He's Going the Distance...
...He's going for speed
Hi,
It might be a short one this week, as I’ve got a bunch of recording, mixing and mastering to do before starting work on a job I’ve been dreading and putting off for months; re-insulating the ceiling of the live room.
I’ll be honest, the thought of this job overwhelms me, as, if I get it wrong, the whole space might be ruined. It’s also a huge area to cover, about one hundred metres squared. Not only that, it’s high and is going to involve working 7 metres up on scaffolding and boards.
What I really needed today was someone to cheerlead for me…
…and then, as if by magic, I stumbled on this sign during my daily dog walk in the nearby forest. There was some kind of running event on Sunday and I guess they haven’t picked up after themselves yet.
Thanks unknown forest run organiser. That was actually very helpful.
It also reminded me of this ubiquitous, oddball ‘90s hit.
Joyeux anniversaire!
So, it was my birthday this week and I spent it pretty much as I did last year, in what, I guess is starting to become a tradition. I went to buy a record.
Now, I love vinyl. For me, it’s the greatest format for many reasons. I’m not going to get into if it is objectively “better” than digital formats, as it isn’t, at least in terms of fidelity, frequency and dynamic range etc.. However, if you are one of those people who get a little extra buzz from the format, you’ll know that it can’t be beat. There’s a reason it’s nicknamed “black crack”.
For me, it takes me back to a time when listening to music was an activity in itself, not an accompaniment to some other task, like reading, doing homework or working out. I like the process of carefully placing the needle in the groove and then sitting in my favourite chair in the sweet spot between the speakers, closing my eyes and being transported into a realm of pure sound.
I like the fact that a well planned record only gives me fifteen to twenty minutes of music; just enough to be fully digested in one attention span. Then, I need to get up, turn it over and start the rituel again. This is just the right duration of interruption to allow myself to absorb what I’ve just heard and to prepare myself to focus on the next twenty minutes.
I like that most well pressed vinyl records are less than forty minutes long. This forces a degree of quality control on the artist that a seventy four minute CD does not. I also think that albums became bloated and distended with the introduction of CDs. Many albums of the CD age are too long for me and lose my attention before I reach the end. There’s not even a chance to pause and turn the disc over with CD.
Most of all, I think I like the added distortion that comes with the format. Distortion (the right kind) is nice. It excites the brain with a delightful tickle.
All that being said, I don’t buy many records anymore. This isn’t down to a change in taste, but down to the fact that since moving into our place in Brittany, every cent I make goes back into the studio.
Well, almost. Once a year, on my birthday, I take a trip out to Huelgoat and get me a fix of that sweet, sweet vinyl. The record store in Huelgoat, Les Enfants du Roc’h, is quite small, but the proprietor is very nice, helpful and knowledgable.
So what did I buy this year?
Well, I went a bit crazy this year and bought two records. One was Cahoots by The Band. This is a group I’ve meant to explore for years, but I’ve only been getting round to it recently. I refuse to feel bad about that, there’s a lot of music in existence and not a lot of time to get through it all.
What was the other album?
Well the other album is much more recent and may be less well known to readers outside of France It was an album called Green Fields of Armorica by Komodrag & Mounodor. Komodrag & Mounodor is a Brittany based “supergroup” of sorts and is made up of ALL of the members of Moundrag (who I’ve already discussed here) and Komodor, who I’ll get to in a later edition.
I saw these guys supporting The Quireboys last summer, when I was working as a festival backliner to bring in some extra cash for the studio build, and they had the crowd eating from the palm of their collective hand.
I think they well deserve to be better known outside of Brittany and I’d recommend them to fans of ‘70s rock. I’d say they sit somewhere between Southern Rock and British Glam, but certainly have a style of their own. If you get a chance to see them - or Moundrag or Komodor - do it. You won’t be disappointed. They hit the stage with 100% commitment and aren’t afraid to have fun.
I think you can get a good idea of what Komodrag & Mounodor are about from this inner sleeve photo.
If you’re still wondering, try this.
Bedtime, Bedtime!
Well, it’s 1am and I still have to try and proofread this sucker at least once, so I’m going to sign off. If you take the time to listen to any of the bands I mentioned, then feel free to let me know what you think in the comments.
Stay noisy!
Steve