So yesterday started off really good. My old friend from Long Beach Poly High School dropped by Amoeba. I had not seen Melissa in like 14 years. But of course we recognized each other and it seemed like it had only been a couple months. I didn't really realize that I miss her until we hung out a little.  The rest of the day I had little memories of all the important events I experienced with her. We had to talk about Cameron Diaz a bit. I still can't believe she has not talked about her formative years in high school drama. So I dedicate this blog to my friend Melissa. It's crazy its been so long.

Last night we had the pleasure of seeing Bjork live. For some reason I have never made it out to see her before. I kind of find it hard to believe myself. But it just has never worked out. Or maybe I've been to so many shows at this point that I am starting to forget who I have  seen.  Although it is kind of a hassle to get all the way out to Shoreline, it is kind of a fun adventure.  It's like a little vacation. Parking is just a bit of a nightmare. Even though they have hundreds of employees directing traffic, it still manages to take way longer than it should. There is also nothing really to do in Mountain View other than work at Google or go to a show at Shoreline.  But we did manage to find In-N-Out. So did everyone else it seemed. So we ate our meatless hamburger with hundreds of other Bjork fans. I don't ever eat fast food, but In-N-Out is my one exception. Even though the employees seem to be all part of some weird religious cult, they do make good food. And it is nice that nothing is frozen. They also don't look at you weird when you order an animal style grilled cheese!

So if you thought the Patrick Wolf album cover from last week was ridiculous, you are gonna love the cover of the new Bjork album "Volta." It has already grown on me and I have now decided that I love it. However, I can't think of anyone else who could pull off an album cover like this. There is nobody quite like Bjork. Love her or hate her, she is one unique lady. "Volta" is her sixth full length album. She launched her very successful solo career after leaving her Icelandic group "The Sugarcubes." Those Sugarcubes albums sure are great fun. I have some great memories attached to those old albums. But I have to say, the dude singer in the band always kind of annoyed me, and I was not sad when she started her solo career.

I was not a huge fan of Bjork's last album "Medulla." But she has for sure won me back with this new one. I had been a big fan for years but had maybe overdosed a bit on Bjork. But I am ready again. She won me over with her performance on Saturday Night Live a couple of weeks ago. And Scarlet Johansen was actually funny! I have now also had a chance to listen to the album. Its actually really good. While I am not in love with the single "Earth Intruders" as much as maybe she would like me to be. The album as a whole is great. The album not only features a ten piece Icelandic female brass section, but also Antony (Antony & the Johnsons), Timbaland, Chris Corsano, and Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt). Did you hear that what I said. Antony is on the album! This is reason enough to pick it up. Bjork and Antony are a really good match. It just makes sense that they would work together. Seriously, fans of Bjork will not be disappointed. And even old fans who have not necessarily loved her the last couple years, might find themselves liking Bjork again. Bjork has the amazing ability to experiment with all these different instruments and sound manipulations and somehow make it accessible. She makes brilliant pop albums but there is always something weird there. Something to make it more interesting than your normal pop album.  I am going to see her live in a couple weeks. I can't wait to hear the album live and see those amazing sets and costumes and all those 50 or so people on stage. It's gonna be awesome!

Reactable is a new music-making interface coming out of Barcelona that I've been wanting to feature in this blog before I knew I'd be writing it - it was part of my pitch, actually. Now that It's been Boing-Boing-ed I feel I should probably get this post out about it considering it's quite of-the-minute, about which I'll get to later.

Reactable:



While it's been around for a couple of years now, folks are only starting to catch on. Thanks to this past weekend, I'm guessing A LOT more people will be exposed in the near future. This video above is the first exposure I had to the technology, and I was pretty mesmerized. WTF was going on here? One initial observation is that it's like a modular synth that you literally build as you use it, which turned out to be partially correct. The Reactable was developed by Sergi Jordà, Martin Kaltenbrunner, Günter Geiger, and Marcos Alonso of the Music Technology Group at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. These demo videos are fairly self-explanatory, especially after multiple viewings, so I don't think that not having a base knowledge of synthesis or electonic music-making is necessarily a hindrance to appreciating or enjoying Reactable.

Helloooooooo everyone, I just read online that Miss Joanna Newsom will be opening for Miss Bjork on her upcoming tour for two whole dates:

05-15 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
05-19 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre

Now doesn't that seem like a fantastic match? 

I am so excited to hear Joanna's new ep that is coming out next Tuesday on Drag City. It's gonna be called Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band and will have one new song, "Colleen," recorded just after her tour ended in December at The Record Plant in Sausalito. The Plant is a fabled recording studio where Fleetwood Mac's Rumours was laid down, along with sessions by just about anyone who's anyone, including Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Michael Bolton, etc etc. All the greats. Anyway, I am waiting with most eager anticipation for this latest release, and will give a full report as soon as I hear it. Oh yeah, it's also gonna have some live tracks from the Ys tour and including her crackerjack band of Miss Katie Hardin, Mr Neal Morgan, Mr Kevin Barker, Mr Ryan Francesconi, and Mr Dan Cantrell. Seeing the Ys songs performed live was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had at a show-- this band cooks!  And so do the songs. Hopefully everyone's heard Joanna's Ys by now; if not, you are coo coo-- go check it out immediately!  Bjork's new album Volta comes out May 7.  All of this gives me so much to look forward to!