The Sandpit by Sam O’Hare

Portrait of Siberia by Philip Bloom

Dungeness timelapse by Philip Bloom

And in keeping with my renewed interest in experimental sound and composition, I have gone back to learning from Brian Eno. The Master. There is a fascinating new BBC4 documentary that’s been ripped off of every video site for copyright infringement, but this older one works:

The quest for frisson – Roger Ebert

this video is at the end of the article — beautiful.

Rainy Road Records Store

Rainy Road Records – Facebook

Watching the Train Wreck – Myspace

The Fucken Snakes – Myspace

Brimstone Howl – Myspace

This isn’t news to anyone who knows me, but I’m borderline obsessed with Trent Reznor’s music. He’s been saying for years that he wanted to produce and write for a female singer, and then he married one. So it’s finally arrived, at Pitchfork.com. Sounds a lot like The Fragile (by far my favorite NIN record), and his wife can sing. Can’t fucking wait for the EP later this summer.

Pitchfork.com

HowToDestroyAngels.com

By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune

May 02, 2010, 6:18AM

Mitch Landrieu will be sworn in as mayor of New Orleans on the steps of Gallier Hall Monday, and New Orleanians will look to him to lead this city to full recovery and a more vibrant future.

Daniel Erath / The Times-Picayune

New Orleans Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu.

Mayor-elect Landrieu takes office at a pivotal time in the city’s history — nearly five years after the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federally built levee system. He has an opportunity to harness the fierce devotion and determination that New Orleanians have shown in bringing back their homes and neighborhoods. And he has the responsibility to make city government a true leader in that effort.

His success will depend in large part on his ability to assemble the right team, to put smart, talented, ethical people in key roles. Of the many decisions the new mayor will make, his staff selections are among the most crucial.

The most vital hire is that of police superintendent. Mayor-elect Landrieu has identified crime as one of the top three issues facing New Orleans. Residents are fearful of rising violence and disheartened by scandals within a Police Department embroiled in multiple civil rights probes. The new police superintendent will need to restore public confidence in the troubled department.

Along with crime, the new mayor points to education and economic development as the city’s top three issues. “You can’t grow jobs if the city’s not safe, and you can’t grow jobs if you don’t have an educated work force,” he said.

He’s right to see a connection. While New Orleans’ mayor has no direct control over schools, that doesn’t mean that this mayor can’t play a meaningful role in the transformation of public education that’s evolving here. He’s also stressed his commitment to a public-private partnership to be responsible for economic development, an initiative that stalled out under his predecessor. And he says he will work with nearby cities to push for regional economic development.

This mayor is not a political novice. His experience in the nuts-and-bolts of governing should enable him to quickly assemble a team and start moving the city forward.

The weeks between Mitch Landrieu’s landslide victory and his inauguration have included encouraging signs of what kind of mayor he will be. He has reached out for public input, creating 17 task forces to advise him on matters ranging from improving customer service at City Hall to eradicating blight. Hundreds of community leaders participated.

Mr. Landrieu is smart to harness the spirit of civic engagement that has flourished since the storm, and those who gave their energy and ideas to this process will be watching to see what he does with the 80 recommendations that they offered.

He also reached out to national leaders, making a trip to Washington weeks after his election to meet with Obama administration officials and deliver the message that New Orleans still needs federal help in its recovery efforts and that his administration will be an effective partner.

As a former state legislator and recent lieutenant governor, Mayor-elect Landrieu also should be adept at working with state government to advance the city’s goals.

The ability to forge relationships with local, state and national officials is critical in a mayor. The city needs someone with a strong, credible voice to remind those in power that the work of rebuilding is not finished. New Orleans needs an effective advocate for stronger defenses against storms, not only the 100-year protection promised by 2011 but protection against nature’s most fearsome storms.

Mayor-elect Landrieu won’t have the luxury of an easy start. He faces a budget deficit of nearly $25 million, according to the city’s Revenue Estimating Conference.

But he also takes office at a time of great hope and promise for New Orleans. Major recovery projects such as the new medical center are moving forward. Children have better educational opportunities. The Saints gave everyone a reason to celebrate. New Orleanians are engaged and energized and showed that they can move beyond historic divisions, as they did in electing this mayor.

Mitch Landrieu had critical words for how government has failed New Orleans in a recent speech to the American Planning Association. “I believe that we, as a country, have failed to rise to the challenge that has been before us,” he said. “The people of New Orleans succeeded. Those American citizens showed great resilience and great faith … but we as a government — federal, state, local … really have not done the job that needs to be done.”

For Mitch Landrieu, that job begins in earnest now.

Download Onesies EP – ‘Bitch, I’m Too Drunk to Fuck’

Back when I was just out of high school and didn’t have any responsibilities, I played a lot of shows around Nebraska. Occasionally I got to open for somebody I’d never heard that just humbled me. I mean humbled in a way that you can’t be seeing a major label act playing an arena. I’m talking about sitting three feet from an artist performing a generations-old, soul-baring ritual. I opened for Andrew Bryant -and The Gunshy- in Kearney, NE and experienced exactly that (and again the following year when he came through Kearney again). Magnolia State is the record I bought that night, and it’s still one of my favorites. Everything Mr. Bryant has done I admire greatly, but this one is special. The combination subject matter -his home state- and the fidelity -self-recorded- is perfect. It’s as personal an experience as you can get with a CD, unless you want to attempt digital sodomy. His newest album, Galilee, is a similarly haunting and beautiful experience, check the links below.

Andrew Bryant – website

Andrew Bryant – listen on Myspace

The Gunshy – website