No music day!

The idea of going to B&Q (British hardware store) and not hearing James Blunt or The Killers while shopping for undercoat sounds very appealing to me. Better still, not hearing Neil Young’s classic album On The Beach while standing in the frozen food section of Tesco holding a packet of value country veg would be more satisfying. But unfortunately for those of us to which music matters a life of cringe faced moments lie ahead. For instance the music genre ‘coffee house’. The never-ending Starbucks (I know) drone of singer-songwriter drivel that wafts from the speakers like sleeping gas.

Any airplay is good for an artist i suppose but if I ever joined the lovely list of lovely songwriters I think I’d aim higher and market my music with live performances in Carpet sale warehouses and maybe Ikea. What do they play in Ikea…mmm? What kind of music triggers spending endorphins.

OK, i’m straying. The Point is that today is No Music Day and I was reading the list of reasons people posted on the No Music Day web site to why they would benefit a day with out music or not. No Music Day! Who could ever dream up such a concept? Only ex KLF money burner Bill Drummond. “No Music Day is an aspiration, an idea, an impossible dream, a nightmare. There are as many reasons for marking No Music Day as there are people willing to observe it – or reject it.” What about you? Will you be complying to No Music Day? Better decide as tomorrow see’s the annual mad celebrations of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

“I went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone”.

Good chilled cafe in Edinburgh with good music (Think Smog, M.Ward)

The No Music Day web site

On the Secret Tones Stereo

Ideally I would prefer to set up some pod-casts and let you listen for your good selves but due to the legal implications i thought it best just to stick to a list of what i’m listening to each week.

Each album will be linked to somewhere or other so you can preview the tracks. Love to hear what you think of the albums profiled or better still let me know what you are listening to.

Gabriel Naim Amor – Soundtracks
2002 | Label – Film Guerrero
French singer/guitarist/composer first album of his Soundtrack series.
Naim Amor on myspace

Dan Sartain – Join
2006 | Label – Swami/One Little Indian
Second album from the “bastard son of J Cash”
Samples of Dan Sartain’s Join
Dan Sartain on Secret Tones

Lawrence – The Night Will Last Forever
2005 | Label – Novamute
Lawrence’s third album. Mix of house, minimal techno and deep ambient electronica.
Lawrence on myspace

Howe Gelb – ‘sno angel like you
2006 | Label – Loose Music
Living ledgend Howe Gelb’s solo album joined with a Canadian gospel choir.
Gelb on myspace

Deaf Center – Pale Ravine
2006 | Type Records
Norwegian ambient/eletronic composers return!
Listen to Pale Ravine…no really, Listen to it.
Deaf Center on Secret Tones

Deaf Center

Just spent an evening listening to Norwegian sound duo Deaf Center’s 2005 album Pale Ravine. “Inspired by old silent 8mm film reels and the historical architecture”, Erik Skodvin and Otto Totland set out armed with microphones and recorded whatever they could, then mixed their findings with haunting pianos and strings. Pale Ravine is a beautiful sometimes disturbing album blending “elements of classical music with electronic music”. It felt cinematic soundtrack to my life, each song a nostalgic flash back that left me deep in a train of thought. Very personal indeed, as great music should be.

Buy it here