Things from the end of the internet

Spheres

I feel stuck. I can’t believe that I didn’t posted a proper thing here for a longer while. Well, I tried to write something about records I like and I feel like they were formative for me. Defined my taste and are things that I come back to even after a while, changes and all that stuff. But things started to be rambling about memories and it turns out I don’t really have lot of them from past few years.

There’s something else.

Specific views that I associate with music, what images it brings and how I start to combine tracks into seamless soundtrack of imaginary movie embodied by these sounds.

Or just classic sperging about stuff relating to this music. It’s a real fun to write about this, find out these little stories.

Shall we start again?

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Memories that plague you after years and years, covered in nostalgia sometimes for idealized period of time. But not perfect ones. Nightmares and anxiety, floating somewhere in void. Clash of memories of media you consumed very early on. That’s Boards of Canada, right?

I prefer Old Tunes vol.1 to most of official BoC material. Though I always liked their EPs and The Campfire Headphase, this old leaked tape is something different. Sound that it’s fully crystalized but not polished, yet. Showing range of material to come. With bunch of dedicated autists and long time presence of discussion about them (since ye olde ages of IDM mailing list (I’m sure it’s dead now)) stuff started to leak. From live sets, Boc Maxima broadcast and in the end, early works.

There were small samples of stuff pre-Twoism appearing somewhere between 1997-1999, on one of earliest websites about them but nothing else than short clips. Even The Cosmic Crofter, webmaster of EHX where it was hosted, didn’t really heard lot of this material.

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Sleepless nights and longing for something. Middle of the city at night, flashing lights.

You really can feel longing here. In sounds, in lyrics. Writen while Ian Brown was serving 4 month sentence after air rage incident, written on basis of letter he got from his girlfriend during this time.

As much I like The Stone Roses, I never really paid attention to both John Squire and Ian Brown’s solo projects. Wasn’t really interested in them, but after all some of Brown’s solo work is what I wanted to hear.

Love Like a Fountain is instantly catchy. With 303 bassline (and worth to note, it was co-written with other dude who produced seminal Voodoo Ray) feels like Acid House for new era. Sleeker, more accesible. For a place like that trendy nightclub of late 90s.

Run away, but it will catch you anyway.

Be There is one of best pieces UNKLE did. Entirety of Psyence Fiction got that consistent vibe, visuals that perfectly embody sounds. Pre-millennium tension, end of era bringing anxiety about the future.

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Turns out most of music on today’s post is from similar period. Turn of milennium, an era which I romanticize a lot and my imaginary world is set during that time.

After crash of Britpop, literally killing entire genre with Be Here Now, lot of bands were seeking new sounds. Easily visible on most of big 4. Blur reinventing themselves while aping American Indie, Suede going in more electronic direction continuing what they started with Coming Up and Pulp coming down from that all excess (and Jarvis getting older). Oasis’ changes were tempomary.

Being two members down and in vastly different situation, Noel ventured into different territories and was seeking something new. Taking on what The Verve did, what filled the void after a “movement” folded. Fuckin in the Bushes truly shows that things are different there. Heavy sound which reminds me of one of their older tunes, Columbia combined with voice samples. It’s truly a great opener.

Though there was a change, with next albums they returned to their “classic sound” anyway.

(It must be a track that made me love Definitely Maybe. It’s fucking great. )