The Cinematic Orchestra and The Man With A Movie Camera. Two Great Things.

The Man With A Movie Camera was a groundbreaking experimental film by Russian filmmaker Dziga Vertof.  It featured no plot, no characters, and no special effects.  The beauty of this film is in its simplicity.  Because it wasn't about any specific thing, it could be about all kinds of things.  It's about 24 hours in Soviet city life.  It's about man's interaction with the marvels of machinery. It's about a man walking around with a movie camera filming things.  It's about the very nature of film.  It's a great film.

The Cinematic Orchestra is a nu-jazz band from London.  But don't let that label mislead you.  Their music is emotional, exciting, dynamic, both simple and complex, and very good. Not always adjectives to describe nu-jazz. They're a great band by any standard.

What happens when these two great things come together?  Something great, of course.  And here it is:

"The Man With a Movie Camera" with music by The Cinematic Orchestra

Roger Ebert Review of Man With A Movie Camera

One Fine Selection No. 4

This week, it's the song "Panda" from the band formerly known as This Town Needs Guns, now just TTNG.  Enjoy:

A Song and Some Paintings

You can't see a song and you can't hear a painting. Or can you?
Here's the song "Impress" by The Chariot, and some paintings.  You decide.

Paintings by: Phil Hale, Ward Schumaker, Carmelo Balndino, Ben Bauer

One Fine Selection No. 3

This week's selection, "The Glimpse" by previously featured band Traindodge.

One Fine Selection.

Another Townhouse series that may go forever or end abruptly.  It depends.

One fine selection will feature one great song that deserves its own post.
This week it's "Protest Song" by Aloha.  Enjoy.

No Sense Makes Sense: The Lyrics and Song Titles of The Sea and Cake.

Bring My Car I Feel to Smash It. Choice Blanket. Traditional Wax Coin. The Colony Room. Two Dolphins.

Afternoon Speaker. So Long to the Captain.

Welcome to the top, well I thought so.  Salted and used, so you try me.  I'm better hoping a sour sweetness. It doesn't matter about what you say.  Rambo to the captain.  Look now, it's about to happen.

--------

That wasn't a stream of consciousness.  

Above are selected titles and lyrics by The Sea and Cake. They're completely random and yet make complete sense.  They're like Bigfoot, or UFOs.  Uncovering their mystery would destroy their mystique. There's a beauty in the random that is the same with painting as with music as with anything. Trying to explain every choice in a work of art reduces it to nothing but calculations.  The best way to understand the genius of The Sea and Cake's lyrics and song titles is to imagine if they weren't random, but just some more lyrics and titles that made sense.  How boring would that be?

Some things are better left unexplained.

A Real Townhouse On Mars?

This is the first worthy material for a post other than music.

Apparently the Townhouse on Mars actually exists. This unconfirmed photo from NASA shows an unexplained light coming from the surface of the red planet. Until its source is confirmed, it's definitely a townhouse.

Relax With Some Thundercat