Ismael Chang Ghalimi

Posts Tagged Listening

Posted
18 June 2006 @ 10pm

Stern Grove

Today, May and I joined a group of friends to attend the Stern Grove Festival and listen to a free concert with Aimee Mann and Seu Jorge. Aimee Mann wrote and sang the soundtrack for the delicate Magnolia. She also plays on our music system at least once every week-end. Seu Jorge is a Brazilian artist and played Pelé dos Santos in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, with great covers of David Bowie songs, and Knockout Ned in the breathtaking City of God. Also, following last year’s renovation work, Stern Grove is more beautiful than ever. Highly recommended for any sunny Sunday. Last but not least, many thanks to Adam for getting us one of the best spots on the field and pointing me out to Seu Jorge’s play in City of God.

Posted
5 June 2006 @ 8pm

Tagged
Listening

Sufjan Stevens

May recently found a gem at the library: Illinois from Sufjan Stevens. It reminds me of The High Llamas, but I could not really explain why. Listening to the LP’s very first song — Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois — should get you going in no time.

Posted
27 May 2006 @ 11pm

Tagged
Listening, Road

La Rochelle

My parents, my sister Sarah and I went to La Rochelle for Armelle’s birthday party today. She turned 30 and invited about 50 friends and family members for a dinner featuring a flamenco band. I stayed at the Hotel Mercure, which is perfectly located on the old harbour’s outer dock, near the new aquarium. Highly recommended. I also got to add a couple hundred miles to my logbook of stick shift driving experience. Happy birthday Armelle!

Posted
10 April 2006 @ 8pm

Tagged
Listening

Three Longers Later

Tonight, I’m listening to Mars Audiac Quintet, an LP recorded by Stereolab in 1994. Alongside Dots and Loops, it’s one of the albums that got me to fall in love with the groop. One song that particularly impressed me is Three Longers Later, which reminds me of Boris Vian’s Le déserteur. Highly inspiring!

Posted
30 March 2006 @ 11pm

Tagged
Gastronomy, Listening

Pretenders

Today, we celebrated Dave’s birthday with a dinner at DESTINO and a live concert at the Warfield Theatre — The Pretenders. DESTINO is a bistro serving South American cuisine with a contemporary twist. It’s located at 1815 Market Street, between Valencia and Guerrero Streets. I got stuffed poblano chile, Peruvian steak stir fry, and lucuma dulce de leche, served with Pilsen Callao, a nice pilsner beer from Peru. Delicious! The concert was nice, especially for the sociological experience of it. I did not know much of the repertoire beside the famous Brass in Pocket, but it was great fun nonetheless. Chrissie Hynde’s energy is amazing, and the rest of the band seems to really enjoy themselves playing these old punk tunes. Awesome!

Posted
9 March 2006 @ 5pm

Tagged
Listening

Fab Four Suture

Yesterday, I received my copy of Fab Four Suture, Stereolab’s latest LP. The influence of Philip Glass that I noted with Kyberneticka Babicka is not as pronounced, and I did not find as much of the dual mono recording that was Margerine Eclipse’s trademark. After six or seven listenings, I think that I can say that I really like it, especially for the syncopal transitions of beat and pitch that are orchestrated within most tracks, creating a sense of tension and urgency that is perfectly augmented by the particular sounds produced with the Moog synthesizer, a Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue to be precise. Go fab four, go!

Posted
7 March 2006 @ 5pm

Tagged
Listening

Out of Season

Following the advice of David, I bought a copy of Out of Season, the last LP from Beth Gibbons, Portishead’s lead singer. I was expecting to find something like Portishead, and I found that, but a lot more as well. There is the same feeling of pain and sorrow, but with a never-heard-before tenderness that is heartwarming. Instrumentation is excellent, and listening to the very first seconds of Mysteries — the first track on the CD — should convince you that you’re about to enjoy a great musical experience. Many thanks to David for his advice!

Posted
5 March 2006 @ 7pm

Tagged
Listening

Chanson d’amour

Yesterday’s Stereolab concert was a revealing experience. Since I started listening to the groop, sometime in the Spring of 2003, I have tried to understand my fascination for this band, and seeing it live for the second time gave me part of the answer. The music of Stereolab is a difficult one, something akin to an acquired taste. Beyond the engaging beat and cute melodies, one has to dive into the poetic lyrics of Laetitia Sadier to fully appreciate the message that the lead singer is trying to get across. During their last performance at the Fillmore, the band played Need To Be from their 2004 LP Margerine Eclipse. Laetitia introduced it as a song about love, but if you read the lyrics, you will soon realize that it’s a song about metaphysics, and about love being the answer to the most fundamental existentialist questions. I am still looking for the answer myself, and Stereolab is the best guide I found along the way. Too bad they did not give posters away at the concert though…

Posted
25 February 2006 @ 7pm

Tagged
Listening, Sports

Kyberneticka Babicka

There is only one thing better than listening to Stereolab, and that is listening to Stereolab while riding on a snowboard. The rush I get when I manage to time my turns with the beat of the groop is like nothing else. Today, the track I used was Kyberneticka Babicka. It’s Stereolab last EP released in September 2005, in anticipation to the upcoming LP to be released next week. The music seems heavily influenced by the serial melodies of Philip Glass, especially those found in The Photographer. I like it! Vivement samedi…

Posted
24 February 2006 @ 10am

Tagged
Listening

Portishead Remixed

I love Portishead, and I really wish this band would come up with a new album. Yet the Beth Gibbons fans among us will certainly find comfort and patience in the newly released Portishead Remixed, which received the contribution of artists such as JoolsMF and CompactRisk. I Chill from Lenlow, featuring Katie Enlow and tracks from Radiohead, is pure bliss. Many thanks to Assaf for the CD, to Sebastien for the original Dummy CD, and to Yves for having introduced me to this great band.

Posted
21 February 2006 @ 7am

Tagged
Listening

Disappointment

We just received the new album from Belle and Sebastien. To be fair, it’s not good, and it’s a real disappointment. Dear Catastrophe Waitress was excellent, even though I have always had a preference for the band’s earlier work, especially If You’re Feeling Sinister. With The Life Pursuit, the magic seems to be gone. We will sell the concert tickets we bought and go to Isobel Campbell’s concert at the Cafe du Nord on March 8 instead.

Posted
8 February 2006 @ 10pm

Tagged
Listening

Belle and Sebastian

I love Belle and Sebastian. When May and I met, it was the only band I was listening to, beside Stereolab. They just released a new album (LP is in the mail) and will play at the San Francisco Design Center on March 21st (tickets in the mail too). Come meet us there!

Posted
5 February 2006 @ 12am

Tagged
Gastronomy, Listening

Amnesia

Yesterday, we went to Amnesia, one of the best places to drink a Belgium beer in San Francisco, CA. I had a Kwak while listening to Space Heater playing live. The sound is quite similar to Imitation Electric Piano or Turn On. I got a copy of Beatropolis’ last LP. Electro-acoustic downtempo. Awesome!

Posted
30 January 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Listening

No More Postal Service

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine made me discover The Postal Service, an indie band whose first LP quickly became May’s all time favorite. I liked it at first, but after the fiftieth listening or so, I kinda grew tired of it. I might have listened to the same Stereolab albums five hundred times, but The Postal Service is no match to the groop, so it was with great relief that I welcomed The Shins’ Chute Too Narrow as May’s newest favorite. No mail today!

Posted
22 January 2006 @ 3pm

Tagged
Listening

Gonzales

On a cool Sunday afternoon, I enjoyed nothing more than listening to Erik Satie, especially when played by Anne Queffelec. Recently though, Solo Piano from Gonzales has been providing a more contemporary interpretation of the same musical ideas. Many thanks to Nicolas for introducing us to this artist!

Posted
18 January 2006 @ 11pm

Tagged
Listening, Watching

High Fidelity

Tonight, we watched High Fidelity from Stephen Frears with John Cusack. We both had seen the movie several times before, but the soundtrack is so good and Jack Black is so funny that the replay experience remains engaging. The soundtrack features Lo Boob Oscillator from Stereolab, which is the tune we played at the end of our wedding ceremony. La, la lune est libre je crois, qui rayonne au-dessus, rayonne au-d’sus des toits, la lune est libre…

Posted
10 January 2006 @ 11am

Tagged
Listening

Stereolab in San Francisco

The gang will go hear the groop at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Saturday, March 4. Come join us for the best concert of the year. Don’t forget to wear your super-coola Stereolab t-shirt. And a happy birthday to Nassim!

Posted
3 January 2006 @ 8pm

Tagged
Gastronomy, Home, Listening, Road

Back Home

May and I are back home. The mailbox is full and several holiday presents had been waiting for us. May got saucisson—her favorite French snack. Many thanks to papa ghalimi. I got a couple of Monade and Stereolab t-shirts from Duophonic, as well as Mary Hansen’s post-mortem album, hybird. We miss you Mary…

Posted
18 December 2005 @ 8pm

Tagged
Listening

New Stereolab Tour

Stereolab is back on the road again. March 2nd and 4th at The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA. And a new LP is scheduled for released on March 6/7. Joy!

Posted
26 November 2005 @ 8pm

Tagged
Listening

Le mélange des cultures

Ce soir, j’écoute la bande originale de Tom Sawyer par Katsuhisa Hattori, sur les conseils de mon frère Nassim. Fantastique ! Dessin animé populaire en France, produit au Japon, sur fond de culture américaine. Du pur bonheur !