Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Its very sunny...

Springtime is in full bloom here in Colorado, with open blue skies for days at a time, warm sun and smooth breezes. I have begun to emerge from my bedroom incubator into the wide open world; begun to blast the cobwebs from my gloomy mind. At times, the thoughts in my head are like a belt sander, grinding down unceasingly, until i cease to give a shit, and go for a walk.
I spent the other day working in my roommate's garden, taking a day off from theories, conjecture, worry, projection; just digging, clipping, pruning, burning sage. The contrast of not planning every second of my life was startling, relaxing and unfolding into the potential energy of the day.
I encountered many tasty musical morsels during the day, drifting on the mellow breeze with the white sage perfume. Listened to Ritual of the Savage, that i wrote about the other day, and discovered it to be much more enjoyable in the open air than cooped up in the house. I also unearthed two antiquated favorites: Casino Versus Japan, 'Go Hawaii!' and Monopoly Child Star Searchers, 'Start Levitating Now!'. Both fit the day perfectly; relaxing nuevo-exotica, drifting day-dreaming, day-tripping wandering imagination, swinging lazily in a hammock; pooling and coalescing around my fingers and feet, dripping into the soil like the runoff from the drip hose, massaging my fevered brainstem with woolen lo-fi cassette hiss lullabies.
Casino Versus Japan were introduced to me during the Golden Era of Musical Initiation, 2000-2001, as i bust out of my coccoon and discovered the whole world was out there waiting to be heard. I had bust out of my classic-rock radio funk of hamster wheel repetition, and every day was a revelation, an adventure to be had. I was exploring new friends, i was crazy in love, flushed with romance, burning like a roman candle.
Several years elapsed, without hearing this Golden Record, and i delightedly re-encountered it a couple of years ago. I was immediately warped through time, suffused with youth, but was also pleasantly surprised to see it fit the current times as well, not merely a retro nostalgia act. The fuzzy warbles sound surprisingly en vogue with the current trend of psychedelic lo-fi electronica, startling prescient considering its 1998 release. It came out the same year as Music has the Right to Children by Boards of Canada, another personal favorite, but i feel BoC stole all the acolades, and this lost masterpiece seeped underground, except among isolated heads.
Hopefully a few uninitiated will discover the warm pleasure contained in these 12 track, and yr own winter kinks and worries will be slightly eased by the coming thaw.

Casino Versus Japan - Go Hawaii!

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