You're My Saturday

I honestly have no idea why I'm so late to the party on this one, but I'm thrilled to show up just in time for the release of another superb album from my new favorite pop band, Goldfrapp.

Vocalist Alison (Goldfrapp) sang along with three of my cherished beat-makers (Tricky and The Brothers Orbital) back in the day, so again, there's no reasonable excuse for my not noticing and following her career sooner.

In 1999, while I was busy enacting chaos magic to Orbital's Middle of Nowhere, Alison and composer Will Gregory formed Goldfrapp and signed with Mute Records.

Almost a decade later, my Dad introduces me to the TV series Life, whose kickass music supervisor uses Goldfrapp's "Ooh La La" to sex up a key scene. I realize I've been living in a cave and yank my head outta the sand to do some listening.

Within a week, I'm a slavering fan.



Friends put up with me railing on about the creative power of duality, all the way from cell division at the goopy, grimy microscopic level on up to the heavenly firmament and its castoffs estranged here on terra firma. Truly amazing music doesn't escape my pet theory, neither: get the right two people together and real magic happens. I add Will and Alison to a long list of perfect matches whose sounds have scored my life since childhood, a thread I follow from Dave and Annie through to Vince and Andy, Bjork and Nellee (and later, Mark), Paul and Phil...even musical slut Dr Alex and his finest muses three: Thrash, Hughes, and Fehlmann.

Speaking of The Orb, their new Dream was a lovely return to dub fun a few months ago. And pre-New Year, Paul Hartnoll left me dazed and overwhelmed with his amazing solo debut The Ideal Condition. But Goldfrapp arrives for me as a ready-made soundtrack to what is, so far, shaping up to be a wonderful 2008. The new LP Seventh Tree speaks of spring to my ears, for starters - but I can't wait to listen to this record deep in the heat of summer, where I know its jaded/hopeful heart resides.

Save your cynicism, if you got some. I'm given to hyperbole when I'm this happy. And if music is a way to formally structure emotion (as I've argued), then this is what joy sounds like.

I say: crank that shit up.


"A&E", the unbelievably beautiful new single.

Listen to Goldfrapp at my Anywhere.fm!

Father Like Son

Stephen again. (Sorry, Blorthos!)


FACT: The Reese boys enjoy getting in over their heads.

And I love my Dad.

That's it for today!

Feelin' It

So today's the official Last Day of Winter.

And though we've still got some snow on the ground here, I sense spring coiled and ready to sproing.

My time away's left me refreshed, excited, and horny as all get out. Plus, my meaning-monger radar's up. Walking along the street to fetch ingredients for tonight's dinner, I eyeballed myself a sweet triptych of chaos magick underfoot to get the evening (and perhaps the season) started: a page of somebody's screenplay made with the Final Draft demo version (I bent over to read it and found properly formatted but BORING dialogue), a discarded elastic curled into what I can only describe as a double vesica piscis, and a single die rolled (out of a dumpster, likely) to its #1.

It was great visiting with the fam, the Mbut, and Gramps. I got caught up on my backlogged magazine reading, started three new books (yay Teresa!), and worked my way through the 13 Years of Wax Trax! boxset, which was wonderful and has certainly inspired some ideas for April mixes. In the meantime, now I'm home, I'll do up a couple more rock mashups to finish out this month's theme, and I can also say Blorthos has been making noises (rather moist and feral noises) about getting a post up here soon.

Me, I'm itching to get my bike off Tacx and onto pavement, it's so nice outside. But not quite yet...I'll have to settle for running tonight without so many clothes on. Who knows? I may not even need a tuque (not toque, as Gweinz has learned me).

No tuque?!

Ah, the possibilities.

And that, my friends, is what spring is all about.

Up Up Up

If you're keeping score, the end of Summer 2006 went like this:

Hangover 2
Hike 0

Well, third time was the charm. And following is the proof.

You can read along with us in your browser.


And so it begins.




This is the easy part.




Our heroes:




Robo-Kotti & Gweinz...




Robs & Trevs...




...and the conspicuous 5th wheel.




Onward!




Trevs, unaware what he's signed up for...




...but admirably game.




I like this photo.




Robs, first to crest Bear...




...and her wake.




Gweinz, hold still.
There's something in your pack.




Mini Nerd wuz 'ere.




Boom, lookin' lonely.




Top of Boom, lookin' naked.




Not sure what these are...




... but these are alpine flowers.




First leg complete!




And the motley crew still spoilin' for it.




Bring it on!




'Cuz we gots da goods...




...and Mini gots a woody.




Second leg underway.




It's all uphill from here.




You know I wanted to go in there.




But smarter heads prevailed.




So up Snake Ridge we went.




Here's a mountain woman in her natural habitat.




And here's a mountain insect.
(Note the prominent proboscis.)




Now we gotta climb this.




Gweinz: See y'all later.

Robs: Er--




Kotti/Trevs: We'll stay right here, thanks.




Mini: Guys, check this view!




Here's where it gets interesting.




Gweinz: See y'all later.




Mini: Slow down and pose, dammit!




Kotti: You coming?

Mini: Sec, I need a shot of this
loose shale I can't keep a grip on.




Photo showdown!!!
Trevs: of Robs.




Robs: of Trevs.




Trevs: of Mini.




Robs: of Trevs.




Trevs: of two random hikists.




He even pulled this one off.
Don't ask me how.




Robs: I win!




Trevs: Let's take this outside.




Random hikists make their escape.




Trevs pursues, eager for more photos.




As intense as it looks.




Ditto.




Robo-Kotti struts the scree like a catwalk,
showing off her elegant modified gams.




Yeah, it's pretty frickin' cool up here.




The final leg.




Another leg.




Gweinz: See y'all later.
(Spot the red backpack.)




Lofty ideals.




The top!

And here's who we did it for:

John Latt, rest in peace.




My Oma and Opa's ashes are here too.




The other crew, who went the easy way.




See, my photos were better.




The ladies love the foot.




Top right is where we are.




But it's time to go.




Trevs attends to business.




Not to be outdone, Robs throws
her, um...hat...into the ring.




Let's call it a draw!




And onward to the finale.




Now, this may look pretty tame.




But really, it's not.




Hence, my pose.




'Cuz I am here.




This photo could have been better.




This sure looks like ammonite to me.




And this, like a UFO crash site.




And this, a father and daughter
arguing about how much to offer
for the prime alpine real estate.




But I'm funny that way.




And for the record...




We took the easy way down.



EPILOGUE

Every time I biked this summer, I wanted to go for a swim.

I finally got my wish, but no bikes were involved.


So here's the spot.




It's pretty nice.




The gang's all here.




Including conspicuous 5th wheel.




Trevs considers a plunge.




Gweinz considers a shove.




Wyle E. leads the way.




Mini stops to smell the roses.




Trevs and Chibi pull up the rear.




Gweinz opts to stay dry.




Mini does not.




Neither do Robs or Trevs.




But Robs found the water too warm.




Though Trevs enjoyed another dip.




And 5th wheel made manifest his isolation.




Walter.




The diving board.




The way back.




Kotti's friend.




Some hooligans.



THE END