Stop 277: Pseud's Corner

If you have the ability to see right through somebody, to sense the truth, the purpose, and the fault, then what hope is there for promise?

Bjork (and Bjorkanspiel)

I have a lot of love for Bjork Gudmasonnitir (her stage name, at least, but aren't they all). I have all her studio experiments, but only one album physically - "Vulnicura" from 2015, on acetate for Record Store Day (coincidentally, as it happened). I bought everything else back from eMusic.com...luckily I downloaded everything before they made their needed alterations to the site (which only unfortunately wiped every account of its previous downloads; but kept the saved lists).

I met her once, and while she was warm and friendly, there was a natural likeable aloofness that resonates chiefly in her music creations. She is at the forefront of a superbrain production ethic, amassing layer upon layer of cellar-dwelling closet skeletons with bones for emotions. The density of each composition - take "Possibly Maybe (Lucy Remix)", with its erotic language intoned over vocoded scatterbrain chromatic synapse-wringing, speaks of a deification of the female spoken word.

A good place to start is "Debut". One of my favourites from Bjork from the start was "Play Dead"; later "Venus As A Boy"; "Isobel" has its moments; and "Big Time Sensuality", "Army Of Me" and the classic "All Is Full Of Love" neatly make up a fair portion of the "Greatest Hits CD" highlights. While no track is a standout, every track is a statement. But it's poetic, and like the best poetry, the meanings are endless, not robotic. Bjork is one of those artists where, like Alison Goldfrapp after her, the syllables she speaks can be about anything - they, just like her music and attitude, is frankly stunningly beautiful. "Big Time...sensuality, oh baby".

SubVersion Stop 275: SV Recommends Ambientblog Headphone Commute Endorsed Mix

Bit of a mouthful, that title, isn't it? But it's all relevant. SubVersion Ambientblog and Headphone Commute are all ambient publicising blogs. I'm recommending this new "DreamScenes" series mix from Ambientblog, published also on Headphone Commute, and it's a cracker. A real stayer mentally

I cannot link you PvC's kindly provided MixCloud widget, as my blog doesn't allow that. So what I can do instead, is provide you the post I found it from, sent to my email address for press after 7pm.

New show by ambientblog

Mind Awake, Body Asleep By ambientblog Ambient, Cinematic, Experimental, Instrumental, Experimental Am...

The moment I heard Rami Malek whisper "Mind awake, body asleep" (Mr Robot, series 2) I knew this would be the inspiration for a new mix. A mix about half-sleep, lucid dreaming impressions... ungraspable images... and about "letting go". After all, Mr. Robot's tagline was "Control is an Illusion". Control proved to be an illusion indeed, with these different, unrelated, fragments coming together like pieces of a puzzle, creating a mix "like its own cinematic score." (H_C) This mix was created for - and is co-hosted on - *Headphone Commute* - for which I am very very grateful! Detailed playlist, download version and surround version on Ambientblog.net: http://bit.ly/2pwawAI