Giancarlo Erra’s Departure Tapes

July 29, 2021 kruekutt

That which passes, passes like clouds.
— aphorism/song title/album title, Robert Fripp

This is music from a broken heart.

Abruptly faced with his estranged father’s terminal illness, Nosound maestro Giancarlo Erra poured his reactions into brooding electronic improvisations, recorded (for the most part) in real time in the studio. The result is his second solo album, Departure Tapes. Shorn of the classical elements of 2019’s Ends, it’s both raw and eerily majestic — an extended sonic contemplation of mortal life’s limits and the human struggle to accept them.

The opening “Dawn Tape” lays out Erra’s improvisational process — not far removed from Robert Fripp’s Soundscapes or Floating Points’ recent Promises. A mournful lo-fi piano loop (complete with the noise of the recorder switching on) gently creaks into motion. As it repeats over the course of six minutes, Erra stirs in a static mid-range drone, a slow synth line and a recessed bass riff, randomly generated rhythmic chords and a yearning treble melody. The elements accumulate, grind against each other, gradually dissipate like clouds in a troubled sky, with the drone outlasting even the piano loop. But that’s just the architecture: what you hear is the beginning of a new day, its beauty evident yet obscured for Erra by Philip Larkin’s “unresting death, a whole day nearer now.”

Every track on Departure Tapes opens out from its simple beginnings to something rich and deep, no matter its actual length. The tender harp of the miniature “Previous Tape” provides a lush bed for its heartfelt, hornlike melody over an airy, insistent electronic groove. “169th Tape” is a portrait of collisions and avoidances, as orchestral clusters (treated with random, noisy decay) sweep across the soundfield, holding on against midrange chords and an irregular, descending bass line that threaten to overwhelm it. And “Unwound Tape” sounds like its title, a hypnotic, slow-motion crescendo that has the feel of something feared yet inescapable.

All this builds to the title track, sixteen minutes of heartfelt brilliance. Working off a long, wordless vocal loop, Erra explores his previous strategies, draping the haunting melody with chords and a bass line — then reboots for an extended, lyrical piano solo (featured at the start of the YouTube edit). Flowing from folk lyricism into free-form, dissonant splashes, Erra dances, halts, regains momentum to climb through thickening, pulsing string clouds. Which is when the vocal line returns, triumphantly soaring atop the static gloom. It’s a rhapsodic moment, evoking Mahler in its depiction of both the angst involved in confronting death and the catharsis of acceptance. Which beautifully sets up the closing “A Blues for My Father,” a yearning requiem of glacially shifting melodies and timbres, somber but nonetheless at peace.

It’s that sense of closure, of coming to terms with what awaits us all, that Erra powerfully, beautifully depicts with Departure Tapes. Working from his grief for his father, he’s given us a gift; whatever we believe awaits beyond this life, one day we will pass from this world, like the clouds he’s so vividly drawn on for these improvisational sketches. Coming to terms with that raw fact can enable us — as it would seem to have enabled Giancarlo Erra — to treasure what we have (as well as what we’ve had) all the more.

Departure Tapes is available on LP and CD/DVD from Burning Shed, or on digital download at Bandcamp. Give it a listen below:

— Rick Krueger

Philosophy, Republic of Letters

Motorcycling at 105° F and space race

July 26, 2021 Mahesh Sreekandath

Been almost a month since it rained, so Pacific Northwest is going through a serious drought! Quite sure the true blue natives are reminded of that horrific 2017 summer, when the region had to endure two whole months without rain. To make matters worse, last month we had a heat wave weekend. I know exactly where I was when Seattle broke temperature records – on a motorcycle, right outside the city, on the scorching I5 tarmac! Can confirm it takes at least two days to recover from moderate levels of dehydration.

Less rain also translates to more riding on the weekends. It’s sort of comforting to know we have that choice to work, make a living, and dedicate our spare time doing whatever we wish, even if it’s something absurd like motorcycling at 105° F. I can also confirm that this choice to work and earn a living, at the standards we see in the Western world is a luxury, and quite unprecedented in human history! Even now in most parts of the world, an individual does not have that choice. Right now material poverty is not the natural state; it’s just the consequence of not having that choice. Almost everywhere that individual is constrained by external factors related to social or government norms.

It’s also absolutely common for the collective to discourage an enterprising individual. Our tribal instinct simply seeks to ostracize non-conforming minds. We existed that way for centuries. Seems like the American experiment is about correcting that very instinct. It’s about protecting us from our own primitive ways. Through political mechanisms, it attempts to inhibit those collective forces. In that sense, it’s not surprising that couple of billionaires decided to launch themselves into space from the US soil.

As always, entrepreneurs in space has enraged the tribes, common push backs include – Why go to space when we don’t have universal healthcare, or we still have hunger, or when there isn’t world peace yet. Quite sure the tribes must have wailed when Nikola Tesla invented AC, or when Benz invented automobiles, or when someone did something worthwhile. Please note, when an individual breaks new frontier, eventually the collective gets to follow. It might take some time, but it’s a constant recurring theme in entrepreneurship.

Republic of Letters

Jeff Bezos & Richard Branson Spaceflights Should Be Celebrated | National Review

July 22, 2021 bradbirzer

A thirst for exploration has always been a crucial part of the American spirit, so it is fitting that both forays took off from the United States — Richard Branson’s from New Mexico, and Jeff Bezos’s from Texas. Americans should seek to build atop these admirable breakthroughs and to ensure that, 20, 30, 40 years hence, when the next vaultingly ambitious entrepreneurs try something astonishing of their own, they, too, find a safe and welcoming reception on American soil.
— Read on www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/to-boldly-go/

Music

NMB: “Bird on a Wire” Video

July 21, 2021 bradbirzer

Republic of Letters

Robby Steinhardt (1953-2021), R.I.P.

July 19, 2021 carleolson

Steinhardt singing on “Can I Tell You” from “Live from Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” in 1975.

This is sad news (via Rolling Stone):

“Robby Steinhardt, violinist and co-lead vocalist of the rock outfit Kansas, died Saturday, July 17th. He was 71.

“Steinhardt’s wife, Cindy Steinhardt, confirmed his death on Facebook. Cindy said Steinhardt was admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis in May. Not long after, he went into acute septic shock and was placed on life support, and although the outlook was ‘very grave’ at the time, he managed to recover. However, several months later, just as he was about to be released from medical care and moved to a rehab center, Steinhardt suffered another sepsis.”

Steinhart had suffered a massive and near fatal heart attack back in 2013 (which he discussed here, in a video well worth viewing), but eventually recovered. He was apparently finishing up recording on a new album at the time of his death.

I rarely agree with Rolling Stone magazine on anything (politically or musically), but this is absolutely on the mark: “Steinhardt shared vocal duties with Walsh, with the pair switching between backup and lead; but it was Steinhardt’s violin that helped distinguish Kansas’ sound from other bands.”

Of course, great bands, such as Kansas, are really bands; they are great because they are a marriage of many impressive talents. Phil Ehart is one of the most underrated drummers in rock history; Dave Hope was also underappreciated for his stellar bass play; Kerry Livgren is a musical genius; Steve Walsh, in his prime, was a searing vocalist. But Kansas would not have been Kansas without Steinhardt’s precise, emotive, classically-trained, American-drenched, haunting violin. It is what caught my ear when I first heard Kansas as a young teen. It was never a gimmick or an “add-on”; it was central to the band’s sound, as you can easily hear in all of the albums from the 1970s.

Of those albums, my favorite (as hard as it is to choose) is 1975’s Song For America, which is a stunning brew of rooted rock, prog grandeur, spiritual restlessness (“Incomudro-Hymn to the Atman”!), and existential longing. Steinhardt’s playing is essential to the entire mix.

To be honest, I probably never appreciated Steinhardt enough as a vocalist as I should. His lead vocals, on songs such as “Lighting’s Hand” (on 1977’s classic Point of Know Return), are fantastic, with a rocking edge that contrasts with his pure (although often driving) violin-playing. His harmonies were also exceptional; he and Morse (the two band members not from Topeka, interestingly enough) melded together effortlessly, with perfect pitch, their tones and phrasing were key to that immediately recognizable Kansas sound.

I do hope we will eventually be able to hear the album that Steinhardt was working on at the end. Outside of true-blue fans, he will likely never get his proper due. Kerry Livgren, in a 1992 interview, summed it up very well: “Robby had a totally unique function as a violinist, second vocalist, and MC in a live situation. Robby was the link between the band on the stage and the audience.”

Rest in peace, Robby.

Republic of Letters

Robby Steinhardt: RIP (Official Announcement)

July 19, 2021 bradbirzer

The Steinhardt Family announces the passing of legendary musician Robby Steinhardt.

Robert Eugene Steinhardt, was well recognized as a founding member and original violinist and vocalist for the rock band Kansas.

His violin and vocals on, “Dust in The Wind”, “Point Of No Return” and “Carry On My Wayward Son”, have etched Robby a solid place in rock history.

Robby had been recording his new album with producer Michael Franklin, who put together an all-star cast of famous musicians in support of Robby’s comeback.

Steinhardt was very proud of this project, slated for release in late 2021. He had begun rehearsals for a national tour when he became ill.

Robby is survived by his wife Cindy, and daughter Becky. Steinhardt was 71 years old.

He will be deeply missed by all he knew and his music will last forever. A memorial will be announced in the future.

–via Glass Onion and Michael Franklin

Republic of Letters

Big Big Train – Common Ground (Album Review) – The Prog Report

July 14, 2021 bradbirzer

Big Big Train matters. Common Ground matters.

A new release from Big Big Train is never just another release in the world of prog. Since 2009’s The Underfall Yard, the band has been one of the leading bands of third-wave prog, the signal marker and bellwether. Indeed, every release from Big Big Train for the past decade has manifested itself as a fundamental shift—a very rethinking of who and what we are as a community—of the genre itself. While there are innumerable great prog acts out there, none quite match Big Big Train when it comes to innovation, to creativity, and to cohesion. Is there any band with such a fanatic and determined fan base? If so, I’m not familiar with them. Big Big Train is as much a movement as it is a band.
— Read on progreport.com/big-big-train-common-ground-album-review/

Republic of Letters

My 103 favorite albums

July 12, 2021 bradbirzer 2 Comments

So, it’s the last day of vacation, and I just got back from a gorgeous hike in the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming. For some reason, as I unwind, it just felt right to list my favorite albums of all time. Here’s hoping you enjoy. . .

Anathema, Weather Systems
Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
Big Big Train, English Electric
Big Big Train, Grimspound
Big Big Train, The Underfall Yard
Catherine Wheel, Adam and Eve
Chicago Transit Authority
Chris Squire, Fish Out of Water
Cocteau Twins, Heaven or Las Vegas
Cosmograf, Capacitor
Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Changes
Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out
Flower Kings, Flower Power
Flower Kings, Space Revolver
Flower Kings, Stardust We Are
Genesis, A Trick of the Tail
Genesis, Foxtrot
Genesis, Selling England by the Pound
Glass Hammer, Chronometree
Glass Hammer, Valkyrie
IZZ, Crush of Night
Jethro Tull, Benefit
Jethro Tull, Thick as a Brick
Kansas, Leftoverature
Kansas, Point of No Return
Kate Bush, Aerial
Kate Bush, Hounds of Love
Kevin McCormick, Squall
Kevin McCormick, With the Coming of Evening
Led Zeppelin I
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy
Marillion, FEAR
Marillion, Marbles
Marillion, Afraid of Sunlight
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed
My Bloody Valentine, Loveless
NAO, Fog Electric
Neal Morse Band, The Grand Experiment
Neal Morse, Testimony
New Order, Low Life
Newspaperflyhunting, Iceberg Soul
Nosound, Lightdark
Peter Gabriel, Security
Peter Gabriel, So
Pink Floyd, Animals
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd, Meddle
Porcupine Tree, Fear of a Blank Planet
Porcupine Tree, Sky Moves Sideways
Pure Reason Revolution, The Dark Third
Riverside, Out of Myself
Riverside, Second Life Syndrome
Riverside, Wasteland
Rush, 2112
Rush, Clockwork Angels
Rush, Grace Under Pressure
Rush, Moving Pictures
Rush, Signals
Rush, Snakes and Arrows
Simon and Garfunkel, Bookends
Simon and Garfunkel, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
Simple Minds, New Gold Dream
Simple Minds, Sister Feelings Call/Sons and Fascination
Simple Minds, Sparkle in the Rain
Spock’s Beard, Snow
Spock’s Beard, V
Steven Wilson, Grace from Drowning
Steven Wilson, Hand.Cannot.Erase.
Steven Wilson, Insurgentes
Talk Talk, Laughing Stock
Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden
Talk Talk, Colour of Spring
Tears for Fears, Elemental
Tears for Fears, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair
Tears for Fears, The Hurting
The Connells, Boylan Heights
The Cure, Disintegration
The Cure, Pornography
The Doors, The Doors
The Sundays, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
The Tangent, Le Sacre du Travail
The Tangent, The Music That Died Alone
Thomas Dolby, Golden Age of Wireless
Thomas Dolby, The Flat Earth
Traffic, John Barleycorn Must Die
Transatlantic, SMPTe
Transatlantic, The Absolute Universe
U2, The Joshua Tree
U2, Unforgettable Fire
U2, War
Ultravox, Lament
Ultravox, Rage in Eden
Van Morrison, Astral Weeks
World Party, Goodbye Jumbo
XTC, Black Sea
XTC, Skylarking
Yes, 90125
Yes, Close to the Edge
Yes, Drama
Yes, Fragile

Republic of Letters

Neal Morse Band–Do It All Again

June 18, 2021 bradbirzer

Republic of Letters

FOUR GREAT GIFTS OF THE ROMANS

June 15, 2021 Richard K. Munro

Rome Wasn’t Murdered in a Day – Joseph Epstein, Commentary Magazine

June 15, 2021

“Re: Rome Wasn’t Murdered in a Day” By Joseph Epstein

As usual I found a Commentary piece by Joseph Epstein to be stimulating and very interesting.

When he quoted Mary Beard to say “I no longer think, as I once naively did, that have much to learn directly from the Roman or for that matter from the ancient Greeks…” my first response is only a contemporary Englishwoman could have written that. I cannot imagine Edith Hamilton, Gilbert Highet, Moses Hades, or Thomas Cahill would have said anything remotely like it.

Epstein certainly recognizes that much of the greatness of the Roman world (or I would say Greco-Roman world) was their very great literature of prose and poetry rich in imagination and subtle in expression in almost every conceivable genre.

But literature and art were not the supreme gifts of the Romans.

Among these were:

The Romans preserved the best of Greek civilization and literature (virtually every Greek book we have is derived from a Roman copy)
The Romans were great organizers and administrators, builders of public buildings, ports, aqueducts and roads unequaled until the mid-19^th century. The Pax Romana is an incredible achievement.
Much of our thinking about the rights and duties of citizens derives directly from Greco-Roman thought and law. We think of Rome as an Empire but for centuries the Romans preferred a free republican government over a monarchy.

Epstein says “I am glad not to have been a Roman” but one of the remarkable things about Roman society is that he COULD HAVE BECOME a ROMAN with all the rights of a Roman citizen just like the Jews Josephus or St. Paul and countless Illyrians, Gauls, Spaniards, Germans, Africans, Syrians, Egyptians and Britons.

However, as a Christian and a Gael I am deeply aware the greatest of the gifts of the Romans was their translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin and hence their inestimable gift of ethical monotheism. Rome to me is Cicero, Vergil, Horace, Pliny, Seneca, Epictetus and Aurelius but also St. Patrick, St. Augustine, St. Gregory and is inseparable from the 12 Apostles of Ireland (including St. Columba of Iona).

The Greeks studied no literature but their own but the Romans were great interpreters, international merchants, missionaries and translators. The Odyssey was translated into Latin and the Aeneid was translated into Gaelic.

The Romans began a tradition of bilingualism and multilingualism where monks, priests and scholars understood not only Old German or Anglo-Saxon or Old Irish but Latin also (and sometimes Greek). St. Patrick, a Roman, was probably fluent in three languages (Old Welsh, Old Irish and Latin). His tremendous success at spreading Christianity as well as literacy among the Gaels was a great feat of education and organization that only a cosmopolitan Christian Roman could have achieved.

We remember Patrick as one of the great educators of history and a towering figure in the history of human rights as his was one of the first unequivocal denunciations of slavery (in his Letter to Coroticus).

We remember Rome, not for her darker side of violence, ruthlessness and cruelty but for her gentle scholars and saints who taught a love of art and learning with a gospel of love and universal brotherhood.

Richard K. Munro

Rmunro3@bak.rr.com