From: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org (idealcopy-digest) To: idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Subject: idealcopy-digest V8 #185 Reply-To: idealcopy@smoe.org Sender: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk idealcopy-digest Friday, July 8 2005 Volume 08 : Number 185 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [idealcopy] Githead Newsletter........... [Ari ] [idealcopy] is everyone okay ["costa livin" ] Re: [idealcopy] Fw: First notes for 639-year composition [Derek White ] Re: [idealcopy] Githead News 12.06.05...krikey ["far arden" ] [idealcopy] NME............. [Ari ] [idealcopy] Cage(d) [Ari ] Re: [idealcopy] Cage(d) [Eardrumbuz@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 02:46:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Ari Subject: [idealcopy] Githead Newsletter........... Does anyone have the back issues of the Githead newsletter they would be willing to forward to me? Thanks,Robert (another) >>me too! all of them...don't hold out on a homey. i bbetcha ari's got 'em! _<< Nnot me boss, honest............ A Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 02:50:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Wireviews Subject: [idealcopy] Githead newsletters :: Does anyone have the back issues of the Githead :: newsletter they would be willing to forward to me? They'll be on the website soonish. Craig - ------- Craig Grannell / Wireviews --- http://www.wireviews.com News, reviews and dugga. VMU: http://www.vmuonline.com SVA: http://www.snubcommunications.com - -------------- wireviews@yahoo.com --- ____________________________________________________ Sell on Yahoo! Auctions  no fees. Bid on great items. http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 04:01:51 -0700 From: "costa livin" Subject: [idealcopy] is everyone okay been up all night and the alternet news letter popped up with the bombings in london. popped over to the new york times site which described londoners as "oddly stoic"......leave it to us yanks. so is everyone okay? ruben ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 06:00:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Derek White Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Fw: First notes for 639-year composition Whoops! Think the chances of the estate of Mr Cage reading my post are slim, thankfully............. However, when did John Cage 'compose' his opus? Perhaps, if their work predates JC's the WCPAEB could sue HIM? and also collect the damages wrongly paid by Batt to Cage, too. [Pardon my ignorance of the Cage canon's chronology , or indeed knowledge of his 'hatch & despatch' dates......] Glenn & Cecile wrote: > The track was four minutes or so of silence (plus vinyl surface noise), and was on their Album "A child's guide to good and evil.". I imagine it pre-dates Batt ? Perhaps they could sue him too ! ;) Glenn. - --------------------------------- Sell on Yahoo! Auctions - No fees. Bid on great items. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 09:33:29 EDT From: MarkBursa@aol.com Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Fw: First notes for 639-year composition >>However, when did John Cage 'compose' his opus? Perhaps, if their work predates JC's the WCPAEB could sue HIM? and also collect the damages wrongly paid by Batt to Cage, too.<< 4' 33" was composed in 1952. Cage is the daddy. And no need for inverted commas either. The piece is scored, and is meant to be performed, same as any other classical piece. Mark ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 06:47:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Derek White Subject: RE: [idealcopy] Fw: NME (was First notes for 639-year composition) Ah, vintage NME's. It's not just a case of 'ice cream was colder, the sky bluer and the sun brighter when *I* was a lad- the writing was a cut above anything you ever see now, principally because most of the writers had *some* first-hand knowledge of their subject matter. Some of the put downs were excellent, and I shudder to think of the amount of dross we'd have been forced to wade through had it not been for the dependable NME flagging up the screaming turkeys, and in some cases even killing careers stone dead. For instance, did Cockney rebel ever recover from (I think) Charlie Murray trashing their Xmas gig at the Rainbow , calling them "The Noel Cowards of the rock generation, resplendant in their quilted smoking jackets.....they kicked " 'Judy Teen' about the stage like a moribund old carcass.......[I left before the end because]..."It isn't pleasant watching a band waste such a treasured sixpence as a Rainbow gig in this manner" For their relentless trashing of Emerson Lake and Palmer, we owe them a debt of gratitude, too... You forgot an honourable mention for "The Lone Groover" cartoons, done by (Ray?) Lowry. Often screamingly funny, usually on the button about the hoopla of the music biz. Among some of the NME's circa 75/76/77/78 that I still have tucked away in the attic, there is a copy of the Lone Groover & Pronto's guide to "How to make it as a rock star" which was a hoot, taking the rip out of all genres without fear or favour. And didn't ex-Deviant Mick Farren write for the NME for a while...? And Chrissie Hynde? I thought the rot set in with the onset of writers like Paulo Hewitt , Someone-or-other Rambali(?), and Paul ****ing Morley. I know I'm probably in a minority here, but I never much cared for the Parsons/Burchill axis either. I'd like to think I saw them for the rather noxious gits time has proven them to be, that I saw them as trendy bandwagoneers, but I think I just didn't like their writing style, or their certainty that their tastes were the *only* ones that mattered. Ah, nostalgia ain't what it used to be..... Keith Knight wrote: Yes, another exemplary BBC 4 effort (thank god for freeview, eh Alistair?). Took me back to the halcyon days when the wait for the NME to come out (Thursday mornings down in Bath in the mid-70s) was the highspot of the week. In many ways the NME was more important than the music. And now, apropos of nothing other than nostalgia, I present - completely off the top of my head - ten great things about the NME (this is really self-indulgent so please move on none if none of this is of any interest): The Next Week Box - which at its peak was the funniest thing in the paper; The singles column - often the opportunity for the writers - especially Charles Shaar Murray - to be at their most savage. The week when CSM proclaimed this was the last week he would ever do the singles was a classic; The photo captions - idea probably nicked from Private Eye but again at their best wildly funny. There's a theme emerging here - NME was a laugh out loud experience at its peak. Ian MacDonald - a rock writer like no other, for his understanding of how music worked and much more interesting than Nick Kent, whom I tolerated rather than liked. The demolition of Hergest Ridge remains a touchstone. The relentless pushing of the Sex Pistols in 76 and early 77, to the extent that every week there was a story. (Today's kids probably feel the same about Pete Doherty). It felt that punk was being forged as you read, even though you never saw the band and barely heard the music. The willingness to go beyond music. CSM's glorious but short-lived series on comic books (Captain America and a couple of others); the article and cover on the police beating people up at the Windsor Festival in 1974; the political engagement. The letters page - less for the letters (Peter Gabriel and Morrissey notwithstanding) as for the put downs from the guest editors. Great album reviews which made me go out and buy the albums. Such as 'On the Beach', 'Marquee Moon', 'Horses', 'Hissing of Summer Lawns', 'The Clash'... Check the guys' track record. The recognition that their writers should be given as much space as they needed and that you should never dumb down, even when the writing (as in the Ian Penman era) became impenetrable. The tactile pleasure of the paper - the size, the smell, the ink. I could go on. I won't. Another the Keith - -----Original Message----- From: owner-idealcopy@smoe.org [mailto:owner-idealcopy@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Tear Alistair (ST) BTW there was a very entertaining docu on BBC4 last night about the life and times of New Musical Express... our boys got a mention in passing (by Paul Morley) A Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 06:47:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Derek White Subject: RE: [idealcopy] Fw: NME (was First notes for 639-year composition) Ah, vintage NME's. It's not just a case of 'ice cream was colder, the sky bluer and the sun brighter when *I* was a lad- the writing was a cut above anything you ever see now, principally because most of the writers had *some* first-hand knowledge of their subject matter. Some of the put downs were excellent, and I shudder to think of the amount of dross we'd have been forced to wade through had it not been for the dependable NME flagging up the screaming turkeys, and in some cases even killing careers stone dead. For instance, did Cockney rebel ever recover from (I think) Charlie Murray trashing their Xmas gig at the Rainbow , calling them "The Noel Cowards of the rock generation, resplendant in their quilted smoking jackets.....they kicked " 'Judy Teen' about the stage like a moribund old carcass.......[I left before the end because]..."It isn't pleasant watching a band waste such a treasured sixpence as a Rainbow gig in this manner" For their relentless trashing of Emerson Lake and Palmer, we owe them a debt of gratitude, too... You forgot an honourable mention for "The Lone Groover" cartoons, done by (Ray?) Lowry. Often screamingly funny, usually on the button about the hoopla of the music biz. Among some of the NME's circa 75/76/77/78 that I still have tucked away in the attic, there is a copy of the Lone Groover & Pronto's guide to "How to make it as a rock star" which was a hoot, taking the rip out of all genres without fear or favour. And didn't ex-Deviant Mick Farren write for the NME for a while...? And Chrissie Hynde? I thought the rot set in with the onset of writers like Paulo Hewitt , Someone-or-other Rambali(?), and Paul ****ing Morley. I know I'm probably in a minority here, but I never much cared for the Parsons/Burchill axis either. I'd like to think I saw them for the rather noxious gits time has proven them to be, that I saw them as trendy bandwagoneers, but I think I just didn't like their writing style, or their certainty that their tastes were the *only* ones that mattered. Ah, nostalgia ain't what it used to be..... Keith Knight wrote: Yes, another exemplary BBC 4 effort (thank god for freeview, eh Alistair?). Took me back to the halcyon days when the wait for the NME to come out (Thursday mornings down in Bath in the mid-70s) was the highspot of the week. In many ways the NME was more important than the music. And now, apropos of nothing other than nostalgia, I present - completely off the top of my head - ten great things about the NME (this is really self-indulgent so please move on none if none of this is of any interest): The Next Week Box - which at its peak was the funniest thing in the paper; The singles column - often the opportunity for the writers - especially Charles Shaar Murray - to be at their most savage. The week when CSM proclaimed this was the last week he would ever do the singles was a classic; The photo captions - idea probably nicked from Private Eye but again at their best wildly funny. There's a theme emerging here - NME was a laugh out loud experience at its peak. Ian MacDonald - a rock writer like no other, for his understanding of how music worked and much more interesting than Nick Kent, whom I tolerated rather than liked. The demolition of Hergest Ridge remains a touchstone. The relentless pushing of the Sex Pistols in 76 and early 77, to the extent that every week there was a story. (Today's kids probably feel the same about Pete Doherty). It felt that punk was being forged as you read, even though you never saw the band and barely heard the music. The willingness to go beyond music. CSM's glorious but short-lived series on comic books (Captain America and a couple of others); the article and cover on the police beating people up at the Windsor Festival in 1974; the political engagement. The letters page - less for the letters (Peter Gabriel and Morrissey notwithstanding) as for the put downs from the guest editors. Great album reviews which made me go out and buy the albums. Such as 'On the Beach', 'Marquee Moon', 'Horses', 'Hissing of Summer Lawns', 'The Clash'... Check the guys' track record. The recognition that their writers should be given as much space as they needed and that you should never dumb down, even when the writing (as in the Ian Penman era) became impenetrable. The tactile pleasure of the paper - the size, the smell, the ink. I could go on. I won't. Another the Keith - -----Original Message----- From: owner-idealcopy@smoe.org [mailto:owner-idealcopy@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Tear Alistair (ST) BTW there was a very entertaining docu on BBC4 last night about the life and times of New Musical Express... our boys got a mention in passing (by Paul Morley) A Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 07:18:04 -0700 (PDT) From: Derek White Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Fw: First notes for 639-year composition I asked...... However, when did John Cage 'compose' his opus? Perhaps, if their work predates JC's the WCPAEB could sue HIM? and also collect the damages wrongly paid by Batt to Cage, too. MarkBursa@aol.com wrote:>><<4' 33" was composed in 1952. Cage is the daddy. And no need for inverted commas either. Whoah !! That's me told, then...;-) >> The piece is scored, and is meant to be performed, same as any other classical piece. What, a string of rests on the stave, and a bunch of nested 'double dots' / Da Capo marks? That must be a lenghy score........... As for it being performed, I'm not sure I'd be up for paying #50 quid and up for a ticket for *that*. Gets done often, does it? On a more serious note, can I just say it's good to have you check in:- as one of the IC contingent who works or lives in London, glad you're still with us. And Alistair and Keith......Have all the London-based IC'ers registered their continued vitality? I'm tempted to say 'pretentious' - --------------------------------- Sell on Yahoo! Auctions - No fees. Bid on great items. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 12:04:13 +0100 From: "Sean Wainwright" Subject: [idealcopy] Githead News 12.06.05 Githead News 12.06.05 - ----- Original Message ----- From: announce-admin@githead.co.uk To: Githead Mailing List Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2005 7:47 PM Subject: [Announce] Githead News 12.06.05 Dear Githead fan, Welcome to the second edition of our occasional but strangely fascinating newsletter - Githead's way of sharing topics of interest and letting the select few into news of items & events not yet confirmed (not all of which are guaranteed to happen!) Those of you on reasonably swift internet connections might like to check out the following link, trawled up by our ceaselessly active web monkeys, at http://stubru.be/stubru_master/programmas/court_circuit/home/ - click on the Luister opnieuw! option. This links to a Radio Show recorded last month in which Colin is talking about Life, Githead & whatever with highly respected Flemish DJ/ music journalist Luc Janssen at Studio Brussel Radio station. The interview is sound-tracked with material from the Githead album "Profile". The show in highest quality (Beste kwaliteit) MP3 makes a download of about 180 meg (there are options for smaller downloads also). However, quality notwithstanding, our advice would be to grab it now as we reckon it won't stay there for long. The news junkies amongst you may well have realised that due to it's almost unique nature the word Githead makes a good google subject and thus will start to trawl up gig being announcements for later in the year. The band can confirm that a European tour is currently being set up for this Autumn and as soon as we are able to formally announce the dates we will and in answer to the most consistent feedback question we are certainly investigating the practicality of UK dates. Meanwhile there is serious discussion of a date in Tel Aviv in mid July although this is yet to be confirmed, it will go up on the website as soon as it is. You've all got copies of our debut album "Profile" (wm36) haven't you? Anyone hesitating might get inspired by the 1st 3 UK reviews. UPDATE MAGAZINE ALBUM OF THE WEEK - GITHEAD - PROFILE (SWIM) Corr! Did I get excited or what when this landed on my doorstep. You see Githead are two members from Minimal Compact, Malka Spigel on bass & vocals, with drummer Max Franken, joined by Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner on guitar, & fronted by Colin Newman from legendary art punks Wire (the best band in the world ever), delivering just the right amount of distaste & sarcasm into his snarling & sometimes pompous lead vocals. Githead's debut album "Profile" is a massive brooding wall of sound with a funky edge, that only occasionally comes up for air, but even then, you get the feeling there's a certain amount of irony, in it's fleeting breezy feel good charm. Public Image Ltd spring to mind, & obviously you can't help thinking of Wire, which can only be a good thing, but Githead are lighter & a tad more melodic, which brings me to my conclusion, that "Profile" is the album of the year so far. Genius. DEAN THATCHER 5 ***** BIRMINGHAM POST GITHEAD - PROFILE (SWIM) Githead are Colin Newman (formerly or, maybe even currently, from Wire), his partner Malka Spiegel and techno boffin Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner). Together they make a glorious noise. Retaining Wire's streamlined way with a song, Githead go deeper than that band, retaining a taut sense of unified purpose rather than pulling in different directions which was Wire's calling card. Scanner plays guitar here, a bit of a revelation since the sampler and short wave radio are his normal weapons of choice. Spiegel and Newman trade lyrics like some 21st century Sonny and Cher. The addition of full-time drummer Max Franken has really pinned down the band's sound which is as tight as could be expected from these old pros. Although undoubtedly home recorded, Newman knows how to get the best out of his resources and Profile, as a piece of sonic furniture, sounds fantastic. What you get here though is a set of songs that simply demand to be played to death. And the more you play it, the more you love it. Commercial yet with enough of an avant edge, Profile makes for a terrific statement of intent. It's not too hard to imagine this catching on, especially with songs as more-ish as LCA (Little Box of Magic) or Raining Down. A great album. **** Andrew Cowen WIREVIEWS GITHEAD - PROFILE (SWIM) Githead is a supergroup from another dimension: a quarter of Wire, half of Minimal Compact, and the force behind Scanner combined. Those arriving here for the first time may be expecting noise terror, but those intelligent enough to have checked out the band's debut, the Headgit EP, will already know Githead is more about tightly-honed, energetic pop songs that get into your head and take up residence. Profile is not just more of the same, though. Indeed, this album finds the band making something of a quantum leap, especially in the manner in which the music is delivered. Headgit was a fun EP: a result of the collision of three largely compatible, long-time musical minds. But Profile is something more, although it's hard to put your finger on exactly what. It's as if the band is its own entity and it's somehow grown up. While Profile is hardly the most deadly serious of records, it's certainly more mature than the band's debut: the arrangements are tighter, the mix is better, and the continually weaving mesh of instruments weaves its way further into your brain. This, in part, is down to the music. Still somewhat wearing its punk-funk influences on its sleeve, what Profile sometimes lacks in terms of direct and memorable melodies, it makes up for with funky rhythms, Spigel's dynamic, churning basslines, and a sublime mesh of overlaid guitars. Githead is far from a one-trick-pony, though, and while those who suggest references to P.I.L. aren't far from the mark at times, Profile's mood constantly changes during its 45-minute length. Nowhere is this more apparent than during the three-track run from Cosmology for Beginners to They Are: the first of those tracks is a funky, angular and slightly shouty pop song, which is followed by the heavy and intense, guitar-churning instrumental Antiphon, which in turn gives way to the laid-back, glittering grooves of They Are. Elsewhere, Alpha manages to sandwich all of these ideas into one classic six-minute effort. But the music isn't the only thing that Profile has going for it. One of the criticisms levelled at the band's debut was its insistence on throwaway lyrics. Newman's hacking up a load of junk mail created a few charming and wry moments (and the stomping Profile), but it all felt a little inconsequential (which, presumably, was part of the point). That's not the case here-although some of this album's words are perhaps a little disposable, Alpha's complex rhymes coupled with Newman's stern delivery, underpinned by strong, engaging rhythms, seem to confirm the band's newfound maturity, and also that Profile fires on all cylinders at once. Suddenly, it all matters. Even better is My LCA-Spigel's ode to her 'little box of magic'-one of the most emotionally charged tracks Swim~ has ever released (not least due to Spigel's sensitive and slightly fragile delivery), and even more poignant for those who know of Spigel's dedication to her photography. They Are is another classic lyric, built from Googlisms, yet the edit provides an insight into the band that's surreal, full of character, and unlike anything else you're ever likely to hear about them. And, finally, who could do anything other than love a CD that has within it the genius chorus of "shrink the world/micro hip/streets ahead/love at first sight", sung in the most swimmingly melodic manner? Not me, that's for sure. Craig Grannell (June, 2005) Some studious googling will unearth similarly proportioned reviews in Dutch, French, German... Anyhow the album is out now in Europe and also available through posteverything with a bonus free EP available only to posteverything customers. This list is run by humans who don't like spam any more than you do so if you aren't interested to hear more from us then simply send an e.mail to and we'll remove you as fast as our little legs can accomplish the task. If you'd like to re-subscribe under a different e.mail then send an e.mail to and we'll sort it out. Love Githead - -- GITHEAD info@githead.co.uk http://www.githead.co.uk Mailorder - http://www.posteverything.com/swim Mailing List - announce-subscribe@githead.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 10:55:57 EDT From: MarkBursa@aol.com Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Fw: NME (was First notes for 639-year composition) >>You forgot an honourable mention for "The Lone Groover" cartoons, done by (Ray?) Lowry. Often screamingly funny, usually on the button about the hoopla of the music biz. Among some of the NME's circa 75/76/77/78 that I still have tucked away in the attic, there is a copy of the Lone Groover & Pronto's guide to "How to make it as a rock star" which was a hoot, taking the rip out of all genres without fear or favour.<< Ah, Derek, age is fuddling your brain. Ray Lowry was indeed the NME cartoonist, but he didn't do Th' Lone Groover, which was drawn by Tony (?) Benyon. Mark ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 11:21:14 EDT From: MarkBursa@aol.com Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Fw: First notes for 639-year composition >>What, a string of rests on the stave, and a bunch of nested 'double dots' / Da Capo marks? That must be a lenghy score........... << Well, something like that. It's in 3 movements (scored as a solo piece for piano), with specific instructions for the pianist (closing the lid at a specific point in the 3rd movement, for example. Of course, it's Cage's joke at the expense of the po-faced classical fraternity - and in 1952 this was a pretty provocative statement (rather like the Tate gallery bricks, but more extreme). But it also makes a serious point about the content of what is music - in that a piece of music is comprised of a number of musical notes and silence in between. So, reductio ad absurdum, how about a piece with no notes and all silence? Also the piece has to be performed - ideally by a proper, trained classical musician, in evening dress, etc. The composer is simply instructing the musician to play no notes. And of course what you hear is not silence - you hear ambient noise within the concert hall - air conditioning units, people shuffling in their seats and coughing etc. Random factors... So it works on a lot of levels as conceptual art, don't you think? >>As for it being performed, I'm not sure I'd be up for paying #50 quid and up for a ticket for *that*. Gets done often, does it?<< Well, it's only four and a half minutes long, so it's not going to be the main piece on a bill. And it's rarely performed (BBC4 did screen a performance a year or so ago) largely because it's no longer that provocative a statement. Though obviously it raises the hackles in Barrow-in-Furness ;-) >>On a more serious note, can I just say it's good to have you check in:- as one of the IC contingent who works or lives in London, glad you're still with us. And Alistair and Keith......Have all the London-based IC'ers registered their continued vitality? << Well, I'm strictly suburban - though the missus works just off Regents Park and was on a train to Kings Cross (though not on the tube) at the time of the bombs. Bit too close for comfort.... Mark ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 14:33:35 EDT From: CHRISWIRE@aol.com Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Fw: NME (was First notes for 639-year composition) In a message dated 08/07/2005 14:48:40 GMT Daylight Time, zak_blakk@yahoo.com writes: For their relentless trashing of Emerson Lake and Palmer, we owe them a debt of gratitude, too... Made me think of a great Sounds review of a Golden Earring gig in about 73/74 which was descibed as " A waste of electricity ". Chris ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 11:48:57 -0700 From: "far arden" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] is everyone okay - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ari" To: "costa livin" Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 10:03 AM Subject: Re: [idealcopy] is everyone okay > I see you're on your way up........... lol....ari and...golden earring a waste of electricity.......they should cover "LUCKY MAN" while on glass and pcp but wait a minute..they would be "flipper"?!!! > > --- costa livin wrote: > > > been up all night and the alternet news letter > > popped up with the bombings > > in london. popped over to the new york times site > > which described londoners > > as "oddly stoic"......leave it to us yanks. > > > > so is everyone okay? > > > > ruben > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 12:28:10 -0700 From: "far arden" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Githead News 12.06.05...krikey Why doesn't Colin tell me these things.......having gone from juvenile delinquent to aging incorrigible with the band and their various solo projects over the years (and not shooting junk anymore...) I get by with their releases. I have been ready to roll marks in subway stations across ameriKKKa for years just to replace my lost copy of 'it seems'. yes that's me in a public place while you watch the pigeons looking on as if I'm sizing you up for a casket but just running v.r. for that cd of 154 hanging out of your lunch box........no one suspects an old man of such chicanery. I love life but me susses the boiz are holding out on a pensioner. - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sean Wainwright" To: "idealcopy" Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 4:04 AM Subject: [idealcopy] Githead News 12.06.05 > Githead News 12.06.05 > ----- Original Message ----- > From: announce-admin@githead.co.uk > To: Githead Mailing List > Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2005 7:47 PM > Subject: [Announce] Githead News 12.06.05 > > > Dear Githead fan, > > Welcome to the second edition of our occasional but strangely fascinating > newsletter - Githead's way of sharing topics of interest and letting the > select few into news of items & events not yet confirmed (not all of which are > guaranteed to happen!) > > Those of you on reasonably swift internet connections might like to check out > the following link, trawled up by our ceaselessly active web monkeys, at > http://stubru.be/stubru_master/programmas/court_circuit/home/ - click on the > Luister opnieuw! option. This links to a Radio Show recorded last month in > which Colin is talking about Life, Githead & whatever with highly respected > Flemish DJ/ music journalist Luc Janssen at Studio Brussel Radio station. The > interview is sound-tracked with material from the Githead album "Profile". The > show in highest quality (Beste kwaliteit) MP3 makes a download of about 180 > meg (there are options for smaller downloads also). However, quality > notwithstanding, our advice would be to grab it now as we reckon it won't stay > there for long. > > The news junkies amongst you may well have realised that due to it's almost > unique nature the word Githead makes a good google subject and thus will start > to trawl up gig being announcements for later in the year. The band can > confirm that a European tour is currently being set up for this Autumn and as > soon as we are able to formally announce the dates we will and in answer to > the most consistent feedback question we are certainly investigating the > practicality of UK dates. Meanwhile there is serious discussion of a date in > Tel Aviv in mid July although this is yet to be confirmed, it will go up on > the website as soon as it is. > > You've all got copies of our debut album "Profile" (wm36) haven't you? Anyone > hesitating might get inspired by the 1st 3 UK reviews. > > UPDATE MAGAZINE > ALBUM OF THE WEEK - GITHEAD - PROFILE (SWIM) > Corr! Did I get excited or what when this landed on my doorstep. You see > Githead are two members from Minimal Compact, Malka Spigel on bass & vocals, > with drummer Max Franken, joined by Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner on guitar, & > fronted by Colin Newman from legendary art punks Wire (the best band in the > world ever), delivering just the right amount of distaste & sarcasm into his > snarling & sometimes pompous lead vocals. Githead's debut album "Profile" is a > massive brooding wall of sound with a funky edge, that only occasionally comes > up for air, but even then, you get the feeling there's a certain amount of > irony, in it's fleeting breezy feel good charm. Public Image Ltd spring to > mind, & obviously you can't help thinking of Wire, which can only be a good > thing, but Githead are lighter & a tad more melodic, which brings me to my > conclusion, that "Profile" is the album of the year so far. Genius. DEAN > THATCHER 5 ***** > > BIRMINGHAM POST > GITHEAD - PROFILE (SWIM) > Githead are Colin Newman (formerly or, maybe even currently, from Wire), his > partner Malka Spiegel and techno boffin Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner). > Together they make a glorious noise. Retaining Wire's streamlined way with a > song, Githead go deeper than that band, retaining a taut sense of unified > purpose rather than pulling in different directions which was Wire's calling > card. > Scanner plays guitar here, a bit of a revelation since the sampler and short > wave radio are his normal weapons of choice. Spiegel and Newman trade lyrics > like some 21st century Sonny and Cher. The addition of full-time drummer Max > Franken has really pinned down the band's sound which is as tight as could be > expected from these old pros. > Although undoubtedly home recorded, Newman knows how to get the best out of > his resources and Profile, as a piece of sonic furniture, sounds fantastic. > What you get here though is a set of songs that simply demand to be played to > death. And the more you play it, the more you love it. > Commercial yet with enough of an avant edge, Profile makes for a terrific > statement of intent. It's not too hard to imagine this catching on, especially > with > songs as more-ish as LCA (Little Box of Magic) or Raining Down. A great album. > **** Andrew Cowen > > WIREVIEWS > GITHEAD - PROFILE (SWIM) > Githead is a supergroup from another dimension: a quarter of Wire, half of > Minimal Compact, and the force behind Scanner combined. Those arriving here > for the first time may be expecting noise terror, but those intelligent enough > to have checked out the band's debut, the Headgit EP, will already know > Githead is more about tightly-honed, energetic pop songs that get into your > head and take up residence. > > Profile is not just more of the same, though. Indeed, this album finds the > band making something of a quantum leap, especially in the manner in which the > music is delivered. Headgit was a fun EP: a result of the collision of three > largely compatible, long-time musical minds. But Profile is something more, > although it's hard to put your finger on exactly what. It's as if the band is > its own entity and it's somehow grown up. While Profile is hardly the most > deadly serious of records, it's certainly more mature than the band's debut: > the arrangements are tighter, the mix is better, and the continually weaving > mesh of instruments weaves its way further into your brain. > > This, in part, is down to the music. Still somewhat wearing its punk-funk > influences on its sleeve, what Profile sometimes lacks in terms of direct and > memorable melodies, it makes up for with funky rhythms, Spigel's dynamic, > churning basslines, and a sublime mesh of overlaid guitars. Githead is far > from a one-trick-pony, though, and while those who suggest references to > P.I.L. aren't far from the mark at times, Profile's mood constantly changes > during its 45-minute length. Nowhere is this more apparent than during the > three-track run from Cosmology for Beginners to They Are: the first of those > tracks is a funky, angular and slightly shouty pop song, which is followed by > the heavy and intense, guitar-churning instrumental Antiphon, which in turn > gives way to the laid-back, glittering grooves of They Are. Elsewhere, Alpha > manages to sandwich all of these ideas into one classic six-minute effort. > > But the music isn't the only thing that Profile has going for it. One of the > criticisms levelled at the band's debut was its insistence on throwaway > lyrics. Newman's hacking up a load of junk mail created a few charming and wry > moments (and the stomping Profile), but it all felt a little inconsequential > (which, presumably, was part of the point). That's not the case here-although > some of this album's words are perhaps a little disposable, Alpha's complex > rhymes coupled with Newman's stern delivery, underpinned by strong, engaging > rhythms, seem to confirm the band's newfound maturity, and also that Profile > fires on all cylinders at once. Suddenly, it all matters. Even better is My > LCA-Spigel's ode to her 'little box of magic'-one of the most emotionally > charged tracks Swim~ has ever released (not least due to Spigel's sensitive > and slightly fragile delivery), and even more poignant for those who know of > Spigel's dedication to her photography. They Are is another classic lyric, > built from Googlisms, yet the edit provides an insight into the band that's > surreal, full of character, and unlike anything else you're ever likely to > hear about them. And, finally, who could do anything other than love a CD that > has within it the genius chorus of "shrink the world/micro hip/streets > ahead/love at first sight", sung in the most swimmingly melodic manner? Not > me, that's for sure. Craig Grannell (June, 2005) > > Some studious googling will unearth similarly proportioned reviews in Dutch, > French, German... > > Anyhow the album is out now in Europe and also available through > posteverything with a bonus free EP available only to posteverything > customers. > > > This list is run by humans who don't like spam any more than you do so if you > aren't interested to hear more from us then simply send an e.mail to > and we'll remove you as fast as our little legs can > accomplish the task. If you'd like to re-subscribe under a different e.mail > then send an e.mail to and we'll sort it > out. > > Love Githead > -- > GITHEAD > info@githead.co.uk > http://www.githead.co.uk > Mailorder - http://www.posteverything.com/swim > Mailing List - announce-subscribe@githead.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 13:06:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Ari Subject: [idealcopy] NME............. suprised no-one's mentioned Melody Maker........... (or have they)? A Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 13:06:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Ari Subject: [idealcopy] NME............. suprised no-one's mentioned Melody Maker........... (or have they)? A Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 13:14:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Ari Subject: [idealcopy] Cage(d) >>MarkBursa@aol.com wrote:>><<4' 33" was composed in 1952. Cage is the daddy. And no need for inverted commas either.<< and our friend Derek responded..... >>Whoah !! That's me told, then...;-)<< Personaly I think that anyone who would consider silence of an orchestra performance, or anyone who would pay to see such a performance, or any judge that would award an amount of monies to Cage for 'copying'that silence, something I am most of the time,are a little bit nuts in the head..... c'mon guys, wake up! n.p the sounds of silence (just kiddin', honest) Ari Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 17:39:02 EDT From: Eardrumbuz@aol.com Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Cage(d) In a message dated 7/8/05 4:16:04 PM, threeduggaduggas@yahoo.com writes: > Personaly I think that anyone who would consider > silence of an orchestra performance, or anyone who > would pay to see such a performance, or any judge that > would award an amount of monies to Cage for > 'copying'that silence, something I am most of the > time,are a little bit nuts in the head..... c'mon > guys, wake up! > i saw it performed at carnegie hall. one of several pieces performed, but still, it was really good. seriously, i was aware of every little movement i made in my seat for 4 1/2 minutes...it's really an interesting experience. attention naturally turns to the audience, rather than the guy sitting at the piano. his part isn't nearly as interesting as the coughs, throat clearings, and other noises now so easily heard in the hall. the lawsuit, on the other hand, that is nuts. unless the defendant's song was 4 mins and 33 secs. i don't recall the details of the lawsuit, but i would think the defense should've had a good case if the song was much shorter or longer than cage's. the whole plagiarism thing is no stranger to this list. the cage case should be a cause for reevaluation. was elastica equally, more or less guilty? what if i put a bit of silence in my own song and claim that it's a sample of 4'33"!? what if i do it without acknowledging cage? then what? hmm - -paul c.d. ------------------------------ End of idealcopy-digest V8 #185 *******************************