January 11, 2015

Happy New Year!

We are one week away from heading into the recording studio to record our new album. For those interested to learn more about Glossa, you can read the full press release here. Since Positive No has our own various sites, I try not to post too much band related stuff here. 

The weeks leading up to recording I tend to put myself if in a fortress of solitude so I can just focus on the task at hand but there are a few things I have been listening to, reading, and watching during these early weeks of the new year. 

I am going to try to get better at sharing lists of these things regularly so here goes a little summary of the past two weeks.

Listening To:

Forever Pavot RHAPSODE (Born Bad Records) French psych-pop for fans of Air, High Llamas, and dreamy '60s soundtracks . One of my favorite records of 2014 

No Joy PASTEL AND PASS OUT (Mexican Summer) - Canadian shoegaze greatness and perfect for a silvery winter morning.

OST  ROSEMARY'S BABY (Wax Work Records) - Sometimes a girl needs to get witchy with strings. One of my favorite records of 2014 

Lorelle Meets the Obsolete CHAMBERS (Captcha Records) - Devastatingly gorgeous two piece psych-rock from Mexico. RIYL Spacemen 3, Jessamine, Melody's Echo Chamber.   One of my favorite records of 2014 

The Gotobeds POOR PEOPLE ARE REVOLTING (12XU) - You will be hard pressed to find an A side of a 2014 record that is as good as this one. This is my Rock equivalent of a beer and a shot of whiskey. It also makes me wonder what The Stranglers output would have sounded like had it had come after Slanted and Enchanted.

Chris Brokaw THE PERISCOPE TWINS ( 12XU). Out this week! It is impossible not to be impressed by his long discography and band history. You know, Come, Codein , and oh so many others ) The first portion of this double record carries an electronic exploration that borders on a dentist drill dueting with a chainsaw but there are also many moments of intrigue for me as well. The catch is for me as a person with a lingering brain injury is that I am very sensitive to high frequency noises so I physically can't take portions of the lengthy track. I want to spend more time with this song but any music with this level of sonic hijinxary sadly does not agree with my body. The good news however is that it makes the second portion of the album act like an ear canal pallet cleanser. There is relief to be found for me in his otherworldly guitar drones that invoke Neil Young's Dead Man score. I think there must be a Werner Herzog project that begs to partner with Brokaw somewhere down the line.

Mannequin Pussy  GYPSY PERVERT - O utstanding  female vocals and energy.  

Good Throb FUCK OFF (White Denim) - I like to listen to this in a line up of records that includes KUKL and Huggy Bear. Yet another o ne of my favorite records of 2014.

NASA  posted a huge library of space sounds and they RULE.   

Watching:

A photo posted by TKW (@positivenorva) on

For those of you who don't know, I am a sad eye painting fan and collector. If you don't know what that means, you can move on to the reading section. For those of you in the know and like them too, I highly recommend seeing the film Big Eyes . I can't say I have loved much Tim Burton has done in years but I appreciate that he wanted to tell this incredible story without making it into a comic book version of Margaret Keane's life. 


I never watched the Gilmore Girls while it was on TV the first time around but when I injured myself last month, I started watching it on Netflix. I have enjoyed the guest appearances by multiple Twin Peaks leading ladies and bands adore. File under guilty pleasure.




Reading:


Clothes(x3)Music(X3)Boys(X3) - Viv Albertine - Thomas Dunne Books - I started and finished this book in a span of three days. I was entranced. My only criticism is the opening chapter on masturbation. It isn't the topic that upsets me, it's the fact that it doesn't follow the rest of the book's timeline and seems very out of place with the flow of the other 400 plus pages. I might not be smart enough to understand why that theme was the best way to kick things off but I suppose for an attention grabber that certainly would do the trick.


It blows my mind that one person can have a circle of friends who all seemingly made the history books for one thing of another. Her circle of friends read like a whose who list of the most well known U.K. punks of the late '70s and '80s. Not just anyone has Mick Jones picking out their first guitar, has a first band with a member of the Sex Pistols, and when looking for advice on joining a girl band, can turn to Chrissie Hynde. Her stories are one of a kind (and a little graphic to those who might be squeamish when it comes to bodily functions) but EXACTLY what you would hope for when talking about the birth of punk. 


The surprise for me came from side two. (the book is divided into two sides like a record - clever!) I won't give away what happens but as a middle aged woman making music still, I found her honesty encouraging and inspiring. I could use a thousand more Kim Gordons, Kim Deals, and Viv Albertines to remind me that life doesn't end at 30 as a musician. Sure the punk tales are incredible but the book gets real and deeply moving after The Slits break up. 


And your reward for reading this far into my blog post? A tour of my home. Thank you Apartment Therapy for letting a home as crazy and colorful as ours share the site with all those minimal, uncluttered homes.