sciences - Private/Public (2001)

AMM - AMMMusic (1966)

Glenn Branca - The Ascension (1981)

Harry Partch - Delusion of the Fury (1969)

Gum - Vinyl (1987)

Skeleton Crew - Learn To Talk/Country of Blinds (1990)

Einstürzende Neubauten - Kollaps (1981)

Nuclear Rabbit - Vicuna (1997)

Arthur Russell - Another Thought (1994)

Konstantin Raudive - Voices of the Dead (2002)

Human Being - Live at the Zodiak - Berlin 1968

Ives Plays Ives: The Complete Recordings of Charles Ives at the Piano, 1933-1943

Mike Gordon - Inside In (2003)

Pierre Schaeffer - L'oeuvre Musicale

Crispin Hellion Glover - The Big Problem Does Not Equal The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be. (1989)

Suggestions/nominations

Hermann Nitsch - Requiem für meine Frau Beate (Musik der 56.Aktion) (by bob.)

Scissor Shock - Psychic Existentialist (by Jack Pat)

Art Zoyd - Berlin (by Skaligojurah)

Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music (by dankrsta)

Minimal Man - The Shroud Of (by dankrsta)

Urban Hat€monger ? · 01-13-2011, 01:47 PM

Great idea.

I'm going to suggest this

Phew - S/T

I've mentioned this a couple of times in the past and I'm mentioning it again because it's such a great album. Phew is the alias of a Japanese performance artist and former lead singer of Japanese no wave band Aunt Sally Hiromi Moritani. This is her debut album from 1981 which saw her teaming up with Holger Czukay & Jaki Liebezeit of Can & also with legendary Krautrock producer Conny Plank.
Well worth a listen.

dankrsta · 01-13-2011, 02:11 PM

Urban, that's an excellent suggestion I picked up from one of your posts. Great album

My suggestion:

Glenn Branca - The Ascension (1981)

The second album by (I'm sure you know him) Branca, avant-garde composer famous for his guitar symphonies, crazy tunings, droning sounds etc. He was heavily involved in New York No Wave scene in the second part of the 70s and had an enormous influence on later New York no wave/noise bands like Sonic Youth and Swans (members of these bands played in his guitar choirs).

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 01-13-2011, 03:06 PM

I will check out both those and suggest one of my own when I'm back at my desktop.
And I really love the Cage quote you opened with.

TockTockTock · 01-13-2011, 05:21 PM

Another one is Arthur Russel's album Another Thought. It was released in 1994, and is considered to be one of his best album. When Russel was slowly dying of AIDs, he decided to lean a bit on artistic sign (for what I know, he had previously had a very "poppy" sound to his music, but I'm not entirely sure). He uses a cello and often adds a bit of distortion to it to give it an interesting feel. If you listen to how he plays, it is very strange and definitely has an avant-garde sound with atypical pauses and note sequences. Although, his voice is very "folky" to me when he sings. Anyways, I wouldn't consider it the greatest avant-garde/experimental album ever recorded, but I do think it deserves a bit of merit.

bob. · 01-13-2011, 05:31 PM

my suggestion......

Flux Information Sciences - Private/Public

Flux Information Sciences challenges the listener....with creative chaotic artistic terrorism by combining the 'no wave' sound with assaults of bombastic noise.....they are however as playful as they are menacing...this album was released on Michael Gira's Young God Records who said [they are]"Life-threatening and entertaining"....the rumor according to the Young Gods press release is that this album was recorded in front of a live audience of people who were forced to be naked and blindfolded....

edit....figured i'd add the press release

http://younggodrecords.com/Releases/Detail.asp?C=300

**Janszoon** · 01-13-2011, 05:34 PM

I guess my nomination would be...

Alva Noto—Transform (2001)
Alva Noto is one of several stage names for German musician and visual artist Carsten Nicolai. Wikipedia actually has a pretty good description of his music, so I'll defer to that: Nicolai transforms sound by looping oscillators and tone generators. He does not use sequencers, but edits his work to give his compositions rhythmic structures. Clicks and glitches are not used as ornamental additions to the compositions but make up the essential rhythmic and harmonic elements of the work. He frequently samples electronic information transmission sounds such as fax tones, modem sounds and telephone pops and clicks are sampled and organised.

bob. · 01-13-2011, 05:36 PM

hmmmmm....this is going to be fun

**Janszoon** · 01-13-2011, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob.

hmmmmm....this is going to be fun

Definitely! Flux Information Sciences sounds really interesting.

View Poll Results: What next?
Hermann Nitsch - Requiem für meine Frau Beate (Musik der 56.Aktion)	0	0%
Scissor Shock - Psychic Existentialist	0	0%
Art Zoyd - Berlin	2	66.67%
Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music	0	0%
Minimal Man - The Shroud Of	1	33.33%
Voters: 3. You may not vote on this poll

01-13-2011, 01:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
dankrsta ... Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,776	Discussion Threads: Phew - S/T (1981) Alva Noto - Transform (2001) Keiji Haino - Watashi Dake? (1981) Flux Information Sciences - Private/Public (2001) AMM - AMMMusic (1966) Glenn Branca - The Ascension (1981) Harry Partch - Delusion of the Fury (1969) Gum - Vinyl (1987) Skeleton Crew - Learn To Talk/Country of Blinds (1990) Einstürzende Neubauten - Kollaps (1981) Nuclear Rabbit - Vicuna (1997) Arthur Russell - Another Thought (1994) Konstantin Raudive - Voices of the Dead (2002) Human Being - Live at the Zodiak - Berlin 1968 Ives Plays Ives: The Complete Recordings of Charles Ives at the Piano, 1933-1943 Mike Gordon - Inside In (2003) Pierre Schaeffer - L'oeuvre Musicale Crispin Hellion Glover - The Big Problem Does Not Equal The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be. (1989) Suggestions/nominations Hermann Nitsch - Requiem für meine Frau Beate (Musik der 56.Aktion) (by bob.) Scissor Shock - Psychic Existentialist (by Jack Pat) Art Zoyd - Berlin (by Skaligojurah) Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music (by dankrsta) Minimal Man - The Shroud Of (by dankrsta) __________________ Last.fm

01-13-2011, 01:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	Great idea. I'm going to suggest this Phew - S/T I've mentioned this a couple of times in the past and I'm mentioning it again because it's such a great album. Phew is the alias of a Japanese performance artist and former lead singer of Japanese no wave band Aunt Sally Hiromi Moritani. This is her debut album from 1981 which saw her teaming up with Holger Czukay & Jaki Liebezeit of Can & also with legendary Krautrock producer Conny Plank. Well worth a listen. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

01-13-2011, 02:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
dankrsta ... Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,776	Urban, that's an excellent suggestion I picked up from one of your posts. Great album My suggestion: Glenn Branca - The Ascension (1981) The second album by (I'm sure you know him) Branca, avant-garde composer famous for his guitar symphonies, crazy tunings, droning sounds etc. He was heavily involved in New York No Wave scene in the second part of the 70s and had an enormous influence on later New York no wave/noise bands like Sonic Youth and Swans (members of these bands played in his guitar choirs). __________________ Last.fm

01-13-2011, 05:31 PM	#7 (permalink)
bob. Still sends his reguards. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trying to get out of the cat town.... Posts: 5,039	my suggestion...... Flux Information Sciences - Private/Public Flux Information Sciences challenges the listener....with creative chaotic artistic terrorism by combining the 'no wave' sound with assaults of bombastic noise.....they are however as playful as they are menacing...this album was released on Michael Gira's Young God Records who said [they are]"Life-threatening and entertaining"....the rumor according to the Young Gods press release is that this album was recorded in front of a live audience of people who were forced to be naked and blindfolded.... edit....figured i'd add the press release http://younggodrecords.com/Releases/Detail.asp?C=300 __________________ A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose. Last edited by bob.; 01-13-2011 at 05:47 PM.

01-13-2011, 03:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4,538	I will check out both those and suggest one of my own when I'm back at my desktop. And I really love the Cage quote you opened with.

01-13-2011, 05:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
TockTockTock They/Them Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,914	Another one is Arthur Russel's album Another Thought. It was released in 1994, and is considered to be one of his best album. When Russel was slowly dying of AIDs, he decided to lean a bit on artistic sign (for what I know, he had previously had a very "poppy" sound to his music, but I'm not entirely sure). He uses a cello and often adds a bit of distortion to it to give it an interesting feel. If you listen to how he plays, it is very strange and definitely has an avant-garde sound with atypical pauses and note sequences. Although, his voice is very "folky" to me when he sings. Anyways, I wouldn't consider it the greatest avant-garde/experimental album ever recorded, but I do think it deserves a bit of merit.

01-13-2011, 05:34 PM	#8 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	I guess my nomination would be... *Alva Noto—Transform* (2001) Alva Noto is one of several stage names for German musician and visual artist Carsten Nicolai. Wikipedia actually has a pretty good description of his music, so I'll defer to that: Nicolai transforms sound by looping oscillators and tone generators. He does not use sequencers, but edits his work to give his compositions rhythmic structures. Clicks and glitches are not used as ornamental additions to the compositions but make up the essential rhythmic and harmonic elements of the work. He frequently samples electronic information transmission sounds such as fax tones, modem sounds and telephone pops and clicks are sampled and organised. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die** last.fm

01-13-2011, 05:36 PM	#9 (permalink)
bob. Still sends his reguards. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trying to get out of the cat town.... Posts: 5,039	hmmmmm....this is going to be fun __________________ A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.