dave

autechre and lenin in russia
1994

YouTube video by Able Noise - Topic Providence

Able Noise and Still House Plants are to my ears the two most interesting rock bands making music today. A lot of it has to do with the stark minimalism of their instrumentation compared to the more heavily arranged music I see a lot of rock heading towards (Windmill Scene).

youtu.be/a2XJX566Vt8

俳優・仲代達矢さん死去 92歳 - Yahoo!ニュース 映画「人間の条件」や黒沢明監督の「影武者」などに主演し、主宰する「無名塾」で後進を育てた俳優で文化勲章受章者の仲代達矢（なかだい・たつや、本名元久＝もとひさ）さんが死去したことが11日、分かった。9

R.I.P. Nakadai Tatsuya, one of the giant figures in history of Japanese cinema news.yahoo.co.jp/pickup/6558551

Most people getting biopic films just aren't all that interesting to be quite honest or they are just completely sanitized (ex: Bohemian Rhapsody). Obscure figures or directors that take extreme liberties in who they're depicting often end up having better films. Derek Jarman for example.

Jean Vigo's L'Atalante. Emotional longing manifests itself in surreal and musical movie magic. It's incredibly sad that such an amazing filmmaker had to die so young. One of my favorites.

Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…

This is fucking brilliant, and you should read it: lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...

Went to the Northside Record Fair. My favorite vendor from last time I went wasn't there but still got two records. Been listening to the Horace Tapscott record and it's pretty great.

I love how she is constantly asking the question of "Why I am on this shitty earth?" with her characters. Her endings may not come to any revelations as to the answer, but that's kind of the reality of existence right? Life goes on...

One of my favorite things about her writing style are these small emotional moments that happen between all the shit of life. She often punctuates these moments with pitch-black panels of the characters thoughts. It's great to have these grounding moments of self-reflection from impulsive youth.

Finally read my copy of Kyoko Okazaki's River's Edge. I don't think there is a manga artist out there that really does what she does. The way she depicts young characters endlessly flailing through the mundanity of modern living really hits close to home. She is so in tune to the youth.

Cover designed by Shuichi Higure for Akimitsu Takagi's paperback book.

Cover designed by Shuichi Higure for Akimitsu Takagi's paperback book.

Cover designed by Shuichi Higure for Akimitsu Takagi's paperback book.

Cover designed by Shuichi Higure for Akimitsu Takagi's paperback book.

Thinking about Shuichi Higure's covers.

#nowlistening

Microstoria - init ding + _snd

Great glitch music. Fragile and warm. Organic rumblings that feel both urban and botanic. Find myself listening to it in times I need to wind down and rest.

Gueule d'amour (1937)

Jean Gabin's best performance? Certainly his most emotionally revealing. A rare instance of him moving beyond his usual anti-social, guarded roles into climatic naked emotion with actual tears. The gay subtext here is surprising, adding a whole new dimension to the film.

Gabin is a master actor. Full control of his body language and facial expressions. This is but a brief moment but speaks so much. It helped too that he was surrounded by directors whose lonely, nighttime mise-en-scene and graceful camera movements played to his strengths as a performer.

La Belle Équipe (1936)

The movie's politics may be mere window dressing to the melodrama between the actors, but I think the direction and performances really outshine any hang-ups I have. This scene (with an iconic shot of Gabin) is a great example. A film about dreams being shattered by reality.

Watched a lot of Gabin and Poetic Realism films this October. November will probably be more of the same.

#filmsky

Haven't listened to a lot this year but have been listening to some great jazz records. Ahmed, Mary Halverson, The Necks, and Stabbins, Tippett & Moholo have been my favorites.

Xiu Xiu shirt 🔥

RIP Jack DeJohnette. Has performed and led on some of my favorite jazz records. Incredible drummer and underrated pianist.

Good book so far. Spends a good bit of time going into the material and cultural conditions that set up Poetic Realism. Makes me want to look into, more generally, the politics and culture of France in the 30s.

Been slowly going through Andrew Dudley's book on Poetic Realism, Mists of Regret. Quite enjoyed these passages on Jean Gabin, his appeal as an actor, and how he fits into the wider ouvre of French culture and cinema.

precisely why I quit recently. not worth the trade-off.

Traveling Light, by Rafael Toral 6 track album

New Rafael Toral album is unbelievably gorgeous, just like his previous one. Jazz standards as cosmic ambient reveries. Have to give it some more spins but it might be my album of the year.

rafaeltoral.bandcamp.com/album/travel...

With the release of her new art heist film The Mastermind, director Kelly Reichardt speaks to Mitchell Beaupre about the tension of life’s disruptions, Josh O’Connor’s shifting performance, and her endless fascination for people watching. boxd.it/2Mu

I am Kelly Reichardt's strongest soldier so I was bound to like this one. One of the few American directors that really get the good 'ole U.S.A. A tremendous amount of love for the place and the day to day interactions while still highly critical of the attitudes and institutions that inhabit it.

Saw The Mastermind. Funny to see a lot of negative talk about this being about nothing when I walked away feeling like it's Reichardt's most explicit call to action. The film is basically begging Josh O'Connor to realize that he is not absolved from the political forces surrounding him.

Those Yang movies are so good. Such a legend. The restorations look so crisp.

this makes Magnolia look like some sitcom lol