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The Good, The Bad & The Queen

The Good, The Bad & The Queen
EMI/Parlophone

I was intrigued when I read about Damon Albarn's latest project, The Good, The Bad & The Queen. The Blur frontman would be joined by the Clash's Paul Simonon on bass, the Verve's Simon Tong on guitar, and Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen. Oh, and the whole thing would be produced by Danger Mouse. I could already feel the bumping, staggering, shaking rhythms. I could taste the sadness, the drunkenness, the weirdness. I could hear the bubbly reverb, the foggy chants, the electronic wind, the faraway whistles, the playful piano…

A Reunion Show

When people ask me if I miss it, I'm quick to make a face. My left eye might scrunch up tight, while the right shoots out like a feathered arrow, raising its brow like an exclamation mark. My nose and lips tighten, become wrinkled. Everything about this face expresses some sort of pain, maybe even disgust. Like I've been slapped, like I've just downed a mouthful of sour milk. Do I miss it? Are you out of your mind? What is there to miss: Late nights?; Heavy gear?; Bad crowds?; No crowd?

"Nah, I don't miss it."

Then why is it that, when I listen to our old songs, chills…

Do Proteins and Nucleic Acids Sing to One Another?

If molecular interactions are electrical, doesn't it follow that dynamic electromagnetic field interactions are caused by electromagnetic resonance rather than through random collisions?

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho thinks so.

James Bond Evil Villain Lairs

Because evil has a blueprint.

Steve Jobs' Anti-DRM Essay

You've undoubtedly read Steve Jobs' "Thoughts on Music" by now, but what does it mean? I've been sorting through interpretations and responses (such as the Macnn.com interview with Torgeir Waterhouse of the Norwegian Consumer Council), but I think Thomas Hawk at Seeking Alpha comes closest to deciphering it correctly.

Bachianas

Paul Griffiths reviews two new books about Bach. I'll probably read both, but it's his writing I find delightful.

"A note sounds. Then it sounds again. But everything has changed. Not only is the note colored by a different resonance the second time around, but featureless time has been marked with the beginnings of a grid. The one note at the start defined only a before and an after. The second discloses a pulse. In accordance with this pulse, a third sound appears, but up a step, encouraging the accompaniment—which has not drawn attention to itself so far—to move conversely down.

…

How Saxophones Are Made

Turning 6lbs of brass and 600 parts into a tenor saxophone at the Yamaha factory.

Oh Roy!

Eddie Campbell ruminates on Roy Lichtenstein's "appropriation" of comics art.

Among other things.

Via Blog of a Bookslut.

Jamaican Label Art

Really cool site with labels from Jamaican singles. Get your analog nerd on.

Faces of War

The Smithsonian has a fascinating article about the Masks for Facial Disfigurement Department, which fitted disfigured veterans of the Great War with prosthetic faces. One benefit of reading it online is that there's an accompanying video.