Monday 18 May 2015

homemade postcards of the day




Monroeville Music center – le progrès (mp3)



This is the shortest EP from Monroeville Music Center (4 songs = 10.04 minutes). But then again, who am I to complain here? It`s a freebie and all the songs are absolutely perfect (kudos to Kurt Hennig, R.I.P.). Musically, what does it sounds like? Here goes:
1 – en route (3.02 minutes) = instrumental electronic music + a little percussion here and there (recalls old SMS / NES video game music, good stuff).
2 – prépatifs dans la salle de rédaction (2.11 minutes) = melancholic electronic music with percussions, good use of the Motorik synthesizer here.
3 – il pleut des informations (2.35 minutes) = more Motorik synthesizer + percussions = relaxing peaceful, pure music bliss, OH YEAHHHHHHH!!!
4 – à minuit, le 31 décembre (2.16 minutes) = smooth synth music. This one sounds almost like medieval music. The perfect soundtrack for a rainy day, when the only thing you feel like doing is chilling out and / or meditating.  Free download here; https://archive.org/details/Le_Progrs-11704

Saturday 16 May 2015

Monroeville Music Center – generic product manufactured (MP3)

This is a live recording where Monroeville Music Center plays material from their first album titled `generic product`. While hearing this I get the feeling of déjà-vu. The music is great, the various pieces are oh so perfect (even with old school analogue synthesizers) it sounds crystal clear, so perfect. The live album sounds like a studio album (Kraftwerk anyone?). it`s perfect but at a certain level it sounds lifeless, emotionless, almost like a digital recording (CD anybody?). Aside from that I really liked this album. My other complaint, well it`s too short for me own taste buds (nine tracks with a total running time of… Under 20 minutes). But then again I kind of prefer my music short and sweet (definitely better than long, boring and redundant). I can feel / hear some influences at work: Space (proto spacy disco elements), Yellow Magic Orchestra (them nice old school groove synth sounds), Dimitri From Paris (them kitsch but cool vibes), and maybe some NES video game music (Metroid, Battle Of Olympus, Athena, Kid Icarus perhaps). I like this album a lot. Get it here:   http://monroevillemusiccenter.bandcamp.com/album/generic-product-manufactured

Continuity Mad Pride Compilation 2015 (CD)



This is a free album with a limited edition of 1000 copies. Mad Pride originates from England. They
fight for the civil rights and social status of people labelled with mental health problems. I like this idea.
After listening to a lot of noise and / or experimental music, it`s good to relax and listen to `normal`music. This compilation offers various music styles: indie rock, indie pop, alternative
country, lo-fi acoustic folk, lo-fi weirdness and assorted oddities. Most of the music seems
surrounded with a strange aura of madness, a warped sensibility if you will. The whole compilation
is pretty amazing, all the songs are pretty good in their own warped / strange / bizarre styles. A
couple of pieces really blew my mind:
4 – Shy Rights Movement – real love = lo-fi acoustic folk music with some longing / somber elements
thrown in (Neil Young & Johnny Cash jamming
together late at night).
10 – Jim Macdougall & The AMM All Stars – shit or chocolate = weird, out there jam session /
schizoid pop perhaps (sounds like a mix of Alien Planetscapes with Gong, early period).
12 – Alternative TV – the radio story / strange looks = lo-fi weirdness, jam sessions from the end of this
known universe.
14 – The Ceramic Hobs – 33 trapped Chilean miners = weird, spacy, like a black hole collapsing, noise rock
(forget Sonic Youth, this is THE CERAMIC HOBS
BAYBEE!!!). More information here:
16 – Esther Leslie – square mile quagmire = spoken word mixed with proto bluesy experimentations
(Steven Jesse Bernstein on Prozac + Mississippi Fred McDowell). More info regarding Mad Pride:
85/

punk-tea-dance-the-ceramic-hobs-ycerhob8/

Monroeville Music Center – generic product (MP3)



One of my Facebook friends recommended this album. I was curious, never heard of Monroeville Music Center before. I got it from www.bandcamp.com . I`m listening to this going to work. I have to admit, I`m pretty impressed. This was recorded with old analogue synthesizers, namely the Optigan and the Orchestron. It sounds like a music mixture of Kraftwerk (with less sequencing), Plone and maybe a little dose of Monsieur Blumenberg here and there. The music is a potent blend of minimal electronics / synth with some elements of funk, lo-fi pop, psychedelics and minimalism. And yes, it does sound vintage, and I mean that with total respect here. This was an enjoyable listening experience. I like everything in there. Standout tracks are:
04- song#4 (2.45 minutes) = weird, mellow, syrupy minimal electronics, miam, miam.
05- song#5 (1.44 minutes) = nerdy, melancholic electronica, great stuff.
07- song#7 (1.49 minutes) = old school (it sounds like those dirty seventies) analogue electronic music.                                                 This album is short, nine tracks with a total running time of 15.50 minutes. Sort and sweet indeed. More info here: http://monroevillemusiccenter.bandcamp.com/album/generic-product


Friday 8 May 2015

TFTTDH Part 18

Invasion of the puppy snatcher
It`s Friday night seven o`clock p.m.
I`m lying on my couch
I light up a cigarette
Phone rings
Yep
Hey Tom
Chris is that you?
Long time no see
Indeed
So how are you man?
I`ve been way better bro
What`s up?
I broke up with Terry
Next thing I know
She kicks me out of the apartment
Do you have a place to stay?
Yeah I found a cheap apartment
On J-B Martineau street
Close to boulevard Pix-IX
That`s in Montréal north is it?
Yeah
You like it down there?
It`s near Cabaret Chez Mado



Mado is that a stripper`s club?
Yep
I heard it was a dive
Wanna go there Tom?
I`m thinking about it
But you know me
I`m not much for going to the strippers
There`s a cover charge
The booze is fucking expensive
You look but you can`t touch
It`s like
You didn`t eat anything for a couple of days
You`re oh so fucking hungry
There`s a buffet all you can eat in front of you



You`re smelling it
You`re looking at it
But you can`t taste it
It`s like having a useless boner
I prefer to watch porn
It`s cheaper and gets me there
You`re sick man
Compliments will get you somewhere
Wanna come to my place and rent movies?
Sure let me call Pat first
Yo Tom I`m already here man
Pat?
Yep
Gimme your address and I`ll be there shortly
I write down the address and call a cab
The cab arrives I light up a smoke
And away we go
We finally arrive
That will be 15.25$ sir
Here`s a twenty keep the change
Thank you very much young man
You`re welcome old man
We both start to laugh
This guy`s in his early forties
I`m in my late twenties
For me he`s an old geezer
And for him I look like a kid
Now I`m in my late forties
Wish I was in my late twenties though
Time…
Time…
When you`re young
It looks like you have all the time in the world
As you get older
You realize
Time is a luxury you don`t have anymore
I exit the cab
Light up another smoke
For good measure I`m thinking
I`m excessive sue me
I ring the bell the door opens
Tom my brother
Chris you sick lil pup 
How`s it hanging?
Getting slowly into it
We`re reunited



DA THREE MUSKETEERS!!!
Ok let`s rent some movies
The vidéoclub is a couple of streets from here
Let`s go
It`s cold and pouring rain outside
Typical early November weather
It`s cold
There`s no snow
It`s raining
It`s so fucking humid
You`re wearing a coat
But it doesn`t feel like it
Almost feels like you`re naked
We finally arrive at the vidéoclub
That`s when I say ok guys
We each rent a movie, then meet up at the cash register
Yes
Alright then
Here we go
I take` the people under the stairs`




Hey
It`s a Wes Craven
Remember `the last house on the left`?
The original version



Not the shitty remake done by Dennis Iliadis
Yes, now that`s what I`m talking about
Pat rents `Stone Cold`



With former NFL Seattle Seahawks linebacker
Brian Bosworth
Never mind Brian
Lance DA MAN Henriksen plays the bad guy
Anybody remembers `Near Dark`?



Well don`t just stand there use your stupid phones and google it
Chris rents `the silence of the lambs`



With Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins
Sir Anthony Hopkins performs a scary as hell performance
As Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Even though if you`re into horror movies with serial killers
I totally recommend `Henry portrait of a serial killer`
With Michael Rooker himself



Need I say more?
Next stop the local dépanneur
That`s where we get da beer
And lots of it too
In case the movies are shitty
Or good
Or average
You never wanna run out of beer in the middle of a movie
In those times when I was young and had hair left
I would purchase 6 to 8 710 ml Budweiser cans
For my own consumption
Yep I`m thirsty
We all are anyways
We finally arrive at Chris place
Light up some smokes
Open our respective beers and away we go
We would perform this friendly ritual
Every Friday and Saturday nights
For a couple of weeks
Or months
Times sure flies when you`re having fun
Eventually
We all caught cabin fever
Cabin fever what a funny expression
To be honest
We were all horny like a bunch of hyenas in heat
We needed to get laid
We had to get out
It was a Friday evening
I just came out of the shower
Phone rings
Tom WAZZUP???
WAZZUP???
Whatcha doing?    
Just came out of the shower ya dummy egg
Yes and my balls are full of yolk too
Believe you
Don`t need to show me physical evidence
Agreed
Wanna rent some movies again Chris?
No I want to do something different this time around
Ok what is it?
Let`s go to Cabaret Chez Mado
Mado you gotta be shitting me right?
No I`m serious man
We might get laid there
Man you know how I feel about them places?
Yes I know but
But what?
Pat`s here and he wants to go too
What is this a mutiny?
I`m saying it while laughing at the same time
It is a mutiny on the Montréal Bounty
Ok I surrender
Come at my place first Tom
We`ll have a couple of pre-production brewskies
And save us a couple of bucks as well
Good thinking guys
I`m leaving ciao
Ciao Tom
I put on my new tight jeans
A nice t-shirt
A little gel for me hair
A little perfume here and there
I look at myself in the mirror
DAMNED TOM YOU SEXY BEAST!!!
Can I have your phone number?



Hey
It`s free to dream on
And fantasize you know
If you don`t believe in yourself
If you don`t have any confidence
Nobody else will
I exit
Call a cab
The cab arrives I light up a smoke
I`m about to enter when I hear the driver
Hey buddy this is a non smoking cab
For real?
Damn straight
There`s actually non smoking cabs now
Of course we also drive for non smokers
Ok then
I throw my smoke on the floor and sit down
Where are you going?
Pix-IX and J-B Martineau street
That`s in Montréal north you know that?
Why is there a problem?
There`s a lot of blackies down there
My wife`s black got a problem with that?
No no not at all forget what I just said
Eh, eh ,eh that line always works
You throw me a right hook
And I verbally uppercut your ass
How to easily shut up a racist motherfucker
I should light up a smoke to piss him off some more
Naw he`s not worth it
I just hope he doesn`t have any kids
Morons like that shouldn`t be allowed to procreate
But then again
Half of our planet would be empty
We finally arrive
I pay him then exit his cab
Good riddance I`m thinking
I light up a well deserved smoke
Hey guys !!!
Yo Tom how are you?
Thirsty like hell where`s me beer?
Here you go big guy enjoy
I take a huge sip
I drink half of me bottle right away
Gobble gobble
Ahhhhhhhhh
Nice
Can I have another one?
Yeah sure thing man
We sit down and listen to some music
Feels good to finally relax
Chilling out
Doing nothing
Nothing at all
After a couple of beers
I`m starting to feel numb and I`m not the only one
Wanna watch a movie or something?
Sure why not
Pat looks at me
Hey hold on a minute
We`re supposed to go to Cabaret Chez Mado
Chris says it`s true
Are you trying to pull a fast one on us Tom?
Of course not
Ok then let`s go
It`s still cold and raining outside
Man I hate this weather
Good thing Mado`s almost next door
About five minutes walk
We arrive
There`s a huge guy in front of the entrance
Long black hair with a ponytail
About six feet eight and near 300 pounds
Oh my God another Steven Seagal wannabe I`m thinking
is he gonna karate chop my ass
or kill me with his bad breath?
CHRIS YOU LITTLE PRICK!!!
DA FUCK YA DOING HERE?
SHOULD I KICK YOU OUT MONTRÉAL STYLE???
You can`t catch me Dale
I run too fast
I`ll wait until you`re drunk
Then I`ll kick you out Montréal style
There`s no hurry bro
I know just kidding
What is this you`ve got some friends now
Yeah meet my buddies Pat and Tom
Pleased to meet you
Likewise I`m sure
That will be five dollars gentlemen
Sure thing
Here`s a ten spot keep the change
Thank you very much Tom
Anytime
I always give bouncers, barmans and waitresses
A good tip
It always pays in the long run
If you`re scrooge
Employees are like elephants
And you know what they say about an elephant`s memory?
Would you like to sit close to the stage?
This table looks fine
Yeah it`s near the washroom too
In case of emergency you know
We sit down and order some drinks
We watch the girls come and go
It`s surprising the amount of great looking strippers
I mean Cabaret Chez Mado is a small place
Pat spots this tall skinny blonde
She looks like Savannah (1970-1994)



How much for a lap dance girl?
That will be eight dollars
Here`s a ten spot keep the change honey
She sits on Pat`s lap in a dark corner
I light up a smoke
I look around and right away I spot her
A tall woman, about six feet two
She looks a little bit like Hyapatia Lee
A brunette with all the right things



Simply stunning
I`m hooked
She comes near me
What`s your name big boy?
I`m Tom and you are?
Tamara
Pleased to meet you
How much for a dance?
Eight dollars big boy
Let`s do it
She sits on me and starts to move oh so slowly
I try to hide it
And be subtle about it
Yeah right me subtle
But I`m slowly getting a boner
Hey no physical contacts big boy!!!
But I`m not using my hands
I`m sorry
She gets up looks at me and laughs
BIG BOY GOTTA BONER!!!
BIG BOY GOTTA BONER!!!



I`ll make it easy on you Tom
I`ll just dance in front of you
Yeah good idea Tamara
Would you like another dance?
No it`s cool maybe later on
I`m sitting at our table all alone
Pat is having another lap dance with the same girl
Chris is nowhere to be found
I light up a smoke and order another pitcher
I`m drinking looking at the strippers and relaxing
Pat comes back with the girl
Kelly this is my good buddy Tom
Hi Tom
Hello girl
We have a couple of drinks
Kelly`s still lap dancing with Chris
I`m slowly getting intoxicated
Kelly goes to the washroom
You think those are real tits?
I dunno man probably silicone valley territory
I can`t tell but they`re nice though
Agreed
I gotta know if they`re real ones
Go ahead and ask her
Ask her what you got fake titties babe?
No not like that
I dunno be subtle
Or poetic
Poetic?
Ask her in a poetic way
Like what?
Lemme think
I got it
As I look at me cock
Which is hard as a rock
Slowly I start to shake it
Not to break it
Then someone knocks at me door
SHIT I JUST CAME ON DA FLOOR!!!
Ah, ah, ah Tom you fucking moron
Look she`s coming back
I think I`m gonna grab them
Hey don`t be nuts
Or we`ll get thrown out of here
It`s cool don`t worry man
Trust me
That`s what I`m afraid of
Kelly comes back
Chris says something to her
She bends over to hear him
Suddenly
He grabs both tits with his hands and says



HOLLY FUCKING MOLLY THOSE ARE REAL FUCKING PUPPIES!!!
LEMME GO ASSHOLE!!!
She throws Chris on the floor
I see Dale with two other bouncers coming in our direction
I`m sitting down playing mister cool
Usually works
Not this time
GET DA FUCK OUTTA HERE!!!
They grab Chris
I`m still sitting down
GET OUT TOM!!!
But I didn`t finish me beer
GET OUT GET OUT!!!
Ok relax man
I get up
Grab me pitcher and
RELAX TOM YOU DON`T WANNA DO THIS!!!
I do man I do
I hold the pitcher and chug right away
Beer is expensive these days
I finish me pitcher, turn around
And run as fast as I can outside
I manage to outrun the bouncers
Not bad for a drunk guy
Chris is laying outside
Half knocked out half drunk
I help him get up
Are you alright man?
My head`s spinning
I`m ok
Where`s Pat?
I dunno still inside I guess
I light up two smokes
Thanks Tom
No problem bro
What shall we do next?
Go back to your place
Drink some more and wait for Pat
Good idea
Hey you guys wait for me
PAT!!!
Da fuck you where?
I was backstage sharing a joint with this cute red head
Next thing I know Clyde tells me he kicked you out
You grabbed Kelly`s tits
It`s true
They were nice and firm too
That story happened more than twenty years ago
There`s no more lap dances happening in Montréal


For ten dollars now
You`ll get a contact dance
The stripper sits on your lap
And you can legally fondle anything you want
The evolution
Or devolution of society
I don`t know
I`m going to bed now
Sweet dreams every body
XXX



  

homemade postcards of the day




Monsieur Populaire – pensées de bouteille (1989) (mp3)



From 1989 up until 1999 Jimmy Beaulieu (an amazing cartoonist from Montréal, buy his comics||| THIS I COMMAND!!!) recorded solo music under the name `Monsieur Populaire `. at the time he didn`t have any computer. Everything was recorded with a mixer and a lot of old school anal-logue equipment. This mini album (23.13 minutes) was created when Jimmy Beaulieu was 15 years old (at the same age I was into The Dead Kennedys, The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Slits). The gear he used on this album is pretty primitive: a mixer, a microphone, two tape decks, a fuzz pedal, a guitar and his dad`s scrap yard. Necessity is the mother of invention and it shows. This is not music per se it`s more like noisy experimentations with some industrial undertones. I really mean old school industrial like: Bourbonese Qualk, Faust, Throbbing Gristle, and Coil perhaps. There`s various styles at work here: low-fi noise + children singing and / or vocal samples (enfantines 1, 2, 3), extremely minimal ambient noise (titre inconnu 2), percussions / metal banging + noise bursts (titre inconnu 3, 8, 4 , 1), ambient noise with meditative qualities (titre inconnu 5), and various noisy / industrial jam sessions (titre inconnu 7, 6). I liked this album and I can`t wait to hear some more. Get it here: http://jimmybeaulieu.com/monsieur-populaire/
 

Painful Defecation – songs about Jesus volume - 3 (MP3)



Last but not least here`s my last Painful Defecation review at present time (gotta find some more music / noise to listen). I always enjoy Kurt Beaulieu`s various albums. They`re short so you don`t have time to get bored either. This one is 17.40 minutes long and has eight `songs`. To give you a better idea of what`s in store for the innocent listener, here`s a brief descrition:
1 – Christian ass pirate (1.09 minutes) = lo-fi minimal dark ambience.
2- frenche-moi (1.42 minutes) = weird as shit sonic jambalaya / manipulations, psychotronic noise perhaps?
3- nous avons mal (au péteux) (55 seconds) = lo-fi minimalism mixed with space ambience.
4- pièce par pièce (2.07 minutes) = weird psychedelic electronic music.
5- wurst with noon (2.59 minutes) = ambient noise + drones with a dash of minimalism thrown in.
6- les robots en famille (2.39 minutes) = non-linear sequencing + aural minimalism = definitely a chaotic sonic joyride.
7- test informant (2.53 minutes) = strange lo-fi PSYCHO-delic noise.
8- stop it (1.16 minutes) = even more bizarre  lo-fi PSYCHO-delic noise.
Recommended for noisers who are fed up / tired of the same old, in your face, full blast, distortion pedals noise (which sounds the same over and over again my friend). There`s a couple of exceptions of course: Napalmed, Atrax Morgue, Atari Teenage Riot, Aube, Brighter Death Now, Deconstruct, Einstürzende Neubauten, Tim Hecker, Kapotte Muziek, Kid606, K K Null, Lightning Bold, Francisco Lopez, Maeror Tri. Melt-Banana, Daniel Menche,etc, etc…  

Painful Defecation – songs about Jesus volume - 2 (MP3)




Here`s another short album (33.56 minutes) of Kurt Beaulieu`s solo experimental music / noise projects. This time around we`re treated with 13 tracks of mostly minimal electronics, weird as hell INM (intelligent noise music anyone?). and / or weird / out there / strange instrumental electronic music. I liked all the tracks and noted a couple of standout pieces, which were:
5 – cosmic consciousness = minimal electronics going into electroacoustic territory, nice one.
8 – disco is forever part 3 = weird and challenging sonic experimentations.
12 – gloop gloop = big beats mixed with instrumental electronic music, just what the doctor ordered.

13 – Merzbow can suck my dick = short and minimal noise bursts, well go ahead Merzbow make his day. More info here:  http://painfuldefecation.bandcamp.com/