No island in Greece has wowed me more than Falengandros. A tiny, remote and foreboding outpost, Falengadros was once known as the Alcatraz of the Agean. A place where exiles were sent to eek out an existance. Now no more than 600 people call the island home and landing here was a welcome respite to the tourist atrocities of Santorini. Sheer cliffs, white washed walls and a stark yet colorful landscape make it a photographers paradise. The subtle shades of red, orange, yellow and green shrubs that dot the hillside looks like a giant bowl of Trix to me. And the sunsets…amazing!
All throughout our stay here I’ve had this song from Here We Go Magic stuck in my head. The song is ‘Fangela‘, but it sounds so perfect when I sing it ‘Falengandros’.
Hey all you Radiohead disciples, BBC Music News reported that the band is in the studio working with famed producer Nigel Godrich on the follow up to their acclaimed “In Rainbows” release. Good news! But before you get too excited, they have not yet confirmed an album release date, title or even if the music will be released in a similar ‘pay what you want’ format as “In Rainbows”. As bassist Colin Greenwood was quoted,”It’s at the stage where we’ve got the big Lego box out and we’ve tipped it out on the floor and we’re just looking at all the bits and thinking what’s next?”
What’s next indeed. I’m sure we all can’t wait to find out.
It was exactly one year ago today that I posted my first entry on The OCMD. And this entry represents my 365th post exactly. So tidy and neat how that worked out, isn’t it? I wasn’t sure where this venture would take me or how long it would last, but one year, 365 entries, 35,000+ page views and 515 Twitter followers later – it appears I’m in this for the long haul. And do I love it! It’s given me purpose and structure to dive headlong into my OCMD state of mind. (Thanks Adam and Ryan for getting me here!) But most of all, I’ve really enjoyed connecting with all of you like-minded music geeks around the globe – from Aimee in Austin to Cian and Chalky in the UK, Mike in Montreal, Oz, Anna, Adrian and all the SF music bloggers. It’s been great to meet you – albeit virtually in most cases.
Plans are brewing for the next phase of The OCMD, but I would love to hear from you what you like, don’t like and want to see more of. Thanks for reading!
With the summer music festival season approaching, we thought it was high time to talk drugs, particularly that festival fave, ecstasy. Born in 1912 but popularized in the late ’80s Manchester rave scene, MDMA has now clearly moved into much wider circles of use. Part stimulant, part hallucinogen MDMA seems to be everywhere. As with most drugs purity can be a real issue, but even in its purest form the research is mounting, E can be dangerous. Acutely MDMA may cause thirst and many have wound up in the ER with seizures due to a low blood level of sodium (a result of drinking way too much water). Overheating is another potential danger and the most common factor in E-related deaths. Most users know too well the “terrible Tuesday” phenomenon, where emotions crash a few days after use, often to some serious depression. Most alarming is data suggesting long term nerve damage and serotonin depletion.
There are several cool websites with oodles of info:
www.erowid.org — “a member-supported organization providing access to reliable, non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants, chemicals, and related issues”
As with all risky ventures, the best plan is risk reduction. If abstinence is not an option, the experts would suggest the following:
Check purity – above websites have pictures of different types and their purity and test kits are available
Drink fluids like you normally would, don’t drink gallons of water
Avoid overheating: take dance breaks, sit and rest, seek fresh air and shade
Don’t mix ecstasy with other drugs (including prescriptions, alcohol and marijuana)
Don’t repeat doses
Don’t drive!
Most importantly, have a trusted, sober person around to keep on eye on you. They can guage better than you can, if you need to rest, cool down, drink or stop drinking!
In probably one of the more ingenious marketing launches of an album, the mysterious and elusive details of Dark Night of the Soul – the collaboration between Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch (yes, that’s right) – are now available. You can actually stream the album now on NPR Music.
The album was supposed to be released in July with a book of photographs by David Lynch. But due to ongoing disputes with label EMI, the album will not see an official digial or physical release. (Oy…labels.) So the band will be releasing the album as a blank CD-R with a note to fans to download it from an illegal filesharing network. For now you can enjoy a free stream of the album on NPR Music. Check it out now, while it lasts. You can pre-order the CD (albeit blank) with book of 100 original photos from David Lynch on the bands website now.
Outside Love is the third album by Pink Mountaintops (not to be confused with Pink Mountain), AKA Stephen McBean, who has slowly emerged as a distinctive voice and a very special contributor to the North American songbook. A veteran of the Vancouver/Victoria punk rock scene, McBean is best known for his contributions to acclaimed rock band Black Mountain, (is there a band Purple Mountain somewhere?) as principal songwriter, guitarist and co-vocalist.
According to their bio, the ten songs on Outside Love are about or influenced by weddings in Montreal, winter, Pink Floyd’s The Final Cut, Christmas albums, that one Exile song and that one Echo and the Bunnymen song, the Bermuda Triangle, being depressed in the sunshine, people who haven’t made out yet but will in the future, The Everly Brothers, clowns in the ceilings, and bedrooms where skinheads used to live.
Many friends and special guests contributed to or appear on Outside Love, including Sophie Trudeau (A Silver Mt. Zion, Godspeed You! Black Emperor), Ted Bois (Destroyer), Jesse Sykes (Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, sunnO)))), Phil Wandscher (Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, Whiskeytown), Josh Stevenson (Jackie O Motherfucker), Ashley Webber (The Organ, Bonnie Prince Billy), Amber Webber (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust), Matthew Camirand (Black Mountain, Blood Meridian), Joshua Wells (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust), Keith Parry (Superconductor, the Gay), and Tolan McNeil (Caroline Mark).
The latest release from The Veils, Sun Gangs, is a goodie. This is a short film about the making of the album. For you SF locals, they’ll be playing Bottom of the Hill on July 13! Tickets go on sale Friday, 5/15. (Thanks Joerg for the tip!)
the OCMD 