Distant Fuzzy Radio Signals

You know those days when you feel like you just really need to take a break? I'm having one of those today. My eyeballs are moaning about this, especially, and in their own annoying way. So this will be a shorter-than-usual one, but still chock-full of the things you’ve come to expect—and hopefully look forward to—every Sunday. That's right—it's the Talk Of The Tonearm newsletter with a weekly roundup of site highlights and fancy recommendations. Boom.

Queued Up

Working it Out — Jeff Parker Revisits 'The New Breed'

A new Tortoise album, titled Touch, was released a few days ago on International Anthem (though it won't be streaming for a couple more weeks). It's fun that Lawrence grabbed a conversation with the band's guitarist, Jeff Parker, right before the album dropped. However, though there is some fascinating Tortoise talk, the main topic of conversation is Parker's remarkable solo work, and especially his 2016 album The New Breed. Parker considers this record a turning point in his musical progression and also signifies his move to Los Angeles and his steady dip into the jazz and creative music scenes that are burgeoning alongside everything else Hollywood is known for. Scenes, and the sense of 'scenius,' are implied; that huge, ever-growing pulsating brain that emerges when motivated artists begin working together in regional proximity. "If I had made The New Breed in Chicago, it would've been completely different," Parker says. "[But] it's more about the community than the actual place geographically." Curious about other musicians working within the same L.A. scene/scenius? Check out our features on Josh Johnson and Patrick Shiroishi.

Tuning into Dylan Henner's Shimmery Transmission

Dylan Henner remains mysterious. The image above is a combination of what he sent us for artist photos. Our intrepid writer, Mykadelica (a name also denoting mystery), offered an in-person encounter as the two seem to reside in the same general area. But, alas, the bits and bytes of text on a computer screen were the only means of communication available. No matter—the two enigmas collaboratated on a fascinating e-convo that examined Henner's lovely new album, Star Dream FM, within the context of misremembered nostalgia, bygone adolescence, and distant fuzzy radio signals. The album develops the concept in the unstuffiest of ways, with melodies and pop culture references felt more than tangibly grasped. "I like the idea of the mysterious Star Dream FM being difficult to find on the airwaves," says Henner, "and this being a recording of the fleeting moment that I caught it. Like the way youth is there and then it's not." Sublime.

Settler Myths and Reverb — Funeral Lakes Rewrite the Western

Funeral Lakes are a band that cites McCabe & Mrs. Miller as an inspiration, so you know I'm going to pay attention. I wouldn't necessarily say the band sounds like that film (or like Leonard Cohen, whose songs appear in it), but the influence is apparent after reading Damien Joyce's interview with Funeral Lakes's Chris Hemer. Altman's film conveys the disillusionment of the settler, inhabiting land with the aim of making it their own while contending with grim realities, both environmental and psychological, all that entails. Some have called McCabe & Mrs. Miller an 'anti-western' and Funeral Lakes brings that philosophical idea into their songcraft. As Hemer tells The Tonearm, "[I] started treating each song as a way of deconstructing individual myths that I grew up hearing, and, later in life, questioning." Film has spent a lot of time deconstructing myths of North American colonization since (arguably) The Searchers, and it's interesting to find a band willing to continue the project.

Voice Without a Face — Aiko Takahashi's Tactile Sound Craft

I know, another artist preferring anonymity. Dylan Henner can rest easy, as this week we also featured Aiko Takahashi (as with Henner, possibly not the real name), who exists even further down in the shadows, and with an even more abstract artist image. For her debut piece in The Tonearm, Meredith Hobbs Coons admirably dug into the mystique, revealing an artist intimately immersed in the art of making new things. Aiko defines craft as touch and is mindful of this in everything they do. "I'm not a craftsman in the literal sense," they say, "but I approach sound in the same way: building with my hands, even if those 'hands' are keys and faders." Meredith elegantly identifies Aiko's mindset with "years of working with children whose hunger for novelty in texture, color, light, and sound primes me to love and seek this multidisciplinary approach to composition." Would you like to listen? A recent example of this process-into-practice is Aiko's album Monologue, recorded for one of our favorite ambient imprints, Quiet Details. Can I say 'sublime' again?

Gamelan Dreaming — The Surreal World of Bill Brennan and Andy McNeill

Bill Brennan and Andy McNeill started working on the soundtrack to a CBC documentary twenty-five long years ago, with Brennan borrowing bronze gamelan instruments from Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan. These evocative recordings, mostly unused, must have haunted the duo for a while as they've now revisited, remixed, and recontextualized them for a fascinating album, Dreaming in Gamelan. There's a lot of story here, and Lawrence Peryer is more than happy to dig in as he interviews the composer pair. The original music has been digitally effected, repurposed, and accompanied by new instrumentation—as well as mixed in Dolby Atmos—for what McNeill calls an "artificial immersive listening experience." As for representing the gamelan tradition, Brennan states, "I wouldn't say that our music in any way connects to a creative interpretation of gamelan degung music, but it connects to the feelings and sensitivities that I think traditional gamelan music conveys." Side note: Another artist recently featured in The Tonearm who found inspiration in the gamelan tradition is Robin Holcomb.

The Hit Parade

What a special episode of the Spotlight On podcast we have for you this week. Lawrence (virtually) sits down with David Harrington, founder of Kronos Quartet, for an in-depth and delightful conversation about the quartet's fifty years, the need for activism in art (via a combination of listening then responding), how the quartet's many collaborations come about, and the latest project, The Hard Rain Collective in cahoots with the Red Hot Organization. If you're not familiar with The Hard Rain Collective, its concept, and the incredible parade of participating guest vocalists, then be sure to take a gander. And then, listen in to Harrington on our podcast. It's such a great chat.
I've mentioned The Secret Life of Songs podcast here before. I know that the host performing covers of the songs he's featuring can come off as a bit precious, but I understand why he does it—so he can easily highlight specific sections and moments. You will be surprised to learn this episode of his podcast is my favorite podcasty thing I've listened to in a long while (LP would like to point out it's my second favorite, ok). I'm not like a fanatic for this song or anything, but his commentary on it really struck a chord. This guy's good.
Short Bits: Happy 91st birthday today to the wonderful human known as Hans-Joachim Roedelius. • "From March 15th to 29th, 1991, anyone wishing to attend one exhibition could only do so via a fax machine, telephone or dial-up modem. The Museum Inside The Telephone Network did not inhabit a physical space." • Cabaret Voltaire played their farewell show (maybe) last night in Sheffield, missing one original member (RIP) but gaining another. Here's "Nag Nag Nag." • Simon Reynolds: "If community persists, it’s on the level of any individual blog’s comment box. I prize the unusual perspectives and weird erudition of my regular commenters, while wondering why so few of them operate their own blogs." • Princess Tinymeat.

Run-Out Groove

Short(er) but sweet. Let the break begin. If you enjoy what we’re up to, then please tell a friend about this newsletter, our site, and/or our podcast. And our phone lines are open—please let us know what you think of our lofty endeavor and whether you have any suggestions or clever ideas to share. You can simply reply to this email or contact us here.

I’m off to dry out some more cayenne peppers. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, tackle the week ahead with manageable ambition, and tell the haters to take a hike. I’ll see you once again next week. 🚀