New Music: Tim Kinsella, Daisuke Miyatani, DJ Mehdi

Tim Kinsella - 10 Strange Friends and Friendly Strangers (I Had An Accident 2007)

Tim Kinsella - Field Recordings of Dreams / I Had An Accident

You think you know Tim Kinsella? You have no idea! Actually, its not all that drastic but Field Recordings of Dreams is an incredible artistic expansion. I've heard alot of criticism that Kinsella has gotten stale, and in all truthiness that is a fair observation, especially after nearly twenty years in the van, but Kinsella's status as elder indie statesman doesn't mean that the well is dry. Wrestling himself away from the confines of Joan of Arc and Make Believe, Kinsella has crafted an album founded on the separation of music and voice; a record that succeeds in splitting the Kinsella aesthetic in two, songs with music lack vocal narrative and the spoken word pieces are devoid of anything but poetic language. I've always been interested in Tim Kinsella's lyrical content, probably because its so opaque. Theres only so much to grab onto. Thats not a negative criticism but freeing the words from structured songs allows for more time to develop a depth of meaning. On "Ten Strange Friends and Friendly Strangers", Kinsella asserts that "words are boxes and words are boxcutters", and, indeed, words can be used to construct boxes that trap meaning, but words can also be used to free meaning, to flesh out the things we are thinking into some palpable form. That could be what he means or it could simply be my interpretation; thats the beauty of such ambiguity. Tim Kinsella is still very concerned with unknowables. Conspiracy theories and the secrets of the universe are pondered with due dilligence, especially on the lengthy, thirty-six minute album closer, "Depths of Field", in which Kinsella explores the microcosm of ballpark politics, a world in which I lived from ages six to sixteen. The Little League social strata is a world unto itself, and Kinsella depicts it with astounding accuracy. From the concession stand social scene to Fingerbang Creek, a lawless place of adolescent sexual discovery and initiation into what Kinsella calls "the pubescent illuminati", every detail is spot-on. Its easy to place myself in the kid's predicament, hopelessly stranded on the mound due to the abscence of a key pitcher or at least kids who could put the ball across the plate. Out of his element, the protagonist is isolated in front of everyone, walking in run after run, throwing wildly, and even hitting a couple opposing batters. Stuck and humiliated, I can imagine my dad stomping down the bleachers in the face of jeering spectators, both of the opposition and those supposedly on our side. With his boy on the brink of utter humiliation, the father here galantly, cluelessly attempts to stop "the whole ghastly scene". This is a truly affecting piece of spoken poetry, one that deserves airtime on something like This American Life. Yeah, theres music on display here too, and it is great and all, but Kinsella's word work is truly magical. Musically, Field Recordings of Dreams is sprawling but easily digested in one sitting. There are elements of Joan of Arc in Kinsella's guitar work but he has taken his electronic game up a step, creating sound collage along the lines of Black Dice but with a more human touch. If this solo record is any indication, Tim Kinsella is far from tapped; he will keep creating and exploring, being uncompromising and sometimes opaque, but thats all apart of the charm.





Daisuke Miyatani - Old Tape (Ahornfelder 2007)

Daisuke Miyatani - Diario / Ahornfelder

Having recently seen the film Cafe Lumiere, its hard not to draw parallels between Tadanobu Asano's character, Hajime, and the real-life Daisuke Miyatani. Hajime works in a small bookstore, sitting there absorbed in his thoughts until he can ride the train around Tokyo, capturing the clatter of subway stations and rumbling of passing railcars. Like the fictional Hajime, Daisuke Miyatani is concerned with small moments, the every day things that we take for granted in the hectic sprint of modern living. Its easy to get swept along, to overlook the importance of taking a purposeful breather and collecting oneself, and in those moments it takes an artist like Miyatani to help us work out the knots. Daisuke lives on the small island of Awaji, a place most Japanese zip through on bridges and cross-island expressways linking Honshu to Shikoku. Despite the presence of the planet's longest bridge (the Akashi Kaikyo), Miyatani's Diario is an open book, detailing the idea that, if you really want it to, the world can cease to exist. Most of these pieces feel extremely isolated, just the artist and his setting, making music from the heart; minimal guitar coalescing with found sounds, digital electronics, and that wonderful, child-like sound of xylophone. On "Rain Melodies" and "Water Lights", Miyatani deftly sets the scene of an isolated beach at sundown, the tide lapping the shore as an old wooden boat thwacks against the dock. "Old Tape" is a song of shining minimalism, making me want to scoop up everyone and everything important to me and hold it close. "Summer Child" evokes the mellowgold days of youth, penetrating electronic washes mixing with guitar and cicadas to conceive a pastoral childhood. This truly is healing music, a record for your comfort zone, whatever that may be.





DJ Mehdi - Lucky Boy (Surkin Remix) (Ed Banger 2007)

DJ Mehdi - Lucky Girl EP / Ed Banger

This here is the new remix EP from DJ Mehdi, who comes riding atop a mountain of cred. A long-time fixture of the Parisian electro scene, Medhi dropped a full-length on Ed Banger late last year and is an integral figure in the current French new dance boom, along with all the other neon light illuminaries from the like-minded Kitsune and Institube labels. Mehdi describes his sound as 21st century breakdance music, and its not hard to imagine a cybernetic pop-n-lock routine with B-bots inexhaustibly spinning around on their metallic domes. All four tracks here are hot fire, each one strong enough to be a choice single on its own. "Lucky Girl" features Mehdi's wife, Fafi, on vocals, riding a throwback synth groove like a futuristic diva. "Lucky Boy" is given two interpretations; the Outlines Remix is cheeky and soulful, bringing to mind Jamie Liddell and his ability to totally reimagine classic R&B. Surkin, who's been on a real winning streak lately, drops a break-heavy burner that wouldn't sound out of place on Homework. Speaking of Daft Punk, the god-like Thomas Bangalter checks in with a true millennial anthem. "Signature" is just the kind of surging, blissful techno that is so grand, so epic, that its worthy of scoring the last great party of the last night on Earth. With bangers abound, this remix record is a must have for anyone looking to properly rock a party.