Ok . MORE Arthur Russell (But This Is Great)

ELI!

Other one is only okay though. That is the first time I would use this term to apply to russell

i love the other one ("close my eyes") lots and lots. there are a couple of tracks i don't love on it but it's pretty great overall and makes me excited about what else might be lurking in the archives.

I don't know, Eli isn't as astonishing as it is in the trailer either.

i didn't really like eli when i heard it, but love it now; there's kind of a weird connection to his stretchy cello-sync vocals on the rest of his solo stuff. and close my eyes is lovely. it reminds me of that old folk song the lakes of pontchartrain, that dylan used to do.

Deffo going to that ICA night, looks fun.

Elodie Lauten's The Death Of Don Juan, w/ Arthur Russell on cello and vocals, has just been reissued on CD. Here's what Alan Licht had to say abt it in the third of his Minimalism Top Tens:

“This is one of the great lost experimental records of the 80s. Lauten has been around since the 70s, going back and forth between Paris and New York. The Death Of Don Juan is an opera, in the avant garde sense, but I honestly prefer it to any of Robert Ashley’s operas or the Philip Glass ones (except Einstein). There’s a Fairlight on most of the record, but fear not, as you would never know that it dates from 80s. The first two tracks sound like Joe Jones meets Glass or Steve Reich, with harpsichords, trine (an electric lyre that Lauten invented) and Arthur Russell’s cello. “Death As A Shadow” recalls Meredith Monk’s “Turtle Dreams” but is even more haunting and doomy. Russell’s vocal on “Death As A Woman” even reminds me of Moondog 2 and sounds unlike any of his other work. Even the libretto is fab-A+”

woah that is exciting.

samples here: i think i will buy.

http://digital.othermusic.com/search/full.php?UID=284675

there, sorry.

nice article with Tom Lee
http://www.thefader.com/articles/2008/9/19/q-a-tom-lee-on-life-with-and-without-arthur-russell

there's a good article in the new out magazine about russell

Just a reminder for London ILXORs - film starts tonight at the ICA, with Optimo DJing AR & related stuff afterwards in the bar, which is free.

Short piece in the Guardian today:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/sep/26/popandrock

New track on the Audika myspace posted just today.

I think I heard that Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear mixed this, but maybe he was lying.

yeah, that's in the promo stuff, mixed and edited apparently.
has anyone seen it confirmed for vinyl yet? the others were, and steve audika said so, but i haven't heard it mentioned in the last while.

here's a playlist from the post ica screening shindig.

Indian Ocean - School Bell / Tree House
Loose Joints - Is It All Over My Face (Original Unreleased Version)
Loose Joints - Is It All Over My Face (Male Vocal)
Loose Joints - Is It All Over My Face (Female Vocal)
Loose Joints - Is It All Over My Face (acapella)
Loose Joints - Tell You (Today)
Loose Joints - Pop Your Funk
Dinosaur L - #1 (You're Gonna Be Clean On Your Bean)
Dinosaur L - Go Bang!(Francois Kevorkian Mix)
Dinosaur - Kiss Me Again (Version)
Arthur Russell - Keeping Up
Arthur Russell - A Little Lost
Arthur Russell - Another Thought
Arthur Russell - Home Away From Home
Arthur Russell - This Is How We Walk On The Moon
Arthur Russell - In The Light Of The Miracle
Arthur Russell - Let's Go Swimiing (Coastal Dub)
Arthur Russell - The Platform On The Ocean
Arthur Russell - That's Us / Wild Combination
Arthur Russell - Place I Know / Kid Like You
Arthur Russell - All-Boy All-Girl
Arthur Russell - Part I: June 23, 1977
Arthur Russell - You Have Did The Right Thing When You Put That Skylight In
The Necessaries - Driving And Talking At The Same Time
Peter Zummo - Song IV
Peter Gordon - That Hat
Clandestine Featuring Ned Sublette - Radio Rhythm (Killer Whale Dub Mix)
Arthur Russell - Close My Eyes
Arthur Russell - Goodbye Old Paint
Arthur Russell - This Time Dad You're Wrong
Arthur Russell - The Letter
Arthur Russell - Eli
Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me

ysi?

mmm, all-boy all-girl is so good. i've just been walking around listening to song iv, too. the ica bar must have been a nice place to be.

Listening to Love Is Overtaking Me for the first time. It's quite an intimate listen. It's country music all the way (up till now), and some MOR pop/rock even. Can't really say anything else about it. Don't know if it's good or not. But the intimacy, and that voice...

Near the end of the album the songs slowly transform into the stylistics of his s/t album, with the drummachine entering. This is great stuff.

oh didn't know this was out already. WANT.

Seriously, nobody is commenting on 'Love is Overtaking Me'?

It's brilliant, and a real grower--21 tracks, and though I prefer the slightly more organic avant-country-folk-singer-songwriter first half to the somewhat more familiar Casio-pop second half, it's remarkable that literally ever song is memorable. Definitely some of his strongest, most traditional melodies, and the lyrics are often quite beautiful and unabashedly romantic. It's obviously very compilation-y, not much aesthetic/production value consistency, but that's not a bad thing. Amazingly, half the tracks are from 1973-1975, and truly reveal an entirely unknown side and period for him. A lot of it feels a little Dylan-The Band, or Modern Lovers, or John Prine, but every bit is indelibly Arthur, even as unexpected as the context sometimes is. The only real downside is that some of the material is so strong, it makes me wish that an entire release had been made from that particular source (for example, the Flying Hearts/Ernie Brooks era stuff, if more of it exists.

There really seems to be no bottom of the barrel for Mr. Russell, which isn't really a surprise. I imagine that for many people, this will be a surprise fave amongst his oeuvre, even those of us who prefer his more avant-garde work.

Yeah, I saw this in the Soul Jazz shop last weekend and I thought WTF? I must investigate it.

i totally share Soundslike's enthusiasm although i think i prefer the second half. "Love Comes Back" hits me pretty hard. i love it.

Agree about this being a grower.

Audika's Steve Knutson was on Beats in Space last night (should be archived now at WNYU) and had heaps of unheard tracks: a never-released Walter Gibbons edit of "Go Bang" and a "World of Echo"-era track called "Planet of Thought." alas, radio crackle overwhelmed the latter, but so glad to know the 21st century has mineral rights on that stuff.

Thats good to know. Is it available to stream online anywhere? Did Steve mention if any more releases were planned?

OK, found it on WNYU, cheers

Anyone read ceddy's post on the Rolling Country Record. The album's a bore, he says. I'm in between Eddy and Soundslike's positions: I've played it every morning in the office, able to identify at least 10 strong melodies ("Don't Forget About Me" is such a quiet, gentlemanly song), but it hasn't become a must-have either.

The new album is pleasant but slight. Largely missing those elements that made much of his work great.

Reminds me most of the Lemonheads.

'pleasant' not used as a perjorative by the way (or sounding like the Lemonheads). I am enjoying it a lot.

Hmm, granted I haven't listened to the Lemonheads since about 1995 or so. . . but that connection wouldn't ring a bell for me.

Sticking by it as a "grower," because I've found several of the melodies firmly stuck in my head over the last few days, and also finding myself listening to the whole album on repeat, something I rarely do.

I can see what you mean about some of the qualities we usually associate with Russell's "greatness" being absent--it certainly isn't mysterious or (very often) experimental, it's certainly more traditional than anything one normally associates with him, and it's far from headphone music or dance music. But for me, both the essential melodicism of all his work--you can identify Arthur's keyboard playing in any context within a few note-clusters, for example--and the unabashed, unbound joy in making music that Arthur possessed come through as clear as ever.

It would be a weird introduction, or at least maybe a misleading one (though for someone who rarely seemed to do the same thing twice, maybe there isn't really a right or "representative" work). But for those of us already initiated, I think it adds yet another wrinkle. Though I have heard from some who otherwise aren't fans that this is far more likable and accessible, so who knows--maybe it's a great introduction to get someone hooked.

wow that beats in space looks like it had some amazing stuff on it

Oh my!

Dinosaur - Kiss Me Again (Unreleased Japanese Vocal Mix)

This is so good.

the death of don juan is INCREDIBLE, one of the best i've heard all year. not that it's technically new

'Don Juan' is quite good, even the bits lacking any Arthur Russell ; )

Make sure you've heard Peter Zummo's 'Zummo With an X,' especially "Song IV" for more relatively overlooked longform Arthur goodness. . .

Catching a doc on this dude Monday night. Know nothing about him, will read this thread.

I only realised recently that Arthur plays cello on Talking Heads 'Psycho Killer (Acoustic)', one of the bonus tracks on the 77 re-issues from a couple of years ago. More goodness.

Hoos smoke some weed first

I wish I could be where Hoos is.

It's playing all over, even Cleveland and Ithaca!

Upcoming Festivals, Special Events, and Theatricals

Boston Theatrical:

Boston Museum of Fine Art
Opens October 30
1 WEEK ONLY - buy tickets

Alamo Drafthouse, Austin
November 3 & 5, Screening Times TBA

San Francisco Theatrical:

Roxie Theater, San Francisco
Opens November 7
1 WEEK ONLY

Leeds Film Festival, UK
November 7, 18:00 - The Wardrobe
November 11, 18:30 - Carriageworks, Film Forum

Cleveland Cinematheque
November 9, Screening Time TBA

Pittsburgh Filmmakers
November 9 & 11, Screening Time TBA

Amsterdam Theaterical:

SMART Cinema
Opens November 13 - 1 MONTH
weekly screenings and parties

Pauze Festival, Utrecht + Gent
November 13, 19:00 - Theater Kikker, Utrecht
November 15, 18:00 - Vooruit, Gent

Starz Denver Film Festival, Colorado
November 22 + 23, 6:00

November Scandinavia Tour: Filmaker in attendance

CPH:Dox, Denmark
November 7 - 16, Screening Time TBA

Oslo Film Festival, Norway
November 20 - 30, Screening Time TBA

Stockholm Film Festival, Sweden
November 20 - 30, Screening Time TBA

Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
November 20 - December 3, Screening Time TBA

ConClub, Rotterdam
November 22nd, 20:30 - Zaal de Unie

Cinema Maldà, Barcelona
November 25th, Screening Time TBA

Cinema Lux, Lugano, Switzerland
November 28th, Screening Time TBA

La casa encendida, Madrid
November 29 - 30, Screening Time TBA

Brighton Film Festival, UK
December 1st, Screening Time TBA

Special New York Encore Screening:

MoMA, New York
December 5, 7:00 / December 19, 8:00 - Titus 2
Filmmaker in attendance

Cornell Cinema, Ithaca
December 10, 12, 13, Time TBD

Rooftop Cinema, Melbourne
January 20, Time TBD

Reminder that 'Wild Combination' sees DVD release Nov. 18th (tomorrow) in the US (apparently already released on the 4th in Europe).

I'm excited to watch it again. And I hope people aren't missing out on 'Love is Overtaking Me,' haven't seen as much press this time around. Haven't listened to it in a week, yet I still have five or six tracks on stuck-in-my-head-got-me-singing rotation. The blue-eyed-soul stuff with the brass arrangements in the middle remain especially devestating.

cool! did not know this was going to be on DVD so soon. and yeah, i really need to order the new one.

I'm receiving it via Netflix tomorrow.

I find myself drawn to 'Love Is Overtaking Me' every single day since I got it. So much beauty in there. Will definitely get the DVD.

this is interesting but also a total tease! http://dustedmagazine.com/features/778
i respect that audika isn't just throwing every last thing out there, regardless of quality, but some of that stuff sounds fascinating!

The documentary is lovely.

I need to get in touch with Mr. Knutson. Meet up with him in NYC one day, get him really drunk, convince him to make me a few DVD-Rs worth of unreleased material.

Truly, I wouldn't even leak it. I'd just be made a much happier man.

KATE! I've been touched by the Lord. I don't need you anymore!!

...favorite song at the moment along w/ "I couldn't say it to your face."

yeah what the hell is the point of that dusted feature. worst listed EVER, unless the tracks are available of course :)