Singleversity #59

Audiversity’s weekly column on music we stumble across during our sonic adventures. No random numbers, just straight audio goodness.

MA:



Once again Michael is MIA and Patrick will be writing in his place. Rest assured that the former's enthusiasm for music has hardly diminished, and perhaps foremost among these is his devotion to jazz. I've been listening to jazz too lately; specifically Japanese jazz because, fuck it, why not? Masahiko Satoh was one of a handful of Far East musicians pushing boundaries in the early 70s, best revealed in Julian Cope's ethnomusicological exploration Japrocksampler. But his career has continually evolved out and away from the avant-garde, and "Grama Grass" from 1979's All in All Out is another example of rough edges hewn smoothly into easy listening. Keep this one for the workday.

PM:



Speaking of workdays, this version of a video I stumbled across a few months ago has put things into perspective concerning the craziness of my own workplace. What I find so interesting about this video in particular is how the madness of being a bike messenger in the Big Apple is juxtaposed not with heavy metal or sassy pop but rather the sedate sadness of Broken Social Scene's "Bandwitch." Here is a song that turns a frantic race around the streets of New York City into a fluid, daydream-like experience - similar to riding around in the back of a cab, as Jerry Seinfeld once said, where "it's all not quite real." Compare that to the video with the original sound and you can see what the Toronto collective adds to the images.