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in honor of yet another obnoxious day, below is a video to brighten it a bit.

Retreating

I've been in a mode I used to frequent quite often a few years ago where I become obsessed with one or two certain types or "styles" of music and decide that I must listen to and study everything about it. Since the new year, I have been almost regressing to genres (I really do hate that word) that I have already known and developing a sort of nostalgic take over of my mind.

A few months ago and up until recently, I was obsessively listening to a combination of "Shoegaze" and "New Wave" (I really do hate all of this labeling...or do I? shit...). The likes of Jesus and Mary Chain, New order, Cabaret Voltaire, Ride, Bleach, Joy Division, etc!! This was filling my brain with a satisfaction I had not felt in a long time. It was like an itch I could finally reach to scratch only to realize it felt better to not scratch it completely, but let it tingle for a while just to torture myself.

The other morning whilst doing a bit of digging in the dirt, I suddenly felt another itch coming from a different location. It literally said "KRAUTROCK!"

Before I knew it, I was at the keyboard typing away, rapidly attempting to gain knowledge as though I were a cyborg having data uploaded to me so that I could master flying a helicopter in record time or something. This may be in line with my obsession a few years back with early Prog and Psych.

In a matter of a few hours, I had LEGALLY obtained a few classic Krautrock artists and some of their seminal recordings:

Can
Faust
Goblin
Amon Düül II
Rälf and Florian/Kraftwerk (up to Autobahn)
Hawkwind (did I mention my lite obsession with Space Rock??)
blah blah blah (not a group)

{Note:

I love how when most folks describe CAN, they always mention that a few members studied with Karleinz Stockhausen as though that were impetus enough to gain even the most avant garde ears.}

Once again, I found myself obsessing over something with which I was already semi acquainted and, once again, it is extremely satisfying in that torturous kind of way. I don't quite know what I am looking for, but this is almost like a choose-your-own-adventure I've already read. I have spent thousands and possibly millions of hours researching and listening to different musics since I was about 17 years old or so. Occasionally I go full-circle...well, more like full-spiral

Anyhow, this fellow blogger has a nice little site with quite a few records that I did not previously own or know of. He's even got it all broken down into GENRE!



"And so??...", you ask, "what is your favorite" piece/record/genre so far?

Faust IV



and the soundtracks from GOBLIN (namely Contamination)




For now, anyway..