Cumulative Results

Here are the results of many hours of walking, digging and generally putting myself in awkward situations in Taipei, Taiwan. Firstly, let me point out the main flaw, I don't speak, read or understand Mandarin in the slightest. For that reason I can not provide you with artist names or song titles. 100000000 apologies. I would also like to apologize for the relative quality of the recordings. In my defense, Taiwanese people hate old stuff. The few records that I found were filthy, water damaged, moldy and sometimes stuck inside their sleeves.



Essentially the collection boiled down to"
[1] Rad 60's singers with sparse orchestral arrangements.
Track 1
[2] 60's studio rock
Track 5
[3] Amazing disco
Track 11
[4] Minimalist eastern pop grooves
Track 18

NB. The Cool Breakfast blog will be featuring the entire 18 track compilation (as one "mixtape" track) as soon as they get around to it.

In the water.

I've been listening to Taiwanese music non-stop for the last few weeks. There is more to come, but last night I landed in Portland and bussed out to see Old Time Relijun play all the classics (listen here!). The first time I heard this band, I thought the music was sample based. I thought the guitar was actually a church bell. I thought the bass line was from a jazz record and the drumming from a soul 45 played at 33 rpm. However, the first time I saw them I realized that I was looking at a photograph of a painting.

In the meantime, I did use proximity to pick up a few gems of the eastern world. In particular Nagisa Ni Te's Feel.


Nagisa Ni Te - We

Nagisa Ni Te's records have been re-issued by Jagjagwuar in the recent past. I also wanted to take this post to mention Sub Rosa's foray into Asian electronic music. In particular Wang Changcun's The Mountain Swallowing Sadness which is a great electronic/concrete album in the form of a very internet/blog un-friendly two track 40 minute CD. Sub Rosa is also planning a four CD anthology of Asian electronic music.

Young Country

Somehow I've found myself in Taipei, Taiwan for the last few days. It's more than a bunch of imperialists but their impact on the country's scattered modern history has definitely left a mark on the art & music scene. It's not the mark of cultural oppression but rather one of safety and security. It is sensible, like waiting until the forces are strong enough. It's a mark of work and sleep, then work again. Or school followed by cram school and maybe some late night Saturday school. Nevertheless, there still exists the 'underground' or 'amateurs do it for love'. From just a small dose of new (last 5-10 years) of music:

多美好的人生 - White Eyes
From the 2008 EP Get My Body If You Want It on White Wabbit Records.


盘古 - 求革命得革命

According to a local expert, this is total outsider art in Taipei. This song appears several times on the album, played at different speeds. This is the fastest. From their self-titled album on ToaKang Records.

18碎 - 橘娃娃 Loose Skinned Orange Baby

I feel like people would be disappointed if I didn't post some smooth late 90s style international pop. This track is actually considered not very smooth. Most 'indie pop' here consists of Melissa Etheridge style acoustic-electric guitar, excessive harmonizing and smoothness that reaches windchimes level. From the Lobo 1 compilation on White Wabbit Records.

More to follow, including a stumbling search through the apparently vacant music of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

3:39, What is happening there?

Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque

I've never given Sigur Ros much thought--this video has me thinking.

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Like the previous performance illuminates there seems to be a inverse relationship between perfection and quality.[source:in search of the click track]

What is a "City of Daughters" anyways?

I've often asked myself why no one has inspired themselves from Ian Svenonius' master works. Here is a wonderfully styled tangent courtesy of LA and Not Not Fun recs.

Vibes - Night Court

Is she saying "Here comes the judge" or is it auditory paradolia?