Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Efrim Menuck returns with Pissing Stars

Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Efrim Menuck returns with Pissing Stars

Without the press release, there’s nothing suggesting that Efrim Manuel Menuck would have taken interest in a celebrity romance. However, there is a dichotomy swirling around Pissing Stars that could also be found on American entertainment news. There’s ugliness and beauty at play simultaneously. One track here is called 'The Beauty of Children and the War Against the Poor'. As a father, he’s got to be positive despite rampant corruption, war, and poverty.

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So Much Fun It'll Give You A Headache - Shopping's Third LP

So Much Fun It'll Give You A Headache - Shopping's Third LP

You can’t listen to The Official Body without dancing, which is a blessing and a curse. It’s fun at first, but eventually you’ll need a breather. Seeing the band on their current tour would be the best way to experience these songs. However, if you’re partied out, The Official Body is headache-inducing in its reliance on the UK’s well-established socio-political post-punk tradition.

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Reimagining the Accessibility of Classical Music: JFund Awardee JP Merz

Reimagining the Accessibility of Classical Music: JFund Awardee JP Merz

Merz has set himself apart as a composer through his willingness to deemphasize his own talents in favor of accessibility. “Virtuosity is tied up with the classical tradition, and I’m looking for ways to subvert that. I’d rather get the emotion out of the technique rather than show off the technique.” Instead of championing his own specific narrative, he’s creating pieces that further the classical and electronic music traditions without having to lean on their complexity. As with the inclusivity of Mediated Intimacy, Merz is extending his arms outward toward lovers of art instead of drawing boundaries between them.

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Favorite Tracks of 2017

Favorite Tracks of 2017

Since I kicked my new release show in to high gear at KFAI this year, I ended up absorbing more songs than any since I've been music blogging. Follow me on Spotify to find each of the songs in a playlist aptly titled "2017." Cheers to a new year of new music.

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