The Hafler Trio Opens Online Store
By John Jolley on 01-07-2008
The Hafler Trio should need no introduction. A forerunner of the oh-so-hip hauntology movement (though never by "their" admission, of course), Andrew McKenzie and his associates/collaborators -- recently including Pan Sonic, Autechre, Fovea Hex, Jónsi Birgisson, David Tibet, Blixa Barageld, and less recently Chris Watson (formerly of Cabaret Voltaire, currently a resident BBC sound recordist putting out fantastic field recordings on Touch Music) -- have been steadfastly exploring and redefining what's possible with sound as early as 1979, since The Hafler Trio's beginnings as part of the post-Throbbing Gristle industrial fallout in Britain (including but not limited to Coil, Current 93, Nurse With Wound, and Psychic TV -- the last of which very briefly included McKenzie within it's ranks). So, after over two decades of elaborately packaged and endlessly fascinating releases, you ought to have a few of them. But perhaps you've been wondering about that "Simply Superior" logo found on many Important Records releases? A message sent to David Tibet to be posted on durtro.com can perhaps shed some light on the matter:
http://www.simplysuperior.org is an attempt, by the Hafler Trio and its esteemed associates, to address the situation with which the marketplace confronts those engaged in the creative act and to equitably deal with interactions there, thus providing an alternative way of approaching the problems and benefits such opportunities offer. Rather than complain about how changing circumstances affect creativity, it is an attempt to create a place where such endeavours can be seen in a new light, and take root in a new soil. Finally, it is also an attempt to repay the debt of being allowed to exist in this fragile system for many years.
For those of you accustomed to Andrew's peculiar manner of communicating ideas, that ought to be enough; for the rest of you adventurous consumers increasingly jaded by commercial music but a bit bewildered with McKenzie's prose, a summary: With the beginning of the new year, The Hafler Trio have opened an online store of epic proportion, addressing the ideological and monetary divides between so-called "high class" art/gallery art and Sound Art with a most intriguing item for sale. At Simply Superior, in addition to being stimulated visually and aurally, you'll find that an edition-of-one, personally crafted Hafler Trio release is available for any rabid fan willing to shell out nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine euros. Lord knows if I'll ever be able to afford one, but it's certainly exciting and probably worth saving up for. In the meantime, the shop also features less expensive items from the h3o back catalog available for considerably more affordable prices, with the assurance that an increasingly varied selection of products will be available as time goes on.
I’m going to live in Nashville and make a career out of writing bad stories and not getting paid all year. With lines like that, you’d think David Berman of Silver Jews would return my calls, right? Yeah, I know.
By Petya Romanov on 01-07-2008
I was up late last night thinking to myself, "Dude, you really ought to be more dedicated to Tiny Mix Tapes. I mean, how many stories have you done this month? Yeah, exactly." I hoped I hadn't died in the eyes of Mr P. I'm still here, below the chandelier. So, I searched the forum for a good news story to write, and what do I find? News about the JOOS! That's right, my all-time most favorite band Silver Jews have finished up their new album.
I popped a couple Adderalls (poor man's coke) and proceeded to spend the night crafting a story Mr. Berman could be proud of. I thought about the time I contacted his booking agent and tried so desperately to get DCB to come do a reading at our school. I remembered their first-ever tour in 2006 and, more importantly, how they played a 21+ venue when I was underage. Then I remembered the first time I heard a leaked version of the then much-anticipated Tanglewood Numbers and how my friend and I chatted on AIM for three hours using only lines from Joo songs.
After all that reflecting, I finally put my fingers to work. Or I tried to put my fingers to work. I quickly realized that I had become paralyzed with fear. This was the first time in months I had a chance to write a story about a band I truly cared about, and I couldn't move. My armpits became sweaty and my throat ran dry. I had visions of David and Cassie laughing at my inability to say something True. I realized I would never be hospitalized for approaching perfection, nor can I dance real good -- uh huh huh.
I went back to the medicine cabinet and took some Lyrica to curb my anxiety, remembering that even ponies get depressed. The medicine paired with that thought helped me a little bit. I realized that, as long as I was honest, Berman would be proud of me. So, by four this morning, I had drunk 50,000 beers. And they just washed against me like the sea into a pier.
"Jesus," I said after the last bottle. "I only have four or so months to get ready for their newest release!" That's right, Drag City darlings Silver Jews plan to release their sixth album (if you don't count The Arizona Record or Dime Map of the Reef), Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, sometime in April. The ten-song set was recorded where else but Lexington, VA and Nashville, TN. After years of a rotating cast of players, the Joos will feature Berman's touring band (this includes his wife, Cassie, on bass), who will be playing ATP festivals in England and Spain. But Berman hopes to keep the live gigs going. "I'd like to do more. Our excellent booking agent, Derek Becker at Satellite, is working on it now," Berman said. (I totally talked to Derek Becker last spring!)
So moral of the story: get me a leak of this album pronto, and I will lick your balls/non-balls to no end.
Finally, Berman will be waxing hot at the Corcoran Gallery of Art on February 28 in Washington D.C. The subject is an exhibition by recently deceased visual artist Jeremy Blake, of whom he was once a subject.
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